Disclaimer: Meh, its not mine, but at this point, I don't really want anything aside from maybe the money…

A/N: AU HBP, in short Harry has done some digging behind the scenes, and he has figured out enough to be angry. This takes place soon after Harry's ignominious arrival to start the year, but before classes start.

'''''''''''''''''''''''

Harry couldn't believe it; this pathetic creature in front of him, begging for mercy had terrified countless people, and murdered countless others. And for what?

True, Voldemort had gained a form of immortality, but at the cost of any remainder of his humanity that he was born with. How the might had fallen.

'''''''''''''''''''''''

It had all started at Privet Drive following the worst year of Harry's life, a year that had caused him to amend his previous beliefs in the magical world being his respite from the Dursleys. Now instead, it seemed as if the Dursleys were the respite from the insanity and hypocrisy of the wizarding world.

Kreacher, the murderous and insane house elf that was partially responsible for Sirius' death had suddenly popped into his bedroom, the old elf muttered, "Half-Blood master living with filthy muggles."

Harry's first thought was to blast the damned elf into oblivion, but then he remembered Dobby's handling of Lucius Malfoy, and he settled on asking, "What are you doing here?"

Kreacher's wrinkled face scrunched up as if he was struggling against something before he answered, "Kreacher is forced to serve young master, because young master has become the new Lord Black following the blood traitor's death."

Harry blinked as the dull ache of Sirius' death settled into his chest again before he processed the words, "Wait, so you're telling me that Sirius made me your master?"

Kreacher grumbled, "White haired muggle loving fool told Kreacher to wait, but he doesn't order Kreacher around, oh no."

Harry sighed, "Dumbledore didn't want you to come here, but here you are."

Kreacher smirked nastily, "Kreacher only has to follow master's orders."

Harry narrowed his eyes at the elf before he asked, "You said I was Lord Black now, right? So what else does that entitle me to?"

Kreacher replied in a somewhat respectful tone, "Master owns Grimmauld Place, and everything else the blood traitor owned. Master is now head of the Noble Black family, and it is his duty to clean the stain of muggles away."

Harry sighed; his mind dwelled on the prophecy again, as it seemed to be doing a lot of lately….

A brief inspiration struck him, "Kreacher…what if I told you that the dark lord's father was a muggle?"

Kreacher's face contorted again before he grudgingly replied, "Kreacher already knows this, Master Regulus has told Kreacher as much."

Harry turned the name around in his head before he remembered Sirius' story about his younger brother, "So, Regulus served him, knowing this?"

Kreacher looked near tears, "No, Master Regulus tried to escape the dark lord's service, but he was killed for his treachery."

Harry nodded, half formed ideas were filling his head, and he momentarily pictured Kreacher tossing Voldemort through the air like a rag doll. It was preposterous but it still brought a smile to his face, "So, if I asked you if there was anything at Grimmauld that could help me defeat Voldemort, you would tell me then, right?"

Kreacher nodded his head and proudly replied, "The home of the Black family has many books with rituals for dealing with upstart wizards Master."

Harry frowned in thought before he asked, "Could you bring me some of these books?"

Kreacher nodded and Harry added, "Grab me any books you can find that will help me defeat Voldemort, and then go back to wherever you were before and wait for me to call you again. If Dumbledore expects me to continue to be an idiot, then for now that's exactly what I am going to give him. If I find that I need to make a potion, I'll deal with it later this summer."

Kreacher's face wasn't quite as dismissive as he replied, "Kreacher does as master asks."

With a loud pop the little elf disappeared, only to reappear a few minutes later with a large stack of books, "Kreacher brings all books to deal with nasty muggle dark lord. The books master requests have no nasty curses, and shall help him beat muggle lord."

Without a reply from Harry the elf popped away again, and Harry didn't know whether to feel relieved about that or not.

In lieu of anything else to do he immediately picked up the first book and read the title on the cover.

Rituals for the Wronged: Ways to Call Upon Magic to Right Wrongs.

Harry nodded to himself at the promise of the title before he moved on to the next book, any thoughts he had that Kreacher might be turning over a new leaf were dashed as he read the next book.

How to Torture Muggles and their Spawn: 1001 Creative Ways to Dispatch of Muggle Pests.

As Harry settled down to read the books that weren't too obscene or outrageous he sighed, and he briefly wondered about the new path his life was taking, but shrugged, it was time to fulfill his destiny.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Harry lounged in the thick grass at The Burrow and he frowned in thought as he watched Hermione and Ron flirt in the distance. He still couldn't figure out how to approach Hermione about his findings regarding the love potions he had found in both of their foods, and accordingly he hadn't stopped her from receiving her daily dose. He didn't want to tell her somewhere it could be overheard, and frankly he didn't fancy having to blast his way out of The Burrow.

On the plus side he supposed he did find it rather enjoyable to alternate between ignoring Ginny, and checking her out unabashedly. While she wasn't as attractive as Fleur, she still had a pretty nice body and his supposed love potion exposure allowed him to take liberties he otherwise wouldn't. He figured he might as well get something out of others trying to dose him with the potion, and he figured he would tell Hermione when he could get a chance away from Weasley's prying gazes.

The advanced magic he had read through earlier in the summer had led to some unexpected bounties; this led to an interest in improving his skills. Skills which had increased tremendously, and while he had never been a top student at Hogwarts, the gap between his skills and Hermione's weren't as large as she might assume.

Occlumency hadn't been difficult to learn with a little more understanding about the nature of magic, and while Snape and Dumbledore had alluded to the fact that it protected against Legilimency, it was actually a skill that greatly organized a witch or wizards mind and magic. It was not a skill for blocking a Legilimens, but rather allowed him to know they were being spied upon much more quickly. After realizing this, it hadn't been more than a week of practice before he could consider himself passable at the skill, even if he was by no means a master. He could show fake memories and thoughts now at will, and for his purposes that would be enough.

As he gazed up into the clouds, Harry smirked lightly, for the first time in awhile he felt fully in control of his life, even if those around him weren't aware of it.

'''''''''''''''''''''

Hermione looked at Harry curiously; he had pulled her aside in the morning right after breakfast, as the two youngest Weasleys were off doing their daily chores, they all still had a week until the return to Hogwarts, and she had designs on getting some sun while she read a book for the day.

It had taken her aback at how serious Harry was as he quietly pulled her aside, he had simply claimed it was something she needed to know. How she found herself in Mr. Weasley's shed of all places with Harry on the other hand, she really didn't know.

Harry turned to her and said, "What I'm about to tell you will seem crazy and impossible. So, before we start let me ask you, do you know any spells to detect the presence of a potion in food?"

Hermione nodded and Harry continued, "Right, well I held on to this muffin, from the plate of those blueberry muffins we had this morning. Why don't you cast the spell on the muffin, and tell me what you find."

Hermione arched her eyebrow and Harry explained, "The trace is rubbish Hermione, and Dumbledore told me as much, so feel free to cast a spell, I've practiced magic all summer at The Burrow without any warnings."

Hermione nodded slowly and murmured the spell as she pointed her wand at the muffin, it glowed an ominous red color and she paled at the implication.

Harry nodded sadly, "I wanted to tell you earlier, but you were always with Ron or Ginny. I've been avoiding the affected food all summer; this is the muffin Mrs. Weasley gave me this morning."

Hermione sighed and lifted her arms to slide the wand back into its holster on her back; she didn't notice Harry's eyes as they gazed at the bit of exposed skin when her shirt lifted a bit.

"I can't believe they could do that to us, like we have no feelings of our own." Hermione spat as she closed her eyes.

Harry nodded, "I know, but think about it this way, nothing major happened, and I have this flushing draught right here, which will rid you of those pesky feelings for Ron."

Hermione smirked as she opened her eyes, "Who said I had feelings for Ron, after all, there is another Weasley who had a love potion keyed to them."

Harry's ears reddened at the thought, and his immediate reaction to it, after all they were two attractive girls…

Hermione giggled but shook her head in fond exasperation, "Honestly, you boys and your strange fantasies."

Harry handed her the flushing draught and she smelled it before nodding in satisfaction, and downing it in one swallow. Her ears vented a suspicious looking pink vapor that dispersed immediately before she quietly said, "Thank you Harry."

Harry walked over to her and wrapped her in a warm hug, "You're my best friend Hermione. If you think all of that is bad, just wait until I tell you about Dumbledore, Snape, and Voldemort."

Hermione nuzzled her face into his neck and then immediately felt Harry's earlier response from her comment about Ginny return, poking into her hip. Hermione smiled into Harry's shoulder as his reaction blossomed; yes maybe this was for the best after all.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''

As he looked down at Voldemort's broken form he smirked, "I wouldn't have thought the ritual would drain you of your magic and destroy your soul pieces, but maybe the magic of the old gods has more of a sense of irony than I had expected."

Voldemort gazed down at his hands, as if expecting them to spark with magic as Harry continued, "Think about it, you the self proclaimed dark lord, now with less magic in your body than a squib. I was pleasantly surprised when the ritual brought you to my very feet, already bound and spilling your deepest and darkest secrets. Learning about your little plan for immortality, and then having my little out of body experience as your leavings were removed from my scar and all of you other containers, all of it was far more than I could have ever hoped to have earned. With what I know now, it won't take much to deal with Dumbledore and Snape before I leave the rest of you twits to wither away for your arrogance. To think, there was a time I would have died for the unwashed masses, but that time has passed now that my eyes are open."

Harry reveled in the changes in his body, with the infusion of Riddle's magic, he felt so much more powerful. His eyes no longer needed glasses, and while he wasn't as tall as Ron, he was still a respectable six feet tall, more muscular than scrawny at this point. To most, he would appear exactly the same, aside from his discarded glasses.

As he prepared to gloat some more, he felt two powerful wizards coming in his direction, Snape and Dumbledore it appeared were coming to make his work that much easier. With a murmured chant of a long dead Celtic dialect, Tom Riddle, formerly the Dark Lord Voldemort, vanished to an unknown place, to fulfill the remainder of the old gods' justice.

The door to the unused classroom slammed open with a thunderous boom, it reminded Harry of how Dumbledore had blasted his way into the fake Moody's office at the end of the Tri-Wizard tournament, merely another debacle of the old wizard's that he would soon pay for.

Dumbledore glanced around; the wards of the castle had reported some very strange magic in this classroom, so he had immediately grabbed Severus to investigate it.

He felt relief as he spotted Harry, it appeared the boy was merely practicing some magic, and while the magic the wards reported had been strange, none of it had been dark.

As he did a surface scan of Harry's thoughts he smiled genially at the boy, thoughts of advanced defensive magic were all he could glean as he pulled out of his mind gently, "Ah Harry, I see you've been practicing."

Harry merely nodded and Dumbledore turned to Snape, "I'm curious however, why have you decided to practice without the use of your glasses?"

Harry innocently replied, "I've been trying to improve my abilities, because if I lose my glasses during a fight I don't want to be helpless."

Dumbledore nodded sagely, "Of course, a most wise precaution. However, practicing powerful magic without supervision is quite dangerous. Perhaps Mr. Weasley could join you next time you practice, in order to provide for your own safety."

Harry merely smiled but replied, "It wasn't anything special Professor, but considering the quality of defense instructors at the school, I could see why you would think so."

Snape sneered, "Your manners Potter leave much to be desired. Perhaps a detention tomorrow night might help you."

Harry smirked unrepentantly, "Would you like to know what I've been practicing Professors?"

Dumbledore was more curious than worried at this point; after all he could always use a memory charm on the lad if he was practicing something that wouldn't fit into his plans. "Of course my boy, I always enjoy watching the students practice magic."

Harry nodded, "I found a book of magic in Welsh so bare with my pronunciation. Holding his wand with a relaxed grip he pointed his wand at the wall, while his left hand was pointing at Dumbledore and Snape, as if using an unorthodox dueling technique; Quietly Harry incanted the spell that initiated the ritual of justice, "Hen-duw rhoi-i fi cyfiawnder."

When nothing obvious happened Dumbledore merely smiled and Snape sneered dismissively, "Well, it appears as though you might need to practice that spell for awhile longer Harry."

Instead of looking disappointed however, Harry looked triumphant, "No, I think the spell worked perfectly sir, you just might not feel it yet?"

Dumbledore shared a look with Snape before he queried, "You cast no spell on us Harry, your wand was pointed at the wall."

Harry shook his head and smiled as he watched the two wizards go stiff, as it petrified, "No, you see that spell is an old Celtic spell designed by shamans, to distribute justice when one party had a complaint to be brought against another. However, if the claim was viewed to be false by the spell, well then the other person paid a price. Be it in money, livestock, land, magic, or even their lives. What do you think it says for both you and Snape that the spell is working?"

The two wizards looked frantically about, they were petrified, but based upon the fact that their faces weren't numb it hopefully meant they could speak, Dumbledore croaked out, "Fawkes!"

Harry clucked his tongue, "I really had a lot of time to think this summer Professor, and I came to some interesting conclusions. Sadly, for you none of these conclusions were good for you or the greaseball next to you. I mean good grief man, using a bar of soap or tooth brush wouldn't kill you. "

Sighing he smiled as Dumbledore's face showed serious panic, "That's the same look Tom Riddle had on his face as he faced the justice of his actions. By the end he had told me everything, including his plans for immortality. Of course, finding out that Snape told him the first half of the prophecy on your orders…well that was the final straw for me. I had been undecided before, and then when you showed up so kindly, well it seemed like fate."

Dumbledore groaned as it felt as if his very heart had been plucked from his chest, his link to Fawkes was gone; his magic was trickling out as if it were his very lifeblood. His all powerful wand would not work without the magic to power it.

Harry watched them in silence for a few minutes before he continued, "Well, now that we're all comfortable let's do some question and answer time."

Snape looked even more pale than normal so Harry turned his gaze to the man, "I've always wondered, why is it that you hate me so much Snape? I mean I know you begged Riddle to spare my mother's life, and I know you knew her at Hogwarts, but I don't know anything else."

Snape tried to struggle, tried to prevent his response, but it was ripped from within him, "Your mother, she was my best friend, before I even went to Hogwarts. I grew to love her, and your father stole her from me. I joined the dark lord, and I overheard the prophecy. Dumbledore gave me leave to tell the dark lord the prophecy, but only in return for an unbreakable vow of servitude to him. I attempted to save your mother's life, in exchange for my knowledge of the prophecy, and I hoped the dark lord would kill Dumbledore, thus freeing me from my vow with your mother at my side. As you already know, the entire thing failed completely, and I was forced to acknowledge your father's life debt, by passing it on to you. I despise your face, but your eyes…"

Harry looked at Snape with contempt before he smirked, "Not only are you a nasty grease ball, you were also the equivalent of a magical stalker." Thinking for a moment he continued, "I may not have known my mother, but I think I can safely say, that whatever plans you had, even if they had come to fruition, she would have died before touching you."

Harry felt relief as it seemed the magic from Snape was being drained elsewhere, he could understand the magic of Voldemort going to him, but he wanted no part of the taint that would follow Snape for the rest of his life, however long it might be.

Snape started to say something else, but his face locked up in pain before he disappeared, it seemed the man had some other prices to pay.

Harry merely shrugged, he felt nothing any more about Snape, he had paid his price, and that was how one chapter of his life was going to end.

Turning to Dumbledore he smiled serenely, "I don't even want to know all of the sick plans you had for me old man. But, instead of you telling me anything, I am going to tell you some things."

Dumbledore continued to glance around, searching for some sort of way out of this predicament, even without his magic, there were still ways….

Harry softly spoke, ignoring the old man's panic, "How about we work backwards, starting with the little plot involving the Weasleys this summer. Not for a second do I believe you would have allowed Molly to use love potions, unless you approved of it beforehand.

Dumbledore confirmed this as words were forced from his unwilling mouth, "The purebloods need talent and fresh blood marrying in. You and Ms. Granger are the most powerful and intelligent of your generation, keeping your values aligned with the Weasleys was vital for ensuring my legacy."

Harry smirked as he replied, "Well then old bean, I'm sorry to inform you that Hermione and I will be gone from Hogwarts before tomorrow, and attending another magical school by next week. Amazing what having money, a brilliant girlfriend, and a willing house elf can accomplish, isn't it?'

Dumbledore croaked, "You can't, the prophecy-"

Harry cut him off, "The prophecy was rubbish that you forced into effect with your meddling. Voldemort might have killed my parents and me without knowing the first few lines, but he would have done it for different reasons."

Dumbledore looked pitiful, the magic holding him prisoner had now ceased, and he was sprawled on the ground looking up at Harry with something akin to horror, "This world, everything I've worked to save will be lost without you Harry. Magic will die in Britain and the purebloods will finish off their failed policies right into the ruin of society, thousands will die because of your actions."

Harry shook his head in exasperation, "You fail to understand that it is not my decisions and actions which have forced this to happen. This is the first time in my life I've actually taken control of my own actions. Blame those retarded purebloods; blame your own personal failures that have led to this point. I mean forcing a prophecy into existence simply to pass the responsibility for Voldemort on…it's preposterous. I've taken out an ad in the Daily Prophet explaining the pureblood policy so that the muggleborns will be warned, and I left a note for Remus to find me with. But, don't get me started on your other brilliant moves, it's already getting late and I have a car to catch a mile outside of Hogsmeade with Hermione. It seems her parents were already considering a move outside of the country."

Dumbledore went to plead once more when he vanished with a soft pop, as a wizard he could have expected to live years longer, even with the curse from Gaunt's ring destroying his wand arm. As a muggle he would be fortunate to last another year.

Harry glanced around and nodded to himself, softly he whispered, "Sic simper tyrannis."

A/N: I don't speak Welsh so I did some guessing about the translation for the spell…roughly "Give to me old gods righteous justice."

Harry and Hermione were on their way to Australia with her parents and I believe the rest of you can imagine the trouble they would have gotten into. Take some time to leave a comment on your way out, and thanks for reading.