Chapter 1.
The owl swooped down over log Z's Greater London, a letter, signed and sealed in emerald green clutched in its talons. Even if it had had only the stars to see by it would still have been able to fly dependable, but it wasn't necessary. London quiescency was almost as brightly as London awake. But light or no illuminate this delivery was a tough one. The mail service owls prided themselves on being able to rule anyone but it didn't make it well-off when the address was simply …
British capital, somewhere…


But Dumbledore had given her extra instructions for this delivery, and she never wavered in her flying, swooping down past a row of shop class, preceding bakers, bankers and optician and curving cleanly into the alley behind them to light on a streetlamp. Her big brown heart took in the solid fit, the brick walls, the large dumpster bins and the small boy, wrapped in a pelage too large for him by half, trotting down the alley from the other direction.

The boy stopped succeeding to one of the dumpsters and quietly lifted the lid, running his hands past papers and coffee grounds. He began picking out broken glass, cracked lense and the wish, transferring them to a scoop of his coat. When he had a good pocket he did something peculiar, he scratched a cross mark into one of the walls of the alley, then sat down opposite it and began putting first one, then another of the electron lens to his oculus. After an hr of this, the small boy 's nerve broke into a grin at a particular proposition half-cracked lens, he grinned as he spun it into the air like a coin, and rolled it across the rear of his fingers.


A instant later the boy was rummaging in his torn and tatty knapsack and eventually drew out a small share. When he unrolled it on the ground the bird of Minerva centre sparkled in the glimmer of four more lense, one a mirror-match of the one the boy held in his hand, this he took and replaced the others carefully in his bag. The future to make out from the bag of tricks was a frame ( selected from a few in the bag ) and a tube of gum. Two pinprick splash of glue to each lens and the boy carefully laid his prize on the storey to dry, then crawled behind the dumpster and rolled himself up in his coat.

The owl waited until the child was asleep, then calmly hopped off its pole and placed the letter of the alphabet beside the child, he would find it in the morning. By the chickenhearted halogen lamp it read ...
Harry potter
Greater London, somewhere

*


Harry Potter flickered between waking and sopor for the longest time. Slipping in and out of dreams he would not remember on waking, until he fell into a deeply slumber and curled himself tight into a little ball, a well of warmth with his hands tucked in his axillary fossa and his head ducked down. Shifting and gliding from dreams of the past, of leaving the Dursleys.

Harry thrower always thought of as just leaving. He did not run away ! You can only run away from menage, and Privet driving force had never been home. He had decided that. He knew he had another home, he dreamed of that too. Not with look-alike or anything real, just of a sense of warmth, and also pain, he didn't understand that. Other dreams pushed in on his night time recollection and he touched on other matter, the pies in the nearby bakehouse, the employment to do tomorrow and tonight's work, still drying, on the ground, until…

"Get up ! Get out !"

Not Harry's crude awakening, but far from pleasant. Harry uncurled like a bound, just stopping to grab his piece of work on the ground before pelting off down the back street, chased by the irate baker. Rounding a corner Harry ran on, past surprised, mildly startled and downright shocked pedestrians, past lamps, dogs and pigeon raft, even past and through the cars as Harry dashed across a busy road. It no longer mattered that he'd lost any pursuer three closure ago, it was just adept to run.

Harry stopped in Regents parkland and ducked to booze from one of the fount and snatched a few coins from the undersurface. Soon hopefully he would experience money coming to him ( at to the lowest degree, as much as he ever had ) and he could take some small measuring stick of it to fulfill what was more often than not lately a gnawing hollow in his eye ( at least it was summer, winter was uncollectible ). Harry walked down Euston route for a while, not caring or seeing where he was going until he reached the station itself. The sun was eminent by that time and people were beginning to hail and go from the building.

"Not commuters yet though."thought Harry"not for hours."

Harry set his hat down where no one could avoid him, or profess not to see him, and slipped three coloured globe out of his pelage. Shifting them all to his left hand, he flicked his new field glass on with his right field. The ball became edged in crystallization pellucidity as the electron lens slipped over his eye. Harry stood in the square and laughed for a patch, laughed into the morning sky while the the great unwashed around him stared or frowned, then, in a instant, Harry swept all three into the air and spun them around his hands faster and faster. He laughed as he fountained the balls up above his question. citizenry began to take notice as he added a one-quarter ball, and a fifth. People walked preceding and turned to stare for a instant before flipping coins into his hat or even waited there watching him for a patch before moving on.

Harry smiled, this meter not for the act itself, but for the coins. This was why he had had to arrive at glasses and why his breadbasket was emptier than normal. He hadn't been able to manage to a greater extent than three Ball since Noel. Just to show himself he could, Harry added another ballock and split the Ball into two set ("Oooh !"Said a small girl passing by. The female parent smiled at him, but didn't drop anything ). The two rope became one again as they began to wobble ("Out of pattern"thought Harry ) and he pocketed two of the ballock back away, he had to keep this up for a while.

The sun was high in the sky before Harry moved from his office. He scooped his winnings to an inside pocket and went off to buy luncheon. He bought sandwiches at some newsvendor with no real name and ate them slowly on a park bench and drank more body of water from a fountain. On the way back to his spot Harry passed another food shop class, the cakes in the window looked even near than the foremost one had. Harry walked past, thrift was in his bones.
*


When Harry got back to the station he realised something was faulty. In the precise middle of the second power was the bad man Harry had ever seen. From the toes of his large leather boots, past his heavy furred overcoating ( Bet that's lovesome, thought Harry ) all the way to his font, so covered, variously, in beard, mustache and bemire bootleg whisker that only modest persona of skin were visible, the man was easily eight metrical foot tall. The very appearance of the man was so striking that for a foresighted moment Harry didn't see what the man was doing and then he became even more singular. The marvellous man seemed to be looking for something, he would consult a piece of ( very old and white-livered looking ) composition then calculate around, staring at the great unwashed, then see worriedly back at the paper.

"Maybe he's lost"cerebration Harry. But the tall man didn't seem to be about to be active on, neither did he seem to be the type to ask directions. Harry was torn for a import between arrest at the imposing figure of speech and a luck to bust up a bit to a greater extent money from helping a lost tourist. But a moment later his indecision became redundant as the marvellous man turned to look at Harry and his face broke into a huge grinning. The tall man ran over to where Harry was standing ( breaking several paving stones ) and stopped in front man of the start small fry looking, in turns, felicitous and relieved.

Yes ?"Volunteered Harry,"Can I help you ?"he hazarded, then ( in a last-place ditch cause to regain normality )"are you lost ?"

"Nope,"Said the tall man, spreading his mouth in the widest smile Harry had ever seen."I think I've found what I've been looking for."

"And that is ?"But Harry already dreaded and expected the answer.

"well you o'grade ! Didn't you get… Hey time lag !"By halfway through the judgment of conviction Harry was halfway across the square, and accelerating.

Harry dodged across a side road and began haring down first one back street then another.

"One good thing about being chased by a giant…"thought Harry"You know when he's behind you !"The pavement cracked and buckled as the tall man chased Harry, he didn't seem to run much but he only had to hold one running step to Harry's three and he didn't have to hedge through crowds either, people fell over themselves to get out of the way. And all the time they were running the tall man kept yelling

"Wait ! You got to have yer letter ! You got… Out a my way you ! … to read it ! intercept !"

Harry pelted off a main route and down an back street, he was moving so fast he almost shot past the thing he had been searching for. Harry skidded to a halt and grasped both mitt round the mould iron drainpipe ( his piddling magic trick was less utile now most pipe were shaping but it had still put him above and away from More than one bit of trouble ), his ft went against the wall and he pulled himself hand over hand upwards, two of his balls slipped out of his pocket and fell back down but he ignored them, he could get more ( well, he could probably get More, and in a pinch anything bout would do ) and pulled himself onto the tile cap above him. Harry lay there for a second, finding his Libra the Scales ( and his breathing place ) before sliding back to the bound and looking over. Three stories down ("It had looked so much larger from the bottom"thought Harry ) the magniloquent man stood hunched over, catching his breath in Brobdingnagian, leviathan, gulps that disturbed the junk on the flat coat. The man managed to stand up after a few second and began rummaging in his coat. After a few endeavor at versatile pockets he managed to pull out what looked like a sealed gasbag and thrust it into the air.

"You got… to have… yer letter."The man said breathlessly. He wiped his hired hand across his facial expression and shook the sweat off on the ground."Blimey you're fast."And with that the tall man dropped to the ground and sat there mopping his brow.

"Who are you ?"Called Harry"and why are you chasing me ?"

"I was chasing you ‘ cos you bloody ran away wasn't I !"Said the marvellous man, pulling off his pelage to expose a muddy white shirt and gallus."Why'd you do that anyway ?"

"Because I've never met you before."Said Harry."Why would person I've never met before be looking for me at Euston place ! Also…"added Harry as another opinion hit him"how did you even know I'd be there !"

"We've met before Harry, y'just don't remember. Not that I'm surprised at that, you were small enough to fit in my hired man back then, and you were easier to catch."The marvelous man said smiling."I knew you when you was a baby. experience your parents too, friends."The mans head drooped for a second then came back up quickly."As to how I found you, well, I had some help with that."The man reached into his coat and dug out a pink umbrella with frilly lace boundary, it looked almost like it should be in a cocktail nestled in his big men.

"An umbrella ?"Said Harry"Oh of course !"Harry stood up and began strutting along the edge of the roof ("Careful"cried the magniloquent man")"Why didn't I see it before ? An umbrella, a sorcerous umbrella that points you on your way ! The umbrella of light, The umbrella of seeking !"Harry spun on one human foot and began walking the early way."The pastel, pink umbrella of heap !"Harry threw back his head and laughed."You're nuts mate ! An umbrella can't help you find anyone."

"You think so do you ?"Said the man, still smiling,"Then I think it's high up time you read your letter."The man put the letter on the solid ground in movement of him ( pausing for a second when he realised he had been using it to mop his brow ) then stepped back and pointed the umbrella at it and mumbled under his breath.

"Hey !"Harry jumped back and almost fell over as one recess of the missive burst into purple flames.

"It's all right ! It's all right field !"Cried the man, stamping out the fire with his boot."It only got the envelope and that was pretty wet so it's all rightfulness. I'll try again."Harry watched in stunned prediction as the man stepped back again, raised the umbrella carefully and mumbled something slightly dissimilar towards the envelope. For a moment zippo happened. Then, slowly, one edge of the gasbag lifted up, dipped back down again ("stabilize"mumbled the man ) then righted itself and rose by one corner as if it was drawn up by an unseeable thread. The letter of the alphabet rose higher and gamy until it drew level with Harry's typeface. He stood up and the letter obligingly rose to fit him. Harry carefully reached out and waved his hand over the missive, then under it, then all around just to be sure. He finally drew his hand back and whispered

"How…"Harry leaned in to get a closer look and suddenly, momentarily, forgot he was on a rooftop. His groundwork slipped out from under him and he tumbled over, skinning his peg on the boundary before falling like a stone. As he spun in the air he looked up to see the varsity letter, still casually floating above him."Weird day…"mentation Harry, then vauntingly script caught him.

"What'd you do that for ?"said the man. Setting Harry back down on the ground where he stumbled and sat down on a obstetrical delivery pallet."You coulda'been hurt, or sorry !"

"How ? ..."Harry pointed to the letter now gently drifting down from the cap."no strings…"

"Oh, that's promiscuous stuff."The marvellous man waved his hand disparagingly"Even I can do that, you'll learn that in your first workweek, its one of the elementary charms."

"Charms ? !"Harry felt like running away again but his legs wouldn't motion."Like, as in, spells ?"

"Ah…"said the man"I was afraid of that. You're aunty and uncle probably meant to tell you when you was Old. We didn't know if they had."

"You know my aunty and uncle."Harry looked at the man and tried to mold out the probability that this person was friends with his aunt and uncle. Low, he decided, very, very low.

"Nah, I never met um. But we knew that was who was taking fear of you after your parents died."His parents… Harry tried to commend what his aunt had told him about them. Very little, just that they were the improper sorting of hoi polloi and died in some stroke. A fire wasn't it ? Or maybe a car crash ? Anyway Harry had privately decided that if they were people his aunt disapproved of then he probably would let liked them a lot. Liked them better than his aunt and uncle at least.

"That was a long meter ago."Harry snapped back to the present."and I'm better off without them taking attention of me !"The grandiloquent man gave him a shrewd flavour, taking in his heavily get into dress and brake shoe."Well…"added Harry"at least now I don't get slapped if I don't have meal ready for them on time."Harry grinned"Who knows how they managed without me ? Probably starved to death trying to work out how the oven works."He laughed and was pleased to see the tall man laugh too."Mind you it'd submit a while to thirst Dudley. Fat second-stringer like a camel !"Harry did a quick fat-cousin impression, waddling along the alley, and the man laughed harder.

"We'll wherever you've come from you're going somewhere better."Said the man when he finished chuckling. He fished the envelope back off the level and handed it to Harry."This should explain most of what you're wondering about and I'll fill in the blanks."Harry took the letter carefully and looked at it before opening it. It was an old fashioned one, made with yellowing parchment and sealed with a coat of arms in wax, melted wax now of course. Harry wiped the sticky mass away with his sleeve and opened the alphabetic character. inside were three piece of paper and what looked like a train ticket. All made of odd old newspaper. He stared at the just the ticket, it had gold leaf an it and had a enceinte crest ("probably the same one that was on the letter") embossed into it. Harry wondered what kind of train required a ticket like this, and where such a power train would go to. ("Either a solid ground of copious people…"thought Harry"…or a chocolate factory.")

"Read the letter, read the letter of the alphabet !"Urged the tall man impatiently. Harry tucked the ticket into his air hole and pulled out one of the sheets of paper. He opened it. His eyes slid from one side of meat to the other. He had read each line about three times before he finally believed that what he thought he show was actually what was on the Sir Frederick Handley Page. Harry held the varsity letter in front line of him and tried to becalm his representative before saying,

"A school ?"

"Yep,"Said the tall man smiling"Hogwarts, C. H. Best school day in the humans for people like you. Course the other schoolhouse'll tell you unlike, but anyone who knows what there talking about says Hogwarts is the enceinte. trend we have Albus Dumbledore, none of the rest of em can say that."

"Who's he ?"Said Harry, still desperately trying to quash the one part of the varsity letter that had him shaking most."person famous ?"

"He's the headmaster."Said the tall man, drawing himself up importantly."He gave me this job himself. Great man Dumbledore. But you'll be seeing him when you reach Hogwarts."Harry's eyes were drawn to the postscript on the bottom of the letter, written in a different script than the rest of the school text, and with unlike ink.
P.S.

Due to your particular circumstance an escort has been provided for you to explain and help you through the process of preparing for your first schooling year. If this varsity letter has not come to you via one Rubious Hagrid then you will be meeting him shortly. I wish you all the best for the start of your 1st school year.

Albus Dumbledore


"Rubious Hagrid ?"The tall man nodded.

"Yep that's me. Gamekeeper, caretaker and keeper of paint at Hogwarts."

"And…"Harry took a deep breath, there wasn't much else he could ask before he asked this so he should just get it over with."…Hogwarts is a schooltime of illusion ?"

"Of course."Said Hagrid."As I said, best shoal in the world."

"Magic like you just did ? Making things swim bladder and explode ?"

"wellspring, yeah."Said Hagrid"What did you think it meant ? Those tricks muggles ("muggles ?") use to fool each other ?"

"And you think I can do that ?"

"With a little grooming o'course, that's what Hogwarts is for."Hagrid put his paw on Harry's berm"semen on, we've stood here long enough and we need to be getting your school stuff. But outset we should get you washed up and in some proper clothes."Hagrid led Harry down the alley. Harry followed placidly.

When your entire life shatters like glass and is replaced something glittering and new, sharp-worded and shivery. When your life changes in an trice you can either draw back, hold on to the old, try to pick up the part and jeopardy destroying the new lechatelierite hereafter you have found, for the sake of safety waters of the past. Or you can drop, laughing into the new life, with its shiny possibilities. And you either ride it through, or get swallowed under.

Harry laughed as he walked out of the alleyway, and into glossy futures.



Lets all take a instant to thank remembering big businessman for betaing this chapter.

Harry Potter and the ceiling At Nox : Chapter 2 : Jack

Harry raked his hands through his shorter hair, trying to wee it flat. The hairdresser had nearly shoved them out of the shop when they arrived, a conspicuously improbable man and a nipper with uncombed, unwashed, un-anythinged hair. Hagrid had paid her in bill that looked very old.

"Did he take a leak them with magic ?"thought Harry suddenly."Could I make them with conjuration ?"The wearing apparel and the exhibitor at a gym had both been interchangeable oddities but apparently the largest crotchet was yet to come.

"That looks okay now."Hagrid had said coming out of a clothing store."Now for the real shopping."

"This stuff ?"Harry fished the leaning that had come with the letter out of his air hole."Books, baton, cauldron… toad ?"

"Nah, no toad."Laughed Hagrid."But all that other poppycock you'll need for Hogwarts."

Harry hurried aboard Hagrid, his mind still buzzing with questions. But there was no way he was asking about magic trick in a herd street full of muggles ( or was it muddles, or mugwerts. Something like that anyway. ) And when they finally turned into a door Harry was so meddling looking at where they were that they were pushed to the back of his mind. They had stepped, hopefully deliberately ( this didn't seem like the sort of topographic point that would sell Word, or make potions other than the general alcoholic variety ) into a nighttime, oak beamed, pub full of hearty, old-looking furniture. The drinkable behind the bar had odd names and some of the liquids fizzed or bubbled. In the dark light Harry could have sworn one of them was glowing faintly. The sign outside had said"The leaky caldron ”. It certainly fitted one of the criteria.

As Hagrid led Harry across the floor, weaving around tabular array Harry began to note former things that didn't quite fit. Like the apparel people were wearing, half of the people were in normal, but hideously unfitting and mismatched, clothes. But the other one-half wore what looked like long flowing robes in several people of colour. The smaller items were foreign, no lookout or walkmans, but instead one man held a marble in his hand. As he gripped it the sphere went cloudy-red and the man began consulting a shopping list worriedly. Another man was showing off what looked like a sheep's skull with odd symbols painted on it to his friends ("Less than a sickle ("sickle ?") and new they go as high as five !"). In a recession two ginger child who looked like Twin, not a lot previous than Harry himself, were swapping some sorting of trading cards.

"Well…"thought Harry."At least that's normal."

"The common Hagrid ?"For a moment Harry didn't see where the vocalisation had come from. Then he realised they had reached the bar, and the tender was talking to them."Also there was someone in here selling wyvern eggs. Probably just painted Struthio camelus I but you never know."

"Nah, nah."Said Hagrid waving one of his big hired man."Got no sentence for a drink or to look at poppycock for myself. On Hogwarts business."He patted Harry on the berm."Important."

"Fair enough so… ohh…"The barkeeper was looking at Harry, or more accurately, at his forehead. Harry put his hand to it and realised that, with his new haircut, the old scrape on his frontal bone was no foresightful hidden.

"Got it when I was little."Said Harry, unless the bartender was wondering."I've always had it."Did this guy have a scar fixation or something ?

"Of course of study you've always had it lad !"Said the barkeep, half amazed, half amused."You're Harry ceramicist !"

The elbow room went dead. Suddenly every eye in the elbow room was turned to him. Somewhere around a glass tipped over, spilling its ( fuming and bubbling ) table of contents on its owner. No one noticed.

"Harry Potter."Breathed one of the masses nearest him."Can it be ?"It took Harry a second to work out the question was directed at him and another to decide how to answer.

"My names Jack."He said, affronted."Why you all staring at me ?"phone seemed to issue forth back to the bar as masses turned back to their boozing, mumbling and in one eccentric shouting ("Oh no ! its all over my shirt !"). And Harry turned back towards the bar and looked up into the incredulous grimace of the barman and then encourage up into the mix up cheek of Hagrid."I got the scar falling off my first bike, odd shape isn't it ?"Harry smiled.

"Yeah, that right… Jack."The barman turned around chuckling under his breath while Harry turned to look Hagrid.

"Would you mind if we got out of here."Harry said quietly."Please."Hagrid nodded quietly and led Harry to the spine door and opened it for him. It was only When Harry got out that he began to breath properly again. Harry's deal shook as he wiped cold sweat off his brow. What was that all about ?

"Harry ?"Hagrid said quietly."Um… why did you just do that ?"It took Harry a irregular to compose himself enough to answer.

"They knew me somehow, or at least knew my name."Harry shuddered."If a room full-of-the-moon of strangers knows your name its either very expert intelligence or incredibly bad news."Hagrid fished out a water bottleful and handed in to Harry, who gulped it down."Plus they were all staring like they expected me to do something. All I know how to do for an interview is juggle. And somehow I don't think that was what they were looking for."Harry splashed some of the water system into his hand and slicked down one side of his hair, right over the scar."Hagrid, why were they staring at me ?"

"Ah… well… you see that's…"Hagrid dry-washed his hired man nervously. Then straitened and walked over to a wall pulling out his umbrella."That can wait till later, it's not something I want't discuss in a dark alley."Hagrid tapped bricks faster than Harry could follow and stepped back."There…"Said Hagrid, obviously keen to fill every secrecy lest query re-arise."Here's where you can get your schooling hooey, Diagon alley."The bricks spread apart around the region Hagrid had tapped, opening out to a window into another world.

A long winding street, wax to the brim with odd rob people, and odd shop filled with odder merchandise. colorful signal swung from the overhanging fib above them, showing that the shop below sold broom handle or fireworks. People sold things out of barrows on the edges, odd vegetables and wooden toy dog that danced or spun. For now Harry was content to keep up Hagrid, draining in the great deal and the sounds of the place. He was almost disappointed when Hagrid stopped in front of a heavy colonnaded building and went inside.












The inside of the edifice was as royal as the outside, with two long desks running the length of the high domed room. Light came from windows high up on the paries. Along each desk sat curious brute consulting lists or counting out piles on coins. There were purse of coins behind the desks too, and the only when strait were the clink of alloy on metal and the scratch of shaft. Harry suddenly had the odd sensation that he had entered the cathedral of money, the church service of cash, and knew, acutely, that he hadn't been to worship in a while.

"Hagrid."Harry said quietly."Why are we here ?"

"Here to make believe a withdrawal."Said Hagrid, as if it should be obvious."Can't buy your schoolbooks with muggle money can we."

"This is a camber ! ?"Exclaimed Harry, and was shushed by a nearby creature. He continued in a placid voice."I don't have any money to pull in one's horns, certainly not from a shoes like this."

"Oh, but you do."Said Hagrid, smiling."You're parents set some money aside for your teaching before they died."

"My parents ?"But the rest of the query was lost as they reached the desk they had been headed for.

"Yes ?"Said the creature, in a bored voice.

"Mr Harry Potter ( sorry Harry ) here to make a withdrawal."

"Key please."This beast obviously wasn't impressed by the public figure, if anything it looked more bored than before.

"Key, right…"Hagrid dug through pocket after sac, spilling various things onto the level and the desk. Harry picked up the things he could recognise, like scissors and a dog collar, and left the former bit where they were, some of them were moving."Ah !"Hagrid produced a key, that had probably been glistening atomic number 79 before encountering Hagrid's sack, and put it on the desk."There we are. Also there's one other thing."Hagrid leaned in close to the tool and handed him a sealed spell of paper. Harry thought he recognised the curvy signature on the nominal head."It's about what's in vault 713."

"Of course."Said the creature, reading the note. For the first prison term it seemed concerned in what it was looking at. The puppet ("They're hob Harry, sorry I didn't reference that. I keep forgetting you're new to this. hob, and this is Gringots.") summoned over another like it but young and with a slightly LE laconic aspect. This new hob introduced himself as Greeklunk, rolled his heart at the vertebral column of the departing goblin and led them through one of the doors in the back and down to what looked like a mine car.

"Um Hagrid ?"

"Yes Harry."

"I've never been in a muggle bank so I have no comparison but I'm fairly for certain mine-carts don't figure into it."

"Oh Gringots runs under one-half o'Greater London. If you had to walk to the vaults it'd take all day. Goes down pretty far too. The top security department vaults are down there, guarded by curses, and cakehole and dragons…"

"Dragons sound like a good surety method."Said Harry, climbing into the cart."Of course it could be a problem if you actually want to recede anything without being char-grilled."

"Oh dragons aren't as bad as all that. That's just anti-dragon prejudice."

"Do they breathe fire ?"

"wellspring yes."

"Are they ten foot long ?"

"Oh most are much prominent than that !"

"With huge claws, tooth, sinew ?"

"Um…"the cart took off with a jerk."I see where you're going with this Harry."

"Just playing around."Harry said as the cart gathered speed. Soon the walls were passing at a blur, other cartroad winding off to either side. The cart passed through vast caverns and through pin-hole passageways, tipping so far on the gas embolism it threatened to hail off. Harry stood face-first to the wind and closed oculus, letting the gusting noise whirl around him as the cart movement buffeted him. After a indorsement he turned to Greeklunk, just one interrogation on his mind.

"Does it go any degenerate ?"

"One fastness only."Said Greeklunk wistfully. He shared a quick grinning with Harry and turned his face into the confidential information too. After a second he added with a wide-mouthed goblin-grin,"But we can go lash out some loops if you like !"

"No !"Hagrid's muffled yell came from the corner where he sat hunched over."blaze Harry, are y'trying to kill us ?"

"Are you fine Hagrid."Harry asked, turning around and leaning back against the boundary of the cart.

"I'm fine, I just hate these gringots trolleys."Hagrid said, blanching"And sustain on to something !"Harry had just spread his subdivision out like flank to better palpate the wind, but obligingly put them back down."You make me woozy standing like that."

The pushcart eventually slowed and pulled up side by side to a bank vault. Harry hopped out of the cart to try out this new surrounding followed, much more slowly and with intellection for his stomach, by Hagrid. Greeklunk led them to one particular vault and turned brought out the key Hagrid had given the desk goblin. The curl squeaked as Greeklunk turned it with the key and there was the audio of large deadbolt drawing back.

"Here you are Harry."Said Hagrid as the vault swung subject."Your inheritance."

Harry's mind rebelled. Not true, it insisted to its dishonest eye, the pictures your sending me just can't be confessedly. There is no way. Just no way… Harry barely noticed as Hagrid walked into the vault and took a few coins from the piles of gold and more generous handfuls from the silver and bronze piles.

"This should be enough to go on."Hagrid stepped back out of the burial vault and had to physically move Harry to allow Greeklunk to come together the door. Harry was silent as they stepped back into the cart and for a piece just stared at the walls rushing past until finally he felt he had his own thoughts in order enough to try and get resolution for them.

"Hagrid ? My parents left money here, so they must've been magic too, right ?"

"Well of course they were ! Lilly and James River Potter. Head boy and lady friend of Hogwarts they were when they were there."

"conjuring trick runs in household ?"

"Normally it does yes."

"My aunt and uncle ?"Harry asked incredulously.

"But not always."Hagrid added nodding."You're mum was the first on her side of the family with it."

"And they were stinking ample ?"

"Comfortable Harry, comfortable."Hagrid sat up to talk face to face."I suppose they never were strapped for hard cash but hardly stinking rich, no, no.

"But, that hurdle ?"

"Well all the money they had went to you when they di…"Hagrid stopped and frowned at himself."I'm sorry Harry, I should'nt've blurted that out."

"It's all right."Harry said shrugging."I don't remember them."

"That's not all right !"Said Hagrid with a mix of anger and sadness."If anything that makes it sorry !"

"Tell me a short about them then."Harry said, careful not to let one shred of eagerness enter interpreter."It might take your mind off the handcart for a while longer."Harry laughed as Hagrid suddenly looked around and, seeing that he was sitting up, not holding on and had momentarily forgotten his nausea, let out a yelping of surprise and curled back into a corner.

After a moment he began to blab out and Harry let the words wash over him. Hagrid didn't seem very dear at telling stories, his mind jumped about with many a"and there was this other time…"and seemed to alternate from his fathers first class at Hogwarts, to his parents wedding, to some game called Quidditch his father apparently played, to just describing his mother face. In the middle of a blast by blow description of a fight between his father and some other kid ( Snipe ? ) Harry realised they were no longer moving. Glancing around he saw a dim, disused, dingy and dank part of the banking company caves with just one large vault in view next to the cart. Thinking back Harry realised they had not moved in some time and he glanced over to Greeklunk who smiled back at him, waiting at the controller levers. Harry mouthed

"Thank you."at him. Then said out loud…"Hagrid ? I think we're here."

Cut off in mid menstruation, Hagrid shook himself out of his reminiscence and stood up. As Greeklunk led them to the door Harry noticed that it had no keyhole and no handle."Deep down in Gringots."He thought."And even higher certificate than they put on haemorrhoid of Au ?"

"What are we here to get ?"Harry asked warily.

"Best you don't think on it too much Harry."Said Hagrid."particular missionary post from Dumbledore. Very secret."

"Something witching ?"Harry asked."Another umbrella perhaps ?"Hagrid looked at him oddly for a bit before realising it was a joke. Greeklunk ran a finger down a parting of the room access and it dissolved like junk into the air. The hobgoblin then stepped back warily as if he didn't want to be closer to the subject matter of the vault than he had to be. While Hagrid stepped into the vault Harry turned to Greeklunk and whispered

"Do you know what's in here ?"The goblin shook his head.

"And I don't want to witness out."The hobgoblin shuddered."The vaults down here are the top security measure. I haven't been here long enough to see more than one or two. Sometimes its just money, people who want it as prophylactic as potential and don't judgement the surplus thrill, but sometimes…"

"Worse ?"

"Much worse."Greeklunk leaned against the wall and put an odd control stick in his mouth and began to masticate it."There was one guy a few years ago, Rich nob from one of the old wizarding families. All he took out was money but I swear, in the back of the burial vault there was other stuff. Chains, tongue, a rack, not new poppycock mind but some of it looked… used."Greeklunk trailed off into silence, chewing softly.

"You allow masses to store poppycock like that here ?"Harry asked.

"That's not the regretful of it."Continued Greeklunk, shaking his point."That stuff could easily have been full of drab magic. In fact, considering the germ, it probably was."Greeklunk looked like he was about to say more then suddenly broke off and stood up. Muttering to himself he began to pace."You won't tell anybody I said that will you Harry ?"Greeklunk said, sounding worried."Only transactions are meant to be confidential and everything. I shouldn't have let myself run like that."

"It's alright, it's not as if you mentioned epithet or anything."

"I only wish the high-pitched ups would see it like that."Greeklunk shook his headland."Ah… time to go."Hagrid stepped back out of the vault stuffing a minor grubby package into his pocket.

"Something small"Thought Harry."Something small but very worthful and very secret and possibly very dangerous. Something sorcerous. Something…"( he glanced into the bank vault as the door reappeared )"…valuable enough to let out an entire vault just for it. What are we the courier of ?"

On the way back Hagrid began feeling sick again so Harry chatted to Greeklunk about Gringots and the carts ("Sometimes we backwash them after closing hours ! Er, respectable add that to your list of stuff not to refer again Harry."). Finally the cart reached flat coat level again and they got out, waved goodbye to Greeklunk and stepped back into the torrent of sound in diagonally.






"right hand, first things first."Hagrid looked up and down the street and stopped when he saw a shop that appeared to have a needle-and-thread signboard outside its door."We need to get you some robes."ma'am Malkin's was empty except for the proprietor who fussed over Harry like a female parent hen, standing him up on a faeces and pinning and tucking the long grim gown she threw over him.

"You'll be going to Hogwarts of course."Madam Malkin's voice was muffled by the pins and clips held in her mouth. Hagrid, standing in the back of the store mimed drinking and pointed back to the leaky cauldron, when Harry nodded he stood up and walked out the door. Harry suddenly felt a little vulnerable. Not from people, Harry knew how and when to run from trouble, but from this world. He was in a foreign state and had just lost his translator.

"So everyone keeps telling me."Harry smiled wanly. Madam Malkin stood up and ruffled his hair.

"Don't worry."She said in a comforting motherly way."It can take you like that if you're new to this. You'll soon enough get into the golf shot of things."

"How did you know I was new to this ?"Harry asked ( or did everyone live him here ? He quickly glanced up but his scar was still hidden by fuzz. )

"I see a lot of Hogwarts students come in here for their first robes."madam Malkin moved around to his other incline to begin working on that."You get so you can tell the unity who are muggle-born just by the way they look at anything magic sideways. But in a days time you see them come back carrying broomsticks and making the stools fly just like the rest. You'll fit in."She knelt down to start on the hemline and Harry was left feeling more static than he had all day.

"Just a matter of getting my sea legs."opinion Harry, idly taking two balls from his sack and juggling them one-handed."Get stalls in this new world and you'll be fine."Harry added another ball and kept on with one paw, using the early to get out his list."Still ask calamus, still need lambskin, still ..."

"I wish I could do that."Harry looked up to see a girl about his age standing in the door of the shop, an adult ( judging from the froth of brown hairsbreadth they were both endowed with, probably her mother ) stood talking with one of the store attendants and fiddling with gold coins she didn't seem fellow with. Also, Harry noticed wryly, they both seemed to be looking at anything wizardly sideways.

"Do what ?"Harry said as the female child was led onto an adjacent footstool.

"That."The young lady pointed at Harry's aright deal and he realised he was still bouncing the juggling balls.

"Oh, that."Harry suddenly felt like impressing soul and added another ball before moving to both hired man and separating them out into two loops. He caught one ball in each hand then flipped his wrists and let the others fall onto the backs, he balanced them there for a moment before slipping them back into his pockets."That's nothing."Harry grinned and winked.

"I tried to check how to juggle once."The girl seemed to speak as if everyone should sit up and take observation."I got a book out of the program library that was supposed to teach you but I kept dropping the balls."The miss seemed to substantiate something and turned to him ( making the somebody pinning up her apparel swear and suck in a pricked finger )"Unless of course you used legerdemain. Its probably easily for you to do if you do magic. I never knew I was magic until the letter came and I'm so glad but I bet I'll be behind everyone else, that's why we came out here the first day we could so I would hold a chance to get lots of Koran for background reading. I just hope I don't end up looking stupid."The girl seemed to stop more from deficiency of breathing spell than from want of Logos, she didn't looking like she ever ran out of words.

"I don't think there's too lots danger of you looking stupid"irritating maybe but not stupe"and anyway I'm the Same, I was woefully, blissfully and surprisingly illiterate about magic until the letter came and warped the world."He grinned and waved his hand towards the window into diagonally"but it can't be anything but fun, especially wizard school, especially spells."Harry laughed.

"Were not going there to ingest fun, were going there to learn."The girl sounded scandalised.

"Maybe you're going there to learn. But I've always had the opinion that life's for fun, and if you can't recover something to laugh at in any situation you're not trying hard enough. Anyway…"Harry swiftly moved on as the girl went through respective stagecoach of shock."… we'll hardly be capable to debar having fun if we're doing tour all the fourth dimension, making stuff fly, making farce explode, making stuff into other stuff, the whole thing should be a blast."There was an uncomfortable silence, helpfully filled by Madam Malkin saying…

"Alright honey, you're done now."Harry stepped off the stool and went to leave, just as he reached the threshold he heard…

"By the way I'm Hermione farmer, What's you're name."

"Harry Potter."The seamstress gasped and stabbed her finger again, madam Malkin looked up in surprisal."See you at Hogwarts."He walked out into the street leaving two surprised and two confused stares behind him.

Hagrid was worried when he caught him halfway back from the Leaky cauldron.

"You should'a waited in the shop."Hagrid said taking him by the shoulder."I was about to get along get you. Kids shouldn't be walking around alone."Harry was about to mention that that was exactly what he had been doing the last three yr of his lifespan when Hagrid started off towards another workshop and Harry had to follow or be swallowed by the crowd.

On the round of the shops Harry met three more prospective Hogwarts educatee, a pair of couple daughter in the pill roller's who laughed when he juggled crocodile middle and laughed even harder when he was thrown out of the shop for doing so, and a boy called Blaise Zabini in Flourish and Blotts who didn't seem to laugh at anything and sniffed in gross disdain when Harry bought second hand books.

"There's plenty in that vault to last you know Harry."Hagrid said as they walked out of the bookshop carrying battered but still perfectly serviceable books.

"Easiest way to end up with no money is to drop it when you don't have to. Besides, these are still good."The book he was holding picked that mo to shed its first few Thomas Nelson Page onto the cobblestone. Harry picked them up without speaking and set off down the street fast enough to urinate Hagrid jog to keep up.





Ollivanders came next and Harry thought for a here and now Hagrid had taken his advice to fondness. Looking at the reduce premises with bleached windows and peeling paintwork belied its blurb which made out that it had made fine scepter since 382 bc.

"Yes…"Thought Harry,"…in this shop. And you haven't repainted since then."But he walked in all the Saame and walked up to the counterpunch as Hagrid took a seat by the door.

The interior was full-of-the-moon of ledge, piled richly with yearn thin boxes. It reminded Harry of a cross between an old s helping hand bookshop and a disused shoe memory board. The sliver of light from the window illuminated the motes of dust in the air, Harry blew into it and was rewarded by a swirling blueprint, spotlighted in the muddy way. He was just wondering if he should perhaps ring the chime when he heard a vocalism out of the darkness.

"trade good afternoon."The vocalisation was quiet and felt like old velvet but it came so suddenly that Hagrid jumped like a spooked lapin and Harry just kept enough of his will power to keep off jumping himself though his heart felt like it had leapt on its own.

"Good afternoon to you."Harry said, keeping his phonation steady while thinking"sneaking up on me, huh ? Don't let him see he got to you. For all he knows you heard him coming."Out of the sombreness behind the desk an old, white haired and pale-eyed man stepped, cocking his head like a heron.

"Ah, Mr. Potter."The old man couldn't have seen the scar, none of the other people he'd met had through the hair's-breadth."I was trusted I'd be seeing you in my store sometime soon."

"Sorry to sustain you waiting."Harry leaned back from the mans eyes and said."I'm here to buy a wand."

"Why else would you be here ?"The man seemed faintly amused. He drew a tapeline measure out of a pocket and it sprang out of his hand, measuring Harry's arms and digit."Wands are what I do. I made all the sceptre here and I remember all of them, even the 1 I've sold."

"Wouldn't some variety of card catalog would be more effective ?"said Harry but Ollivander wasn't listening.

"It seemed only yesterday your parents were in here buying their world-class wands."

"Well it would if you've been around since 382bc !"Getting Sir Thomas More vex as the tape measuring wrapped itself around his head.

"You're mother was a unicorn-hair girl, set in willow. safe wand that, I remember the day I made it. Your father liked a sceptre with dragon heart-string, more right. Well I say he liked but its really the wand that chooses the wizard."Ollivander fixed Harry with a stare that made his feel like he was being weighed and measured but he managed to say.

"Fascinating, but there's only one wand I really want to talk about. Mine. Let me chose it or let it chose me, either way seems fine."

"Very well Mr. Potter."Ollivander seemed oddly happy with Harry's insistence, as if this was the bit he'd been waiting for too. He snapped his fingers and the tape standard curled back up in the palm of his hired hand."Lets try ..."he ran his long finger over a nearby shelf then nodded to himself and picked a box that was ( to Harry's centre ) identical to all the others."… pine tree and Phoenix feather, short one at five inches."Harry took it and looked at it, it looked like a fat pencil."pass it a wave."Encouraged Ollivander. Harry swished the wand and jabbed at air to no issue before Ollivander snatched it back off him.

"No, not that one. Lets go in another direction."Ollivander climbed up a ladder on the far side of the shop and dropped down another box."Dragon-heartstring and beach. twelve inch and thin."He called out."Try it."Harry waved the glorified toothpick unenthusiastically before handing it back up to Ollivander who replaced it on the shelf and kicked the ladder over to another area.

More wands passed by without upshot and Harry was beginning to palpate worried ( and a niggling hungry ) when Ollivander passed him another wand.

"Phoenix feather and Holly Eleven inches."Ollivander handed it to him just like he had all the others but Harry thought he had seen a gleaming in the old mans flighty eyes. Harry raised it apprehensively and swished it like a lash. Nothing happened, and silence filled the small store. Harry held the wand out for the old shopkeeper but he made no move to take it. He was staring at it like he did not quite understand.

"Try it again."Was all he said.

Harry obediently swished the wand a bit more and jabbed it in the air. It refused to do anything for him.

"Doesn ‘ t seem to work."Harry placed it back in its box himself and handed that to Ollivander, who finally took it. The poor man looked quite confused.

"Dra… Dragon-heartstring."He said after a bit, as if struggling with something."And oak."

A few wands later and one shot laurel wreath of lighting in the air as Harry swished it.

"Andaman padunk."The wand maker said almost to himself."and capital of Arizona feather. Just nine in. But this is yours !"He held up the early scepter in its box."This is the one you're supposed to have. This wand has at its core, a sealed feather. The bird that gave that feather gave only one early that was made into a verge. Yes, 13 and a half inches, yew. That wand Harry, gave you that scar."He pointed at Harry's forehead."That wand belonged to he-who-must-not-be-named I'm sorry to say. You and… and… and he…"Ollivander lapsed into secretiveness and Harry said.

"But that one didn't study. This one did."He liked the look of the verge he had in his hand. The Sir Henry Wood was faintly red and the suitcase where he held it was a lilliputian rougher making the affair feel stable in his small hand like none of the others had."How often for this one."

"Take it."The old man suddenly looked just that, old. He waved them out as he turned and walked into the back of his shop, without taking his eyes off the wand in his hand.










Harry left the price of the wand on the desk and left the old man to his mentation. When they were outside Harry took the lead and a surprise Hagrid followed him. Harry stopped by a footling café and sat down at a table in the corner and motioned for Hagrid to sit down too. When he did Harry said…

"Alright. Now I need to get it on what's going on."Hagrid nodded and sighed, mumbling something about not knowing why Dumbledore thought he was the one who should tell him, then launched into the fib. People passed by them but Harry was wrapped up in the story that was, he supposed, his history. Then finally when Hagrid finished he took a rich breathing space and said…

"They think, that something I was or did arrest this night lord ? And the rationality masses are staring at me is because I'm some kind of celebrity-hero ? And everyone in your reality knows this ? Including the hoi polloi I'm going to be going to school with ? And this dark star may still be out there somewhere ? Have I got this rightfulness ?"

"I'm sorry Harry."Hagrid shook his nous."There's a lot to get in on top of what you've already heard today. But you asked, and I would've had to severalise you anyway seeing as you'll be going off to Hogwarts with people who know."Hagrid suddenly looked around them, some of the shop were already shut and the café owner was looking at them pointedly."We'd well get going."

On the way back down the street Harry deliberately kept his hair up off his scar. People stared, he would hold to get used to it.


Chapter 2 : The toaders

Hagrid spoke to the barman at the leaky cauldron before leaning down to verbalise to Harry.

"I've got you a room here at the cauldron."Hagrid pointed back up the stares."I don't know what yer gon na do in the long term but for now until you go to Hogwarts you can stick around here."

So that was how it came to pass that Harry slept at the tattling caldron that night, tired from a day that had held more surprises than, well, than the ease of his life history put together. Harry kicked off the cover when he began sweating and lay back with his hands behind his promontory. His fag body fought his buzzing mind as it churned through the twenty-four hour period disclosure. But as the clock crept past 11 Harry's soundbox began to win and his eyes drooped.

He dreamt of wands and wizards and rocketing carts that flew past his heart chased by broom handle. But well-nigh of all he kept turning and turning the narration Hagrid had told him through his header just as he had when he was awake. Again and again a nighttime trope killed a man, then a cleaning lady then touched him on the head with his wand. Sometimes the man was Hagrid, his vast bulk blowing away like dust in a flash of light, sometimes the man looked like Harry, but quondam, heavyset. The sea wolf was worse, sometimes it was just a dark-skinned personnel, a wave. Sometimes it looked human, like a baddie off TV, decked out in Fang and a cloak as it killed a woman who looked like ma'am Malkin. Sometimes it had red eye. Once, it was Harry.

Harry jerked awake and saw that it was still dour outside. He had sweated despite ridding himself of the screen and scrambled to the window to open it. Dim light filtered in from the edges of a sky not quite ready for dayspring. Harry turned and looked over his way, barely glimpsed the Night before. It was panelled in oak and the furniture was all of the heavy wooden sort. The bed had a canopy around it that Harry had failed to close last nighttime, he noted in passing that the under canvas was twisted as if the wagon-lit had squirmed in the night.

"Running from something"Harry decided grimly. That thought and others made him determine to predate trying to get some more eternal sleep before dawn and wandered over to where he'd dropped his bags by the dresser.

He idly looked through bags, sorting material into piles and chuckling as they brought back recollections of various episodes of the late day, the quills the market keeper had tried to give him absolve when a waft from a fan blew back his tomentum, the potion ingredient Hagrid had had to go back in to get after the crocodile eye instalment. When he finally had all he owned in piles in front line of him he pulled over a electric chair and sat down in forepart of it, considering his dilemma. The largest pile by far, dwarfing his new gown in free weight if not in size, was the books.

This really was a dilemma for Harry. Having not had cause to take anything longsighted than a sentence or two in three years Harry was painfully aware that those books would be seriously heavy going. Checking his ticket again ( from another stilt ) Harry counted twenty-four hours and came up with thirty eight. He counted them again and came up with thirty seven. He did a minuscule verse in his drumhead to remember how many day august had and came up with thirty eight again. He wondered how much a room for more than a calendar month had cost and whether he could carry all his book of account about on the streets and realised that Hagrid had probably paid in approach to kibosh him doing just that. The groundskeeper was surprisingly shrewd about some things.

Harry switched his attention back to the books and began wondering instead if a month would be enough. He'd be blown if he was going to this school day without knowing a jot Sir Thomas More than he knew now and looking like a raw fledgling. Harry's stomach grumbled and he realised wryly that lunch had been a long time ago and although a lot had happened in the mean-time dinner hadn't been office of it. And worse he realised with a chuckle, breakfast probably wouldn't be served for 60 minutes yet.

"Wow,"he thought grinning"All it takes is just a vast raft of Au and suddenly you can't miss two meals. Weakling."

Harry lay back for a consequence and closed his eye, then swung forward and pulled a Good Book off the top of the tidy sum. After a bit he replaced it, shuffled through till he found the one with the word beginners in the form of address and started on that. After a bit he put that back too and found the one that said grade-one. After a moment he leaned back and put his fundament up. He had finally managed to understand the first sentence in one of his books. It was a start.

*

Harry was well into the account book when he realised that light was streaming through the windows and the sounds of the urban center were filtering through tacky and sack. Harry stood up, put the book in his bag and went off to research Diagonally. The barkeeper watched him go but didn't try to break off him.

"Hagrid probably told him to watch me."Thought Harry as he walked out the back door, turned, walked back in and asked the barkeeper how to afford the wall.

The way revealed to him, Harry stepped out onto the bustle street. Harry bought a folded-pastry thing at a cart and was surprised to discover it was pumpkin. He walked along staring in windows at the various oddness until he reached Gringots. Gaining this familiar ground Harry climbed to the top of the footstep, sat down and finished his pastry where he could see everyone total and go. Eventually he got out his book and say a chapter on something called alohomora without taking it in before shouldering his bag again and walking back into the crowd.

Harry followed a pattern like this for the adjacent few daylight, going out in the break of the day and soaking in the mint of Diagonally until he was sure he knew the place by heart, The standard book of spells ( Grade one ) by Miranda Goshawk was finished and replaced back by A tyro guide to transfiguration by Emeric switch which was itself exchange after a much longer interval ( the account book was longer and had none of the helpful diagrams Miranda Goshawk had added to her Word ) by one about Fungi.

Harry was just grinding through a particularly slow passage about moss after a long solar day walk when he heard a tapping on the window. A Brown University and emollient flecked owl with long wooden leg stood on the windowsill. The window was open but the owl just kept sitting there, cocking its head at him until Harry motioned the bird to come in. It ducked under the windowpane frame and hopped onto the story where it scuttled up to the desk and raised itself up to it in one flap. Careful to avoid disturbing any of Harry's hooey it walked over to him and held out a letter it had clutched in its claw. Harry took it and the owl hopped back but still stood there, regarding Harry carefully. When he looked it in the eyes it ducked its mind and took another footmark back but didn't leave. Harry felt into his pocket and found the remains of his ham sandwich luncheon which he opened and placed near the owl. The owl looked at it but seemed too aflutter to take it. Shrugging, Harry opened the letter. In writing almost as bad as his own Harry read…


dear Harry
Happy birthday. Sorry I couldn't be there in person but what with the schoolhouse class just starting there's lots to do at Hogwarts. There was a classroom on the third base floor full of bod eating slugs. Anyway I sent you your present. ( Harry checked inside the envelope and scan on bewildered ) Unless you're wondering why the owl still hanging around it's because she's yours. ( Ahh, thought Harry, glancing at the uneasy bird ) The John Milton Cage Jr. and poppycock should be coming soon too. If you want to write to me just give her a letter, she'll know where to chance me. Once again Happy Birthday.

Hagrid


Harry folded the missive up carefully and turned to look at the owl. It really wasn't that large in the soundbox but had long spindly legs that looked like they belonged on a wader. Harry slowly put his arm out and scratched the side of the owls head. She went stiff for a moment then relaxed and cocked her psyche under his scratching finger's breadth. After a little while the owl managed to pick off up the bravery to take a bit of ham off the board and swallow it unhurt. The next day he took her to eyelops owl department store where they told him she was a burrowing owl. In visible light of this he named her Digger. The salesclerk said that that was the most stereotypic gens he'd ever heard. Harry stuck his tongue out at him and left the shop.

About a week after that Harry snapped shut the blanket of the last book in his pile. He put it carefully on top of the others and sat there for a while collecting his thoughts. Then he leaned forward, placed a mitt firmly on the underside of the pile and turned it over. power shovel hooted from her cage as Harry sat back down to read.

*

September the get-go bloomed burnished and early but Harry was already up. His bag was stuffed to the brim with his school clothed and rule book and his cauldron tied on the outside and he carried Digger in her cage in one hand. Harry walked Diagonally one in conclusion meter to say good-bye to the mass he'd met on his base on balls, Greeklunk at gringots, the fruit seller he chatted to when he got bored of his books and finally to Tom the barman before walking back out into the muggle world.

world-beater cross was not far away. But with an owl in a Cage and a full bag even a short way can seem too far and Harry was tired when he reached it.

"Half an hour to go."Harry checked his ticket."light to look on the gear than out here ”. He walked down the platform past platform eight, yesteryear platform nine, yesteryear political platform ten, back by platform ten, stop, smell left, look right.

A profanity slipped from Harry's oral cavity that made a passer-by grumble and glower. There was no chopine nine-and-three-quarters, at least not one he could see. Harry had walked the lengths of platforms nine and ten before he saw an odd sight moving towards him. A man dressed in a black cape, attracting many stares from passers by, herded a white-blond haired child towards the platform. They were followed by a sap looking man carrying a large travelling bureau and ( and this was the bit Harry was looking at ) a gravid owl in a John Cage. As the trio drew closer Harry heard the boy say…

"I don't see why I can't own my own broom father."Harry's suspicions were confirmed and he stepped in front of them to say…

"Hello."From the icy look in the military man eyes not a good get-go but he pressed on."I couldn't assist but overhear that live on bit and it occurred to me that you might be the kind of people who could render me the way to platform nine-and-three-quarters."There, that was innocuous enough, if they weren't wizards they'd just think he was an imbecile. The man looked him up and down slowly.

"So you know about the platform but you don't know how to get to it."The man has an arrogant drawling phonation."That says to me, muggle-born."The man started forward again suddenly enough that Harry had to jump-start out of the way. He wasn't fast decent however and the tip of the world cane tripped him, sending him sprawling to the floor. He heard laughter from both the man and the boy that cut off suddenly. Harry got up and dusted himself off but the virtuoso were no-where to be seen. Cursing himself Harry looked at the sentence, barely five minutes left. Harry was just wondering if there was a second train he could take when…

"gob !"Harry was thumped on the shoulder and spun around to look into the freckled face of one of the similitude from the leaky cauldron the first time he had passed through there. They were followed by an older teenager, possibly even more lentiginose than them and a younger one bringing up the rear. Behind them was a plump adult female, angry at being left in charge of a all flotilla of baggage trolley while her sons ran off and a little girl hanging on to her hand.

"This is the guy we told you about."Said the twin to his left wing as his brothers caught up.

"The guy from the leaky cauldron"The twin to his right added as if finishing the sentence.

"The guy who isn't Harry Potter"Added lefty.

"Lots of people aren't Harry Potter."Said Harry with a smile."It's hardly an accolade."("Now how the hell am I gon'a be able to recite them the truth."cerebration Harry. )

"Stop bothering him love, and take you're carts back."The mother had joined them and was pushing them towards the political program."We haven't got time for dawdling."Harry walked with the crowd to the gap between chopine nine and platform ten trying to influence out a way to recount them.

"You know, about the whole Harry ceramicist thing."Harry said but was silenced as the oldest pal took his cart and walked straight through the wall. Harry's shock must have came through on his face because the mother said.

"First fourth dimension to Hogwarts dear ?"

"Either that or I've gone mad and I just haven't realised it yet."This explanation was becoming to a greater extent and more appealing to Harry's psyche but the adult female just laughed.

"Oh, its all right Dear, its Ron's first time too."She pointed to the youngest son who shrugged and smiled."All you have to do, is run at the barrier and don't stop. Don't worry that you'll smash into it, or you will. You see ?"

"Run at the wall."Harry said flatly as the Twin Falls disappeared as well."Alright. Thanks for you're help."Harry added more warmly."But if I end up breaking my skull I'm blaming you."Harry turned to the barrier and broke into a run. He wanted to fold his eyes but kept them resolutely open. The bulwark came closer. A sudden moment of panic hit Harry and he squeezed his eyes shut and shielded his point with his hands.

There was a consequence of tranquilize pressure then Harry opened his eyes and walked out to gaze at the red steam locomotive, sat next to the signaling for platform nine-and-three-quarters. He heard a weird shlooping strait behind him and saw Ron standing there checking himself to see whether he was alright and looking back towards the barrier.

"Skull still whole ?"Harry asked him and got a grinning in reappearance. Harry wandered down the platform and got in a seemingly empty stroller. He saw the platinum haired boy from the platform talking to Blaise Zabini and hastily got back down. The next few baby buggy he checked were occupied by people already talking and chatting and showing each other impression. Harry reached the end of the wagon train and was on his way back when he spotted the boy, Ron, walking along in battlefront of him checking each compartment. Harry walked up and moved into step with him.

"I think everywhere's taken"Harry said as they checked another compartment only to observe a group of one-seventh years in dangerous give-and-take over a newspaper publisher. Harry hefted his bag higher onto his berm and held the threshold to the next compartment open for Ron and his vast trunk.

"You're not bringing much stuff."Said Ron looking between his huge torso and Harry loaded backpack."I thought everyone was bringing a trunk."

"I like to travel light."Harry said, they leaned against the paries for a import as a gaggle of older students passed."Makes it easier to run from difficulty. Besides, I don't have enough stuff to fill one o'those things."Harry nodded towards the trunk.

"I'm Ron."The boy extended a bridge player, which Harry took."Ron Weasley. What's your live on epithet Jack ?"

"fountainhead, see the thing about that is."No welcome misdirection here."My names not actually Jack."Seeing Ron's perplexed boldness he continued."You heard how your brothers met me right."( nod )."How hoi polloi thought I was Harry Potter and turned and looked at me ?"( nod )."fountainhead, try and see it from my perspective, you're suddenly in a new post with lots of citizenry staring at you."( silent stare )."What would you consume told them ?"He lapsed into secretiveness as Ron stared at him for a moment.

"So what you're saying is… that you really are Harry Potter ?"Ron laughed and told him it was a good laugh, he laughed right up until Harry pushed his fringe up and showed Ron the scratch on his os frontale. Rons eyes widened like lamps and his laughter caught in his throat and got turned into a fit of coughing that Harry had to slap him on the back to get him out off."You really are him ?"

“'Fraid so friend."Harry smiled"Sorry for tricking you."

"So, do you remember, you know, IT."Ron leaned forward conspiratorially.

"What ?"Harry said, leaning forward and putting on a mock underground accent.

"You know, when…that…"Ron pointed at Harry's scar and Harry understood.

"I remember being hurt. Nothing else really."They walked on in silence for a while.

"Fred and George are gona go crazy."Ron shook his header slowly while grinning.

"You're Brother ?"

"Yeah,"Suddenly a opinion seemed to excise Ron."Oh, let me distinguish them ! The aspect on their faces…"

"bang yourself out, only don't, really. Once had a friend who did that, lost section of his memory and forgot six."Harry launched into one of his ridiculous and totally fictional stories.

"Forgot six ? Six what ?"

"The numeral six, he used to consider up like… four, five, seven. If you told him he'd missed out a telephone number he looked at you like you were mental."

"You're having me on aren't you."Ron looked at him sideways and folded his arms.

"class not. think me. This guy was for very, plus if you mentioned to him that if there wasn't a six then where did sixteen and sixty come from ? He'd get a headache and have to go sit down. Was awful at keeping designation too, on score of missing Saturday. Even worse he was scared of die. Seemed to think they should be made triangular."Harry launched further into the story, dreaming up more wildly unlikely circumstances when he glanced into a nearby compartment and saw familiar faces.

"Ah,"Harry said"I think I see some seating area we can steal."

*

He opened the door and looked in on the pair girls ( I'm encounter a lot of counterpart ) he'd met in diagonally's apothecary."Hi."Harry said by way of initiation,"mind if we sit down here ? I could juggle again by way of payment ?"The girls giggled and Harry moved into the compartment and helped Ron put his immense trunk in the command processing overhead time compartment. He waited until Ron had introduced himself before adding…"and my names Harry, Harry Potter."

"Are you ? You didn't say anything when we met before."One of the twins accused.

"There wasn't metre, what with the being thrown out of the shop and all. Don't vexation about that this time, I plan to stay at Hogwarts at least a few days before getting thrown."The similitude laughed, that was how to do it. differentiate a jest just after you say your name ‘ cos you can't gasp and laugh at the same time."And anyway, you didn't severalise me your names either."

"Well I'm Padma, and this is Parvati Patil."Said Padma before her Sister added"Do you have the scar ?"Harry obligingly lifted his hair and let it fall back."Wow."The Gemini the Twins looked at one another then broke out into giggles. But Annapurna added through the gag,"I expected you to be tall though."Harry looked around and realised he was the shortest person in a fifty dollar bill percent girl room then shrugged.

"It's an optical illusion."he said with a grin,"I'm really a giant."

"Nah,"said Ron"If you were you wouldn't fit in the railroad train. And you'd be a whole lot uglier !"

"Thanks."Harry said flatly while wondering whether he was serious ( dragons, so why not giants ? ). Before he could say anything else the compartment room access slid undetermined to prove a beldam pushing a trolley full of food.

"Would you like anything off the trolley dears ?"She asked. A momentary-flash-fire three way engagement raged in Harry between thirstiness, parsimony and a need to impress but the affair was decided by a set of creamy orange bar sitting on one side of the trolley. On seeing them, thrift waved a lilliputian white flag.

"Two of those please."Harry said, pointing at the cakes. Ron mumbled that he had brought sandwiches but the twins seemed to have worked out all the stuff they were getting in advance and amassed a small atomic pile of their favorite in front of them. As the trolley moved away Harry held up one of his cakes and said."Now, can anyone state me what the hell I just bought ?"

"You don't know ?"Ron said disbelieving"They're cauldron cakes."Harry bit a little off one of them and smiled as the creamy pick hit his tongue.

"champion get nice food."Harry said leaning back and taking another bite.

"What do you mean ?"said Parvati.

"Why wouldn't you have eaten wizard food."Added Padma.

"I didn't grow up with wizards, or witches or flying dragon or giants."Harry gestured widely at the surrounding area."Welcome to my journey of unceasing revelation. I'm just waiting for the aliens to jump out with Elvis and all will be complete."He stopped and waited on their confused stares.

"I wondered why you couldn't get onto the platform."Ron said after a moment."Once I found out who you were of course. But I guess you must have been raised by muggles after You-know-who kill…Ow !"Anapurna had kicked Ron hard in the shin and was making shushing noises while her sister stared disapprovingly at the gingerroot child. Harry just laughed.

"Don't lame Ron on my account."Harry took another bite out of his cake before saying"My parents died a long time ago. Beyond my retentiveness of issue, so it doesn't matter if you talk about them."

"Who took forethought of you ?"Ron asked while rubbing his smarting leg."I didn't see anyone at the station with you."

"Who took care of me ?"Harry paused a little too long before answering."Well, myself I guess. For the last three years at least, I lived with my aunty and uncle before that. well, I say lived with, survived is probably the better term. That's why I left."Harry lapsed into muteness and quickly began to panic under their stares, this was worse than when they learned his name.

"So, you lived alone ?"Parvati broke the tranquillity."Without a kinsfolk ?"

"Without a home ?"Padma added onto the end of her baby question. Ron just sat there looking dumbstruck.

"Yes without a family, yes without a home."Harry's heart began to speed and he could feel the sudor from their stares. He fumbled in his pouch and brought out two juggling balls and began to reverberate them in one manus, he could experience the stress ebbing, relaxing, growing smaller but still sitting there, in the back of his mind, weighing it down. It had been repose too long, pull in them talk again."Neat news report yeah ?"Harry said pocketing the balls."Anyway its not as bad as you think, I think I had a little help after I left my aunty and uncle's."

"What do you entail ?"Ron leaned forward, his mouth full of sandwich.

"We'll, its something I worked out since I found out."It had taken him a while to pull in it, his mind soaking into the old record book he was reading, the comprehension had come to him slowly, as more and Thomas More pieces fell together."You know unwitting magic…"

"The kind muggle-born-wizard children use when they don't realise it."Parvati said, then gasped."You've been using it already, that's how you survived homeless as a kid !"

"Yep,"Harry smiled happily."I used to think I was lucky, born lucky, you know ? Any time I was really in trouble like, like with the police ("police ? !"gasped Ron, The twins eyes went across-the-board with shock. ) something always happened. Like a gate I'd just ran through locked and barred itself behind me, or a urine briny bursting rightfulness under a cop-car."

"Were they hurt ?"Ron looked aghast.

"Nah, just broke the car. Still, none of those were as expert as this one time."Harry motioned for the others to lean in and they obliged, now wrapped up in his fib."I was being chased by this gang o'drunken guy cable right ? Chasing me over some modest subject of little importance that was blown far, far out of proportion."

"What did you do ?"Padma said flatly.

"I said their female parent must have been sheep and for no reason they took it as an insult."Harry shook his heading ruefully"Some multitude have no sense of humour, they took it totally out of context. Anyway, normally I have no problem outdistancing fuddle soaked yob but in this case I was in a part of Town I hadn't been in before and I found myself in the untenable position of facing a absolutely end with six of the half-wit tearing down on me."

"Did you plough them into something ?"Parvati leaned forward eagerly.

"Not quite."Harry said grinning,"Elseways I'd have turned them to sheep for a truly ironic ending. But instead as they ran at me they all suddenly fell over at the same time."

"Oh, you just knocked them down."Padma sounded disappointed."That's not very interesting."

"Not knocked down, skid over."Harry's heart twinkled."I wasn't sure at the time but I think I turned their shoes to ice. cause you ever seen six tope guy hangin'off each former ‘ cos they couldn't stand up. Any time they tried to stand up they just fell mat on their faces again."Harry raised his arm then flipped it over making a swishing sound and dropped it onto his lap.

"Of course, if they'd just had the smarts to take their shoes off I'd have been a goner, but with a piddling help from the alcohol they'd sot that didn't occur and I was safe to slip away."Harry laughed and after a moment his friends laughed too. Harry could think that night clearly, he hadn't laughed then. He'd cried and ran and shivered through his coat. He hadn't slept that night either, he hadn't felt safe too but instead had just ran and ran until his legs gave out and he crawled into a eyepatch of shadows and to lie there trembling. Laughter was easy after but he would never forget the fear.

"That's nothing."Ron said, clearly trying to top Harry."One time when I was out on my broom…"He got no further into his story as the doorway slid open to reveal a nervous looking kid with a chubby nerve and watery eyes.

"Has anyone seen a toad."The boy sniffed loudly."I've lost mine. He's called Trevor."

"No, I haven't."Harry looked over Ron, Parvati and Padma to see a chorus line of shaking mind."No, he hasn't been in here… But."Harry added as the male child eye started to well up again."I could aid you look if you like."Parvati was quick to add that she'd aid too. Padma sighed but repeated what her sister said. Ron said nothing and rolled his eyes.

But the Weasley was outnumbered and so The ring started off down the corridor, Harry idly juggling and starting another of his staple fibre narrative, Padma and Parvati listening intently, Neville ( the toadless wonder ) had stopped crying and was even smiling at the story and Ron bringing up the fanny, trying to pretend this wasn't estimable than sitting in a cabin.

*

Everything was going so well ( no they had not actually found the toad but they had met passel of matter to mass and one interesting hulk spider. ) when Harry saw soul coming down the corridor and grimaced. His picayune chemical group of toad-hunters stopped dead as the platinum haired kid from the station walked towards them flanked by two robust educatee. ("well, I say robust."Thought Harry."It's really just fat. A ton o'fat and about ten stone o'ugly to season.").

"Oh,"said the boy in a drawling, bored vocalization."Its you, the mudblood from the station."Harry heard Ron pant and Parvati yell"What did you say ? ! ”.

"So you finally found you're way onto the platform."The boy ignored the reaction he'd produced and continued his arrogant oration."Too bad for you, if you'd just stayed you would have been spared the humiliation of being constantly bettered by the real necromancer. My father always says muggle-borns shouldn't be allowed to give ear with us pure blooded wizards."

"You haven't seen a anuran have you ?"Harry asked brightly.

"What ?"Said the boy. And was echoed by Ron and Neville.

"A toad."Harry kept smiling."You know, small, Green River, frog-like thing, answer to the name of Trevor."

"No I have not seen a toad."Said the boy acidly.

"Sorry but you just seemed like the kind of guy who would know where to find oneself Green, slimed, disgusting reptiles."With his punch-line achieved Harry dropped his smile and glared at the boy as Ron and the similitude began laughing, Neville just looked frightened.

"Who do you think you're talking to."Said the boy, ignoring the fact that people in nearby cabins had opened their doorway to take heed."I am Draco Malfoy, my sire is Lucius Malfoy, you'd easily not make enemies you can't flock with mudblood."Once again the discussion produced a chemical reaction, even from the citizenry in the cabins. Most of them erupted in angered muttering, a few looked at Malfoy proudly."Anyway, I don't see why I'm wasting meter with the likes of you. There's a rumour that Harry Potter is on the train."That set off a different variety of reaction, a frenzied gasp and hasty, whispered conversation."And I'm trying to find out him before he falls in with ragtag and bobtail like you."

"Unless he's a toad I doubt you'll find him."Harry said smiling."Oh and also, I'm not muggle-born, you're esteemed father just assumed that."

"But I suppose you must be a mudblood lover."

"Oh yeah, I think their large. I have no idea what they are but since you seem to detest them so practically and god truth, the More I see of you the more I seem to detest your guts I can be sure I'll love ‘ em to bits. Now, would you mind moving, I have toads to find, and all I'm determination here are worms."Harry pointed straight at Malfoy and then to the incline of the carriage. Malfoy remained stock still. The baby carriage had gone deadly quiet.

"Who do you reckon you are ?"Dragon said with undisguised scorn.

"Harry Potter. Nice to meet you."Draco's eyes went wide and the compartments once more began whispering."This is Ron Weasly and Neville Longbottom, and Padma and Parvati Patil."Harry advanced on the blond haired kid before him and waved his hand at the giant bodyguards."Now, aren't you going to enclose me to you're friends…pets…companions. Interesting how you managed to fit two Hippo into uniforms, you would let thought the tails would get in the way."Then Harry noticed the master stroke, a minuscule K puffiness near Malfoys kick. He stooped, swiped it up and held it for all to see.

"Trevor !"Cried Neville happily.

"Look at this guy rope, it's even better than I thought. Malfoy…"He jabbed his thumb behind him,"…actually attracts wretched creatures. He doesn't need to seek them out, they come to him ! I wonder why that is ? I think…"Harry went on in a leg whisper"… that it might be the smell."He just had time to see the laugh erupt before something hit him in the dorsum of the head.

*

Harry went down hard and felt a free weight land on top of him. It felt like both the hippos were on him, punching and kneeing for all they were worth. Harry kicked up and when one flinched back he rolled out from under and turned his roll into a saltation to his feet. He saw one of the tike trying to rise and pushed him back down on top of his admirer. At that mo he felt hot sparks singe his cervix and smelled burnt whisker and turned to see Malfoy standing there with verge drawn, the last syncope glow just fading from the tip. Harry looked around and saw that no one had moved. The matter had happened in moments. Then suddenly one of the looker-on glanced down the carriage, yelled

"PREFECTS ! ! !"and suddenly everyone jumped back into their cabins. Harry felt two sets of hand grab him by the berm and pluck him in with someone. He turned to see the grinning faces of the Weasly twins and the frog hunting gang.

"That."Said Ron"Was bloody brilliant."As if that loosened everybody's tongue they all began talking at once. The Weasly twins congratulated him on putting down a Malfoy, Padma said she didn't think anyone had caused this much trouble before even getting to Hogwarts but she was smiling when she said it, Neville said nothing but began looking at Harry with a variety of awe that was uncomfortable. Recounting the scrap and the taunting that prompted it kept them laughing until Anapurna glanced out the window and said

"Ooo, we're here."As if on cue the train started slowing. Harry looked out onto the wet political platform as the train stopped and breathed in deeply.

"Almost there…"He thought."…everything's beginning."

*

Harry's handwriting drifted through the water, forgotten, as he stared out from the boat he, Ron and the counterpart had shared. All talk had just been lost as they rounded a promontory and saw in the length, their name and address. Hogwarts, it sprawled over the land on one side of the lake, a vast sustenance or palace with tall, needle towers and hulk G. Stanley Hall. Every window glowed from within and reflect beams of light out like searchlights. Harry had never seen anything like it. He wondered for a moment whether that was because it was magic, certainly some of the tower looked like they couldn't be supported by just Harlan Stone and mortar.

Harry stood up in the gravy holder and watched the castle for as long as he could before they came too close to the cliff to see it. And as Hagrid led the gravy boat in through a cave Harry turned and sat down.

"This will be unbelievable."Harry said quietly, smiling.

"Wait cashbox you get inside."Ron grinned,"Fred and George told me everything about it. Apparently the steps move and there's secret passages everywhere."Harry made a mental note to find all of them."And there's creatures in the donjon that the instructor don't know about, and there a room entire of gem in one of the wall. Fred and George said they 'd give birth got it out by now if it wasn't guarded by a monster."

"That's a lot of pig poo."Parvati scoffed ( Harry chuckled at the absurdly mild profanity ) as they stepped out of the boat onto a landing place."My friend's in her third yr and she once told me Fred and George Weasly were the braggart jokers and the biggest prevaricator in the all school."Ron bristled and was about to riposte when Harry said

"From what I've seen of you're brothers Ron, they'd take that as a complement."Ron turned on him and was about to return when he suddenly looked heedful and nodded his foreland. Harry suddenly grinned and spread his arms above his brain. Then he let himself fall slowly, forward then curled, put his hands down and stood straight like a acerate leaf with his toes pointed up at the sky."But I don't think they'll take this so easy…"Harry pushed up and landed back on his substructure to adjoin astonished stares,"…if they do apply the hoaxer crown they'd dependable enjoy it while they can ‘ cos I'm on the view now."Harry put his workforce on his pelvic girdle and licked his front teethh."And they ain't seen nothing yet."

*

It was a moment before anyone spoke up but Harry saw their expressions. Ron's looked shocked beyond words and had his mouth open air, Padma was looking at him like he was joking in some way but her baby was smiling and nodding with a gleam in her center that said she was planning to try for a bit of mayhem herself. But it was secret option four who reacted first.

"You're already planning to break shoal pattern and you're not even past the sorting yet."Harry turned, praying he was incorrect about recognising the voice."I have half a mind to order the schoolmaster about you right now."Prayers unanswered. The voice came from the bushy haired girl from diagonally who was standing with her bridge player on her hips facing them as the other first years filed past down the corridor.

"Herm…ione, right ?"Harry said smiling for all he could.

"You should all maintain away from him."The missy ignored Harry and addressed the other toad huntsman."You could all get into huge trouble."With that the girl turned and marched off after the first eld. Meanwhile Harry turned back to the others.

"So, you've heard my melodic theme and you've heard the opposition."He jabbed his hand at Hermione's back."Who's with me ?"Grins answered him, even ( eventually ) from Neville."Right then, I'm happy you guy rope are behind me. Now lets get going. If were late we'll never even get put into the school to get thrown out !"They hurried after the others. Surprisingly it was Neville who brought up the subject of what to call off themselves. Some musical theme ( Not all of them good ) were bandied about. Ron seemed to be set on putting the word cannons in the gens for some reason but was silenced when Padma sarcastically said

"Oh, so we don't we want to be named after a winning team ?"That could have come to blows without Harry's mood- lightening power. Even after a lot of early pick ( some very cool, Harry held out for the name the toaders for a long fourth dimension, Neville had suggested it but it did account them up to now ) one figure seemed to gravel and, even when early alternative came up they still found themselves using that one ( except for comic force, when Harry still used the toaders. ). It felt ripe somehow, like they had already been using it and just hadn't known it.

"After all ..."Said Ron"My brothers could count as the old ones, and we're out to supersede them, so were the new ones !"Harry didn't think that was the understanding somehow, but the name itself fit like a glove.

So, as Harry potter, Ron Weasly, Neville Longbottom and Padma and Parvati Patil walked into the waiting hall by the neat hall and the last of the sunset-sunlight streamed in through the window the New Marauders were born.

*

They stepped into the cracking antechamber in a row and giggled when they gasped in tandem bicycle. The sight was awe inspiring, the vast tables of bookman staring and pointing, lighted by hundreds of floating cd and even intimately, Harry's eyes travelled upwards and he smiled in rapturous curiosity. The Nox sky greeted him above, every whiz bright and clear like a back-lit diamond. Like gold dust. Having never been far out of the M25 Harry had grown up with streetlamps and light pollution. The mavin were gifts, just one more than thing he wanted to thank this place for.

He quietened as an older crone carried an old hat out to the stage and set it down on a faecal matter. She straightened and delivered her instructions in a crisp, efficient voice and the hall instantly became silent. Harry thought he saw the hat move then turned back to the hag. But no ! it had moved, and now it split down a ridge and opened like a mouthpiece to say…


Lasting M years and more than
By the illustrious Hogwarts four
The houses of renown

Each one of honour true and grand
And at their nascency you understand
My job was then set down

I was put here to sort you jokes
You sorry, snotty, shorty, family
To one of them today

To Griffindor
The lions roar
The brave and bold dwell there

To Ravenclaw
Where there it's more
The mind that holds the chair

To Hufflepuff
Of sterner stuff
The loyal and the just

Or Slytherin
The wits to win
Where cunning is a must

These four alone await you here
And I can chose,
just volunteer
cipher to venerate
Just lend an ear
I'm quite sincere
Can't postponement to see them jumpstart and cheer !

And when you're settled
Where you belong
I will be done
Just like this song

"Funny yeah !"Ron leaned over to Harry.

"Not really."Harry had taken the shorty folks comment a bit personally. He was also deeply worried that, of all the description mentioned in the song, cunning described him considerably than wise or steadfast and definitely better than brave. When Harry looked over to the Slytherin table he recognised some of the people who had cheered Malfoy on the train.

His extra investigation before arriving had also turned up the Slytherin public figure, frequently associated with the darkness and iniquity. And the hat's description had matched him. Harry felt suddenly very cold and small and he felt like a dark swarm had touched him. He shivered and told himself it was his imagination.

He could trust he felt heart on the back of his head but when he turned around the only soul there was a thin, flighty looking magician in a pillbox chatting to a lank-haired and sallow-faced professor. The lank-haired teachers eyes flicked to his side, then to his forehead and Harry turned back quickly. Just in time to hear the first epithet called out.

*

Harry stood, his heart beating fast in his breast and his lungs feeling like weights had been hooked to them. One by one the people around him sat down to be sorted, he blessed the fact that he wasn't called Brown or Abbot, he couldn't have taken being the inaugural to the stand.

Each person chosen prompted a new batch of cheering from the theater they were chosen for. Harry had the insane urge to get out his juggling balls just to relived his focus but knew he couldn't, not under all those eyes. A here and now later he recognised Hermione walking up to the professorship and posing, jamming on the singing hat, a few moments later and the hat pronounced her a Gryffindor and she ran down to the table. The next person he recognised was Neville, he tried to shut away all his nerves and give Neville an boost waving as he walked past, ashen faced. After what must receive been mo the hat sent Neville to Gryffindor too and the stand-in on his aspect was clearly visible.

Malfoy went to Slytherin and Harrys gut seemed to cease up rigorous. They were on to the P's now and Harry was sure his face must be showing his thinking despite his travail. The twins went on one after another, the hat sat for an age, chewing and mumbling over Padma before eventually sending her to Gryffindor but Parvati followed after her almost instantly. One Sir Thomas More name then…

"Harry thrower !"

"Alright."cerebration Harry"If there was ever a time you needed to keep you're cool. This is that time."He made himself browbeat a piddling as he walked over to the chair through the whispering and stares then forced himself to grin as he dropped the hat on his head. The dark was welcome as the hat slid over his eyes but then…

"Hm… Another tricky one."It was the voice of the hat, but quieter now, and coming from just outside his ear."Good head but underused, truehearted individual but no demonstrate loyalties, and with your fears…"

"Hey !"opinion Harry, for a bit More furious than scared."Who the blaze said you could look around in my brain anyway ! That stuffs crashing private !"The hat seemed amused.

"I only look to put you where you'd fit in best, it's in your best interests you know. To go with people who understand you, whose minds are like your own, full of cunning ways, hidden itinerary, former ways to get what you want. I can broadcast you where you'll fit in, where you'll find friends, in the house of Salazar Sl ..."But Harry cut him off.

"That's enough ! I will not let myself be placed in a family of dismal wizards and disgusting citizenry !"Harry thought angrily."I don't see what gives you the right to chose either. I chose my course ! Always ! If you looked a little further in my learning ability you'd see the right o'that ! I chose to leave home ! I chose to come here ! No parent ! no guide ! I made my own way here, ME ! Its my life story and I want to go to Gry ..."

"GRYFFINDOR !"The hat yelled triumphantly in the heart of his sentence and Harry was dumbstruck for a present moment before grinning and rolling his eyes.

"Cheap trick."He said to the hat, before placing it down and walking towards the shouting red and gold table.

*

He sat down near Padma, Parvati and Neville who had saved spaces for him and Ron.

"That's a bit of a relief."If he had been being honest Harry would have said he felt like he was walking on air."I don't know anyone in the other houses."A few instant later Ron was put with them as well and dropped down in the remaining fanny, looking as relived as Harry felt and said.

"Don't know what my parent would have said if I hadn't been picked for Gryffindor."Harry was about to say something comfortingly-funny when the hall went quiet. Harry looked around and saw that the man sitting at the middle of the high board had stood up.

He looked very old but he stood without a stoop and had straightened smoothly. His hair and face fungus were snow-clad whitened and tied into two tush, one down the front, one down the back. As he surveyed the Asaph Hall, Harry could have sworn the mans eyes fixed on him for a split s before moving on.

"Who the netherworld's he."Asked Harry.

"Albus Dumbledore stupid !"Hissed Parvati."The Headmaster."

"One firearm of advice comes to me at this time."The old gentleman part sounded faintly amused, like he knew something funny that everyone else didn't."athirst youngster listen only to their rumble tummy. With that in mind, tuck in !"Harry saw the plates in nominal head of him replete with everything conceivable. scale of meat and potatoes piled high, and pitchers fully of juice and milk. Harry looked so long he didn't chink that everyone else had started.

"Not hungry ?"Ron asked through a mouthful that said clearly that he was. Harry shook himself and started fishing things off the home for himself. He was almost disappointed when the deserts appeared and was definitely disappoint when they went though he couldn't have eaten another bite. He was sitting in a happy, sleepy, wax and contended haze when he saw the headmaster lift to his groundwork again.

"I have a few announcements to make. Firstly, that number one years are reminded that they are not allowed their own ling, that number 1 and indorsement years are forbidden to enter Hogsmead village, that all pupil are forbidden to get into the tabu woods and that anyone with any sense of self preservation should ward off the third floor corridor on the in good order hired hand slope. Thank you."

"third floor corridor ?"Said Ron."Hey George ! Fred !"He yelled down the tabular array at his Brother."What's on this third base floor corridor ?"

"zero the finish clock time we looked."Said Fred."Why ?"

"Is small Ron scared ?"Added his brother laughing. Ron turned back sullenly.

"What do you retrieve ?"Harry asked the mathematical group as a whole.

"If there was anything there live on yr they'd know about it."Ron said crossing his subdivision and directing a dark feel back along the table."So whatever it is it must have only just happened."

"Their concealing something."Said Parvati confidently."There's something mightily they're researching and they want to keep it private, there's no danger."

"Dumbledore said people who go up there could die. You saying that's not severe ?"Ron asked.

"well of course if Dumbledore says it then it must be true. He couldn't possibly he lying or exaggerating to make water sure nobody goes up there."Padma raised an supercilium at Ron."That would just be silly."

"But wait !"Neville had just caught up with the conversation."You're all talking like we're actually going up there !"

"Oh we're going."Harry took a sip of succus before going on."There was never any interrogative sentence of going or not. As soon as it became forbidden it became our first off target."

*

But there was trivial fortune for Harry to acquit through on his promise for the first few days, moral followed example and Harry found himself challenged to keep up. Everything in the account book he'd read seemed to constitute about one hundredth of what they needed to be intimate and each new concept sent him out from the lesson scratching his head back to the books and then to the new ones he'd got out of the library.

The only reason he wasn't totally swamped was that after every day he could turn back to the Gryffindor commons room and sit down on the mesa that had already been designated, even by older pupil, the Marauders mesa. On his sec day Harry had simply invaded this tabular array and pulled four former president around it, plopped his bag down and waited. By day four it was established and the home reserved.

It was near enough to the flame to be warmed by it and was constantly piled with their books and grip, whatever sweets they had each donated to the pot, a necromancer chess game set in permanent disorderliness, at least one transcript of Witch Weekly and, more often than not, Trevor. And under the peck, between the Sir Frederick Handley Page of the Good Book or hidden in dulcet wrap there were maps, item, reports and ideas.

The five of them would puzzle out on the solar day burdensome homework till the rough-cut way began to discharge, then the books would close and the piece of work would begin in earnest. It had moved beyond the third base floor corridor of course, there were program to get into hook position, McGonagall's office, each of the other unwashed elbow room, plans to curse people ( 99 % of those people being Slytherins and 80 % of them being Malfoy ) and plans to happen all the secluded passages of the school.

Harry laughed more than he ever had before and did tricks as they planned. Harry had never believed that Hogwarts could be like this, friends everywhere and a feast at every repast. Even the lessons couldn't put a nick in this. Then, on Friday, Harry awoke from sleep after a particularly honorable planning school term and went downstairs to breakfast. If Harry had had a undivided prophetic bone in his body he would have shivered when looking at his twenty-four hours timetable.

"Oh,"He said brightly."Potions today."

*

"Potion making is as… beautiful a skill as it exact. As deadly as it is composite and as surd to larn as it is rewarding to those who have the talent, and the predisposition to do so."

Harry and Padma looked at each early sideways and each saw the other barely stifling giggles.

"For those lucky enough to be able-bodied to excel in my subject."The hook nosed, sallow faced professor continued."It will draw them rewards far beyond any puerile charm or spell. What spell can fill the rip with fervour, can kill tacit as a mouse, can fan life back into what other spells would deem a corpse, can send somebody into so deep a sleep they will never awake."

"I don't know any charm for the concluding one but his voice is doing a pretty full job so far."Padma whispered and Harry had to seize with teeth his upper lip to celebrate the audio in. They had been set at a desk thankfully near the dorsum of the course of instruction and could face clear across the unharmed category to where the teacher, one Severus Snape, stalked in battlefront of the chalkboard. The rationality they were laughing so hard was that, before the lesson, Ron's pal had treated them to an impression of Snape which, at the time, they had thought was an exaggeration.

"But most of you will not let that skill and will doubtless line up yourself confused… baffled… and, if prior calamity are any indication, severely burn off in this classroom. If that is the causa then I ask that you don't hesitate to come to me for help."("WHAT ?"Harry's dumbfounded expression was mirrored on every face in the class )"And I will tell you what I tell all the former student stupid enough to come in to me. ‘ I don't CARE.'” The teacher waved his wand at the control panel and some instructions appeared there.

Later in the lesson, when Snape was making his round around the desks staring at everyone's cauldrons and making derogatory comments to everyone not in green trimmed robes, Harry made a point of looking Snape directly in the centre as he passed by and smiling from ear to ear.

"Something funny Potter."Heads turned to watch."You see something you find amusing ?"

"I don't think you'd get the laugh professor, it's a youth thing."Harry said sagely."coevals gap and all. But…"Harry added."I'll be sure to came to you if I ever feel baffled… or burnt."

"A state of affairs I foresee happening frequently. Army of the Righteous see if we can pelt along things up a little. Tell me…"Snape's back snatch straight like a willow twig and he looked down at Harry."What would I get if I added powderise antecedent of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood ?"

"Draft of living death."Harry's prior-reading-parachute deployed on cue to pull through him."A sleeping potion."

"Incorrect."Snape glowered.

"excuse me."The annoying winding to the words… the self-important accent… Hermione sat at the succeeding table over and was turned towards Harry and Snape."The answer is the Draft of living death. A sleeping potion muscular en…"

"Five points from Gryffindor Miss Granger."Snape said without turning."The correct resolution thrower ... Was ‘ tipple of living death sir'. Another ten full stop from Gryffindor."Snape swept off leaving Harry glowering at his back.

"That wasn't fair."Said Ron, turning from the table in nominal head that he shared with Neville."He can't take decimal point if you get the right answer."

"Well you were a bit brash to bequeath off the Sir."Hermione said primly and folded her arms. Behind her on her table Lavender Brown ( not a toader but a friend of Padma and Parvati. Harry had promised to teach her to beguile once and was now trying to find a way to jiggle out of it ) rolled her eyes."But it shouldn't have been ten points, maybe five."

"Harry do you think of which of us it was that asked her public opinion ?"Ron said glibly.

"Can't recollection Ron. Why would one of us do something like that ?"Harry replied grinning and Hermione turned back quickly and looked down as if absorbed in her notebook. Ron did a silent laugh and turned back to his desk but Harry leaned back and bit his lip thoughtfully. He'd just insulted, without provocation, mortal who had stood up for him. He tried to suppose of something comic to say that would arrive at Hermione joke and realised he didn't know anything she'd like. A moment later Snape swooped back past and the fortune for talk was over.

While failing to make his potion Harry thought carefully, Hermione didn't go around with anyone, she didn't sit with the same mass in any two classes, he'd never seen her talking in the green room with anyone. In fact, the only times he'd seen her out of year was when he took Quran out of the program library, then she was always there, with her psyche deep in progressively thicker books.

"That doesn't mean she doesn't have friends."Thought Harry while crushing hedgehog quills."She could be intimate people in other days from before she came here."

"She's muggle-born."Another constituent of his genius said"How would she already have friends at a wizard school."

"Oh…"Harry looked over at Hermione and Lavender, only talking to cite the direction on the board and at other times Hermione was craned over her book and Lavender over hers.

"She really doesn't… and you snubbed her…"Harry was quiet until the end of the moral. He didn't want to talk. When you find out something you don't lots like about yourself the lastly thing you want to do is verbalise about it.

*

Harry tried to talk to Hermione several times over the next few workweek but she always just ignored him or ran off. Worse, Padma and Parvati had told him she had taken to crying in the female child toilets during prison-breaking and after lessons.

"Maybe you could do something."Harry pointed out during a former September evening after a particularly successful prank of some fifth class Slytherins"You sleep in the Saami bloody room. Surely you talk to her."

"She doesn't talk to us."Parvati explained"Always has a rule book or preparation or something out and doesn't want to be disturbed."

"She's alright if you ask her about homework of ask assistance with something."Padma carried on."But for anything else she just doesn't want to know."

"Why do you give care anyway ?"Ron asked him pointedly."If she wanted people to care her she wouldn't be so stuck up. If she keeps pushing masses away it's probably because she doesn't want friends."Anapurna and Padma nodded sadly but Neville ( tranquillise on the out of bounds as always ) gave a small handshake of his chief. Loneliness was well-situated to sympathize from experience than from observation.

"No reason really, it's just we've got to live with the rest period of our year for the next seven yr and that'll be easy if were at least on speakin'terms with them."The others seemed to accept this fond explanation. The trueness of the issue was Harry didn't want to see anybody lonely either.

*

Harry decided to try a more direct approach. The next day, after lessons but before dinner, Harry went down to the library and approached the now familiar mass of a voltaic pile of books and Hermione. He pulled up a death chair and sat about a third of the way around the tabular array from her.

"Looks like you beat me here."Harry said without provoking a reaction."survive copy."He added, pointing to a random script near her elbow. Without looking or speaking Hermione pushed the book to him then got up and walked to another table. Harry sighed and followed her.

"Look, you can't observe going like this forever. Humans need to talk to other world or they go crazy."Harry twirled a fingerbreadth near his ear and let his optic go crossed."Anyway don't you…"

"No I don't !"Hermione slammed the book shut and looked at him angrily. He saw red around her eyes."And if you don't mind I'm doing a special task for prof Flitwick and it's in tomorrow. Some mass care about school."And with that she darted to yet a tierce tabular array and sat with her back to him. After a moment he saw her shoulder begin to shake with sobs.



Harry stood there for a bit flavour worthless then turned and walked out of the library. But that wasn't the last he'd see of Hermione that day, a piffling later when Harry was on a fact-finding deputation ("I swear Fitch keeps a redundant key in one of the janitors closets."Ron had said. Harry had agreed to await into it without realising how very many janitors wardrobe there were and what unpleasant smells inhabited them ) he passed a doorway to an disused classroom and heard voices inside.

"contribute it back !"Hermione's spokesperson ?"You arrogant snake ! cave in it back !"

"Oh ? And why exactly should I ?"Hermione and Malfoy ? Harry's hired man moved toward the door-handle."I just want to bear a read."The handle turned but the door didn't open. Harry groaned as he realised this was one of the Weird doors. He tried the grip again more gently, then tried stroking it and humming to it. Inside the conversation had become more heated.

"apply it back you foul, loathsome thing !"

"Crabbe, Goyle, hold the filthy mudblood away from me. I'm trying to read."Stroking the door, kicking the door, poking the door… amount on door ! You can hear what's happening in there the Same as I can !

"What an interest written document mudblood. Flitwick would have been astounded with it. Probably would have earned you a few house points eh ? Except you won't be able to throw it to him. treacherous as you mudbloods are, saying you'll do something then not having even a 1 shroud to hand in. Terrible."Harry heard sobbing from inside and redoubled his cause at the door. Was n't there a spell called allohamora ? Harry flicked his wand out and tried to regorge it. Nothing happened. He tried again. cypher. Oh damnit ! This was n't one of the threshold that would n't spread ! This was one of the walls that look like a door. Harry peered through the keyhole to try to see another door. Malfoy was holding up the papers for Hermione to see and said,

"Then I'll say ‘ Oh prof, if you wanted person to indite up that you should've asked me. I've been researching it. Just in my supernumerary clock time of course. Thanks for the house points mudblood."Harry heard another door open then close and ran in the direction of the sound. Malfoy and his minions were already out of raft so Harry quietly opened the door and went in. Hermione was slumped in a mint in the middle of the floor. He approached carefully and tried to reckon of something to say.

"Um Hermione…"She looked up then scowled when the saw him."You could severalize Flitwick, severalize him what happened. If Malfoy's really gon na keep it then all they have to do is line up it on him and…"he got no further.

"Shut up ! You're as bad as he is ! Breaking normal and playing trick ! You can't lecture !"Hermione ran out of the room leaving Harry speechless. Harry stood for the longest sentence in the eye of the deserted classroom before walking slowly back to the Gryffindor coarse elbow room. The marauders stopped talking when they saw his look, a mix of anger and pain. They all looked to him as he sat down.

"Forget all the other plans."Harry's voice was grave-quiet but his eyes had a wicked glimmer."We're breakage in the Slytherin common way. Tonight."The objections washed over him from the others ; they weren't ready, they hadn't planned, tomorrow was Allhallows Eve and they needed to be rested for the party and most of all they could run into Snape. Harry sighed inwardly and began to tell the full taradiddle as quickly as he could. It was already getting dark, and they had station to be…





Authers note
Hi, thought i should leave an note eventually. Review if you have time, this is my showtime fiction so please feel discharge to differentiate me how auful it is.



"We're going to be caught. We're going to be caught !"

"Of course we'll be caught if you don't shut up Neville !"Padma held her bridge player over Neville's lip and pulled him further into the closet. Harry waved them both to stay still and peered back out through the keyhole. Filches lantern glow was far up the corridor but he waited a serious reckoning of XXX before pushing the threshold open and leading the others out. In the end the choices for his companions were simple, he couldn't take more than than two or they'd be seen for indisputable and they needed some the great unwashed to continue in the mutual room to vouch for them if question were asked. The others had reluctantly agreed and then it became a matter of who was going. Despite Neville's own arguments Harry insisted he was the perfect scout.

"You get lost so much if person finds you out of place you can just say you were looking for the common room. And anyone but Snape'll probably let you off."

As for Padma, she was the only one who could reliably line up the Slytherin dungeon since she had been in charge of that especial piece of recognizance and after all, she had been the one to find out the password. Harry had been incredibly impressed until she revealed that she had just gone up and asked Goyle.

"I just asked him straight out."She had explained while Harry's grimace slowly lost its astonishment."It had to be Goyle though, Crabbe's too smart to be fooled by that sort of thing."It had actually taken Harry quite a tenacious time to realize she was joking.

The three of them crept down the last flight of step and Padma silently pointed to a vapid piece of wall ahead. Harry nodded and he and Padma moved on while Neville got his baton out and pushed himself deep into an bay behind some armour. Harry gestured back at him and got out his wand.

"Mico Neville"Harry muttered, sending the signaling, and having his own wand vibrate as a answer. It was the best way to institutionalize signals, the individual had to be within ten or so metre but it was virtually understood. Harry crept towards the wall and stepped aside so that Padma could give the Password.

"Ophiophagus"The wall dissolved from the centre and revealed the doorway.

"Anticlimax."Muttered Harry, surprised that the entrance to the Slytherin room should be so unobtrusive."Expected fireworks."Harry moved into the apparition within and felt Padma following him.

It was sullen but not pitch. A few dying coal in the huge marble fireplace gave an ominous glow. All the furniture was large and dark, and in the bad light it looked oddly endanger, looming like cliffs above the creeping baby. Padma tugged at Harrys robe and as he looked back she waved her hand in front of her center and shook her head. She couldn't see. Harry knew his eyes were good by night and he kept forgetting the rest of his clan didn't plowshare the benefits of his previous, independent life-style. Harry guided her to a wall and put her behind a wall dangling, sitting near a with child urn unpleasantly decorated to resemble a screaming cheek. Harry placed Padma's baton in her manus and looked at her human face before leaving. She was wearing a dictated expression but her eyes were wide-cut and she was breathing hard.

"No shame to back out."Harry whispered in her ear, for the initiative clock time having doubts about tonight's venture."I did kinda throw everyone in at the recondite end today."

"I'm staying."Padma's articulation as barely Sir Thomas More than a voicelessness."I chose Gryffindor didn't I ? I'd better jump earning it."And with that she pulled back into the alcove.

"She said she chose her house too."Harry thought as he headed towards the bedchamber."Perhaps there's more to the sorting than brave, cunning or whatever. Perhaps its not what you are…"Harry's mind kept considering as he slipped into the stairwell."It's what you want to be…"

*

Harry had to chortle as his finger found a doorknob in the dark. What he had thought would be the concentrated office had turned out to be the easiest. They had debated for ages how to rule out which elbow room was Malfoy's, from bribing individual to covering his brake shoe with UV ink but it had been all for nothing. Harry checked the governance nameplate on the door and chuckled again before moving into the room. Like a ghost, Harry tried not to even consider loudly. Like a shade, here then gone, no ghost. The room was large for a single someone room, orotund even than the one in Gryffindor pillar he shared with four early people.

"Can't make precious pet Malfoy share a room."Harry sneered in the nighttime. If there had been a way to silently scrap the blank space he would have done so, instead he began looking around for the labor. He slid his hands onto shelf and held written document up in the moonlight to read the book binding. The sole meter he stopped was when he was searching by Malfoy's bed and saw something on the screening. He'd had to double up to continue from laughing and he'd felt like every vein would burst. Malfoy had taken his teddy to school with him.

Harry could see a clock on the curtain, the deal glowing faintly in the darkness and saw that he didn't have a great deal time left. For a moment he stopped looking and just stood in the dark to think. There was no way he could look the whole post, not going as slowly as he had to to avoid detection.

"The hat said I think like them."Harry shuddered at the thought but pushed on, no time for self-recrimination."And Hermione said I'm just like him. So where would I hide it ? Where would I desire to be prophylactic enough…"Statues moved more than Harry in the long moments of the night.

"Nowhere. I wouldn't put it anywhere because I wouldn't trust it enough. I'd retain it with me from the import I got it till the moment I let it result my hands."Harry's regard shifted to the prone flesh on the bed."Under the pillow ? No, not that obvious. In his pocket ? If it's there then I'm screwed so…Where else… No where. This lineage of thought has got me no-where and time is running out."Harry threw up his paw in frustration and at that import felt something in his pocket vibrate. He brought his wand out to feel the shaking in his hands.

*

Fear wasn't what he needed now, neither was a mad dash. Running now was the finally thing he wanted to do… Just creep back through the door and go quietly down the stairs. Down the stairs to where there's a luminosity on. Harry crouched at the top of the stairwell and shielded his oculus to maintain his Night visual modality before sliding a tiny periscope between the bannister ("Do you carry whole toyshops around in you're pockets ?"Parvati had said when he showed them some of his tools like the periscope."You never know when this stuff'll come in handy."Harry winked and twirled a lock pick between his finger. ) The tiny mirror-pipe revealed a pocket-size cluster of fifth years who looked like they had just come in. They began talking loudly about some news or other and Harry carefully slid back from the edge. Now what ? He didn't have the project, and his way out was now blocked. Correction, his and Padmas way out were now blocked. Harry slid back to the edge, the Slytherins seemed to be settling down for a dark of rowdy behaviour as they lounged in the prominent chairs with a bottle of something, probably stolen from the kitchens. If they were distracted ? If Harry waited until they simply drank themselves into a stupefaction ? Perhaps they'd go to bed soon ? Harry cursed as he saw one of them detach themselves from the chemical group and weave unsteadily towards the stairs.

"What the hell was he gona do now ?"Harry's brain worked quickly"Run back, hide in a… oh no don't !"Harry watched as Padma slipped out of her hiding place holding the handle of the giant urn.



"book binding in !"Harry mouthed, abandoning the periscope and sticking his forefront between the banisters."Before they see you."She shook her head stubbornly and raised the pot above her head.

"She's making a distraction !"Harry cursed"stupe ! Stupid ! I told them ‘ no nobility during heists !'” Harry at to the lowest degree had the presence of mind to twine his scarf around his cheek and trademark forehead before standing up and yelling…

"Oh no they're awake !"Harry gestured at imaginary figure in the empty manor hall behind him"Go ! Run !"Harry had clip to see the drunken ophidian take in his red and gold edged robes and clamber over each other towards the stairs before he took his own advice and ran back down the hall.

It takes quite some ability to run quietly but Harry had experience, his step were light as computer mouse on the floorboard. He turned and saw a companion door. Switching himself from quiet-running-mode to bloody-silent-creep he skid into Malfoy's room and shut the door.

"People chasing you expect you to run away, especially if there's a lot of them. They don't expect you to go to ground."Harry spoke the words in his head, hoping that would make them true.

"Start searching the rooms !"Ach… Harry desperately looked around the way for a billet to shroud but to his consternation saw only darkness. He had lost his dark eyes in the common room.

"What was here ? Where did I hunt ? Oh my god, please just call back !"The rattling door handles and get to voice got closer, thank promised land Salazar Slytherin built his paries duncical and liked oak doors or Harry was sure as shooting Malfoy would have woken.

"Wardrobe ? It had had glass in the front ! Under the bed ? No room !"Harry's mentation grew panicked as the vox got closer."Walls, floor, roof, bed, desk, wardrobe, fireplace…"Harry dropped to his hands and articulatio genus and crawled across the floor as fast as he dared. He was sure he was making noise now but he didn't have the nerve left to go any slow. His hired man reached the low temperature stone of the hearth and he felt his way into it. No ashes at all, the open fireplace had never been used. Later on that dark Harry would realise that the Slytherins probably heated their chambers by magic so they didn't get the smoke and gained a more even heat, all he thought at the time was a panicked…

"Thank you !"as he stood up. His hired man found a bar embedded in the rampart to hang hatful from and he lifted himself up and stood on it. At that moment light flooded in from below. Harry could see that his feet were only a few inches from the top of the fireplace and hoped fervently there was no one too short in the lookup party.

"What do you intend you're doing !"Harry heard Malfoy cry out indignantly."Why are you barging into my room in the eye of the night flint ?"

"Yes Malfoy."Harry thought to himself"Good Malfoy. Now be you're piddling stuck up, indignant self and throw them out of your room."

"There's individual sneaking around in the rooms."The phonation sounded like the talker was gargling gravel."We thought he might have come in here."

"No single been in here you idiot ! If they had don't you think I would have woken up ?"

"Nope."Harry chucked as his panic began to fade."And you're the moron Malfoy. You should pay more aid to your gravely pal."

"He's not in any of the former rooms."A new phonation, possibly younger and more hesitant than the gravely boy."And we checked the can and back down in the common room."Harry hoped Padma had had the brains to be well on her way back to their common room by then, and to have Neville with her. Harry's hand brushed something in the paries behind him, careful not to crap a phone he slid it out of the wall and choked back a triumphant gasp as he read the lettering on the cover of the parchment.


The use of alter static-induction appealingness in

the context of adhesive and fasteners.

Hermione Granger

"Yes !"intellection part of Harry's nous."I'm still born golden ! This is what I came here for."…"This is what I came here for ?"Said another region in mental rejection"adhesives and fastener ?"Harry shook his promontory and laughed at himself a bit before folding up the report and slipping it into his robe. spinal column in the sleeping room the conversation had become more heated.

"When my father hears about this !"Malfoy was in full argumentative swing"You will all be sorry ! The Malfoy family own your father Flint ! And you can be sure there will be words on the issue of this incident."

"I'm sorry Dra… Mr Malfoy."The other boy was obviously honest-to-goodness but the fear was plain in his voice.

"You know."Malfoy's voice was more sly now"You know how you could cause it up to me."

"But showtime years… never… go on the team. No topic how, absolutely, brilliant they are at Quidditch."The older boy was obviously fearing some reprisal to boot-lick so obviously."Definitely succeeding year though !"

"That remains to be seen…"A new vocalisation, a worthless voice, a representative dripping disrespect with every Scripture !

"Ah"opinion Harry as his gut clenched up"There's that affright again."professor Snape continued talking in the room.

"William Tell me why some of the leading member of Slytherin business firm are awake at this hour ? Hmm… Some of them stinking of cheap wine !"He almost made the fact that it was chinchy sound like the defective part."well ? Or have you all been rendered dumb by drink !"

"We were chasing somebody !"flint said shakily"someone was sneaking around in here !"

"Inside the Slytherin common room ?"

"Yes."

"Inside the word protected Slytherin green way ?"

"Yes !"Flint was frantic but Snape just snorted.

"folly. All you saw was the wine natation in front of your eye seeing as you seem to have drown yourselves in it !"Harry heard Snape's footfall mind towards the door.

"There was someone ! They were wearing Gryffindor robes !"The pace continued and Harry heard a door loose"And they were unretentive !"The steps led out the threshold"And they had a scarf around their head !"stairs then…

"WHAT !"Snape thundered back into the room."They wore cloth around their promontory ? !"

"Yes ! So we couldn't see their face I'll bet !"

"Don't be pudden-head, he could hold back his identity better than that."Snape seemed to be talking to himself slightly at that point but then…"Search everywhere ! Every room, turn them upside down and sway them if necessary !"Harry's inwardness leapt into his throat and he looked around wildly for a way out. But he already knew the merely means, down or up. Harry pushed his back against one bulwark and carefully shifted his foundation onto the opposite one. Hogwarts was old gem and there were lots of handholds to facilitate him chimney up faster, and more quietly. But just as he was thinking he had reached beyond their earreach someone said.

"What was that in the chimney ?"Bloody Malfoy ! Since when did snakes sustain such good pinna ? Harry went absolutely still except for his mouth moving in a understood curse."I heard something !"Harry looked down and was met by a relieving wad. The chimney curved as it went up, He could no longer see the circle of brightness level at the bottom.

"I can't see anything."Flint again, thank heavens for small minds.



"Move over."Harry heard a thud as Snape pushed his student out of the way then…"Acerbus cuspis !"Harry's horizon was momentarily lighted as streaks of sickly silver light shot up the chimney towards him then his good deal was lost in pain. Harry's feet slipped but he grimly held on by his handholds, gritting his teeth against the stabbing gnarl of bother each shaft had left in him.

"I heard scraping prof !"Malfoy must have heard his flush slip."Something's up there !"

"Acerbus cuspis !"This fourth dimension Harry was flattened against the wall and only a few of the bolts hit him."Conjunctivitis !"that spell winged mightily past tense him, cracking splintering off the paries above him, then…"Relashio !"Heat flooded up the chimney to him and Harry's skin felt like it was going to scald. He bit his lingua between his teeth and pulled one sweaty hired hand off the wall so he could spoil in sack for a with child alloy jar. At the time Harry had thought Ron's prompting had been a bit stupid but now he was especially glad he had agreed to make for the jar along. He pulled the cap off with his teeth and dropped the contents before they had a chance to burn him, far below he heard…

"Aaaa ! Doxies !"A few more turn rang out but none directed at Harry, even the heat stopped, allowing Harry to put his feet back against the wall and have his aching arms a rest. Below him he heard Snape yell out

"hunting the other rooms."Harry waited a long time before climbing promote up. His munition needed the relief anyway and there was no way he was gon na try to mouse back out through the Slytherins tonight.

*

The light below was lost behind Harry as he ascended out of the donjon. The chimney he was climbing joined others then cleave again. One or two of the lamp chimney had ladders in them, or at least parts of ladders, but most of them he had to skin up. The air was hotter and Smokey here, perhaps some of these chimney were still in use this tardily, or more likely it was early enough that the kitchens had woken up. Harry would be the first base to accept ( to himself at least ) that he had many care but claustrophobia wasn't one of them. He pulled his scarf tighter above and below his glasses to keep out soot and around his mouth to breath through as he climbed up into more used chimney. Harry felt himself incite out into a larger area but couldn't see the walls through the dark and the hummer. Questing finger found a rusted ladder and a few minute later Harry pulled himself over the brink of a huge chimney and let himself down to the rooftop below.

Tired but elated Harry pulled his scarf joint from around his typeface and tried to observe some clean-living cloth somewhere on himself to wipe his trash off. When he put them back on he was struck dumb for a here and now by the sight that met his eyes.

Rolling hills of tile and Banks of slate. tug popping out at angle and fagot balconies with banister like lace. Harry walked along the roof ridge he had landed on in wonder, there was a unhurt earth up above Hogwarts. More chimneys jutted out everywhere, some just pipes and some, like the one he'd emerged from, with breadth like industrial towers. Harry sat down on the ridgepole and stir his mind in mental rejection. Even the acclivity hadn't taken his breath like this did. He lay back and behold another admiration. The stars from here seemed brighter, almost as well as the astronomy pillar ( Harry's favourite lesson, just as an self-justification to dream ).

"And no-one up here but me."Harry said aloud, there was no one to pick up."Peace."Harry could induce fallen asleep against those tiles but something moving below caught his eye. Snape, passing along a corridor with marvellous windows all along it. Harry moved to hide then realised his soot-black robes blended perfectly against the night sky and wrapped his scarf around his face to cover the last pink skin. His glasses were still grubby enough not to shine.

Harry trailed Snape over the roof, not even for a consequence intellection of going back to the Gryffindor rooms and thinking even less of the danger. Here on the cap he was in his element, there was no danger here. Snape stopped at what looked like a teacher quarters and pushed through the doorway without knocking. It took Harry a minute or so to find the corresponding windowpane then lowered himself down near it. By destiny or the sleeping car habit it was ajar. When Harry moved closer he heard ...

"D…on't know what you're talking about Severus. I've been asleep he…here the wh…ole time."Quirrell ? Snape had gone to Quirrell ?

"What whole prison term ? How do you even know when this happened ?"Snape's voice was tempestuous and accusing."The only fact that keeps me from cursing you into dark oblivion right now is that I can't quite bring myself to retrieve that even one so pathetic as you would be dazed enough to think it was moved to the Slytherin keep of all places."

"Th…Then why are you here ?"Quirrell's phonation grew a little steadier now, just a piffling."Why seed to me ?"

"Because perhaps you were looking for something else, perhaps a way past my protection of it or some clue as to what that trade protection is. I assure you, you would hold found neither. My work is as fiendish as it is composite and as crafty…"Harry groaned inwardly, not this talk again."And you could never thrust it. Never. Despite Dumbledore's supreme lack of judgement in hiring you and letting you assist in the tribute of the stone I will hold back undeserving things like you from it !"With that Snape turned and stamped out of the room. Harry was about to leave when Quirrell quietly spoke.

"He, suspects something master. We can not do it tomorrow."

Harry waited but that seemed like all Quirrell felt like saying. Harry left over the rooftops and mulled over what he had heard as he scrambled towards Gryffindor tower.

"Do it tomorrow ? Do what tomorrow ? What's so special about tomorrow ? Other than it being Halloween ..."

*

"How could you leave him there !"Ron was still yelling despite all attempts to still him down. Parvati grabbed him and clamped her hired hand over his mouth.

"Thank you."Padma breathed and shared a agile smile with her sister. But she quickly fell understood again. If she was to be honest with herself she would have to say she was ashamed. Ashamed that when Harry had stood up on the staircase she had instantly realised what he was trying to do ( having been about to do the same herself ) and had for a moment not known quite what to do. She was ashamed that after she had taken an age behind the drapery working up face and steeling herself to offer a distraction and Harry had done the like in an instant. She was ashamed that, when she heard people coming back towards the green room, she had bolted back though the threshold, pulled an astonished Neville from behind the armor and had shepherded him across the school, not once talking until they passed behind the fat noblewoman and got back to Gryffindor common way and into the awaiting and recriminating stare of Ron Weasly.

"What will happen now."Neville's vocalization was modest and he was hunched in on himself on his chair. But even he had been braver than her, he had signalled the Slytherins coming and had waited once they had passed to continue keeping watch.

"He'll probably just get detention, he'll fall back us a few sign of the zodiac points for being out after curfew."Padma knew her sister was deliberately making things seem better than they were to prepare her smell better. Sometimes Padma thought they had been born to with personality opponent, the ageless optimist and the misanthropic pessimist. Except this prison term her sister wasn't just being optimistic. And neither was she just being pessimistic when she said…

"But he could be expelled."The others went silent and looked down. They had all been thinking it."For breaking into another house. For set about larceny. He could be expelled."She had got Harry ceramicist expelled from Hogwarts because she wasn't brave enough. She knew when the hat had left it up to her she would prefer wrongly. She didn't deserve to be here."In Harry's starting time terminal figure he'll be expelled."

"I'm doing what now ?"

The New predator turned en mass and saw a blackened and scraped Harry fall from one of the gamy windows. His face was red and raw and he had a ugly contusion on his left brass, his hired man were bleeding and he staggered as he hit the ground but he wore a smile of joy and triumph as all-inclusive as they had ever seen on him.

"girl me ?"Harry's stumble became a swagman as he approached them."I wasn't gone that long. Although of course, in the company of Slytherins it seemed much longer."

"How did you…"Padma's spokesperson breathed disbelief into the air."They were right behind you."

"Chimney."Harry said lightly."Easy climb really once you get past the first bit. Oh and one early thing…"Harry fished around in his pockets and drew out some papers. Padma found herself shaking her header, no, not after all that happened, you can't still have got it, no ones that good."We got what we came for. It may need some cleaning though…"With that the floodgate came loose and the predator began peppering Harry with interrogation. The unusual child laughed as he unrolled a story that had them gasping. As she listened Padma realised she was beaming she'd made her alternative, even if she wasn't brave enough for Gryffindor she wouldn't give up the Marauders for the world. And besides, she thought as the looked at her sister, at Ron, at Neville and especially at the carbon black clothed figure animatedly talking before her, even if I'm not brave now I'll be learning from the best.

*

Hermione rose early from her sheets and was mildly surprised to see that they weren't covered in tears. She was sure she'd been crying when she went to sleep. She dressed mechanically and didn't lecture to anyone as she made her way down to breakfast. Not that that was unusual she conceded to herself but today especially she didn't want to blab. That thought only made her suspicion in further over her food for thought. Before anyone else had left the mesa Hermione walked out of the great hall, leaving the eternal sleep of her intellectual nourishment behind ( even if she hadn't had somewhere to be she felt too nauseous to eat ). The project was important, it was the sort of thing they gave third and 4th years to work on. Hermione straightened herself up as she walked towards Flitwicks business office. sound get it over with…

"sledding somewhere Mudblood ?"Draco Malfoy lounged in the corridor in front of her. She ignored him and walked on past only to have him amaze his infantry forward to try to stumble her up."What ? No contumely ? No ‘ Give it back !'today ?"Hermione kept walking."Oh, I don't have it with me. That would be a bit blatant, I figure I'll give it to him tomorrow. Or the day after, you know, so he doesn't get suspicious but is still impressed by my obviously Superior talents."Draco grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around."Don't ignore me Mudblood !"He grated,"This is only the start microscope stage. I'm going to make life hell for you and all the other filth at the schoolhouse until you'll drop out of your own free will. I'll… Oh how-do-you-do Professor !"prof Flitwick had just emerged from his way and was looking between them.

"hello young Mr Malfoy."He chirped"Are you and Miss Granger friends."

"We were just discussing the good luck charm assignment you gave her."Draco turned to her with an malign smirk."It's a theme I myself find very interesting."

"Then perhaps I should let you interpret Miss granger news report. It was most detailed."

"What !"Malfoy's part rose an octave. Hermione would get laughed if she hadn't been so shocked.

"Yes, left on my desk this morning. I flicked through it over breakfast. I used to read the daily prophet of a morning but there's so many adverts in it now."The professor shook his head and didn't appear to notice the totally dumbstruck facial expression on the two first-years faces."I'll give you punter feedback when I've read it fully Miss Granger and then…"Flitwick turned to Malfoy"…I'll be for certain to give it to you."With that the short fellow wandered off humming faintly to himself.

"How."Malfoy had ira and cushion in his heart."You didn't have other copies. You said you didn't have former written matter !"

"I didn't."Hermione was surprised at the hint of smugness in her voice. Malfoy was looking at her with barely suppressed rage. Then he seemed to notice something and for a moment his centre widened in realisation then screwed up in even dark anger than before. Then Hermione realised he wasn't looking at her with such hatred, he was looking behind her. She turned and looked back down the corridor. And there stood the predator. Tired and resplendent, staring Malfoy down with five Cheshire-cat grinning. The Slytherin looked like he was about to blow a vein, or possibly burgeon forth steam out of his ears.

"YOU ! ! !"He bellowed striding towards them pointing with his wand."It was you !"Harry and his friends stood their ground against the charge and Malfoy was brought to a impasse, it was that or walk into a homo wall."You stole it ! When I tell my male parent he'll bring it to the schooling regulator and…"

"Tell them what worm."Harry's voice was wide-cut of laughter.

"That we cunningly and evilly broke into your way and slip something awfully precious from your room ?"Parvati said in a vocalisation like she was talking to a child. She leaned forward."Admit that we stole something that you stole yourself !"

"Even if you were unforced to bring a twilight just to put us in trouble."Ron continued to a suddenly crestfallen Malfoy."Even if you did, where's the validation ? The reports right back where it should be and zippo else was taken from your rooms."

"Not even a teddy bear."Harry raised his eyebrows and began chuckling. After a import the eternal rest of his pack began laughing as well. Malfoy turned and stalked away against a backdrop of hysterical laughter. Hermione was surprised to she was laughing too. At the end of the corridor Malfoy turned back and yelled…

"You win this round ceramist ! But I'll get you next clock time !"

"I look forward to it."Harry said between wheezes."You can show me the rest of your stuffed brute collection."

*

The unfortunate person byproduct of the heist was that Malfoy was even more acidic than usual in class that day. Despite reprise warning from teacher he insulted Harry and the residue of the Marauders with every former breath. Fortunately though that breather was wasted as nine times out of ten the Marauder in doubtfulness was asleep on their president. Hermione sighed, but not unhappily and reached for a new quill. She'd ripe make these banker's bill good, it looked like they'd have to be copied from a few times. When she reached the plebeian room there was a sixth president by the fireside tabular array. She smiled and felt warmly inside for the first metre in what seemed like forever and walked over to sit down with her friends.


I own nothing, certainly nil Harry potter related.

Seriously, i 'm not kidding ! Do I search plenteous than the nance ?



"Go on !"

"No ! I can't !"

"Go for it ! You've come this far."

"He'll see me !"Hermione glanced over the handrail to where Snape was berating Ron and Neville for ‘ fighting'in the corridor. What the boys had in fact been doing was distracting Snape so he would come and fend under the overhanging speed narration. That portion of the program had gone perfectly. The next part was proving problematic.

"Just selection it up and tip it on his head."Harry spoke slowly pointing first to the bucket of cooking oil ( a few pieces of burnt Gallus gallus were still floating in it ) standing between them then down to the potions master."Then we run like hell."

"You're all crazy ! Any one of the stunts you've pulled could warrant expulsion ! How long do you think you can keep getting away with it ?"Hermione's whisper was tempestuous and Equus caballus."And if you think"She pointed at his drumhead"I'm tipping that"A gesture at the grease"over a Hogwarts teacher !"a finger stabbing down at Snape"You must be wild !"She swung her arm widely in exasperation and they both heard a thump, then a splashing noise.

Harry saw his friends face turn from righteous anger to grey fear fast as a salient match. She kept her eye firmly ahead and, as if denying what had just happened, shook her head. Harry in contrast had grinned like a maniac and now grabbed Hermione by the gown and began running off through the corridors pulling her after him. A moment later they heard a violent bellow behind them

"WHO DID THIS TO ME !"Harry suddenly found himself as the being pulled along as Hermione outdistanced him."THE STUDENT WHO DID THIS WILL PAY WITH PAIN !"Harry pulled Hermione to a stop and dragged her sideways into a little utilise corridor, with her still wide-eyed and ashen-faced he pushed her to a pre-opened window.

"semen on ! Just like the plan !"Harry said, then added"Only real !"Hermione almost jumped through the window and disappeared as she clambered up a run. Harry swung out after her, shut the windowpane and slew onto the tile above. He wasted no clock time in pulling himself back to the sharpness and poking his periscope back down to the edge of the shabu. A back later an irate Snape ran past. Harry only caught a glimpse, but he thought the man seemed beguiler than common. Harry rolled back and looked up at Hermione who still seemed shaken.

"I hope Parvati and Padma were in topographic point with the camera. I wouldn't have wanted to let to do all that again."Hermione's expression sent Harry into another fit of giggles.

*

A hebdomad or so latter the morning bloomed undimmed and early as the vulture made their way down to the weed in front of the castle. Harry stopped to post up a few to a greater extent pictures after making sure the coast was clear. The Slytherins were tearing them down wherever they saw them on Snapes society but Harry had even seen some of them trying to hide giggles as the hotshot poster displayed Snape being doused again and again. The rest of the school didn't get to to blot out it and the schoolhouse had been awash with laughter ever since the first one went up three days ago.

The instructor were all trying to find who was posting them ( Harry had caught both Flitwick and Sprout laughing when they thought no one was looking and even McGonagall had cracked a smile when an incoherent Snape had burst into her classroom brandishing a wad of post-horse that had papered the briny courtyard ). The instructor didn't sleep with how so many of them were getting so many places around the soil. Harry knew, it was just a issue of a William Christopher Handy rooftop and a following wind. When he had seen some errant picture show carried into the sky by gusts he had idly wondered just how far they'd go.

Hagrid too had been roped into removing them but when Harry went down to his hut to see him the goliath man had laughed and handed a muckle of posters back to him.

"They told me I had to take ‘ em down."Hagrid had said with a wink."They didn't say what I had to do with ‘ em after."Harry had been even happier to see a stack of gasbag on Hagrid's table. It looked like the distribution was going to even across-the-board than he thought.

The teachers search and ma'am hooch's in the first place ill health were some of the reasons they were going to their start flying lesson bundled up in winter clothes.

"Now…"Madam hooch's voice rang out over the assembled Gryffindors and Slytherins"Just heighten your right helping hand over the Scots heather and yell UP ! Just like this… UP !"Her broom leapt obediently into her hand, Harry noted that it was varnished and looked a lot newer than the ones the scholar had."Well go on…"

The class obediently placed their hands over their brooms.

"UP !"Harry yelled, feeling a bit jerky, the stick by his metrical foot refused to agitate."UP !"Harry looked around and saw first one then others of the class produce their heather."UP !"Harry thought maybe Malfoy had replaced his trick broom for a real broom in revenge but the things had been handed out randomly. Harry shifted his foot surreptitiously underneath his broom and tensed ..."UP !"Harry grabbed the rising ling and held it nonchalantly on his shoulder joint. He caught Parvati looking at him and giggling.

"What ? I didn't do anything."

"That's right you didn't !"

A few moments later everyone had their brooms and Madam Hooch was showing them how to grip the dullard things.

"right field, now… Just kick off from the ground, hover for me for a second then leeee…an forward and float back down again."dame hootch demonstrated then held up her gloved hand."Three… Two… One."Portions of the course of instruction rose unsteadily into the air, others remained ground or had slipped off their rising ling. Harry glanced to his position shame-faced as his ling resolutely refused to demonstrate any feature beyond long, wooden and prickly. Harry motioned towards Ron who was dropping down smoothly beside him and held out his broom.

"Let me try with yours."

"No, I don't want the dud heather !"Ron strafed out of scope to the slope with a practiced hand before coming to perch."Take Neville's."

Harry turned and saw Neville rising at a snail tempo with a aspect of teeth-gritting concentration."At that rate the course of instruction'll be over before he gets down."Harry turned back"Come on, I just want to see whether Malfoy really has screwed this broom."

"Only sinewy magic can interfere with about broomsticks."Hermione was landing ungracefully beside him, gripping the ling with white knuckles. Harry chuckled at the thought that she still found assiduousness left to lecture them."These are old brooms but their still fairly immune to that sort of thing."

"This isn't dreary deception I'm talking about its him swapping it with a normal broom."Harry poked at the bristles trying to raise some reaction."Why don't you lend me yours then, you don't looking like your in a hurriedness to fly again."

"And what is that supposed to stand for !"But Ron cut off any ensuing controversy

"Oh fine…"He held out his Scots heather."Just founder it a shot if you have to."

"Thanks."They swapped brooms and Harry got himself back into the prove riding placement. He hopped off the ground but dropped back down just as quickly.

"Still having hassle ?"Harry saw Ron float over his headway and drop down in front of him,"zippo wrong with this one mate."Ron knocked his knuckles against the wood of Harry's ling."I think its even a little better than my one."

"In that case impart it back."As Ron laughed Harry held up his Scots heather"Or I'll show you the other way to use one of these !"

"Having worry Potter."no… not now…"Your flying's so pathetic even the weasel here can beat you and that's saying something."Malfoy floated along in presence of Harry, sitting side-saddle and not even bothering to give on."Didn't your Father ever teach you to fly… Oh no waiting I forgot ! He's a bit too mouldy to sit on a broom now !"The input about his parents washed over Harry but the other contumely bit and he sneered at the white haired kid in front of him. Ron however erupted."What do you mean that's saying something !"He was back on his broom in a instant and whipped himself around Malfoy so fast the Slytherins robes billowed in the malarky."Half of my family's been on the Gryffindor Quidditch team !"

"As if that's saying anything."Malfoy shot back but he had had to grapple his broom in the crosswind and was now sitting normally, staring Ron down."Gryffindor harbor't won the cup in years. Being on a team of failure is no award weasel."

"Yeah, they haven't won since my brother Charlie left !"Ron's tirade had began to attract attending and Madam Hooch was walking over. Harry tried to watch Ron's eye but failed."undecomposed searcher in a decennium ! He coulda'played for Engl…."

"Mr Weasly ! Mr Malfoy ! Decend at once !"madam hooch didn't hold for them to respond and instead grabbed the fronts of their heather and yanked them to the base. Ron fell in a bus, Malfoy kept his symmetry but only barely."I will experience no debate in my classes and I distinctly told you to develop then cliff, not vibrate like blowflies !"The flying instructor spun and walked back to the rest period of the course of instruction leaving Malfoy and Ron glaring at one another.

Harry shifted his broom under himself, all during the argument he'd tried to rise up and join his ally but the Calluna vulgaris had refused to move. By the end of the deterrent example he'd flown once, a few wobbling groundwork followed by a total flop into the grass. Malfoy had laughed tough than before and Harry said some thing that lost them house percentage point ("An football team twelvemonth old shouldn't know those words Mr Potter, much less know what they mean !") and the predator were a muted lot that ascended the stair to Gryffindor column. Parvati tried to perch the musical note by pointing out how many students had the drenched Snape card on the walls of their rooms and Harry decided to stop moping.

"rightfulness,"Harry cracked open a drunkenness stolen from the kitchen."Down to the serious commercial enterprise. What have you all found out about Quirrell ?"

*

"I still think Snape's your bad guy Harry."Ron tapped his finger on the table as if to punctuate himself. Neville, Parvati and Padma all nodded but Hermione snorted dismissively.

"Just because you don't like someone doesn't mean you can blame them for anything Ronald."Hermione shook her head as if explaining to a child.

"It just doesn't make sense Ron."Harry continued"Snape may be a git but it doesn't make sense. He thinks Quirrell's trying to steal something, from what I overheard afterwards he probably is. Why would Snape play like he's accusing Quirrell when only Quirrell was in the elbow room ! Also why would Quirrell play like it's him when nobody was in the way !"Harry leafed through some report again while the others bickered, the daily seer from a few calendar month ago was there, a maraud at gringots where nothing was taken. Other things too, Quirrels platter, researched through old data file, an intelligent student, masterful in the possibility if not the practice of defence against the dark liberal arts, the last few years of his life-time spent travelling around dealing with dangerous dreary beasts. Harry pushed them away and pulled over a thinner file, Severus Snape, potions passe-partout of Hogwarts and long time envier of the defending team against the glum liberal arts post. There wasn't a lot else, Snape didn't seem to be a very newsworthy person.

"It's the right way there."Ron was taking to him again. Harry pressed his hands to his temples, there's only so a lot insisting one can take."Snape wants the dark arts job and is trying to get Quirrell sacked."Harry was about to explain then stopped, if the last thirty times hadn't done it…

"We're not going to know until we see what's on the third gear floor."Padma said with a note of finality."Until then all this is just academic."She waved her hands over the table. Harry silently thanked her, he could always count on her to cut straight through the bull.

"We won't be able to do it."Hermione crossed her arms."Well we won't !"She said to their recriminating stares"I'm not just being… being…"

"Yourself ?"Ron said and earned a kick from Parvati.

"being prudish. I've been looking into it the same as everyone else has which is exactly the point. We've all been caught loitering around the third floor a few too many times. Did you hear what McGonagall said in division yesterday ?"They all did, she'd basically just repeated what Dumbledore had said at the start of term but she had looked right at them the entire clock time and each Bible had been clipped like little razors."She knows we're planning something and she probably knows we're behind the posters too, she just cant prove it."

"So ?"

"So, Mr Ronald Weasley they are watching us like hawk. I'll bet there's a instructor guarding the tierce flooring right now and another just on the former side of that door."She pointed at the other side of the fat ladies portrait, from this side looking like a cakehole in the wall."Even putting aside the notions of custody, house-points and especially exclusion ! We'd never get close enough to the corridor to receive anything. It's all your fault really"She continued without a breath."If you hadn't done your pointless rule breaking we might be able to obtain out really important stuff now."That input was the cause an argument broke out that Harry had to becalm down with wit. It was also at least partially the ground Harry stayed awake that night public treasury he was sure as shooting Ron and Neville were departed then got out his darkest clothes and slipped out one of the Windows before heading in the direction of the forestall corridor.

*

Harry peered through a window and saw professor vector idly marking some assignments by the light of his wand while sitting on the stairs above the fat lady's portrait. Reminding himself to severalise Hermione later ( she'd be insufferably self-satisfied but she deserved the expiation ) Harry slipped away and made his way over to the thirdly storey corridor on the rightfulness helping hand English, or above it at to the lowest degree. The thing was in the eye of the building, no chimney or window reached it and Harry could only peer through a side window at the whiz guarding the doorway… Quirrell… Standing in a eyepatch of lumos-light, his shadow jumping as he nervously twiddled his wand in his fingers. Harry slid inside and dropped behind a newspaper column. Quirrell was guarding it ? He'd been so sure… Maybe the others were right and Quirrell wasn't attempting theft after all. Or maybe he just hasn't gotten past the defences Snape mentioned yet. Then why isn't he inside the corridor trying to go against through them. Harry's mental monologue was cut unforesightful as the answer leaned out of the plot of land of darkness it had been sequestered in, inconspicuous even to Harry's eye's.

"Nervous Quirrell ?"Snape slid from his shadowy recession, his wand held lightly but readily in his paw."Or perhaps not happy with the company."Harry saw now that it hadn't just been the darkness, Snape's integral body blended into the screen background, changing colour like a chamaeleon. Only his eyes stayed the same, fatal fix even against the lighted grey rock behind him, it made them seem like they were floating above the ground.

"Why ever w…would I be unhappy Severus."Quirrell was leaning away from the wraith-like form before him."No one in effect equipped to hold this lieu than you and I, Eh ?"

"Because if you were unhappy with this arrangement."Snape continued like nix had been said."You'd have to get used to it because I've made sure all our guard duty's occur on the same nights Quirrell, won't that be fun."Snape laced the last word with such poisonous substance Harry was surprised the dada prof didn't run like a rabbit. Instead he jumped like one and whimpered.

"Y…you truly don't trustfulness me Severus ?"

"No Quirrell. I do not, have never and will never trust you."Snape slid back into his shadowy corner and once again became virtually inconspicuous. Quirrell swallowed loudly and brightened his baton, peering into the swarthiness around.

But Harry was already prepared, while they had been talking he had sneaked around into the way next to the be-turbaned wizard and entered. It was an empty classroom, desks piled up to the ceiling. Harry waited near the door as the searchlight beam swept past his position, swinging across the room like passing headlamp before moving on. Harry waited patiently. tread two was already in motion.

*

Crack…

"What was that !"Snape pushed forward from his hiding plaza at the modest but nearby audio. He pointed his camouflaged arm at the far wall, by some pillars."I heard something over there."

"I didn't hear anything."The rat said in his fearful quavering tone."Perhaps you're… ha… ha… imagining things…Severus."

"It should be Snape from the likes of you."Snape kept scanning the shadow before him and a moment later

Crack…crack…

"There."Behind a pillar, perhaps the thrower boy or one of his camp trying to strive the corridor again. An irritation he didn't need with something so much more important going on. The rat Quirrell needed watching. For now Snape wasn't sure whether he wanted the stone for himself or for… for… Snape shuddered away from the figure in his mind. Dumbledore said saying it would make him reverence less but to Snape it was too much. The old fool didn't know, he hadn't been up close. Some matter deserve fear.

"wellspring if you think so th… then go over and check."

"Oh you'd love that wouldn't you Quirrell."Snape jammed his wand under the servile wretch's Chin. Quirrell squealed and tried to tolerate on his tiptoes to escape the dark-wood percentage point."Leave you close to the door unsupervised while at the same time turning my back on you. Something I will never do."Snape pushed the man towards the early bulwark."You go first."

They walked like hostage and kidnapper up the cold stone footpath to the pillar. Quirrell raised his baton. Not a chance…

"spinal column down by your side or I will shoot it and possibly the hand It's gripped in too."Quirrell's arm blastoff back down. As they reached the pillar Snape let the rat take the track and look around the quoin. wagerer him to take the first gear blow if one came.

"There's n… nothing here Sev…Professor Snape."No there isn't now, not after you distracted me for so long. Useless idiot.

Snape stepped around himself and saw nothing but three oddly placed rocks, all together, near the ground where they might have fallen. They were both considering the enigma when a apparition skirted the back rampart and stopped by the no-longer-guarded door.

*

"Alohomora."just a whispering like silk sliding over silk but the lock clicked and Harry slid the room access give just ever so slightly, then entered the proscribed hall.

"Ha."Harry thought as he took one lowest glance at the prof before closing the door."clean than air liquorish. Eat it immediate or it melts in the air ! also if you tie up a rock or two with it you get a haphazardness about five minute after you take it from its wrapper. Who needs Q when you have mail-order Honeydukes ?"Harry turned back and for the inaugural time took a tone at his surroundings.

Pitch pitch blackness. Not even heart trained for this could riddle it. Harry squatted down quietly and let his other sess have a try.

Cold, clammy, slight intermittent breeze. Odd that, you'd think there was nowhere for a zephyr to number from. Also the air had been dead still out on the roof.

damp scent with a hint of mud and mess. There was urine in there somewhere too and other things even LE savoury. Bit like a wet dog smell…

And most importantly in a bone temperature reduction, eye leaping, cold-sweat, dry-palms, running-for-the-door-despite-Snape-and-all way, the phone of breathing. Heavy in-out hint with a hint of dribble on them. More like snoring actually. Harry tried to sedate himself down and at least partially succeeded. Getting out his wand he smothered the tip in his robes then breathed.

"Lumos"

The glow through the cloth was like stagnant firefly but it showed Harry the shape of what was in front of him. Its mass one-half way to the ceiling and slowly rising and falling with its breath. Like a muffled specter Harry moved across the flooring, skirting the walls until he had travelled all the way around the beast, having to mistreat over its tail where it brushed the rampart. There were no other doors. This elbow room and this beast was all there was to see. Harry edged closer to the battlefront of the thing, his base turned and poised to flee to the door at any moment.

"But what if I'm not riotous enough."Harry tried to silence his mental capacity but it kept up its shrill reservations"What if its like a dragon and it doesn't matter how fast I am. It'll aftermath and I'll die in one bright flash in the wickedness !"

"It'll Wake for sure if you don't shut up and let me concentrate !"Harry edged in closer to the brute and stopped when his luminance revealed a change of texture in the floor. Harry carefully traced its sharpness in his mind."A square… a trapdoor… that which is hidden… that which is forbidden."Harry grinned in the dark. The only problem was the dark mass obscuring one corner of the square, a paw or claw of the affair. Harry's movements was as tardily as drifting feathers and as subdued as his hand found the edge of the thing, and the handle, on the antonym face to the claw. Harry wanted to extinguish his wand but the audio he'd have to wee was tough than the stifled gleam. Harry reached for the trapdoor handgrip and applied the lightest touch of draw to it, increasing by hair largeness Harry felt the Wood move.

A grunt near his shoulder made his muscles freeze and his heart wash. He felt soma motion all around him and the air brought new pennon of stench. But the beast just grunted again and fell back into snoring. Harry eased the door up a half couplet more then stuck his hand in and felt inside. No steps met his questing hand, just a full-strength rotating shaft. Harry propped the door open with a rod and felt in his pocket. He drew forth a farseeing string. His agile finger felt the plumb on the end and he put it through the trapdoor then slowly and evenly paid out roach counting under his breath. The drawstring went morass. About eight measure. With something soft he'd do it. With stale stone he'd break a leg. Harry wondered if a very necromancer would know some self levitation appealingness to get themselves down safely. He pulled back up on the bowed stringed instrument and suffered a surprise. It was stuck ! He tugged on it again. No spring at all. He tugged again and in a heart stopping moment, felt the rod brush his arm.

The trapdoor banging closed was like a cannon ball in the gut and Harry felt the darkness motility around him. He threw himself backwards as a croaky growl filled the room with primal veneration. He saw a physical body the size of an oven strike down in movement of him and get a line wood splinter and crack. Harry whipped the cloth from his wand and the stark darkness danced high on the paries before him as the massive rottweiler head turned and looked at him with bloodshot centre. Harry dived again to avoid its teeth and looked up to see it descending from above him too ! Harry kicked off from the primer coat and slid, he felt hot breath on his back and the catch of jaws behind him but he was gone. Straight into the ruined trapdoor and plummeting down the shaft.

*

Harry spun in the air and he felt severe pain as his head caught itself a whirl on the passing bulwark. He landed in a plant life and in a stupor, his eyes showing him Black person spotlight more than anything else. He lifted his hand to his head and was surprised to see it came back clean, without blood or possibly mentality. He shook his head to clear it and held his shaking hand and wand up to reveal his environs. A nondescript room with this industrial plant covering the floor, covering some of the walls too, and the ceiling, and him !

"What the hell !"Harry shouted at the tendrils as they wrapped themselves around his leg. He tried to draw them off but they were similar conducting wire ! They wrapped his waist too ! Harry pulled and tore at the vines !"Acerbus cuspis !"Harry used the torment Snape had aimed at him but bare ribbon of easy stab from his baton and the flora barely noticed. What was that other one ! ? Think ! Think !"Relashio !"red glint and heat guesswork from his scepter and where they hit the plant drew back."Relashio !"Harry aimed at his wooden leg and cried out as his tegument burned. But he was free. He stumbled to his ft and blasted a few last tendrils. He leapt to the threshold and pushed through, staggering down the corridor occasionally pointing his verge back in pillow slip the monster plant had tried to follow him, he reached another door and carefully pushed it undefended, wand out in movement he entered the room, and was met by a strange sight.

Shining, fluttering glittering affair, flying near the ceiling century of them. Harry edged out into the centre of the high overleap distance. The fairy sparks remained near the roof and Harry at hold out stopped eying them crooked. He walked over to the door on the other side and tried the grip. Locked. Obviously. It could never be well-situated could it ? Harry was just wondering what to do when he heard vocalization from behind him. Spinning like a startle cat Harry saw light light coming from around the sharpness of the door he'd just come through. The light and the vocalization got stronger as Harry searched for a veil shoes. He ran to a paries buttress and grabbed for a handhold, thank paradise they like decoration around this place…

*

"I assure you prof Dumbledore no one got retiring us. Unless they were… hm… Invisible ! Ha…"

"I am not impugning your power Quirenius I merely wish to be sure."Dumbledore walked slowly as if there was no hurry. Severus had alerted him as soon as the dog had awoken and had himself tried to tranquillise the wildcat which was tearing at the floor near the trapdoor in a frenzy. Still, the old fool still had his wits about him. He'd made them both leave while he placated the dog so neither of them had seen how to do it. He'd conjured a staircase to take them down and a marble walk over the devilsnare with a casualness that betrayed his rightful magnate. Snape had to privately admit to himself he couldn't have replicated either feat. That made him cringe inside but he took some comfort from the fact that if he could not do it, Quirrell certainly couldn't and so the stone was still safe.

They emerged into the key sleeping room and Snape strode forward and jerked the grip. The door was still locked.

"They could have locked it from the former side."Ivy and identify ? craziness and idiocy. The other instructor hadn't protected the stone nearly well enough.

"But if they had."Dumbledore said in his insufferably unruffled voice."Then the key would have been locked on that side with them and I think… Ah !"The old man pointed a be-ringed fingerbreadth towards the ceiling and Snape strained his eyes into the swarm of scintillation but failed to find fault out which one the old man was indicating."It's still here. So… crisis averted. Or more correctly, there never was a crisis in the first place."

"Well. I… I for one am calling my replacement."Quirrells voice was strident and grating. Snape made a mental government note to add de-lunging to his list of tortures once he finally caught the loathsome brute."I'm all of a fl… flutter."Quirrell turned and walked back down the corridor.

"Professor."Perhaps he'll listen to me now. Perhaps the doddering fool will hear to what I have to say now."As I have said before, Quirenius Quirrell has every intention of stealing the philosophers stone."Snape was so exasperate he didn't even notice the bm above him in a high alcove, like someone getting into a better position to listen."He was seen snooping around the Slytherin green way a hebdomad ago and he's never really explained why he took the defence job in the starting time place."Snape couldn't give phonation to the real intellect for his suspicion. A gut feeling, a twisting tongue in his heart and an aura of menace he felt in every cell whenever Quirrell was nearby. An irrational fear too. A fear of being discovered, a concern that made every moment a silent supplication that his genial defences would hold and he wouldn't be found out for what he was. He hadn't felt like that in over ten years…

"And as I have said before Severus I have no intellect to mistrust prof Quirrell."As he half move around away Snape could have sworn that Dumbledore's lips tilted into a quiet smile."But if it would help oneself you catch some Z's unspoilt I will send my own protective cover on the stone tonight rather than waiting until after Christmas."That was certainly a cushion !

"professor you have resisted every petition that you add your own magic's to the protection of the stone."He had. All the other teacher had done it but the headmaster had maintained he wasn't set yet and he still needed to screen."What has changed ? Have I truly swayed you ?"

"Many affair have changed. Before I had not tested enough. Now I have."Dumbledore took a small sweet out of his pocket and popped it in his mouth before continuing."I intended to do a bit more testing but…"The old man spread his mitt."I suppose the current version will probably mold well enough."

"May I ask what this miraculous protection is ?"The headmaster had made some sinful claims about what his protection would do."A tribute that not the shadow Maker, nor any Death eater, nor anyone with indirect request to use it for ill or greed could penetrate ?"

"Ah Severus."Now the man was smiling. Sometimes the senile old man was just plain impossible."You are always telling me I'm too trusting and now you want me to reveal my brilliant protective cover ?"His smiling centre glanced at Snape over the top of his methamphetamine before he turned and walked back down the passage. There wasn't much Snape could do but follow him.

*

Harry waited a honorable half hour after seeing Snape disappear, just to be sure he was truly gone before slipping out of his hiding place and climbing down to the floor. With a backstair glance around he made for the room access and was almost there before…

"going already Harry ?"

Harry turned on his Axis, his look frozen mid gasp and looked up into the boldness of Albus Dumbledore.

"Headmaster."Harry said doing his best to smile."I was just inspecting the security you have here. sorting of… um… assessing it for you so I could tell you where you could… improve…it…"Harry trailed off under that teasing stare.

"And…"

"And ?"

"And how could I improve it ?"Dumbledore was half smile when he said that. Under that warm up smiling face Harry relaxed a little, this didn't smell like a conversation that could end in expulsion.

"well, the two headed dog was good."

"Last I looked it had three heads."

"fountainhead I didn't stick around long, I only met two. The plant was less good though. A minuscule heat, a few discharge and it's backing away."

"Devilsnare has clamed honest-to-god and wiser wizards than you Harry. You'd be amazed how few people can still mean clearly enough to sting it away while being constricted."Dumbledore stepped forward and touched Harry's cheek. A moment later he nodded and touched Harry's forehead with his sceptre. A moment later Harry felt an odd tingling fill him, the burns on his legs faded and disappeared, as did the scrapes he'd received throwing himself away from the dog."There. All better."Dumbledore moved back and folded his coat of arms."And now I'm afraid to say I must ask the existent reason you came down here tonight."Suddenly the air had grown colder. extrusion was back on the table.

In rebelliousness of tradition Harry tried the truth.

"I overheard Professor Snape threatening professor Quirrell the night before Halloween."Dumbledore just nodded as if this was normal."Snape seemed to think he was going to try and steal something. We…"No, better he thinks I'm the only one to charge"I worked out that it must be what's hidden here. What you got Hagrid to pull together for you the Sami day we shopped for my school poppycock. The same matter someone tried to break into Gringots to get later."

"The philosophers stone."When Dumbledore saw Harry's face he continued"Harry, don't feign electric shock I know you overheard my previous conversation with professor Snape. What I wish to know is why you came here in the heart of the night and alone."

"Couldn't risk anyone else. And besides, they all make too a lot noise for this form of work."Harry tried to picture Neville sneaking past the dog and giggled."The only way I could do this was alone."The former rationality of course was that after being humiliated by Malfoy on a broomstick he'd wanted to test to himself that he could do it alone.

"Harry. As amazed as I am to say this it is potential you are going to turn out to be more fuss than your don. I never thought anyone would take exception that crown."Dumbledore's smile was back, and this time not a half one. He shook his head ruefully then frowned as if a abominable memory was surfacing. But the smile was back in a moment and he motioned Harry over to the wall behind him where a marvellous mirror was stood.

"That wasn't here before."

"I brought it down after conversing with prof Snape."

"This is your protection ? What your using to protect the stone ?"

"Part of it."Dumbledore looked thoughtfully at the mirror for a second then turned back to Harry."Its called the Mirror of Erised. Look into it and evidence me what you see."

Harry obediently moved in front of the mirror and stared into his musing. He wasn't alone in the mirror. Behind him stood the new Marauders, some of the early students he'd talked to around the school, Hagrid, even Malfoy for some reason, more faces he'd met and some mass he hadn't but still felt some odd connector to, as if they were… friends. As he watched he saw himself age, and the others around him too, passing through teenage old age he grew taller, passing further and further, lines appeared on his face, then grey in his hair. He grew to an old man, smiling, surrounded by his friends. Then in an trice he was back as a child and he saw it begin again.

"What does it mean ?"Harry looked at the silver grey haired professor who was standing nearby."Is it showing the future tense ?"

"One could hope so, but no."Dumbledore seemed proud of but faintly surprised as he looked down at Harry."The mirror shows us nothing more or less than what we truly desire above all else. You Harry, who by your own choice lived a lonely and cold childhood desire friends, and companions and more than that ..."Dumbledore took Harry by one shoulder and kneeled down to tattle to him face to face"…you want to know you'll keep them. You want to screw that you don't have to go back to the frigidness life. Because that is what you most fear."

Harry looked back at the mirror. The faces were still there standing behind him, some were laughing now, or talking amongst themselves. The form were growing misty for some intellect, Harry wondered if there was something haywire with the mirror. Then he felt the sting in his center. Wordlessly, Dumbledore handed him a tissue.

"Let me select you back to your way Harry."He said quietly."Your friends are waiting for you."They walked calmly back through the elbow room and out into the sleeping castle.

*

"So."Said Harry at a expiration for conversation."How ‘ d you get past the other protections ?"The Headmaster fixed him with a decisive eye.

"I reckon I could get past tense ‘ em."Harry grinned up at the old star."Got past two didn't I ?"

"Indeed you did. The details of which I would prefer you keep open to yourself."He smiled back down at Harry."And perhaps you are right. I strongly suspect that my own protection would not trouble you at all."

"Hm, how do you get past a mirror ? die it ! That's the resolution isn ‘ t it."

"Oh please Harry. Do you really intend my shelter would be so crude."

"Exactly. It ‘ s so dim-witted that no one would distrust ! That's how I ‘ d do it."

"Then I am thankful Harry, that I am not actually employing you."

*

"Harry !"Ron's voice filtered down from the first yr way to where Harry was idly skimming through one of his schooling record by the Christmas tree."What are you doing down there ?"

"What do you mean ?"Almost no one else left in the Gryffindor vulgar room since everyone was away for the holidays, thus Harry didn't feel the need to tone down his voice when yelling back to Ron. It was just one of the fun things they had worked out about being left behind. Of course of action Ron wouldn't have kept quiet anyway. Ron had no loudness control."And Merry Christmas to you to !"

"Merry Christmas ? Yeah I can see why you'd leave that to last seeing as you've left all your presents up hear."Ron emerged from the stairway and tossed a present at Harry who caught it before it could ping over a lamp."Why'd you just result them up there ?"

If Harry had been good he would have said that he'd just assumed they were Ron's. Instead he went for…

"Didn't want to rouse you. And why are you using my presents as missile ? What if it had been fragile ?"

"Nah mate."Ron shook his fountainhead ruefully"I can severalize what that one is, however you wrap them they all feel the same."Harry unwrapped the parcel and pulled out a blueing, knitted pinny. On the straw man were three juggling balls in red, yellowness and unripened."My mum."Ron said holding up a similar article."She makes them for all of us. Must have heard you weren't expecting many presents."

"Its pretty expert. Very debonair."Harry pulled the jumper on over his head and they went back up to the room to get the rest of the nowadays. Of trend Harry had sent his booster present ( miserable Digger had been run ragged. The little owl was so eager to please she didn't seem to take any good luck in flying. ) but it variety of failed to click in his head that he ‘ d probably get some in yield. Harry noticed one with Hermione's keen handwriting on it ( after all, he ‘ d copied off her bill enough times. Occasionally even with permit. ) and pulled it over first.

"It ‘ ll be a al-Qur'an mate."

"Wow Ron, a thick, clayey, orthogonal package from a known bookworm ? And just from that you can guess it's a book ?"

"That, and she got me one too."Ron held up a book with a checker board blanket, there was a rook on the front but Harry couldn't read the title. Pulling the paper off his own present he smiled. It was an large selection of cocoa but what made him grin was the note on the top that said


Admit it, you thought this was a Koran didn't you ?

Ron himself had provided Harry with an absurdly Orange hat and Neville had found him some juggling nightstick charmed to trail rainbows in the air behind them when thrown. Padma and Parvati had got him script, but it looked like they'd collaborated because the deed of conveyance read silence and Illusion, appealingness of privateness and Beyond allohamora, unlocking your obstacles. virtually of the balance were pabulum matter ( not that Harry minded ) and he bit into a bar of chocolate while settling down to read.

*

Harry popped the indorse to last of his Dec 25 chocolates into his mouth and handed the survive one to Parvarti who was skulking in the shadows nearby. At to the lowest degree it was a overnice Night, nights with rainwater had been rather unpleasant. For the past times few calendar month the predator had been working on the Quirell secret but getting nowhere. Eventually one day when they were researching in the subroutine library Harry threw his book away in disgust and said

"This is pointless."

"You ‘ re the one who said we had to get him mate."Ron had been staring at a book on antediluvian alchemy for the yesteryear half hour. He hadn't turned the page.

"We do deliver to get him."Harry waved his bridge player wearily over the table."But we ‘ ve gone through all this stuff. We ‘ re not gona find anything this way."

"We can ‘ t really do anything else Harry."Herminone had pointed out. Of course she would say that. She was probably enjoying this."We just don't know enough about what he ‘ s doing."

"No…"And that was when the idea had formed in Harry's mind. It was so simple he wondered why he hadn't persuasion of it before."But we can observe out."

"How ?"Neville had asked.

"We become his fantasm. We watch him everywhere he goes. He ‘ s got to slip up eventually right ?"

Organising a night lookout man had seemed like a lot more fun than it was. In squad of two they rotated, each team taking either the first half of the nighttime, the secondment half or having a nighttime off. After a week and a half of cut back sleep the 1st year monkey were getting a bit ratty. At to the lowest degree he was paired with Parvarti. She was mostly cheerful.

"This isn't working."Or not…

"We know he's going somewhere. Some nights."Ron had woke them all after one of his round with the newsworthiness that Quirrell had slipped out furtively. Him and Hermione had moved swiftly to the third base floor corridor to head him off, but he had never showed."We just need to go for a fiddling longer."

"But I'm tired."The usually debonaire similitude hadn't taken well to the hours."And he's never going to fall out."

"Funny you should say that…"Harry ducked low and pulled the missy down with him as he saw the door to Quirrells quarters unresolved and closing curtain, permitting the teacher to scurry off down the hall.

"Yes ! We've got him. let go !"The tiredness had drained from her face and she had regained a smiling. She moved off without a word but Harry had started in the opposite direction."Hey ! The tierce floor corridor is that way !"

"Yeah but we don't know he's going there."Harry held her hand as they walked a cap ridge on the side of a courtyard."I'm not making the same mistake as the others, I'm not letting him out of my sight."They slid silently down a drainpipe onto a matte roof above the kitchens and Harry saw the turbaned wizard slip out a incline threshold, cross the court, then enter a door leading to the entrance hall.

"wellspring we can't…"But Harry held up one finger to silence her and a moment later they, heard a door hatchway and conclusion then could clearly see the dark condition of the wizards robes as he crossed the grounds towards the out woods."What do we do now ?"

"We watch him."Harry said it without the conviction it usually held and with a good acid of concern in there as well."You go back and tell the others."But he was surprised when she shook her head.

"No, I'm going with you. You can't go in there alone."She started moving before he had a hazard to object."Besides, I've heard there are centaurs in there. I wouldn't psyche seeing a centaur."

*

"Do you know where your going ?"Parvarti hadn't seen any centaurs, but there had seen other things skulking between the trees. Harry looked back and wished he would have offered some reassurance. He knew he could find the way back, well probably. He had made certain to differentiate it at unconstipated interval with cuts on the tree trunks. But tracking a man through forest was cypher he had even thought of doing before. They had entered the forest at about the Lapplander daub as Quirrell and Harry had had his promise boosted by finding a footprint feeling in mud nearby but after that nothing.

He was vaguely cognizant that they should count out for broken twigs or birdsong but the twigs seemed to have no discernable characteristic and the forest was eerily quiet. Except for the things.

"spirit at this !"Parvarti was pointing at a foliage nearby. When Harry moved closer he saw what she was pointing at. A silver grey liquidness covered the leaf, it felt slick and greasy under his fingerbreadth. Also slightly warm."And there's more."Again she was right, there was a trail leading across the path they'd been taking more swimming tinged the ground in both directions."It must stimulate been bleeding !"

"It ? What it ?"

"The unicorn silly !"Parvarti pointed her burglars lantern back at the leaf."Oh I cant imagine what could do such a matter ! This is unicorn descent Harry, and it looks fresh !"

"It is."Confirmed Harry with a swig."Its even still warm."Why are we here ? Why did I do this ? Why didn't we get the others or tell McGonagall or… Harry tried to keep his cheek impassive but it was hard.

It was one thing knowing nasty things were out in the timberland butchering nice affair, quite another to have test copy and another still to get them be so close that the blood wouldn't have had clip to cool in the nighttime air. He looked at his booster and was suppressed to see no fear in her face, only anger that something would offend a unicorn.

"But which way did it do ?"She glint her promiscuous starting time one way then the other.

"This way."Said Harry in numb tones and pointed at the primer coat ahead. In the mud there, solve for all to see, was the heel of a rush print. Harry didn't want to admit even to himself that his first instinct on seeing the mark was to point the other way. That or run for the Benny Hill."Alright. Close the shutter on the Christ Within right down, we can see the descent well enough. And go slow."Parvarti did as she was told and they set off again into the forest. Harry couldn't have told anyone afterwards how prospicient they had walked, it seemed like an eternity. The splatter of descent grew with child and more frequent, the further they went until.

"!"Harry stopped dead and put his hired hand out monotonic in social movement of the other Marauder. There was a clearing up ahead, bathed in the gibbous moonlight and the night air carried sounds to them. It sounded like an obscene slurping and gurgling and along with it there were the sounds of dim cause. Harry pointed left, around the edge of the clearing then once again put up a single finger. Silence.

They moved around until they were behind a fallen tree then slowly looked over the top of the log. Through the branches that his them they saw an dread sight. The unicorn was splayed on the floor like it had been run to ground and a drape figure hunched over it, drinking its line of descent out through its wounds.

A tug on Harry's sleeve brought him back to the import and he crouched back down with Parvarti. Her brass was a photo of wrath and she mimed jumping over the log while brandishing her lantern. Harry shook his capitulum firmly. What the hell was she thinking ? She gestured more firmly then touched her heart and made a pumping apparent motion. What was that supposed to signify ? She opened her mouth and mouthed something to him but he couldn't tell what. She did it again more exaggerated and the meaning hit him with sickening certainty.

"It's still alive !"
Harry looked over the log again and saw what he had missed the first time. The Unicorns chest was indeed still moving up and down and its breathing space disturbed the dust near its head. He sat back down and made the kernel pumping motion while nodding, he'd seen it too. Obviously Parvarti wanted to lay aside the brute if possible. Harry stuck his finger in the dirt between them and wrote one word.

HAGRID

Then pointed to her. She nodded, then pointed to him. He smiled and wrote one more word.

DISTRACTION

*

Without further ado he moved further around the clearing so that when he ran he would take the thing away from the direction Parvarti would have to go to get helper. He was glad to see her moving off too, rather than arguing with his decision. Harry wrapped the scarf round his headland again and tucked it in so it wouldn't unravel. This would do, he thought. No sense waiting around. He got out his wand, took careful aim and yelled

"Acerbus cuspis !"

The mantled figure was caught off guard and some of Harry's swoon spear had hit it. It flinched back, more surprised than injury then an new noise came from its hood, a drawn out hungry sound. Like a serpent having a rat dangled in its face. Wonderful, thought Harry as the affair rose up, Uncle Vernon always said I was vermin.

It was as if that thought snapped him out of his veneration paralysis and he ran, away from the clearing and the thing. He moved without thought, feet slamming on solidness solid ground where possible and pushing off roots and mud when not. Harry never looked behind him but he knew the matter was still on him. He moved into new sections of the woods where the trees were unlike form, older, newer, taller, more than brush they all shot by him in an instant, too fast for him to see properly. He did notice that they weren ‘ t meeting any animals and thought that they were probably scared of the matter behind him.

He reached a thick rack of tree diagram and encounter and slipped in sideways. Here he risked a looking back. cypher. Sides ? Front ? Nothing. Harry allowed himself a controlled intimation. It looked like he had lost it. Harry sat for a second on a log and let his legs rest. The tiredness of the preceding week and the emphasis of the night caught up to him at once and he sagged against the tree behind him. He didn't be intimate how long he sat there, he may even let fallen asleep but he did recognize what caused him to come to attention suddenly. A twig breaking nearby. Harry moved slowly and backed away from the source of the sound when a deal grabbed him from fundament and swung him around roughly. Harry's fear of flack turned into relief, then quickly back into fear.

"Out for a midnight stroll thrower ?"

"professor Snape."Harry said trying his effective to put on a good face."Thank god you found me."

*

The boy walked in silence in movement of him as Snape led him back towards the castling. The appeal he'd laced the edges of the woods with had tripped, waking him and warning him that Quirrell had gone on another of his every night excursion. But once again the little louse had eluded him and he'd been on his way back when he'd seen Potter in a stand of trees. His mouth felt like twitching into a smile, at least some right could come of tonight's work.

"What are you going to do when we get back to the castle."The boy voice was steadier than he expected. Planning something… Ha ! Just like the other potter this one thought he was smart.

"We are going to your head of household. Then to Dumbledore. Then you can explain what you were doing in the forbidden woods after hours."Snape allowed himself a import of joy then said."Then you can go back to your way and pack for the power train journey back. From which you will never return."

"But what if I've got a commodity reasonableness for being here ?"

"What possible reason could that be ?"

"Same reason you are. Following Quirrell."Had that been a shot in the nighttime ? He tried to take in the insufferable child's center but he looked direct ahead."And unlike you I succeeded."

"Quirrell is a fellow teacher. With every right to visit the timber if he so chooses."

"Oh."The scion of his enemy said brightly."So you wouldn't be interested in what he's doing in there then ?"

Insufferable, Worthless, Sneaking, COWARDLY, MANIPULATING !, WORM ! ! Snape took a moment to assemble his view before turning Potter and looking directly into his centre. There was a flash, a board, some faces… a frown crossed the boys face for a moment then he shook his head worriedly. Even Snape could not conceal his shock as a blank paries appeared before him, slowly fading over the store. The boy was an Occlumens ! But he couldn't know what he was doing, it must be subconscious ! With a spark of fear his center were drawn to the scrape on the boy forehead. Or was it entirely subconscious mind ? force would be transferred in such an case, great power…

"What are you suggesting ?"Inside himself he was seething. He so wanted to see the son of James thrower expelled. It would make up for so much but… Quirrell was more authoritative, if there was even the little luck the Lucy Stone could be use to bring in back… thrower could wait for another time.

"You forget this ever happened and in one hebdomad I ‘ ll tell you what I saw tonight."Smug and insufferable. And in this example right.

"Why one workweek ?"

"Because it would search odd if in one week you go to Dumbledore and say ‘ I caught Harry Potter in the forest a calendar week ago, I just didn't Tell you till now.'” They had entered the castle now and were on their way to the common room. They stopped outside the portrait door."Well ?"

"Agreed."

*

Harry breathed again and slipped in through the door. A moment later he was attacked ! Visiously and unexpectedly, it took him a moment to realise it was Hermione. She had thrown her arms around his neck and was sobbing against his chest.

"We thought…"She sniffed giving Harry a opportunity to look around. Everyone was there, including Parvarti. They all looked relived."That it had… got… you."

"Take it wanton alright. I'm alright."Harry levered her off him and took a breath only to be re-bowled over as Parvarti hugged him."What the ?"

"We shouldn't have left you. And it was me who wanted to write it in the first blank space, I…"

"I. Am. Fine."He pulled her of as well and was about the speak before looking up expectantly at Padma.

"Oh fine if everyone else is doing it."She stood up and hugged him too. Then let out a forge sob and said"And I broke a nail this good morning !"Harry grinned and she returned to her property at the table.

"So, now we know what he ‘ s doing the succeeding step ‘ s to incur out why. And what we ‘ re gona to do about it."



*

The next few weeks were full phase of the moon of disappointment. Except for the Slytherins who got a temporary reprieve from pranking. Hagrid had saved the unicorn and in thanks for their aid he told them all about the prop of unicorn blood and what it could be used for. Snape hadn't been any service, when Harry told him the story a week later he merely nodded and told him to get out. From what they knew they could work on out that Quirrell was after immortality but for what reason ?

"Maybe he ‘ s not after it for himself."Neville had said one day. Harry tried to always treat Neville's suggestions as smart in the hope it would persuade the boy to tattle more."You said he called somebody master when he thought he was alone."

"But he was alone Neville."Ron apparently hadn't heard about that architectural plan."Wait… that's our explanation. He ‘ s crazy ! Nuts ! He ‘ s prob'ly talking to his toque !"

"Or he had some sort of magical communicator in his room."Padma said scathingly."Something he was talking to someone through."

"Oh, yeah."Ron looked down a little sheepishly. Then brightened."Hey ! Maybe if we got our hands on the communicator we could, I don't know, trace it back to this skipper ?"

"That would depend on how sophisticated it is."Hermione's voice came from behind a pile of books, shed already begun revising for the end of year test and at least some of the other piranha seemed to need to unite her."But Dumbledore could probably do it."

"Alright then."A plan began to form in Harry's creative thinker."Dumbledore said he had no intellect to mistrust Quirrell and Snape's got no proof to show him otherwise. If we get this communicator then they've got the proof they need and they can move to stop Quirrell."

"But Harry. We don't know where the communicator is."

"I know. That's why we ‘ re going to burglarise Quirrell."

"Is ‘ burglarize ‘ even a word."Padma asked.

"The spellchecker seems to think it is."

"What's a spellchecker ?"

"it's a appealingness that detect misspelled Christian Bible, underline them in red."

"I really need to revise."

*

But the opportunity didn't come for a long piece. Quirrell had begun sleeping with his window closed and the curl on his door resisted all the trick in beyond allohamora. ("I can't believe you gave him that."Hermione had said"Its like giving a scamp the key to the plantation."Ron had shot back"Yeah, or you the key to the library !") and there was null to be done but postponement and scout for Quirrell to slip up. There was a asset side though. Guard duty gave them plenty of prison term to retool. Then the exams came, painful and inevitable with the care and uncertainty that came with them.

The only single Harry was at any way comfortable about were charms and astronomy, the latter because unlike other classes he actually paid aid and the former because ( perhaps due to his Christmas presents ) he was genuinely good at the while. Potions was a nightmare and defence against the dark arts worse. Quirrell had taken to watching him out of the corner of his eye when he thought Harry wasn't looking. Harry hadn't told the others, Quirrell wasn't watching them and he didn't want to worry them.

Even with the examination and their stay failing in their job it was voiceless to feel bad. The weather had turned to wonderful and student could always be found out sunning themselves on the green goddess. Harry was just on his way to spend an afternoon in just such a style ( the rest of the marauder already waiting ) when he looked up and saw what he had been waiting for for week. Quirrells window, open.

Harry glanced around, did he dare go up on the rooftops in the midsection of the day ? When the whole school would be able-bodied to see him. Harry turned to where he knew he could go up up and stopped. Should he get the others ? No. Quirrell might yield and their only chance would be lost. He quickly scurried up the paries and slipped in through the window.

The room smelled strongly of garlic and indeed there were cloves hanging in various position around the elbow room. He quickly began searching using what they knew of communication magic spell, mirrors were often used, sometimes gems or crystals. He checked the mirror in the lavatory but it appeared to be the normal kind ( no response when tapped with a wand ). He was about to chink the sleeping room when he heard a vocalization behind him.

"Come into my parlour said the wanderer to the fly."




note of hand, if your wondering why some of the chapters are twice the length of the others it 's because they used to be two chapters. I put some of them together because its taking so long to get the stuff posted. Also because they seemed pointlessly short before.


"well, well, well."Professor Quirrell had lost his stutter and stood in front of the mesh threshold with his wand pointed at Harry's chest of drawers."You do get yourself into a heavy peck of sticky situations."

"it's a gift."Harry tried not to glance at the window. It was still clear, and there were some tree in the courtyard below. He might make it.

"No !"Quirrell flicked his wand and the window banged shut. Another flick and it glowed for a moment, accompanied by a squelching audio."No, you're not leaving that way Potter."He grabbed Harry's arm, jerked his wand out of his pocket then pulled him to the threshold. The 1st class could feel the tip of Quirrells wand against the modest of his cover."Now walk, calmly and unhurried. To the third floor."

The corridors that were always so full of smiling educatee were virtually abandon now. All of them outside enjoying the sun. The few he saw in the distance too far away to signal to.

"Face forward."Quirrell hissed."If you attempt to discourage anyone then that person die then you die is that clear ?"

"Why are you taking me up there ?"Harry tried to convince his brain to shape but he seemed to be missing nous cells.

"Oh that's quite simple. Your going to assist me, I knew what you and your little friends were up to so I laid a maw. Now you are going to assist me with something, with two affair actually. The outset is round-eyed, all you have to do is spiel along. Lie. You're well at that yes ? The bit is a bit more composite. You see…"They grew close to the corridor and Quirrell pulled him to a plosive and into a disused classroom."I've spent the year devising foolproof room to get past each defense lawyers except one that still eludes me."

"Snape."Good old sneaky bastard Snape.

"Yes Snape."Quirrell drew an odd potion from his robe, it was gear disastrous and looked oddly oily."His protective covering I don't know how to pass off but… that is for later. For now ? Drink this."He held out the potion."Just a sip, we only need the gist for a few minutes."Harry hesitated."Do it ! Do it or you die !"

Harry took a petite sip of the potion and instantly felt the effect. His hands seemed to produce and he pulled off his brake shoe as the pressure in them increased. Black hair's-breadth grew down in front of his centre and he flicked it out of the way. After a few moments the upshot ceased and he stood up again, taller by far than when he had begun.

"Ah, wonderful."Quirrell said smiling."Now put these on."He handed Harry some prospicient dark gown and gestured to the mirror nearby. Harry took them and walked over, stopping for a moment in shock. He looked like Snape !"Get on with it boy !"Harry struggled into the robes then did them up and allowed Quirrell to lead him towards the frightening corridor. Harry saw prof Flitwick and Sinestra outside the doorway. Sinestra was sitting hybridisation legged and appeared to be meditating in some way. Quirrell prodded him in the book binding. Of course, Snape would fix the initiative move. He tried to make his phonation as sneering as possible then said.

"We're here to live over you."Apparently that was all that's needed as the two teachers nodded and left the corridor murmuring goodbyes. Quirrell pulled him towards the room access."What if they meet the real Snape ? They'll know he's not here."

"prof Snape was called away unexpectedly."Quirrell smirked confirming to Harry that his absence was no coincidence."He thinks he arranged a replacement on precaution tariff but unfortunately the owl never got through. Oh and in case you were wondering your precious Dumbledore is gone too, called away to the ministry. No one can assist you."

"I can help me."Harry thought desperately as they entered the way with the giant dog. Its three chief instantly rose to catch them but Quirrell pointed his wand at the trading floor nearby and a harp appeared. Another complex move and it began plucking out a simple tune. The expectant animal lid drooped and it fell quickly asleep.

"seed on boy ! I haven't got all day."Quirrell pulled him forwards to the trap door then pulled it clear. He whispered a little charm and a rope began curling its way out of his sceptre. Quirrell seemed to suffer to concentrate a majuscule deal to force this off and Harry backed away slowly. He felt some thing behind him and put a hand back to experience. It was the harp. Acting on inherent aptitude, Harry grabbed the harp and smashed it as hard as he could against one of the dog-iron colossus mitt. The dog awoke with a roar and bit through the mouth harp remains in a bingle chomp. Then it turned to the early interloper in its room.

"Boy ! What do you think you're…"But then Quirrell was forced to fight back himself as the great head word reared up above him. He screeched a single countersign and fireball smacked one on the olfactory organ. Harry took the opportunity and bolted for the door."I'm not done with you yet potter !"Quirrell screamed. Harry glanced back in time to see red Light, then darkness.

*

"Where the Hades is Harry ?"Ron glanced back at the castle irritated."He said he was only gon na be a few minutes."

"Why are you worrying Ron, when you could be sunbathing !"Parvarti stretched out on the ground and sighed happily.

"He's probably just got distracted by something Ron."Hermione was doing her type of sunbathing. With a record."Honestly, sometimes I think he has a shorter attention span than… than… well than you !"

"I can't think your reading out here."Ron caught the quaffel thrown to him by Neville then threw it back."The exams are over Hermione."

"For this year."

"You're actually revising for next yr exams ?"Ron shook his head then yelled"Hey !"as a quaffel smacked into the face of his head.

"Oh sorry Ron."Padma commented with massive insincerity."Were you not ready ?"

"Oh look the mudblood ground forces seem to be missing a general."The marauders turned en deal to see Malfoy strolling towards them with his hands in his air pocket."Better get used to it though."

"What did you say !"Ron yelled at the same meter as Hermione said"What do you mean get used to it ?"

"I mean scum,"Ron's fist clenched."That your little hero seems to have finally gotten into more trouble than he can handle. Oh yes, I saw a teacher carting him off. Looked tempestuous too."

"Which teacher ?"Padma's question seemed ominously quiet in the undetermined air.

"Professor Quirrell, but don't think that… Hey !"But Ron had grabbed him by the presence of his coat, knocking his wand away. The Aythya americana was vaguely mindful of his friends surrounding him with verge drawn. Keeping Crabbe and Goyle at bay.

"Where did you see them ?"Ron punctuated each watchword by shaking the Slytherin up and down."WHERE !"

"Th… Th… Third level. That corridor with the maypole painting."Ron let him go. That was the right way side by side to the dog's room.

"Mr Weasley !"McGonagall was striding across the grounds in anger."I never expected such violent behaviour from…"

"Professor McGonagall !"Ron interrupted her ( something never done ), bringing gasps from the onlookers."Harry Potter's in peril. And so's the Philosophers Stone."

*

"Wake up Mr potter. Rise and shine for the blade new day."The conviction slid around the black cocoon of Harry's unconscious."Now now, that won ‘ t do. Up !"nuisance blossomed in Harry's stomach and the sting of it pulled him back to reality. He drew himself up on the dusty stone trading floor shaking terribly. The prospicient sleeves of his robes fell down over his arms and he realised he was back in his own consistence. Quirrell aimed another brute beef at Harry ‘ s bureau and he sprawled on the level again.

"You think that's pain in the ass potter ?"Yep, sure seemed like it, at the very least he had a cracked rib."I can introduce you to the straining expletive if you want. If you choose not to co-operate with me."Harry raised his head wearily and realised that he was in a new room. Fires blocked both doors and on a board in the gist a row of bottles stood, twinkling in the torchlight.

"Wh… where ?"

"The treasonist trial."That hadn't sounded like Quirrell. Harry looked up and saw fear in Quirrells oculus.

"So."mentation Harry."He has the communicator on him. That must have been his overlord voice and whoever the master is he's scared of him."

Quirrell bent over the mesa and read with a smile…

"risk lies before you, while safety lies behind,
Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,
One among us seven will let you displace ahead,
Another will transport the juicer back instead,
Two among our turn hold only nettle wine,
troika of us are Orcinus orca, waiting hidden in product line.
Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,
To help you in your alternative, we give you these cue four :
kickoff, however slyly the toxicant tries to veil
You will always find some on rag wine 's left slope ;
mo, different are those who stand at either end,
But if you would make a motion onward, neither is your champion ;
third gear, as you see clearly, all are dissimilar size,
Neither dwarf nor giant holds last in their insides ;
fourth, the bit left and the second on the ripe
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight."

The wizard shook his mind angrily.

"What kind of a task is that ? You don't even need illusion. And besides, I've never taken the legitimate path to get answers. I so prefer the… experimental approach."He picked up one of the nursing bottle at random and held it out to Harry with a sickly grin."Drink up !"

*

"He's there !"Ron was shouting now. Heedless of the steady flow of deep red that must have been leaving the hourglass in the slap-up hall."He's there right now having god knows wha…"

"Mr Weasley ! If you can not control yourself I will accept you dragged to my position where I will flue your mother ! And we will discuss your continued presence at this school !"The arguing had moved from the outside to the corridors as the deputy sheriff headmistress had failed to listen."As it is you are all already in enough trouble for just knowing about the stone ! Let alone disrespect to a Hogwarts professor. Two professor in fact as I think Professor Quirrell will want to discover about the bag accusations you have made."

"But you don't…"Ron was brought to a arrest by a script on his shoulder. He turned to see Neville holding him back with a panicked flavor on his side. He shook his psyche quickly.

"You should listen to your supporter Mr Weasley."The prof said while turning and walking down the hall."Now you will all follow me to my part where we can decide…"

"Petrificus Totalus !"

The marauder mob watched in sodding secretiveness as their head of house went starchy then slowly but inexorably fell backwards. Ron caught her and lowered her to the floor, ashen faced. He looked beat to see Neville standing with his verge out and a appal expression on his face.

"I… I … I had to…"Neville stuttered without moving."God, that was like cursing Gran."

Ron looked down at McGonagall face. A person shouldn't be able to evoke care while only moving their centre but somehow the set of them said there would be hell to pay.

"Ok then."Padma broke the secrecy."Since it seems we're going to get expelled anyway lets go get our boy."

*

"Nil for two Mr ceramicist !"Harry fell choking on the floor as Quirrell took a sip of the potion he'd just proved was rubber."Still born favourable I see."Harry fell into a fit of coughing that wracked his body with pain. He pulled his caput back and idly noticed the blood all over his arm. So, more than than a cracked rib then.

When he had refused to drink the first nursing bottle Quirrell had used some kind of bludgeoning curse that squashed him back to the floor. As he had lain there vainly trying to get his breath back Quirrell had pulled his top dog back and tipped the potion down his throat. The second time he had tried to resist more than and been formally introduced to the cruciatus curse. He was ashamed to say he willingly took the bottleful in shaking hands and drank a sip himself. All the meter feeling wretched and a coward.

"Now."Quirrell looked down on him almost proudly."Since you seem to give learned your place in this fiddling drama."The sadist looked down for a chemical reaction but Harry didn't rise to the bait. He wasn't sure he had the DOE too even if he had wanted."I'll let you prefer the next one."He waved his hand over the remaining nursing bottle and stood waiting.

Harry pulled himself up on the edge of the mesa and tried to bring a Einstein cellular phone to behave."Hermione where are you when I need you ?"He must have said it out loud because Quirrell laughed and said

"I could get her if you want. I'm sure she'd like to see the cruciatus curse. As a purely pedantic study. Of course to fully appreciate it I would have to do it on her as well."Harry looked from one bottle to another and a puss of song came back to him.

Neither dwarf nor goliath holds death in their insides.
Harry's eyes slid to the belittled bottle in the row. His hand shook almost too often for him to take the phellem out and he spilled some as he took a sip. An flash frigidity genius trickled down his throat and into his arms. But was this the forrad potion or the back one ? It didn ‘ t really matter since Quirrell was between him and the way back, so only one way remained. Harry put his hand to his throat and pretended to pass, falling towards the fire he took a heavy gasping breath.

"Trickery ! Get Him !"DAMN IT ! Harry reacted on instinct and kicked the nearest tabular array leg. One of the remaining potions fell between him and Quirrell, cracking on the base and bursting into blue-black fire. That was all the distraction Harry needed as he clawed himself off the floor and jumped headfirst into the flak.

The floor on the other slope knocked the malarky from him but he wasn't burnt. It had been the veracious potion.

"You will pay for that !"A chain with a hook shoot through the curtain of flames, trailing sparks.

"A blind shot."Harry thought muzzily."But I can't hitch here."

He pulled himself up and staggered along the corridor clinging to the wall. Quirrell continued to scream behind him but he ignored it, there was a room up ahead. He walked in and barely saw the place. All he took in was the tall mirror in the core, familiar. Without really realising what he was doing he moved towards it and fell to the basis in front end of it. Oh, god everything hurt. He looked up into the mirror and saw his friends comrade faces surrounding him, filling the mirror-Harry with passion and happiness.

"Where are you."Harry spoke to the empty elbow room. He felt himself falling backwards, lonely and disclose."Where are you now ?"

He floated in the darkness for a moment then was brought back around. inherent aptitude again waking him when he was no longer alone. He turned to see a charred figure of speech, gown in tatters and his toque unwound and trailing behind him.

"There's always Sir Thomas More than one way round a challenge."The vox was cracked and thirsty but wide of spite and ire"You just have to think outside the box."

*

"No."Harry pulled himself away from the come along chassis. Forgetting for a import that there was nowhere to go.

"Yes Potter. What Severus seems to have forgotten…"The worthless figure of speech said as it stalked towards Harry on ruined legs."Is that I would much rather walk through fire than admit bankruptcy to my master. practically, lots rather."He came to a point in front of the Mirror and pointed his blackened wand at Harry.

"No wait, this won't work."He threw the scepter away like garbage."But luckily I have another."He drew out Harry's wand, unblemished and pristine. He laughed at Harry's shocked face and said"Rubbed in what little of the potion you let drop on the storey. It was bound to subsist better than mine. After all, phoenix plume are meant to pass by through fire."He flicked the sceptre negligently and ropes bounce Harry's peg under him.

"Yes, you left just enough for the wand and for…"His hand rose involuntarily to the spine of his headway and a quiver of pain ran across his face."But enough !"He stood in nominal head of the mirror, his anticipation clear on his grimace."I see myself presenting the stone to my sea captain. He is restoring my organic structure, making me well again… But how do I get it ?"

"Use the boy."Quirrell grabbed his arm and jerked him back in front of the mirror. The images swam in pain in front of him. His friends faces still stared back at him, mocking him with their happiness.

"Well boy ? What do you see ?"

"Well…"Harry though."…since I seem to be dieing anyway…"

"I see myself you charred bastard. It's a mirror."

"Crucio !"Pain obliterated the humankind again but soon enough he was shook awake and slammed in front of the crank.

"What do you really SEE !"

"I ‘ ve just found every hot chocolate frog board. My collection is complete."

"Do you savor pain ?"Quirrell's typeface was twisted beyond acknowledgment."Do you reckon even for a bit that your petty defiance will actually achieve anything !"

"Alright fine."Harry brought a rictus grin to his face"I see Hagrid with a colossus spiked baseball bat. He's sticking it right up your…"the world once again dissolved into pain.

*

"A chess game set, what the…"

"Oh god look here on the floor… Blood."

"Do you cerebrate he.. ?"

"No prison term for this ! We need to proceed !"

*

Harry floated again on the ocean of torture. But this metre he wasn't alone.

Brave, or maybe simply foolish.
That voice again. The original.

Your parents were intrepid Harry ceramicist. It didn't do them any soundly either.
"Oh so you know my parents too. Got any thoroughly anecdotes ?"He wasn't sure if he said that out tatty but the voice laughed.

Oh yes. Joking in the brass of pain. That is something I think your father would do.
"Yeah."Harry said as the earthly concern began to swim back into focus."But I've got my female parent eyes."He looked up but Quirrell was standing a ways away, curiously with his back to him. Harry groped around for his glasses.

"There by your elbow."The voice almost had a teasing tone to it now but Harry was struck by a single question. How did he know ? He pulled his spyglass back on and was met by his horrific solvent.

"Yes Harry."The fount spoke with malice now, and barely controlled angriness."This is what you reduced me to. Ten years ago."

"Oh my god."Harry gulped as he realised the Sojourner Truth."Voldemort."

"Yes Harry ceramicist. Lord Voldemort. Now do what you are told and tell me what you see in the mirror."

Harry turned without wanting to and stare again into the shining surface. The faces stared back, laughing and felicitous.

"Their probably still out on the grass."thinking Harry. The Ron in the mirror patted him on the back."They don't know about this wickedness. This iniquity. They haven't seen it. They don't have to deal with it. And they shouldn't need to."

"I see…"

"Yes… yes !"

"I see… stars."Harry smiled and flung himself at the mirror.

The crashing sound echoed through the residence and Harry felt field glass shards cut into his skin. He tried to wander but a sharp pain in his arm caught him and he stopped, quivering.

"You FOOL."He felt himself picked up and agitate like a bird."You destroyed it !"He fell to the undercoat again and saw Quirrell rifling through the sherd, heedless of the cuts and blood."Where is it ! Where is it ! … Gone… You knew !"The double head came up and looked him straight in the eye."You knew that wouldn't outlet the pit !"

"Dumbledore told me."Suddenly Harry actually did feel like laughing."But on the minus side, that should be seven years bad luck."

"You.. YOU ! !"The double creature stood quivering with craze."Well I hope you savour your victory."The thing drew Harry's scepter"Because, it is the last thought you will ever experience ! Avada Ked…"

"Tarantella !"

The jinx spun over the tool head and broke against the far wall. Harry turned to the door and saw the Marauders standing there. Five verge pointed ramrod-straight at the matter, that had swung around to face them.

"Children."Quirrell's voice again. They probably hadn't even seen the other face."What are you doing here ? This domain is forbidden."

"Put the wand down."Ron's vocalism quaked a little as he said it. But he kept his wand trained."wand down now !"

"You wouldn ‘ t hex a teacher would you."Quirrell was playing with them. His voice was just like it had been when he'd forced the drinkable on Harry."You'd get in so much trouble."

"I ‘ ve already petrified my head of house."Neville seemed to have left his stutter in the existence of awe and could speak calmly now he'd moved on to terror."It can ‘ t get much worse."

"You think not ? Then perhaps I should be talking out of the former English of my face."Quirrell turned on his Axis and Parvarti shrieked.

"nestling !"Quirrells arms twisted back, cracking round at the human elbow to give Voldemort control of the wand"I will not be stopped again by children !"

"Petrificus Totalus !"Hermione's voice rang out but Voldemort raised a shield disdainfully. The rebounding torment took the Danton True Young Wiccan in the pectus and she fell like a stone.

"Crucio !"Neville dropped to the ground. His brass a mask of painful sensation.

"Crucio !"Padma fell, her sleeve wrapped around her bureau. Screaming. He was still playing with them. He could cause death as easily as nuisance.

"Crucio !"Ron fell in his data track. He had tried to charge the creature.

"Im… im… impedimenta !"

"Crucio !"Parvati's charm died on her wand and she fell beside her sister. He had to do something. He had no wand. He had no weapon… He had glass. Harry pulled his too long sleeves up around his hand and picked up a long shard.

"Pathetic creatures."The face spat the Word of God."Unworthy of life !"Harry stepped closer measured not to stir up the spyglass on the floor."You will all die ! For defying Lord Voldemort. You will…"

"Master depend out !"But Quirrell's warning was too latterly as the long fragment plunged into his tummy. Him and his attacker fell together and Harry jerked the trash out only to launch it again into the ace shape. His hands bled, the fabric of the gown hadn't been nearly enough to protect them. Quirrell rolled over under him and the snaky nerve looked up at him in hatred.

"You can not destroy me Harry Potter. I can not die ! Whatever you do I will return !"

"amercement then snake-face."Harry raised the sherd above his head word."See you in another ten years. Do try to fare back pretty future time."And plunged the shard through Voldemort's eye.

The scream rung out through the chamber. Rising gamey and higher, louder and louder till the fragment still on the trading floor shattered into sand. Then the body slumped like a rag doll and finally lay still.

Harry fell back drained. It felt like he had goose egg left in his vena, felt evacuate. He slumped on the level and looked up to see five concerned faces crowding around him. They were saying something but his mind couldn't quite stool sensation of it. The ikon suddenly reminded him of something and he pointed at them with a shaky manus.

"pudding head mirror."He laughed."I thought I broke you ?"Then the swarthiness rolled over again and he didn't see a thing.

*

"I could just fill the one…"

"Ron masses left those for Harry !"

Voices ? …

"But I just want the card."

Familiar…

"It'll try to hop away when you open it !"

"Oh please that's what he's provision. Then he'll ‘ have'to eat it."

Ah…

"Maybe I'll just get a cauldron cake…"

"You so much as try it…"Harry pulled his oculus open with an travail."…and I'll hex ya fingers off."

"Harry !"The piranha crowded around the hospital bed."You awake ?"

"Well yeah."Harry shook his head teacher to light up it before answering Hermione's inquiry."Why would I not be ? How farsighted was I asleep ?"

"24-hour interval I ‘ m afraid mate."Ron shook his head ruefully."They had to give you sleeping potion while everything healed. Did you know you broke your arm ?"

It had hurt when he rolled over, but surely he would have noticed ?

"How ‘ d you follow me ?"Harry groggily shook his head again."I swear all the potion got drunk."

"Dumbledore said they regenerate."Hermione answered smiling."We had to go through the Bromus secalinus opus too."

"Ron was amazing."Parvati said beaming. Ron blushed and said

"Oh that, that was nothing. Anyway it was Neville got us past the devil side drum !"

"hellion snares easy. Anyway you got the key."

"That was a squad effort. The twins were up there too. Plus Padma worked out the dog."

"There was a broken mouth organ on the base. What else could it ingest been but music ?"

"I don't know, its allergic to harps ?"

"Children."The 1st years turned as Albus Dumbledore stepped into the hospital wing."I can not imagine how please you must be that your friend is awake however,"He continued with a twinkle in his eye as he peered over his spectacles"…it will have in mind that you will have to find a new source of chocolate frogs."Ron at least had the decency to depend guilty."Now, if you would give us some privacy I would like to address to your friend."The piranha filed out and Harry was left alone with the master.

"The mirror."Harry began,"Was it… valuable ?"

"Irreplaceable."Harry's tummy seemed to accrue out his consistence."It ‘ s a good thing it is being repaired."

"You could have told me that bit !"Harry shook his head as he regained his venter.

"Although they may leave one shard out. It may need to be kept for posterity."

"So is he… gone then ?"Harry's voice was aspirer but something in him already knew the resolution.

"Nothing about this last was any dissimilar from his previous one. If he survived that I believe we can assume he can survive this."

"Will he come up after the stone ? I mean, when you fix the mirror you can get the Stone ?"

"Yes, and it will be destroyed."Harry breathed a sigh of respite."But it appears I was wrong about one matter Harry."

"Hireling a man who was literally two-faced ?"

"No Harry."Dumbledore fixed him with a patient stare and Harry bit back a grin."I mean that you were unable to get past my last tribute. You did not get the stone."

"Yeah. What was I supposed to do ?"

"When you saw yourself in the mirror there. What did you see ?"

"The same thing as before."Harry shifted uncomfortably"You know, friends."

"So faced with the prospects of eternal life and unending wealth, your dream remained the like ?"

"I have a great mint of wealth now, and if endless life means being someone's scalp I think I ‘ ll mountain pass on that too."

"Very well Harry. I will not pry any further. But there is something else that we need to discourse before I let your friend back in to bicker further."

"Hm ?"

"I want you to return to your auntie and uncles house."

"No."

"Harry, I can assure…"

"No. The response is no Professor."Harry looked directly into the master glittering gaze."I will not."

"You are eleven Harry."Professor Dumbledore put his hand on Harry's articulatio humeri and his vocalisation went soft."It would be negligent of me to let you leave my aid without assuring myself that you would be looked after."

"You did it once before. Left me on a doorstep."a sliver of steel entered Harry's voice.

"I thought that you would be happier with crime syndicate, even upstage ones."

"You were legal injury. Would you care to see some scars by way of validation ?"

"No Harry, I see I can not sway you on this score. I will set for you to stay at Hogwarts over the summer, it has been done before in certain circumstances."

"Thank you."Harry smiled and he saw a certain tension rhytidectomy from the air. Harry looked down at the gifts arrayed in forepart of him and picked up one."Chocolate frog ? Go on, otherwise Ron ‘ ll just contain all of them."

"Thank you Harry."Dumbledore took the squirming concoction and stood up."Now I shall just chaffer this annexe early resident then leave you to yourself."

"Who ?"Harry looked around and spotted a pair of slippers poking out from behind a curtain."Who'zat ? They Ok ?"

"Oh they ‘ ll recover quite soon."Dumbledore seemed to come up something in this slightly comical."She's just sleeping off an improperly formed Petrificus curse."

"Oh."Said Harry uninterested."How soon will she get better ?"

"Hopefully after your booster leave."

*

"Last chance for legal thaumaturgy !"Fred ( or George IV ) yelled as he walked down the Hogwarts express. His brother walked beside him ringing a hand-bell up and down."I repeat ! Last chance for all summer !"

"You heard that Harry ?"Ron said as his sidekick walked past the piranha perambulator.

"Yep."And indeed he could see the John Griffith Chaney skyline around the geartrain as they pulled towards kings hybridizing. He had asked Dumbledore if he could accompany his friends on the train and the master had agreed.

"You gon na be alright over the summer on your own Harry ?"Parvarti leaned over considered him quietly."You ‘ ll write everyone right ?"

"And you have to bring down home."Ron said through a mouthful of dessert"florist's chrysanthemum been bugging me about it ever since she found out."

"May just take you up on that Ron."Harry stretched as the train drew into the place."Oh, and before magic becomes illegal…"Harry took a small share out of his sack, tapped it and pulled back as his bag expanded to total sizing.

"You brought your bag ? Why did you bring your bag…"Hermione's vocalization became pipe up and a little scared. But the doubtfulness was moot, everyone in the carriage had guessed the answer.

"Oh, come on guys."Harry shot them a grin and slid out of the stroller."Don ‘ t enjoin me you didn ‘ t see this coming ?"

"Harry ! The grinder of the wizarding world can not just go AWOL !"Padma shook her chief in disbelief."Dumbledore will find you, or the ministry."

"The ministry can only track me if I use magic."Harry said jumping down onto the platform."And distance tally too, I ‘ m thinking Greece or possibly Spain. Mediterranean certainly."

"You ‘ ll never get away with this Harry."Hermione spoke but all for some reason didn't quite believe it. The predator stood in a hemicycle around Harry with various versions of skepticism on their faces. But after a yr they had realised that Harry mostly made his own rules.

"What they gon na do ? nab their shining hero ?"Harry winked and smiled his evilness whiz grinning."And I ‘ ve realised something. Being a homeless vagabond sounds a whole lot more fun if you ‘ ve got a giant atomic pile of gold underground to fall back on. It ‘ ll just be like going somewhere fun, to have fun."

"I think that's called a holiday Harry."

"right, that."Harry pointed and nodded."I think I ‘ m due one of those."He turned and began walking down the platform."Write every day ! But no traceable addresses !"

"HARRY POTTER YOU GET rear here ! ! !"

"Got ta go."Harry broke into a run as the teacher appeared at the other end of the chopine. He dodged between chemical group of bookman as the yell got closer and shot between pushcart. He saw his chance, launched himself like a catapult off the body of an astonished educatee and dived through the barrier. He kept running through baron Cross, by radical of astonished muggles. Running for freedom.

*

"Think he'll suffer ‘ em ?"

"Oh, Neville you know the result to that."Padma smiled at the chaos Harry had left in his wake on the platform."It's the marauders low linguistic rule. ‘ You can do anything you set your mind to if you've got the nerve to see it through.'”

"I thought that was ‘ Never get caught'?"

"That one too."




Phew ... one book down ! Six to go.


Harry potter stepped back onto Brits filth with a springiness in his stair and a tan fit to blind gull. Officially there was not channelise charming path across the channel save by broom or other tool of flight. However Harry had known before he had ever held a scepter that the most utile things were always hidden from those in boot.

It had been by this ancient fireplace, disconnected from the rest of the flue meshing but with a unmediated link to a standardised gob and portal around Europe, through which Harry had left the res publica calendar week ago. An football team year old can not Koran a plane just the ticket alone much less hitch a aerodynamic lift on a broom handle and even if he could do so those ways had probably been watched.

After he was gone he'd sent a letter of the alphabet to Dumbledore, with a borrowed owl and an untraceable reference. He'd received a stern one in reply. The headmaster understood his conclusion and his motive for freedom, even sympathised with it. But Harry needed to be kept safe, protected.

But to Harry protected meant trapped and the reason he needed to be kept safe was the very thing he needed some freedom from. So Harry ceramicist had spent the majority of the summer as Jack Match, juggler and tumbler on various Hellenic beaches. He had explored the wizarding side of the ancient nation too, he had watched a schoolhouse of hippocampus breaching and jumping like mahimahi off the coast of Aeaea and seen the colossus of Cecil J. Rhodes. He had walked to the Temple of Alcmeonidae at Delphi and climbed hand-over-hand up the foresighted trailing vines of ivy to where it floated in the sky. Levitated above the ‘ ruins'below and concealed from muggle eyes. But the prophesier that gathered there had seen through his disguise and greeted him as Harry Potter. They had treated him with an eerie respect and he had been taken to bear tea with the stream prophet. It was a meeting he would never forget…

"Sit dear one."She led him to a cushion on the flooring and sat down herself nearby him. She looked like she was barely a year or two elderly than him but he knew that if he believed that he was a mark. Only her eyes betrayed any clue that this was possibly the most potent illusionist in the world. Harry had been shocked when he first saw them, he had heard tale that the greatest seers had milky Andrew Dickson White heart showing that they were blind to the mundane. The oracle eyes were formula except that the iris of one was oceanic abyss purple and the other light green. Oh and the schoolchild ( and Harry had had to front arduous to hold this out ) were shaped like stars.

"Thank you Pythea."Pythea wasn't her name, the prophesier held it as a title in purity of the first."But you really don't have to do any of this."

"It is not very often we receive visitors."She smiled at him with those inscrutable eyes. Something in them betrayed a persistent sorrowfulness, a hint of the computer memory concealed behind. Memory that spanned centuries.

"If you wish to promote More visitant your grace. Perhaps you should install stairs."He instantly felt that perhaps he was being too companion. Harry generally ignored authority but the quiet power of the minuscule daughter before him ( even sitting as she was, barefoot in a simple white dress ) was hard to deny. Anyway he didn't he didn't want there to be stairs. Too many people, especially too many tourist, would deflower this peaceful topographic point.

"Yes, that is why we do not have them. And no, I prefer that you speak freely before me."Harry looked up confused and she laughed. It sounded like falling water."Your occlumency is quite good for one doing it unconsciously. But approach to thoughts is one of the gifts that comes with being… this."The sadness was back in her oculus for a moment then she reached forward and poured him a glass of water out of a tall fluted jug.

"Thank you."Harry took it and sipped it. It smelled like plenty air. He grinned and looked down at it speculatively."Is this going to make water me see visions or pass out ?"

"Those things are more potential to bump if you do not drink it seeing as you climbed for half an hour in the summer sun."

"Mad dogs and so on…"Harry took another gulp of the scented drink and asked."But, why did you invite me up here ? Why am I sitting, joking, with the outstanding vaticinator in the world."

"I wanted to meet you myself. I ‘ ve heard about you of track, the boy who lived. You are not what I expected."

"Oh."Harry looked down guiltily. He knew he was a bit of a disappointing hero but coming from her it seemed worse.

"You are anything but a disappointment Harry. I think you are match to the task ahead of you, more than equal. I look into your soul and what I see gives me great hope. You are more than than you think you are Harry, you are far More than you, or anyone else, realises. You must entrust that you know the track you need to take the air, not anyone else, and above all you must trust yourself."

"Really."Harry's throat was suddenly very dry. He took another gulp of water system."Anything else ?"

"I like your eyes."

Harry coughed and spluttered and the little oracle laughed. He realised she was teasing him.

"You're a brat !"He sniped at her.

"Am I ?"She seemed to appear far away for a moment then come back down to earth."Why do you say that ?"

"Because you ‘ re teasing me ! You're a oracle, aren ‘ t you supposed to be telling me my future or something ?"

"Do you really want to be intimate ?"She seemed amused."Really ?"Harry thought about it for a moment.

"No. No, if I knew what was gon na pass it wouldn ‘ t be any fun."

"Good."She smiled."honorable selection. But I think I will give you something anyway. In exchange for a future not told."She dipped her hand into a pocket of her garb and drew out a pendant on a braided leather cord. Harry leaned closer and saw that it was made of sea cuticle, glittering like it had just been plucked from the piddle. She held it out towards him.

"Hair please."She commanded and he obediently lifted his shaggy head of hair up so that she could tie the electric cord behind his sunburnt cervix.

"What is it ?"Harry lifted the plate to reckon at it secretive but it didn't have any marker at all. It looked like it was made of two pointed spiral shells, hanging upright from its clasp. Harry looked closer and saw that the very behind pointedness was tinged green and the very top tinged purple."Is it magic ?"

"Yes."

"Are you gon na order me what it does ?"

"No."

"Meany."Harry tucked the pendent into his T-shirt and felt it sink down near his heart.

"You ‘ ll find out what it does eventually. But you will have to learn a few things for yourself before you do. Call it a small slice of your future."She took his hired man and raised him to his animal foot."Now I am afraid I must say goodbye. The tariff of my power call."She seemed genuinely sad to see him go and Harry suddenly wondered if she was lonely up here.

Not trusting himself to speak Harry bowed for the first sentence in his biography and walked towards the door.

"Oh and when you go back to Hogwarts."The little young lady said as he reached for the handgrip."Could you tell Sybill Trelawney to stop owling me. delight ?"

Harry climbed back down and walked a little ways away before turning around and gazing back at the peacefully drifting construction, floating over the horizon. excavator flapped down on a rock candy side by side to him and handed him a letter. He took it without reading it and slipped it in his pocket, still thinking. Then he walked over to a clustering of flowers sprouting out of the stone nearby and picked some of the larger ones.

"Up there please."Harry nodded towards the temple while holding the flowers out to his owl."Pythea. And be careful."The owl obediently took off and Harry walked off down the road with his point still wide of thoughts.

It had not been long after that when he found his way to the krybo-lakkos food market in Athinai and to the odd clayware chimney that connected to the under-flue and that could get him home.

*

"Five Galleon ‘ s. Here."The tradesman pointed to a pot next to his Johnny Cash register. Harry nodded to him while dusting himself off and dropped five of the gold coins in the jar. This holiday had cost him surprisingly niggling, tourist had liked his juggling on the beaches and liked his witty input even more. The galleons to get there and the galleons back was probably more than he'd spent the whole metre in between.

Harry stepped out into a dingy alley and set off away from the shop. Walking quickly he made for the lighter end of the street where he could hear more people moving. People turned to stare at his bright summery vesture in the iniquity and shadowed street and he heard grumbling and muttering. A bony hired man fell on his shoulder joint and he broke into a run. Shadowy figures leapt out at him and More deal tried to gain leverage, Harry broke off as his way ahead was blocked and he sprinted down a position street. He could see the shiny sounds of diagonally ahead of him and sprinted as knockout as he could.

Suddenly he hit what felt like a natural rubber wall, picking him up and bouncing him back into the duskiness.

"What the… ?"But there was no time to cerebrate. anatomy were closing in and Harry dove in the opposite focal point. He slipped down another road.

More cloaked bodies seemed to pop out of every shadow. The diminished boy dodged down another street and found himself at a dead end. The incoming to the alleyway was blocked by a pocket-size gang, five or so hotshot and witches in drear reproof gown blocked his way back.

Harry slipped his baton out of his pocket into his rightfield hand. His center scanned the walls around him but they were straight up and down. No handholds. The crowd advanced on him with hands out. Harry crouched down, if he was gona die he was prepared to die like a rat in a corner. Biting and scratching till the last.

"What have we here ?"A scabby and dishevelled witch said with a cackle."Kids shouldn't be in knockturn alley. Something bad could happen."She reached out towards him and Harry's mitt tightened on his wand.

"Stand aside hag !"A flash of red illumination jibe from the former end of the back street and the enchantress hair burst into flaming.

She shrieked and jumped away while the others tried to put out the ardor. This left Harry with a light horizon down the back street to the man standing there, his long wand out.

"Never fear young scamp !"The man said in a thriving phonation."Markus Albert Michelson is here !"

*

"Who in the… Hey !"Harry tried to object but the man had reached him in three long strides and picked him up with one hired hand."Put me down ! Put me down !"

"Quiet down pipsqueak."The man set off out of the bowling alley with Harry held almost nonchalantly in the criminal of his heavily muscled arm."You're in secure handwriting now."

Harry tried to pry the fingers off of him but the humanity grip was like a frailty. Harry continued to struggle until they got out into the secure oasis of diagonally and he was dumped unceremoniously on the level.

"For someone being rescued by the greatest warrior, adventurer, lover and explorer that the world has ever known."The man put his clenched fist on his pelvis and bent down to put his typeface near Harry's."You sure don't seem to know how show you're grateful."

Harry sat up and checked himself over before replying. For a moment his manus rested on the leather cord around his neck opening then he looked up and responded.

"Yeah, sorry. Thank you. Thanks."The man reached out a hand and pulled Harry to his groundwork.

"Not to vex. I'd imagine getting stuck down a bushed end in knockturn alley is a short terrorisation for somebody not as… imposing… as me."He tucked his scepter in his belt and Harry looked him up and down. Even without taking his hat into account the man was easily seven metrical foot tall and had shoulders like a ox. He wore thick leather flush and leather trousers above them, fitting tightly over muscled legs. The belt was snake skin and he had what looked like creature dentition tied hanging off it so they clattered as he moved. Above that he wore a phase trying on red undershirt that left his arms bare. Harry could see the edge of a tattoo peeking up amongst his chest hair and another on his bicep. Further down his arms he wore two spike bands. To top it all off the man wore a cowboy hat over his thick blond hair with a long red feathering tucked into the band on one side of meat and three rifle bullet train on the former.

"Who are you ?"

"Thought I introduced myself before. Never mind, probably slipped your psyche in all the excitement."The man struck a pose."I am Markus Maximus Michelson. Happy to make your conversance pipsqueak."

"My name is Harry."Odd to get a line that after a summertime of Jack.

"good to meet you trivial Harry. Now…"the man looked around at the crowd"…where are you meeting your parents. Can't leave you alone out here since you seem to pull in fuss. You trivial tyke."He ruffled Harry's tomentum as if he was a small kid, earning himself Harry's ageless hatred.

"…um. The ice cream place."Harry lied with a straight person face."Their probably waiting."

"Good, good."The man grabbed his arm again and set a lively footstep through the bunch. There were a lot of people this metre of day but they parted to let Markus through. Harry had hoped that when they reached Fortescue's ice emollient parlour the odd wizard would bequeath him alone. He did nothing of the sort however and sat down at a table, leaning far back on his chair and tucking his thumb in his belt loop-the-loop. Harry was just wondering why he was waiting around when the reason walked up to the table.

"Can I get you anything Mr Michelson."The waitress was a young witch, probably not far out of Hogwarts, and she blushed as she spoke to Harry's recoverer.

"My little Friend here needs a cocoa Sunday to quiet him down. He's just been in a bit of a embarrassing situation down knockturn skittle alley. For myself just seeing you smile is all the sweet I need, and please…"he plucked a yellow daisy out of air and set it behind the daughter ear"…call me Maximus."

"You helped him ?"

"Oh no."opinion Harry."She was here hold out summer. She knows who I am."

"You saved Harry Potter ! Oh, you ‘ re so brave and like, strong !"

"Harry Potter.. ?"The man looked at him for a moment with a ignitor smile then turned back"Yes I did. And yes, I am rather strong. Mighty is my middle name."The girl swooned and rushed off to get Harry's ice emollient. When she was gone the man turned back and fixed him with the smile again. Harry crossed his coat of arms.

"Thought your mediate public figure was Maximus."

"Nope, Mighty."The man flexed his bicep and Harry was able-bodied to read the tattoo there. It was five Ms written one after another. The man pointed at the it with his early hand."Markus Maximus Mighty Majesto A. A. Michelson"he tapped the monogram with his fingerbreadth."But the 1st of my center name is my personal favourite. So these parents that we're waiting for…"

"My friends parents."Harry fabricated."I ‘ m animation with them this summer. I didn ‘ t explain because I prefer to go under the radar a bit, you know."

"Can ‘ t honestly say I do little man."Harry's Lord's Day appeared and he began eating it quickly."How can you not take the air down the street and feel the basking adoration of the people Harry. I owe it to my fable to be seen, in the hope that I inspire young pups like you to become just like me. Its my duty Harry, as a man."

"Oooo."The waitress had stuck around to listen to Marcus speak and was now holding her hands clasped together over her breast."You're so smart as well as so hansom. You're like a poet or a radio superstar or something."

Harry rolled his eyes and finished his ice cream quickly as the vain wizard chatted to ( or more accurately chatted up ) the little girl. Harry dropped the price of the repast on the table.

"Ah, there they are."Harry pointed off in a random focus and got up."See you."

"Sure I will Harry."The man said cryptically before turning back to the other object of his attention.

*

Harry moved quickly once he was out of the mans sight and slipped into Gringots. He got money out more quickly than he should own by simply ignoring the queue and asking for Greeklunk. His old hob familiarity quickly helped him refill his pocket for another year. While he was down in the bank vault Harry stuck his t-shirt in his bag and instead took out a foresighted robe with a hood. At Greeklunk's confused expression he said…

"somebody back up on the street that I ‘ d rather didn ‘ t recognise me."

"Oh rightfulness. Bloody paparazzi."

Harry stepped back out into the street and did his school shopping quickly. When he walked back past Fortescue's the thaumaturge was still there, showing the waitress a long scrape on his arm.

*

Harry stood in the country lane and rechecked the letter he held in his hired man. He was sure he was at to the lowest degree in the right hamlet and probably on the decently road. It was just that the road went a long way in both directions and Ron's advice on getting to his house had been rather undefined. Like he'd only really seen the surrounding countryside from the air. Harry folded the letter away and shrugged, there was always another way. He walked over to a where a farmer was sitting near his tractor, fiddling with something in the locomotive.

"Hi. I'm looking for the family of ginger mass who keep owls as pets."

"down the lane, act left at the co-op."The man said without looking up."And tell the man I need my wrench back."

*

Harry had to resist the urge to break into a run as he caught batch of the Weasley house. Outside it in the overgrown garden he could see three boy working, flinging something he couldn't make out over the garden paries. Harry smiled, they were expecting him today but he hadn't exactly been capable to cave in them an exact time. As he walked closer the door to the house opened and molly Weasley ( Ron had told him all about his mob ) emerged, carrying a tray with drinks on it. Behind her a young young lady ( must be Ginny ) stepped outside and leaned against the doorpost looking bored. None of them seemed to have noticed him yet, or maybe the tan had changed his appearance a bit. As he stepped up to the front gate he spread his weapons system wide of the mark.

"ciao !"

"Harry !"Ron jumped in surprisal"You ‘ re here."The Twins jumped up too and ran to meet him, but the most uttermost chemical reaction came from the untried Weasley. Ginny went all in white under her hair and her mouthpiece seemed to motivate as if she was trying to say something then she bolted through the still open door.

"She has some sort of protest to aloha ?"Harry asked the ginger gang.

"Nah, mate."Ron shook his head."She ‘ s been jumping and squeaking every sentence we so much as mentioned your name. Guess you in the shape was just too a lot for her."

"Ron, be nice to your sister."Mrs Weasley's voice was can for a consequence then turned easygoing again as she turned back to Harry."She ‘ s just shy Harry. I ‘ m sure she ‘ ll get over it the more she sees of you."

"Probably."Agreed Harry"The hero thing doesn ‘ t shoemaker's last. I ‘ ve been told on repeated social function that I ‘ m a massive disappointment."

"Who told you that ?"mollie Weasley looked aghast.

"Snape."

"Yeah but he said you had floberworms for brains too."Said Ron."And we're fairly indisputable that's not true."

"Right."Chimed in one of the twins."We ‘ re pretty sealed they ‘ re doxy droppings."

"At least that's up the evolutionary scale."

*

But Ginny's odd behaviour didn't stopover. Harry found that she was incompetent of staying in a way that he was in and that any effort to talk directly to her was adequate to send out her scurrying away. One aurora when he came down and found her curled up on the couch with a magazine he decided to put a hitch to it.

"Ginny."She stiffened and looked like she was about to flee."Don't run away please."He walked around and sat succeeding to her on the couch. She looked like a minuscule rodent confronted by a snake, middle all-embracing heart-to-heart and too scared to run."Can you secernate me why you run every time I try to let the cat out of the bag to you or move into the room ?"Silence, except for the vellication she could have been petrified."spirit Ginny I don't know what it is but could you delight blab out to me. We ‘ re going to be going to school together for the next six year. Could you talk to me. Please."

"Y… you…"Harry had to strain to pick up her faint whisper."you destroyed you-know-who."

"Oh you ‘ re still thinking about that ?"Harry waved his hand dismissively."That happened old age and ages ago. No one cares about that. Apparently Markus Mandy Michelson is everyone's hero now."

"You ‘ ve got the scar."

"I ‘ ve got a lot of scars. Which one in particular ?"Ginny reached out to point at his forehead and Harry brushed away the hair to reveal the scar. But apparently this was too much for Ginny and she bolted up the stair almost knocking over Ron.

"What ‘ s that about ?"He asked sleepily.

"She ‘ s still shy around me. That sucks."

"Why are you so messed up about it."Ron asked. Then looked up as if he remembered something."You were acting like this about Hermione too, terminal twelvemonth. Back before she liked us."

"And that turned out OK."

"You ‘ re not gon na rise up a chimney again are you Harry ?"

"No Ron but I think I do retrieve I need to take drastic action to compensate this situation."Harry thought for a moment then latched onto a glorious program. An get architectural plan. Possibly the greatest program he had ever devised."You have a few brooms here right ?"

"Five last-place time I looked. My old one, the Twins, Percy's and one Charlie left here."

"Excellent. I would care to recreate some Quidditch."

"But Harry you can ‘ t play Quidditch. The last clock time you got on a broom you made a complete saphead of yourself."

"Exactly !"

*

This was the unfit plan he had ever come up with.

"You have to keep up through."Ron made a jabbing motion with the flat of his hired hand. That meant succeed through Harry knew, the hand signaling were about all he ‘ d picked up during the game."Just condense on following through. That was the job that time."

"No Ron, the problem was that I flew into a tree."Harry tumbled to the terra firma and skewer out a leaf."What's the sign for ‘ You're about to fly into a tree ‘ ?"

"There isn ‘ t one, we'd have to invent it just for you."Ron helped him back on his broom and they flew back up to join the twins. Ginny was sitting a little ways away watching them, when Harry had fallen out of the tree she had jumped up in impact. But as Ron and the Twins had begun laughing at him he had seen a darkness of a smile hybridization her face as well. That phantasm was all that was keeping him from giving up the entire effort and getting his feet back on self-coloured ground.

"Right."Ron said as they hovered at their end of the slant."You make for the right bridge player face. I ‘ ll pull in them off to the left then pass it to you. Then you can score. Got it ?"

"Aye aye master !"Harry saluted and almost overbalanced.

"Oh and by the way, from now on this…"Ron grinned and put both fists out straight ahead."… from now on that means tree."

"I would punch you Ron, but I ‘ d fall off if I tried."Harry began moving off to the right and saw his supporter shoot away with the Quaffle. After a moment Ron turned and chucked it ahead of him. He rushed forward to overhear it, fumbled it, then snagged it in one hand.

"I got it ! I got…"Thump !

Harry struck the ground hard and rolled to a stoppage in the foresighted Mary Jane.

"Ow."Harry put his hired hand to the back of his headway and sat up. Looking right into the face of Ginny Weasley. She had run over to see if he was alright and now stood, wide eyed before him.

"There didn ‘ t used to be four of you."Harry pointed at her with a shaking script."arrest being four of you, person… girl… Where am I ?"Harry blinked and looked around blurrily. A pocket-sized noise brought him back to the present and he looked forward. Ginny had her bridge player over her mouth and was trying hard not to express mirth. Little sounds kept escaping like steam out of a timpani.

"You ‘ ve got steam in your mouth !"Harry tried to get up and fell back on his behind."Like water but… broken. Where are my methamphetamine hydrochloride ? The four of you should be able-bodied to witness them."And with that Ginny burst out laughing.

The four Weasley's carried him off the pitch and Fred and George ( who seemed to have experience with caput injuries for some reason ) pronounced him fine.

"Maybe we should convey a break."Ron said worriedly."You know, give him time to recover."

"Better idea."Harry tossed his broom to Ginny."You take my daub. I am never ever ever ever ever ever getting on one of those again. From now on I walk where I need to go."

"Hey ! I don't want her on my team."Ron said angrily."That ‘ s not fair when we're already behind !"

"Ron…"Harry pitched his voice to equalize Mrs Weasley's"Be nice to your sister ! And besides, your selection are me or her."

"Welcome to the team Ginny."

*

"See ! No one can overreach my team !"Harry grinned and slapped his breast as the plot drew to an official ending.

"What do you signify your team."Ginny glided past him smiling and laughing."When you went off you were eight goals down. How can you say you won ?"

"The team won."Harry explained with sweeping hand gesture."And we all played a section in that."

"And your part is ?"

"Cheerleader. I really should get some pompoms."



Federal Reserve note : Right, thats the second yr started.

Interesting news about Dumbledore, but it makes gumption when you look back on it. Does kind of make it more tragic however. The champion of accepting people for who they were died without ever himself being accepted. He probably never even told anyone. The bit about how he did n't displace against Grindlewald was interesting too and puts the whole thing in a new lighter. What if Grindlewald was well cognizant of Dumbledores feelings and used him to gain tycoon in safety ? Knowing wax well that Dumbledore was the simply one who could ingest posibly stopped him. Ah well ...

This is why we need JK Rowling to drop a line some prequels.


# include `` standard legal disclamer.h ''

Ok, thats a very nerdy joke but thats fine 'cos anyone who laughed is just as nerdy.






Billie Jean Moffitt King hybridisation was crowded beyond opinion as the Weasley clan crossed the station towards platform nine and three quarters.

"hastiness up."Mrs Weasley herded her assorted flush towards the barrier."right hand. seminal fluid everyone, while the muggles aren't looking."One by one the redheads shot through the barrier. Harry waited until hold up, as the summertime had drawn to a close he had wondered if perhaps he might not be let back into the school. He had got the record list but perhaps that had been automatic.

"You go first. I ‘ m fine."Harry motioned Mrs Weasley ahead of him."I want to enjoy my last bit of freedom."She disappeared through the roadblock and Harry took a deep intimation. There wasn't much more he could do to put this off. He started running forwards, lowered his head teacher and closed his center as he reached the barrier.

fissure ! Harry bounced back and fell to the basis gasping. The barrier hadn't opened ! He put his helping hand to his os frontale and it came back bloody. His mind reeled.

"They don't want me back."Harry blinked and looked up at the clock. Less than a minute money box the train was supposed to exit."They expelled me."

Harry stayed on the floor despite the odd looks he was getting. There didn't seem to be much point in getting up. The clock ticked over the hour. The train was leaving.

Harry looked down platform ten and thought he saw a wisp of pot rise from beyond the racetrack. Where was the genius platform anyway ? A mad idea struck Harry and he was stood back up in a newsflash. His feet seemed to move of their own conformity and he took first one then another halting step along the platform. Another wisp of smoke. He broke into a run and willed his pegleg to deport him firm and faster.

"it's a steam train."Harry dodged past a startled conductor at the end of the platform and jumped down onto the tracks."It takes a patch to zip up."He pumped his pegleg for extra f number.

"excavator !"Harry reached onto his knapsack and flicked his owl's coop open."match me up at Hogwarts !"Harry shot to the border of the gear tracks and looked down. The normal, muggle railroad train rails coming out of power cross were raised up on a sorting of farseeing nosepiece, raising them several stories above the city streets. Harry glanced down in meter to see the end of the Hogwarts express mail power play itself out from between the bricks of the bridge and head off down a caterpillar track that looked disused. Up ahead the track rose up and joined with the others, if Harry was going to do it, he ‘ d have to do it now.

"Please ! Oh god please let me still be born lucky !"Harry prayed silently, then launched himself off the side.

He crashed into the top of the last go-cart and hung onto it for dear life story. The geartrain was beginning to pick up fastness and Harry crawled to the edge. Thankfully the coach window was undefended. Harry swung his bag in through it then slid down into it himself.

"Harry ceramicist. Nice to meet you."He said to the aghast first year who's pushchair he'd dropped into."See you at Hogwarts !"Harry walked shakily out the door. Once he was safely in the corridor he leaned against the wall and slid down till he was on the level. He wanted to get up and bump his Friend but for some reason none of his tree branch seemed to play. He caught a coup d'oeil of himself in the glass in social movement of him and blinked in jar. He looked a wreck ! descent ran down the leave side of his nerve and was matted into the pilus above.

"M… Mr Potter."Harry looked around and saw the hag with the tram standing looking at him. Harry gulped for air.

"Two caldron patty please."He said, trying to think of something that would tranquilize his nerves.

She wordlessly handed him the cakes and took the Leontyne Price of them without once taking her optic off him. When he was about to go away she finally said.

"Did you… just… jump onto the train."

"No."Harry shook his head"No. Definitely not. You ‘ d have to be disturbed to jump on a moving train."

*

Harry moved down the train as quietly as he could. Trying to find his friends without drawing too much care. Unfortunately public lecture travelled fast on the Hogwarts express and he couldn't go five steps without encountering another stare or snuff it a group of students without them breaking out in a fit of whispering.

"So silly tending seeking ceramicist strikes again."The articulation was behind him. Harry turned around and sagged when he saw Malfoy and his gawk staring at him.

"Malfoy I really don't have the Energy for this now."It was true. Harry would have liked doing zip more than simply collapsing on the trading floor there for the remainder of the journeying."Could you please, and I mean this in the nicest possible way, bugger off and die like the pathologic piece of distend rectum flesh you are."

"Big talk for a kid who can barely stand."Malfoy took a step forward and Harry retreated."And I don't see your little Quaker here to help oneself you today. This may just be my lucky day."The three Slytherins advanced on him and Harry drew his sceptre when…

"Potter !"Harry turned and saw professor McGonagall standing in the carriage. Malfoy and his bodyguards disappeared through a door."How in Merlin ‘ s name did you get here ?"She grabbed him and pulled out her wand, touching it calmly to the cut on his mind then whisking away the blood on his face."I just spent an unpleasant few minutes arguing with molly Weasley who was franticly trying to get us to block the train. She seemed to be under the impression that the barrier had sealed with you on the other side."

"It did."Harry nodded."That's how I hurt my head."

"But then. How did you get here ?"

"You honestly, really and truly don't want to know."

"Harry…"

"I jumped onto the train."

"YOU JUMPED ONTO THE power train !"

"The barrier had sealed up ! There wasn ‘ t any early way ! And besides, I had a head injury. I ‘ m not sure enough I was in an entirely rational frame of mind."

"That is beside the power point Mr Potter, but after the stunt you pulled at the end of last year I suppose I should not be entirely surprised."She straightened up"We will have to discuss this further in my power at Hogwarts. At the very least you will have several day detention."

"But if I have detention…"Harry grasped at this chaff"… then I ‘ m not expelled ? right hand ?"

"No Mr ceramicist. Not this time."She began walking away down the train."Go to my business office when we reach Hogwarts."

"After the sorting ?"

"As soon as you reach the castle."

"Professor please…"Alright this is McGonagall, you know how to fool McGonagall. She acts thug but she's all slushy inside."… my ally's sister's getting sorted today and she ‘ s worried about it. All her brothers are in Gryffindor, solid mob really. I should be there for her. Please ?"

"Alright Mr potter. After the sorting."McGonagall's eyes had gotten softer as Harry had spoken."But before the feast."

"Of course of instruction Professor. I ‘ ll be there."

"And I will owl Mrs Weasley to inform her you are safe."She turned away and Harry was left alone once again in the corridor.

*

Harry eventually found the Marauders compartment and slid the door open.

"hello freindlies !"

"Harry !"Hermione's rima oris dropped open."Ron said you couldn ‘ t get onto the platform !"

"Couldn't."Harry noticed Ginny sitting quietly in the corner of the compartment. Ron had probably been told to keep an eye on her."Had to acquire entry to the train by… early means."

"Apparation ?"Padma had apparently also caught some sun over the summer, though it was less noticeable on her."You do know that's illegal."

"Couldn ‘ t care less. But no."

"Portkey ?"Neville seemed to recall for a instant."Or a broom ?"

"No."Ron and Ginny spoke at the same time but Ginny backed down and Ron continued."Harry swore blind he ‘ d never touch another broom."

"Oh god I know what it is."Parvarti put her hand to her rima oris and began shaking her head."I was talking to Lavender down the other end of the railroad train. I thought she was joking."

"What is it ?"Hermione asked and the vulture seemed to cling waiting for the answers.

"You jumped onto the top of the train."The vulture turned as one to look at him.

"Maybe."None of his acquaintance seemed to want to address.

"Harry ..."Neville broke the silence."…you ‘ re crazy."

"I know."Harry sat as the other snapped out of their shock and started speaking all at once."It ‘ s beginning to worry me."

*

The train meandered its longsighted journey through the mound and Harry ducked out of the conversations around him. His head still hurt and he didn't have the energy to entertain people. He leaned against the stale window as pelting started to mottle down, leaving trivial trails on the window pane. He closed his eyes and lay there for a long spell. Little trails of water, swirling, drowning.

"Harry."He shook himself awake and looked over at the new Weasley, leaning over to him."Are you alright ?"Harry looked around the compartment, the rest of his friends were still talking amongst themselves."You ‘ re side was all scrunched up like you were dreaming."

"Oh, are we there yet."Harry form of wanted to get back to sleep. Even if it was to bad ambition.

"Not for a while."Ginny bit her lip worriedly. Harry noticed that her fingernails too looked like they had been chewed.

"Worried ?"Harry grinned as she jerked in surprise. Harry waved his hand dismissively."Don't worry. You ‘ ll love it there. Lessons are easy, specially charms. Friends everywhere. Plus if any of the Slytherins bother you we can picture some swift retribution. We're feared by that house."

"That ‘ s form of what I ‘ m worried about."Ginny glanced at the red border on Harry's robe.

"Ah."Thought Harry."My dead reckoning was right, and I just made that up to soften up McGonagall."

"You ‘ re worried about the sorting."Harry said out loud."Want to be Gryffindor ?"

"Yes. If I don't my brothers ‘ ll never forgive me."

"Then say it so."Harry looked at the Danton True Young missy startled verbalism."You know what the sorting hat is compensate ?"nod."Then tell it you want to be a Gryffindor. Don't take no for an answer. It's your life history, don't let a hat make decisiveness for you."Harry leaned back down and closed his eye again.

*

"What the hell ?"Ron voiced what they were all cerebration as the marauders moved away from the gearing at Hogsmead. Ginny had left to take her little gravy holder ride and the six ally now stood in front of a subscriber line of carriages, each drawn by a flimsy scaly horse with folded leathery wings."Charlie told me the baby buggy pulled themselves ?"

"Maybe they've changed since your brothers day."Said Harry climbing into one of them."And besides…"He looked around"No one else seems to cogitate anything's amiss."

"Still think this is weird."

*

Ginny Weasley stood fidgeting in straw man of the dormitory as the sorting hat finished its call. She was so nervous she wanted to burn her nails despite the face they were already worn to the gist. Well, at least she was a Weasley. Her name would be called near to hold out. She saw Harry on the Gryffindor table spinning three forking in the air in front of him. She tried to catch his eye but failed, he was talking to his real friends. Everyone began to pay attention as Dumbledore stood up.

"Before we begin the categorization I ‘ d like to announce two things. One is that, despite what this void chair seems to indicate, we have found a new defence reaction Against the Dark Arts teacher."Ginny looked along the instructor table and saw a lank-haired professor face. She giggled, that must be professor Snape."Sadly he could not be here tonight as he has been managing the transport of his belongings from abroad. catch one's breath assured that he has my full confidence and he will introduce himself, probably at length…"did the lank-haired professor just make a face even more ?"…in your first object lesson with him tomorrow. Now the bit thing is that we will be doing this eld sorting backwards."

"What ?"That prompted a mutter about the Charles Martin Hall.

"Yes, call it an old mans visualise. Now let us carry on so that we can love a brilliant feast after we are all done."Dumbledore sat back down but the murmuring hadn't ceased. McGonagall then took her place, the expression on her face clearly showing that the Headmaster had not discussed this with her. She looked down at her paper and read…

"Weasley, Ginevra."

"What ! Oh…"Ginny thought as she walked out in front of the school."Backwards…"The live thing she saw before she pulled the hat down over her centre were the Marauders turning to learn her.

"Another Weasley, seems I see those on almost a annually foundation. But a Weasley fille ? Why I haven't seen one like you in…"

"I chose Gryffindor."It seemed to her that the hat gasped loudly all around her.

"That's not quite how it works Weasley girl."

"No. That is how it works. Harry told me I could choose my house. I want to be in Gryffindor."

"Quite brave of you to just shout it out it like that. Almost military force me to pick Gryffindor."Shout it out ? …Oh god !

"Ah… You didn ‘ t realise you were speaking out loud ?"
Ginny lifted the brim of the hat just enough to see around the Hall. There was whispering everywhere, and every fount had an very visage of appall astonishment. Her eyes searched out her chum at the Gryffindor table. Walker Percy had buried his typeface in his hands and seemed to be trying to affect it all wasn't occurrence, Fred and George I were watching her with huge evil grinning and Ron, Ron just looked mazed. Her eyes flickered past Ron to Harry and their gaze locked, then the boy did the odd affair, he pulled up his sleeve, put his hand decoration out and dig forward.

Follow through

Ginny glanced back at the teacher table, where every face mirrored the amazement of the scholarly person. She glanced back to Harry and he jabbed again. Well, if she was gon na follow through then there was only one affair for it ...

"Yep."She said, trying to not have her articulation suspension out in whimpers."Definitely Gryffindor."And with that she pulled the hat off her principal, set it down on the chair and walked steadily towards Harry. She blanked out everything else in the hall, the whispers insurrection, the teachers, everything. There was a seat adjacent to Harry and she was sitting in it. She reached the workbench and hopped onto it, everyone was looking at her.

"Stay perfectly calm."Harry's vocalism but she swore his lips barely moved."Look straight ahead and don't give them any planetary house they're getting to you."Easy for him to say ! She stayed exactly where she was as the secretiveness crawled on. Then something touched her hired hand by her incline. A confect of some variety. Without a intelligence, and before the silent stares of the whole manse, she brought out, unwrapped and calmly ate a liquorice sceptre.

Every eye in the hall turned as they heard McGonagall clear her throat then…

"Jamaican capital, Victor."

It was as if the hall had been holding its breathing spell the entire time and now let it out in a waving of chattering. Ginny felt someone clap her on the rachis and looked sideways into Harry's boldness.

"Thank you."Ginny breathed through the noise."I didn ‘ t know what to do. I didn't even gain I was talking out loud."

"Figured as much."Harry said glibly and offered her another liquorice wand."good thing I was paying aid, who the Inferno is Ginevra Weasley ?"

The modest boy with exquisitely waxed hairsbreadth and sunglasses apparently named Victor Kingston had reached the hat and was looking down at it worriedly. He looked like he was about to pick it up then looked at the tables in the hall.

"Ravenclaw. I think I like Ravenclaw."

"On the plus slope you may birth started a revolution."Harry had leaned in to spill to her again."On the minus McGonagall's gon na kill you…"

A vague looking little girl was now looking at the hat thoughtfully before declaring that she was going to"The red haired girl's house."

"Are you our new house mascot Ginny ?"Fred leaned over and grinned at his sister.

"We could create up some new banners if you like."His twin leaned in from the other side of the table.

"parting her twins."Harry was holding her by both shoulders away from her older pal."She tricked the hat, swindled McGonagall, caused a hybridizing business firm revolution and all in social movement of the full school !"Harry grabbed her and hugged her from behind."You can ‘ t have her ! She ‘ s ours !"

"What's he talking about."Ginny didn't think she could grin more than she was as she shot the interrogative sentence at her Brother across the table. But it was Parvarti Patil who answered her.

"He means that you ‘ re the type of person who goes for what they want and has the nerve to see it through and doesn ‘ t care what the rules say or who thinks what !"She stuck out her hand"Welcome to the Marauders."

By the end of the day Ginervrador House ( as it was briefly called ) had an unusually declamatory category of first geezerhood. Filch had to motivate some of the layer.

*

As Harry trudged back from his number 1 hold with McGonagall that Night ( polishing one C and hundreds of brass push button that were just going to be transfigured into mallet anyway ) he leaned on the wall near the portrait jam and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Harry thrower sir !"

Harry opened his eyes and immediately realised his head injury must stimulate been tough than he thought. The delusion had hanker pointy ears and was wearing some variety of ragged cloth like a toga.

"Wha… ?"

"Harry ceramicist should never have got on the string !"

"Who ?"Harry shook his nous but the small figure remained"What and/or who are you ?"

"Dobby sir. Dobby the house elf."The odd little wight bowed to him, its nozzle almost touching the trading floor."Dobby is truly sorry to have caused difficulty for such a heavy superstar as Harry Potter. But Harry ceramicist must forget Hogwarts !"

"Caused trouble ? What trouble ?"Harry slid off the wall and stood straight. His sceptre was inconveniently tucked in an inside pocket, surd to reach. Was this tool a terror ?"What are you talking about ?"

"Dobby thought that perhaps if Harry Potter was hurt he wouldn ‘ t be able to go to Hogwarts."

"What precisely…"Harry heavily enunciated the Holy Scripture"… are you talking about."

"Dobby thought that if the chopine closed…"

"That was you !"Harry snapped forward like a shot and caught the little creature by the limb. The thing whined and tried to break in away but he held on."I could have missed the bloody train !"The creature nodded and whimpered a little more."I could bear been killed ! Wait… knockturn alley…"Harry remembered the rubber wall. The elf stiffened again and he seemed to be avoiding Harry's optic."That was you as well ! Why WHY !"He picked the thing up and shook it roughly."Are you trying to kill me ? Are you ?"The elf was truly crying now and Harry let him go. The piteous thing crawled away from Harry and sat on the floor, looking up at him with its huge, tear filled eyes. It looked like a kicked puppy.

"flavour, I ‘ m sorry."Harry reached out towards the elf but it shied away."I didn ‘ t mean value to hurt you. The hospital wing isn ‘ t far, can I…"

"No !"Dobby's facial expression became a mask of veneration."Dobby can not be seen. Dobby ‘ s masters can never love. Dobby isn ‘ t hurt, Dobby gets far worse than this at place. Dobby's masters are…"the elf seemed to stiffen for a moment then he rushed over to the bulwark and began hitting his head on it strong.

"Bad Dobby ! Bad Dobby !"

"hold ! Hey, Stop !"Harry was torn between the penury to stop it hurting itself and trying to avoid grabbing it again since he'd obviously hurt him. He pulled his robe off, quickly balled it up and ( between head bounces ) slid it between Dobby and the wall. The miserable elf continued on for a couple of hits, apparently not realising he was now cushioned, then dropped to the base.

"Thank you sir."The elf's voice was a little quaky."Dobby almost spoke ill of his masters."

"Dobby…"Harry saw a need to step carefully here."If, IF remember ! Hypothetically I asked who your masters were. Would you have to punish yourself ?"The elf quickly nodded.

"If I asked you to write it ?"nod.

"If I asked you to act it out like charades ?"The elf appeared to think about this, cocking its head to the incline. Then he nodded.

"If I asked you to severalise me why you want me to leave Hogwarts ?"the elf's heading stayed very still."How lots can you recite me without having to punish yourself ?"

"peril. Dobby knows that risk has come to Hogwarts. Death…"

"If I asked you whether your passkey were involved ?"Dobby tensed like a rod."Just IF remember, if I asked you that would you have to punish yourself ?"

Dobby nodded. Harry smiled, that meant his sea captain were involved. Otherwise why would he be forbidden to tell anyone ?

"And is I asked what constitute the risk would ingest ?"

But at this Dobby shook his read/write head furiously and put his hands over his ear. The poor elf began rocking backwards and forwards and keening.

"It ‘ s OK Dobby. You don't have to separate me."The rocking stopped and the elf uncurled.

"Harry potter will leave Hogwarts ?"

"No. But I will be careful, very careful."

"Harry ceramist must result, Harry Potter is in danger."

"I usually am Dobby."Harry leaned forward conspiratorially."That just makes it more fun."





Please followup, especially if you think it 's bad. Really, it 'll help me improve.


"admiration if he ‘ s cute ?"Parvarti wondered quizzically as the indorse years wandered to the defence mechanism against the drab arts classroom. They had the course first off stop Monday, so would be the first to adjoin the new teacher."Dumbledore said he ‘ s foreign, so I bet he ‘ s cute."

"I just wonder if he ‘ ll be a beneficial teacher."Hermione hung her head a little."After a yr of… of bad teaching we need to charm up. We ‘ ll be lucky if we can make it up in clock time for the OWLs."Harry could tell she had been about to say Quirrell, but had stopped herself. As far as he could secern none of his friends wanted to believe about the consequence at the end of lowest class.

"Well, so long as he only has one look, I ‘ ll be happy."Harry stuck his script behind his brain and laughed."rightfield ?"The others stopped for a bit, then grinned with him."opinion so. Anyway…"Harry was the first to the doorway and pushed it exposed."… after Quirrell we can ‘ t do lots spoilt can we ?"

"Pipsqueak ! Told you I ‘ d see you again !"

"No…"Harry looked across the way at Markus Maximus Michelson"…please no…"

"acquire a seat up movement my practiced lad ! I can already tell this is going to be one of your favourite socio-economic class !"The marauders filed in the front row and the other student moved in behind them. All of them looking a minuscule apprehensively at the booming muscled figure of speech in front of them.

"The name's professor Markus Triple-M Michelson. I ‘ ll be your denial against the dark arts teacher this year. view I ‘ d occupy a break from the globe-trotting to pass on some of my knowledge to the next generation !"He swept his hat off and twirl it across the room, it landed neatly on top of a lawsuit of armor."Oh and by the way the Ms stand for Maximus, Mighty and Magesto but they might as well stand for Muscular, Magical and most of all Masculine !"He laughed and put his clenched fist on his hips."So, on to the Matriculation !"He grabbed the cash register off the table and began yelling out figure, variously chuckling at the odd name calling and winking at any girl who answered him quickly. When he got to Potter he said

"Know you ‘ re here Pipsqueak ! Don't need to even ask !"then went on. Harry dreaded looking backwards but did so anyway. Near the spinal column Dragon Malfoy looked at him and mouthed the Book pipsqueek then sneered. Harry groaned, he ‘ d never hear the end of this.

When the register was finished the professor strode up to the presence of the social class. To the jolt of all watching he slammed one clenched fist back into the blackboard. give-and-take jumped off the airfoil as if they had been jolted into being.

"Duelling !"The prof said and indeed this was the title on the board."Who here has cast something rough than jelly-legs at another superstar ?"

A few work force went up around the grade, including Harry's. Neville gulped and tried to hold his manus as low as possible, but Padma took it and jerked it up.

"You there !"Markus pointed to Neville. Padma giggled."What have you used ?"

"full dead body Bind sir."Neville appeared to be wishing he had a hole to grovel into.

"Good ! Good square spell ! Incantation, for those who don't know is Petrificus Totalus. And who did you use it on ?"

"McGonagall."

"Mc…McGonagall ?"A spooky titter of laugh ran around the classroom."Right, OK. Um… Anyone else ?"He pointed at Harry,"How bout you pipsqueak ?"

"Acerbus cuspis."

"The pain-spear spell."The teacher stopped moving and turned back towards Harry."A curse originating in the metre of the inquisition, considered by many to be Dark conjuration ?"

"Er…"

"And who did you use it on ?"

"Quirrell."

"Right OK."A. A. Michelson shook his psyche."Before we dredge up any Thomas More assaults against Hogwarts instructor lets start on something else. Who here knows what a harbor charm is ?"Many of the hands went down ( though not of grade, Hermione's )"Right ! we'll commencement there."

*

The form let out an hour later. Many of the scholar had the after-effects of shaver jinxes and whammy on them from when their shell hadn't been good enough or when their opponents had been too good. Professor Albert Abraham Michelson seemed to think all of it extremely comical and laughed outrageously at every furiously-dancing, uncontrollably-coughing or unnaturally-warty student before cancelling their affliction and sending them on their way. Half way through the class he had picked Harry to demonstrate some more dangerous curse to the class. Harry ‘ s shield charm wasn ‘ t nearly good enough and he ended up suffering for every magic spell that winged his way.

"I hate him ! I hate that muscle-head bastard !"Harry ranted as they walked to history of magic."He knows my gens and he keeps calling me pipsqueak ! He singles me out ! He will pay for this ! Right ?"

The other marauders kept a rubber distance, giggling behind their hands.

"You know Harry, he seems to be a pretty in force teacher."Hermione said. Harry rounded on her."I mean, some adult adept can't do screen charms and he managed to get half the class doing them in just one lesson."

"He keeps calling me short !"Harry didn't understand why the others didn't get this"And didn ‘ t you hear him ? Mighty, Majestic, Mouldering… He loves himself !"

"Well…"Parvarti chipped in"He is cute."Harry's typeface became obdurate and morose."And he… winked at me."

"You ‘ ll see."Harry turned and began back towards the history of magic schoolroom"You ‘ ll all see ! After you meet him a few times you ‘ ll agree with me about Markus Mary Michelson !"

*

But they didn't.

Defence Against the Dark Arts quickly became the most looked forward to lesson by the integral schoolhouse. Every few object lesson Markus Michelson would acquaint a new armed combat tour and body of work with them, pulling them with jape, belittlement and boost, to perfect the spell. From disarming and stunning through to shields and self-defence he taught everything with an identical laughter and identical arrogant attitude. Harry remained glowering and soundless in these example especially when the inevitable happened and he was called up to aid demonstrate a new go. He had tried to get the marauders riled up to play a prank on Professor Albert Michelson but they had flatly refused. Harry had to content himself with dropping potion on a group off Slytherins that gave them oozing boil. It had been quiet composite, whoever the pus hit when the boils exploded developed them as well.

It was on his way back from heavy detainment that he heard someone outcry. Harry saw a showtime year rush past him upstairs and followed him, towards the noise. A chemical group of students were gathered on the third level. Harry pushed through them without a sentiment and stopped at the front end to see a dread sight. Painted on the wall in what looked wish stock were the words…

Arise those of antediluvian blood ! Cast out the impure from this sign of our fathers ! Be confessedly to your bloodline ! Destroy the enemies of the inheritor ! This is the call to arms !

Harry glanced to his side of meat, lined up next to one another stood a grouping of Slytherins. Malfoy, Goyle and Flint stood English by side, each wearing very formula of Glee.

On the story in front of the letters crouched poor winner capital of Jamaica, the kid who'd liked the looking at of Ravenclaw, curled up in fear behind his sunglasses.

Harry moved closer on instinct and put his fingers to the son neck.

"What are you doing ?"A spokesperson behind him hissed but he ignored them.

"He doesn ‘ t have a pulse."Harry murmured, trying to make a motion his finger around for a better feel."No pulse. Get Madam Pomfrey ! Get Dumbledore !"

"Both are here Harry."Harry looked up to see the Headmaster walk to the edge of the crowd. He stood back gratefully as the school nurse went to work.

"Is he… dead ?"An older Ravenclaw at the edge of the circle asked and a whisper of breathless shock swept the crowd.

"No."Professor Dumbledore said calmly"He appears to have been petrified."

"Will he recover ?"Harry noticed that the Ravenclaw was a prefect, she had probably known Victor.

"Yes Miss Clearwater. I think so, in time."tension seemed to go out of the group but the prefect pressed on.

"Professor…"She glanced up at the writing on the wall."Victor was a muggleborn, do you intend that there ‘ s any danger ?"

"I am certain I can desire every student here to act in a way that does not assault the goodness name of this school."

"Yeah right."Harry thought and glanced back at Malfoy and the early Slytherins."Seems a war's been called. People are already choosing sides."

*

The first of all attack happened just the adjacent good morning. Hannah archimandrite was found with a break out arm at the bottom of the footstep leading down to the Hufflepuff plebeian way. Her bag and books strewn haphazardly at the top. She'd been coming up from the cellar early to get breakfast and been pushed back down.

Professor sprout took her to the infirmary backstage. But no one had seen what happened, not even Hannah, and no matter how much they asked the prof couldn't uncovering who had done it.

The next day a group of Slytherins cornered a first year in one of the upper corridors and began hexing him over and over. Only Flitwick happening past had stopped worse happening.

In a subject of weeks it was no long safe for a muggleborn or half-blood educatee to be out on their own. Madam Pomfrey was being worked of her groundwork by the current of injuries coming into her care.

Then, one aurora, Oliver Mrs. Henry Wood the Gryffindor Quidditch captain was petrified in the prefects bathroom. The instructor had tried to keep a lid on it but the Christian Bible that had been scrawled on the bulwark somehow got out.

Mudbloods and blood-traitors cower in awe ! The heir of Slytherin reappearance and the chamber has been opened. originate up around his standard ! Spill the baffle blood on the solid ground !

"It ‘ s getting worse."Harry said as they walked towards their next year."I mean just look !"He gestured out the window.

There was a huddle of pupil scurrying along the wall and slipping in a door. A moment later a group of Slytherins hurried into the courtyard with their with wand out.

"Harry no !"Harry was aiming his baton out the window but Hermione jerked his arm back."If we start fighting back things will escalate ! We have to let the teachers handle it."

"They can ‘ t."Padma said dully as they passed the defense team Against the wickedness Arts schoolroom"Not on this scale."Her sister nodded silently. Her normally cheerful mood dulled.

"Padma ‘ s rectify Hermione."Ron shook his head."affair are just getting worse and besides, we can ‘ t afford to lose any more Quidditch players."

"Is that all you care about !"

"I just meant…"

"Shut up."Harry snapped back at them irritably."Quidditch is about as much use as you two bickering when things are going to hell all around us. We ‘ ve got to do something."

"But what ?"Padma said, shaking her head."This isn ‘ t like Quirrell Harry. There ‘ s no evilness genius behind it. Its half the school, trying the kill the other half and we don't know till too latterly which is which."

"With some we got a pretty good idea."Harry murmured darkly as they passed a group of Slytherins. The Marauders curled around Hermione like a human shield as they passed and only pass around back out after they had gone. A second later Harry's scepter vibrated in his pocket."Damn it !"Harry motioned the others to quiet down and the phone of hexing could be heard above them. They broke into a run towards the nearest stair.

*

"parting him alone !"Ginny's own vocalisation sounded shrill in her pinna. She stepped in front her injured friend and tried to swallow her fear.

"What ? Protecting your mudblood fellow traitor ?"Marcus Flint stepped out of the ring of Slytherins surrounding her and Colin."footfall aside for me. I ‘ d rather not spill wizard blood, even your families, unless I have to."

"Mico Harry."Ginny whispered, holding her wand out in front of her. Hoping he was in range."Mico Harry."

"Your swain doesn ‘ t look up to much."Flint said stepping finisher and eyeing the quivering Gryffindor."Maybe you want a substantial man ?"

"Mico Ron. Mico Hermione."

"What's that ?"Flint leant forward to hear."That supposed to be a hex ? Ha ! What ‘ s it do ?"Flint River laughed and his cohorts around him started laughing too.

"It summons demons !"

As Marcus'mind jerked up a bludgeoning hex struck him in the chest. He was thrown back and his friends drew their scepter as the piranha rushed them from the stairwell.

*

Harry was the first to take on that he probably wasn't destined to be a duellist. His first gear strike against the seventh year had been favorable and he now found himself shielding for his life in the middle of a war-zone. other pupil from other houses had been drawn in or joined in or been pushed in by the bunch and now the corridor was filled with flashing twinkle and cries of pain.

"You ‘ re dead thrower. Oh you ‘ re dead."flint advanced on him and Harry ducked behind a statue as the big Slytherins blaspheme smashed into the flat coat near his feet. A endorse one smacked into the stone wizard and it began to topple over. Harry scrambled out as it crashed to the level and jabbed his scepter at his assailant.

"Expelliarmus !"The spell struck Flint River but his thick, sausage-like fingers were curled tightly around his wand.

"Confringo !"Harry leapt out of the way of the blasting curse word and fell badly on his shoulder. He threw his own back in answer and the snake stumbled backwards. Harry jumped to his base and shot a bludgeoning hex only to have it rebound off a shell and slap him in the chest. Tumbling backwards he landed on his back among the rubble. His verge skittered off along the story. A phantasma fell over him and a huge booted foot slammed onto his bureau, holding him down.

"Hello Potter."Flint pointed his scepter at Harry's face."Now I ‘ m gona have some fun."

A moment later Flint was thrown off him as a sweeping wave of lightness gibe through the corridor, forcibly pulling resister apart.

Harry's bridge player darted out and grabbed his verge while he looked for the reservoir of the spell. His oculus found Albus Dumbledore standing at the end of the corridor with respective other teacher behind him.

"Is any pupil here injured or in need of the hospital extension ?"His vocalism was stony as he eyed the assemble student. A few students raised their paw. Dumbledore nodded and turned to speak to the teacher behind him."Please escort them there."No one spoke as the wounded were gathered up. Harry saw Markus Albert Michelson handing Ginny her bag with one mitt while picking Colin up in his other. As professor McGonagall walked past him he caught her heart for a minute, they were frigidity, harsh and disappointed. When the final stage of the injured were gone the master turned back to the remaining bookman.

"Now can anyone tell me why this happened ? Why Hogwarts students saw fit to turn this corridor into a battleground ?"He looked over the scholarly person and Harry realised that he and flint were right out in the eye, the two of them surrounded by vacuum. Somehow the ringleaders had been singled out."Why bookman who I thought I could desire to act in expert religion instead acted like patsy ?"

No one radius. No one wanted to guide attention to themselves.

"You will all return to your common way now. Tomorrow break of day you will all hail to the bully hall where you will spend your Sat in quiet. You will retort the day after that and for many weekends to come until I decide that the peace and quiet of the school has returned. Your parents will also be informed of your disappointing behaviour."Dumbledore gestured at the kid."Go off now. Not you Harry !"Harry was drawn back by Dumbledore's voice. Marcus Flint River smirked at him with his troll-like grinning and slinked off. Harry followed the Headmaster in silence as he turned and walked off through the school. He stopped before a gargoyle on the second base floor.

"sherbet Lemon."The infantile watchword seemed oddly out of kilter with the situation. They remained silent as they were raised up by the staircase and walked out into the headmaster office.

Harry glanced around in curiosity at the odd Ag car, many moving or making voiced sounds, filling table around the boundary of the bureau. His heart were drawn to the perch behind the desk where a shopworn looking red hoot sat. Even as Harry watched another of its feathering fell off and twirled towards the floor.

Dumbledore caught it before it hit and slipped it into an inside scoop of his gown. He turned and sat behind the heavy desk. Saying zilch, he regarded the scholarly person before him over steepled fingers.

Harry knew that with any other instructor this was the metre to be muted and look guilty, but with Dumbledore he might actually be better off explaining.

"Professor."He began and licked his dry lips. Dumbledore's oculus flicked to his."I heard the audio of person being attacked nearby and I went to see whether I could help. When we… I got there Marcus flint and some other Slytherins had the first years surrounded."He couldn't evidence what effect this was having on the Headmaster. His expression was cryptic."I fired a magical spell to make them back off and they responded, I never thought that so many other bookman would be drawn in or that it would snowball like this. I ‘ m sorry."

"You cast the first hex ?"

"They had been beating up Colin Creevey before we got there."Harry felt too shamefaced to lie."But I threw the offset fighting spell yes."

"Several students are injured Harry."Supreme Being teeth the have words wench was eyeballing him as well."And there was some geomorphologic equipment casualty to the school. Several picture were damaged and statues broken."

"I was just trying to help sir. I didn't want any of that."

"And with this standard pressure of fear already around the school you have given everyone another reason to hate each other."Harry felt very small in front of the continued stare."worsened, you have escalated this job with your actions. side by side time citizenry will be even quicker to thread wands in anger. adjacent metre the curse will be speculative and the great unwashed could be seriously offend Harry, do you see that ?"

"Yes sir."Harry thought of Marcus Flint's smirk. succeeding clock time they wouldn't waiting to taunt citizenry.

"Today you chose to fight hatred with anger and violence. That way will always multiply further hatred do you sympathize that ?"

"Yes sir."

"See that you do not reduplicate this mistake."

"Yes sir. Thank you."Harry walked out of the office. All the way to the door he could feel the old human race centre on his spine.

*

Harry walked back slowly to the Gryffindor common room. By chance the route took him back past the field of battle. Some attempt had been made to clean up but the place still felt damaged. not bad chunks were missing from the endocarp and the broken paintings had all been taken down. The transition was bare. Harry saw movement at the other end and tensed for a second, then relaxed as he saw red hair and lentigo.

"Ginny ?"

"Harry."The trivial girl moved up the corridor towards him. Stopping just a piffling way down from him."I ‘ m so meritless I got you into trouble. I shouldn ‘ t have micod for you. Hermione said you could be expelled."

"If I was expelled every time Hermione said I would be I ‘ d be some sort o'reality record."Harry walked up to his newest recruit and ruffled her hair."And I taught you that call exactly so you would promise me if you were ever in trouble. All this…"Harry waved his hired hand at the damage and excite his drumhead."Not your demerit. But why are you back here ? Shouldn ‘ t you be in the vulgar room."

"I was… waiting… for you."Ginny glanced to the left wing and bit her lip.

"Remind me to instruct you to lie convincingly Ginny."Harry looked into her eyes. There was a surprising quantity of fear there."Why don't you want to assure me ? You don't have to you know."

"doomed something."Ginny's vocalization became smaller with each give-and-take she said."A diary. Must have fallen out in the fight."

"Your journal ‘ s missing ?"Harry shook his point."Did you indite anything bad in there ?"

"Not my diary."

"Whose ? Nicking soul's diary is all very predator of you but…"

"I found it in my books before I even got here. opinion maybe it got left field there."

"Who ‘ s was it ?"

"The strawman said it was Tom Marvolo Riddle ‘ s."Ginny was acting almost like when he'd first met her.

"And the bit you ‘ re not telling me is…"He hated doing this but she was obviously hiding something.

"It was… special."Ginny seemed to shrink into the ground a little."It spoke to me."

"rundle ? It could talk ?"

"No, he wrote back when I wrote him things."Ginny curled up on the trading floor and hugged her pegleg up to her pectus."It was blank but it wrote back. He was so nice. I had someone to talk to finally."

"Someone to tattle to ?"Harry scratched his point. What did she mean ?"You have six sidekick don't you ?"

"I can't talk of the town to them."Ginny began to sob a little."They don't understand. They laugh at me. Tom understood. And now he ‘ s gone. What if person else picks him up ? What if he tells them the stuff I wrote ?"Ginny looked up ball over and scare and suddenly broke down into tears. Harry just stood there, he didn't know what the hell to do.

"I mess everything up."Ginny gulped between breathlessness."I lost Tom and everyone ‘ s going to read him ! I messed up the sorting ! I started a fighting and almost got you expelled !"

"Ginny listen to me."Harry tried grabbing her shoulder but she wouldn't look at him. With his former manus he cupped her boldness and brought it up so he could see her eyes."Tom sounds like a ripe friend, I ‘ m sure you can trust him to keep your enigma. I mean, former people must have had the diary before you and Tom never told you any of their enigma right ?"

Merlin's beard, he didn't know what he was doing. What did he know about comforting people ?

"And as for this."He pointed around the corridor."All this we can fix. We can fix everything, don't worry. I ‘ ll help you."He was babbling, as if she'd care about the corridor.

"And…"Ginny had stopped crying at least."You don't detest me ?"Harry shook his top dog.

"Only when you cry. Gryffindors don't cry."He regretted it as soon as he said it, that wasn't what she needed to get wind. As he had often done before Harry asked himself where Hermione was when he needed her. She would have known what to say. He smudged a arm against Ginny's impudence to get rid of the bout. At to the lowest degree he could do that right.

"come on. Lashkar-e-Tayyiba get back to the plebeian room."He stood up and held out a hand to her."And as for having a booster to talk to…"He pulled her into a scratchy hug then let her go."… what am I a stranger ?"

"Harry."Ginny was looking up at him now."Why couldn't I have had you as a brother instead of Ron ?"

"Because I ‘ m not ginger and my pelt can ingest a tan. Why'd you ask ?"But Ginny didn't answer him.

"She's probably distraught."Harry thought, putting an arm over her shoulder and walking with her towards Gryffindor tugboat."I ‘ m no adept at this sort of thing."