Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from the Harry Potter books and/or movies is not mine.

A/N: 'Kay, I updated. S'all I have to say at the moment, besides thanks to all who reviewed for my last chapter.

Iron Butterflies

By:xScenex
a.k.a. Min

Chapter Three

Harry Potter was not like himself anymore. No, not one bit.

He looked different, spoke different, and overall -- he was different.

I am a new man.

"Hey, Vincent, how long will it be until you get back?" a man asked another thin man who had begun walking towards the exit of a large brick building surrounded by dark green lawns.

"I don't know, Steven. I think I might take him out for a few things before ve come back," the other replied in a soft, German accent with a wave of his hand. "I'll see you later."

With that, the man walked out of the door.

This man, known as Vincent Evans, was not really who he appeared to be mentally. In truth, he was just a twenty-three year old man in a twenty-five year old body.

Seriously.

Because Vincent Evans was really Harry Potter of another time.

After getting sent back in time through a spell that he performed poorly, he was now stuck in the body of a man once named Anderson Jenkins -- a street thug who originated in Germany and lived his life by mugging people on the streets. But Harry couldn't very well go about with a reputation like that.

So he had decided to make changes to the body he was in. He had trimmed his hair a bit, so that it framed his slender face, and flared out a bit near the back in messy way. He hadn't been in the sun so much, so the tan he had once adorned was beginning to fade, but his new body's skin was naturally dark, so he wouldn't become too pale. After the few minor changes to his body, he had went about and changed paperwork on himself.

The only way to do that without causing suspicion was to feign amnesia. The story went that he had been in a car accident and after that, he remembered almost nothing of his life, except that his name was Vincent Evans. It was hard to convince authorities of that, as there were originally no papers of his existence, but with a bit of accidental magic and Slytherin cunning, he got by.

All in all had taken Harry two years to get his name completely cleared and change his name to one that would actually suit him. Not to mention that it worked very well with the plan he had in mind. It also helped that Anderson had been an orphan with unknown parents or relatives.

Even more easier than that, was to convince Petunia Dursley that he was a cousin on her fathers side, but then came the hard part.

Harry -- or Vincent as he will be called -- had spoken to Petunia about little Harry. He attempted to sway her so that she would allow him to adopt the boy, but the woman was nervous and confused about what to do because of Dumbledore's earlier orders for the boy to say there.

Vincent wasn't surprised at her reaction -- no one wanted to mess with Dumbledore. But after his constant offers and begs, she decided to hand over the young Potter to the man she thought to be her cousin.

The plan he had in mind was to get Harry in his custody so that he could raise him right. He would prepare the boy for the real world - or as close to it as he could, as he was supposedly a muggle. He would tell the boy that his parents had actually been murdered, instead of killed in a car accident, but wouldn't tell him by whom. That would have to wait.

He wouldn't allow the boy to know about magic, but he wouldn't discourage the idea like his aunt and uncle had done. The younger Harry was going to live life this time, and not hide behind lies.

So now, Vincent was on his way to the Dursley's home to pick up his younger self from the hellhole he remembered to be his 'home'. Driving a black SUV, he turned down the road that led to Privet Drive.

To be honest, he was nervous about meeting his younger self. No matter how many times he went over the whole thing in his head, he just couldn't feel at ease by raising himself. Not that it was a bad feeling - it was just an awkward one. How was he supposed to treat himself? How could he prove himself to himself so that the boy would trust him? .. It was all confusing.

Sighing inwardly, Vincent pulled up to the house with a number four on the front door. It was just as he remembered with it's green lawn, neatly trimmed flower bushes, the same paintjob and curtains in the windows. He had never thought he'd have to see Privet Drive again after his graduation.

He parked the SUV in the driveway and got out, allowing himself to take a deep breath. He needed to calm his nerves down. Smoothing down his shirt, he began walking up the walkway and up to the door. He knocked softly, but loud enough to be heard and waited.

A few seconds later, he heard shuffling coming from down the hallway. The door was soon opened and the bony, thin face of his Aunt appeared in the crack.

"Guten Tag, Petunia," Vincent greeted with a small smile on his face.

The woman's face scrunched up in slight confusion at his accent and words, but none the less nodded and ushered him inside, leading him into the kitchen.

"Would you like some tea?" she offered stiffly.

Taking a seat at the table, he replied, "That vould be nice."

After some silence, the two of them were sitting at the table with their tea, lightly chatting. Vincent listened to his Aunt chatter on about her 'precious Duddikin' and how perfect he supposedly was. It took all of his will to keep himself from snorting at her descriptions of the boy.

After a quarter of an hour, he got tired of her rambling and asked, "So, Petunia, how is Harry? I have yet to meet the Junge. Vat is he like?"

Scowling lightly, she said, "Oh, he's just a normal boy. A bit of a trouble-maker if you ask me."

Vincent grinned a bit, "All the more fun, ja?"

She stared at him, ignoring his last sentence all together. Shrugging, Vincent took a sip of his tea and looked around. He felt exceedingly odd, sitting at his Aunt's table and having tea with her. Years ago, he would have thought the idea to be ludicrous.

Not to mention, his Aunt seemed a bit… nicer than he was used to. Maybe it was the fact that she was in company of an adult that she had never actually met - or thought she hadn't anyway - and wanted to make an impression. He also had a slight feeling that anything out of the ordinary that she said about young Harry might be reported to authorities. She was so gullible.

Minutes passed in uncomfortable silence. Vincent shifted in his seat a bit and brushed a few strands of blonde hair out of his face. He glanced at the clock on the far side of the wall and noted that young Harry and Dudley would be home from school any time.

Almost on cue, the front door slammed open and he heard the unmistakable voice of Dudley shout, "MUM! I'M HOME!"

Smiling proudly, Petunia stood up just as Dudley sauntered into the kitchen while struggling to get his backpack off of his arms.

"MUM! I can't get it off!"

"Come here, Duddykin's, and mummy will help you."

The older man had to bite his bottom lip to keep himself from bursting out laughing as the large child flapped his arms helplessly and pouted. Luckily, another child walked into the kitchen about the same time and Vincent was able to turn his attention on the other boy.

The other boy was short, with messy black hair that covered his forehead and ears. He wore wire-rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, the glossy lenses hiding the bright green eyes that shown out against his pale complexion. The child looked smaller than he actually was, as he wore a shirt that was three sizes too big, and ridiculously baggy jeans that were folded at the bottom several times.

He watched as the small, raven-haired boy shot an annoyed look at Dudley, then an apprehensive look at Petunia, all going unnoticed except by Vincent. Then, getting down on his knee's, Harry pulled his bag off his shoulders and unzipped it. After a few moments of rummaging around in it, he pulled out a small, blue slip of paper and walked up to his Aunt.

"Uhm," he began, nervously shuffling his feet, "The teacher wanted me to give this to you. It's my report card," he stated while looking down.

Petunia glanced at Vincent and stiffly took the paper, all the while trying her hardest to smile at the boy. Harry looked up in time to catch the sour look on her face and that's when he realized that there was a guest with them.

"A-Aunt Petunia, I'm sorry! I didn't- I mean, I didn't see him in here! If I knew, I would've -"

Laughing, the older, blonde man stood up from his seat and walked over to Harry, interrupting him. He knew if he allowed the boy to continue ranting, he'd get upset. Alas, he knew all to well how the boy's emotions played out. Vincent himself was nervous still, but knew that if he didn't do something first, Harry might not trust him.

"Hallo. You must be Harry," he extended his hand out to the boy, who reached out and hesitantly shook hands. "I'm Vincent Evans - your Uncle."

At the confused look on Harry's face, Vincent stood up again and continued, "No doubt, you have no idea who I am. I don't think dear Petunia here knew about me until a few veeks ago."

Taking a seat again, he crossed his right leg over the other and leaned back against the chair. He breathed in heavily. "You know vhy I'm here, don't you Harry?"

The boy shook his head. Vincent had predicted as much. After shooting an unreadable look at the woman who stood nervously a yard away, he looked at Harry straight in the eyes. "I'm here to take you avay. You're coming to live vith me, Harry."

Green eyes widened and a large smile played across pale lips. Vincent smiled serenely at the look on his younger self's face. He knew that it was something amazing to the boy - he remembered quite well that he wanted a family member to come and take him away from the awful house he'd been dumped at.

"Live with you?" he questioned quietly.

Nodding, the blonde gestured around the kitchen slightly, "Yes, you vill live vith me- A few veeks ago, your aunt signed a paper that gave me custody over you. I figured you vould have known by now, but it's okay."

Petunia bit her lip and Vincent smirked. He loved making the woman who had tormented him when he was younger uneasy. "Now, if you vould get your stuff, Harry, ve vill be going."

The boy nodded excitedly and ran out of the room, his backpack forgotten. Vincent leaned over and picked the bag up, setting it down on the table. The blue report card lay on top of it, so he picked it up and read it.

He glanced at the grades printed in ink and scowled a bit. He remembered quite well that that was the year his grades had been better then Dudley's and had been punished for it. Luckily, things would turn out different this time around.

"So," Vincent said after silence had penetrated the entire room after Dudley had wandered off to play video-games. "Vhy vas it that you didn't tell the Junge about vhat vas going on?"

"I- well, it just never came up," Petunia replied slowly. "I couldn't just tell the boy."

"And vhy not? Vhouldn't it be simple to just sit him down and explain the situation to him?"

"Yes, well…" the woman hesitated, trying to find the right words. "I never thought of that."

Vincent pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment before waving her off. "Vat is done is done. No use is thinking anymore about it. Vhere is Harry's room? I vould very much like to check up on him."

"Upstairs - the second door on the left is his room," she said quietly.

Slightly amused, Vincent stood up. He found it odd that Harry still didn't live in the cupboard, but it actually made sense. His Aunt wouldn't want him to find the boy living under the cupboard under the stairs.

So, Vincent trudged upstairs and found the room that he had once lived in. Knocking lightly on the door and then crossing his slender arms across his chest, he waited until Harry opened the door.

He was greeted with a large smile and was childishly pulled inside of the small room. Looking around, he noted that the room was very empty.

"Vhere are all of your toys?" he asked, deciding to provide the roll of a parent now that he was the guardian of the child.

Looking a bit confused, Harry told him, "I never had any."

Vincen't eyebrows rose in questioning, but he knew that it was the truth. "And vhy is that?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders a bit and bounced over to his dressers to empty them out into a plastic trash-bag on his bed, "Because they're for Dudley."

Vincent didn't say anything to that, and instead walked over to where the child had hastily thrown things in the bag. He was actually a bit surprised that the boy hadn't asked more questions of why he was leaving. Maybe it was just excitement that he was leaving the Dursley's.

"Do you have any questions of vhere you're going, Junge?"

Harry turned around and cocked his head to the right, "Junge?"

"Ah," Vincent smiled a bit in amusement. "Pardon me, I get ahead of myself. You don't know German, as I forget often."

"German? Does that mean you live in Germany?" Harry asked excitedly.

"No, I used to, but not anymore. I live in London - actually, I live at a clinic that helps kids. You vill be staying there vith me."

Harry looked a bit confused by this. "With other kids? Why?"

Vincent lent forward, placing his elbows on his knees. He rested his chin against his hands and fixed Harry with a soft stare, "I vork at a place that helps abused children, or children who have problems."

"But why will I live there?" Harry asked, walking over to where Vincent sat. "Is there something wrong with me?"

The older man laughed loudly and sat up straight. "Nein, you are perfectly fine. It's just that since I live there, you vill live there too. You can be my assistant if you vant."

"Assistant?" Harry repeated, testing the word out on his tongue. He seemed to like it and grinned. "I'll help!"

"Great," the blonde smiled.

Harry giggled and Vincent sent him a questioning glance. Harry smiled broadly and announced, "You have a funny voice."

Vincent laughed and stood up, wrapping a slender arm around the boy's shoulders. "I can tell ve vill get along great."

After bidding Petunia farewell, Harry and Vincent piled into the SUV. Harry was excited to be leaving and going somewhere else, and it was obvious that the younger boy really admired the older man. Vincent couldn't seem to shake him off now, but he found that he liked the attention from his younger self.

After driving for about half an hour, Vincent glanced over at Harry and asked, "I think it is time for you to get some new clothing, ja?"

"Clothes?" Harry asked, his eyes wide.

"Ja," Vincent said again. "The ones you're veering don't suit you very well."

"But - you don't have to. I mean, you'd just be wasting money-"

"Nein, I vouldn't. I vant to buy you new clothes. I am, after all, your new guardian." The blonde grinned brightly. "And I'm in need of some new clothes as well."

Harry seemed a bit uncomfortable at the idea of shopping for himself, but deep down inside, Vincent knew he was pleased. Hell, even he had been pleased when someone had bought him something. The first time anyone ever had was when Hagrid bought Hedwig for him.

Soon after the small conversation, the two found themselves walking into the doors of a clothing store. The clerk greeted them with the usual false cheerfulness and asked them if they needed assistance, but Vincent waved her off.

He lead Harry over to the children's section and started to search for things he knew the boy would like. They would, of course, have the same taste - even though he now preferred the more mature clothing, and after a while, Harry and Vincent were both satisfied by the selection of clothing picked out for the boy.

The clothing consisted of several shirts, mostly dark green or black, a few of them red and one white. A few had logo's on them, while others were plain. He also purchased four pairs of blue jeans, a pair of children's slacks, and two pairs of shorts for the boy. Three jumper, a jacket, and four pairs of pajama's followed, along with socks and undergarments, and a pair of dress shoes and trainers.

Shortly after that, Vincent found a few shirts and pairs of pants to his own liking, and added it to Harry's stuff before going to pay for it all.

"How vould you like to get something to eat before ve head home, ja?" Vincent stated as they walked out of the store, hands full of bags.

"Really?" Harry asked, "I've never been out to eat before. I always just ate what was cooked at the Dursley's."

"Vell, things are going to change, now that you're living vith me," Vincent grinned and jerked his head slightly to the side, trying to get hair out of his face as the wind blew them about.

"Where are we going to eat?" Harry asked him as he put a few bags in the back seat.

"No vhere expensive - I can't stand rich food. I think something fast, simple, and decent vill do."

And so, after driving about a bit, Vincent found a nice fast-food restaurant and for the first time, Harry 'ate out' while the two of them talked and got to know each other a bit more.

For Harry, that day was a dream come true. For Vincent - that day was the beginning of a new future.

The sky was dark now, and the lot lights were shining through the windows of the vehicle. Vincent watched as Harry breathed in lightly in his slumber, his head resting against the passenger side window, a content smile playing against his lips.

He couldn't help it - Vincent smiled at the scene. He didn't really think of Harry as himself - to be honest, he really thought of him as just another individual. Throughout the day, the boy had grown on him, although he knew it was only because the boy was really himself.

But the way Harry looked up at him, hope and happiness shining in his eyes - no one had ever looked at him like that. Ever. It was something new to him, and he found that he liked it, as odd as it sounded.

He opened the door on his side of the car and got out, stretching slightly. His back hurt a bit from sitting for so long, but he shrugged it off. He walked over to the passenger side and opened the door slowly, waking Harry up in the process.

"Ve are home, Harry," he said gently. "I'll take you inside, and show you your room so that you can sleep."

The child nodded sleepily and attempted to rub the tiredness out of his eyes. He unbuckled himself and got out of the SUV, stumbling a bit. Smiling, Vincent bent over and picked the child up.

Despite his build, Vincent was quite strong. The other employee's that he worked with sometimes made fun of him because of his feminine looks. He didn't like them that much, and often wished that he had his old body back. He didn't like the fact that he looked like a girly boy.

The clinic's halls were deserted at that time of night, as most of the children and adults were settling in for bed or having 'T.V. time'. Vincent took Harry to his quarters located near the back of the building, right next to his.

The room was larger than the one he owned at the Dursley's, and was furnished much better than the other. The carpet was a cream color, and the walls were a light, powder blue. There was a twin bed in one corner next to the window, a dresser across from it, a bedside table and closet beside the bed, and a mirror near the door.

Overall, it was decent. Vincent pulled the covers back on the bed and lay Harry on it. The boy had fallen asleep again during the walk, and the older man couldn't help but smile once more. But the smile faded slightly when the thoughts of the future drifted into his mind.

He slipped the boys shoes off, and then tucked him in.

He only wished that life would be a lot simpler this time around then it had been the first time. He couldn't bare to go along with everything again - it would be just too much to handle.

A/N: Ah. Finally, I got a chapter up. I decided that I couldn't just wait until I finished SC to update and went ahead and posted a chapter. Just don't expect another one so soon, although I will try to get another one up within a week or two. I hate not updating - it makes me feel bad. But yes, I will do my best to keep this up to date and update more frequently. I'm getting close to finishing my SC story, so this will be updated a bit more, along with WATC. Also: it's been a while since I've updated this, as you know, and I'm sort of wary about what I've written in this chapter. I feel that I've left a lot out, so if you feel that it's incomplete, please tell me what you think is wrong with it and I'll deal with it to change it. - Min