Moon: Alright, next chapter, kind of choppy, but it's meant to be slower than the first few. Now, I'm going to have a timeskip to summer break after the end of this one because with the Philosopher Stone not at Hogwarts, Quirrel dead and the Cerberus moved there's really not much of note that happens in year one, and I don't want to bore any of my readers. Anyway, a little more on the mystery that is Carol Winchester in this chapter, and some presents that will become important later. I do not own Harry Potter.
Chapter 7: Christmas, The Mirror of Ersid, The Wounded Unicorn
Daniel Greengrass was not usually a man quick to anger or one who held onto it, but from the moment he received his older daughter's most recent letter, he'd been in a towering rage. Currently he was stalking through the hallways of Hogwarts, headed for the Headmaster's office. Lucius was right behind him. Angela Greengrass had been no less furious, and had almost insisted on transferring Daphne elsewhere, only for their daughter to plead to remain, for she had close friends here.
But none of that would would matter if Daniel Greengrass didn't get a sufficient answer for any of this. Not. One. Bit.
Dumbledore looked up from the papers he had been reviewing when he saw both Daniel Greengrass and Lucius Malfoy walk into his office. If two of them were here, something must be wrong. He put up a smile and said, "Ah, Mr. Greengrass, Mr. Malfoy, how nice to see you. Care for a lemon drop?"
Daniel slammed his hands on Dumbledore's desk, causing Fawkes to squawk in surprise. "Dumbledore, as you know I am on the Board of Governors. Tell me, why did I have to get a letter from my daughter to find out that she was nearly eaten by a Cerberus within school grounds? Not to bloody mention this was after it killed one of the teachers and a troll that also found its way into the school! I will demand a full-scale enquiry if I don't get a satisfactory answer now!"
Lucius decided to chime in at this point; anything that put Dumbledore in a bad light was going to be good for him. "One of the others involved was Tracy Davis, who nearly fell to her death earlier this month thanks to a faulty school broom," he intoned, "That would make two near death experiences for her in the same month. Frankly I'm surprised Peter Davis hasn't pulled her out. I'm thinking of doing the same for Draco."
"Please, sit." Albus said with some difficulty. Inwardly he cursed Hermione Granger for having to be rescued. If she'd just stayed at the table, he wouldn't be in this position. "I understand a few days ago that there was a serious security breach, though thankfully nothing came out of it-"
"Nothing came out of it-? Headmaster, my child could have died, if it weren't for Harry Potter and those other children." Daniel stormed. "Daphne told me that the starved Cerberus emerged from the very place you told the students would result in a 'most painful death'! This suggests you were keeping it there."
Albus cringed, his mind racing. He had to find some way of placating Greengrass without telling him the truth; his position in Hogwarts could be threatened otherwise. "My dear sir, you must understand that I've found reason to be worried this year," he said. "Over the course of the summer I received multiple threats of student harm if I didn't resign my position. I thought the presence of the Cerberus would deter any such threats from being carried out."
"Threats from who?" Lucius asked, one eyebrow raised.
"No one claimed responsibility for them," Albus responded, "I fear whoever was involved got inside the school and lowered a ward that allowed the troll in. I've patched the damage now, there's no reason Hogwarts is not safe."
"And the Cerberus?" Daniel demanded, his anger simmering.
"It has been removed from the school and placed in the Forbidden Forest." Albus replied, the classic twinkle back in his eye. "It will not hurt anyone there."
Daniel and Lucius looked at each other, words silently passing between them. At last, Daniel barked, "Alright. But understand me Albus, if I hear any more stories I'll be back, and I won't be so easily placated next time my daughter is in danger."
"The safety of the students is my top priority." Albus said calmly.
After Daniel and Lucius had left the office, Albus sighed and placed his head in his hands. That had been close. He'd be forced to curtail the 'test' he had planned for Harry this year with that ultimatum hanging over him. This was frustrating; he'd come no closer to discovering who had stolen the Philosopher's Stone or where it might be. His only consolation was that Voldemort obviously did not have it, for he had no regained his physical form.
He would have to wait to test the boy again, and he had a plan in mind. He knew that Lucius had been given something important from Voldemort and there was heavy amnesty between Harry and the man's son Draco. He would probably do something in the near future, and that would be a test for Harry.
Now, he just had to find a replacement Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.
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November waned into December with no more life threatening incidents. The story of the Cerberus had circulated like wildfire, and other students were still talking about it even as Christmas break drew closer and closer. Dean and Blaise were more embarrassed by the attention than anything, while Hermione had retreated into the dorms where she milled over the events.
Harry, for his part, retreated from public eye as much as possible. He didn't like how much he'd been doing over the months he'd been here. While they were undoubtedly good deeds, a lot of attention wasn't something you wanted if you were a troublemaker. He just sat at a table in the common room, doing his homework and entertaining Maria. Sometimes Daphne or Tracy would come over and join him.
Draco was no more welcoming than he had been in September; he continued to pester Harry and try to get him into trouble throughout the weeks. The only time anything really came out of it was whenever Professor Snape turned the corner.
The worst bit was the replacement DADA teacher. Lockheart was easily the single most incompetent individual Harry had ever seen; he spent his detention answering the man's fan mail, for Merlin's sake. If anything, they were worse of now then they were with Quirrel. What did questions like what is Lockheart's favourite colour have to do with defence? And apparently the guy's idea of 'one of the most deadly creatures in the world' consisted of pixies, of all creatures.
Harry couldn't see how anyone this incompetent could do half the things his books claimed he could. What a waste of thirty gallons. He probably had a competent stunt double who did everything for him and he took the credit.
Eventually, winter break did come, and Harry put down his name to stay at the castle. Carrie and the others wouldn't mind; he really didn't want to return to the Dursley house now, especially not that he had real, magical friends he could interact with. Besides, he was planning to sneak out to Hogsmeade at some point this week.
Christmas morning did eventually come. Harry woke with Maria pawing his cheek, mewing happily. Harry chuckled to himself, "What is it, girl?" Maria hopped off the bed, padded to the door and then stopped, clearly waiting for him.
Harry smiled just a bit. A real smile from him, not a 'trouble' smirk or a scowl or a fake smile, was rare, as he was rarely truly happy. There had been moments of true happiness with Carrie, Miranda and Pierce, but they weren't here.
He got up and followed his kitten, who scuttled down the stairwell and into the common room, where he was surprised to see several presents waiting for him.
Harry carefully sat down and placed a hand on the nearest box, opening the letter. To Harry, Merry Christmas. We're missing you here. -Carrie Miranda Pierce. He smiled softly and opened the box. It was the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
"Thanks guys." He murmured. He then turned his attention to the other boxes, that were all addressed to him. He had gotten more presents today than he had in the past ten years. The one from the Dursleys was easy, just a fifty cent piece.
Harry picked another one. Harry – this is for you. I know you're not terribly into Quidditch but I thought it would be a shame to miss out on this. -Daphne. Inside the envelope were two pre-ordered tickets to the next Quidditch World Cup, which was far more money than Harry would have meant for Daphne to spend on him. He'd have to thank her later.
Next. To Harry Potter – our only meeting was a while ago, but I wanted to thank you for saving my sister's life – and to ask for a chance to get to know you better. -Astoria Greengrass.
Harry whistled. He remembered Astoria, all right. As far as Draco was concerned, she shouldn't be talking to him at all. Evidently, Astoria didn't care much for that rule. He chuckled a bit. If that was the case they would get along fine. The present in question was a book so big it could conceivably be used as a doorstopper, titled, 'The Lives of the Founders.'
He turned the book over, the cover having a colored image of all four Founders, and looked at the back. It sounded interesting; he had scant knowledge of the Founders themselves and he'd by lying if he said that hadn't intrigued him. He grabbed some paper and wrote Astoria a response.
There was another box, from Tracy. Harry opened it and saw a silver ring and some papers inside. To Harry James Potter – I thank you for saving my daughter Tracy, and do so offer my allegiance and assistance to the Potter family so long as you are its Head. -Peter Davis.
Harry stared blankly at the paper for a long second. "Oh. Wow. Okay." He ran a hand through his black hair, something he did when he was thinking. He really had no idea how to respond to that. Having allies would be good in a strange new world, especially since his muggle friend's assistance of him would be limited by their lack of magic.
Maria had hopped up on the table and was weaving between Harry's new books as he opened his next present. It was from Hagrid – and it was a photo album. Inside were several moving pictures – the first one was that of a man and a woman. His parents.
Harry stared at the picture for a long time. He reached out and brushed his fingers against the first image of his parents that he had ever seen. His father had the same smile he did; and his eyes were the same as his mothers.
Harry made a note somewhere in his head to pay Hagrid a visit later, for giving him something so precious.
He turned through the book and came upon an image of their wedding. Lily Potter's wedding dress looked like something out of a dream. His father was there, next to her. Standing next to him was a handsome man who, judging by his position, was his father's best man. Next to Lily was a woman who bore a strange resemblance to Neville. There were others there, too, a ragged-looking guy with a weary but real smile, a smaller man next to him, and a few other women who were Lily's bridesmaids.
Harry looked down. The Wedding of Lily and James Potter, from left down – Lily, James, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Frank Longbottom, Alice Longbottom, Andromeda Tonks.
Harry looked at the names, frowning a bit despite the very real warmth of seeing his parent's happiness. Those were a lot of people, all close to his parents. What happened to them? Couldn't one of them have taken him in, raised him in a magical world? Or at least visited him and given him some indication of their existence? Why did they leave him with his aunt and uncle, who hated magic and him and tried to pretend magic didn't exist?
Deciding to look into that later, Harry turned his attention to his last two presents. One of them was a box of chocolate frogs addressed to him from a 'secret admirer', something that baffled Harry to no end, and the other was a relatively sized box.
It was a cloak. Your father left this in my possession before he died. Use it well. There was no signature.
Puzzled, Harry put the cloak on over his shoulders. Maria let out a mew of surprise, and Harry looked down to see that his entire lower body had disappeared.
Harry took the coat off, heart thudding. This cloak made him invisible? This – this was priceless. The ability this gave him – wow.
He put Maria back in his room and put on the cloak. He hadn't been this excited in years. He started off into the castle.
There was a lot to look at. He went past the headmaster's office and down the halls. He threw apple cores at Flitch, who looked around wildly, yelling, as Harry swept down the hall, trying not to die laughing. He looked at the paintings and managed to get past Peeves without setting the poltergeist off.
He walked through the Great Hall and saw the handful of still at the school reading, talking and otherwise having fun. No one noticed him as he walked past.
The freedom of invisibility was something he'd never get used to. Eventually, Harry wandered down into the dungeon of the castle and went into a backroom.
Sitting in the middle of the room was a large mirror. There were words written on it that Harry couldn't read, but it was the mirror itself that he was looking at.
Reflected in the mirror was himself, a young adult with the lopsided smirk he knew he had. Standing behind him were Carrie, Miranda and Pierce. But there was also a redhead he hadn't met before, and an older Astoria and Daphne.
And in front of everyone there was a little black-haired girl with green eyes. When Harry looked at her, she smiled and waved energetically. Her eyes flashed with the same mischief as his. His eyes.
Harry stared at the mirror for a long time. This...this was a family. His family.
The impossibility of this weighed on his shoulders; the only thing he had wanted – something that had haunted his dreams, the one thing that had lay out of his reach – was his wish that he had a family. A real family, one that wanted him...loved him.
Love, something he'd been denied for as long as he could remember.
What was this thing?
"I see that you, like others, have discovered the delight of the Mirror of Ersid."
Harry spun around. Somehow, Dumbledore had come up behind him without him realizing it. Could he see him? Damn it! This was bad -
"It's alright." Dumbledore said in a placating tone. "I knew you'd find this place eventually – it seems to be in your nature. I know about your father's cloak."
Harry snorted, and removed the cloak that was keeping him invisible. "What is this thing?" He asked, turning his eyes back to the mirror, where the images waved at him. "What am I looking at?"
"The Mirror shows us our hearts desire." Dumbledore explained. "You, who have never known your family, see your parents alive and with you."
Harry looked sharply at Dumbledore. He opened his mouth to correct him and then shut it. For some reason, he didn't entirely trust the Headmaster, so he wasn't telling him anything important. "What do you see, Headmaster?" He asked instead.
"Me? I see a pair of thick, woollen socks." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.
You're lying. Harry thought. I don't know why or how I know, but you're lying.
Well. Two could play at that game. He pretended to squint at the mirror and asked, "Headmaster, who are the two men there? Aside from my parents, there's a tall, dark-haired man and a battered man with a kind smile...I've seen them before, they were at my parents' wedding. I saw them in the picture."
At this, the irritating twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes dimmed. In fact, for a moment he looked all his many years. "Ah...Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. They were close friends of your father; they went to school with him."
"Are they still alive?" Harry asked. "Why have I never met them?"
"That...that is a difficult question to answer, Harry." Dumbledore responded vaguely. "It involves the story of the war, which I will not utter here. I must warn you...it is not a happy story, either. I don't think it's something that should be told on Christmas. At a later date...I'll tell you what happened."
What kind of answer was that? Harry thought, frustrated. So there was something big that Dumbledore wasn't telling him involving his parent's friends. That was something to look into later.
Dumbledore returned his attention to the mirror. "Harry, I must ask that you never come down here again. The Mirror shows us what we desire, but it gives us neither knowledge or ability. Men have wasted away in front of it and gone mad from seeing something out of their reach. Come, lunch will be on soon."
Harry gave the mirror one last look. "I see. Alright."
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Much later, Harry decided that he'd go out and see Hagrid. Perhaps the half-giant would be more willing to tell him about his parents and their friends then the Headmaster, and he had probably been in trouble due to the Philosopher's Stone 'going missing'. He owed him this much.
He had been headed down the stairs when he saw Carol Winchester again. He'd been -mostly- successful in avoiding the strange girl for the past month, but what was she doing out here?
Carol paused at the edges of the Forbidden Forest, looking around worriedly, before running into the trees.
Harry followed her, a sense of unease increasing dramatically. Why was Carol going into the forest?
The Forbidden Forest didn't look particularly welcoming, especially since the sun was going down, its dying light casting twisted shadows along the roots of the trees. Harry grimaced and watched where he was putting his feet as he tried to track Carol's progress through the woods. He could hear the noise of the other occuptants of the woods in the distance. He hoped he wouldn't have to save the day. Again.
Eventually, he turned the corner and saw a pure white horse lying on its side. A horn spiralled from its head, and there was a gash on its side, silver blood spilling onto the ground.
Carol stopped and knelt next to the wounded creature, murmuring something soothing. She raised a slender hand and held it over the wound, eyes closed.
Harry took an uncertain step forward. He'd never seen a unicorn before, and he figured there was a chance that whatever had attacked this one would come back.
"Harry?"
Her voice startled him out of his thoughts. Carol didn't open her eyes, but she must have heard his footsteps. He walked closer to her, unsure, glancing at the unicorn.
"Will it die?" He asked.
Carol shook her head. Before Harry's startled eyes, the wound started to knit closed. The unicorn nickered softly, sounding much calmer then before.
Carol opened her eyes and looked at him. The stark, deep blueness of them bored into him. "No. She'll be fine."
"How'd you do that?" Harry asked.
Carol shrugged. "Healing magic has always come easily to my family. Powerful healing spells. I don't know why; it's been like this for as long as I can remember."
"...brilliant." Harry said. "That's amazing..."
Carol looked down at the unicorn, who nickered again. She and Harry stood up and watched as the unicon pushed her way to her hooves and trotted off into the woods.
Carol suddenly flinched and put her hand on her side as though it was hurting her.
Harry looked questioningly at her, "Are you alright?"
Carol grimaced, and whispered, "All power comes with a price." Her hand trembling a little bit, she turned and looked into the woods.
Before Harry could ask exactly what that meant, she said, "Do you know who attacked her?"
Harry blinked, temporarily derailed, "Uh...I didn't see anything come or go."
"Not anything. Anyone." Carol said. "the thing that attacked her was old, malevolent, but weak – very weak, barely alive."
Harry looked around the woods. Surely someone that weak wouldn't have been able to get far. But then how would they escape the woods? There were more than unicorns out here.
There was a prickling sensation in his scar. He raised his hand to it. Carol looked at him and then said, "Then you know?"
"Know what?" Harry was getting agitated. "Look, I got enough cryptic conversation from the Headmaster earlier, care to be a bit clearer?"
Carol frowned and said, "The person who gave you that scar was here. That's why you're feeling pain there."
There was a rushing sound near Harry's ears, and the ground beneath him seemed unsteady. "But he's dead." He said. "Voldemort's dead."
Carol flinched at the name, and the trees around them creaked threateningly. The strange girl looked around and murmured, "Dead, but not gone. That's why he attacked the unicorn. Unicorn blood will keep you alive when you are dying, but it is a cursed life, for wounding something so pure." Her eyes were distant. "That's how the troll got into the castle."
The pain in Harry's forehead was getting worse. "Agh! How could that happen? If you're dead, you're dead!"
Carol's eyes scanned the trees and widened. "He's coming. We have to go."
She took Harry's hand. The surprise of her cool skin made him blink, and the pain receded. Harry followed her as she hurried back in the direction of Hogwarts. He risked a glance over his shoulder.
There was a mass of black smoke in the nearby trees...and Harry could swear he could see someone's face.
He turned his head back and redoubled his pace, not looking back until they cleared the treeline. Harry spun around and stared into the trees. The black fog was gone.
"What the hell?" He hissed. He didn't like this at all. That was too easy. Carol was still clutching his hand, looking paler than usual. They waited another tense moment, but the smoke never appeared.
Harry let out his breath, the cold winter air swirling around them. "That was too easy." He told her.
Carol nodded, still shaking a bit from the encounter, "We should tell Hagrid what's been attacking the unicorns...they'll need to hear this."
End Chapter
Again, short, but mostly fluff and a little angst. Next one will be longer and start some bridging between the muggle and magical worlds.
Moon: Hello, I'm back with a new chapter of Trouble. Thank you once again to everyone who reviewed. this chapter shows a little more of Carrie's situation while also showing Harry around the wizarding world. I do not own Harry Potter.
Chapter 8: Summer Break
Harry got off the train, Daphne right behind him, sighing. "Damn. I never dreamed I'd ever say anything like this, but I'm going to miss school." He made a face. "Yup, can't believe I just said that."
Daphne giggled. "I take it muggle schools aren't as much fun as magical ones?"
"Well, I've never been in life-threatening danger in a muggle school. And I've never been able to fly at one either." Harry said. Maria let out a squeak of protest as his trolly hit a bump. "And I've never had friends my age who used magic."
Daphne nodded. "That would be different. I've never set foot in non-magical society before; I've wondered what it's like sometimes. Father would never take me there, though. He hasn't told me why, still."
Harry shrugged. He wasn't going to pretend he understood high society, muggle or magical. The pureblood families seemed to have more in common with the old nobles than he was happy with, though, that much he was willing to admit.
"Where's your family, Harry?" Tracy asked, her eyes scanning the platform.
Harry looked around until he caught sight of Carrie's blue eyes in the crowd. Sure enough, she, Pierce and Miranda were waiting right where they had dropped him off last time. He smiled and waved in their direction; "My friends are there. That's all I need."
"You will write, won't you?" Daphne asked hopefully.
Harry chuckled. "Of course, Daphne."
"Daphne!"
Astoria's slender form shot out of the crowd and ran into Daphne, nearly knocking the older girl right off her feet. She looked as pretty as Harry remembered her, though this time she was actually smiling. Her two parents appeared a moment later.
"Astoria, you're hurting my ribs." Daphne managed after a moment, causing Tracy to giggle.
Astoria released her hold on her sister and said, "I've been going mad all alone in our house, Daphne! I've been alone except for when Primrose Marcus comes over, and you try having only her for company for a few months! Your letters were the only thing keeping me from going crazy!"
"It's alright, Astoria." Daphne said, "I'm here now and you'll be going to Hogwarts with me next year."
Astoria nodded and said, "Finally! I can't wait to get Sorted; I'll be the best witch to come out of my year."
She nodded firmly and then looked at Harry. "You're Harry, right?"
"I think so, know another trouble-making black-haired boy with a lightning scar?" Carrie suggested teasingly, having made her way through the crowd to where Harry was.
Harry blushed. "Carrie, don't embarrass me please!"
"But it's true," Miranda said pointedly, causing Harry to blush again and smirk a bit.
"I suppose so," He turned his attention to Astoria. "I know I sent you a note, but thanks again for the book you sent me. It's been an interesting read."
"You're welcome." Astoria grinned. "I think the wizarding community should put some effort into bringing muggleborns up to speed on history. After all, someone can't have basic knowledge if it isn't provided for them."
There was a certain edge to that last statement, one that wasn't lost on Harry. "Yeah. I look forward to next year Astoria. I think it will be interesting."
Astoria's grin widened a bit. "Daphne. Astoria." Angela Greengrass called. "Girls, come. We should be headed home now."
Daphne nodded and turned to Harry. "I'll keep in touch, Harry." She said.
Harry smiled and, feeling a little impish, took her hand and kissed it. "See you in September." He said, grinning when Daphne's cheeks flushed. He turned his attention to Astoria and winked. "Both of you."
Astoria, looking as though she'd been handed a million gallons, winked back, took Daphne's hand and headed back to her parents.
Tracy, at this point, turned and looked at Harry. "I'll send you an owl as soon as I can, Harry." She said. "Thank you, again, for what you did for me this year." She, too, disappeared into the crowd.
Harry nodded. After a moment, he turned and gave all three of his friends a hug.
"Hey Trouble." Carrie said, ruffling his hair. "We missed you."
Miranda glomped onto him and picked him up, much to his displeasure. "I've been so jealous of you; there's a lot going on in that school."
Pierce gave Harry his hug before raising an eyebrow, nodding as Carol passed Harry by with a soft goodbye, said, "Three girls?"
Harry looked indigently at his friend, "Hey, I like having intelligent conversation! I can't help it if my friends are all girls! That's just how it works! Besides, I'm on friendly terms with Dean and Blaise. I told you about them."
Pierce just laughed and said, "Whatever you say, Trouble. Let's go home."
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Carrie carefully rolled her father's car into the back driveway and got out quickly, saying, "We better not hang around. Dad's been winding up for an explosion for hours now, and my brothers will be home any moment. If he finds out I borrowed his car I'm dead meat."
Miranda said a word that would have made Miss Cope wash her mouth out with soap and scrambled out of the car, Harry and Pierce on her heels. Harry collected his things and they had just turned crept past the alleyway when there was an enormous crash inside the house.
"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" A voice in the house bellowed. Carrie's father. His voice was loud, and his words were slurred a bit, suggesting he'd been drinking.
"Too late," Carrie muttered, "Damn it."
"I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU TO TURN UP FOR HOURS NOW! WHAT DID I TELL YOU WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU SPENT ANOTHER NIGHT WASTING ALL MY MONEY ON ALCOHAL, YOU WORHTLESS WASTRALS?"
The group got to the other end of the hall when Carrie swore viciously and stumbled backwards. "Ow!" Miranda protested.
"Leslie's still on the front lawn," Carrie hissed. Harry peeked around the corner. Sure enough, Carrie's college-age brother was still standing on the front lawn, staring into the house, clearly debating whether or not to catch up with Mark.
"-DISGRACE TO THE FAMILY, YOU TWO PATHETIC LAYABOUTS, WASTING YOUR LIVES WHILE I SLAVE AWAY TO SUPPORT YOU-"
There was another mighty crashing noise, causing Carrie to cringe. She was starting to look desperate, muttering "shit, shit, shit" over and over under her breath.
Harry grimaced. He wasn't allowed to use his magic outside school until he graduated or his wand would be snapped, so his ability to defend Carrie should her father get violent again was handicapped by his size and strength. Sure, there was four of them as Miranda and Pierce would undoubtedly help, but Miranda (the tallest) was half the size of Mr. Fawkes, and that put them at a serious disadvantage.
The words 'between a rock and a hard place' hadn't been so literal since his encounter with the Cerberus.
"-LIKE YOUR SISTER. WHERE THE HELL IS THE LITTLE BITCH? IF SHE'S BROKEN THE CAR AGAIN, I'LL HIT HER SO HARD SHE WON'T BE ABLE TO WALK STRAIGHT FOR A WEEK!"
"Should have taken the train," Pierce muttered under his breath, watching the window in alarm.
"Where the hell is my mother when I actually need her?" Carrie groaned as Leslie began to look around for her. "What the hell happened? Usually he reserves himself to condescending put downs and self-righteous 'orders'!"
Harry wordlessly opened his trunk and dug out his invisibility cloak. Maria's fur fluffed up to twice her usual size at the racket going on. She had scrambled out of Miranda's hands and was standing in front of Harry, hackles raised. "Carrie, put this on." Harry muttered.
"What?" Carrie demanded, staring at the cloak.
"It's the invisibility cloak I told you about, now hurry up!" Harry whispered. "Pierce, Miranda, go out the back, meet at my place, go!"
The Collins siblings took one look up at the window where Mr. Fawkes's voice was coming from and they both bolted in the other direction. Harry threw the cloak over himself and Carrie just as Leslie turned the corner.
Leslie stared into the alleyway and shouted, "Carrie! I saw you a second ago, get the hell over here! Ugh, don't be selfish you idiot, dad's already gone spare! Come here! Now!"
Maria snarled and rushed at Leslie, flinging herself at his legs. Leslie let out a shout of anger and pain as she sank her teeth into his skin. Harry and Carrie hurried down the alley and passed Leslie, who had tripped and fallen over, Maria viciously clawing at him.
Once they were clear of the driveway Harry whistled. Maria ran after him after raking her claws over Leslie's cheek, leaving the older drinker cursing and shouting, "damn cat! Get hit by a car!"
Harry didn't relax until they had turned the corner and reached the Dursley's house and out of sight and earshot of Carrie's house. At this point, he took the cloak off.
Carrie immediately collapsed on the front steps and buried her face in her hands.
"Carrie?" Harry asked cautiously.
"Not now," Carrie said in a tone that warned any listener of her fraying emotions. Further pushing often got poor results. Harry stopped talking. Maria rounded the corner after them, mewing, some of Leslie's blood still on her whiskers. She sat down and looked worriedly up at Carrie.
A minute later, they were joined by Miranda and Pierce, who were out of breath. "Holy hell." Pierce said, aghast, staring back in the direction of Carrie's house. "I can't remember the last time he was that bad..."
"He's always that bad...he just doesn't let anyone see it..." Carrie spat, her knuckles whitening as she buried her fingers in her hair.
"What do we do?" Miranda asked.
"Nothing." Carrie growled. "If I thought I could do anything I would have done it years ago. I don't know if it's because he's paying people off or what, but he never gets in trouble. He keeps talking to my mother's 'friends' whenever there's a problem."
Harry's jaw locked. He had known Carrie's family wasn't very friendly for years, but he hadn't realized exactly how bad it was before this.
"Does he hurt you?"
Carrie didn't move her hands or look up. "Sometimes. Only when I've done something to really piss him off. Otherwise he and mum enjoy playing 'holier than thou' way to much to stoop to that. It makes them better and more in control than me, you know."
Harry's fingernails sank into his hands hard enough to draw blood. If it weren't for the underage magic restriction, he would have unloaded every spell he had learned into Mr. Fawkes and his house.
Maria padded over to Maria and nuzzled her knee, mewing in distress. Miranda groaned and glanced around the street. "I would invite you to our house," she said, "But mum tossed me out for the day after hearing about my stealing her necklace."
"Wouldn't work anyway," Carrie muttered. "I give it ten minutes before Leslie and Mark start searching the neighbourhood for me. I need to put some distance between them and me. I'll go break a store window or something. At least Juvie offers protection."
Harry thought for a minute before saying, "No." This got Carrie to finally look at him. There was pain and defeat in her eyes, and that only served to make him angrier. "We're going to Diagon Alley."
"What?" Miranda and Pierce chorused, looking shocked.
"I thought you said that muggles weren't supposed to interact with magic." Pierce said. "Doesn't the Ministrywhatsit mindwipe us if we see magic?"
"Parents of magical children are allowed to help buy their equipment for next year." Harry responded. "If anyone asks, you're all my older siblings, and we're hanging out there because our parents are out of town."
He grabbed his trunk. "Come on. I know where the entrance is."
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Harry had known that fame has its advantages during his first year at Hogwarts. He was fairly certain that no self-respecting hotel owner was going to turn him away if he asked for a room, or question his friends.
He had walked with purpose through the streets and back to the Leaky Cauldron. His muggle friends had endlessly gaped at everything they saw, it was so unreal to them. The nice thing about being in a magical society was that he got to use magic here, and he highly doubted that the Dursleys were very troubled by his absence from the house – he had left a note explaining where he was.
Harry walked up to the bartender, Tom, and asked for a room. He put on a big production of sad eyes and saying how much he missed the magical world after spending so long muggle, so could he please stay here for a while?
Sure enough, Tom was floored by this and gave him and his friends a room without a second thought.
Harry lead them upstairs and into his room. It was fairly big, and had four beds. There was a mirror, a chandelier and a desk there too.
Miranda wandered around the room, staring at the ceiling.
Carrie simply sat down on the edge of the nearest bed and finally said, "Harry...this is amazing."
Harry raised an eyebrow at his friend. "That's all? You're usually much more articulate than that," He said, in a gently teasing tone of voice.
Sure enough, Carrie gave him an indigent look far more like her usual personality. "Well excuse me for being a little at loss for experiencing magical community for the first time, smart-aleck!" There was a pause, and then everyone in the room chuckled. "But seriously Harry, it's like a living dream."
Harry shrugged. "It's not perfect – I mean, I haven't seen any wizard use a TV. Could you imagine that?"
Pierce gave a mock shudder. "A society without Breaking Bad or Criminal Minds? That's absurd! How are kids supposed to entertain themselves?"
"They don't have electricity either," Harry deadpanned, enjoying the utterly appalled look Miranda gave him at this tidbit of information. "It's funny actually, I've heard a few wizards talking about the muggle studies course, and apparently they think our last great creation was the 'horseless carriage'."
That did it. Carrie cracked and broke down laughing, Pierce right behind her. Miranda buried her face in her hands with an exaggerated despairing look.
"The car, our latest great creation? What about the computer or the nuclear bomb or the mobile phone? When was the last time that teacher went into a muggle society?" She asked the world in general.
"Who knows?" Harry said. The four of them chuckled. "But in all seriousness," he said, looking around his friends. Their laughter quieted.
"I listened to some muggleborns talking about their newness to the magical world. It's like they're expected to cut their ties with muggle life and move into the magical world. Like you can't have a foot in both worlds."
Pierce frowned. "You said in one of your earlier letters that the Malfoy kid called Granger 'mudblood'. You said that was a slur against those who don't have two wizarding parents. Maybe the first years are just trying to prove that they deserve their magic."
"Maybe." Harry said. It was possible, but he wondered if that sentiment ran deeper than just that. Muggles had prejudices and expectations; there was a good chance that wizards had their own strange expectations of how society should operate. Something that involved 'no muggles'. But maybe he was just expecting the worst from people – he had become accustomed to doing so.
"How long do you think it will take your father to cool down?" Harry asked Carrie. She scowled at the reminder.
"Probably more than a week." She said with a groan.
"I'll go to Gringotts and pay for that." Harry decided. "You guys can hang out in downtown London if people start to get suspicious. We'll met every evening. We'll...see an opera or something."
Miranda smiled. "Cool."
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Harry felt there was something satisfying about waking up each morning in the Leaky Cauldron, surrounded by wizards. He eventually decided it must have been the feeling of belonging, where his magic was welcomed, not despised. Where people looked on him with adoration and amazement rather than suspicion and spite.
He relished being able to use magic for even little things – he spent and entire morning just levitating his trunk to and fro. Pierce had been rather sore with him after Harry had levitated the chair he'd been sitting in three feet in the air without warning, to the laughter and cheering of his sister.
He used lighting charms to stay awake at night, reading and practising his summer homework with Carrie, who hung onto his every word long after Miranda and Pierce had fallen asleep. He read about Grindlewald's rise to power and his defeat; something that creepily coincided with the rise and fall of Nazi Germany. Harry wondered if there was a reason for that, or if it was just a coincidence. Carrie said she didn't believe in coincidences.
Getting the hang of basic transfiguration put a grin on his face that nothing could erase; he would transform every match he saw into a needle just for the sake of it.
He toured Diagon Alley for hours every day; he would grab a copy of the Daily Prophet and head to a cafe where he'd have a butterbeer to start off the day. The paper covered news, sports and advice columns much like muggle newspapers. There really was so much for him to catch up on.
Wizards had theatre, too. One of the most popular plays was 'The Lion and the Snake', which Harry took to be the story of Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin.
Harry still wasn't used to having the money to buy things – he had already snuck into a cafe by the back door when he put his hands in his pockets and they touched gallons. That had been embarrassing, though thankfully he hadn't been in too much trouble.
Despite the very real fun he was having Harry had an underlying sense of hostility and unease inside Daigon Alley. On one of his days he'd seen a young muggleborn literally tossed out of a shop, the owner saying that he didn't cater to mudbloods. Not a single person close enough to hear the words commented on it.
So the blood prejudice wasn't limited to school. Harry watched this scene and considered his own status. Outside of being the boy-who-lived, his father was pureblood and his mother was the first witch in her family. That would make him half-blood, and his father a 'blood traitor'. A rather tenuous position to be in – and he had already made powerful enemies.
Harry put his hands in his pockets and watched the muggleborn as he stumbled to his feet, looking hurt and angry and confused, before walking away.
"Ridiculous, isn't it? The way they're treated?"
Harry blinked and glanced over his shoulder. Astoria Greengrass had walked up behind him while he was watching the scene, arms crossed. "I think so," He said. "Nearest comparison I have for that is Jim Crow in the USA."
When Astoria looked confused, he remembered she didn't know much in the muggle world or its history. "Jim Crow was a series of laws that deprived people with dark skin of the rights given to their light-skinned counterparts. They couldn't eat in certain restaurants, were restricted to 'black' fountains or schools, had to sit at the back of buses, couldn't hold well-paying jobs, things like that. Those laws were lifted only a few decades ago."
Comprehension dawned in Astoria's eyes. "I see." She looked out at the scene. "Since Albus Dumbledore became the Chief Warlock of the Ministry, there haven't been any actual laws forbidding certain things of muggleborns. There doesn't have to be. It's long-held opinions and standards that muggleborns are less than purebloods."
Harry turned his head towards her. "What do you believe?"
Astoria glanced at him, her green eyes bright with intelligence. "I believe that purebloods think they still have power that they don't possess anymore." She said. "There are fewer ancient families than at any point in history, because they've been destroying themselves over power grabs and petty grudges. The muggleborns outnumber us, at least in Britain."
"You read statistics?" Harry said, not bothering to keep the surprise out of his voice. That wasn't something he would have thought a young noble girl would have been interested in.
Astoria nodded. "It fascinates me. Besides, I think knowledge of the world and society as a whole is very important to have. A distorted vision of the world is more likely to kill you than an Auror."
Harry put his hands in his pockets and turned to face her, lips quirked. "That's a very political opinion to have, Astoria."
Astoria gave him a challenging smile, "Does that surprise you? We're not all like Malfoy, you know."
"I figured, but I had never had a conversation with one." Harry remarked. "Aside from Daphne, anyway, and she didn't seem terribly interested in politics."
Astoria nodded. "Daphne wants to be an Auror. I don't think our father is very happy with either of our career interests, but he loves us too much to object." She scowled. "Except for giving me to Malfoy's son when I come of age."
"Not that it's any of my business, but why the Malfoy's?" Harry asked. "I've 'talked' to Draco and he doesn't seem like a very pleasant individual."
Astoria snorted. "I know. My parents aren't staunch pureblood believers, but they seem to think that I should marry someone 'worthy' of me. Malfoy was the first one to offer, and he is rich, if nothing else. It would give me a secure future, mother says." She snorted. "As if I would want to trade my common sense for gallons."
"Here here," Harry said feelingly.
"Draco's father Lucius unnerves me, as well." Astoria shuddered a bit. "There's something about him that just feels off, and he touches his right forearm whenever someone mentions You-Know-Who."
"Strange," Harry agreed, his eyes darkening. He didn't like the implications of that. "Fancy running into you here, Astoria. What brings you out? Is Daphne with you?"
"She is. She's shopping right now; I'd already gotten what I wanted and went outside. I'm just waiting to do my Hogwarts shopping." Astoria said. "I admit I was surprised to see you here, too. I had thought you'd be staying with your muggle relatives."
Harry snorted, "Are you kidding? They were glad to have a reason for me to be out of the house and I was glad to take it. Actually, I'm here as a favour for a friend of mine – she needed to get out of her house and I paid for the hotel room. I also wanted to reconnect to magical society, so it kills two birds with one stone."
"Was that the blonde girl from the station? Carrie, right?" Astoria asked. Harry nodded. "She seemed smart. Is she a relative of yours?"
"In everything but blood." Harry responded with a smile. "She's always been there when I needed her."
"Astoria, I kind of lost you in the store! I was wondering – oh, hello Harry." Daphne had appeared from her store at some point during their conversation. "How's Diagon Alley?"
"Like a dream." Harry responded. "How's your summer going?"
"Slowly, Astoria here has been driving me up the roof asking questions about Hogwarts." Daphne said. Astoria gave her sister a scowl. More seriously, Daphne asked, "Have you gotten any of my letters? I sent you some, but I never got your response."
Harry frowned. "They didn't reach me, Daphne. It might be because I haven't been at my guardian's house; something came up and I've been renting a room at the Leaky Cauldron. I'll be sure to check at home."
"Thanks." Daphne said. "Lord, I hope Headmaster Dumbledore doesn't have that Lockhart idiot from last year called back for Defence Against the Dark Arts. That was an utter disaster; I'm going to be two years behind in Defence at this rate."
"Don't hold your breath," Astoria muttered, "I've heard that the job is jinxed and practically no one applies for it."
"Jinxed?" Harry repeated. "Shouldn't Dumbledore be able to remove a jinx?"
"It's probably a powerful one, if it exists at all." Daphne said. "It might take long, delicate work to get rid of, especially if it's tied to the school's wards."
"We'd be better off teaching ourselves if he calls Lockhart back," Harry scoffed. "He might as well have asked Paris Hilton to teach us defence, it wouldn't have made a difference. At least we'd have something to look at." When both girls looked blankly at him, he said, "She's a muggle celebrity."
"Oh," Daphne said.
There was a crack, and a small creature wearing a toga tea towel appeared next to Daphne. "Missus's Daphne and Astoria must head home now." She said in a squeaky voice.
Harry jumped. "What's that?"
"House elf," Astoria explained, "They're basically little creatures who serve as servants to the family they're bound to." She paused. "Father's probably asking for us, Daphne."
"Probably," Daphne said reluctantly. "Goodbye Harry; I suppose I'll see you next on the train to Hogwarts."
Harry nodded. "It was nice to talk to you both." He said. "See you at school."
Astoria grinned again and nodded. Both girls followed the house elf down the street and vanished around a corner.
Harry put his hands in his pockets and headed back in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron. He had a lot to be thinking about.
End Chapter
Okay. That's me setting groundwork for how Harry will later deal with pureblood mania and such.
Now, I admit I'm a little worried about next chapter because it introduces Ginny. Now, I'm aware that a good many fans have strong feelings about her. But I mean to give Ginny much different development from what she got in the series. If you're willing to be patient with me, I think (I hope, anyway) that you'll like what I do with her, because it will be avoiding/cutting out several common complaints with her (everyone's suddenly calling her hot, she's a whiz at Quidditch, she doesn't interact with Harry enough, etc) I'm going to do something to her in her first year that will change how she grows up. Please, give me (and Ginny) a chance!