Author's note: Okay, this takes places after "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," and is named "Harry Potter and the Green Flame Torch." I heard that was the name of the sixth-year book, so I'll be using that. I'm going to try to write this in the 'Harry Potter Style', as I have deemed it, but won't promise anything. It includes characters mentions in the previous books, with a little more page time for some mentioned in only a small part. I suggest that if you haven't, you read the Harry Potter books before this. Hope you like it! (Also, please review)

Disclaimer: I may wish I do, but I don't own Harry Potter or these characters. I do own the plot, though. J

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Harry Potter and the Green Flame Torch

By: Anthony DiGeorgio, based on books by J. K. Rowling

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Number Four Privet Drive was a very normal house, with a very normal green lawn boasting very normal flower gardens, on a very normal street. It even sported a very normal family green car, which was kept washed and sparkling. It was like almost every other house on the street, though the family was a little different.

Vernon Dursley was a very… well… chubby fellow, of whom might be sought out if England ever started a sumo league. He was known to be normal, if loud, most of the time. Petunia Dursley, originally Petunia Evans, was a skinny woman. Indeed, you'd need a lot of her to equal one Vernon. She was also 'normal'. Dudley Dursley took after his father, becoming quite big for a child in his late teens, though in the last few years his fat has be drastically changed into muscle, though he still boast quite a frame. To the grown-ups of the street and neighborhood he was also normal, but to the children and teenagers he was know to be a 'bully', being the leader of his own gang. Not many children would dare say this, knowing that the few that had were 'dealt with' rather harshly.

The last occupant of Number Four Privet Drive, one Harry James Potter, was known to be quite unusual. For he was known to attend St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal boys during the year, summer excluded. Thus the general population of the neighborhood avoided him if at all possible. What the general population didn't know was that Harry actually attended Hogwarts School f Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Yes, Harry Potter is a wizard, and a quite powerful one at that. He had only just finished his fifth year at Hogwarts before the summer vacation. He had done many things that would qualify him as great, not least being escaping from, if not defeating, the most powerful dark wizard of the century (maybe even longer) five times, first of which being when he was but one year old.

During these times he had killed a very large snake called a basilisk, escaped many acromantula-giant spiders-in the forbidden forest, stole an egg from a dragon, swam with the merpeople, taught a group of friends in defense, and many other things that would take well too long to mention. During most of these times he was with his friends, those mainly being Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

Also during these times, though, Harry had seen friends and others die. Cedric Diggory was the first, having been killed after he and Harry were transported via portkey to a meeting of Deatheaters (followers of the current Dark Lord, Voldemort). Cedric had been killed just after their arrival, but Harry's blood had been used to restore Voldemort to his body, and after a duel had gone on between the teen and Voldemort in which Harry barely escaped from with Cedric's dead body.

The second death was much closer to home for Harry, for it was his Godfather, Sirius Black, who had been killed. He had been killed in the Department of Mysteries, which is part of the Ministry of Magic. He had been killed saving Harry who had, ironically, gone there to save Sirus. It had turned out to be a trap, though, and thus Harry and a few friends (Ron, Hermione, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood) that needed saving were saved by Sirius and other members of the Order of the Phoenix. Being hit by a curse from Bellatrix Lestrange, who just happened to be Sirius's cousin, and sent him falling through a veil from which there is said to be no return.

Sirius had been the closest thing Harry had to a father in all his life. His parents had been killed when he was one, and no one else had gotten as close to Harry in the way a father would as Sirius. Thus his dying was hard on Harry, and the affects still show in early July, a few months after.

Harry is currently sitting in an old rolling chair which, ironically, doesn't roll. This chair is at a small, yet purposeful, desk in Harry's small room in number four Privet Drive. In his hand was a quill, and on the desk was a piece of parchment. He sighs lightly before starting to write.

Dear Professor Lupin,

Once again I am fine. The Dursley's are treating me fine, and I'm fine once more. Is there any news of Voldemort? There is little in the Daily Prophet, though I have noticed that they are once again praising my name instead on putting it down. Please, if there is any news, fill me in?

Stuck with the Dursley's,

Harry

Certain members of the Order of the Phoenix had told him to write once every three days to tell them he was doing fine, or they would come and check on him. Though it would be entertaining for sure, he knew that it would cause trouble, so he made sure to write. They had also told the Dursleys to treat Harry well, or they would be coming by. This had made Harry's summer bearable so far.

"Hedwig, I need you to take this to Professor Lupin," Harry looked up to the stand next to the desk in which Hedwig, his snowy owl, was perched. Harry smiled as he saw Hedwig's foot stuck out. She was a very smart owl indeed. He took a moment to tie to letter the her leg before stroking her head once, "I'll let you rest a few days without delivering anything when you get back." He promised.

Hedwig seemed to know better though, and gave a sound remarkable close to a snort for an owl before rising from her stand and flying out the open window.

Harry didn't get a chance to start reading from the book he had pulled in front of him, the last book in the set Sirius and Lupin had gotten him for Christmas the previous year called Practical Defensive Magic and Its Use Against the Dark Arts, when he heard a high call from down stairs, "GET DOWN HERE IF YOU WANT DINNER, HARRY!"

One of the ways his summer has been different from others is the use of his name by his relatives instead of the usual 'boy', 'freak' and other names such as those. Aunt Petunia had even gone as far as complimenting Harry on his chores, something that had never happened before. It's amazing what fear of a stick can do.

Not bothering to reply, Harry quickly places a marker in his book and shuts it. He then stands, and walks out of the room. The locks that were once on the door are now gone. Harry's only guess is that they were taken out while he was last at Hogwarts. He is soon making his way into the kitchen.

His plate and silverware have already been laid out for him with a decent sized helping of grilled chicken and vegetables already set on the plate. Dudley was once again on a diet, and thus everyone in the house was. This time around, though, Harry did not mind the food.

"Well, hurry up and sit so we can eat, bo- Harry." That was Vernon. He was having the most trouble saying Harry's name, much to Harry's entertainment. Harry could just see the small twitch his Uncle gave every time he said it. Some things in life are priceless, that was one of them. For now, anyway.

Harry shook his head slightly and took the seat across from his cousin, who was shooting Harry a very intense death-glare.

Harry may not have minded the food, but he didn't eat much. So by the time supper was through he had only eaten half of what was on his plate.

"Bo—Harry, you be sure to write those fre-friends of yours a-and tell them we are treating you fine." Vernon had taken to count till every third day, then remind Harry throughout that day to owl a letter to the Order members.

"Already done." Harry says shortly before leaving the kitchen. In the summers before this he may have had to stay in the kitchen to clean up, but this year the chores were being done by more than just Harry.

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The next day went by much like previous days had that summer. Harry waking up, eating, making sure to do a few chores, then going beck up to his room to engross himself in reading or doing summer homework.

Harry, though he wouldn't admit it, was busying himself to keep from thinking of Sirius. Often he had to set on of his books down when he came to passages the reminded him in any way of his godfather.

It was while he was writing his Transfiguration's essay on twenty selected spells from previous years. He was to write as much information as he could on each of his twenty choices, which was a lot, when he heard familiar tapping on his window.

Looking up from the essay Harry smiled to Hedwig from his seat before standing and walking to the window. Once he had opened it Hedwig fly in and dropping a letter on the bed as she made her way to her cage.

Harry closed the window before grabbing the letter and opening it.

Harry,

First of all, call me Remus; I'm no longer your professor. I'm afraid there is little news, as Voldemort has been quiet since the incident in the Department of Mysteries. There have been reports of a few scattered attacks on individual people, but nothing other than that. I can give you some news that you might like, though. You'll be able to leave the Dursley's on August the eighth. Sorry it isn't sooner, but that's the date we came up with. Where you go, though, is up to you. Hogwarts, The Burrow, or Headquarters. I do hope you are doing fine. If you need anything, just send Hedwig.

Remus

Harry took a moment to reread a few parts of the letter before it was unceremoniously crumbled into a ball and thrown to the other side of the room where it bounced off the wall and fell to the ground.

"The eighth of August!? That almost a bloody month away!" Harry's temper, kept at a low most of the summer, flared up and he kicked the non-rollable rolling chair, which was the first thing he saw. Ignoring the twinge of pain Harry left his room quickly, and not two minutes later was halfway down the street.

"No. I have to stay here all summer. First they put me here for ten years, and then they keep me here every summer even though I don't want to be here. It's better for me to be protected. Bull! I'd be just as save here as I would at the Burrow or Hogwarts!"

This was how it was in Harry's mind as he walked quickly down the street, turned, continued on. All this was unknown to Harry. He was moving automatically. Another turn, down the road, across the street. He didn't know and didn't care where he was headed. If he had stayed in the house, though, he was sure that it wouldn't be in one piece. The house, that is.

"Nothing can ever go my way, can it? All I want is to-"

"STOP IT!"

"-Huh?" Harry finished, looking around. He was at the entrance to a small back street behind a local general store. He wasn't alone, though. The shout had come from a small boy, looking to be around ten years old, who was being backed towards the wall of the general store by a group of teens Harry's age.

One of the teens, the one closest to the boy spoke, "What? Is lil' Marky 'fraid of a little teasing? Afraid that you'll get hurt again? Thinking about checking me again, are you?" Harry knew that voice very well. It was his cousin Dudley and his gang, once again going at younger kids. At this though, Dudley reached his head out quickly and shoved the boy in front of him hard, which forced the boy backwards into the wall.

Harry's eyes narrowed and he took a step forward, his hand reaching into his pocket quickly. Just as he was about to speak, though, Dudley and the gang (four others currently), went flying. Quite literally, too. One second they were closing in on the boy, and then they were flung away as if shoved by an invisible force.

Harry wasn't the only one shocked, for Dudley and his friends were all one the ground now. Dudley's four friends quickly got back up, but it took help of two of them to get Dudley back up. All the while Harry just stood there, hand in his pocket (Moody would be pissed if he knew Harry kept his wand there), staring at the boy who was now standing again. Then Harry remembered something. He was being followed by at least one member of the Order at all time. So they must have…

"YOU!" Harry was taken out of his thoughts by Dudley's shout. Looking up he saw Dudley and his gang looking at him, his cousin pointing one finger at him. "YOU CAN'T DO THAT STUFF OUTSIDE OF YOUR SCHOOL, FREAK! I KNOW YOU CAN'T!"

Harry blinked. Obviously Dudley thought Harry had done that, even though Harry knew he didn't. He was going to point out that fact when an idea came to his mind, "Oh? Then what did I just do?"

A grin came to Harry's face as he left Dudley starting and stuttering, while everyone else visible in the street just stared, confused, between the two cousins. Harry could have sworn that he heard muffled chuckling from behind him. "What? At a loss for words, are we Diddykins?" The reaction the Harry's use of the pet names his Aunt called Dudley was expected.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT YOU FREAK!"

"Oh? And how are you going to stop me, Dud? Fall on your belly and use me as a bowling pin? With you being the bowling ball?" This cause snickering from both Dudley's friends and the almost-forgotten boy. Once again Harry could swear that there was laughter coming from behind him as well.

Dudley's eyes almost doubled in size at this, and then narrow greatly. Hi friends are given a glare and they promptly stop their snickering. Dudley then turns back to Harry and speaks coldly, "If it wasn't for that stick, cousin, you'd be nothing."

This doesn't deter Harry, though, and the grin stays on his face. "Well, I'd rather be nothing than a whole lot of something like you." This time Harry was sure he heard laughing from behind him.

Dudley's face quickly went from light pink to bright red and he snorted as Harry continued, "I'm tired of hearing about all the kids five years younger than you that you beat up, Dudley. And you know what? I do believe I'm going to stop it. Now. If I ever here that you hurt a kid that is more than a year younger than you, or used your gang here to beat one up that is your age, I swear that what my friend started six years ago will be finished, Dudley. Then you won't be needing excuses to the way you eat. Now, if you don't mind I do believe you and your friends should be going home now."

Dudley's eyes once again grew twice their normal size, "Y-you can't! I know you can't! I-I'm going to tell mum and father if you do!" Beside him, Dudley's friends were looking on with a mix of confusion and amusement. Confusion because one Harry Potter had said a few words that from anyone else would have done nothing to their leader, but from Harry they seemed to make Dudley scared and… twitch slightly. The boy was still standing in the same spot, watching Harry with wonderment. Only now did Harry recognize the boy. Mark Evans. Victim to Dudley for almost two years, and the only one who still 'stands up' to him, if that only means not giving him money without being forced.

"And I'm sure they'd like to find out how you've been treating the other kids in the neighborhood?" Harry snickered slightly, "Take my advise, Duds, and leave. Leave now, and heed my warning."

"F-Fine! I was planning one moving up in the chain anyway!" Dudley stammered after a few moments and started walking, quickly, away from the street, being sure to keep away from Harry as he did. Dudley's friends, now well confused, started after him after a few moments of hesitation.

Harry watched as they turned a corner and left his sight, the grin he had on never leaving his face. Harry then turned back towards Mark, who now looked quite confused, himself. Taking a few steps forward, Harry moved himself a few feet in front of the boy, who now had a slight look of fear on him once more. "Y-you're not going to hurt me, are you?" he asked slowly.

"Why would I hurt you?" Harry repressed the feeling of needing to laugh.

"We-well… don't you go to some…. Criminal school?"

"That's the story, yes, but don't always believe stories. I don't." This seemed to leave the boy even more confused and Harry smiled, "Want me to walk you home, just to make sure Dudley doesn't decide to come back?"

Mark shook his head quickly, "N-no. I'll be fine, thanks…" and at that the boy turns and started to walk away at a pace even quicker than Dudley & Co.

Once he was out of sight Harry nearly wet himself at the loud laughter that came from behind him, but he only jumped slightly and turned, grip on his wand once again tight. But what he saw made him to loosen his grip fully, "You know, I silencing spell would be good to use while you are hiding under a invisibility cloak, Tonks."

There on the ground, ten feet away, was a kneeling Tonks. Beside her was a discarded invisibility cloak, and her hands were around her midsection as she laughed. While she was laughing her hair seemed to join in, changing randomly from one color to another. Aqua blue, hot pink, yellow-green, royal purple and so on. This went on for a good minute and a half, Harry just barely resisting the need to fall over laughing as well. He was content to laugh quietly as he watched.

"I'm sor-sorry Harry! I-I just can't help it! You really told that troll of a boy off!" Tonks finally managed to speak after bringing her laughing down to a few giggles. Quickly, though, she stopped giggling and her face became stern and she stood up quickly, "Still, you should not have been doing magic! I don't care if they were going to hurt the boy; you're going to end up in trouble! I'll bet the Ministry is send-"

"Who! Wait a second, Tonks! I didn't use any magic! I-I thought you did!" Harry managed to get in after the initial shook of her accusing him of using magic.

"-alrea—what? Y-you didn't do that?" Tonks took a moment to blink, "Well… I certainly didn't!"

"Wait… if neither of us did that, then who did? I mean… we are the only two wizards around here right now…. Aren't we?"

Tonks, unlike her usual self, was in deep thought now, a small frown on her face. After a few moments the frown was replaced with a bright smile. "Well, it was either a deatheater hiding under an invisibility cloak," she paused a moment, her grin broadening more at the frown the suddenly appeared on Harry's face, "or Hogwarts is going to be having a new student this year. About ya tall, with light brown hair (I think, though the dark certainly didn't help my vision), and by the name of-what did you say? -Oh, yes, Mark."

This caused Harry to freeze for a few moments, then a grin appeared on his face. Someone who lived near the Dursleys was going to be going to Hogwarts. Even if he was years younger than Harry was, it was something of good news. "You mean /that/ was him? I mean… throwing Dudley and his gang away?" Harry asked after a moment.

Tonks nodded quickly, "I don't see who else it could be. If it was neither of us, and your cousin and his friends are that old, he is the only candidate. I'll speak to Dumbledore about it. What is his last name?"

"Evans…" Harry said slowly, as he remembered that name being his mother's maiden name.

"Evans, huh? Common muggle name, is it? Well… we best be getting back, Harry. If I'm not mistaken, it's getting quite late and I should be switching shifts soon."

Harry only nodded and started to walk back towards Privet Drive. He could just hear the sound of footsteps behind him as Tonks followed him, once more in the invisibility cloak.

Harry's mind, however, was elsewhere. Another wizard lives near me! Ms. Figg is all right, but she's old… and she has all those cats. But Mark Evans grew up slightly like Harry did. Well, not too much like he did, he hoped, but slightly. He was raised muggle, for one. And he also had to put up with Dudley… maybe there was more. He didn't notice when he started walking up the driveway of number four Privet Drive, or even when he entered the house. He did it automatically, his mind lost in thought. He didn't notice when he fell into the bed fully clothed or even when he fell asleep. Only thing that told him he had was the light from the morning sun as he woke, noting to himself that he did not dream again… like he hadn't since summer began.

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Author's note: How was it? I promise that the plot will start going faster next chapter. This one was just the introduction to certain things I'm going to put into the story. Please review!

Coming next chapter: O.W.Ls, secrets revealed, and a few birthdays.