Ch 5

Harry and Sloane stared at the green light in the sky. At first, they thought it was another leprechaun formation, but it soon became clearer. It was a colossal skull, comprised of thousands of emerald stars, with a giant serpent protruding from its mouth like some obscene tongue.

The skull rose up in the air, and once it was high enough to be visible for everyone to see, the screams began. Harry and Sloane took the opportunity of the sudden light to see if they could locate the person who had conjured it, but there was no one there.

"I don't think we should stay here," Sloane said. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

"What is that?" Harry asked as Hermione tried to drag him away.

"It's the Dark Mark, Harry! You-Know-Who's sign!" Hermione cried. "We have to get out of here!"

They turned to run, but there was a series of cracks in the air. Sloane and Harry knew that they were surrounded by at least twenty wizards. Each of them had their wands out, pointed at the small group.

"DUCK!" Sloane yelled, pulling Hermione down to the ground. Harry grabbed Ron and dragged him down too. The air was suddenly alive with red flashes as the twenty wizards attacked. The feeling of magic caused shivers to course up Harry's arms, making his hair stand on end.

"Stop!" yelled a voice that Harry recognized. "STOP! That's my son!"

Harry and Sloane looked up to see Mr. Weasley coming towards them. Ron slowly pushed himself up, looking frightened at the wizards in front of him. No one had put his wand away.

"Ron - Harry - Hermione - are you three all right?" Mr. Weasley asked in a shaky voice.

"We're doing just fine, Mr. Weasley." Sloane said, helping Hermione up. "Nothing like eating dirt to make one feel alive."

"Out of the way, Arthur!" A cold, curt voice sounded out as Mr. Crounch walked over to the teenagers.

"Which one of you did it? Which one of you conjured the Dark Mark?" Crounch demanded. Harry and Sloane both noticed the slightly mad look in his eyes. He was positive that they had done it, and unless some evidence was found to point the blame at any other person, then he'd convict them.

"Barty, they're just children. They couldn't have -" Mr. Weasley said. "They could have just have been in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"If it helps, there was someone over there," Sloane said, pointing. "We heard the person shout an incantation and then the Mark appeared."

"Oh, said an incantation, did they?" Crounch turned on Sloane, his eyes fairly popping from his head. "You seem to know an awful lot about the Dark Mark."

Sloane resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Some of the other witches and wizards went to investigate Sloane's claim, but Crounch was eyeing him as the most likely candidate. He had to bite his tongue to keep from saying anything sarcastic.

It was a shock when Amos Diggory returned with Winky in his arms. He had to revive Winky because she had been Stunned. There was a loud commotion as several people protested that a House Elf couldn't conjure the Dark Mark, but there was evidence against her.

"You were found under the Dark Mark, with a wand. Explain that, Elf!" Diggory yelled.

"I is not doing it, sir!" Winky cried, tears running down her face. "I is not knowing how!"

"You were found with a wand in your hand!" Diggory accused, brandishing the wand.

"Hey, that's mine!" Harry said. Sloane gave a low moan as the wizards turned towards Harry.

Crounch rounded out on Harry. "So, you admit that you conjured the Dark Mark!"

"Mr. Crounch, think of what you are saying," a new voice said. Harry and Sloane turned to see Uncle Clive walking towards them. "Are you even entertaining the possibility that Harry Potter conjured the Dark Mark?"

"Who are you?" Crounch ordered as Uncle Clive went to stand next to the boys.

"I am Clive Mars, son of Don Santo Guerra. These boys are my nephews." Clive announced. "To insult us by saying that you believe that my family would teach such dark magic to innocent children is to insult not only the Mars of America, but the Guerra Family of Italy."

Crounch took a step back. He sputtered a bit, but then he turned back to Winky. Poor Winky was trembling so badly that Sloane wasn't sure how she could speak.

"So, it was the House Elf?" Diggory said.

"No! Winky couldn't have done it!" Hermione cried. "Winky has a squeaky little voice, and the voice we heard was strong and male. It was deep and didn't sound anything like Winky."

"I think poor Winky was in the wrong place at the wrong time." Sloane said. "She didn't conjure the Dark Mark. I'd stake my life on it."

Uncle Clive gave Sloane a quick swat to the back of the head. "We do not stake our lives so easily. You never know when someone will want to claim it."

"Mi dispiace tanto Zio Clive."

"Perdono." Clive answered.

There were a few tense moments as Diggory revealed that the Dark Mark did come from Harry's wand, but he had already explained that he had dropped it long before the Dark Mark had appeared. With the wand that caused the Dark Mark, Diggory seemed intent on accusing Winky, however Crounch took that as a personal attack on himself.

Crounch eventually sacked his House Elf for leaving the tent when he had ordered her not to. Uncle Clive offered to have Winky come work for him, but Winky was too out of it from her misery to answer him. Harry got his wand back, and Mr. Weasley seemed more interested in getting them out of there once Hermione had rounded on Crounch for his treatment of Winky.

"Now is not the place to discuss elf rights, Hermione." Mr. Weasley said.

"I can't believe they thought we had anything to do with the Dark Mark!" Harry said.

"Gee, Harry, it's all part of my dark scheme to take over the world." Sloane said, throwing one arm around Harry's shoulders. "Confusion first, then I'm going to lull you in a false sense of security with chocolate chip cookies."

"This is not a laughing matter!" Uncle Clive barked. "This is serious! When I return to America, I will be contacting all of the Mars family."

"Perchè, Zio Clive?" Harry asked.

"The others ran away when they saw the Mark. They did not want to be caught. However, someone did make the Mark appear, and that could be the work of a zealot. Such people are dangerous." Clive explained.

"I should be going. The Malfoys are probably wondering where I had gone off too." Sloane said. He turned to leave, but Clive offered to walk him to his tent.

"What was he saying?" Ron asked. It was only then did Harry realized that he had been talking to Uncle Clive in Italian.

"It's nothing, Ron. Family business." Harry said.

Sloane left Uncle Clive at the entrance of Lucius' tent. He walked in, bravely, and faced them. He knew what they had been up to.

"We are disappointed that you ran off, Sloane. What if someone had hurt you?" Lucius said.

"Sorry, Mr. Malfoy. I heard the commotion and went to investigate. It won't happen again." Sloane said.

He walked up the stairs to Draco's room. Draco was already curled under the covers, but Sloane could tell by his breathing that he wasn't asleep.

"Sloane?" Draco's soft voice drifted up from the dark. Sloane paused in removing his pants.

"Yes?"

"Why did you run off to protect Granger?"

Sloane blinked in the dark as he slid on his pajama bottoms. "Well, because her life could have been in danger. If it were reversed, and it was your life in danger, I would have protected you."

Draco turned over in his bed to stare at Sloane's silhouette. "You mean that? You'd protect me?"

"Draco, you're one of the few people outside of my family that I'd risk my life for."

Draco smiled and watched as Sloane slid beneath the sheets in his own bed. It was nice, knowing that there was someone who would risk their life for him.

Outside the door, Lucius Malfoy smiled at the exchange.

Sloane stayed the rest of the summer with the Malfoys. He kept well out of Mrs. Malfoy's way, not liking the way the woman would glare at him. Draco seemed to have picked up on it, and would warn Sloane if his mom was anywhere in the area. Sloane was actually looking forward to Hogwarts this year, and it wasn't because he and Draco would now be in the same house. No, he would be relieved to get away from Draco's parents.

While Mrs. Malfoy hated Sloane, it seemed as if Lucius dotted on him. Sloane had caught Lucius Malfoy watching him with a calculating look in his eyes. It sent shivers up his spine, as if Lucius was planning far in the future and Sloane was going to a part of those plans whether he wanted to or not.

Tori Mars sent Sloane his school supplies and a few extra rolls of parchment and some new quills. She wrote to tell him that she had also sent Harry his wand holster and if she ever heard of either of them forgetting it again, she'd sew the holster onto their arms. Sloane laughed off the threat, knowing that his mom was angry and worried over their safety.

The day of the train ride back to Hogwarts was rainy and miserable. Lucius had gotten a car from the Ministry to take the boys to the train station, complete with a driver. Lucius let it slip that Fudge was angered over the events at the World Cup, and had refused to allow Arthur Weasley to borrow a car to drive his brood to the train station.

"How will they get to the train station, then? Floo?" Sloane asked.

"I really don't care how they get there." Lucius said. "I'm sure Arthur will find a way. He might even have another car that he's been tinkering with hidden away."

On the train, Crabbe and Goyle, Draco's unofficial bodyguards, joined them in their compartment. Neither boy had gone to the World Cup, and wanted to hear all about it from Draco. Sloane sat back and let Draco tell the two thugs everything.

"We also saw students from other magical schools there." Draco said. "Including Durmstrang. Father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang, you know. He knows the headmaster and you all know his opinion of Dumbledore. Mother didn't want me to go to a school so far away, but Father says that Durmstrang is far more sensible in its education of the Dark Arts then Hogwarts. They actually teach Dark Arts, not just this defense rubbish."

"You should spend the summer with my family, Draco." Sloane said. "Mom has Harry and I training on both defense and Dark Arts each summer. That's why I had so much reading to do. Since I couldn't practice, that is."

This seemed to peak Draco's interest. "Potter knows Dark Arts?"

Sloane shrugged. "Yea. We've been training since we were young. Once mom hears about the Dark Mark from Zio Clive, then our training will intensify." Seeing Draco's interest, Sloane quickly admended what he was saying. "I mean, we were taught how to block and stuff, things that every wizard should know in the wake of the War."

"How much does Potter know?"

Sloane leaned back, thinking. "I think, when we started Hogwarts, we knew a lot of the spells we would be taught in Seventh Year Advanced Defense. Mom said that my father also knew a lot about the Dark Arts, so his family must have trained him as well."

"Why is she training you?"

"In case we need to know. I mean, look at how much trouble Harry gets into. If anyone needs to know how to defend themselves, it's Harry." Sloane paused, "Of course, he should also learn how to stay out of trouble in the first place."

It was hard to tell someone outside of the family about the training. Sloane had been raised in the Mars family. To be trained the basics of magic was just something that was done. If Sloane or Harry had been born a Squib, a non-magical person born of magical parents, then they would have been trained in physical defense and theory of magic. Even a Squib had a place in the Mars family. What Sloane and Harry took for normal, they found out was extraordinary. No other magical family trained their children the way the Mars family did.

Draco smiled and continued to question Sloane about everything from his home life to the occupations offered in the Mars Family. Sloane answered what he could, trying to keep some mystery of his family alive. An hour of questions later, Sloane held up his hand, motioning for Draco to be still.

"What?" Draco whispered, but then he heard it. Voices, from the compartment next to theirs.

"It was," Ron's voice drifted in through the open door. "Look at this, Neville -"

"Oh wow!" Neville's voice sounded, awed by whatever Ron had shown him. Draco had an evil smile on his face as he motioned for Crabbe and Goyle to follow him. Sloane sighed, not wanting to get mixed up in the fight that would take place.

"We saw him right up close as well," Ron gushed. "We were in the Top Box!"

"For the first and last time in your life, Weasley." Draco drawled.

"I don't recall asking you to join us, Malfoy." Harry's voice sounded. "This is a private conversation. Please leave."

Sloane smiled, giving his brother points for being so polite. It was something that they had learned from Tori - how to be polite while telling someone you hate to get lost. Tori had a way of insulting people in a way that left them wondering if they had really been insulted.

"Weasley, what is that?" Draco asked, astonished. There were the sounds of a slight scuffle in the compartment next door, and then Draco's triumphant voice sounded. "Look at this! Weasley, you couldn't be thinking of wearing this? I mean, they were fashionable in the eighteen hundreds!"

"Eat dung, Malfoy!" was Ron's brilliant come back. Sloane rolled his eyes. Ron would never win a battle of wits against Draco. He'd have better luck against Crabbe or Goyle.

"So, going to enter, Weasley? Going for the glory? It's a lot of money involved, you know. You could get some decent robes." Draco said.

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked.

Sloane grinned. He knew what Draco was talking about. Lucius had told him all about the big secret of the year. He listened as Draco taunted Ron about his lack of knowledge. At least, Harry hadn't risen to the bait and begged Draco to explain himself.

Sloane stood, picking up a small package he had brought on board with him. He left the compartment as Draco returned, laughing. Draco let Sloane pass and returned to his seat.

Sloane stood in front of Harry's compartment in time to see Ron slam the door shut, shattering the glass. "Uh, bad timing?"

"Always," Harry said, waving his wand and repairing the glass wordlessly. Sloane entered, ignoring the dirty look he was getting from Ron.

"I forgot to give you your birthday gift." Sloane said, handing the package to Harry. "I meant to give it to you at the World Cup, but you know what happened."

"You couldn't just owl it to him?" Ron sneered.

"I was worried you'd use the poor owl as target practice," Sloane said, the disgust for Ron evident in his voice. "Or eat it."

"Sloane," Harry cautioned. When Sloane backed down, he opened his gift. It was a magically altered personal CD player and a few CDs of Harry's favorite bands. All Muggle, of course. Harry had never heard of any witch or wizard bands putting out a CD.

"Thanks, Sloane! This is great." Harry exclaimed. He then dug into his trunk and pulled out an envelope. "Here's your birthday gift!"

Sloane took the envelope and opened it. "Wow! A year's subscription to Playboy!"

"What!" Harry looked shocked.

"Got ya!" Sloane chuckled. "A year's subscription to Potions Weekly and The Brewer's Journal. Thanks Harry."

Harry smiled. "Don't kid like that, Sloane. I nearly had a heart attack."

Sloane smiled, giving his brother a hug. "Sorry, bro."

He turned to leave and then looked back. "Remember your promise this year, OK?"

Harry nodded.

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A/N: Ok, yes, this is going slightly by the books. I wrote these stories (Y1-Y5) in the course of three months. As I'm putting them up, I'm rewriting them. Any suggestions would be welcomed. I'm going to show more of Slytherian this year because of Sloane, so, really, only the first few chapters are by the book and then we have fun.