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Chapter Ten Back to the Burrow and Hogwarts.

The Next morning after an early Portkey trip, the family arrived back to the Burrow to a frantic Mrs. Weasley. "There you are!" she shouted while grabbing Ginny and the twins in a bone crushing hug. Ron escaped this fate by hiding behind Mr. Weasley. "I was so worried. The wireless has been going on and on about the Dark Mark! It said that there were… Death Eaters! Arthur, what happened?"

"Were all fine, Molly dear. Everyone was safe." Mr. Weasley said while sending a concerned look at Harry, Hermione and Ron. "Let's go inside and I'll tell you everything."

Things returned to almost normal after that, Mr. Weasley and Percy had to spend a lot of time at the Ministry. Harry rarely saw them except at breakfast. Mrs. Weasley also spent most of her time hovering over the kids. This caused some problems for Harry as he had to sneak away if he wanted to be alone. Luckily the Time Turner allowed him to continue practicing.

The last Monday in August held a surprise. When Harry arrived at Gringotts, he was led to Barkaxes office instead of to Swiftdeath. "Have a seat Mr. Potter." Said Barkaxe, pointing to an empty seat in front of his desk.

"Is there a problem?" Asked Harry. "Is Swiftdeath OK?"

"There is no problem Mr. Potter, and Swiftdeath is fine." Replied Barkaxe. "As you know, there are only a few more days until you leave for Hogwarts and your training will stop until next summer."

"Yeah. So I will continue to train next year? I know there is so much I don't know." Said Harry.

"Yes. Swiftdeath has agreed to continue your training next summer, you should feel honored. He has decided to bring in a human cursebreaker in for the rest of this month to show you how to do the job with a wand."

"I thought we were keeping my training a secret?" said a shocked Harry.

"We are Mr. Potter. That is why we want you to wear the glamour necklace while training. Our cursebreakers are under many secrecy vows, but why take a chance." Said Barkaxe.

"Oh, OK." said Harry. "Anything else?"

"Yes. A few things actually." Replied Barkaxe. "Using the Horcrux that we removed from you scar is proving quite difficult. We are sure that soon we will be able to use it to find the remaining Horcrux's, but for now very little progress has been made."

Harry was quiet for a minute at this statement. "I see. Thank you for continuing to try."

"Do not worry Mr. Potter. Gringotts will succeed. Now to the disposition of the remains of the Basilisk."

"I won't know anything until I get to Hogwarts." Interrupted Harry.

"I am aware of this Mr. Potter." Snapped Barkaxe. Harry felt a little stupid. Barkaxe continued. "I am more concerned with accessing it while you are at school. The solution I have come up with is either for you to render it yourself," Harry shuddered at the thought. "Or for you to send it to us to render using a specially made Goblin Portkey."

"I think it would be best if you guys… Goblins, sorry, do it." Said Harry

"That would be better, but there is a downside.' Said Barkaxe.

"What, the fee? I was expecting that." Commented Harry.

"Yes there will be a fee for the Portkey and the rendering. 2 galleons for the Portkey and fifteen percent of the sale for the rendering and first pick of the parts for sale. We can deduct the cost of the Portkey from the sale. No, the downside is that the Portkey activation will set off alarms at Hogwarts. We can set a time delay on the Portkey so you can have an alibi, but it will probably cause chaos."

Harry thought, 'A little chaos could be fun.' Aloud he said. "OK. I'll do the Portkey. The Chamber of Secrets might not be tied to the Hogwarts wards though. No headmaster has been able to find it and they are all tied to the Hogwarts wards."

"It won't matter either way." Said Barkaxe. "Now we need to know how big the Basilisk is so we can adjust the Portkey to take it all."

"It was over sixty feet long and at least five feet wide." Harry shuddered at the memory. "Is it possible to get clothes made from the Basilisks hide?"

"Again, impressive Mr. Potter. And yes, it is possible to have all manner of clothes made from the hide."

After having gotten used to goblins, Harry asked "How much to have three… no four cloaks made? And a purse made?" Harry thought, 'A cloak for me, ron, Hermione and Sirius, and a purse for Ginny because she suffered because of it. Is the purse a good idea? Will it be too traumatic for her? I can always give it to someone else.'

After thinking for a minute Barkaxe replied, "We can have our craftsgoblins make four cloaks for 10 galleons each because you are providing the hide yourself. The purse will cost two galleons. Three if you want security and an expanding charm placed on the inside. There will be Acrumantula Silk lining for all.

Harry Thought, 'That's a lot of galleons. Oh well. It's all money I didn't know I had before and the sale will make me even richer.' "OK Barkaxe, I'll take it all, but make it five cloaks. That is if the Basilisk is there. Also I'll want a few of the parts for potion ingredients."

Barkaxe wrote a note to himself on a piece of parchment. "Right the fee will be taken out of the sale if that is OK with you?" Harry nodded. "Now which vault would you like the proceeds deposited in Mr Potter?"

Harry decided on, "My Sam Underhill vault please."

"Of course Mr. Potter. Now one last thing before you are escorted to Swiftdeath. This package was left for you by a Han Solo's account manager, Snarltoe." Harry took the package wondering what it was, and Barkaxe continued. "Now this meeting has lasted almost an hour, so you will have to turn back time seven hours today. Please put on the glamour necklace and follow me. We will have the Portkey ready for you before you have to leave for Hogwarts." Harry put away the package to open later, and followed Barkaxe out of the office.

Deciding on a blond hair, blue eyed persona with a slightly higher voice, the one he used in Borgin & Burks, Harry met the man who Swiftdeath had chosen to teach him cursebreaking with a wand. The man's name was Joshua Platt, "Call me Josh." He was in his late fifty's with black hair with a little grey starting to show on the sides. He had a kind face except for a scar running down his left cheek. He extended his hand to shake Harry's. Hello…?"

Harry shook his hand. "Evan. Evan James. Nice to meet you."

Swiftdeath interrupted, "Yes, Yes. Joshua, I need you to give… Evan here the basics on wand based cursebreaking. I have been teaching him the basics and he doesn't have much time. I will supervise. Speaking of, Evan, use the Time Turner now."

If this was confusing for Joshua, it didn't show on his face. Harry figured that working for Gringotts meant that you were exposed to a lot of strange things and circumstances. Putting the chain around all three necks, Harry activated the Time Turner.

Arriving back at the Burrow after training, Harry went immediately into his trunk to open the package from Sirius. He had to hurry or Mrs. Weasley would come looking for him. Deciding to leave the Time Turner alone and just be quick, he opened the package and found a silver hand mirror and a note. "Say my name." was all the note said. Harry said aloud, "Sirius." And nothing happened. He tried again even louder, "Sirius!" again nothing happened. Next he tried "Sirius Black." Still nothing. "Han Solo." Nothing. "Padfoot?" The mirror flashed and Sirius's face appeared.

"Hey Progslet!" the mirror Sirius said.

Harry was shocked but responded, "How? What?"

Sirius laughed, "These are communication mirrors that me and your dad used while we were at Hogwarts. I thought with you heading back there, we could use these to talk. Much easier than going through Gringotts, and much more secure than owls. What do you think?"

Harry was smiling, "Brilliant! How do they work?"

"Well I'm not completely sure of the theory, but they are enchanted to form a connection between two or more objects. Remus probably understands how it works. Any way, you just set a password on the mirror, and when you say it, it connects to the mirror with the password you just said. Mine's Padfoot, obviously. Yours is set to Prongslet. Remus is set to Mooney. If your mirror starts to vibrate, just hold it and push some magic into it, like you are doing a spell and the mirror is your wand."

"I know how to push my magic." said Harry.

Sirius continued, "Good, good. To end the connection, all you have to push magic into it again."

"Wow." Harry exclaimed. "Do you have any more of these?"

"No. Why?" Sirius asked.

"I wanted to give one to Ron and Hermione. You know how much trouble we get in, and these could be handy."

Sirius laughed, "You're not kidding. Sorry, I don't have more, but I'm sure we can find the notes we used to make them and send them to you. Remus should still have them."

"That would be great. Sorry Sirius, but I have to go. After the World cup Mrs. Weasley is watching everyone like a hawk. I don't want to be caught. I'll talk to you tomorrow morning at seven. I should be able to be free for an hour.

Sirius had a sad look on his face when he responded, "OK pup. I understand. See you tomorrow." And his face disappeared.

Harry felt bad for Sirius, but reasoned that he would talk to him tomorrow, and if he could manage it, every day from now on. Leaving the trunk, Harry found Sssloker, Sssslisssser and Ssssliter in the little hut that he made for them. "Good morning Sssloker, Sssslisssser and Ssssliter."

A few grumbled, "Good morning'sss." later found all three snakes emerging from the hut.

Harry hissed. "It isss almossst time to head to Hogwartsss. You will have to be in the trunk for a day, but when I let you out you will have your very own chamber to explore.

The snakes didn't like the idea of having to be in the trunk again, but the idea of having their own chamber in a castle was very appealing. "We will be ready." Said Sssslisssser.

"How isss the hunting going?" Harry asked them.

Ssssliter replied. "The hunting isss very good here. Lot'sss of mice and other furry creaturesss."

Harry didn't really want to think about that, so he bid them farewell and returned to the Burrow for breakfast. He was right, Mrs. Weasley was looking for him.

September first rolled around and the Burrow was a mad house. Harry and Hermione were the only ones that had everything packed and ready to go. The twins, Ginny and Ron all had some last minute packing to do. Ron was the worst. It seemed like his stuff was everywhere but his trunk. Mrs. Weasley's yelling could be heard throughout the entire house. Harry thought that their neighbors could probably hear it too. Harry turned to Mr. Weasley who was sitting don drinking tea, he was able to take the morning off of work. "Mr. Weasley, how are we getting to the train?"

Setting the cup down, Mr. Weasley answered, "We are going to floo to the Leaky Cauldron and take a couple of taxis to Kings Cross Station."

"Why not just floo to the station directly?" Hermione asked, getting involved in the conversation.

"There isn't one on Platform 9 & 3/4." Replied Mr. Weasley.

"That's stupid." Said Hermione.

Harry had to agree, but it did explain how he ran into the Weasley's while he was looking for the platform his first year. 'But that doesn't explain why Mrs. Weasley was talking so loud about muggles in the middle of the station.'

Mr. Weasley explained, "There used to be one many years ago. It was shut down when You-Know-Who was last in power. It hasn't been reopened since. I don't know why. Anyway, eat up. It's a long journey."

It took six taxis but they arrived before the train left, if just barely. Ron was complaining about forgetting his favorite pair of socks and Mrs. Weasley was reassuring him that she would send them to him. They were lucky and found an empty compartment near the back of the train. After waving goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, the twins and Ginny left to find their friends, Leaving Ron, Hermione and Harry alone. Hermione grabbed a book and started reading, and Harry and Ron played Exploding Snap.

As per usual, they were paid a visit by their favorite Slytherin. Not. He was, as always bookended by Crabbe and Goyle, "Oi, Scarhead. Are you going to enter this year? Or are you to scared?" Draco taunted.

"What are you on about?" asked a confused Ron. He looked at Harry and Hermione but they didn't seem to know either. "What! Don't tell me you don't know?" exclaimed Draco with a superior attitude. "Surely Weasley, your dad should have told you what's happening this year at Hogwarts? I guess he wasn't important enough to know." Draco, Crabbe and Goyle laughed at this.

Ron's ears were turning redder by the minute. Harry thought, 'That must be what Mr. Weasley, Percy, and even Bill were hinting at all summer. I wish I paid attention, if just so I could shut Malfoy up.' Deciding to do something before Ron exploded, Harry said, "I'm not scared Malfoy, are you? Your Daddy can't buy it for you." this made Ron snicker and Draco scowl.

"Watch it Scarhead. You, your blood traitor friend and the mudblood better watch yourselves…"

Harry and Ron drew their wand at those words and Harry spat, "Shut up and leave now Malfoy or you'll be sorry!"

Looking down Harry's wand, Draco had a nervous look cross his face before it was immediately replaced with a cruel sneer. "When my father hears…"

Harry cut him off. "Your father isn't here right now is he? Leave now!" Harry practically yelled.

Draco was an idiot, but he knew that he couldn't do anything without getting hexed, so he turned around and left. Before he was gone he said over his shoulder, "This isn't over Potter."

"Git." Said Ron, after the door to the compartment closed.

Hermione said, "Harry, you really shouldn't fight with Malfoy."

This annoyed Harry. "Hermione. He came in here to start trouble. There is no way that I am going to back down from that little ponce."

Ron contributed, "Besides it's only Malfoy. What's he gonna do?"

Hermione snapped, "You're going to get in trouble if you fight."

Harry replied, "We get in trouble no matter what we do. I'm not going to back down from Malfoy." Turning to Ron he asked, "Any idea what he was talking about entering?"

"I don't know. Dad and Percy never said. I thought you might now when you asked Malfoy if he was too scared to enter himself." Said Ron.

"No. I just didn't want to give Draco the satisfaction." Said Harry. The rest of the train ride was peaceful. Before they knew it, they had arrived.

Hogwarts was just as beautiful as Harry remembered it. He couldn't wait to start the new year, so much to do. For the first time in his life at Hogwarts, Harry was actually looking forward to classes.

He had written a note to McGonagall asking for a change from Divination to Ancient Runes. She wrote back and said that if he passes a test the first day of school, she will let him transfer. It seemed to Harry that McGonagall wasn't a big fan of divination.

The Great Hall was bustling with activity when Harry found a seat at the Gryffindor table. 10 minutes later the first years entered for their sorting. Harry realized that this is first sorting, other than his own, that he was going to witness. Second year was the flying car and last year he had to be checked out because of the Dementor's.

25 minutes later the last name was called, and Ron had been complaining the entire time, Dumbledore stood up and made an announcement.

"To all new students welcome, and to all returning students, welcome back. I have some very important announcements to make but I'm sure you're more interested in food. Tuck in." Dumbledore raised his arm and in a sweeping motion and food appeared on the tables.

Ron immediately went for the chicken legs and started piling his plate with food. After dessert disappeared, Dumbledore stood and again and addressed the students. "Welcome back to another fine year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This year is going to be extra special. First I would like to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Alastor Moody."

A scared and gray-haired man stood up at the teachers table. A chunk of his nose was missing and he had an electric blue eye that spun around in his head independently from his normal one. 'This is a scary looking fellow.' Harry thought.

"Professor Moody is a retired Auror and I'm sure you will all learn a lot from him this year." continued Dumbledore The clapping was very sporadic and Moody sat back down, taking a sip from a flask he had on his hip.

"That's Mad Eye Moody!" said Ron. "Dad talks about him a lot. He said he's the best Auror there ever was."

"What's an Auror?" asked Hermione.

"A dark wizard catcher." answered Ron.

"He doesn't look all that successful with all those scars." said Hermione. Harry had to agree.

"Most of the cells are Azkaban full because of him, according to dad." Said Ron.

They turned their attention back to Dumbledore. "..need to talk, and unfortunately this year there will be no Quidditch cup." This was met with boo's from practically every one of the students. Ignoring the interruption, Dumbledore continued. "This is because we will be hosting a very special event this year, which will take up most of the teachers' time. The Tri Wizard Tournament will be coming to Hogwarts!"

At this announcement an loud chattering enveloped the room, people were talking excitedly to each other. Dumbledore let this continue for a minute and then continued. "Also participating in this tournament are the Durmstrang Institute and the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. They will arrive on October 30th and the tournament selection will occur on the 31st, Halloween. Eternal Glory and a prize of 1000 galleons await the winner of the Tri Wizard Tournament. But be warned, the challenges are daunting and not for the faint of heart." The noise level in the room increased at this announcement. "There have been some changes to the tournament to increase the safety for all participants, so it has been decided that no one under the age of 17 will be allowed to participate."

This was met with jeers, boo's and a few shouts of "No fair!" The last from the twins.

"Settle down, settle down." said Dumbledore. "It's been decided because of the dangers faced in the tournament at no underage witch a wizard should be allowed to compete. Now I know some of you are disappointed but it is for the best. Now off to bed. There's a lot of learning ahead of you and you want to have an early start on the day."

Everyone stood up and started heading toward to the doors of the Great Hall deep in conversation about the tournament. Ron said, "Too bad about the age limit. It would've been wicked to enter. Don't you think so Harry?"

Hermione said, "Don't be stupid Ron. The tournament sounds dangerous. I don't think anyone under 17 would be any good in it."

Ron just scoffed at Hermione. "We've had loads of adventures, probably harder than the ones in the tournament. We could do it easy. Right Harry?"

Harry replied, "I just want a quiet year for once Ron. I have no interest in the tournament, other than to watch it."

Ron said, "Come on mate, a thousand galleons prize money wouldn't hurt?"

"I don't need it." said Harry, who looked over and saw an unscrupulous look on Ron's face that he didn't like at that statement.

Hermione said, "Well it doesn't matter anyway, you're both only 14 so you can't enter." They were quiet after that continuing on their way to Gryffindor tower. In the common room they went up to their own rooms to sleep. Harry had a busy day ahead of him tomorrow.