Saviour of Magic

The Dark Lord's Offer

The next morning, the Great Hall was slack-jawed. Harry Potter, a person none of them had ever seen smile for more than a few seconds at a time, a person who always had an impassive look on his face, was actually smiling the whole time! No one knew what caused the sudden change. Harry's friends were giving his speculative looks; a few questions revealed that there was nothing out of the ordinary, but they knew something was different. If someone spotted Madam Pomfrey giving him knowing looks, they never realised why that was.

After putting up a strong privacy charm, Dylan smirked at the older couple. Astoria was doing her best not to giggle every time she saw her sister and future brother-in-law.

"So," said Dylan elaborately. "Is there something you both would like to tell us?"

"No, nothing," said Harry.

"Are you sure?" piped in Astoria. "There's nothing new or important that you would feel the need to tell us about?"

"No," repeated Harry, but he cursed himself for not being able to stop smiling. What the hell was wrong with him? "Why would you ask such a strange question?"

"Well, you both have a certain – glow – about you today," said Dylan, trying to hold back his laughter. "Harry, you look a lot more relaxed than you did last night. Did Daphne's relaxation technique help?"

"How much do they know?" Harry whispered in her ear.

Daphne grimaced. "Everything," she muttered. "They knew what I was planning last night; I told them."

"Oh," said Harry, his face turning pink when he saw his brother giving him a knowing grin.

"Harry! You dog! I'm surprised your brain didn't explode from feeling so many intense emotions last night!"

Astoria couldn't control herself any longer as she began giggling hysterically.

"I'll have you know he was amazing last night," said Daphne, her nose in the air, smirking slightly as she saw Harry's face turn further pink in embarrassment. "He certainly made me feel intense emotions."

"Wow!" Dylan grinned. "Way to go, big bro! I'm proud of you!"

Harry coughed as he drank water to cool the temperature of his body. He was blushing madly – why couldn't he control himself?

"Oh, how I wish I had a camera!" Astoria laughed. "I would love to take a picture of Harry blushing like a little girl."

"I was telling the truth," whispered Daphne. Harry smiled fondly as he bumped his shoulder against hers. The dam burst as he let his happiness shine through and a wide grin formed on his face.

HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP

At the office of the Minister of Magic, the Floo suddenly burst into emerald green flames, revealing a teenage boy. Stepping out, the boy flicked his fingers to remove the ash and spotted his godfather sitting behind the elaborate desk.

"Hey, kiddo," said Sirius, smiling at him. "Are you ready?"

Harry nodded and followed his godfather towards the golden lifts. After exiting at the appropriate level, they entered the office of Madam Marchbanks, the Head of the Department of Education.

"Ah, young Harry Potter," said Madam Marchbanks, looking at him fondly. "It seems just like yesterday when you were here with your godfather requesting permission for the accelerated program and here you are, ready to take your N.E.W.T.s at the age of fourteen! Shall we get started?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Harry with a small smile on his face.

For the next seven days, Harry had to endure one brutal exam after the other. All his exams had both a theory and practical component. He managed to stun his examiners in practical Ancient Runes by showing his knowledge of warding and enchantment, using a series of Rune clusters in the process. Arithmancy and Potions were amazing; after the second task, Harry had patented the Amphibian Potion and released it to the market. It was quite successful as there was no limit on the amount of time one could stay underwater after drinking the potion.