Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter, except for those awsome copies of the books.
Harry had, of course, heard the saying that time fly's when your having fun, but he'd never truly experienced it until now. It was Halloween and he'd been at Hogwarts for almost two months. At first he hadn't wanted to come at all but now he couldn't imagine not being here. He told himself it was the magic of Hogwarts, but he knew it was really because he was finally allowed around magical kids his own age. Everyday he found a new reason to love his new life style.
His new friends were the best part of Hogwarts. Seamus was his best friend. His bright and bubbly personality was reminiscent of Nathan's and helped lessen the hurt from being separated from his brother and closest confident. They went to all of their classes together, sat together ate meals and even studied together. Seamus also didn't have a problem with Harry making friends with Slytherins.
His other best friends were, to the shock of everyone who didn't know him, his two Slytherin friends. Daphne Greengrass and Blaise Zabini. He was close to the pair and felt as if he could really trust them despite what everyone else said.
Daphne was his closest confident. He told her everything. With the exception of who had raised his and his brothers and sisters. He told her about how he grew up. His likes and dislikes. He told her his fears that the wizarding world wouldn't except him. He told her how he hated all the attention he got for something he couldn't even remember. He told her about how he would be the best in the school not for everyone else but for himself.
Blaise was different. He was really very quiet. He only talked to people he truly trusted and then he only spoke when he deemed it necessary. One thing that had surprised Harry was that Blaise had a liking for pranks and often gave the twins and Harry that last piece of information they needed for a successful prank. Of course he only ever did it after watching them search the library for at least an hour first. He told Harry in a innocent voice that fooled no one that it was to help them build study skills. Harry didn't believe him.
He had a good relationship with the twins. They seemed to look at him like a younger brother or a prank apprentice. Hogwarts had been riddled with pranks ever since he got the go ahead from his father, but nothing big so far, they were still planning. The latest one had given the entire school purple skin for the day. His mother had been furious and had actually glared at him for a entire lesson, but his father had met him in the halls 'by chance' and awarded him and the twins ten points for a ingenious use of the dyeing potion. Evan had wrote him a mock sappy letter complete with tear stains telling him how proud he was.
When he was in Gryffindor tower he spent most of his time with his year mates and the only person he actively avoided was Hermione Granger. Every time she saw him she glared at him. Harry at first thought it would fun to have some rivalry for top placement but she took it completely out of proportion. The only thing he ever saw her do was study and he knew from the school grape vine that her essays were always at least two feet longer than they needed to be. Harry thought it was kind of sad that she took school work so seriously.
In terms of school work Harry was bored. So far he knew all the theoretical aspects and all he had to do in class was work on the practical parts, which he always got quickly. He'd become so bored that he had started to do some self study. He tried not to do any Hogwarts curriculum because then classes would be even more boring if he knew everything the professors would teach, so he worked on more obscure branches of magic. Most of them had some ways to help him with his prank playing. Right now his focus was wards. He got so interested in them that he asked his dad if he could borrow some more of the rare books they had in the headmasters library.
The whole school thought he was a genius and all of the extra attention was starting to get on his nerves. His popularity had only increased when he'd helped the twins with their homework. The only reason he knew the information was because it was on the animagus transformation something their mother had explained several times in depth to the children.
Even though Harry was having more fun now at Hogwarts than almost ever before there were still several things that bothered him. First off was that he barely ever got to spend anytime with his parents. He'd seen them only three times privately since he'd arrived. That was more that most students at Hogwarts saw their parents but for him it was torturous. His life had revolved around his family before he came to school. He'd spent almost every waking moment with his family. Now he barely saw them.
Another thing that was bothering him was that Snape the potions master was more horrible to him than ever. A class hadn't gone by where he wasn't given detention or had points taken from him. His work was done expertly and still the highest grade he he was received was a 'A'. He hadn't told his parents yet, he was bidding his time, but he was really starting to get angry. In every other class he was either at the top of the class or near the top. Potions was bringing down his average. But still he didn't complain to anyone not even his class mates. All he did was keep each of his unfairly marked essays and he currently had several memories to share with his father about Snape's underhanded teaching methods. If things weren't better by Christmas he was going to go to his father.
There was no way he would come second in the year in exams because someone was cheating him, so he'd taken to studying potions during his free periods. He would brew the potions from the text book in an empty classroom and if he needed help or didn't understand the theory he would write to Nate. Nate was always happy to help and always wrote him good tricks to make his potions turn out better. From his self study he was already halfway through the first year text, about two months ahead of his year mates. As he mostly did two or three potions every Tuesday and Thursday.
Nothing truly exciting had happened since school started. Their flying lesson had been disrupted when Neville Longbottom fell from his out of control broom and broke his wrist, marring a visit to the hospital wing. Draco Malfoy had seen an opportunity to be a prat and had picked up Neville's dropped remembrall and was going to do something cruel, when Harry had summoned it from him. Thus ending the confrontation.
The summoning charm had been one of the only advanced spells from the curriculum that he learned. He was lazy enough to use it constantly. It had taken him until the beginning of October to master it but it had been deemed well worth it when he no longer had to get up to get his things.
Today was Halloween and he was supposed to go to his birth parents grave. His mum and dad had brought him to the Potter family cemetery every year. This year Halloween landed on a Friday so he would go after lessons. The twins and Nathan would meet them there.
Lessons passed slowly. Transfiguration was boring as they were doing the same thing from the last lesson because only three people had managed tho get there quill to turn into a goblet. Harry was one of those people, so with his mums permission he spent the period reading a text on the magical history of Rome.
In history he didn't even bother to pay attention. He just continued reading his book and blocked out everything Binns said. In the past two months he'd heard enough about Goblin rebellions to last a lifetime. Plus his books was getting interesting.
Charms had been yet another useless class. He had mastered the levitation charm the first week of school and they were just now working on controlling it. Some people had yet to even manage to make the feather float. Flitwick had forbidden him from finishing his book and had made him help the people who hadn't managed the charm yet.
So here he was exasperating himself with trying to teach Neville the charm. The boy had gotten better at transfiguration under Harry's instruction but he was still useless at charms.
"No, Nev, your not flicking. It looks like your trying to gouge my eye out." Harry said with a tired grin. "Try being more gentle. Let the movement flow, you can't force it. Like this" he said as he demonstrated his perfect wand movement.
Neville lips twitched before a look of concentration overcame his face. He brandished his wand and copied Harry exactly while saying the incantation. To both Harry and Neville's surprise the feather rose a foot in to air before Neville's shock broke his concentration.
"I did it." Neville said dumbly staring at the feather as it touched his desk.
Harry smiled truly for the first time. "Good job Nev. I knew you'd get it" he said as he clapped the still stunned boy on the back.
"Yes very good job Mr. Longbottom." Professor Flitwick said as he came up from behind the boys. "Ten points to Gryffindor. Now you need to work on your control and you'll have the charm mastered in no time." the cheery man said as he walked to the back of the class again.
A small smile curled around Neville's lips as he basked in the feelings of his accomplishment. It was the first time he'd won any house points outside of herbology.
"Well if your so smart you do it." Harry heard Ron say loudly dragging his attention to the back of the room along with the rest of the class. Harry knew he'd been having trouble with his feather and apparently Flitwick had paired him with Hermione Granger to help him. Even Harry wasn't that stupid. Everyone knew Ron had a volital temper and that Hermione had a uncomprehensible urge to prove herself superior to everyone around her. It was a explosion waiting to happen.
Hermione shot Ron a smug look before preforming the spell herself. Flitwick being oblivious to what was going on gave Hermione ten points for her mastery of the spell. Rons face was red and he looked like he was ready to burst.
Harry shook his head sadly. He couldn't for the life of him understand why the girl was like that. It was ok to be better at people at something's than other people, but why did she have to rub it into everyone's faces. Harry knew he was ahead of everyone else, including Hermione but he didn't feel the need to let everyone know.
"She's never going to make any friends like that." Neville said. Harry privately agreed with him but didn't say anything out loud.
"Lets work on your control." Harry said redirecting their focus.
The rest of the class went by without any further interruptions. By the end of the period Neville had almost perfect control over his feather. He and Harry had even raced their feathers around the room until Neville lost control of his and it hit the professor in the back of the head. Instead of getting angry like most adults would he laughed, awarded the boys five points and started a race for the whole class. Harry had won it, beating Hermione by two feet at least.
He was walking out of the lesson with Ron, Seamus and Neville and the three boys were listening to Ron rant.
"She's horrible." he said angrily. "It's no wonder she hasn't got any friends."
Harry frowned and was about to tell Ron off when someone pushed by them and ran away their face in their hands. The bushy hair was a tell tail sign that it was defiantly Hermione, the person Ron was talking about.
"I think she heard you, mate." Seamus said with a disapproving frown on his face.
"You should go apologize Ron." Harry said looking at Ron with a stern eyes reminiscent of his mother.
"Why should I? I was telling the truth." Ron said heatedly his ears turning red.
Harry stared at him trying to find out if he was serious or not. He was. With a glare at the rude red head he turned on his heal and swept off back to the common room, taking a longer route but one away from Ron. Neville and Seamus followed him.
The three boys reached the common room and dropped their stuff off. Ron wasn't back yet. Harry hoped he was apologizing, but somehow he doubted it.
"Do you wanna play snap Harry?" Seamus asked as he plopped down on his bed..
"I can't I have somewhere to be and I have to leave." Harry said vaguely as pulled some dress clothes out of his trunk. Before anyone could ask any more questions he disappeared into the bathroom.
Ten minutes later he stepped out looking similar to how he was dressed when he was on the train. In fact only the shirt was different. This shirt was all black and had silky black stitching. His hair was combed and styled as neatly as he could make it and his cloak was held in his arm.
"What's up with the clothes?" Seamus asked worried about his friend. He looked sad and usually he didn't dress up. Most of the time he wore the school uniform, some lounge robes, or some comfortable muggle clothes.
"OH" Neville said suddenly looking at Harry with sympathy. "I'm sorry Harry I completely forgot."
Harry smiled slightly from where he was lacing his dragon hide dress shoes. "You don't have to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong."
Seamus looking to Neville for help. He was the only one who didn't know what was wrong with his friend and it was bothering him. Neville stared at him then looked pointedly to a picture of Lily and James Potter that was on Harry's bedside table.
Harry stood up and put on his cloak as Seamus finally got what was going on. Today was the day when his best friends parents had died and he had forgot. He was a complete prat.
"Oh Merlin Harry! How you must feel." he said as he jumped off his bed and went to give Harry a bone crushing hug
"...Air...Please." Harry gasped.
Seamus let go and immediately started fussing and fixing the wrinkles he'd put in Harry's clothes.
"Thank you Seamus." Harry said dryly with a smile at his friend. At least he knew he cared. No one could give someone a hug like that and not mean it.
"How are you getting their?" Neville asked curiously.
"The headmasters going to meet me outside the common room at four and let me floo form his office." Harry said not lying once.
"Wow! that's so cool you'll be in Dumbledore office. I hear its amazing." Seamus said brightly. "I want details when you get back." he demanded with his hands on his hips.
Harry rolled his eyes. "I've already seen the Headmasters office."
"What? When?" Seamus demanded.
"The first night of term we had to talk." Harry reminded his friend.
"Tell me everything you remember." Seamus said pulling Harry towards his bed and forcing him to sit down.
"Yes mother." Harry said but complied anyway being sure not to give away to many details. He just told the two eagerly listening boys about the phoenix and the portraits.
At five to four he left his friends and went down to meet his father. When he was in the common room he saw Ron sitting in a chair happily playing chess with a second year Harry didn't know. Hermione was no where in sight.
Harry may not like the girl but he knew it was wrong to make people fel like that. He'd been teased very few times but he remembered how much it hurt and could only imagine that Hermione must have been teased her whole life and that was why she acted the way she did.
He walked out of the common room and just like he expected his dad was waiting for him.
"Hello Harry. You look quite dashing, if I do say so myself." Albus said then he noticed the faintly angry look on his sons face. He wandlessly put up a mild perimeter to alert his if anyone was coming and a silencing charm to stop anyone from over hearing them before asking what was wrong.
"Nothing." Harry said with a forced smile. Albus looked at his son over his false half moon glasses. Briefly Harry noticed how ridiculous his father looked wearing bright orange and black robes, but pushed the thought aside. In his first two months as a student he'd seen him wear worse.
"It's just Ron. He said some really mean things about a girl today and the girl overheard. She ran away crying and Ron refuses to apologize." Harry said frustration lacing his voice. "What kind of person does that? Doesn't he know he hurt her feelings and that he should say sorry?"
"Most young boys are rather inconsiderate at his age." Albus said wisely. Harry looked at his father doubtfully. Ron was the first boy like that Harry had met. Albus saw the doubt full look.
"When I was a young boy-" Albus said with the air of a story teller.
"All those years and years ago." Harry interjected with a grin. It was a natural reaction.
Albus shot him a glare but otherwise ignored him. "I set Headmaster Dippets office on fire a number of times and his beard once. Of course I sent him the warmest and softest pair of socks I could afford as a apology."
Harry looked at his father to see if he was serious. He was. Harry burst out laughing, relishing at how good it felt to be in his father presence again without acting like strangers. "How... how did you manage that?" Harry asked out of breath.
Albus's face took on a thought full look. "Well when I was a first year I was the bane of my professor's existence. For the first two months of lessons every time I tried to do magic, even the simplest charms, something would catch a light.
"My teachers were at their wits end when it was decided that it was the headmasters responsibility to teach me to control my powers. We had private lessons in his office four nights a week for a month. I did of course eventually learn to control myself but Headmaster Dippets office never really was the same."
Harry looked curiously at his father. He had never heard anything about this and his father told them stories of his life all the time. "What was the problem?" he asked curiously.
"Well it all came down to control. I was a very powerful child but had no concept of controlling my powers, so they lashed out so to speak. Thus creating the fire." Albus explained simply.
"That's actually the reason your mother and I signed you up for karate lessons when you were young." he added as an after thought.
Harry thought it over and it did make a lot of sense. He was great full for the karate because it did give him great concentration and self control.
"But why fire." Harry asked.
Albus shrugged. "Headmaster Dippet swore I was a pyromaniac who was set on destroying the last threads of his sanity." Harry started laughing again. He could just imagine how that conversation had gone. "I think his exact words" Albus continued. "were 'Albus, my lad, your driving me spare.'"
That had both father and son laughing until they reached the heads office. They only stopped when they saw that Minerva was waiting somewhat impatiently for them to return.
"Your late." she said before they could speak. For a moment it looked as if she might yell, but instead she launched herself to Harry and practically strangled him.
It took the combined forces of Harry and his father to pry the witch off her son. "Well" Harry said looking at her critically. "At least you didn't cry this time."
Albus laughed and Minerva glared before smiling slightly as well. "I have been rather emotional. Haven't I?" she said rhetorical. Harry nodded vehemently. Every time he'd seen her alone she'd burst into tears. He'd even seen her teary eyed in class.
"Albus go get dressed." Minerva order changing the subject completely. It was only then that he noticed she wasn't wearing any bulky teacher robes. She was wearing a simple but elegant pair of black robes and high heeled black boots.
Albus looked as if he was going to refuse but he only had to look at his wife to realize how stupid it was of him to try and argue. He would never win. He knew it and so did Minerva.
He turned and walked sulkily to his rooms, much to Minerva and Harry's amusement. He was a grown man who acted like a child more often than not.
Minerva and Harry sat down to wait. Harry lounging in his fathers chair with one leg over the leg rest and Minerva in a red tartan arm chair.
"How are you, Harry?" Minerva asked looking at him seriously.
"I'm fine. Classes are easy though. I thought they'd be more challenging." Harry said while digging around his fathers desk for one of his prized lemon drops.
"That's not what I ment." Minerva said not taking her eyes off her son.
Harry shrugged and popped one of the sour yellow candies in his mouth. Minerva noticed he looked quite like her husband when thinking. His hand even stoked his chin in his silent contemplation.
"Do you think my real parents are happy about how things turned out? About you and dad raising me I mean." Harry finally asked.
"I know that Lily and James loved you more than life itself and I also know they wanted nothing more for you to be happy. If your happy I'm positive that they are." Minerva said.
"Do you think their, er, jealous?" Harry asked.
"About what?"
"That I live with you and dad and not them."
"Of course not Harry. that's one of the most absurd things I've heard all day and I live with your father." she said fiercely. The joke didn't affect Harry.
"I love you and dad and I couldn't imagine my life without my family. Do you think their mad because if I had to choose between the two I'd choose you and dad?" Harry said with despair slipping into his voice.
"Harry, dear, its only natural to say that. You will never have to choose. It's not possible. I know Lily and James are happy you found a family to love, even if it's not with them."
"You think?" Harry asked looking at his mother with a mixture of hope and awe. He'd never thought of it that way. Lately he'd been feeling as if he be betraying either his birth parents or his mum and dad, if he admitted to loving one more than the other.
He loved Lily and James Potter because they were his parents and had given their lives for him but he didn't know them. All he had were stories from his parents about them at school.
"I know." Minerva said with a reassuring smile. Harry grinned back and popped another lemon drop in his mouth.
They sat for another five minutes in comfortable silence before Albus reentered the room.
"Albus you do realize you take longer to get dressed than I do right?" Minerva said as soon as he walked in looking as he normally did. Short hair, no beard, and wearing slacks, a black shirt and a long dark cloak that would work in either the muggle or magical world.
"Do you know how hard it is to find clothes in my closet?" he said with a dark look over his shoulder, presumably at said closet.
"Maybe if you were more organized you wouldn't have that problem."
Albus snapped his mouth shut and turned toward Harry looking affronted. "I'm no longer speaking with your mother." he declared.
Harry laughed at his dad before becoming serious again. "How are we getting their?" he asked.
"Port-key." Albus answered with an apologetic smile towards his son. "It was the only way I could think of getting us there unseen."
"Is everyone ready?" Minerva asked. The boys confirmed and Albus took a old quill out of his pocket.
"On the count of three then."
Harry put his hand on the quill and before he was ready he felt a pull behind his navel as he was pulled toward the Potter family cemetery.
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It was seven o'clock before Harry and his parents arrived back at the castle. They had met with Evan, Elizabeth and Nate at the cemetery so that the family could be all together even if for only a little while.
Harry had visited his parents grave. He told them what he usually did. He missed them, wished they had gotten to know each other better. Then told them what he'd been doing since he last visited. When he'd been younger he used to tell them everything in the hopes that they could hear him, but now talking to an empty graveyard filled him with a hollow feeling that he couldn't identify.
After his visit the family had lunch in a small inn in Godric's Hallow. The meal that would have normally been a source of great entertainment for Harry had the opposite effect on him.
Nathan had been distant barely talking to anyone even Harry and not eating. Harry had tried to talk to him several times but Nate had stopped him with a look or a rude word so that Harry had given up. Nathan wound up leaving early with short goodbyes.
The entire meeting had left Harry angry and confused. Angry because Nate had brushed him off so simply and harshly. And confused that Nate wouldn't try and talk to him. They had shared everything since before Harry could remember.
He came out of the floo in his fathers office and didn't even notice when he landed upright. He was still lost in thought. He bid his parents goodbye as they went to the feast and he slowly walked around the castle to gather his thoughts.
He didn't know why Nate was being distant and now that he thought of it his last few letters had been short and vague. He huffed to himself and decided that he'd write Nate later and tell him off for being a prat and then ask him what was wrong. If his brother ignored that then Nate could shove off.
He looked at his wrist watch and saw that it was already eight o'clock. The feast should be in full swing but Harry didn't want to go and pretend to be happy. He did that too much as it was.
He headed towards Gryffindor tower while thinking of the letter he would write to Nathan. He was putting the finishing touches on all the scathing words he would write when he heard a piercing scream.
He stopped and listened to see if it was just a figment of his imagination. Nothing happened for almost a full minute. He was calling himself barmy when he heard another scream rip through the air.
Without thinking he ran towards the sound. He didn't know what was wrong but by the sound of the scream it couldn't be anything good. He ran down the corridor and turned left.
There was nothing there. He listened for indication of which way to go when he heard a muffled crash coming from the girls loo on his right.
He sprinted over the door and pulled it open. Then he froze in shock, having no idea what to do.
In front of him swinging a club wildly was a fifteen foot high mountain troll. He pondered for a moment how it had gotten into the school before the troll swung his club, demolishing a bathroom stall. Someone screamed again shaking Harry from his shock.
There was a girl, cowering under a sink. A familiar girl with bushy brown hair and a sink the troll was aiming to smash next.
Harry didn't know what to do. He'd never been in a situation like this. He barely even knew any magic. And everything he did know was useless in a situation like this or he didn't have the mastery he needed. The only non first year spell he knew and had mastered was the summoning charm.
Doing the only thing he could think of he raised his wand and concentrated. "Accio debris." he yelled hoping with every fiber of his being that his half with plan worked.
To his amazement and prided his plan worked. All of the debris that the troll had caused came flying at the troll who was standing exactly in front of Harry.
Harry watched with delight as a large block of stone flew towards the trolls head. There was a resounding thud and then the troll started to fall. Harry looked over to where Hermione was sitting staring at him in a mixture of surprise and incredibility before he realized the flaw in his oh so wonderful plan.
He hadn't accounted what would happen to the summoned debris when the troll fell. Before he had time to think of a way to save himself from being crushed from a pile of rubbish, he felt a blinding pain in his temple, then all he knew was darkness.
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Hello all. Hope you liked my latest chappy. I didn't want to make it too much like canon so this is what you get. Tell me if you like it.
I might not be able to get the next chapter out by next week. I have a 1000 words done and typed but my moms leaving for Cali on tuesday and she'll be gone for a fortnight. If you know anything at all about teens who live in the suburbs you'd know that there should be a large number of parties in my future. So sorry but I've been neglecting my social life and Susan is leaving me with $300. Its something I can't not do.