See chap one for disclaimers, and bottom for authors note. And please leave a review.
1111111111111111111
Despite the boy's annoyance at having to return to school after the diminutive winter break, they seemed eager to return to their peers. Their father had informed them, as the minister had informed him, that there was to be a school dance to be held on Valentine's Day. The brothers were thrilled and were eager to find partners. Since the dance had yet to be announced, they had the chance to get the first pick of the ladies.
Jake had been hanging around outside of the great hall for almost half an hour now, waiting for a certain Hufflepuff girl to exit the hall. She did so, twenty minutes later, when Jake was about to give up. Surrounded by friends, Jake, with an easy smile, graciously steered her away from her friends and to a small secluded corner.
"I don't think we've been properly introduced," he said holding out his hand. "Jake Conway."
"V-Veronica Collin's, it's nice to meet you," she said blushing.
"Collin's…Hmm…Gaelic, if I'm not mistaken, it means…holly?"
Veronica looked surprised, "yeah. How did you know that?"
Jake laughed. "And Veronica means truth and purity," he said looking at her with an appraising eye. "It seems to fit," he said making her blush even harder.
"I wanted to ask if you had heard about the Valentines Day ball that is coming up," he asked, trying desperately to act casual. His brothers had labeled him a "ladies man" but that still didn't mean he didn't get nervous when asking a girl out.
"No," she said breaking him out of his thoughts. Catching on to what he was trying to ask her, she blushed again, trying to keep her voice steady. "I hadn't heard. Why?"
"Well I was wondering of you would want to go with me. To the ball that is, unless of course you had someone else in mind."
Veronica gave him a calculating stare. "I don't really know you to well," she said after a moment of thought.
Jake grinned and looped his arm through hers. "Well let's fix that, shall we?"
Taking her books in his other hand, he walked her to his next class.
By lunch time the news of the ball had spread like wild fire. Drake had asked confronted Susan Bones at lunch time, and she agreed to be his date. Nick had cornered Daphne Greengrass, and the end of Charms. Both girls agreed to be Drake and Nick's date for the ball.
Harry of course, decided to wait to ask someone. And while he knew that he could have any girl that he wanted, he wanted to keep his date a surprise. Adam had asked Ginny Weasley to the ball, and while he wasn't who she fell for, she happily agreed. Ron, even though he really wanted to ask Hermione, chickened out every time, and she ended up getting a date, although she kept it a secret. Of course that only started a wildfire of rumors of who they were dating.
The brothers caught up with each other before dinner and seemed to be in deep conversation when Adam and his lackey Ron walked over top the group. "Well, well, well look who we have here, the Conway brothers. Gonna call you mommy and ask her to take you to the dance? Oh wait, I forgot, she's dead." Adam smiled and Ron sniggered behind him.
Jake stepped forward and stood face to face with Adam, his face set with a grim determination. "If you know what's good for you, you'll back off right now. I have no qualms about killing you; it's just one less asshole in the world."
Adam brandished his wand and leveled it at Jake. Harry was trying hard to control his anger, and kept quiet, knowing that Jake could handle himself. And only when Ron rose his wand did Nick step forward, looking Ron square in the eye. "I was quiet lenient on you the last time we met Weasley. But you raise you wand at my brother, and you'll find that I won't be quiet as nice to you this time."
Ron gulped hard, but didn't put his wand down.
Adam, knowing that he was out numbered, put his wand down and stalked away, but not before saying, "you time is coming soon dear brother, you just wait and see. And this time, you won't have your brothers to hide behind."
Drake sighed and shook his head. "We really need to teach that kid a lesson. He obviously doesn't know who he's messing with. You okay there Shadow?"
Harry shook his head. "I have an idea," he said motioning his brothers for them to follow him. "Come on; let's go talk to Dumbledore about the ball."
Fred and George Weasley, future business men had a pool going on who Harry was taking to the ball. Harry and his brothers took the whole thing in great stride, but seeing as how most of the students betted that he was taking Hermione, she didn't find it very funny. And in the weeks leading up to the ball found the students in panic to get ready.
Of course not far from the castle, another type of affair was being planed, but it wasn't going to be that romantic type of atmosphere that the headmaster was planning on. No, this get together was being planned my Voldemort.
"My sssserventssss," he hissed one night at a death eater meeting. "Are the plans in place?"
Peter Pettigrew shakily stepped forward. "Y-yes master, I did just as you asked."
"Ssseverus ssstep forward," Snape stood forward, kneeling and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes. "What news do you have Dumbledore and his order?"
"My lord, Dumbledore has sent men to guard something at the department of mysteries. I do not know yet what he is so desperately trying to hide. Only a select few know of the item."
"Crucio! You have had ample time to find out what the old man is hiding! I will give you another week to find out, or you will answer to me!"
Once Snape got off the floor he again kneeled in from of Tom and whispered. "Yes lord, thank you my lord for being so kind."
He dismissed all of his followers but one.
Voldemort favored the spy with one of his cruel and snake like smiles, and motioned the spy to step forward. "Ssspy," he hissed, "ssstep forward and report."
The spy stepped forward, bowed and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robe. "Master, I thank you for choosing me worthy of this task. I have much to report my lord. Dumbledore had tried to convince the Conway brother to stay in the castle over the holiday. He brought Neville Longbottom's grandmother to the castle to try and convince her grandson to go home with her, they resisted his pleas and left, he still does not know where they live. When they returned the Conway brothers have struck some sort of deal with Dumbledore concerning the Valentines Ball, but he has not shared the plans with the rest of the staff."
Voldemort sat back in his throne and mulled over the information given to him. "The Conway brothers have no interest in their living relatives…but if they were captured it might persuade them…"
Voldemort sprang to his feet and paced around the small darkened throne room. Stopping abruptly he sat back down and smiled. Turning to his spy he said, "Gather four teams of ten. The Conway brother might not be interested in their families now, but let's see how they react to what I have planed." Laughing he dismissed his spy to continue to plan his own Valentines Day surprise.
11111111111111111111111111
As January flew to an end and February fell in full swing, the ball was fast approaching and students and teachers alike gave in from the futile attempts at schoolwork, with the exception of Snape, who worked them harder the ever, using OWLS as an excuse. And noting believe Harry's story about his "mystery date" most of the girls and surprisingly even some of the boys approached him. All of whom he politely told that he had already had a date. But even though it put most of the students off, for one student it did not. Adam Potter was as determined as ever to ruin the big event for Harry. But since Harry never strayed far from his brothers, he knew he would have to be sneaky and tactful about this. Since Hermione would not help him, he and his other dorm mates, Ron, Seamus, and Dean agreed to help.
Adam Potter grinned as he watched his brother entered the common room, arms laden with books. Harry ignored his dorm mates and headed up to the dorm. Adam, Ron, Dean and Seamus talked late into the night with Hermione looking on crossly watching the boys conspire. Adam tossed in old tattered book on the table in between the boys.
"What's this?" asked Seamus, picking up the book and thumbing through it.
"The Marauders best pranks," Adam said proudly as if he were holding the jewel of the Nile. The boys gasped, and Adam widened his smile. "My Father gave this to me this past summer, and told me to put it to good use. Can't disappoint dear old Dad, now can I?"
1111111111111111111111111
It seemed that so much was happing over the next few weeks, with preparation for NEWTS, OWLS, end of the year exams, and of course, the Valentines Day ball that no one seemed to notice that all around the school, there was scheming.
Voldemort had his own party planned for V-Day, and knowing old Tom, it was nothing good. He held meeting up to three times a week now, planning for the big day, when he knew that Dumbledore would be occupied with other things.
Adam Potter had his own present awaiting his brother on Valentines Day. Adam was sure that Harry was lying about having a date, in his mind no one would want to date his brother, when they could have him instead. Ron, Seamus, Dean and himself had planned the ultimate prank, knowing that it would take all of the attention, well at least all of the positive attention off of Harry, and humiliate him.
Lilly Potter thought herself to be a very proud woman, but also a very stupid one. And she reminded herself of that everyday. For the past fourteen years, while she dotted on Adam and adored James, she thought of Harry. Did he remember the short time that they had spent together before Voldemort came? Did he remember when she held him tight during a thunderstorm? She couldn't understand, even now fourteen years later why she did what she did. And everything she missed because of it, not knowing if her first born was safe, or even still alive. Not knowing where he was or who he looked liked, not even knowing the sound of his voice, broke the middle age woman, but like everything else in her life, she kept it well hidden.
And now her little boy was finally at Hogwarts, and couldn't care less about the parents that had abandoned him. Since Harry didn't take her class, the only times that she saw him were in the great hall and in between classes, if she was lucky enough. Knowing that Harry was in fact the boy who lived, and not Adam nearly tore her apart. She loved Adam with everything she had, and after hearing the prophecy and thinking that the prophecy spoke of Adam, she tried to protect him, love him, train him and let him have some semblance of a normal childhood, and thought that if she could just focus all of her attention on him and doing those thing for him, that he could survive, and that Harry could be given a normal life as well. But as she watched her son, the real boy who lived, stalk down the hallway, passing her as if he didn't even know her, she knew that in every aspect, she had failed. And so help her, she would spend the rest of her life trying to get back all that she lost. She to, like many other had begun to plan.
The day of the ball, classes, much to the relief of students were canceled, when it became painfully clear that no one was paying attention.
Harry and his brothers had locked themselves in an unused, albeit well locked and warded classroom in the dungeons. Dumbledore, without giving any reason why, instructed the heads of house, and teachers to leave the boys alone.
Two hours until the ball Lilly Potter strode determinedly into Gryffindor not even stopping when her youngest son questioned her. She snapped at Seamus Finnigan who was flirting unabashed with a third year, who wasn't his date for the ball.
"Finnigan!" Lilly snapped. Seamus had the decency to look ashamed, and stuttered his response, "y-yes ma'am?"
"Please run to the dorms and get Harry for me. Tell him I want to see him in my office in ten minutes."
"But professor, the ball…" Seamus said, pleading with her, hoping that the practical joke would not be ruined.
"I am aware Mr. Finnigan, of tonight's activities. Now if you'll do as I asked, you will be joining your friends at the ball, instead of hearing about it after you detention."
Seamus didn't bother to answer, just ran to the dorms. Lilly turned around to leave but was stopped by Adam.
"Mum, what's going on?"
Lilly looked down at her son, hair mussed looking more like James then ever, his eyes glazed over with concern.
She smoothed down her sons hair and smiled gently at him, even though deep inside she hated him, hated him for not being Harry, for not being the child that she spent so long trying to protect, for not living up to her expectation of greatness.
But she hated herself even more.
He knocked on her door fifteen minutes after she had sent for him. Even though he was late, he didn't look a bit sorry about it. He stood in front of her desk; arms crossed over his chest, his short spiky hair sported blue and red tips. He looked ready for the ball except for his tie dangling from his neck.
"You look handsome," she said softly taking in every bit of him. He was thin, but far from gangly, his cool green eyes glared daringly at her. She thought that he to would be cursed with the Potter's bad eye sight, but he wasn't. his muscles were very defined for that of a fifteen year old, but Lilly had heard the other teachers talking about how he and the other Conway boys, she had refused to think of them as her son's brothers, had been working out for hours and hours in the morning.
"Well thanks for sharing," he said sarcastically, "now if you don't mind I have somewhere to be." He turned to leave, but she called him back.
"Wait," he stopped but didn't turn around. She stood up from her desk and went to stand in front of him.
"I know," she started but stopped. Closing her eyes she put her hands over her mouth. With a sigh she continued. "I know this doesn't mean much, but I am sorry and so is your father."
He continued walking and put his hand on the door knob, turning it he stopped when she spoke again, "I know." She said her voice a mere whisper.
He turned, looking her in the eye for the first time in almost fifteen years.
"I know it was you and your…the woman who adopted you," she said choking out the words as if saying the word was finally admitting to herself that she didn't raise her son. "I know that you came to the Leaky Cauldron and pretended to be the son of an old friend of mine. But what I don't know is why. Why did you come after so long?"
He faced her for another second, his face showing no emotion before turning and walking out the door without saying anything.
Lilly Potter fell to her knees and wept. She didn't have the strength anymore.
A/N: please be kind and review. Who is Harry bringing to the ball? I'll give you a hint, she was mentioned in the first book, but has seeming disappeared. Fifteen points if you can guess correctly, and another ten if you can guess who Hermione is bringing. Anyone figured out what Harry and his brothers are planning for the ball? Or Adam for that matter?