Author's Note: if you haven't figured out that I don't own either of these two pieces, nothing will convince you.


It turned out Harry was only half right. The twists and turns of the castle had resulted in them taking the long way to Prof. McGonagall's class, resulting in them only being 10 minutes early. Ron had whined about the dessert they could have eaten while Hermione had bemoaned the fact that if they had left even earlier there would have been more time to study.

Neville had merely shrugged and took a seat, Flora looking about the room before settling down for an after-lunch nap. Hermione was nose deep in her dex, reviewing the prereading notes she had made at home (leaving Harry to wonder how pressing her face tight to the device would help her ingest more information), while Ron gave up on his rant about pudding and began to talk to Seamus and Dean about the team Tor Town had put together for The Gauntlet Tournament. The fact that Tor Town never won the Tournament did not stop Ron from declaring like so many fans before him that 'their year was this year!'

Harry, after getting his dex out and releasing Eevee so he could slip him some of the roll he'd pocketed, decided to do some people watching. In one corner Hermione's roommates were giggling about something, their hands flailing about. Padma (or was it Parvati... Harry couldn't remember which twin was in Gryffindor) and Lavender had released their Pokémon, a Smoochum and a Chingling, and were cooing over the two baby Pokemon.

In the other corner Draco Malfoy was holding court. Harry did his best to appear as if he weren't paying attention, not wanting the blond-haired Slytherin to realize that he was being watched. Draco was leaning back in his chair, lazily waving his hand about while several other Slytherians gathered around, putting in their two cents. Draco's Pokémon, a Snivy, somehow looked even more stuck up than her master. Pansy Parkinson was hanging on every word while her Treeko lazily chewed on a bit of straw, ignoring the world. Behind Draco were Crabbe and Goyle, both of whom would have found themselves quite comfy as part of Dudley's 'Harry Hunters'. Flanking them were a Sawk and Throh, both of who looked more intelligent than their trainers.

"Where's Prof. McGonagall?" Hermione hissed, shutting her dex and letting her Ralts out of her pokeball. The psychic pokemon looked about before spotting Hermione and hurried over to her, giggling as she toddled over. "Ralts!" Hermione cried out when the little Pokémon tripped over her own feet and nearly fell off the table.

Draco threw his head back and laughed."Leave it to a clumsy new blood to have a pathetic Pokémon!"

Hermione cradled Ralts, stroking her back while glaring at Draco. "What is your problem? Ever since I met you you've been a jerk!"

"My problem?" Draco sneered, easing himself up from his chair. "My problem is that they are handing out pokeballs to any fool that walks up to a counter with some pokedollars in their pocket." He held out his hand and Snivy easily jumped from the desk onto his arm and then to his shoulder, perching there like some bizarre parrot. "Pokemon belong to those who have it in their blood to train them... not to new bloods like you. It is people like you that are robbing trainers of their good name." He glanced at the boys and rolled his eyes. "I don't get any of you. Longbottom, your family has been training for generations... doesn't it upset you that this girl is daring to think she is on the same level as you? And Potter... well, I warned you about hanging out with trash."

"Trash? You're full of shit, you know that Malfoy?" Ron snapped, surprise Hermione as he leapt to her aid.

"A Weasley jumping to the aid of filth... I am so shocked," Draco said with a smirk.

"At least my dad became a gym leader the honest way... everyone knows the only reason your father's gym is official is because while he was being 'forced' to help Voldemort Harry's dad was actually fighting him..."

"My father won accreditation fair and square!" Draco roared, Crabbe and Goyle taking a step forward. "Maybe if Potter's father had been a better fighter-"

Harry had felt many emotions in his short life: fear, sadness, loneliness, despair, depression, disappointment... but in the last few days he had also come to know happiness and joy. But at that moment, for the first time, he felt an emotion that until then he had only seen in others.

Rage.

"You shut your mouth, Draco!" Harry roared, leaping out of his chair. Eevee was instantly at his side, baring his little teeth as he glared at the still snooty Snivy. Many in the class went silent, eyes wide in shock as the seemingly quiet boy turned into a bubbling pit of anger. "You know, I heard once that actions speak louder than words. You are always talking about how great you are and how wonderful... how about you prove it, right here, right now!"

"You want to battle me?" Draco asked.

"Harry, don't," Neville said, tugging on his sleeve.

"Yes.. unless you are scared." Harry challenged, ignoring Neville's protests. "You can't weasel your way out of it if you lose. Everyone will see just how much of a liar you are... and that scares you to death, doesn't it?"

The Gryffindors let out cheers, clapping their hands. When Harry had appeared in the Great Hall all of them had been disappointed with what they saw: a small, scrawny boy who looked like he would run away crying at the sight of his own shadow. But now, standing up to Draco, the self-elected head of the Slytherin first years, they found the boy they had been hoping to see. This... this was Lily and James Potter's son.

"Shut him up, Draco!" Pansy cried.

"Yeah, show Potter whose boss!" Crabbe declared.

Draco's eyes seemed to flicker for just a moment before a mask of indifference slipped over his features. "My first battle at Hogwarts is going to be something special... not a fight with some orphan."

"That's ok, Draco," Harry said, a cocky smile of his own forming on his lips. Had his Uncle Vernon seen it he would have first been shocked by the look, then tried his hardest to slap the cocky out of the boy. "I'll wait till you've had your first battle... then me and my Eevee will take you are your little green snake down."

Draco opened his mouth to say something, only to be silenced by a rolling growl the filled the air. All the students turned and watched as a large Liepard emerged from the shadows, her golden eyes narrowed as she gazed upon the students. The students began to back away in fear as the cat strolled among them, her tail flicking back and forth lazily as she did so. A pink tongue darted out, licking her sharp teeth as she looked upon them.

Then, to their shock, the Liepard rose on her hind legs, her body shifting and changing until, in a matter of seconds, Prof. McGonagall stood there, her Purrloin in her arms.

"Mr. Weasley, 10 points from Gryffindor for cursing." Before Draco could fire off a snide remark, McGonagall locked eyes with him and his good mood shriveled. "30 points from Slytherin for name calling. I would suggest that, unless you want to add detentions to that, you sit down and think about how you represent yourself, Mr. Malfoy."

The class quickly sat down, half of them stunned by the rapid way McGonagall had taken out the two loudest students in class… the other half had their jaws dropped still from realizing that McGonagall had somehow merged with her Purrloin.

Sensing exactly what this other half was focused on, the professor walked over to her desk and set Purrloin down. "What you just saw is a technique called pokemagnus. One of the rarest feats, there are only a handful of trainers that are able to perform it. Would anyone like to take a guess why?"

Hermione raised her hand. "Due to the difficulty of joining and separating two minds?"

"While that is true, it is not the answer I was looking for. Ms. Greengrass?"

A blonde haired Slytherin with a Vanillite floating beside her smiled. "You have to have a high level of trust between you and your Pokémon to ensure they will allow a bond."

"10 points to Slytherin." McGonagall ran her hand along Purrloin's head. "Nothing that you learn in Hogwarts will matter if you do not have the trust and respect of your Pokémon… and they do not have yours. To try and do anything with either of you being on different sides or working towards different goals will only lead to failure. It doesn't matter how rare or powerful a Pokémon is… if it doesn't trust you it is no better than a newly hatched Magikarp."

McGonagall held out a pokeball, her Purrloin watching her with mild annoyance before allowing itself to be recalled. It was a good thing to, as in the next moment all the Pokémon in the room began to let out calls of protest as McGonagall pulled a small ball from her desk that dripped with Max Repel.

"Please quiet your Pokémon," McGonagall said, setting the ball down and turning so she could observe the class. Most of the students were having a hard time settling their partners down. Ralts had leapt behind Hermione and was now trying to use the girl's hair as a nest to hide in. Ron's Ratticate had run to the corner, forcing the boy to chase after it. Flora was butting her nose against Neville's chest, trying to convince him to go remove the smelly ball. Daphne's Vanillite was making it snow , it was so agitated. Draco was screaming as his Snivy, who refused to leave his bag, while Lavander's partner hugged her leg and cried.

"I know, I know," Harry murmured, stroking Eevee's head as the Pokémon whimpered and cried out. "It must smell really bad to you. It's ok… it's ok… if she doesn't get rid of it in a minute we'll just leave, alright?" Harry kept his voice calm and lower, hugging his Pokémon close to his chest as he soothed her.

All at once the noise died away, McGonagall tucking the Repel-soaked ball back in the special box in her desk. She waited only a few moments for the students to settle themselves before speaking. "What you experienced here was a moment when your Pokémon were in a state of panic. Max Repel is designed to make Pokémon flee an area. It is not their fault they reacted this way," McGonagall shot a few of the louder students a scathing look, "and screaming and yelling and bullying them did nothing… except give them something to remember the next time you need them to help you.

"In my class, you will learn how to gain your Pokémon's trust and how to ensure that you and they are on the same page. It will be hard… but it will open up avenues you could never imagine. Now then, turn on your dexs and scan your Pokémon."

Harry clicked on his dex, holding it out and letting the infrared scan Eevee.

'Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon. Due to the unstable nature of its DNA, it is considered one of the most adaptable Pokémon in the world.'

Type: Normal

Attacks: Tackle, Tail Whip, Shadow Ball

Hermione glanced over at Harry's dex and let out a small gasp. "How does your Eevee know Shadow Ball?"

"I don't even know what Shadow Ball is," Harry muttered.

"It is a ghost type move… Eevees don't learn that naturally."

"Then how did my Eevee learn it?" Harry wondered.

"Question, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked.

"No professor," Harry said, silently pondering how his Eevee could have learned a move it should not naturally know.

~MC~MC~MC~

After a nice quiet dinner (which being Hogwarts meant that a jet liner could have landed and not been heard over the chatter of the children; still, after the first feast and the sorting Harry was glad for a meal where he wasn't the star attraction) the Gryffindors had made their way back to their common room. No homework had been assigned yet so the students were mingling, chatting with each other, comparing Pokémon, and discussing their hopes for the new semester. Harry watched as two 7th years traded info on a pair of Poliwhirls while Percy acted as some kind of mediator.

"Trading," George said, plopping down next to the four first years, his hand automatically reaching up to mess up Ron's hair.

"Trading?" Harry asked in confusion.

"You didn't think that just because you catch a Pokémon you are stuck with them forever?" Fred shook his head, a smile on his face. "To be that young and naïve again."

"You're still naïve," George pointed.

"True." Fred turned to Harry. "A lot of people trade Pokémon. They might have caught one that doesn't work well with their team, or captured a spare with the purpose of trading for a Pokémon they don't have. Some do it because certain Pokémon will only evolve when sent to someone else, kind of a reward for friendship between trainers." The red head leaned back and smiled. "So, how are the ickle firsties enjoying their first day?"

"Other than Prof. McGonagall scaring Ralts..." Hermione muttered, running her hand along the little psychic Pokemon's back, causing her to coo.

"Better that then dealing with Draco Malfoy," Ron said in utter annoyance.

"Why does he act like that?" Harry asked in confusion.

"My running theory is that as a baby a Bonsly crawled up his buttocks," Ron said with a snort.

"Ronniekins and Draco don't get along," George staged whispered.

"He's his father's son," Neville said, checking Flora's bulb for pests. "Lucius Malfoy is a million times worse."

"That's no excuse for being a jerk," Hermione said in annoyance.

Harry turned towards Ron. "You knew Draco before Hogwarts?"

"Me and Neville both," Ron said. "We-"

"Neville and I," Hermione said.

"Huh?"

"The proper way to say it is 'Neville and I'."

"Whatever, Miss Dictionary." Ron turned back to Harry, missing the glower Ralts sent his way. "Because our parents and guardians are gym leaders we get stuck together whenever there is a party or gathering. Draco has it in his head that he is the greatest thing since Merlin discovered beard detangler and he lets all of us know it."

Neville nodded. "He told me once that we could have been friends if I had just learned my place. To him, friends aren't really friends... they are just Pokémon that don't go into balls."

Harry scowled. "That explains the two brutes that follow him around."

"Crabbe and Goyle," George said with a smirk. "They are like shorter, stupider versions of us." He wagged his finger when Ron opened his mouth. "Now now, baby brother, do not even consider make a joke. That is our job."

"Well said," Fred stated. "Now-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The four friends turned, eyes wide as they watched Katie Bell trying to cover her chest. Plusle and Minun were currently darting away, the girl's shirt clutched in their paws.

"GEORGE! FRED!"

"You know what they say, brother."

"Indeed brother," George said before racing for their room, his brother fast on his heels. "When the going gets tough, the twins get going!"

"Mental," Ron said, shaking his head as he watched Katie leap onto a teleporter pad in her pursuit of the twins. He stretched, cracking his knuckles as he did so. "Well, I need to go see Prof. McGonagall. She said it was my turn for a one-on-one session."

"Have fun, Ron." Hermione stood up, Ralts toddling after her. "I'm going to go through my notes again. I'll see you in the morning."

"Night Hermione," Harry said, waving to her as made her way towards her room. Harry settled back in his seat, running his fingers through Eevee's tail, idly staring out into space. He thought about his classes and what he had learned so far. Tracking had been fun once he'd understood what was going on; the only issue was that he needed to learn to think outside the box. He'd failed his first time trying to get the Stantler because he had gone about things straightforward. The second time he'd tried to replica Neville's approach, only for the Zigzagoons to alter their own style to thwart him. If he had any hope of being successful as a trainer, he would need to learn to develop a style all his own.

Partnership had been an eye opener... though not for anything taught that first day. Harry Potter was all to use to being the one that faded into the woodwork and stayed in the shadows. He didn't speak up and he didn't talk back, even when he knew he should. But today, seeing Draco pick on Hermione... it had felt too much like what his aunt and uncle had been like and the boy had felt something flick on inside him. Yes, it had been the comment about his father that had finally set him off, but attacking his friends had started the ball rolling. It was as if one moment he was his normal self... the next a fire had raged in his heart and he had wanted nothing more than to wipe the smirk off Draco's face. Hearing about how horrible the boy was, Harry really wished he had been able to make good on his challenge and battle the blond Slytherin right then and there.

"There is another reason Draco is hostile when near you," Neville said, reading his friend's mind.

"What? I'm sorry Neville, I must have dozed off."

"There is another reason for Draco being a jerk to you." When Harry didn't say a word Neville elaborated. "Your father was a gym leader. Your grandfather too. And his father and his father's father... Potters have always been gym leaders."

"So?" Harry asked.

"After the war with Team Nocturne, a lot of gyms changed hands or were closed up. Lucius Malfoy moved here from Sinnoh and wasn't anyone really important until the war... when he convinced the Elite 4 to let him become a gym leader." Neville looked Harry in the eye and the boy started as Neville's bashfulness faded away. It was only a moment, but it was there, a glimpse of the man he could become. "Lucius replaced your dad as the unofficial final gym leader of Avalon."

"Really?" Harry said in shock.

"Yes. Gyms are normally passed down from parents to their children. Draco should become the new gym leader when his father retires or becomes a member of the Elite 4. But with you around..."

"...there will be those that feel with a Potter back there is no need for a Malfoy gym," Harry finished.

"Exactly. You're a threat to him, Harry." Neville looked down, finding it easier to talk when he was focused on Flora. Flora didn't judge and Flora didn't make him feel as clumsy and awkward. "Harry... be careful, ok? You're... you're the first real friend I've ever had and..."

Neville shook his head, leaping up and dashing back to his room, only to stop when Harry called out, "You're my first friend too, Neville. You, Ron and Hermione. Don't forget that."

Harry didn't see the look of awe or the tears in Neville's eyes. The boy merely nodded once before slipping inside, Harry following after him a few minutes later.


Author's Notes: I really want to give all the characters a chance to shine. I have been focusing a bit on Neville these last few chapters because he got so little to do in the books from what I gathered, and I want to prove why he belongs with this group.

I will go into greater detail later, but here are the basic rules of pokemagnus: The trainer must have an incredible bond with the pokemon. The Pokemon must be a Stage One Pokemon that can only evolve one time. When bonded, the trainer and pokemon's new form is the evolution of the pokemon.

-Please keep sending suggestions for Pokemon that either a) people train, b) that replace creatures in the story. I am always changing my mind and reworking things based on suggestions, including some that have solved massive problems I had

- Someone asked if this would be grimdark with Pokemon eatting Pokemon. While I won't go into detail about it, I do view Pokemon as wild creatures that will attack others

- The war between Johto and Kanto will be a major point in later years. Just as the comment about the Malfoys and Sinnoh is threading other regions into the history of Avalon.

- I told one reviewer that I tend to assign different music to different characters, regions, and events. Right now we are still using Harry Potter themes, however last chapter, if this were a movie, we would have heard the first notes of Johto's theme. For Johto and the people from there, their music is from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, namely the song Over Hill, which for this fic has the secondary title of Olivine Point.