Chapter – 5

"Gryffindor and Slytherin were amiable once," said Remus.

Remus, Sirius and Harry were lounging around at Sirius's flat in downtown London that summer. They were just coming back from lunch and a little bit of shopping at Westfield. They also made a stop at Diagon Alley before returning home as Remus needed to find some new clothing for himself as he will start his second year of teaching at Hogwarts in the coming term.

"Amiable? You know Lucius Malfoy can pay me 30 million galleons and I will still refuse to believe that. But I'll still take the money though," said Harry, taking a sip of butterbeer from the glass he was holding. Both Remus and Sirius each had a mug of firewhisky in their hands. Harry asked beforehand if he could try the firewhisky. Sirius refused to let him, much to his dismay.

"Of course you won't believe it. You've never seen it or even experience it. This happened a long time ago, way before Sirius, James and I landed our feet in Hogwarts. Way before Voldemort as a matter a fact," said Remus. He drank from his mug before continuing, "The Slytherins were known to be ambitious and the Gryffindors were known to be brave. Those who are ambitious are known to be brave and if you are brave, you will have some sort of ambition or a target at the very least. So you see, in way there are a lot of similarities between a Slytherin and a Gryffindor."

"That's just one. What about chivalry? What about loyalty? Do they have any of those?" said Harry. "And how you would know all of these? I mean even during your time at Hogwarts, Gryffindor and Slytherin were already at odds against each other."

"He has a point, you know," said Sirius to Remus.

Remus glanced at Sirius, smiling. Turning back to Harry, he said, "Tales. Stories. You have to remember that before Dumbledore hired me, I lived at almost everywhere. On the sidewalks, in alleyways, old abandoned buildings – you name it. And I did all sorts of odd jobs just to get a few knuts to pay for my next meal. Most of my customers were wizarding families. You'll be surprise to know that most of them who hired me were once belongs to the House of Slytherins."

"And did they know you're a wizard?" asked Harry.

"Of course they know. Most magical dwellings can only be found by those who have magic," said Remus, he chortled a bit. Taking a sip from his mug, he continued, "I even told those who hired me that I was a Gryffindor."

"And how did they take it?" said Harry.

"The younger one whom at least as old as me would sneer. No surprise there but the older ones accepted me as their equals. They even went ahead and served me tea and some refreshments while I was working. Some even stayed and chat. They were surprise to see my conditions - some offered to help. I of course had to decline. You know why. One former Slytherin, an old wizard named Tom Bombadil, even showed me a collection of photos of him while he was still a Hogwarts students. He had a lot of friends from other houses, most of them were Gryffindors. He told me back then, things were different. He said he was saddened by the way things are going on these days," said Remus.

"You said they saw you had a condition," said Harry. "Did they know?"

Remus who knew what Harry meant replied, "No. Here's the thing. Unless you're a healer, nobody really know the symptom of a person suffering from the Lycanthropy Syndrome. They thought that I had something else like a malnutrition which isn't that far off given that quite a few times I only ate once a day."

Harry nodded. "You're lucky," he said. He then hastily added, "I mean in term of your condition, Remus. I'm sorry."

But Remus brushed off Harry's apology. "You could say that. Things could get worse for me if they know that I'm a werewolf," said Remus. "But my point still stands. Things were different back then."

"Until Voldemort came," said Sirius. He was lying on the couch, listening idly to Harry and Remus's conversation.

"Yes. Until Voldemort," said Remus.

"You'll be surprise to hear that Voldemort was once a Hogwarts student. Nobody really know what his real name was," said Sirius. "But it was said that throughout his years in Hogwarts, the House of Slytherin changed. Not for the better, you know. Everything that the Slytherin stood for, for the past hundreds of years were thrown out of the window and in its place, blood superiority. It was no longer about ambitions, motivations and being intelligent. It's now all about superiority."

"Maybe Dumbledore knows. But I don't think the House of Slytherin ever changed. Otherwise the Sorting Hat will know," said Harry as he reflected back to that night when the Sorting Hat was put on his head. He remembered every word the Sorting Hat said. "What we're seeing now is basically what the Slytherin stands for all the time."

"The Sorting Hat is just an instrument. It simply does it job as what the Hogwarts Founders programmed it to do, Harry," said Remus. "It doesn't have the ability to recognize any changes that occur along the way."

"Speaking of blood superiority," said Sirius as he got up and sat upright on the couch. "Your father, despite him being a pure blood and coming from a noble wizarding family, staunchly opposed the blood superiority agenda. He marrying your mother was one of his way of showing the middle finger to anyone who supported Voldemort's cause."

"I thought he married my mother because he loved her," said Harry.

Remus and Sirius chuckled.

"Of course he loved your mother. More than anything. But yes, he was making a political statement with his marriage as well," said Sirius.

"James and Lily were the two most wonderful persons I ever met. Your mother, even after she got to know my 'little furry problem', still considered me as a friend. Your parents helped me a lot during my days at Hogwarts and after. There's not a day that I didn't miss them," said Remus.

"I missed them," said Harry softly.

Remus and Sirius both smiled kindly at him.

"We all missed them, Harry," said Sirius. "Your parents were practically a family to me."

Remus leaned forward towards Harry and spoke, "There is however something that I need you to remember. Your mother and your father didn't get along in the beginning. There were too many differences between both of them. The only thing that they share was compassion but that alone was enough to bring them together. That alone was enough to change both of them. And who knows, one day that might happen to you. And maybe one day, two opposing houses can be brought along together with just one shared trait."

Outside the DADA classroom…

The only lesson the Slytherins would arrive early was the Potions. They adopted a more relaxed approach when it comes to classes not run by Professor Snape which in this case, the so-called relaxed approach meant that they tend to arrive late. That was how much respect they showed to Professor Snape and how little consideration they gave to other teachers.

So to see a Slytherin arriving earlier than everyone else at a non-Potions class took everyone by surprise. Of course it was just one Slytherin so it could mean anything. Whispers circled around about why a Slytherin was standing alone beside the entrance into the DADA classroom. Slytherins usually traveled in groups.

This however did had an effect to the fourth year Gryffindor's male population. For the first time ever, the lone Slytherin's beauty was exposed and the boys found themselves could not stop staring at her.

"Who cares," said Ron when Seamus asked him if he had any idea on why Daphne was there all alone. But even he could not take his eyes off her.

Hermione meanwhile just rolled her eyes at her male counterparts' behavior. She then noticed that Harry also was staring at Daphne.

"Not you too," she said with complete disgust. But then she suddenly realized that Harry wasn't looking at Daphne the same way as other boys was looking at her. She saw his eyebrows furrowed. There was a look of genuine curiosity plastered on his face.

Meanwhile Daphne just stood there, shouldering her bag and holding her books to her chest while she stared at the floor.

Harry looked around and saw no other Slytherin was in sight. It would be a while before Professor Lupin opened the door to let them in. He turned to look at Hermione. "I'm going to talk to her. Would you agree?" he said.

Hermione looked back and forth between Harry and Daphne. She then shrugged. "It's all up to you. I'm not going to be responsible for whatever response you'll get in return," she said.

"Oh I know," said Harry, smirking. "I'm just showing my respect to you. I will still do it if you said no."

Hermione raised her eyebrows at Harry.

In complete view of his classmates, Harry made his way towards Daphne.

"Harry! Where are you going?" asked Ron.

But Harry ignored him.

Daphne looked up and saw Harry was walking towards her. Her gaze followed him until he stopped right in front of her.

"So, you're alone? Just you?" asked Harry.

Daphne considered him for a moment. "No. There's you and the rest of your friends," she answered.

Cheeky, he thought.

"You know what I mean," said Harry.

Daphne's pinkish lips curved into a smile. "I know what you mean. Don't worry. They'll be here. By the way, are you lost?" she said.

"I'm not lost. Why do you say that?" said Harry.

"Because you should be standing right over there," said Daphne, nodding towards the group of Gryffindors. "Not here."

"Wow. That is a good way to get rid of someone. Especially someone you completely dislike," said Harry, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Daphne's smile grew wider. "Trying to get rid of someone? Absolutely. Disliking that someone? That remains to be seen. Or perhaps that you didn't care what your friends are going to say about you talking to me, Monsieur Potter," said Daphne.

"Monsieur?" said Harry, raising his eyebrows.

But she just kept on smiling.

"That's an odd way to call someone. But going back to the topic, what do you think? Maybe it's you who care what your friends are going to say if they see you talking to me," said Harry.

Daphne stared at him. "Apparently we both don't care," she softly said.

"Yeah. We don't," said Harry.

And they both spent the next few moments drown in each other's gaze.

The sound of approaching footsteps woke them up from their stupor. Harry looked down the corridor. The Slytherins had yet to arrive but he knew they were coming.

And for a moment Harry had a wild urge to stay and continue talking to her. It would be satisfying to see Malfoy's reaction when the blonde slick see a Gryffindor talking to a beautiful Slytherin.

But after careful consideration, he decided that he could wait. There will be another day to do that.

He glanced at Daphne before he turned around and headed back towards his friends.

And once again Daphne's green orbs followed him as he rejoin his friends.

"What was that all about, Harry?" asked Ron, curiously.

"Nothing. Just me trying to meddle with someone else business, Ron," said Harry. Turning to Hermione, he said, "Don't say it."

Hermione cocked her eyebrows. "Say what?"

"I told you so?" said Harry.

Hermione folded her hands to her chest and tilted her head. "I told you so," she said.

Harry just rolled his eyes.

The rest of the Slytherins arrived and right on cue, Professor Lupin opened the door to let them in.

Harry, Ron and Hermione hurried into three chairs right in front of the teacher's desk. That had been their usual spot during the DADA lessons for the past one year. The three of them tended to sit a little bit further back before Professor Lupin took over. They took out their books, placed it on their desk and waited patiently for the class to begin.

Professor Lupin turned to them once he finished wiping the chalkboard. He smiled to them. "Welcome back," he greeted. "All of you look energized after the long summer break and I'm pretty sure that you couldn't wait to continue with this adventure called education."

A few of the Slytherins sniggered at that remark.

It was well known how the Slytherin supported Professor Snape for the position of the Defense Against the Dark Art teacher. The 'venerable' Professor Snape never got that position though. He probably never will for as long as Professor Dumbledore remained the headmaster of Hogwarts. For the past one year, they tried to throw Professor Lupin off balance by ridiculing him openly, making snide remarks right into his face and being snarky whenever they interacted with him. But Professor Lupin's patience remained. He never failed to smile and kept on carrying his duty as bestowed upon him.

Peter Pettigrew's capture did change some of the Slytherins' attitude towards him. They started respecting him more albeit begrudgingly. Of course there were those who refused to change. This however didn't apply to Malfoy and his gang members. He and the rest of his friends maintained their disrespect against Professor Lupin.

Professor Lupin began to write on the chalkboard. "I've been going through your syllabus for the past three years," he said while continue writing. "We covered a solid ground last year, dealing with magical dark creatures such as boggarts, red caps, grindylows, kappas and werewolves."

Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged coveted looks when they heard that last word Professor Lupin uttered.

Professor Lupin put down the chalk once he finished writing. The students could see words The Unforgiveable Curses written on the chalk board. Turning back to the students, he continued, "Now I don't usually talk behind my former colleagues back but it appears to me that you are awfully ill equipped in dealing with curses. Not your fault, of course but it is high time indeed to bring you up to scratch on what wizards can do to each other. Now according to Ministry of Magic, I'm supposed to teach you countercurses and leave it at that which is fine. There are concerns about how well you're going to cope with dark curses which is why you will have to wait until your sixth year. Professor Dumbledore however got a higher opinion of your nerves and he reckoned that you will be able to handle it. In all honesty, I do believe that the sooner you prepared, the better. Of course it will depend on how good is your progress within this term. If everything goes well, I might be able to show you some of the dark curses and their horrible effects. Which of course brings us to the next item that I've been planning for a quite a while. Dueling. So far, only one of you have experience in dueling."

Professor Lupin nodded at Harry.

"Only one," he said. "And he is part of the reason why I am still here which is why the syllabus this year will involve wizard duel and I was hoping that Mr. Potter would agree to become my assistant when the time comes."

This announcement took Harry by surprise. He was completely lost for words.

Both Hermione and Ron looked at him impressively. Ron mouthed 'wow' at him.

Professor Lupin smiled at Harry. "We'll discuss the matter later," he said. Once again turning back to the class, he spoke, "Now I'm sure that everyone saw what I wrote on the chalk board. There are basically three curses categorized by the Ministry of Magic as Unforgiveable Curses. Anyone can give me one?"

Several hands rose into the air including Hermione and Ron.

Professor Lupin pointed at Ron.

"Imperius Curse," said Ron.

"Correct. The Imperius Curse. Give the Ministry quiet a headache at one time. It gives its perpetrator total and absolute control over their victims. I can make you dance. I can make you drown. I can even make you kill you own family members and you will do all of that voluntarily. Years back, there were a lot of witches and wizards claimed that they were being controlled by the Imperius Curse. Some job for the Ministry trying to sort between the truths and lies. Now, who can give me the next one?"

Once again several hands rose tentatively to the air. This time, Professor Lupin chose Neville, much to everyone's surprise given that he usually only offered answers within Herbology.

"The- the Cruciatus Curse," Neville offered.

Professor Lupin nodded albeit grimly. "That is correct, Neville. And I'm sorry. Very-very sorry."

Neville just nodded.

The rest of the class with the exception of Harry looked questioningly at Neville and Professor Lupin. Harry actually knew what happened to Neville's parents. Both Sirius and Remus told him about it.

"Pain," Professor Lupin continued. "You won't be needing thumbscrews or knives if you can perform Cruciatus Curse. The victim of this curse will usually suffer prolong effect which can last for the rest of their life. Some would lost their mind. Some would even go mad."

Professor Lupin once again glanced at Neville.

"And I shall give you the third and the last curse that listed under the Unforgiveable Curse," said Professor Lupin. "The Killing Curse. Only one is known to survive that curse and he is sitting here right in front of me."

Harry felt his face reddened as Professor Lupin's eyes met him. He could feel everyone else was looking at him too. Not that he didn't know all about the Unforgiveable Curse. Sirius mentioned to him about it during their training. It just felt different when Professor Lupin mentioned it right in front of everyone else in the class.

The class continued. Professor Lupin gave the class a minor introduction on some of the counter curses they will be learning that year. Before that, he told them that he was planning to show them how the Imperius Curse work. Of course it would be up to Professor Dumbledore's discretion on whether or not he will allow it.

"There won't be any need for demonstrations on the other two Unforgiveable Curses. I am sure all of you know what pain feels like. The Killing Curse itself is self-explanatory," he said.

Near the end of the class, Professor Lupin called on to Harry. "Harry, will you please step to the front?"

Harry did as told.

Once Harry turned to face the class, Professor Lupin said, "I am sure that most of you who had the pleasure to watch the final round of the last year's Interhouse Quidditch Cup match witnessed the Patronus Charm spell performed brilliantly by Mr. Potter here. I would like to point out that the Patronus Charm is one of the more advanced defensive spell that you will only learn once you enter fifth or sixth year in Hogwarts. It is an extremely difficult spell. There are many more well established and skillful wizards and witches who have trouble producing a Patronus. Once mastered however, the Patronus Charm will provides the only protection against dementors and lethifolds. Of course there other uses for it as well which hopefully we will be able to cover when the time comes. Now, Mr. Potter. Show us your Patronus."

Harry smiled.

Patronus Charm had indeed became one of his favorite spells. For some reason, despite the said difficulties, producing a Patronus had become a second nature to him. He became so adapted to it that he could now produce one with a whim and he did just that during his stay with Sirius. He would produce a Patronus every now and then just because he can, especially when he got bored. And true to what Remus said, it did have other uses other than being part of a wizard's defense mechanism. One of it was that he could send messages with it. Although he never tested that feature, he would scare Sirius out of his wits by having his Patronus poke its head into the lavatory whenever he felt his godfather spent time a little bit longer than usual in it. Remus reminded him during one of his visits that he wasn't allowed to practice magic during the holidays but since Harry was living with Sirius, a fully legal and adult wizard, the Ministry hadn't taken any action so far. Sirius theorized that his own magic might had covered Harry's track.

Harry took out his wand. Pointing it upward and with a single swirling motion, he shouted, "Expecto Patronum!"

An enormous silvery white blob erupted from the end his wand. The blob hovered for a few moments. It then began to change form and once it done, a huge, majestic looking silver stag stood in its place. Its aura shone so brightly that it illuminated the entire room. It then began to gallop around the classroom, circling the students and once it reached right in front of Harry, it stopped.

The whole class continued to watch in awe as the stag bowed its antlered head to Harry. Harry bowed his head back.

"That is a very big Patronus," commented Professor Lupin. He then glanced at Harry and said, "I don't recall seeing your Patronus this big."

Indeed, Harry's Patronus towered over him. And Harry himself felt the same way too. He just shrugged at Professor Lupin's statement. He had absolutely no idea why his Patronus came out that way.

With a swish of his wand, the stag vanished.

"Well that's not exactly difficult, isn't it?!"

Both Harry and Professor Lupin turned around. They both saw Malfoy, now standing and looking at them. They could see the expression of jealousy plastered on his face.

"That's not exactly difficult, isn't it?" repeated Malfoy. "He just pointed his wand and uttered the incantation. Which part of the spell is difficult exactly? Potter could produce his Patronus at will. If he can do it that easily, so can everyone else."

Harry and Professor Lupin exchanged look. Harry just raised his shoulders.

Turning back to Malfoy, Professor Lupin said, "Then perhaps Mr. Malfoy could show us his Patronus. Why don't you come to the front so that everyone could see?"

Both Harry and Professor Lupin moved over to make some space for Malfoy.

With a smug look on his face and wholly determined to bring Harry down a couple of notch, Malfoy took out his wand and walked to the front of the class. Everyone within the class watched quietly as he took his position and pointed his wand upwards.

"Expecto Patronum!" he yelled.

But nothing happened.

"What?!" said Malfoy, confounded.

"Expecto Patronum!" he yelled again.

And once again nothing happened.

By this time, sniggers and laughter can be heard from the students, especially from the Slytherins.

Feeling angry and greatly embarrassed, Malfoy turned towards Harry and said, "How did you do it?!"

"Like you said, I just point my wand and speak the words," said Harry flatly.

Malfoy gritted his teeth. He had a hunch that there was something more but he couldn't prove it. "Do it again!" he said to Harry. This time he was determined to watch Harry closely.

Harry obliged. He repeated the attempt and once again a huge silvery stag stood in front of all them.

Once again Malfoy flabbergasted. He watched Harry carefully. He looked for any sign of Harry doing any secret maneuver that enabled him to produce the Patronus so easily. Much to his disappointment, he found none.

"You were hiding it. I know you were hiding something! You just refused to tell it to the class!" accused Malfoy.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Or maybe the reason why you failed is because of your lack of respect and your refusal to listen to the whole story in the first place? You're right. There are a lot more than just point and shoot when it comes to Patronus Charm and Professor Lupin had yet to explain it fully. You know, if you really used that little gray matter that resided within that thick skull of yours, you probably would be spared from such embarrassment," said Harry firmly.

At this point, Malfoy was completely lost for words. He was angry. Very angry as a matter a fact but his sole argument unfortunately was completely disabled by Harry and he didn't have any good comeback to be thrown back at Harry. He opened his mouth, only to close it immediately after.

Professor Lupin decided to defuse the tension that was brewing between the two students. "I think that will be enough demonstration for today. Thank you Harry and thank you Mr. Malfoy. You both may sit," he said.

Malfoy glared at Harry before he turned around and headed back to his seat.

Once the two students retook their seats, Professor Lupin spoke, "As Mr. Potter had clearly stated, there is indeed a lot more than just pointing your wand and speaking the incantation when it comes to Patronus Charm. And this statement is also applicable to many other spells. We shall learn more of those in due course. As for the Patronus Charm, while you won't officially learn the spell in fourth year, perhaps if we have time, we could have a little bit of a practice. You know, just for fun," he said, smiling.

A booming bell echoed throughout the castle, signifying the end of the class. Everyone began to pack their books and bag. Professor Lupin decided not give them any homework, much to the relief of the students.

Harry however decided to stay behind. He told both Hermione and Ron that he will meet them at the common room before they go for dinner.

Once the rest of the students vacated the classroom (Daphne gave Harry one last glance before she walked out the door), Harry turned to Remus, "Assistant? Really?" he said, raising his eyebrows.

Remus who was leaning against the teacher's desk, grinned. "Why? You don't want it?"

"I am flattered as a matter a fact," said Harry. "But I'm not sure how useful I can be, Remus. It was only one battle. And I was with you at that time."

"That battle with Wormtail was one of the hardest I ever faced and I mean it seriously. You saw what Wormtail was like. I probably won't be able to bring him down alone," stated Remus. "And honest to God, I am very glad that you were with me that time."

Harry nodded. "Talking about serious as in Sirius, how is he?" asked Harry.

"He's fine. He told me to send his regards to you when I see you," said Remus.

"It's been a while since the last time I heard anything from him. I am curious by the way," said Harry.

"About what?"

"About what Dumbledore asked him to do. Do you have any idea?" asked Harry. "Do you have anything you can share with me?"

Remus once again smiled. "Yes I do. It was some kind of errand Dumbledore asked him to do but don't you worry, Harry. He is safe. He's currently working closely with Dumbledore. But that's all I can say for now."

"Dumbledore asked you not to tell anyone?"

Remus just smiled.

"Are you in it as well?"

Remus nodded.

By this time, Harry decided to stop asking. He knew he won't be getting any concrete answer from Remus. If Sirius decided not to tell him, so will Remus. That didn't mean that he wasn't frustrated but for now, he just had to live with that. But at least he knew that Sirius got people watching his back all the time and temporarily, that would be good enough for Harry.

Both Remus and Harry continued to chat. Remus indeed was curious regarding Harry's Patronus and how easy it was for Harry to conjure one. Harry told him he had no idea as to why but he did told him that he would conjure his Patronus every now and then during his stay with Sirius just for fun. Half of an hour before dinner, Harry took his leave. He met Hermione and Ron at common room, went back to his dorm to change his clothes and three of them then went to the Great Hall for dinner.

It was Saturday morning and Ron was very elated.

On Friday, Angeline came to Harry and gave him a note. It was from Oliver Wood. The former student and captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team told Harry that he had purposely left his broom, a Cleansweep Five, in Hogwarts and told Harry to give that broom to anyone who would eventually take his place as the keeper if they didn't have their broom of their own. Both Harry and Ron dashed to the broom cupboard and there it was, Wood's broom hanged exactly beside Harry's Nimbus Two Thousands.

"I know Wood said to only give his broom to whoever take his place within the team but he never said anyone couldn't borrow it. Fancy a flight test over at the Quidditch pitch tomorrow morning, Ron?" said Harry.

Ron grinned madly. "You had me at the word 'broom', Harry," he said.

And sure enough, Ron was the earliest to get up the very next morning. He immediately went over to Harry's bed and woke him up. Together, they got dressed, went to the broom cupboard to get their brooms and headed out of the Gryffindor Tower.

Stream of yellow and pink hues graced the eastern horizon. The castle corridors were completely deserted at this hour. Their footsteps echoed through the silence as Harry and Ron made their way towards the Entrance Hall.

The smell of freshly cooked breakfast wafted out from within the Great Hall when they arrived at the Entrance Hall but the boys already had other plan. They both mounted their brooms and immediately sped off towards the Quidditch pitch.

Thick mist hovered close to the castle's ground. Near the edge of the Forbidden Forest, flickers of light can be seen from within Hagrid's Hut. Hagrid must have woke up.

The cold morning air hit and stung Harry's face as he gathered speed but he found that he didn't care. High above the ground and sitting on his broom, he had never felt so alive. The Nimbus Two Thousands as always was almost telepathic in its response to every input coming from Harry. It had been a while since the last time he rode his broom and he couldn't be any happier.

Ron followed Harry closely from behind and like his closest friend, he too couldn't stop grinning. The Cleansweep Five wasn't as fast and as precise as Harry's broom but it was miles better than anything he had at the Burrow.

They spent the next hour zooming around within the pitch. They would race against each other and worked their way around the stadium's pillars. They both finish off by flying high into the clouds and spent the next few minutes hovering over the clouds watching the sun.

"Whomping Willow did quite a number on your broom, didn't it Harry?" said Ron.

They both were taking some rest at one of the spectator stands before heading back to the castle for breakfast.

Harry turned to look at his broom. Indeed it was full of scratch marks on it. Some of the twigs got splayed and some had gone missing from its end. It really looked worn, as if Harry already had it for more than thirty years. The broom still flew well though. Luckily he was able to rescue the broom before Whomping Willow did a permanent damage to it.

The dementors attacked him during the Quidditch match against the Hufflepuff. He managed to get away but his nerves and sense of direction went haywire. Within the thick rain and the gales, he accidentally flew towards the Whomping Willow, only to realize his mistakes at the very last moment. He tried to dodge but eventually got caught in one the branches. The tree began to do its thing. Harry tried to escape with his broom but he failed at first. He got hit by the tree's branches almost constantly. It was only after he managed to reach for his wand and fired a few spells towards the Whomping Willow that he finally managed to break free. He was wounded quite badly though and had to spend an entire two weeks within the hospital wing.

Sirius offered to buy him the Firebolt when they visited Diagon Alley the other day. He reasoned that the Firebolt would match Harry's talent really well. Harry of course was very elated at the prospect of finally owning a world class racing broom but he found that he was very attached to his old one so he declined. The Nimbus Two Thousand won't be as fast as the Firebolt but to him, it signified one of the kindest thing anyone had ever done for him after so many years of abuse and neglect. He would forever appreciate it.

Of course it didn't stop him from wanting a Firebolt though.

"Yeah," replied Harry. He grabbed his broom and began examining it. "But it's still in one piece. It still flies well so I'm not complaining. Just wish that broom servicing kit Hermione gave me could effectively remove all these scratches. Didn't have much luck though."

"Having a Firebolt would be nice," said Ron.

Both Harry and Ron spent quite some time ogling the latest racing broom model at Quidditch Quality Supplies store when they went to visit Diagon Alley the other day. Harry told Ron he already saw the broom when he visit the wizard shopping alley with Sirius and Remus. Both men literally had to drag him away from the store's window when he stalled them for far too long.

"I agree but I already have this," said Harry, nodding towards his broom. He then carefully set the broom aside. "Don't see the need for a racing broom at the moment. I mean it would be cool to be able to ride a Firebolt but even with the old brooms we still beat the Slytherin and won the Quidditch Cup last year. And if everything goes to plan, even with the upcoming tournament, we are going to continue beating everyone else in years to come. I'm sure of it."

Ron raised his hand and gave Harry a high-five. "Now that you said that, I really can't wait for next year. I mean the International Wizarding Tournament can screw itself," he said.

Harry grinned madly. "I know right?" he said. "So how's that broom? Do you like it?"

"I love it," said Ron. "It's definitely better than everything I rode in the past. It won't be as fast as yours though."

"A keeper doesn't need prolong high speed flying, Ron. What they need is a broom that can provide constant bursts of acceleration and good maneuverability. I think Wood's broom can provide that. It's not for nothing he was Hogwarts' best keeper," said Harry.

"I wish I could keep it," said Ron. "It's a really nice broom. Wood took care of it really well. Look! No scratches whatsoever!"

"You probably can if you get the job," said Harry.

"Do you know anyone else who's also vying for the keeper position?" asked Ron.

Harry shook his head. "No. I'm not sure anyone would be interested at this moment. They are all more interested with the upcoming tournament than Quidditch which is why we planned to have tryouts after Halloween," he said.

Ron nodded. "I guess I need to start practicing while there's still time. We should start setting up my training schedules," he said.

"Yeah. Sure thing."

A deep growled coming out of their stomach reminded them that they hadn't had breakfast yet. Together, they mounted their brooms and sped off back to the castle.

Nothing much happened during the weekend. The trio spent most of their time doing homework and revising their lessons. Harry however ended up at the library more often than ever since he had taken up Arithmancy. Hermione was his study partner so he really had no choice. But he got to see Daphne and Tracy quite a lot at the library though. The girls, just like Hermione, spent quite a lot of their time at the library it seemed. No interaction happened between him and Daphne this time though but still it didn't stop them from stealing glances from each other.

Monday morning brought a surprise to the castle's inhabitant. They were greeted by the sight of hundreds of workers gathering on the castle ground. Professor Dumbledore and a few other teachers were there as well. The headmaster could be seen talking to one of the workers. At the same time, building materials such as bricks, wooden planks, gravels, decorative items such as flowers and flower pots, decorative lamp post and mini fences could be seen flying on its own from the nearby Hogsmeade Village. All of those could be seen piling neatly at the far end of the castle ground.

"Well, gentlemen. What you're seeing here is the commencing of the International Wizarding Tournament," said Fred while holding a toast in one hand and a jar of peanut butter in the other.

To be continued…