Chapter 1. You Drive a Hard Price

It is a sunny day next to the sea. No one is around save for a little brown dog and a little boy. The boy was about eleven years of age with dark black hair, tanned skin and small black eyes. His name is Heydar Rogers. He was wearing a black suit that he hadn't wore for three years and made it difficult for him to sit down with his legs drawn to his chest, but that did not stop him anyways. Before him stood the green sea that foamed white every time the towering waters crashed against the cliff and made curious swirls that normal water could never do on its on. It seemed alive and dancing before him. However, his attention was very far from the sea despite his unbroken glaze. No, he was not looking at the green, white, or red at all. The little black dog was in the same state as her head lay on the boy's leg.

"Ah Long," called man's voice, calling after the boy. His voice was deep and heavily accented with foreign language and with hidden grief.

The boy did not stir or turn around to the familiar voice.

The man came and sat down next to him.

"Ah Long," said the man, whom people called Mr. Rogers. "Didn't your mother ban you from coming here?"

Heydar nodded. Mrs. Rogers would always threatened to kill him herself if the possibility of falling off the cliff didn't. He wished more than anything in the world, to hear her voice screeching through the air, telling him to stay away from the cliff.

"I miss her so much dad," he said, turning to face his weary-eyed father. He buried his head in his father's chest and cried so hard that he didn't care if Sandy Michaels called him a girl.

"I miss her too son," said Mr. Rogers, stroking his back and looking solemnly out into the distance, at the sinking red sun.

***

When Heydar woke up, he found himself in his fourposter bed at Hogwarts soaking in sweat and tears on his face. He tried to wipe them away with his sleeve to no avail. Shakily, he got of bed, and walked across the room to the facet. He splashed his warm face with cold water, wiped it with a dry towel and looked at himself in the mirror.

His hair was longer now and in need of a good trim and dark under the pale moonlight. His face was longer and more defined in features and eyes were bigger and the reflecting light gave him an intense look. He was relieved to see his 17-year-old self in the mirror, instead of the same boy six years ago.

Damn, he thought to himself as he still stared into the mirror. He was having that same dream again. Heydar had been relieving the same dream over and over again ever since the school year started. It was so vivid and so real; sometimes he can still smell the sea air after he woke up. He hated that dream because, two weeks after that event had happened, his father had left him. He was starting at Hogwarts the next day, and two ministry officials had to take him kicking and screaming to board the school train.

A loud snoring from a corner interrupted his thoughts and Heydar couldn't help but stifle a laugh. It was Albin Darby Patel, or Albie as he called him, who was his best friend. It was at the school train, where he met him. One of the prefects, an annoying redhead who placed him in the same cart as Albie.

"Here you go, Heydar," said Rosie, " All you need right now is a friend. Hogwarts is awesome! Trust me. Well, as long you get involve in clubs like I have been, but never mind that for now. This is Albin-"

"Albie," corrected the boy, who had been clearly in tears, but tried to look nonchalant at the sight of Heydar, who was in the same state. He was scrawny as much as he was with dark black hair and dark brown skin.

After the annoying girl had left, they stared at each other in silence with a tough-guy attitude even though they both had just showed their vulnerable side to each other.

"What's wrong with you?" said Albie in a sneer.

"Nothing," said Heydar, glaring back, " what wrong with you?"

"None of your troll's ass that's what," he said looking away. They was silent for a couple of minutes until Albie sniffed.

"I heard that," said Heydar in ah –ha moment.

Albie turned to him and crossed his arms angrily. "Well if you got to be a sissy about it- I miss my mum okay? ," he added under his breath and looked embarrassingly away again.

"What about your dad?" Heydar asked.

" No dad," he said, "I am sure your family is peach perfect isn't it?"

Albie was challenging him, without knowing that it was not his fight to win.

" No parents," said Heydar sadly looking down and kicking his feet in the air, " My mom is dead, and my dad walked out afterwards."

Silence again. They both looked out the window at kids saying goodbye to their parents, in envy. Soon, the horn sounded, the train gathered speed, and the parents past by in a blur.

"What's your name again?" said Albie at long last.

"Long Rogers, but that is just my Chinese name, my friends call me Heydar."

" Really, what does 'Long' mean? " asked Albie, relaxing a little.

" Oh, it means dragon. My mom gave me the name because I was born in the year of the dragon," said Heydar.

" Wait, I learned about that in grade school back in London," said Albie. Then with a crest fallen look, "I am in the year of the snake, but I hope I don't get into Slytherin. My mum would hex me!"

Heydar laughed. "Don't worry! It's all just some make believe story muggles came up with. My mom was a muggle-born and my dad says its hard to get the culture out of her!"

Albie fell back in his seat in relief.

" Besides, it were true, I heard that dragons and snakes make great friends!" said Heydar.

It was from then on, as they became known around Hogwarts as inseparable brothers and even went as far as to co-captain the school's dueling club.

Taking a look at his watch, he realized that it was only 4:30 in the morning and tomorrow; he had the first charm exam to take. It was crucial to get as much sleep as possible.

He sunk back into this cool covers, and fell back to a dreamless sleep.

***

When Heydar finally make it to the breakfast table, he only had one arm in his robes. Albie was already sitting at the table, chatting away with two very pretty girls.

"-I am not joking girls, I took Sandy down in one blow. He cried like a baby afterwards! Heydar was there, right?" He looked to him grinning to ear to ear.

"Nah, it was the other way around. Albie even begged me to kiss his boo-boo aftwards. But as a self-respected man, I refused," lied Heydar and promptly stuffed his mouth full of eggs.

The girls giggled. "Good job Captain boo-boo," said Julie Lee patting Albie on his back, causing him to blush, fortunately only Heydar could see it. " Well we've got class to go to as do the two of you! Laters. Good morning Heydar."

Heydar nodded in reply as his mouth was stuffed since he was eating as fast as he could.

"Bye girls," said Albie.

After Julie and her plump friend Sophy Famire had disappeared, Albie reached across the table and punched him in the arm.

"Awww!" shouted Heydar, spit mixed with bits of eggs trickled down his chin.

"You know what that's for!" said Albie.

Albie had been entranced by Julie ever since the three of them sat on the same boat in their first year. But then again, she doesn't hurt to look at given that Julie is one of those rare girls with beauty and brains.

"Well you should have woke me up if you wanted to me to lie for you today," said Heydar massaging his arm.

"Have you tried waking yourself up, its impossible! Besides, what's wrong with you lately anyways, you've been waking up late and grouchy in the afternoons," said Albie.

"Nothing, just been up real late studying," said Heydar, lying.

Albie shrugged, since this was not strange behavior coming from a Ravenclaw.

They got up and started walking to class, taking their time even though charms class was 10 mins on the other side of the castle and they had only 3 minutes to get there. And instead of taking the usual route, they walked to 2nd floor corridor where a painting of a famous wizard in a ridiculous hat was sleeping. Since Heydar was prefect, he knew a lot of secret routes around the school.

" This guy never wakes up!" said Albie pulling the painting aside. "It is my goal to wake him up before this school year is over. Maybe I should try some fire. What do you think?"

"I think that would get you kicked out of school, that's what," said Heydar as he stepped into the darkness and out on the other side of the castle with the entrance to charms class right in front of him.

"It's just a thought", said Albie, who appeared behind him as well, "but there's got to be some way..."

The charms test was a breeze for Heydar, but he dare not say so to Albie in fear of jinxing the test, even though he knew fully well that impossible. He just listened to Albie, Julie, and Sophy talk about the exam as they walked to the dungeon for potions class.

Potions was easily, Heydar's most favorite class at Hogwarts. It was just like cooking except the things the class brew was best not consumed as lightly.

When they got down there, the potions mistress and head of Hufflepuff, Rowan Linder, a aging lady who got more energy and strength than most ladies of her age, was running up and down the dungeon carrying ingredients to add to her boiling cauldron.

The class, which consisted of only ten students, which included the four of them, two Slytherins, one Hufflepuff, and one Gryffindor, only sat in amazement trying to figure out what concoction, Professor Linder would be surprising them with today.

"What do you suppose it is?" asked Drew Kell, a Slytherin whom Heydar was easily friends with, along with his twin sister, Angelia Kell, who also in the same class.

"Obviously its Momorita Engoro," said Shawna Dali, the Gryffindor and Kell's long time girlfriend, "the memory enhancement potion".

"No, it's probably just felix felcies," said Albie boasting, as he looked at Julie who just rolled her eyes, " I can smell it walking in."

Heydar already had the idea jotted down in his head. He too had it all figured out as Albie did, but when it came to potions, Albie can never tell apart the subtleties behind ingredients.

"No, actually I think it's the reverse lucky potion," said Heydar.

As soon enough, Professor added the last drop of something invisible to the cauldron making a showy cloud of purple smoke.

"As the muggle Einstein used to say, Eureka! I've done it again!" said Professor Linder. She was dressed in violet robes with a gold cord wrapped around her middle. A blue bottle of dragon's breath hung around her neck. Heydar remembered Shawna saying she wore it as a penchant to wore off diseases, but he suspected otherwise and have yet to figure out what.

Professor Linder swept her graying bangs as aside and gave the class a big grin revealing a missing upper first premolar tooth on her left side.

"Well children and curious minds," said Professor Linder, with one hand on oak stirrer, "what do you make of this?"

The class and Heydar got out of their seats and moved closer to inspect her masterpiece. The cauldron was no longer bubbling, but was swirling counterclockwise and emitted gold sparks every now and then over the pink concoction. He took a deep inhale, smelling every single ingredient that went into its production. Heydar had guessed right.

For the next two hours, they were given the task of recreating the potion. Professor Linder, had wrote down two of the mystery ingredient, providing clues to the mystery potion.

Heydar was the first to the go back to the cupboard to retrieve the ingredients he needed while everyone was scratching their heads and flipping through the book. Unfortunately, Professor had super good cheat-detector skills, in which Heydar suspects is magical, otherwise he would have passed on a hint to Albie.

There was only half hour to class, and Heydar was not getting the consistency he wanted and realized he was missing a cruel ingredient. But what? He went back to the cupboard and grabbed a bottle he saw Professor Linder holding earlier that day and quickly ran back to his cauldron. He added some of the leafy red grass in which made the concoction bubble, then quickly settle into his desired consistency.

Wondering what this last ingredient was, he turned the bottle around to read the very tiny script bearing the name Amber Moss. That name, it was very familiar to him, but where did he hear that? He wondered. A loud er-plunk sound of the bottle dropping into his cauldron brought Heydar out of his thoughts. Instantly, the cauldron bubbled and turned a little thicker than he would have wanted.

"Shit!" he cursed out loud, causing Tiffany Largo, resident good-goody to squirm on his left.

"Alright, turn them in now and clean up!" said Professor Linder, tapping her wand on her desk.

Heydar quickly capped vital full of the swirling pink liquid and cast a spell for the cauldron to clean itself. When he set his vital on Professor Linder's desk, she promptly opened and it and inspected it.

"Quite too much Amber Moss," said Professor Linder with a dissatisfied look, "When your're a healer that can cost lives."

Heydar nodded and felt his face flush.

After class, Sophy was in a good mood because she was the only student who had created a successful replica, much to Albie and Heydar's disappointment. But having the rest of the afternoon free greatly improved their spirits. Heydar, was already itchy to have a duel by the lake.

Heydar suddenly moved in front of his best friend and flourished out his wand. "Hey, Albin Darby Patel, I, Heydar Rogers, challenge you to a duel by the Lake!" Heydar declared in his dramatic voice.

But Albie simply, pushed his wand down and exchanged a guilty look with Julie.

"Sorry man, I've already got plans to play rugby with Julie's bother," said Albie, "but come and join us if you want."

Heydar really hated that muggle contact sport and last time he played with them, Julie's younger brother, a muscular sixth year, Gilian gave him a bloody nose.

"Uhh- I'll think I'll just stop by and watch later on," he answered, trying not to sound too disappointed, "I just realized I've got to study for the HATs (Healer's Admission Test) anyways".

"Alright then, don't miss out too much," said Albie and waved him goodbye.

Heydar watched his friends leave for the fields, feeling suddenly very friendless as he walked alone to the library. It was odd, seeing how much he and Albie go about their separate lives, as they get older when they used to be inseparable. Albie once got in trouble in their second year on purpose so that they can be in detention together. But nowadays, the two best friends were spending less and less time together. Heydar shook his head, people change for the good, he said to himself, even though he was not fully sure of it.

There is desk by the window overlooking the lake in the library that he liked to sit and study. It was a secluded restricted area that was only open to few students and Heydar had to ask Professor Linder to write him permission. Even then, it took a full week before the distrusting librarian gave him clearance.

Usually, he would find nobody sitting at his favorite desk, thus was very surprise to see Sean Yuri, a blonde 7th year from Gryffindor and Hogwarts' Golden Boy, had taken his spot with his feet on his table and flipping absent mindedly through a book.

Unbeknownst to Sean, he was also Albie's sworn enemy, since he had gone out with Julie last year. But Heydar had nothing against him. Feeling a bit depressed since nothing was going right at all today, Heydar marched to his favorite table and set his bag down.

" Sup," said Heydar sitting down and pulling out his books, "hope you don't mind me sitting here."

And you better not, Heydar thought, I know three curses that wipe that pretty-boy face off you and you'll want to live in caves then.

However, Sean only slid his feet to the ground and closed the book and gave him a big smile as if he was expecting him. In fact, as it turned out, he was.

"Hi! I've been waiting for you," Sean said in his thick Scottish Accent.

Heydar was taken back.

"Name's Sean Yuri, Gryffindor, but you've probably know that by now."

Heydar tried not to roll his eyes. Of course he knew him, the whole freakin' school knows him. After all, he's the star captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team that had won for the past three years in a row and turned down the title of Head Boy as well. It was people like him that made Ravenclaws want to puke. However, what did Sean Yuri, who was rumored to be already recruited to play chaser for the Wizards Weaslsey's quidditch team, wanted with him?

Heydar, quickly shook his hand firmly to establish what Albie calls as 'street cred', what ever that means. "Heydar Rogers," he replied, "what's up?"

Sean leaned in and instantly became serious, "Professor Linder tells me that you're studying for the HATs."

"Uh-yea-"

"Great! I was hoping we could be studying partners. Well, more like I need you to tutor me. You see –"

And then Sean started this long story on how he needed to take the Advance Potions class for the HATs, but since he has missed the first month worth of classes, he has to do all the required work in two weeks time and pass an exam before Professor Linder would let him enroll in his class.

"-So you think you can tutor me. I've already got it worked out; Professor Linder says we can use the classroom everyday after dinner and since we're both prefects we can't get in trouble after hours. Look I know you're gonna be sacrificing a lot of party time, but hey you'll still be studying for the HATs."

Damn! Heydar thought, Yuri has got a point there. The potions portion make up 55% of the test and he would like to stop using the boy's restroom to brew his potions since males have no problem letting wind in front of others.

"This is gonna cost you seven galleons a day," said Heydar.

"You drive a hard price Rogers," said Sean as they shook on it.