New Chap! Yes! Just read it, I don't feel like typing much right now-
"Shoot, Ron! Shoot!" Harry yelled from further down the pitch.
Ron looked uncertainly at the ball at his feet. He backed up slightly, and kicked it with his toe, as hard as he could. He groaned when it soared both high and wide over the net.
"I told you I can play better than them," Kelly laughed from a few feet away.
Ron turned red. He had known this sport would be stupid.
"At least he gets it in the air," Harry defended his friend. Ron perked up a little, and ran to get the ball.
When he got back, the siblings were arguing over something. He listened silently, trying to figure out what exactly they were talking about.
"There is no way anyone will ever beat Mia Hamm with goals," Harry was saying.
"Kristine Lilly isn't far behind her, and, chances are, someone better will play in the future," Kelly argued.
"True, but Hamm is like the Michael Jordan of woman's soccer. Even if someone better comes, she will always be considered the best."
"I know that," Kelly sighed. "I'm just saying that she will eventually have to retire, and her record may be passed them."
"That's not what you said earlier."
"It's what I meant."
"Sure."
Ron stared at them.
"What are you two talking about?" he asked them.
They turned to him.
"Mia Hamm," Harry simply said.
"Who?"
"You don't know who Mia Hamm is?" Kelly gasped.
"Am I supposed to?"
"She's just the best soccer player ever," she explained.
"Best female player ever. Even she can't beat Pelé," Harry clarified.
"Okay, best female player ever," Kelly rolled her eyes. "She helped the US team win the Women's World Championship last year."
"Well, I would say that Michelle Akers basically won the final," Harry spoke up.
"True, but she won't be able to play much longer."
Harry just nodded, and Ron shook his head. Everything they were saying was going over his head.
"What is that?" a Ron asked as Harry unwrapped one of his birthday presents.
"It's a book," Harry replied.
"What book?" another boy, this one with brown hair, questioned.
Harry looked up from the gift. He had almost forgotten that his American friends were at the party as well. His muggle, American friends.
"A fantasy book, from one of my friends from school," he quickly told them. "She told me about it during school, and I tried to find it when I got back stateside. Couldn't find it though, so she got me a copy."
"Ah, cool."
"Well, that was the last gift, anyone up for more cake?" Gibbs asked.
All of the kids cheered, and followed him to the kitchen. Harry stalled for a second. It was weird seeing most of his friends' together, muggle and magic. Aunt Minnie had told all of his friends from Hogwarts that she would punish them if they spoke about magic.
Harry had already enjoyed watching Ron argue with one of them about sports. He had tried to explain Quidditch, without the magical aspect. Even Harry had to admit that without brooms, it sounded like a stupid game.
"You coming, Harry?" Kelly asked from the door.
"Of course," he grinned.
Harry gingerly lifted the broom off of the table. Its mahogany handle was smooth and warm beneath his fingers. The twigs at the end were straight and neat. When he ran his fingers over the lettering on the handle, it was almost like he could feel the magic in the wood.
He put the Nimbus back on the table, then threw his arms around his guardian.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," he breathed.
"It was no problem," Aunt Minnie grinned. "Just put it to good use."
"Don't worry, I will," he promised.
"And no killing yourself on it," she laughed. "Your father did enough of that."
Harry nodded, and laughed with her. He stopped after a few moments, and glanced around to make sure they were still alone.
"Do you think they would be proud of me?" he asked.
The question had been bugging him for a few years, but it had intensified since he had gone to Hogwarts. Aunt Minnie smiled softly at him.
"They would be extremely proud of you," she told him. "They would be proud of you no matter what you do."
"You sure?"
"Positive."
He grinned, and hugged her again. She hugged him back tightly.
Harry sat cross-legged on his bed. His presents were laid all around the room, and the broom was leaning against the wall. He wasn't going through his gifts again, however. He was watching the stars through this window.
"Hey, Mom," he softly said. "I'm sorry I'm so late tonight, but I'm sure you can guess why." He paused for a second, and bowed his head. "It was weird, not having you wish me 'happy birthday,' or bake my cake from scratch. You may not have been the best cook, but you made some amazing birthday cakes. Dad did his best this year, it actually wasn't bad, but it wasn't yours. My friends go to meet each other. Well, some of them did. Seamus and Hermione weren't able to come, but Ron, Neville, and Dean were here. I think they all liked each other. They acted like they did, at least."
He looked around the room briefly. His eyes landed on his broom, and he smiled slightly.
"Aunt Minnie and Dumbledore got me a broom. It's so I don't have to use the school brooms when I play Quidditch at school. It's not the latest model, but it came out last year, and is still brilliant. Aunt Minnie told me that it's the best broom for seekers produced currently. She said that the newer one is built more for beaters and chasers."
He stopped again.
"Mum, Dad," he almost whispered. "Are you there too? I guess you would be. Aunt Minnie said that you are always looking over me. She misses you guys a lot. I don't think she wants me to know, but I can tell.
"I miss all of you. I wish none of you had died."
He looked at the worn book that sat on his desk. He wasn't sure exactly what it did, but it had to be powerful. Why else would his master order him to protect it?
His master, however, was gone. He had been defeated by a mere toddler. That toddler was now a nuisance that had to be taken care of.
He had tried to have the boy's family be taken at once. He had tried to have his adopted parents killed. But, only the woman had died. He decided that this was something he would have to take care of himself.
He slowly picked up the book. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with it. It gave no hint to any darkness. It also didn't give away what it was.
No matter what, he reasoned, it had to be dark. The question was: how to use it?
He kept looking around after he stepped out of the fire. Everywhere he looked were traces of magic. Dishes were cleaning themselves in the kitchen. Mirrors talked to you when you walked past. Everything seemed to be filled with magic, and was buzzing with life.
"Your house is amazing," he told Ron.
His friend blushed slightly.
"Is not that great," Ron brushed it off.
"Well, I think it is."
Ron was saved by his mother walking into the room.
"Hello, Harry," she grinned.
"Hello, Mrs. Weasley," Harry replied, letting her crush him in a hug.
"Did you have a good birthday?" she asked him.
"It was wonderful," he replied. "Thank you so much for the fudge."
"It was no problem, dear," she smiled.
She led them to the kitchen, where most of the family was sitting.
"Ah, Harry, our boy," Fred said when he noticed that they had walked in.
"Right here, ol' chap," George continued.
"We saved you a seat," Fred finished.
Harry smiled, and sat in the seat between the twins. Ron sat in the seat across from him and started to dig into the food on the table.
"You know Percy," George kept talking. The boy in person looked up and greeted Harry.
"But we do not think you have had the pleasure to meet Ginny," Fred continued.
"Our beloved sister," his twin picked up.
The girl on the other side of Fred blushed when they spoke, and ran off when Harry smiled at her.
He grinned. He knew what he was going to do. He wasn't attacking the boy directly, but it should still be effective.
He had decided that a direct path was going to be blocked no matter how hard he tried. So, he had to figure out a way around.
He slipped the book into his pocket, and went to find his wife and son.
"Mums bringing us back later in the summer to see Lockhart," Ron whispered to Harry as they walked through the crowd.
Harry just shook his head. They had been making fun of Lockhart the entire week. It was just so easy. They had read through one of his books earlier in the week, when it had been too wet for Mrs. Weasley to let them play Qudditch.
Lockhart writing style was cheesy and simple. He spent pages describing his own appearance, and left the rest of the characters vague. The sparkly-ness of his smile was constantly mentioned, as was the perfection of his hair. Even Ron felt as though he could write better.
"I think you'll be here by then, so she may drag you along."
Harry made a face.
"If only we didn't have to get our defense books later," he said. Aunt Minnie had let him know what books he would need for his second year. However, they still hadn't found a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, so no books had been assigned yet.
"That's the Nimbus 2001," Ron suddenly gasped, pulling Harry towards Quality Quidditch Supplies.
They admired the sleek, black broom.
"Imagine how it must feel to ride one," Ron moaned.
"Bet its fast," Harry agreed.
"Fast?" Ron said. "It's gotta be faster than your Nimbus. Why didn't they buy you one of these?"
"Besides the price?" Harry laughed. "The 2000 is built more for seekers, while this one is designed for chasers."
"Waddya mean?"
"Well, the 2000 has a faster acceleration, for chasing after the snitch, but the 2001 will accelerate longer, so you can outfly an opponent."
"How do you know that?"
"I read a copy of Which Broomstick, and it had an article about it."
Ron just nodded, but continued to stare at the broom. Harry moved his attention to some posters of teams. He was watching the Holyhead Harpies in their game against the Heidelberg Harriers in 1953 when someone ran into him.
He turned around to see a boy about a year younger than him lying on the ground. Harry helped the boy to his feet. He was tiny, and had mousy brown hair. A camera hung from his neck.
"Sorry," the boy quickly muttered. "I tripped."
Harry glanced down to see the boy's shoes untied.
"Is no problem," Harry shrugged. "But you might wanna tie your shoes."
The boy looked down in confusion.
"Stupid things keep getting untied," he grumbled. He bent down to tie it again. When he stood up, he looked around. "Did you see where my mum went?" he asked Harry after a few moments.
"I didn't see anyone, mate," Harry replied. "But we'll help you find her."
"Really?" the boy questioned.
"Of course. What does she look like?" Ron spoke up.
"A little taller than me, with brown hair and brown eyes."
Harry looked around the alley. There were a few women that could fit the description, but he wasn't sure.
"She was with one of the professors from Hogwarts," the boy continued.
Harry turned back to him.
"Which one?" he asked.
"Professor MacGinall, I think," the boy replied.
"McGonagall," Ron corrected him.
Harry grinned. That made things a lot easier.
"We'll find them," he said. "My names Harry and this is Ron."
"I'm Colin."
"We should go to Flourish and Blotts, they're gunna end up there eventually," Ron suggested.
"My mum always said to stay in place if I get lost," Colin said.
"There you are," a woman's voice said from a few feet away.
The boys all turned to see a woman that matched the description of Colin's mum. A step behind here was McGonagall. Relief covered both of their faces.
"What happened to you?" Colin's mum asked. She brushed some dirt off of him.
"I tripped," Colin replied. "And when I got up, you were gone. Harry and Ron were going to help me find you."
The woman turned to them.
"Thank you," she said.
"It wasn't a problem, ma'am," Harry replied.
Ron nudged him, and he turned to see Mrs. Weasley waving them over.
"We have to go," Harry said. "We'll see you at school, Colin, Professor McGonagall."
"Have you gotten everything you need?" Mrs. Weasley asked when they reached her.
"Yup," Ron replied.
"Good."
"I'm going back to England tomorrow, so I won't be back until the Winter Holidays," Harry said.
He laid a flower on the ground in front of the gravestone.
"I know I can talk to you no matter where I am, but a part of me doesn't want to leave with you here. It's going to be weird having Dad take me to Kings Cross, especially without you there. We're going to spend a week in London before I have to leave. Dad said he's gunna take us around the city a bit. I think it's just to take our minds off of everything."
He glanced over his shoulder.
"It's time for me to go. I miss you."
Harry felt his heart sink when the man's eyes locked onto him.
"Harry Potter," he breathed.
A gasp ran through the crowd. Harry saw Kelly rolling her eyes at the people's reactions; most of them had already seen him. A small man moved towards their group, and reached for Harry.
Gibbs moved between his son and the man.
"S'cuseme, sir," the wizard huffed.
"Don't touch my son," Gibbs said.
Everyone in the shop turned to look at them.
"I assure you, my good man that young Harry will only benefit from a photo opportunity with me" Lockhart grinned.
"I don't want my son all over the papers," Gibbs almost growled.
Lockhart's smile flickered slightly.
"It is only for the boy's own good. A little more publicity won't hurt an up and coming celebrity, now will it?"
"It will if it's with you," Harry murmured, causing Ron and Kelly to chuckle.
"He's my son, and I'll say what's good for him."
With that, Gibbs put a hand on each of his children's shoulder, and started to lead them out of the store.
"I'll pick up your books for you," Mrs. Weasley told him as they passed.
"Thanks," Gibbs nodded.
He watched as the boy and his family left the store. Good, he didn't want to risk the man noticing him. Once they had gone into Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, he walked into the book store.
The first thing he noticed was his son laughing at a group of Weasley's. He quickly cut in before it would amount to much. He didn't want his son to get into a muggle fight.
Five minutes later, he had done exactly that himself. He fought the red blush of embarrassment as it rose to his cheeks. It didn't matter, he had done what he had set out to do.
"Are you sure you'll be alright by yourself?" Gibbs asked.
"Dad, you're only going to be gone for an hour or two. I'll be fine," Harry said.
"Okay. Don't open the door for anyone, and don't order room service."
"I know Dad."
Gibbs chuckled and led Kelly out of the hotel room. Harry flopped down on one of the beds and turned on the TV. He flipped through the channels until he found a Monty Python movie. He watched it in peace for over an hour. He was only interrupted by a loud crash in the room.
After a few moments, he pulled his wand out, and started to look for the source of the noise. He found it in a small creature that had somehow appeared in the closet, knocking the dresser over. He stared at it as it righted itself.
The creature only came up to about Harry's navel, and had large, green eyes. It had large ears and a thin nose.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
The creature jumped around, and seemed surprise to see him there. Harry vaguely recognized it as a house elf. Aunt Minnie had one, and he had seen a few at Hogwarts.
"Mr. Harry Potter, sir!" it squeaked. "Dobby thought he saw you leave."
"No, I didn't leave," he stated. "Is there a reason you're here?"
"Oh, yes. Dobby came to warn Harry Potter, sir!"
"Warn me about what?"
"Bad things are at Hogwarts. Harry Potter mustn't go back."
Harry stared at the creature, Dobby apparently.
"Listen, Dobby, you have thirty seconds to explain yourself before I get my father in here."
Dobby nodded enthusiastically.
"Trouble will be happening at Hogwarts this year, and Harry Potter must not go."
"What trouble, who's causing it?"
Dobby swallowed thickly.
"Dobby cannot say. Dobby is just a house elf. If Dobby does more than warn Harry Potter…"
He trailed off.
The door suddenly opened, and his father walked in with Kelly. Instantly, Dobby vanished.
"Who was that?" Kelly asked.
"…I'm not sure. Some strange house elf," Harry replied, staring at the spot where Dobby had been. "But he said I shouldn't go to Hogwarts this year."
"Didn't I tell you to not let anyone in?" Gibbs asked him.
"I didn't let him in, he just appeared in the closet," Harry defended himself.
"You promise?"
"I promise."
Gibbs nodded. Part of him wanted to complain to the hotel about someone getting into their room, but they were at a muggle hotel, and he knew that complaining wouldn't work if magic was involved. There was no one in the magic world he could tell about it. The Weasleys had already gone back to their house, and Minerva was at Hogwarts.
"I want you to talk to Minerva about it once you get to school tomorrow."
"I will, I promise."
"Stay safe, don't get in too much trouble, and keep your grades up," Gibbs said.
"I know, Dad," Harry grinned. They had already put his trunk on the train, and it was almost time for Harry to get on.
"And don't forget to talk to Minerva."
"I won't."
Gibbs ruffled his hair.
"We'll see you at Christmas," he said.
"Can't wait," Harry said.
He was suddenly crushed as Kelly pulled him into a hug. He hugged her back just as tight.
"Bye," she said.
"Bye," he replied.
He climbed onto the train, and waved to them through the window before going to find his friends. He still hadn't found them when the train started to move, but a voice from behind him stopped him.
"Who was the girl you were hugging, Potter?" Malfoy sneered.
"My sister, Malfoy," Harry sighed, trying to not let the other boy get to him.
"You have a sister, I thought your family was all dead," the Slytherin questioned.
Anger started to rise in Harry. He started to walk again, to get away.
"Or did you just decide to forget about them?" Malfoy continued. Harry froze. "Does this new family know that once they're gone, you'll forget about them too?"
Malfoy was against the wall in a second. Harry's left arm was pushing into the blonde's throat, while his right was holding his wand to his temple.
"Do not talk about my family," Harry growled. He could see the fear and surprise in Malfoy's eyes. "Never talk about my family again."
Harry stepped away, and Malfoy started to massage his throat. Harry turned to walk away.
"Wait until my father hears about this," Malfoy croaked.
"Yeah, well, wait until mine does," Harry shot back over his shoulder.
He had calmed down by the time he found his friends closer to the end of the train.
"Where have you been?" Ron asked.
"Malfoy," he simply said. They all nodded and turned to talks about their holiday.
"Mr. Potter," McGonagall's voice said over the roar of student voices. Harry quickly found her, and made his way over. "Please stop by my office after the feast."
"Yes, Professor McGonagall," he replied, and moved towards the great hall.
"What did McGonagall want?" Dean asked when Harry sat down.
"She wants to see me after the feast," he shrugged.
"Tough luck, mate," Dean said.
"Eh, it's not too bad," Harry told him. "It could be worse."
"Yeah, it could be Snape," Neville shuddered.
Harry laughed.
"See, it could be a lot worse."
"If ya say so," Seamus said.
They stopped their conversation when the first years were led into the hall. Harry could make out Ginny's red hair in the crowd, and could see Colin struggling to keep up.
The young boy found Harry at the table after they had stopped talking. Harry smiled and waved at him, and he returned the gestures.
"Who's that?" Hermione asked.
"Colin, Ron and I met him at Diagon Alley," Harry replied. They all just nodded, and watched the sorting.
Colin was the second one up, and was placed into Gryffindor after almost a minute. He walked to the table and sat a few seats down from Harry.
"Congrats, Colin," Harry said.
"Thanks, Harry," the small boy grinned.
They all watched as the rest of the first years were sorted until 'Weasley, Ginevra.'
Ron leaned forward as the hat was put on his sister's head.
"Gryffindor!" it cried, and Ron let out a breath.
Harry rolled his eyes. Ginny may annoy her brother, but he did care about her.
"Enter," Aunt Minnie called after Harry knocked on her door.
"You said you want to see me, Aunt Minnie?" he said after closing the door and sitting at one of the chairs in front of her desk.
"Yes, I heard that you had a confrontation with Mr. Malfoy on the train this morning," she said.
Harry looked at the floor.
"Harry, what happened?" she asked.
"I don't really want to talk about it," he muttered. She sighed.
"If you don't tell me what it was about, I will let Professor Snape punish you like he wants."
Harry's head snapped up to look at her. His eyes were wide and his mouth open. She had to suppress the urge to smirk at his expression. She raised an eyebrow after a few moments, and his expression faded.
"I pushed him against the wall and held my wand to his head," he slowly said.
"Why?"
"He said some stuff," he admitted.
"What stuff?" she pushed.
"He said that I forgot about my parents after they died, and will probably forget about my family now if they die," he softly said. His shoulders had dropped and his head was down.
Her heart fell slightly. She stood up, and walked around the desk. She sat in the chair next to him, and lifted his head up.
"Do not listen to him," she told him. "You will never forget your family."
"But what if I do? What if I forget about Mom? What if I lose Kelly and Dad, and forget about them?"
She could see the fear in his eyes. The fear of a boy who had lost so much, and didn't want to lose what he had found. For a second, he was once again the abused boy they had saved.
"You will never forget your mother, and in, Merlin forbid, something does happen to your father and sister, you would never forget them," she assured him.
"But what if I do?"
"The fact that you are this worried about this tells me that you will never forget them."
He nodded, but she could see that he wasn't entirely convinced.
"What's my punishment?" he asked after a few moments.
She stared at him in slightly surprise. He looked up when she didn't say anything.
"I broke the rules," he said. "You told me that you won't be lenient on me just because you're my guardian."
"You will have a detention with me tomorrow night," she said after a moment of thinking.
He nodded.
"Do you have anything to ask me?" she said.
"I don't have a question, but I do need to tell you something," he told her after a few moments of composing himself. "Yesterday, a house elf came to our hotel room to tell me not to come to Hogwarts this year."
"House elf?" she questioned. Part of her wanted to make him talk more about what had happened on the train, but knew that he needed to get his mind off of it for a little bit.
"Yeah, I didn't recognize him, but he kept referring to himself as 'Dobby,' he said.
"And he told you to not come to Hogwarts this year?"
"He said that there will be trouble this year."
"What else did he say?"
"That was it. Kelly and my Dad walked in at that point and he vanished."
She thought for a second. "Thank you for telling me, Harry. I will look into it."
"Do you think something will happen this year?"
"I doubt it, but it seems as though someone did not want you here this year."
Harry nodded. Aunt Minnie glanced at her clock.
"I should walk you to the tower, it is past curfew," she said.
They both stood up and she led him out of her office.
"I heard you had a run in with Professor Lockhart in Diagon Alley," she said as they walked.
Harry groaned.
"I really cannot believe he is our defense professor," he said.
"I do not think anyone can," she agreed. "What exactly happened at Diagon Alley? I do not trust the Prophet with this type of news."
"We were in Flourish and Blotts during his signing to get his books. He saw me and decided it would be a great photo opportunity for an… what did he call me?" he thought for a second. "Oh, yeah, an 'up and coming celebrity'."
"'Up and coming celebrity?' He did know he was talking to you, right?" she asked, her eyebrows raised.
"Yup, but Dad wouldn't let him near me. We left the shop and Mrs. Weasley picked up my books," he grinned.
She looked slightly closer at him. She could see a hint of forcefulness in his smile. He still wasn't over what Malfoy had said. She knew it wouldn't do any good to push it at the current time, so she acted like she didn't notice the force.
Harry turned a corner, with her just a few steps behind.
"Out after curfew your first night back, Mr. Potter? I know you won't be punished properly for attacking Mr. Malfoy, but you will for this," a voice said from around the corner.
She turned the corner to see Snape standing in front of Harry.
"He is with me," she spoke up. Snape looked up. Anger briefly crossed his features. "We were actually just discussing his punishment for his actions on the train."
Snape glared at the boy.
"And are just finishing now?" he questioned.
"Do you not talk with your students about stuff other than school? Mr. Potter saw something that he wanted to ask me about. We talked about that for a bit. Besides, Severus, it is not your place to question why a Gryffindor is with me."
Snape's nostrils flared for a second before he spun around and stalked down the hall.
"Thanks," Harry said after a few halls had been put between them and the potions master.
"You do not need to thank me for that. He was not within his rights to challenge my authority just to find a way to punish you," she told him.
Harry nodded. He could tell that what Snape had done had really irked her.
"When do we have Transfiguration?" he asked, trying to get off the subject.
"Thursday, right after breakfast," she answered.
"Cool, what are we going to do?"
"Is there a reason you want to know?"
"So I can annoy Hermione by knowing all the answers," he shrugged.
She smiled slightly.
"If that is your only reason, I do not think I should tell you."
"Maybe I could help Ron, or Neville, and they could annoy Hermione," he continued.
"As tempting as that may be, it is still not enough for me to tell you."
"Well, it was worth a shot," he said, pretending to be disappointed.
"I cannot condemn you for trying," she said as they approached the fat lady.
"Password?" the painting asked.
"Wattlebird," Aunt Minnie said, and the painting swung forward.
"I will see you tomorrow, after supper," she said.
"Yes, Professor," he replied, trying not to grin.
He ignored the looks as he made his way to the second year boy's room.
"Where've you been, mate?" Dean asked when Harry walked in.
"With McGonagall," Harry replied. "Malfoy irritated me on the train, so I taught him a lesson. I got a detention tomorrow with her."
"Tough luck, mate," Seamus whistled.
Harry just shrugged as he pulled his robe off.
Dad,
I made it to Hogwarts okay. I did get into a little trouble on the train with Malfoy and have a detention with Aunt Minnie tomorrow. He just said some stuff that made me mad.
I did tell Aunt Minnie about the house elf, and she said she will look into it.
Harry
-oOo-
Kelly,
I just got back, so there isn't much to say. Although, Aunt Minnie did give Snape a dressing down. He tried to get me in trouble because I was out after hours, even though I was with her. It was great.
Love,
Harry
-oOo-
Leroy,
I think you should talk to Harry the first chance you get. I know it will most likely not be until the winter holidays, but he will need it. A few things came up tonight, and, although he does not know it, he needs to talk to someone about it.
Sincerely,
Minerva
-oOo-
Mom,
I'm back at Hogwarts. Our week in London was cool. We got to ride the London Eye, and visit the Tower of London. Dad even bought me a ton of food to store in my trunk.
I got into an argument with a boy on the train. He said I'll forget you, that I forgot my birth parents because I have you guys. I don't want to forget you, ever.
I gotta go to sleep now, it's late.
I miss you.
Love,
Harry
So, we found out who tried to kill them, and Harry is back at Hogwarts. I don't own HP or NCIS.