“P-p-professor?” Harry asked. Then he mentally yelled at himself for stuttering, in front of the headmaster of all people. “What do you mean Sir? I just spoke with you in the dungeons.” He looked at Dumbledore carefully. “Maybe you should see Madame Pomfrey again.”

Dumbledore didn't answer immediately. He looked at Harry carefully, as if trying to tell whether or not he was joking. “Come with me please Harry.” He motioned to the door of Ravenclaw tower.

Harry nervously opened the door and stepped out into the hall. He didn't really trust the headmaster, and today just seemed to be going badly. He'd rather go up to bed, or hide from his mother and her lessons full of illegal magic.

The headmaster led Harry down a hall, passing quickly by all the closed doors. They stopped outside a nondescript looking down. Dumbledore knocked and it opened on its own. Harry stepped in behind the headmaster, looking around nervously.

But they had arrived in rooms that Harry recognised. And he knew the three people relaxing in the sitting room. Narcissa was running her fingers through Draco's hair and her husband's arm was wrapped around her waist. She looked up at them when the door closed and smile welcomingly.

“Hello Headmaster, Harry.” She nodded and pulled her hand out of Draco's hair. “It's getting late.”

Draco glanced nervously at the clock and pulled his robes more tightly around himself. “I should get going.” He allowed his parents to hug him another time and accepted a pass from his father before setting off towards Slytherin house.

“Please sit down. Would you like something to drink?” Narcissa asked, as she and Lucius retook their seats on the couch. “What is it that you wanted to speak to us about anyway headmaster?”

Dumbledore took a seat in one of the comfortable looking armchairs. “I received a letter from young Harry here.”

Harry glanced at Dumbledore confusedly. He couldn't remember sending any such letter. In fact, he didn't think he'd ever written a letter to the headmaster.

“He wanted to know why Hogwarts doesn't have a Wizard Studies class, something like Muggle Studies, only for muggleborns and half-bloods who've grown up in muggle situations. It's an excellent idea for introducing wizarding culture.” Dumbledore looked at the Malfoys. Both parties knew that they disagreed about muggles and magic.

Narcissa nodded thoughtfully. “That might be helpful. The scum would be less repulsive if they knew how to properly behave.” She glanced nervously into Dumbledore's blue eyes. “I meant that it would be an amazing learning opportunity for those who are less fortunate with their birth.”

Dumbledore smiled happily, as if he hadn't heard her derogative comment. “Wonderful, I'm certain that the governors will offer little resistance.” He looked meaningfully at Lucius Malfoy. Between the two of them the governors were simply puppets. Anything they both wanted was guaranteed to pass. “I send them a proposal tonight.”

Lucius stood up and went to the door that led deeper into his quarters. “I've got some letters to send. You'll have to excuse me.” He left the room, and Harry could hear the hoot of an owl and the sound of desk drawers opening when he opened the door.

Narcissa looked at her nephew and the headmaster for a moment before speaking. “Is there anything else you need Professor Dumbledore? It's getting late and I'm dining in the Great Hall tomorrow morning.”

Dumbledore put a hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry tried to move, but the old man just tightened his grip so Harry couldn't move at all. “I was hoping that would would be willing to teach this class Mrs. Malfoy. Your knowledge of pureblood lifestyle and culture is almost legendary. I'm certain that your sister and her family would love to have you teach.”

“These Wizard Studies classes, they would have no purebloods in them?” Narcissa asked, her nostrils flared when Dumbledore said yes. “Possibly. I'll have to discuss it first with Lucius.”

Dumbledore smiled and pulled Harry to his feet as he stood up. “Please consider it. The class won't be able to start until after the winter holidays if everything goes as planned.” He headed to the door. “Good night.”

Harry pulled away from the headmaster as soon as they left the Malfoys quarters. “Why did you bring me there professor?”

“It was a burst of inspiration. Thank you Harry.”

Harry wished that Dumbledore would call him 'Mr. Black.' He didn't want to be familiar with the headmaster. He didn't want to know the headmaster. And the explanation was not enough to satisfy him. But he knew that Dumbledore wasn't going to give him a better one. “Bye.” He headed down the halls back to Ravenclaw tower.

Ravenclaw tower was quiet. It was late and past curfew. The common room was empty and Harry could hear voices in a few of the dormitories, but all the other first years were sleeping. He showered quickly and got into bed.

It was not a good night. Harry woke up breathing heavy with sweat dripping down his face at three o'clock in the morning. Harry felt like he'd had a nightmare, but he couldn't remember anything. He rolled onto his stomach and pulled the blanket over his head, hoping to spend the rest of the night in peace.

“Harry, Harry! Wake up!”

Harry's eyes shot open and he sat up suddenly. He was gasping for breath, he could have sworn that he had been in the Great hall where his mother was making him practice casting Dark curses at the students. “What?” He asked, his voice louder than normal. “Kevin!”

“Yeah, it's me.” Kevin took his hand's off Harry's shoulders, he'd been shaking him to try and wake him up. “You all right? You were screaming awfully loud.”

Harry nodded slowly and sank back down onto the bed. “Sorry I woke you up. I'll remember to use silencing charms next time.”

“Don't.” It was a very tired Stephen that spoke. “We're here for you. You'd help us if we needed it. Let us help you.”

Kevin shuffled back over to his own bed and got under the covers. “Night.”

“Night.” Harry looked at the clock. It was only five in the morning. Breakfast didn't start until seven-thirty. But he couldn't get back to sleep. He waited for a few minutes, to make sure his room mates were sleeping again. Then he got out of bed and brushed his teeth.

The common room was still empty and Harry didn't have anything. All his homework for the day was finished. And today was easy. Transfiguration, Charms, Defence and History. Wait, Defence! Uncle Lucius is starting today!

Harry took out his textbook. The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection. He opened it and started reading. There wasn't anything else to do and he wasn't going to wake up one of his classmates just to talk. It wouldn't be appropriate, this early in the morning.

Gradually time passed. Harry went to breakfast. He tried to engage Kevin in conversation, find out where he'd been. But his friend told him nothing. And eventually snapped and told Harry to leave him alone if he was just going to pester him.

Transfiguration was easy. Harry had no problems turning stone to wood and back. In Charms, Flitwick lectured on the difficulties of charming live objects. Next week they'd be learning spells to use on plants, like growth charms and spells to deal with the nastier things, like Devil's Snare.

Lunch flew by and before Harry knew it, he was standing out in front of the Defence classroom. The door was closed and light was coming out from under it. Lucius was probably already in there. Harry checked his bag to make sure everything was in it. He'd brought an extra book around with him today. No one wanted to talk to him and he was rather lonely.

Su hadn't forgiven his mudblood comment, Kevin was annoyed at his constant pestering, and even Stephen prefered to talk to the other Ravenclaws. Harry felt like an outcast at lunch. They were all sitting together, laughing and talking. He had read a book and pretended that their behaviour didn't hurt him.

“Harry.” Lucius opened the door and peered out into the hall. He wasn't expecting any of the students to have arrived yet. There were still ten minutes left of lunch and most people didn't even leave the Great hall until five minutes to class.

“Hey Uncle Lucius.” Harry stuffed his book back into his bag and stood up straight. “I'm looking forward to your class.” He stepped into the classroom as soon as Lucius moved to the side and set his stuff down at one of the desks in the front row. Hopefully the class wouldn't be boring; he wouldn't have any friends to talk to if it was.

Lucius gave his classroom one last, long look before the class started. “Harry, I'm going to use the lavatory. Make sure that my classroom isn't destroyed.” He stepped out, his robes billowing as he moved quickly down the hall.

Harry got up from his desk and walked up to the front of the classroom. Lucius had more interesting things on his desk that Quirrel did. There was a skeleton of a rodent with wings and some moving pictures of different curses in action. Harry recognised most of them.

The door to Lucius's office was right at the front of the classroom with a blackboard on either side. It was open slightly and Harry walked up and looked in. For the most part it looked like all the other teachers' offices. There was a large desk and a comfortable chair along with two not so comfortable chairs for students. Harry pushed the door open all the way and entered the small room.

There were four doors in Lucius's office. Harry opened all of them. One lead to the classroom, that was the one he'd just come through. One of them opened into the corridor and another lead into the Malfoy quarters. It was the fourth one that interested Harry. He opened it all the way and stepped into the room, pulling the door closed behind him.

This room was even smaller than Lucius's office. In fact, there was barely space for the two things in the room and Harry. It would be interesting to know how Uncle Lucius managed to fit in.

In the centre of the room was a cauldron. It was sitting over a magical fire, the kind that was warm and spelled to keep whatever was on top of it at a constant temperature. Harry had lots of experience with constant temperature spells, they made the magical fire a slightly different colour. The brew inside it was thick and bubbly. Harry looked at it carefully. He had an idea of what it might be.

The second thing in the room was a wardrobe. The old fashioned kind that held all kinds of things and could be built right into the wall like a closet. He approached and lay a hand cautiously on the wood. He'd been taught to be wary of wardrobes and trunks. There could be curses placed on them or Boggarts and doxies living inside them.

But the only thing in this wardrobe was clothing. And it was clothes that Harry recognised. The bright robes and capes the Headmaster favoured and the floppy hats that he liked. There was even a set of brushes and combs for a long beard. Harry didn't understand why Lucius would need the things in the room. Until he found the jar.

The jar was in one of the drawers filled with bright socks and vests. It held hairs. The long, shiny, white hairs of the headmaster. And tucked beside the jar was a drinking pouch that strapped to the inside of a person's arm so they could keep track of their own drink and make sure that it stayed safe. But Harry was getting a different idea. Everything seemed to fit one conclusion.

Harry approached the cauldron and picked up the ladle that was hanging off the side. He prepared to dip it in, but footsteps surprised him. He dropped the ladle to the ground and shut himself in the wardrobe, breathing as quietly as possible.

A few seconds later the door creaked open and a man with long, white hair and Dumbledore's robes stepped into the room. It was Dumbledore, he faced the wardrobe long enough for Harry to get a good look at his face.

Dumbledore pulled a tiny vial out of his pocket. It was also filled with long hairs, but they were blond, not white. He picked the ladle of the ground and cleaned it with a quick spell before using it to scoop an amount of the potion into a dosing cup, the kind that were used in the Hospital Wing.

Harry watched closely as Dumbledore added the hair and the potion frothed and changed colour. It became a darkish colour. Like drying mud. Dumbledore gave it a long look and downed it quickly. He drained a glass of water as soon as the potion was gone.

It was Polyjuice potion! Harry could remember having seen the same bubbling brew in his father's lab. But this seemed far more sinister.

Dumbledore began to morph and change in front of Harry. He grew slightly taller and much younger looking. In only a few moments Lucius Malfoy was standing next to the cauldron in robes that were too small and disgusting on him. The colours were all wrong.

It only took a few quick charms for Lucius or Dumbledore to change the robes into longer, more elegantly styled robes. Whoever it really was did an excellent job impersonating Lucius Malfoy. Harry waited with baited breath as the man walked out of the room.