Chapter 1

Blowing up his aunt might have been a bad idea. Sure, she deserved it, but what exactly was he supposed to do now? Harry sat down on the cold pavement and sighed. In his anger, he ran away from the Dursleys, taking his trunk and Hedwig's cage with him. And now here he was, alone in the Muggle world, darkness surrounding him. Where could he go? Maybe he'd rent a room somewhere and wait for the first of September to come? But he had no Muggle money on him and the few Galleons at the bottom of his trunk wouldn't be nearly enough.

So, he had to get to Gringotts somehow. But dragging his trunk all the way there was out of the question, he'd never make it. Maybe… maybe he could tie his trunk to his broom, cover himself with the Invisibility Cloak and fly to London? But the trunk was probably too heavy to do that, he'd have to use the feather-light charm on it and he was pretty sure that he couldn't explain that as a bit of accidental magic. But what other choice did he have? He couldn't just stay here and wait for the Muggle police to find him and he'd rather die than return to the Dursleys.

With newly acquired determination, Harry opened his trunk and took out his Invisibility Cloak. He touched its smooth surface and felt a little bit of comfort. He pointed his wand at the now-closed trunk and took a deep breath. He probably wouldn't get expelled just because of this, right?

And as he was about to cast the spell, a deafening BANG echoed throughout the street and Harry had to shield his eyes from the sudden brightness.

The Knight Bus was a… weird experience. But Harry couldn't complain as he got out of the purple bus in front of the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. He stood there for a second and grabbed his trunk as a loud BANG announced the bus' departure. He had to visit the bank and get some money first, and then he'd find a place to stay. Well, maybe staying at the Leaky Cauldron wouldn't be a bad idea? He was fairly sure there were a few rooms available there. Harry opened the wooden doors and entered the inn cautiously. He forgot to cover his face with something but hoped he wouldn't be noticed.

Fortunately, there were only a handful of people sitting inside the cosy interior and they seemed far too drunk to notice his face. He lowered his head nevertheless and walked up to the old toothless bartender. Tom noticed Harry's approaching form and eyed the boy speculatively.

"Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron. What can I do for you Mr. —" he waited for an answer but it wasn't necessary as Harry raised his head and the bartender's face lighted up in recognition, "—Potter?"

Harry smiled at the old man, feeling slightly calmer in the familiar surroundings. "Hello, could I rent a room here?" he asked.

Tom nodded. "We have two unoccupied rooms at the moment. How long will you stay?"

"Until the first of September," Harry replied immediately. "I'll just have to visit Gringotts tomorrow and withdraw some money."

The old bartender was silent for a moment as he waved his wand to clean a few very dirty mugs. "That's alright. But you must understand, Mr. Potter, that it would be best for you to try and stay low while you're here. I'm sure your constant presence could bring in more customers, but I don't want the place to be swarmed with people," he said. "Frankly, I'm too old for that."

Harry had to agree with the old man's reasoning. Trying to keep a low profile could be annoying but it would surely be better than being mobbed. And so, Harry nodded his head. "I'll try to keep low," he said and Tom flashed him a toothless smile. Harry struggled not to wince.

"That's all I ask for," the old man said. "We have only one long-term resident at the moment, you'll probably meet him soon."

"Who is he?" Harry asked. This could be either good or bad news.

Tom smiled. "That would be Lonzo. A bit of an odd fellow, but he's a good man," he said and looked around them as if to check if nobody was eavesdropping. He leaned in a little closer to Harry and whispered, "He'll be your Defence Against the Dark Arts professor this year."

Harry was immediately filled with dread and his face paled significantly. A new DADA professor, living next to him? Harry decided to try and avoid him as much as he could. He felt bad about it, but he just couldn't bring himself to trust a DADA professor after the last years disasters.

"Are you okay, Mr. Potter?" asked Tom, his face showing concern at the boy's suddenly pale features.

Harry snapped out of his daze and nodded. "Yeah, just… thinking," he said.

Tom eyed him carefully. "Well, anyway, here's your key, Mr. Potter. Your room is the one with number 4 on the door. You can pay tomorrow," he said and gave Harry a silver key with a small number 4 engraved on it. "If you want something to eat, come here and ask, I'll cook it for you. And if I'm not around, you can just write your order on one of the papers here," he pointed to a bunch of small papers hanging over the bar, "and it will cook on its own. But I'd be careful, it's still a rather… experimental piece of magic," he finished and Harry noticed a small shiver running down the man's body.

Harry gulped and decided not to order anything if the bartender wasn't around. "Thank you," he said. "I'll come downstairs after I unpack my things." Harry grabbed his heavy trunk and Hedwig's cage and walked upstairs. After struggling for a few minutes, he finally climbed upstairs and found his room. Breathing heavily, Harry opened the door with his key and walked inside.

The room was… plain, to say the least. There was a bed, a desk, and a big wooden wardrobe, all clearly used for years by lots of different visitors, some of who probably didn't care to treat the furniture well. The walls were white, making the bits of dirt and damage all the more visible. But there was a big window, and Harry was pleased to find out that the view of the Diagon Alley should be amazing. That is, during the day, cause he couldn't see much of anything now.

He unpacked some of his belongings and walked downstairs, in the hopes of a nice meal to end the hectic day with. As he entered the main room again, he grimaced and reprimanded himself for forgetting to disguise his face. Oh well, he'll have to think of something tomorrow.

He sat at the most secluded table and a menu immediately appeared in front of his face, startling Harry. Tom chuckled at his expense and Harry tried to focus on the meals and prices and forget his embarrassment. There were a few dishes and Harry took his time looking them over.

"When you've decided, just call for me and I'll come get your order," Tom's voice reached Harry's ears and after a moment, he ordered something that looked like it might be tasty.

As Harry waited for his food, he thought about what he would do in the few remaining weeks before another school year began. He already finished doing his homework at the Dursleys and reading ahead just wasn't his thing. Maybe he could explore Diagon Alley? Harry was sure there were a lot of interesting places that he still hasn't discovered. But he'd had to work on his disguise first. But exploring the magical Alley and its secrets could probably occupy his time here.

As Harry decided to do just that, a flash of red light appeared in front of his face and disappeared almost immediately after. When Harry's eyes adapted to the once again dark room, he noticed a piece of parchment laying on his table.

Some of the drunk people grunted but they didn't seem to realize what just happened. Harry took the small parchment in his hands and read the loopy handwriting that was on it.

Dear Harry,

I've heard of what happened at your relatives' house today. I understand that there might be a bit of a mutual dislike between you and them at the moment, but it's crucial that you return there next summer. However, you staying at the Leaky Cauldron for now might be a good idea. I just ask you not to venture into the Diagon Alley alone too much, especially not at night and never without a disguise. If you need something, you can always ask Tom or my friend Lonzo, who's staying there as well (I'll tell you in secret that he'll be your DADA professor this year).

Stay safe and have a lovely rest of the summer break,

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Harry chuckled as he read the Headmaster's overly long signature. But if he couldn't explore the alley, he'd need to change his plans. What else could he do? Maybe he'd really try this reading ahead thing… he'd have to buy the third-year books tomorrow first though.

Still thinking about the various possibilities, Harry ate his first big meal in weeks and soon after, went upstairs to sleep. He had a busy day ahead of him.

Armed with a lot of money and his school books, Harry decided to read ahead and spend the remaining of summer learning.

Two days later, he'd had enough.

With a frustrated groan, Harry closed his Charms book and stood up inside of his room. He tried, he really did, but studying just wasn't his thing. Especially not during the summer. He looked out of the window, sunlight bathing the Alley in a yellowish glow and making the few people walking around it sweat from the heat. Harry didn't explore the Alley at all and it made him irritable. What was the point of having a view of the magical alley outside of your window if you couldn't even go outside? Sure, he wasn't exactly trapped like he was at the Dursleys but it was close.

At least he always had something to do at his relatives' house, a few chores here and there to pass the time. Wait, maybe that was a good idea? He'd ask Tom if he could help around the bar a bit. That could keep him busy for some time. And with him using a disguise, it shouldn't be a problem.

Harry approached his desk and took a small ring that was laying on its surface into his hands. He bought it during his one trip into the Diagon Alley, the same day when he bought his school books. It was a very crude looking ring, made from a cheap metal that didn't even fit Harry's slim finger properly. Still, he thought it was quite amazing.

As Harry put the ring onto his finger, his face morphed into a different one, his skin darkening slightly, his hair becoming straight and brownish, and his famous scar disappearing. It changed only a few features of his face, but it was still enough to become anonymous. From what the man working at the shop told him, the more expensive ones could change his entire body ("This bad boy can change you into a girl! Think of the possibilities!") but for Harry's needs, this one was enough. And, it was cheap, which was always a plus.

With his disguise in place, Harry exited his room and walked downstairs. It was the middle of the day, so the bar was practically empty, apart from a few visitors eating and chatting quietly. Tom, now used to Harry's new look, smiled at the approaching boy.

"What do you need, Mr. Potter?" he asked, careful to keep his voice down.

Harry smiled at the man. He really liked the old bartender. "I was wondering, would it be possible for me to help around the bar a bit? I'm getting bored just sitting in my room," he said with a shrug.

Tom took a bit of time to answer. "I guess you could clean the place sometimes, or take the orders. But I won't let you cook," he said and eyed the boy questionably.

Harry nodded. "It's alright," he said.

The old man flashed him another toothless grin and Harry was pleased to notice that he didn't feel the urge to wince anymore. It wasn't a pleasant sight by any means, but you could get used to it. Harry hoped he could keep his teeth even in old age. Come to think of it, didn't wizards have any magical ways of keeping them healthy? He'd have to ask Hermione, she'd probably know.

"Then whenever you want to work, just come to me. I'll give you something to clean the place with. I have some old brooms in the back, just don't try to fly on them," Tom said and chuckled at his own joke.

Harry smiled politely. "Can I start now?" he asked.

Tom looked surprised but nodded. "Of course, just let me look for that broom," he said and disappeared behind the corner.

Cleaning turned out to be just as frustrating as sitting inside of his room. Especially when he learned that his hard work had been practically useless (as Tom said, "You wanted to do something, so I gave you a broom, Mr. Potter, but the truth is, I can clean the whole place with a few spells and do a better job of it."). Again, after a few days of helping out around the bar, Harry was bored.

Just as he was supposed to enter his room to get some rest, someone walked out of the room opposite Harry's. The boy just hoped it wasn't the DADA professor who was supposedly living here too, even though Harry had never seen him yet. Harry turned his head to look at the unfamiliar person. It was a man, seemingly in his thirties, looking a bit exotic and dressed in a simple white shirt. The man also eyed Harry and they both stayed silent for a moment. Harry hoped it wasn't too awkward. Their silence was interrupted by a loud noise of glass shattering inside the man's room. The man winced.

"Excuse me for a moment," he said and walked back inside his room, closing the door behind him. Harry let out a sigh. Based on his previous experience, this probably was the DADA professor. They never struck Harry as quite sane.

After a few seconds, the man reappeared and smiled at Harry briefly. "Hello," he said simply and offered Harry a handshake. "Lonzo Alegre," he introduced himself and Harry chuckled. Of course this was the DADA professor.

"Harry Potter," he said and to his surprise, the man only nodded his head slightly.

"Yes, the Headmaster informed me of your stay here," Lonzo explained. "Said something about blowing up your aunt and the like."

Harry's cheeks grew a little bit red at that remark. He'd almost forgot about it.

"Yes, anyway, would you like to accompany me to a meal downstairs? I'll be your Defence Against the Dark Arts professor this year and I'd like to ask you some questions if you don't mind," he said and waited for Harry's answer.

Harry wasn't that pleased with the idea. Still, he probably wouldn't try to kill him just yet, would he? And with a shrug, Harry nodded his head and the pair walked downstairs silently. The man was a fair bit taller than Harry, but his body was quite slim. Lonzo nodded to Tom and they sat at one of the empty tables.

"So," the man started, while looking through the menu, "how are you doing, Mr. Potter? Enjoying your stay here?" he asked.

Harry glanced at the menu himself. He wasn't that hungry but decided to order something light anyway, just to avoid the possible awkwardness. "It's honestly a bit boring, but I'm not complaining," he said.

Lonzo ordered his own food and glanced at Harry. Harry noticed the man's eyes were brown, a bit darker than his complexion. "That's understandable. I remember I was always bored myself during the summers since I couldn't use my wand," the man said, his gaze unfocused as he remembered his past.

"Did you go to Hogwarts?" Harry asked. The man looked like a foreigner, but that wasn't too uncommon at Hogwarts.

Lonzo shook his head. "No, I went to Mahoutokoro," he said. Seeing Harry's expression, he explained further, "it's in Japan. A great school, probably as good as yours, if a lot smaller."

"You don't look… Japanese," Harry said and the man chuckled.

"No, I don't. I'm originally from Spain, but my family emigrated to Japan when I was a kid," he explained as Tom served them their food. It smelled amazing and they both began to eat.

"So… what did you want to ask?" Harry asked, remembering the original purpose of this conversation.

The man swallowed and took a sip of his tea. "Well, I've never actually taught anyone before," he said and Harry grimaced. Of course. "So I was wondering, what did you learn in your first two years?"

And so, Harry told the man about their last two teachers and their 'lessons'. By the end of it, both Harry and Lonzo seemed equally disgusted and the great food didn't help much.

"So, at least I know the expectations won't be that high." The man chuckled. "I'll try my best to teach you guys something useful."

Harry eyed the man doubtfully. "You said you never taught before… then what did you do?" he asked what seemed to a fair question.

"I've been traveling a lot, taking on various jobs," Lonzo said. "I met your Headmaster a few years ago during one of my travels. But these past few years, I've settled down, lived a quiet life," he continued, visibly lost in his memories. A small smile appeared on his face. "Since then, I've been earning money as a duelist. You can make a decent amount if you're good that is. People are always willing to pay for others to fight, as long as they aren't in danger themselves," he said and took another sip of his tea.

Harry eyed the man with a bit more respect. A duelist? Maybe he even wasn't a complete fraud?

"Will you teach us dueling, sir?" Harry asked, not managing to stop himself. After all, last year's 'Dueling Club' had been a disaster. But Harry could see it being fun with someone actually competent in charge.

Lonzo's face brightened up immediately. "Yes, I wanted to start a Dueling Club. I already have the Headmaster's permission, just need to plan the details," he said and eyed Harry more carefully. "Would you be interested yourself, Mr. Potter? It wouldn't be mandatory of course, only for truly interested students."

Harry found himself nodding along. Maybe he was just excited at any prospect of using magic after the weeks without it. "Yes, I'd be interested," he said. "It sounds like fun."

The man smiled and stood up from his chair and Harry instinctively did the same. "Well then, see you around Mr. Potter," he said and shook Harry's hand again. Then, Lonzo walked upstairs and disappeared into his room.

Tom walked up to Harry and grabbed the two empty plates with his big hands. "A nice enough fellow, isn't he?" Tom asked. "I tell you what, after that last year's idiot, everyone would be fine in my books," he said and grimaced.

Harry eyed the old bartender curiously. "What did Lockhart do to you, Tom?"

"That imbecile tried to hold a fan meeting inside of my bar," he explained. "A fan meeting," he said again, almost spitting the words.

Harry burst out laughing. "Yes, that sounds just like him," he said and bid Tom a good-night.

A week before the school year was supposed to begin, Harry and his two best friends decided to meet up and get their school supplies together. Harry already had the books but he still needed some new items for Potions and other classes. Hermione probably had bought the books earlier as well (and, Harry thought, actually read them) but it was nice to finally be back together. They exchanged some letters during Harry's stay at the Leaky Cauldron, but he still felt excited to reunite with them.

As the watch announced it was exactly 2 pm, Harry entered the Diagon Alley. This time, it was completely crowded, with hundreds of children and their parents running around, buying their school equipment and laughing with their friends. The alley was buzzing with different sights, smells and noises, altogether making the magical alley's experience truly magical. It was always just as amazing, with something new and wonderful every time you visited it.

Harry took it all in and walked slowly to the ice-cream parlour where they were supposed to meet. As he approached, he noticed Hermione was already waiting, sitting at one of the tables and eating what appeared to be a waffle.

Hermione's face lit up when she noticed him approaching and she stood up from her seat. She gave Harry a quick hug and they both sat down, waiting for their red-haired friend. Harry eyed the waffle in Hermione's hand curiously.

"What are you eating? Never seen one of those," he said. The waffle looked like a regular chocolate waffle, but there were little sparkly dots everywhere on it. It reminded Harry of glitter.

Hermione smiled at him and took another bite. As she was munching, her face twisted in something looking almost like pain, but she seemed very pleased as she swallowed. "It's the newest recipe," she said. "They literally explode in your mouth."

Harry eyed the waffle more cautiously. "They explode… in your mouth?" he asked and Hermione gave him a satisfied nod. "Isn't that dangerous?"

Hermione shrugged. "Maybe if you ate too much… you want to try?" She offered Harry the waffle but he quickly shook his head.

"No, thank you," he said and Hermione took another bite. "Anyway, how was your summer? Anything interesting?" he asked.

"Not really. I mostly just stayed home with my parents and relaxed," she said as she took a final bite of her exploding waffle. She let out a satisfied sigh and patted her stomach lightly.

Harry chuckled. "What did you do to relax?" he asked. Knowing Hermione, she didn't exactly share his thoughts on what could be considered a relaxing activity.

"Oh, after I finished our homework and read a bit of the third-year books, I actually discovered I quite liked knitting. My mom taught me and we even made some clothes together! It was fun," she said and Harry eyed her clothes questionably.

Hermione laughed, her big front teeth showing themselves in all their glory. "No, I'm not that good yet," she said. "But we made some socks and scarfs, I'll take a few with me to Hogwarts."

Harry smiled at his bushy-haired friend. He was glad she didn't spend all of her summer break reading.

"And how was your summer, Harry? Besides blowing up your aunt," she said and they both chuckled, Harry a bit embarrassed.

"It wasn't bad. But I thought staying at the Leaky Cauldron would give me more freedom than it did. Dumbledore sent me a letter, asking me not to go outside on my own," he said, a hint of disappointment on his face. "So I mostly stayed inside, but it was still better than living with the Dursleys."

Hermione smiled at him sadly. "We'll be at Hogwarts again soon, Harry," she said and Harry found himself smiling. He really missed his friends.

"Hey, guys!" They turned towards the familiar voice and found themselves staring at their grinning best friend. Hermione gave Ron a quick hug, which for some reason made them both blush and Ron greeted Harry with a manly half-hug. Two guys hugging would be too embarrassing, even for best friends.

After Ron had also recounted his mostly uneventful summer ("I almost won an amateur wizarding chess tournament, but Fred and George made my pieces jump off the board… I could've been rich!"), the trio went ahead and started their school supplies shopping.

"Let's get our Potions stuff first, the shop's right here," Hermione said and led the two boys into a potions' supplies store. They entered and saw that even this place was overflowing with people. The queue to the check-out was a few metres long and Harry mentally prepared himself for a long day of shopping.

"Harry, why don't you stand in the queue for us, we'll be faster that way," suggested Hermione and Harry nodded, standing behind a line of people, some of them sighing and complaining loudly about both the heat and the number of people here. Harry didn't know why they were complaining. It was the same every year, they should have been used to it by now.

A few minutes went by, and Harry was slowly making progress towards the check-out. Hermione and Ron still weren't there and it made him nervous. What was he supposed to do if they didn't show up soon? But Harry was relieved from his stress as his two best friends finally showed up and stood beside him with their hands full of various Potions' equipment, just as a blonde girl asked the clerk for a headache potion. Harry took some of the items from Hermione's hands and she smiled at him with gratitude.

They exited the store a few minutes later and resumed their shopping.

A few hours later, just as the evening breeze started cooling the slowly disappearing crowds of Diagon Alley down, they were finally done with their shopping.

"Next year, we have to start in the morning," Hermione said, and the boys agreed. They decided to end their day with a nice meal at the Leaky Cauldron. They entered the inn, and Harry led them to an empty table. They ordered their food and sat down, the three of them all breathing heavily.

"So, you've been living here for weeks now, Harry," Ron said and at Harry's nod, he continued, "do you get free food?"

Harry snickered and Hermione rolled her eyes. "No, but I sometimes help around the bar and then I get something on the house," he explained and Ron looked disappointed.

"Well, it's something, I guess," the red-haired boy said.

"Anyway, are you guys excited about the electives? They all sound so fascinating!" Hermione said, her voice regaining its usual brightness. Harry shrugged and Ron grimaced.

"They could be fun, probably," Harry said.

"I still can't believe you're taking all of them," Ron said and glanced at Hermione. She looked proud of herself.

"Why wouldn't you want to take all of them? You can decide to drop them at any time if they prove too much of a burden," she said just as Tom brought their food and Ron immediately started munching loudly. "I think it's a good idea to at least try all of them, see what's interesting and what's not."

Harry found himself nodding. "That's smart," he said and Hermione chuckled. "Do you remember the DADA professor that I mentioned in my letter? The one who lives here."

Hermione nodded and Ron said something but his mouth was too full and Harry didn't really understand what his friend was trying to say. "He mentioned a Dueling Club," Harry said and his friends perked up.

"Oh, that sounds exciting!" Hermione said and even Ron agreed, this time after swallowing his food.

"That is, if he isn't as dumb as Lockhart," Ron added and they all grimaced. "Did he… seem dumb?" Ron asked and Hermione eyed Harry with hope in her eyes. They all really wanted a DADA teacher who wasn't a complete fool.

"He seemed better," Harry said. "But we'll have to wait and see," he added, not wanting to get his hopes too high up.

After an hour of friendly chat and banter, they said their goodbyes and promised to meet on the Hogwarts Express. Harry waved at Tom, who was busy with cleaning their plates and went upstairs to get some rest. After this day, he'd surely sleep like a baby.

A/N: I'm not going to lie, I'm kinda testing the waters with this story. I have three chapters already written, will post them over the next two weeks probably. I want to see if this story gathers some interest and if it's worth continuing. So expect a bit of a break in updates after the third chapter is posted. Thanks for reading, please leave a review if you can.