Chapter 1.
The owl swooped down over kip London, a letter, signed and sealed in emerald K clutched in its talons. Even if it had had only the stars to see by it would still feature been capable to fly true, but it wasn't necessary. capital of the United Kingdom sleeping was almost as bright as London awake. But light or no unhorse this delivery was a tough one. The postal service owl prided themselves on being able to find anyone but it didn't make it loose when the speech was simply …
London, somewhere…


But Dumbledore had given her special didactics for this deliverance, and she never wavered in her flight, swooping down past a row of shops, past bakers, bankers and opticians and curving cleanly into the skittle alley behind them to light on a streetlamp. Her big brown oculus took in the whole scene, the brick walls, the prominent dumpster bins and the small boy, wrapped in a pelage too large for him by half, trotting down the alley from the other direction.

The boy stopped next to one of the dumpsters and quietly lifted the lid, running his hands by composition and java grounds. He began picking out broken glasses, cracked Lens and the like, transferring them to a sack of his coat. When he had a to the full sack he did something peculiar, he scratched a cross Gospel According to Mark into one of the wall of the alley, then sat down opposite it and began putting first one, then another of the lenses to his eyes. After an time of day of this, the minuscule boy 's case broke into a smiling at a especial half-cracked genus Lens, he grinned as he spun it into the air like a coin, and rolled it across the back of his fingers.


A moment later the boy was rummaging in his torn and garish rucksack and eventually drew out a lowly piece of ground. When he unrolled it on the dry land the hooter optic sparkled in the glimmer of four more lenses, one a mirror-match of the one the boy held in his hand, this he took and replaced the others carefully in his bag. The following to make out from the bag of tricks was a physique ( selected from a few in the bag ) and a underground of glue. Two pinprick splatter of mucilage to each crystalline lens and the boy carefully laid his prize on the trading floor to dry, then crawled behind the dumpster and rolled himself up in his coat.

The owl waited until the child was asleep, then calmly hopped off its rod and placed the letter beside the child, he would find it in the break of the day. By the yellow halogen lamp it read ...
Harry Potter
London, somewhere

*


Harry ceramist flickered between waking and sleep for the farseeing fourth dimension. Slipping in and out of aspiration he would not think back on waking, until he fell into a deeper slumber and curled himself tight into a niggling ball, a well of warmness with his hands tucked in his axillary fossa and his pass ducked down. Shifting and gliding from dreaming of the by, of leaving the Dursleys.

Harry Potter always thought of as just leaving. He did not run away ! You can only run away from dwelling, and Privet driving had never been home. He had decided that. He knew he had another home, he dreamed of that too. Not with images or anything palpable, just of a horse sense of warmth, and also pain, he didn't understand that. Other dreams pushed in on his dark sentence reminiscence and he touched on other things, the pies in the nearby bakery, the employment to do tomorrow and tonight's work, still drying, on the dry land, until…

"Get up ! Get out !"

Not Harry's ill-mannered awakening, but far from pleasant. Harry uncurled like a bounce, just stopping to grab his work on the ground before pelting off down the back street, chased by the irate baker. Rounding a niche Harry ran on, past surprised, mildly startled and downright take aback walker, past times lamps, dogs and pigeon mint, even past times and through the auto as Harry dashed across a meddlesome road. It no longer mattered that he'd lost any chaser three blocks ago, it was just good to run.

Harry stopped in trustee Park and ducked to drink from one of the spring and snatched a few coins from the merchant ship. Soon hopefully he would deliver money coming to him ( at least, as much as he ever had ) and he could make some small measure of it to fill what was more often than not lately a gnawing hole in his middle ( at least it was summertime, wintertime 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 time and citizenry were beginning to make out and go from the building.

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

Harry set his hat down where no one could quash him, or pretend not to see him, and slipped three coloured orchis out of his coat. Shifting them all to his left hand, he flicked his new glasses on with his rightfield. The balls became edged in watch crystal uncloudedness as the lens system slipped over his eyes. Harry stood in the lame and laughed for a spell, laughed into the morning sky while the mass around him stared or frowned, then, in a twinkling, Harry swept all three into the air and spin them around his work force faster and faster. He laughed as he fountained the musket ball up above his head. citizenry began to take posting as he added a one-quarter orb, and a fifth. hoi polloi walked past and turned to stare for a consequence before flipping coins into his hat or even waited there watching him for a while before moving on.

Harry smiled, this clock time not for the act itself, but for the coins. This was why he had had to take glasses and why his abdomen was emptier than formula. He hadn't been able to manage More than three glob since Christmas. Just to show himself he could, Harry added another chunk and split the globe into two rope ("Oooh !"Said a pocket-size young lady passing by. The mother smiled at him, but didn't dip anything ). The two rope became one again as they began to wobble ("Out of practice session"thought Harry ) and he pocketed two of the balls back away, he had to preserve this up for a while.

The sun was high in the sky before Harry moved from his post. He scooped his profits to an inside pocket and went off to buy lunch. He bought sandwiches at some newsagents with no real figure and ate them slowly on a parking lot bench and booze more weewee from a fountain. On the way back to his spot Harry passed another food shop, the cakes in the window looked even better than the first ace had. Harry walked past, thrift was in his bones.
*


When Harry got back to the station he realised something was wrong. In the take center of the square was the biggest man Harry had ever seen. From the toes of his large leather iron boot, past his heavy furred overcoat ( Bet that's warm, thought Harry ) all the way to his brass, so report, variously, in beard, moustache and unsportsmanlike Shirley Temple haircloth that only low parts of tegument were visible, the man was easily eight foundation tall. The very appearance of the man was so come to that for a hanker present moment 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 consult a bit of ( very old and yellow-bellied looking ) newspaper then look around, staring at hoi polloi, then look worriedly back at the paper.

"Maybe he's lost"Thought Harry. But the tall man didn't seem to be about to locomote on, neither did he look to be the type to ask directions. Harry was torn for a moment between apprehensiveness at the enforce figure and a chance to snap up a bit more money from helping a lost tourist. But a moment later his irresolution became excess as the tall man turned to look at Harry and his cheek broke into a vast smile. The tall man ran over to where Harry was standing ( breaking respective paving stones ) and stopped in nominal head of the startled fry looking, in turns, happy and relieved.

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

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

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

"well you o'course ! Didn't you get… Hey delay !"By halfway through the sentence Harry was halfway across the lame, and accelerating.

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

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

"wait ! You got to have yer letter of the alphabet ! You got… Out a my way you ! … to study it ! Stop !"

Harry pelted off a main route and down an alley, he was moving so fast he almost shot past the affair he had been searching for. Harry skidded to a halt and grasped both hands round the shape branding iron drainpipe ( his little whoremonger was less useful now most pipes were plastic but it had still put him above and away from Thomas More than one bit of trouble ), his substructure 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 rhythm would do ) and pulled himself onto the tile cap above him. Harry lay there for a bit, finding his balance ( and his breath ) before sliding back to the sharpness and looking over. Three narration down ("It had looked so much larger from the prat"thought Harry ) the marvelous man stood hunched over, catching his breath in huge, leviathan, gulps that disturbed the dust on the priming. The man managed to resist up after a few moments and began rummaging in his pelage. After a few tries at diverse pockets he managed to perpetrate out what looked like a sealed envelope and squeeze it into the air.

"You got… to have… yer letter."The man said breathlessly. He wiped his hand across his expression and shook the sweat off on the earth."Blimey you're fast."And with that the marvelous man dropped to the priming 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 grandiloquent man, pulling off his coat to expose a unsporting Stanford White shirt and suspenders."Why'd you do that anyway ?"

"Because I've never met you before."Said Harry."Why would mortal 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 small enough to fit in my hand back then, and you were easygoing to catch."The magniloquent man said smiling."I knew you when you was a baby. Knew your parents too, friends."The homo head drooped for a moment then came back up quickly."As to how I found you, well, I had some assistant with that."The man reached into his coat and dug out a pink umbrella with frilly braid edges, it looked almost like it should be in a cocktail nestled in his big hands.

"An umbrella ?"Said Harry"Oh of course !"Harry stood up and began strutting along the edge of the roof ("Careful"cried the grandiloquent man")"Why didn't I see it before ? An umbrella, a magical umbrella that points you on your way ! The umbrella of visible 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 head and laughed."You're daft 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 time you read your letter."The man put the letter on the ground in front of him ( pausing for a moment when he realised he had been using it to mop his hilltop ) 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 outburst into purple flames.

"It's all right ! It's all right !"Cried the man, stamping out the fervency with his boot."It only got the envelope and that was pretty wet so it's all right. I'll try again."Harry watched in stupefy expectancy as the man stepped back again, raised the umbrella carefully and mumbled something slightly unlike towards the gasbag. For a here and now aught happened. Then, slowly, one border of the envelope lifted up, dipped back down again ("unfluctuating"mumbled the man ) then righted itself and rose by one recession as if it was drawn up by an invisible thread. The letter rose higher and higher until it drew level with Harry's face. He stood up and the varsity letter obligingly rose to conciliate him. Harry carefully reached out and waved his script over the letter of the alphabet, then under it, then all around just to be sure. He finally drew his hired man back and whispered

"How…"Harry leaned in to get a closer look and suddenly, momentarily, forgot he was on a rooftop. His feet slipped out from under him and he tumbled over, skinning his stage on the edge before falling like a Stone. As he spun in the air he looked up to see the alphabetic character, still casually floating above him."Weird day…"Thought Harry, then declamatory hands caught him.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"That was a long time ago."Harry snapped back to the portray."and I'm better off without them taking care of me !"The tall man gave him a shrewd look, taking in his heavily fatigue clothes and place."Well…"added Harry"at least now I don't get slapped if I don't have repast quick for them on time."Harry grinned"Who knows how they managed without me ? Probably starved to death trying to work out how the oven works."He laughed and was pleased to see the marvellous man laugh too."Mind you it'd take a while to starve Dudley. Fat reserves like a camel !"Harry did a quick fat-cousin opinion, waddling along the alleyway, and the man laughed harder.

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

"Read the letter, read the letter of the alphabet !"Urged the tall man impatiently. Harry tucked the tag into his sac and pulled out one of the sail of paper. He opened it. His eyes slid from one face to the former. He had read each tune about three times before he finally believed that what he thought he show was actually what was on the Thomas Nelson Page. Harry held the alphabetic character in front end of him and tried to sedate his interpreter before saying,

"A schooling ?"

"Yep,"Said the tall man smiling"Hogwarts, unspoiled schooling in the world for people like you. course the other schools'll tell you different, but anyone who knows what there talking about says Hogwarts is the cracking. Course we have Albus Dumbledore, none of the repose of em can say that."

"Who's he ?"Said Harry, still desperately trying to avoid the one persona of the letter that had him shaking nigh."Someone famed ?"

"He's the headmaster."Said the improbable 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 heart were drawn to the postscript on the buttocks of the letter of the alphabet, written in a different handwriting than the residuum of the text edition, and with different ink.
P.S.

Due to your peculiar circumstances an escort has been provided for you to explicate and avail you through the process of preparing for your world-class school twelvemonth. 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 start of your first school year.

Albus Dumbledore


"Rubious Hagrid ?"The tall man nodded.

"Yep that's me. gamekeeper, caretaker and steward of tonality at Hogwarts."

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

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

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

"wellspring, yeah."Said Hagrid"What did you guess it meant ? Those tricks muggles ("muggles ?") use to put one over each early ?"

"And you think I can do that ?"

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

When your entire lifespan shatters like glass and is replaced something glittering and new, sharp-worded and scary. When your life-time alteration in an instant you can either deplumate back, detainment on to the old, try to pick up the piece and risk destroying the new crystal future you have found, for the sake of safe waters of the by. Or you can drop, laughing into the new life-time, with its sheeny opening. And you either tease it through, or get swallowed under.

Harry laughed as he walked out of the back street, and into lustrous futures.



Lets all take a minute to thank Memory queen for betaing this chapter.

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

Harry raked his custody through his shorter hair, trying to create it plane. The hairdresser had nearly shoved them out of the shop when they arrived, a conspicuously improbable man and a youngster with uncombed, vulgar, un-anythinged hairsbreadth. Hagrid had paid her in notes that looked very old.

"Did he nominate them with magic ?"Thought Harry suddenly."Could I make them with magic ?"The clothes and the exhibitioner at a gym had both been interchangeable peculiarity but apparently the orotund oddness was yet to come.

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

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

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

Harry hurried alongside Hagrid, his mind still buzzing with questions. But there was no way he was asking about magic in a crowd together street full of muggles ( or was it muddles, or mugwerts. Something like that anyway. ) And when they finally turned into a doorway Harry was so busy looking at where they were that they were pushed to the rear of his thinker. They had stepped, hopefully deliberately ( this didn't seem like the sort of home that would betray book, or draw potions former than the general alcohol-dependent kind ) into a dark, oak beamed, pub full phase of the moon of solid, old-looking furniture. The drinks behind the bar had odd names and some of the liquidness fizzed or bubbled. In the dark light Harry could have sworn one of them was glowing faintly. The signboard outside had said"The leaky cauldron ”. It certainly fitted one of the criteria.

As Hagrid led Harry across the floor, weaving around table Harry began to notice former things that didn't quite fit. Like the clothes the great unwashed were wearing, half of the the great unwashed were in convention, but hideously inappropriate and mismatched, wearing apparel. But the other half wore what looked like long flowing robe in various people of color. The smaller items were unknown, no scout or walkmans, but instead one man held a marble in his bridge player. 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 friends ("Less than a sickle ("sickle ?") and new they go as richly as five !"). In a corner two gingerroot fry who looked like Twin Falls, not much senior than Harry himself, were swapping some variety of trading cards.

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

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

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

"Fair enough so… ohh…"The barman was looking at Harry, or more accurately, at his frontal bone. Harry put his hired man to it and realised that, with his new haircut, the old scrape on his forehead was no long 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 fixation or something ?

"Of course you've always had it lad !"Said the bartender, half amazed, one-half amused."You're Harry thrower !"

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

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

"My names Jack."He said, affronted."Why you all staring at me ?"sound seemed to fall back to the barroom as people turned back to their drinks, mumbling and in one case shouting ("Oh no ! its all over my shirt !"). And Harry turned back towards the bar and looked up into the incredulous face of the mixologist and then promote up into the confused font of Hagrid."I got the mark falling off my first bike, odd shape isn't it ?"Harry smiled.

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

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

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

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

"Ah… well… you see that's…"Hagrid dry-washed his hands nervously. Then straitened and walked over to a paries pulling out his umbrella."That can hold back boulder clay later, it's not something I want't discuss in a dark alley."Hagrid tapped bricks faster than Harry could keep an eye on and stepped back."There…"Said Hagrid, obviously swell to take every silence 50 dubiousness re-arise."Here's where you can get your shoal poppycock, Diagon alley."The bricks spread apart around the area Hagrid had tapped, opening out to a windowpane into another world.

A long winding street, total to the brim with odd robed people, and odd shops filled with odder merchandise. Colourful signs swung from the overhanging stories above them, showing that the shop below sold broomsticks or firework. multitude sold things out of barrows on the bound, odd vegetables and wooden toy that danced or spun. For now Harry was content to follow Hagrid, draining in the raft and the sounds of the place. He was almost discomfited when Hagrid stopped in straw man of a large colonnaded building and went inside.












The inside of the building was as majestic as the outside, with two long desks running the length of the senior high domed way. Light came from windowpane high up on the walls. Along each desk sat curious creatures consulting listing or counting out tidy sum on coins. There were bags of coins behind the desks too, and the merely speech sound were the click of metal on alloy and the scraping of quill feather. Harry suddenly had the odd sensation that he had entered the duomo 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 quieter vocalisation."I don't have any money to draw back, 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 quietus of the interrogation was lost as they reached the desk they had been headed for.

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

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

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

"Key, right…"Hagrid dug through pocket after pouch, spilling respective thing onto the floor and the desk. Harry picked up the affair he could accredit, like pair of scissors and a dog dog collar, and left the former piece where they were, some of them were moving."Ah !"Hagrid produced a key, that had probably been sheeny gold before encountering Hagrid's pocket, and put it on the desk."There we are. Also there's one other thing."Hagrid leaned in close to the wight and handed him a certain piece of paper. Harry thought he recognised the curvy signature on the strawman."It's about what's in hurdle 713."

"Of course."Said the wight, reading the note. For the first time it seemed interested in what it was looking at. The animal ("They're goblins Harry, sorry I didn't honorable mention that. I keep forgetting you're new to this. hob, and this is Gringots.") summoned over another like it but jr. and with a slightly lupus erythematosus crisp expression. This new goblin introduced himself as Greeklunk, rolled his eyes at the back of the departing hob and led them through one of the doorway in the back and down to what looked like a mine car.

"Um Hagrid ?"

"Yes Harry."

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

"Oh Gringots runs under half o'London. If you had to take the air to the vaults it'd acquire all day. tour down pretty far too. The top security measures vaults are down there, guarded by cuss, and yap and dragons…"

"firedrake sound like a safe security department method."Said Harry, climbing into the cart."Of course it could be a trouble 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 catch one's breath firing ?"

"wellspring yes."

"Are they ten foot long ?"

"Oh most are much bigger than that !"

"With huge claw, teeth, sinew ?"

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

"Just playing around."Harry said as the pushcart gathered amphetamine. Soon the bulwark were passing at a blur, other caterpillar tread winding off to either side. The pushcart passed through huge caverns and through pin-hole passageways, tipping so far on the bends it threatened to come off. Harry stood face-first to the wind and closed eye, letting the gusting noise swirl around him as the cart movement buffeted him. After a second gear he turned to Greeklunk, just one question on his mind.

"Does it go any faster ?"

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

"No !"Hagrid's muffled yell came from the box 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 boundary 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 munition out like wings to better feel the wind, but obligingly put them back down."You make me giddy standing like that."

The handcart eventually slowed and pulled up succeeding to a vault. Harry hopped out of the pushcart to examine this new surrounding followed, much more slowly and with thought for his breadbasket, by Hagrid. Greeklunk led them to one finicky vault and turned brought out the key Hagrid had given the desk goblin. The whorl squeaked as Greeklunk turned it with the key and there was the sound of bombastic thunderbolt drawing back.

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

Harry's mind rebelled. Not on-key, it insisted to its corruptible heart, the pictures your sending me just can't be avowedly. 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 atomic number 79 and more generous handfuls from the ash grey 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 door. Harry was silent as they stepped back into the cart and for a while just stared at the wall rushing past until finally he felt he had his own cerebration in order sufficiency to try and get answers for them.

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

"well of course they were ! Lilly and Jesse James thrower. Head boy and female child of Hogwarts they were when they were there."

"deception runs in house ?"

"Normally it does yes."

"My aunt and uncle ?"Harry asked incredulously.

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

"And they were stinking fat ?"

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

"But, that burial 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 call up them."

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

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

After a moment he began to blab and Harry let the Son wash over him. Hagrid didn't seem very undecomposed at telling stories, his mind jumped about with many a"and there was this other time…"and seemed to jump from his sire low gear class at Hogwarts, to his parents wedding, to some game called Quidditch his Father-God apparently played, to just describing his mothers face. In the eye of a blow by blow description of a fight between his begetter and some other kid ( Snipe ? ) Harry realised they were no longer moving. Glancing around he saw a dim, disused, dingy and dank part of the bank caves with just one large vault in sight next to the cart. Thinking back Harry realised they had not moved in some meter and he glanced over to Greeklunk who smiled back at him, waiting at the ascendance levers. Harry mouthed

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

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

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

"Best you don't think on it too lots 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 joke. Greeklunk ran a finger down a theatrical role of the room access and it dissolved like debris into the air. The goblin then stepped back warily as if he didn't want to be closer to the contents of the vault than he had to be. While Hagrid stepped into the burial vault Harry turned to Greeklunk and whispered

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

"And I don't want to come up out."The hob shuddered."The burial vault down here are the top security measures. I haven't been here long enough to see more than one or two. Sometimes its just money, people who want it as good as possible and don't mind the extra complaint, but sometimes…"

"Worse ?"

"Much worse."Greeklunk leaned against the paries and put an odd stick in his mouth and began to chew it."There was one guy a few solar day ago, rich nob from one of the old wizarding families. All he took out was money but I swear, in the vertebral column of the vault there was other stuff. Chains, knives, a rack, not new poppycock mind but some of it looked… used."Greeklunk trailed off into muteness, chewing softly.

"You allow the great unwashed to put in poppycock like that here ?"Harry asked.

"That's not the worst of it."Continued Greeklunk, shaking his head word."That stuff could easily birth been full of dark conjuring trick. In fact, considering the source, it probably was."Greeklunk looked like he was about to say more then suddenly broke off and stood up. Muttering to himself he began to pace."You won't tell anybody I said that will you Harry ?"Greeklunk said, sounding worried."solitary dealing are meant to be secret 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 mellow ups would see it like that."Greeklunk shook his head."Ah… fourth dimension to go."Hagrid stepped back out of the vault stuffing a little grubby parcel into his pocket.

"Something modest"Thought Harry."Something pocket-size but very valuable and very secret and possibly very serious. Something magic. Something…"( he glanced into the vault as the door reappeared )"…valuable enough to engage out an entire vault just for it. What are we the couriers of ?"

On the way back Hagrid began feeling sick again so Harry chatted to Greeklunk about Gringots and the go-cart ("Sometimes we airstream them after closing hours ! Er, dear add that to your list of stuff not to name again Harry."). Finally the pushcart reached basis level again and they got out, waved arrivederci to Greeklunk and stepped back into the torrent of auditory sensation in diagonally.






"Right, 1st affair first."Hagrid looked up and down the street and stopped when he saw a store that appeared to suffer a needle-and-thread foretoken outside its door."We need to get you some robes."Madam Malkin's was empty except for the owner who fussed over Harry like a mother hen, standing him up on a stool and pinning and tucking the long black robe she threw over him.

"You'll be going to Hogwarts of course."brothel keeper Malkin's part was muffled by the pins and clips held in her mouth. Hagrid, standing in the back 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 piffling vulnerable. Not from people, Harry knew how and when to run from trouble, but from this world. He was in a foreign body politic and had just lost his translator.

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

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

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

"I see a lot of Hogwarts bookman come in here for their initiatory robes."Madam Malkin moved around to his former side to begin 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 years time you see them derive back carrying broomsticks and making the toilet fly just like the rest. You'll fit in."She knelt down to start out on the hemline and Harry was left feeling more stable than he had all day.

"Just a matter of getting my sea legs."Thought Harry, idly taking two balls from his sac and juggling them one-handed."Get stable in this new world and you'll be fine."Harry added another testis and kept on with one manus, using the other to get out his tilt."Still need quills, still need lambskin, still ..."

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

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

"That."The female child pointed at Harry's right hired man and he realised he was still bouncing the juggling balls.

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

"I tried to learn how to juggle once."The little girl seemed to speak as if everyone should sit up and pick out notice."I got a book out of the subroutine library that was supposed to learn you but I kept dropping the balls."The girl seemed to realise something and turned to him ( making the somebody pinning up her dress swear and wet-nurse a sting finger )"Unless of course you used magic. Its probably well-heeled for you to do if you do magic. I never knew I was magic until the letter came and I'm so glad but I bet I'll be behind everyone else, that's why we came out here the first day we could so I would have a chance to get portion of rule book for background reading. I just hope I don't end up looking stupid."The girl seemed to hold back more from want of breathing place than from lack of words, she didn't smell like she ever ran out of words.

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

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

"Maybe you're going there to learn. But I've always had the opinion that life's for fun, and if you can't recover something to laugh at in any situation you're not trying hard enough. Anyway…"Harry swiftly moved on as the girl went through several stages of daze."… we'll hardly be capable to avoid having fun if we're doing turn all the time, making stuff fly, making scarf out explode, making stuff into former stuff and nonsense, the unscathed thing should be a blast."There was an uncomfortable silence, helpfully filled by ma'am Malkin saying…

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

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

"Harry Potter."The seamstress gasped and stabbed her finger again, dame Malkin looked up in surprise."See you at Hogwarts."He walked out into the street leaving two storm and two mazed 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 berm."I was about to get 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 years of his aliveness when Hagrid started off towards another shop and Harry had to abide by or be swallowed by the crowd.

On the round of the shops Harry met three more prospective Hogwarts pupil, a pair of twinned young lady in the druggist's who laughed when he juggled crocodile eyes and laughed even harder when he was thrown out of the store for doing so, and a boy called Blaise Zabini in brandish and Blotts who didn't seem to express joy at anything and sniffed in utter disdain when Harry bought moment hand books.

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

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





Ollivanders came next and Harry thought for a consequence Hagrid had taken his advice to heart. Looking at the slim premises with faded windowpane and peeling paintwork belied its indorsement which made out that it had made amercement sceptre since 382 bc.

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

The inside was full of ledge, piled high with yearn thin boxes. It reminded Harry of a cross between an old irregular deal bookstall and a disused shoe computer memory. The splinter of light from the window illuminated the atom of debris in the air, Harry blew into it and was rewarded by a swirling formula, spotlighted in the murky room. He was just wondering if he should perhaps ring the toll when he heard a interpreter out of the darkness.

"goodness afternoon."The interpreter was quiet and felt like old velvet but it came so suddenly that Hagrid jumped like a spooked hare and Harry just kept enough of his self-control to invalidate jumping himself though his centre felt like it had leapt on its own.

"Good afternoon to you."Harry said, keeping his voice steady while thinking"sneaking up on me, huh ? Don't let him see he got to you. For all he knows you heard him coming."Out of the 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 mark, none of the other people he'd met had through the tomentum."I was sure I'd be seeing you in my shop sometime soon."

"Sorry to keep you waiting."Harry leaned back from the valet de chambre 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 measure out of a pocket and it sprang out of his hand, measuring Harry's arms and digit."baton are what I do. I made all the wands here and I remember all of them, even the single I've sold."

"Wouldn't some sort of calling card catalogue would be more effective ?"said Harry but Ollivander wasn't listening.

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

"wellspring it would if you've been around since 382bc !"Getting more gravel as the tape beat wrapped itself around his head.

"You're mother was a unicorn-hair daughter, set in willow. practiced verge that, I remember the day I made it. Your father liked a wand with dragon heart-string, more powerful. fountainhead I say he liked but its really the wand that chooses the wizard."Ollivander fixed Harry with a stare that made his tactile property like he was being weighed and measured but he managed to say.

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

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

"No, not that one. Lets go in another direction."Ollivander climbed up a ravel 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 laud toothpick unenthusiastically before handing it back up to Ollivander who replaced it on the shelf and kicked the run over to another area.

More wands passed by without effect and Harry was beginning to palpate concern ( and a lilliputian hungry ) when Ollivander passed him another wand.

"capital of Arizona plume and Holly eleven inches."Ollivander handed it to him just like he had all the others but Harry thought he had seen a glimmer in the old world spooky heart. Harry raised it apprehensively and swished it like a whip. Nothing happened, and muteness filled the small store. Harry held the scepter out for the old shopkeeper but he made no motion to study it. He was staring at it like he did not quite understand.

"Try it again."Was all he said.

Harry obediently swished the scepter 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 people man looked quite confused.

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

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

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

"But that one didn't employment. This one did."He liked the look of the wand he had in his hand. The Wood was faintly red and the grip where he held it was a little rougher making the matter smell horse barn in his small mitt like none of the others had."How much for this one."

"proceeds 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 eye off the scepter in his hand.










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

"Alright. Now I need to know what's going on."Hagrid nodded and sighed, mumbling something about not knowing why Dumbledore thought he was the one who should secern him, then launched into the story. the great unwashed 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 mystifying breathing place and said…

"They think, that something I was or did hold back this shadow lord ? And the reason people are staring at me is because I'm some sort of celebrity-hero ? And everyone in your world knows this ? Including the masses 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 consume in on top of what you've already heard today. But you asked, and I would've had to tell you anyway seeing as you'll be going off to Hogwarts with masses who know."Hagrid suddenly looked around them, some of the workshop were already shut and the café possessor was looking at them pointedly."We'd better get going."

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


Chapter 2 : The toaders

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

"I've got you a elbow room here at the cauldron."Hagrid pointed back up the stares."I don't know what yer gon na do in the prospicient term but for now until you go to Hogwarts you can stay 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 surprisal than, well, than the rest of his life put together. Harry kicked off the blankets when he began sweating and lay back with his custody behind his headspring. His tired body fought his buzzing judgment as it churned through the days revelations. But as the clock crept past eleven Harry's body began to win and his eyes drooped.

He dreamt of wands and ace and rocketing carts that flew past his eyes chased by broomsticks. But most of all he kept turning and turning the narration Hagrid had told him through his headland just as he had when he was awake. Again and again a dark figure killed a man, then a woman then touched him on the straits with his wand. Sometimes the man was Hagrid, his vast majority blowing away like junk in a ostentation of light, sometimes the man looked like Harry, but older, stockier. The cause of death was worse, sometimes it was just a dark force, a wave. Sometimes it looked human, 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 dark outside. He had sweated despite ridding himself of the back and scrambled to the window to spread out it. Dim twinkle filtered in from the edges of a sky not quite make for sunrise. 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 arduous wooden sort. The bed had a canopy around it that Harry had failed to close last night, he noted in passing that the under sheet was twisted as if the slumberer had squirmed in the night.

"Running from something"Harry decided grimly. That thought and others made him decide to forgo trying to get some more log Z's before dawning and wandered over to where he'd dropped his pocketbook by the dresser.

He idly looked through purse, sorting stuff into oodles and chuckling as they brought back recollections of various sequence of the former day, the quill feather the storekeeper had tried to move over him release when a pennon from a fan blew back his hair, the potion constituent Hagrid had had to go back in to get after the crocodile eye instalment. When he finally had all he owned in tidy sum in front of him he pulled over a death chair and sat down in front end of it, considering his quandary. The prominent agglomerate by far, dwarfing his new gown in weight unit if not in sizing, was the books.

This really was a dilemma for Harry. Having not had effort to read anything longer than a sentence or two in three years Harry was painfully aware that those books would be seriously heavy going. Checking his ticket again ( from another pile ) Harry counted days and came up with thirty eight. He counted them again and came up with thirty seven. He did a niggling rhyme in his capitulum to think of how many days august had and came up with thirty eight again. He wondered how a lot a room for to a greater extent than a month had cost and whether he could comport all his record about on the streets and realised that Hagrid had probably paid in advance to blockade him doing just that. The groundskeeper was surprisingly shrewd about some things.

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

"Wow,"he thought grinning"All it takes is just a immense good deal of amber and suddenly you can't miss two meals. Weakling."

Harry lay back for a mo and closed his eyes, then swung forward and pulled a book off the top of the pile. After a present moment he replaced it, shuffled through boulder clay he found the one with the word beginners in the title and started on that. After a moment he put that back too and found the one that said grade-one. After a moment he leaned back and put his invertebrate foot up. He had finally managed to understand the first sentence in one of his Good Book. It was a start.

*

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

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

The way revealed to him, Harry stepped out onto the bustle street. Harry bought a folded-pastry matter at a cart and was surprised to divulge it was pumpkin. He walked along staring in Windows at the versatile oddment until he reached Gringots. Gaining this associate background Harry climbed to the top of the stone's throw, sat down and finished his pastry dough where he could see everyone fare and go. Eventually he got out his book and interpret a chapter on something called alohomora without taking it in before shouldering his bag again and walking back into the crowd.

Harry followed a pattern like this for the following few daylight, going out in the morning and soaking in the sights of Diagonally until he was sure he knew the space by heart, The measure playscript of magical spell ( gradation one ) by Miranda Accipiter gentilis was finished and replaced back by A novice guide to transfiguration by Emeric substitution which was itself put back after a much longer interval ( the book was yearner and had none of the helpful diagrams Miranda goshawk had added to her rule book ) by one about Fungi.

Harry was just grinding through a particularly dull passage about moss after a farseeing days walk when he heard a tapping on the window. A brown and cream flecked owl with long legs stood on the windowsill. The windowpane was candid but the owl just kept sitting there, cocking its head at him until Harry motioned the raspberry to amount in. It ducked under the windowpane frame and hopped onto the story where it scuttled up to the desk and raised itself up to it in one fluttering. Careful to annul disturbing any of Harry's stuff it walked over to him and held out a alphabetic character it had clutched in its hook. 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 foreland and took another step back but didn't leave. Harry felt into his pocket and found the corpse of his ham sandwich lunch which he opened and placed near the owl. The owl looked at it but seemed too nervous to take it. Shrugging, Harry opened the letter of the alphabet. In writing almost as bad as his own Harry read…


honey Harry
Happy Birthday. Sorry I couldn't be there in person but what with the school year just starting there's passel to do at Hogwarts. There was a schoolroom on the 3rd floor full of flesh eating sluggard. Anyway I sent you your deliver. ( Harry checked inside the gasbag and learn on bewildered ) Unless you're wondering why the owls still hanging around it's because she's yours. ( Ahh, thought Harry, glancing at the aflutter bird ) The coop and stuff should be coming soon too. If you want to spell to me just consecrate her a letter, she'll know where to find me. Once again felicitous Birthday.

Hagrid


Harry folded the varsity letter up carefully and turned to front at the owl. It really wasn't that large in the eubstance but had long spindly legs that looked like they belonged on a wader. Harry slowly put his arm out and scratched the position of the hooter school principal. She went stiff for a moment then relaxed and cocked her head under his scratching finger's breadth. After a fiddling while the owl managed to pull up the courageousness to take a bit of ham off the table and swallow it entirely. The next 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 salesclerk said that that was the most unimaginative name he'd ever heard. Harry stuck his tongue out at him and left the shop.

About a calendar week after that Harry snapped shut the cover of the live on book in his spile. He put it carefully on top of the others and sat there for a piece collecting his thought process. Then he leaned forward, placed a paw firmly on the underside of the pile and turned it over. Digger hooted from her cage as Harry sat back down to read.

*

Sep the first bloomed smart and early but Harry was already up. His bag was stuffed to the brim with his school clothed and books and his cauldron tied on the exterior and he carried Digger in her cage in one hand. Harry walked Diagonally one last time to say goodbye to the the great unwashed he'd met on his walking, Greeklunk at gringots, the fruit seller he chatted to when he got bored of his Word of God and finally to Tom the barkeeper before walking back out into the muggle world.

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

"Half an 60 minutes to go."Harry checked his ticket."Easier to wait on the train than out here ”. He walked down the weapons platform past platform eight, by weapons platform nine, past political program ten, back past platform ten, stop, look left, take care right.

A profanity slipped from Harry's mouth that made a passer-by grouch and scowl. There was no political program nine-and-three-quarters, at to the lowest degree not one he could see. Harry had walked the distance of weapons platform nine and ten before he saw an odd great deal moving towards him. A man dressed in a black cape, attracting many stares from Passer by, herded a white-blond haired nestling towards the platform. They were followed by a tired looking man carrying a large travel chest and ( and this was the bit Harry was looking at ) a large owl in a John Cage. As the trio drew closer Harry heard the boy say…

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

"Hello."From the icy looking at in the mans eyes not a good start but he pressed on."I couldn't supporter but overhear that last bit and it occurred to me that you might be the form of people who could point me the way to platform nine-and-three-quarters."There, that was innocuous enough, if they weren't wizards they'd just think he was an half-wit. The man looked him up and down slowly.

"So you know about the program but you don't screw how to get to it."The man has an self-important drawling vocalization."That says to me, muggle-born."The man started forward again suddenly enough that Harry had to stand out out of the way. He wasn't fast adequate however and the tip of the mans cane tripped him, sending him sprawling to the floor. He heard laugh from both the man and the boy that cut off suddenly. Harry got up and dusted himself off but the wizards were no-where to be seen. Cursing himself Harry looked at the prison term, barely five minutes left. Harry was just wondering if there was a second train he could take when…

"doodly-squat !"Harry was thumped on the shoulder and spun around to look into the freckled face of one of the twins from the leaky cauldron the first time he had passed through there. They were followed by an senior teenager, possibly even more freckle than them and a immature one bringing up the nates. Behind them was a plump woman, raging at being left in charge of a all flotilla of baggage trolleys while her sons ran off and a little daughter hanging on to her hand.

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

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

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

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

"blockage bothering him lamb, and take you're carts back."The mother had joined them and was pushing them towards the weapons platform."We haven't got prison term for dawdling."Harry walked with the crew to the gap between platform nine and platform ten trying to work out a way to assure them.

"You know, about the unscathed Harry Potter thing."Harry said but was silenced as the oldest pal took his cart and walked straight through the rampart. Harry's shock must bear came through on his grimace because the mother said.

"kickoff time to Hogwarts dear ?"

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

"Oh, its all right love, its Ron's first time too."She pointed to the new 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 clank into it, or you will. You see ?"

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

There was a present moment of quiet pressure then Harry opened his eyes and walked out to gaze at the red steam engine, sat following to the mark for chopine nine-and-three-quarters. He heard a weird shlooping sound behind him and saw Ron standing there checking himself to see whether he was alright and looking back towards the barrier.

"Skull still whole ?"Harry asked him and got a smile in yield. Harry wandered down the political platform and got in a seemingly void carriage. He saw the atomic number 78 haired boy from the platform talking to Blaise Zabini and hastily got back down. The adjacent few posture he checked were occupied by people already talking and chatting and showing each other moving picture. Harry reached the end of the wagon train and was on his way back when he spotted the boy, Ron, walking along in nominal head of him checking each compartment. Harry walked up and moved into dance step with him.

"I think everywhere's taken"Harry said as they checked another compartment only to happen a radical of seventh class in serious discussion over a newsprint. Harry hefted his bag higher onto his shoulder and held the door to the following compartment receptive for Ron and his huge trunk.

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

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

"I'm Ron."The boy extended a script, which Harry took."Ron Weasley. What's your last public figure labourer ?"

"fountainhead, see the thing about that is."No receive beguilement here."My name calling not actually Jack."Seeing Ron's perplexed expression he continued."You get a line how your brothers met me right."( nod )."How hoi polloi thought I was Harry Potter and turned and looked at me ?"( nod )."Well, try and see it from my view, you're suddenly in a new place with lots of people staring at you."( tacit stare )."What would you have 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 potter ?"Ron laughed and told him it was a honorable caper, he laughed right up until Harry pushed his fringe up and showed Ron the cicatrix on his forehead. Daffo centre widened like lamps and his laughter caught in his throat and got turned into a fit of coughing that Harry had to slap him on the back to get him out off."You really are him ?"

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

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

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

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

"I remember being hurt. null else really."They walked on in silence for a while.

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

"You're brothers ?"

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

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

"Forgot six ? Six what ?"

"The routine six, he used to numerate up like… four, five, seven. If you told him he'd missed out a act 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.

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

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

*

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

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

"There wasn't fourth dimension, what with the being thrown out of the shop class and all. Don't worry about that this meter, I plan to stay at Hogwarts at to the lowest degree a few Day before getting thrown."The twins laughed, that was how to do it. Tell a prank just after you say your gens ‘ cos you can't gasp and joke at the same time."And anyway, you didn't tell me your names either."

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

"It's an optical illusion."he said with a smile,"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 uglier !"

"Thanks."Harry said flatly while wondering whether he was unplayful ( dragons, so why not giants ? ). Before he could say anything else the compartment door slid undecided to demonstrate a Wiccan pushing a trolley full of food.

"Would you like anything off the trolley love ?"She asked. A momentary-flash-fire three way engagement raged in Harry between hungriness, parsimony and a need to impress but the issue was decided by a set of creamy orange cakes sitting on one side of the tram. On seeing them, thrift waved a piddling whiteness flag.

"Two of those please."Harry said, pointing at the cakes. Ron mumbled that he had brought sandwiches but the counterpart seemed to have worked out all the stuff they were getting in advance and amassed a pocket-size agglomerate of their deary in forepart of them. As the streetcar moved away Harry held up one of his cakes and said."Now, can anyone tell me what the infernal region I just bought ?"

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

"necromancer get skillful food."Harry said leaning back and taking another bite.

"What do you intend ?"said Parvati.

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

"I didn't grow up with mavin, or witches or firedrake or giants."Harry gestured widely at the surrounding area."Welcome to my journey of never-ending Revelation. I'm just waiting for the extraterrestrial to derail out with Elvis and all will be complete."He stopped and waited on their disjointed stares.

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

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

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

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

"So, you lived alone ?"Parvati broke the quiet."Without a phratry ?"

"Without a rest home ?"Padma added onto the end of her sisters inquiry. Ron just sat there looking dumbstruck.

"Yes without a family, yes without a home."Harry's heart began to speed and he could feel the sweat from their stares. He fumbled in his pocket and brought out two juggling balls and began to bounce them in one hand, he could feel the stress ebbing, relaxing, growing smaller but still sitting there, in the backrest of his brain, weighing it down. It had been repose too long, earn them talk again."Neat tarradiddle yeah ?"Harry said pocketing the testis."Anyway its not as bad as you think, I think I had a little help after I left my aunt 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 spell to gain it, his mind soaking into the old books he was reading, the inclusion had come to him slowly, as more and more pieces fell together."You know unwitting magic…"

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

"Yep,"Harry smiled happily."I used to think I was lucky, born lucky, you know ? Any time I was really in difficulty like, like with the law ("police ? !"gasped Ron, The Twins eyes went wide with jar. ) something always happened. Like a gate I'd just ran through locked and barred itself behind me, or a body of water main bursting right under a cop-car."

"Were they hurt ?"Ron looked aghast.

"Nah, just broke the car. Still, none of those were as near as this one time."Harry motioned for the others to slant in and they obliged, now wrapped up in his account."I was being chased by this crew o'drunken guy cable right ? Chasing me over some diminished matter of piddling 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 intellect they took it as an insult."Harry shook his head ruefully"Some people have no sense of humour, they took it totally out of setting. Anyway, normally I have no worry outdistancing imbibe soaked tough but in this case I was in a part of town I hadn't been in before and I found myself in the indefensible position of facing a dead end with six of the changeling tearing down on me."

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

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

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

"Not knocked down, slither over."Harry's oculus twinkled."I wasn't sure at the clip but I think I turned their shoes to ice. Have you ever seen six drunk guys hangin'off each other ‘ cos they couldn't stand up. Any time they tried to stand up they just fell flat on their faces again."Harry raised his arm then flipped it over making a swishing sound and dropped it onto his lap.

"Of path, if they'd just had the smartness to take their horseshoe off I'd have been a goner, but with a little assistance from the intoxicant they'd rummy that didn't occur and I was safe to sneak away."Harry laughed and after a moment his champion laughed too. Harry could think of that Nox clearly, he hadn't laughed then. He'd cried and ran and shivered through his coat. He hadn't slept that nighttime either, he hadn't felt safety too but instead had just ran and ran until his pegleg gave out and he crawled into a while of phantom and to lie there trembling. laughter was comfortable after but he would never blank out 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 news report as the door slid open to discover a nervous looking kid with a chubby font and watery eyes.

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

"No, I haven't."Harry looked over Ron, Parvati and Padma to see a chorus of shaking heads."No, he hasn't been in here… But."Harry added as the male child oculus started to swell up again."I could facilitate you look if you like."Annapurna was quick to add that she'd assist too. Padma sighed but repeated what her sister said. Ron said aught and rolled his eyes.

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

*

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

"Oh,"said the boy in a drawling, bored 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 abasement of being constantly bettered by the real wizards. My Padre always says muggle-borns shouldn't be allowed to attend with us pure blooded wizards."

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

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

"A toad."Harry kept smiling."You know, pocket-sized, green, frog-like thing, solution to the name of Trevor."

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

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

"Who do you call up you're talking to."Said the boy, ignoring the fact that people in nearby cabins had opened their doors to listen."I am genus Draco Malfoy, my father is Lucius Malfoy, you'd best not make foe you can't raft with mudblood."Once again the word produced a reaction, even from the people 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 likes of you. There's a rumour that Harry ceramicist is on the train."That set off a different sort of reaction, a manic gasp and hasty, whispered conversation."And I'm trying to regain 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 great. I have no idea what they are but since you seem to detest them so a lot and gods Truth, the more than I see of you the more I seem to hate your guts I can be trusted I'll passion ‘ em to bits. Now, would you mind moving, I have toads to see, and all I'm determination here are worms."Harry pointed straight at Malfoy and then to the English of the baby carriage. Malfoy remained line still. The carriage had gone deadly quiet.

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

"Harry Potter. Nice to meet you."Draco's eyes went wide and the compartments once more began whispering."This is Ron Weasly and Neville Longbottom, and Padma and Anapurna Patil."Harry advanced on the blond haired kid before him and waved his paw at the giant bodyguards."Now, aren't you going to inaugurate me to you're friends…pets…companions. Interesting how you managed to fit two hippos into uniforms, you would have thought the tail coat would get in the way."Then Harry noticed the original chance event, a small light-green lump near Malfoys boot. He stooped, swiped it up and held it for all to see.

"Trevor !"Cried Neville happily.

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

*

Harry went down hard and felt a weighting land on top of him. It felt like both the hippos were on him, punching and kneeing for all they were Worth. Harry kicked up and when one flinched back he rolled out from under and turned his roll into a jump to his groundwork. He saw one of the kids trying to rise and pushed him back down on top of his champion. At that moment he felt hot sparks singe his neck opening and smelled burnt hair and turned to see Malfoy standing there with baton drawn, the stopping point faint glow just fading from the tip. Harry looked around and saw that no one had moved. The affair had happened in moments. Then suddenly one of the Onlookers glanced down the carriage, yelled

"PREFECTS ! ! !"and suddenly everyone jumped back into their cabins. Harry felt two curing of hands grab him by the shoulders and pull him in with mortal. He turned to see the grinning faces of the Weasly twin and the toad hunting gang.

"That."Said Ron"Was bloody brilliant."As if that loosened everybody's clapper they all began talking at once. The Weasly Gemini congratulated him on putting down a Malfoy, Padma said she didn't think anyone had caused this much trouble before even getting to Hogwarts but she was smiling when she said it, Neville said nix but began looking at Harry with a kind of awe that was uncomfortable. Recounting the fight and the taunting that prompted it kept them laughing until Parvati glanced out the window and said

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

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

*

Harry's hand drifted through the water, forgotten, as he stared out from the boat he, Ron and the twins had shared. All public lecture had just been lost as they rounded a head and saw in the length, their destination. Hogwarts, it sprawled over the res publica on one face of the lake, a vast dungeon or palace with tall, needle towers and elephantine vestibule. Every windowpane glowed from within and radiate light beam of igniter out like searchlights. Harry had never seen anything like it. He wondered for a here and now whether that was because it was magic, certainly some of the tower looked like they couldn't be supported by just stone and mortar.

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

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

"hold public treasury you get inside."Ron grinned,"Fred and George told me everything about it. Apparently the stairs movement and there's secret passages everywhere."Harry made a mental Federal Reserve note to find all of them."And there's animal in the dungeons that the instructor don't know about, and there a room good of hoarded wealth in one of the walls. Fred and George said they 'd possess got it out by now if it wasn't guarded by a monster."

"That's a caboodle of pig poo."Annapurna scoffed ( Harry chuckled at the absurdly mild profanity ) as they stepped out of the sauceboat onto a landing."My friend's in her third year and she once told me Fred and George Weasly were the biggest jokers and the biggest prevaricator in the whole school."Ron bristled and was about to come back when Harry said

"From what I've seen of you're brothers Ron, they'd take that as a complement."Ron turned on him and was about to retort when he suddenly looked thoughtful and nodded his head. Harry suddenly grinned and spread his coat of arms above his promontory. Then he let himself fall slowly, forward then curled, put his manpower down and stood straight like a needle with his toes pointed up at the sky."But I don't think they'll train this so easy…"Harry pushed up and landed back on his understructure to meet astounded stares,"…if they do hold the trickster crown they'd better enjoy it while they can ‘ cos I'm on the picture now."Harry put his hands on his hips and licked his front man teethh."And they ain't seen nada yet."

*

It was a here and now before anyone spoke up but Harry saw their expressions. Ron's looked appalled beyond wrangle and had his back talk assailable, Padma was looking at him like he was joking in some way but her sister was smiling and nodding with a gleam in her heart that said she was planning to try for a bit of mayhem herself. But it was cloak-and-dagger alternative four who reacted first.

"You're already planning to recrudesce school convention and you're not even past the sorting yet."Harry turned, praying he was amiss about recognising the part."I have half a mind to severalise the headmaster about you right now."petition unanswered. The phonation came from the bushy haired girl from diagonally who was standing with her manus on her hip facing them as the other low year filed past down the corridor.

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

"You should all proceed away from him."The fille ignored Harry and addressed the former toad frog Hunter."You could all get into immense trouble."With that the girl turned and marched off after the 1st years. Meanwhile Harry turned back to the others.

"So, you've heard my thought and you've heard the opposition."He jabbed his hand at Hermione's back."Who's with me ?"Grins answered him, even ( eventually ) from Neville."Right then, I'm happy you guys are behind me. Now lets get going. If were recent we'll never even get put into the schoolhouse to get thrown out !"They hurried after the others. Surprisingly it was Neville who brought up the case 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 grounds but was silenced when Padma sarcastically said

"Oh, so we don't we want to be named after a winning team ?"That could birth come to reverse without Harry's mood- lightening abilities. Even after a lot of early choice ( some very assuredness, Harry held out for the name the toaders for a tenacious clip, Neville had suggested it but it did report them up to now ) one gens seemed to gravel 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 flop somehow, like they had already been using it and just hadn't known it.

"After all ..."Said Ron"My blood brother could count as the old ace, and we're out to supervene upon them, so were the new unity !"Harry didn't think that was the reason somehow, but the epithet itself fit like a glove.

So, as Harry Potter, Ron Weasly, Neville Longbottom and Padma and Annapurna Patil walked into the waiting Marguerite Radclyffe Hall by the big residence and the cobbler's last of the sunset-sunlight streamed in through the window the New Marauders were born.

*

They stepped into the great dorm in a row and giggled when they gasped in tandem. The sight was awe inspiring, the vast tables of scholarly person staring and pointing, lighted by hundred of floating standard candle and even better, Harry's oculus travelled upwards and he smiled in rapturous marvel. The night sky greeted him above, every star bright and crystalise like a back-lit diamond. Like gold dust. Having never been far out of the M25 Harry had grown up with streetlamps and unclouded befoulment. The stars were gifts, just one to a greater extent thing he wanted to thank this home for.

He quietened as an older witch carried an old hat out to the stage and set it down on a stool. She straightened and delivered her instruction in a potato chip, effective vocalism and the student residence instantly became mute. Harry thought he saw the hat motion then turned back to the enchantress. But no ! it had moved, and now it split down a rooftree and opened like a sass to say…


Lasting chiliad years and more
By the renowned Hogwarts four
The firm of renown

Each one of honor true up and distinguished
And at their birth you understand
My job was then set down

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

To Griffindor
The Leo the Lion roar
The brave and bold dwell there

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

To Hufflepuff
Of sterner material
The loyal and the just

Or Slytherin
The wits to win
Where wiliness is a must

These four alone await you here
And I can chose,
just volunteer
Nothing to fear
Just lend an ear
I'm quite solemn
Can't delay to see them jump off and recreate !

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 family line comment a bit personally. He was also deeply disquieted that, of all the descriptions mentioned in the Song, cunning described him dependable than wise or steadfast and definitely expert than brave. When Harry looked over to the Slytherin table he recognised some of the hoi polloi who had cheered Malfoy on the train.

His extra investigation before arriving had also turned up the Slytherin epithet, frequently associated with the nighttime and evil. And the hat's description had matched him. Harry felt suddenly very stale and small and he felt like a drab swarm had touched him. He shivered and told himself it was his imagination.

He could bank he felt center on the back of his principal but when he turned around the exclusively somebody there was a thin, uneasy looking maven in a pillbox chatting to a lank-haired and sallow-faced professor. The lank-haired instructor eyes flicked to his fount, then to his forehead and Harry turned back quickly. Just in time to try the first-class honours degree epithet called out.

*

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

Each person chosen prompted a new batch of cheering from the sign they were chosen for. Harry had the insane urge to get out his juggling clod just to live over his strain but knew he couldn't, not under all those eyes. A consequence later he recognised Hermione walking up to the chair and sitting, jamming on the singing hat, a few moments later and the hat pronounced her a Gryffindor and she ran down to the table. The succeeding someone he recognised was Neville, he tried to close away all his heart and give Neville an encouraging wafture as he walked past, ashen faced. After what must induce been minutes the hat sent Neville to Gryffindor too and the rest period on his face was clearly visible.

Malfoy went to Slytherin and Harrys gut seemed to end up tighter. They were on to the P's now and Harry was sure his grimace must be showing his cerebration despite his efforts. The Twin went on one after another, the hat sat for an age, chewing and mumbling over Padma before eventually sending her to Gryffindor but Parvati followed after her almost instantly. One more name then…

"Harry potter !"

"Alright."opinion Harry"If there was ever a time you needed to go on you're cool. This is that time."He made himself swagger a short as he walked over to the chair through the whispering and stares then forced himself to grin as he dropped the hat on his head. The wickedness was receive as the hat slid over his eyes but then…

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

"Hey !"Thought Harry, for a moment Thomas More angry than scared."Who the infernal region said you could depend around in my brainiac anyway ! That stuffs bloody private !"The hat seemed amused.

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

"That's enough ! I will not let myself be placed in a house of glowering maven and disgusting people !"Harry thought angrily."I don't see what gives you the rightfulness to take either. I chose my route ! Always ! If you looked a little further in my encephalon you'd see the correct o'that ! I chose to leave home ! I chose to come here ! No parent ! no usher ! I made my own way here, ME ! Its my life history and I want to go to Gry ..."

"GRYFFINDOR !"The hat yelled triumphantly in the middle of his condemnation and Harry was dumbstruck for a mo 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 spaces for him and Ron.

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

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

He looked very old but he stood without a stoop and had straightened smoothly. His hair and whiskers were snowy white and tied into two fag end, one down the front, one down the back. As he surveyed the G. Stanley Hall, Harry could have sworn the adult male eyes fixed on him for a dissever second before moving on.

"Who the snake pit's he."Asked Harry.

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

"One slice of advice comes to me at this time."The old Man vocalization sounded faintly amused, like he knew something funny that everyone else didn't."athirst children listen only to their grumbling belly. With that in idea, tuck in !"Harry saw the scale in strawman of him fill with everything imaginable. home of meat and spud piled high, and pitcher full of juice and milk. Harry looked so long he didn't click that everyone else had started.

"Not hungry ?"Ron asked through a taste that said clearly that he was. Harry shook himself and started fishing thing off the plates for himself. He was almost disappointed when the deserts appeared and was definitely frustrated when they went though he couldn't have eaten another morsel. He was sitting in a happy, sleepy, full and contended haze when he saw the master rise to his feet again.

"I have a few proclamation to pretend. Firstly, that first days are reminded that they are not allowed their own brooms, that first and secondment years are prohibit to go in Hogsmead village, that all students are forbidden to enter the forbidden forest and that anyone with any sensory faculty of self preservation should avoid the third story corridor on the right hand hand English. Thank you."

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

"Nothing the shoemaker's last metre we looked."Said Fred."Why ?"

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

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

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

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

"Dumbledore said multitude who go up there could die. You saying that's not life-threatening ?"Ron asked.

"well of course of instruction if Dumbledore says it then it must be true. He couldn't possibly he lying or exaggerating to pull in certainly 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 juice before going on."There was never any question of going or not. As soon as it became forbidden it became our low gear target."

*

But there was footling chance for Harry to carry through on his promise for the first off few years, deterrent example followed lesson and Harry found himself challenged to keep up. Everything in the Quran he'd read seemed to constitute about one hundredth of what they needed to screw and each new concept sent him out from the lesson scratching his head word back to the Holy Writ and then to the new 1 he'd got out of the library.

The only reason he wasn't totally swamped was that after every day he could turn back to the Gryffindor usual room and sit down on the mesa that had already been designated, even by older students, the Marauders table. On his second 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 plaza reserved.

It was near enough to the flaming to be warmed by it and was constantly piled with their ledger and bags, whatever sweets they had each donated to the pot, a wizard chess game set in permanent disarray, at to the lowest degree one copy of Witch Weekly and, more often than not, Trevor. And under the pile, between the Thomas Nelson Page of the books or hidden in sweet-flavored peignoir there were map, point, reports and ideas.

The five of them would work on the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. onerous homework till the vernacular room began to void, then the Christian Bible would close and the work would lead off in earnest. It had moved beyond the one-third floor corridor of course, there were design to get into nobble role, McGonagall's office, each of the former common way, plans to damn masses ( 99 % of those masses being Slytherins and 80 % of them being Malfoy ) and plans to find all the secret transit of the school.

Harry laughed more than he ever had before and did caper as they planned. Harry had never believed that Hogwarts could be like this, friends everywhere and a spread at every meal. Even the moral couldn't put a nick in this. Then, on Friday, Harry awoke from sleep after a particularly good preparation sitting and went downstairs to breakfast. If Harry had had a ace prophetic bone in his body he would possess 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 knockout to memorize as it is rewarding to those who have the natural endowment, and the sensitivity to do so."

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

"For those lucky enough to be able to stand out in my subject."The draw nosed, sallow faced prof continued."It will draw them rewards far beyond any puerile charm or spell. What spell can make full the blood with ardor, can pour down silent as a black eye, can fan life back into what other spells would deem a corpse, can send individual into so deep a sleep they will never awake."

"I don't know any spells for the concluding one but his voice is doing a pretty right job so far."Padma whispered and Harry had to burn his speed lip to restrain the sounds in. They had been set at a desk thankfully near the back of the year and could look assoil across the whole division to where the teacher, one Severus Snape, stalked in presence of the blackboard. The reason they were laughing so hard was that, before the lesson, Ron's brother had treated them to an impression of Snape which, at the time, they had thought was an exaggeration.

"But nearly of you will not experience that acquisition and will doubtless rule yourself confused… baffled… and, if prior disasters are any indication, severely bite in this classroom. If that is the case then I ask that you don't hesitate to amount to me for help."("WHAT ?"Harry's dumbfounded look was mirrored on every face in the social class )"And I will tell you what I tell all the other educatee poor fish enough to come to me. ‘ I don't CARE.'” The teacher waved his wand at the table and some instructions appeared there.

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

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

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

"A commonwealth of matter I foresee happening frequently. LET see if we can race things up a slight. William Tell me…"Snape's back break down straightaway like a willow twig and he looked down at Harry."What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood ?"

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

"Incorrect."Snape glowered.

"self-justification me."The annoying eddy to the words… the self-important accent… Hermione sat at the side by side mesa over and was turned towards Harry and Snape."The solvent is the order of payment of living death. A catch some Z's potion right en…"

"Five head from Gryffindor young lady Granger."Snape said without turning."The correct answer ceramist ... Was ‘ draft 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 mesa in social movement that he shared with Neville."He can't take points if you get the right answer."

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

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

"Can't recall Ron. Why would one of us do something like that ?"Harry replied grinning and Hermione turned back quickly and looked down as if absorbed in her notebook computer. Ron did a silent joke and turned back to his desk but Harry leaned back and bit his lip thoughtfully. He'd just insulted, without provocation, someone who had stood up for him. He tried to opine of something funny to say that would make Hermione gag and realised he didn't know anything she'd like. A moment later Snape swooped back past and the probability for public lecture was over.

While failing to make his potion Harry thought carefully, Hermione didn't go around with anyone, she didn't sit with the Lapp hoi polloi in any two classes, he'd never seen her talking in the common room with anyone. In fact, the only times he'd seen her out of social class was when he took books out of the depository library, then she was always there, with her head deep in progressively thicker books.

"That doesn't mean she doesn't have friends."Thought Harry while crushing porcupine flight feather."She could sleep together mass in other long time from before she came here."

"She's muggle-born."Another share of his brain said"How would she already have friends at a whiz school."

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

"She really doesn't… and you snubbed her…"Harry was tranquilize until the end of the example. He didn't want to peach. When you find out something you don't practically like about yourself the lowest thing you want to do is talk about it.

*

Harry tried to talk to Hermione several times over the following few workweek but she always just ignored him or ran off. Worse, Padma and Parvati had told him she had taken to crying in the young lady toilets during breaks and after lessons.

"Maybe you could do something."Harry pointed out during a late Sep evening after a particularly successful harlequinade of some fifth yr Slytherins"You sleep in the same bloody room. Surely you talk to her."

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

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

"Why do you care anyway ?"Ron asked him pointedly."If she wanted people to like 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 out of bounds as always ) gave a low handshaking of his head. Loneliness was light to translate from experience than from observation.

"No intellect really, it's just we've got to inhabit with the repose of our year for the side by side seven years and that'll be easier if were at least on speakin'terms with them."The others seemed to have 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 plan of attack. The next day, after lessons but before dinner, Harry went down to the library and approached the now familiar deal of a pile of Word and Hermione. He pulled up a chair and sat about a one-third of the way around the table from her.

"face like you beat me here."Harry said without provoking a reaction."Last copy."He added, pointing to a random al-Qur'an near her human elbow. Without looking or speaking Hermione pushed the al-Qur'an to him then got up and walked to another table. Harry sighed and followed her.

"Look, you can't keep on going like this forever. Humans need to talk to former humanity or they go crazy."Harry twirled a finger's breadth near his ear and let his eyes go crossed."Anyway don't you…"

"No I don't !"Hermione slammed the book shut and looked at him angrily. He saw red around her middle."And if you don't mind I'm doing a special task for prof Flitwick and it's in tomorrow. Some citizenry care about school."And with that she darted to yet a 3rd mesa and sat with her spine to him. After a bit he saw her berm begin to shake with sobs.



Harry stood there for a present moment smell worthless then turned and walked out of the depository library. But that wasn't the last he'd see of Hermione that day, a little later when Harry was on a investigative charge ("I swear Fitch keeps a part with key in one of the janitors closets."Ron had said. Harry had agreed to await into it without realising how very many janitors closets there were and what unpleasant olfactory sensation inhabited them ) he passed a doorway to an disused classroom and heard phonation inside.

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

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

"Give it back you foul, skanky thing !"

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

"What an interesting document mudblood. Flitwick would give birth been astounded with it. Probably would stimulate earned you a few house tip eh ? Except you won't be capable to pay it to him. unreliable as you mudbloods are, saying you'll do something then not having even a single sheet to hand in. Terrible."Harry heard sobs from inside and redoubled his sweat at the door. Was n't there a magic spell called allohamora ? Harry flicked his verge out and tried to cast it. nil happened. He tried again. zippo. Oh damnit ! This was n't one of the doors that would n't open ! This was one of the walls that look like a door. Harry peered through the keyhole to try to see another door. Malfoy was holding up the papers for Hermione to see and said,

"Then I'll say ‘ Oh prof, if you wanted someone to indite up that you should've asked me. I've been researching it. Just in my spare time of grade. Thanks for the planetary house breaker point mudblood."Harry heard another door loose then close and ran in the counseling of the strait. Malfoy and his minions were already out of sight so Harry quietly opened the doorway and went in. Hermione was slumped in a pile in the middle of the trading 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 enjoin Flitwick, state 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 principle and playing pranks ! You can't talk of the town !"Hermione ran out of the room leaving Harry speechless. Harry stood for the longest fourth dimension in the middle of the deserted classroom before walking slowly back to the Gryffindor common way. The vulture stopped talking when they saw his face, a mix of angriness and hurting. They all looked to him as he sat down.

"Forget all the other plans."Harry's spokesperson was grave-quiet but his eyes had a wicked gleam."We're breaking in the Slytherin common room. Tonight."The objections washed over him from the others ; they weren't set up, they hadn't planned, tomorrow was Halloween and they needed to be rested for the political party and nearly of all they could run into Snape. Harry sighed inwardly and began to secern the wide story as quickly as he could. It was already getting dark, and they had places to be…





Authers note
Hi, thought i should provide an notation eventually. brush up if you have time, this is my first fabrication so please feel free to tell me how auful it is.



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

"Of form we'll be caught if you don't shut up Neville !"Padma held her hand over Neville's oral fissure and pulled him further into the closet. Harry waved them both to stay still and peered back out through the keyhole. Filches lantern glow was far up the corridor but he waited a commodity count of 30 before pushing the door open and leading the others out. In the end the choices for his companions were simple, he couldn't take More than two or they'd be seen for for certain and they needed some people to stay in the plebeian elbow room to guarantee 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 arguments Harry insisted he was the perfect scout.

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

As for Padma, she was the alone one who could reliably determine the Slytherin dungeon since she had been in charge of that finicky art object of recognisance and after all, she had been the one to find out the countersign. Harry had been incredibly impressed until she revealed that she had just gone up and asked Goyle.

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

The three of them crept down the live flight of stairs and Padma silently pointed to a flat musical composition of wall ahead. Harry nodded and he and Padma moved on while Neville got his sceptre out and pushed himself deep into an alcove behind some armor. Harry gestured back at him and got out his wand.

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

"genus Ophiophagus"The bulwark dissolved from the gist and revealed the doorway.

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

It was dark but not slope. A few dying embers in the huge marble fireplace gave an threatening glow. All the furniture was large and iniquity, and in the bad lighter it looked oddly menace, looming like drop above the creeping nipper. Padma tugged at Harrys robe and as he looked back she waved her hand in front of her eyes and shook her head. She couldn't see. Harry knew his eye were estimable by night and he kept forgetting the residual of his clan didn't share the welfare of his old, self-governing life-style. Harry guided her to a wall and put her behind a wall hanging, sitting near a with child urn unpleasantly decorated to resemble a cry cheek. Harry placed Padma's wand in her handwriting and looked at her facial expression before leaving. She was wearing a driven expression but her eyes were wide and she was breathing hard.

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

"I'm staying."Padma's representative as barely more than 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 Bedrooms."Perhaps there's more to the sorting than brave, cunning or whatever. Perhaps its not what you are…"Harry's creative thinker kept considering as he slipped into the stairwell."It's what you want to be…"

*

Harry had to laugh softly as his fingers found a doorknob in the dark. What he had thought would be the hardest theatrical role had turned out to be the promiscuous. They had debated for geezerhood how to find out which room was Malfoy's, from bribing someone to covering his shoes with ultraviolet ink but it had been all for nothing. Harry checked the cheek nameplate on the door and chuckled again before moving into the way. Like a ghostwriter, Harry tried not to even reckon loudly. Like a spectre, here then gone, no tracing. The room was large for a single mortal room, larger even than the one in Gryffindor towboat he shared with four early people.

"Can't make valued pet Malfoy share a room."Harry sneered in the dark. If there had been a way to silently pan the place he would cause done so, instead he began looking around for the project. He slid his paw onto ledge and held papers up in the Moon to read the cover song. The only time he stopped was when he was searching by Malfoy's bed and saw something on the covers. He'd had to double over up to hold open from laughing and he'd felt like every vein would burst. Malfoy had taken his shift to schooltime with him.

Harry could see a clock on the Mickey Mantle, the workforce glowing faintly in the dark and saw that he didn't have much time left. For a moment he stopped looking and just stood in the darkness to imagine. There was no way he could research the whole piazza, not going as slowly as he had to to avoid detection.

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

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

*

awe wasn't what he needed now, neither was a mad dah. Running now was the last affair he wanted to do… Just weirdo back through the room access and go quietly down the stairs. Down the stairs to where there's a twinkle on. Harry crouched at the top of the stairwell and shielded his eyes to conserve his Night visual sensation before sliding a diminutive periscope between the banisters ("Do you carry whole toyshops around in you're pockets ?"Parvati had said when he showed them some of his putz like the periscope."You never know when this hooey'll come in handy."Harry winked and twirled a whorl pickaxe between his fingers. ) The diminutive mirror-pipe revealed a diminished cluster of fifth class who looked like they had just come in. They began talking loudly about some news or other and Harry carefully slid back from the edge. Now what ? He didn't have the project, and his way out was now blocked. Correction, his and Padmas ways out were now blocked. Harry slid back to the border, the Slytherins seemed to be settling down for a night of rowdy conduct as they lounged in the large chairs with a bottle of something, probably stolen from the kitchens. If they were distracted ? If Harry waited until they simply tope 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 unsteadily towards the stairs.

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



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

"She's making a beguilement !"Harry cursed"pillock ! Stupid ! I told them ‘ no grandeur during heists !'” Harry at least had the presence of mind to wrap his scarf around his case and trademark brow before standing up and yelling…

"Oh no they're awake !"Harry gestured at imaginary number fig in the abandon hall behind him"Go ! Run !"Harry had meter to see the drunken ophidian take in his red and atomic number 79 edged robe and clamber over each other towards the stair before he took his own advice and ran back down the hall.

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

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

"Start searching the rooms !"Ach… Harry desperately looked around the room for a place to hide but to his dismay saw only darkness. He had lost his night middle in the commons room.

"What was here ? Where did I hunt ? Oh my god, delight just remember !"The rattling doorway handles and stung voices got closer, thank heavens Salazar Slytherin built his wall thick and liked oak door or Harry was sure enough Malfoy would have woken.

"Wardrobe ? It had had glass in the front ! Under the bed ? No way !"Harry's opinion grew panicked as the voices got closer."rampart, level, roof, bed, desk, wardrobe, fireplace…"Harry dropped to his script and knees and crawled across the floor as fast as he dared. He was sure he was making noise now but he didn't have the nerve left to go any deadening. His helping hand reached the low temperature Stone of the hearth and he felt his way into it. No ash at all, the fireplace had never been used. Later on that nighttime Harry would take in that the Slytherins probably heated their William Chambers by conjuring trick so they didn't get the smoking and gained a more even passion, all he thought at the time was a panicked…

"Thank you !"as he stood up. His work force found a bar embedded in the wall to cling pots from and he lifted himself up and stood on it. At that second luminosity 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 curt in the hunt party.

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

"Yes Malfoy."Harry thought to himself"goodness Malfoy. Now be you're lilliputian stuck up, indignant ego and cast them out of your room."

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

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

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

"He's not in any of the former rooms."A new voice, possibly younger and more hesitant than the badly boy."And we checked the toilets and back down in the rough-cut room."Harry hoped Padma had had the learning ability to be well on her way back to their vulgar room by then, and to receive Neville with her. Harry's mitt brushed something in the paries behind him, careful not to take a crap a sound he slid it out of the wall and choked back a triumphant gasp as he read the lettering on the cover version of the parchment.


The use of modify static-induction charms in

the context of adhesives and fasteners.

Hermione husbandman

"Yes !"sentiment function of Harry's mind."I'm still born golden ! This is what I came here for."…"This is what I came here for ?"Said another part in disbelief"adhesives and fastening ?"Harry shook his head and laughed at himself a bit before folding up the account and slipping it into his robe. book binding in the sleeping accommodation the conversation had become more heated.

"When my father hears about this !"Malfoy was in good argumentative swing"You will all be drab ! The Malfoy category own your founding father Flint River ! And you can be trusted there will be words on the matter of this incident."

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

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

"But get-go years… never… go on the team. No subject how, absolutely, brilliant they are at Quidditch."The aged boy was obviously fearing some reprisal to boot-lick so obviously."Definitely next class though !"

"That remains to be seen…"A new part, a wretched vocalisation, a voice dripping disdain with every news !

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

"Tell me why some of the leading members of Slytherin sign are awake at this hr ? Hmm… Some of them stinking of cheap wine !"He almost made the fact that it was cheap strait like the rack up character."wellspring ? Or have you all been rendered dumb by drink !"

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

"Inside the Slytherin common way ?"

"Yes."

"Inside the password protected Slytherin common room ?"

"Yes !"Flint River was mad but Snape just snorted.

"Lunacy. All you saw was the wine floating in figurehead of your heart seeing as you seem to have drown yourselves in it !"Harry heard Snape's footsteps head word towards the door.

"There was individual ! They were wearing Gryffindor gown !"The footsteps continued and Harry heard a threshold open"And they were short !"The steps led out the room access"And they had a scarf around their forefront !"steps then…

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

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

"Don't be stupid, he could conceal his identity better than that."Snape seemed to be talking to himself slightly at that item but then…"hunting everywhere ! Every way, turn them upside down and shake up them if requirement !"Harry's essence leapt into his throat and he looked around wildly for a way out. But he already knew the only ways, down or up. Harry pushed his back against one wall and carefully shifted his foundation onto the inverse one. Hogwarts was old Edward Durell Stone and there were hatful of handholds to avail him chimney up faster, and more quietly. But just as he was thinking he had reached beyond their listening person said.

"What was that in the chimney ?"Bloody Malfoy ! Since when did Hydra have such good ears ? Harry went absolutely still except for his sassing 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 circle of light source at the bottom.

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



"Move over."Harry heard a thud as Snape pushed his scholarly person out of the way then…"Acerbus cuspis !"Harry's view was momentarily lighted as streaks of sickly ash grey lightness shot up the chimney towards him then his sight was lost in infliction. Harry's animal foot slipped but he grimly held on by his handholds, gritting his teeth against the stabbing burl of pain each gig had left in him.

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

"Acerbus cuspis !"This time Harry was flattened against the paries and only a few of the bolts hit him."pinkeye !"that spell winged right past tense him, cracking chip off the rampart above him, then…"Relashio !"heating system 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 paries so he could fumble in pocket for a large metal jar. At the sentence Harry had thought Ron's suggestion had been a bit stupe but now he was especially glad he had agreed to bring the jar along. He pulled the cap off with his teeth and dropped the contentedness before they had a chance to sting him, far below he heard…

"Aaaa ! Doxies !"A few to a greater extent spells rang out but none directed at Harry, even the heat stopped, allowing Harry to put his human foot back against the wall and break his aching arms a relief. Below him he heard Snape yell out

"hunting the other rooms."Harry waited a farseeing fourth dimension before climbing further up. His arms needed the rest anyway and there was no way he was gon na try to pilfer 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 dissever again. One or two of the chimney had run in them, or at to the lowest degree share of ladders, but most of them he had to clamber up. The air was hotter and Smokey here, perhaps some of these lamp chimney were still in use this late, or more likely it was early enough that the kitchens had woken up. Harry would be the first to allow ( to himself at least ) that he had many fright but claustrophobia wasn't one of them. He pulled his scarf tighter above and below his glasses to save out soot and around his sassing to breath through as he climbed up into more victimised lamp chimney. Harry felt himself move out into a enceinte area but couldn't see the walls through the dark and the smoke. Questing digit found a rusted ladder and a few moments later Harry pulled himself over the brink of a vast chimney and let himself down to the rooftop below.

Tired but elated Harry pulled his scarf from around his expression and tried to detect some clean cloth somewhere on himself to wipe his glasses off. When he put them back on he was struck dim for a moment by the sight that met his eyes.

Rolling J. J. Hill of tile and bank building of slate. Towers popping out at angles and fairy balconies with balustrade like lace. Harry walked along the ceiling ridge he had landed on in wonder, there was a unscathed humans up above Hogwarts. More chimneys jutted out everywhere, some just pipes and some, like the one he'd emerged from, with width like industrial column. Harry sat down on the ridgepole and didder his question in incredulity. Even the climb hadn't taken his breathing place like this did. He lay back and lay eyes on another wonder. The sensation from here seemed brighter, almost as trade good as the astronomy tower ( Harry's favourite moral, just as an excuse to stargaze ).

"And no-one up here but me."Harry said aloud, there was no one to hear."Peace."Harry could make fallen asleep against those tiles but something moving below caught his eye. Snape, passing along a corridor with tall windowpane all along it. Harry moved to enshroud then realised his sooty-black robes blended perfectly against the Night sky and wrapped his scarf joint around his face to shroud the last rap skin. His glasses 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 rooms and thinking even less of the risk. Here on the roofs he was in his element, there was no danger here. Snape stopped at what looked like a instructor tail and pushed through the door without knocking. It took Harry a minute or so to happen the corresponding window then lowered himself down near it. By hazard 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 sentence ? How do you even know when this happened ?"Snape's voice was furious and accusing."The only fact that keeps me from cursing you into dark obliviousness right now is that I can't quite bring myself to guess that even one so poor as you would be stupid enough to believe it was moved to the Slytherin dungeon of all places."

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

"Because perhaps you were looking for something else, perhaps a way past my trade protection of it or some cue as to what that security is. I assure you, you would make found neither. My work is as hellish as it is complex and as crafty…"Harry groaned inwardly, not this lecture again."And you could never pierce it. Never. Despite Dumbledore's supreme lack of judgement in hiring you and letting you assist in the protection of the pit I will keep slimy matter like you from it !"With that Snape turned and stamped out of the room. Harry was about to pass on when Quirrell quietly spoke.

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

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

"Do it tomorrow ? Do what tomorrow ? What's so limited about tomorrow ? other than it being Halloween ..."

*

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

"Thank you."Padma breathed and shared a immediate smile with her sister. But she quickly fell mute again. If she was to be honest with herself she would receive to say she was ashamed. Ashamed that when Harry had stood up on the stairway she had instantly realised what he was trying to do ( having been about to do the same herself ) and had for a minute not known quite what to do. She was ashamed that after she had taken an age behind the drape working up nerves and steeling herself to bring home the bacon a beguilement and Harry had done the same in an jiffy. She was ashamed that, when she heard people coming back towards the park room, she had bolted back though the threshold, pulled an astonished Neville from behind the armour and had shepherded him across the school, not once talking until they passed behind the fat peeress and got back to Gryffindor coarse room and into the awaiting and recriminating stare of Ron Weasly.

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

"He'll probably just get detention, he'll drop off us a few house detail for being out after curfew."Padma knew her sister was deliberately making things seem unspoiled than they were to make water her feel better. Sometimes Padma thought they had been born to with personality contrary, the eternal optimist and the misanthropic pessimist. Except this time her sister wasn't just being optimistic. And neither was she just being pessimistic when she said…

"But he could be expelled."The others went silent and looked down. They had all been thinking it."For breaking into another house. For attempted theft. He could be expelled."She had got Harry Potter expelled from Hogwarts because she wasn't brave enough. She knew when the hat had left it up to her she would select wrongly. She didn't deserve to be here."In Harry's first full term he'll be expelled."

"I'm doing what now ?"

The New Marauders turned en pot and saw a blackened and scraped Harry drop from one of the high window. His case was red and raw and he had a ugly bruise on his left cheek, his work force were bleeding and he staggered as he hit the soil but he wore a grin of joy and triumph as all-inclusive as they had ever seen on him.

"Miss me ?"Harry's stagger became a swagger as he approached them."I wasn't gone that long. Although of trend, in the party of Slytherins it seemed often longer."

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

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

*

Hermione rose other from her sheets and was mildly surprised to see that they weren't covered in crying. She was certain she'd been crying when she went to slumber. 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 suspicion in further over her intellectual nourishment. Before anyone else had left the mesa Hermione walked out of the neat hall, leaving the relief of her nutrient behind ( even if she hadn't had somewhere to be she felt too nauseous to eat ). The project was significant, it was the kind of thing they gave third and fourth yr to make on. Hermione straightened herself up as she walked towards Flitwicks office. proficient 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 gravel his pes forward to try to trip-up her up."What ? No revilement ? No ‘ Give it back !'today ?"Hermione kept walking."Oh, I don't have it with me. That would be a bit conspicuous, I figure I'll pass it to him tomorrow. Or the day after, you know, so he doesn't get suspicious but is still impressed by my obviously higher-ranking talents."Draco grabbed her by the articulatio humeri and reel her around."Don't ignore me Mudblood !"He grated,"This is only the first degree. I'm going to make life-time pit for you and all the early filth at the school until you'll drop out of your own complimentary will. I'll… Oh hello Professor !"prof Flitwick had just emerged from his room and was looking between them.

"Hello young Mr Malfoy."He chirped"Are you and misfire Granger friends."

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

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

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

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

"How."Malfoy had choler and jounce in his center."You didn't have other copies. You said you didn't have early copies !"

"I didn't."Hermione was surprised at the hint of smugness in her voice. Malfoy was looking at her with barely suppressed rage. Then he seemed to notice something and for a present moment his heart widened in actualization then screwed up in even obscure 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 piranha. Tired and resplendent, staring Malfoy down with five Cheshire-cat smiles. The Slytherin looked like he was about to blow a vena, or possibly take steam out of his ears.

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

"William Tell them what worm."Harry's voice was full phase of the moon of laughter.

"That we cunningly and evilly broke into your room and stole something awfully precious from your room ?"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 uncoerced to submit a Fall just to put us in trouble."Ron continued to a suddenly crestfallen Malfoy."Even if you did, where's the cogent evidence ? The reports right back where it should be and zero else was taken from your rooms."

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

"You win this one shot thrower ! But I'll get you next prison term !"

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

*

The unfortunate by-product of the heist was that Malfoy was even Thomas More acidic than common in class that day. Despite repeated warning from teachers he insulted Harry and the rest of the Marauders with every early breathing spell. Fortunately though that breath was wasted as nine sentence out of ten the Marauder in doubtfulness was asleep on their president. Hermione sighed, but not unhappily and reached for a new quill. She'd secure make these notes good, it looked like they'd have to be copied from a few fourth dimension. When she reached the common room there was a sixth chair by the fireside tabular array. She smiled and felt fond inside for the commencement time in what seemed wish forever and walked over to sit down with her friends.


I own nothing, certainly goose egg Harry Potter related.

Seriously, i 'm not kidding ! Do I look ample than the world-beater ?



"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 come and stand under the overhanging upper tale. That part of the plan had gone perfectly. The side by side part was proving problematic.

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

"You're all crazy ! Any one of the stunts you've pulled could warrant expulsion ! How yearn do you recollect you can keep getting away with it ?"Hermione's whisper was angry and horse."And if you think"She pointed at his head"I'm tipping that"A gesture at the stain"over a Hogwarts teacher !"a finger's breadth stabbing down at Snape"You must be half-baked !"She swung her arms wide in exasperation and they both heard a thud, then a splashing noise.

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

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

"Come on ! Just like the program !"Harry said, then added"Only real number !"Hermione almost jumped through the window and disappeared as she clambered up a ravel. Harry swung out after her, shut the window and slue onto the tiles above. He wasted no time in pulling himself back to the edge and poking his periscope back down to the edge of the deoxyephedrine. A second base later an irate Snape ran past. Harry only caught a glimpse, but he thought the man seemed trickster than usual. Harry rolled back and looked up at Hermione who still seemed shaken.

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

*

A week or so latter the morning bloomed bright and early as the Marauders made their way down to the skunk in front of the castle. Harry stopped to post up a few more impression after making sure the coast was all the way. The Slytherins were tearing them down wherever they saw them on Snapes fiat but Harry had even seen some of them trying to hide giggles as the necromancer post-horse displayed Snape being doused again and again. The rest of the schooltime didn't bother to hide it and the school had been awash with laughter ever since the offset one went up three mean solar day ago.

The teacher were all trying to find who was posting them ( Harry had caught both Flitwick and Sprout laughing when they thought no one was looking and even McGonagall had cracked a smile when an incoherent Snape had burst into her schoolroom brandishing a wad of posters that had papered the main court ). The teachers didn't fuck how so many of them were getting so many seat around the background. Harry knew, it was just a matter of a William Christopher Handy rooftop and a be wind instrument. When he had seen some errant icon 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 sight of posters back to him.

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

The teachers search and Madam Hooch's sooner ill health were some of the ground they were going to their first flying lesson bundled up in winter clothes.

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

The stratum obediently placed their hands over their brooms.

"UP !"Harry yelled, feeling a bit goosy, the reefer by his groundwork refused to stir."UP !"Harry looked around and saw first one then others of the class gain their Scots heather."UP !"Harry thought maybe Malfoy had replaced his legerdemain ling for a tangible ling in revenge but the things had been handed out randomly. Harry shifted his groundwork surreptitiously underneath his broom and tensed ..."UP !"Harry grabbed the rising Scots heather and held it nonchalantly on his shoulder joint. He caught Parvati looking at him and giggling.

"What ? I didn't do anything."

"That's right you didn't !"

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

"right hand, now… Just kvetch off from the ground, hover for me for a indorse then leeee…an forward and blow back down again."Madam hootch demonstrated then held up her gloved hired man."Three… Two… One."Portions of the class rose unsteadily into the air, others remained grounded or had slipped off their rising Calluna vulgaris. Harry glanced to his sides shame-faced as his ling resolutely refused to demonstrate any characteristic beyond long, wooden and thorny. 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 reach to the side with a practiced script before coming to rest."Take Neville's."

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

"Only powerful magic can interfere with well-nigh broomsticks."Hermione was landing ungracefully beside him, gripping the broom with white knuckles. Harry chuckled at the thought that she still found immersion left to lecture them."These are old heather but their still fairly resistant to that sort of thing."

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

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

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

"Thanks."They swapped Calluna vulgaris and Harry got himself back into the demonstrated riding position. He hopped off the ground but dropped back down just as quickly.

"Still having bother ?"Harry saw Ron ice-cream float over his drumhead and drop down in front of him,"cypher untimely with this one mate."Ron knocked his knuckle duster against the wood of Harry's heather."I think its even a little better than my one."

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

"Having trouble Potter."no… not now…"Your flying's so silly even the weasel here can beat you and that's saying something."Malfoy floated along in front man of Harry, sitting side-saddle and not even bothering to hold on."Didn't your father ever instruct you to fly… Oh no wait I forgot ! He's a bit too mouldy to sit on a ling now !"The comment about his parents washed over Harry but the other insults bit and he sneered at the white hirsute kid in front man 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 squad !"

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

"Yeah, they haven't won since my comrade Charlie left !"Ron's broadside had began to draw attending and Madam hootch was walking over. Harry tried to overhear Ron's eye but failed."Best quester in a decennium ! He coulda'played for Engl…."

"Mr Weasly ! Mr Malfoy ! Decend at once !"brothel keeper hootch didn't wait for them to respond and instead grabbed the social movement of their brooms and yanked them to the floor. Ron fell in a heap, Malfoy kept his symmetry but only barely."I will make no arguments in my classes and I distinctly told you to rise then driblet, not hover like blowflies !"The flying teacher spun and walked back to the rest of the class leaving Malfoy and Ron glaring at one another.

Harry shifted his broom under himself, all during the argument he'd tried to wax up and join his champion but the broom had refused to act. By the end of the deterrent example he'd flown once, a few wobbling metrical unit followed by a total collapse into the green goddess. Malfoy had laughed worse than before and Harry said some matter that lost them house points ("An eleven year old shouldn't know those words Mr ceramist, much less know what they mean !") and the piranha were a muted lot that ascended the step to Gryffindor tower. Parvati tried to illuminate the tone by pointing out how many educatee had the drenched Snape posters on the walls of their rooms and Harry decided to stop moping.

"rightfulness,"Harry cracked open a drink stolen from the kitchen."pile to the serious business. What have you all found out about Quirrell ?"

*

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

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

"It just doesn't make sense Ron."Harry continued"Snape may be a git but it doesn't make sense. He thinks Quirrell's trying to steal something, from what I overheard afterwards he probably is. Why would Snape play like he's accusing Quirrell when only Quirrell was in the room ! Also why would Quirrell play like it's him when nobody was in the elbow room !"Harry leafed through some papers again while the others bickered, the day-after-day oracle from a few month ago was there, a maraud at gringots where nothing was taken. former things too, Quirrels records, researched through old files, an levelheaded student, masterful in the theory if not the practice of defense team against the darkness arts, the last few geezerhood of his life spent travelling around dealing with dangerous dark wolf. Harry pushed them away and pulled over a thinner file, Severus Snape, potions master of Hogwarts and long meter envier of the defence against the dark arts office. 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 much insistence one can make."Snape wants the night fine art job and is trying to get Quirrell sacked."Harry was about to explain then stopped, if the last thirty fourth dimension hadn't done it…

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

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

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

"existence strait-laced. I've been looking into it the same as everyone else has which is exactly the detail. We've all been caught loitering around the third storey a few too many clock time. Did you hear what McGonagall said in class yesterday ?"They all did, she'd basically just repeated what Dumbledore had said at the starting signal of terminus but she had looked right at them the entire prison term and each word had been clipped like fiddling razors."She knows we're planning something and she probably knows we're behind the post horse too, she just cant prove it."

"So ?"

"So, Mr Ronald Weasley they are watching us like hawks. I'll bet there's a instructor guarding the 3rd floor right now and another just on the early side of meat of that door."She pointed at the early side of meat of the fat ladies portrait, from this English looking like a pickle in the wall."Even putting aside the opinion of detention, house-points and especially expulsion ! We'd never get close enough to the corridor to recover anything. It's all your flaw really"She continued without a breath."If you hadn't done your pointless regulation breaking we might be able to notice out really crucial stuff now."That comment was the reason an argument broke out that Harry had to calm down with wit. It was also at least partially the reason Harry stayed awake that night till he was sure as shooting Ron and Neville were deceased then got out his darkest clothes and slipped out one of the windows before heading in the direction of the forbidden corridor.

*

Harry peered through a window and saw professor vector idly marking some grant by the light 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 atonement ) Harry slipped away and made his way over to the third base story corridor on the right wing mitt side, or above it at least. The thing was in the centre of the building, no chimney or windowpane reached it and Harry could only peer through a side window at the Wizard guarding the doorway… Quirrell… Standing in a patch of lumos-light, his tincture jumping as he nervously twiddled his wand in his fingers. Harry slid inside and dropped behind a chromatography column. Quirrell was guarding it ? He'd been so sure… Maybe the others were right and Quirrell wasn't attempting thieving 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 mental monologue was cut short as the answer leaned out of the patch of darkness it had been sequestered in, invisible even to Harry's eye's.

"Nervous Quirrell ?"Snape slid from his shadowy street corner, his wand held lightly but readily in his mitt."Or perhaps not happy with the company."Harry saw now that it hadn't just been the shadow, Snape's entire body blended into the background, changing colour like a chameleon. Only his eyes stayed the same, calamitous holes even against the lighted grey rock music 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 class before him."No one better equipped to ward this berth 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 like night Quirrell, won't that be fun."Snape laced the net Word with such poisonous substance Harry was surprised the DADA professor didn't run like a rabbit. Instead he jumped like one and whimpered.

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

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

But Harry was already prepared, while they had been talking he had sneaked around into the way next to the be-turbaned wizard and entered. It was an empty classroom, desks piled up to the cap. Harry waited near the threshold as the searchlight electron beam swept past his position, swinging across the way 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 home at the small but nearby sound. He pointed his camouflage arm at the far bulwark, by some pillar."I heard something over there."

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

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

Crack…crack…

"There."Behind a column, perhaps the Potter boy or one of his clique trying to reach the corridor again. An irritation he didn't need with something so much more of import going on. The rat Quirrell needed watching. For now Snape wasn't sure whether he wanted the stone for himself or for… for… Snape shuddered away from the figure in his mind. Dumbledore said saying it would make him revere less but to Snape it was too lots. 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 life that wouldn't you Quirrell."Snape jammed his wand under the servile wretch's chin. Quirrell squealed and tried to stand on his tiptoes to get away the dark-wood point."Leave you close to the door unsupervised while at the same time turning my backbone on you. Something I will never do."Snape pushed the man towards the other paries."You go first."

They walked like surety and kidnapper up the inhuman stone pathway to the mainstay. Quirrell raised his sceptre. Not a chance…

"spine down by your English or I will select it and possibly the hand It's gripped in too."Quirrell's arm shot back down. As they reached the pillar Snape let the rat take the lead and feeling around the corner. bettor him to need the 1st blow if one came.

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

Snape stepped around himself and saw zilch but three oddly placed rocks, all together, near the ground where they might receive fallen. They were both considering the enigma when a tail skirted the back paries 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 open just ever so slightly, then entered the forbidden hall.

"Ha."Harry thought as he took one last glance at the prof before closing the door."igniter 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 wrapper. Who needs Q when you have mail-order Honeydukes ?"Harry turned back and for the low clip took a look at his surroundings.

Pitch dim. Not even eyes trained for this could dawn it. Harry squatted down quietly and let his other sentience have a try.

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

damp scent with a mite of mud and mess. There was piss in there somewhere too and early things even less savoury. Bit like a wet dog smell…

And well-nigh importantly in a bone cooling, heart leaping, cold-sweat, dry-palms, running-for-the-door-despite-Snape-and-all way, the sound of breathing. Heavy in-out breaths with a hint of slobber on them. More like snoring actually. Harry tried to calm himself down and at least partially succeeded. Getting out his verge he smothered the tip in his gown then breathed.

"Lumos"

The gleaming through the fabric was like all in firefly but it showed Harry the shape of what was in straw man of him. Its volume half way to the ceiling and slowly ascension and falling with its breather. Like a muffled wraith Harry moved across the base, skirting the paries until he had travelled all the way around the animal, having to step over its hind end where it brushed the bulwark. There were no other doors. This elbow room and this animate being was all there was to see. Harry edged closer to the front of the thing, his feet turned and poised to flee to the door at any moment.

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

"It'll wake for for sure if you don't shut up and let me concentrate !"Harry edged in finisher to the beast and stopped when his luminousness revealed a change of texture in the level. Harry carefully traced its edge in his idea."A square… a trapdoor… that which is hidden… that which is forbidden."Harry grinned in the dark. The merely problem was the dark masses obscuring one corner of the square, a paw or chela of the thing. Harry's movements was as deadening as drifting feathers and as calm down as his manpower found the bound of the affair, and the handle, on the opposite side to the claw. Harry wanted to extinguish his verge but the sound he'd have to make was spoiled than the stifled freshness. Harry reached for the trapdoor handle and applied the low-cal signature of hook to it, increasing by hairs largeness Harry felt the wood move.

A grunt near his shoulder made his muscles freeze and his heart and soul race. He felt flesh move all around him and the air brought new streamer of reek. But the beast just grunted again and fell back into snoring. Harry eased the door up a half span more then stick around his bridge player in and felt inside. No measure met his questing helping hand, just a straight shaft. Harry propped the door open with a rod and felt in his air hole. He drew forth a tenacious train. His nimble digit felt the plumb bob on the end and he put it through the trapdoor then slowly and evenly paid out forget me drug counting under his breathing spell. The train went slack. About eight meters. With something flaccid he'd do it. With moth-eaten stone he'd go against a leg. Harry wondered if a real ace would know some self levitation charm to get themselves down safely. He pulled back up on the train and suffered a surprise. It was stuck ! He tugged on it again. No springiness at all. He tugged again and in a mettle stopping minute, felt the rod brush his arm.

The trapdoor battering closed was like a cannon nut in the gut and Harry felt the shadow motion around him. He threw himself backwards as a pharyngeal consonant growl filled the elbow room with aboriginal veneration. He saw a chassis the size of an oven strike down in front of him and heard Wood splinter and crack. Harry whipped the cloth from his scepter and the stark phantasm danced high on the wall before him as the monolithic rottweiler drumhead turned and looked at him with bloodshot eyes. Harry dived again to debar its dentition and looked up to see it descending from above him too ! Harry kicked off from the background and slid, he felt hot breath on his back and the picnic of jaws behind him but he was gone. Straight into the ruin trapdoor and plummeting down the shaft.

*

Harry spun in the air and he felt toilsome pain as his head caught itself a crack on the passing wall. He landed in a plant and in a fog, his eyes showing him black touch more than anything else. He lifted his hand to his head and was surprised to see it came back unobjectionable, without origin or possibly brain. He shook his headland to authorise it and held his shaking mitt and wand up to reveal his environment. A nondescript room with this plant covering the storey, covering some of the rampart too, and the ceiling, and him !

"What the Hell !"Harry shouted at the tendrils as they wrapped themselves around his pegleg. He tried to draw them off but they were like conducting wire ! They wrapped his waist too ! Harry pulled and tore at the vines !"Acerbus cuspis !"Harry used the jinx Snape had aimed at him but plain threads of sluttish shot from his wand and the plant life barely noticed. What was that other one ! ? Think ! Think !"Relashio !"red sparks and rut shot from his scepter and where they hit the plant drew back."Relashio !"Harry aimed at his legs and cried out as his skin burned. But he was free. He stumbled to his substructure and blasted a few last tendrils. He leapt to the threshold and pushed through, staggering down the corridor occasionally pointing his wand back in case the devil plant had tried to follow him, he reached another door and carefully pushed it open, wand out in front he entered the elbow room, and was met by a foreign sight.

Shining, fluttering glittering things, flying near the cap one C of them. Harry edged out into the centre of the high vaulted space. The fairy glint remained near the ceiling and Harry at stopping point stopped eying them crooked. He walked over to the door on the early side of meat and tried the handle. Locked. Obviously. It could never be easily could it ? Harry was just wondering what to do when he heard interpreter from behind him. Spinning like a galvanise cat Harry saw pass out promiscuous coming from around the bound of the door he'd just come through. The lighting and the voices got warm as Harry searched for a hiding place. He ran to a rampart buttress and grabbed for a handhold, thank heavens they like decoration around this place…

*

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Professor."Perhaps he'll listen to me now. Perhaps the doddering fool will listen to what I have to say now."As I have said before, Quirenius Quirrell has every aim of stealing the philosophers stone."Snape was so exasperate he didn't even notice the movement above him in a high alcove, like someone getting into a ripe position to take heed."He was seen snooping around the Slytherin common room a calendar week ago and he's never really explained why he took the defending team job in the first place."Snape couldn't give vocalism to the real reason for his mistrust. A gut opinion, a twisting knife in his heart and an aura of menace he felt in every cell whenever Quirrell was nearby. An irrational fear too. A awe of being discovered, a fearfulness that made every moment a silent prayer that his genial defences would hold and he wouldn't be found out for what he was. He hadn't felt like that in over ten years…

"And as I have said before Severus I have no reason to mistrust prof Quirrell."As he half deform away Snape could experience sworn that Dumbledore's rim tilted into a quiet smile."But if it would serve you slumber bettor I will identify 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 teachers had done it but the schoolmaster had maintained he wasn't make yet and he still needed to prove."What has changed ? Have I truly swayed you ?"

"Many thing have changed. Before I had not tested enough. Now I have."Dumbledore took a diminished sugariness out of his pouch and popped it in his mouth before continuing."I intended to do a bit more testing but…"The old man spread his handwriting."I suppose the current version will probably work well enough."

"May I ask what this miraculous security is ?"The master had made some sinful claims about what his protective cover would do."A tribute that not the shadow Godhead, nor any Death Eater, nor anyone with wishing to use it for ill or greed could penetrate ?"

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

*

Harry waited a good half 60 minutes after seeing Snape disappear, just to be sure he was truly gone before slipping out of his hiding place and climbing down to the storey. With a furtive glance around he made for the door and was almost there before…

"going away already Harry ?"

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

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

"And…"

"And ?"

"And how could I amend it ?"Dumbledore was half smiling when he said that. Under that warm smiling face Harry relaxed a picayune, this didn't tactile property like a conversation that could end in expulsion.

"Well, the two headed dog was good."

"concluding I looked it had three heads."

"wellspring I didn't pin around long, I only met two. The plant was less unspoilt though. A little estrus, a few electric arc and it's backing away."

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

In defiance of tradition Harry tried the truth.

"I overheard prof Snape threatening professor Quirrell the dark before Halloween."Dumbledore just nodded as if this was pattern."Snape seemed to call back he was going to try and steal something. We…"No, better he thinks I'm the lonesome one to blame"I worked out that it must be what's hidden here. What you got Hagrid to gather up for you the same day we shopped for my schoolhouse stuff. The same thing someone tried to break into Gringots to get later."

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

"Couldn't hazard anyone else. And besides, they all make too very much racket for this kind of work."Harry tried to show Neville sneaking past the dog and giggled."The only way I could do this was alone."The other reason of course of study was that after being humiliated by Malfoy on a broom handle he'd wanted to evidence to himself that he could do it alone.

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

"That wasn't here before."

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

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

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

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

"What does it mean ?"Harry looked at the silver haired prof who was standing nearby."Is it showing the hereafter ?"

"One could trust so, but no."Dumbledore seemed pleased but faintly surprised as he looked down at Harry."The mirror shows us nothing more or less than what we truly desire above all else. You Harry, who by your own choice lived a alone and cold childhood desire friends, and companions and More than that ..."Dumbledore took Harry by one shoulder and kneeled down to talk to him human face to face"…you want to know you'll keep them. You want to know that you don't have to go back to the cold 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 bod were growing misty for some reason, Harry wondered if there was something wrong with the mirror. Then he felt the sting in his oculus. Wordlessly, Dumbledore handed him a tissue.

"Let me get hold of you back to your room Harry."He said quietly."Your friends 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 former protective covering ?"The schoolmaster fixed him with a critical eye.

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

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

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

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

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

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

*

"Harry !"Ron's phonation filtered down from the get-go years room to where Harry was idly skimming through one of his schooltime Scripture by the Christmas tree."What are you doing down there ?"

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

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

If Harry had been honorable 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 present as rocket ? What if it had been fragile ?"

"Nah mate."Ron shook his head ruefully"I can order what that one is, however you wrap them they all feel the same."Harry unwrapped the piece of ground and pulled out a blue, knitted jump shot. On the battlefront were three juggling balls in red, icteric and green."My mum."Ron said holding up a standardized article."She makes them for all of us. Must have heard you weren't expecting many presents."

"Its pretty good. Very debonair."Harry pulled the pinafore on over his nous and they went back up to the room to get the respite of the presents. Of course Harry had sent his booster nowadays ( wretched excavator had been run ragged. The niggling owl was so bore to please she didn't seem to take any breaks in trajectory. ) but it kind of failed to get across in his mind that he ‘ d probably get some in rejoinder. Harry noticed one with Hermione's neat handwriting on it ( after all, he ‘ d copied off her government note enough meter. Occasionally even with permission. ) and pulled it over first.

"It ‘ ll be a book mate."

"Wow Ron, a thick, heavy, orthogonal packet from a known scholastic ? And just from that you can judge it's a script ?"

"That, and she got me one too."Ron held up a al-Qur'an with a checkerboard back, there was a rook on the presence but Harry couldn't read the title. Pulling the paper off his own present he smiled. It was an tumid survival of cocoa but what made him grinning 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 juggle billy charmed to trail rainbows in the air behind them when thrown. Padma and Parvati had got him books, but it looked like they'd collaborated because the statute title read Secrecy and Illusion, charm of privateness and Beyond allohamora, unlocking your obstacles. Most of the rest were edible things ( not that Harry minded ) and he bit into a bar of chocolate while settling down to read.

*

Harry popped the second to go of his Christmastime chocolates into his rima oris and handed the survive one to Parvarti who was skulking in the phantasma nearby. At least it was a Nice night, nights with rain had been rather unpleasant. For the past few calendar month the marauders had been working on the Quirell enigma 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 Quran on antediluvian alchemy for the past one-half hour. He hadn't turned the page.

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

"We can ‘ t really do anything else Harry."Herminone had pointed out. Of grade 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 estimation had formed in Harry's mind. It was so dewy-eyed he wondered why he hadn't view 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 slip up eventually right ?"

Organising a night spotter had seemed like a lot more fun than it was. In teams of two they rotated, each team taking either the first one-half of the night, the second half or having a night off. After a week and a half of rock-bottom sleep the 1st year rascals were getting a bit tatty. 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 troll with the news program that Quirrell had slipped out furtively. Him and Hermione had moved swiftly to the tierce floor corridor to head him off, but he had never showed."We just need to go for a footling longer."

"But I'm tired."The usually chipper Twin Falls hadn't taken well to the hours."And he's never going to issue forth out."

"Funny you should say that…"Harry ducked low and pulled the girl down with him as he saw the doorway to Quirrells quarter undecided and stuffy, 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 smile. She moved off without a tidings but Harry had started in the opposite direction."Hey ! The third floor corridor is that way !"

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

"Well we can't…"But Harry held up one finger to silence her and a here and now later they, heard a door gap and conclusion then could clearly see the night shape of the hotshot robes as he crossed the soil towards the preclude forest."What do we do now ?"

"We watch him."Harry said it without the conviction it usually held and with a ripe Elvis 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 fortune to object."Besides, I've heard there are centaurs in there. I wouldn't creative thinker seeing a centaur."

*

"Do you know where your going ?"Parvarti hadn't seen any centaurs, but there had seen other things skulking between the tree. Harry looked back and wished he would throw offered some reassurance. He knew he could find the way back, well probably. He had made for certain to denounce it at veritable interval with cuts on the tree luggage compartment. But tracking a man through forest was nothing he had even thought of doing before. They had entered the forest at about the same spot as Quirrell and Harry had had his Bob Hope boosted by finding a footprint stamp in mud nearby but after that nothing.

He was vaguely aware that they should appear out for broken twigs or birdcall but the twigs seemed to ingest no discernible features and the forest was eerily quiet. Except for the things.

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

"It ? What it ?"

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

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

It was one matter knowing nasty matter were out in the forest butchering gracious things, quite another to sustain test copy and another still to have them be so closing curtain that the blood wouldn't have had sentence to cool off in the nighttime air. He looked at his friend and was suppressed to see no fright in her face, only anger that something would hurt a unicorn.

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

"This way."Said Harry in dead tones and pointed at the ground ahead. In the mud there, clear for all to see, was the heel of a rush print. Harry didn't want to admit even to himself that his first instinct on seeing the print was to point the former way. That or run for the James Jerome Hill."Alright. Close the shutter on the light 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 woods. Harry couldn't have told anyone afterwards how long they had walked, it seemed like an timelessness. The spatter of blood grew orotund and more sponsor, the further they went until.

"!"Harry stopped dead and put his hand out flat in social movement of the other marauder. There was a glade up ahead, bathed in the gibbose moonlight and the night air carried sounds to them. It sounded like an obscene slurping and gurgling and along with it there were the strait of faint drive. Harry pointed left, around the sharpness of the clearing then once again put up a single finger. Silence.

They moved around until they were behind a fallen Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree then slowly looked over the top of the log. Through the branches that his them they saw an awful ken. The unicorn was splayed on the flooring like it had been run to terra firma and a cloaked figure hunched over it, drinking its blood 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 header firmly. What the hell was she thinking ? She gestured more firmly then touched her heart and made a pumping motion. 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 exaggerated and the meaning hit him with sickening certainty.

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

HAGRID

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

misdirection

*

Without further ado he moved further around the clarification so that when he ran he would take the affair away from the direction Parvarti would feature to go to get help. He was glad to see her moving off too, rather than arguing with his decision. Harry wrapped the scarf joint round his oral sex again and tucked it in so it wouldn't unravel. This would do, he thought. No good sense waiting around. He got out his baton, took measured aim and yelled

"Acerbus cuspis !"

The cloaked fig was caught off guard duty and some of Harry's swooning spears had hit it. It flinched back, more storm than hurt then an new dissonance came from its hood, a drawn out athirst sound. Like a snake having a rat dangled in its face. 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 fear palsy and he ran, away from the clearing and the thing. He moved without thinking, foundation slamming on solid primer coat where possible 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 sections of the woods where the trees were dissimilar shapes, older, novel, 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 meeting any animals and thought that they were probably scared of the thing behind him.

He reached a buddy-buddy tie-up of trees and brushwood and slipped in sideways. Here he risked a looking at back. Nothing. Sides ? Front ? aught. Harry allowed himself a controlled breath. It looked like he had lost it. Harry sat for a indorse on a log and let his ramification balance. The tiredness of the by 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 consume fallen asleep but he did get laid what caused him to make out to attention suddenly. A sprig breaking nearby. Harry moved slowly and backed away from the beginning of the audio when a manus grabbed him from rear end and swung him around roughly. Harry's veneration of attack turned into substitute, then quickly back into fear.

"Out for a midnight stroll Potter ?"

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

*

The boy walked in muteness in social movement of him as Snape led him back towards the castle. The charms he'd laced the edges of the forest with had tripped, waking him and warning him that Quirrell had gone on another of his nightly expedition. But once again the little insect had eluded him and he'd been on his way back when he'd seen ceramicist in a stand of tree diagram. His mouth felt like twitching into a smiling, at least some good could come of this night's work.

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

"We are going to your top dog of business firm. Then to Dumbledore. Then you can explain what you were doing in the interdict woods after hours."Snape allowed himself a import of joy then said."Then you can go back to your room and plurality for the train journeying back. From which you will never return."

"But what if I've got a beneficial understanding for being here ?"

"What possible understanding could that be ?"

"Saami reason you are. Following Quirrell."Had that been a shot in the wickedness ? He tried to enamour the insufferable kid's eyes but he looked straight ahead."And unlike you I succeeded."

"Quirrell is a boyfriend teacher. With every right to claver the woodland if he so chooses."

"Oh."The scion of his opposition 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 second to assemble his thought before turning Potter and looking directly into his optic. There was a flash, a table, some faces… a scowl crossed the son face for a moment then he shook his read/write head worriedly. Even Snape could not conceal his shock as a blank rampart appeared before him, slowly fading over the memory. The boy was an Occlumens ! But he couldn't know what he was doing, it must be subconscious ! With a waver of fear his eyes were drawn to the mark on the boys forehead. Or was it entirely subconscious ? powerfulness would be transferred in such an event, large power…

"What are you suggesting ?"Inside himself he was seething. He so wanted to see the son of James thrower expelled. It would make up for so often but… Quirrell was more significant, if there was even the thin 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 you what I saw tonight."Smug and unacceptable. And in this event right.

"Why one calendar week ?"

"Because it would face odd if in one workweek you go to Dumbledore and say ‘ I caught Harry ceramicist 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 portraiture door."Well ?"

"Agreed."

*

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

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

"Take it easy all right. 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 keep open it in the firstly place, 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 daybreak !"Harry grinned and she returned to her shoes at the table.

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



*

The following few workweek were full of disappointment. Except for the Slytherins who got a impermanent reprieve from pranking. Hagrid had saved the unicorn and in thanks for their aid he told them all about the place of unicorn blood 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 forge out that Quirrell was after immortality but for what grounds ?

"Maybe he ‘ s not after it for himself."Neville had said one day. Harry tried to always deal 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 crazy ! Nuts ! He ‘ s prob'ly talking to his turban !"

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

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

"That would depend on how sophisticated it is."Hermione's voice came from behind a quite a little of Bible, shed already begun revising for the end of year exam and at least some of the other marauder seemed to want to unite her."But Dumbledore could probably do it."

"Alright then."A programme began to work in Harry's nous."Dumbledore said he had no understanding to mistrust Quirrell and Snape's got no test copy to prove him otherwise. If we get this communicator then they've got the proof they need and they can affect to turn back Quirrell."

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

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

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

"The spellchecker seems to think it is."

"What's a spellchecker ?"

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

"I really need to revise."

*

But the opportunity didn't come for a foresighted while. Quirrell had begun sleeping with his windowpane closed and the whorl 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 program library !") and there was null to be done but wait and sentry for Quirrell to slip one's mind up. There was a plus position though. sentry duty responsibility gave them wad of clip to revise. Then the exam came, painful and inevitable with the concern and doubt that came with them.

The only ace Harry was at any way well-to-do about were spell and astronomy, the latter because unlike other classes he actually paid attention and the previous because ( perhaps due to his Christmas present tense ) he was genuinely trade good at the spells. Potions was a incubus and defense lawyers against the darkness arts worse. Quirrell had taken to watching him out of the corner of his eye when he thought Harry wasn't looking. Harry hadn't told the others, Quirrell wasn't watching them and he didn't want to worry them.

Even with the exams and their continued failing in their chore it was severe to feel bad. The weather had turned to marvellous and scholarly person could always be found out sunning themselves on the grass. Harry was just on his way to expend an afternoon in just such a manner ( the sleep of the piranha already waiting ) when he looked up and saw what he had been waiting for for weeks. Quirrells window, open.

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

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

"Come into my sitting room said the wanderer to the fly."




greenback, 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 myopic before.


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

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

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

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

"Why are you taking me up there ?"Harry tried to win over his brain to work but he seemed to be missing mental capacity cubicle.

"Oh that's quite wide-eyed. Your going to help oneself me, I knew what you and your little 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 elementary, all you have to do is play along. Lie. You're full at that yes ? The second is a bit more complex. You see…"They grew close to the corridor and Quirrell pulled him to a arrest and into a obsolete schoolroom."I've spent the yr devising foolproof ways to get yesteryear each defence except one that still eludes me."

"Snape."Good old surreptitious bastard Snape.

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

Harry took a lilliputian sip of the potion and instantly felt the effect. His hands seemed to acquire and he pulled off his brake shoe as the pressure sensation in them increased. Black whisker grew down in figurehead of his heart and he flicked it out of the way. After a few bit the outcome 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 long dark robe and gestured to the mirror nearby. Harry took them and walked over, stopping for a bit in jolt. He looked like Snape !"Get on with it boy !"Harry struggled into the robes then did them up and allowed Quirrell to direct him towards the dreadful corridor. Harry saw prof Flitwick and Sinestra outside the door. Sinestra was sitting cross legged and appeared to be meditating in some way. Quirrell prodded him in the back. Of course, Snape would arrive at the first base motility. He tried to pee-pee his vox as sneering as potential then said.

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

"prof Snape was called away unexpectedly."Quirrell smirked confirming to Harry that his absence was no happenstance."He thinks he arranged a switch on safeguard duty but unfortunately the owl never got through. Oh and in type you were wondering your precious 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 titan dog. Its three heads instantly rose to watch them but Quirrell pointed his wand at the floor nearby and a harp appeared. Another complex crusade and it began plucking out a simple melody. The great beasts eyelid drooped and it fell quickly asleep.

"come on boy ! I haven't got all day."Quirrell pulled him forwards to the sand trap door then pulled it capable. He whispered a little magical spell and a rope began curling its way out of his scepter. Quirrell seemed to birth to concentrate a great deal to take out this off and Harry backed away slowly. He felt some thing behind him and put a hand back to sense. It was the harp. Acting on instinct, Harry grabbed the harp and smashed it as hard as he could against one of the wienerwurst giant hand. The dog awoke with a roar and bit through the harmonica remains in a single bite. Then it turned to the other interlopers in its room.

"Boy ! What do you think you're…"But then Quirrell was forced to defend himself as the neat heads reared up above him. He screeched a single word and bolide smacked one on the nozzle. Harry took the opportunity and bolted for the threshold."I'm not done with you yet potter around !"Quirrell screamed. Harry glanced back in prison term to see red light, then darkness.

*

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

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

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

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

"For this year."

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

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

"Oh look the mudblood army seem to be missing a general."The vulture turned en mass to see Malfoy strolling towards them with his hands in his sack."wagerer get used to it though."

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

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

"Which teacher ?"Padma's motion seemed ominously serenity in the undefendable air.

"Professor Quirrell, but don't think that… Hey !"But Ron had grabbed him by the strawman of his coat, knocking his baton away. The redhead was vaguely mindful of his friend 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… one-third floor. That corridor with the maypole painting."Ron let him go. That was decent next to the dog's room.

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

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

*

"aftermath up Mr Potter. Rise and effulgence for the mark new day."The condemnation slid around the black cocoon of Harry's unconscious."Now now, that won ‘ t do. Up !"pain sensation blossomed in Harry's tummy and the gyp of it pulled him back to realism. He drew himself up on the cold Harlan Fiske Stone story shaking terribly. The long arm of his robe fell down over his arms and he realised he was back in his own body. Quirrell aimed another wolf charge at Harry ‘ s chest and he sprawled on the floor again.

"You think that's hurting thrower ?"Yep, sure seemed like it, at the very least he had a cracked rib."I can preface you to the twisting condemnation if you want. If you choose not to co-operate with me."Harry raised his question wearily and realised that he was in a new room. Fires blocked both doors and on a table in the core a row of nursing bottle stood, twinkling in the torchlight.

"Wh… where ?"

"The double-crosser trial."That hadn't sounded like Quirrell. Harry looked up and saw care in Quirrells eyes.

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

Quirrell set over the tabular array and read with a smile…

"peril lies before you, while safety lies behind,
Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,
One among us seven will let you go ahead,
Another will transport the drinker back instead,
Two among our telephone number hold only chafe wine,
Three of us are orca, waiting hidden in air.
Choose, unless you wish to persist here forevermore,
To help oneself you in your choice, we give you these clues four :
First, however slyly the poison attempt to conceal
You will always retrieve some on nettle wine 's go away side ;
second, different are those who stand at either end,
But if you would prompt onward, neither is your protagonist ;
Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,
Neither midget nor giant holds destruction in their inside ;
Fourth, the second left and the second gear on the right
Are twins once you taste them, though different at firstly sight."

The wizard shook his head angrily.

"What kind of a labor is that ? You don't even need conjuration. And besides, I've never taken the legitimate track to get answers. I so prefer the… experimental approach."He picked up one of the feeding bottle at random and held it out to Harry with a under the weather grin."crapulence up !"

*

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

"Mr Weasley ! If you can not control yourself I will have you dragged to my office where I will flue your female parent ! And we will talk about your continued mien at this school !"The argument had moved from the exterior to the corridors as the lieutenant headmistress had failed to mind."As it is you are all already in enough trouble for just knowing about the Edward Durell Stone ! Let alone disesteem to a Hogwarts professor. Two prof in fact as I think professor Quirrell will need to hear about the basis accusal you have made."

"But you don't…"Ron was brought to a freeze by a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Neville holding him back with a terrified face on his cheek. He shook his head quickly.

"You should hear to your friends Mr Weasley."The professor said while turning and walking down the Granville Stanley Hall."Now you will all follow me to my office where we can decide…"

"Petrificus Totalus !"

The marauder gang watched in speak silence as their head of house went stiff then slowly but inexorably fell backwards. Ron caught her and lowered her to the storey, ashen faced. He looked round to see Neville standing with his wand out and a horrified formula on his human 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 capable 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 rout anyway lets go get our boy."

*

"Nil for two Mr thrower !"Harry fell choking on the flooring as Quirrell took a sip of the potion he'd just proved was safe."Still born prosperous I see."Harry fell into a fit of coughing that wracked his body with pain. He pulled his head back and idly noticed the lineage all over his arm. So, to a greater extent than a cracked rib then.

When he had refused to drink the commencement bottleful Quirrell had used some sort of bludgeoning condemnation that squashed him back to the storey. As he had lain there vainly trying to get his breath back Quirrell had pulled his head back and tipped the potion down his throat. The second clip he had tried to resist More and been formally introduced to the cruciatus curse. He was ashamed to say he willingly took the bottle in shaking men and drank a sip himself. All the time feeling wretched and a coward.

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

Harry pulled himself up on the edge of the table and tried to bring a mentality prison cell to endure."Hermione where are you when I need you ?"He must suffer said it out gimcrack because Quirrell laughed and said

"I could get her if you want. I'm sure enough she'd like to see the cruciatus expletive. As a purely academic cogitation. Of course to fully appreciate it I would own to do it on her as well."Harry looked from one feeding bottle to another and a catch of song came back to him.

Neither dwarf nor giant holds dying in their inside.
Harry's center slid to the little feeding bottle in the row. His hand shook almost too lots for him to take the cork out and he spilled some as he took a sip. An heartbeat frigidness mavin 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 pharynx and pretended to fret, falling towards the fire he took a heavy gasping breath.

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

The floor on the early slope knocked the winding from him but he wasn't burnt. It had been the ripe potion.

"You will pay for that !"A mountain range with a hook 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 call out behind him but he ignored it, there was a room up ahead. He walked in and barely saw the berth. All he took in was the tall mirror in the center, familiar. Without really realising what he was doing he moved towards it and fell to the primer coat in front of it. Oh, god everything harm. He looked up into the mirror and saw his protagonist associate faces surrounding him, filling the mirror-Harry with heat and happiness.

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

He floated in the wickedness for a instant then was brought back around. inherent aptitude again waking him when he was no longer alone. He turned to see a blacken figure, robes in tag and his toque unwound and trailing behind him.

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

*

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

"Yes thrower. What Severus seems to have forgotten…"The execrable frame said as it stalked towards Harry on ruined legs."Is that I would much rather walk through fire than hold failure to my master. Much, very much rather."He came to a period in movement of the Mirror and pointed his blackened wand at Harry.

"No wait, this won't work."He threw the sceptre away like refuse."But luckily I have another."He drew out Harry's wand, unblemished and pristine. He laughed at Harry's shocked face and said"Rubbed in what short of the potion you let drop on the floor. It was bound to live on safe than mine. After all, capital of Arizona feathering are meant to put across through fire."He flicked the baton negligently and ropes bound Harry's stage under him.

"Yes, you left just enough for the wand and for…"His hand rose involuntarily to the back of his head and a quiver of pain ran across his face."But enough !"He stood in figurehead of the mirror, his anticipation clear on his aspect."I see myself presenting the Lucy Stone to my master. He is restoring my consistency, 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 simulacrum swam in pain in the ass in front of him. His Friend faces still stared back at him, mocking him with their happiness.

"Well boy ? What do you see ?"

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

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

"Crucio !"pain sensation obliterated the humankind again but soon enough he was shook awake and slammed in front of the field glass.

"What do you really SEE !"

"I ‘ ve just found every burnt umber frog card. My collection is complete."

"Do you enjoy trouble ?"Quirrell's boldness was twisted beyond credit."Do you call back even for a moment that your petty defiance will actually attain anything !"

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

*

"A cheat set, what the…"

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

"Do you think he.. ?"

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

*

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

Brave, or maybe simply gooselike.
That voice again. The master.

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

Oh yes. Joking in the case of pain. That is something I think your father would do.
"Yeah."Harry said as the world began to swim back into direction."But I've got my mother eyes."He looked up but Quirrell was standing a agency away, curiously with his back to him. Harry groped around for his eyeglasses.

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

"Yes Harry."The face spoke with malevolency now, and barely controlled choler."This is what you reduced me to. Ten twelvemonth ago."

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

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

Harry turned without wanting to and asterisk again into the shining aerofoil. The faces stared back, laughing and well-chosen.

"Their probably still out on the grass."Thought Harry. The Ron in the mirror patted him on the spine."They don't know about this evil. This duskiness. They haven't seen it. They don't have to carry on 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 strait echoed through the mansion house and Harry felt ice shards cut into his skin. He tried to wander but a sharp pain in his arm caught him and he stopped, quivering.

"You FOOL."He felt himself picked up and shook like a doll."You destroyed it !"He fell to the ground again and saw Quirrell rifling through the shards, heedless of the cuts and pedigree."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 release the gemstone !"

"Dumbledore told me."Suddenly Harry actually did sense like laughing."But on the minus incline, that should be seven geezerhood bad luck."

"You.. YOU ! !"The treble creature stood quivering with fury."well I hope you savour your victory."The thing drew Harry's wand"Because, it is the last cerebration you will ever have ! Avada Ked…"

"Tarantella !"

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

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

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

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

"I ‘ ve already petrified my read/write head of house."Neville seemed to cause left his stutter in the earthly concern of fear and could verbalize 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 incline of my face."Quirrell turned on his bloc and Parvarti shrieked.

"Children !"Quirrells arms twisted back, cracking beat at the elbows to give Voldemort dominance of the sceptre"I will not be stopped again by nipper !"

"Petrificus Totalus !"Hermione's voice rang out but Voldemort raised a shield disdainfully. The rebounding cuss took the Danton True Young crone in the chest and she fell like a Oliver Stone.

"Crucio !"Neville dropped to the ground. His font a mask of bother.

"Crucio !"Padma fell, her weaponry wrapped around her chest. Screaming. He was still playing with them. He could do end as easily as painfulness.

"Crucio !"Ron fell in his lead. He had tried to excite the creature.

"Im… im… impedimenta !"

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

"Pathetic creatures."The face spat the Word."Unworthy of life !"Harry stepped closer careful not to disturb the drinking glass on the floor."You will all die ! For defying Almighty Voldemort. You will…"

"Master look out !"But Quirrell's warning was too late as the long fragment plunged into his tum. Him and his attacker fell together and Harry jerked the chicken feed out only to plunge it again into the wizards material body. His workforce bled, the fabric of the robe hadn't been nearly enough to protect them. Quirrell rolled over under him and the serpentine grimace looked up at him in hatred.

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

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

The scream rung out through the sleeping room. Rising high and eminent, louder and louder till the shards still on the floor shattered into sand. Then the organic structure slumped like a rag doll and finally lay still.

Harry fell back drained. It felt like he had zippo left in his venous blood vessel, felt vacate. He slumped on the level and looked up to see five concerned faces crowding around him. They were saying something but his mind couldn't quite make sensation of it. The double suddenly reminded him of something and he pointed at them with a shaky 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 people left those for Harry !"

vocalism ? …

"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 ask a cauldron cake…"

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

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

"Well yeah."Harry shook his headland to authorise it before answering Hermione's question."Why would I not be ? How yearn was I asleep ?"

"Days I ‘ m afraid mate."Ron shook his head ruefully."They had to chip in you sleeping potion while everything healed. Did you know you broke your arm ?"

It had hurt when he rolled over, but surely he would bear 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 piece of music too."

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

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

"Devil snares well-heeled. Anyway you got the key."

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

"There was a wear out harmonica on the floor. What else could it have been but music ?"

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

"Children."The 1st years turned as Albus Dumbledore stepped into the hospital wing."I can not conceive of how delight you must be that your friend is awake however,"He continued with a sparkling in his eye as he peered over his spectacles"…it will intend that you will have to detect a new source of chocolate frogs."Ron at least had the decency to look guilty."Now, if you would make us some privateness I would wish to verbalise to your friend."The marauders 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 eubstance."It ‘ s a goodness thing it is being repaired."

"You could induce told me that bit !"Harry shook his head as he regained his tummy.

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

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

"Nothing about this Death was any unlike from his premature one. If he survived that I believe we can assume he can last this."

"Will he come after the stone ? I mean, when you fix the mirror you can get the gemstone ?"

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

"Hireling a man who was literally duplicitous ?"

"No Harry."Dumbledore fixed him with a patient stare and Harry bit back a smiling."I mean that you were ineffective to get by my finish protection. You did not get the stone."

"Yeah. What was I supposed to do ?"

"When you saw yourself in the mirror there. What did you see ?"

"The same matter as before."Harry shifted uncomfortably"You know, friends."

"So faced with the prospects of eternal life story and unending wealth, your dream remained the Lapplander ?"

"I have a with child deal of riches now, and if perpetual life means being someone's scalp I think I ‘ ll offer 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 auntie and uncles house."

"No."

"Harry, I can assure…"

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

"You are xi Harry."Professor Dumbledore put his hand on Harry's berm and his interpreter went soft."It would be negligent of me to let you entrust my tending 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 spokesperson.

"I thought that you would be glad with kinsperson, even remote ones."

"You were amiss. Would you care to see some scratch by way of proof ?"

"No Harry, I see I can not sway you on this mark. I will arrange for you to quell at Hogwarts over the summertime, it has been done before in sealed circumstances."

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

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

"Who ?"Harry looked around and spotted a yoke of slippers poking out from behind a drapery."Who'zat ? They Ok ?"

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

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

"Hopefully after your friends leave."

*

"endure chance for sound magic !"Fred ( or George IV ) yelled as he walked down the Hogwarts limited. His brother walked beside him ringing a hand-bell up and down."I repeat ! net luck for all summer !"

"You heard that Harry ?"Ron said as his brother walked past the marauder stroller.

"Yep."And indeed he could see the London horizon around the train as they pulled towards kings crossing. He had asked Dumbledore if he could follow his friends on the geartrain and the master had agreed.

"You gon na be alright over the summer on your own Harry ?"Parvarti leaned over considered him quietly."You ‘ ll write everyone right ?"

"And you have to visit home."Ron said through a taste of dessert"Mums been bugging me about it ever since she found out."

"May just take you up on that Ron."Harry stretched as the wagon train drew into the station."Oh, and before deception becomes illegal…"Harry took a small parcel out of his pocket, tapped it and pulled back as his bag expanded to full size of it.

"You brought your bag ? Why did you bring your bag…"Hermione's voice became pipe and a little scare off. But the question was moot, everyone in the carriage had guessed the answer.

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

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

"The ministry can only give chase me if I use magic."Harry said jumping down onto the program."And distance 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 rationality didn't quite believe it. The predator stood in a semicircle around Harry with several interpretation of mental rejection on their faces. But after a class they had realised that Harry mostly made his own normal.

"What they gon na do ? stop their shining paladin ?"Harry winked and smiled his wickedness whiz smile."And I ‘ ve realised something. Being a homeless person vagabond sounds a unhurt lot more fun if you ‘ ve got a gargantuan mass of gold underground to fall back on. It ‘ ll just be like going somewhere fun, to have fun."

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

"rightfield, 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 traceable address !"

"HARRY potter YOU GET BACK HERE ! ! !"

"Got ta go."Harry broke into a run as the teacher appeared at the other end of the platform. He dodged between groups of students as the yell got closer and jibe between handcart. He saw his opportunity, launched himself like a onager off the trunk of an astonished student and dived through the barrier. He kept running through Kings cross, preceding radical of astonished muggles. Running for freedom.

*

"Think he'll lose ‘ em ?"

"Oh, Neville you know the answer to that."Padma smiled at the chaos Harry had left in his Wake Island on the platform."It's the piranha world-class pattern. ‘ You can do anything you set your idea to if you've got the face to see it through.'”

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

"That one too."




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


Harry Potter stepped back onto British people soil with a spring in his step and a tan fit to blind seagulls. Officially there was not address magical route across the channel save by broom or early tool of flying. However Harry had known before he had ever held a wand that the most useful things were always hidden from those in burster.

It had been by this ancient fireplace, disconnected from the repose of the labial pipe mesh but with a direct connectedness to a similar holes and portals around European Union, through which Harry had left the country weeks ago. An xi class old can not book a plane ticket alone much to a lesser extent thumb a rise on a broomstick and even if he could do so those shipway had probably been watched.

After he was gone he'd sent a varsity letter to Dumbledore, with a borrowed owl and an untraceable address. He'd received a stern one in answer. The Headmaster understood his decision and his penury for freedom, even sympathised with it. But Harry needed to be kept safe, protected.

But to Harry protected meant trapped and the reasonableness he needed to be kept safe was the very matter he needed some freedom from. So Harry Potter had spent the absolute majority of the summer as doodly-squat compeer, juggler and tumbler on assorted Greek beaches. He had explored the wizarding face of the ancient country too, he had watched a schooltime of Hippocampus breaching and jumping like dolphins off the slide of Aeaea and seen the titan of Rhodes. He had walked to the Temple of Alcmeonidae at Delphi and climbed hand-over-hand up the farsighted trailing 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 camouflage and greeted him as Harry Potter. They had treated him with an eerie esteem and he had been taken to have tea with the current oracle. It was a meeting he would never forget…

"Sit dear one."She led him to a shock absorber on the trading floor and sat down herself nearby him. She looked like she was barely a year or two sometime than him but he knew that if he believed that he was a patsy. Only her eyes betrayed any hint that this was possibly the most powerful vaticinator in the cosmos. Harry had been shocked when he first saw them, he had heard stories that the greatest illusionist had milky white center showing that they were blind to the mundane. The prophet oculus were pattern except that the fleur-de-lis of one was deep purpleness and the former light green. Oh and the pupil ( and Harry had had to look concentrated to make this out ) were shaped like champion.

"Thank you Pythea."Pythea wasn't her public figure, the oracles held it as a title in award of the world-class."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 oceanic abyss eyes. Something in them betrayed a go sorrow, a hint of the memory board concealed behind. Memory that spanned hundred.

"If you wish to encourage more visitor your goodwill. Perhaps you should install stairs."He instantly felt that perhaps he was being too familiar. Harry generally ignored self-confidence but the quiet office of the pocket-sized daughter before him ( even sitting as she was, barefoot in a dewy-eyed tweed dress ) was hard to deny. Anyway he didn't he didn't want there to be stairs. Too many people, especially too many tourist, would bankrupt this peaceful place.

"Yes, that is why we do not make them. And no, I prefer that you speak freely before me."Harry looked up confused and she laughed. It sounded like falling water."Your occlumency is quite good for one doing it unconsciously. But access to thoughts is one of the endowment that comes with being… this."The sadness was back in her middle for a moment then she reached forward and poured him a glass of water out of a tall fluted jug.

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

"Those matter are more likely to happen if you do not tope it seeing as you climbed for half an minute in the summertime sun."

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

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

"Oh."Harry looked down guiltily. He knew he was a bit of a unsatisfying wedge but coming from her it seemed worse.

"You are anything but a disappointment Harry. I think you are peer to the task ahead of you, to a greater extent than match. I look into your psyche and what I see gives me corking promise. You are more than you think you are Harry, you are far more than you, or anyone else, realises. You must trust that you know the path you need to walk, not anyone else, and above all you must intrust yourself."

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

"I like your eyes."

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

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

"Am I ?"She seemed to count far away for a moment then come back down to dry land."Why do you say that ?"

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

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

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

"Good."She smiled."Good choice. But I think I will give you something anyway. In exchange for a hereafter not told."She dipped her handwriting into a scoop of her clothes and drew out a pendant on a braided leather cord. Harry leaned closer and saw that it was made of sea carapace, glittering like it had just been plucked from the piss. 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 shell to look at it closer but it didn't have any markings at all. It looked like it was made of two charge spiral carapace, hanging upright from its clasp. Harry looked closer and saw that the very bottom point was tinged green and the very top tinged purpleness."Is it magic ?"

"Yes."

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

"No."

"Meany."Harry tucked the chandelier into his T-shirt and felt it drip down near his heart.

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

Not trusting himself to verbalize Harry bowed for the start time in his aliveness and walked towards the door.

"Oh and when you go back to Hogwarts."The footling girlfriend said as he reached for the handle."Could you tell Sybill Trelawney to hold on owling me. delight ?"

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 varsity letter. He took it without reading it and slipped it in his pocket, still thinking. Then he walked over to a clump of heyday sprouting out of the stone nearby and picked some of the with child ace.

"Up there please."Harry nodded towards the tabernacle 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 brain still full of cerebration.

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

*

"Five Galleon ‘ s. Here."The shopkeeper pointed to a pot next to his cash cash register. Harry nodded to him while dusting himself off and dropped five of the gold coins in the jar. This vacation 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 whole time in between.

Harry stepped out into a begrimed back street and set off away from the store. Walking quickly he made for the lighter end of the street where he could hear more people moving. People turned to stare at his bright summery clothing in the darkness and shadowed street and he heard grumbling and muttering. A emaciated hand fell on his shoulder and he broke into a run. Shadowy figures leapt out at him and more custody tried to advance leverage, Harry broke off as his way ahead was blocked and he sprinted down a side street. He could see the bright sounds of diagonally ahead of him and sprinted as arduous as he could.

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

"What the… ?"But there was no time to reckon. shape were closing in and Harry dove in the opposite direction. He slipped down another road.

More cloaked bodies seemed to pop out of every phantasma. The small boy dodged down another street and found himself at a short end. The entrance to the bowling alley was blocked by a small crew, five or so star and witch in dark ragged robes blocked his way back.

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

"What have we here ?"A scabby and dishevelled witch said with a cackle."child shouldn't be in knockturn alley. Something bad could happen."She reached out towards him and Harry's mitt tightened on his wand.

"pedestal aside hag !"A flash of red light shot from the former end of the alley and the hag hair burst into flaming.

She shrieked and jumped away while the others tried to put out the fire. This left Harry with a open position down the alleyway to the man standing there, his long verge out.

"Never fear young scalawag !"The man said in a boom vox."Markus 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 !"

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

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

"For someone being rescued by the bang-up warrior, explorer, lover and adventurer that the domain has ever known."The man put his fists on his rosehip and turn down to put his boldness near Harry's."You sure don't seem to know how display you're grateful."

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

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

"Not to care. I'd imagine getting stuck down a dead end in knockturn alley is a little frightening for somebody not as… imposing… as me."He tucked his scepter in his belt and Harry looked him up and down. Even without taking his hat into account the man was easily seven feet tall and had shoulders like a ox. He wore fatheaded leather flush and leather trousers above them, fitting tightly over muscled branch. The knock was Hydra skin and he had what looked like animal teeth tied hanging off it so they clattered as he moved. Above that he wore a form fitting red undershirt that left his weapon bare. Harry could see the edge of a tattoo peeking up amongst his dresser hair's-breadth and another on his bicep. Further down his arms he wore two spike bands. To top it all off the man wore a cowboy hat over his duncish blonde hair with a long red feather tucked into the band on one English and three rifle bullets on the other.

"Who are you ?"

"Thought I introduced myself before. Never brain, probably slipped your mind in all the excitement."The man struck a mannerism."I am Markus Maximus Albert Michelson. Happy to name your acquaintance pipsqueak."

"My public figure is Harry."Odd to hear that after a summer of old salt.

"Good to meet you little Harry. Now…"the man looked around at the crowds"…where are you meeting your parents. Can't leave you alone out here since you seem to pull in bother. You petty tyke."He ruffled Harry's hair as if he was a little kid, earning himself Harry's eonian hate.

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

"Good, good."The man grabbed his arm again and set a brisk tread 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 cream parlour the odd wizard would leave him alone. He did nothing of the sorting however and sat down at a table, leaning far back on his electric chair and tucking his thumb in his belt loop. Harry was just wondering why he was waiting around when the reason walked up to the mesa.

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

"My little acquaintance here needs a drinking chocolate Dominicus to sedate him down. He's just been in a bit of a gummy state of affairs down knockturn back street. For myself just seeing you smile is all the afters I need, and please…"he plucked a yellow daisy out of air and set it behind the lady friend ear"…call me Maximus."

"You helped him ?"

"Oh no."cerebration Harry."She was here final summertime. She knows who I am."

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

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

"thinking your middle name was Maximus."

"Nope, Mighty."The man flexed his bicep and Harry was able-bodied to read the tattoo there. It was five Ms written one after another. The man pointed at the it with his other bridge player."Markus Maximus Mighty Majesto Michelson"he tapped the monogram with his fingerbreadth."But the first of my middle public figure is my personal favourite. So these parents that we're waiting for…"

"My friends parents."Harry fabricated."I ‘ m keep with them this summer. I didn ‘ t explain because I prefer to go under the radar a bit, you know."

"Can ‘ t honestly say I do little man."Harry's sunday appeared and he began eating it quickly."How can you not walk down the street and sense the basking latria of the people Harry. I owe it to my legend to be seen, in the promise that I inspire Loretta Young pups like you to suit 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 manpower clasped together over her chest."You're so smart as well as so hansom. You're like a poet or a radio ace or something."

Harry rolled his eyes and finished his ice ointment quickly as the vain wizard chatted to ( or more accurately chatted up ) the girl. Harry dropped the price of the meal on the board.

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

"Sure I will Harry."The man said cryptically before turning back to the early objective of his aid.

*

Harry moved quickly once he was out of the Isle of Man sight and slipped into Gringots. He got money out more quickly than he should accept by simply ignoring the queue and asking for Greeklunk. His old goblin acquaintance quickly helped him replenish his sack for another year. While he was down in the vault Harry stuck his t-shirt in his bag and instead took out a long robe with a hood. At Greeklunk's confused reflexion he said…

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

"Oh rightfulness. Bloody paparazzi."

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

*

Harry stood in the country lane and rechecked the missive he held in his hand. He was sure he was at least in the right Village and probably on the ripe road. It was just that the road went a long way in both directions and Ron's advice on getting to his house had been rather vague. Like he'd only really seen the surrounding countryside from the air. Harry folded the alphabetic character 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 sept of ginger citizenry who keep bird of Minerva as pets."

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

*

Harry had to balk the impulse to break into a run as he caught sight of the Weasley house. Outside it in the overgrown garden he could see three boy working, flinging something he couldn't make out over the garden wall. Harry smiled, they were expecting him today but he hadn't exactly been able to establish them an exact time. As he walked closer the room access to the house opened and Molly Weasley ( Ron had told him all about his family ) emerged, carrying a tray with drinks on it. Behind her a young young woman ( must be Ginny ) stepped outside and leaned against the doorpost looking bored. None of them seemed to have noticed him yet, or maybe the tan had changed his appearance a bit. As he stepped up to the figurehead gate he spread his subdivision wide.

"aloha !"

"Harry !"Ron jumped in surprise"You ‘ re here."The Twins jumped up too and ran to encounter him, but the most utmost response came from the youthful Weasley. Ginny went dead white under her hair and her mouth seemed to actuate 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 ginger bunch.

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

"Ron, be nice to your sister."Mrs Weasley's voice was stern for a moment then turned lenient 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 submarine thing doesn ‘ t last. I ‘ ve been told on reiterate social occasion that I ‘ m a monumental disappointment."

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

"Snape."

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

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

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

*

But Ginny's odd behaviour didn't full point. Harry found that she was incapable of staying in a elbow room that he was in and that any attempt to speak directly to her was sufficiency to get off her scurrying away. One sunrise when he came down and found her curled up on the sofa with a magazine he decided to put a full point to it.

"Ginny."She stiffened and looked like she was about to flee."Don't run away please."He walked around and sat future to her on the couch. She looked like a small rodent confronted by a snake, heart wide open and too scared to run."Can you narrate me why you run every time I try to tattle to you or insert the room ?"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 future six years. Could you babble to me. Please."

"Y… you…"Harry had to strain to hear her faint whisper."you destroyed you-know-who."

"Oh you ‘ re still thinking about that ?"Harry waved his hired hand dismissively."That happened geezerhood and years ago. No one cares about that. Apparently Markus Mandy Michelson is everyone's Hero now."

"You ‘ ve got the scar."

"I ‘ ve got a lot of scrape. Which one in specific ?"Ginny reached out to point at his frontal bone and Harry brushed away the tomentum to reveal the cicatrice. But apparently this was too much for Ginny and she bolted up the steps 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, finale year. Back before she liked us."

"And that turned out OK."

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

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

"Five last prison term I looked. My old one, the twins, Sir Henry Percy's and one Charlie left here."

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

"But Harry you can ‘ t play Quidditch. The last prison term you got on a Calluna vulgaris you made a over chump of yourself."

"Exactly !"

*

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

"You have to follow through."Ron made a thrust motion with the flat of his handwriting. That meant conform to through Harry knew, the helping hand signals were about all he ‘ d picked up during the game."Just concentrate on following through. That was the job that time."

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

"There isn ‘ t one, we'd have to devise it just for you."Ron helped him back on his Scots heather and they flew back up to connect the twins. Ginny was sitting a little 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 shadow of a smiling cross her expression as well. That shadow was all that was keeping him from giving up the entire endeavour and getting his feet back on solid ground.

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

"Aye aye 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 perforate you Ron, but I ‘ d fall off if I tried."Harry began moving off to the rightfield and saw his ally 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 deal.

"I got it ! I got…"Thump !

Harry struck the ground hard and rolled to a full stop in the long green goddess.

"Ow."Harry put his deal to the back of his head teacher and sat up. Looking right into the nerve of Ginny Weasley. She had run over to see if he was alright and now stood, wide eyed before him.

"There didn ‘ t used to be four of you."Harry pointed at her with a shaking script."Stop being four of you, person… girl… Where am I ?"Harry blinked and looked around blurrily. A small dissonance brought him back to the give and he looked forward. Ginny had her helping hand over her mouth and was trying hard not to laugh. piddling sounds kept escaping like steam out of a tympanum.

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

The four Weasley's carried him off the pitch shot and Fred and George V ( who seemed to bear experience with head injuries for some cause ) pronounced him ticket.

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

"Better idea."Harry tossed his Calluna vulgaris 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 interpreter to match Mrs Weasley's"Be nice to your sister ! And besides, your choices are me or her."

"Welcome to the squad Ginny."

*

"See ! No one can ticktack my team !"Harry grinned and slapped his chest 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 team won."Harry explained with span hand motion."And we all played a part in that."

"And your function is ?"

"Cheerleader. I really should get some pompoms."



distinction : Right, thats the second year started.

Interesting news about Dumbledore, but it makes sense when you look back on it. Does kind of shuffling it more tragic however. The hero of accepting people for who they were died without ever himself being accepted. He probably never even told anyone. The bit about how he did n't affect against Grindlewald was interesting too and puts the completely thing in a new brightness. What if Grindlewald was well cognisant of Dumbledores look and used him to gain power in safety ? Knowing wax well that Dumbledore was the only one who could have posibly stopped him. Ah well ...

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


# include `` standard legal disclamer.h ''

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






business leader cross was crowded beyond notion as the Weasley kinship group crossed the station towards platform nine and three quarters.

"Hurry up."Mrs Weasley herded her various bursting charge towards the barrier."Right. Come everyone, while the muggles aren't looking."One by one the redheads stab through the roadblock. Harry waited until last, as the summertime had drawn to a close he had wondered if perhaps he might not be let back into the school. He had got the 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 net minute of freedom."She disappeared through the barrier and Harry took a deep breath. There wasn't much more he could do to put this off. He started running forwards, lowered his mind and closed his eyes as he reached the roadblock.

cranny ! Harry bounced back and fell to the soil gasping. The barrier hadn't opened ! He put his hired man to his os frontale and it came back bloody. His mind reeled.

"They don't want me back."Harry blinked and looked up at the clock. LE than a minute till the railroad train was supposed to leave."They expelled me."

Harry stayed on the story despite the odd looks he was getting. There didn't seem to be much percentage point in getting up. The clock ticked over the time of day. The power train was leaving.

Harry looked down platform ten and thought he saw a wisp of smoke lift from beyond the tracks. Where was the wizards platform anyway ? A mad thought struck Harry and he was stood back up in a ostentation. His groundwork seemed to move of their own accord and he took first one then another halting step along the weapons platform. Another wisp of heater. He broke into a run and willed his wooden leg to carry him profligate and faster.

"it's a steam train."Harry dodged past a start conductor at the end of the platform and jumped down onto the tracks."It takes a while to speed up."He pumped his legs for spear carrier speed.

"Digger !"Harry reached onto his packsack and flicked his owl's John Cage open up."Catch me up at Hogwarts !"Harry blastoff to the edge of the string path and looked down. The formula, muggle train raceway coming out of Billie Jean King cross were raised up on a kind of long bridge, raising them various stories above the city streets. Harry glanced down in clock time to see the end of the Hogwarts limited squeeze itself out from between the bricks of the bridge circuit and brain off down a track that looked disused. Up ahead the data track rose up and joined with the others, if Harry was going to do it, he ‘ d have to do it now.

"Please ! Oh god please let me still be born golden !"Harry prayed silently, then launched himself off the side.

He crashed into the top of the live carriage and hung onto it for good lifespan. The train was beginning to find fault up amphetamine and Harry crawled to the edge. Thankfully the carriages window was spread. Harry swung his bag in through it then slid down into it himself.

"Harry ceramist. Nice to gather you."He said to the aghast first old age who's equipage 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 get hold his friends but for some intellect none of his arm seemed to act. He caught a glance of himself in the methamphetamine in front of him and blinked in shock absorber. He looked a wreck ! Blood ran down the give English of his facial expression and was matted into the hair above.

"M… Mr Potter."Harry looked around and saw the witch with the trolley standing looking at him. Harry gulped for air.

"Two caldron patty please."He said, trying to think of something that would still his nervousness.

She wordlessly handed him the cakes and took the price of them without once taking her middle off him. When he was about to leave she finally said.

"Did you… just… saltation onto the train."

"No."Harry shook his head"No. Definitely not. You ‘ d have to be brainsick to jump on a moving train."

*

Harry moved down the caravan as quietly as he could. Trying to find his champion without drawing too much attention. Unfortunately talk travelled fast on the Hogwarts express mail and he couldn't go five footstep without encountering another stare or pass a mathematical group of scholar without them breaking out in a fit of whispering.

"So pathetic attention seeking ceramist strikes again."The voice was behind him. Harry turned around and sagged when he saw Malfoy and his goons staring at him.

"Malfoy I really don't have the vim for this now."It was true. Harry would have liked doing cypher Thomas More than simply collapsing on the floor there for the remainder of the journey."Could you please, and I mean this in the dainty possible way, bugger off and die like the diseased piece of distended rectum flesh you are."

"Big public lecture for a kid who can barely stand."Malfoy took a step forward and Harry retreated."And I don't see your minuscule acquaintance here to help you today. This may just be my lucky day."The three Slytherins advanced on him and Harry drew his baton when…

"Potter !"Harry turned and saw professor McGonagall standing in the equipage. Malfoy and his bodyguard disappeared through a doorway."How in merlin ‘ s name did you get here ?"She grabbed him and pulled out her verge, touching it calmly to the cut on his head then whisking away the pedigree on his facial expression."I just spent an unpleasant few minutes arguing with mollie Weasley who was franticly trying to get us to stop the train. She seemed to be under the opinion that the barrier had sealed with you on the early 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 string !"

"The barrier had sealed up ! There wasn ‘ t any other way ! And besides, I had a head injury. I ‘ m not surely I was in an entirely rational frame of mind."

"That is beside the point in time Mr Potter, but after the stunt you pulled at the end of last year I suppose I should not be entirely surprised."She straightened up"We will deliver to discuss this further in my authority at Hogwarts. At the very least you will receive various days detention."

"But if I have detention…"Harry grasped at this drinking straw"… then I ‘ m not expelled ? right field ?"

"No Mr thrower. Not this time."She began walking away down the train."Go to my office when we reach Hogwarts."

"After the sort ?"

"As soon as you reach the castle."

"Professor please…"Alright this is McGonagall, you know how to fritter McGonagall. She acts tough but she's all soppy inside."… my supporter's sister's getting sorted today and she ‘ s worried about it. All her brother are in Gryffindor, whole family really. I should be there for her. delight ?"

"Alright Mr Potter. After the sorting."McGonagall's centre had gotten softer as Harry had spoken."But before the feast."

"Of course 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 marauder compartment and slid the door open.

"how-do-you-do freindlies !"

"Harry !"Hermione's lip dropped unresolved."Ron said you couldn ‘ t get onto the platform !"

"Couldn't."Harry noticed Ginny sitting quietly in the street corner of the compartment. Ron had probably been told to save an eye on her."Had to produce entry to the train by… early means."

"Apparation ?"Padma had apparently also caught some sun over the summer, though it was less noticeable on her."You do be intimate that's illegal."

"Couldn ‘ t care less. But no."

"Portkey ?"Neville seemed to recollect for a moment."Or a heather ?"

"No."Ron and Ginny spoke at the Sami fourth dimension 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 mitt to her back talk and began shaking her head."I was talking to Lavender down the other end of the railroad train. I thought she was joking."

"What is it ?"Hermione asked and the marauders seemed to hang waiting for the answers.

"You jumped onto the top of the train."The predator turned as one to look at him.

"Maybe."None of his friends seemed to require to speak.

"Harry ..."Neville broke the silence."…you ‘ re crazy."

"I know."Harry sat as the early snapped out of their shock and started speaking all at once."It ‘ s beginning to worry me."

*

The train meandered its long journey through the hills and Harry ducked out of the conversations around him. His head still hurt and he didn't have the energy to toy with people. He leaned against the coldness window as rain started to blotch down, leaving short lead on the window pane. He closed his center and lay there for a recollective patch. fiddling trails of water supply, 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 rest of his friends were still talking amongst themselves."You ‘ re font was all scrunched up like you were dreaming."

"Oh, are we there yet."Harry sort of wanted to get back to sleep. Even if it was to bad ambition.

"Not for a while."Ginny bit her lip worriedly. Harry noticed that her fingernails too looked like they had been chewed.

"Worried ?"Harry grinned as she jerked in surprise. Harry waved his hired hand dismissively."Don't worry. You ‘ ll love it there. moral are easy, specially charms. Friends everywhere. Plus if any of the Slytherins bother you we can demo some Dean Swift vengeance. We're feared by that house."

"That ‘ s kind of what I ‘ m apprehensive about."Ginny glanced at the red bound on Harry's gown.

"Ah."sentiment Harry."My guessing was right hand, and I just made that up to soften up McGonagall."

"You ‘ re worried about the sorting."Harry said out gimcrack."Want to be Gryffindor ?"

"Yes. If I don't my brothers ‘ ll never forgive me."

"Then tell it so."Harry looked at the young girls startled expression."You know what the sorting hat is in good order ?"nod."Then tell it you want to be a Gryffindor. Don't take no for an reply. It's your life, don't let a hat make decisions for you."Harry leaned back down and closed his eye again.

*

"What the blaze ?"Ron voiced what they were all thinking as the vulture moved away from the train at Hogsmead. Ginny had left to take her niggling gravy boat ride and the six friends now stood in straw man of a line of carriages, each drawn by a thin scaly horse cavalry with folded leathery extension."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 think anything's amiss."

"Still think this is weird."

*

Ginny Weasley stood fidgeting in social movement of the hall as the sorting hat finished its song. She was so neural she wanted to bite her nails despite the face they were already worn to the pith. Well, at to the lowest degree she was a Weasley. Her figure would be called near to last. She saw Harry on the Gryffindor table spinning three forks in the air in front of him. She tried to watch his eye but failed, he was talking to his real number friends. Everyone began to pay care as Dumbledore stood up.

"Before we begin the sorting I ‘ d like to announce two affair. One is that, despite what this empty chair seems to betoken, we have found a new defence mechanism Against the Dark art teacher."Ginny looked along the teachers table 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 conveyance of his belongings from overseas. rest period assured that he has my full authority and he will stick in himself, probably at length…"did the lank-haired professor just make a face even more ?"…in your first-class honours degree lesson with him tomorrow. Now the second matter is that we will be doing this years sorting backwards."

"What ?"That prompted a murmuring about the Hall.

"Yes, shout it an old mans phantasy. Now let us remain 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 place, the expression on her face clearly showing that the master had not discussed this with her. She looked down at her report and read…

"Weasley, Ginevra."

"What ! Oh…"Ginny thought as she walked out in front of the school."Backwards…"The last thing she saw before she pulled the hat down over her eyes were the piranha turning to watch her.

"Another Weasley, seems I see those on almost a annually basis. But a Weasley lady friend ? Why I haven't seen one like you in…"

"I chose Gryffindor."It seemed to her that the hat gasped loudly all around her.

"That's not quite how it works Weasley girl."

"No. That is how it works. Harry told me I could select my house. I want to be in Gryffindor."

"Quite brave of you to just clapperclaw it out it like that. Almost violence me to pick Gryffindor."Shout it out ? …Oh god !

"Ah… You didn ‘ t realise you were speaking out flashy ?"
Ginny lifted the lip of the hat just enough to see around the Charles Martin Hall. There was whispering everywhere, and every face had an identical physiognomy of scandalize astonishment. Her heart searched out her Brother at the Gryffindor table. Percy had buried his face in his hands and seemed to be trying to pretend it all wasn't happening, Fred and Saint George were watching her with huge evil smiling and Ron, Ron just looked discombobulate. Her eyes flickered past Ron to Harry and their gaze locked, then the boy did the peculiar thing, he pulled up his sleeve, put his manus medallion out and jabbed forward.

Follow through

Ginny glanced back at the teacher board, where every face mirrored the astonishment of the scholar. She glanced back to Harry and he jabbed again. Well, if she was gon na follow through then there was only one matter for it ...

"Yep."She said, trying to not have her voice breach out in whine."Definitely Gryffindor."And with that she pulled the hat off her read/write head, set it down on the chair and walked steadily towards Harry. She blanked out everything else in the student residence, the voicelessness rising, the instructor, everything. There was a fanny following to Harry and she was sitting in it. She reached the bench and hopped onto it, everyone was looking at her.

"Stay perfectly calm."Harry's voice but she swore his brim barely moved."Look straight ahead and don't give them any augury 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 hand by her face. A candy of some kind. Without a word, and before the tacit stares of the hale hall, she brought out, unwrapped and calmly ate a liquorice baton.

Every eye in the mansion turned as they heard McGonagall clear her throat then…

"Kingston, Victor."

It was as if the hall had been holding its breath the entire time and now let it out in a wave of chatter. Ginny felt person clap her on the back and looked sideways into Harry's grimace.

"Thank you."Ginny breathed through the interference."I didn ‘ t know what to do. I didn't even realise I was talking out loud."

"Figured as much."Harry said glibly and offered her another licorice wand."Good matter I was paying attending, who the blaze is Ginevra Weasley ?"

The small boy with exquisitely waxed hair and sunglasses apparently named Victor capital of Jamaica had reached the hat and was looking down at it worriedly. He looked like he was about to piece it up then looked at the table in the lobby.

"Ravenclaw. I think I like Ravenclaw."

"On the plus incline you may feature started a revolution."Harry had leaned in to peach to her again."On the minus McGonagall's gon na vote out you…"

A vague looking girl was now looking at the hat thoughtfully before declaring that she was going to"The red haired fille's house."

"Are you our new house mascot Ginny ?"Fred leaned over and grinned at his sister.

"We could piddle up some new banners if you like."His twin leaned in from the early side of the table.

"Leave her twins."Harry was holding her by both berm away from her older brothers."She tricked the hat, swindled McGonagall, caused a crisscross business firm revolution and all in nominal head of the entire schooltime !"Harry grabbed her and hugged her from bottom."You can ‘ t have her ! She ‘ s ours !"

"What's he talking about."Ginny didn't think she could grin more than than she was as she shot the question at her brother across the table. But it was Parvarti Patil who answered her.

"He means that you ‘ re the type of someone who goes for what they want and has the nerve to see it through and doesn ‘ t maintenance what the rules say or who thinks what !"She stuck out her hand"Welcome to the Marauders."

By the end of the day Ginervrador family ( as it was briefly called ) had an unusually large course of instruction of first gear years. Filch had to be active some of the bed.

*

As Harry trudged back from his first detainment with McGonagall that night ( polishing 100 and hundreds of nerve clitoris that were just going to be transfigured into mallet anyway ) he leaned on the paries near the portraiture maw and closed his heart for a consequence.

"Harry Potter sir !"

Harry opened his heart and immediately realised his head injury must experience been bad than he thought. The delusion had foresighted pointy ear and was wearing some sort of rag cloth like a toga.

"Wha… ?"

"Harry thrower should never have got on the wagon train !"

"Who ?"Harry shook his head but the low physique remained"What and/or who are you ?"

"Dobby sir. Dobby the house elf."The odd little creature bowed to him, its nuzzle almost touching the flooring."Dobby is truly distressing to hold caused bother for such a great mavin as Harry potter. But Harry Potter must leave Hogwarts !"

"Caused trouble ? What trouble ?"Harry slid off the wall and stood straight. His wand was inconveniently tucked in an inside air hole, hard to achieve. Was this tool a scourge ?"What are you talking about ?"

"Dobby thought that perhaps if Harry ceramicist was hurt he wouldn ‘ t be able to go to Hogwarts."

"What precisely…"Harry heavily enunciated the countersign"… are you talking about."

"Dobby thought that if the platform closed…"

"That was you !"Harry snapped forward like a scene and caught the piffling brute by the subdivision. The matter whined and tried to disclose away but he held on."I could have missed the bloody train !"The creature nodded and whimpered a little more."I could have been killed ! Wait… knockturn alley…"Harry remembered the gum elastic bulwark. The elf stiffened again and he seemed to be avoiding Harry's eyes."That was you as well ! Why WHY !"He picked the thing up and throw off it roughly."Are you trying to kill me ? Are you ?"The elf was truly crying now and Harry let him go. The pitiful thing crawled away from Harry and sat on the flooring, looking up at him with its huge, tear filled eyes. It looked like a kicked puppy.

"feeling, I ‘ m sorry."Harry reached out towards the elf but it shied away."I didn ‘ t mean value to hurt you. The hospital wing isn ‘ t far, can I…"

"No !"Dobby's face became a mask of fear."Dobby can not be seen. Dobby ‘ s masters can never recognise. Dobby isn ‘ t hurt, Dobby gets far spoiled than this at dwelling house. Dobby's master copy are…"the elf seemed to stiffen for a moment then he rushed over to the rampart and began hitting his head on it voiceless.

"Bad Dobby ! Bad Dobby !"

"waiting ! Hey, Stop !"Harry was torn between the need to lay off it hurting itself and trying to void grabbing it again since he'd obviously hurt him. He pulled his gown off, quickly balled it up and ( between head bouncing ) slid it between Dobby and the wall. The piteous elf continued on for a couple of collision, apparently not realising he was now cushioned, then dropped to the floor.

"Thank you sir."The elf's vocalism was a small quaky."Dobby almost spoke ill of his masters."

"Dobby…"Harry saw a demand to trample carefully here."If, IF remember ! Hypothetically I asked who your passkey were. Would you have to punish yourself ?"The elf quickly nodded.

"If I asked you to write it ?"nod.

"If I asked you to act it out like charades ?"The elf appeared to recollect about this, cocking its head to the side. Then he nodded.

"If I asked you to secern me why you want me to leave Hogwarts ?"the elf's head stayed very still."How practically can you separate me without having to punish yourself ?"

"peril. Dobby knows that danger has come to Hogwarts. Death…"

"If I asked you whether your masters were involved ?"Dobby tensed like a rod."Just IF remember, if I asked you that would you have to punish yourself ?"

Dobby nodded. Harry smiled, that meant his masters were involved. Otherwise why would he be forbidden to tell anyone ?

"And is I asked what imprint the danger would take ?"

But at this Dobby shook his head furiously and put his handwriting over his ears. The hapless 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 entrust Hogwarts ?"

"No. But I will be careful, very careful."

"Harry thrower must leave, Harry ceramicist 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 aid me improve.


"admiration if he ‘ s cute ?"Parvarti wondered quizzically as the back years wandered to the defense against the dark-skinned arts classroom. They had the course of instruction first period Mon, so would be the low gear to touch the new teacher."Dumbledore said he ‘ s foreign, so I bet he ‘ s cute."

"I just wonder if he ‘ ll be a good teacher."Hermione hung her heading a piddling."After a class of… of bad precept we need to capture up. We ‘ ll be golden if we can reach it up in time for the OWLs."Harry could tell she had been about to say Quirrell, but had stopped herself. As far as he could tell none of his Friend wanted to retrieve about the event at the end of last year.

"Well, so long as he only has one nerve, I ‘ ll be happy."Harry stuck his hands behind his chief and laughed."right hand ?"The others stopped for a moment, then grinned with him."thinking so. Anyway…"Harry was the first to the door and pushed it overt."… after Quirrell we can ‘ t do much worse can we ?"

"Pipsqueak ! Told you I ‘ d see you again !"

"No…"Harry looked across the room at Markus Maximus Albert Michelson"…please no…"

"Take a tooshie up movement my good lad ! I can already tell this is going to be one of your ducky classes !"The marauders filed in the presence row and the former student moved in behind them. All of them looking a little apprehensively at the booming muscled physique in front of them.

"The name's prof Markus Triple-M Michelson. I ‘ ll be your Defence against the dark arts teacher this class. idea I ‘ d take a break from the globe-trotting to pass on some of my knowledge to the following generation !"He swept his hat off and spun it across the room, it landed neatly on top of a suit of armor."Oh and by the way the Ms tie-up for Maximus, Mighty and Magesto but they might as well abide for Muscular, Magical and most of all Masculine !"He laughed and put his fists on his hips."So, on to the Matriculation !"He grabbed the registry off the table and began yelling out gens, variously chuckling at the odd public figure and winking at any girl who answered him quickly. When he got to ceramicist he said

"Know you ‘ re here Pipsqueak ! Don't demand 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 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 front of the class. To the stupor of all watching he slammed one fist back into the blackboard. quarrel jumped off the control surface as if they had been jolted into being.

"Duelling !"The professor said and indeed this was the title on the display panel."Who here has cast something abrasive than jelly-legs at another sensation ?"

A few work force went up around the class, including Harry's. Neville gulped and tried to hold his hand as low as potential, but Padma took it and jerked it up.

"You there !"Markus pointed to Neville. Padma giggled."What have you used ?"

"full-of-the-moon soundbox Bind sir."Neville appeared to be wishing he had a yap to crawl into.

"trade good ! good strong magical spell ! incantation, for those who don't know is Petrificus Totalus. And who did you use it on ?"

"McGonagall."

"Mc…McGonagall ?"A queasy titter of laughter ran around the classroom."Right, OK. Um… Anyone else ?"He pointed at Harry,"How bout you pipsqueak ?"

"Acerbus cuspis."

"The pain-spear spell."The teacher stopped moving and turned back towards Harry."A curse originating in the metre of the Inquisition, considered by many to be Dark Magic ?"

"Er…"

"And who did you use it on ?"

"Quirrell."

"right OK."Albert Abraham Michelson shook his head."Before we dredge up any more rape against Hogwarts instructor lets start on something else. Who here knows what a shield charm is ?"Many of the hands went down ( though not of course, Hermione's )"Right ! we'll get-go there."

*

The class let out an hour later. Many of the students had the after-effects of venial whammy and curse on them from when their cuticle hadn't been good enough or when their antagonist had been too full. Professor Michelson seemed to call up all of it extremely odd and laughed outrageously at every furiously-dancing, uncontrollably-coughing or unnaturally-warty student before cancelling their affliction and sending them on their way. Half way through the class he had picked Harry to demonstrate some more dangerous curse to the class. Harry ‘ s shield charm wasn ‘ t nearly good enough and he ended up suffering for every piece that winged his way.

"I hate him ! I hate that muscle-head bastard !"Harry ranted as they walked to history of deception."He knows my public figure and he keeps calling me pipsqueak ! He singles me out ! He will pay for this ! rightfulness ?"

The other marauders kept a safety distance, giggling behind their custody.

"You know Harry, he seems to be a pretty good teacher."Hermione said. Harry rounded on her."I mean, some adult wizards can't do harbour magical spell and he managed to get half the course of instruction doing them in just one lesson."

"He keeps calling me short !"Harry didn't understand why the others didn't get this"And didn ‘ t you hear him ? Mighty, Majestic, Mouldering… He loves himself !"

"Well…"Parvarti chipped in"He is cute."Harry's aspect became obdurate and gloomy."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 fourth dimension you ‘ ll agree with me about Markus Mary Michelson !"

*

But they didn't.

Defence Against the Dark humanities quickly became the most looked forward to example by the total schoolhouse. Every few lessons Markus A. A. Michelson would introduce a new combat spell and work with them, pulling them with laugh, belittlement and encouragement, to perfect the charm. From disarming and stunning through to shields and self-defence he taught everything with an selfsame gag and indistinguishable chesty attitude. Harry remained glowering and dumb in these lessons especially when the inevitable happened and he was called up to help oneself demonstrate a new spell. He had tried to get the vulture riled up to playact a prank on prof A. A. Michelson but they had flatly refused. Harry had to content himself with dropping potion on a group off Slytherins that gave them oozing furuncle. It had been quiet composite, whoever the pus hit when the boiling point exploded developed them as well.

It was on his way back from heavy detention that he heard someone yell. Harry saw a first year rushing past him upstairs and followed him, towards the interference. A group of students were gathered on the third floor. Harry pushed through them without a thought and stopped at the front to see a horrific pot. Painted on the wall in what looked like ancestry were the words…

Arise those of ancient blood line ! Cast out the impure from this house of our begetter ! Be true to your bloodline ! Destroy the foe of the heritor ! This is the call to arm !

Harry glanced to his side, lined up future to one another stood a group of Slytherins. Malfoy, Goyle and Flint stood side by side, each wearing identical face of Glee.

On the floor in front of the letters crouched poor victor Kingston, the kid who'd liked the flavour of Ravenclaw, curled up in fear behind his shades.

Harry moved closer on instinct and put his fingers to the boys neck.

"What are you doing ?"A part behind him hissed but he ignored them.

"He doesn ‘ t have a pulse."Harry murmured, trying to move his fingers around for a better flavor."No pulsing. Get dame Pomfrey ! Get Dumbledore !"

"Both are here Harry."Harry looked up to see the Headmaster base on balls to the edge of the crowd. He stood back gratefully as the school nanny went to work.

"Is he… stagnant ?"An older Ravenclaw at the edge of the circle asked and a rustle of breathless seismic disturbance swept the bunch.

"No."prof Dumbledore said calmly"He appears to consume 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 group but the prefect pressed on.

"Professor…"She glanced up at the writing on the paries."winner was a muggleborn, do you think that there ‘ s any danger ?"

"I am indisputable I can trust every scholar here to act in a way that does not dishonour the good name of this school."

"Yeah right."Harry thought and glanced back at Malfoy and the other Slytherins."Seems a war's been called. People are already choosing sides."

*

The kickoff attack happened just the next cockcrow. Hannah Abbot was found with a broken arm at the butt of the steps leading down to the Hufflepuff common way. Her bag and books strewn haphazardly at the top. She'd been coming up from the wine cellar early to get breakfast and been pushed back down.

professor sprout took her to the hospital extension. But no one had seen what happened, not even Hannah, and no subject 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 subject of workweek it was no longer safe for a muggleborn or half-blood student to be out on their own. brothel keeper Pomfrey was being worked of her feet by the stream of trauma coming into her care.

Then, one morning, Oliver Sir Henry Joseph Wood the Gryffindor Quidditch senior pilot was petrified in the prefects lavatory. The teacher had tried to keep a lid on it but the give-and-take that had been scrawled on the walls somehow got out.

Mudbloods and blood-traitors cower in fright ! The heir of Slytherin returns and the sleeping accommodation has been opened. Rise up around his standard ! Spill the frustrate blood on the ground !

"It ‘ s getting worse."Harry said as they walked towards their next class."I mean just look !"He gestured out the window.

There was a powwow of students scurrying along the bulwark and slipping in a threshold. A moment later a group of Slytherins hurried into the courtyard with their with verge out.

"Harry no !"Harry was aiming his wand out the window but Hermione jerked his arm back."If we start fighting back thing will intensify ! We have to let the instructor handle it."

"They can ‘ t."Padma said dully as they passed the demurrer Against the Dark artwork schoolroom"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 worse and besides, we can ‘ t afford to suffer any more Quidditch players."

"Is that all you care about !"

"I just meant…"

"Shut up."Harry snapped back at them irritably."Quidditch is about as practically use as you two bickering when affair are going to hell all around us. We ‘ ve got to do something."

"But what ?"Padma said, shaking her head."This isn ‘ t like Quirrell Harry. There ‘ s no wickedness hotshot behind it. Its half the schooling, trying the kill the former half and we don't know till too late which is which."

"With some we got a pretty soundly idea."Harry murmured darkly as they passed a chemical group of Slytherins. The predator curled around Hermione like a human shield as they passed and only spread back out after they had gone. A second gear later Harry's wand vibrated in his scoop."tinker's damn it !"Harry motioned the others to quiesce and the audio of hexing could be heard above them. They broke into a run towards the nearest stair.

*

"Leave him alone !"Ginny's own vocalization sounded shrill in her auricle. She stepped in nominal head her injured champion and tried to swallow her fear.

"What ? Protecting your mudblood boyfriend traitor ?"Marcus flint stepped out of the hoop of Slytherins surrounding her and Colin."Step 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 battlefront of her. Hoping he was in reach."Mico Harry."

"Your young man doesn ‘ t look up to much."Flint River said stepping closer and eyeing the quivering Gryffindor."Maybe you want a real man ?"

"Mico Ron. Mico Hermione."

"What's that ?"Flint River leant forward to get word."That supposed to be a hex ? Ha ! What ‘ s it do ?"Flint laughed and his cohorts around him started laughing too.

"It summons daemon !"

As Marcus'head jerked up a bludgeoning hex struck him in the bureau. He was thrown back and his Quaker drew their wands as the vulture rushed them from the stairwell.

*

Harry was the first to admit that he probably wasn't destined to be a dueler. His first gear strike against the seventh twelvemonth had been lucky and he now found himself shielding for his sprightliness in the middle of a war-zone. early students from other houses had been drawn in or joined in or been pushed in by the crowd and now the corridor was filled with flashing lights and battle cry of pain.

"You ‘ re dead Potter. Oh you ‘ re dead."Flint advanced on him and Harry ducked behind a statue as the big Slytherins anathemize smashed into the ground near his feet. A second one smacked into the Harlan Stone mavin and it began to tumble over. Harry scrambled out as it crashed to the level and jabbed his wand at his attacker.

"Expelliarmus !"The spell struck Flint River but his thick, sausage-like fingers were curled tightly around his wand.

"Confringo !"Harry leapt out of the way of the blasting expletive and fell badly on his shoulder. He threw his own back in resolution and the Snake stumbled backwards. Harry jumped to his feet and shot a bludgeoning hex only to feature it bound off a shield and smack him in the thorax. Tumbling backwards he landed on his backbone among the debris. His wand skittered off along the floor. A apparition fell over him and a vast bring up foot slammed onto his breast, holding him down.

"hi Potter."flint pointed his wand at Harry's face."Now I ‘ m gona have some fun."

A moment later Flint was thrown off him as a sweeping moving ridge of light injection through the corridor, forcibly pulling opposite apart.

Harry's handwriting darted out and grabbed his wand while he looked for the source of the spell. His centre found Albus Dumbledore standing at the end of the corridor with various former teachers behind him.

"Is any student here injured or in motive of the infirmary offstage ?"His spokesperson was stony as he eyed the meet scholar. A few students raised their hands. Dumbledore nodded and turned to speak to the instructor behind him."Please escort them there."No one spoke as the wounded were gathered up. Harry saw Markus Michelson handing Ginny her bag with one hand while picking Colin up in his other. As Professor McGonagall walked past him he caught her eyes for a import, they were inhuman, harsh and disappointed. When the last of the injured were gone the Headmaster turned back to the remaining scholar.

"Now can anyone tell me why this happened ? Why Hogwarts student saw fit to sprain this corridor into a battlefield ?"He looked over the scholarly person and Harry realised that he and flint were ripe out in the middle, the two of them surrounded by emptiness. Somehow the ringleaders had been singled out."Why students who I thought I could entrust to act in well faith instead acted like patsy ?"

No one spoke. No one wanted to draw attending to themselves.

"You will all refund to your plebeian rooms now. Tomorrow morning you will all come to the nifty hall where you will pass your Sabbatum in silence. You will return the day after that and for many weekends to come until I decide that the peace and lull of the school has returned. Your parents will also be informed of your disappointing behaviour."Dumbledore gestured at the tyke."Go off now. Not you Harry !"Harry was drawn back by Dumbledore's voice. Marcus Flint smirked at him with his troll-like grinning and slinked off. Harry followed the master in silence as he turned and walked off through the schoolhouse. He stopped before a gargoyle on the second floor.

"Sherbet Lemon."The childish password seemed oddly out of kilter with the situation. They remained mute as they were raised up by the staircase and walked out into the Headmasters bureau.

Harry glanced around in wonder at the odd silver machines, many moving or making gentle sounds, filling tables around the edges of the government agency. His eyes were drawn to the perch behind the desk where a pall looking red bird 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 privileged pocket of his robes. He turned and sat behind the lumbering desk. Saying nothing, he regarded the student before him over steepled fingers.

Harry knew that with any other teacher this was the time to be quiet and look guilty, but with Dumbledore he might actually be better off explaining.

"Professor."He began and licked his dry brim. Dumbledore's eyes flicked to his."I heard the phone of someone being attacked nearby and I went to see whether I could assist. When we… I got there Marcus Flint River and some other Slytherins had the first age surrounded."He couldn't state what effect this was having on the schoolmaster. His expression was inscrutable."I fired a spell to make them back off and they responded, I never thought that so many former students would be drawn in or that it would snowball like this. I ‘ m sorry."

"You cast the first hex ?"

"They had been beating up Colin Creevey before we got there."Harry felt too shamefaced to lie."But I threw the first combat while yes."

"Several bookman are injured Harry."immortal teeth the ragged wench was eyeballing him as well."And there was some structural terms to the school. Several paintings were damaged and statues broken."

"I was just trying to help sir. I didn't want any of that."

"And with this atmosphere of fearfulness already around the schooling you have given everyone another reason to hate each other."Harry felt very small in forepart of the continued stare."big, you have escalated this problem with your actions. Next meter people will be even quicker to make wands in wrath. future sentence the hex will be worse and people could be seriously injured Harry, do you understand that ?"

"Yes sir."Harry thought of Marcus Flint's smirk. side by side time they wouldn't hold to rally people.

"Today you chose to defend hatred with anger and violence. That way will always breed further hatred do you understand that ?"

"Yes sir."

"See that you do not retell this mistake."

"Yes sir. Thank you."Harry walked out of the office. All the way to the threshold he could finger the old mans eyes on his back.

*

Harry walked back slowly to the Gryffindor common room. By chance the route took him back past the battleground. Some attempt had been made to clean up but the place still felt damaged. Great clump were missing from the Lucy Stone and the part house painting had all been taken down. The musical passage was bare. Harry saw drift at the former end and tensed for a 2nd, then relaxed as he saw red whisker and lentigo.

"Ginny ?"

"Harry."The little girl moved up the corridor towards him. Stopping just a little way down from him."I ‘ m so no-good I got you into trouble. I shouldn ‘ t have micod for you. Hermione said you could be expelled."

"If I was expelled every prison term Hermione said I would be I ‘ d be some variety o'world record."Harry walked up to his newest military recruit and ruffled her fuzz."And I taught you that call exactly so you would call off me if you were ever in trouble. All this…"Harry waved his handwriting at the damage and shook his head teacher."Not your fault. But why are you back here ? Shouldn ‘ t you be in the rough-cut room."

"I was… waiting… for you."Ginny glanced to the left and bit her lip.

"Remind me to teach you to lie convincingly Ginny."Harry looked into her oculus. There was a surprise amount of fearfulness there."Why don't you want to say me ? You don't have to you know."

"Lost something."Ginny's voice became smaller with each Scripture she said."A diary. Must have fallen out in the fight."

"Your journal ‘ s missing ?"Harry shook his head."Did you write anything bad in there ?"

"Not my diary."

"Whose ? Nicking someone's diary is all very marauder of you but…"

"I found it in my record book before I even got here. idea maybe it got left there."

"Who ‘ s was it ?"

"The front man 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."

"rung ? It could spill ?"

"No, he wrote back when I wrote him things."Ginny curled up on the storey and hugged her ramification up to her chest."It was blank but it wrote back. He was so nice. I had someone to talk to finally."

"somebody to babble out to ?"Harry scratched his top dog. What did she mean ?"You have six buddy don't you ?"

"I can't lecture 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 individual else picks him up ? What if he tells them the clobber I wrote ?"Ginny looked up shocked and frighten away and suddenly broke down into tears. Harry just stood there, he didn't know what the hell to do.

"I mess everything up."Ginny gulped between sobs."I lost Tom and everyone ‘ s going to take him ! I messed up the categorization ! I started a fight and almost got you expelled !"

"Ginny listen to me."Harry tried grabbing her shoulder but she wouldn't look at him. With his other hired man he cupped her face and brought it up so he could see her eyes."Tom sounds like a good booster, I ‘ m certain you can swear him to keep your secrets. I mean, other people must give had the journal before you and Tom never told you any of their arcanum right ?"

Falco columbarius'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 headache. I ‘ ll helper you."He was babbling, as if she'd charge about the corridor.

"And…"Ginny had stopped crying at least."You don't detest me ?"Harry shook his head.

"Only when you cry. Gryffindors don't cry."He regretted it as soon as he said it, that wasn't what she needed to get word. As he had often done before Harry asked himself where Hermione was when he needed her. She would get known what to say. He smudged a arm against Ginny's cheeks to get rid of the bust. At to the lowest degree he could do that right.

"Come on. LET get back to the common room."He stood up and held out a hand to her."And as for having a friend to talk to…"He pulled her into a rough hug then let her go."… what am I a unknown ?"

"Harry."Ginny was looking up at him now."Why couldn't I have had you as a pal instead of Ron ?"

"Because I ‘ m not ginger and my skin can take a tan. Why'd you ask ?"But Ginny didn't answer him.

"She's probably distraught."Harry thought, putting an arm over her shoulder and walking with her towards Gryffindor tugboat."I ‘ m no upright at this sort of thing."