AN I'm still waiting for those cookies. *taps foot impatiently* Just kidding. Anyway, get ready, a clip from Harry and Heero's past together is coming your way! If confused, please let me know so that I can post something to help you understand. *insanely large smile* Also, congratulations to those who correctly guessed the anime last chapter, it *was* Yu Yu Hakusho! Yay!!
And now the fic.
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Chapter 7
Trowa stared with doubtful eyes at the solid stone column in front of him. They were currently standing in Kings Cross station right outside what Harry and Draco told them was Platform Nine and Three Quarters. He was supposed to walk through that?
Harry smiled at the group of skeptical boys. "^It's just a portal to sidetrack the Muggles,^" he explained. "^If it helps you, close your eyes and then go.^"
Draco smiled and checked his watch. "I'll go first and show you it's safe," he said lightly. "However, I've got to go meet up with the rest of the Prefects," the blond continued, taking a hold of his trolly. "But I'll come meet with you on the train later on." And with that, he disappeared through the barrier.
Four mouths dropped open.
"Me next!" Duo cried, taking a hold of his own trolly. He took a deep breath and proceeded to walk through seemingly solid wall. The others were quick to follow.
===
"My Lord, we have found the records you wanted," a short balding man trotted into the room occupied by his master. "It was in one of the sub divisions of the Ministry, but I managed to snatch it and make copies of every page." He stopped his forward motion and dropped to his knees, head down, pushing a small folder towards the chair his master was sitting in.
"Very good," a hissing voice answered. "Are you sure this is the correct information Wormtail? And all of it?"
"Of course, My Lord," the small man said, carefully keeping his watery blue eyes trained on the floor.
"Hm," the voice said, flicking his wand at the folder and summoning the information to his hands. With a barely audible rustle he opened the file and smirked. "Indeed, you have served me well, Wormtail. This is the very information I asked for."
"Thank you, my lord," Wormtail groveled, bowing lower then before, the baldspot on the back of his head now coming into view.
Lord Voldemort chuckled darkly, still skimming the folder. Family lines, power levels, personal history. Yes, Harry Potter's whole life now rested in his hands. All he had to do was make the connection he had with the wretched boy more useful. And, of course, figure out why the last time he had taken advantage of it, he had met a split in the thread of magic.
In Voldemort's eyes, everything was being put into place. He viewed this war like a chess game. On one side of the board he controlled all his pawns and minions, and on the other Dumbledore did the same. Yes, to him this was all a simple game, and the prize was something he greatly anticipated.
Ultimate power and control of the magical community. And maybe the Muggles as well. However, there was one problem in the game. One little pawn seemed to have a mind of its own, a raid of the castle last March had told him that. One pawn, managing to lead a group of similarly unimportant pawns to drive his minions out of the castle.
But, it was just a part of the game.
These files however, they were very curious. At the start of his life, Harry Potter had an unusually abundant supply of magic. Most newly born children only having a small supply that grew as they did. Potter's supply did seem to increase in the year he spent with his parents. The night that Voldemort attempted to kill him seemed to have triggered something that caused the magic inside the child to grow alarmingly fast over the next four and a half years. At age five and a half, exactly one half of Harry Potter's magic disappeared. However, as the child continued to grow, so did his magic until at age eleven his power level was back to where it was at his birth. A few months before his twelfth birthday, as he faced off with Voldemort, the power expanded again, as it did during his second, forth, fifth and sixth year at Hogwarts. Now with power level that rivaled both Voldemort's and Dumbledore's combined, Harry Potter posed as a serious threat.
A serious threat that didn't know his own capabilities, which was a serious advantage Lord Voldemort planned to exploit.
===
Hermione and Ron didn't appear at all on the ride to Hogwarts. In fact, the only reason Harry had a chance to speak with them is because by the time Harry, Heero and the other's got to the carriages, there were only two left. Ron and Hermione were sitting in one, and the other was empty.
"^Why don't you four ride with Draco,^" Harry suggested, turning towards his friends. "^Heero and I will ride with Ron and Hermione.^"
In other words, he didn't trust his friends with Ron any further then he could throw Wing Zero. Tormenting him at lunch a month ago had been bad enough, but by the time Draco had appeared at the end of their meal, the poor red-head seemed to have a phobia of the five boys. Though that would probably be because after missing Wufei with his scythe, Duo had pulled out his gun and nearly hit Ron with a bullet, Wufei having dived out of the way seconds before. The other boys hadn't even reacted to the near miss.
And he didn't even manage to hit Wufei.
Duo grinned knowingly and hopped into the carriage next to Draco. The other's turned from where they were petting the bony, hairy thestrals and followed him into the carriage. Harry and Heero climbed in next to Ron and Hermione.
"Hi guys," Harry grinned, warmly greeting his two best friends. He plopped down next to Heero. "Mione, this is Heero Yuy, he's a transfer student this year." He turned to his double, just for the sake of appearances. "Hermione Granger."
Heero nodded to her with a "hn". It was obvious to Harry that he was uncomfortable being reintroduced to two of the people he had spent the last six years getting to know.
Hermione didn't answer Harry, she just shared a nervous glance with Ron and proceeded to stare down at her hands.
"What?" Harry demanded. "Why are you acting like we aren't best friends?"
Hermione gave a nervous laugh. "It's nothing," she said softly. "Just more rumors from the Daily Prophet."
=What rumors?= Heero asked, sending a look over at Harry. The other boy shrugged.
=No idea.=
The question must have been written on their faces because Ron suddenly spoke up, carefully avoiding eye contact.
"You know," he said casually, "the ones about you in Diagon Alley a few months ago. They're saying you summoned dark spirits from another dimension to help You-Know-Who in the war. That the strain from the summoning left you unconscious. And that you've been hiding them at Malfoy's all summer."
Harry let out a choked laugh, though Heero did not.
"That was the night I went to meet Heero and them," he laughed. "They forgot about the time difference and arrived at midnight instead of noon like they had planned. And I was unconscious because Heero accidently fell on me and knocked me out." He spun the tale with great ease, mixing truth and lies to make a story sound more believable, something he had learned at the Dursley's.
Hermione looked relieved, "I didn't think the rumors were true," she said, now smiling warmly at Harry and moving to embrace him. "But Ron said that he met him and the other's over the summer and-"
"And that you're all great people," Ron cut her off, with a forced laugh.
Harry laughed. "I'm sorry about that. But Duo insisted we have outside picnic with Japanese food. If I knew they were going to torment you I would have asked the house elves for a pizza instead."
"House elves?" Hermione asked, a dark look appearing on her face. "Malfoy has house elves?" Her left eye started to twitch.
The three boys wisely stayed quiet. But luckily, the carriage stopped at that moment and they all climbed out.
"^Hee-chan, Harry-kun!^" Duo yelled, waving his arms from the top of the steps. "^Hurry up!^"
"Look at them!" Hermione hissed, "they're not even in their uniforms yet! Even if they are transfer students, they received letters with uniform instructions. And they're seventh years, they should know the rules!" She marched up to the pilots and began her seventh year at Hogwarts by lecturing the new students. They responded by staring at her as though not understanding a word she said.
Quatre suddenly snapped his fingers and reached into a pocket. He pulled out his translator/ring and slipped it onto his finger. "Sorry," he smiled winningly at her. "What were you saying?"
"Now, now miss Granger," a stern, no-nonsense voice said from inside the hall. "At least let them inside the castle before lecturing them."
A pink tinge appeared on Hermione's cheeks. "Sorry Professor McGonagall," she said softly. The group headed into the castle. Professor McGonagall stopped the five pilots and led them across the hall while the wonder trio continued on their way into the Great Hall to watch the sorting.
"My name is Professor McGonagall," she said, looking at them sternly. "I am the deputy headmistress at this school. Headmaster Dumbledore informed me that you would not be sorted this year, as we do not have the space to place you in one of the house dormitories. You three," she nodded to Quatre, Wufei and Trowa, "will be attending classes with the Gryffindor's. And you," she nodded and Duo and Heero, "will attend them with the Slytherins. You will all stay in a private dorm. The Headmaster also mentioned that you would be permitted to wear your old school uniforms..." She peered over her square spectacles to see what those 'uniforms' might be.
Heero, Quatre and Trowa were all wearing Hogwarts robes, though under Heero's was his usual black spandex and green tank-top were underneath. Under Trowa's was his wash worn blue jeans and dark blue turtle-neck sweatshirt, and Quatre was clad in his usual tan slacks and pinkish shirt and vest.
McGonagall's eyes moved on to Duo who was clad in black. His shoes, pants, shirt and even a hat poking out of one of his pockets was black. The only color on him that wasn't black was the white in the turn-ups of his sleeves and the white collar around his neck. McGonagall's eyes paused a moment to take in his and Heero's matching earrings, and the braid that fell midway down Duo's thighs. Wufei seemed to be dressed in opposite to Duo, clad in white silk from hand to foot. Though, a button or two of his white over coat were undone and a dark blue shirt was peeking through and matching blue wrist bands were peeking out from under his sleeves. In response to Duo's white, Wufei wore black shoes and a black kitten was perched on his shoulder.
"When the double doors open, proceed into the hall, to the front of the room and wait for the Headmaster to introduce you." McGonagall said, deciding their uniforms would have to do. "After the feast a professor will lead you to your dormitories."
She blinked at them, waiting for the usual complaints she would receive from any other teenager. The five boys just nodded their heads and watched as she turned and led a crowd of small, terrified looking first years into the hall for their sorting.
"So," Duo said cheerfully when the last of them had disappeared. "Shall we enter with a bang?"
===
Duo grinned widely as the doors to the Great Hall opened so that the five pilots could enter the room. The boys, as planned, went into stealth mode, flitting in without being seen and appearing at the front of the room seconds later. Rather, Duo and Quatre did, while the other three walked calmly into the room and towards the teachers table at the front. Loud gasps were heard when the American and Arabian youth appeared next to the others, which caused Duo and Quatre to share secret smiles of enjoyment.
"These are our new exchange students," Dumbledore announced to the room, obviously amused at their choice of entrance. "Boys, would you care to introduce yourselves?"
Knowing that his friends would never put themselves forward like he did, Duo stepped forward first. By the looks he was receiving he knew all too well that he looked like a girl with his long rope of hair and large violet eyes. "I'm Duo Maxwell."
Some people tittered at his voice, contrasting greatly with his appearance.
Quatre moved next, taking his hint from Duo. "Quatre Rebarba Winner."
"Trowa Barton."
"Chang, Wufei."
Heero remained silent, gazing at the students staring at him unashamedly. He knew these people, each and every one of them. It was going to be hard, not calling out a name or laughing at a teacher, like he would as Harry. He then caught Harry's eyes, his double was smiling at him, trying to keep his laughter hidden, and that cracked his shell enough for him to speak his name. "Heero Yuy."
Dumbledore nodded at them, and the five moved to sit down next to Harry at the Gryffindor table. Duo snickered when he noticed Ron inching slowly away from him and Wufei.
"These boys have been schooling in Japan," Dumbledore explained. "So for a few of them, English is rather limited. I do have a student who has volunteered to help teach them and translate for them, so do not worry about that. They will not be sorted into any house, as they are only here for this year, they will have their own rooms in one of the spare towers." He was then off, talking about the warnings for the year and Quidditch trials, which would be taking place in a few weeks time. The headmaster finally ended his speech and sat down, announcing that dinner would now begin.
And Duo was off, speaking rapidly in flawless Japanese to his friends and Harry, eating and talking at the same time as only he could. Most of the Gryffindor's stared in awe as the food around him disappeared. "^So,^" he said slyly to Wufei, "^did you notice that Ron seems to be a bit afraid of us? I think that most people haven't learned enough about us yet.^"
Wufei grunted and continued selecting his meal. He carefully arranged the pieces of meat and rice on his plate before looking disdainfully at the fork he had been provided with. With a blink, chopsticks appeared in his hand and he proceeded to eat, ignoring Duo. Though Duo had moved to engage in conversation with Quatre instead and didn't notice.
Finally, Hermione tried to speak to them, though still embarrassed at lecturing them about uniforms. "Hello," she said to Trowa, who so far had said nothing at all, eating his meal silently. "My name is Hermione Granger."
"Trowa."
"What school did you say you all came from?"
Trowa arranged his face to seem confused at the question, though if one looked carefully enough, it seemed to be a some what practiced expression.
"They came from some school called Gundam Academy," Ron supplied from her other side, staring determinedly at his meal. "And they," he nodded at Trowa, Quatre and Wufei, "don't really speak English at all. Heero and Duo do, though. They had a translator spell, but I guess it wore out sometime over the summer, or they're not wearing them. I wrote you about them, remember?"
"Oh." Hermione looked disappointed. "Right... I wonder who's helping them learn English then."
"I am." Harry spoke up unexpectedly. "Heero and I have known each other for a while, teaching each other Japanese and English. But Duo's the main translator in the group, so you've got a better chance talking to him."
Hermione looked surprised. "I didn't know you spoke Japanese!" She accused, pointing her fork at him. "Why didn't you tell us?"
Harry shrugged, "I didn't think it mattered much."
A yell from Duo broke off their conversation. "Wufei!" The braided boy shouted, "ITAI!"
It seemed that Wufei had stabbed Duo rather viciously with his unused fork, for reasons unknown. Duo jumped to his feet, ignoring the two thousand eyes now plastered to him.
Ron made a frightened sound and quickly ducked down underneath the table.
"Omae o korosu!" Duo shouted, death glaring the unruffled Chinese boy. Two shining silver daggers appeared in his hands, glinting in the light of the candles above his head.
The room was silent, nobody moved except for Duo and Wufei, who had stood up, armed only with his chopsticks.
Suddenly, Quatre laughed and Duo decided to bounce down the row of seats, sitting down next to Heero instead of slaughtering his friend. The knives in his hands disappeared as quickly as he had conjured them.
Heero immediately began scolding Deathscythe's pilot, telling him to calm down and not show the crowd his extra "powers". Duo whined at him, pointing to Wufei who was smirking and eating with his magically appearing chopsticks. The braided boy then added large amethyst eyes to the equation and watched as he won his case, Duo vs Wufei. Heero sent them both death glares and proceeded to ignore everybody - including Hermione, who was trying to start a conversation with him.
Dinner ended without any more incidents that involved screaming, sharp, pointed objects or near death situations.
===
For reasons unknown, Severus Snape had been elected to escort the five Japanese students to their new dormitory. The man was furious when he heard the news for not only was it completely in the opposite direction of his personal rooms, but he was sure that Albus was yet again testing him.
That man had a very strange masochist streak in him, Severus was sure of it.
"Snape-sensai," one of the boys said from behind him.
The Potions Master grunted to show he was listening.
"Where are our dormitories?"
Snape cast a look over his shoulder to see who had spoken. The petite blond looked at him with innocent eyes and a curious smile. The other's were too interested with the portraits lining the wall.
"The south tower," Severus said curtly. He paused a moment to glare at the boy with long hair before continuing with his fast paced stride. That boy just oozed trouble, the scene at dinner had been proof enough about that.
"Excuse me, Snape-sensai," the blond spoke again, "but if we're in the South tower, why are we walking north?"
The other boys had stopped to listen, seemingly holding back grins of enjoyment.
"It's a short cut," Severus snapped, turning down a hallway and pushing back a drapery. "Go through here, turn left. It's the third suit of armour on your right, the password is 'Queerditch Marsh'." He glared at all five boys before turning on his heel and stalking away, robes billowing out behind him.
"Do you think he practises doing that?" A voice floated after him. "I mean, that really can't be natural."
"Perhaps it's a spell..."
"Sayonara Snape-baka!"
===
"Queerditch Marsh," Heero said curtly, watching without interest as the suit of armour stepped squeakily out of the way and allowed him and his friends access into their rooms.
"So this is our home until we can find a way back," Quatre said softly, following Heero into the homey room. It was well decorated, and well lit. Two couches and a comfy armchair stood around a large work table, in front of an already burning fireplace and windows stood around the room, showing them East, West and North. Quatre watched in amusement as Duo charged straight for the stairs and what would most likely be the bedrooms. A faint cry of 'dibs' was heard a moment later.
"Until Harry and I find a way to defeat Voldemort for good," Heero corrected, finishing with his own observation of the room. "That's why I was brought here after all. You all just came along for the ride."
"Well, no war is complete without the infamous Gundam Pilots," Quatre smiled. "You shouldn't have to fight alone."
"Hn."
Meanwhile, Duo had just pranced into Wufei's single room with a large smile. "Hey Wuffers," he said lightly, throwing himself down on the bed. "You didn't happen to see any class schedules for us did you?"
Wufei shook his head and continued with his fight to remove Hiei from his shoulder. The small animal was clinging to the heavy silk determinedly. "Fine," Wufei sighed, "stay there." He proceeded to remove his white over coat with the cat still attached. Hiei mewled unhappily from the floor and proceeded to jump into Duo's lap.
"Stupid cat," Wufei muttered.
"Wufei, you should respect your pet," Trowa said softly from the doorway, moving so he could sit down next to Duo on the bed. "After all, you didn't have to buy him."
"Yes," Wufei snarled, "he just chose my leg to climb out of all of us there. Why didn't he choose you?"
Trowa rolled his eyes. A moment or so later, Quatre and Heero also stepped into the room.
"What is this? A party?" Wufei complained, "you have your own rooms!"
Heero moved to sit down next to Duo. "Calm down Wufei," he said, managing to angle his face so they could see the green hidden in his eyes. "I just wanted to tell you a few things before classes start tomorrow. Heero's busy trying to explain things to Hermione and Ron." Harry smiled, the look almost alien on his features.
Duo grinned and proceeded to glomp the boy. "Hey Harry-kun!"
Harry cast him a simple look and patted him on the head like he would to Sirius in dog form. "For example, when you realize that it's me in Heero's body you must continue to call me Heero. The castle's passages tend to change," he then explained. "Stair cases move, doors have to be convinced to open and classrooms have a fondness of hiding behind fake walls. And, you'll get your class schedules tomorrow at breakfast. The professors might test you as well, just for the heads up."
"The stairs move?" Duo asked, his eyes shinning.
"Yes, if you had read Hogwarts, A History you would know that. Anyway, I'll bring a map to breakfast that should help you around the school," Harry said, giving a yawn. He paused in his talking, checking whether or not Heero had gone to bed yet. But no, Hermione was a very curious girl, and it was obvious she wasn't going to let who she thought was Harry Potter out of her clutches for at least two hours.
Poor Heero...
Harry smirked and stood up. "Excuse me," he said softly, smiling at his friends. "I'm going to get some sleep, you can expect Heero in the morning." He nodded and left the room, Duo jumping after him.
===
Later, around midnight, both Harry and Heero snuck out of their respective dorms and met somewhere between the vast Hogwarts lake and the Forbidden forest. One boy was hovering over head on a top of the line, Raiki Tentai racing broom, the other was on the ground staring at the large castle.
"It feels wrong," Heero finally muttered, looking down at Harry from his perch on the broom. "Me being here, and you being here..."
Harry nodded, not removing his gaze from the structure. "I don't like it either," he admitted, finally looking up. "It's like we're being set up for something big, I don't even remember the night you arrived." He sighed, transferring his gaze to the ground. "Do you?"
Heero jumped from the broom, landing next to his double, the half he was never allowed to be. The barrier spell gave a feeble spark of magic, a warning sign that it was beginning to break from all the pressure they were putting on it. "Iie, it's just a blur. I can't be the Perfect Soldier all the time you know."
"Neither can I, like I can't be the boy who lived all the time."
They were both silent for a long time after that, remembering a time of their past when they didn't have to hide secrets. A time when they shared one body, a time when they were actually the same person.
"Duo will come looking for me soon," Heero said finally, handing the broom over to Harry. "And Ron will wake up soon."
Harry nodded. "I'll see you at breakfast then. Draco will be suspicious, he was at the window a moment ago." With his index finger he pointed towards where the Slytherin dormitories were. "Good night." With a final nod to Heero, he clambered onto the broom and took off for Gryffindor tower, Heero watched with a detached expression as the boy slipped through the window he himself had flown out of. Then, without a sound he began walking towards the secret entrance that would bring him relatively close to his dorm.
===
"Goooood morning Harry!" Duo grinned, greeting the boy with a tight around the shoulder hug, speaking as though he were the host of a morning talk show. "And you have a doosy of a day ahead of you! Charms first, with us, then Divindation, also with us. After that it's lunch, followed up by Defence Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration, but not with us!" He grinned cheerily, waving his class schedule. "Do you think it's necessary for me to bring my books to class? I already mesmerized them cover to cover, word for word and all that yadda. Besides, if worst comes to worst, I'll write all my notes in Japanese and pretend I'm actually doing something."
Harry grinned. "Books are necessary," he told the boy, filling his plate with eggs and toast. "And I warn you, if you don't bring them, Hermione will rant at you for hours..." he lowered his voice. "You know Wufei on his justice rants? It's a lot like that, only about a hundred times worse."
Duo froze, his eyes wide. "I think I'll just bring all my books with me then," he announced loudly. "Just in case." He then turned to Seamus Finnigan and engaged the Irish boy in a conversation about four leaf clovers.
"...So tell me, are they *really* magical?"
Quatre was talking to a lively Neville Longbottem about Herbology. Trowa had managed to engage in a conversation about Care of Magical Creatures with Hermione. The girl was presently telling him about the amazing (a.k.a. lethal) creatures Hagrid provided them with, while Wufei carefully avoided conversation to fed Hiei with his chopsticks.
After a few more moments, Draco approached the Gryffindor table and calmly placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry stiffened, realized who it was and looked up with a smile.
"Good morning Draco."
"May I speak with you," Draco asked softly, his eyes telling Harry he was seriously annoyed about something. The silver orbs cut over to Ron, who had stopped his conversation with Dean Thomas and was looking curious. "Alone."
"Sure," Harry agreed, standing up. "I'll meet you in charms alright?" He directed his comment to Ron and Hermione.
A few minutes later, he and Draco were standing in a unused classroom on the second floor. "Why were you outside last night?" Draco asked bluntly.
Harry frowned. "I don't see how that's any of your business," he said icily. "What I do with my spare time is hardly your concern."
Draco blinked. "Come on Harry!" He argued, much like Ron did when trying to worm information out of his best friend. "You were outside at midnight with Heero. I thought we were friends, I let you stay at my house all summer..." he was attempting to guilt Harry into an answer, which started to irritate the boy. It felt like he was back in the war and the enemy was trying to get information out of him about the other pilots.
Or Relena trying to get him to spend time with her. He shuddered at the thought of her shrill voice.
"Heero and I were just talking," he said in that same crispy voice. The voice that used to belong to Heero. "Is it a big deal?"
"I guess it's not." Draco finally snarled, loosing his own temper. "Excuse me for caring." He turned and stormed out of the classroom. Harry shrugged indifferently and left for Charms. If he hurried, he might be a few minutes early.
===
By lunch, Draco had managed to tell both Ron and Hermione about Harry's midnight meeting by the lake. So now, both the red-head and the know-it-all were pestering Harry in the same fashion as the blond, trying to get answers.
That night in the common room, Harry exploded, his temper having been pushed too far.
"Listen to me!" He shouted angrily, slamming down his charms book.
Every Gryffindor in a mile radius turned to stare at the usually good tempered boy.
"Heero and I were just talking last night, that was it! We met out by the lake because we didn't want to get caught by Filch! I didn't ask you to come with me because, quite frankly, you don't have a clue about what's going on!" Harry glared at them, picking up his homework and starting for his dormitory. He suddenly spun around, wand pointed directly at Ron, who had just stood up to follow him.
"*Don't* follow me." He said coldly, his green eyes now spitting fire at his best friend. He then began stalking up the stairs to the dorms. Once inside he packed his unfinished homework into his backpack, grabbed his father's invisibility cloak and made his way out of the tower in a way that would make Duo jealous.
Since it was still relatively early, there was no real need for the cloak but he used it anyway as he made his way towards the only people who could understand his position in this war. Because in a way it wasn't just a war verses Voldemort.
He was fighting against his friends and his image as the Gryffindor Golden Boy. He was battling against himself about his ideals and what he wanted and what he needed to do. He was fighting his own magic by not allowing it to rejoin him and Heero. He was always fighting, and always loosing.
As he drew nearer to the dormitories hidden behind a suit of armor, he suddenly stopped. The barrier spell has fallen, he realized, it's not safe for me and Heero to be in the same room anymore. That spell won't be strong enough to hold us apart anymore. We'll have grown immune to it by now...
With that in mind, Harry turned and made his way to the top of the tower, instead of his original destination. There he concentrated on his homework, and without meaning to, he fell asleep and began dreaming about his past.
=Flashback=
"I'm so glad your my friend," five year old Harry giggled. He turned to look at the small body lying next to him on his tiny cot. The small form was slightly transparent, having the ability to float through walls and spy on his cousin, aunt and uncle. The boy had dark brown hair that was just as messy as Harry's, and sparkling blue eyes that made him smile. His features were different however, having a strangely Asian look to him. His name was Hero, something Harry felt fit him perfectly as he was his hero in the Dursley's home. His escape to freedom.
In truth, Hero was really just an imaginary friend if Harry had to label him. But there was something there that told them Hero was something more. Most imaginary friends couldn't spy on people, or play tricks. Hero had the ability to speak Japanese as well as a few other languages. The Dursley's had been most surprised when Harry had begun speaking in a foreign language, he had been punished for a week. However, something else emerged with Hero's existence. A part of Harry's brain had opened, a sort of wall had fallen down allowing him to communicate with his friend mentally so he wouldn't be caught speaking to him out loud.
"I'm glad you wanted me to be your friend." Hero replied, pushing himself into the air. His voice was sort of floaty in Harry's opinion, drifting over him like a gentle wind. And the best part of their friendship was nobody else could see Harry's friend.
In other words, nobody knew about him, and therefore nobody could take him away.
"Do you want to play outside?" Harry asked, smiling up at his friend.
"Won't uncle Vernon be upset?" He was answered, "Dudley is playing outside and we might spoil it."
"Oh poo about Dudley," Harry sighed, rolling over onto his side, even though he knew his friend was right. "I want to play outside."
"Would you like to switch places?"
The question was unexpected, Harry spun around so fast that he nearly suffered from whip-lash. "What?"
"Switch places, you become me and I become you. It's great, you can float through walls and play tricks on people. You could play outside and not get in trouble..." Hero's voice trailed off, "never mind, it was a stupid idea."
But his tone of voice told Harry that his friend desperately wanted to be seen by other people, he wanted to be a real little boy and not just a ghost.
"Okay." Harry decided, "but how do we switch?"
===
A day or two later, both boys were amazed. "I'm a ghost!" Harry exclaimed, his voice floating in the air as his body did.
"I'm *real*"
"But, your eyes are blue, like they normally are," Harry suddenly fretted. "What if they notice?"
It was true, though Harry's eyes were normally bright green, the boy now on the bed had eyes that were a deep and endless blue. Not only that, but his skin had taken a slightly darker shade, rather then the pale color Harry had always worn.
Too late, a banging came from the cupboard door and a shill voice let itself think it was waking the two boys. "UP! Get up!" There was a faint click as the door was unlocked. Harry and Hero exchanged glances before the now real boy pushed against the door to open it.
Harry chose to float through the wall, giggling insanely as he did.
"Oomph!" With a thud and a small whimper of pain, Hero hit the floor, not being used to walking on the ground with gravity to pull him down.
"Get up off the floor, boy!" An angry voice commanded.
Poor Hero tried very hard, but because he was not used to supporting himself, his attempts were useless, and Harry could do nothing to help. A stinging slap was delivered to Hero's cheek for not obeying his uncle. It was at that moment a fat thing who attempted to pass for a boy waddled past and stepped on Hero's now fleshy hand. With a cry of pain Hero cradled his hand tightly against his body.
Harry pushed his way back inside his body, Hero gladly giving it up. Harry's cheek stung, and he hand felt as though it were on fire. In his ghost form, the same pain flooded through Hero.
"Come here and finish cooking breakfast, I've had enough of you playing around!" Uncle Vernon shouted, lifting his hand for another slap. Harry cringed away and quickly ran into the kitchen.
=End Flashback=
=================================
I want to give you two choice clips for next chapter. Tell me which one you like better.
1) Harry looked up, not removing the hold he had on Duo. "Hermione?"
Hermione looked panicked. "Harry? Where in the world did you get a *gun*?" She watched with wide eyes as Harry slowly drew the weapon away from Duo's temple before promptly passing out.
2) Ron burst into the hospital wing, spotted the bed holding his best friend and sprinted over to it. The resident nurse was standing by him, her face unreadable.
When Ron reached her, Madam Pomphrey bowed her head, stepping away from the body. "I'm sorry." She said softly.
AN Review and I'll update.
.
And now the fic.
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Chapter 7
Trowa stared with doubtful eyes at the solid stone column in front of him. They were currently standing in Kings Cross station right outside what Harry and Draco told them was Platform Nine and Three Quarters. He was supposed to walk through that?
Harry smiled at the group of skeptical boys. "^It's just a portal to sidetrack the Muggles,^" he explained. "^If it helps you, close your eyes and then go.^"
Draco smiled and checked his watch. "I'll go first and show you it's safe," he said lightly. "However, I've got to go meet up with the rest of the Prefects," the blond continued, taking a hold of his trolly. "But I'll come meet with you on the train later on." And with that, he disappeared through the barrier.
Four mouths dropped open.
"Me next!" Duo cried, taking a hold of his own trolly. He took a deep breath and proceeded to walk through seemingly solid wall. The others were quick to follow.
===
"My Lord, we have found the records you wanted," a short balding man trotted into the room occupied by his master. "It was in one of the sub divisions of the Ministry, but I managed to snatch it and make copies of every page." He stopped his forward motion and dropped to his knees, head down, pushing a small folder towards the chair his master was sitting in.
"Very good," a hissing voice answered. "Are you sure this is the correct information Wormtail? And all of it?"
"Of course, My Lord," the small man said, carefully keeping his watery blue eyes trained on the floor.
"Hm," the voice said, flicking his wand at the folder and summoning the information to his hands. With a barely audible rustle he opened the file and smirked. "Indeed, you have served me well, Wormtail. This is the very information I asked for."
"Thank you, my lord," Wormtail groveled, bowing lower then before, the baldspot on the back of his head now coming into view.
Lord Voldemort chuckled darkly, still skimming the folder. Family lines, power levels, personal history. Yes, Harry Potter's whole life now rested in his hands. All he had to do was make the connection he had with the wretched boy more useful. And, of course, figure out why the last time he had taken advantage of it, he had met a split in the thread of magic.
In Voldemort's eyes, everything was being put into place. He viewed this war like a chess game. On one side of the board he controlled all his pawns and minions, and on the other Dumbledore did the same. Yes, to him this was all a simple game, and the prize was something he greatly anticipated.
Ultimate power and control of the magical community. And maybe the Muggles as well. However, there was one problem in the game. One little pawn seemed to have a mind of its own, a raid of the castle last March had told him that. One pawn, managing to lead a group of similarly unimportant pawns to drive his minions out of the castle.
But, it was just a part of the game.
These files however, they were very curious. At the start of his life, Harry Potter had an unusually abundant supply of magic. Most newly born children only having a small supply that grew as they did. Potter's supply did seem to increase in the year he spent with his parents. The night that Voldemort attempted to kill him seemed to have triggered something that caused the magic inside the child to grow alarmingly fast over the next four and a half years. At age five and a half, exactly one half of Harry Potter's magic disappeared. However, as the child continued to grow, so did his magic until at age eleven his power level was back to where it was at his birth. A few months before his twelfth birthday, as he faced off with Voldemort, the power expanded again, as it did during his second, forth, fifth and sixth year at Hogwarts. Now with power level that rivaled both Voldemort's and Dumbledore's combined, Harry Potter posed as a serious threat.
A serious threat that didn't know his own capabilities, which was a serious advantage Lord Voldemort planned to exploit.
===
Hermione and Ron didn't appear at all on the ride to Hogwarts. In fact, the only reason Harry had a chance to speak with them is because by the time Harry, Heero and the other's got to the carriages, there were only two left. Ron and Hermione were sitting in one, and the other was empty.
"^Why don't you four ride with Draco,^" Harry suggested, turning towards his friends. "^Heero and I will ride with Ron and Hermione.^"
In other words, he didn't trust his friends with Ron any further then he could throw Wing Zero. Tormenting him at lunch a month ago had been bad enough, but by the time Draco had appeared at the end of their meal, the poor red-head seemed to have a phobia of the five boys. Though that would probably be because after missing Wufei with his scythe, Duo had pulled out his gun and nearly hit Ron with a bullet, Wufei having dived out of the way seconds before. The other boys hadn't even reacted to the near miss.
And he didn't even manage to hit Wufei.
Duo grinned knowingly and hopped into the carriage next to Draco. The other's turned from where they were petting the bony, hairy thestrals and followed him into the carriage. Harry and Heero climbed in next to Ron and Hermione.
"Hi guys," Harry grinned, warmly greeting his two best friends. He plopped down next to Heero. "Mione, this is Heero Yuy, he's a transfer student this year." He turned to his double, just for the sake of appearances. "Hermione Granger."
Heero nodded to her with a "hn". It was obvious to Harry that he was uncomfortable being reintroduced to two of the people he had spent the last six years getting to know.
Hermione didn't answer Harry, she just shared a nervous glance with Ron and proceeded to stare down at her hands.
"What?" Harry demanded. "Why are you acting like we aren't best friends?"
Hermione gave a nervous laugh. "It's nothing," she said softly. "Just more rumors from the Daily Prophet."
=What rumors?= Heero asked, sending a look over at Harry. The other boy shrugged.
=No idea.=
The question must have been written on their faces because Ron suddenly spoke up, carefully avoiding eye contact.
"You know," he said casually, "the ones about you in Diagon Alley a few months ago. They're saying you summoned dark spirits from another dimension to help You-Know-Who in the war. That the strain from the summoning left you unconscious. And that you've been hiding them at Malfoy's all summer."
Harry let out a choked laugh, though Heero did not.
"That was the night I went to meet Heero and them," he laughed. "They forgot about the time difference and arrived at midnight instead of noon like they had planned. And I was unconscious because Heero accidently fell on me and knocked me out." He spun the tale with great ease, mixing truth and lies to make a story sound more believable, something he had learned at the Dursley's.
Hermione looked relieved, "I didn't think the rumors were true," she said, now smiling warmly at Harry and moving to embrace him. "But Ron said that he met him and the other's over the summer and-"
"And that you're all great people," Ron cut her off, with a forced laugh.
Harry laughed. "I'm sorry about that. But Duo insisted we have outside picnic with Japanese food. If I knew they were going to torment you I would have asked the house elves for a pizza instead."
"House elves?" Hermione asked, a dark look appearing on her face. "Malfoy has house elves?" Her left eye started to twitch.
The three boys wisely stayed quiet. But luckily, the carriage stopped at that moment and they all climbed out.
"^Hee-chan, Harry-kun!^" Duo yelled, waving his arms from the top of the steps. "^Hurry up!^"
"Look at them!" Hermione hissed, "they're not even in their uniforms yet! Even if they are transfer students, they received letters with uniform instructions. And they're seventh years, they should know the rules!" She marched up to the pilots and began her seventh year at Hogwarts by lecturing the new students. They responded by staring at her as though not understanding a word she said.
Quatre suddenly snapped his fingers and reached into a pocket. He pulled out his translator/ring and slipped it onto his finger. "Sorry," he smiled winningly at her. "What were you saying?"
"Now, now miss Granger," a stern, no-nonsense voice said from inside the hall. "At least let them inside the castle before lecturing them."
A pink tinge appeared on Hermione's cheeks. "Sorry Professor McGonagall," she said softly. The group headed into the castle. Professor McGonagall stopped the five pilots and led them across the hall while the wonder trio continued on their way into the Great Hall to watch the sorting.
"My name is Professor McGonagall," she said, looking at them sternly. "I am the deputy headmistress at this school. Headmaster Dumbledore informed me that you would not be sorted this year, as we do not have the space to place you in one of the house dormitories. You three," she nodded to Quatre, Wufei and Trowa, "will be attending classes with the Gryffindor's. And you," she nodded and Duo and Heero, "will attend them with the Slytherins. You will all stay in a private dorm. The Headmaster also mentioned that you would be permitted to wear your old school uniforms..." She peered over her square spectacles to see what those 'uniforms' might be.
Heero, Quatre and Trowa were all wearing Hogwarts robes, though under Heero's was his usual black spandex and green tank-top were underneath. Under Trowa's was his wash worn blue jeans and dark blue turtle-neck sweatshirt, and Quatre was clad in his usual tan slacks and pinkish shirt and vest.
McGonagall's eyes moved on to Duo who was clad in black. His shoes, pants, shirt and even a hat poking out of one of his pockets was black. The only color on him that wasn't black was the white in the turn-ups of his sleeves and the white collar around his neck. McGonagall's eyes paused a moment to take in his and Heero's matching earrings, and the braid that fell midway down Duo's thighs. Wufei seemed to be dressed in opposite to Duo, clad in white silk from hand to foot. Though, a button or two of his white over coat were undone and a dark blue shirt was peeking through and matching blue wrist bands were peeking out from under his sleeves. In response to Duo's white, Wufei wore black shoes and a black kitten was perched on his shoulder.
"When the double doors open, proceed into the hall, to the front of the room and wait for the Headmaster to introduce you." McGonagall said, deciding their uniforms would have to do. "After the feast a professor will lead you to your dormitories."
She blinked at them, waiting for the usual complaints she would receive from any other teenager. The five boys just nodded their heads and watched as she turned and led a crowd of small, terrified looking first years into the hall for their sorting.
"So," Duo said cheerfully when the last of them had disappeared. "Shall we enter with a bang?"
===
Duo grinned widely as the doors to the Great Hall opened so that the five pilots could enter the room. The boys, as planned, went into stealth mode, flitting in without being seen and appearing at the front of the room seconds later. Rather, Duo and Quatre did, while the other three walked calmly into the room and towards the teachers table at the front. Loud gasps were heard when the American and Arabian youth appeared next to the others, which caused Duo and Quatre to share secret smiles of enjoyment.
"These are our new exchange students," Dumbledore announced to the room, obviously amused at their choice of entrance. "Boys, would you care to introduce yourselves?"
Knowing that his friends would never put themselves forward like he did, Duo stepped forward first. By the looks he was receiving he knew all too well that he looked like a girl with his long rope of hair and large violet eyes. "I'm Duo Maxwell."
Some people tittered at his voice, contrasting greatly with his appearance.
Quatre moved next, taking his hint from Duo. "Quatre Rebarba Winner."
"Trowa Barton."
"Chang, Wufei."
Heero remained silent, gazing at the students staring at him unashamedly. He knew these people, each and every one of them. It was going to be hard, not calling out a name or laughing at a teacher, like he would as Harry. He then caught Harry's eyes, his double was smiling at him, trying to keep his laughter hidden, and that cracked his shell enough for him to speak his name. "Heero Yuy."
Dumbledore nodded at them, and the five moved to sit down next to Harry at the Gryffindor table. Duo snickered when he noticed Ron inching slowly away from him and Wufei.
"These boys have been schooling in Japan," Dumbledore explained. "So for a few of them, English is rather limited. I do have a student who has volunteered to help teach them and translate for them, so do not worry about that. They will not be sorted into any house, as they are only here for this year, they will have their own rooms in one of the spare towers." He was then off, talking about the warnings for the year and Quidditch trials, which would be taking place in a few weeks time. The headmaster finally ended his speech and sat down, announcing that dinner would now begin.
And Duo was off, speaking rapidly in flawless Japanese to his friends and Harry, eating and talking at the same time as only he could. Most of the Gryffindor's stared in awe as the food around him disappeared. "^So,^" he said slyly to Wufei, "^did you notice that Ron seems to be a bit afraid of us? I think that most people haven't learned enough about us yet.^"
Wufei grunted and continued selecting his meal. He carefully arranged the pieces of meat and rice on his plate before looking disdainfully at the fork he had been provided with. With a blink, chopsticks appeared in his hand and he proceeded to eat, ignoring Duo. Though Duo had moved to engage in conversation with Quatre instead and didn't notice.
Finally, Hermione tried to speak to them, though still embarrassed at lecturing them about uniforms. "Hello," she said to Trowa, who so far had said nothing at all, eating his meal silently. "My name is Hermione Granger."
"Trowa."
"What school did you say you all came from?"
Trowa arranged his face to seem confused at the question, though if one looked carefully enough, it seemed to be a some what practiced expression.
"They came from some school called Gundam Academy," Ron supplied from her other side, staring determinedly at his meal. "And they," he nodded at Trowa, Quatre and Wufei, "don't really speak English at all. Heero and Duo do, though. They had a translator spell, but I guess it wore out sometime over the summer, or they're not wearing them. I wrote you about them, remember?"
"Oh." Hermione looked disappointed. "Right... I wonder who's helping them learn English then."
"I am." Harry spoke up unexpectedly. "Heero and I have known each other for a while, teaching each other Japanese and English. But Duo's the main translator in the group, so you've got a better chance talking to him."
Hermione looked surprised. "I didn't know you spoke Japanese!" She accused, pointing her fork at him. "Why didn't you tell us?"
Harry shrugged, "I didn't think it mattered much."
A yell from Duo broke off their conversation. "Wufei!" The braided boy shouted, "ITAI!"
It seemed that Wufei had stabbed Duo rather viciously with his unused fork, for reasons unknown. Duo jumped to his feet, ignoring the two thousand eyes now plastered to him.
Ron made a frightened sound and quickly ducked down underneath the table.
"Omae o korosu!" Duo shouted, death glaring the unruffled Chinese boy. Two shining silver daggers appeared in his hands, glinting in the light of the candles above his head.
The room was silent, nobody moved except for Duo and Wufei, who had stood up, armed only with his chopsticks.
Suddenly, Quatre laughed and Duo decided to bounce down the row of seats, sitting down next to Heero instead of slaughtering his friend. The knives in his hands disappeared as quickly as he had conjured them.
Heero immediately began scolding Deathscythe's pilot, telling him to calm down and not show the crowd his extra "powers". Duo whined at him, pointing to Wufei who was smirking and eating with his magically appearing chopsticks. The braided boy then added large amethyst eyes to the equation and watched as he won his case, Duo vs Wufei. Heero sent them both death glares and proceeded to ignore everybody - including Hermione, who was trying to start a conversation with him.
Dinner ended without any more incidents that involved screaming, sharp, pointed objects or near death situations.
===
For reasons unknown, Severus Snape had been elected to escort the five Japanese students to their new dormitory. The man was furious when he heard the news for not only was it completely in the opposite direction of his personal rooms, but he was sure that Albus was yet again testing him.
That man had a very strange masochist streak in him, Severus was sure of it.
"Snape-sensai," one of the boys said from behind him.
The Potions Master grunted to show he was listening.
"Where are our dormitories?"
Snape cast a look over his shoulder to see who had spoken. The petite blond looked at him with innocent eyes and a curious smile. The other's were too interested with the portraits lining the wall.
"The south tower," Severus said curtly. He paused a moment to glare at the boy with long hair before continuing with his fast paced stride. That boy just oozed trouble, the scene at dinner had been proof enough about that.
"Excuse me, Snape-sensai," the blond spoke again, "but if we're in the South tower, why are we walking north?"
The other boys had stopped to listen, seemingly holding back grins of enjoyment.
"It's a short cut," Severus snapped, turning down a hallway and pushing back a drapery. "Go through here, turn left. It's the third suit of armour on your right, the password is 'Queerditch Marsh'." He glared at all five boys before turning on his heel and stalking away, robes billowing out behind him.
"Do you think he practises doing that?" A voice floated after him. "I mean, that really can't be natural."
"Perhaps it's a spell..."
"Sayonara Snape-baka!"
===
"Queerditch Marsh," Heero said curtly, watching without interest as the suit of armour stepped squeakily out of the way and allowed him and his friends access into their rooms.
"So this is our home until we can find a way back," Quatre said softly, following Heero into the homey room. It was well decorated, and well lit. Two couches and a comfy armchair stood around a large work table, in front of an already burning fireplace and windows stood around the room, showing them East, West and North. Quatre watched in amusement as Duo charged straight for the stairs and what would most likely be the bedrooms. A faint cry of 'dibs' was heard a moment later.
"Until Harry and I find a way to defeat Voldemort for good," Heero corrected, finishing with his own observation of the room. "That's why I was brought here after all. You all just came along for the ride."
"Well, no war is complete without the infamous Gundam Pilots," Quatre smiled. "You shouldn't have to fight alone."
"Hn."
Meanwhile, Duo had just pranced into Wufei's single room with a large smile. "Hey Wuffers," he said lightly, throwing himself down on the bed. "You didn't happen to see any class schedules for us did you?"
Wufei shook his head and continued with his fight to remove Hiei from his shoulder. The small animal was clinging to the heavy silk determinedly. "Fine," Wufei sighed, "stay there." He proceeded to remove his white over coat with the cat still attached. Hiei mewled unhappily from the floor and proceeded to jump into Duo's lap.
"Stupid cat," Wufei muttered.
"Wufei, you should respect your pet," Trowa said softly from the doorway, moving so he could sit down next to Duo on the bed. "After all, you didn't have to buy him."
"Yes," Wufei snarled, "he just chose my leg to climb out of all of us there. Why didn't he choose you?"
Trowa rolled his eyes. A moment or so later, Quatre and Heero also stepped into the room.
"What is this? A party?" Wufei complained, "you have your own rooms!"
Heero moved to sit down next to Duo. "Calm down Wufei," he said, managing to angle his face so they could see the green hidden in his eyes. "I just wanted to tell you a few things before classes start tomorrow. Heero's busy trying to explain things to Hermione and Ron." Harry smiled, the look almost alien on his features.
Duo grinned and proceeded to glomp the boy. "Hey Harry-kun!"
Harry cast him a simple look and patted him on the head like he would to Sirius in dog form. "For example, when you realize that it's me in Heero's body you must continue to call me Heero. The castle's passages tend to change," he then explained. "Stair cases move, doors have to be convinced to open and classrooms have a fondness of hiding behind fake walls. And, you'll get your class schedules tomorrow at breakfast. The professors might test you as well, just for the heads up."
"The stairs move?" Duo asked, his eyes shinning.
"Yes, if you had read Hogwarts, A History you would know that. Anyway, I'll bring a map to breakfast that should help you around the school," Harry said, giving a yawn. He paused in his talking, checking whether or not Heero had gone to bed yet. But no, Hermione was a very curious girl, and it was obvious she wasn't going to let who she thought was Harry Potter out of her clutches for at least two hours.
Poor Heero...
Harry smirked and stood up. "Excuse me," he said softly, smiling at his friends. "I'm going to get some sleep, you can expect Heero in the morning." He nodded and left the room, Duo jumping after him.
===
Later, around midnight, both Harry and Heero snuck out of their respective dorms and met somewhere between the vast Hogwarts lake and the Forbidden forest. One boy was hovering over head on a top of the line, Raiki Tentai racing broom, the other was on the ground staring at the large castle.
"It feels wrong," Heero finally muttered, looking down at Harry from his perch on the broom. "Me being here, and you being here..."
Harry nodded, not removing his gaze from the structure. "I don't like it either," he admitted, finally looking up. "It's like we're being set up for something big, I don't even remember the night you arrived." He sighed, transferring his gaze to the ground. "Do you?"
Heero jumped from the broom, landing next to his double, the half he was never allowed to be. The barrier spell gave a feeble spark of magic, a warning sign that it was beginning to break from all the pressure they were putting on it. "Iie, it's just a blur. I can't be the Perfect Soldier all the time you know."
"Neither can I, like I can't be the boy who lived all the time."
They were both silent for a long time after that, remembering a time of their past when they didn't have to hide secrets. A time when they shared one body, a time when they were actually the same person.
"Duo will come looking for me soon," Heero said finally, handing the broom over to Harry. "And Ron will wake up soon."
Harry nodded. "I'll see you at breakfast then. Draco will be suspicious, he was at the window a moment ago." With his index finger he pointed towards where the Slytherin dormitories were. "Good night." With a final nod to Heero, he clambered onto the broom and took off for Gryffindor tower, Heero watched with a detached expression as the boy slipped through the window he himself had flown out of. Then, without a sound he began walking towards the secret entrance that would bring him relatively close to his dorm.
===
"Goooood morning Harry!" Duo grinned, greeting the boy with a tight around the shoulder hug, speaking as though he were the host of a morning talk show. "And you have a doosy of a day ahead of you! Charms first, with us, then Divindation, also with us. After that it's lunch, followed up by Defence Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration, but not with us!" He grinned cheerily, waving his class schedule. "Do you think it's necessary for me to bring my books to class? I already mesmerized them cover to cover, word for word and all that yadda. Besides, if worst comes to worst, I'll write all my notes in Japanese and pretend I'm actually doing something."
Harry grinned. "Books are necessary," he told the boy, filling his plate with eggs and toast. "And I warn you, if you don't bring them, Hermione will rant at you for hours..." he lowered his voice. "You know Wufei on his justice rants? It's a lot like that, only about a hundred times worse."
Duo froze, his eyes wide. "I think I'll just bring all my books with me then," he announced loudly. "Just in case." He then turned to Seamus Finnigan and engaged the Irish boy in a conversation about four leaf clovers.
"...So tell me, are they *really* magical?"
Quatre was talking to a lively Neville Longbottem about Herbology. Trowa had managed to engage in a conversation about Care of Magical Creatures with Hermione. The girl was presently telling him about the amazing (a.k.a. lethal) creatures Hagrid provided them with, while Wufei carefully avoided conversation to fed Hiei with his chopsticks.
After a few more moments, Draco approached the Gryffindor table and calmly placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry stiffened, realized who it was and looked up with a smile.
"Good morning Draco."
"May I speak with you," Draco asked softly, his eyes telling Harry he was seriously annoyed about something. The silver orbs cut over to Ron, who had stopped his conversation with Dean Thomas and was looking curious. "Alone."
"Sure," Harry agreed, standing up. "I'll meet you in charms alright?" He directed his comment to Ron and Hermione.
A few minutes later, he and Draco were standing in a unused classroom on the second floor. "Why were you outside last night?" Draco asked bluntly.
Harry frowned. "I don't see how that's any of your business," he said icily. "What I do with my spare time is hardly your concern."
Draco blinked. "Come on Harry!" He argued, much like Ron did when trying to worm information out of his best friend. "You were outside at midnight with Heero. I thought we were friends, I let you stay at my house all summer..." he was attempting to guilt Harry into an answer, which started to irritate the boy. It felt like he was back in the war and the enemy was trying to get information out of him about the other pilots.
Or Relena trying to get him to spend time with her. He shuddered at the thought of her shrill voice.
"Heero and I were just talking," he said in that same crispy voice. The voice that used to belong to Heero. "Is it a big deal?"
"I guess it's not." Draco finally snarled, loosing his own temper. "Excuse me for caring." He turned and stormed out of the classroom. Harry shrugged indifferently and left for Charms. If he hurried, he might be a few minutes early.
===
By lunch, Draco had managed to tell both Ron and Hermione about Harry's midnight meeting by the lake. So now, both the red-head and the know-it-all were pestering Harry in the same fashion as the blond, trying to get answers.
That night in the common room, Harry exploded, his temper having been pushed too far.
"Listen to me!" He shouted angrily, slamming down his charms book.
Every Gryffindor in a mile radius turned to stare at the usually good tempered boy.
"Heero and I were just talking last night, that was it! We met out by the lake because we didn't want to get caught by Filch! I didn't ask you to come with me because, quite frankly, you don't have a clue about what's going on!" Harry glared at them, picking up his homework and starting for his dormitory. He suddenly spun around, wand pointed directly at Ron, who had just stood up to follow him.
"*Don't* follow me." He said coldly, his green eyes now spitting fire at his best friend. He then began stalking up the stairs to the dorms. Once inside he packed his unfinished homework into his backpack, grabbed his father's invisibility cloak and made his way out of the tower in a way that would make Duo jealous.
Since it was still relatively early, there was no real need for the cloak but he used it anyway as he made his way towards the only people who could understand his position in this war. Because in a way it wasn't just a war verses Voldemort.
He was fighting against his friends and his image as the Gryffindor Golden Boy. He was battling against himself about his ideals and what he wanted and what he needed to do. He was fighting his own magic by not allowing it to rejoin him and Heero. He was always fighting, and always loosing.
As he drew nearer to the dormitories hidden behind a suit of armor, he suddenly stopped. The barrier spell has fallen, he realized, it's not safe for me and Heero to be in the same room anymore. That spell won't be strong enough to hold us apart anymore. We'll have grown immune to it by now...
With that in mind, Harry turned and made his way to the top of the tower, instead of his original destination. There he concentrated on his homework, and without meaning to, he fell asleep and began dreaming about his past.
=Flashback=
"I'm so glad your my friend," five year old Harry giggled. He turned to look at the small body lying next to him on his tiny cot. The small form was slightly transparent, having the ability to float through walls and spy on his cousin, aunt and uncle. The boy had dark brown hair that was just as messy as Harry's, and sparkling blue eyes that made him smile. His features were different however, having a strangely Asian look to him. His name was Hero, something Harry felt fit him perfectly as he was his hero in the Dursley's home. His escape to freedom.
In truth, Hero was really just an imaginary friend if Harry had to label him. But there was something there that told them Hero was something more. Most imaginary friends couldn't spy on people, or play tricks. Hero had the ability to speak Japanese as well as a few other languages. The Dursley's had been most surprised when Harry had begun speaking in a foreign language, he had been punished for a week. However, something else emerged with Hero's existence. A part of Harry's brain had opened, a sort of wall had fallen down allowing him to communicate with his friend mentally so he wouldn't be caught speaking to him out loud.
"I'm glad you wanted me to be your friend." Hero replied, pushing himself into the air. His voice was sort of floaty in Harry's opinion, drifting over him like a gentle wind. And the best part of their friendship was nobody else could see Harry's friend.
In other words, nobody knew about him, and therefore nobody could take him away.
"Do you want to play outside?" Harry asked, smiling up at his friend.
"Won't uncle Vernon be upset?" He was answered, "Dudley is playing outside and we might spoil it."
"Oh poo about Dudley," Harry sighed, rolling over onto his side, even though he knew his friend was right. "I want to play outside."
"Would you like to switch places?"
The question was unexpected, Harry spun around so fast that he nearly suffered from whip-lash. "What?"
"Switch places, you become me and I become you. It's great, you can float through walls and play tricks on people. You could play outside and not get in trouble..." Hero's voice trailed off, "never mind, it was a stupid idea."
But his tone of voice told Harry that his friend desperately wanted to be seen by other people, he wanted to be a real little boy and not just a ghost.
"Okay." Harry decided, "but how do we switch?"
===
A day or two later, both boys were amazed. "I'm a ghost!" Harry exclaimed, his voice floating in the air as his body did.
"I'm *real*"
"But, your eyes are blue, like they normally are," Harry suddenly fretted. "What if they notice?"
It was true, though Harry's eyes were normally bright green, the boy now on the bed had eyes that were a deep and endless blue. Not only that, but his skin had taken a slightly darker shade, rather then the pale color Harry had always worn.
Too late, a banging came from the cupboard door and a shill voice let itself think it was waking the two boys. "UP! Get up!" There was a faint click as the door was unlocked. Harry and Hero exchanged glances before the now real boy pushed against the door to open it.
Harry chose to float through the wall, giggling insanely as he did.
"Oomph!" With a thud and a small whimper of pain, Hero hit the floor, not being used to walking on the ground with gravity to pull him down.
"Get up off the floor, boy!" An angry voice commanded.
Poor Hero tried very hard, but because he was not used to supporting himself, his attempts were useless, and Harry could do nothing to help. A stinging slap was delivered to Hero's cheek for not obeying his uncle. It was at that moment a fat thing who attempted to pass for a boy waddled past and stepped on Hero's now fleshy hand. With a cry of pain Hero cradled his hand tightly against his body.
Harry pushed his way back inside his body, Hero gladly giving it up. Harry's cheek stung, and he hand felt as though it were on fire. In his ghost form, the same pain flooded through Hero.
"Come here and finish cooking breakfast, I've had enough of you playing around!" Uncle Vernon shouted, lifting his hand for another slap. Harry cringed away and quickly ran into the kitchen.
=End Flashback=
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I want to give you two choice clips for next chapter. Tell me which one you like better.
1) Harry looked up, not removing the hold he had on Duo. "Hermione?"
Hermione looked panicked. "Harry? Where in the world did you get a *gun*?" She watched with wide eyes as Harry slowly drew the weapon away from Duo's temple before promptly passing out.
2) Ron burst into the hospital wing, spotted the bed holding his best friend and sprinted over to it. The resident nurse was standing by him, her face unreadable.
When Ron reached her, Madam Pomphrey bowed her head, stepping away from the body. "I'm sorry." She said softly.
AN Review and I'll update.
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