Chapter 8 – Back at Hogwarts

After making sure that everything was secure, Harry tossed the floo powder into the fire and called out, "Hogwarts: Headmaster's Office." A short spin later, Harry found himself in the office that he had, more or less, destroyed less than three months before.

"Ah Harry, take a seat we have some things to discuss," Albus Dumbledore said, as he sat behind the desk and smiled serenely. "Before we start, how are you doing today?"

"I'm doing well, all things considered. If you don't mind, can we brush by the small talk for today? I have some rather important things to take care of and would rather like to get started," Harry said as he sat down in one of the chintz arm chairs in the room.

Dumbledore just leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment before saying, "Quite understandable, young man. Feel free," he said, waving his hand in a gesture that said that he could say what was on his mind.

"Alright," Harry said. "The first thing I ask is that you listen to everything I have to say before saying anything."

Dumbledore nodded his head in agreement.

"First, I want the private rooms that I am entitled to as the Heir of Gryffindor. I will offer a reason even though I don't have to give you one. There are some things that are going on this year that will require me to have time to myself and that is not possible in the common room, or even the room of requirements right now.

"Second, I wish to be removed from my Defense Against the Dark Arts class. I have hired a tutor to teach me during that time. You know why I must learn more than the Hogwarts curriculum can offer so that should be understandable. Remus has already gone through the spells and theory that I would have covered in NEWT level.

"Finally, I would like… no I demand, that I become a member of the Order of the Phoenix and that you keep Ron, Hermione, and anyone my age that I do not approve of out of the Order."

Dumbledore sat there for several minutes after Harry had given him his list before he was able to come up with anything to say.

"Well Harry, I can definitely do the first thing on your list. The third one intrigues me however, why would you want to join the Order and not have your friends join as well?"

Harry just snorted at this, "Do you really think that Mrs. Weasley would allow them even if I did want them to join the order? No, she wouldn't allow them. The reason I don't want them to join is simple. This war is not their concern, it is mine. They have already been drug into it more times than they should have been and its time to make sure that they are distanced from it.

"I guess the main reason though is the fact that I don't think they are mature enough to do what needs to be done. No one my age should be, but circumstances being what they are, that isn't so in my case."

"I am glad to hear that you have mature reasons for wanting to join the Order and keep your friends out of it when necessary," Dumbledore said. "I will take care of talking to most of the Order members about you joining. Its nothing against you, all members must be voted on before they are allowed in."

"Now, I cannot do the second item you requested. If I were to allow you to have a tutor instead of the regular courses, it would be considered favoritism. You know that I cannot do that."

"Why must you force things to be so difficult? You know very well that I am within my rights in asking, and receiving all of my demands.

"I didn't want it to come to this, but you have left me no choice. I will be joining the Order of the Phoenix on the first meeting after school begins because you need me in order to win this war. You know this, and I would have thought that, by now, you would understand the consequences cause by withholding information from me.

"Second I will not be in that class because I am the Heir of Gryffindor and by proxy of being the sole Heir of Gryffindor by being the last living Potter I control majority of the school and can make any changes that I deem necessary," Harry said in a calm voice that delivered the subtle threat.

Dumbledore eyes dimmed and he seemed to show his 160 years.

This was exactly what Harry had been hoping to avoid before this meeting. He did not want to reveal the fact that he was, in effect, in control of the school and all of its functions.

Slowly the shock wore off the aged Headmaster and he said, "Well since I am not in the position to deny you then I will allow you to have your private tutor and I will provide him or her with their own room, but I want to meet this person before hand so that way I know exactly who is in this castle."

"Also, I will arrange for to join the Order; however you will need to talk to Mrs. Weasley for the sake of your own sanity as well as hers, I would imagine."

"That will be fine," Harry said, before he seemingly deflated in his own seat and sighed.

"I didn't want to have to say that just so that you know. I would have liked to broach the news in a more subtle way. I am sorry that it couldn't be as such."

"Now, that is everything I wished to discuss with you, but I was wondering if Snape was here. I need to talk to him."

"Yes, he's in the castle Harry, but I still think you should call him Professor Snape. Now how about I show you to your quarters first and then you can go have a talk with him before lunch," Dumbledore said as he stood up and walked around his desk.

"That's fine, but I think I will reserve judgment on his name until I see if he has changed his attitude at all. After all, I am within my rights to call him by his first name if I so choose," Harry said as he stood up and followed Dumbledore down the stairs.

The two of them were walking for a while when they finally came to a part of the castle that Harry had never visited before. Albus stopped in front of a statue of the Gryffindor before turning and saying, "Place your hand on the statue and it should allow you to enter the room as well as set the password."

Harry did as instructed and then the statue turned and a doorway opened into a small common room. It held a few armchairs as well as a couple of coaches and a few tables with a fireplace in the center.

He pulled out his trunk and enlarged it before placing it down in the room and turning to the headmaster. Dumbledore's twinkle came back in full force as he laid eyes on a section of the castle he had never before been allowed to enter.

"I'll take care of the rest of the stuff later. I would rather talk to Snape right now.

"Oh, and before I forget, I know that my signet ring is being held in your care as of now. I would like it returned to me after dinner tonight."

Dumbledore nodded before turning and leading the way to the dungeons.

The two walked in silence towards Snape's office and eventually arrived at the intended location. After the headmaster knocked on the door and Harry was let into the room by a rather disgruntled looking Snape he returned to his office.

"What do you want Potter?" asked Snape in a tone that showed his disgust at seeing Harry a week before school even started.

"This is about entering your N.E.W.T. level potions class," Harry said in a calm tone. "Before you say anything sir, It would be wise to do this as well as beneficial for you to let me into this class."

"Potter, I only accept students that achieved an O on the O.W.L. exams so what makes you think that you can worm your way into this class," Snape said with a sneer.

"Well first off if you let me in I will allow you to collect some potions ingredients from the Basilisk that is in the Chamber of Secrets. Secondly and the more important reason is that I am currently engaged to a student from your house, a Miss Blaise Zabini. Now seeing as how she is engaged to me I would like to be partnered with her for the year in order to protect her from, well certain people in your house that would treat her…," Harry trailed off but kept his voice in a neutral tone.

Snape took a few minutes to consider everything and with a sneer and a curt nod, he said, "If anyone asks, you received the necessary grade to enter the class."

"That is acceptable, sir. Now I plan on going into the Chamber after dinner tonight and you probably want to come with me to gather whatever ingredients there might be available."

"Fine Potter, now get out of my sight."

With that Harry left back for his private rooms to explore exactly what there was other then the common room and his bedroom, if anything.

Once he set the password on the statue he entered the common room. He spent the next few minutes looking around the rooms that he now occupied. In one room he found the master bedroom with a large private bathroom, another room held a private study, and finally a guest bedroom.

"Well this is nice… I wonder if there is a training room around here…," Harry said to himself before a thought popped into his head. "Ah shit," Harry grumbled before heading back to the headmaster's office to claim his sword and ring. He needed to get the ring before he could apparate out of the school and he figured he may as well claim the sword while he was at it.

He knocked on the door and waited for the headmaster to answer. The door swung inwards to reveal the headmaster sitting at his desk and trying to fix some of the gadgets that Harry had broken during his visit at the end of the year.

Dumbledore looked at him and set his wand down before speaking, "What can I do for you, Mr. Potter?"

"I came to claim my sword and signet ring. I need the ring to carry out some business I have and needed to get it as soon as I could."

Dumbledore nodded before taking the sorting hat off of the shelf and handing it to Harry. "Just like the sword, the ring is being held within the hat. Simply tell Alistair what you need."

Harry nodded and took the hat from the headmaster.

"Good afternoon, Lord Gryffindor. It has been quite some time since anyone intentionally came to ask me for anything."

Harry mentally answered him, "I would like to know what you could tell me about my family history, if you wouldn't mind. I know that you see and hear everything that goes on in this office and, more or less, the school, but for now I would just like to take the signet ring, if that's okay."

"At least you have some manners," Alistair grumbled before Harry felt a soft thud on his head. He removed the hat and took the ring off of his head. Then placing the ring on his right hand ring finger, he handed Alistair back to Dumbledore before heading towards the sword that remained in the glass case since his second year.

He thought of holding the sword and claiming it as his own and was somewhat surprised when the sword materialized in his hand, seemingly having vanished from the glass case.

"Thank you," Harry said to Dumbledore before heading back down the stairs and towards his own room. He didn't dare apparate just yet. He didn't know exactly how the headmaster always knew what occurred in the castle but he didn't need him to know about this yet.

Once he was safely in his quarters, he assumed that they were allowed to be monitored by the headmaster, he apparated to Remus' house. With a crack Harry disappeared from Hogwarts and an instant later was back in Grimmauld Place.

"Moony! Moony where in the hell are you!" Harry shouted as he made his way through the house looking for Remus.

"Harry?" Remus said as he entered the room where Harry was standing. "I thought that you were at Hogwarts. I didn't hear the fire place for a floo entrance and I know I saw you leave this morning."

"You did… but that isn't important right now," Harry said waving his hand at the marauder. "What I need to know is when the tutor that you arranged for me will be arriving."

"He will meet you in the entrance hall tomorrow at about 8:30," Moony said. "I think that you will like him to say the least. Make sure that you're ready because I'm sure that he will want to get started working with you as soon as possible, and he should be able to do the physical training with you as well, which was one of the things that put him apart from the other people I could have chosen."

"Sounds good to me, Moony," Harry said. "Could you send Dobby to me at Hogwarts after dinner tonight I have some things that I need his help with before school."

"Will do, now are you going to tell me how you got here so quickly?" Remus asked.

"Nope… secret for the Heir of Gryffindor only," Harry said with a smirk. "I would like to stay but I need to head back to the castle and put away my stuff before dinner."

With a crack Harry disappeared from Grimmauld Place and was in the master bedroom of his suite. He spent the remaining hours before dinner putting away his books and looking through the library that his trunk contained. There were a lot of books to say the least and Harry knew that some of them should never leave the trunk in order to keep them safe.

Finally, dinner rolled around and Harry headed down to the kitchen to pick up a meal of roast chicken, carrots, peas, and a few rolls. Once he finished he pulled out the Marauder's Map and located the Headmaster and Snape before setting off to meet them.

He found the headmaster first and then asked him to meet him in at Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Once he rounded the corner Harry apparated to just outside Snape's office. He politely knocked before his potion's master opened the door and followed Harry.

"Ok, Harry, why are we in a girl's lavatory?" Dumbledore queried.

Harry just smiled in way that seemed to suggest that he knew something they didn't, which was obvious anyways. Then he turned towards the tap with the snake inscribed on it and concentrating on the snake he hissed "Open."

Suddenly the sink began to lower into the ground and the huge black tunnel came into view. Dumbledore, who had been removed from the grounds at the time had no idea that this was actually were the entrance was but he was fascinated nonetheless. Snape couldn't believe that the founder of his house chose, this, of all places to be the entrance to his secret chamber.

"Alright, you two go down the tube first and brace yourself at the end, it is rather dark down at the bottom," said Harry.

The other two just nodded as they went to slide down the tube. Shortly after both of them were out of sight a pop sounded and Dobby stood beside Harry.

"Harry Potter sir, what is you needing Dobby to do for you sir," the house elf asked in his usual over-exuberant manner.

Harry just smiled at the little elf before he said, "Come down this tube with me Dobby. I am going to show you a place that I would like you to redecorate for me tonight."

The pair then proceeded down into the Chamber to see the two professors waiting with their wands lit.

They proceeded through the Chamber of Secrets looking around at what was actually there. Dumbledore was examining everything that the chamber actually held, while Snape proceeded to gather all the ingredients that he could use for potion making. The only thing that he did not take was one of the fangs at Harry's insistence.

After shrinking the fang and putting it safely away Harry began talking to Dobby about what changes needed to be made so that it would suit Harry's purposes. The first and most important task for Harry was that Dobby set up a weight lifting room and a dueling area so that Harry could train down here without any disturbances. Then he planned on having Dobby create a library, a potions lab, and a common room for reaserching, discussions, and making useful potions that would be kept away from the rest of the school.

Harry and the two professors left Dobby to go about his work reorganizing the chamber to Harry's needs and by the time Harry got back to his room it was quite late. So instead of staying up to read Harry began to change when he noticed that a potion was lying on top of his bed with a note attached to it.

Dear Harry,

This is something that I ordered from my contacts for you. Take this before you go to bed and it should produce some physical changes. The main thing that it will do is add about two inches to yourself and fill out your body appropriately.

Sincerely,

Narcissa Black

"Well I guess that means that I will have to adjust my robes to have them fit to my body tomorrow," Harry thought. Then he proceeded to gulp down the potion before passing out on top of his bed.

A/N: This is the last of what Black's Phoenix had written. I will start on the next one from scratch.