I have absolutely no claim whatsoever to the Harry Potter book series or any related media and/or merchandise

This story was inspired by The Travel Secrets Series by E4mj and I'm Still Here by Kathryn518

"Depulso" Rafael murmured as he shot a conveniently placed vase at his opponent who simply leaned to the side to dodge what was obviously less that an inconvenience for him. Having anticipated that his opponent would do that he had already begun the summoning charm for the vase the minute he had banished it, and had finished it just seconds after his opponent had dodged it. This time it did connect much to his surprise as he had never been able to land a decent hit before. Despite this surprise he didn't miss a beat as he summoned the rug his opponent had stumbled onto when the vase had crashed into his back of his head, hoping to throw him off his feat, or at the very least momentarily distract him. His opponent however, had simply stepped back with the grace of an aristocrat, without even the slightest hint that the rug had been pulled out from under his feat as he simultaneously fired a stunner at Rafael, who raised his wand to shield before realizing that his opponents spell would fly directly above him. He had only seconds to wonder if his opponent was more of-balance than he let on, considering the bad aim of that spell, before he felt his legs pulled up from under him and felt the stunner hit him square in the stomach before he backed out.

Harry smirked as his hand went to the back of his head and began rubbing the place where the vase had hit him. He had to admit that he certainly hadn't been expecting that one, which showed him that his partner had the ability to think completely out of the box in battle… or that he himself was slipping. He personally hoped that it was the former, but he did make a note to up his own personal training in case it was the latter.

after a quick 'finite' at the stunned Slytherin, Harry conjured a table and two chairs, one on either side of it. Taking a seat in one he summoned one of the school House-Elves and asked them to bring some refreshments as Rafael slowly pulled himself up and sank onto the other chair.

"My complements to you my friend" Harry said "You have been performing exceedingly well and always manage to show some unexpected improvisation. I will admit that I wasn't expecting you to be able to land a blow on me so soon."

"Please we both know that it was most likely a fluke, there were dozens of way you could have stopped that vase, most of which would have left me open to your retaliation" Rafael replied "Though I will admit that I have to get creative with my limited arsenal of just five spells, if I have any hope of even managing to land a hit on you."

"You do realize that I only used two spells in our entire fight" Harry responded.

"Two spells chosen from dozens, possibly hundreds, that you know" Rafael said and Harry had to give him that one "Not to mention the years and years of experience that you have under your belt."

"Which makes your hit with the vase all the more impressive, despite being a fluke as you call it" Harry said reaching for the cup of tea that was in front of him and taking a sip. "How is your cell?"

"Surprisingly cooperative and interactive considering that it's a cell that contains members of all four houses." Rafael replied "Then again the most vocal houses are usually Slytherin and Gryffindor, and considering that I doubt that Neville is going to do anything, I know I'm not… maybe its not so surprising that we're getting along. That being said though, we are still an incomplete cell."

Harry looked at him

"You're planning on adding someone, aren't you…? And considering that my entire group is made up of our year mates I'm gonna take a hazardous guess and say that this potential recruit is a first year." Rafael said "But why not invite that person to the… is it a Slytherin?"

"Yes…" Harry replied "Either Blaize Zabini or Leona Moon"

"Both of whom are our year mates. In fact our entire group is made up of first years… Why?" asked Rafael deep in thought. Harry didn't answer, but rather made a carry on gesture, and so Rafael tried to "Other than grouping the seventh years together, perfectly understandable by the way, all the other groups are made up of older and younger students, most of who already have bonds with others in their cell…. I get that when the oldest students graduate, they can form their own Hydra cells in whichever field they choose to go to, and the rest of the group can adopt members from the first and second year to fill up the ranks and well… end up creating a continuous cycle…. But our group doesn't fit into that pattern unless…"

"Unless…" Harry prompted, extremely pleased that his friend had been able to see what he was trying to do.

"…Unless you want a specialized cell, a combat oriented cell" Rafael said, the pleased look on his friend's face told him that he was correct. "Susan Bones, the niece of the current Head of the DMILE Amelia Bones, who will no doubt arrange for special training for the last living link to her brother… and knowing how close Susan and Hannah are, there is no doubt in my mind that the blonde Huffelpuff will be included in those classes. Neville Longbottem was one of the original members of the DA and he led it during his seventh year, when you went gallivanting around the countryside looking for Horcruxes… And then there is me…"

"And then there is you" Harry replied. He knew that Padma would likely be one of the greatest assets to the DMILE when she had joined… in fact she was often called the second coming of Mad-Eye Moody. Parvati… well Parvati was dead by that time, which probably had something to do with Padma's attitude… never the less Harry had high hopes for the both of them, especially considering that they were both in Ravens Nest this time around. "Regardless of how much we work in the shadows and the politics we play, there will be open battles, and regardless of how skilled I am, I am just one man… And even if we both know that though Fleur will always have my back she cannot be here all the time… So yes, I am trying to create a specialized cell, though you have my word I will not send you into the field unless I feel that you all are truly ready… or unless I have no other choice."

"Then why not train me with the others?"

"Well, for one you always stick close to me and with my track record… Well the best way to put it is that a worst case scenario for your cell would see them in a deathly conflict during our fifth year if my memories hold true. However there is a good chance that you will see such a scene sometime next year, or possibly this year itself." Harry replied "the second reason is that you are also a part of my… well inner circle for lack of a better term, and trust me when I say that I intend to put Daphne, Tracey, Tonks and Hermione through the same paces that I am putting you through. And well lastly the best way to ensure that you have absolute command of your cell is not just to ensure that you have good relations with them and ensure that they acknowledge you as their leader, but that you are also the strongest of them all."

"I see…" muttered Rafael "Harry, don't you have a match to be getting ready for."

"I do… Today's the first match of the season, which incidentally seems to be the most anticipated" Harry replied as he twirled his wand, before he stood up from the chair he was sitting on and moved a few steps back "What almost everybody doesn't realize is that it is also going to be a clash of brother vs brother… And when it comes to Quidditch… I'm gonna destroy him."

Rafael didn't get a chance to respond as he heard the tell tale zoom of a broom, he barely had enough time to see the broom slow down enough for Harry to be able to jump on it before he watched his best friend take a very sharp u-turn and zoom of down the corridor.

"Hm, Showoff" Rafael murmured as he grinned.

"Hey girls" Rafael said as he arrived next to his to Daphne and Tracey in the Slytherin Quidditch stand.

"Rafael, where have you been?" asked Tracey before she took a whiff "And why do you smell like cinnamon?"

"I went for a bath before coming here" Rafael replied "Harry and I were dueling and before the match and well… I didn't want to come here all drenched in sweat."

"My my, how thoughtful" muttered Daphne "But if you and Harry were dueling, how did he reach here before the start of the match?"

"For some strange reason there is actually no rule against flying in the castle" Rafael replied, his eyes scanning the players for the roommate "And… Woah"

He watched as Harry broke into a dive, with his brother giving chase. Charles, who was riding a Nimbus two thousand courtesy of his parents, was easily catching up to Harry who was riding a Cleansweep seven, which though a professional broom, was made for keepers and beaters, with a short burst of controlled speed to say, save a quaffle or hit a bludger, and could in no way match the sheer speed of a Nimbus two thousand. It seemed though that was what Harry was aiming for as they both flew very fast straight towards the ground, which Charles easily gaining ground on the Slytherin Potter, when at the last second Harry pull up leaving his brother heading for the ground at ridiculously high speeds. I do not believe that I need to explain what happens when something going so fast his something as hard, solid and sturdy as say, the ground…

It was very painful. That was a given as Madam Pomfrey was already rushing to the downed Potter heir. Charles would no doubt be out of the game for quite a while.

"I don't believe it" screamed Lee Jordan from the podium "That was a perfectly executed Wronski Feint from Potter – Harry Potter that is. While Slytherin is known for its less than stellar tactics, that was nothing less than a perfect maneuver even by professional standards. It seems though that move might just have taken his brother out of the game, I… It seems that we have just gotten word on the status of Charles Potter – The Boy-Who-Lived will be out of the match for the next hour at minimum, while our dear Madam Pomfrey tends to him.

Madam Hooch signals the players to get back into position and with a quick blow of her silver whistle the game resumes.

"Alicia Spinnet has taken possession of the Quaffle" Lee said "She immediately passes it to Angelina Johnsson – no Slytherin has taken possession of the Quaffle. Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint has possession of the Quaffle and off he goes – Flints within range of the Gryfindor hoops, he's going to sc – no, nice save there by Gryffindor keeper Oliver Wood – who immediately passes it to Katie Bell – who manages to dive around Flint, flies across the field and – OUCH – Bell's taken out by a bludger to the back of the head – Quaffle is now in possession of Slytherin – Chaser Adrian Pucey is now flying towards the Gryffindor goalpost with the Quaffle in had and – is blocked by a bludger courtesy of Weasley, I can't tell if it's Fred or George, but it was a nice shot – Johnsson is now back in possession of the Quaffle – she's really flying now – dodges a bludger and – Slytherin Keeper Bletchley dives – misses – Gryffindor scores."

Harry swerved… While he could end the match now unimpeded, thanks to the fact that Gryffindor no longer had a Seeker for an hour. Gryfindor's lineup, despite being made of a second year, four third years and a fifth year, could even now be matched up to a professional team… well a low league professional team, but a professional team none the less. It was the reason why they had remained undefeated (save for one cloudy dementor infested match) during the six years that Harry studied in Hogwarts. While he could catch the snitch when it appeared, chances were that Gryffindor would be so ahead that they would still win the match. He needed to take someone out. Keepers were protected by the rules of the game, which left the chasers and the beaters… the question now though was not who, but it was how?

And then he saw his chance… Fred and George Weasley were waiting eagerly for the two bludgers that were heading towards the troublesome duo. And both Angelina and Alicia were moving straight below him, passing the quaffle as they did so. And he smiled. He had a plan now, a plan which had an over seventy-five percent chance of failure but a plan none the less.

And then he dived.

"Harry Potter dives" said Lee "With no seeker opposing him there is certainly no chance that this is a feint – which means that he must have seen the Snitch – Both Weasleys are taking no chances as they shoot both bludgers at him.

Harry smirked as the heard the duel TWACKS and he put all his strength in pulling the tip of his broom up – and watched as the bludgers went soaring under him and hit the two Gryffindor chasers.

"And it WAS a feint" screamed Lee "Harry tricked the Gryffindor beaters into taking out their own chasers – yes, I can confirm that both Angelina and Alicia are down for the count – and with the Gryffindor team now possessing only two beaters and a keeper and a chaser, Slytherin has got this in the bag."

"Flint" screamed Harry as he looked at his team captain. "Use this chance to crush them with goals. But no dirty play, we have been playing a clean game so far, let's keep doing that. And then we'll see how they can insult our team with nothing to use against us."

Flint nodded and started yelling instructions to his chasers.

As much as he would like to say that Slytherin managed to crush Gryffindor, the truth was that Wood was a phenomenal keeper. Harry could easily see the frustration building on Flint's face as out of almost two dozen shots that they took, they had only managed to score four goals against Gryffindor. And Fred and George were relentless as they kept on whacking bludgers at the Slytherin Chasers, with reckless abandon, while Slytherin's beaters could only try and fail miserably, to keep up with the twins. This of course confirmed what he knew right from the get go, that this team was Gryffindor's – no the school's finest line up till date – and possibly of all time.

Harry heard the Madam Hooch's whistle and he knew that he had to end this fast. Angelina and Alicia were back in the air, and the Gryffindor team as a whole were looking for some payback.

And then he spotted it, that little gold ball almost taunting him appeared on the other side of the pitch. Harry knew that he couldn't afford to lose it now, so leaned forward and flew as fast as the broom allowed him too.

"Ladies and Gentleman Harry Potter is zooming through the pitch" shouted Lee 'The first time he did that he took the lion's seeker out of the game – the second time he took two of three chasers out. Is he trying – I see it, I see the Snitch – Harry Potter is flying straight towards the snitch.

The Weasley twins, who had been hesitant in hitting bludgers towards him in case this was another one of his ploys, now hit both bludgers straight at him with as much force as they could muster.

Unfortunately for them it was much too late as Harry Potter rolled on his broom dodging the first bludger, before being thrown straight into the air. It seemed that that one of the bludgers had hit the back edge of his broom, bit that was enough to throw him off. Fortunately Harry managed to catch the snitch while in midair, unfortunately he was now heading straight towards the Slytherin stands – without his broom.

Without a seconds thought Rafael whipped out his wand and yelled "Arresto Momento!"

That spell was one of the spells that Harry had declared, was a must for all members of Hydra to learn. Unfortunately they hadn't even started learning that spell yet and Rafael knew that using an unpracticed spell could more often than not result in a bang.

That being said he knew that spell was one of several that Harry could use wandlessly, and Rafael wasn't exerting his will on the spell rather he was doing the exact opposite, he was trying to keep any magic from flowing through the wand.

Basically he had just pointed his wand at his teacher and yelled out two meaningless words.

However that did give his friend, who had excellent hearing even while falling through the air, to use his own wandless magic to slow himself down. And he did.

Harry's speed drastically decreased before coming to a stop around two dozen inches away from his fellow dimension traveller and directly a foot above the stand, before he canceled his spell and landed on his feet with a light thump.

"Oh man that was close" said Harry "Thank goodness that you knew that spell!"

"Yeah – thank goodness" repeated Rafael as the crowd of Slytherin's agreed with their seeker. They may not like him but that didn't mean that they wanted one of their own badly harmed.

Daphne however was the only one who didn't say anything as her eyes narrowed.

"That was amazing" said Tracey the inner circle of Hydra (save for Hermione) made their way to the dungeons after the match. "That was absolutely amazing. I mean I knew that you were a competent dueler, warder, teacher, but you're a great Quidditch playear too? That's just beyond belief."

"Agreed" said Daphne stoically "You are extraordinarily talented – especially for an eleven year old."

Harry's face remained impassive, but Rafael (who was thankfully walking slightly behind the two girls) couldn't help but blanch. Tonks was bad enough, but they both knew that she would get suspicious considering how close she was to the Potter family. Daphne though was a complete unknown – but then again she was one of the intended inner circle so…

Rafael looked into Harry's eyes who quickly cast a wandless legilimency on him, and left his thought in his head "For now we will leave her alone, and we shall decide what to do by the end of this year, or the stat of the next."

Rafael, who was now walking side by side with the others, gave a small nod of his head, a nod that went completely unnoticed by Tracey, but not by Daphne, whose mind processed her observations at a remarkable rate.

'He just looked at him before completely nodding out of the blue' though the heir of the House Greengrass 'wandless legilimency?' No, despite the fact that he is undoubtedly a prodigy there is absolutely no way that he could be that proficient in the mind arts, especially considering all his other skills… Actually his other skills seem to advance for him as well. Though his knowledge of wards could always be limited to a single set that his parents must have thought him in case he needs to secure an area – But he comes from a family of Gryffindors, so why would he be taught a Slytherin practice…? It seems that I have too little knowledge to draw any definitive conclusions now.'

"So, how are your cells are progressing?" asked Harry He did not need to read her mind to know exactly what Daphne was thinking about and he wanted to keep her away from that line of thought for as long as possible.

"Quite well" said the girl who would soon come to be known as the Ice Queen of Slytherin "The four Hufflepuffs in my batch are all hard workers, and the Ravens are pretty perceptive, and obviously smart. And they all listen whenever I come up with plans and/or tactics for our spars with you."

"My cells doing pretty good as well" added Tracey "Though I think there may be a bit of friction between them and I considering that they are all from Ravenclaw. Why did you set me up with a team of Ravens again?"

"Because the knowledge that you can get from hanging around them is immense" Rafael replied. He had asked Harry about that cell the day he'd created it wondering why he had put six ravens in a single cell, and could clearly remember his friends reasoning "Plus with you showing them your natural cunning when I conduct defense sessions for your cell, your year mates will soon get use to listening to you. When the Senior Ravens graduate four years from now, your fellow cell members will be used to taking orders from you and won't object to you taking charge and adding three first or second years as the chasers replacements."

"Daphne" continued Harry "With your keen analytical mind and thirst for knowledge, you do not need to be surrounded by Ravens to continue to learn beyond what is taught in class. Rather what you need is someone to show you how to lead and men and women who will not hesitate in following your commands. Right now Cedric, with his natural charisma, is very clearly the leader of you cell and you can learn a lot simply by observing him. And when he graduates you will take control of the cell and prepare lead it until you too graduate."

"Every is tactical to you huh" said Daphne "Every single thing – not that I expected anything less from a Slytherin really, I wouldn't even be surprised if you were the one to set up the attack on our first day."

Rafael looked at her sharply "How could you ever think that! He would Never –"

"But you did take advantage of it!" said Daphne "Didn't you?"

"Daphne" shouted Rafael "How could you…!"

"Enough" said Harry forestalling them both "Daphne it's true that I did take advantage. I took advantage of two girls who were the same age as I am and I started training them so that such a situation would never happen again. In the span of a few days I more than tripled the numbers of our merry little group and divided them into cells. Cells divided in such a way that they were led, or would be led by people who I know I can place my trust in. In a span of a few days I have no doubt started a network that would benefit me for the rest of my life, and I am assured of that because I know that you two would eventually end up in charge of your cells, and you two owe me."

Harry took a deep breath while the blonde haired Slytherin looked at him with an impassive face.

"But what do you get out of it? By the end of this year you will no doubt be among some of the most proficient fighters in the school, and by our OWL year, you two will be able to engage at least three average aurors at once and no doubt come out victorious" said Harry, knowing that the average aurors these days were a little more than a joke "You will no doubt benefit from the network just as I would, and will have made connections which would certainly be difficult for you to obtain otherwise due to your position as a Slytherin and a Greengrass. You will end up leading several people who would no doubt trust you with their life. A trust which is very rare I might add, and you will be part of something that could potentially revolutionize our world."

"And that's what you want isn't it?" ask Daphne softly, though loud enough for all the other members of the conversation to hear.

"Our world is dying Daphne, you cannot deny that" said Harry in an equally soft tone "I hope change that, to bring our world to new heights, which is the very reason for Hydra's existence. And even if I fail none of us have lost anything. Hydra will still exist which each of its members trusting each other implicitly, and the skills that you gain from your training will stay with you for the rest of your life. And we are all friends here are we not? So I must ask you Daphne Greengrass, is this not enough, because if it isn't you are free to leave."

And with that he walked forward, with Rafael and Tonks flanking him, leaving a thoughtful blonde behind, who contemplated in silence. A silence that would not last for long because as soon as she knew that those three were out of earshot, Tracey rounded upon her best friend and yelling "What on earth is wrong with you Daphne? What were you trying to accomplish with that?"

"I was testing him" said Daphne in a soft voice "There is something off about him, something that I doubt that I will ever know, but now I know what I wanted to know."

"And what is that?" her best friend asked in exasperation

"That we can trust him."

Tracey gave her an odd look "We knew that right from the get go Daph, and even if we didn't it wouldn't matter because we owe a debt to him."

"I know" she replied with a small smile.

Tracey frowned, she could tell that her friend had acquired something else and she wasn't going to tell her what. Her little lie about testing if he was trustworthy was so blatantly false that only a complete stranger would not see through it, and even when Tracey called her on it she still persisted with it. For now she would let it go. She trusted Daphne and if her friend wasn't going to share than she wouldn't pry. But she did resolve to keep an eye on her, her... and Harry Potter.

"She was testing you" said Tonks.

"Of course she was" Harry responded "All of a sudden Hydra became too large a group with too much thought and effort behind it. This is not something that anyone would simply create, especially a Slytherin."

"She needed motive" said Tonk's realization.

"And you gave it to her" added Rafael "Making Hydra's primary goal seem as your own personal ticket to a long wealthy life, which would have not been disrupted if its secondary, much more ambitious goal failed."

"Even so" muttered Tonks "She still doesn't fully trust you"

"But she will follow me, and that's all I need" replied Harry with a slight smile.

"And speaking of followers, what have you done with Hermione?" asked Rafael in a slightly accusing tone

"I beg your pardon?"

"I saw you talking to her the day that Malfoy decided to challenge your brother to a midnight duel and since then she's started hanging out with Ron and Charles"

Harry sighed and then cast a mobile privacy ward around them "My brother is a lot like me Rafael, our childhood's aside he would do the exact same things that I would"

"Meaning?"

"I would have died quite a few times without her helping me… and I need to keep an eye on my brother"

"So you're using her as a spy?" asked Rafael incredulously "Hermione Granger, a spy?"

"I just told her that I wanted to her to help him out if she could" he answered coolly "That I couldn't because of how deep house rivalries are."

"You don't need to tell me that" muttered Rafael, it was quite apparent how deep the rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor ran in the first week. It also explained how Hermione agreed to this charade and how she hadn't been caught. She herself didn't know that she was acting as a spy, all she believed that she was doing was helping the brother of one of her first friends in Hogwarts. And if by any chance she became part of the Golden Trio or tattled to Harry about Charles… well no one could really call her out on that, and no one could really accuse her of being a spy, not that anyone would when they consider just how she was seen… "Just promise me one thing."

"What's that?"

"That if she gets in over her head, you'll get her out"

"That's something that I would do even if I didn't promise you."

"Just promise me"

"I promise."

It had been weeks since the game, almost two months to be precise and Harry was looking forward to this night. It was the morning of Christmas and he had plans for tonight, plans that involved gazing at the stars under the moonlight with the woman who was always standing by his side, and with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life.

"You know you should stop grinning like a loon" said his best friend "People will notice you know."

"Who cares, it's not like they'll find out what's on my mind" Harry replied and Rafael had to concede the point. Short of tying him to a chair and flushing out the potion that Harry drank to neutralize truth and love potions, and feeding him Veritaserum, there was nothing that they could do to find out what was on the dimension traveler's mind unless he himself told them.

"True enough…" said Rafael trailing away as he was struck by a sudden thought "Harry, are you ready to handle the serpent king?

It took a couple of seconds for Harry to realize what his friend meant, and he nodded in affirmative and said "Fleur and I are working on a strategy to end it, a strategy that should be completed by the end of summer next year."

"Do we have to slay it? It could possibly be a treasure trove of information about the founders if we could somehow capture it and get it to cooperate with us."

"And how do you propose to do that?"

"I… have no idea" said Rafael when he realized the reality of what was truly being asked. Sure he was hoping that the Basilisk was still sane and willing to talk with a parselmouth but if not then what could they do? Sure Harry had defeated a Basilisk bit that was more due to luck than anything else, there was absolutely no way they were going to try that again, even if they could easily acquire a goblin made enchanted sword and already have a phoenix.

"Perhaps I could be of assistance" said a smooth deep baritone causing the two of them to jump and immediately point their wands at the source of the voice, the ghostly visage of the Bloody Baron "That is, if you tell me how you know of the King of Serpents and why would you need slay or bind it?'

"Research" said Harry, making a mental note to look into some spirit blocking wards, while simultaneously thankful that he already had a pre-made excuse, "We are looking into that hypocrite of a dark lord, who is actually the son of a muggle and a squib and whose real name is Tom Riddle. Looking into his school years we discovered that the fabled Chamber of Secrets was opened while he was in school and the accused at the time, who was Hagrid of all people, had been raising an Acromantula, hardly a beast capable of petrifying people and Myrtie said that the last thing she remembers were a great big pair of yellow eyes. There was not a mark on her ghost, hence poisoning is out, and the only beast that can kill with a glare is the Basilisk.

"We suspect that the entrance to Lord Slytherin's chamber is under her washroom, but that is just sheer speculation at this point" continued Rafael "Regardless, the fact remains that there a Basilisk hidden here, whether it is Lord Slytherins or a creation of Riddle it is still a weapon that the Dark Lord can use. And as such we were discussing how to deprive him of it before he can once again unleash it on this school."

The Baron was silent for a moment, before he said "You are right, the entrance is under Second-floor girls' lavatory and that Tom Riddle can control Slytherin's Basilisk because he is his blood and heir. However if someone were to claim that house then he would have no more control over it than any parselmouth. Another way to control the basilisk is to bind it to yourself with a familiar ritual. It would eliminate all the power that the Dark Lord has over it, but I would not recommend doing so unless the Basilisk is willing."

"Is it still sane though?" asked Rafael "It has been here for almost a thousand years and there is absolutely no telling what harm could have been done to it by Voldemort."

"That is indeed the question" replied the Baron "However that is not something you two can ascertain without risking your lives. On the other I am a ghost, hence I cannot die. Furthermore I am Slytherin's ghost and a parselmouth myself. I will ascertain whether she is still sane or not. In the event that she is one of you will have to bond with her. And the other should develop a strategy to slay her should she be beyond the realm of reason."

"It is a sound strategy, but how do I prepare a familiar bonding ritual for a basilisk?" Harry asked.

The Baron smiled before he replied, and began teaching them about the bonding ritual, which lead to a lesson on Familiars, which both Harry and Rafael were grateful for.

A little over an hour later

"How did it go?" asked a very serious ghostly voice of the otherwise mischievous Peeves "That was your second major interaction with him after all."

"It was interesting" the Baron replied "That boy is a breath of fresh air that much is certain. He has noticed a very fatal and potentially lethal security problem which even we ourselves didn't see. What amazed me though was not just that the boy was a parselmouth but that they were trying to find some way to speak with her, possibly even save her, instead of planning to outright kill her like the majority of his kind would."

"Her,,,?" asked Peeves. It was rhetorical of course and the Baron didn't answer as the Poltergeist soon put two and two together like only he could "Of course, out of all the issues that were brought about when implementing that security protocol, this was one that wasn't even thought of. I know that you will be going down to see if she can be saved, and I will accompany you if you allow me to… but other than that what did you think of him"

"Like I said just a moment ago, he is a breath of fresh air, they both are" said the Baron "though there is something off about him… I can't exactly put my finger on it but I know it's there"

"You certainly seemed to enjoy teaching them about familiars" said Peeves with a grin "I thought you said that you put those days behind you."

"Teaching classes yes. I have no intention of becoming like Binns who himself is tired of teaching his subject" he replied "But I have no problem giving a few short lectures here and there to those who truly want to learn."

"Short? You were with them for more than an hour!" replied the Poltergeist, before he sprouted a maniacal grin and started speaking in his usual high pitched voice "Now if you'll excuse me your Bloodiness, mischief waits for no one!"

Peeves didn't even finished his sentence as he did a back flip and zoomed away with the Baron watching with a fond grin on his face as he muttered to himself "You truly are one of a kind my friend!"

"It's beautiful isn't it?" said a very familiar voice

Rafael turned his head slightly, He recognized the voice almost instantly and her appearance was spot on, he however knew that she was probably on a plane by now, so…

"You know that anyone who looks at the list of students who were staying back would instantly see that Hermione Granger is not there, plus you're a well-known metamorph. Anyone with common sense will realize that you're masquerading as her."

"Common sense is uncommon in the wizarding world Rafael" she said as she sat down beside and watched the beautiful view of the sun setting over the black lake that the Astronomy tower offered "Actually it's exceedingly rare. And those who do have enough to notice won't care."

"I agree, though I doubt that you need the disguise considering that we're alone" Rafael replied, and on seeing her mouth open to respond he said "And it's not like you won't know if anyone decides to come here considering the half a dozen alert and notice me not wards you layered over the entrance before coming here."

"Am I really that predictable?" she asked as her features started to change. Her currently bushy brown hair started to recede back into her skull, rapidly changing its shade to a dark pink with purple highlights, her eyes taking on an amber like quality as her face morphed into those regal, yet strikingly beautiful features that there common among all the current daughters of the Ancient house of Black. Her body grew taller, acquiring a curvier tone as her hands and legs grew longer, as did her robes, though how she got her robes to morph along with her was something that he did not know.

"Only on very rare occasions like this one for example" said as he looked into her eyes "And Tonks, you really look beautiful."

The Black heir smiled. Looking beautiful was truly no problem for a metamorph, they could look like anything they wished, changing their features at a mere whim, and she was one of those truly rare metamorphs who could change every aspect of her being, something that she had used to great advantage during her time in the serpents nest. Yet this form was the one that she donned when she was among those she trusted, and so she smiled at the compliment that she could tell was true, well that he believed was true.

"But I doubt that you're here simply to hear me compliment you, so what do you want?"

"War" she said "It's inevitable isn't it?"

"Inevitable…" Rafael replied "For now it does seem that way, though who exactly will be our opponent is not clear. War with Riddle…

"Riddle?"

"Tom Marvolo Riddle is the Half – Blood Dark Lord's original name" said Rafael watching Tonk's for a reaction. He was disappointed that one never came, well an amusing one anyway as he caught her eyes flash through a dozen different color's in rapid succession. Then again he shouldn't have expected one considering her reputation and the kind of girl she was, a Slytherin one.

"War with Riddle and his Death Eaters, should Harry fail to prevent him from returning, war with the Goblins, for as of right now, the only way we can see that will result in Riddle's end will also result in a declaration of war from Gringotts" Rafael replied "In fact we could even end up going to war with Britain and even the rest of the European union if several magic hating highly – ranked officers see the rise of our world and tries to start a war bring us down, though I personally hope that doesn't happen as I doubt that our world would survive a war with the rest of mankind."

"Are the muggles really that dangerous?"

"Imagine a first year student and imagine someone at the level of Voldemort and Dumbledore" said Rafael seriously "The wizarding world is equivalent to the first year, and before you say anything yes the difference between us is that great, and while I have no doubt that a few of us, will survive, our society as we know it is razed to the ground… but then again, they are not just simply dangerous. Their world is amazing, it is truly unique, I'm not saying that they don't have their bad sides, we all do, I am just saying that there are thing in that world will have even your eyes wide as they show you things that you could scarcely comprehend even in your wildest dreams, just like many them wouldn't comprehend our world in their wildest dreams."

"Can you – tell me more about them" Tonk's asked "Their world is one of the few subjects I have precious little information on, tell me wonders available in their world… and if they truly end up opposing us, tell me how we can beat them, or at the very least survive their assault."

"Harry is the one you should speak to when it comes to battles against them Tonks, and I doubt that even he has any idea on how to beat them should the two worlds go to war with each other" said Rafael "As for telling you about them, I think I can tell you about their world in general, though I think it would be better if I show you their world. If fact someday I think I will…"

"I'll hold you to that"

"I know you will…"

Authors notes...

Yes yes I know that there are spelling mistakes in the previous chapters, and I will correct them... Just not anytime soon. Regardless of that little issue, I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter of HP: Reloaded.

Happy New Year Everybody, and Please, don't forget to Review

Rafaelout Out