This Chapter has been beta edited! All credits for better words and grammar went to AbaddontheDevourer!

Chapter 3

Professor Potter (II)

Snape stared at the gathered group of students in the common room. His face into his usual sneer, but if one looked closely they could see something else , a small amount of fury and annoyance.

"Is anyone willing to tell me," He drawled, eyes glaring at each of the students in turn. Some shivered, refusing to meet his glare while others were so frightened that they contemplated digging a hole and hiding in it. "Why our house lost 40 points on the first day?"

They stayed silent, as his glare intensified and all began to squirm. "No one?" The dam on his emotions broke. "40 POINTS! 40 IN FIRST DAY! THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED IN THE HISTORY OF OUR HOUSE! NOT EVEN THOSE INFERNAL WEASLEY TWINS MANAGED TO LOSE SO MANY POINTS BEFORE THE FIRST DAY WAS EVEN OVER!"

One of students, the one that Harry cornered after lunch stepped forward. "It was Potter, sir!" He sneered, spitting the name Potter as if it were the vilest of poisons.

Snape turned to the student, his eyes boring into the unfortunate offender. "And what caused Professor Potter to take points from you?"

"Nothing sir. We were just minding our own business when he came and took points from us!"

Had it been any other Professor who had taken that many points off he would've been in their office demanding answers. However this wasn't a normal professor. He had watched the boy since the first meeting with the faculty, and above all he had learned that Harry Potter was not normal. As much as he was loath to admit it, the boy was more like Lily rather than being another James Potter clone.

The way the boy spoke highly about potions and was willing to learn. He displayed more Ravenclaw tendencies than he did Gryffindor. He remembered talking with Lily; the Hat had almost put her into Ravenclaw when it saw the bravery hidden deep within her.

"The full truth, Mr. Stretton and not the half-truth." Severus replied simply.

Stretton who had been looking smug was taken back. He never thought his Head of House would respond like that. The others were also surprised, as they had expected the blatant favoritism the man had normally shown rather than an inquisition. Thankfully though they were silent, letting Stretton hang himself while gaining information that could be used in the future.

"The truth, Mr. Stretton." Snape repeated snapping the boy from his stupor. His eyes locked onto the student in front of him as he gazed down. Like a cobra, his presence seemed to flare up and threaten the boy who was nothing more than prey at the moment.

"S-Sir!" He gulped nervously. "We were cornering a pair of mudbloods in a side corridor when Potter caught us."

"And how did he catch you?" Snape drawled, inwardly already feeling the headache that was beginning to form. He hated to admit it but the majority of the new Slytherins didn't enter into the House due to their cunning or ambition, but due to their Blood Purist beliefs. This meant that most of them acted like dunderhead Gryffindors rather than the proud serpents they were supposed to be.

"W-We don't know sir." Stretton's friend who had pulled him away before, continued. "All of us were surprised. One moment we were cornering the mudblood scum the next Potter was there!"

"Yeah." His other friend added "I mean, there are no door in that corridor, and the only way to approach was easily covered by the two of us. We should've seen him coming, but somehow he managed to elude us."

Snape quirked his eyebrow further and gestured for the student to continue, it seemed like he wasn't going to be getting a proper answer from Stretton.

"We would've gotten away with it too, if that damned Gryffindor hadn't blurted it out at the last second. After that Potter looked at the scorch marks on the walls and demanded to check our wands. He claimed that it was due to damaging school property and almost hitting a student with a stray spell. "

"Almost?"

"Yeah, the boy was standing only a few inches away from a scorch mark. We had been trying to scare the boy, when we got caught, not intending to hit him. That would've been 15 points." He paused and his eyes narrowed as he glared at Stretton. "Except for someone here got the bright idea of calling Potter a brat to his face. That was another 5 points off."

'Of course he's going to take points off you dunderheads! What kind of moron call Professor a "Brat" to his face?!' Snape inwardly screamed. He kept drifting between annoyed and impressed. Annoyed at the loss of points and impressed at the sheer stupidity of the Slytherin before him, who was the face of the House of Cunning. If Salazar knew about this he'd be rolling in his grave. Or more likely would rise and beat the boy for disgracing his legacy.

Anyways the youngest professor had handled the situation properly, and the amount of points taken was not excessive. Still though the fact that they had lost 40 points before the day was over would be a black mark that he would remember for the rest of his time as a teacher.

"I am sorely tempted to take points away from you Mr. Stretton." Snape sneered, causing the boy to gulp in fear. "However that won't do the House any good. Instead you will be serving detention with me this weekend." The boy breathed a sigh of relief. "That accounts for half of the missing points. What about the other 20?"

"That would be me sir." Draco said, suddenly feeling scared as everyone turned to look at him. The protection of his father didn't seem so strong now when he saw the angry expressions that everyone was directing at him. "I called Granger a mudblood and he heard it."

"And how Mr. Malfoy was Professor Potter able to hear it? Did you announce it aloud?" Snape glowered to the boy.

"N-No. It... It happened just like Stretton. We were in class at the time, fifteen minutes early in fact." He paused, his face troubled for moment.

"We didn't see him, nor hear him." Blaise added at Malfoy's pause. "In fact no one heard or saw him, yet when he drew our attention he was sitting calmly on his desk. It was like he appeared out of thin air, and I know for a fact that it wasn't a notice-me-not charm as I've seen them performed before. Afterwards he took 20 points from Malfoy and had him apologize."

This was Malfoy's fault. The boy didn't know when to keep his mouth shut, and acted more and more like a Gryffindor with each passing day. However the fact that his students were caught in the exact same way hinted once more at Potter's skills. Snape himself wasn't fond of the term Mudblood, not after he had actually snapped and said it to his best friend. Ultimately it ended their relationship, until now he still wondering how event would play if he not call Lily that word.

"I see…" Snape said with a small nod "Take five point for a proper explanation, Mr. Zabini." Stepping back so that he could see all the assembled students before him he barked. "Listen, all of you! Are we not Slytherin? Where is your guile? Your cunning?" He demanded, his voice hinting at the retribution they would face if they didn't straighten up, and act in a manner befitting the Noble House of the Serpents. "Mr. Stretton you behaved like a dunderhead Gryffindor today, and loath as I am to admit it, the points you lost were deserved. What kind of moron insults a teacher right to their face!?"

"But he's just a brat!" Stretton defended himself despite feeling nervous under Snape glare. "There's no way he could be a good teacher! I bet he had to kiss the Minister's ass to become one!"

"No..." That single word cut through any other protests that Stretton was about to say. It was Draco who surprisingly was defending the young Professor. "Make no mistake Stretton, Potter is not only talk."

"Yeah..." Daphne nodded. "Did you know that the castles walls are reinforced by runic seals? These walls are capable of withstanding continuous fire from bombardment curses and only get warm." Everyone nodded, though few heard it for first time -the First Year mostly- before she continued. "Well Professor Potter punched a hole through that same wall."

""WHAT?!"" All the students who had yet to take Harry's class screeched, face filled with shock and surprise as they chorused their disbelief, the room soon exploding in an uproar as people tried to figure out how he could've destroyed the walls.

"Enough!" Snape barked, silencing everyone. "Behave yourselves, you are Slytherin, such rambunctiousness is befitting dunderhead Gryffindors." He stated and that was enough to make the students calm down though were still in disbelief. "Many of you perhaps feel that having Harry Potter, a boy only a year older than you, teach is ridiculous. Upper years I'm sure are thinking that he is only a fraud, a moron, or a pompous brat who thinks the world owes him."

The faces of those who were thinking that broke into glee, happy that their Head of House had similar views, and was willing to voice them. That was until Snape spoke again.

"Such thoughts end tonight." The Potion Master declared.

Their faces turned to shock. "Tell me..." He drawled. "Do any of you feel that you could challenge Albus Dumbledore or one of the Heads of House in a duel?" He asked and all of them looked nervous at the idea and shook their heads. "Well then let me tell you that not only has that brat, as you so call him, fought against Albus Dumbledore, but he stood toe to toe against him in front of the entire Hogwarts Staff."

Shock was evident on everyone's face, if the idea of Harry Potter being able to punch through reinforced walls was ridiculous the idea of him trading spell fire with one of the most powerful wizards alive was downright ludicrous.

"There's a reason, why he is teaching, and all the Staff respect him." Snape continued, ignoring their shock. "Do you think we would just accept a thirteen year old becoming a teacher? Of course not, we administered our own tests for him, tests far more stringent than any other. We would accept nothing but the best, and the final seal of approval was when we witnessed him fighting against Dumbledore, a man who had been feared by two Dark Lords and had pushed armies back by himself.

"Make no mistake, the boy lost, but the fact is that he was able to stand against Dumbledore for longer than a single moment. Not only did he stand against the Headmaster but he held his ground for several minutes against what many call the greatest wizard since Merlin. If he managed to stand against someone of Dumbledore's caliber what do you think he can do against students arrogant enough to think that they can beat him due to his young age!"

The silence in the common room was telling enough, as a pin drop could've been heard as people held their breaths in disbelief. The idea of a boy barely into his teens being able stand against Albus Dumbledore was inconceivable.

"I, as well as all the staff witnessed the battle." Snape continued breaking the silence. "Do not dare to presume yourselves equal to Potter. It is not arrogance when he says that he is better than you, as he has the power and skill to back his claims. Treat him like any other Professor, and listen to him when he speaks. He may actually be the best qualified Defense Professor Dumbeldore has hired in many years."

"The boy is anything but normal, capable of disappearing from any trackers as well as being able to hide even from the Ministry itself. His reemergence has turned the Ministry into a madhouse as they scrambled for any information they could. All that they could find was that Professor Potter showed up one day and registered his N.E.W.T. results. After the results were verified he took the post of DADA, and all the time he managed to hide himself from the public view. No doubt he was waiting for an opportune time to reveal himself.

"Making an enemy of him openly would be unwise and a perfect example of a dunderhead Gryffindor. Such actions will not be tolerated in this house, and if you choose to disregard my advice I will personally escort you to the Headmaster's office, sit you down and force the Sorting Hat to put you in Gryffindor!" Snape finished eyes sharp and strict as he eyed all of his students. "Slytherin is not the house of criminals and thugs as the other houses so believe. We are Cunning. We are Sly. Ambitious and the Future Leaders of our World. So act like a proper Slytherin and if you must antagonize him do so at your own risk."

He doesn't wish to wake up

He doesn't wish to enter the living World, not yet.

It's because he's in pain. Even now, with his eyes closed, and his body rested he still feels pain. Every inch of his muscles screaming and demanding him to sleep, to keep his eyes closed.

But he knew he couldn't. No matter what happens he knew he must not stay asleep. He's got to open his eyes no matter how heavy they are, no matter how painful it is to move.

He opens his mouth, trying to speak but nothing comes out. The taste of iron and copper slithered on his tongue, followed by a wet sensation on his lips as a crimson colored liquid dripped down his throat.

"Huh? You still alive?"

!?

A new voice!

Instantly his eyes snap open, no matter how heavy and painful it is, he managed to force his eyes open. The whites of his eyes were bloodshot, as his green eyes searched everywhere for the origin of the voice.

The first thing he managed to glimpse through his blurry vision was someone standing above him. The person had long hair, their gender indistinguishable in the dim light, though he saw they possessed a petite figure.

"Huh? You're only a brat."

Okay, that high pitched and feminine voice clearly told him the person is a woman. Woman or child it didn't matter, right now he needed to get up!

"That scar… oh my, what's the Boy-Who-Lived doing in this place? Hahaha! I never thought I'd meet the one who killed that Riddle brat here!"

Riddle brat? Scar? This woman recognize him and at least knew the Dark Lord! Whoever she is she's not a normal person considering only a few knew the Dark Lord's real name.

"Hoo, you're still able to move, even in that condition." The voice filled with mirth, as if she watching something an amusing play rather than someone struggling to live.

His eyes finally adjusted to the darkness around him, catching his first glimpse of the person speaking. Emerald eyes similar to his gazed down, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lip.

"Oi! Eliz! Come here! We're done here, let's go back, and bring this brat with us."

'What?!' He thought.

"Yes Mistress." Another new voice answered, this one contained nothing but coldness, as if the owner of the voice was someone without emotion.

Panic surged through his bod. Bring him?! Bring him where?! He let out another gurgle, power flowing inside him as he tried to apparate away despite the pain that hit his body.

"You're going to kill yourself brat so, relax. I won't kill you, not yet. You did my job for me by killing that filth so consider this as payment."

Normally he wouldn't believe her. Heck even now as he held onto life with slipping fingers he didn't believe her. As far as he knew the woman in front of him was lying and would turn him into a ghoul or even use him to form some weird talking chimera. However the choice to go wasn't for him to decide as he felt his magic slipping away from him. Shackles clamped down on his power, as he struggled to break free but kept failing. He was too weak to break free from his prison, and every attempt sent pain coursing through his nerves.

"You don't trust my words do you? Good thinking brat." She chuckled, her green eyes seems gleaming as her mouth curled into something resembling a smirk. Her long rich blond colored hair waving as the wind breezed through it, followed by sharp fangs from her mouth. "But sadly you don't have any choice, sleep now and be grateful I decided to save your life."

The last thing he heard as his vision turned black and he felt a pair of hands gently lifting him up was the woman saying, "Heh, a ten years old Human brat killed an Aristocrat? Ohh, yes, I can see now how those wannabe Council members are going to react. Keh. You just made my day brat."

Harry stared at the Gryffindor and Slytherin students who gazed at him giddily, their faces the epitome of excited. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws from yesterday had shown less enthusiasm, being shy to speak to him. Perhaps it was because this was their first year, but still their faces were the same as those gathered in front of him now.

However this class was openly gaping at him, causing him just a bit of discomfort. 'Perhaps it's a Gryffindor trait.' He thought looking at the House of the Lions. After all subtly was one of the things that they were not known for. He saw Mr. Creevey was quite excited for the lesson to begin and was squirming in his seat. The Slytherins on the other hand were more subtle with their looks but he still felt them on him.

"I'm sure that many of you already know who I am, but for those that don't my name is Harry Potter, and I'll be your Professor for Defense against the Dark Arts. The main goal of this class will be the identification of common curses, jinxes, and hexes as well as counters to them." He paused tilting his head slightly, looking at the students gathered before him. "To those who were born in the Magical world you perhaps have seen what I am talking about, but to those who are Mundane Born, allow me to demonstrate."

He stood up from his table, his wand held loosely in his hand as he walked around his desk. Aiming his wand at his chair he casually flicked it and the chair transformed into a two meter tall dresser. Gasps and sounds of awe were heard from the assembled students.

"Normally, I would tell you to read the book like yesterday with the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. However you're Gryffindors and Slytherins and as such I doubt you're interested in the written words but the action. Add in the fact that yesterday I saw something happen…" His eyes briefly looked to Colin, who blushed as he noticed the look. "I'll make reading it homework, for now let me give you a practical demonstration." He smiled in amusement when the word 'homework' came up and the student's faces set into a pout. "What I'm about to show you is the knockback jinx, the incantation is Flipendo, and like the name suggests is used to knock someone or something back.

"However one thing you must know before casting any spell is that you can't just wave your wand and say the incantation. There's a rhythm to casting any spell, especially to those dealing with the Dark Arts.

"First, make sure your grip on your wand is firm." He firmly gripped his wand while pointing it at the cupboard. "Next, set your feet, some jinxes and curses will be strong enough that you will feel be pushed back, Reducto for example. And if you can't hold your ground, the results won't be pretty." He noticed everyone paying attention, eagerly watching him, and inwardly smiled. "Once you've done all that take aim, and incant, 'Flipendo'!"

To move a solid wood cabinet standing just over two meters tall was not easy, and even a pair of adults wouldn't be able to knock it over easily. However to Harry, the moment that he cast the spell, a massive bolt of energy left his wand and struck dead center of the cabinet. Instead of just knocking it down, the cabinet was violently thrown back flipping end over end to smash into the wall opposite him. The cabinet was reduced to a pile of splinters, and it was only the timely intervention of a shield that prevented harm to his students.

All of them stared at him with awestruck expressions, especially those from the mundane community who had never seen anything like that before. Even those who had grown up in the magical community were amazed, as they had seen overpowered spells before but never to this degree. Flipendo was a simple spell, a joke jinx, and the most damage that they had ever seen before was a slight pushing, or knocking the target over. Never had they seen the spell hurl a cabinet a dozen of so feet away and turn it into a pile of splinters.

Harry stared at his wand once more and suppressed a sigh, he hadn't meant to overpower the spell but that was exactly what happened. He'd need a better control of his magic in the future.

"When you deal with the Dark Arts, Jinxes, Hexes or Curses, make sure to be careful. You can easily harm someone with even simple spells." Harry warned motioning towards the cabinet. "If that had been a human instead of a cabinet they'd be a splatter on the walls." He chuckled a bit as most of the class turned green at the image. "Of course my spell was overpowered, and isn't something that most can achieve, but still it deserves the warning."

He then flicked his wand at the pile of wood, an emerald stream flowing around it as the pile turned into a cabinet once more. Another flick of his wrist and the wooden cabinet was transfigured into a statue.

"This jinx can be very useful in emergencies; I heard that four trolls managed to enter Hogwarts last year somehow. Imagine if one of you were locked inside with one of them." He saw all the students who knew about the creature shake at the image. "For those fortunate enough to have never seen or smelled a troll before, imagine what a gnome looks like, but make it uglier by 10, remove the hair add a large stomach and the worst smell you can possibly think of. And you have the basic idea. Oh yeah it also likes to eat humans."

He chuckled once more as the students swallowed and paled a bit. One student raised her hand. The red hair clicked in his mind and the name appeared, Ginny Weasley.

"Yes, Ms. Weasley?"

"Did you really fight ten trolls and killed one with your bare hands?" She asked, voice filled with awe and giddiness.

"You heard the tale from the Second Years right?" He asked rhetorically. "Yes, I did, though the book made it seem like I killed the whole group by hand, when I did not. It was only the last one that ended by at my hands. When the others arrived to see that they immediately assumed I had dispatched the others in a similar manner."

"If that's true then why did you kill it with your hands?" A Slytherin student asked.

"It's because I was fighting in a cave Mr. Montague." Harry answered. "If I had fought carelessly I might've collapsed the ceiling and died buried within. Make no mistake, despite what the book says my battles were never that easy. There have been many times where I've almost died." He said seriously. "Now back to the topic, if you're locked in with a troll, than rather than casting Alohomara which does not work on all locks, it would be better to blast through the door so you can run. To a person who has mastered this spell a wooden door is no match, and if the door is made of sterner stuff then hitting the troll with it would force them back even through their magically resistant skin as it strikes with a concussive force."

"Or, you can use this Jinx to defend yourself in case you get attacked by a wizard. A good hit to the face will give you enough time to send a second spell at your target, or you can strike their feet with the spell and after they fall summon their wand. Though the summoning spell is technically 4th year material it is one of those spells best learned early. Okay! That's enough explanation and examples. I want you to form a line, and I'll have you cast the spell at a target."

Harry watched with fascination as the students eagerly left their desks and formed a line, each jockeying to go first. Finally it was Mr. Creevey who through a combination of Gryffindor bravery and no shortage of elbows who emerged victorious.

"Okay, Mr. Creevey. Remember grip the wand tightly, set your feet, aim and then cast." Harry instructed.

Colin did as Harry said, setting his feet, knees slightly bent as he gripped his wand too tightly in Harry's opinion. The boy was perhaps a bit too eager to learn.

"Flipendo!" Colin shouted. The spell shot from his wand and it the target though it was nothing more than a glancing blow that unbalanced the target. The class watched as the statue slowly tipped over before gravity took over and it slammed into the ground

"Not bad for your first try Mr. Creevey." Harry praised.

"Thank you sir!" Colin said giddily before moving from his spot to reveal a Slytherin girl with long black hair and brown eyes who appeared to be of Asian descent.

The Slytherin student set her feet properly, wand raised and aimed, then she incanted, "Flipendo!"

The statue which he had righted after Colin finished was struck dead center by her spell. The jinx was much stronger than Colin's, and the target skidded back a foot before it was knocked over. Harry allowed himself to whistle a bit in amazement.

"Nice shot Sibazaki-san." He said in Japanese, making the girl turn to him in surprise. She hadn't expected someone to use the language of her homeland. "Take three points to Slytherin." He smiled kindly to the girl.

Sibazaki blushed, as she shyly looked at the floor for a moment before she nodded timidly, muttering her thanks as she ran to the back of the line. Harry blinked at her actions, not understanding them. 'Is my smile that scary?' He thought, thinking of all the first and second years students who had run when he smiled at them.

He kept careful watch as the next few students cast the spell. While many of the Slytherins were able to cast the spell with varying degrees of success it was the Gryffindors who struggled. Perhaps it was because of all the mundane borns? He noted that despite the Gryffs managing to cast the spell the power wasn't there in comparison to the Slytherins, or even the Ravenclaw, Luna.

Speaking of Luna, he'd be teaching her once again after Lunch. He had the class read about Gargoyles yesterday, and asked them questions, that they answered easily. As expected of Ravenclaw, they were quite book-smart.

'They still have some problem with Flipendo though but at least the entire class can be called decent enough for their first try. Perhaps I should emphasize the practical more than the theoretical with them.' Harry thought as he begin to pondering another method to make his teaching effective

"Flipendo!"

Harry blinked as the statue was struck by the spell, skidded a foot before crashing into the floor like Sibazaki. However the area that the spell had struck put a crack into it before the fall finally caused it to split. "That was quite impressive Ms. Weasley, take three points for that." Harry praised with a nod. For a First Year that had been quite the feat, and he knew that in the future the girl could be a powerhouse if she kept practicing.

Ginny blushed as Harry Potter praised her! Oh God, she can't believe she was only standing a few feet from him! The one she had idolized ever since she was a child! The one who she always dreamed of!

"T-T-Thank you sir!" She managed to squeak her face turning red in embarrassment at the sound of her voice. She had been trying to sound dignified and was inwardly cursing at her stutter.

"Yes, your twin brothers yesterday also showed a promising amount of power. It seems the Weasley family is one of talent and shouldn't be underestimated." Harry chuckled, as he recalled the twin menaces behavior yesterday. They had been quite imaginative in making Boggart-Voldemort into a fat clown. He could only imagine the Dark Lord's face if he were to see such an image. There'd probably be a round of Crucios and AKs for the messenger. "You'll be quite the witch in the future Ms. Weasley. That is so long as you follow the right path." He said sagely, making the girl's face flush to the point it rivaled her hair. "Now you may wish to take a step back, there are many behind you who are looking forward to trying the spell."

"Y-Yes Sir!" Ginny stammered out before quickly running to the back, stumbling slightly and, despite trying her best to stay calm she clearly failed.

Harry seeing the girl's behavior frowned. Was he really that scary? Maybe he'd bring it up at the next staff meeting.

Morrigan who was watching from her perch shook her head and did the bird equivalent of a sigh. Her master was too dense. She didn't know whether or not to pity the girls for crushing on him, or the fact that his denseness rivaled a black hole's.

'Fascinating! This is the fifth secret passage that I've found; I wonder how many there are.' Harry thought as the secret door opened.

The first thing that Harry had done since becoming a teacher here was to get familiar with the layout of the castle. No simple task as the castle sometimes rearranged itself and the stair cases moved randomly. It was one of the many things that he had been taught to do, and he had carefully drawn up a diagram of the complex wards that protected the castle.

Albus had called him here to make sure that the castle was secure, as it was sure to be a strategic target should Voldemort return. Therefore the students would unfortunately be in the middle of the next conflict.

The Dark Lord knew how much Albus cared for his charges, and that the Headmaster would do anything for them to remain safe and properly educated. Therefore the students were the key to securing the Headmaster's cooperation, and a kidnapping would easily facilitate a change in ownership of the castle.

One would think it would be better to close Hogwarts instead of endangering the children, but it wasn't possible. Hogwarts was one of the best schools in the World, and people were on the waiting list to get in. Plus if doubled as a place to watch the Death Eater children.

And loath as he was to do so Albus admitted that in the right circumstances he would be able to manipulate those same children if necessary. No, Hogwarts couldn't afford to be closed, if it was Voldemort would be able to seize the school and the location was key due to the converging ley lines.

Harry presence here was bait for the Dark Lord, but at the same time he was here as a Protector and an Investigator. They were sure that the Dark Lord would take the bait and appear in Hogwarts, and when that happened he would use the opportunity to learn all that he could about his foe, and his Horcruxes.

He had travel around the world searching how to destroy the dark magic, and sadly he had found no safe way of doing so. The number of people that he had found who had created a Horcrux could be counted on a single hand. Not only was the process incredibly hard to do but the sheer power required made it rare for any to do so. Perhaps in the Age of the Gods when magic was said to be much stronger and not hided like now, Horcruxes were more common.

'Does Voldemort know about these secret passages? Yes... He obviously knew about them. Someone of his caliber wouldn't have a hard time finding them. The question is, how many does he know about? I already found four different ones in the last three days, and I have no idea how many there actually are. Perhaps if I'm lucky Voldemort would've left a Horcrux for me to find in one of these passages.' He thought carefully as his eyes focused to the dark path in front of him

A small squeeze from Morrigan broke him from his thoughts as he tilted his head towards his familiar. She turned her head staring at a spot as if sending a silent message.

"Whoever you are, I know you're there, and you have three seconds before I curse you." Harry demanded raising his hand threateningly.

There was no response, however his sharp ears were able to hear the sudden intake of breath, as the person moved to bolt from their hiding spot. His hand flashed as bolts of magic spat from him like a machine gun, hosing the entire corridor in spell fire.

Not long after that, he heard twin crashes and groans. Approaching carefully his wand shot into his hand as he readied himself to cast some of the more powerful and dangerous spells in his repertoire.

'Disillusioned.' He grimly, as he carefully cast the counter spell, revealing two familiar faces.

"Mr. Weasleys?" He blinked seeing the twins paralyzed on the ground, their eyes staring at him in shock. He noticed there was something in one of their hands and wandlessly summoned it to his free hand.

A quick detection spell later told him that it was heavily enchanted, and after seeing such things before in his travel was able to discern its purpose easily.

'A map? No not just any map! A map of Hogwarts!' He thought with wide eyes. His eyes narrowed as saw a blot of ink labeled Albus Dumbledore moving in his office. Slowly he saw the names of everyone else in the castle moving about, and even himself as well as the motionless Weasleys in front of him.

"You two..." He called, lifting his eyes form the parchment. "I'm going to let you go, and I want you to stand immediately. Any move for your wand and you'll be spending the next week in St. Mungo or worse. Blink if you understand me." They blinked once and he canceled the body bind.

The twins feeling the binds on their body lift gasped letting out a small cough, as they pushed themselves into a sitting position.

"Bloody hell-"

"-that was-"

"-not a pleasant feeling-"

"-we've felt the curse before-"

"-but never as strong as that!"

"It was if our body..."

""Really turned to stone!""

They finished together while looking at Harry with small awe. The boy's face stayed calm, not betraying any emotion, as he raised his wand. "Stand and keep your hands where I can see them."

The twin blinked when they heard the young Professor's tone. It was very different from the one he used when he taught them yesterday. They can detect there seriousness in there and were wondering if the professor was in a bad mood.

Harry watched as they slowly stood up, his wand trailing them at every moment. "Two students wandering the secret passages, carrying an enchanted map capable of showing the location of every person in this school. You two must be up to something mischievous." He said sharply. "Or perhaps… you're a pair of Dark Wizards who had infiltrated the school using polyjuice and are intent on enacting some nefarious plot."

""WHAT?!"" They chorused in shock.

"I'm going to ask each of you a single question. Get it wrong and I'll pour veritaserum down your throat, and question you until I'm satisfied. Now tell me, which one of you is Fred Weasley?" Harry asked, ignoring their shock, his voice, firm and cold as his eyes gleaming dangerously in the dark.

The one that his wand was aiming at cautiously raised his hand, gulping in fear. Both of them understood that there was something different about their professor now, and going by the way he was acting would kill them where they stood without any care in the world.

Harry's eyebrows furrowed as he switched his wand to George "When you used the Riddikulus on your Boggart, what was my comment about it?"

George can't hold the twitch on his lip when the question was asked. "You said 'Boy, imagine the face of the Death Eaters in Azkaban if they saw their beloved Lord dressed like this.' Sir."

Harry nodded, face not showing any sign of emotion before turning back to Fred. "Yesterday you asked how I was able to differentiate you from your twin. What was my answer?"

"You said it was a secret." Hearing that Harry's lip twitched a little, as he lowered his wand and gave them a small nod.

"Correct answers." Harry responded and seeing this the twins demeanor relaxed. "I apologize for my paranoid behavior, but it was necessary."

"Necessary?" George asked.

"I've traveled to many places, and met many people. Not all were friendly. So excuse my paranoid behavior but it keeps me alive. Morrigan here has kept me alive many times." Harry explained while stroking his companion's feathers. She flapped her wings proudly while the twins appeared to be intrigued at the things they just heard. "Now, mind tell me why you two were on your way to Hogsmeade? If I recall correctly the only time you're allowed off the grounds is during designated weekends."

""Hogsmeade sir?""

"We don't know-"

"-what you're talking about."

In response, Harry merely raised the parchment he held and the twins said innocently.

"We just want to buy something sir."

"Nothing illegal of course."

"Just somethings good enough."

"To make people laugh."

Harry close his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had expected their answer to be something like this, and inwardly wondered why he even bothered to ask the question in the first place.

"It's only the second day. Why didn't you buy everything before school began?" He asked dryly.

"Well, we did but."

"Professor McGonagall proved to be."

"A formidable enemy."

"She took everything before we had a chance to hide it."

"So we decided to go to Hogsmeade and."

""Buy new supplies.""

They finished while hanging an arm over each other's shoulders as they grinned at the youngest professor. He couldn't help but smirk at their antics, trust McGonagall to confiscate their goodies to try and keep order.

"What about you Professor?"

"What are you doing in this dark."

"Gloomy."

"Secretive."

"Place by yourself?"

"First, stop talking like that, it's quite annoying." Harry said, his eyebrow twitching as the twins grinned mischievously. "Second I'm checking over the school's defenses, and locating any vulnerabilities. Secret passages are one such thing."

"Ohh, so our dear youngest and lovable Professor loves to travel around Hogwarts eh?" Fred asked rhetorically with amusement in his voice.

"You can say so Mr. Weasley." Harry nodded "Hogwarts is quite fascinating, I've seen many places during my travels and adventure, and Hogwarts is no doubt one of the best I've ever seen." He said fondly, eyes glazing over with nostalgia.

"One of?" George inquired in an interested manner.

"A tale for another time Mr. Weasley, now follow me back to the school." Harry replied with a polite smile.

"S-Sir, about the map?" Fred asked

"Oh, this?" Harry raised the map to them before he smirked playfully. "Make no mistake, I won't take it from you but I'll be borrowing it. Don't worry, I'll eventually return it to you since this is your property." He added the last part when he noticed the twins' deflated look.

"Really sir?" George asked in surprise, thinking that they were about to lose the key to their success. Thank Merlin that Professor Potter wasn't going to confiscate it.

"Yes, however, I can't show any favoritism . So, fifteen point will be taken from Gryffindor for sneaking out to Hogsmeade without permission." Harry winked, chuckling at their looks of dismay.

"Oh! So cruel!"

"How could you!"

"You deny us from our freedom!"

"You take our map of mischief!"

""Then you take points from us!"" They finished together, sending a mocking glare to the Professor.

"Shall I take another point for questioning a teacher?" Harry asked smirking. The twins responded by shutting their mouths with an audible click. "Next time gentleman, make sure you don't get caught." He suggested before walking away, thoughts of the map flowing through his head.

Oh, make no mistake he would give it back to them, but only after he had thoroughly gone over every single aspect of the map with a fine tooth comb. If his estimate was right the twins should get it back sometime around the end of the school year. Enough time for him to recreate the map and possibly upgrade it.

Hermione rechecked her homework that she had just done. It had been on Acromantula, a giant version of the tarantula only a lot more deadly and highly poisonous, something that would make all spiders from mundane World cry 'Mommy' at sight of them.

Professor Potter had given them the assignment, only a summary of what you had learned during his lecture. Overall it wasn't a difficult piece of homework.

...

...

...

Okay she had to admit to most students -except her- the assignment would've been difficult. While it was true that Professor Potter had properly explained everything and shown a practical demonstration, the number of students who had been paying attention to the lecture and not him had been close to nil.

Half the room had been staring at him dreamily while the other half stared at him in amazement. Though she would never admit it out loud she had been sneaking glances towards him every now and then when he smile.

What?! She was a girl! You can't blame her! He was charming, kind, smart, magically powerful, mature, and best of all only a year older than her! In Mundane Worl, he is perfect candidate to become Boyfriend!

'Is this how Lavender and Parvati feel?' She thought her face tinged red. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, perhaps she could have small chat with Lavender and Parvati then…

No!

The blush on her face brightened before she adopted a horrified look. Professor Potter is a teacher! Relationships between them are not permitted and not moral. Not to mention she was still too young. Ugh, what had she been thinking!

She let out a sigh, rubbing her temple. Anyway, Professor Potter's teaching method was quite good, and it had easily been the best DADA lesson she ever had. While it was an honor to have been taught by THE Albus Dumbledore for a month, it had mostly been theory. While she enjoyed the lectures she had much preferred Professor Potter's more hand-on approach.

Just about everyone had enjoyed the practical portion, and why not? They had been exposed to dangerous creatures and were being protected by what could be called a prodigy responsible for the defeat of the last Dark Lord.

She shook her head once again before putting away her homework. She had already finished checking it over and was once again amazed at how easy it had been to grasp the concepts that were taught to them.

Smiling she cleaned her area before heading to bed. The next DADA class would be on Thursday, and Professor Potter had said the homework would be due the day after on Friday. Though he was more than willing to accept it early should someone hand it in.

She closed her eyes, allowing her smile to widen a bit. She couldn't wait for Professor Potter's next class! It had absolutely no relation to the fact that when he smiled she felt her entire being warm up. No! It was because of his teaching method and intelligence. That was the reason, she kept telling herself.

Lucius stared at the letter that he had received from his son.

Harry Potter. The Boy-Who-Lived, teaching at Hogwarts, a thirteen years old boy, a boy only one year older than his son.

He don't know whether to be impressed at Dumbledore or to curse the old man. Probably the latter though seeing that he would never openly admit being impressed by the wily man.

To think the Chief Warlock would pull out his main weapon as the opening move. It was completely unexpected, had all the subtlety of a Bombarda to the face and been so completely out of character that it left Lucius slack jawed for a moment. It seemed like the rumors that the Dark Lord had not died that night had some merit, if Dumbledore was willing to expose the savior of the Wizarding World after all these years.

Oh don't misunderstand him. He had never fully agreed with the Pure Blood Dogma of wiping out all the mudbloods. After all if they were all dead than who would be the labor force. No it was far more efficient to simply rule over them, than it was to kill them all.

He didn't' have problems with half-blood either. Children can't be blamed for their parents actions. The half-bloods would be good for breeding, and the stronger ones would no doubt be accepted into pure-blood families rather than squander their gifts. Severus was a prime example of this, and though the man had never married, he knew there were offers. He might've been a half-blood but he had single handedly crafted many of the spells used by the Death Eaters, as well as being the youngest potion master in history.

And like a proper Slytherin, he was ambitious. While the death of their Lord had been a saddening event it was also very fortunate. Lucius had never enjoyed taking orders, back when he joined he had been naïve.

The power that the Dark Lord had allowed him to taste was sweet and pleasant. Intoxicating and maddening like a drug. But like a drug, the moment you know what it really it is, the effects leave you, and you're stuck with the horrors.

Once a Death Eater always a Death Eater.

It wasn't a lie nor an exaggeration.

The mark of the Dark Lord was not only a catalyst to summon them but connected them to their master. It marked them as his representatives and existed as long as the Dark Lord lived.

Lucius knew his Lord was still alive out there. He might've been one of the few to have figured out the Dark Lord's secret to immortality, Horcrux. If the Dark Lord were a cobra then he preferred to be the unassuming coral snake. Plain looking yet highly poisonous.

He actually wasn't sure what to do. The moment the Dark Lord had 'died' he had enacted several plans to prevent himself form going to Azkaban, and considering who the minister was at the time, and that Barty Crouch had been the Head of the DMLE that was quite a feat.

In the midst of that Crouch's son had been exposed as a Death Eater. The irony of the situation had been savored over a glass of firewhiskey. After that him becoming Minister was a pipe dream. The man had no idea that his own son was a Death Eater so how could he be trusted to guide the country?

Then, after Bagnold kicked the bucket, Cornelius Fudge came in. The man was a fool of the highest order. Barty would've been a tyrant ruling with an iron fist but at least you could expect him to hold onto the belief of justice. With Fudge a few well-placed bribes and it was child's play to pour poison in his ear.

Lucius was just about Minister in everything but name…well except for the few times that Fudge turned to Dumbledore. That wily old goat managed to control Fudge with a surprising amount of deftness. Then there were the few times the man had proven not to be a complete idiot and made decisions for himself. Most often these were at meetings with other world leaders. Thank Merlin for that!

Right now he was quite content with his current life. He had a healthy heir, a beautiful wife, control of the head of state and would suffer no blame should the man fail. What else could he wish for?

Life was good.

The continued 'death' of the Dark Lord allowed him to enjoy himself. Though he idly wondered if the Dark Lord was still around would they have conquered Britain and be ruling right now?

However the dark spot on the horizon was the fact that the Dark Lord was not actually dead. After hearing about the break in at Gringotts last year coupled with Severus had told him, he knew it was only a matter of time before their master returned.

Whatever Dumbledore had hidden was important enough to risk the ire of the goblins. He had heard about the death of Quirrell after being possessed by some kind of spirit.

Lucius had his suspicions and a few well-greased palms later and his suspicions had been reinforced. The Dark Lord had been in Hogwarts seeking a way to return to power.

Then there had been the dream. In it the Dark Lord had contacted him, and instructed him to place his diary among the possessions of a Hogwarts student.

And Lucius did it.

Call him paranoid if you wished but after rumors of his Lord returning, he wanted to take no chances and wanted to ensure the man that he was still loyal. It would also give him a way to oust Dumbledore.

But now even if he got rid of Dumbledore, Harry Potter was still there. What was most distressing was than he was not an untrained brat, but both magically and physically powerful. He wasn't even able to contemplate the amount of raw physical power it would take to destroy a reinforced wall, and all that power was in the body of a 13 year old.

He still had some doubts about the boy's skills, but would admit that being able to punch through reinforced walls was quite amazing. Not at Dumbledore's level, of course, since he knew that the old man could level the whole village in Hogsmeade size with a single spell if he were so inclined.

He had been there during that first battle when the Dark Lord had squared off against Dumbledore. At the time he had been a young man, who had thought the aging wizard was nothing more than a senile and foolish man, only someone who pass out from his glory. That thought had disappeared the moment the old man pulled out his wand.

The amount of power that the two combatants were throwing around was awe inspiring. Who knew that such a fragile looking man would be able to transfigure an entire house into a full size Hungarian Horntail before animating it to attack the Dark Lord like it truly alive Dragon!

That had taught him a valuable lesson. Dumbledore was not to be crossed in any magical manner. Fighting him alone was stupidity tantamount to suicide. It would be like a squib facing a Horntail. Truly he deserve his title as one of Heavenly Four, the four strongest Wizard or Witches in the World

Getting back on track, while it was true that Harry Potter was nowhere near Dumbledore's level he was only a tenth of the old man's age and would get much stronger as he aged. Underestimating him would be a mistake of epic proportions. When he moved he needed to do so properly, and in such a way to reaffirm his position among the Families as well as the populace. He had not been one of the Dark Lord's elite just because of his money and dueling skills.

Putting down the letter he steepled his fingers. A failsafe would be needed, but in order to make one he'd need more information. Something that was sorely lacking when it came to the boy. Back when he first looked he'd been busy avoiding Azkaban, but now he'd devote his considerable resources and call in favors to get everything he could.

'It seems I need to pay Cornelius a visit. The Ministry must have some information on him from when he registered his N.E.W.T. scores and registered as a Professor.' Lucius thought as he made his way to the floo.

Hello all! New chapter has come out! XD

I know it late to say this and sorry for that since I also have my own vacation, but allow me to said it

\(´v`)/ Happy New Year Everyone \(´v`)/

May You and Your Family Blessed in this New Year

Now that's done, let's return to the topic. As you all can see, in here we see our Protagonist once again in class and how he teaching

We still have one more chapter before we focused to all students again and people reaction about Harry in Hogwarts, of course there will be OC appearance, this is not Mundane World where people need to buy ticket for plane, a teleportaion is enough to make them appear

Few of you comment about overpowered Albus or Harry, make no mistake, I already said this is AU with few Crossover. The enemies they will faces will be more dangerous and strong, everyone get upgraded I assure you, that include Hogwarts staff as well like Snape and Minerva

Anyway, there nothing much to say in this chapter so, this is it for now, I hope you love this chapter! Please Favorite, Follow, and Review

Ja Ne! XD