Harry, Stephen, Hamir and Wong were sitting at a round table, staring at an 11 inch long wooden stick. Stephen scratched his chin. "You can all sense it, right?" he asked, looking around the table.
Wong and Hamir nodded. Harry picked the wand up. "When I got this, I felt a connection to it. Like how I found Dragonfang, but, I don't know, more submissive,"
"How do you mean?" Hamir asked.
Harry put Dragonfang on the table. "Well, Dragonfang has sort of a mind of its own, and sometimes it won't let me use it, but the wand feels more like… a part. It's sort of like the nozzle on a hose,"
Wong frowned. Hamir folded his arms. Strange scratched his chin. "Hmm," the Sorcerer Supreme was lost in thought. He waved his hand over the wand. "It feels like there is some magic in there, but nowhere near as much as our relics," Harry chuckled. "What?" Strange asked him.
"Nothing, it's just that Dragonfang's glad you think it's better than my wand," Harry yawned. "It's getting late. Goodnight, masters," Harry bowed and, upon receiving nods from the three sorcerers, Sling-ringed to his room. He changed into his pyjamas and lay on his bed, closing his eyes. His astral form floated above his resting body and he flew over to his new pile of school books. He'd all but studied up to a 10th grade level, so he had some time to kill. He may as well hit the reading list. "Magical Drafts and Potions, by Arsenius Jigger," he flipped open the old book and skipped past the introduction to chapter 1. "The single most useful item in curing poisons is the bezoar. Bezoars can be used as a cure for most known poisons. The most effective bezoar would be one found in the stomach of a goat, as the animal's latent capabilities can…"
"… Lacewing flies must be stewed for 21 days, or the potion will fail. Mix in the fluxweed, picked at full moon and the boomslang skin, stir for precisely 4 hours and you will have a correctly brewed polyjuice potion, requiring only the piece of the person you wish to disguise yourself as," Harry sighed as he floated back to his body, waking up and pulling his curtains, flooding his room with light. He rubbed his forehead and looked at the goddamned book he'd spent all night reading. "For something so similar to chemistry, you are way too boring!"
Entering the mess hall, he sat himself down by Master Hamir, and the two began chatting as per. "I read this book about potions last night," Harry remarked.
"Potions?" Hamir asked, taking a bite of hash brown.
Harry nodded. "Yeah, they use all sorts of weird things. One of them involves the diced hide of a deer. How do you dice a deer hide?"
"I'm sure you'll enjoy finding out," Hamir chuckled.
"Yeah, I just hope the practice is more fun than the theory," Harry,
"It usually is. Some of the books here are not the most interesting things in the world," Hamir whispered. Across the room, Wong narrowed his eyes.
Harry raised an eyebrow. "How does he hear you?"
Hamir shrugged. "I honestly have no idea,"
The weeks passed, and the time when Harry was to go to Hogwarts was almost upon them. Harry was packing everything he'd need into his suitcase, idly stroking Hedwig as he used his sorcery to fold his robes, wondering why he couldn't just wear trousers. He heard a knock at the door. It was Stephen.
"Hey, kid. You all set?" he asked, hands behind his back.
"Just about. I'm packing my last few things now," he replied. Hedwig cooed lightly. "What's behind your back?" Harry craned his neck to see behind Stephen.
"Well, I think that owl-mail may be slightly slower than alternatives, so Wong, Hamir and I pitched in to get you this," he revealed a brown cardboard box with large writing on the side, reading 'Macintosh PowerBook 170'.
Harry's eyes widened and his lips curled into a wide smile. "Is this a laptop?"
Strange smiled. "Yep. Now you can e-mail us instead of using Hedwig," the owl screeched, somewhat offended. "Sorry," he smiled apologetically. Hedwig ruffled her feathers angrily. Harry's jaw was completely slack. He took the laptop out of the box and ran his hands over the top. He placed the laptop in his trunk. "If you don't like it, I can-," Stephen was cut off by Harry wrapping his arms around his guardian, nearly crushing Stephen's ribcage.
"Thank you," Harry whispered, a single tear falling from his smiling face. Stephen pulled Harry tighter, ruffling his hair.
After what seemed like hours, Harry let go of Stephen, who cleared his throat. "Alright. You'd better finish packing up, then get a good night's rest. Night, Harry,"
Harry smirked. "Thank you, Master," he bowed.
Stephen sighed, facepalming. "You are unbearable, sometimes," he left Harry alone to finish packing.
Harry awoke the next morning to the sound of an explosion. He jolted upright and opened his curtains. He saw green scales. It was like Godzilla (best movie night ever) was standing in the middle of the sanctum. Harry looked up and saw that he was not entirely wrong. It wasn't Godzilla, but in fact a giant, 100 foot tall bipedal dragon, attacking the village. "Oh dear," he said, quickly changing into his Gi and running to the courtyard. He saw Hamir, Stephen and Wong preparing to battle the behemoth. He ran to Hamir's side and put his hand around Dragonfang's hilt. Feeling the buzz of the sword readying itself for use, he drew it from its sheath. "Umm, who's that?" he asked casually.
Hamir dropped into a defensive stance. "Fin Fang Foom," he replied, not averting his gaze from the monster, who had turned to stare the sorcerers down.
"Cool," Harry smirked.
"Harry, run," Stephen commanded, lifting himself off the ground with the cloak.
Harry looked at his Master incredulously. "Stephen, this is what I've trained for!"
Strange looked Harry dead in the eyes. "Harry, no! If you fight, he will kill you!"
"You don't think I'm strong enough?"
"I think that a 100 foot tall giant dragon man is stronger than you!" Stephen formed a shield to protect himself from an incoming plume of fire, the other masters and Harry following suit. "Harry, please! You can't fight him!"
Fin roared and punched the sorcerers. Wong dodged, Stephen flew away, Hamir, Sling-ringed to the other side of the courtyard. Harry looked up at the fist and did the only thing he could think of. He quickly formed a barrier above his head, and poured every ounce of energy he had into it. Fin's fist hit the shield, and the area around them was hit by a shockwave. "Hah!" the dragon's deep voice bellowed. "You send children? How pitiful!" He brought down his fist on Harry's shield again, a crack forming down the middle of the circular barrier. "Impressive," Fin growled, peering down at the young sorcerer. "You are still alive," He took a deep breath in. "Let's see how you handle THIS!" Fin roared, and a great tongue of flame engulfed Harry.
"HARRY!" Stephen screamed, flying to the neck of the monster and firing every spell and curse he knew, more than a few piercing the thick armour of scales. Fin screamed in rage and pain, swatting Strange out of the sky. Stephen collided with a pillar and collapsed in a heap. Harry sprinted over to his Master and held his head.
"Master? Stephen, wake up!" He put his hand on Stephen's head and pushed a small amount of energy into his core. Stephen's eyes slowly opened.
"Ugh, that hurt," he groaned, rubbing the back of his head. Then his eyes glowed green and a beam of power shot from his mouth. "Argh!" he yelled, falling to the floor. "What was that?"
Harry looked at Stephen, grasping Dragonfang tightly. "I may have given you too much energy. Sorry,"
"You know how risky that is!" Strange pulled himself to his feet.
"Riskier than fighting a dragon?!" Harry exclaimed running at Fin. He drove Dragonfang into his foot, pulling it through flesh, bone and scales down to the ground.
"RRRAAAAAAAGHHHHHH!" Fin screamed. "HOW DARE YOU?!" he lifted his foot and stomped on Harry, who rose Dragonfang above his head. Fin stepped on the blade and reeled in agony. "YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!"
"No he won't!" Harry heard Stephen yell. The Sorcerer Supreme opened a Sling Portal to London. "Go!" Stephen shouted at Harry.
Harry hesitated for one moment. "Please don't die,"
Stephen smirked weakly. "I won't if you don't,"
Harry smiled. "Goodbye, Master," he leapt through the portal, leaving his friends to battle Fin Fang Foom. Quickly, he opened a portal to his room, retrieving Hedwig and his trunk, and made his way to King's Cross station.
After changing into jeans and a hoodie in a public toilet (never again), he took out his ticket and read it. "Platform 9 and 3 quarters. Why?" he stopped to read a map. There was a platform 9 and a platform 10, but so 9 and 3 quarters. Sighing, and preparing himself for the incoming confused looks, he went up to a guard and cleared his throat. "Excuse me, sir? Can you tell me how to get to platform 9 and 3 quarters?"
The guard blinked. "9 and 3 quarters? You 'avin' a laugh, son?" Harry looked the man dead in the eye. "Where's your parents?"
Harry smiled fakely. "Tibet," the man became even more confused. "I'm on my way to boarding school, and I'm just following the instructions on my ticket. Thank you for your help," Harry pushed his trolley away from the flustered guard. Walking to platform 9 he looked around. There was nothing out of the ordinary, just the usual busy people rushing to catch their train, buskers and a red-headed family striding to platform 10 chatting about Muggles. Wait, what? Harry slowly followed the family, keeping enough distance so it wasn't obvious. The group, a woman, probably the mother, was leading 4 boys of different ages and a girl who looked younger than Harry.
"OK, Percy, you first," the woman said, and the eldest boy, who wore a shiny badge on his lapel with the letter P on it, walked briskly towards the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. Harry narrowed his eyes to see better, but a large group of people exited a train, obstructing his view. Harry shook his head and went over to the woman. "Alright, now you, Fred,"
One of the middle children tutted. "I'm not Fred, I'm George! Call yourself my mother?"
"Oh, Sorry, George," she sighed as the boy prepared to go.
"Just kidding, I am Fred," he laughed as he and the other boy, who was probably his twin, followed him. The two disappeared as they made contact with the barrier.
Harry cleared his throat. "Excuse me?"
The plump woman turned and smiled at him. "Yes, dear?"
"I'm trying to get onto the platform. I've never done this before," he smiled meekly. Use your cuteness to your advantage while you have it.
"Oh, of course, dear! It's Ron's first time too," Harry looked at the ginger boy who grinned at him. He was tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose.
"Hi," Harry said.
"Hullo," Ron replied.
"Well," the woman explained, "all you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. Best to run if you're nervous,"
"Thank you, Mrs, umm,"
"Molly Weasley," Molly beamed.
"Thank you, Mrs Weasley," Harry nodded and ran towards the barrier, shutting his eyes. When he opened them, he saw a plume of steam coming from a black train with the words 'Hogwarts Express' on the front. Hundreds of people in clothes ranging from pinstripe suits to full on stereotypical magician's robes complete with stars and moons. It was like someone dropped a train into Diagon Alley. He took his trunk and Hedwig's cage off his trolley, which subsequently disappeared. He smiled, thinking about how Stephen would… his smile turned into a worried frown. Was Stephen alright? Was he alive? He hurried to the train, but struggled to pull his trunk up over the runner and hold Hedwig. Honestly, he was about twelve seconds from flat out using his Sling Ring to transport it onto the train.
"Need a hand?" someone asked. Harry turned to see the twins from earlier.
"Yes please," he smiled weakly. One of them picked up Hedwig's cage and the other lifted the other end of the trunk. "Thanks a lot for this," Harry said, shaking his head to get his hair out of his eyes, which temporarily revealed his scar.
"Blimey," one of them said. "Is he…?"
"I think he is," the other one said.
"Are you?" the first one again.
Harry raised an eyebrow. Did these two know about his sorcery? Stephen said to keep it quiet, but was it already common knowledge? Mr Ollivander already knew, so it wasn't a stretch to think so. "Am I who?"
"Harry Potter?" they said in unison.
Harry's heart began to beat again. "Oh, um, yeah. Is that bad?" the two of them spluttered, and Harry took this opportunity to back away. "Thanks for this," he said, turning to find an empty carriage. All he heard was 'Harry Potter!'
Harry sat himself down and took out his laptop before putting his trunk in the overhead, cheating this time by using a smidge of sorcery to push in. He opened up his email.
Dear Stephen,
Are you alright? If you reply, that means you're holding up your end of our deal. Please tell me you're okay. I got on the train fine, after talking to a really unhelpful guard. A family called the Weasleys helped me out, they showed me how to get onto the platform (it's like a sling portal inside a wall!) and two of them helped me load my trunk onto the train. They looked at my scar funny and asked if I was Harry Potter. Is there something I don't know? If you're alive, please explain this to me. I'm really looking forward to getting to Hogwarts, it sounds… interesting…
Reply soon,
Harry.
Harry pressed send and sighed. 'Myrlin, say Stephen is alright,'
"Excuse me, do you mind? Everywhere else is full," someone said. Harry looked up to see Ron, the boy from earlier standing in the doorway.
"No problem," Harry said. Ron smiled and sat opposite Harry. "Ron Weasley, right?"
"Yep!" Ron beamed, holding out his hand.
Harry shook it. "I'm Harry. Harry Potter," he mentally cursed himself for saying that. Ron's jaw dropped to the Earth's core.
"Bloody Hell!" he whispered. "Do you have the… the…" Harry raised an eyebrow. "The scar?" he said under his breath.
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Oh, this?" he brushed his hair off his forehead, and Ron almost fainted.
"Merlin's beard. So that's where You-Know-Who…" Ron started.
"Who?" Harry said, curiously.
"You know, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Ron waved his hands about as if it was obvious.
"Sorry, I don't have a clue what you're on about," Harry shrugged, then his laptop pinged.
"What was that?" Ron asked, furrowing his brow.
"My laptop," Harry said, opening it and seeing an e-mail from Kamar-Taj. He breathed a sigh of relief as he opened it.
"Lap…top?" Ron seemed confused.
"You've never heard of a laptop?" Harry asked, genuinely worried, but then remembered the distinct lack of technology in Diagon Alley. "It's a miggle thing,"
"D'you mean muggle?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, muggle, sorry. You use it to send letters to people without using paper," Harry read the e-mail.
Harry,
Everything's fine now. Thor owes me a favour, so he came and pitched in. He sprinkled some herb in Foom's eyes that put him to sleep, then carried him to a cave somewhere. The courtyard needs a lot of fixing up, but Wong and Lao volunteered. A portal in a wall? Sounds cool. Did you feel anything coming from it, like an aura or something?
Sincerely,
Stephen.
P.S. people know your name because apparently you're famous. Some guy named Volvdjbvewpbw9uvapewf9uhf32879tgpi4bd;IQLFEWIUFH321-130=- the screen went blank, and Harry gasped. "What the heck?" he pressed all the buttons, flipping the on-off switch a dozen times, but the laptop was completely dead. "Sweet mother of Myrlin, Stephen's going to kill me," Hedwig ruffled her feathers triumphantly. Ron looked confused. "So… are you're your family wizards?" Harry changed the subject.
From there, Harry made a steadfast friend. They talked about Ron's family, Harry's time with the Dursleys, and some basic information about his time with Stephen. A half hour passed, and they didn't even realise the train had already left the station and was speeding through the British countryside. "And so that's how the internet works. I think," Harry said, grinning at Ron's mystified look.
"Wow, that's brilliant!" Ron's eyes were as wide as saucers.
"Okay, your turn. Show me something cool that you have," Harry grinned, crossing his legs.
"Well, I could do some magic I suppose," Ron shrugged, taking out his wand.
"Sounds great!" Harry said.
"Alright then. Fred and George taught me one that's meant to turn my rat yellow," Ron took a rat out of his pocket. "This is Scabbers. He's a worthless old thing but he's been in the family for years, and we can't just get rid of him," Ron pointed his wand at Scabbers and cleared his throat. "Sunshine, daisies bu-,"
"Have either of you two seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one," Harry and Ron shook their heads apologetically. The girl sighed, then saw Ron's wand. "Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see then," she sat down next to Harry.
"Ahem. Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow – turn this stupid fat rat yellow!" nothing happened. Scabbers remained his dull grey colour. The girl rolled her eyes.
"Are you sure that's a real spell? Well, it's not a very good one, is it?" she looked at Harry. "You have a rip in your coat. Do you mind?" Harry looked at where she was pointing her wand and shrugged.
"Sure,"
"Alright then. Reparo," Harry's hoodie knitted itself together like ma- oh yeah, right.
"That's pretty cool," Harry remarked, brushing his hair out of his eyes. He needed to invest in a scrunchie or some hair gel. The girl looked at his head.
"You're Harry Potter!" she exclaimed. "I know all about you, of course – I got a few extra books, for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century," she spoke with the speed of a hurricane. "Sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I? I'm Hermione Granger," she turned to Ron. "And you are?"
"Ron Weasley," Ron replied.
"Pleasure," Hermione peered down her nose at him. "You have a bit of dirt on your nose, by the way, just there," she pointed on her own face, and Ron wiped his nose on his sleeve. Rolling her eyes, Hermione turned to leave. "I'd better help Neville find his toad, and you two'd better change into your robes, we'll probably arrive soon,"
"Hermione?" Harry called before she left.
She looked over her shoulder. "Yes?"
"Could I borrow one of those books when we get to Hogwarts? I don't really know why people know who I am,"
Hermione looked shocked for a moment, then shrugged. "Of course!"
The day turned to night. Ron and Harry chatted about everything they could think of, from sweets to pastimes. Hermione even joined them after trying (and failing) to find that Neville boy's toad. She gave Harry a book, which he eagerly speed read, incredibly tempted to pop into his astral form, but he held off. Good thing, too, because three boys came into their compartment. He did not want to miss this. "I heard Harry Potter was in this compartment. It's the talk of the train. Is it true?" Ron and Hermione looked at Harry, who stretched his arms.
"Harry Potter. Hmm, name doesn't ring a bell," he cupped his chin in mock-thought. "Uh, nope, sorry," he shook his head, revealing his scar.
The blond boy, Harry assumed he was the leader of their little pack, folded his arms. "What's that scar, then?"
Harry sniggered. "Darn, you found me out," he clicked his fingers. "Well, I suppose I'm Harry Potter then. Is that a problem?"
The boy sneered at Harry's company. "Draco Malfoy. This is Crabbe and Goyle," Draco took a step closer to Ron, who stood up. Harry stood with him. "No need to ask your name. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford,"
He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He held out his hand for Harry to shake.
Harry looked at the hand, looked at Ron, winked, and shook it. Draco smirked. "No thanks," Harry said casually, releasing Draco's hand and sitting down.
Draco's smirk turned into a sneer. "I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."
Ron stood up, balling his fists. "Say that again,"
Hermione sighed and buried her head in a book. "Sit down, Ronald," she chided.
Ron was about to retort when Harry put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "She's right, Ron. He's not worth it," Ron looked at Harry. "Come on, we can play that exploding snap game you told me about," Ron nodded and sat down. Draco sniggered and turned to leave. He stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "I get the funny feeling you don't like me. That's fine. So I'll stick with my friends and you can stick with yours, and nobody has to get hurt, alright?" Draco frowned, and Harry could have sworn he heard a growl. Draco, Crabbe and Goyle turned on heel and walked away. Harry sat down and sighed. "This scar is not going to do me any favours, is it?"
Ron laughed, dealing out the cards. "No, sorry mate," Harry picked up his cards and looked at Ron. He twitched his head for him to turn to Hermione. Ron made an 'Oh' face and cleared his throat. "Um, Hermione, d'you want to play?"
She peered over the top of her book at the game. "Alright," she said, bookmarking her page and taking her dealt cards.
The train pulled into the station soon after, and Ron, Hermione and Harry left the compartment together. Harry tried to get his bag down, but then realised it wasn't there, nor was Hedwig. "Our bags are taken to the school before we get there," Hermione mentioned. "Come on, we're going to miss the boats!"
Ron rolled his eyes. "Hermione, they won't leave without us,"
Harry laughed at their exchange. They disembarked the train and followed the flow of children towards a hulking man with a lantern. Hagrid waved at the three of them "Alright, 'Arry?" he grinned.
Harry waved back. "Hi, Hagrid,"
Hagrid waved his lantern and pointed towards a huge body of water. "First years, this way!" Hagrid lead them to a huge line of boats. Harry, Ron and Hermione climbed into one, followed by another, plumper boy.
Hermione turned and smiled. "Oh, did you find your toad, Neville?"
Neville looked at his shoes and shook his head. "No, but he'll turn up," he looked sick.
"You alright?" Harry asked, seeing the boy's eyes darting around.
"I-I'm fine. Just a little nervous," he tentatively held out his hand. "I'm Neville, Neville Longbottom," he said.
Harry shook his hand. "I'm Harry, Harry Potter," Neville fainted.
Hagrid sighed. "There's always one," he muttered, pushing the boat into the water, where it seemed to propel itself. Harry and Ron chatted away, while Hermione looked around herself. Neville came to eventually, but took one look at Harry and subsequently fainted again. After 10 minutes of sailing, Harry saw a huge castle, with towering spires, huge stained glass windows, a bridge leading to mainland, and huge turrets that looked like you could hold out in here from one of those zombie apocalypses he'd seen in films. Hagrid, in his own, much bigger boat stood up and turned around. "Welcome ta Hogwarts!"
My god. A double length chapter royale! Goodness me! Well, this was fun.
An incredibly huge thank you to Z.R. Stein, whose chapter it was that pushed us to the top Doctor Strange crossover on the site! You are awesome, Z! And of course, all you y'all are awesome, too! You guys got us here, and I only want to go further!
Do you like the new cover art? It was a rushed job, but it's better than nothing I guess… If you can think of anything better, feel free to tweet me :) (Link on my profile).
As always, favourite, follow and review! All reviews and PMs will be replied to!
See you next time! don'ated for one moment. "rcerer Supreme opened a Sling Portal to London. "ownster and held his formed a barriSt
