And here is the seventh chapter!

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Tommy14, ALiveTodaytoWrite, davycrockett100, The Richmaster, Penny is wise, geetac, ARSLOTHES, thank you for your reviews, folks!
Wyrtha, and, hopefully, Marcus will forget about this and Harry will actually have a choice of whether he wants to play quidditch or not.
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And to my dear anonymous reviewer: I wish your flames were a little hotter - I would have been able to use them to keep my dinner warm then.

* AN:
Great thanks to Remilia - The Scarlet Moon for his help in polishing this chapter.

Also, I am terribly sorry for the delay with the chapter, but I've run head-first into a significant writer's block, and, well... Hopefully, this was a one-time-only thing and I will be able to write the next one down much faster.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own "Harry Potter" franchise. No profit is being made. Same goes for any books, video games, anime or manga I may or may not use for ideas.

"speaking"
'thinking'
written text

A Year Too Soon
Chapter VII: To Change Oneself

Harry was actually surprised by how fast his first month at Hogwarts flew by. Before he even knew it, September was over and October rolled around, bringing overcast skies and cold drizzles with it. This cheerlessness was mirrored by the classes too: the exciting introductory lessons were now over and rather tedious lectures took their place.

On the other hand, by now everyone got used to seeing Harry around, so he wasn't stared at because he was the Boy-Who-Lived or because he was the first Potter in a few generations to be sorted into Slytherin anymore. Even the Hogwarts rumor mill got tired of trying to guess how he got enrolled a whole year too soon – something that the green-eyed boy was quite happy about.

Still, he was younger and noticeably smaller than his classmates, and that continuously drew more attention to the young Potter than he was comfortable with. And, somehow, a foolish idea that he should take active steps to correct it. What's more, in his childish 'wisdom', Harry decided that the best way to do that would be to change himself. Magic could do great many things, so there should be a way to make him a little older too, right? Subtly and over a while, of course. After all, he had no desire to answer some very uncomfortable questions that he would, no doubt, be asked should he suddenly age a few years overnight.

But how could he accomplish this? – the green-eyed boy had no ideas. Not at this time. And, since he was quite sure that Magics like that weren't presently taught at Hogwarts, he wasn't even sure where to look for the knowledge he needed. Well, the library sounded like a good place to start, but... Harry didn't think that asking madam Pince about the books on permanent age-altering Magics directly would go well. No, to have a chance to find what he wanted, he needed to ask the librarian about the books on a more acceptable but still related subject.

It took him a bit of thinking, but eventually the young Potter came up with a reasonable and acceptable topic that he could use to cover the real objective of his research.

"Good afternoon." Harry greeted madam Pince, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Something I can help you with, young man?" The librarian asked as she tore her eyes from whatever book she was reading to look at the green-eyed wizard standing in front of her counter.

"Yes. Can I have some books on Magics that alter one's appearance, please?" The young Potter asked.

"And why would you need those?" Madam Pince inquired. After all, her job was more than just keeping the library in good order; she was also tasked with making sure that the knowledge contained in the books there was used for the right reasons. And, Magics that changed one's looks certainly were something that could be easily abused.

"I don't want to get mobbed next time I have to go to the Diagon Alley." Harry replied quite honestly while pointing towards the infamous scar on his forehead. Indeed, when he was trying to think up a good cover for his research into the way to age himself, he realized that he needed to learn the Glamour Charm or something similar if he ever wanted to have peaceful shopping in the magical world. "I can't have professor Flitwick hide it with charms every time, can I?" The librarian eyed him critically for a little while, before letting out a small sigh.

"Very well." She said. "Go find yourself a worktable, young man; I'll bring you the books." Shrugging, the young Potter thanked the witch and did as she asked. Meanwhile, madam Pince disappeared behind the bookshelves as she went to collect the books on the subject of appearance-altering Magics. She returned a few minutes later, carrying a few books that she deemed appropriate for him to read. Thanking her for her help even if he had strong suspicions that he won't find what he wanted in these books, Harry opened the first one and started reading...

A couple of hours later he knew that his earlier suspicions were spot on: none of the books he had been given contained anything that dealt with age-altering Magics in any way. Still, Harry knew that every great journey starts with a single step, and, even if he didn't get what he wanted from these books, his visit to the library today wasn't a total loss of his time. Indeed, these books contained a few references to the other tomes, which were more likely to contain the knowledge he was seeking. And then there were several rather useful charms and potions that he could use to visit the Diagon Alley or some other magical districts without getting mobbed by the Boy-Who-Lived groupies.

And there was another important thing that he had learned from reading these books: if he wanted a permanent result, the potions were the easiest way to achieve it. Indeed, everlasting charms required a lot of magical power and were hard to pull off. So did self-transfiguration, which, in addition to that, was incredibly dangerous... Brewing potions, on the other hand, required only good ingredients and an ability to follow a recipe. Thus, Harry decided to concentrate on finding a potion that met his needs. Of course, he wouldn't be ignoring the other branches of Magic completely in his searches, but...

Even though the books he had been given by madam Pince didn't really contain much of interest to him, Harry still couldn't finish them before the afternoon was over and he needed to head to the Great Hall for some dinner. And since he had found the librarian witch watching him like a hawk to be a bit distracting, he decided that he'd rather research in his private room in the Slytherin dormitories, if it was possible. Thankfully for him, it was.

"I'd like to borrow these ones." The young Potter said as he placed a pair of potion books onto madam Pince's counter. These were the books that were most likely to contain the leads worth pursuing in quest to find an aging potion that met his 'requirements'.

"Are you sure, Mr. Potter?" The witch in charge of the library asked, a bit curious about his choice of the books to borrow. "It's rare for someone to take books about potions; most students would rather read the ones about charms." She clarified a moment later.

"Well,.." Harry began. "Charms are certainly quicker and easier to use, but... I can't use them outside of Hogwarts until I'm seventeen due to the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery. Potions, on the other hand, are safe to brew and consume anytime as long as it doesn't breach the Statute of Wizarding Secrecy." He explained his 'official' reason for choosing the books on potions. Madam Pince was silent for a few long moment as her mind processed what she had just heard.

"I see..." She finally said with a small nod. After another moment of silence, she continued: "Do you know the rules you will have to follow when borrow a book from the Hogwarts library, young man?" Harry nodded in response. A glare directed at him, however, told the green-eyed boy that the librarian wanted a different answer from him. So, suppressing an annoyed sigh, he began reciting the rules from his memory as best as he could. That seemed to satisfy madam Pince, and once he finished, she finally let him take the books and even wished him good luck in his research. Harry, of course, thanked the witch for her kind words before leaving the library...

~/ *** \~

It has been a week since Harry began looking for a way to make himself look a bit older. His success so far was very ...limited, but he wasn't discouraged by that. Yet. And, instead, continued his research as much as his free time allowed. Just now he had made a trip to the Hogwarts Library and, hopefully, the books he had borrowed this time actually had something useful on the aging potions in them...

Stopping in front of a bare stretch of a wall, the green-eyed Potter looked around and, once he confirmed that no students from other houses were following him, he said the password, causing the hidden door leading into the Slytherin common room open. Stepping inside, he was immediately assaulted by an excited chatter coming from the older students, especially from those in the third year: apparently the first Hogsmeade weekend was announced.

Of course, as a mere firstie he had no hopes of visiting the Britain's only all-wizarding village yet. But that certainly didn't mean that he couldn't get anything from there until two years into the future. Indeed, nothing said he couldn't ask an older student to buy him what he wanted. Well, it wouldn't be exactly cheap, yes, but no delivery services ever were if the regular tirades of uncle Vernon were to be believed. That, however, was a bit beside the point; the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend was an opportunity for him to obtain things normally not available at Hogwarts, and, now that Harry thought about it, he could use some of those and for more than just satisfying his own needs and wants...

"Uhm... Sorry, but... Can I have a minute of your time?" Harry asked nervously as he approached Ms. Farley. The seventh year prefect looked up from her textbook.

"Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Potter?" She asked as neutrally as she could even if she was far from pleased with being distracted from her schoolwork: being a prefect was a hard 'job', and the many duties that came with it left her with barely any free time. Hell, oftentimes she had to sacrifice her sleep in order to keep the quality of her homework essays up – and as a prefect she was supposed to be an exemplary student all around.

"Well... Yeah..." The green-eyed boy admitted. "Will you be going to Hogsmeade this next weekend?" He asked her. Gemma nodded slowly.

"Yes, as a prefect I'm tasked with ensuring that students conduct themselves properly while in the village." She stated. After a moment she continued: "You want something from there, don't you?" She asked, receiving a nod of confirmation from Harry a second later.

"If it's not a bother, I'd like some sweets – I've read somewhere that there is a great confectionery shop in Hogsmeade – some chocolates, perhaps? Just no the chocolate frogs." The young Potter requested, his words making Ms. Farley raise her eyebrow questioningly.

"Why's that?" She asked, unable to contain her curiosity: chocolate frogs have been among the most loved magical candies for many many years. The boy in front of her might be the only person to dislike them she'd ever heard of.

"Well..." He began bashfully. "They are charmed to move like real frogs and... I'd rather my food doesn't pretend it's alive."

"I see..." The seventh year prefect replied. "Well, I guess I can do that. How much do you want me to buy for you?" She asked then.

"A galleon worth?" Harry said a bit unsurely: a galleon worth of candies was a lot of candies, after all. Then again, Hogsmeade weekends were rare and so his next chance to get anything from the village won't come for a long time. He might as well hoard a little... "I'll pay you back, of course, and I'll also throw – say – two three sickles over for your help." He promised.

"Alright." Gemma agreed to the deal. "Just don't forget about this." Harry nodded reassuringly. "Is there anything else I can help you with, Mr. Potter?" The prefect asked next.

"No, thank you." The green-eyed wizard replied.

~/ *** \~

Over the following week Harry finally made some progress in his foolish quest to make himself appear a little older. Namely, he finally managed to get his hands on the recipes for three different aging potions. Alas, none of those met his requirements: their effects took place instantly and lasted only a short period of time, no more than twelve hours per dose. And what was even worse, he felt like madam Pince was getting really suspicious of him and would interrogate him about his real objectives should he continue borrowing potion books from the Library.

At least, he got a nice and, to be honest, much needed distraction from his research once the weekend arrived. Ms. Farley haven't forgotten their deal and brought him a whole galleon worth of candies from Hogsmeade. And now that he had his sweet hoard, the green-eyed boy decided that he should share some with the Carrow twins, as a payment for their advice. Even if they said that they had helped him out of the goodness of their hearts.

"Is there something you need, Potter?" Hestia asked as she and her sister saw Harry fidget as he tried to decide whether to approach them or not. This question seemed to snap him out of this, though it most certainly didn't take away his doubtfulness.

"Ah... Well... Yeah..." The green-eyed boy began bashfully. "I just... ah... wanted to thank you again for your advice back at the beginning of September, and... Here." He said while offering the twins a box of Honeydukes' chocolates. The girls glanced at each other.

"Didn't we say that you owe us nothing for that one, Potter?" Flora asked.

"Well, yeah." The young wizard admitted. "But it really helped me, so I simply have to thank you properly for it." And that wasn't a lie; following the twins' advice indeed had made his life in Slytherin much easier. The older students, even those who came from the families that had openly supported the Dark Lord during the Blood War, were noticeably more tolerant towards him now that he was earning the house many points through his exceptional classwork while also doing his absolute best to avoid standing out in a negative light.

"...Alright." Flora said after quite a pause. "We accept your gift." She said while taking a box of chocolates from her classmate's hands. She then examined it. "These are quite good; you have a good taste, Potter." She commented while her sister nodded in agreement.

"Ah... Thank you." Harry replied bashfully, deciding against telling the twins that he had no ideas what sort of candies they liked and so simply took a random box from his 'hoard'.

~/ *** \~

Between his schoolwork and his little project – even if the latter was mostly on hold at the moment due to his fears of getting discovered and severely punished for doing what he wasn't supposed to – Harry didn't even notice the flow of time. Thus, it came to him as quite a surprise when he woke up one morning to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the castle's corridors all the way to the Slytherin dungeon. It was October 31 already. Halloween.

The castle itself too had changed overnight. It was now decorated with hundreds of carved pumpkins, some as big as a small car and all lit by everlasting candles, spooky wreaths and even live bats. Yet, unlike the other students, the young Potter didn't feel like celebrating. It just felt really wrong to celebrate anything on the day his parents died so that he could live...

Despite the great feast that would take place in the evening, the classes on this day were no different from those on any other day. Thus, Harry managed to weather them alright. But as the time for the aforementioned feast drew closer, he just... He just couldn't make himself attend the celebrations. And so he retreated to the far corner of the Slytherin common room and tried to shut the world around him away with one of the borrowed potion books he was yet to return to the library... Once the students began leaving for the Great Hall, however, his seclusion was noticed. And addressed.

"You aren't going to the feast?" The twins asked together as they approached him.

"No." Harry replied. "I don't wish to join the celebrations."

"But, why?" Hestia asked, bewildered by his words. "Samhain – and Halloween – is a holiday of an extreme importance and..." She then trailed off as the understanding of what this day meant to the young Potter dawned upon her: on this day, nine years ago, he had lost his parents. "I see..." She said after a long moment of silence. "I'm so sorry..." She was about to say something else, but a new arrival interrupter her.

"Is there a problem here?" Gemma Farley asked as she approached the group. Then she noticed that Potter was sitting there with a book, apparently not caring about the soon-to-begin feast at all. Hell, he wasn't even dressed for it, yet. The prefect immediately asked him about it. To her surprise, though, it was not the boy himself, but Hestia Carrow who gave her an answer:

"Potter does not wish to celebrate, not even Samhain, on the anniversary of his parents' deaths." There was a moment of silence before Ms. Farley spoke.

"I see..." She said to Hestia. Then she turned her attention to the young Potter. "I can relate to your indisposition to celebrate." She said. "Unfortunately for you, I'll have to force you to attend the feast." She then clarified: "Attendance of the Halloween feast is mandatory to all students who aren't confined to the hospital wing." There was a pause, before she added: "Your refusal to attend the feast will strongly cast you in a negative light, as well as cause some serious problems to Slytherin as a whole." Harry let out a deep, defeated sigh.

"Fine, I'll attend the feast." He replied, his voice making it clear that he was doing it against his will.

"Thank you." Gemma said. "And... I'm sorry for all this..." Harry waved his hand, telling the older witch that it was alright. Then, with another sigh, he set his book aside and rose from the armchair he had been occupying.

"Let me change into the robes, and I'll join you for the feast." And with those words he disappeared towards the boys' wing of dormitories.

That's all, folks!
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