Harry flexed his fingers as he stood across from Albus on the grounds of Hogwarts, the wind blowing through his unruly hair and robes. The same could be said of the old man as his long hair, beard and robes all gently swayed in the breeze, but neither took their eyes off the other.
"Begin!"
Harry moved as soon as Hermione gave the signal, magic coating his entire body as he used the the most powerful armor spell he knew, Dragonhide.
Light coated Harry's body in the form of shimmering scales, sharply increasing his physical defensive capabilities. At the same time, a shimming sphere of light formed around him in the form of the Grand Ward spell to defend against magic attacks.
"Taking the defensive position, Harry?" Albus asked him with humor in his voice, but for once the accompanying twinkle in his eyes was absent.
"You're my first real fight against a wizard Albus. I would rather be prepared for anything." Harry shot back, even as Albus seemingly just stood there without any movement. But he wasn't a fool, he had noticed the old man's lips moving slightly as he cast his defensive spells.
"Smart." Albus replied with a grandfatherly smile, before the ground erupted around Harry's feet as numerous thick roots shot up to wrap around his body.
Harry barely even felt them them thanks to the defenses he had prepared before he used the spell, Fire Storm in retaliation.
Harry ignored the numerous gasps as fire surged around him into a channeled cyclone, the flames hot enough to char even the scales of a dragon. And if Harry had one of his staves with him along with a potion, then they would have been hot enough to actually melt the scales in question.
But he did NOT have any of his gear, nor did he need the flames to get that hot anyways. Instead, Harry used them as coverage as he prepared his counter attack.
Lightning crackled in his palms as Harry unleashed a storm of attacks at his opponent, forcing Albus to actually take the situation seriously as he defended against the spells.
The grounds soon smelt of ozone, and the students spectating had all of their hair standing on end from the power of Harry's lightning, Hermione the worst of all, but Albus appeared almost unfazed as he continued waving his wand, lips moving while making scarcely a sound.
His own shield spell came to life before him to protect himself from Harry's attacks, though the old man was forced to use magic to redirect the strongest of the spells before they tore through his defenses. Then, he made the ground erupt once more as numerous golems of earth, grass and stone rose up to charge at him.
Unconcerned, Harry waved his hand and a wave of reddish energy engulfed the transfigured earth, making them all pause before turning and beginning to attack one another instead.
"Fascinating. That belongs to the school of Illusion, doesn't it?" Albus asked with genuine awe in his tone. "I'm amazed it even works against Transfigured constructs that lack a will of their own."
"Only the strongest Illusionists can pull that off." Harry replied casually, as he proceeded to summon his own reinforcements. Except his consisted of a few dozen Atronachs made of fire, ice and lightning.
Once again, Albus was forced into the defensive as Harry's summons tore through his few remaining golems like they were parchment, before they all converged upon him like a swarm of locusts.
"We really should do this more often Harry. Its been a while since I had such fun." Albus said as he waved his wand like he was conducting an orchestra, and destruction followed.
Harry wasn't even entirely sure what happened as he watched his Atronachs being dismantled like a group of childrens toys.
First Albus seemingly pulled the moisture directly from the Frost Atronachs bodies, transferring it to the Flame Atronachs to weaken their fire before snuffing them out entirely. At the same time, the lightning holding the Storm Atronachs was directed away from them, shattering the withered remnants of the Frost Atronachs bodies while simultaneously causing the Storms to drop where they stood before their rocks returned to Oblivion. The same thing happened to rest of his Atronachs as they were systematically defeated.
"..."
Harry narrowed his eyes as he watched Albus closely, lightning crackling through his fingers as he gathered the power to make another attack. Just as he was about to unleash it though...
"TIME!"
Both Harry and Albus paused when they heard that, before turning to look at Hermione off to the side. Not only was her hair an absolute mess from all of the lightning Harry had been throwing around, but the large hourglass beside her showed that time was indeed up.
The tension immediately melted from both of their bodies, while Harry also let the power he had been building up drain away since the spar was over.
"Now then, I hope you were all paying attention." Albus said while turning to the rest of the students, who were all gathered behind Hermione with their mouths wide open.
It was their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class since Lockhart was locked up, and Albus had decided for them to take to the grounds for some fresh air and more space than what their classroom afforded them. Once they had moved outside, he then declared that they would be starting by having a sparring match between Harry and himself while the others watched.
"Now then, what can you all tell me about our match?" Albus asked while looking over them, until a hand shot up into the air. And no one was surprised by who the hand was attached to.
"Neither of you used any verbal spells!" Hermione quickly piped up as soon as Albus nodded to give her permission to speak.
"Indeed, miss Granger." Albus said while nodding his head gently in approval. "The drawback to vocalizing our spells in combat is that we are effectively telling our opponents what it is we plan to do, and therefore giving them time to prepare and retaliate. In our case, the magic Harry used is entirely nonverbal, while I muttered my spells quietly enough that neither he nor any of you could hear me say them. Unless you have particularly good hearing of course. Anyone else?"
This time a Ravenclaw raised their hand, Lisa Turpin.
"You also used noncombative spells." She declared confidently.
"Excellent, miss Turpin. Three points to both you and miss Granger." Albus said jubilantly before turning to the rest of the class. "As miss Turpin pointed out, I used primarily Transfiguration in my fight with Harry, either bringing my very surroundings to life, or transferring attributes his Atronachs possed to each other to defeat them. Let this be a lesson to all of you that the most direct answer isn't always the correct one. As wizards and withes, there are quite literally an infinite number of possibilities to solve our problems, so long as you can imagine it and make it reality.
"For the moment though, let's just focus on combating potential opponents. Would all of you please pair up and hold mock sparring sessions. ONLY use different colored sparks though, as we don't want to needlessly make more work for Poppy. Off you trot then."
At his command, the students all began splitting up as they began mock battles with each other, only shooting different colored sparks as Albus commanded as they did so. The point being that the exercise would help them develop the motor skills and reaction time necessary if they ever found themselves in a combative situation. Thankfully, Harry already hading doing similar exercises the previous year with his own training, so they were all able to quickly adapt after a few minutes to shake off the cobwebs of the summer.
As they did that, Harry and Albus both walked around to keep an eye on them and correct any mistakes they saw while giving advice. Compared to the classes they got from Quirrel the year before, it quickly became the funnest DADA class any of them had. The fact they were outside was just a plus since they were still experiencing the last of summer before autumn's chill descended upon the grounds.
All too soon for the eager students, Albus produced a loud bang with his wand to signal that end of class was approaching.
"Excellent, all of you. We shall end things her for today, and return to the classroom so that you may make it to your next classes on time. Shall we?"
Though begrudgingly, the students all did as Albus ordered and trudged back up to the DADA classroom to collect their bookbags and supplies for their next classes. As they did so, Harry hung back and walked beside Albus at the rear of the group.
"I went through those memories you gave me." He told the headmaster after casting a Muffle spell to make sure no one overheard them.
"And what did you think?"
"They were interesting for sure, but the last one caught my eye. The one where Tom came to you for a job."
"Ah yes. I'm sure Headmaster Dippet unintentially put quite the wrench in his plans by retiring when he did. Thankfully for us, because I shudder to think what he might of done by being able to directly mold the minds of the children entering the school."
"Yet he had the option to do so last year." Harry said while looking at him pointedly.
"True, though I never would have suspected that Tom would possess Quirinus the way he did. I had just just assumed he was serving him in some manner. Luckily Quirinus decided to put up such a charade, as no student would ever take him seriously like that."
"I don't know. Nothing inspires confidence like stuttering every other word and looking like you're about to faint just from someone starting a conversation." Harry said jokingly, earning a smile from Albus, but then he turned serious.
"The part I wanted to talk to you about was how the curse seemingly took effect after that memory. Is it possible that it's being anchored by something Tom left in the castle? Something like a Horcrux?"
"..."
"It is possible." Albus eventually said after a moment of silence.
"You sound positively enthused at the idea of another Horcrux being right within reach." Harry stated dryly.
"Yet we don't even have the faintest idea of where it might be." Albus pointed out tiredly.
"I have spent over 80 years of my life within this castle. In that time I have come to learn quite a few of her secrets, but there are others that I doubt I will ever discover. The Chamber of Secrets for instance. There would be a thousand years of secrets left by hundreds of thousands of students that we would have to sort through to even have a hope of finding the Horcrux. And we don't even know what to look for at that."
"It would be something related to the founders." Harry immediately said, earning him a look from the old man.
"And why do you assume that?"
"Because of the ring. If it is hidden in the Gaunt family home, then it shows that Tom loves his theatrics more than practicality. After all, if you're talking about which one would be best to hide at Hogwarts, wouldn't the diary designed to open the Chamber and unleash whatever is within be better? Instead, he would have hidden something tied to Hogwarts herself, something that came from one of the founders." Harry explained to him.
"True..." Albus murmured slowly in contemplation. "It would have to be something from either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw then. Tom would be more concerned with completing the set than trying to find something else from Slytherin or Hufflepuff."
Harry frowned at that, as the two most notable artifacts from either founder were lost. At least according to the research he had done during the summer.
"What are the chances that its either the Sword of Gryffindor, or the Diadem of Ravenclaw?" He asked warily.
Albus winced at the thought, before answering gravely, "I fear that might be the case. Tom always did have quite the knack for knowing things he had no business knowing. If he managed to discover either then it would have been quite the accomplishment for him. There is one person you could ask though..."
"Who?"
"The ghost of Ravenclaw house, the Grey Lady. No one knows who she was before she died, but she is one of the oldest ghosts within Hogwarts. She would know more than anyone else about the diadem."
"And if she's a dead end?"
"Then we can turn our attention to the sword. I'll look into that while you go and talk to her." Albus said, and Harry nodded in agreement.
"On another note, I did quite enjoy our sparring session. Perhaps we can get together every now and then for a real match. Away from prying eyes of course." Albus suggested as they finally reached the classroom.
"Of course. I need the experience fighting against wizards of this world. But I won't go easy on you like I did today." Harry promised, and Abus looked at him sharply.
"That was easy?"
"Of course. I didn't have any of my staves, potions, or usual equipment. Plus I wasn't aiming to kill. If I had been, then it would have been quite a different scene." Harry stated plainly as he collected his things from where he left them earlier.
"I see... Then I shall look forward to our next exchange." Albus stated with a twinkle in his eye, and Harry headed for his next class along with the rest of the Gryffindors.
"You couldn't have used something instead of lightning?" Hermione grumbled as soon as he fell into step beside her, still trying to work with her ruined hair
"You know, I do earn royalties from a potion my grandfather invented, Sleekeazy. I can get you some if you want." Harry offered with a wry smile.
"Really?!" Hermione exclaimed with wide eyes and an even wider smile.
"Of course." Harry affirmed for her, and Hermione smiled all the way to their next class. Not even Pansy making a snide remark about her hair got her down.
...
Later that day, Harry sat alone in the common room after finishing his dinner, a book open in front of him as he studied the high level spells within it.
He had already spent some time talking to Tom in the diary, telling him the abridged version of his day within the castle. He even threw in a few tidbits that he thought would be normal for a boy of twelve, stupid homework, annoying classmates, and a girl giving him the goo-goo eyes of adolescent love.
Tempted as he was to ask the diary about any potential hiding places in the castle, Harry held himself back lest he seem as if he were pressing Tom too much. After all, he still needed to learn of the Chamber of Secrets, as well as the creature that called it home.
When he finished with that, Harry retired to the common room to study his book and interact with his housemates while waiting for night to fall properly. And slowly but surely, the common room started to empty as more and more students trudged off to bed for the night.
After Oliver Wood also went to bed, but not before reminding Harry about Quidditch tryouts, which he still owed to Sirius for his Firebolt, it was finally late enough that Harry decided it was time to move.
There were still a few students left, but it wasn't a problem for him as none of them noticed Harry when he stood, and blatantly walked out of the portrait hole into the corridor. From there, he stealthily moved through the halls while casting Clairvoyance to help his track his quarry. That was the fun thing about about tracking a ghost, they didn't leave any traces behind to show they'd been there, or where they were going.
Harry continued through the corridors without pause or worry, even when he came across Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat. Normally this would be akin to a death sentance to a student wandering the halls after curfew, but Harry didnt even falter as he produced a little bit of Moon Sugar for her.
The cat immediately pounced onto the substance without missing a single beat, ignoring Harry entirely as he continued tracking his quarry.
Teachers, Filch or Mrs. Norris, none of them proved to be anything of a challenge to Harry's night time wanderings. The only true problem was Peeves, as the poltergeist was chaos incarnate. He would report students being out of bed just to ruin their night, not because of anything as mundane as rules.
Thankfully Peeves seemed otherwise occupied as Harry continued without pause, until he finally spotted his target floating aimlessly on one of the lower levels, not too far from the dungeons.
She was beautiful, with long flowing hair and regal robes. But Harry felt her beauty was marred by the haughty expression on her face as she floated about.
Harry approached her cautiously before no longer bothering to keep himself hidden, visibly startling her as he seemingly materialized from the darkness.
"Pardon me." Harry said, calling out to her.
"..."
At first she said nothing, only giving Harry a look of disdain as they stared at one another for a beat.
"You are the Grey Lady, correct? The ghost of Ravenclaw house?" Harry asked, though he already knew it was her.
"I am." She replied with a voice that neared a wail, and a tone nearly as haughty as her expression.
"I was wondering if you could help me with something." Harry began, before she suddenly drifted closer to him.
"You want help locating the lost Diadem of Ravenclaw, don't you?" She sneered at him from a little less than a foot away.
"That's right." Harry said, not even bothering trying to hide it.
"Well give up." She snapped before turning to slowly drift away. "The diadem has been lost for centuries, so there's no point in looking for it."
"That's good then." Harry said, and she halted in her place.
"What do you mean?" She asked while slowly turning to face him once more.
"I mean, the only reason I'm looking for the diadem is because I need to confirm that someone else hasn't found it. Someone who may have warped and twisted it with dark magics." Harry said, not giving away what he actually suspected was done to it, but also explaining he had no real interest in the diadem itself.
His word had an effect on the ghost though, as she looked away and winced just barely at the information. It was slight. Nearly impossible to catch, even more so in this lighting, but Harry had plenty of practice.
"Unless, someone has found it..." He said slowly, drawing her attention back to him once more.
"He was sweet." She said in a voice just barely above a whisper, her haughty expression now replaced by shame.
"We would sit for hours and talk while he was at school here. He would even listen to my grievences from when I was alive. Without realizing it, I told him the story of when I stole the diadem from my mother, and fled to the mainland. She never blamed me for it though. Instead she hid what I had done from everyone else, right up until her deathbed. She sent someone to retrieve me, just so she could see me one last time. I hid the diadem in the hollow of a tree, and then was killed by the man she sent after me in a fit of rage."
Harry listened quietly as the ghost talked of her past, not interrupting her in the slightest. Though he did note that she never specified where the hollw tree that she hid the diadem in was, but that didn't matter. He would readily bet all of his earthly possessions that it was no longer there.
"I think it's in the castle." Harry told her, and the ghost looked up sharply at him.
"Why?" She demanded.
"The curse on the DADA position." Harry stated plainly.
"He visited the castle one last time, many years ago. And ever since, the position has been cursed. I believe that he hid it here in the castle that day, somewhere he was sure no one would ever find it."
The Grey Lady, who Harry now knew was actually Helena Ravenclaw, nodded slightly from this information.
"The room of hidden things." She said finally.
"On the seventh floor of the astronomy tower, across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. It is a room that hides items for students collected over the last thousand years. It would be like trying to find a piece of hay in a haystack the size of mountain."
"But its a place to start." Harry said, stepping towards her eagerly and saying with genuine sincerity, "Thank you, Helena."
The ghost appeared startled for a second when he said her name, before looking away again while appearing contemplative.
"It has been so long since I heard my name..." She murmured, before looking back at Harry. "If you find the diadem, what do you plan to do with it?"
"Purge the dark magic from it." Harry answered immediately.
"And if you cannot?" She asked, almost testily.
"Then I'll destroy it." Harry answered with a firm voice.
Helena looked at him for a moment, seemingly reading his expression.
"Very well. If you do find it, would you let me look upon it, one last time?"
"Of course." Harry replied to her earnest plea, and the Grey lady bowed her head thoughtfully, and slowly drifted away through the wall behind her.
Their conversation over, Harry immediately headed to the astronomy tower, going all the way to the seventh floor, before stopping right in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.
Harry had seen the tapestry before of course, but this was the first time he truly stopped and looked at it. Barnabas truly deserved to be called barmy if what the tapestry depicted was any indication, as it showed him surrounded by several trolls dressed in pink tutus.
Shaking his head at the image, Harry turned around so that he was facing the blank space of wall opposite the tapestry. Then he frowned.
Helena had not told him how to enter the room of hidden things.
Immediately, Harry began searching up and down the length of wall for any hidden levers or switches. The type he had spent decades locating in ancient tombs, caverns and labyrinths scattered all across Skyrim. But to no avail.
Finding nothing physical to enter the room, Harry began magically scanning the wall. Starting with Clairvoynce as he paced up and down the hall while looking for any way to get inside.
"I don't know if I should be frustrated, or fascinated..." Harry murmured to himself as he paced back and forth, nearly ready to call it a night. He still had classes in the morning, and he could always come back the next night and try to figure it out.
Just as Harry was about to leave, he thought he heard something. Like stone scraping against stone. But infinitely quieter.
Turning around one last time, Harry found himself facing a large wooden door set into the stone that hadn't been there a second ago.
"No way..." Harry muttered in disbelief as he approached the door, his mind racing through everything he had done to try and figure out how he had summoned it. But nothing specific came to mind.
He quickly decided that the how and why could wait until the following night, and instead hurriedly opened the door before it vanished yet again. And inside was a sight that made Harry's jaw drop.
Within, Harry was greeted by a hall rivaling the Great Hall in size, at least, and filled with literal mountains of junk that stretched as far as the eye could see. And he did mean junk.
Old broomsticks, broken quills, empty ink bottles, old furniture, torn book bags, and just about anything else one would think to see at Hogwarts.
A thousand years worth of junk and potential lost treasures stetched out before Harry. And somewhere within was the single small diadem he was looking for.