Decisions

Nope I don't own Harry Potter, just screwing with him and his world for fun without any hope of profit or gain. There is a rather lengthy authors note at the end of this chapter explaining what types of ideas and events you are likely to find in this fic. Read it if you want to know what to expect or if there are certain criteria that a story has to meet before you read it, otherwise feel free to skip it.

Decisions

Harry Potter sat on the edge of his bed in the smallest bedroom in the house at number 4 Privet Drive in Surry. It was well past one in the morning, and all of the normal people in the house were sound asleep. Harry however had never been considered normal by his family, although they had no idea how right they actually were. One part of the young boys mind knew that he should be asleep, but the truth was that Harry was scared to lie down and close his eyes.

One corner of Harry's mouth twitched up in a halfhearted smile as he recognized his fear. 'The great boy who lived, killer of basilisks, Fighter of Death Eaters, marked Equal of Voldemort and champion of Gryffindor was afraid to sleep.' Life had been bad enough since Sirius had fallen through the veil, but at least at Hogwarts Harry had been able to function. Here at privet drive Harry felt completely alone, and more vulnerable then ever.

This was the third night that Harry had sat disconsolately in his room, though he would have been somewhat surprised to learn this. Honestly the young wizard wasn't sure whether it had been one or two days since he had returned to the Dursleys. He could distinctly remember one night passing, but he wasn't' sure if that had been the first or the second such night. During the time that Harry had sat almost motionless on his bed, his mind had been a whirling dervish of action and emotions.

The prophecy had raced through his head multiple times over and over, as well as the image of his God Father's death. While these two items seemed to occupy the majority of Harry's time they were not the sole focus of his thoughts. He had also replayed the entire battle at the department of mysteries multiple times, as well as the main highlights of his entire time at Hogwarts.

Every time that the prophecy would run through Harry's mind he found himself adding a small commentary at the end. At first this had always ran along the line of "My Parents, and Sirius Died because of this stupid prophecy." As time went on though the Harry's thoughts had slowly changed to "Voldemort will never stop until I am dead." This thought was eventually followed by "No one can protect me, I am going to die, and then everyone I love is going to die." This thought had been pounding in his head for the last few hours every time he recited the prophecy to himself. After who knew how many thousand repetitions of the same words, the real meaning of the prophecy finally entered his mind.

Harry's head suddenly snapped up, and a genuine smile slowly spread across Harry's face. Softly, almost hesitantly Harry allowed his new revelation to be voiced, "I can win." The more Harry thought about it the more certain he was. The real message of the prophecy was hope. Voldemort wasn't immortal, he wasn't invincible, he could be stopped. Harry suddenly stood up and started pacing, he shook his head slowly as if to clear the cobwebs from his mind, "Tom you stupid fool. You don't even know it yet, but you sealed your doom the day you stepped across my parents threshold."

Harry stepped to his window and looked silently looked out at the clear night sky. His eyes were drawn towards one red point of light that he easily recognized from his astronomy classes. "Mars is exceptionally bright tonight, Firenze would say that is an omen of war and blood to come." Harry's eyes dropped to the horizon, "Well Tom, the war may be of your choosing, but in the end I swear it will be your blood that stains the ground."

Harry's spirit suddenly took a dive back towards depression, as a nagging voice in his head told him, "Who are you kidding, you aren't in the same league as Voldemort, just remember the Ministry of Magic." As Harry was about to slip back into depression he heard another voice in his head, one that sounded strangely like Sirius' "So what kiddo, you aren't in the same league as Voldemort…Yet. You don't have to charge off to war now, stop letting Voldemort plan your meetings. Work, prepare, plan, and when you are ready then you go after him."

Harry nodded silently to himself, then resumed his pacing. The prophecy said that he could bead Voldemort, now he had to figure out how to do it. It was time to take responsibility for his own life. With sadness he thought about all of the times that Hermione had had to badger him into studying, and doing his work. "If I am going to beat Voldy then I can't slack off anymore. I need to focus on become the best wizard I can."

Slowly a plan started to form in Harry's mind. He could do this, but he was going to need help, lots of help. And he needed to start as soon as possible. Harry continued to pace as he thought about what he needed to do, and how he should go about doing it. When he thought that he had most of his immediate concerns mapped out turned on his light, and stuffed a couple of school robes into the crack at the bottom of the door so that escaping light wouldn't disturb his relatives. He then took out some parchment and a quill and began to compose a letter.

Professor Dumbledore

I hope that this letter finds you well. I am sure that you are aware that I was not in the best of mental states after the events at the Ministry of Magic, and the subsequent discussion in your office. I believe I have started to come to grips with those events and have reached a number of decisions, some of which I would appreciate your assistance in achieving. You must understand that I am not asking your permission in these areas, but I will accept and take into account any advise that you have. The list of things that I would like your assistance with are as follows.

I would like to meet with you and speak with you face to face for a few minutes to discuss my plans for the summer, and how they may affect the protections which you claim is afforded me here.

There is information which I have decided to share with Ron and Hermione that I do not believe either you or I would feel comfortable being sent by owl post. Therefore I feel that it is vital that I speak with them in person, whether together or separately doesn't matter to me, whichever is easiest to arrange.

I need to make a trip to Diagon Alley. I am willing to take whatever security precautions are necessary, but I will need to spend most of the day in the alley as there are many things I need to accomplish. I will also need to return at least once before the summer is over.

These three things, are vital, and the earlier they are accomplished the better. While obviously I cannot force the first one, I must reiterate that I am not asking permission for the other two, if you are not willing to assist me in arranging these things, I will strive to accomplish them on my own, even if it is against your wishes. The following Items are of less immediate concern, but are important non the less.

I would like to speak with Prof. Lupin. I will be writing to him multiple times over the summer, if he is willing to receive my owls, but I would also like the opportunity to speak with him in person.

I would also like to speak briefly with Prof. McGonagall. I tell you this in the belief that you stay in close contact with her and some of the other faculty over the summer. If a personal meeting is inconvenient for her, I believe that I am capable of conveying the necessary information in owl post.

I would also like to visit with Ginny Weasly, Luna Lovegood, and Nevile Longbottom, to express my gratitude for the assistance that gave me at the end of the last term, and to see how they are doing, both physically and emotionally after the events at the Ministry.

I would like to thank you in advance for your assistance in these matters, and apologize if it appears that I am making unnecessary demands of you in what is a difficult time for all of us.

Sincerely Harry Potter

When Harry had finished his letter, he sealed it and placed it so that it would be easy for Hedwig to grab, he then turned to his owl who was looking at him with large golden eyes. "Hey girl. I am sorry I have been so out of it since we got here. I see you are almost out of water and food, and I am sorry. I should pay more attention to you, and I will. Also this summer I plan on sending a lot more letters, so I hope you are up for a busy couple of months." Harry gestured to the letter he had just written, "This is for Professor Dumbledore, you don't need to leave right now, but whenever you are ready If you could take it to him I would appreciate it." Harry then reached out and gently stroked his owls soft feathers, absently wondering if normal wizarding owls could understand and follow complex directions as well as Hedwig of if she was unique. After stroking her for a little while, Harry refilled her tray with food pellets, refilled her water dish, and gave her a special owl treat for good measure.

While Harry was taking care of Hedwig, he suddenly realized that he had been neglecting his own needs even worse than his owls. His nose wrinkled in disgust as he noticed that after multiple days in the same clothes and without a bath he had a fairly distinct odor about him. He also could no longer deny the sharp pangs of hunger and thirst that told him it had been far too long since he had eaten. After a quick mental debate Harry's bladder made him decide that he would take care of the bathroom needs first, then worry about food.

Silently Harry crept down the hall and into the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later a much cleaner Harry tiptoed down the stairs to the kitchen, after fixing himself a couple of sandwiches and a glass of juice, Harry stealthily returned to his bedroom, amazed that he hadn't woken his aunt or uncle. He had barely finished eating when exhaustion caught up with him, and he found himself drifting off to sleep.

When the sun woke Harry the next day he pulled on his glasses and looked at the clock, amazed that it was almost noon, and no one had disturbed him. He then looked over at Hedwig's cage, and noticed that his faithful owl had left, and taken the letter for professor Dumbledore with her. Harry took stock of his room, and changed into some of the better muggle clothing that he had. After one last look at the clock Harry decided it was time to face his relatives. After all, he thought, "If I plan on facing Voldemort, I should be able to deal with the Dursley's."

Harry Squared his shoulders and purposefully strode down the stairs trying to decide what the best way to get what he needed from his aunt and uncle would be. Harry stopped short as he entered the dining room. His aunt was sitting at the table by herself crying. Harry's mind raced back through time, and he realized with shock that he had never seen his aunt cry before. While Harry still didn't much care for his aunt, he was surprised to find that her discomfort caused him grief as well.

Quietly Harry crossed the room to his aunt, "Aunt Petunia, what's wrong?"

Petunia looked up at Harry with puffy red eyes, "Oh, what do you care, your probably happy about all of this." She almost spat at her nephew.

Harry tried again, "Did something happen? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Petunia started sobbing even harder, "My baby, My precious Dudlykins was arrested last night." Petunia shook as she cried, then faintly said, "It's not fair. It just isn't right, he is such a good boy. I am sure he didn't do anything wrong."

Harry Patted Petunia gently on the back, "Shh. It's all going to be Ok. I am sure it was just a mistake and that Dudley will be back home in no time." In Harry's mind he thought to himself stupid Oaf finally got caught, It was only a matter of time, but dear mommy and daddy won't ever believe that. Harry suddenly grinned to himself, and thought that just because Petunia was distraught was no reason for him to go hungry, "Here aunt Petunia, let me fix you some food."

Petunia wailed a long anguished sound before choking out, "How could I eat at a time like this."

"Just think of Dudley, he wouldn't want you to go hungry." After a moments pause Harry played his trump card, "Besides when he comes home, don't you think Dudley would like to have a nice meal waiting for him?"

Petunia sniffed a couple of times, "Your right, Vernon was going to take of work to go down to the station. I am sure he will sort it all out, and I should have something warm for my baby to eat. I am sure they are starving him at the awful place."

Harry headed for the kitchen to make lunch, secretly hoping that Dudley would stay in jail for a while and that Harry could take care of Dudley's portion of food as well. He had barely finished cooking a large pasta with a creamy garlic chicken sauce when the front door opened, and to Harry's great dismay Vernon entered leading a very subdued Dudley. "Oh, well." Thought Harry, "at least I made enough for everyone."

As Harry served lunch, Vernon watched him with undisguised malice, "Boy." He suddenly said, "After lunch, you are coming with me. I am going to buy you some nice clothes, but don't think for a minute that you deserve them. Tomorrow morning there is going to be a hearing for Dudley, and the judge has requested the whole household to be there. You will look normal, you will act normal, and if you do or say anything to hurt Dudley's case I swear I will kill you. Do you understand me boy?"

Harry mutely nodded his assent.

After Lunch Harry learned that his Uncles idea of nice clothes for Harry consisted of One pair of the least expensive black pants that could be found in Harry's size, and the cheapest white dress shirt that could be found in Harry's size. Even so, Vernon looked like he was going to be physically ill at having to spend a little over 10 pounds on Harry. He mumbled over and over to him self, "this is for Dudley" until Harry was sure that the clerk thought that his uncle was off his meds.

Upon arriving back at number 4 privet drive, Harry decided to return to his room before his Uncle could think to assign any chores. When Harry opened his door, he was pleased as well as a little surprised to find not only hedwig returned, but she had obviously brought a reply to his letter. Absently Harry wondered just how fast Hedwig was capable of flying as it seemed that she had made the trip to the headmaster in a very short amount of time.

"Thank you girl, I didn't expect to see you back so soon. You really are amazing you know." Harry smiled as his owl puffed up with pride, before silently flying from her cage to his shoulder and affectionately nuzzling at his ear. Harry returned her affection by stroking the soft feathers of her chest, "Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to have you around girl. I don't think I would have survived some of my summers here without you to talk to."

Hedwig let out one loud squawk in Harry's ear almost as if she was saying, "And don't you forget it either." Then she nipped at his ear and flew back to her perch, while Harry crossed the room to read the letter the Headmaster's reply.

Dear Harry,

I was quite happy to see your lovely owl fly through the window this morning, as I had feared you would be to upset to talk with me. Imagine my delight when listed first among you "reasonable requests" was an opportunity to speak with me face to face. While I cannot say that I am happy with all of your requests I must say that at this time I will not council you against any one item on your list. I will however urge you to extreme caution, not only with your physical well-being, but also with who you share any sensitive information with. Having said that your secrets are yours to share, I may discuss this with you in more detail when we meet. As you know it is important for your safety that the blood protection of your relatives is reinforced, for this reason prolonged absences from home and family are strongly discouraged at this time. What I therefore propose is that you visit your old Sitters house at five in the morning two day's from now. I know that this is rather early, but my hope is that we can accomplish everything on your list, with the exception of the visits to two of your friends, on that day. I assure you that those two friends are physically fine after the events at the ministry, and I will do my best to make sure that you can speak to them before the summer has progressed to far. If this plan and timing is unacceptable to you please reply quickly, otherwise I will see you in two days.

Sincerely Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Harry sat in shock for a moment. Two days, was he ready? No! But he would be. He couldn't believe that Dumbledore hadn't attempted to prevent him from visiting Diagon Alley. He could understand Dumbledore's urging of caution, but was convinced that his closest friends had the right to know what he was asking of them.

Harry started to plan the events that needed to happen in a couple of day's when he was suddenly attacked by another bout of fatigue. He drowsily considered that he had slept for less than seven hours in the last four days and that he had a right to be sleepy. With that thought in mind, Harry crawled back in bed and with a whispered goodnight to his owl drifted off to slumber.

Whether it was due to exhaustion or the fates deciding that Harry was due for a break, Harry's sleep was completely undisturbed by vision or nightmare for the second night in a row. Unfortunately the waking world wasn't quite so pleasant. He had forgotten about his Cousins hearing and had attempted to join his family at breakfast dressed the way he normally would. His uncle had immediately barked at him to go back to his room and change.

When Harry had dressed in his new clothes he looked down at his feat at the ragged pair of trainers and thought to himself oh yea, this is exactly the type of impression Vernon wants me to make. To Harry's surprise, it appeared as though his uncle had already thought of this problem as a rather huffy Vernon barged into Harry's room with a pair of extremely large dress shoes in his hand.

"Here boy put these on and be careful you don't scuff them, I expect them back in my closet tonight in the same condition they are in now, do you hear me?"

Harry took the proffered shoes and before he could stop himself blurted out, "There a little bit big for me don't ya think."

It was a sign of how preoccupied Vernon was with the upcoming hearing that for once he forgot to get mad at Harry, and just mumbled as he left the room, "Stuff some socks in the toes, they will fit fine."

After putting on his uncles oversized shoes Harry thought to himself "I look like a well dressed clown without the bow tie or the red nose."

Harry realized that he wasn't going to be allowed any breakfast when upon returning downstairs, Petunia immediately sent him back to "do something with that awful mess of hair." He was shocked when she told him to use the hairspray from her bathroom. He had almost made it to the stairs when Vernon roared at him, "And put a tie on before you come back downstairs. You can get one out of my closet, but not one of my nice silk ones. One of the older ones out of the back."

Harry thought about grabbing one of his Gryffindor ties, but decided against it since the bright colors were sure to upset his uncle. So it was that ten minutes later Harry returned downstairs with a black tie around his neck, and half a can of hairspray holding his hair in place, only to find that breakfast had been put away and the three Dursleys were waiting for Harry at the door.

When they reached the court, Harry was dismayed to learn that Dudley's hearing wasn't for another two hours, and that there had been plenty of time for him to grab a bite to eat before they left. One benefit of getting to the court early was that they were in time to watch the sentencing of one of Dudley's friends, and the trial and sentencing of two more of Dudley's group, the last one being Piers Polkiers. After watching the two hearings previous to Dudley's the events leading up to the arrest of the four friends was clear.

It had started with a fairly common beating of small, rather nerdy looking boy, who despite his appearance was actually a couple of years older than the members of the gang. After knocking the guy around a little bit it appeared that Piers had pulled a knife and the four of them had stolen not only the young man's wallet but also his car keys. While joy riding in the stolen car they had actually rear ended a police car. As if that wasn't bad enough the constables had discovered Heroine when they arrested the four boys.

Soon Dudley was called to the front of the court, and the charges against him were read. Harry noted curiosity that Dudley unlike his three friends was not charged with possession of Drugs. During the testimony of the witnesses it was revealed that Dudley's role in the entire event was fairly passive, he had held the victim down while his friends beat on him. Beyond that though he had actually objected to the theft at knifepoint, and had been in the backseat of the stolen car, apparently just along for the ride.

When the case against Dudley had been presented the judge asked Dudley if he had anything to say in his defense. Dudley simply hung his head and mumbled a quite "No sir."

Vernon and Petunia on the other hand both had quite a lot to say to the Judge. Both of them went on and on about their son's "flawless character", and "kind gentle nature." Petunia tearfully explained that her "Precious little boy" had never been in any trouble before. She even went so far as to claim that she was positive that Dudley hadn't even been present for the assault and robbery, and that his only mistake was in accepting a ride in a stolen car. Vernon explained that Dudley was a pillar of the community and a "top student" at a very prestigious private school.

By the time that Vernon and Petunia were finished expounding their sons virtues to the court, the Judge looked positively furious. "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, you are either fools, liars, or the worst parents I have ever met, and possibly all three. Your 'top student' son is barely squeaking by on academic probation while taking all remedial classes at his school, I have the transcripts here in front of me. It also appears that he has bullied and physically assaulted those smaller than himself since his first day of grade school. I count over fifty counseling statements that have been sent to your home over the years concerning the inappropriate actions of your perfect son. The local constables in Surry have also informed me that your miscreant son has received more than one warning from them and has on multiple instances been escorted back to your home. If you want to blame someone for where your son is today I suggest you take good hard look at yourselves.

Even though the thought of a Dudley free life appealed to Harry, he knew that his aunt and uncle would be completely unbearable to him if he was in the house alone with them. With this thought in mind Harry squared his shoulders and summoned his Gryffindor courage to do what he didn't want to do. In the back of his mind an irritating nagging voice also pointed out that what he was about to do was probably the right thing to do too.

Harry stood up, and looked the Judge strait in the eye and asked, "Your Honor, could I please say a few words to the court?" Harry felt his uncle stiffen beside him, and heard a quick intake of breath from his aunt, and new that if he looked over at them they would both have expressions of horror etched on their faces.

The Judge nodded, "Ok, but please make it brief. I think we have wasted enough time on this matter."

Harry steeled himself and returned the nod, "Your honor, My name is Harry Potter, I am Dudley's cousin and have lived with him ever since my parents died when I was one. Growing up I was the target of Dudley's bullying, and his fists on more than one occasion. I learned to fear Dudley and the three boys you have just sentenced." Harry could hear the low growl of anger that was coming from his uncle, and hoped that for once Vernon could control his temper for just a few minutes.

Harry paused for just a minute then continued, "I tell you this not to condemn Dudley, but so that you understand that while I am related to him I don't particularly like Dudley. Over the last three years, my relationship with Dudley has changed. We are still not friends, but Dudley hasn't hit me in years. In fact he has even on stood up for me and protected me from his friends. As you can no doubt see for yourself physically I am no match for Dudley, and he could still bully me at home if he so desired." Harry thought to himself yeah except that I have a wand and Dudley is terrified of me.

"You mentioned the counseling statements sent home by Dudley's school in regard to his behavior. While I have never seen any of them, I expect that if you look at them you will find that over the last year and a half Dudley has received few if any such statements. He has during that time frame become involved in the sport of boxing, which he is quite good at and rightfully proud of. This sport has helped him to gain discipline and given him an outlet for his aggression."

Harry took a deep breath, then continued. "His one real weakness right now are the people he has grown to call his friends. When I was younger I always thought of them as Dudley's gang, but I have come to realize that Piers is actually the leader of the gang. I am sure that if you step back and look at this group you will find that Dudley while not completely innocent, is a victim of Piers and his friends. Your Honor I ask that you carefully consider the decision you are about to make

You can punish Dudley, but that will only serve to introduce him to even worse influences then Piers. Or you can show compassion and use your power to assist Dudley on becoming the man that could be. My aunt and uncle may be blind to Dudley's faults, but they do love him. Second chances don't come along all that often, but if you would give Dudley a second chance I think you may be pleasantly surprised." Harry racked his brain to see if there was anything else he should say, then exhales slowly before adding, "Thank you for taking the time to hear me out."

When Harry sat down he finally glanced over at the rest of his family, Petunia returned his look with an odd combination gratitude and repulsion. Vernon simply looked confused, as if he was still trying to make out what Harry had said. Dudley looked up at Harry with tears running down his face and silently mouthed "Thank you." At that point Harry realized that regardless of the outcome he had done the right thing, albeit for slightly the wrong reasons.

The Judge looked at Dudley for a long couple of minutes before ordering him to stand up. "Mr. Dursley, you are lucky to have the cousin you do. I will tell you the truth, before your parents spoke on your behalf I was planning on giving you a thirty day jail sentence. After they were done talking I had just about decided on a ninety day sentence with an inquiry by the child safety board. After Mister Potter's plea though I have decided to instead assign you one hundred and fifty hours of community service. Along with your community service you are required to meet weekly with an officer of the court to ensure that you are not causing any more problems. Since your cousin seems to think that boxing has been so good for you, and your school records seem to validate this opinion I am going to recommend you enroll in a summer boxing program independent of your school program. I also highly recommend that you seek part time employment." The Judge paused to let his words sink in before continuing, "I will meet with you again in two months. If I feel that you have not made sufficient progress in becoming a useful member of society there will still be a thirty day jail sentence waiting for you."

The Judge rapped his gavel to indicate that he was done with Dudley, and a middle aged woman appeared beside the Dursley's, "If you will follow me I will set you up with appropriate community service, and set up your weekly meetings with one of our service workers."

As Harry followed the Dursley's out of the courtroom he wondered if the fact that he had just saved their precious Dudlykins from jail would have any effect on the way that he was treated.

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Authors note, read at your own peril

Brief overview: This is a sixth year Harry Potter fan fiction. It was created prior to HBP so don't expect anything from HBP or beyond to influence it overly much. In this story Harry and Ron specifically man up and start taking responsibility for their lives. Harry accepts that if he works hard and focuses he will have the privilege of killing one Tom Riddle, aka Voldemort. Harry and his friends will take charge of their lives, and of the war. Expect a confident focused Harry. A supportive and intelligent Ron and Hermione. This story is about taking responsibility, and gaining the power necessary to do the job laid out before Harry. Harry will be forced to gain power physically, mentally, emotionally, magically and politically. Also expect to see a somewhat new and improved DA. Conflict, both deadly and among allies abound. New magic, and old magic revisited. Action, Adventure, and just enough fluff to keep things from getting overwhelming(actually there may be more fluff than strictly necessary, but hey I am having fun here).

If you want to understand where this fic is going or where I am coming from then come let me lead you on a trip through my thought process. Each of the following paragraphs deals with one topic, you can tell from the first couple of words what that paragraph is about. This is done so that if you don't want to know my view on a certain aspect until you read it in the story you can skip it, or if there is one aspect of the story that is important to you, you can find it easily.

Relationships. First of all for you avid shippers out there, my preferences and eventual endings are Harry/Ginny Ron/Hermione Remus/Tonks Neville/Luna and all others inconsequential to the story line. Having said that I don't believe that a fifteen or sixteen year old should be hooking up for life on their first date. To that end relationships come and go in my fics, although normally only when I want to progress a plot line or a character development trait. You will not find a deep romantic love within this fic with the possible exception of Remus and Tonks who are old enough that the can be looking at marriage right around the corner.

Sex. Well don't expect it from any main non wed characters. Yeah I know that it happens in real life, but it doesn't happen to everyone. I waited until my wedding night and gosh darn it so will the entire student body of Hogwarts.

Slash- NO!

Alcohol. There will be no drinking from the students at Hogwarts. I don't drink, I don't support alcohol consumption in any form, even fictionally. "What about Butterbeer" you ask? For the sake of my story Butterbeer is similar to modern root beer, it tastes good and is non alcoholic. "How do you explain Winky getting drunk off of the stuff?" you ask. Well simple, House elf physiology is different than human physiology, and Winky will be checking into rehab for her crimes.

Now on to my take on death and killing. It's a war, people die. Good people die, bad people die. Good people kill, bad people kill, and since I like the good people more then the bad ones, the good people will be killing a lot. If you have a problem with a sixteen year old warrior well tough luck. Historically there have been millions of soldiers and warriors of this same age, and there is evidence that they deal with killing the enemy with less psychological problems then some older more mature soldiers.

Angst? Probably not gonna see a whole lot of it. I am not very far out of my teenage years, and I wasn't a sissy boy cries a lot, who suffered from teenage angst, and neither were any of my friends. I wouldn't know how to write that type of a pathetic loser even if I wanted too.(oops now I guess you know what my feelings on teen angst are.) Having said that my view of the characters will have healthy tempers, they may yell, break things and punch things(people, animagi, giant squids, stone walls) But they will do the natural thing and get over it and get on with their lives.

Dumbledore Is sometimes characterized as a manipulative bastard almost as dislikeable as Voldemort. Sometimes he is the gentle loving grandfather. For me he is the powerful leader who sometimes focuses on the overall war so much as to forget about the individuals. He does care but doesn't always show it. Also he has gotten a little too use to holding the reins of power, and may chafe from time to time as Harry and Company go their own way. For the sake of this story He is good, he does care about people, and he loves Harry. But expect some serious conflicts as Harry and Dumbledore seek to redefine their relationship.

Redemption, Prolly not gonna happen. The only character who has been painted negatively in the first five books that I plan on redeeming is Dudley, and he doesn't really matter after the summer is over so hey might as well show that I am not completely heartless. Other then that don't expect to see a Malfoy and a Potter sitting down for tea and biscuits any time soon.

Snape, in my mind falls under the above category. He is however a unique character, so without giving too much away let me say, he isn't a nice guy, and as far as I am concerned never will be a nice guy. My full view on Snape is explained in a couple of chapters.

Character intelligence. My personal view is that Harry and Ron are both highly intelligent slackers who haven't put much effort into learning before. In this story they will be giving Hermione a run for her money when it comes to academics, although neither of them will develope her love of research, they will demonstrate intuitive leaps of knowledge at times.

New characters. There will be multiple new characters, but none of them will be main characters. Expect them to hang around for a couple of chapters then move on. The exception to this will be new teachers who will most likely just stay in the background without playing too heavily into the story. Also this story was originally planned out in its entirety prior to Half Blood Prince just because I don't like making names I may use some names of individuals introduced in HBP or even DH I will do this if the character I envision is similar to the one Rowling created. If I do this however it will be my char's personality with her name so don't complain if they act out of character a little.

Language. I will use the occasional H e double hockey sticks from time to time, I also use the word bloody quite a bit.(being an American it doesn't hold quite the same connotation for me as it does for some). You won't find any stronger foul language, but I may include some of the strange things I personally say when I am royally ticked off.(one example to give you an idea is the expletive Son of a Gumby headed bastard, which I have used for most of my life with no idea where I picked it up)

Brit speak V American speak. I could do a lot more Brit speak if I wanted to but honestly I just don't care. I will write the story in a manner very similar to my own style of speech. There may be a few British phrases thrown in (I lived in Europe as a child) there will be American phrases. There may be some southern slang occasionally (lived in South Carolina for a while) also expect some west coast and a bit of Midwest vernacular as well. Why don't I make the effort to phrase things in the proper British manner you might wonder? Well the simple answer is that as a fan fiction that I will not receive any money from, I simply do not want to put that much thought into something that to me is unimportant, I am all about story and could care less about things like proper dialect and grammar. One exception to this is that characters who are overly fond of certain phrases will continue to use them, even if I wouldn't in my own speech.

Timeline. I don't put any dates into my story as far as the year goes, but I do have events happening which may not coincide properly with cannon timeline, mostly because I prefer to view stories of this nature as now instead of a specific year. Also for the most part the story takes place in the magical world making the timeline far less important.

How long is the story? The outline I have is well past novel length. If there is absolutely no interest in the story I will stop posting if there is minimal interest in the story I may start condensing things. If there is moderate interest in the story expect at least 100k words and probably half again as many.

How long are the chapters? Hehe well, this is a short chapter for me(even with the author note attached) so that should give you some Idea of what to expect.

Mistakes They will abound deal with it. I will run each chapter through a spell checker which when I am tired may actually make things worse(I may have changed Dursley to Dorsey in the first chapter a few times) I will try to avoid horrible gross grammatical error, but I will leave plenty of small ones perfectly intact.

Am I going to waste your time with lots of these author notes? Nope. In fact don't expect to see another one unless there are multiple questions posed to me that I feel are not answered within the story.

If this insanely long authors note didn't answer your questions as to what to expect in the story post a review and ask me your question, I will do my best to answer it.