Despite the various things Harry could do, he spent the remaining two days before the start of the school term looking at his new books. The third-year material was the same as that of the two previous years, and he was already eager to begin... especially the subject of Ancient Runes, because from what he had seen, a whole world full of possibilities for his different spells and potions opened up to him. He was dying to begin.
His school timetable was given to him the day before classes started, although it wasn't so complicated to figure out; he just had to ask his new classmates for the regular class schedules. So, on the day that classes began, it was easy for him to know what he had to do. The first class he had was Charms, and very quickly he showed that, as in previous years, it was too easy for him, as he mastered the spells they taught him incredibly quickly. A learning speed that was demonstrated in all the classes of that day, including Ancient Runes, which he was so eager to begin.
From that moment on, it was easy to see him and his friends in the library to study (we should not forget that for the rest of the students, the final exams were approaching) or investigate... after all, Harry had told himself that despite how well-equipped his private library was, it seemed that with respect to the runes he was studying at that time, there was more information in the school library... of course, that was once he knew the basics.
The subject of Care of Magical Creatures was also turning out to be magnificent... they were studying Diricawls, and Harry loved them. Perhaps the fact that all creatures and magical animals felt comfortable in his presence had something to do with it, but very soon, that became one of his favourite classes; in addition, it was still fun to watch the rest of his classmates have silent disputes over who would be their project partner during class... although, as it was a class shared with Gryffindor, it always used to be the twins who won.
"Mr. Potter is... impressive," murmured Professor McGonagall approximately three weeks later. "I thought maybe we'd come to a point where he would have the same level of learning as the rest of his classmates, but it's obvious that we haven't yet reached that point. I wonder if we will be able to achieve it."
"I wonder too," said Professor Flitwick. "It seems that the more we demand from him, the easier it is for him to do what we ask of him. In my classes, he learns the spells of the regular class faster than them and has almost advanced to the point where the rest of the students were when he joined the third year... I do not know if the same thing happens to others in their classes."
"I rather wonder if we will be able to pose a challenge to him," Professor Sprout added with a sigh. "I think sometimes that even if he were in the final year, it would not mean a great effort."
Albus Dumbledore watched from the teachers' table the aforementioned student, while listening to his staff talking about him. The boy was supposed to be a mystery, something he couldn't foresee, and he didn't like it. He had always enjoyed having everything around him under his control, and now it looked like there was a thread that was out of all their projects. For years, he had worked hard to ensure that Brian was well cared for and trusted; Harry hadn't worried him, because after all, he wasn't important, the prophecy gave importance to Brian... and as the years went by, James and Lily had assured him that the boy was nothing more than a Squib... nothing further from the truth. What should he do? Should he try to win his confidence? The best thing would be to keep an eye on him and see how everything developed. After all, Brian was the important Potter. But still, despite knowing that it was his brother who would one day prove to be instrumental in the world around them, the elder was still an unpredictable variable, and as far as Brian was concerned, he had not shown any exceptional ability at the moment. Of course, Harry hadn't before Hogwarts either... Yes, the best thing would be to wait.
Outside of the Headmaster's thoughts, Harry remained quietly having breakfast and talking with his various classmates from his house, or in other words, with his friends from the same year and with his second and third-year classmates. It was quite fun to see him have different conversations at the same time, especially because almost everyone was waiting to see if he would make a mistake and get confused, something that seemed not to happen. He was talking quietly about some kind of charm they were learning with Flitwick, when a beautiful dark chestnut owl landed right in front of him, offering him a letter; curious as to who would have written to him, he quickly freed the bird from its burden and gave it a little of his own breakfast. It was Remus's, obviously the answer to the letter he had sent two weeks ago.
"Dear Harry,
I don't want to make you too dizzy, so I'll be quick. Your letter puzzled and surprised me a lot; I must admit that you experimented with some of the most complicated potions there are, it did not cross my mind.
I've been thinking about it a lot, more than you can truly imagine, which is why I really understand well what you are asking me, so don't say I haven't studied it thoroughly. I'll tell you what I think about it: It's not productive for you to try it on another werewolf, Harry, because then you'd have to register and be reminded that you must first be a certified Potions Master... You won't be able to do it, and someone else would own the recipe.
It is for that reason that I have decided to be the one to try the potion. Send it to me and tell me what I should do. After the moon, I'll inform you of the result.
Uncle Remus"
Harry frowned at the missive; he already knew what Remus's answer was going to be in advance, but knowing it and confirming it were two different things, and that didn't mean he liked it. Against all odds, he had waited, he had wished that Remus would allow him to try the potion a while later or with another werewolf... He should have known better.
Angry with himself, he got up from his table and went to what had become his own room (if it weren't for the strange questions it would cause among his roommates, he would have moved out there permanently). Once in his own Potions lab, he could start again to make a new batch of the new and improved Wolfsbane, and thus be able to send it to Remus. The potion was complicated and had to be done accurately, but luckily, it wasn't necessary to be aware of it twenty-four hours a day, because otherwise, he would have several quite complicated questions to answer.
"What are you doing, rookie?" asked Fawkes's already well-known voice right behind him.
"A potion," he replied calmly, already accustomed to the bird's unexpected visits.
"Don't tell me, I noticed that I hadn't noticed that detail," the phoenix replied with sarcasm. "I mean what kind of potion and why."
"It's a new version of the Wolfsbane, and it's for Remus. I commented to him that I thought I had improved the standard Wolfsbane version and if I knew any way to test if it worked... I was referring to whether I could suggest another werewolf who would like to be the subject of tests, but he offered himself."
"And what did you expect, rookie? His response is normal."
"I know, but I didn't want to try the potion on him... I love him too much to want to use him as a guinea pig."
"Well, it's no longer a question of saying no... You won't have to use him, besides, you haven't forced him or asked him to... On the contrary, he has offered himself."
"I know. What have you come for?"
"Ahhh... I wanted to ask you if you wanted to fly for a while. Since I finished teaching you everything important for the moment, you hardly come to see me," he replied with a reproachful look.
"I've been busy, Fawkes. It's not easy to catch up on six months of classes... you know that," he replied distractedly while measuring the unicorn horn powder. "And regarding the flight, if you wait a while, I'm delighted... I need a good distraction."
"Perfect," laughed the bird.
It was a tricky thing to make some time for all his different activities, especially when exams were approaching (of course, from the boy's point of view, there was still a long way to go). So at some point, he was forced to choose between an activity or the Wolfsbane potion; obviously, he chose the second, but that didn't take away from the fact that Harry would like to do other things.
His friends knew that he had something in his hands, but although they knew most of the boy's writings, they were aware that they were not capable of knowing everything. In fact, when asked, he only shrugged his shoulders, gave them a half-smile, and said that he wanted to confirm an important experiment; knowing that could mean anything, but one thing was for sure... It would be nothing within the range of any average wizard/witch.
Luckily, the potion was able to be prepared with the necessary time so that he could send it by owl... It wouldn't be good for the Wolfsbane to be ready but not have time to arrive at the werewolf... Of course, Harry knew that even if the potion didn't work, it wouldn't mean that Remus would have to go through the usual transformation; if there was anything that had not changed since the Marauders went to the school, it was that during the full moons, they remained together in order to make the transformation more bearable, as well as that Harry wasn't afraid of it.
With care not to be discovered by anyone (he didn't want to have to explain what he was doing, nor what the package contained), and infinitely grateful for the help that Hogwarts gave him, he stretched out towards the owlery a week and a half before the full moon, with the potion package very well protected with different spells. Once there, he approached one of the owls that had practically become his own, since he always used the same one.
"Hello, girl... I need you to do me a favour, you've got to take this package to Remus Lupin. You know where he lives," said the boy while caressing her feathers. He found that, unlike most students, he always treated all beings with respect; that is why that owl, known for being surly with everyone, should be handled with great care because it is something very fragile. "What do you say? Will you?"
The owl responded with a soft hoot, an affectionate pinch on his fingers, and stretching out her paw so that he would tie the load. Anyone who saw her at the time wouldn't be able to believe that it was the same sullen and aggressive owl.
"Thank you very much, girl. I knew I could count on you..." said the boy, tying his load. "I leave it to your choice. You can stay and wait for a response, or you can come back immediately."
After that, he threw the owl into the air and watched how it flew south, in the direction of Remus's house. After a few minutes of observing her, and once she disappeared from sight, he left the owlery with a feeling of apprehension inside.
The next week and a half turned out to be a real torture for the boy, as he feared that he had made some kind of mistake and condemned his uncle to a painful transformation, even worse than the previous ones. The fact that his father and Sirius were there to alleviate the transformation provided a small relief, but not for long. Every day he used to look at the calendar for the full moon nervously, but unable to do anything more for the moment.
His nervousness was noticed by everyone: his classmates in the classroom, dormitory, and by teachers, but assuming that it should be rather due to the upcoming end of the school term, none gave it much importance. Only his friends knew that it was not because of the end of the term, but because of the experiment he was conducting. As for attempts to calm him down, there was only one thing that could truly soothe him, but it would not happen until the full moon passed.
The morning after the last day of the moon found Harry rather more nervous than he had ever been. He had already been like this during the previous days... Rationally, he knew that it was impossible to receive any kind of response for the moment, but that didn't prevent him from nervously glancing at the windows, waiting for the arrival of the mail. Rebuking himself for his own stupidity, he returned to his breakfast just as the mail arrived, not noticing at all that a black owl was going straight towards him... of course, the one who landed right in front of his plate, he did notice.
"Girl!" he exclaimed excitedly. "An answer?"
The owl hooted affirmatively before stretching out her leg so that he would withdraw the letter, and then she was able to eat some of the delicious bacon the boy had on his plate. Meanwhile, as the owl devoured the student's bacon, Harry took the letter and put it in his backpack... He didn't think it was a good idea to open it in front of everyone else, so he would open it after school.
The next few hours were quite annoying; Harry wanted to open his letter, but that would be impossible if he continued to be accompanied. It was necessary to wait until lunchtime so that he could get away long enough to be able to read it.
"Dear Harry,
First of all, I want to thank you for all the effort you've put in to have the potion ready in such a short period of time.
I kept the potion in a dry place without humidity, and I took a dose once a day during the week leading up to the full moon. Despite that, I didn't know very well what I should expect during the moment I should have transformed... I didn't feel anything. No pain, no discomfort, nothing. It was as if I were an Animagus too, for the change was as gradual and painless as one's. Therefore, I think you could say that the experiment was quite a success, don't you think?
I wish that school goes well for you. A hug.
Uncle Remus"