Chapter 9

The rest of the holidays went on without further drama. Harry had been down for a few weeks following the revelation but had since bounced back, slowly. He had decided to trust his parents like he always had and leave it to them. Lily had started researching more about Horcruxes, but it was proving to be difficult as there was very little information about them, even in the infamous Black Library. Apparently, it was quite a taboo subject. She had used her contacts to get more books from the black market on the subject. These ancient books were in parselscript and were said to contain information about a Horcrux's creation and destruction. She spent a fortune in acquiring them, but in the end, it had been worth it.

Alex had made it his goal for the summer to bring Harry back to normal. The prank war was in full swing, with James using it as an excuse to teach them and the girls more magic. After all, it was because of their amazing pranks in school that he, Sirius and Remus had learnt as much magic as they had. The four children went to the amusement park a few times as well. In August, the day after the twins' birthday, James gave them each a hard bound book.

"What is this?" asked Alex in confusion.

"That, boys, is a book on how to become animagi," said James with a smile. On seeing the awed look on their faces, he continued. "I authored this book myself. Professor McGonagall just returned the draft version to me after reviewing it. It is a bit different from the conventional method, so it is faster. This is the method we used in our school years to become animagi."

James had indeed written the book and he was quite proud of it. While Sirius too was good at Transfiguration, he was more into curses and such. It had been James who had modified the animagus process, displaying his ingenuity in the subject.

"The book will be released in two days by Obscurus Books," said James. "Now, I want you both to read the book thoroughly. Don't attempt anything until I say so as Human Transfiguration is not easy, not even for you, Harry. After reading it, I want you to use your Occlumancy to dwell into your mind. You won't know your form so soon, but as you go on, your subconscious mind will know what to do and will guide you."

"How long will the process take?" asked Harry.

James shrugged and said, "It took us more than two years, but we never had an instructor, so I think you can manage in a year."

Harry and Alex eagerly went to Harry's room to discuss it. They had just entered the room, when they spotted a House Elf, jumping on the bed.

"Toby, what are you - wait, you're not Toby," said Harry with a frown. No, this wasn't their personal House Elf. For one, this elf was wearing a tea towel and not the uniform that all the Potter elves wore.

The elf looked at them both and bowed deeply. "Hadrian and Alexander Potter; such an honour it is!"

"Who are you?" said Alex with a frown. "And how did you get past the wards?"

"I is Dobby, sir," said the elf. "As for how, Dobby found it very difficult to get in, sir, but Dobby had to come here to meet the Potter twins."

"Okay," said Harry confused. "What can we do for you, Dobby?"

"Dobby has come to warn the Potter twins," said Dobby, looking around nervously. "The Potters must not go back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year!"

Harry and Alex looked at each other with their eyebrows raised. "Can you tell us why, Dobby?" asked Alex.

"There is a plot! A plot to make the most terrible things happen! Dobby had to warn the Potter twins! You be in danger at Hogwarts this year!" said the elf hurriedly.

"What terrible things?" said Alex in confusion. "Who's plotting them?"

Dobby's eyes went wide. He started banging his head against the stone wall while saying, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"

Harry and Alex rushed to the elf and stopped the elf from harming himself.

"I'm sorry, sir, but Dobby had to -"

"-punish yourself, we can see that," said Harry dryly. "I assume you are under orders not to say anything more?"

When Dobby nodded, Alex sighed and said, "Dobby, we appreciate your warning, but we don't have a choice. Our parents wanted to pull us from Hogwarts as well, but thanks to the new law enacted by the Wizengamot, we are forced to attend Hogwarts. There is nothing we can do."

Dobby looked conflicted but said pleadingly. "Please sir, don't go this year. Great darkness is going to befall the castle this year. Dobby must keep the Potter twins safe."

With that, the elf popped out.

Harry and Alex looked at each other. "Do we tell mum and dad?" asked Harry hesitantly.

"No," said Alex flatly. "They will most definitely freak out. Come on, Harry; someone sending a House Elf and telling us not to go to Hogwarts? That's a prank in any rulebook. Or maybe it is some idiot who doesn't want us to come. Merlin knows Draco Malfoy would be pleased."

Harry frowned but nodded. "Let's keep an eye out, just in case. You're right in that this is probably nothing."

They started reading the book on animagi. Just as they opened the book, a thick fog covered them. When it disappeared, they looked at each other and saw that both of them were dressed like clowns.

"DADDY!"

James chuckled to himself as he heard his boys shout from the second floor.

HP*POWER OF TWO*HP

The first of September arrived soon. The House Elves had finished their packing and soon, the Potter family found themselves on the platform. Once their trunks were inside the compartment, they headed outside to wait for their friends.

The summer had been quite productive. James had increased the boys' physical training, much to their annoyance. They were sent to a wizard who specialised in martial arts in Edinburgh. Alex had taken it like a duck to water, but Harry had to get hit quite few time for him to learn it. After an intensive course of two months, the boys were quite good (magical training took less time than their muggle counterpart as there were spells to guide a student). The boys had also been taught parseltongue spells by their mother, while their father had started teaching them Potter family magic. These were spells which were known only to members of the family and wouldn't work unless cast silently. Since both boys were quite well-versed in non-verbal magic, James had decided that it was time.

"Try to find a place where you can practice advanced magic," said James. "We did it one of the abandoned classrooms in the North wing. There are so many rooms that you can pick any one of them."

The boys nodded. At that moment, Daphne, Astoria, Cyrus and Elizabeth Greengrass flooed to the platform and walked towards them. Harry's face went pink as he saw Daphne, making his siblings smirk at him.

"Anything wrong, brother dear?" asked Belladonna with a smirk.

"Is it too hot for you here?" asked Camellia with a giggle.

"Shut up," hissed Harry, but that's when the Greengrasses came over.

"Hey guys," said Daphne, with a smile. "Ready for school?"

"Of course, Daph," said Harry with a squeak. His face turned pink in embarrassment as he said, "I'll take this inside for you."

With a swish and flick, he levitated her trunk and went inside the train.

"Oh, it is so entertaining to see him make a fool of himself in front of Daphne," said Alex, laughing.

Daphne rolled her eyes. "There is nothing going on," she said flatly.

"Aww, don't say that Daffy," said Astoria with a grin. "You'll break Harry's heart!"

"For Merlin's sake, we're twelve!" hissed Daphne.

"So?" said Camellia with a grin. "Our dad was chasing our mum since they were both eleven. We can see that Harry likes you; what's wrong with that?"

"Do you like him too?" asked Bella, smirking.

"Oh, she does," said Astoria smugly. At her sister's surprised expression, she clarified, "I walked in on you when you were sleeping. You talk in your sleep, Daffy and one boy's name is mentioned quite often. I also found a piece of parchment where you have written his name and filled it with hearts."

Alex's eyes went wide as he burst out laughing as Daphne turned pink in embarrassment. "None of you is to mention this to him" she hissed. "If you do, I'll strangle the whole lot you!"

"I wonder," said Alex as he looked at Astoria. "They claim to be best friends; isn't there some romance novel where the boy and girl who are best friends marry each other in the end?"

"Uh huh," said Astoria with a grin. "It's called The Amortartia Scandal."

"See?" said Alex, beaming at Daphne. "It's been done before. It is something that is just being begged to be put together like you and Harry."

"Does that mean you and Neville are going to get married to each other one day?" asked Daphne sweetly, as Alex turned red. "You did say best friends, Alex."

"She got you there, brother," said Camellia snickering.

"B-But Neville is more like our sibling!" said Alex, spluttering.

"How about we don't mention this conversation in front of your brother?" asked Daphne, glaring at Alex.

"What's in it for me?" asked Alex with a grin.

"A true Slytherin, aren't you? Very well," said Daphne with a smirk. "If you tell Harry or anyone else about this, I will tell your mother about the Poltergeist prank you pulled when we were nine! You do know that I have proof, don't you?"

"Y-You wouldn't!" said Alex horrified. That was a prank that had driven Lily insane and she had grounded both the boys for a month. Naturally, Harry had been fuming as it hadn't been his fault, but Alex had acted as though he was innocent too. If Lily were to know that Alex was actually behind it with proof in her hand, Alex was a cooked goose.

"We've known each other since we were kids, Alex, don't you think I am capable of doing it?" said Daphne with a smirk. "Do we have a deal?"

Alex hesitantly nodded, just as Harry came out of the train. Just as Neville and Susan joined them, Harry and Alex were grabbed in a hug from behind.

"Oh, Alex, Harry, it is so good to meet you, dears," said Molly Weasley as she hugged them tightly, her busty breasts pressing into their faces, much to their embarrassment. The rest of the kids exchanged looks.

"Ahm, hello," said Harry weakly, but Alex was too shocked to speak. But before he could ask anything more, Molly had moved and had grabbed a shocked Lily Potter into a hug as well. Lily, who was several inches taller than the woman, had her face quite visible to others, and all those around her could see the look of shock on her face. The women around her, namely Elizabeth Greengrass, Alice Longbottom and Mary Bones were staring at the woman and trying to find out what she was up to.

"Lizzie, what is she up to?" whispered Alice.

"I have no idea, but I have heard enough people complain about her," said Elizabeth.

Mary, on the other hand, was laughing. "Oh, look at Lily's face!" she said as she grinned. "This is just like the time when James had first asked her out in third year in the middle of the Great Hall!"

"Hello, Lily dear," said Molly with a big smile. "It's so nice to meet you again."

"Excuse me?" asked Lily in surprise.

"My son Ronnie has told me so much about young Alex and Harry," said Molly, looking fondly at the boys. "I'm sure you have heard much about them, as the three are best friends. My Ronnie sent them a letter this summer, inviting them home, but they said that they wouldn't be able to attend. You MUST come to the Burrow for Yule. My daughter Ginny admires you so much."

Lily blinked and looked at her sons. Harry shook his head slightly and looked directly into her eyes, inviting her. Lily understood and sent out a light Legilimency probe into his mind.

FLASHBACK

Harry, Alex, Bella and Lia were in the garden, with books spread out around them. It was the first week of August and the prank war was in full swing and they needed ideas which could fool their father.

"I still don't trust you," said Alex, suspiciously.

"Oh, give it a rest," grumbled Bella. "Dad betrayed us and we don't think it was an accident. Don't you want to get back at him too?"

"Let it go, Alex," said Harry as he flipped the pages of his book. "I'm sure their intention is pure."

"I think I found something," said Camellia with a frown.

"What? What is it?" asked Alex excitedly.

"See for yourself!" she said passing the book to him. Alex took the book and Harry too looked at it as he was curious. The second they opened the book, there was a blanket of fog around them again and when it cleared, the girls were laughing themselves sick. The boys looked at each other and gasped. Both were sprouting antlers like their dad's animagus form; their ears had transformed into that of a deer and worst of all, they had been given an embarrassing deer's tail.

"How does he do that?" asked Harry exasperated. "This is time delayed transfiguration! I've tried it so many times, but I just don't get it!"

"That's because you don't have a charms mistress helping you out on the side," said a voice. They turned and saw their parents standing there with smirks on their faces. "Oh, look Lily! We have two fawns! Aren't they adorable?" asked James happily.

"MUM?" said Alex in disbelief. "Traitor! You were supposed to be on our side!"

"Really?" said Lily in shock. "I never knew that!"

"So, how do you do it?" asked Harry curiously.

"Tell you what," said James with a smile. "You two figure out how to undo the Transfiguration and I'll show you how it works."

"But this is probably a scheme of three layers," whined Alex. "I don't like Transfiguration."

"Hmm, I wonder if there is a potion to reverse such a transfiguration," said Lily mysteriously.

"The Mandrake Restorative Draught!" said Alex, his eyes wide. "It can reverse Human Transfiguration!"

"It needs to be very mild," said Lily. "You work on it for Harry, while he undoes the three layered scheme of Transfiguration on you."

Fifteen minutes later, Alex was sitting on the ground, with Harry muttering and pointing his wand at his brother's head to remove the antlers. Just then, an owl flew over them and dropped a letter next to them. Alex opened it curiously and frowned.

"What is it, buddy?" asked Harry.

"It's from Ron Weasley," said Alex with a frown. "Actually, it's more of a letter from his mother than him. It says that they have invited us to their home for the remainder of the holidays and that since we are Ron's 'best friends' (not sure when that happened), Mrs Weasley would love to have us at their house. It seems Ron wants to play Quidditch with us or something and his sister is anxious to meet us."

"Wait, I've heard of her," said Harry with a frown. "Yes, Susan mentioned her, remember? She said that she met her once at a party for the employees of the DMLE. She said that her name was Ginny and that she is obsessed with us."

Alex grimaced. "No thanks, then," he said. "There is no way am I leaving the manor this summer. We've having a lot of fun and I'm not interested. Are you?"

Harry snorted. "I have less patience for Ron than you do," he explained. "No thanks"

"Looks like his mother will be disappointed," said Alex as he asked for his house elf to give him a sheet of parchment and a quill.

"From what I've heard from rumours, she is quite overbearing," said Harry with a frown.

"Then there is no way do I want to go. Being told by someone else on what to do besides mum and dad? No thanks."

It had only been a few seconds in real time when Lily pulled out of Harry's mind and shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Ahm, yes, nice to meet you, Mrs Weasley," said Lily calmly. "The boys were busy this summer, which was why they couldn't accept your invitation. I'm sorry, but I don't think we have met before."

Molly coughed slightly but continued. "Yes, but we don't need to talk about that," she said hurriedly. "My brothers used to talk about you and your husband and so I, so it feels like I already know you! How have you been, Lily dear?"

"Ah, yes, Gideon and Fabian Prewett," said Lily with a wince as Alice grimaced too. "They were good friends; I'm sorry for your loss."

"This is my daughter, Ginny," said Molly, grabbing her daughter and pulling her to her side. "She can't stop talking about Harry and Alex, can you dear?" she said with a chuckle, ignoring her daughter's pink face. "She's very intelligent, you know. She seems to think you hung the moon! She has been waiting to meet you for so long!"

"Ahm, good to know," said Lily, not sure how to react; she had never been in such a situation before. "Nice to meet you, Miss Weasley."

"Oh, forget all that nonsense," said Molly, waving her hand airily. "We don't need to be so formal with each other; we're basically family!"

"They are?" said Frank in surprise, ignoring James who was holding him for support as he laughed himself sick at his wife's unfortunate predicament. "I didn't know that the Potters or Ashwoods had connections to the Weasleys."

"They don't," said Alfred Bones with a small smile.

"Mum, the train is leaving!" said Harry loudly. Look at her son gratefully, she said, "It was nice to see you, Mrs Weasley. But if you'll excuse me, the train is leaving soon."

With that, she hurried off to her children, who were doing their best not to laugh. She gave them a big hug and soon, they were all boarding the train. When Alex caught sight of Ginny starting at Harry, he smirked. Unfortunately for Alex, he hadn't caught sight of her staring at him when he was not looking.

"Hey Daph," he whispered. "Looks like you have some competition for Harry's heart."

Daphne looked back and smirked slightly. "Alex, that's a fan girl; do you honestly think Harry will have a crush on her? Besides, she's staring at you as well."

"What?" asked Alex alarmed. Before he could turn back, they had reached their compartment and they went inside. Much to everyone's amusement, Ginny Weasley had followed them inside too. Seeing what was going on, Susan grabbed Harry and pushed him towards Daphne while she sat next to Alex, with Neville and Hannah opposite to them. Daphne couldn't help but smirk at Susan who winked back at her.

Ginny silently fumed. She wanted to sit next to the Boys Who Lived. Albus Dumbledore had come to the Burrow a few weeks ago and had asked Molly to befriend the Potter family. He knew that he had blown it with James and Lily, but he had to regain their trust. Since the Weasleys essentially worshipped him, he asked Molly to tell Ron and Ginny to get closer to the Potter twins, so that it would be beneficial in the future. Molly had used this as an excuse to get her daughter familiar with the Potters, hoping that Ginny would one day marry one of the Potter twins; or maybe even both. Really, Ginny would thank her one day when she was married to two husbands and identical twins at that! Naturally, Ginny had been ecstatic about it and had decided to do her best to charm the Boys Who Lived. She had grown up read all those books and was mesmerised by what the boys had done. Who else but the Boys Who Lived could tame a dragon at the age of three?

When she saw them in the platform, Ginny knew that she was going to get married to both boys. After all, while it hadn't been seen recently, polygamy was quite legal in the magical world. She would be known as Ginevra Molly Potter, the wife of the Boys Who Lived! Everyone would be so jealous; even Tom agreed that it was a good plan. But now, those Greengrass and Bones girls were sitting next to her future husbands. Ignoring them, she took out her diary and started writing to Tom.

About ten minutes into the train ride, Harry's scar started to prickle. He reached up and scratched it, hoping the pain would reduce.

"What's wrong?" whispered Daphne.

"Nothing," said Harry with a smile as he squeezed her hand. He saw Alex looking at him with wide eyes so he mouthed 'later' and went back to talking to Daphne. Halfway through the train ride, a first year knocked on the door and entered.

"I was said to give these to Hadrian and Alexander Potter," said the girl nervously.

Alex took the slip of parchment and smiled at the girl. "Thank you"

The girl blushed and with a squeak, went out of the compartment. Alex opened it and read it with raised eyebrows.

"What is it?" asked Harry. Just then, the first year returned again and handed another slip to Susan Bones.

"It is an invitation from Slughorn," said Alex. "Well, looks like mum was right about him."

"Why am I invited?" asked Susan confused.

"You are Aunt Amelia's niece," said Harry. "I'm pretty sure he will be calling all the Heirs and other influential and talented people to some parties of his soon."

With that, the three of them headed to the compartment. When they entered, they found the place to have been magically expanded with plush couches and a large dining table.

"Ah, welcome, welcome," said a fat man. He was round, with an enormous belly and a walrus-sized moustache. In other words, he looked exactly like the picture they had seen in their mother's study.

"Please sit down, make yourselves at home!" said the man, beaming. "I have brought us all lunch! I know the Head Chef at the Grand Elixir, so this should be quite a feast!"

Harry now understood what their mother had said; Slughorn was very well connected. The Slytherin in him could really appreciate the enormous benefits this could offer.

"Good afternoon, Professor Slughorn," said Harry with a smile. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"Yes, we have grown up hearing a lot about you," said Alex. He knew the man was well connected, but he was more fascinated by the man's sheer talent in potions. This was his mother's mentor during her Potions Mastery; imagine the things he could learn from him!

Slughorn laughed loudly. "Oh, so Lily has mentioned me, has she?" he said fondly. "Jolly good. Sit down, everyone. Let's see who we have here. I presume you know Blaise Zabini?"

Harry and Alex smiled at the dark skinned snake who nodded with a small smile of his own. While there was the traditional rivalry between the two houses, Blaise had been warm towards the twins, considering that he was friends with Daphne.

"And here we have Cormac McLaggen, another Gryffindor, perhaps you have come across each other – no?"

Harry and Alex did know him but didn't care for his brash attitude or arrogance, so hadn't spoken to him much. But they knew that the boy's family was influential. Just because a family was not an Ancient House didn't make them any less important. No, there were several important families whose members were in high places in the Ministry; others had large businesses; the Abbotts, for example, had large Potions ingredients farms and they were one of the main suppliers for Magical Britain.

"- and this is Marcus Belby, I don't know whether you -"

"And of course, we have Susan Bones -" where Susan gave a tight smile.

"And finally, our very own national heroes!" beamed Slughorn. "Such stories about you, dear boys. Everyone was fascinated at the time! Two boys surviving a killing curse at the age of one! Incredible!"

Alex and Harry gave a strained smile at that. Slughorn passed food around the table while inquiring about the people everyone was connected to. Marcus Belby was quickly dismissed after he confessed that he didn't know his uncle very well. Slughorn then interrogated McLaggen who seemed to know Rufus Scrimgeour, the Head of the Auror Office. Blaise, it turned out, had a mother who married several times and died under mysterious circumstances after leaving her a mountain of gold, but that wasn't the reason he was called. The Zabinis were the Italian version of the Black family. They were assassins. Harry knew that the Potters weren't so rosy either; they were high profile thieves, having robbed several families in the past who had dared to cross them. In some cases, especially after the Potter Massacre, they had even wiped out their enemies. It was just that nobody knew about it; they didn't actively advertise it like the Blacks.

After McLaggen, the attention turned to Susan. Amelia Black was probably the most powerful woman in the country at the moment, with being Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble House and Black and the Head of the DMLE.

"Oh, you know Amelia too?" asked Slughorn in surprise.

"She is married to our godfather, Professor and is one of our mother's best friends," said Harry with a small smile. "Of course we know her."

"We all grew up together," said Susan with a shrug.

"Grew up together?" said Slughorn with interest. "I heard that you were quite isolated at your manor."

"Oh, Merlin no," said Alex, shaking his head. "Please don't listen to Lord Malfoy talk about that. We, that is to say, Harry and I, grew up with Susan, Neville Longbottom, Daphne and Astoria Greengrass, and Cassiopeia and Rigel Black; of course, you can't forget our sisters Belladonna and Camellia Potter."

Slughorn's eyes lit up, while Harry mentally sighed. While their mother might have liked this man and Alex might too because of his expertise in Potions, he agreed with his dad. Slughorn was an opportunist through and through. He put on a fake smile; if there was one thing he had learnt from his Grandma Dorea's portrait, is was that you never know when such people could be beneficial; never show your hand.

HP*POWER OF TWO*HP

Once they reached Hogsmeade station, they climbed out of the train and went to the carriages when they stopped shot.

"W-What is that?" asked Neville in shock. There were creatures pulling the carriages. They looked like horses, but were quite bony and had wings.

"What's what?" asked Hannah, confused.

"Those are Thestrals, Neville," said Harry quietly as he petted the creature. "I read about them. They can only be seen by someone who has seen death."

Alex hesitantly approached the created and petted it too. They both had seen Quirrell die just a few months ago, so it wasn't much of a shock. They got into the carriage which started moving. Once they reached the castle, they headed to their House tables. The feast went on normally. Harry and Alex spoke to their Housemates and once done, they headed to their dorms. When everyone was asleep, Alex got up and crawled into Harry's bed.

"Did your scar hurt on the train?" asked Alex worriedly.

"Not as much as last year, but yes," said Harry. "I'm sure it was nothing. It was just for a second or two."

"Harry-"

"It's getting late," said Harry as he pushed his brother on the bed. Activating the alert charms, he put an arm around his brother and went to bed, ignoring the worried look on Alex's face.

HP*POWER OF TWO*HP

The next two months at Hogwarts flew by rapidly. The lessons were all good, well, all except one. Dumbledore, in his infinite wisdom, had hired Gilderoy Lockhart as the Defence teacher, who, after attending one class of his, was proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he knew next to nothing about the subject. On his first class, the man had given them a quiz on his books. Of course, not being able to help himself, Alex had written answers which mocked Lockhart as much as possible. Harry had then charmed it with a confundus charm woven inside a compulsion charm, which made the man read the answers of Alex's test without knowing what he was reading. Suffice it to say, the class was roaring with laughter at the end of it, much to Lockhart's confusion.

Harry and Alex had also found a place to practice their magic. It had been a total coincidence that they managed to find it. They had been exploring the castle, only to spot a House Elf pacing in front of a blank wall. To their shock, a large iron door appeared and the elf went inside. Wanting to know what it was, they inquired about the place and the elf had happily explained about the Room of Requirement. They had since started using it regularly for learning magic and also duel each other and against the practice dummies. Their father and Uncle Padfoot had been fascinated by the room, not having come across the place during their school years. Since they now had a good place to practice, their training had increased multi-fold, with James sometimes teaching them via the mirror.

Harry's scar didn't act up too much, but it did occasionally throb during the evenings when they were in the Gryffindor Common Room. He never told his brother, but when he would climb into bed with Alex, his brother would immediately know that his scar was bothering him. After relentless begging, Alex had agreed not to tell their parents about the scar. After all, they knew what it was and there was nothing they could do about it until Lily devised a way to get it removed without killing Harry. No need to pressure their mother needlessly.

On Samhain, the Potter twins were enjoying the grand feast prepared by the House Elves when they heard a voice so cold and deadly, that they dropped their forks in shock.

"Come to me . . . let me rip you . . . let me tear you . . . let me kill you . . . yesss . . . so hungry . . . must kill. . ."

Both of them looked at each other with wide eyes. They looked around and to their confusion, none of them seemed to have heard it. Were they the only ones to hear the voice? Knowing that they couldn't discuss it during the feast, they finished their food, waiting for the feast to end soon. Once it did, they quickly made their way to the Gryffindor Common Room along with the rest, quite oblivious to the turmoil that was gripping the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins.

"What do you suppose that was?" asked Alex.

"We did hear that voice right?" asked Harry, biting his lip. "The voice that said that it wanted to kill?"

"Yes," said Alex, leaning on the headboard of the bed. "How is that no one else could hear it?"

"Where's Tango?" asked Harry in confusion. Their pet Crup would always ensure that he was here when the boys came back for the night.

"Tango! Where are you, boy?" asked Alex as he climbed out of bed.

Several floors below, the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins were all staring at the still form of Harry and Alex's Crup, which was standing stiff as a board next to the water which was on the floor. On the wall above, a message was written, which everyone could make out was in blood.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED

The sole, true Heir has returned; the ones claiming my title as theirs; beware. This is your only warning.

HP*POWER OF TWO*HP

AN: Thank you all for your reviews. Now let me clarify about the new law which was passed in the previous chapter. It is quite easy to make the Potters leave the country, but the fact of the matter is that no one would do that. No one would leave their home and go elsewhere unless there was a real reason for it. In this case, the other Ancient and Noble Houses don't care about the law much because they wouldn't want to pull their children or grandchildren out of Hogwarts either way. According to them, that makes no sense because it is tradition to attend Hogwarts. Albus Dumbledore managed to get the bill passed because he let them know that James was going to pull the Boys Who Lived out of Hogwarts. He saying that (along with discreet bribes) was enough for them to pass the bill. After all, the national heroes leaving the country would be disastrous for all.

Yes, homeschooling is an option, but I don't think Harry or Alex would be thrilled about not going to school and staying at home. When all their friends are at Hogwarts, why would they want to stay at home? The effect of the bill on the situation will be shown in the next chapter.