Just a head up this chapter is not really any different than the original, much like the last chapter. Didn't see much point in changing it. Next chapter will probably be the same before I get to new stuff.

Enjoy :)

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Disclaimer: I own nothing :(

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Beta: alexis. Metoyer. 1

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Chapter 6- The Unholy Alliance is Born!

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It was quickly becoming obvious to Harry that Wizard school held almost as much use to him as Muggle School, and he was already getting bored. He was learning far more on his own than in classes, and it seemed the Professors didn't know what to do with him. The fact that he didn't use a wand was no help either.

Potions was ok (even if Snape seemed to have something personal against him) because he found the process relaxing, and it was a good way to sneak a bottle or two of whatever potion for his personal stores. He would still make other, more advanced Potions in his own Lab, but either way, it was still good practice.

He had already decided that he was never going to set foot in another History of Magic class that involved Professor Binns. It was a waste of time, and since the ghost didn't even bother to take names at the start of class, he doubted he would be missed.

Transfiguration wasn't looking all that promising, either, even if McGonagall was a good enough teacher. If nothing else, she had definitely noticed he was different; although stern, Harry thought she might have realised why he seemed so bored. At least she allowed him to read after he finished the lesson early, even if she had clearly wanted him to help the others in the class.

Herbology was much the same, however, Professor Sprout seemed- for the most part- unaware of him as of yet. He didn't try to answer any of her questions, and the lesson had been a simple introduction and explanation of the sort of plants they would be working with that year. He had noticed Neville come out of his shell a little while talking about plants. The shy boy had even answered several questions, all correctly, throughout the lesson.

In fact, Harry wondered if the boy might have a better knowledge of the base subject than he did himself. The boy clearly had years of experience with plants before even coming to Hogwarts, and Harry had seen the light in his eyes when he answered questions.

He wasn't too sure what to think of Charms yet, though it had more potential than the other classes he had been to so far. Like in Transfiguration, Flitwick had given them a short speech about the dangers of his class before setting them to do a spell. He watched them work after explaining the spell in more detail than the book gave.

It had only been a simple colour changing charm, and Harry had once again finished it on his first try- much to the joy of the short Professor- and changed his cloth to blue before turning it back. However, instead of asking him to help the other students, or simply letting Harry read his book, Flitwick had started asking him to do other spells.

The short professor had seemed fascinated by his Grimoire and had been asking questions about how it worked while also making notes of his own and helping the entire class. By the end of the lesson, Flitwick was practically bouncing on his stack of books with a large smile on his face.

By the time he had finished his classes for the day and sat down for dinner at his table, word seemed to have spread throughout the entire school that he was some kind of prodigy. Personally, Harry had never liked the word, never seeing a point in labelling himself just because he was smarter than other people.

He had met several supposed prodigies throughout his Muggle education and found the only real use he had for them was the fun he had in breaking them down. Sure, there had been one or two that had been ahead of him, but they had also been adults and had more years of experience over him while also specialising in one or two particular fields. Even then, they had seen that he would surpass them before long, and most had not seemed happy about it at all.

One physicist from America had started twitching when Harry had disproved the work he had apparently spent the last ten years working on; Harry had thought he was having an epileptic fit. It was some tall skinny guy named Cooper, or something.

Either way, the rumours seemed to have only increased the stares, something that Harry had not thought possible. That were even people that didn't even bother to look away and had continued to stare at him when he looked their way, much to his annoyance. He had even seen the professors sending him looks, leaning over to the person next to them and whispering.

It was like primary school, and every other school he had ever been to, all over again.

He also didn't miss the smile Dumbledore sent him, but ignored it in favour of his steak. By the end of dinner, Harry practically ran out of the Great Hall to get away from all the eyes and whispers, a deep frown on his face.

However, before he could get to his tower, Harry heard two sets of footsteps following him. When he turned to look, no one was there. Eyes narrowing, Harry focused for a moment to try and send Poe a mental nudge, and a moment later the Raven flew over and perched on the helmet of a suit of armour to his right. Harry carried on walking around a corner before he stopped and waited.

"Caw!"

"Holy-!"

"-Shit!"

It turned out that he didn't need to wait long, because not five seconds later the sound of Poe flying at whoever was following him reached his ears. This was followed shortly after by a pair of oddly identical voices swearing loudly.

Lifting his arm so that it was visible around the corner, Harry nodded his thanks to Poe as she landed on it so he could face his stalkers. He had to fight to keep a smirk away at the sight of twin, red-headed boys trying to clean off the Raven shit from their faces. They looked to be about a year or two older than Harry himself.

He waited for them to notice his presence, but when they continued to be oblivious, he cleared his throat. Both boys turned to look at him with expressions that made Harry think of a dear caught in the headlights, and they seemed to forget about the bird shit for a moment.

"Why are you following me?" asked Harry calmly.

To both of the boys' credit, they were able to quickly recover from their moment of shock and place rather large grins on their faces. Forgetting the shit completely, one of the boys stepped forward at the same time as his brother and held out a hand for Harry to shake. He idly wondered if they had practiced the gesture, because it was done in complete sync.

He made no move to take either of the offered hands, and simply stared at them as they began speaking, switching from one to the other,

"Hi, this is Fred-"

"-And he's George," Introduced the now identified Fred. "It's a pleasure to meet you," they said simultaneously, their grins seeming to only get wider.

"As well as your little shit throwing friend, who has remarkable aim by the way," said Fred.

"Almost perfect in fact. We didn't even see her until she was flying over our heads," George continued.

"Not a good moment to look up, as I am sure you can see." Fred absently seemed to remember the shit on his face and once again attempted to wipe it off with his sleeve. Harry blinked for a moment, unsure of what to think of the two. Poe puffed up with pride on his shoulder, apparently liking the strange compliments.

"Why were you following me?" Harry asked again.

Finally seeming to realise that he wasn't going to shake their hands, both once again moved to stand up straight, only for them to bow at the waist slightly. Their grins took on a mischievous glint.

"As we were saying before, he's Fred-"

"- and he's George-"

Both boys then bent at the waist and gave an exaggerated sweeping bow.

"We're known throughout Hogwarts-" said George,

"-Despite only being in our third year might I add?-" added Fred.

"-As the Red Headed Terrors!" exclaimed George proudly.

At Harry's bored look, they straightened and gave a small shrug.

"Basically-," said Fred,

"-we like to prank people."

"All people-,"

"Any people-,"

"As much as possible," both finished at the same time.

Letting out a sigh, Harry decided to try one more time before simply walking away from the twins.

"I will ask this one more time, why the bloody hell are you fucking following me?"

Both boys exchanged grins before turning back to Harry.

"Well, it's quite simple really," said Fred.

"You see, my dear brother and I have always been very good at judging people,"

"-assessing if they are worth pranking or not, you know-"

"-and you stand out- for several reasons- as someone not to prank."

"So, after talking it over with each other-" Fred said,

"We decided-" continued George,

"That if we aren't going to prank you, we should ask you to join us!" Fred shouted with his arms thrown wide for emphasis.

"-In the noblest art of mayhem and chaos, commonly known as pranking," Finished George with a small nod of his head as if it was a done deal.

As odd as it must have look, Harry couldn't help but turn to share a look with Poe for a moment before returning his attention to the twins.

"…you want me to join you in pranking people?" asked Harry for clarification, unsure if he had heard them right.

"Of course!" They both shouted at the same time again, both moving to stand on either side of Harry and throwing an arm over each of his shoulders.

"You could be our apprentice of mayhem!" George exclaimed.

"A fellow agent of chaos and enemy of order!" Fred added.

Harry wasn't sure why, but their words seemed to be striking a cord in his head. "Why?" he asked after remaining silent for a moment.

At this question, both boys lost their mischievous grins, having replaced them with matching looks of confusion while they looked at each other as if not sure themselves.

"You know, I don't really know why…" said Fred.

"Just seemed like a good idea at the time, you know? Something fun," George hesitatingly explained.

The moment didn't last long, and when it was gone the grins were back and larger than ever.

"So, what do you say?" George asked.

"Think you can keep up with the masters?" teased Fred.

Stepping away from his sides they once again offered him their hands, and Harry seriously considered their offer for a moment before taking them at the same time.

Maybe this could be a new way of relieving the boredom?

XXX

Dumbledore sat at the head of the table with his fellow Professors before him, a smile on his face and a lemon drop in his mouth. It was the night of the first day of lessons, and as they did every year, they had gathered for a staff meeting to discuss anything that may have come up. Normally, they would meet once a week on a Sunday, but Dumbledore liked to have an extra meeting at the beginning of the year to make sure that they were able to discuss everything that stood out.

Most of the time, what came up in the meeting was suspected child abuse from families, but it was open to other subjects too. And just like every year, the professors started with the 7th years and worked their way down.

To be honest, Dumbledore already knew what- or rather, who- they would be discussing when they arrived at the 1st years.

The old wizard was not too proud to admit that he had made a mistake by sending young Harry to live with his Aunt, even though he had had the best intentions at the time. Not only were there the blood wards to consider, but the fact remained that with his godfather in Azkaban and godmother a resident in the Permanent Care Ward at St Mungo's, there was simply nowhere else for the boy to go.

Of course there were plenty of families that would have gladly taken him in, but even then, for the first three years after the fall of Voldemort, Death Eaters had still been a very real threat to both Harry and every other wizard. Then there was his fame to be taken into account; no boy should grow up with something like that hanging over his head.

No, at the time his Aunt had seemed like the best option, and he had foolishly believed that the fact that they were family would be enough to trust her and her family with his care.

However, those thoughts had been destroyed the day Hagrid came to him after meeting the boy. He had described how the muggles were terrible; they had tried to stop him and McGonagall from meeting the boy, and he didn't even know he was a wizard. Dumbledore was also a little ashamed to have actually brushed the idea off at the time as Hagrid having had too much to drink again since the half giant was known to do so from time to time.

But when Minerva, one of his oldest and most trusted friends, returned the day after saying the same thing, it had hit him hard. Dumbledore had actually taken the time to Apparate to Privet Drive and see it with his own two eyes after waiting for the family to sleep. He had then spent an hour wondering the house.

The sight of that cupboard would weigh heavily on his heart for many years to come, he was sure. They hadn't even bothered to clean it from when Harry was forced to sleep in it. There had been a blood soaked blanket balled up on the floor and scratch marks on the inside of the door.

But it had only created a desire in him to learn more about the boy he had unknowingly condemned, which led him to look into Harry's muggle school records. What he had found was…incredible.

At the age of almost 11, Harry Potter was making plans to go to university! The boy was a genius: perfect scores in every test he had ever taken, and an IQ that apparently couldn't be accurately measured.

He excelled at everything and anything he did without effort and an air of boredom…but that was also the problem.

Dumbledore remembered what it was like for him in his youth when he was considered a genius. Although not even close to the same level as Harry, things had been so dull for him- most everything came so easy that it was hard to get excited about anything.

According to the files he had…borrowed from the muggle schools, Harry was completely unmotivated. One file even diagnosed the boy as a sociopath, that he was unable to understand many basic human emotions with little to no desire to change that fact. While rarely violent, the boy had a sharp tongue and a short fuse. He cared nothing for manners and had no filter between his brain and his mouth, which would get him in trouble regularly.

Honestly, the boy reminded him of an even more brilliant version of himself when he was young, but with more of a mouth. This was a fact he had seen and heard for himself on the night the boy was in his office and actually had the nerve to berate the heads of house and he himself. He didn't hesitate in talking to them as if they were the children.

Shaking the thoughts from his mind for the moment, Dumbledore tuned back into the meeting just in time to hear Minerva say the words he was expecting to hear.

"Albus, I am afraid we may have a problem with Harry Potter; one that must be addressed as soon as possible." Her statement received several murmurs of agreement from the other teachers that had taught the boy that day, even Snape- much to the old wizard's surprise.

It also, however, got several confused looks from the ones that had not yet met the boy. With a small frown on her face Professor Sinistra spoke, "What is wrong with the boy? From what I have seen, he seems normal enough, if a little quiet. While his Sorting may have been a little…odd, I see no reason for concern."

It was Snape that answered, and in a rather emotionless tone that shocked those that had heard his thoughts on the boy leading up to the start of the year, "He is too advanced for a first year, possibly even for a second year. He was able to answer questions that are from the 4th- and bordering on 5th- year curriculum without batting an eye. Also, from what I have observed in the lesson I taught, his potion brewing skills are excellent and far above what they should be for his age."

His words were received with a narrowing of the eyes from Minerva, who sent the younger man a frown across the table. "And what were you doing asking a 1st year 5th year questions Severus?" she asked coldly.

Snape didn't even bat an eye at the question, though he did return the scowl. "I started off with simple questions, but when he had no trouble I tried harder ones in an attempt to trip him up. The boy was able to tell me the process involved in shortening the brewing time of the Wolfsbane Potion without a second between my asking and his answer, as well as a detailed explanation of how the different methods effect the Potion itself."

It was here that Filius decided to interject into the conversation, before Severus and Minerva could start their usual bantering.

"It was the same when I had him for Charms. He did the spell on the first try, along with all the others I asked him to demonstrate throughout the lesson. I have never seen a student take to magic so quickly; it is truly amazing! However, I do also have concerns that my and everyone else's ability to teach him effectively is impaired by the fact none of us are very familiar with the use of a grimoire instead of wands. While I can discuss magical theory and the Arithmancy behind all the spells I teach, there is only so much I can do to help him." He watched as Minerva gave a small sigh, before nodding her own head in reluctant agreement.

"Again, the same in my own lesson. He was even explaining advanced material to another student as they arrived and was able to recognise me while in my cat form. He was able to turn his matchstick into a needle on the first try without effort, and several times after when I asked him to do it in front of me. The boy is just…too good," McGonagall admitted.

Popping another lemon drop into his mouth, Albus hummed in thought as he listened to their words confirming what he already knew.

It seemed something would need to be done about Harry Potter, and soon. If he grew too bored and tried to teach himself, he could do something dangerous in an attempt to find a challenge. Albus himself still had a scar on his left arm from when he had done that very thing in his youth, trying to find something that interested him enough to relieve the boredom.

Additionally, Harry was a Peverell, a family notorious for both their brains and lack of empathy when it came to finding ways to keep their minds active.

Who knew what someone like Harry Peverell would get up to if left to his own devises?

XXX

As Harry led the way towards his room with Fred and George following behind him, he soon came to a very simple conclusion based off of the stories the two were telling him about some of their past pranks. It was something he had picked up on while listening to them talk, the detail that went into some of their pranks, and something he doubted many- if any- of the Professors had realised.

They were a lot smarter then they pretended to be.

Not on his level, of course, but they were geniuses in their own right. Just listening to some of the potions or spells they used told him they had knowledge at least two years above their own, and they understood everything on a level that impressed him. Though it wasn't consistent and there were a few holes in their knowledge, there was more to the twins than they let people see.

By their second year the two were brewing 'joke' potions that he had read about in his Grade 4 Potion book, and the oddest part was Harry wasn't sure they even realised that they had studied ahead. They seemed to have no motivation to achieve academically and had loudly said how boring they found lessons, yet when it came a prank, he could see actual fire in their eyes.

It made him wonder what they would be able to do with an actual potions lab, as well as ingredients on hand that they didn't need to steal from Snape's cupboards.

In a way, it was a glimpse into what he could have been. They were like him, if to a lesser degree. Bored with school and the lack of a challenge in life, they had turned to pranks as a way to relieve the boredom. They had found their reason to learn while Harry simply carried on learning in the hope of finding something interesting that would last.

In some way, Harry envied them. However, at the same time he had a feeling that he would actually be able to get along with the two. Based on the nudge in his mind, Poe seemed to agree with him. Though that was probably because the two had complimented her before; he had learned that his familiar had a bit of a vain side to her.

"So where exactly did Dumbledore end up putting you anyway?" Fred asked.

"Yeah! After the sorting, no one knows where you sleep," George added.

Without pausing in his step or turning to look at the two, Harry carried on to his room without taking his shortcut. While he liked the two, he wasn't ready to show all his cards before knowing more about them.

"A tower in the North-West of the castle. I'm staying in an old classroom that isn't used anymore until they can set up or find me a common room," Harry replied. "Though no one seems to be in any rush to do so since I am the only one in my House."

"Cool-" said George. Fred added, "That means no one to snitch on you if you decide to set something up in the night."

Before Harry could think of a response to that, they arrived at the door to his room. Quickly unlocking the door, he motioned for the twins to go in before following them and closing it behind him again. He watched with his back to the wall as the twins looked around for a moment, before their eyes moved to the large trunk placed at the end of his bed.

"Is that what I think it is Fred?"

"I think it is George," said Fred.

They both moved to inspect the trunk more closely, wands in hand and talking back and forth constantly.

"A high quality, Class 5 with seven separate compartments," started Fred. "All fit into the one space, expanded, and possibly customised rooms in each separate compartment."

"Separate keys for each compartment," said George as he picked his wand at one of the locks.

"Spelled so that only the owner or a House Elf can move it, and only under set circumstances." Fred was currently examining the lid and handles on the sides.

"Fire Resistance Charm, Water Resistant Charm, Blunt Impact Cushioning Charm-" started George.

"-don't forget the Banshee Scream Alarm Charm cast on each lock and the lid," interupted Fred.

"Of course, there also seems to be a Stunning Rune carved into the handles so that if anyone not allowed tries to take it they will be knocked out."

"Indeed. Then there is the Strengthening Charm applied to the wood itself, which seems to have been treated to be magic resistant on the outside?"

"Yes." George explained, "I recognised from the colouring that the wood was soaked in the potion."

Turning back to face him with smirks on their faces, the twins stood back up and stepped away from the trunk.

"I must say Harry, you know how to travel in style," Fred said.

"Of course, we could probably break through the protections in about…a year at most. Our older brother Bill is a Curse Breaker," explained George with a proud expression on his face.

"He taught us a few things," Fred added.

"-Not that he realised that at the time, of course."

Harry couldn't help it, and soon found himself smirking along with the twins as Poe flew over and landed on her perch beside the trunk.

He was starting to like these two; they definitely weren't boring.

XXX

The rest of the week went by slowly for Harry; classes were getting more and more boring by the day.

Defence Against the Dark Arts had been a major disappointment; Professor Quirrell was worse than Binns. Not only did he only parrot what the book said, he did it with a stutter that made it almost impossible to understand him. He reeked of garlic and jumped if a chair squeaked too loudly, something that several students seemed to have noticed. Many took great joy in shifting in various ways to insure there was always a sound.

On top of all that, there was something…off about the man. Harry couldn't put his finger on it, but then again he never really saw the point in trying to understand people. All he knew was that he didn't like Quirrell, and that was all he needed to know.

The only relief he had from the boredom of school was when he practiced alone, or when the Twins came to "talk" (plot) and even showed him some potions he hadn't found in his books. It was an odd experience, people actually being able to teach him something that he didn't already know. But having said that, learning how to make a potion that made a person's bones and teeth glow neon green strong enough to show through the skin while in the dark wasn't really all that useful, even if it was fascinating.

For the most part, he left the two to their own devises, giving them free rein of his lab and supplies while acting as a soundboard when they wanted a different opinion. It was the last arrangement that saw the entire staff table having their hair turn pink instead of just Snape, after he pointed out that to single the man out was not a prank, but a cruel joke at his expense.

They had thought over his point for over an hour before finally agreeing with him, though they did not look happy about it. Then again, it had more to do with thinking back on their previous pranks where they had singled people or houses out. Realising that Harry was right had been an eye opener for them about some of the things they had done.

He had also somehow set himself up in his classes as the person everyone came to for help when they didn't understand anything, something that he blamed Hermione for. It cut into his reading time when he got bored in lessons. Now instead of keeping his mind active by learning something, he was forced to help other people instead.

It was very annoying because it also seemed to give people the impression he cared what they did in their spare time and would try to talk to him. At least he still had his backup plan of telling people to 'Fuck off!' which still seemed to work like it normally did- on most people at least.

It did seem to have the advantage of people not staring at him all the time, the novelty had apparently worn off by Thursday. Some people still stared, but they were more subtle about it now and had actually turned away when he caught them.

Friday night at dinner, McGonagall came up to him and told him he had a meeting with Dumbledore the next morning at 10am in his office. So here he was, after leaving the twins under the ever watchful eye of Poe while they were experimenting, slowly making his way towards Dumbledore's office.

He arrived five minutes early and stared down the stone gargoyle as he tried to figure out how it worked. He soon conceded defeat and finally gave it the password to make his way up the stairs. Without bothering to knock on the door at the top, Harry walked in and frowned slightly at the sight he was met with.

Harry's eyes quickly took in the sight of not only Dumbledore sitting behind his desk, but all of his current professors standing waiting for him.

Walking into the room cautiously as he looked each adult in the eye, Harry stopped in front of the desk before locking his eyes on the Headmaster.

"Whatever you're going to blame me for, I didn't do it, and even if I did, you have no proof of it. If this is an intervention, you're all a bunch of tools and I will set at least one of you on fire. I'm looking at you Quirrell," He said in his usual tone before glancing at Quirrell.

The fact that several people in the room looked like they believed him was almost enough to put a smile on his face, and Quirrell actually jumped and moved to the other side of the room to put more distance between them. There were few things more satisfying than making adults feel ill at ease, especially when it was him doing it.

However, his attention was quickly drawn back to Dumbledore when the elderly wizard cleared his throat and leaned forwards over his desk.

"Mr. Potter, as I am sure you have noticed by now, you are not suited to the 1st year curriculum-" started Dumbledore before Harry interrupted him. Harry had heard this speech many times over the years, and even though everyone phrased it differently, it all boiled down to the same thing.

"You're moving me ahead I take it? Can't say I am sorry about that."

Dumbledore gave a small knowing smile before nodding his head.

"I am sure you will have more than a few questions, Harry, and I ask for your patience while I attempt to give them to you. So please try not to interrupt," Dumbledore requested with a pointed look at the end.

He waited for Harry to give a small nod before continuing.

"Good. There are a few things we will need to address before anything can be finalised. First of all, and I need you to be honest with me Harry, how far along are you?" Harry noticed that the other professors seemed to lean in slightly to hear his answer.

"For the most part, academically I'm working at a 3rd year level in most of my subjects, having memorised the books. Practically, it's more varied since I haven't been able to practice spell work before arriving at Hogwarts," explained Harry absently. "If it involves a spell I am most likely at a 2nd year level, but in Potions I am already at the beginning of 4th year having practiced before coming. I am also at a 4th year level in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, both theoretical and practical." Already bored with the conversation, he opened his Grimoire and started flipping pages without actually looking for anything.

While he hid it well, Harry could see the surprise on Dumbledore's face out of the corer of his eye. Clearly, the man had not been expecting him to be so far studying alone, but he was able to recover quickly, "I see…you have been busy, Harry, busier than I or any of the other Professors realised. How long will it take you to become at least 3rd year level all round, would you say?" asked Dumbledore carefully now, his voice slightly guarded.

Harry did some quick calculations in his head, frowning slightly as he closed his Grimoire again before looking back to Dumbledore, "If I put aside everything else while doing it…3 months, but that's only because classes will slow me down."

"And if you were not required to go to every class while you bring yourself up to speed?" asked Dumbledore.

Harry took another moment before answering, "1 and a half months, give or take a week. But it depends on how many I will be allowed to skip."

Nodding to himself, Dumbledore took a piece of parchment and quickly made a few notes before turning his attention back to Harry.

"I am willing to excuse you from all but Potions, Transfiguration, and Charms while you bring yourself to a well-rounded 3rd year level. I am aware that you are ahead in these three still, but until you are ready I would have you acting as a teaching assistant for the others in your year." Dumbledore explained, "I am not comfortable completely separating you from your peers while you bring yourself up to speed, and- believe me- this will be an… acceptable compromise."

While not liking the idea of having to help a bunch of kids, even if they were the same age as him, Harry gave a small nod that made the old man smile while he popped a lemon drop into his mouth.

XXX

By the time Harry returned to his room, he realised it had only been a week and they already wanted to move him ahead two years… not that he was complaining. The first two years were really only theoretical with a few spells thrown in, and Harry was able to breeze through it with ease. The thing was, in Muggle education it took weeks- if not months- before he was even considered for skipping years.

Rubbing his head in an attempt to ease his growing headache, Harry walked into his room and made straight for his trunk. Knowing the twins were still inside from the mental nudge he was given by Poe, Harry kicked the side of it three times to let them know he was there.

This was a system they had worked out a few days ago after the twins had walked in on him brewing a potion, and his surprise had led to it blowing up in his face, much to the older boy's amusement and Harry's annoyance. He had given them a spare key for the Potions Lab, but nothing else. He had had a spare made for each of the compartments that he kept in the storage compartment.

In some ways, Harry wondered if this was what having friends was like. He enjoyed having the twins around, they were good for a laugh and when it came to certain subjects they were able to keep up with him better than most. They weren't put off by his intellect or attitude, and had actually promised that they would pay him back for the ingredients they used when they had the money; they were even keeping a detailed list of everything they used. This meant that they weren't just using him for his resources, like he had first suspected.

Before he could think any more about it, the trunk was thrown open to reveal the grinning face of Fred. Some of his face was covered in blue powder and his hair was blown back, leading Harry to the conclusion that there had been an accident. Not an uncommon occurrence when the twins were experimenting with new ideas; they did have a tendency to get a little carried away.

"Harry, my man! Just in time!" greeted Fred.

Motioning for him to follow, Fred disappeared back inside the trunk and Harry jumped down after him, foregoing the stairs altogether. He was then dragged to a desk with a cauldron full of bubbling blue potion that smelled like peppermint. George was standing next to it slowly pouring some into small round molds. There was also a bowl full of bite sized blue balls that looked like sweets, and they had the same smell as the potion.

Raising an eyebrow as he looked from the grinning twins, the potion, and the sweets, Harry spoke as Poe landed on his shoulder, "I see you've been busy. What are they?" with a nod towards the bowl.

He watched as Fred leaned over and picked up one of the sweets, holding it up in front of his face before both boys started talking in their usual way.

"These, my young friend-" started Fred.

"-are what is going to allow us to start paying you back for your kindness."

"You see, for some time now my dear brother and I have been planning to start our own Joke shop," explained Fred.

"-But we weren't going to be able to start for another couple of years on account of needing to save up for supplies."

"But with your generous offer of letting us use yours-"

"-it has pushed our plans forward by years!" finished George.

This was not news to Harry; the two had already told him their long term plan for the future.

"This little blue sweet is our first original invention," said Fred before opening his mouth wide and dropping the sweet into it. "Observe."

Harry waited for something to happen, and after ten seconds of Fred rolling the sweet around in his mouth something did. With a very loud burp, blue bubbles shot out of the teen's mouth, drifting around the room for a moment before popping with the smell of peppermint.

While this was happening, George took over explaining for his brother.

"We call them Bubble Burping Breath Fresheners; they also clean your teeth! A little fun and productive at the same time!" There was a large grin on his face as Fred continued to burp out bubbles. It stopped after a full ten seconds, but the smell of peppermint was now strong in the air. When Fred smiled at him, Harry saw that his teeth were indeed clean and white.

Walking over to the bowl, Harry picked up one of the sweets and held it in front of his face as he examined it.

"I would question the sanity of the minds that came up with such an odd thing, but I already know that yours are questionable at best," he said before putting the sweet back into the bowl, "There are always weirder things in the wizarding world, I suppose."

"Thank you," the twins said simultaneously, grins still firmly in place.

Shaking his head at their antics, Harry put the sweet back in the pile before turning his attention to the still bubbling potion.

"Have you thought about different colours and flavours, and selling them as a mixed bag or something? In the muggle world, products are made to be varied so companies can sell more of them." Harry explained, "They change the recipe slightly every few years and market it as a different product."

The twins both got thoughtful expressions on their faces as the twins continued to brew the potion and pour it into the molds. The conversation moved to the differences between the muggle and wizarding market and how they could use it to their advantage.

It wasn't until about an hour later that Fred turned to Harry and asked, "So what did Old Beard-face want with you anyway?"

Shrugging as he looked over the recipe of the twin's invention for ways to change the taste and colour, Harry turned to look at them over his shoulder, "Oh, it seems I'm being moved ahead a few years. As soon as I even out my knowledge base and take some tests to prove it, I'm being skipped to 3rd year," he explained absently before turning back to the recipe and making a note on a spare piece of paper.

He started counting in his head, and just before he could get to ten both boys gave a loud shout of,

"WHAT!?"

XXX

Ok so like I said not a lot if anything really different. And again the next chapter will more or less probably be the same with the troll. But after that we get to the new stuff you have all been waiting for!

I will however warn you that I might not have much time to write over the weekend so the next chapter might not be until Monday or even Tuesday.

Anyway let me know what you thought of the chapter (even though it is basically no different then before.)

:)