*Chapter 12*

April 22, 2007, Hogwarts

Harry was frustrated. Why he was frustrated had a lot to do with the annoying boy in front of him. It seemed Arthur was back at trying to convince him to give the Potters one more chance. Harry at this point was just ignoring him and trying to read his book.

"C'mon Harry, please. You have to come back. Mom and Dad just aren't the same with you gone. Little Rose has also been told about you and is very excited to meet you. I know that we all screwed up in the past and you have every right to be angry but at least let us try to make it up with you." Arthur pleaded with Harry in a secluded corner of the library.

"Sorry did you say something," Harry responded without even looking up from his book. Arthur's face immediately drooped down in disappointment. He sighed and prepared to leave.

"Harry no matter how long it takes. I will never give up on you. I will always wait for you to rejoin our family." Arthur said before he left.

Harry looked up from his book and looked at the spot that Arthur had been a second ago.

"Troublesome brat." He mumbled under his breath. Apparently, during Christmas break he had told the Potters all he knew about Harry and since the Potter's could not just randomly come to Hogwarts except for an emergency, they had had to rely on Arthur to try and convince him. Knowing this, Arthur's efforts to get him to go back to the Potter Manor had tripled from before the break.

That wasn't all that had changed either. Harry had also had to keep his promise to Daphne and train her so she could learn how to take care of herself. If he were, to be honest, the girl was terrible when it came to any sort of physical activity. She excelled with magic but Harry hadn't relied on magic in years and that is what often gave him an edge over his opponents. He was strong in physical and magical aspects. He had to start with the ground up with her. He had made her run around the lake. She couldn't at first so Harry had to give her a little…push. He found an Acromantula and lured it to her before having it chase her around the lake. That got her motivated to run faster. She wasn't happy and expressed the fact to Harry after. Harry had just shrugged at her and told her that she could quit anytime she wanted to. She didn't though. She at least trusted Harry enough to know that all the training he gave would pay off. And it did. By the beginning of April, she was running like an athlete and had the stamina to keep up with any other 11-year-olds that played sports. Sure Harry had to…encourage her progress once in a while but it paid off. He had just gotten her started on learning how to free run. She was terrible at it now but she would eventually get use to the feeling of the constant motion required to be able to do such a thing. She still had a long way to go before she was acceptable in Harry's eyes though.

May 1, 2007, Hogwarts

"Remind me again what the hell you are doing." Sammy hissed in a demanding tone. Harry sighed before answering.

"It's simple Sammy. I am engraving runes on your scales to first give an artificial core and second to be able to absorb some of my magic to give your core a jump start." Harry said back to his friend.

"But why? I don't need magic. I am already dangerous enough. There is no animal I can't kill with a single bite." Sammy responded back with a hint of condescending pride in her voice.

"Don't get too cocky Sammy. There are in fact certain animals that you fangs can't pierce or at least, not yet. Dragons and Nundu's are a good example of such animals. Besides, this will give you a boost in strength in not only your scales but also your poison will most likely gain some magic properties. It's a win-win no matter how you look at it." Harry responded calmly back.

"Fine. Just hurry up with this. I want to go kill some mice." Sammy hissed grumpily. Harry let out a small chuckle at his companion's attitude. What a troublesome familiar he had picked. He continued to draw the runes on her when she spoke again.

"You know I often hear that brother of yours when I make my way around the castle. He and his group have figured out what use to be hidden in that room. They think that the oiled up flesh bag that you have as ahead of the house is trying to steal it." Sammy said trying to gauge what Harry's reaction would be to the news. Harry just shrugged.

"It is of no concern of mine what they do. Though I am curious about what they will do when they find out that it is Quirell who is trying to steal the stone." Harry said back slyly.

"Ahh. You confirmed it was him then. Have you figured out what that foul evil stench is coming off him is?" Sammy asked. Harry nodded as he finished one rune and moved on to the next.

"I have a strong suspicion yes," Harry said.

"So what are you going to do about It.?" Sammy asked.

"Nothing. It has nothing to do with me. Besides, I already have that worthless stone. No reason for me to get involved if I already have the price." Harry responded back nonchalantly.

"You would abandon your kin to is fate?" Sammy asked again not showing if she was offended by the notion or not.

"Haven't considered a Potter one of my kin in years. You know that. Whatever messes that boy gets himself into, he should be able to get himself out of." Harry said back as he finished the last rune.

"My my. You seem so cold to the Potters. Don't tell me you still feel anger to them after all this year?" Sammy asked somewhat mockingly.

"Not at all. I just feel indifferent to them at best and annoyed with them on occasion at worst." Harry said matter of factly as he put away his engraving tools.

"So when will I be able to start being able to use magic?" Sammy said as she stretched then coiled her body before slithering back into Harry's clothes.

"Depends. The next point of my plan doesn't come into effect until Quirell makes his move. Until then, I'm afraid you will have to do without it. This works out fine anyway. Your body needs to be able to adjust to the new energy source it has before it can use it." Harry said as he left the room.

"So what you're telling me is that I can't do anything," Sammy said more as a statement than a question. Harry smirked.

"Yes Sammy, that is what that means," Harry said back as if he was talking to a 6-year-old

"Hmph." Sammy hissed back. Harry wasn't sure how she could make that noise with just but he thought it best to not question it.

June 3, 2007, Hogwarts

Harry had woken up and the first thing he heard when he got to the common room was how Potter had spent the night in the hospital after supposedly killing a teacher. Harry smiled. It seemed his plan was to finally be put into effect He had little doubt in his mind that the person dead was Quirell. He did a quick magical scan and confirmed his suspicions when he could no longer feel Quirell or the foul evil that was attached to him. Harry felt it was time he had a little visit with Dumbledore. He hadn't talked to him since the beginning of term when he pretended the stone wasn't there. He waited till lunch so everyone else would be in the Great Hall. He knew that Dumbledore would be in his office plotting since he most likely thought that Voldemort stole the stone since it was no longer with Arthur or the mirror.

He walked up the stairs and through the many passages before he came the gargoyle that resided in front of the headmaster's stairs. He smiled at the creature.

"Hello. I need to go talk to the Headmaster. I hope my last password will be enough to let me in?" Harry questioned as he looked at the Gargoyle with an innocent smile. The gargoyle looked back at him before moving out of the way without saying a word. Harry continued to smile at it.

"Thank you so much." He said as he made his trek up he got to the door he simply barged in. It seemed that he interrupted something important because both Snape and McGonagall were saying something in worried tones to the headmaster before stopping when they saw Harry.

"Evening Headmaster and professors. I have something vital to discuss if you don't mind professors.

"Boy we are in the mid-"Snape tried to snap back at him before he was cut off.

"It is alright Severus. We shall continue this conversation another time." Dumbledore said. Snape glared at Harry before swooshing is a cloak and leaving swiftly. McGonagall left as well but not before giving Harry a curious look. When they left, Harry sat down in the chair in front of the headmaster's desk.

"Afternoon headmaster. Trouble in paradise?" Harry asked politely with a soft smile. The headmaster smiled back all though with much strain obvious in his face.

"Ah, nothing to worry about my boy. Just some misfiled paperwork and such." He responded back in his grandfather like tone. Harry's smile turned into a wicked smirk in the blink of an eye.

"So how's the stone doing. I do hope nothing untowardly has happened to it." Harry said as he took a lemon drop and popped it in his mouth. Dumbledore's grandfatherly smile instantly dropped from his face before he recovered quickly.

"I'm afraid I have n-"Dumbledore stated before he was cut off.

"Yes, you do. You know exactly the stone I'm talking about. Should I be a little clearer to jog your memory? It's the philosopher's stone I am talking about. How is it?" Harry said still with the smirk on his face as he sucked on a lemon drop. Dumbledore looked at him with a slight look of suspicion behind his grandfather's façade. Harry still saw it though.

"I'm afraid I'm going to ask you how you know of that Harry," Dumbledore said as if Harry actually had to tell him. Harry chuckled internally. He loved the way Dumbledore operated. It honestly amused him to screw with the man.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you. I only came here to make a deal with you." Harry said as he continued to look at the man. The man looked at him curiously.

"What kind of deal." He asked apprehensively.

"I will get the stone back for you if you do something for me," Harry said. He could see that he immediately caught Dumbledore's interest.

"You know the location of the stone?" Dumbledore asked earnestly. Harry simply continued to suck on the lemon drop in his mouth.

"That depends on if you agree to the terms of the deal," Harry said simply. Dumbledore looked at him seriously.

"Harry I don't think you understand the power of the stone in the wrong hands it could-"Dumbledore tried to say.

"I'm not going to say any more until you agree to my terms," Harry said as he continued to suck on the candy. Dumbledore looked at him conflicted. He didn't know what the boy wanted but it was most likely something not good.

"What are your terms? Be aware that I will not expel you from this school so if that is what you want then I'm afraid we have nothing to talk about." Dumbledore said as he tried to control the situation.

"That had crossed my mind but I decided against it for several reasons. Now onto what I want. I want three books in parseltongue that teach parsel-magic." Harry said as he reached over and took another candy. Dumbledore looked at him frozen in surprise.

"Why do you wish to have such books? Dumbledore asked wearily.

"Don't worry about that. Just tell me if you agree to the terms." Harry said as he now looked directly into the old man's eyes.

"Harry such books are…" Dumbledore tried.

"I don't care. How you get the three books is up to you. Do you agree to the terms?" Harry asked as he continued to look directly into the man's eyes. Dumbledore stared back at him and tried to figure out why Harry would want such books. Is it possible that Harry was a Parsel-mouth? He did in fact have a few such books in his personal library in Gringotts but he did not wish to give them up since there were quite rare and had been taken from various hideouts that Voldemort used. On the other hand, if he didn't give it to Harry, Voldemort would most likely be trying to revive himself as they spoke. He decided that Voldemort was his primary concern. He would worry about Harry after that.

"Fine. I agree to your terms. I will get the books and bring them to my office and we will create a magical contract so no party can lie." Dumbledore said and watched Harry's face to see if any part of what he said had been a lie. Harry just nodded back as if he expected such a result.

"As you wish. I will draft the contract. I will meet you back here after dinner then." Harry said as he got up and walked to the door. The entire time, Dumbledore looked at Harry's back until he disappeared behind the door. He sighed as he got up from his chair and headed to the fireplace. It seemed he would be losing some of his prized personal collection today. Then he was gone in flames.

Dinner, Same night

Harry was eating some rotisserie chicken next to Daphne and her friend Tracy. He didn't move to where they sat or anything. Daphne felt like that now that she was being trained by him, they should eat together, or at least that's what Harry thought. Honestly, who knew for sure what women were thinking? He couldn't help be slightly happy about the fact that Dumbledore fell for his little trap, hook, line, and sinker. He presumed because he felt that he didn't have a real choice in the matter. He had already sensed the old man's return to the castle. He watched him give a speech about Slytherin winning. He then made a big show of awarding 500 points to Arthur and his friends for fearlessly defending the castle from all enemies. Harry scoffed. From what he heard, Arthur didn't do too well against the Dark Lord and his servant. It was only because of Quirrell's own inadequacy that he even survived. He saw his fellow Slytherin groan at the loss by Gryffindor no less. He couldn't honestly see the point of care. These points did nothing except giving them a temporary trophy that they could marvel at for 1 day. They were so blind to the fact that they looked to be well-trained sheep. They were all slaves to their views and that made them ever so weak. Harry stopped paying attention and simply sipped his juice.

"Something wrong Wolfe?" Daphne asked politely.

"No, in fact, I would say that this is the best day of the entire year that I have been here," Harry said as he continued to sip his drink. Daphne looked at him.

"Oh? And why would that be?" She asked slightly interested.

"Nothing for you to worry about. Just a pleasant business transaction. But enough about business. Let's talk about you. You must be excited to go home for the first time since HE has died." Harry said as he shifted the conversation to Daphne. Daphne herself could hide the slight smile that came to her lips.

"Yes, I am. I'm not sure if I told you but I wasn't the only one he hit. He also beat my mother. From our letters, she is happy he is gone." Daphne said as she bit into her piece of chicken.

"What about your younger sister?" Harry asked.

"He never hit her. Mother and I made sure to get in his way if he tried. We couldn't bare letting him touch her." Daphne said looking sad at the bad memories. Harry nodded back.

"Very noble for you to sacrifice yourself for someone you consider family. That is something I can respect." Harry said. Just as he finished, Dumbledore stood and announced that it was time for bed. All the students stood and were escorted back to their rooms.

"I shall see you in the morning. I have some business to attend to." Harry said to Daphne. Daphne nodded and continued walking as Harry went down a different corridor. He went straight to the headmasters' office. The gargoyle didn't even let him say anything before moving out of the way. He walked up the stairs and opened the door. He saw the headmaster along with Snape and McGonagall.

"Evening headmaster. I was not aware that we would also have a guest." Harry said smoothly as he continued his approach. Dumbledore nodded slightly at him.

"They are simply here to act as witnesses for the contract and make sure both sides give the agreed objects or information," Dumbledore said to Harry so he wouldn't be worried.

"My oh my. One would think that you didn't trust me to complete my end of the deal. Well, no matter. Here is the contract. Let's get this done." Harry said as he turned serious and pulled out the contract and handed it to Dumbledore. Dumbledore nodded before he looked over the contract and confirmed that if he gave Harry the books that Harry would tell him the location of the stone immediately after getting payment. He signed it and magically bound himself to it before handing it back to Harry. Harry picked up the quill and signed it himself.

"Alright. Here are the books you requested." Dumbledore said as he pulled out three very old-looking books. Harry opened each and every one of them to confirm what was inside. Once he did he nodded back to show he had gotten what he wanted.

"Alright, you have your books. Now please tell us where the stone is located." Dumbledore said without his usual grandfather charm.

"Sure. Soon as your lackeys leave I will tell you exactly what you want to know." Harry said as he waited. Both Snape and McGonagall looked before Dumbledore raised his hand to show them to keep silent.

"Severus, Minerva, please leave us," Dumbledore said wondering what Harry was up too. They both left but didn't look happy about it.

"Now the stone location Harry." Dumbledore pressed.

"Sure Dumbledore. No need to push so hard. The stone's location is in my right pocket." Harry said as he crossed his legs and waited for Dumbledore to get over his shock.

"Harry this is no time for jesting. Every moment you waste, Voldemort could be bringing himself back to life." Dumbledore said trying to gain some urgency in the boy. Harry simply reached into his pocket and pulled out the red stone in question. As soon as he saw the stone, Dumbledore's mind went blank.

"Don't know why you keep bringing up Voldemort and saying he has the stone," Harry said as he rested his arm on the armrest and continued to show off the stone.

"But…How…when?" Dumbledore stuttered out.

"I have had it since the second day of term. As soon as our conversation finished that day, I went to retrieve it. It also destroyed quite a few of your traps. It was quite the annoyance, especially Snape's.

"You had it this whole time…You tricked me into thinking Voldemort had it so I would irrationally agree to almost any demand you made." Dumbledore said as he looked at Harry as if a fog had just left his eyes.

" Dear Dumbledore, what a wild imagination you have. How could I possibly have planned out such a scenario that worked perfectly in my benefit? Normally I would just tell you where it was and keep it but it has no use for me." Harry said as he tossed the small stone on to Dumbledore's desk.

"Thank you for these books headmaster. I can't continue my training without them. Oh and next term, I think I will introduce you to my snake." Harry said at the dumbfounded Dumbledore. He picked up his things and headed out.

"You have a good summer." He said before leaving the office.