Here is a small excerpt of the first chapter of Time to Learn the sequel to Time to Live.
Please see my profile for the new story.
Time to Learn is a WIP and updates will be slow and infrequent.
Harry had half an hour between the end of class and dinner, so he decided to get it over with and headed toward the Headmaster's office, fishing the scrap of parchment out of his pocket. He offered the password to the gargoyle and headed up the stairs with his stomach clenching.
"Come in, Harry, my boy," called out Dumbledore as he reached the top of the stair. "Please have a seat. Would you like a lemon drop?"
"No, thank you, Headmaster. You wanted to see me?" said Harry, taking a chair in front of the desk.
"Yes, Harry. I think perhaps I owe you an apology. I fear that I allowed my concern for you to cloud my judgment. Professor McGonagall has informed me that you declined my offer of tutoring. I do assure you, Harry, that I only have your welfare in mind. I had thought of offering you an Apprenticeship. I'm sure that there is much I could teach you," said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling.
Harry avoided direct eye contact with the old man.
"An Apprenticeship?" Harry said incredulously, "Do you honestly think that I would willingly place myself under your control? No, Headmaster, I need no training from you. I have more than enough money to buy tutors if I want them, I am an adult with my own home, my own money, my own income, and I even have a job. I could leave here today and take the N.E.W.T.'s independently if I wanted. I am here because I want to be, to spend time with my friends, and to have the life and freedom I earned when I killed Voldemort."
The smile faded from Dumbledore's face as Harry spoke and he said, "Harry, you may be a legal adult, but you are still a child with much to learn. You need to be taught politics and the ways of the Wizarding World. You could be a force for growth and change, with the right instruction."
Harry snorted and said, "With you as my puppet master, you mean. You must think I'm stupid to believe I'd ever trust you."
"Harry, you need training. You only killed Voldemort by accident—" He broke off in shock as Harry stood, green eyes blazing behind his glasses, the windows, furniture and ornaments rattling with the sheer untamed power rolling off of him.
"Accident? Do you really think so? That Voldemort could be killed by accident?" he said coldly.
"Harry, my boy, you must calm down and get control," said Dumbledore softly in a soothing voice, eyeing Harry carefully and moving his hand toward his wand.
A cold smile spread across Harry's face, "I am calm and I am certainly in control." The rattle decreased to a small thrumming and then increased again in a pointed display of control, causing several trinkets to fall from the desk and shelves. It then ceased altogether, though Dumbledore could still feel the magic pouring off Harry in waves. Then that ceased too. Only Harry's eyes continued to glow, and this time they met Dumbledore's. The Headmaster exulted and struck with his Legilimency, only to be violently rebuffed.
"I'll thank you to stay out of my mind, Headmaster. Are we finished?" said Harry with the same cold smile.
"You may go, Mr. Potter," said the Headmaster in a defeated voice.
Harry nodded and turned for the door he paused there and spoke over his shoulder, "I noticed that although you said you owed me an apology, you didn't actually apologize," and then he continued out the door and down the stairs.