A/N: I'll be uploading this weekly. Just thought I'd give you guys the first two chapters because a) I'm a dumb-dumb and messed up the initial upload, and b) I thought it would be a good idea to introduce my original characters as soon as possible so you can get to know them :)

Cailean: Kay-len

Aed: like "made"

Chapter Two: Invasion

Monday, May 4, 1998: Mid-Morning

"So what's this place then?" asked a rough-looking bearded man. "This better be worth missing my stories." He growled the words, but couldn't keep the grin off his face. He wasn't really annoyed. It felt remarkably good, spending time with two of his favourite people in the world, even if it all felt a bit pointless. The dirt road they were traversing had definitely seen better days. Pastures and fields stretched on for miles on either side, with horses, goats, and other cattle grazing happily. They had been at this for some time now, and the older man knew they would not reach their destination for ages yet if they kept this pace. He thankfully did not have much to do today, having left his small farm in the care of a friend. So, he did not mind the long journey ahead. If his travelling companion was telling the truth, he was in for something special. The younger man had not ceased going on about it for almost a week until he had finally agreed to go with him.

"I promise it will change your life," replied the other man in hushed tones, excitement bubbling beneath the surface of his calm exterior.

A woman walked with them, a slim hand on the bearded man's arm. She tossed occasional glances behind her, hoping they weren't being followed. Her husband had dragged her off to this little adventure, she at least wanted no unwelcome company.

"Where are we going exactly?" pressed the first man, his frown deepening. It had been some time since he last spoke, and he still wasn't sure where they were headed.

"Just a little bit further." It was clear that his friend would not be providing him with any useful information, so he resigned himself to a sullen patience. "There!" The young man exclaimed. "In the distance!"

The bearded man squinted. "Is it… is it a castle?" He could barely make out a hulking shape looming before them in the strong mid-morning sun, its many towers reaching toward the sparkling azure sky.

"Yes, Cailean! Indeed it is!" cried the younger man, breaking into a run. The others followed in his wake, doing their best to keep up. Sweat began trickling off the woman's long hair and down her back. The sheets of crimson flowed in the warm breeze and blew about her face.

The castle became larger and larger, and only after they had been running for almost a minute did the other two realise just how massive it was. "How did you find this, anyway? How could we have never seen it before?" Cailean's words were short and cut through by heaving breaths. He hadn't moved like this in years. The countryside whipped past as they hurtled forward, and Cailean focused on not falling behind the other two.

"I had taken Delilah for a ride out this way and it just came out of nowhere." The smile could be heard in his voice, his cheeks flushed in anticipation. "There were explosions and that coming from it too, but they've obviously stopped now." He slowed to a trot, then to an easy stroll. The others fell into step beside him as they reached an open gate. Cailean shook his shaggy head, spraying sweat over the other two and quickly dodging out of the woman's reach as she swung a fist at him.

Cailean inspected it as they paused to figure out their next move. "This is some fine workmanship," he said, squinting at the ornate symbols on the gate. "An odd array of design choices. It looks like a crest of some sort, but none I have ever seen."

"Yes, yes, what a pretty gate," started the other man impatiently. "But we really must press on. Who knows what we'll find inside!"

"Calm yourself, Will," murmured Cailean, unmoved. "It looks like a lion, eagle, badger and snake surrounding an 'H'. Now…" He stroked his beard with a calloused finger. "What could it mean? I've never seen anything like this before."

His wife approached in order to conduct her own investigation. "Hmm…" Understanding flashed across her face, but she quickly wiped her features blank. "I know not what this is either, Cailean. I do think, however, that we should leave this place." She paused before continuing. "I do not like the look of this, especially now that we are up close."

"Bah!" barked Will in strangled laughter. "We are here! Why turn back now?" He marched through the open gate, the others having no choice but to follow.

._.

Monday, May 4, 1998: Late Morning

"Everyone!" called Harry from the Great Hall's entrance. Heads turned and faces broke into wide, genuine smiles at his arrival. Harry was overwhelmed by the incredible support and instantaneous lifting of spirits around the cavernous room. He wasn't that exciting, really. Some people, most likely old school friends, responded with raucous cries of greeting and light reprimand that it had taken him this long to make an appearance. "I will keep this brief: thank you all for everything you have done over the past few years. I am honoured to have fought alongside you in this great battle." More cries of joy and appreciation met his words, and he paused to let the crowd settle. "Many have fallen in the war with Tom Riddle, but I can say with absolute certainty that the fighting is over."

"How do you know? What aren't you telling us, Harry?" The shout came from Neville Longbottom, near the back of the hall. "Has it got something to do with the diad—"

Harry cut him off with a violent hand gesture. He took a deep breath to quell the panic bubbling inside him. A few people, mostly Ravenclaws, suddenly looked even more interested in his speech. Bloody stupid blab Neville. "I know because…" He trailed off, looking at Hermione for guidance. She gave her head a little shake, as if attempting to make her hair even bushier than it already was. Harry understood and started again. "I know because… I ruined his plans. Everything he had put in place to secure his immortality, I destroyed with the help of Ron, Hermione, and some other Hogwarts students."

Whispered conversations sprang up around the hall, and heads began to turn toward whomever Harry had mentioned. He went on: "Now, please don't ask them for any information, because they have been sworn to secrecy." At this, he gave Neville a long look. The other man paled and gulped, nodding vigorously. "This is dark stuff, and I don't want it getting into the wrong hands. I'm doing this to avoid a similar situation in the future; one which I am sure none of us want." He paused, waiting for the whispers to die down. "Point is, the war is finally over. Peace has returned." Cheers, laughter, and screams of joy exploded forth from the remaining wizards in the hall.

"Here, here," exclaimed George Weasley. "Nice going, everyone! Old Voldy's finally kicked the bucket!" The laughter grew into 'three cheers for Harry Potter; the Boy who Lived!'.

._.

"What was that?" asked Cailean, his head jerking up. A soft, muffled roar had sounded from the castle, barely audible through its thick stone walls. The woman looked stricken, and the older man put an arm around her shoulders.

"There must be a lot of people inside." Will looked excited, wanting desperately to keep moving. He quickened his pace, passing overgrown gardens and vegetable patches which had sparked Cailean's curiosity.

"I don't like it," said Cailean, frowning. He lowered his gaze, dismissing the castle as not worth his time. He knelt down to inspect the plants, ignoring Will's cries of protest, and the slight discomfort in his stiff knees.

"There could be monsters in there," added his wife knowingly.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Aed!" said Will, exasperated. "Most likely it has been long since abandoned, but if you two don't want to come, I will go myself." Ignoring his friends, the younger man continued to stride towards the castle.

"I would rather take a look around the grounds," called Cailean, attempting to dissuade his friend one last time. "Much safer, I think. And look at that," he pointed towards a large stadium, but for a sport he had surely never heard of. It looked as though there were three rings at the end of goal posts, but far too small and high up for any man to score with their hands or feet. He had also noticed a small shack he wanted to explore further.

"I'll go with him," said his wife when it was obvious Cailean would not be receiving a response. She looked toward the younger man as he made his way up to the castle's entrance. Unhappy about this turn of events, she nonetheless saw it as an unfortunate necessity. Will could never manage to keep himself out of trouble.

"Be careful, love," said Cailean softly, placing a strong hand on her shoulder. "Keep him safe."

She gave him a grim look of determination before jogging after their friend. Cailean watched as the woman left him, her boots crunching up the path of dirt and gravel. When she reached the top of the hill, she turned and offered him a small smile. He nodded, the worry in his eyes accentuating the lines in his tired face.

A flash of red, then she was gone.

._.

George watched Harry turn and begin to walk away. Away from his friends, the survivors of the greatest battle in wizarding history. Where in the bloody hell did he think he was going? He had his own questions for the boy who lived. Glancing at his mother, tears tracking familiar paths down her haggard face, he steeled his resolve and flagged down the younger man. "Hey, Chosen One!"

"Yeah?" asked Harry, head tilted to one side in mild surprise. The normally relaxed face of his friend was now determined and tense, his features uncharacteristically hard. There was going to be no blowing him off. He deserved better than that, anyway. He had lost so much in this war. "Hey, what is it?"

George walked slowly across the crowded, cavernous room until he was standing inches from the man who defeated the Dark Lord. Nobody was watching them, they were all focused on their individual tasks. "Thanks. For everything." George wrapped his arms around Harry and held him in a tight embrace.

Harry awkwardly patted George's back, unsure how to react to this unlikely display of affection from the Weasley twin. Well, Harry supposed, he wasn't a twin anymore. "It's okay, mate. Everyone fought, we couldn't have done it without each other's help."

"But you finished him. I don't know why, but I get the impression that nobody else could have done it either." George looked up and they broke apart. His eyes were flashing dangerously. "And with a Disarming Charm too! How did you know it would work? Did you know it would work?"

"Erm…" Harry had no idea what to say. That look on George's face bore an uncanny resemblance to his mother. "I did know it would work, but I can't really explain why. Just trust me." He could tell the other man was not satisfied with this response, and Harry couldn't blame him.

He continued slowly, as if only considering this idea for the first time. "Maybe I'll tell everyone at some point in the future. Maybe I'll write a book or something. But… I really don't want to talk about it right now. I hope you understand." Harry gave George what he hoped was a look that would convey everything he felt, everything he couldn't say. He would never tell this man the truth, it just wasn't possible. It would stay between him, Ron, and Hermione until their deaths. The knowledge of the prophecy, of Horcruxes and immortality, had to stay with them. The consequences were unthinkable.

George's shoulders relaxed and he nodded to Harry with a sense of finality. "I get it, mate. Tell us when you're ready. Go get some sleep." The smile he gave Harry made him feel as though everything might be okay, or at least he hoped it would. "Hey," George said over his shoulder, "you're beginning to sound like Dumbledore. Can't say it suits you."

"I'm heading upstairs," said Harry dryly. Maybe a nap would actually do him some good. "Speak to you soon, George."

Harry did not see George walk back to his family, did not see his mother clutch him like a lifeline. Her eyes shone with relief, scared she had lost him from the moment he left her side. They would not take another from her. Arthur patted her arm, attempting to placate the broken woman. Ginny and his brothers sat around them and watched, not saying a word. Everybody else's attention was devoted to their loved ones, both in this world and beyond, unable to spare the mental energy to care for anyone but themselves.

Harry exited the Great Hall and turned to the Grand Staircase. He wondered if he could still remember how to get to the Gryffindor common room, and if the beds were still maintained. In other words, if the house elves were still working. They had all been sleeping in the Great Hall the past couple of nights, unwilling to be separated from each other. Thinking of house elves reminded him of Kreacher. Harry wondered what the old elf had been occupying his time with. Perhaps he would call on him later to catch up. Then he remembered Dobby, his big green eyes meeting Harry's own, the glistening knife buried in his chest. He had watched as the life drained from his friend's face, watched the impossibly tiny body fall.

His final act had saved everyone from certain death. Without him, the war would have ended differently. For the six years Harry had known Dobby, the house elf had shown nothing but love, loyalty, and respect for him and his friends, perhaps sometimes even to his detriment. He was glad Bellatrix was dead. He thought back to Molly duelling her with a smile that would have made the cruel Black proud.

Climbing only a few steps before having a change of heart, Harry decided that he did not in fact need, or even want, to sleep. Rather, he had an irresistible urge to do something useful. Properly useful; like what the Ministry representatives and clean-up squad was doing. Not wasting his time trying to repair old hunks of metal. Last he remembered, the Death Eaters had done a number on the Entrance Hall Courtyard. He decided to investigate and see what he could do.

Harry's eyes widened when he stepped into the late-morning sun. It was not the crumbling statues and cracked paving stones he had been expecting to see. Well, not just them anyway. Two people, one man and one woman, were staring up at the castle like they had never seen anything like it before. They had not noticed him yet, clearly engrossed in the harsh words they were exchanging. The woman appeared to be in her mid thirties, the man several years younger. Her hair was the most vivid shade of red he had ever seen. And she was pretty, even if her expression made him take an involuntary step back. He cleared his throat, and the pair jumped about a foot before whirling around to face him.

"What is this place, boy?" asked the man after he had collected himself. His blue eyes were bright and tinged with a manic gleam that brought Harry up short. The mess of blonde hair atop his head only contributed to his unhinged appearance.

"Erm," he began, only now registering that the man had referred to him as 'boy'. "This is Hogwarts. What else would it be?"

The man giggled. "That's a funny name! Did you make it up?"

"Wha— No!" Harry spluttered. He did not know who this man was or why he was here, but an odd sensation had begun to prickle down his back as they talked. The man didn't belong. He felt like an intruder on the castle, like a Dark Mark hovering in the night sky. The woman was not speaking, she had a look of unmasked awe on her face. Ever since he stated the name of the castle as Hogwarts, she had not moved.

The woman noticed Harry staring at her and squeaked. She grabbed the man's arm and attempted to drag him away. The man didn't move an inch.

"But what is this place?" the man persisted. "Hogwarts doesn't mean much to me." He was quickly becoming confused and irritable.

"What do you mean it doesn't mean much to you? This is Hogwarts, the largest and most renowned wizarding school in Britain!"

"Wizard?" queried the man, smirking. The sneer in his voice blasted the wistful smile off Harry's face, replacing it with an irritated grimace. "Are you quite alright? Wizards aren't real, just like how unicorns and dragons aren't real!" The man started to laugh. "Is everyone in there as big a loon as you, boy? If you don't mind, we'll just be going on in there to find someone with their head screwed on straight."

Harry raised his eyebrows. He was really starting to dislike this man. "Wait," he said. "You don't think wizards are real? You must be a Muggle then. But… How did they find their way here? Aren't there supposed to be Muggle-repelling charms and stuff on the castle?" He was speaking more to himself than the pair in front of him now. The woman was gradually edging away from the man, and backwards, the way she had come. "Stay right there!" Harry ordered, drawing his phoenix-feather wand. She immediately stopped moving, looking utterly terrified.

"What's that then, your magic wand?" jeered the man. "Are you going to turn me into a bunny, or cut me in ha—"

"Stop, Will, you bloody fool!" exclaimed the woman. Harry kept his wand trained on the man. "Your mouth has always exceeded your sense. Still your ignorant tongue! We shouldn't be here! We have to leave and get Cai— I— we have to get home!"

Harry's face tightened with concentration. "Are you a Muggle too?" he asked the woman, his wand steady.

"No, I'm a Squib. My sister was a witch, but she… died. A long time ago. My parents…" She stopped herself from speaking any further by clamping a hand over her mouth. The bitter words flowed from her lips as if they had always wanted to escape, to be heard. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she stood there, but she savagely forced them back down.

Harry's expression softened as he watched her crumble, the extreme disappointment and sadness etched in the lines on her face. She looked so young in that moment, the broken child resurfacing. "Do you want to come inside? I'm sure no one will mind, there's just been a battle, you see. And besides, I think you're owed a tour of the place, since you've never seen it before."

She beamed at the dark-haired man and opened her mouth to reply, but Will had finally found his voice, cutting her off.

"What in God's name are we all talking about?! Squibs? Witches? This is madness!" He rounded on his companion. "You are a grown woman, you know better than to buy into fairy tales and make-believe." He turned back to Harry. "And you! What are you playing at? Reveal your secrets, you mop-haired twit!"

As if the man had not spoken, Harry addressed the woman. "Do you know much about magic?"

"I know enough."

"I am going to Obliviate him. He has seen too much."

She stood in shock for a moment, irresolute, but after a few seconds, she nodded. Harry pointed his wand at the blustering man and muttered one word.

A/N: And there we have it, another chapter. How did Muggles find their way into Hogwarts? You'll just have to wait and see. How are you finding the story so far? I'd love to know your thoughts, and any feedback is welcome. Be warned though, I'm a stubborn bugger. ;) I never really understood the purpose of an Author's Note, however I have decided to use this medium as a sort of pallet cleanser. They're quite lovely to write actually. Highly recommend.

It's kind of beautiful, I'm just some guy talking at you over the internet, but it's really helping me out so thanks for existing I guess. That is of course assuming that anyone is reading this, which is honestly a bit unrealistic. What can I say, I'm a pessimist. See you soon!