Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket

by Red Phoenix Dragon

A twist at the end of Harry's first trip to Diagon Alley with Hagrid. As they approach the Leaky Cauldron to leave Diagon Alley, Hagrid decides to present Harry with his gold ticket to the Hogwarts Express, while Harry was really expecting to go directly to Hogwarts with Hagrid now. Harry asks a different question. And that changes everything. HHr NLLL T for Characters deaths.

7. Punishments and an old friend

Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket.

A twist at the end of Harry's first trip to Diagon Alley with Hagrid.

Chapter 7: Spinner's End. Punishments and an old friend.

I don't own the Harry Potter verse. Just playing.

Summary: A twist at the end of Harry's first trip to Diagon Alley with Hagrid. As they approach the Leaky Cauldron to leave Diagon Alley, Hagrid decides to present Harry with his gold ticket to the Hogwarts Express, while Harry was really expecting to go directly to Hogwarts with Hagrid now. Harry asks a different question.

And that changes everything. HHr NLLL T for Characters deaths.

24/01/22 Beta by alix33. Thank you.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

Even though he was Head of Slytherin House, Sev explained to Harry how Hogwarts was set up with the students divided into four houses. Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor with the selection made by a primordial magical artifact, an ancient wizard's hat called the Sorting Hat. He explained that the headmaster insists that the new students are not informed of the Sorting Hat as he claimed it added to the Mystique of Hogwarts. But all it does is places the new students in ignorance while the older students and children of Pure-blood families felt superior. And that follows with the clash of Wizarding Traditions and the modern world which places Muggle-born at a distinct disadvantage in a castle that is hidden away.

Sev explained the traditional attributes each house prides itself in.

"Slytherin looks for the cunning and ambitious who will use any means to achieve their ends.

Ravenclaw looks for a ready mind, and those of wit and learning.

Hufflepuffs looks for loyal and true and unafraid of hard work.

Gryffindor looks for the brave at heart, daring, nerve, and chivalry but the headmaster just uses them for cannon fodder."

Sev told him. "Harry, this is some very important advice on how to avoid the headmaster's manipulations and schemes, and the toxic interhouse rivalry and bullying. You must request that the ancient magical artifact to place you in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, but certainly not Gryffindor and absolutely never in Slytherin. If you asked nicely, the hat will take that into consideration."

Harry got Sev to tell him more about his days at Hogwarts, his mother and father and their friends, and also what happened that night. Sev told him of his mother's brilliance and how she was his best and only true friend. He explained the bullying and politics of Hogwarts with the bitter rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor. And how the headmaster openly encouraged the house of the brave and foolhardy while not punishing the rulebreaking and bad behaviour of Pure-bloods on both sides. Sadly the headmaster just turns a blind eye as Muggle-borns were subjected to the worse abuse by the more extreme Pure-blood hatred who went on to become Death Eaters.

Harry understood. "So the headmaster played both sides against each other to maintain his control of the center."

Sev nodded. "Lily saw that straight away and avoided the worse bullies on both sides which included at the beginning your father and his friends, and the extreme Pure-bloods who went on to join the Death Eaters before they had left Hogwarts."

"So the headmaster's actions and inactions created an environment that bred dark lords and a blood war." Harry reasoned with his mind cleared of the Horcrux and free of bindings, and Sev nodded. "With Voldemort not completely dead, I assume the headmaster is still playing both sides and allowing a new war to happen. And with my forced isolation, I was to be totally ignorant of the Magical World traditions, and my heritage."

"I suppose you are right Harry, now that I think about it, and having you ignorant makes it easier to control you. The headmaster is very good at distraction and saying a whole lot of nothing while wasting effort and time." Sev reasoned. "He obviously wanted to distract me to continue to hate your father by hating you just because you looked like him."

"The headmaster did charm me to look like my father." Harry thought. "But that means he must have visited me and the Dursleys to do that. But I don't remember him visiting."

"Are there any pictures of you growing up?" Sev asked as Harry shook his head. "There are memory charms to make you forget or remember something different, objects like a vase can be inscribed with ancient runes to have the same magical effect. For all you know the headmaster could have visited you last month and fine tuned the charms to make you look exactly like your father's image, and you and Petunia wouldn't remember anything about the change, and that letter he left with you in 81 could be cursed to force her to mistreat you all these years."

"Oh? Magic could really be abused like that."

"Sadly, yes, but there are mind healers that can help." Sev replied.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

While Sev and their Harry were talking about Hogwarts, Hedwig, Louis and Princess decided to visit the girl from the Museum that had caught their Harry's attention. Hedwig was able to follow her magical signature while Louis and Princess followed her. They located her home and found her bedroom and landed on a tree branch that gave them a view into her window. They were pleased to see her reading a Hogwarts' textbook but a yapping dog next door was disturbing her. So Louis found half a house brick and carefully dropped it near the little yapping dog and frightened it enough to run inside and hide.

They waited patiently until the girl went to sleep before they snuck inside the bedroom to check out the home. She lived in a large five bedroom home but she was the only child. One bedroom had been painted blue and the other bedroom had been made into a nursery but neither had been used for years.

Hedwig found the Hogwarts Acceptance Letter stuck on the mirror and read the name on the envelope. Hermione Granger. Sadly there were no other photos stuck around the mirror to show Hermione with her friends and they hoped that she hadn't had a lonely childhood.

They found a large pile of Hogwarts textbooks and reference books that had all been read more than once. Hedwig opened Modern Magical History to see what it said about their Harry, while Louis opened The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Princess read Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century.

Sadly they were a little disappointed with the lack of details of their Harry's childhood but it was interesting that each book had a different take on what happened that night when You-Know-Who disappeared. But none of them matched what their Harry remembered.

They decided that Hermione Granger was a good match for their Harry and would be a great friend. So they decided to watch over her until they could get them to meet again.

Hermione woke up the next day after she had the strangest dream that two snowy owls and a little old lady had been reading her books.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

"So, what happened between you and my mum?" Harry asked.

"We were great best friends since kindergarten and at Hogwarts, but your father saw how beautiful and brilliant Lily was, and he was so jealous of me and it was worse that I was in Slytherin. If we had been sorted into Ravenclaw we could have avoided all of that. So Potter and his cousin Sirius Black bullied me and I, being in Slytherin, had to fight back. It got nasty and your mother was either standing up for me or hexing me, Potter and Black."

"While the headmaster watched."

"Yes. Then on the worst day of my life, Potter cursed and humiliated me, and Lily tried to stop him, but in my anger and shame and frustration I called her a terrible name and destroyed my friendship with her. I regretted it immediately but the damage was done. Potter won her heart and married her. He had to grow up an awful lot to do so and he did. In anger I fell in with the Death Eaters because they hated Potter."

"What did you call her?"

Sev looked into Harry's eyes and struggled to say. "A Mudblood. It means dirty magical blood and expresses what the extreme Pure-bloods think of Muggle-born witches and wizards."

"That is a terrible hateful word. Your first punishment is to never say it again and punish anyone who uses that disgusting word."

"Okay, I will do that." Sev nodded as he was happy to do that as it would help stamp out the hatred of Muggle-borns in Slytherin.

"Your second punishment is to forgive my father. He is dead and you can't hurt him anymore. You are only hurting yourself and that could have made the situation very difficult if not worse for me."

"Okay, I will try." Sev thought that made a lot of sense.

"There is no try. Only do or do not." Harry smirked.

"Okay, I will forgive your father but give me time to prepare to do that in my heart otherwise it would just be words with no meaning?" Sev reasoned and Harry accepted that wisdom.

Sev went on to explained. "In our seventh year, Dumbledore appointed Lily as Head Girl and your father as Head Boy. That didn't go down well with the Pure-blood faction. The headmaster had put Lily, being a Muggle-born, in a very prominent position. Lily really did deserve the honour on merit alone as she was the top student by a large margin, but it put a big target on her back. She could handle the bullying and abuse, and gave back tenfold. If the headmaster had done his job, Lily would have never had to deal with that. The then current Slytherin Prefects, Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black, resigned in protest and the Head of Slytherin House, Professor Slughorn, appointed me and Amanda Greengrass. We had to work together with your parents to try and keep the peace at Hogwarts and that gave me the opportunity to mend bridges between Lily and myself. I had to accept that your mother was in love with your father and he did grow up a lot and could give her far more than me. Your mother and I were able to keep in contact by various means as the Blood War deteriorated. Your parents were in Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix with their friends on the light side. I warned her that Pettigrew had turned traitor and was the spy in the Order but she seemed to keep forgetting, and your father wouldn't hear a word against his close friend."

"The headmaster?" Harry asked.

Sev nodded to confirm. "Probably some cursed artifact that was charmed to forget anything negative about the rat and Dumbledore."

Harry nodded. "Like when Aunt Petunia suddenly stopped hating me after I removed the headmaster's charms."

"Exactly."

Harry continued. "And, I suppose after the Prophecy was given, the rat started to betray members of the Order and their families?"

Sev nodded sadly. "Sacrifices needed to be made, as the headmaster would say."

Sev paused as he thought how he would say the next thing.

"This is where the complexities come in." Sev explained as Harry nodded for him to continue. "I don't know who Lily could have told but even on the light side, the word of a Muggle-born didn't carry much authority. The rat had boasted to the Death Eaters how he had quietly accused the werewolf, Lupin, of being the suspected spy / betrayer in the order, and this allowed him to escalate the attacks without being exposed. The Death Eaters knew the rat was the spy in the Order and that he was not to be harmed. They also knew that the Dark Lord had given me the task to directly spy on Dumbledore in Hogwarts as the Potions Professor."

Harry nodded. "And the headmaster knew of the rat's betrayal?"

"Most definitely!" Sev continued. "The Death Eaters were Slytherins and understood the Slytherin game that the headmaster was playing, and were not surprised that he claimed that I had turned spy for him, after the Dark Lord was defeated. They just thought I had excelled in my role as a spy, and Dumbledore needed to keep me close so I would remain silent about the prophecy and the rat. Nor were the Death Eaters in a position to challenge as Dumbledore was very powerful politically and to do so would expose the Death Eater past that they were trying to hide."

Harry nodded. "So Dumbledore just said you were his spy and it was so, and everyone accepted that?"

"Yes. Many were not happy about it but didn't want to defy Dumbledore. He was that politically powerful." Sev explained.

"Still is from what I hear." Harry replied.

Sev chuckled. "But for the surviving Light side. There was a lot of confusion and they needed someone to blame for the deaths and betrayals. They were not too happy about me but I had Dumbledore's protection for what it was worth. With the gaslighting and hatchet job the rat did on Sirius Black, the light side had someone from a dark family to blame for all of the betrayals and murders. That was confirmed when the headmaster allowed the rat to be awarded the Order of Merlin posthumously."

"That is rather devious."

"It is even more devious for as what the headmaster gives, he can also takes away. If the setup of Sirius Black had failed, the headmaster would have thrown me under the bus and blamed me, his spy, as betraying him and his Order of the Phoenix." Sev explained. "I would be in Azkaban before you could say Quidditch."

"That is rather devious and complex."

"It is even more devious and complex now as the headmaster wanted to maintain the Slytherin Pure-blood traditions in the school and insisted I encourage the toxic rivalry with Gryffindor using my hatred of your father. So three quarters of the school hate me." Sev explained sadly.

"Oh?" Harry had a thought. "So, which side are you on now?"

Sev thought for a moment. "Looking at the headmaster's actions and the Slytherin game he is playing against both sides. Those actions have undermined the light side. So unless Dumbledore intends to live forever, it will all go to hell when he dies, as he has no obvious successor. So. If the Dark Lord returns, there will be another Blood War far worse than before. If the Dark Lord never returns, the Pure-blood Totalitarian Agenda will eventually succeed and the elite will rule everything, and everyone else will be reduced to second class or slaves."

"That's bad!" Harry said.

Sev nodded as he thought about the Philosopher's Stone and Dumbledore living forever. Then he thought about the Dark Lord's attempt to live forever.

He pulled back his left sleeve and revealed a faded tattoo of a grotesque skull with a moving snake protruding from its mouth. "This is the Dark Mark, the brand all Death Eaters carry in slavery to the Dark Lord. It hurt like hell back in 81 and half faded away when you blew up the Dark Lord. It shows that the Dark Lord can be hurt but is not completely dead."

"Yeah, probably a black mist wraith with evil red eyes." Harry added.

Sev nodded and continued. "The Dark Mark burned and faded even more after your birthday and I can feel it draining my life force. Whatever you did has severely weakened the Dark Lord and has effected all Death Eaters. So if Dumbledore doesn't interfere, you will eventually vanquish the Dark Lord. I want to be on the winning side this time, so I am on your side, Harry. In Slytherin, family is the most important thing and Lily was family to me." He paused as he looked Harry in the eye. "And I hope you are too."

"Of course, Sev. You are my favourite uncle." Harry wrapped Sev in a hug.

After the moment past, Harry asked. "So does this mean you will be a double agent?"

"Triple agent. The headmaster will insist that I still have to spy for both sides to keep a line of communication open and save as many as I can. The key to winning this to ensure the right people have the right information when they can do the most good."

Harry understood that from the bullies from school. "As opposed to Dumbledore who kept his secrets and ensured no one had any useful information until it was too late to do any good."

Sev chuckled. "Lily said that too!"

Harry thought for a moment. "Very well, but this hatred between students in the school must stop. So, your third punishment is to end this toxic rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor."

Sev thought. "Okay, but I will need your help. You must be sorted into Ravenclaw and from there you could become friends with everyone and unite the first year students and break down the toxic house rivalry, one year at a time. I for my part will stop being so blatantly biased towards Slytherin and ruthlessly against Gryffindor, and will teach potions properly."

"Good!" Harry nodded. "What about this Sirius Black? Is he dead?"

"No he is not dead, but he is in a place worse than death for a crime he didn't commit." Sev explained.

"Just like me trapped with the Dursleys?" Harry asked and Sev nodded. "So, the headmaster was involved."

"Yes, Sirius Black is your dogfather and you should have gone to him after your parents were murdered." Sev explained.

"You knew?"

"Bits and pieces that I worked out afterwards, but the headmaster told me that you safe and loved but would never say where you were. And after the dark lord fell, the headmaster spoke for me at the trials for Death Eaters that the Ministry held, and that kept me out of Azkaban but trapped under his thumb at Hogwarts. While Sirius Black was thrown into Azkaban without a trial after the rat set him up for mass murder." Sev explained and then continued as he knew what was coming next. "Azkaban is a horrible evil Wizarding prison in the middle of the North Sea, and I hated Black as much as I had hated your father and had no reason to help free him. When we were at Hogwarts he once tried to murder me but your father stopped him."

"That was when he saved your life?" Harry looked hopeful at the thought that his father had started to change then, and Sev nodded.

Then Harry continued Sev's punishment. "Your fourth punishment is to forgive Sirius Black and free him."

"I will forgive him but please give me time. As for freeing him from Azkaban, that would be impossible." Sev explained.

"Not for a true Slytherin and it might free you from being under Dumbledore's thumb." Harry smirked.

"Lily had the same smirk when we pranked Potter and Black." Sev smiled. "Okay, I will do it but give me time and you will have to help me."

"Okay, where do we start?"

Sev counted with his fingers. "Well, we will need to catch the rat, and sideline the headmaster, Barty Crouch, Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, and Lucius Malfoy."

Harry waited for him to explain.

"Barty Crouch was head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement who arrested Death Eaters and prosecuted them. He did some deal with the headmaster to send Sirius to Azkaban and keep him there. Cornelius Fudge was there when the rat framed Sirius and he captured him. His reward was to become the Minister of Magic. Lucius Malfoy is the most senior Death Eater who used his gold to escape punishment and wants to steal the Black Fortune by using his son."

"So a lot of vested interests in keeping Sirius locked up." Harry thought.

"But the same vested interests is keeping the grim alive."

"Grim?"

"Sirius Black can turn into a big black hairy dog called a Grim. You called him Padfoot." Sev explained.

The name Padfoot sparked a memory of a big playful black dog. "I remember him. I used to ride on his back."

Sev continued. "The headmaster needs Sirius locked up so he has complete control over you and he also needs to keep Sirius alive to thwart Malfoy's claim on the Black Fortune and to keep it away from the Dark Lord."

Harry nodded. "Wheels within wheels."

"Exactly!" Sev nodded. "Now we just have to put our heads together and think of a brilliant plan to free Padfoot."

Given the powerful players and the insurmountable difficulties, Harry thought it would have to be an absolutely brilliant plan.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

Late one night towards the middle of the month of August, there was a knock on Severus' front door, and Sev suddenly remembered something he had forgotten to do. Harry watched with growing alarm as Sev grabbed his wand and silently rushed to the front door as the knocking got louder. While Hedwig and Louis seemed to get excited at their late hour visitor.

The knocking got more urgent and Sev poked the tip of his wand through the mail slot and silently cast the stunning hex. There was a thud outside.

Hedwig barked as Sev opened the door and silently cast the charm to levitate the fallen visitor in side and tied him to a steel chair.

"That's Moony?" Harry asked Hedwig and she nodded and they looked at the dishevel wizard.

Sev spoke. "I am sorry, Harry. It is part of my penitence to the headmaster. Moony normally comes before the full moon to collect his potion and I have forgotten to brew it in all the fun and excitement. He would have smelt your scent here and I am not sure of his loyalties to the headmaster. So I had to stun him."

Hedwig barked twice and Harry asked her. "Finite Incantatem? Are you sure?"

Hedwig barked again.

"Okay, okay. Louis, ancient wand please." Harry requested.

Louis barked and gave Harry a funny look.

"Oh, sorry Louis. I keep forgetting the ancient wand is in my left holster."

Harry hit the finger trigger and the ancient wand flicked into Harry's left hand.

Harry looked at Sev who nodded his agreement to the counterspell being used. Then Harry asked. "You wouldn't be able to conjure up a pair of sunglasses would you, Sev?"

Sev waved his wand and conjured a pair of polarized sunglasses and Harry put them on.

"Perfect." Harry said as Sev watched Hedwig and Louis move to hide behind the furniture. He decided to conjure a second pair for himself. He would be glad he did.

Harry gripped the ancient wand with both hands and pointed it at the unconscious wizard. He practiced wand movements of point and twist back anti-clockwise.

With a final nod of agreement from Sev, and a bark from Hedwig and Louis, Harry said in a loud clear confident voice.

"FINITE INCANTATEM!"

Harry watched his third attempt to cast real magic as a brighter white light came out of the ancient wand and hit the wizard. The white light engulfed Moony and fed off his magic as it became exceedingly bright and filled the room.

Sev whispered. "Oh! Bloody! Hell!" He had never seen the counterspell work like that.

Hedwig and Louis hid their heads under their wings as they watched in wonder from their hiding spot as the house shook and their breeder wizard was lifted up as he was engulfed in the bright white light. The magic holding his clothes together dissipated and his rags fell to the floor revealing all his scars of his hard life. The white light travelled down over Moony's body and magical charms, transfigurations and Ancient Runes to make him appear horrible and skinny failed, and the bindings on his mind, magical core and abilities were broken.

Moony floated down as magic continued to zap over him like lightning as tracking, listening, and mood altering animosity hexes popped.

While Louis looked at Hedwig and barked twice. (Which translated to, 'Bloody Hell, Mum! He did it again!')

Hedwig replied with a shake of her head and a cuff of her wing. (Which translated to, 'Language! Louis!')

As the light faded, Princess popped in with a cloak to cover Moony as Sev advanced to examine the effect of Harry's counterspell and focused on the old cursed bite mark on Moony's neck. It had faded a little and he wondered.

"Again Harry, focus the counterspell on this old cursed bite mark." Sev instructed and pointed to the bite mark.

Hedwig barked a 'I concur.'

Harry stepped forward and took aim six inches from the old cursed bite mark. He said in a loud clear confident voice.

"FINITE INCANTATEM!"

The white light engulfed Moony again and focused on the cursed bite mark and it half faded away.

"Again Harry! This time with feeling!" Sev instructed and pointed to the cursed spot.

Hedwig barked a 'I concur.'

Harry focused and took aim six inches from the old cursed bite mark. He said in a louder clear confident voice.

"FINITE INCANTATEM!"

The white light engulfed Moony and was focused on the cursed bite mark and it quarter faded away.

"Good Harry, it's working. One more go should do it." Sev encouraged and pointed to the bite mark.

Hedwig and Louis barked a 'We concur.'

Harry took a moment to dig deep and channel his magic. He took aim six inches from the old cursed bite mark and shouted in a loud clear confident voice.

"FINITE INCANTATEM!"

The supercharged white light engulfed Moony and focused on the cursed bite mark and it faded away as a black thing that looked like a leach was forced out of the skin and shriveled into nothing in the bright white light. While Harry feeling a little light-headed from the release of such magic and sunk to the floor.

"Well done, Harry!" Sev commended and then noticed Harry sitting on the floor. As he moved he called out. "Princess, dark chocolate! The good stuff!"

Princess popped next to Harry and handed him the good stuff, a quarter block of Cadbury Old Gold Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa, and popped away.

Harry looked at the chocolate block in his hand. He had never had a chocolate block in his hand before. Never was good enough. He looked at Sev and he nodded an encouragement to eat it.

Harry took a bite and the warm chocolate melted in his mouth. He finally understood why Dudley craved chocolate as the sugar rush lifted his energy. The chocolate was gone before he realised it.

"How are you feeling, Harry?" A concerned Sev asked afraid that he might have pushed too hard.

"Okay now with the dark chocolate. Just got a little light-headed."

Princess popped back with two steaming mugs of hot dark chocolate and a plate of Tim Tam Dark Chocolate Biscuits.

Harry nodded a thank you as he took a sip of the steaming mug of hot dark chocolate. He took a biscuit and broke it in half for Hedwig and Louis, and then ate one himself. And then another. He had never seen such irresistible chocolate biscuits. He read the label, Tim Tam Dark Chocolate Biscuits, made with irresistible real chocolate. The most irresistible chocolate biscuit. A mouth-watering combination of crunchy biscuit, creamy filling and real chocolate coating, it's easy to see why Tim Tams are Australia's most-loved chocolate biscuit. Share a packet of these deliciously sweet biscuits with your friends and family today.

Harry looked at Sev.

Sev replied. "Special Owl order. Don't tell the headmaster, he has a serious sweet tooth and would confiscate the lot and write a law that only he was worthy to be allowed to eat them."

"Oh?"

"There is a secret trick you can do for ultimate indulgence." Sev said as he demonstrated with a Tim Tam. "You take a small bite from the diagonally opposite corners and dip one corner in the hot chocolate and suck the hot chocolate through it like a straw."

Harry tried it, and moaned as the hot chocolate goodness exploded in his mouth. He had never tasted something so good.

The two moaned in silence until all the Tim Tams were gone. The sugar rush was phenomenal.

"I am sorry to have pushed you, Harry. Magic can take a lot of energy." Sev said after the sugar rush.

"It's okay, no harm done and it was important for Hedwig and Louis to help their friend and I am feeling a lot better after discovering the magic of Tim Tams." Harry smiled. "How is he?"

"Look for yourself. You got rid of that cursed bite mark and may have cured him of lycanthropy."

"Lycanthropy?"

Hedwig barked.

"Oh, werewolf, and you're welcome, Hedwig. I owe you." Harry smiled at his owl as he felt good. "Okay, what's next?"

"Well if you are up for it, you could do something about those scars?"

"Okay, what do I do?" Harry said as he stood up and feeling the sugar rush super recharged.

"Trace your wand over his scars and repeat, Vulnera Sanentur."

Harry nodded as Hedwig concurred and pointed the ancient wand at the first of many scars on Moony's chest. He said in a loud clear confident voice.

"VULNERA SANENTUR!"

The red light engulfed Moony and all his scars were healed and faded away.

Sev muttered, "Now, you're just showing off!" Under his breath as Harry cast the spell far better than he did, while Hedwig and Louis flew over to examine Harry's handiwork.

Princess popped in with a restorative draught and a dreamless sleep potion, and Sev transfigured the steel chair into a bed for Moony to sleep until the next day while he ran some diagnostic test for lycanthropy. He found none and after Harry's handiwork, the new Moony was unrecognizable from the disheveled Moony that had arrived on Sev's doorstep.

Moony awoke the next day to the scent of Lily's Eggs Benedict and felt one thousand percent better. "Lily?"

"Oh, you are finally awake, Moony?" Sev asked. "Sorry about last night, I had guests and had forgotten to brew your Wolfsbane potion."

"But I need that!" Moony demanded.

"Maybe not, how do you feel?" Sev asked.

Moony stopped and thought for a moment. His head felt clear and he couldn't hear the wolf in the back of his mind. Then checked over his body. His scars were missing.

"What? What happened?" Moony asked as Harry walked in carrying a large plate of Eggs Benedict with Hedwig and Louis on his shoulders.

"He did!" Sev smirked and gesture his thumb towards Harry.

Moony looked up but trusted his nose. "Harry? Hedwig? Louis? How?"

"Eat first before it gets cold." Harry instructed and Moony started to wolf it down when he froze as he remembered Lily's cooking and had an epiphany of happier times as something broke at the back of his mind. Harry went back to the kitchen to get another serving.

While Sev waited for the reminiscing Moony to return. "You remembered Lily's Eggs Benedict?"

Moony nodded. "That was exactly the way she cooked them. I was back in happier times. Can Harry match her cooking?"

"Yes, and it had the same effect on me." Sev replied and then took up the narrative. "As I said, I had guests and had forgotten to brew your Wolfsbane potion. So I stunned you and asked Harry to see what he could do to your cursed bite scar. He is very good at removing cursed scars and vanquishing Dark Lords. He healed scars on your body, as well as removing all the hexes and ancient runes Dumbledore had placed on you."

Hedwig and Louis spat on the floor.

"Harry healed me?" Moony wondered.

"The results are negative, I can't detect any lycanthropy."

"I don't hear the wolf anymore." Moony said as he checked his curse bite mark. It was gone and the skin was clear and fresh. He felt so healthy.

"Harry healed me?"

"We hope so. It was rough and ready but quite the light show and the house even shook. I would recommend sunglasses next time." Sev smirked and explained his idea. "I have a theory that there are a number of magical viruses which can hibernate in parts of the body while they wait for weakness and opportunities to attack. I suspected the virus for Lycanthropy hibernates in the original cursed bite and comes out to attack during the full moon. The question is, if someone powerful enough to remove the cursed bite did this while the virus is hibernating, would that cure Lycanthropy?"

"OH?" Moony said hopefully and then remembered. "And Dumbledore hexed me?"

Hedwig and Louis spat on the floor again.

"Yes, the usual magical charms for tracking and monitoring. Ancient runes for transfigurations to make you appear horrible and skinny, and mood-altering animosity runes to make you feel miserable and worthless, and dependent on him. All magically zapped by Harry."

"But how?"

"You do know who his mother and father were? And the dark lord who feared him so much that he tried to kill him and failed. Twice!" Sev explained.

"Harry is that powerful already?" Moony wondered. "I must tell Dum…"

"NO!"

Yelled Sev, Harry, Hedwig, Louis and Princess.

"Why would you want to tell that interfering old fool who left me at the Dursleys?" Harry asked.

"He left you with Petunia?" Moony shocked response as he sat down. "He said you were safe and loved, and wouldn't let me know where you were. Why would he do that?"

"The headmaster has his own agenda, Moony, and I am concerned at what he has planned for Harry's first year at Hogwarts." Sev replied. "So I am hiding him here while Petunia escapes the country. The headmaster must not find Harry before he arrives at the castle on the first of September."

"Oh? The headmaster wanted to send me on an assignment to contact the Werewolves on the Continent. It was good money but it would have taken me away from here for two years. But I couldn't go until I gave Hedwig to Harry. I was expecting to find Harry in Diagon Alley on his eleventh birthday getting his school stuff. Hagrid found me and insisted that he give Hedwig to Harry as he had been mobbed in the Leaky Cauldron. I watched from the shadows and your smile was so worth it. But since then the headmaster had been uncharacteristically quiet." Moony explained.

"Oh?" Sev said. "In all the fun, I hadn't noticed that." He turned to Harry and chuckled. "What did you do?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing! I didn't do it!"

Moony chuckled. "What happened? You looked the image of James."

"Oh, I was practicing the same counterspell in the mirror and it reflected back at me, and removed the headmaster's charms, hexes and curses." Harry explained from the kitchen. "The wraith of Voldemort came out of my scar and tried to curse Aunt Petunia. I kicked its butt and aunt Petunia changed and brought me here."

"Petunia changed?"

"Yeah, she was really affected by the old fool's charms on me. Once they were gone, it was like she was a different person." Harry explained. "Even said sorry and asked for forgiveness."

"That was a big change."

"Yeah, so I forgave her and have had quite the magical adventure since she left me here."

"Oh? Well now that I am here, what can I do to help?" Moony asked.

"Well first you need to confirm you are completely cured and stay in a safe room during the full moon." Sev said.

"James let me stay in the safe room at Potter Manor, I could stay there and start to clean the place up for you Harry. No one has lived there for years." Moony said.

"That would great Moony. Just stay away from the manipulative old fool!" Harry said as he brought another large plate of Eggs Benedict for Moony to wolf down. "And thank you for my birthday present. I would be still locked up in Durzkaban if not for Hedwig's knowledge of spells and textbooks."

"You're welcome, Harry. Was Hedwig that useful?" Moony asked.

"She saved me! She helped me return all those Hogwarts Acceptance Letters the headmaster sent to annoy the Dursleys, and helped me find the counterspell that remove my cursed scar and my father's identical appearance the old fool charmed me with!" Harry replied as he hugged Moony. "That changed everything!"

Sev asked a question. "Remus, do you know Harry's Magical Potential?"

"That's a family secret, Sev." Moony looked at Harry.

"It's okay, Moony." Harry replied.

"Lily did a test parchment, Double Arch-Mage. That explained what you could do, Harry. Phenomenal Cosmic Power in an itty-bitty boy not quite one year old who didn't want to go to bed." Moony chuckled as he raised his arms in the strong man pose and deep voice. Then used his fingers to show itty bitty with a little voice. Harry, Hedwig and Louis chuckled at the antics. While Sev smiled as he saw the antics of James Potter.

"Did you tell Dumbledore?" Sev asked.

"No, James did. They needed help as Harry blew through the ancient wards of Potter Manor and apparated to Lily. She couldn't go anywhere without Harry showing up when he wanted his mummy." Moony chuckled.

While Sev wondered what sort of help the headmaster gave to the Potters.

Moony apologized for not trying harder to find Harry and Harry forgave him for he had prepared Hedwig for his return to the magical world. They spent the afternoon getting to know each other and Moony told more stories of his parents, and particularly his father. While Sev whipped up a brew of Wolfsbane just in case and promised to stay with Moony over the full moon.

Moony left to start work on Potter Manor. The first thing he did was to find and remove any tracking, monitoring and listening hexes, and cursed artifacts the headmaster may have accidentally placed around and in Potter Manor. Sadly he found quite a lot.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

Early on the morning of what turned out to be the last day of Summer Camp at Spinner's End, Sev, Harry, Hedwig, Louis, and Princess were rudely awaken when the fireplace lit up as vibrant green flames exploded into the room with a very angry headmaster's voice.

"NOOOO! WHERE IS MY DAMN WAND!"

Sev looked at Harry. "That's the headmaster's voice but I have never heard him that angry before."

The fireplace lit up again as vibrant green flames exploded into the room with a very angry headmaster's voice.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY OFFICE AND ALL MY DOODADS!"

"It came through the fireplace!" Harry observed.

Sev pointed his wand at the crest above the fireplace and it glowed red for a moment.

"WHERE IS H…"

The wards activated and blocked the headmaster's floo number.

"Where, that's fixed it." Sev said and then continued. "Fireplaces can be connected to the Magical Floo Network." He pointed to a bowl on the mantle containing a grey powder. "You throw some Floo Powder in the fireplace and you can connect two fireplaces together. You can then jump into the green flames and travel to the other fireplace or stick your head into the green flames and talk to someone from the other fireplace."

"Oh? That's just weird." Harry replied.

"Yeah, it takes a little getting used to but it is cheap and very effective." Sev replied. Then continued. "I am on the headmaster's speed dial and it sound like the headmaster was very angry about not finding his wand and his office is damaged."

"His wand?"

"Yeah, it looks like that ancient wand you used on Moony. So I would be careful who saw you using that wand." Sev replied and Harry nodded. "There must have been some Floo Powder in the headmaster's fireplace and he was so angry that he accidentally activated every fireplace on his speed dial with that message."

"Well, the headmaster is not quite anymore." Harry chuckled as he started to make breakfast.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

Meanwhile at the Granger residence.

Hermione woke up after another strange dream of two snowy owls and a little old lady reading her books. Only this time she discovered that the books had been left open on the chapters about Harry Potter.

Hermione loved a good magical mystery.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

Sadly all fun things come to an end and the two weeks of Summer Camp at Spinner's End was over, for the headmaster himself had sent Sev an urgent owl demanding that he get his Floo fixed and that his immediate presence is required at the castle.

Sev smiled because the changes to the wards had worked, and thought that it was odd as the headmaster would send Fawkes if it was that urgent. He had avoided the urgent owls sent from Hogwarts, and had been sending excuses saying he was busy with some important potions for Madam Pomfrey which was true and Harry had been helping him brew them. But now it seems that the headmaster had recovered from whatever had kept him quiet.

But you, my dear reader are well aware that the headmaster has been in a magical coma due to the Acceptance Letters and the Unfortunate Battle of the Headmaster's Office. And had just recovered to discover that all his secret silver doodads had been destroyed and that meant that he had lost track of Harry Potter. And that would never do.

So Sev sent Hedwig with a letter to Madam Longbottom requesting an urgent meeting involving Neville's Godbrother. She would know who that was as Lily had told him who her Godson was. Hedwig returned with a letter that was a Portkey set to go off at Ten o'clock precisely.

Sev gathered the guardianship letter from Petunia, some special potions he had brewed which Harry had been taking to recover health, a peace offering of a special phial of tears from Fawkes the Phoenix which may help Frank and Alice, and the Longbottom Cloak of Invisibility which the rat had stolen from Frank Longbottom that night when he led Bellatrix Lestrange to Longbottom Manor. The rat had used the cloak to escape the Aurors that caught Bellatrix, and had left the cloak at Sev's house to frame him for the crime. But as Dumbledore spoken for him, his house was never searched. Until now Sev didn't have a plausible reason as to why he would have the cloak other than the 'dead' rat took it, and therefore was unable to return it without being blamed for the crime.

Hedwig, Louis and Princess packed Harry's trunk and Hedwig and Louis would fly it to Longbottom Manor when called.

Hedwig barked and Harry replied. "Okay, okay!"

And started to tidy himself up as he and Sev waited until Ten o'clock while Sev explained how Portkeys worked and what to do to keep one's balance on landing.

At precisely Ten o'clock Harry felt a pull on his navel and he and Sev disappeared from Spinner's End.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -

Thank you for reading.

- Harry Potter and the Unwanted Ticket. -