Disclaimer: Not not mine, not not mine (ahem, sorry, just celebrating the END)
A/N: Wow, that was fast, yes, this is the last of this story. Tune in....uh....soon for First Year, depending on how many reviews I get when I get up at seven tonight. Hope you liked... oh, and this is sort of the Prequal to Harry's Hogwarts years, which will be far more indepth, SCOUTS HONOR. (Former Girl Scout, buy cookies and nobody gets thin!)
Oh, this is Harry Potter, AGE 11, in which Harry is precocious and meets Malfoy and Hermione...his new best friends? (Evil Cackle...'cause you'll have to wait until next time to find out!)
Harry emerged from the Floo coughing, "Padfoot?" He called between coughs.
"Harry?" Sirius replied, coming out of his kitchen with a mug of tea, "What are you doing here?"
Harry rolled his eyes, "Hunter is turning eleven and the Manor's full of party planning," he said and held up a letter, "I wanted someone to help me celebrate."
Sirius set his mug on a side table with a grin, "Is that what I think it is?"
"It's got green ink on it," Harry replied.
Sirius smirked, "Remus needs to see this." He walked down the hall and slammed open one of the bedroom doors, "Moony! You have five seconds before I steal all your chocolate and give it to Harry!"
"What?" Remus called back.
"Harry's here, and you have to get up!" Sirius said, "C'mon Moony!"
"Just let me get dressed, Paddy," Remus replied.
"Five minutes," Sirius replied, "or I'll hand your chocolate over to Harry." He shut the door and walked back to the living room, "Remind me to give you too much sugar, ok, cub?"
Harry grinned, "Yes sir, Padfoot, sir."
Remus came out of the bedroom wearing grey slacks, and a maroon polo shirt, "Now then, Harry, what are you doing here?"
"Hiding from Hunter's birthday party," Harry replied, "mum and pa are trying to out do Hunter's Hogwarts letter and the mysterious gift Dumbledore sent. Since I didn't get a Dumbledore gift, and me going to Hogwarts is nothing new, after all, Hunter got in."
"Nonsense," Remus said, "now, you told your parents that you were over here, right?"
"Yes," Harry said, thinking of the note he'd left on the mantle.
"Good, then we can head to Diagon Ally and get you a birthday present," Remus said.
"You don't have to," Harry said, instantly, "I don't need anything."
"What? A Potter, not want presents?" Sirius grabbed his chest, "Heart attack! Heart attack!"
Remus produced his wand and muttered something, Sirius howled and leapt in the air. "Stop being a crybaby," Remus said, "let's go."
He walked over to the fireplace and threw some powder on the fire, "Diagon Alley" He called and stepped into the flames.
Harry grabbed some powder and followed, with Sirius on his heels. "Now," Remus said, "there are certain things your parents will want to be here for, that is, robes, your wand, class books, so we are not going to get those things. Instead, Sirius will take you to Florish and Blotts for other books, and then to Zonko's while I'll get your special present."
"The bookstore?" Sirius whined, "Do I have to?" Remus looked at Sirius for a long moment, then at Harry.
"Yes," Harry said, catching on, "because it's MY birthday!"
"All right," Sirius said, "but nothing practical. You can only get books to help you prank better."
"Yes Padfoot," Harry replied with a sigh.
They parted and went into the bookstore, and Harry left Sirius staring after him mournfully as he headed into the stacks. Harry knew where he was headed, that is, for the beginning Charms and Transfiguration books, the sort of books his parents had failed to get for him last year when he'd asked, and that he would now have to convince Padfoot the Generous to buy for him. Harry walked around a bookshelf and right into someone else, "Hey!" The 'someone else' said.
"Sorry," Harry replied quietly. He stood up, "I didn't know someone was there."
"You should be more careful," the blond haired boy said. He lifted his chin, "I'm Draco Malfoy."
"Harry Potter," Harry replied, eyeing the only child of his father's least favorite Wizard. "You start Hogwarts this year, huh?"
"Yes," Draco said, eyeing him like he was a dangerous beast.
"Good luck," Harry said, "I hope you do well in Slytherin." He offered his hand.
Draco took it for a brief moment, "Thanks, you to, Potter, I hope you do well in Gryffindor."
Harry rolled his eyes, "Why would I want to be a Gryffindork? I'm more likely to be a Ravenclaw. Look, I got to hurry, my Godfather's feeling generous and if I'm quick, I can probably trick him into getting more than he thinks he's getting. And since it is books, Uncle Moony will shake his head, smile, and let it go."
"All right," Draco said, he, too, knew the value of a generous godfather.
Harry grabbed a feather light basket and entered the Charms section. It didn't take too long, and he came up with the complete seven volume Charms set. It was meant for the beginning Charms student, and was actually considered an asset to Muggleborns. "Excuse me."
Harry turned, and found himself confronting a bushy haired girl with buck teeth. "May I help you?" Harry asked.
"I was just wondering if you could recommend a book for a Muggleborn about Charms," the girl said.
Harry smiled, "Well, I don't know about a single book, but I was told that this series here was good for beginners and an asset to Muggleborns. There's a Transfiguration set by the same author as well. When it comes to Potions, just read the text and you'll be miles ahead of most students."
"Thank you," the girl said, "I'm Hermione Granger."
"Harry Potter," Harry replied, "I have to go, got to get that Transfiguration set before they sell out. Have fun at Hogwarts."
He ducked around to the Transfiguration section and found the other set of books. With both sets in his basket, Harry took a deep breath and went looking for his godfather. Sirius was standing by the counter, chatting with the pretty Witch at the counter, but when Harry appeared, he ended the conversation, "How many books?" Sirius asked.
"Just fourteen," Harry replied, "but Pa'foot, they're the best books! They got all sorts of spells that aren't in my school books. 'Specially the best prank charms, like you'n'Moony'n'Pa use'ta use. I wanna be a prankster like you, Pa'foot, but smart like Moony so I never repeat myself. Rule number eight, 'member?"
Sirius laughed, he knew, just like Harry, that he, Harry that is, only skipped the letter 'd' in Padfoot when he really wanted something. They both also knew that Sirius why buy whatever it was that Harry had asked for. It was a power that many children would abuse, Harry used it sparingly, and only when he had a very good reason. "Put them on the counter, Cub, and don't let Moony catch you talking like that. He'll do the remedial course on grammar again."
Harry nodded, "Yes, Padfoot." He put the basket on the counter and within five minutes was following his godfather eagerly to Zonko's joke shop. They emerged from there an hour later with several bags to meet Remus, who stood with his hands behind his back, looking amused.
"Have fun, Harry?" Remus asked.
"Yup," Harry said, "I got the books I wanted and then Padfoot bought me this 'going to school' gift too. Did you find what you were looking for and can I have some ice cream now?"
Remus produced an owl cage, containing a snowy owl, "Harry, this is a gift from Padfoot and I, just so that we know you can always write to us if you need to."
Harry set down his bags and ran forward to hug Remus tightly, and then turned to look at the owl, "She's beautiful, Moony. What's her name?"
"You can name her," Remus replied.
"I'll think on it," Harry said, "she has to have a perfect name." He slipped a finger through the bars, "Hello, I'm Harry Potter."
The owl gently nipped his finger and Harry giggled. "Well," Sirius said, "I'd say she's a hit, Remus. Now, let's take your owl and these bags back to the flat, and then we can go to the zoo, how about that?"
"Ok," Harry said.
The trio floo'd back to the flat, left their bags and were gone, moments after they'd left a second time, the head of James Potter appeared in the fire. "Moony? Padfoot? Are you guys there? I'm looking for Harry!"
The only reply James heard was the mournful hooting of a snowy owl.
Harry, Sirius and Remus arrived at the London Zoo with matching grins, and, after collecting large, chocolate cones from an ice cream seller, they were on their way to look at and laugh at the Muggle animals.
Like other trips to the Zoo, Sirius found the wolves first, "Hey, Remus, look, any cousins in there?" He asked.
Remus looked, "No, but I thought I saw your cousins on our way here?"
"Really? Andy here, I could totally see, but not Bella and 'Cissa," Sirius replied.
"Not those cousins," Remus replied, "the orangutans."
"Ha funny ha," Sirius said, dryly.
"Look, Padfoot, the snakes!" Harry pointed, "Can we go see, please?"
"Why? You can just go over to Grimmuald place and look at the portraits," Sirius said.
"Please?" Harry begged, clenching his hands under his chin, "I'm sorry about the Pa'foot earlier, and that time I hit you with a color potion."
"All right, Cub," Remus said, cutting him off with a laugh, "Let's go see the reptiles. Maybe they'll have a hungry one we can feed Padfoot to."
"Cool," Harry replied, and ran ahead into the building.
Sirius eyes Remus for a long moment, "Well, I guess we know why you like the pull out so much," he said simply, before racing after his godson. Remus laughed and followed at a more leisurely pace, his mood barely spoiled by a vaguely familiar trio who bumped him as they hurried into the reptile house.
Remus found Harry with his face pressed against the glass of a large boa constrictor while Sirius leaned against the wall beside it, pointedly not looking at the snake. Remus smiled at him encouragingly before putting his hand on Harry's shoulder, "So, what's he doing?"
"Sleeping," Harry said, "snakes do that a lot." He turned away and continued down the way, stopping to look into every case. He was half-way through the circuit when he stopped, "Look, they're feeding it!" He said, pointing.
Sirius shuddered, but Remus looked, and saw that, sure enough, the constrictor inside was finishing up the last of something with a tail. Remus hoped it was a rat. "Move," a rude boy said, knocking Harry over and looking into the case. Remus moved to Harry up, but paused when he noticed an odd, green glitter in the eleven year olds' eyes. Harry made a hissing sound as he looked at his hands, but a scream distracted Remus. The boa constrictor was charging out of the glass, past the rude boy, and heading straight for the door. Harry watched him go with a fascination that made Remus shudder almost as much as the snake had done to Sirius.
Speaking of which, Remus glanced around, and found Sirius perched on top of a handrail, back to the wall. Remus shook his head and reached for Harry, "It's gone, Sirius," he said, pulling Harry up. "Get down from there so we can get back to the apartment."
"Aw, but you haven't fed me extra sugar," Harry whined.
"Next time," Remus said as Sirius hopped down.
Harry looked at Sirius, "You know, he wasn't poisonous," he said, "that was a boa constrictor, they suffocate their pray, not bite them, and he was too small to be able to swallow you easily. The big one might have, but not that little one. He's got a few years before he's big enough."
"That doesn't help," Sirius replied, as he eyed the rude boy, who was crying to a couple that were clearly his parents.
"Now look here," the man said before they could leave, "how dare your boy attack my Dudley."
"Attack him?" Sirius said, "your Dudley knocked Harry down. You were standing right there, and you saw it. I saw you watching him, so don't come crying to me about your boy being afraid of a snake that got free. Come on, Harry, Remus, we need to go. I'm sure your parents are probably worried about you by now."
"Yes, Uncle Sirius," Harry replied, quietly.
The trio left the blustering man behind as they headed for the building's exit and a hidden spot to Apparate from. They arrived at the flat moments before James came through the Floo. "There you are," he said, "Harry, where have you been?"
"With Sirius and Remus," Harry replied, "I told you this morning that I was going to stay here. You and Mum were going crazy, Papa, and with all those people setting up the party, I thought me being underfoot was a good thing."
"What did I say when you asked?" James asked.
"You said nothing," Harry shrugged, "Mum said, 'that's nice, don't eat to much before the party.' I even put a note on the mantel in case you didn't remember. Bright pink paper, yellow letters, couldn't miss it."
"It wasn't there," James said, "do you know how worried we were?"
"Worried about me, or worried about what Dumbledore would say if we weren't the perfect family?" Harry replied, then clamped his hands over his face, the blood draining so fast that he first went white and then fainted.
"Bloody hell," James whispered, "where did that come from?"
Sirius shook his head, "You didn't think he was stupid, blind or deaf, did you? You and Lily fight loud enough to wake the dead sometimes. Remus and I took him to Diagon for a few things for Hogwarts, and then to the Zoo. Why don't you help me get his stuff back home while Remus wakes him up."
James nodded, hazel eyes still locked on his small, eleven year old son, who had just proved that his small stature was not a reflection on his intelligence as it sometimes seemed. "Prongs," Remus said, snapping James out of his thoughts, "the bags?"
James turned, and eyed the many Zonko's bags, "Did you buy out the shop?" He asked.
"Nope," Sirius replied, "we put one or two items per bag. It's to flip out Lily."
"Can I watch?"
"Sure, I'll even say you gave me the idea," Sirius replied, grabbing some bags and apparating.
"Why that," James followed suite.
Remus shook his head, "All right, Harry, you're all clear."
Harry sat up, "Think it worked?"
"Naturally, you're a Marauder. Now, don't use that too often, or people will suspect."
"Great, thanks for teaching me, Moony."
"No problem, Cub, you'd better Floo home now," Remus said.
"Yes Moony," Harry replied, he hugged his adopted uncle and vanished into the Floo.
