AN: Sorry to not post any update since November, life can be quite occupied but I'm back with a new chapter with the help of my beta, InsertImaginativeNameHere, hope you enyoy this chapter

Chapter 3: The Awakening

Vernon Dursley was a happy man. Not only had he scored a huge deal for his company and earned a huge bonus, he was able to get rid of his nephew for two whole summers. No cake floating in the living room, no bloody owls squatting his house but the cherry on the top was no presence of Harry. Petunia, his wife seemed to be bothered a bit, fearing that the freaks would notice his lack of presence but she was happy no less. Meanwhile, Dudley seemed not to have noticed or care about Harry's departure. Dudley was still in a bad mood since the start of his regime.

Vernon hummed himself a little tune as he adjusted his tie in front of the mirror. For celebrating their first summer without magical influence, the entire family had decided to eat in a fancy restaurant that just opened in London. Dudley was enthusiastic about the news; he was beaming at the thought of eating expensive foods to Vernon's amusement and Petunia's dismay. However, the matriarch of the Dursley family didn't share the sense of festivity. Since he mentioned the huge contract of the company and the surprisingly large sum of money from his bonus, Petunia had shown an uncharacteristic interest in the company's affairs. Usually, Vernon would have expressed his joy of the sudden interest of his wife but he decided to leave his wife in the dark.

''Dad, can you help me? I can't reach the buttons.'' Dudley was struggling to do up his shirt. The young boy had gained so much weight over the years that Vernon had to loan on his entire outfit and strangely, his father didn't seem to mind.

''Let me help you son.'' Vernon attached the buttons without any difficulty as Dudley felt tight already.

''Pretty excited, son?'' Vernon asked.

''Yeah, Mum believes that I need a diet because the chair at school is not hard enough and she decided to believe everything the school nurse said."

''That just rubbish, men like us don't need rabbit food to lose weight. Hear me out son, first thing tomorrow, we will be at the gym practicing boxing.''

''Boxing! Whoa, fantastic dad!" Vernon beamed at his son's reaction. This day couldn't get any better for the Dursley family, especially for Dudley. His father got a large sum of money, his parents didn't bother to ask for his school marks and he would practice a sport, nothing could break this bubble of happiness, even his weird cousin.

Dudley didn't even notice the lack of Harry's presence, not that he would have minded. Although, Dudley would pay to see the reaction of his cousin if they decided to bring take out. Harry would simply shrug out, what a buzzkill. The two Dursley men returned to their previous occupation when meanwhile, Petunia nearly finished getting dressing at her side, when abruptly, she heard the doorbell.

Curious, she left the master bedroom to walk toward the door with a thought in mind that her nephew decided to return or Dumbledore was ready to scold her for failing her only responsibility toward Harry. However, both of her guesses were wrong as she opened the door; it was a stranger instead. It was a man, extremely attractive. He was tall, reaching six feet and three inches, black hair that was slicked back, icy blue eyes that were hypnotic and a pale complexion, similar to those who never tanned or ever set foot outside. His attire consisted of an expensive black suit with a red tie only the rich could afford. The stranger lets a smile on his face, showing his perfect white teeth. His appearance seemed too perfect for the woman's taste.

"Good evening, is this the household of the Dursley family?"

Petunia broke from her trance.

"It is, yes. Do you have any business with us?" Petunia asked suspiciously as she frowned.

"Forgive my manners, Miss Dursley, I didn't present myself. I am Falworth, John Falworth, I am one of the newest associates of your husband." Petunia's curiosity reached new heights. Something weird was going on and she didn't like it one bit.

"My husband's associate? Are you from the newest partners that he failed to mention?" Petunia was on her guard, her instincts were on alert. The strange man lets a small smile appear on his lips, almost hypnotizing. Petunia would have let herself fall for his charms if she didn't have suspicions. She got weird vibes from this man.

"In simple terms, yes but your husband's company and I are far more than simple associates. My company is interested in new blood. Although, this is something we can't share with the general public. My employer fears that the competition may participate as well," John Falworth finished with a smile.

"I was not aware of that. It's true that most small companies can't rival massive corporation such as Stark Industries and Oscorps. But this is a reason why my husband couldn't share the news with his spouse?"

The man was taken aback, surprised by the declaration but he quickly regained his composure.

"Indeed, by watching your husband during the meeting. I concluded that he was someone who likes to bring about his accomplishments. Although, he was acting oddly at the end of the meeting. By the testimony of his colleagues, they had never seen that kind of behaviour in twenty years."

Something was indeed happening with her husband Petunia thought as she recalled, Vernon had strange behaviour since the beginning of June. He started to work late at the company, only eat half of his large portion, sleeping half the night, paler than usual. At first, she thought that Vernon was cheating on her with her new secretary, some red-haired gal who just got off of university and quit her part-time job as a model. However, she disproved this theory with two factors. Vernon had no skill of subtlety, he was the type of man who loved to brag about his accomplishments and another reason which she was embarrassed to admit; Vernon was one of the least sexually active men in the neighbourhood. She doesn't mind at first, she had her share of experience in her youth until she met Vernon, who was raised in a conservative environment. Their only sexual intercourse was the night of their honeymoon and Dudley's conception. But she did envy the women who shared their experiences during book nights.

"Now you mentioned, Vernon was indeed strange this morning after he left for King's Cross.''

John raised an eyebrow at the new information. ''Is that right? Is any particular reason why your husband had to go King's Cross?"

Petunia blanched immediately by her mistake, cursing herself for slipping her tongue. ''My nephew!'' she said abruptly. ''My nephew Harry had decided to say with one of his friends for the entire summer and Vernon proposed to take him to the station,'' the pale-skinned man stared Petunia with cold blue eyes, Petunia felt uneasy under the questioning look as her heart was beating fast.

''It's quite a shame, I would like to ask the opinion of your nephew. Another time perhaps. It would help the investigation to have the testimony of the entire family.''

Petunia let a sigh of relief. "Is there anything that I can help you with Mr. Falworth?'' she wanted to end this conversation with the strangely attractive man.

''I'm sorry if I take your time Miss Dursley but if you help by answering three questions, I will be gone before your husband comes downstairs.''

Petunia was relieved.

"Your husband's company had noticed that some money has been missing since the beginning of June and sources said that your husband suddenly got himself a new sports car. Did you see or heard about this?" Petunia's blue eyes narrowed. Vernon did buy a sports car claiming to be Dudley's sixteen years birthday present, although he was too young to drive, and she didn't ask where the money came from since it brightened her son's mood. Something was indeed wrong and she thanked any kind of gods that the car was not in the parking lot. She shook her head in response.

''Alright then, second question. Did your husband talk or mention someone particularly?'' Petunia shook her head once again. Vernon never talked about work at home.

''And lastly, do you any kind of information on his secretary?''

''I'm deeply sorry but I know nothing of the supposed accusations on my husband. But if there is any truth, I would be the first person to have noticed. Vernon had many qualities but subtlety is not one of them,'' Petunia replied with confidence, hoping that her speech managed to convince the pale stranger.

''I guess my job here is done. I'm deeply sorry if I took up your time Mrs. Dursley. I'll not bother you anymore,'' John said as he took a card from his wallet and gave it to Petunia.

''If there is anything suspicious or information you find contact me at this number. Have a good evening, ma'am." John was about to turn around as Petunia stopped him in his tracks.

''What if my husband was involved in those rumours. What would be the consequences?'' she asked nervously.

''Vernon Dursley must pray to God if he wants to see his son reaching sixteen. Goodnight Mrs. Dursley.''

Petunia stood frozen as she watched the stranger leaving the neighbourhood in a fancy sports car. The last sentence coming from the man sounded like a threat to her family, especially her beloved son, Dudley. She doesn't know what kind of business Vernon put himself but there was no way she would let it slide. If any anyone or anything touched any blonde curl of her baby boy, they would deal with the wrath of Petunia Evans, including her husband. Lost in her inner thoughts, the blonde haired woman didn't hear the arrival of Vernon and Dudley, ready for the big night.

''Let's go, Mum, or we're going to miss the buffet!'' Dudley couldn't be standing around, as right now, the buffet was the most important thing in the world.

''Is there something wrong, Pet?'' the large man noticed that his wife was uncharacteristically quiet. Petunia regained consciousness as she saw the two most important men in her life, standing right in front of her with impatience. She made a quick observation on her son's attire. The suit she had bought last year itself had started tearing apart. Petunia cursing herself for not paying attention to her son's statue instead, making her nephew's life miserable.

"Look at you! A handsome gentleman!" Petunia said with a strained smile. She couldn't tell the truth about her son's appearance.

"Something wrong, Pet?" Vernon frowned. He noticed the lack of enthusiasm at the sight of their son.

"I-It's nothing Vernon. I can't believe that my baby boy started to become a young man," she lied. Fortunately for her, Dudley and Vernon bought the lie as the young blond beamed at his mother's words.

"Indeed he is..." Vernon replied warmly. How much he asked for a moment like this with his family. How much he wished it for that moment of normality Vernon had waited for years to finally get rid of his freakish nephew for a year; his prayers had finally been answered with the increase in value in shares of his company and they would get rid of Harry with permanent measures. Normally, Vernon would have felt guilty for organizing the assassination of a kid but since it was the blood relative of his wife, he didn't feel any guilt. And his life would be normal thanks to the death of Harry Potter.

Meanwhile

John Falworth was not a happy man. Driving in his black sports car, the pale-skinned man glared the road in front of him as he cursed himself for his failure. The plan was simple, be invited by the Dursley's, kill Vernon and kidnapping Harry Potter. It was simple but the patriarch had to screw up his plan. Petunia Dursley was not he expected honestly, she was plain-looking but not foolish compared to her husband. He had difficulty reading her mind. Vernon, on the other hand, was a piece of cake. The man had screwed things up by stealing his money and hiding it. He would not allow this transgression. Vernon Dursley would be playing with his own life and blood. However, he could not allow himself to commit this act. He would be the primary suspect, even if it was tempting. John took out his phone from his pocket and on his ear soon as the light turn red. He typed out a number and waited for the line to be picked up. He didn't wait long as the call reached its destination. Even though he didn't hear any words, John knew someone was on the other phone.

"I got a job for you. Make sure that apart from his family there are no witnesses." The other person on the line didn't speak up but the silence was a sign of confirmation.

"And do not forget to leave the corpse in the same place and same position. MI13 and my brother will believe is the action of a serial killer. I'll count on you on this one."

"Understood," one answer was enough to close the line and return his glance to the road.

Feeling fulfilled, John Falworth left Little Whinging with a satisfied smirk.

Sometime later, with the Dursleys

It was the happiest night for Dudley Dursley. His father got a huge amount of money, he had a delicious buffet and the cherry on the top. His freak of a cousin was finally gone from their lives. Dudley could enjoy a summer relatively normal in his standards. Although the young Dursley was happy, a small part of his mind would miss the presence of his cousin, small as it was. After a good evening by their standards, the Dursley's decided to call off the night and return to their house with takeout. As Vernon was driving and holding a discussion with Petunia, Dudley was in the backseat with the takeout on his legs. During the dinner, Dudley noticed the lack of speech from his mother. Usually, Petunia would criticize any kind of food coming from foreign regions but this time, his mother stayed silent and gave a glance of interrogation at Vernon. The young boy thought it was related to his cousin, but he quickly tossed this assumption away. While he was lost in his inner thoughts, his father started a conversation.

"Anything alright, Pet?" Petunia didn't answer right away.

"Yes, Vernon" her reply was short and simple.

"I noticed you're not yourself tonight, Pet?"

"You have a great sense of observation, Vernon," she said with a sarcastic tone.

"I got a promotion and we finally got rid of the freak. I don't understand why you don't enjoy yourself." Vernon started to get annoyed.

''I-I just worried about what those freaks are going to do if they know what you did."

Vernon snorted. "Let them try! What authority has that old fool has on us? We let the boy sleep in the cupboard for ten years and they did nothing. If that old geezer cares about the freak, he would have an act-"

Vernon was about to finish his phrase when their car was hit by an impact of force. They didn't see that coming. Vernon's head hit the steering wheel, breaking his nose, the takeout fell on Dudley's feet and Petunia was barely touched. Vernon moaned in pain and he raised his head with difficulty. Before a sound escaped his mouth, the door on his side was torn apart and then Vernon was grabbed by a hand and thrown away outside the car to Petunia's horror. She let out a scream of terror. Her heart was beating fast as she and Dudley didn't understand what is going on?

At the same time, Vernon's entire body was hurting like hell. He didn't see that coming, everything happened so fast that he didn't notice the large shadow in front of him. Vernon tried to raise himself up but the extent of his injuries was so severe that he couldn't move even one of his fingers. However, the shadowy figure beat him to it as it grabbed his neck with ease. Then Vernon got a chance to see his aggressor. It had the figure of a man, completely covered with a black leather outfit, with a pair of gloves and boots in the same colour. He had several black belts strapped around his legs and arms. He also wore a dark knight helmet, similar to plate armour, with a deep crimson mask resembling a bat.

Vernon felt true terror, as two red orbs examined him from the bat-shaped mask. He started to panic as he tried to move his arm without any sign of success, the same thing for the rest of his overweight body. The strange looking person didn't move a bit, as Vernon's fate was already sealed.

Then, suddenly, Vernon heard a noise behind the back of his aggressor and to his horrible surprise, three pale-looking humans stared at him with their red eyes. There were two men and one woman. The tone of their skin was near the complexion of a fresh corpse, their clothes, dirty with dry blood and each have a metal collar on their neck. Lastly, all of them spotted two holes on their neck, a wound, which seemed to be recent. Vernon broke his examination as he moved painfully at the voice of his wife and son, calling his name with fear and incertitude.

"I-I don't care what you going to do with but leave my family alone, you freak!" Vernon snarled with all the hatred he could muster. The stranger didn't reply or move, it was standing in the same position for a minute, ignoring the cries of help of the Dursley family. Vernon had a small dose of hope, thinking that he and his family would be spared, unfortunately, the stranger threw him on the concrete floor, in front of the three collared people as a gun appeared from nothing in his other hand.

In an instant, the stranger fired straight at Vernon's head, resulting in a disgusting mess. A huge chunk of the head was spread on the floor and the rest was hard to look at. The three collared prisoners didn't lose their time as they started to feed on the blood of the fresh corpse, ignoring the Dursley family's cries of despair, who had just witnessed the death of a husband and a father only few meters away, still trapped in the car to listen to the atrocity until everything became silence. After gathering a huge amount of courage and swallowing her fear, Petunia managed to get out of the car. Her husband's corpse was gone. Petunia fell to her knees and started sobbing just as Dudley was standing next to her, staring at the small piece of flesh on the floor. For the time in his life, Dudley Dursley feels heartbreak. It was not good at all.

Next Day, London, June 25, 2004

After becoming a detective, George Stacy was ready for everything. He was ready for the day of his wedding with the love of his life Helen Warren, a woman from the United States. He was ready for the thought there was a chance that he might die on duty. He was ready when he heard that he would soon have to transfer to the NYPD because of Helen's job. He was ready when Helen announced they were going to be parents. He was also ready to be there for his lovely three years old daughter, Gwendolyn, Gwen for short, Stacy. Nevertheless, the police officer was not ready to saw a dead body pinned on Big Ben. The corpse was noticed this morning by two joggers and later identified by its family.

He considered himself lucky to have skipped his breakfast this morning, the body was not something looking forward to looking up. At first glance, someone could have mistaken the body for a dead walrus but looking closer, you would see a naked dead man covered with bruises, cuts, the upper side of its head missing and strangely, a lack of blood. Finding the gender of the victim was a no-brainer, the thick mustache was a huge pointer despite the lack of visible genitals. On the other hand, finding the identity of the victim was quite a challenge for the officer.

''How we sure this is a man? My first guest was a dead whale albino.'' George Stacy was a tall attractive man about with short pale blonde hair and blue eyes. His outfit consisted simply of his uniform. Two bags under his eyes, showing a lack of sleep. Next, to him two officers who currently guarded the body with precaution.

''We thought at first sir, but his feet are too small to be a fin and the mustache is hypnotic.''

''Any information on the victim?'

''Sadly sir, no, the body was found naked. We seem to believe that the victim was stripped before getting pinned down. And with the missing part of his head, it's going be bonkers to find its identity.''

George rubbed his chin. ''Then try to find a man in his late thirties with an overweight physique and bushy large mustache. It can be a start.''

One of the officers nodded before leaving the crime scene as another officer stood next to George.

''Last day of service, sir?''

George sighed, rubbing his eyes with frustration. ''Pretty much, it took all night to finish everything before tomorrow. Helen was very upset when she heard the call this morning,'' he answered dryly, remembering his wife's mood. The other officer nodded his head in agreement.

''I can't blame her. I was enjoying myself this morning with my wife,'' George snorted. He would rather be with his family at this moment instead of analyzing a corpse on his last day in England.

''By the way, sir, are you going to miss England?'' George said nothing as he stared lazily at the greyish sky.

''Less than I thought, there's nothing left waiting for me. My parents have been dead for many years ago and my last relative was killed sixteen years ago by a serial killer,'' George said bitterly, cursing himself for not finding the killer of his cousin. He quickly pushed that thought when he saw the face of the younger officer.

''S-Sorry sir, I'm sorry to hear about that.''

''It's fine really, I just wish back in the day we had any idea of the culprit, the only information we have is the description of a suspect with the tattoo of a skull on his forearm. This person may be dead or have left the country. But maybe I can look at the case in the plane.'' He rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

''I think your wife may be not happy about that, sir,'' the younger officer added with a nervous laugh.

''You're definitely right about that lad, Helen may never forgive me if Gwen is exposed to my work. She was okay with me being a member of New York Police Department but she can't bear the thought of Gwen being a crime fighter,'' he explained with a chuckle. However, he secretly agreed with his wife.

''I stand behind her idea. By the way, sir, you think that Sirius Black is behind this? This is possible that the victim had fallen on the hand of Black. Judging the report of this last victim, Black may have used this man to leave us a message.'' Before the blond detective could give his opinion, a voice interrupted him.

''A good hypothesis but it very unlikely. We have no sight of Black during those last few months and the lack of DNA on the victim takes him off of your suspect list, officer but good thinking.'' The voice belonged to a woman. The newcomer was a woman in her late twenties or early thirties. Long and wavy blond hair was kept in a ponytail and she had a startling pair of blue eyes. She had a slim athletic physique; she was actually quite small compared to George, reaching about five foot and five inches. Her outfit consisted of the standard uniform with a silver badge on her left breast. Her skin was quite pale, also with bags under her eyes, demonstrating a lack of sleep.

''Detective Leigh! I thought you have the day off?'' the younger officer asked.

''I was but the station had required of my services considering the fact there is a possibility it's connected with the case.''

''With the case, huh? With luck on our side, it may be a witness who saw something. Or maybe a new pieces of evidence. Anyway, it's worth looking,'' George was speaking to himself.

''That will not be necessary Detective Stacy. The Captain had to discharge you from the case. Instead, a new replacement will take your place,'' Detective Leigh replied simply enough, a look of annoyance installed on her face. George was bothered.

"When things started to become interesting. At least my wife and my daughter will be happy about this. Anything I can do Detective Leigh?"

The blonde woman did answer as she simply hugged the taller detective."Never lower your back, and come visiting the force when you can." She let a smile escape.

"Look luck with the case." George saluted the younger officer as he left the crime scene.

"It's a shame that Detective Stacy is going to leave the force. He's one of the best."

The female detective seemed to agree. "New York could learn two things from an incorruptible detective. Although, the timing of the case couldn't be more deplorable."

"Maybe it's a one time deal? I-I mean we didn't find any trace of DNA of the culprit on the victim's body," the young officer added.

"Which makes the case even more suspicious, we should stay on our guard," Detective Leigh responded as they return to their work, still clenching the sentiment of death.

Meanwhile, with Harry and Tony

It was the best morning of Harry's life. No screams from his aunt or uncle. No obligation of making breakfast for two walking black holes and especially no chores. Harry almost wanted to thank any kind of deity who had planted this brilliant suggestion in his uncle's mind. However, Harry was lost for what to do with his time. With no chores or plans, the young teenager could easily lay lazily in his conformable bed but his body had plans on it own just as his stomach demanded nourishment. With a lazy sigh, the raven-haired teenager got up from the comfy bed, then toward the kitchen only to see Tony and Hedwig getting breakfast. Tony was eating an omelette with a cup of coffee in his hand while the snowy owl was currently boldly tearing apart a piece of bacon. By hearing the step of the young teenager, Tony's brown eyes stared Harry with a small smirk glinting in his gaze.

''Well, well, Nest Brain finally left his perch to get breakfast. Hedwig didn't wait for you though, soon she smelled bacon, she was in her own paradise. By the way, do owls normally even eat bacon? If not, then she's dope as fuck'' Tony complimented the white owl to Harry's disbelief. Hedwig didn't seem to hear as she was in her own pleasure.

''I think she's the only one, which makes her unique, although she must be careful with her weight.'' Hedwig suddenly dropped her bit of bacon, then turned to her owner and gave a loud shriek, followed by raising her wings furiously. Tony judged by snowy owl's dark glare, she was one hundred percent pissed at the mention of her weight.

'Damn, she reacts the same way when someone talks about Hope's diet. This owl gets cooler every time she appears' Tony stared Hedwig with awe as Harry quickly raised his hands as a sign of forgiveness.

''I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Forget everything that I said. You're beautiful just the way you are.''

Feeling satisfied, Hedwig stop her hysterical crisis and returned to her bit of bacon to Tony's amusement and Harry's annoyance.

''This girl, she's going to drive me crazy,''

''Well this is the first lesson of your teenagehood Harry, never and I mean it, criticize or even talk the weight of women. Especially in public, this right now is nothing compared to the others women out there,'' Tony explained with a serious tone.

''But why? Is it is some sort of taboo or curse?'' Harry tilted his head to his right side.

''You poor sweet child. Women are very conscientious of their body, especially around weight. The reason why, I don't know and I don't want to. One time, I asked my friend Hope and if I translate her glare correctly, she would stab me with an armada of insects.''

Harry's skin paled at the horrifying thought as he imagined the scene in his mind. ''Girls are bloody scary.''

Tony snorted at the remark.''You have no idea kid. Let's talk about serious business. What did you plan to do for your summer vacation? As much as I want to stay with you, I've kinda got, y'know, grown up things to do and I can't just chuck you back to the streets. So Harry, any kind of plans?'' Toney asked seriously. He would rather hang out with his new friend, however, he couldn't ignore his responsibilities of CEO, much he wanted to.

''Well, I have one friend who can but I don't know where she lives. I've got her phone number but I don't have a phone. I have another friend who I know the location where he lives but it's too far away and he doesn't have a phone. My relatives aren't an option. Apart from my summer homework, I have nothing planned except to catch everything that I miss during the entire year. You know teenager stuff.''

''Well, in that case. I could let you crash here. I mean, I would make sure that you have some kind of adult supervision and you have to keep the home clean once in a while.''

Harry's green eyes widened at the proposal. Granted, he would need to hide evidence of magic but it was good for Harry.

"I can cook for myself and cleaning a house is not that hard. My aunt forced me to clean her house," Harry explained with indifference. Tony frowned a bit. The more he heard about Dursley family, the more he was disgusted by their actions, which made him wonder how Harry turned out fine.

"That's good. Because you look quite skinny. Let make some rules. I don't mind if you invite friends but no parties. I want you to call me if I am not here. You have to be here before midnight and lastly, if you have any kind of problem and there are no adults in this house, feel free to ask around the neighbourhood. Pretty simple." Harry simply nodded his head in understanding. He had no qualms with those rules.

"I think I will manage but I don't have a phone."

"That's why I already asked if you answer was yes," Tony placed a rather looking stylish cellphone in Harry's hands. Harry contemplated the device with awe and disbelief.

"It looks fantastic!" The device was small and rectangular with a long flat screen, a small camera on the back, two inches of thickness. It had a black and red cover with a gray logo that Harry found odd.

"Glad you like it. It's a new product that I plan to release on the market in the next years. You're one of the few people in the world to possess a Stark Phone. I already put my number and the restaurant nearby. I even installed a guide to help you if you can't use it. This phone is bulletproof, fireproof, waterproof, it has its own network and it possesses its own AI. It's like you have own handheld personal computer in your hand. It can do whatever a computer does but better, except for games and porn, I think.''

The young wizard's jaw dropped at Tony's last words.

''You can play games on this? This is bloody wicked!'' Harry stared his new gift with wonderment as Tony has glanced at him in disbelief.

'He didn't even react at porn? Guess he didn't hit that stage yet.'

The two friends resumed their breakfast until Tony's phone started to vibrate.

''Stark!'' Tony put his phone on the right side of his head as Harry resumed to eat his omelette. The young millionaire didn't say a word as he finally closed his phone. The expression on his face was unreadable.

''Something wrong, Tony?'' Harry asked worriedly.

''Nothing important, kid, just need to be at an appointment in the next hours and I don't know when I will be back. There is fresh food in the fridge if you ask. The Internet is working as well as cable. If you want to buy anything call on this number. Before I can go, this is anything you want, Harry?''

''A-Actually there's a thing I want to ask you. I need to go to town to see if I can buy contact lens if this alright with you?'' The reason why Harry needed to go to London was to look for a gift for Tony as the young wizard felt the need to show his appreciation to the older man.

''That's a good idea, Harry. It'd also be a good idea to use those beautiful looks to attract the ladies, maybe a little haircut would not be too bad.'' Harry sent a sardonic glare his way.

''My hair is fine the way it is.''

Tony simply chuckled as he affectionately rubbed Harry's messy hair.

''We can agree on that Nest Brain.''

Harry groaned while Hedwig found his new nickname hilarious.

A few Moment later

''Here we go. You going to be alright on your own Harry?'' Harry and Tony were currently in London after in a quite interesting ride, mostly Harry asking about differences between England and the United States.

''Y-Yeah, I can find my way back. If not I can just use the GPS on the phone. Although, this is my first time alone,'' Harry replied with worry.

''Well, if you need anything just call me but don't do anything stupid. This is normal for all teenagers going out by themselves, it's a big step.''

Harry nodded in appreciation. ''I can do this, it's just a piece of cake,'' he said to himself to get more assurance.

''But don't do anything I wouldn't do and definitely don't do anything I would do,'' Tony explained as the raven-haired teenager was completely lost with the advice.

''Okay...I guess I should go right now. Have a nice trip, Tony.'' Tony suddenly approached Harry as if he was about to hug him. Completely lost, Harry hugged back awkwardly before realizing that Tony simply opened the car's door behind his back.

''This is not a hug, I just open the door for you, we are not that close yet.''

''Right...'' Harry had to get out the car before giving a last glance to Tony who was completely unfazed by his attempted hug.

'This is so awkward..'

''Bye Nest Brain!'' Tony yelled enough loud to be heard before starting the engine, leaving an embarrassed teenager who tried to avoid the curious glances of the people around him.

''There's no way that's going anywhere time soon.''

Harry started his own trip as he walked the streets of London, alone for the first of his life. He used this opportunity to use his Starkphone to take pictures of the city and the people. Clearly, this was a huge difference between London and Diagon Alley. The streets were cleaner, quieter and less colourful. Harry could also the difference of era between the buildings and the people as the muggles changed with the times, the wizards, on the other hand, seemed to be stuck in some kind of loop. Which made him wonder how the wizarding community would react at the sight of his mobile.

'I guess living in the mundane world is not all bad. Especially with the Internet.'

As Harry returned his attention to his phone and all of the sudden, he has collided with something else, causing him to nearly drop his phone as he turned his head toward the source of the contact. His gaze landed upon a young boy around his age who dropped a bunch of papers on the floor. The boy had short straight blonde hair and deep blue eyes, a long nose with pale skin and aristocratic features. His outfit consisted of a plain blue shirt with a dark blue pullover, tan pants with dark sneakers. The newcomer seemed annoyed as he knelt to pick up the papers on the floor. Harry quickly helped the stranger, feeling guilty until he saw the stranger raise his hand to stop him in his tracks.

''It's fine, I can do it myself,'' the young stranger replied although he sounded annoyed.

''I'm very sorry. I was distracted by my new phone that my friend give me.''

The blonde teenager finished grabbing his papers as he noticed the device on Harry's hand.

''What kind of phone is that?'' the stranger asked, intrigued by the strange-looking design of the phone.

''You can call it a smartphone. I got this from my friend Tony,''

''I wish I had a friend named Tony, or any friends. You should be more careful in the future, who knows what's going to happen if you get distracted by this.''

Harry's cheeks were covered with a blush of embarrassment. "Sorry, I was so absorbed by this, I didn't see you. No hard feelings?" Harry asked nervously. The stranger glanced at Harry for a bit, then looked his surroundings and return his attention to Harry and give him a small piece of paper from his jeans' pocket.

''See you in school, I guess.'' Harry tilted his head in confusion as the blonde stranger resumed his course. Not understanding what's happening, the young wizard took the small paper from his pocket and read it out loud.

''Follow me to this address?'' Harry didn't know how to process this, it could be a prank, perhaps the blonde stranger was prankster similar to Fred and George, however, the vibes given off by the boy were the opposite of the twins. He was looking too gloomy to be an act; the other possibility is that the blond may be in trouble or in danger.

''But he said that we're to meet again in school? Did he try to mention Hogwarts? But I've never seen him before. He could be a trap by some wizard or he's in trouble. The second deduction seems more plausible as he knows what a phone is.'' Harry could easily have thrown the paper away and returned to his preoccupations, nevertheless, he started to feel a bad feeling in his guts, sensing something bad was going to happen.

''I guess I've got no choice but to make sure he's okay.'' Harry resumed his walk as he finally spotted the blue-eyed teenager from afar. Watching the blonde teenager was relatively easy. Harry kept a reasonable distance between him and his target as he continued his course in the urban area in the city until his target stopped. Harry noticed that they were in the poorest part of the city and in front of the blonde stranger was a strange shady building with a red and yellow neon sign.

''The Blood Sucker? Strange name for a place,'' Harry whispered to himself as the blonde-haired boy looked around him and entered the shady-looking building. Just as Harry was about to follows him, his only way to enter was immediately blocked by a large man covered in tattoos, wearing black leather clothes and an expression that was anything but friendly. And the doorman didn't help his case as a bunch of teenagers near his age tried to enter.

''Come on, mate, we've been invited by Persephone herself! She presents me this by herself'' the leader of the group showed something that Harry couldn't see however it seemed not to have impressed the usher.

"Seems like a fake, lad, you didn't get her handwriting quite right."

The leader cursed himself for this obvious mistake."What about money? If you did not notice, I got plenty of money."

The usher raised an eyebrow. "You mean daddy's allowance? So you expect me to believe that you have enough to the pay for your mates?"

The confident look on the leader's face seemed to drop, replaced by anger.

"Fine, who even wants to go to your stupid party? I heard from friends that your parties are boring and bland!" Harry and the doorman were not impressed by the leader's tantrum. Worse, it reminded him of Malfoy.

'My options are quite low. I can't use magic or have my wand, I could use the money that lard arse gave me to enter. But there's no guarantee that would work,' thought Harry, as he summoned his inner courage and walked toward the entrance, attracting the attention of the user and the group of teenagers. Harry looked the doorman right in the eyes, fearless. The doorman's eyes widened at the sight of his brilliant green eyes, a sign of familiarity, at the same time, his expression returned to neutral.

''What do you want lad?''

''I need to stop a friend from making the big mistake of his life and I don't care what you say, I am not' leaving without him'' Harry said with determination. The tall man didn't react or respond to Harry's declaration. However, he simply pointed the door to Harry's astonishment.

''You have thirty minutes to get him out, lad, Otherwise, by the end of the day, you'll need to hide his corpse.''

Harry was taken aback, surprised that the doorman decided to let him go in the strange establishment, worried that the stranger's life as the usher sounded serious. Not wanting to waste time, the young wizard was about to enter, only to be stopped by the leader's complains.

''How come you let him enter and not us? Do you know who I am!'' Harry at glared his fellow teenager with disdain as a smirk twitched on his lips.

''Because, mate, I don't throw my life away to seek daddy's approval. Maybe if you developed the organ you call a brain, maybe your balls will finally drop off.'' Harry didn't wait for the dark-haired teenager's answer as the red blush on his face and the hysterical laughter of his friends was a good indicator how much he was humiliated. Satisfied, the young wizard resumed his course as he tried to ignore the surroundings, which was quite a hard job. Harry never heard or knew that kind of place existed. He had a hard time to not get distracted by his surroundings, every corner was filled with men and women, naked, dancing to the music and in strange activities that he found curious and inviting.

'If Mrs. Weasley or Hermione saw me in this kind of place, they'd have a heart attack,' Harry thought as the image of Hermione's dancing at this kind of place entered his mind. However, the young wizard chased this thought soon as it came up.

'This place is going to drive me crazy!' Harry started to take a deep breath as the ambience of the rave-orgy party started to heat up and the music changed its tempo. The entire room was blind with flashy colours, Harry was completely lost, he was surrounded by teenagers, young adults, dancing to the music like crazy animals with a serious lack of clothes. His own clothes started to make him sweat until something tapped on his shoulder, causing him to turned around see the same blonde haired teenager that he followed, now without his shirt and his upper body covered with sweat. The blue eyes of the young man widened as he let a sigh of relief.

''It's you again!'' Harry spoke loudly, the music was quite nosy.

''And you my saviour, it would better for us if we find a place to talk,'' the guy said as he grabbed Harry's arm, removing him from the dancefloor. A teenage girl quickly appeared in front of them with a large smile on her face. Harry quickly noticed that she was shirtless, exposing her pale breasts. He blinked as he saw the face if the girl, who didn't seem to mind. He was trying to process what he just saw. When his mind was fully connected, his entire face turns red. The teenage girl seemed older than he was, she had short brown hair with a pair of blue eyes, her skin tone was very pale, covered with various tattoos. He noticed two small holes in her long neck and piercings on her nipples. However, he failed to observe that she held a bag with red pills.

"Hey, cutie! Want some?" Harry suddenly broke from the hypnotizing view as he babbled his words to the brunettes' amusement. Feeling his distress, the blonde boy quickly acted.

''The girl he fancied rejected him to get with his best friend. If you can help change his mind, that would be very helpful,'' he said loudly enough to hear. The brunette simply smiled as she took one of the red pills, put it in her mouth and at that moment, kissed the young wizard who was understandably lost. For Harry, it happened at a slow pace, he was too much in shock that he noticed that the brunettes had used her tongue to settle the red pills in his mouth and without knowing he had swallowed it.

''Hope this will make you feel better. See you soon cutie!'' The brunette left a stunned Harry who could not comprehend that he'd had his first kiss.

''What just happened?'' Harry muttered to himself as his fellow teenager took him to a place where they could discuss. Luckily, they found an empty couch and sat down as at the same time the party extend it wildness.

''I'm sure that you have a lot of questions?''

Harry snorted.''Great sense of observation, if I knew that I would fall in with this kind of party. I should never have followed you!'' Harry yelled, annoyed as a couple suddenly sat at their side and started to copulate to Harry's astonishment.

''And they started to have sex. This day couldn't get any worse!'' Harry felt that his anger started to rise as the blonde waved his hands as a sign of denial.

''W-Wait I can explain! All of this is not of my doing!''

Harry raised an eyebrow of disbelief. ''Sure and my grandmother is the Goddess of Death,'' he said dryly.

''You have to believe me, all of this happened because of the misfortune of my own,''

''Then you better explain to me blondie, if my best friend found me like this, she would kill me,'' Harry answered dryly as he noticed that the couple were still mating.

''Well. First, I should have presented myself in the beginning. I'm Brian Braddock,'' the blonde teenager now known as Brian extended his hand, waiting for the messy-haired wizard's handshake. Harry glared at Brian's hand and cursed himself for being in this position. Reluctantly, Harry shook Brian's hand in return.

''I'm Harry Potter,'' Harry said simply, waiting for a reaction from Brian. However, the blonde simply tilted his head.

''Potter? Like James Potter?'' Brian asked with awe and excitement in his eyes.

''You mean my dad?'' Harry was completely lost.

''Exactly! My father told me that he was friends with a certain James Potter during his later years at Hogwarts. Funny enough, my father is also named James,''

''Wait, that means you're a wizard?'' Harry asked curiously. Brian nodded his head in agreement.

''Then, how come I didn't see you in school? If your dad knew my dad, it would mean that you are Pureblood or at least Halfblood.''

Brian seemed to be less enthusiastic. ''Well, my parents are both wizards from an old family, which puts me in the position of being Pureblood, but they didn't care about it. My father thinks that blood purity is going to be the downfall of the Wizarding World of Britain and he was right.''

''That sounds brilliant but that doesn't explain why we are in this place?''

''Sorry, I just got distracted by the fact that I just met another wizard like me and the son of one of my dad's best friends.''

''I understand your excitement, however, we are short on time.''

Brian's expression became serious.''I don't where to start but to make this simple. You see, three years ago, I was on vacation with my family, me, my mum and dad, Jamie my older brother and...Elizabeth, my twin sister.''

Harry's head tilted. "A twin sister?"

Brian lowered his head. "I had one. We got in an accident, me and Jamie barely survived. On the other hand, my parents were not so lucky. And as for my sister, we never found her body."

"I am very sorry about that."

Brian shrugged although it didn't stop his face reflecting the pain that he tried to hide.

"It's fine, I had three years to mourn and I've still got Jamie," he replied cheerfully, Harry didn't believe the words coming from his mouth. "Like I said, we didn't find Lisa's body until someone gives me a picture of her. I didn't know who gives the picture so I decided to go at this addresses and it brought me here. I didn't understand at first but after some digging. I found out that this place is the headquarters of an infamous cult."

Harry raised an eyebrow of disbelief. "A cult?"

"Exactly, I can assure you, Harry, that they are not the mundane kind. They are not famous in the world or the wizarding world. All I know is that most of their members are chosen in those parties," Brian explained.

"Why they are considered infamous?"

"Because they are not humans."

"You're kidding right?"

Brian shook his head in disagreement. "That's not my intention, Harry. I don't know what they are but I can tell that they chose their new recruits by doing a sacrifice. The leader of this cult chooses its targets carefully. My guess is they pick people with a lot of influence or money, which led me to that conclusion, they are the ones who sent the picture of my sister."

"Did they trick you or is it a real picture of your twin sister?"

"I don't know. The first time I got here, nobody noticed my presence and I didn't stay long. But right now, if things go south, I know that I have a backup," Brian proclaimed with conviction.

"Well, I knew something was wrong when I saw you looking in every direction. However, I think we should go right now. I have a bad feeling about this." Harry felt an unsettling feeling as the rave seemed to lose all control.

"You are right, I think we could try the front door if we are not noticed by the masses."

Harry nodded at him and his new ally, Brian, walked through the party toward the front door. However, it seems that luck was not on their side this day. They were shoved in every direction by the members of the party under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Especially Harry, who felt the effect of the pill he swallowed earlier. His body started to heat up and his vision become blurry.

"We are almost there Harry!" Brian helped Harry to stand up, unfortunately, as soon as Harry was standing on his feet, an invisible force struck the back of his head, causing his vision to turn all black.

''Harry!''

Soon as the young wizard regained consciousness he noticed that his surroundings had changed. Harry found himself with Brian in a small room, lacking any windows, little visible light and dry blood laying across the walls. As Harry and Brian tried to get used to their new surrounding, three hooded figures appeared from nothing in the centre of the dark room. Their hoods completely masked their faces, but Harry and Brian could see that the hooded figure in the middle was shorter compared to the others.

"Welcome, Mr. Braddock. It seems that you have accepted our invitation," the shorter figure spoke. The sound of the voice seems feminine.

"I assume that you didn't take no for an answer," Brian answered simply as he frowned.

"You have made a good decision and I see you have brought a friend?" Brian's blue eyes quickly glanced around then moved toward the figure.

"He's not a friend." Harry and Brian got a bad vibe from the hooded figure.

"Then, you don't see any inconvenience to use him as the first sacrifice of the night."

Their eyes widened in shock.

"What?!"

Suddenly, two more hooded figure appears behind Harry and grabbed his arms. At that moment, the young wizard quickly tried to break out, however, it was pointless.

"What are you doing to him?"

"This is simple Mr. Braddock. We can give the thing that you desire the most by joining our organization and swore your allegiance to us. You can be reunited with your twin sister, only with a small sacrifice. Your sister's life against his life, a small prize to play."

Harry started to lose his cool."Are you bloody mental?! What proof supports your claim?"

The small figure started to chuckle; it didn't help the mood.

"Very perceptive, your acquaintance is, Mr. Braddock. He will make an excellent sacrifice. However, a demonstration is needed."

Without warning the small figure moved to reveal two pale arms from her long cloak. Then, two red seals with an odd pattern popped from nowhere on her palms. After a series of weird arms movement, the entire room was covered with a red light. Suddenly, an army of the shadowy figures appeared from existence as though they were floating in the air. Harry initially thought that they were Dementors, but the temperature was stable.

"What is that?

"Being from parallel dimensions, our knowledge in magic and the supernatural exceed far more than the wizarding world. Yet this only an appetizer. Our offer is still standing Mr. Braddock, join us and your sister will be at our side in the next hour," Brian reflected his options. Finding his twin sister was one of his utmost priority, however, he would have to sacrifice the life of his new ally, although short, he was willing to help if things go south. Could he really trade one life for another one? If Elizabeth was alive, would she accept the bargaining?

"I...I refuse," he said hardly to Harry's surprise but to the annoyance of the figure.

"Then, so be it. You have made a huge mistake Brian Braddock," she answered with venom in her tone as she took off her large hood, revealing a young teenage girl around their age. She had long silvery white hair that fell on her left side, with gray eyes and dark eyeliner. Her skin was significantly pale with aristocrat features, and a mole on the right side under her lower lips, another under her right eye. Harry would consider that she was very pretty and yet felt a strange sense of familiarity.

''Why are you showing us your face? It's quite impractical for someone who going to kill us?'' It didn't make sense to Brian as he was processing a series of questions in his mind, nevertheless, Brian's thoughts were interrupted by the hysterical laugh of the silvery-haired teenage girl.

''Where's the fun if my victims cannot see the face of their murderer? Judging by the look on their faces, they never expected to be killed by a little girl,'' she explained proudly.

''More than you think,'' Harry muttered to himself. The silver-haired girl lost her smirk, changing to a frown, then from nowhere, Brian was pushed against a wall to Harry's disbelief and horror. He heard the sound of Brian's bones at the impact.

''Brian!'' Brian was able to stand up with great difficulty as he started panting with pain. Unfortunately, she didn't stop there, the silver-haired teenager continued her assault of the defenceless Brian. Harry watched reluctantly as the silver-haired girl kicked the young boy in his stomach with a vicious smile.

"Take that you stupid of shit!" Brian spat a mixture of blood and saliva to her enjoyment. He moaned painfully as he raised himself up with determination in his eyes, to the displeasure of the young girl. His expression didn't change at all. Blood flowed from the side of his head and his mouth.

"I'm too stubborn to die, as long I still have breath, you will not get rid of me that easily," Harry couldn't stand it. He couldn't let Brian get killed by doing anything. But no matter what he tried to do, he couldn't break the strong grip of the shadowy figures.

"Stop it!" Harry yelled, causing the teenage girl to turn around with an annoyance.

"What was that?" she abandoned the injured blond to walk in front of the young wizard, staring straight into Harry's green eyes.

"Those eyes of yours, they're annoying!" she kicked Harry straight in his stomach, resulting in him falling on his ass with a moan of pain.

"Don't need to be impatient, frizzy hair, your time is next." She moved back toward Brian as Harry once again was restrained. As he wondered his limited options, suddenly, he felt a cold shiver down his back.

'What's the matter...? Are you simply going to watch?' Harry started to freak out, a voice speaking in his mind was the last thing he needed.

'To think I finally lost my mind. I'm hearing a voice in my head.'

The same sinister voice started to chuckle. 'I'm not the fabrication of your imagination, lad. I watched for quite awhile and I'm deeply satisfied with my choices. Death is waiting for both of you if you do nothing. Are you going to forsake both of you with not fighting? Was your last decision was a mistake then?' The thought of Sirius clouded his mind.

'It wasn't.' Harry felt that his entire body was on fire and the pain was agonizing.

'Vow to me and I will give you the strength to slay your enemies!'

'And even I accept your deal, who's to say you will not stab me in the back or take over my body? What do you want from me?' he asked suspiciously. It sounded too good to be true.

"I have no use for your human body, lad. All I need is the proof of our vow-forged magic and blood!' Harry was lost by the last phrase, however, it did its trick. His only options were accepting the deal or both he and Brian would get killed by a crazy bitch. Sometimes, he wished that he could use magic outside of school.

'Fine, let's do your way,' Harry answered with hesitation. The pain was unbearable. He felt like multiple knives were stabbing every pore of his skin, his scar seemed to have opened as the young wizard clenched his teeth and fists, trying to hold up. The sinister voice began to recite some strange incantation.

"Very well, I am thou, thou art I... Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine owns justice! Will fall upon my name, and succumb in our rage! Show the strength of the will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!" Harry couldn't take much more, as his body was on fire, he glared at the silvery-haired witch with all the anger and rage he could muster.

"That's enough you stupid bitch!" Everyone in the room fixed their attention on the young wizard, eyes widened. The teenage girl didn't take the insult very well as one of the shadowy figures struck him in the face, knocking his glasses off in the same blow, nevertheless, it seemed it did not bother the young wizard as he revealed his face. Two golden eyes glinted, a sinister smirk toying with his lips, added to a torn open lightning-shaped purple scar on his forehead which had seen better days.

Brian, who was laying on the floor, stared Harry with awe and fear as the white-haired witch's gray eyes boggled at the view of the damaged scar.

"By Merlin's old scrotum, it's Harry bloody Potter!" From nowhere, a huge wave of force erupted from Harry's body, sending both of the shadowy figures flying across the room. Then, Harry was covered with a black, white and red aura that took shape of an unrecognizable figure. The sinister aura disappeared, revealing a different boy. He was no longer small and skinny: this body was taller and lean with a slightly more muscular figure, his scar healed up and a bit faded; his brilliant green eyes had taken a darker shade, however, his messy black hair remained the same. Black and red tendrils covered his body, leaving his clothes completely intact but adjusted by his new frame. Harry took a good look around himself as he noticed his vision was working without the need of glasses. Eventually, he returned his attention toward the silver-haired young woman with a glare that carried the promise of pain.

"Time for payback time you witch!"