Standard Disclaimers….yeah you know the drill.

When the feast came to an end, Hermione stood to escort the first years to the dorms. "You had better come with me," she said. Harry said nothing, just followed her silently as she explained some of the school's history to the first years.

He found his bed and trunk against the far wall of the room. His dorm mates, including his brother watched him as he came in, but made no move to greet him. Harry didn't even look at them as he retrieved some things from his trunk and got ready for bed. When he got back to the common room freshly showered and dressed in black boxers and a white tee shirt, his dorm mates, Seamus, Dean, Ron and Adam were sitting on Ron's bed talking in low whispers. Ignoring them, Harry drew the curtains around his bed, cast a security charm with a flick of his wrist to keep any and all intruders out and fell asleep. He knew the four were planning something, but was too tired to care. Like his father always told him, revenge was a dish best served cold.

Harry woke up a little before four in the morning, unable to go back to sleep. He had dreamt that he was home with his father and brothers. It was just them, no Hogwarts, no parents and brother on the other side of the world and no prophecy to be fulfilled. In his home on the beaches of Maine life was so much simpler.

Harry and his brothers were twelve, and sitting on the beach playing a game of football. Collapsing to the ground, sweaty and covered in sand, they slugged some water and watched the waves.

"You know we'll have to go back to Britain soon," Jake said, pouring water on his sand covered face. Shaking his red hair he had inadvertently gotten his brothers wet.

"Hey!" Nick said, and gave his brother a playful punch in the arm.

Laughing Drake grabbed the bottle from Jake and poured some water on his head. Sighing in contentment, he laid back on the blanket at looked up at the sky through his sunglasses.

"I know. But Dad says we don't have to go right away. I mean, he said there is still a lot he has to teach us."

"I know," Jake said taking the bottle back. "I just don't want to go. I mean this is our home, I know Britain is our home too, but…"

"I know man," Nick said patting his brother on his sun burned back.

"Ouch!"

"Oops, sorry bro."

"You did that on purpose!" Jake yelled taking the football and throwing it at his brother's head.

"It was an accident!" Nick protested.

"Was not! You did it on purpose, Neville!"

Drake and Harry watched as Nick's face turned red. "My name is Nick! And you know it!"

And indeed he did. Neville had gotten teased about his name in elementary school. And since Drake and Jake had there names shortened, and Harry had a cool nick name, he felt he should have his named shortened to. After talking to his parents about it, they decided to just call him Nick for short.

"I'll get you for that!" Nick yelled and got up to chase his brother. Jake ran, pleading for his life.

Drake and Harry watched as Nick chased his brother down the beach, laughing quietly.

"He was really asking for it," Drake said moving to sit next to Harry.

"You've been pretty quiet," Drake said brushing the sand off his arm. "Something on your mind bro?"

"Just thinking about what Jake said;" Harry said quietly, "about having to go back eventually."

Drake shook his head and sighed. "Yeah, but it's not like we have to back right away. I mean we don't have to back until we're ready. That's what Dad said."

They sat in silence once more and watched Nick tackle Jake to the ground. Nick grabbed a fist full of Jakes wavy red hair and plunge his face into the sand. They watched as Jake emerged spitting out sand before his head went back down again.

"I miss Mom," Harry whispered. But it was so quiet that Drake almost missed it. He sighed and patted his brother on the shoulder.

"I know, bro, I know. So do I. And Dad, Nick, and Jake too. But there was nothing any of us could have done."

"If I would have just-"

"No," Drake said sitting up to face his brother putting his hands on Harry's shoulder and shaking them. "There was nothing you could have done. There wasn't anything that anybody could do. Bad shit just happens, Shadow," Drake said using Harry's nickname. "It just happens and there is nothing we could have done to stop it."

Harry sank to the beach once more and covered his eyes with his arm. "I know," he finally whispered. "I know, I just whished it didn't have to be her."

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes and the thoughts of the past, he got up and dressed, careful not to wake any of his dorm mates who he was sure would love to get him in trouble for something.

Dawn had yet to break when Harry and his brothers trooped out to the Quidditch field. Dressed in sweat pants and fitted tees the boys started their daily workouts.

Ever since they were little, their father had stressed the importance of a strong mind, a strong body and peace of heart. He trained them in physical fitness, meditation, occlumency, legilimency, and Muggle fighting which included self defence, hand to hand combat, boxing, sword fighting, karate, ninja, and knife fighting. Their father had said that one can never be too prepared when in a duel. And one day there would come a time when all of their training would pay off.

They spent the next three and a half hours working out and practice duelling. So when they trooped back to the school sweaty, bruised and beaten they were satisfied with themselves.

"Good morning boys," Dumbledore said taking in their dishevelled appearances. "Care to tell me what you four were doing out so early?" Dumbledore along with their heads of houses, were waiting for them by the entrance, and by the looks of it, they weren't very happy.

If the boys were worried about being in trouble for their early morning stroll, they didn't show it. Their faces remained impassive and their voices steady.

Dumbledore, irritated with Harry's silence tried to gently probe in to his mind but was met with a tall brick wall with a yellow sign with black letters on it. It read:

Being stalked by psycho killers. Run for your life.

Dumbledore tried to make sense of the message before he was violently pushed out of Harry's mind. He stumbled back into the wall, holding his throbbing head.

Harry narrowed his eyes, "I may not say much, but know this. My brothers and I don't take kindly to people," he spat, "trying to break into our minds." Dumbledore, while on the outside showed a face of embarrassment, but his mind was turning. How did Harry Potter know Occlumency?

"I am sorry Harry," he said folding his hands together. "I was just trying to understand-"

"Then why not just wait for us to answer if you were so curious?" Jake said crossly. "You asked a question, and yet instead of waiting for an answer, you try and break into my brother's mind. You know you can get a year in Azkaban for that?"

"Mr. Conway! You-" Professor Flitwick began, but stopped at the wave of Dumbledore's hand.

"That is not necessary Filius, young Mr. Conway is correct. It was wrong of me to intrude of Harry's privacy. So tell us then, what were you four doing out so early in the morning?"

"Exercising," Draco said simply as if the answer were that obvious.

"Exercising?" McGonagall said disbelievingly.

Jake shrugged, and turned to address the irate headmistress. "We were raised in a home where physical fitness was an important part of our day. It is important to take care of not just your mind but your body as well. We noticed that Hogwarts doesn't have a physical fitness program, and we didn't want to stop exercising just because you don't have a program. There are no rules that prohibit physical fitness. And if there was, then you're gonna have a bunch of over weight wizards and witch's who aren't going to last five minutes in a duel. And while there is a curfew, there is no rule that say what time we can leave our common rooms in the morning."

The teachers looked at the boy in disbelief, McGonagall looked ready to take points but before she could even open her mouth Madam Umbridge snuck up quietly on the group and got their attention by clearing her throat.

"Hem hem," she said and brought her hand to her mouth as if to cover a cough. "Is there a problem?" She asked sweetly. But everyone could see the venom behind those words.

Dumbledore smiled sweetly at her and shook his head. "Good morning Madam Umbridge. The Conway brothers were just enlightening us on how Hogwarts would benefit from a fitness program."

"Did not," Jake muttered, and was stopped with an elbow to the ribs from Nick.

"Well," she said looking at Jake who was rubbing his chest. "I'll have to run the idea by the minister. You know he wanted to be-"

"Yeah," Draco said cutting her off and tugging his brothers towards the stairs. "You do that. We're gonna get ready for class."

The boys jogged out of site leaving six very confused and worried teachers in their wake.

The rest of the day seemed to pass by uneventfully. Harry and his brothers sat together in each of the classes they shared, ignoring looks from their classmates. Harry's schedule was pretty light that first day, with Potions, charms, arithmancy, ancient ruins, and care of magical creatures.

Harry and Drake were the first ones into the potions room that morning, and received dirty looks from both Slytherin and Gryffindor for sitting together. Professor Snape made his usual dramatic entrance, and while he chose not to comment on Harry and Drake sitting together, he did raise his eye brows in suspicion.

"As you all know," he said in a low murmur, this year you will be taking your O.W.L.S the potions we will be brewing today is just the type of potion you might see on said exam." With the flick of his wand the instructions were on the board. "Pair up," he said and sat behind his desk.

"Add or stir?" Drake said.

"Flip you for it," Harry said taking out a gold gallon out of his pocket. Draco nodded. "Heads." He murmured, and sighed when the coin landed face down. He dutifully went back to the supply cabinet and grabbed what they needed.

At the end of the class, Snape was making his last rounds around the room criticizing as he went along.

"Your potion should be a light purple hue, Mr. Potter," he spat at Adam. "Not brown, it seems once again that you and Mr. Weasley cannot even concoct a simple Peace potion, what a pity. This mess you call a potion is worthless. Which means," he said a cleared their potion away, "a zero for the day and a two and a half feet of parchment on the correct way to brew this potion."

"But professor," Ron whined.

"And fifteen points from Gryffindor for talking back to a teacher.

Adam kicked Ron under their work table and Ron scolded and started cleaning up their work station.

When Snape, with his robes billowing behind him stalked over to Harry and Drakes table he was surprised to see that Drake and Harry were finished with their potion and were cleaning up their work station.

"Well, well, well." Snape said holding up the potion vial for inspection. "It seems," he drawled out gaining the attention of everyone in the room, "that the Conway brothers, despite the fact that one is a Gryffindor, can brew…an acceptable potion." Whispers swept over the dungeons, until Snape silenced them with a look. "Back to work," he yelled handing the vile back to Drake.

At the end of class, Harry lingered by the door while Drake stayed back to talk to Snape. "It's all settled," Drake said coming out. "Snape said we can use the one of the extra dungeons."

"Excellent," Harry said, and handed Drake his bag. "We'll get Nick and Jake and meet back down here at seven."

"Come on," Drake said, "we'll be late for class.

The two walked to class unaware that someone was watching him.

A:N/ Thanks to Machele for betaing 9/18/10