I do not own Harry Potter, only the OC.

Hello guys, Badger here. So...it's been a while. Truth be told, I hit a massive writers block for all of my stories, and that block was 50 feet thick. So, I chose to chip away at that block as I focused on my University work and now I'm back to writing again, starting with chapter 2 of a story people probably no longer care about. This chapter was meant to release sooner, but I turned 19 yesterday so that set me back a bit. But it's here now, so I'll let you read on and I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 2

The Big Question

Harry felt groggy, as he woke up the next morning, to the sound of birds outside the castle. Holding a hand against his head, hoping the small headache would go away, Harry, through blurred vision, saw that he was alone in the boys dorm. The rest must have been in the Great Hall for breakfast. Honestly, he was glad that he was alone for the time being. After putting on his glasses, Harry slowly got up and started getting ready. As he got dressed, Harry thought about James Badger and what he told him. Maybe Ron and Hermione weren't truly his friends. Maybe there was an ulterior motive for them being his friend. Harry shook his head, at the thought. That just seemed ridiculous. Either way, maybe it was time to find new friends. And he was definitely going to talk with James again. There was something about the boy that intrigued him. After adjusting his tie, Harry made his way out of the Gryffindor Common Room, where he immediatley saw Neville and Ginny making their way towards him, where he noted Neville carrying something wrapped up in napkins.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" Harry asked

"We thought we'd bring you something to eat" Neville replied, removing some of the napkins, revealing fresh slices of toast "It's not much, but we thought you should avoid the Great Hall, things aren't…friendly down there"

"Is it that bad?" Harry raised an eyebrow, as he began munching on the first slice

"Bad is an understatement" Ginny said "you'd think a potion exploded in there…things were fine to begin with, but then Alicia, Katie and Angelina heard some students bad mouthing you and the three started hexing them, then Fred and George got involved and that's when things got out of control, it all happened so fast, but now all five of them have a month of detention"

Harry smiled at that. It was nice to see that some of his friends believed in him. Though he wished they didn't get into trouble for his sake. James seemed to be right in what he said.

"Can we walk for a bit?" Harry asked, as he finished his toast

Neville and Ginny nodded, before following after Harry, as he threw away the napkin not caring where it went, as they made their way down the corridor.

…

"Is there any way you can get out of it?" Neville asked, as they made their way across the grounds

"I wish there was, but there isn't" Harry sighed "As Mr Crouch said, it's a Magical Binding Contract, I couldn't drop out even if I tried and if I don't compete, I could lose my magic…now, unlike a few others, I can survive in the Muggle World, but my magic is a part of me, I don't want to lose it"

"This is ridiculous!" Ginny growled "why did they have to use an object like the goblet anyway…and it seems the age line didn't work as Dumbledore hoped…if someone was able to place your name inside, who knows how many could have also done the same"

"Mad Eye believes whoever placed me inside the tournament hopes I get injured…or worse, even killed" Harry replied, dryly

"Who would try such a thing?" Neville asked

"Anyone who was a follower of Voldemort's" Harry shrugged, pointing to the scar on his forehead "This scar is like a target on my forehead, anyone of them would try to kill me, to avenge their master"

"You don't think that will happen, do you?" Ginny asked

"I don't know" Harry said, before noticing something from the corner of his eye "Hey…you two go on ahead, I need to…do something quickly"

"Well…okay" Neville said, eyes narrowing slightly "But be quick, Transfiguration starts soon"

Harry nodded, as Ginny gave him a quick hug, before heading off with Neville. Harry watched them leave, until they were far enough away, before walking in the opposite direction. He made his way down the grounds, through a small clearing, where he found who he was looking for. Standing by the edge of the water, skipping stones across the surface, not noting or even caring about the chilly air, as his robe billowed behind him from the wind, was James Badger. His purple hair stood out for miles. Seems James was right about it being easy to find him. Harry took a few steps forward, before James spoke up.

"Nice to see you again Harry" He said, as he skipped another stone on the water, before turning to face him

"How did you know I was here?" Harry asked, a little spooked

"I couldn't tell you, even if I wanted to" James replied, a small smile on his face "family magic, I'm sure you understand"

"What is family magic?" Harry asked

"Do you know anything about magic…or the magical world for that matter?" James raised an eyebrow

"Not really…I've been raised in the Muggle World all my life" Harry replied

James pressed his lips together, a irritated look on his face, as his hands went to his hips. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a small breath, before opening them again.

"That's not good" He said "Not good at all…when you have the time, come and find me, there is so much about the Magical World you don't know and as the heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Potter, one of the sacred 28, its essential you learn everything"

"What's the sacred 28?" Harry asked

"Not important right now" James replied "That requires a lot of explanation, I'll tell you another time…the question you should be asking yourself is, what are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your friends…or former friends" James explained "The ones who turned their backs on you, sooner or later they'll come to their senses and try and apologise to you…the question is, what are you going to do, when that time comes?"

"I…I don't know" Harry replied after a moment, feeling unsure in his response "If you asked me this a few days ago, I probably would forgive them, but now, with what you said yesterday, I…I'm not too sure…I mean they were my first…..best friends, I thought that meant something to them too…I just don't know"

James looked at Harry for a moment. He noticed the small slip up, with the word 'first'. He was almost certain that there was something going on in Harry's home life, behind closed doors, but for now, he wasn't going to push on it. Instead, he nodded slightly, thinking about Harry's answer.

"Understandable I guess" He shrugged "Though if you want my advice…if you do forgive them, keep a closer eye on them, see if they really are your friends for the right reasons…and be careful with who you trust in the future…see you around Harry"

"Yeah…see you…" Harry replied, thinking about what he just said

Harry watched James leave, as the purple haired boy passed through the same clearing that he entered through, before remembering that Transfiguration was going to start soon and quickly ran towards the castle.

…

Harry was able to make it to Transfiguration in time, with mere moments to spare. As soon as he entered the classroom, everyone turned his way, dozens of eyes glaring at him, burning holes into his very soul. Harry ignored the glares and made his way to the front of the class and sat next to Neville, who patted his shoulder reassuringly. As they waited for the lesson to begin, Harry glanced around the classroom, to see that everyone was still glaring in his direction, with people whispering to one another. No doubt making cruel comments about him. Harry caught the gaze of the two people he called his friends. Ron and Hermione. Ron had an angry fire in his eyes, as he stared in his direction, jealousy, anger and betrayal practically carved into his face. Then there was Hermione. She didn't look angry, but she had a look of utter disappointment on her face, as she gave him a disapproval shake of her head. Sometimes, Hermione's disappointment was a lot worse then any kind of angry. It hurt him, at the way his ex-friends were treating him.

Unable to look their way anymore, he turned away from them, to see James sitting near the back of the classroom. He was sat with a blond haired girl, also dressed in Slytherin robes. The two were whispering amongst themselves. After James whispered something in her ear, the girl glanced towards Harry for a moment, before turning back to James, and nodded slightly, before whispering some kind of agreement to him. Harry wasn't able to think about it, as McGonagall appeared, and immediatley started the lesson. As he listened to McGonagall giving instructions to todays lesson, he thought about what James said. Being the heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Potter, the Sacred 28 and the big question. Would he forgive Ron and Hermione if they apologised? That question was repeating itself over and over again in his head.

Could he forgive them?

…

And that was chapter 2. I hope the wait was worth it.

I still have no major plans for this story, we'll just see where the winds take me. However, this story will focus a lot on Harry becoming more independent. The name of the story is 'Rebirth' for a reason. Like a phoenix, a new Harry will rise from the ashes, and this Harry may be entirely different to the one in canon.

Also, before anyone mentions it, if I remember right, Potter is not a part of the Sacred 28, however it will be for this story. It's my story I can do what I want.

Anyway, that is all for now. Again I'm sorry its been sometime since the first chapter, but I hope you enjoyed and I will see you next time.

Badger Out.