Standard Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter universe. All characters, baring the ones I have created, belong to J..
Harry Potter and The Butterfly Effect
Chapter 2
Life Is Good..For Now
"Classed dismissed." Sixteen year old Harry Potter nodded at each of his students as they left the classroom and entered the changing rooms. Cracking his neck, Harry made his way over to the staff changing rooms and stripped out of his Muay Thai uniform. Dressing himself in his usual attire of baggy blue jeans, a white t-shirt and a light brown leather jacket, Harry put all of his equipment into a large bag, slung it over his shoulder and headed out of the changing rooms and out of the gym.
Exiting the building, Harry got into his Jag and waited for his best friend. Theoretically, Harry shouldn't have been able to even learn to drive until he turned seventeen, but a confundus charm and a memory charm allowed him to drive with no problems. Looking back on his life, he had to admit, it wasn't difficult to see that leaving the Dursley's had been the best decision he had ever made. He had quickly gotten used to life alone and loved it. No rules, no one to answer to. That changed somewhat when he started Muay Thai and met his best friend, but not to an extent that bothered him. He had quickly ascended the ranks of Muay Thai and became a red band/black belt in two years. Three years later, and Harry was teaching.
This wasn't Harry's only job either. He had a part time job at a construction site, helping the builders move heavy metal beams and other such items, his training at Thai Boxing giving him tremendous strength for his age. Harry also had a part time job at a bar. Though Harry could transfigure paper into money, he liked to have at least three jobs as it kept him in touch with reality and allowed him to make new friends and meet new people, something Harry loved to do.
Harry was brought out of his musings by his best friend, Blaise Zabini getting into the passenger seat next to him.
"Ready to go?" He asked. Harry simply smirked before slamming the car into first and speeding out of the car park.
"You looking forward to Hogwarts?" Harry asked as he swerved in and out of traffic on the motorway. Blaise and his family lived in a very affluent suburb of South London. While Harry occasionally liked the peace and quiet that the Zabini manor offered, he loved the hustle and bustle of city life. One of the main reasons he had a Penthouse smack in the middle of the city.
"I suppose so. Things should certainly be more interesting now that Voldemort has been declared alive and well again. All thanks to your sisters and their friends." Blaise said with a sidelong glance at Harry. Harry showed no reaction at the mention of his twin sister or his younger sister. Blaise normally avoided the topic of Harry's family but decided he needed to knock some sense into his friend.
"You can't blame Erin and Hayley for what your parents did to you." Blaise said quietly. He knew how Harry could get at the mention of his family. "They're actually alright people. Did you know that Erin even hired private investigators to try and find you when you were fourteen?" Harry's eyes widened in surprise. He had no idea that his sister had done that.
"Yes. They got pretty close too, from what Dad tells me. It was only through his intervention that you stayed hidden." Harry still hadn't spoke. He knew deep down that his anger at his siblings was unjustified and, frankly, a little bit silly. It was simply so much easier to hate the lot of them for what he had to endure when he was a child. That didn't mean he hated his parents any less for their abandonment of him as a baby.
"Well, I promise I will make an effort when I attend Hogwarts this year." Harry said with a smirk. He hadn't told Blaise or the Zabini's that he was planning on attending school this year.
"WHAT?" Blaise exclaimed loudly, causing Harry to wince. "You're actually coming to Hogwarts?"
Harry nodded. "I need the tutoring that only Hogwarts can provide. I think I may be able to convince Snape to teach me Dark Arts."
"You have that down pretty well as I recall." Blaise said dryly.
"Yes, but Snape's Dark Arts knowledge is unparalleled. Except by Voldemort of course and I can hardly go to him for training can I?" Harry said sarcastically.
"True. Is that the only reason?" Blaise asked.
"No. I want training of Dumbledore as well." Harry said with only a hint of distaste in his voice.
"Ah, I see. You know that your return will cause one hell of a shit storm don't you? For one, your parents will try to gain custody of you, probably with Dumbledore's backing. He will probably try to make some kind of deal in return for training." Blaise warned him.
"I know." Harry said with a sigh. "They can't have custody of me since I'm emancipated, but I'm sure that won't stop them for long. Dumbledore has a lot of clout in the ministry and could probably have the emancipation declared void, using some obscure law, or a new one he makes. The only iron clad way I can remain on my own is if your parents agree to adopt me."
"I'm sure they would, Harry. I mean they have already offered in the past." Blaise said with a shrug.
"It's only a worst case scenario mate. But I'd appreciate it if your dad would draw up the appropriate documents and have them ready to be processed at a moment's notice."
Blaise nodded. "I'll speak to him about it tonight. Man, mum, dad and Paige are going to flip out when they hear your coming to Hogwarts. You know they are going to want to talk to you. Soon."
"You know how to get in touch with me." Harry said, pulling up next to a set of large gates. Behind the gates was a huge driveway leading up to an even larger house. Blaise got out of the car and turned back to Harry.
"It's going to be good to have you at Hogwarts, mate." Blaise said with a grin. Harry nodded with a wry smile.
"Let's hope it isn't a decision I regret." Harry gave his friend one final wave before speeding off towards the centre of London. Cranking the radio up, Harry let the loud music wash over him as he weaved in and out of motorists. After a twenty minute drive, Harry pulled up at his deluxe apartment block. Driving slowly up to the gates, Harry quickly typed in the code and watched impassively as the gates slowly swung open. Driving into the complex, Harry made a slight flicking motion with his wand and watched as his garage door opened. To the casual observer, it would simply look like a remote operated garage. Reversing in, Harry grabbed his gear, locked his car and shut the garage door.
Nodding to the various people milling around, Harry entered the foyer of the building and nodded to the security guard.
"Evening Frank." Harry called out politely.
"Good evening, Mr Starr." Hank said with a nod and a smile. Aaron Starr was one of the many aliases that Harry used in the muggle world. All of his bank accounts, numbering in the teens, were all under different names, and in some cases, different countries. It made it easier for him to stay hidden and, if need be, would make it a lot easier to access funds if he needed to disappear. Harry also had various safe houses dotted about the world in case something untoward happened and Harry needed to lay low. He knew all this transfiguration of money would one day cripple the economy, but didn't care too much. He also made a few adjustments to his accounts so they did not receive interest. He didn't want to cripple the economy too much unless he had no other choice. Since he wasn't an avid spender, there were no visible effects on the economy…yet.
His network of safehouses and bank accounts had taken him years to accomplish and acculmilate. He had started making arangements to disapear if necessary when Manuel had explained the circumstances surrounding his life and the life of his sister. If was quite angry when he was told that Voldemort may not be dead and may come after him to get to his family. Fuck that. If it came down to it, Harry had no qualms about vanishing and living the rest of his life on a beach in Fiji.
Entering the elevator, Harry waited a few seconds for the button to floor twenty to appear. Smiling slightly as a button materialised and shifted all of the other buttons along, Harry pressed the button to his floor and began the ascent to his penthouse on the top floor. The top five floors were all huge apartments, while the rest of the floors held two apartments per floor. Harry had acquired the top floor and immediately placed the Fidelius Charm on it to keep himself hidden. Only the Zabini's and a select few of his magic tutors were keyed into the wards. Every now and again, Harry would renew the confundus Charm on Frank and the Penthouse supervisor to keep any awkward questions at bay.
Exiting the elevator and stepping into the small corridor, Harry made the small walk to his front door and opened it. Stepping into the large hallway, he tossed his keys and wallet down on a small table before walking into the living room. The large room was decorated in a light cream paint, with a light brown carpet. A cream three piece leather sofa was placed so that all sofas had a view of the large television that sat on a glass stand. Walking over to the largest couch, Harry grabbed the acoustic guitar sitting next to it before plopping down. Idly strumming Harry began running potential lyrics through his head.
This was another one of Harry's hobbies. He never went anywhere without his guitar. Giving up for now, Harry raised his hand and used his Telekinesis to levitate his guitar back over to its stand next to the television. He figured out that his little talent was called Telekinesis shortly after he met the Zabini's. Apparently it was quite a common talent among higher powered wizards. Though Manuel had commented that not even Dumbledore had the control and precision that Harry aquired. Harry figured it was the amount of practice he had had. Sighing, Harry stood up. It was nearly eight o'clock and he was due at the bar in an hour. Stretching his arms, Harry had a quick shower and dressed in his work clothes. He made sure that he had both of his wands on him; one in a holster on his wrist and one in a holster attached to his left ankle.
Grabbing a sheet of paper and a pen, Harry drafted a short letter to Dumbledore, stating that he was ready to attend Hogwarts and had a sixth years magical knowledge. Signing it, Harry smirked when he envisioned Dumbledore's reaction to the letter. Harry drew one of his wands and waved it over the parchment in a complicated manner. The tip of the wand began to glow a faint blue, which grew brighter until it was covering the whole parchment. After a few seconds the parchment vanished. This was a handy spell that Manuel Zabini had taught him a few years back. It would transport any letter directly to a basket that Manuel kept in his office. Harry knew that Manuel would take care of it and see that the letter was delivered.
With that out of the way, Harry closed his eyes and apparated to the alley behind the bar where he worked. Smiling slightly, Harry entered the building.
-SCENE BREAK-
Albus Dumbledore was currently going through some paperwork in his office when a large black eagle swept through his window and landed on the back of one of his chairs. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow and chucked in amusement when Fawkes, his phoenix familiar ruffled his feathers in annoyance at the interruption. The eagle hopped onto the desk where Dumbledore proceeded to relieve it of its burden. The large black bird then took flight and left the office via the window.
Smiling, Dumbledore opened the obviously muggle letter and began to read, when he had finished, his hands were shaking and the twinkle in his eyes was magnified to full force. Placing the precious letter on the desk, Dumbledore stood promptly and made his way over to the fire place and tossed some floo powder into the flames. When the ruby red flames turned to emerald green, Dumbledore placed his head into the fireplace.
"Potter Manor." He said loudly and clearly. After a brief conversation with James, Dumbledore retreated from the fire place and sat back behind his desk. It didn't take long for the Potters to arrive. When James and Lily were both seated, looking at him curiously, Dumbledore simply handed them the letter. James paled and tears began to form in the corners of Lily's eyes.
"Is this real?" Lily asked in a hushed whisper.
"There is no way to be certain but yes, I believe it is." Dumbledore replied with a smile.
Lily choked back a sob and threw herself into James' arms whispering "My baby" over and over again. James looked like he was mere seconds from joining his wife in tears. Suddenly James frowned.
"If Harry has been alive all of this time, and knows about the magical world, why hasn't he contacted us sooner?" James asked in a confused voice. If Harry could come home, surely he would want to and try too. Dumbledore frowned also. Clearly this hadn't occurred to him.
"A good point James. One I think Harry should be more than willing to answer once he arrives at Hogwarts on Sunday." Dumbledore replied.
Lily suddenly brightened. "The girls are going to be so happy!"
With that, the red haired witch practically jumped into the floo and vanished with a hastily shouted address. James looked at Dumbledore and shrugged.
"She is understandably exited." Dumbledore said with a fond smile. James nodded slowly.
"Something bothers you?" Dumbledore asked curiously. Surely James should be as enthusiastic as his wife about the return of their long lost son.
"Yes. No. Maybe...It's just, if Harry's has known about magic and...well...us, his parents, why hasn't he contacted us sooner? Something just doesn't sit well with me. I have a bad feeing about all of this." James replied.
"I'm sure everything will work it's self out James. For now, I'm sure your wife is busy fixing up a room for young Harry as we speak."
James smiled faintly, knowing Lily was probably doing exactly that. "Well I best be off then. Thank you for alerting us Albus." James said, standing and making his way over to the floo.
"It was my pleasure James." Dumbledore said cheerily. With one final nod, James tossed some floo powder into the fire place and with a softly called address he too, was gone.
As James stepped out of the fire place at Potter Manor, he spotted his wife looking out of the window, tears streaming down her face. James sighed. Stepping over, he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close.
"Everything will be alright." James said, though he didn't say it with much confidence.
"How can you know that?" Lily whispered.
"Because it has to be." James said quietly.
-SCENE BREAK-
The days leading up to September the first, were, in a word, boring. Harry still went to his Muay Thai classes everyday and also spent a lot of time reading up on wards. Specifically, concealment and locking wards. He wouldn't put it past Dumbledore to have his domroom searched in an effort to find out where he had been. Though he had never met the man, Harry knew Albus Dumbledore very well. He was manipulative, calculating, and very, very clever. He would need to be on constant guard once he was at Hogwarts and it would take every ounce of his cunning to get the old man to agree to train him.
Looking at the clock, Harry sighed. It was the day before he was to leave on the Hogwarts express and he was expecting the Zabini's any minute. They had wanted to see him since his declaration of attending Hogwarts had reached them through Blaise, and had agreed to meet them today. Right on cue, there was a scratching noise and the doors to his home opened and the Zabini Family entered. Other than his private magical tutors, the Zabini's were the only people keyed into the wards and allowed access to Harry's home. Harry didn't mind when they just walked in. Hell, he did the same at their house.
"Harry?" Blaise called out from the hallway.
"I'm in the living room." Harry called back, standing up.
Paige was the first on in. Walking over, she gave Harry a tight hug and a peck on the cheek. Winking at her when she released him, Harry muttered, "Always good to see you Paige."
Paige Zabini was Blaise's older sister. She was in the year above Blaise at Hogwarts. Paige was about 5' 4" in height and had wavy black hair flowing to her shoulders. She had a very light complexion and was absolutely stunning. She and Harry had always flirted mercifully for as long as Harry could remember, much to the turmoil of Blaise.
Next to come and greet Harry was Veronica Zabini. She simply looked like an older version of her daughter. Wrapping Harry in a light hug, she put on a stern face as she took a step back.
"Where have you been hiding young man?" Veronica asked in a disapproving tone Harry had come to know only too well. "We have barely seen you in two weeks and then you land a bombshell like this on us with out so much as a visit?"
Harry shrank under her gaze "Erm...Sorry?" He offered lamely. Luckily he was saved from a thorough chewing out by Manuel, who put a light hand on his wife's shoulder before coming to shake Harry's.
"Good to see you, son." Manuel said smoothly, offering Harry his hand.
"You too, Manuel." Once they all got comfortable in the living room, Manual brought up the topic that everyone dreaded, but knew needed to be discussed.
"The Potters will try to get you back." Manuel said flatly.
Harry sighed. "I know. The question is; what can I do about it?"
"I see there being only two alternatives to custody with the Potters. One; you flee. Leave Hogwarts behind and start a new life. Two; You allow us to adopt you. Let me state for the record, if we were to gain custody of you, nothing would change. We would not impose any rules upon you and you would not be moved from your current residence. However, dinner at our house at least once a week would be mandatory." Manuel finished with a small smirk.
"I expected as much." Harry said nodding. "Can you draw up the appropriate documents and have them ready to be processed?"
"Already done. A soon as I give the go ahead, it will be made official." Manuel replied with a nod.
"Thank you. I'm sorry to impose and drag you into the middle of this..." Veronica cut Harry off before he could finish
"You have nothing to apologise dear. You're Blaise's best friend. And we don't think too bad of you either." She said with a warm smile.
"Yeah Harry," Paige cut in. "You are part of the family."
Words couldn't describe what that sentence alone meant to him. Deciding not to speak at all, Harry simply grinned widely.
"You guys want to stay for dinner? I was planning on order Chinese..." Harry left the offer unfinished, knowing the whole family were suckers for Chinese food.
Soon, they were all sitting down to noodles, rice and various sweet and sour dishes. The conversation was lighthearted and didn't really touch upon anything important. All too soon the Zabini's were gone and Harry was left alone with his thoughts. His main train of thoughts was how to avoid being tracked by the headmaster and the Potters and the other train of thoughts kept leading him back to the same thing: his sisters. He knew that anger directed towards his parents was justified and as much as he wanted to toss his sisters in the same boat as his parents, he knew he couldn't. Hell, Hayley wasn't even born when his parents abandoned him to the brutal care of his so called relatives and even Erin was only a baby.
Thinking back to the issue of security, Harry decided he would continue to study up on wards and other concealment charms. He had a lot of books that he knew would be labelled 'dark' by the masses of Hogwarts and even the Headmaster. Most of the books Harry owned were combat orientated in origin. Ever since he had met Blaise and found out what he was, he had made arrangements to ensure he was prepared for anything. While Erin may be the Girl-Who-Lived, he was still her brother, and could very well be used as a way to get to her.
Since he was ten, Harry had been trained by the best tutors money could buy. Manuel had made sure that his tutors were well qualified and able to keep his identity a secret. He had four tutors in total. Eli Knowles was his transfiguration tutor. From Eli Harry learned mostly battle orientated transfiguration but also a little bit of basic transfiguration that one would learn at school. Shannon Carter was his charms tutor and often taught in conjunction with Eli. Desmond Harrington was his defensive and offensive magic tutor. From Desmond, Harry learned light, grey and dark defensive and offensive magic. Better known as combat magic. Harry excelled in combat magic far more than any of his other subjects. He knew, however, that there was still so much more he could learn. This was the main reason he was attending Hogwarts. His fourth tutor was Manuel himself who taught Harry Occlumency and legilimency. Harry's mind was like a fortress, Manuel made sure of that. Legilimency, however, wasn't Harry's forte. He could read surface thoughts and plant temporary thoughts in the mind of someone untrained in occlumency, but couldn't do much more. This still helped him immensely as most people didn't know occlumency.
Pushing aside his wandering thoughts, Harry decided that he would pack, as the Hogwarts express left Kings Cross tomorrow. Grabbing large suitcase from under his bed he packed all of his essentials as well as some books for light reading. With that done, Harry placed his guitar inside its case and placed that, along with his suitcase at the front door. Sighing, Harry decided he was going to go out for a drink at one of the local bars. He was bound to bump into someone he knew. Grabbing his leather jacket off the coat rack, Harry left his apartment and headed towards the taxi rank not far from the building. A short ride later and Harry was outside one of his favourite bars. Nodding to the bouncer and subtly casting a wandless confundus charm, Harry entered and headed straight for the bar. It was only ten thirty so the place hadn't filled up yet. Good thing to, as it gave Harry the opportunity to get a good seat at the bar.
"What's yours, boss?" The bar man asked.
"Just a beer please, mate." Harry replied, scanning the small crowd for a familiar face. Seeing none, Harry turned back to the bar, paid the man and took a long gulp of his beer. Harry was on his fourth before he spotted a trio of familiars. Holding a hand up to get their attention, Harry jerked his head to the empty stools next to him.
"Harry, hows it going bud?" Dean called as he walked over, Rachel and Jess slightly behind him. Harry grinned and got to his feet to greet his friends.
"I'm good thanks, you?" Harry replied shaking Deans offered hand.
"Can't complain." Dean said with a casual shrug as he glanced around the bar. Greeting the girls with hugs and plesantries, Harry got a round at the bar and the four caught up.
"Boarding school?" Dean asked incredulously. "Aren't you a little old for school?" As far as Dean, Rachel and Jess knew, he was 20 years old.
"Higher education. I still can't decide if I'm looking forward to it or not." Harry said, idly playing with a cardboard coaster.
"Is it an all boys school?" Dean asked after a moments thought.
Hary laughed before replying in the negative. Dean was a bit of a player in the sense that he always had a different girl in his bed every night. Harry could imagine Dean getting very cranky in a school full of lads. Harry tuned out Dean, Jess' and Rachel's conversation as he let the music wash over him and bobbed his head along to the beat. This was what he loved about clubs. Sure, socalizing was cool, but the loud music was what attracted him most. The bar was at its maximum capacity now and the staff had cleared away all of the tables and chairs so that people could dance if they were so inclined. The rest of Harry's night continued in the same fashion. He danced with the girls for a few songs before they took off, looking to finish the night at a larger club. Having a few more drinks and talking random politics and economics with a few strangers, Harry decided to call it a night. Exiting the club, Harry made his way down a deserted alleyway before turning on his heel and vanishing with a barely audible pop.
Once back in his appartment, Harry set an alarm for 9:00 before getting into bed. Before he nodded off, he wondered what kind of carnage his apperance would bring when his arrival was finally going to be made public.
A/N: Whats the verdict?
