A/N Wow, thanks for all the reviews last chapter! I wish I could reply in the author's notes, but somebody told me that's against the rules and writing individual replies takes up valuable writing time (and with the chapters getting longer, that's not good). So if you have specific comments or questions, there's a forum link in my bio where the story is discussed and some of your questions may be answered. I can't promise to answer all questions though, I wouldn't want to ruin the story ;-)
Ok, to the important stuff.
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It was a full six days later that Harry received his next letter from Dumbledore.
Dear Mr. Potter,
I am glad to hear that you will be ready to attend classes with your fellow third year students. I would still like to meet with you regarding the progress you have made on your own, and would be happy to answer any questions that you may have.
I must admit that I am rather curious about your latest inquiry, as ward-casting is not a part of the traditional Hogwarts curriculum. I'm afraid that even the simplest wards would prove too difficult with you at this point in your magical education, however I should be happy to arrange for you to learn when you are older. If there is a specific area that you need warded, I would be happy to assist you personally.
Remus Lupin recently suggested that you could benefit from a tour of Hogwarts before the coming school year. As this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, he has kindly offered to be your guide and I think it is a splendid idea. I should very much like to meet you in person, and I'm sure Fawkes would like to see you again as well. You need only tell us what day you would like to come and the castle will be at your disposal.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
"Shorter than usual," Harry snorted as he handed the letter over to Row.
"Why'd you ask him about ward-casting?" She asked, looking up quizzically.
"I figured it was worth a shot," Harry shrugged. "Once I'm at Hogwarts I'm sure I'll be in the wizard papers, and I was hoping to have some security for the flat when that happens. From the little bits I've read, there are some really powerful wards out there."
Row frowned. "You think that's going to be a problem?"
"Honestly, I 'm surprised it isn't a problem already," Harry replied. "If Dumbledore wasn't trying to keep it quiet, we'd probably be swimming in owls. Don't worry, I've got a backup plan. I just hope it works out."
Row just nodded and went back to her charms book while Harry made his way over to the training area.
"Whatcha working on?" Asked Jack as he came out of his bedroom.
"Just an idea I've been trying," said Harry as he warmed up with a few curses.
"What's the idea?"
"I'm trying to cast more than one spell at a time," Harry replied as he continued to warm up.
"Wait," said a confused Jack. "I thought you could already do that, one from each hand right?"
Harry frowned. "Wait, that's not right. I guess what I'm really trying to do is cast one spell, but aim it at multiple targets so it acts like multiple spells. So I'd be able to hit two different things with a spell I cast from one hand."
Row looked up from her book and whistled. "How are you gonna manage that?"
"Well, I haven't yet," Harry replied wryly. "Scorched my whole arm up pretty good the last time I tried, and that was just using the disarming charm. Still, it would be a big advantage, especially if I could learn to do it with high powered spells."
"Expelliarmus? That's not a curse."
Harry frowned again. "It feels like one though." He replied thoughtfully. "It creates a specific beam of magic that has to connect with the target to be effective. The same it true for nearly all curses. Charms, on the other hand, are much more indirect magically in that I don't have to hit something with a spell to levitate it; I can just do it."
"What about hexes and jinxes?"
Harry paused for a moment before answering.
"Actually, hexes might be easier. They seem to be a cross between charms and curses, so maybe I should try that first. Thanks Row!" He smiled.
"You can thank me all you want, but I still don't understand exactly what you're trying to do."
Harry looked thoughtful. "I guess what I'm really trying to do is cast curses without without a specific emanating focus, that way I can split the effects and I'm not limited to my 2 hands."
"You know that's supposed to be impossible, right? You'd have to create an entirely new spell." Asked Row skeptically.
Harry's brow furrowed. "Well, I can already do a bunch of charms at the same time, and for the most part I don't even need to gesture with my hands anymore. If I don't need my hands to cast some spells, why should I need them for curses?" Row looked confused so he elaborated. "When I cast a curse, I use my hand like a wand, right?" She nodded. "But why does it have to be my hand? It's not like my hand has special properties like a wand does, so why can't I shoot a curse from elbow, or my shoulder, or anywhere else? What's the difference?"
"Harry, what the hell are you talking about?"
"Think about it this way," Harry levitated Row a foot in the air and then set her back down. "I just cast a spell on you, right?" Row gave him an odd look but nodded. "So I hit you with a spell without throwing any kind of magic at you from my wand, hand, or anything else. I simply focused on levitating you and it happened. So why can I do that with some spells and not with others? What's to say I can't do exactly the same thing with a stunner?"
"I'm still confused. When you levitate something, you concentrate your magic on the correct charm and send it to the object; that's what Professor Flitwick said. If you focus correctly on the process of the charm and its desired effect, and if you focus enough power through your wand, the spell is successful."
Harry frowned at her. "I think Hogwarts is brainwashing you. Remember when you first learned wandless magic? How did you feel then?"
"I didn't really know what I was doing then," Row replied. "You told me to focus on what I wanted to happen, so I did, and sometimes it happened. Honestly, it's a lot easier when you know all the steps involved like I do now."
Harry shook his head. "I don't think it's that simple or straightforward. I've already found different ways to cast some of the same spells, and I didn't need a wand. I think using a wand has narrowed your thinking. Think about this: complex wandless magic is supposed to be impossible, but you've seen me do it. How do you know they're not wrong about this too?"
Row could only reply with a skeptical shrug and shake of her head as Harry turned back to begin his practice.
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The rest of July passed quickly, and before he knew it, Harry's birthday had arrived. He had declined Dumbledore's offer of a tour of Hogwarts, but agreed to meet with Lupin again on the first of August. It was therefore a surprise when a Hogwarts school owl landed in front of him with a parcel tied to its leg.
"What in the world…" Harry muttered to himself as he took the package and read the note attached to it.
Dear Harry,
Your father left this is my possession for safekeeping, and I am glad to finally have the opportunity to return it to you. Use it well.
Albus Dumbledore
Somewhat bewildered, Harry opened the package and pulled out a silvery invisibility cloak.
"Woa, cool!" Exclaimed Jack when he saw. "Who sent you that?"
"Dumbledore," Harry answered. "He said it was my dad's." Suddenly he chuckled. "Pretty worthless for me though, don't you think?"
Jack's brow furrowed in confusion before he snorted in realization.
"Well, at least that means he doesn't know about your invisibility," supplied Row helpfully.
"I guess," Harry snorted. "Actually, this works out pretty well," he said, tossing the cloak to Row. "Now you can sneak around just as effectively as I can."
"R-Really Harry? Are you sure?" Asked Row with wide eyes.
"Positive," Harry replied with a nod. "It's not like I need it, and this way if we're in different houses you can sneak out without me if you need to."
Row squealed in delight and threw her arms around Harry.
"Only you would give somebody else a gift on your birthday, Harry," Jack said laughing. Harry just shrugged on moved on to his other presents.
The next day Harry met Lupin at the same outdoor café, and immediately he noticed that the man was nervous.
"Hello, Harry," Lupin greeted him as he sat down. "I've got a bit of bad news for you. Have you seen the daily prophet lately?"
"No…" Harry shook his head cautiously.
"Well, I guess you'd best read it for yourself." Lupin handed him the previous day's edition of the paper and opened it. The headline read:
HARRY POTTER FOUND! WILL ATTEND HOGWARTS SEPTEMBER 1
By Dominique Roark
Sources at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have confirmed that Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived and defeater of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has officially enrolled for the Fall term. Although it is still unknown where the Boy-Who-Lived has been hiding in recent years, Albus Dumbledore, current headmaster of Hogwarts, released a statement yesterday stating that Mr. Potter will starting with his fellow third year students for the coming year.
"I am very pleased that Mr. Potter has found his way back to us," the headmaster said. "Let us make every effort to welcome him back warmly."
There has been much discussion about the possible whereabouts of Mr. Potter, including numerous reports including….
"Well, I guess the cat's out of that bag, then," Harry said with a scowl.
"It was bound to happen eventually, Harry," Lupin replied carefully. "The headmaster is doing everything he can to keep you hidden from the press, but he couldn't keep this quiet forever. The prophet threatened to break the story with our without him, so he gave them a statement."
"Yeah, I knew it would be out eventually," said Harry with a sigh. "I don't have to like it though."
Lupin smiled ruefully. "No, I suppose you don't. On the bright side, at least Albus has been able to keep your two friends out of it."
"My brother and sister, you mean," Harry corrected him sharply.
"Of course," said Lupin quickly. "Now, where did we leave off last time?"
The rest of their meeting continued much the same as the first, with Lupin answering Harry's questions and Harry trying unsuccessfully to find what Lupin was hiding. Finally, Harry decided to try a more direct approach.
"Remus, I know you mentioned that your other two friends' names were Sirius and Peter, and that they died in the war. I was wondering if you knew how they died, or who killed them. Did it have anything to do with my parents?" As he finished, Harry risked a slightly stronger legilimency probe, and finally hit something.
"James and Lily are dead, Remus," said Dumbledore sadly. "Sirius sold them to Voldemort and he attacked them last night."
"N-no," Remus choked. "It can't be…"
"Harry, are you listening?"
"What? Oh, I'm sorry Remus," said Harry with a fake smile. "I was thinking about that damn article."
"Understandable," Remus replied kindly. "I was saying that we don't really have details on how they died, only that they were killed by Death Eaters."
You're lying. "Hmm, I see," Harry replied. "Just out of curiosity, what was Sirius's last name?"
Remus choked on his tea and looked at Harry oddly before answering.
"Black. Sirius Black."
"Thanks, Remus. And thanks for bringing the pictures, too. It's nice to finally be able to put a face to my parents."
Remus smiled.
"Anytime, Harry. My door is always open."
After leaving Remus, Harry apparated home and flopped into a chair to brood.
"Who died?" Jack asked jokingly when he saw him.
"My parents and all their friends, actually," Harry snapped. "And even better, no one will give me a straight answer about how."
Jack's face fell. "Sorry mate," he said seriously. "You want to talk about it?"
"No, there's nothing to say really," Harry replied. "Just one more thing to find out about when I get to Hogwarts, I guess."
Jack looked like he thinking hard about something before he suddenly looked at Harry with a very serious expression.
"Harry, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure," Harry answered, a little confused.
"Aren't you worried that somebody is going to find out what you did to your uncle? A wizard, I mean. Dumbledore knows about the cupboard already, what if they find him?"
Harry shook his head. "They won't, I took care of that when I told my aunt to file the emancipation forms," he replied. "And she still can't tell anybody. The only way they could find out is if somebody forcibly removed the block I put on her using legilimency, and they wouldn't even know there was a block until they were already in. Trust me, I've already thought about it."
Jack nodded, but still looked unconvinced.
"Well, if you want to talk about anything you know where to find me."
"Thanks," Harry replied before jumping to his feet. "I think I'm going to get some practice in, actually. Clear my mind a little."
"That's cool. Row and I are going to the cinema later, you want to go?"
"No thanks," said Harry, waving his hand dismissively. "I'm not in the mood."
Jack nodded his understanding and left the room as Harry grabbed a practice sword and began to work.
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Harry spent the first week of August continuing through the second year potions curriculum. Overall, he found the material rather simplistic, and had no trouble with the few potions that he tried on his own. He was just about to dispose of a perfect swelling solution when something on the TV caught his ear.
"Hey Jack, turn that up."
"….I repeat. There is a convict on the loose by the name of Sirius Black, shown here. He is wanted in connection with over a dozen murders, and is considered armed and extremely dangerous. If you have any information….."
"What is it, Harry? Yo, Harry! HARRY!"
"I fucking KNEW IT!" Harry exclaimed angrily. The television screen promptly exploded, causing Jack to dive behind the sofa to avoid being hit.
Harry closed his eyes and quickly regained control of his emotions before waving his hand to fix the TV.
"Uh, want to tell me what that was all about, mate?" Said Jack as he cautiously poked his head up from behind the sofa.
"Sirius Black is the person that betrayed my parents, the one I just found out about from Remus Lupin. They told me was dead," Harry said, fighting to keep his tone even. "I knew they were hiding something, but I thought it was just the fact that he was a traitor before he died. Of course, it makes sense now: they didn't want to tell me because he's still alive, just in prison."
"You think it's the same bloke?" Asked Jack skeptically. Harry nodded.
"I'm almost positive. The last time we met, Remus showed me some pictures of my parents and their gang at Hogwarts. That was obviously an old picture, but it's definitely the same guy."
"And now he's escaped?" Asked Jack worriedly. "Hang on, if he was a wizard how come he escaped from a normal prison?"
"I don't know," Harry replied. "Maybe they put him in a regular jail because he got caught by muggles. Or maybe he was in the wizard prison, but he broke out and now they can't find him, so they got the government to help look."
"You don't think it has anything to do with you, do you?"
"I don't know," said Harry slowly, before his jaw clenched in anger. "But I've got some letters to write."
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Professors Dumbledore and Lupin,
I am most interested to hear how it is that Sirius Black, who you have both assured me is dead, has recently become a wanted fugitive after a daring prison break last week. Don't bother trying to tell me that it is a different man; I saw his picture on the local news and it is most certainly the same man I remember from the photos Remus showed me. You'll have to try something else.
I am quite sure that you will discuss this with each other before returning my letter, so I am addressing this to both of you. Hopefully it will save you some time in coming up with another of your half-true stories designed to keep me in the dark.
Harry Potter
Harry attached the letter to Hedwig's leg and watched her go with an angry smirk.
Let's see them weasel their way out of this one.
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As Harry expected, the reply that he got two days later was carefully worded and quite apologetic.
Dear Mr. Potter,
I fear that once again I must apologize, Harry. I had intended to tell you the full story of Sirius Black and your parents face to face once you came to Hogwarts. I never intended to lie to you, Harry, and I certainly was not trying to deliberately keep you uninformed. Please forgive me.
As you now know, Sirius Black is indeed alive. At the height of his power, Lord Voldemort was known to specifically target certain families that were publicly opposed to him. Through various intelligence gathering efforts, we were alerted that he had chosen to target your parents for just such a reason. Believing that we had found out in time, your parents took you into hiding using something called the Fidelius Charm. Basically, the charm is used to hide something from all but one other person, that person is known as the secret keeper. Only the secret keeper can reveal the hidden location, and thus it seemed like the perfect way to safely hide your family.
You parents, James and Lily, chose Sirius Black to be their secret keeper. Unfortunately, Sirius had, unbeknownst to us, been working for Voldemort for some time. He revealed that your parents had gone into hiding at Godric's Hollow, and Voldemort attacked shortly thereafter. The rest you know.
After that horrible night, Peter Pettigrew went after Sirius Black and confronted him in muggle London. After a brief altercation, Black killed him as well as 12 innocent muggles before he was apprehended and sent to Azkaban to serve a life sentence. He escaped from Azkaban earlier this month and the Ministry has asked the muggle government for their help locating him.
This is the full story Harry, I have left nothing out. Please accept my sincerest apologies for my oversight in not telling you directly; I simply did not want you to have to deal with such unpleasant thoughts until you were ready.
As it stands, you must be very careful, Harry. Sirius Black is known to have been one of the strongest supporters of Lord Voldemort after he betrayed your parents, and it is quite possible that he will come after you if given the chance. It may become necessary to move you to a more secure location before term begins. I will keep you notified if I hear anything more.
Also, you must forgive Remus Lupin for not telling you; he was only acting on my advice. Once again, I sincerely apologize Harry.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
Harry could feel cold ire build in him as he read the letter. When he was done, he crumpled it in his fist with all his strength.
"Harry…?" Asked a concerned Row. "What's going on?"
Realizing he'd just demolished the letter, he attempted to smooth it out and handed it to Row.
"What are you thinking, Harry?" She asked softly when she had finished.
"I don't know, exactly," Harry answered honestly. "I know I'm not going to any 'secure location,' though."
"What if he finds you though?" Asked a frightened Row.
Harry eyes flashed and Row could feel the raw power flowing around him.
"Let him."
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In the weeks that followed Sirius Black's escape, Harry redoubled his training efforts in defense, reviewing all the material he'd already covered and thinking about how he would use it against a dark wizard. He had made some progress on his idea with hexes, but he was still unable to get the desired effect with curses or anything remotely powerful. His progress with conjuring was similarly slow, and he began to wonder if advanced transfiguration was a subject that was simply beyond him. Worse, he still didn't have another wizard to actually practice his magical shields against, although Row had promised that she would help him as soon as they reached Hogwarts and she could use her wand again.
Harry was also increasingly pressured by Dumbledore and Lupin to relocate to a safer location. Since his initial polite refusal had thus far been ignored, Harry sent his first ever howler to the headmaster stating in no uncertain terms that he would not be leaving his family, no matter how 'unsafe' it might be. Thankfully, loud words seemed to accomplish what polite words had not, and Harry heard nothing more from either Dumbledore or Lupin for the rest of the summer. Training had always been rather relaxing for Harry, as it required him to clear his mind of extraneous thoughts. This left him in a better mood than normal despite the Black factor, and he found himself quite enjoying the relative peace. He had even spent a number of nights out on the town with Jack, who was much more fun to be around now that his girlfriend was on vacation.
It was therefore rather depressing when Harry awoke on the morning of August 31, knowing without a doubt that today was the day that all that would end.
Row had jokingly dubbed it his "coming out day," and refused to refer to it as anything else for the better part of a month. Once Jack noticed that the term annoyed Harry, he took to using it every chance he got as well.
But regardless of what they called it, one thing was certain: August 31st was the day that Harry Potter would rejoin the magical world.
He had originally got the idea from Lupin when he mentioned that many witches and wizards would need some time to get used to the idea that the Boy-Who-Lived, their hero, was back among them. Lupin had mentioned it as a way of hopefully persuading Harry to come on a tour of Hogwarts, but Row had immediately thought of a much better place for him to reveal himself: Diagon Alley. After all, it was well known that the majority of Hogwarts students left their school shopping until the last possible moment, and Diagon Alley was the only place they went to get their supplies. Of course, this also meant that Row could introduce Harry to her friends, which she conveniently decided not to mention.
And so it came to be that, for the first time since he escaped the Dursley house, Harry Potter walked the streets of London looking only like himself, without any type of illusion or disguise.
As Row practically drug him into the Leaky Cauldron, Harry couldn't help feeling almost naked without a disguise, and his hand moved to cover his scar almost instinctively. Catching himself angrily, he took a deep breath and purposely blew his hair out of the way, revealing his scar in all its glory.
Almost on cue, furious whispers started up around him and grew into excited chatter as the pub's patrons scrutinized the young man in the doorway. Eventually, an old woman worked up the courage to approach him and offered her hand.
"It's an honor to meet you Mr. Potter," she said shyly.
Harry barely had time to digest the fact that a woman easily 3 times his age was looking at him like a schoolgirl before he was suddenly swamped by well wishers offering thanks and congratulations. He humored them with a handshake and a polite smile, but was careful to move around enough that he was never surrounded. When the crowd had finally parted, he made his way over to the entrance to Diagon Alley and found Jack and Row already waiting for him.
"I think that old lady has a crush on you," Jack whispered jokingly as Row tapped the bricks in the correct order.
"I think one of the guy's did, too," Harry muttered back. Jack laughed.
Together they entered the alley and followed Row as she led them towards Florean's ice cream parlor. As they got closer, a small group of girls sitting outside noticed their approach and waved to Row.
"Hey guys," Row greeted them before turning to her brothers. "Jack, Harry," she said, gesturing to the three girls sitting at the table. "These are my friends Hermione, Sarah, and Padma. Guys, these are the brothers you've heard so much about, Jack and Harry."
"Hello," Harry said, inwardly amused by their gobsmacked expressions.
"H-Harry Potter?" Stuttered Padma. "Your brother Harry, the one you can't shut up about, is actually HARRY POTTER!"
Harry groaned as Padma's outburst inevitably drew glances from all around them.
"Padma! Shh!" Row hissed sharply. "This is the surprise I told you about. Yes, Harry Potter is my brother."
"You really are coming to Hogwarts this year then?" Asked a curious Sarah. "I saw it in the paper, but…" she trailed off.
Harry nodded, and turned to look at Hermione, who immediately dropped her gaze.
"What is it?" He asked, curious.
"Nothing," Hermione said quickly. Seeing he didn't believe her, she said hesitantly, "it's just, I've read about you. Everybody thought you'd been kidnapped, but you couldn't have been if you're the brother that Row talks about."
"Told you she was the smart one," Row chuckled. "He's not my real brother, of course. But he, Jack, and I have been living together since before I came to Hogwarts. Jack's actually our guardian, if you can believe that one."
"Huh, what?" Jack said, breaking his gaze away from a group of giggling seventh year girls.
"See?" Row chuckled. "Doesn't miss a thing." The rest of the girls joined in her laughter.
"So Harry," questioned Padma, regaining her composure. "Are you here to get your school supplies?"
"No, I already bought everything I'll need."
"He's just here to show off," Row joked, giving him a nudge.
"More like be shown off," Harry grumbled. In the short time that they had been talking, a small crowd had already gathered half a block away.
"Row, there you are!" Came a voice from behind them. "I was wondering if you'd be here, and- EEP!" Ginny Weasley cut off abruptly when her eyes landed on Harry.
"Ginny, I'd like you to meet my brother Harry."
Ginny just stood there, speechless, before turning frantically to Row and then to Hermione, her face flushed.
"We didn't know either. She just kind of sprung it on all of us." Hermione said, shooting Row and annoyed look.
Harry, meanwhile, had been subtly probing Ginny's mind for any trace of Tom Riddle and his diary. Finding none, he relaxed and shook Ginny's hand.
"It's nice to meet you, as well." He said. Ginny had almost managed to form a response when she was approached from behind by a large group of redheads.
"There you are, Ginny dear. You ran off so suddenly that I was worried," Molly Weasley gently chastised. "Now then, you must be Rowena Thomas," she said, engulfing the girl in a hug. "We looked for you on the platform but Ginny said you'd already left. We can't thank you enough for saving our little girl. OH! My word, are you Harry Potter?"
Harry sighed. "That I am."
"He's Row's brother," blurted Ginny, who finally got her voice to work.
"Are you really?" Asked Arthur Weasley. "Well, that explains where she gets her courage, eh? You certainly caused quite the disturbance with your dissapearance Mr. Potter. You've been with Miss Thomas and her parents then?"
"She doesn't have parents, dad," Ginny practically hissed. "I told you, she lives with her older brother Jack."
"All three of you without a parent?" Molly Weasley looked scandalized. "Surely you must have someone who looks out for you!"
"We look out for each other, actually," Jack said, cutting into the conversation. "Although technically I'm their guardian as an emancipated minor, I hardly consider myself a parent."
"We sure don't!" Row joked.
"But you're so young! It's simply not right, you must have someone who can help you, an aunt or uncle maybe?"
"We're quite happy as we are, actually," replied Harry evenly. "There's no need for worry, we get along quite well." Jack and Row smiled and nodded.
"Well, it's certainly a pleasure to meet you both," said Arthur, cutting off his wife's response.
"A pleasure to meet you as well," replied Harry politely. He noticed that the rest of the red headed family was closing in and smoothly side stepped as one started to approach. The lack of personal space was starting to alarm him slightly.
Jack saw Harry's demeanor begin to change and decided to intervene.
"Hey, Harry, don't we have to go to the bank?" He asked.
Harry shot him a grateful look before replying.
"Actually, we do." He turned to Row. "Jack I have to take care of something right now, so why don't you stay with your friends and we'll meet back at the bookstore?"
Row looked at him quizzically but nodded. Molly Weasley started to protest but Harry quickly separated himself from the group and walked towards Gringotts.
"Looked like you could use a little help there," Jack chuckled.
"Yeah, I can't stand feeling trapped," Harry replied.
"So, what do we have to do at the bank, anyway? Or did you just tell me that earlier so that I could use it as a diversion?"
"No, we really do have business. It's secret though, so you'll have to wait."
"Ok," Jack just shrugged and followed Harry into the white building.
When they emerged half an hour later, Jack had disbelieving smile on his face.
"You need to see a shrink, mate," he said with a laugh. "You've got issues. Is there a plan C too? Plan D maybe?"
"It's really not that big a deal," Harry replied, annoyed. "It's just a precaution, and you already agreed."
Jack just shook his head in amusement as the two made their way to Flourish and Blott's.
Just like everywhere else they had been that morning, Flourish and Blott's was packed with Hogwarts students, and it wasn't long until Harry was recognized. After another round of exchanging handshakes and smiles with blushing teenagers, they finally found Row.
"There you guys are," she said as they approached. "You know I've had 6 different people in here come up asking me what it feels like to be related to Rowena Ravenclaw? I think I'm starting to understand how you feel, Harry."
"Don't forget the guy that wanted to know what the basilisk really looked like," piped up Sarah from behind her.
"Oh yeah," Row rolled her eyes, then she giggled. "I told him it was classified by the Ministry. He ate it up."
"Can we go someplace else now?" Jack asked, eyeing the store warily. "Too many books in here." Row rolled her eyes again.
"Yeah, I was going to walk down the rest of the Alley and then head back," Harry replied. "I think enough people have seen me already, at least enough students that I won't be mobbed on the train tomorrow."
"Is that why you decided to come?" Asked Hermione questioningly.
Harry shrugged. "Well, I had to go to the bank anyway, and I didn't like the idea of just suddenly appearing at Hogwarts. I'm also expecting that they'll be reporters here pretty soon, so I can get that out of the way as well. Something tells me I'm going to have enough to deal with without worrying about them," he finished under his breath. Hermione looked at him quizzically before quickly averting her gaze.
Harry's assumptions proved true when he was abruptly assaulted by a group of reporters as he passed Eyelop's Owl Emporium.
"Mr. Potter, are you excited to be coming back to the magical world?"
"Mr. Potter, where have you been all these years? Is it true you were kidnapped?"
"Mr. Potter, there have been reports that Minister Fudge has been using you to train his own private army, would you care to comment?"
"Mr. Potter, is it true that Sirius Black broke out of prison to kill you? How does that make you feel?"
"What the hell kind of a question is that?" Harry blurted before he could stop himself. Shaking his head to clear it, he held up his hand for silence and formulated his answer.
"I don't have a lot of time, but I'll do my best to answer your questions. First, I am excited about going to Hogwarts, and I look forward to learning more about the magical world. Second, I was not kidnapped, I ran away from home when I was younger and I didn't get my Hogwarts letter until this year. Third, I have never met Minister Fudge and I have no idea what you are talking about. Fourth, I really don't know anything about Sirius Black or why he broke out of prison, so I don't know what to tell you. That's all, thank you."
Ignoring the reporters' shouts, he turned on his heel and walked over to the nearest store where he found Jack and Row browsing.
"Ok, I'm ready to go when you are." He said as he came up behind them.
"Uh, it looks like they have some more questions," said Jack, pointing at the reporters that were once again waiting outside the store. Harry sighed.
"Well, we have to leave sometime, and something tells me they're going to be there for a while."
Jack just shrugged as he followed Harry out of the store and back up the street. As they walked, the reporters continued to take pictures and fire questions, but Harry just ignored them. When they reached the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron, the reporters finally gave up and left to write up their stories.
When the three were finally safe in a taxi on their way home, Harry let out a relieved sigh.
"Well," Row said brightly. "I think that went rather well."
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September 1st dawned dark and cloudy over London, and by the time Row and Harry were set to leave for King's Cross Station the city was on the brink of an all-out storm.
"Well, I guess this is it," said Jack a little sadly. "I guess I'll just have to throw a few wild parties to make up for you guys leaving me all alone." He finished with a grin.
"Prat." Row said, hitting him on the arm before giving him a hug. "I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too," Jack replied sincerely before giving Harry a manly handshake. "Of course, I guess I don't have to worry about you getting into trouble this year."
"That would be Harry's department," Row replied with a smirk. Jack snorted.
Harry smiled as well before he looked up at the sky.
"Does anybody else think it's a bad sign that the day I go to Hogwarts is the same day that a big storm rolls in?"
"Oh, hush," Row replied, but her smile betrayed her. "Let's go or we'll be late."
Harry nodded and lifted both their trunks before giving Jack one last look.
"Remember the plan," he said. Jack rolled his eyes and nodded.
"I remember, now go learn some magic!"
Shaking his head, Harry carried both trunks down to the taxi waiting on the street.
"You think we can trust him not to burn the place down?" Row asked as the taxi pulled away from the curb.
Harry shrugged. "Who knows? As long as he doesn't shag Christy on my bed, I'll probably forgive him."
Row burst out laughing.
"Harry, that is the funniest thing you've ever said."
Harry decided not to tell her he was serious.
The two passed the rest of the ride in comfortable silence, both wondering what the Hogwarts Express had in store for them. When they arrived at the station, Harry once again carried both trunks as he followed Row to the magical barrier and through it onto the platform. Almost immediately the whispering began, and Harry quickened his pace so that he could unload the trunks before he got cornered again.
"You can leave the stuff here, Harry," said Row, gesturing to a pile of Hogwarts trunks. "My friends and I usually have our own compartment, so you can sit with us."
Harry just nodded and followed Row through the train until she stopped at a compartment occupied by Sarah and Padma.
"Hey guys," she said, opening the door. "Ok if Harry sits with us?"
Padma snorted like it was a stupid question and Sarah gave a quick nod.
"Thanks," said Harry as he took a seat next to Row.
"I still can't believe that one of your famous brothers is actually famous," said Padma, shooting another awed glance at Harry. "Do you have any idea what a big deal this is going to be?"
"Actually, I was hoping to prevent some of that by going to Diagon Alley yesterday," Harry replied with a frown.
Padma shook her head. "Trust me, it's a big deal. I wonder how they're going to sort you, did they tell you anything?"
"I assume the same way they sort everyone else, I haven't heard anything different."
Padma thought about that for a second and was about to reply with the compartment door opened to reveal Hermione. As she closed the door, the train gave a giant lurch forward and they were on their way to Hogwarts.
"Sorry I'm late," she said as she flopped down next to Padma. "Ginny Weasley just got here, I think she's looking for you Row."
"She's Row's biggest fan," Sarah said to Harry. "Not that I don't understand, mind you, since she did save her life. Speaking of which," she said, turning to Row. "You never did tell us that whole story."
Row considered Sarah for a moment before casting a questioning glance at Harry, who shook his head slightly, a gestured that went unnoticed by all except Hermione.
"Sorry, it's like I told you before," Row sighed. "I don't remember the whole thing and even the parts I remember I'm not allowed to talk about."
"One of these days I'm gonna slip you some veritaserum," Sarah grumbled.
"You keep saying that," Padma giggled.
Sarah glared. "You're going into your third year too, right Harry?" She asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah."
"Did you take private lessons to get caught up?" Asked Hermione worriedly.
"Actually, I'm mostly self taught," Harry replied casually. "But I've read the books that have been used for the past two years and I even got permission to practice a bit, so I should be ok."
"You're not the prankster brother, right?" Asked Sarah suspiciously.
Row laughed. "No, that's Jack. I kept meaning to introduce him to the Weasley twins, but their whole family when on summer vacation to Egypt so I didn't get a chance. I would have introduced them in Diagon Alley but I forgot, which is probably a good thing. Harry is actually rather studious."
"Think you've got what it takes to be a Ravenclaw?" Asked a smirking Padma. Harry shrugged.
"No idea. Guess we'll all find out soon enough though."
"You know that everybody assumes you'll be in Gryffindor, right?" Padma pressed.
"Well, my parents were there, so that's understandable," Harry answered. "Who knows? Maybe they're right." He noticed that Row was giggling rather loudly. "What?"
"Oh, nothing," she replied, still grinning. "I was just thinking about what Jack says about assumptions." Harry gave an amused chuckle.
"What does he say?" Asked Hermione.
"Jack says that when you assume, you make an ass out of you and me."
Hermione and Padma immediately rolled their eyes but Sarah just furrowed her brow in confusion.
"I don't get it."
Row opened her mouth to explain it but abruptly stopped when their compartment door was flung open to reveal the sneering face of Draco Malfoy.
"I heard that Harry Potter was in this compartment," he said imperiously, his gaze landing on Harry. "You must be him. Although why you're sitting with these muggle-lovers and mudbloods I don't know. You'll soon- hey, I'm talking to you!" Harry turned while Malfoy was talking and quietly asked Row a question before turning back to the young Slytherin.
"You will not speak of my sister or her friends that way again," Harry said quietly as he fixed Malfoy with a steely gaze.
"Do you know who I am?" Draco bristled. "I'll speak how I want to whom I want. You'll soon find that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. Hanging around with mudblood whores is – AACK!" Whatever else he had been about to say was abruptly silenced as he found himself suspended in mid-air, clawing at his throat as it was squeezed by an unseen force.
Harry started to stand and approach him but paused as Row grabbed his hand and pressed it to his wand, which he took out and brandished like sword as he rose.
"I don't know who you are, and I don't care," Harry said in a cold hiss, "but if you ever insult my sister or her friends again, you won't live to regret it." He cancelled the asphyxiation hex on Malfoy and let him fall to the ground where he collapsed, gasping for air.
Vincent Crabbe, who had been watching the exchange with a rather dumb look on his face, cracked his knuckles threateningly and advanced on Harry. Across from him, Gregory Goyle did the same.
Moving his murderous gaze off of Malfoy, Harry waved his wand almost lazily and sent Crabbe flying through the hallway directly into Goyle. Unfortunately, Harry had meant to cast the spell as he always did, wandlessly, and had forgotten that he had the wand in his hand. The result was that rather than simply sending the two sprawling onto the floor, Crabbe sped past Harry at a rather alarming speed, hit Goyle, and sent both of them crashing into the side of the compartment two doors away with a vicious THUD.
"Shit," Harry muttered, giving his wand a dirty look. Sensing movement, Harry turned to see Malfoy trying to point his wand at him and promptly hit him with another asphyxiation hex before summoning the boy's wand.
Harry knelt down so that his eyes were level with Malfoy's and waited a moment before cancelling the hex.
"Look at me." He hissed, his voice hard. Hesitantly, Malfoy looked up at him, eyes wide with naked fear. "You do not want me as an enemy," Harry ground out slowly. "Tell all your friends that anyone who insults my sister will answer to me. Now, get your boys and leave, but remember my words. Do you understand?"
Malfoy was literally shaking with fear at the cold fire he saw in Harry's eyes. He nodded dumbly and Harry got up and returned to the compartment, pausing to throw Malfoy's wand at his feet.
Shutting the door to the compartment, he turned to see three awed expressions and one knowing smirk.
"How the hell did you do that?" Asked Sarah, breaking the silence.
"He didn't even use an incantation," Padma muttered absently. "And you threw Goyle across the hall like it was nothing. How the hell-"
"You did that without your wand!" Hermione exclaimed, oblivious to the fact that she was interrupting her friend.. "I saw Row give it to you afterwards! And in the hall you cast that choking spell on Malfoy with your hand, I saw you!" The other two girls whipped their gazes to Hermione and then immediately back to Harry. Obviously, they hadn't noticed the part about the wand.
Harry gave her his best confused look.
"What are you talking about, I had my wand the whole time," he shot a quick look at Row.
"Yeah, maybe you just didn't see it," Row agreed. She gave Hermione a pleading look.
"Yeah, maybe I just couldn't see it," Hermione said slowly, giving Row an odd look. "I guess you had to have it to do magic like that anyway. I shouldn't have blurted it out without thinking first."
"Don't worry about it," Row said, giving her a grateful smile. "I think we were all pretty surprised."
"How did you know how to do all that, Harry?" Asked Padma. "I mean, you did most of that without an incantation or wand movement. Plus those were some powerful spells."
Row smirked. "I think you'd better sit down, Harry. We have some explaining to do."
"It's not that big a deal," Harry said, shooting an annoyed look at Row. "I've been studying magic for a couple of years already, and I guess I learned how to do some of the spells a little differently than you."
"How did you do magic without getting caught?" Asked Sarah skeptically. "The ministry tracks our wands, so how did they not catch you?"
"I can't tell you that," Harry replied evenly. "Suffice to say that I've been learning magic for a while and I'll probably be a little ahead of third year in some subjects."
"You'd better drop it Sarah," Row chuckled. "If I know Harry, he's thinking about memory charming all three of you right now."
"I wasn't thinking that," denied Harry, shooting Row an annoyed look. Actually, that was exactly what he was thinking about, but damned if he was going to admit it.
"You can do a memory charm?" Asked Hermione in a high pitched voice. Harry sighed and nodded.
Sarah whistled but Padma looked thoughtful.
"Why would you memory charm us? It's not like it was illegal, and we're not going to tell on you for taking out Malfoy, of all people."
"I wasn't going to memory charm you," said an exasperated Harry. He sighed. "Look, it's not personal or anything, I just don't like people knowing about my personal business. It's like people think that just because I'm Harry Potter, they have the right to know everything that happens in my life. I just like to be careful, that's all. And contrary to what you've heard," he glared at Row. "I'm not in the habit of going around throwing out memory charms."
Row stuck her tongue out at him and Sarah giggled.
"Look, I know we just met," said Padma kindly. "But you're Row's brother and we like you. You can trust us, Harry." The other two girls nodded emphatically.
"We won't say anything you don't want us to," Sarah added.
"You should be careful though," Hermione said quietly. "Malfoy's a nasty person, and he doesn't like to lose."
"He's one of the Slytherin's I was telling you about," Row said helpfully.
"I figured," Harry said with a shrug before turning to the others. "I don't like bullies. You might say I hate them, in fact. So I really could care less who he is, he won't get away with shit like that around me."
"H-He could get you in trouble though," Hermione stammered. "His head of house is Professor Snape, and he lets Malfoy get away with anything."
Harry snorted. "Trust me, they're not going to expel me. Don't ask how I know, just, trust me."
"We will if you will," Padma said, looking him in the eye.
Sighing, Harry considered the three girls across from him silently. He knew that the incident with the Malfoy boy would likely be all over the train soon, but it couldn't be helped. Even if everyone found out that his knowledge extended beyond most third years, it wasn't the end of the world. What worried him the most was that Hermione had seen him doing very advanced wandless magic. If that got out, he could have a real problem.
"Harry doesn't have that many friends," Row said, breaking him out of his reverie. "So you'll have to give him some time." She turned her gaze to Harry. "They're great friends, Harry. You really can trust them. I do." She looked at him earnestly.
"Friends then?" Asked Padma. Harry managed a small smile and nodded. "Great. I have to go find my sister, so I'll be back in a while."
Padma left the compartment as Hermione and Sarah started talking about who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor would be. Row joined in the idle speculation, knowing that Harry would prefer not to reveal that he'd already met the man. After a while, the conversation moved on to include the other classes that they would taking this year, and what they might learn.
After an hour or so, Padma returned the compartment looking annoyed and complaining about her sister.
"Padma's twin sister is in Gryffindor," Row told Harry quietly. "She's a big gossip and a bigger flirt. It's a wonder that they're even related, much less twins."
Harry nodded and was about to go back to his book when the train gave a sudden jerk and began to slow down.
"Hey, why are we stopping?" Asked Sarah in a confused voice.
"I don't know, we can't be there yet," Padma replied slowly. The train slowly ground to a halt and Sarah put her face up against the glass window.
"There's something getting on board!" She exclaimed, frightened.
Harry was about to tell everyone to calm down when he was struck with a feeling of intense cold, followed by the most horrid sensation he had ever experienced. It felt like his entire body had been immersed in freezing water and no matter how hard he tried, he would never get out.
"Harry, are you ok? And why is it so cold in here?" Asked Row in a small voice.
Fighting the despair that threatened to overtake him, Harry drew his wand and stood in the middle of the compartment.
"S-Something's coming," he ground out through gritted teeth. "Behind me, NOW!"
Harry only dimly noticed the girls fall in cowering behind him, for at that exact moment he saw a dark shadow approaching from outside. Slowly, a skeletal hand reached out and the compartment door began to slide open.
By now everyone else in the compartment was under the same mental assault that Harry was, and although he knew it was all in his mind, his mental defenses seemed ineffective at best. He lashed out with legilimency, but the assault didn't slow. When the door opened fully, Harry felt like he was being pulled into a bottomless pit of despair. He could hear his uncle screaming and felt the blows land all over his body. As he fell deeper, he heard a woman's voice screaming in his head.
NO! No, not Harry! NOO!
At that moment Harry knew that whatever it was that was attacking him, it was winning. He tried desperately to raise his wand, but the woman's screams were growing louder and he could feel himself losing consciousness. He could sense a foul stench in the air as his attacker slowly reached for him. He could feel Row's hand slowly sliding out of his….He could feel her falling….dying….
"NO!"
The word tore from his mouth with a scream so primal it sounded like his entire throat had been ripped out. With one incredible surge, Harry ruthlessly clawed his way out of despair and raised his hands, unleashing two vicious blasting curses that completely obliterated the front wall of the compartment and sent the demon crashing through the window on the other side of the train. Breathing heavily, Harry collapsed onto his knees and fought to stay conscious as his vision swam. He turned slowly to check on the girl's behind him, but stopped abruptly when he felt the cold, empty feeling returning. Stunned, he turned back to see the demon floating slowly towards him looking none the worse for wear. Harry could only briefly register someone else approaching before he felt himself being pulled once more into icy despair and he collapsed, completely exhausted, and knew no more.
A/N Well, damn. I didn't plan this, honest, it just happened this way. In any case, it's really only a partial cliff hanger, so don't stone me.
As far as the dementor not being effected by Harry's curse, I think it's more realistic that way because if regular curses could actually hurt dementors then they wouldn't be feared like they are, and the Patronus Charm wouldn't be as important.
Next chapter Harry finally gets sorted and all that jazz. Once again thanks for reading!