Harry slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. The soft sound of snoring from his brother came from the other side of the room. The young man took a deep breath and climbed out of his bed. He looked at the clock and noticed it was barely six in the morning. It was a Saturday so most people would still be sleeping.
The emerald-eyed wizard slowly and quietly made his way to the bathroom. The young man looked at himself in the mirror and looked down at the mark on his next. It has faded slightly but it still a very deep red. He smiled at the thought.
Harry made his way down the stairs and looked around the room. The early morning light came through the window. The young man opened the door and stepped outside. The early morning chill bit at his skin and he took in a deep breath. As much as he hates to admit it, Harry sometimes misses the muggle world.
The young man looked around and noticed one of his neighbors walking out of their house. She seemed to be struggling. He ran over quickly to help. As he got closer, she looked up at him. A shocked look came on her face.
"My, you do look like James," Harry was taken aback by the mention of his father. He stepped away slowly. The old woman saw this and gave a soft smile. "I'm sorry dear, I did not mean to say that, I am sorry for your lost," she stated in a sincere tone.
Harry felt a lump in his throat and struggled to talk. He eventually managed to speak. "I'm sorry but how do you know my father?"
"I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Arabella Figg, I was in the Order of the Phoenix with your mother and father,"
"You were in the Order of the Phoenix? If you're a witch, why are you living here?"
She laughed softly. "My dear child, I was not blessed with the gift like you and the rest of your family was. I am a squib. My father was a wizard but I myself have no powers. And to why I am living here, I was sent here by Albus Dumbledore to watch over your sister,"
"Dumbledore… asked you to watch over my sister?"
"Yes, he knows about what happened to your family and he is doing everything in his power to help protect you. It is not every day that the next great wizard is born,"
"Next great wizard?" Harry arched a brow. The young woman smiled.
"Come, let's walk to the market, I will explain everything on the way," The young man began walking with the old woman. "I'm surprised that you have not heard about this but there are many in the wizarding world who believe you are the next great wizard, some say you will be even more powerful than Dumbledore one day,"
"Me? There is no way that can happen. How do you know all of this if you live here?"
She chuckled once more. "There are many ways of getting information about your world, my child. Tell me, what do you know about your birth?"
"My birth? I know that I was born in 1977 and that's all I know,"
She chuckled. "Of course that's all they tell you, your mother and father, who let their hormones control them more than their logic, had you when they were still in school. Their last year in fact. They had you in secret and through the greatness of Dumbledore's kindness. He kept you secret." Harry was taken aback. "That is not the end of it, when your parents joined the Order of the Phoenix, they brought you along. At the age of three, you were already showing magical power, a strong one in facts. We all believed that you would be the one that would take down Lord Voldemort. It took us all by surprise when it was the Longbottom boy who would be the chosen one. However, as you grew older, many were more interested in how you would grow. Let me ask you, did you ever do you something whenever you cast a spell that just seems, different from everyone else?"
Harry thought back to his years of Hogwarts and nothing came to his mind. He shook his head and looked at the woman. "I can't recall anything. All I know is that I have top marks, but that's just me studying hard. I had to sit on the sorting hat for a good while, I think eight minutes. I was placed into Ravenclaw,"
"Well, you might not have known but I kept in contact with Dumbledore for many years and he told me that as he watched you grow, you became more and more powerful. Is it true that you mastered the Fiendfyre curse?"
"yes.."
"My child, only the most powerful of wizards even attempt to cast that spell, let alone master it. I kept in contact with many of my old friends from the Order, your uncle Sirius would not shut up about how you were able to produce a full Patronus at the age of twelve,"
"I don't…." Harry struggled to find the words to speak and was stunned.
"I know it is a lot to take in but I think it best that you know your potential. I would talk to Dumbledore more about this for when you get back to school." The pair walked in silence for the rest of the walk and soon they made it to the market place. It took Harry by surprise how many people were already set up and beginning to do their business. "Why don't you take a look around and find something you like?" Mrs. Figg began walking to her normal stands to buy whatever she needed to buy.
Harry walked around the market place and noticed a lot of people were looking at him. A lot of people seemed to be whispering. He noted that it was women who particularly staring at him more. He didn't mind it but it was odd to him.
The young man eventually found a jewelry stand. "Hmm, maybe I can find something Fleur would like" He walked over to the stand and saw a young girl standing behind it. She had long brown hair and soft light brown eyes. She smiled at him.
"Good morning, how can I help you today?" she asked in a sweet voice.
"I am just looking right now,"
"Well, is there anything, in particular, you are looking for?"
"Um, I guess a gift, it's for my.." The young man still hesitated to call her that. "My girlfriend," the young girl smiled.
"Hmm, well I'm sure she would love a necklace. How about these?" She handed him two necklaces. One had a raven for a pendent while the other had a dove.
"These are beautiful," he noted that the girl seemed to have blushed at this.
"Thank you, I made them myself," Harry was shocked but impressed.
"I think I will take them, how much do I owe you?" Harry reached back for his wallet but realized he forgot to grab it. "Shit, I don't think I can pay for it right now,"
She placed her hand up. "How about you take it for free this time?"
"What? No, I can't," The girl protested once more.
"I'll consider it my one good deed for the day. Just remember to pay it forward,"
"Thank you," Harry smiled and she smiled back. She wrapped up the necklace and handed the bag to him. The young man walked away and began to look for the old woman. As he walked past the many stands, something caught his eyes. As he passed a book stand, he looked at a book bounded in black leather. On the cover in gold coloring were four weapons, one of them being a very familiar-looking bow. Harry approached the stand and behind the stand was an old man, who seemed like he was as old as the earth itself.
"How can I help you?" He stated in a very dry and unfriendly tone of voice.
"Umm, can I see that black book?" The man looked at the book and gave him a dark look.
"That book is cursed, you do not want it,"
"If it's cursed, why would you have it on display?" Harry was slowly getting annoyed by the man's tone.
"Boy, you do not speak to me in that tone," he stated through graded teeth. Before Harry could say anything, he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and found Mrs. Figg looking at him.
"Good morning, William," she said in a kind tone to the old man. Harry noted that his expression softened up a bit but not by much.
"Ah, Arabella, how may I help you today?"
"What are you and my friend talking about?"
"This child was merely asking about my book," he motioned towards the black book. "I was telling him it was not for sale,"
Harry chose to stay quiet. "Hmm, why is it on display if it's not for sale?"
The old man chuckled. "If you have a priceless piece of art, you don't lock it away, you show it to the world. However, since you have been a good friend of mine for many years, I will offer it to you, for a fair price of course,"
"How much?"
"Five times the normal price of my books," Harry was stunned but it was more surprising to him when he watched Mrs. Figg reached into her pocket and handed the old man a small brown bag. He could hear the sound of coins. The man opens the bag and looked inside the bag and smile. "Pleasure doing business with you. He handed Mrs. Figg the book and walked into the back area of his tent.
The old woman turned to Harry and handed him the book. "Here you go dear,"
"Why- why did you do that?" He asked as he stared at the book in awe.
She just smiled at him. "I feel like you can do a lot with the knowledge inside that book, just remember, never to read it in the dark, it's bad for your eyes," She began walking away and Harry had to snap out of his trance and caught up with her. They began walking back to their neighborhood.
"He told me that this book was cursed,"
She merely laughed. "William is a strange person, he will say anything to not have a sale but he is good at heart. Kinda crude but a good thing none the less,"
"I'll trust your judgment. Can I ask one thing? Why was everyone staring at me?"
Mrs. Figg looked at him with a wide smile and just laughed softly. "Harry, I don't know if they don't have mirrors at Hogwarts or something but you are a good looking young man. As handsome as your father was but if I didn't know any better I would have guessed that you were part Veela or at least just spending a lot of time with one," Harry's eyes widened at this revaluation.
"Umm, what would that have to do with anything? If I did spend a lot of time with a Veela,"
"If my knowledge is still accurate, I read a book many years back that said that the partner of a Veela would often be very attractive in their own right. Not surprising considering the nature of the being. However, in the book I read, it stated that even the ugliest of people can be a charmer if they spend time with a Veela. Many believe if a Veela takes a liking to you, a bit of their beauty would rub off on you. You wouldn't be dead drop gorgeous but instead, you would look better than you normally would look,"
"Oh, I see," the young man felt the old woman's eyes looking at him.
"Harry, is there something you want to say?"
"I might be in a relationship with a Veela," he stated sheepishly.
"Hmm, I'm surprised at you being hesitant about that, many guys in your situation would be telling the world."
"If I have to be honest with you, I am surprised I even have any relationship with her. I spend my entire time at Hogwarts mostly keeping to myself, I never really took interest in girls and looks were never a thing for me. It's just strange to me to think that I have another person with who I share strong feelings that is beyond friendship."
"Ah, that is the beauty of life, my child. I'm guessing this is the first time you are in any kind of romantic relationship. It isn't an easy thing. I remember when I was your age and I had a boyfriend. I was in love but I realized how vastly underprepared I was for it. It was passionate but it lacked substance. What I believe you're feeling, is that you are surprised,"
"We barely knew each other but I feel like I can easily talk to her and that I can always be honest with her. It took me years to be able to open up to my two best mates but I was able to tell her about my problems like I've known her for years. It's just a new feeling for me I guess. It's different,"
The old woman chuckled. "Girls are a confusing thing, I know that better than anyone. However, what I want you to remember is that you don't have to be someone you're not, the biggest problem I see with people is that when they want to be with someone, they often act like a person they aren't truly aren't on the inside. Whatever you did, she fell for that person and I'm sure she knows about your fault and you know about hers, however, whether we are wizards, muggles, squibs, or beings, we are the same. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. When it comes to relationships, you can't be the one who does all the work. From what you have told me, you have a young relationship and it's gonna be a while before you two fully know what you want in life but you need to remember that she wants to be with you for you. That means whatever problems you may be fighting within yourself, I would hope that she would want to help you with them and that she expects you to come to her, if you comfortable with it, to talk to her about it,"
Harry took a deep breath and sighed. "I just don't know what to do with my life at this point. Forgive me if I sound rude for saying this but knowing that people believe that I will be the next Dumbledore isn't exactly the most exciting thing to hear for me. I already have trouble with trying to keep my grades to the point they are at now, I don't need to know that there is a belief that I can save the world or something of that nature. Whenever teachers tell me about my marks, I normally just brush it off as me just studying hard or working hard for it. Neither of my parents really have told me that they wanted me to be something, they always taught me to follow my own path. It just happened to be along the same line that they did,"
The old woman smiled and placed a comforting hand on the young man's shoulder. "Dear, the thing you need to know is that not everyone expects you to be a powerful wizard, you just happened to be one. Everyone will their expectation for you, some of those expectations will be near impossible to achieve while others will be as simple as you just making your bed. I don't know whether you just haven't heard about it or maybe you did but just chose to brush it off. People have talked about you and it is not my intention to put more stress on your shoulders, I am sorry if I did but your mother and father were great heroes in the war. But during that time, they did their best to shield you from the conflict, and from what I can see, they did a good job. I remember your mother coming to me for advice about raising you. I remember her telling me how she doesn't know what to do. I did not expect her to, she was a child, barely eighteen and she had to be a mother, a soldier, and a wife all in one. I cannot imagine the stress she was under. But she managed and she ended up raising a pretty good son. I want to remember you aren't alone Harry. Many in the wizarding world will see that since you are seventeen, they expect you to be an adult, but what most people won't remember, is that you are only a child and it's okay to be a child. There is no need to grow up quickly and take on all the stress of the world by yourself. You told me you have your best mates, I'm sure they have their own issues that they have to deal with but they are your friends. Like you, your mother and father had their friends as well. Sirius, despite all his shortcomings, is a good man. Remus, a little dull and sometimes emotional vacant, is still one of the most reliable men you can have in this world."
"But I am not my father, I'm not as great as him," Harry stated in a somber tone and held back tears at the thought of his father. She seemed to notice this.
"James, I know it must hurt for you to talk about him and we don't have to. But you need to remember you aren't your father. Your father had it easy, he didn't have to worry about grades or anything. The only thing he worried about was getting the girl. But during the war, he relied on his friends more than you think, you were too young to remember any of it, but your father felt the same way you possibly feel right now. He was forced to be a father when he was very young. I'm guessing that's how you feel right now. Am I wrong?"
Harry nodded his head and wiped away a stray tear. "I feel like I can't raise my siblings. Adrian is growing into his own person and Rose is still young and learning. I know that my grandparents are trying their best but they can't always be there and I know that they were proud of my mum but I don't think they have the strength to raise two boys. So it falls on me to raise them,"
"I never had any children of my own, but trying to keep your father and his friends out of trouble was hard enough," this emitted a small chuckle from Harry. "But you shouldn't expect yourself to be a father. You're only so much older than your brother and I cannot say I understand the mind of a teenage boy but I know that you were that age at one point and I'm sure you can draw some wisdom from that. You are right, you are not your dad or your mother but what you are, are you are his brother. I'm sure no teenage boy would ever say that they look up to their older brother, but I'm sure he does look up to you and maybe at this point in time, he won't realize it now, but everything you are doing, you are only trying to help him. Trust me, he will understand when he's older but for now, you just have to be there as much as you can. I know you are probably stressed out about what to do after school but I think it would be best for you to just live in the moment and let things happen as they come. The only thing I don't like about the wizarding world is that they expect you to go into the world but you are a half-blood and if you don't want to continue to live in the wizarding world, that is your choice but whatever choice you to make, I just hope that you do it to the best of your abilities,"
Harry sighed once more. "I really don't know at this point, I just want to secure a future for my family. It hasn't been easy for my siblings. My sister hasn't really talked about my parents but I know that she misses them and Adrian has been very vocal about it and I try my best but sometimes he says things I know are true,"
"Well, let me ask you. How have you felt about what happened to your parents?"
The young man felt himself getting choked up. It took him a good minute to talk. "I felt like my whole world was falling apart. I haven't really cried about it but there hasn't been a day where I don't miss my parents. I know it has only been a year but the holidays are difficult. Yeah, I always left Hogwarts around the holidays and spent time with them but this year I had to stay for different reasons, and being here in the muggle world, with only my aunt and uncle and not having my parents is hard. I expect one day to wake up and hoping this is all a dream but clearly it isn't and it's daunting to me. I just don't know how to feel,"
"Well, that's okay, sometimes it takes a while to know how we really feel about something but in the long run, we will heal. You just have to give yourself time. I know you are listening to your heart and wanting to help your family but you need to remember that they were your parents too, you are allowed to feel sadness, you are allowed to be hurt. You are all siblings and you need to be there for each other, not just you being there for them," The pair eventually made it back to their neighborhood. "Well, as much as I hate to do this, I have somethings I need to get done today. But I want you to remember that you are not alone through your struggles. You have friends, your siblings, and a girl who I am sure would love nothing more but to see you happy. While you're here, I will always be ready to talk, if you need," Mrs. Figg gave him a kind smile and the young man returned it as well. She opened the door and went inside. Harry stood in place for a moment and took a deep breath. He soon walked back to his aunt and uncle's house.
As he opens the door, he could hear talking from the kitchen. He decided it was best to avoid it for now. He walked up the stairs and as he passed his sister's room, he could hear talking. He leaned against the door and listened in.
"Was the dragon scary?"
"Yes, it was, there were four of them, Rose,"
"Wow, did they have wings, did they breathe fire, were they big?"
"Yes, yes, and heaven's yes," Harry heard Adrian stated with laughter.
"How did the champions beat them?"
"Well, our school's first champion used a magical power to steal the egg, our second champion got lucky and the egg fell on him. The other schools' champion was Krum. He blinded the dragon and took the egg. Harry's girlfriend, she turned into a bird and beat the dragon."
"Wow, that is so cool. Do you think Harry's girlfriend will like me?"
"I haven't really talked to her but if Harry likes her. I know she's a good person and I'm sure she will love you."
"Do you think I can be a champion one day?"
"I know you can Rose," Harry stepped back from the door and smiled. He walked to the guest room and set the necklaces into his bag. The young man placed the black book onto the small desk in the room and sat down on the chair.
When he opened the book, it took him by surprise that it was in a language he could not understand. "Well, that's useful," He thought to himself. He kept turning the pages and on the first page was a picture of the bow. He noted that the drawing looked very similar to the picture he saw in the newspaper. There was also a picture of the horsemen. He stared at the drawing, the horseman was dressed in amour and wore a helmet that covered its face. It also had on a crown. Next to the picture of the horsemen was a horse, it was drawn with white coloring and its eyes seemed to be a golden color. He turned to the next page and on the page was a picture of an ornate great sword. Harry noted that the last page was mainly filled with the color white, while this one page was mainly in red. The young man looked down at the horse and noted it was red, unlike the last one, the horse seemed to be covered in scars and the eyes were black. He moved over to the horsemen and this one looked very different than the last one. It wasn't wearing any armor and the face was shown but it was very crudely drawn.
As he was examining the book, the sound of footsteps was heard behind him. "What are you reading?" Adrian's voice rang out. The older brother turned around and looked at his brother.
"Just something that Finn was interested in," The young Potter leaned over the shoulder of his older brother and looked at the book.
"How can you read that? I've never seen that language before," the young wizard went over to his bed and laid down.
"I guess I'm just looking at the picture," Harry closed the book and stood up from the chair.
"Where were you this morning? Uncle Vernon was scared out of this world."
"Hmm, I didn't think he cared."
The young Potter chuckled. "I don't think he's scared that you were gone, I think he was afraid you would let someone know you are a wizard. You know how much they want to seem 'normal'" he stated with air quotes.
Harry laughed and sat down on his bed. "I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to,"
"Can I ask you something?"
The wizard looked at his brother with curious eyes. "What's on your mind?"
"How hard is it to ride a broom?"
"Not that hard, it's like riding a bike. Hard at first but you learn quickly. Why are you thinking of join quidditch?"
"I've been thinking about it, I think I would make a pretty good beater,"
"Why beater? Did the Weasley twins convince you to do it?" Harry jokes.
"No, it's just I realized during flying lessons, I wasn't as nimble as you or quick as you. So I wouldn't make a good chaser or seeker but I feel like I got the strength to be a good beater."
"Well, you make a good point there,"
"Do you think it would be possible for me to get some flying in when we get back?"
"I'm sure I can get you access to the brooms. You can always borrow my Firebolt if you need,"
Adrian looked at his brother with a surprised look. "Are you sure? You wouldn't even let Finn touch that thing."
"Well, it's not like I'm ever gonna need it again after I graduate. I think it's time to pass it on."
The younger Potter chuckled. "Be honest with me Harry, who do you think is gonna win the tournament? My money is on Finn,"
"You're really making me choose?" he joked.
"Hey, I won't tell her," The two brothers laughed for a moment.
"I would have to say I think Fleur would win it all,"
"Man, you are really afraid of her aren't you,"
"What? No, I just think she's a powerful witch," Harry noted that the young wizard was trying not to laugh and soon he started laughing as well. "Fine, I'm not really sure. I know Finn and he isn't the best wizard but the goblet chose him for a reason and think that he can easily be a good wizard and he is working hard for it,"
Adrian scoffed. "I think you're just saying that so she would keep kissing you,"
The older Potter threw his pillow at his brother. The two Potter chuckled and relaxed on the beds. The sound of their aunt was soon heard calling to them. The brothers groaned and sat up. As they walked downstairs, it took Harry by surprise when he saw the girl he met at the market. He also noted that the couple from last night were there but they were joined by another girl, who seemed to be around Adrian's age.
The woman looked at the brothers and gave a very unsettling smile. "Ah, there you boys are, I would like for you to meet my daughters," she motioned to the peoples in question. Harry and the older sister locked eyes and he could feel like the air getting thick. "Harry why don't you and Elizabeth go to the park and get to know each other better," the woman stated. Before he could protest, the two were being pushed out of the door and soon they were outside.
The young man looked at the girl and couldn't find the word to speak. It was a surprise to him when she spoke up first. "I am so sorry about this, I did not know that my mother was talking about you when she said our neighbor had a nephew my age."
"Umm, it's alright, I didn't want to set up either," he could see a blush coming onto the girl's face. "So, do you still want to go to the park?"
"Sure, I'll lead the way," As the two walked towards the park, Harry couldn't help but feel the tension in the air. They didn't say much to one another and when they got to their destination, the two just sat on the swings.
The young man looked around and voiced eye contact with her. He noticed that she just kept her eyes on the ground and was drawing into the sand with her foot. He decided to break the ice first. "So, Elizabeth is it? That's uh- that's a pretty name," he awkwardly stated.
She looked up at him and gave him a weak smile. "Thanks, I guess. I prefer Eli,"
"Well, Eli, I should thank you again for the necklaces,"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Don't mention it, it's not that big of a deal. I make them every day,"
"Really? Why did you get into making jewelry?"
The young man noted that it seemed like he struck the wrong cord as she was slow to answer. He was about to say something before he could say anything. "I got into it because I had nothing else to do. My parents didn't really pay attention to me growing up and I guess it was the one thing that made them notice me. I think it's because I can make money off of it,"
"I'm sorry, I didn't know,"
She seemed indifferent to it. "Don't be, it doesn't really matter to me anymore, I'm almost out of their house and I won't have to worry about it much longer,"
"Still, I'm really sorry, it's not something that people should have to go through. You have friends right?"
She scoffed. "Who would want to be friends with a girl who makes jewelry and only talks about stars and magic,"
"Magic?" Harry was hesitant to dive deeper into this topic.
"Ah, it seems like I scared away another person," she stated in a somber tone.
"No, no, It's just that I don't really hear about that sorta thing often," he lied.
She looked at him with a shocked look. "Well, can I ask you something?"
"Of course,"
"Do you ever see things that you can't explain like things just seem to magically disappear or appear or do things just happen without an explanation,"
"Sometimes yeah. But I don't think it would be magic,"
"A lot of people don't believe that, but I know there is more to this world than people say there is. Like, think about it, all those stories of mythical creatures like dragons and unicorns. How do people just come up with those ideas? A giant fire breathing lizard that can fly? You can't just lay in bed and randomly come up with that," He noticed that she got more lively when talking about this topic.
"Can I ask what made you get so interested in this sorta thing?"
The young girl took a deep breath and released a heavy sigh. "When I was little, I was camping with my family, during a hike, I got lost and they didn't find me till the next day. When I was in the forest, I was scared and I did nothing but cry. But when I was crying, a unicorn came to me, like a real unicorn. It comforted me and I felt safe. During the same time, a green light appeared and when I looked in the sky I suddenly saw this weird symbol. It was a skull with a snake in it," Harry gulped but kept his composure. "I was scared but the unicorn kept me safe and I was able to sleep, the next morning my parents founded me and I told them what I saw but they thought I was crazy. After that, they didn't really talk to me that much and soon they started liking my little sister more. Throughout my life, I didn't really make any friends because I tried to tell them about it but they just look at me like I was crazy, and soon I was a social outcast," Harry could see tears coming down her face. The young man stood up and without thinking, he gave her a hug. He felt her tense up but soon she hugged him back.
They pulled away and he noticed she was crying fully. "Look, I cannot say I have experienced what you did, but just know I don't think you're crazy,"
Eli wiped her eyes and smiled. "Thank you," she stated in a soft voice.
Harry smiled back "Let me tell you something I don't tell anyone," she tilted her head in curiosity. "I don't have a lot of friends either, it's because I have these dreams,"
"Dreams?"
"Like I dream about this world, where magic is real. Where things like dragons, elves, unicorns, and witches and wizards are real. I try telling people about it and they laugh at me. But I think these dreams are real and I think that one day, I will find this world," It took him by surprise that she started laughing.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to laugh. But you have a crazier imagination than I do," Harry laughed as well.
"I guess I do," the young man stood up and sat down on the swing once again.
"Harry is it? You are truly something else, you know that?" she was still laughing as she wiped her eyes.
"Why is that?"
"Well, you're the first guy who listened to me and actually seems to be a genuine person. Your girlfriend is a lucky person," The young man smiled.
"Well, thank you." The wizard was happy to see her smiling. He had to admit, Eli was a pretty girl not as pretty as Fleur but he can definitely see someone liking her.
"So tell me, how did you two meet?"
"Oh, we met at my school, her school was-" he hesitated. "Her school was having a summer program in France and I was in France during the summer and I met her there. We just kept in contact,"
"Really? That must be hard, having the distance between you two,"
"Not really, we just make it work and so far it has worked so far,"
"What does she look like?"
Harry was about to reach in for the photo but remembered two things: He didn't have it and even if he did, it was moving, and doing so would expose their world to a muggle. "Well, she's blonde, has blue eyes, and she is fairly tall,"
"You said she was French, does the language barrier make it hard?"
"She actually can speak English and I learned French when I was younger,"
"Prove it," she stated in a friendly tone. The young man smiled.
"Je ne mentirais jamais à ce sujet," he stated in perfect French.
"Wow, that's impressive, I wished I learned another language but that is so cool,"
"Thanks, it wasn't that hard to learn. My mom wanted me to be well versed in everything so that I can make friends easier. I guess it worked out in the end,"
"So if you don't mind me asking but why have I never seen you around this area?"
"Well, I'm not from here, I live in Manchester with my grandparents and my brother. I was just visiting my sister, who lived with my aunt and uncle,"
"Wait is Rose your sister?" she asked in an excited tone.
"Yeah, she is,"
"I love playing with her, she is so sweet and she is always smiling. She reminded me of my sister when she was younger. Well, that was before she got spoiled."
Harry chuckled. "Yeah, Rose is always nice to everyone. When did you meet her?"
"I remember one day my parents were talking about your aunt and uncle having a new little girl and I came over to see for myself and that's how we met. She was super sweet to me at first. She always tells me about you guys,"
"Oh, yeah, what has she told you?"
"She told me that she has this amazing older brother named Harry who looks like prince charming and who always has the prettiest smile." She blushed a bit after she said this.
"Well, that's flattering,"
Eli smiled. "So if you don't mind me asking but why are you and your siblings living apart?"
Harry was slow to answer. "We were sent to live with our grandparents and our aunt and uncle because my father disappeared while on a mission. My mother died of an illness not much longer. Since I was underage, I couldn't provide for them," he stated quickly.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry to hear that. Was your father in the army?" Harry was taken aback but realized what she meant.
"Yeah, he was, in a way,"
"I can't imagine how hard that must be. I had an uncle that was in the army and when he was killed in action. My cousin was devastated. I give you my condolences,"
"Thank you," There was a silence for a minute before anything else was said. "Can I show you something?"
"Sure,"
Eli reached into her shirt and pulled out a necklace. On the end of it was a vial and inside was something that Harry was all too familiar with. Unicorn hair. "When I was in the forest with the unicorn, it allowed for me to have its hair but everyone said that it's fake but I wanted to show you because you seem to understand me," she took off the necklace and handed it to him.
The young man looked at the hair and it was something that he remembered very well. "Wow, that is really cool," he handed back the necklace to the girl.
"Yeah, I just hope one day I can find proof of the magical world so people don't think I'm crazy,"
"I think you will one day," The pair continued to talk for a while. From things as simple as their favorite food to more stupid topics like what kind of things they would do with magic. Harry had to not expose too much about his real nature.
Soon their time was up and the sun was setting. The young man walked the young woman home and soon they were back in their neighborhood. "Well, thank you for listening to me today, Harry"
"It was my pleasure," he stated with a smile.
"Are we friends now?"
"Yes,"
She smiled and hugged him. "I'll see young around Harry," she walked into her house and Harry made it over to his. When he entered. He could still hear that Eli's parents were still there. The young man just groaned and quickly went up the stairs.
When he entered his room, he saw his brother lying in his bed. Adrian looked up at his brother with a surprised look. "You're back? How crazy was your 'date'?"
The older Potter chuckled and sat down in his bed. "She wasn't bad. How as yours?"
The young Potter rolled his eyes and leaned back. "Never in my life would I have guessed I would find someone as bad as Dudley. She is just as spoiled and she is just as crazy. It was awful."
Harry chuckled once more. "Sounds like fun,"
"No it was not, but how was yours?"
"As I said, she was actually fun to talk to and now we're friends but she said something that is interesting to me,"
"What would that be?"
"She can see magic," Adrian sat up and looked at his brother in confusion.
"She can see magic? How? That's impossible for certain muggles,"
"I didn't believe it either until she showed me a vile of unicorn hair and she told me she saw the dark mark a few years back,"
"That's impossible,"
"I don't know how either. But I think that we need to be more careful if we were to use magic around here,"
The younger Potter stayed quiet but nodded.
The rest of Harry's time at the Dursley was rather uneventful. He talked to Fleur almost every day at the same time and just spent time with his sister and brother. Around the New Years'. The family had a small party and Harry got to spend more time with Eli. The pair grew closer as friends and he was actually saddened when he had to go back.
Harry took a deep breath as he walked through the brick wall at King's Cross. Adrian followed quickly behind. The brothers climbed into the train and into their cart. Their journey back to Hogwarts began.
The older Potter looked out the window and had the black book he bought in his lap. He still couldn't read the book but the pictures were interesting enough for him. The young man learned that the Four Horsemen were a knight with a bow and crown, a barbarian with a sword, a thin man with a scale and flail, and a hooded figure with a scythe. He felt that Finn would be more than happy to get this book.
The young man did get an uneasy feeling about this topic. He knew they were gonna get themselves involved with something that they were vastly under-prepared for.
AN: Yes I had this on the back burner, I had wanted to separate the two chapters because I felt like the pacing would be weird in just one chapter. The next one will have Harry back on Hogwarts.