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SIYE Time:11:51 on 29th March 2024
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Return of an Alpha
By Miz636

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Category: Alternate Universe
Characters:All
Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama
Warnings: Death, Mild Language
Story is Complete
Rating: PG-13
Reviews: 409
Summary: For three years, Harry has been Becoming Alpha of Hogwarts. Now another Alpha is returning, bringing with him darkness, chaos, and battle. Watch as sides line up for war, and people and society change.
Hitcount: Story Total: 169571; Chapter Total: 3642





Author's Notes:
A Happy Chanukah to all the Jews reading this story. (For those of you who don’t know, it began Tuesday night.)

My thanks go out to Arnel for the Beta work.




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Chapter Fifty-Two


“That’s the third time they’ve sent you books in the past three weeks,” Tracey commented as Hedwig flew off, leaving Harry to slip the shrunken books into his bag before returning to his meal. “Those aren’t for our OWLs in two weeks, are they?”

“No, but they are for studying,” Harry replied around his mouthful of sausage. He said no more on the topic, and they fell silent until Draco spoke.

“So, which exam are we revising for today?” he asked.

“Potions,” Theo groaned. It was Theo’s worst subject, really, so Harry was forced to spend extra time helping him revise.

“If you actually paid attention to me, you wouldn’t be having this much trouble,” Harry said, shaking his head at his friend’s antics. “Besides, you’ll be thanking me for this so-called torture when you pass your Potions exam the second week of OWLs.”

“That’s just it, it’s the second week, not the first!” Theo exclaimed, and Harry shook his head.

“The one weekend before the exam won’t be enough for you to learn all you need to know,” Harry stated, and the others snickered as it was completely true. “If you revise more now, I’ll only make you do a short study session each day the weekend before Potions.”

Theo perked up at this, and Harry knew he had finally gotten a deal made with his anti-Potions friend. Tracey was grinning at Theo while shaking her head, knowing her boyfriend would be pleased by this. Beside Theo, Harry saw Blaise smirking in amusement. Of the rest of the group, Blaise, Draco, and Daphne were the best at Potions, which annoyed Theo to no end.

“Come on, we have Herbology,” Daphne finally reminded the group as they finished eating, and they all got ready for more plant revision.



Tired of revising and with training done for the evening, Harry pulled out one of the charmed books that Sirius had sent to him. This one was on the history of the Wizengamot and how it was founded. It was a lot more interesting than trying to read about the various laws, which, while he knew he would have to read about in the future, Harry was avoiding.

“What are you reading?” Maya asked as she walked up behind him, bending down a bit to place her chin on the back of the armchair Harry was resting in.

Jumping slightly at the sudden voice, Harry showed her the cover of his book. To him it said Founding of the Wizengamot, but he knew Samuel had charmed it to read, Transfiguration for Those Taking OWLs. Hopefully Maya would take in the title and leave him alone, but of course not.


“I thought you had studied for Transfiguration yesterday,” she commented, and Harry sighed.

“It’s a good idea to make sure I’m completely ready as I need a good OWL in Transfiguration,” Harry said with a shrug, turning his head to look at the fourth year.

“You’re not really revising, Harry, I can tell,” Maya said, getting up and sitting on the armrest of his chair. When he went to deny it, she shook her head. “Harry, really, the others can’t tell, but I’ve seen charmed books way too many times not to recognize one. My parents charm quite a number of books so that Graham and I don’t look at them.”

“Fine,” Harry sighed, holding out the book for Maya so that she could grab it. By knowing it was charmed, all it would take was her holding it for a moment so that she could see the real book beneath the charm.

“The Wizengamot, Harry?” Maya asked quietly, her shock obvious. Harry reclaimed his book from her and shook his head. “Why are you reading about that?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” he retorted, and Maya said nothing. He knew that she understood the reason, just wanted to hear it from him, but Harry wasn’t going to give her that.

“Seriously, Harry, this is that fourth idea you and Snape talked about?” she asked, and Harry was grateful for how quietly Maya was talking.

Yes, okay?” he said. “Please, just don’t tell the others. I don’t care if none of you approve.” He stood to go to his dorm, but Maya grasped his wrist before he could walk away.

“Harry!” she exclaimed quietly, trying not to make a scene. “I don’t think it’s a bad idea, just unexpected because you’ve never shown an interest in the politics of the Wizarding World.” He sat down as she pulled on his arm, still on the armrest of his chair. “Seriously, I think it’s brilliant, and you’ll do some amazing things as part of the Wizengamot. You just need to give everyone a minute or two to adjust to the idea. It is kind of out of nowhere, you know.”

“I know,” he sighed, resting his head against the chair. “I’m just worried the others will make fun of me or something if I tell them.”

“Harry, some of them are going to be basically forced into this sort of role in the future!” Maya hissed. “I know for a fact that Draco is still planning on being part of the Wizengamot once he’s left school, taking over for Sirius, and Theo will most likely take his father’s seat sometime in the future. Trust me on this one, Harry, most of your friends will be surprised, but then they’ll support and back your idea. You just have to tell them.”

“After our OWLs,” Harry decided. “Before then it will just distract them, and we all know Theo is looking for whatever sort of distraction he can find.”

Both of them smirked, but Maya also nodded in acknowledgement. Harry knew she would keep her silence until he told his friends.



Sunday morning, the day after the final, official Quidditch match of the year — not that there had been a chance for unofficial matches with Umbridge around, though everyone was hoping for a chance to have them next year — Madam Hooch called up the Slytherin Quidditch Team, Quidditch Cup in hand. Draco gladly accepted it and held it up into the air as the Slytherins cheered louder than the rest of the Houses, all of whom were being good sports and cheering for their win.

Gryffindor had won their final match, but it was by a score too low for them to catch up to Slytherin’s points; hence, the proud and happy Quidditch team around Draco.



“We should finish our revising early tonight so that we can sleep,” Susan said as most of the fifth years sat at a table in one of the study rooms just off The Den. They had been working all day in there, and it was nearing dinner.

“Let’s spend the time after dinner just relaxing, maybe play some Gobstones or Exploding Snap,” Neville suggested, closing the Potions book in front of him to rest his eyes.

“That’s a good idea, but I think Tracey and I should find Ginny and the twins instead,” Harry said, smirking slightly. “I believe the twins need some help with the toad. She’s been a bit less paranoid lately.”

“Let’s go,” Tracey agreed, packing up her bag and pulling Harry up from his seat. “I’ve got the perfect idea if the twins are agreeable.” They left the room, leaving their friends behind without a thought.

“I wonder what they’re up to this time,” Draco mused, a smile full of anticipation on his face.

“Whatever it is, it’ll be really good,” Hermione said. “They’ve been revising so long that they’re obviously going to be using this as a release.”

“Can’t wait,” the others decided before reluctantly returning to their studies.



WH O DID THIS?!” The enraged screech resonated throughout the school after dinner as the students were going back to their studies for the upcoming exams the next day. At the shout, every student ran towards it, leaving books and notes in their places.

Suddenly, they all froze. Right in the corridor that held Umbridge’s office and rooms was a swamp. A dank smell that made most pinch their noses wafted around the area as the mud and slime covered the walls. Flies were flying between the various cattails and grasses, just barely visible in the air. Small lily pads and some flowers decorated the swamp with colors.

Umbridge and Filch were spotted on the other side of the corridor, staring at the swamp in shock and disgust as well as anger.

Out of nowhere, a lily pad large enough for a human flew towards Umbridge, sweeping her off her feet and onto the lily pad. It then proceeded to land right in the middle of the swamp, taking all chances of escape from the woman as her wand had fallen from her hand back by Filch.

Her clothes suddenly changed color to a grayish-green, her skin coloring at the same time. Warts appeared on all visible skin, and most likely also on unseen parts of the woman.

Laughter rang throughout the school as they saw their Headmistress finally looking like the toad she was, even if she was still human.

A few corridors away, behind a tapestry, five students were laughing so hard they were in tears and could barely breathe. The well-known redheaded twins were leaning on one another to stay upright. Their sister was leaning against the wall, her open hand hitting it over and over. On the floor at their feet were the two Slytherins, the girl on her back and the boy on his front, both hitting the ground.

Using a spell created by Harry’s mother, the five had been able to watch the entire thing on Harry’s mirror.

When they could finally speak, Fred gasped out, “Bloody brilliant use for our Portable Swamps, Tracey.”

“If that doesn’t get people to buy them, I don’t know what will,” George agreed.

“How about the fact that I made a copy of the whole thing and that it can be made into a picture to show people what can be done with the swamp at your shop?” Harry suggested innocently, and the twins grinned at the idea.

“Brilliant!” they exclaimed together.

“A very nice way to let off tension right before the exams, don’t you think?” Tracey asked, and everyone agreed, still snickering slightly.



“Herm ione, stop mentally going over your test to be sure you got it all right,” Justin commented as they left the Great Hall to go outside for the half-hour they had before lunch. “You did just fine.”

“Besides, Charms is one of your best subjects, which is saying something!” Neville added.

“Watch her get her eleven Outstandings back, proving that all of this panicking was for nothing,” Blaise muttered.

“Oh, we all already knew that one, Blaise,” Hannah commented, grinning a bit as Hermione spoke to Terry and Padma about the exam.

“Come on, let’s just enjoy the nice weather before we have to go inside until after the practical portion of Charms,” Harry sighed, settling down under a tree near the lake with the others, relieved that the exam was done. He felt that he had done well, having been able to answer every question without much more than a minute of thought on some of the tougher questions. Maybe he would get that Outstanding he was hoping for…



“That was simple,” Harry admitted as he met his friends that had already finished the practical in the Entrance Hall. “Color Changing Charm, Cheering Charm, Enlargement Charm, and a basic Animation Charm. I was expecting something harder.”

“It’s probably because we use tougher charms with the HPs these days,” Tracey commented. “To us, these are so simple we could probably do them in our sleep.”

“Good point,” Harry agreed, settling down against the wall as he waited for the last few to leave, Blaise being the final person to be tested as a Z. Harry felt a bit bad for Blaise as he didn’t think being last for anything done by last name would really be fun. Being near the end with a P was bad enough…

“How’d it go?” Theo asked Blaise as he finally exited the Great Hall, the rest standing to join the pair as they all headed up to The Den.

“Messed up my Shrinking Charm a bit,” he admitted. “The cloak I was shrinking got so small not even a house-elf could wear it when it was supposed to be the right size for a young child. Otherwise, I did well.”

“Oh well, you still did fine,” Daphne said encouragingly, and he smiled over at her.

“When are they going to give in and date?” Harry muttered in Tracey’s ear, and she giggled almost silently before turning to whisper back.

“Hopefully this summer,” she replied, “but let’s just hope they keep it away from the rest of us.”
Pretending to gag silently, Harry sent them both into laughter, drawing odd looks from the others. Playing innocent as they looked at their friends, stifling their laughter, they got the others to shake their heads and leave them alone.

“Let’s hope for the end of summer, then, so that we don’t have to deal with them for long,” Harry told Tracey once they were both calm and almost at The Den. “I have a feeling they won’t be as sneaky about it as Draco and Astoria are.”

Snorting, Tracey nodded in agreement. “Of course, if they aren’t, they’ll get pranked by annoyed pranksters, right?” she asked quietly, and Harry grinned at the idea, pranks already flowing through his mind. “Wait until they’re actually together, Harry.”

“Aw,” he whined in her ear. “What if we prank them so that we can lock them in a room together, not letting them out until they’re dating?”

“That’s an idea, but not until halfway through the summer at the earliest, Harry,” Tracey retorted, before sitting down next to Theo on a couch in The Den.

“And what have you two been whispering about?” he asked, looking at the pair as Harry settled down on a loveseat next to their couch, waiting for Ginny to join him.

“Oh, nothing important,” Tracey told her boyfriend, and Harry internally smirked while getting out his study material for Transfiguration the next day.



“Are we actually going to study for tomorrow?” Theo asked as the group left the Greenhouses to head inside. They were all going to shower and change before meeting in the Room of Requirement for a break, maybe asking Dobby to bring them food so they wouldn’t have to go to dinner.

“Just glance over your notes in the morning before the theory, and you’ll be fine,” Harry told his friends. “We’re going to spend this evening training and having some fun running around.” Everyone knew that he meant as Animagi and grinned. “If you see the others, tell them to join us. Draco and I will go ask the house-elves if we can have our meal in there this evening.”

That got everyone to move more quickly towards their various dorms to wash off the grim of the Herbology practical they had just finished.



Metal clanged as Harry and Astoria dueled with swords, wands in their off-hands. Around them, the others were betting on who would win the duel, Justin agreeing to stay neutral and holding onto the money and various bets.

As Harry shot a Stunner at Astoria, the entrance to the Room opened. No one paid attention as students from various years slowly trickled into the room, standing in a newly created section of the Room behind a barrier. They were just staring silently, awed by the ability of two of their teachers with their weapons.

Astoria tried to use a Cutting Curse on Harry in retaliation for the Stunner, but he caught the spell on the hilt of his blade, breaking it apart as he then faked an attack from above Astoria’s head before slicing at her side. She blocked it and hit the sword away, aiming a kick that Harry dodged.

Silently, Harry conjured a bunch of little yellow birds to fly around Astoria’s head as a distraction. At the same time, he aimed a Cutting Curse at her leg as she waved her wand to get rid of the birds, hitting the shin at an angle.

“Argh!” she exclaimed, jumping backwards on instinct as she tried not to look down, obviously knowing Harry would attack the moment she did.

Launching five Stunners at Harry, Astoria then shot a healing spell at her leg followed by a numbing charm, just to stop the bleeding; she didn’t want to get faint from blood-loss. Once that was done, she jumped forward with her sword, trying to catch Harry off guard, but he just blocked the blow with his own sword.

Twisting his blade, Harry almost pulled the sword from Astoria’s hand, twisting her wrist painfully in the process. As the younger Slytherin backed away, her pain disappearing from her face as she hid it behind a mask, Harry reached down with the hand holding his sword, grasping a dagger from a hidden sheath on his leg, charming the dagger to remain invisible with his wand. He added a silent sticking spell to the dagger to keep it attached to his sword as well.

The duel continued as Astoria transfigured one of the small rocks around the pair that had gone unnoticed by all but the two fighting until then, bringing a tiger into the duel. Grinning, Harry just made a wolf out of a second rock, allowing the two animals to fight to get past the other. Looking annoyed, Astoria brought about three golden eagles at once, sending them diving at Harry.

“Typical,” Harry laughed, banishing one of the eagles into the other two before vanishing them, swinging his sword up to cut the Stunner sent at him in half. Astoria had Vanished the two animals that had been rolling around on the ground nearby, realizing they had been pointless.

Growling in some annoyance, Astoria shot fire at Harry, who conjured water before manipulating it to look like three animals: a wolf, a lynx, and a snake. The three animals charged at Astoria, who just barely froze them in time not to get hit by the concentrated water they were made up of. Harry then grinned and destroyed the ice, launching it at Astoria, whose eyes widened before she melted it, getting soaked by the water.

When she opened her eyes, which had closed on instinct under the deluge, Harry was right in front of her. Before she could react, he had used his sword to throw hers away from her and cast Expelliarmus to send the wand flying over his shoulder. As Astoria tried to draw her dagger, he spun around her and held what appeared to be nothing in front of her neck, his sword having been spun in his grasp to get rid of her sword.

“I yield,” Astoria sighed, slumping down in defeat.

Before the eyes of those watching, Harry waved his wand to allow the dagger attached to his sword to be visible. They could all now see that it was lightly touching the younger girl’s neck.

“I YIELD!” Astoria yelled in annoyance when he didn’t move, and this time Harry backed away, using his wand to get his dagger off of the sword and sheathing both weapons before putting his wand in its holster.

“Good duel,” he complimented Astoria as she went to find her weapons and put them away.

“You as well,” she replied over her shoulder, grinning like crazy even though she had lost. “That was a smart idea, having your dagger attached to your sword and invisible. If I had gotten too close for your sword, I wouldn’t have seen it coming.”

“That was the point,” Harry admitted. “You were getting too close for comfort there.”

Laughing, they turned to face their friends but froze as they saw students from all seven years by the door, staring at them in amazement.

“Guys, we have some guests,” Harry called over his shoulders, realizing the others hadn’t noticed them either. “You guys can come in, you know; you don’t have to stay by the door.”

At that invitation, everyone rushed into the room, asking him and Astoria how they had fought like that, if they would learn all of that, and when they would get that good. Behind him, Harry heard his friends laughing, so he told the group that all of them could duel just as well as he and Astoria, sending most of the group in their direction.

“They’re not going to leave us alone after this,” Harry muttered in Astoria’s ear when he was given the chance to move up behind her. “Next year’s training will be quite intense.”

Astoria could do nothing but nod in agreement.



“Mad am Marchbanks?” Harry asked after the theory for the Defense OWL, walking up to the head examiner.

“Yes, Mr. Potter?” she replied, looking him over.

“I was wondering if it’s true knowing how to produce a Patronus can get you extra credit on the Defense practical,” he said, obviously surprising the woman. “It was in a book I read, but since so few can do it at fifteen it isn’t usually offered.”

“Yes, it is actually true, but extra credit hasn’t been given for a Patronus since Professor Dumbledore himself,” she admitted.

“Can you tell the examiners to offer it to all of the fifth years, perhaps?” he asked kindly. “Some of us have been practicing this year once a friend of mine found the information in a book, hoping to perhaps get a few extra points.”

“I’ll instruct them to, Mr. Potter, but do not expect points for anything like just wisps of silver,” she said. “You need at least a semi-strong shield to get any points.”

“Thank you, Madam,” Harry said, just barely keeping his half-smirk half-smile behind a mask. “I’ll make sure to let my friends know so they can pick their memories.”



Arou nd the Great Hall, Harry saw different Patronuses walking around as he entered. A fox showed that Draco was still in the room while a cat made Harry suspect Theo was somewhere in the room. The faces of the examiners as they saw the various levels of Patronuses ranging from strong shields to almost-formed animals to the Corporal Patronuses made Harry want to laugh, but instead, he just walked over to his examiner.

Sensing eyes on him, Harry looked up to see Umbridge watching from the doors to the Entrance Hall, a shocked look on her face at the sight of the exam even as she glared at him.

Grinning at her, Harry went through with his spells. Jinxes as easy as a tripping hex and as tough as a hex that allowed a person to throw someone or something high into the air were used as well as counters to many jinxes Harry himself used on pranks or during duels. Offensive and defensive spells were so easy that Harry was almost tempted to do them silently. Finally, he was offered the chance for extra credit with a Patronus.

EXPECTO PATRONUM!” he called, drawing the attention of all of his friends and those learning from him. In his mind, he pictured him and his friends at Marauder Manor, running around outside on the grounds, no thoughts of war in their minds.

Prongs galloped around the room, pausing by each of his friends to nudge them and those in the Journal group while passing over the four Slytherins not among the Journal group. He showed off for all of the examiners before stopping full-out in front of Umbridge, who was glaring at Harry’s Patronus like it was a disease. Finally, Prongs went back to Harry and waited a few moments before disappearing.

The entire Hall was in silence for a full minute before Harry was told he could leave. The fifth year Slytherin left with a grin on his face.

AN: First of all, I feel so much sympathy for Blaise being last, which is why I added that comment into here. It really stinks being a Z when things are done alphabetically, and I should know, since I’m a Z. Love my last name, but it stinks when it comes to that sort of thing.

That said, who likes my variation on what allowed the twins to leave Hogwarts in canon? I couldn’t just leave the swamp out of my story! Anyway… OWLs are well on their way, with the rest finished up next chapter, and then you’ll find out whether or not I follow canon for this part of the book. Just two more chapters to go, 53 and 54, and then we’re onto the final story.
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