Disclaimer: I am only borrowing J.K. Rowlings world for awhile.
Author's Note: Here is the rewrite for chapter Two of Dumbledore's Mistake. Enjoy!
Ten years later…..
A green flash, a high maniacal laugh, then a warm pale light.
Harry awoke in a cold sweat. Talking a deep breath Harry calmed his beating heart. Growling quietly under his breath Harry thought of the dream; no nightmare he had just had. He had been having the dream since he could remember.
He was always on edge after having the dream. For it was after having the dream that something significant would always seem to happen.
Groaning he made his way to the bathroom and looking at his reflection saw deep auburn hair with black highlights. His emerald green eyes peeked out from beneath his bangs which hid a curiously shaped lighting-bolt scar. Harry when he was younger had liked the scar but realized that total strangers would stare at it and then whisper excitedly. Honestly it still creeped him out thinking about it. Harry was just grateful that his scar was getting thinner and thinner as he got older.
It was after a very embarrassing and horrifying incident that Harry was grateful of his Aunts insistence for him following her rules on his Metamorphagus abilities.
He had been told that he had had the ability as a baby. But after his parents deaths, it had been repressed. At the age of five it had started expressing itself again; in very colorful and for his Aunt and Uncle inconvenient ways. And so began the public Harry, and the home Harry. Both looking different, but still slightly the same. As had the intensive meditation lessons his Aunt insisted on.
Just thinking of the incident made Harry shudder while brushing his teeth. He and his Aunt had been walking around down town London when he was Six-years-old. Harry had gotten a few feet ahead of Aunt Petunia he had just stopped to wait for her to catch up when he heard a loud squeal just a bit in front of him. In shock he whipped around only to have his vision blocked as a group of strangely dressed teenage girls glomped him and started kissing him all over his face while a very bright camera flash kept going off. They had barely started mobbing him before they were suddenly gone. Leaving behind a dazed and lipstick covered Harry Potter and his very irate Aunt. Harry had been traumatised for weeks!
Oh yes, Harry was very glad for his abilities. He did not want anything like that to happen again! Just thinking about it again gave him nightmares.
And it was because of that incident that he always looked different when out and about. (well except for school. But that is because the school would ask too many questions otherwise.)
While rinsing his face Harry suddenly heard yelling.
"Harry, wake up!"
It was his cousin Dudley and he sounded excited.
"It's my birthday and we're going to the Zoo today!"
Oh of course; how could he have forgotten? Harry suddenly felt very stupid. Rushing through the rest of his morning routine Harry rushed downstairs just in time for Aunt Petunia to hand him a spatula and order him to look after the bacon.
Growling under his breath about just wanting to eat, Harry peeked over at the table and saw the typical five presents on the table. Sighing to himself he noticed that Dudley would be getting the bike he had asked for. For a second he was jealous but the remembered that his birthday was only a few weeks away, and then happily went back to his cooking.
Now humming to himself Harry plated the bacon and sat at the table waiting for the birthday boy to appear.
He did not have to wait long; for with a high-pitched screech Dudley cam running down the stairs. Where his cousin should have been blonde, and slightly on the heavy side, taking after his father. He wasn't and once Harry looked at his cousin he started laughing his head off.
Dudley had somehow been turned purple while the words 'Birthday boy has been officially pranked' in a bright flashing neon orange rotated above his head. Of course Harry knew what had happened but he sure loved it when a good prank cam through. Smirking to himself he noticed that even though his cousin was currently ranting at him a mile a minute there was a humored gleam in his eyes. Oh Harry knew he was going to get on his birthday.
It had been the unofficial rule for years that theey were only allowed to prank the other on their birthdays, and so the two made the most of it.
"Harry if you think I am going to the Zoo like this; then you are sorely mistaken!" and so saying Dudley screwed his face up in concentration and started reversing what Harry had done to him.
It took him a good ten minutes, enough time for his parents to come back into the room and not even know what had happened. Though Uncle Vernon had a mysterious smirk on his face and a quickly hidden camera in his pocket. He enjoyed the boys birthday antics. They had driven Petunia to distraction at the age of eight with prank war after prank war. So in her annoyance told them they were only allowed to prank the other on the others birthday. And so began the annual birthday morning pranks.
Once they were in the car on their way to the Zoo and Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were involved in an argument about hooligans and motorcycles, did Dudley lean over and ask;
"So how did you do it?"
Looking at his cousin in mock surprise Harry asked, "Do what dear cousin?"
Growling slightly in frustration Dudley answered back, "You know what!"
"No, I don't know what!" Was Harry's cheeky reply.
Sighing in frustration and knowing that his cousin would go on like that for hours Dudley then asked.
"The prank Harry! How did you do the prank?"
"Oh, that what." Was said in mock understanding.
"Well if you really want to know." And after getting a glare from his much bigger cousin Harry continued.
"It was pretty easy once I knew what I wanted to do. First I made your toothpaste act as the agent for the purple. You got a bit on your hand right? And the just washed it off?" Seeing his cousins dawning look of comprehension Harry went on.
"Then I had your comb for the words in your hair and once you left the bathroom they would expand and start rotating just above eye level. You got all that?"
Giving him a look of frustration Dudley nodded and answered.
"Yeah...I get what you did but not how you did it. It took me ten minutes to reverse it!"
"Practice Dudley, Practice." Replied Harry with a smug look on his face.
Dudley knew his cousin was only being modest. They had discovered at a young age that by willing something to happen that it did. They hap kept it secret with one another til one day they had been playing in the back yard and instead of tossing the ball back and forth they each had a ball floating in the air above their heads. They were trying to see who could hold it up the longest. At the time they had only been five and half. At Petunia's shriek they had jumped in shock and were then consequently hit in the head by the previously help aloft balls.
It was then explained to them that what they had been doing was magic. Further elaborating for Harry that his Metamorphagus was a part of his magical abilities and not just a rare trait inherited from his Father's side of the family. Though she was confused that Dudley had it as well as Harry.
Looking back up at his parents Dudley noticed that they were almost at the Zoo.
Turning back to his cousin then said to Harry, "Time for your disguise of the day."
With a groan Harry changed his hair from the natural auburn with black intermixed to a pale brown. Instead of growing everywhere it now lay in gentle waves. His eyes instead of his startling emerald green were now a subdued dark blue. The only other thing Harry had changed was his scar. The white scar had thankfully almost become invisible over the years, but like all scars would still leave a mark. Now it was just a smooth stretch of skin. The whole process did not take him even a full minute to complete. Once he was done they left the car and headed towards the gates.
At the gates Harry and Dudley both got an ice-lolly. They had been walking around for an hour or so when they had come upon the ape enclosure. When Harry saw the gorillas he grinned mischievously and shouted;
"Hey Dudley, come look." He could not wait to tease his cousin.
Running over Dudley shouted back, "What? What is it?"
Harry pointed to the gorillas and smirking said, "Look I found your twin!" And the proceeded to run off laughing.
It took Dudley a moment but once he understood what his cousin had said he started running after him.
"Hey! You get back back here. I will get you for that Harry!"
Not even turning around Harry yelled back. "Nope, not coming back. You'll have to catch me!"
Petunia and Vernon only shook their heads at the boys antics.
Laughing the boys continued to chasing each other around the Zoo.
When he looked back to see if Dudley was gaining on him Harry ran into something solid. With a big humph fell on top of the very warm thing he ran into.
"Would you mind?" Inquired an impatient feminine voice.
Looking down Harry saw a girl with bushy brown hair, a firm disapproving frown, but what made him stare was the look she had in her chocolate brown eyes. There was a look of intelligence about her. It captivated him.
It slowly entered his brain that he had landed on a person, and a very cute girl in that.
"Harry where did you go?" Dudley could be heard yelling.
With a jolt Harry jumped up off the girl and with a quick apology ran off.
The boys finally stopped, panting and exhausted from the chase sat down to wait for Petunia and Vernon.
While they were waiting Harry thought of the girl he had accidentally run over. He was now disappointed that hadn't taken the time to ask her for her name. With a sigh he waited patiently for his Aunt and Uncle.
A good twenty minutes later with growling stomachs Dudley and Harry were ready to go look for the adults themselves. Fortunately for them Petunia and Vernon had just rounded the corner. Running to them the boys danced around them chanting.
"Lunch time, lunch time, we want to eat." After a minute or so of this Petunia laughingly led the boys to the nearest restaurant while Vernon lagged behind them with his mustache twitching.
After lunch where the only incident as Harry getting a glass of water over the head. The waiter had tripped and Harry had gotten soaked. Because of this he got his dessert free.
With clothes wet and Dudley still bursting out in guffaws every now and then; they headed towards the reptile house. It was there that Harry's significant happening would occur.
While Dudley looked around excitedly around, going from one exhibit to the other. Harry was walking slowly wondering why he kept hearing whispers as he walked around the enclosure.
"I don't like mice you Stupid human!"
"I will bite you for that insolence!"
"What are you looking at hmm?"
"...I am sleeping….go away!"
Many such whispers were heard as he walked. When he finally stopped he was in front of the biggest snake in the exhibit. The Boa Constrictor.
Some older boys had been tapping on the glass trying to make it move, but finally gave it up as a bad job.
With a whispered "I bet you get that a lot, huh?" Harry got the shock of his life.
For not only did the snake raise its head so it was eye level with him but it then spoke to him.
"It happens often enough."
With a shocked gasp Harry then asked, "Well that is interesting, how am I able to understand you?"
With a snake equivalent to a shrug the snake said, "You are my first speaker."
"Speaker?" Asked a very now confused Harry.
"Yes, one who talks to snakes."
Harry was about to ask it another question when he was pushed over. One of the big kids had come back. Seeing the snake awake and doing something pretty cool; decided to push the little kig out of the way so he could see better.
With that Harry glared at the kid and suddenly the snake was slithering toward him. Harry was in shock! For the glass containing the snake had just vanished. It just wasn't there anymore!
As the snake passed him he swore he heard it saying 'Good luck speaker! Here I come Brazil.' He was still in shock over what happened when the Reptile house director had them in his office for tea, and was apologizing profusely to the Dursley's. After what happened in the Reptile house they went to the car and got ready to leave.
Once they were on their way home Dudley asked the still shocked Harry: "You did that huh?"
Mutely Harry nodded, not really knowing what to say.
It was just like the other times. The first time he remembered having the dream the school bullies were chasing him while Dudley was in detention. When he had jumped to get behind the dumpster, he found himself on the roof of the kitchens. There were other times as well. Making a sweater he did not to wear too small, making the hair of a teacher blue, or the chalkboard to talk back at the teacher. He knew what made them happen. That was why he and Dudley instead of mundane pranks used their magic. To gain better control over it, as well as to stretch their magic 'muscles' so to say. At least that was the excuse they had given Aunt Petunia.
Shaking his head Harry started his mind exercises. After being introduced to meditation at a young age, and then taking Tai Chi to help his young body learn how to balance itself better; it had helped him not only to learn better control, but to help him keep himself centered. To remember who he truly was despite the myriad of looks he could use. It also helped him think clearer, and helped him to have better control over his emotions.
It was when they were finally home that Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon sat him down and looking him in the eye said. "Harry it was not your fault what happened today."
"We don't blame you for lashing out."
"If that boy had done the same to Dudley, he would have done the same thing." After saying such Uncle Vernon then mumbled about wanting to punch the young punk himself.
After giving her husband a stern look Aunt Petunia looked Harry in the eye and told him frankly.
"You will not be in any trouble for what happened today Harry. It was out of your control. We do not blame you. Harry sweetie, are you going to be alright?" She looked slightly concerned at the still in shocked visage on her nephew's face.
Nodding Harry went up to his room, to further contemplate what his being a Speaker meant. He instinctively knew he should wait to tell his Aunt and Uncle about understanding the snakes, and being able to talk to to them. But what exactly could being able to do that mean?
It was while he was thinking so deeply that Dudley came in and seeing his cousin in his 'Deep think mode' proceeded to plunk down on the bed. Startling Harry out of his thinking and shocking him into saying, "what are you doing in here Dudley?"
With a quick concerned look at the door Dudley turned towards his cousin and asked. "You were talking to the snake right?"
Seeing his cousins confused and panicked look he continued; "Don't worry Harry. I saw you talking in a weird hissing, and from how the snake was acting figured it must be some weird magic thing. Don't worry I won't tell Mum and Dad."
With a relieved sigh Harry proceeded to tell him hearing the other snakes and talking to the Boa Constrictor. His questions about what it could all possibly entail. They went on talking about it not realizing that over the next month that their lives would change; and while manipulations and adventures would run strife. A magical journey would begin.
Authors Note: The chapters from here on out will have more changes to them. Please read and review. A reminder that flames will be tolerated but ignored.
