It had been more than five years since the day Anna Kent had met Harry Potter. It had been a while, but you don't just forget finding a bloody kid in your neighbor's bushes. She did still think about him occasionally, but usually only when mum or Aunt Cathy were relaying gossip. The current talk of the town was "the potter boy". She had overheard her mother and Aunt talking about him. Gone to a criminal school. Not surprising, given how his uncle treated him, Aunt Cathy has whispered. As far as they knew, Anna was reading in her room, not sneaking around to hear the latest gossip. That was why she snuck out. She did not want to hear them talk anymore. She did not want to hear about the boy she met only once being shipped away. It had taken her a while to figure out why talking about him bothered her. She knew why of course, looking back. She was too young to realize that Harry had been abused. She still felt guilty over not telling an adult, but she was only a child after all.

She turned the corner over to Magnolia Crescent. Icarus always warned her not to cross the border into Little Whinging, not even after Gus Gregory's gang left for uni. It impressed her that they even got into the universities that they did, but hey, the library always needed a new coat of paint or a new library. Now, Dudley Dursley's gang had taken over the streets. She had not bumped into them yet, and she didn't care to. But the park in Little Whinging was a good place for a break from her house.

It was stupidly warm that day. She had seen on the news that they were in the middle of a heat wave. Great. She pulled the hood of her top over her head. She hoped no one in Little Whinging would see her. She stuck out like a sore thumb in that neighborhood. Luckily, due to the weather, most of the residents had fled inside to escape the heat. She only passed one person on the way to the park, an elderly lady pushing a cart. She had smiled and waved, but that was it. She thought she might have seen someone else, but she could not be sure. She was almost at the park entrance when she stopped in her tracks. Five boys were walking out of the park. She quickly hid in the bushes.

"Nice left hook Big D" Piers Polkiss said

"You heard him squeal like a pig?" Gordon Gregory laughed

"Heh, yeah" Dudley Dursleys said

"Bet he's gonna watch his mouth now" Dennis Davis said

"Shit, I gotta go before my dad flips" Dudley Dursley said

"See ya tomorrow Big D" Malcom Murphy said

"You all can come around my place, my parents are gonna be out" Piers said. Anna watched the group say their goodbyes. Dudley and Gordon turned to go back towards Privet Drive, but Malcolm, Dennis, and Piers were heading up the road towards where she was hiding. If they saw her walking down the street, they would probably give her some shit. But if they saw her in the bushes, they would definitely give her more shit. Choosing the lesser of two evils, she got up and acted as though she was walking normally the entire time. She hoped they wouldn't bother her as much.

They were walking towards her now. They were going to see her, making some sort of confrontation unavoidable. She kept her head down. She tried to walk past them, but she managed to bump into one of them. Shit

"Hey, watch it," Piers said. Maybe she could just keep walking-

"Oí, you just bumped into my buddie here," Malcom said as he blocked her path.

"Sorry" she said, rolling her eyes. She tried to walk again, but Dennis and Piers reached for her. Piers managed to get hold of her wrist.

"You are gonna learn some respect" Piers said

"Uh huh." She mumbled, picking up his hand and dropping it.

"Bitch" Dennis growled. She fought another eye roll.

"Hot Bitch," Malcom leered

"Ain't she a little dark, don't you think?" Piers said. She narrowed her eyes "Yeah, definitely to dark and look at that hair" he spat as he glanced up at her braids

"To each their own, Piers" Malcom said. The fucking creep reached for her.

"Oí, Malcom, I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice in the distance said. All three of them turned to face the owner of the voice. Malcom immediately dropped his hands to his side. Anna turned to see who could cause them to act that way. Standing up the road was a thin boy, about their age. He was fairly tall, as though he had just hit a growth spurt. He has messy jet black hair that seemed to stick out at every which angle and bright green eyes. His eyes were covered by circular glasses that offset a jagged scar on his forehead.

"Look, Potter, I wasn't gonna do anything to her" Malcom said

"Isn't it a little late for you to be running around?" Potter asked coldly

"We were just leaving" Piers said, pulling Malcom back

"Yeah, we didn't want any trouble," Dennis said. He had gone pale and she could practically smell his fear

"Then I would run along if I were you" Potter glared through his glasses. The three boys pushed past her to get away. She guessed that they had heard the rumors. It was funny, the amount of power he had over them, given the way they had treated him in the past. But then again, he was in a school for criminals so maybe their fear of him was a little bit justified. She brushed some of the dirt off of her legs from her stint in the bushes.

"You ok?" He asked her

"I'm fine" she looked at him closely. There were still traces of the little boy she met in him. He had the same hair and thin features. But there was something undeniably different about his eyes. There was a darkness to them that sent a shiver down her spine. They were the eyes of someone who had seen undeniable evil. He was using those eyes to stare at her. She put her hands on her hips

"I'm not going to say thanks for saving me if that's what you're waiting for" he seemed to break out of a trance as she spoke

"I wasn't expecting you to"

"Then what's with the staring?"

"Sorry, I get lost in my own head sometimes," she huffed. She started walk back towards her house. He followed suit.

"You're Harry right?" She said

"Yep, that's me. And you're Anna from across the border" he said

"You remember me?" She asked

"Course, not everyday you get beat up and then actually get rescued," he shrugged. She crossed her arms over her chest. She glanced at a bruise on the side of his face "don't worry, this one's not from my Uncle" he flashed her a weak grin

"School?" She asked. His eyes darken, just as they had before when he had stared at her.

"Yeah, School,"

"I''m sorry, I didn't mean-" she blurted out

"Look, don't worry about it" he said

"Guess stuff like that happens when you go to a, well you know,"

"St. Brutus's center for criminal boys" he chuckled

"Yeah," she muttered

"Can I let you in on a little secret?" He asked

"Uh, sure"

"Saint Brutus's center doesn't exist," he said. She stopped in her tracks

"What?" She asked

"My Aunt and Uncle made it up" he said with a shrug

"Why?"

"They didn't want anyone to know that I got into a better school than their precious Dudley" he said

"So, where do you go?"

"Highland College, I'm starting my 5th year in the fall." He said. She saved that little piece of information away. That name sounded so familiar.

"You managed to get beat up there?" She asked. His whole face darkened

"Hard to win in a fight with a broken leg and slashed arm," he said. She turned pale

"I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's fine, you didn't know," he said. They turned the corner to her house.

"Thanks for walking with me" she said

"No problem, didn't want 'em to double back one they thought I was gone" he said

"My knight in shining armor." She said sarcastically

"At your service, m'lady," he said. She laughed.

"I'm guessing that they think going to a criminal school comes in handy sometimes?" She asked

"It has some perks," he grinned. "I've got to go before my Aunt and Uncle realize I'm gone. See you around" he said

"See yah" she waved from her front step. She stepped inside of the door. Her mother and Aunt Cathy were still inside. She slipped in. They hadn't even noticed she was gone.

It was less than a week later that she returned to Privet Drive. She wanted to check in with the boy she had now met twice. She kicked the stones as she walked. The summer heat had broken. It was replaced with deep humidity that seemed to make the sweat stick to her skin. She saw the stares as she made her way up the street. The inhabitants of Privet Drive had returned to their outdoor activities such as trimming their perfect hedges or washing their perfect cars. She fought the urge to cover her head with her hood as she walked. She made it to the number she was looking for. Number 4.

A woman was kneeling over the hydrangea bushes. She was rather bony with a very long neck. There was a large beefy man several feet away. Anna realized that it was Harry's uncle. He was leaning over his car, carefully washing it. The woman shifted as she approached. Anna stood awkwardly behind her for several moments before she turned around

"Can I help you?" The woman asked

"I was just looking for a boy who lived here?" She stammered

"Dudley?" The woman's brow creased.

"Ah, no, Harry," she said. It was though all the members of Privet drive turned to stare at her. The man several feet away turned ghastly white and then deep prunce. The woman froze for a moment. "Is he in?" She asked

"No he's not," the woman snapped.

"Oh, do you know when he will be in?" She asked

"We sent him back to St. Brutus's"

"Good riddance." The man grumbled

"Excuse me," the woman said. She hurried back into the house. Anna could still feel all of the eyes of Privet drive remained firmly on her. Between that and the way Harry's uncle were looking at her, she found very little reason to stay on Privet drive

The whispers around him continued. Gossip among the local mothers, whispers of the children and conversations between parents and children. Her parents had sat down with her in their sitting room to discuss it. She had bit her tongue as they explained how easy it was for children to fall into deviant behaviors. They had told her to make sure to stay away from that boy and Privet drive in general. Anna did stay away. She knew he would not be back, at least not until the summer. She did not bother going to Privet Drive to look for him. She tried again the next summer. She thought she saw him a few times through a window, but he almost never went outside. There were no walks where she could bump into him. She had almost given up. The next year was even worse. By the time August reached its end, the whispers grew louder again.

She had been sitting in Aunt Cathy's living room. Her and Icarus. Her mother and Aunt Cathy had been in the kitchen. She had been sitting in her favorite chair, curled up with a book, idly swinging her leg. She had not been listening, not really anyway. Well, she was good at making it look like she was focused on her book. Icarus was sitting on the sofa next to her, his books spread out. He was busy writing a paper on who knew what. It was her mother's words that caught her attention.

"Did you hear about the Dursleys?"

"What about them?"

"They just packed up and left! All of a sudden too"

"Maybe they finally got their karma for the way they treated that boy" Mum vigorously shook her head

"From what I heard, they left the boy there"

"Why on earth would they pack up and leave the boy behind?"

"I have no idea. I heard from Jenny, you know Jenny don't you? Anyway, she saw them all pile into the car and the boy was still there standing in the doorway. Said something about strange people coming 'round. She didn't see him leave either." Anna's ears perked up at this piece of news. She poked Icarus.

"Hey, Icky,"

"Studying" he said

"You want to go for a walk with me?"

"I just told you I'm studying"

"C'mon, you need a break"

"Not until I finish this paper"

"It's not due for another month"

"Better to get it done early rather than late"

"I'll tell mum you're being a stick in the mud"

"So that leaves me with the choice of going for a walk with you or having my mother force me to go on a walk with you?" Icarus asked

"Exactly" he grumbled as he put down the book he was skimming. Anna gave him a Cheshire Cat grin. "We're going for a walk mum" Anna called

"Alright dear, have fun" her mother called back. She pushed open the door to her house. Icarus was right behind her. They walked in silence until Icarus noticed the direction they were going.

"Wait a minute"

"What?"

"Why are we going to Little Whinging exactly?" He asked her

"Why not,"

"Because we've both been chased out of Little Whinging multiple times"

"I'm in the mood for a change of scenery"

"Cut the crap An,"

"There is no crap that I know of"

"Well?"

"Ok fine, I wanted to see if we could go find Harry Potter?"

"The boy from the criminal school? Why would you want to find him?" Icarus asked

"He didn't go to a criminal school"

"What are you going on about?"

"He told me himself. His aunt and uncle lied about where he was going because he got into a better school than his cousin" Icarus looked unconvinced

"And what school is he going to then?"

"He said it was called Highland College" Icarus's eyebrows shot up

"Highland College?" He asked

"You've heard of it?" Anna asked

"Course I have, some of the smartest people in my class went there"

"So it is a better school than Smeltings"

"Yeah," he paused

"What are you thinking about"

"Just the kids that go there. They're a little strange. Sounds like shit has gone down there. I've heard whispers. Kid got beat up pretty bad. Said something about a broken leg and a slashed arm" Anna's eared pricked up

"Doesn't every school have a story like that?"

"Not every school has a story like that where a kid died" Anna stopped in her track

"What?"

"The kid who got slashed was the lucky one. The other kid died"

"Did the first kid-"

"No, it didn't sound like it anyway. Sounds like there was a third party that did most of the damage. I didn't get the details" a pair of bright green eyes flashed through her mind, eyes with so much darkness in them. Eyes that made her shrink back

"That's it?" She asked, puffing out her chest. He shook his head

"No. I don't know what else, but those kids were different last year. Kennedy said they were worse than usual. They were always huddled into little groups whispering to each other. I never found out what they were talking about though."

"Sounds like a weird group of kids" she said

"You have no idea" Icarus shook his head. They rounded the corner to the magnolia crescent. They walked in silence from there. They saw the old playground as they passed. It was empty. Odd. It was usually full of local kids. Anna looked up to the sky. It was still light out and it was the middle of the summer. Yet the playground was still empty. Anna simply shook her head as they passed it. They passed the playground. Up ahead, she could see the sign for Privet drive. Number 4 was visible from the sign, but the closer they got, the worse she felt. No lights were on in the house. The hedges were beginning to overgrow. She glanced at Icarus. He just shrugged. That was when she saw them. She blinked rapidly. How had she not seen them before now? There had to be at least 4 or 5 of them. They were all in dark clothing and long coats. She noticed that under their long coats, their outfits seemed to be made of whatever was on top of their wardrobe. One was wearing a dark checkered shirt and dirty pinstripe pants. Another was wearing stripes and florals. When Icarus saw them, he put an arm around her shoulder. He tried to pull her away. She paused. They were all watching number 4 Privet Drive. They seemed to see her stop

"Hey," one of them said. Icarus tried to pull her away again

"Hey," Anna said. Icarus glared at her.

"You two locals?"

"We're from the town over actually" Icarus said. Anna glanced up at him.

"You know the people who live here?"

"Only in passing" Icarus said

"Weird that they just packed up and left don't you think? Any idea where they went?"

"Sorry man, we really don't know them. We couldn't tell you" He said. He quickly pulled Anna away.

In mid September, Icarus had called her from Uni. It had been odd that he would just call her specifically. Usually he would call her home and she would get some information from her mum. He almost never called her directly. But he had. He had asked her mother to put here on the line.

"Anna, are you there?" He asked. It sounded like he was gritting his teeth.

"I'm here" she said "what's up?"

"Remember those guys we saw at the Dursley house?"

"How could I forget?"

"They're at my school."

"What?"

"hanging around my advisor's office. I think they're looking for her. She's on sabbatical but it's almost like they're waiting to jump her or something. That's not all Anna, the kids from Highland, they're gone. It's so weird. And those guys are asking about them."

"Ok, besides being incredibly creepy, why are you telling me this?" She heard other voices on the other end of the line.

"Look, I have to go, just promise me, you won't go back over to that house and promise me you won't bring up Highland College. And whatever you do, do not bring up the fact that Harry goes there"

"Ok, I promise" the line went dead.

Anna kept her promise. She avoided Little Whinging, number 4 and any reference to Highland college. She listened to the gossip though. The men they had seen, the strange ones, were still there. There were rumors going around that they had actually bought the house. Anna had a hard time believing that. It was mid-May when she heard a much more important piece of gossip. The Dursleys were back in town. According to her mother, they had been on a year-long holiday. Anna had a hard time believing it. Thoughts of those strange men filled her head. That was why she had walked over to Privet Drive. Her hood was pulled over her head, but she was still getting considerable stares. Up ahead, only the son was outside.

"Hey," she called ahead. He turned to face her

"Uh hey, do I know you?" He asked

"Possibly, your goons chased me up the street once" that was not exactly what happened, but it was close enough. He grimaced

"Sorry about that"

"No problem, but your cousin got them to leave me alone. Now that you guys are back, I just wanted check in with him"

"Oh, he's not here" Anna raised an eyebrow "don't worry, he's totally safe just not here. I think he's in Devon or maybe London" his words came out in a rush. Anna was sure she missed some of it but one word stood out to her.

"Safe?" He grimaced again

"Look, just forget I said that"

"Why? Does this have something to do with the guys watching your house?"

"Just drop it"

"My neighbor saw them on his college campus. Who are they? What do they have to do with Highland College?"

"Dudley" his father's voice roared over the yard

"I have to go. I'm going to give you a piece of advice, people who are close to my cousin, they get hurt. People who go digging for information about my cousin get hurt. If you don't want anything to happen to you, then just stay away" he turned and ran into his house. Anna was left dumbstruck in the driveway, with no answers about the mysterious Harry Potter. Of course, she would get her answers, but that was a story for another day

Author's note: Anna and Icarus return in What Comes Next?