Disclaimer:

I solemnly swear that the literature and works of the Harry Potter Verse belong to JK Rowling, Bloomberg and Warner Bros. The only thing I own are the one-shot ideas that popped into my head and whatever OCs I would create for them. This is a work of pure fiction made solely for fun, constructive reviews will be welcomed, flames will be ignored. Any references to characters in real-life or fiction are purely coincidental. If I could make money out of my ideas, it would be nice...

Mischief Managed Damn It!

Title: Book 1, Chapter 6

Posted Date: May 23 2020

Updated Date: June 6 2020

It was a very busy morning at King's Cross Station on the first of September 1991 with commuters moving about trying to catch their train to their destination. It was a common scene to see people huffing and puffing as they pushed their way through the thick throngs, with the occasional scuffles that come about from people being a little rough in their movements and hitting someone by accident. There were times however the station got more packed than usual and station masters had to be there on hand to assist and redirect human traffic out of the area. This was the situation at hand even at nine fifty on the Sunday morning.

Station Master Quentin has seen it all in the 30 years he had been at the job. Drunken brawls; gang fights; the arguments of commuters for bumping into one another; couples arguing about the ticket pricing, locations and the occasional affairs; the odd child throwing a tantrum or getting lost in the crowd; the odd drag queen that would appear in the crowds (he really wished for something to erase those memories, especially of the time one of them got the clothes caught at the gantry. All of his crew were sent for a month-long therapy to deal with that sight!); even that one time when the station got locked down due to an electrical fault that saw the security gates closed, a pregnant woman went into labour and three doctors who were stuck in the station went to deliver the baby on site, giving birth to a pair of healthy twins.

There was so much one would see in this station; he even had a scrapbook that kept track of the more interesting events of the station just for fun, with photos to match if he could get it. Some of the others had followed his example for kicks, with a couple of them having signatures of people they asked for the humour. At least one boasted of having an actor signed his book.

One of the oddities Quentin had seen was during the increased traffic around end of June and the beginning of September each year, every single time without much deviance. It felt that people were just appearing out of the brickwork to go elsewhere that he was not sure of. He noted how some of the people were dressed oddly in either outdated clothes, robes and the odd dress or two, as though there was a costume party that happened every year, and carrying around trunks and pets like cats, toads and owls. And then there were the odd questions he got asked, the most common being 'Where is Platform Nine and Three Quarters?' In the beginning he was confused and annoyed at how persistent the questions were, but these days he just went with the flow and pointed at the general direction between platforms 9 and 10, thinking that it was a designated gathering spot for whatever party that went on every year and most of them were confused on the naming since it was the children who asked. They claimed it was to a magic school, so he would just play along with them and tell them to buy sandwiches for the trip.

On this day though, it felt a little more congested than usual that made Quentin very grateful for the small corner of the station that fitted his frame nicely and avoid people while maintaining line of sight. Quentin could spy a few of those people wearing those odd clothing hanging about, idly chatting with one another or reading newspapers that he would swear seemed to have pictures moving if he focused hard enough. There were even people carrying those old vintage cameras that would give off a bright flash and a lot of smoke, chatting in a manner that reminded him of reporters. While majority appeared to be the usual harmless if not eccentric sort, one group of people had caught his eye and that of his colleagues with the odd actions they were doing, prompting them to keep a closer watch on them.

The people in question had appeared at the station around 3 days ago, and while they appeared harmless, the actions and behaviour being exhibited had set off a bit of alarm among the security manning the surveillance cameras and prompted Quentin's crew to keep a closer inspection. One man and woman would walk around like a couple wanting to catch a train but did not board any of them for two hours before getting switched by another set of people. One person wearing the weirdest hat sat on the bench facing platforms nine and ten reading the same book for the morning and looking above the top a few times. And then there was the stern looking gentleman who walked around the station and subtly glancing about, always disappearing every time Quentin or any of his crew try to approach him.

All of their actions prompted the office to request for a few plain-clothes officers to mingle in the crowd and attempt an arrest on the people. It was not helped when they tried to run identification based on photos taken from the cameras, only to come up with nothing that suggested they exist. They were not taking any chances as there were already two terrorism-related incidents in February, the second involving bombs at Victoria and Paddington Stations. Quentin was really thankful that he kept writing the oddities that happened at the station; while the others would be confused of those wearing robes and odd clothing, he kept photos and descriptions on them. Combined with the surveillance cameras and photos, they would be able to identify them faster.

A tug at the end of his shirt broke his thoughts and drew his attention to a young boy who was looking up at him with dark eyes and a nervous smile. He was dressed simply with a pale button shirt and dark brown pants with a well-used jacket, and topped with a cap showcasing the logo of one of the country's football teams. He was carrying over his shoulder a small duffel bag while holding out a train ticket.

"Excuse me sir, can I trouble you with something?" The boy asked while looking a touch embarrassed.

"What can I help you with, lad?" Quentin asked with a gentle smile to assure the boy as he bent down to his level.

"I am trying to get to platform 9, the problem is I can't find it in this crowd." The boy gave a glare at the large number of people which honestly looked funny on his young face. "There are too many people around here and I can't push through." The man chuckled as he looked at the ticket, noting that the boy was cutting it close despite the sufficient timing at ten o'clock.

"The platform is right over there." Quentin pointed in the direction just as some people moved away to show the sign. "There you go, the platform. If you missed that, platform 10 is on the right side, just past the pillar over there. You can't miss that." The boy let out a sigh of relief as he took back the ticket.

"Thank you for the assistance. I am running late for my school term but I keep getting pushed around a lot in this crowd." the boy replied as he looked back. "Not helped with those people in weird clothing, is there some sort of carnival going on?"

"You tell me young man." Quentin answered with a shrug. "They always come around this month or the end of June."

"Really? That must be hard on you to see them every time." The boy tilted his head to the side. "I don't really feel comfortable around them, especially with a few of them looking at us kids."

"Oh?" Quentin maintained his smile and the tone while glancing at the group of people that had been on the man's mind a few minutes ago.

"Yeah, those men over there." The boy pointed at the same group, specifically a particular shifty looking man that many of Quentin's crew had been keeping an eye out for some time. "That guy keeps on looking at boys, and tried to grab me before saying something about me being the wrong kid. Then the other one over there" - The boy pointed a little to the side at the man with a top hat - "said something about waiting for the last minute before the train leaves to grab a kid and dropping some package. I did not stick around; they are really creepy."

For his part, Quentin was barely able to hang on to his smile as he looked at the individuals again just as the shifty looking man looked up and saw him. The man seemed to stiffen at the look in Quentin's eye before he got up and walked away, with the other man and two others following in quick succession.

"Do you know if either of them mentioned the train timing?" Quentin asked the boy in front of him.

"Erm, think it was eleven?" The boy scratched his head with a confused expression. "The man did say something about a 'Platform Nine and Three Quarters'? That sounds like an odd name for a platform." Quentin nodded in reply while mentally thinking about the oddities. That certainly explained the odd choice of clothing and behaviour. They were familiarizing themselves with the area so that they could blend with the other folks on this day, grab whoever the kid was, and make a quick getaway without hindrance.

"Sorry to ask you of this young lad, but do you think you could write down all you have heard and remembered on those people?" Quentin handed a pen and his notebook over to the boy. Looking up, he caught the eye of his partner and motioned his hand to the group who left. The partner nodded and walked in the direction where the group left with one hand on his radio. While it may be nothing, Quentin would rather not leave this to chance.

"Here is all I can remember, sir." The boy called out to him while handing over the notebook about a minute later. Quentin looked over the information while inwardly complimenting the boy's speed and memory. He was able to describe the people he met and the words they spoke of in good detail, this would certainly help him and the others a lot when they apprehend those people. Quentin decided to be a bit more proactive based on the content, but not before guiding the boy himself to the platform where he spotted parents with their own children, a couple of whom had asked about the fabled platform. The boy thanked him profusely for helping him, to which Quentin waved him goodbye before he went off to his post, grabbing his radio and adopting a serious expression.

"All officers be advised; I may have a possible lead on our targets' objectives. There is a chance they are looking for some kid and they would drop something to achieve a distraction when getting away..."

~ooOOoo~

The boy watched the station master walking away with his radio for a bit before he turned and walked to the pillar separating platforms 9 and 10, pausing to talk to the group of people who had asked about the odd platform number and showing them the placement. He then looked around them once more before stepping towards the pillar to demonstrate to the group, slipping right through without stopping and coming out at the other side, the sight of the red steam-powered train not phasing him too much as much as the folks who came after him. After he pointed out certain facts to be noted for the train and received their thanks for his help, he made his way through the small group of children and parents crowding along the platform and went to the train carriage that was closer to the end. He paused for a moment to raise his arm in time for a snow-white owl to land on it, stroke its plumage before going up the stairs. He took the time to inspect the cabins before entering and placing his duffel bag on the rack above him while the owl took point near the door. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out 2 slips of paper that had symbols on it, went to the window and held one against it until the paper slip glowed briefly. After checking it held on, he repeated the task to the door before stepping back to check his handiwork. Letting out a light hum, he reached for his cap and removed it, his overall look seeming flickered before changing its appearance.

"Whew, man that was warm." Harry gestured to himself while thinking of a cooling spell, sighing in bliss as the cool air hit him and dried him off. "Note to self, need to rework the runes for disguise. Something is causing the runes to heat up more than normal, may be due to presence of more mana in the area with all the other wizards." Harry took out a notebook and made a quick reminder with a few notations on possible workarounds. "Still, it is a good thing I came in disguise, those people are persistent." The owl let out a bark to agree with his statement. Harry paused to check his charms were still working before leaning back in his seat and letting his mind wander.

It had been an interesting month for Harry, in which he needed to register the magic school without losing any of his future scholarships or connections to the high schools or universities. There was a fair amount of quick talking to explain why he was not going to other known high-schools or take the university offer, but once his teachers understood that his name was in the list by his parents, they were fine with it. They were a little worried when he told them about the possibility of the man who had arranged his stay with the Dursleys being one of the faculty of that school, but were assured with his solicitor on the case and the fact that the adult Dursleys were already in jail while Dudley was spending time in the juvenile centre, not to mention his placement having been secured in the courtrooms once they were alerted to the irregularities of his custody. All of them would be alerted in some manner should any irregularities occur.

There was also the small hassle of making sure his properties, heirlooms and finances were secured. The last of the properties belonging to his family or passed down to him was refurbished or broken down to sell the profits. He now had proper facilities that could serve as homes during summer vacations and as safe-houses since most people forgot about them and they had been warded with anti-location spells to confuse the remainder. His birthday had passed with a letter from his account manager telling Harry that the false key has been recovered along with most of the missing heirlooms, and as part of the precautions, his old trust vault has been closed for good with the contents moved to a new vault for his education, with it being blood-locked and the withdrawal method being a new concept in the form of a credit card based from modern banking methods. With that there was no way for Dumbledore to get his money (it was not stated outright, just 'an old man with a long white beard and questionable fashion sense', but it was quite obvious), especially when the goblins hit him hard in the vaults to pay for damages to his own. Harry did arrange with the goblins that they prepared tests in the event he acted out of the ordinary to ensure he was not enthralled by the old wizard, as it had apparently happened before with other clients and they did not have proof.

His businesses and investments in both sides of Britain were going great; Innovatio's stores have been raking in the Galleons and providing much needed employment to those cast aside for those pure-bloods despite having better qualifications. It got to the point that the goblins had reclaimed the old slums that used to house those left behind in Magical Britain, along with more parts of Knockturn Alley, broken them down to the foundations and rebuilt them into new stores for others to build their businesses on. Outside of Innovatio Alley, more apartment buildings were built to house the new tenants along with new businesses staffed with squibs, new-bloods, half-bloods, werewolves and the occasional vampires. All of the buildings had been warded in an opposite manner to those found in magical buildings; while the Ministry and Diagon Alley were warded to hide themselves from Muggles, Harry's businesses and apartments were designed to prevent anyone without proper clearance and with magic levels higher than a squib from gaining entry, thus ensuring not one of those bigots would try to illegally evict them out or to plant false evidence. Combined that with other magical means, modern security methods like cameras, and good old common sense, meant his buildings along with Innovatio Alley were considered as some of the most secured areas in Britain. This was a good thing as there was some chatter on the gossip vine whereby the store owners from Diagon Alley or Knockturn Alley were complaining on the decreasing number of patrons, along with the loss of property from the latter. Some of the bigots were getting some notion of the alley's existence but for now they were not bothering with it, believing it was just the usual groups that wanted new-bloods and half-bloods to buy their wares.

It may get to the point Harry would have to reveal his identity on that part, something he hoped to avoid for at least another year to accumulate the much-needed grip on the economy for his part. Innovatio Alley was something that he heard Jeremiah call his 'brainchild', an idea that honestly helped to bridge the gaps between the British Wizarding World and the modern world. He was not sure how it was done overseas even with reports provided by the goblins, but he would not lose that to some bigots who can't see past their damn prejudice!

The highlight of course would have to be reports on how Dumbledore had attempted to draft bills for the first two weeks that on the surface were meant to 'benefit the society' by getting heirs of certain lineages to stay and learn at Hogwarts, or to 'ease the minds of heirs' by increasing the age of inheritance on the understanding they would have more time to learn, but honestly were created to ensure that Harry would be under his thumb and unable to take up his heir-ship until the supposed age of majority. It would appear that despite the more than reasonable requests regarding education from him, first generation wizards / witches and half-bloods, and the warning from Filius Flitwick, the old wizard seemed to resist any changes to his perceived stronghold and decided to continue his attempts to find and control Harry.

His latest and last attempt of the month was perhaps his most ambitious, targeting all male heirs to attend Hogwarts with the addendum of said heirs to be placed under his 'supervision' while they were at Hogwarts. But at that point, his solicitor, a muggle-raised half-blood named Jeremiah Gottwald, had entered the arena and threw down the gauntlet, using old examples of said bills and by-laws to show that they were not workable, with a healthy use of terms such as 'tax increase' or 'monetary inflation' that would make the politicians with tight purses wary of approving the bills. He used other examples and played the 'heir' card, pointing out that those of certain families would find themselves disinherited by mistake, and for those considered the last of their families, that would mean the complete extinction of a family line. That got the pure-bloods in the council up in arms, the very notion of their lines declared extinct because of a technicality was too much for them to contemplate. Especially with said addendum that had a possible loophole that would make Dumbledore the closest to being 'sole heir' to said fortunes without being blood-related, that could mean that the child in question could be expelled or suffer an 'accident' that no one would know of and he would gain everything without people realizing, something that really riled up his opponents.

That was also when the report on the education standards came into play that got one Madam Marchbanks and her staff demanding answers for why the education standards at Hogwarts had dropped so severely without notifying her department. Many of the members in session were also demanding answers of their own as their own children were either studying, graduating or about to start their education at the academy, and they had believed that much of their complaints were exaggerated until the report came into play. Needless to point out, Dumbledore's attempts at the bills were subsequently scrapped and forgotten out of fears of losing money and family lines in favour of understanding the issues of the education standards at a new session 2 days later.

Unfortunately, Dumbledore decided to use that next session to reveal that Harry has 'ran away from his ever-loving relatives' and that he must be 'returned under his guardianship to better guide him'. Harry had to give him props for being extremely stubborn at getting him, despite the eye-rolling words that made him very annoyed. It was also a good thing that he made those plans with his solicitor in the event he did this, because he really did not need this on his plate.

Jeremiah was a man on a mission in that session, making sure that Dumbledore could not get his hands on his client and airing as much dirty laundry as he could on his mis-handling of Harry's guardianship and his supposed affairs. He also let it known that Harry had not been in his illegally gained guardianship for the past couple of years, thus showing that the old man had been using Harry's name to push for bills and notices, not to mention making claims without his consent. Combined that with the records provided by Sharpclaw on his health and bank records, his lack of initiative to teach Harry on his duties to protect his house, his latest attempts to draft bills of questionable faith, along with the restraining order that was still active after the debacle with Dumbledore on the newspaper, and other bits of information that showed his sticky fingers all over it, Dumbledore was practically drowning in boiling hot water and effectively made a big target for plenty to air their grievance to.

And it was as people were demanding for his neck that Jeremiah released the bit on how Filius Flitwick and one Minerva McGonagall were actively trying to get Harry interested in Hogwarts and improve the standards for future students based on the given report against the odds presented to them, and wrapping it up by making it sound that Albus was resisting or undoing all of their good work and effectively alienating Harry in an attempt to 'bring him to heel without permission', and at the same time trying to downplay if not ignore the report regarding the dropping standards. That certainly was interesting to hear the report, although Harry would do his best to ignore the blood-thirstiness Jeremiah displayed while relaying the report, or the dark chuckles of his account manager.

In the end, Dumbledore would have his guardianship rights removed over all the students in Hogwarts, having to pay fines for damages to Harry and others, and was now getting another review on his positions as Chief Warlock and Supreme Mugwamp. From what he heard, the latter was likely to be the first to go as he was new to the position and the members of the ICW were not as enthralled with his supposed fame as those of Britain, and do not appreciate people with integrity issues and sticky fingers in matters not concerned with him. The position of Chief Warlock of Wizengamot could go either way as while there were advantages to having him gone, the possibilities of someone worse were arguably more. There was also the issue of his supporters ensuring his position could be secured; despite all the evidence, it would appear many still believed Dumbledore to be capable of vomiting rainbows and had the sun shining from his behind. They were going to need hard facts to remove their rose-tinted glasses.

His post as Headmaster of Hogwarts would likely be the hardest to push him out in their opinion as he was really insistent on keeping that role; the manner in which he 'wishes to shape the minds of future students' made that clear along with his supporters helping him maintain that post. And with the likelihood of Harry coming to Hogwarts, there was no way the old wizard would let it go without a fight so that he could use the chance to get closer to him. That did not mean it was impossible, with the report on education standards dropping and a stack of complaints for the past couple of decades given to the department of education, and copies sent to the Daily Prophet and the Quibbler, a team of inspectors was organized to give Hogwarts a long overdue check on both their teaching standards and the teachers themselves. Dumbledore supposedly tried to belay that action, stating that all of this was an over-exaggeration, but the people were demanding answers, and from what Harry's contacts told him, the Minister was both in fear of his popularity ratings and bolstered by Dumbledore's errors, and pretty much stated in front of reporters that Hogwarts was going to get the inspection one way of another. It was slated roughly around October based on Jeremiah's report, so Harry just needed to watch himself for a month or so.

Regarding his restraining order and in light of Harry possibly coming to Hogwarts, it had been reinforced with some conditions that Harry was not to be alone with the old wizard at all and it could only be related to education matters without him abusing his power. Harry got the feeling that restraining order would be violated within the first week alone, to the point that he had made a bet with the goblins and Jeremiah. The goblins bet on 2 days within entering Hogwarts in his haste to get Harry, Jeremiah was generous enough to bet on 2 weeks before the old wizard tried something in order to lower Harry's guard.

... It was mildly disturbing that they were betting on the actions of a man with a fixation on a boy.

There were of course a few downsides to the situation; there was the fact that much of his personal information was out in the open. The bit about the Dursleys being in prison for something they did to him was announced and while censored, it was still there as part of the reason Dumbledore could not hold on to the guardianship or others now. Harry knew that it was not his own fault, but a part of him still dislike the bit that people knew that had happened to him. It was small mercy for him that the person who reported it was not Rita Skeeter; what little he gathered about her, she was one of the more persistent reporters along the lines of paparazzi with a particularly sadistic edge to her writing and a rather frightening ability to motivate her readers into shaming her targets. Her piece on Dumbledore a couple of years back was quite explosive to say the least, considering she only have a nugget of truth and spiced the article up with lots of conjecture.

Harry could only thank his stars that part of his inheritance involved shares with the Daily Prophet, coupled with his own investments, thus giving him some power to veto articles that could prove detrimental in the years attending Hogwarts. It was also thanks to those shares and the use of an alias from one of the lesser known family lines to bring the newspaper company to heel, removing those that had been altering stories to line their pockets with gold and instating rules to enforce the truth. He was still trying to figure out how she could hang on to her post all this time or the manner she gathered her facts, but as she was currently toeing the line of maintaining the truth without her previous boss protecting her for profits, he would just have to keep an eye out himself. If needed, he would buy out the entire company and rebuilt the newspaper from the ground up.

There was also the bit that Jeremiah was under the employment of 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' to handle legal affairs, and that Harry was under new guardianship that made people want to know whom it was, especially the old man who was now trying to use laws to get the identity. Due to a law passed on the sly a few years ago, adoptions could only be done if the family in question was of a certain lineage and age, regardless of whether the family in question was good for the child. Harry's adoption was done by a man referred to as Lord Thornwood, someone who had successfully resurrected the Noble and Ancient House of Thornwood out of dormancy, and someone whom everyone was trying to find more information on since no one knew that the house was brought back to Britain. Thankfully a person with sense by the name of Amelia Bones had stopped and pretty much shut Dumbledore and others up on their attempts to do so. With the restraining order on Dumbledore, he could not search for the identity himself or use his supporters and ministry contacts to do it for him. For others, a firm warning and fine of a few hundred Galleons were given to dissuade them, not that Harry or Jeremiah expected them to hold. It may be time to bring in Lord Thornwood in the event Jeremiah could not support him in the matter if they insist, while ensuring the other 'guardian' in charge of his custody was kept under secrecy on the off-chance his primary guardian and Jeremiah 'suffer an unusual accident', and then there was the last backup plan for the truly worst-case scenario, the thing that his solicitor and goblin allies had managed to obtain at the last week before the start of term.

The next issue was perhaps not as detrimental to Harry as it was to others whom Dumbledore had claimed guardianship. It was around the time that they had discovered that Dumbledore had used some of the money from his vault and other neglected vaults to pay off other families under the guise of scholarships, Harry had discussed very thoroughly with Jeremiah and the goblins on the legality of taking up the guardianship without proper consent or protocols. Aside from Harry, Dumbledore would also have 'in loco parentis' over the new-bloods, half-bloods raised outside or orphans, and the odd pure-blood during the school terms as part of his rights. (Not that he was much of a guardian considering the stories of them getting harassed over blood status or attacked for something as petty as a school yard argument.) The solicitor had gone through the Hogwarts Charter and obscure laws with a fine comb along with the goblins and determined the possibility of all of his guardianship rights removed to be high as the parents would likely reason that he could inflict the same issues on their children as Harry. The problem was that without that protection, those previously named would be sitting ducks for a lot of people who could whisk them away without anyone throwing a fuss or force a marriage contract to gain blood or fortunes. As a precaution and as a nod to his mother, the goblins helped to set up the Lily Evans Foundation to aid those students with sponsorship of certain families to ensure that they were protected in more ways than one. It was not perfect, but it sidestepped the issue and the students were certainly protected under more clauses than Dumbledore's previous protection. Unless there was a case where the sponsored party did something illegal or failed to meet the terms in the standard contract provided, they would be protected under the aegis of several known families, a couple of which were his own family houses not well known to others.

There were other issues that came out of this like some politicians trying to use the situation to bring other students into Hogwarts as a means of forcing those who were not pure-blood to pay more to make up for the diminishing funds for the school, other people trying to get Harry into the school with a lot of restrictions, or the Minister trying to get some woman into Hogwarts to act as a High-Inquisitor. Harry was not sure if the name was true, a Dolores Umbitch? Considering the rather gleeful glint in Jeremiah's and the goblins' eyes, it may be the case?

And then there was the issue of unwanted intrusions to his town for the remaining part of the month. Harry could not recall the last time he had this many intruders trying to penetrate the barrier he erected before, but it was getting annoying and dangerous once they started trying to compel others into entering the town and supposedly grabbing him. Harry had to rework his old ward system to ensure no compulsions to be allowed in his area, and was appalled at how many had been in the area. Thankfully whatever had appeared were on people he did not interact that much and the wards had cancelled them out in the past, but this was getting very troublesome to say the least especially with the noted appearance of a curse breaker in the area who got arrested based on an anonymous tip-off by Jeremiah. And then there were the spies at the station and the Floo Fireplace at the platform for the 3 days before the actual day of arrival that made him so glad that he had developed the disguise Runes on his cap to allow him to walk past them without getting caught.

There were so many issues to deal with, and he was only eleven for crying out loud! Why in the Ten Hells and Seven Heavens must he be dealing with this mess?!

Glancing at his watch, Harry found that he still had a good fifty-five minutes before the train would leave the station. He had lost part of his motivation to continue on with his notes with all the thoughts in his head, he might as well walk about the train and the platform to get some ideas for any new projects, or anything to distract his mind.

Once he grabbed his cap and assured that his owl named Hedwig was safe, Harry proceeded to walk about the train, taking note of the different carriages like that of the prefects, the engine room, and other bits that most would not bother paying attention. He did however pay close attention to those students who had arrived before him and had changed into their school robes, noting the different houses and the manner they interacted. While he had seen the interactions from the denizens at Diagon Alley, he wanted to see how the children and teens would interact without the parents around if they would differ from them. So far, what he saw validated what he read from John Doe's journal (he decided to coin that name to the mystery author of his favourite journal until he got more information on him), and it was really clear to Harry that the house system Hogwarts has adopted was likely one of the bigger reasons for the messed up system in Magical Britain.

Harry sighed as he walked out of the carriage to take a moment to consider his options. Quite honestly, a part of him was still considering if he should just take a step out of the platform and head back to Gringotts to apply for a different identity and a new school. It felt that he barely scratched the surface of the issues in Britain, and it was getting very unnerving at how these people managed to get on with their lives with all the crap going on. It was either the sheep following 'The Leader of The Light', or the followers of a Dark Lord performing genocide. The few neutral parties were getting gutted by the two sides for not picking a side.

He had his work cut out for him all right. One of the reasons he could not get out of Hogwarts yet was due to his parents entering his name sometime after his birth so he was automatically going to the academy. He could however go to another academy provided he studied at Hogwarts for at least a year and he did ensure one of his conditions to Flitwick was him doing a test year to see if Hogwarts was living up to the standards, along with private permission to learn the magic of other countries and the option of taking his OWL exams early. It was risky as it meant other elements could prevent him from doing so, but he had allies to help him out if required, and if he could invoke the plans to fix the country in the process, it may be worth doing so.

With a sigh, Harry looked at his watch again before turning back to the carriage and going up the stairs, pausing to put up a notice charmed to direct those who had visited Innovatio to the carriage to prevent issues like the silly blood prejudice, along with charms to filter out bad will. With his disguise and back turned, he was lucky enough to avoid a few people who were on the lookout for him.

Seriously, does that old man have that much free time to himself to send people to find and kidnap him?!

~ooOOoo~

The first hour of the trip was somewhat okay. It did start a little messy when several adults were being rowdy and pushing people and end up getting arrested for their troubles by a few Aurors on hand for disturbance. While the other students and some of the parents were confused by their actions, their intentions were blaring through Harry's Force Senses as they were being cuffed roughly and sent to the DMLE cells for processing. It would appear that aside from Dumbledore, there were a couple of others from the supposed Dark Faction wanting to snag him of sorts, and they clashed with his people from both sides of the platform. It was a good thing that Jeremiah had talked with Amelia Bones regarding security and got the Aurors there to supervise, although there was the possibility of them learning of the ones outside of the platform. He could feel at least three outside getting arrested by the regular police and could have sworn he heard some woman screaming her lungs out in frustration.

There was also the oddity of two red-head twins walking about asking if they had seen their younger brother who was supposed to be joining them for the year. From what little he gathered, their family arrived late to the platform and the elder siblings were the only ones who got on the train on time. Their parents were supposed to come soon after with their brother named Ron, but they missed the train for some odd reason their mother had by going to the station the muggle route as opposed to the usual Floo method.

Well, it was not his problem that people arrived late in a station known for its large crowd on weekends.

His carriage was filled considerably quickly, and Harry had to help two future students get their trunks up the stairs until he pointed out that their trunks, which came from one of the new stores of Innovatio Alley, had features that allowed them to make them weightless or shrink them for a short while. That certainly helped the rest that came after the two as they immediately put the system to use and now had them neatly on the rungs. It also helped to have the charms set in place to deter the blood bigots; Harry was nursing a light headache from the number of times the older students wanted to breech the carriage and thus far it was just making them believe that no one was there for them to harass.

It was around the first-hour mark after leaving the station that he got his first set of occupants. He was working out some formulas for his latest project and dealing with his remaining homework from one of the high-schools when the door opened to reveal a pair of twins of Indian descent. As he was still concentrating on translating symbols to get his project working, he accidentally switched to Tamil when addressing them with his common alias "Harry Evans", surprising the two girls and they ended up sticking around for a while to talk. Harry took the time to take a break and chat with them while mentally noting his future classmates.

Physically the Patil Twins were alike right down to the hair braids, but their personalities were wide apart. Padma was a very intelligent girl with a gentle personality and a curiosity to all things around her who preferred soft colours and a nice book to read, and she did not have any issues with muggles, which made explaining to her on muggle education a very interesting conversation when she saw the textbooks along with the symbols he was drawing out for his project. Parvati on the other hand had a more outgoing personality to go with her brighter set of clothes and the same intelligence, with a touch of forwardness that some would likely consider a little rude. Unlike her sister, her attention was more on fashion and stuff that would catch her eye, and much to Harry's slight guilt, he provided a magazine showcasing Innovatio's latest trends to let her read so that he could get some peace and quiet.

The shrieking he got in payment was painful to his ears but thankfully brief.

After that it was a quiet and relaxed atmosphere in the cabin as the trio did whatever they want in the cabin, with Harry providing some commentary regarding their queries. Padma was clearly quite interested in the paper seals and his symbology, having recognized certain symbols that pertained to her home country's culture. Paravati was definitely intrigued with how much Innovatio Stores have to offer on the latest trends and how they borrowed ideas from modern Britain to get their products. It was as Harry was telling them about some of the stores' wares that he got his second set of visitors.

"Sorry to interrupt, but has anyone seen a toad?" The straw-colour haired boy asked with a stammer as he knocked on the door and opened it, with the girl with very bushy hair standing next to him looking in with curiosity. Both of them were already dressed in their school robes considering they still had another five odd hours to travel. He should consider changing into his robes himself to avoid the rush hour crowd.

"Nope, haven't seen a toad anywhere here." Harry answered gently while looking at the boy. "You could go up to the prefects that are nearer to the engine cart for assistance, or if you want, I can help with that. What is your toad's name?"

"Trevor." The boy answered nervously. Harry placed his items down before flicking his wrist, releasing the wand holstered there before bringing it up. He could do this without the wand but he figured he should try to maintain some bit of anonymity when in Hogwarts. He will have to downplay a fair bit of his skills just in case.

"Accio Trevor the Toad." Harry made the incantation and the sound of a startled croak alerted the two at the door to turn only for the boy to raise his hand and catch the flying toad at the last second.

"Trevor!" The boy cheered as he lightly gripped the toad while the bushy-haired girl took a step back to give him space and to be away from the toad. "Don't do that again!"

"I do not recall that spell from the books given." his companion remarked with a slightly bossy tone that got the twins frowning lightly. "Is that a proper spell?"

"It is a spell normally meant around the fourth year, but it can be taught easily with some practice. Very useful if you want to grab something without getting up." Harry answered before looking to the boy. "Does your pet keep escaping per chance?" Harry asked looking at the toad in question, noting the rather dry skin it had.

"He does. It is always the case each time we leave the house." The boy groaned while the toad croaked in protest.

"I think it might be due to the lack of moisture that is making your friend seek other spots. The Scottish weather does not do wonders for its skin. Do you have a terrarium for him?" He asked only to get a blank expression from the boy and the twins while the bushy-haired girl nodded. "A habitat tank for toads."

"Oh, I tend to leave him around the pond in the greenhouse back home." The boy answered. "I did not see the point to have this 'terrarium' so close to me."

"Well then, we got to get you one to stop Trevor here from leaving all the time. In fact." Harry stood up to grab the duffel bag and pull open the zip to reveal his books and notebooks, and reached into one of the side pouches for a shrunken trunk. Placing it on the ground, he applied a bit of magic to make it grow back to normal size, showing its form as a four-drawer modern-cabinet style trunk slim enough to fit between the seats. Opening up the lowest drawer, he stepped in and made his way down the ladder steps provided, smiling at the surprised yelp given off by the girls. Reaching the bottom of the magically enlarged space, he went to one of the shelves nearest to him and began grabbing a clear box with a handle on top of it along with a jar of dirt and some swamp plants, before making his way back up the steps where the others were waiting and watching him do so with wide eyes and open mouths.

Hey, he may want to downplay his abilities, that did not mean he could not go about promoting items from Innovatio Alley to get more business for them, and in turn more cash for him.

"Here we go. Let me go and etch some Runes on this so that Trevor would be happy in it." Harry announced as he climbed out of the drawer, pausing at the sight of the bushy-haired girl practically vibrating with curiosity. "Do you wish to look at this, Miss?"

"Hermione Granger, and yes I really want to see it!" The girl clamped her hands on her mouth in silent mortification while blushing hard. Harry merely chuckled and waved a hand to the trunk while stepping aside, allowing her to come closer to look at the trunk in question, with Padma doing the same with great interest. Harry took the time to quickly draw and etch some Runes on the box while asking the boy (whom he managed to get the name from as one Neville Longbottom after closing the door and staying in the cabin) what was the typical habitat of the toad.

"Why do you have a box ready for such a thing?" Parvati asked while lightly snickering at the two girls walking inside the drawer and cheering at the enlarged space.

"I like to tinker with items for different ideas." Harry answered as he finished the runes and began layering the small patch of wet dirt and plants in the box. "While I like to read and study, I learn more through my hands. That trunk you see there" - He pointed at the object in question with his small etching tool - "is meant to hold random junk and small items so I could experiment with some ideas that pop into my head. I have another for my own belongings." Harry continued with his work and before long, Trevor the Toad was enjoying his new home complete with water and plants, and getting a nice wet sheen on its skin.

"Thank you very much!" Neville thanked Harry while looking at the Terrarium with wonder.

"No problem, Mister Longbottom." Harry waved his thanks as he cleaned up while looking to Hermione and Padma examining each part of the trunk with an eye glued on the runes, Parvati looking on in amusement. "Are you two enjoying yourselves?"

"It is bigger on the inside!" Hermione said the words that every Doctor Who fan would recognize at all times. "I did not know trunks like these were sold!"

"Most starting Hogwarts won't be given these types of trunks until a certain age, even then it is restricted to certain circles." Harry answered as he shrunk the trunk. "If you are rich enough, you might get trunks with expanding charms, but they would only allow you to store items as opposed to being a room sized attachment based on your age and work. Thankfully Innovatio Alley has a store to allow these as standard wares within reason."

"Innovatio Alley? I remembered that name given by the goblins at the bank." Hermione tapped her finger to her chin as she thought back to her visit. "I only got a chance to visit the alley briefly, but it looks so modern compared to Diagon Alley, not to mention more friendly of sorts?"

"You are a first-generation witch if I am not mistaken?" Harry continued upon confirmation. "Innovatio Alley is a relatively new alley that has been built for the patronage of first-generation new bloods and half-bloods. The store owners there are entrepreneurs and innovators with plenty of ideas to go with modern Britain, some of which is considered too progressive by those of Diagon Alley or Knockturn Alley. The guy who made these was a Doctor Who fan and he was chomping at the bit to try his hand at these."

"You know a lot of the stores and the history." Parvati raised the magazine he had handed to her earlier. "Sounds like you are a major patron yourself."

"That, and the fact that I am one of the few helping to field test their products." Harry answered as he reached into the bag again and took out two books. "The trunk that you just examined was one of the few I helped to put through their paces to get them up and running. Here you go, something to get yourself familiarized." In a blink of an eye, the books disappeared from his hands and into Hermione's and Padma's. Harry blinked owlishly while Parvati let out a laugh at his expression.

"When it comes to books, my sister can be very curious." She teased Padma who had a blush on her cheeks while looking at the book in her hand. Harry nodded while looking at Hermione who had a very intense expression as she read. Something about her name and appearance triggered a memory that he wanted to check up on.

"Excuse me, Miss Granger." Harry called out to her who looked up from the book "This might sound like an odd question. Were you per chance at a spelling contest a couple of years back?"

"Yes, I was. I had attended the contest in London with a few others." Hermione leaned forward while narrowing her eyes at Harry in concentration, and that was when Harry was glad that Neville had closed the doors which allowed the charms to reapply the silencing wards as her eyes widened and she smiled. "Ah now I remember you, I thought you looked familiar. You were the one who got first place in the school from Surrey. Harry Potter!" She paused before her expression changed to shock. "Wait, that means you are also the same Harry Potter that got away from those horrible relatives and survived Voldemort?!"

That definitely got the attention of the others as they turned their heads as one to him with wide eyes while shuddering from the name. Well that, and one shared smile on the twins' faces. "Thought so." The two of them said almost at the same time.

"You knew?" Harry sighed as he made sure that the seals were still holding.

"This year is the one that most people have been looking forward to, your arrival to Magical Britain." Parvati started to talk as Hermione was directed to a seat. "Everyone knows your story, or at least what is passed as your story. That article on you a couple of years ago and this past month tells everyone that much of it is likely fake especially when the news has gone around on your solicitor suing the authors for writing stories without paying loyalties and without permission."

"There is the bit of your seals that is meant to deter all those with ill intent." Padma pointed to the paper seals in question. "That points to knowledge available to pure-bloods or at least a half-blood. Not to mention the style suggests that you want privacy and protection."

"The name you introduced yourself to us, Harry Evans." Parvati took over. "While majority of the British Pure-Bloods would gloss over your parents, your mother, Lily Potter nee Evans, was well known outside Britain as one of the few muggle-borns acing the NEWTS exams and gaining a Mastery for Charms. So, when you introduced yourself as Harry Evans, we got the idea that you might be using an alias instead."

"But perhaps the bigger indicator would be when the people were moving about earlier." Padma mentioned with a slightly sympathetic wince. "The few times someone mentioned Harry Potter, your hand kept twitching, supposedly for your wand." Harry sighed as he scratched the back of his head, one of a few minor habits he had when frustrated or nervous. He should be glad that the twins were honest enough to tell him about these and that they did not care about his supposed fame.

"I see, thank you for that bit of information and for not going gaga over me." Harry answered them. "I really hate my fame."

"To be fair, we were not sure about you in the beginning." Parvati remarked as she leaned back. "After all, you were supposedly 'safe' at your relatives' place. That is definitely not the case based on the articles from your solicitor if I am not mistaken. There is also the physical description given out in those books about you being a thin copy of your father with your mother's eyes. From where I am sitting, you have of your father's features and your mother's eyes, but you have black hair with tints of red with no glasses and a strong frame as opposed to the supposed thin frame. And your attitude and personality are certainly a far cry from a typical Gryffindor stereotype." She gave a smile which sent a bit of a shiver down Harry's spine, he was not sure why but somehow, he knew that was a smile that should not belong to an eleven-year-old girl, yet he also felt a touched flattered for some reason. "Personally, I prefer this version of you than the ones from those books. Don't you agree, dear sister?" Padma blushed from the question directed at her, then went further red when she looked at Harry in the eye briefly before looking down at her feet. Harry coughed to hide the fact he was blushing himself and to clear the awkward air.

"Honestly, it is a good thing I don't resemble anything from the story books." Harry remarked. "I do not like the books just throwing that out for everyone to read on the off-chance to find me. I mean, the reason I am getting my solicitor to sue those authors and find the one spreading the news is because it is inviting trouble."

"Trouble?" Parvati asked.

"I do not know whether it was Dumbledore or someone else, but by giving a supposed description of myself and supposed feats on Halloween, that paints a target on my back, and encourages others to come after me." Padma and Neville nodded thoughtfully in agreement.

"Miss Granger?" Hermione turned to Harry. "Just so you understand, I would like to keep my identity a secret, at least until the sorting."

"But won't that be silly of you to do so?" The girl asked with a tone that again made the twins bristle slightly. "I mean you are well known in the 'Modern Magical History', 'The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts'. Why do you waste your time on that?" Harry was partially thankful for the mind arts because as it was, something about Miss Granger's words and tone was starting to grate on his patience. Something that got removed totally from the twins judging by their expressions.

"Miss Granger, it is his right to do so." Padma spoke out with a notable frown. "Maybe to you it is silly, but if he wants to have some peace and quiet from the people going after his fame or fortune, then he should at least have it while he can."

"You are being very rude for someone who just met him." Parvati was growling at this point. Harry decided to intervene before things got too hairy and his seals mistook their intentions.

"Miss Granger, I understand you may have gotten some notion of my history and perhaps think that it may be useless of me to hide, but please do not believe everything that's written in books about me for the past few years, especially not the books written by a Romano Lockhart. They are completely to the point they should be classified as fiction, which my solicitor is already dealing with. And from what I have read in 'Modern Magical History', the author and his sources are merely speculating what had happened that night, the only facts they had right in there are that Voldemort came to our house at Halloween in 1981, killed my parents but couldn't kill me for some reason which I think is more due to my mother." Harry said.

"But … " Hermione started only for Harry to raise a hand to stop her.

"Please listen, Miss Granger. Nobody knows what really happened that night, the only witnesses who could tell you are Voldemort, my parents and myself. I was just fifteen months old and only remember a little bit and I was never interviewed until three years ago when I first entered Diagon Alley, and even then, as stated I don't believe it was a power I had, I rather think my mother did something to protect me. Perhaps I'm wrong, but there have been here-say spread by that Dumbledore that my mother's sacrifice activated ancient magic that saved me if his guess is right. The problem with his statement is considering how people claimed he was my guardian when I have never met him in my life, and he is the only one pushing that idea, I do not believe his conceived idea is the right one. As someone raised in the modern world, you know very well that books are only one of many sources of probable information as long as things haven't been proven. Take the Standard Book of Spells as an example, the spells inside are certainly true as they had to be tested over and over to prove the performance of the spell. Compare that to something like 'History of Magic', a book written by a renowned historian who would likely have the majority of the facts correct if not for the issue that with so few historians and publishers in Britain, it is hard to properly get the correct facts if the documents around the period were written in the perspective of those who were on the winning side. You might be familiar with the saying by Winston Churchill, 'History is written by the victors."

"There is nothing wrong with wanting to learn all you can and be the best you can be. I'd be a total hypocrite if I told you otherwise with all the projects and homework I am doing. But remember to take everything with a grain of salt and get your information straight and more importantly complete with as little bias as possible. And think about it, you said you read everything about me, but does that mean you know me? No, it only means you know about me to a certain extent. If you really want to know people you have to talk to them and get to know them, and make sure you at least respect them." Harry patiently explained.

During that speech, the other four children looked at him in surprise and slight befuddlement. Harry sighed inwardly at their expressions; it was honestly a little problematic for him to act a little more mature than those around him. It could not be helped to some extent; growing up with Dudley made it hard to make friends, then when he stopped holding back on his intelligence, he shot past his classmates in an attempt to learn everything he could to get away from the Dursleys and later Dumbledore. The only interaction he had were those older than him and then not of the same species, it was hard to connect with those of his age group since most were more childish or not caring about their futures. This was his first chance trying to get friends, and he screwed up of sorts.

Bummer.

"I..." Hermione paused before taking a deep breath to continue. "You are correct, Potter. I am wrong with my assumptions, I guess I went ahead without thinking. I am sorry."

"As long as you understand and respect my decision, that is fine." Harry gave a light smile. "The first step is always to realize a mistake to be able to change something. Use that to make sure you don't do it again." She nodded before she got up and left the cabin to think things through.

"Why the long lecture?" Neville finally spoke out since the conversation. "It did seem a bit much."

"From what little I know of her from the contest when I was younger, and what I have inferred from her attitude, she is the type who would likely follow the rules to the letter and looked to people with authority without bothering to ask much questions." Harry answered as he sat back after ensuring the door was closed and seals were in place. "She needs to remember that nothing is absolute and blindly following someone or relying on books without researching would lead her into trouble down the road. Being an outsider in school is not fun and with her being a first-gen witch, she would be in a tighter spot. It is harsh, but I hope what I said can motivate her to the right direction." The girls nodded while Neville looked at Trevor thoughtfully as he considered his words.

"Right! All that moodiness must go away!" Parvati declared with her hands on her hips. "Let's discuss something else, like which House we are likely to go!" Harry had to snort lightly at her action. Clearly, she would be the life of the party in the future.

"If I were to speculate, you would likely go to Gryffindor or Hufflepuff." Harry gave his opinion to the girl. "You are a very lively girl who wants to make friends of sorts, and you are definitely someone who goes forth without much fear, so these two houses should be the case." The girl nodded at his opinion as he turned to her sister. "You are most certainly a Ravenclaw considering your passion for knowledge, with a side of Hufflepuff. It suits you." Padma gave a smile in return.

"For me, I am just lucky to be going to Hogwarts." Neville looked down in shame. "My family did not believe I have any magic until the letter came, they kept trying to get it out and failed until I got dropped out of the window. They were wondering if I was a Squib and should be left out to not disgrace the family." Harry lightly clenched his jaw at those words, it always bothered him how families would just throw Squibs out just because they could not access their magic. They don't bother with other areas they could help with like Potions and Ancient Runes, practical work that could be done without magic.

"The way I see it Mister Longbottom, your family does not see the potential that is inside you." Harry spoke with a stern tone that got their attention, particularly Neville's as he had intended. "I do not mean disrespect, but the fact they constantly looked down on you for not recognizing your brand of magic and forcing it out in such a manner proves their ignorance and arrogance."

You will be like Parvati, either Gryffindor or Hufflepuff." Harry smiled gently to ease the tension. "You are not sure that you can be a proper wizard, yet you are willing to brave the uncertainty by stepping on this train. The important thing you need to consider, be yourself. Do not let those people decide on your behalf." He raised his arms wide to indicate himself. "Look at me, I am not like the books describe, and I refuse to let that be my standards. If people do not like me because I did not do any of the silly things described in those books, they can kick themselves in the butt when I prove them wrong." The twins looked at Neville and nodded in agreement to encourage him. That certainly did a trick as Neville slowly smiled in return with suspiciously misty eyes.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Mister Longbottom." Harry replied only to get Neville shaking his head.

"You can call me Neville. At least... If you want?" The boy asked nervously. Harry blinked before nodding and smiling.

"Only if you can call me Harry." With that and the girls giving their permissions, they settled down to a nice conversation until they had to change into their robes.

~ooOOoo~

"Well, this is quite quaint." Harry remarked as he stepped off the carriage and made his way to the group of children gathering on the platform. It was roughly ten minutes past 7pm when the train arrived at the station of Hogsmeade, a small-town magical village that served as the final stop for the express train and was the only true magical village left in Britain. It was described by some of tenants of Innovatio Alley as a picturesque little place that had those old town style cottages and shops, a place that unlike Diagon Alley, looked appropriate with the whole 'time has stopped' look. From what little Harry could see on the platform, it reminded him of the old Victorian villages with early hints of industrialization. The forest surrounding the area completed the image shown to him, and he would honestly say that this was a look that suited a place of magic, and whatever plans he could come up with the area must come with the provision to avoid changing the exterior too much if not at all.

Harry went to join the crowd of first-year's gathering around what appeared to be an actual giant holding up a lantern, because there was no way a human could be that big, even bigger than the current record holder Robert Wadlow. The man looked like he belonged to the forest with the extremely shaggy hair and thick beard, wearing a dark fur coat that looked like a bear had decided to make the giant give it a piggy-back ride. He smelled of the earth, trees and wild animals but gave off the air of one who was a gentle person who would be slow to anger but disastrous to deal with if that anger erupted.

Based on the descriptions and reports granted to him, this was likely Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Groundskeeper of Hogwarts.

"Come along now First Years! All of you gather around now!" The huge man called out to them in a very deep and thickly accented West Country tone slurring his words, with the lantern held higher in the air for him to check on them, his eyes roaming about as he looked at them with a gentle smile. Harry lowered his head lightly as the man looked at him briefly before continuing. Harry knew that the man while a gentle soul who would not harm people needlessly, was also fiercely loyal to the headmaster of Hogwarts. There was also the bit where the goblins had told him of the half-giant having arrived at the bank around his birthday to retrieve something from one of the highest security vaults (with a fair amount of arguing since the bank had updated a lot of their rules), which considering the timing meant Dumbledore had likely hoped he would have appeared at the bank to get money and in turn be noticed.

As Jeremiah would say after hearing that portion: Screw that!

It would appear that Hagrid did not notice him as there was a small expression of sadness before putting back the smile and start ushering the prospective students away from the older students, whom Harry saw was heading to where carriages were awaiting their passengers. He did do a minor double-take when he could have sworn there was a silhouette of a horse in front of them yet everyone walked past them without a glance. The horse like apparition turned its head and looked him in the eye steadily. Harry waved his hand uncertainly to which the horse let out a sound that appeared happy, before Harry hurried on to the group leading away from him. By the time he caught up to them with Hermione and the others bringing up the rear, they had arrived at a steep and narrow path that got a few of the students stumbling about in the dark due to the tree roots and wet rocks littering the path despite Hagrid's massive sized lantern. After helping poor Neville from slipping on a wet stone for the third time in a row, Harry had enough and conjured up a ball of light that temporarily blinded him and the rest from the sudden addition, then quickly flicking his hand to the air that made the ball go up slightly and split to form a chain of balls lighting up the path.

"Is that better Neville?" Harry asked while keeping a firm hold on his shoulder.

"Much better than before, thank you for that. I keep tripping even in day light." Neville looked down in shame.

"It is not your fault, so chin up. This area is a bloody death trap waiting to happen, and I really do not want to spend my first night at Hogwarts in the hospital." Harry squeezed his shoulder before looking to the others who stared at him. "How about you guys?"

"That is a very useful spell. I don't recall that in the books." Padma remarked as she looked at the ball nearest to them.

"Did you do that without a wand?" Paravati asked with wide eyes. Hermione nodded with a hungry look that made Harry want to take a step back at the obvious desire to learn, it did not look appropriate on a twelve-year-old girl for God's sake!

"Thanks for that piece of spell-work, young man!" Thankfully for Harry, Hagrid called out from the front before getting everyone to follow the giant again. Harry merely pointed at the direction they were to go to get the others moving, although the expressions of the girls' faces made Harry mentally think he needed to be ready for a lot of questions. They continued at a much faster pace thanks to the balls of light, and it did not take long for them to reach a boat pier where they spotted a few boats floating about on the dark waters of the huge lake. Harry could not help the image of some creature rising from the dark depths of the lake and shuddered at the chill down his spine. He really did not need to think that.

'Note to self for improving Hogwarts: Get plenty of light for the rock path and the docks.'

"Okay everyone, please get inside the boats! Four to a boat only!" Hagrid called out to them, getting them to move the boats while he took one himself, his size easily filling the space and making it drop just barely before the water would spill over the edge. Harry went to take a boat with Neville and Hermione along with a girl who managed to get in by their end. Under the lighting, she had long dark hair that went halfway down her back, a lightly tanned skin tone that suggested time under the sun, a slightly narrow facial feature that somewhat magnified her natural looks, and an expression of pure curiosity as she looked at him and the ball of light nearest to her. When everyone was on the boat, Harry flicked his hand again so that the balls along the path re-joined those at the pier, increasing their size and brightness for everyone.

"Thank you whoever you are!" The giant turned to the others with a wide smile. "My name is Rubeus Hagrid, allow me to be the first to welcome you to Hogwarts School of Wizardry!" Most of the children cheered at his welcome. "Now then, all of you are in for a treat! You will get your first look at Hogwarts across the Black Lake, so please make sure that you don't rock the boat too much, and whatever you do, do not stick your hand in the water. Squiddy is a little playful tonight."

'Squiddy?' Harry and likely everyone in the area looked at Hagrid with an incredulous expression, and a good few looked to the lake with an expression expecting monsters from the deep to come and drag them to Davy Jones' Locker.

'Urgent note to self: Consider new path for first-years. Alternative solution: Focus plenty of light bulbs or the equivalent for the lake itself, with nets to stop creatures!'

"Right then, if the person can dim the lights a bit? Thank you. Onward!" With that, all of their boats moved forward following Hagrid's, Harry's conjured balls of light moving in pace with each boat while dimming in their luminescence, giving the current atmosphere the air of a spirit procession going along the lake with fireflies flying about them. Harry alternated looking down at the boat to see if he could find any signs of how they were able to move along the lake, and talking with Neville who looked ready to pass out, while the others looked at the lights or chatted briefly to get their nervousness out of their heads. All of that got forgotten when Hagrid told them to lower their heads as they entered a cove and came out to a sight that honestly took Harry's breath away.

'Okay, now I understand why Jeremiah and John Doe said it was an experience on its own to see Hogwarts at the lake.' Harry thought as he gazed upon the institution that was touted to be the best in Europe. It did look very magnificent with the windows illuminated by whatever lighting available in the castle, showcasing a castle that looked formidable on the cliff with the lake reflecting almost everything and adding more glow to the structure, and with a starry background as a backdrop. He could understand why John Doe had written in the journal that no matter how much he tried to give a description to Hogwarts, one had to be there to witness it themselves to understand the feeling of awe from the place.

It was, pardon the pun, truly magical.

Their little boat trip went on just a little longer as the prospective students looked on at the castle in wonder until they reached the docks by the castle, with Hagrid making the wood structure vibrate lightly under his weight as he got off the boat. Harry kept a firm hold on Neville as he got off himself, then the two boys offered a hand to their female passengers, with Harry helping the unknown girl out of the boat.

"Thank you, kind sir." The girl replied with a teasing tone, to which Harry gave a bow out of humour.

"It is no problem, my fair lady." Harry answered back with a smile. "It is quite dark, and as I told a friend a few minutes ago, I do not want to be in the hospital on the first night of Hogwarts. I believe that is the same for you?"

"Indeed." The girl raised a hand to him. "My name is Lisa Turpin, and you are?"

"Harry Evans." Harry took her hand and shook it, only for Lisa to lean forward to look at him closer.

"Harry Evans, how interesting. The family name is common enough, but with Harry as your first… One might say that you are related to a certain boy." Lisa winked as she straightened herself up. "I will keep your secret for now. It should be entertaining when the sorting arrives." With that, she went to meet up with some friends and leaving Harry feeling very grateful for his Occlumency as he was currently thanking every god he knew that she did not say it out loud and at the same time berating himself for not getting enough precautions. A minor thought came to his mind that if Lisa Turpin did not end up in Ravenclaw or Slytherin, he would eat his wand. But as it stood, he needed to be more prepared if he was already getting people wondering about his alias, he had to go against the master manipulator himself at some point in the future.

He needed to practise more constant vigilance!

(Somewhere in London, a certain soon-to-retire Auror was talking with a certain female Head of the DMLE regarding her niece's arrival to Hogwarts and the earlier arrests at the platform when he paused to look around the room with a wicked smile, making the woman pale at his expression. He then started shouting praises of someone demonstrating his favourite saying while making the woman palm her face in frustration and wondering who the hell was the one making him this excitable.)

"Harry, are you okay?" Padma tapped him on the shoulder as he stood there wondering the odd feeling he just had.

"Yeah, just thinking about this moment." Harry answered easily. "I have heard about Hogwarts a few times in the past couple of years, not to mention the different staff involved. And when you consider the good and the bad news one hears about the academy, I can't help wondering what my parents would feel knowing I am now here."

"Well, I suppose it can be a little nerve-wrecking." Padma nodded in agreement as she looked to the castle. "I won't lie, I have heard a few stories about Hogwarts and Britain, not all of them nice." She turned slightly to look at Harry with a shy smile. "At least I have some company." Harry placed a hand on her shoulder to assure her, making her smile wider. Of course, the moment got interrupted by a smirking Parvati with a gleam in her eyes.

"Oh my, something you want to share?" Harry broke contact with Padma's shoulder and the two looked to the side with blushing faces while Parvati gave off a laugh that sounded like that old lady down the street when she found something amusing to entertain herself with. Even Neville gave a light if nervous chuckle at their interaction, but it did make them less nervous for what was to come. They joined the rest and made their way up another path which was just as dark but less wet with more proper footing which made a few around Harry thanked him for the light source. It was only once they passed one of the torch lamps that Harry began to bring back his light balls and reducing their intensity until they reached the front gate, upon which Harry gave a flick of the finger to cancel the spell. As though on cue, Hagrid raised an arm and knocked hard on the doors, making Harry wonder briefly if they were reinforced to ensure the giant's strength did not break them as the gate was shaking from the force alone. He could see the dust coming off of the brickwork from the knocks.

He would think about it later, as the doors opened up to reveal a stern woman dressed in dark robes with a clan tartan wrapped around her. It was time to enter the academy from which his parents graduated from. Harry produced a small smirk as he walked in with the others.

He wondered if Filius would enjoy the little tribute to his mother at the sorting…