Chapter 11

Satisfied, Harry turned off the shower. He searched for a towel, grumbling when he couldn't find one. A grin spread across his face as an idea popped in his cunning mind. "Accio!" A towel shot to him. Grasping it, he smirked complacently. He didn't have to use his hands this time. Harry wasted no time wrapping the cashmere around the lower part of his body, covering his manhood. Passing the mirror placed on his bathroom wall, he paused and faced it, looking into the depths of his own reflection. Harry's body was still soaked with water, droplets sliding from the ends of his hair. He narrowed his eyes at the mirror.

He murmured something to himself, suddenly altering his emerald eyes. They turned to a color of pure gold just for a brief moment. Withdrawing from the mirror, he grinned a little - his whole body was now dry, including his hair. Whistling happily, he exited the bathroom. His whistle was cut short, however, as he was greeted by the sight of his room. It was filthy. With all the excitement, he never really did have the time to clean it this summer. Ramming those thoughts to the back of his head, Harry grinned. No matter, he'll clean it now. Eyeing all the dirt and rubbish scattered across the floor, he muttered a spell he knew would take care of the problem. Again, as he did so, his emerald eyes flashed pure gold just for the briefest moment. His room, however, was now spotless. No dust, dirt or anything disgusting.

He smiled in amusement at the situation he was in. Sauntering to his wardrobe, he pulled out something to wear.

While he was dressing, his mind was in someplace else. The old man had presented him with another technique. He was now able to use magic with both of his eyes, akin to what Merlin had shown him last summer. Harry never got tired of using it. It was thrilling. It wasn't as powerful as using magic with both of his hands, but to him, it was far more fun. He could be devious and discreet when he used his eyes. He also looked cooler that way. The problem with channeling magic through his eyes was that he couldn't cast a powerful spell, just a minor one. He could, however, still use his Telekinesis through his eyes, though the push-and-pull force was still not too strong. Overwhelmed by the excitement of the Mystic Eyes, a darker memory suddenly trespassed his thoughts. Harry shivered, unconsciously wincing, his eyes flicking shut.

Achieving the Mystic Eyes came with a price, and Harry would very much rather not go through that experience again.

It wasn't that Harry required to sacrifice anything, such as losing his sight, in order to see the magical auras. No, it was the simple reality of the training. The experience was more excruciating than anything Harry ever felt in his life. The first week of it, he had screamed in utter anguish as his own magic was being pushed to his eyes. It felt as if they were being boiled in searing, scorching water. He tried very hard to concentrate on controlling his magic, but with the feeling of fire burning through his eye sockets, it was hardly a success. Merlin informed him that he had acquired the Mystic Eyes through natural causes - Harry had not.

It was for this reason that he had to endure the pain of the training. In Harry's case, he was going against nature.

Harry had passed out after twenty minutes of training on the first week alone. Furthermore, he had to stay two weeks in Merlin's mansion for his own safety. His eyes had to be healed repetitively after another session of training. Harry hadn't questioned how Merlin handled the situation of him vanishing from the Wizarding world for two weeks, why no one came looking for him. He could only assume the old man had his ways. Harry breathed a sigh of relief, dispersing the painful memory from his head. In the third week, he had finally gotten the hang of his new magic with the help of meditation. He had just completed his training yesterday afternoon and he suspected the reason Merlin had kept him so long was that he wanted to be sure Harry's eyes weren't in pain anymore.

Nonetheless, the time spent with the old man had privileges in attaining this new form of magic. He didn't have to focus so much if he wished to see other people's magical auras. Just a simple thought and he could identify the auras around him. It was fascinating. Another major benefit, even masters of Legillimency wouldn't be able to read Harry's mind. Whenever someone would try to probe his mind through his eyes, his magic would just repel the attempt. Simply put, Harry no longer had to spend his time learning Occulumency. He now knew that his mind had been protected by Merlin ever since he was young. He was thankful for the old man and pondered a way he could express his gratitude. But he discounted the idea of it as soon as it came to mind. The old man wouldn't let it die easily and would tease him mercilessly.

Harry's emerald eyes trailed to the badge on his desk. It was not his Puddlemere badge, it was a prefect badge.

Merlin had supplied him with this latest information. He handed the badge over to Harry along with a letter from Professor McGonagall that was sent during his disappearance from the Wizarding world. At the time, he was seriously considering rejecting the offer - responsibility was not exactly his strong suit. In the end, he accepted. If he refused, the offer would just go to someone else. He was positive the other prefect position went to Callista as she's next at the top of their year. He wasn't going to allow some male to be the other prefect. Harry was not oblivious to the fact that most Ravenclaws lusted after Callista, and he shuddered at the thought of her alone with other guys. He was overprotective of the girls and he sent clear messages to all males in his year. No boys ever approached the girls when he was with them, and that suited him just fine.

He smiled slightly and decided that it was time for breakfast. He opened his bedroom door, only to stop in his tracks, frowning deeply at the sight before him. Lily stood frozen in his doorway, right hand poised to knock. He quickly switched the scowl on his face to a bright, fake smile. "Is there something you want?" Harry's question was more of hostility than hospitality.

Lily wasn't blind, she could see right through his fabricated cheer.

"Harry…" she greeted him softly, smiling rather awkwardly. "Today, we're going to Diagon Alley with the Weasleys and I was hoping you would come with us. You do need to replenish your school supplies, yes?"

Her eyes were glowing with hope, plenty of hope for him to give her a positive answer. Harry's lips twitched, repressing his emotion. To be frank, he did want to purchase his school supplies in Diagon Alley today, but he would prefer to go alone. Inwardly, he locked down his emotions, keeping them from bursting out. He had no idea what had happened to his parents that had caused them to be this... caring. All through the summer they had made attempts to talk to him, inviting him to have dinner or breakfast with the family. They treated him like any caring parents would treat their children. His mother, especially, displayed this unusual compassion.

He averted his eyes, lost in memories. His mother had even waited for him to come home from his time with Puddlemere United just to have conversation with him. Harry, however, had avoided their attempts at every chance he got. He was simply not comfortable with them. How would anyone feel if a person's presence brought discomfort? Of course, they would avoid the person. He sighed this time, scratching the back of his head in frustration. He hated this kind of situation. Harry looked at his mother and permitted a slight serene smile. "Sure…"

Lily returned his smile brightly, seeing this as a progress. "Then we will leave after breakfast. We'll give you some galleons to purchase your things-"

"No, it's fine," Harry interrupted her mildly. He saw his mother was a bit too excited and giddy by his positive response. "I have galleons of my own. I earned it all from my time in Puddlemere."

"Oh…" Awkward tension swarmed between the two. Lily smiled at Harry, still happy he agreed to go with them. "Very well. But first, let's have breakfast togeth-"

"I already ate." A complete lie. The tension around them intensified. Harry cleared his throat to crush the ice. "After you all finish, just send Rosaline to get me."

His tone signified the end of their conversation.

Harry had almost shut the door when, "Harry?" Lily called out instinctively. He paused and looked back at her expectantly. She opened her mouth to discuss what she had been planning to say to him. In fact, she had so many things to talk about with him - his recent acceptance into a professional Quidditch team, for one - but her son clearly didn't want to go there. If she forced this, Lily realized, she'd miss another chance of spending a quality time with him. She spared a smile at her eldest son and shook her head, telling him it was nothing. At this, the door gently closed without him returning her smile. All that passed between them was a clash of emerald eyes.

After both families arrived at Diagon Alley, Lily's hope to spend time with Harry came crashing down as he disappeared straight away.

Harry observed his family from afar. He used the invisibility spell once he had reached Diagon Alley and without wasting time, put as much distance as possible between him and his family. He watched as his parents looked around for him and, to his mild surprise, so did his little brother. Pulling his Ascot hat down, he shook his head at this recent development. It wasn't a bad thing, it just made him feel uncomfortable. It was always what he desired, wasn't it? Straying his eyes away, he turned and walked in the direction of Gringotts.

Concealing his face from the people around him, Harry slipped through the crowds, avoiding all contact. Unlike those wearing their cloaks, he wore a brown coat that reached to his knees. Reaching the bank, he stepped inside and surveyed the sight before him, noting that a few families were there. He smiled as a piece of memory manifested into mind. Gringotts was the first place he ever visited when he came to Diagon Alley at the age of seven. Like any child, he had been curious of the goblins. Once he had actually come face to face with one, he screamed in terror and bolted out of the building.

Dragging his mind back to the present, Harry clutched the key that was given to him by Deverill. This may be the first time he received money by himself. There had been some he earned from running errands in Diagon Alley during his childhood, but it consisted of sickles and knuts, not galleons. This time, however, he had his own vault, full to the brim of money he had earned himself. He wasn't quite sure how much it contained, given that he lacked the time to check on it regularly. Cautiously, he walked to one of the tellers at the corner, far away from other people in the building.

He cleared his throat and whispered to the goblin, "I wish to make a deposit."

The teller looked up at this, scowling. "State your name, please," he snarled.

Harry stiffened, and his mind darted to find a way to go through with this without attracting unwanted attention. He scrutinized his surroundings before whispering furtively to the teller once more, "Harry Potter."

The goblin's reaction was unexpected. He choked his own saliva and the papers he was attending to now lay abandoned. The goblin did a double take and his eyes grew wide as saucers, nearly bursting out of his skull. "M-Master Harry!" At that outburst, silence reigned, and all goblins froze as their eyes locked onto Harry. He groaned noisily. This was exactly what he didn't want. It wasn't his recent fame he was concerned about, it was something related to the old man.

"I trust you have been well all this time, Master Harry?"

"Yes, quite so, Ragnok. I trust you're in good health in spite of your old age?" There was sarcasm in his tone.

After few minutes in the bank's hall, he was having tea with the master goblin in the director's opulence office. He'd been invited by the director himself after word had spread of Harry's sudden presence in the bank. He had to endure the blatant stares from the wizards and witches in the bank at that time. Fortunately, they didn't know Harry's identity, and they were considerably surprised when the director of Gringotts made an appearance just for the sake of a young teenage boy.

"Yes, I appreciate your concern, Master Harry." Ragnok gave him a feral grin. "I heard of your recent achievement and I congratulate you for it. It is nearly impossible for a wizard of your age to reach it."

Sipping the tea, Harry nodded his head, snuggling deeper in the comfy chair. "Thank you, Ragnok. And for the last time, there is no need to call me Master! I've told you many times already, damn it! What's wrong with you, goblins? Do you all have trouble hearing?" Harry said grumpily.

"Many times, Master Harry?" Ragnok feigned a confused look. Then his face gave way to a grin. "I seem to recall you said that once, a few years ago."

Harry blew a frustrated breath, putting the cup gently on the table.

Goblins, he comprehended, had their way of knowing what went on in the world. Their magic is ancient compared to other magical creatures and they had been more than aware of the old man's presence all this time. Every goblin knew of Merlin, and they called him as the Lord of Magic, referring to his infinite knowledge of the subject. Furthermore, they depicted the old man as their lord. When Merlin took the duty of buying him some clothes and school supplies when he was eleven, they went to Gringotts to withdraw some galleons. Ever since the goblins saw Harry with the old man, they persistently addressed him as "Master." To Harry, it was infuriating. They even believed he was Merlin's apprentice, which annoyed Harry to an even further extent. He truly was in denial that he was apprenticed to that old geezer.

"Ragnok, as much as I appreciate you inviting me to this…" Harry gestured awkwardly to the cup. "I have some shopping to do. I came here for a deposit from my vault and nothing more."

"Yes, yes, I've been informed of this vault ever since you joined the wizard's professional sport, Quidditch. I assure you, Master Harry, everything is in order. If you'd please be patient a while longer, we will let you know the amount of galleons that you currently possess." A knock on the door echoed around the room. "Ah… it's here."

Ragnok lashed his tongue acidly, snarling in a language Harry assumed was Gobblegook.

Bloody goblins, he thought, why can't they just speak like the rest of us?

The door creaked open. A small goblin entered, carrying a stack of papers. Clumsily, the goblin tripped over his own feet, sending the papers flying into the large office. Ragnok snapped irately at the small goblin. Still, Harry could not comprehend what on earth the goblin was saying. Though, considering how Ragnok pointed his finger to Harry every now and then, Harry guessed that Ragnok was berating the little goblin for disrespecting Harry.

"Ragnok, that's enough. Give the poor goblin a break. I'll fix this mess for you." Without waiting for an answer, Harry squinted his eyes at the papers. Every sheet flew back into the little goblin's open hands, perfectly organized. Harry quirked his lips. "There. Now for God's sake, stop shouting, will you? You're going to impair both of my ears."

Ragnok slumped back in his seat and the little goblin dazedly placed the papers on the desk. Two sets of eyes came to rest on Harry.

"Remarkable!" Ragnok exclaimed. "If I may, Master Harry? Is that an ancient magic? The once lost art, perhaps - the Mystic Eyes?"

Harry's eyebrows vanished into the line of his hair. "Yes, it is, but that's all I can give you. I'm quite surprised you know of it. You goblins never cease to amaze me, your kind does know the history of magic quite well."

"Yes and we are proud of it."

Harry scoffed. "You goblins are always a proud race to me."

"Time is of the essence, so let us return to your business, Master Harry." The director of Gringotts shuffled through the papers, searching for his vault record. "Ah, here it is. This is the final amount of gold you received from Puddlemere United. The gold stopped flowing to your vault on 3rd August and the largest amount you ever received came in on that day. Perhaps, it's best you see it yourself, Master Harry."

Too lazy to stand up, Harry simply blinked his eyes and the paper floated to him. Ragnok gave him a wicked grin at his casual performance. Harry snatched the paper from the air and allowed his eyes to roam the statistics. The reaction was instantaneous as he straightened his back and mouth dropped open. "What the fuck? A hundred and twenty thousand! Ragnok, is this for real? This is too much!"

Ragnok grinned mischievously. "Yes, well, it is what you have in your vault and you cannot fault us for it. If you wish to blame someone, blame yourself for successfully earning so much gold, Master Harry. We goblins are merely doing our job."

"Now, hold on, I-" Harry held his tongue as his brain processed all of this. He heaved an exhausted sigh and looked over his vault's record again. "Is all of this really mine? I can't believe I own this much. Alright then, can you assign someone to accompany me to my vault?"

"It's already been done, Master Harry. Rest assured your vault is placed in the highest security." Harry had never requested that, but he bit back his tongue.

Ragnok howled crossly in Gobblegook for another goblin to enter the office. "This is one of our finest workers in Gringotts. He will assist you to your vault, Master Harry." He hadn't asked for that either.

Harry just stood up, nodding his head. The paper on his hand began floating on its own and placed itself on the desk. "Ragnok, by my leave then."

"Yes, do have safe journey and I do hope we will meet again in the near future. May your gold continue to flow, Master Harry."

"I already have enough gold, Ragnok. I don't need it to flow anymore," Harry grumbled, oblivious to the respectful implications of Ragnok's parting words. "If it does continue to flow, I won't know what to do with it."

Ragnok smiled, not the common scary grin. "And may your enemies be slaughtered and humiliated at your hands, Master Harry."

"Now that, I will take. Farwell, goblin, until we meet again." The director bobbed his head. As the door closed, Ragnok's ears perked up at the sound of Harry's muffled voice. "And for the last time don't call me Master! Damn it, make sure that's in your old thick skull when I come back here! That goes for your entire race! You hear me?"

The aged goblin chuckled with mirth in his eyes. The Lord of Magic sure knew how to pick an interesting apprentice.

The tinkling sound of a bell chimed and Harry stepped in Madam Malkin's shop. Gazing around, Harry looked back at the bell above the door, smiling faintly. He examined the store with his eyes, noting the lack of anything new. Nothing ever does change around here. He pulled his hat back and smoothed his messy hair. Still looking around, he didn't notice a small figure standing behind him.

"Excuse me, sir. Do you need anything from Madam Malkin's robes?" A young girl graciously welcomed Harry.

Harry blinked his eyes, turning around to greet the person. He opened his mouth to speak but the girl beat him to it. She gasped loudly, both hands covering her mouth. "H-Har-Harry Potter!" she squeaked, cheeks reddening. Harry puckered his lips in disapproval, silently scolding himself for removing his hat. He had completely forgotten his newly acquired fame.

He cleared his throat, feeling unease at the girl's reaction. "Um… I require a new set of robes for Hogwarts. My old ones were beginning to get too small." That wasn't strictly true. Harry could simply use magic to alter the size of his clothing. Like any other person, however, he desired the luxury of new expensive robes with high quality texture.

The girl's eyes were wide. Her mouth was moving, but no words surfaced from it. She simply stood there with her mouth opening and closing routinely. Harry frowned at the girl's response, though quickly hid his annoyance from the girl. His eyes snapped up as a sound from the back of the store caught his attention.

"Mary, what are you doing with our customer? I hope you're not scaring them away." The familiar voice rang out. Harry's heart leapt. Madam Malkin appeared from the back of the shop. "Harry!" She smiled largely at the sight of him and hastening to engulf him in a hug. Harry returned it, smiling back at her.

"Madam, it's good to see you again." He broke their hug, though the woman's hands kept their grip on his shoulders, not allowing him move.

"My dear, look at you! You've grown! You're not so little anymore." Harry chuckled. "I take it you need new robes for Hogwarts?"

"Yes I do, but preferably high quality ones. I can pay for them."

"Of course, my dear, anything for my little Harry."

Harry cringed at his old nickname. "Madam, you said it yourself, I'm not little anymore!" he argued.

The woman chortled merrily. "True, my dear, but in my heart you are still our little Harry." Harry growled in response. "Now onto those robes," Malkin chirped. "Mary, you may leave now. I can take care of this customer."

"B-but Auntie, this is Harry Potter! I want his autograph!" the girl exclaimed. She blushed, catching herself on just how loud she had been.

"Mary, no. It's clear he's not comfortable, now go," Malkin scolded, eyeing her disapprovingly.

"Its fine, Madam. I don't mind." The girl brightened at this.

"Now, now, you don't have to do this."

"No, it's fine. If you could supply me with a quill and a parchment, that would be appreciated." In hearing this, Mary immediately provided him with the things he needed.

Unsure of how celebrities would go about doing this, Harry awkwardly signed it with his normal signature and handed the parchment back to Mary. He supposed he did it correctly, given that the girl brightened up at his signature and blushed more hotly than before. Madam Malkin then shooed Mary away, shaking her head in exasperation at her niece's behavior. As Malkin measured Harry up, they chatted about various insignificant things. They discussed how the people in Diagon Alley were shocked after hearing the news of his acceptance to Puddlemere. They chuckled when Malkin described how Mr. Ollivander almost had a heart attack over Harry's accomplishment.

"Well, it's about bloody time someone gave him a fright. He always has a way in surprising his customers by appearing out of nowhere. How he does it, I have no idea, and I was once the victim myself," Harry commented, imagining Ollivander's expression at the news of Harry getting signed to Puddlemere and sniggered at it.

Malkin smiled widely and it faltered after a few moments. "Yes, yes, but we were more shocked about this business with your last name. Potter is a very hard name not to recognize, my dear. Only people who have the brain of a troll have never heard of the Potters."

Harry's smile was gone from his lips. "I'm very sorry for not telling any of you."

"Now, it's not our business to pry, but my dear, have your parents...treated you badly?" she prodded, pinning the fabric up to the correct length. She looked Harry in expectantly.

Harry hesitated, then sent a sad little smile in her direction. "No Madam, they have not. It's just… when you have a famous brother in the family, it's pretty hard to get your parents to notice you, especially if your brother is the defeater of You-Know-Who."

"Oh." This time, there was no smile on Malkin's face. Her lips were pressed tightly. How could a sweet young boy like Harry receive no attention from his parents? Perhaps that was the reason he came to Diagon Alley nearly every day of his childhood.

"Um, Madam?" Malkin snapped out of her thoughts. "If it's fine by you, just keep this between us."

"Of course, my dear. I shall." Malkin smiled at him. "Now, if you don't mind waiting for a little while, I'll see to your robes. You may want to attend to other things, of course."

Harry smiled. "No, I can wait, Madam. I'd like to reminisce. I have some pretty great memories here."

"Very well then." Madam Malkin left Harry to himself as she went off to prepare his robes. Harry looked around him for a second time. He smiled largely. It had been so long since the last time he visited and it felt good to return after all these years.

An hour later, Harry walked the cobbled streets once more, racking his brain for anything he had forgotten.

He verified the things he bought inside his coat's pockets, taking out the tiny objects and crossing them off his mental list. Harry had shrunk his purchases and placed them inside his coat pockets. This increased his mobility and left his hands free. The last thing he needed was his books. Harry grimaced at reaching Flourish and Blotts and saw the crowds of people crammed inside. He had already been forced to flee every store he went to in the last hour. Each time he was spotted by someone, they blurted out his name, which led to him being swarmed by people asking for his autograph. He didn't realize he was that famous.

Harry recalled the list of the books he had to acquire for the next semester in Hogwarts and scowled. If he had to guess, the Defense Professor was quite a fan of that Lockhart fellow. He looked up at the banner across the window that advertised a Lockhart book signing today and he shook his head. Even he rejected the idea of doing interviews with the media, let alone having autograph sessions with fans. He exhaled a loud frustrated breath and squeezed himself into the crowd. His eyes flashed in recognition as a redheaded boy grabbed his attention. His hair was a deep red, vibrant and lustrous.

He placed his hand on the boy's head. "Look, what the cat dragged in. What are you doing here by yourself, brat?"

The said boy turned his head shakily to look at his brother. "H-harry! H-hey, where were you? W-we were looking for you just now."

"I can see that," Harry muttered, shoving one of the crowd members away from him. "Did you get separated or something? 'Cause if you are, I can throw you into Knockturn Alley. Let's see how many wizards and witches hunger for the blood of the Boy-Who-Lived."

Daniel swallowed fearfully at his brother's words. There was wicked glint in Harry's eyes. "N-no! The Weasleys and our family are here somewhere. It's just t-this crowd. There are so many people, that's all."

"Oh, what a shame..." Harry smirked. "Never mind, another time then."

Harry abandoned his brother there and wandered to the front. Daniel, not seeing any familiar people around him, pursued his brother, taking Harry's left side. They both watched events unfold as Gilderoy Lockhart came slowly into view, playing to the audience. "Well, I must say, I'd actually prefer to see you up there. At least you're not that dramatic." Daniel bobbed his head, making a face as Lockhart smiled to his fans, displaying his white, shiny teeth. Now that Daniel saw it from the crowd's point of view, it seemed kind of ridiculous when he remembered all his poses for the cameras. A short, irritable looking man was flashing his camera on Lockhart. He was dancing around the celebrity, taking Lockhart's pictures.

"Ouch!" Daniel exclaimed, rubbing his foot after the photograph stepped on it. "Bloody, photographer…"

Lockhart heard the shout and turned to the boy. His eyes slid over to Harry and identified him in an instant. The hat was in the way, but Lockhart could see right through it. "Bless my soul. It can't be... Daniel Potter and Harry Potter? The Potter brothers!"

Harry heaved a sigh, and tipped his hat upward to show his face to the crowds. He just wanted to get this over with. Murmurs and whispers of excitement swept through the room. The crowds parted for them. Lockhart, with enthusiasm plastered on his face, dove forward, seizing both Harry's and Daniel's arm. They were both pulled to the front with Lockhart in the middle of them. He slung his arms over their shoulders.

"Nice big smile, boys," whispered Lockhart through his gleaming teeth. "Together, the three of us are worth the front page."

Harry looked bored as the flash blinded him while Daniel's face burned at the suddenness of it all. Harry tried his hardest to not look at the front of the crowd, where he knew his family stood. Rosaline was with them, in his father's arms, giggling at her brothers.

"When both Potter brothers stepped into Flourish and Blotts, they only wanted my autobiography - which I shall be happy to present them with, no charge at all!" The crowds applauded at his announcement. "They had no idea that they will be getting much more than the books." Without breaking eye contact with his audience, Lockhart personally handed all of his works to them. "They and their schoolmates, in fact, will be getting to know a lot more of me! Yes, ladies and gentleman, it is my great pleasure to announce that I will be their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

The crowds cheered at this, clapping their hands.

"Uh uh, not bloody likely," Harry hissed, irritation now built up inside him to a breaking point.

Daniel wisely stepped away from Lockhart without anyone noticing. A thought passed through his mind and Harry smirked maliciously. He faced away from his eyes and faked a cough, muttering some spell. Without anyone seeing it, he waved his hand clandestinely and to the crowd's horror, Lockhart was flung from his spot, receiving a hit by unknown strong force. He crashed into one of the bookshelves and then lay immobile as many bookshelves descended onto his fallen form. The silence was shattered by the witches shrieking in terror at the sight of this.

Harry regained his composure. "Mr. Lockhart, sir, are you alright?" He shouted, adjusting the books in his hands.

"Y-yes!" Lockhart croaked, rising from the ground, pushing the books and the broken wood away.

"Forgive my brother. It would seem he has performed accidental magic due to the attention he was getting. You know how young kids are, Mr. Lockhart." Daniel paled at hearing this mischievousness from his brother.

"I-It's okay, my boy. I understand and I forgive your brother!" Harry was impressed with Lockhart, though the man was clearly struggling to rise on his shaking legs. "I've faced much more than this! Never fear, ladies and gentleman, I am fine!"

Harry narrowed his eyes at the man in infuriation, then shifted his gaze to the shelves on top of Lockhart. Inclining his head, his eyes flashed to pure gold and all the shelves began to fall over Lockhart. Hearing the crowds screaming in terror and going over to the badly injured man. Harry took the opportunity to slip away from the store.

"I hope he won't come to Hogwarts with all the injuries he has," Harry murmured.

"Don't you think that was too much?" Daniel almost lost his balance under the weight of the books he was carrying whilst catching up to his brother.

"The least that fraud can do is drop dead and never come anywhere near Hogwarts. He'll do us a favor."

"He's a fraud?" Daniel questioned, mystified.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Of course he is, brat. The way he's eager to attain that glory of his, it feels like he just wants some fortune and attention from the people. Come on, do we honestly need all these books to learn spells? No, he just wants profit. He's using his position as a Professor to force every kid in Hogwarts to buy his books. I bet he doesn't know any of the spells his books claim he does. He's only got some pretty face and fancy robes to make him popular. Not every book is true, they can be very misleading." Making sure no attention was on them, Harry shrunk the books wandlessly and stuffed them inside his coat's left pocket.

"Um... can you shrink my book too?"

Harry stared at Daniel incredulously. Then, a roguish smirk tugged the corner of his lips. "Sure, brat." He waved his hand over the books and their weight began to grow. Daniel struggled to hold them up, but his efforts were in vain and eventually his body was on the ground. He cursed to himself, making a mental note never to trust his brother to actually comply to a simple request. Daniel fixed his glasses and stood up, brushing the dirt off his cloak. "Here, brat. If I shrink your books, it will make me look suspicious, so I'll just cast a weightless charm on it." Harry dropped all of the seven books into Daniel's hands.

"Bet you two loved that, didn't you, Potters?" They spun around at that voice. Daniel did not have a hard time recognizing it. Harry, on the other hand, frowned and was dumbfounded that someone would talk like that to him. In his life, no one had ever tried to provoke him. "The famous Boy-Who-Lived, Daniel Potter can't even go into a book store without making the front page. And his brother-" Malfoy transferred his attention to Harry, sneering, "The Quidditch superstar, Harry Potter. I bet you cheated your way through Puddlemere. Your family is just a bunch of phony attention seekers. The Potters are all pathetic. Your father even sunk so low as to marry that Mudblood mother of yours."

Harry's grip was on Daniel's right shoulder, restraining him from doing anything rash. "Do you know who you're talking to, Malfoy? Still haven't got enough from the last time?" Harry was referring to the punishment Malfoy got in the Forbidden Forest along with the Gryffindor trio.

Malfoy's face was a nice shade of red, quaking in apparent anger. "My father will hear about that, Potter! You'll get yours soon enough -"

"What are you going to do? Tell your father that I tricked Professor McGonagall into punishing you? Oh, I like to see that. Let's see how much your father believes your word without him thinking you lost your bloody mind. Can't even fight your own battle, how pathetic. What? Have to let your daddy win every fight you're in? You're a disgrace to all Purebloods." Malfoy was rendered speechless, trying and failing to crop up with some clever retort. Harry's eyes narrowed frighteningly. "You'd better watch who you're messing with, Malfoy. I'm nothing like my little brother. You have heard rumors flying around in your house about how I humiliated the upper years when I was only in my first."

"T-that's just lies!" Malfoy roared, gritting his teeth.

Harry arched an eyebrow. "Maybe or maybe not. Don't think that you have Snape watching your back or that I'm afraid to do anything because your father is Lucius Malfoy. If you think they will save you from me then you're deadly mistaken. I don't give a shit about them." Harry glowered the boy terrifyingly. "So don't even mess with me, Malfoy." Daniel was smirking at this, but then lowered his gaze fearfully to the ground when his brother turned his fierce gaze on him.

"Don't think your threats are going to make me fear you! You're not all that! You're nothing but a half-blood to me, Potter!" His tongue was venomous and yet his body was trembling violently.

"He's as thick as the Weasley boy, isn't he?" Harry whispered. "Does he have a brain at all? Can't he see that the Muggleborns are the top students at Hogwarts? Blood doesn't mean anything when it comes to your talents. Guess he's full of himself, huh?"

"Well... Malfoy never learn from his mistakes." Daniel was unwilling to drag Ron into this. "But you're right, he never did have a brain. Yes, he always full of himself. You should've seen how he taunted us everyday at Hogwarts. He'd just pop out of nowhere. It was like he's stalking us or something."

Malfoy was getting angrier by the second. The two brothers were whispering to each other loud enough that he could hear every word, and on top of that, they were speaking as if he wasn't there at all. They even had their backs to him! "Nobody ignore me and gets away with it! Listen to me, Potters!"

Ron, Hermione, and the youngest Weasley appeared, having fought their way over to them, all three clutching Lockhart's books.

"Oh, it's you," said Ron unpleasantly. His gaze shifted to Harry and his frown deepened. "And you."

"Well look who's here, it's the Weasleys! I'm surprised to see your family here. I suppose your parents will go without food for a month after paying for all these things," he snarled, purposely ignoring the Potter brothers. Ron went scarlet, as did his sister, and both were ready to pound the blond boy. Malfoy looked as if he were prepared for it.

"Now, now, Draco, play nicely." It was Lucius Malfoy. He was sneering as he laid his gloved hand on Draco's shoulder. Harry rolled his eyes. It's must be in the blood. Lucius's eyes trailed to the Potter brothers. "Well, well, this is a pleasant surprise. Two famous Potters. We meet at last. Daniel Potter..." His eyes darted darkly to Daniel, then to Harry, "and you must be Harry Potter. I have heard of your latest accomplishment… Congratulations. I'm very impressed."

"Lucius Malfoy, Mr. Potter." Lucius extended his hand and Harry shook it firmly. "My, what a strong hand..." Harry shrugged his shoulder, remarking it was probably from the training he underwent with Puddlemere. Lucius moved his hand to Daniel, and following his brother's example, the younger boy shook Lucius's hand politely. "Forgive me, Mr. Potter." It sounded as if he wasn't sorry at all when he yanked Daniel toward him and examined his scar thoroughly. The books fell to the ground, clattering down. "So this is the scar from You-Know-Who… Your scar is a legend and so as the wizard who gave it to you."

"Obviously," said Harry, violently hauling Daniel back to him. "You do know it's rude to stare at people, especially at such close range, Mr. Malfoy."

"Yes, I'm very much aware of that and what of it?" The twins had now joined the group, observing the scene with interest.

"You know, Mr. Malfoy, I heard from Lord Greengrass that being a Death Eater is an intense experience. I was wondering if you've ever felt the same...but of course, you were under the Imperius at the hand of You-Know-Who. I am curious though, as to how the Imperius curse works on so many people for a very long period of time. I would've thought that would be impossible, but I suppose I was wrong." Lucius's hand twitched toward his wand. "I hope you're fine with answering my questions, Mr. Malfoy. But, does the mark ever disappear from you? What's the initiation like? I've heard you must execute three awful things in a ritual to receive the mark. How does it feel becoming a Death Eater? Is it...disgusting?"

Malfoy plucked his wand from his cane and he sunk it painfully into Harry's right cheek. The rest of the people around him gasped. "Are you mocking me, Potter?"

"Not quite." Harry thrust his own wand out of his pocket. Lucius glanced below and his face twisted slightly as he realized the wand was aiming at his manhood. Harry smiled grimly, his look was challenging. "I'm just quenching my curiosity, Mr. Malfoy..."

"Malfoy!" James Potter sprang up from Flourish and Blotts along with his wife and the other Weasleys. The Potters were furious that Malfoy was pointing his wand at Harry, who was looking entirely unconcerned. "Drop your wand before I do something far worse to you, Malfoy."

Lucius ignored James, still glaring icily at Harry. "You're quick to react, boy." His voice was a cold hiss.

Harry tucked his wand back under his brown long coat. "Sorry about that… Instinct, Mr. Malfoy." Harry shrugged uncaringly. He brushed off his mother's questions of concern.

"Potter, you'd better teach your son how to watch his tongue. It will be the death of him."

"You should teach yourself not to wave your wand so freely, Malfoy," Lily growled, glaring the man. How dare he? "Especially if that wand ends up pointed at someone who is still a minor and not yet of age. Threatening younglings like that is a serious offence."

"So it would seem..." Lucius reached for Ginny's cauldron, pulling out a very old, very battered book. He was about to say something but decided against it. "Never mind..." Harry's eyes flicked to a new black book in the youngest Weasley's cauldron. People around him were oblivious to it, but he had seen it. "Come Draco, let us leave..." The older man's cold eyes locked onto Harry. "Until we meet again... Harry Potter..."

"Of course, Mr. Malfoy. I'll hold onto that promise. After all, you still haven't answered my questions." There were snickers from the Weasley twins. Daniel was containing his laughter. Lucius's eyes twitched at the blatant mockery, but refrained from reacting to it as he scurried away from the large group.

Draco tried to look superior as he glared at them. "I'll see you at school then, Potters."

Raising an eyebrow, Harry smirked as he eyed the young blond boy. His eyes changed to a deep shade of gold and Draco Malfoy found himself losing his pants. The people in the Diagon Alley laughed boisterously as the boy's face turned a color of red that matched nicely with his underpants. Lucius glared at them and conjured a blanket that Draco frantically wrapped himself in.

Harry dropped his smirk, not joining in the crowd's laughter. He peeked quickly at his family. Shaking off his mother's touch, he walked away from them. "Wait, Harry. Where are you going now?" Lily grabbed his right forearm. Both of his hands were in his pants' pockets.

"Getting the things I bought. You don't mind, do you?" Harry half-lidded eyes looked at her over his shoulder.

"No, I suppose no-"

Harry brusquely cut her off. "Then I'll be on my way and be home later. Let me go. I don't have much time. There are so many places I need to go."

"We'll accompany you. It's not..." Lily trailed off as Harry tiredly sighed. He shook his head, frustrated. He was really starting to get annoyed at his mother's stubborn attempts. This was the final straw.

"Look, I'll be fine by myself. I can look after myself. For God's sake, I'm not three years old anymore. I don't need you mothering me every step I take. I'm fifteen already and I'm used to being independent," Harry practically growled, shoving her arm away from him.

"Young man!" Molly yelled, having watched the scene unfold. "Don't treat your mot-" Harry rolled his eyes and ignored her. Molly was horrified. "Don't turn your back on me!" Harry vanished into the crowd and silence fell over the group.

Handing Rosaline over to Daniel, James suggested everyone meet later in the Leaky Cauldron. He walked over Lily. "Hey love, are you alright?"

"I am..." mumbled Lily dazedly.

"Like I said before, don't give up on him, he'll come around."

"It's not that..."

"Then what is it?" James asked, feeling curious.

"Did you hear Harry say 'God' just then?"

"Yeah..." The realization dawned on him. "You're right, he did say it!"

"Why? I've never heard a wizard or witch say God before. If they do curse, they tend to say 'Merlin' - never 'God'..." Lily looked at her husband, her beautiful face twisted with anxiety. "Do you think he believes in God, James?"

"I-I have no idea, Lily..." said James, his expression now astounded.

"I think our son has more secrets than we thought. He's definitely keeping something from us."

1 September 1992.

Harry fastened one button in the middle of his coat, not bothering to do any more. He went over to check his trunk, ensuring that everything he required was packed away. Looking around, he permitted a tiny smile on his lips. Another adventurous summer had passed. Many new things had occurred and he had experienced many new feelings, much unlike the previous summer. If he were to be completely honest with himself, many of these new emotions were thanks to his family.

With one last look, he closed his trunk and began towing it along behind him, with one hand habitually stuffed inside his trouser's pockets. He always did it unconsciously, and was never really sure why. Descending down the stairs, he swerved to his left, turning another corner. Harry allowed himself a sigh of relief. He might just be lucky enough to not encounter anyone else. On his way to the fireplace, however, he stopped suddenly. He had spoken too soon. His father was there by the living room, along with his uncles. Harry grumbled. Of course, such luck would only occur when the Potters are in danger.

Harry frowned, not wanting to deal with this. They were talking amongst themselves, still unaware of Harry's presence. It was only when Harry's trunk producing such squeaky noises did they turned their attention to him. James looked up and was surprised to see his son had already prepared to go. He took note of his Muggle clothing and the luxurious coat his son tended to wear all the time. He noticed Harry didn't wear that hat of his on now. He had learned this summer that his son took pleasure in dressing in the Muggles' fashion, much unlike the common magical folks with their cloaks and robes.

"Harry!" James voice echoed around the room. "You're up early today. You're going to the train already?"

"...No," Harry said calmly. Inwardly, his emotions were in a raging wild storm.

"Then where are you going, cub?" Remus inquired, sparing James another round of questioning.

Harry scowled slightly at the way he was being addressed. Soothing himself, he stared hard at the werewolf. "That's not any of your concern, is it?"

Remus was taken aback at that. "Umm... no, it isn't..." he finished awkwardly.

"Then don't ask," Harry growled lowly, but loud for them to hear. He was sick of being somebody he was not whenever he was in front of them.

Sirius was oblivious to Harry's frostiness. "Come on pup, lighten up! We just wanna know where you're heading, nothing wrong with that." The grin on Sirius' face faded once Harry's gaze pierced through him.

"First of all, it's none of your concern," Harry repeated. "Second of all, I go wherever I like without any of your permission. It's been like that for years. And finally, I don't do silly nicknames. It just annoys me out of my bloody mind. I have a name of my own. I'm not some kind of dog for you to call me 'pup' or some kind of wild wolf for you to call me 'cub.'" Harry glanced at his werewolf of an uncle and was dourly pleased with his reaction. "I'm a human being with a magical core - my kind can be referred to as magical folk - so don't go around nicknaming me when I have my own real name to use. Even the people I'm close to never call me such ridiculous names. Don't even go there..."

"Harry... I'm just worried where you're heading at this hour," James said, taking a step in front of his old mates.

After a while, Harry chose to respond due to his father's looks. "To the Greengrass', I-"

"Greengrass!" Sirius bellowed. "Harry, the Greengrass is a dark family with many dark secrets. They're notorious for their knowledge of dark magic. They may have been neutral in the first war but it won't be long before they choose a side and mark my words, it won't be the light one."

Remus nodded his head, his face was grim. "Lord Greengrass may be constantly avoiding any unnecessary conflicts so that his record appears clean, but there's no denying he is a powerful man with a strong political influence. His family has always been wealthy, but that hasn't stopped the rumors. There was once word flying around that Malfoy and Nott had tried to recruit him."

"Exactly-"

"That's enough," Harry hissed coldly, and unconsciously his eyes turned to gold. The room began to tremble violently and the three adults had to grab on something to prevent themselves from falling to the ground. This went on for several minutes before the color of Harry's eyes reverted back to normal and the quaking stopped. Lily, with her robe wrapped around her body, entered the living room. Her panicked expression was detectable, but she wisely kept her mouth shut and stood watching all four males.

"You have no idea what you're talking about. Don't go around spouting garbage when you haven't got any clue about them," Harry whispered dangerously. "The Black family is widely known to have been dark for many generations, but I don't suppose you're going to go around using spells to hurt people now, are you?" Sirius slowly shook his head, lowering his gaze to the floor. "Then next time, don't say anything if you haven't got the chance to look at yourself in the mirror."

Harry furiously shifted to his next victim. "And for someone who always avoiding society and the ministry, then don't dare go around talking as if he knows everything about what goes on in the Wizarding world. Lord Greengrass himself told me that he rejected the offer of becoming a Death Eater, wishing for his family to be no part of such cruelty. He doesn't want his daughters to grow up, knowing he's an evil person and hurting the innocents. He simply wants to live peacefully with his family, and he's disgusted at how Death Eaters do things. He's never had anything against Muggles or Muggleborns. He actually welcomes them and sees them as his equals. He's taken a great deal of interest in Muggles' culture, unlike any of you. Did you put in the amount of effort he does? Of course not." Remus shamefully faced away from him. "Next time, think before you speak. You both sounded like Malfoys, their family is about the superiority of blood and their nonsense agenda, and you two judge people by titles without knowing who they really are. It's all the same to me."

Sirius slouched on the sofa, hearing those words in his head over and over again. Remus was avoiding eye contact with Harry. Both adults took the words harshly. Harry turned to his father and his expression softened a little. "I made a promise with Lady Greengrass and I don't have any desire to break the promises I make. She's been treating me kindly all this time and I can't bear to see the look of hurt if I go back on my word." James nodded his head slightly, offering his son a small smile.

"Then I ought to be off now." He looked at his mother over his shoulder. With reluctance, he mumbled, "...I'll see you two next year."

Harry grabbed a fistful of glittering powder from the flower pot on the mantle and tossed it into the fireplace, crying out his destination. Throwing himself to the brilliant green flames, he was swallowed by them. Silence conquered the room, each was astonished at what had just happened. This was the first time Harry had ever reacted like that to any of them. The magic he performed earlier was completely forgotten from their mind as they were more fixated on his words. Their minds were only replaying his words over and over again.

James was the first to speak. "Lily, go back into the kitchen and I'll wake the kids up."

Numbly, Lily nodded her head and sighed wearily to herself. She exited the living room, her mind repeating Harry's words. James looked at his two best mates and shook his head before making his way to the children's bedroom. They thought it would be easy for them to enter Harry's life after all these years? How naïve of them. Even he and his wife, Harry's parents, had no luck. Anyone could see that Harry was fed up with faking a sweet smile all the time, and the adults insulting the Greengrass' was all it took for him to snap.

"Are all of your things set, Harry? Do you need more galleons?" Elizabeth fussed over him, brushing some imaginary dust from his shoulder.

Harry's cheeks tinged. "Um...y-yes, Lady Greengrass, everything is in order and no, I already brought enough galleons with me. Thank you for your offer." Half an hour later, he and the Greengrass' departed to King's Cross station.

"Mother, it would appear you have forgotten your daughter again," Daphne spoke in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Your daughter is going to Hogwarts too. Are you certain you do not wish to bid her goodbye? You're not going to see her for virtually a year, or perhaps much longer than that if she chose to run away. She's very annoyed with you at the moment. Did you know that? If not, I could send a message to her."

Her jealousy of the attention Harry was receiving, was obvious.

Elizabeth's back straightened and she shakily spun around to face her daughter, emitting a few uneasy chuckles under her breath. "Of course not, Daphne... How could I have forgotten my own daughter? That would be very unlikely and very irresponsible of me. Is everything in place, love?" Daphne glowered at her mother, her arms crossed. Elizabeth shuddered in nervousness. "How about money? Do you have enough? I could provide you more…" Elizabeth meekly trailed off, her voice getting lower and lesser by the second.

Harry suppressed a quiet chuckle. It was as if their positions were swapped. Daphne was the mother and Elizabeth was the daughter. Elizabeth was looking as if she was caught stealing cookies. She was shuffling anxiously under her daughter's hard gaze. Looking up, however, she grinned, trying to coax a smile onto her daughter's face. Daphne just scoffed and harrumphed childishly, head turning away from her mother. Though not before Harry glimpsed a small smile on her lips.

"Go on, just ask him. You can do it, my sweet." Harry's ears perked up at William's voice.

"U-um H-H-Harry..." someone squeaked, stuttering. Harry reeled his attention to the source and amusedly stumbled upon Astoria holding a parchment and a quill already soaked in ink.

"My autograph?" said Harry with mirth in his eyes.

She was quivering while nodding her head. Daphne had notified him of Astoria's pathetic attempts to get his autograph during the summer and how she had failed miserably, losing her courage at every chance. And now, Harry took pity on the girl. There wouldn't be any opportunity for her to ask for his autograph since she wouldn't be seeing him again for at least a year. Harry gently pried the parchment and quill from the little girl's hands. He signed it in his fancy calligraphy signature.

Harry gave the girl back her items. "This is exclusive, Tori. This is the first autograph I've signed willingly. Usually, if it happens, it's an obligation, so this one is very special. It's only for you." Harry winked. If anyone were to stroke the little girl's face, they'd discover it was red hot. Astoria nearly fainted, but fortunately William was behind her, smiling out of amusement, and he grasped her shoulders steadily.

The Hogwarts Express train blew out a low whistle, shooting out its warning. The train still won't leave for about seventeen more minutes, but both teenagers opted to head off to meet with their friends. Elizabeth ushered them to the nearest entrance of the train, where they exchanged their goodbyes. Elizabeth had given both teens her gentle warm hug. William did the same, though only shook hands with Harry. The only time William had ever hugged Harry was when he won the British and Irish league. It had been a very enthusiastic hug, but it had still been awkward.

"He's stealing mother's affection from me," Daphne mumbled to herself, loud for Harry's ears. "He is. I just know it."

"Jealous much?" Harry tenderly poked one of the beautiful blond girl's cheeks.

They were trudging their way through the suffocating corridor of the train, searching for any sign of their friends.

"I haven't got the faintest clue what you're on about, Potter," spat Daphne, acting as if she was insensible to all of it.

"Yeah, sure you are, Daph," spoke Harry casually. "Whatever you say..."

She stopped, turning her body to him, her cold, mesmerizing green eyes darting to his. "Just drop it," She growled menacingly. Circling around, she strode away from him. Every step she took was a stomp on the floor of the train and people fearfully cleared out the way for the Ice Princess of Slytherin. It was no adventure if the anger of the beautiful girl was directed at you. If one was ever encountered, it was best to flee. Harry smirked, stalking his best friend from behind. He had to deliberately lug behind Daphne so as to not let anyone recognize him. He got trouble with his newfound fame anywhere he went, so it wouldn't be much of a surprise if the students started to swarm him if his presence was acknowledged.

So far, he had been lucky - no one had noticed Harry Potter - and Harry planned to keep it that way. He didn't fancy pushing his luck. Seeing Daphne enter one of the compartments, he waited a while to avoid arousing suspicious, and subsequently he crept inside. By now, he could identify the rest of the girls, clad in their own attire, still not in school robes. "Harry!" the girls chorused, all except for Daphne, who lounged on her usual seat, next to the window, and refused to grace him with not even a glance.

"Oof..." Harry stumbled backwards once he was enveloped by Sheila's fierce hug.

Pushing her off him, he raised an eyebrow. "Must you do that every time?"

"Of course!" Sheila grinned, making it sound as if it were obvious.

Regine embraced him as well, laughing. "Don't you get that a lot?" She smiled knowingly.

"I guess..." Harry shared her smile.

Callista took Regine's place, smiling ever so gently at him. "I hope you're in good health, Harry." She broke the hug and her smile wavered.

Harry wasn't paying heed to her anymore, lost in his own thoughts. His eyes were misty, falling into some sort of trance. Good health? Physically, he was fine, but mentally, he was as far from good as he could ever be. Harry was stunned at how his family was treating him. They had never bothered to look at him twice, so why now? Was it because of his fame? No, that wasn't it, his parents had been eccentric as far back as King's Cross, then throughout the end of the summer. It was giving him migraine at the mere thought of it, and his emotions were flaring. The girls exchanged glances, aware of what that look meant. It had happened so many times during the summer, yet he had never talked about it with them.

"Harry?" Regine endeavored to shake him out his stupor, her hand squeezing his shoulder lightly. Nothing. Callista grasped both of his shoulders and tried shaking him gently, not having any desire for him to be angry with her. "Harry?" Harry shook his head a bit, clearing his mind. His eyes fluttered at the sight of the girls, who were all concerned. Even Daphne had risen from her seat.

"I need to sit," Harry whispered softly.

The magic he unconsciously used that had shaken the Potter mansion earlier that day had now begun to affect him deeply. Thinking about his family seemed to make his body aware that he just utilized a lot of magic an hour ago. He wobbled his way to a seat with Sheila and Callista by his sides, aiding him. Regine sealed the compartment's door behind them, not desiring to attract any unneeded attention. Daphne dealt with his trunk with the assistance of her wand. Harry collapsed to the seat across Daphne's, next to the window.

"Harry, are you well?" Callista knelt in front of him, truly worried. All of them are. He had never before seemed this fragile.

Harry massaged his temples, struggling to jam those thoughts to the back of his mind. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's nothing to worry about."

Sheila opened her mouth to protest but Daphne shook her head, indicating that it wasn't the right time. Sheila grudgingly accepted this. Silently, the girls took their seats in the compartment, all the while watching Harry. Still kneading his temples, he moaned lightly. His head hung in the air and his back was bent forward. Why life must be complicated? Why couldn't it be simple? His parents might have reasons as to why they all of a sudden cared about him. He wasn't sure about his uncles, but Harry could easily assume they just started to talk with him because of the news with Puddlemere United. If not for that, they still wouldn't notice his existence.

"Anyway…" Harry shattered the silence, raising his head and leaning his back onto the comfy seat. "I have bad news to tell you all. I'm going to be a prefect. I got a letter from McGonagall informing me of one."

"How is that bad news? That's good news, Harry!" exclaimed Callista excitedly, her azure eyes sparkling in joy. By now, the girl had forgotten Harry's bizarre behavior.

"I take it you're a prefect yourself?"

"Of course!" She proved it by showing him her badge. The smile on Callista's lips nearly split her face into two.

"Callista, I'm a prefect too! This is great! I received a letter from Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout, but my head house was for a private congratulation," Regine stated, grinning widely. Callista squealed, hugging her friend enthusiastically. She was delighted to say the least.

"Good luck on patrolling the castle then. I am going to miss all the fun now. Oh, how unlucky I am," Daphne said sarcastically. "No doubt you have to babysit all the younger students as well."

"Wait, you're not a perfect, Daph?" Sheila burst out unexpectedly. The occupants in the compartment jolted a little.

Daphne sighed, examining her well-manicured nails. "No, I'm not. It's not that surprising, Jonnet. May I interrogate you as to why you are so interested with this piece of information? Don't you feel the least bit sad that I didn't get picked?" Her gaze was intense causing the perky girl to wriggle anxiously in her seat. It didn't help she was sitting next to Daphne.

"Well... I-I u-um j-just, y-y-you know…" Sheila stammered. "N-not that I'm happy, Daph. I-it's j-j-just u-um shocked… yeah, that's right! Just shocked! I was so sure you would get the post."

Callista was so overwhelmed by the fact that her best friend couldn't be a prefect that she didn't see through Sheila's act. "I agree, Daphne. I was confident you'd get it, considering you're-" Abruptly, she bit her tongue to keep from spilling anymore words. Callista caught on to what her best friend was implying. Daphne made eye contact with Callista, doggedly flicking her eyes back and forth from her to Sheila.

"What? What is it?"

Callista was taken aback at this, obviously this whole prefect thing had disturbed Sheila. Callista knew why. Sheila constantly felt incomparable to the group in terms of intelligence. She always knew she couldn't hold a candle to the rest in terms of intelligence, and exam results always proved this. Bringing the subject up had hit the girl's nerve. Callista was nervous as to what to say to her other best friend. She didn't want to sadden Sheila further. What should she do?

Suddenly, Harry moaned perceptibly and everyone's full attention shifted over to him. He clutched the sides of his head with both hands as if a thousand needles had struck his brain. His body bent forward. The girls frantically rushed to his side, all steadying him. He winced every now and then. They began shouting his name, repeatedly asking him of his health. All of a sudden, a low chuckle escaped Harry's mouth, quickly turning to full blown laughter.

"I-I can't believe you four fell for that…" Harry choked. "T-that was priceless"

"That was not funny, Harry!" Callista was horrified.

Regine repetitively hit his right shoulder. "The only thing it did was scare us to death, you jerk!" Harry tried to avoid her attacks, but his efforts were futile. His Hufflepuff friend was sitting right beside him.

"I say we throw him out of the train for that hoax," Daphne hissed viciously. "Agreed?"

"I can't argue with that!" Sheila spoke through gritted teeth. "Conjure a rope and tie him up, just to make sure he doesn't escape!"

"Whoa, whoa! Hold it!" Harry spluttered, still madly chortling. He held his hands in the air, waving them rapidly in defensive gesture. "That's too far! I was just trying to lighten up mood!" Sheila conjured a thick rope, clutching one end while Daphne gripped the other. "You aren't serious, are you? I was only kidding!" He backed away from the girls, still laughing.

Callista reappeared on his left side, cutting him off. "The concept of what happens to a person after falling from a speeding train might be worth experimenting. And we thought you would be the perfect test subject..." His laughter gradually receded.

"Just relax, Harry, you won't feel a thing." Regine clutched his right side, holding him down. "We promise we'll take good care... of your soulless body."

"This will be swift, Potter... no one will know, we assure you..." Daphne's face was glee, full of wickedness.

"Yeah... there is nothing to worry about, Harry," Sheila whispered, grinning devilishly. "You won't be found by anyone. Not a single person."

Their eyes gleamed in malicious intent. Harry gulped, beads of sweat were forming on his forehead.

"Can we talk about this?" he squeaked timidly. "Someone help me..."

The act was spoiled when Regine couldn't restrain her laughter any longer. This lead to all girls doing the same. They clasped their stomachs, taking to their seats once more so that they wouldn't fall flat on their butt. Now it was Harry's turn to be mad.

"That was not funny! My heart almost burst! You girls would have been responsible for my death if it were really to happen!"

That just escalated their laughter, drawing their own tears of mirth. Harry let out a slight chuckle, reflecting that it was a little amusing. At least, they forgot the incident that had happened minutes ago. The moment dwindled away when the cabin's door slid open with a bang. Percy Weasley raised an eyebrow at the sight of the occupants of the compartment. He cleared his throat noisily to get their attention. Harry scowled at him. The guy had a great deal of nerve coming here. No one ever disturbed them.

"Is there something we can help you with, Percy?"

Percy was already dressed in his Hogwarts attire with his prefect badge pinned to his robe. "It's none of your concern, Potter," Percy sniffed haughtily.

"I think it's every bit of his concern since he's in this compartment with us," Daphne spoke mildly, glaring at the guy, her protective side surfacing.

"What are you doing here anyway? All the students know we wish to be left alone," Regine piped, her tone rather unwelcoming. "We'd rather have an undisturbed train ride."

He pointedly overlooked the two girls and moved to Callista. "I came here to inform you of the prefect meeting, Callista."

"Oh, right!" Callista erupted. "I seem to have forgotten all about it."

"And that is why I'm here to inform you the meeting is about to commence. It's best we head over."

An awkward silence filled the room.

"Why are you still here?" Harry asked. "You can go now. You told us what you needed to."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "Also, I wish to escort you to it, Callista."

"She doesn't require an escort, Weasley." Percy pursed his lips, throwing a glance of distaste at the Slytherin girl.

"Yeah, Callista can take care of herself. She's not a little girl anymore, Percy," Sheila backed up her friend.

"And if it's fine with you, we'd like to have a conversation of our own first. The other prefects can wait a little bit, Weasel," Harry added nonchalantly. He fluttered his eyes innocently at his mistake. "Oh, I mean Weasley. Sorry about that. Mistakes happen to all of us, I suppose."

There were giggles from all four girls and Percy's gaze hardened. Harry didn't appear to be sorry at all.

"Well then, it's rude for you to just stand there when we clearly told you that we wanted to have our conversation in private," Regine said politely, smiling at the redhead. "Callista will be fine. Me and Harry are also prefects, so we can protect her from you." Regine flushed. "I-I-I m-m-mean for y-you..."

Harry jumped to his feet and smirked. "See you later at the meeting then, Weasel." Harry was about to shut the door, but paused and faced Percy. "Oh, I'm sorry, I mean Weasley. I don't know why I keep saying Weasel." And he slammed the door in Percy's face. Flustered, Percy glared Harry one last time before dragging his feet to where the meeting was being held. Harry spun around, scratching the back of his head in confusion. "What was that all about?"

Regine looked Callista knowingly. "Oh, I think we know."

"Don't you start, Regine Barberis!" Callista pointed her finger threateningly at her grinning friend.

"It's just that Percy fancies Callista," Sheila whispered not-so-quietly to Harry.

Harry choked in disbelief. "W-What?"

"Sheila Jonnet!" Callista roared. Daphne was chuckling noiselessly to herself, twisting her face away from them. Callista rounded on her Slytherin friend and fumed, "Daphne Greengrass! You're supposed to support me, not encourage them!"

Regine went to sit in the middle of Daphne and Sheila. "Percy likes Callista, Percy likes Callista," Regine and Sheila started to chant in a sing-song voice, not caring that they were being childish. Daphne didn't provide Callista much assistance as she kept on laughing, concealing it behind her hand.

"That's enough, you two, or else!" Callista snapped irritably. The two girls just burst into fits of chuckles. "You all know that I don't like him! The only reason I put up with him is out of politeness and nothing more! He's far from my 'favorite people' list!"

"How does he even know you? He never talked to you at all." Harry's voice was full of amusement.

"Ugh! Not you too, Harry!" Callista snapped, before sighing exasperatedly. She put up a cute perplex expression. "I don't know. He just kept sending me letters this summer. I don't even have any interest in what he talks about. All the things he wrote were rubbish to me. I only replied to him because I was raised to be polite. If not, I wouldn't bother sending him anything. Everything he cares about is not at all relevant to my life or my goals. It's just makes me dislike him more. If I didn't know any better, I say he's aiming to become the Minister for Magic."

"Yeah, y-you're right," Sheila choked between her laughter. "Percy has always been ambitious."

"Ambitious? Jonnet, you're going easy on him." Daphne smirked. "What you mean is outright insane. That guy is taking all necessary measures, achieving what he wants no matter what it takes, whether it's the right thing to do or it's the wrong thing to do. I bet every last galleon in my possession that in the near future he'll throw everything away and stamp everything in his path to fulfill that ambition of his. It will destroy him."

"Makes me wonder why he's in Gryffindor," Regine mused. "I always thought he would be more suited to Slytherin."

Three girls sent a knowing looks in Callista's direction, all smiling teasingly. Callista just glared her best friends in return.

"Okay, okay, putting all of this aside, I think the three of us should go to the meeting now. Everyone is waiting," Harry asserted, receiving nods from his two friends. Sheila chortled to herself and her friends looked at her strangely. "What's gotten your knickers in a twist now?"

"It's nothing, Harry, I was just remembering the time when Callista gave us permission to reply to one of Percy's letters for her." Sheila cackled madly, struggling her very best to control it. "The three of us just wrote everything we could come up with that's favorable in his letters but still, Percy believed every word of it. We even convinced Elizabeth to charm our writing into Callista's style. I swear that woman just loves doing mischievous stuff."

"I remember that!" Regine exclaimed merrily. She placed the back of her right hand on her forehead as she swooned. "It was a sign! A sign of his love for Callista! He conveyed his love through letters! Oh, so romantic..."

Sheila caught Regine's fallen form, grinning. "He fights for his love! Destroying the obstacles that lay ahead of them! Her friends have come in between them and now, they have to find a way to unite their love once more!" she carried on her relentless teasing.

Daphne grinned. "Now, the guilt strikes me for obstructing their everlasting love. I should know better than to interfere and thus, I have come to a decision that I shall not hinder their love again!" She just couldn't resist it.

Three girls afterwards sighed dreamily before bursting to another round of laughter, and even Harry had a hard time not chuckling at that.

"Oh, you three are impossible!" Callista huffed in indignation, propelling Harry out of the way and marching furiously away from them.

"H-hey Callista, wait up!" Regine was still laughing whole-heartedly, rushing to follow her friend.

Harry merely shook his head, amused, and trailed behind two girls.

Both girls' arms looped around Harry and the guy didn't mind the gesture. In fact, he welcomed it, thinking this was how girls treated their close male friends in such manner and this only enforced the bond he had with the girls.

"This is uncalled for, Harry," Regine commented, chuckling. "You decided to abandon our duty and just go back to our compartment?"

"I really don't care about this prefect stuff."

Callista smiled. "Yes, you're breaking few rules, I reckon. You dragged us both from the meeting to patrol the train with you, completely ignoring several protests from the others, including one Cedric Diggory, whose partner is Regine."

Harry shrugged. "I couldn't care less. Besides, you both keep anyone from approaching me." It was true. The presence of the two girls caused most of Harry's fans to back away. It was mostly due to the terrifying looks both girls gave out whenever his fans neared him. Harry guessed their facial lessons with Daphne during the summer had paid off.

"But I have to say, thanks for the save. Cedric is nice, but sometimes I just get fed up with him." Regine smiled appreciatively.

"Me too. I don't feel comfortable around Weasley. Oh wait, its Percy..." Callista joked.

The two girls giggled at this and Harry smiled at her attempt. They successfully made it to the compartment without having to deal with anyone. Harry was thankful for that. As the three walked in, they were met with the sight of Daphne and Sheila playing a game of Muggle cards.

"I'm surprised both of them are still in one piece," Harry murmured.

"Hah!" cried Sheila, triumphant. "I win again, Daph!"

Daphne's hands were holding the cards in the air and her face burned red in anger. "I demand a rematch!"

"Sure." Sheila grinned brightly.

"How in Merlin's name are you so good, Jonnet? Callista taught us these Muggle's cards during the summer and may I remind you it was not that long ago."

Sheila shuffled the cards accordingly. "It's a secret, Daph…" She winked at her, giggling mysteriously.

This caused more anger to steam out of the blond girl.

"I want to play too," Regine chimed in. Her face then became strictly solemn. Regine's competitive side suddenly emerged. "And this time, I won't lose to you, Jonnet!"

Sheila just grinned at this. "Dream on, Barberis!"

"You shouldn't teach them those card games. Look at them, they're addicted!"

Callista shrugged, smiling gently. "It's better for them to have a wide knowledge of both worlds, even if some of the knowledge is just a mindless game to kill time." She folded her long sleeves and roared, "Hey, don't forget about me and you three are going down this time!" She walked over to them with determination shimmering her eyes.

Harry rolled his eyes and went to sit in his previous seat, ignoring their trash talking. Honestly, sometimes he just didn't understand them at all. Pulling his hat off his head, he ran his fingers through his hair, ruffling it lazily. He rested his hat on his knees. As he watched the scenery outside the window, he slowly drifted into slumber.

"I can't believe our luck," said Ron. "I thought we were done for."

"So did I..." Daniel murmured, stopping abruptly.

Ron was about to continue, but clicked his tongue as their path to the Gryffindor common room was blocked by a very familiar person lounging back against the wall. Emerald eyes flickered to them before the figure discreetly pulled out a wand. Smirking, he launched a stunner in the Weasley's direction. The redheaded boy was thrown backwards and he hit the wall, sliding down as he fell to a state of unconsciousness. Daniel frantically rushed to Ron's side, whipping out his own wand to try to aid him. Before he could do that, however, his wand was already in the hand of their assailant.

"Whoops, I didn't mean to put any power into that spell." His voice was more amused than apologetic.

Daniel stood up with bemused expression as he identified the person. "Harry."

"So good of you to know your own kin, brat." Looking at the Weasley boy, Harry scratched the back of his head lazily. "Sorry about him. I was thinking of just putting him to sleep, but the idea of stunning him tempted me so much that I went for it."

"If I didn't know you better, I say that's what was on your mind from the beginning."

Harry arched an eyebrow and he pointed two wands at his little brother. Daniel blanched, whimpering a bit as he staggered backwards until his back pressed flatly against the wall. "Now that's the reaction I'm looking for. So, what's this about? The rumors say you and the Weasley boy have been using flying cars to get to Hogwarts."

"I-It's n-nothing." Daniel was more worried about the two wands trained on him.

Harry stepped closer, expression was more or less threatening. "Nothing, you say? If it's anything to do with the Potters' pride and honor then it is something, so speak up!" he barked.

"I-i-it's the barrier! We couldn't get through it! It sealed and prevented us from passing through to the other side!"

"Are you sure this isn't just some excuse?"

Daniel shook his head rapidly. "I swear it's not! If it was a lie then we would have been expelled."

Harry changed back into his bored expression, moving the two wands away from his little brother.

"Well, it's a shame you didn't get expelled. I was kind of hoping for that." Daniel bristled at his brother's taunt. "Tell me this, though why didn't you use your owl to send for help?" Daniel opened his mouth to answer, but Harry forestalled it. "Wait, the answer is obvious: you didn't use your brain."

Daniel's face was flushed red, averting his eyes from his brother. "Look at me, brat." He complied, but then regretted it in an instant as the look he received from his brother was frightening. "What you did was a disgrace. Tell me, do you want to disgrace our family that much?"

"N-no-"

Harry narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Then why the hell did you do that? Didn't I gave you plenty hints before? Without using that thick brain of yours, you won't accomplish anything in this world. But no, you had to be the typical Gryffindor and just charge straight ahead." His little brother started to protest. "Or you agreed easily to whatever this idiot asked you to," Harry interrupted, kicking the Weasley boy in the leg to make his point.

"Listen brat," Harry began again. "You're lucky our grandfather is dead. You want to know why? He's a proud Potter, perhaps the most proud Potter I have ever met, and during his life, he expected more and more from our family. He's probably rolling around in his grave right now because of what you've done today. It's humiliating and his pride has probably been demolished by his one foolish grandson."

Daniel lowered his gaze shamefully. "Maybe the students here are very much impressed and have saluted you for what've you done, I bet the Gryffindors will be giving you a storm of applause when you get to your common room, but this is about our family's pride and our grandfather. I know what our grandfather was like and I remember every bit of him. He took down twenty-one Death Eaters all by himself before the Killing Curse struck him down and at that, he was a very old man. Don't you feel the least bit of proud of what he's done?"

"I'm sorry..." Daniel muttered sincerely. "I already got enough yelling from mom… well, not in person, but the letters made it feel like it was meant to be like that."

Harry was surprised to learn that piece of information. "She's angry? What about our-" he swallowed, finding hard to say the word. "... father?"

"Yeah, she's very much disappointed in me and dad was pretty upset. He blamed himself for what I did today, saying it's his fault because of how big-headed he was when he was young and that, his trait passed onto me. Thank Merlin they didn't send me a howler. That would have been more embarrassing."

Harry's forehead creased as he mulled over his parents' actions. Guess he didn't know them that well after all. And it made sense, the only method he had for getting to know his parents, including his little brother, was observing them from afar. He supposed being observant wasn't all you had to do - interactions were just as important. He sighed inaudibly, if only his parents didn't neglect him or forget him. He looked at Daniel, seeing his little brother feeling truly guilty for what he'd done.

"I heard you were in the top ten of your year." Daniel looked up and nodded his head. "Then improve more. This year, I want to see you in the top five or, even better, the top three. We Potters are very extraordinary in our own way and different from the others. Purebloods envy our family, and that's why we were high up on Voldemort's hit list. We are powerful and wealthy. Look, I don't know the deep history of our family but I know we're the descendants of a very powerful wizard, and from what I have observed, the Potters are a very special family. We're very fortunate. And just like every Potter, we have one thing in common. Do you know what that is?"

Daniel shook his head. "Adventure. Our first instinct has always been curiosity, and that curiosity has always led us to one hell of an adventure. We won't rest until we quench our curiosity." Harry politely handed his brother's wand back. "Just remember that, brat. Show me why you've been selected as a Potter and what it means to be one. You can start by improving your studies. If you put in more effort, I'm sure you can beat most of the smart ones, including Hermione. I did. So stop fooling around, and start improving yourself more and more."

Harry raised his hand and whacked his brother's head. "Ouch, what was that for?"

"For not using your brain..." With that, Harry began whistling a familiar tune and strolled away from his little brother.

Daniel's eyes lingered in the place Harry had disappeared, feeling a new motivation stirring inside him. He pointed his wand at Ron and mumbled, "Renervate." Daniel had taken the advice of his brother and he had stopped shouting out his spells. He had improved to the point were he could wordlessly cast a few spells.

Ron regained consciousness. "Whhaatt...?" he said stupidly.

"Come on Ron, we need to get back to our dormitory. It's getting late." Daniel pulled his best mate up.

"What happened?"

"We're in a hurry and you hit your head pretty hard."

"Blimey, I need to watch where I'm going."

"Yeah, you do that." Daniel grinned. "Now let's go."