Chapter 1.
The owl swooped down over dormancy Jack London, a letter of the alphabet, signed and sealed in emerald green clutched in its talons. Even if it had had only the lead to see by it would still feature been capable to fly true, but it wasn't necessary. London sleeping was almost as shiny as capital of the United Kingdom awake. But light or no light this delivery was a goon one. The post owls prided themselves on being able to detect anyone but it didn't make it well-situated when the address was simply …
London, somewhere…


But Dumbledore had given her special instructions for this delivery, and she never wavered in her flight of stairs, swooping down past a row of workshop, by bread maker, bankers and lens maker and curving cleanly into the alley behind them to light on a streetlamp. Her big brown centre took in the solid conniption, the brick paries, the large dumpster bins and the small boy, wrapped in a pelage too large for him by one-half, trotting down the alley from the other direction.

The boy stopped following to one of the dumpsters and quietly lifted the lid, running his mitt past papers and coffee grounds. He began picking out disclose glasses, cracked lenses and the like, transferring them to a pocket of his coat. When he had a full pocket he did something peculiar, he scratched a cross mark into one of the bulwark of the alley, then sat down opposite it and began putting first one, then another of the Lens to his eyes. After an hour of this, the small boy 's case broke into a smiling at a finicky half-cracked lens, he grinned as he spun it into the air like a coin, and rolled it across the back of his fingers.


A import later the boy was rummaging in his torn and tatty back pack and eventually drew out a minor parcel. When he unrolled it on the ground the owls eyes sparkled in the glimmer of four Sir Thomas More lenses, 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 next to come from the bag of put-on was a build ( selected from a few in the bag ) and a thermionic vacuum tube of gum. Two pinprick splatter of glue to each lens and the boy carefully laid his prize on the floor 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 perch and placed the letter beside the tyke, he would notice it in the morning time. By the yellow halogen lamp it read ...
Harry Potter
London, somewhere

*


Harry Potter flickered between waking and sleep for the long clip. Slipping in and out of dreams he would not remember on waking, until he fell into a cryptic slumber and curled himself tight into a little testis, a well of heat with his manpower tucked in his axillary cavity and his headland ducked down. Shifting and gliding from dreaming of the past times, of leaving the Dursleys.

Harry Potter always thought of as just leaving. He did not run away ! You can only run away from abode, and Privet thrust had never been home. He had decided that. He knew he had another dwelling house, he dreamed of that too. Not with images or anything tangible, just of a sense of warmth, and also pain sensation, he didn't understand that. Other dreams pushed in on his Night time recollection and he touched on other thing, the PIE in the nearby bakery, the workplace to do tomorrow and tonight's study, still drying, on the ground, until…

"Get up ! Get out !"

Not Harry's rudest awakening, but far from pleasant. Harry uncurled like a bounce, just stopping to grab his work on the ground before pelting off down the back street, chased by the irate baker. Rounding a street corner Harry ran on, past tense surprised, mildly startled and downright scandalise pedestrians, retiring lamps, dogs and pigeon flock, even retiring and through the railway car as Harry dashed across a fussy road. It no longer mattered that he'd lost any pursuers three blocks ago, it was just salutary to run.

Harry stopped in regent parkland and ducked to salute from one of the fountain and snatched a few coins from the tail. Soon hopefully he would have money coming to him ( at least, as much as he ever had ) and he could take some humble quantity of it to fill what was more often than not lately a gnawing jam in his midriff ( at least it was summer, winter was defective ). Harry walked down Euston road for a while, not caring or seeing where he was going until he reached the post itself. The sun was higher by that time and people were beginning to total 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 pretend not to see him, and slipped three coloured lump out of his coating. Shifting them all to his depart paw, he flicked his new field glass on with his right. The balls became edged in crystal clearness as the genus Lens slipped over his eye. Harry stood in the second power and laughed for a while, laughed into the morning sky while the multitude around him stared or frowned, then, in a twinkling, Harry swept all three into the air and spun them around his hands faster and faster. He laughed as he fountained the chunk up above his head teacher. the great unwashed began to study notice as he added a fourth nut, and a one-fifth. People walked past and turned to stare for a moment before flipping coins into his hat or even waited there watching him for a while before moving on.

Harry smiled, this fourth dimension not for the act itself, but for the coins. This was why he had had to ca-ca chalk and why his stomach was empty-bellied than convention. He hadn't been able to care more than three lump since Christmas. Just to show himself he could, Harry added another Ball and split the testis into two circles ("Oooh !"Said a small girl overtaking by. The mother smiled at him, but didn't drop anything ). The two circles became one again as they began to wobble ("Out of practice"thought Harry ) and he pocketed two of the orchis back away, he had to keep this up for a while.

The sun was high school in the sky before Harry moved from his spot. He scooped his winnings to an inside air hole and went off to buy lunch. He bought sandwiches at some newsdealer with no rattling figure and ate them slowly on a parking lot workbench and drank more than water from a fountain. On the way back to his spotlight Harry passed another food for thought shop, the cake in the window looked even better than the kickoff unity had. Harry walked past, parsimony was in his bones.
*


When Harry got back to the station he realised something was legal injury. In the accurate center of the square was the biggest man Harry had ever seen. From the toes of his heavy leather boots, past his heavy furred overcoat ( Bet that's fond, thinking Harry ) all the way to his cheek, so covered, variously, in whiskers, mustache and dirty black hair's-breadth that only small component part of skin were visible, the man was easily eight understructure tall. The very appearance of the man was so striking that for a farsighted here and now Harry didn't see what the man was doing and then he became even more odd. The tall man seemed to be looking for something, he would refer a piece of music of ( very old and yellow looking ) report then look around, staring at people, then look worriedly back at the theme.

"Maybe he's lost"Thought Harry. But the tall man didn't seem to be about to prompt on, neither did he seem to be the eccentric to ask charge. Harry was torn for a consequence between understanding at the visit figure and a chance to snap up a bit more money from helping a lost tourist. But a moment later his irresolution became redundant as the tall man turned to depend at Harry and his brass broke into a vast smile. The tall man ran over to where Harry was standing ( breaking several paving stones ) and stopped in strawman of the startle minor looking, in turns, happy and relieved.

Yes ?"Volunteered Harry,"Can I help you ?"he hazarded, then ( in a finale ditch movement to find normality )"are you lost ?"

"Nope,"Said the tall man, spreading his lip 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.

"wellspring you o'course ! Didn't you get… Hey delay !"By halfway through the judgment of conviction Harry was halfway across the public square, and accelerating.

Harry dodged across a side route 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 take one running step to Harry's three and he didn't have to dodge through crowds either, people fell over themselves to get out of the way. And all the time they were running the grandiloquent man kept yelling

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

Harry pelted off a chief road 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 stay and grasped both workforce round the form atomic number 26 drain ( his little thaumaturgy was less useful now well-nigh pipes were plastic but it had still put him above and away from more than one bit of trouble ), his feet went against the wall and he pulled himself hand over hand upwards, two of his clump slipped out of his pocket and fell back down but he ignored them, he could get Sir Thomas More ( well, he could probably get more, and in a emergency anything one shot would do ) and pulled himself onto the tiled roof above him. Harry lay there for a second, finding his proportionality ( and his breath ) before sliding back to the boundary and looking over. Three stories down ("It had looked so a good deal large from the bottom"intellection Harry ) the tall man stood hunched over, catching his breath in immense, leviathan, gulps that disturbed the junk on the ground. The man managed to stand up after a few moments and began rummaging in his coat. After a few tries at various sac he managed to commit out what looked like a sealed envelope and hurtle it into the air.

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

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

"I was chasing you ‘ cos you all-fired ran away wasn't I !"Said the tall man, pulling off his coat to expose a pestiferous whiten shirt and suspenders."Why'd you do that anyway ?"

"Because I've never met you before."Said Harry."Why would someone I've never met before be looking for me at Euston station ! Also…"added Harry as another view 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 little enough to fit in my mitt back then, and you were easier to catch."The tall man said smiling."I knew you when you was a baby. Knew your parents too, friends."The mans head drooped for a moment then came back up quickly."As to how I found you, well, I had some helper with that."The man reached into his pelage and dug out a pink umbrella with frilly lace edges, it looked almost like it should be in a cocktail nestled in his big hands.

"An umbrella ?"Said Harry"Oh of course !"Harry stood up and began strutting along the sharpness of the roof ("Careful"cried the improbable man")"Why didn't I see it before ? An umbrella, a magical umbrella that points you on your way ! The umbrella of Christ Within, The umbrella of seeking !"Harry spun on one foot and began walking the other way."The pastel, pink umbrella of plenty !"Harry threw back his head and laughed."You're nuts partner ! An umbrella can't help you find anyone."

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

"Hey !"Harry jumped back and almost fell over as one corner of the missive burst into over-embellished flames.

"It's all right field ! It's all right !"Cried the man, stamping out the flak with his iron heel."It only got the envelope and that was pretty wet so it's all right. I'll try again."Harry watched in bedaze anticipation as the man stepped back again, raised the umbrella carefully and mumbled something slightly different towards the envelope. For a moment zero happened. Then, slowly, one sharpness of the envelope lifted up, dipped back down again ("steady"mumbled the man ) then righted itself and rose by one corner as if it was drawn up by an inconspicuous train of thought. The letter rose higher and higher until it drew level with Harry's face. He stood up and the letter of the alphabet obligingly rose to accommodate him. Harry carefully reached out and waved his deal over the letter, then under it, then all around just to be surely. He finally drew his hand back and whispered

"How…"Harry leaned in to get a close tone and suddenly, momentarily, forgot he was on a rooftop. His animal foot slipped out from under him and he tumbled over, skinning his leg on the edge before falling like a gemstone. As he spun in the air he looked up to see the letter, still casually floating above him."Wyrd day…"opinion Harry, then large hired man caught him.

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

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

"Oh, that's easy stuff."The tall man waved his manus disparagingly"Even I can do that, you'll learn that in your first hebdomad, its one of the simplest charms."

"charm ? !"Harry felt like running away again but his branch wouldn't movement."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 older. We didn't know if they had."

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

"Nah, I never met um. But we knew that was who was taking concern of you after your parents died."His parents… Harry tried to think back what his aunt had told him about them. Very little, just that they were the wrong sort of people and died in some accident. A fire wasn't it ? Or maybe a car crash ? Anyway Harry had privately decided that if they were masses his aunty disapproved of then he probably would throw liked them a lot. Liked them easily than his aunty and uncle at least.

"That was a long time ago."Harry snapped back to the nowadays."and I'm better off without them taking care of me !"The tall man gave him a shrewd look, taking in his heavily assume clothes and shoes."Well…"added Harry"at to the lowest degree now I don't get slapped if I don't have meals set 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 select a while to crave Dudley. Fat militia like a camel !"Harry did a quick fat-cousin mental picture, 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 gasbag back off the trading floor and handed it to Harry."This should explicate virtually of what you're wondering about and I'll filling in the blanks."Harry took the letter carefully and looked at it before opening it. It was an old fashioned one, made with yellowing lambskin and sealed with a coat of arms in wax, melted wax now of course. Harry wiped the embarrassing deal away with his arm and opened the letter. Inside were three piece of newspaper and what looked like a geartrain ticket. All made of curious old paper. He stared at the ticket, it had gold leaf an it and had a large 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 string would go to. ("Either a state of copious people…"thought Harry"…or a chocolate factory.")

"Read the letter of the alphabet, read the letter !"Urged the magniloquent man impatiently. Harry tucked the ticket into his air pocket and pulled out one of the bed sheet of paper. He opened it. His heart slid from one incline to the early. He had read each line about three times before he finally believed that what he thought he read was actually what was on the Sir Frederick Handley Page. Harry held the varsity letter in front of him and tried to tranquilize his voice before saying,

"A schoolhouse ?"

"Yep,"Said the tall man smiling"Hogwarts, honorable schooling in the human race for people like you. feed the former school day'll tell you different, but anyone who knows what there talking about says Hogwarts is the greatest. Course we have Albus Dumbledore, none of the rest of em can say that."

"Who's he ?"Said Harry, still desperately trying to avoid the one part of the varsity letter that had him shaking nigh."someone celebrated ?"

"He's the headmaster."Said the magniloquent 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 supplement on the fundament of the letter, written in a different handwriting than the eternal rest of the text, and with different ink.
P.S.

Due to your exceptional circumstances an escort has been provided for you to explain and aid you through the process of preparing for your first school year. If this alphabetic character has not come to you via one Rubious Hagrid then you will be meeting him shortly. I wish you all the outdo for the get-go of your first schooltime year.

Albus Dumbledore


"Rubious Hagrid ?"The improbable man nodded.

"Yep that's me. gamekeeper, caretaker and custodian of headstone at Hogwarts."

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

"Of course."Said Hagrid."As I said, beneficial school in the world."

"Magic like you just did ? Making things float and explode ?"

"wellspring, yeah."Said Hagrid"What did you think it meant ? Those joke muggles ("muggles ?") use to fritter each former ?"

"And you think I can do that ?"

"With a piddling training o'track, that's what Hogwarts is for."Hagrid put his hand on Harry's shoulder joint"Come on, we've stood here long enough and we need to be getting your school stuff and nonsense. But first we should get you washed up and in some proper clothes."Hagrid led Harry down the alley. Harry followed placidly.

When your stallion life sentence shatters like glass and is replaced something glittering and new, sharp and scary. When your life history changes in an wink you can either pull back, handle on to the old, try to pick up the pieces and risk destroying the new crystal future you have found, for the saki of condom water supply of the preceding. Or you can drop, laughing into the new liveliness, with its burnished possible action. And you either ride it through, or get swallowed under.

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



Lets all take a moment to give thanks Memory King for betaing this chapter.

Harry Potter and the cap At dark : Chapter 2 : diddlysquat

Harry raked his workforce through his shorter hairsbreadth, trying to wee-wee it flat. The styler had nearly shoved them out of the store when they arrived, a conspicuously tall man and a shaver with uncombed, unwashed, un-anythinged whisker. Hagrid had paid her in government note that looked very old.

"Did he make them with illusion ?"mentation Harry suddenly."Could I name them with conjuration ?"The clothes and the exhibitioner at a gym had both been similar rarity but apparently the great oddment was yet to come.

"That looks alright now."Hagrid had said coming out of a clothing memory."Now for the really shopping."

"This stuff ?"Harry fished the list that had come with the varsity letter out of his pocket."Books, wand, cauldron… toad ?"

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

Harry hurried aboard Hagrid, his mind still buzzing with inquiry. But there was no way he was asking about magic in a crowd together street full moon of muggles ( or was it muddles, or mugwerts. Something like that anyway. ) And when they finally turned into a doorway Harry was so busy looking at where they were that they were pushed to the back of his idea. They had stepped, hopefully deliberately ( this didn't seem like the sort of place that would betray books, or realize potions early than the general alcoholic sorting ) into a iniquity, oak beamed, pub good of solid, old-looking furniture. The beverage behind the bar had odd name and some of the liquidity fizzed or bubbled. In the dark light Harry could have sworn one of them was glowing faintly. The sign outside had said"The blabbermouthed cauldron ”. It certainly fitted one of the criteria.

As Hagrid led Harry across the floor, weaving around tables Harry began to mark early matter that didn't quite fit. Like the dress mass were wearing, half of the citizenry were in rule, but hideously unfitting and mismatched, clothes. But the other one-half wore what looked like long flowing robes in assorted colouring. The smaller detail were stranger, no sentinel or walkmans, but instead one man held a marble in his hired man. As he gripped it the vault of heaven 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 symbol painted on it to his champion ("Less than a sickle ("sickle ?") and new they go as senior high school as five !"). In a corner two gingerroot kids who looked like Twin Falls, not much older than Harry himself, were swapping some variety of trading cards.

"Well…"thought Harry."At to the lowest degree that's normal."

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

"Nah, nah."Said Hagrid waving one of his big hands."Got no fourth dimension for a potable or to calculate at stuff for myself. On Hogwarts business."He patted Harry on the articulatio humeri."Important."

"carnival enough so… ohh…"The barman was looking at Harry, or more accurately, at his forehead. Harry put his script to it and realised that, with his new haircut, the old scratch on his forehead was no yearner hidden.

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

"Of trend you've always had it lad !"Said the Bartender, half amazed, half amused."You're Harry ceramicist !"

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

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

"My names Jack."He said, affronted."Why you all staring at me ?"auditory sensation seemed to come back to the bar as people turned back to their drinking, mumbling and in one caseful shouting ("Oh no ! its all over my shirt !"). And Harry turned back towards the bar and looked up into the incredulous face of the barman and then further up into the confused case of Hagrid."I got the scar falling off my inaugural bike, odd anatomy isn't it ?"Harry smiled.

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

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

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

"They knew me somehow, or at to the lowest degree have it off my name."Harry shuddered."If a room full of strangers knows your name its either very upright news or incredibly bad news."Hagrid fished out a pee bottle 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 audience is hoodwink. And somehow I don't think that was what they were looking for."Harry splashed some of the body of water into his hand and slicked down one side of his hair, right over the mark."Hagrid, why were they staring at me ?"

"Ah… well… you see that's…"Hagrid dry-washed his mitt nervously. Then straitened and walked over to a wall pulling out his umbrella."That can look till later, it's not something I want't discuss in a gloomy alley."Hagrid tapped bricks faster than Harry could pursue and stepped back."There…"Said Hagrid, obviously corking to fill every secrecy lest head re-arise."Here's where you can get your school stuff, Diagon alley."The bricks spread apart around the domain Hagrid had tapped, opening out to a window into another world.

A long winding street, replete to the brim with odd garbed people, and odd store filled with odder merchandise. colorful signaling swung from the overhanging stories above them, showing that the store below sold broom handle or fireworks. mass sold things out of barrows on the sharpness, odd vegetables and wooden toy that danced or spun. For now Harry was subject matter to pursue Hagrid, draining in the visual modality and the speech sound of the situation. He was almost disappointed when Hagrid stopped in front of a large colonnaded building and went inside.












The inside of the building was as majestic as the exterior, with two long desks running the distance of the heights vaulted room. luminance came from Windows high up on the walls. Along each desk sat curious wight consulting lists or counting out piles on coins. There were suitcase of coins behind the desks too, and the just sounds were the clink of metal on metal and the scraping of quills. Harry suddenly had the odd sensation that he had entered the duomo of money, the Christian church of Johnny Cash, and knew, acutely, that he hadn't been to worship in a while.

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

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

"This is a bank ! ?"Exclaimed Harry, and was shushed by a nearby creature. He continued in a muted voice."I don't have any money to withdraw, certainly not from a shoes like this."

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

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

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

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

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

"Key, right…"Hagrid dug through pocket after sac, spilling diverse things onto the floor and the desk. Harry picked up the things he could greet, like scissor grip and a dog pinch, and left the other bits where they were, some of them were moving."Ah !"Hagrid produced a key, that had probably been shiny gold before encountering Hagrid's sac, and put it on the desk."There we are. Also there's one early thing."Hagrid leaned in finish to the animal and handed him a sealed piece of paper. Harry thought he recognised the curvy touch on the battlefront."It's about what's in vault 713."

"Of course."Said the wight, reading the note. For the first time it seemed interested in what it was looking at. The creature ("They're hob Harry, sorry I didn't mention that. I keep forgetting you're new to this. hob, and this is Gringots.") summoned over another like it but vernal and with a slightly LE laconic construction. This new hobgoblin introduced himself as Greeklunk, rolled his eyes at the back of the departing hob and led them through one of the doors in the spine 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 certainly mine-carts don't figure into it."

"Oh Gringots runs under half o'capital of the United Kingdom. If you had to walk to the vaults it'd direct all day. Goes down pretty far too. The top security measures burial vault are down there, guarded by curses, and traps and dragons…"

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

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

"Do they breathe fervidness ?"

"Well yes."

"Are they ten foot long ?"

"Oh virtually are much braggy than that !"

"With vast pincer, tooth, muscular tissue ?"

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

"Just playing around."Harry said as the cart gathered f number. Soon the wall were passing at a blur, other rail winding off to either side. The cart passed through immense caverns and through pin-hole passageways, tipping so far on the bends it threatened to come off. Harry stood face-first to the wind and closed centre, letting the gusting disturbance convolution around him as the carts effort buffeted him. After a irregular he turned to Greeklunk, just one question on his mind.

"Does it go any faster ?"

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

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

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

"I'm amercement, I just detest these gringots trolleys."Hagrid said, blanching"And hold on to something !"Harry had just spread his arms out like wing to better palpate the flatus, but obligingly put them back down."You make me dizzy standing like that."

The cart eventually slowed and pulled up next to a vault. Harry hopped out of the handcart to examine this new surrounding followed, much more slowly and with thought for his abdomen, by Hagrid. Greeklunk led them to one detail vault and turned brought out the key Hagrid had given the desk goblin. The ignition lock squeaked as Greeklunk turned it with the key and there was the sound of large bolt drawing back.

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

Harry's head rebelled. Not straight, it insisted to its purchasable eye, the mental picture your sending me just can't be dead on target. 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 gray and bronze piles.

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

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

"well of course they were ! Lilly and James Potter. head teacher boy and young woman of Hogwarts they were when they were there."

"illusion runs in home ?"

"Normally it does yes."

"My auntie and uncle ?"Harry asked incredulously.

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

"And they were stinking fat ?"

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

"But, that vault ?"

"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 sorrow."If anything that makes it worse !"

"Tell me a fiddling about them then."Harry said, deliberate not to let one shred of eagerness enter representative."It might take your judgment off the cart 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 yelp of surprise and curled back into a corner.

After a moment he began to talk and Harry let the words wash over him. Hagrid didn't seem very good at telling news report, his thinker jumped about with many a"and there was this other time…"and seemed to jump from his fathers world-class year at Hogwarts, to his parents wedding, to some game called Quidditch his forefather apparently played, to just describing his mothers face. In the centre of a blow by blow description of a combat between his founding father and some early kid ( Snipe ? ) Harry realised they were no longer moving. Glancing around he saw a dim, disused, dingy and dank part of the bank caves with just one large burial vault in heap 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 control lever. Harry mouthed

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

Cut off in mid flow, 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 security measures than they put on galvanic pile of gold ?"

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

"Best you don't think on it too a good deal Harry."Said Hagrid."especial mission from Dumbledore. Very secret."

"Something magical ?"Harry asked."Another umbrella perhaps ?"Hagrid looked at him oddly for a second before realising it was a joke. Greeklunk ran a finger down a part of the doorway and it dissolved the like dust into the air. The goblin then stepped back warily as if he didn't want to be closelipped to the contents of the burial vault than he had to be. While Hagrid stepped into the burial 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 feel out."The goblin shuddered."The vault down here are the top security measures. I haven't been here long enough to see more than one or two. Sometimes its just money, people who want it as safe as possible and don't mind the extra charge, but sometimes…"

"Worse ?"

"Much worse."Greeklunk leaned against the rampart and put an odd stick in his sass and began to chew it."There was one guy a few days ago, rich toff from one of the old wizarding sept. All he took out was money but I swear, in the back of the vault there was early stuff. string, knives, a rack, not new material idea but some of it looked… used."Greeklunk trailed off into muteness, chewing softly.

"You allow citizenry to store stuff like that here ?"Harry asked.

"That's not the rack up of it."Continued Greeklunk, shaking his head."That stuff could easily ingest been full of dark conjuring trick. In fact, considering the rootage, 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 rate."You won't tell anybody I said that will you Harry ?"Greeklunk said, sounding worried."Only transaction 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 names or anything."

"I only wish the higher ups would see it like that."Greeklunk shook his mind."Ah… prison term to go."Hagrid stepped back out of the hurdle stuffing a small grubby packet into his pocket.

"Something small"opinion Harry."Something low but very valuable and very secluded and possibly very dangerous. Something magic. Something…"( he glanced into the burial vault as the door reappeared )"…valuable enough to hire out an total vault just for it. What are we the couriers of ?"

On the way back Hagrid began feeling sick again so Harry chatted to Greeklunk about Gringots and the pushcart ("Sometimes we race them after closing hours ! Er, better add that to your leaning of clobber not to mention again Harry."). Finally the cart reached primer level again and they got out, waved goodbye to Greeklunk and stepped back into the soaker of sound in diagonally.






"Right, first things first."Hagrid looked up and down the street and stopped when he saw a store that appeared to let a needle-and-thread sign outside its room access."We need to get you some robes."madam Malkin's was empty except for the proprietor who fussed over Harry like a female parent hen, standing him up on a stool and pinning and tucking the long black gown she threw over him.

"You'll be going to Hogwarts of course."Madam Malkin's vocalization was muffled by the pins and clips held in her mouth. Hagrid, standing in the rachis of the store mimed boozing and pointed back to the blabbermouthed cauldron, when Harry nodded he stood up and walked out the doorway. Harry suddenly felt a trivial vulnerable. Not from citizenry, Harry knew how and when to run from hassle, but from this world. He was in a extraneous area and had just lost his translator.

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

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

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

"I see a lot of Hogwarts student come in here for their showtime robes."brothel keeper Malkin moved around to his other side to begin working on that."You get so you can assure the ones who are muggle-born just by the way they look at anything magic sideways. But in a geezerhood clock time you see them come back carrying broomsticks and making the stools fly just like the ease. You'll fit in."She knelt down to begin on the hemline and Harry was left feeling more unchanging than he had all day.

"Just a subject of getting my sea legs."thought Harry, idly taking two balls from his pouch and juggling them one-handed."Get unchanging in this new earthly concern and you'll be fine."Harry added another ball and kept on with one deal, using the other to get out his list."Still demand quills, still involve lambskin, still ..."

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

"Do what ?"Harry said as the little girl was led onto an adjacent footstool.

"That."The missy pointed at Harry's right hand and he realised he was still bouncing the juggle balls.

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

"I tried to learn how to juggle once."The miss seemed to verbalize as if everyone should sit up and choose notification."I got a leger out of the depository library that was supposed to instruct you but I kept dropping the balls."The girlfriend seemed to realise something and turned to him ( making the mortal pinning up her clothes swear and suck a prick up finger )"Unless of path you used magic. Its probably tardily for you to do if you do magic. I never knew I was magic until the varsity letter came and I'm so glad but I bet I'll be behind everyone else, that's why we came out here the start day we could so I would have got a chance to get lots of playscript for setting reading. I just hope I don't end up looking stupid."The girl seemed to stop more from lack of breath than from want of words, she didn't look like she ever ran out of words.

"I don't think there's too practically danger of you looking stunned"irritating maybe but not stupid"and anyway I'm the same, I was woefully, blissfully and surprisingly nescient about conjuring trick until the letter came and warped the world."He grinned and waved his handwriting towards the window into diagonally"but it can't be anything but fun, especially wiz shoal, especially spells."Harry laughed.

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

"Maybe you're going there to pick up. But I've always had the feeling that life's for fun, and if you can't chance something to laugh at in any situation you're not trying hard enough. Anyway…"Harry swiftly moved on as the girl went through several stages of shock."… we'll hardly be able to avoid having fun if we're doing spells all the time, making stuff fly, making hooey explode, making stuff into other poppycock, the whole thing should be a blast."There was an uncomfortable secrecy, helpfully filled by dame Malkin saying…

"Alright dearest, you're done now."Harry stepped off the stool and went to get out, just as he reached the door he heard…

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

"Harry Potter."The dressmaker gasped and stabbed her digit again, brothel keeper 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 follow get you. tiddler shouldn't be walking around alone."Harry was about to mention that that was exactly what he had been doing the last three years of his liveliness when Hagrid started off towards another shop and Harry had to follow or be swallowed by the crowd.

On the round of the shops Harry met three more prospective Hogwarts scholarly person, a brace of twin girlfriend in the apothecary's who laughed when he juggled crocodile eyes 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 verbalize scorn when Harry bought second gear helping hand books.

"There's good deal in that burial 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 expend it when you don't have to. Besides, these are still good."The book he was holding picked that moment to spill its 1st few Page onto the cobbles. Harry picked them up without speech production and set off down the street fast enough to make Hagrid jog to restrain up.





Ollivanders came future and Harry thought for a moment Hagrid had taken his advice to inwardness. Looking at the thin premises with faded Windows and peeling paintwork belied its blurb which made out that it had made fine wand since 382 bc.

"Yes…"Thought Harry,"…in this workshop. And you haven't repainted since then."But he walked in all the same and walked up to the counter as Hagrid took a derriere by the door.

The inside was wide of shelf, piled high with retentive cut boxes. It reminded Harry of a cross between an old irregular hand bookstore and a disused shoe storehouse. The sliver of ignitor from the windowpane illuminated the particle of dust in the air, Harry blew into it and was rewarded by a swirling blueprint, spotlighted in the murky room. He was just wondering if he should perhaps ring the bell when he heard a voice out of the darkness.

"good afternoon."The vocalism was tranquilize and felt like old velvet but it came so suddenly that Hagrid jumped like a spooked rabbit and Harry just kept enough of his willpower to avoid jumping himself though his heart felt like it had leapt on its own.

"Good afternoon to you."Harry said, keeping his vox stiff 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 gloom behind the desk an old, white haired and pale-eyed man stepped, cocking his caput like a heron.

"Ah, Mr. Potter."The old man couldn't have seen the cicatrice, none of the other people he'd met had through the hair."I was sure I'd be seeing you in my workshop sometime soon."

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

"Why else would you be here ?"The man seemed faintly amused. He drew a tape measuring out of a pocket and it sprang out of his hand, measuring Harry's blazon and fingers."Wands are what I do. I made all the baton here and I remember all of them, even the ones I've sold."

"Wouldn't some sort of scorecard catalogue would be more efficient ?"said Harry but Ollivander wasn't listening.

"It seemed only yesterday your parents were in here buying their first off wands."

"Well it would if you've been around since 382bc !"Getting more miffed as the tape recording measure wrapped itself around his head.

"You're mother was a unicorn-hair lady friend, set in willow. just scepter that, I remember the day I made it. Your male parent liked a scepter with dragon heart-string, more powerful. fountainhead I say he liked but its really the sceptre that chooses the wizard."Ollivander fixed Harry with a stare that made his flavour like he was being weighed and measured but he managed to say.

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

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

"No, not that one. Lets go in another direction."Ollivander climbed up a run on the far side of the shop class and dropped down another box."Dragon-heartstring and beach. 12 inch and thin."He called out."Try it."Harry waved the proclaim toothpick unenthusiastically before handing it back up to Ollivander who replaced it on the ledge and kicked the ladder over to another area.

More wands passed by without core and Harry was beginning to sense worried ( and a little 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 gentleman spooky eyes. Harry raised it apprehensively and swished it like a whip. nil happened, and silence filled the diminished workshop. Harry held the sceptre out for the old shopkeeper but he made no move to ask 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 moment, as if struggling with something."And oak."

A few wands later and one shot ribbons of light in the air as Harry swished it.

"Andaman padunk."The verge Maker said almost to himself."and phoenix feather. Just nine inches. But this is yours !"He held up the other wand in its box."This is the one you're supposed to have. This wand has at its core, a sure feather. The birdie that gave that feather gave only one other that was made into a wand. Yes, thirteen and a one-half inches, yew. That scepter Harry, gave you that scar."He pointed at Harry's os frontale."That wand belonged to he-who-must-not-be-named I'm sorry to say. You and… and… and he…"Ollivander lapsed into silence and Harry said.

"But that one didn't work. This one did."He liked the look of the verge he had in his manus. The woodwind instrument was faintly red and the traveling bag where he held it was a little rougher making the affair tactile property stable in his small hand like none of the others had."How much for this one."

"yield it."The old man suddenly looked just that, old. He waved them out as he turned and walked into the back of his store, without taking his heart off the verge in his hand.










Harry left the price of the baton on the desk and left the old man to his thoughts. 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 know what's going on."Hagrid nodded and sighed, mumbling something about not knowing why Dumbledore thought he was the one who should say him, then launched into the story. 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 deep breath and said…

"They think, that something I was or did hold back this dark lord ? And the ground mass are staring at me is because I'm some sort of celebrity-hero ? And everyone in your cosmos knows this ? Including the multitude I'm going to be going to school with ? And this glowering wizard may still be out there somewhere ? Have I got this right hand ?"

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

On the way back down the street Harry deliberately kept his whisker up off his scar. people stared, he would make to get used to it.


Chapter 2 : The toaders

Hagrid spoke to the barkeeper at the leaky cauldron before leaning down to speak 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 last out here."

So that was how it came to pass that Harry slept at the tattling cauldron that night, tired from a day that had held more surprise than, well, than the sleep of his biography put together. Harry kicked off the blankets when he began sweating and lay back with his hired man behind his head. His tired body fought his buzzing mind as it churned through the days revealing. But as the clock crept past eleven Harry's body began to win and his middle drooped.

He dreamt of wands and wizards and rocketing carts that flew past his eyes chased by broomsticks. But most of all he kept turning and turning the tarradiddle Hagrid had told him through his head just as he had when he was awake. Again and again a colored figure killed a man, then a fair sex then touched him on the mind with his scepter. Sometimes the man was Hagrid, his vast majority blowing away like debris in a flash of light, sometimes the man looked like Harry, but Old, stockier. The killer was spoilt, sometimes it was just a dark force, a wafture. Sometimes it looked homo, like a scoundrel off TV, decked out in fang and a cloak as it killed a cleaning woman who looked like Madam Malkin. Sometimes it had red heart. Once, it was Harry.

Harry jerked awake and saw that it was still saturnine outside. He had sweated despite ridding himself of the covers and scrambled to the window to open it. Dim light filtered in from the sharpness of a sky not quite ready for sunrise. Harry turned and looked over his room, barely glimpsed the Night before. It was panelled in oak and the piece of furniture was all of the impenetrable wooden sort. The bed had a canopy around it that Harry had failed to close last night, he noted in passing that the under flat solid was twisted as if the sleeper goby had squirmed in the night.

"Running from something"Harry decided grimly. That thought and others made him decide to antedate trying to get some more quietus before cockcrow and wandered over to where he'd dropped his bags by the dresser.

He idly looked through bags, sorting poppycock into wads and chuckling as they brought back recollections of respective episodes of the premature day, the quill the shopkeeper had tried to give him unloose when a pennant from a fan blew back his hair, the potion element Hagrid had had to go back in to get after the crocodile eye episode. When he finally had all he owned in lashings in forepart of him he pulled over a chair and sat down in figurehead of it, considering his dilemma. The largest slew by far, dwarfing his new gown in weight unit if not in size, was the books.

This really was a quandary for Harry. Having not had cause to understand anything longer than a sentence or two in three years Harry was painfully cognisant that those books would be seriously clayey going. Checking his just the ticket again ( from another megabucks ) Harry counted days and came up with xxx eight. He counted them again and came up with 30 seven. He did a trivial rime in his headland to remember how many days august had and came up with thirty eight again. He wondered how much a way for more than a calendar month had cost and whether he could conduct all his script about on the streets and realised that Hagrid had probably paid in cash advance to hold on him doing just that. The groundskeeper was surprisingly shrewd about some things.

Harry switched his tending back to the Good Book and began wondering instead if a month would be enough. He'd be blown if he was going to this school without knowing a jot Thomas More than he knew now and looking like a raw newcomer. Harry's stomach grumbled and he realised wryly that lunch had been a retentive metre ago and although a lot had happened in the mean-time dinner party hadn't been part of it. And worse he realised with a chuckle, breakfast probably wouldn't be served for hours yet.

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

Harry lay back for a moment and closed his eyes, then swung forward and pulled a ledger off the top of the plenty. After a minute he replaced it, shuffled through money box he found the one with the word founder in the rubric and started on that. After a moment he put that back too and found the one that said grade-one. After a moment he leaned back and put his feet up. He had finally managed to understand the first conviction in one of his books. It was a start.

*

Harry was well into the book when he realised that luminousness was streaming through the window and the sounds of the city were filtering through loud and cleared. Harry stood up, put the Book in his bag and went off to explore Diagonally. The barkeeper watched him go but didn't try to turn back him.

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

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

Harry followed a normal like this for the side by side few days, going out in the break of day and drenching in the muckle of Diagonally until he was sure he knew the lieu by heart, The measure Christian Bible of turn ( course one ) by Miranda goshawk was finished and replaced back by A beginners guide to transfiguration by Emeric switch which was itself supersede after a much longer interval ( the book was thirster and had none of the helpful diagrams Miranda goshawk had added to her rule book ) by one about Fungi.

Harry was just grinding through a particularly dull handing over about moss after a foresightful days walk when he heard a tapping on the window. A John Brown and cream flecked owl with tenacious legs stood on the windowsill. The window was open but the owl just kept sitting there, cocking its headspring at him until Harry motioned the raspberry to arrive in. It ducked under the window frame and hopped onto the story where it scuttled up to the desk and raised itself up to it in one flap. measured to stave off disturbing any of Harry's stuff 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 head teacher and took another step back but didn't leave. Harry felt into his air pocket and found the clay of his ham sandwich tiffin which he opened and placed near the owl. The owl looked at it but seemed too unquiet to take it. Shrugging, Harry opened the alphabetic character. In writing almost as bad as his own Harry read…


love Harry
Happy birthday. Sorry I couldn't be there in person but what with the shoal class just starting there's lots to do at Hogwarts. There was a classroom on the third floor full of figure eating slugs. Anyway I sent you your gift. ( Harry checked inside the envelope and read on bewildered ) Unless you're wondering why the hooter still hanging around it's because she's yours. ( Ahh, thought Harry, glancing at the nervous bird ) The cage and hooey should be coming soon too. If you want to write to me just turn over her a missive, she'll sleep with where to find oneself me. Once again happy Birthday.

Hagrid


Harry folded the alphabetic character up carefully and turned to reckon at the owl. It really wasn't that large in the dead body but had long spindly legs that looked like they belonged on a wader. Harry slowly put his arm out and scratched the side of meat of the owls drumhead. She went clay for a moment then relaxed and cocked her head under his scratching fingers. After a small while the owl managed to pluck up the braveness to take a bit of ham off the table and swallow it whole. The future day he took her to eyelops owl emporium where they told him she was a burrowing owl. In light of this he named her Digger. The shop assistant said that that was the most stereotyped name he'd ever heard. Harry stuck his tongue out at him and left the shop.

About a week after that Harry snapped shut the covering of the hold up book in his agglomerate. He put it carefully on top of the others and sat there for a while collecting his thought process. Then he leaned forward, placed a hand firmly on the underside of the atomic reactor and turned it over. digger hooted from her cage as Harry sat back down to read.

*

September the first bloomed vivid and early but Harry was already up. His bag was stuffed to the brim with his schooling clothed and record book and his cauldron tied on the outside and he carried Digger in her John Cage in one hand. Harry walked Diagonally one last time to say bye to the people he'd met on his walk, Greeklunk at gringots, the fruit seller he chatted to when he got bored of his book and finally to Tom the barkeep before walking back out into the muggle world.

Kings hybrid was not far away. But with an owl in a cage and a wax bag even a shortly way can appear too far and Harry was tired when he reached it.

"Half an 60 minutes to go."Harry checked his tag."gentle to expect on the train than out here ”. He walked down the platform past platform eight, retiring program nine, past platform ten, back past program ten, stop, look left, look right.

A profanity slipped from Harry's sass that made a passer-by grouch and frown. There was no political program nine-and-three-quarters, at least not one he could see. Harry had walked the lengths of platform nine and ten before he saw an odd mountain moving towards him. A man dressed in a opprobrious cape, attracting many stares from passers by, herded a white-blond haired nestling towards the program. They were followed by a tired looking man carrying a with child travelling chest and ( and this was the bit Harry was looking at ) a declamatory owl in a coop. As the tercet drew skinny Harry heard the boy say…

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

"Hello."From the icy face in the valet eyes not a skilful starting time but he pressed on."I couldn't assist but overhear that stopping point bit and it occurred to me that you might be the kind of mass 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 idiot. The man looked him up and down slowly.

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

"Jack !"Harry was thumped on the shoulder and spun around to look into the freckled facial expression of one of the Gemini from the leaky cauldron the first off time he had passed through there. They were followed by an quondam adolescent, possibly even more freckled than them and a immature one bringing up the nates. Behind them was a plump fair sex, wild at being left in boot of a whole flotilla of baggage tram while her sons ran off and a short girl hanging on to her hand.

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

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

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

"Lots of the great unwashed aren't Harry Potter."Said Harry with a grinning."It's hardly an accolade."("Now how the hell am I gon'a be able to tell them the truth."Thought Harry. )

"full stop bothering him lamb, and lease you're cart 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 crew to the gap between platform nine and platform ten trying to figure out out a way to tell them.

"You know, about the whole Harry Potter thing."Harry said but was silenced as the Old comrade took his cart and walked straight through the wall. Harry's electric shock must feature came through on his face because the mother said.

"First time to Hogwarts dear ?"

"Either that or I've gone mad and I just haven't realised it yet."This explanation was becoming more and more appealing to Harry's mind but the woman just laughed.

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

"Run at the wall."Harry said flatly as the twins 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 close his eyes but kept them resolutely open. The paries came closer. A sudden moment of panic hit Harry and he squeezed his eyes shut and shielded his head with his hands.

There was a instant of quiet pressure sensation then Harry opened his eyes and walked out to stare at the red steam locomotive, sat next to the mark for platform nine-and-three-quarters. He heard a weird shlooping speech sound 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 grin in restitution. Harry wandered down the political platform and got in a seemingly empty rig. He saw the platinum haired boy from the platform talking to Blaise Zabini and hastily got back down. The next few carriages he checked were occupied by the great unwashed already talking and chatting and showing each former pictures. Harry reached the end of the train and was on his way back when he spotted the boy, Ron, walking along in front 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 find out a radical of 7th days in grievous discussion over a paper. Harry hefted his bag higher onto his shoulder and held the doorway to the next compartment unfold for Ron and his huge trunk.

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

"I like to trip light."Harry said, they leaned against the paries for a mo as a gaggle of previous scholar passed."Makes it easier to run from trouble. Besides, I don't have decent poppycock to sate one o'those things."Harry nodded towards the trunk.

"I'm Ron."The boy extended a hired man, which Harry took."Ron Weasley. What's your last name diddlysquat ?"

"Well, see the thing about that is."No welcome distractions here."My names not actually Jack."seeing Ron's perplexed face he continued."You find out how your brothers met me right."( nod )."How people thought I was Harry thrower and turned and looked at me ?"( nod )."fountainhead, try and see it from my perspective, you're suddenly in a new spot with set of people staring at you."( silent stare )."What would you have 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 upright prank, he laughed right up until Harry pushed his fringe up and showed Ron the scar on his frontal bone. Rons middle 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 sneaky 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 head slowly while grinning.

"You're chum ?"

"Yeah,"Suddenly a view seemed to strike Ron."Oh, let me tell them ! The facial expression on their faces…"

"Knock yourself out, only don't, really. Once had a ally who did that, lost percentage of his memory and forgot six."Harry launched into one of his farcical and totally fictional stories.

"Forgot six ? Six what ?"

"The number six, he used to bet up like… four, five, seven. If you told him he'd missed out a numeral 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.

"grade not. Believe me. This guy was for real, 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 take in to go sit down. Was frightfully at keeping naming too, on write up of missing Saturday. Even worse he was scared of dice. Seemed to imagine they should be made triangular."Harry launched further into the floor, dreaming up more wildly improbable circumstance when he glanced into a nearby compartment and saw familiar faces.

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

*

He opened the door and looked in on the twin girls ( I'm meeting a lot of twins ) he'd met in diagonally's apothecary."Hi."Harry said by way of introduction,"mind if we sit down here ? I could hoodwink again by way of payment ?"The female child giggled and Harry moved into the compartment and helped Ron put his huge trunk in the overhead compartment. He waited until Ron had introduced himself before adding…"and my public figure Harry, Harry Potter."

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

"There wasn't prison term, what with the being thrown out of the shop and all. Don't concern about that this time, I plan to outride at Hogwarts at least a few days before getting thrown."The twins laughed, that was how to do it. severalize a joke just after you say your name ‘ cos you can't gasp and laugh at the Lapp clock time."And anyway, you didn't tell apart me your names either."

"Well I'm Padma, and this is Annapurna Patil."Said Padma before her sister added"Do you have the scratch ?"Harry obligingly lifted his fuzz and let it fall back."Wow."The Twins looked at one another then broke out into giggles. But Annapurna added through the jape,"I expected you to be marvellous though."Harry looked around and realised he was the inadequate person in a L per centum girl room then shrugged.

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

"Nah,"said Ron"If you were you wouldn't fit in the power train. And you'd be a altogether lot frightful !"

"Thanks."Harry said flatly while wondering whether he was good ( dragons, so why not giants ? ). Before he could say anything else the compartment room access slid open to register a witch pushing a streetcar full of food.

"Would you like anything off the trolley car love ?"She asked. A momentary-flash-fire three way battle raged in Harry between hunger, parsimoniousness and a need to impress but the matter was decided by a set of creamy orange cake sitting on one side of the trolley. On seeing them, thrift waved a little white flag.

"Two of those please."Harry said, pointing at the cakes. Ron mumbled that he had brought sandwiches but the twins seemed to give birth worked out all the hooey they were getting in advance and amassed a small pile of their favourite in front of them. As the trolley moved away Harry held up one of his patty and said."Now, can anyone distinguish me what the snake pit 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 filling hit his tongue.

"Wizards get decent 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 arise up with adept, or witches or Dragon or giants."Harry gestured widely at the surrounding orbit."Welcome to my journey of unvarying disclosure. I'm just waiting for the foreigner to jump out with pane and all will be complete."He stopped and waited on their disoriented stares.

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

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

"Who took care 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 picayune too long before answering."Well, myself I guess. For the last three years at least, I lived with my aunt and uncle before that. wellspring, I say lived with, survived is probably the better terminal figure. That's why I left."Harry lapsed into silence and quickly began to panic under their stares, this was risky than when they learned his name.

"So, you lived alone ?"Annapurna broke the quiet."Without a syndicate ?"

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

"Yes without a family unit, yes without a home."Harry's affection began to speed and he could feel the sweat from their stares. He fumbled in his sac and brought out two juggling balls and began to bounce them in one paw, he could feel the stress wane, relaxing, growing humble but still sitting there, in the book binding of his mind, weighing it down. It had been calm too long, pull in them babble again."Neat story yeah ?"Harry said pocketing the testis."Anyway its not as bad as you think, I think I had a short help after I left my aunt and uncle's."

"What do you signify ?"Ron leaned forward, his mouthpiece full of sandwich.

"We'll, its something I worked out since I found out."It had taken him a while to gain it, his mind soaking into the old books he was reading, the comprehension had come to him slowly, as more than and more piece of music fell together."You know unintentional magic…"

"The kind muggle-born-wizard fry 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 retrieve I was golden, innate lucky, you know ? Any meter I was really in trouble like, like with the police ("police ? !"gasped Ron, The Twin eyes went full with shock. ) something always happened. Like a gate I'd just ran through locked and barred itself behind me, or a water main bursting right under a cop-car."

"Were they hurt ?"Ron looked aghast.

"Nah, just broke the car. Still, none of those were as good as this one time."Harry motioned for the others to angle in and they obliged, now wrapped up in his story."I was being chased by this gang o'drunken guy wire right ? Chasing me over some small matter of minuscule grandness 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 head ruefully"Some people have no sense of humour, they took it totally out of context. Anyway, normally I have no trouble outdistancing drink soaked yobs but in this case I was in a part of Town I hadn't been in before and I found myself in the untenable situation of facing a dead end with six of the idiots tearing down on me."

"Did you become 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, slip over."Harry's eyes twinkled."I wasn't sure at the meter but I think I turned their shoes to ice. Have you ever seen six tope bozo hangin'off each other ‘ cos they couldn't stand up. Any metre they tried to stand up they just fell flat 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 brake shoe off I'd have been a goner, but with a slight avail from the alcoholic drink they'd inebriate that didn't occur and I was safe to slew away."Harry laughed and after a second his booster laughed too. Harry could remember 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 patch of shadows and to lie there trembling. Laughter was easily after but he would never forget the fear.

"That's nothing."Ron said, clearly trying to top Harry."One sentence when I was out on my broom…"He got no further into his story as the threshold slid open to reveal a nervous looking kid with a chubby font 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, Annapurna and Padma to see a chorus of shaking chief."No, he hasn't been in here… But."Harry added as the boys eyes started to well up again."I could help you look if you like."Parvati was quick to add that she'd help too. Padma sighed but repeated what her sister said. Ron said nada and rolled his eyes.

But the Weasley was outnumbered and so The pack started off down the corridor, Harry idly juggling and starting another of his basic tales, Padma and Parvati listening intently, Neville ( the toadless marvel ) had stopped crying and was even smiling at the story and Ron bringing up the rump, trying to pretend this wasn't better than sitting in a cabin.

*

Everything was going so well ( no they had not actually found the anuran but they had met lots of worry people and one interesting whale wanderer. ) when Harry saw mortal coming down the corridor and grimaced. His slight group of toad-hunters stopped dead as the atomic number 78 haired kid from the post walked towards them flanked by two rich students. ("well, I say robust."view 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, tire voice."Its you, the mudblood from the station."Harry heard Ron pant and Anapurna shout"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 abasement of being constantly bettered by the material wizards. My father always says muggle-borns shouldn't be allowed to serve with us pure blooded wizards."

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

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

"A toad."Harry kept smiling."You know, small, fleeceable, frog-like thing, answers 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 green, ugly, disgusting reptiles."With his punch-line achieved Harry dropped his grin and glared at the boy as Ron and the Gemini 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 doors to listen."I am Draco Malfoy, my father is Lucius Malfoy, you'd dependable not make opposition you can't deal with mudblood."Once again the news produced a reaction, even from the people in the cabins. most of them erupted in anger muttering, a few looked at Malfoy proudly."Anyway, I don't see why I'm cachexy time with the ilk of you. There's a rumour that Harry ceramicist is on the train."That set off a dissimilar kind of reaction, a frenzied gasp and hasty, whispered conversation."And I'm trying to find him before he falls in with riffraff 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 neat. I have no mind what they are but since you seem to hate them so lots and gods true statement, the Sir Thomas More I see of you the more I seem to hate your guts I can be sure I'll erotic love ‘ em to turn. Now, would you mind moving, I have salientian to find, and all I'm finding here are worms."Harry pointed straight at Malfoy and then to the side of the pusher. Malfoy remained stock still. The equipage had gone deadly quiet.

"Who do you think you are ?"Draco said with undisguised scorn.

"Harry Potter. Nice to cope with you."Dragon's center went all-encompassing and the compartments once more began whispering."This is Ron Weasly and Neville Longbottom, and Padma and Parvati Patil."Harry advanced on the blonde haired kid before him and waved his hired man at the giant bodyguards."Now, aren't you going to introduce me to you're friends…pets…companions. Interesting how you managed to fit two hippo into uniforms, you would have thought the tails would get in the way."Then Harry noticed the maestro virgule, a small green ball near Malfoys charge. He stooped, swiped it up and held it for all to see.

"Trevor !"Cried Neville happily.

"flavour at this guys, it's even better than I thought. Malfoy…"He jabbed his thumb behind him,"…actually attracts ugly brute. He doesn't need to seek them out, they come to him ! I wonder why that is ? I think…"Harry went on in a stage whisper"… that it might be the smell."He just had meter to see the laugh erupt before something hit him in the back of the head.

*

Harry went down hard and felt a weight land on top of him. It felt like both the Hippo Regius were on him, punching and kneeing for all they were Charles Frederick Worth. Harry kicked up and when one flinched back he rolled out from under and turned his roll into a jump to his metrical unit. He saw one of the kids trying to mount and pushed him back down on top of his friend. At that bit he felt hot sparks singe his neck opening and smelled burnt pilus and turned to see Malfoy standing there with wand drawn, the last faint glow just fading from the tip. Harry looked around and saw that no one had moved. The thing had happened in moments. Then suddenly one of the Onlookers glanced down the carriage, yelled

"PREFECTS ! ! !"and suddenly everyone jumped back into their cabins. Harry felt two set of hired man grab him by the articulatio humeri and pull him in with someone. He turned to see the grinning faces of the Weasly counterpart and the toad 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 zilch but began looking at Harry with a kind of awe that was uncomfortable. Recounting the combat and the taunting that prompted it kept them laughing until Parvati glanced out the window and said

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

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

*

Harry's hand drifted through the water, forgotten, as he stared out from the boat he, Ron and the Twin had shared. All public lecture 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 English of the lake, a vast support or castle with tall, goad towers and giant halls. Every window glowed from within and shone beams of light out like searchlights. Harry had never seen anything like it. He wondered for a import whether that was because it was magic, certainly some of the towers looked like they couldn't be supported by just Harlan Fisk Stone and mortar.

Harry stood up in the boat 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 boats in through a cave Harry turned and sat down.

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

"Wait money box you get inside."Ron grinned,"Fred and St. George told me everything about it. Apparently the stairs move and there's secret passages everywhere."Harry made a mental promissory note to find all of them."And there's fauna in the keep that the teachers don't know about, and there a room full of hoarded wealth in one of the walls. Fred and George V said they 'd have got it out by now if it wasn't guarded by a monster."

"That's a bunch of pig poo."Parvati scoffed ( Harry chuckled at the absurdly soft profanity ) as they stepped out of the boat onto a landing."My friend's in her third gear year and she once told me Fred and George Weasly were the giving jokers and the biggest liars in the unscathed school."Ron bristled and was about to retort 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 rejoin when he suddenly looked paying attention and nodded his forefront. Harry suddenly grinned and spread his arms above his question. Then he let himself settle slowly, forward then curled, put his hands down and stood straight like a needle with his toes pointed up at the sky."But I don't think they'll adopt this so easy…"Harry pushed up and landed back on his feet to run across astonished stares,"…if they do withstand the cut-up crown they'd well enjoy it while they can ‘ cos I'm on the scene now."Harry put his handwriting on his rose hip and licked his forepart teethh."And they ain't seen nothing yet."

*

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

"You're already planning to pause school pattern and you're not even past the sorting yet."Harry turned, praying he was wrong about recognising the vocalism."I have half a mind to tell the headmaster about you right now."petition unanswered. The voice came from the bushy haired lady friend from diagonally who was standing with her hands on her rose hip facing them as the other inaugural eld filed past down the corridor.

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

"You should all hold on away from him."The girl ignored Harry and addressed the other frog Orion."You could all get into huge trouble."With that the girl turned and marched off after the first years. Meanwhile Harry turned back to the others.

"So, you've heard my estimate 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 hand then, I'm happy you guys are behind me. Now lets get going. If were belatedly we'll never even get put into the schooltime to get thrown out !"They hurried after the others. Surprisingly it was Neville who brought up the study of what to call themselves. Some musical theme ( Not all of them good ) were bandied about. Ron seemed to be set on putting the Word of God cannons in the name for some reasonableness but was silenced when Padma sarcastically said

"Oh, so we don't we want to be named after a winning squad ?"That could have come to shock without Harry's mood- lightening power. Even after a lot of other selection ( some very cool, Harry held out for the name the toaders for a long time, Neville had suggested it but it did depict them up to now ) one figure seemed to stick and, even when other options came up they still found themselves using that one ( except for comic result, when Harry still used the toaders. ). It felt right field 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 supplant them, so were the new single !"Harry didn't think that was the cause somehow, but the name itself fit like a glove.

So, as Harry ceramist, Ron Weasly, Neville Longbottom and Padma and Anapurna Patil walked into the waiting hall by the groovy hall and the shoemaker's last of the sunset-sunlight streamed in through the windowpane the New piranha were born.

*

They stepped into the great hallway in a row and giggled when they gasped in tandem. The sight was awe inspiring, the vast tabular array of students staring and pointing, lighted by hundreds of floating candles and even near, Harry's eyes travelled upwards and he smiled in enraptured wonder. The dark sky greeted him above, every star bright and clear like a back-lit rhombus. Like gold dust. Having never been far out of the M25 Harry had grown up with streetlamps and light pollution. The stars were gifts, just one Sir Thomas More thing he wanted to give thanks this blank space for.

He quietened as an older witch carried an old hat out to the stage and set it down on a stool. She straightened and delivered her education in a crisp, effective interpreter and the hall instantly became silent. Harry thought he saw the hat move then turned back to the witch. But no ! it had moved, and now it split down a ridge and opened like a mouth to say…


Lasting one thousand years and more
By the noted Hogwarts four
The houses of fame

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

I was put here to sort you gag
You sorry, persnickety, shorty, folks
To one of them today

To Griffindor
The Leo 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
zero to fear
Just contribute an ear
I'm quite sincere
Can't wait to see them chute and cheer !

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

"good story yeah !"Ron leaned over to Harry.

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

His spear carrier investigation before arriving had also turned up the Slytherin name, frequently associated with the night and evil. And the hat's verbal description had matched him. Harry felt suddenly very cold and small-scale and he felt like a darkness cloud had touched him. He shivered and told himself it was his imagination.

He could depone he felt eyes on the back of his head but when he turned around the only someone there was a thin, anxious looking wizard in a toque chatting to a lank-haired and sallow-faced professor. The lank-haired instructor eyes flicked to his facial expression, then to his os frontale and Harry turned back quickly. Just in time to discover the first public figure called out.

*

Harry stood, his gist beating fast in his thorax 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 University or abbot, he couldn't have taken being the maiden to the stand.

Each individual chosen prompted a new batch of cheering from the star sign they were chosen for. Harry had the insane urge to get out his juggling balls just to relive his tension but knew he couldn't, not under all those heart. A here and now later he recognised Hermione walking up to the chairperson and posing, jamming on the singing hat, a few bit later and the hat pronounced her a Gryffindor and she ran down to the board. The next soul he recognised was Neville, he tried to shut out away all his nerves and give Neville an boost wave as he walked past, ashen faced. After what must have been minute of arc the hat sent Neville to Gryffindor too and the relief on his nerve 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 persuasion despite his efforts. The Gemini 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 more than name then…

"Harry Potter !"

"Alright."Thought Harry"If there was ever a time you needed to keep you're cool. This is that time."He made himself strut a little as he walked over to the chairperson through the rustling and stares then forced himself to grin as he dropped the hat on his head. The night was welcome as the hat slid over his eye but then…

"Hm… Another knavish one."It was the voice of the hat, but quieter now, and coming from just outside his ear."salutary intellect but underused, patriotic person but no present dedication, and with your fears…"

"Hey !"Thought Harry, for a moment more than angry than frighten away."Who the snake pit said you could calculate around in my encephalon anyway ! That stuffs bloody individual !"The hat seemed amused.

"I only look to put you where you'd fit in respectable, it's in your best interests you know. To go with the great unwashed who understand you, whose minds are like your own, full of cunning shipway, hide out paths, early ways to get what you want. I can send out you where you'll fit in, where you'll notice Quaker, in the star sign of Salazar Sl ..."But Harry cut him off.

"That's enough ! I will not let myself be placed in a planetary house of moody wizard and disgusting people !"Harry thought angrily."I don't see what gives you the rightfulness to take either. I chose my way ! Always ! If you looked a little further in my brain you'd see the powerful o'that ! I chose to leave home plate ! I chose to arrive here ! No parent ! no guidebook ! I made my own way here, ME ! Its my biography and I want to go to Gry ..."

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

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

*

He sat down near Padma, Anapurna and Neville who had saved quad for him and Ron.

"That's a bit of a relief."If he had been being true Harry would hold said he felt like he was walking on air."I don't know anyone in the former houses."A few moments later Ron was put with them as well and dropped down in the remaining arse, 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 mesa had stood up.

He looked very old but he stood without a stoop and had straightened smoothly. His hair and whiskers were snowy white and tied into two shadower, one down the front line, one down the backbone. As he surveyed the hall, Harry could birth sworn the mans eyes fixed on him for a split back before moving on.

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

"Albus Dumbledore pudding head !"Hissed Parvati."The Headmaster."

"One small-arm of advice comes to me at this time."The old piece voice sounded faintly amused, like he knew something funny that everyone else didn't."Hungry children listen only to their grumbling breadbasket. With that in intellect, tuck in !"Harry saw the plates in presence of him replete with everything imaginable. Plates of sum and potato piled high, and pitchers good of succus and milk. Harry looked so long he didn't suction stop 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 plates for himself. He was almost disappointed when the deserts appeared and was definitely disappointed when they went though he couldn't have eaten another bite. He was sitting in a glad, sleepy, replete and contended haze when he saw the headmaster rise to his feet again.

"I have a few promulgation to construct. Firstly, that offset years are reminded that they are not allowed their own broom, that world-class and second years are forbidden to insert Hogsmead Village, that all pupil are taboo to enter the prevent wood and that anyone with any sentiency of ego preservation should debar the third floor corridor on the right hand slope. Thank you."

"Third floor corridor ?"Said Ron."Hey St. George ! Fred !"He yelled down the table at his blood brother."What's on this third story corridor ?"

"cypher the last metre we looked."Said Fred."Why ?"

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

"What do you call back ?"Harry asked the group as a whole.

"If there was anything there last class they'd know about it."Ron said crossing his blazon and directing a dark look back along the table."So whatever it is it must have only just happened."

"Their hiding something."Said Parvati confidently."There's something powerful they're researching and they want to keep open it mystical, there's no danger."

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

"Well of course if Dumbledore says it then it must be true. He couldn't possibly he lying or exaggerating to make certain 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 juice before going on."There was never any interrogative of going or not. As soon as it became forbidden it became our first target."

*

But there was little chance for Harry to have a bun in the oven through on his promise for the get-go few daytime, deterrent example followed lesson and Harry found himself challenged to stay fresh up. Everything in the al-Qur'an he'd read seemed to make up about one one percent of what they needed to bang and each new concept sent him out from the lesson scratching his head back to the record 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 return to the Gryffindor common room and sit down on the table that had already been designated, even by older student, the Marauders table. On his endorse day Harry had simply invaded this tabular array and pulled four other hot seat around it, plopped his bag down and waited. By day four it was established and the places reserved.

It was near enough to the fire to be warmed by it and was constantly piled with their books and suitcase, whatever sweets they had each donated to the pot, a wizard chess set in lasting confusion, at least one copy of beldam Weekly and, more often than not, Trevor. And under the pile, between the Sir Frederick Handley Page of the Christian Bible or hidden in angelic peignoir there were single-valued function, details, reports and ideas.

The five of them would work on the days onerous homework till the uncouth room began to empty, then the books would close and the work would commence in earnest. It had moved beyond the third flooring corridor of course, there were plans to get into filches billet, McGonagall's office, each of the other common elbow room, plans to maledict people ( 99 % of those people being Slytherins and 80 % of them being Malfoy ) and plans to line up all the secret passing of the school.

Harry laughed more than he ever had before and did magic trick as they planned. Harry had never believed that Hogwarts could be like this, friends everywhere and a feast at every repast. Even the object lesson couldn't put a dent in this. Then, on Friday, Harry awoke from sleep after a particularly expert planning sitting and went downstairs to breakfast. If Harry had had a single prophetic bone in his body he would own shivered when looking at his days timetable.

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

*

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

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

"For those lucky enough to be able to excel in my subject."The sweetener nosed, sallow faced prof continued."It will glean them reward far beyond any juvenile charm or enchantment. What magic spell can make full the origin with fire, can kill understood as a mouse, can fan living back into what former turn would hold a remains, can beam someone into so deep a rest they will never awake."

"I don't know any go for the death one but his voice is doing a pretty upright job so far."Padma whispered and Harry had to bite his upper lip to hold back the phone in. They had been set at a desk thankfully near the back of the class and could look clear across the whole form to where the instructor, one Severus Snape, stalked in nominal head of the blackboard. The reason they were laughing so hard was that, before the lesson, Ron's brothers had treated them to an impression of Snape which, at the prison term, they had thought was an exaggeration.

"But most of you will not have that acquisition and will doubtless line up yourself confused… baffled… and, if prior disasters are any indication, severely sting in this classroom. If that is the display case then I ask that you don't hesitate to number to me for help."("WHAT ?"Harry's dumbfounded expression was mirrored on every face in the class )"And I will tell apart you what I tell all the other students stupefied enough to come to me. ‘ I don't CARE.'” The teacher waved his wand at the plank and some instructions appeared there.

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

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

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

"A DoS of affairs I foresee happening frequently. Lets see if we can speed things up a piffling. Tell me…"Snape's back snapped heterosexual like a willow twig and he looked down at Harry."What would I get if I added powdery stem of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood ?"

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

"Incorrect."Snape glowered.

"alibi me."The annoying spin to the words… the self-important accent… Hermione sat at the future table over and was turned towards Harry and Snape."The solution is the Draft of living death. A sleep potion herculean en…"

"Five compass point from Gryffindor Miss Granger."Snape said without turning."The correct answer Potter ... Was ‘ draft of living last sir'. Another ten distributor point from Gryffindor."Snape swept off leaving Harry glowering at his back.

"That wasn't fair."Said Ron, turning from the table in movement that he shared with Neville."He can't bring points if you get the veracious answer."

"Well you were a bit cheeky to will off the Sir."Hermione said primly and folded her blazonry. Behind her on her table Lavender Brown ( not a toader but a friend of Padma and Parvatis. Harry had promised to instruct her to juggle once and was now trying to find a way to joggle 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 persuasion ?"Ron said glibly.

"Can't recall 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, soul who had stood up for him. He tried to think of something funny to say that would give Hermione jape and realised he didn't know anything she'd like. A minute later Snape swooped back past and the luck for talk was over.

While failing to clear his potion Harry thought carefully, Hermione didn't go around with anyone, she didn't sit with the same hoi polloi in any two course of instruction, he'd never seen her talking in the vulgar room with anyone. In fact, the only times he'd seen her out of classes was when he took Christian Bible out of the library, then she was always there, with her fountainhead deep in progressively thicker books.

"That doesn't mean she doesn't have friends."Thought Harry while crushing porcupine quills."She could know people in other geezerhood from before she came here."

"She's muggle-born."Another part of his mentality said"How would she already have ally at a wizard school."

"Oh…"Harry looked over at Hermione and Lavender, only talking to cite the instructions on the add-in and at other times Hermione was craned over her record book and Lavender over hers.

"She really doesn't… and you snubbed her…"Harry was quiet until the end of the lesson. He didn't want to blab. When you find out something you don't a great deal like about yourself the final thing you want to do is tattle about it.

*

Harry tried to verbalise to Hermione several clip over the side by side few weeks but she always just ignored him or ran off. Worse, Padma and Parvati had told him she had taken to crying in the girls toilets during falling out and after lessons.

"Maybe you could do something."Harry pointed out during a late September evening after a particularly successful japery of some fifth year Slytherins"You sleep in the Sami bloody room. Surely you talk to her."

"She doesn't public lecture to us."Parvati explained"Always has a book or prep or something out and doesn't want to be disturbed."

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

"Why do you care anyway ?"Ron asked him pointedly."If she wanted the great unwashed to like her she wouldn't be so cleave up. If she keeps pushing people away it's probably because she doesn't want friends."Anapurna and Padma nodded sadly but Neville ( quiet on the hobby as always ) gave a lowly shake of his head. Loneliness was easier to understand from experience than from observation.

"No rationality really, it's just we've got to live with the rest of our yr for the next seven old age and that'll be easier if were at least on speakin'terminal figure with them."The others seemed to accept this fond explanation. The Truth of the matter was Harry didn't want to see anybody lonely either.

*

Harry decided to try a more train advance. The adjacent day, after lesson but before dinner, Harry went down to the depository library and approached the now familiar view of a slew of books and Hermione. He pulled up a chairman and sat about a third of the way around the table from her.

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

"expression, you can't restrain going like this forever. Humans need to talk to former man or they go crazy."Harry twirled a finger near his ear and let his center go scotch."Anyway don't you…"

"No I don't !"Hermione slammed the book shut and looked at him angrily. He saw red around her oculus."And if you don't intellect I'm doing a limited labor for prof Flitwick and it's in tomorrow. Some people care about school."And with that she darted to yet a third table and sat with her back to him. After a bit he saw her berm begin to shake with sobs.



Harry stood there for a present moment feeling worthless then turned and walked out of the library. But that wasn't the net he'd see of Hermione that day, a little later when Harry was on a fact-finding military mission ("I swear Mustela putorius keeps a spare key in one of the janitors closets."Ron had said. Harry had agreed to look into it without realising how very many janitors W.C. there were and what unpleasant smells inhabited them ) he passed a room access to an disused classroom and heard voices inside.

"Give it back !"Hermione's voice ?"You arrogant snake ! dedicate it back !"

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

"kick in it back you foul, loathsome thing !"

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

"What an interesting text file mudblood. Flitwick would have been astounded with it. Probably would have earned you a few family points eh ? Except you won't be capable to yield it to him. treacherous as you mudbloods are, saying you'll do something then not having even a I rag to hand in. Terrible."Harry heard bastard from inside and redoubled his feat at the door. Was n't there a spell called allohamora ? Harry flicked his verge out and tried to cast it. Nothing happened. He tried again. Nothing. Oh damnit ! This was n't one of the doors that would n't open ! This was one of the paries that look like a doorway. Harry peered through the keyhole to try to see another room access. Malfoy was holding up the report for Hermione to see and said,

"Then I'll say ‘ Oh prof, if you wanted someone to write up that you should've asked me. I've been researching it. Just in my part with time of course. Thanks for the menage stop mudblood."Harry heard another doorway assailable then close and ran in the direction of the speech sound. Malfoy and his minions were already out of mass so Harry quietly opened the door and went in. Hermione was slumped in a good deal in the middle of the floor. He approached carefully and tried to opine of something to say.

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

"Shut up ! You're as bad as he is ! Breaking dominion and playing prank ! You can't lecture !"Hermione ran out of the room leaving Harry speechless. Harry stood for the farsighted time in the middle of the forsake classroom before walking slowly back to the Gryffindor common room. The marauders stopped talking when they saw his face, a mix of anger and pain. They all looked to him as he sat down.

"Forget all the early plans."Harry's voice was grave-quiet but his eye had a wicked gleam."We're breaking in the Slytherin common way. Tonight."The remonstration washed over him from the others ; they weren't prepare, they hadn't planned, tomorrow was Halloween and they needed to be rested for the party and well-nigh of all they could run into Snape. Harry sighed inwardly and began to recount the full account as quickly as he could. It was already getting nighttime, and they had space to be…





Authers note
Hi, thought i should lead an bill eventually. Review if you have time, this is my first fable so delight sense free to evidence 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 hand over Neville's mouth and pulled him further into the closet. Harry waved them both to stay on still and peered back out through the keyhole. Filches lantern glow was far up the corridor but he waited a unspoiled numeration of thirty before pushing the door open and leading the others out. In the end the choices for his companions were round-eyed, he couldn't take more than two or they'd be seen for sure and they needed some people to detain in the mutual way to vouch for them if interrogative sentence 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 tense scout.

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

As for Padma, she was the lone one who could reliably find the Slytherin dungeon since she had been in charge of that particular piece of recognisance and after all, she had been the one to recover out the countersign. 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 face slowly lost its astonishment."It had to be Goyle though, Crabbe's too overbold to be fooled by that kind of thing."It had actually taken Harry quite a long time to realise she was joking.

The three of them crept down the stopping point flight of stairs and Padma silently pointed to a flat tire piece of wall ahead. Harry nodded and he and Padma moved on while Neville got his verge out and pushed himself deep into an alcove behind some armour. Harry gestured back at him and got out his wand.

"Mico Neville"Harry muttered, sending the sign, and having his own wand vibrate as a answer. It was the upright way to get off signals, the soul had to be within ten or so cadence but it was virtually silent. Harry crept towards the paries 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 entranceway to the Slytherin elbow room should be so unobtrusive."Expected fireworks."Harry moved into the trace within and felt Padma following him.

It was coloured but not pitch. A few dying coal in the huge marble fireplace gave an ominous gleaming. All the piece of furniture was prominent and black, and in the bad sparkle it looked oddly peril, looming like cliffs above the creeping children. Padma tugged at Harrys robe and as he looked back she waved her helping hand in front of her eyes and shook her chief. She couldn't see. Harry knew his eyes were thoroughly by nighttime and he kept forgetting the residue of his clan didn't ploughshare the welfare of his premature, independent lifestyle. Harry guided her to a paries and put her behind a rampart hanging, sitting near a large urn unpleasantly decorated to resemble a screaming expression. Harry placed Padma's wand in her bridge player and looked at her brass before leaving. She was wearing a check formulation but her eyes were wide and she was breathing hard.

"No shame to punt out."Harry whispered in her ear, for the first time having doubts about tonight's venture."I did kinda hold everyone in at the deep end today."

"I'm staying."Padma's vox as barely more than a voicelessness."I chose Gryffindor didn't I ? I'd better start 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 Bedrooms."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 chuckle as his fingers found a doorknob in the dark. What he had thought would be the heavily persona had turned out to be the promiscuous. They had debated for long time how to obtain out which way was Malfoy's, from bribing someone to covering his shoes with ultraviolet ink but it had been all for nothing. Harry checked the brass nameplate on the room access and chuckled again before moving into the room. Like a touch, Harry tried not to even think loudly. Like a ghost, here then gone, no vestige. The room was large for a single person way, larger even than the one in Gryffindor tower he shared with four former people.

"Can't make precious pet Malfoy share a room."Harry sneered in the dark. If there had been a way to silently trash the place he would have done so, instead he began looking around for the project. He slid his manpower onto shelves and held papers up in the moonshine to read the covering. The solely fourth dimension he stopped was when he was searching by Malfoy's bed and saw something on the blanket. He'd had to double up to keep from laughing and he'd felt like every vein would break. Malfoy had taken his teddy to school with him.

Harry could see a clock on the Mickey Mantle, the hands glowing faintly in the dark and saw that he didn't have a great deal meter left. For a second he stopped looking and just stood in the darkness to recall. There was no way he could search the altogether space, not going as slowly as he had to to stave off detection.

"The hat said I think like them."Harry shuddered at the persuasion but pushed on, no prison term for self-recrimination."And Hermione said I'm just like him. So where would I shroud it ? Where would I bank to be safe enough…"Statues moved more than Harry in the long here and now of the night.

"Nowhere. I wouldn't put it anywhere because I wouldn't corporate trust it enough. I'd restrain it with me from the minute I got it till the present moment I let it leave my hands."Harry's gaze shifted to the prone figure 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 line of thought has got me no-where and time is running out."Harry threw up his hired man in frustration and at that moment felt something in his air pocket vibrate. He brought his scepter out to finger the vibration in his hands.

*

Fear wasn't what he needed now, neither was a mad dash. Running now was the last thing he wanted to do… Just spook back through the door and go quietly down the steps. Down the stairs to where there's a light on. Harry crouched at the top of the stairwell and shielded his heart to conserve his Nox vision before sliding a petite periscope between the handrail ("Do you channel whole toyshops around in you're pockets ?"Annapurna had said when he showed them some of his shaft like the periscope."You never know when this stuff'll come in handy."Harry winked and twirled a lock pick between his finger's breadth. ) The tiny mirror-pipe revealed a small cluster of fifth years who looked like they had just come in. They began talking loudly about some news or former and Harry carefully slid back from the bound. Now what ? He didn't have the project, and his way out was now blocked. rectification, his and Padmas shipway out were now blocked. Harry slid back to the bound, the Slytherins seemed to be settling down for a night of raucous conduct as they lounged in the large hot seat with a feeding bottle of something, probably stolen from the kitchens. If they were distracted ? If Harry waited until they simply drink themselves into a stupor ? Perhaps they'd go to bed soon ? Harry cursed as he saw one of them detach themselves from the group and weave uncertainly 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 hold of the giant urn.



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

"She's making a misdirection !"Harry cursed"stupid ! pudding head ! I told them ‘ no nobleness during heists !'” Harry at least had the mien of mind to enwrap his scarf joint around his face and stylemark frontal bone before standing up and yelling…

"Oh no they're awake !"Harry gestured at complex quantity figures in the empty hall behind him"Go ! Run !"Harry had time to see the boozy serpent take in his red and gold edged robes and clamber over each early 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 footfalls were light as computer mouse on the floorboards. He turned and saw a fellow door. Switching himself from quiet-running-mode to bloody-silent-creep he slither into Malfoy's room and shut the door.

"citizenry 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 capitulum, hoping that would take a shit them true.

"offset searching the suite !"Ach… Harry desperately looked around the room for a berth to hide but to his dismay saw only darkness. He had lost his night oculus in the common room.

"What was here ? Where did I lookup ? Oh my god, please just remember !"The rale doorway handles and irritated voices got closer, thank heavens Salazar Slytherin built his walls midst and liked oak doors or Harry was sure Malfoy would have woken.

"Wardrobe ? It had had glass in the front ! Under the bed ? No room !"Harry's intellection grew panicked as the voices got closer."Walls, flooring, ceiling, bed, desk, wardrobe, fireplace…"Harry dropped to his hands and genu and crawled across the base as fast as he dared. He was sure he was making noise now but he didn't have the heart left to go any irksome. His hands reached the frigid gem of the hearth and he felt his way into it. No ashes at all, the fireplace had never been used. Later on that night Harry would recognise that the Slytherins probably heated their chambers by conjuration so they didn't get the fastball and gained a more even heat, all he thought at the time was a panicked…

"Thank you !"as he stood up. His work force found a bar embedded in the bulwark to hang pots from and he lifted himself up and stood on it. At that moment brightness 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 shortly in the search party.

"What do you think you're doing !"Harry heard Malfoy cry out indignantly."Why are you barging into my way in the center of the dark Flint ?"

"Yes Malfoy."Harry thought to himself"good Malfoy. Now be you're little stuck up, incensed self and discombobulate them out of your room."

"There's someone sneaking around in the rooms."The voice sounded like the loudspeaker system was gargling gravel."We thought he might cause come in here."

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

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

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


The use of modified static-induction good luck charm in

the context of use of adhesives and fasteners.

Hermione Granger

"Yes !"Thought persona of Harry's nous."I'm still born prosperous ! This is what I came here for."…"This is what I came here for ?"Said another part in disbelief"adhesives and fasteners ?"Harry shook his straits and laughed at himself a bit before folding up the theme and slipping it into his robe. spinal column in the bedroom the conversation had become more heated.

"When my founder hears about this !"Malfoy was in full argumentative swing"You will all be sorry ! The Malfoy class own your founder Flint ! And you can be sure there will be Holy Writ on the case of this incident."

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

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

"But first-class honours degree years… never… go on the team. No affair how, absolutely, brilliant they are at Quidditch."The elderly boy was obviously fearing some reprisal to boot-lick so obviously."Definitely following class though !"

"That remains to be seen…"A new spokesperson, a slimy voice, a voice dripping contempt with every word !

"Ah"sentiment Harry as his gut clenched up"There's that terror again."Professor Snape continued talking in the room.

"Tell me why some of the leading appendage of Slytherin menage are awake at this hour ? Hmm… Some of them stinking of cheap vino !"He almost made the fact that it was cheap audio like the uncollectible piece."well ? Or have you all been rendered dumb by drink !"

"We were chasing someone !"Flint said shakily"soul was sneaking around in here !"

"Inside the Slytherin vulgar elbow room ?"

"Yes."

"Inside the countersign protected Slytherin common room ?"

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

"indulgence. All you saw was the wine-colored floating in front of your eyes seeing as you seem to make drown yourselves in it !"Harry heard Snape's step psyche towards the door.

"There was someone ! They were wearing Gryffindor robes !"The footsteps continued and Harry heard a room access heart-to-heart"And they were short !"The whole step led out the door"And they had a scarf around their head !"footmark then…

"WHAT !"Snape thundered back into the way."They wore cloth around their foreland ? !"

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

"Don't be unintelligent, he could hide his identicalness better than that."Snape seemed to be talking to himself slightly at that distributor point but then…"lookup everywhere ! Every room, turn them upside down and agitate them if necessary !"Harry's sum leapt into his pharynx and he looked around wildly for a way out. But he already knew the only manner, down or up. Harry pushed his back against one paries and carefully shifted his invertebrate foot onto the opposite word one. Hogwarts was old stone and there were wads of handholds to help him chimney up faster, and more quietly. But just as he was thinking he had reached beyond their audience soul said.

"What was that in the chimney ?"Bloody Malfoy ! Since when did snakes have such good pinna ? Harry went absolutely still except for his lips moving in a mum curse."I heard something !"Harry looked down and was met by a relieving sight. The chimney curved as it went up, He could no longer see the Mexican valium of Christ Within at the bottom.

"I can't see anything."Flint again, thank firmament for minuscule minds.



"motion over."Harry heard a thud as Snape pushed his student out of the way then…"Acerbus cuspis !"Harry's view was momentarily lighted as run of peaked silver gray light shot up the chimney towards him then his sight was lost in pain. Harry's feet slipped but he grimly held on by his handholds, gritting his teeth against the stabbing knots of painful sensation each lance had left in him.

"I heard scraping professor !"Malfoy must have heard his boots slip of paper."Something's up there !"

"Acerbus cuspis !"This time Harry was flattened against the wall and only a few of the bolt of lightning hit him."Conjunctivitis !"that spell winged right past him, cracking microprocessor chip off the paries above him, then…"Relashio !"warmth flooded up the lamp chimney to him and Harry's skin felt like it was going to blister. He bit his tongue between his tooth and pulled one sweaty manus off the wall so he could fumble in pocket for a vauntingly metal jar. At the time Harry had thought Ron's suggestion had been a bit stupefied but now he was especially happy he had agreed to bring the jar along. He pulled the cap off with his dentition and dropped the contents before they had a chance to bite him, far below he heard…

"Aaaa ! courtesan !"A few more enchantment rang out but none directed at Harry, even the heat stopped, allowing Harry to put his ft back against the wall and give his aching arm a rest. Below him he heard Snape yell out

"Search the other rooms."Harry waited a long time before climbing boost up. His arms needed the rest anyway and there was no way he was gon na try to pussyfoot back out through the Slytherins tonight.

*

The twinkle below was lost behind Harry as he ascended out of the dungeons. The chimney he was climbing joined others then break again. One or two of the chimneys had ladders in them, or at to the lowest degree persona of run, but most of them he had to shin up. The air was hotter and Smokey here, perhaps some of these chimney were still in use this late, or more probable it was early enough that the kitchens had woken up. Harry would be the first to allow ( to himself at to the lowest degree ) that he had many fears but claustrophobia wasn't one of them. He pulled his scarf tighter above and below his glasses to keep out smut and around his mouth to breath through as he climbed up into more used chimney. Harry felt himself move out into a larger surface area but couldn't see the paries through the wickedness and the smoke. Questing fingerbreadth found a rusted run and a few moments later Harry pulled himself over the brink of a immense chimney and let himself down to the rooftop below.

Tired but elated Harry pulled his scarf from around his boldness and tried to find some clean material somewhere on himself to wipe his chalk off. When he put them back on he was struck dumb for a moment by the passel that met his eyes.

pealing hills of tile and money box of slate. Towers popping out at slant and fairy balconies with balustrades like lace. Harry walked along the roof ridgepole he had landed on in wonder, there was a whole globe up above Hogwarts. More chimney jutted out everywhere, some just tube and some, like the one he'd emerged from, with width like industrial pillar. Harry sat down on the ridge and sway his headland in skepticism. Even the rise hadn't taken his breath like this did. He lay back and behold another wonder. The star from here seemed brighter, almost as good as the astronomy tower ( Harry's favourite lesson, just as an excuse to stargaze ).

"And no-one up here but me."Harry said out loud, there was no one to hear."Peace."Harry could have fallen asleep against those tiles but something moving below caught his eye. Snape, passing along a corridor with tall windows all along it. Harry moved to hide then realised his sooty-black robe blended perfectly against the Night sky and wrapped his scarf around his cheek to hide the death tap skin. His trash were still grubby enough not to shine.

Harry trailed Snape over the roofs, not even for a bit thinking 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 teachers quartern and pushed through the threshold without knocking. It took Harry a minute or so to find the corresponding window then lowered himself down near it. By fate or the tie 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 sentence ? How do you even know when this happened ?"Snape's representative was angry 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 conceive that even one so pitiable as you would be stupid enough to cogitate it was moved to the Slytherin dungeon of all places."

"Th…Then why are you here ?"Quirrell's voice grew a little steadier now, just a little."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 tribute is. I assure you, you would experience found neither. My work is as satanic as it is complex and as crafty…"Harry groaned inwardly, not this talk of the town again."And you could never pierce it. Never. Despite Dumbledore's supreme lack of discernment in hiring you and letting you assist in the shelter of the Harlan Stone I will keep unworthy 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 limited about tomorrow ? early than it being Allhallows Eve ..."

*

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

"Thank you."Padma breathed and shared a quick smile with her sister. But she quickly fell silent again. If she was to be honest with herself she would have got to say she was ashamed. Ashamed that when Harry had stood up on the stairway she had instantly realised what he was trying to do ( having been about to do the same herself ) and had for a import not known quite what to do. She was ashamed that after she had taken an age behind the drapery working up nerves and steeling herself to put up a distraction and Harry had done the same in an moment. She was ashamed that, when she heard people coming back towards the vernacular elbow room, she had bolted back though the door, pulled an amazed Neville from behind the armour and had shepherded him across the schooling, not once talking until they passed behind the fat lady and got back to Gryffindor vulgar room and into the awaiting and recriminating stare of Ron Weasly.

"What will fall out now."Neville's voice was small and he was hunched in on himself on his president. 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 hold, he'll lose us a few house pointedness for being out after curfew."Padma knew her sis was deliberately making things seem better than they were to make her flavor better. Sometimes Padma thought they had been born to with personality opposites, the eternal optimist and the cynical pessimist. Except this fourth dimension 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 planetary house. For attempted larceny. He could be expelled."She had got Harry Potter expelled from Hogwarts because she wasn't brave enough. She knew when the hat had left it up to her she would chose wrongly. She didn't deserve to be here."In Harry's first term he'll be expelled."

"I'm doing what now ?"

The New Marauders turned en slew and saw a blackened and scraped Harry drop from one of the high windows. His side was red and raw and he had a ugly contusion on his left boldness, his hands were bleeding and he staggered as he hit the reason but he wore a smile of joy and triumph as all-inclusive as they had ever seen on him.

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

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

"Chimney."Harry said lightly."Easy climb really once you get past the initiative bit. Oh and one other thing…"Harry fished around in his pockets and drew out some report. Padma found herself shaking her promontory, no, not after all that happened, you can't still have got it, no ones that dear."We got what we came for. It may need some cleaning though…"With that the floodgates came loose and the piranha began peppering Harry with query. The unusual tiddler laughed as he unrolled a floor that had them gasping. As she listened Padma realised she was glad she'd made her choice, even if she wasn't brave enough for Gryffindor she wouldn't give up the marauder for the world. And besides, she thought as the looked at her sister, at Ron, at Neville and especially at the soot 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 surprise to see that they weren't covered in rip. She was sure she'd been crying when she went to sleep. She dressed mechanically and didn't talk of the town 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 spill. That thought only made her intuition in further over her intellectual nourishment. Before anyone else had left the table Hermione walked out of the great hall, leaving the rest of her nutrient behind ( even if she hadn't had somewhere to be she felt too sickening to eat ). The project was of import, it was the sort of thing they gave tierce and fourth years to work on. Hermione straightened herself up as she walked towards Flitwicks power. safe get it over with…

"Going somewhere Mudblood ?"Dragon Malfoy lounged in the corridor in front of her. She ignored him and walked on past only to stimulate him stick his foot forward to try to trip her up."What ? No revilement ? No ‘ gift it back !'today ?"Hermione kept walking."Oh, I don't have it with me. That would be a bit conspicuous, I figure I'll give it to him tomorrow. Or the day after, you know, so he doesn't get leery but is still impressed by my obviously superior talents."Draco grabbed her by the articulatio humeri and birl her around."Don't ignore me Mudblood !"He grated,"This is only the low gear stage. I'm going to take a leak sprightliness hell for you and all the other skank at the school until you'll drop out of your own free will. I'll… Oh hello prof !"prof Flitwick had just emerged from his room and was looking between them.

"Hello Lester Willis Young Mr Malfoy."He chirped"Are you and young lady husbandman friends."

"We were just discussing the charms assignment you gave her."Dragon turned to her with an evil smirk."It's a theme I myself find very interesting."

"Then perhaps I should let you read fille husbandman report. It was most detailed."

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

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

"How."Malfoy had anger and shock absorber in his eyes."You didn't have other copies. You said you didn't have other transcript !"

"I didn't."Hermione was surprised at the vestige of smugness in her vox. Malfoy was looking at her with barely suppressed rage. Then he seemed to comment something and for a import his oculus widened in realization then screwed up in even darker 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 marauder. Tired and resplendent, staring Malfoy down with five Cheshire-cat smiles. The Slytherin looked like he was about to blow a vein, or possibly dissipate steam out of his ears.

"YOU ! ! !"He bellowed striding towards them pointing with his wand."It was you !"Harry and his friends stood their priming coat against the charge and Malfoy was brought to a impasse, it was that or take the air into a human wall."You stole it ! When I tell my father he'll bring it to the school governor and…"

"Tell them what worm."Harry's vocalism was full of laughter.

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

"Even if you were willing to admit a dip just to put us in trouble."Ron continued to a suddenly crestfallen Malfoy."Even if you did, where's the proof ? The composition right back where it should be and nada else was taken from your rooms."

"Not even a teddy bear."Harry raised his eyebrows and began chuckling. After a moment the rest of his gang began laughing as well. Malfoy turned and stalked away against a backcloth 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 Potter ! But I'll get you next time !"

"I look forward to it."Harry said between wheezes."You can present me the remainder of your stuffed animal collection."

*

The unfortunate by-product of the heist was that Malfoy was even more than acidic than usual in class that day. Despite replicate warnings from instructor he insulted Harry and the residuum of the Marauders with every early breathing place. Fortunately though that breath was wasted as nine prison term out of ten the predator in query was asleep on their chair. Hermione sighed, but not unhappily and reached for a new quill. She'd effective make these banker's bill good, it looked like they'd have to be copied from a few times. When she reached the usual room there was a 6th chairman by the fireside tabular array. She smiled and felt warm inside for the inaugural time in what seemed ilk forever and walked over to sit down with her friends.


I own nothing, certainly nothing Harry Potter related.

Seriously, i 'm not kidding ! Do I look ample than the pansy ?



"Go on !"

"No ! I can't !"

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

"He'll see me !"Hermione glanced over the balusters 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 place upright under the overhanging upper story. That part of the plan had gone perfectly. The succeeding part was proving problematic.

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

"You're all crazy ! Any one of the stunts you've pulled could warrant projection ! How long do you consider you can go on getting away with it ?"Hermione's whisper was wild and gymnastic horse."And if you think"She pointed at his point"I'm tipping that"A motion at the grease"over a Hogwarts teacher !"a finger stabbing down at Snape"You must be crazy !"She swung her weaponry 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 striking friction match. She kept her eyes firmly ahead and, as if denying what had just happened, shook her heading. 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 instant later they heard a violent roar 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 block and dragged her sideways into a little employ corridor, with her still wide-eyed and ashen-faced he pushed her to a pre-opened window.

"seed on ! Just like the design !"Harry said, then added"Only REAL !"Hermione almost jumped through the windowpane and disappeared as she clambered up a ladder. Harry swung out after her, shut the window and slid onto the tiles above. He wasted no prison term in pulling himself back to the edge and poking his periscope back down to the border of the glass. A indorsement later an irate Snape ran past. Harry only caught a glimpse, but he thought the man seemed satiny than common. Harry rolled back and looked up at Hermione who still seemed shaken.

"I hope Parvati and Padma were in piazza with the television camera. I wouldn't have wanted to sustain to do all that again."Hermione's reflexion sent Harry into another fit of giggles.

*

A workweek or so latter the morning bloomed shining and early as the predator made their way down to the sens in front of the rook. Harry stopped to post up a few more pictures after making sure the coast was clear. The Slytherins were tearing them down wherever they saw them on Snapes Holy Order but Harry had even seen some of them trying to hide giggles as the maven poster displayed Snape being doused again and again. The remainder of the school didn't fuss to hide it and the schoolhouse had been awash with laughter ever since the first one went up three days ago.

The teachers 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 grin when an incoherent Snape had burst into her classroom brandishing a wad of posters that had papered the main court ). The teachers didn't have it away how so many of them were getting so many places around the grounds. Harry knew, it was just a matter of a W. C. Handy rooftop and a adopt jazz. When he had seen some errant pictures 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 giant man had laughed and handed a stack of poster back to him.

"They told me I had to make ‘ em down."Hagrid had said with a heartbeat."They didn't say what I had to do with ‘ em after."Harry had been even happy to see a stack of envelope on Hagrid's table. It looked like the dispersion was going to even all-inclusive than he thought.

The instructor search and Madam hooch's earlier ill health were some of the intellect they were going to their first flying lesson bundled up in winter clothes.

"Now…"lady Hooch's articulation rang out over the get together Gryffindors and Slytherins"Just raise your right hand over the broom and yell UP ! Just like this… UP !"Her Calluna vulgaris leapt obediently into her handwriting, Harry noted that it was varnished and looked a lot fresh than the 1 the educatee had."Well go on…"

The class obediently placed their helping hand over their brooms.

"UP !"Harry yelled, feeling a bit foolish, the joint by his metrical foot refused to budge."UP !"Harry looked around and saw first one then others of the class acquire their brooms."UP !"Harry thought maybe Malfoy had replaced his magic 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 broom and held it nonchalantly on his shoulder. He caught Annapurna looking at him and giggling.

"What ? I didn't do anything."

"That's right you didn't !"

A few moments later everyone had their Calluna vulgaris and Madam hooch was showing them how to spellbind the stunned things.

"Right, now… Just kick off from the dry land, hover for me for a s then leeee…an forward and float back down again."ma'am Hooch demonstrated then held up her gloved hand."Three… Two… One."parcel of the family rose unsteadily into the air, others remained grounded or had slipped off their rising Calluna vulgaris. Harry glanced to his sides shame-faced as his broom resolutely refused to demonstrate any feature beyond long, wooden and briary. 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 broom !"Ron strafed out of compass to the side with a use handwriting before coming to rest."Take Neville's."

Harry turned and saw Neville rising at a escargot pace with a look of teeth-gritting denseness."At that rate the class'll be over before he gets down."Harry turned back"seminal fluid on, I just want to see whether Malfoy really has screwed this broom."

"Only powerful magic can intervene with most broomsticks."Hermione was landing ungracefully beside him, gripping the broom with ashen knuckles. Harry chuckled at the thought that she still found concentration left to chew out them."These are old brooms but their still fairly resistant to that form of thing."

"This isn't dark magic I'm talking about its him swapping it with a rule broom."Harry poked at the bristles trying to elicited some reaction."Why don't you lend me yours then, you don't smell like your in a hurry to fly again."

"And what is that supposed to mean !"But Ron cut off any ensuing arguing

"Oh fine…"He held out his broom."Just give it a shaft if you have to."

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

"Still having bother ?"Harry saw Ron float over his head and drop down in front line of him,"Nothing wrong with this one mate."Ron knocked his brass knuckles against the Natalie Wood of Harry's broom."I think its even a little better than my one."

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

"Having trouble Potter."no… not now…"Your flying's so hapless even the weasel here can vex you and that's saying something."Malfoy floated along in front of Harry, sitting side-saddle and not even bothering to hold on."Didn't your Father ever teach you to fly… Oh no wait 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 diss bit and he sneered at the flannel hairy kid in nominal head of him. Ron however erupted."What do you have in mind that's saying something !"He was back on his Scots heather in a instant and whipped himself around Malfoy so fast the Slytherins robes billowed in the wind."Half of my family's been on the Gryffindor Quidditch squad !"

"As if that's saying anything."Malfoy shot back but he had had to grapple his Scots heather in the crosswind and was now sitting normally, staring Ron down."Gryffindor harbour't won the cup in eld. Being on a squad of losers is no accolade weasel."

"Yeah, they haven't won since my pal Charlie left !"Ron's tirade had began to attract attention and Madam Hooch was walking over. Harry tried to overhear Ron's eye but failed."honest seeker in a decade ! He coulda'played for Engl…."

"Mr Weasly ! Mr Malfoy ! Decend at once !"Madam hootch didn't time lag for them to react and instead grabbed the straw man of their ling and yanked them to the floor. Ron fell in a flock, Malfoy kept his balance but only barely."I will have no line of reasoning in my course and I distinctly told you to rise then cliff, not brood like blow fly !"The flying teacher spun and walked back to the rest of the class leaving Malfoy and Ron glaring at one another.

Harry shifted his broom under himself, all during the argument he'd tried to climb up up and join his friend but the Calluna vulgaris had refused to proceed. By the end of the moral he'd flown once, a few wobbling animal foot followed by a total crash into the smoke. Malfoy had laughed worse than before and Harry said some things that lost them star sign points ("An eleven year old shouldn't know those words Mr ceramist, much less know what they mean !") and the Marauders were a muted lot that ascended the stairs to Gryffindor tower. Anapurna tried to lighted the shade by pointing out how many students had the drenched Snape posters on the bulwark of their rooms and Harry decided to arrest moping.

"rightfulness,"Harry cracked open a drunkenness stolen from the kitchen."down to the unplayful business 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 signified 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 caper like he's accusing Quirrell when only Quirrell was in the room ! Also why would Quirrell play like it's him when cypher was in the way !"Harry leafed through some papers again while the others bickered, the daily seer from a few months ago was there, a raid at gringots where nothing was taken. Other things too, Quirrels records, researched through old data file, an thinking scholarly person, masterful in the theory if not the practice of defence against the dark fine art, the last few years of his liveliness spent travelling around dealing with dangerous dark wildcat. Harry pushed them away and pulled over a thinner file, Severus Snape, potions master of Hogwarts and prospicient time envier of the defence against the dark artistic production station. There wasn't much else, Snape didn't seem to be a very newsworthy person.

"It's right there."Ron was taking to him again. Harry pressed his workforce to his tabernacle, there's only so much insistence one can take."Snape wants the darkness fine art job and is trying to get Quirrell sacked."Harry was about to explicate then stopped, if the finis 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 government note of decisiveness."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 capable 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 tight-laced. I've been looking into it the Saami 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 get-go of full term but she had looked right at them the total meter and each word had been clipped like little razors."She knows we're planning something and she probably knows we're behind the posters too, she just pious platitude prove it."

"So ?"

"So, Mr Ronald Weasley they are watching us like hawk. I'll bet there's a instructor guarding the third gear floor right now and another just on the former side of that door."She pointed at the other face of the fat peeress portrait, from this side looking like a hole in the wall."Even putting aside the notions of detention, house-points and especially expulsion ! We'd never get unaired enough to the corridor to retrieve anything. It's all your defect really"She continued without a breath."If you hadn't done your pointless linguistic rule breaking we might be able to find out really of import stuff now."That comment was the cause an argument broke out that Harry had to steady down with wit. It was also at to the lowest degree partially the reason Harry stayed awake that night money box he was certainly Ron and Neville were asleep then got out his darkest clothes and slipped out one of the windowpane before heading in the direction of the forbidden corridor.

*

Harry peered through a window and saw professor transmitter idly marking some assignment by the visible radiation of his scepter while sitting on the stairs above the fat peeress's portrait. Reminding himself to tell Hermione later ( she'd be insufferably self-satisfied but she deserved the atonement ) Harry slipped away and made his way over to the third floor corridor on the decent hand side, or above it at least. The affair was in the middle of the construction, no chimney or window reached it and Harry could only peer through a English windowpane at the maven guarding the doorway… Quirrell… Standing in a patch of lumos-light, his dark jumping as he nervously twiddled his wand in his fingers. Harry slid inside and dropped behind a column. Quirrell was guarding it ? He'd been so sure… Maybe the others were powerful and Quirrell wasn't attempting theft after all. Or maybe he just hasn't gotten past the defence Snape mentioned yet. Then why isn't he inside the corridor trying to break through them. Harry's mental monologue was cut curtly as the response leaned out of the darn of darkness it had been sequestered in, unseeable even to Harry's eye's.

"Nervous Quirrell ?"Snape slid from his shadowy quoin, his verge held lightly but readily in his hired man."Or perhaps not happy with the company."Harry saw now that it hadn't just been the tincture, Snape's entire body blended into the setting, changing colour like a chamaeleon. Only his centre stayed the same, black holes even against the unhorse Zane Grey rock behind him, it made them seem like they were floating above the ground.

"Why ever w…would I be dysphoric Severus."Quirrell was leaning away from the wraith-like form before him."No one comfortably equipped to guard this place than you and I, Eh ?"

"Because if you were unhappy with this arrangement."Snape continued like nothing had been said."You'd have to get used to it because I've made sure all our guard tariff's occur on the Saami Night Quirrell, won't that be fun."Snape laced the last word with such poison Harry was surprised the dadaism professor didn't run like a rabbit. Instead he jumped like one and whimpered.

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

"No Quirrell. I do not, have never and will never trust you."Snape slid back into his shadowy recession and once again became virtually invisible. Quirrell swallowed loudly and brightened his wand, peering into the iniquity around.

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

*

Crack…

"What was that !"Snape pushed forward from his hiding place at the small-scale but nearby sound. He pointed his camouflaged arm at the far paries, by some pillars."I heard something over there."

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

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

Crack…crack…

"There."Behind a pillar, perhaps the ceramicist boy or one of his pack trying to reach the corridor again. An irritation he didn't need with something so much more important going on. The rat Quirrell needed observance. For now Snape wasn't sure whether he wanted the stone for himself or for… for… Snape shuddered away from the gens in his head. Dumbledore said saying it would make him venerate less but to Snape it was too lots. The old fool didn't know, he hadn't been up close. Some things 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 stand on his tiptoes to miss the dark-wood 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 other wall."You go first."

They walked like hostage and kidnapper up the cold-blooded stone footpath to the tower. Quirrell raised his wand. Not a chance…

"cover down by your side or I will call for it and possibly the hand It's gripped in too."Quirrell's arm barb back down. As they reached the pillar Snape let the rat take the lead and spirit around the corner. Better him to have the first nose candy 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 Rock, all together, near the footing where they might have fallen. They were both considering the enigma when a tincture skirted the binding bulwark and stopped by the no-longer-guarded door.

*

"Alohomora."just a susurration like silk sliding over silk but the curl clicked and Harry slid the door receptive just ever so slightly, then entered the forbidden hall.

"Ha."Harry thought as he took one last glance at the professor before closing the threshold."clean than air liquorish. Eat it quick or it melts in the air ! also if you tie up a rock'n'roll or two with it you get a noise about five minute after you take it from its swathe. Who needs Q when you have mail-order Honeydukes ?"Harry turned back and for the first sentence took a look at his surroundings.

Pitch inkiness. Not even eyes trained for this could diffuse it. Harry squatted down quietly and let his other senses have a try.

frigidness, clammy, cold-shoulder intermittent breeze. Odd that, you'd think there was nowhere for a breeze to come from. Also the air had been dead still out on the roof.

Damp odor with a tip of mud and mess. There was urine in there somewhere too and early affair even less savoury. Bit like a wet dog smell…

And nearly importantly in a bone chilling, tenderness spring, cold-sweat, dry-palms, running-for-the-door-despite-Snape-and-all way, the sound of breathing. Heavy in-out breaths with a hint of slobber on them. More like snoring actually. Harry tried to chill out himself down and at to the lowest degree partially succeeded. Getting out his wand he smothered the tip in his robes then breathed.

"Lumos"

The luminescence through the fabric was like dead fireflies but it showed Harry the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe of what was in front of him. Its bulge half way to the ceiling and slowly revolt and falling with its breath. Like a muffled wraith Harry moved across the floor, skirting the paries until he had travelled all the way around the beast, having to tread over its after part where it brushed the wall. There were no early doors. This room and this fauna was all there was to see. Harry edged closer to the front line of the thing, his human foot turned and poised to flee to the room access at any moment.

"But what if I'm not libertine enough."Harry tried to quieten his mentality but it kept up its shrill reservations"What if its like a dragon and it doesn't matter how fast I am. It'll wake and I'll die in one bright flare in the darkness !"

"It'll wake for sure if you don't shut up and let me rivet !"Harry edged in closer to the beast and stopped when his light revealed a change of texture in the floor. Harry carefully traced its edge in his mind."A square… a trapdoor… that which is hidden… that which is forbidden."Harry grinned in the shadow. The only problem was the moody mass obscuring one corner of the public square, a paw or claw of the affair. Harry's motion was as sluggish as drifting feathers and as quieten as his hands found the edge of the matter, and the handle, on the diametrical side to the pincer. Harry wanted to snuff out his scepter but the auditory sensation he'd have to make was worse than the stifled lambency. Harry reached for the trapdoor handgrip and applied the lightest touch of draw to it, increasing by hairs breadths Harry felt the wood move.

A grunt near his shoulder made his muscles freeze and his heart airstream. He felt flesh relocation all around him and the air brought new wafts of stench. But the creature just grunted again and fell back into snoring. Harry eased the door up a half duet more then stuck his hand in and felt inside. No steps met his questing mitt, just a consecutive shaft. Harry propped the door open with a rod and felt in his sack. He drew forth a long drawing string. His nimble fingers felt the plumb on the end and he put it through the trapdoor then slowly and evenly paid out R-2 counting under his breath. The train went falling off. About eight meters. With something gentle he'd do it. With cold I. F. Stone he'd better a leg. Harry wondered if a real number wizard would know some self levitation charm to get themselves down safely. He pulled back up on the string and suffered a surprisal. It was stuck ! He tugged on it again. No give at all. He tugged again and in a nerve stopping moment, felt the rod brush his arm.

The trapdoor battering closed was like a cannon lump in the gut and Harry felt the darkness move around him. He threw himself backwards as a guttural growl filled the room with primeval fear. He saw a figure the size of it of an oven smash down in front of him and get word woods sliver and crack. Harry whipped the cloth from his wand and the unadulterated shadows danced high-pitched on the walls before him as the monumental rottweiler head turned and looked at him with bloodshot eyes. Harry dived again to avoid its teeth and looked up to see it descending from above him too ! Harry kicked off from the background and slid, he felt hot breath on his cover and the snap of jaws behind him but he was gone. Straight into the destroyed trapdoor and plummeting down the shaft.

*

Harry spun in the air and he felt hard pain as his head caught itself a tornado on the going wall. He landed in a plant and in a daze, his eyes showing him lightlessness stain more than anything else. He lifted his hand to his head and was surprised to see it came back fair, without blood or possibly brains. He shook his pass to clear it and held his shaking script and wand up to reveal his surroundings. A nondescript way with this plant covering the flooring, covering some of the wall too, and the cap, and him !

"What the hell !"Harry shouted at the tendrils as they wrapped themselves around his pegleg. He tried to pull them off but they were like wire ! They wrapped his waist too ! Harry pulled and tore at the vines !"Acerbus cuspis !"Harry used the hex Snape had aimed at him but bare threads of swooning blastoff from his wand and the plant barely noticed. What was that early one ! ? Think ! Think !"Relashio !"red discharge and heating system shot from his sceptre and where they hit the plant drew back."Relashio !"Harry aimed at his stage and cried out as his skin burned. But he was resign. He stumbled to his metrical foot and blasted a few death tendrils. He leapt to the doorway and pushed through, staggering down the corridor occasionally pointing his verge back in case the demon plant had tried to follow him, he reached another door and carefully pushed it candid, wand out in strawman he entered the elbow room, and was met by a strange sight.

Shining, fluttering glittering things, flying near the ceiling hundreds of them. Harry edged out into the center of attention of the highschool vaulted space. The pansy electric arc remained near the cap and Harry at conclusion stopped eying them crooked. He walked over to the room access on the early English and tried the handle. Locked. Obviously. It could never be easily could it ? Harry was just wondering what to do when he heard voice from behind him. Spinning like a galvanise cat Harry saw swoon light coming from around the sharpness of the door he'd just come through. The brightness and the spokesperson got potent as Harry searched for a hiding place. He ran to a wall buttress and grabbed for a handhold, thank heavens they like decoration around this place…

*

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

"I am not impugning your ability 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 calm down the beast which was tearing at the storey near the trapdoor in a frenzy. Still, the old sucker 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 exact them down and a marble walk over the devilsnare with a casualness that betrayed his true big businessman. Snape had to privately allow to himself he couldn't have replicated either feat. That made him cringe inside but he took some puff from the fact that if he could not do it, Quirrell certainly couldn't and so the pit was still safe.

They emerged into the key bedchamber and Snape strode forward and jerked the handle. The door was still locked.

"They could stimulate locked it from the other side."Ivy and name ? stupidity and amentia. The other teachers hadn't protected the stone nearly well enough.

"But if they had."Dumbledore said in his insufferably unruffled vocalism."Then the key would have been locked on that side with them and I think… Ah !"The old man pointed a be-ringed finger towards the ceiling and Snape strained his eyes into the swarm of glitter but failed to clean 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 gear place."

"well. I… I for one am calling my replacement."Quirrells voice was shrill and grating. Snape made a mental bank bill to add de-lunging to his listing of straining once he finally caught the skanky creature."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 jester will listen 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 movement above him in a senior high school alcove, like someone getting into a comfortably perspective to listen."He was seen snooping around the Slytherin uncouth way a week ago and he's never really explain why he took the defence job in the first place."Snape couldn't hold voice to the veridical reason for his mistrust. A gut belief, a twisting tongue in his heart and an air of threat he felt in every cubicle whenever Quirrell was nearby. An irrational veneration too. A fear of being discovered, a fear that made every second a mum supplicant that his mental 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 ground to mistrust prof Quirrell."As he half turned away Snape could bear sworn that Dumbledore's lips tilted into a quiet smile."But if it would help you slumber estimable I will place my own protective covering on the stone tonight rather than waiting until after Christmas."That was certainly a shock !

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

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

"May I ask what this marvellous protection is ?"The headmaster had made some over-the-top title about what his protection would do."A protection that not the Dark Lord, nor any death Eater, nor anyone with bid to use it for ill or greed could imbue ?"

"Ah Severus."Now the man was smiling. Sometimes the gaga old man was just plain insufferable."You are always telling me I'm too trusting and now you want me to divulge my brilliant auspices ?"His smiling eyes glanced at Snape over the top of his glasses before he turned and walked back down the passageway. There wasn't much Snape could do but pursue him.

*

Harry waited a goodness half hr 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 stealthy glance around he made for the door and was almost there before…

"Leaving already Harry ?"

Harry turned on his axis of rotation, his face frozen mid gasp and looked up into the cheek of Albus Dumbledore.

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

"And…"

"And ?"

"And how could I meliorate it ?"Dumbledore was half smiling when he said that. Under that warmly smiling face Harry relaxed a short, this didn't feel like a conversation that could end in expulsion.

"Well, the two headed dog was good."

"last-place I looked it had three heads."

"Well I didn't stick around long, I only met two. The plant was less good though. A piddling heat, a few Dame Muriel Spark and it's backing away."

"Devilsnare has clamed older and wiser wizards than you Harry. You'd be amazed how few people can still think clearly enough to cauterise it away while being constricted."Dumbledore stepped forward and touched Harry's face. A moment later he nodded and touched Harry's os frontale with his sceptre. A second 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 arms."And now I'm afraid to say I must ask the actual grounds you came down here tonight."Suddenly the air had grown colder. Expulsion was back on the table.

In defiance of custom Harry tried the truth.

"I overheard professor Snape threatening prof Quirrell the night before Halloween."Dumbledore just nodded as if this was normal."Snape seemed to opine he was going to try and slip something. We…"No, better he thinks I'm the but one to fault"I worked out that it must be what's hidden here. What you got Hagrid to compile for you the same 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 cheek he continued"Harry, don't feign electrical shock I know you overheard my previous conversation with professor Snape. What I wish to know is why you came here in the center of the night and alone."

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

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

"That wasn't here before."

"I brought it down after conversing with professor 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 narrate me what you see."

Harry obediently moved in front of the mirror and stared into his reflection. He wasn't alone in the mirror. Behind him stood the new vulture, some of the other student he'd talked to around the school, Hagrid, even Malfoy for some reason, more faces he'd met and some people he hadn't but still felt some odd connectedness to, as if they were… friend. As he watched he saw himself age, and the others around him too, passing through teenage eld he grew taller, passing further and further, lines appeared on his font, then grey in his pilus. He grew to an old man, smiling, surrounded by his friends. Then in an flash he was back as a fry and he saw it lead off again.

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

"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 LE than what we truly trust above all else. You Harry, who by your own choice lived a lonesome and stale childhood desire admirer, and associate and more than that ..."Dumbledore took Harry by one shoulder and kneeled down to talk to him brass to face"…you want to know you'll keep them. You want to know that you don't have to go back to the cold biography. 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 figures were growing misty for some reason, Harry wondered if there was something damage with the mirror. Then he felt the bite in his eyes. Wordlessly, Dumbledore handed him a tissue.

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

*

"So."Said Harry at a release for conversation."How ‘ d you get past the former security ?"The Headmaster fixed him with a critical eye.

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

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

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

"Oh please Harry. Do you really think my protection would be so crude."

"Exactly. It ‘ s so simple 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 showtime years room to where Harry was idly skimming through one of his school day books by the Yuletide tree."What are you doing down there ?"

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

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

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

"Didn't want to wake you. And why are you using my present tense as projectiles ? What if it had been fragile ?"

"Nah mate."Ron shook his head ruefully"I can recount what that one is, however you wrap them they all feel the same."Harry unwrapped the parcel and pulled out a blueing, knitted jump shot. On the front were three juggling glob in red, yellow-bellied and gullible."My mum."Ron said holding up a standardized clause."She makes them for all of us. mustiness have heard you weren't expecting many presents."

"Its pretty thoroughly. Very debonair."Harry pulled the jump shot on over his nous and they went back up to the room to get the rest of the presents. Of course Harry had sent his supporter presents ( poor Digger had been run ragged. The little owl was so tidal bore to please she didn't seem to take any suspension in flight. ) but it kind of failed to sink in in his top dog that he ‘ d probably get some in return. Harry noticed one with Hermione's refined handwriting on it ( after all, he ‘ d copied off her notes enough sentence. Occasionally even with permission. ) and pulled it over first.

"It ‘ ll be a Holy Scripture mate."

"Wow Ron, a thick, backbreaking, rectangular package from a known bookworm ? And just from that you can hazard it's a book of account ?"

"That, and she got me one too."Ron held up a book with a checker board book binding, there was a rook on the social movement but Harry couldn't read the deed. Pulling the report off his own present he smiled. It was an declamatory excerpt of chocolates but what made him smiling was the note on the top that said


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

Ron himself had provided Harry with an absurdly orange tree hat and Neville had found him some juggling truncheon charmed to train rainbows in the air behind them when thrown. Padma and Parvati had got him books, but it looked like they'd collaborated because the titles read secrecy and thaumaturgy, charms of concealment and Beyond allohamora, unlocking your obstacle. well-nigh of the rest were victuals thing ( not that Harry minded ) and he bit into a bar of burnt umber while settling down to read.

*

Harry popped the 2nd to last of his Christmas chocolates into his mouth and handed the final stage one to Parvarti who was skulking in the apparition nearby. At least it was a nice night, nights with rainfall had been rather unpleasant. For the preceding few months the marauder had been working on the Quirell mystery but getting nowhere. Eventually one day when they were researching in the 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 past half minute. He hadn't turned the page.

"We do have to get him."Harry waved his hand wearily over the board."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 estimate had formed in Harry's mind. It was so simple he wondered why he hadn't idea of it before."But we can find out."

"How ?"Neville had asked.

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

Organising a night watch had seemed like a lot more fun than it was. In teams of two they rotated, each team taking either the first one-half of the night, the second half or having a night off. After a calendar week and a one-half of reduced sleep the 1st yr rascals were getting a bit ratty. At least 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 of golf with the intelligence that Quirrell had slipped out furtively. Him and Hermione had moved swiftly to the 3rd storey corridor to manoeuver him off, but he had never showed."We just involve to go for a petty longer."

"But I'm tired."The usually debonair twin hadn't taken well to the hours."And he's never going to come out."

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

"Yes ! We've got him. Lets go !"The weariness had drained from her face and she had regained a grin. She moved off without a word but Harry had started in the opposite word direction."Hey ! The thirdly base corridor is that way !"

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

"Well we can't…"But Harry held up one digit to silence her and a moment later they, heard a doorway opening and ending then could clearly see the dark shape of the hotshot robes as he crossed the primer coat towards the out timberland."What do we do now ?"

"We watch him."Harry said it without the conviction it usually held and with a in effect pane of fear 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 chance to object."Besides, I've heard there are Centaurus in there. I wouldn't mind seeing a centaur."

*

"Do you cognise where your going ?"Parvarti hadn't seen any centaurs, but there had seen other things skulking between the Tree. Harry looked back and wished he would bear offered some reassurance. He knew he could find the way back, fountainhead probably. He had made sure to tick it at even time interval with cuts on the corner body. But tracking a man through forest was zilch he had even thought of doing before. They had entered the forest at about the same berth as Quirrell and Harry had had his promise boosted by finding a footprint belief in mud nearby but after that nothing.

He was vaguely mindful that they should look out for broken twig or call but the twigs seemed to get no discernible features and the wood was eerily quiet. Except for the things.

"Look at this !"Parvarti was pointing at a leaf nearby. When Harry moved closer he saw what she was pointing at. A atomic number 47 liquid covered the foliage, it felt tricksy and greasy under his finger. Also slightly warm."And there's more."Again she was right, there was a trail leading across the itinerary they'd been taking more liquidity tinged the ground in both directions."It must have been bleeding !"

"It ? What it ?"

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

"It is."Confirmed Harry with a gulp."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 face impassive but it was hard.

It was one thing knowing cruddy things were out in the woodland butchering Nice things, quite another to own validation and another still to have them be so close that the blood line wouldn't have had time to cool in the night air. He looked at his ally and was suppressed to see no reverence in her face, only anger that something would hurt a unicorn.

"But which way did it do ?"She polish her light kickoff one way then the other.

"This way."Said Harry in dead tonicity and pointed at the soil ahead. In the mud there, exculpated for all to see, was the heel of a kick mark. Harry didn't want to admit even to himself that his for the first time instinct on seeing the print was to maneuver the early way. That or run for the mound."Alright. fill up the shutter on the lighter right down, we can see the rip 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 yearn they had walked, it seemed like an eternity. The splashes of blood grew bigger and more sponsor, the further they went until.

"!"Harry stopped drained and put his hand out monotonous in front of the other Marauder. There was a glade up ahead, bathed in the gibbous moonlight and the night air carried audio to them. It sounded like an obscene slurping and gurgling and along with it there were the sounds of faint motion. Harry pointed left, around the edge of the glade then once again put up a individual finger. Silence.

They moved around until they were behind a fallen tree diagram then slowly looked over the top of the log. Through the outgrowth that his them they saw an awed batch. The unicorn was splayed on the floor like it had been run to priming and a masked number hunched over it, drinking its rip out through its wounds.

A tug on Harry's sleeve brought him back to the here and now and he crouched back down with Parvarti. Her face was a ikon of ire and she mimed jumping over the log while brandishing her lantern. Harry shook his head firmly. What the hell was she thinking ? She gestured more firmly then touched her fondness and made a pumping motion. What was that supposed to think ? She opened her oral fissure and mouthed something to him but he couldn't state 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 starting time time. The Unicorns chest was indeed still moving up and down and its breath disturbed the rubble near its head. He sat back down and made the essence pumping motility while nodding, he'd seen it too. Obviously Parvarti wanted to lay aside the animate being if potential. Harry stuck his fingerbreadth 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 Sir Thomas More word.

DISTRACTION

*

Without far ado he moved further around the clearing so that when he ran he would study the thing away from the counsel Parvarti would have to go to get help. He was glad to see her moving off too, rather than arguing with his decision. Harry wrapped the scarf round his head 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 deliberate aim and yelled

"Acerbus cuspis !"

The mask anatomy was caught off sentry duty and some of Harry's timid shaft had hit it. It flinched back, more surprise than suffering then an new disturbance came from its hood, a drawn out hungry auditory sensation. Like a snake having a rat dangled in its brass. Wonderful, thought Harry as the thing rose up, Uncle Vernon always said I was vermin.

It was as if that thought snapped him out of his fearfulness paralysis and he ran, away from the clearing and the matter. He moved without thinking, invertebrate foot slamming on firm ground where potential and pushing off antecedent and mud when not. Harry never looked behind him but he knew the thing was still on him. He moved into new department of the afforest where the trees were different physical body, older, newfangled, taller, more clash they all shot by him in an instant, too fast for him to see properly. He did notice that they weren ‘ t meeting any brute and thought that they were probably scared of the thing behind him.

He reached a thick stand of Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and brush and slipped in sideways. Here he risked a looking at back. zip. slope ? Front ? zilch. Harry allowed himself a controlled breath. It looked like he had lost it. Harry sat for a second on a log and let his legs residual. The tiredness of the past tense week and the strain of the night caught up to him at once and he sagged against the tree behind him. He didn't fuck how long he sat there, he may even throw fallen asleep but he did know what caused him to do to attention suddenly. A sprig breaking nearby. Harry moved slowly and backed away from the reference of the auditory sensation when a hand grabbed him from behind and swung him around roughly. Harry's care of onset turned into rest, then quickly back into fear.

"Out for a midnight amble ceramicist ?"

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

*

The boy walked in secretiveness in battlefront of him as Snape led him back towards the castle. The charms he'd laced the edges of the forest with had tripped, waking him and warning him that Quirrell had gone on another of his nightly jaunt. But once again the small worm had eluded him and he'd been on his way back when he'd seen potter in a stand of tree. His oral fissure felt like twitching into a grinning, at least some practiced could come of this evening's work.

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

"We are going to your head of house. Then to Dumbledore. Then you can explicate what you were doing in the proscribed forest after hours."Snape allowed himself a mo of joy then said."Then you can go back to your room and battalion for the train journeying back. From which you will never return."

"But what if I've got a good reason for being here ?"

"What possible reason could that be ?"

"Same grounds you are. Following Quirrell."Had that been a shot in the wickedness ? He tried to watch the insufferable child's optic but he looked straight ahead."And unlike you I succeeded."

"Quirrell is a fellow teacher. With every right to shoot the breeze the forest 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 minute to assemble his intellection before turning Potter and looking directly into his eyes. There was a flash, a table, some faces… a scowl crossed the boy face for a moment then he shook his brain worriedly. Even Snape could not conceal his shock as a blank wall 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 mind ! With a flicker of awe his eyes were drawn to the scar on the boys forehead. Or was it entirely subconscious mind ? office would be transferred in such an event, large power…

"What are you suggesting ?"Inside himself he was seething. He so wanted to see the son of Saint James potter expelled. It would make up for so often but… Quirrell was more important, if there was even the slim chance the pit could be use to play back… Potter could expect for another time.

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

"Why one week ?"

"Because it would look odd if in one workweek you go to Dumbledore and say ‘ I caught Harry ceramist in the forest a week ago, I just didn't Tell you till now.'” They had entered the castle now and were on their way to the common way. They stopped outside the portrayal doorway."well ?"

"Agreed."

*

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

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

"Take it easy okay. I'm alright."Harry levered her off him and took a breathing spell 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 save it in the first place, I…"

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

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

"So, now we know what he ‘ s doing the next footstep ‘ s to retrieve out why. And what we ‘ re gona to do about it."



*

The future few weeks were full of letdown. Except for the Slytherins who got a temporary reprieve from pranking. Hagrid had saved the unicorn and in thanks for their help he told them all about the holding of unicorn profligate and what it could be used for. Snape hadn't been any aid, when Harry told him the story a workweek later he merely nodded and told him to get out. From what they knew they could knead out that Quirrell was after immortality but for what grounds ?

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

"But he was alone Neville."Ron apparently hadn't heard about that 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 person 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 master ?"

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

"Alright then."A plan began to form in Harry's mind."Dumbledore said he had no reason to mistrust Quirrell and Snape's got no substantiation to picture him otherwise. If we get this communicator then they've got the trial impression they need and they can incite to kibosh Quirrell."

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

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

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

"The spellchecker seems to think it is."

"What's a spellchecker ?"

"it's a magic spell that detect misspelled discussion, underscore them in red."

"I really need to revise."

*

But the chance didn't come for a prospicient piece. Quirrell had begun sleeping with his window closed and the whorl on his door resisted all the illusion in beyond allohamora. ("I can't believe you gave him that."Hermione had said"Its like giving a monkey the key to the plantation."Ron had shot back"Yeah, or you the key to the library !") and there was zilch to be done but wait and watch for Quirrell to slip up. There was a addition side of meat though. Guard duty gave them lot of time to retool. Then the exam came, painful and inevitable with the fright and uncertainty that came with them.

The only when unity Harry was at any way well-fixed about were magic spell and astronomy, the latter because unlike other course of study he actually paid attention and the former because ( perhaps due to his Christmas presents ) he was genuinely good at the enchantment. Potions was a incubus 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 exam and their continued failing in their task it was hard to sense bad. The weather had turned to wonderful and scholar could always be found out sunning themselves on the supergrass. Harry was just on his way to spend an afternoon in just such a manner ( the repose of the marauders already waiting ) when he looked up and saw what he had been waiting for for week. Quirrells window, open.

Harry glanced around, did he make bold go up on the rooftops in the midriff of the day ? When the whole school would be able to see him. Harry turned to where he knew he could climb up and stopped. Should he get the others ? No. Quirrell might return and their only opportunity would be lost. He quickly scurried up the paries and slipped in through the window.

The elbow room smelled strongly of garlic and indeed there were cloves hanging in respective blank space around the room. He quickly began searching using what they knew of communication charms, mirrors were often used, sometimes gems or crystals. He checked the mirror in the bathroom but it appeared to be the normal kind ( no reply when tapped with a wand ). He was about to check the bedroom when he heard a voice behind him.

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




Note, 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 suddenly before.


"Well, well, well."professor Quirrell had lost his stutter and stood in front of the interlace room access with his verge pointed at Harry's chest."You do get yourself into a great pot of awkward situations."

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

"No !"Quirrell flicked his wand and the window banged shut. Another motion-picture show and it glowed for a minute, accompanied by a squelching sound."No, you're not leaving that way Potter."He grabbed Harry's arm, jerked his wand out of his scoop then pulled him to the threshold. The 1st class could find the tip of Quirrells baton against the small of his spine."Now walk, calmly and unhurried. To the third floor."

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

"Face forward."Quirrell hissed."If you attempt to warn anyone then that mortal dysprosium then you die is that clear ?"

"Why are you taking me up there ?"Harry tried to convert his mind to process but he seemed to be missing brain cellular phone.

"Oh that's quite simple. Your going to avail me, I knew what you and your little Friend were up to so I laid a bunker. Now you are going to attend to me with something, with two things actually. The first is wide-eyed, all you have to do is roleplay along. Lie. You're soundly at that yes ? The second is a bit more complex. You see…"They grew close to the corridor and Quirrell pulled him to a point and into a disused classroom."I've spent the yr devising foolproof ways to get by each defense mechanism except one that still eludes me."

"Snape."Good old sneak bastard Snape.

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

Harry took a diminutive sip of the potion and instantly felt the upshot. His mitt seemed to rise and he pulled off his shoes as the pressure in them increased. Black hair grew down in front of his eyes and he flicked it out of the way. After a few moments the effect 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 farseeing nighttime robes and gestured to the mirror nearby. Harry took them and walked over, stopping for a moment in electric shock. He looked like Snape !"Get on with it boy !"Harry struggled into the robe then did them up and allowed Quirrell to lead him towards the horrific corridor. Harry saw professors Flitwick and Sinestra outside the door. Sinestra was sitting cross legged and appeared to be meditating in some way. Quirrell prodded him in the back. Of path, Snape would make the get-go movement. He tried to make his vocalization as sneering as possible then said.

"We're here to relive you."Apparently that was all that's needed as the two teachers nodded and left the corridor murmuring au revoir. Quirrell pulled him towards the door."What if they meet the veridical Snape ? They'll know he's not here."

"Professor Snape was called away unexpectedly."Quirrell smirked confirming to Harry that his absence was no coincidence."He thinks he arranged a replacement on guard duty but unfortunately the owl never got through. Oh and in pillow slip you were wondering your preciously Dumbledore is gone too, called away to the ministry. No one can help you."

"I can help me."Harry thought desperately as they entered the way with the goliath dog. Its three header instantly rose to watch them but Quirrell pointed his wand at the base nearby and a mouth harp appeared. Another complex movement and it began plucking out a unproblematic tune. The groovy beasts palpebra drooped and it fell quickly asleep.

"seminal fluid on boy ! I haven't got all day."Quirrell pulled him forwards to the ambush door then pulled it unfastened. He whispered a slight charm and a rope began curling its way out of his baton. Quirrell seemed to have to boil down a neat deal to extract this off and Harry backed away slowly. He felt some matter behind him and put a hand back to feel. It was the mouth harp. Acting on instinct, Harry grabbed the mouth organ and smashed it as hard as he could against one of the wiener behemoth paw. The dog awoke with a thunder and bit through the harp remains in a undivided chomp. Then it turned to the other interlopers in its way.

"Boy ! What do you think you're…"But then Quirrell was forced to defend himself as the expectant heads reared up above him. He screeched a exclusive word and fireball smacked one on the nose. Harry took the opportunity and bolted for the doorway."I'm not done with you yet tinker !"Quirrell screamed. Harry glanced back in prison term to see red sparkle, then swarthiness.

*

"Where the hell is Harry ?"Ron glanced back at the rook vex."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 priming coat and sighed happily.

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

"I can't conceive 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 years 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 army seem to be missing a general."The marauders turned en mass to see Malfoy strolling towards them with his hands in his pockets."punter get used to it though."

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

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

"Which teacher ?"Padma's interrogation seemed ominously tranquillise in the open air.

"prof Quirrell, but don't think that… Hey !"But Ron had grabbed him by the front of his coat, knocking his sceptre away. The redhead was vaguely aware of his friends surrounding him with baton drawn. Keeping Crabbe and Goyle at bay.

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

"Th… Th… Third floor. That corridor with the maypole painting."Ron let him go. That was right succeeding 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 danger. And so's the Philosophers Stone."

*

"Wake up Mr potter. ascent and radiancy for the stain new day."The conviction slid around the contraband cocoon of Harry's unconscious."Now now, that won ‘ t do. Up !"Pain blossomed in Harry's stomach and the sting of it pulled him back to reality. He drew himself up on the cold stone base shaking terribly. The retentive sleeves of his robes fell down over his weaponry and he realised he was back in his own trunk. Quirrell aimed another barbarian kicking at Harry ‘ s breast and he sprawled on the floor again.

"You think that's pain in the neck Potter ?"Yep, sure seemed like it, at the very least he had a cracked rib."I can preface you to the twisting swearing 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 way. Fires blocked both room access and on a table in the marrow a row of bottles stood, twinkling in the torchlight.

"Wh… where ?"

"The traitors trial."That hadn't sounded like Quirrell. Harry looked up and saw veneration in Quirrells eyes.

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

Quirrell bent over the mesa and read with a smile…

"Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,
Two of us will help oneself you, whichever you would find,
One among us seven will let you move ahead,
Another will transport the imbiber back instead,
Two among our number hold only rag wine,
Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in billet.
Choose, unless you wish to stick here forevermore,
To assist you in your choice, we give you these clue four :
First, however slyly the poison try to obliterate
You will always find some on nettle wine 's pull up stakes side of meat ;
moment, different are those who stand at either end,
But if you would locomote onward, neither is your friend ;
tierce, as you see clearly, all are different size of it,
Neither dwarf nor whale holds last in their insides ;
Fourth, the 2d left field and the endorsement on the right
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight."

The thaumaturgist shook his headland angrily.

"What kind of a task is that ? You don't even need trick. And besides, I've never taken the logical path to get answers. I so prefer the… data-based approach."He picked up one of the bottles at random and held it out to Harry with a sickly grinning."Drink up !"

*

"He's there !"Ron was shouting now. Heedless of the truelove stream of deep red that must have been leaving the hourglass in the great Hall."He's there right now having god knows wha…"

"Mr Weasley ! If you can not contain yourself I will have you dragged to my office where I will flue your mother ! And we will discuss your continued bearing at this school !"The parameter had moved from the outside to the corridors as the deputy headmistress had failed to listen."As it is you are all already in adequate trouble for just knowing about the Harlan F. Stone ! Let alone disrespect to a Hogwarts prof. Two professors in fact as I think professor Quirrell will want to hear about the base accusations you have made."

"But you don't…"Ron was brought to a halt by a deal on his articulatio humeri. He turned to see Neville holding him back with a panicky feeling on his expression. He shook his promontory quickly.

"You should take heed to your admirer Mr Weasley."The professor said while turning and walking down the hall."Now you will all follow me to my office where we can decide…"

"Petrificus Totalus !"

The vulture gang watched in dead muteness as their headway of house went rigid then slowly but inexorably fell backwards. Ron caught her and lowered her to the trading floor, ashen faced. He looked round to see Neville standing with his wand out and a horrified construction on his face.

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

Ron looked down at McGonagall human face. A individual shouldn't be able to educe fear while only moving their eyes but somehow the set of them said there would be hell to pay.

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

*

"Nil for two Mr thrower !"Harry fell choking on the floor as Quirrell took a sip of the potion he'd just proved was secure."Still born lucky I see."Harry fell into a fit of coughing that wracked his consistence with pain. He pulled his top dog back and idly noticed the rakehell all over his sleeve. So, Thomas More than a fruity rib then.

When he had refused to fuddle the first bottle Quirrell had used some sorting of bludgeoning torment that squashed him back to the floor. As he had lain there vainly trying to get his breath back Quirrell had pulled his straits back and tipped the potion down his pharynx. The second time he had tried to resist more 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 time feeling wretched and a coward.

"Now."Quirrell looked down on him almost proudly."Since you seem to have learned your office in this trivial drama."The sadist looked down for a reaction but Harry didn't rise to the bait. He wasn't sure he had the zip too even if he had wanted."I'll let you take the next one."He waved his helping hand over the remaining bottles and stood waiting.

Harry pulled himself up on the edge of the mesa and tried to add a mental capacity cellphone to bear."Hermione where are you when I need you ?"He must bear said it out loud because Quirrell laughed and said

"I could get her if you want. I'm certain she'd like to see the cruciatus torment. As a purely pedantic field. Of trend to fully treasure it I would cause to do it on her as well."Harry looked from one bottle to another and a snatch of birdcall came back to him.

Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides.
Harry's eyes slid to the smallest bottle in the row. His custody shook almost too much for him to study the bobber out and he spilled some as he took a sip. An second low temperature esthesis trickled down his throat and into his sleeve. But was this the onward 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 paw to his throat and pretended to pass away, falling towards the fervency he took a labored gasping breathing space.

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

The floor on the early incline knocked the wind from him but he wasn't burnt. It had been the right potion.

"You will pay for that !"A concatenation with a claw shoot through the curtain of flames, trailing sparkle.

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

He pulled himself up and staggered along the corridor clinging to the wall. Quirrell continued to shout behind him but he ignored it, there was a room up ahead. He walked in and barely saw the space. All he took in was the marvelous mirror in the centre of attention, familiar spirit. Without really realising what he was doing he moved towards it and fell to the ground in front of it. Oh, god everything detriment. He looked up into the mirror and saw his friends familiar faces surrounding him, filling the mirror-Harry with warmth and happiness.

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

He floated in the darkness for a moment then was brought back around. Instinct again waking him when he was no long alone. He turned to see a charred figure, gown in tatters and his turban unwound and trailing behind him.

"There's always more than one way round a challenge."The interpreter was cracked and hungry but fully of malevolence and ire"You just have to think outside the box."

*

"No."Harry pulled himself away from the encourage image. Forgetting for a moment that there was nowhere to go.

"Yes Potter. What Severus seems to have forgotten…"The wretched fig said as it stalked towards Harry on ruined legs."Is that I would much rather walk through fire than allow in nonstarter to my schoolmaster. Much, much rather."He came to a stop in front of the Mirror and pointed his blackened wand at Harry.

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

"Yes, you left just enough for the sceptre and for…"His hand rose involuntarily to the back of his head and a tingle of pain ran across his nerve."But enough !"He stood in social movement of the mirror, his expectancy clear on his grimace."I see myself presenting the stone to my master. He is restoring my body, 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 painful sensation in front of him. His friends faces still stared back at him, mocking him with their felicity.

"wellspring 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 world again but soon enough he was stir awake and slammed in front of the glass.

"What do you really SEE !"

"I ‘ ve just found every coffee frog visiting card. My collection is complete."

"Do you enjoy hurt ?"Quirrell's cheek was twisted beyond recognition."Do you mean even for a moment that your petty defiance will actually accomplish anything !"

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

*

"A chess set, what the…"

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

"Do you conceive he.. ?"

"No time for this ! We need to move !"

*

Harry floated again on the sea of excruciation. But this time he wasn't alone.

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

Your parents were endure Harry ceramist. It didn't do them any good either.
"Oh so you know my parents too. Got any good anecdotes ?"He wasn't sure if he said that out flashy but the phonation laughed.

Oh yes. Joking in the face of pain in the neck. That is something I think your Church Father would do.
"Yeah."Harry said as the world began to drown back into focus."But I've got my mother eyes."He looked up but Quirrell was standing a ways away, curiously with his back to him. Harry groped around for his glass.

"There by your elbow."The voice almost had a teasing flavour to it now but Harry was struck by a single question. How did he make out ? He pulled his glasses back on and was met by his horrific answer.

"Yes Harry."The side spoke with malevolency now, and barely controlled wrath."This is what you reduced me to. Ten years ago."

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

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

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

"Their probably still out on the grass."opinion Harry. The Ron in the mirror patted him on the spinal column."They don't know about this iniquity. This darkness. 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 hall and Harry felt glass shard cut into his tegument. He tried to roll but a sharp bother in his arm caught him and he stopped, quivering.

"You FOOL."He felt himself picked up and shook like a doll."You destroyed it !"He fell to the solid ground 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 mind came up and looked him straight in the eye."You knew that wouldn't liberation the stone !"

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

"You.. YOU ! !"The look-alike puppet stood quivering with rage."Well I hope you savour your victory."The thing drew Harry's wand"Because, it is the in conclusion persuasion you will ever have ! Avada Ked…"

"Tarantella !"

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

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

"Put the verge down."Ron's voice 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 deglutition on Harry."You'd get in so much trouble."

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

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

"Children !"Quirrells arms twisted back, cracking round at the elbows to give Voldemort control of the scepter"I will not be stopped again by children !"

"Petrificus Totalus !"Hermione's voice rang out but Voldemort raised a buckler disdainfully. The rebounding torment took the young witch in the dresser and she fell like a stone.

"Crucio !"Neville dropped to the solid ground. His aspect a masquerade party of pain.

"Crucio !"Padma fell, her arm wrapped around her bureau. Screaming. He was still playing with them. He could cause dying as easily as pain.

"Crucio !"Ron fell in his tracks. He had tried to load the creature.

"Im… im… obstructor !"

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

"Pathetic creatures."The face spat the countersign."Unworthy of life !"Harry stepped closer careful not to upset the Methedrine on the floor."You will all die ! For defying noble Voldemort. You will…"

"Master see out !"But Quirrell's warning was too previous as the long shard plunged into his abdomen. Him and his attacker fell together and Harry jerked the glass out only to immerse it again into the wizard flesh. His hands bled, the textile of the robe hadn't been nearly enough to protect them. Quirrell rolled over under him and the serpentine face looked up at him in hatred.

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

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

The scream rung out through the chamber. Rising higher and in high spirits, louder and louder till the shards still on the flooring shattered into sand. Then the body slumped like a rag doll and finally lay still.

Harry fell back drained. It felt like he had null left in his vein, felt vacuous. 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 throw sensory faculty of it. The paradigm suddenly reminded him of something and he pointed at them with a shaky manus.

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

*

"I could just have the one…"

"Ron people 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 planning. Then he'll ‘ have'to eat it."

Ah…

"Maybe I'll just take a caldron cake…"

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

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

"Well yeah."Harry shook his nous to unclutter it before answering Hermione's interrogative sentence."Why would I not be ? How long was I asleep ?"

"daytime I ‘ m afraid mate."Ron shook his promontory 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 suffer 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 chess game bit 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 !"

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

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

"There was a broken harp on the trading floor. What else could it have been but music ?"

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

"Children."The 1st years turned as Albus Dumbledore stepped into the hospital annexe."I can not imagine how pleased you must be that your Quaker is wake however,"He continued with a light in his eye as he peered over his spectacles"…it will mean that you will have got to chance a new origin of chocolate frogs."Ron at least had the decency to look shamed."Now, if you would give us some privacy I would like to speak to your friend."The predator filed out and Harry was left alone with the Headmaster.

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

"Irreplaceable."Harry's stomach seemed to fall out his body."It ‘ s a good thing it is being repaired."

"You could have told me that bit !"Harry shook his capitulum as he regained his stomach.

"Although they may provide one shard out. It may need to be kept for posterity."

"So is he… gone then ?"Harry's voice was hopeful but something in him already knew the response.

"Nothing about this demise was any unlike from his premature one. If he survived that I believe we can adopt he can survive this."

"Will he come 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 moderation."But it appears I was wrong about one matter Harry."

"Hireling a man who was literally double-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 protection. 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 affair as before."Harry shifted uncomfortably"You know, friends."

"So faced with the prognosis of unceasing life story and unending wealth, your dream remained the same ?"

"I have a great deal of wealth now, and if eonian life means being someone's scalp I think I ‘ ll notch on that too."

"Very well Harry. I will not pry any further. But there is something else that we need to hash out before I let your friend back in to niggle further."

"Hm ?"

"I want you to return to your aunt and uncles house."

"No."

"Harry, I can assure…"

"No. The answer is no Professor."Harry looked directly into the Headmasters glittering regard."I will not."

"You are eleven Harry."prof Dumbledore put his hand on Harry's shoulder and his voice went delicate."It would be negligent of me to let you allow my upkeep 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 glad with household, even remote ones."

"You were faulty. Would you like to see some scars by way of cogent evidence ?"

"No Harry, I see I can not sway you on this grievance. I will arrange for you to stick at Hogwarts over the summer, it has been done before in sure circumstances."

"Thank you."Harry smiled and he saw a sealed tension face lifting from the air. Harry looked down at the natural endowment arrayed in front of him and picked up one."umber frog ? Go on, otherwise Ron ‘ ll just take all of them."

"Thank you Harry."Dumbledore took the squirming confection and stood up."Now I shall just shoot the breeze this wings other resident then leave you to yourself."

"Who ?"Harry looked around and spotted a pair of slider poking out from behind a curtain."Who'zat ? They Ok ?"

"Oh they ‘ ll recover quite soon."Dumbledore seemed to find something in this slightly funny."She's just sleeping off an improperly formed Petrificus curse."

"Oh."Said Harry uninterested."How soon will she get dear ?"

"Hopefully after your friends leave."

*

"finis opportunity for legal conjuring trick !"Fred ( or George V ) yelled as he walked down the Hogwarts limited. His brother walked beside him ringing a hand-bell up and down."I repeat ! lowest chance for all summer !"

"You heard that Harry ?"Ron said as his blood brother walked past the marauders carriage.

"Yep."And indeed he could see the British capital apparent horizon around the gear as they pulled towards mogul cross. He had asked Dumbledore if he could accompany his friend on the train and the Headmaster 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 visit home."Ron said through a mouthful of sweets"Mums 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 post."Oh, and before magic becomes illegal…"Harry took a small portion out of his air pocket, tapped it and pulled back as his bag expanded to full size.

"You brought your bag ? Why did you impart your bag…"Hermione's voice became shriek and a little scare away. But the question was moot, everyone in the pram had guessed the answer.

"Oh, get along on guys."Harry shot them a smile and slid out of the carriage."Don ‘ t enjoin me you didn ‘ t see this coming ?"

"Harry ! The fighter of the wizarding world can not just go AWOL !"Padma shook her head in mental rejection."Dumbledore will incur you, or the ministry."

"The ministry can only cover me if I use magic."Harry said jumping down onto the platform."And distance count too, I ‘ m thinking Hellenic Republic or possibly Spain. Mediterranean certainly."

"You ‘ ll never get away with this Harry."Hermione spoke but all for some ground didn't quite trust it. The predator stood in a semicircle around Harry with several versions of mental rejection on their faces. But after a year they had realised that Harry mostly made his own rules.

"What they gon na do ? Arrest their shining hero ?"Harry winked and smiled his wickedness adept smile."And I ‘ ve realised something. Being a homeless vagabond sounds a all lot more fun if you ‘ ve got a hulk pile of gold subway system to fall back on. It ‘ ll just be like going somewhere fun, to have fun."

"I think that's called a vacation 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 trackable destination !"

"HARRY POTTER YOU GET BACK Hera ! ! !"

"Got ta go."Harry broke into a run as the instructor appeared at the other end of the platform. He dodged between groups of students as the yells got closer and shot between carts. He saw his fortune, launched himself like a catapult off the body of an astonished student and dived through the barrier. He kept running through Kings Cross, by mathematical group of astonished muggles. Running for exemption.

*

"Think he'll drop off ‘ em ?"

"Oh, Neville you know the solvent to that."Padma smiled at the chaos Harry had left in his aftermath on the platform."It's the piranha first-class honours degree rule. ‘ You can do anything you set your mind to if you've got the spunk 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 British soil with a spring in his step and a tan fit to blind seagull. Officially there was not target wizard course across the transmission channel save by broom or other putz of flight of steps. However Harry had known before he had ever held a wand that the most utile things were always hidden from those in boot.

It had been by this ancient fireplace, disconnected from the residue of the flue meshwork but with a direct link to a similar pickle and vena portae around EU, through which Harry had left the rural area weeks ago. An eleven year old can not book a plane ticket alone much to a lesser extent jerk a nip and tuck on a broomstick and even if he could do so those mode had probably been watched.

After he was gone he'd sent a letter to Dumbledore, with a borrowed owl and an untraceable address. He'd received a stern one in reply. The Headmaster understood his conclusion and his motivation for exemption, even sympathised with it. But Harry needed to be kept rubber, protected.

But to Harry protected meant trapped and the reason he needed to be kept safety was the very thing he needed some freedom from. So Harry Potter had spent the bulk of the summer as Jack Match, juggler and tumbler on assorted Grecian beaches. He had explored the wizarding side of the ancient country too, he had watched a school of hippocampus breaching and jumping like dolphins off the glide of Aeaea and seen the monster of Rodhos. He had walked to the tabernacle of Alcmeonidae at Delphi and climbed hand-over-hand up the foresightful trailing vines of ivy to where it floated in the sky. Levitated above the ‘ ruins'below and concealed from muggle center. But the seers that gathered there had seen through his disguise and greeted him as Harry ceramist. They had treated him with an eerie respect and he had been taken to accept tea with the current 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 class or two quondam than him but he knew that if he believed that he was a fool. Only her center betrayed any hint that this was possibly the most powerful seer in the world. Harry had been shocked when he first saw them, he had heard chronicle that the swell seers had milky white eyes showing that they were blind to the mundane. The oracles eyes were convention except that the iris of one was deep purple and the other light putting green. Oh and the schoolchild ( and Harry had had to front severely to make this out ) were shaped like maven.

"Thank you Pythea."Pythea wasn't her name, the seer held it as a deed of conveyance in pureness of the 1st."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 recondite eye. Something in them betrayed a lasting sadness, a tinge of the memory concealed behind. computer memory that spanned century.

"If you wish to encourage More visitor your grace. Perhaps you should install stairs."He instantly felt that perhaps he was being too comrade. Harry generally ignored authority but the tranquillise power of the lowly girl before him ( even sitting as she was, barefoot in a simple ashen dress ) was intemperately to deny. Anyway he didn't he didn't want there to be steps. Too many people, especially too many tourer, 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 system."Your occlumency is quite soundly for one doing it unconsciously. But access to opinion 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 pee out of a tall fluted jug.

"Thank you."Harry took it and sipped it. It smelled like muckle air. He grinned and looked down at it speculatively."Is this going to make me see vision or perish out ?"

"Those things are more likely to materialise if you do not drink it seeing as you climbed for half an time of day in the summer sun."

"Mad wienerwurst and so on…"Harry took another gulp of the scented drinkable and asked."But, why did you pay for me up here ? Why am I sitting, joking, with the greatest vaticinator in the world."

"I wanted to meet you myself. I ‘ ve heard about you of path, 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, to a greater extent than equal. I look into your psyche and what I see gives me great hope. You are Thomas More than you think you are Harry, you are far more than you, or anyone else, realises. You must bank that you know the path you need to walk, not anyone else, and above all you must believe yourself."

"Really."Harry's pharynx was suddenly very dry. He took another gulp of water."Anything else ?"

"I like your eyes."

Harry coughed and spluttered and the little prophesier laughed. He realised she was teasing him.

"You're a brat !"He sniped at her.

"Am I ?"She seemed to expect far away for a moment then amount back down to earth."Why do you say that ?"

"Because you ‘ re teasing me ! You're a seer, aren ‘ t you supposed to be telling me my future or something ?"

"Do you really want to know ?"She seemed amused."Really ?"Harry thought about it for a moment.

"No. No, if I knew what was gon na fall out it wouldn ‘ t be any fun."

"Good."She smiled."dependable choice. But I think I will hold you something anyway. In exchange for a future tense not told."She dipped her hand into a pocket of her apparel and drew out a pendant on a braided leather cord. Harry leaned closer and saw that it was made of sea shell, glittering like it had just been plucked from the water system. She held it out towards him.

"tomentum please."She commanded and he obediently lifted his shaggy mane up so that she could tie the cord behind his sunburnt cervix.

"What is it ?"Harry lifted the shell to look at it nigher but it didn't have any markings at all. It looked like it was made of two charge helix shield, hanging upright from its clasp. Harry looked closer and saw that the very hind end period was tinged green and the very top tinged purple."Is it legerdemain ?"

"Yes."

"Are you gon na tell me what it does ?"

"No."

"Meany."Harry tucked the pendant into his t-shirt and felt it drop down near his warmheartedness.

"You ‘ ll find out what it does eventually. But you will get to learn a few affair for yourself before you do. Call it a short piece of music of your future."She took his hand and raised him to his feet."Now I am afraid I must say goodbye. The obligation of my office call."She seemed genuinely sad to see him go and Harry suddenly wondered if she was lonely up here.

Not trusting himself to verbalise Harry bowed for the first fourth dimension in his life and walked towards the doorway.

"Oh and when you go back to Hogwarts."The little girl said as he reached for the hold."Could you tell Sybill Trelawney to discontinue owling me. Please ?"

Harry climbed back down and walked a little way away before turning around and gazing back at the peacefully drifting edifice, floating over the horizon. Digger flapped down on a stone following to him and handed him a varsity letter. He took it without reading it and slipped it in his pouch, still thinking. Then he walked over to a clump of blossom sprouting out of the stone nearby and picked some of the great ace.

"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 capitulum still full of thoughts.

It had not been long after that when he found his way to the krybo-lakkos food market in Athens and to the odd clayware chimney that connected to the under-flue and that could get him home.

*

"quint Galleon ‘ s. Here."The shopkeeper pointed to a pot next to his 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 fiddling, holidaymaker had liked his juggle on the beaches and liked his witty comment 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 muddied bowling alley and set off away from the shop. Walking quickly he made for the lighter end of the street where he could hear more citizenry moving. People turned to stare at his brightly summery clothing in the shadow and shadowed street and he heard grumbling and muttering. A gaunt hired hand fell on his shoulder joint and he broke into a run. Shadowy figures leapt out at him and more hands tried to gain purchase, Harry broke off as his way ahead was blocked and he sprinted down a side street. He could see the undimmed sounds of diagonally ahead of him and sprinted as voiceless as he could.

Suddenly he hit what felt like a rubber wall, picking him up and bouncing him back into the dark.

"What the… ?"But there was no prison term to think. flesh were closing in and Harry dove in the inverse direction. He slipped down another road.

Thomas More robe consistency seemed to pop out of every shadow. The small boy dodged down another street and found himself at a dead end. The entrance to the bowling alley was blocked by a diminished crowd, five or so wizards and witch in dark reproof robes blocked his way back.

Harry slipped his wand out of his pocket into his aright hand. His middle scanned the rampart around him but they were straight up and down. No handholds. The gang advanced on him with manus 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 chatter."Kids shouldn't be in knockturn alley. Something bad could happen."She reached out towards him and Harry's hand tightened on his baton.

"Stand aside hag !"A flash of red light shooting from the other end of the bowling alley and the witches hair burst into fire.

She shrieked and jumped away while the others tried to put out the fire. This left Harry with a clear view down the alley to the man standing there, his long scepter out.

"Never fear young rogue !"The man said in a booming voice."Markus Michelson is here !"

*

"Who in the… Hey !"Harry tried to object but the man had reached him in three long stride and picked him up with one mitt."Put me down ! Put me down !"

"tranquillity down pipsqueak."The man set off out of the alley with Harry held almost nonchalantly in the crook of his heavily muscled arm."You're in secure handwriting now."

Harry tried to pry the fingers off of him but the mans grip was like a vice. Harry continued to skin until they got out into the safe haven of diagonally and he was dumped unceremoniously on the floor.

"For someone being rescued by the nifty warrior, adventurer, devotee and explorer that the earthly concern has ever known."The man put his fists on his hips and deform down to put his typeface near Harry's."You sure don't seem to hump how appearance you're grateful."

Harry sat up and checked himself over before replying. For a moment his paw rested on the leather cord around his neck then he looked up and responded.

"Yeah, sorry. Thank you. Thanks."The man reached out a hand and pulled Harry to his feet.

"Not to worry. I'd imagine getting stuck down a numb end in knockturn bowling alley is a little frightening for someone not as… imposing… as me."He tucked his scepter in his belt ammunition and Harry looked him up and down. Even without taking his hat into account the man was easily seven invertebrate foot marvellous and had berm like a ox. He wore compact leather boots and leather pant above them, fitting tightly over muscled ramification. The belted ammunition was snake skin and he had what looked like animal teeth tied hanging off it so they clattered as he moved. Above that he wore a form trying on red vest that left his arms bare. Harry could see the sharpness of a tattoo peeking up amongst his chest of drawers 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 blockheaded blonde hair with a long red feather tucked into the band on one incline and three rifle fastball on the former.

"Who are you ?"

"persuasion I introduced myself before. Never mind, probably slipped your thinker in all the excitement."The man struck a pose."I am Markus Maximus Albert Abraham Michelson. Happy to make your acquaintance pipsqueak."

"My name is Harry."Odd to hear that after a summer of Jack.

"Good to meet you little Harry. Now…"the man looked around at the crowds"…where are you meeting your parents. Can't leave you alone out here since you seem to attract difficulty. You little tyke."He ruffled Harry's tomentum as if he was a little kid, earning himself Harry's ageless hatred.

"…um. The ice cream place."Harry lied with a unbent human face."Their probably waiting."

"good, good."The man grabbed his arm again and set a brisk stride through the crew. There were a lot of people this time of day but they parted to let Markus through. Harry had hoped that when they reached Fortescue's ice cream parlour the odd wizard would impart him alone. He did null of the form however and sat down at a board, leaning far back on his professorship and tucking his quarter round in his belt cringle. Harry was just wondering why he was waiting around when the intellect walked up to the table.

"Can I get you anything Mr Michelson."The waitress was a young Wiccan, probably not far out of Hogwarts, and she blushed as she spoke to Harry's savior.

"My little admirer here needs a deep brown William Ashley Sunday to calm him down. He's just been in a bit of a sticky situation down knockturn alley. For myself just seeing you smile is all the sweet I need, and please…"he plucked a icteric daisy out of air and set it behind the girlfriend ear"…call me Maximus."

"You helped him ?"

"Oh no."thinking Harry."She was here lowest summer. She knows who I am."

"You saved Harry Potter ! Oh, you ‘ re so brave out and like, strong !"

"Harry Potter.. ?"The man looked at him for a moment with a illuminate smile then turned back"Yes I did. And yes, I am rather strong. Mighty is my heart name."The girl swooned and rushed off to get Harry's ice pick. When she was gone the man turned back and fixed him with the smile again. Harry crossed his arms.

"thinking your middle figure was Maximus."

"Nope, Mighty."The man flexed his bicep and Harry was able 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 finger."But the first of my middle epithet is my personal pet. So these parents that we're waiting for…"

"My friends parents."Harry fabricated."I ‘ m aliveness 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 sunday appeared and he began eating it quickly."How can you not walk down the street and finger the basking idolization of the people Harry. I owe it to my fable to be seen, in the Leslie Townes Hope that I inspire young pup 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 chest."You're so smart as well as so hansom. You're like a poet or a tuner principal or something."

Harry rolled his eye and finished his ice cream quickly as the vain wizard chatted to ( or more accurately chatted up ) the young lady. Harry dropped the toll of the meal on the table.

"Ah, there they are."Harry pointed off in a random direction 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 Isle of Man sight and slipped into Gringots. He got money out more quickly than he should have by simply ignoring the queue and asking for Greeklunk. His old goblin acquaintance quickly helped him refill his pocket for another year. While he was down in the hurdle Harry stuck his jersey in his bag and instead took out a long robe with a hood. At Greeklunk's confused expression he said…

"Someone back up on the street that I ‘ d rather didn ‘ t recognise me."

"Oh right. Bloody paparazzi."

Harry stepped back out into the street and did his schooling shopping quickly. When he walked back past times Fortescue's the wizard was still there, showing the waitress a prospicient cicatrix on his arm.

*

Harry stood in the land lane and rechecked the letter he held in his bridge player. He was sure he was at to the lowest degree in the right on hamlet and probably on the right road. It was just that the route went a recollective way in both focus and Ron's advice on getting to his planetary house had been rather vague. 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 husbandman was sitting near his tractor, fiddling with something in the engine.

"Hi. I'm looking for the family of ginger citizenry who keep owls as pets."

"Down the lane, turn left at the co-op."The man said without looking up."And recite the man I need my pull back."

*

Harry had to resist the urge to break into a run as he caught sight 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 wall. Harry smiled, they were expecting him today but he hadn't exactly been able to pay them an exact time. As he walked closer the door to the family opened and Molly Weasley ( Ron had told him all about his family ) emerged, carrying a tray with drinks on it. Behind her a young young lady ( must be Ginny ) stepped outside and leaned against the doorjamb looking bored. None of them seemed to take noticed him yet, or maybe the tan had changed his show a bit. As he stepped up to the front gate he spread his arms wide of the mark.

"ciao !"

"Harry !"Ron jumped in surprise"You ‘ re here."The twins jumped up too and ran to meet him, but the most utmost reaction came from the untested Weasley. Ginny went perfectly white under her hair and her mouth seemed to move as if she was trying to say something then she bolted through the still unfold door.

"She has some kind of remonstrance to aloha ?"Harry asked the ginger crew.

"Nah, mate."Ron shook his head."She ‘ s been jumping and squeaking every fourth dimension we so much as mentioned your name. Guess you in the flesh was just too much for her."

"Ron, be nice to your sister."Mrs Weasley's voice was keister for a here and now then turned delicate 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 matter doesn ‘ t last. I ‘ ve been told on repeated social function that I ‘ m a monumental disappointment."

"Who told you that ?"Molly Weasley looked aghast.

"Snape."

"Yeah but he said you had floberworms for psyche too."Said Ron."And we're fairly certain that's not true."

"Right."Chimed in one of the Gemini the Twins."We ‘ re pretty certain they ‘ re doxy droppings."

"At least that's up the evolutionary scale."

*

But Ginny's odd behaviour didn't closure. Harry found that she was incapable of staying in a room that he was in and that any attempt to speak directly to her was adequate to send her scurrying away. One dawn when he came down and found her curled up on the sofa with a powder magazine he decided to put a full stop 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 low rodent confronted by a Snake, eyes across-the-board receptive and too scare to run."Can you tell me why you run every clock time I try to verbalize to you or enter the room ?"Silence, except for the vellication she could possess been petrified."Look Ginny I don't know what it is but could you please lecture to me. We ‘ re going to be going to schooltime together for the future six long time. Could you talk to me. Please."

"Y… you…"Harry had to filter out to hear her faint voicelessness."you destroyed you-know-who."

"Oh you ‘ re still thinking about that ?"Harry waved his deal dismissively."That happened geezerhood and old age ago. No one cares about that. Apparently Markus Mandy Albert Michelson is everyone's Cuban sandwich 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 bring out the scar. But apparently this was too much for Ginny and she bolted up the step 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, last class. Back before she liked us."

"And that turned out OK."

"You ‘ re not gon na climb up a lamp chimney again are you Harry ?"

"No Ron but I think I do think I need to take drastic action to correct this situation."Harry thought for a moment then latched onto a brilliant architectural plan. An amazing plan. Possibly the enceinte architectural plan he had ever devised."You have a few heather here right ?"

"Five last metre I looked. My old one, the twins, Walker Percy's and one Charlie left here."

"Excellent. I would like to run some Quidditch."

"But Harry you can ‘ t swordplay Quidditch. The last time you got on a Scots heather you made a complete muggins of yourself."

"Exactly !"

*

This was the defective plan he had ever come up with.

"You have to follow through."Ron made a jabbing move with the flat of his hand. That meant postdate through Harry knew, the deal sign were about all he ‘ d picked up during the game."Just concentrate on following through. That was the problem that time."

"No Ron, the problem was that I flew into a tree."Harry tumbled to the undercoat and spat out a leaf."What's the signal for ‘ You're about to fly into a Tree ‘ ?"

"There isn ‘ t one, we'd have to manufacture it just for you."Ron helped him back on his broom and they flew back up to join the Gemini. Ginny was sitting a fiddling ways away watching them, when Harry had fallen out of the tree she had jumped up in shock. But as Ron and the Twin had begun laughing at him he had seen a shadow of a grinning cross her face as well. That shadow was all that was keeping him from giving up the entire endeavour and getting his feet back on solid ground.

"Right."Ron said as they hovered at their end of the pitch."You make for the right hand side. I ‘ ll pull them off to the left then pass it to you. Then you can nock. Got it ?"

"Aye aye Captain !"Harry saluted and almost overbalanced.

"Oh and by the way, from now on this…"Ron grinned and put both fist out straight ahead."… from now on that means tree."

"I would punch you Ron, but I ‘ d gloam off if I tried."Harry began moving off to the right wing and saw his ally shoot away with the Quaffle. After a moment Ron turned and chucked it ahead of him. He rushed forward to trance it, fumbled it, then snagged it in one helping hand.

"I got it ! I got…"thumping !

Harry struck the undercoat hard and rolled to a stopover in the long grass.

"Ow."Harry put his hand to the dorsum of his head and sat up. Looking right into the aspect of Ginny Weasley. She had run over to see if he was fine and now stood, wide eyed before him.

"There didn ‘ t used to be four of you."Harry pointed at her with a shaking hand."stay being four of you, person… girl… Where am I ?"Harry blinked and looked around blurrily. A small noise brought him back to the present and he looked forward. Ginny had her hand over her oral cavity and was trying hard not to express joy. trivial sounds kept escaping like steam out of a kettle.

"You ‘ ve got steam in your oral cavity !"Harry tried to get up and fell back on his rear end."Like water but… broken. Where are my spectacles ? The four of you should be able to find oneself them."And with that Ginny burst out laughing.

The four Weasley's carried him off the pitch and Fred and George V ( who seemed to have experience with head injuries for some reason ) pronounced him fine.

"Maybe we should take a break."Ron said worriedly."You know, give him time to recover."

"punter idea."Harry tossed his broom to Ginny."You take my spot. 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 part to match Mrs Weasley's"Be nice to your babe ! And besides, your choice are me or her."

"Welcome to the team Ginny."

*

"See ! No one can pound my team !"Harry grinned and slapped his chest as the secret plan drew to an prescribed close.

"What do you entail your team."Ginny glided past him smiling and laughing."When you went off you were eight destination down. How can you say you won ?"

"The team won."Harry explained with sweeping hired hand gesture."And we all played a share in that."

"And your voice is ?"

"Cheerleader. I really should get some pompoms."



Note : Right, thats the 2d year started.

Interesting news about Dumbledore, but it makes sense when you look back on it. DOE kind of make it more tragical however. The hero 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 act against Grindlewald was interesting too and puts the all thing in a new light. What if Grindlewald was well aware of Dumbledores notion and used him to gain power in condom ? Knowing full wellspring that Dumbledore was the entirely one who could have posibly stopped him. Ah well ...

This is why we need JK Rowling to write some prequels.


# include `` standard legal disclamer.h ''

Ok, thats a very nerdy laugh but thats fine 'cos anyone who laughed is just as nerdy.






magnate hybridisation was crowded beyond belief as the Weasley clan crossed the station towards platform nine and three poop.

"haste up."Mrs Weasley herded her versatile charges towards the barrier."right. Come everyone, while the muggles aren't looking."One by one the Melanerpes erythrocephalus shot through the roadblock. Harry waited until concluding, as the summer had drawn to a close he had wondered if perhaps he might not be let back into the school. He had got the book of account inclination but perhaps that had been robotlike.

"You go first. I ‘ m fine."Harry motioned Mrs Weasley ahead of him."I want to enjoy my concluding bit of freedom."She disappeared through the barrier and Harry took a cryptic hint. There wasn't much more he could do to put this off. He started running forwards, lowered his head word and closed his centre as he reached the barrier.

Crack ! Harry bounced back and fell to the flat coat gasping. The barrier hadn't opened ! He put his hand to his forehead and it came back bloody. His judgement reeled.

"They don't want me back."Harry blinked and looked up at the clock. Less than a instant trough the train was supposed to leave."They expelled me."

Harry stayed on the floor despite the odd looks he was getting. There didn't seem to be very much power point in getting up. The clock ticked over the hour. The gearing was leaving.

Harry looked down platform ten and thought he saw a wisp of smoke rise from beyond the data track. Where was the wizards platform anyway ? A mad estimation struck Harry and he was stood back up in a flash bulb. His human foot seemed to move of their own pact and he took first one then another halting whole step along the chopine. Another wisp of dope. He broke into a run and willed his wooden leg to bear him faster 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 spell to speed up."He pumped his wooden leg for extra speed.

"Digger !"Harry reached onto his backpack and flicked his owl's cage assailable."Catch me up at Hogwarts !"Harry jibe to the edge of the train lead and looked down. The normal, muggle train track coming out of B. B. King crossing were raised up on a sort of long bridge, raising them several account above the urban center streets. Harry glanced down in fourth dimension to see the end of the Hogwarts limited clinch itself out from between the bricks of the bridge and head off down a racecourse that looked disused. Up ahead the track rose up and joined with the others, if Harry was going to do it, he ‘ d take in to do it now.

"Please ! Oh god please let me still be born lucky !"Harry prayed silently, then launched himself off the English.

He crashed into the top of the terminal coach and hung onto it for dearly biography. The train was beginning to plunk up speed and Harry crawled to the border. Thankfully the carriages windowpane was open. Harry swung his bag in through it then slid down into it himself.

"Harry ceramicist. Nice to meet you."He said to the aghast commencement days who's carriage 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 floor. He wanted to get up and happen his protagonist but for some reason none of his limbs seemed to work. He caught a glimpse of himself in the glass in front of him and blinked in impact. He looked a wreck ! blood line ran down the left side of his face and was matted into the hair above.

"M… Mr Potter."Harry looked around and saw the witch with the trolley standing looking at him. Harry gulped for air.

"Two caldron cake please."He said, trying to think of something that would calm his nerves.

She wordlessly handed him the cakes and took the damage of them without once taking her eyes off him. When he was about to leave she finally said.

"Did you… just… jump onto the train."

"No."Harry shook his caput"No. Definitely not. You ‘ d have to be mad to startle on a moving train."

*

Harry moved down the train as quietly as he could. Trying to happen his Quaker without drawing too practically attention. Unfortunately talk travelled fast on the Hogwarts expressage and he couldn't go five steps without encountering another stare or pass a group of students without them breaking out in a fit of whispering.

"So misfortunate attention seeking Potter strikes again."The spokesperson was behind him. Harry turned around and sagged when he saw Malfoy and his lout staring at him.

"Malfoy I really don't have the energy for this now."It was true. Harry would have liked doing goose egg more than simply collapsing on the storey there for the remainder of the journey."Could you please, and I mean this in the nicest possible way, bugger off and die like the diseased 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 assist you today. This may just be my favourable day."The three Slytherins advanced on him and Harry drew his verge when…

"ceramist !"Harry turned and saw professor McGonagall standing in the perambulator. Malfoy and his bodyguard 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 straits then whisking away the pedigree on his face."I just spent an unpleasant few bit arguing with mollie Weasley who was franticly trying to get us to block the train. She seemed to be under the printing 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 TRAIN !"

"The barrier had sealed up ! There wasn ‘ t any former way ! And besides, I had a capitulum trauma. I ‘ m not sure I was in an entirely rational frame of mind."

"That is beside the point Mr Potter, but after the stunt you pulled at the end of net year I suppose I should not be entirely surprised."She straightened up"We will have to discuss this further in my post at Hogwarts. At the very least you will incur several days detention."

"But if I have detention…"Harry grasped at this straw"… then I ‘ m not expelled ? right ?"

"No Mr ceramist. Not this time."She began walking away down the railroad train."Go to my office when we reach Hogwarts."

"After the classification ?"

"As soon as you reach the castle."

"professor please…"Alright this is McGonagall, you know how to fool McGonagall. She acts rowdy but she's all bathetic inside."… my friend's sister's getting sorted today and she ‘ s worried about it. All her brothers are in Gryffindor, unit family line really. I should be there for her. please ?"

"Alright Mr ceramicist. After the sorting."McGonagall's middle had gotten softer as Harry had spoken."But before the feast."

"Of class 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 doorway open.

"how-do-you-do freindlies !"

"Harry !"Hermione's mouth dropped unresolved."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 maintain an eye on her."Had to acquire ingress to the train by… early means."

"Apparation ?"Padma had apparently also caught some sun over the summer, though it was less detectable on her."You do know that's illegal."

"Couldn ‘ t forethought less. But no."

"Portkey ?"Neville seemed to think for a moment."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 mouth and began shaking her head."I was talking to Lavender down the other end of the train. I thought she was joking."

"What is it ?"Hermione asked and the predator seemed to hang waiting for the answers.

"You jumped onto the top of the train."The vulture turned as one to bet at him.

"Maybe."None of his protagonist seemed to want to speak.

"Harry ..."Neville broke the secretiveness."…you ‘ re crazy."

"I know."Harry sat as the former snapped out of their stupor and started speaking all at once."It ‘ s beginning to worry me."

*

The geartrain meandered its foresighted journey through the Alfred Hawthorne and Harry ducked out of the conversations around him. His foreland still hurt and he didn't have the energy to flirt with people. He leaned against the cold window as rain started to streak down, leaving little lead on the window pane. He closed his centre and lay there for a foresighted while. footling trail of water, swirling, drowning.

"Harry."He shook himself awake and looked over at the youngest Weasley, leaning over to him."Are you alright ?"Harry looked around the compartment, the repose of his friend were still talking amongst themselves."You ‘ re expression was all scrunched up like you were dreaming."

"Oh, are we there yet."Harry kind of wanted to get back to eternal sleep. Even if it was to bad dreams.

"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. object lesson are slowly, specially good luck charm. Friends everywhere. Plus if any of the Slytherins bother you we can demonstrate some blue-belly payback. We're feared by that house."

"That ‘ s sort of what I ‘ m worried about."Ginny glanced at the red edge on Harry's robes.

"Ah."thought process Harry."My guessing was right, and I just made that up to buffer up McGonagall."

"You ‘ re worried about the sorting."Harry said out tawdry."Want to be Gryffindor ?"

"Yes. If I don't my blood brother ‘ ll never forgive me."

"Then recount it so."Harry looked at the youth girls startled expression."You know what the sorting hat is flop ?"nod."Then tell it you want to be a Gryffindor. Don't take no for an response. It's your liveliness, don't let a hat make decisions for you."Harry leaned back down and closed his eyes again.

*

"What the nether region ?"Ron voiced what they were all thinking as the marauders moved away from the power train at Hogsmead. Ginny had left to take her little boat ride and the six friends now stood in front of a line of carriages, each drawn by a melt off scaly horse with folded leathery wings."Charlie told me the bearing 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 battlefront of the hall as the sorting hat finished its song. She was so neural she wanted to bite her nails despite the expression they were already worn to the heart. Well, at least she was a Weasley. Her name would be called near to concluding. She saw Harry on the Gryffindor board spinning three forking in the air in front of him. She tried to enchant his eye but failed, he was talking to his material admirer. Everyone began to pay attention as Dumbledore stood up.

"Before we begin the sorting I ‘ d like to announce two things. One is that, despite what this abandon chair seems to argue, we have found a new Defence Against the Dark artistry teacher."Ginny looked along the teachers put off and saw a lank-haired professor grimace. 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. Rest assured that he has my full self-assurance and he will introduce himself, probably at length…"did the lank-haired professor just grimace even more ?"…in your get-go object lesson with him tomorrow. Now the second thing is that we will be doing this long time sorting backwards."

"What ?"That prompted a muttering about the hall.

"Yes, call it an old human race visualize. Now let us continue so that we can enjoy a superb 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 facial expression clearly showing that the Headmaster had not discussed this with her. She looked down at her report and read…

"Weasley, Ginevra."

"What ! Oh…"Ginny thought as she walked out in front of the school."Backwards…"The lowest thing she saw before she pulled the hat down over her eyes were the Marauders turning to watch her.

"Another Weasley, seems I see those on almost a yearly basis. But a Weasley lady friend ? 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 theatre. I want to be in Gryffindor."

"Quite brave of you to just exclaim it out it like that. Almost forcefulness me to piece 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 side had an indistinguishable mug of appalled astonishment. Her centre searched out her brothers at the Gryffindor table. Hotspur had buried his face in his hands and seemed to be trying to act it all wasn't occurrent, Fred and St. George were watching her with Brobdingnagian immorality grins and Ron, Ron just looked confused. Her eyes flickered past Ron to Harry and their gaze locked, then the boy did the funny matter, he pulled up his arm, put his handwriting medal out and stab forward.

Follow through

Ginny glanced back at the teachers tabular array, where every case mirrored the astonishment of the student. She glanced back to Harry and he jabbed again. Well, if she was gon na follow through then there was only one thing for it ...

"Yep."She said, trying to not deliver her voice fracture out in whine."Definitely Gryffindor."And with that she pulled the hat off her capitulum, set it down on the chair and walked steadily towards Harry. She blanked out everything else in the hall, the whispers rising, the instructor, everything. There was a seat next to Harry and she was sitting in it. She reached the bench and hopped onto it, everyone was looking at her.

"Stay perfectly calm."Harry's voice but she swore his back talk barely moved."facial expression straight ahead and don't give them any sign they're getting to you."Easy for him to say ! She stayed exactly where she was as the silence crawled on. Then something touched her hired hand by her side. A candy of some form. Without a tidings, and before the unsounded stares of the wholly hall, she brought out, unwrapped and sedately ate a liquorice verge.

Every eye in the hall turned as they heard McGonagall clear her throat then…

"capital of Jamaica, Victor."

It was as if the mansion house had been holding its breathing space the entire sentence and now let it out in a wave of chatter. Ginny felt someone clap her on the back and looked sideways into Harry's side.

"Thank you."Ginny breathed through the dissonance."I didn ‘ t know what to do. I didn't even substantiate I was talking out loud."

"Figured as much."Harry said glibly and offered her another liquorice sceptre."commodity matter I was paying attention, who the hell is Ginevra Weasley ?"

The small boy with exquisitely waxed hair and sunglasses apparently named Victor capital of Jamaica had reached the hat and was looking down at it worriedly. He looked like he was about to clean it up then looked at the tables in the student residence.

"Ravenclaw. I think I like Ravenclaw."

"On the asset position you may have started a revolution."Harry had leaned in to peach to her again."On the minus McGonagall's gon na kill you…"

A vague looking 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 star sign mascot Ginny ?"Fred leaned over and grinned at his sister.

"We could make up some new banners if you like."His Gemini leaned in from the former side of the table.

"leave her twins."Harry was holding her by both shoulder joint away from her former brothers."She tricked the hat, swindled McGonagall, caused a hybridization house rotation and all in front of the entire school !"Harry grabbed her and hugged her from posterior."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 question at her brother across the table. But it was Parvarti Patil who answered her.

"He means that you ‘ re the character of person who goes for what they want and has the nerve to see it through and doesn ‘ t care what the ruler 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 large class of number 1 days. Filch had to move some of the seam.

*

As Harry trudged back from his first gear detention with McGonagall that night ( polishing hundred and hundreds of organization clit that were just going to be transfigured into beetles anyway ) he leaned on the wall near the portrayal maw and closed his heart for a moment.

"Harry Potter sir !"

Harry opened his eyes and immediately realised his psyche wound must have been risky than he thought. The Hallucination had longsighted pointy auricle and was wearing some sort of take to task fabric like a toga.

"Wha… ?"

"Harry Potter should never have got on the train !"

"Who ?"Harry shook his brain but the small figure remained"What and/or who are you ?"

"Dobby sir. Dobby the menage elf."The odd little creature bowed to him, its intrude almost touching the floor."Dobby is truly sorry to have caused worry for such a great wizard as Harry potter. But Harry Potter must pull up stakes Hogwarts !"

"Caused problem ? What trouble ?"Harry slid off the wall and stood straight. His wand was inconveniently tucked in an inside air hole, hard to reach. Was this animate being a menace ?"What are you talking about ?"

"Dobby thought that perhaps if Harry thrower was hurt he wouldn ‘ t be able-bodied to go to Hogwarts."

"What precisely…"Harry heavily enunciated the word"… are you talking about."

"Dobby thought that if the chopine closed…"

"That was you !"Harry snapped forward like a barb and caught the little creature by the arms. The thing whined and tried to break away but he held on."I could have missed the bloody railroad train !"The creature nodded and whimpered a little more."I could have been killed ! Wait… knockturn alley…"Harry remembered the rubber rampart. The elf stiffened again and he seemed to be avoiding Harry's eyes."That was you as well ! Why WHY !"He picked the thing up and stir it roughly."Are you trying to shoot down me ? Are you ?"The elf was truly crying now and Harry let him go. The pitiful thing crawled away from Harry and sat on the flooring, looking up at him with its huge, split filled heart. It looked like a kicked puppy.

"look, I ‘ m sorry."Harry reached out towards the elf but it shied away."I didn ‘ t mean to smart you. The infirmary wing isn ‘ t far, can I…"

"No !"Dobby's face became a mask of veneration."Dobby can not be seen. Dobby ‘ s masters can never bonk. Dobby isn ‘ t injury, Dobby gets far defective than this at home. Dobby's masters are…"the elf seemed to tighten for a moment then he rushed over to the rampart and began hitting his nous on it hard.

"Bad Dobby ! Bad Dobby !"

"Wait ! Hey, stop consonant !"Harry was torn between the motivation to stop it hurting itself and trying to stave off grabbing it again since he'd obviously hurt him. He pulled his robe off, quickly balled it up and ( between head saltation ) slid it between Dobby and the wall. The poor elf continued on for a couple of smasher, apparently not realising he was now cushioned, then dropped to the floor.

"Thank you sir."The elf's voice was a lilliputian 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 feature to penalize yourself ?"The elf quickly nodded.

"If I asked you to publish it ?"nod.

"If I asked you to act it out like charades ?"The elf appeared to think about this, cocking its headland to the side. Then he nodded.

"If I asked you to tell me why you want me to leave Hogwarts ?"the elf's principal stayed very still."How much can you evidence me without having to penalize yourself ?"

"Danger. Dobby knows that risk has come to Hogwarts. Death…"

"If I asked you whether your maestro were involved ?"Dobby tensed like a rod."Just IF remember, if I asked you that would you consume to penalise yourself ?"

Dobby nodded. Harry smiled, that meant his masters were involved. Otherwise why would he be forbidden to tell anyone ?

"And is I asked what shape the danger would subscribe to ?"

But at this Dobby shook his question furiously and put his hands over his pinna. The pitiful elf began rocking backwards and forwards and keening.

"It ‘ s OK Dobby. You don't have to secernate me."The rocking stopped and the elf uncurled.

"Harry ceramist will leave Hogwarts ?"

"No. But I will be careful, very careful."

"Harry Potter must leave, Harry ceramist is in danger."

"I usually am Dobby."Harry leaned forward conspiratorially."That just makes it more fun."





Please review, especially if you think it 's bad. Really, it 'll assist me improve.


"admiration if he ‘ s cute ?"Parvarti wondered quizzically as the indorse years wandered to the defence against the dark arts classroom. They had the class first catamenia Mon, so would be the for the first time to assemble the new teacher."Dumbledore said he ‘ s foreign, so I bet he ‘ s cute."

"I just question if he ‘ ll be a secure teacher."Hermione hung her head a lilliputian."After a year of… of bad education we need to catch up. We ‘ ll be golden if we can spend a penny it up in fourth dimension for the OWLs."Harry could recount she had been about to say Quirrell, but had stopped herself. As far as he could say none of his friends wanted to think about the events at the end of last year.

"Well, so long as he only has one face, I ‘ ll be happy."Harry stuck his hands behind his school principal and laughed."right hand ?"The others stopped for a moment, then grinned with him."Thought so. Anyway…"Harry was the initiatory to the threshold and pushed it open."… after Quirrell we can ‘ t do lots worse can we ?"

"Pipsqueak ! Told you I ‘ d see you again !"

"No…"Harry looked across the room at Markus Maximus Michelson"…please no…"

"necessitate a seat up front my good lad ! I can already tell this is going to be one of your favourite classes !"The vulture filed in the front man row and the other pupil moved in behind them. All of them looking a little apprehensively at the booming muscled shape in front of them.

"The name's Professor Markus Triple-M Michelson. I ‘ ll be your defense reaction against the dark arts teacher this yr. Thought I ‘ d take 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 suit of armour."Oh and by the way the Ms base for Maximus, Mighty and Magesto but they might as well resist for Muscular, Magical and to the highest degree of all Masculine !"He laughed and put his fist on his hip."So, on to the matriculation !"He grabbed the register off the table and began yelling out epithet, variously chuckling at the odd figure and winking at any fille 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 back Draco Malfoy looked at him and mouthed the word pipsqueek then sneered. Harry groaned, he ‘ d never hear the end of this.

When the registry was finished the professor strode up to the front of the course. To the shock of all watching he slammed one fist back into the blackboard. Christian Bible jumped off the surface 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 thaumaturge ?"

A few hands went up around the division, including Harry's. Neville gulped and tried to hold his hand 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 phase of the moon consistence Bind sir."Neville appeared to be wishing he had a hole to cower into.

"goodness ! Good solid spell ! incantation, for those who don't know is Petrificus Totalus. And who did you use it on ?"

"McGonagall."

"Mc…McGonagall ?"A aflutter titter of laughter ran around the classroom."rightfulness, 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 clip of the inquisition, considered by many to be Dark deception ?"

"Er…"

"And who did you use it on ?"

"Quirrell."

"Right OK."Michelson shook his head word."Before we dredge up any more assaults against Hogwarts teacher lets start on something else. Who here knows what a carapace appealingness is ?"Many of the hands went down ( though not of course of study, Hermione's )"Right ! we'll starting time there."

*

The class let out an hour later. Many of the students had the after-effects of underage hex and hexes on them from when their shields hadn't been good enough or when their opponents had been too good. Professor Michelson seemed to recall all of it extremely funny 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 serious curse to the family. Harry ‘ s shield charm wasn ‘ t nearly effective enough and he ended up suffering for every spell that winged his way.

"I hate him ! I hate that muscle-head by-blow !"Harry ranted as they walked to history of magic."He knows my epithet and he keeps calling me pipsqueak ! He singles me out ! He will pay for this ! right hand ?"

The other marauders kept a secure distance, giggling behind their manus.

"You know Harry, he seems to be a pretty good teacher."Hermione said. Harry rounded on her."I mean, some adult wizards can't do shield appealingness and he managed to get half the socio-economic 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 face became stony and glum."And he… winked at me."

"You ‘ ll see."Harry turned and began back towards the account of wizard classroom"You ‘ ll all see ! After you meet him a few prison term you ‘ ll agree with me about Markus Mary Michelson !"

*

But they didn't.

defense mechanism Against the iniquity Arts quickly became the most seem forward to lesson by the entire shoal. Every few lesson Markus Albert Michelson would precede a new fight spell and work with them, pulling them with laugh, belittlement and encouragement, to hone the spell. From disarming and stunning through to cuticle and self-defence he taught everything with an very laugh and identical self-important mental attitude. Harry remained saturnine and silent in these moral especially when the inevitable happened and he was called up to serve demonstrate a new spell. He had tried to get the piranha riled up to play a harlequinade 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 furuncle. It had been quiet complex, whoever the pus hit when the furuncle exploded developed them as well.

It was on his way back from large custody that he heard mortal cry. Harry saw a first year rushing past him upstairs and followed him, towards the noise. A grouping of student were gathered on the third floor. Harry pushed through them without a cerebration and stopped at the front to see a horrific sight. Painted on the wall in what looked like profligate were the words…

Arise those of ancient profligate ! Cast out the impure from this house of our fathers ! Be true to your blood ! Destroy the enemy of the heir ! This is the call to arms !

Harry glanced to his face, lined up following to one another stood a group of Slytherins. Malfoy, Goyle and Flint stood side by position, each wearing identical expressions of Glee.

On the flooring in nominal head of the varsity letter crouched poor master Jamaican capital, the kid who'd liked the aspect of Ravenclaw, curled up in fear behind his sunglasses.

Harry moved closer on instinct and put his fingers to the boys neck.

"What are you doing ?"A part behind him hissed but he ignored them.

"He doesn ‘ t have a pulse."Harry murmured, trying to affect his fingers around for a dear 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 old Ravenclaw at the sharpness of the circuit asked and a whisper of breathless shock swept the gang.

"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 young woman Clearwater. I think so, in time."Tension seemed to go out of the chemical group but the prefect pressed on.

"Professor…"She glanced up at the writing on the paries."winner was a muggleborn, do you reckon that there ‘ s any danger ?"

"I am sure I can trust every student here to act in a way that does not rape the good name of this school."

"Yeah right."Harry thought and glanced back at Malfoy and the other Slytherins."Seems a war's been called. hoi polloi are already choosing sides."

*

The first attack happened just the following morning. Hannah Abbot was found with a broken arm at the bottom of the footmark leading down to the Hufflepuff common room. Her bag and books strewn haphazardly at the top. She'd been coming up from the cellar former to get breakfast and been pushed back down.

Professor sprout took her to the hospital wing. But no one had seen what happened, not even Hannah, and no matter how much they asked the Professors couldn't find who had done it.

The following day a group of Slytherins cornered a first year in one of the pep pill corridors and began hexing him over and over. Only Flitwick happening past tense had stopped worse happening.

In a thing of weeks it was no longer prophylactic for a muggleborn or half-blood student to be out on their own. Madam Pomfrey was being worked of her feet by the current of injuries coming into her care.

Then, one morning, Oliver Grant Wood the Gryffindor Quidditch skipper was petrified in the prefects bath. The teachers had tried to keep a lid on it but the words that had been scrawled on the walls somehow got out.

Mudbloods and blood-traitors cower in fear ! The heritor of Slytherin retort and the sleeping accommodation has been opened. rise up up around his touchstone ! release the mar blood on the basis !

"It ‘ s getting worse."Harry said as they walked towards their adjacent year."I mean just spirit !"He gestured out the window.

There was a huddle of bookman scurrying along the wall and slipping in a room access. A second later a group of Slytherins hurried into the courtyard with their with wand out.

"Harry no !"Harry was aiming his sceptre out the windowpane but Hermione jerked his arm back."If we start fighting back things will escalate ! We have to let the instructor handle it."

"They can ‘ t."Padma said dully as they passed the Defence Against the Dark Arts schoolroom"Not on this scale."Her sister nodded silently. Her normally cheerful mode dulled.

"Padma ‘ s powerful Hermione."Ron shook his head."Things are just getting high-risk 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 evil genius behind it. Its half the school, trying the kill the other half and we don't know till too late 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 spread back out after they had gone. A second later Harry's wand vibrated in his pocket."Damn it !"Harry motioned the others to quiet and the speech sound of hexing could be heard above them. They broke into a run towards the good stair.

*

"leave him alone !"Ginny's own voice sounded shrill in her ear. She stepped in front her injured ally and tried to bury her fear.

"What ? Protecting your mudblood boyfriend traitor ?"Marcus Flint stepped out of the ring of Slytherins surrounding her and Colin."Step aside for me. I ‘ d rather not talk 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 compass."Mico Harry."

"Your boyfriend doesn ‘ t look up to much."Flint said stepping closer and eyeing the quivering Gryffindor."Maybe you want a substantial man ?"

"Mico Ron. Mico Hermione."

"What's that ?"flint leant forward to pick up."That supposed to be a hex ? Ha ! What ‘ s it do ?"Flint laughed and his cohort around him started laughing too.

"It summons devil !"

As Marcus'mind jerked up a bludgeoning hex struck him in the chest. He was thrown back and his Friend drew their wands as the marauders rushed them from the stairwell.

*

Harry was the kickoff to let in that he probably wasn't destined to be a duelist. His beginning ten-strike against the seventh twelvemonth had been golden and he now found himself shielding for his biography in the eye of a war-zone. Other scholarly person from other houses had been drawn in or joined in or been pushed in by the crowd and now the corridor was filled with flashing lights and vociferation of hurting.

"You ‘ re dead Potter. Oh you ‘ re dead."Flint advanced on him and Harry ducked behind a statue as the big Slytherins anathemize smashed into the ground near his substructure. A secondly one smacked into the stone magician and it began to topple over. Harry scrambled out as it crashed to the story and jabbed his wand at his assaulter.

"Expelliarmus !"The go struck Flint but his thick, sausage-like fingerbreadth were curled tightly around his wand.

"Confringo !"Harry leapt out of the way of the blasting swearword and fell badly on his shoulder. He threw his own back in result and the snake stumbled backwards. Harry jumped to his feet and shot a bludgeoning hex only to have it rebound off a shell and smack him in the chest. Tumbling backwards he landed on his back among the debris. His baton skittered off along the floor. A shadow fell over him and a huge boot fundament slammed onto his chest of drawers, holding him down.

"hello Potter."Flint pointed his wand at Harry's face."Now I ‘ m gona have some fun."

A mo later Flint River was thrown off him as a sweeping wave of spark snapshot through the corridor, forcibly pulling opposition apart.

Harry's hand darted out and grabbed his baton while he looked for the source of the spell. His middle found Albus Dumbledore standing at the end of the corridor with several other instructor behind him.

"Is any scholar here injured or in need of the infirmary wing ?"His voice was stony as he eyed the assembled scholar. A few scholar raised their deal. Dumbledore nodded and turned to verbalize to the teacher behind him."Please escort them there."No one spoke as the wounded were gathered up. Harry saw Markus A. A. Michelson handing Ginny her bag with one mitt while picking Colin up in his early. As professor McGonagall walked past him he caught her eyes for a second, they were cold, coarse and disappointed. When the last 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 deform this corridor into a field of honor ?"He looked over the students and Harry realised that he and Flint were right out in the middle, the two of them surrounded by void. Somehow the ringleaders had been singled out."Why students who I thought I could trust to act in estimable trust instead acted like tomfool ?"

No one spoke. No one wanted to draw aid to themselves.

"You will all return to your common suite now. Tomorrow morning you will all get along to the expectant hall where you will pass your Saturday in silence. You will return the day after that and for many weekends to come until I decide that the serenity and quiet of the school has returned. Your parents will also be informed of your let down behaviour."Dumbledore gestured at the nestling."Go off now. Not you Harry !"Harry was drawn back by Dumbledore's vocalisation. Marcus Flint River smirked at him with his troll-like smile 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 floor.

"sherbert Lemon."The childish word seemed oddly out of kelter with the state of affairs. They remained tacit as they were raised up by the stairway and walked out into the headmaster berth.

Harry glanced around in wonder at the odd silver machines, many moving or making gentle sounds, filling tabular array around the border of the office. His eyes were drawn to the perch behind the desk where a fag out looking red doll sat. Even as Harry watched another of its feathers fell off and twirled towards the floor.

Dumbledore caught it before it hit and slipped it into an inside pocket of his gown. He turned and sat behind the intemperate desk. Saying nothing, he regarded the scholarly person before him over steepled fingers.

Harry knew that with any other teacher this was the meter to be placidity and look guilty, but with Dumbledore he might actually be better off explaining.

"Professor."He began and licked his dry lips. Dumbledore's heart flicked to his."I heard the sounds of somebody being attacked nearby and I went to see whether I could help oneself. When we… I got there Marcus Flint and some other Slytherins had the offset years surrounded."He couldn't severalise what effect this was having on the headmaster. His expression was inscrutable."I fired a turn to make them back off and they responded, I never thought that so many other pupil would be drawn in or that it would snowball like this. I ‘ m sorry."

"You cast the number one hex ?"

"They had been beating up Colin Creevey before we got there."Harry felt too guilty to lie."But I threw the kickoff combat spell yes."

"Several students are offend Harry."Gods teeth the ragged razzing was eyeballing him as well."And there was some morphologic legal injury to the school day. several painting were damaged and statues broken."

"I was just trying to help sir. I didn't want any of that."

"And with this atmosphere of fear already around the school you have given everyone another cause to hate each other."Harry felt very belittled in front end of the continued stare."Worse, you have escalated this trouble with your actions. adjacent prison term people will be even spry to take out baton in anger. side by side time the hexes will be risky and people could be seriously injured Harry, do you understand that ?"

"Yes sir."Harry cerebration of Marcus Flint's smirk. Next time they wouldn't hold to taunt the great unwashed.

"Today you chose to struggle hatred with ira and violence. That way will always breed further hatred do you empathize that ?"

"Yes sir."

"See that you do not repeat this mistake."

"Yes sir. Thank you."Harry walked out of the office. All the way to the door he could palpate the old human being eyes on his cover.

*

Harry walked back slowly to the Gryffindor common elbow room. By hazard the itinerary took him back past the battleground. Some attempt had been made to houseclean up but the place still felt damaged. enceinte lump were missing from the stone and the broken paintings had all been taken down. The handing over was bare. Harry saw movement at the former end and tensed for a endorse, then relaxed as he saw red haircloth and freckles.

"Ginny ?"

"Harry."The little girl moved up the corridor towards him. Stopping just a slight way down from him."I ‘ m so deplorable 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'humans record."Harry walked up to his newest enlistee and ruffled her fuzz."And I taught you that call exactly so you would predict me if you were ever in difficulty. All this…"Harry waved his hand at the price and shook his head."Not your fault. But why are you back here ? Shouldn ‘ t you be in the common room."

"I was… waiting… for you."Ginny glanced to the left and bit her lip.

"Remind me to teach you to lie convincingly Ginny."Harry looked into her center. There was a surprising measure of fear there."Why don't you want to secernate me ? You don't have to you know."

"lost something."Ginny's voice became smaller with each word she said."A journal. Must have fallen out in the fight."

"Your journal ‘ s missing ?"Harry shook his forefront."Did you save anything bad in there ?"

"Not my diary."

"Whose ? Nicking someone's diary is all very marauder of you but…"

"I found it in my record book before I even got here. idea maybe it got left there."

"Who ‘ s was it ?"

"The presence 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 contract into the primer coat a piffling."It spoke to me."

"Spoke ? It could verbalise ?"

"No, he wrote back when I wrote him things."Ginny curled up on the story and hugged her stage up to her chest."It was blank shell but it wrote back. He was so squeamish. I had mortal to speak to finally."

"somebody to blab to ?"Harry scratched his head. What did she mean ?"You have six buddy don't you ?"

"I can't talk to them."Ginny began to sob a niggling."They don't understand. They laugh at me. Tom understood. And now he ‘ s gone. What if individual else picks him up ? What if he tells them the stuff I wrote ?"Ginny looked up outrage and scar and suddenly broke down into binge. Harry just stood there, he didn't know what the netherworld to do.

"I mess everything up."Ginny gulped between son of a bitch."I lost Tom and everyone ‘ s going to read him ! I messed up the sorting ! I started a fight and almost got you expelled !"

"Ginny listen to me."Harry tried grabbing her shoulder but she wouldn't look at him. With his other hand he cupped her human face and brought it up so he could see her eyes."Tom sounds like a good friend, I ‘ m for certain you can commit him to keep your enigma. I mean, other the great unwashed must give had the diary before you and Tom never told you any of their secret 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 supporter you."He was babbling, as if she'd care about the corridor.

"And…"Ginny had stopped crying at least."You don't hate me ?"Harry shook his straits.

"Only when you cry. Gryffindors don't cry."He regretted it as soon as he said it, that wasn't what she needed to take heed. 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 sleeve against Ginny's cheeks to get rid of the tears. At to the lowest degree he could do that right.

"cum on. Lets get back to the common room."He stood up and held out a hand to her."And as for having a friend to mouth to…"He pulled her into a rough 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 pep and my skin can take a tan. Why'd you ask ?"But Ginny didn't answer him.

"She's probably distraught."Harry thought, putting an arm over her shoulder joint and walking with her towards Gryffindor tower."I ‘ m no good at this sort of thing."