Knowledge is Power

Disclaimer/Plot/Author's Note: SEE FIRST CHAPTER

Dedication: I'd like to dedicate this story to my many good friends and loyal fans: my recommended reads are Saviour of Magic by Colt01, For Love of Magic by Noodlehammer, Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality by Less Wrong, Partially Kissed Hero by Perfect Lionheart, Harry Potter and the Daft Morons and Angry Harry and the Seven by Sinyk, Harry Potter and the Prince of Slytherin by The Sinister Man, Harry Potter and the Rune Stone Path by Temporal Knight, A Study in Magic and A Study in Magic: The Application by Books of Change, Dark and Light by Pleasedial123 and Harry Potter: My Life Is My Own by Sashian

Pairings: Eventual Harmony; Others TBD

Normal Speech

'Thoughts'

/Parseltongue/

Review Answers:

Kalidin: Well, Ron and Hermione were caught outside the corridor, so they didn't meet Fluffy; as for the rest of the mystery, I don't actually know if I'm going to write it in because I'm enjoying writing this current year's AU too much, so all I'll say is keep reading to find out what I decide to do;

King of Sparta: There's a fine line between seeing your blood and being abused; after all, not every wound bleeds;

Tahkaullus01: Ah, but there may be more to it than you think: also, let's just say I intentionally used the Christmas Carol quote in there as a kind of link between what's happening and what's going to happen: confused? Keep reading to find out;

"What about you, Neville? Are you sure your Gran won't mind you spending the holidays in a Muggle household?"

"Compared to the thought of having to come up with an excuse to miss the Ministry Ball for the Chosen Few, you mean?" asked Neville, earning a shrug from Hermione before the young boy laughed;

"She'd be bloody delighted to know I've made plans."

Chapter 19: Christmas Demons

Why is snow white?

Snow is white because it's forgotten what colour it's supposed to be…

As weird as it was, Harrison found this thought coming to him as he watched the world pass him by on the train ride back to King's Cross Station.

Across from him, Neville and Hermione were already wrapped up warmly; the latter of the two was also dressed in a thick hat, scarf and gloves in Gryffindor colours while Neville just wore a pair of evergreen-coloured gloves, the rest of him warmed by his thick winter clothes and a small jar of bluebell-coloured flames Hermione had conjured for them just before they'd left Hogwarts.

As for Harrison, he was dressed in his Hogwarts robes, which he'd wrapped as tight as they'd go while he was also warmed by the flames in the jar.

Thankfully, he'd decided to leave Hedwig at Hogwarts while Loki was snoozing lightly in his carry-case, since it seemed that if anything was really going to calm the usually-stoic wizard, it was the black cat he had as a pet.

Neville and Hermione also seemed to be waiting on Harrison to say something…anything about what he was thinking while, at the same time, the brunette looked to her fellow Gryffindor before she asked, "So, I hope you don't mind, Neville, but because of size, Mum and Dad have asked that you and Harrison share the guest room."

"That's fine," agreed Neville, though he glanced warily towards Harrison, who seemed to be content watching the snow fall outside their window.

"Harrison?" asked Hermione.

"What he said," drawled Harrison, lifting a hand before he began carving shapes into the frost that had formed on the window.

To Neville's worry and Hermione's slight discomfort, Harrison drew a long, snake-like shape, which he surrounded with lightning bolts.

Below that, he also wrote the name of the curse that had given him the scar on his chest, underlining it twice before he stared at both images.

"Harrison," said Neville suddenly, swallowing down his unease as he asked, "Um, can't…can't you forget about that stuff for now? Please? If only for the holidays?"

"The holidays haven't begun," argued Harrison, taking a breath as he added, "In two nights' time, it's the Winter Solstice and then, four days later, the Yuletide occasion. Then is when I will switch off, at least until after the turning of the New Year; until then, I've got a mystery to solve, Neville."

As Neville opened his mouth to argue, however, Hermione cut him off as she shook her head before, directing her words to their last-minute holiday companion, she gulped as she asked, "Can you at least pretend to be excited about the holiday, Harrison? I mean, it's snowing outside: how often does a White Christmas come around for any part of the United Kingdom…well, with the exception of Scotland, but that's in the Highlands and the weather's unpredictable up there, so…"

"Now who can't switch off?" asked Harrison and it was only when they saw the edges of his lips twitching in amusement that Hermione realised she'd walked into another unexpected trap on Harrison's part, just as she had done when he'd told her he'd be happy to accept the invitation.

But just like then, the brunette couldn't help but wonder why, if not how Harrison was capable of being so cold and cavalier one minute and then he'd show the side of him that Neville and Hermione both hoped to see if and when Harrison finally decided he was ready to call them his friends as they called him theirs.

While Neville scoffed as he too saw the trap, Hermione rolled her eyes before she asked, "I mean it, Harrison; can't you pretend to be happy about this? I mean, we won't have to put up with bias or trouble or even Professor Snape or Malfoy, so…"

The words were no sooner out of her mouth before the door opened, revealing the blonde student Hermione had just named, much to Harrison's obvious discontent as he told her, "You had to jinx it, didn't you?"

While Hermione turned red, Harrison sighed softly before he looked to Draco with a bored expression as he asked, "So, what can we do for you, Malfoy? Or are you just here to offer Yuletide greetings to those who didn't ask for them?"

"I want you to know something," insisted Malfoy, earning a sideways look from Harrison as he told him firmly, "You might have been able to cheat my Father into owing you a debt, Potter, but this thing between you and me is far from over!"

"I see," drawled Harrison, sniffing once before he coughed as he pulled himself up from his seat, drawing himself to his full height before he looked to Malfoy, though not before he massaged the spot where his Sectumsempra scar was located, as he added, "In that case, Malfoy, let's go and find the nearest toilet: if we're going to keep up this pissing contest, we wouldn't want to make a mess of the train now, would we?"

As Malfoy fumed, Harrison took a step forwards before he squared up to the blonde, just as he had done when he'd gone into whatever trance-like state he'd gone into as he told him, "If we weren't on the way back to London during a time of goodwill to all men…and boys…I might think twice about this, considering what you put me through, Draco!"

"You will call me…"

"I will call you whatever I choose to call you because you're hardly worth my time…let alone worthy of the name you have, Dragon Boy," sneered Harrison, his green eyes turning cold in their sockets as he went on, "So listen up, because this is the one and only time I am going to give you this chance, so I suggest you listen and listen good."

To both Neville and Hermione's worry, Harrison actually slammed his hands against either side of the doorframe while he drew himself to his full height as he leered at Draco while he told him, "You want to engage in a battle of wits with me? Fine, but, right now, in light of what you did to me thanks to your impotent, juvenile prick of a Potions Master and Head of House wanting to stick the knife in deeper than was necessary, I'm going to give you an early Christmas Present."

Here, Harrison took a step back before he gestured towards the corridor outside as he explained, "A free pass…and make no mistakes, Malfoy: you and me, we're never going to be friends, not that I need any who don't see me as such, if only to themselves."

A faint smile danced over Hermione's lips as she heard this.

Maybe Harrison wasn't quite as ice-cold or closed-off as they'd feared.

"As I was saying," continued Harrison, folding his arms in a confident, but definitely-defensive manner now as he went on, "We're never going to be friends, Malfoy, but we need not be enemies. Our quarrel could have ended there and then on the Duelling Field: I made you yield and you made me bleed, so we've both accomplished our goals. Therefore, consider this your one and only chance, Draco Malfoy: stick to your strutting about like Percy Weasley's younger clone and trying to entertain your yes-men…because if you choose to make an enemy of me, I promise you: one way or another, I will find out what I did in our duel and, the next time you cross swords with me, I will let it finish you off!"

As Draco's eyes widened and his nostrils flared in outrage, Harrison smirked as he added, "As for your Father's debt to me, tell him this from me: I am holding onto it very securely until the opportunity to cash it in comes around. Should he honour the agreement, our business will be settled and we may go our separate ways, but if not…well, I doubt Magic likes being cheated any more than I do…and you've also seen I don't yield, not even to injuries that would fell mortal men much older and stronger than I, so what would it achieve except boring me and making you look like an even bigger fool than you already have done this year?"

With that, he took hold of the door handle before he added in a final shot, "Your ego or your future, Draco Malfoy…your choice!"

With nothing else left to say, Harrison closed the door, turning his back on the world beyond as he heaved a sigh before he looked to an awestruck Neville and a curious, but slightly-concerned Hermione. "And you wonder why I wasn't saying anything about leaving school over the holidays: well, there's your answer."

As Harrison made his way back to his seat, Neville gulped before he asked, "Do you think Malfoy will make the right choice?"

"Do dogs mate with cats?"

Suffice to say, the response definitely surprised Neville and Hermione, though not as much as what Harrison said next as he looked to Hermione as he told her, "All right, Hermione…for the sake of those who see me as their friend, I'll pretend to enjoy myself, but just remember: I don't like being touched, I won't talk about anything I don't want to and I definitely won't pretend to enjoy the sight of family. I lost that idea a long time ago, so you'll forgive me if I decide to spend the start of Christmas Day alone while you open your gifts with your parents."

Hermione didn't like the way Harrison still chose isolation over companionship, but compared to the thought of staring down the sleeping dragon she'd seen more than a few times already, it was a fair trade.

And besides, if there was one thing she'd gotten by now, it was that, where Harrison was concerned, there was no such thing as normal…

Knowledge is Power

Hermione's parents were known as Dr and Mrs Daniel and Emma Granger and to look at them, Harrison could certainly see the resemblances between them.

Daniel had the same proud, well-defined facial structure as Hermione as well as the ever-present light that shone in the girl's brown eyes, though his were a much-brighter shade of hazel and he had a lighter, golden-blonde hair colour. Emma Granger, on the other hand, had Hermione's dark, wild hairstyle as well as warm, but observant brown eyes that helped show off her love of knowledge and interest in the thoughts and feelings of others, which bordered on an empathic trait, but Harrison didn't say that aloud.

Instead, he politely and firmly shook hands – out of formality, nothing else – with the two Grangers while he also opted to keep his magically-enhanced suitcase close to him rather than sticking it in the boot with Hermione and Neville's things.

To his mild amusement, Emma seemed to fawn over Loki in a way that had Hermione revealing how her Mother was a bit of a cat person while her Dad preferred dogs, though both of them were surprisingly-compatible – again, a thought Harrison didn't say aloud.

After leaving King's Cross, which also earned Neville his first taste of Muggle transport, the group travelled together to the Grangers' home in the town of Crawley, which was already well-stocked with the signs of Christmas and the air of Muggle life. When they pulled into the detached house that the Grangers called home, Harrison had to show an air of impressed emotion at how normal it all looked, though as he stood outside the front door, his blood turned colder than cold when he realised something he didn't really take note of before.

He knew this house!

Trying to maintain the polite air he'd shown since meeting the Grangers, Harrison asked coolly, "Doctor Granger?"

"Feel free to call me Daniel if you want to, Harrison," said Daniel, his voice edged by a light Australian lilt that only added to the unique air he gave off when you first met him.

"Doctor Granger," repeated Harrison, earning a wary, unnerved look from Hermione as well as Emma, at the hardened tone in his voice, but when Daniel took note of it, he also saw his daughter give him a warning look, urging him to carry on as if nothing had happened while Harrison asked him, "How long have you lived in this house?"

"This house? Well…actually, it'd be a little over a year," replied Daniel, gulping hard as he looked to the house with an air of fondness as he explained, "It was before we learned about Hermione's gifts, actually; we'd decided to relocate out of the big city where we lived up in Liverpool and we found this quiet corner of normality. Actually, now I think about it, we also got a good deal on the house because it was a seized property that used to belong to some high-ranked official who was arrested for tax evasion."

"That's what I was afraid you'd say," said Harrison, taking a deep shuddering breath before he looked to the Grangers as he explained, "The ones who owned this house before you; they were called the Millers."

"That…that's right," said Emma, a note of unease in her voice that matched the look on her daughter's face, "How…how did you know?"

As Hermione looked at her friend, she saw his dark look and the tension in his posture.

When she saw this, her eyes widened as she remembered something Harrison had once said in his rage.

Flashback Start

"I told you, Hermione…I tried being a normal kid and all I got was hurt; I also told you I took on mind games and attempts to tug on my heartstrings like one's playing a violin and yet, despite all that happened afterwards, I'm still standing."

Flashback End

As she looked from her friend to the house, Hermione let out a gasp as the Knut dropped before she looked back to Harrison, though not without fearing what she might hear as she asked him, "Harrison…did you…is this…"

"The place where normal was stripped from me," said Harrison, looking now to Hermione as he added in a cold, unwavering tone, "I guess I should have asked you where you lived before we got here."

While Hermione felt her heart freeze with fear, Neville looked to the Grangers as Daniel asked them, "I'm sorry; are we missing something here?"

"More than you know, sir," answered Neville, a note of fear in his voice as he looked back to Harrison before he told him, "Even if you want to, you can't go back now, Harrison: the train won't go back to school until the first day after the holidays."

"I know," said Harrison, letting out a shuddering breath before, biting his lip so hard that he actually drew blood, he closed his eyes, screwing them tightly shut in a way that both confused and alarmed the Grangers.

As Emma moved to try and offer help, however, she was stopped by Hermione, who shook her head as she told her Mother, "Don't touch him: he doesn't like being touched by anyone he doesn't trust…just let him have this."

"But…" Emma began, but before she could finish, she gasped, as did Neville and Hermione, when Harrison opened his eyes and, looking at them, he spoke with a much less-cavalier tone as he even smiled at them before indicating the house.

"Well, what are we waiting for? A taxi? Let's go and get the decorating started!"

While Daniel and Emma were surprised by the sudden change in their house guest, Hermione and Neville shared a worried look before the male Gryffindor drew in a sharp breath as he seemed to realise what was going on;

"Pretend to be happy about the holidays…great idea, Hermione…"

Chapter 19 and, uh oh, talk about a tense situation: Harrison's come back to a place he never wanted to see again, but can he keep up the façade of a happy kid at Christmas without letting his demons overpower him?

Also, will spending time around more-welcoming company be able to help thaw Harrison's icy armour enough for him to finally be able to accept he has friends and they want to help him?

Keep Reading to Find Out

Next Chapter: Harrison's attempts to be normal run headlong into a titanium wall when his fears and ghosts become too much for him, but from out of the ashes, a dark phoenix rises as the floodgates are well-and-truly torn open, resulting in some life-changing discoveries for all;

Please Read and Review

AN: Portrayals

Daniel Granger: Simon Baker

Emma Granger: Robin Tunney