A/N: Thanks to all who sent in reviews. Again, they're much appreciated.
(Even the critical ones.)
Chapter 6: Kings Cross Station
London: 3:30 am.
As Hedwig ghosted her way through the night skies of London, she thought to herself, I have a strange human…no two humans. But I like them. I won't be bored with my life as long as they're around.
She looked down and spotted her destination, a large white building that, although she didn't know it, was modeled after the Acropolis in Athens. She flew around until she spotted the entrance. A small door, made specially made for post owls. She didn't know how she knew it would be there, only that she did. She landed on a perch inside and waited for someone to notice that she had arrived, and despite the hour, it didn't take long before someone did. The goblin who arrived took the letter she had tied to her foot, and looked at it, his eyes widening when he saw who it was addressed to, and then to the runic marking at the bottom. After telling the owl where she could find food and water, he rushed off to deliver the letter to it's addressee. It would not do to delay this. He liked having his head attached to his shoulders.
Arriving at the door he knocked once, and heard "Come!" from within.
Going quickly into the office, he stopped at the desk. 'Yes?"
"A letter just arrived for you Director. One bearing your mark." Said the goblin handing the letter over.
Ragnok looked at it for a moment and then opened it. Reading it quickly, a smile appeared on his face. "Clever." He said. "This will prove interesting." And then looking up at the goblin said. "That will be all. Thank you."
The goblin bowed his head and left the office thinking to himself. The Director thanked me? He's never done that before.
oooOOOooo
The next morning Harry woke early, despite the tiring night before. He glanced over to the other side of his small room and saw his older self still asleep on the cot. Getting up, he went over an poked him in the shoulder. "Wake up." He said. Harry2 groaned and mumbled something unintelligible, but opened his eyes. "Morning." Harry said.
"Good morning," Harry2 mumbled. "what time is it?"
"Nearly 7:30. The Dursleys should be getting up soon cause Uncle Vernon has to go to work." Harry said. 'And we have to get ready to go to the train station."
7:30? Harry2 thought. If he weren't me I'd kill him for waking me this early. But then he remembered the excitement he had felt the day he first went to Hogwarts all those years ago, and his thoughts softened. "
"Well then, I guess I better get up then." Harry2 said, rubbing his eyes. "After all, we only have 5 hours to get ready. We wouldn't want to miss the train would we?" Harry said with a smile.
Harry went red. "Well, I didn't know how long it would take to get ready, and I didn't want to be late." He said sheepishly.
"Don't worry about it Harry. It's just as well. I wanted to check that your Occlumency shields are in place before you left anyway. Why don't you go and take a shower now, and I'll do the same in my flat, and we'll check when you get back?"
"Okay."
oooOOOooo
Hogwarts – Severus Snapes private chambers.
Severus Snape was also up early. In fact he had hardly slept the night before. All he could think about had been Harry Potter. Potters brat is coming tomorrow. He said to himself. On top of all the other crap I have to put up with trying to teach those other idiots, now I have to deal with the son of James Bloody Potter. But you don't know he'll be like his father, another part of his said. He could take after Lilly. She was his mother after all. But he pushed those thoughts aside. Thinking about Lilly Evans Potter still hurt, even after all the years that had passed. No, he'll be just like accursed father. How could he not, after growing up hearing all about the famous Marauders and their exploits? That plus the Potter family money….he'll be more insufferable than Draco is.
Snape continued pacing the room for another hour, all the time muttering "Potter" and "not fair" under his breath. Finally he decided that he's go up to the Great Hall and get something to eat. Maybe 6 or 7 cups of tea would calm him down.
oooOOOooo
In another part of the castle, another person was also pacing back and forth. Minerva McGonagall, was deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, Transfiguration Professor, and also Head of Gryffindor House. But unlike Severus Snape, she was looking forward to seeing the son of two of her favourite students, a boy she had last seen the night his parents were murdered. What will he be like after living the last 9 ½ years with those muggles? She asked herself with a slight shudder, as she remembered all too well the day she had spend observing the Dursleys before Dumbledore (over her objections) had left Harry on their doorstep in the middle of the night with nothing more than a letter explaining what happened to the adult Potters. Telling them that they now had to raise Harry because they were his last living blood relatives.
She had tried over the years to get the old Headmaster to let her visit Harry so she could make sure he was being cared for properly, but he had forbidden it every time. Telling her that it was better if Harry had no contact with the magical world till he turned 11 and came to Hogwarts, and that when he did arrive, he's come not as some famous pampered prince, but as a normal boy.
Part of her could see the logic in that, but another part (the louder of the two) kept telling her that it was wrong to isolate Harry from their world. But Dumbledore, in the end, got his way as usual, and Harry was left to be raised by his non magical family.
So help me Dumbledore, she said to herself, that boy had better have been raised right, or you'll answer to me.
oooOOOooo
After getting back from his shower, Harry found Harry2 sitting on the floor dressed, and motioning him to do the same. "Okay, this will only take a few moments and we can go downstairs and get something to eat before we leave." Harry2 said.
"But I thought we weren't eating with them anymore….I thought we were just gonna go." Harry replied.
"Oh we are, but I didn't want to just leave without saying goodbye. That would be rude Harry. They are our relatives after all." Harry2 said with
A grin.
"Okay…so will it be me, or you again that talks to them?" Harry asked.
"Oh it will be me. I don't want to take the chance that they've forgotten our last conversation, and I want to talk to them about next summer."
"Do we have to come back here?" Harry asked, correctly guessing to topic of the forthcoming talk.
"Yes we do unfortunately. But it won't be that bad. You won't have to stay here much after you're 12th birthday. Maybe a week. After that, well both be able to move into Potter Manor and be rid of the Dursleys forever."
"So what are you going to tell them about next summer?" asked Harry.
"Just that you'll be back for one more summer, and then gone for good. And not to tell anyone about it. Otherwise you'll have to stay here every year till you're seventeen. I think that will be incentive enough to keep them quiet. Now let's check your shields. Just look into me eyes again like last night."
Harry did as he was asked, but unlike the night before, felt nothing when he heard Harry saying Legilimens.
After only a minute or two, He heard Harry2 say. "Good. They're rock solid. It's going to be something to see Snape's face when he tries to peer into your mind for the first time." He added chuckling. "He going to think someone slammed his head into a stone wall."
"About that. Won't he be mad? And could doing that be considered attacking a teacher?"
"Oh he'll be absolutely incensed. First the fact that you kicked him of all people out, and the fact that you're James Potter's son…that will make it ten times worse. But, attacking a teacher? No. The Ministry considers any action taken to repel an illegal Legilimens attack as perfectly legal. Technically you could kill him and it would be legal. But that won't be necessary. Snape may be a terrible teacher, but he's no fool. Once he believes you're a natural Occlumens, he'll give up."
Harry2 got up. "Now what do you say we go downstairs and say Goodbye?"
"Okay."
oooOOOooo
When they got to the kitchen, they found it empty, so Harry2 started cooking breakfast for the Dursleys. But this time it was a normal one. At the same time he used wandless magic to prepare Harry's and his, which was ready in 2 minutes, and eaten 5 minutes later, and the dishes cleaned and put away.
With a wave of his hand he made Harry invisible again so he could watch from the sidelines. The Dursley arrived in the kitchen a few moments later.
Petunia was the first to enter and stopped dead in her tracks upon see her nephew. "Oh don't worry Aunt Petunia. I just want to talk to all of you one last time before I leave, and decided that out of the goodness of my heart, I'd make you breakfast one last time."
"Wh…what do you mean, one last time?" she asked nervously as Vernon and Dudley also came in, and after a fearful glance at Harry, sat down also.
"Just that. This is the last time I'll be making breakfast for you lot. After today, you'll have to make your own." He said. And then with a flick of his hand, plates and silverware flew out of the cupboard and drawer and sat themselves on the table. Next came three plates with bacon and sausages, eggs, and toast.
"You've probably poisoned it all!" Vernon sputtered at the display of magic.
"Nice thought, but no." Harry2 replied with a smile, and then reached out and took a piece of bacon off the plate and started to eat it. "You're not worth the legal trouble. I made it because I was bored waiting for you to come down, and I wanted to tell you about next summer."
"You told us you weren't coming back after you left." Vernon sputtered.
"No, I said I'd try to arrange it so I didn't have to come back. Well it didn't work out so I will be back for the summer. But the rest will be as I told you. You won't see me unless I'm comin in or going out. And when I leave for school next September, that will be the last time you see me. So enjoy your breakfast. I'll be leaving in about an hour."
Harry2 got up and left the kitchen with the invisible Harry close behind. When they got back to Harry's room and secured the door Harry grinned and asked, "Do you think they'll eat it?"
"Who cares?" Harry2 said nonchalantly. "It's not like Vernon or Dudley will starve if they miss a meal. You better get packed," Harry2 said glancing at the clock, "It's nearly 9, and I'd like to get to the station and on the train before the heavy crowds arrive."
"Okay."
oooOOOooo
The packing, such as it was, didn't take long as most of it was already done. Harry's trunk only took him 10 minutes to pack up, as he only had a few books to put away and his pajamas, and when this was done Harry2 waved his hand at it. "Now you'll be able to lift it without breaking your back," He told Harry. "and If anybody asks you, which I doubt they will, just tell them the place you bought it at put a feather-weight charm on it for you, okay?"
Harry nodded as Harry turned to his own trunk, and with another wave shrunk the trunk down to the size of a pack of cigarettes and then pocketed it. Then after picking up Hedwig, who was now in her cage and handing her to Harry, asked "Ready to get out of this place?"
"No, I think we should stay here for the rest of the year." Harry replied cheekily.
"Smart ass." Harry2 said with a smile. Come-on, lets go."
oooOOOooo
The trip to Kings Cross went without a hitch, although the trip on the Knight Bus was just as un-pleasant as the last time, and an hour later they found themselves at the station. "So where's this platform 9 ¾ ?" Harry asked.
"Right here," Harry2 replied, pointing to a rather non-descript wall between Platform 9 and 10. "You just walk straight towards the wall and keep going. It's charmed so only witches and wizards can pass through."
"You want me to walk into a wall?"
"Not into the wall, through it. Don't worry, you won't crash into it."
Harry looked at his other self uncertainly, but figured He hasn't lied to me yet. I don't think he's going to start now, and walked towards the wall, closing his eyes at the last second.
The expected crash of course didn't happen, and when Harry opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a huge red and gold steam locomotive, with the words "HOGWARTS EXPRESS" written in bold letters on the front.
"It's something isn't it?" a voice asked.
Harry turned to see who had spoken to him but saw no one. "Don't worry, it's just me." Harry2 said softly. "I'm just invisible, We can't have people seeing two Harry Potters on the train can we?"
"No I guess not." Harry replied. "So will you stay this way till we get to Hogwarts?"
"Yes, and unless we're alone don't talk to me. Even in the wizarding world, talking to yourself isn't a good sign. If I want to talk, I'll tap you on the shoulder, and you can go to the toilet. Okay?"
"No problem. Do you want to get on board now?"
"Not just yet. Lets wait for a while. I'm waiting for someone else to arrive."
"Someone else…who?" asked Harry.
"You'll see."
They found a bench and sat down to wait. Harry looked up at the clock and saw that it was 10:15. 45 minutes till the train left. While he waited he wondered who older Harry was waiting for, but with all the people that were starting to arrive he didn't want to ask his invisible companion.
The wait wasn't too long though, only 10 minutes in fast when he heard Harry whisper "There she is. She just came through the portal."
Harry looked over to where he had come through and saw a young, bushy haired girl pulling what looked to be a very heavy trunk. He also noticed that she looked scared. "Who is she?" he asked.
"Hermione Granger. Muggleborn witch, and easily the most intelligent person I've ever met..." Harry2 replied, and then so softly that Harry almost didn't hear him, "and a dear friend. Let's give a few minutes to get on board and get settled. Then we'll go and you can ask her if she'd mind if you sat with her in her cabin."
"Alright, but what if she says no?" asked Harry.
"She grew up with almost no friends, much like us, but for different reasons. So I doubt she will say no.."
"What different reasons?"
"When I said she was intelligent, I should have said frighteningly intelligent. So much so that she was teased and tormented and called a know it all nearly all the time she was in school, and the more that happened, the more she retreated into her books. So when she finds out who you are, don't be surprised when she starts quoting you chapter and verse the entire story of your life."
"She sounds like someone who could be very annoying, and bossy."
Harry2 laughed softly. "Well…yeah. She can be." Impressed that Harry made this connection so fast, "But it's only because she don't know any better at this point in her life. Give her a chance to change. She's worth it. And with good friends around, she will change."
Harry thought about this for a few moments then asked. "She was one of the friends you lost…that died during the war wasn't she?"
"Yes she was Harry. But if you don't mind I'd rather not talk about it. Maybe someday I'll tell you about it, but not now."
Harry didn't say anything to that, but wondered to himself, Should I ask about this later on…..No. It isn't something he wants to talk about. If it was something important, he'd tell me about it no matter how bad it was.
Harry2 remained silent. Lost in thought. He knew it would be painful seeing Hermione again, But this….
-BEGIN FLASKBACK-
September 23, 2002, 12:30 am – Cornwall, UK
Harry was crouched down behind a blue BMW, Hermione on one side and Remus Lupin on the other. "You sure Peter's in there Remus?" He asked Lupin, gesturing to the old 3 story brownstone in front of them.
"That's what the intelligence said." Replied Lupin. "He's holed up there with Snape, Malfoy and Lestrange, and they using the place as safe house and launch point for whatever raids Voldemort sends them on."
Harry nodded. "Well lets get this over with. The sooner they're dead the sooner we can get out of here and back to Hogwarts." Then turning to Hermione asked, "You ready?"
She nodded that she was. "Okay let's do this."
The three had just started out from behind the BMW they were using for cover when it started. Spell fire began to rain down on them from 3 directions at once. "SHIT!" Harry swore. "GET DOWN!" He looked around and saw people in dark robes and white masks coming out from behind fences and houses. "IT'S A TRAP," he yelled, "WE'VE BEEN SET UP! PORTKEY OUT, NOW!" But when they tried, nothing happened. "They must have put up anti portkey wards as soon as they saw us. We have to make it to the edge of them if we're going to get out of here. Come on. Use the cars for cover."
It seemed to take hours, but slowly they made their way one at a time, car by car down the once quiet street. Trading spell fire all the way. Finally they got near the end of the block. One car left before they had to make an open dash across the street intersection to the next block. Harry made a dash for the last car and felt himself pass through the edge of the wards. "Come on, this is the edge of the wards. One more and we can get out."
Hermione went first, and making it safely, crouched down next to Harry. "REMUS," she yelled, "MOVE!" but as he started to get up to run a red beam of light hit him in the arm, and sent his wand flying. He grunted in pain and clutching his arm, sank back down to the ground.
"Are you alright?" Hermione yelled out to him. "Yeah," Lupin managed to get out after looking at his arm. "It's not that bad. Just give me a minute."
"We don't have a minute" Harry said looking around and seeing A mob of about thirty Death Eaters now coming down the middle of the street. "WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW, OR WE WON'T GET OUT!"
Lupin nodded and started to get back up, Harry looking up the street at the converging group. Then he saw Lupin's eyes go wide, and he yelled "HARRY! LOOK OUT!"
As he started to turn he saw a blur move in front of his line of sight and a purple light flash in front of him. Then he saw the Death Eater that had somehow flanked their position and come in from the corner. He raised his wand and shouted "REDUCTO!" His spell hit the man in the chest dead center, and blew a hole in it clear through it, spraying the street behind with gore. Then he saw her. Hermione had been hit in the neck with what could only have been a slashing curse. The spell had cut through the veins in her neck and blood was gushing out onto the street. He clamped his hand over the wound and said "Hermione hold on. You're gonna be okay." She smiled at that and said faintly "You've always been a terrible liar Harry."
"Hermione…"
But he was interrupted by Lupin, who, un-noticed by Harry, had made his way over to them. "HARRY, WE HAVE TO GO NOW! "he yelled.
"But Hermione is hurt Remus. We have to stop the bleeding first."
"Harry, she's gone. We'll take her with us but we have to get the hell out of here."
Harry looked down again at his friend and saw that she was still. Her eyes staring blankly out into nothing. "NOOOOO!" he screamed. Then getting up pointed his wand at the approaching mob and screamed "CONFRINGO!"
Remus raised his good arm up in front of his eyes as the beam of bright white light surged out of Harry's wand straight towards the mob of Death Eaters. It struck the road right in front of them, and in a strange quirk of irony that he would find out about three days later, hit the main gas line for Cornwall, buried 6 feet underground. The 8 inch pipe erupted in an explosion that not only killed the Death Eaters, but blew a hole in the street 8 feet deep and almost 50 across.
"My God." Lupin whispered when he finally moved his arm away and saw the damage. "Harry, we have to go now." But Harry didn't answer him. He had knelt back down and was holding his friend in his arms. "Harry, we have to go before the muggle authorities come and find us here." But when he saw that Harry still wasn't responding, he added, "We have to get Hermione out of here Harry."
Slowly, Harry looked up at him, and then back down at the woman that had become closer to him than a sister. He nodded silently and said. "Go. I'll bring her home."
"Do you need any help?" Lupin asked.
"No." Harry said, and slowly began to get up, Hermione cradled in his arms. "You couldn't anyway, not with your arm. Go, I'll be right behind you."
"Harry, are you…"
"GO REMUS!"
Lupin nodded, and then grasping the medallion around his neck said. "Home." and was gone.
Harry looked down at Hermione's face and leaning over, kissed her softly on the lips. "I'm so sorry Hermione. But I'll get him. I'll get them all. Then grabbing his own medallion, said "Home." and they flashed out.
-END FLASKBACK-
I won't let it happen again Hermione. Not again!. Harry2 said to himself . He was still thinking about his friend when he was brought back to reality by a voice next to him. "Harry, it's been nearly 15 minutes. Shouldn't we be getting on the train?" Harry asked quietly, so as not to attract any attention.
Harry blinked and then looked up at the clock. 10:35 it read. "Yeah you're right. We better get on board.
A/N: Sorry about the wait. The flashback scene took forever. I re-wrote it so many times I've lost count. It's still not what I want, but it'll have to do for now.
TD
