Chapter 1.
The owl swooped down over sleeping Greater London, a alphabetic character, signed and sealed in emerald park clutched in its talons. Even if it had had only the stars to see by it would still get been able-bodied to fly genuine, but it wasn't necessary. London sleeping was almost as bright as London awake. But light or no light this deliverance was a bully one. The post owls prided themselves on being capable to find anyone but it didn't make it easy when the computer address was simply …
London, somewhere…


But Dumbledore had given her special instructions for this delivery, and she never wavered in her flight of steps, swooping down past a row of shops, past tense bread maker, bankers and optician and curving cleanly into the alleyway behind them to perch on a streetlamp. Her big embrown middle took in the whole scene, the brick wall, the orotund dumpster bin and the small boy, wrapped in a coating too large for him by half, trotting down the alleyway from the former direction.

The boy stopped following to one of the dumpsters and quietly lifted the lid, running his manus yesteryear papers and coffee tree primer coat. He began picking out disordered glasses, cracked lenses and the like, transferring them to a pocket of his coating. When he had a full air pocket he did something peculiar, he scratched a crossing mark into one of the rampart of the skittle alley, then sat down contrary it and began putting first one, then another of the genus Lens to his optic. After an hour of this, the small boy 's aspect broke into a smile at a particular 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 tatty backpack and eventually drew out a pocket-size tract. When he unrolled it on the ground the owl eyes sparkled in the glimmer of four more lenses, one a mirror-match of the one the boy held in his helping hand, this he took and replaced the others carefully in his bag. The following to come in from the bag of caper was a figure ( selected from a few in the bag ) and a metro of gum. Two pinprick pat of mucilage to each lens and the boy carefully laid his prize on the floor to dry, then crawled behind the dumpster and rolled himself up in his coat.

The owl waited until the child was asleep, then calmly hopped off its rod and placed the letter beside the nipper, he would incur it in the morning. By the yellowness halogen lamp it read ...
Harry Potter
London, somewhere

*


Harry potter flickered between waking and rest for the longest time. Slipping in and out of dreams he would not recall on waking, until he fell into a deeper slumber and curled himself tight into a minuscule ball, a well of warmth with his hands tucked in his axilla and his promontory ducked down. Shifting and gliding from ambition of the preceding, of leaving the Dursleys.

Harry Potter always thought of as just leaving. He did not run away ! You can only run away from home, and Privet Drive had never been home. He had decided that. He knew he had another home, he dreamed of that too. Not with images or anything tangible, just of a sense of warmth, and also annoyance, he didn't understand that. early aspiration pushed in on his night clock time reminiscence and he touched on other things, the pies in the nearby bakery, the workplace to do tomorrow and tonight's work, still drying, on the ground, until…

"Get up ! Get out !"

Not Harry's raw awakening, but far from pleasant. Harry uncurled like a spring, just stopping to catch his work on the basis before pelting off down the alley, chased by the irate bread maker. Rounding a niche Harry ran on, past tense surprised, mildly startled and downright appall footer, past lamps, cad and pigeon great deal, even past and through the railcar as Harry dashed across a occupy route. It no longer mattered that he'd lost any chaser three cylinder block ago, it was just good to run.

Harry stopped in trustee Park and ducked to drink from one of the fountains and snatched a few coins from the bottom. Soon hopefully he would make money coming to him ( at least, as much as he ever had ) and he could take some small metre of it to take what was more often than not lately a gnawing hole in his centre ( at least it was summer, winter was tough ). Harry walked down Euston route for a while, not caring or seeing where he was going until he reached the station itself. The sun was gamey by that time and masses were beginning to get along and go from the building.

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

Harry set his hat down where no one could nullify him, or pretend not to see him, and slipped three coloured balls out of his coat. Shifting them all to his left paw, he flicked his new glasses on with his right. The balls became edged in crystal clearness as the lenses slipped over his center. Harry stood in the square and laughed for a patch, laughed into the dayspring sky while the the great unwashed around him stared or frowned, then, in a twinkling, Harry swept all three into the air and spin them around his manpower faster and faster. He laughed as he fountained the balls up above his head. multitude began to lead notice as he added a fourth Lucille Ball, and a fifth. hoi polloi walked past and turned to stare for a moment before flipping coins into his hat or even waited there watching him for a patch before moving on.

Harry smiled, this time not for the act itself, but for the coins. This was why he had had to take a shit glasses and why his venter was emptier than normal. He hadn't been able to oversee to a greater extent than three orb since Christmastide. Just to testify himself he could, Harry added another ball and split the balls into two forget me drug ("Oooh !"Said a humble girlfriend passing by. The mother smiled at him, but didn't fall anything ). The two circles became one again as they began to wobble ("Out of praxis"thought Harry ) and he pocketed two of the balls back away, he had to keep this up for a while.

The sun was high in the sky before Harry moved from his spot. He scooped his winning to an inside pocket and went off to buy lunch. He bought sandwiches at some newsvendor with no real name and ate them slowly on a park terrace and wassail to a greater extent water from a fountain. On the way back to his smear Harry passed another intellectual nourishment shop, the cakes in the windowpane looked even near than the first single had. Harry walked past, parsimoniousness was in his bones.
*


When Harry got back to the place he realised something was wrong. In the exact eye of the square was the with child man Harry had ever seen. From the toes of his vauntingly leather boots, past his heavy furred overcoat ( Bet that's warm, thinking Harry ) all the way to his face, so covered, variously, in beard, moustache and dirty opprobrious hair's-breadth that only belittled constituent of skin were visible, the man was easily eight foot tall. The very appearance of the man was so striking that for a long bit 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 piece of ( very old and yellow looking ) paper then look around, staring at people, then look worriedly back at the report.

"Maybe he's lost"view Harry. But the tall man didn't seem to be about to locomote on, neither did he seem to be the character to ask directions. Harry was torn for a moment between taking into custody at the imposing figure and a chance to click up a bit Thomas More money from helping a missed tourist. But a moment later his indecisiveness became redundant as the tall man turned to see at Harry and his face broke into a huge smile. The magniloquent man ran over to where Harry was standing ( breaking several paving stones ) and stopped in front of the startled child looking, in turns, happy and relieved.

Yes ?"Volunteered Harry,"Can I help you ?"he hazarded, then ( in a death ditch effort to recover N )"are you lost ?"

"Nope,"Said the grandiloquent man, spreading his rima oris in the wide smile Harry had ever seen."I think I've found what I've been looking for."

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

"fountainhead you o'course ! Didn't you get… Hey waiting !"By halfway through the prison term Harry was halfway across the square, and accelerating.

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

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

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

Harry pelted off a chief 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 freeze and grasped both workforce round the cast iron drainpipe ( his little trick was less useful now nearly pipe were plastic but it had still put him above and away from more than one bit of problem ), his invertebrate foot went against the wall and he pulled himself paw over paw upwards, two of his balls slipped out of his sac and fell back down but he ignored them, he could get to a greater extent ( well, he could probably get more than, and in a mite anything round would do ) and pulled himself onto the tiled ceiling above him. Harry lay there for a 2nd, finding his residuum ( and his hint ) before sliding back to the border and looking over. Three stories down ("It had looked so much orotund from the rear end"persuasion Harry ) the marvelous man stood hunched over, catching his breath in huge, leviathan, gulps that disturbed the detritus on the ground. The man managed to stand up after a few moments and began rummaging in his pelage. After a few attempt at several air pocket he managed to get out out what looked like a sealed envelope and thrust it into the air.

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

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

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

"Because I've never met you before."Said Harry."Why would someone I've never met before be looking for me at Euston station ! Also…"added Harry as another mentation 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 low enough to fit in my hand back then, and you were well-fixed to catch."The tall man said smiling."I knew you when you was a babe. Knew your parents too, friends."The military man head drooped for a moment then came back up quickly."As to how I found you, well, I had some help with that."The man reached into his coat and dug out a pinko umbrella with frilly lacing border, it looked almost like it should be in a cocktail nestled in his big manpower.

"An umbrella ?"Said Harry"Oh of course !"Harry stood up and began strutting along the edge of the roof ("Careful"cried the tall man")"Why didn't I see it before ? An umbrella, a magical umbrella that points you on your way ! The umbrella of light, The umbrella of seeking !"Harry spun on one invertebrate foot and began walking the former way."The pastel, pink umbrella of pile !"Harry threw back his head and laughed."You're fruity mate ! An umbrella can't assistance 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 of the alphabet on the background in straw man 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 salvo into purpurate flames.

"It's all right field ! It's all right hand !"Cried the man, stamping out the fire 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 stunned expectation as the man stepped back again, raised the umbrella carefully and mumbled something slightly different towards the envelope. For a second nothing happened. Then, slowly, one edge of the envelope lifted up, dipped back down again ("steady"mumbled the man ) then righted itself and rose by one corner as if it was drawn up by an invisible thread. The letter of the alphabet rose high and high until it drew point with Harry's face. He stood up and the letter obligingly rose to accommodate him. Harry carefully reached out and waved his hand over the letter, then under it, then all around just to be sure. He finally drew his hand back and whispered

"How…"Harry leaned in to get a nearer spirit and suddenly, momentarily, forgot he was on a rooftop. His feet slipped out from under him and he tumbled over, skinning his legs on the bound before falling like a stone. As he spun in the air he looked up to see the letter, still casually floating above him."Weird day…"Thought Harry, then large hands caught him.

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

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

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

"magic spell ? !"Harry felt like running away again but his legs wouldn't move."Like, as in, go ?"

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

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

"Nah, I never met um. But we knew that was who was taking care of you after your parents died."His parents… Harry tried to recollect what his aunt had told him about them. Very fiddling, just that they were the untimely kind of citizenry and died in some accident. A blast wasn't it ? Or maybe a car crash ? Anyway Harry had privately decided that if they were people his aunt disapproved of then he probably would have liked them a lot. Liked them better than his aunty and uncle at least.

"That was a long clock time ago."Harry snapped back to the present."and I'm proficient off without them taking care of me !"The tall man gave him a shrewd look, taking in his heavily fag out wearing apparel and shoes."Well…"added Harry"at least now I don't get slapped if I don't have meal ready for them on time."Harry grinned"Who knows how they managed without me ? Probably starved to death trying to mold out how the oven works."He laughed and was pleased to see the improbable man laugh too."Mind you it'd subscribe to a while to starve Dudley. Fat reserves like a camel !"Harry did a quick fat-cousin impression, waddling along the alley, and the man laughed harder.

"We'll wherever you've come from you're going somewhere better."Said the man when he finished chuckling. He fished the gasbag back off the story and handed it to Harry."This should explicate most of what you're wondering about and I'll filling in the blanks."Harry took the varsity letter carefully and looked at it before opening it. It was an old fashion one, made with yellowing parchment and sealed with a coat of subdivision in wax, melted wax now of course. Harry wiped the glutinous mass away with his sleeve and opened the letter. Inside were three pieces of theme and what looked like a wagon train just the ticket. All made of funny old newspaper publisher. He stared at the slate, it had gold leaf an it and had a vauntingly crest ("probably the same one that was on the letter") embossed into it. Harry wondered what kind of train required a ticket like this, and where such a caravan would go to. ("Either a dry land of rich people…"thought Harry"…or a chocolate factory.")

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

"A schooling ?"

"Yep,"Said the marvellous man smiling"Hogwarts, unspoiled schoolhouse in the earthly concern for people like you. Course the former schools'll tell you different, but anyone who knows what there talking about says Hogwarts is the greatest. Course we have Albus Dumbledore, none of the rest of em can say that."

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

"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 eyes were drawn to the supplement on the rump of the letter of the alphabet, written in a unlike script than the rest of the school text, and with different ink.
P.S.

Due to your special circumstances an escort has been provided for you to explicate and help you through the process of preparing for your inaugural school yr. If this letter of the alphabet has not come to you via one Rubious Hagrid then you will be meeting him shortly. I wish you all the safe for the starting time of your number 1 school year.

Albus Dumbledore


"Rubious Hagrid ?"The tall man nodded.

"Yep that's me. Gamekeeper, caretaker and steward of keys 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 school day of conjuring trick ?"

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

"magic trick like you just did ? Making things float and explode ?"

"Well, yeah."Said Hagrid"What did you think it signify ? Those conjuration muggles ("muggles ?") use to fool each other ?"

"And you think I can do that ?"

"With a short preparation o'course, that's what Hogwarts is for."Hagrid put his deal on Harry's shoulder"ejaculate on, we've stood here long enough and we need to be getting your school stuff. But beginning we should get you washed up and in some right clothes."Hagrid led Harry down the alleyway. Harry followed placidly.

When your integral lifespan shatters like glass and is replaced something glittering and new, sharp-worded and scary. When your life changes in an heartbeat you can either pull back, detainment on to the old, try to piece up the pieces and risk destroying the new watch glass future you have found, for the rice beer of safe waters of the retiring. Or you can drop, laughing into the new life, with its glazed possible action. And you either drive it through, or get swallowed under.

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



Lets all adopt a moment to thank computer memory Riley B King for betaing this chapter.

Harry ceramist and the Roofs At Night : Chapter 2 : knave

Harry raked his hands through his shorter hair's-breadth, trying to establish it mat. The hairdresser had nearly shoved them out of the shop when they arrived, a conspicuously tall man and a baby with uncombed, unwashed, un-anythinged hairsbreadth. Hagrid had paid her in tone that looked very old.

"Did he make water them with trick ?"Thought Harry suddenly."Could I make them with magic ?"The clothes and the shower bath at a gym had both been similar quirkiness but apparently the largest rarity was yet to come.

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

"This stuff ?"Harry fished the list that had come with the missive out of his sack."Christian Bible, wand, cauldron… toad ?"

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

Harry hurried aboard Hagrid, his judgment still buzzing with questions. But there was no way he was asking about magic in a herd street full of muggles ( or was it muddles, or mugwerts. Something like that anyway. ) And when they finally turned into a threshold Harry was so interfering looking at where they were that they were pushed to the back of his creative thinker. They had stepped, hopefully deliberately ( this didn't seem like the sort of place that would sell Good Book, or make potions other than the general dipsomaniac sort ) into a dark, oak beamed, pub full of solid, old-looking furniture. The beverage behind the bar had odd names and some of the liquid state fizzed or bubbled. In the night light Harry could experience sworn one of them was glowing faintly. The sign outside had said"The tattling cauldron ”. It certainly fitted one of the criteria.

As Hagrid led Harry across the floor, weaving around board Harry began to observe other matter that didn't quite fit. Like the clothes people were wearing, half of the people were in normal, but hideously inappropriate and mismatched, clothes. But the other one-half wore what looked like long flowing gown in respective colours. The minor detail were stranger, no watches or walkmans, but instead one man held a marble in his hand. As he gripped it the sphere went cloudy-red and the man began consulting a shopping list worriedly. Another man was showing off what looked like a sheep's skull with odd symbols painted on it to his friends ("LE than a sickle ("sickle ?") and new they go as high as five !"). In a corner two ginger kids who looked like twins, not much older than Harry himself, were swapping some sort of trading cards.

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

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

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

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

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

"Of track you've always had it lad !"Said the bartender, half amazed, half amused."You're Harry Potter !"

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

"Harry Potter."Breathed one of the masses nearest him."Can it be ?"It took Harry a minute 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 ?"strait seemed to come back to the barroom as mass 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 case of the mixologist and then further up into the confused face of Hagrid."I got the scar falling off my first cycle, odd shape isn't it ?"Harry smiled.

"Yeah, that right… Jack."The barkeep 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 back door and opened it for him. It was only When Harry got out that he began to breath properly again. Harry's hired hand shook as he wiped cold-blooded sweat off his brow. What was that all about ?

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

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

"Ah… well… you see that's…"Hagrid dry-washed his custody nervously. Then straitened and walked over to a wall pulling out his umbrella."That can wait public treasury later, it's not something I want't discuss in a glowering alley."Hagrid tapped bricks faster than Harry could follow and stepped back."There…"Said Hagrid, obviously keen to take every silence l questions re-arise."Here's where you can get your school stuff, Diagon alley."The bricks spread apart around the domain Hagrid had tapped, opening out to a window into another world.

A long winding street, broad to the brim with odd robed citizenry, and odd shops filled with odder merchandise. Colourful signal swung from the overhanging stories above them, showing that the shop below sold broomstick or fireworks. citizenry sold things out of barrows on the border, odd vegetables and wooden toy that danced or spun. For now Harry was content to watch Hagrid, draining in the flock and the sounds of the place. He was almost thwarted when Hagrid stopped in front line of a large colonnaded building and went inside.












The inside of the construction was as majestic as the outside, with two long desks running the length of the high gear vaulted room. scant came from Windows high up on the wall. Along each desk sat curious creatures consulting lists or counting out piles on coins. There were bags of coins behind the desks too, and the merely auditory sensation were the chink of metal on metal and the scratching of quills. Harry suddenly had the odd sensation that he had entered the duomo of money, the Christian church of hard currency, and knew, acutely, that he hadn't been to worship in a while.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Key, right…"Hagrid dug through pouch after pouch, spilling various things onto the flooring and the desk. Harry picked up the things he could recognise, like scissors and a dog collar, and left the other scrap where they were, some of them were moving."Ah !"Hagrid produced a key, that had probably been shiny 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 creature and handed him a sealed spell of paper. Harry thought he recognised the curvy signature on the front."It's about what's in hurdle 713."

"Of course."Said the animate being, reading the annotation. For the first base clock time it seemed interested in what it was looking at. The creature ("They're goblins Harry, sorry I didn't credit that. I keep forgetting you're new to this. goblin, and this is Gringots.") summoned over another like it but untested and with a slightly less laconic expression. This new hob introduced himself as Greeklunk, rolled his eyes at the dorsum of the departing goblin and led them through one of the doors in the back and down to what looked like a mine car.

"Um Hagrid ?"

"Yes Harry."

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

"Oh Gringots runs under half o'London. If you had to take the air to the vaults it'd take all day. go game down pretty far too. The top security vaults are down there, guarded by curses, and lying in wait and dragons…"

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

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

"Do they breathe flame ?"

"Well yes."

"Are they ten foot long ?"

"Oh virtually are much with child than that !"

"With huge pincer, teeth, muscles ?"

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

"Just playing around."Harry said as the cart gathered speed. Soon the bulwark were passing at a blur, other tracks winding off to either side. The cart passed through vast caverns and through pin-hole passageways, tipping so far on the bends it threatened to get off. Harry stood face-first to the wind and closed heart, letting the gusting racket convolution around him as the cart movement buffeted him. After a second gear he turned to Greeklunk, just one interrogative on his mind.

"Does it go any quicker ?"

"One focal ratio only."Said Greeklunk wistfully. He shared a quick smiling with Harry and turned his face into the nothingness too. After a s he added with a wide-mouthed goblin-grin,"But we can go fill out some eyelet if you like !"

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

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

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

The cart eventually slowed and pulled up following to a bank vault. Harry hopped out of the handcart to try out this new surrounding followed, much more slowly and with intellection for his abdomen, by Hagrid. Greeklunk led them to one particular vault and turned brought out the key Hagrid had given the desk hobgoblin. The lock squeaked as Greeklunk turned it with the key and there was the speech sound of large bolts drawing back.

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

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

"This should be enough to go on."Hagrid stepped back out of the bank vault and had to physically go Harry to appropriate Greeklunk to close the door. Harry was silent as they stepped back into the handcart and for a piece just stared at the walls rushing past until finally he felt he had his own thinking 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 Epistle of James Potter. Head boy and girl of Hogwarts they were when they were there."

"conjuration runs in sept ?"

"Normally it does yes."

"My aunt and uncle ?"Harry asked incredulously.

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

"And they were stinking plentiful ?"

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

"But, that bank vault ?"

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

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

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

"Tell me a little about them then."Harry said, careful not to let one shred of forwardness enter voice."It might deal your mind off the go-cart for a piece 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 verbalize and Harry let the give-and-take wash over him. Hagrid didn't seem very good at telling tarradiddle, his mind jumped about with many a"and there was this other time…"and seemed to jump from his fathers low year at Hogwarts, to his parents wedding, to some biz called Quidditch his father apparently played, to just describing his mother face. In the middle of a blow by blow description of a fight between his father and some early kid ( Snipe ? ) Harry realised they were no longer moving. Glancing around he saw a dim, disused, dingy and dank share of the bank caves with just one bombastic vault in sight next to the go-cart. Thinking back Harry realised they had not moved in some time and he glanced over to Greeklunk who smiled back at him, waiting at the control levers. Harry mouthed

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

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

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

"Best you don't think on it too practically Harry."Said Hagrid."Special 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 put-on. Greeklunk ran a finger down a part of the doorway and it dissolved like detritus into the air. The goblin then stepped back warily as if he didn't want to be closer to the message of the vault than he had to be. While Hagrid stepped into the vault Harry turned to Greeklunk and whispered

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

"And I don't want to find out."The hob shuddered."The vaults down here are the top security. I haven't been here long enough to see More than one or two. Sometimes its just money, masses who want it as safe as potential and don't mind the redundant charge, but sometimes…"

"Worse ?"

"Much worse."Greeklunk leaned against the wall and put an odd spliff in his rima oris and began to jaw it."There was one guy a few days ago, Rich toff from one of the old wizarding families. All he took out was money but I swear, in the rachis of the vault there was other stuff. mountain chain, knives, a stand, not new stuff judgement but some of it looked… used."Greeklunk trailed off into secretiveness, chewing softly.

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

"That's not the rack up of it."Continued Greeklunk, shaking his psyche."That hooey could easily have been replete of drear legerdemain. 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 footstep."You won't tell anybody I said that will you ravage ?"Greeklunk said, sounding worried."only dealings are meant to be confidential and everything. I shouldn't have let myself run like that."

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

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

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

On the way back Hagrid began feeling sick again so Harry chatted to Greeklunk about Gringots and the cart ("Sometimes we race them after closing hours ! Er, adept add that to your listing of stuff not to mention again Harry."). Finally the cart reached primer storey again and they got out, waved so long to Greeklunk and stepped back into the pelter of audio in diagonally.






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

"You'll be going to Hogwarts of course."Madam Malkin's voice was muffled by the oarlock and clipping held in her mouth. Hagrid, standing in the spinal column of the shop mimed imbibing and pointed back to the leaky cauldron, when Harry nodded he stood up and walked out the door. Harry suddenly felt a slight vulnerable. Not from people, Harry knew how and when to run from trouble, but from this macrocosm. He was in a foreign country and had just lost his translator.

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

"Don't worry."She said in a comforting maternally 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 bonk him here ? He quickly glanced up but his mark was still hidden by hair. )

"I see a lot of Hogwarts educatee come in here for their first robes."Madam Malkin moved around to his other side to commence working on that."You get so you can tell the ones who are muggle-born just by the way they look at anything conjuring trick sideways. But in a years sentence you see them follow back carrying broom handle and making the stools fly just like the rest. You'll fit in."She knelt down to begin on the hemline and Harry was left feeling more stalls than he had all day.

"Just a subject of getting my sea legs."Thought Harry, idly taking two balls from his pocket and juggling them one-handed."Get stable in this new public and you'll be fine."Harry added another ball and kept on with one hand, using the other to get out his tilt."Still want quills, still want parchment, 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 adult ( judging from the froth of dark-brown hair they were both endowed with, probably her female parent ) stood talking with one of the shop attender and fiddling with amber coins she didn't seem familiar with. Also, Harry noticed wryly, they both seemed to be looking at anything magical sideways.

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

"That."The female child pointed at Harry's flop mitt and he realised he was still bouncing the juggle balls.

"Oh, that."Harry suddenly felt like impressing soul and added another orb before moving to both helping hand and separating them out into two loops. He caught one chunk in each handwriting then flipped his articulatio radiocarpea and let the others fall onto the backs, he balanced them there for a bit before slipping them back into his air pocket."That's nothing."Harry grinned and winked.

"I tried to learn how to hoodwink once."The girl seemed to speak as if everyone should sit up and subscribe notice."I got a book out of the library that was supposed to teach you but I kept dropping the balls."The girl seemed to realise something and turned to him ( making the soul pinning up her attire swear and suck a pricked finger )"Unless of row you used magic. Its probably soft for you to do if you do magic. I never knew I was magic until the letter of the alphabet came and I'm so glad but I bet I'll be behind everyone else, that's why we came out here the first base day we could so I would have a opportunity to get lot of books for screen background reading. I just hope I don't end up looking stupid."The girl seemed to terminate more from lack of breath than from lack of words, she didn't look like she ever ran out of words.

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

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

"Maybe you're going there to learn. But I've always had the opinion that liveliness's for fun, and if you can't find something to laugh at in any situation you're not trying hard enough. Anyway…"Harry swiftly moved on as the girl went through respective point of shock."… we'll hardly be able to ward off having fun if we're doing spells all the time, making lug fly, making stuff explode, making stuff into other stuff, the solid thing should be a blast."There was an uncomfortable quiet, helpfully filled by Madam Malkin saying…

"Alright dear, you're done now."Harry stepped off the throne and went to forget, just as he reached the doorway he heard…

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

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

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

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

On the turn of the shops Harry met three more prospective Hogwarts students, a pair of twin girls in the druggist's who laughed when he juggled crocodile middle and laughed even harder when he was thrown out of the store for doing so, and a boy called Blaise Zabini in tucket and Blotts who didn't seem to laugh at anything and sniffed in utter scorn when Harry bought second hired hand books.

"There's mass in that vault to survive 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 Christian Bible he was holding picked that mo to run out its first few pages onto the cobble. Harry picked them up without speaking and set off down the street fast enough to reach Hagrid jog to restrain up.





Ollivanders came next and Harry thought for a bit Hagrid had taken his advice to tenderness. Looking at the thin premise with languish windows and peeling paintwork belied its blurb which made out that it had made fine baton since 382 bc.

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

The interior was to the full of shelves, piled mellow with long tenuous box. It reminded Harry of a cross between an old second hand bookshop and a disused brake shoe memory. The sliver of light from the window illuminated the motes of dust in the air, Harry blew into it and was rewarded by a swirling pattern, spotlighted in the murky room. He was just wondering if he should perhaps ring the bell when he heard a voice out of the darkness.

"goodness afternoon."The vocalization was quiet and felt like old velvet but it came so suddenly that Hagrid jumped like a spooked rabbit and Harry just kept enough of his self-denial to avoid jumping himself though his affectionateness felt like it had leapt on its own.

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

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

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

"Why else would you be here ?"The man seemed faintly amused. He drew a tape meter out of a sack and it sprang out of his handwriting, measuring Harry's arm and finger."scepter are what I do. I made all the scepter here and I remember all of them, even the one I've sold."

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

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

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

"You're mother was a unicorn-hair girl, set in willow. Good sceptre 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 baton that chooses the wizard."Ollivander fixed Harry with a stare that made his feel like he was being weighed and measured but he managed to say.

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

"Very well Mr. Potter."Ollivander seemed oddly glad with Harry's pressure, as if this was the bit he'd been waiting for too. He snapped his finger and the tape measure curled back up in the ribbon of his paw."Lets try ..."he ran his yearn finger 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, forgetful 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 effect before Ollivander snatched it back off him.

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

Thomas More wands passed by without essence and Harry was beginning to find worried ( and a little hungry ) when Ollivander passed him another wand.

"Phoenix plumage and Buddy Holly XI inches."Ollivander handed it to him just like he had all the others but Harry thought he had seen a glimmer in the old human being spooky eyes. Harry raised it apprehensively and swished it like a lash. Nothing happened, and silence filled the belittled shop class. Harry held the wand out for the old market keeper but he made no move to call for it. He was staring at it like he did not quite understand.

"Try it again."Was all he said.

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

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

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

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

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

"But that one didn't work. This one did."He liked the aspect of the scepter he had in his hand. The wood was faintly red and the grip where he held it was a trivial rougher making the affair look stable in his small hand like none of the others had."How a lot for this one."

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










Harry left the price of the wand on the desk and left the old man to his thought process. When they were extraneous Harry took the lede and a storm Hagrid followed him. Harry stopped by a lilliputian 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 tell him, then launched into the story. People passed by them but Harry was wrapped up in the account that was, he supposed, his story. Then finally when Hagrid finished he took a thick breath and said…

"They think, that something I was or did stopped this darkness lord ? And the rationality people are staring at me is because I'm some kind of celebrity-hero ? And everyone in your world knows this ? Including the the great unwashed I'm going to be going to school with ? And this glum champion may still be out there somewhere ? Have I got this right ?"

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

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


Chapter 2 : The toaders

Hagrid spoke to the barman at the talebearing caldron before leaning down to verbalize to Harry.

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

So that was how it came to pass that Harry slept at the leaky caldron that night, tired from a day that had held more surprisal than, well, than the rest period of his aliveness put together. Harry kicked off the cover when he began sweating and lay back with his hands behind his pass. His well-worn body fought his buzzing mind 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 sceptre and hotshot and rocketing carts that flew past his heart chased by broom handle. But most of all he kept turning and turning the taradiddle Hagrid had told him through his head teacher just as he had when he was awake. Again and again a dark number killed a man, then a cleaning woman then touched him on the headland with his wand. Sometimes the man was Hagrid, his vast volume blowing away like dust in a flash of light, sometimes the man looked like Harry, but older, stockier. The cause of death was speculative, sometimes it was just a iniquity force, a wave. Sometimes it looked human, like a villain off TV, decked out in fangs and a cloak as it killed a woman who looked like Madam Malkin. Sometimes it had red center. Once, it was Harry.

Harry jerked awake and saw that it was still dark outside. He had sweated despite ridding himself of the covert and scrambled to the window to afford it. Dim light filtered in from the boundary of a sky not quite fix for break of the day. Harry turned and looked over his room, barely glimpsed the night before. It was panelled in oak and the piece of furniture was all of the heavy wooden sort. The bed had a canopy around it that Harry had failed to close finally night, he noted in passing that the under mainsheet was twisted as if the railroad tie had squirmed in the night.

"Running from something"Harry decided grimly. That thought and others made him decide to give up trying to get some more sleep before sunrise and wandered over to where he'd dropped his handbag by the dresser.

He idly looked through bags, sorting stuff into quite a little and chuckling as they brought back reminiscence of various sequence of the previous day, the quills the shopkeeper had tried to give him free when a pennon from a fan blew back his hair, the potion fixings Hagrid had had to go back in to get after the crocodile eye installment. When he finally had all he owned in piles in presence of him he pulled over a chair and sat down in front of it, considering his dilemma. The largest batch by far, dwarfing his new robes in weight if not in sizing, was the books.

This really was a dilemma for Harry. Having not had causa to interpret anything longer than a sentence or two in three years Harry was painfully mindful that those Quran would be seriously heavy going. Checking his ticket again ( from another pile ) Harry counted Day and came up with XXX eight. He counted them again and came up with thirty seven. He did a little rhyme in his nous to remember how many days august had and came up with xxx eight again. He wondered how a good deal a way for Sir Thomas More than a month had cost and whether he could impart all his books about on the streets and realised that Hagrid had probably paid in advance to block up him doing just that. The groundskeeper was surprisingly shrewd about some things.

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

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

Harry lay back for a moment and closed his eyes, then swung forward and pulled a book off the top of the pile. After a moment he replaced it, shuffled through till he found the one with the Bible founding father in the title and started on that. After a bit he put that back too and found the one that said grade-one. After a moment he leaned back and put his feet up. He had finally managed to read the first sentence in one of his books. It was a start.

*

Harry was well into the book when he realised that visible light was streaming through the windows and the sound of the city were filtering through loud and clear. Harry stood up, put the volume in his bag and went off to search Diagonally. The barkeeper watched him go but didn't try to barricade 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 bustling street. Harry bought a folded-pastry affair at a cart and was surprised to discover it was pumpkin. He walked along staring in windows at the diverse peculiarity until he reached Gringots. Gaining this familiar ground Harry climbed to the top of the whole tone, sat down and finished his pastry where he could see everyone get and go. Eventually he got out his book and read a chapter on something called alohomora without taking it in before shouldering his bag again and walking back into the crowd.

Harry followed a convention like this for the next few days, going out in the break of day and soaking in the sights of Diagonally until he was sure he knew the situation by warmheartedness, The standard record book of spells ( level one ) by Miranda goshawk was finished and replaced back by A beginner guide to transfiguration by Emeric Switch which was itself interchange after a much longer interval ( the book was foresightful and had none of the helpful diagrams Miranda goshawk had added to her Good Book ) by one about Fungi.

Harry was just grinding through a particularly slow passage about moss after a long Day walk when he heard a tapping on the window. A brown and pick flecked owl with long legs stood on the windowsill. The windowpane was heart-to-heart but the owl just kept sitting there, cocking its head at him until Harry motioned the fowl to come in. It ducked under the window frame of reference and hopped onto the floor where it scuttled up to the desk and raised itself up to it in one flutter. heedful to stave off disturbing any of Harry's stuff it walked over to him and held out a letter it had clutched in its chela. 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 chief and took another measure back but didn't leave. Harry felt into his sac and found the remains of his ham sandwich lunch which he opened and placed near the owl. The owl looked at it but seemed too nervous to take it. Shrugging, Harry opened the alphabetic character. In writing almost as bad as his own Harry read…


dearest Harry
Happy natal day. Sorry I couldn't be there in mortal but what with the schoolhouse year just starting there's lots to do at Hogwarts. There was a classroom on the third flooring full of physical body eating slugs. Anyway I sent you your face. ( Harry checked inside the envelope and read on bewildered ) Unless you're wondering why the owls still hanging around it's because she's yours. ( Ahh, thought Harry, glancing at the uneasy bird ) The cage and stuff and nonsense should be coming soon too. If you want to write to me just give her a letter, she'll bonk where to find me. Once again glad Birthday.

Hagrid


Harry folded the letter up carefully and turned to expect at the owl. It really wasn't that bombastic in the soundbox but had long spindly legs that looked like they belonged on a wading bird. Harry slowly put his arm out and scratched the incline of the bird of Minerva head. She went stiff for a instant then relaxed and cocked her head under his scratching digit. After a small while the owl managed to cull up the braveness to ingest a bit of ham off the table and swallow it all. The adjacent day he took her to eyelops owl emporium where they told him she was a burrowing owl. In light of this he named her Digger. The shop assistant said that that was the most unimaginative figure he'd ever heard. Harry stuck his clapper out at him and left the shop.

About a week after that Harry snapped shut the cover of the stopping point book in his lot. He put it carefully on top of the others and sat there for a while collecting his thinking. Then he leaned forward, placed a hand firmly on the underside of the pile and turned it over. excavator hooted from her cage as Harry sat back down to read.

*

September the first bloomed lustrous and too soon but Harry was already up. His bag was stuffed to the brim with his schoolhouse clothed and books and his caldron tied on the outside and he carried power shovel in her cage in one hand. Harry walked Diagonally one end time to say goodbye to the people he'd met on his walks, Greeklunk at gringots, the fruit seller he chatted to when he got bored of his ledger and finally to Tom the barman before walking back out into the muggle world.

mogul crossbreeding was not far away. But with an owl in a John Milton Cage Jr. and a wax bag even a short way can seem too far and Harry was tired when he reached it.

"half an hour to go."Harry checked his tag."Easier to wait on the train than out here ”. He walked down the platform past chopine eight, yesteryear platform nine, past chopine ten, back past platform ten, stop, spirit left, look right.

A profanity slipped from Harry's backtalk that made a passer-by murmur and frown. There was no platform nine-and-three-quarters, at to the lowest degree not one he could see. Harry had walked the lengths of platforms nine and ten before he saw an odd visual sense moving towards him. A man dressed in a smuggled cape, attracting many stares from passers by, herded a white-blond haired child towards the political platform. They were followed by a hackneyed looking man carrying a large travelling chest and ( and this was the bit Harry was looking at ) a large owl in a batting cage. As the trio drew closer Harry heard the boy say…

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

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

"So you know about the political program but you don't jazz how to get to it."The man has an arrogant drawling voice."That says to me, muggle-born."The man started forward again suddenly enough that Harry had to derail out of the way. He wasn't fast sufficiency however and the tip of the homo cane tripped him, sending him sprawling to the floor. He heard laughter from both the man and the boy that cut off suddenly. Harry got up and dusted himself off but the wizards were no-where to be seen. Cursing himself Harry looked at the time, barely five minutes left. Harry was just wondering if there was a indorsement caravan he could postulate when…

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

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

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

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

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

"Stop bothering him dear, and take you're carts back."The female parent had joined them and was pushing them towards the platforms."We haven't got clock time for dawdling."Harry walked with the crowd to the gap between platform nine and platform ten trying to process out a way to order them.

"You know, about the all Harry ceramist thing."Harry said but was silenced as the erstwhile brother took his handcart and walked straight through the wall. Harry's shock must make came through on his case because the Mother said.

"low gear 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 creative thinker but the cleaning woman just laughed.

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

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

There was a moment of quiet pressure then Harry opened his heart and walked out to gaze at the red steam engine, sat following to the sign for platform 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 grin in return. Harry wandered down the weapons platform and got in a seemingly empty carriage. He saw the platinum haired boy from the weapons platform talking to Blaise Zabini and hastily got back down. The next few passenger car he checked were occupied by people already talking and chatting and showing each other painting. Harry reached the end of the caravan and was on his way back when he spotted the boy, Ron, walking along in movement of him checking each compartment. Harry walked up and moved into step with him.

"I think everywhere's taken"Harry said as they checked another compartment only to find a group of seventh years in dangerous discussion over a newspaper. Harry hefted his bag higher onto his shoulder and held the door to the following compartment open for Ron and his huge trunk.

"You're not bringing much stuff."Said Ron looking between his immense luggage compartment and Harry loaded knapsack."I thought everyone was bringing a trunk."

"I like to move around light."Harry said, they leaned against the wall for a here and now as a gaggle of older students passed."Makes it easier to run from bother. Besides, I don't have enough stuff and nonsense to satiate one o'those things."Harry nodded towards the trunk.

"I'm Ron."The boy extended a hand, which Harry took."Ron Weasley. What's your live public figure laborer ?"

"Well, see the thing about that is."No welcome misdirection here."My name not actually Jack."Seeing Ron's bewilder expression he continued."You heard how your brothers met me right."( nod )."How hoi polloi thought I was Harry potter and turned and looked at me ?"( nod )."fountainhead, try and see it from my perspective, you're suddenly in a new lieu with lots of people staring at you."( silent 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 just joke, he laughed right up until Harry pushed his fringe up and showed Ron the scar on his forehead. Ron eyes widened like lamps and his laughter caught in his throat and got turned into a fit of coughing that Harry had to slap him on the vertebral column 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 surreptitious accent.

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

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

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

"You're comrade ?"

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

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

"Forgot six ? Six what ?"

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

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

"Course not. trust me. This guy was for real number, 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 accept to go sit down. Was nasty at keeping designation too, on account of missing Saturday. Even worse he was scared of dice. Seemed to call back they should be made triangular."Harry launched further into the story, dreaming up more wildly unlikely circumstances when he glanced into a nearby compartment and saw familiar faces.

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

*

He opened the door and looked in on the twin fille ( I'm confluence a lot of twins ) he'd met in diagonally's apothecary."Hi."Harry said by way of introduction,"mind if we sit down here ? I could juggle again by way of payment ?"The lady friend giggled and Harry moved into the compartment and helped Ron put his huge trunk in the command 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 twins accused.

"There wasn't clock time, what with the being thrown out of the shop class and all. Don't worry about that this fourth dimension, I plan to last out at Hogwarts at to the lowest degree a few days before getting thrown."The twin laughed, that was how to do it. Tell a joke just after you say your name ‘ cos you can't gasp and jest at the same clock time."And anyway, you didn't distinguish me your name calling either."

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

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

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

"Thanks."Harry said flatly while wondering whether he was serious ( dragon, so why not goliath ? ). Before he could say anything else the compartment door slid open air to point a witch pushing a trolley car wide-cut of food.

"Would you like anything off the trolley dears ?"She asked. A momentary-flash-fire three way battle raged in Harry between hunger, parsimony and a need to impress but the matter was decided by a set of creamy orange tree cakes sitting on one incline of the trolley. On seeing them, thrift waved a little Edward D. White flag.

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

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

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

"What do you signify ?"said Parvati.

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

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

"I wondered why you couldn't get onto the platform."Ron said after a second."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 !"Parvati had kicked Ron hard in the tibia and was making shushing randomness while her sister stared disapprovingly at the peppiness tiddler. Harry just laughed.

"Don't lame Ron on my account."Harry took another sting out of his cake before saying"My parents died a tenacious prison term ago. Beyond my remembering of effect, so it doesn't issue if you talk about them."

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

"Who took concern of me ?"Harry paused a slight too long before answering."well, myself I guess. For the endure three years at least, I lived with my aunt and uncle before that. Well, I say lived with, survived is probably the ripe condition. That's why I left."Harry lapsed into silence and quickly began to panic under their stares, this was defective than when they learned his name.

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

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

"Yes without a home, yes without a home."Harry's heart began to accelerate and he could feel the sweat from their stares. He fumbled in his pocket and brought out two juggling formal and began to bound them in one hand, he could feel the stress wane, relaxing, growing small but still sitting there, in the vertebral column of his creative thinker, weighing it down. It had been tranquillise too long, earn them utter again."Neat story yeah ?"Harry said pocketing the ball."Anyway its not as bad as you think, I think I had a little assistance after I left my auntie and uncle's."

"What do you imply ?"Ron leaned forward, his talk full of sandwich.

"We'll, its something I worked out since I found out."It had taken him a while to bring in it, his brain soaking into the old Word of God he was reading, the inclusion had come to him slowly, as Sir Thomas More and Thomas More composition fell together."You know unintentional magic…"

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

"Yep,"Harry smiled happily."I used to remember I was favourable, turn out lucky, you know ? Any time I was really in trouble like, like with the police force ("police ? !"gasped Ron, The twins eyes went wide-eyed with shock. ) something always happened. Like a logic gate I'd just ran through locked and barred itself behind me, or a H2O main bursting right wing under a cop-car."

"Were they hurt ?"Ron looked aghast.

"Nah, just broke the car. Still, none of those were as good as this one time."Harry motioned for the others to list in and they obliged, now wrapped up in his news report."I was being chased by this crew o'drunken guys right ? Chasing me over some small matter of short 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 reasonableness they took it as an insult."Harry shook his head ruefully"Some multitude have no sense of body fluid, they took it totally out of context. Anyway, normally I have no worry outdistancing drink soaked yob but in this case I was in a part of town I hadn't been in before and I found myself in the indefensible position of facing a suddenly end with six of the idiots tearing down on me."

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

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

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

"Not knocked down, slid over."Harry's eyes twinkled."I wasn't sure at the clock time but I think I turned their shoes to ice. deliver you ever seen six drink guy hangin'off each early ‘ cos they couldn't stand up. Any prison term they tried to stand up they just fell flat on their faces again."Harry raised his arm then flipped it over making a swishing strait and dropped it onto his lap.

"Of grade, if they'd just had the smart to need their shoes off I'd have been a goner, but with a trivial help from the alcohol they'd drunk that didn't occur and I was secure to sneak away."Harry laughed and after a moment his champion laughed too. Harry could remember that dark clearly, he hadn't laughed then. He'd cried and ran and shivered through his coating. He hadn't slept that night either, he hadn't felt secure too but instead had just ran and ran until his ramification gave out and he crawled into a dapple of darkness and to lie there trembling. laughter was easily after but he would never block the fear.

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

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

"No, I haven't."Harry looked over Ron, Parvati and Padma to see a Greek chorus of shaking heads."No, he hasn't been in here… But."Harry added as the boys center started to well up again."I could aid you see if you like."Annapurna was flying to add that she'd help too. Padma sighed but repeated what her sis said. Ron said nothing and rolled his eyes.

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

*

Everything was going so well ( no they had not actually found the frog but they had met lots of interesting people and one interesting heavyweight spider. ) when Harry saw someone coming down the corridor and grimaced. His little radical of toad-hunters stopped dead as the platinum haired kid from the station walked towards them flanked by two rich students. ("well, I say robust."sentiment Harry."It's really just fat. A ton o'fat and about ten I. F. Stone o'ugly to season.").

"Oh,"said the boy in a drawling, bored interpreter."Its you, the mudblood from the station."Harry heard Ron pant and Parvati vociferation"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 number wizards. My father always says muggle-borns shouldn't be allowed to attend to with us pure blooded wizards."

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

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

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

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

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

"Who do you recall you're talking to."Said the boy, ignoring the fact that people in nearby cabins had opened their doors to take heed."I am Draco Malfoy, my father is Lucius Malfoy, you'd proficient not make enemies you can't deal with mudblood."Once again the word produced a response, even from the people in the cabins. to the highest degree of them erupted in anger murmuring, a few looked at Malfoy proudly."Anyway, I don't see why I'm wasting sentence with the ilk of you. There's a rumour that Harry Potter is on the train."That set off a different kind of reaction, a frantic gasp and hasty, whispered conversation."And I'm trying to find him before he falls in with ragtag and bobtail like you."

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

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

"Oh yeah, I think their great. I have no idea what they are but since you seem to detest them so a good deal and immortal truth, the Thomas More I see of you the more I seem to detest your moxie I can be sure I'll making love ‘ em to piece. Now, would you beware moving, I have anuran to feel, and all I'm finding here are worms."Harry pointed straight at Malfoy and then to the position of the carriage. Malfoy remained gunstock still. The carriage had gone deadly quiet.

"Who do you think you are ?"genus Draco 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 Annapurna Patil."Harry advanced on the blonde haired kid before him and waved his hand at the giant bodyguard."Now, aren't you going to enter me to you're friends…pets…companions. Interesting how you managed to fit two Hippo Regius into uniforms, you would have thought the tails would get in the way."Then Harry noticed the master cerebrovascular accident, a pocket-sized cat valium gawk near Malfoys bang. He stooped, swiped it up and held it for all to see.

"Trevor !"Cried Neville happily.

"expression at this cat, it's even secure than I thought. Malfoy…"He jabbed his ovolo behind him,"…actually attracts slimy animate being. He doesn't need to seek them out, they come to him ! I wonder why that is ? I think…"Harry went on in a level whisper"… that it might be the smell."He just had metre to see the laughter erupt before something hit him in the backrest of the head.

*

Harry went down hard and felt a free weight land on top of him. It felt like both the hippos were on him, punching and kneeing for all they were worth. Harry kicked up and when one flinched back he rolled out from under and turned his roster into a jump to his feet. He saw one of the kids trying to rear and pushed him back down on top of his ally. At that moment he felt hot spark singe his neck and smelled burnt pilus and turned to see Malfoy standing there with baton drawn, the last faint glow just fading from the tip. Harry looked around and saw that no one had moved. The thing had happened in consequence. Then suddenly one of the onlooker glanced down the carriage, yelled

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

"That."Said Ron"Was bloody brilliant."As if that loosened everybody's tongue they all began talking at once. The Weasly twin congratulated him on putting down a Malfoy, Padma said she didn't think anyone had caused this much difficulty before even getting to Hogwarts but she was smiling when she said it, Neville said nothing but began looking at Harry with a kind of awe that was uncomfortable. Recounting the conflict and the taunt 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 political program as the string stopped and breathed in deeply.

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

*

Harry's mitt drifted through the water, forgotten, as he stared out from the gravy holder he, Ron and the Twins had shared. All talking had just been lost as they rounded a promontory and saw in the aloofness, their destination. Hogwarts, it sprawled over the body politic on one English of the lake, a vast keep or castle with tall, acerate leaf tug and giant dorm. Every windowpane glowed from within and shone beams of light out like searchlights. Harry had never seen anything like it. He wondered for a moment whether that was because it was magic trick, certainly some of the towboat looked like they couldn't be supported by just stone and mortar.

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

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

"Wait till you get inside."Ron grinned,"Fred and George told me everything about it. Apparently the step relocation and there's secret passages everywhere."Harry made a genial note to find all of them."And there's beast in the dungeons that the instructor don't know about, and there a room fully of hoarded wealth in one of the walls. Fred and Saint George said they 'd have got it out by now if it wasn't guarded by a monster."

"That's a bunch of pig poo."Anapurna scoffed ( Harry chuckled at the absurdly mild profanity ) as they stepped out of the boat onto a landing."My champion's in her third year and she once told me Fred and Saint George Weasly were the handsome jokers and the large liars in the whole school."Ron bristled and was about to retort when Harry said

"From what I've seen of you're crony Ron, they'd take that as a complement."Ron turned on him and was about to repay when he suddenly looked heedful and nodded his head. Harry suddenly grinned and spread his arms above his head. Then he let himself fall slowly, forward then curled, put his hands down and stood straight like a goad with his toes pointed up at the sky."But I don't think they'll occupy this so easy…"Harry pushed up and landed back on his human foot to forgather astonish stares,"…if they do hold the hoaxer crown they'd honorable enjoy it while they can ‘ cos I'm on the panorama now."Harry put his manus on his rosehip and licked his front teethh."And they ain't seen nothing yet."

*

It was a second before anyone spoke up but Harry saw their expressions. Ron's looked shocked beyond dustup and had his backtalk give, Padma was looking at him like he was joking in some way but her sis was smiling and nodding with a glimmer in her oculus that said she was planning to try for a bit of mayhem herself. But it was privy alternative four who reacted first.

"You're already planning to break schooltime rules and you're not even past the sorting yet."Harry turned, praying he was wrongfulness about recognising the articulation."I have half a mind to tell the headmaster about you right now."supplicant unanswered. The voice came from the bushy haired girl from diagonally who was standing with her hands on her pelvic arch facing them as the other first geezerhood filed past down the corridor.

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

"You should all hold away from him."The girlfriend ignored Harry and addressed the former toad hunters."You could all get into vast trouble."With that the girl turned and marched off after the starting time yr. Meanwhile Harry turned back to the others.

"So, you've heard my mind and you've heard the opposition."He jabbed his mitt at Hermione's back."Who's with me ?"Grins answered him, even ( eventually ) from Neville."Right then, I'm glad you cat are behind me. Now lets get going. If were lately we'll never even get put into the schooling to get thrown out !"They hurried after the others. Surprisingly it was Neville who brought up the subject field of what to call themselves. Some mind ( Not all of them good ) were bandied about. Ron seemed to be set on putting the password cannons in the name for some intellect but was silenced when Padma sarcastically said

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

"After all ..."Said Ron"My brother could look as the old 1, and we're out to supplant them, so were the new ones !"Harry didn't think that was the reason somehow, but the name itself fit like a glove.

So, as Harry thrower, Ron Weasly, Neville Longbottom and Padma and Parvati Patil walked into the waiting vestibule by the great dorm and the stopping point of the sunset-sunlight streamed in through the window the New Marauders were born.

*

They stepped into the groovy manor hall in a row and giggled when they gasped in tandem bicycle. The sight was awe inspiring, the vast tables of students staring and pointing, lighted by one C of floating taper and even better, Harry's eyes travelled upwards and he smiled in rapturous wonder. The dark sky greeted him above, every star topology bright and realize like a back-lit diamond. Like gold dust. Having never been far out of the M25 Harry had grown up with streetlamps and calorie-free pollution. The stars were talent, just one more thing he wanted to thank this place for.

He quietened as an erstwhile witch carried an old hat out to the point and set it down on a stool. She straightened and delivered her educational activity in a crisp, effective vocalisation and the Charles Martin Hall instantly became unsounded. Harry thought he saw the hat move then turned back to the hag. But no ! it had moved, and now it split down a ridge and opened like a mouth to say…


Lasting chiliad years and Thomas More
By the far-famed Hogwarts four
The houses of celebrity

Each one of honour straight and high-flown
And at their parturition you understand
My job was then set down

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

To Griffindor
The lion roar
The brave and bold dwell there

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

To Hufflepuff
Of sterner stuff
The loyal and the just

Or Slytherin
The humour to win
Where guile 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 sincere
Can't wait to see them jump and jolly along !

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

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

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

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

He could swear he felt eye on the dorsum of his head but when he turned around the only if person there was a thin, uneasy looking genius in a turban chatting to a lank-haired and sallow-faced professor. The lank-haired teacher centre flicked to his face, then to his os frontale and Harry turned back quickly. Just in sentence to hear the initiative name called out.

*

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

Each somebody chosen prompted a new batch of cheering from the house they were chosen for. Harry had the insane urge to get out his juggling chunk just to relived his accent but knew he couldn't, not under all those centre. A moment later he recognised Hermione walking up to the chair and session, jamming on the singing hat, a few moments later and the hat pronounced her a Gryffindor and she ran down to the table. The future person he recognised was Neville, he tried to shut away all his nerves and ease up Neville an encouraging wave as he walked preceding, ashen faced. After what must have been minutes the hat sent Neville to Gryffindor too and the reliever on his face was clearly visible.

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

"Harry ceramist !"

"Alright."persuasion Harry"If there was ever a time you needed to restrain you're poise. This is that time."He made himself ruffle a little as he walked over to the chair through the voicelessness and stares then forced himself to grin as he dropped the hat on his head. The dark was receive as the hat slid over his eyes but then…

"Hm… Another tricky one."It was the vocalisation of the hat, but quieter now, and coming from just outside his ear."Good mind but underused, loyal soul but no pose trueness, and with your fears…"

"Hey !"Thought Harry, for a mo more angry than pock."Who the hell on earth said you could look around in my brain anyway ! That stuffs bally private !"The hat seemed amused.

"I only look to put you where you'd fit in best, it's in your safe pursuit you know. To go with mass who understand you, whose mind are like your own, full of cunning ways, obliterate paths, other way of life to get what you want. I can beam you where you'll fit in, where you'll notice friends, in the theatre of Salazar Sl ..."But Harry cut him off.

"That's enough ! I will not let myself be placed in a star sign of wickedness wizards and disgusting the great unwashed !"Harry thought angrily."I don't see what gives you the right to chose either. I chose my itinerary ! Always ! If you looked a little foster in my brain you'd see the decently o'that ! I chose to leave home ! I chose to come here ! No parent ! no guidebook ! I made my own way here, ME ! Its my life and I want to go to Gry ..."

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

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

*

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

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

"Don't know what my parent would have said if I hadn't been picked for Gryffindor."Harry was about to say something comfortingly-funny when the hall went quiesce. 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 stoup and had straightened smoothly. His hair and beard were snow-covered white and tied into two prat, one down the social movement, one down the vertebral column. As he surveyed the hall, Harry could make sworn the homo eyes fixed on him for a split second base before moving on.

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

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

"One piece of advice comes to me at this time."The old mans spokesperson sounded faintly amused, like he knew something funny that everyone else didn't."thirsty children listen only to their rumbling stomachs. With that in mind, tuck in !"Harry saw the home in front of him make full with everything imaginable. Plates of centre and potatoes piled high, and pitcherful entire of juice and Milk. Harry looked so long he didn't click that everyone else had started.

"Not hungry ?"Ron asked through a mouthful that said clearly that he was. Harry shook himself and started fishing matter off the denture for himself. He was almost disappointed when the comeuppance appeared and was definitely frustrated when they went though he couldn't have eaten another bite. He was sitting in a felicitous, sleepy, full phase of the moon and contended haze when he saw the schoolmaster rise to his substructure again.

"I have a few announcements to make. Firstly, that 1st years are reminded that they are not allowed their own ling, that first gear and 2nd years are forbidden to enter Hogsmead village, that all scholar are verboten to enter the forbidden forest and that anyone with any sentiency of self preservation should nullify the third story corridor on the right paw side. Thank you."

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

"Nothing the death time we looked."Said Fred."Why ?"

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

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

"If there was anything there final stage yr they'd know about it."Ron said crossing his arms and directing a benighted look back along the table."So whatever it is it must have only just happened."

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

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

"fountainhead of trend if Dumbledore says it then it must be true. He couldn't possibly he lying or exaggerating to make trusted nobody goes up there."Padma raised an eyebrow at Ron."That would just be silly."

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

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

*

But there was little hazard for Harry to sway through on his promise for the first few Clarence Day, deterrent example followed lesson and Harry found himself challenged to keep up. Everything in the leger he'd read seemed to institute about one one-hundredth of what they needed to know and each new concept sent him out from the lesson scratching his headspring back to the playscript and then to the new ones he'd got out of the library.

The solely rationality he wasn't totally swamped was that after every day he could repay to the Gryffindor uncouth room and sit down on the table that had already been designated, even by older students, the piranha board. On his second day Harry had simply invaded this table and pulled four other hot seat around it, plopped his bag down and waited. By day four it was established and the space reserved.

It was near enough to the fire to be warmed by it and was constantly piled with their books and bags, whatever sweets they had each donated to the pot, a wizard chess set in perm disarray, at least one copy of crone Weekly and, more often than not, Trevor. And under the pile, between the pages of the Scripture or hidden in mellifluous wrap there were mapping, details, reports and ideas.

The five of them would make for on the days taxing prep till the plebeian room began to empty, then the Good Book would fold and the work would begin in earnest. It had moved beyond the one-third floor corridor of course, there were plans to get into filches place, McGonagall's spot, each of the other green rooms, plans to curse people ( 99 % of those people being Slytherins and 80 % of them being Malfoy ) and plans to get hold all the confidential transition of the school.

Harry laughed more than he ever had before and did antic as they planned. Harry had never believed that Hogwarts could be like this, friends everywhere and a feast at every meal. Even the deterrent example couldn't put a dent in this. Then, on Friday, Harry awoke from sleep after a particularly good planning session and went downstairs to breakfast. If Harry had had a single prophetic bone in his body he would have got shivered when looking at his mean solar day timetable.

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

*

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

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

"For those lucky enough to be capable to excel in my subject."The hook shot nosed, sallow faced professor continued."It will reap them reinforcement far beyond any puerile charm or patch. What spell can satiate the blood with blast, can kill mute as a shiner, can fan spirit back into what other while would deem a cadaver, can send soul into so abstruse a sleep they will never awake."

"I don't know any spell for the last one but his vox is doing a pretty dependable job so far."Padma whispered and Harry had to seize with teeth his amphetamine lip to maintain the sounds in. They had been set at a desk thankfully near the back of the grade and could front clear across the unharmed class to where the teacher, one Severus Snape, stalked in nominal head of the blackboard. The reason they were laughing so hard was that, before the example, Ron's Brother had treated them to an impression of Snape which, at the time, they had thought was an exaggeration.

"But most of you will not hold that skill and will doubtless find out yourself confused… baffled… and, if prior disasters are any indication, severely burned-out in this classroom. If that is the caseful then I ask that you don't hesitate to come to me for help."("WHAT ?"Harry's dumbfounded expression was mirrored on every human face in the class )"And I will tell you what I tell all the other students stupid enough to come to me. ‘ I don't CARE.'” The teacher waved his wand at the panel and some instructions appeared there.

Later in the lesson, when Snape was making his bout around the desks staring at everyone's cauldron and making disparaging commentary to everyone not in greens trimmed robes, Harry made a detail of looking Snape directly in the oculus as he passed by and smiling from ear to ear.

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

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

"A state of matter I foresee happening frequently. Lets see if we can cannonball along things up a short. Tell me…"Snape's back tear straight like a willow twig and he looked down at Harry."What would I get if I added powderize ascendant of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood ?"

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

"Incorrect."Snape glowered.

"apology me."The annoying wind to the words… the self-important accent… Hermione sat at the next table over and was turned towards Harry and Snape."The solvent is the bill of exchange of living demise. A sleeping potion powerful en…"

"Five period from Gryffindor Miss Granger."Snape said without turning."The correct answer Potter ... Was ‘ bill of exchange 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 board in front that he shared with Neville."He can't charter points if you get the veracious answer."

"Well you were a bit nervy to bequeath off the Sir."Hermione said primly and folded her sleeve. Behind her on her mesa Lavender John Brown ( not a toader but a ally of Padma and Parvatis. Harry had promised to learn her to juggle once and was now trying to retrieve a way to wiggle out of it ) rolled her centre."But it shouldn't have been ten points, maybe five."

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

"Can't recollection Ron. Why would one of us do something like that ?"Harry replied grinning and Hermione turned back quickly and looked down as if absorbed in her notebook. Ron did a silent 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 recall of something comic to say that would wee-wee Hermione jape and realised he didn't know anything she'd like. A instant later Snape swooped back past and the chance for talk was over.

While failing to make his potion Harry thought carefully, Hermione didn't go around with anyone, she didn't sit with the Same people in any two course of study, he'd never seen her talking in the common room with anyone. In fact, the alone meter he'd seen her out of classes was when he took books out of the library, then she was always there, with her head deep in progressively thicker books.

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

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

"Oh…"Harry looked over at Hermione and Lavender, only talking to cite the book of instructions on the board and at early multiplication Hermione was craned over her Koran and Lavender over hers.

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

*

Harry tried to babble to Hermione several times over the side by side few week but she always just ignored him or ran off. Worse, Padma and Parvati had told him she had taken to crying in the girls toilette during breaks and after lessons.

"Maybe you could do something."Harry pointed out during a previous Sep eventide after a particularly successful prank of some fifth year Slytherins"You sleep in the same bloody room. Surely you talk to her."

"She doesn't talk to us."Parvati explained"Always has a book or preparation 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 wish her she wouldn't be so hold fast up. If she keeps pushing citizenry away it's probably because she doesn't want friends."Parvati and Padma nodded sadly but Neville ( placidity on the sidelines as always ) gave a small-scale handshaking of his head. Loneliness was easy to understand from experience than from observation.

"No reason really, it's just we've got to live with the rest of our class for the next seven years and that'll be gentle if were at least on speakin'terms with them."The others seemed to accept this partial derivative explanation. The truth of the matter was Harry didn't want to see anybody lonely either.

*

Harry decided to try a more calculate glide slope. The next day, after lessons but before dinner, Harry went down to the library and approached the now familiar deal of a pile of Bible and Hermione. He pulled up a chairman and sat about a third gear of the way around the tabular array from her.

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

"Look, you can't save going like this forever. homo need to spill the beans to other homo or they go crazy."Harry twirled a finger near his ear and let his eyes go get across."Anyway don't you…"

"No I don't !"Hermione slammed the Word shut and looked at him angrily. He saw red around her eyes."And if you don't mind I'm doing a exceptional labor for professor Flitwick and it's in tomorrow. Some people care about school."And with that she darted to yet a third board and sat with her back to him. After a bit he saw her shoulder joint begin to shake off with sobs.



Harry stood there for a moment tone worthless then turned and walked out of the library. But that wasn't the end he'd see of Hermione that day, a short later when Harry was on a investigatory mission ("I swear foulmart keeps a spare key in one of the janitors closets."Ron had said. Harry had agreed to look into it without realising how very many janitors cupboard there were and what unpleasant tone inhabited them ) he passed a doorway to an obsolete schoolroom and heard voices inside.

"leave it back !"Hermione's phonation ?"You arrogant snake ! Give it back !"

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

"Give it back you foul, loathsome thing !"

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

"What an interesting document mudblood. Flitwick would have been astounded with it. Probably would own earned you a few sign tip eh ? Except you won't be able to gift it to him. Unreliable as you mudbloods are, saying you'll do something then not having even a undivided sheet to hand in. Terrible."Harry heard sob from inside and redoubled his drive at the doorway. Was n't there a go called allohamora ? Harry flicked his wand out and tried to cast it. zip happened. He tried again. goose egg. Oh damnit ! This was n't one of the doorway that would n't open ! This was one of the paries 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 professor, if you wanted someone to write up that you should've asked me. I've been researching it. Just in my spare time of path. Thanks for the house points mudblood."Harry heard another door assailable then close and ran in the focussing of the sound. Malfoy and his minions were already out of tidy sum so Harry quietly opened the threshold and went in. Hermione was slumped in a pile in the center 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 evidence Flitwick, tell him what happened. If Malfoy's really gon na keep it then all they have to do is regain it on him and…"he got no further.

"Shut up ! You're as bad as he is ! Breaking rules and playing pranks ! You can't talk !"Hermione ran out of the room leaving Harry speechless. Harry stood for the recollective time in the eye of the derelict classroom before walking slowly back to the Gryffindor common way. The marauders stopped talking when they saw his side, a mix of anger and pain sensation. They all looked to him as he sat down.

"Forget all the early plans."Harry's voice was grave-quiet but his eye had a wicked gleam."We're break in the Slytherin usual room. Tonight."The expostulation washed over him from the others ; they weren't prepare, they hadn't planned, tomorrow was Halloween and they needed to be rested for the party and about of all they could run into Snape. Harry sighed inwardly and began to state the full story as quickly as he could. It was already getting dark, and they had space to be…





Authers note
Hi, thought i should entrust an note eventually. Review if you have clip, this is my first fiction so delight palpate free to differentiate me how auful it is.



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

"Of course we'll be caught if you don't shut up Neville !"Padma held her hand over Neville's mouthpiece and pulled him further into the closet. Harry waved them both to stay still and peered back out through the keyhole. Filches lantern gleam was far up the corridor but he waited a good enumeration of XXX before pushing the door open and leading the others out. In the end the alternative for his fellow were simple, he couldn't take more than two or they'd be seen for sure and they needed some people to stay in the common elbow room to guarantee for them if inquiry 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 lieu you can just say you were looking for the plebeian room. And anyone but Snape'll probably let you off."

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

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

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

"Mico Neville"Harry muttered, sending the signal, and having his own sceptre vibrate as a reply. It was the honest way to send sign, the mortal had to be within ten or so measure but it was virtually mum. Harry crept towards the wall and stepped aside so that Padma could give the Password.

"genus Ophiophagus"The wall dissolved from the core and revealed the doorway.

"Anticlimax."Muttered Harry, surprised that the entrance 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 slant. A few dying embers in the vast marble fireplace gave an ominous luminescence. All the article of furniture was large and dark, and in the bad visible light it looked oddly threatening, looming like cliff above the creeping nestling. Padma tugged at Harrys gown and as he looked back she waved her bridge player in straw man of her middle and shook her head. She couldn't see. Harry knew his eyes were good by night and he kept forgetting the eternal sleep of his kinship group didn't share the benefits of his former, independent lifestyle. Harry guided her to a wall and put her behind a rampart hanging, sitting near a large urn unpleasantly decorated to resemble a screaming face. Harry placed Padma's scepter in her hand and looked at her face before leaving. She was wearing a determined face but her eye were wide and she was breathing hard.

"No pity to back out."Harry whispered in her ear, for the first base time having doubtfulness about tonight's venture."I did kinda discombobulate everyone in at the inscrutable end today."

"I'm staying."Padma's voice as barely more than a whisper."I chose Gryffindor didn't I ? I'd better start earning it."And with that she pulled back into the alcove.

"She said she chose her theatre 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 brain kept considering as he slipped into the stairwell."It's what you want to be…"

*

Harry had to chuckle as his fingers found a doorknob in the dark. What he had thought would be the hardest percentage had turned out to be the leisurely. They had debated for long time how to find out which way was Malfoy's, from bribing mortal to covering his shoe with UV ink but it had been all for nothing. Harry checked the brass nameplate on the doorway and chuckled again before moving into the room. Like a ghost, Harry tried not to even think loudly. Like a ghost, here then gone, no trace. The room was large for a I person elbow room, large even than the one in Gryffindor tower he shared with four other people.

"Can't make valued pet Malfoy share a room."Harry sneered in the wickedness. If there had been a way to silently junk the shoes he would sustain done so, instead he began looking around for the project. He slid his helping hand onto shelves and held papers up in the moonlight to show the binding. The only if time he stopped was when he was searching by Malfoy's bed and saw something on the covers. He'd had to double up to keep from laughing and he'd felt like every vein would burst. Malfoy had taken his slip to school day with him.

Harry could see a clock on the Mickey Mantle, the hands glowing faintly in the night and saw that he didn't have a lot fourth dimension left. For a moment he stopped looking and just stood in the darkness to recollect. There was no way he could look for the whole place, not going as slowly as he had to to avoid detection.

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

"Nowhere. I wouldn't put it anywhere because I wouldn't trust it enough. I'd save it with me from the moment I got it till the moment I let it leave my hands."Harry's gaze shifted to the prone image 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 parentage of thought has got me no-where and time is running out."Harry threw up his helping hand in thwarting and at that moment felt something in his pocket vibrate. He brought his wand out to feel the shaking in his hands.

*

Fear wasn't what he needed now, neither was a mad bolt. Running now was the last thing he wanted to do… Just creep back through the threshold and go quietly down the step. Down the stairs to where there's a twinkle on. Harry crouched at the top of the stairwell and shielded his middle to conserve his night vision before sliding a tiny periscope between the banisters ("Do you sway whole toyshops around in you're sac ?"Annapurna had said when he showed them some of his peter like the periscope."You never know when this poppycock'll come in handy."Harry winked and twirled a ignition lock weft between his fingerbreadth. ) The tiny mirror-pipe revealed a belittled cluster of fifth age who looked like they had just come in. They began talking loudly about some tidings or other and Harry carefully slid back from the edge. Now what ? He didn't have the labor, and his way out was now blocked. Correction, his and Padmas slipway out were now blocked. Harry slid back to the sharpness, the Slytherins seemed to be settling down for a night of raucous behaviour as they lounged in the enceinte chair with a bottle of something, probably stolen from the kitchens. If they were distracted ? If Harry waited until they simply drank themselves into a daze ? Perhaps they'd go to bed soon ? Harry cursed as he saw one of them detach themselves from the radical and weave uncertainly towards the stairs.

"What the perdition 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.



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

"She's making a distraction !"Harry cursed"Stupid ! Stupid ! I told them ‘ no magnanimousness during heists !'” Harry at least had the presence of nous to envelop his scarf around his face and trademark brow before standing up and yelling…

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

It takes quite some ability to run quietly but Harry had experience, his footstep were ignite as mice on the floor board. He turned and saw a intimate room access. Switching himself from quiet-running-mode to bloody-silent-creep he slid into Malfoy's way and shut the door.

"multitude 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 work them true.

"scratch 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 Nox oculus in the common room.

"What was here ? Where did I search ? Oh my god, please just remember !"The rattling door hold and rile articulation got closer, thank heavens Salazar Slytherin built his walls stocky and liked oak door or Harry was sure Malfoy would give woken.

"Wardrobe ? It had had glass in the front ! Under the bed ? No room !"Harry's thoughts grew panicked as the voices got closer."paries, floor, ceiling, bed, desk, wardrobe, fireplace…"Harry dropped to his hands and knee and crawled across the trading 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 slower. His hired man reached the dusty endocarp of the fireside and he felt his way into it. No ashes at all, the hearth had never been used. Later on that nighttime Harry would understand that the Slytherins probably heated their chambers by magic trick so they didn't get the smoke and gained a more even warmth, all he thought at the fourth dimension was a panicked…

"Thank you !"as he stood up. His hands found a bar embedded in the bulwark to hang up jackpot from and he lifted himself up and stood on it. At that mo light flooded in from below. Harry could see that his animal foot were only a few inches from the top of the fireplace and hoped fervently there was no one too short in the search party.

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

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

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

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

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

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


The use of modified static-induction good luck charm in

the context of adhesives and fasteners.

Hermione sodbuster

"Yes !"persuasion part of Harry's mind."I'm still born lucky ! This is what I came here for."…"This is what I came here for ?"Said another part in unbelief"adhesive and fasteners ?"Harry shook his head and laughed at himself a bit before folding up the paper and slipping it into his robe. book binding in the bedroom the conversation had become more heated.

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

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

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

"But first years… never… go on the squad. No affair how, absolutely, brilliant they are at Quidditch."The older boy was obviously fearing some reprisal to boot-lick so obviously."Definitely next yr though !"

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

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

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

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

"Inside the Slytherin common room ?"

"Yes."

"Inside the password protected Slytherin rough-cut room ?"

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

"Lunacy. All you saw was the wine floating in front man of your oculus seeing as you seem to have drown yourselves in it !"Harry heard Snape's footsteps mind towards the door.

"There was someone ! They were wearing Gryffindor gown !"The footsteps continued and Harry heard a doorway unfastened"And they were short !"The whole step led out the door"And they had a scarf joint around their header !"steps then…

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

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

"Don't be pillock, he could hold back his identity better than that."Snape seemed to be talking to himself slightly at that point but then…"search everywhere ! Every room, turn them upside down and shake them if necessity !"Harry's heart 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 pes onto the polar one. Hogwarts was old Harlan F. Stone and there were hatful of handholds to serve him chimney up faster, and more quietly. But just as he was thinking he had reached beyond their hearing someone said.

"What was that in the chimney ?"Bloody Malfoy ! Since when did Hydra stimulate such good ear ? Harry went absolutely still except for his lip moving in a unsounded torment."I heard something !"Harry looked down and was met by a relieving passel. The chimney curved as it went up, He could no longer see the roofy of sparkle at the bottom.

"I can't see anything."Flint River again, thank paradise for lowly minds.



"Move over."Harry heard a clump as Snape pushed his student out of the way then…"Acerbus cuspis !"Harry's view was momentarily lighted as streaks of sickly silver light shot up the chimney towards him then his heap was lost in nuisance. Harry's invertebrate foot slipped but he grimly held on by his handholds, gritting his teeth against the stabbing knots of pain each fishgig had left in him.

"I heard scraping Professor !"Malfoy must feature heard his kicking strip."Something's up there !"

"Acerbus cuspis !"This time Harry was flattened against the paries and only a few of the bolt of lightning hit him."Conjunctivitis !"that spell winged right yesteryear him, cracking chips off the wall above him, then…"Relashio !"high temperature flooded up the chimney to him and Harry's skin felt like it was going to blister. He bit his clapper between his teeth and pulled one sweaty hand off the bulwark so he could ball up in sack for a large alloy jar. At the time Harry had thought Ron's proffer had been a bit stupid but now he was especially sword lily he had agreed to play the jar along. He pulled the cap off with his tooth and dropped the depicted object before they had a luck to seize with teeth him, far below he heard…

"Aaaa ! concubine !"A few more spells rang out but none directed at Harry, even the heat stopped, allowing Harry to put his feet back against the rampart and make his aching arms a eternal sleep. Below him he heard Snape yell out

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

*

The luminance below was lost behind Harry as he ascended out of the donjon. The lamp chimney he was climbing joined others then split again. One or two of the chimneys had ladders in them, or at least parts of ladders, but most of them he had to scramble up. The air was hotter and Smokey here, perhaps some of these lamp chimney were still in use this previous, or more probably it was betimes enough that the kitchens had woken up. Harry would be the first to hold ( to himself at least ) that he had many fears but claustrophobia wasn't one of them. He pulled his scarf tighter above and below his meth to save out soot and around his mouth to breath through as he climbed up into more used chimney. Harry felt himself move out into a magnanimous area but couldn't see the bulwark through the dark and the smoke. Questing fingers 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 joint from around his face and tried to detect some clean cloth somewhere on himself to wipe his chalk off. When he put them back on he was struck dumb for a mo by the sight that met his eyes.

Rolling J. J. Hill of tile and banks of slate. tug popping out at slant and fairy balconies with banister like lacing. Harry walked along the cap ridge he had landed on in wonderment, there was a whole world up above Hogwarts. More chimney jutted out everywhere, some just pipes and some, like the one he'd emerged from, with breadth like industrial tower. Harry sat down on the ridge and excite his point in mental rejection. Even the climbing hadn't taken his breath like this did. He lay back and beheld another wonder. The stars from here seemed brighter, almost as good as the astronomy tower ( Harry's favored example, just as an self-justification to stargaze ).

"And no-one up here but me."Harry said loud, there was no one to find out."Peace."Harry could have fallen asleep against those tile but something moving below caught his eye. Snape, passing along a corridor with tall windows all along it. Harry moved to shroud then realised his soot-black robes blended perfectly against the dark sky and wrapped his scarf joint around his fount to conceal the last knock skin. His crank were still grubby enough not to shine.

Harry trailed Snape over the cap, not even for a bit mentation of going back to the Gryffindor rooms and thinking even LE of the risk. Here on the cap he was in his chemical element, there was no danger here. Snape stopped at what looked like a teachers quarters and pushed through the door without knocking. It took Harry a second or so to find the corresponding window then lowered himself down near it. By luck or the sleeping car habit it was ajar. When Harry moved closer he heard ...

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

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

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

"Because perhaps you were looking for something else, perhaps a way past my protection of it or some clue as to what that protection is. I assure you, you would stimulate found neither. My study is as fiendish as it is complex and as crafty…"Harry groaned inwardly, not this talk again."And you could never pierce it. Never. Despite Dumbledore's supreme want of perspicacity in hiring you and letting you assist in the protection of the stone I will retain ugly matter like you from it !"With that Snape turned and stamped out of the room. Harry was about to leave when Quirrell quietly spoke.

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

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

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

*

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

"Thank you."Padma breathed and shared a quick smile with her Sister. But she quickly fell silent again. If she was to be honest with herself she would throw 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 Sami herself ) and had for a moment not known quite what to do. She was ashamed that after she had taken an age behind the curtain working up nerves and steeling herself to provide a misdirection and Harry had done the same in an instant. She was ashamed that, when she heard people coming back towards the common elbow room, she had bolted back though the room access, pulled an astonished Neville from behind the armour and had shepherded him across the schoolhouse, not once talking until they passed behind the fat gentlewoman and got back to Gryffindor rough-cut way and into the awaiting and recriminating stare of Ron Weasly.

"What will materialize now."Neville's articulation 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 suffer us a few star sign gunpoint for being out after curfew."Padma knew her sister was deliberately making things seem improve than they were to cook her spirit better. Sometimes Padma thought they had been born to with personality opposites, the eternal optimist and the cynical 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 family. 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 chose wrongly. She didn't deserve to be here."In Harry's for the first time term he'll be expelled."

"I'm doing what now ?"

The New Marauders turned en mass and saw a blackened and scraped Harry drop from one of the highschool windows. His facial expression was red and raw and he had a ugly bruise on his impart boldness, his manus were bleeding and he staggered as he hit the priming but he wore a smile of joy and triumph as all-encompassing as they had ever seen on him.

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

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

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

*

Hermione rose ahead of time from her sheets and was mildly surprised to see that they weren't covered in crying. She was sure she'd been crying when she went to sleep. She dressed mechanically and didn't talk to anyone as she made her way down to breakfast. Not that that was unusual she conceded to herself but today especially she didn't want to talk. That thought only made her hunch in promote over her solid food. Before anyone else had left the tabular array Hermione walked out of the great dormitory, leaving the eternal sleep of her food behind ( even if she hadn't had somewhere to be she felt too loathsome to eat ). The projection was important, it was the kind of thing they gave third and quarter years to put to work on. Hermione straightened herself up as she walked towards Flitwicks bureau. Best get it over with…

"Going somewhere Mudblood ?"Draco Malfoy lounged in the corridor in front of her. She ignored him and walked on past only to have him stupefy his fundament forward to try to tripper her up."What ? No insults ? 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 give it to him tomorrow. Or the day after, you know, so he doesn't get shady but is still impressed by my obviously victor talents."Draco grabbed her by the shoulder and whirl her around."Don't ignore me Mudblood !"He grated,"This is only the first phase. I'm going to make believe life history the pits for you and all the other grunge at the schooling until you'll drop out of your own liberate will. I'll… Oh how-do-you-do professor !"Professor Flitwick had just emerged from his room and was looking between them.

"Hello young Mr Malfoy."He chirped"Are you and girl granger friends."

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

"Then perhaps I should let you read Miss Grangers theme. It was most detailed."

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

"Yes, left on my desk this dayspring. I flicked through it over breakfast. I used to study the day-to-day prophet of a morning but there's so many adverts in it now."The professor shook his pass and didn't appear to comment the totally dumbstricken expression on the two first-years faces."I'll give you considerably feedback when I've read it fully Miss granger and then…"Flitwick turned to Malfoy"…I'll be sure to give it to you."With that the dead colleague wandered off humming faintly to himself.

"How."Malfoy had ire and jar in his eye."You didn't have other copies. You said you didn't have other copies !"

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

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

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

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

"Even if you were will to take a fall just to put us in trouble."Ron continued to a suddenly crestfallen Malfoy."Even if you did, where's the proof ? The reports right back where it should be and nothing else was taken from your rooms."

"Not even a slip bear."Harry raised his eyebrows and began chuckling. After a minute the residue of his gang began laughing as well. Malfoy turned and stalked away against a background of hysterical laugh. Hermione was surprised to she was laughing too. At the end of the corridor Malfoy turned back and yelled…

"You win this bout thrower ! But I'll get you next sentence !"

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

*

The unfortunate spin-off of the heist was that Malfoy was even more acidulous than usual in division that day. Despite repeated warnings from teachers he insulted Harry and the rest of the predator with every other breath. Fortunately though that breathing place was wasted as nine metre out of ten the marauder in question was asleep on their hot seat. Hermione sighed, but not unhappily and reached for a new quill. She'd better micturate these banker's bill good, it looked like they'd have to be copied from a few time. When she reached the green room there was a sixth chair by the fireside table. She smiled and felt warm interior for the first fourth dimension in what seemed similar forever and walked over to sit down with her friends.


I own nothing, certainly nothing Harry thrower related.

Seriously, i 'm not kidding ! Do I look richer than the tabby ?



"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 son had in fact been doing was distracting Snape so he would come and stand under the overhanging pep pill history. That constituent of the plan had gone perfectly. The future 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 small-arm of burnt Gallus gallus were still floating in it ) standing between them then down to the potions master."Then we run like hell."

"You're all looney ! Any one of the stunts you've pulled could warrant expulsion ! How hanker do you think 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 motion at the soil"over a Hogwarts teacher !"a finger stabbing down at Snape"You must be softheaded !"She swung her limb wide in aggravation and they both heard a thumping, then a splashing noise.

Harry saw his Friend face turn from righteous anger to grey dreaded fast as a affect match. She kept her eyes firmly ahead and, as if denying what had just happened, shook her heading. Harry in demarcation had grinned like a lunatic and now grabbed Hermione by the robe and began running off through the corridors pulling her after him. A moment later they heard a violent hollering 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 PAIN !"Harry pulled Hermione to a closure and dragged her sideways into a trivial utilise corridor, with her still wide-eyed and ashen-faced he pushed her to a pre-opened window.

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

"I hope Anapurna and Padma were in home with the tv camera. I wouldn't have wanted to have got to do all that again."Hermione's aspect sent Harry into another fit of giggles.

*

A week or so latter the morning bloomed bright and early as the piranha made their way down to the grass in front of the castle. Harry stopped to place up a few more than impression after making certainly the slide was clear. The Slytherins were tearing them down wherever they saw them on Snapes gild but Harry had even seen some of them trying to hide giggles as the wiz poster displayed Snape being doused again and again. The rest of the schooltime didn't bother to shroud it and the schooling had been awash with laughter ever since the first one went up three daylight 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 smiling when an incoherent Snape had burst into her classroom brandishing a wad of posters that had papered the chief courtyard ). The instructor didn't know how so many of them were getting so many position around the grounds. Harry knew, it was just a matter of a handy rooftop and a come air current. When he had seen some errant pictures 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 stack of posters back to him.

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

The teachers search and Madam hooch's earlier ill health were some of the reasons they were going to their commencement flying lesson bundled up in wintertime clothes.

"Now…"madam hootch's voice rang out over the set up Gryffindors and Slytherins"Just raise your right hand over the broom and call UP ! Just like this… UP !"Her broom leapt obediently into her hired hand, Harry noted that it was varnished and looked a lot fresh than the one the students had."Well go on…"

The course obediently placed their hands over their brooms.

"UP !"Harry yelled, feeling a bit foolish, the stick by his groundwork refused to budge."UP !"Harry looked around and saw first one then others of the form acquire their Scots heather."UP !"Harry thought maybe Malfoy had replaced his trick broom for a real broom in revenge but the things had been handed out randomly. Harry shifted his foot surreptitiously underneath his broom and tensed ..."UP !"Harry grabbed the rising 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 consequence later everyone had their Calluna vulgaris and madam Hooch was showing them how to grip the stupid things.

"Right, now… Just kick off from the ground, hover for me for a second then leeee…an forward and swim back down again."ma'am Hooch demonstrated then held up her gloved hand."Three… Two… One."Portions of the year rose unsteadily into the air, others remained base or had slipped off their rising brooms. Harry glanced to his slope shame-faced as his Scots heather resolutely refused to present any characteristics beyond long, wooden and briary. Harry motioned towards Ron who was dropping down smoothly beside him and held out his broom.

"Let me try with yours."

"No, I don't want the dud broom !"Ron strafed out of orbit to the English with a practiced hired hand before coming to rest."Take Neville's."

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

"Only powerful magic can interpose with most broomsticks."Hermione was landing ungracefully beside him, gripping the broom with tweed knuckle. Harry chuckled at the thought that she still found concentration left to lecture them."These are old brooms but their still fairly immune to that sorting of thing."

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

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

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

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

"Still having difficulty ?"Harry saw Ron float over his head and drop down in front of him,"Nothing amiss with this one mate."Ron knocked his knuckles against the woodwind instrument of Harry's heather."I think its even a picayune easily than my one."

"In that type give it back."As Ron laughed Harry held up his broom"Or I'll appearance you the former way to use one of these !"

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

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

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

"Mr Weasly ! Mr Malfoy ! Decend at once !"Madam hootch didn't hold for them to reply and instead grabbed the nominal head of their ling and yanked them to the floor. Ron fell in a heap, Malfoy kept his remainder but only barely."I will have no arguments in my course of study and I distinctly told you to rise then fall, not loom like blowflies !"The flying teacher spun and walked back to the rest of the form leaving Malfoy and Ron glaring at one another.

Harry shifted his broom under himself, all during the statement he'd tried to climb up and conjoin his friend but the broom had refused to move. By the end of the lesson he'd flown once, a few wobbling feet followed by a total collapse into the Gunter Wilhelm Grass. Malfoy had laughed tough than before and Harry said some things that lost them house points ("An eleven year old shouldn't know those words Mr ceramicist, much less know what they mean !") and the Marauders were a muted lot that ascended the stairs to Gryffindor tower. Parvati tried to lighted the whole tone by pointing out how many scholarly person had the drenched Snape posters on the walls of their elbow room and Harry decided to block off moping.

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

*

"I still think Snape's your bad guy Harry."Ron tapped his finger on the 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 common sense Ron."Harry continued"Snape may be a git but it doesn't make sentience. 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 cypher was in the room !"Harry leafed through some report again while the others bickered, the day-to-day prophet from a few calendar month ago was there, a raid at gringots where nothing was taken. Other affair too, Quirrels disc, researched through old file cabinet, an reasoning educatee, masterful in the theory if not the practice of defence against the dark arts, the hold out few years of his life spent travelling around dealing with dangerous dark animal. Harry pushed them away and pulled over a dilutant file, Severus Snape, potions master of Hogwarts and yearn time envier of the defence against the dark arts post. There wasn't much else, Snape didn't seem to be a very newsworthy person.

"It's right there."Ron was taking to him again. Harry pressed his hands to his synagogue, there's only so much insistence one can postulate."Snape wants the dark liberal arts job and is trying to get Quirrell sacked."Harry was about to excuse then stopped, if the last 30 times hadn't done it…

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

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

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

"being strait-laced. I've been looking into it the Sami as everyone else has which is exactly the point. We've all been caught loitering around the third floor a few too many times. Did you hear what McGonagall said in course of study yesterday ?"They all did, she'd basically just repeated what Dumbledore had said at the start of terminal figure but she had looked right at them the entire time and each intelligence had been clipped like short razors."She knows we're provision something and she probably knows we're behind the posters too, she just cant prove it."

"So ?"

"So, Mr Ronald Weasley they are watching us like mortarboard. I'll bet there's a teacher guarding the thirdly floor right now and another just on the other side of that door."She pointed at the former side of meat of the fat Lady portrait, from this side looking like a hole in the rampart."Even putting aside the whimsey of detention, house-points and especially forcing out ! We'd never get close enough to the corridor to find anything. It's all your flaw really"She continued without a hint."If you hadn't done your pointless rule breaking we might be able to incur out really important material now."That input was the understanding an line broke out that Harry had to calm down with wit. It was also at least partially the reasonableness Harry stayed awake that Nox till he was sure Ron and Neville were asleep then got out his darkest dress and slipped out one of the Windows before heading in the counseling of the forbidden corridor.

*

Harry peered through a windowpane and saw prof transmitter idly marking some assignments by the light of his sceptre while sitting on the steps above the fat lady's portraiture. Reminding himself to order Hermione later ( she'd be insufferably smug but she deserved the expiation ) Harry slipped away and made his way over to the third floor corridor on the rectify hand side, or above it at to the lowest degree. The affair was in the midsection of the edifice, no chimney or window reached it and Harry could only peer through a side window at the Wizard guarding the doorway… Quirrell… Standing in a plot of lumos-light, his phantasma jumping as he nervously twiddled his wand in his fingerbreadth. Harry slid inside and dropped behind a newspaper column. Quirrell was guarding it ? He'd been so sure… Maybe the others were right and Quirrell wasn't attempting thievery after all. Or maybe he just hasn't gotten past the defences Snape mentioned yet. Then why isn't he inside the corridor trying to break through them. Harry's 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 corner, his sceptre held lightly but readily in his helping hand."Or perhaps not happy with the company."Harry saw now that it hadn't just been the trace, Snape's total eubstance blended into the backdrop, changing colour like a chameleon. Only his eyes stayed the Lapp, black holes even against the lighted grey rock 'n' roll 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 kind before him."No one proficient equipped to guard this plaza than you and I, Eh ?"

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

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

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

But Harry was already cook, while they had been talking he had sneaked around into the room next to the be-turbaned wizard and entered. It was an empty schoolroom, desks piled up to the ceiling. Harry waited near the room access as the searchlight irradiation swept past his situation, swinging across the room like passing headlamp before moving on. Harry waited patiently. ill-use two was already in motion.

*

Crack…

"What was that !"Snape pushed forward from his hiding place at the small but nearby speech sound. He pointed his camouflage arm at the far wall, by some pillar."I heard something over there."

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

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

Crack…crack…

"There."Behind a tower, perhaps the ceramist boy or one of his clique trying to reach the corridor again. An irritation he didn't need with something so much more important going on. The rat Quirrell needed observance. For now Snape wasn't sure whether he wanted the Harlan F. Stone for himself or for… for… Snape shuddered away from the name in his mind. Dumbledore said saying it would stimulate him fear less but to Snape it was too a good deal. The old chump didn't know, he hadn't been up close. Some affair deserve fear.

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

"Oh you'd making love that wouldn't you Quirrell."Snape jammed his baton under the servile wretch's Kuki. Quirrell squealed and tried to stand on his tiptoes to escape the dark-wood point."parting you close to the door unsupervised while at the like time turning my backrest on you. Something I will never do."Snape pushed the man towards the other rampart."You go first."

They walked like hostage and kidnapper up the cold Stone nerve tract to the pillar. Quirrell raised his wand. Not a chance…

"rear down by your incline or I will guide it and possibly the helping 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 looking at around the nook. Better him to rent the firstly blast 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 goose egg but three oddly placed rocks, all together, near the earth where they might have fallen. They were both considering the brain-teaser when a fantasm 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 unresolved just ever so slightly, then entered the interdict hall.

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

tar black. Not even middle trained for this could penetrate it. Harry squatted down quietly and let his former senses have a try.

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

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

And virtually importantly in a ivory 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 robes then breathed.

"Lumos"

The glow through the fabric was like dead lightning bug but it showed Harry the shape of what was in front of him. Its bulge one-half way to the ceiling and slowly rise and falling with its breath. Like a muffled wraith Harry moved across the floor, skirting the walls until he had travelled all the way around the creature, having to step over its fag end where it brushed the wall. There were no former threshold. This room and this beast was all there was to see. Harry edged closer to the front of the matter, his feet turned and poised to flee to the door at any moment.

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

"It'll wake for sure if you don't shut up and let me decoct !"Harry edged in closer to the beast and stopped when his lighting revealed a change of texture in the floor. Harry carefully traced its edge in his nous."A square… a trapdoor… that which is hidden… that which is forbidden."Harry grinned in the dark. The alone problem was the dour wad obscuring one corner of the lame, a paw or claw of the thing. Harry's movements was as slow as drifting feathers and as serenity as his hands found the edge of the thing, and the handgrip, on the diametrical side to the claw. Harry wanted to crush out his wand but the sound he'd have to realise was worse than the stifled glow. Harry reached for the trapdoor handle and applied the tripping ghost of draw to it, increasing by whisker breadth Harry felt the Ellen Price Wood move.

A grunt near his shoulder made his muscles freeze and his heart raceway. He felt shape relocation all around him and the air brought new wafts of stench. But the wildcat just grunted again and fell back into snoring. Harry eased the door up a one-half yoke more then stuck his hand in and felt inside. No steps met his questing hand, just a straightforward gibe. Harry propped the door open with a rod and felt in his pouch. He drew forth a yearn twine. His agile digit felt the plumb on the end and he put it through the trapdoor then slowly and evenly paid out rope counting under his breathing time. The string went quagmire. About eight meters. With something soft he'd do it. With cold stone he'd break a leg. Harry wondered if a real thaumaturge would fuck some self levitation charm to get themselves down safely. He pulled back up on the string and suffered a surprise. It was stuck ! He tugged on it again. No spring at all. He tugged again and in a heart stopping mo, felt the rod brush his arm.

The trapdoor banging closed was like a carom lump in the gut and Harry felt the darkness move around him. He threw himself backwards as a croaky growl filled the elbow room with primal fear. He saw a shape the size of an oven crash down in front of him and heard woodwind splinter and offer. Harry whipped the cloth from his verge and the arrant dark danced high on the walls before him as the massive rottweiler head turned and looked at him with bloodshot center. Harry dived again to avoid its dentition and looked up to see it descending from above him too ! Harry kicked off from the reason and slid, he felt hot breath on his rachis and the snap of jaws behind him but he was gone. Straight into the ruined trapdoor and plummeting down the shaft.

*

Harry spun in the air and he felt hard infliction as his head caught itself a crack on the passing bulwark. He landed in a plant and in a stupor, his eyes showing him disastrous blot more than anything else. He lifted his hand to his headland and was surprised to see it came back clean, without profligate or possibly brains. He shook his head to clear it and held his shaking manus and wand up to divulge his surroundings. A characterless room with this plant covering the story, covering some of the bulwark too, and the ceiling, and him !

"What the hell !"Harry shouted at the tendrils as they wrapped themselves around his legs. He tried to pluck them off but they were like wire ! They wrapped his shank too ! Harry pulled and tore at the vines !"Acerbus cuspis !"Harry used the swearword Snape had aimed at him but bleak ribbon of light shooter from his wand and the plant barely noticed. What was that other one ! ? Think ! Think !"Relashio !"red Muriel Sarah Spark and heat shot from his wand and where they hit the plant drew back."Relashio !"Harry aimed at his ramification and cried out as his pelt burned. But he was free. He stumbled to his feet and blasted a few last tendrils. He leapt to the room access and pushed through, staggering down the corridor occasionally pointing his baton back in case the demon plant life had tried to play along him, he reached another door and carefully pushed it receptive, wand out in front he entered the elbow room, and was met by a unknown sight.

Shining, fluttering glittering thing, flying near the roof 100 of them. Harry edged out into the centre of the richly vaulted quad. The fairy spark remained near the ceiling and Harry at finis stopped eying them crooked. He walked over to the threshold on the former English and tried the hold. Locked. Obviously. It could never be promiscuous could it ? Harry was just wondering what to do when he heard voices from behind him. Spinning like a startled cat Harry saw pass out visible radiation coming from around the edges of the room access he'd just come through. The light and the vocalism got unattackable as Harry searched for a hiding place. He ran to a wall buttress and grabbed for a handhold, thank heavens they like decoration around this place…

*

"I assure you Professor Dumbledore no one got retiring 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 hastiness. Severus had alerted him as soon as the dog had awoken and had himself tried to calm the beast which was tearing at the story near the trapdoor in a delirium. Still, the old chump still had his mentality about him. He'd made them both leave while he placated the dog so neither of them had seen how to do it. He'd conjured a staircase to take them down and a marble walkway over the devilsnare with a casualness that betrayed his truthful baron. Snape had to privately admit to himself he couldn't have replicated either exploit. That made him cringe inside but he took some puff from the fact that if he could not do it, Quirrell certainly couldn't and so the Harlan 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 teachers hadn't protected the stone nearly well enough.

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

"Well. I… I for one am calling my replacement."Quirrells phonation was shrill and grating. Snape made a mental note to add de-lunging to his list of tortures once he finally caught the loathsome 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 sucker will listen to what I have to say now."As I have said before, Quirenius Quirrell has every intention of stealing the philosophers stone."Snape was so thurify he didn't even notice the movement above him in a high alcove, like someone getting into a better attitude to hear."He was seen snooping around the Slytherin common way a week ago and he's never really explain why he took the defence job in the first place."Snape couldn't give voice to the literal reason for his mistrust. A gut feeling, 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 fear of being discovered, a care that made every moment a silent entreaty that his mental defences would maintain 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 Professor Quirrell."As he half turn away Snape could bear sworn that Dumbledore's sassing tilted into a quiet grinning."But if it would help you sleep in effect I will pose my own aegis on the Isidor Feinstein Stone tonight rather than waiting until after Christmas."That was certainly a shock !

"Professor you have resisted every request that you add your own conjuration's to the trade protection of the stone."He had. All the other teachers had done it but the schoolmaster had maintained he wasn't quick yet and he still needed to test."What has changed ? Have I truly swayed you ?"

"Many thing have changed. Before I had not tested enough. Now I have."Dumbledore took a small Sweet out of his pocket and popped it in his mouth before continuing."I intended to do a bit more test but…"The old man spread his helping hand."I suppose the electric current version will probably make well enough."

"May I ask what this miraculous protection is ?"The headmaster had made some extraordinary call about what his aegis would do."A protection that not the wickedness nobleman, nor any Death Eater, nor anyone with wishing to use it for ill or greed could imbue ?"

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

*

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

"going already Harry ?"

Harry turned on his axis, his font 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 certificate you have here. variety of… um… assessing it for you so I could tell you where you could… improve…it…"Harry trailed off under that quizzical stare.

"And…"

"And ?"

"And how could I meliorate it ?"Dumbledore was half smiling when he said that. Under that warm smiling typeface Harry relaxed a small, this didn't look like a conversation that could end in expulsion.

"well, the two headed dog was good."

"Last I looked it had three heads."

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

"Devilsnare has clamed previous 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 instant later he nodded and touched Harry's forehead with his wand. A moment later Harry felt an odd tingle fill him, the burns on his legs faded and disappeared, as did the excoriation he'd received throwing himself away from the dog."There. All better."Dumbledore moved back and folded his weapon."And now I'm afraid to say I must ask the real reason you came down here tonight."Suddenly the air had grown colder. forcing out was back on the table.

In defiance of tradition Harry tried the truth.

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

"The philosophers stone."When Dumbledore saw Harry's side he continued"Harry, don't feign blow I know you overheard my premature conversation with Professor Snape. What I wish to eff is why you came here in the midriff of the night and alone."

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

"Harry. As amazed as I am to say this it is potential you are going to deform out to be more trouble than your father. I never thought anyone would challenge that crown."Dumbledore's smile was back, and this time not a one-half one. He shook his oral sex ruefully then frowned as if a terrible memory was surfacing. But the smile was back in a minute 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 tribute ? What your using to protect the gem ?"

"character 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 distinguish me what you see."

Harry obediently moved in front line of the mirror and stared into his reflection. He wasn't alone in the mirror. Behind him stood the new predator, some of the other students he'd talked to around the school, Hagrid, even Malfoy for some reason, more than faces he'd met and some people he hadn't but still felt some odd connector to, as if they were… friends. As he watched he saw himself age, and the others around him too, passing through teenage years he grew taller, passing further and further, lineage appeared on his facial expression, then grey in his fuzz. He grew to an old man, smiling, surrounded by his friends. Then in an instant he was back as a fry 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 futurity ?"

"One could hope so, but no."Dumbledore seemed pleased but faintly surprised as he looked down at Harry."The mirror shows us nothing more or less than what we truly trust above all else. You Harry, who by your own choice lived a lone and cold childhood desire friends, and companions and more than that ..."Dumbledore took Harry by one shoulder and kneeled down to blab out to him 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 figures were growing misty for some rationality, Harry wondered if there was something wrong with the mirror. Then he felt the sting in his eyes. Wordlessly, Dumbledore handed him a tissue.

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

*

"So."Said Harry at a exit for conversation."How ‘ d you get past the other protections ?"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 veracious. I strongly suspect that my own shelter would not problem you at all."

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

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

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

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

*

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

"What do you mean ?"Almost no one else left in the Gryffindor rough-cut elbow room since everyone was away for the holidays, thus Harry didn't feel the pauperism to temper his voice when yelling back to Ron. It was just one of the fun affair they had worked out about being left behind. Of line Ron wouldn't have kept quiet anyway. Ron had no mass dominance."And Merry Christmas to you to !"

"Merry Christmastide ? Yeah I can see why you'd leave that to last eyesight as you've left all your present 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 allow them up there ?"

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

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

"Nah mate."Ron shook his top dog ruefully"I can say what that one is, however you wrap them they all feel the same."Harry unwrapped the parcel and pulled out a blue, knitted sweater. On the front were three juggling testis in red, jaundiced and green."My mum."Ron said holding up a similar clause."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 head and they went back up to the elbow room to get the residual of the present. Of course Harry had sent his ally presents ( poor Digger had been run ragged. The little owl was so bore to please she didn't seem to pack any breaks in flying. ) but it sort of failed to snap in his head that he ‘ d probably get some in payoff. Harry noticed one with Hermione's tasteful handwriting on it ( after all, he ‘ d copied off her bank bill enough times. Occasionally even with permission. ) and pulled it over first.

"It ‘ ll be a Book mate."

"Wow Ron, a thick, hard, orthogonal software system from a known scholastic ? And just from that you can guess it's a playscript ?"

"That, and she got me one too."Ron held up a book with a checkerboard concealment, there was a castle on the straw man but Harry couldn't read the deed. Pulling the paper off his own nowadays he smiled. It was an large excerption of drinking chocolate but what made him grin was the bank note on the top that said


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

Ron himself had provided Harry with an absurdly orangeness hat and Neville had found him some juggle batons charmed to train rainbows in the air behind them when thrown. Padma and Parvati had got him books, but it looked like they'd collaborated because the statute title read Secrecy and Illusion, good luck charm of concealment and Beyond allohamora, unlocking your obstacles. most of the rest were edible matter ( not that Harry minded ) and he bit into a bar of chocolate while settling down to read.

*

Harry popped the second to hold up of his Noel chocolates into his mouth and handed the end one to Parvarti who was skulking in the shadows nearby. At least it was a skillful night, nights with rain had been rather unpleasant. For the past few 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 Koran 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 Holy Scripture on ancient alchemy for the retiring half hour. He hadn't turned the page.

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

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

"No…"And that was when the theme had formed in Harry's mind. It was so simple he wondered why he hadn't thought of it before."But we can witness 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 watch had seemed like a lot more fun than it was. In team of two they rotated, each team taking either the commencement one-half of the Nox, the second one-half or having a dark off. After a week and a half of reduced sleep the 1st year rascals were getting a bit moth-eaten. At least he was paired with Parvarti. She was mostly cheerful.

"This isn't working."Or not…

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

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

"Funny you should say that…"Harry ducked low and pulled the fille down with him as he saw the door to Quirrells twenty-five percent open and close, permitting the teacher to scurry off down the hall.

"Yes ! We've got him. Lashkar-e-Tayyiba go !"The fatigue had drained from her face and she had regained a smile. She moved off without a Logos 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 roof ridge on the position of a court."I'm not making the like mistake as the others, I'm not letting him out of my sight."They slid silently down a drain onto a flat cap above the kitchens and Harry saw the turbaned wizard slip of paper out a position room access, cross the court, then enter a door leading to the entrance hall.

"Well we can't…"But Harry held up one finger to silence her and a bit later they, heard a door opening and mop up then could clearly see the dark shape of the star robes as he crossed the undercoat towards the forbidden timber."What do we do now ?"

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

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

*

"Do you know where your going ?"Parvarti hadn't seen any centaurs, but there had seen other things skulking between the trees. Harry looked back and wished he would have offered some reassurance. He knew he could find the way back, well probably. He had made trusted to mark it at regular time interval with cut of meat on the Tree trunks. But tracking a man through forest was nothing he had even thought of doing before. They had entered the woodland at about the same spot as Quirrell and Harry had had his Bob Hope boosted by finding a footprint impression in mud nearby but after that nothing.

He was vaguely mindful that they should look out for upset twig or birdsong but the twigs seemed to have no discernable features and the forest was eerily tranquillity. Except for the things.

"smell at this !"Parvarti was pointing at a leaf nearby. When Harry moved closer he saw what she was pointing at. A silver grey liquid covered the foliage, it felt slip and greasy under his fingers. Also slightly warm."And there's more."Again she was right, there was a trail leading across the course they'd been taking more liquid tinged the dry land in both directions."It must hold been bleeding !"

"It ? What it ?"

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

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

It was one thing knowing filthy things were out in the forest butchering nice things, quite another to have proof and another still to have them be so stuffy that the blood wouldn't have had time to cool in the night air. He looked at his friend and was suppressed to see no concern in her face, only anger that something would suffer a unicorn.

"But which way did it do ?"She gleam her fire up world-class 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 flush print. Harry didn't want to take on even to himself that his first instinct on seeing the print was to point the other way. That or run for the Alfred Hawthorne."Alright. conclude the shutter on the illumination right down, we can see the line well enough. And go slow."Parvarti did as she was told and they set off again into the woodland. Harry couldn't have told anyone afterwards how farseeing they had walked, it seemed like an eternity. The splashes of blood grew great and more haunt, the further they went until.

"!"Harry stopped stagnant and put his hand out prostrate in front of the other vulture. There was a clearing up ahead, bathed in the gibbose moonlight and the night air carried strait to them. It sounded like an abhorrent slurping and gurgling and along with it there were the sound of faint movement. Harry pointed left, around the border of the glade then once again put up a I finger. Silence.

They moved around until they were behind a fallen Tree then slowly looked over the top of the log. Through the branches that his them they saw an awed visual sense. The unicorn was splayed on the level like it had been run to ground 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 second and he crouched back down with Parvarti. Her face was a moving-picture show of ira and she mimed jumping over the log while brandishing her lantern. Harry shook his top dog firmly. What the hell on earth was she thinking ? She gestured more firmly then touched her core 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 first sentence. The Unicorns chest was indeed still moving up and down and its breath disturbed the junk near its head. He sat back down and made the heart pumping gesture while nodding, he'd seen it too. Obviously Parvarti wanted to economise the creature if possible. Harry stuck his fingerbreadth in the dirt between them and wrote one word.

HAGRID

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

DISTRACTION

*

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

"Acerbus cuspis !"

The cloaked figure was caught off guard and some of Harry's timid shaft had hit it. It flinched back, more surprise than hurt then an new haphazardness came from its bonnet, a drawn out athirst sound. Like a snake having a rat dangled in its cheek. Wonderful, thought Harry as the affair rose up, Uncle Vernon always said I was vermin.

It was as if that thought snapped him out of his fear palsy and he ran, away from the clearing and the thing. He moved without thinking, metrical unit slamming on solid ground where potential and pushing off roots and mud when not. Harry never looked behind him but he knew the thing was still on him. He moved into new sections of the forest where the tree diagram were dissimilar shapes, former, newer, taller, to a greater extent copse they all shot by him in an trice, 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 affair behind him.

He reached a thick stand of trees and brush and slipped in sideways. Here he risked a look back. zip. Sides ? social movement ? aught. Harry allowed himself a controlled breathing spell. It looked like he had lost it. Harry sat for a second on a log and let his wooden leg rest. The tiredness of the past week and the focus of the dark caught up to him at once and he sagged against the tree diagram behind him. He didn't acknowledge how long he sat there, he may even have fallen asleep but he did know what caused him to derive to attention suddenly. A sprig breaking nearby. Harry moved slowly and backed away from the source of the phone when a hand grabbed him from behind and swung him around roughly. Harry's care of attack turned into ease, then quickly back into fear.

"Out for a midnight promenade Potter ?"

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

*

The boy walked in silence in front man of him as Snape led him back towards the castle. The magical spell he'd laced the edges of the forest with had tripped, waking him and warning him that Quirrell had gone on another of his nightly jaunt. But once again the fiddling insect had eluded him and he'd been on his way back when he'd seen Potter in a pedestal of trees. His mouth felt like twitching into a grinning, at least some good could come of tonight's work.

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

"We are going to your headspring of house. Then to Dumbledore. Then you can excuse what you were doing in the disallow forest after hours."Snape allowed himself a moment of joy then said."Then you can go back to your way and multitude for the power train journey back. From which you will never return."

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

"What possible reason could that be ?"

"Same reason you are. Following Quirrell."Had that been a shooter in the dark ? He tried to catch the unsufferable baby's eyes but he looked straight ahead."And unlike you I succeeded."

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

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

Insufferable, Worthless, Sneaking, COWARDLY, MANIPULATING !, WORM ! ! Snape took a moment to tack his mentation before turning potter and looking directly into his oculus. There was a flash, a table, some faces… a frown crossed the boys face for a moment then he shook his headway worriedly. Even Snape could not conceal his blow as a dummy wall appeared before him, slowly fading over the memory board. The boy was an Occlumens ! But he couldn't know what he was doing, it must be subconscious ! With a flicker of fear his eyes were drawn to the scar on the boys forehead. Or was it entirely subconscious mind ? Power would be transferred in such an result, great power…

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

"You forget this ever happened and in one workweek I ‘ ll narrate you what I saw tonight."Smug and unacceptable. And in this case right.

"Why one week ?"

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

"Agreed."

*

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

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

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

"We shouldn't have left you. And it was me who wanted to bring through it in the get-go place, I…"

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

"Oh alright 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 dawn !"Harry grinned and she returned to her shoes at the table.

"So, now we know what he ‘ s doing the following stone's throw ‘ s to find out why. And what we ‘ re gona to do about it."



*

The side by side few week were full of disappointment. Except for the Slytherins who got a temporary suspension from pranking. Hagrid had saved the unicorn and in thanks for their assistant he told them all about the property 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 work out that Quirrell was after immortality but for what reasonableness ?

"Maybe he ‘ s not after it for himself."Neville had said one day. Harry tried to always treat Neville's suggestions as smarting 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 loony ! Nuts ! He ‘ s prob'ly talking to his pillbox !"

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

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

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

"Alright then."A programme began to form in Harry's mind."Dumbledore said he had no reason to mistrust Quirrell and Snape's got no substantiation to prove him otherwise. If we get this communicator then they've got the proof they need and they can run to intercept Quirrell."

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

"I know. That's why we ‘ re going to burgle 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 Christian Bible, underlines them in red."

"I really need to revise."

*

But the opportunity didn't come for a long while. Quirrell had begun sleeping with his window closed and the lock on his threshold 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 nothing to be done but wait and watch for Quirrell to luxate up. There was a positive incline though. safeguard duty gave them plenty of time to revise. Then the exams came, terrible and inevitable with the fear and uncertainty that came with them.

The just ones Harry was at any way comfortable about were appeal and astronomy, the latter because unlike other family he actually paid attention and the erstwhile because ( perhaps due to his Yule presents ) he was genuinely good at the spells. Potions was a nightmare and defence reaction against the shadow humanistic discipline 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 occupy them.

Even with the exams and their continued failing in their task it was backbreaking to finger bad. The weather had turned to marvellous and students could always be found out sunning themselves on the supergrass. Harry was just on his way to spend an afternoon in just such a manner ( the rest of the marauders already waiting ) when he looked up and saw what he had been waiting for for week. Quirrells window, open.

Harry glanced around, did he dare go up on the rooftops in the middle of the day ? When the unanimous 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 regress and their only when opportunity would be lost. He quickly scurried up the wall and slipped in through the window.

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

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




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


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

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

"No !"Quirrell flicked his wand and the window banged shut. Another flick and it glowed for a import, accompanied by a squelching sound."No, you're not leaving that way Potter."He grabbed Harry's arm, jerked his baton out of his sack then pulled him to the doorway. The 1st twelvemonth could sense the tip of Quirrells wand against the small of his rear."Now walk, calmly and unhurried. To the third floor."

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

"case forward."Quirrell hissed."If you attempt to monish anyone then that person dice then you die is that elucidate ?"

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

"Oh that's quite simple. Your going to help me, I knew what you and your little friends were up to so I laid a bunker. Now you are going to help me with something, with two thing actually. The first is simpleton, all you have to do is play along. Lie. You're adept at that yes ? The second is a bit more complex. You see…"They grew close to the corridor and Quirrell pulled him to a period and into a obsolete classroom."I've spent the year devising goof-proof manner to get yesteryear each defense lawyers except one that still eludes me."

"Snape."Good old sneaky son of a bitch Snape.

"Yes Snape."Quirrell drew an odd potion from his robe, it was tar black and looked oddly oily."His protective cover I don't love how to pass but… that is for later. For now ? drinking 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 tiny sip of the potion and instantly felt the effect. His men seemed to grow and he pulled off his shoes as the pressure in them increased. Black hair grew down in front of his eyes and he flicked it out of the way. After a few moments the effect ceased and he stood up again, taller by far than when he had begun.

"Ah, wonderful."Quirrell said smiling."Now put these on."He handed Harry some farsighted dark robe and gestured to the mirror nearby. Harry took them and walked over, stopping for a moment in shock. He looked like Snape !"Get on with it boy !"Harry struggled into the robes then did them up and allowed Quirrell to guide him towards the horrendous corridor. Harry saw professors Flitwick and Sinestra outside the door. Sinestra was sitting cross legged and appeared to be meditating in some way. Quirrell prodded him in the vertebral column. Of course, Snape would make the first of all motility. He tried to make his voice as sneering as possible then said.

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

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

"I can aid me."Harry thought desperately as they entered the room with the colossus dog. Its three heads instantly rose to view them but Quirrell pointed his wand at the floor nearby and a harp appeared. Another complex movement and it began plucking out a bare tune. The great beasts palpebra drooped and it fell quickly asleep.

"Come on boy ! I haven't got all day."Quirrell pulled him forwards to the trap door then pulled it open. He whispered a piddling good luck charm and a rophy began curling its way out of his baton. Quirrell seemed to have to centralise a great deal to pull this off and Harry backed away slowly. He felt some matter behind him and put a hand back to feel. It was the harmonica. Acting on instinct, Harry grabbed the harp and smashed it as hard as he could against one of the dogs giant paws. The dog awoke with a bellowing and bit through the harps remains in a single bite. Then it turned to the other interlopers in its elbow room.

"Boy ! What do you suppose you're…"But then Quirrell was forced to represent himself as the groovy foreland reared up above him. He screeched a single word of honor and fireball smacked one on the nose. Harry took the chance and bolted for the room access."I'm not done with you yet monkey !"Quirrell screamed. Harry glanced back in clock time to see red light, then darkness.

*

"Where the hell on earth is Harry ?"Ron glanced back at the castle nettled."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 character of sunbathing. With a book."Honestly, sometimes I think he has a little attending duo 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 test are over Hermione."

"For this year."

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

"Oh sorry Ron."Padma commented with monolithic falseness."Were you not ready ?"

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

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

"I mean scum,"Ron's fist clenched."That your little paladin seems to induce finally gotten into more worry than he can handle. Oh yes, I saw a instructor carting him off. Looked angry too."

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

"prof Quirrell, but don't think that… Hey !"But Ron had grabbed him by the front of his pelage, knocking his verge away. The carrottop was vaguely aware of his friends 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 right next to the dog's elbow room.

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

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

*

"Wake up Mr potter. Rise and shine for the brand new day."The judgment of conviction slid around the black cocoon of Harry's unconscious."Now now, that won ‘ t do. Up !"infliction blossomed in Harry's venter and the bunco of it pulled him back to realism. He drew himself up on the common cold stone floor shaking terribly. The long sleeve of his robes fell down over his arms and he realised he was back in his own torso. Quirrell aimed another savage kick at Harry ‘ s pectus and he sprawled on the floor again.

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

"Wh… where ?"

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

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

Quirrell hang over the mesa and read with a smile…

"risk lies before you, while guard lies behind,
Two of us will facilitate you, whichever you would ascertain,
One among us seven will let you move ahead,
Another will transport the juicer back instead,
Two among our numeral hold only nettle wine,
Three of us are orca, waiting hidden in bloodline.
Choose, unless you wish to ride out here forevermore,
To help you in your choice, we give you these clue four :
start, however slyly the poison tries to hide
You will always observe some on bother vino 's give side ;
second gear, dissimilar are those who stand at either end,
But if you would propel onward, neither is your champion ;
Third, as you see clearly, all are different sizing,
Neither nanus nor goliath holds death in their insides ;
Fourth, the mo leftfield and the bit on the right
Are twins once you taste them, though different at inaugural sight."

The wizard shook his top dog angrily.

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

*

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

"Mr Weasley ! If you can not keep in line yourself I will have you dragged to my spot where I will flue your female parent ! And we will discourse your continued presence at this school !"The argument had moved from the outside to the corridors as the deputy headmistress had failed to hear."As it is you are all already in enough trouble for just knowing about the stone ! Let alone disrespect to a Hogwarts professor. Two professors in fact as I think Professor Quirrell will require to learn about the infrastructure accusations you have made."

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

"You should heed to your ally Mr Weasley."The prof said while turning and walking down the entrance hall."Now you will all accompany me to my power where we can decide…"

"Petrificus Totalus !"

The marauder crew watched in utter silence as their head of household went remains then slowly but inexorably fell backwards. Ron caught her and lowered her to the floor, ashen faced. He looked round to see Neville standing with his wand out and a appal expression on his face.

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

Ron looked down at McGonagall face. A person shouldn't be able to evoke fear while only moving their oculus 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 oust anyway lets go get our boy."

*

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

When he had refused to drink the first bottle Quirrell had used some sort of bludgeoning hex that squashed him back to the trading floor. 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 sec time he had tried to resist Thomas More and been formally introduced to the cruciatus hex. He was ashamed to say he willingly took the bottle in shaking hands and drink in a sip himself. All the prison term feeling wretched and a Sir Noel Pierce Coward.

"Now."Quirrell looked down on him almost proudly."Since you seem to have learned your situation in this slight drama."The sadist looked down for a response but Harry didn't rise to the decoy. He wasn't sure he had the energy too even if he had wanted."I'll let you take the side by side one."He waved his hand over the remaining bottles and stood waiting.

Harry pulled himself up on the edge of the board and tried to bring in a brainiac mobile phone to have a bun in the oven."Hermione where are you when I need you ?"He must own said it out tacky because Quirrell laughed and said

"I could get her if you want. I'm sure she'd like to see the cruciatus expletive. As a purely faculty member written report. Of course to fully take account it I would hold to do it on her as well."Harry looked from one nursing bottle to another and a snap of vocal came back to him.

Neither dwarf nor titan holds last in their interior.
Harry's oculus slid to the modest nursing bottle in the row. His hands shook almost too lots for him to take the bob out and he spilled some as he took a sip. An instant cold sentience 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 script to his throat and pretended to choke, falling towards the fire he took a threatening gasping breath.

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

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

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

"A subterfuge shot."Harry thought muzzily."But I can't check here."

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

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

He floated in the darkness for a mo then was brought back around. instinct again waking him when he was no longer alone. He turned to see a charred physical body, robes in tag and his toque unwound and trailing behind him.

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

*

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

"Yes ceramicist. What Severus seems to have forgotten…"The wretched physical body said as it stalked towards Harry on ruined peg."Is that I would much rather walk through fire than admit failure to my passkey. Much, very much rather."He came to a blockage in front of the Mirror and pointed his blackened wand at Harry.

"No wait, this won't work."He threw the sceptre away like garbage."But luckily I have another."He drew out Harry's baton, unblemished and pristine. He laughed at Harry's shocked expression and said"Rubbed in what slight of the potion you let cast on the floor. It was bound to last better than mine. After all, genus Phoenix feathers are meant to pass through fire."He flicked the wand negligently and ropes edge Harry's wooden leg under him.

"Yes, you left just enough for the wand and for…"His hired man rose involuntarily to the binding of his head and a quiver of pain ran across his face."But enough !"He stood in nominal head of the mirror, his prediction clear up on his side."I see myself presenting the Edward Durell Stone to my master. He is restoring my physical structure, making me well again… But how do I get it ?"

"Use the boy."Quirrell grabbed his arm and jerked him back in front end of the mirror. The figure of speech swam in infliction in front of him. His friend faces still stared back at him, mocking him with their felicity.

"Well boy ? What do you see ?"

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

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

"Crucio !"Pain obliterated the Earth again but soon enough he was shook awake and slammed in presence of the ice.

"What do you really SEE !"

"I ‘ ve just found every deep brown frog card. My solicitation is complete."

"Do you bask anguish ?"Quirrell's face was twisted beyond credit."Do you think even for a import that your trivial rebelliousness will actually achieve anything !"

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

*

"A chess set, what the…"

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

"Do you think he.. ?"

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

*

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

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

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

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

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

"Yes Harry."The typeface spoke with malice now, and barely controlled anger."This is what you reduced me to. Ten age ago."

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

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

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

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

"I see…"

"Yes… yes !"

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

The crashing phone echoed through the hallway and Harry felt glass shards cut into his skin. He tried to rove but a acuate pain in his arm caught him and he stopped, quivering.

"You FOOL."He felt himself picked up and shook like a dame."You destroyed it !"He fell to the earth again and saw Quirrell rifling through the shards, heedless of the cuts and rip."Where is it ! Where is it ! … Gone… You knew !"The double heading came up and looked him straight in the eye."You knew that wouldn't release the Harlan Stone !"

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

"You.. YOU ! !"The stunt man creature stood quivering with rage."fountainhead I hope you savour your victory."The thing drew Harry's wand"Because, it is the survive thought you will ever feature ! Avada Ked…"

"tarantelle !"

The jinx spun over the puppet head and broke against the far wall. Harry turned to the door and saw the vulture standing there. Five wands pointed ramrod-straight at the thing, that had swung around to present them.

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

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

"You wouldn ‘ t hex a instructor would you."Quirrell was playing with them. His phonation 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 pass of house."Neville seemed to have left his stammer in the man of fear and could speak calmly now he'd moved on to terror."It can ‘ t get much worse."

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

"child !"Quirrells weapons system twisted back, cracking troll at the elbows to give Voldemort control of the wand"I will not be stopped again by children !"

"Petrificus Totalus !"Hermione's part rang out but Voldemort raised a buckler disdainfully. The rebounding scourge took the Danton True Young witch in the pectus and she fell like a stone.

"Crucio !"Neville dropped to the primer coat. His typeface a masquerade of annoyance.

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

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

"Im… im… impedimenta !"

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

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

"Master count out !"But Quirrell's warning was too late as the hanker shard plunged into his abdomen. Him and his assailant fell together and Harry jerked the spyglass out only to plunge it again into the thaumaturge build. His hired hand bled, the fabric of the gown hadn't been nearly enough to protect them. Quirrell rolled over under him and the snaky face 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 pass."See you in another ten years. Do try to come back pretty next time."And plunged the fragment through Voldemort's eye.

The scream rundle out through the chamber. Rising eminent and mellow, louder and louder till the shard still on the trading floor shattered into sand. Then the body slumped like a rag doll and finally lay still.

Harry fell back drained. It felt like he had nothing left in his veins, felt vacuous. He slumped on the floor and looked up to see five concerned faces crowding around him. They were saying something but his mind couldn't quite lay down gumption of it. The image 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 affair.

*

"I could just drive the one…"

"Ron people left those for Harry !"

Voices ? …

"But I just want the card."

Familiar…

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

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

Ah…

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

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

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

"Well yeah."Harry shook his caput to assoil it before answering Hermione's doubtfulness."Why would I not be ? How long was I asleep ?"

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

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

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

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

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

"Oh that, that was cipher. Anyway it was Neville got us past the devil snare !"

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

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

"There was a break up harp on the story. What else could it have been but medicine ?"

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

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

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

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

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

"Although they may allow one sherd out. It may want to be kept for posterity."

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

"Nothing about this Death was any different from his late one. If he survived that I believe we can assume he can survive this."

"Will he come after the Harlan Fisk Stone ? I mean, when you fix the mirror you can get the Harlan Stone ?"

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

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

"No Harry."Dumbledore fixed him with a affected role stare and Harry bit back a grin."I mean that you were unable to get past my last protective cover. You did not get the stone."

"Yeah. What was I supposed to do ?"

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

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

"So faced with the chance of ageless life and everlasting wealth, your dream remained the Saami ?"

"I have a smashing deal of wealth now, and if interminable life sentence means being person's scalp I think I ‘ ll pass on that too."

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

"Hm ?"

"I want you to return to your aunty 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 eleven Harry."professor Dumbledore put his paw on Harry's berm and his spokesperson went soft."It would be negligent of me to let you leave behind my care without assuring myself that you would be looked after."

"You did it once before. Left me on a doorstep."a sliver of steel entered Harry's voice.

"I thought that you would be happy with family, even removed ones."

"You were wrong. Would you like to see some scars by way of proof ?"

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

"Thank you."Harry smiled and he saw a certain tension lift from the air. Harry looked down at the gifts arrayed in front of him and picked up one."coffee anuran ? 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 offstage other occupant then leave you to yourself."

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

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

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

"Hopefully after your friends leave."

*

"Last opportunity for legal trick !"Fred ( or George IV ) yelled as he walked down the Hogwarts express. His comrade walked beside him ringing a hand-bell up and down."I repeat ! finis opportunity for all summer !"

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

"Yep."And indeed he could see the Greater London skyline around the train as they pulled towards kings cross. He had asked Dumbledore if he could attach to his friends on the train and the Headmaster had agreed.

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

"And you have to inflict home."Ron said through a mouthful of sweets"ma been bugging me about it ever since she found out."

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

"You brought your bag ? Why did you bring your bag…"Hermione's interpreter became sharp and a little scared. But the question was moot, everyone in the pusher had guessed the answer.

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

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

"The ministry can only track me if I use magic."Harry said jumping down onto the weapons platform."And distance counts too, I ‘ m thinking Greece or possibly Kingdom of Spain. Mediterranean certainly."

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

"What they gon na do ? get their polishing hero ?"Harry winked and smiled his evil genius smile."And I ‘ ve realised something. Being a homeless person vagrant sounds a whole lot more fun if you ‘ ve got a giant passel of gold subway system to fall back on. It ‘ ll just be like going somewhere fun, to induce fun."

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

"Right, that."Harry pointed and nodded."I think I ‘ m due one of those."He turned and began walking down the platform."Write every day ! But no traceable speech !"

"HARRY POTTER YOU GET cover HERE ! ! !"

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

*

"Think he'll lose ‘ em ?"

"Oh, Neville you know the answer to that."Padma smiled at the chaos Harry had left in his wake on the political platform."It's the vulture first linguistic rule. ‘ You can do anything you set your mind to if you've got the cheek to see it through.'”

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

"That one too."




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


Harry Potter stepped back onto British stain with a spring in his stride and a tan fit to dim seagulls. Officially there was not direct magical path across the channel save by heather or other tool of flight. However Harry had known before he had ever held a sceptre that the most utilitarian things were always hidden from those in bang.

It had been by this ancient fireplace, disconnected from the rest period of the flue pipe network but with a direct nexus to a similar holes and portals around Europe, through which Harry had left the country weeks ago. An eleven twelvemonth old can not book a plane ticket alone much lupus erythematosus hitch a cosmetic surgery on a broomstick and even if he could do so those ways had probably been watched.

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

But to Harry protected meant trapped and the reason he needed to be kept safe was the very thing he needed some freedom from. So Harry ceramicist had spent the legal age of the summer as Jack Match, juggler and tumbler on diverse Grecian beaches. He had explored the wizarding incline of the ancient country too, he had watched a school of hippocampus breaching and jumping like dolphins off the coast of Aeaea and seen the colossus of Rodhos. He had walked to the tabernacle of Alcmeonidae at Delphi and climbed hand-over-hand up the longsighted trailing vines of ivy to where it floated in the sky. Levitated above the ‘ ruins'below and concealed from muggle optic. But the vaticinator that gathered there had seen through his disguise and greeted him as Harry thrower. They had treated him with an eerie obedience 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 cushion on the floor and sat down herself nearby him. She looked like she was barely a twelvemonth or two one-time than him but he knew that if he believed that he was a fool. Only her eyes betrayed any hint that this was possibly the most herculean oracle in the macrocosm. Harry had been shocked when he first saw them, he had heard stories that the greatest illusionist had milky white optic showing that they were blind to the mundane. The oracles heart were formula except that the iris of one was oceanic abyss purpleness and the early light greens. Oh and the pupils ( and Harry had had to look hard to build this out ) were shaped like stars.

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

"It is not very often we receive visitors."She smiled at him with those abstruse eyes. Something in them betrayed a lasting sorrowfulness, a hint of the computer storage concealed behind. Memory that spanned hundred.

"If you wish to encourage Sir Thomas More visitant your seemliness. Perhaps you should install stairs."He instantly felt that perhaps he was being too associate. Harry generally ignored sureness but the quiet office of the diminished girl before him ( even sitting as she was, barefoot in a simple white dress ) was hard to deny. Anyway he didn't he didn't want there to be stairs. Too many the great unwashed, especially too many tourists, would ruin this peaceful place.

"Yes, that is why we do not have them. And no, I prefer that you speak freely before me."Harry looked up confused and she laughed. It sounded like falling water."Your occlumency is quite good for one doing it unconsciously. But accession to persuasion is one of the natural endowment that comes with being… this."The gloominess was back in her eyes for a bit 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 the like mountain air. He grinned and looked down at it speculatively."Is this going to arrive at me see sight or pass out ?"

"Those affair are more probably to bechance if you do not drink it seeing as you climbed for half an 60 minutes in the summer sun."

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

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

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

"You are anything but a letdown Harry. I think you are equal to the task ahead of you, more than match. I look into your soul and what I see gives me outstanding Bob Hope. You are more than you think you are Harry, you are far Sir Thomas More than you, or anyone else, realises. You must bank that you know the path you need to take the air, not anyone else, and above all you must trust yourself."

"Really."Harry's pharynx was suddenly very dry. He took another gulping of water."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 look far away for a moment then come back down to worldly concern."Why do you say that ?"

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

"Do you really want to know ?"She seemed diverted."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 future not told."She dipped her hand into a scoop of her dress and drew out a pendant on a braided leather cord. Harry leaned closer and saw that it was made of sea shell, glittering like it had just been plucked from the water. She held it out towards him.

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

"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 pointed turbinate carapace, hanging vertical from its clutches. Harry looked closer and saw that the very bottom point was tinged green and the very top tinged purpleness."Is it sorcerous ?"

"Yes."

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

"No."

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

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

Not trusting himself to talk Harry bowed for the foremost time in his lifespan and walked towards the threshold.

"Oh and when you go back to Hogwarts."The slight daughter said as he reached for the handle."Could you tell Sybill Trelawney to bar owling me. please ?"

Harry climbed back down and walked a little style away before turning around and gazing back at the peacefully drifting building, floating over the skyline. Digger flapped down on a John Rock next to him and handed him a letter. He took it without reading it and slipped it in his pocket, still thinking. Then he walked over to a thud of flowers sprouting out of the stone nearby and picked some of the larger ones.

"Up there please."Harry nodded towards the temple while holding the flowers out to his owl."Pythea. And be careful."The owl obediently took off and Harry walked off down the road with his head still full of thoughts.

It had not been long after that when he found his way to the krybo-lakkos food market in Athens and to the odd 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 hard cash cash register. Harry nodded to him while dusting himself off and dropped five of the atomic number 79 coins in the jar. This holiday had cost him surprisingly little, tourists had liked his juggling 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 dingy alley and set off away from the shop. Walking quickly he made for the promiscuous end of the street where he could pick up more people moving. people turned to stare at his promising summery clothing in the dark and shadowed street and he heard grumbling and muttering. A haggard hand fell on his shoulder and he broke into a run. Shadowy figures leapt out at him and more workforce tried to gain purchase, 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 hard as he could.

Suddenly he hit what felt like a gum elastic wall, picking him up and bouncing him back into the wickedness.

"What the… ?"But there was no fourth dimension to think. Figures were closing in and Harry dove in the opposite direction. He slipped down another road.

Thomas More masked bodies seemed to pop out of every shadow. The diminished boy dodged down another street and found himself at a dead end. The incoming to the alley was blocked by a small crowd, five or so wizard and witches in drear ragged robes blocked his way back.

Harry slipped his baton out of his air hole into his decently hand. His middle scanned the walls around him but they were straight up and down. No handholds. The crew advanced on him with deal out. Harry crouched down, if he was gona die he was prepared to die like a rat in a niche. Biting and scratching till the last.

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

"Stand aside hag !"A instant of red light barb from the former end of the alley and the witches hair burst into flaming.

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

"Never fear Pres Young varlet !"The man said in a booming articulation."Markus Michelson is here !"

*

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

"repose down pipsqueak."The man set off out of the alleyway with Harry held almost nonchalantly in the outlaw of his heavily muscled arm."You're in safe script now."

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

"For someone being rescued by the greatest warrior, adventurer, lover and Internet Explorer that the world has ever known."The man put his fists on his hips and bent down to put his face near Harry's."You sure don't seem to know how appearance you're grateful."

Harry sat up and checked himself over before replying. For a second his hired man 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 fiddling frightening for someone not as… imposing… as me."He tucked his wand 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 articulatio humeri like a ox. He wore boneheaded leather thrill and leather trouser above them, fitting tightly over muscled leg. The belt was snake skin and he had what looked like animal teeth tied hanging off it so they clattered as he moved. Above that he wore a flesh fitting red vest that left his weapon system bare. Harry could see the edge of a tattoo peeking up amongst his dresser hair and another on his bicep. Further down his arms he wore two spike circle. To top it all off the man wore a cowboy hat over his thick-skulled blond hairsbreadth with a yearn red feather tucked into the dance orchestra on one side and three rifle hummer on the early.

"Who are you ?"

"cerebration I introduced myself before. Never mind, probably slipped your intellect in all the excitement."The man struck a pose."I am Markus Maximus Michelson. glad to make your acquaintanceship pipsqueak."

"My name is Harry."Odd to listen that after a summer of laborer.

"commodity 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 bother. You little tyke."He ruffled Harry's hair as if he was a little kid, earning himself Harry's unceasing hatred.

"…um. The ice cream place."Harry lied with a straight brass."Their probably waiting."

"commodity, good."The man grabbed his arm again and set a brisk tempo through the gang. There were a lot of the great unwashed this prison term of day but they parted to let Markus through. Harry had hoped that when they reached Fortescue's ice ointment parlour the odd wizard would allow for him alone. He did nothing of the sort however and sat down at a table, leaning far back on his professorship and tucking his thumb in his belt closed circuit. Harry was just wondering why he was waiting around when the reason walked up to the table.

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

"My little ally here needs a hot chocolate Dominicus to calm him down. He's just been in a bit of a gummy situation down knockturn alley. For myself just seeing you smile is all the sweet I need, and please…"he plucked a sensationalistic daisy out of air and set it behind the girl ear"…call me Maximus."

"You helped him ?"

"Oh no."Thought Harry."She was here conclusion summer. She knows who I am."

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

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

"Thought your midsection name was Maximus."

"Nope, Mighty."The man flexed his bicep and Harry was able-bodied to interpret 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 finger."But the first of my middle names is my personal pet. 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 feel the basking adoration of the people Harry. I owe it to my legend to be seen, in the promise that I inspire Whitney Moore Young Jr. pup like you to get just like me. Its my duty Harry, as a man."

"Oooo."The waitress had stuck around to listen to Marcus speak and was now holding her hands clasped together over her pectus."You're so smart as well as so hansom. You're like a poet or a wireless star or something."

Harry rolled his eyes and finished his ice cream quickly as the vain wizard chatted to ( or more accurately chatted up ) the fille. Harry dropped the Mary Leontyne Price of the meal on the table.

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

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

*

Harry moved quickly once he was out of the mans sight and slipped into Gringots. He got money out more quickly than he should feature by simply ignoring the queue and asking for Greeklunk. His old goblin conversance quickly helped him refill his pocket for another year. While he was down in the bank vault Harry stuck his t-shirt in his bag and instead took out a long gown with a hood. At Greeklunk's confused expression he said…

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

"Oh right. Bloody paparazzi."

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

*

Harry stood in the rural area lane and rechecked the alphabetic character 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 route went a long way in both instruction 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 letter away and shrugged, there was always another way. He walked over to a where a James Leonard Farmer was sitting near his tractor, fiddling with something in the locomotive.

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

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

*

Harry had to reject the urge to separate into a run as he caught sight of the Weasley house. Outside it in the grow over garden he could see three boy working, flinging something he couldn't make out over the garden wall. Harry smiled, they were expecting him today but he hadn't exactly been able to give them an exact sentence. As he walked closer the door to the house opened and Molly Weasley ( Ron had told him all about his family ) emerged, carrying a tray with drunkenness on it. Behind her a young young lady ( must be Ginny ) stepped outside and leaned against the doorpost looking bored. None of them seemed to have noticed him yet, or maybe the tan had changed his show a bit. As he stepped up to the front man logic gate he spread his munition full.

"ciao !"

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

"She has some variety of objection to aloha ?"Harry asked the ginger crowd.

"Nah, mate."Ron shook his chief."She ‘ s been jumping and squeaking every time we so much as mentioned your figure. hypothesis you in the anatomy was just too much for her."

"Ron, be nice to your sister."Mrs Weasley's voice was rear end for a moment then turned balmy again as she turned back to Harry."She ‘ s just shy Harry. I ‘ m sure she ‘ ll get over it the more she sees of you."

"Probably."Agreed Harry"The hero thing doesn ‘ t last. I ‘ ve been told on repeated occasions that I ‘ m a massive disappointment."

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

"Snape."

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

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

"At to the lowest degree that's up the evolutionary scale."

*

But Ginny's odd demeanor didn't stop. Harry found that she was unequal to of staying in a room that he was in and that any attempt to speak directly to her was enough to send her scurrying away. One morning when he came down and found her curled up on the lounge with a magazine he decided to put a catch to it.

"Ginny."She stiffened and looked like she was about to take flight."Don't run away please."He walked around and sat next to her on the couch. She looked like a small rodent confronted by a ophidian, eye wide outdoors and too frighten away to run."Can you tell apart me why you run every clip I try to talk to you or enter the room ?"Silence, except for the twitching she could have been petrified."looking Ginny I don't know what it is but could you please talk to me. We ‘ re going to be going to school together for the next six eld. Could you utter to me. Please."

"Y… you…"Harry had to extend to get wind her faint whispering."you destroyed you-know-who."

"Oh you ‘ re still thinking about that ?"Harry waved his helping hand dismissively."That happened historic period and ages ago. No one cares about that. Apparently Markus Mandy Michelson is everyone's champion now."

"You ‘ ve got the scar."

"I ‘ ve got a lot of scars. Which one in specific ?"Ginny reached out to sharpen at his os frontale and Harry brushed away the pilus to reveal the mark. But apparently this was too lots for Ginny and she bolted up the stairs almost knocking over Ron.

"What ‘ s that about ?"He asked sleepily.

"She ‘ s still shy around me. That sucks."

"Why are you so messed up about it."Ron asked. Then looked up as if he remembered something."You were acting like this about Hermione too, last year. Back before she liked us."

"And that turned out OK."

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

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

"Five last sentence I looked. My old one, the similitude, Percy's and one Charlie left here."

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

"But Harry you can ‘ t play Quidditch. The last metre you got on a broom you made a complete mug of yourself."

"Exactly !"

*

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

"You have to keep abreast through."Ron made a jabbing motion with the flat of his hand. That meant be through Harry knew, the hand signals were about all he ‘ d picked up during the biz."Just centralize on following through. That was the problem that time."

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

"There isn ‘ t one, we'd have to contrive it just for you."Ron helped him back on his broom and they flew back up to join the similitude. Ginny was sitting a piddling ways away watching them, when Harry had fallen out of the tree she had jumped up in seismic disturbance. But as Ron and the twins had begun laughing at him he had seen a shadow of a grin mark her face as well. That tail was all that was keeping him from giving up the intact endeavour and getting his ft back on self-colored basis.

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

"Aye aye senior pilot !"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 gloaming off if I tried."Harry began moving off to the rightfulness and saw his friend shoot away with the Quaffle. After a moment Ron turned and chucked it ahead of him. He rushed forward to catch it, fumbled it, then snagged it in one bridge player.

"I got it ! I got…"Thump !

Harry struck the ground hard and rolled to a stop in the long pot.

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

"There didn ‘ t used to be four of you."Harry pointed at her with a trembling hand."Stop being four of you, person… girl… Where am I ?"Harry blinked and looked around blurrily. A small noise brought him back to the present and he looked forward. Ginny had her hand over her backtalk and was trying hard not to laugh. Little strait kept escaping like steam out of a tympanum.

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

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

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

"Better idea."Harry tossed his ling 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 vocalization to equate Mrs Weasley's"Be squeamish to your babe ! And besides, your selection are me or her."

"Welcome to the team Ginny."

*

"See ! No one can beat my team !"Harry grinned and slapped his pectus as the game drew to an prescribed closing.

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

"The team won."Harry explained with sweeping hired man gestures."And we all played a part in that."

"And your function is ?"

"Cheerleader. I really should get some pompoms."



Note : Right, thats the second base year started.

Interesting news about Dumbledore, but it makes sensation when you look back on it. Does sort of make it more tragic however. The adept of accepting the great unwashed for who they were died without ever himself being accepted. He probably never even told anyone. The bit about how he did n't move against Grindlewald was interesting too and puts the unharmed thing in a new igniter. What if Grindlewald was well aware of Dumbledores belief and used him to gain king in safety ? Knowing wide-cut well that Dumbledore was the only one who could own posibly stopped him. Ah well ...

This is why we need JK Rowling to drop a line some prequels.


# include `` standard legal disclamer.h ''

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






Kings hybridizing was crowded beyond belief as the Weasley clan crossed the station towards platform nine and three quarters.

"Hurry up."Mrs Weasley herded her diverse tutelage towards the barrier."Right. seed everyone, while the muggles aren't looking."One by one the redheaded woodpecker stroke through the barrier. 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 tilt 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 mysterious breathing place. There wasn't much more he could do to put this off. He started running forwards, lowered his head and closed his eyes as he reached the barrier.

crack cocaine ! Harry bounced back and fell to the priming coat gasping. The barrier hadn't opened ! He put his manus to his forehead and it came back bloody. His mind reeled.

"They don't want me back."Harry blinked and looked up at the clock. less than a minute till the gearing was supposed to allow for."They expelled me."

Harry stayed on the base despite the odd looks he was getting. There didn't seem to be often point in getting up. The clock ticked over the 60 minutes. The train was leaving.

Harry looked down platform ten and thought he saw a wisp of roll of tobacco lift from beyond the running. Where was the maven platform anyway ? A mad thought struck Harry and he was stood back up in a flash. His foot seemed to move of their own pact and he took first one then another halting dance step along the chopine. Another wisp of smoke. He broke into a run and willed his legs to carry him faster and faster.

"it's a steam train."Harry dodged past a startled conductor at the end of the platform and jumped down onto the tracks."It takes a piece to hotfoot up."He pumped his legs for extra fastness.

"Digger !"Harry reached onto his knapsack and flicked his owl's batting cage open."apprehension me up at Hogwarts !"Harry snap to the bound of the gearing cut and looked down. The normal, muggle wagon train racecourse coming out of Billie Jean King cross were raised up on a kind of retentive bridge, raising them several stories above the city streets. Harry glanced down in metre to see the end of the Hogwarts limited squeeze play itself out from between the bricks of the nosepiece and head off down a cartroad that looked disused. Up ahead the caterpillar track rose up and joined with the others, if Harry was going to do it, he ‘ d have to do it now.

"Please ! Oh god please let me still be born lucky !"Harry prayed silently, then launched himself off the side of meat.

He crashed into the top of the final stage carriage and hung onto it for beloved life. The train was beginning to pick up stop number and Harry crawled to the bound. Thankfully the carriages window was undefended. Harry swung his bag in through it then slid down into it himself.

"Harry Potter. Nice to come across you."He said to the aghast first yr who's carriage he'd dropped into."See you at Hogwarts !"Harry walked shakily out the door. Once he was safely in the corridor he leaned against the wall and slid down till he was on the trading floor. He wanted to get up and find out his friend but for some reason none of his limbs seemed to work. He caught a glance of himself in the ice in front of him and blinked in shock. He looked a wreck ! blood line ran down the allow side of his cheek and was matted into the hair above.

"M… Mr Potter."Harry looked around and saw the enchantress with the tramcar standing looking at him. Harry gulped for air.

"Two caldron cakes please."He said, trying to guess of something that would steady his nerves.

She wordlessly handed him the cakes and took the price of them without once taking her eyes off him. When he was about to leave she finally said.

"Did you… just… start onto the train."

"No."Harry shook his head"No. Definitely not. You ‘ d have to be crazy to jump off on a moving train."

*

Harry moved down the power train as quietly as he could. Trying to find his friends without drawing too a lot attention. Unfortunately talk travelled fast on the Hogwarts limited and he couldn't go five stride without encountering another stare or pass a grouping of students without them breaking out in a fit of whispering.

"So pathetic aid seeking Potter work stoppage 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 muscularity for this now."It was unfeigned. Harry would have liked doing nothing More than simply collapsing on the level there for the remainder of the journey."Could you please, and I mean this in the courteous possible way, bugger off and die like the diseased musical composition of distend rectum human body you are."

"Big talk for a kid who can barely stand."Malfoy took a stair forward and Harry retreated."And I don't see your minuscule friends here to help you today. This may just be my lucky day."The three Slytherins advanced on him and Harry drew his wand when…

"ceramicist !"Harry turned and saw professor McGonagall standing in the carriage. Malfoy and his bodyguards disappeared through a doorway."How in Merlin ‘ s epithet did you get here ?"She grabbed him and pulled out her sceptre, touching it calmly to the cut on his head then whisking away the stock on his cheek."I just spent an unpleasant few minutes arguing with Molly Weasley who was franticly trying to get us to halt the train. She seemed to be under the notion that the roadblock had sealed with you on the other side."

"It did."Harry nodded."That's how I hurt my head."

"But then. How did you get here ?"

"You honestly, really and truly don't want to know."

"Harry…"

"I jumped onto the train."

"YOU JUMPED ONTO THE caravan !"

"The roadblock had sealed up ! There wasn ‘ t any other way ! And besides, I had a head teacher injury. I ‘ m not sure as shooting I was in an entirely rational frame of mind."

"That is beside the power point Mr Potter, but after the stunt you pulled at the end of last year I suppose I should not be entirely surprised."She straightened up"We will have to discuss this further in my office at Hogwarts. At the very least you will have several days detention."

"But if I have detention…"Harry grasped at this straw"… then I ‘ m not expelled ? right hand ?"

"No Mr Potter. Not this time."She began walking away down the train."Go to my office when we reach Hogwarts."

"After the sorting ?"

"As soon as you reach the castle."

"prof please…"Alright this is McGonagall, you know how to fool McGonagall. She acts tough but she's all soupy interior."… my friend's sister's getting sorted today and she ‘ s worried about it. All her sidekick are in Gryffindor, wholly family really. I should be there for her. Please ?"

"Alright Mr ceramist. After the sorting."McGonagall's eyes had gotten softer as Harry had spoken."But before the feast."

"Of row professor. I ‘ ll be there."

"And I will owl Mrs Weasley to inform her you are safe."She turned away and Harry was left alone once again in the corridor.

*

Harry eventually found the Marauders compartment and slid the threshold spread out.

"hello freindlies !"

"Harry !"Hermione's mouth dropped surface."Ron said you couldn ‘ t get onto the platform !"

"Couldn't."Harry noticed Ginny sitting quietly in the recess of the compartment. Ron had probably been told to keep an eye on her."Had to acquire accounting entry to the wagon train by… former means."

"Apparation ?"Padma had apparently also caught some sun over the summertime, though it was less noticeable on her."You do have it off that's illegal."

"Couldn ‘ t forethought less. But no."

"Portkey ?"Neville seemed to retrieve for a moment."Or a ling ?"

"No."Ron and Ginny spoke at the Same time but Ginny backed down and Ron continued."Harry swore blind he ‘ d never touch another broom."

"Oh god I know what it is."Parvarti put her hand to her sassing and began shaking her head."I was talking to Lavender down the other end of the gearing. I thought she was joking."

"What is it ?"Hermione asked and the marauders seemed to hang waiting for the resolution.

"You jumped onto the top of the train."The piranha turned as one to look at him.

"Maybe."None of his friends seemed to want to address.

"Harry ..."Neville broke the silence."…you ‘ re crazy."

"I know."Harry sat as the other snapped out of their shock and started speaking all at once."It ‘ s beginning to worry me."

*

The gear meandered its long journey through the hills and Harry ducked out of the conversations around him. His brain still hurt and he didn't have the Energy Department to think of people. He leaned against the dusty window as rain started to streak down, leaving little lead on the window pane. He closed his eyes and lay there for a long piece. small track of water, swirling, drowning.

"Harry."He shook himself awake and looked over at the youngest Weasley, leaning over to him."Are you alright ?"Harry looked around the compartment, the rest of his booster were still talking amongst themselves."You ‘ re brass was all scrunched up like you were dreaming."

"Oh, are we there yet."Harry kind of wanted to get back to sleep. Even if it was to bad aspiration.

"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 surprisal. Harry waved his hired man dismissively."Don't worry. You ‘ ll love it there. object lesson are easy, specially spell. ally everywhere. Plus if any of the Slytherins bother you we can show some western fence lizard payback. We're feared by that house."

"That ‘ s variety of what I ‘ m occupy about."Ginny glanced at the red edges on Harry's robes.

"Ah."Thought Harry."My shot was rectify, and I just made that up to soften up McGonagall."

"You ‘ re worried about the sorting."Harry said out garish."Want to be Gryffindor ?"

"Yes. If I don't my brothers ‘ ll never forgive me."

"Then secernate it so."Harry looked at the young girls startled formula."You know what the sorting hat is mighty ?"nod."Then assure it you want to be a Gryffindor. Don't take no for an solvent. It's your life history, don't let a hat make determination for you."Harry leaned back down and closed his middle again.

*

"What the hell ?"Ron voiced what they were all mentation as the vulture moved away from the power train at Hogsmead. Ginny had left to learn her short gravy boat ride and the six champion now stood in front of a melody of carriages, each drawn by a thin scaled horse with folded leathery wings."Charlie told me the rig pulled themselves ?"

"Maybe they've changed since your brothers day."Said Harry climbing into one of them."And besides…"He looked around"No one else seems to think anything's amiss."

"Still think this is weird."

*

Ginny Weasley stood fidgeting in front of the hall as the sorting hat finished its call. She was so nervous she wanted to burn her nails despite the face they were already worn to the pith. Well, at to the lowest degree she was a Weasley. Her name would be called near to last. She saw Harry on the Gryffindor mesa spinning three fork in the air in forepart of him. She tried to catch his eye but failed, he was talking to his material protagonist. Everyone began to pay attention as Dumbledore stood up.

"Before we begin the sort I ‘ d like to declare two things. One is that, despite what this empty chair seems to betoken, we have found a new refutation Against the Dark artistic production teacher."Ginny looked along the instructor hold over and saw a lank-haired professor grimace. She giggled, that must be prof Snape."Sadly he could not be here tonight as he has been managing the transport of his belongings from overseas. Rest assured that he has my full sureness and he will introduce himself, probably at length…"did the lank-haired professor just grimace even more ?"…in your 1st lesson with him tomorrow. Now the second thing is that we will be doing this geezerhood sorting backwards."

"What ?"That prompted a murmuring about the Radclyffe Hall.

"Yes, call it an old mans picture. Now let us continue so that we can enjoy a brilliant feast after we are all done."Dumbledore sat back down but the muttering hadn't ceased. McGonagall then took her topographic point, the expression on her aspect clearly showing that the Headmaster had not discussed this with her. She looked down at her newspaper and read…

"Weasley, Ginevra."

"What ! Oh…"Ginny thought as she walked out in front end of the school."Backwards…"The terminal matter she saw before she pulled the hat down over her centre were the Marauders turning to watch her.

"Another Weasley, seems I see those on almost a annually basis. But a Weasley girl ? Why I haven't seen one like you in…"

"I chose Gryffindor."It seemed to her that the hat gasped loudly all around her.

"That's not quite how it works Weasley girl."

"No. That is how it works. Harry told me I could choose my house. I want to be in Gryffindor."

"Quite brave of you to just shout it out it like that. Almost forces me to pick Gryffindor."Shout it out ? …Oh god !

"Ah… You didn ‘ t realise you were speaking out loud ?"
Ginny lifted the brim of the hat just enough to see around the Hall. There was whispering everywhere, and every side had an identical phiz of shocked amazement. Her eyes searched out her brothers at the Gryffindor table. Hotspur had buried his face in his hired man and seemed to be trying to dissemble it all wasn't happening, Fred and George were watching her with vast evilness smiling and Ron, Ron just looked confused. Her center flickered retiring Ron to Harry and their regard locked, then the boy did the oddest thing, he pulled up his sleeve, put his hand medal out and jab forward.

Follow through

Ginny glanced back at the teacher table, where every face mirrored the astonishment of the students. She glanced back to Harry and he jabbed again. Well, if she was gon na follow through then there was only one thing for it ...

"Yep."She said, trying to not accept her vox disruption out in whimpers."Definitely Gryffindor."And with that she pulled the hat off her school principal, set it down on the chair and walked steadily towards Harry. She blanked out everything else in the hall, the susurration rebellion, the teachers, everything. There was a seat next to Harry and she was sitting in it. She reached the bench and hopped onto it, everyone was looking at her.

"Stay perfectly calm."Harry's voice but she swore his back talk barely moved."feel straight ahead and don't give them any signaling they're getting to you."Easy for him to say ! She stayed exactly where she was as the secretiveness crawled on. Then something touched her hand by her side. A candy of some kind. Without a Logos, and before the dumb stares of the whole mansion house, she brought out, divulge and calmly ate a liquorice wand.

Every eye in the entrance hall turned as they heard McGonagall clear her throat then…

"Jamaican capital, Victor."

It was as if the foyer had been holding its breath the entire time and now let it out in a waving of yak. Ginny felt someone clack her on the spine and looked sideways into Harry's face.

"Thank you."Ginny breathed through the noise."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 liquorice wand."unspoiled thing I was paying aid, who the hell is Ginevra Weasley ?"

The small boy with exquisitely waxed hair and sunglasses apparently named master capital of Jamaica had reached the hat and was looking down at it worriedly. He looked like he was about to blame it up then looked at the tabular array in the vestibule.

"Ravenclaw. I think I like Ravenclaw."

"On the positive side you may have started a revolution."Harry had leaned in to lecture to her again."On the subtraction McGonagall's gon na kill you…"

A vague looking girl was now looking at the hat thoughtfully before declaring that she was going to"The red haired girl's house."

"Are you our new planetary house mascot Ginny ?"Fred leaned over and grinned at his sis.

"We could make up some new standard if you like."His Gemini leaned in from the other side of the board.

"Leave her twins."Harry was holding her by both shoulders away from her sure-enough Brother."She tricked the hat, swindled McGonagall, caused a mark house revolution and all in front of the full school !"Harry grabbed her and hugged her from hindquarters."You can ‘ t have her ! She ‘ s ours !"

"What's he talking about."Ginny didn't think she could grin more than she was as she shot the head at her crony across the table. But it was Parvarti Patil who answered her.

"He means that you ‘ re the eccentric of mortal who goes for what they want and has the spunk to see it through and doesn ‘ t care what the rules say or who thinks what !"She stuck out her hand"Welcome to the Marauders."

By the end of the day Ginervrador House ( as it was briefly called ) had an unusually prominent class of first years. Filch had to move some of the bottom.

*

As Harry trudged back from his first detention with McGonagall that night ( polishing one C and hundreds of memorial tablet buttons that were just going to be transfigured into mallet anyway ) he leaned on the rampart near the portrait hole and closed his eyes for a present moment.

"Harry Potter sir !"

Harry opened his eyes and immediately realised his head accidental injury must have been worse than he thought. The hallucination had farsighted pointy pinna and was wearing some sort of ragged fabric like a toga.

"Wha… ?"

"Harry thrower should never cause got on the train !"

"Who ?"Harry shook his mind but the pocket-size soma remained"What and/or who are you ?"

"Dobby sir. Dobby the sign elf."The odd little beast bowed to him, its nose almost touching the storey."Dobby is truly sorry to have caused trouble for such a big sorcerer as Harry thrower. But Harry ceramicist must provide Hogwarts !"

"Caused worry ? What bother ?"Harry slid off the wall and stood straight. His wand was inconveniently tucked in an interior pocket, knockout to reach. Was this creature a terror ?"What are you talking about ?"

"Dobby thought that perhaps if Harry Potter was hurt he wouldn ‘ t be able to go to Hogwarts."

"What precisely…"Harry heavily enunciated the discussion"… are you talking about."

"Dobby thought that if the platform closed…"

"That was you !"Harry snapped forward like a pellet and caught the little puppet by the implements of war. The thing whined and tried to burst away but he held on."I could have missed the bloody train !"The brute nodded and whimpered a little more."I could have been killed ! Wait… knockturn alley…"Harry remembered the rubber wall. The elf stiffened again and he seemed to be avoiding Harry's eyes."That was you as well ! Why WHY !"He picked the matter up and shook it roughly."Are you trying to kill me ? Are you ?"The elf was truly crying now and Harry let him go. The pitiful affair crawled away from Harry and sat on the floor, looking up at him with its huge, tear filled optic. It looked like a kicked pup.

"Look, I ‘ m sorry."Harry reached out towards the elf but it shied away."I didn ‘ t mean to anguish you. The hospital wing isn ‘ t far, can I…"

"No !"Dobby's face became a masquerade party of awe."Dobby can not be seen. Dobby ‘ s masters can never know. Dobby isn ‘ t damage, Dobby gets far spoilt than this at home. Dobby's masters are…"the elf seemed to stiffen for a moment then he rushed over to the wall and began hitting his head on it hard.

"Bad Dobby ! Bad Dobby !"

"postponement ! Hey, Stop !"Harry was torn between the want to break it hurting itself and trying to avoid grabbing it again since he'd obviously hurt him. He pulled his robe off, quickly balled it up and ( between read/write head bounce ) slid it between Dobby and the wall. The hapless elf continued on for a couplet of hits, apparently not realising he was now cushioned, then dropped to the floor.

"Thank you sir."The elf's interpreter was a little quaky."Dobby almost spoke ill of his masters."

"Dobby…"Harry saw a need to tread carefully here."If, IF call up ! Hypothetically I asked who your masters were. Would you have to punish yourself ?"The elf quickly nodded.

"If I asked you to write it ?"nod.

"If I asked you to act it out like charades ?"The elf appeared to recall about this, cocking its head to the face. Then he nodded.

"If I asked you to tell me why you want me to go out Hogwarts ?"the elf's straits stayed very still."How much can you secern me without having to penalise yourself ?"

"Danger. Dobby knows that peril 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 form the danger would strike ?"

But at this Dobby shook his head furiously and put his hands over his ears. The short 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 thrower will go out Hogwarts ?"

"No. But I will be measured, very careful."

"Harry ceramist must leave, Harry ceramist is in danger."

"I usually am Dobby."Harry leaned forward conspiratorially."That just makes it more fun."





Please reexamination, especially if you think it 's bad. Really, it 'll help me improve.


"curiosity if he ‘ s cute ?"Parvarti wondered quizzically as the moment years wandered to the vindication against the sorry arts classroom. They had the course of instruction first period Monday, so would be the inaugural to meet the new teacher."Dumbledore said he ‘ s extraneous, so I bet he ‘ s cute."

"I just wonder if he ‘ ll be a good teacher."Hermione hung her top dog a piddling."After a twelvemonth of… of bad teaching we need to catch up. We ‘ ll be golden if we can make 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 apart none of his friends wanted to consider about the outcome at the end of stopping point year.

"wellspring, so long as he only has one face, I ‘ ll be happy."Harry stuck his men behind his question and laughed."rightfield ?"The others stopped for a moment, then grinned with him."intellection so. Anyway…"Harry was the first to the room access and pushed it afford."… after Quirrell we can ‘ t do often big can we ?"

"Pipsqueak ! Told you I ‘ d see you again !"

"No…"Harry looked across the room at Markus Maximus Michelson"…please no…"

"Take a seat up front line my well lad ! I can already tell this is going to be one of your pet division !"The marauder filed in the presence row and the early educatee moved in behind them. All of them looking a piffling apprehensively at the booming muscled design in front of them.

"The name's prof Markus Triple-M A. A. Michelson. I ‘ ll be your demurrer against the dark arts teacher this year. Thought I ‘ d ingest a break from the globe-trotting to fall on some of my cognition to the next 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 stand for Maximus, Mighty and Magesto but they might as well stick out for Muscular, Magical and to the highest degree of all Masculine !"He laughed and put his fists on his hips."So, on to the Matriculation !"He grabbed the register off the table and began yelling out gens, variously chuckling at the odd names and winking at any girlfriend who answered him quickly. When he got to Potter he said

"Know you ‘ re here Pipsqueak ! Don't need to even ask !"then went on. Harry dreaded looking backwards but did so anyway. Near the hind genus Draco Malfoy looked at him and mouthed the word pipsqueek then sneered. Harry groaned, he ‘ d never hear the end of this.

When the register was finished the prof strode up to the social movement of the class. To the shock of all watching he slammed one fist back into the blackboard. Holy Scripture jumped off the surface as if they had been jolted into being.

"Duelling !"The prof said and indeed this was the title on the plug-in."Who here has cast something abrasive than jelly-legs at another wizard ?"

A few hands went up around the course of instruction, including Harry's. Neville gulped and tried to confine his paw as low as possible, but Padma took it and jerked it up.

"You there !"Markus pointed to Neville. Padma giggled."What have you used ?"

"Full Body Bind sir."Neville appeared to be wishing he had a kettle of fish to crawl into.

"Good ! trade good self-colored spell ! incantation, for those who don't know is Petrificus Totalus. And who did you use it on ?"

"McGonagall."

"Mc…McGonagall ?"A nervous titter of laughter ran around the schoolroom."right wing, OK. Um… Anyone else ?"He pointed at Harry,"How bout you pipsqueak ?"

"Acerbus cuspis."

"The pain-spear spell."The instructor stopped moving and turned back towards Harry."A curse originating in the time of the inquisition, considered by many to be Dark thaumaturgy ?"

"Er…"

"And who did you use it on ?"

"Quirrell."

"right field OK."Albert Michelson shook his head."Before we dredge up any more than assaults against Hogwarts teachers lets start on something else. Who here knows what a shield charm is ?"Many of the paw went down ( though not of path, Hermione's )"Right ! we'll start there."

*

The course of study let out an hour later. Many of the students had the after-effects of minor hex and hexes on them from when their shield hadn't been dear enough or when their opponents had been too beneficial. Professor Albert Michelson seemed to think all of it extremely odd and laughed outrageously at every furiously-dancing, uncontrollably-coughing or unnaturally-warty educatee before cancelling their affliction and sending them on their way. Half way through the class he had picked Harry to demonstrate some more severe jinx to the class. Harry ‘ s buckler charm wasn ‘ t nearly unspoilt enough and he ended up suffering for every spell that winged his way.

"I hate him ! I hate that muscle-head mongrel !"Harry ranted as they walked to story of deception."He knows my name and he keeps calling me pipsqueak ! He singles me out ! He will pay for this ! Right ?"

The other vulture kept a good distance, giggling behind their hands.

"You know Harry, he seems to be a pretty good teacher."Hermione said. Harry rounded on her."I mean, some grownup wizards can't do shield appealingness and he managed to get half the family doing them in just one lesson."

"He keeps calling me abruptly !"Harry didn't understand why the others didn't get this"And didn ‘ t you hear him ? Mighty, Majestic, Mouldering… He loves himself !"

"Well…"Parvarti chipped in"He is cute."Harry's typeface became stony and dreary."And he… winked at me."

"You ‘ ll see."Harry turned and began back towards the account of wizard classroom"You ‘ ll all see ! After you meet him a few times you ‘ ll agree with me about Markus Mary Albert Michelson !"

*

But they didn't.

Defence Against the Dark Arts quickly became the most expect forward to deterrent example by the entire school. Every few moral Markus A. A. Michelson would usher in a new armed combat spell and work with them, pulling them with laugh, belittlement and encouragement, to hone the spell. From disarming and stunning through to shields and self-protection he taught everything with an identical laugh and identical chesty attitude. Harry remained sullen and silent in these object lesson especially when the inevitable happened and he was called up to help show a new go. He had tried to get the marauders riled up to play a harlequinade on prof Michelson but they had flatly refused. Harry had to content himself with dropping potion on a group off Slytherins that gave them oozing boils. It had been quiet complex, whoever the pus hit when the boils exploded developed them as well.

It was on his way back from heavy detainment that he heard someone yell. Harry saw a first year rush past him upstairs and followed him, towards the noise. A group of scholar were gathered on the third floor. Harry pushed through them without a thought and stopped at the front to see a horrific sight. Painted on the paries in what looked wish blood were the words…

Arise those of antediluvian blood ! Cast out the impure from this sign of our sire ! Be truthful to your parentage ! Destroy the foe of the heir ! This is the call to weapon system !

Harry glanced to his side, lined up next to one another stood a group of Slytherins. Malfoy, Goyle and Flint stood side by side, each wearing superposable expressions of Glee.

On the floor in front of the letters crouched poor Victor Kingston, the kid who'd liked the looking at of Ravenclaw, curled up in fear behind his sunglass.

Harry moved closer on inherent aptitude and put his fingers to the male child neck.

"What are you doing ?"A vocalism behind him hissed but he ignored them.

"He doesn ‘ t have a pulse."Harry murmured, trying to move his finger's breadth around for a upright feel."No pulsing. Get brothel keeper Pomfrey ! Get Dumbledore !"

"Both are here Harry."Harry looked up to see the headmaster walk to the edge of the crew. He stood back gratefully as the school nurse went to work.

"Is he… dead ?"An elderly Ravenclaw at the edge of the lap asked and a whisper of breathless seismic disturbance swept the crowd.

"No."Professor Dumbledore said calmly"He appears to cause been petrified."

"Will he recover ?"Harry noticed that the Ravenclaw was a prefect, she had probably known Victor.

"Yes Miss Clearwater. I think so, in time."tension seemed to go out of the group but the prefect pressed on.

"Professor…"She glanced up at the writing on the wall."winner was a muggleborn, do you retrieve that there ‘ s any risk ?"

"I am sure I can hope every student here to act in a way that does not rape the good public figure 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 initiative attack happened just the next morning. Hannah archimandrite was found with a break arm at the can of the step leading down to the Hufflepuff green room. Her bag and books strewn haphazardly at the top. She'd been coming up from the basement early to get breakfast and been pushed back down.

Professor sprout took her to the hospital wing. But no one had seen what happened, not even Hannah, and no issue how much they asked the professor couldn't find who had done it.

The next day a group of Slytherins cornered a first class in one of the pep pill corridors and began hexing him over and over. Only Flitwick happening past had stopped worse happening.

In a matter of week it was no foresighted prophylactic for a muggleborn or half-blood student to be out on their own. gentlewoman Pomfrey was being worked of her base by the current of injuries coming into her care.

Then, one morning, King Oliver Sir Henry Joseph Wood the Gryffindor Quidditch skipper was petrified in the prefects bathroom. The instructor had tried to hold on a lid on it but the words that had been scrawled on the bulwark somehow got out.

Mudbloods and blood-traitors cower in fear ! The heir of Slytherin returns and the bedchamber has been opened. arise up around his standard ! Spill the spoilt rip on the ground !

"It ‘ s getting worse."Harry said as they walked towards their next class."I mean just aspect !"He gestured out the window.

There was a huddle of bookman scurrying along the wall and slipping in a door. A present moment later a grouping of Slytherins hurried into the courtyard with their with wand out.

"Harry no !"Harry was aiming his wand out the windowpane but Hermione jerked his arm back."If we start fighting back thing will escalate ! We have to let the instructor handle it."

"They can ‘ t."Padma said dully as they passed the Defence Against the dark Arts classroom"Not on this scale."Her sister nodded silently. Her normally upbeat temper dulled.

"Padma ‘ s aright Hermione."Ron shook his head."Things are just getting worse and besides, we can ‘ t afford to lose any more Quidditch players."

"Is that all you care about !"

"I just meant…"

"Shut up."Harry snapped back at them irritably."Quidditch is about as practically use as you two bickering when things are going to hell all around us. We ‘ ve got to do something."

"But what ?"Padma said, shaking her pass."This isn ‘ t like Quirrell Harry. There ‘ s no evil ace behind it. Its half the school, trying the kill the former one-half and we don't know till too recent which is which."

"With some we got a pretty good idea."Harry murmured darkly as they passed a group of Slytherins. The piranha curled around Hermione like a man shell as they passed and only spread back out after they had gone. A second later Harry's wand vibrated in his pocket."Damn it !"Harry motioned the others to calm and the sound of hexing could be heard above them. They broke into a run towards the near stair.

*

"leave-taking him alone !"Ginny's own representative sounded shrill in her pinna. She stepped in front her injure friend and tried to swallow her fear.

"What ? Protecting your mudblood boyfriend traitor ?"Marcus Flint stepped out of the anchor ring of Slytherins surrounding her and Colin."Step aside for me. I ‘ d rather not spill wizard stock, even your syndicate, unless I have to."

"Mico Harry."Ginny whispered, holding her wand out in forepart of her. Hoping he was in reach."Mico Harry."

"Your boyfriend doesn ‘ t look up to much."Flint River said stepping finisher and eyeing the quivering Gryffindor."Maybe you want a real man ?"

"Mico Ron. Mico Hermione."

"What's that ?"Flint leant forward to find out."That supposed to be a hex ? Ha ! What ‘ s it do ?"Flint River laughed and his cohorts around him started laughing too.

"It summons fiend !"

As Marcus'header jerked up a bludgeoning hex struck him in the chest. He was thrown back and his friends drew their wands as the vulture rushed them from the stairwell.

*

Harry was the first off to admit that he probably wasn't destined to be a duelist. His number 1 strike against the one-seventh twelvemonth had been favorable and he now found himself shielding for his life in the middle of a war-zone. former students from former houses had been drawn in or joined in or been pushed in by the crowd and now the corridor was filled with flashing luminosity and cries of pain.

"You ‘ re suddenly Potter. Oh you ‘ re dead."Flint advanced on him and Harry ducked behind a statue as the big Slytherins curse smashed into the primer near his feet. A minute one smacked into the Harlan Fiske Stone wizard and it began to topple over. Harry scrambled out as it crashed to the floor and jabbed his scepter at his attacker.

"Expelliarmus !"The while struck Flint but his thick, sausage-like fingers were curled tightly around his wand.

"Confringo !"Harry leapt out of the way of the blasting scourge and fell badly on his shoulder joint. He threw his own back in answer and the ophidian stumbled backwards. Harry jumped to his feet and shot a bludgeoning hex only to have it rebound off a shield and big H him in the dresser. Tumbling backwards he landed on his rachis among the debris. His wand skittered off along the floor. A tincture fell over him and a huge bring up metrical foot slammed onto his chest, holding him down.

"hello Potter."Flint pointed his sceptre at Harry's face."Now I ‘ m gona have some fun."

A moment later Flint was thrown off him as a sweeping wafture of light pellet through the corridor, forcibly pulling opponent apart.

Harry's hand darted out and grabbed his verge while he looked for the source of the while. His oculus found Albus Dumbledore standing at the end of the corridor with several early instructor behind him.

"Is any pupil here injured or in demand of the hospital backstage ?"His voice was stony as he eyed the tack together educatee. A few students raised their hands. Dumbledore nodded and turned to speak to the teachers 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 middle for a moment, they were cold, harsh and frustrated. When the last of the injured were gone the Headmaster turned back to the remaining scholarly person.

"Now can anyone tell me why this happened ? Why Hogwarts student saw fit to turn this corridor into a field ?"He looked over the educatee and Harry realised that he and Flint were right out in the middle, the two of them surrounded by vacuum. Somehow the ringleaders had been singled out."Why bookman who I thought I could believe to act in good faith instead acted like fools ?"

No one spoke. No one wanted to draw care to themselves.

"You will all return to your common elbow room now. Tomorrow break of the day you will all come to the corking antechamber where you will drop your Sat in secrecy. You will return the day after that and for many weekends to total until I decide that the peace of mind and tranquility of the school has returned. Your parents will also be informed of your let down behaviour."Dumbledore gestured at the tyke."Go off now. Not you Harry !"Harry was drawn back by Dumbledore's phonation. Marcus flint smirked at him with his troll-like smiling and slinked off. Harry followed the master in secretiveness as he turned and walked off through the school. He stopped before a gargoyle on the second floor.

"Sherbet Lemon."The childish password seemed oddly out of kelter with the office. They remained silent as they were raised up by the staircase and walked out into the schoolmaster office.

Harry glanced around in wonder at the odd ash gray motorcar, many moving or making soft phone, filling tables around the edge of the office. His eyes were drawn to the rod behind the desk where a wear down looking red fowl sat. Even as Harry watched another of its feathers fell off and twirled towards the floor.

Dumbledore caught it before it hit and slipped it into an inside pocket of his robes. He turned and sat behind the toilsome desk. Saying goose egg, he regarded the scholarly person before him over steepled finger's breadth.

Harry knew that with any former instructor this was the time to be quiet and see guilty, but with Dumbledore he might actually be better off explaining.

"Professor."He began and licked his dry lips. Dumbledore's centre flicked to his."I heard the sound of someone being attacked nearby and I went to see whether I could serve. When we… I got there Marcus Flint and some other Slytherins had the first years surrounded."He couldn't say what effect this was having on the Headmaster. His expression was inscrutable."I fired a charm to induce 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 charm yes."

"various students are offend Harry."Gods teeth the ragged bird was eyeballing him as well."And there was some geomorphologic legal injury to the schooling. several house painting were damaged and statues broken."

"I was just trying to help sir. I didn't want any of that."

"And with this air of fright already around the school you have given everyone another reason to hate each other."Harry felt very minor in movement of the continued stare."Worse, you have escalated this trouble with your actions. adjacent time people will be even quicker to tie wands in wrath. Next clip the hexes will be big and people could be seriously injured Harry, do you understand that ?"

"Yes sir."Harry opinion of Marcus Flint's smirk. adjacent time they wouldn't wait to tease people.

"Today you chose to fight hatred with anger and wildness. That way will always breed further hatred do you understand that ?"

"Yes sir."

"See that you do not repeat this mistake."

"Yes sir. Thank you."Harry walked out of the office. All the way to the door he could feel the old mans eyes on his backrest.

*

Harry walked back slowly to the Gryffindor common room. By fortune the route took him back past the battleground. Some attempt had been made to clean up but the place still felt damaged. outstanding chunks were missing from the stone and the broken painting had all been taken down. The passage was bare. Harry saw movement at the early end and tensed for a minute, then relaxed as he saw red fuzz and freckles.

"Ginny ?"

"Harry."The petty lady friend moved up the corridor towards him. Stopping just a piffling way down from him."I ‘ m so sorry I got you into trouble. I shouldn ‘ t have micod for you. Hermione said you could be expelled."

"If I was expelled every meter Hermione said I would be I ‘ d be some sort o'world record."Harry walked up to his novel military recruit and ruffled her hair."And I taught you that call exactly so you would call me if you were ever in trouble. All this…"Harry waved his hand at the terms and shook his head."Not your fault. But why are you back here ? Shouldn ‘ t you be in the unwashed 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 eye. There was a surprising amount of fear there."Why don't you want to tell me ? You don't have to you know."

"Lost something."Ginny's voice became belittled with each word she said."A diary. Must have fallen out in the fight."

"Your diary ‘ s missing ?"Harry shook his straits."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 Koran before I even got here. intellection maybe it got left there."

"Who ‘ s was it ?"

"The presence said it was Tom Marvolo Riddle ‘ s."Ginny was acting almost like when he'd first met her.

"And the bit you ‘ re not telling me is…"He hated doing this but she was obviously hiding something.

"It was… special."Ginny seemed to shrink into the ground a picayune."It spoke to me."

"Spoke ? It could blab ?"

"No, he wrote back when I wrote him things."Ginny curled up on the floor and hugged her stage up to her chest."It was white but it wrote back. He was so squeamish. I had soul to talk to finally."

"somebody to talk to ?"Harry scratched his straits. What did she mean ?"You have six brothers don't you ?"

"I can't talk to them."Ginny began to sob a fiddling."They don't understand. They laugh at me. Tom understood. And now he ‘ s gone. What if someone else picks him up ? What if he tells them the stuff I wrote ?"Ginny looked up shocked and scared and suddenly broke down into tears. Harry just stood there, he didn't know what the Inferno to do.

"I mess everything up."Ginny gulped between sobs."I lost Tom and everyone ‘ s going to study him ! I messed up the sorting ! I started a battle and almost got you expelled !"

"Ginny listen to me."Harry tried grabbing her articulatio humeri but she wouldn't look at him. With his other hand he cupped her face and brought it up so he could see her oculus."Tom sounds like a good Friend, I ‘ m sure enough you can trust him to keep your closed book. I mean, other people must have had the diary before you and Tom never told you any of their secrets right ?"

Merlin's beard, he didn't know what he was doing. What did he get it on about comforting masses ?

"And as for this."He pointed around the corridor."All this we can fix. We can fix everything, don't trouble. I ‘ ll assistant you."He was babbling, as if she'd care about the corridor.

"And…"Ginny had stopped crying at to the lowest degree."You don't hate me ?"Harry shook his promontory.

"Only when you cry. Gryffindors don't cry."He regretted it as soon as he said it, that wasn't what she needed to hear. As he had often done before Harry asked himself where Hermione was when he needed her. She would give known what to say. He smudged a sleeve against Ginny's brass to get rid of the split. At to the lowest degree he could do that right.

"seminal fluid on. Lashkar-e-Tayyiba get back to the vulgar 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 stranger ?"

"Harry."Ginny was looking up at him now."Why couldn't I have had you as a Brother instead of Ron ?"

"Because I ‘ m not ginger and my skin can take in a tan. Why'd you ask ?"But Ginny didn't answer him.

"She's probably distraught."Harry thought, putting an arm over her articulatio humeri and walking with her towards Gryffindor tower."I ‘ m no sound at this sort of thing."