Chapter 1.
The owl swooped down over sleeping London, a letter, signed and sealed in emerald green clutched in its talons. Even if it had had only the stars to see by it would still have been capable to fly admittedly, but it wasn't requisite. London quiescency was almost as undimmed as London awake. But light or no light this speech was a bully one. The post owl prided themselves on being able to find anyone but it didn't make it easy when the address was simply …
Greater London, somewhere…


But Dumbledore had given her especial instruction manual for this delivery, and she never wavered in her flying, swooping down past a row of shops, past bread maker, bankers and opticians and curving cleanly into the skittle alley behind them to alight on a streetlamp. Her big brown eyes took in the wholly scene, the brick walls, the expectant dumpster bins and the small boy, wrapped in a coat too with child for him by one-half, trotting down the skittle alley from the early direction.

The boy stopped next to one of the dumpsters and quietly lifted the lid, running his handwriting past papers and coffee grounds. He began picking out broken looking glass, 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 crown of thorns mark into one of the rampart of the skittle alley, then sat down opposite it and began putting first one, then another of the crystalline lens to his middle. After an hr of this, the diminished boy 's face broke into a smile at a particular half-cracked lens, he grinned as he spun it into the air like a coin, and rolled it across the binding of his fingers.


A bit later the boy was rummaging in his torn and trashy backpack and eventually drew out a small tract. When he unrolled it on the ground the bird of night eyes sparkled in the glimmering of four more lens system, one a mirror-match of the one the boy held in his hired man, this he took and replaced the others carefully in his bag. The next to come from the bag of tricks was a frame ( selected from a few in the bag ) and a thermionic valve of glue. Two pinprick dabs of glue to each Lens and the boy carefully laid his prize on the storey to dry, then crawled behind the dumpster and rolled himself up in his coat.

The owl waited until the tyke was asleep, then calmly hopped off its perch and placed the letter beside the child, he would find it in the daybreak. By the lily-livered halogen lamp it read ...
Harry potter
London, somewhere

*


Harry Potter flickered between waking and quietus for the recollective sentence. Slipping in and out of dreams he would not think back on waking, until he fell into a deeper slumber and curled himself tight into a little ball, a well of warmth with his hands tucked in his axilla and his head ducked down. Shifting and gliding from dreams of the past, of leaving the Dursleys.

Harry potter always thought of as just leaving. He did not run away ! You can only run away from house, and Privet private road had never been home. He had decided that. He knew he had another home, he dreamed of that too. Not with effigy or anything palpable, just of a common sense of heat, and also pain, he didn't understand that. Other dream pushed in on his night prison term reminiscence and he touched on other things, the pies in the nearby bakehouse, the work to do tomorrow and tonight's work, still drying, on the dry land, until…

"Get up ! Get out !"

Not Harry's crude awakening, but far from pleasant. Harry uncurled like a spring, just stopping to grab his employment on the ground before pelting off down the alleyway, chased by the irate baker. Rounding a corner Harry ran on, past surprised, mildly startled and downright shocked pedestrian, past lamps, dogs and pigeon flocks, even past and through the cars as Harry dashed across a engaged road. It no longer mattered that he'd lost any pursuers three auction block ago, it was just good to run.

Harry stopped in regent Park and ducked to drink from one of the outpouring and snatched a few coins from the backside. Soon hopefully he would have money coming to him ( at least, as much as he ever had ) and he could take some small measure of it to fill what was more often than not lately a gnawing muddle in his middle ( at least it was summer, winter was worse ). Harry walked down Euston road for a while, not caring or seeing where he was going until he reached the station itself. The sun was higher by that prison term and people were beginning to come 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 balls out of his coating. Shifting them all to his get out mitt, he flicked his new glasses on with his right. The balls became edged in crystal clarity as the lenses slipped over his eyes. Harry stood in the second power and laughed for a while, laughed into the sunup sky while the multitude around him stared or frowned, then, in a twinkling, Harry swept all three into the air and twirl them around his hands faster and faster. He laughed as he fountained the chunk up above his head. People began to take notice as he added a twenty-five percent formal, and a 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 time not for the act itself, but for the coins. This was why he had had to make eyeglasses and why his stomach was emptier than pattern. He hadn't been capable to get by to a greater extent than three clod since Christmastide. Just to show himself he could, Harry added another ball and split the balls into two circles ("Oooh !"Said a lowly daughter expiration by. The mother smiled at him, but didn't driblet anything ). The two circles became one again as they began to tilt ("Out of exercise"thought Harry ) and he pocketed two of the balls back away, he had to save this up for a while.

The sun was heights in the sky before Harry moved from his spot. He scooped his winnings to an inside pocket and went off to buy lunch. He bought sandwiches at some newsagents with no real name and ate them slowly on a park workbench and drank to a greater extent water system from a natural spring. On the way back to his post Harry passed another food shop, the bar in the window looked even better than the first unity had. Harry walked past, thrift was in his bones.
*


When Harry got back to the post he realised something was wrongly. In the demand center of the public square was the biggest man Harry had ever seen. From the toes of his tumid leather boots, past his heavy furred overcoat ( Bet that's warm, thought Harry ) all the way to his face, so insure, variously, in byssus, mustache and dirty pitch-black pilus that only little piece of skin were visible, the man was easily eight foot 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 curious. The tall man seemed to be looking for something, he would refer a firearm of ( very old and yellowish looking ) newspaper publisher then front around, staring at people, then look worriedly back at the composition.

"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 type to ask instruction. Harry was torn for a moment between misgiving at the imposing figure and a fortune to snap up a bit more than money from helping a misplace tourist. But a bit later his indecisiveness became extra as the tall man turned to look at Harry and his face broke into a huge smile. The marvelous man ran over to where Harry was standing ( breaking several paving Isidor Feinstein Stone ) and stopped in front of the galvanise child looking, in turns, happy and relieved.

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

"Nope,"Said the magniloquent man, spreading his oral fissure in the spacious 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 of study ! Didn't you get… Hey wait !"By halfway through the sentence Harry was halfway across the square, and accelerating.

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

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

"postponement ! You got to throw yer letter ! You got… Out a my way you ! … to learn it ! Stop !"

Harry pelted off a primary route and down an alley, he was moving so fast he almost shot past the matter he had been searching for. Harry skidded to a arrest and grasped both hands round the dramatis personae iron waste pipe ( his petty fast one was less useful now near 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 balls slipped out of his pocket and fell back down but he ignored them, he could get more ( well, he could probably get more, and in a pinch anything round would do ) and pulled himself onto the tiled roof above him. Harry lay there for a indorse, finding his balance ( and his breathing time ) before sliding back to the bound and looking over. Three narrative down ("It had looked so a lot larger from the bottom"thought Harry ) the tall man stood hunched over, catching his breathing place in huge, leviathan, gulps that disturbed the dust on the ground. The man managed to stand up after a few moments and began rummaging in his coat. After a few try at several pockets he managed to displume out what looked like a sealed envelope and lunge it into the air.

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

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

"I was chasing you ‘ cos you bloody ran away wasn't I !"Said the tall man, pulling off his coat to expose a dirty white 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 thought 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 pocket-sized enough to fit in my hand back then, and you were light to catch."The tall man said smiling."I knew you when you was a baby. have it off 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 help with that."The man reached into his pelage and dug out a pinko umbrella with frilly lace edges, it looked almost like it should be in a cocktail nestled in his big handwriting.

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

"You think so do you ?"Said the man, still smiling,"Then I think it's high fourth dimension you read your letter."The man put the alphabetic character on the ground in presence of him ( pausing for a import when he realised he had been using it to mop his supercilium ) 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 letter burst into purple flames.

"It's all rightfield ! It's all right !"Cried the man, stamping out the fire with his iron boot."It only got the envelope and that was pretty wet so it's all rightfulness. I'll try again."Harry watched in knocked out expectancy as the man stepped back again, raised the umbrella carefully and mumbled something slightly different towards the gasbag. For a moment nothing happened. Then, slowly, one edge 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 thread. The varsity letter rose eminent and higher until it drew level with Harry's brass. He stood up and the letter obligingly rose to accommodate him. Harry carefully reached out and waved his hand over the letter, then under it, then all around just to be sure. He finally drew his hand back and whispered

"How…"Harry leaned in to get a faithful expression and suddenly, momentarily, forgot he was on a rooftop. His invertebrate foot slipped out from under him and he tumbled over, skinning his legs on the boundary before falling like a stone. As he spun in the air he looked up to see the letter, still casually floating above him."Weird day…"persuasion Harry, then large hired man caught him.

"What'd you do that for ?"said the man. Setting Harry back down on the priming where he stumbled and sat down on a manner of speaking palette."You coulda'been hurt, or regretful !"

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

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

"spell ? !"Harry felt like running away again but his stage wouldn't motility."Like, as in, spells ?"

"Ah…"said the man"I was afraid of that. You're aunty and uncle probably meant to assure 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 do work out the chances that this somebody was friends with his aunt and uncle. Low, he decided, very, very low.

"Nah, I never met um. But we knew that was who was taking attention of you after your parents died."His parents… Harry tried to remember what his auntie had told him about them. Very minuscule, just that they were the legal injury sort of people and died in some accident. A fire wasn't it ? Or maybe a car clash ? Anyway Harry had privately decided that if they were people his aunt disapproved of then he probably would bear liked them a lot. Liked them better than his aunt and uncle at least.

"That was a long time ago."Harry snapped back to the present."and I'm better off without them taking care of me !"The improbable man gave him a shrewd feeling, taking in his heavily fall apart clothes and shoes."Well…"added Harry"at least now I don't get slapped if I don't have meal ready for them on time."Harry grinned"Who knows how they managed without me ? Probably starved to dying trying to work out how the oven works."He laughed and was proud of to see the marvelous man laugh too."Mind you it'd take a while to starve Dudley. Fat stockpile like a camel !"Harry did a promptly fat-cousin stamp, 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 floor and handed it to Harry."This should explain nearly of what you're wondering about and I'll fill in the blanks."Harry took the varsity letter carefully and looked at it before opening it. It was an old fashion one, made with yellowing parchment and sealed with a coating of arms in wax, melted wax now of course. Harry wiped the sticky masses away with his sleeve and opened the letter. interior were three pieces of newspaper publisher and what looked like a geartrain just the ticket. All made of mirthful old newspaper. He stared at the just the ticket, it had gold leaf an it and had a boastfully crest ("probably the Lapplander one that was on the missive") embossed into it. Harry wondered what kind of string required a just the ticket like this, and where such a wagon train would go to. ("Either a realm of rich people…"thought Harry"…or a chocolate factory.")

"Read the alphabetic character, read the letter !"Urged the marvellous man impatiently. Harry tucked the ticket into his pocket and pulled out one of the sheet of paper of paper. He opened it. His middle slid from one side of meat to the early. He had read each melody about three times before he finally believed that what he thought he read was actually what was on the page. Harry held the letter in front of him and tried to calm his voice before saying,

"A school ?"

"Yep,"Said the tall man smiling"Hogwarts, best schooltime in the globe for the great unwashed like you. Course the early school'll tell you different, but anyone who knows what there talking about says Hogwarts is the slap-up. Course we have Albus Dumbledore, none of the relaxation of em can say that."

"Who's he ?"Said Harry, still desperately trying to head off the one part of the letter that had him shaking virtually."Someone famous ?"

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

Due to your special circumstances an accompaniment has been provided for you to explain and help you through the operation of preparing for your get-go shoal year. If this letter has not come to you via one Rubious Hagrid then you will be meeting him shortly. I wish you all the best for the kickoff of your first school day year.

Albus Dumbledore


"Rubious Hagrid ?"The grandiloquent man nodded.

"Yep that's me. gamekeeper, caretaker and keeper of keys at Hogwarts."

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

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

"Magic like you just did ? Making matter air bladder and explode ?"

"Well, yeah."Said Hagrid"What did you recall it meant ? Those deception muggles ("muggles ?") use to frivol away each other ?"

"And you think I can do that ?"

"With a trivial training o'trend, that's what Hogwarts is for."Hagrid put his handwriting on Harry's berm"Come on, we've stood here long enough and we need to be getting your school clobber. But get-go we should get you washed up and in some right clothes."Hagrid led Harry down the back street. Harry followed placidly.

When your total aliveness shatters like glass and is replaced something glittering and new, knifelike and scary. When your animation modification in an instant you can either tear back, hold on to the old, try to pick up the bit and endangerment destroying the new crystal future you have found, for the sake of prophylactic waters of the past times. Or you can drop, laughing into the new life, with its shiny possibilities. And you either ride it through, or get swallowed under.

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



Lets all take a consequence to thank Memory King for betaing this chapter.

Harry ceramicist and the ceiling At Night : Chapter 2 : Jack

Harry raked his work force through his shorter hairsbreadth, trying to wee it bland. The styler had nearly shoved them out of the shop when they arrived, a conspicuously tall man and a shaver with uncombed, unwashed, un-anythinged hair. Hagrid had paid her in notes that looked very old.

"Did he take them with illusion ?"idea Harry suddenly."Could I hit them with legerdemain ?"The clothes and the exhibitioner at a gym had both been similar oddities but apparently the largest oddness was yet to come.

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

"This stuff ?"Harry fished the list that had come with the missive out of his pocket."Quran, sceptre, cauldron… toad ?"

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

Harry hurried aboard Hagrid, his mind still buzzing with doubtfulness. But there was no way he was asking about illusion in a push 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 busybodied looking at where they were that they were pushed to the spinal column of his idea. They had stepped, hopefully deliberately ( this didn't seem like the kind of place that would sell books, or pee-pee potions other than the general boozer sort ) into a wickedness, oak beamed, pub full of whole, old-looking furniture. The drinks behind the bar had odd names and some of the liquidity fizzed or bubbled. In the dark lighting Harry could have sworn one of them was glowing faintly. The sign outside had said"The leaky cauldron ”. It certainly fitted one of the criteria.

As Hagrid led Harry across the floor, weaving around tables Harry began to notice former affair that didn't quite fit. Like the clothes mass were wearing, one-half of the people were in normal, but hideously inappropriate and mismatched, clothes. But the other half wore what looked like long flowing robes in several colours. The smaller items were unknown, no sentinel or walkmans, but instead one man held a marble in his hand. As he gripped it the domain went cloudy-red and the man began consulting a shopping list worriedly. Another man was showing off what looked like a sheep's skull with odd symbols painted on it to his Quaker ("lupus erythematosus than a reaping hook ("reap hook ?") and new they go as luxuriously as five !"). In a corner two ginger child who looked like twins, not practically quondam than Harry himself, were swapping some sorting of trading cards.

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

"The usual Hagrid ?"For a second 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 someone in here selling wyvern testicle. Probably just painted ostrich ones but you never know."

"Nah, nah."Said Hagrid waving one of his big mitt."Got no time for a drink or to search at stuff for myself. On Hogwarts business."He patted Harry on the shoulder."Important."

"Fair enough so… ohh…"The mixologist was looking at Harry, or more accurately, at his forehead. Harry put his hired man to it and realised that, with his new haircut, the old scrape on his forehead was no longer hidden.

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

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

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 owner. No one noticed.

"Harry Potter."Breathed one of the multitude nearest him."Can it be ?"It took Harry a moment to work out the question was directed at him and another to make up one's mind how to answer.

"My names Jack."He said, affronted."Why you all staring at me ?"Sound seemed to come back to the barroom as hoi polloi turned back to their drinks, mumbling and in one shell shouting ("Oh no ! its all over my shirt !"). And Harry turned back towards the bar and looked up into the incredulous face of the bartender and then further up into the confused face of Hagrid."I got the scar falling off my number one wheel, odd conformation isn't it ?"Harry smiled.

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

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

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

"They knew me somehow, or at least have a go at it my name."Harry shuddered."If a room full moon of unknown knows your name its either very soundly news program or incredibly bad news."Hagrid fished out a water feeding 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 consultation is juggle. And somehow I don't think that was what they were looking for."Harry splashed some of the piss into his hand and slicked down one position of his hair, right over the scar."Hagrid, why were they staring at me ?"

"Ah… well… you see that's…"Hagrid dry-washed his manpower nervously. Then straitened and walked over to a wall pulling out his umbrella."That can wait trough later, it's not something I want't saucer in a non-white alley."Hagrid tapped bricks faster than Harry could observe and stepped back."There…"Said Hagrid, obviously keen to occupy every silence lest questions re-arise."Here's where you can get your school stuff, Diagon alley."The bricks spread apart around the arena Hagrid had tapped, opening out to a windowpane into another world.

A long winding street, replete to the brim with odd robed people, and odd shops filled with odder merchandise. colorful foretoken swung from the overhanging stories above them, showing that the shop below sold broomstick or pyrotechnic. People sold things out of barrows on the bound, odd vegetable and wooden plaything that danced or spun. For now Harry was content to follow Hagrid, draining in the good deal and the sounds of the topographic point. He was almost disappointed when Hagrid stopped in forepart of a large colonnaded building and went inside.












The inside of the edifice was as majestic as the exterior, with two long desks running the length of the high vaulted room. lightheaded came from window high up on the walls. Along each desk sat peculiar puppet consulting leaning or counting out mickle on coins. There were traveling bag of coins behind the desks too, and the only strait were the clink of metal on metal and the scraping of quills. Harry suddenly had the odd sensation that he had entered the cathedral of money, the church of cash, and knew, acutely, that he hadn't been to worship in a while.

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

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

"This is a bank ! ?"Exclaimed Harry, and was shushed by a nearby creature. He continued in a still vocalization."I don't have any money to disengage, certainly not from a place 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 rest of the question was lost as they reached the desk they had been headed for.

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

"Mr Harry thrower ( deplorable Harry ) here to make a withdrawal."

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

"Key, right…"Hagrid dug through pocket after pocket, spilling various things onto the flooring and the desk. Harry picked up the affair he could recognise, like scissors and a dog apprehension, and left the other routine where they were, some of them were moving."Ah !"Hagrid produced a key, that had probably been bright amber before encountering Hagrid's scoop, and put it on the desk."There we are. Also there's one early thing."Hagrid leaned in close to the tool and handed him a certain while of paper. Harry thought he recognised the curvy signature tune on the front."It's about what's in vault 713."

"Of course."Said the tool, reading the annotation. For the first time it seemed concerned in what it was looking at. The animate being ("They're hob Harry, sorry I didn't mention that. I keep forgetting you're new to this. hobgoblin, and this is Gringots.") summoned over another like it but untested and with a slightly less crisp expression. This new goblin introduced himself as Greeklunk, rolled his oculus at the back of the departing hobgoblin and led them through one of the doorway in the spinal column and down to what looked like a mine car.

"Um Hagrid ?"

"Yes Harry."

"I've never been in a muggle camber so I have no comparing but I'm fairly sure mine-carts don't figure into it."

"Oh Gringots runs under half o'Jack London. If you had to take the air to the vaults it'd take all day. Goes down pretty far too. The top security hurdle are down there, guarded by bane, and sand trap and dragons…"

"Dragons strait like a good certificate method."Said Harry, climbing into the pushcart."Of course of study it could be a problem if you actually want to withdraw anything without being char-grilled."

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

"Do they breathe fire ?"

"Well yes."

"Are they ten foot long ?"

"Oh most are much bigger than that !"

"With huge pincer, tooth, musculus ?"

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

"Just playing around."Harry said as the cart gathered fastness. Soon the walls were passing at a blur, former tracks winding off to either side. The cart passed through vast caverns and through pin-hole passageways, tipping so far on the turn it threatened to come off. Harry stood face-first to the wind and closed eyes, letting the gusting noise swirl around him as the go-cart apparent movement buffeted him. After a 2d he turned to Greeklunk, just one inquiry on his mind.

"Does it go any firm ?"

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

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

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

"I'm fine, I just hate these gringots trolleys."Hagrid said, blanching"And hold on to something !"Harry had just spread his arms out like wings to better feel the fart, but obligingly put them back down."You make me silly standing like that."

The cart eventually slowed and pulled up side by side to a hurdle. Harry hopped out of the cart to canvass this new surrounding followed, much more slowly and with cerebration for his stomach, by Hagrid. Greeklunk led them to one particular proposition vault and turned brought out the key Hagrid had given the desk goblin. The lock squeaked as Greeklunk turned it with the key and there was the strait of large bolt of lightning drawing back.

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

Harry's thinker rebelled. Not lawful, it insisted to its dishonorable eyes, the pictures your sending me just can't be genuine. 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 fistful from the atomic number 47 and bronze piles.

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

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

"well of row they were ! Lilly and St. James ceramicist. forefront boy and girl of Hogwarts they were when they were there."

"Magic runs in family unit ?"

"Normally it does yes."

"My aunty and uncle ?"Harry asked incredulously.

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

"And they were stinking rich ?"

"Comfortable Harry, comfortable."Hagrid sat up to talk nerve to face."I suppose they never were strapped for Johnny Cash but hardly stinking fat, 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 recollect them."

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

"William Tell me a minuscule about them then."Harry said, heedful not to let one shred of avidness enter vocalisation."It might study your mind off the cart for a spell 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 stories, his idea jumped about with many a"and there was this former time…"and seemed to leap from his forefather first year at Hogwarts, to his parents wedding, to some biz called Quidditch his Fatherhood apparently played, to just describing his mothers face. In the midsection of a blow by bumble description of a fight between his father and some other kid ( Snipe ? ) Harry realised they were no longer moving. Glancing around he saw a dim, disused, dingy and dank persona of the banking concern caves with just one large burial vault in sight succeeding to the cart. Thinking back Harry realised they had not moved in some clock time and he glanced over to Greeklunk who smiled back at him, waiting at the control lever tumbler. Harry mouthed

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

Cut off in mid period, Hagrid shook himself out of his reminiscence and stood up. As Greeklunk led them to the threshold Harry noticed that it had no keyhole and no handgrip."trench down in Gringots."He thought."And even in high spirits protection than they put on piles of gold ?"

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

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

"Something magical ?"Harry asked."Another umbrella perhaps ?"Hagrid looked at him oddly for a moment before realising it was a prank. Greeklunk ran a fingerbreadth down a part of the doorway and it dissolved like debris into the air. The hobgoblin then stepped back warily as if he didn't want to be closer to the cognitive content of the bank vault than he had to be. While Hagrid stepped into the vault Harry turned to Greeklunk and whispered

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

"And I don't want to find out."The hob shuddered."The vaults down here are the top security. 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 potential and don't creative thinker the extra charge, but sometimes…"

"Worse ?"

"Much worse."Greeklunk leaned against the rampart and put an odd stick in his oral fissure and began to manducate it."There was one guy a few Clarence Day ago, Rich nob from one of the old wizarding families. All he took out was money but I swear, in the back of the vault there was other hooey. Chains, knife, a stand, not new material creative thinker but some of it looked… used."Greeklunk trailed off into quiet, chewing softly.

"You allow people to lay in poppycock like that here ?"Harry asked.

"That's not the bad of it."Continued Greeklunk, shaking his head."That stuff could easily take in been full of dark deception. In fact, considering the reservoir, it probably was."Greeklunk looked like he was about to say Thomas More then suddenly broke off and stood up. Muttering to himself he began to pace."You won't tell anybody I said that will you Harry ?"Greeklunk said, sounding worried."exclusively transactions are meant to be confidential and everything. I shouldn't have let myself run like that."

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

"I only wish the gamy ups would see it like that."Greeklunk shook his oral sex."Ah… sentence to go."Hagrid stepped back out of the vault stuffing a small grubby package into his pocket.

"Something lowly"intellection Harry."Something lowly but very valuable and very secret and possibly very grievous. Something magic. Something…"( he glanced into the hurdle as the room access reappeared )"…valuable enough to rent out an entire bank vault just for it. What are we the messenger of ?"

On the way back Hagrid began feeling sick again so Harry chatted to Greeklunk about Gringots and the carts ("Sometimes we race them after closing hour ! Er, full add that to your leaning of stuff not to mention again Harry."). Finally the cart reached ground stage again and they got out, waved bye-bye to Greeklunk and stepped back into the torrent of sound in diagonally.






"right field, 1st things first."Hagrid looked up and down the street and stopped when he saw a shop that appeared to suffer a needle-and-thread sign outside its door."We need to get you some robes."brothel keeper Malkin's was abandon except for the proprietor who fussed over Harry like a mother hen, standing him up on a BM and pinning and tucking the retentive black robe she threw over him.

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

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

"Don't worry."She said in a comforting motherly way."It can take in 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 know him here ? He quickly glanced up but his scrape was still hidden by hair. )

"I see a lot of Hogwarts student come in here for their number one robes."dame Malkin moved around to his other slope to commence working on that."You get so you can tell the ones who are muggle-born just by the way they look at anything magic sideways. But in a class time you see them come back carrying broom handle and making the faecal matter fly just like the relaxation. You'll fit in."She knelt down to begin on the hemline and Harry was left feeling more stalls than he had all day.

"Just a matter of getting my sea legs."Thought Harry, idly taking two clump from his pocket and juggling them one-handed."Get stable in this new existence and you'll be fine."Harry added another ball and kept on with one paw, using the other to get out his list."Still need quills, still need parchment, still ..."

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

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

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

"Oh, that."Harry suddenly felt like impressing somebody and added another lump before moving to both helping hand and separating them out into two grommet. He caught one ball in each hand then flipped his wrist and let the others fall onto the binding, he balanced them there for a consequence before slipping them back into his pocket."That's nothing."Harry grinned and winked.

"I tried to learn how to beguile once."The female child seemed to speak as if everyone should sit up and occupy notice."I got a book out of the depository library that was supposed to teach you but I kept dropping the balls."The girl seemed to realise something and turned to him ( making the person pinning up her wearing apparel swear and suck a pricked finger )"Unless of course you used magic. Its probably well-fixed for you to do if you do magic. I never knew I was magic until the letter came and I'm so glad but I bet I'll be behind everyone else, that's why we came out here the low day we could so I would hold a luck to get lots of books for background reading. I just hope I don't end up looking stupid."The girl seemed to halt more from lack of breath than from lack of wrangle, she didn't feeling like she ever ran out of words.

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

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

"Maybe you're going there to get word. But I've always had the opinion that life's for fun, and if you can't see something to laugh at in any situation you're not trying hard enough. Anyway…"Harry swiftly moved on as the fille went through several degree of shock."… we'll hardly be able-bodied to avoid having fun if we're doing spells all the time, making glut fly, making stuff explode, making hooey into other material, the whole thing should be a blast."There was an uncomfortable silence, helpfully filled by brothel keeper Malkin saying…

"Alright dearest, you're done now."Harry stepped off the toilet and went to go away, just as he reached the room access he heard…

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

"Harry Potter."The modiste gasped and stabbed her finger again, gentlewoman Malkin looked up in surprise."See you at Hogwarts."He walked out into the street leaving two surprise and two bemused 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 come get you. Kids shouldn't be walking around alone."Harry was about to refer that that was exactly what he had been doing the last three class of his life-time when Hagrid started off towards another shop class and Harry had to follow or be swallowed by the crowd.

On the circle of the shops Harry met three more prospective Hogwarts pupil, a pair of twin girls in the apothecary's who laughed when he juggled crocodile middle and laughed even harder when he was thrown out of the shop class for doing so, and a boy called Blaise Zabini in fanfare and Blotts who didn't seem to laugh at anything and sniffed in utter disdain when Harry bought second hired man books.

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

"Easiest way to end up with no money is to spend it when you don't have to. Besides, these are still good."The record he was holding picked that moment to spill its foremost few pages onto the cobble. Harry picked them up without speaking and set off down the street fast enough to realize Hagrid jog to keep up.





Ollivanders came next and Harry thought for a mo Hagrid had taken his advice to ticker. Looking at the tenuous assumption with wither windows and peeling paintwork belied its endorsement which made out that it had made amercement sceptre since 382 bc.

"Yes…"thought Harry,"…in this shop. And you haven't repainted since then."But he walked in all the same and walked up to the replication as Hagrid took a fundament by the door.

The inside was total of shelves, piled high with yearn thin out box. It reminded Harry of a hybridization between an old irregular hand bookshop and a disused brake shoe store. The shaving of light from the window illuminated the molecule of dust in the air, Harry blew into it and was rewarded by a swirling pattern, spotlighted in the turbid room. He was just wondering if he should perhaps ring the bell when he heard a voice out of the darkness.

"Good afternoon."The vocalisation was quiet and felt like old velvet but it came so suddenly that Hagrid jumped like a spooked lapin and Harry just kept enough of his self-control to avoid jumping himself though his heart felt like it had leapt on its own.

"Good afternoon to you."Harry said, keeping his vocalism 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 glumness behind the desk an old, White haired and pale-eyed man stepped, cocking his head like a heron.

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

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

"Why else would you be here ?"The man seemed faintly amused. He drew a tape measurement out of a pocket and it sprang out of his hand, measuring Harry's implements of war and fingerbreadth."sceptre are what I do. I made all the wands here and I remember all of them, even the I I've sold."

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

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

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

"You're mother was a unicorn-hair missy, set in willow tree. well scepter that, I remember the day I made it. Your father liked a wand with Draco heart-string, more powerful. wellspring I say he liked but its really the wand that chooses the wizard."Ollivander fixed Harry with a stare that made his feeling like he was being weighed and measured but he managed to say.

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

"Very well Mr. Potter."Ollivander seemed oddly well-chosen with Harry's insistency, as if this was the bit he'd been waiting for too. He snapped his fingers and the tape measure curled back up in the palm of his hand."Lets try ..."he ran his longsighted fingerbreadth over a nearby shelf then nodded to himself and picked a box that was ( to Harry's heart ) identical to all the others."… Pine and capital of Arizona feather, light one at five inches."Harry took it and looked at it, it looked like a fat pencil."break it a wave."Encouraged Ollivander. Harry swished the wand and jabbed at air to no core before Ollivander snatched it back off him.

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

More wand passed by without effect and Harry was beginning to feel worried ( and a petty hungry ) when Ollivander passed him another wand.

"Phoenix feather and Holly XI inches."Ollivander handed it to him just like he had all the others but Harry thought he had seen a glimmer in the old piece skittish eye. Harry raised it apprehensively and swished it like a party whip. Nothing happened, and silence filled the small shop. Harry held the wand out for the old shopkeeper but he made no move to take it. He was staring at it like he did not quite understand.

"Try it again."Was all he said.

Harry obediently swished the baton 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 jibe ribbons of brightness level in the air as Harry swished it.

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

"But that one didn't work. This one did."He liked the look of the wand he had in his hand. The wood was faintly red and the suitcase where he held it was a niggling rougher making the thing flavor stable in his small bridge player like none of the others had."How a great deal for this one."

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










Harry left the Leontyne Price of the wand on the desk and left the old man to his thoughts. When they were outside Harry took the lead-in and a surprised Hagrid followed him. Harry stopped by a little café and sat down at a mesa in the recess 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 tell him, then launched into the story. masses 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 mysterious breath and said…

"They think, that something I was or did break this darkness lord ? And the reason people are staring at me is because I'm some sort of celebrity-hero ? And everyone in your humans knows this ? Including the people I'm going to be going to school with ? And this dark wizard may still be out there somewhere ? Have I got this right ?"

"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 the great unwashed who know."Hagrid suddenly looked around them, some of the shops were already shut and the café possessor was looking at them pointedly."We'd ripe get going."

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


Chapter 2 : The toaders

Hagrid spoke to the bartender at the blabbermouthed cauldron before leaning down to speak to Harry.

"I've got you a way here at the cauldron."Hagrid pointed back up the stares."I don't know what yer gon na do in the yearn condition but for now until you go to Hogwarts you can quell here."

So that was how it came to pass that Harry slept at the leaky cauldron that night, tired from a day that had held more surprise than, well, than the rest of his life put together. Harry kicked off the blankets when he began sweating and lay back with his hands behind his headspring. His tired dead body fought his buzzing thinker as it churned through the days Apocalypse. But as the clock crept preceding XI Harry's body began to win and his centre drooped.

He dreamt of wand and wizards and rocketing handcart that flew past his eyes chased by broomstick. But most of all he kept turning and turning the story Hagrid had told him through his read/write head just as he had when he was awake. Again and again a dark shape killed a man, then a char then touched him on the read/write head with his verge. Sometimes the man was Hagrid, his vast bulk blowing away like dust in a flash lamp of lighter, sometimes the man looked like Harry, but older, stockier. The slayer was risky, sometimes it was just a moody force, a wave. Sometimes it looked man, like a villain off TV, decked out in Fang and a cloak as it killed a woman who looked like Madam Malkin. Sometimes it had red eyes. Once, it was Harry.

Harry jerked awake and saw that it was still dreary outside. He had sweated despite ridding himself of the cover and scrambled to the window to spread out it. Dim light filtered in from the edges of a sky not quite set for break of day. Harry turned and looked over his room, barely glimpsed the night before. It was panelled in oak and the article of furniture was all of the heavy wooden kind. The bed had a canopy around it that Harry had failed to close in conclusion night, he noted in passing that the under sheet was twisted as if the tie had squirmed in the night.

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

He idly looked through dish, sorting stuff into megabucks and chuckling as they brought back recollections of several episodes of the late day, the quills the shopkeeper had tried to give him unloose when a streamer from a fan blew back his hair, the potion constituent Hagrid had had to go back in to get after the crocodile eye installment. When he finally had all he owned in piles in front of him he pulled over a chair and sat down in front of it, considering his dilemma. The largest pile by far, dwarfing his new robe in weight unit if not in size, was the books.

This really was a quandary for Harry. Having not had cause to interpret anything tenacious than a condemnation or two in three twelvemonth Harry was painfully aware that those record would be seriously heavy going. Checking his ticket again ( from another pile ) Harry counted mean solar day and came up with thirty eight. He counted them again and came up with 30 seven. He did a little rhyme in his head to remember how many days august had and came up with thirty eight again. He wondered how very much a way for More than a month had cost and whether he could behave all his books about on the streets and realised that Hagrid had probably paid in advance to stop him doing just that. The groundskeeper was surprisingly shrewd about some things.

Harry switched his attention back to the account book and began wondering instead if a calendar month would be enough. He'd be blown if he was going to this schooltime without knowing a jot more than he knew now and looking like a raw newbie. Harry's breadbasket grumbled and he realised wryly that luncheon had been a long clock time ago and although a lot had happened in the mean-time dinner hadn't been character 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 huge heap of gold and suddenly you can't lose two meal. Weakling."

Harry lay back for a present moment and closed his eyes, then swung forward and pulled a book off the top of the spile. After a moment he replaced it, shuffled through till he found the one with the Word beginners 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 here and now he leaned back and put his fundament up. He had finally managed to sympathise the first sentence in one of his Book. It was a start.

*

Harry was well into the book when he realised that light was streaming through the windowpane and the sounds of the city were filtering through loudly and clear. Harry stood up, put the Quran in his bag and went off to search Diagonally. The barkeeper watched him go but didn't try to hold back him.

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

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

Harry followed a approach pattern like this for the next few days, going out in the morning and souse in the sights of Diagonally until he was sure he knew the situation by core, The standard book of spells ( grad one ) by Miranda Accipiter gentilis was finished and replaced back by A initiate guide to August 6 by Emeric substitution which was itself replace after a much farseeing interval ( the playscript was longer and had none of the helpful diagrams Miranda Accipiter gentilis had added to her account book ) by one about Fungi.

Harry was just grinding through a particularly dull transition about moss after a long solar day walk when he heard a tapping on the window. A brown and cream flecked owl with farseeing legs stood on the windowsill. The window was clear but the owl just kept sitting there, cocking its heading at him until Harry motioned the wench to number in. It ducked under the window form and hopped onto the floor where it scuttled up to the desk and raised itself up to it in one flaps. Careful to debar disturbing any of Harry's poppycock 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 top dog and took another pace back but didn't leave. Harry felt into his pocket and found the remains of his ham sandwich lunch which he opened and placed near the owl. The owl looked at it but seemed too nervous to have it. Shrugging, Harry opened the letter. In writing almost as bad as his own Harry read…


dearest Harry
Happy Birthday. Sorry I couldn't be there in person but what with the school class just starting there's lots to do at Hogwarts. There was a classroom on the thirdly floor full of form eating slugs. Anyway I sent you your present. ( Harry checked inside the envelope and read on bewildered ) Unless you're wondering why the owls still hanging around it's because she's yours. ( Ahh, thought Harry, glancing at the skittish Bronx cheer ) The cage and clobber should be coming soon too. If you want to write to me just move over her a letter, she'll know where to retrieve me. Once again Happy Birthday.

Hagrid


Harry folded the letter up carefully and turned to appear at the owl. It really wasn't that large in the body but had long spindly legs that looked like they belonged on a wader. Harry slowly put his arm out and scratched the face of the owl head. She went cadaver for a mo then relaxed and cocked her straits under his scratching fingers. After a little while the owl managed to pluck up the courage to take a bit of ham off the table and swallow it whole. The following 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 clerk said that that was the most sterile gens he'd ever heard. Harry stuck his tongue out at him and left the shop.

About a calendar week after that Harry snapped close the cover of the close book in his spate. He put it carefully on top of the others and sat there for a patch collecting his thoughts. Then he leaned forward, placed a hand firmly on the bottom of the pile and turned it over. power shovel hooted from her cage as Harry sat back down to read.

*

Sep the beginning bloomed smart and early on but Harry was already up. His bag was stuffed to the rim with his school clothed and Christian Bible and his cauldron tied on the outside and he carried shovel in her batting cage in one hand. Harry walked Diagonally one last time to say goodbye to the citizenry he'd met on his walks, Greeklunk at gringots, the fruit seller he chatted to when he got bored of his Good Book and finally to Tom the barman before walking back out into the muggle world.

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

"Half an time of day to go."Harry checked his ticket."Easier to await on the geartrain than out here ”. He walked down the weapons platform past platform eight, past platform nine, past platform ten, back by chopine ten, stop, smell left, front right.

A profanity slipped from Harry's lip that made a passer-by murmur and frown. There was no weapons platform nine-and-three-quarters, at least not one he could see. Harry had walked the lengths of chopine nine and ten before he saw an odd sight moving towards him. A man dressed in a black cape, attracting many stares from passerby by, herded a white-blond haired child towards the weapons platform. They were followed by a hackneyed looking man carrying a large travelling chest and ( and this was the bit Harry was looking at ) a large owl in a cage. As the ternary drew closer Harry heard the boy say…

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

"Hello."From the icy expression in the mans eyes not a good start but he pressed on."I couldn't help but overhear that last bit and it occurred to me that you might be the kind of multitude who could read me the way to platform nine-and-three-quarters."There, that was innocuous enough, if they weren't necromancer they'd just think he was an idiot. The man looked him up and down slowly.

"So you know about the chopine but you don't know 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 jump out of the way. He wasn't fast plenty however and the tip of the gentleman cane tripped him, sending him sprawling to the floor. He heard laughter from both the man and the boy that cut off suddenly. Harry got up and dusted himself off but the superstar were no-where to be seen. Cursing himself Harry looked at the prison term, barely five moment left. Harry was just wondering if there was a mo train he could take when…

"diddly-shit !"Harry was thumped on the shoulder and spun around to look into the lentiginous face of one of the twins from the blabbermouthed cauldron the low clip he had passed through there. They were followed by an previous teenager, possibly even more freckled than them and a untested one bringing up the rear. Behind them was a plump woman, raging at being left in charge of a hale flotilla of baggage trolley while her Word ran off and a little girl hanging on to her hand.

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

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

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

"Lots of masses aren't Harry Potter."Said Harry with a grin."It's hardly an accolade."("Now how the Scheol am I gon'a be able-bodied to tell them the truth."Thought Harry. )

"Stop bothering him lamb, and engage you're carts back."The mother had joined them and was pushing them towards the platforms."We haven't got fourth dimension for dawdling."Harry walked with the crowd to the gap between political platform nine and platform ten trying to figure out out a way to tell them.

"You know, about the completely Harry potter thing."Harry said but was silenced as the onetime brother took his cart and walked straight through the paries. Harry's shock must have got came through on his face because the female parent said.

"First sentence to Hogwarts dear ?"

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

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

"Run at the wall."Harry said flatly as the Gemini 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 roadblock and broke into a run. He wanted to close down his eyes but kept them resolutely open. The wall came closer. A sudden present moment of panic hit Harry and he squeezed his eyes shut and shielded his head with his hands.

There was a bit of quiet pressure then Harry opened his eyes and walked out to gaze at the red steam railway locomotive, sat succeeding to the preindication for platform nine-and-three-quarters. He heard a weird shlooping audio behind him and saw Ron standing there checking himself to see whether he was very well and looking back towards the barrier.

"Skull still whole ?"Harry asked him and got a grin in takings. Harry wandered down the platform and got in a seemingly empty stroller. He saw the Pt haired boy from the chopine talking to Blaise Zabini and hastily got back down. The next few carriages he checked were occupied by mass 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 a group of seventh years in serious discussion over a newspaper. Harry hefted his bag higher onto his shoulder and held the room access to the next compartment open for Ron and his huge trunk.

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

"I like to trip light."Harry said, they leaned against the wall for a minute as a gaggle of honest-to-god students passed."Makes it light to run from trouble. Besides, I don't have sufficiency stuff to fill one o'those things."Harry nodded towards the trunk.

"I'm Ron."The boy extended a mitt, which Harry took."Ron Weasley. What's your last name doodly-squat ?"

"Well, see the thing about that is."No receive distractions here."My public figure not actually Jack."Seeing Ron's flummox case he continued."You learn how your brothers met me right."( nod )."How people thought I was Harry Potter and turned and looked at me ?"( nod )."fountainhead, try and see it from my perspective, you're suddenly in a new berth with tidy sum of multitude staring at you."( silent stare )."What would you experience told them ?"He lapsed into silence as Ron stared at him for a moment.

"So what you're saying is… that you really are Harry ceramist ?"Ron laughed and told him it was a good joke, he laughed right up until Harry pushed his fringe up and showed Ron the scrape on his forehead. Daffo oculus 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 think, you know, IT."Ron leaned forward conspiratorially.

"What ?"Harry said, leaning forward and putting on a mock surreptitious 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 VI are gona go crazy."Ron shook his head slowly while grinning.

"You're chum ?"

"Yeah,"Suddenly a view seemed to take up Ron."Oh, let me tell them ! The look on their faces…"

"Knock yourself out, only don't, really. Once had a champion 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 enumerate up like… four, five, seven. If you told him he'd missed out a number he looked at you like you were mental."

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

"row 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 seminal fluid from ? He'd get a cephalalgia and induce to go sit down. Was awful at keeping appointments too, on account statement of missing Saturday. Even worse he was scared of die. Seemed to think they should be made triangular."Harry launched further into the tale, dreaming up more wildly unlikely consideration when he glanced into a nearby compartment and saw conversant faces.

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

*

He opened the door and looked in on the match little girl ( I'm meeting a lot of twins ) he'd met in diagonally's apothecary."Hi."Harry said by way of intromission,"creative thinker if we sit down here ? I could hoodwink again by way of payment ?"The fille giggled and Harry moved into the compartment and helped Ron put his huge tree trunk in the budget items compartment. He waited until Ron had introduced himself before adding…"and my name calling Harry, Harry Potter."

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

"There wasn't clock time, what with the being thrown out of the workshop and all. Don't worry about that this time, I plan to stay on at Hogwarts at to the lowest degree a few twenty-four hours before getting thrown."The twins laughed, that was how to do it. Tell a joke just after you say your name ‘ cos you can't gasp and laugh at the same time."And anyway, you didn't say me your epithet either."

"fountainhead I'm Padma, and this is Parvati Patil."Said Padma before her sister added"Do you have the scar ?"Harry obligingly lifted his haircloth and let it fall back."Wow."The Twin Falls looked at one another then broke out into giggles. But Parvati added through the joke,"I expected you to be grandiloquent though."Harry looked around and realised he was the light person in a fifty percent young woman way 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 train. And you'd be a whole lot frightful !"

"Thanks."Harry said flatly while wondering whether he was serious ( Dragon, so why not monster ? ). Before he could say anything else the compartment door slid open to show a crone pushing a trolley wax of food.

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

"Two of those please."Harry said, pointing at the cakes. Ron mumbled that he had brought sandwiches but the Gemini the Twins seemed to have worked out all the stuff 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 cakes and said."Now, can anyone tell me what the hell I just bought ?"

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

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

"What do you mean ?"said Parvati.

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

"I didn't grow up with adept, or witches or dragon or giants."Harry gestured widely at the surrounding expanse."Welcome to my journey of constant revelation. I'm just waiting for the aliens to alternate out with acid and all will be complete."He stopped and waited on their disconnected stares.

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

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

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

"Who took care of me ?"Harry paused a minuscule too long before answering."wellspring, myself I guess. For the cobbler's last three days at least, I lived with my auntie and uncle before that. Well, I say lived with, survived is probably the ameliorate 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 ?"Parvati broke the lull."Without a mob ?"

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

"Yes without a mob, yes without a home."Harry's heart began to speed and he could experience the sweat from their stares. He fumbled in his pocket and brought out two juggling formal and began to bounce them in one hand, he could feel the accent ebbing, relaxing, growing smaller but still sitting there, in the book binding of his mind, weighing it down. It had been quiet too long, make them peach again."Neat story yeah ?"Harry said pocketing the balls."Anyway its not as bad as you think, I think I had a little avail after I left my aunty and uncle's."

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

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

"The kind muggle-born-wizard fry use when they don't realise it."Annapurna 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 intend I was prosperous, wear lucky, you know ? Any metre I was really in trouble like, like with the police ("police ? !"gasped Ron, The Twin Falls eyes went wide with electric shock. ) something always happened. Like a logic gate I'd just ran through locked and barred itself behind me, or a weewee main bursting rightfield 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 tilt in and they obliged, now wrapped up in his taradiddle."I was being chased by this gang o'drunken guys right ? Chasing me over some diminished subject of little importance that was blown far, far out of proportion."

"What did you do ?"Padma said flatly.

"I said their mothers must have been sheep and for no reason they took it as an insult."Harry shook his head ruefully"Some people have no sensation of humour, they took it totally out of context. Anyway, normally I have no fuss outdistancing imbibe fleece tough but in this sheath I was in a office of town I hadn't been in before and I found myself in the untenable position of facing a dead end with six of the idiots tearing down on me."

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

"Not quite."Harry said grinning,"Elseways I'd have turned them to sheep for a truly ironical 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, slid over."Harry's eye twinkled."I wasn't sure at the time but I think I turned their brake shoe to ice. deliver you ever seen six drunk guys hangin'off each other ‘ cos they couldn't stand up. Any meter they tried to resist up they just fell flat on their faces again."Harry raised his arm then flipped it over making a swishing speech sound and dropped it onto his lap.

"Of course of study, if they'd just had the smarting to use up their horseshoe off I'd have been a goner, but with a minuscule assistance from the alcohol they'd inebriate that didn't occur and I was prophylactic to slip away."Harry laughed and after a consequence his friends 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 Nox either, he hadn't felt secure too but instead had just ran and ran until his legs gave out and he crawled into a patch of fantasm and to lie there trembling. laugh was easy after but he would never forget the fear.

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

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

"No, I haven't."Harry looked over Ron, Parvati and Padma to see a chorus of shaking psyche."No, he hasn't been in here… But."Harry added as the male child centre started to well up again."I could help oneself you search if you like."Anapurna was quick to add that she'd assistance too. Padma sighed but repeated what her Sister said. Ron said cypher and rolled his eyes.

But the Weasley was outnumbered and so The clique started off down the corridor, Harry idly juggling and starting another of his staple story, Padma and Annapurna listening intently, Neville ( the toadless wonderment ) had stopped crying and was even smiling at the tale and Ron bringing up the fanny, trying to dissemble this wasn't proficient than sitting in a cabin.

*

Everything was going so well ( no they had not actually found the toad but they had met lots of interesting multitude and one interesting giant wanderer. ) when Harry saw someone coming down the corridor and grimaced. His little group of toad-hunters stopped dead as the Pt haired kid from the station walked towards them flanked by two robust pupil. ("well, I say robust."Thought Harry."It's really just fat. A ton o'fat and about ten stone o'ugly to season.").

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

"So you finally found you're way onto the platform."The boy ignored the reaction he'd produced and continued his arrogant oration."Too bad for you, if you'd just stayed you would have been spared the mortification of being constantly bettered by the existent magician. My father always says muggle-borns shouldn't be allowed to attend 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, dark-green, 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 sort of guy who would live where to recover green, unworthy, disgusting reptiles."With his punch-line achieved Harry dropped his smile and glared at the boy as Ron and the twins 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 mind."I am genus Draco Malfoy, my father is Lucius Malfoy, you'd in effect not give enemies you can't mass with mudblood."Once again the Bible produced a reaction, even from the mass in the cabins. Most of them erupted in angered muttering, a few looked at Malfoy proudly."Anyway, I don't see why I'm wasting time with the the like of you. There's a rumour that Harry Potter is on the train."That set off a different kind of response, a frenzied gasp and hasty, whispered conversation."And I'm trying to retrieve 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 outstanding. I have no idea what they are but since you seem to hate them so much and graven image truth, the to a greater extent I see of you the more I seem to hate your intestine I can be sure I'll beloved ‘ em to bits. Now, would you mind moving, I have toads to find, and all I'm finding here are worms."Harry pointed straight at Malfoy and then to the side of meat of the carriage. Malfoy remained stock still. The pram had gone deadly quiet.

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

"Harry potter. Nice to meet you."Draco's eyes went panoptic and the compartments once more began whispering."This is Ron Weasly and Neville Longbottom, and Padma and Anapurna Patil."Harry advanced on the blond haired kid before him and waved his hand 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 passe-partout stroke, a humble jet lump near Malfoys the boot. He stooped, swiped it up and held it for all to see.

"Trevor !"Cried Neville happily.

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

*

Harry went down hard and felt a weight landed estate on top of him. It felt like both the river horse were on him, punching and kneeing for all they were worth. Harry kicked up and when one flinched back he rolled out from under and turned his roll into a start to his feet. He saw one of the Kid trying to wax and pushed him back down on top of his Friend. At that here and now he felt hot sparks singe his neck and smelled burnt haircloth and turned to see Malfoy standing there with wand drawn, the last swoon glow just fading from the tip. Harry looked around and saw that no one had moved. The thing had happened in import. Then suddenly one of the onlooker glanced down the carriage, yelled

"PREFECTS ! ! !"and suddenly everyone jumped back into their cabins. Harry felt two solidification of hands grab him by the shoulder and pull out him in with someone. He turned to see the grinning faces of the Weasly similitude and the anuran hunting gang.

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

"Ooo, we're here."As if on cue the train started slowing. Harry looked out onto the wet platform as the gear 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 gravy holder he, Ron and the Gemini had shared. All talk had just been lost as they rounded a foreland and saw in the distance, their goal. Hogwarts, it sprawled over the land on one side of the lake, a immense keep or castle with tall, needle tower and titan anteroom. Every window glowed from within and glisten beams of light out like searchlights. Harry had never seen anything like it. He wondered for a second whether that was because it was magic, certainly some of the towers looked like they couldn't be supported by just stone and mortar.

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

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

"Wait till you get inside."Ron grinned,"Fred and George VI told me everything about it. Apparently the stairs movement and there's secret transition everywhere."Harry made a mental note to find all of them."And there's creatures in the dungeons that the teachers don't know about, and there a elbow room wide-cut of treasure in one of the paries. Fred and George said they 'd possess got it out by now if it wasn't guarded by a monster."

"That's a clump of pig poo."Annapurna scoffed ( Harry chuckled at the absurdly mild profanity ) as they stepped out of the boat onto a landing."My admirer's in her third gear class and she once told me Fred and George Weasly were the boastful jokers and the grown liars in the unharmed school."Ron bristled and was about to repay when Harry said

"From what I've seen of you're sidekick Ron, they'd take that as a complement."Ron turned on him and was about to retort when he suddenly looked thoughtful and nodded his forefront. Harry suddenly grinned and spread his arms above his head. Then he let himself precipitate slowly, forward then curled, put his mitt down and stood straight like a needle with his toes pointed up at the sky."But I don't think they'll convey this so easy…"Harry pushed up and landed back on his invertebrate foot to meet astonished stares,"…if they do moderate the trickster crown they'd advantageously enjoy it while they can ‘ cos I'm on the scene now."Harry put his mitt on his hips and licked his front teethh."And they ain't seen nothing yet."

*

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

"You're already planning to break school rules and you're not even past the sorting yet."Harry turned, praying he was wrong about recognising the voice."I have half a mind to narrate the headmaster about you right now."Prayers unanswered. The vocalization came from the bushy haired girlfriend from diagonally who was standing with her script on her rosehip facing them as the early number one class filed past down the corridor.

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

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

"So, you've heard my estimate and you've heard the opposition."He jabbed his manus at Hermione's back."Who's with me ?"Grins answered him, even ( eventually ) from Neville."correctly then, I'm happy you guys are behind me. Now lets get going. If were deep we'll never even get put into the school to get thrown out !"They hurried after the others. Surprisingly it was Neville who brought up the subject of what to call themselves. Some ideas ( Not all of them good ) were bandied about. Ron seemed to be set on putting the word cannons in the name for some reason 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 ability. Even after a lot of other options ( some very cool, Harry held out for the figure the toaders for a longsighted time, Neville had suggested it but it did describe 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 effect, when Harry still used the toaders. ). It felt in good order 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 I, and we're out to replace them, so were the new ones !"Harry didn't think that was the reason somehow, but the name itself fit like a glove.

So, as Harry Potter, Ron Weasly, Neville Longbottom and Padma and Parvati Patil walked into the waiting dormitory by the heavy manor hall and the last of the sunset-sunlight streamed in through the windowpane the New Marauders were born.

*

They stepped into the great Hall in a row and giggled when they gasped in tandem. The sight was awe inspiring, the vast tables of students staring and pointing, lighted by hundreds of floating candles and even better, Harry's oculus travelled upwards and he smiled in rhapsodic wonder. The night sky greeted him above, every ace bright and clear like a back-lit diamond. Like amber dust. Having never been far out of the M25 Harry had grown up with streetlamps and Light Within pollution. The stars were endowment, just one more affair he wanted to thank this place for.

He quietened as an older witch carried an old hat out to the stage and set it down on a faeces. She straightened and delivered her command in a chip, efficient vocalization 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 1000 years and More
By the illustrious Hogwarts four
The home of renown

Each one of award straight and heroic
And at their birth you understand
My job was then set down

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

To Griffindor
The lions roar
The brave and boldface dwell there

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

To Hufflepuff
Of sterner hooey
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
Nothing to venerate
Just add an ear
I'm quite sincere
Can't waiting to see them jump and cheer !

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

"Funny yeah !"Ron leaned over to Harry.

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

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

He could swear he felt centre on the rear of his head but when he turned around the merely person there was a thin, nervous looking wizard in a toque chatting to a lank-haired and sallow-faced professor. The lank-haired teachers eyes flicked to his fount, then to his brow and Harry turned back quickly. Just in time to try the foremost public figure called out.

*

Harry stood, his heart beating fast in his dresser and his lungs feeling like free weight had been hooked to them. One by one the mass around him sat down to be sorted, he blessed the fact that he wasn't called brownness or archimandrite, he couldn't have taken being the 1st to the stand.

Each someone chosen prompted a new peck of cheering from the house they were chosen for. Harry had the insane urge to get out his juggling lump just to relived his stress but knew he couldn't, not under all those eyes. A moment later he recognised Hermione walking up to the chairman and session, jamming on the singing hat, a few moments later and the hat pronounced her a Gryffindor and she ran down to the table. The next somebody he recognised was Neville, he tried to shut away all his nerves and contribute Neville an promote Wave as he walked past, ashen faced. After what must experience been transactions the hat sent Neville to Gryffindor too and the reliever on his boldness was clearly visible.

Malfoy went to Slytherin and Harrys gut seemed to lay off up tighter. They were on to the P's now and Harry was trusted his face must be showing his thought despite his efforts. The counterpart went on one after another, the hat sat for an age, chewing and mumbling over Padma before eventually sending her to Gryffindor but Anapurna followed after her almost instantly. One more 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 swagger a little as he walked over to the chair through the rustling and stares then forced himself to grin as he dropped the hat on his head. The dark was welcome as the hat slid over his eyes but then…

"Hm… Another tricky one."It was the vocalism of the hat, but quieter now, and coming from just outside his ear."Good nous but underused, loyal soul but no present loyalties, and with your fears…"

"Hey !"thinking Harry, for a minute more angry than frighten."Who the hell said you could look around in my brain anyway ! That stuffs blooming private !"The hat seemed amused.

"I only look to put you where you'd fit in best, it's in your better interests you know. To go with people who understand you, whose minds are like your own, entire of cunning ways, hide out paths, former ways to get what you want. I can send you where you'll fit in, where you'll find supporter, in the household of Salazar Sl ..."But Harry cut him off.

"That's enough ! I will not let myself be placed in a star sign of gloomy wizards and disgusting people !"Harry thought angrily."I don't see what gives you the right hand to chose either. I chose my path ! Always ! If you looked a footling further in my brain you'd see the good o'that ! I chose to leave home ! I chose to issue forth here ! No parent ! no guide ! I made my own way here, ME ! Its my liveliness and I want to go to Gry ..."

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

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

*

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

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

"Don't know what my parent would experience 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 midriff of the luxuriously tabular array had stood up.

He looked very old but he stood without a stoep and had straightened smoothly. His whisker and beard were snowy white and tied into two can, one down the front, one down the dorsum. As he surveyed the Asaph Hall, Harry could have sworn the piece eyes fixed on him for a split second before moving on.

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

"Albus Dumbledore poor fish !"Hissed Parvati."The Headmaster."

"One piece of advice comes to me at this time."The old mans voice sounded faintly amused, like he knew something funny that everyone else didn't."hungry children listen only to their grumbling stomachs. With that in mind, tuck in !"Harry saw the dental plate in front of him fill with everything conceivable. home of heart and potatoes piled senior high, and pitchers total of juices and milk. Harry looked so long he didn't pawl that everyone else had started.

"Not hungry ?"Ron asked through a taste 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 happy, sleepy, full-of-the-moon and contended haze when he saw the headmaster rise to his feet again.

"I have a few announcements to make. Firstly, that inaugural old age are reminded that they are not allowed their own brooms, that firstly and 2nd days are interdict to get into Hogsmead village, that all students are forbidden to come in the forbidden wood and that anyone with any good sense of self preservation should avoid the third trading floor corridor on the right hand slope. Thank you."

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

"nix the last time we looked."Said Fred."Why ?"

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

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

"If there was anything there last year they'd know about it."Ron said crossing his weapon system and directing a dark-skinned look back along the table."So whatever it is it must take only just happened."

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

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

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

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

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

*

But there was footling hazard for Harry to carry through on his promises for the kickoff few Clarence Shepard Day Jr., object lesson followed lesson and Harry found himself challenged to keep up. Everything in the ledger he'd read seemed to constitute about one one-hundredth of what they needed to cognize and each new construct sent him out from the moral scratching his caput back to the books and then to the new ones he'd got out of the library.

The solely reason he wasn't totally swamped was that after every day he could render to the Gryffindor common room and sit down on the table that had already been designated, even by older students, the Marauders tabular array. On his endorse day Harry had simply invaded this table and pulled four other chairs around it, plopped his bag down and waited. By day four it was established and the places reserved.

It was near enough to the flak to be warmed by it and was constantly piled with their books and handbag, whatever sweets they had each donated to the pot, a wizard chess set in permanent disarray, at least one copy of Witch Weekly and, more often than not, Trevor. And under the raft, between the pageboy of the books or hidden in sweet wrappers there were function, details, account and ideas.

The five of them would work on on the sidereal day onerous homework till the common way began to void, then the Book would close down and the oeuvre would begin in earnest. It had moved beyond the third floor corridor of course, there were programme to get into purloin billet, McGonagall's office, each of the other common rooms, plans to curse people ( 99 % of those people being Slytherins and 80 % of them being Malfoy ) and plans to retrieve all the underground musical passage of the school.

Harry laughed more than he ever had before and did tricks as they planned. Harry had never believed that Hogwarts could be like this, friends everywhere and a feast at every repast. Even the lesson couldn't put a dent in this. Then, on Friday, Harry awoke from sopor after a particularly in force preparation session and went downstairs to breakfast. If Harry had had a single prophetic off-white in his dead body he would have shivered when looking at his days timetable.

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

*

"Potion making is as… beautiful a science as it exact. As deadly as it is complex and as hard to take as it is rewarding to those who have the talent, and the sensitivity to do so."

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

"For those favourable enough to be able to excel in my subject."The sweetener nosed, sallow faced prof continued."It will reap them reinforcement far beyond any puerile charm or spell. What spell can fill the blood with firing, can kill silent as a black eye, can fan life back into what early enchantment would deem a corpse, can send someone into so deep a sleep they will never awake."

"I don't know any spells for the in conclusion one but his vox is doing a pretty commodity job so far."Padma whispered and Harry had to bite his upper lip to keep the sounds in. They had been set at a desk thankfully near the back of the form and could look clear across the totally grade to where the instructor, one Severus Snape, stalked in strawman of the chalkboard. The ground they were laughing so hard was that, before the lesson, Ron's brothers had treated them to an feeling of Snape which, at the time, they had thought was an exaggeration.

"But nigh of you will not have that accomplishment and will doubtless find yourself confused… baffled… and, if anterior tragedy are any indication, severely burnt-out in this classroom. If that is the instance then I ask that you don't hesitate to come to me for help."("WHAT ?"Harry's dumbfounded look was mirrored on every typeface in the course of study )"And I will tell you what I tell all the other pupil stupid enough to come to me. ‘ I don't CARE.'” The teacher waved his wand at the circuit board and some instruction appeared there.

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

"Something fishy Potter."caput turned to watch."You see something you find amusing ?"

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

"A state of social occasion I foresee happening frequently. Lashkar-e-Taiba see if we can hurry affair up a slight. Tell me…"Snape's back snapped straight person like a willow twig and he looked down at Harry."What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an extract of wormwood ?"

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

"Incorrect."Snape glowered.

"alibi me."The annoying twist to the words… the self-important accent… Hermione sat at the next table over and was turned towards Harry and Snape."The answer is the muster of living death. A sleeping potion potent en…"

"Five points from Gryffindor fille Granger."Snape said without turning."The correct answer Potter ... Was ‘ draught of living death sir'. Another ten points from Gryffindor."Snape swept off leaving Harry glowering at his back.

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

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

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

"Can't callback 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 incitement, person who had stood up for him. He tried to think of something odd to say that would make believe Hermione laugh and realised he didn't know anything she'd like. A import later Snape swooped back past tense and the chance for talk of the town was over.

While failing to make his potion Harry thought carefully, Hermione didn't go around with anyone, she didn't sit with the same people in any two socio-economic class, he'd never seen her talking in the common way with anyone. In fact, the only times he'd seen her out of classes was when he took books out of the library, then she was always there, with her straits deep in progressively thicker books.

"That doesn't mean she doesn't have friends."persuasion Harry while crushing porcupine quill feather."She could know mass in other days from before she came here."

"She's muggle-born."Another role of his brain said"How would she already have protagonist at a wizard school."

"Oh…"Harry looked over at Hermione and Lavender, only talking to cite the instructions on the board and at other times Hermione was craned over her Holy Scripture 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 talk. When you find out something you don't lots like about yourself the last thing you want to do is sing about it.

*

Harry tried to utter to Hermione several prison term over the next few week but she always just ignored him or ran off. Worse, Padma and Parvati had told him she had taken to crying in the little girl gutter during break and after lessons.

"Maybe you could do something."Harry pointed out during a lately Sep evening after a particularly successful put-on of some fifth year Slytherins"You sleep in the same bloody way. Surely you talk to her."

"She doesn't talk of the town to us."Parvati explained"Always has a book or homework or something out and doesn't want to be disturbed."

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

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

"No understanding really, it's just we've got to endure with the rest of our twelvemonth for the adjacent seven years and that'll be easier if were at least on speakin'terminus with them."The others seemed to bear this overtone explanation. The the true of the matter was Harry didn't want to see anybody lonely either.

*

Harry decided to try a more direct approach. The next day, after lessons but before dinner, Harry went down to the library and approached the now fellow hatful of a great deal of books and Hermione. He pulled up a chair and sat about a one-third of the way around the table from her.

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

"aspect, you can't keep going like this forever. Humans need to verbalize to other humans or they go crazy."Harry twirled a finger near his ear and let his oculus go crossed."Anyway don't you…"

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



Harry stood there for a moment impression worthless then turned and walked out of the library. But that wasn't the finally he'd see of Hermione that day, a little later when Harry was on a investigatory mission ("I swear Fitch keeps a spare key in one of the janitors closets."Ron had said. Harry had agreed to attend into it without realising how very many janitors loo there were and what unpleasant olfactory perception inhabited them ) he passed a doorway to an disused schoolroom and heard vox inside.

"make it back !"Hermione's part ?"You arrogant snake ! Give it back !"

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

"Give it back you foul, loathsome thing !"

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

"What an matter to papers mudblood. Flitwick would have been astounded with it. Probably would ingest earned you a few star sign compass point eh ? Except you won't be able to sacrifice it to him. Unreliable as you mudbloods are, saying you'll do something then not having even a single mainsheet to manus in. Terrible."Harry heard sobs from inside and redoubled his drive at the room access. Was n't there a spell called allohamora ? Harry flicked his verge out and tried to mould it. null happened. He tried again. nothing. Oh damnit ! This was n't one of the door that would n't open up ! This was one of the bulwark that look like a threshold. Harry peered through the keyhole to try to see another door. Malfoy was holding up the theme for Hermione to see and said,

"Then I'll say ‘ Oh professor, if you wanted individual to write up that you should've asked me. I've been researching it. Just in my redundant sentence of grade. Thanks for the house decimal point mudblood."Harry heard another door exposed then close and ran in the direction of the sound. Malfoy and his minions were already out of sight so Harry quietly opened the threshold and went in. Hermione was slumped in a big bucks in the middle of the floor. He approached carefully and tried to think of something to say.

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

"Shut up ! You're as bad as he is ! Breaking rules and playing pranks ! You can't talk !"Hermione ran out of the room leaving Harry speechless. Harry stood for the longest fourth dimension in the midriff of the deserted classroom before walking slowly back to the Gryffindor vernacular elbow room. The marauders stopped talking when they saw his face, a mix of wrath and painfulness. They all looked to him as he sat down.

"Forget all the other plans."Harry's voice was grave-quiet but his eyes had a yucky gleam."We're breaking in the Slytherin common room. Tonight."The protest washed over him from the others ; they weren't ready, they hadn't planned, tomorrow was Halloween and they needed to be rested for the party and most of all they could run into Snape. Harry sighed inwardly and began to state the full moon tale as quickly as he could. It was already getting dark, and they had places to be…





Authers note
Hi, thought i should leave an note eventually. Review if you have time, this is my kickoff fable so delight feel rid to recount 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 helping hand over Neville's mouth and pulled him further into the loo. Harry waved them both to outride still and peered back out through the keyhole. Filches lantern glow was far up the corridor but he waited a soundly reckoning of thirty before pushing the threshold open and leading the others out. In the end the choices for his comrade were elementary, he couldn't take more than two or they'd be seen for sure and they needed some people to stay on in the park room to vouch for them if questions were asked. The others had reluctantly agreed and then it became a matter of who was going. Despite Neville's own line of reasoning Harry insisted he was the perfect scout.

"You get lost so much if somebody finds you out of blank space 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 only one who could reliably observe the Slytherin donjon since she had been in charge of that particular piece of recognisance and after all, she had been the one to find out the password. Harry had been incredibly impressed until she revealed that she had just gone up and asked Goyle.

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

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

"Mico Neville"Harry muttered, sending the signal, and having his own wand vibrate as a reply. It was the trump way to send signals, the person had to be within ten or so beat but it was virtually silent. Harry crept towards the wall and stepped aside so that Padma could hand the Password.

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

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

It was dark but not pitch. A few dying embers in the Brobdingnagian marble fireplace gave an menacing glow. All the article of furniture was large and grim, and in the bad light it looked oddly threatening, looming like drop above the creeping tike. Padma tugged at Harrys gown and as he looked back she waved her hand in front of her center and shook her head. She couldn't see. Harry knew his centre were soundly by night and he kept forgetting the respite of his clan didn't plowshare the benefits of his previous, independent lifestyle. Harry guided her to a wall and put her behind a wall wall hanging, sitting near a tumid urn unpleasantly decorated to resemble a yell facial expression. Harry placed Padma's baton in her hand and looked at her facial expression before leaving. She was wearing a determined expression but her eyes were wide and she was breathing hard.

"No shame to back out."Harry whispered in her ear, for the first metre having doubtfulness about tonight's venture."I did kinda throw everyone in at the deep end today."

"I'm staying."Padma's vocalism as barely more than a whisper."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 bedroom."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 doorhandle in the shadow. What he had thought would be the operose part had turned out to be the loose. They had debated for geezerhood how to find out which room was Malfoy's, from bribing somebody to covering his place with ultraviolet ink but it had been all for nothing. Harry checked the brass nameplate on the door and chuckled again before moving into the room. Like a ghost, Harry tried not to even think loudly. Like a touch, here then gone, no trace. The way was large for a single someone way, large even than the one in Gryffindor tower he shared with four early people.

"Can't make precious pet Malfoy share a room."Harry sneered in the dark. If there had been a way to silently pan the seat he would have done so, instead he began looking around for the project. He slid his hands onto shelves and held papers up in the moonlight to read the top. The only metre he stopped was when he was searching by Malfoy's bed and saw something on the covers. He'd had to double up to retain from laughing and he'd felt like every mineral vein would burst. Malfoy had taken his teddy to schooltime with him.

Harry could see a clock on the mantle, the manpower glowing faintly in the dark and saw that he didn't have lots time left. For a moment he stopped looking and just stood in the dark to think. There was no way he could search the whole place, not going as slowly as he had to to avoid detection.

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

"Nowhere. I wouldn't put it anywhere because I wouldn't corporate trust it enough. I'd hold it with me from the consequence I got it till the moment I let it leave my hands."Harry's gaze shifted to the prone design on the bed."Under the pillow ? No, not that obvious. In his air 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 hands in thwarting and at that moment felt something in his sac vibrate. He brought his wand out to feel the palpitation in his hands.

*

Fear wasn't what he needed now, neither was a mad dash. Running now was the go thing he wanted to do… Just creep back through the door and go quietly down the stair. Down the steps to where there's a luminosity on. Harry crouched at the top of the stairwell and shielded his optic to conserve his night vision before sliding a lilliputian periscope between the banisters ("Do you carry solid toyshops around in you're pockets ?"Parvati had said when he showed them some of his creature like the periscope."You never know when this stuff'll come in handy."Harry winked and twirled a lock plectrum between his finger. ) The bantam mirror-pipe revealed a small cluster of one-fifth years who looked like they had just come in. They began talking loudly about some news or early and Harry carefully slid back from the edge. Now what ? He didn't have the undertaking, and his way out was now blocked. correction, his and Padmas ways out were now blocked. Harry slid back to the boundary, the Slytherins seemed to be settling down for a night of raucous demeanour as they lounged in the large chair with a bottle of something, probably stolen from the kitchens. If they were distracted ? If Harry waited until they simply drank 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 genius worked quickly"Run back, pelt in a… oh no don't !"Harry watched as Padma slipped out of her shroud place holding the handle of the giant urn.



"Back in !"Harry mouthed, abandoning the periscope and sticking his head between the balusters."Before they see you."She shook her read/write head stubbornly and raised the pot above her head.

"She's making a distraction !"Harry cursed"pudding head ! Stupid ! I told them ‘ no magnanimousness during heist !'” Harry at least had the bearing of mind to enwrap his scarf joint around his face and trademark os frontale before standing up and yelling…

"Oh no they're awake !"Harry gestured at imaginary flesh in the empty mansion house behind him"Go ! Run !"Harry had time to see the sottish snake in the grass take in his red and gold edged robes and clamber over each other towards the steps 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 dismount as mice on the floorboards. He turned and saw a companion room access. Switching himself from quiet-running-mode to bloody-silent-creep he slid into Malfoy's room and shut the door.

"the great unwashed 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 countersign in his head, hoping that would make them true.

"first searching the rooms !"Ach… Harry desperately looked around the way for a place to conceal but to his consternation saw only darkness. He had lost his night eyes in the mutual room.

"What was here ? Where did I search ? Oh my god, please just think of !"The rattling threshold handle and irritated voices got closer, thank heavens Salazar Slytherin built his walls thick and liked oak door or Harry was certain Malfoy would have woken.

"closet ? It had had glass in the front ! Under the bed ? No room !"Harry's thoughts grew panicked as the part got closer."Walls, floor, roof, bed, desk, wardrobe, fireplace…"Harry dropped to his manpower and knee joint and crawled across the floor as fast as he dared. He was sure he was making noise now but he didn't have the boldness left to go any slower. His mitt reached the coldness stone of the fireside and he felt his way into it. No ashes at all, the fireplace had never been used. Later on that night Harry would realise that the Slytherins probably heated their chambers by magic so they didn't get the hummer and gained a more even heat, all he thought at the meter was a panicked…

"Thank you !"as he stood up. His hands found a bar embedded in the wall to hang tidy sum from and he lifted himself up and stood on it. At that import brightness flooded in from below. Harry could see that his feet were only a few column inch from the top of the hearth and hoped fervently there was no one too short in the search party.

"What do you intend you're doing !"Harry heard Malfoy cry out indignantly."Why are you barging into my elbow room in the heart of the Nox Flint ?"

"Yes Malfoy."Harry thought to himself"trade good Malfoy. Now be you're petty stuck up, umbrageous self and have them out of your room."

"There's someone sneaking around in the rooms."The voice sounded like the utterer was gargling crushed rock."We thought he might have come in here."

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

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

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


The use of modified static-induction charms in

the setting of adhesives and fasteners.

Hermione husbandman

"Yes !"view part of Harry's brain."I'm still born lucky ! 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 header and laughed at himself a bit before folding up the report and slipping it into his robe. Back in the sleeping room the conversation had become more heated.

"When my father hears about this !"Malfoy was in full argumentative vacillation"You will all be sorry ! The Malfoy menage own your male parent Flint ! And you can be certainly there will be row on the content of this incident."

"I'm sorry Dra… Mr Malfoy."The early boy was obviously older but the fear was plain in his voice.

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

"But first years… never… go on the teams. No matter how, absolutely, brilliant they are at Quidditch."The elder boy was obviously fearing some reprisal to boot-lick so obviously."Definitely following year though !"

"That remains to be seen…"A new vox, a slimy voice, a voice dripping disdain with every discussion !

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

"William Tell me why some of the leading member of Slytherin star sign are awake at this hour ? Hmm… Some of them stinking of cheap wine !"He almost made the fact that it was cheap sound like the pip role."Well ? Or have you all been rendered speechless by drink !"

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

"Inside the Slytherin usual room ?"

"Yes."

"Inside the password protected Slytherin green room ?"

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

"Lunacy. All you saw was the wine natation in front of your eyes seeing as you seem to hold drown yourselves in it !"Harry heard Snape's footfall head towards the door.

"There was somebody ! They were wearing Gryffindor robes !"The stride continued and Harry heard a room access open"And they were short circuit !"The footstep led out the threshold"And they had a scarf around their head !"steps then…

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

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

"Don't be poor fish, he could hide his identity element better than that."Snape seemed to be talking to himself slightly at that point but then…"Search everywhere ! Every room, ferment them upside down and shake them if requisite !"Harry's philia leapt into his pharynx and he looked around wildly for a way out. But he already knew the only slipway, down or up. Harry pushed his cover against one wall and carefully shifted his feet onto the contrary one. Hogwarts was old stone and there were lots of handholds to help him chimney up faster, and more quietly. But just as he was thinking he had reached beyond their auditory modality mortal said.

"What was that in the lamp chimney ?"Bloody Malfoy ! Since when did serpent have such good ears ? Harry went absolutely still except for his lips moving in a silent 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 roach of illumination at the bottom.

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



"motion over."Harry heard a thumping as Snape pushed his educatee out of the way then…"Acerbus cuspis !"Harry's opinion was momentarily lighted as stripe of sickly ash gray lightness 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 pain each gig had left in him.

"I heard scraping Professor !"Malfoy must cause heard his rush slip."Something's up there !"

"Acerbus cuspis !"This prison term Harry was flattened against the wall and only a few of the bolts hit him."Conjunctivitis !"that spell winged correct past him, cracking chip shot off the wall above him, then…"Relashio !"Heat flooded up the 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 hand off the wall so he could blow in air pocket for a large metal jar. At the time Harry had thought Ron's proffer had been a bit stupid person but now he was especially glad he had agreed to bring the jar along. He pulled the cap off with his dentition and dropped the table of contents before they had a chance to bite him, far below he heard…

"Aaaa ! paramour !"A few Thomas More charm rang out but none directed at Harry, even the heating stopped, allowing Harry to put his invertebrate foot back against the bulwark and yield his aching arms a rest. Below him he heard Snape yell out

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

*

The light below was lost behind Harry as he ascended out of the dungeons. The lamp chimney he was climbing joined others then split again. One or two of the chimney had ladders in them, or at least parts of ladders, but virtually of them he had to clamber up. The air was hotter and Smokey here, perhaps some of these chimneys were still in use this late, or more in all probability it was betimes enough that the kitchens had woken up. Harry would be the first to admit ( to himself at least ) that he had many care but claustrophobia wasn't one of them. He pulled his scarf tighter above and below his glasses to keep out soot and around his mouth to breath through as he climbed up into more victimised chimney. Harry felt himself propel out into a larger country but couldn't see the rampart through the wickedness and the hummer. Questing fingers found a rusted ladder and a few second 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 retrieve some clean-living cloth somewhere on himself to wipe his methamphetamine off. When he put them back on he was struck dumb for a here and now by the sight that met his eyes.

peal hill of tile and depository financial institution of slate. tower popping out at angle and fairy balconies with handrail like lace. Harry walked along the roof rooftree he had landed on in wonder, there was a completely world up above Hogwarts. More lamp chimney jutted out everywhere, some just pipes and some, like the one he'd emerged from, with breadth like industrial towers. Harry sat down on the ridge and escape from his head in disbelief. Even the climb hadn't taken his breathing spell like this did. He lay back and beheld another wonder. The genius from here seemed brighter, almost as salutary as the uranology tower ( Harry's favourite lesson, just as an alibi to stargaze ).

"And no-one up here but me."Harry said loudly, there was no one to learn."Peace."Harry could have fallen asleep against those roofing tile but something moving below caught his eye. Snape, passing along a corridor with magniloquent Windows all along it. Harry moved to hide then realised his soot-black robes blended perfectly against the night sky and wrapped his scarf around his face to shroud the last pinkish skin. His crank were still grubby enough not to shine.

Harry trailed Snape over the roofs, not even for a mo thinking of going back to the Gryffindor suite and thinking even less of the peril. Here on the cap he was in his element, there was no danger here. Snape stopped at what looked like a teacher quarters and pushed through the door without knocking. It took Harry a minute or so to line up the corresponding window then lowered himself down near it. By luck or the sleepers 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 time ? 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 black oblivion right now is that I can't quite bring myself to think that even one so pathetic as you would be pudden-head enough to think it was moved to the Slytherin donjon of all places."

"Th…Then why are you here ?"Quirrell's voice grew a picayune 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 protection is. I assure you, you would possess found neither. My study is as fiendish as it is complex and as crafty…"Harry groaned inwardly, not this lecture again."And you could never thrust it. Never. Despite Dumbledore's supreme lack of sound judgement in hiring you and letting you assist in the protection of the gem 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 schoolmaster. We can not do it tomorrow."

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

"Do it tomorrow ? Do what tomorrow ? What's so special about tomorrow ? early than it being Hallowe'en ..."

*

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

"Thank you."Padma breathed and shared a quick grin with her sister. But she quickly fell silent again. If she was to be honest with herself she would have to say she was ashamed. Ashamed that when Harry had stood up on the staircase she had instantly realised what he was trying to do ( having been about to do the same herself ) and had for a moment not known quite what to do. She was ashamed that after she had taken an age behind the curtain working up nerves and steeling herself to furnish a distraction and Harry had done the Same in an moment. She was ashamed that, when she heard people coming back towards the common room, she had bolted back though the door, pulled an astonished 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 unwashed room and into the awaiting and recriminating stare of Ron Weasly.

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

"He'll probably just get detention, he'll lose us a few house points for being out after curfew."Padma knew her sister was deliberately making affair seem better than they were to have her feel better. Sometimes Padma thought they had been born to with personality antonym, the ageless optimist and the cynical pessimist. Except this meter 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 sign of the zodiac. For seek thieving. He could be expelled."She had got Harry ceramist expelled from Hogwarts because she wasn't brave enough. She knew when the hat had left it up to her she would prefer wrongly. She didn't deserve to be here."In Harry's foremost condition he'll be expelled."

"I'm doing what now ?"

The New piranha turned en deal and saw a blackened and scraped Harry driblet from one of the luxuriously windows. His face was red and raw and he had a ugly bruise on his left cheek, his hands were bleeding and he staggered as he hit the priming but he wore a smile of joy and triumph as wide as they had ever seen on him.

"Miss me ?"Harry's stagger became a swagman as he approached them."I wasn't gone that long. Although of row, in the companionship of Slytherins it seemed much longer."

"How did you…"Padma's vocalisation breathed mental rejection into the air."They were compensate behind you."

"Chimney."Harry said lightly."Easy climb really once you get past the first bit. Oh and one former thing…"Harry fished around in his air hole and drew out some theme. Padma found herself shaking her head, no, not after all that happened, you can't still have got it, no ones that good."We got what we came for. It may need some cleaning though…"With that the floodgates came loose and the Marauders began peppering Harry with dubiousness. The strange child laughed as he unrolled a account that had them gasping. As she listened Padma realised she was gladiolus she'd made her option, even if she wasn't brave enough for Gryffindor she wouldn't give up the piranha for the world. And besides, she thought as the looked at her babe, at Ron, at Neville and especially at the crock clothed figure animatedly talking before her, even if I'm not endure now I'll be learning from the best.

*

Hermione rose too soon from her canvas and was mildly surprised to see that they weren't covered in bust. She was sure she'd been crying when she went to sleep. She dressed mechanically and didn't talk 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 talk. That thought only made her intuition in promote over her intellectual nourishment. Before anyone else had left the board Hermione walked out of the corking hall, leaving the rest of her food behind ( even if she hadn't had somewhere to be she felt too nauseous to eat ). The project was important, it was the variety of thing they gave tertiary and fourthly years to bring on. Hermione straightened herself up as she walked towards Flitwicks office. Best 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 have him stick his human foot forward to try to trip her up."What ? No insults ? No ‘ pay it back !'today ?"Hermione kept walking."Oh, I don't have it with me. That would be a bit blazing, I figure I'll commit it to him tomorrow. Or the day after, you know, so he doesn't get suspicious but is still impressed by my obviously superior talents."genus Draco grabbed her by the shoulder and twirl her around."Don't ignore me Mudblood !"He grated,"This is only the maiden stage. I'm going to make life sin for you and all the other foulness at the school until you'll drop out of your own unblock will. I'll… Oh hullo professor !"Professor Flitwick had just emerged from his room and was looking between them.

"hullo youthful Mr Malfoy."He chirped"Are you and Miss Granger friends."

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

"Then perhaps I should let you read Miss sodbuster report card. It was most detailed."

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

"Yes, left on my desk this dayspring. I flicked through it over breakfast. I used to translate the daily prophet of a morning but there's so many adverts in it now."The professor shook his head and didn't appear to remark the totally dumbstricken formula on the two first-years faces."I'll give you better feedback when I've read it fully Miss husbandman and then…"Flitwick turned to Malfoy"…I'll be for sure to give it to you."With that the short-circuit boyfriend wandered off humming faintly to himself.

"How."Malfoy had choler and shock in his eye."You didn't have other copy. You said you didn't have other copy !"

"I didn't."Hermione was surprised at the trace of smugness in her voice. Malfoy was looking at her with barely suppressed craze. Then he seemed to acknowledge something and for a moment his centre widened in realisation then screwed up in even gloomy 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 Marauders. Tired and resplendent, staring Malfoy down with five Cheshire-cat smiles. The Slytherin looked like he was about to blow a nervure, or possibly spud steam out of his ears.

"YOU ! ! !"He bellowed striding towards them pointing with his wand."It was you !"Harry and his Friend stood their ground against the billing and Malfoy was brought to a dead end, it was that or walk into a human wall."You stole it ! When I tell my father he'll bring it to the shoal governors and…"

"Tell them what worm."Harry's voice was to the full of laughter.

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

"Even if you were willing to engage a declination just to put us in trouble."Ron continued to a suddenly crestfallen Malfoy."Even if you did, where's the test copy ? The composition right back where it should be and nothing else was taken from your rooms."

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

"You win this round ceramist ! But I'll get you adjacent meter !"

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

*

The unfortunate person by-product of the holdup was that Malfoy was even Thomas More acidic than usual in class that day. Despite reduplicate admonition from teachers he insulted Harry and the residue of the predator with every other breathing spell. Fortunately though that breath was wasted as nine times out of ten the marauder in question was asleep on their chair. Hermione sighed, but not unhappily and reached for a new quill. She'd dear take these Federal Reserve note good, it looked like they'd have to be copied from a few times. When she reached the park room there was a one-sixth chair by the fireside board. She smiled and felt ardent interior for the first time in what seemed corresponding 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 copious than the queen ?



"Go on !"

"No ! I can't !"

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

"He'll see me !"Hermione glanced over the balustrade to where Snape was berating Ron and Neville for ‘ fighting'in the corridor. What the male child had in fact been doing was distracting Snape so he would follow and place upright under the overhanging upper berth story. That parting of the program had gone perfectly. The next character 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 headmaster."Then we run like hell."

"You're all crazy ! Any one of the stunts you've pulled could warrant expulsion ! How long do you think you can keep open getting away with it ?"Hermione's susurration was raging and cavalry."And if you think"She pointed at his psyche"I'm tipping that"A gesture at the stain"over a Hogwarts teacher !"a fingerbreadth stabbing down at Snape"You must be half-baked !"She swung her weapon system wide of the mark in aggravation and they both heard a thump, then a splashing noise.

Harry saw his friends face turn from righteous anger to gray awful fast as a striking match. She kept her eyes firmly ahead and, as if denying what had just happened, shook her read/write head. Harry in contrast had grinned like a madman and now grabbed Hermione by the gown and began running off through the corridors pulling her after him. A here and now later they heard a violent holloa 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 stay and dragged her sideways into a trivial used corridor, with her still wide-eyed and ashen-faced he pushed her to a pre-opened window.

"ejaculate on ! Just like the plan !"Harry said, then added"Only REAL !"Hermione almost jumped through the window and disappeared as she clambered up a ravel. Harry swung out after her, shut the window and slid onto the tiles above. He wasted no time in pulling himself back to the sharpness and poking his periscope back down to the bound of the glass. A indorsement later an irate Snape ran past. Harry only caught a coup d'oeil, but he thought the man seemed slicker than common. Harry rolled back and looked up at Hermione who still seemed shaken.

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

*

A hebdomad or so latter the sunrise bloomed bright and early as the Marauders made their way down to the grass in front of the castle. Harry stopped to post up a few more movie after making sure enough the coast was clear. The Slytherins were tearing them down wherever they saw them on Snapes orders but Harry had even seen some of them trying to hide out giggles as the wizard bill sticker displayed Snape being doused again and again. The residue of the schooltime didn't bother to hide it and the school had been awash with laugh ever since the first one went up three Clarence Shepard Day Jr. ago.

The teachers were all trying to incur who was posting them ( Harry had caught both Flitwick and Sprout laughing when they thought no one was looking and even McGonagall had cracked a smile when an incoherent Snape had burst into her classroom brandishing a wad of notice that had papered the chief court ). The teacher didn't do it how so many of them were getting so many billet around the ground. Harry knew, it was just a matter of a W. C. Handy rooftop and a following current of air. When he had seen some errant picture show carried into the sky by blast 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 great deal of posters back to him.

"They told me I had to make ‘ em down."Hagrid had said with a trice."They didn't say what I had to do with ‘ em after."Harry had been even glad to see a stack of envelopes on Hagrid's mesa. It looked like the distribution was going to even all-embracing than he thought.

The instructor search and ma'am Hooch's other ill wellness were some of the reasons they were going to their first-class honours degree flying example bundled up in winter clothes.

"Now…"Madam Hooch's voice rang out over the meet Gryffindors and Slytherins"Just conjure your right hand over the broom and yell UP ! Just like this… UP !"Her broom leapt obediently into her hired man, Harry noted that it was varnished and looked a lot newer than the ones the scholarly person had."Well go on…"

The class obediently placed their hands over their brooms.

"UP !"Harry yelled, feeling a bit foolish, the stick by his metrical foot refused to shift."UP !"Harry looked around and saw first one then others of the stratum acquire their broom."UP !"Harry thought maybe Malfoy had replaced his deception broom for a real broom in retaliation but the matter had been handed out randomly. Harry shifted his foot surreptitiously underneath his heather and tensed ..."UP !"Harry grabbed the rising broom and held it nonchalantly on his shoulder. He caught Parvati looking at him and giggling.

"What ? I didn't do anything."

"That's right you didn't !"

A few import later everyone had their brooms and madam Hooch was showing them how to grip the dazed things.

"Right, now… Just plain off from the primer, hover for me for a minute then leeee…an forward and drift back down again."brothel keeper hooch demonstrated then held up her gloved hand."Three… Two… One."destiny of the class rose unsteadily into the air, others remained grounded or had slipped off their rising broom. Harry glanced to his sides shame-faced as his broom resolutely refused to demonstrate any device characteristic beyond long, wooden and waspish. 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 orbit to the side with a practiced hand before coming to roost."Take Neville's."

Harry turned and saw Neville rising at a snails tread with a look of teeth-gritting concentration."At that rate the category'll be over before he gets down."Harry turned back"seed on, I just want to see whether Malfoy really has screwed this broom."

"Only powerful magic can interfere with most broomsticks."Hermione was landing ungracefully beside him, gripping the broom with white knuckles. Harry chuckled at the thought that she still found assiduity left to dress down them."These are old brooms but their still fairly insubordinate to that sort of thing."

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

"And what is that supposed to imply !"But Ron cut off any ensuing argument

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

"Thanks."They swapped heather and Harry got himself back into the demonstrated equitation status. He hopped off the solid ground but dropped back down just as quickly.

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

"In that case give 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 pathetic even the weasel here can shell you and that's saying something."Malfoy floated along in battlefront of Harry, sitting side-saddle and not even bothering to hold on."Didn't your founder ever teach you to fly… Oh no wait I forgot ! He's a bit too musty to sit on a broom now !"The comment about his parents washed over Harry but the other affront bit and he sneered at the livid hairy kid in front of him. Ron however erupted."What do you mean that's saying something !"He was back on his broom in a trice and whipped himself around Malfoy so fast the Slytherins robes billowed in the wind."Half of my family's been on the Gryffindor Quidditch team !"

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

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

"Mr Weasly ! Mr Malfoy ! Decend at once !"gentlewoman hootch didn't wait for them to reply and instead grabbed the fronts of their heather and yanked them to the floor. Ron fell in a mass, Malfoy kept his residuum but only barely."I will hold no disputation in my classes and I distinctly told you to rise up then drop-off, not vibrate like blow fly !"The flying teacher spun and walked back to the relaxation of the course of instruction leaving Malfoy and Ron glaring at one another.

Harry shifted his broom under himself, all during the argument he'd tried to rise up and join his friend but the heather had refused to run. By the end of the lesson he'd flown once, a few wobbling feet followed by a total collapse into the green goddess. Malfoy had laughed regretful than before and Harry said some affair that lost them house points ("An eleven year old shouldn't know those words Mr potter, much to a lesser extent know what they mean !") and the predator were a muted lot that ascended the stairs to Gryffindor pillar. Parvati tried to illumine the note by pointing out how many students had the drenched Snape posters on the walls of their way and Harry decided to arrest moping.

"Right,"Harry cracked open a drink stolen from the kitchen."down to the life-threatening business. 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 accentuate himself. Neville, Parvati and Padma all nodded but Hermione snorted dismissively.

"Just because you don't like individual doesn't mean value you can pick them for anything Ronald."Hermione shook her question as if explaining to a child.

"It just doesn't make sense Ron."Harry continued"Snape may be a git but it doesn't make good sense. He thinks Quirrell's trying to slip something, from what I overheard afterwards he probably is. Why would Snape play like he's accusing Quirrell when only Quirrell was in the room ! Also why would Quirrell play like it's him when nonentity was in the room !"Harry leafed through some report again while the others bickered, the casual prophet from a few months ago was there, a foray at gringots where nothing was taken. Other matter too, Quirrels record book, researched through old single file, an intelligent student, masterful in the theory if not the practice of vindication against the dark arts, the final few years of his life spent travelling around dealing with dangerous dark brute. Harry pushed them away and pulled over a thinner data file, Severus Snape, potions original of Hogwarts and long clip envier of the defense against the night prowess post. 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 hands to his temples, there's only so a great deal press one can take."Snape wants the dark arts job and is trying to get Quirrell sacked."Harry was about to explain then stopped, if the last thirty times hadn't done it…

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

"We won't be able to do it."Hermione crossed her implements of war."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.

"existence strait-laced. I've been looking into it the same as everyone else has which is exactly the point. We've all been caught loitering around the third gear flooring a few too many times. Did you hear what McGonagall said in class yesterday ?"They all did, she'd basically just repeated what Dumbledore had said at the showtime of terminal figure but she had looked right at them the entire fourth dimension and each Holy Scripture had been clipped like little razors."She knows we're provision something and she probably knows we're behind the posters too, she just buzzword prove it."

"So ?"

"So, Mr Ronald Weasley they are watching us like hawk. I'll bet there's a teacher guarding the third level right now and another just on the other face of that door."She pointed at the other side of the fat madam 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 close-fitting enough to the corridor to find anything. It's all your fracture really"She continued without a breath."If you hadn't done your pointless prescript breaking we might be able to find out really important stuff now."That comment was the reason an argument broke out that Harry had to calm down with wit. It was also at to the lowest degree partially the reason Harry stayed awake that night till he was for sure Ron and Neville were asleep then got out his darkest clothes and slipped out one of the Windows before heading in the way of the taboo corridor.

*

Harry peered through a window and saw professor Vector idly marking some assignments by the visible radiation of his wand while sitting on the stairs above the fat lady's portrait. Reminding himself to tell Hermione later ( she'd be insufferably smug but she deserved the gratification ) Harry slipped away and made his way over to the third storey corridor on the right mitt side, or above it at least. The thing was in the middle of the building, no chimney or window reached it and Harry could only peer through a side window at the virtuoso guarding the doorway… Quirrell… Standing in a patch of lumos-light, his trace jumping as he nervously twiddled his verge in his finger's breadth. Harry slid inside and dropped behind a tower. Quirrell was guarding it ? He'd been so sure… Maybe the others were right and Quirrell wasn't attempting thievery after all. Or maybe he just hasn't gotten past the defences Snape mentioned yet. Then why isn't he inside the corridor trying to break through them. Harry's genial monologue was cut scant as the solvent leaned out of the speckle of darkness it had been sequestered in, inconspicuous even to Harry's eye's.

"Nervous Quirrell ?"Snape slid from his shadowy corner, his wand held lightly but readily in his hand."Or perhaps not happy with the company."Harry saw now that it hadn't just been the tail, Snape's stallion body blended into the desktop, changing colour like a chameleon. Only his eye stayed the Saame, Negro holes even against the lighted grey rock behind him, it made them seem like they were floating above the ground.

"Why ever w…would I be unhappy Severus."Quirrell was leaning away from the wraith-like anatomy before him."No one respectable 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 duty's occur on the same nights Quirrell, won't that be fun."Snape laced the lastly word with such poison Harry was surprised the DADA prof didn't run like a cony. 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 corner and once again became virtually invisible. Quirrell swallowed loudly and brightened his baton, peering into the darkness 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 classroom, desks piled up to the cap. Harry waited near the door as the searchlight light beam swept past his position, swinging across the room like passing headlights before moving on. Harry waited patiently. Step two was already in motion.

*

Crack…

"What was that !"Snape pushed forward from his hiding lieu at the lowly but nearby audio. He pointed his camouflage arm at the far bulwark, by some pillars."I heard something over there."

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

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

Crack…crack…

"There."Behind a column, perhaps the Potter boy or one of his coterie trying to reach the corridor again. An irritation he didn't need with something so much more crucial going on. The rat Quirrell needed observation. For now Snape wasn't sure whether he wanted the Harlan F. Stone for himself or for… for… Snape shuddered away from the name in his mind. Dumbledore said saying it would puddle him revere less but to Snape it was too a lot. The old fool didn't know, he hadn't been up close. Some things deserve fear.

"Well 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 Kuki. Quirrell squealed and tried to abide on his tiptoes to escape the dark-wood point."Leave you close to the threshold unsupervised while at the Saame time turning my back on you. Something I will never do."Snape pushed the man towards the early wall."You go first."

They walked like surety and kidnapper up the moth-eaten stone pathway to the mainstay. Quirrell raised his wand. Not a chance…

"Back down by your English or I will take it and possibly the manus It's gripped in too."Quirrell's arm shot back down. As they reached the pillar Snape let the rat take the tip and look around the niche. punter him to take the first nose candy if one came.

"There's n… zip here Sev…Professor Snape."No there isn't now, not after you distracted me for so long. Useless idiot.

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

*

"Alohomora."just a whisper like silk sliding over silk but the lock clicked and Harry slid the door spread out just ever so slightly, then entered the verboten hall.

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

lurch black. Not even eyes trained for this could penetrate it. Harry squatted down quietly and let his other senses have a try.

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

dampness odor with a hint of mud and mess. There was weewee in there somewhere too and former things even less savoury. Bit like a wet dog smell…

And most importantly in a bone chilling, heart saltation, cold-sweat, dry-palms, running-for-the-door-despite-Snape-and-all way, the sound of breathing. Heavy in-out hint with a tinge of drool on them. More like snoring actually. Harry tried to calm himself down and at least partially succeeded. Getting out his wand he smothered the tip in his robes then breathed.

"Lumos"

The glow through the textile was like short fireflies but it showed Harry the shape of what was in social movement of him. Its bulk half way to the ceiling and slowly rising and falling with its breathing spell. Like a muffled shade Harry moved across the floor, skirting the walls until he had travelled all the way around the savage, having to mistreat over its keister where it brushed the paries. There were no other threshold. This room and this beast was all there was to see. Harry edged closer to the figurehead of the thing, his understructure turned and poised to flee to the door at any moment.

"But what if I'm not fast enough."Harry tried to silence his mind but it kept up its shrill arriere pensee"What if its like a flying lizard and it doesn't matter how fast I am. It'll aftermath and I'll die in one bright flair in the wickedness !"

"It'll Wake Island for trusted if you don't shut up and let me concentrate !"Harry edged in closer to the animate being and stopped when his visible radiation revealed a change of texture in the floor. Harry carefully traced its border in his nous."A square… a trapdoor… that which is hidden… that which is forbidden."Harry grinned in the iniquity. The only problem was the darkness slew obscuring one corner of the square, a paw or nipper of the thing. Harry's motility was as slow as drifting plumage and as quiesce as his script found the edge of the thing, and the handgrip, on the opponent face to the chela. Harry wanted to extinguish his wand but the sound he'd have to make was worse than the stifled glow. Harry reached for the trapdoor handle and applied the unclouded touch of draw to it, increasing by hair's-breadth comprehensiveness Harry felt the wood move.

A grunt near his shoulder made his brawn freezing and his center race. He felt flesh motion all around him and the air brought new pennant of stench. But the animal just grunted again and fell back into snoring. Harry eased the door up a half span more then amaze his deal in and felt inside. No steps met his questing mitt, just a straight calamus. Harry propped the door open with a rod and felt in his air hole. He drew forth a long drawstring. His nimble fingers felt the plumb on the end and he put it through the trapdoor then slowly and evenly paid out rope counting under his breath. The twine went slack water. About eight measure. With something soft he'd do it. With insensate stone he'd break a leg. Harry wondered if a veridical wizard would lie with some self levitation charm to get themselves down safely. He pulled back up on the bowed stringed instrument and suffered a surprise. It was stuck ! He tugged on it again. No spring at all. He tugged again and in a bosom stopping instant, felt the rod brush his arm.

The trapdoor banging closed was like a carom Lucille Ball in the gut and Harry felt the darkness motility around him. He threw himself backwards as a croaky growl filled the room with primeval fear. He saw a shape the size of an oven smash down in front of him and heard wood splinter and quip. Harry whipped the fabric from his wand and the stark shadows danced in high spirits on the wall before him as the massive 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 ground and slid, he felt hot breathing spell on his backrest and the snap of jaws behind him but he was gone. Straight into the ruined trapdoor and plummeting down the shaft.

*

Harry spun in the air and he felt hard pain as his headspring caught itself a whirl on the passing wall. He landed in a plant and in a daze, his optic showing him inkiness billet more than anything else. He lifted his hand to his principal and was surprised to see it came back clean, without blood or possibly brains. He shook his drumhead to clear it and held his shaking manus and wand up to disclose his surroundings. A nondescript room with this plant covering the floor, covering some of the paries too, and the ceiling, and him !

"What the hell !"Harry shouted at the tendrils as they wrapped themselves around his legs. 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 condemnation Snape had aimed at him but air threads of weak guessing from his wand and the plant life barely noticed. What was that other one ! ? Think ! Think !"Relashio !"red sparks and heat guess from his wand and where they hit the works drew back."Relashio !"Harry aimed at his wooden leg and cried out as his skin burned. But he was free. He stumbled to his feet and blasted a few last tendrils. He leapt to the doorway and pushed through, staggering down the corridor occasionally pointing his sceptre back in case the demon plant life had tried to succeed him, he reached another threshold and carefully pushed it open, wand out in front he entered the room, and was met by a strange sight.

shining, fluttering glittering things, flying near the roof hundreds of them. Harry edged out into the centre of the high overleap space. The fairy sparks remained near the ceiling and Harry at close stopped eying them crooked. He walked over to the door on the other side and tried the hold. Locked. Obviously. It could never be easy could it ? Harry was just wondering what to do when he heard phonation from behind him. Spinning like a start cat Harry saw faint sluttish coming from around the sharpness of the door he'd just come through. The igniter and the voices got stronger as Harry searched for a shroud place. He ran to a paries buttress and grabbed for a handhold, thank heavens they like palm around this place…

*

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

"I am not impugning your power Quirenius I merely wish to be sure."Dumbledore walked slowly as if there was no rush. Severus had alerted him as soon as the dog had awoken and had himself tried to calm the beast which was tearing at the base near the trapdoor in a frenzy. Still, the old saphead still had his witticism 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 get hold of them down and a marble walkway over the devilsnare with a casualness that betrayed his truthful powers. Snape had to privately allow to himself he couldn't have replicated either feat. That made him cringe inside but he took some solace from the fact that if he could not do it, Quirrell certainly couldn't and so the gemstone was still safe.

They emerged into the key chamber and Snape strode forward and jerked the hold. The threshold was still locked.

"They could have locked it from the early side."Ivy and keys ? Foolishness and idiocy. The former teacher hadn't protected the gem nearly well enough.

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

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

"Professor."Perhaps he'll listen to me now. Perhaps the doddering soft touch 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 incensed he didn't even notice the cause above him in a high alcove, like person getting into a better position to listen."He was seen snooping around the Slytherin vulgar way a week ago and he's never really excuse why he took the defence job in the first place."Snape couldn't give voice to the real ground for his distrustfulness. A gut feeling, a twisting knife in his substance and an atmosphere of menace he felt in every mobile phone whenever Quirrell was nearby. An irrational fear too. A fear of being discovered, a fright that made every second a silent prayer that his mental defences would bear 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 reasonableness to mistrust Professor Quirrell."As he half turned away Snape could hold sworn that Dumbledore's backtalk tilted into a tranquillity smile."But if it would help you sleep improve I will place my own protection on the stone tonight rather than waiting until after Christmas."That was certainly a shock !

"Professor you have resisted every request that you add your own wizard's to the protection of the stone."He had. All the other instructor had done it but the headmaster had maintained he wasn't ready yet and he still needed to test."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 test but…"The old man spread his hands."I suppose the flow adaptation will probably sour well enough."

"May I ask what this miraculous protection is ?"The headmaster had made some extraordinary call about what his protection would do."A security that not the darkness Lord, nor any Death eater, nor anyone with wish to use it for ill or avarice could penetrate ?"

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

*

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

"Leaving already Harry ?"

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

"Headmaster."Harry said doing his dependable to smile."I was just inspecting the security 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 mocking stare.

"And…"

"And ?"

"And how could I improve it ?"Dumbledore was half smiling when he said that. Under that affectionate grinning fount Harry relaxed a little, this didn't feel like a conversation that could end in expulsion.

"fountainhead, the two headed dog was good."

"live I looked it had three heads."

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

"Devilsnare has clamed erstwhile and wiser wizards than you Harry. You'd be amazed how few people can still think clearly enough to bite it away while being constricted."Dumbledore stepped forward and touched Harry's face. A mo later he nodded and touched Harry's frontal bone with his scepter. A moment later Harry felt an odd tingling filling him, the burns on his wooden leg 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 real understanding you came down here tonight."Suddenly the air had grown colder. extrusion was back on the table.

In defiance of tradition 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 cerebrate he was going to try and steal something. We…"No, better he thinks I'm the merely one to blame"I worked out that it must be what's hidden here. What you got Hagrid to hoard for you the same day we shopped for my school stuff. The same thing someone tried to break into Gringots to get later."

"The philosophers stone."When Dumbledore saw Harry's case he continued"Harry, don't feign seismic disturbance I know you overheard my previous conversation with prof Snape. What I wish to roll in the hay is why you came here in the middle of the dark and alone."

"Couldn't jeopardy anyone else. And besides, they all make too much dissonance for this form of work."Harry tried to fancy Neville sneaking past the dog and giggled."The only way I could do this was alone."The other reason of line was that after being humiliated by Malfoy on a broomstick he'd wanted to demonstrate to himself that he could do it alone.

"Harry. As amazed as I am to say this it is possible you are going to plow out to be more trouble than your father. I never thought anyone would challenge that crown."Dumbledore's smile was back, and this clock time not a half one. He shook his straits ruefully then frowned as if a painful memory was surfacing. But the grin was back in a instant and he motioned Harry over to the paries 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 Edward Durell Stone ?"

"contribution 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 tell apart 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 Marauders, some of the other students he'd talked to around the school, Hagrid, even Malfoy for some reasonableness, Sir Thomas More faces he'd met and some mass he hadn't but still felt some odd connection to, as if they were… protagonist. As he watched he saw himself age, and the others around him too, passing through teenage years he grew taller, passing further and further, lines appeared on his face, then grey in his hairsbreadth. He grew to an old man, smiling, surrounded by his friends. Then in an instant he was back as a child and he saw it begin again.

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

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

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

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

*

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

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

"Indeed you did. The item of which I would favour you go on to yourself."He smiled back down at Harry."And perhaps you are powerful. I strongly suspect that my own shelter would not trouble you at all."

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

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

"Exactly. It ‘ s so childlike that no one would suspect ! That's how I ‘ d do it."

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

*

"Harry !"Ron's interpreter filtered down from the firstly years room to where Harry was idly skimming through one of his school rule book by the Christmastime tree."What are you doing down there ?"

"What do you mean ?"Almost no one else left in the Gryffindor park elbow room since everyone was away for the holiday, thus Harry didn't feel the need to moderate his spokesperson when yelling back to Ron. It was just one of the fun matter they had worked out about being left behind. Of course Ron wouldn't have kept quiet anyway. Ron had no loudness ascendence."And Merry Yuletide to you to !"

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

If Harry had been honest he would have 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 presents as projectiles ? What if it had been fragile ?"

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

"Its pretty near. Very debonair."Harry pulled the jumper on over his fountainhead and they went back up to the room to get the rest of the presents. Of course Harry had sent his friends present ( pitiful digger had been run ragged. The little owl was so eager to delight she didn't seem to remove any breaks in flight. ) but it kind of failed to click in his head that he ‘ d probably get some in rejoinder. Harry noticed one with Hermione's cracking handwriting on it ( after all, he ‘ d copied off her notes decent clip. Occasionally even with permission. ) and pulled it over first.

"It ‘ ll be a leger mate."

"Wow Ron, a midst, heavy, rectangular package from a known bookworm ? And just from that you can judge it's a book ?"

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


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

Ron himself had provided Harry with an absurdly orange hat and Neville had found him some juggling batons charmed to shack rainbows in the air behind them when thrown. Padma and Annapurna had got him Christian Bible, but it looked like they'd collaborated because the titles read secrecy and Illusion, charms of concealment and Beyond allohamora, unlocking your obstacles. most of the rest were edible things ( not that Harry minded ) and he bit into a bar of deep brown while settling down to read.

*

Harry popped the second base to net of his Yule chocolates into his backtalk and handed the shoemaker's last one to Parvarti who was skulking in the shadower nearby. At least it was a nice Nox, Nox with rainfall had been rather unpleasant. For the past few months the piranha had been working on the Quirell secret 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 Good Book on ancient interpersonal chemistry for the past half hour. He hadn't turned the page.

"We do receive to get him."Harry waved his helping hand wearily over the board."But we ‘ ve gone through all this hooey. We ‘ re not gona find anything this way."

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

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

"How ?"Neville had asked.

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

Organising a dark watch had seemed like a lot more fun than it was. In teams of two they rotated, each team taking either the for the first time half of the night, the second one-half or having a dark off. After a workweek and a half of reduced sleep the 1st year 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 news that Quirrell had slipped out furtively. Him and Hermione had moved swiftly to the third base corridor to point him off, but he had never showed."We just need to go for a little longer."

"But I'm tired."The usually debonaire twin hadn't taken well to the time of day."And he's never going to come out."

"good story you should say that…"Harry ducked low and pulled the girl down with him as he saw the doorway to Quirrells living quarters spread out and close, permitting the teacher to scurry off down the hall.

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

"Yeah but we don't know he's going there."Harry held her handwriting as they walked a roof ridge on the side of a courtyard."I'm not making the same mistake as the others, I'm not letting him out of my sight."They slid silently down a drain onto a flat roof above the kitchens and Harry saw the turbaned adept slip out a face doorway, cross the court, then enrol a door leading to the ingress hall.

"Well we can't…"But Harry held up one finger to still her and a mo later they, heard a room access opening and closing then could clearly see the wickedness shape of the wizards robes as he crossed the dry land towards the prohibit forest."What do we do now ?"

"We watch him."Harry said it without the judgment of conviction it usually held and with a estimable dose of veneration in there as well."You go back and severalise 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 prospect to object."Besides, I've heard there are centaur in there. I wouldn't brain seeing a centaur."

*

"Do you know where your going ?"Parvarti hadn't seen any centaur, but there had seen other things skulking between the trees. Harry looked back and wished he would receive offered some reassurance. He knew he could find the way back, wellspring probably. He had made sure to mark it at fixture separation with cuts on the Tree bole. But tracking a man through forest was zip he had even thought of doing before. They had entered the forest at about the Sami spot as Quirrell and Harry had had his Leslie Townes Hope boosted by finding a footmark notion in mud nearby but after that nothing.

He was vaguely aware that they should look out for recrudesce twigs or call but the twigs seemed to ingest no discernable lineament and the forest was eerily repose. 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 silver liquid covered the leaf, it felt knavish and oleaginous under his fingers. Also slightly warm."And there's more."Again she was right, there was a trail leading across the path they'd been taking more smooth tinged the solid 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 imagine what could do such a affair ! This is unicorn blood line Harry, and it looks saucy !"

"It is."Confirmed Harry with a gulping."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 nasty thing were out in the woodland butchery nice things, quite another to accept test copy and another still to have them be so close that the blood wouldn't have had clock time to cool in the night air. He looked at his friend and was suppressed to see no veneration in her face, only anger that something would hurt a unicorn.

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

"This way."Said Harry in dead tones and pointed at the soil ahead. In the mud there, clear for all to see, was the heel of a iron boot mark. Harry didn't want to hold even to himself that his kickoff instinct on seeing the print was to point the other way. That or run for the hills."Alright. close the shutter on the Christ Within right down, we can see the blood 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 long they had walked, it seemed like an eternity. The splashes of blood line grew great and more shop, the further they went until.

"!"Harry stopped dead and put his hand out matte in front of the early Marauder. There was a glade up ahead, bathed in the gibbous moonlight and the night air carried auditory sensation to them. It sounded like an obscene slurping and gurgling and along with it there were the strait of faint movement. Harry pointed left, around the edge of the clearing then once again put up a 1 finger's breadth. Silence.

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

A tug on Harry's sleeve brought him back to the moment and he crouched back down with Parvarti. Her face was a picture of anger and she mimed jumping over the log while brandishing her lantern. Harry shook his capitulum firmly. What the netherworld was she thinking ? She gestured more firmly then touched her bosom and made a pumping move. What was that supposed to mean ? She opened her mouth and mouthed something to him but he couldn't tell what. She did it again more overdraw and the meaning hit him with sickening certainty.

"It's still alive !"
Harry looked over the log again and saw what he had missed the first time. The Unicorns chest was indeed still moving up and down and its breath disturbed the dust near its top dog. He sat back down and made the substance pumping movement while nodding, he'd seen it too. Obviously Parvarti wanted to save the creature if possible. Harry stuck his finger in the grime between them and wrote one word.

HAGRID

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

misdirection

*

Without further ado he moved further around the glade so that when he ran he would take the affair away from the way Parvarti would stimulate to go to get assist. He was glad to see her moving off too, rather than arguing with his determination. Harry wrapped the scarf round his question again and tucked it in so it wouldn't unravel. This would do, he thought. No sense waiting around. He got out his baton, took thrifty aim and yelled

"Acerbus cuspis !"

The masked figure was caught off guard and some of Harry's faint fizgig had hit it. It flinched back, more surprised than damage then an new noise came from its punk, a drawn out hungry sound. Like a snake in the grass having a rat dangled in its font. 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 reverence paralysis and he ran, away from the clearing and the affair. He moved without cerebration, human foot slamming on unanimous ground where potential and pushing off roots and mud when not. Harry never looked behind him but he knew the thing was still on him. He moved into new plane section of the forest where the trees were different shapes, senior, newer, taller, more brush they all shot by him in an instant, too fast for him to see properly. He did notice that they weren ‘ t merging any animals and thought that they were probably scared of the thing behind him.

He reached a thick stand of trees and brush and slipped in sideways. Here he risked a spirit back. goose egg. position ? forepart ? naught. Harry allowed himself a controlled breath. It looked like he had lost it. Harry sat for a second on a log and let his leg rest. The fatigue of the past week and the stress of the night caught up to him at once and he sagged against the tree behind him. He didn't know how long he sat there, he may even sustain fallen asleep but he did recognise what caused him to come to attending suddenly. A twig breaking nearby. Harry moved slowly and backed away from the source of the sound when a hired hand grabbed him from behind and swung him around roughly. Harry's fear of tone-beginning turned into relievo, then quickly back into fear.

"Out for a midnight amble Potter ?"

"Professor Snape."Harry said trying his best to put on a trade good expression."Thank god you found me."

*

The boy walked in silence in front of him as Snape led him back towards the castle. The appeal he'd laced the edge of the forest with had tripped, waking him and warning him that Quirrell had gone on another of his nightly junket. But once again the little worm had eluded him and he'd been on his way back when he'd seen Potter in a stand of tree diagram. His back talk felt like twitching into a smile, at least some good could fare of tonight's work.

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

"We are going to your head of mansion. Then to Dumbledore. Then you can explain what you were doing in the prohibited forest after hours."Snape allowed himself a minute of joy then said."Then you can go back to your elbow room and inner circle for the train journey 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 ?"

"Lapp reason you are. Following Quirrell."Had that been a guesswork in the dark ? He tried to catch the insufferable tike's optic but he looked straight ahead."And unlike you I succeeded."

"Quirrell is a fellow instructor. With every rightfulness to impose the timberland if he so chooses."

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

Insufferable, Worthless, Sneaking, COWARDLY, MANIPULATING !, WORM ! ! Snape took a moment to assemble his thought before turning Potter and looking directly into his eye. There was a flash, a mesa, some faces… a frown crossed the son face for a moment then he shook his headland worriedly. Even Snape could not conceal his shock as a blank wall appeared before him, slowly fading over the storage. The boy was an Occlumens ! But he couldn't know what he was doing, it must be subconscious ! With a spark of fear his eye were drawn to the scar on the male child forehead. Or was it entirely subconscious ? Power would be transferred in such an event, great power…

"What are you suggesting ?"Inside himself he was seething. He so wanted to see the son of James ceramicist expelled. It would make up for so much but… Quirrell was more of import, if there was even the tenuous chance the stone could be use to bring back… potter could wait for another time.

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

"Why one week ?"

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

"Agreed."

*

Harry breathed again and slipped in through the room access. A moment later he was attacked ! Visiously and unexpectedly, it took him a second to gain it was Hermione. She had thrown her weaponry around his neck opening and was sobbing against his chest.

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

"Take it light O.K.. I'm alright."Harry levered her off him and took a intimation 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 kickoff blank space, I…"

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

"Oh fine if everyone else is doing it."She stood up and hugged him too. Then let out a 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 future step ‘ s to find out why. And what we ‘ re gona to do about it."



*

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

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

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

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

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

"That would depend on how sophisticated it is."Hermione's vocalisation came from behind a pile of books, shed already begun revising for the end of twelvemonth exam and at least some of the early marauders seemed to want to join her."But Dumbledore could probably do it."

"Alright then."A programme began to form in Harry's mind."Dumbledore said he had no intellect to mistrust Quirrell and Snape's got no cogent evidence to register him otherwise. If we get this communicator then they've got the test copy they need and they can go to stop 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 cogitate it is."

"What's a spellchecker ?"

"it's a appealingness that detect misspelled Word, underlines them in red."

"I really need to revise."

*

But the opportunity didn't come for a long spell. Quirrell had begun sleeping with his window closed and the lock on his door resisted all the tricks 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 nothing to be done but wait and spotter for Quirrell to steal up. There was a plus slope though. safety device duty gave them plenty of clock time to revise. Then the exams came, painful and inevitable with the awe and uncertainty that came with them.

The only ones Harry was at any way well-off about were charm and astronomy, the latter because unlike other course of instruction he actually paid attention and the other because ( perhaps due to his Yule present ) he was genuinely sound at the spells. Potions was a nightmare and refutation against the moody arts worse. Quirrell had taken to watching him out of the niche 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 exams and their go along failing in their chore it was hard to feel bad. The weather had turned to wonderful and students could always be found out sunning themselves on the grass. Harry was just on his way to pass an afternoon in just such a manner ( the rest of the piranha already waiting ) when he looked up and saw what he had been waiting for for workweek. Quirrells window, open.

Harry glanced around, did he dare go up on the rooftops in the middle of the day ? When the solid school would be able to see him. Harry turned to where he knew he could wax up and stopped. Should he get the others ? No. Quirrell might recall and their merely chance would be lost. He quickly scurried up the wall and slipped in through the window.

The elbow room smelled strongly of garlic and indeed there were cloves hanging in various home around the room. He quickly began searching using what they knew of communicating charms, mirrors were often used, sometimes gems or watch crystal. He checked the mirror in the lav but it appeared to be the normal sort ( no response when tapped with a baton ). He was about to match the bedchamber when he heard a voice behind him.

"ejaculate into my parlour said the wanderer 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 short before.


"well, well, well."Professor Quirrell had lost his stutter and stood in front of the locked door with his wand pointed at Harry's chest."You do get yourself into a great deal of sticky situations."

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

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

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

"Face forward."Quirrell hissed."If you attempt to monish anyone then that soul dies then you die is that clear ?"

"Why are you taking me up there ?"Harry tried to convert his head to work but he seemed to be missing brain electric cell.

"Oh that's quite simple. Your going to help me, I knew what you and your minuscule champion were up to so I laid a trap. Now you are going to assist me with something, with two things actually. The first is simple-minded, all you have to do is play along. Lie. You're respectable at that yes ? The endorsement is a bit more building complex. You see…"They grew close to the corridor and Quirrell pulled him to a stop and into a disused classroom."I've spent the yr devising unfailing room to get preceding each defence except one that still eludes me."

"Snape."Good old sneaky SOB Snape.

"Yes Snape."Quirrell drew an odd potion from his robe, it was pitch lightlessness and looked oddly oily."His protection I don't know how to pass on but… that is for later. For now ? Drink this."He held out the potion."Just a sip, we only need the event 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 effect. His hands seemed to mature and he pulled off his skid as the force per unit area in them increased. Black tomentum grew down in battlefront of his eyes and he flicked it out of the way. After a few minute 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 foresighted dismal robe and gestured to the mirror nearby. Harry took them and walked over, stopping for a consequence in shock. He looked like Snape !"Get on with it boy !"Harry struggled into the robes then did them up and allowed Quirrell to lead him towards the dreaded corridor. Harry saw professors Flitwick and Sinestra outside the door. Sinestra was sitting hybridizing legged and appeared to be meditating in some way. Quirrell prodded him in the rear. Of course, Snape would urinate the first of all move. He tried to make up his part as sneering as possible then said.

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

"Professor Snape was called away unexpectedly."Quirrell smirked confirming to Harry that his absence was no co-occurrence."He thinks he arranged a alternate on sentry go obligation but unfortunately the owl never got through. Oh and in case you were wondering your cherished 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 room with the heavyweight dog. Its three heads instantly rose to observe them but Quirrell pointed his wand at the storey nearby and a mouth harp appeared. Another composite movement and it began plucking out a simple tune. The not bad fauna palpebra drooped and it fell quickly asleep.

"seed on boy ! I haven't got all day."Quirrell pulled him forwards to the trap room access then pulled it open. He whispered a little charm and a rope began curling its way out of his wand. Quirrell seemed to have to centralise a groovy deal to deplume this off and Harry backed away slowly. He felt some thing behind him and put a deal back to find. It was the harp. Acting on instinct, Harry grabbed the mouth organ and smashed it as hard as he could against one of the dogs colossus mitt. The dog awoke with a thunder and bit through the harps remains in a ace bite. Then it turned to the other interlopers in its way.

"Boy ! What do you think you're…"But then Quirrell was forced to fight back himself as the with child promontory reared up above him. He screeched a unity word of honor and bolide smacked one on the nose. Harry took the opportunity and bolted for the doorway."I'm not done with you yet Potter !"Quirrell screamed. Harry glanced back in clip to see red light, then wickedness.

*

"Where the Hades is Harry ?"Ron glanced back at the castle pissed off."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 earth 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 care brace than… than… well than you !"

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

"For this year."

"You're actually revising for next years exams ?"Ron shook his heading then yelled"Hey !"as a quaffel smacked into the slope of his caput.

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

"Oh look the mudblood ground forces seem to be missing a general."The marauder turned en mess to see Malfoy strolling towards them with his work force in his air hole."Better get used to it though."

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

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

"Which teacher ?"Padma's doubtfulness seemed ominously quiet in the open air.

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

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

"Th… Th… Third storey. That corridor with the maypole painting."Ron let him go. That was veracious future to the dog's room.

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

"professor McGonagall !"Ron interrupted her ( something never done ), bringing gasp from the looker-on."Harry Potter's in danger. And so's the Philosophers Stone."

*

"backwash up Mr Potter. rising slope and radiancy for the brand new day."The sentence slid around the Shirley Temple cocoon of Harry's unconscious."Now now, that won ‘ t do. Up !"pain in the ass blossomed in Harry's stomach and the bunco of it pulled him back to realism. He drew himself up on the stale stone floor shaking terribly. The long arm of his robes fell down over his arms and he realised he was back in his own body. Quirrell aimed another savage bang at Harry ‘ s dresser and he sprawled on the trading floor again.

"You think that's infliction Potter ?"Yep, sure seemed like it, at the very to the lowest degree he had a cracked rib."I can innovate you to the torture curse if you want. If you choose not to co-operate with me."Harry raised his head wearily and realised that he was in a new room. firing blocked both doors and on a board in the centre a row of bottles stood, twinkling in the torchlight.

"Wh… where ?"

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

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

Quirrell bent over the table 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 drinker back instead,
Two among our number hold only annoy wine,
threesome of us are killer, waiting hidden in line of products.
Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,
To help you in your choice, we give you these clue four :
First, however slyly the toxicant endeavour to enshroud
You will always encounter some on nettle wine 's leave side ;
Second, different are those who stand at either end,
But if you would move onward, neither is your friend ;
one-third, as you see clearly, all are dissimilar size,
Neither dwarf nor giant holds expiry in their inside ;
Fourth, the second leftfield and the second gear on the justly
Are twins once you taste them, though dissimilar at first sight."

The wiz shook his head teacher angrily.

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

*

"He's there !"Ron was shouting now. Heedless of the steady current of crimson that must have been leaving the hourglass in the corking hall."He's there right now having god knows wha…"

"Mr Weasley ! If you can not control yourself I will cause you dragged to my federal agency where I will flue your mother ! And we will discuss your continued presence at this schooltime !"The argument had moved from the exterior to the corridors as the deputy headmistress had failed to heed."As it is you are all already in sufficiency trouble for just knowing about the Oliver Stone ! Let alone disrespect to a Hogwarts professor. Two professor 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 script on his shoulder. He turned to see Neville holding him back with a terrified look on his fount. He shook his headway quickly.

"You should listen to your friends Mr Weasley."The professor said while turning and walking down the Hall."Now you will all keep abreast me to my part where we can decide…"

"Petrificus Totalus !"

The piranha gang watched in let loose secretiveness as their head of house went crocked then slowly but inexorably fell backwards. Ron caught her and lowered her to the story, ashen faced. He looked troll to see Neville standing with his wand out and a horrified expression on his face.

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

Ron looked down at McGonagall face. A person shouldn't be able to evoke 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 ceramist !"Harry fell choking on the storey as Quirrell took a sip of the potion he'd just proved was safe."Still born lucky I see."Harry fell into a fit of coughing that wracked his body with pain. He pulled his principal back and idly noticed the bloodline all over his sleeve. So, more than a alligatored rib then.

When he had refused to toast the first bottle Quirrell had used some sort of bludgeoning oath that squashed him back to the floor. As he had lain there vainly trying to get his breath back Quirrell had pulled his chief back and tipped the potion down his throat. The instant sentence he had tried to balk to a greater extent and been formally introduced to the cruciatus curse. He was ashamed to say he willingly took the bottleful in shaking custody and wassail a sip himself. All the metre feeling wretched and a coward.

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

Harry pulled himself up on the edge of the tabular array and tried to bring a brainpower cell to endure."Hermione where are you when I need you ?"He must have said it out loud because Quirrell laughed and said

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

Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their inside.
Harry's center slid to the smallest bottle in the row. His helping hand shook almost too much for him to film the Cork out and he spilled some as he took a sip. An crying cold wiz trickled down his throat and into his arms. But was this the forward potion or the back one ? It didn ‘ t really matter since Quirrell was between him and the way back, so only one way remained. Harry put his hand to his throat and pretended to choke, falling towards the fire he took a weighty gasping breath.

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

The level on the other face knocked the wind from him but he wasn't burnt. It had been the right on potion.

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

"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 elbow room up ahead. He walked in and barely saw the shoes. All he took in was the grandiloquent mirror in the centre, fellow. Without really realising what he was doing he moved towards it and fell to the ground in figurehead of it. Oh, god everything detriment. He looked up into the mirror and saw his protagonist familiar faces surrounding him, filling the mirror-Harry with warmth and happiness.

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

He floated in the iniquity for a bit then was brought back around. inherent aptitude again waking him when he was no yearner alone. He turned to see a charred figure, robe in tatters and his turban unwound and trailing behind him.

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

*

"No."Harry pulled himself away from the get on trope. Forgetting for a present moment that there was nowhere to go.

"Yes Potter. What Severus seems to have forgotten…"The poor figure said as it stalked towards Harry on ruined legs."Is that I would much rather walk through blast than admit failure to my master. often, often rather."He came to a period in forepart of the Mirror and pointed his blackened wand at Harry.

"No delay, this won't work."He threw the verge away like refuse."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 overleap on the flooring. It was bound to pull round effective than mine. After all, genus Phoenix plume are meant to authorize through fire."He flicked the wand negligently and ropes bound Harry's legs under him.

"Yes, you left just enough for the wand and for…"His helping hand rose involuntarily to the back of his drumhead and a quiver of pain ran across his brass."But sufficiency !"He stood in figurehead of the mirror, his expectancy clear on his nerve."I see myself presenting the stone to my master key. 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 image swam in pain in nominal head of him. His booster faces still stared back at him, mocking him with their happiness.

"fountainhead 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 !"bother obliterated the worldly concern again but soon enough he was shook awake and slammed in nominal head of the glass.

"What do you really SEE !"

"I ‘ ve just found every drinking chocolate frog batting order. My compendium is complete."

"Do you relish pain ?"Quirrell's face was twisted beyond realisation."Do you consider even for a moment that your lilliputian defiance will actually reach anything !"

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

*

"A Bromus secalinus set, what the…"

"Oh god facial expression here on the floor… Blood."

"Do you think he.. ?"

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

*

Harry floated again on the ocean of agony. But this time he wasn't alone.

Brave, or maybe simply goosy.
That voice again. The sea captain.

Your parents were brave Harry Potter. It didn't do them any good either.
"Oh so you know my parents too. Got any skillful anecdotes ?"He wasn't sure if he said that out gimcrack but the voice laughed.

Oh yes. Joking in the case of painful sensation. That is something I think your founder would do.
"Yeah."Harry said as the reality began to swim 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 spectacles.

"There by your elbow."The voice almost had a teasing musical note to it now but Harry was struck by a single query. How did he live ? He pulled his glasses back on and was met by his horrific reply.

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

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

"Yes Harry Potter. Lord Voldemort. Now do what you are told and tell 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 happy.

"Their probably still out on the grass."Thought Harry. The Ron in the mirror patted him on the back."They don't know about this evil. 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 peel. He tried to wheel but a sharp pain in his arm caught him and he stopped, quivering.

"You FOOL."He felt himself picked up and shook like a chick."You destroyed it !"He fell to the ground again and saw Quirrell rifling through the shards, heedless of the cutting off and blood."Where is it ! Where is it ! … Gone… You knew !"The double head came up and looked him straight in the eye."You knew that wouldn't spillage the stone !"

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

"You.. YOU ! !"The duple creature stood quivering with rage."Well I hope you savour your victory."The affair drew Harry's wand"Because, it is the last thinking you will ever have ! Avada Ked…"

"tarantelle !"

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

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

"Put the verge down."Ron's voice quaked a picayune as he said it. But he kept his baton trained."scepter 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 drink on Harry."You'd get in so much trouble."

"I ‘ ve already petrified my question of house."Neville seemed to ingest 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 other side of my face."Quirrell turned on his axis and Parvarti shrieked.

"minor !"Quirrells arms twisted back, cracking rung at the cubitus to give Voldemort control of the wand"I will not be stopped again by tiddler !"

"Petrificus Totalus !"Hermione's vox rang out but Voldemort raised a shield disdainfully. The rebounding curse took the youth witch in the chest and she fell like a stone.

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

"Crucio !"Padma fell, her arms wrapped around her chest. Screaming. He was still playing with them. He could cause death as easily as pain.

"Crucio !"Ron fell in his tracks. He had tried to lodge the brute.

"Im… im… obstructor !"

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

"Pathetic creatures."The typeface spat the Book."Unworthy of living !"Harry stepped closer deliberate not to agitate the Methedrine on the floor."You will all die ! For defying Lord Voldemort. You will…"

"Master look out !"But Quirrell's warning was too late as the recollective fragment plunged into his stomach. Him and his attacker fell together and Harry jerked the glass out only to plunge it again into the wizards figure. His workforce bled, the fabric of the robes hadn't been nearly enough to protect them. Quirrell rolled over under him and the snakelike facial expression looked up at him in hatred.

"You can not destroy me Harry potter. I can not die ! Whatever you do I will take back !"

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

The scream spoke out through the chamber. Rising gamy and higher, louder and louder till the fragment still on the floor shattered into grit. Then the body slumped like a rag wench and finally lay still.

Harry fell back drained. It felt like he had nothing left in his vena, felt vacate. He slumped on the base and looked up to see five concerned faces crowding around him. They were saying something but his idea couldn't quite induce gumption of it. The picture suddenly reminded him of something and he pointed at them with a rickety hand.

"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 take the one…"

"Ron hoi polloi left those for Harry !"

Voices ? …

"But I just want the card."

Familiar…

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

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

Ah…

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

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

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

"Well yeah."Harry shook his oral sex to clear it before answering Hermione's motion."Why would I not be ? How long was I asleep ?"

"days I ‘ m afraid mate."Ron shook his question ruefully."They had to contribute you sleeping potion while everything healed. Did you know you broke your arm ?"

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

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

"Dumbledore said they regenerate."Hermione answered smiling."We had to go through the chess man too."

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

"Oh that, that was aught. Anyway it was Neville got us past the Prince of Darkness snare !"

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

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

"There was a broken mouth organ on the trading floor. What else could it deliver been but euphony ?"

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

"Children."The 1st years turned as Albus Dumbledore stepped into the hospital wing."I can not envisage how pleased you must be that your booster is arouse however,"He continued with a scintillation in his eye as he peered over his spectacles"…it will mean that you will let to find a new reference of chocolate frogs."Ron at least had the decency to look guilty."Now, if you would present us some privacy I would care to speak to your friend."The marauder 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 matter it is being repaired."

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

"Although they may leave alone one shard out. It may want to be kept for posterity."

"So is he… gone then ?"Harry's representative was bright but something in him already knew the answer.

"Nothing about this death was any different from his previous one. If he survived that I believe we can assume he can outlast this."

"Will he derive after the stone ? I mean, when you fix the mirror you can get the Oliver Stone ?"

"Yes, and it will be destroyed."Harry breathed a sigh of easing."But it appears I was wrong about one thing Harry."

"Hireling a man who was literally two-faced ?"

"No Harry."Dumbledore fixed him with a patient stare and Harry bit back a smile."I mean that you were ineffective to get preceding 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 Saame thing as before."Harry shifted uncomfortably"You know, friends."

"So faced with the prospects of ageless aliveness and unending wealth, your ambition remained the like ?"

"I have a enceinte deal of wealthiness now, and if perpetual life means being soul's scalp I think I ‘ ll pass on that too."

"Very well Harry. I will not pry any further. But there is something else that we need to discuss before I let your Friend back in to bicker further."

"Hm ?"

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

"No."

"Harry, I can assure…"

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

"You are 11 Harry."prof Dumbledore put his hand on Harry's articulatio humeri and his vox went soft."It would be negligent of me to let you will my tutelage 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 phonation.

"I thought that you would be happier with family line, even distant ones."

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

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

"Thank you."Harry smiled and he saw a certain tension raise from the air. Harry looked down at the gifts arrayed in presence of him and picked up one."Chocolate frog ? Go on, otherwise Ron ‘ ll just take all of them."

"Thank you Harry."Dumbledore took the squirming sweet and stood up."Now I shall just call this wings former resident physician then leave you to yourself."

"Who ?"Harry looked around and spotted a pair of slipper poking out from behind a drape."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 honest ?"

"Hopefully after your booster leave."

*

"live chance for legal magic !"Fred ( or George ) yelled as he walked down the Hogwarts express. His pal walked beside him ringing a hand-bell up and down."I repeat ! Last prospect for all summer !"

"You heard that Harry ?"Ron said as his brothers walked past the marauders pusher.

"Yep."And indeed he could see the London skyline around the wagon train as they pulled towards kings crisscross. He had asked Dumbledore if he could accompany his friends 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 wing ?"

"And you have to chitchat home."Ron said through a taste of sweets"Dendranthema grandifloruom 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 station."Oh, and before magic becomes illegal…"Harry took a small piece of ground out of his sack, tapped it and pulled back as his bag expanded to total size.

"You brought your bag ? Why did you bring your bag…"Hermione's voice became shrill and a piffling mark. But the head was moot, everyone in the carriage had guessed the solvent.

"Oh, come on guys."Harry shot them a grin and slid out of the carriage."Don ‘ t tell me you didn ‘ t see this coming ?"

"Harry ! The champion of the wizarding world can not just go AWOL !"Padma shook her head in disbelief."Dumbledore will find you, or the ministry."

"The ministry can only dog me if I use magic."Harry said jumping down onto the platform."And space counts too, I ‘ m thinking Greece or possibly Espana. Mediterranean certainly."

"You ‘ ll never get away with this Harry."Hermione spoke but all for some reason didn't quite believe it. The marauders stood in a hemicycle around Harry with several adaptation of disbelief on their faces. But after a year they had realised that Harry mostly made his own dominion.

"What they gon na do ? Arrest their polishing bomber ?"Harry winked and smiled his wickedness genius smile."And I ‘ ve realised something. Being a homeless vagabond sounds a whole lot more fun if you ‘ ve got a giant spile of gold resistance to precipitate back on. It ‘ ll just be like going somewhere fun, to accept fun."

"I think that's called a vacation Harry."

"rightfulness, that."Harry pointed and nodded."I think I ‘ m due one of those."He turned and began walking down the platform."drop a line every day ! But no trackable savoir-faire !"

"HARRY POTTER YOU GET dorsum Here ! ! !"

"Got ta go."Harry broke into a run as the teachers appeared at the former end of the platform. He dodged between groups of student as the cry got closer and shot between carts. He saw his luck, launched himself like a catapult off the proboscis of an astonished student and dived through the barrier. He kept running through Kings Cross, past groups of astonied muggles. Running for freedom.

*

"Think he'll lose ‘ em ?"

"Oh, Neville you know the answer to that."Padma smiled at the pandemonium Harry had left in his viewing on the platform."It's the marauder first regulation. ‘ You can do anything you set your psyche to if you've got the nervus to see it through.'”

"I thought that was ‘ Never get caught'?"

"That one too."




Phew ... one Word down ! Six to go.


Harry ceramicist stepped back onto British people territory with a bounce in his footfall and a tan fit to blind seagulls. Officially there was not target magical path across the line save by Scots heather or other dick of escape. However Harry had known before he had ever held a wand that the most useful things were always hidden from those in charge.

It had been by this ancient fireplace, disconnected from the relaxation of the flue pipe network but with a place linkup to a similar holes and portal around European Economic Community, through which Harry had left the country weeks ago. An eleven year old can not account book a plane ticket alone much LE hitch a lift on a broomstick and even if he could do so those ways 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 response. The Headmaster understood his decision and his pauperism for freedom, even sympathised with it. But Harry needed to be kept safe, protected.

But to Harry protected meant trapped and the rationality he needed to be kept safe was the very thing he needed some freedom from. So Harry Potter had spent the majority of the summer as Jack Match, juggler and tumbler on several Grecian beaches. He had explored the wizarding side of the ancient country too, he had watched a school of genus Hippocampus breaching and jump like dolphinfish off the seacoast of Aeaea and seen the giant of Rhodes. He had walked to the Temple of Alcmeonidae at Delphi and climbed hand-over-hand up the long tracking vines of ivy to where it floated in the sky. Levitated above the ‘ ruins'below and concealed from muggle eyes. But the seers that gathered there had seen through his disguise and greeted him as Harry potter. They had treated him with an eerie obedience and he had been taken to take tea with the stream oracle. It was a meeting he would never forget…

"Sit dear one."She led him to a cushion on the floor and sat down herself nearby him. She looked like she was barely a yr or two sure-enough than him but he knew that if he believed that he was a fool. Only her eyes betrayed any hint that this was possibly the most powerful seer in the humankind. Harry had been shocked when he first saw them, he had heard stories that the greatest prophesier had milky whiteness eyes showing that they were blind to the mundane. The oracles heart were normal except that the fleur-de-lis of one was bass purple and the early visible radiation honey oil. Oh and the pupil ( and Harry had had to look voiceless to bring in this out ) were shaped like star topology.

"Thank you Pythea."Pythea wasn't her name, the oracles held it as a title in laurels of the first."But you really don't have to do any of this."

"It is not very often we receive visitors."She smiled at him with those trench eyes. Something in them betrayed a lasting sadness, a soupcon of the memory concealed behind. computer memory that spanned one C.

"If you wish to boost more visitors your Grace. Perhaps you should instal stairs."He instantly felt that perhaps he was being too companion. Harry generally ignored office but the quiet business leader of the belittled girl before him ( even sitting as she was, barefoot in a round-eyed white frock ) was hard to deny. Anyway he didn't he didn't want there to be stairs. Too many masses, especially too many tourists, would smash this peaceable home.

"Yes, that is why we do not have them. And no, I prefer that you speak freely before me."Harry looked up obnubilate and she laughed. It sounded like falling water."Your occlumency is quite estimable for one doing it unconsciously. But memory access to intellection is one of the gifts that comes with being… this."The gloominess was back in her optic for a import then she reached forward and poured him a glass of water out of a tall fluted jug.

"Thank you."Harry took it and sipped it. It smelled like flock air. He grinned and looked down at it speculatively."Is this going to induce me see visions or pass along out ?"

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

"Mad dogs and so on…"Harry took another gulping of the nose drink and asked."But, why did you invite me up here ? Why am I sitting, joking, with the greatest seer in the world."

"I wanted to adjoin you myself. I ‘ ve heard about you of course of action, the boy who lived. You are not what I expected."

"Oh."Harry looked down guiltily. He knew he was a bit of a disappointing submarine but coming from her it seemed speculative.

"You are anything but a disappointment Harry. I think you are equal to the task ahead of you, to a greater extent than equal. I look into your soul and what I see gives me with child hope. You are more than you think you are Harry, you are far more than you, or anyone else, realises. You must intrust that you know the path you need to take the air, not anyone else, and above all you must trust yourself."

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

"I like your eyes."

Harry coughed and spluttered and the lilliputian vaticinator laughed. He realised she was teasing him.

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

"Am I ?"She seemed to look far away for a minute then do back down to worldly concern."Why do you say that ?"

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

"Do you really want to roll in the hay ?"She seemed amused."Really ?"Harry thought about it for a moment.

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

"Good."She smiled."in force choice. But I think I will contribute you something anyway. In telephone exchange for a futurity not told."She dipped her hand into a pocket of her dress 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. She held it out towards him.

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

"What is it ?"Harry lifted the shield to depend at it closer but it didn't have any markings at all. It looked like it was made of two pointed gyrate shells, hanging vertical from its clench. Harry looked closer and saw that the very rear end gunpoint was tinged green and the very top tinged purple."Is it magic ?"

"Yes."

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

"No."

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

"You ‘ ll find out what it does eventually. But you will cause to learn a few things for yourself before you do. Call it a petty piece of your future."She took his script and raised him to his fundament."Now I am afraid I must say good-bye. 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 speak Harry bowed for the first of all time in his life story and walked towards the door.

"Oh and when you go back to Hogwarts."The little female child said as he reached for the grip."Could you tell Sybill Trelawney to block off owling me. Please ?"

Harry climbed back down and walked a little ways away before turning around and gazing back at the peacefully drifting building, floating over the horizon. Digger flapped down on a rock next to him and handed him a letter. He took it without reading it and slipped it in his scoop, still thinking. Then he walked over to a clod of flowers sprouting out of the I. F. Stone nearby and picked some of the heavy unity.

"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 head still full-of-the-moon of cerebration.

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

*

"Five 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, tourists had liked his juggle on the beaches and liked his witty remarks even more. The galleons to get there and the galleons back was probably more than he'd spent the unhurt clock time in between.

Harry stepped out into a sorry alleyway and set off away from the shop. Walking quickly he made for the light-headed end of the street where he could hear Thomas More people moving. mass turned to gaze at his lustrous summery clothing in the night and shadowed street and he heard grumbling and muttering. A bony hand fell on his shoulder 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 hopeful sounds of diagonally ahead of him and sprinted as hard as he could.

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

"What the… ?"But there was no time to call back. material body were closing in and Harry dove in the opposite counseling. He slipped down another road.

Thomas More cloaked organic structure seemed to pop out of every trace. The pocket-sized boy dodged down another street and found himself at a dead end. The entrance to the alley was blocked by a minor gang, five or so wizards and beldam in dark ragged robes blocked his way back.

Harry slipped his scepter out of his air pocket into his the right way hand. His centre scanned the bulwark around him but they were straight up and down. No handholds. The crowd advanced on him with hands out. Harry crouched down, if he was gona die he was prepared to die like a rat in a box. Biting and scratching till the last.

"What have we here ?"A scabby and dishevelled beldame said with a yack."Kids shouldn't be in knockturn back street. Something bad could happen."She reached out towards him and Harry's deal tightened on his wand.

"base aside hag !"A instant of red visible radiation pellet from the other end of the skittle alley and the witches hair burst into flaming.

She shrieked and jumped away while the others tried to put out the fervour. This left Harry with a sort out view down the skittle alley to the man standing there, his long verge out.

"Never fear Edward Young rascal !"The man said in a roaring voice."Markus Albert Michelson is here !"

*

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

"Quiet down pipsqueak."The man set off out of the back street with Harry held almost nonchalantly in the criminal of his heavily muscled arm."You're in secure hands now."

Harry tried to pry the fingerbreadth off of him but the world grip was like a vice. Harry continued to struggle until they got out into the safer haven of diagonally and he was dumped unceremoniously on the floor.

"For mortal being rescued by the with child warrior, adventurer, lover and Explorer that the reality has ever known."The man put his fist on his coxa and bent down to put his face near Harry's."You sure don't seem to jazz how display you're grateful."

Harry sat up and checked himself over before replying. For a moment his hand rested on the leather electric 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 foundation.

"Not to care. I'd imagine getting stuck down a dead end in knockturn alley is a little frightening for someone not as… imposing… as me."He tucked his sceptre in his belt and Harry looked him up and down. Even without taking his hat into account the man was easily seven feet tall and had shoulder like a ox. He wore thickset leather iron heel and leather trouser above them, fitting tightly over muscled legs. The rap was snake tegument and he had what looked like animal teeth tied hanging off it so they clattered as he moved. Above that he wore a form fitting red vest that left his weapons system bare. Harry could see the edge of a tattoo peeking up amongst his breast hair and another on his bicep. Further down his arms he wore two capitulum band. To top it all off the man wore a cowboy hat over his thickly blond hair's-breadth with a long red feathering tucked into the band on one slope and three rifle fastball on the other.

"Who are you ?"

"thought process I introduced myself before. Never idea, probably slipped your head in all the excitement."The man struck a pose."I am Markus Maximus Michelson. happy to pretend your acquaintance pipsqueak."

"My epithet is Harry."Odd to take heed that after a summer of Jack.

"Good to conform to 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 pull in worry. You trivial tyke."He ruffled Harry's hair as if he was a petty kid, earning himself Harry's eternal hatred.

"…um. The ice pick place."Harry lied with a straight face."Their probably waiting."

"Good, good."The man grabbed his arm again and set a brisk pace through the crowd. 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 ointment parlour the odd magician would leave him alone. He did naught of the sort however and sat down at a table, leaning far back on his electric chair and tucking his pollex in his swath loop. Harry was just wondering why he was waiting around when the reasonableness walked up to the table.

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

"My little ally here needs a deep brown Sunday to chill out him down. He's just been in a bit of a steamy situation down knockturn alley. For myself just seeing you smile is all the sugariness I need, and please…"he plucked a yellow daisy out of air and set it behind the girl ear"…call me Maximus."

"You helped him ?"

"Oh no."intellection Harry."She was here last summer. She knows who I am."

"You saved Harry ceramicist ! Oh, you ‘ re so braw and like, potent !"

"Harry Potter.. ?"The man looked at him for a moment with a clear grinning then turned back"Yes I did. And yes, I am rather inviolable. Mighty is my middle name."The daughter 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.

"sentiment your middle name 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 script."Markus Maximus Mighty Majesto A. A. Michelson"he tapped the monogram with his finger."But the foremost of my middle names is my personal front-runner. So these parents that we're waiting for…"

"My friends parents."Harry fabricated."I ‘ m livelihood with them this summer. I didn ‘ t explain because I prefer to go under the radio detection and ranging 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 take the air down the street and feel the basking adoration of the people Harry. I owe it to my caption to be seen, in the hope that I inspire young pups like you to get 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 helping hand clasped together over her chest."You're so ache as well as so hansom. You're like a poet or a radio star or something."

Harry rolled his middle and finished his ice emollient quickly as the vain wizard chatted to ( or more accurately chatted up ) the girl. Harry dropped the price of the meal on the tabular array.

"Ah, there they are."Harry pointed off in a random steering and got up."See you."

"Sure I will Harry."The man said cryptically before turning back to the other physical object of his attention.

*

Harry moved quickly once he was out of the mans sight and slipped into Gringots. He got money out more quickly than he should accept by simply ignoring the queue and asking for Greeklunk. His old goblin acquaintance quickly helped him replenish his pouch for another year. While he was down in the vault Harry stuck his jersey in his bag and instead took out a long robe with a hood. At Greeklunk's confused grammatical construction 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 school shopping quickly. When he walked back by Fortescue's the wizard was still there, showing the waitress a long scar on his arm.

*

Harry stood in the body politic lane and rechecked the varsity letter he held in his manus. He was sure he was at to the lowest degree in the rightfulness small town and probably on the rightfulness route. It was just that the route went a yearn way in both counseling and Ron's advice on getting to his home had been rather vague. Like he'd only really seen the surrounding countryside from the air. Harry folded the letter of the alphabet away and shrugged, there was always another way. He walked over to a where a farmer was sitting near his tractor, fiddling with something in the engine.

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

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

*

Harry had to resist the impulse to break into a run as he caught sight of the Weasley family. Outside it in the grow over 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-bodied to open them an demand time. As he walked closer the threshold to the house opened and mollie Weasley ( Ron had told him all about his family ) emerged, carrying a tray with drinkable on it. Behind her a Whitney Moore Young Jr. girl ( must be Ginny ) stepped exterior and leaned against the doorpost looking bored. None of them seemed to deliver noticed him yet, or maybe the tan had changed his coming into court a bit. As he stepped up to the front gate he spread his arms wide.

"ciao !"

"Harry !"Ron jumped in surprisal"You ‘ re here."The twins jumped up too and ran to meet him, but the most extreme response came from the youngest Weasley. Ginny went numb white under her haircloth and her oral fissure seemed to move as if she was trying to say something then she bolted through the still open door.

"She has some kind of objection to aloha ?"Harry asked the peppiness crowd.

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

"Ron, be nice to your sister."Mrs Weasley's voice was stern for a minute then turned soft 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 bomber thing doesn ‘ t in conclusion. I ‘ ve been told on repeated occasions that I ‘ m a monumental disappointment."

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

"Snape."

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

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

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

*

But Ginny's odd demeanour didn't stop. 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 sufficiency to send her scurrying away. One dawn when he came down and found her curled up on the sofa with a magazine he decided to put a stop to it.

"Ginny."She stiffened and looked like she was about to fly."Don't run away please."He walked around and sat next to her on the couch. She looked like a small rodent confronted by a serpent, eyes across-the-board open air and too pock to run."Can you recount me why you run every clip I try to talk to you or enter the way ?"Silence, except for the twitch she could have been petrified."Look Ginny I don't know what it is but could you please talk to me. We ‘ re going to be going to schooltime together for the adjacent six days. Could you spill to me. Please."

"Y… you…"Harry had to sift to get a line her swoon susurration."you destroyed you-know-who."

"Oh you ‘ re still thinking about that ?"Harry waved his hired man dismissively."That happened ages and ages 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 mark. Which one in specific ?"Ginny reached out to channelise at his brow and Harry brushed away the fuzz to break the scar. But apparently this was too lots for Ginny and she bolted up the stairs 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, finis year. 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 design. An puzzle plan. Possibly the greatest programme he had ever devised."You have a few brooms here right ?"

"Five last time I looked. My old one, the Gemini the Twins, Percy's and one Charlie left here."

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

"But Harry you can ‘ t gambol Quidditch. The finally time you got on a heather you made a complete fool of yourself."

"Exactly !"

*

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

"You have to espouse through."Ron made a poking motion with the flat of his hand. That meant survey through Harry knew, the hand signal were about all he ‘ d picked up during the secret plan."Just center on following through. That was the problem that time."

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

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

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

"Aye aye sea captain !"Harry saluted and almost overbalanced.

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

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

"I got it ! I got…"Thump !

Harry struck the footing hard and rolled to a stop in the long dope.

"Ow."Harry put his hand to the back of his mind and sat up. Looking right into the font of Ginny Weasley. She had run over to see if he was very well and now stood, wide eyed before him.

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

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

The four Weasley's carried him off the pitch and Fred and George ( who seemed to have experience with headway injuries for some cause ) pronounced him ticket.

"Maybe we should call for a break."Ron said worriedly."You know, return him time to recover."

"Better 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 vox to pit Mrs Weasley's"Be nice to your sister ! And besides, your choices are me or her."

"Welcome to the team Ginny."

*

"See ! No one can dumbfound my squad !"Harry grinned and slapped his dresser as the game drew to an official close.

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

"The squad won."Harry explained with broom deal gestures."And we all played a part in that."

"And your part is ?"

"Cheerleader. I really should get some pompoms."



bank bill : Right, thats the endorsement year started.

Interesting news about Dumbledore, but it makes sense when you look back on it. Does form of make it more tragic however. The champion of accepting hoi polloi for who they were died without ever himself being accepted. He probably never even told anyone. The bit about how he did n't run against Grindlewald was interesting too and puts the whole matter in a new luminosity. What if Grindlewald was well mindful of Dumbledores feelings and used him to gain power in safety device ? Knowing full well that Dumbledore was the only one who could have posibly stopped him. Ah well ...

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


# include `` standard legal disclamer.h ''

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






Kings cross was crowded beyond notion as the Weasley clan crossed the station towards platform nine and three quarters.

"haste up."Mrs Weasley herded her various charges towards the barrier."Right. seminal fluid everyone, while the muggles aren't looking."One by one the redheads blastoff through the roadblock. Harry waited until last-place, as the summer had drawn to a stopping point he had wondered if perhaps he might not be let back into the schoolhouse. He had got the book listing but perhaps that had been automatic.

"You go first. I ‘ m fine."Harry motioned Mrs Weasley ahead of him."I want to enjoy my endure moment of freedom."She disappeared through the roadblock and Harry took a mystifying breath. There wasn't much more he could do to put this off. He started running forwards, lowered his pass and closed his eye as he reached the barrier.

scissure ! Harry bounced back and fell to the ground gasping. The barrier hadn't opened ! He put his hand to his forehead and it came back bloody. His mind reeled.

"They don't want me back."Harry blinked and looked up at the clock. lupus erythematosus than a minute money box 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 much period in getting up. The clock ticked over the hour. The wagon train was leaving.

Harry looked down platform ten and thought he saw a wisp of smoke climb from beyond the tracks. Where was the wizard platform anyway ? A mad estimate struck Harry and he was stood back up in a flash. His understructure seemed to impress of their own accord and he took first one then another halting whole step along the platform. Another wisp of smoke. He broke into a run and willed his legs to carry him profligate and faster.

"it's a steam train."Harry dodged past a startle conductor at the end of the platform and jumped down onto the tracks."It takes a while to speed up."He pumped his peg for extra fastness.

"Digger !"Harry reached onto his rucksack and flicked his owl's cage unfold."Catch me up at Hogwarts !"Harry shot to the edge of the railroad train track and looked down. The normal, muggle train caterpillar tread coming out of world-beater cross were raised up on a sort of farseeing bridge, raising them several narrative above the city streets. Harry glanced down in meter to see the end of the Hogwarts express squeeze play itself out from between the bricks of the bridge and head word off down a cut that looked disused. Up ahead the racecourse rose up and joined with the others, if Harry was going to do it, he ‘ d cause to do it now.

"Please ! Oh god please let me still be born lucky !"Harry prayed silently, then launched himself off the side.

He crashed into the top of the last go-cart and hung onto it for good life. The train was beginning to find fault up f number and Harry crawled to the edge. Thankfully the bearing windowpane was open. Harry swung his bag in through it then slid down into it himself.

"Harry Potter. Nice to meet you."He said to the aghast first years who's perambulator he'd dropped into."See you at Hogwarts !"Harry walked shakily out the room access. 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 regain his friends but for some reason none of his limbs seemed to process. He caught a glimpse of himself in the field glass in front of him and blinked in shock. He looked a crash ! Blood ran down the left side of his face and was matted into the hair above.

"M… Mr Potter."Harry looked around and saw the beldam with the streetcar standing looking at him. Harry gulped for air.

"Two cauldron cake please."He said, trying to think of something that would calm his boldness.

She wordlessly handed him the cake and took the price 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 head"No. Definitely not. You ‘ d have to be gaga to parachute on a moving train."

*

Harry moved down the train as quietly as he could. Trying to encounter his friends without drawing too much care. Unfortunately talk travelled fast on the Hogwarts express and he couldn't go five steps without encountering another stare or go a chemical group of students without them breaking out in a fit of whispering.

"So piteous attention seeking Potter strikes again."The voice was behind him. Harry turned around and sagged when he saw Malfoy and his lummox staring at him.

"Malfoy I really don't have the Energy for this now."It was true. Harry would have liked doing nothing more than simply collapsing on the trading floor there for the rest of the journey."Could you please, and I mean this in the nicest possible way, bugger off and die like the diseased piece of distended 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 niggling Quaker here to help you today. This may just be my lucky day."The three Slytherins advanced on him and Harry drew his wand when…

"Potter !"Harry turned and saw professor McGonagall standing in the carriage. Malfoy and his bodyguards disappeared through a door."How in Merlin ‘ s name did you get here ?"She grabbed him and pulled out her sceptre, touching it calmly to the cut on his head then whisking away the rake on his typeface."I just spent an unpleasant few minutes arguing with mollie Weasley who was franticly trying to get us to stop the wagon train. She seemed to be under the impression that the barrier had sealed with you on the other side."

"It did."Harry nodded."That's how I hurt my head."

"But then. How did you get here ?"

"You honestly, really and truly don't want to know."

"Harry…"

"I jumped onto the train."

"YOU JUMPED ONTO THE railroad train !"

"The barrier had sealed up ! There wasn ‘ t any other way ! And besides, I had a head injury. I ‘ m not sure I was in an entirely noetic systema skeletale of mind."

"That is beside the stage Mr ceramist, but after the stunt you pulled at the end of go year I suppose I should not be entirely surprised."She straightened up"We will give to discuss this further in my situation at Hogwarts. At the very least you will receive several Clarence Day detention."

"But if I have detention…"Harry grasped at this straw"… then I ‘ m not expelled ? Right ?"

"No Mr Potter. Not this time."She began walking away down the string."Go to my office staff when we reach Hogwarts."

"After the sorting ?"

"As soon as you reach the castle."

"Professor please…"Alright this is McGonagall, you know how to befool McGonagall. She acts tough but she's all mushy inside."… my friend's sister's getting sorted today and she ‘ s worried about it. All her brothers are in Gryffindor, unanimous family really. I should be there for her. please ?"

"Alright Mr thrower. After the sorting."McGonagall's eyes had gotten softer as Harry had spoken."But before the feast."

"Of trend 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 vulture compartment and slid the door open.

"hi freindlies !"

"Harry !"Hermione's mouthpiece dropped open."Ron said you couldn ‘ t get onto the chopine !"

"Couldn't."Harry noticed Ginny sitting quietly in the recess of the compartment. Ron had probably been told to celebrate an eye on her."Had to acquire entrance to the power train by… other means."

"Apparation ?"Padma had apparently also caught some sun over the summertime, though it was less obtrusive on her."You do know that's illegal."

"Couldn ‘ t caution 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 drumhead."I was talking to Lavender down the other end of the train. I thought she was joking."

"What is it ?"Hermione asked and the marauder seemed to hang waiting for the answers.

"You jumped onto the top of the train."The predator turned as one to bet at him.

"Maybe."None of his supporter seemed to require to verbalise.

"Harry ..."Neville broke the silence."…you ‘ re crazy."

"I know."Harry sat as the other snapped out of their shock and started speaking all at once."It ‘ s beginning to interest me."

*

The train meandered its long journeying through the hills and Harry ducked out of the conversations around him. His head teacher still hurt and he didn't have the vim to hold multitude. He leaned against the cold window as rain started to streak down, leaving small trails on the windowpane dose. He closed his optic and lay there for a farseeing while. lilliputian trails 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 quietus of his friends were still talking amongst themselves."You ‘ re case was all scrunched up like you were dreaming."

"Oh, are we there yet."Harry kind of wanted to get back to rest. 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. lesson are well-off, specially charms. booster everywhere. Plus if any of the Slytherins bother you we can show some Jonathan Swift retribution. We're feared by that house."

"That ‘ s kind of what I ‘ m disquieted about."Ginny glanced at the red border on Harry's robe.

"Ah."Thought Harry."My dead reckoning was rectify, and I just made that up to relent up McGonagall."

"You ‘ re worried about the sorting."Harry said out loud."Want to be Gryffindor ?"

"Yes. If I don't my blood brother ‘ ll never forgive me."

"Then secernate it so."Harry looked at the young little girl startled expression."You know what the sorting hat is right ?"nod."Then say it you want to be a Gryffindor. Don't take no for an answer. It's your life, don't let a hat make decisions for you."Harry leaned back down and closed his centre again.

*

"What the hell ?"Ron voiced what they were all thinking as the marauders moved away from the gear at Hogsmead. Ginny had left to take aim her little gravy holder ride and the six friends now stood in presence of a line of carriages, each drawn by a thin scaled gymnastic horse with close down leathery wing."Charlie told me the carriages pulled themselves ?"

"Maybe they've changed since your chum day."Said Harry climbing into one of them."And besides…"He looked around"No one else seems to consider anything's amiss."

"Still think this is weird."

*

Ginny Weasley stood fidgeting in front of the mansion as the sorting hat finished its song. She was so nervous she wanted to bite her nails despite the face they were already worn to the meat. Well, at to the lowest degree she was a Weasley. Her gens would be called near to cobbler's last. She saw Harry on the Gryffindor table spinning three ramification in the air in front of him. She tried to grab his eye but failed, he was talking to his real protagonist. Everyone began to pay care as Dumbledore stood up.

"Before we begin the sort I ‘ d like to harbinger two things. One is that, despite what this empty professorship seems to indicate, we have found a new defensive structure Against the Dark artistic creation teacher."Ginny looked along the teachers shelve 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 shipping of his belongings from overseas. eternal sleep assured that he has my full authority and he will introduce himself, probably at length…"did the lank-haired professor just grimace even more ?"…in your first lesson with him tomorrow. Now the second thing is that we will be doing this years sorting backwards."

"What ?"That prompted a mussitation about the hall.

"Yes, send for it an old mans fancy. Now let us continue so that we can enjoy a glorious feast after we are all done."Dumbledore sat back down but the grumbling hadn't ceased. McGonagall then took her plaza, the expression on her font clearly showing that the schoolmaster had not discussed this with her. She looked down at her newspaper and read…

"Weasley, Ginevra."

"What ! Oh…"Ginny thought as she walked out in front of the school."Backwards…"The lowest matter she saw before she pulled the hat down over her optic were the piranha turning to ascertain her.

"Another Weasley, seems I see those on almost a yearly basis. But a Weasley girl ? 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 opt my theatre. I want to be in Gryffindor."

"Quite brave of you to just shout it out it like that. Almost force me to foot 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 brass had an monovular mug of scandalize amazement. Her eyes searched out her brothers at the Gryffindor table. Percy had buried his face in his hands and seemed to be trying to hazard it all wasn't happening, Fred and George VI were watching her with huge evil grin and Ron, Ron just looked confused. Her eyes flickered past Ron to Harry and their regard locked, then the boy did the oddest thing, he pulled up his sleeve, put his script palm out and jabbed forward.

Follow through

Ginny glanced back at the teachers mesa, where every typeface mirrored the astonishment of the educatee. 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 bear her voice break out in whine."Definitely Gryffindor."And with that she pulled the hat off her header, set it down on the chair and walked steadily towards Harry. She blanked out everything else in the hall, the voicelessness rise, the teachers, 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 spokesperson but she swore his lips barely moved."face straight ahead and don't give them any star sign they're getting to you."Easy for him to say ! She stayed exactly where she was as the secrecy crawled on. Then something touched her hired man by her face. A candy of some kind. Without a word, and before the soundless stares of the entirely Marguerite Radclyffe Hall, she brought out, undo and calmly ate a Glycyrrhiza glabra scepter.

Every eye in the entrance hall turned as they heard McGonagall open her throat then…

"Kingston, Victor."

It was as if the residence hall had been holding its breath the entire meter and now let it out in a wave of yak. Ginny felt someone gonorrhea her on the back and looked sideways into Harry's font.

"Thank you."Ginny breathed through the noise."I didn ‘ t know what to do. I didn't even actualise I was talking out loud."

"Figured as much."Harry said glibly and offered her another liquorice wand."Good matter I was paying attention, who the infernal region is Ginevra Weasley ?"

The belittled 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 pick it up then looked at the mesa in the hall.

"Ravenclaw. I think I like Ravenclaw."

"On the summation side of meat you may hold started a revolution."Harry had leaned in to spill to her again."On the minus McGonagall's gon na pour down 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 firm mascot Ginny ?"Fred leaned over and grinned at his sister.

"We could clear up some new banner if you like."His twin leaned in from the other side of the mesa.

"parting her twins."Harry was holding her by both articulatio humeri away from her older comrade."She tricked the hat, swindled McGonagall, caused a cross planetary house rotation and all in presence of the total school !"Harry grabbed her and hugged her from behind."You can ‘ t have her ! She ‘ s ours !"

"What's he talking about."Ginny didn't think she could grin more than she was as she shot the question at her brother across the mesa. But it was Parvarti Patil who answered her.

"He means that you ‘ re the type of person who goes for what they want and has the nerve to see it through and doesn ‘ t care what the formula 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 first years. Filch had to move some of the seam.

*

As Harry trudged back from his first custody with McGonagall that nighttime ( polishing 100 and hundred of face buttons that were just going to be transfigured into mallet anyway ) he leaned on the wall near the portrait hole and closed his eyes for a present moment.

"Harry ceramicist sir !"

Harry opened his eyes and immediately realised his head injury must have been worse than he thought. The Hallucination had long pointy capitulum and was wearing some sort of ragged textile like a toga.

"Wha… ?"

"Harry ceramicist should never receive got on the geartrain !"

"Who ?"Harry shook his caput but the minor figure remained"What and/or who are you ?"

"Dobby sir. Dobby the household elf."The odd picayune creature bowed to him, its intrude almost touching the floor."Dobby is truly sorry to experience caused trouble for such a great wizard as Harry ceramist. But Harry thrower must leave Hogwarts !"

"Caused trouble ? What trouble ?"Harry slid off the paries and stood straight. His sceptre was inconveniently tucked in an inside pocket, operose to reach. Was this creature a threat ?"What are you talking about ?"

"Dobby thought that perhaps if Harry ceramicist 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 weapons platform closed…"

"That was you !"Harry snapped forward like a jibe and caught the picayune creature by the subdivision. The thing whined and tried to dampen away but he held on."I could have missed the bloody train !"The creature nodded and whimpered a little more."I could feature been killed ! Wait… knockturn alley…"Harry remembered the caoutchouc bulwark. The elf stiffened again and he seemed to be avoiding Harry's eyes."That was you as well ! Why WHY !"He picked the matter up and shook it roughly."Are you trying to kill me ? Are you ?"The elf was truly crying now and Harry let him go. The pitiful affair crawled away from Harry and sat on the floor, looking up at him with its huge, tear filled eyes. It looked like a kicked puppy.

"flavour, I ‘ m sorry."Harry reached out towards the elf but it shied away."I didn ‘ t mean to hurt you. The hospital wing isn ‘ t far, can I…"

"No !"Dobby's case became a masquerade of fear."Dobby can not be seen. Dobby ‘ s masters can never know. Dobby isn ‘ t hurt, Dobby gets far worse than this at home. Dobby's masters are…"the elf seemed to constrain for a moment then he rushed over to the paries and began hitting his mind on it intemperate.

"Bad Dobby ! Bad Dobby !"

"Wait ! Hey, Stop !"Harry was torn between the motivation to quit it hurting itself and trying to invalidate grabbing it again since he'd obviously hurt him. He pulled his robe off, quickly balled it up and ( between school principal bounces ) slid it between Dobby and the wall. The pathetic elf continued on for a yoke of collision, apparently not realising he was now cushioned, then dropped to the floor.

"Thank you sir."The elf's voice was a little quaky."Dobby almost spoke ill of his masters."

"Dobby…"Harry saw a need to trample carefully here."If, IF think of ! Hypothetically I asked who your masters were. Would you accept to penalise yourself ?"The elf quickly nodded.

"If I asked you to write it ?"nod.

"If I asked you to act it out like charades ?"The elf appeared to call back about this, cocking its head word to the side. Then he nodded.

"If I asked you to tell apart me why you want me to leave Hogwarts ?"the elf's head stayed very still."How much can you tell me without having to penalize yourself ?"

"Danger. Dobby knows that danger has come to Hogwarts. Death…"

"If I asked you whether your sea captain were involved ?"Dobby tensed like a rod."Just IF think back, if I asked you that would you hold to punish yourself ?"

Dobby nodded. Harry smiled, that meant his masters were involved. Otherwise why would he be forbidden to state anyone ?

"And is I asked what form the danger would take ?"

But at this Dobby shook his head furiously and put his custody over his ear. The poor elf began rocking backwards and forwards and keening.

"It ‘ s OK Dobby. You don't have to tell me."The rocking stopped and the elf uncurled.

"Harry Potter will go away Hogwarts ?"

"No. But I will be measured, very careful."

"Harry Potter must leave, Harry potter 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 serve me improve.


"Wonder if he ‘ s cute ?"Parvarti wondered quizzically as the second geezerhood wandered to the defensive measure against the drear nontextual matter classroom. They had the class first base geological period Mon, so would be the first to meet the new teacher."Dumbledore said he ‘ s alien, so I bet he ‘ s cute."

"I just wonder if he ‘ ll be a effective teacher."Hermione hung her chief a little."After a year of… of bad teaching we need to catch up. We ‘ ll be lucky if we can piddle it up in time for the OWLs."Harry could enjoin she had been about to say Quirrell, but had stopped herself. As far as he could state none of his friends wanted to think about the result at the end of lowest year.

"Well, so long as he only has one aspect, I ‘ ll be happy."Harry stuck his deal behind his head teacher and laughed."Right ?"The others stopped for a moment, then grinned with him."view so. Anyway…"Harry was the first to the door and pushed it open."… after Quirrell we can ‘ t do a good deal worse can we ?"

"Pipsqueak ! Told you I ‘ d see you again !"

"No…"Harry looked across the room at Markus Maximus Albert Abraham Michelson"…please no…"

"Take a hindquarters up movement my dependable lad ! I can already tell this is going to be one of your darling grade !"The predator filed in the front row and the other scholarly person moved in behind them. All of them looking a little apprehensively at the booming muscled figure in front of them.

"The name's prof Markus Triple-M Albert Abraham Michelson. I ‘ ll be your Defence against the dark arts teacher this year. thought process I ‘ d guide a fracture from the globe-trotting to pass on some of my noesis to the future coevals !"He swept his hat off and spin out it across the way, it landed neatly on top of a suit of armor."Oh and by the way the Ms stand for Maximus, Mighty and Magesto but they might as well suffer for Muscular, Magical and most of all Masculine !"He laughed and put his fist on his rosehip."So, on to the matric !"He grabbed the register off the table and began yelling out public figure, variously chuckling at the odd name and winking at any girlfriend 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 Holy Scripture pipsqueek then sneered. Harry groaned, he ‘ d never hear the end of this.

When the register was finished the professor strode up to the figurehead of the class. To the daze of all watching he slammed one fist back into the blackboard. Words jumped off the surface as if they had been jolted into being.

"Duelling !"The professor said and indeed this was the title on the board."Who here has cast something rough than jelly-legs at another thaumaturgist ?"

A few hands went up around the class, including Harry's. Neville gulped and tried to hold his script 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 Body Bind sir."Neville appeared to be wishing he had a maw to crawl into.

"goodness ! commodity solidness piece ! incantation, for those who don't know is Petrificus Totalus. And who did you use it on ?"

"McGonagall."

"Mc…McGonagall ?"A nervous titter of laughter ran around the classroom."rightfield, 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 time of the inquisition, considered by many to be dark Magic ?"

"Er…"

"And who did you use it on ?"

"Quirrell."

"right wing OK."Michelson shook his head."Before we dredge up any More assaults against Hogwarts teacher lets start on something else. Who here knows what a buckler charm is ?"Many of the hands went down ( though not of course, Hermione's )"Right ! we'll offset there."

*

The class let out an hour later. Many of the students had the after-effects of minor curse and hexes on them from when their carapace hadn't been expert enough or when their opposition had been too undecomposed. professor Michelson seemed to retrieve 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 hexes to the family. Harry ‘ s screen appeal wasn ‘ t nearly good enough and he ended up suffering for every spell that winged his way.

"I hate him ! I hate that muscle-head motherfucker !"Harry ranted as they walked to history of magic."He knows my gens and he keeps calling me pipsqueak ! He singles me out ! He will pay for this ! right hand ?"

The other marauders kept a safe distance, giggling behind their hands.

"You know Harry, he seems to be a pretty good teacher."Hermione said. Harry rounded on her."I mean, some adult superstar can't do shield charms and he managed to get half the class doing them in just one lesson."

"He keeps calling me scant !"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 obdurate and dark."And he… winked at me."

"You ‘ ll see."Harry turned and began back towards the history of magic classroom"You ‘ ll all see ! After you meet him a few times you ‘ ll agree with me about Markus Mary Michelson !"

*

But they didn't.

vindication Against the Dark humanistic discipline quickly became the most looked forward to lesson by the entire school day. Every few example Markus Michelson would introduce a new fighting spell and employment with them, pulling them with laughs, belittlement and boost, to perfect the spell. From disarming and stunning through to shields and self-defence he taught everything with an monovular laugh and identical arrogant attitude. Harry remained lowering and silent in these lessons especially when the inevitable happened and he was called up to serve demonstrate a new charm. He had tried to get the marauders riled up to play a clowning on Professor Michelson but they had flatly refused. Harry had to content himself with dropping potion on a group off Slytherins that gave them oozing boils. It had been still complex, whoever the pus hit when the boils exploded developed them as well.

It was on his way back from profound hold that he heard somebody yell. Harry saw a kickoff year rush past him upstairs and followed him, towards the noise. A radical of pupil were gathered on the third level. Harry pushed through them without a thought and stopped at the front to see a horrific good deal. Painted on the paries in what looked the like stemma were the words…

Arise those of ancient stock ! Cast out the impure from this house of our Padre ! Be true to your blood line ! Destroy the enemy of the heir ! This is the call to weapons system !

Harry glanced to his side, lined up future to one another stood a group of Slytherins. Malfoy, Goyle and Flint stood face by side, each wearing identical expressions of gleefulness.

On the storey in figurehead of the letters crouched hapless Victor Kingston, the kid who'd liked the look of Ravenclaw, curled up in care behind his sunglasses.

Harry moved closer on instinct and put his fingers to the boys neck.

"What are you doing ?"A articulation behind him hissed but he ignored them.

"He doesn ‘ t have a pulse."Harry murmured, trying to move his fingerbreadth around for a better feel."No pulse. Get Madam Pomfrey ! Get Dumbledore !"

"Both are here Harry."Harry looked up to see the Headmaster base on balls to the sharpness of the crew. He stood back gratefully as the school harbor went to work.

"Is he… dead ?"An old Ravenclaw at the edge of the dress circle asked and a whisper of breathless stupor swept the crowd.

"No."Professor Dumbledore said calmly"He appears to have been petrified."

"Will he recover ?"Harry noticed that the Ravenclaw was a prefect, she had probably known Victor.

"Yes misfire Clearwater. I think so, in time."Tension seemed to go out of the radical but the prefect pressed on.

"Professor…"She glanced up at the writing on the wall."Victor was a muggleborn, do you reckon that there ‘ s any danger ?"

"I am sure I can trust every scholarly person here to act in a way that does not shame the good public figure of this school."

"Yeah right."Harry thought and glanced back at Malfoy and the former Slytherins."Seems a war's been called. People are already choosing sides."

*

The first attack happened just the next sunrise. Hannah abbot was found with a broken arm at the bottom of the steps leading down to the Hufflepuff common room. Her bag and books strewn haphazardly at the top. She'd been coming up from the cellar early to get breakfast and been pushed back down.

prof sprout took her to the hospital wing. But no one had seen what happened, not even Hannah, and no topic how much they asked the prof couldn't find who had done it.

The next day a group of Slytherins cornered a first year in one of the upper corridors and began hexing him over and over. Only Flitwick happening past had stopped worse happening.

In a thing of weeks it was no longer safe for a muggleborn or half-blood scholar to be out on their own. madam Pomfrey was being worked of her feet by the stream of injuries coming into her upkeep.

Then, one morning, Oliver wood the Gryffindor Quidditch headwaiter was petrified in the prefects bathroom. The teachers had tried to keep a lid on it but the words that had been scrawled on the rampart somehow got out.

Mudbloods and blood-traitors cower in fear ! The heir of Slytherin returns and the chamber has been opened. grow up around his touchstone ! Spill the spoilt rake on the ground !

"It ‘ s getting worse."Harry said as they walked towards their next class."I mean just feeling !"He gestured out the window.

There was a huddle of scholarly person scurrying along the wall and slipping in a doorway. A moment later a group of Slytherins hurried into the courtyard with their with scepter out.

"Harry no !"Harry was aiming his verge out the window but Hermione jerked his arm back."If we start fighting back things will escalate ! We have to let the teachers handle it."

"They can ‘ t."Padma said dully as they passed the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom"Not on this scale."Her sister nodded silently. Her normally cheerful mood dulled.

"Padma ‘ s right Hermione."Ron shook his head."things are just getting tough and besides, we can ‘ t afford to lose any more than 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 word."This isn ‘ t like Quirrell Harry. There ‘ s no evil genius behind it. Its half the school day, trying the putting to death 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 predator curled around Hermione like a homo carapace as they passed and only propagate back out after they had gone. A minute later Harry's verge vibrated in his air pocket."tinker's damn it !"Harry motioned the others to tranquillise and the sound of hexing could be heard above them. They broke into a run towards the close stair.

*

"leave-taking him alone !"Ginny's own vocalism sounded shrill in her spike. She stepped in front her injured friend and tried to swallow her fear.

"What ? Protecting your mudblood boyfriend treasonist ?"Marcus Flint River stepped out of the closed chain of Slytherins surrounding her and Colin."footstep aside for me. I ‘ d rather not spill wizard blood, even your families, unless I have to."

"Mico Harry."Ginny whispered, holding her wand out in straw man of her. Hoping he was in image."Mico Harry."

"Your beau doesn ‘ t look up to much."Flint said stepping finisher and eyeing the quivering Gryffindor."Maybe you want a actual man ?"

"Mico Ron. Mico Hermione."

"What's that ?"Flint River leant forward to hear."That supposed to be a hex ? Ha ! What ‘ s it do ?"Flint laughed and his cohorts around him started laughing too.

"It summons demons !"

As Marcus'head jerked up a bludgeoning hex struck him in the chest. He was thrown back and his friends drew their wands as the piranha rushed them from the stairwell.

*

Harry was the outset to admit that he probably wasn't destined to be a duellist. His for the first time hit against the seventh year had been lucky and he now found himself shielding for his life in the middle of a war-zone. other students from other menage had been drawn in or joined in or been pushed in by the crowd and now the corridor was filled with flashing lights and outcry of pain in the neck.

"You ‘ re utter thrower. Oh you ‘ re dead."flint advanced on him and Harry ducked behind a statue as the big Slytherins maledict smashed into the ground near his feet. A sec one smacked into the stone wizard and it began to topple over. Harry scrambled out as it crashed to the floor and jabbed his verge at his assaulter.

"Expelliarmus !"The tour struck Flint but his midst, sausage-like fingerbreadth were curled tightly around his wand.

"Confringo !"Harry leapt out of the way of the blasting curse word and fell badly on his shoulder. He threw his own back in answer and the snake stumbled backwards. Harry jumped to his feet and slam a bludgeoning hex only to have it ricochet off a shield and flavour him in the pectus. Tumbling backwards he landed on his cover among the debris. His wand skittered off along the trading floor. A trace fell over him and a vast booted pes slammed onto his pectus, holding him down.

"how-do-you-do Potter."Flint pointed his baton at Harry's fount."Now I ‘ m gona have some fun."

A consequence later Flint was thrown off him as a sweeping wave of light shot through the corridor, forcibly pulling opponents apart.

Harry's hand darted out and grabbed his wand while he looked for the source of the piece. His eyes found Albus Dumbledore standing at the end of the corridor with respective early teacher behind him.

"Is any student here injured or in need of the hospital wing ?"His voice was stony as he eyed the put together pupil. A few educatee raised their manus. Dumbledore nodded and turned to speak to the instructor behind him."Please see them there."No one spoke as the wounded were gathered up. Harry saw Markus Michelson handing Ginny her bag with one manus while picking Colin up in his other. As prof McGonagall walked past him he caught her eye for a moment, they were cold, harsh and disappointed. When the finale of the injured were gone the Headmaster turned back to the remaining scholarly person.

"Now can anyone tell me why this happened ? Why Hogwarts students saw fit to turn this corridor into a battleground ?"He looked over the students and Harry realised that he and Flint were right out in the middle, the two of them surrounded by emptiness. Somehow the ringleaders had been singled out."Why scholarly person who I thought I could trust to act in good faith instead acted like mark ?"

No one spoke. No one wanted to draw aid to themselves.

"You will all bring back to your common rooms now. Tomorrow first light you will all come to the outstanding hall where you will spend your Sabbatum 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 schooling has returned. Your parents will also be informed of your unsatisfying behaviour."Dumbledore gestured at the children."Go off now. Not you Harry !"Harry was drawn back by Dumbledore's voice. Marcus Flint smirked at him with his troll-like smile and slinked off. Harry followed the Headmaster in secrecy as he turned and walked off through the shoal. He stopped before a gargoyle on the second story.

"Sherbet Lemon."The childish password seemed oddly out of kilter with the situation. They remained silent as they were raised up by the stairway and walked out into the Headmasters office.

Harry glanced around in wonder at the odd silver machines, many moving or making sonant speech sound, filling table around the edges of the role. His eyes were drawn to the perch behind the desk where a tired looking red shuttlecock 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 robes. He turned and sat behind the heavy desk. Saying nothing, he regarded the pupil before him over steepled fingers.

Harry knew that with any other teacher this was the clock time to be quiet and look guilty, but with Dumbledore he might actually be better off explaining.

"Professor."He began and licked his dry back talk. Dumbledore's eyes flicked to his."I heard the sounds of someone being attacked nearby and I went to see whether I could help. When we… I got there Marcus flint and some early Slytherins had the offset yr surrounded."He couldn't severalise what effect this was having on the Headmaster. His verbalism was inscrutable."I fired a enchantment to make them back off and they responded, I never thought that so many other scholarly person would be drawn in or that it would snowball like this. I ‘ m sorry."

"You cast the for the first time hex ?"

"They had been beating up Colin Creevey before we got there."Harry felt too guilty to lie."But I threw the first combat magic spell yes."

"Several scholar are injured Harry."Supreme Being teeth the ragged bird was eyeballing him as well."And there was some structural legal injury to the school. several house painting were damaged and statues broken."

"I was just trying to help oneself sir. I didn't want any of that."

"And with this ambiance of fear already around the school you have given everyone another ground to hate each other."Harry felt very small in front of the continued stare."unsound, you have escalated this problem with your natural process. adjacent time people will be even ready to draw verge in anger. Next time the hexes will be spoilt and people could be seriously injured Harry, do you sympathize that ?"

"Yes sir."Harry thought of Marcus flint's smirk. Next time they wouldn't delay to taunt the great unwashed.

"Today you chose to press hatred with anger and wildness. That way will always cover further hatred do you realize 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 feel the old piece eyes on his backrest.

*

Harry walked back slowly to the Gryffindor unwashed room. By chance the itinerary took him back past the field. Some attack had been made to strip up but the place still felt damaged. bang-up glob were missing from the Harlan Fiske Stone and the broken picture had all been taken down. The passageway was bare. Harry saw bm at the other end and tensed for a second, then relaxed as he saw red tomentum and freckle.

"Ginny ?"

"Harry."The little fille moved up the corridor towards him. Stopping just a little way down from him."I ‘ m so sorry 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'humanity record."Harry walked up to his unexampled enlistee and ruffled her hair."And I taught you that call exactly so you would call up me if you were ever in problem. All this…"Harry waved his manus at the equipment casualty and stir 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 hand and bit her lip.

"Remind me to teach you to lie convincingly Ginny."Harry looked into her eyes. There was a surprise amount of fear there."Why don't you want to tell me ? You don't have to you know."

"Lost something."Ginny's interpreter became smaller with each word she said."A journal. Must have fallen out in the fight."

"Your journal ‘ s missing ?"Harry shook his question."Did you write anything bad in there ?"

"Not my diary."

"Whose ? Nicking individual's diary is all very marauder of you but…"

"I found it in my books before I even got here. Thought maybe it got go out there."

"Who ‘ s was it ?"

"The movement said it was Tom Marvolo Riddle ‘ s."Ginny was acting almost like when he'd first met her.

"And the bit you ‘ re not telling me is…"He hated doing this but she was obviously hiding something.

"It was… special."Ginny seemed to shrink into the ground a little."It spoke to me."

"Spoke ? It could talk ?"

"No, he wrote back when I wrote him things."Ginny curled up on the story and hugged her legs up to her chest."It was dummy but it wrote back. He was so overnice. I had mortal to spill to finally."

"individual to talk to ?"Harry scratched his head. What did she have in mind ?"You have six pal don't you ?"

"I can't talk to them."Ginny began to sob a little."They don't understand. They laugh at me. Tom understood. And now he ‘ s gone. What if person else picks him up ? What if he tells them the poppycock I wrote ?"Ginny looked up shock and scared and suddenly broke down into tears. Harry just stood there, he didn't know what the Inferno to do.

"I mess everything up."Ginny gulped between sobs."I lost Tom and everyone ‘ s going to understand him ! I messed up the sort ! I started a fight and almost got you expelled !"

"Ginny listen to me."Harry tried grabbing her shoulder but she wouldn't tone at him. With his other hand he cupped her face and brought it up so he could see her eyes."Tom sounds like a ripe friend, I ‘ m sure enough you can trust him to hold on your secret. I mean, other people must have had the journal before you and Tom never told you any of their closed book 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 service you."He was babbling, as if she'd guardianship about the corridor.

"And…"Ginny had stopped crying at to the lowest degree."You don't detest 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 hear. 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 weeping. At to the lowest degree he could do that right.

"come on. Lashkar-e-Taiba get back to the rough-cut room."He stood up and held out a hand to her."And as for having a supporter to talk 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 sidekick instead of Ron ?"

"Because I ‘ m not ginger and my pelt 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 and walking with her towards Gryffindor tugboat."I ‘ m no well at this sort of thing."