2. Not You Potter!
"Be careful, Harry. You know better than anyone how dangerous these times are. Don't let your guard down when you are in Hogsmeade."
"I understand, dad."
"And remember that being a Head Boy makes you a role model for the younger students." Lily said. "Have fun, but be responsible and try to have an open mind. If I hear that you are holding grudges against that Greengrass girl, I would be very disappointed. Even your father became way more matured when he was Head Boy, and Merlin knows that you are far more responsible and mature than he was."
"Hey!" James complained, but his wife merely smirked.
"I'll try my best, mum. If she doesn't bother me first, I'm not going to pick a fight with her, or anyone else for that matter. And I hold grudges against other people, and they are not in Hogwarts."
Lily sighed. She knew that her son wouldn't let it go, and if she was honest with herself, she wouldn't let it go either if their places were switched.
"I guess I'll have to live with that. But be careful. And if you need to know something, use the mirrors. We'll try to keep them with us all the time." Harry nodded.
"And make sure that you have your wand and your wits with you all the time. Don't let your guard down when you are out." James advised, carefully parking the car between two other.
They climbed out of the car and James subtly placed a lightweight charm on Harry's trunk. Melanie, who was now sitting on Harry's shoulders, pulled his hair as he bent downwards without notice.
"Ouch! Sorry Mel. I could've done it myself, Dad." Harry complained to his father, who smirked.
"You have to learn to do it without anyone noticing."
"You think I can't do that?" he smirked back, and James laughed.
"Come on, boys." Lily called, checking her watch.
"Yes honey." Harry called.
"Coming, mum." James followed. Lily looked a bit unsure, but didn't say anything.
"Got her again." snickered James, and Harry hi-fived him.
"Mummy, they fooled you again!" Melanie shouted with glee.
Lily rolled her eyes but looked a bit embarrassed all the same. James and Harry were almost identical except for their eyes and the hint of grey hairs in James' head. Since their voices were also identical, they liked to wind her up when both of them talked together.
"Very funny. Now walk quickly." She grumbled.
As they entered platform nine and three quarters, Harry saw Su Li talking with her parents.
"Hey Su!" he called, and she smiled brightly when she saw her.
"How are you doing Harry?" she asked as they came close.
"I'm good. Hi Mr Li, how's your business going?"
"Hello Harry. Business isn't that good, especially after the breakout from Azkaban." The Chinese man said sadly.
"I'm sorry to hear that. How are you, Mrs Li?"
As Harry was exchanging pleasantries with the Li family, Lily and James appeared with Melanie holding both of her parents' hands. They waved at the family and went forward to greet them.
"So are you going to China this summer, too?" Mrs Li was asking Harry, who shrugged.
"I'm not sure. With the Death Eaters on loose, mum and dad will be busy, and I'll fight with them this time. I'll write to Zhi if he could come over in Christmas. If he does, we can have dinner together."
"He will like it. I don't think he has anything else to do other than meditating on that temple."
Harry smiled at the memory of the temple. It was one of the most influential places he ever visited in his short life.
It all started at the end of his third year, when he came across a few Chinese Runes he didn't understand. Everyone either skipped it, or simply memorized the thing. Even Hermione Granger admitted that she had to memorize the lot to pass the exam. But Harry felt that he should understand it. During the summer, he bought a couple of books about Chinese Runes, which gave him a vague idea about the mysterious runes. But what interested him was a very minor detail of the book. He had almost skipped over it.
'... since most Chinese wizards and witches do not own a wand, they avoid the European practise of simple spells like heating charms or lumos. It is to be noted that...'
He ran to his father, who was sitting beside a pregnant Lily.
"Is she okay?" he whispered to the dark haired man.
"I'm okay, dear." Lily replied for him and Harry looked sheepish.
"Hi mum. Did I wake you?"
"No Harry, I wasn't sleeping. You look excited."
"Erm... yeah. Actually I wanted to ask something if it's alright." He looked at his mother for assurance. She nodded at him to go on.
"I was reading that book on Chinese Runes I bought that day. There was something about Chinese people not owning wands. Does it mean that they can do magic without wands?"
James looked thoughtful, but Lily chuckled.
"A wand is not the only magical instrument, Harry. As far as I know, the use of wands is not that common outside Europe and North America." Lily explained.
"Yeah, I know that Africans are more comfortable with staff, Australians and Japanese use rings, but I don't know what the Chinese use." James added. Harry nodded in understanding.
After the school opened, Harry cornered Su Li, whose origin was, he knew, in China. She didn't know what they used, either, but she wrote to her parents, and they told her that Chinese monks made sure their secrets weren't exposed to everyone, so if someone wanted to watch or learn Chinese magic, they had to learn it from a monk and then promise to keep it a secret. Outsiders rarely knew about it because the monks are terribly hard to convince that a learner was trustworthy, and the lessons itself were very taxing for those who weren't familiar to the discipline from their childhood.
Harry relayed this piece of information to his parents, and to his surprise, they asked him if he would like to visit China in the next summer. He felt like he would burst in happiness.
In China, Su's father, who decided to accompany the Potters to a vacation to their homeland, took Harry to a powerful monk he knew. He was called Master Zhi. And he was a right bastard.
When Mr Li told the old man that Harry wanted to learn, he merely glanced at him and went back meditating, ignoring him completely. But Harry was as stubborn as they came. He told Mr Li that he would wait and he could leave. Leaving a portkey to the place where he was staying, the man left, expecting Harry to be back after a few minutes.
When Master Zhi finished his meditation after three hours, he was irritated, and a little intrigued by the boy waiting quietly.
"What do you want, child?" he asked. Harry wanted to scowl at being called a child, but he didn't.
"I want to learn." He replied flatly. The old Master shook his head.
"You cannot learn." He said in a dismissive way.
"Why not?" Harry shot back.
"You do not have the power or skill."
"You couldn't walk when you were born. Did your mother refuse to teach you how to walk because of that?" Harry said irritably, not caring if the man was offended. Master Zhi, however, was simply amused. He was above being offended by mundane words.
"I will consider if you pass a test." He said and the teen perked up.
"Bring it on!" he said with enthusiasm.
"Run down this hill and then climb back up without stopping. If you stop, you can take that portkey and go away." He smirked at the boy, knowing that he would most probably faint on the way. If he didn't flee before that. The view of the two kilometres jagged, uneven climb was quite discouraging.
After two hours, Harry was panting like a dog in front of a thoroughly surprised Master Zhi. The boy should have fainted several times the way he ran up and down the mountain. Quickly, he gave him a cup of tea to drink. Wordlessly, he chugged the whole cup, burning his tongue in the process, but the effect was instantaneous. His breathing slowed down and he stood up straight, looking like he had merely taken a short walk in the park.
"Couldn't give something cooler, could you?" he said darkly to the Master, who chuckled. This one held lots of promises.
"What is your name, child?" he asked the young boy.
"Harry Potter. And if you call me 'child' one more time, I'll tell my mum what I had to do today, and let me tell you, when she gets going even your secret magic won't save your bum."
The old man chuckled. This one was definitely worth teaching.
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"You better get on, Harry." James said tensely. It was three minutes to eleven, and Harry was still catching up with his friends.
"Coming, dad. See you on the train, Justin!" he waved at the Hufflepuff, before turning to his family.
"I wonder who the Head Girl is. I expected Hermione or Padma, but they are not it." He said to himself and then turned his attention towards the three Potters looking at him.
"Take care squirt. I'll talk to you soon." He hugged his little sister, who looked like she was about to cry.
"Bye dad. If you are going on some mission, can you just tell me beforehand so that I won't worry?"
"Will do, son. And take care of yourself. You know it better than I do."
Harry nodded and briefly hugged his father. Then he turned to his mother.
"Bye mum." He said simply before hugging lily tightly. When they drew apart, she kissed his forehead.
"As I said, be responsible, and study hard. I love you."
"I love you too, mum. Take care. Love you, dad! Love you Mel!"
He shouted before climbing the train. He waved at them one last time, blowing a kiss at his mum, who pretended to catch it out of the air. Smiling, he found the compartment where Dean and Seamus were already seated.
"Oi! Keep this with you for a while. I gotta run to the Head's compartment." He shoved his trunk at Dean.
"Wait, you mean you're Head Boy?" Seamus shouted at him, but he was already gone.
He brought out the Head Boy badge from his pocket and pinned in to his chest. He didn't want to flash it around in front of his friends before it was necessary. Smiling and nodding at familiar faces, he reached the compartment door. He took a deep breath.
"Here we go." He whispered to himself and chuckled lightly. Then he opened the door and the person sitting there looked at him. Her eyes travelled down to his chest where the badge was pinned.
"NO FUCKING WAY!" she shouted in outrage. Harry closed his eyes and tried to calm down. This year was already looking bad and the train barely left the station.
"What the actual fuck are you doing here, Greengrass?"
The blonde looked at him with utter disbelief.
"Who in their right mind would make you the Head Boy?" she asked to no one in particular. Harry was already feeling like strangling her, but his mother's words were still ringing in his ears.
"I could say the same thing for you, you dumb, blonde cow. But as it happens, I am stuck with you and you are stuck with me. Now, the prefects are going to arrive very soon. I don't reckon it's a good idea to show them how much we love each other, do you? What with setting an example and such crap."
Daphne snorted. "Wow, Potter is being the mature one. The world should be ending any second now."
"Oh sod off, you miserable cow. You mind?" he asked through gritted teeth, subtly nodding at the bunch of prefects starting to gather outside the compartment. With a last glare at him, the girl's face became expressionless. As much as he hated to admit it, he really admired and respected her for this ability to never betray any emotions. Well, except for when she was yelling or glaring at him, of course.
The twenty-four prefects entered the wide compartment, and there were small mutterings.
"Harry! You are the Head Boy?" Hermione Granger shouted in surprise. "You could've told me earlier."
"And ruin the surprise? No thanks." Harry chuckled.
"We have a Slytherin Head Girl? Are they barking mad?" Ron Weasley, the seventh year prefect shouted in indignation. Harry was never a huge fan of his redheaded roommate, and now the git was a prefect.
Perfect.
"If you have concerns about that, you can voice them to the Headmaster." Harry replied coolly and Daphne did a double take. Potter was defending her? Maybe he will be a lesser pain in the arse this year, she thought hopefully.
"I'm surprised that you, of all the people, were made Head Boy, Potter." Draco Malfoy sneered. "I expected someone who had some class. Not a halfblooded loser like you."
Harry waited for a second to see if Greengrass would return the favour by defending him.
Of course not. Don't expect Greengrass to stop being a bitch unless the world is ending.
"I hear ya, Malfoy. But unfortunately, I am the Head Boy, so if you have a problem with that, hand me that shiny badge on your shirt and leave us. I assure you that you won't be terribly missed." He reached out a hand for the badge, but Malfoy didn't show any signs of giving it. With a smile, he retracted his hands. Malfoy muttered something to Pansy Parkinson.
"For Merlin's sake, Malfoy! Stop the 'my father will hear about this' already. We all know that story by heart. And all of us do not share your unhealthy obsession with your father, however handsome he still might be after the short stay at Azkaban." Harry smirked in a satisfied way, as Malfoy went red and tried to splutter something.
"Now the nonsense is over," Daphne interrupted, "we are going to assign your patrol schedules. Does anyone have a problem with these?" she handed out parchments to everyone.
"When did you do all these?" Harry whispered in her ears, feeling a bit guilty.
"When you were catching up with your fan base." She whispered back.
"Thanks, Greengrass. And I'm sorry I didn't come earlier."
She raised an eyebrow as if waiting for the punch line. Harry rolled his eyes.
"And I'm also sorry you don't have a fan base or even real friends to catch up with." He finished with a smirk. She sneered at him.
"I don't want to do patrols with Weasley!" Parkinson shrieked.
"Nor do I!" Ron shouted.
"Then hand me the badges and leave." Daphne said coldly. Both of them looked like they were about to argue, but a nudge from Hermione and Draco respectively kept them shut.
"Good, now that it's settled, the old prefects may go. The new ones stay back. There will be a meeting to discuss further duties next Friday. Thank you." Harry gestured at the door. Ten people stayed as the others exited one by one, some waving at Harry, some just nodding.
The eight fifth year prefects, plus Ron Weasley and Pansy Parkinson looked at the pair of them, expecting a speech.
"You want to do the honour?" Harry offered the blonde.
"You are the one for talk, Potter." She shot back. Harry wanted to punch her, but he composed his face to a smile, and turned to the newcomers.
"Welcome, and congratulations. As you know, only two students from each house are selected per year to be prefects, and this year, you were the best duo from your respective houses. As for the seventh year prefects, you were the best choice when one of your houses became the Head Boy and Girl. Well done, all of you.
"Now, the duties of prefects are not simple. They are responsible for showing the first years their respective dorms, preventing unpleasant incidents like fights, helping the students whenever they need it, and lead them to safety in case of an emergency. You will have certain privileges that include using the prefect bathroom, extended curfew and assigning detentions if a student deserves it. However, if you are found to have abused these privileges, you will be stripped of your position, and you will have that record when you apply for a job. Any questions?"
No one said anything and Harry nodded.
"Very good. Now the passwords to the prefect's bathroom and the dorms are written on your schedules and would adjust themselves when a password is changed. Thank you. You may leave."
As they left, Harry heaved a sigh.
"Nice speech, Potter."
Harry turned towards the Head Girl. As usual, her face was expressionless, with a measured tint of arrogance.
"Look Greengrass, we both know that we have our differences." He started.
"What an understatement." She muttered darkly and he chuckled.
"I agree. We had several memorable rows and countless minor ones, but fact remains that we are Head Boy and Girl. I won't deny us the pleasure of shouting at each other at private, but all the prefects and students look up at us. We are the adults here, and somehow I don't think arguing in front of them was something the Headmaster or Minnie would be happy about. I'm really sorry that I didn't help you with the patrol schedules. We have to work together despite our personal problems. Please don't make it harder for both of us." He pleaded her.
"Why are you suddenly acting all responsible? You inhaled some fumes or something?" she asked suspiciously. Harry rolled his eyes.
"No. My mum and dad were Heads in their day, and my mum hated my dad. She even stuck him from the Astronomy Tower like you did. The difference is my dad loved my mum, and I hate you. Okay, maybe hate is a strong word, let's just say that if you were on fire, I'd cast an Aguamenti to drink some water and leave you alone."
"Good to know, but I do hate you. So what's your point?"
"You wound me Daffy-Poo! OUCH! Watch your hands, woman! So my mum told me that the Heads should be more responsible and keep an open mind, and here I am, instead of hexing you to the next week, I'm trying to reason with you." He finished with a long-suffering sigh.
"Still a mummy's boy?" she sneered.
"Yes, I am. And if you say one wrong thing about mum, I'll kill you. Trust me when I say I know a lot of unpleasant methods." He said with a cold glare.
Daphne rolled her eyes at him, not being unfamiliar with death threats from the raven haired boy, but it didn't escape her notice that this time he had a resolved look almost daring her to try him.
"Yeah, whatever. Okay, so I'll be civil to you in front of company only if you are, but what the hell do you mean by shouting in private? I don't plan to spend private time with you."
Harry looked at her suspiciously.
"You do remember that Heads have a separate joint dorm, don't you?"
He had to snicker at the look of horror in her expression.
"You forgot that? I guess it's not that surprising. After all, it's not too hard to erase a blonde's memory. All you gotta do is just blow in her ear."
Daphne looked murderous as she pulled out her wand and cast a hex at him while Harry bolted, laughing like a madman.
Shout out to JohnMonty for being the first reviewer of the story. Since the last chapter was more of a teaser, hence the fast update. Also, since this AU is quite different from the canon, I'm not going to explain all the differences in one chapter. Some will be cleared up gradually, while some will be left to the readers' imagination.
Your reviews keep me going.