Disclaimer: I own nothing, yadayadyada….so ya lawyers! Shoo! Shoo!
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Chapter 2 – Brave New World
As the 11-year old body of a 21 year old warrior named Harry Potter entered the Gryffindor Common room for the first time in this alternate world, a group of familiar faces converged on him.
"HARRY" Bellowed a frantic Hermione, "Are you alright? We were so worried when you hit the ground! What did Madam Pomfrey say? Is there any serious injury?"
"You just had to fly into the ground instead of in the air, didn't you mate?" Said a smirking Ron, obviously happy to see his best friend alright
"Perhaps you should train a bit more in the flying part of seeking Harry, it helps to be in the air you know" Said Neville amidst gales of laughter "You are lucky Pomfrey let you out, when I got injured on Sunday, she wouldn't let me out of her claws, no matter how well I felt".
For a moment, an expression of shock and sadness went through Harry's features, before he schooled his face into the expressionless face that he had become so accustomed to during the war.
'So many dead people …I did not expect that it would be so hard to see them all again…I can't take all the memories' Inside, Harry's heart was aching from the sudden flood of memories from the war. On the outside, he kept the mask which would have made Salazar Slytherin himself impressed.
His friends noticed that, for they were now looking at him in confusion.
"You…alright mate?" asked Ron.
'Damn…need to watch my behaviour over here…I am not exactly a seasoned veteran anymore…I just hope no-one tries to wake me up at night.'
"Sorry Ron, I'm fine, just had a little headache there for a moment. Flying into the ground is not on my top 5 of activities" He said, transforming his expression to that of a tired schoolboy without breaking a sweat
"Good to see you're alright Harry" said Ron "Up for a game of Chess?"
"Yes, watch Harry lose to our great chess master one more time" Said Neville getting up "I'm glad you're alright Harry, I'll see you in an hour or so, I have to finish an essay for that slimy git that calls himself a potions teacher"
'Yep, Neville's definitely different' mused Harry, moving towards some chairs to play with Ron. 'Now to show Mr Chessmaster just what you can pick up in 10 years'
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Several hours and chess games later, which were not interrupted even to go for dinner, (eventually brought to them by an impatient Hermione), a furious and still hungry Ron banged the chessboard as his king fell, for the 10th time in a row that day.
"What the hell is going on?" He said "How can you beat me? And ten times too?"
Most of the first years that had gathered nearby to watch the historic event of Ron Weasley losing at chess snickered.
"I guess it is just my natural talent shining through Ron" Said an elated Harry, proud to have beaten Ron for the first time in either dimension. "It was only a matter of time before I would beat you, and I guess that I had to win a lot to make up for a year of losses"
Ron just went lay back into the chair "You don't understand Harry, chess is supposed to be MY area, no-one is supposed to beat me at chess, just like no-one is supposed to beat the twins at pranks"
"Don't worry Ron, you are still an excellent chess player, and you will only get better if you have someone to challenge you. And besides, while the Gred and Forge are excellent at pranks, they wouldn't stand up against my father, the Great Prongs, and his group of marauders. He holds the record for most detentions and most points deducted, ever."
Ron just sulked further while the other first years looked mildly interested in the information, but were more focused on Neville, who had started commenting on how nothing will ever be the same again, now that Ron lost in chess 'He doesn't know how close to the truth he is' thought Harry.
Just then the twins approached him and dragged him to a secluded corner of the common room, with looks of awe on their faces.
"Your father was"
"The one and only"
"The great"
"The magnificent"
"Prongs?"
"Yep, Prongs, Padfoot, Moony and Wormtail, they made quite the group didn't they?" he answered, inwardly seething at the mention of Pettigrew's name. 'Which reminds me…I need to capture Scabbers and free Sirius'
"Bugger Harry"
"They are legends they are"
"Our heroes"
"Our inspiration"
"Great people inspiring every new generation of pranksters"
"You heard of them?" asked Harry, thinking of perhaps getting the map earlier than last time, if he could.
"Heard of them?"
"We practically adore them!"
"You see Harry"
"Back in our first year"
"When we were young and innocent"
Harry scoffed at this. "Innocent?"
"Well, more so than now"
"Yes, well anyway, we had the misfortune of being taken to Flitch's office"
"Long story short, we managed to"
"Borrow a certain artefact"
"That belonged to that great father of yours"
'Now's my chance' "You found the Marauder's map?" Asked Harry, feigning a look of total surprise.
The twin's jaws dropped
"You know about the map? But….How?"
"Ahh, a good wizard never reveals his secrets, didn't you know that Forge?"
"How did you recognize who I am?"
"Yeah, even Mum has difficulty telling us apart"
Harry just grinned and walked away, thinking about how he could get the map at a later date. He prepared to go up to his dormitory, when Hermione screeched at him
"Harry! You can't leave yet! You have to practice transfiguration for McGonagall! You had real trouble with it in class!"
"Ahhh, and what exactly should I transfigure Mione?"
"Turn piece of wood into a Quill, you know that Harry! Your wood barely became a little sharper in class. And since when do you call me Mione?"
Harry said nothing and pointed his wand at some nearby pieces of wood that Hermione had set aside for practising. Without saying anything, he waved his wand and they all turned into elegant golden quills. He turned back to Hermione and found that her jaw had dropped to the floor. Everyone who had noticed what he did stared at him in surprise and awe as well.
"I think I'll be just fine in class tomorrow, now if you will excuse me, I'm going to bed." 'I really shouldn't be showing off like this…but it is so much fun…and this will teach them that I am not going to be a bystander in this war'
As he sat in his bed, he started wondering about this new world. 'I will have to go after the Hoxcruxes again. It is a good thing I know where they are now…though I will have to wait until the old tosser comes back, because their hiding spots are sealed when he does not have a body… though he won't get one if I capture Scabbers…' Then, he froze. He couldn't remember Ron having a pet in this dimension.
'Where is Pettigrew? And for that matter, where is Sirius? He didn't raise me…so is he in Azkaban here too? Or is he dead?'
He resolved to have a talk with Dumbledore in the future about this. Yawning, he fell asleep in a bed he had not been in for 10 years.
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Harry woke up at dawn, a habit he had picked up during the war. Groaning, he looked around at the still sleeping figures of the people around him. Thinking about what he should do, he decided to go for a run outside. 'After all, I should be getting this body into shape. Quidditch helps, but I can be so much more if I start now. Perhaps I should visit the Room of Requirement Later and see if I can get some duelling practice in there'
He ran past the empty common room and the silent halls, going out in the sunny day and beginning his rounds around the lake. He had barely gone around once when he started panting 'Damn, I forgot just how weak an eleven year-old's body can be' He decided to rest and then do some flexibility exercises he learnt from Mad-Eye.
Above him, an elderly Headmaster watched the boy from a window. He was immensely surprised when he started performing exercises normally used in Auror school and by top duellists to get into shape and keep themselves fit. He walked away from the window to get ready for breakfast, putting the boy in the back of his mind, as he thought about the wards around the stone.
Meanwhile, Harry, having finished with his exercises, went into the Great Hall, where many students were already munching at their breakfast, many of them still bleary-eyed. He walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down between Ron and Hermione. He put some food on his plate, noticing that they were casting him furtive looks. He decided not to comment until they said something.
"Uhh…mate…" Started Ron
"Harry, how did you do all that?" interrupted Hermione.
Harry sat back and drank some pumpkin juice. Then he wiped his mouth and put his glass down. He slowly turned towards Hermione and asked:
"Do all of what exactly?"
"Transfigure all those pieces wood at the same time! Without speaking! and into gold too!" She responded frantically.
"Yea mate, and beating me in chess 10 times, as well as gaining the awe of the twins." Added Ron.
"As I told Fred and George, a good wizard never reveals his secrets" He responded, turning back towards his breakfast.
"Harry! We're your friends!" Said Ron.
"You are, but that does not mean I cannot keep some secrets. If you must know, it is all a matter of natural talent coupled with hard work."
"But Harry! How could you possibly do it? It is not supposed to be possible at our age! Multiple Non-Verbal Transfiguration involving precious metals like gold can only be done by very powerful wizards!" Said Hermione in one breath.
Harry grinned. "Exactly Mione, so I guess that shows that I am a very powerful wizard, right?"
"But , But…" she stammered
"Mate, where were you this morning? Your bed was empty." Said Ron
"I was having a run out in the grounds. It can help with Quidditch, and it also gets me into better duelling form" Answered Harry.
"Duelling? What on earth would you be duelling for Harry?" Cut in Hermione.
"It is about later in life. It could turn out to be useful. Now, if your interrogation is over, I would like to eat my breakfast thank you very much" Snapped Harry.
They remained quiet after that, but he could tell they were not satisfied. He finished his food quickly and got up for his next lesson, Potions with Snape.
'I sure hope that idiot tries to pick on me. I need some fun today'
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Snape billowed into the classroom in his usual menacing mood "Today we shall be brewing a simple weak headache relief potion. Though I am sure most of you dunderheads will be unable to do even that." He cast Harry an evil glance as he said this. "Instructions are on the board, BEGIN"
Harry knew this potion by heart, having brewed it countless times both at Hogwarts and after he left. It was after all a first year potion, and he had a 21 year old mind. He quickly collected the ingredients and started to brew as if he was in a trance. Hermione and Ron looked at him surprised, as he moved with years of careful practice.
Harry then felt a legilimency probe. It seems Snape had noticed the ease with which he moved and decided to investigate further. 'It's time for some fun' He concentrated his occlumency shields, then suddenly slammed them to full strength, making the attack rebound and cause a serious headache for Snape.
"OWW" Cried Snape
The class all stared at him, but they were too scared to comment.
"What are you staring at?" He snarled angrily "Get back to your Potions!"
Harry looked directly into his professor's eyes and smirked. Snape looked a mixture between confused, scared and extremely angry. Harry smirked and poured the final ingredients into his potion, and began stirring it as required. Snape walked next to him and shouted
"Potter you dunderhead, the potion requires only clockwise steering, not anti-clockwise! You ruined it!"
Paying no attention to him, Harry continued stirring as before
"Are you listening to me Potter? The potion is supposed to turn from blue to emerald, yours will never do that if you keep on like that"
'Time for some fun' Thought Harry. He stopped stirring, looked into his proffesor's eyes, and while pointing at his potion he said "Emerald Green comes about…NOW."Just then, the potion turned emerald. Harry smirked at the professor that now looked livid.
"The potion seems to have turned from blue to emerald to me sir" He said, managing to make sir sound as if it was an insult.
Snape gaped like a fish for a few moments until he finally gathered his wits.
"5 points from Gryffindor for not following orders, 5 for disrespect and another 5 for cheating!" He bellowed.
"Cheating professor? Now, can you prove that? The instructions you gave are not the only way to brew that potion as you very well know, sir. But then again, you are such a greasy git, I would be surprised if you knew anything at all"
"20 points for cheek! Detention on Sunday at 8 pm. NOW GET OUT!"
Inwardly laughing, Harry collected his materials and left potions class in a great mood. Everybody else was staring at him with their jaws open.
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After class, Ron, Hermione and Neville approached him
"Wow mate" Said Ron looking at him with reverence "You said it damn straight to Snape"
"Yeah Harry, you really showed him back there" Said an enthusiastic Neville.
"You shouldn't have done that Harry" Said Hermione, going into bossy mode "Professor Snape is our teacher and deserves our respect and…"
"Hermione, that greasy git deserves no respect whatsoever!" Interrupted Ron
"Ronald! Watch your language! You need to have respect for the teachers of this school…"
"Ooooh, is the know-it-all displaying what a know-it-all she is?" Came an arrogant voice from behind them
Harry spun around fast, his wand in his grip and pointing at a pale face before it could blink.
"Malfoy" He hissed, hate evident in his voice.
"Potter, what's wrong? Crying over you muggle-loving filth of parents? Couldn't take potions so you decided to cheat?" Sneered Malfoy.
'Oh, I know what to do now' Thought Harry.
"Tell me Malfoy, has anyone ever told you that you look like a ferret?"
"Who do you think you are Pott.."
"Because I say that not only do you look like one, but you are one!" With those words, Harry jabbed his wand at Malfoy, turning into the same ferret the fake Moody had turned him in his fourth year.
"Behold! Its Malfoy! The amazing Bouncing Ferret!" 'Merlin, being a child once more is fun, though I will not be able to go around like this for much longer' The Gryffindors around him collapsed in gales of laughter.
"MR POTTER! What are you doing?" Bellowed a furious McGonagall, running to the scene.
"Giving a lesson in attitude."
"A lesson in att….IS THAT A STUDENT?"
"Yep, Malfoy decided it would be wise to attack me" His friends looked surprised at him for lying, but said nothing about it.
"Change him back this instant Mr Potter."
"Certainly" He waived his wand at the ferret, changing him back and at the same time casting a charm that interfered with thoughts of a person, temporarily making them more aggressive and violent.
As soon as Malfoy turned back, he pulled out his wand and started throwing hexes at Harry, but the latter merely waved his wand and Malfoy was sent slamming into a wall, falling unconscious.
"See what I mean Professor? Such hostility and attitude problems, he really needs somebody to teach him how to behave."
McGonagall gaped at his display of non-verbal magic, but gathered her wits together.
"10 points from Gryffindor and detention for fighting in the hallways. Please move along now. Mr Potter."
Harry left, followed by his still laughing but amazed friends and an exasperated Hermione.
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