The Intelligent Potter

*** Hogwarts Library, 3 months later

The situation had gotten worse, a handful more students and a GHOST had gotten petrified.

Students were no longer allowed to walk alone and instead walked from place to place in the castle with mirrors in their hands due to Dumbledore's belief that it was a Basilisk.

Harry and Hermione had been led to the library by Professor McGonagall and were currently under the watchful gaze of Madam Pince who had no other students in her domain, not even any Ravenclaws dared to go outside their common rooms.

"Who do you think the heir could be?" Hermione pressed Harry.

"Voldemort." Harry replied.

"But who allowed him to possess them, do you think it was Malfoy." Hermione asked excitedly.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Possession of this kind doesn't have to be willing, besides I doubt Malfoy could keep his trap shut if he was."

"Oh." Hermione seemed slightly crestfallen.

"There is no evidence to point out who it may be, our best chance to figure out who it may be is just to keep an eye out for somebody that's acting weird and then question them, however Malfoy has just been his stupid racist self." Harry said.

"But, what can we actually do…" Hermione said.

"Nothing. It isn't our job to fix this. If we have a suspicion, we question them, find the horcrux and hand it over to the Headmaster or Lord Black, both of whom are already working tirelessly to find the student." Harry said.

*** Present

Arcturus had taken over the role of Defence professor under Dumbledore's coaxing so that he could stay in the castle to tutor Harry and wouldn't have to floo over every day, and the Lord Black was positively disgusted at how sucky the students were.

"While your first year was meant to provide some simple knowledge and stances, this year you are to learn some more simple practical applications of spells that could help fend off a wizarding opponent for a short period of time. Thus, today, we shall be practising the couple of spells that you learnt last year, we will have some practise duels so that I can see where you are individually and then I shall show you how to stall for time in a duel with a more experienced opponent with only simple spells to back you up." Arcturus lectured.

The students turned into pairs, and Harry and Hermione paired each other, knowing that they were quite a bit further in training than their peers.

Both knew that Arcturus wanted spell-chains from them so they started out with the Sting-Trip-Petrify chain that was very simple and very quick, Harry clocked in less than a half-second for the chain while Hermione managed just under a second on the chain, both casting really fast at each other as they both put up a shield to block the other's spells as Harry quickly gained the advantage and was hit by Harry's powerful stinger, getting out-of-rhythm and getting hit with Harrys tripper and petrificus totalus.

Unfortunately, the rest of the class wasn't so good, nobody had any sort of proper stance and definitely not the advanced ones used by Harry and Hermione.

Only a few students managed to get out a few stingers, and the few who did won their duels easily as their opponents just froze up at being hit with something.

Finally, the class just settled down and watched Harry and Hermione cast furiously.

Arcturus seemed disgusted, "What did your previous teacher teach you! It's like I have to start from scratch, you're about as good as my first-years. Pair up and practise the bloody stinging hex, I was hoping to get on to the shielding spell today but apparently not."

The next few classes went like that, Arcturus was unrelenting on his classes and pulled them on a crash course through simple spells, getting them to practise them until they were passable then move on, knowing that he had a huge curriculum to get through in only a few months until the final exam.

*** Present, unknown location

Luna Lovegood could no longer resist his possession. Her body was now his, 24/7 and his plan to gain a corporeal body was almost in action, he would enact it this very day.

Luna Lovegood had been a dream come true for him. He had been prepared for a long year of slogging through memories and making the student's mind malleable but found that the girl was already bitter and bullied, an outcast in her own house.

He couldn't thank the Ravenclaws enough for saving him from a year of grovelling, his plans would come into action much quicker than he could ever have anticipated, almost two months before the end of the school year, when he had thought he would be able to.

Tom headed down to the chamber, and left a message in the girl's blood saying he had taken her to the chamber on the same wall where he had written his first message.

It was time for him to regain his corporeal body.

*** Later

"All students must return to their common rooms!" the loud voice of Professor McGonagall broke through Harry and Arcturus' furious duel, as the voice projected as far as the room of requirement.

Pausing at the announcement allowed Arcturus to smash a painful stunner into him.

Arcturus frowned disapprovingly, "You were doing okay there, but you let yourself get distracted, that could very well have been the killing curse."

Dumbledore rushed into the room, his wand in his hand.

Nicolas too stopped his duel with Hermione.

"What happened." Arcturus enquired.

Dumbledore's face was extremely grim.

"A girl has been taken into the chamber."

*** End of Chapter