. It had been a lot easier to teach Draco than he'd thought, requiring a little appealing to his ego to get his best effort, but it had paid off. He'd expected it to take a couple of sessions to teach the blond haired boy, but he was a surprisingly apt student. 
Sticking his book in his pocket he stepped out into the hall...
Harry blinked as he threw off a confundus charm and realized he had just crossed a ward line. The last thing he recalled was leaving the classroom where he'd spent the last two hours teaching Malfoy.
Harry brought out his wand and cast a diagnostic charm, finding the ward was already degrading and was designed to keep things in rather than out. He looked around the empty room, which used to be used to teach anatomy or something similar, considering the skeleton on the wall and the various diagrams hanging about.
A trunk on the teachers desk rattled and began to open, releasing a purple fog that he immediately recognized.
"Depulso," Harry cast, forcing the boggart back into the trunk and quickly locking it.
"As murder attempts go it wasn't bad," Harry noted. "I suppose it would catch most first years. Now, who is trying to kill me?"
He checked the ward again and saw it would only hold up for another half an hour before it collapsed.
"Reducio," he incanted, and shrunk the trunk down so he could pocket it.
Harry sat on the desk facing the door and waited for his would be murderer to appear.
Tiny Voldemort appeared on Harry's left shoulder. "Now would be an excellent time to set up some traps for when he arrives."
Tiny Snape appeared on Harry's right shoulder. "I can't think of anyone you've angered enough to make an attempt on your life. For a Potter you've been pretty tame, no curses in the halls or booby traps on the house seats."
"If you'd been practicing your occlumency rather than basking in… love and affection, you'd have been able to ignore the confundus altogether," Tiny Voldemort pointed out. "Oh, and I must commend you on the way you've been manipulating the first years. You've made inroads in all four houses, something I didn't manage until fourth year."
"Maybe that's why someone tried to kill you," Tiny Snape said. "You've made some flashy moves for a first year and recognizing an up and coming Dark Lord, Dumbledore has finally learned his lesson and taken steps to deal with you!"
Harry and Tiny Voldemort both turned to look at Tiny Snape.
Tiny Snape snickered. "Alright, that one is unlikely, like Dumbledore would ever learn his lesson."
"Well, someone is trying to kill me," Harry said, "and all we have to do is wait to find out who."
"I know some Peruvian fire trap runes that are made for taking people unaware," Tiny Voldemort said. "You could put them up in under a minute. It's much easier to capture people when they're trying to prevent their face from melting off."
"While true, I don't think an amateurish attempt like this rates that level of response," Harry said dryly.
"Just offering," Tiny Voldemort said.
After a few minutes had passed Harry started drumming his fingers on his leg.
"Impatient?" Tiny Snape asked.
"It's almost time for supper," Harry replied, "and I can't spend all my time waiting for someone who might not even arrive."
"It hasn't even been half an hour," Tiny Voldemort pointed out. "I used to wait for days for enemies to arrive so I could kill them."
"I'm not waiting days in a forgotten classroom for an incompetent assassin," Harry said standing up. "I'll simply put some time aside to practice my occlumency so I can catch them in the act next time."
"Can we at least leave a withering curse on the doorway?" Tiny Voldemort asked hopefully.
"A student could wander into it," Harry pointed out.
"And?" Tiny Voldemort asked. "Come on, getting cursed builds character."
Harry rolled his eyes and snapped the weakening ward. "Nah, I'm done here. It's almost time for supper and I wanna see how Hermione's work on the sauna is coming."
"Your patience and impulse control have really slipped," Tiny Snape noted.
"It's not that bad," Harry replied unconcerned.
"Normally you'd have repressed us by now," Tiny Snape added, "so we wouldn't distract you in public."
"Good point," Harry agreed and pushed the two back down into the depths of his mind, finding it a little more difficult than it normally was, but paying little attention. "Now for supper."
Harry dropped onto the couch next to Hermione. "How's the sauna coming?" he asked, glancing at the title of the book she was reading Magical Stones and Masonry.
"Neville sent an owl home for a book on magical construction that should include instructions on how to create an expansion staff," Hermione said. "Lavender and Parvati are planning out how they want it to look, since you said style was important."
Harry glanced over to where the two girls were and saw they were pouring over various home design and decor magazines.
"Are you going to help?" Hermione asked.
"If you get stuck on something I'll lend a hand," Harry promised.
"Good, because I think it'll be a lot cheaper to transfigure what we need, but making transfigurations permanent is complicated and requires a lot of power," she said, before realizing that Harry was a first year just like they were and not a Professor or Prefect. "Umm, can you handle permanent transfigurations?"
Harry grinned. "I'll have a handle on it before you need it," he promised.
"Good, that'll make everything loads easier," she said, seeing his confidence and believing he could accomplish it, he was the first year Gryffindor lead after all.
"Hey Harry, up for a game?" Ron asked as Neville begged off another round of chess.
"Sure," Harry agreed, realizing he hadn't spent much time with Ron outside of class and first year meetings.
"Excellent," Ron said with a bright smile, tapping the board with his wand to let the pieces know to get back into their starting positions.
Harry noted how dispirited and battered the black pieces looked, which was unsurprising as Ron always played white and regularly trounced anyone he played against. In fact, now that he was thinking about it he was sure he'd lost several games against Ron partly because the pieces refused to listen, having already resigned themselves to defeat.
To be honest Ron probably would have defeated him anyway, but it would have been a bit harder for him.
Harry snapped his wand into his hand. "Reparo," he incanted, repairing cracks in armor and removing scuff marks from the pieces.
"I really should have thought of that myself," Ron admitted as he noticed how much better the set looked.
"I'm constantly amazed how many people forget the mending charm exists until something is completely broken," Harry said before tapping the board with his wand and using his magic to reinvigorate the set's animation charms.
"We haven't learned it yet, but I've seen my mom cast it dozens of times," Ron offered.
"Ready, men?" Harry asked his pieces.
Though no longer quite as dispirited the pieces grumbled among themselves for a moment before a bishop spoke up, "Aye lad, we will fight in your name, it is what we do. However, it's hard to have any enthusiasm when we are facing off against yon red haired devil over there."
"Hey!" Ron complained as his own pieces chuckled.
"He is a devil on the battlefield," The bishop complained.
Harry nodded. "A talented general with a loyal army is the worst foe one can face," he said solemnly, gaining a chorus of agreements from his pieces. Seeing how it was going to be difficult to play with his pieces already considering the game lost, Harry decided to borrow a little from Voldemort's playbook.
Harry slowly forced his magic to seep into this aura, catching his pieces attention and infusing his voice as he spoke, "Men, I know we face a cunning foe, one who has triumphed over us many times in the past, but I promise you that when we battle today it will not be in vain!"
All the black pieces and most of the students turned to pay attention.
"The battle has not been lost until we have given up. The war is not over until they have wrung every last drop of blood from us and I for one don't mean to see that happen today," Harry proclaimed. "What say you, will you battle beside me?"
"Aye," half the black pieces called out.
"Will you help me rid the board of the red haired scourge?" Harry demanded.
"Aye!" the black pieces called out as one, getting fired up.
"Will you fight to the last man for the merest whiff of victory?" Harry demanded.
"Then when I say attack, attack with all your might, giving not a bit of mercy!" Harry ordered.
"Aye!" the pieces cheered.
"Let's do this!" Harry ordered in a voice like