CHAPTER 20: Help will always be given at Hogwarts

A/N: Welcome back, guys. Hope you had a wonderful week. Not much to say on this one. Hope you enjoy it. Without further ado...

Absolute silence. Harry sneaked a quick glance at Snape, still standing at the end of the corridor, before dropping his gaze back to the floor.

He looked back up when the potions teacher started walking towards them. The sound of his shoes tapping against the stone floor echoed around the corridor, making him seem even more menacing and ominous than normal.

Besides the obvious reason of being caught, Harry was nervous to speak with Snape for an altogether different reason. Their last interaction was at New Year's Eve, a long time ago, it seemed now. Words had been said that night, mostly by him, words that he stood by one-hundred-percent.

Even when he learned that it was Snape who carried his injured body to the hospital wing, he didn't go talk to him, or thanked him. He felt that there was just too much tension between them at that point and that instead of a moment of gratitude, which is what it should've been, it would've turned into another awkward interaction between them, so he never bothered to even consider it.

The sound of Snape's footsteps stopping broke him out of his thoughts and he mustered up the courage to lift his head and stare into his eyes.

But he didn't even pay him any attention for his eyes were locked on Dumbledore. Harry looked up at Dumbledore to find him staring back at him. He looked back and forth between them. He could never describe it if ever asked about it but he felt that they were having a silent conversation just with their eyes.

With the passing of each second, he kept feeling more awkward and out of place, that he was intruding a private moment between two people who weren't new to conversing in this odd manner.

After what felt like an eternity to him, but in reality, was less than a minute, words were finally spoken.

"It's getting late. I shall finish my rounds and leave you be. Headmaster" Snape gave a curt nod before he walked past Dumbledore, his cloak billowing past him as he took his usual long strides.

Harry turned around in shock, his mouth open in disbelief. 'What?' was the word at the top of his mind as he kept staring at Snape until he turned at the end of the corridor and disappeared out of view.

He whipped his head in Dumbledore's direction just a second before he the headmaster took a hold of his arm and he before he could question him, he felt the air being sucked out of him as everything started circling around him.

He dropped to his knees the instant he landed back on solid ground. "You could've given me a warning!" Harry yelled, trying his best not to throw up.

"I'm sorry Harry. I believed that you would've gotten used to it by now" Dumbledore gently lifted him back up.

Harry wiped the wet grass stuck to his hands on his jeans. "I'm never getting used to this" he wheezed, taking deep breaths.

"I'm sure you would" Dumbledore patted his shoulder as he looked up and found himself staring at the Burrow. From where he was standing, which he just realized was the exact spot where he was standing earlier in the night before Dumbledore apparated them to the hospital, he couldn't see any lights on. 'It's way past midnight. They probably would've gone to bed a long time ago' he thought before turning towards Dumbledore.

"So, I shall see you in a couple of days' time" smiled Dumbledore.

Harry nodded his head before he remembered what he was going to ask him when he was still standing inside the castle.

"Professor;"

Dumbledore raised his hand and stopped him. "You don't need to worry about that, Harry."

"But-"

"Remember when I told you back in the hospital that you must follow what I say" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

Feeling slightly annoyed and a bit defeated, Harry nodded his head. "Yeah" he said grumpily.

A smile came over Dumbledore's lips. "Well then in this case I suggest that you not worry yourself with what just happened. Leave it to me and I will take care of it, okay" Dumbledore laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. At seeing Harry's nod, he continued. "Good. Besides, Professor Snape is a colleague" Harry raised his head towards him. "And I trust him" He finished with a pointed stare.

Harry felt that was all he was going to say on that matter, but then realized that he was right. He did take care of it. Like always.

He remembered wondering how Dumbledore would work his way out of this. Even though he had complete trust in his abilities to manage his way out of any tricky situation, Snape was another matter altogether.

That man looked at everything with suspicious eyes, even when nothing dubious was going on. But now, he had every right to be suspicious, he'd be a fool not to, catching a student after curfew when he shouldn't even be there in the first place, not to mention he was strolling alongside the headmaster. He didn't know any student and he was quite sure that no one around the world as well had such a relationship, if one could call it that, with their headmaster, that they would feel comfortable enough to casually stroll the halls of the school with them.

But he said nothing. Not a word. He didn't think that would've been the case if it was any other person than Dumbledore. Snape would've cowered them just by his terrorizing gaze let along shout or feel the need to speak. But not with Dumbledore.

He shifted his gaze from staring at the grass to Dumbledore. He was checking the time on his watch before catching his eye and giving him a small smile.

Harry's admiration for the man went even higher if that was possible.

Among his countless great qualities, this was his favourite. He always made him feel safe, always had a smile on his face for him, just to make him feel better. It could be anything, a gentle touch, a simple hand gesture, his twinkling eyes, a cheeky wink, or in this case, a smile, but everytime he talked with Dumbledore when he felt the world was getting bigger and he couldn't deal with it, he always had a way of making him feel that he was protected, that he would be always there when he needed him and he did so without ever speaking.

"Everything alright, Harry" he asked in his deep baritone.

"Everything alright, sir" he smiled. Before he could overthink about his decision, he closed the short distance between them and hugged him around the midriff.

"Oh!" chuckled Dumbledore, as his arms went securely around his body. He only realized that this was the first time that he ever initiated a hug with anybody in his life, and it felt oddly right and filled him with a sense of warmth.

Dumbledore patted his back a couple of times before he broke the embrace and took a step back. He felt his eyes well up for the second time in a short amount of time but held them at bay this time. He looked up at Dumbledore and noticed that his eyes had a slightly glassy look in them.

"Thank you. For everything you did tonight" he barely managed to finish the sentence without breaking down.

Dumbledore didn't say anything for few seconds as he looked at him. "Help will always be given at Hogwarts Harry, for those who need it" He paused before adding. "All I ask of you in return is to do the same, if you ever come across anyone in struggle, it doesn't matter what it is they are struggling with, if you believe they deserve your help, you should do so and not shy away"

It took Harry a moment to fully understand the meaning behind his words before he nodded his head.

"Good. I believe this is where we part ways for now. Take care Harry. Until next time," said Dumbledore.

A memory flashed through his mind where Dumbledore told him that he didn't like saying goodbyes. So, following his example Harry said with a smile "Until next time, Professor"

With a final smile thrown his way, Dumbledore vanished right before his eyes without a sound.

Harry turned around and headed towards the house. He thought back to the events of the night but mainly about Dumbledore.

At this point he wondered if he was more close with him than Ron and Hermione. 'I mean he has always been there for me. What professor does that?' He thought fondly as he entered through the kitchen door, which was surprisingly open.

He managed to cross the kitchen without bumping into anything and entered the living room before heading towards the stairs.

He entered Ron's room before slowly closing the door behind him. He looked over at Ron's bed. He was lying on his stomach and snoring loudly.

He walked over to the empty bed next to his before plopping himself down on it. He removed his shoes and socks before lying on his back and brought his hands under his head and crossed his legs at the ankle.

He fished in his trouser pocket and took out the sickle he always kept with him. He placed copper-plated steel on his forehead before returning his hand to its previous position.

The cold steel brought a much-needed calmness to his body and he felt the tension slowly leave his body.

He blocked all the images that were trying to invade his mind, not wanting to think about anything that occurred tonight. Even the image of seeing his aunt lying peacefully in the castle, he pushed to the back of his mind. Even though he remembered feeling joy and relief when he laid his eyes on her for the first time, his mind automatically went back to what put her in this situation in the first place.

He knew he wouldn't be able to think of anything else let alone sleep till she regained consciousness so he decided it was best to not close his eyes because than he wouldn't be able to stop the images.

He stayed like that for another couple of hours, with his eyes never once shutting and the coin still atop his forehead until he couldn't physically control his body's actions as sleep finally overtook him. He put the coin back in his pocket and turned his body sideways before everything went black.

…...

Harry walked out of the bathroom, freshly showered, and dressed. He entered the room he shared with Ron and walked over to his trunk. He opened the trunk and took out his wand and Gryffindor robe. Mrs. Weasley said that she always wore a cloak when travelling by floo. 'You never know how dirty a chamber you're coming out off. Best be prepared' He took her advice since he couldn't afford to get any of his clothes dirty or worse burnt, which she said happened to her once when she was young.

Unlike his friends or most kids his age, he didn't have lots of clothes. Couple of pair of t-shirts and trousers was all he owned, along with a yellow jacket, the sweater Mrs. Weasley gifted him on his last birthday and one pair each of socks and shoes.

He recalled Aunt Petunia telling him that they would go shopping for his clothes a day before he was permanently locked in his room. But that never came to be.

He closed the trunk and put the robe on before hiding his wand inside the robe's pocket that was specifically made for storing wands.

He walked out of the room and down the narrow corridor that led to the stairs. He saw Ginny walk out of her room before she saw him. She halted in her tracks as her eyes went wide.

He stopped because she was blocking his path and stood there awkwardly, a light blush coming over his cheeks as he remembered what Ron told him about her crush on him. He didn't know how to react since he had never gotten any attention from any girl before.

He brought a hand to the back of his head as his blush deepened. He stole a quick glance at her face before quickly averting his eyes away. She was still staring at him with wide eyes and her mouth was slightly open. He figured she probably wasn't aware what she was doing or would be hugely embarrassed.

He racked his mind to think of a way where he could save them both from embarrassment and also sneak his way past her. He looked towards her again and saw that she was clutching a book in her hands. His eyes lit up as he realized he could use that as a distraction.

He took a huge gulp before pointing at the book. "Is-Is it any good?" He stuttered nervously. His voice went through multiple pitches during that short sentence. He started really high and by the time he finished, 2 seconds later, it was just above a whisper.

But that didn't matter since his plan worked as her eyes went comically wide before she let out a squeal as the book fell from her hands and hit the wooden floor with a 'thump'.

The book landed next to his feet and he crouched down and picked it up. It had a simple black cover with nothing written on it. It was quite old with rough edges and slightly faded colour. He handed it to her with a smile. He watched her cheeks turn crimson red as she snatched it from his hand and clutched it to her chest possessively before dashing back inside her room and smashing the door behind her.

He stood there in confusion, utterly perplexed by her reaction. 'Did she think I was going to steal her book. Is that how pathetic she thinks I am that I would steal a thousand-year-old book?'

He shook his head and headed towards the stairs.

An hour later everyone was standing next to an empty fireplace as Mrs. Weasley went around and handed each a handful of floo powder from a blue pouch.

"Alright now, you all know the drill, eldest to youngest." she said as Arthur walked over to the fireplace and stepped inside. He turned around and smiled at his wife.

"I'll see you on the other side" he winked, making her smile. "Diagon Alley!" he shouted, throwing the powder down before vanishing into green flames.

Mrs. Weasley turned around and faced Percy. "Come now Percy darling" Harry watched Percy walk towards her and repeat what Mr Weasley did. Soon after, it was his turn as Fred, George, and Ron followed their brother and father.

"Come Harry," Mrs Weasley gave him an encouraging smile as she beckoned him. He nervously nodded his head and walked towards the fireplace. Even though he had travelled by floo before, albeit it was in the castle, it still terrified him. 'Couldn't they've come up with any other way than standing on fire' he thought frustratingly. If presented with a choice, he would take apparating everytime over this, and he detested to apparate.

He stopped in front of the fireplace and peered his head inside, scanning if fire will suddenly shoot up just as he stepped inside and engulf him. A vision of him dying a slow and painful death as he flailed his arms about and screamed at the top of his lungs flashed through his mind.

"Go on dear, no need to worry" came Mrs. Weasley's voice from behind him.

He took a deep breath before tentatively taking a step inside. He released a sigh of relief as nothing happened. He hurriedly turned around and held his fist up. He didn't want to spend a second longer in this hell.

"Now remember, don't forget to say the words correctly. It is very important. Diago-"

"Diagan Alley" he shouted, and dropped the powder.

Mrs Weasley turned wide eyed towards Ginny who stared back at her with the same horrified expression after he disappeared behind green flames.

"What did he say?" whispered Mrs. Weasley.

…...

He landed on the hardwood floor, face first. "Ouch!"

"Who's that!" came an angry voice before he heard stomping footsteps getting closer. He groaned and with great pain on his forearms lifted himself on his knees. He fixed his glasses on his nose before looking over his shoulder at the chimney he not 10 seconds ago exited through.

It was a too nice a word for how he found himself in this position, he thought miserably. 'More like fell'

"Who are you!" He whipped his head back and saw a huge, burly looking man with a mean look on his face. He was bald and had a big moustache. He was wearing a white sleeveless t-shirt that had a lot of red stains on it. His mind went straight to blood but he instantly wiped that thought away.

It also had some holes in it, through which he could see his hairy chest. He had the biggest arms he had seen on anybody before.

"C'mon kid! Tell me what ya doin' here, huh! Don't make me squeeze it out of ya" He finished with an evil smirk and an odd glint in his eye, that seemed even worse and scarier.

He tried to stand up but a sharp pain shot through his right thigh. "Aah!" He grimaced in pain. He pulled his robe back before his eyes went wide. Blood was dripping down from a large open wound on his thigh where his trouser was ripped.

His leg gave away and dropped to his knees. His face screwed up in pain as an unbearable pain shot through his knees. 'Great. Just great'

Hey kid, you alrigh!" the man walked over to him and kneeled down. He angled his head and looked at his blood soaked trouser. "Let me take a look at it" he said, gently lifting his hands from his thigh. "Geez kid, that's a bad one if I say so myself"

Harry let out a painful whimper as the cold air stung his wound. He put the pressure back on the wound with both hands.

"But nothing I can't fix" Harry's eyes went wide in fear as the man shot him a toothy smile.

"No! I mean it's okay. I'll be fine. My friends are close" His features twisted in agony as he finished in a whisper. The pain got a lot worse in a matter of seconds.

"Look kid," the man gave him a knowing look. "Ya are in no condition to walk, alrigh. Ya don't need to fear me. Ya can ask anyone at knockturn. Zazlo can fix anythin! Even a broken body." He paused dramatically. "Better than anyone. You ask 'em and I bet ya they would all vouch for me!" He let out a chuckle that sent a chill down Harry's spine. "So, what do ya say?" He waggled his eyebrows.

Thinking there was no way he could get out of this accept to agree with him, Harry fearfully nodded his head.

"Great" he clapped his hands gleefully. Harry gulped as his fear intensified tenfold. 'What have I gotten myself to?'

"Name's Zazlo, by the way, Zazlo Sword" Harry looked down at his extended hand for a few seconds before he lifted his own and shook it. His entire hand disappeared in his.

"Harry" He tried to pull his hand back but couldn't. He looked up at Zazlo, who raised an eyebrow. "...Potter"

The reaction was as he expected. Zazlo's eyes widened comically and he let go of his hand as he backed away with disbelief etched all over his face. He lost his balance and landed on his backside but his eyes never left his.

Harry would've laughed if he wasn't scared for his life. Zazlo's mouth formed an 'O' as he kept staring at him in astonishment.

A whole minute passed by and Harry was thinking of an exit plan, as it looked that Zazlo had no intention of moving, or even better for him, couldn't move. He was just about to get up and make a dash for the exit when Zazlo gasped loudly in a whisper "NOO!"

Harry looked around the small room. Large barrels placed on top of each other hid the walls from view, they were lined all around the edge of the room from bottom to ceiling. He was sitting on a wooden table situated in the middle of the room, leaning back on his arms, his legs stretched in front of him.

The door barged open and in walked Zazlo, carrying bottles of different colour liquids in his arms. "There we go!" he laughed, as he put the bottles on the edge of the table.

"What are those?" asked Harry, eyeing the bottles warily, really hoping he didn't have to drink any of them. The liquid inside them was bubbling and light smoke was coming out of each bottle.

"These are the ingredients I need to make the paste" Zazlo crouched down next to the table and tapped his wand once on a stone tile. Harry eyes turned wide as the tile lifted off the ground and moved on top of the tile behind it, leaving a gap on the floor.

He saw Zazlo put his hand inside the gap and take out a small red box before putting the tile back in its place. His eyes turned curious as Zazlo opened the box. He craned his neck to see what was inside the box. A frown came over his face when he saw just a single leaf inside the box. It wasn't even a full leaf; a piece was missing at the top.

He watched Zazlo cut a small piece from the leaf before closing the box and placing it on the side. Next, he poured all the liquid in every bottle in a medium size bowl before adding the small piece of the leaf he cut out.

Harry watched in slight fascination as the once purple colour of all the liquids turned into a dark green. Not only that but the whole texture of the liquid changed. It looked like a thick paste now with bubbles still popping out every once a while.

Zazlo mixed the paste for couple of minutes with a wooden spatula before turning towards Harry.

"I'm going to apply the paste now to your wound, master Potter" Harry wanted to roll his eyes but refrained doing it.

"No wait!" he didn't care of the fear in his voice. That paste looked absolute ghastly in his opinion and even though Zazlo seemed like he knew what he was doing, he wasn't going to let him put it on his wound. "I need to know what it is before I let you do that" He didn't know from where he was finding this courage all of a sudden that he felt confident enough to put his terms ahead, because 10 minutes ago he wasn't far from letting out a loud scream for people to come to his aid.

Zazlo let out a small chuckle as he answered. "No need to fear, master Potter-"

"Call me Harry, please" He added, hoping he didn't offend him.

"Master Harry, this recipe has been taught in my family from generations. No one, but only the Swords know about it. It's our speciality. No potion or these snooty little healers who work at St Mungo's and think that everyone should bow their heads in their presence can cure your wound faster than this"

His passionate little speech did little for Harry's confidence. 'I'd always pick a healer before you' was what he wanted to say but didn't, because he valued his life greatly.

"I'm not sure" he said instead.

Zazlo let out a sigh before putting the bowl back on the table before turning facing him again. "I come from a long line of knights, master Harry" he started. His face held a determined look as he continued. "Our clan protected the people back in the day. My ancestors were the only wizards that used swords and wands.

You may not know this but back in the Middle Ages, wizards lived along with muggles. We didn't hide away from them like we do now. But a great war came about when because of a dark wizard going rogue, the muggles started fearing us and formed an alliance to kill all wizardkind.

In numbers, we were nothing compared to them. Thousands were killed and injured and during those desperate times, the swords, became the protectors of our people. Our men fought and protected all, and I mean wizard and muggle. They didn't care which side of the war the person belonged to, if a person was in need of help, he need not look further than the Swords.

But our hospitality didn't end there because back home their wives, sisters, daughters, and mothers healed the wounded. It was said that a Sword woman can cure any disease" Harry watched as a proud smile came over his face.

"And I believe that. I'm no woman but my mother said that I always had the gift to heal people" he finished with a smile.

Harry slowly nodded his head. He didn't know what to say. He certainly wasn't expecting a history lesson that was for sure. He didn't know why but he believed Zazlo. There was just something about him that made him feel that he was being honest and not just making all this up just to fool him.

Taking a long look at Zazlo's eyes, which weren't blinking, he decided on his decision. "Okay"

A smile started forming on Zazlo's lips. "Okay?"

Harry smiled and nodded his head. "Okay"

Zazlo let out a loud laugh and clapped his hands in glee. "OKAY!"

Ten minutes later Harry walked out of the room with Zazlo behind him. He was astonished by what just happened. He looked back at his leg. The wound had disappeared completely along with the pain. If anything, he was feeling better than ever. He still couldn't believe he ever doubted Zazlo.

He stopped before the bar as Zazlo came to stand on the other side. "So, what'd ya want?" Zazlo said, putting two large mugs on the bar table as Harry plopped himself on the high stool.

He was slightly bewildered by the size of the mugs, not knowing what they would use them for. He remembered his classmate back at St. Greogory's telling him once that on their family vacation to Paris, they had hot chocolate in the largest mugs he had ever seen.

He looked around the bar and wasn't sure if Zazlo even knew how to make hot chocolate or if he even served any. 'I shouldn't judge a book by its cover' he reminded himself, since Zazlo completely subverted his expectations, and after everything he went through, he was feeling a little thirsty and could use with a nice warm hot chocolate.

"Hot chocolate" He said.

Zazlo gave him a weird look, like if he'd just said that.

"Or anything warm" He added, not wanting to make a further fool of himself.

"Now you're talking my language" Zazlo clapped his hands like he did everytime when he got excited.

A mirthful expression came over Harry's face as Zazlo started singing a tune in a horrible voice while making their drink.

Harry turned around his chair and looked around. It was a pretty big place he noticed. Tables and chairs were scattered all around the room. What surprised him most was how clean everything was. A large grandfather clock was standing right next to the main door on the opposite side. His eyes turned wide as he saw the time.

9.30. 'Shit' he cursed inwardly. He was supposed to be at Flourish and Botts with the Weasleys, buying his books. They were supposed to meet there at 9.20. He jumped from the stool and turned around just as Zazlo smashed a large mug on the table.

"There ya go!" he half yelled.

"Zazlo, sorry, but I've got to go. I was supposed to meet my friends at flourish and botts 10 minutes ago"

Zazlo waived his hand dismissively. "Ah don't ya worry, master Potter. You just finish that drink and I'll get you to that place in no time"

"It's okay" Harry started walking backwards. "I can find it"

"No!" Harry stopped. "You are not going on your own. This is no place for a kid like you to wander on your own. Trust me"

"But-"

"Trust me" He added, raising his eyebrows.

Harry let out a sigh before nodding his head. "Fine"

"Great. Now, finish off your drink."

Harry walked back and lifted the mug, which was very heavy and he nearly dropped it. He eyed the drink curiously. It was red in colour and had a strong aroma to it. He took a large sniff and almost fainted on the spot. He had never smelled something so strong or distinct in flavour.

"Don't think about it!" exclaimed Zazlo. "Trust me, you'll feel a lot better. C'mon bottoms up"

Trusting Zazlo, he closed his eyes and brought the glass to his lips before tilting his head.

'Hmm, not bad' He thought as it went down his throat.

"Hack Hack Hack!" He started coughing violently. He swayed a little and in doing so poured some of the liquid on his t-shirt. He put the half empty glass on the table. His face was red from coughing. Zazlo came around the bar and patted his back.

"You're okay. Happens to everyone during their first time" He said consolingly.

"What was that?" Harry wheezed out. His throat was burning badly.

"Firewhisky" said Zazlo.

Harry whipped his head towards him. His eyes were wide in shock. "Whiskey? You gave me whiskey?" He couldn't believe it.

"No. I gave you Firewhiskey, not the pancy drink muggles call alcohol. This is the real stuff men drink and not that kids' stuff"

Harry shook his head as he was starting to feel a little dizzy before staring up at him. "Zazlo, I'm only 12! I'm not allowed to drink alcohol" he exclaimed.

"Oh, pish posh" scoffed Zazlo, waving his hand as if what he said didn't matter. "I believe, the sooner you get hooked on, the better. That way you'll learn to hold your liquor faster and better than others. Trust me, it worked for me"

Harry stared at him blankly with wide eyes. 'I'm in so much trouble'

They were walking down the street, having just exited knockturn alley, which is where he ended up instead of Diagon Alley, and Zazlo was right, thought Harry. Knockturn Alley was totally different. It was dirty, foul smelling with creepy looking people standing on the side of the road looking at him weirdly. It sent a chill down his spine.

Even in his alcohol influenced haze, he was fully aware of everyone's eyes on him. 'It's like they had never seen a kid before...Well neither did I' He thought how there were no kids around which should've been the only warning he needed to never visit it again.

They turned right and merged into a crowd of people walking in every direction. He couldn't see 2 feet ahead of him before bumping into someone.

They zigzagged their way through before Zazlo pointed ahead and said. "There it is"

Harry tried to follow his finger but couldn't see anything past people's heads. Eventually they came to a clearing as everyone was lined up before a shop. The line stretched for more than 20 metres with families and mostly girls standing.

Harry looked up at the sign. Flourish and Blotts.

He furrowed his eyebrow in confusion, wondering why was everyone so eager to get their books at once.

"Harry!" He heard someone shout his name and followed the sound of the voice.

A huge smile spread across his face as his eyes landed on Hermione standing near the window of the bookstore. She was beaming at him. "Ron! I've found him!" He saw her turn around and shout towards the shop across from her.

Couple of seconds later, he saw Ron run out of the shop before his eyes landed on him and heave a sigh of relief. Harry turned back towards Hermione to find her running towards him.

He watched her arms go wide before her eyes turned wide and she halted, stopping right in front of him. "Harry! It's so good to see you. It's been so long" she said happily.

"It's good to see you to, Hermione" he said a little too loudly.

He watched in confusion as the smile wiped away from her face before she brought a hand to cover her mouth. "Oh my god Harry, what's that smell" she said with a disgusted face. "And what happened to your pant?"

His eyes widened in horror as he looked down at saw that a large part of his thigh was visible from where his trouser was ripped. 'So that's why everyone was staring at me. I'm such an idiot'

He looked back at her to see her cheeks go red in embarrassment as she took out her wand from her pocket and pointed it at his trouser. "Reparo"

He breathed a sigh of relief as his trouser was back to normal.

He then remembered that she also smelled the alcohol on him and cursed inwardly. "Oh, that's just fireswhisky, young lass. Don't worry. It was master Harry's first time; it takes some getting used to" said Zazlo with a smile as he patted him on the shoulder. He almost seemed proud.

Harry's eyes turned even wider if that was possible because not only did Hermione hear that, but that was also the moment her parents stopped next to her and heard everything.

"Merlin Harry! You had firewhisky" and apparently Ron as well. "Woah mate, you even beat Fred and George. They had their first shot of firewhisky at 14."

'Shut up, Ron' Harry wanted to punch him.

He looked up at Hermione's parents faces and cringed. Her mother's face reminded him of Aunt Petunia whenever she went shopping and found something she really liked but then looked at the price. Her mouth was open in disbelief and her eyes seemed like they were about to pop out of her skull, as if she couldn't believe what she just heard. Her face then took a look of disapproval and he felt ashamed.

He turned to look at her father and found his reaction really odd. There was surprise and disapproval etched on his face but there was also something else, hidden beneath the exterior, a hint of a smile that he was trying very hard to hide. He hastily turned his gaze back on the ground. He would never forget the first impression he made on them.

"And who are you?" came Ron's voice.

"Name's Zazlo, kid, Zazlo Sword"

Harry looked up and saw both Hermione and her mother regard him in a reproachful manner.

"Is it really true, Harry?" He looked up at Hermione, he could see her eyes were pleading with him to deny everything, hoping that it wasn't true. He didn't blame her; it wasn't how she would've envisioned of introducing one of her close friends to her parents.

But he couldn't lie.

He nodded his head. His heart sank as she gave him a disappointing look before turning around and walking back from where she came.

Her mother followed as he looked at her father. He stared at him for a second before letting out a half scoff, half laugh. "I'll be damned" he chuckled, shaking his head before following his family.

"It's alright mate" Ron walked over and put an arm around his shoulder. "She'll come around"

"Your friend's right, master Harry. If you want, I can go and apologize as it was my fault anyway" Zazlo took a step forward but Harry stopped him.

"No Zazlo, it wasn't your fault. I'm the one who drank it"

"But-"

"You only helped me" smiled Harry, which Zazlo returned.

"Well okay then. I better get going before my wife brings the whole place down" he pointed back with his thumb.

"You have a wife!" exclaimed Harry in shock.

"And a kid too, your age he is. In his second year."

"Really! What's his name? I'll go talk to him when I go back to Hogwarts" he said.

Zazlo gave him a sad smile before answering. "He doesn't go to Hogwarts, master Harry" Upon seeing Harry stare at him in confusion, he elaborated further. "We can't afford it you see. He goes to Miss Wheeler's Institute of Wizards. It's only for boys"

Harry's face fell as he nodded his head. He didn't know why but he felt bad for Zazlo.

"But he doesn't mind, and neither do we. It's a good school. I mean it doesn't compete anywhere with Hogwarts of course but...keeps him out of trouble" He finished with a forced chuckle.

Harry smiled and nodded his head. "Maybe I can meet him someday, and your wife too" He added.

An ecstatic grin came over Zazlo's face and he clapped his hands in jubilance. "They would love that. How about when on your next break from school, you send me an owl so we can fix a date"

Harry wasn't sure if that was possible but he nodded his head since he feared that he would hurt Zazlo's feelings if he said 'no'. "I will"

"Great! Oh, I can't wait" Zazlo said happily.

"Well, I'll see you...later, I suppose. I'm really glad I got to meet you" Harry said, when Ron nudged him on the shoulder, silently telling him that they had to go.

"Later, master Harry. You just made a new friend." Zazlo bowed his head before turning around and leaving.

"Whoa! He's a character," said Ron, as they turned around and headed towards the bookstore. "How did you meet him?"

"I'll tell you later" said Harry, as he saw the line now a lot shorter than earlier.

"Besides mate, just want to let you know that you stink," said Ron.

They walked inside before Ron guided him towards where the rest of the family was.

"Ron, I think it's better if I stay here. I don't want everyone to start yelling that I have turned into a drunk"

"Oh, yeah. You're right. You wait here and I'll tell mum and dad that you're here so they're not worried" He said before leaving him.

Harry spotted Hermione standing next to her parents. She looked over her shoulder and caught his eye.

He gave her an apologetic smile but she glared at him and turned around. He let out a tired sigh and dropped his head to the floor. A few seconds later he saw another pair of shoes stop before him and looked up. It was Hermione. She still had a scowl on her face so he kept quiet and waited for her to say something.

But instead of talking, she once again took her wand out and pointed it at him. He heard her whisper something in her mouth and move her wand in a zigzag motion.

A beautiful smell washed all over him. He pulled his t-shirt up and took a sniff. The smell of the alcohol was gone, replaced with a sort of flowery smell.

He would've preferred something different but he didn't think he was in any position to request options. Especially after he looked at Hermione's face and saw that she still wasn't happy.

"I'm really disappointed in you, Harry" she said.

"Hermione, it wasn't my fault, I swear I didn't know" he desperately wanted her to believe him. He didn't know why but her approval meant a lot to him.

"Really?" She said, eyeing him warily.

"Really!" He emphasized.

She eyed him for a few seconds before giving a slight nod of her head. "I believe you"

A huge smile spread across his face as he felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. "Thank you" He said before adding. "I just wish your parents believed me too"

They both looked at her parents who were watching them intently. "I'll talk to them, but later" she said, turning back towards him.

"Thanks" He gave her a small smile.

They stood in silence for a while before Hermione whipped her head towards him. "Ron said that Professor Dumbledore came to see you at his house and then you were gone for the whole night"

Harry didn't answer straight away. "I'll tell you later" He said looking straight.

"He also said that they rescued you from your relatives house, and that they had to break your window because they had locked you-"

"I said later, Hermione" He looked at her and Hermione stopped talking. "Not now, not here"

They stared at each other for a few seconds before she nodded her head.

They stood in silence for a while before Harry asked. "Have you gotten your books, yet?"

"No. Still waiting" she replied.

"What's with all this crowd, anyway?" Harry asked, looking around. "It's like everyone decided today to buy their books"

"It's not that" Harry turned his head in her direction. "It's because of Gilderoy Lockheart. He's doing the signings for his latest book"

"Who?" he asked in confusion.

"Gilderoy Lockhart-"

"I got that. But who is he?"

"Only the most famous author in the wizarding world. His last 3 books have all been best-sellers and broken all the records for sales"

"You seem to know a lot about him" He arched an eyebrow and noticed as a small blush come over her cheeks.

"I have read some of his stuff" she said, avoiding his gaze.

"I'm not surprised" He quipped. "So, what does he write about?"

"His encounters against dark creatures and wizards" she said before a huge smile came over her face. "He's also been hired as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher" she said excitedly.

"Hmm...You seem really happy about it"

Her cheeks tinged pink again as she answered. "Well yes, he is highly regarded as one of the most bravest men. Not only is he a brilliant writer, even though some think that he is a bit pompous which I disagree with because he only talks about his adventures and I think they are just jealous that they are not as brave as him, but he's also invented spells to fight against dark wizards. Not to mention that he's also really-"

Harry watched as her face turned crimson red as she snapped her mouth shut and looked straight ahead. "Really what?"

She shook her head but didn't answer.

"Really what?" He nudged her shoulder but again she just shook her head.

Just then, everyone started clapping and cheering loudly. Harry craned his neck too see what the ruckus was about when Hermione grabbed his hand pulled him along and they made her way through the crowd.

She stopped when they reached the front of the line. Harry looked around and saw the Mrs. Weasley standing next to him, but she paid him no attention as he called her name.

She had a huge smile on her face and her eyes were locked straight ahead. Harry followed her gaze and frowned when he couldn't figure out what was making her or everyone around him so happy. Particularly the girls.

His eyes went wide when he heard Mrs Weasley release a deep sigh of, he didn't even want to think about what, but he finally figured out what or in this case who was evoking these feelings in her.

It was the man standing behind the table, a smug smile on his lips. He had golden hair, that matched the colour of his robes.

His gaze shifted to the book he was holding proudly in his hand. A name of the author was written in big bold white letters on the top. Gilderoy Lockhart. 'So, that's him'

He turned to ask Hermione what his latest book was about but stopped when he saw the expression on her face. He had never seen that look on her face before. Her eyes were dreamy, her cheeks were flushed, her head was tilted slightly, and she was staring at him as if he was the most precious thing she had ever seen.

A scowl came over his lips and he suddenly didn't care about Lockhart, or his stupid book. "You might want to close your mouth, Hermione, before you start drooling" he said coldly.

He watched her eyes go wide as she whipped her head towards him. Her mouth opened in a silent 'O' as she kept staring at him. Her cheeks turned crimson from embarrassment and no sound escaped her lips.

"I would close my mouth if I were you" he quipped, inwardly enjoying how uncomfortable he was making her.

She snapped her mouth shut and he couldn't stop himself and started laughing. Hermione's embarrassment gave away to anger as she narrowed her eyes before she pulled her fist back and punched him on the shoulder.

"Ow!"

"Not a word" she hissed, before stomping over to her parents.

He let out a small chuckle, shaking his head as he turned back around and locked eyes with Lockhart.

"Oh, my goodness, Harry Potter!" Harry blinked his eyes when a blinding flash went off on his face before he felt someone grab him by the shoulder and push him forward. He tried to clear his vision by rubbing his eyes when he felt an arm come around his shoulder.

"Put on your most charming smile, Harry" His eyes turned wide when he opened them and saw that none other than Gilderoy Lockhart had his arm around his shoulder as camera flashes went all over the room.

"So lucky all of you are, it's not every day you get to meet two celebrities in a single day, and that too together" He heard Lockhart say as people started clapping for no reason.

"Am I right, Harry?" He looked up at him and stared at him awkwardly, not knowing how he should response to that. "Of course, I am" chuckled Lockhart pompously before addressing the crowd. "I would like to announce that Harry will be getting all my collection for free, since he's such a big fan" Harry caught Ron's eye and they gave each other a look of 'is he serious?'

The next second a pack of books were being thrusted in his arms, and he almost dropped them because of the weight but somehow managed to hold on as Lockhart patted him on the back before pushing him away subtly as he took a seat on the chair beside him. Harry walked back to his spot as Mrs Weasley headed towards him.

"Give me those, Harry dear. I'll get them signed for you" He was only too happy to get rid of them, so he happily deposited them in her waiting arms.

Everyone started making lines as one by one they went up to Lockhart to get their copy signed.

Harry caught Ron's eye and motioned him towards the back of the room.

They were standing on the side of the street, next to the window of the bookstore.

"Oh, I thought it was something bad" paused Hermione, her eyes downcast before she looked up at him. "You know, it's not normal for the headmaster of the school to pay students visit during holidays" she finished softly.

"We just walked around and lost track of time. We had loads to talk about. But as I said, it was mainly about what happened at the end of last year"

"Did you tell him about the elf?" asked Ron from his other side.

"No, I didn't want to trouble him more. He already has a lot on his mind"

"What elf?" Hermione jumped in.

"Apparently some elf came to warn Harry that he shouldn't go back to Hogwarts because it's dangerous. Plus, he was the reason Harry didn't get our mails" Ron answered.

Hermione's eyes went wide as she turned them towards Harry. "Harry, why didn't you tell me!"

"There was no time" he said looking down. He didn't want to talk about Dobby now. He hadn't given a single thought about him after last night.

"But what does this mean?" she asked, her voice getting frantic with every word. "I mean, why would an elf warn you to not go back"

"I don't know" He shrugged his shoulders. "And frankly, I don't care" he said before walking away, leaving her stare at him with shock written all over her face.

He didn't know where he was going, but that didn't matter as he just wanted to get away from everyone for the moment. His eyes were downcast, and he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings.

"Oh!" He bumped into someone and stumbled backwards.

He looked up and was ready to apologize when he found himself staring at none other than Draco Malfoy. 'Great, this day just keeps getting better'

"Potter"

"Malfoy"

As has become accustomed between them, they were once again locked in a staring battle. And not one to break tradition, it was Malfoy, who once again, blinked first.

Harry was about to give him a smug smile when he found out the real reason behind his victory.

"Draco darling, what are you doing standing in the middle of the street?" came a woman's voice from behind Harry.

Harry turned around and saw a woman dressed smartly, standing with her hands folded at the front. She was wearing burgundy robes, that looked like they were taken right from the shop, the shine was impeccable. He had never seen something look so expensive, not something to wear certainly.

Her outlook was completed with a black hat with a white feather sticking out. He watched her gaze turn from Draco to him and a slight frown came over her lips as if she was trying to recognize him but was having trouble doing so.

He watched her eyes go wide for a second before she schooled her features to show no emotion. "C'mon sweety, your father's waiting at Florean for us"

Draco walked by him and joined his mother. He gave Harry a nod accompanied with his permanent sneer, which Harry was only too happy to reciprocate.

…...

They were walking silently as they avoided the oncoming crowd.

"Did you speak to him?"

He kept his gaze ahead as he shook his head. "No"

"Don't tell your father okay,"

He gave a slight nod of his head before saying "How did you know it was him? You've never seen him" He looked up at her when she didn't answer. "Mother?"

"His scar" she said in a tone that said they wouldn't talk about this any further, so he wisely shut up.

But he couldn't stop from thinking that his scar was covered by his unruly hair. 'Maybe when he turned around, she got a peek at it...but she didn't recognize him right away' he recalled the look on her face when she finally knew it was him. 'It was as if she had seen a ghost'

He took a quick glance at her; her face was stoic and he knew all too well from that look that he wasn't going to get any answers right now.

…...

"Do you have your toothbrush?"

"Yes"

"Pyjamas"

"Yes"

"All your school stuff"

"Yes"

"Undergarments"

"Mum!"

"Pads"

"MUM!"

"Okay, that's it. I'm not hearing any more of this," Ethan covered his ears as he walked away.

Hermione's face resembled that of a tomato as she stared in shock at her mother.

Harry and Ron faced the other way, their eyes wide as saucers. They even avoided looking at each other.

"Oh Hermione, stop acting like a baby. You shouldn't be embarrassed; you're turning into a woman now!" Evelyn chided her daughter. "I'm sure Harry and Ron understand this perfectly, don't you boys?"

They didn't dare turn their heads because they feared they might not be able to look at Hermione ever again. So instead, they nodded their heads.

After another couple of awkward minutes, during which both mother and daughter argued back and forth on what was appropriate to say in public, the fight was finally broken by Ethan.

"Alright, that's it! I can't believe you think that I need to think before opening my mouth. Look, you made my princess unhappy. Is that how you want her to leave, upset" He finished before crouching down to his daughter and pulling her in a hug.

"You just remember to have fun, honey. Forget the rest, okay"

Harry heard her dad say, followed by a harrumph from her mother. "Why are we still standing here?" said Ron from beside him.

Harry wondered that himself before saying "Yeah, let's go"

They walked over to stand in the middle of platforms 9 and 10 and looked around. He couldn't see any other Hogwarts student around. 'Guess everyone's already board the train'

They were late to arrive as Ginny had misplaced her beloved diary and took forever to find it. They were just about to walk through the barrier when he heard Hermione shout his name. He remembered feeling shocked to see her arrive after them. She was never late, to anything.

She said that they had a small accident with a flat tyre and by then the traffic had gotten really bad.

He watched with a small smile as Hermione and her mother made up and hugged each other before she bid her parents goodbye before they left. She walked over to them but avoided eye contact.

Ron cleared his throat. "So...let's go then, shall we" He finished awkwardly.

Harry and Hermione nodded their heads as they faced the barrier. Since he was ahead of them, Harry went first.

BANG! He bounced off the wall and landed on his back.

"Harry!"

"Ouch" He groaned in pain as he stood up with Hermione and Ron's help.

"You okay!" Hermione looked all over him to see if there were any bruises forming.

"Yeah, I'm okay" He said before glaring at the wall. "What was that all about?"

"I don't know mate" said Ron, before his eyes turned wide. "Maybe we're late"

"No, we still have time" said Hermione, checking the clock hanging on the wall. "Let me have a go this time"

She moved her trolley to face the wall when Harry stopped her. "No!" She turned to face him as he continued. "I don't want you to get hurt. I'm going to try again"

It looked like she wanted to argue but he stopped her. "It won't matter anyway. If I can't get in, neither can you and its better if only one of us is injured" He raised his eyebrows before she finally relented and stepped back.

"Okay" He said as he lined up his trolley once more.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes briefly before opening them. 'I got this'

He started moving and with each step gained momentum. He gave one final thrust as he was about to come in contact with the wall.

BANG!

A/N: As always guys, post your comments below and let me know your thoughts. I'll catch you on the flip side.