It was the beginning of a new school year. Harry was pleased to see all the students back again. It could be boring in the castle without anyone but the teachers to talk to. The new students had just been sorted into their houses. He glanced over at the Gryffindor table and saw that two identical red head boys had been added to Gryffindor house. He knew they were the twin’s that Bill had mentioned to him. He was a lot more interested in the first years that year. Most of them were only two years older then he was; they didn’t look so much older anymore.

He glanced down the teacher’s table to see who was the new Defense Against the Dark Art’s teacher and noticed it was an elderly witch. She reminded him of Mrs. McGonagall, she wore glasses and looked stern. Mrs. McGonagall always wore her black hair up whereas this witch had white hair and wore it down.

He was surprised to see a witch sitting where the Muggle Studies teacher Mr. Quirrell usually sat. He was used to seeing a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher but most of the other teachers stayed every year. He remembered Mr. Quirrell had started during his first ever Welcome Feast.

“Mr. Snape? Who is that women? Where is Mr. Quirrell?” Harry asked prodding Mr. Snape’s arm.

“That is Mrs. Burbage, the new Muggle Studies professor. Professor Quirrell has taken a year off of teaching,” Mr. Snape answered, “he’ll be back. I believe he has applied to be the Defense Against the Dark Art’s teacher for next year.”

“But then, what will he do after? Don’t the Defense teachers stay only a year?” Harry asked. “Why does Mr. Dumbledore only let them teach a year anyway?”

“They say the job is jinxed. No Defense teacher has lasted a year in a long time. In fact, it was that way when I was a boy here,” Snape answered.

Harry looked down at his plate with a smile on his face. It was hard to imagine Mr. Snape as a boy at school. He wondered if Mr. Snape noticed, he told him to just eat his dinner and mind his own business. He knew Mrs. McGonagall was glaring at Snape over his head. She never liked it when he said things like that to him. She had gotten angry when she found out he called Harry a nuisance. Harry didn’t mind, he knew Mr. Snape wasn’t serious.

“What has he gone a trip for?” Harry asked after some moments of silence.

“He was studying out of books about dark creatures when he wasn’t teaching. He went to get some first hand experience,” Mrs. McGonagall answered. “He is going to share his experience with his classes when he comes back.”

“Other then Trolls?” Harry asked, Mr. Quirrell had told him years ago that he had a knack with them. He knew exactly how to handle them.

“There isn’t much to know about Trolls,” he heard Mr. Snape mutter.

“I think he wanted to learn more about Vampires,” Mrs. McGonagall answered. “he told me back in his sixth year here that he wanted to meet one.”

Harry jolted at that, accidentally knocking over his goblet of pumpkin juice, “Vampires? What would he want to meet a vampire for? That’s almost the same as wanting to meet a werewolf isn’t it? I would never want to be near vampires or werewolves. That book that Mrs. Sprout gave me about Half-Breed’s in the wizarding world tells me all about them.”

“Ahem!”

Harry looked over at Mr. Snape who was staring down at his plate with a smirk on his face. He glanced at Mrs. McGonagall who was staring at Mr. Snape sternly. He let out a sigh as he refilled his goblet with pumpkin juice. He knew they were hiding something else from him. The look she wore on her face was telling Mr. Snape not to say anything. He had seen that look far too many times. He glanced at Mr. Dumbledore who was happily eating a potato. Would he tell him the truth about everything soon?

Severus looked over the essays he had assigned the third year students about Shrinking Solutions. It irritated him to no end when the summer essays were rushed. He never understood, even as a student why people had such low marks on summer essays. The students had months to get them completed properly, but they never did. He hadn’t been a student who studied a lot himself, but he had tried to make an effort. It was something he thought he should teach Harry.

He glanced at his watch. The little Weasley twins had detention with him in an hour. They had only been at Hogwarts a week and they had been punished by half a dozen teachers. They had irritated him all their first class by pretending to be the twin they weren’t. When he had taken role call he had decided to watch which one answered so he could tell the difference between them. Later when he went over to inspect their potion’s in the middle of class; he had asked Fred Weasley who was really George Weasley what kind of potion he thought he was making.

“I’m not Fred. I’m George,” the red headed monster had answered.

Most of his first years were scared of him during their first meeting, but not the twins. When he decided just to call them by their last names they got smart with him. He took points from Gryffindor then checked their potions later at the end of class. They tried pulling the trick again. He decided from then on that he would just call them by their last names. He’d heard about their pranks from other teachers and had laughed at some of the stories. They were a lot different from their brother Percy, who was one of those students who acted like a know-it-all.

He hoped their work would at least be acceptable. He looked back down at the essay he had been marking and wished he could chuck it. It had been written by one of his Slytherin students. It was full of spelling errors and she hadn’t even answered the question correctly.

“Oh, Mr. Snape!”

His office door opened and Harry stepped in grinning at him. It was the first time he felt relieved to be distracted by Harry while marking a student’s work. Harry walked to his usual chair in front of the desk and sat down.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Marking Third Year essays. You won’t be able to stay too long today Harry. Two students have detention with me today,” Snape answered.

“I know,” Harry answered. “The Weasley twin’s. They are funny, aren’t they?”

“If you say so. I’d rather not spend my Saturday afternoon with them,” Severus answered.

“Why not? I was already with them for a bit today. They were looking for Peeves,” Harry said with a shrug. “Though I don’t know why, he is really annoying. He keeps taking my stuff from my room and putting it up too high for me to get. He never used to bother me.”

Severus shook his head, the last thing anyone needed was for Peeves to be in league with the Weasley twins. Their trouble-making reminded him of another pair that had gone to Hogwarts years ago. One of which looked a lot like the little boy sitting in front of him. Harry was fidgeting with the toy snitch Minerva had bought him years ago.

“Mr. Snape?” he said in a small voice.

“Yes?” Severus asked hoping he wasn’t going to ask him about why he was famous again.

“Well I’ve been thinking lately,” Harry said looking down at his lap now. “I-I would like to learn more about Potions and other stuff. I want to be ready when I come to school and you always say you don’t like teaching Dunderheads . . . and well, I don’t want to be a Dunderhead.”

“What other stuff?” Severus asked not really wanting to teach him about all his future classes in the spare time he had.

“Well, you know, Defense Against the Dark Arts. Everyone says you’ve been trying to get the job for a while so you must know stuff right?” Harry said slowly. “I mean, I know you can’t teach me magic since I don’t have a wand, but you can help me right?”

Severus wasn’t too surprised that Harry was asking for him to teach him more. He was surprised Harry hadn’t come to him sooner. He knew Harry had been reading books from the library that Madam Pince had allowed him to read. He’d also asked Sprout about the different plants she had in the Green Houses. Harry had found it funny that she taught the classes about plants when her last name was Sprout.

“What exactly do you want to know?” Severus asked, “I don’t have a lot of free time during the school year.”

“I know you don’t, so when you can. Mrs. McGonagall gave me a first year book about Transfiguration. She told me I could learn the theory and ask her questions. She told me what you told me too,” Harry answered. “You’re always complaining about the way student’s make their potions and I also want someone to show me defensive spells too. Then when I’m eleven I can practice them.”

Severus had to laugh. Harry scowled at him. “What have you been doing? Pestering all the teachers so you’ll have a head start in their classes? You want to be ahead of the students?”

Harry shook his head still glaring at him, “No, but I just want to know how to do this stuff. I hear the big kids complaining about how hard Potions and Transfiguration is all the time. You get angry if a student makes a potion wrong. Anyway, I always see people doing magic. What is wrong with that?”

Severus didn’t answer, he didn’t know why, but it felt good to have the boy look up to him so much. He hadn’t had anyone respect him as much as Harry did. Lily hadn’t even had that much respect for him when he had told her all about the wizarding world and she’d had a lot. Harry was almost looking up to him as a father figure, which was ironic considering who his father was.

“All right, I’ll see what I can do. But Harry, you have to listen to everything I tell you when I do show you. When you are making a potion, it has to be precise and followed correctly. When you know more about a potion, only then you should experiment,” Severus answered. “As for Defensive spells, I hope you aren’t planning on going around Hogwarts and hexing people for the fun of it.”

Harry had looked excited for a moment when Severus agreed but he was glaring at him again. “Why would I hex people for the fun of it? That’s not very nice. I want to have friends’ thanks.”

Severus didn’t know what to say to that. He instead shooed Harry from the office. After he left, Severus sat back in his chair wondering just what kind of student Potter junior would be.

They were ahead of him peering down at a piece of parchment in their hands and whispering excitedly. Harry crept up behind them slowly; he wanted to keep as quiet as possible. One of the twins looked up and around, but not seeing anyone, he looked back down at the piece of parchment. Harry put a hand over his mouth grinning. He was thankful for the Invisibility Cloak, no one could see him. He knew he would pull a great prank on them. They had already gotten him a few times in the month they had been at Hogwarts.

He quietly stopped beside one of the twin’s and glanced down at the piece of parchment they had in their hands. He kept his hand over his mouth and nose so they didn’t hear him. It was blank for a moment, then one of the twins muttered:

“I solemnly swear that I am up too no good.”

Lines began spreading over the parchment. They connected together. There were lines coming from the corners of the parchment. Words appeared at the top of the parchment that said:

Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs

Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers

are proud to present

THE MARAUDERS MAP

Harry almost gasped as he read over the name Prongs. He knew that his dad’s name had been Prongs at Hogwarts. Forgetting that he was pulling a prank on the twins, he demanded:

“Where did you get that?”

Both boys jumped a foot on the air and looked over at where Harry was standing looking nervous and confused, and then they glanced down at the parchment again. Smirking slightly, he pulled the Invisibilty Cloak off of his head.

“Blimey Harry, you trying to give us a heart attack?” One of them, he thought might be Fred asked.

“Well that was the plan,” Harry said smiling but then looking at the parchment again, “But then I saw . . . where did you get that?”

George shifted uneasily and glanced at Fred who gave him the same look. They were definitely hiding something. He was used to that with the teachers who were always trying to hide stuff from him.

“It’s just that my dad’s nick name was Prongs at school,” Harry added. “So I just wondered.”

He saw the twins exchange looks again before looking at Harry. They glanced uneasily at the map.

“I suppose we could tell him, don’t you think George?” Fred said.

“He has acted trustworthy in the past,” George added.

“He did lie to Filch for us when we were hiding in the broom closet.”

Harry sighed; it annoyed him when they did that. They looked around the corridor then back at Harry and beckoned him to move closer. Harry did also looking around; he knew there was a doorway that looked like a wall right near them. It was a spot Filch liked to hide from unsuspecting students. The twins saw where he was looking, they must have known about it too.

“No one is there,” Fred said and then pointed at the parchment.

Harry took a better look at it and saw that it appeared to be a map of the school. There were dots moving through the map lines. He saw that the three of them were up on the seventh floor huddled together.

“Oh brilliant!” Harry said staring at the map.

He saw that Mr. Snape was talking to Mr. Dumbledore and Mrs. McGonagall in Mr. Dumbledore’s office. Percy Weasley was in the Entrance Hall talking to Oliver Wood, a boy who was on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. It was amazing how the map could tell them exactly what everyone was doing.

“Where did you get it?” Harry repeated.

“We got it from Filches office. You know how he has all those cabinets full of confiscated stuff?” Fred said with a smile.

“Well, I decided to distract him by dropping a dung bomb and Fred pulled this out.” George continued.

“Why were you in his office in the first place?” Harry asked with a grin guessing they had likely been dropping dung bombs which Fred confirmed moments later.

“You reckon this was your dad’s?” George asked looking down at the map again.

Harry shrugged, “I know his nickname was Prongs, but I don’t know anything about his friend’s names except one. He didn’t really seem the type to be a trouble-maker at school though.” He remembered Remus Lupin’s tired serious face.

“You don’t mind if we keep this then?” Fred asked. “It could be useful for us.”

Harry laughed. “I bet. And I have my Invisibility Cloak. You know, sometime if you want we could use it.”

He hoped they would say yes. It would be fun to do stuff with the older boys. They just had to be careful; he had decided to tell Mrs. McGonagall about the Cloak. She hadn’t taken it away from him but she had told him that he’d better not hide from her with it. He had only used it to go back to the room of hidden things to find more treasures. He wasn’t sure if he should tell the twins about it. They had decided he was trustworthy enough to tell him they had stolen from Filch, so he might.

Harry never told on the students though. He had seen them breaking the rules many times since he had come to Hogwarts. When he had been five, they had asked him to keep quiet and after awhile it became a habit to let them get away with it. The teachers liked to keep stuff from him after all.

“It could be useful,” George said with a nod. “Where did you get that anyway? Those are rare.”

“My dad. Mr. Dumbledore had it before he died; he gave it to me for my ninth birthday,” Harry explained. “We just have to be careful. I don’t want it taken away.”

Fred smiled at the map again. “It seems as if your dad snuck around here too. Who were the other Marauders then?” Harry shrugged. “It is really a shame what happened to him. Mum used to tell us stories about that night. My little sister thinks you’re brilliant-”

George was shaking his head as Fred talked so that he paused in mid-sentence. Harry was staring at both of them now as they exchanged looks again. Fred looked guiltily at Harry. Harry glared at them.

“That’s it,” Harry said. “For some reason I am famous and no one is telling me. What night are you talking about? The night they died?” The twins looked at each other, then Fred opened his mouth to speak but Harry cut across him with something that had been bothering him a while. “I was told they died in a car crash. Whenever I tell the big kids that, they look at each other the way you two are now.”

“Harry. We aren’t the ones to tell you anything,” Fred said. “We’re not allowed to. There was a big announcement about it at the beginning of the school year.”

“Know what else is strange?” Harry asked ignoring Fred. “Witches and Wizards really don’t drive cars that much. They can apparate, or use floo. Mr. Snape once said something about a Port-key.”

When Harry saw that they weren’t going to answer him, he sighed and looked down at the map. He saw that the three teachers were still in Mr. Dumbledore’s office. Harry turned from the twins, and ran toward Mr. Dumbledore’s office. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. He had been wondering for a while if his parents had really died in a car crash. The older kids were always stopping themselves from revealing something about the night his parents had died. Draco Malfoy had been giving strange hints about it since they met. There was something that didn’t add up.

“I just don’t think getting him a wand this early is a good idea,” Minerva said. “We’ve always said we didn’t want to spoil him. He can wait two more years.”

“Minerva, Potter is spoiled. It’s very rare that any of us say no to his wants,” Severus said.

Minerva was feeling very aggravated with Snape. He shouldn’t have promised Harry that he would teach him yet. She wanted him to know his subjects as well. It was the reason she had given him the book they would use for first and second year Transfiguration classes. He could at least learn what they would be doing in class so he’d be prepared. Snape was talking about teaching him actual defensive spells while he wasn’t even a student at the school. She wanted him to be treated as a normal boy, which was why she would not give him the broomstick he wanted.

“There are fake wands,” Albus said slowly. “Often parents get them to teach their children wand movements.”

“Well yes, I don’t have a problem with that. Harry has plenty of fake wands,” Minerva answered.

“Except that they turn into rubbish,” Severus argued. “I am talking about a wand that stays a wand. He can’t learn much from a wand that turns into a cat.”

Minerva was about to tell him he had a normal fake wand when the door burst open. Harry rushed in breathing hard as if he had run a long way. He was clutching his Invisibility Cloak, she wondered if he had seen the students doing something they shouldn’t have, or if someone was hurt. She was annoyed with Albus for giving it to him already; she didn’t know if he was mature enough for it yet. She let him keep it though, she had decided since he had told her he had it, she would let him prove himself.

“Can you please tell me why I am famous? What happened the night my parents died? Please Mr. Dumbledore, I am old enough to hear now. If people younger then me and people my age knows, then I should too. All the students know,” Harry said ignoring Minerva and Severus, “I need to know what happened.”

Minerva looked at Dumbledore. He was sitting at his desk, he’d been listening to her and Severus argue about Harry starting lessons’ early. He had, to her annoyance agreed that Severus could teach him basic Potion’s and basic Defense Against the Dark Arts. She was his guardian so she should have a say in the matter. Not that she minded him getting an earlier start; she just didn’t think he should be doing magic yet. He was now surveying Harry who was staring at him without blinking.

“All right Harry, it is time you know the truth. Please do not interrupt with questions. Why don’t you sit down?”

Harry nodded and sat in one of the chairs facing the Headmasters desk. Severus asked if he could be excused, he left quickly when Albus said yes. Minerva wanted to stay with Harry during the conversation so she sat in the other chair beside Harry. She wasn’t sure how he would react to hearing about his parents being murdered when he believed they had only died in a car crash.

“I am sure you have heard of the wizard Lord Voldemort?” Albus questioned causing Minerva to flinch.

She didn’t know why he insisted on using the name. Whenever she heard it, she thought about him being back to power. She didn’t like to remember those days. She wondered if that was why Severus had decided to leave. He had been one of Lord Voldemort’s follower’s until he switched sides for some reason. She had always wondered what he had told Albus to gain his trust. She had been cautious around him until Harry arrived. If he couldn’t be trusted, he wouldn’t care as much about Harry Potter as he did.

Harry nodded; he had looked at her with a surprised look on his face when she jumped. “I’ve heard about him. Everybody tells me to call him You-Know-Who though.”

“Call him Lord Voldemort Harry. There is nothing to fear from a name,” Albus answered. “You’ve also heard of the prejudice against Muggleborns. I am sure?” Harry nodded again.

Albus then began explaining to Harry how Lord Voldemort had started to gather followers to help him get rid of Muggles and Muggleborns. He explained how he had wanted to take over the wizarding world with just the rightful wizards, those with blood purity. Anyone who had stood up to him was killed.

“Your aunt and uncle told you that your parents died in a car accident. We allowed you to believe that until now. Lord Voldemort went to your parents place Halloween night and killed your mum and dad,” Minerva heard Harry gasp, “he tried to kill you next but he couldn’t. When he tried, his own curse rebounded on him and weakened him.”

Harry reached up and touched the scar on his forehead.

“Yes, that scar came from the curse he used on you.”

“So why am I famous then?” Harry asked. “You said he killed other people too. Is it because it didn’t kill me?”

“He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named disappeared that night his curse weakened him Harry,” Minerva answered. “The days he was taking over were scary. No one knew who to trust anymore. It was a relief to everybody when he was gone. You are the only known person to survive that curse.”

It was hard to read the expression on his face. She couldn’t tell if he was upset or just shocked by the news. He was still rubbing the scar on his forehead. He seemed to be in deep thought. Albus was watching him as well with what she thought was a sad expression on his face. It was rare for Albus who was usually a cheery wizard. No one liked to tell a young child that their parents had been murdered.

“Sometimes, I do remember a green light,” Harry said taking his hand from his scar. “Sometimes a laugh too. I really don’t want to be famous for someone trying to kill me but couldn’t. I mean, I’m glad he is gone but I wish I had my parents.”

“I know,” Minerva said soothingly and touching his shoulder gently. “Your mum and dad were great people. Anyone who remembers them only has good things to say about them. I taught them myself.”

“I wondered for a while,” Harry went on, “I mean, witches and wizards don’t drive cars right? Then whenever I told people how they had died, they looked like they didn’t believe me.”

“Some drive cars.” Albus answered. “The Ministry of Magic has cars. I have never driven one myself.”

Minerva grinned in spite of herself trying to imagine Albus Dumbledore wearing sunglasses and driving a car. She had never driven one herself; she had believed they would be time consuming. She glanced at Harry and saw he wore a small smile himself and wondered if he was imagining what she was.

“So where is he now?” Harry asked, “You said he was weakened when the curse hit him. He didn’t die then?”

“No one is sure where he went but there are rumors,” Albus answered. “Some believe he died, but I don’t think so.”

“But what if he gets better? He could come back couldn’t he?” Harry asked.

“He could yes. I do not want you to worry about that Harry.”

They talked a little longer before Harry was satisfied but still looked trouble. Later that night, Minerva entered Harry’s room to see him sitting on one of his chairs in his pajamas. He was silently waving a fake wand that turned into a duck. The only sounds that were made were when the duck quacked. Minerva sat in the rocking chair and looked at Harry.

“How are you doing Harry?” She asked.

“I’m all right,” He said, “Did my aunt and uncle know how my mum and dad died?”

“They did yes. I hope you don’t think that it’s your fault Harry,” Minerva said. “Your aunt said at the hearing she didn’t blame you for what happened.”

“She just didn’t like magic. I think she was jealous because her sister was a witch and she wasn’t,” Harry said with a nod. “Why did he have to go after my parents? Why did he care about blood purity? I’ve met a lot of Muggleborns here and I don’t see the difference. I’ve been told my mum was a very powerful witch too. I am glad he is gone and I hope he never gets strong again.”

“A lot of us hope that,” Minerva said, “Would you like me to read you a story tonight?” she added holding out her arms.

It had been over a year since Harry had last sat on her lap while she read to him. After he had started talking to the older students more, he had started to act as if he was too grown up. He still liked to hear bed time stories, though lately he wanted to hear ones for older witches and wizards. He told her that Draco Malfoy had told him Fairy Tales were for babies. She had therefore started looking for books that fitted his age group. She was currently reading one about a wizard who had trouble with his classes at school. It was a chapter book that Harry really enjoyed.

Harry seemed eager that night to forget that he was too old to be held in her lap. He walked over to her quickly and climbed on her lap. He was a lot heavier since the last time she had held him. She wanted to enjoy this with him while she still could. Once he was a student at Hogwarts he might even be too embarrassed to show his teachers any affection.

As she read to him, he stared ahead with his eyes drooping slightly, but he didn’t fall asleep. When she had finished the chapter, she hugged him. He looked up at her and hugged her back. He looked as if he was trying to hold tears back.

“If I had a mummy still she would be doing this with me right?” he asked sounding five again.

“She would be yes. I imagine you mother and father both rocked you to sleep,” Minerva answered. “And Harry, I know it’s not the same but I am willing to do for you what a mother normally would.”

“I know,” Harry said. “You’ve done stuff that I always saw Aunt Petunia doing with Dudley. I always wished she would with me.”

“Well you have a staff full of teachers who are happy to treat you as if you were their own son,” Minerva answered.

She had in fact been thinking of him as the son she never had since she’d won custody of him. She was proud to raise him as her own and not because he was Harry Potter. She was proud because he was such a good child. He surprised her that day. She wasn’t sure what she expected when they told him the truth, but she hadn’t expected him to take it calmly the way he did. She had to wonder if Severus was right that they all underestimated him.

She could see the truth bothered him but he didn’t appear angry or depressed. He was still hugging her and staring at one of the Gryffindor Banner’s on the wall. He had a determined look on his face as he stared at it. When he saw that she was watching him, he stopped hugging her and sat up.

“If Voldemort comes back, I want to fight him if I am big enough, and Mrs. McGonagall, Mr. Dumbledore said not to be scared of the name you know,” he added staring at her. She had jumped when he said the name.

“Now, what I am going to teach you is the Shield Charm today,” Mr. Snape told Harry as he sat in a desk in an unused classroom. “It is very useful to know for minor hexes. It would not protect you against the more powerful curses out there, but in time I’ll teach you more about them.”

Harry was glad they were finally doing lessons. It was the Christmas holidays so Mr. Snape had a lot more time on his hands. There were some weekends when Mr. Snape had told Harry about different ingredients used in Potions, but he hadn’t made one yet. Harry had hoped he could actually do the magic but he had to use a fake wand to practice the movements.

“Come stand in front of me, Harry,” Mr. Snape said now.

Harry got up from his chair and stood in the spot that Mr. Snape told him to. Mr Snape raised his wand and shouted:

“PROTEGO!”

Harry was knocked backwards by an invisible force. He sat staring up at Mr. Snape with bemusement. He could have at least warned him that this was what would happen. Harry got up and brushed himself off, still glaring at Mr. Snape.

“Now, come over to me,” Mr. Snape said.

Harry walked over to him wondering what was going to happen now but found he couldn’t. The invisible force was still there. Snape told him to keep trying, but no matter how hard Harry pushed, he couldn’t get through it. Suddenly as Harry was pushing, Mr. Snape raised his wand and said:

“Finite.”

Harry was down on the ground again, this time on his hands and knees. He stood up again wondering if Mr. Snape was using these lessons just to torture him. He had a small smirk on his face as Harry glanced up at him.

“You’ll notice that you couldn’t penetrate the space between us at all,” he said casually.

“Yes,” Harry said feeling irritated. “but I thought it was supposed to stop hexes.”

“It deflects minor curses or hexes as I said. I was merely showing you how strong an energy barrier it can be. It was strong enough to push you back from me. Now, if you tried to petrify me for example, the curse would bounce off back to you, or in another direction,” Mr. Snape explained. “It is very useful when you are in a duel. There are many witches and wizards who have difficult with a simple shield charm.”

“And you are showing me this so I won’t?” Harry asked.

“Well, I hope you won’t. That’s why I told you that you need to pay attention to everything I tell you,” Mr. Snape answered. “When you are a student here, you’ll learn that it isn’t as simple as saying the words to use a spell. It takes a great deal of concentration. When you are older, you’ll also learn how to use spells nonverbally which in a duel is very useful. Can you spot why?”

Harry thought for a moment wanting to please Mr. Snape with his answer. “Because the other person won’t know what you are going to use,” Harry finally said after a few moments of thought, “but that will be harder for you too, wouldn’t it? I mean, you couldn’t just keep using a Shield Charm if they used a stronger curse.”

“You’ll learn over time more ways to avoid hexes and curses. You are correct. It does have its advantages and disadvantages. I find nonverbal spells to be more of an advantage in a duel either way,” Mr. Snape said looking very pleased with Harry.

He then handed Harry his wand, Harry looked up at him in surprise. He thought he wasn’t going to be doing any magic. He knew Mrs. McGonagall didn’t want him to be using a real wand yet.

“I want you to try and use the Shield Charm on me now,” he said.

Enthusiastically, Harry pointed the wand at Mr. Snape and yelled: “PROTEGO!”

Nothing happened; at least Mr. Snape wasn’t knocked over as Harry had been. Harry reasoned that Mr. Snape was much more powerful then Harry was. Mr. Snape however reached right through the space between them easily to take his wand back. Harry felt disappointed that the charm hadn’t worked.

“Do you see what I mean when I say it isn’t as easy as saying the words?” Mr. Snape asked, “It takes a lot of concentration.”

“But maybe it was because I was using your wand and not my own,” Harry answered, “I’ve done magic before accidentally. I sometimes make things break when I am angry.”

“You do not know how to control accidental magic yet. However, I would like to know what you know about wands,” Mr. Snape answered, he looked pleased again for some reason.

“I don’t know much. I know that they can have unicorn tail furs in them,” Harry answered thinking about what the students had told him about their wands.

“Hmm, well you are correct in a way Harry. You’ll find that you won’t do as well with another wizard’s wand as you will with your own. However, you can when you learn to do spells,” Mr. Snape said. “Now, I want you to pick up your wand and practice with me. The key is concentration.” Harry opened his mouth to ask what the point of concentrating was. He wouldn’t do magic with a fake wand after all. “It is important for you to learn concentration now even if you can’t cast the spell. When you finally do have your own wand, you’ll find it easier to cast the spell. Put all your energy into it Harry.”

They practised wand movements together for the rest of the lesson. Mr. Snape stopped Harry to correct the position of his arm once and a while. When they were finished for the day, Mr. Snape gave Harry a pat on the head. It was something he didn’t often do.

“Well done. You are nine-years-old and you can listen better then some of my Seventh year students. Be sure to keep it up when you are a student at this school. Listening is a key to success.”

Harry grinned up at him. He wanted to prove himself to all of the teachers, mostly Mrs. McGonagall. He wanted her to see he was a lot more capable then she believed. Perhaps she would let him get a wand for his tenth birthday instead of his eleventh.

Months ago, Harry had decided this Voldemort wizard was a bit of a joke. If he could lose all his powers from a baby, Harry, to be exact then he couldn’t have been that powerful. Draco Malfoy seemed to praise his work though; this was another reason for him to dislike the boy. Harry had read several books about Lord Voldemort since he had learned the truth about himself and learned exactly why a lot of witches and wizards seemed to fear even the name. He had done a lot of evil when he had been rising to power.

Draco Malfoy was a bit of joke as well, Harry had learned. He would sit and talk about Lord Voldemort as if he was a great wizard but if Harry mentioned the name, he would jump. He seemed to fear Lord Voldemort as much as he admired him. Harry came to the conclusion that Draco just voiced what his father often said but didn’t really know what he was talking about. Harry had heard that Mr. Malfoy had been a follower of Voldemorts. Therefore, he didn’t like him. It made sense to him now why Mrs. McGonagall didn’t want Harry around the Malfoys.

Draco Malfoy could be a lot of fun as well, so Harry had mixed feelings about the boy. He was learning a lot more about flying from Draco then he had from Madam Hooch when he visited Draco. Madam Hooch wouldn’t let Harry do tricks on his broom, at the Malfoy’s he could do whatever he wanted. Draco had told him that diving was very hard, but Harry had found it very easy. In fact, at times he seemed resentful when Harry appeared to fly better then he could.

He was visiting the Malfoy’s again, but Draco wasn’t the only one there his age that day. There were also two large boys who put him in mind of Dudley. Harry learned quickly that day that they weren’t very smart boys either. Their names were Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe. Draco told Harry just to call them by their last names. They were in the backyard again by the Quidditch Pitch. Mr. Snape, Mr. And Mrs. Malfoy, Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle were on the deck. It was a very warm April afternoon.

“They aren’t smart but they come in useful,” Draco told Harry, “that is when they aren’t eating.”

“Wish they would stop staring at me,” Harry said glaring over his shoulder where they were both openly pointing at him and whispering together. “Most people at school don’t point.”

“Crabbe, Goyle I think there is some cake on the deck, you should go check!” Draco yelled at them.

Harry felt grateful. It worked. They were both heading for the deck very quickly. They watched them for a few moments before looking at each other and laughing.

“Father told me Snape is teaching you Defense lessons,” Draco said quietly, “What can you do now?”

“Can’t do much. I have to use a fake wand for wand movements. He has been teaching me since Christmas break. He has told me about the Shield Charm, he told me about Disarming, and he has shown me some hexes too.” Harry answered.

“Really?” Draco asked excitedly. “What exactly? Can you stun people? Are they powerful?”

Harry shook his head not surprised by Draco’s eagerness, “No, just how to freeze people. He put one on me where I couldn’t stop dancing. He said he isn’t going to teach me anything past my age level. He said he will teach me about duelling because there is more to it then just throwing curses at each other.”

Draco looked mildly impressed, “Well, I guess that’s better then nothing. Father has told me that as well. Snape and my father have duelled in front of me just to show me. It does look hard, they both move so fast. I wish I could get lessons. Father won’t show me until I can do magic. He said the summer before I start school he can teach me basics.”

“Mr. Snape seems to know your dad well,” Harry commented wondering if they had been at school together as well.

He looked up to where the adults were. Crabbe and Goyle were sitting in chairs and eating the cake. Mr. Snape was watching Harry and Draco. Harry hoped it was all right that he was telling Draco what he was learning. He didn’t want the lessons to be stopped. He enjoyed them along with the Potion’s lessons. He still wasn’t letting Harry make a potion himself, but Mr. Snape let Harry watch him make potions. He would explain to him exactly what he was putting in it and why.

“Yes well they went to school together didn’t they? I think my father was in his fifth year when Snape started at school. They were in Slytherin house together,” Draco answered, “I bet you still want to be a Gryffindor,” Draco added with a slight sneer.

Harry glared at him, “Yeah I do. So what? My parents were in Gryffindor. Mrs. McGonagall was in Gryffindor and so was Mr. Dumbledore.”

Draco let out a groan, “Don’t tell me you are going to be a goody-two shoe just because you grew up at Hogwarts. If you don’t watch it Potter, you’ll end up in Hufflepuff.”

“So what if I am in Hufflepuff? All the houses are worthy enough. I’d rather be Gryffindor but if I’m in one of the other three I don’t care either way,” Harry snapped.

He did care. He believed what he said about all the houses being worthy, but he wanted to be a Gryffindor. He wanted to be where his parents had been. It was very important. He also didn’t want to be a Hufflepuff because of Sam Audrick. He knew that Harry was told the truth about his past. Now the boy was back to bothering him again. This time it was about the lesson’s he was learning with Snape. He didn’t even know how he had found out since it was supposed to be kept secret. Both Mrs. McGonagall and Mr. Snape had decided it was better to keep it from the students.

“I’ve heard Hufflepuffs are goody-two shoe pushovers,” Draco said with a shrug.

“They aren’t. There are people like that in every house. And I won’t be some goody-two shoe either. The Weasley twins have taught me enough, so there!” Harry said feeling his dislike for Draco again.

“You still talk to the Weasley’s? You don’t care they are poor?” Draco asked, he looked pleased that he was riling Harry up.

“No, I don’t! I am going to meet their brother who is our age this summer,” Harry snapped. “Their mother wrote me and Mrs. McGonagall a letter inviting me.”

“I suppose you wouldn’t care about people being poor though. Look at you being raised by the teachers and those Muggles. I bet you know even have a knut in your name,” Draco sneered, “You have no parents after all.”

Harry felt so angry at Draco that he couldn’t help what happened next. Draco often liked to rile Harry up, but Harry usually got over it. This time it made him feel furious. He didn’t like anyone insulting the teachers or bothering him about having no parents. There was a loud bang and the next moment Draco had fallen over and was moaning in agony. He had erupted in boils. Harry ran over to him and kneeled beside him, wondering what he had done. He hadn’t tried to hurt him, he felt terrible even if Draco had deserved it.

Mr. And Mrs. Malfoy was running over followed by Mr. Snape. Crabbe and Goyle also followed in his wake, still eating cake. Mrs. Malfoy was very upset. She kneeled beside Draco as well. She started cooing to him in a voice that reminded Harry of the one his Aunt Petunia had used on Dudley. Draco appeared embarrassed though.

“I’m fine mum.” he said though he was still wincing.

“What did you do?” she snapped at Harry, “You are a guest here, why would you do that?”

“I didn’t mean to,” Harry told her, “I don’t even know what I did. I just felt angry and it happened.”

“It’s all right,” Mr. Malfoy said. “I’ve got a potion inside that will cure this. They are just boils.”

Mr. Snape took Harry by the arm and pulled him to a standing position. He led him away, Harry thought that he was going to get scolded. However, when they were far enough away from the others, Snape stopped and looked down at him.

“What did he say to you?” Mr. Snape asked.

Harry hesitated; he didn’t like to tell on other people. seemed to notice Harry’s hesitation. “You aren’t being a rat by telling me, Harry.”

“I told him I was going to see the Weasley’s this summer and he was talking about how poor they are. He said I probably don’t care since I probably don’t have a knut in my name since my parents are dead.” Harry said.

“Well, he’ll be surprised to know that you have a small fortune of your own. Minerva is in charge of it until you can control it yourself. If I’m not mistaken, your parents left you a good sum of money,” Mr. Snape answered, “You shouldn’t take what Draco says literally. I think he is a little intimidated by you. He puts on an act around you. I won’t say he isn’t arrogant, because he is. He is just more so around you.”

Harry nodded, “Okay, but I didn’t even mean to do that. I’ve never done anything like that to a person before you know.”

“You’re an underage wizard who can’t control his powers yet,” Mr. Snape said leading him back to Draco, who was drinking something from a flask. “When your emotions get out of control that sometimes happens. You were angry with Draco so without meaning to, you hurt him. I did that once to someone with a branch when I was around your age. I didn’t mean to, but I made the branch fall and hit their shoulder because I was so angry.”

“Really? Who?” Harry asked now interested.

“I’ll teach you in our lessons to control your emotions as well,” Mr. Snape continued as if he didn’t hear Harry.

“You want to play Quidditch now?” Draco asked Harry, he didn’t seem angry at what Harry had done. “We’ve got Crabbe and Goyle too. They can actually fly believe it or not.”

“Draco, don’t be rude,” Mr. Malfoy said, then looked at Harry, “and let’s try to keep our emotions under control, shall we?”

“Sorry.” Harry muttered; Mr. Malfoy made him feel intimated at times.

“The best wizard can’t control their emotion’s at times,” Mr. Malfoy answered taking his wife by the arm and leading her back to the deck. She still looked upset at what Harry had done. Mr. Snape had followed.

“I really didn’t mean to do that,” Harry told Draco, “but don’t say things about my parents or my friends any more.”

“All right, all right. But I thought I was your friend,” Draco said leading him to the broom shed.

“If you keep saying things like that than I won’t like you,” Harry told him. “I’m not the same as Crabbe and Goyle.”

The two boys never seemed to mind when Draco insulted them, maybe it was why Draco thought he could bully others. Crabbe and Goyle were now laughing openly at Draco. They seemed to think what Harry had done was funny. Draco scowled back at them, they stopped laughing at once.

“Believe me, that’s a good thing. It’s a change,” he said with a shrug, then smiled, “that was a powerful bit of magic Potter. I didn’t know you had it in you. Maybe I have underestimated you.”

He opened up the broom shed and pulled out some Nimbus seventeen hundreds. He handed one to Harry, Crabbe then Goyle. He then smirked as he reached back into the broom shed.

“Introducing,” he began in a commentators voice, “The new Comet Two-Sixty! Ha ha! It is faster then that old Nimbus Potter. I do hope you can keep up.”