.

Balance Factor Chapter 7

Year Two

Warnings

A/N: Year Two! Many thanks to those who like it! Your support means a lot!

I'm posting this one early because I work on Saturdays. So here you all are!

I notice there isn't many people who are interested/know Monochrome Factor. I liked the manga more than the anime.

Thoughts/Flashbacks

Harry's Factor pulsed with power. The balance between Dark and Light had started to tilt once more, this time favoring the Darkness. Harry concentrated, trying to maintain the balance, placing his hand on his orb and feeding the world Light.

There was a second pulse and then his core exploded in Darkness. Harry jerked back, his eyes wide. But it only lasted half a second, and then the balance returned. What in the world…?!

A third, fainter pulse followed the second. This time, Harry's emerald eyes widened, an excited grin crossing his face. He was back.

Shirogane. His other Father.

So… Father has created another Child, has he? Harry thought to himself gleefully. Shirogane always chose his Children carefully. If he had finally created another Child, then that meant this Child was something special. Harry's Factor pulsed in response to his excited state.

Harry exited his inner core but remained on his bed, resting. Maintaining the balance was difficult. It always wore him out. He rolled over, preparing himself to go to sleep as he had spent a good deal of time meditating.

"Boy!"

Harry opened his eyes. He groaned, getting up and moving to the door, opening it. Uncle Vernon's purple face stared at him.

"Not a word! Remember that!" He growled. Harry simply nodded, shutting the door.

He had been back for almost two months now. There had been no letters from Ron or Hermione but Harry still kept in contact with Draco via two way mirror. It was actually due to Draco he had even started his homework. Draco would show Harry the assignments as well as have the mirror next to him when he read the textbook so Harry could read with him. Harry had jotted down on paper ideas and thoughts, as well as page numbers to help him when he got out of the Dursley's.

Draco had been completely horrified when he listened to the way Harry's family treated him. He was indignant that any pure-blooded wizard be treated lower than a house elf, but Harry had told him that he didn't mind. So long as they didn't try to beat him, he didn't really care how they treated him. Of course, that caused Draco to fly into a rage for his friend.

Harry had smiled at that, pleased that Draco had thought of him so highly. Draco admitted that he had often assumed that Harry's family had spoiled him rotten because he was the "Savior". Harry told the blond that his relatives hated magic and had locked up all of his school supplies. All he had on him was his extendable pouch, containing the invisibility cloak and the mirror.

Within half of the month though, Harry had commented that he hadn't received any letters from Ron or Hermione. Draco had sounded confused at that, stating that he would ask them himself.

It turned out that no one had any idea where the letters they sent were. Ron and Hermione had tried to contact him repeatedly. Harry merely sighed and asked Draco to write them a letter. Draco had promised and sent out the letter explaining that Harry had not received any letters from them.

Harry sat on his bed, looking at the mirror fondly. He was glad he had a friend to talk to. The Dursleys had ignored his presence for the summer for the most part; the only exception being forcing him to do chores. Harry would often take the mirror with him, hiding it under his shirt in case Draco contacted him during those times.

Dudley refused to be in the same room as him. Harry was completely fine with that. His magic pulsed, begging him to use it, but Harry had not. He didn't want to drain his core, especially since he had been doing maintenance.

Harry could hear the party talking downstairs.

CRACK!

Harry fell off his bed in shock, staring at the newcomer. That was both startling and unnerving. He had no idea teleportation was possible as a magical being.

The newcomer had huge bat-like ears and tennis ball eyes. It was short and wearing something that looked like a pillowcase.

"Harry Potter…! Such an honor!" Dobby said, bowing low. Harry twitched.

"What are you?" Harry asked, his eyebrows lifting. "And why are you on my bed?"

"Dobby, sir," the thing said. "Dobby the house elf."

Harry slid to his feet smoothly, his brow furrowing. "House Elf…" He paused, recalling Draco's explanation that house elves did all the cleaning and cooking in their house. "Alright. Why are you in my room, Dobby the House Elf?"

"Dobby has come to warn Harry Potter," Dobby said. Harry sat on the bed, watching the elf. The elf seemed to be struggling with something, but then continued. "Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year!"

Harry paused and then said, "Thank you for your warning, Dobby. But I have to. Hogwarts is where I learn new things, where my friends are."

"No! Harry Potter must not go! There is a plot…! If Harry Potter goes, he will be in great danger," Dobby said.

"What kind of danger?"

The effect of the question was immediate. Dobby started banging his head against the wall loudly, causing Harry to jump up and pull him away by the back of the ragged pillowcase. He strained his ears, trying to see if the Dursleys had noticed. If they had, they chose to ignore it.

"I see. You can't tell me. Still, I have to go back. My friends will be there." Harry said.

"Friends that don't even write to Harry Potter?" Dobby asked.

Harry stared at him, but then said, "Yes, Dobby. Friends that don't even write to me." He smiled as Dobby stammered something about him being loyal and kind and then added, "But how would you know they haven't been writing to me, Dobby?"

Dobby looked shocked, then abashed. "Dobby hoped… That… if Harry Potter didn't receive any mail from his friends… He wouldn't want to go back to school, sir."

Harry sighed, leaning back on the bed and dropping the house elf on the floor. He thought about it for a minute, but didn't move to get the letters.

"Dobby, I don't want to sound like I'm not going to be more careful this year, but I will go back. I will, however, watch my back more carefully. Will this suffice?" Harry asked.

"No! Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts School this year!" Dobby exclaimed.

"Harry, why is my family's house elf in your room?"

Utter silence. Dobby's eyes widened, his entire frame starting to tremble in fear. Harry blinked, looking at the two-way mirror and slid it out of his shirt. Draco looked back at him.

"Oh, hi, Draco. This is your family elf?" Harry asked. Draco sighed, rubbing his head.

"Yes, Dobby is our family house elf. What is he doing there?" Draco asked, looking at Harry. Harry smiled.

"Giving me a warning. Is anyone in your family planning to do anything terrible this year at school?" Harry asked. Draco's brow furrowed.

"I don't think so. But father said I should keep my head down this year. He might be planning something," Draco said. "Well, tell Dobby to come back after he's done warning you. Mother won't be noticing his absence for long."

"Will do," Harry said. Draco nodded before looking down, presumably writing his essay for Potions. Harry looked back up at Dobby.

Dobby's frame trembled before he grabbed the lamp off the table, smacking his head onto it repeatedly. "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"

Harry's eyes widened and he launched himself at the house elf, trying to wrestle the lamp from him. Draco's voice came from the mirror.

"Dobby, I order you not to punish yourself in front of Harry Potter."

Dobby dropped the lamp. Harry gave a sigh of relief. "Thanks Draco. I'm supposed to pretend like I don't exist."

"Anytime," Draco responded. "Is it that crummy relatives of yours again? What's it now? You're going to scare the neighbors with your so called freakishness?"

"Dinner party," Harry said, looking at the mirror sitting on his bed. "Alright. Thank you for your warning, Dobby. But I think you should go back now. Before someone else finds out you're missing."

"Harry Potter is kind. But Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts this year!" Dobby sobbed, wailing. Harry sighed, reaching for Dobby, but Dobby rushed out the door. Harry paused and swore, grabbing the mirror and sliding it down his shirt before rushing out as quickly, but as silently as he could. He spotted Dobby from the living room, trying to hide from the Dursleys and their guests.

Dobby was standing in the kitchen, staring at the pudding Aunt Petunia had made for dessert. Harry gave a small sigh, biting his lip as Dobby started to hover the pudding.

Harry leaned back against the wall, trying to calm himself down to prevent himself from freaking out. He opened his eyes and whispered, "Dobby, don't do this…"

"Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts," Dobby said, the pudding threatening to fall. Harry took a deep breath, but before he could answer, there was another CRACK as Dobby disappeared. And then the pudding fell.

To say that Draco was not pleased was an understatement. Harry sighed, leaning back against his bed, watching Uncle Vernon drill bars into his window was irritating. He had also installed a cat flap on his door.

"Oh? So now you're a dog? I really think they should make exceptions for this kind of thing," Draco said, looking angry. He was in the process of sending a letter to the Weasleys informing them of Harry's predicament, the quill furiously writing. Harry laughed.

"Yes, but there really isn't anything I can do. I didn't cast the Hover charm like the letter said," Harry said. "This makes me nervous though. It makes me wonder if I can use my own magic. Dobby did his without a wand and I don't use a wand for my own magic."

"I hear that the Trace operates via vicinity," Draco said his face contorting with a sneer.

"Still, they didn't pick up Dobby's teleportation. Which means, they can only detect some spells, not others," Harry said, closing his eyes, reaching over to pet Hedwig, trying to soothe her. The owl had been one hell of a racket every time Harry left the room. Harry knew she was grumpy that she couldn't spread her wings.

"That is a little odd," Draco said. Harry smiled.

"Hopefully, they'll ignore me until school starts. Then you can tell Professor Dumbledore," Harry said.

"Have they ever… beaten you before?"

Harry paused at the question. He sat up, looking down at the mirror. His emerald eyes were dry, though sad. "Yes. They have. When I was younger and caused accidental magic. They also have neglected to feed me."

Draco frowned. "…I'm starting to understand why my father hates muggles."

"Not all muggles are the same, Draco. Though they have beaten me before, others have helped me," Harry said, smiling lightly. "When I was in preliminary school, there was this girl who always shared her lunch with me under the table."

Draco sniffed. "Alright. Not all muggles are terrible. Maybe next year I can convince father to let you live here."

"Draco, I like you, but sometimes I think you forget that your family hates me," Harry said, a smile on his lips.

"Go to sleep Potter."

-0-

The Dursleys were asleep when someone knocked on Harry's window. Harry jerked awake, looking at the glass. "What in the…"

"Hey Harry," Ron spoke in a rushed voice. Harry blinked twice to try to convince himself he wasn't dreaming. Was that a floating car? "Draco said you needed help! So we came to rescue you!"

"Ron, I'm not sure you know this, but most muggle cars don't fly," Harry said slowly. One of the twins seemed to be driving and the other twin was yanking at the bars. He walked closer to the window, looking out and seeing an old Ford Anglina.

"Stand back, Harry!" Fred said, hooking something onto the bars. Harry winced at the noise when the bars were torn off, tense, listening to see if they had woken the Dursleys. Vernon's snoring could be heard.

"Right… okay then," Harry said, watching Fred jump in. "The door is locked and all my possessions are in the cupboard under the stairs."

"No problem," Fred said, holding out a bobby pin. He picked the lock swiftly and grinned as the door swung open quietly. Harry sighed, leading Fred down the stairs. He watched as Fred picked the lock and reached in to grab his trunk.

"Let's go," Fred said helping Harry with his belongings. Harry passed the trunk over to Ron, who set it beside him and moved back to grab Hedwig's cage. Hedwig looked at Harry, only jerking a little when the cage was lifted and set down again. Harry climbed out of the window and into the car.

"Great," Harry said. "Er, by the way, do your parents know about this?"

"No. Mum implied it was okay though, so it should be fine," Ron said. "Dad hasn't been back from work yet."

Harry sighed. Why did he think this was going to get out of control really fast?

-0-

Molly Weasley was furious. Of course, not at Harry, but at the twins and Ron. They took their punishments in stride though, doing chores and cleaning up the house and property.

Draco snorted when he was told about the flying car.

"Merlin, Weasley, you're going to get yourself killed these days," Draco said. "Typical Gryffindor. Although, you should be careful. Doesn't your father work in the Ministry?"

Ron looked abashed. Draco smirked.

"Your actions aren't your own, you know. It affects your family too," Draco said, looking at Ron. "But never mind that, I suppose. The important thing is that Harry is safe and alive."

"I've never been alive in the time you've known me, Draco," Harry said.

"Shove off, Potter." Draco snorted. "Oh. And my father's planning on taking me shopping tomorrow. Are you going book shopping too?"

"Yeah. The lists arrived this morning," Harry said. "If we bump into each other, I'll say hi."

"Yeah, about that…" Draco said slowly. "Do you think you could pretend that we're enemies when my father is around?"

Ron looked surprised.

"Not that I don't trust my father. I do. But he's pretty narrow-minded. He hates Weasleys on principle and even more so you, Potter. I don't feel like getting yelled at for being your friends. I sent a letter to Hermione already," Draco explained. Harry smiled.

"Sure, no problem," Harry said. "This'll be like a game. Or will we be ignoring each other?"

"Ignoring is what I would prefer," Draco said, looking at Ron. "Ron?"

"Alright," Ron said, nodding. "I predict your father will say some pretty nasty things to my family then."

"He probably will," Draco said, nodding in agreement. "Sorry about that. Can you inform the twins?"

"Will do," Harry said, looking at Draco. Draco nodded and then vanished.

-0-

Harry landed in Knockturn Alley, in Borgin and Burkes. He coughed slightly, shaking his hair free of dust. He had not cut it since he entered Hogwarts, so it was down to his back now, the strands smooth and silky. He looked around, the merchandise not really interesting. But then he stopped at the glass case where they kept the rarest artifacts.

The door clinked open, but Harry barely noticed. Instead, his eyes were fixed on the artifact that he saw.

"Potter."

Lucius Malfoy sneered at him. Harry only looked briefly up before looking back to the artifact. Draco looked surprised to see him there, glancing at his father.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, how good to see you," Mr. Borgin said. "Welcome, welcome."

"Mr. Borgin," Harry called, "I wish to make a purchase."

Borgin looked at Harry, his eyes flickering to the scar on his forehead. "These items are expensive, child. Do you have enough money for them? Or are you going to go ask more from mummy and daddy?"

"I wish to purchase that one. The cursed cane head. How much?" Harry asked, ignoring the taunt and not rising to the bait. Borgin frowned deeply.

"More money than you have, or will make in your entire life, boy!"

"Mr. Borgin, I don't think you heard me properly. I wish to make a purchase," Harry repeated, his emerald eyes dancing with anger. A dark look passed his face, lips turned into a deep scowl. Borgin shivered, but tried to cover it up.

"Sixty galleons. No less," Borgin said.

"Thank you," Harry said, a pleasant smile crossing his face. He pulled out his money pouch and dropped a pile of gold coins on the counter, counting out sixty coins and sliding the rest back into the pouch. He waited for his item, but Borgin insisted on counting the coins again. Harry waited patiently, the smile still on his face. Draco sniggered behind his hand.

Lucius looked surprised at the boy. When Draco told him that he was in the same year as Harry Potter, he had expected that the boy was a spoiled brat. Potter was almost… dangerous. The way he held himself was that of one of the Noble Houses.

Harry left Borgin and Burkes with his new purchase. Borgin didn't seem happy selling him anything, but he could say nothing with both Malfoys there. All three of them seemed surprised when he picked it up with his bare hands, the warning of "It's killed twenty three people within three weeks".

He inspected the cane head as he left, looking at the skull on one end and the extended scythe-like metal on the other. It was well made. He smiled, holding the head close to his chest. The Darkness in his Factor hummed pleasantly. This was Shirogane's. There was no doubt about that. He slid it into his extendable sack, feeling the comforting power of Darkness echo in his core.

Harry moved into the light of Diagon Alley, heading to the bookstore. There seemed to be a lot more people than usual inside.

-0-

A/N: Read and Review, as always.