"Harry, what are you doing here? I thought you were leaving Hogwarts" Neville asked Harry.
"I was brought back," Harry answered in a gloomy voice, creating a depressive aura around him. The expression on his face was one of despair. If one was to look into his eyes, they would only see soulless green eyes staring back.
"By who?" Neville asked.
"By my mentor," Harry answered in an even gloomier tone. He didn't even bother looking at Neville as he spoke just staring blankly at the table. Neville just looked at Harry before sitting down.
"Maybe it's a sign for you to interact with the girl," Neville suggested, trying to co console Harry.
"Oh, trust me it is," Harry agreed instantly, unnerving Neville. Neville stayed silent for a moment before he noticed something.
"How are you able to be out here?" Neville questioned. "You're in plain view of all the teachers, especially Professor Dumbledore."
"Oh, don't worry. We already settled everything," Harry explained to Neville.
"How?" Neville asked.
"I will tell you later," Harry replied before he plopped his head onto the table. "Just let me wallow in grief for my manhood and possibly my freedom." Neville just looked at Harry with a puzzled expression before shrugging his shoulders. He started eating his breakfast, which consisted of toast, egg, and some fruit. As Neville ate, Harry thought about what happened last night.
Flashback
Harry apparated into an apartment. The apartment was small with one small room and a door leading to the bathroom. There was bed to Harry's right and a TV at the foot of the bed. There was a medium-sized window at the opposite side of the wall with a small shelf underneath it. Harry smiled as he smelt the clean, modern smell compared to the old, stinky smell in Hogwarts.
"Ah, I missed modern society," Harry said out loud, smiling.
"Don't think that you can stay here for long," a voice responded to Harry's word. Harry whipped around in surprise, brandishing his two wands. Surprise appeared on his face as he saw the Hat leaning against a wall of the apartment.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked, sheathing his wands. "I randomly picked this apartment."
"Simple, I just followed your magical signature," the Hat answered. Harry looked at the Hat before face palming.
"How could I forgotten to hide it?" Harry grumbled to something before he realized something. "Wait, how did you know I was going to run away?"
"Remember this, Harry Potter. I know more about you than you realize," the Hat told Harry before it walked over to Harry.
"Well, this time I'm not coming back to Hogwarts," Harry stated, looking at the Hat.
"Is this about the Triwizard Tournament?" the Hat asked Harry.
"No," Harry answered. "It's about the Delacours." The Hat looked at Harry with what Harry assumed to be an amused expression.
"Is that what you're worried about?" the Hat responded. Harry nodded his head before the Hat placed its hand on Harry's shoulder.
"Don't worry about it. Mr. Delacour already knows you're alive," the Hat told Harry. Harry looked at the Hat in surprise.
"How?" Harry questioned.
"I had a chat with Mr. Delacour after I traced your history," the Hat explained. "At first, he wanted to bring you back home, but I convinced otherwise."
"That's great," Harry exclaimed in happiness. "That means Fleur and Gabrielle knows I'm alive and won't beat the living crap out of me."
"Oh, I told Mr. Delacour not to tell anyone that you're still alive as the French mafia might come after you if word was leaked that you were still alive," the Hat informed Harry. Harry looked at the Hat with a shocked expression.
"W-W-Why?" Harry asked in a stunned voice, grabbing the Hat's shoulders. "I may be crazy, but I'm not suicidal. No sane man would try to anger a strong, independent woman."
"That's strange because I've seen plenty of men beat up women during my lifetime," the Hat responded in an inquiring tone. Harry thought about for a moment before scratching his head.
"You're right," Harry agreed. "I think the anger of a woman is only exaggerated in TV shows and movies for comedic or serious effect. It has been shown so often that we just think it's natural in real life." The Hat nodded its head.
"So there's nothing for you to be worried about," the Hat pointed out.
"You're right," Harry replied with an understanding expression on hia face. As Harry did this, the Hat looked away.
"I'm sorry, Harry, but sadly, this is not real life," the Hat muttered before looking back. (In the real world, the author would like to note that story-telling can sometimes bring out one's sadist side)
"That doesn't change the fact that Dumbledore is after me," Harry pointed out.
"Don't worry about that," the Hat responded, waving its hand. "I managed to use Hogwarts influence as well as some others to stop Mr. Malfoy from doing anything. The only price you have to pay is to be supervised by a teacher at all times."
"Wait, what?!" Harry exclaimed, looking at the Hat shocked.
"That was something I couldn't stop," the Hat explained. "Everyone agreed that you were considered too much of a liability to be left alone. Originally, it was supposed to be your father, but I managed to argue that you would just run away. This forced Dumbledore's hand to suggest that he will assign a teacher supervise you for the remainder of your time in Hogwarts." Harry looked at the Hat wearily.
"And where did this meeting take place?" Harry inquired.
"For nearly crippling the heir to one of Britain's most influential family," the Hat said. "Your fate was decided by a closed door meeting at the Ministry of Magic." Harry had a deadpan expression on his face.
"So since they thought that Dumbledore was the embodiment of the Light, he would be the perfect person to pick who should watch over me?" Harry questioned with a disgusted face. "I will just run away then."
"Don't forget our deal," the Hat reminded Harry. Harry glared at the Hat; his eyes turning badger-like, but glowing green.
"Just be glad that your parents aren't over-watching you," the Hat commented. "Now then, I have to go back to Hogwarts before Dumbledore notices my absence. I expect you to be at Hogwarts."
"Make me," Harry responded, his stubbornness showing off. The Hat looked at Harry before it dashed right next to Harry's side, smacking his head right into the ground. The next thing Harry saw was darkness.
End Flashback
"That hurt," Harry mumbled to himself, rubbing the back of his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone sit next to him. To Harry's surprise, Neville stopped eating, signaling to Harry that it was someone Neville knew. Harry rotated his head to see Hermione looking at him.
"Oh, hi," Harry gloomily greeted, lifting his hand half-heartedly to wave.
"What's wrong with you?" Hermione asked in an inquiring tone.
"Enjoying my last moments in life," Harry answered. Hermione just looked at Harry before looking at Neville. Their gazes met each other's before awkward silence settled between the trio. Even in a state of total despair, Harry could feel the awkwardness between the two.
"Just talk to each other already," Harry grumbled. "I want to wallow in only in despair not awkwardness as well." Neville and Hermione both whipped their heads, glaring at Harry for ruining the mood.
"We can't just talk to each other just like that you know, you stupid boy," Hermione scolded Harry in an angry tone. "It's been years since we've talked to each other you know."
"Yeah, Harry," Neville agreed with Hermione in a more civilized tone, but his frustration was still evident. Then, Neville and Hermione realized what they have done. They stayed silent for a moment.
"I'm sorry for the way I treated you these past few years," Hermione started off in a surprisingly meek voice.
"Don't apologize. I understand why you did it," Neville smiled sadly. "It's my fault for being too weak." Harry lost his look of his despair as he heard this.
"What is this?" Harry thought to himself.
"I was just afraid of what Charles would do to you," Hermione continued; her voice staring to crack.
"I understand," Neville responded; his voice starting to crack. "I don't blame you."
"No, you should," Hermione replied, tears starting to drip from her eyes. "I was just stupid that you couldn't defend yourself."
"I should have just been stronger," Neville said, tesrs streaming down his face. The two of them wiped their tears before looking back at each other. Harry started making a "WTF" face as silence once again enveloped the three.
"Will you forgive my stupidity/weakness?" they both said at the same time. They looked at each other before laughing a little. This was the last straw for Harry.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Harry exclaimed, sitting up straight. Hermione and Neville jumped back in surprise while the rest of the Gryffindor table turned their heads to look at Harry.
"This is ridiculous" Harry stated. "Why does it sound like a bunch of ex-lovers getting back together?" A tick mark appeared on Hermione's forehead while Neville rubbed his head in embarrassment.
"What was that for?" Hermione reprimanded Harry. "Neville and I were just apologizing."
"No," Harry responded, looking at Hermione. "You two sounded like you were trying to rekindle a lost relationship."
"Yeah, it's called friendship, smart-ass," Hermione snapped, glaring at Harry. Neville could swear that he saw lightning between the duo's eyes as Harry and Hermione glared each other down.
"What is going on here?" a familiar arrogant voice cut in. The trio turned their heads to see Charles and his two goons, looking at them with a haughty expression on their faces.
"Oh, it's you," Harry and Hermione responded in a bored tone while Neville sat still in fear. Charles ignored Neville as he walked over to Harry.
"What do you think you're doing talking to one of my girls?" Charles glared at Harry; a sneer on his face. Hermione made a disgusted look on her face while Harry just looked at Charles.
"I'm talking to her, is that illegal?" Harry replied; a defiant tone filling his voice.
"I see your stupidity is well-based," Charles said before grabbing Harry's collar. Harry made a fist, but decided to hold it back for a moment. Charles had trouble bringing Harry up to Harry's amusement, so Charles just leaned in closer. The twin's face were mere centimeters apart. Harry crinkled his nose as he smelt Charles' smelly breath.
"Here's a warning for you, dear brother of mine. Every girl in Gryffindor is mine, do you understand?" Charles said. "And you can't do a damn thing about it because your stupidity made Dumbledore bring in the most psychotic wizard in Britain. You're going to suffer." Harry raised an eyebrow when he heard this.
"So, you know who my babysitter is," Harry replied. Charles just sneered at Harry.
"Everyone in Hogwarts know who he is," Charles confirmed before he pulling back his fist. "Now, I'm going to teach you a lesson for talking to one of my girls and breaking my nose. The great thing is you can't do a thing about it." Harry just saw Charles' fist before sighing.
"Harry!" Hermione and Neville exclaimed, trying to help him, but they were blocked off by Charles' two goons. Charles swung his fist. Then, Harry made his move. Using his right hand to grab Charles fist and his other hand to grab the hand gripping his collar, he head-butted Charles, breaking Charles' nose.
"ARGHH," Charles screamed out in pain, trying to fumble back and losing his grip on Harry's collar. However, Harry's own grip prevented him from doing so. Still holding Charles' hand, Harry spartan-kicked him right in the stomach. Charles spat out in pain while his legs gave way, making Charles collapse onto the floor.
"You think I'm scared of a wizard," Harry said to Charles in a serious tone. "No wizard scares me. I've seen scarier things that would make you piss your pants, you pathetic excuse of a Chosen One. I'd rather put my faith in Neville than a loser like you. You're no brother of mine. I am only linked to you by the blood in our veins and the pathetic name our blood parents gave me. If you think you can bully me jut because I'm being watched, you're wrong. I will still pound you into the dirt where you belong." Charles glared at Harry before feeling the grip on his hands disappear. Harry then turned around to walk away. Charles kneeled there for a moment before a sneer appeared on his face. His two goons looked at Harry in disgust while Neville and Hermione started to back away, knowing what was going to happen next.
"YOU BASTARD," Charles shouted, pulling out his wand. Harry tilted his head to see Charles about to fire off a spell. He grabbed his phoenix wand.
"Flipendo," a scratchy and gravelly voice shouted. Everyone in the surrounding area was surprised to see Charles sent flying through the air, dropping his wand. They all heard a cringing crack before a loud scream of pain from Charles. While everyone rushed over to check on the 'Chosen One', Harry turned his head to see a strange man with his wand pointed at where Charles was. The man was of somewhat average height. He had light tanned skin with scars all around his face and good chunk of nose missing. He wore a dark brown trench coat over what seemed to be dark gray armor. He had a staff in his other hand. What intrigued Harry the most was the prosthetic right eye this man had. It was blue colored eye, which seemed to be crudely tacked onto a strap that connected the eye to the head. Due to this, it tended to swivel around like a mad eye. To any normal wizard or person, they would just think this eye was just swiveling around with no purpose. However, Harry had a hunch it was doing something else.
"Isn't that the psychotic auror, Mad Eye Moody?" Harry heard another student whisper. A look of intrigue appeared on his face as he saw this Mad Eye Moody limped over to him, sheathing his wand. Harry noticed that the man's right foot was a wooden stick and not an actual foot.
"Are you Harry Potter?" Mad Eye Moody asked Harry.
"I might be. For all you know, I could be a Death Eater in disguise," Harry replied before smirking. "Not unless your eye says otherwise." Mad Eye Moody looked at Harry for moment before chuckling.
"You're surprisingly smart, kid. Not many people could guess what my eye does," Mad Eye Moody responded in an amused tone.
"I doubt they would," Harry agreed. "Only a person who has been in an actual fight would know the true purpose of your eye." Mad Eye Moody nodded his head in agreement.
"I'm guessing you know why I'm here?" Mad Eye Moody said.
"Of course, I'm being punished for delivering justice on who deserves it," Harry stated.
"When I heard what you did to that Malfoy brat, I couldn't help, but laugh," Mad Eye Moody told Harry, a smile on his face.
"You should have been there," Harry smiling with Mad Eye Moody. "I annihilated the whole fourth year Slytherin house."
"Not bad, kid," Mad Eye Moody complimented. "For someone your age." Harry frowned when he heard this.
"For someone my age?" Harry responded, his tone dropping an octave. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean, kid, you're probably still green around the ears like the rest of these pampered children," Mad Eye Moody answered, losing his smile. Harry looked up at Mad Eye Moody's face.
"Please if anything you're green around the ears compared to what I went through," Harry responded, glaring.
"I highly doubt that, kid," Mad Eye Moody replied, glaring back. "You may be skilled to hide from that senile man, but you probably had help."
"As if," Harry scoffed before lifting up his robe and shirt to reveal a massive wound at the side of his stomach. "When I ran away, I got shot by a random civilian in America. I was forced to cauterize my wound with incomplete magic and a random blowtorch I found at a construction site."
"I got this scar when I was cut by a Death Eater," Mad Eye Moody responded, pointing to a scar on his face.
"Oh yeah," Harry replied, letting go of his robe and shirt before pointing to his chest. "When I was eleven, I was bombarded by both gunfire and magical spells after a drug deal went bad. An Incendio and a hollow bullet hit my shoulder at the same time. I still managed to kill all of them with just my left hand."
"That's nothing, brat," Mad Eye stated. "I was ambushed by Death Eaters during one of my investigations as an auror. They managed to get my eye and right foot, but I still managed to capture all of them to be questioned with some serious injuries."
"I've been attacked by Death Eaters, yakuza in Japan, mafia in France, and," Harry responded before he moved his hair, revealing a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. "I got this scar when I was baby from the infamous Dark wizard, Voldemort." Immediately, silence enveloped the entire room after Harry said Voldemort. Everyone looked at Harry's scar in shock while Mad Eye Moody just glared at him. For the first time, his prosthetic eye stopped moving and focused on Harry's scar.
"That's a lie," one of Charles' goons called out. "Only Charles has a scar from You-Know-Who."
"No, he's not lying," Mad Eye Moody said out loud in a serious tone. Everyone turned their heads to look at Mad Eye Moody in surprise while Harry smirked as he let go of his hair.
"Clearly, your eye must be faulty, Alastor," a voice intervened. Everyone turned their heads to see Dumbledore behind Harry with a smile on his face. However, his eyes weren't twinkling.
"That's impossible and you know it, Albus," Mad Eye Moody responded, looking at Dumbledore. "After all, you helped make this eye." To everyone's surprise, Dumbledore lost his smile before looking at Harry. Harry just sneered at Dumbledore before walking towards Mad Eye Moody. He looked straight into the man's eyes.
"Come on, I think I made my point," Harry said to Mad Eye Moody before walking away. After a moment of silence, Hermione and Neville ran after Harry.
"What did he mean by that?" Dumbledore asked Mad Eye Moody, creating a stern gaze.
"This kid," Mad Eye Moody chuckled before he started walking after Harry, leaving the entire Hogwarts hall in wonder of what Harry meant.
With Harry
Harry was leaning against a wall with a smirk on his face.
"/ That was reckless of you, revealing your scar /" Helga reprimanded Harry.
"/ Doesn't matter /" Harry replied. "/ I earned the guy's respect and he's earned mine. He's not going to be problem in the future. /" Harry could feel Helga shake her head on his head before hearing rushed footsteps. He turned his head to see Hermione and Neville running towards him.
"Yo," Harry greeted even though it has been only a minute since he last saw them. He watched as they ran towards him.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Hermione exploded in a stern voice. "Not only did you beat up Charles, but you also dared to question Dumbledore's choice on who the Chosen One was."
"Hey, the only thing I did was beat up Charles. I never questioned Dumbledore's decision," Harry pointed out. "Anyway, I only did that to gain that man's respect."
"Do you mean Mad Eye Moody's?" Neville inquired, slightly out of breath.
"Yeah," Harry answered.
"You have done well to deserve it, kid," a voice said behind Hermione and Neville. They whipped around to see Mad Eye Moody with a strange grin on his face.
"What took you so long to get here?" Harry asked with a grin on his face.
"Unlike you kid, I only have one proper foot," Mad Eye Moody replied. "To think a son of a Potter could evade Dumbledore for several years at your age. Just by doing that, you have already earned my respect." Hermione and Neville looked at Mad Eye Moody in surprise while Harry just nodded his head.
"The way you look already made you earn my respect," Harry replied as he walked over to Mad Eye Moody. He extended his hand.
"Let's enjoy our time together," Harry said. Mad Eye Moody smirked before he gripped Harry's hand with his free hand. Hermione and Neville looked between the two of them before gulping in fear. On the faces of the two males, there was a grin that seemed like trouble.
Later - In the Headmaster's office
Dumbledore was sitting at his desk with a serious look on his face with James and Lily sitting in front of him. After what he heard at the hall, he immediately called James and Lily into his office to discuss with them what he has learnt.
"Did you know Harry got a scar like Charles and Neville that night?" Dumbledore asked James and Lily, looking at both of them.
"No," Lily answered, her eyes looking at James. "I never knew Harry had a scar like that."
"That's impossible," James retorted. "If he had a scar, we would have known about it."
"Yeah, but Harry was a very hairy baby. If I remember, he already had a long lock of hair before You-Know-Who's attack," Lily pointed out.
"Even so, we are his parents. I'm pretty sure we would have noticed a scar of that magnitude," James responded. Lily nodded her head in agreement, but she still had a frown on her face.
"Are you sure?" Dumbledore asked. "There is a reason Harry ran away from you two." Lily choked back a sob while James looked angrily at Dumbledore.
"That's because he was an immature brat. We were trying to stop the rise of You-Know-Who by training the Chosen One," James stated in an angry tone. Dumbledore nodded his head.
"I believe we can safely state that Harry might know than he lets on," Dumbledore stated.
"Then, we should make him tell us," James suggested, slamming his fist on the table. "Anything he knows should be going to Charles to help him prepare for You-Know-Who's eventual return."
"James," Lily tried to calm James down while Dumbledore looked at James with a stern gaze.
"Firstly, please refrain from slamming my table out of anger, James. Second, I believe that is the wrong form of action to take with young Harry," Dumbledore told the two parents. "You know his strange ability to apparate within the walls of Hogwarts. If we try anything, he will simply run away, leaving no trace of where he has gone." James and Lily nodded their heads in agreement.
"Here's what I propose," Dumbledore said. "Young Harry is a smart boy. He knows about Charles' destiny as the Chosen One. Judging from his experience at Hogwarts, I would say that he is a man of good morals. However, his hatred towards his family and me stops him from assisting us. It doesn't help that young Charles' behavior only deepens Harry's idea of who we are."
"So what do you propose we do?" Lily asked.
"Follow young Eileen. Get to know Harry and try to create a meaningful relationship with him. It might take a while, but from what he did for Eileen, the magic of family should compel him to try to get closer to you two," Dumbledore answered. James and Lily looked at each other before nodding their heads in agreement.
"It's good that you two agree," Dumbledore replied before motioning for the two of them to leave. "I won't keep you here any longer. You have classes and work to attend to, so I won't keep you here any longer."
"Thanks," James and Lily responded before standing up.
"Oh, please talk to Charles about how he treats Harry from now on. We need to stop making a bad impression," Dumbledore told them before they left his office. They nodded their heads before leaving. Dumbledore sat in his office for a moment, contemplating. He then heard a squawk from his pheonix, Fawkes. He smiled at his fellow companion before he walked over to the bird. He stroked Fawkes' head.
"I wonder," Dumbledore mumbled as he stroked the bird's head. "Could Harry be the Chosen One?" Fawkes squawked in reply before ruffling its feathers.
"He can't be," Dumbledore smiled. "Even if I'm old, my judgment couldn't have made a mistake over something so important." Up on the shelf, a ragged black hat smirked.
"Seems like the seeds of doubt has been planted," the Hat muttered before losing its smirk. "It's amusing to see how catastrophic Harry Potter's mere presence makes."