Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter either. It belongs to its creator J.K. Rowling and probably Warner Bros. too. I'm not too sure about that. This piece of literature is simply the work of a humble fan.

:Author Notes:

This will be leaning more toward alternate reality. It will have the same characters just a different spin on things. If you're not a fan or strong cursing or maybe even violence and bloodshed then there is a good chance that this story isn't for you.

"Waiting are they? Well let'em wait!" General Mad Anthony Wayne, When told by his doctors the angels were waiting for him.

Potter

Chapter Four: Destiny Waits for No One

By: Water Mage

The sun rose steadily into the sky beginning its daily path across the heavens. Its warm rays shinned down upon the Earth bathing half the world in light. The other half of the globe was still covered in the sweet bliss of darkness. In the United Kingdom, specifically in secluded, tranquil, land just outside of London were the McKnight Estates. On the green covered grounds of the McKnight owned countryside was the large, hell it was bigger than large it was huge, house of the McKnights. A long curving driveway made a loop in front of the houses double doors before leading back to the guarded gates. The mansion stood three stories tall with large windows and looked and radiated money. One could tell that whoever lived in this mansion wasn't rich. They were wealthy.

The sunlight streamed through the windows of a particular room of the house. The room of one Harold James Duncan Potter-McKnight, who was currently sleeping like a prisoner on death row. He tossed and turned in his king size bed, the comforter thrown over in his fit. His familiars, Serenity and Thor, stared at their young master concern showing on their animal faces.

Harry was in the throes of a very vivid and terrifying dream. It would have been a nightmare if it weren't for the fact that the events of the dream actually happened before in the past. Harry was viewing a memory...

The scenery around him was blurry and unfocused preventing him from clearly making out forms. It started innocently enough with a young couple laughing and talking above him. He was smaller than he was now as the two people towered above him. He tried his hardest to focus and make out their faces, but it just wasn't happening. The woman was singing to him. The song was in another language that he didn't know but the melody was so familiar to him. Her soft and melodious voice tugged at Harry's heart filling him with warmth. The whole scene was something right out of an ABC Family movie or low budget Disney flick. The dream took a different turn suddenly. The front door was thrown open and Harry was grabbed by the woman as the man ran towards the door. The woman and Harry ran from the room and up a set of stairs into a room that resembled a nursery. Everything was still hazy to Harry and the events were happening too quickly and they were all running together.

The woman stood in front of the door while standing protectively in front of the small form of Harry. The woman held a wand in one hand and in the other was a small, silver Celtic cross. Her head was bowed and eyes were closed as she spoke softly under her breath. An invisible wind started in the room blowing her red hair wildly about her. Harry felt that he knew this woman but her form was so blurred that he couldn't make out any distinguishing features. A soft emerald glow surrounded the woman as she chanted, while her hand clenched the cross in a death grip.

"I call upon the spirits of my homeland, the emerald isle of my forefathers, Ireland. Tuatha Dé Danaan please hear my plea. I beg the aide of the Fearie Gods, the Little People, the King of Light, the Queen of Darkness… Any who will hear me, please help me! Not me but my son, for he is only a child!"

A moment passed in tense silence then without warning a glowing figure appeared in front of the woman. He was a handsome man with long white hair appearing neither old nor young. His chiseled face could best be described as timeless. In his flowing golden robes, the color of honey, he gave the woman a kind look. Harry was shocked at the sudden appearance of the glowing figure and so was the woman, for she opened her eyes and gasped at the sight of him.

"Hello, child of my land," spoke the man in a voice that was deep and not at all imposing. "You know who I am?"

The woman nodded stunned. "You're Dagda," she whispered breathy. "God of complete knowledge and warrior of the Irish people. Eternal enemy against the Lone Power, Rhita Gawr."

Dagda's green eyes twinkled with an inner light as he gazed at the young woman. "Child, I have come to answer your call. The dark one who wants your child will not get to him. I promise you this. I have seen his future in the Lia Fail."

The woman's green eyes widened. "The stone of destiny…"

Dagda nodded. "Your child's destiny does not end here. He's one of the Chosen. A Champion." He moved to the crib where the woman had laid the small form of baby Harry. Dagda stared down at the serene baby who had not emitted a sound throughout the frantic ordeal. Dagda gracefully bent over the rail of the crib and pressed his lips to Harry's brow in a light kiss. He pulled away and where his lips touched there was now a glowing mark. The glowing mark was a golden lightning bolt. A second passed and the glow receded leaving a thin scar in a lightning bolt shape.

Dagda brushed away snow-white hair that had fallen across his forehead. Harry looked closer and could make out an identical symbol marring Dagda's own brow. Except his was golden and didn't seem to be glowing and neither did it seem to be a scar.

The God turned to the redhead woman. "He is one of mine now. I have given him my mark and forever more will he be under my protection." Dagda turned his gaze to the woman. "Lily, Daughter of the Flower Courts, you know you will not live another day, but I will see you soon in the Otherworld. Goodbye… for now."

With that final spill the god disappeared in a flash of light. The woman turned to Harry and touched a finger to the fresh scar on his brow. It was as if time suddenly resumed itself and the noises outside of the room suddenly grew into a roar. The woman turned back to the doorway as the door blocking the room started to shake and tremor in its setting.

The woman turned to the young Harry a sad look in her eyes. One lone tear trailed down her cheek as Lily Potter gazed down one last time at her son. "I love you, Baby."

She turned back to the doorway sadness leaving her eyes. The sadness was replaced by stone cold determination. Her green eyes hardened and her posture straightened ready for the approaching battle. She raised her wand as the door in front of her was blown off its hinges. Harry could only watch helplessly as a dark figure strode into the room in a menacingly black cloak. Again the form was blurred and the person was completely unrecognizable to Harry. A new level of frustration filled him because he couldn't actually fully make out anyone.

Lily's red hair blew behind her as the untraceable wind picked up more strongly. Her form still glowed with an eerie emerald light. Her green eyes glowed too. From edge to edge a glowing green filled her eyes. No white appeared in either eye. Only endless glowing, emerald green showed in both eyes. A chilling smile appeared on her face as she stared her killer down.

"You'll have to earn your kill here, you muggle hating fucker," she said in a whisper that carried intense coldness behind it. "I promise you that you'll feel a world of hurt tonight. Before the night is over you'll know the true meaning of a mother's fury."

Harry wanted to cry out or something but he was just a spectator. The figure in the doorway chuckled and aimed his wand at the woman.

"Ava-"

Harry bolted up in bed, jolted from his sleep. Dimly he registered a loud ongoing and annoying blaring sound filling his room. Harry jumped up from his bed and walked to his dresser that held his computer and printer along with his alarm clock. With a hard tap he pushed the alarm button off and instantly the annoying noise quit. Blinking blearily Harry read the time. It was eight in the morning. As he got his bearings and the sleep left his eyes he thought of the dream he just had. Already the details that had once been so fresh in his mind were quickly slipping away. The more he tried to remember the more he forgot. Harry rubbed his brain thinking hard trying to recall the details.

"Dammit!" he swore sharply. It was gone…

All of it was gone from his memory. Harry had a feeling that the dream was important but for the life of him he couldn't remember what the hell it was about. All of the details were gone from his mind. He racked his thoughts but nothing of the dream was there.

"Maybe I should have listened to Dr. Phil and invested in a dream journal," muttered Harry, walking to his bed and plopping down on it with a sigh.

Harry found his gaze trailing around the room. His eyes landed on the calendar that was tacked to the wall near his window. He couldn't make out any numbers or anything but he could kind of see red x's marked on the pages. A light turned on his brain and Harry threw his body across his bed reaching blindly for his glasses that lay on his nightstand. The thin frames slipped easily on his face. Blinking quickly at the adjustment to his vision Harry read today's date with a grin on his face.

"September the first," he smiled. He jumped up from the bed startling Thor and Serenity who were gazing at him in fascination. "Fan-fuckin-tastic!"

Harry found the energy that had been renewed by sleep. The thought of Hogwarts put a spring in his step. Harry practically ran to his bathroom that joined his room. Harry didn't normally care about how he looked. He was comfortable in his own skin and that was all that mattered. But today was different. He knew the wizarding world was expecting someone who looked the part of the savior. So this morning Harry took his time getting ready. He ran some gel through his hair as he combed it backwards and tied it off. By the sink was a contact case that contained prescribed contacts that Harry usually didn't wear. He personally thought they were too uncomfortable. If he was going to look his best today he had to lose his glasses. Thirty minutes and more than fifteen tries later, Harry finally got his contacts settled into his eyes, which was an accomplishment in itself.

Harry pulled out his best clothes to wear. He ended up dressed in nice expensive blue jeans, a two hundred-dollar pair of white sneakers, and new polo shirt. Harry stood in front of the mirror in his bathroom to observe his look. All in all he looked pretty good. Without his glasses his green eyes damn near glowed, they were so eye catching. His skin was a nice olive color from being outside all the time playing football and rugby. If the mirror could talk Harry was sure it would have whistled.

Harry's trunk, which had been packed the night before, was sitting near the door of his room ready to be taken out. It was half past nine when Harry sat down in the dining room at the table. Killian sat beside him his breakfast already eaten and the morning paper blocking his face.

"Good morning, Dad," smiled Harry happily at Mary, the cook, who delivered his food with a warm smile. She affectionately wiped his nose with the pad of her thumb. Harry chuckled at the elderly woman as she walked back to the kitchen. Mary was always mothering him. The dining room window curtains were pulled back letting the sunlight enter the room lighting it with natural light. The long, large, room was empty of people except for two Archangels that stood guard in the doorway and of course the two McKnights who sat at the table.

"Did you sleep well, kiddo?" asked Killian, sitting the morning paper down.

Harry nodded the smile on his face was still there. He was truly excited about today's events. Something new and life changing was going to happen today and he couldn't wait. Killian detected Harry's emotions and a smile appeared on his face too. Seeing Harry happy made him happy. All he ever wanted for Harry was for him to be happy, which he had worried about when his son was very young but Harry was tough. The unusual life they led didn't off balance him, but had made him a stronger and more realistic person.

"We need to leave by ten if we want to make it to Kings Cross station in time for me to catch the train," Harry informed his father after swallowing a mouth full of eggs.

Killian nodded. "You know you can't bring guns but at least bring your sword Todd and Dylan bought you." Killian picked up his cup and sipped his coffee. "I'm already concerned about the school's security but I'll feel better if you had it."

"It's already packed. I don't trust a school full of strangers no more than you do," replied Harry promptly. "I'm all for bonding and whatnot, but if one of them tries to fight… I swear I'll cut someone."

The elder McKnight raised a thin, dark eyebrow. "Really Harry where do you pick up such language?"

Harry shrugged in answer then held up a hand. "I go to boarding school," he ticked off a finger. "We have cable." He ticked off another finger. "Then there is you. You swear more than a sailor on shore leave."

Killian chuckled in reply shaking his head, knowing that Harry was right. They spent the next few minutes talking about the upcoming school year and about Harry visiting during Yule Holidays. The Archangels put Harry's familiars and trunk in the Porsche. Well one of the many Porsches that took up space in the garage that was big enough to be another house. Todd and Dylan plus two other Archangels drove behind the father and son on their way to the train station. The Archangels were dressed in normal enough clothes but they all wore jackets to conceal their weapons strapped to their chest. The drive itself was normal and Harry contended himself to talking to his father, listening to the radio, and watching the scenery pass by at rapid speed. His father was sort of a speed demon, so he was used to the Fast and the Furious rendition his father was doing.

They reached Kings Cross a little past ten. The place was crowded as usual, so it was easy for the Archangels tailing them to blend into the crowd. Killian was about to ask Harry a question but stopped as he spotted a familiar face in the crowd. Blake and Riley, who was wheeling a cart, walked up to them wearing bright smiles.

"Hello, sir," smiled Blake, holding out his hand for Killian to shake. "I was wondering if I was going to run into you. Ready to go through the platform? It's a bit of a dozy at first."

Harry knew he was talking about platform nine and three-quarters. He had read about the platform in one of his books he had picked up in Diagon Alley. The entrance was supposedly right between the barrier between nine and ten. All you had to do was walk through it.

"I still don't see why they would put a secret wizarding train in a muggle station," voiced Harry. "If they're looking for secrecy this is really the wrong way to go about it."

"I know!" agreed Riley with a large smile. "I wondered the same thing last year. I mean really… Why?"

Blake laughed along with Killian. "Come on you two."

They pushed their trolleys along walking towards the barrier. Blake gestured subtly to his coworkers, the Archangels who were tailing them, to halt and watch. Riley, Harry, Killian and Blake approached the barrier trying to look casual and nonchalant.

"Let's do this all together," said Blake under his breath.

They leaned against the barrier and the crowd passing by picked up as people jostled past each other to get to their destinations. At that moment Blake gave a nod and the four of them leaned against the barrier with force this time and then instead of encountering a wall they kept moving backwards… and backwards… Harry slowly turned around and blinked.

On a platform filled with kids and tearful adults was a steaming cheery red engine. The train was long and appeared brand new because of how its red painted coat shinned in the sun. A sign hanging overhead proclaimed the train Hogwarts Express. Harry was in awe at the impressive sight. Outwardly he didn't show it of course. What kind of idiot would openly gape out a train, but inwardly he was damn near doing back flips. Harry looked behind him and where there should have been solid wall, there was an iron archway, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it.

Thor meowed softly from his spot on top of Harry's trunk. Serenity was next to Thor but she was in her cage. Harry rubbed his eyes surprised at the smoke hanging in the air that drifted over the heads over the laughing and chattering kids. The platform was filled with the loud prattling of reunited friends, owls hooting at one another, and parents doing last minute yelling at their kids.

"Well this is… almost ordinary," replied Harry. "I was expecting something a bit more…"

"What?" Riley questioned. "Do you think your going to Mars? You're just going to Scotland for a year."

The other Archangels appeared from the archway behind them. They pressed through the crowd of students and parents going down the platform in search of a seat on the train. Harry caught some girl yelling something about a giant tarantula but he wasn't really paying attention. Blake and Killian helped them carry their trunks onto the train. They found an empty compartment near the end of the train and their fathers tucked their things away in a corner for them.

They exited the train going back onto the platform to say goodbye. Harry moved a little away from Riley so she and her father could say their farewells privately. Killian smiled down at Harry and affectionately patted his shoulder.

"I'll miss you, kiddo."

Harry smiled but it was a small smile. Not a bright one like the ones he usually wore. "I'll miss you too, Dad. I'll write as soon as I get there. I would prefer email but hey people in Hell want ice water."

Todd and Dylan gave Harry nods and small waves from their positions where they blended in the crowd. Harry smiled back and with Riley they both clambered back on the train. They leaned out the window to wave good-bye one last time. Harry was sad to be gone from his father, but he knew he would see him again in December so it wasn't like they were going to apart for a whole year. The train started to move, slowly building up speed. They both watched their fathers from the windows till the train rounded a corner and houses now flashed past the window.

"Now lets do wandering," Riley spoke suddenly. "I'll show you around the train. I don't have many friends so don't expect this to be tea time with the Queen."

Harry rolled his eyes with a grin as they both got up and exited the compartment. They slid the door closed and walked down the aisle. Riley pulled her blond hair into a loose ponytail as she walked with him. Harry looked into a compartment and raised his eyebrow at those gathered inside. Inside the compartment seated on the scarlet cushioned seats were a group of guys and girls all were wearing Abercrombie and Fitch and Hollister clothes. How he knew? The company's names were displayed on the outfits in big letters. The girls were currently applying makeup to their faces using compact mirrors and things that Harry didn't know the names of. The boys were holding out their phones moving them around in the air with a frustrated expression on their faces.

"What are they doing?" asked Harry.

Riley glanced through the window and chuckled. "I assume you know all about the Four Houses. Those my friend are my fellow housemates, Gryffindors. The girls are trying to look their best so they can flaunt their stuff at the Sorting Ceremony tonight. The boys are trying to get signals on their cellphones but obviously we're too far out to get one." Riley read the expression on his face. "I bet you never expected wizards to be so… yeah. It's easier on the mind if you think of Hogwarts as just another high school. Except with a magical coating topping. Gryffindors are basically Preps, who only care that they're right and ready to fight first and ask questions later."

"Is that how you are?" Harry asked as they walked further along the aisle.

Riley shrugged nonchalant. "I guess. I fight first and ask questions later. So yeah, I am in that category."

Harry glanced in another compartment and wasn't surprised to see people reading inside. But what was unusual was that the whole compartment was filled with kids, but they all were engrossed in books. One person looked up from their book and asked a question that he couldn't hear. In quiet voices they replied and then a deep discussion started to go on. It reminded Harry of a debate the way they were going at it.

"Ahh… Ravenclaws," said Riley her voice right next to Harry's ear. "They are basically the Neo Philosophers of the school. They're quiet thinkers who see reason between right and wrong and light and dark and all that jazz. With their way of thinking they're sort of the referees between the Slytherin and Gryffindor houses."

Harry filed the information away in a corner of his mind to analyze later. It went with the information he had just learned of Gryffindor. Riley and Harry walked again down the aisle and they stopped to look in another compartment filled with people. These people were dressed all in black but not grungy black clothes. These clothes were expensive and seemed tailored rather than store bought. Harry knew the difference.

A scowl made its way on Riley's face. "Slytherins," she grumbled. "They are the Pretty Goths of the school. The kids actually only like ten percent of the world's population and look down upon the rest. They think they're teen royalty."

Harry looked at her surprised at the vehemence in her voice. "You have a bad run in with them?"

"Hell yeah. Since my blood isn't pure enough for them, I'm on their Need to die list."

Harry nodded knowing she was referring to the discrimination that some pureblood wizarding families showed to muggleborn or mixed blood wizards and witches. It was all in the books he read over the summer. The Slytherin house wasn't his favorite house either, since learning that Lord Voldemort was from the snake house and that he practically recruiting his bitches… Deatheaters from his old school stomping grounds. That bit of information was definitely something that Harry had filed away for later examination. All the books he had read had dully noted that Voldemort was in fact once a Slytherin.

Harry looked into another compartment and wasn't surprised at the mix of students inside. They didn't seem to all have the same personality or the same outfits on. These kids looked like they just woke up and put on whatever seemed comfortable and screw whatever anyone else thinks.

"These are the Hufflepuffs," Harry stated more than asked.

Riley turned from the window she was looking out of. The train had long since passed the houses outside and now they were in the countryside. Only endless trees and hills and mountains flew past the windows of the Hogwarts Express. Hearing Harry's voice interrupted her musing, moving to stand beside him she looked into the compartment's window that offered a view inside.

"Yep, those be Hufflepuffs, the school Misfits. They have nothing going for their house in terms of status. Most people think that they are just the leftovers the Hat stuck there because it couldn't fit them into another house."

Harry started to walk forward but Riley held out an arm. "Wait." She said. "We should just go ahead and go back. There is nothing left to see except the Perfect Prefects compartment. Those kids get on my nerves more than the teachers do."

They turned around and started to walk back the way they came. Their compartment was the last on the train and as they slid it open they were surprised to see another person inside. It was a boy about Harry's age with dark red hair and a smattering of freckles covering his face. He looked up from the magazine he was reading hearing the noise of the door sliding open.

"Hello," he greeted them a bit shyly.

They said hello and moved into the compartment to have a seat. Harry sunk down in the comfortable cushioned seat. Thor jumped up into his lap and laid down.

"So is this your first year?" asked Harry, turning his attention to the boy.

Red hair fell across his eyes as he nodded. Quickly he swept the wayward hair back. "Yeah this is my first year. Are you a first year too?"

Harry nodded and Ron looked surprised at the answer. "Really? I would have thought you were older. You look older."

Harry looked himself over and guessed he probably did look older with how he was dressed and how he looked without his glasses.

"I hope I'm in Gryffindor," the boy went on. "All of my family has been in it. Although I do suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad. If I were sorted into Slytherin I would just leave. The kind of shame that would bring…"

Harry just kept his mouth shut about the houses. He had an opinion on what was best for him but that didn't mean he was going to be telling complete strangers. According to Hogwarts, A History the Sorting Hat would read his mind and place him wherever it felt like he fit best, which was based on who he was as a person. Throughout the redhead kid's house bashing, Harry just listened with a polite smile, nodding every so often to show that he was listening. In reality he wasn't paying a damn bit of attention. Riley had fallen asleep minutes ago not bothering to fake interest. Harry found his gaze traveling around the compartment to a small cage that sat near the boy. Inside was a fat rat that was asleep to the cares of the world.

"Is that your pet?" asked Harry interrupting the boy from his tirade.

The boy blinked then looked down beside him. "Yeah, this is my pet, Scabbers. I got him from my brother, who got it from our older brother, so he's right old."

Harry found his gaze drawn to the rat in an unblinking stare. He had the strangest feeling about the rat. Something was telling him that he should know it. He had seen it somewhere before, where he couldn't remember, but that damn animal was so damn familiar. Harry cocked his head to the side and found himself saying in a quiet voice without realizing:

"His tail looks almost like a worm…"

The boy smiled. "That's funny. Because my older brother before he named it Scabbers, called it Wormt--"

"What's your name anyway?" asked Riley who had awoken with a muffled yawn. "Maybe I know your older brothers. Riley Adams, Gryff, by the way."

"I'm Ron Weasley. I have five older brothers so you just might."

Riley grinned, her eyes lighting up. "I know your brothers alright. Fred and George are the king of pranksters. A little childish and immature but they're good people."

Harry held out his hand for Ron to shake. "I'm Harry Potter-McKnight."

Ron blanched noticeably. All the color in his face suddenly drained away leaving him white and pale. His eyes flicked to Harry's scar and they widened like saucer plates. He obviously hadn't noticed it before. Ron pointed a shaking finger at Harry. Riley and Harry glanced at each other than looked back to the shocked Ron who was staring like a gaping fish.

"You're Harry Potter!"

Harry raised an eyebrow and replied calmly. "I haven't forgotten my name."

Ron looked like he wanted to rub his finger along Harry's scar the way he was acting. "So that's where You-Know-Who…"

"No, it was on his toe," muttered Riley. "Of course that's where it is."

Ron didn't even hear her he was so entranced. "Do you remember any of it?" he asked eagerly.

Harry stared at him then blinked. He tried to wrap his mind around the question, going over it several times. He was fine with the whole staring bit. That was unusual but it wasn't anything personal. But the question was just the last straw. It was time for the evil bitch routine.

"What the fuck kind of question is that," Harry snapped. "I was one fucking year old at the time. Why in the hell would I remember the night my parents were murdered by a crazy wizard who goes by fake name like a character in a comic book!"

Riley sniggered behind him still seated in her seat watching the show like it was a made for TV movie. She looked like all she needed was a bag of popcorn. Ron however was astounded by the anger Harry was showing. He hadn't thought the question would offend him.

"Look, I'm sorry alright," began Ron. "I didn't think…"

Harry crossed his arms and eyes were narrowed in tiny slits, as he replied coldly. "What? You didn't think that I would care, well guess what, I do."

"Well, well, well…"

They all snapped their heads toward the new voice. The blond boy from the robe shop stood in the doorway along with two stocky looking boys, whom seemed as if they didn't have enough brains to put uno and dos together. They tried to look intimidating but to Harry they looked like bad extras from an off Broadway musical performance of Grease.

The blond boy stood in the middle. He looked to Harry with a little more interest then he did back in Diagon Alley. "I know we didn't get off on the right foot last time, so I'll start over. I'm Malfy, Draco Malfoy." He pointed carelessly to the statues flanking him. "Oh, and this is Goyle and Crabbe."

First the fight with Ron and now this intrusion. To say that Harry was pissed was an understatement. "Look. Drican."

"Draco," Malfoy clarified.

"I don't give a flying fuck what your goddamn name is. You already know I don't like your ass, so take Laverne and Shirley and get hell out of my sight!"

Malfoy stepped forward but Riley quickly stepped in front of Harry and her wand was pointed between the blonde's eyes in less time than it took to blink. "You heard him, Milky," she said softly in a frosty voice.

Malfoy shot them all a disdainful gaze before he and his two cronies backed away and out of the door. The door slid shut behind them. Harry was staring at Riley's back with a thoughtful expression on his face. He had seen that stance before many times in his life. He filed this new information away later. He and Riley would talk about this later, but not now.

"I'm going to go and find my brothers," said Ron hurriedly exiting the compartment. No doubt he probably didn't want to risk getting Harry angry again.

Riley sat back down in her chair and opened her mouth but then stopped. A look of concentration came over her features. "The train is slowing down," she said looking out of the window. Harry looked with her and sure enough the train appeared to be slowing down. It was dark outside and all that could be seen were forests and mountains under a deep purple sky that featured a setting sun.

Harry took a deep breath before he began to take out his robes from his trunk. He couldn't help but think as he unfolded his robes: 'I haven't even got to school yet and already these bastards are pissing me off.'