The next two weeks passed and Harry's training continued. He now had atleast a few spells that he could use in combat, all or which he could also do wandlessly too. He was now atleast an above average student in potions which was previously his worse class, thanks to Snape. He was now sure that he could score an E on the practical and a straight O at written even if Snape was biased. Occlumency was already helping him remember things much better than before. He was at the second stage, the organization of the mind, and would do it every night before sleep and With the founders, thrice a week. He by no means had a photographic memory yet, but his retention and learning speed, theory that is was atleast Hermione level now.
He had found that his learning speed for practical was very fast. Now he got a spell right on the first or the second try. McGonagall and Flitwick were impressed by his progress. Hermione had questioned him how was he doing it so fast when she herself was taking a dozen tries atleast. He had replied that she had missed two weeks of classes and the magic controlling exercise was helping him learn faster. Hermione had decided after the initial try that the thing was useless and had not continued practicing it.
On another note, Professor Dumbledore was now taking the DADA classes. He had to admit that Dumbledore was an excellent teacher. On par with Salazar and Helga in his opinion. Dumbledore had brought the students up to speed for what should have actually consisted the curriculum in just 4 lectures, that is 12 hours, as he had taken the double slots. Everyone enjoyed his classes. Even Malfoy and his cronies didn't complain. Now the class was hugely practical, Harry was at the top followed by Daphne Greengrass of Slytherin, Susan Bones from Hufflepuff and Hermione, much to the chagrins of Ravenclaw house and Hermione.
Also the past two weeks had seen most students going into a studying frenzy. Almost everyone in the castle had expected that the exams except OWLs and NEWTs won't take place. Hermione also dragged him to the library everyday to study. Ron always ran away after a couple of hours and he was left, not that he had a problem. He himself would study theoretical subjects like History, Herbology, Astronomy and other subjects theory part. He was sure that he would do perfectly in practical's but theory may bring his level down. He could not let that happen. Number one spot was going to be his.
On first June, most second year students were preparing for transfiguration exam, their second one. In the morning there was the theory paper and after lunch were the practical's.
At breakfast table, Harry saw an owl heading towards Hermione and Colin. Their Gringotts notice had arrived. Hermione read the letter and gaped. Harry, even though he knew what exactly was in it, asked what happened.
"Harry... Harry someone has opened a vault in my name... And has deposited a 100,000 G in it!"
"Wow it looks like you have an admirer... or on second thoughts perhaps someone gave the basilisk victims compensation." He said pointing at Colin, who was also jumping up and down on his seat. He applauded himself for his good acting.
"Harry, what do you know?" Hermione asked with narrowed eyes.
Shit! He should not have jinxed it! He also had to work on his acting skills.
"What!? Nothing. I know nothing. I just put the clues together!" He said defensively.
Hermione pulled him out of the great hall, with Ron following. "But Hermione, Breakfast" he whined which fell on deaf years. Hermione led him to an empty classroom. " Now Harry James Potter, tell me what do you know. Did you give your money to us?"
"What no... No... It was not my money that was sent!" An angry Hermione was terrific. He wasn't this scared of the Basilisk who had a killer gaze and was 50 times longer than her... Okay an exaggeration... But you get it!
"Ah! So you know what happened. Spill!" Harry took a deep breath, " Okay, I might have... Persuaded... Lucius Malfoy to give all victims of the chamber of secrets, a... Donation of 100,000 G. That includes Hagrid, me, Ron and Ginny!"
"Wait! You are saying that you gave us money that too 200,000 G! Harry I told you..." Ron started before he was interrupted.
" Ron it wasn't my money! It was Malfoy's. And no, it's not a donation, it was Lucius Malfoy paying for his crimes." Harry snapped. " What do you mean crimes? See mate I know Malfoy was a Death Eater but that does not mean he has to pay for the petrified students." Harry started to take a calming breath, "Ron, do you remember that Mr. Malfoy bumped into us in the book shop in Diagon Alley? Well I remember Lucius Malfoy picking up Ginny's books and giving it back to her. And Ginny told us that she got the diary with her school books." Hermione's eyes went wide and Ron got angry.
"That Bastard! I will kill him!" Saying so he stormed towards the door likely to do something stupid. But didn't reached it because harry had hit him with a wandless petrificus totalis. "Ron! Calm down! Malfoy has been dealt with. Don't do something stupid! Just take a deep breath, yes calm down. Trust me Lucius Malfoy won't be a problem now how much ever he hates us."
"Harry, did you... did you kill him" Hermione asked hesitantly. Harry realized that his words were interpreted in a wrong way. He knew even if he said yes, Hermione would not have left him. Ron was likely to start celebrating.
"No... No I did not kill him, I am not a murderer Hermione. Lucius Malfoy is in perfect health, I assure you. But he won't be able to harm us directly or indirectly, unless he wishes to die." Harry smirked.
"You made him take a vow, didn't you?" Hermione, as brilliant as ever, asked. Harry nodded. "Would you tell us how you did it?"
"I told you that I persuaded him Hermione." Harry said, but Hermione got the underlying meaning. She nodded and said, "Just so you know, I won't have thought of you any less if you had killed him without getting caught... But its the best you didn't. Malfoy is a Death Eater and has committed numerous crimes. It would have been a bad guy less but you would have to live with the fact that you killed. My dad was in the Marines. He always said that people who are cold blooded murders and kill for pleasure, had everything coming for them as a fair game."
"I thought they were dentists?" Harry asked, glad he was right about Hermione.
"Mum is. Dad helps her. " She replied. They turned to Ron who was still in a body bind. "Are you calm enough?" Ron blinked in confirmation. "Finite Incantenum" Hermione freed him from the body bind. Ron got up and dusted his robes. He quietly said, "Thank you Harry, for what you did for my Family."
"Anytime Ron. Anytime. Now Lets go. We have the transfiguration exam in fifteen minutes."
"OH NO! I can't revise the notes now!" Hermione Exclaimed distraught. "I am sure you will do fine Hermione."
"Yes, Yes Hermione. You will." Ron affirmed.
It was four days later, that the Trio found themselves in the DADA classroom in front of Dumbledore for Practical exams. "Good afternoon students. Welcome to the practical Exams for the Defense against the Dark Arts course. For this exam I will ask you to demonstrate seven spells out of the forty in the curriculum. Marks will be given on how well you do a spell. A perfectly cast spell will earn you full marks. Further, you have to demonstrate three spells of your own choosing on that dummy. It may be of the second year syllabus, First year syllabus or a spell not taught yet. These marks will be given on the difficulty of the chosen spell, how well it is cast and its use in DADA. You have to also explain what spell you are doing before you cast. Now I will take out a name out of the bowl and the said person would perform in front of the class."
"First is... Lily Moon... Ms. Moon please come here..." The test started. Harry was getting the feeling that he may be the last as by now only him, Hermione, Abbot, Crabbe and Padma were remaining. So far if he had to place a ranking, Greengrass was the best, she had done all spells asked perfectly and then showed the class a stunner, A knee reversal hex, which harry found interesting, and a Diffindo.
Bones was next, doing all spells perfectly and performing a stunner, an Expelliarmus and the Langlock, tounge tying charm.
Hermione's chance came and she too did all the spells perfectly and doing a stunner, Diffindo and Immobulos.
Then came the man of the hour, him. He was the last one. He didn't think this was a coincidence. He went to the front of the class and as Dumbledore asked performed all the spells perfectly and he had been asked to do the spells which were the hardest to perform in the syllabus. "Now Mr. Potter please show us three spells of your choosing."
Harry nodded and said, "My first spell is the Smoke-screen spell. It produces a white fog which hinders visibility enabling a person to hide. Fumos." A perfect fog enveloped the whole class. The visibility was hardly two feet after the spell was finished. That was till Dumbledore blew it away by making wind. 'The ventus charm' Harry realized. "Mr. Potter, I must say a most wonderful spell, one not taught at Hogwarts, but found in several reference books. It was perfectly cast. Next spell please."
"My next spell is an enhanced version of the Arrow shooting spell. It shoots three arrows instead of one. Triplexi Saggita" Three arrows impacted the dummy. One in the shoulder, one in the heart and one on the forehead. Dumbledore's eyebrows raised. "An excellent spell again Mr. Potter, one used by several duelers in the dueling ring. And you even shot it perfectly. Now your last one."
Harry readied himself. His next spell was the one he had learned just a couple of days ago, under the founders tutelage. "My last spell will be the shield charm, Protego. It is a defense against several mid level jinxes and hexes, and can withstand even low level curses." Many in the class were gaping, no doubt knowing that the famous shield charm was an owl level spell. They currently had only learned Aegis Shieldus, a shield to stop extremely low level jinxes and hexes. "Mr. Potter, mind if I test your shield? Then once you cast, please keep your wand on the teacher's desk so it can't be reinforced." He added after Harry shook his head that he didn't mind.
Professor Dumbledore stepped in front of him, a few meters away and took out his wand. Harry took a deep breath. He was confident that his shield would be perfect. Salazar and Helga had made him practice till it formed perfectly even without a wand or an incantation. So he was sure that with his wand it will be flawless. The problem? Dumbledore was the one testing his shield. "Protego." He cast a perfect shield, overpowering it a bit too and put his wand aside. "Perfectly cast Mr. Potter. Not a single ripple. Now let's test how much it will withstand." Saying so he whipped out his wand and shot an Expelliarmus at the shield. It held. Dumbledore nodded and shot two more. It still held. He knew Dumbledore had called him the last for a reason. Why? He didn't know, but guessed like a showman holds his most impressive trick for the end, Dumbledore had held his star student for the last demonstration.
Dumbledore shot two more disarming hexes at it. He frowned when it held. He had expected it to break. And it would have if Harry had not overpowered it. Dumbledore looked at it critically. He raised his wand again and shot a minor blasting hex, Expulso. Harry knew this was it. The shield would break now. To his surprise it didn't. Well not exactly. After the spell hit, it started flickering, Showing it was on the verge of breaking. A simple stinging hex and that was it. But he was proud that the shield had withstood 5 expelliarmuses and an Expulso from Dumbledore, no less, even if he had not reinforced it. Dumbledore finally shot an Expelliarmus again. The shield finally broke. The spell rushed towards Harry. His eyes widened and he side stepped the spell allowing it to pass and hit the wall behind. He then heard clapping. Dumbledore was applauding and soon the class followed the loudest coming from Hermione. He blushed a bit. "Mr. Potter, I must say, that was the most powerful Protego shield I have seen. It was commendable that it held so much. Now please take your seat."
Albus Dumbledore was going through a plethora of emotions internally. He had called Harry in the end, the only reason being that the show should end with a bang. He had asked Harry to demonstrate the toughest spells in the curriculum knowing that he would perform it flawlessly. He was their teacher for the last few weeks after all! And he was right. Harry did it as expected. When he asked Harry to show the spells of his spells the first one he did was fumos, the smoke screen spell. That too at such a level that he could not see more than two feet ahead of him. He blew it away using the wind making charm. Next the boy showed the Triplexi Saggita spell of all spells available. It was a spell used by professional duelers in the dueling championships. Next was a flawless Protego an OWL level spell for sure, and Harry would have received full marks for it. When he tested the Shield He was shocked. Most Protego shields done by Aurors and Hitwizards wouldn't survive more than two or maximum three Expelliarmus spells by him. When the shield withstood two more expelliarmuses, He was shocked. Only a Protego shield cast by Alastor Moody, Amelia Bones, Filius Flitwick, Bellatrix Lestrange and likes would have held for so long! He finally shot an Expulso hoping to break the shield. It stood, though barely. By so much damage Only perhaps a Protego cast by Gellert or tom would hold, perhaps even theirs would break by the expulso cast by the death-stick. The Dark Lords equal. Indeed. His final spell broke it, at last! Harry gracefully sidestepped the incoming spell. He applauded genuinely impressed by the performance. Harry Potter had received full marks.
The next morning exams had ended with History being the last paper. Now the school awaited results which would be up in five days. They had a week before they the school year ended and they were back in the Hogwarts express. Most students were loitering about the courtyards in casual clothes and a batch of students were playing a pickup match of Quidditch. Only some of the Seventh years were inside preparing for their Ancient Runes Paper the next day. Harry was sure to get the first position in Charms, DADA and Transfiguration. His other subjects ranks depended on how others had done in the exams. And Potions was on Snape's mood.
The trio were currently at Hagrid's telling him about the Exams and the school year. It was fun. They talked about mundane things, and before they left, even showed them new unicorn Foals in the forest. They were golden in colour and cute. Harry even joked about taking one home.
As for Harry's personal studies, He was progressing fairly well. He had almost completely reorganized his mind. By the end of the school year he would probably start his mind shield. Even Salazar said that the speed was very fast for someone so young. For combat he was doing good. His endless page journal was filled with around 40-50 new spells already and guessed would be twice than that atleast before his third year began. Salazar and Helga had even increased his physical exercise by one whole set. But now, he didn't get as tired as he was when they first started. A subtle change could be seen in his physique, not too noticeable but he now had some muscle mass than before. He no longer looked emaciated and gained a couple of stones of weight, thanks to Helga's diet.
He had also learnt to do wanded magic while using his off hand and secondary wand. Salazar had made him do it. He said, "An intelligent person is always prepared for every eventuality in a duel. If you break your wand arm during a fight, you should atleast have some idea on how to duel with your off arm. If you can aim properly at the very atleast, you have a greater chance of getting away then if you can use your wand arm only! I am not saying that you need to become as capable with your off hand in doing magic as your wand arm. If you can do that, a lot better for you. But you should atleast be able to shoot spells properly with it."
When he had questioned the founders why his off hand magic was less potent than while using his wand in the right hand, while there was no difference with wandless magic Helga had answered, "Harry, the answer lies deep in wand-lore. I am not going to explain the whole thing, as even I don't know everything, but in simple terms there is a deeper connection between your wand and dominant hand. As for the wandless magic, only a wizard or witch with arch-mage ability can do it and is uncharted waters. Even Morgana had asked us the same thing. Wandless magic in both arms for her was equal, but with a wand, her left hand was better. And just because you can do wandless magic, remember fighting an all out duel without a wand is suicide. Even Morgana said that. Wandless magic is neither as potent nor as fast as magic with a wand. Wandless magic should only be used as a support, nothing more." Helga and Salazar had several time said the last fact, drilling it into his mind.
Harry smiled at the memories. They had become like an aunt and uncle for Harry. Even though they were portraits, Harry had grown attached to them. Helga's mothering and Salazar's dry sarcasm were always refreshing for the boy who had practically spent his life alone for ten years being mentally abused. Helga had made him talk about it saying that he shouldn't keep it within him forever it had helped indeed. He felt better, lighter in a way. He had more self confidence since his training had started. He was picking Salazar's dry sarcasm. He still could not believe that he was Salazar's descendent. When he had asked what it meant, the man had just shrugged and said "Nothing, we were long gone before the government and Gringotts was founded. All we have is within this school. It was just to tell you we were related and I am your several times great Grandfather."