Once again Harry had visited Diagon Alley during the summer to obtain books he didn't already have so as to better sort out in his mind the events of his second school year. Vernon hadn't liked driving him into the city because that meant he wasn't at the house doing the chores his family didn't like to do. But Petunia had told him to take him. So he had. No more than once a week. But still, Harry got to go. And just like in his first summer, Petunia made sure he had enough free time to actually read the books he purchased. Why she let him, Harry didn't know and really couldn't care. He was just grateful she did. But to her mind, if Harry had new books to read during his downtime, then he was in his room and away from her family. Dudley, who wasn't allowed to bother Harry in his room, wasn't looking to torment him to relieve his boredom and the neighbors weren't gossiping about her family.
This time the books were on potions and the magical creatures of the Wizarding World, their weaknesses and how each can be most easily identified by what they leave behind and law books covering the laws that allowed the Ministry or Hogwarts to rescind someone's wand rights and/or snap their wand. He wanted to look up that potion Hermione claimed to have read about and learn more about the art of making potions period. It was clear to him he'd never learn anything by waiting for Professor Snape to actually teach him. So he bought several books on the subject to learn what he could on his own.
The incidents with first the spiders and then the basilisk had made him realize he didn't know enough about the creatures of the magical world. And that lack of knowledge could spell the end of his life. Although he knew there was nothing he could do about it now he believed if he had known what the fleeing spiders and petrified victims had meant to begin with, he might have stood a better chance at defeating the Great Beast. Certainly he wouldn't have followed the fleeing spiders to Aragog's nest. Regardless of what Hagrid had told them.
He had also spent a great deal of money buying magical study books for Hagrid and arranging for the half-giant to get a new replacement wand since it was very clear to him, Hagrid had only been a convenient scapegoat used by the gang leaders fighting their turf war for control of the local playground. While Hagrid would have to keep his new wand hidden just as he had hidden his broken wand, he did deserve to have it and to learn all the magic tricks other witches and wizard could perform. Hagrid had been very grateful and had sent Harry the class books for his Care of Magical Creatures class which Harry had signed up for as an elective in his third year.
In third year, while Dumbledore had been forced to stop his game, there had still been outside interference in Harry's educational process. This time the interference came from the Ministry supposedly in the interest of keeping Harry safe from an escaped convict. The Ministry sent Dementors to patrol the Castle grounds and keep a watch over all the students. Dementors were monsters used to control the inmates in Azkaban, the wizarding prison. Unfortunately, the dementors were drawn to Harry and he had a definite weakness to them that no one could explain. Or at least, no one would explain. Luckily, thanks to the Headmaster forcing him to remain in lockdown when not in classes or the Great Hall for meals, Harry didn't have much actual contact with them.
Because of this Ministry Protection, the Headmaster decided to add his own layer of protection for Harry. He'd refused Minerva's request for Harry to be moved back into the tower with his year mates. Now that Harry was a hero to the school again, she'd wanted him back in his dorm. Dumbledore didn't. And what Dumbledore wanted, Dumbledore got.
So Harry remained in the isolation room. Nor was Harry allowed to freely wander the halls or grounds between classes as the other students were. Harry was still in the rooms he had been given during his second year. And he was still being escorted any time he was out of his rooms. He also had a new stalker. Only this stalker was a simpering fool of a girl instead of a budding paparazzi.
Somehow Ron and Hermione, with a fawning, simpering and adoring Ginerva, had gotten permission to walk with him in the halls between classes. All three had made it a point to tell Harry they forgave him for everything from the previous year and still considered him to be their friend. Which was really ludicrous coming from Ginerva as she and Harry had never been friends at all and she was the reason for everything that had occurred during his second year. Yet she forgave him! For what?
Harry couldn't stand the redheaded girl but after hinting at that once and receiving a very sound lecture from both Ronald and Hermione, he'd never said a word against the stupid girl again. Or to her for that matter. He ignored her completely. Even when she spoke to him. Or insisted on trying to hang off his arm like a limpet. She even tried to hold his hand a few times. But he grew adept at switching which hand he was using to carry his bookbag so she couldn't stake a claim to him as she wished. He wanted nothing to do with her which only got him more lectures from Hermione and Ron who were determined to make him accept her.
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