Chapter Four
First Steps
Harry rose fairly early the next morning, purely out of habit, he wondered briefly if his little mattress at the shelter had been taken, it had felt wonderful to sleep on a bed again. He had a shower, got dressed in some clean clothes and secured his cap over his head, jumping as the mirror commented on what a shame it was to hide such a handsome face. Harry sighed, it was going to take some getting used to, this magic thing. Slipping his backpack on he headed downstairs for breakfast.
A toothless man named Tom was waiting for him with toast, eggs, bacon and a cup of coffee, Harry's eyes widened at the sight. He stammered that he didn't have much money on him, Tom smiled and said not to worry about it, so Harry just thanked him shakily. He ate the meal ravenously, hungrier than he thought he'd be. After gulping down a big sip of coffee, he looked around the pub with interest. There were people of all sorts, witches and wizards, he assumed.
He noticed two identical red haired teens, only slightly older than him, not sitting too far away, they seemed to be waiting for something. Then there was a loud yell from upstairs and they started snickering. Harry turned to see another red haired man coming down the stairs, he looked a lot like the twins, but older, his face was contorted with rage.
"Fred! George!" he yelled, "What did you do to my bed?"
"Easy Percy," said one of the twins, "It'll ease down in a few minutes."
"It's eating my robes!" the man yelled.
"Weasley Wizard Wheezes, Munching Bed," said the other twin, and then together they chorused, "Our speciality!"
The man let out a groan and stormed out of the room, leaving the laughing twins behind him. Harry smiled too, chuckling a little. One of them noticed him.
"Hey red cap!" he yelled, Harry looked up in surprise, the twins grinned, "You enjoy that?"
Harry blinked and shrugged.
"Pretty funny," he said, "How'd you get a bed to do that?"
"Magic of course!" they said in unison.
Harry's smile faded.
"Right," he said weakly.
The brothers looked at one another and came up to Harry, they sat on either side of him.
"You wouldn't happen to be Mr. Jameson, would you?" the one on his left asked.
"Harry Jameson," said the other.
Harry's eyes widened.
"Yeah," he said, "How did you-?"
"Dumbledore," they both chirped.
"I'm Fred," said the one on the left, "And this is my brother George."
"Dumbledore asked us to look after you till Hagrid got here," said George, "He'll be around in a couple of hours."
"So we thought," said Fred.
"We'd show you around Diagon Alley!" they said together.
Harry couldn't help but grin.
"You two pranksters?" he asked.
"Oh very astute," said George, "Yes, Harry, we are."
"How'd you guess?" asked Fred.
"Weasley Wizard Wheezes," quoted Harry, "The Wheezes part, I thought maybe, a joke shop?"
"Correct!" exclaimed both twins excitedly.
"Maybe you'll be in Ravenclaw then," said George.
"Ravenclaw?" asked Harry, that sounded familiar.
"It's a house at Hogwarts," said Fred, "Known for bringing out the cleverest of people."
"What's your house then?" he asked.
"Gryffindor!" they both said happily, "Bravery and courage is our creed."
Harry blinked. Gryffindor?
I hope I get into Gryffindor.
Ally, he thought, so she's going to Hogwarts too. She's a witch.
Harry smiled, cheering slightly.
"We graduated last year," Fred explained, "Now we're starting our own joke shop, we already have some interest in it and we've applied for a plot in Diagon Alley. We just need the right funding."
"Awesome!" Harry grinned, "Tell me when it's up and running, I'd love to see what magical pranks are like."
Fred and George were grinning too, maniacal grins.
"Consider yourself our most honoured customer," said Fred.
"When you come to call," chirped in George.
Harry laughed and tipped his hat to them in a mocking salute. The twins laughed too and soon they were chatting away.
"You'll be in the same year as our brother," said Fred half an hour later, "His name's Ron, a bit of a prat, but you'll get used to him, his hearts in the right place, most of the time."
"He's pretty distracted this year though," said George, "Little Won-Won is."
Fred snickered.
"Won-Won?" asked Harry.
Fred and George just smiled.
"You'll see," they chorused.
"Well," said George, "It's getting late and our time is growing short."
"So," continued Fred, "Without further ado."
"It's Diagon Alley time!"
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Harry was literally having a good time, he hadn't had this much fun in ages, no one in the Alley seemed to noticed his old clothes, or stare at him. The street was a hidden world, separate from the rest of London. There were so many oddities around though, witches and wizards all around him wearing robes and carrying wands. Harry saw two men arguing over what looked like some kind of moving tree. They passed a shop with children gaping at the window at a broom stick.
"Brooms?" Harry inquired.
"You play Quidditch on them," explained Fred, "Wizarding sport, very popular."
As they walked Fred and George explained the rules and how to play the game, Harry was fascinated. He imagined himself taking off into the air, flying on a magical broomstick, chasing after Quaffles, dodging Bludgers, or maybe going after the Golden Snitch. It sounded pretty amazing, to say the least.
"You can play at Hogwarts?" he asked eagerly.
"Yeah," said George, "We were beaters since our second year, once you know how to fly maybe you should ask some of your classmates to play a friendly match with you."
"Or try out for the team," suggested Fred, grinning teasingly.
Harry tore his gaze away from the newest model, a Fire Bolt.
"Maybe I will," he muttered, mesmerised by the thought of being able to fly.
An hour later, Harry had been both amazed and intrigued by the entirety of the wizarding world, it was all new and interesting. There was just so much, candies that tasted like every flavour imaginable, animals Harry had thought didn't even exist. It was all so amazing, so-
Magical.
"Role up! Role up!" came a voice from the Quidditch shop, "Lucky draw, being done in five minutes! Win a thousand galleons, plus the fastest racing broom in the world, the Fire Bolt!"
"Let's go Harry!" said Fred, he bought them each a ticket.
"But-"
"You can pay us back later," said George, "No one ever wins anyway."
Harry was handed a ticket with three numbers on it, three, one, seven.
Harry rolled his eyes, thirty-first of the seventh month, just his luck.
"And the winner is," the man called, "Number three, one, seven!"
Harry stood dumbfounded. He won?
"Harry?" George looked concerned at his flabbergasted look, he and Fred leaned over Harry's shoulder, "What's the-"
"You won!" yelled the twins, looking at his ticket, "Go on Harry!"
Still in shock, Harry presented the man with his ticket, the shop owner looked like he was going to faint.
"R-right," he said, he handed Harry the broomstick and a bag of gold, "Congratulations!"
The twins each gave Harry a pat on the back and after much cheering and applause he was directed away from the crowd and into an ice-cream parlour of some sorts. It all happened so fast, Harry was still blinking lamely.
"Here!" he said, thrusting the items towards the twins, "It was your ticket! You take it!"
Fred and George looked at one another and shook their heads.
"No Harry," said Fred, "We wouldn't have even bought tickets if you hadn't been there, it's yours."
"You need the money more than we do," said George.
"But-"
"Harry," said Fred, "We'll jinx you if you don't!"
Harry paused.
"How about this," he said, "You take the money and I'll keep the broom."
"Harry-"
"Think of it as an investment," said Harry, "For your joke shop, I need a good laugh."
"Harry," said George, "That's a thousand galleons, you should really keep it."
"I don't need it though," said Harry, "And I won't keep money I haven't earned, please, think of it as your birthday present to me, take the money and start your joke shop!"
Fred and George looked at each other uncertainly. Harry sighed.
"If you don't take it," he said, "I'll give it to the first person who wonders by."
He made a moved to leave the shop, the twins stopped him.
"Alright!" they said, "We'll take it!"
Harry grinned and handed the money over to Fred. George shook his head.
"You're a real nice guy Harry," he said, "You know that?"
Harry laughed.
"Nah," he said, "Think of all the poor people who will get pranked because of what I've done, I'm not nice at all."
Fred and George caught the joke and laughed too.
"Well," said Fred, pocketing the gold, "Consider yourself an official investor in the company."
"A partner of sorts," said George.
"In other words," said Fred.
"Everything is on the house!"
Harry grinned.
"And one other thing," said George.
"What is it?"
"When is your birthday?"
"Oh," Harry gave them a nervous laugh, "It's today actually."
"What?" they cried in unison.
"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" yelled Fred, grabbing Harry by the shoulders, "The profanity of it all!"
"What's a birthday without cake!" said George, he called to the man at the counter, "Three ice-cream cakes to go!"
"Guys!" Harry laughed, "It's not a big deal, it's just a birthday after-"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" scolded Fred, "It's your birthday!"
"Don't ever underestimate that," continued George, "They're important!"
"So celebrate them when they come!" finished Fred dramatically.
By this time there were at least half a dozen people watching them and shaking their heads. Some were laughing, others looked unimpressed and some were just staring at the broom in Harry's hand.
Fred looked down at his watch.
"Merlin!" he cursed, "Hagrid will be there in ten minutes!"
George grabbed three ice-cream cones from the man and handed one each to Harry and Fred.
"Let's get going then!" he said, he looked at Harry and pointed his wand at his broom. Muttering something under his breathe, the broom was suddenly wrapped up neatly in brown paper packaging.
"Keep that safe Harry," said George with a wink, "Don't take it out at Hogwarts first time flying, surprise them a little if you're any good."
Harry nodded, catching his point. No use having a broom if you couldn't fly it properly.
They ran together back to the Leaky Cauldron, skidding to a halt as they entered the pub. They took a seat and waited, each enjoying their ice-cream, Harry smiled at the twins, so far this was shaping up to be the best birthday he'd ever had.
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"Hey Harry," asked Fred, "What's with the cap?"
Harry froze.
"Nothing," he shrugged, "Just don't like people being able to recognise me."
Fred and George looked confused.
"Why not?" they asked in unison.
Harry paused.
"It's complicated," he said after a moment.
The Twins looked at each other, but didn't push it.
"Can we see?" asked Fred.
Harry smiled mischievously.
"Get that joke shop running and maybe," he said.
Fred and George groaned. Then looked at one another as Harry sniggered, they nodded once in agreement and turned to Harry with big, knowing smiles plastered to their faces once more.
"Hey Harry," said Fred again, "Me and George were thinking."
"It being your first year at Hogwarts and all," continued George.
"And you having to find your way all on your own."
"The school can be-"
"Confusing."
"Dangerous."
"At least," they concluded.
"So?" asked Harry.
The Twins grinned at one another.
"We were considering giving this to Ron or our sister Ginny before they went back," Fred said, "But we have come to the conclusion that you need it more."
"Need what?" asked Harry, confused.
"This!" said George, pulling out a piece of parchment from his robes. He handed it to Harry.
"A piece of old parchment?"
"No," said Fred, "Watch!"
He took his wand and tapped the parchment saying;
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
To Harry's shock, the map opened and lines began to appear, a map of a building.
Messrs. Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs
Purveyors to Magical Mischief-Makers
Are proud to present
The Marauder's Map
"What is this?" asked Harry, gaping at the pages. Mooney, Padfoot and Prongs, he'd heard those before. Last night in fact, he'd heard those men call themselves by these nicknames. Was it possible they were the writers of the map? Too big of a coincidence not to be, he wondered briefly about Wormtail. An image flashed in his mind of a short, dumpy looking individual leaning over him in a cradle, but he pushed it away just as quickly.
"A map of Hogwarts," said George, "It shows everything-"
"And everyone," Fred concluded.
"We thought it might help," said George, "To wipe the map, just say-"
"Mischief Managed!" they tapped it again and the map immediately started to clear.
Harry didn't know what to say.
"Thank you," he stammered, "This is amazing!"
"We thought you'd like it," said Fred happily, "We had a feeling you'll put it to good use."
"Or pranks," added George, he looked at the map fondly, "We stole that from Filch, the caretaker's, office in first year. We owe a lot to those four."
"True pranksters," Fred agreed, "In fact, we almost broke their detention record during our time there."
"Almost," agreed his brother a little sadly.
"Hey!" said Fred suddenly, looking up, "There's Hagrid! Hey Hagrid!"
Harry turned to see the largest man he had ever seen walk into the pub, he had a thick black beard and shining beetle black eyes. This man had to be a giant or something, there was no way in hell a human being could grow to be that big. He spotted Harry and the twins and walked over to them smiling.
"Fred! George!" he boomed, "Good ter see ye! And ye mus' be young Harry, I'll wager?"
Harry nodded, staring at the man in wonder.
"Good to see you Hagrid!" said George, getting up.
"Truly spiffing!" joined Fred.
"Hi," squeaked Harry weakly.
"Well," said Fred, "See you around Harry!"
"Happy Birthday!" said George.
With that, they left, leaving Harry with the giant of a man, he looked at Harry and Harry smiled at him nervously.
"So it's yer birthday?" he asked.
Harry nodded.
"Well Happy Birthday Harry!" Hagrid boomed, "Let's go get your school supplies then, shall we?"
Harry could only nod as he was lead back into Diagon Alley.
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Over the next couple of hours, Harry's knowledge of the wizarding world only increased, he learned about the currency, the school and something about Albus Dumbledore. Whom Hagrid considered to be the greatest wizard in the world. Hagrid clinged to a small pink umbrella like it was gold and Harry suspected it was probable some sort of magical item, but he didn't ask. Harry checked his list again, all he really needed was a wand. They stopped near a pet store and Harry found his gaze darting to the selection of owls on display, they were beautiful creatures. If what Fred and George had told Harry about the way things in the wizarding world were true, they were the equivalent of a mail service. Hagrid followed his gaze and grinned.
"How about we grab some lunch after we pick up your robes fer Hogwarts?" the giant suggested, "Little birthday celebration fer ye, I now where they serve the best butterbeers you've ever tasted!"
"Butterbeer?" asked Harry curiously, tearing his eyes away from the owls.
"Magic drink," said Hagrid, his eyes full of amusement, "Pretty popular with kids yer age, I think ye'll like it."
Harry raised an eyebrow but shrugged. He looked at Hagrid for a moment his thoughts running rapidly, there was so much he wanted to know about the wizarding world, he didn't know where to start with the questions.
"Here we are," Hagrid said suddenly, "Madame Muilkin's, you take this here recipt and get yerself fitted. I'm afraid that the shop's a little too small fer me to enter, I'll wait out here, shall I?"
Harry nodded and entered the shop.
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Harry tried to stand very still as he was being fitted for his Hogwarts robes, but he was getting more and more fidgety by the minute. It was annoying and unfamiliar to him, standind around and waiting for clothes. At one stage a rather pale looking boy of eleven entered the same room and was made to stand on a stool oppisite him. At first, Harry took very little notice of him, but then his eyes were drawn to the full head of lime green hair the boy possessed. The boy caught him staring and grinned.
"Never met a metamorphagus before, have you?" he asked, amusment in his voice.
"A what?" Harry asked curiously, "Sorry for staring."
"No worries," said the boy, "I get it a lot, you muggle born?"
Harry was confused a little by the term, but nodded in any case. The boy smiled in understanding and sympathy.
"Basically it means I can change my general appearance at will," he said casually, "Watch."
Harry's eyes widened as his hair turned from the lime green to a bright blue, bubble gum pink and then to a black that was as dark as Harry's own and finally back to lime green.
"Whoa," Harry whistled, his mind reeling with the possibilities of such a talent, "Can anyone learn that?"
"Sorry," the boy shrugged sadly, "You can learn to do something similar with your wand, but that takes years, my area of shape change is completely genetic."
Harry nodded, a little disappointed.
"So," he asked instead, "You excited about Hogwarts? You're a first year, right?"
The boy nodded enthusiastically.
"Yep, definitely I-"
"All done dear," Madame Milkin's said to Harry cheerfully
Harry thanked her and smiled at the younger boy.
"I guess I'll see you at Hogwarts then," he said.
The boy nodded happily as Harry exited the shop.
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Butterbeer, Harry concluded, was the most glorious nectar sent down from the gods themselves to the mere mortals of planet earth. It warmed him up inside without making him hot and gave him a cheery, contented feeling in the very pit of his stomach. Harry sat back with a sigh as he took another sip of the wonderful liquid and smiled as Hagrid.
"So," he said, "You were saying about there being a wizard prison?"
"Azkaban," said Hagrid with a small shudder, "Nasty place, ye don't want to ever end up in there, that's where all them dark wizards end up, it's guarded by Dementors, no escapes."
Harry shuddered at the name of the creatures that had attacked him in the train tunnel, he hated to think what it was like in that prison, constantly having all the joy and happiness sucked out of you night and day. He resolved never to break any serious laws, that was the last place he ever wanted to land up in.
"So whose the worst been?"
"Worst what?"
"Dark wizard," said Harry, "Like a Saruman from Lord of the Rings or something. You know, twisted by their own power, I'm sure there's been a few in history. Non-magic people had tyrants, do wizards too?"
Hagrid looked a little shaky, he cleared his throat and replied.
"There have been a few," he relented, "But the worst was only defeated about fifteen years back. Some folk say he's gone fer good, but me, I reckon he ain't dead, just biding his time out there, some place. A restless spirit maybe, but I don't think we've seen the last o' him."
Harry frowned, a spirit? Didn't that mean he was dead? Like a ghost or something? He wanted to ask, but one look at the expression on Hagrid's face and he knew he wasn't going to get the answer he wanted.
"What was he called?" Harry asked instead, maybe there was a chance he could ask someone else, or look the wizard up.
Hagrid blanched.
"No one says his name," he whispered hoarsely, "It's bad luck! Everyone calls 'em You-Know-Who."
Harry looked at him in confusion.
"But I don't know who," said Harry, "How am I supposed to know who if you don't tell me who? At least give me a name Hagrid! He couldn't have been that bad that people still fear only his name!"
Hagrid flinched again and lowered his voice.
"Hush now!" he scolded, looking at Harry, "You have to understand, them was dark times, Harry, dark times. You-Know-Who began to gather some followers, turned 'em over to the dark side. Anyone that stood up te 'im ended up dead, or worse. Many fought against him, but nobody lived once he decided to kill 'em. No one, no one, well except fer one-"
"Who?" asked Harry, "The person who stopped him?"
Hagrid looked sad all of a sudden and gulped, as though fighting back tears.
"Aye," he said, "The Boy-Who-Lived."
"The Boy-Who-Lived?" Harry repeated, "A kid defeated this dark wizard? How?"
"No one knows," said Hagrid, "We don't even know where he is, we only know he's ou' there someplace, we only know he's alive."
"What do you mean Hagrid?"
Hagrid looked at Harry and sniffed.
"He was jus' a little baby," he said shakily, "A year old! Bu' something stumped 'im tha' nigh' and tha' little boy, 'e managed to defeat You-Know-Who. After tha' he performed some kinda accidental magic, he's been missing ever since."
"How do you know he's alive then?" asked Harry, surprised that a one year old could do that.
"The Hogwarts Registry," said Hagrid, "It records every magical child ever born, year of birth an' year of death. That's why you're such a surprise Harry, you never appeared on the Registry, normal like ye would 'ave been sent yer letter ter Hogwarts when ye was eleven. Ye must have been a real late bloomer!"
Harry flushed a little, he felt a pang of pity for the family of the little boy, but still wanted to know one more thing.
"What was You-Know-Who's name then?" he pressed.
Hagrid sighed.
"It was V-," he stuttered on the name, "V-"
"Maybe if you wrote it?" Harry suggested quickly.
"Nah," whispered Hagrid, "I can't spell it. Alright, Voldemort."
"Voldemort?" said Harry loudly.
"Shhhh!"
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Harry wanted to ask more questions on how it all happened and why this dark wizard attacked them. Everyone had a reason, no matter how twisted, Harry thought, thinking of dictators like Stalin and Hitler. It was like a history lesson and Harry couldn't understand why Hagrid was so afraid of a man who had been defeated and was unlikely to return anytime soon.
"Here's some galleons," said Hagrid, quick to move off topic, "Ye go into Ollivander's an' buy yerself a wand, I'll meet ye ou' side in a moment. I've uh-got somethin' ter do."
Harry frowned, but wandered into the wand shop never the less.
"Ah!" came a voice from behind the counter, "Mr. Jameson I believe, or is it something else?"
Harry jumped as an older wizard with short greying hair came out, looking rather eager.
"Sir?" he questioned.
"Such an unusual case," the man commented, going for a wand, "Here," he said, "Try this one."
He handed Harry a wand, he took hold of it and cast Mr. Ollivander a questioning look.
"Well?" the wizard urged, "Give it a wave!"
Harry waved the wand, nothing happened.
"No," sighed Ollivander, "Not that one."
He took the wand and handed Harry a new one.
"Here you are, oak, thick, dragon-heart string core," he prompted almost lovingly as he described the wand.
Harry took it and gave it a flick, still nothing.
"A challenge!" the wizard giggled gleefully, "Let's try again!"
For the next half hour, Harry must have flicked, waved and swished about three dozen wands. Harry was a little disappointed, he couldn't understand why it was taking so long, but all Mr. Ollivander would say was, 'the wand chooses the wizard, let's try again.' Eventually, a mysterious look came over the wand maker's face and he disappeared into the back for a moment. When he returned, he was carrying another wand, a look of absolute curiosity written all over his face.
"Oh, let's try this one while we're at it, holly, eleven inches, supple, phoenix feather core, good for most types of spell work."
The look in his eyes told Harry he doubted this one would be right either. Harry bit back a groan and gave it a wave, red sparks flew out the end and Harry felt a surge of power run up his arm.
Ollivander looked surprised.
"Curious," he muttered, "Amazing!"
"What?" asked Harry.
"Nothing," said Ollivander, "It's just that, that wand's brother belonged to perhaps the greatest and most terrible wizard of all time."
"Who?" asked Harry.
"We do not speak his name," shuddered the old man, "But he did great things, terrible, but great. The wand chooses the wizard Mr. Jameson, remember that."
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Having paid Ollivander for his wand, Harry exited the shop to find Hagrid waiting for him. He was holding a cage with a snowy white owl in it.
"Happy Birthday Harry," Hagrid smiled.
Harry gasped.
"She's beautiful," he whispered, "What's her name?"
"That's up ter ye," said Hagrid.
Harry couldn't help it, this was the best birthday he'd ever had. He was a wizard, he was going to a school to learn magic, he'd won a broomstick, he was had a wand and a whole lot of other strange and wonderful things, including books he couldn't wait to get a crack on. And now, he had an owl, Harry had never had a pet of any kind in his entire life and he looked up at Hagrid, his bright green eyes shining. The giant of a man looked at him a little dissentingly, his eyes narrowing in surprise, then in pure shock when Harry took two bold steps forward and hugged him.
"Thanks," Harry said.
Hagrid looked a little abashed as he pulled away. His beetle black eyes looking a little moist themselves as he stared at the boy in front of him looking both thankful and shy.
"Yer welcome Harry," he said nervously, "Not good for a boy not to have a descent birthday present after all."
Harry smiled, he found he genuinely liked Hagrid, he was a gentle sort of man who had an empathy for animals that Harry could respect and admire. He was beginning to look forward to his Care-of-Magical-Creatures classes at Hogwarts.
"Thank you Hagrid," he said, "This has been my best birthday ever."
Hagrid smiled too, his think beard unable to hide the crinkling in his eyes and the merriment in his voice.
"Yer most welcome Harry," he said, "But I'd best be getting you back, you'll be staying with one of yer professors fer a while, he'll be teachin' you the basics. Also a few will be visiting you over the next few weeks to tutor you."
Harry nodded.
"And when ye get ter Hogwarts," said Hagrid, "Ye be sure to come fer tea every now and then. I'm the Game Keeper and yer Care of Magical Creatures professor, so I'll be expectin' to see ye often, righ'?"
Harry chuckled and nodded vigorously.
It seemed he had made his first friend at Hogwarts.
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Remus sighed, letting himself relax into his couch, it had been a long day of working up the courage to visit the Potters and he'd still been to cowardly to go. Ah well, it was too late now, the boy Harry Jameson would be arriving soon.
Sure enough there was a knock on the apartment door, Remus rose slowly with a slight groan to open it. There stood the red capped teen and Rubeus Hagrid.
"Hello Professor Lupin," said Hagrid cheerfully, "Here's young Harry!"
Harry smiled shyly at the man who had very well saved his life, Remus smiled back at Harry, wondering why he was still wearing a cap, but happy to see him. His voice chocked for a moment at the name Harry, it was a big coincidence, but one none the less.
"Come in," he said.
Harry stepped over the threshold, Hagris lingered.
"I'd best be off," he sighed, "It was good to see ye Remus."
"You too Hagrid," Remus smiled, he flicked his wand and the trunk and packages Hagrid had been carrying were levitated into the apartment and up the stairs, no doubt to where Harry would be sleeping.
"See you at Hogwarts Harry," the giant of a man waved at Harry. The boy nodded.
"Can't wait!" he said happily as Hagrid disappeared from sight.
Remus looked at the boy, who looked back, his eyes shielded from view by the brim of the cap, but it seemed to Remus that Harry could see him, even if he couldn't see Harry.
"You can take the cap off, you know," he sighed.
Harry hesitated.
"I'll have to take it off for Hogwarts, right?" he asked.
"Yes," said Remus.
"So if it's not too much trouble," said Harry, "I'd like to keep it on for now, I'm pretty attached to wearing this hat."
Remus chuckled.
"So I see," but he nodded, "Alright, its just odd talking to someone when I can't even see their eyes."
"They're nothing special," said Harry dryly.
"Still," said Lupin, he shook his head, "So Harry, shall we have some tea and then discuss you're lesson schedule for the next few weeks?"
Harry nodded, smiling at his Professor and took the seat offered to him, the man poured and handed him a cup of tea, Harry took it politely and added his own milk and sugar from a tray that was already se up in front of him. He was about to take a sip when Lupin stopped him. Harry looked up in confusion as his wand was tapped lightly with the older man's wand. He sat back again, smiling at Harry.
"Perfect temperature charm," he said, "Probably the most useful charm I've ever come across. Biscuit?"
Harry blinked and slowly grinned, taking a biscuit and a sip of his tea, which he had to admit, really was at the perfect temperature. Lupin smiled at Harry and sipped his own tea, looking wonderingly at the boy, it was so rare to find someone able to perform a patronus that he was actually excited about the prospect of teaching the boy.
"I think," he said musingly, "The best is to start with the basics of magic, firstly, you need to understand one very important thing about the gift."
"What's that?" asked Harry, leaning forward slightly.
"Ollivander told you that the wand chooses the wizard, correct?" he smiled as Harry nodded, "The most important thing to know about magic works on a similar basis, our magic chooses us, but we choose how to use it. Magic is neither good nor evil, that all depends on the wizard. You need to remember that as the first thing all through your training. It is your choices that will dictate what kind of wizard you become. If you work hard and do your best, you will be a great wizard, what you do with it afterwards all depends on you."
Harry nodded, he looked down at his tea and licked his lips, a single question playing it's way through his mind. Magic was not evil, magic was not good either, it was subjective to the person who used it. That made a lot of sense.
"I understand sir," he said softly, "So where do I start?"
Remus Lupin smiled at his new pupil and placed his tea on the table beside him, leaning forward with an eager look in his blue eyes.
"Well…"
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"Remus!" Harry thought he'd heard barking at the door previously, but it turned into a full fledged yell from outside the door. He and Lupin were sitting down to tea, Professor Lupin had explained that over the next few weeks Harry's teachers at Hogwarts would be visiting to give him lessons on the basics of magic. During the school year he would have to attend extra classes to catch up with previous years of work as well as keep up with his own as a sixth year. Harry only nodded, he'd guessed there would be a lot of work involved but knew if he didn't try he'd regret it his whole life.
"Of course," Lupin had said, "If you are having problems, you are more than welcome to stay an extra year at Hogwarts, should you require it, in which case you will live in as a teaching assistant and learn during class like the rest of the students. It will be up to you, of course."
Harry wasn't sure he wanted to do that, so he only answered that he would see how it went and decide at the end of the seventh year. Lupin had nodded, understanding perfectly, that was when the barking and yelling began.
Lupin sighed, putting down his tea and opening the front door with a wave of his wand.
"Sirius," he said exasperatedly, "It's called a little patience."
The man in the door looked a little abashed, his dark hair was slightly messy and his brilliant dark gaze was widened with surprise at the sight of Harry.
"This is Harry Jameson," said Lupin dryly, "You remember, the boy you immobilized?"
Sirius gave Harry a sheepish smile, scratching the back of his head.
"Sorry about that," he muttered.
Harry shrugged.
"It's okay," he said, "How did you do that spell, anyway?"
Sirius looked a little surprised at the question, he cast Remus a puzzled look. Lupin smiled, chuckling slightly.
"Harry has been introduced to the wizarding world for the first time today," Lupin explained, "He's fascinated by it."
"Really?" Sirius chuckled too, "Well Harry, I don't mind showing you the ropes of wizardry, that spell was call Petrificus Totalus, it's a full blown body bind."
Harry nodded, banking the information away for future use, it sound useful, should the occasion call for it.
"So what was the emergency?" asked Remus, looking between the two with interest.
"Oh right!" exclaimed Sirius, he pointed his wand at Harry and muttered "Muffilato."
Harry blinked, immediately the two started talking, or at least, their mouths were moving, but Harry couldn't hear a sound coming out of their mouths, then they started arguing, using rapid hand movements. Lupin cast Harry an apologetic glance, before turning back on Sirius.
Harry repeated the spell Sirius had said to himself softly, another useful one. He filed it away.
"-could be him," the spell seemed to be wearing off, "It's worth a try!"
"Fine!" sighed Remus, "If Lily and James think it's him, then it may be."
Harry looked up at the name Lily and bit down on his lip, his picture. The woman's name was Lily. He sighed, he hated irony.
"Um, Professor?" Harry called, the two looked round at him, "You're spells worn off."
Lupin sighed.
"Sirius never was any good at them," he said, "By the way, this is my friend, Sirius Black, he'll be popping round every now and then because he apparently has nothing better to do than harass me."
"Hey!" protested Black, "I resent that!"
Remus laughed.
Black was now looking at Harry quizzically.
"Hey?" he asked, "What's with the cap?"
Harry shrugged. It's easier to wear a cap than smooth down your hair every five minutes to cover a noticeable scar. It also keeps away pesky people from seeing your face. He didn't voice it though. To tell the truth, Harry didn't know why he kept it on, he just really didn't want people to see his face.
"I like it on," he lied.
"Why?" asked Sirius, "I can't see half your face! Can you take it off?"
Harry shook his head, he most certainly was not going to remove his cap, even if he did, and he didn't, trust Sirius Black. The man had hexed him after all.
"Why not?" Sirius whined.
"Because," said Harry.
"Because what?"
"You'll have to wait for school to start to see my face," Harry grinned, "Maybe."
"That's not fair!" Sirius protested, he sounded like a five year old.
"Is to me," said Harry, he stood up, "Excuse me."
He walked out of the room.
"Where are you going?" yelled Black.
"Bathroom."
Sirius growled and drew out his wand and yelled.
"Accio Hat!"
The red cap zoomed from Harry's head and disappeared into the living room, Harry growled and pulled out his own wand. He could hear Sirius whoop with joy and Remus telling him to stop acting like a child and give the hat back. Accio, huh? A summoning spell, maybe. He stuck his arm into the room, careful to keep his face hidden behind the door and yelled.
"Accio Hat!"
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Remus watched as Sirius let out a triumphant whoop as the boy's hat soared into his outstretch hand and sighed.
"Really Sirius," he said, shaking his head, "Stop acting like a kid and give the boy his hat back."
"I will," said Sirius gleefully, just as soon as I see his face-"
"Accio Hat!" came a yell from the other room, the red cap left Sirius' grasp and zoomed behind the door, the next minute Harry reappeared, wearing his cap again and pointed his wand at Sirius.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Sirius stiffened and fell to the floor, completely immobilized, Harry laughed in surprise.
"It worked!" he cheered.
Remus looked at him shocked. One of the first spells the boy had ever performed and he had done it perfectly.
"Harry," he said, "I believe you're well on your way to becoming a wizard.
Harry beamed at him, happy for the compliment and the little pay back he'd had on Sirius Black. He sat down again and looked at Remus Lupin cheerfully, ignoring the still immobilized Sirius Black on the floor.
"So," he said, "Lets start then?"
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"M-master?"
The rat like man, the betrayer of many a life, Peter Pettigrew, looked up at the tall, daunting man before him in the graveyard. The place seemed no less terrifying in the morning light, neither did the man before him. His eyes glowed red in his pale, snake-like face and his dark robes fit with an elegant ease around him. Like snake skin it shone and clung to him. He fixed his gaze on his servant, smiling.
"Well done, Wormtail," he hissed in his terrible voice, "You did well bringing the blood, if not the boy."
Wormtail whimpered under the cold contempt in his master's gaze.
"T-the Dementors will have t-taken care o-of him," he stuttered, piteously, "You now c-carry the p-protection charm as the c-child did. They c-can n-not t-trace y-you m-my L-lord, nor cause you harm."
His master smiled.
"Yes Wormtail," he agreed acidly, "But for your sake, the boy had best be lying somewhere as an empty shell, devoid of his soul."
Wormtail nodded, whimpering and bowing to the presence of the darkest wizard of all time. Behind him, a circle of Death Eaters mimicked his actions. The snake-like master, smiled cruelly before pointing his wand at a tomb stone and blasting it away with a single flicker of movement. The stone's burst apart and the tomb that has once read; Tom Riddle, was no more than a pile of rubble.
"Soon," said the dark wizard, "The world will know that Lord Voldemort has returned."
Revision 4 Complete. Still not much changed, yet.