All Rights reserved for J.K. Rowling and Warner Media/Discovery. I do not own Harry Potter.

A special message. Rest in Peace, Robbie Coltrane, Thank you for all the memories and for bringing one of my favorite characters to life.

Chapter Six

Halloween

After a decade of performing chores and tasks for the Dursleys, Harry's first month at Hogwarts reminded him of how fast time can move when you're busy. The September days at the castle had been spent training, socializing with his fellow Guardians and peers, and attending classes. And while he had enjoyed the time on Hogwarts grounds, he was disheartened that none of the stares or gossip around him ended, though, after a few weeks, he had come to partially accept it.

A day after his first training season and visiting Gringotts, he was surprised to see Ginny had returned and brought with her a short, pale blond girl, with dreamy eyes.

Ron seemed to recognize the girl. "Ginny, why is Luna here?" he asked.

"Her dad is one of the instructors. If I'm allowed to come, it's only fair she can come as well," replied Ginny, happy her friend was here.

The Lovegood girl approached the group, walking right up to Harry with a broad smile. "I'm Luna Lovegood," she introduced herself. "Can I join your coven?"

This question completely caught Harry off guard. He stared at the girl, dumbfounded, while Ron hid a snigger and Ginny just looked right at her friend open-mouthed. Luna, for her part, looked oblivious to this attention.

"Ah," was all Harry could say.

"I can see I might have made you uncomfortable. Sorry, I was just curious," said Luna with a smile.

Luna ran off to her father, leaving a shocked group behind. "Is she always like that?" asked Harry, finally breaking the tension.

"Yes," answered Ron. "Though, usually she mentions some weird creature."

"Be nice, Ron!" snapped Ginny. "Luna is a good friend and nice, even if she can be too honest and open sometimes."

As time moved on, the training had begun to slightly intensify, although neither Moody nor Bill had forced Harry to do anything too extreme. The furthest they had pushed Harry was making him form a shield charm around a dummy while either Bill or Moody shot any number of hexes or curses on it. Harry was now able to create a five-inch shield charm.

Remus and Harry had even started to grow closer to each other, with Remus recalling stories of his father and mother's adventures at Hogwarts. However, he never went too much into detail, and there were times when Harry prodded further, and Remus would withdraw. It always seemed to center around someone named Sirius Black, who Remus would tense up at the mere mention of this person's name. Harry could not escape his curiosity about Sirius Black but decided not to push it.

As for his other Guardians, Ron and Neville had shown similar progress. Xenophilius and Flitwick had found that if Ron applied himself, he had a strategic mind. He had now been able to identify any number of potions and their ingredients. Neville, although it took some time, was able to perform some good, if not great feet of magic. Harry couldn't be prouder of his new friends. And yes, after some time, he did consider them friends. Along with Ginny.

The small redhead had accompanied Bill for most of the training, and always offered Harry, and sometimes Ron and Neville some form of encouragement or cheer. Harry found that for some inexplicable reason he was drawn to the young girl, unable to understand the feelings growing inside him due to his youth. Ginny, for her part, treated her meeting with Harry as the highlight of her day, and would always come home to her parents with pockets of stories to tell.

Even the odd, yet unique Luna had started to grow on him, even if half the time he didn't know what she was saying half the time. Draco Malfoy had yet to have a training session with them, and for the most part, he barely got along with the other Guardians. Dinners had gotten worse, worse to such an awkward point, that sometimes Harry would risk the stares and gossip of the Great Hall to avoid the arguments between Ron and Draco. Thankfully, after a few times, he wasn't swarmed by a crowd of people, especially young witches. Although, he did enjoy the company of Hermione Granger and Susan Bones.

Harry had ventured to the Common Room of Gryffindor and again was swamped by a smaller crowd. Ron and Neville had done the same for both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Common Rooms, and by their own accord, had faced the same, though they seemed to rather enjoy the attention.

It was on the first day of October that not only Harry, but Ron and Neville had ventured into the Great Hall for breakfast. At once, the trio was swarmed by a group of students who ushered them to the front of each of the house tables. Harry sat awkwardly in front of the Gryffindor table, Neville stiffly sat in front of the Hufflepuff table, and Ron sat proudly in front of the Ravenclaw table.

In a surprising move, Susan Bones walked away from her house table and sat next to Harry, earning a glare from other female Gryffindors.

"Hey, Sue," greeted Harry.

"Hey, Har," she replied. "You were actually able to convince the two other Guardians to come down."

"Yea," said Harry, looking over at Ron listening to Hermione talk and Neville talking to a third-year boy he knew was named Cedric.

"Any word on the Slytherin Guardian making an appearance?" Susan asked.

"No. To be honest, we're not exactly the closest friends," replied Harry.

"Not surprising. Gryffindors and Slytherins hate each other on principle. Although, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw have their own problems with the House of the Snake," she said, taking a bite from her eggs.

Glancing at the Slytherin table, he saw Pansy Parkinson, with her usual group of Millicent and Daphne, looking quite upset and disappointed. However, she did take time to give Harry, Ron, and Neville a glare, like Draco's absence was somehow their fault.

"I guessed that, seeing as Fred and George have nothing nice to say about the Slytherin. Do you know how long it's gone on?" asked Harry.

"I once asked my aunt. She told me even when she was in school the two houses were at each other's throats," she said. "But then again, considering who Draco's dad is, its no wonder he thinks he's better than everyone."

"Yeah, I remember his dad," said Harry.

Susan stopped eating and looked right at Harry, surprised. "You meet Lucius Malfoy?"

"Yeah, remember that dinner I went to with the teachers and Minister, the one your aunt went to. He was there."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot. I know my aunt never quite liked his closeness to the Minister," replied Susan.

"Ron's dad didn't seem all that keen to Lucius either," said Harry.

"My aunt says Lucius has a special dislike towards the Weasleys. Not just for being blood-traitors, but for being poor," said Susan.

"Blood-traitors?" inquired Harry.

"Right, you were raised by muggles. Well, you know all that blood supremacy nonsense. Well a blood-traitor is a witch or wizard who are pure-bloods but are either close or have some positive view towards muggles or muggle-borns," explained Susan. "I guess I'm a blood-traitor, since I'm friends with a muggle-born."

"Every time I think I'm liking the Wizarding World, I learn something bad about it," said Harry grimly.

Susan then did something surprising. She took Harry's hand, squeezed it, and looked at him reassuringly. "It's not all bad, just bad wizards," she said.

"Thanks," said Harry.

"How's training by the way?" asked Susan, letting go of his hand.

"Great, I learned how to do a shield charm," replied Harry proudly.

"WHAT!" nearly shouted Dean Thomas.

This caught both Harry and Susan off guard, as they turned to a group of first year Gryffindors staring at Harry impressed.

"Harry," said Susan, looking at him like he had sprouted another head. "That's a spell only upper years can learn. Why would they teach it to you?"

Harry just shrugged. "They want me and the others to be prepared."

Harry was then hit with multiple questions. Over at the Ravenclaw table, Ron was facing similar questionnaires from a very enthusiastic Hermione, as he ate his breakfast with Scabbers in his lap. If there was one thing Hermione Granger loved, that would be learning. And Ron was currently a treasure trove of knowledge, whether he thought so or not.

"It must be really exciting, learning spells no one else in school are learning," said Hermione.

"It actually is," said Ron abashed.

"Besides the Shield Charm, have you learned anything else?" asked Hermione.

"Well, my instructors have considered other spells, but mostly it's been identifying potions. It's pretty boring sometimes," said Ron.

"I disagree. I would love nothing more than to guess potions," said Hermione.

"I must agree with our bookworm," said Sue Li. "It seems that when you're a Guardian, learning is all the more fun."

"Yes," said Hermione. "Being able to do more complex and advanced spells. Exciting really."

Ron worked to hide his blush at this declaration, but not his pride. He had to admit, he was loving his role as Guardian. It seemed he was finally stacking up to his brothers after all these years.

At that moment, Scabbers started to squirm in Ron's lap, causing Ron to grab the rat, trying to soothe him.

"What's wrong?" asked Ron to the rat.

"Maybe something upset him?" said Hermione.

Scabbers only calmed down after Professor Quirrell rushed outside the door. No one was outside the Great Hall, so no one saw the distressed Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher panting and clutching his head. What could have caused my master to be this angry, he thought.

"Because" a voice in Quirrell's head said, "he is alive and living in secret!"

HP

That night, when the castle was all but asleep, a dark figure moved through the ancient stones and corridors. To any observer, it appeared like nothing more but the clumsy Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher patrolling the halls. Yet anyone who looked upon his blank and darkening eyes and or saw his stiff movement would see this was a far cry from the facade Quirrell put on.

He determinedly moved through these halls, till he reached his destination. The Suites of the Guardians. Stopping right in front of the Ravenclaw suite.

Then, his eyes grew white, his moving stopped, and a new more powerful took over. Focusing all his magical and mental energy, the being in the back of Quirrell's head scanned through the suite until he found his target. Sleeping lazily in a cage on the side of a table, the being sent a mental message solely for the rat. This caused Scabbers to wake in a frantic panic, not waking his master though.

"I know it's you, Wormtail. I see you've found a new master, hiding behind a child to escape punishment. Punishment from me, from your friends, or from Dumbledore. It does not matter. Come to Quirrell's Office at midnight. Refuse, and I will have Quirrell kill you," the voice inside Scabber's head said.

The rat stood in its cage, panting and looking older than ever before, for a whole ten minutes, before knowing what needed to be done. Opening the cage door with his claws, the rat scurried out of the cage and snuck under the door. Moving faster, the rat kept to the shadows, his destination the only thing on his mind. Oblivious and uncaring of anything else around him.

Finally, the rat was there, standing in front of the door to Quirrell's Office. "Enter," the rat heard Quirrell say from behind the door.

The rat snuck under the door. The Office would usually be adorned with moving portraits, but Quirrell had removed them. Now the walls were covered with pictures of werewolves and vampires, with his desk sitting in the center.

At the edge of the desk was Quirrell, looking stern and imposing. A contrast to the nervous and worried-looking professor of the daytime. The rat stood up on a chair, staring confusingly at the professor.

"I'll show you his true form if you show me yours. I know who you really are," said Professor Quirrell threateningly.

The rat hesitated, but after a moment, it began to change. Gone was the fat rodent, and in its place was a short, sickly-looking man. A man who appeared to have lost a great deal of weight and a great deal of hair. With watery eyes, a rat-like face, grubby skin, and ragged clothes. This was Peter Pettigrew, known by a few as Wormtail.

Professor Quirrell turned away from the man until Peter was facing the back of his head. Slowly he began to remove his turban, Peter finding his heart beating faster as it was removed. Finally, when the turban was gone and Peter saw the face of the man who haunted his nightmares for years, Lord Voldemort. The man sank to his knees, bowing in shame.

"Master," he squeaked. "You're alive."

"Of course I am alive. Did I not mention the steps I took to secure my immortality," said Lord Voldemort coldly.

"We thought…we thought you were dead," muttered Peter.

"Only half dead. But I am planning on reclaiming my body soon," said Voldemort, taking pleasure in Wormtail's discomfort at this declaration. "Oh yes, I can come back, and I will. And you're going to help me."

"Even in this weakened state, I still have the powers you could never imagine. The power to end your life right where you stand, which I ought to, after you abandoned me. But Lord Voldemort is forgiving. You will assist me on my quest," commanded Lord Voldemort. "As well as give me any needed information on our Guardians."

And just like that, Peter Pettigrew's carefree life as a rat was over. When he left, Quirrell stared puzzle at the door.

"Do you trust him, my lord?" asked Quirrell.

"I never trusted Wormtail, nor do I care for him. But, he can be useful, for a time," replied the Dark Lord.

HP

On a crisp day in late October, Lucius Malfoy was sitting in his backyard, observing the peacocks on his lawn. As he was enjoying his leisure, a House Elf, Giddy, approached.

"My lord, you have a guest. Miss. Parkinson," said Giddy.

A wicked smile crept on Lucius' face. "Perfect," he said.

In the foyer, sat Sentisra Parkinson, looking quite full of herself and quite smug. This was a good sign, Lucius knew, this meant that she found something. Without even hesitating, she conjured up a letter.

"This will have all the information you seek," she said, handing him the letter.

"Then our work here is done," said Lucius.

With a proud smile, Sentisra exited the Manor via Floo. Opening the letter, Lucius' smile widened at what he saw, written in bold letters.

Vernon Dursley,

Number 4 Privet Drive

Little Whinging

Surrey, England

Employed by Grunnings Drills

Petunia Dursley, nee Evans

Number 4 Privet Drive

Little Whinging

Surrey, England

Housewife

He'd found it. He found his way to Potter. Now, all he needed was to pay a visit.

HP

It was Halloween, and Harry didn't know what to make of the day. Life at the Dursleys had taught me never to look forward to any sort of holiday, as the Dursleys went out of their way to make Dudley feel special and Harry feels unwanted. However, while the Dursleys were out of his life for good, this holiday brought new baggage for Harry, for he had recently learned that this was the day his parents died.

This was the day his life had changed forever, this was the day he lost his parents, yet he could not feel too down though. The Dursleys had never confided in him when his parents died, and they were strict with what questions Harry could ask. Inside of depression, this day seemed to bring him a sense of longing. A realization of how little he truly knew of his parents.

He hoped Remus could assist him, but Remus was strangely absent today. Harry suspected he too was upset on that day.

After training, Harry, Ron, and Neville decided to attend the charms class with Slytherin and Ravenclaw. The three Guardians were asked by Professor Flitwick to assist in the class, which they did proudly. While the Ravenclaws, especially Hermione, were pleased, the Slytherins looked positively murderous and rebuffed any of their help. Harry and Ron especially remembered the dirty looks Theodore Nott was giving them.

Today, they were learning how to do a levitation charm by lifting feathers.

"I'm having a little bit of trouble, could you help, Hermione? You too Ron?" asked Sue Li.

"Of course," replied Hermione.

"I don't know if I can be of much help, never was great in charms," said Ron.

"Nonsense. Professor Flitwick can't stop praising you," said Padma, causing Ron to look surprised.

"Now, I think your issue is that you put too much emphasis on the Leviosa. It's Wingardium Leviosa, not Leviosaaa. Like this," Hermione then flicked her wand and repeated the charm. "Wingardium Leviosa."

The feather floated up to the sky, causing Professor Flitwick to beam at Hermione. "Excellent work, Mrs. Granger. 10 points to Ravenclaw. Everyone, please take note of Hermione's work," said the small charms professor.

This caused several Slytherins to glare at Hermione, while the Ravenclaws and the Guardians looked proud and impressed. After Class, Hermione was walking out, when she overheard something.

"Look, that Granger girl is at it again," snapped a Slytherin boy whispering.

"Yeah, why is she even allowed in this school? Can't believe the Guardian of Ravenclaw prefers her company," another said.

"The Weasleys have always been blood traitors. So, of course, he would prefer the presence of a mudblood," laughed Theodore Nott. "No wonder she hasn't got any friends."

Hermione couldn't take it. Those words stung more than anything, cutting deep into her insecurities. She thought she had gotten some thicker skin, but the tears now freely fell down her face. She ran off in tears, followed by Sue and Padma, who made sure to give the Slytherin boys the nastiest looks.

"She has friends, by the way," snapped Sue. "Hermione!"

"Wait!" said Padma.

HP

Hermione was still in the bathroom during dinner in the Great Hall. Harry, Ron, and Neville had decided to join the celebration and were sitting at the Gryffindor table, with Ron arguing with his brothers.

"No, you can't stay with me," said Ron to the twins.

"Come on, Ronnikins," said Fred.

"Just for a night," said George.

"You okay, Harry?" asked Neville, noticing Harry looking at the Ravenclaw table in the distance.

"Hermione is still upset," said Harry. "She's been in the bathroom with Sue Li and Padma for most of the night."

"I'm sure her two friends will help her. Let's just try and relax…." just as Ron was about to finish his sentence, the doors to the Great Hall burst open, and in ran a frantic Professor Quirrell.

"TROLL! IN THE DUNGEONS!" she screamed. "Thought you ought to know," he said before fainting.

At once, the Great Hall erupted in chaos, a chaos that was quickly stopped by the loud voice of Professor Dumbledore.

"SILENCE!" screamed the old headmaster. "Prefects, lead your House back to the dormitories immediately."

Like a military drill, all the students began to line up. Just as Ron and Neville were getting up, Harry stopped them, a worried look on their faces.

"Hermione!" he said. "Come! There's no time."

Without thinking, Harry, Ron, and Neville ran out of the Great Hall, moving through the corridors. Ron and Neville seemed to realize what Harry meant and were both moving quickly to the girl's bathroom. To their surprise, they just so happened to come across a nervous-looking Draco.

"What are you three doing here!" Draco snapped. Don't you know there's a troll loose in the castle!"

"We know! But there are a few students not accounted for. We're going to get them!" said Ron impatiently.

"Are you crazy!" snapped back Draco.

"We're wasting time. Either help us or stay out of our way," said Harry moving past Draco.

This seemed to annoy the young Malfoy, as he was now following the three other Guardians to the bathroom. Down the hall, they stopped when they saw the silhouette of a massive, lumbering creature. An ugly thing really, with bark-like legs and a tiny head. To the Guardian's horror, it was going right into the girl's bathroom.

Inside, Sue and Padma had stopped trying to reassure their friend and had decided to just be there for her. When Hermione finally decided to come out.

"Feeling better?" asked Sue.

"A little, I just can't believe those boys would…." it was at that moment a large creature came right in.

At the sight of the great beast, the girls froze in fright. The moment the troll began to advance, each girl gave out a loud and terrifying scream that echoed. Without hesitation, the troll raised its club to mindlessly strike down the girls. Tears began to flow down their cheeks as the club's shadow was above them.

"Protego!" yelled someone at the door, and an invisible shield protected the girls.

The shield charm Harry had conjured was so strong, it caused the troll to lose its balance and stumble backward, thankfully giving the girls time to run away from the creature, standing behind the Guardians.

This course of action only angered the troll. As the creature got up, he looked furiously at the Guardians and roared, sounding like a mix of a bear and an elephant. With a fierce grunt, the troll looked to be preparing to run at the group.

Draco appeared to sense this and pointed his wand at the beast. "Diffindo," Draco cried out.

The Severing Charm cut through the troll's legs, but the creature had such thick skin that this seemed to only anger the beast. Raising its club once more, Ron's Ravenclaw mind kicked in and he raised his wand and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

Just as the troll was about to strike, its club was floating above it. It stared dumbly at the club, before Ron allowed it to fall, hitting the creature in the head. The sound of the troll's skull cracking echoed through the bathroom, and when the Guardians looked, they saw the club, bloody on the ground, grayish blood rushing out of the troll's head, nose, and mouth, and a large dent in the creature's head.

The troll fell to the ground with a thud, blood forming a puddle around it, clearly dead. For a long moment, the Guardians stared at the creature, their minds trying to comprehend how this all happened. Ron's mind was especially shocked that he had just killed this thing.

The girls were gone. In all the commotion, they had exited the bathroom, either to escape or fetch the teachers. The latter was made obvious when Hermione, Sue, and Padma lead McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, and Quirrell into the bathroom. All the teachers gasped when they saw the dead troll lying on the bathroom floor.

"Explain, all of you." commanded McGonagall.

Before any of the Guardians could speak, Hermione interrupted them. "It's my fault, professor," she said.

"No, it's not. Hermione, me, and Sue were in the bathroom at the time. We missed the message, but thankfully, the Guardians were able to defend us," said Padma.

Professor McGonagall stared at the four boys, shocked, but for the tiniest of moments, Harry could have sworn he saw a smile on her face. McGonagall then quickly regained her composure.

"Well, it seems the training is doing wonders. Not many first years can take on a fully grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale, let alone kill it. 10 points will be given to each of the Guardians houses for sheer dumb luck," said McGonagall. "I shall inform Professor Dumbledore of these night's activities. Now, off to bed, all of you."

They walked through the corridors in silence, still in shock from what just happened. The silence was broken when Hermione wrapped both Ron and Harry in a big hug. Neville and Draco were surprised by this development, especially a second when Padma hugged Neville and Sue hugged Draco. All four of them reacted awkwardly to this.

"Thanks," Hermione said.

After that, Hermione was their friend.

HP

The next day, not only Harry, but Ron, Neville, and Draco found all eyes were on them. The story of their battle with the troll had spread throughout the school, and the four had gained hero status among their peers. A number of their fellow students had gone up to them to congratulate them. Susan Bones even hugged Harry when she learned about the incident.

Surprisingly enough, Hermione, Sue Li, and Padma also gained some attention, as Harry and Ron found them recalling the story of their rescue. To Harry's annoyance and Ron's ego, the girls made the four boys seem like knights. Although, Hermione did have the decency to tell her story with Ron and Harry as people.

Word even reached their trainers. Ginny and Luna ran to Harry, squeezing him in a massive hug.

"I know you were a hero," said Luna.

"I'm glad you're okay," said Ginny. "You too, Ron."

"Yeah," said Bill. "Mum's having a fit, but dad thinks it's great."

"Mum and dad know," said a scared Ron.

"Yeah, don't worry, Dumbledore ensured they were all taken care of," replied Bill.

Just then, something odd happened. Draco came in with Snape, and an older, and larger man with a walrus mustache and green robes. Harry, Ron, and Neville all assumed this was Horace Slughorn.

"You must be the three other guardians," beamed Horace, looking like he's been dying to meet them. "Horace Slughorn."

"Harry Potter."

"Ron Weasley."

"Neville Longbottom," all three of them introduced themselves.

"I know. I have been dying to meet you all, but only now did young Draco finally agree to train with his fellow Guardians," said Horace.

Harry, Ron, and Neville turned to Draco, who shrugged at their eyes.

"Is that true, Draco?" asked Harry.

"Yes, well it seems you've all been learning certain spells that interest me," he replied.

This answer pleased the other three, and soon, this became the norm of Draco's training with them.

Well, there is the troll incident. I hope I changed it enough to enjoy it. There is a reason I killed off the troll, I wanted to show the Guardians are getting stronger. Also, it never really made any sense to me why Hermione took the blame. Would have been easy to just say she was in the bathroom.

Truth time. As a longtime reader of fanfiction, I used to always wonder what the fandom's obsession with Daphne Greengrass and Theodore Nott was, they were very obscure characters in the canon. Now I see, they can be molded into whatever the writer needs them to be. Here, Nott will take the role that Draco had in the canon as the primary bully and rival to the Guardians. Warning to all Nott fans, he will be a villain. Not a redeemable one.

I wanted to show the passage of time, as I feel that is a very important part of the original novels. I remember due to the constant study Harry had; time moved quicker.

I always wondered if it was possible that Voldemort could sense Wormtail in his Scabbers form during Harry and Ron's first year. I have plans for Wormtail, so the scene between him and Voldemort has a reason.

Yes, Remus and Sirius are gay, and I stand by this. I have a friend who is gay and asked me to make them gay since he was going through a rough time. I stand by my choice and will not change it.

Now for something fun. Here are who I think would play these characters in a film or TV show of this story.

Young David Mazouz as Harry Potter

Young Asher Angel as Ron Weasley

Young Ty Simpkins as Neville Longbottom

Young Kenton Duty as Draco Malfoy

Young Amandla Steinberg as Hermione Granger

Young Sadie Sink as Ginny Weasley

Young Elle Fanning as Luna Lovegood

Young Jenna Ortega as Pansy Parkinson

Young Millie Bobby Brown as Susan Bones

Tuppence Middleton as Tonks

Gary Oldman as Albus Dumbledore

Daniel Radcliffe as Sirius Black

Emma Thompson as Minerva McGonagall

David Harbour as Rubeus Hagrid

Andrew Garfield as Remus Lupin

Adam Driver as Severus Snape

Dane DeHaan as Peter Pettigrew

Harry Lloyd as Lucius Malfoy

Amy Adams as Molly Weasley

Martin Freeman as Arthur Weasley

Zendaya as Fleur Delacour

Rachel McAdams as Narcissa Malfoy

Matt Smith as Lord Voldemort

Katie McGrath as Bellatrix Lestrange

Stephen Fry as Cornelius Fudge

Ruth Wilson as Dolores Umbridge

Kate McKinnion as Sybill Trelawney

I stand by all these choices, and if you are curious, I also imagine the art by Upthehillart, Loquacious Literature, and Vladislav Pantic as good examples of how I see the characters. I know some of them are not British, but I stand by them. I know some of the ages don't match, but I think the younger versions of some of these actors fit. I encourage the commenters and readers to think of their own fan casts

Again, please feel free to comment and suggest.

Next chapter, expect Quidditch.