Hey there, this is the new version of Chapter 1 :p Please enjoy, there's much more effort involved in the writing of this one, plus a program with spellcheck!

The indifference that shrouded Petunia Dursley's voice as she told Harry that the local secondary school -Stonewall High- was having a summer fete was absolutely no surprise to him. It was all he could do to nod civilly and reply in his most respectful tone, but of course his aunt saw right through his supposed apathy. A voice in the back of his head -one which sounded suspiciously similar to Professor Snape's- commented that it was probably a good idea to not wear Dudley's hand-me-downs whilst attending this fair, after all the entire neighbourhood already thought he was a delinquent that attended a secure centre for incurably criminal boys, he didn't need to add to their negative perception. The only clothing in his trunk that had any semblance of normalcy was the parts of his Hogwarts uniform that did not bare the school or Gryffindor crest.

Though he could see that Aunt Petunia didn't want to acknowledge it, as he re-entered the kitchen to get a glass of water, what he was wearing was a definite improvement over the oversized things he was forced to wear.

As he walked through the streets of Little Whinging, he couldn't help but glance over his shoulder every few steps. Harry felt as something was crawling over his skin, that treacherous, yet helpful indication that he was being followed. A part of him believed that it was probably on Dumbledore's orders, just in case Death Eaters decided to attack, however the slightly more cynical part of him -again a part that sounded scarily akin to the Potion's Master- told him to be on guard, that it could indeed be Death Eaters. If the person, or group, following him meant him any harm, they would likely do so while he was in an enclosed space which would restrict his mobility and the functionality of drawing his wand to defend himself. With that thought, he took a route toward to the school he was supposed to attend before finding out he was a student at Hogwarts that was somewhat longer than normal, keeping to roads which he knew would have other people wandering around. Thankfully, as he neared the school, there were a lot more of Little Whinging's residents, so he began to feel calmer, though he didn't become completely complacent. He did briefly question the idea of actually going into the school, especially if his unofficial escort was a Death Eater, he was pretty sure that murdering muggle children in addition to bringing Harry to their maniacal leader would just be a bonus.

The first thing he noted, about the summer fair, was that most of the students were in uniform, which meant he didn't stand out too much at all, and the second was that there was music playing. Harry looked around, and eventually spotted a group of four boys playing on an improvised stage. Interestedly, he made his way over to them and listened for a while. Overall, he enjoyed the music, he didn't know if they were performing their own songs, or if they were covering them, but there was one lyric in particular which really struck him.

"Don't fucking fuck with me anymore,

I'm so fucking sick of your fucking psychotic shit,

Get lost, get lost, get lost, get lost!

I'm losing my fucking mind, not even in a good way

And it's all because of you and your weird shit!"

The vocalist looked directly at Harry as he sang, and it was almost as if the world ended around him. In spite of the recent horrors he had witnessed, he smiled happily, feeling oddly at home amidst people his own age that knew nothing about him. Tearing his eyes away from the vocalist, he realised the two guitarists were acting strangely in the background -sticking their tongues out at each other, making rude gestures at each other when they had a spare second, and even going as far as kicking each other's arses. It was strangely amusing, and after a few more minutes, he found he was eagerly dancing with the rest of the small crowd. The boy band seemed to be somewhat infamous, from the glimmers of conversations that Harry managed to catch; their lyrics were usually about love, but when asked they always replied that the lyrics were about boys. In Harry's opinion, that wasn't too strange, after all, the wizarding world had songs about hippogriffs; Harry really didn't think songs about gay couples was that weird in comparison.

Harry wasn't entirely sure how long he stayed and watched the band, he found out that they didn't have a name as of yet, they had gone through several in the last school year -apparently they had been together as a group since year seven- but didn't like any of them. He hung around, hoping to at least tell them he appreciated the music, and but didn't think he would actually get the chance; they would probably go and mingle. He was utterly shocked then, when the vocalist approached him.

"Hey there stranger, I'm Alex," he said, making a peace sign as he did. Harry was aware that he was probably gaping at the poor boy, so he shook himself mentally, and was about to reply, when this boy -Alex- continued. "You looked kinda glum, I hope you feel better now, you certainly look a lot calmer."

"I'm Harry, and I just wanted to say, I really liked the music, and I do feel so much better now, something bad happened at the end of school, and it kind of shat me up I guess," Harry explained as best as he could. Alex threw a surreptitious look over his shoulder, and for the first time, Harry noticed that the other three boys, plus another were watching curiously.

"Do you want to get lemonade and come chat with us?" Alex asked sincerely, and Harry wondered if this meant he was going to make some muggle friends. He laughed internally, the thought was so strange, however he couldn't think of anything better to do at that time.

"I can come and talk," he confirmed, and it was somewhat heart-warming to see the genuine smile on Alex's features.

He was lead to a large tree, the others dropped into the shaded grass and grinned at each other, Harry sunk slowly, feeling comfortable yet nervous at the same time. The first to say anything was a tall Asian boy, and Harry was certain he didn't perform.

"Annyeonghashipnikka, hěn gāoxìng jiàn dào nǐ, Ezra to moushimasu," he said. Harry was immediately struck by how deep the boy's voice was, rich and soothing, yet strangely aggressive.

"You'll have to forgive Ezra, he's only been in England for a few months, he can speak English though, he just generally chooses not to with new people. I'm Jake," introduced one, who sported a shock of bright red hair. The others laughed, and Harry managed a smile too.

"I'm Paul," added another, "and this is Matt, my boyfriend." The band members watched Harry's reaction carefully -he thought that it was probably in case he said something rude.

"How long have you been together?" Harry asked interestedly, and he really was curious, as none of his friends at Hogwarts had managed to maintain a relationship for more than a few days without something going pear-shaped.

"Nearly two years," replied Matt, and Harry heard a hint of a European accent, though he couldn't quite place it. After a few seconds of pondering, he mentally slapped himself, Matt's accent sounded similar to Fleur's. "So, where do you go to school? I don't think I've seen you around here." Matt asked, and Harry deliberated about how much he could actually say about his education.

"I attend a boarding school in the Scottish Highlands, it's so backwards that most of the students haven't even heard of electricity and we write with quills and inkwells," he revealed, his tone light. There was a smattering of laughter amongst the others, they obviously thought it was amusing. Once the chuckles had died down, Alex turned to him.

"So what was this fuck up at the end of the school year?" He queried, and Harry wondered if that was the sole reason for him being there at that time.

"The entirety of last year was a fuck up," Harry told them darkly. "It began at the beginning of the year, I went with my friend's family to a sporting event, and while we were there some cultist psychopaths raided the campsite and started humiliating the campsite owners, doing things like pulling up the little girl's night dress. So anyway, I nearly got accused of err… painting this group's insignia on the grass, but considering it was the leader of that group that murdered my parents fourteen fucking years ago… honestly the people that graduate from my school have no common sense what-so-ever. Then when we got to school it was announced that there was going to be a tournament involving us, a school from France, and a school from Bulgaria, and that because people have died in the tournament in the past, there would be an age restriction of seventeen on entry." He paused for breath, and was almost pleased at the displeased expressions of his new friends. Where they friends? Well, Harry thought they could be.

"So obviously the other students arrive and, the ballot box is left in the Entrance Hall, on Halloween the Champions are selected; Fleur from France, Viktor from Bulgaria and Cedric from our own school. Somehow, and I really don't understand how the fuck this happened, but I was entered under a fourth school. Don't ask how, I don't know, but because it's a 'legally binding contract' I had to compete."

"I call bullshit," Ezra exclaimed angrily, and once more, Harry was oddly struck by his voice.

"Legally binding my ass, how can you compete if there is no fourth school and they know it?" Matt asked furiously, to which Paul gave an odd look –Harry by this point had no idea what was going on- and a vivid pink blush blossomed on Matt's cheekbones.

"The first task was a combat trial, and I think I got tied first place… I think Cedric got burnt on the face, and Fleur's robes caught fire… oh and Viktor poked the opponent's eyes… and the object we were supposed to collect got trampled, I on the other hand, only got a whack to the shoulder.

"The second task was a swimming trial, we have a massive lake in the grounds of our school, so someone special to us –like our best friend/girlfriend/boyfriend- was put in the centre, and we had to swim there, and then swim back with our friend who was of absolutely no use because they were bound. By this time I was in second place, because I have a hero complex and had to make sure everyone was rescued," he informed them dryly.

"The third task was a maze, sounds pleasant enough, but it wasn't. Viktor was ambushed on the outskirts and told that if he took out Fleur and Cedric, he would get the thousand pound winnings. So, naturally, he took out Fleur, but I happened across him as he was trying to get Cedric and together Cedric and I overcame him and left him in a bush. Cedric and I split up, and then coincidentally reached the centre of the maze at the same time, where the cup was. So we argued about who should take it, until eventually we decided that we should both take it, it would still be a victory for our school that way."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Paul pointed out.

"Then we got kidnapped, and taken to a graveyard where Cedric was murdered and the leader of the cult I mentioned earlier made his reappearance after living like a hobo in a forest in Albania since he failed to kill me when I was a year old." Harry continued as if he hadn't been interrupted, a decidedly sombre tone coating his words. He was almost saddened that he had told his potential friends about that, he didn't know how they would take that tidbit of information. They all seemed surprised, and quite rightly so.

"So let me get this straight," Ezra muttered, "a cult leader with a bit of an ego complex is now out to get you after failing to kill you as a baby and living as a hobo for the last thirteen years?"

"Pretty much," Harry confirmed, and he was amused at the way the other boy had summed it all up, when put that way, Voldemort didn't seem nearly as intimidating. "Do you know what the worst part of it is?" He asked, suddenly remembering something that he not divulged to Dumbledore or the Minister of Magic.

"What?" They all asked in unison.

"He was naked! He is a man of at least seventy, and he was there butt naked!" Harry exclaimed disgustedly. "He wouldn't even dress himself, the first thing he said was 'Wormtail, robe me!' It was almost enough to put me off men!" He cried in disgust. At his last revelation, there was a murmur of interest.

"You know…" began Alex slowly, "we don't have a drummer, you could probably tell… if you wanted, you could try it out, I don't think any of us would mind," he said hesitantly, looking around at the rest of his band-mates. When none of them disagreed, he continued. "I know you go to a boarding school, but while you're there you can learn and practise right? It might help with everything that's going on, music is a wonderful outlet for your frustrations, and you know what, I think I get why you looked so calm after that first song!"

Harry was absolutely astounded by the offer, and he shakily accepted, he could almost remember music lessons in primary school, and the way he had felt during them.

"I promise I will try my best," he told them.

"Drumming is easy," Ezra revealed abruptly, "you'll get the hang of it quickly, especially if you picture everyone you hate on the skins."

Harry, along with the rest of his newfound friends laughed at Ezra's comment, and continued talking about inane things for several hours, before Harry decided it was best for him to return to the Dursley's.

Annyeonghashipnikka - Hello - Korean/Hangul formal

hěn gāoxìng jiàn dào nǐ - Pleased to meet you - Mandarin Chinese

Ezra to moushimasu - my name is Ezra - Japanese

^ I have studied these so it should be right, but because of the blend of languages, the actual grammar probably isn't correct, sorry.

I hope you enjoyed the new version of Chapter 1!