'You will win the respect of just about everyone you talk with, if you don't interrupt'

-Unknown

Harry Potter: The Chronicles of Power

Part Seventeen

Harry Potter & the Whispers of Desire

Chapter Seventeen: Tea Time with Professor Flitwick

"Hello?"

He knocked cautiously, peering into the office as the diminutive Charms Master bustled over, making his way from his own adjoining set of private rooms, waving him in with a sincere smile on his face.

"Ah Mister Potter, please do come in, do come in", he gestured towards one of the normal sized chairs as the professor settled himself on his comically raised one, necessary to place him level with his students, "can I get you anything? I was just about to make a pot of tea if you would like a cup? Or a coffee instead, though you are rather young for that… Perhaps some pumpkin juice would be more to your liking?"

"Just a glass of water would be nice Sir", he offered his favourite professor a small smile of his own as he took a seat in the offered chair, settling himself into it, "thank you for letting me see you"

"Nonsense my dear boy", he set a glass of ice water down in front of Harry, before sitting down in his own chair with a glass of his own, "you'll always be welcome in my classroom. Now tell me, tell me, what can this old Charms Master do for you?"

He sipped his water, looking downtrodden as he did so, before he squared his shoulders, seemingly coming to a decision as he looked his diminutive professor in the eye, "I wanted to know if you'd help me with some extra training Sir?"

"Help you with extra training, Mister Potter?" The Charms Master adopted a knowing smile, tilting his head in amusement, "Whatever would you need that for?"

"This year's duelling tournament Sir"

"Oh really", he smiled wider, "and what makes you think I'd be of any use to you, as opposed to say, your defence professor?"

"Professor Quirrell is going to be teaching a class on duelling Sir, he said as much in our last lesson, but it'll be open to anyone and everyone who wants to attend. I wanted to have something a bit more… thorough", the boy offered his teacher a wry grin of his own, "and I did my own bit of research on the matter"

Taking a pause to clear his throat, Harry took a sip of his water, letting it wet his mouth before adopting a tone of voice that the charms professor would use himself in some of his own lectures, "Filius Forkner Flitwick, born October third, in the year 1936, to a mixed goblin and wizard ancestry. British under-fifteens Duelling Champion in the years 1949 and 1950, followed by managing to win silver at the Junior World Duelling Championship in 1951 aged sixteen years old. He then took two consecutive bronze medals at the World Duelling Championships in the years 1955 and 1956, aged just nineteen and twenty years old respectively. After that Professor, you never returned to try and claim the World Championship despite the young age you managed to find success on the circuit, leading many to believe you had decided to instead further your education. Six years later you returned to Britain, now a fully-qualified Charms Master, and then you also eventually took part in the British Civil War, fighting alongside the Ministry, while also taking up the post of the new Charms Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry", he paused to take another sip of his water and Flitwick smiled, seemingly both surprised and delighted, "that's why I'm asking you Professor; and also, I'd like to check, did I miss anything?"

Flitwick chuckled as he nodded his head, "All valid points Mister Potter, and no I believe you did not, but what I meant was why ask me in particular as opposed to say, your own Head of House in Professor Snape? Or perhaps even simply an older student? I know for a fact that Slytherin House has many gifted duellists. So, tell me, Mister Potter, just why is this all so important to you?"

"No reason-"

"Liar"

He swallowed, scowling at the admonishment, but not denying it, "It- I mean…"

"Take your time Mister Potter", he smiled at his student genially, "and don't rush, just relax and then talk to me when you're ready. Now Mister Potter", he leant his small body forward, resting on his desk, "let's start at the beginning"

The Mirror of Erised had freaked Harry out, not necessarily in what he thought was a bad way, but after years of avoiding any real form of self-reflection, having his heart's desire displayed so openly for him had simply freaked him out.

He was just happy that Alexander hadn't been able to see what he had.

Feeling the need to be distracted by something, he said goodbye to Blaise on Sunday morning, much to the other boy's upset look, letting him and the others get started on some of their homework by the lake. He gifted Morag with a burning jar, outdoing the previous one by having magicked the flames to slowly flicker through the different colours of the rainbow, before making his way up towards the library.

He went back to looking at different types of enchanted maps, determined to find a way to make his own work the way it was supposed to. Copies of Magical Maps and Guides, A Novice's Guide to Enchantment, and The Magigeographer's Guide proved to be of no help to him, as he skimmed through all of three of them, looking through the different sections on the spellwork required, only to continuously come up empty.

When he finally dropped The Magigeographers Guide, crossing it off of his list of potentially useful books, a brief look out of the window told him that it was now much darker outside than it should've been. Making sure that Madame Pince wasn't around to see him, he muttered a quiet, "Tempus", only to find out that it was now five minutes-to-seven. Not only had he managed to spend his entire day soaking up all of the knowledge on magical maps he could, but now he also had less than five minutes to make it down to the Great Hall, grab a seat and eat something before the food vanished from the tables.

That's nowhere near enough time.

Knowing that it would only serve as an exercise in futility, he decided instead to ignore his hunger pangs and put back the books he'd borrowed - it wouldn't be the first time he'd had to miss a meal. He made sure to put all of the books back in their rightful places, before he waved goodbye to the school's librarian and left the room, immediately walking straight into Lucan, his bony shoulder clipping the older boy's chest, who managed to catch him with a hand around his shoulders.

Instinctively, he bucked away from the arms that grabbed him, striking the older boy in his chest with the edge of his shoulder a second time, harder, who immediately let go of him, rubbing his chest and looking irritated at the pain.

"Gah, dammit Harry"

"Wha- oh", he looked up to see one of his House's prefects, "sorry Lucan. I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright", he grunted, continuing to rub his chest as he thrust one of his hands out towards Harry. He minutely flinched away from it but kept his eyes on it, as he took the neatly rolled scroll it held, "Here, take this. Professor Snape asked me to give it to you - he said it was urgent. Zabini told me where you were"

"Oh, well thanks then, I suppose"

"Don't mention it", he pressed the letter into the younger boy's hands as he moved to leave, "just read it before Professor Snape comes looking for you, or worse, comes looking for me"

"I'll read it now then, and sorry again by the way"

Lucan waved his apology off as he made his way towards the stairs, and Harry made his way over to one of the benches. He slid his bag onto the floor before flicking open the purple ribbon keeping the scroll together, unfurling it to find narrow, yet loopy writing waiting for him.

Dear Mr. Potter

Please make your way to my office at approximately seven o'clock this evening. It is located behind the griffin statue on the third floor. The current password is Bertie Bott's Beans.

Prof. Albus Dumbledore
Hogwarts Headmaster

He read and re-read the note, understanding the words but not knowing why they were written there before he realised what the time now was.

He was late!

"Bertie Bott's Beans"

Feeling foolish, he stepped onto the small platform in between the griffin's curled wings and spoke the name of the magical candy Crabbe and Goyle were so fond of. For a moment, nothing happened and he felt every inch a buffoon, only for the platform he was stood on to begin spinning upwards, raising him from the floor and slowly rotating him towards the Headmaster's Office as it rose into the air, coming to a complete stop in front of a solid set of double oak doors with a griffin knocker.

What's with all the griffin motifs?

I mean, other than the obvious show of favouritism?

He raised his hand in a fist and knocked three times in quick succession, before taking a respectful step back, taking a moment to remind himself that he needed to be extra-polite if it was the Headmaster himself who opened the door to him; wiping his hands on the seat of his trousers, he took a deep breath to calm himself as a voice called out, "Enter".

Needing to use both hands, Harry reached out and grasped the doo's handles, watching the griffin knocker break in half as he pushed the doors open, striding into the Headmaster's Office for the first time in his school career.

It would not be the last.

The office itself wasn't a big space like he'd imagined, but rather a small circular room. There was a spiral staircase at the back which no doubt ran the entire length of the Headmaster's tower, from the ground floor, right to the very top which was higher than anything else that wasn't the astronomy tower. He knew that if it were him, he would line the tower with private workrooms and libraries, as well as living space, and he couldn't help but be curious about what the Headmaster had stored within.

Dozens of small enchanted portraits of the school's previous Headmasters lined much of the wall space, each one had a small bronze plaque beneath, which listed their full name and their years of service beneath them. Several of the portraits were asleep, dozing in their frames - an action which still surprised him to see - but even more of them were empty, their residents having decided to visit a frame elsewhere, and only a handful still held their occupants as they lingered about, chatting between themselves about nothing in particular, simply there to gossip and advise the current Headmaster with their wisdom of days past.

Outdated fools.

Blinking slowly, Harry shook his head clear.

A few pedestals seemed to litter the floor, with no real pattern to them, each one seeming to house a different instrument which Harry couldn't recognise. Everything appeared to be a mystery to him, except for one thing, the sight of which caused him to freeze in shock.

To the right of the door, there was a shelf that was dedicated to housing a single wooden perch, upon which stood a regal red and gold bird, who's black, beady eyes swept over to him, lingering on his face. The bird's head moved from side-to-side, seeming to assess him, before it cawed softly at him, a single note that caused a warm feeling to spread through his veins, settling somewhere in his chest.

No way… that's a-

"So it appears that Fawkes likes you", at the sound of a brief chuckle, Harry span around to find the Headmaster sat at his desk, resting his bearded chin on steepled fingers, looking like the Dursleys worst nightmare decked out in bright purple robes that had yellow stars sewn into them, which at second glance appeared to be moving. That, combined with his silver beard and half-moon spectacles gave off an impression so magical that, for a moment, he wondered what exactly what would the reaction be if he plonked the Headmaster onto the middle of the Dursley's sofa during dinner; he imagined Uncle Vernon's reaction would be rather magnificent, and smiled to himself as the Headmaster continued speaking.

"I'm so glad he seems to like you, I have always found him to be a rather excellent judge of character", he gestured towards the chairs in front of them, "please join us. Would you care for a cup of tea?"

"No th-", and then the words became stuck in his throat as he realised that there were three other people already sat in the room, and what made him feel worse was that he already knew who they were.

Because sitting quietly opposite the Headmaster as they drank tea and pumpkin juice were James, Lily and Alexander Potter.

"So... you're just not a tea drinker at all then are you?"

"Erm… I guess not Sir"

Flitwick's eyes widened, "You guess? That's no way to live my dear boy. I'll soon change that", the tiny Charms Master offered him a tight-lipped smile as he looked slightly guilty, "I'm sorry, I'm interrupting, aren't I?"

"It's fine Sir"

"No - no it's not", he firmly stated, "Mister Potter, always remember that, like anything else I suppose, respect is a two-way street. If I interrupt you then what does that say about me, and my own level of respect for you? And if I do that, then you will find it much easier to do it to me in the future, and in that respect, I would have deserved it, and in that very same vein, I am sorry"

"Then you are forgiven Sir", he offered a small smile of his own which felt forced, and if the look on his teacher's face was anything to go by, then it was noticeable, "can I continue, I'd like to get to the end Sir"

"By all means then", the part-goblin leant back into his chair, trying to relax, "please, do go on"

"Right then…", he took a breath, "well-"

For a moment after the words died in his throat, his eyes flickered between the other three Potters seated in front of the Headmaster. He moved his gaze solely onto his brother as he felt James' eyes scanning him as they ran over the silver trim and green stitching of his robes, almost burning as they homed in on the serpent emblem he proudly had displayed on his chest.

Alex looked down as his eyes met with Harry's, whose own then narrowed in response, even as he made his way over towards the chair offered to him, sitting at the end of the desk, next to Alexander and as far away from James Potter and his gaze as was possible.

"Good evening Headmaster"

"Good evening Hadrian", the old man smiled benignly, "how are you this evening?"

"I'm fine thank you", he offered a polite smile back, "I'm sorry I'm late Sir, I was in the library when Lucan found me, but I did come straight here"

"That's quite alright, I had after all, only just finished pouring out our refreshments, are you sure you don't want one?" He offered again, but Harry simply shook his head in response, "Anyways, I suppose that you're wondering why I called you in here in the first place?"

"Well I don't imagine that it's every day that one of the first-year students gets called into the Headmaster's Office, is it?"

"No, it's honestly a shame that I don't get more chances to speak to you all but you're quite right", he chuckled, "but then again, I'm afraid this is more of a disciplinary matter than a simple meet and greet"

"Then shouldn't our Heads of Houses be here Sir? I thought I read that this was how meetings of this nature were supposed to work"

"Well with your parents and myself here it's not strictly necessary, but I can get them here if that would make you feel more comfortable"

James frowned at that, his eyes flicking back to his second son's robes, "I don't think that's needed-"

"I do", Harry interrupted, "I'd prefer Professor Snape be present"

"If you're sure Hadrian?"

"I am Sir"

"Well then, I suppose that it would only be right, given that they will at least be responsible for overseeing whatever punishment is agreed upon", he rose from his desk, "a moment please"

James' continued noises of disagreement went ignored by his youngest son and his former Headmaster as the latter threw some powder into the fireplace, turning the lowly burning orange flames into giant green ones, before sticking his head into it which then disappeared, seeming to melt into the floor.

"Severus Snape and James Potter in the same room", Flitwick chuckled as he took a sip of his tea, "something tells me that didn't end well, especially if Lily was there too"

"Oh?"

"Indeed- oh, well I suppose you wouldn't actually know, would you?"

"Know what, Professor?"

"James Potter and Severus Snape were, well I suppose rivals would be the best word for it. Both of them were excellent students in their own right, two of the best in their year, but the biggest source of their friction was the difference in their work ethic and the way they approached things"

He frowned, "What do you mean?"

He blew out a breath, "Well, it's no secret that James grew up in a completely magical household, surrounded by magic every day of his life, so when he finally came to Hogwarts he found everything easy to pick up, given that he was familiar with the basic concepts"

"And Professor Snape?"

"Professor Snape came from a household that was a bit more muggle than magical in nature, and as such he had to work a lot harder to grasp certain concepts, more so given that he was in Slytherin House, where I'm sure you know that only the best is accepted. Whereas James took something of a laid-back approach to his schooling, able to still score top grades on his natural ability alone, Severus had to work hard to get the same scores. Huh…"

"What is it?"

"It's just the situation reminds me of yourself and our other Mister Potter. Different households, different approaches to learning, both brilliant students in your own right, one from Gryffindor, one from Slytherin, but at least you two haven't progressed to trying to curse the other in the corridor at every turn"

"Not yet anyway"

The older wizard smiled sadly at him, in a way that was not un-Dumbledore-ish, and yes, after meeting the man, Harry was certain that 'Dumbledore-ish', should be a word, "Let us hope that it never comes to that"

Severus Snape was not a man who was accustomed to being called into the Headmaster's Office.

Even back in his days as a student he had been careful to avoid being called in there, knowing exactly what it could mean for him if either of his parents had to be called into the school.

Professor Slughorn, who had been the Head of Slytherin House at the time, had been the one to take over the supervision of all of the punishments for his own students, fearing that the level of outright hostility and violence towards his own students was only going to get worse, as the build-up to the war continued to escalate, and it was a practice that, after a great many arguments, he had managed to continue upon his succession to both, the Potion Master and Head of Slytherin House positions after his mentor's well-deserved retirement.

From therein, he had started every new school year by telling his newest batch of first years just what being called into the Headmaster's Office would entail for them, and from there he trusted their senses of self-preservation to keep them out of there.

Somehow, despite the boy's rather prodigious level of magical talent, he wasn't at all surprised to discover that it was James Potter's son who was the one to be called in.

Suppressing his urge to growl as the Headmaster's face disappeared from his fireplace, he snatched up his wand from where it was resting on his desk, dropping it into his robe's pocket as he stepped into the flames.

After a few moments and another drop of powder, Professor Dumbledore pulled his head back out of his fireplace and extinguished the flames behind him. Straightening back up, he vanished the soot and dust from his robes, and turning to look at the faces of his audience, he chuckled at the face of his Slytherin student.

"Floo powder Hadrian", he offered as an explanation, "a nifty little invention that enables magical travel between interconnected fireplaces with just a pinch of powder and the verbalisation of one's destination. Hogwarts had its own internal network several years ago, and it was later discovered by one of one of our own NEWT-level students a few years ago discovered that the powder would allow one to simply stick one's head into the fireplace instead of their full body, allowing for faster communication between people"

"Oh", he said, letting the word slip out, "it seems kind of…", he trailed off, looking for a word before he settled on, "dirty"

James made a strangled noise in his throat which went largely ignored as the Headmaster chuckled, taking his seat back, "Indeed, I rather suppose it is"

If he had anything more to say on the matter, he was cut off as the fireplace flared back up a bright green colour and Professor McGonagall stepped out, dressed in her usual emerald robes and black pointed hat. She took a brief moment to vanish the mess she'd created, before moving to stand behind James and Lily, and shooting the two boys suspicious looks.

"Good evening Minerva"

"Good evening Albus", she smiled fondly at him, more fondly than Harry had seen her look at anyone, "now, would you care to tell me what has transpired?"

Before he could answer, the fireplace grew brighter once and Professor Snape stepped out, dressed in his usual attire of a set of plain black robes combined with a white shirt, and with not a speck of dirt on them, despite his entrance, and Harry had to admit he was impressed. He immediately moved to stand firmly behind Harry's chair, gripping the back of it with his hands, his knuckles briefly scraping between his shoulder blades.

"And good evening to you too, Severus"

"Headmaster", he nodded in greeting, "you summoned me?"

"Indeed, I did Severus", he cast his eyes over the two young charges as he addressed his most trusted confidant, "I invited James and Lily up to the school for a pot of tea and a brief discussion on their sons' progress this year thus far", he caught a glimpse of a scowl darken the younger student's face before it disappeared, "and when I mentioned that they were both caught out of bounds several nights ago, they insisted on seeing them at once"

"Headmaster, if I may ask", despite the silk-laden tone, it was very clear that Professor Snape was not asking, "who was it that reported them out of bounds. I have received no such notice"

On Harry's left, he heard James mutter something incomprehensible, which caused his wife to not-so-subtly, elbow him in the ribs.

"I am sorry you didn't get the notice Severus, I do apologise, but it was I who caught them out of bounds"

Harry felt, rather than heard the Potion Master's grip tighten on the back on his chair in response to Professor Dumbledore's words, the knuckles of his hand sharply digging into the space between Harry's shoulder blades once again for a brief moment, "I see"

"Out of bounds" Professor McGonagall repeated, as her gaze focused in on her own student, "again?"

"Yes, well", the elderly wizard cleared his throat as he looked over the two of them, "as I was saying, their parents wished to see them, and as it is over a disciplinary measure, young Hadrian here requested that his Head of House also be present", his gaze shifted to his deputy, "and so Minerva, I also decided to give you the courtesy of the same option"

"Thank you Albus", as quickly as her gaze moved off of Alex, it was back on him, ending his very short relief, "I believe that both of you shall have twenty points removed from your respective Houses, and that you should both have two nights' detention, unless you have any objections Severus"

His own gaze bore into the back of Harry's head, who had, very wisely, chosen not to turn back around, "None".

She nodded her acceptance, "I also believe that my own house's Mister Potter shall serve an additional two detentions with Mister Filch, as this is now the second time I have caught you out of bounds"

"And that was the end of it then?"

"Not really Professor, no"

"Ah", he stood up on his chair, peering around Harry as he levitated the drinks tray around him and onto the desk. He poured a fresh cup of tea, before offering it to his student, "well before you continue, here, try this"

"Professor-"

"Just try it Mister Potter, and if you're not fond of the taste then that's fine, but you won't get anywhere in life if you don't at least try new things"

Swallowing the argument he'd been brewing in his mind, he smiled politely as he took the cup off of his favourite teacher and brought it to his lips. He took a small sip of it and was pleasantly surprised by the taste; it was difficult to describe but finished with a small taste of raspberry.

"Green tea with a hint of raspberry, a personal favourite of mine", he smiled as he took in the pleased face of his student, "your thoughts?"

"It's quite…"

"Yes…"

"…Fruity?"

The diminutive professor giggled, "Ah excellent, now, where were we?"

"What's going on here!?"

James all-but leapt to his feet as his face was torn between anger, confusion and the desire to pull his son to him played out on his face. They all pulled at him and as he took a step forward, Harry, moving in instinct, shoved away from the desk, slamming straight into the midsection of Professor Snape, whose left arm curled around his shoulder and the top of his chest, pinning him in place, even as the Headmaster stood up.

"Control yourself James!"

With his magic flaring out of him, the Headmaster's presence saturated the room, causing everyone's skin to itch as their magic pushed against it. Gone was the genial expression of the kindly and benevolent Headmaster seated at his desk, and in its place was the look of the man who had led the war against the Dark Lord.

The Dark Lords.

Everyone's breath hitched in their throats.

The oldest living Potter stuttered to a halt, swallowing as his wife placed her hand on his shoulder, guiding him back into his seat.

"Now", Dumbledore spoke as he retook his own seat, settling back into its comfortable-looking cushions as his face became serene once more, acting as though his raw power hadn't just dwarfed the rest of the room, "I believe you both wished to discuss your boys' performances this year?"

What followed James' outburst was by far the most uncomfortable parent-teacher meeting that Harry had ever undergone.

With the Dursleys, Harry had an understanding of how things would go at these meetings. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon would take himself and Dudley with them to the school, making sure that they were both dressed in their school uniforms.

They would always start with Dudley's teacher first, taking all the time they needed to get every bit of information they could. Reports of him being behind in his subjects went largely ignored, and later, in the privacy of their home, Uncle Vernon would scoff and refute that the teacher 'didn't know what they were talking about anyway'. The bullying incidents were usually attributed to firm bouts of character building, with a polite face in public and a lack of care at home, and attempts at discussing Dudley's home life in regards to his health, particularly his weight, were rebuffed with all of the disdain Aunt Petunia was willing to show in public.

After everything was finally done with, they would all move across the hall and into Harry's classroom, were the teacher had nothing but praise about his performance in class. They reported that they thought someone was trying to bully him, that he spent large amounts of time in the library, and that they had similar concerns about his weight that they did Dudley's, only with him, they thought he had the opposite problem.

They could stand there and do the polite thing, smile and shake hands and look concerned while they were in public, but once they were behind closed doors was when it changed.

That was when kind words were changed for darker actions.

Kind smiles became fists and even belts. Smiles of pride were replaced by his yells of pain and silent prayers that went unanswered.

They always went unanswered.

After that, he would allow the darkness would overtake him, even if it was just for a moment's relief, it took control. And so did his pain, and his anger, and the loneliness-

"You can stop Mister Potter-"

The professor laid a hand on his shoulder, jerking him out of mind and back into reality as he realised his voice was locked in his throat. His vision was gone and his fists were clenched tightly, drawing blood from his palms, and everything else was wrong and blurred. His hand flew to his face, searching for his glasses but they were still there.

And then he realised, he was crying.

When was the last time he cried?

I can't remember.

He swiped at his face furiously, trying to dry his face against the onslaught of water that just wouldn't stop; all he ended up doing was smearing a bit of his blood over his cheeks. He felt a handkerchief being thrust into his hands as hands rubbed at his back.

Merlin, what's wrong with me?

"-ere, there my boy, it's alright, you're safe here"

"Sorry", he choked out, trying to contain, "I don't-"

"Don't apologise Harry", Flitwick's voice was harsh, harsher than he intended, and he dialled it back, "this isn't your fault and you have nothing to be sorry for"

"But I-"

"But nothing Mister Potter", the tiny Charms Professor tried to guide him out of his chair, "I think you should-"

"No", he spat the word out and then swallowed as his chest continued to heave and take heavy breaths, "I want to finish"

Looking for all the world that he disagreed, Professor Flitwick sat back down, but not before dropping a glass of water in front of him, and foregoing his manners entirely, he drank from it greedily, slurping it down.

"Right then Mister Potter, if you'd like to continue whenever you're ready"

All three members of the Potter Family beamed as Alexander's quidditch skills were mentioned and the discussion moved to their upcoming game against Hufflepuff.

From where he had moved to stand next to the Headmaster, Harry caught Professor Snape's eyes, who smirked as Harry rolled his own at the constant praise.

"Do you like to play Harry?"

"Hadrian", he corrected his mother instantly, watching as she raised an eyebrow at Alexander, who had mouthed the word along with him, expecting the rebuttal to come, "and no, no I don't"

"Oh"

"How can you not like quidditch!?"

Once again, his father looked caught between a low anger and confusion, and for his part, Harry could've sworn he saw sadness mixed in there too, but it mattered little to him as he answered, keeping his voice calm and level, "I didn't say I didn't like it"

"You just-"

"I don't like to play it", out of the corner of his eye, the school's Potion Master smirked as James floundered for a moment, "but I don't mind watching it"

His father sounded lost, "You don't mind-"

"It's just a game after all"

Both of the male Potters spluttered for a moment, and that time, even Lily had to hide a smile.

"So, Harry- Hadrian", Lily corrected herself, "are you enjoying school so far?"

"Yes"

"Is Slytherin House treating you well?"

"Yes", across from them, Professor Snape stiffened at the implication, his nose twitching in irritation. Lily paused long enough to send him a half-hearted apologetic look, which he returned with a blank stare and a raised eyebrow.

"Are there any school clubs you're a part of?"

"No"

"School teams? One of the societies? Maybe-"

"No, no and probably not"

Lily nodded, growing frustrated with her son's single-worded, uninterested answers, "So, what do you do for fun?"

"I read", he blew out a puff of breath, boredom had long since passed him by, and he chose to ignore Alexander's snicker, "and I spend some of my time training"

"Training? Is that", for the first time since he'd arrived, James Potter actually looked more interested in his second son than the floor or the wall, "for the Duelling Tournament?"

"Yes"

"I knew my sons would both be duellists", he grinned as he leant back in his chair, "Alex will be competing too you know?"

"You know, somehow I had managed to guess as much"

Behind him, Professor Snape gave a single, sharp cough into his sleeve, ignoring the disapproving look that Professor McGonagall levelled him with.

"Yeah, well", the older man ruffled his already messy hair, ignoring the Potions Master altogether, "there'll be a bit of an advantage, I mean he knows a few of my auror tips and tricks. I'd imagine anyone competing with parents that work in the DMLE will know a few, but you'll be okay, won't you?"

"As long as you're okay with your son taking second place"

James grinned again, "Believe me, I'd be more than fine with you doing that well"

"Actually, I was talking about Alexander", he smirked as he straightened in his chair, "I'm planning on winning the whole thing outright"

"Yeah, well I mean", he shuffled on his chair, "is that realistic?"

"James!"

Twin shouts of his name startled him long enough to let the front legs of his chair fall back to the ground with an audible 'thump'. He looked chagrined by what he had just said, and offered a muttered, "Sorry Harry", in response, looking pained for a moment, "I didn't mean it like that"

"Hadrian"

Again, Alex mouthed the word as his brother spoke.

"Headmaster, I believe we've covered everything pertinent for now", Professor Snape spoke as he moved to stand beside his own student, laying a hand on his shoulder, "but I'm afraid that it's already past curfew and I deplore giving special treatment to students. It's past time I had Mister Potter returned to his dormitory. I refuse to allow him of all people be given special treatment on account of his surname"

"But-"

"I'm feeling quite drained", Harry said, cutting his mother's protests off at the start, "and I missed dinner while I was in the library and I think I'd like to get to bed as early as possible tonight"

"Of course, Hadrian", the Headmaster smiled lightly at him, ahis eyes flicking to the school's Potions Master from behind his half-moon spectacles, tightening in a way that was almost amused, "I would like to wish you both a goodnight"

"Goodnight Headmaster", he offered back, before he swept his eyes over the rest of them as he walked away, "Professor, Mother, Father, Alexander"

"Goodnight"

"'Night"

"Later bro"

"Wait! Could we-"

Lily's words fell on deaf ears, as both Professor and student were already gone, seeming to vanish from the top of the stairs.

"Well", Dumbledore said, looking at the space they had just vacated as he picked up his teacup to drink what little lukewarm liquid was remained, "with all things considered, I think that went rather well"

"So… in the end", Professor Flitwick set his empty cup down as he spoke, "you just left"

"Merlin, I just felt so- so angry looking at them", he confessed, his grip on the teacup had turned his knuckles white and his teacher moved to gently extract it from him before it shattered in his hands, "I just didn't know what else to do"

"I see"

"Do you?"

"I do", the Charms Master levelled him with a look, "do remember that I am part-goblin, it's why I'm so small and also why people think that they can look down on me, well other than my actual size of course"

Harry didn't laugh.

"Either way, I know what it feels like to have people make assumptions of you before anything has even happened"

"Sorry"

"It's quite alright, now I assume you're aware that as they have control of your guardianship, you are set to return to your muggle relatives in the summer?"

"Yeah, I know-"

"Do you truly want to go back there?"

"I won't go to the Potters", he grit his teeth, "I won't, and that's my only other option"

Sensing his inevitable defeat, he decided to let the argument settle for now, knowing that no matter what, he was not going to let one of his students return to somewhere that evoked such a distressing reaction from him, "Alright then Mister Potter, let's forget about that for now"

"Alright"

"What is it that you want to learn from me in these proposed duelling lessons?"

"The stuff that I can't from the books"

"Oh? Such as…"

"I can read about tactics, but I need to learn how they really work. I know some spells, but I don't know how to move quickly enough from one to another. I want to push myself further, but I'm not one of those people who can just read about something and then do it"

"An autodidact"

"Yes! I think... my point is that I need to spend time on it, or have a teacher who can give me a few tips on how to improve"

"I see… well then", he smiled warmly, "let's see what we can do together"

Harry's eyes widened behind his glasses, "So, you'll do it? You'll teach me?"

"Yes", the professor nodded to himself, "yes I will, but be warned", he pointed a finger at the young boy, who straightened up, "if you want to do this, it'll be hard-"

"That's fine"

"-I'm going to push you-"

"That's what I want"

"-and we won't just stop after the tournament"

"Wait, what?"

Flitwick resisted the urge to laugh at the confused look on his student's face, which was a very rare sight indeed, if the last few months were any indication, "Yes, I think you have great potential and capacity for learning, and I will continue to push you until the year ends, and if you're willing, further beyond that"

"Like an apprentice?"

"Of an unofficial sort, yes. I'm afraid that with my position as a Hogwarts Professor, my contract prevents me from taking on any apprentices of my own without serious penalties on my end; not to mention, you'd also need to be at least fifteen years old before you'd even be legally allowed to be considered for one by a Master, but I would be failing as an educator if I did not do all in my power to help cultivate such promising raw talent"

Something inside of Harry clicked at that moment as the Charms Master offered his hand to shake, sealing the agreement.

Reaching out, Harry grasped the hand between his, shaking it firmly, and did his best to smile, "When do we start?"

It was on the third Monday of January that Professor Dumbledore made the announcement everyone had been waiting for.

After a day full of lessons, the prefects were made to herd everyone into the Great Hall for dinner, with people all across the hall shooting the school's Headmaster looks, trying to see just when he was going to be finished eating.

Eventually the dishes and drinks faded away, the school falling into a hushed silence as the Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet, making his way around his staff to the front of the table where he instantly commanded everyone's attention with a brilliant smile on his face.

"Good evening everyone", his gaze swept across the room, "I trust that you have all now had enough time to get settled back into your classes and that you all had an enjoyable holiday season"

There were a few hushed responses as people offered answers, not that they could be heard and nor did it discouraged the Headmaster, who continued to smile at them all, "Now, if we can get to what I'm sure you're all excited to be here for, this year's, that is, the 1992 Hogwarts Duelling Tournament"

His words were greeted by applause and a few cheers, causing the old man's smile to grow even wider as he waited for everyone to settle back down.

"Now", he began, instantly quieting the room, "I am sure that many of you have read up on the tournament and the different variations that it has held. I am now going to outline the rules, and what you can each expect to see"

With a wave of his wand, he conjured up four images of each of the house crests behind him, "Each year will have the option to submit four participants for their house. That is two wizards and two witches apiece, each of which will compete in a sixteen-person bracket elimination tournament beginning in February, until we have just two participants remaining. These will be known as the preliminary rounds, and for the First Years, they will take place on the second Saturday of the month. For the Second Years, it will take place on the Sunday. The Third and Fourth Years will have the next weekend, the Fifth and Sixth will have the weekend after, and our Seventh-Year students will have the final Saturday and the First Sunday of March to themselves. School clubs of course, will not be able to penalise members for their absences on these days, in fact, I recommend that they be cancelled"

He paused long enough for the students who carried calendars and diaries to whip them out. Excited whispers broke out as people conferred over the dates and the wizard at the front of the hall waited for silence once more.

"First and Second Years will take part in three round matches. Third Year matches will have five rounds. Fourth Years will have nine rounds to compete in, and our Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Years will have the international standard of thirteen rounds to compete in. For our Fourth-Year students and below, International Third-Class Duelling Rules will be in effect, for our Fifth and Sixth Years, the competition shall be held under the Second-Class Regulations, and for our Seventh-Year students, the First Class rules will be followed, though I must stress caution with the level of spells these rules permit, and I will also take this moment to inform you that copies of all rulebooks may be found in the school library"

Yet another wave of excited mutterings was set off as students began to discuss the rules, and some of the staff grew visibly irritated at the constant interruptions to the Headmaster. Professor Snape held his wand up, letting it emit a loud bang like a gunshot, the shock of it instantly silencing everyone.

"Thank you for that Professor Snape, and now that we have all that out of the way, we should discuss the finals. The final two participants from each year will face each other on the last Sunday in April, that is the twenty-sixth for those of you that are unaware, and it is on that day when we will determine the winners and runners-up of each individual year group. Each first place student will be awarded thirty points to their house, plus an additional number based on their ranking, that is to say that to begin with, our first year student winner will be awarded forty points and our second year student fifty and so on and so forth, up to one hundred points for our Seventh Year student, however the winners will then be allowed to challenge the others and climb the rankings, changing places and potentially gaining more points for their houses"

Once again, the murmuring in the room grew, causing Professor Snape to emit a second blast from his wand, giving Professor Dumbledore control of the room once again, "Now, today is Monday, and you will have until Friday morning to decide which of you will be competing, so take your time and discuss it amongst yourselves. A second announcement will be made after Friday's evening meal regarding the matches you can expect to see - now, I've talked long enough, go on, off to bed with all of you, and goodnight!"