Chapter 2

Harry practically ran down the Alley towards the wizarding bank, Gringotts. The bank was run by Goblins who took money buisness very seriously. They also took care of every vault and money procedures for pureblooded families, as well as vaults for Muggle-born children. Harry learned at age eleven that Muggles were people who couldn't do magic at all and that squibs were magical but couldn't do much either. Among the Muggle-born and squibs were the Half-bloods, children with one Muggle parent and one Magical parent. Then there were those whose parents were of old families, families that had nothing to do with Muggles at all, and they were people Harry tended to avoid.

But because of his distracted thoughts and hurrying pace, Harry barely caught the resenting looks cast by the magical folks surrounding him, few were curious as they openly stared. This caused his mind to work overtime in wondering why they were staring in the first place while still hurrying through his school lists. Even the shopkeepers were quite hostile in dealing with him. They seemed reluctant to sell him anything or to take his money but only did so because they wanted him out of their shop, or to take care of others who seemed more important.

He was almost done shopping when two voices yelled out, "Harry!" The emerald eyed boy turned to be engulfed in a fierce hug by his two best friends. He smiled gratefully and hugged them back.

"It's about time, mate."

"Had chores to do until Aunt Petunia decided to bring me along on her way for a luncheon with friends. But I don't have much time to finish shopping before she comes to pick me up."

Ronald Weasley, Ron to his friends, nodded. He knew all about the Durselys since he and his twin older brothers had rescued him just last year, finding bars on his bedroom window at the time.

Hermione Granger on the other hand frowned at the statement. She was a very smart witch, who also happened to be Muggle-born since both her parents weren't magical. She heard bits and pieces of the Dursleys but not a lot. Determined not to ruin the day, "Ron and I still need to go to Flourish & Botts."

Harry nodded. That was his last stop of the day. And that was also the time he questioned his curiosity. "Do either of you know why everyone's being this way?"

Ron flushed brightly. He knew all about the bogus stories the wizarding papers were telling. And everyone was looking like they believed them. He decided to give a lighter version of the ugly lies, "They aren't over the fact you're a parselmouth."

"There's been a ton of articles written all about it, on you." Hermione was not going to wash the stories away like Ron. Her friend had to know what was going on in his life.

Harry was a little sadden at the thoughts and even more angry. But he shoved aside his emotions as the hostile clerk at Flourish & Botts practically shoved his books into his arms. "But me being one shouldn't mean anything. It was something given to me that Halloween night. I'm not like Voldemort."

His friends flinched and those who overheard scowled at his free use of the name. But emerald eyes suddenly caught something else, something he needed to do before he left. Glancing at the Muggle watch on his wrist, Harry noticed he had at least fifteen minutes left to the hour and a half he had given himself to gather his school supplies. "Uh, guys?"

They turned to face him, heading towards the Quidditch and robes shop. "Sorry but I was already there. I need a few other things at the apothecary. Something I forgot to get, a new blade." They nodded, letting him go his separate way.

Ignoring the suspicious looks from the shop clerk, Harry re-entered the dark shop once again, nose wrinkling at the smell. "Harry!"

The hissed whisper caught his attention. He smiled at the sight of the tiny redheaded witch, hiding in a dark corner far from the shopkeeper's sight. He swiftly moved closer to hide behind the shelves with her, "Ginny."

Ginny Weasley smiled brightly at the emerald eyed boy before her. Instead of continuing her greeting, she shoved two other figures into his sight. They were polite enough to keep their voices to soft whispers, "Hi, Harry."

Harry smiled at the sight of the two brothers, Colin and Dennis Creevey. As he greeted them all warmly, his mind went to distracting thoughts of hiding secrets from his two best friends. What no one knew, not even his friends or their families, was that Harry had been communicating with the three younger children over the entire summer. Just a few weeks before summer holidays when on their Easter vacation, Ginny had borrowed several spelled blank pieces of parchments from her father. Harry had then charmed the sheets into four journals for each of them, the spelled parchments would never run out within the journals. He even spelled four quills to remain unbreakable and sharp while charming four different color ink wells to never run dry. This was their way of secretly communicating with each other whenever they wished, even going as far as researching for ways to quietly alert each other with their writing. Each journal would softly pusle in color and chime in various tones when one would write to another. Harry was able to twine the charmed alerts to sound when one wrote all four names inside the journal before beginning a written conversation.

They were private gifts for each other in hopes gaining a closer understanding of their desires. Ginny's wanted someone to talk to about her nightmares and ordeal from her first year. Harry had always wanted siblings since being an orphaned child. The Creevey boys had always wanted to know Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived. This was their way of fulfilling their desires without having to bother someone who wouldn't understand. And these gifts came in quite handy during the sleepless nights, waking in cold sweat and shivers from nightmares.

Each even had their own color of ink charmed by Harry; Harry in silver, Ginny in red, Collin in gold, and Dennis in blue. The differences in color showed of their favorite color as well as allowing them to tell each other's writing apart instead of constantly using each other's name, also not having to bother recreating the alerts everytime their names were mentioned.

To Harry it proved he was Just Harry, someone with a loving family. To the others it gave them the feeling of being in charge, not feeling underappreciated or controlled since Harry never had siblings. Suddenly shaking his head from those distracting thoughts, Harry turned his mind back to the present, facing his young friends, "I made my excuses to get here. I already have my supplies since I don't have much time. But I did get us very early Christmas gifts."

The younger wizards and witch gasped in delight at the sight of four shimmering black rings etched four lightening bolts of silver, red, gold, and blue. "Harry!"

He smiled at their awe faces, "The rings were in my school vault. My Mum left them there for me, hidden in the back corner in a small cedar box. It's the only vault the Goblins will allow me to take anything out of. She had left a letter stating they were once gifts of the Marauders until the ordeal with Voldemort started to get worse and how she placed all four rings into the vault before going into hiding. I think she felt something bad was going to happen and I thought they might be useful for us with the same situation. I asked the goblins to help me place a few more spells on them, for a small fee of course. I even changed the Animagus etchings to the bolts of color." The three younger ones knew all about the Marauders, and who they were to Harry. All because Harry had accidentally stumbled over a small box left in his aunt's attic by his mother during a summer day of cleaning. His mum didn't put much detail in her diaries and unsent letters but he knew enough of her past since all he ever heard from everyone was about his father. And they had been the very first to hear about his parents, comforting him through words even as they prayed to be there physically.

"They're beautiful, Harry." Ginny cuddled her ring close before reverently slipping it onto her right hand, gasping lightly as it magically resized to her finger.

He smiled. "Mum already had several protection spells on them; she felt that the Marauders needed them. I added more. I even put a location spell on each. We'll always know where the other is by concentrating that person's color; it also allows entrance through the impenetrable since Goblin magic is one of the most powerful, more so than House-elf. We'll even be able to know if the other is in danger; the hotter the burning of the ring, the more danger the other is in. I just thought we could use them as friendship rings with extra benefits."

Ginny relaxed with sighing relief. She had feared what her second year could bring but this ring will be her light during any darkness. Even now she could feel the protective warmth of the spells coursing through her body, instinctively knowing Harry had allowed his love for them to empower the spells, "Oh, Harry, it feels so warm now."

"The charms are activating. Also invisiblity spells. Only we can see them and only we can find each other. Another secret we hold between each other." They all nodded, having already agreeing to keep their forming relationship a secret until the Dark Lord was vanquished. Harry wasn't about to let his new family fall to harm, not if he could keep them safe from all harm. But Harry didn't mention was the one last spell that had cost a few galleons. The Head Goblin was very willing to place it after he had explained and quite handsomely paid. This spell would boost life energy and heal any wounds by absorbing magic from spells, curses, or even hexes cast onto the ring-wearer. Voldemort will be getting a very nice surprise if he ever dared to hurt my siblings. You tried to destroy Ginny already and now you can't return to finish the job. I won't allow your desire to destroy everything around me for your heart's contentment.

"Thank you, Harry!" Suddenly, they all happened to look at his watch when they pulled from the group hug. Ginny's blue eyes widened, "Mum's going to flip! I was suppose to be with the twins at the Leaky Cauldron ten minutes ago!"

"I'm sure Fred and George won't be too mad that you got away."

"Our Mum and Dad had let us wander with Ginny and her brothers." The two blondes gave sheepish smiles at the raise brow and smiling emerald eyes.

"You three better hurry. I'll hear from you tonight. Aunt Petunia should be driving up shortly and I must hurry myself or miss my only ride." The four raced from the shop to their destinations. Harry ran past his best friends, waving frantically as he gripped the large group of bags with his supplies in them. He barely saw them nod in passing as he hurried, desperate to make it to the Leaky Cauldron and out to the corner of the street. And he was quite glad he had pushed his running limits, arriving just as Aunt Petunia was starting the car to leave.