Chapter 11:

A/N: Sorry it's been so long, a lot of things have been going on for me lately. Hopefully I'll be back to uploading more frequently, I hope you enjoy the chapter:-)

Harrison woke up with a start, he opened his eyes to a face full of black fur, two dark eyes watching him with excitement and upon seeing him wake up, licked him again.

'Eughhh, Sirius, get off' he yelled in disgust, pushing the mutt from the bed.

Sirius barked in response, wagging his tail playfully before jumping back on the bed to pull the covers off him.

'Levicorpus' he whispered, pulling his wand from its holster.

Sirius immediately flipped upside down and flew to the ceiling, whining in protest as his feet stuck. Harrison watched him in amusement for a few moments, before climbing out of bed and into the bathroom to get ready. Once showered and dressed he checked the time to find it was only 6am. Bloody dog, he muttered to himself.

'Harryyyyyy' he heard from his room

He walked out to see Sirius, back in human form, still stuck to the ceiling with his arms crossed, a pout on his face.

'Yes?' he asked innocently

'What's going on up here?' James walked into the room, and upon seeing Sirius, promptly burst into laughter.

'I told you not to wake him, Sirius.' he laughed

'It's not funny!' he protested 'I wish I hadn't told you about that spell' he huffed before turning back to Harrison.

'Pleeeeassseeee let me dowwwn, it's Christmas you know'

'I can't' Harrison said simply, enjoying the commotion

'Why not?' he frowned

'You didn't teach me the counter curse' he shrugged before walking out the room, intent on getting some breakfast before the presents were opened.

He could still hear James' laughter roaring from downstairs as he began to load up a plate with eggs and pancakes.

'What on Earth is going on up there?' Lily asked, still bleary eyed.

'Sirius decided to wake me up' he shrugged nonchalantly 'so I stuck him to the ceiling.'

Remus smirked from the corner of the room; a mug of coffee cradled in his hands.

'Good one cub, Merry Christmas' he said warmly

'Merry Christmas Remus, Mum'

'Happy Christmas darling.'

'Come onnnnnn' Nick yelled from the living room impatiently 'I want to open my presents now!'

James and Sirius walked back downstairs, the latter man looking very disheveled with his hair sticking up all over the place.

'Very funny kiddo, for future reference the counter is liberacorpus, but now it's present time!'

He reached forward and, before Harrison could complain, had grabbed his arm and pulled him over his shoulder, running with him into the living room and ceremoniously dumping him on the sofa before running back to the kitchen. Harrison heard a yelp promptly followed by Sirius running back, this time with Lily in his arms and James and Remus following him laughing.

'Can I start now?' Nick asked, excitement clear on his face

James levitated piles of presents to sit in front of each person before nodding.

'Okay, youngest first, one at a time. Let's go'

Nick needed no more prompt before he dived at his pile, immediately grabbing the large, long package wrapped in his favourite Cannon's paper, he tore at it, revealing, as promised, a nimbus 2000.

'Yes!' he shouted happily, inspecting every inch of the broom.

'I'll definitely be the best at Quidditch now!'

'Remember what I told you though Nick' Lily reminded softly 'if your grades don't improve by summer, you aren't going to be in the team next year.'

Nick nodded absently, intent on making sure everything with the broom was perfect.

'Right then, your turn Harry.' James said, changing the subject.

He looked over the pile of presents that sat in front of him, they were wrapped in dark green paper flecked with silver – Slytherin colours he thought happily. He chose a small, book shaped package that sat on top of the pile; it was slightly smaller than the average book and he ran it through his fingers curiously.

Harrison pulled the paper from the package to find a small, leather-bound notebook. The leather was a very dark green, almost black; on the front lay the Potter crest, and the initials HJP were engraved on the back along with the Black crest. He looked up at his father curiously.

'It's a journal' he explained 'every Potter Lord there has ever been has owned one of these. They're usually used to track Potions or Spell creations as well as Potter secrets and just any general notes or thoughts you might have. They're all kept in the Potter vault – I'll let you read them one day, but you're a little young yet for some of that information.' he said softly.

'You have one?' he asked, he'd never seen his Father writing in a journal, but he nodded in response.

'I got mine when I started Hogwarts, I was waiting to see which house you were sorted in, I wanted it to be a bit more personal for you – which is why it's green rather than the usual brown. As you get older, you'll be expected to keep track of the Potter and Black family lines and anything noteworthy will be added to your journal. Sirius and I will help you with that one day though so you don't need to worry about any of that yet. Just get used to writing down your thoughts and ideas for now' he finished.

'Wow, thank you, I'll keep it safe' he promised, setting the book to one side.

'Okay, so he got a notebook, hurry up, I want to see what else I got!' Nick moaned

'You'll get your presents Nicky, just be patient.' Lily said, admiring the necklace she'd received from James.

They continued on that way for some time; Nick got a multitude of Quidditch gear, sweets, prank kits and a new set of gobstones – not solid gold though, much to Nicks dismay. Harrison received numerous amounts of books on every subject he could possibly think of, sweets and a wonderful marble chess set.

He handed out the presents he'd bought, earning him a shocked look from Nick at the practice snitch he gave him.

'Um, thanks Harry'

'Don't mention it' no really, don't, he thought to himself.

He'd given Sirius and his Father Quidditch books and prank kits, Remus a gift bag of Honeyduke's best chocolate, and his Mother a new bracelet encrusted with emeralds.

'This is beautiful Harry, thank you' his mother reached forward, pulling him into a hug.

'Do you have anything to give Harry, Nick?' James questioned, taking Nick's red face into account.

'Um, sure, I just left it upstairs.' He ran off upstairs before returning and handing Harrison a box of chocolate frogs.

'It's not wrapped, I forgot.' Nick said, running a hand through his hair.

'It's fine, thanks Nick.' He replied quickly, seeing his parents annoyed faces and not wanting anyone to start shouting at Christmas.

'Just the ones from your friends now boys, then you can go off and enjoy your presents for a while before Christmas dinner.' Lily said, gesturing towards the small pile that had arrived by owl that morning.

Harrison opened his to find several older books, mostly from Draco and Blaise, they were definitely darker subjects than the ones he'd received from his family earlier that day – the one from Draco was based around ancient traditions, Yule being the first on the list. He quickly hid that one under a pile of sweets and trinkets he'd been given by the other Slytherins.

He looked over to see Nick pulling on a heavy knit jumper, maroon with a large gold 'N' in the centre.

'Hey, Mum, Dad' he called, swallowing the fudge he'd shoved in his mouth 'Mrs. Weasley sent jumpers for both of you as well, and there's fudge for us all to share.'

James instantly pulled on his own matching jumper, the only difference being the letter 'J' rather than 'N'. Lily smiled at hers, before noticing Harry watching them, she frowned slightly, reading over the letter that had been sent along with the presents before stating she was too warm and she might wear it later.

Harrison didn't really care, he didn't even like Ron so it wouldn't make sense for him to get a present from the boys' family, but it still hurt to be left out – it always did.

The rest of the morning was spent reading through some of the books he'd been given, and breaking in his new chess set by spectacularly beating Remus in a game. Nick and James spent the time outside, trying out the Nimbus before it started to snow – at which point James dragged a protesting Nick back inside to warm up before dinner.

Lily had made quite the spread of food – a large turkey sat in the middle of the enlarged kitchen table surrounded by bowls filled with vegetables, roast potatoes, pigs in blankets and Yorkshire puddings. Two large crackers sat on each plate, one muggle and one magical. Harrison didn't really see the point of the muggle ones, they contained nothing more than a flimsy tissue paper crown, a cheap plastic toy and a terrible joke, but his Mother always liked to include a part of her childhood in the festivities.

Harrison pulled his magical cracker with Sirius; it went off with a large bang and a puff of brightly coloured smoke. Out popped a large inflatable Christmas tree hat, complete with flashing lights and baubles, Sirius shoved it on Harrison's head before he could say anything and picked up a silver tiara for his own head. Harrison rummaged around in the mess to fish out the pack of exploding snap cards he'd also won – much better than the plastic frog that would jump if you flicked it.

They stuffed themselves with food, chatting about whatever they could think of – for once going an entire meal without any bickering between Nick and Harrison much to the adult's delight. Harrison sat back, sighing contently after finishing a third helping of chocolate cake, he was sure he'd never eat another mouthful ever again.

'Anyone want to play chess?' Nick asked as they made their way to retire in the living room.

'I will' Lily said as he set up the board.

'Why don't we have a little tournament?' Sirius asked, knowing he would probably win

'Okay' Nick replied happily 'Ron's been showing me a few things; I can probably even beat you now Uncle Sirius!'

They played for several hours, the final round ending in a very intense match between Harrison and Sirius, they were down to just a few pieces each when Sirius finally won, a triumphant look on his face.

'I'll beat you one day' Harrison muttered, Sirius laughed, ruffling his hair

'You're definitely getting better pup, both of you are.' Looking over to Nick who had finally finished sulking after losing to Remus and was looking through his new Quidditch books.

Later that evening, Harrison was lay in bed reading through a dueling book Blaise had given him containing some very interesting spells when he heard a soft knocking on his door.

'Come in' he called, closing his book.

'Hey Harry, good day?' James asked, walking in and closing the door behind him.

'Yes, it's been really good' he nodded, James smiled at him softly and took a seat at the end of his bed.

'I've got one more present to give you, but I didn't want to do it in front of Nick.' he placed a package in front of him, Harrison took it curiously.

It was wrapped in the same green paper his other presents had been in, and was large and rather soft. He tore the paper carefully and out fell what seemed to be a silk robe. He picked it up, enjoying the way it ran through his fingers as though it were made of water. It was silvery in colour and had a subtle shimmer to it.

Harrison was admiring it when a thought suddenly struck him and he looked up at his Father who was watching his carefully.

'Is this your invisibility cloak?' he asked in barely a whisper. James nodded.

'It's yours by right as my heir. My Father gave it to me during my First year at Hogwarts, and I wanted to do the same for you. But you have to remember, this isn't a toy. It's not a cheap gimmick that will wear out in a few years, it's the real deal, from the story remember?' Harrison nodded

'You have to be extremely careful with it, don't let anyone find out you have it. Especially Nick. It's difficult, with you being twins, you're so close in age that it seems unfair to him that you're the heir. And he won't be happy if he knows you have this.'

'I won't tell anyone Dad, I promise.'

James nodded again 'I'm trusting you with this Harry, if I find that you've been reckless with it then I'll take it right back and you can have it in a few years instead. Okay?'

'I promise'

'Good' James grinned before continuing 'I'd say don't get into too much mischief with it, but then I think I'd be a hypocrite. So just enjoy it. Merry Christmas Harry.' Harrison smiled

'Merry Christmas Dad.'

Over the next few days, Harrison did his best to avoid Nick, opting mostly to stay in his room and read through the books his friends had sent him. He'd finished the one about rituals pretty quickly, and as Draco had told him, he didn't see what the problem was. There wasn't really any dark magic involved at all, no sacrifices or any of the nonsense he'd been led to believe happened during them.

Harrison shook his head slightly as he closed the book, putting it in his trunk for safekeeping, he wondered what else his parents had lied to him about.

He headed downstairs to make himself a sandwich, stopping just outside the kitchen when he heard muffled voices.

'I don't care what you have to do Albus. Just put an end to it!' he heard his Mother say

'I'll do my best Lily, I promise you, but the article has already been printed, people will read it and believe it.'

'Surely they can't be that stupid? To believe an eleven-year-old boy is evil!? Evil! It's a strong word Albus.' James added incredulously.

'Unfortunately, my boy, people put a lot of faith in the Prophet, they'll believe what it says.'

'How did they even get this information?' Lily asked, sounding tired 'The troll being released shouldn't have been public knowledge, let alone the fact that four children were involved.'

'Who knows how Rita Skeeter ever finds her information. The fact is that it's out there now, you have to prepare the boys for what people are going to say, especially to Harry.' Dumbledore added.

'He's just a child' Lily said helplessly 'They both are, they shouldn't have to deal with any of this.'

'But we can't keep it from them' James said 'Harry reads the Prophet anyway, and he'll need to know why people are suddenly being so hostile towards him.'

'Speaking of which, how could you not tell us what happened with the troll Albus? We had a right to know.'

'I was going to tell you during my visit over the holidays, I didn't expect you to find out sooner.'

'Do you know who let it in?' James asked

'No, I have my suspicions but no evidence as of yet.'

There was a slight pause in conversation, Harrison didn't know what to think. So, there was an article, about him, probably stating that he was evil. Merlin, people could be so stupid.

'What's happened to the troll now?' Lily suddenly questioned 'Is it back in the dungeon or did you send it away?'

Oh no, Harrison thought.

'Lily, the troll died during that incident.'

'How? Hermione said Harry knocked it out with its club, but that couldn't have killed the thing surely.'

'She said what? Oh, I'm sorry Lily, I thought you both knew.'

'Knew what Albus, spit it out.' James said through gritted teeth.

'Harry killed the troll. I examined the thing myself. It was a blood boiling curse. I haven't approached him about it, I hope that it's just something he read somewhere, that he didn't really know what would happen and just panicked.'

'He used a blood boiling curse.' James stated, sounding shocked.

Well, time to end this conversation, Harrison thought opening the kitchen door and walking in.

Dumbledore was sat at the kitchen table, a cup of tea in front of him, Lily sat across the table, a concerned look on her face and the Daily Prophet open next to her. James was leant against the sink, shock clear on his face and appeared to be deep in thought.

'Morning' he said loudly, everyone's eyes shot to him.

'Good morning my boy!' Dumbledore said brightly, being the first to recover, quickly followed by greetings from his parents.

'I didn't know you were coming over today, Headmaster.' He said politely

'Well, your Mother invited me round to discuss a few things, mainly how we can help Nick improve his grades.'

'I'd suggest him actually doing some work for a start.'

Dumbledore chuckled slightly

'Yes, well, I'm sure he's doing his best under the circumstances.'

'What circumstances?' he asked incredulously.

'You know, my boy, with his fame and his position on the Quidditch team. Sometimes, it takes children a while to settle in at Hogwarts.' Harrison scoffed at that.

'We were told if our grades dropped then we couldn't be on the Quidditch team. Why is that different for him?' Dumbledore looked slightly uncomfortable for a second.

'He'll be warned, but everyone deserves a second chance, you believe that, don't you?' Stupid twinkling eyes, Harrison thought.

'Sure. Anything good in the Prophet?' his parents' eyes suddenly widened in panic.

'N-not really' James stammered, clearly stuck for something to say.

'Mind if I read it?' he asked casually, reaching for the paper.

Lily snatched it out of his reach before he could take it, he looked at her questioningly.

'I haven't finished it yet darling, maybe later.' She said easily.

'He'll find out soon Lily.' Dumbledore said gently.

'Find out what?' James and Lily looked at each other helplessly before Lily sighed and handed him the paper.

He looked down at the front page, the headline screaming out at him

'BOY-WHO-LIVED STARTS HOGWARTS: SPECIAL ARTICLE'

He rolled his eyes before scanning down the page, his eyes were drawn to the part about him.

'Nick's twin brother on the other hand, was sorted into Slytherin. Slytherin over the years has housed many known Death Eaters, along with You-know-who himself, we can't help but wonder if this means Nick's brother is in fact evil himself.'

He scanned further down the page, there was a section about the troll incident, saying how heroic Nick was to save a fellow student, and that Harrison had used some dark magic to get rid of the troll, only after suggesting he'd released the thing in the first place.

'What is this nonsense? Is this really what people think about me?' he asked, looking specifically at Dumbledore.

'Of course not, my boy, it's just a silly article, I'm sure no-one will even pay attention to it.'

'Yes, they will' Harrison scoffed 'it's the prophet, everyone reads it, and most of them are stupid enough to believe what it says. They already hate Slytherin as it is, they don't even mention my name in this thing, just that I'm Nick's twin, or Nick's brother.' He fumed, throwing the paper down on the table.

'It'll be okay Harry; we'll sort it out' James soothed.

'Really? You're going to tell everyone who has read this paper the truth? That I'm not evil? Good luck with that one, even if you managed it, they wouldn't believe you.'

'I'll have a word with Ms Skeeter, she won't write another article like this one, people will believe it for a while, but eventually it will die down.' Dumbledore added.

'Whatever, I'll be upstairs if you want me, apparently thinking up ways to use dark magic to kill Nick.'

'Harry' Lily called helplessly after him, he ignored her, still angry at the article. He knew people didn't really value him, especially not next to Nick, so the fact that his name wasn't used once in the story wasn't anything new. But to be called evil, simply based on his house? Nick was a hero for going after the troll but clearly, he himself had something to do with it, why else would he go after it.

He paced his bedroom, unsure of what he was going to do. Everyone at Hogwarts would know about it by the time he went back, they'd all see him as evil, he didn't really know how that made him feel. He was used to being ignored, and he hated it, but to be noticed for this?

'I guess I'll just have to wait and see how people react' he thought, calming down slightly. He'd be back at Hogwarts's in a few days anyway, no point in worrying about it until then.

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed that, what do you think the response to the article will be? And what will Nick be like when he finds out Harrison had the invisibility cloak?
Please review, comment etc etc, and look forward to more coming soon!