Author's Notes: This story is based on Scififan33's (id 5964863 )story Snow Days. In fact, it's an alternate version of that story. This first chapter is chapter 1 from their story. Again, this first chapter is not my work. It belongs to Scififan33

As always, I do not own Harry Potter, or Rise of the Guardians. This is just for fun.

Disclaimer: don't own HP or Rise of the Guardians/

Re-watched the movie the other day for a bit of fun and then ended up reading fics of it which I haven't done in years. Sadly, many of the crossovers of these two seem unfinished.

Likely a two shot

Eventual slash when it won't be underaged.

Chapter 1

Harry huddled into his coat, trying to ignore the temperature. He hated snow days! He'd much rather be at school where it was warm inside and he could hide in the library at recess and lunch. Snow days meant no school which meant being stuck with his relatives…until he finished whatever chores and they kicked him out for the rest of the day anyway.

It wasn't that he hated the snow itself, he loved it, it made everything look so wonderful, hiding the grime and ugliness. If he had proper winter gear he wouldn't care about being outdoors. His jacket though was nowhere near warm enough for the weather, even after layering every shirt and sweater he could under it and he was also wearing three pairs of socks! It scared him, that one day it would be too cold or they wouldn't let him back in and he'd freeze to death, he was only nine! He shouldn't have to be afraid of that happening. They called him Freak…but they were the freaks, he knew how they treated him was wrong and they did so much to hide it because they knew others wouldn't accept it.

But there was always the niggling doubt…because when he'd tried to tell…well, it never ended well. It didn't matter, he'd be in high school in a few years and Dudley would be off to Smeltings, things would improve with them at different schools. And as soon as he was eighteen he would be gone.

He arrived at the empty park and sat on the swing, wishing there was someone he could just talk to…who would play with him.

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Jack laughed as he soared over the suburbs of London, watching the happy children enjoy their day free from school. He started a few snowball fights for the fun of it as he went around adding frost to various objects, laughing when people went sliding, though careful not to actually hurt anyone. He like mischief and fun and people getting hurt was not fun.

Winter was dangerous enough as it was, he knew that better than anyone. Any time someone died because of him…child or adult…it hurt but it was a part of his nature and he couldn't change it. He always did his best though to keep people from dying and it was a lot better in the modern age. He knew it was why Winter Spirits were hated by most which was just dumb, people died in every season; floods, famine, forest fires…Winter wasn't the only season that killed. Even he didn't get on with the others of his season, which sucked since no one else wanted anything to do with him either. Well…the Sandman seemed okay, he never got mad at him anyway, even when he'd run a hand through his sand or wave. He was pretty sure he'd waved back a few times.

For three hundred years he'd basically been alone, other than defending himself, either from Spirits who hated winter or other Winter Spirits who thought he was a disgrace who shouldn't exist. He was so lonely…but without belief, no human could see him. he had a line in a song but no one believed he actually existed.

He glanced down to knock himself out of his thoughts and then paused, he was above a park, a rather run down one actually, with only one kid in it. He moved lower, landing on top of the swing set and frowning in concern as he watched the boy shiver. What parent let a kid out in that kind of clothing on a day like today? He dropped down to kneel in front of the kid, seeing bright green eyes behind glasses that had been taped together, messy black hair sticking out from beneath the hood of his too thin jacket, and an odd scar. "What are you doing out here kid?" he wondered.

Aunt Petunia doesn't want me underfoot," the boy said and Jack froze.

It wasn't possible…was it? He shifted slightly and the boys eyes followed the movement. "Ca…can you…can you see me?" he whispered, hope flickering inside. Why else would the boy have spoken? There was no one else around. The boy nodded and Jack felt a smile growing even as he backflipped. "He…he sees me! He sees me!" He heard a laugh and looked back at the boy. He was small, thin, though bundled up in several thin lawyers under the jacket. "This is…wow… what's your name?"

"Harry Potter, what's yours Mister?"

"Jack Frost," he grinned. Harry Potter…his first believer? But then how did he not know his name?

"Like the line from the song?"

"That's me. I'm a Winter Spirit," he traced a finger on the metal of the swing and a frost pattern bloomed.

"Wow," Harry whispered, green eyes wide behind hideous glasses. "Wish I could do something pretty…I just get blamed for the weird stuff."

Jack tilted his head, curious and confused. He crouched in front of Harry again. "What do you mean?" he asked and then Harry shivered. Jack hesitated but then cautiously held his hand out. "Let's find you somewhere warmer, okay?" Could Harry touch him? Would he still pass right through? He practically held his breath as Harry tentatively reached towards his offered hand.

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Harry was excited and shocked. Jack Frost was real! He was talking to him like a normal person! Seeing him make patterns with frost was amazing and he blurted it out without thinking. He saw a pale hand slowly reach out, being somewhere warmer would be nice, but no one ever touched him without being mean…but Jack was different, wasn't he? Hesitantly, he reached towards the hand, his skin was cold but soft. Harry wrapped his fingers around Jack's and Jack smiled shakily like…if he was so shocked Harry could see him, did that mean no one else could?

Harry got off the swing and moved closer before doing something he'd always wanted to do, he hugged Jack. Feeling him stiffen, he winced, going to pull back, but then cold arms wrapped around him in return.

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Jack couldn't help going stiff in shock as the boy hugged him. He hugged him! Feeling the kid begin to pull away he forced himself to move, hugging him back. He felt Harry press closer, clinging, and he stood up, looking around. He was invisible but Harry wasn't and if anyone saw them it would look very strange. "Hold on tight kiddo," he told him and felt Harry's grip tighten. "Wind, we need somewhere safe," he called out and he felt her wrap around them, ruffling both their hair before they were airborne.

They were set down in a secluded area, with an old abandoned hut but…the roof was intact and while there were gaps in the walls he could ice them over, it would be a lot warmer than outside. He carried Harry inside and set him on the floor before sealing up the gaps, making sure the place wouldn't come down on their heads either.

"There we go, this is warmer, right?" he asked in concern, turning to find Harry looking around with wide eyes. "Kiddo?" he asked, suddenly worried Harry wasn't hearing him. But he'd carried him…he believed in him, right?

"It's warmer," Harry looked at him, smiling slightly. "Thank you."

"No problem. Sorry if you got too cold coming here, Winter Spirits aren't exactly warm."

"You were cold at first but not anymore," Harry told him, shyly taking his hand.

Jack looked down at their joined hands, part of him terrified he'd hurt his first ever believer, if he frosted… Harry's hand had been hot in his at first but now it was just comfortably warm. He'd never been able to touch someone before so he didn't know if it was normal or not for them both to adjust to each other's temperature. Seeing the growing worry in green eyes, he smiled and Harry relaxed. How could this bright kid seem as alone as he was? There was no furniture so he created a couch of ice and then sat down on it. Harry touched the couch and shivered.

"Oh…sorry. Here." He took off his blue hooded sweater and set it on the couch and Harry sat down, tucking his legs up to not touch the ice. He then shocked Jack by leaning against his side but he slowly wrapped his arm around the boys shoulders since apparently Harry didn't find him cold. "So….what'd you mean you get blamed for weird stuff?" he asked and Harry shifted nervously. "Come on, not like I can tell anyone."

"One time the teacher was yelling at me and her wig turned blue…and my Aunt tried to give me this horrible sweater of Dudley's but then it shrank too small for even me…oh! And one time…Dudley and his friends were chasing me at school and…I was trying to jump behind the bins but then I was on the roof!"

Jack listened in amazement. How could a human child do that?

"Am…am I a Freak?" Harry asked and Jack hugged him tight.

"No! You're not a freak Harry. You're special sure, but not a freak. When I first woke up, I had no control of my powers, didn't know what I could do, or anything. I woke up in a frozen lake and I heard the voice of the Man in the Moon, he told me my name as I came out of the lake and that's it. For three hundred years I've just had to figure things out for myself. So all we need to do is work out if it's really you causing these things and then how to control it."

"You'll help me?"

"Sure thing! How could I not help the first person to ever see me? I'm a Winter Spirit though Harry," he warned and the boy frowned in confusion before he looked sad.

"So you can only visit in winter?"

"'Fraid so. When it's summer here, I'm in the Southern Hemisphere. And I can't spend all winter here, there's a whole hemisphere that needs snow and fun," he explained and Harry nodded.

"So….does that mean there are other Spirits too? I don't think I've ever seen any."

"Of course there are! There's the Guardians, the Big 4 in the Spirit World; Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, and Sandman. Then there's seasonal ones like me for every season. Though….Winter Spirits aren't exactly well liked."

"Why not?" Harry asked, sounding offended…for him?

"Because they look at Winter and say that it kills, that it's cold and heartless," Jack admitted softly, would Harry think that too?

"You're not cold or heartless!" Harry told him and Jack smiled at him, having someone say it to him felt so much better than trying to tell himself that.

"But I can be dangerous, no matter how careful I try to be. Even in modern times, people die from the cold, from blizzards and frostbite."

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"That's not your fault," Harry told him firmly. People died, just like his parents. Jack wasn't to blame just like he wasn't to blame for his parents car crash. "Besides, you said there are other season Spirits right? So why don't they get blamed for people dying?"

"Kids are smarter than adults," Jack told him, hugging him tight and Harry couldn't help leaning into his hug.

"Jack?" he hesitated; he wasn't meant to ask question but Jack didn't seem to mind.

"Yeah?"

"Who are Sandman and Tooth Fairy?" he asked and Jack pulled back, staring at him with wide eyes.

"You don't know them?"

Harry couldn't help flinching slightly as he shook his head.

"Well, when you lose a tooth and put it under your pillow, it's Tooth who takes it and leaves you money. And Sandman brings nice dreams."

"Oh…Aunt Petunia just throws my teeth out. I don't think I have nice dreams."

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Jack felt sick, he was not liking anything he was hearing about Harry's relatives. The idea he was somehow being missed…it was one thing for Jack to be ignored but Harry was a living kid, how could they miss him? "Where are your parents?"

"They died when I was a baby. Uncle Vernon said that Dad was driving drunk and that Mum was…Mum was a hore? Or something like that."

Jack blanched even more than his normal pale colour, hugging the kid close. "I know the word, and it's a very mean word. You shouldn't use it, okay?"

"Okay," Harry agreed quietly.

"What about Santa and the Easter Bunny?"

"Dudley gets loads of presents at Christmas but Uncle Vernon says only babies and freaks believe in Santa or magic or anything not normal."

"Well he's wrong. There's a whole world of Spirits out there. Some of them are wonderful and protect people and others aren't…some are dangerous, leading people astray and stuff. But magic is real, Harry." He lifted his hand, letting a swirl of snow gather in his palm, seeing the childish delight.

He'd thought Harry was maybe five or six, cause he was a tiny little thing but now he was wondering…he'd seen a lot of things over three centuries, including just how cruel humans could be. "Hey Harry, how old are you?"

"Nine," he answered, poking happily at the miniature snow storm. "I'll be ten on July 31st!"

Jack grinned and tickled him, startling a laugh out of him even as he felt a pang. Already nine and not encouraged to believe in anything…how long would Harry be able to see him for? Then again…if he had his own form of magic or something, if he could learn to control it…then maybe he'd never stop believing? Was harry someone who'd one day be a Spirit maybe? He'd heard some Spirits were human once, maybe having powers was what made them change? If that was true…maybe he'd have a friend forever? No, he wouldn't get his hopes up.

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Harry looked up as the cold breeze tickled his cheek, grinning as he spotted Jack walking along the powerline, unable to wave or call out since he was on the playground. Jack waved at him though, flying down to walk beside him. Harry snuck into the library, heading for the back corner with a book so he could whisper with Jack.

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Seeing Jack was the only thing he had to look forward to and he was dreading Spring. What if…what if Jack forgot about him and didn't come back next winter?

"Hey green eyes, why so down? Your relatives do something?"

Harry looked up and then threw himself at the Spirit who caught him easily. "You won't forget about me, will you?" he asked and he felt a cool hand rest at the back of his head.

"I could never forget you Harry, you're the first person to ever see me," Jack promised. He opened his arms and Harry latched on, the wind picking them up and carrying them to their hut. They sat down and went to work. Jack had never tried to teach someone before, his powers had come to him instinctively, he'd just had to train to master them. Hopefully they'd get somewhere before he had to head south.

Harry loved hearing about the rest of the world. Finding out his relatives never took him with them on holiday…if Harry wouldn't get blamed he'd freeze their pipes! He wished he could show Harry the world, take him away…but he couldn't. The closest to a home he had was his lake, not suitable for a human child, even a magical one. Then there was food and clothing…oh! Would that work? He would nip back to the States once he dropped Harry back home for the night.

"Jack!" Harry called in excitement and Jack looked down to see a flickering ball of light in his cupped hands.

"Wow! That's great Harry!" he praised. The light went out and Harry slumped against him, panting. He pulled him into his arms, hugging him, and Harry cuddled in. he felt Harry relax and glanced down to find he was fast asleep, smiling softly at the sight. He gently ran his fingers through wild black hair, poor kid had exhausted himself. He settled in to wait, he didn't want to take him home like this, no he needed to be awake to return home.

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Jack went into the small cave near his lake and dug out the piece of brown material. He'd been wearing it when he woke in the lake and so he'd never been able to throw it away even when he'd chosen his blue hooded jumper. He got out his sewing kit, materials, and went to work. It took hours but he'd gotten good at sewing over the centuries. When it was done he wrapped it up in some paper before picking his staff up and heading back to England.

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"For me?" Harry couldn't believe it. He'd never gotten a real present before! Old socks and bits of fruit were about it. He cautiously took the package and stared at it. Jack liked tricks and jokes but…he glanced up, seeing the soft smile, he wasn't mean. He carefully unwrapped the paper and pulled out a brown cape, eyes widening as he felt the warm fur it was lined with. "I…" he felt tears building and then he threw himself at Jack who caught him. "Thank you!"

"When I woke up, I was wearing that," Jack told him and Harry's eyes widened. Why would he give him something so important. Jack took it and settled it over his shoulders and Harry immediately felt loads warmer. "Since it's mine, no one else will be able to see it on you, so they can't take it away. I added the fur for extra warmth, it came from a wolf pack I had to stop from attacking a group of kids a few years back."

Harry knew Jack wouldn't have stolen it or just killed an animal for it. He knew Jack hated killing, even if sometimes it was unavoidable. "I love it!"

"I'm glad."

Harry looked at the ground and frowned sadly. "You have to go soon, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I'll be back as soon as I can," Jack promised and Harry nodded, praying that just once, someone would keep their promise.

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Jack smiled, pushing Harry on the swing, the kid smiling happily as they played. The snow was gone from the ground and Easter was approaching fast. If the Bunny caught him…well, it wouldn't end well for him. He'd been so excited to meet him and then…the blizzard hadn't been his fault, he'd been trying to dissipate it, but Bunny hadn't listened, not that he really blamed him for that, he knew his reputation.

After a while they sat on the park bench and Harry leant against him. "You're leaving today, aren't you?"

"Sorry kiddo," he ruffled his hair. "I'll be back as soon as I can, depends on when Autumn gets cold enough. You keep practicing in secret and be careful, promise?" he knew every other Spirit who knew of him would be utterly shocked at him wanting someone to be careful but the Dursley's worried him. It had taken a lot of work to find out about conditions in the house, he'd even snuck in once to see for himself. What kind of monster made a child sleep in a tiny cupboard? Where were the Guardians? He couldn't ask them either; the Yeti's would never allow him in, Bunny….well the less said there the better, and he had no idea where Tooth Fairy lived, he saw her little fairies but they never let him close. That left the Sandman…

He did his best to keep the mood up, to give Harry as much fun as he could, before eventually saying goodbye for summer, hugging him tight.

"I'll miss you," Harry whispered as he clung to him.

"I'll miss you too. I will be back, promise. So long as you believe in me, you'll be able to see me."

Harry nodded, wiping at his eyes and Jack smiled at him. "Bye Jack."

"I'll see you in a few months Harry." He stepped back and forced himself to call the wind, taking him away from his only believer, his only friend. He had work to do down south but first, he would try to give Harry some form of happiness this summer.

He waited as the sun set and night set in until finally, streams of golden sand filled the air. He took a deep breath and followed them to their source, hovering within Sandman's sight. He waited nervously for him to finish what he was doing, the Guardian turning to look at him. "Um…hi?"

A golden head tipped to the side but then he waved, and Jack smiled when he waved back, and then a golden question mark formed above his head.

"It's about a kid," that definitely got his attention. "His name's Harry and he's nine, from England. He…he can see me, no one ever sees me but…" Jack took a deep breath and nearly jumped when a small golden hand carefully rested on his arm, blue eyes wide in shock. The cloud of dream sand shifted to be under him as well and he cautiously landed on it. He glanced up to see…sympathy? "He…he didn't even know about you or the Tooth Fairy and he doesn't believe in Santa or the Easter Bunny. If he's ever gotten gifts, his horrible relatives would have given them to his whale of a cousin. They throw his baby teeth out too. He's never even had a nice dream."

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Sandy listened to the babbling Winter Spirit, shocked. He'd seen him around over the centuries, but the Spirit…boy, had never come close, occasionally waving shyly from a distance or running his fingers through his sand. He didn't mind, the sand formed fun shapes when he did but also gave him a glimpse into the younger Spirit. He'd waved back when he saw, wishing he would come close enough to communicate with.

Jack Frost was a much talked about Spirit, young and yet one of the most powerful Winter Spirits, maybe the most, despite his lack of believers. His loneliness and isolation had been clear whenever he played with the sand. The animosity between him and Bunny didn't help matters either. He had seen the boy spend hours at night, creating incredible images and patterns using frost, just to try and make people happy, had seen him trying to lead people to shelter on cold nights. There was more to Jack Frost than anyone else wanted to see or admit.

Having him approach him finally was good and he was overjoyed to hear someone finally believed in Jack enough to see him. It would have been kinder if the child were younger, Jack would only have a few years, but maybe this Harry could spread the belief before he stopped believing himself. Finding out the boy didn't believe in any of them hurt a little but it was also worrying. He did not like the sound of it at all but what could he do? He used a question mark to ask and Jack stared at him, gnawing at his bottom lip absently.

"I…"

He formed an image of Jack, then himself and a question mark again.

"You want to know why I came to you?" he asked and Sandy nodded. "Well…I can't stay any longer and he's all alone and I thought….maybe if I showed him to you, you could make sure he has some happy dreams? He's so alone, he has no friends and his relatives…if Harry wouldn't be punished for it, I'd have frozen every pipe in that house and iced the driveway." Pale hands balled into fists and Sandy frowned, it really didn't sound good. "Please? He's just a kid."

Sandy nodded, flashing up an image of Britain and a question mark. Jack stared at him with wide eyes before a smile slowly spread across his face.

"Thank you!" He took off and Sandy followed, grinning and speeding up, getting a laugh from the younger Spirit as they began to race through the night sky.

Sandy recognised the suburb, following Jack over the roofs until they reached one and the Winter Spirit touched down on the roof so Sandy followed him.

"This is it, number 4 Privet Drive. The upstairs bedroom are used by the Dursley's and their kid. Harry…Harry's downstairs…in the cupboard under the stairs," he finished in a heartbroken whisper and Sandy flinched.

Oh, one of those cases. How had he missed him? He was always on the lookout for kids in these kinds of circumstances, to give them what happiness he could in their dreams to make up for their miserable waking lives. He flew down to the ground floor, knowing Jack was following. He used a little sand to open a window and slip inside. He saw the door and looked at Jack, pointing, and Jack nodded. Sandy moved to the cupboard, seeing the grate in the door so he carefully slid it open, looking inside and feeling angry at what he saw. A small child lay curled up on a ratty old mattress, covered by…he blinked and looked at Jack who blushed, though not red like a human, sort of a bluish purple.

"He was freezing in the clothing they give him and I don't use it anymore. Didn't take much to add a warm lining," he explained awkwardly and Sandy patted his shoulder, smiling at him.

How could people claim Jack was a danger to children? He had seen him once, holding a child who couldn't see him, rocking him, whispering comfort, as the child succumbed to a death the poor Spirit couldn't stop. He had held the child until it was over, not letting him die alone, and then he had carried the body back to civilisation. Sandy had seen how far away they were, Jack couldn't have gotten the child to help in time to change anything so had chosen to simply offer what little comfort he could. It had been obvious, being unable to save the child had ripped Jack apart, frozen tears falling from clouded blue eyes.

He looked in again, seeing the childish drawing pinned to a wall, announcing to anyone who saw that this was Harry's room. There were old cleaning supplies, a bare lightbulb… not fit for a child at all, a child who was whimpering in his sleep. Sandy frowned and gently sent some of his sand through the grate, watching it swirl around the boy…unable to touch him. What! How? He looked at Jack with wide, horrified eyes, tugging him down to see.

"What?" Jack looked in, seeing what Sandy already had. "What…what does that mean?" he asked and Sandy shrugged, as confused as Jack was. "Has this ever happened before?" the boy asked and Sandy shook his head. "So…you can't help him?" Jack drooped and Sandy frowned, carefully forming signs, he knew about Harry now, he would keep trying.

That got a small smile. "Thanks." Jack stared into the tiny cupboard. "Stay safe kiddo," he whispered before taking off and Sandy watched him fly away, heading south.

He carefully opened the door and crouched over the boy, checking, thankful to find nothing like Pitch Black influencing him. So why didn't his sand work? The boy stirred slightly before settling, sleep at least seeming more peaceful now. He needed to talk to the others.

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Harry huddled in the bushes, he hurt! He hated Harry hunting so much! Usually he was quick enough to get away but today…knowing Jack was real, hearing him speak of the others, well….he'd been distracted by the kids hunting for eggs and they'd caught him.

He wanted winter to come back, wanted Jack to be there. He was the only friend Harry had, the only person who cared. He didn't care that he was Jack Frost, that he was part of winter and could be dangerous. He knew Jack would never hurt him but he still new winter was dangerous.

Summer sucked, no school to give him any safety. Just days of endless chores that dragged on forever unless he was kicked out for the day, like today. For once, he wanted to be like the other kids, to run around and hunt the Easter Bunny's eggs down, to have his parents laugh happily as he showed them to them…he sniffled, wiping his sleeve across his eyes, his glasses broken in his lap.

He stopped breathing as he saw the biggest rabbit ever…the Easter Bunny? He was watching the other kids and Harry almost called out to him but hesitated. Why would he even answer? Besides, he knew Jack and the Bunny didn't get along, not that Jack had said anything but he was good at working out what people felt.

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Aster saw a bush move slightly, nose and ears twitching. Ah! A kid, too shy to hunt with the others maybe? He moved closer to the bushes and put some eggs down, nudging them towards the plants. "Happy Easter kid," he murmured before leaving, there was still a lot of work to do.

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Green eyes went wide in shock and awe even as he carefully pulled the eggs in, smiling shakily – his first ever Easter Eggs! He smiled as he looked them over, they were delicate and pretty. How long did it take him to decorate so many eggs?

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Harry smiled as he walked to school, feeling the slight chill to the air, unable to help looking around, searching for any sign of the familiar blue jumper. Maybe it wasn't cold enough yet? There'd been no sign of frost or anything. Halloween had come and gone; one holiday he didn't mind missing. He didn't know why, but something about October 31st made him feel…sad and almost sick. Was it the day his parents…. He sighed and huddled in his jacket; it wasn't cold enough to need Jack's gift.

"Why so glum?" a voice asked and Harry jerked to a stop, head rising to look around before a smiled spread across his face.

"Jack!"

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Jack smiled as he recognised where he was, seeing the kids heading for school. He quickly flew for a route he'd gotten to know last winter, eyes scanning….there! He flew closer, nerves making his hands shake around his staff. It'd been months, what if… what if Harry couldn't see him? It'd hurt worse than the centuries of isolation if he called out and Harry didn't hear him.

He'd seen Sandman…Sandy, a few times since that night, the Guardian always welcoming him to sit on his dream sand cloud and rest for a while. He rarely ever slept but it was easy then and Sandy had insisted that it was good for him to do it. If not sleeping they'd talk and he was getting better and better at interpreting his images. From what he could tell, Harry didn't appear on either the Naughty or Nice lists, Tooth held none of his teeth and memories and her fairies had no idea that Dudley Dursley wasn't the only child in the house. It was like….something was keeping him hidden from them. So why hadn't it worked on him? Because no one cared about what he did and didn't think to make sure he couldn't see the kid?

He saw Harry huddle in his jacket even as he looked around for something….or someone?

"Why so glum?" he called before he could fly off in fear.

He watched as Harry jerked to a stop, almost tripping over his own feet as he lifted his head, eyes scanning the area and then bright green eyes were looking right at him, a smile spreading across a young face. "Jack!"

He could still see him! He leapt down to stand before him, nearly being knocked off his feet as wiry arms wrapped around him and he hugged back. "Hey kiddo."

"I missed you," Harry whispered, hands fisted in his jumper and Jack smiled, running his fingers through wild black hair.

"Missed you too Harry."

"Didn't think you'd come yet," Harry admitted as he pulled back and started walking again, Jack at his side. "There's no frost."

"Not yet, but winter's done down south, so I have a week of down time before I really need to start bring the frost up here. What else was I going to do but come and see you?" he smiled and Harry smiled back. The kid had grown a little since he'd had to leave, but not a lot and that worried him. Harry was smaller than his classmates and he should be growing more.

"Oh! I uh…I saw another Spirit but he didn't see me."

"Really?" Jack grinned. "Who?" Was it wrong that part of him was glad whoever it was hadn't seen Harry? He'd brought Sandy to Harry to try and help him, that was different.

"The Easter Bunny. I was…um….hiding in some bushes caused Dudley and his gang wanted to keep playing Harry hunting. I was watching the other kids and then I saw him. Guess I moved or something…he left some eggs just inside the bush for me, don't think he knew I could see him. You were right…they're real…" Harry leant against his side and Jack rested his hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, let's get you to school before you're late. I'll be around, okay?" he asked and Harry nodded, knowing better than to get attention by being late.

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Harry laughed and dodged, grabbing a handful of snow to throw back at Jack who laughed. Snowball fights with a Winter Spirit were better than any he'd ever watched. Christmas was in two weeks, but the usual sadness wasn't there, not when Jack was there to play with him. He didn't care about presents, not when he had a friend who had come back. Eventually they collapsed in the snow side by side, Harry panting and Jack laughing.

"Hey Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"When I left…I actually came back that night with someone to see you," he admitted softly and Harry sat up, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You're a growing kid, you need your sleep. Plus it was Sandy…the Sandman. I told him about you and he came to help, to give you good dreams…"

"But?" Something had obviously gone wrong; his dreams hadn't changed.

"He tried, dumped a whole load of dream sand on you but something blocked it." He wrapped an arm around Harry, tugging him out of the snow to curl up against Jack.

"Oh," Harry whispered. "Do…do you think it's because I've got my own power?" he asked quietly, and Jack hugged him tighter.

"I don't think so? It works on Spirits after all. Right, have you been practicing?"

"Yep," Harry sat up and cupped his hands, a stronger, more solid ball of light forming in his hands. "And I even got the door to my cupboard unlocked! I hadn't had anything to eat all day and was really hungry. I…I took some food and they never noticed."

"Good," Jack grinned at him and he relaxed, glad he wasn't mad at him. "I think England needs a good cold winter this year, with loads of snow, what do you think?" he asked, and Harry grinned.

"Brilliant!"

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Sandy paused and looked down, smiling as he saw the immortal teenager playing in the snow with a figure wrapped in a brown cape, he recognised it and the messy black hair. Jack glanced up and waved so Sandy flew lower, waving back. Wide green eyes focused on him, so Sandy waved at the boy who waved shyly, shifting into Jack's side.

He'd noticed the complaints about Jack had lessened since last winter. Having someone who believed in him, who could see him, had settled the eternally young Spirit down. He was still mischievous and fun loving but not quite so…wild.

"Harry, this is Sandy, the Sandman. Sandy, this is Harry Potter," Jack introduced them, and Sandy formed a lightning bolt, getting a bewildered blink before the boy realised he was using it to describe him.

"Hi," Harry greeted him in return.

Sandy formed a watch and mimed checking it and Harry paled.

"Oh no."

"Climb on, I'll have you home in a minute," Jack knelt, and Harry latched on as Jack summoned the wind to lift them into the air, Sandy followed to make sure no one saw the boy flying through the air.

When Harry rushed to the house all the two Spirits could do was listen to the verbal abuse heaped on him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry stumbled out of the house, aching from his Uncle's 'punishment' for not getting Christmas dinner done in time. He had Jack's cape on over his clothing, needing the warmth. The sun was setting and that was not good, but they'd made it clear that he wasn't welcome. He headed for the park, hoping Jack was somewhere nearby.

"Jack?" he called once at the empty park. "Jack Frost!" he called louder. "Jack?" he felt the wind wrap around him, ruffling his hair and then it went still. He waited and then saw the approaching figure in the air, Jack dropping down in front of him, blue eyes narrowed in concern.

"Harry? What are you doing out so late?" he asked, the air around them warming slightly and Harry knew Jack's body would feel colder because he was drawing the cold out and into himself.

"Got kicked out," he admitted, leaning against him and Jack wrapped an arm around him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Seeing Harry in the park, alone on Christmas, was heartbreaking. He really wanted to make those horrible relatives of his pay. It also scared him. Tonight was going to be cold, deadly cold, and it was too late to stop it. Harry needed shelter or even with his old cape the kid would end up with frostbite at least. How could anyone be so cruel as to lock a child outside in winter? He scooped Harry up, the wind coming without him even having to call but it did seem rather fond of Harry too.

He landed at their little hut and got Harry inside, stripping off his blue jumper to add some more warmth. He went outside and broke branches off trees that had the least amount of snow and frost on them, piling them on the floor, putting an ice circle around them to ensure no flame could spread dangerously. He couldn't light them but light produced heat.

Harry watched him and then shuffled over to the wood, closing his eyes and putting his hands over the sticks. Jack watched, hoping it would work, eyes going wide as sparks leapt from Harry's hands to the sticks, catching them alight and then he lunged to catch the boy as he slumped.

"I've got you, you'll be okay," he whispered as Harry cuddled in, thankful that he didn't feel cold to him or else he'd have to let him go. Sitting on the hard floor for a night wouldn't bother him, it would bother Harry's far more mortal body though. The fire was warm, thankfully not hot enough to discomfort him, but it should be warm enough to help keep Harry warm. "Harry, I need you to stay awake, okay?"

"Cause sleeping when too cold is dangerous," the ten-year-old whispered and Jack nodded.

"I won't let anything happen to you." He'd fly him to a hospital if needed. He hated to think what the Uncle would do if that happened, but he was not going to let Harry get sick…or worse. If it was Christmas Eve he'd chase North for help, the jolly man would surely have a way to keep Harry safe and warm, but by now he was back at his workshop which Jack had no way to get into. Though if he showed up with Harry he doubted the Yeti's would throw him out. But flying Harry all the way to the North Pole would be colder than staying where they were.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of safety and belonging that Jack gave him, turning his head to hide his face against Jack's jumper to stay that little bit warmer. He reached deep inside for that warm spark of power, not trying to draw it out this time but to…spread it, to let the warmth move through his body.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack blinked as he felt Harry become warmer where he could feel his skin and then smiled. Good, he was learning and trying new things. He wondered what kind of Spirit Harry would be one day, if that was what this power meant. Part of him hoped it did, that he'd never have to say goodbye to his first believer, his first friend but another part prayed he was wrong because he didn't want Harry to live the life he did, unseen, unwanted.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry smiled as he looked through the postcards Jack had brought him from all over the globe, places he went to bring Winter, places Harry would never get to see. He wished he could go with Jack, to fly through the air and see the world. He loved it when the wind picked them up, it was…freedom. If he could have any ability, he would wish to fly. He heard his Aunt coming down the stairs and hid his only gifts away from sight, ready to start the day. At least school was back so he had less chores and more ways to avoid his cousin.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack laughed as Harry got dumped in a snow drift, but the kid came up throwing snowballs. Spring was coming and with it the end of their time together. In a way, it made the southern winter go faster, giving him something to look forward to.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry hugged Jack tight before stepping back, absently rubbing his eyes, he hated saying goodbye.

"Hey, I'll be back next winter," Jack promised, and Harry nodded.

"I'll miss you."

"I'll bring you something new from down south. You keep practicing and don't let those monsters get to you, okay?"

"Okay, I promise," Harry gave him one last hug and then stood and watched, waving until he couldn't see Jack anymore.

Three and a half months later Harry turned eleven.

Jack landed in the park, glancing around but there was no sign of Harry, so he headed for the Dursley's. School was over for the day so he should be at home. He glanced in the windows, looking for any sign of the now eleven-year-old, becoming worried when there was no sign. Why was Petunia cooking? She always made Harry cook. He flew upstairs, checking the bedrooms, surprised to find the smallest was now less filled with broken toys, a rickety bed in there. Had they finally moved Harry to an actual bedroom?

He got the window open and looked around but there was no sign of anyone using the room. He moved out into the house, searching…the cupboard was empty, the mattress and picture gone, and his heart began to race. Where was Harry? He watched as their son arrived home dressed in a fancy school uniform already bursting at the seams.

"It's boring without the freak to push around," the kid grumbled, and Jack swallowed. He just meant they were at different schools, right?

"Now Dudley, I'm sure you and your friends can still find something fun to do," Vernon told him.

Jack listened as long as he could and then took off to look for Sandy. He would have kept an eye on the house, even if he couldn't give Harry sweet dreams.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Sandy!"

He turned, hearing the fear and panic in Jack's voice, immediately worried. He had only heard him like that once since meeting him, last Christmas when little Harry had been locked out overnight. He looked terrified now though and Sandy quickly moved to intercept him. He flashed up a lightning bolt and question mark.

"I can't find him! He's not at home, the park, anywhere. The cupboards empty, there's nothing in the house and the way they were talking…."

Sandy pressed a hand to Jack's chest, flashing up symbols slower than normal, knowing the much younger Spirit was panicking too much to keep up with the usual speed. He was worried too. The thought the boy might be missing or worse was not a pleasant one.

"I…I don't understand. Me? Pain?"

Sandy nodded and pressed a hand to his chest again. A first believer was very special and the Spirit in question always knew if they died, they felt it.

"No…no pain."

Sandy nodded in relief and went through the symbols again.

"If Harry was dead…I'd have felt it?" he asked, and Sandy nodded.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry walked through the pristine snow feeling…empty. There was something different about the winter at Hogwarts, something…less magical which made no sense at a magic school. Where was Jack? With all the snow and frost he should be around and yet Harry hadn't seen any sign of him. He'd left a note for Jack in their park, he'd come, he would. Unless…maybe wizards could see Spirits like ghosts and did something to keep them away? Would Jack think he didn't like him anymore? Or worse, had stopped believing in him?

He'd tried asking Ron about the Guardians at least but he said they were a muggle thing, calling North, Santa like any other kid. He'd tried looking in the library but there was nothing he could find in the various fairy tales and myths.

He'd thought learning magic would help keep Jack in his life as he grew up, would make sure Jack never had to worry about him in the winter but…had he traded Jack for magic?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry stood tall and straight before Riddle, able to feel the spirits of his family around him but wishing for the presence of a certain Spirit more than ever. No…better Jack never know of this. He hadn't seen him since coming to Hogwarts, but he still believed. He'd obviously never gotten the message he'd left or had been unable to find Hogwarts. Now he would never see him again. His life for the world, it wasn't a hard choice to make.

He stared defiantly into crimson eyes, in his cupped hand snowflakes formed from his magic danced, not flinching as two words were uttered and a flash of green light slammed into him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Jack relaxed back in the sleigh, exhausted. The last few days had been…well, he could sleep for a month. He was a Guardian now! He had believers…but they would never replace Harry. It had been seven winters since he'd seen the bright kid, he'd be…seventeen now? Would he still be able to see him?

"Party at workshop!" North shouted as the sleigh moved through the snow globe portal. It came out in the skies around the workshop and Jack screamed.

"Frostbite!" Bunny yelped, turning as Tooth and Sandy jolted around too.

Jack's eyes were wide as he gasped for breath, clutching his chest, frozen tears slipping down his face. "No…no…" he sobbed out and then Sandy was there, understanding in his sad golden eyes, and then Jack's world went black and he didn't fight it.

"What was that?" Bunny demanded and Sandy looked at them sadly, flashing up the symbols.

"His first believer? Jaimie?" Tooth asked in alarm, but Sandy shook his head, flashing up a lightning bolt…. the same symbol he had used for the child none of them had ever been able to find.

Harry Potter was dead.

TBC…