Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter!

Without much further procrastinating here is the sequal to Harry Potter: It Begins!

Chapter One

The Worst Birthday

In a world full of magic, turning twelve was not really a huge occasion, but for an Animalia – a being born from the pure magic of the earth, the Life Stream – turning twelve was a huge occasion. Not as big as thirteen, when an Animalia begins to mature, but being twelve was still a big deal. It meant that said magical being had survived twelve years of being hunted for their power.

Said Animalia, a lovely white haired and silvery eyed girl named Hikosu Snape, lived in England, with her best friend, Harry Potter. Why didn't she live with her father, Severus Snape? Well, because of the fact that they had grown up in the Muggle world, a world of nonmagical people, to save them from growing up with the knowledge that they were special.

It wasn't the first time that an argument had broken out over breakfast at number four, Privet Drive. Mr. Vernon Dursley had been woken in the early hours of the morning by a loud, hooting noise from his nephew Harry's room.

"Third time this week!" he roared across the table. "If you can't control that owl, it'll have to go!"

Owls weren't the worst of his problem. Animalia were granted Guides in the form of animals to help them develop their inner magic, their core magic, which was held deep within themselves. Hikosu had found two so far – Animalia could have any number of Guides – a white wolf, named Cael, and a snow leopard, named Fayen.

Of course, they were able to change their size so they were able to blend in easier. Fayen was a prized house cat while Cael posed as a wolf hound…sort of.

Petuna, Vernon's wife, had a fit with the two animals. She screamed on the top of her lungs when Fayen sauntered in the living room in her full height. Well, everyone else would probably scream that loud if a snow leopard was looking at you hungrily.

Harry tried, yet again, to explain.

"She's bored," he said. "She's used to flying around outside. If I could just let her out at night…" he was cut off by his uncle.

"Do I look stupid?" snarled Uncle Vernon, a bit of fried egg dangling from his bushy mustache. "I know what'll happen if that owl's let out."

He exchanged looks with his wife.

Harry tried to argue back but his words were drowned by a long, loud belch from the Dursleys' son, Dudley.

"Oh, gross!" Hikosu said, waving her hand in front of her face. Fortunately, she was allowed to keep her pristine white hair color. Petunia had tried to dye it that ugly brown color, but each time she drank the water from the Life Spring her looks returned to normal. Her voice had only strengthened during the summer. After she had come back to the Dursleys – this was a week later than Harry since she had to do her finals – the two got together and surmised that it was because she had accessed her core power early. Hikosu didn't understand it, seeing as she had only met one other Animalia and it was for a short time, but she just went with it. It was wonderful to be able to speak out loud instead of in someone's head!

"I want more bacon." He grunted as Hikosu scrunched her nose in disgust.

"There's more in the frying pan, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia, turning her misty eyes on her massive son. "We must build you up while we've got the chance…I don't like the sound of that school food…"

"Nonsense, Petunia, I never went hungry when I was at Smeltings," said Uncle Vernon heartily. "Dudley gets enough, don't you, son?"

Dudley, who was so large his bottom drooped over either side of the kitchen chair, grinned and turned to Harry. Hikosu just scooted away from him, purely disgusted at the boy's…well…attitude.

"Pass the frying pan."

"You've forgotten the magic word," said Harry irritably.

The effect of this simple sentence on the rest of the family was incredible: Dudley gasped and fell off his chair with a crash that shook the whole kitchen; Mrs. Dursley gave a small scream and clapped her hands to her mouth; Mr. Dursley jumped to his feet, veins throbbing in his temples; Cael morphed to human mode and stood protectively in front of Hikosu while Fayen did the same with Harry.

"I meant 'please'!" said Harry quickly as he peered around Fayen's shoulder. "I didn't mean…"

"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU," thundered his uncle, spraying spit over the table, "ABOUT SAYING THE 'M' WORD IN OUR HOUSE?"

"But I…"

"HOW DARE YOU THREATEN DUDLEY!" roared Uncle Vernon, pounding the table with his fist.

"I just…"

"I WARNED YOU! I WILL NOT TOLERATE MENTION OF YOUR ABNORMALITY UNDER THIS ROOF!"

"Will you let him talk instead of interrupting him all the time?" Hikosu exclaimed as she stood from her chair. Her silver eyes flashed dangerously as a very thin outline of silver appeared around her body. Ever since she had unlocked her core magic, she had been activating it every time she became emotional.

Harry put a hand on her arm and stared from his purple-faced uncle to his pale aunt, who was trying to heave Dudley to his feet.

"All right," said Harry, giving up almost too easily, "all right…"

Uncle Vernon sat back down, breathing like a winded rhinoceros and watching Harry closely out of the corners of his small, sharp eyes. Hikosu continued to glare sharply at him, but she calmed down. As she did, the small silver outline faded away and was absorbed back into her body.

Ever since Harry and Hikosu– with her two Guides as an extension – had come home for the summer holidays, Vernon had been treating them like a bomb that might go off at any moment, because they weren't normal children. As a matter of fact, he was as not normal as it is possible to be. Like stated before, Hikosu was an Animalia, but Harry was a Wizard. They were fresh from their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And if the Dursleys were unhappy to have them back for the holidays, it was nothing to how the two children felt.

Hikosu, actually, cried herself to sleep at least four nights out of the week. She missed her father greatly and couldn't wait until next summer – when she was able to go home with him for the first time. They missed Hogwarts so much it was like having a constant stomachache. They missed the castle, with its secret passageways and ghosts, their classes, the mail arriving by owl, eating banquets in the Great Hall, sleeping in their four-poster beds (although this was a different experience for both of them), visiting the gamekeeper, Hagrid, in his cabin next to the Forbidden Forest in the grounds, and, especially, Quidditch. Harry was great at it, but Hikosu didn't like heights let alone broomsticks.

All of their spellbooks, their wands, robes, cauldrons, and everything else had been locked in a cupboard under the stairs by Uncle Vernon the instant the two came home. What did the Dursleys care if Harry lost his place on the House Quidditch team because he hadn't practiced all summer? What was it to the Dursleys if they went back to school without any of their homework done? If Hikosu felt depressed because she couldn't read up on any magical creatures? The Dursleys were what wizards called Muggles (not a drop of magical blood in their veins), and as far as they were concerned, having a wizard in the family was a matter of deepest shame. They had no idea what to feel about Hikosu – she was a witch and an Animalia. According to the Dursleys since she wasn't human, she was something to be feared. Uncle Vernon was horrible – he had even padlocked Harry's owl, Hedwig, inside her cage to stop her from carrying messages to anyone in the wizarding world.

Harry looked nothing like the rest of the family. Uncle Vernon was large and necklace, with an enormous black mustache; Aunt Petunia was horse-faced and boney; Dudley was small, pink, and porky. Harry, on the other hand, was small and skinny, with brilliant green eyes and jet-black hair that was always untidy. Hikosu thought that he looked kind of cute with his hair messy. Harry wore round glasses, and on his forehead was a thin, lightning-shaped scar. Hikosu also had a mark on her skin, but, unlike Harry's, it was simply a circle with a line through it to represent Earth. It was a symbol mostly seen in alchemy.

She speculated that it was because of the mark that she hadn't been able to talk before, but for some reason the mark had began to fade. It was still there, which was perhaps why she had been experiencing brief times when she couldn't talk.

Harry's scar was what made Harry so particularly unusual, even for a wizard. This scar was the only hint of Harry's very mysterious past, of the reason he had been left on the Dursleys' doorstep eleven years before.

At the age of one year old, Harry and Hikosu had somehow survived a curse from the greatest Dark sorcerer of all time, Lord Voldemort, whose name most witches and wizards still feared to speak. Harry's parents had died in Voldemort's attack, but Harry had escaped with his lightning scar – but it was unclear why Hikosu remained alive as well. Most speculated that it was either because of the mark on her throat or it was because she was an Animalia. They held great, but unknown, power. Voldemort's powers had been destroyed the instant he had failed to kill the two children.

So Harry and Hikosu had been brought up by his dead mother's sister and her husband. He had spent ten years with the Dursleys along with his best friend and they had never understood why they kept making odd things happen without meaning to, believing the Dursleys' story that he had got his scar in the car crash that had killed his parents.

And then, exactly a year ago, Hogwarts had written to Harry and Hikosu and the whole story had come out. Harry had taken up his place at the wizarding school while Hikosu met her two animal guides. They were famous at the school, but now the school year was over, and they were back with the Dursleys for the summer, back to being treated like dogs that had rolled in something smelly.

The Dursleys hadn't even remembered that today happened to be Harry's twelfth birthday. Of course, his hopes hadn't been high; they'd never given him a real present before, let alone a cake – but to ignore it completely…

At least Hikosu managed to remember. She sent Cael to Diagon Alley and he had returned with the newest edition of Quidditch Through the Ages and a new book titled Fantastic Seekers and Their Tricks of Trade. It held tips on becoming an outstanding Seeker. Cael had also purchased him a small decorative ring that would glow when their loved one was in danger – it was so that if Hikosu was in danger, Harry would know if they were separated.

At that moment, Uncle Vernon cleared his throat importantly and said, "Now, as we all know, today is a very important day."

Harry and Hikosu looked up, hardly daring to believe it.

"This could well be the day I make the biggest deal of my career," said Uncle Vernon.

Harry went back to his toast as the white haired girl patted him on the back. Vernon had, of course, been talking of nothing else for two weeks. Some rich builder and his wife were coming to dinner and Uncle Vernon was hoping to get a huge order from him (Uncle Vernon's company made drills).

"I think we should run through the schedule one more time," said Uncle Vernon. "We should all be in position at eight o'clock. Petunia, you will be?"

"In the lounge," said Aunt Petunia promptly, "waiting to welcome them graciously to our home."

"Good, good. And Dudley?"

"I'll be waiting to open the door." Dudley put on a foul, simpering smile. "May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?"

"They'll love him!" cried Aunt Petunia rapturously.

"Excellent, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon. Then he rounded on Harry and the others. "And you four?"

"I'll be in our bedroom, making no noise and pretending I'm not there." Harry said tonelessly.

"I'll be in our bedroom, making some sick noises and pretending that I'm ill." Hikosu murmured in a dull voice.

"I shall resume the farce of a simple prized housecat." Fayen said with a hiss.

"I shall return to the form of a wolf and use my glamour-magic to hide my ferocity."

"Exactly," said Uncle Vernon nastily. "I will lead them into the lounge, introduce you, Petunia, and pour them drinks. At eight-fifteen…"

"I'll announce dinner," said Aunt Petunia.

"And, Dudley, you'll say…"

"May I take you through to the dining room, Mrs. Mason?" said Dudley, offering his fat arm to an invisible woman.

"My perfect little gentleman!" sniffed Aunt Petunia.

"And you four?" said Uncle Vernon viciously to the others.

"I'll be in our room, making no noise and pretending I'm not there." Harry said dully.

"I'll be in our room, making sick noises and pretending that I'm ill." Hikosu said just as dully.

"We'll still pretend to be normal useless pets." Fayen answered for herself and Cael.

"Precisely. Now, we should aim to get in a few good compliments at dinner. Petunia, any ideas?"

"Vernon tells me you are a wonderful golfer, Mr. Mason…Do tell me where you bought your dress, Mrs. Mason."

"Perfect…Dudley?"

"How about 'We had to write an essay about our hero at school, Mr. Mason, and I wrote about you.'"

This was too much for Aunt Petunia, Harry, and Hikosu. Petunia burst into tears and hugged her son while Harry ducked under the table so they wouldn't see him laughing. Hikosu didn't care and burst out laughing anyway, drawing a dirty look from the fat tub of lard.

"And you?" Vernon questioned, glaring at Harry and Hikosu.

"We'll be in our room, pretending he doesn't exist and making sick noises so that they think I'm ill." Hikosu answered for them

"Too right, you will," said Uncle Vernon forcefully. Truth be told, he was still a little unnerved by the fact that Hikosu could now talk for short periods of time. "The Masons don't know anything about you, boy, and it's going to stay that way. When dinner's over, you take Mrs. Mason back to the lounge for coffee, Petunia, and I'll bring the subject around to drills. With any luck, I'll have the deal signed and sealed before the news at ten. We'll be shopping for a vacation home in Majorca this time tomorrow."

Harry couldn't feel too excited about this and he could tell that Hikosu didn't either. He didn't think the Dursleys would like them any better in Majorca than they did on Privet Drive.

"Right – I'm off into town to pick up the dinner jackets for Dudley and me. And you two," he snarled to Harry and Hikosu, "You stay out of Petunia's way while she's cleaning."

Harry left through the backdoor after taking Hikosu's hand in his. It was a brilliant, sunny day. They crossed the lawn, slumped down on the garden bench, and sang under his breath:

"Happy birthday to me…happy birthday to me…"

No cards, but he did receive a couple of presents, and he and Hikosu would be spending the evening up in their room. He gazed miserably into the hedge as the white haired girl began to rub his back. She was good at that. Harry had never felt so lonely, but he wasn't truly alone. The only time he had been truly alone was when Hikosu was kidnapped during their first year. He had been absolutely miserable.

More than anything else at Hogwarts, more even than playing Quidditch, Harry missed his friends. He could tell that Hikosu did, too, even though she wasn't as close to them as he was. They did, after all, accuse her father of being the one wanting to steal the Philosopher's Stone. They, however, didn't seem to be missing them at all. Neither of them had written to him all summer, even though Ron had said he was going to ask the two to come and stay.

Countless times, Harry had been on the point of unlocking Hedwig's cage by magic and sending her to Ron and Hermione with a letter, but it wasn't worth the risk. Underage wizards weren't allowed to use magic outside of school. Fayen and Cael couldn't go, either. Although they were magical, they didn't have the keen sense of direction that owls possessed.

No matter how much they wanted to, underage witches and wizards weren't allowed to use magic outside of the school. Neither Harry nor Hikosu told the Dursleys this; they knew it was only the Dursleys' terror that either one of them might turn them all into dung beetles that stopped them from locking either of them under the stairs with his wand and broomstick. For the first couple of weeks back the two of them enjoyed muttering nonsense words under his breath and watching Dudley tearing out of the room as fast as his fat legs would carry him. But, for Harry, the long silence from Ron and Hermione made him feel so cut off from the magical world that even taunting Dudley had lost its appeal – and now Ron and Hermione had forgotten his birthday.

What wouldn't he give now for a message from Hogwarts? From any witch or wizard? He'd almost be glad of a sight of his archenemy, Draco Malfoy, just to be sure it hadn't been all a dream. But, then again, it couldn't be a dream because once a week either Fayen or Cael would retrieve a week's worth of water from the Life Spring – the source of the water that stabilized Hikosu's core magic. She went without it for the first eleven years of her life and now she needed to drink a vial of it every day until she turned thirteen. She needed to be submerged in the Life Spring every year on her birthday or else her magic would fade away and she would become an empty husk of herself.

The two missed Hogwarts with everything in their being, except for, perhaps, the end of the year. At the very end of last term, Harry and Hikosu had come face-to-face with none other than Lord Voldemort himself. Voldemort might be a ruin of his former self, but he was still terrifying, still cunning, still determined to regain power. Harry had slipped through Voldemort's clutches for a second time, mainly thanks to Hikosu's uncontrolled core magic, but it had been a narrow escape, and even now, weeks later, both of the magical children would wake in the night, drenched in cold sweat, wondering where Voldemort was now, remembering his livid face, his wide, mad eyes…

Harry suddenly sat bolt upright on the garden bench.

"What, what's wrong?" Hikosu asked him, jerking up herself. Harry had been staring absent-mindedly into the hedge – and the hedge was staring back. Two enormous green eyes had appeared among the leaves.

Harry and Hikosu jumped to their feet as a jeering voice floated across the lawn.

"I know what day it is," Dudley sang, waddling towards them.

The huge eyes blinked and vanished.

"What?" said Harry, not taking his eyes off the spot where they had been.

"I know what day it is," Dudley repeated, coming right up to him.

"Well done," said Harry. "So you've finally learned the days of the week." Hikosu couldn't help but snort in an attempt not to die from laughter. Cael watched the fat pig-boy with wide eyes, staring the boy down in disgruntlement.

"Today's your birthday." Sneered Dudley. "How come you haven't got any card? Haven't you even got friends at that freak place?"

"I bought him a gift with the money my father sent me. Cael is useful for some things, you know." Hikosu said with a smile. Cael let out an irritated huff, but it was directed at the fat boy.

"Better not let your mum hear you talking about our school," said Harry coolly.

Dudley hitched up his trousers, which were slipping down his fat bottom.

"Why're you staring at the hedge?" he said suspiciously.

"I'm trying to decide what would be the best spell to set it on fire," said Harry.

"And I'm trying to figure out which one would be the best to put it out again." Hikosu giggled.

Dudley stumbled backward at once, a look of panic on his fat face.

"You c-can't – Dad told you you're not to do m-magic – he said he'll chuck you out of the house – and you haven't got anywhere else to go – you haven't got any friends to take youj and Dorothea…"

"My name is Hikosu." The white haired girl spat out with a glare.

"Jiggery pokery!" said Harry in a fierce voice. "Hocus pocus – squiggly wiggly –"

"Mum!" howled Dudley, tripping over his feet as he dashed back toward the house. "Mum! He's doing you know what!"

"Jiggery pokery? Really, Harry?" Hikosu giggled, calming down again. They paid dearly for their moment of fun, though. As neither Dudley nor the hedge was in any way hurt, Aunt Petunia knew that he hadn't really done magic, but he still had to duck as she aimed a heavy blow at his head with the soapy frying pan. Then she gave the two of them work to do, with the promise that they wouldn't eat again until they'd finished.

While Dudley lolled around watched and eating ice cream, Harry cleaned the windows, Hikosu washed the car, Harry mowed the lawn, Hikosu trimmed the flowerbeds, Harry pruned and watered the roses, and the two of them repainted the garden bench. The sun blazed overhead, burning the back of their necks. Harry knew he shouldn't have risen to Dudley's bait, but Dudley had said the thing Harry had been thinking himself…maybe he didn't have any friends besides Hikosu at Hogwarts…

Wish they could see the famous Harry Potter now, he thought savagely as he spread manure on the flower beds, his back aching, sweat running down his face. Then, he felt awful. He glanced over to the white haired girl – she never once complained about not getting a letter from her father. He had promised to write her over the break, but then if he wasn't writing…couldn't he have at least visited?

It was half past seven in the evening when at last, exhausted, he heard Aunt Petunia calling for the two of them.

"Get in here you two! And walk on the newspaper!"

Harry and Hikosu moved gladly into the shade of the gleaming kitchen. On top of the fridge stood tonight's pudding: a huge mound of whipped cream and sugared violets. A loin of roast pork was sizzling in the oven.

"Eat quickly! The Masons will be here soon!" snapped Aunt Petunia, pointing to two slices of bread and a lump of cheese on the kitchen table. She was already wearing a salmon-pink cocktail dress.

Harry washed his hands after his best friend did and bolted down his pitiful supper just as quickly as she did. The moment that the two of them finished, Aunt Petunia whisked away their plates.

"Upstairs! Hurry!"

As they passed the door to the living room, Harry caught a glimpse of Uncle Vernon and Dudley in bow ties and dinner jackets. He had only just reached the upstairs landing, guiding Hikosu in front of him, when the doorbell rang and Uncle Vernon's furious face appeared at the foot of the stairs.

"Remember, boy – one sound. You, too, girl."

Harry crossed to his bedroom on tiptoe and Hikosu let out a loud sneeze and multiple coughing noises before slipping into the room. They close the door and turned to collapse on the bed…

The trouble was, there was already someone sitting on it.