CHAPTER 22

DARK CLOUDS!

Disclaimer – Harry Potter belongs solely to J.K. Rowling and I am unfortunately not earning anything from it.

September, 2006

The sight of Hogwarts express had always been one of his most favourite. It was still hard to believe that he had already completed two years in Hogwarts as well as the Magical world. It had been two exciting years where he had found friends and families as well as tasted success as a professional Quidditch player. He had learned so much, whether it be about himself or the new world. As he counted the minutes to the start of his third year at the magnificent castle named Hogwarts, he thought about the rollercoaster of a ride he had last month.

After Penny and Justin literally gatecrashed the Dursley residence and kidnapped him on the eve of his birthday, Harry enjoyed a huge birthday party. Everyone from his school friends to teammates were invited. Hermione and Penny had gotten together to have a whole day full of joy and adventure. They had decided to introduce all those not exposed to the muggle world to theme parks. What followed was one of the most fun-filled days in Harry's life. It was so much fun to watch the expressions on the faces of purebloods and half bloods as they saw what muggle world had been able to create without magic. Harry especially remembered Daphne's expression as she sat in a roller coaster. As soon as the cart stopped, she was the first one to jump out of it. The one who enjoyed riding the most was Nymphadora. She made sure that all those who were wary of some rides were dragged and made to experience it only followed by making fun of their terrified faces.

A day at the theme park was followed by dinner at a nice restaurant in a side alley of Diagon Alley. In fact it was the same restaurant where McGonagall had taken him on his first day in the Magical world. Harry was happy to see Professors' McGonagall and Flitwick. Hagrid also attended the dinner. Ted and Andromeda were present as well. It was a semi-formal party followed by dancing. At the end of the day, Harry was surrounded by happy faces of people who genuinely cared for him and he felt the happiest.

After a hectic day, Harry packed for the trip he was supposed to take with the Clearwaters. He had already informed Dumbledore before the summer breaks. The headmaster had not raised much fuss although he said he would talk to Mr Clearwater with regards to safety precautions just in case. So for the first time in his life, Harry stepped out of Great Britain. It was a fun filled three-week long trip where he visited the scandanavian countries. Before leaving home, William (Penelope's father) had procured language learning potions for all of them. Harry didn't exactly know how it worked but William said that the more they interacted in those particular languages, the easier it will be to learn them. Harry loved everything from food to art to architecture. For the first time in his life, he experienced what a vacation truly meant. Add to that, the openness and warmth with which the Clearwaters treated him just like last year was overwhelming for him at times. They made sure he felt like he was a part of their family. Whether it be the teasing or small chores, they made him feel at home with them. Harry also visited the Wizard districts of each country finding interesting stuff which was usually not available in Diagon Alley. It was a good place to pick up gifts for all his friends. What Harry remembered the most was the skiing experience he had. It had become one of the most favourite things he had ever done. Now that he thought about it, this trip had given him a lot of new favourites.

As he looked down, he saw the fingers of a hand entwined in his own. As he followed the hand, he found himself looking at the beaming face of Hermione. She was perhaps among those few who was even more excited than him at the prospect of going back to school. As he prepared himself to board the train, he thought back to how this happened.

Flashback -

The frequency of exchange of letters between him and Hermione had grown over the summer. Even though they had been good friends before the summers, their equation had gradually changed. Now Harry felt like talking to her about all that was happening in his life. Although he was still not comfortable sharing everything like his advanced studies or extra classes or business ventures, he still told her all about how much involved he was with the construction of Potter Manor. He used the telephone at Aunt Petunia's house to call her and talked to her for hours after agreeing to pay for the bill of course. He even invited her once to the Potter Manor site as she wanted to see how the wizards approached the construction, purely for educational purposes of course. She on the other hand had not totally gotten over the whole petrification episode and was still suffering nightmares. She was especially thankful to him after the Daily Prophet released the whole article along with his picture with the Basilisk. Harry tried to be there for her as much as he could as she couldn't share everything with her family for the fear that they might remove her from the school if they found that she was so affected. This made him realise how difficult it was for muggleborns to create a balance between their lives in the magical and muggle world.

A week before his birthday, he finally gathered courage and asked her out on a movie date. She was a bit shocked but then accepted happily. It was a fun day spending time while roaming around the world which both of them had actually grown up in. It felt like the most normal thing anyone of their age and upbringing could do. After that, when Penny and Hermione managed the whole day and organised everything, he couldn't stop himself. So when they were dancing together during dinner on his birthday, he asked her to be his girlfriend in front of everyone and again she readily accepted.

Flashback ends

Unfortunately, they had not been able to spend much time together after that as Harry went for the trip and had returned just a week ago. Although, he was able to go shopping for his school supplies with her. She had already gotten all the necessary supplies but she wanted to spend time with him as well as buy a pet for herself. She ended up buying a half-kneazle whom she named Crookshanks. As they went through the day, Harry was surprised to know that she had opted for all five electives offered by the school. When she asked him about his choices, he told her that he had chosen Ancient Runes, Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures. Having known how relevant the knowledge of Runes and Arithmancy could be whether it be in Wards, curse-breaking, creating spells, enchantments, rituals or even healing, he could not ignore them at all. CoMC on the other hand was more of a hobby as he liked to interact with creatures whether it be muggle or magical as he did at Flamel Estate.

Another big thing that shook Harry was that Sirius Black had become the first ever prisoner to escape Azkaban. He remembered the day he returned from the vacation, Andromeda had visited the Clearwaters home to make sure he was ok. To her surprise he knew a lot about the man. Having read letters from his parents as well as their diaries, he was fully aware who his 'godfather' was and what he had done to land in the infamous prison. He had asked Dumbledore on their first visit to Godric's Hollow about his parents friends and why no one ever tried to visit him. Apparently, Sirius Black betrayed his parents location and was the sole reason why Voldemort was able to find their home. After his master's defeat, Sirius went into a rage and ended up killing Peter Pettigrrew who tried to confront him along with thirteen muggles. Mooney or Remus Lupin was another friend who according to Dumbledore had disappeared after losing his friends and was not seen in Magical Britain after that.

He had not given them much thought after that. Narcissa and Andromeda had responded to his letters and he was able to talk to them about anything he wanted. Later Bones and Longbottom family had provided even more intel about his family. Flamels, especially Aunt Elle was the latest source and he felt sufficiently informed about his family.

Although Andromeda and all other adults in his life had in some way or other asked him to be extra cautious, Harry had decided to not let it affect him. He had decided not to pursue the man responsible for the death of his parents but this year he was going to focus more on curses and defense so that if he ended up facing him, he would be ready. Black was the only person apart from Voldemort who Harry hated in the entire world.

Last weekend before the school began, Harry spent time with Flamels. He was surprised and happy to know that things were progressing really well. They had come up with the name of the company, Wiztech Corporation. He was super excited and couldn't wait for the moment when they would be able to finish the first prototype. Penelope was especially busy assisting the researchers as well as making sure that the patent was done under his mother's name and could not be copied by anyone else. She told him that everyone was equally shocked and excited in that particular department about the invention. In fact had it not been Aunt Elle's reputation and contacts, the news would have spread all throughout the magical world like fire. Apparently, compared to Britain, magical communities in other countries had way more exposure to muggle communities and hence were aware of the advancements made by them. As an additional deterrent, Nicholas had provided a set of runes that would ensure no one is able to tinker with any product.

He had also gone to meet Narcissa after he received an invitation from her. This time she wanted to meet him in one of the restaurants in Magical Paris. She had gained approval and a portkey and he was supposed to meet her at Diagon Alley. It was a different outing as he accompanied her on a small shopping trip where she made him buy a lot more clothes from the various boutiques in magical Paris. Harry was admittedly quite intimidated but Narcissa was an unstoppable force. According to her, 'You seriously need someone to take care of how you dress in our society. You are a global celebrity as well as the most valuable sportsman in Britain currently. Aunt Cassiopeia almost bit off my head in her last letter.'

After a couple of hours of shopping for him which was her gist for his birthday, they made their way to a restaurant where booking had already been done in their name. It was a very expensive restaurant with an equal view of the magical Alley as well as Eiffel tower. The food was completely new yet very tasty although he did find a couple of dishes he could have lived without tasting. Yet overall it was a refreshing change. He liked the whole environment of the alley. The people were a bit more relaxed as compared to London. As they talked about all the stuff that was going on in Harry's life, came the topic of discussion that Narcissa wanted to talk about.

"It was quite a surprise seeing your photo on the front page of Daily Prophet. Obviously I had read about the basilisk in the earlier report as well as your letter. But looking at it in the newspaper was an eye-opener. That basilisk was quite big." Narcissa commented.

"And quite old. I wish with every cell in my body that I wouldn't have to kill that magnificent creature. I regret not being able to somehow save her life. She went mad in the end. What was being asked of her was quite the opposite of the intent with which Salazar created her." Harry said with a sigh.

"It was quite horrifying for me to read about the attacks in Draco's letter as a parent. I can't even imagine how you faced the legendary creature. It was a very bad time. Were you able to find out who was behind the whole fiasco?" Narcissa prodded.

Harry until now was quite relaxed and happy to spend some time with someone who was family. Yet the sudden questioning suddenly made him a bit uneasy. As he looked up and stared into his cousin's eyes, he saw what she wanted and decided to call her upon it.

"You are family Narcissa. You can be very upfront and ask me anything you want. I will answer you truthfully if I can or will outright refuse you if I can't. My only request is that you please do not try and play games with me to get what you seek. A lot of people cautioned me about meeting you or being in contact with you, but I decided to give you a chance. Please don't prove me wrong because even now I believe that you always keep family as your first priority. And i don't want to feel cautious when I meet you next time. I am not that naive." Harry said with disappointment clear in his voice yet a frown marring his face.

It was as if air was deflated out of her body as she suddenly slumped. She shut her eyes as she took a few breaths and finally looked at him.

"I am sorry for that Harry. Please know that you reaching out to me means a lot to me and I would never compromise our trust for anything. It's just that things have been difficult at home this past year. I have a few theories yet nothing concrete. My thoughts are conflicting in my head and I am caught in a bad space between guilt and rage. But please know, I will never make the same mistake again and will try to be as upfront as possible. It is quite different from the kind of family I grew up in. We had more politics on the dinner table than the Wizengamot."

Harry didn't say anything and just nodded. He waited for her to compose herself and talk.

"I have a suspicion that someone I know was behind the whole Chamber of Secrets debacle. That person is close and I am feeling guilty that I am holding them responsible without any evidence yet I am angry as a mother. My son was in danger the whole year and so were you. I don't know what to do." Narcissa said with frustration evident on his face.

"It was Lucius. He was the one behind all this. This is what you wanted to know?" Harry said, not wanting to stretch anymore.

Narcissa straightened up again as she looked into his eyes, anger clearly visible.

"How can you be certain?"

"Do you have an elf named Dobby?"

"How do you know him?"

"Call him!"

Narcissa stared at him for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and with her scrunched-up face mask on called out, "Dobby!"

With a loud 'pop' a house-elf appeared in dirty tablecloth that had turned almost brown with dirt on it. As soon as he appeared, he bowed low, his long nose almost touching the floor as he started muttering, "The Lady Malfoy calls, Dobby comes! How can Dooby help Lady Malfoy?"

Before Narcissa could say anything, Harry interrupted,

"Hello Dobby, how are you? I heard you wanted to meet me desperately?"

As soon as he got aware of Harry's presence, Dobby's eyes widened and he started whimpering in fear looking at both the humans repeatedly.

"Dobby didn't say anything. Dobby innocent. Dobby good. But Dobby left home. Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby! Dobby should die. Beaten by broom! …" Before he could continue any more, Harry asked gently,

"I am going to ask you questions and you have to answer them truthfully. Do you understand, Dobby? Don't worry. I promise that you are not in trouble. Am I right Narcissa?"

Narcissa noticed the meaning behind Harry's gaze and nodded while looking at the elf.

"You will answer all the questions Harry asks truthfully. Do you get it elf?" Dobby nodded while once again bowing.

Harry wanted to roll his eyes at the behaviour but he felt pity rather than disgust for the creature that was almost grovelling at the floor and shaking like a leaf. He didn't want to imagine the kind of upbringing as well as life he must have lived to act like this. Not wanting to be distracted from the motive though, harry pushed all those thoughts out and asked him,

"Was Lucius Malfoy involved in the opening of Chamber of Secrets?"

"Yes"

"Was he the one who put Tom Riddle's diary in the cauldron of Ginny Weasley?"

"Yes, master hates blood traitors."

"Was anyone else involved in the planning?"

"No, master getting rid of bad stuff, so master put in blood-traitors cauldron, mighty pleased he was."

Once that was done, Harry asked Narcissa to send him back. After another command it was just him and her. She was trying to compose herself but seemed to be failing. Harry got up and wrapped his arms around her trying to provide support. It took her some time to compose herself before she was ready to speak again.

"I think it's high time I talked to Lucius. His ambition is now becoming a danger for my own family. He needs to reign his greed. I will talk to him, Harry. But if you knew it was Lucius, why did you not report to the authorities?"

"I didn't have any concrete evidence for one. Testimony of a house-elf is hardly incriminating. Keeping in mind the fact that he has the Minister in his pockets, it would have been a failure from the start. Had anyone lost their lives, I would not have spared him and mounted a campaign based on my fame but I guess his luck was good that no one died because of his stupidity. But Narcissa, let him know that in future if any of his schemes end up troubling the students, I will not think of him as family and my retaliation will be strong." Harry said in a tone that brooked no arguments.

"Agreed Harry. I myself will be having strong words with him." Narcisaa said with rage clear in his eyes.

"I have one request though. I want you to release Dobby from the family, I don't think he is happy at all. And one more thing, please make sure that Lucius or Draco stop tormenting these creatures. What is the point of being among the wealthiest if someone in your service appears and it is an embarrassing sight. I don't know how Blacks treated their elves but it is despicable. You are way better and should try not letting their condition be so sufferable. Tell Lucius treating them civilly is my price for staying silent on this issue." Harry said passionately.

Narcissa agreed knowing that Lucius would easily agree to the demands knowing the repercussions could be much severe. After that they moved on to lighter topics like next school year and Harry's expectations from it. After dessert, they made their way back. Overall it was a very intense meeting though Harry was happy it happened. Hopefully Lucius would curb his schemes for sometime.

Harry was brought back to present as Hermione shook his shoulder. After saying goodbye to the Clearwaters who had come to see off Penelope and him, he made his way to the compartment where his friends were already sitting. Within an hour, all his friends had settled and were sharing their stories. He did get an 'acknowledgement nod' from Draco while they crossed paths in the corridor. Harry was lying comfortably on Hermione's lap whilst among his friends. It was almost therapeutic listening to the incessant chatter of his friends. Moments like this made him feel at least a bit of normalcy in his life.

It had become dark and by his estimate they were almost an hour away from Hogsmeade. Almost everyone had dozed off after non stop chattering for hours. Suddenly the train lurched into a very hard stop causing almost everyone to fall from their seats. There were shouts from people suddenly falling from all compartments. Add to that the screeching of pets and it was a mayhem. Harry leaned out of the compartment trying to check the reason for the disturbance but couldn't make out anything. Suddenly the lights went off and Harry took a seat. As the whole train shuddered, Hermione whispered,

"Looks like someone has boarded the train. It can't be Sirius Black, right?"

As they all hushed, temperature had suddenly dropped and mist was forming on glass windows. There were suddenly sounds of scream and crying. Before Harry could get up and try and help them, there was a shadow just outside their compartment door. Skeletal fingers opened the door and they all came face to face with a seven feet high skeletal humanoid figure draped in black cloak looking menacing. A feeling of dread had entered all of their mind and Harry in particular was unable to do anything. As the dementor looked around, he suddenly focused on Harry and was drawn towards him as he leaned towards him. All Harry could see was a memory he was rather unaware of. He could hear the sound of evil laughter and a feminine scream as someone shouted 'AVADA KEDAVRA' followed by green flash light. That was the last he remembered as he lost consciousness.

The feast was going as usual. Although it was raining heavily in Hogsmeade, sorting had gone as usual. Harry was a bit miffed as he had to visit Hospital Wing on his first day of return to Hogwarts. McGonagall had called for him and Hermione as soon as they entered the Entrance Hall after stepping out of carriages. She escorted him to the Hospital wing while asking about his well-being and dropped him in Poppy's care and took Hermione to her office wanting to have a discussion regarding something about her time-table. Harry didn't give it much thought as Poppy had diagnosed him and later handed him a piece of chocolate before letting him attend the feast.

After talking with his friends, Harry was able to gather that he had lost consciousness when the dementors leaned towards him, but suddenly a white light came and pushed the Dementor out of the compartment. Apparently the new DADA teacher was also in the train, and was able to repel the dementors who had boarded the train in order to check for Sirius Black. Harry was very irritated after hearing that. Nothing till now had bothered him that much. He had read about the dementors earlier when he had read a few books about different magical creatures, but as far as he knew, they were only supposed to be guarding Azkaban. But Minister Fudge in all his haste of catching Black had authorized dementors to search for him. Harry had never felt so much sorrow and helplessness in his life.

After the students were sorted, Dumbledore stood up to address the school. He made sure to impress upon them the danger that dementors might pose to them and thus to make sure not to venture too close to the school boundaries where the creatures were patrolling. He then went on to inform them all that Professor Kettlebrough had finally and retired and thus from now onwards Hagrid will be teaching Care of Magical Creatures. Everyone clapped at the appointment but no one louder than Harry as he hollered and cheered for his friend as loudly as he could.

"There is one other change in our staff this year. This year, we have a new DADA teacher. He is an alumni of our school and will be returning after a long time. A few of you might have seen him in action on the train ride where he chased a couple of over-enthusiastic dementors away. Please join me in welcoming the new DADA Professor, Remus Lupin."

While everyone clapped politely as a middle aged although a bit shabby looking male rose from the seat and gave a small wave, Harry had become silent. He knew who Remus Lupin was of course. He was best friends with James Potter and the only member of their group whom Lily Potter actually liked and interacted with. His mother had mentioned multiple times in her diary about how both of them were among the most studious and thus used to study together most of the time. He had noticed him sitting on the teachers table but had not thought much about it assuming correctly that he was the latest DADA Professor after Lockhart's eviction. It was not long before they made their way towards the dormitories for a well deserved rest. Harry escorted Hermione till the entrance of Gryffindor Tower and gave a goodnight kiss before returning to his dorm. Although a few people did raise eyebrows at his changed relationship status, Harry didn't even give them a single thought as those who meant something to him already knew about it.

Next day as he made his way towards the Great Hall for breakfast with Padma and Terry, he thought back to what he had decided last night. He had pondered a lot on how he would act around 'Mooney' and went through all the mentions his parents had made of the new professor in their diaries. In his teen years, he was a shy yet intelligent, sensitive and loyal friend. Although he himself followed rules, only when his group of friends devised pranks did he break them. Infact as he went through the book where his father had written down all the pranks, he found that almost all the research was done by Lupin.

After much pondering, he decided that he would act normally without giving Mooney any idea that he might have ever heard of him. Harry was very disappointed that such a close friend of his parents had never once tried to contact him. That resentment also was one of the reasons, where for the first time Harry would be avoiding interaction with someone who was close to his parents. Until now he would pounce on an opportunity to connect with people who somehow knew his family. Narcissa, Andromeda, Bones, Longbottoms and later Flamels, he was the one to initiate contact with them, but here he did not feel like doing so.

During breakfast he received the timetable from Professor Flitwick along with a note asking him to come to the Charms Professor's office in the evening next day, which Harry assumed was regarding how their extra sessions were going to be. Apart from that he also received a note from Hagrid asking him to visit as he needed a bit of help from him regarding lessons. Harry caught Hagrid's eye while waving the note and nodded with a smile which caused a massive smile to bloom on his face.

He had Double Transfiguration, History of Magic and Double Arithmancy today so he made his way towards the dorm to collect the required books. Whole day went smoothly apart from the incident where during lunch Malfoy and his friends tried to reenact the fainting episode Harry had during the train ride. Although a bit embarrassed and irritated, he didn't take the bait and ignored them. Although the shrill voice of Pansy Parkinson had become if possible even shriller after the summer vacation. He did react though when she started to openly insult Hermione for her heritage.

"Now that is one way to climb up the ladder, Granger? Always knew you were a know-it-all. Didn't waste any time in bagging a wizard of old blood, how tarnished it might already be because of his mother. Guess you mudbloods are taught that way. Gold digger know-it-alls. Beware of their intentions Potter. Your father's choice has already cost a lot to your family. Oh how the mighty have fallen!" Pansy said trying to inflict as much hurt as possible.

When she started her diatribe, all her Slytherin friends were supporting her as it was focused on Hermione. But when she brought his mom into the equation later making scathing remarks on his family, almost everyone suddenly became uncomfortable. Harry meanwhile was seething and when his mom and family was mentioned, he just flipped. In a fraction of second, his wand was out and Pansy was flying. She landed painfully on her butt but before she could even get up or draw her wand, Harry was casting spells after spells, after deflecting the spells from her friends that is. It only took thirty seconds, but the results of spellfire were quite evident. Pansy had aged a hundred years because now she was sporting a look of a hundred year old witch. Her hair had turned frail and completely white, her back was crooked and her face had so many wrinkles that no one could even make out her eyes or lips, although her nose almost took up half the face. She looked horrible. Harry on the other hand was completely unscathed having survived a couple of spells thrown on him by Draco, his two goons or Nott.

"Don't you dare degrade the memory of my mother or my family, otherwise these small pranking spells will be the least of your concern." Harry said with rage still evident in his eyes. Pansy was totally terrified and was wailing loudly. All this commotion attracted the attention of teachers as this corridor was quite near the Great Hall, where lunch had just finished.

"What is the meaning of this Potter? Do you think your fame allows you to do anything? Fifty points from Ravenclaw and a week's detention with Hagrid." Snape came out of the door with anger clearly written on his face. He made his way to Pansy checking her for any immediate assistance, only finding a couple of bruises from when she fell. Harry nodded at the punishment knowing it was deserved but Harry felt unashamed.

As he turned around to start walking towards his next class, Snape again spoke up.

"I am not finished, Potter. You will remove these spells from Miss Parkinson and apologise to her now."

Harry turned around with anger and said

"I will not be apologising to her at all. She deserved what she got. As for the appearance, I think she looks the same. If there is anything different, it would disappear after a good night's sleep. Maybe a day of humiliation would ensure she chooses her words very carefully in the future."

"You insolent brat. I will have your hide for this. Two weeks detention with me. Now, what are you dunderheads waiting for? Don't you have your classes to attend to? Miss Greengrass, please escort Miss Parkinson to the Hospital Wing. Get back to your classes everyone." Snape snarled.

As Harry had still not cooled down, all his friends gave him space. But as soon as he saw the tears oh Hermione's face, all his rage flew away. He quickly enveloped her in a hug muttering soothing words trying to make her feel alright.

"It's alright Hermione, You can't take words of mean people like her. She is just trying to make you feel miserable. Don't give in to her wishes. You are way too strong to let her get you."

She sniffled a few times and finally was calm enough. After a minute or two, she looked up and whispered a thank you, giving him a small peck on the lips. Harry smiled and took her hand while making way towards the arithmancy class. Only a few students had opted for the course and hence all four houses would have the class together.

"But you cost your house fifty points and got yourself into three weeks of detention. Was it worth it? You are not supposed to lose your temper like that Harry." Hermione admonished him.

"It was totally worth it Hermione. Pansy has been getting way too mean in the past year. I once saw her bullying younger kids along with Nott or the two goons. Harry taught her a nice lesson. Hopefully she will be a bit more subdued." Padma said having joined them after they had composed themselves.

The first ever Arithmancy lesson was as interesting as he was expecting. Incidentally it was among a few academic lessons where he had not studied beforehand. Hence he was on the same boat as every other student. But he knew himself. Once he got the basics and understanding and guidance on how to proceed further, he would set up his own pace. The way things had been going in the past few years, he had realised one thing about himself that he didn't like being caged at all. Whether it be societal norms or peer pressure, he felt he should be able to do things his way, not the way it's prescribed for the general public. Obviously the guidance of a learned person in that field was always a boost and he accepted their fruit of experience that in turn enhanced his growth.

Once the lesson got over, Harry made his way towards the room he and his friends had set up for themselves. As he entered, he found Susan and Hannah along with Neville setting up a corner with a few plants. How they managed to get sunlight inside a building was something he would never know. Everyone else was still busy in their lessons or some other work. They played a few games and passed the time discussing the summers as well as new elective classes and professors. A lot of new couples had also started popping up. Harry was surprised to know that Tracey Davis was now dating Blaise Zabini while Hannah and Neville had become closer as well. After a few hours of playing games and practising a few spells, they did their homework and went back to their dorms for a good night's sleep.

Next morning, Harry woke up early and did a few rounds of running around the lake. After that he made his way to Hagrid's hut remembering that Hagrid wanted to have a chat with him. As he knocked on the door, he braced himself for the impact. As the door unlocked the only thing he was able to see was a black blur as he felt himself falling on the ground. Fang was as usual sitting on his chest licking him all over the face.

"HAHAHAHA Harry. Guess fang missd' ya too much eh! Down boy, leave him be." Hagrid pulled away the dog.

"Fang needs to stop acting like a puppy. He has grown like a bloody wolf." Harry said amused by the behaviour of the huge boarhound. He scratched the dog behind his ears knowing how much the hound liked it.

"He likes ya' Harry. I dunno if he eve' g'nna stop. Come on in. I saw you runnin' an' so put tea on the stove for ya' " Hagrid said entering his hut while leaving the gate open.

Harry made his way inside while playing and rough-housing with the dog. Last year, it had become a sort of routine where Harry would go to Hagrid after running. It helped that Hagrid was an early riser. Hagrid always made sure to come back after doing some morning chores in the forest before Harry completed his run. As he made his way to his usual chair and sat down, Hagrid placed a cup of tea for him.

"So how does it feel to be a teacher of Hogwarts, Professor Hagrid?" Harry teased.

Hagrid blushed and stammered. "I neve' thought I would eve' become a professor here. I mean, I dreamt of it but alway' knew it was sorta' impossible. You can't be a professor without a wand Harry. But credit goes to the two people who are v'ry importan' in my life. Professor Dumbledore an' you, Harry."

"Don't thin' I didn't realise how much you pushed the minister to ensure they amende' their rulin' of fifty years ago. Dumbledore provide' me a home an' a job but you helped me turn dreams into reality. Now, I hav' a clean record as well as a wand. So thank you Harry!" Hagrid said while wiping a few tears from his eyes.

Harry was feeling a bit embarrassed about the emotional display but couldn't tear off the smile from his own face, happy for his friend. He had talked about clearing Hagrid's name with the minister when he had visited the ministry. It helped that Fudge wanted him in his good books and thus quickened the whole process. They also gave a small compensation to Hagrid. Had it been a regular witch or wizard, the compensation would have been much more, but due to Hagrid's mixed ancestry, they were able to get away with a meagre sum.

"You deserve much more Hagrid. Never let anyone say anything else. Now wipe off those tears and show me your wand. I am most excited to see it. You bought it from Ollivander right?"

Hagrid gave a booming laugh and said,

"I knew you would be more intereste' in my wand. Too much of a nerd you are, eh! An' of course I bough' my wand. First thin' I did after gettin' out of the court. Ninetee' inches ebony with thestral hair."

Harry was happy to see him cast a few simple household spells. He had never seen a wand that big but guessed it served Hagrid's size right. Next few minutes were spent studying the wand and talking about all the things Hagrid wanted to relearn. It was followed by Harry reviewing the course that Hagrid had come up with. He was quite impressed with the kind of things Hagrid wanted them to learn throughout the Hogwarts years.

"The course goals that you have set up will be very challenging Hagrid. They will be on par with Runes and Arithmancy. I pity the students who thought they would get an easy grade by attending this one. Add to that, your curriculum is so hands-on. It will be amazing. Where did you get the idea for all this? I have talked to a few seniors here and know what Professor Kettleburn covered in all the years. Your curriculum has almost four times the load." Harry said, quite impressed with how many types of creatures Hagrid wanted to cover.

"I hav' been makin' these plans for a long time. Most of the ideas have origina'ed from Castelbruxo, a school which is famous for it's Magical creatures curriculum. Although the variety of creatures is quite differen' due to difference in climate, basic intent is the same. The curriculum Professor Kettleburn followe' was sufficient to achieve an 'Exceeds Expectations' in OWLs and NEWTs but not good enough for 'Outstanding' or to further get a mastery in the future. I want the people to be passionate about Magical creatures too. They are a wonderful part of our world an' should be appreciated as much. I myself took NEWTs in the summer in order to be eligible for teachin' here an' now am preparin' for Mastery." Hagrid said with passion and pride letting him know all the exploits he had done.

Harry was very surprised. He always knew how passionate Hagrid was for all creatures but the determination and vigour with which he had put in his efforts to achieve what he wanted was an inspiration in it's own. He felt proud to have a friend like him.

"Your dedication and will is bang on Hagrid. I don't think I have heard the name of that school though. I only read about the schools in Europe. As far as curriculum goes, I don't see what I can help you with. You seem to have it all figured it out." Harry said.

"Well the problem is that in Castelbruxo, teachers usually have assistants who make sure that the whole experienc' is quite safe. I am worried about exposin' the creatures which hav' been classified as dangerous by the ministry." Hagrid said while showing him the list.

"Keep the 'XXXXX' creatures strictly for NEWT students and have a form signed by them before them. If they don't follow the instructions provided by you, whatever happens to them will be their responsibility. As for OWL students, you can show a single dangerous species in initial classes who is totally handled by you. This way, they will know how to handle them. It will be just like other subjects, theory first, practical later." Harry suggested.

After an hour of discussion regarding some other things that Hagrid was anxious about, Harry came back to his dorm. Others had already gotten ready so he had to hurry up so that he could make it to the Great Hall for breakfast in time. Rest of the day passed without incident. Harry attended his first Runes class apart from Charms and Transfiguration. Till now he had only seen the application of Runes in various enchantments or wards, but after getting a detailed overview from Professor Bathilda, he realised that it would take a lot of effort for him to reach a level where he could properly put them in use. It was a very theoretical subject that required complete mastery over various runes and their translations. A master in the art would be able to discern a rune in multiple ancient languages although the ones mostly in use were limited languages. Harry was happy with the challenging curriculum he would be having this year. Arithmancy, Ancient runes and Care of Magical Creatures would all be tough and would require a lot of effort on his part. Add to that his continued training with McGonagall, Flitwick and Poppy; he knew the year would be very busy for him.

He also had to somehow manage Quidditch practice on the weekends as well as the Quidditch League and European Cup that would start in October. It would be a double load as compared to last year. His business deals and construction of Potter Manor was another huge investment of time and focus that he had to somehow manage. Thankfully, Aunt Elle and Tonks' couple were managing everything on his part and keeping him posted.

After classes he made his way towards Professor Flitwick's office. As usual, Professor McGonagall was also waiting for him. What followed was a discussion regarding what they wanted to achieve this year. Both the teachers were a bit sad that due to the Chamber of Secrets fiasco, they were not able to achieve the goals they had set for the previous year but they had come with added determination this time.

"Harry, at the end of the year I want you to take OWLs for Charms and Transfiguration. We will make sure that you are theoretically and practically prepared. That would give us the legal right to take you as an official apprentice under us, if you wish. We will not be progressing with learning new stuff once we are done with OWLs preparation. I guess I should let Filius talk to you about it." McGonagall said with a mysterious smile at teh end.

"I want you to focus this year on Duelling. You are at the stage where you have learned all the practical Charms and Transfiguration needed till fourth year level. By our estimate, you should be done with fifth year coursework by November at most. After that, We feel you should try to learn how to apply whatever knowledge you have gained from us in a couple of years. We will teach you how to use simple spells and jinxes to maximum potential in a Duelling ring. While I will focus more on the techniques and skills needed in the ring, Minerva will be focusing on the usage of spells as well as getting you acquainted with Duelling styles of greatest magic users. It will be a huge task that will require a full commitment on your part. You should also be aware of the fact that I have never taken an apprentice when it comes to duelling. I have seen your wand work and have a feeling that you might be good at it. But at any point, if Minerva or I feel that you are not ready or learning, we will shift your training towards a more academically inclined experience, which in itself is a very challenging pursuit. We know that you already have a lot of duties if we count your professional Quidditch career as well as the increased workload that comes with third year but we feel that you will be able to cope up with it. We also agree that at least for this year, you can use a time-turner for twice the duration but that will only be available in my practice chamber. We hope that would help cope up with all the pressure. So what do you think?" Flitwick finished.

Harry had felt excitement building in his belly as his favourite professors revealed what they were planning on doing. He was very skeptical about achieving all that in the limited time but Flitwick's assurance that he might be able to use the time-turner helped in lessening his worries. Once Professor Flitwick asked him about it, the only thing he could think of was,

"HELL YEAH! WHEN ARE WE STARTING!"

September had ended and the whole month had passed very quickly for Harry. He had fully focused on learning as much as he could. The only respite was his academic lessons in Transfiguration and Charms where he was way ahead. During the theory lessons, he was revising stuff that would help him in OWLs while in practical lessons, he was trying to cast the spells silently and in some cases wandlessly. He had also started to minimize the wand movement required for all the spells. As promised, McGonagall and Flitwick were focusing on getting him prepared for OWLs and thus the whole month was very fast paced with equal focus on theory and spell-casting, with proper assignments for which he used the time-turner. This allowed him to study the advanced theories and books without answering awkward questions his friends might come up with if he studied at that level openly. He again pondered on whether he should let his friends know about his advanced studies but decided not to.

He was in constant contact with Aunt Elle who used to visit his dreams using projection to give him updates about Wiztech Corporation as well as to guide him through his learning of Occlumency. He had reached the stage where he could easily sense her but had yet not been able to throw her out. She had also shown him how to start building the mental defences but he could only start once all his memories were aligned properly and compartmentalised properly. So he had started going through all the memories and tagging them based on their content. According to her, this process might end up taking almost three months so he could simultaneously start building his defences from one corner of what he considered his mindscape.

Poppy had also increased the complexity of her lessons and was now allowing him to work on the skeletal system. Till now he had only worked on superficial wounds but now she was teaching him how to mend bones in case of minor fractures. Since it was a very hands-on way of teaching as he was observing all the treatments she was giving students during their lessons, he was able to understand at a rapid pace. She had procured a dummy for him to practise on. It was especially made for professional training of healers. Infact, it could actually measure whether the spell was under-powered or overpowered based on requirement. Since both the scenarios were harmful for the patient, it had to be as precise as possible to get the best results. Although as per Poppy, Field Healers usually were not that precise but those in hospitals had to be quite efficient. Harry realised during the lessons that he was needlessly over-powering his spells. Although generally they worked fine, if he were to use continuous magic for a longer period, he would be magically exhausted quickly. This started his training of trying to use his magic as judiciously as possible. When he told Aunt Elle about this part of training she was very happy and told him that once he was proficient in Occlumency, he could almost store the information for each spell almost making an imprint so that even in pressure situations, he won't end up overpowering his spells, especially for healing.

Another big event was the classes taken by Remus Lupin. Finally for the first time since Harry entered Hogwarts, the students had got an efficient Professor for DADA. His lessons were way much better than the last two years and everyone was enjoying the classes. Although he had come up with a usual lesson plan for each year, he had to chuck those plans away once he realised how much the last two professors had messed up the education of students. On students' requests, he agreed to double the number of classes of DADA after acceptance from the headmaster but only the practical portion and that too with the help from seventh years who acted as sort of teaching assistants and made sure that the younger years did not meet any accidents while casting spells. More practical lessons brought even more zeal amongst most of the student population as they were able to practice even more magic. There were obviously a few exceptions like Ron Weasley, Crabbe, goyle in his years and a few other careless students in other years but the majority was quite happy with the extra classes.

Professor Lupin had not tried to approach Harry on his own and Harry had acted as any regular student who was exceptional in his spell-casting. There were a few moments where Harry felt that the professor might approach him and reveal that he was friends with his parents but that didn't happen. By now, Harry had given up any hope that he ever would, at least by himself. The presence of Lupin in the castle had affected Snape quite negatively as he had become even more critical and mean in his lessons. Harry had managed to escape his wrath although he was the only student who knew the reason for this behaviour. Having read almost three years worth of journals of his parents, he had realised that there was a very bitter rivalry between Remus and Severus. Remus although never harmed Snape directly but he was a part of Marauders as well as a good friend of Lily which was enough reason for Snape to resent him. Cut to the present, it was an open secret that Snape had been vying for the job of DADA Professor for a long time yet his rival had taken that job from him as well. Although a lesson taken by Snape once when Professor lupin got sick was on a totally different level. According to rumours, a couple of students were claiming that they actually saw the Slytherin Head smile while he was substituting for Lupin.

Similar to Professor Lupin, Hagrid had also become one of the most likeable professors in the castle after a month of his lessons. Harry had convinced him to be a bit more confident in the role of teaching and handling students before introducing them to temperamental creatures. So he started with calm yet interesting creatures. He still remembered how in their first class, the half-giant brought a herd of unicorns and provided an opportunity to all the students to see a rare creature who was amongst the purest on the planet. Harry heard that even Draco was quite impressed and interested in studying the creature who was the subject of countless myths in both magical and muggle worlds. Although they only allowed a few girls to touch them, it was still an experience that would undoubtedly etch in their minds forever. Harry was quite surprised when once the class was over, he saw a glimpse of silver in the bushes and when he focused, he saw a unicorn looking at him. Harry excused himself from his friends and made his way to the bushes to find a full grown unicorn standing along with a younger one. Both the unicorns almost led him to a clearing inside the forest where the younger one stopped almost beckoning him to come near him. Harry was a bit confused but once he got closer and looked into it's violet eyes the memory of his first year started playing. Suddenly he realised that the unicorn in front of him was the same one he had saved from the shadow of Voldemort with the help of Fawkes. He gave a huge smile and tentatively hugged him, not wanting to startle the usually reclusive magical being. After that he spent some time just talking about simple stuff and although he didn't receive any response, he felt assured that the unicorn was able to understand him as those eyes had intelligence and understanding in them. He felt as if he had made a new friend. When it was time for him to leave, he was surprised to get a feeling that he should return to this clearing if he ever wanted to interact with the unicorn. The other who Harry could now understand was his mother maintained a distance but kept a close look on him. He didn't mind that and bowed to her when leaving.

The encounter filled Harry with so much enthusiasm and positive energy that he felt as if he was floating on clouds. Another reason for his happiness was that the Quidditch season was starting within three weeks and from the next weekend he had to attend practice sessions with Puddlemere united. Just before that , he was going to have a meeting with the board who ran the club regarding use of the first product made by Wiztech corporation. Although being the biggest shareholder of the company, he could practically force them to use it, he wanted to genuinely convince them. He was excited that something that his mother made would change the way Quidditch will be watched forever. Potter Manor had progressed steadily as all the wards had been placed and the foundation was complete. As per his plan, Harry had put further construction on hold knowing that if it continued, he wouldn't be able to be part of the process. So he had decided that he would resume the work only in the summers. Meanwhile he would finalise the amendments in the old design as well as Interior decor so that everything is prepared and ready to install in the next summers.

The whole construction crew had moved from Potter manor to Potter Ports where the work had started full pace. Harry had the chance to visit the site at the end of summers and Ted had accompanied him. He was quite surprised with the size of the ports as well as the abandoned village that still housed a couple of magical families. Harry met those families and was surprised when all of them got emotional once he introduced himself and told them that he was reopening the ports. A few of them had worked with his grandfather directly and told him tales about various instances where Charles Potter acted as the hero and helped them make their way of living better. He was happy to know that all of them would once again live happily with more employment opportunities in the neighbourhood. Ted had said that he would be able to handle the invitations with the families but Harry would have to be present in order to assure them that all of this was happening on his behalf.

Today was the day that Harry would be meeting the Head of Greengrass house as well as House of Patils. He had got permission from Professor Flitwick who after getting to know about his businesses as well as professional career decided to install Floo connection in the activity room he and his friends had setup. Professor McGonagall stressed that this privilege came with huge responsibility and he was supposed to use it properly. It was protected using his magical signature so that only he could use it. As he flooed to Ted's office, he found himself stepping out near the reception. Sarah as usual was sitting behind the table and smiled at the sight of him. Harry had visited a couple of times so by now she had gotten over her fan-crush at him. She greeted him and escorted him to Ted's office where he was going over some last minute documents. As per the plan, Harry was supposed to meet with both the people in complete privacy as had been demanded by them. Once their talk was done and if it turned out to be positive, Ted would take over all the negotiations with both the parties.

After a small discussion where Ted explained to him once again what was expected of him, they made their way to the fireplace and used Floo powder to get to Patil House. It was a comfortable space , neither too big, nor too small. It was all decorated to showcase their Indian ancestry. Although he didn't know much about India apart from what he read in history books, he knew they were very traditional and religious. A house elf appeared and led them to a room where Mr Patil was sitting behind his desk. As the elf introduced them, Mr Patil got up from his seat and made his way over to them with a small yet welcoming smile.

"Welcome to my home Heir Potter. My name is Sundar Patil. Pleased to meet you. Good afternoon to you too Mr Tonks. We have been keeping an eye on the progress you and your wife are making in court and other legal proceedings. Quite a track record your company is having."

"Thank you so much for agreeing to the meeting. It is a pleasure to meet you as well. Your daughter, Padma is a really good friend of mine. We are housemates and yearmates, one of the most brilliant minds in our year for sure." Harry complimented.

"As per my daughter, you are on some other level when it comes to academics Mr Potter. Though I dutifully agree as well as proudly accept your compliments for my daughter's intellect." Mr Patil replied.

This was followed by a little bit of sweet talking as Ted also got involved. They were served tea and the conversation continued. Finally, Mr Patil asked what the meeting was about. Harry stayed silent as Ted explained how they were thinking of reopening the Potter Ports and they were hoping that Patils would resume their export-import business with the Potter family as they used to do before the war. Mr Patil was very surprised with the news. He was even more surprised when Ted laid out the facts that ever since Potter Ports were destroyed, the export-import was costing almost twenty percent costlier to the Patils. This had led them to a point of stagnation not letting them flourish in the British magical society which was anyways very conservative when it came to migrants. Even families like Malfoys who had advanced a lot financially often were rebuffed in particular society circles that still considered them as foreigners. After listening to all that, Mr patil asked what was required of him. He was in for another shock when he got to know that they will be able to resume services within the next ten months. After that came the negotiations as there was no reason why he would have to think about iot. As Ted had predicted, things went really smoothly and Mr Patil agreed to fund the project for a ten percent stake in the whole enterprise. Ted and Harry had agreed not to reveal about the Wiztech Corporation until they were completely sure about the loyalty of all the old allies of House Potter. Rest of the meeting went well although there were a few technicalities and another round of discussions between the lawyers of both families to finalise the legal documents before they signed the deal. It was a happy duo of lawyer and client who took the floo back to the office where they had their lunch.

Now was the time for the difficult meeting. Greengrass family had maintained a neutral position politically yet their leanings when it came to business had been towards the light as they were heavily involved with the Potter family. Although they were one of the most well off families financially before the war, their situation had deteriorated heavily. The almost extinction of the Potter family had been a huge blow for them. Their businesses were almost targeted in the war and were very suspiciously taken over by families like Malfoy, Avery and Dolohov. In fact in the current scenario, they were only politically relevant and that too because of their history. Other pureblood families were constantly undermining them in their ventures, financially as well as politically. This had led to one of the weakest Neutral groups in the Wizengamot ever. It would be a difficult task to convince them to put their trust in the Potter family again. Another issue will be getting the funds from them. Although Harry was not that keen on asking them to fund the project, both Ted and Andromeda had point blank refused any charity when it came to business. As per Andromeda, either they will put in their eggs in the basket or they won't. So he had to be very firm and unyielding with Lord Greengrass who was way more traditional than Mr Patil. After a light lunch, they discussed a few more aspects of the business as well as an update on the manufacturing units they had established for Wiztech corporation. When it was time, both of them made their way towards the fireplace and floo'ed to Greengrass Mansion.

It was a typical pureblood mansion that Harry had come to expect in Britain. Although not as 'lavish' as Malfoy Manor, it was still screaming wealth to any visitor. They were quickly escorted to the office of Lord greengrass by a house-elf that looked sharp. Harry couldn't help but think about Dobby after seeing the better state of a house-elf in a pureblood household. Lord greengrass might not know it but it was a huge point in his favour. Finally they reached a big door that opened once the house-elf knocked. Harry had met Lord Greengrass earlier during Malfoy Christmas Ball when Daphne introduced him. Lord greengrass was the same as he first greeted Ted and after talking talking to him for a minute, turned towards him,

"Welcome to Greengrass Mansion Heir Potter. I hope travel wasn't too much of an inconvenience."

Harry bowed a little as manners dictated while shaking the hand,

"It is a pleasure to meet you again, lord Greengrass. Your home is beautiful."

"Thank you, Heir Potter! Please take a seat. Would you like some tea?" After getting their approval, he nodded at the house-elf and turned towards them.

"So, I will come straight to the point. I don't usually entertain meetings without being told what the agenda is. But I decided to agree as I thought it must be important if Mr Potter here is coming in the middle of his term." Lord Greengrass asked straight away.

Ted took up the charge as he thanked the Lord for allowing them this time. After that he explained what they were planning with regards to the ports and what they were expecting from his family. Lord Greengrass sat listening to him without any expression visible on his face and did not interrupt Ted even once. When Ted had finished his presentation, he looked at Mr Greengrass expecting some sort of reaction.

"It all sounds quite good on paper. If we were in the age of Lord Charlus, i would not have doubted the application and viability at all. Yet at present, I dont have the belief that you will be able to properly pull it off. Even though you might be able to set up the whole thing, running this monster of a business will be a very difficult task. There are a lot sharks in the current business pool that will do everything to ensure that you face hurdles at each step. If you somehow find a way to circumvent them, only a few families in this country would be able to fund a project of this magnitude. Leaving that aside as well, the political landscape has totally changed. I don't see any reason why I should involve my family in what might be a very aggravating step for he powerful people in the country. Frankly, no one wants any attention in this country because as soon as you do, bad things start happening either to you or your loved ones. Although I thank you for thinking of me, I would have to say no to your proposal." Lord Greengrass said contemplatively yet plainly. Even though his voice held conviction, Harry couldn't help but feel a disconnect in the kind of man he was told the Lord was and what he witnessed. So as Ted got up and accepted the decision, Harry remained seated.

"I think Lord Greengrass is quite clear in what he wants. I think we should leave." Ted said, trying to make sure Harry had not dozed off. Harry was still staring at the Head of Greengrass family who was staring right back.

"If you don't mind Ted, can you please give me a private moment with Lord Greengrass?" Harry said.

"Why of course, Heir Potter!" Although Ted sputtered a bit, surprised by the sudden action, he didn't argue and followed the elf who had appeared to escort him.

Once the door was shut, Harry got up from his seat and started looking at various pictures and paintings and sculptures that adorned the office of his host. He could feel the eyes of the Lord intently studying his each movement.

"I have been in the wizarding world for almost two and a half years, Lord Greengrass. Everyday I find stuff that a person who has grown up in this world might consider common knowledge. Simple things like where do people buy groceries or how magical creatures remain hidden from muggles, they escape me. I never think about how all this is a setback though. I might be lacking here but the way I was brought up ensured that I knew about the muggle world way more than most of the magicals. I have always tried to not let anything hold me back and create adversity into an opportunity. I have used my skills and my family's goodwill to reach where I am. Could it have been better? Yes of course. I lived as an orphan totally unaware of my own world. When I entered here, I got to know about how my family had almost become extinct. But did I let that pull me down? Not at all because I knew that it could have been way worse. So I decided to focus on that and get my family back to what it should have been." Harry said.

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Before aligning with my family, your family had made sure not to budge from being neutral for centuries. It would be wrong to say your ancestors didn't receive profitable options, yet your father decided to trust in the Potters. I am telling you about myself because I want you to trust in me and together we will bring back the balance in society. I will admit that my knowledge of business operations and management is almost nil but I consider myself to be a good judge of character. Daphne is one of the most amazing personalities I have met in this world and she holds you in high regard, so did my family at one point. So here I am, offering my hand. Both of us want better for our families and it will only be a dream if we stay divided because our opponents are numerous. We need each other. Rest is up to you."

After fifteen minutes, Harry walked out of the study to find Ted muttering silently while walking around the room. As soon as he saw him though, he hurried to him.

"What happened? What did you discuss?"

"My job is done. Professor Flitwick will be worried if I don't return now. You can go ahead. Lord Greengrass has agreed. You can discuss the details with him. Good evening Ted!" With a wave, Harry left a shocked attorney who was sputtering at the turn of events and took the floo to Hogwarts.

Author's note - Hope you liked the chapter. I am looking forward to your reviews. Reply to few of your queries below. Will try to answer all the reviews from now. Thanks for reading the story….!

Eddys700 - Agreed. Harry will not give away money like James or Charlus. He will not be fully ruthless though!

teachergirl - The girls chewed him out because of his rough play. Quidditch is already a very dangerous game. Adding a violent gameplay would not be logical to the majority of the population. Although if it were a Ginny or Gryffindor trio, I don't think that would be the case.

BookwormAddiction - I only have an idea of the basic structure of education through wiki. Mistake is highly probable. It doesn't affect my plot much though.

Gennastar - Totally agree with your points. I hope to showcase the journey of him becoming more mature and ready for all the responsibilities.

KAGEY79 - Thank you! Will update the age.

Thunderofdeath97 - Agreed about Snape. Harry will make mistakes as he is a teenager. If I make him too perfect, it would become a very boring read. His faults will be very much discussed in the story.

Miklesilver - His teammates were older than him. At such a young age, even an age difference of a year seems a lot.

Natsuyuuki - Your answers were in this chapter. Haven't thought much about the logo though. You suggest!