The Brothers Strange, Sons of the Sorcerer

A Harry Potter and Marvel Universe crossover

Part 1 – Return to the Wizarding World

Chapter 2 – The Specters of Fear

August 25, 1993, London

Loath as Harry and Dudley were to admit it, wizards did have some rather impressive magic at their disposal, even if they seemed to use it in almost mundane ways. While it was true that their adopted father had tried to give them some exposure to "real" wizard magic over the previous two years, they'd rarely been impressed by the short jaunts they occasionally made into the wizards' domain. Now that they were stepping into the wizarding world proper, they were beginning to see that their initial impressions (colored by a healthy amount of disdain for wizards in general) were not in line with what wizards really were capable of doing. One area that was particularly interesting to them was the various forms of traveling wizards employed, especially over long distances. Here, they had to admit, wizards had a leg up.

There was the silly in principle but highly convenient Floo network, a series of connected fireplaces that allowed you to travel by enchanted fire. It was very near instantaneous travel and required no magic from the traveler. The downside to this form of travel was that it assumed that every building had a hearth large enough to fit a man standing up. This might have been true a century before, but in modern Britain it was by no means a certainty. Floo travel was also rather disorienting and quite dirty, though a simple spell could easily render a traveler's clothes soot-proof.

Next were broomsticks and flying carpets which, again, were pretty ridiculous in their conception, though Harry and Dudley could see the utility in an object that did the flying for you. The brooms, in particular, seemed like they would be uncomfortable to ride without some serious spells to cushion the shaft, and the carpets would likewise need lots of spellwork to keep them from blowing in the wind. As with the Floo, it smacked of a society that was clinging to old ways. As far as they were concerned, it would've been more useful to enchanting something like a car to fly, because at least then it wouldn't stick out so much.

Portkeys were objects charmed with, for lack of a better description, a "teleportation" spell. They were probably the second most useful form of travel, provided you had the power and skill to create one. Most people couldn't, since the power required to cast the spell was proportional to the distance that would be covered. Portkeys for short distance travel really was overkill.

Finally, there was apparition, the ability to magically transport oneself from one place to another instantaneously. Like making portkeys, apparition was harder to do over long distances. Ideally, Harry would have liked to have learned apparition, but his father had insisted that they learn this bit of wizard magic from the wizards themselves. He and Dudley found this rather odd, seeing as he'd been teaching them wizard magic for almost two years.

For their trip to England, they'd opted to catch an international portkey from the Beamon S. Scarborough International Portkey Terminal, an international travel hub for wizards entering and leaving the Magical States of America. As all magical transportation into and out of the country was regulated by the MSA's Department of Magical Transportation, they all knew that a major incident was just waiting to happen. The fact that Harry was leaving America was no small event. There was no doubt that, as they'd tried since he'd arrived on their shores, the MSA would again attempt to meddle in his life. Further complicating matters was the fact that Strange himself would be joining Harry and Dudley, which put the MSA in a rather embarrassing position.

Strange was something of a public enemy to the MSA. Officially, he was not allowed in any wizarding areas of the United States, and orders were to capture him if he ever trespassed. In practice, government officials tended to look the other way when the Sorcerer Supreme saw fit to enter their domain. No one was in a hurry to repeat the mistake of Gilead Starsmore and the "Court of Fools", whose actions had nearly cost the country it's sovereignty. All twelve had earned places of infamy in history, along with lengthy prison sentences for treason and high crimes against the state. Now that Strange was officially entering the wizarding world, having informed the proper authorities of his intention to travel via portkey, the MSA would have the difficult proposition of trying to follow through on their empty promises of punishment against him.

In the end, though, they'd been offered a way out by a friend of the MSA, Albus Dumbledore. He'd gotten a resolution passed by the British Ministry of Magic declaring that Strange was temporarily acting as an agent of the Wizengamot, thereby giving him just enough diplomatic immunity to "escape" prosecution. This way, it looked like the government's hands were tied, and all of the blame could fall squarely on Dumbledore's broad shoulders. It helped that Dumbledore had been instrumental in saving the MSA from invasion by the Russians and that he enjoyed a healthy popularity among American wizards.

Still, walking through the terminal was a tense affair, at least for the wizards and witches who were also traveling that day. From the moment they stepped inside, an armed escort followed them, their wands not so subtly trained on Strange. The doctor, though, seemed more concerned about the rude stares he was getting from his fellow travelers. Harry, Dudley, and Wong thought it was all quite funny. After all, Wong probably could have taken on their hostile escort single-handedly, and he was by far the least dangerous of the four.

The portkey trip was quick and uneventful, though not very pleasant. To Harry and Dudley, it felt unsettlingly like going over the first hill of a roller coaster, only it lasted for nearly a minute. It deposited them so abruptly in the arrivals terminal that they very nearly toppled over when their feet hit the ground. Strange looked amused at their stumbling, but was nice enough not to comment.

A wizard was waiting for them at the gate, holding a sign up that said "Strange". Following their father's lead, Harry and Dudley walked right past him without a word. "No sense in just giving away where we'll be staying, especially not to the British Ministry of Magic." Strange said once they'd exited the building. The anti-apparition wards of the terminal behind them, he waved his hands and uttered a spell, and they disappeared in a flash of light.

Later that evening, the four sat in comfortable silence on the terrace of a very posh penthouse in central London, enjoying the cool summer breeze that wafted lazily across the city while they ate dinner. Harry, in particular, was really just picking at his food, which Strange noticed.

"Something wrong with your food, Harry?" he asked.

"Wha-? Oh, no, nothing's wrong, I was just thinking."

"Uh oh. What'd I tell you about doing that?" joked Dudley.

"Haha, you're hilarious." Harry said drolly, rolling his eyes. "I was just thinking about our friends."

"Yeah? What about those bums?" Dudley said, suddenly grumpy. Strange raised an eyebrow at this. "What?"

"Don't mind him, Dad, he's still mad at Alex." Harry said quickly. "And besides that, our friends weren't too happy to see us leave. I guess it was kinda sudden."

"Children." Strange said, sharing a commiserating glance with Wong. "They do know that you'll be back during the summer, right?"

"Well yeah, but that's like a million years from now." Dudley whined. Harry nodded earnestly in agreement.

Strange laughed and shook his head at the hyperbole, and to the relief of the boys he let the matter drop. They couldn't exactly share with him the real reason that they'd been feeling slightly depressed.

The previous two months had passed quite quickly, even by Dudley and Harry's standards. With the passage of time came more than a few changes, some more pleasant than others. They'd completed their (now officially) final year at the Greenwich Village Montessori School with their usual high grades. Another wonderful birthday celebration had been thrown and was considered wildly successful, if somewhat bittersweet. It was, to some degree, a going away party, and the attendance was the highest ever.

On the downside, their leaving New York for England, had been the final nail in the coffin of the Power Pack. Alex, having finally graduated high school, had been hinting at wanting to strike out on his own as a hero. Even Julie had been feeling some angst about the team, which she claimed was getting in the way of her conflicting desires to be an actress or a scientist. Harry and Dudley had anticipated this many months ago and fully intended to continue the Pack without the older members. They'd even gone so far as to invite Cassie Lang after she shared a secret with them: after years of stealing and exposing herself to Pym Particles, she'd finally begun reacting to them and was learning to shrink and grow just like her father. Without the two Strange brothers, though, there was nothing keeping the disintegrating team together.

And so the Power Pack, all seven of them, had gone on one last patrol around New York City, just for old time's sake. It hadn't gone well. Jack's unhappiness with the situation and anger at his older brother had boiled over, and Harry and Dudley had been more than happy to take his side. Julie, meanwhile, had reluctantly sided with Alex, and though he'd known why, that had hurt Harry. In the middle were the two youngest, Franklin and Katie, who struggled to keep the two sides apart. That was how the last meeting of the Power Pack had ended, with angry words (mostly directed at Alex) and a near clash of powers. Now, three days later, they'd left New York, having only spoken to Jack and Franklin. Julie and Katie, apparently, were still upset with them.

It hadn't been the way they wanted things to end, and already the boys had been discussing ways to mend fences once they returned the following summer. The reality was that they still wanted to be superheroes, and they'd much rather fight crime with a team than by themselves. Harry had been thinking of this all week, and now that he actually was in another country, he knew they'd need to do something to keep their friends back home.

"Dad, do we have a computer in this apartment?" he asked suddenly. "And dial-up?"

Strange looked thoughtful a moment. "I believe so. This is an executive penthouse, so it ought to have that sort of thing. Why do you ask?"

"I think I'll send Frank an e-mail before I go to bed." he said, rising from the table. "Maybe write some letters to some of our other friends, too."

"Ah. Well if you get them done tonight, I can take them back with me tomorrow." said Strange.

"Hah, I bet you're just gonna write a love letter to Julie." Dudley said, waggling his eyebrows.

Harry blushed, but he didn't back down. He stroked his chin as if he were thinking of something interesting. "Actually, I was thinking more about Cassie. I'm sure we'll have lots to talk about." he said, smirking "Did I ever tell you how much she likes my scar? She said it made me look cool."

"SHE WHAT?" Dudley jumped up, looking shocked and outraged.

"Oh yeah, this scar's a total babe magnet." Harry replied smugly. "No wonder Cassie's all over – CHRIST!"

Harry dove out of the way, just narrowly avoiding a bolt of blue light that shot from Dudley's wand. He rolled away from two more spells and scuttled behind his father, hoping Dudley wouldn't want to chance hitting him. Strange, Harry noticed, was trying very hard not to laugh at the exchange. "Joking! I was just joking, Dud, honest!" He exclaimed, peeking cautiously out from below the table.

"Oh...well yeah, I knew that." Dudley said huffily, returning his wand to the holster on is belt. "I, uh, I think I'll go write to everyone back home too. Excuse me."

Harry shook his head as he watched Dudley go, looking chagrined. "Man, can't he take a joke? He's been ragging on me about Julie for years now, and have I ever cursed him for it?"

Wong and Strange looked at each other and chuckled. "Yes, quite a few times, Master Harry." replied Wong.

"Oh. Well I guess that makes sense, then. Dunno why Dud's even worried, though. Cassie's so not my type. " said Harry, turning and heading indoors. "Too tall."

Diagon Alley, London, August 27, 1993

Three days before the start of fall term was probably not the best time to go shopping for school supplies, Dumbledore mused ruefully. Diagon Alley, the center of wizarding commerce in the United Kingdom, was seldom more busy or crowded than the week immediately before the start of fall term at Hogwarts. The fact that two of the most famous and recognizable wizards in England would soon venture out amid the throng would not help. Worst still was the fact that, only a few weeks prior, someone had leaked the news that Harry would be attending Hogwarts and that one of his demands had been to allow his muggle cousin to attend as well. The media and public circus that had ensued had been the stuff of legend. Dumbledore had little doubt that Dudley and Strange, now arguably the most famous muggles in wizarding England, would attract as much attention as he and Harry would.

In short, what should've been a quick and simple jaunt into the Alley had all the signs of being an exceedingly troublesome and annoying day. Add to that the decidedly negative attitudes that his three companions were likely to have, and he could already feel a headache coming on.

Dumbledore looked up as the door to the Leaky Cauldron's street entrance opened and Dr. Strange strode in, followed closely by Harry and Dudley. He was again struck by how much the boys idolized their adopted father, to the point that they were dressed almost identically. Both wore cloaks that were similar in fashion to Strange's, though the jewels at the clasps were different. They ignored the interested looks from those seated inside and made a beeline for where he sat. Dumbledore rose to greet them and smiled warmly, extending a hand in greeting. Dr. Strange shook it firmly, as did his young charges.

"Stephen, Harry, Dudley, I trust your trip was pleasant?" he asked, trying to sound cheerful. "The minister was a bit worried when they missed you at the terminal."

Strange smiled, but the expression didn't quite meet his eyes. "Now Albus, you know I like a spectacle as much as the next person, and I can't remember a red carpet I didn't enjoy stepping on, but we preferred to keep a low profile. For safety reasons, of course." he said as he took a seat. Harry and Dudley followed suit, watching their interaction with great interest.

"Ah yes, I quite agree. Cornelius is somewhat prone to theatrics at times and I've no doubt it would have left you rather exposed." Dumbledore nodded. "Then again, so long as you continue to employ such effective glamours, I'm sure you won't have much to worry about."

Harry and Dudley raised their eyebrows in surprise at this statement, but Strange only laughed. "I'm always amazed how much you like to show off, Albus."

Dumbledore grinned despite himself. "You're certainly one to talk, Stephen."

Strange waved the comment away. "Oh no, these aren't my glamours. Harry and Dudley do their own."

Dumbledore nodded with understanding. "That certainly explains why it was so easy to see through them and why you look like you have none on at all. I imagine if I were someone else, you would look completely different."

Strange grinned cheekily at his sons. "See, I told you he likes to show off. And don't pout, Albus has the annoying habit of seeing through everyone's disguises."

"Except yours." Dudley said crossly.

"Except mine. I'm not Sorcerer Supreme because of my good looks, you know." Strange said, ruffling Dudley's hair. "Now then, what say we go do some shopping?"

"A capital idea. I dare say we ought to get a move on, as the crowds are quite dreadful the last few days before start of term." said Dumbledore, rising smoothly from his seat.

He'd known they wouldn't be, but Dumbledore was still slightly put out that neither Harry nor Dudley were impressed by the entrance to Diagon Alley. To hear them tell it, the gateway to Old Amsterdam in New York City was more interesting, being an elaborate concoction of glamours, transfigurations, and muggle repelling charms that resulted in what looked like an overflowing landfill next to a decaying 17th century cemetery. Their enthusiastic explanation did sound rather impressive, though it got rather grating to hear them constantly scoff at the size and variety of shops available in Diagon Alley as compared to Old Amsterdam. Apparently everything was bigger, better, and more modern in America.

"So," Dumbledore said loudly, cutting off Harry and Dudley's conversation on how tiny Quality Quidditch Supplies was compared to the Quadpot Authority, "what shall we shop for first?"

"Wands!" Harry and Dudley said eagerly. Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at their zeal and chuckled.

"I suppose that should have been expected." he said. "Ollivander's is just this way, and there we will find some of the finest wands in the world."

It took them some time to wend their way through the crowded street, as Dumbledore found himself accosted on more than a few occasions by acquaintances. Eventually, though, they found themselves in front of the store in question.

The interior of Ollivander's was quite the opposite of the rest of Diagon Alley in that it was as quiet as a library. Despite the crowds outside, the shop was empty. Small candles burned in sconces along the walls, but most of the light was provided by the sunlight shining through the windows. Tiny motes of dust drifted through the air, glowing like golden sparks in the afternoon sun. Harry and Dudley led the way in, followed by Dumbledore and then Strange. The boys looked around the shop in semi-stunned awe, their mouths hanging open slightly. They could both feel magic thick in the air, almost like a hot breeze slowly washing over them. Looking closer, they could see that it was coming from the thousands of small boxes that lined the walls and covered the ceiling high shelves that ran behind the shops counter. There was no mistaking that these boxes held powerful magical items, the very wands for which Ollivander was apparently famous.

Harry moved to ring the bell on the counter when, much to his surprise, a man seemed to appear from nowhere in front of him. He jumped back, battle instincts taking over as he raised his hands, a spell on his lips. He vaguely saw in his peripheral vision that Dudley had done the same thing. They both seemed to catch themselves and, looking a bit embarrassed, lowered their hands. The man, who looked to be almost half Dumbledore's age, merely stared at them with his large eyes, a slight smile of both curiosity and amusement on his face.

"Ah, so it is true then. Welcome back to the wizarding world, Mr. Potter." he said, his voice just above a whisper. He turned to regard Dudley. "And you would be young Mr. Dursley, yes? Excellent."

He walked around the counter and shook hands with Harry and Dudley. He turned his attention to Dumbledore, whose hand he grasped in a friendly gesture. "Albus." And finally, he turned to Strange who, much to the boys' surprise, looked interested, maybe even eager to meet the old wand maker. "Dr. Strange, it is a privilege to have you in my shop."

Strange smiled and shook the man's hand warmly. "The privilege is mine, Mr. Ollivander. I've wanted to meet you for some time now, but schedules being what they are, and the political climate not being particularly amenable..."

"You honor me, Dr. Strange. I realize that you carry a heavy burden and that your time is precious." Ollivander said with a slight bow. "If I may ask, why have you wanted to see me?"

Strange smiled and said, "My master, the Ancient One, spoke highly of your skills, and said I should seek you out should I ever need an expert on wands."

The old man's eyes lit up with recognition, and perhaps a slight bit of fondness. "Yes, yes, it has been...oh, almost fifty years since he and I last spoke. How is your master, then?"

Strange sighed and shook his head. "Dead, I'm afraid. It's been close to twenty years since he was killed by his other apprentice."

"Ah, that is most unfortunate. And thus you became the Sorcerer Supreme." Ollivander said wistfully. "But his was a long and fruitful life, and he trained a worthy successor. I have heard a few tales of your exploits."

Dumbledore cleared his throat politely but insistently. "Ah yes, right you are Albus, to business." Ollivander said, turning back to the boys. Neither of them were paying much attention, instead alternating between muttering between themselves and giving their father odd looks. Ollivander's voice shocked them out of their musings. "A wand then, Mr. Potter?"

"Uh...yeah." Harry nodded.

Ollivander grabbed his right hand with deceptive quickness. He examined it closely before bustling behind the counter to the shelves. "Your other wand, place it on the counter, if you please."

Both Harry and Dudley's eyes widened with surprise. "How'd you know I have a wand already?"

"The evidence is quite plain on your wand hand." the man called out from the back of the store. "And it's quite an ill fit from the looks of it. That will not do."

Harry stared at his wand hand, trying to see the evidence that Ollivander had mentioned. He looked at Dudley, who shrugged and shook his head, then retrieved the wand from a pocket in his robes and placed it on the counter. After several minutes, Ollivander returned to the front of the shop with a teetering tower of boxes in his arms and an excited grin on his face. Harry could not help but have a sinking feeling that this would not be a quick process.

The old man carefully deposited the boxes on the counter and picked up Harry's wand, examining it carefully while muttering softly and even sniffing it. "Oh yes, an ill fit indeed, and yet you coaxed a bit of performance out of it. Very good." he said, sounding slightly impressed. With a flick of the wand in question, about half of the boxes separated from the stack and zoomed back towards the shelves. "There, now these should be fairly close. Let's try them out, shall we?"

It was not a fun process. Ollivander had Harry try out the wands by using both the simplest and the most complex spells he could perform (that weren't likely to cause a mess in the shop). Sometimes he didn't even let Harry do that, quickly snatching them from his grasp and going on about their inadequacy. Much to his annoyance, nearly half an hour passed without finding a suitable wand. Ollivander seemed to grow more excited as each minute passed, talking excitedly to himself about "tricky customers". Dudley and Strange grinned widely while Dumbledore looked over the process with an annoyingly benign expression, his eyes twinkling gently with amusement.

Finally, after the last wand had been tried and rejected, Ollivander considered Harry thoughtfully and seemed to be coming to a decision. "I wonder..." he said to himself, his eyes briefly flicking up to the scar on Harry's forehead. "I suppose it is worth a try."

He went to the back of the store for a few moments and returned slowly, almost hesitantly. He carefully set the box on the counter and removed the lid, lifting the wand almost reverently from inside. "Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple. An unusual combination." he whispered.

His tone and manner set Harry on edge and, indeed, the other three people in the room seemed to shuffle slightly with discomfort. Harry picked up the wand and knew almost immediately that this was the one. Wingardium Leviosa was hardly on his lips before it sent the bell on the counter shooting up to bang against the ceiling. He lowered it and just as quickly transformed it into a mouse and back again. Ollivander clapped his hands excitedly, his unblinking eyes glancing from the wand to Harry.

"Curious. Most curious." He said softly.

"What's curious?" Harry asked, only he felt in his heart that he really did not want to know.

The excited look faded from Ollivander's face, leaving the man looking older and somewhat melancholy. "The phoenix which gave the feather for your wand gave only one other feather. The wand which contains that feather is the brother of the wand you hold now, and it is the very same wand which gave you that scar."

The shop was completely silent as this revelation sunk in. Ollivander glanced from Harry to Dumbledore. "Voldemort's wand is the brother to my wand?" Harry asked quietly. The wand maker nodded. "I don't want it. Give me another one."

"The wand has chosen you, Mr. Potter. You could have another, of course, but no other will fit you as well as this one, nor will it ever work for anyone as well as it will for you." Ollivander paused and sighed. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things with his wand. Terrible, yes, but great. We must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter. Whether they be terrible or wonderful things depends on how you choose to use your wand."

Harry looked at Dudley, who gave him a reassuring half-smile. His father looked thoughtfully at the wand but nodded his approval. Harry bit his lower lip, not feeling entirely certain, but if they thought it was all right, he couldn't think of a reason to object. "I guess that makes sense. I'll take it, then."

"Wonderful. Will you be needing a wand servicing kit as well?" the old man asked. Harry shrugged and nodded. "Very well, that will be eight galleons."

Strange cleared his throat. "If you don't mind, Mr. Ollivander, Dudley will be needing a wand as well."

The man gave Strange a searching look before shaking his head. "I'm afraid my wands only work for wizards."

Strange smile ingratiatingly. "Sir, I realize it's not that often that you sell one, maybe once every fifty or so years, but surely you have a few sorcerer's wands in stock. Otherwise I'll have to lend Dudley the Wand of Watoomb, which I think you'll agree is far too powerful for student level work."

The old man's eyes became even wider than before. "You possess that wand? Would you...would you allow me to examine it?" he said, his voice cracking slightly.

Strange nodded. "Of course, I can arrange to bring it to you. But for now, Dudley's wand..."

"Oh yes, of course." Ollivander said, jumping quickly and heading back into the shop. "You are quite right, there isn't as much demand for sorcerer's wands, the Statute of Secrecy being what it is. Painfully few wizards are interested in them, you see."

He returned carrying five boxes. "These are all we have, unfortunately. They're not as temperamental, at least not at first, so I imagine one of these shall be a suitable match for you, Mr. Dursley."

These wands were distinctly different from the ones Harry had tried. While the shafts were definitely wooden, they had an almost metallic sheen to them, and each wand was tipped with a small, many faceted jewel. Dudley tried them all and thought they all seemed to work favorably well for him, but Ollivander picked one that he claimed was the best fit. In all, it took only five minutes. It took a further five minutes when Harry insisted on getting one of the sorcerer's wands as well.

"That will be sixty-eight galleons, five sickles, and two knuts." Ollivander said finally, setting an odd little scale on the counter. Strange counted out the coins and set them on a scale until it grumpily said "That's quite enough to be getting on with."

"Don't mind it; it's not accustomed to large purchases of this sort. The last time more than one wand was bought was two years ago, the Patil twins." explained Ollivander apologetically.

They thanked the old man and Strange gave a sincere promise to stop in again with the Wand of Watoomb, and then the quartet returned to the warm August afternoon. Dumbledore paused and looked at an odd pocket watch that he pulled from the folds of his robes.

"My, time does fly when one is having fun." he said jovially, seemingly oblivious to the snorts of disbelief from Harry and Dudley. "We had better move a bit more swiftly if we are to procure all of the items on your lists."

"That won't be necessary, Albus. Aside from the wands, we purchased everything else while back home in New York." Strange said casually.

"Well, it seems you're all well prepared. I'll let you all be on your way unless you'd like a tour of the rest of the Alley. There's a lovely sweet shop just up the way..."

"Actually, Albus, we're going to get a late lunch, and I insist that you join us. My treat." Strange clapped him on the shoulder, smiling broadly. Harry and Dudley, Dumbledore noticed, also wore similar expressions, though he had the distinct impression that they were less than friendly. He began to feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Err...well, I suppose I could have a spot of tea..." he said weakly, allowing himself to be steered back into the Leaky Cauldron. They sat at the same table they'd been in previously and gave their orders to Tom, the barman. When he'd shuffled off, Dumbledore turned back to his companions, only to blanch at all three of them glowering at him. "Is something the matter?"

"I dunno, you tell us." Harry said with barely contained anger. He reached into his robes and slammed something down on the table. It was the Daily Prophet, a newspaper that Dumbledore was quite familiar with, and it was from that morning. The headline read:

Black Spotted in Herefordshire!
Mass Murderer Gives Aurors the Slip

Below the headline was a large picture of a gaunt, pale man with long and matted black hair who stared out at the reader as if catatonic, despite the fact that wizard photos could move. Dumbledore knew this man's face very well, and he had a terrible feeling that the Stranges knew it as well. He swallowed the denial that jumped unbidden to his lips, instead pretending to read the article while his mind considered a thousand possible ways to spin or deny any of the accusations he knew were forthcoming.

"Ah. I see you're aware of the Black situation." Dumbledore said carefully.

"Yes. Imagine our surprise when we read your little paper this morning and see the Potter's betrayer on the front page." Strange said coldly. "What's more, it appears he's been at large for some time now. And yet here we are, days before the boys are heading for your school, and we've heard nothing of this at all. Now why is that?"

"Stephen, you must understand-"

"NO!" Strange slammed his fist on the table, startling other patrons. "Don't play your little word games with me, Albus, and don't try to spin your way out of it. The truth: why are we just now finding this out?"

Dumbledore sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I was worried that you would not allow the boys to come to Hogwarts if you knew about Black's escape. Harry is his most likely target, after all. This was why the minister sent a contingent to meet you at the portkey terminal." He looked apologetically at them. "I was certain that, given the timing of your arrival and your proximity to them, the boys would be safe until they arrived at Hogwarts, where they would be completely safe under my protection. I did not want you needlessly worrying."

"It's not your job to decide what is or is not an acceptable level of danger for my sons." Strange leaned forward and jabbed his finger at Dumbledore. "Don't try my patience, Albus. If there's anything, and I do mean anything that you know or learn that has to do with either Dudley or Harry, I expect to hear about it. If there is a decision to be made, I'll be the one to make it."

Dumbledore opened his mouth to argue, but seemed to think better of it. "Stephen, I admit that I was wrong to not mention Black's escape, but as their headmaster I will need to make decisions that will affect both Harry and Dudley. You must know that I have only their bests interests at heart."

"Don't just say that you do, Albus, prove it through your actions." said Strange. "Now then, Sirius Black. Why is he still at large? And what is being done to catch him?"

Dumbledore hesitated. "I'm not sure they should be hearing this. Perhaps we could discuss this in private?"

"No way!" Harry protested. "If it's about Black, I've got the right to know! The bastard helped murder my parents!"

"Harry, please try to understand," Dumbledore responded in a placating voice, "Sirius Black is a very dangerous man and the Ministry is doing everything in its power to bring him to justice. You needn't be concerned with the details."

Strange held up a hand, stopping Harry from angrily retorting. "Albus, Harry's been my apprentice for several years now, and in that time he's learned, seen, and done things that are as, if not more dangerous that this Sirius Black. Dudley has been with him at every turn. You know as well as I that Harry and Dudley are not normal young boys. They are mature enough to handle whatever it is you have to say. And as Harry said, he deserves to know."

Dumbledore sighed and nodded in acquiescence, steepling his hands and resting his chin on them. "Very well, Stephen, I shall defer to your judgment, however much I disagree with it." He paused and shifted in his seat before looking over his half-moon glasses at them. "To answer your question, Stephen, I do not know why Black has been able to remain at large. All methods of scrying and tracking have failed to provide any clues as to his whereabouts. The eyewitness reports are all that the Ministry has to go on."

Strange frowned. "Even you couldn't track him? Well that certainly bumps up my estimation of his capabilities."

"Oh yes, Sirius Black is quite a formidable wizard, and it is rumored that he was second in command of the Death Eaters." Dumbledore said gravely. "The fact that he has broken out of Azkaban, the first person ever to do so, suggests that his twelve year incarceration has not dulled his edge."

"He's coming for me, isn't he?" asked Harry stonily.

Dumbledore nodded. "That is the prevailing opinion, given the timing. He escaped several days after word of your impending arrival at Hogwarts was leaked to the Daily Prophet. Since then, the Ministry has had a dedicated team of Aurors searching for him and following leads. Fudge has even seen fit to warn the muggle Prime Minister, who has made sure that Black's face is seen far and wide."

"Which is a waste of time, since everyone already know he'll be heading for Hogwarts." Dudley added.

"True enough, but I think you will find that Hogwarts is very well protected, and any attempt to infiltrate the grounds will merely hasten his capture."

"Alright, so…" Harry said hesitantly after a few moments, "what are we going to do?"

"Do?" Dumbledore replied uncertainly. Strange, though, sent a hard glare at his son.

"We are going to let the wizard authorities handle this. And I mean that, you two." He said sternly. "I trust Albus' assessment of how this situation is being handled. You'll both be safe at Hogwarts, and if he's as keen on getting at you as Albus says he is, Black will be brought to justice very swiftly. Under no circumstances whatsoever are either of you to go out looking for him. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes, dad." the boys intoned, though both looked stubbornly defiant. Strange sighed and rubbed his temples. Dumbledore chuckled and patted the man reassuringly on the shoulder.

"Worry not, Stephen. I dare say that Harry and Dudley will find more than enough to occupy their time besides worrying about Sirius Black. And if not," he cast an imperious glance at the boys, "well, that can always be arranged."

King's Cross Station, London, September 1, 1993

The morning of the first of September found the sun dawning weakly over the London skyline through gray cloud cover. Oddly enough, London remained relatively dry, but there was little doubt that the rain that was drenching the country north of the city would make its way south in due time. Harry looked out on the overcast sky and couldn't help but feel a slight sense of foreboding from the dark clouds. This did not help his mood at all, which was already dark enough as it was. He simply was not looking forward to being around wizards full time. The only bright spot was that Dudley was coming along, and the knowledge that he wouldn't have to go it alone helped a bit.

To his credit, Dudley seemed to have adopted a gung-ho attitude about the whole situation. He saw it as an opportunity and reminded his sullen cousin of their commitment to learning the mystical arts. While not the most convincing argument, there was a challenging undertone Harry picked up on that made him recommit to going to the wizard school. They'd been friendly rivals at a great many things for years, and Harry wasn't about to concede magical prowess to Dudley, not when he had a natural advantage.

They arrived at King's Cross station almost forty-five minutes early and leisurely strolled through the place to the appointed platform. The boys had long since deduced that platform nine and three-quarters, the departure platform for the Hogwarts Express, was not going to be found where normal people could see it. Wizards, from what they'd seen, seemed to go out of their way to be near normal people, even if only to have a laugh at their expense. They seemed to delight in hiding themselves right under the noses of regular people and leaving questionably clever clues for them to find. From what Harry and Dudley could gather, though, was that for all their talk and show of trying to keep themselves separate from normal people, wizards weren't trying to do so very hard, most likely because they were dependent on that contact.

Thus the sorcerer and his two sons found themselves standing in front of a rather large pillar that separated platform nine from platform ten, looking over it with critical eyes. They stood this way for a minute, not bothered at all by the crowds of commuters streaming past, simply watching people move past the barrier. Strange was the first to speak, and then to only ask a question.

"Well?"

Harry scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Definitely a strong compulsion spell on it, if the way people are ignoring it is any clue." he answered.

Dudley nodded, walking around the pillar. "A pretty powerful illusion on it too. I almost don't see it. And there's nothing on the other side either; all the magic's on the front."

He and Harry looked at each other, back at the pillar, and then nodded at each other. "Portal." they said in unison.

Strange smiled, but he was clearly trying not to look too pleased at them. "I hope you're not surprised at this display."

Harry shook his head. "Not really. Just surprised that they'd go through so much trouble and put so much energy into this. Why even use a train if you have the Floo and brooms and apparition? It makes no sense."

"Tradition, not that that excuses anything. The day I understand how a wizard's mind works, I'll be sure to let you know, Harry." Strange commented sagely.

Dudley folded his arms across his chest, looking unimpressed. "I'll bet the portal just goes to a blocked off platform at the end of the station. This is just for show, probably so they can laugh at how oblivious normal people are."

"Dudley…" Strange started, sounding somewhat disappointed.

"What? It's probably true, dad."

"Say, shouldn't we be getting onto the platform already?" Harry quickly interrupted before Strange could argue. He'd noticed that his father was doing this more often when criticism of wizards came up, but while he'd been curious as to why, he hadn't known how to broach the subject.

"Yes. I'll go first, and the two of you follow closely." Strange said. He casually walked up to the barrier and passed through it as if it were not there at all. Harry and Dudley followed, their vision blurring for the briefest of moments before they came out onto a platform that looked more like an older style train station than the Underground station they'd been in. A vibrant red locomotive headed up the train, exhaling a steady cloud of dark smoke from its smokestack. As it was still somewhat early, there was only a modest amount of witches and wizards on the platform, many of whom were being helped by a handful of porters. There was also, Harry noted to his brother with amusement, a small contingent of photographers and reporters, all of whom watched the entrance to the platform like hawks.

"Man, are they dumb or what?" Harry said as he and Dudley followed Strange past the group. "Dumbledore's the only wizard who even knows what we look like."

"I dunno, maybe they thought we'd waltz in wearing name tags." Dudley replied.

"It probably doesn't hurt that I compelled them to ignore us." Strange remarked. He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out two small wooden blocks. A casual wave of his hand returned the two shrunken trunks to their proper size. "Now, you two go find a compartment and drop your things off. I'd like to talk with you before you leave."

They climbed up into the train, their trunks floating a few inches off the ground behind them. They passed a few occupied compartments in the middle of the train before finding one that was completely empty.

"Well, this is new." Harry said, pausing at the threshold of the compartment. He squinted slightly, but it didn't help the confusing information that his brain was trying to process. From where he stood, he could see the illusion of the cabin's normal size and the reality of it being far larger on the inside than outside.

"Nah, I'd say it's old." Dudley pushed past his cousin into the compartment. "And here I was thinking we'd be cramped on this old thing."

"Did you see that? It expanded when I came in." Harry said, flopping down onto the seat opposite Dudley. "You know, Dud, I hate to say it, but that's a pretty impressive bit of magic."

Dudley nodded. "Yeah. I mean, we've seen expanding rooms, but who goes out of their way to lay out magic like that for individual train compartments?"

"Wizards, I guess." Harry said, getting back to his feet. "Let's go say bye to dad. And lock the door, I don't want to have to deal with anybody before we have to."

"All right, you negative Nancy." Dudley said with a laugh, twiddling his wand at the door as he walked out. "Nuncada Entrandata." The door closed and locked with a small click.

Back on the platform, they found Strange sitting on one of the many evenly spaced benches. He gestured for them to come over and sit.

"I've been meaning to have this conversation with you both for some time now, but I always had an excuse not to. Now it may be too late." Strange let out a deep breath. "It's no secret that I don't hold the wizarding world in very high regard. I have not had very good dealings with it in general. But that does not excuse my raising you to have the same prejudice that I continue to struggle with. It really makes me no better than the wizards who engender the same attitude towards non wizards.

"I was wrong to force my prejudice on you. I was wrong to keep you from seeing the good in the wizarding world. I was wrong to not do more to correct your negative attitudes about the wizarding world. I should have taught you to be more open-minded about wizards. I failed you both on all these counts, and wanted to apologize."

"Dad…" Dudley said uncertainly, "You didn't fail us. You just told us the truth."

"No, I taught you my opinion, which neither of you should unquestioningly accept as the truth. Despite his faults, Albus Dumbledore is the greatest wizard alive today. He's done untold amounts of good as headmaster of Hogwarts and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. He is, without a doubt, the greatest ally you or I will ever have in the wizarding world. Yet because of me, the two of you hold him in contempt and antagonize him.

"You will be in their world full time now, but you will make no friends here if you cannot maintain open minds and hearts. Friends, more than anything, are what you will need to succeed among wizards or, indeed, among any people. If you both carry on as you have, you will have none in the wizarding world. And then I will have truly succeeded in making you just like me."

Harry scoffed at this. "Why do we need them? You saw what they wrote about Dudley and about you. You've said plenty about what you think is wrong with wizard society and why you don't associate with them. Why shouldn't we feel the same?"

"Because, while I may have some cause for the way I feel, neither of you do. The entire wizarding world should not be condemned for the actions of a few. Not every wizard you meet is a bigot. Many are simply ignorant thanks to their closed society. But you'll never know who is who without giving them a chance first." He paused and gave them both significant looks. "Magic is magic, whether it comes to you naturally or if you have to work to get it. That's a great truth that wizards have lost over time, and look how it has shaped their society, how it makes them look at normal people, how it weakens them. You both think that you're more enlightened than wizards, then prove it by setting the example for them to follow. Stop being like them, and start being better than them."

The boys looked down at their hands, feeling ashamed under the somewhat disappointed gaze of their father. Finally, Dudley looked up at Strange and nodded. "Alright, dad, we'll try to give wizards a chance."

Strange smiled, looking slightly relieved. "That's really all I can ask."

"Yeah, and in the likely event that they're wrong, we'll be happy to show them the error of their ways, right Dud?" added Harry.

Strange gave him a withering look and sighed. "I guess I'll just be happy that you'll both be less confrontational than normal. That's a start."

Strange sat between them again. "Two more things, and then I'll be done lecturing you. First, I want you both to be very careful this year. This Sirius Black situation has all the markings of a political firestorm, and people will want to draw you into it, Harry. I don't want either of you worrying about that man; he'll be dealt with in due time."

"He should've been dealt with a long time ago. He sold out my parents!" Harry said harshly.

"Patience, Harry. Justice isn't always swift, but it will come. Don't get so caught up in revenge that you forget why you're here. Focus on learning all you can and let the authorities deal with him." Strange admonished.

"Second, I want you both to be mindful of Dumbledore. Yes, I did say that Albus is your ally and can be trusted, but that doesn't mean he can't have an agenda for you, Harry, and you by extension, Dudley. He hasn't seen fit to share it with me, but I imagine it has to do with the prophecy, which he believes has only been partly fulfilled."

"And what do you think, Dad?" asked Harry.

"If Albus is convinced, I think it is wise to take his concerns seriously. You sit here, Harry, in defiance of the death that Voldemort wished upon you. The man who attempted to kill you is nominally dead, but you both know as well as I that death is fleeting. Albus could very well be right." Strange answered. "Whatever the case may be, his plans for you are his own, and we're not bound to follow them."

"So you're saying we can trust him, but we can't trust him?" Dudley asked, puzzled.

"I'm saying that you can trust Albus to act in your best interest. We will not always agree with his assessment of your best interest, however."

Harry and Dudley nodded in understanding. The platform had gotten steadily more crowded as they'd talked, and the boys were suddenly aware that the moment they'd been anticipating had finally arrived. All around them, other children were having a similar experience, though Harry and Dudley were likely the least excited and most confident. The train gave several hoots of warning. It was time to leave.

"Well, this is it then." Strange said, smiling and ruffling their hair affectionately. The boys unabashedly hugged him tightly. "Oof! I don't know how, but you two get stronger everyday."

They grinned. "We'll write you at the end of the week." Dudley said.

"I look forward to it. And remember what I said, you two." Strange tapped his head. "Open minds, right?"

"Yes, sir!" Harry said, snapping off a mock salute.

"On the double, sir!" Dudley added, mimicking Harry.

Strange shook his head and laughed. "Get on the train, you two. And have a good trip."

He gave them one last hug before they climbed aboard the train. With one last wave at them, he faded into the crowd, and when they blinked, he was gone. The Strange brothers sighed as if steeling themselves for something unpleasant, and began making their way back to their compartment. It was much slower going now that students were milling about in the corridor, most dragging full sized trunks. Unlike Harry and Dudley, the other students seemed to have forgotten that they could magically lighten or levitate their trunks.

"This open mind thing is gonna be hard, ain't it?" said Dudley, shaking his head in disbelief as small boy struggled to lift his trunk onto the luggage rack.

"The hardest." Harry agreed. He whipped out his wand, waved it at the trunk, and levitated into the rack. "You know, you people have magic for a reason. Maybe if you'd use it we wouldn't have a traffic jam and we could get to our compartments some time today." He said loudly to no one in particular. Looking embarrassed, some of the older students began levitating the trunks of the younger students. Harry and Dudley pushed past them.

"Not exactly confidence inspiring, is it?" said Dudley.

"Not really. I mean, you'd think with all the magic wizards use for doing simple stuff that they'd have the common sense to levitate their freakin' trunks."

"Yeah, well, wizards and logic, water and oil." Dudley quipped. "Say, where's our compartment anyway?"

"Uh…I think we passed it." Harry said. They backed up to the compartment in question and frowned in confusion as they stared into it. "This is it, Dud. I thought I said to lock the door."

"I did."

"Yeah, well what's she doing in there, then?" Harry pointed at the girl sitting alone in the compartment.

She looked to be about their age, perhaps a year or two older. Her bushy brown hair would probably have extended to her shoulder blades had she been standing, and it was pulled back into a loose ponytail. She was dressed rather normally in blue jeans, sneakers, and a short-sleeved lavender polo. The girl stared intently at a large book opened on her lap, idly tapping an unknown rhythm on it with her wand. Next to her, stretched out and asleep, was a ginger cat with similarly bushy fur and a squashed in nosed.

Harry reached out to open the door, but it slid to the side of its own accord. "You know, staring is rather rude. Now are you two coming inside or not?" she said, lowering her wand but not bothering to look up from her book. Harry and Dudley looked surprised for a moment before shrugging and entering. As they took their seats, the girl flicked her wand at the door and it slid shut. For a few moments, no one said anything, though the cat did wake up and eye them warily.

"Okay, how'd you get in here?" asked a somewhat bewildered Harry.

"I opened the door, obviously." said the girl, still not looking up from her book.

"'I opened the door', she says. Sure you didn't have any problems doing that?" Dudley asked doubtfully.

The girl finally looked up at them, giving them an appraising look. As she spoke, they noticed she had rather pronounced front teeth. "Oh, there was a rather annoying locking charm on the door. Was that yours?"

Harry looked at Dudley with a grin. His cousin's face morphed from one of incredulity to chagrin. "Well, well, a witch who actually knows her stuff. If I'd known that, I'd have put more than a simple locking spell on the compartment."

"Simple?" the girl asked, an eyebrow raised inquiringly.

"Oh yeah, I heard him say the spell. Shouldn't've taken more than a few seconds to undo it." said Harry, leaning back in his seat.

"Ten seconds. Though if I were really trying, I suppose it could have been four or five seconds." the girl said coolly, a small smirk on her face.

Harry and Dudley look at one another, their eyebrows raised. "Well, Har, there goes Dad's advice. I think we've got a live one here." said Dudley with a grin. Harry grunted noncommittally.

"By the way, which one was that?" the girl asked casually, not looking up from her book.

"Which one was what?" asked Dudley innocently.

"Which locking charm was that?" she replied. "It looked similar to something I've seen before, and I recognized the flow of the magic, but that's about it."

Dudley shrugged. "Well yeah, I'd've been surprised if you did recognize it, seeing as I just made it up."

The girl huffed disbelievingly. "If you don't want to tell me, just say so."

"Calm down, he's not kidding." Harry said with a chuckle. "He really did just make it up. I heard him do it."

"You can't just make up spells-"

"Why not? People do it all the time." Harry shrugged.

"Yes, but only after a lot of research and time. They don't just make things up on a whim." she countered.

"Maybe wizards don't, but that's not really a good measure of what people can and can't do with magic." Dudley replied. "Honestly, though, the fact that you broke it at all is saying something. Most of your lot wouldn't know the first thing about some real magic."

"My lot? What's that supposed to mean?" she said, sounding affronted.

"Wizards. And witches. The wand waving types."

"Oh." the girl's anger seemed to extinguish immediately. "Well I'm not one of them by choice. If I didn't love magic so much, I'd be done with this world straightaway."

The boys looked momentarily surprised. They exchanged keen looks before looking back at the girl. "Now that is the sort of attitude I like. What's your name?" said Dudley.

"Hermione Granger. Who are you?"

"Dudley Strange, and this is my brother Harry."

"What's up." Harry said with a wave.

"Your accents..." Hermione frowned. "You're American?"

"Sorta." replied Dudley.

"We were born here in Britain, but we've lived in New York since we were three." Harry explained in response to Hermione's puzzled look.

"Wow, really? I've always wanted to visit New York." Hermione said excitedly, her reserved attitude melting away. "Is it true that you see superheroes all the time?"

The boys chuckled conspiratorially. "Seems like it sometimes. You can't throw a rock in the five boroughs without hitting some muscled guy in tights." Dudley said with a grin. "We've met a few of 'em, even. They're pretty cool people."

Hermione's eyes widened. "You're so lucky! I've only ever seen our heroes on the telly. Not that we have that many."

"Are you kidding? You guys've got plenty!" Harry said animatedly. "Excalibur, Knights of Pendragon, Captain Britain, Union Ja- ouch!" Dudley had kicked him.

"Don't mind him, he's nuts for costumed heroes." Dudley said apologetically.

"Oh, I don't mind at all. They are rather interesting, aren't they?" agreed Hermione. "Anyway, what year are you two in? Second year? Because I don't remember seeing you when I was in first year."

"Uh...I think Dumbledore said we'd be third years." Harry replied. "They don't do social promotion for some stupid reason, otherwise who knows what year we'd be."

Hermione nodded. "So you're transfer students then? Which school? I've read all about the American magic schools. The Salem Institute sounds just like Hogwarts, but if you ask me, the U.S. Academy of Magical Sciences sounds like the best school in the States." She said all of this very quickly.

Dudley shrugged noncommittally. "We wouldn't know. This is our first year going to a magic school."

Hermione looked rather skeptical. "Oh come on now, you'd have to have had some schooling to be able to do that locking charm."

"Well, sure, we've been learning magic." said Harry. "I mean, we've been sorcerer's apprentices for, what? Maybe four years now?"

"That sounds about right." agreed Dudley.

Hermione goggled at them, the thick book in her lap forgotten. "Four years? But children aren't allowed to formally study magic until they're eleven, much less begin apprenticeships! It's against the law."

Dudley and Harry chuckled knowingly. "Yeah, probably some dumb wizard law." said Harry. "It's a good thing our master isn't required to follow it, or any wizard laws, really."

Hermione gaped, not really sure what to say or make of the two boys who were grinning at her. She shook her head, confused. "I don't get it. Who can be above the law of wizards? Our society basically governs all things magical."

This provoked even harder laughter from the boys, laughter which caused her to angrily blush. "Sorry, we're not making fun of you, it's just," Dudley paused to get his breath back, "it's just that that's just the sort of thing a wizard would say. It's exactly what the wizards in charge want you to believe, but the truth is wizards only have control over a little bit of the magic in the world. Trust us, there's a lot more to magic than what you've been led to believe."

Hermione wanted to argue the point, but something in the way he said it so casually brought to mind lingering doubts she'd been having and ignoring for some time. These two boys whom she'd just met knew something and maybe even knew more than she did about magic. But how much more? If what they'd said already was true, would her concept of magic even survive? She knew that she would ask, no matter the cost, because above all else, she always needed to know.

"Like what?" she demanded.

Harry and Dudley looked at one another, a silent conversation seeming to play out between their eyes. Finally, Harry looked at her, leaned forward, and smiled. "How about we trade questions? And since we've answered all your questions since we've been in here, I figure we've got at least three or four. After that, we'll gladly answer any of your questions. Deal?"

"Well, I don't see why not." she said casually, though inside she was suddenly feeling very nervous.

"Excellent. Don't worry, these'll be easy questions." Dudley said reassuringly. "First question: what house are you in?"

"Gryffindor." she replied. "At least I think so..."

"You're not sure?"

"No, no, it's not that." she said quickly, looking slightly embarrassed. "I just...it's nothing. It's not important. I'm in Gryffindor."

"Ohhhhkay." Harry said, raising his eyebrow. "Second question, Hermione from Gryffindor: what is the name of that...um...interesting looking furball sitting next to you?"

"Crookshanks is not a furball, he's a perfectly lovely half-kneazle, thank you very much." Hermione said with faux indignation. She reached out to scratch the ginger cat behind the ear. "Isn't that right, Crookshanks?"

The cat in question meowed and gave the boys a look that said he didn't think much of their looks either.

Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Right. Next question: do you get treated badly in the wizarding world? We've heard that non-magically descended wizards and witches usually get the shaft, especially here in Europe."

"Wait – non-magically descended?" Hermione sounded perplexed. After a moment, she realized what Harry had meant. "How do you know I'm muggleborn?"

"Hey now, watch it with the 'M' word." Dudley interjected.

"'M' word? You mean muggle?" Hermione said disbelievingly. "That's what normal people are called in the wizarding world."

"Yeah, and it's a terrible name. You may as well call a black man 'boy' while you're at it, I'm sure that doesn't demean him at all." Dudley shot back. He gave her an intense look. "They bring you into their world, tell you to call normal people a name that signifies them as lesser beings, then tell you to identify yourself as a product of these supposedly lesser beings. And you're surprised people look down on NMD witches and wizards, when they're willing participants?"

Hermione looked at him like he was crazy. "NMD? Now that just sounds silly."

"Not any sillier than the 'M' word." Harry quietly remarked.

"But -" Hermione began to protest, but she stopped herself. It had taken her quite a bit of effort over the last two years, but she'd slowly become less prone to arguing with people, even when they were saying that she was wrong. Taking a deep breath, she thought about what was said before speaking again, and admitted that what they'd said wasn't without merit. "I suppose you have a point. Wizards consider themselves normal, so they call normal people something else. You just...get used to it, I suppose."

Harry and Dudley nodded, and she had the feeling she'd just earned a bit of their respect. "But you didn't say how you knew I was mug - I mean, 'non-magically descended'."

"You didn't answer our question either. But figuring it out really wasn't that hard." Harry answered. He pointed at her book bag, which lay slightly opened at her side. "You've got a spiral-bound notebook sticking out of your bag, and there's a ballpoint pen in the spiral. And you knew about superheroes. That proves you've at least spent some time in the real world, but your braces gave it away. I can't imagine any wizard having metal in his mouth just to fix his teeth."

Hermione blushed and covered her mouth self-consciously.

"You mostly cover it up pretty well, I'll give you that." Dudley admitted.

"Thanks?" said Hermione, not so sure whether to take the comment as a compliment. "Anyway, being mugg – err, one of us isn't that bad, really. At Hogwarts it's not usually an issue. Even when it is, it's usually just ignorance, either on our part or theirs. I'm not sure about after school."

"But you seem smart enough. I'm sure you have your suspicions." Harry said casually, but she again felt like she was being tested.

Hermione's shoulders slumped. "Yes, now you mention it. I had the worst time trying to get approval from the Ministry for tutors while I was out of Hogwarts. I'd read up on being able to be home schooled or apprenticed, and I definitely qualified, but it took almost half a year to get approval, and only with the help of Professor Dumbledore. Everything I'd read said it was just a formality to get approval."

"You have no idea how unsurprised I am at that." said Dudley. "All right, next question: what happened to keep you out of Hogwarts last year?"

Hermione looked startled again and stared at him. "H-how do you know that?"

"I'm psychic." Dudley laughed. "So what was it?"

"If you're psychic, you shouldn't have to ask me." Hermione snapped, all trace of humor gone from her face. Her lip trembled slightly and she looked down at her book. "Look, I...I just don't want to talk about it."

Harry and Dudley traded questioning looks. Harry jabbed his finger at Dudley and waved in Hermione's direction. Dudley threw up his hands in defeat and sighed. "Sorry about that, Hermione. I didn't mean to drag up any bad memories. My bad."

She didn't respond for a few moments. "No, it's all right. There's no reason you'd have known." she sniffled, still looking resolutely down at her book.

"Don't worry about answering that one. We'll ask something else." said Dudley.

"No, no, I'm just being stupid." she said with a small, nervous laugh, wiping her eyes. "Besides, you'll hear about it eventually anyway. It was the talk of the whole school, after all."

She took a deep breath and exhaled, finally looking at them again. "I was just so naive and stupid my first year. Trying to prove myself to everyone. Nobody liked me, not even the girls in my year. I was in the library a lot. When I wasn't there, I was in the bathroom, crying. That's where I was when it happened. On Halloween, this awful boy in Gryffindor, Ron Weasley, said something mean about me after Charms class. I don't know why it bothered me more than when anyone else was terrible to me. I think maybe I fancied him, since he was nice to me a few times, and we'd sort of had an adventure together earlier that year. I thought maybe he'd be my friend. But he was so angry that I could do the Levitation Charm better than him, he wouldn't listen to me when I tried to explain it, and..."

Hermione trailed off, looking embarrassed. "Sorry, didn't mean to ramble on there."

"Hey, forget about it." said Harry with a wave. "Ramble on. This Ron sounds like a real jerk anyway."

"You could say that." Hermione snickered despite herself. "Anyway, the point is, I ran to the girl's bathroom after classes were over and stayed there crying until a big mountain troll came into the bathroom and nearly killed me."

She said this so quickly and flippantly that Harry and Dudley were momentarily speechless. They looked at her with wide-eyed shock, their mouths hanging slightly open. Harry was the first to regain his senses.

"There are trolls at Hogwarts? That's freakin' awesome!"

"Totally awesome!" Dudley gave Harry a high five.

"No, it most certainly was not!" Hermione said indignantly. This slightly deflated the boys' enthusiasm.

"Well, yeah, it's not awesome you got hurt." Dudley said quickly. "It's just, it would be pretty awesome to go one on one with a troll."

"It wasn't for me. I pretty much sat frightened in a corner until it started hitting me." she shot back hotly. "It's the worst thing that's ever happened to me."

Harry and Dudley looked slightly cowed at this admission, unsure of what to say. "I was so sure I was going to die, and when I didn't, I wished I had. 'Look at the stupid mudblood, ran off to get herself killed.' Madame Pomfrey fixed me up, said I was fine to go back to classes, but I didn't want to be around that. I didn't feel welcome at Hogwarts anymore."

"So you went home." Harry quietly volunteered.

Hermione nodded. "My parents told the headmaster that I needed to recuperate. I went back to normal school. I tried putting away my magic things, but I just couldn't. I loved magic too much. Eventually I got a tutor to help me get through my second year work. Part of the agreement that got me that tutor was that I'd start at Hogwarts again this year. And so here I am." She looked defiantly at them, as if daring them to criticize her. Instead, they grinned approvingly at her.

"All right, you're in." said Harry.

"In what?"

"The cool kids club, of course." said Dudley, leaning back in his seat with his hands behind his head. "We should probably call it something better than that, though. Maybe the Outsiders, like the movie."

"But why?"

"Let's see. You had a run in with a troll and lived to tell the tale. You obviously know way more than second year magic. Plus you countered Dudley's locking spell without even knowing what it was. That's pretty cool in my book." said Harry.

Hermione didn't know what to say, so she didn't say anything at all. She smiled gratefully at the compliment, then quickly looked down at her book again, trying to surreptitiously wipe her eyes. She didn't want them to see her cry, at least not so soon after meeting them. Had anyone ever told her that she was cool? She couldn't remember, but had a feeling that the answer was probably no. Suddenly, going back to Hogwarts wasn't look as dreary as she'd thought it would be.

It was some time before Hermione spoke again, though the boys did not seem to mind that she'd dropped out of the conversation. While she'd been deep in thought, she did catch occasional snatches of conversation, not all of which was any language she could recognize. What she could recognize, though, was clearly about classes, as she recognized some of the incantations and names being discussed. She finally looked up and was not quite surprised to see several textbooks open between the two.

"You're choosing the classes for your timetable?" she asked.

"Sorta." answered Dudley.

Hermione perked up at this. "Which ones are you going to take?"

They both shrugged. "Harry and I haven't decided who would take the boring ones and who would take the useless ones." said Dudley. "We haven't really figured out what to do about classes like Divination, though. Boring and useless."

"Honestly, have you even looked into what's being offered? There are plenty of interesting and useful subjects." Hermione said, looking aghast.

"We know, Hermione, we're just pulling your leg." Harry said with a grin. "You've really gotta lighten up."

Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed. She clearly would have to learn to distinguish when they were joking and when they were serious if she was going to hang around Harry and Dudley. Assuming, of course, they still wanted to hang around her once they got to Hogwarts. "Fine, then which ones did you sign up for?"

Harry sat back and scratched his chin, thinking. "Let's see...there's Care of Magical Creatures. Supposedly there'll be some animals in there we haven't seen before, but even if there aren't, how hard can it be? Probably an easy 'A'."

Hermione shook her head with false disappointment. "Americans. You do realize that 'A' isn't the highest mark, right?"

"Okay, it'll be an easy grade, nitpicker." Harry said exasperatedly. "Oh, and Arithmancy. Dad says it's pretty useful. Same with Ancient Runes. We actually have an edge there. We've been reading runes for years now."

"You forgot Divination." volunteered Dudley.

"Oh god, not that again." Harry groaned. "You just said that it'd be boring and useless. That's gonna be such a waste of time."

Hermione nodded. "I signed up for it too, but if you ask me, it sounds like a woolly subject. Almost no one is actually any good at predicting the future."

"Dad says the same thing, more or less, but he's witnessed a few prophecies that did come true." Dudley said. "And anyway, half of Divination is interpretation of prophetic information. That's bound to be useful."

"Is that all? You're not taking Muggle Studies?" asked Hermione.

"Urgh. Yeah, we're taking it all right." Dudley said with a grimace. "A hundred bucks says we're teaching the class before the end of the first month. Maybe we can even get them to change the course name to something inoffensive."

Hermione snickered. "I wouldn't count on it. The 'M' word is very popular. But you're probably right. Even the most well informed wizard is usually very behind on what muggles are like."

"Sister, you ain't never lyin'." Harry said in a horrible attempt at a Southern drawl. The three of them chortled quite a bit at this, only stopping when they heard a rapping on the compartment window. The door slid open, revealing a kindly looking witch with a cart piled high with candies, cakes, and bottles of an orange colored liquid.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" she asked. Both Dudley and Harry nodded eagerly.

"Uh, I'll have four of those pie looking things, two of the cakes, five of those chocolate frogs, and a bottle of that orange juice." said Harry. "And whatever these two want."

Hermione shook her head, slightly embarrassed. "Oh no, that's quite all right Harry, I've got money for -"

Harry waved her complaints away. "Don't worry about it, it's my treat."

"Get it while it's good, Hermione, before Harry regains his senses." Dudley said with a grin. He looked at the older witch. "I'll have half of what he's having, thanks."

Hermione bit her lip pensively. "Oh, all right then. I'll just owe you then." She ordered a pie, a cake, and a couple of chocolate frogs.

They proceeded to work through their food, and since she finished first, Hermione continued talking about classes. "It sounds like we'll be in the same classes together, then. I do hope we'll be able to get our schedule, though. It sounds almost too busy. There's bound to be a conflict."

"Eh, don't worry about it. If they tell us we can't take all those classes, would it really be so bad?" asked Dudley. From the look on Hermione's face, she did think it would be bad.

"Anyway, I think you'll love the regular classes. Well, some of them. Potions isn't bad, even if the teacher is horrid. History of Magic is dreadfully boring. And we'll be lucky if Professor Quirrell was sacked while I was gone, otherwise Defense will be the most useless class we'll take all year." she rattled off. "But other than those, the classes are good."

Hermione glanced out the window into the corridor, then did a double-take, narrowing her eyes as if to see better. A look of recognition and a smile spread across her face. Harry and Dudley followed her gaze, which led to a somewhat pudgy boy, about their age, who was pacing in the corridor. From the looks of things, he was rather upset.

"Someone you know?" asked Dudley.

"That's Neville Longbottom. He was in Gryffindor with me. Probably the only person that didn't dislike me. I used to help him with his homework." she said, getting up. "I wonder what's the matter."

She opened the door, startling the boy, who looked slightly fearfully at her a moment. His eyes were somewhat red, as if he'd been crying. He seemed surprised to see her, but smiled widely. "Hermione! You're back! Where've you been?"

"Hi Neville." she said happily, giving him a hug. Seeming unsure of what to do, he patted her back uncertainly. "I've been at home, mostly. I finally decided I should come back to Hogwarts."

"It's really good to see you." he said. He glanced back at Harry and Dudley uncertainly.

"Oh, this is Harry and Dudley Strange. They're new here, but they'll be in our year." said Hermione. "Harry and Dudley, Neville Longbottom."

Harry gave a friendly wave and Dudley nodded. "Now what's bothering you, Neville? It's not like you to pace about, and you look like you've been crying." Hermione said in a very business-like tone.

"I've not been crying." Neville insisted rather unconvincingly. "It's just...Malfoy took Trevor! And he said he'd use him for fresh potion ingredients!"

Neville's voice wavered and he sniffled quite audibly. Harry, Hermione, and Dudley had somewhat different reactions to this revelation. Hermione looked affronted and ready to storm off. Harry looked interested, perhaps even eager. Dudley, meanwhile, seemed curious.

"Oh, that's awful, Neville. That Malfoy hasn't changed a bit, has he?" she said angrily. "Well, we'll just see about this."

"You mentioned a Malfoy? As in Lucius Malfoy?" asked Dudley.

"That's Draco's father." said Neville miserably.

Dudley immediately looked just as eager as Harry. He looked at Hermione and then to his brother. "I think we can help you, Neville. Who knows, it might be very interesting."

"Th-thanks. I really appreciate it." Neville looked hopefully at them.

"Lead the way, Neville." They exited the compartment, Harry locking the door behind, and followed Neville. The boy looked embarrassed.

"Sorry, I don't know what compartment they're in."

Harry waved the apology off. "Don't worry, a tracking spell will find him. Draco Malfoy, you say?" Harry waved his second wand lazily. "Dir am Draco Malfoy, gran-ka no Oshtur!"

Hermione frowned, looking very confused, but Dudley just shook his head and smirked. Harry ignored him. "This way." he said, heading away from the front of the train. "By the way, Neville, who is Trevor anyway?"

"He's my toad."

Harry and Dudley raised their eyebrows. "Oh, right. I guess that makes sense." Dudley said, trying not to laugh. Hermione shot a warning glance at them.

As it was only two cars down, it didn't take long to find the compartment. Through the window they could see that it was fairly full. Hermione counted eight, most of whom she only vaguely remembered. They all laughed uproariously as someone, who looked to be at least in fifth year, cast a spell on the unfortunate toad. It twitched, then began to dry out like a raisin. Outraged, she tried throwing open the sliding door, only to find it locked. She brandished her wand like a whip, harshly incanting "Alohamora!".

The door slid open with a bang. All eyes in the compartment shot up, some faces looking guilty or concerned, but the expressions quickly turned to disdainful sneers.

"Well if it isn't buck-tooth Granger. I guess the troll didn't beat any sense into you." drawled one of the boys. He had platinum blonde and cold blue eyes that looked hatefully at Hermione.

"Shut up, Malfoy, and give me that toad." she barked.

"I don't think so, since it's my toad." Malfoy replied with a disingenuous smile. His friends snickered.

"It is not!" Neville said hotly. "You stole Trevor from me!"

"You lose everything, Longbottom. Don't blame it on Draco." said a girl, who looked awfully similar to a pug.

"That's right. So you see, this one is mine." He looked at Harry and Dudley, trying to hide his wariness. "Longbottom just told you a story because he lost his own."

Harry and Dudley snorted with disbelief. "Wow. Uh, Draco, is it? You're a real piece of work, man. Not only are you a thief, you're the most," Harry paused, as if trying to find just the right word, "pathetic liar I've ever met."

Malfoy's face darkened with outrage, and his friends wore similar expressions. Dudley smirked at them and added his thoughts. "Then again, we haven't met your dad. From what I've heard, you're not half the piece of crap he is."

"Don't you dare talk about my father!" Malfoy shouted.

Dudley grinned even wider. "Bit close to home, huh? Well at least you have an excuse for being such a huge retard, which is more that I can say for the rest of you losers"

"SHUT UP!" Malfoy yelled, drawing his wand.

Harry looked at the boy with a raised eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be pointing that at something small and defenseless? Maybe you can get your friends to hold the scary toad down! It should only take about eight of you to torture a helpless toad, right? Makes you guys feel real big and strong, huh?"

Seven more wands were suddenly pointing at them, held by eight very angry boys and girls. The oldest boy, who had terribly splayed teeth, spoke up with a growl. "We're big and strong, all right, and we don't take crap from little Gryffindor tossers. Now get the hell out, or we'll make you get out."

Hermione and Neville shrank back, but Harry and Dudley actually took a step into the compartment, completely unafraid. "Ooh, the big bad wizards are pointing their little sticks at us. We'd better run away or they might accidentally point them in the right direction and use them!" Dudley said in a falsely frightened voice. This angered their adversaries even more, though most seemed to be waiting for a cue from the older boy. Harry and Dudley exchanged a glance and small nods.

"Oh no, that would be just terrible." Harry smirked, folding his arms across his chest. "I'm quaking in my boots, really."

"You'll be lucky if you can even do that after we're through with you." Malfoy snarled threateningly, though he, too, seemed to be waiting for a signal.

Harry and Dudley both laughed loudly. "Yeah, right." Dudley shook his head dismissively. "Losers like you guys don't have the guts to fight face to face."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, so stop pretending you'll do something and just hand over the toad."

They stood in silence for just a few moments, while they watched the oldest boy make his decision. "Locomotor Mortis!" he barked.

Seven other voices cried out incantations simultaneously. The eight spells blasted over the short distance to Harry and Dudley, who looked completely unconcerned. Before the spells could hit, they seemed to run into an invisible surface, and the bolts of light either splashed against it or ricocheted back upon their casters. They had only a moment to look shocked before half were down, victims of the rebounded curses. The remaining attackers raised their wands again and fired off another round of spells, but Harry and Dudley had already drawn their wands. They each silently fired two spells that deflected the curses into the walls. A final swish of their wands ripped the wands out of their owners' hands and brought them to hover just in front of the duo. After less than twenty seconds, the fight was over.

"We'll take the toad now." Harry reversed the dehydration spell on Trevor, who had started to look a bit like beef jerky, and floated the toad to its rightful owner. Neville looked ecstatic for a moment before remembering what had just transpired. Harry, Dudley, and Hermione waved their wands at those that had been cursed, returning them to normal.

"You guys are really lucky we're so nice." Dudley remarked, stowing his wand. "Next time we won't undo your mistakes."

"If there's a next time, Dud. We have to give 'em the benefit of the doubt." Harry reminded his brother. He turned his attention to the eight thoroughly cowed people before him. They glared at him with hate and not a small amount of fear. "If this is what you guys do to get your kicks, I'm just gonna warn you now: find a better hobby. We don't like bullies. If we catch you at it again, we'll do this all over," Harry lowered his voice dangerously, "except we won't be nice. Capice?"

As they turned around to leave, the wands stopped hovering and clattered to the floor. No one made a move to pick them up. "Who the hell are you two?" the older boy demanded.

"What, you don't recognize us? You have no idea how much that hurts our feelings." Harry half turned and smirked at them. He pointed at Dudley. "This is my brother, Dudley Strange, but you may've heard him called Dudley Dursley. As for me, I go by Harry Strange," he gave them a dazzlingly fake smile and lifted the hair that had, until that point, seemed almost glued to his forehead. The lightning bolt shaped scar drew the attention of all in the room, and recognition dawned on their faces. "But you know me as Harry Potter."

He waved sardonically and pulled the compartment door closed before heading back up the corridor. Dudley followed close behind, laughing and clapping him on the back. By the time they'd made it back to the compartment, they were both chuckling at what had transpired and joking about it. It was a further minute before they realized that they were being stared at. Hermione and Neville had been silent all the way back to the compartment, and the reason appeared to be shock. They were slack-jawed and staring at Harry and Dudley with very wide eyes, though Hermione was clearly trying to shake herself out of her stupor.

"You two okay?" Dudley asked.

"You're Harry Potter?" Hermione asked breathlessly.

"You're Dudley Dursley!" Neville said with a squeak.

"No, no, I'm Harry, he's Dudley. I thought we'd worked that out earlier." Harry replied with a grin.

Hermione growled exasperatedly. "I know that. But why didn't you say something earlier?

"Should I have?"

"Yes!" Hermione threw up her hands. "You're famous! I've read all about you in probably a dozen books."

"None of which match up with the genuine article, seeing as our dad didn't let any witches or wizards near us until very recently.." Dudley added. "And anyway, would it have mattered?"

This gave Hermione pause. "No, I suppose not. And the books only talk about your scar and what happened the night you defeated You-Know-Who."

"Huh. I should read some of those things and see how badly they screwed it up." said Harry nonchalantly. "Neville, you're drooling."

And he was. A long thread of spittle hung rather comically from his mouth. He shook his head and blinked, looking embarrassed, then quickly wiped his mouth. "Oh, sorry, I just...you did magic."

"Yeah, wizards are known to do that on occasion" Harry quipped.

"No, I mean Dudley did magic. It's just...I didn't know he could." Neville explained. Hermione looked at him as if he'd lost his mind.

"Oh, that." Dudley nodded understandingly. "Of course I can do magic. It wouldn't make sense for me to go to a magic school if I couldn't, now would it?"

"No, 'course not it's just...well the Prophet said -"

"C'mon, Neville, you can't believe everything you read, especially in the Prophet." Harry said. "It makes the National Enquirer look like the Times."

Neville didn't seem to know how to respond to this and, indeed, he'd gone glazed eyed again. "I, err, I think I should get back to my compartment. Thanks for the help."

"Anytime, Neville." Dudley said with a wave as the boy exited. He reached out to the seat that had just been vacated and snatched up a wriggling toad. "He forgot his toad. I'm guessing Malfoy wasn't totally lying about his losing stuff."

Harry barked a laugh. "Five bucks says he's spreading the good news of their savior's return. Between him and Malfoy, our surprise entrance is gonna be totally ruined."

"We could spice it up, maybe ride in on some Pegasi. If we called now, they could meet us at Hogwarts." Dudley joked.

"Pegasi are so out of style man. No one will think we're cool. Now thestrals, they're where it's at."

"What," Hermione ground out, looking from one boy to the other, "are you two on about? In fact, what was Neville on about? Why was he surprised you could do magic?"

"Man, you really have been out of the wizarding world a while, haven't you?" Harry remarked. "I mean, we heard that it was all over the papers for a while."

Hermione narrowed her eyes dangerously, drawing her wand. "I swear, if you don't tell me what's going on right now, I'll hex you both into next week."

"Okay, okay, calm down, girl, geez!" Harry said quickly, holding his hands up in surrender.

Dudley's mouth quirked into a half grin as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "The reason Neville was surprised I could do magic is because I'm not like other wizards. I'm not a wizard at all actually; I'm just a normal person."

Hermione frowned, not completely understanding what Dudley was getting at. "Well yes, you seem perfectly normal -"

"No, Hermione, I'm normal." Dudley said, shaking his head. "Or what wizards would call a muggle."

Hermione sat in stunned silence, disbelief etched on her face. She shook her head stubbornly. "No, that's not possible. I saw you do magic. You can't be a muggle, it's impossible. Muggles can't do magic."

"Sure they can, you saw Dudley doing it earlier." Harry assured her. "It's only hard to believe because wizards have denied it for so long that they actually think it's the truth."

"But you did magic!" she repeated stubbornly.

"Fine, let me see your wand then." Dudley sighed resignedly, taking her wand in his right hand. He pulled out his wand with his left hand. "Alright, something simple. The Hovering Charm?"

Hermione nodded uncertainly. Dudley waved his wand at Trevor. "Wingardium Leviosa!" The toad struggled in the air as an invisible force lifted it into the air. He lowered the hapless toad back to the seat. "Now with your wand, and in my real wand hand."

Dudley repeated the incantation and wand movement, but Trevor remained on the seat.

"B-but the books...they said..." Hermione looked utterly taken aback as the truth sank in.

"Dad always says that there's more to magic than what's written in all the books in all the worlds in the universe. Even the best ones can't know everything." Dudley said quietly.

"Like I told Neville, don't believe everything you read. Plenty of so-called non-magical people do magic." Harry added. "Did you know that the most powerful magic user on earth isn't even a wizard?"

Hermione shook her head absently. She seemed to be having an internal argument, her eyes looking into the distance while she chewed her bottom lip. Finally, she looked back at them, not looking totally convinced. "You're talking about Dr. Strange, aren't you? He's not a wizard? How do you know that?"

"Well, we've known him almost our whole lives." Dudley answered earnestly. Hermione's eyebrows shot up, almost disappearing behind her fringe. "Besides the fact that he's taught us pretty much everything we know, he's also our adopted father."

"WHAT? Your father is Dr. Strange? The Dr. Strange?" she gasped.

"Yup." said Harry.

Hermione slumped back into her seat, and she didn't say anything for several minutes. Harry and Dudley exchanged worried looks, unsure of what to do. Then she suddenly sat up, a huge smile on her face, looking positively giddy. "This is brilliant! I can't wait to tell my parents!"

"Uh...okay..." said Dudley. "Not exactly what I thought you'd say, but okay."

"Dudley, my parents are the most normal people you'll meet. They're dentists. They don't understand magic at all. It makes them uncomfortable, so I really don't talk about it. But you're the proof that they can learn! And once they do, maybe they'll understand why I couldn't stay away, why I had to come back." Hermione said happily. "And I've got loads of questions for you two, I can't even think where to start. I'm so jealous of you two, learning from the best mage in the world! You must have learned so much, especially if…"

Harry and Dudley watched her with growing apprehension as she rambled on in her excitement. They both had the sinking feeling that they'd just opened a very large can of worms. On the other hand, the boys couldn't fault her excitement and thirst for more magical knowledge, as they could sometimes be just as keen. Harry realized that Dudley was right in his initial estimation of her. There was potential here, and if she was open-minded enough to unlearn or relearn what she thought she already knew about magic...

"Hermione. HERMIONE!" he said, snapping the girl out of her monologue. "Man, take a breath, will ya? That was like twenty questions in less than a minute!"

Hermione looked slightly embarrassed, but Dudley laughed good-naturedly. "Don't worry, Hermione, we've got plenty of time to answer your questions. You don't have to ask 'em all at once."

"Right, I just...it's very exciting –"

"Yeah, we hear that all the time, being super famous and all that." Harry said haughtily.

"Not you, you great prat, the magic is exciting. You've only been marginally interesting." she shot back with a smirk. Dudley guffawed at his brother, who was trying not to laugh while looking mortally offended. Hermione rolled her eyes at this. "Now can we get back to my questions? Because I really wanted to know how -"

But the question died on her lips as the screech of metal scraping against metal greeted their ears, the lights flickering ever so slightly. They were slowing down. Within minutes the train had ground to a halt, and as it did so, the lights went out one by one. A momentary silence fell with the darkness, which was only broken by the occasional flashes of lightning outside.

"What's going on?" Hermione whispered, not so much to anyone else so much as herself.

"Dunno." said Harry, staring out the rain-slicked, fogged window with narrowed eyes. "Whatever it is, I don't like it."

"Me neither." agreed Dudley, his hand drifting to his pocket. Harry saw this and raised his eyebrow inquiringly, to which Dudley nodded. A small, anticipatory smile grew on his face as he mirrored his cousin's move, extracting his wand from an unbreakable sheath sewn into the pocket of his robes.

Hermione hadn't seen this interplay, having risen from her seat to look out the compartment window into the corridor. Hermione drew her wand and lit the tip with a whispered "Lumos!" A few people passed by, but for the most part the corridor was empty. She placed her hand on the door handle to pull it open, but Dudley reached out and stopped her. "I'm just going to peek out and see what's happening." she said.

"Not a good idea. If something is going down, either me or Harry ought to take a look." Dudley replied.

"Yeah, if it looks like there might be trouble, you don't go sticking your head out." Harry agreed. "Not unless you want it taken off."

Hermione paled. "That...that's ridiculous! Why would there be something dangerous on the train?" she spluttered.

Harry shrugged. "Better safe than sorry. Dud, let's take a peek, see what's up."

Dudley peered out the window, looking for any signs of trouble. Satisfied for the moment, he slowly slid the door to the side, wand at the ready in his left hand. The tip of his wand glowed brightly red, and he stuck it out the compartment door. Very quickly, he stuck his head out and looked up and down the corridor, then ducked back into the compartment. "It's all clear, just some other people looking around. I think I saw one of those prefect dudes headed this way. I guess we can ask him what's going on."

The prefect, a mousy haired boy who looked to be a few years older than them, didn't seem to know any more than they did. "Don't you think I'd tell you if I knew anything? Just stay in your compartment and keep quiet. I'm sure we'll be along any minute now." he said brusquely, moving down the corridor.

"Thanks for nothing, jerk." Harry grumbled, looking at his retreating form. "So we either stay here or we go find out what's the problem. I say we go investigate."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Dudley said with a curt nod. "You suited up?"

"Always." Harry nodded, his smile getting a bit wider.

Hermione looked at the two before loudly clearing her throat. "You can't just go out there. The prefect said to stay in here. You'll both get in trouble."

"I'd rather be in trouble and informed than out of it and clueless." Dudley said with a shrug.

"Yeah, that's something you ought to know about us. We like to think of rules as more like suggestions. Especially at times like this." said Harry. He turned to his cousin. "You take the back, I'll go check the front."

"And who am I going with?" asked Hermione.

The boys looked at each other. "You not." they said at the same time.

Hermione looked from one to the other, her hands on her hips and a slightly miffed expression on her face. "So what am I supposed to do?"

Dudley shrugged. "Lock the door and sit tight until we get back."

"I most certainly will not! I'm going with one of you."

Harry sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Look, have you ever even used magic in a fight?"

Hermione flushed. "Well no, not exactly. But I do know quite a few defensive spells. I can do any spell in the Standard Book of Spells up to Grade Five, and some out of Grades Six and Seven."

The boys tried hard not to look impressed. "Okay, so you know a bit. Doesn't mean you'll be any good if it comes to a fight." said Dudley skeptically.

"We'll see, because if you don't let me go with one of you, I'm locking the compartment with the most advanced locking charm I know, and I guarantee it won't just take ten seconds to undo." Hermione said archly, folding her arms over her chest defiantly.

"Geez, you're serious, aren't you? Fine. Dud, call it." Harry fished in his pocket before pulling out a coin and flipping it into the air.

"Heads."

Harry checked the coin on the floor. "Hah, tails! Well, have fun, you two. Dud, I'll open my mind a crack in case you need to project anything to me."

"Cool beans." Dudley grabbed Harry's arm. "And be careful, dude."

"Ain't I always?" Harry said with a grin.

"Not really." Dudley replied as he followed his cousin out into the corridor. With a quick nod, Harry turned and walked up the dark corridor towards the front of the train.

"Is he always this reckless?" she asked.

"Not always. I think he was showing off for you." Dudley said with a smirk. "And you really need to learn to threaten people. We could totally have blocked your charm after you told us what you were going to do."

"Oh, well I'm terribly sorry. I'm not exactly in the habit of making threats to people. At least not idle ones."

Dudley laughed. "By the way, can you make yourself invisible?"

"I may be able to Disillusion myself. Why?"

"Because it'll be much easier," Dudley waved his wand over himself and slowly faded from view, "to avoid the prefects."

"H-how did you do that?" Hermione stammered. "That's no Disillusionment charm."

"Later," came Dudley's disembodied voice. "Just do the spell and let's go. And keep quiet."

After a few false starts, Hermione managed to get the spell to work, and she disappeared as if an invisible liquid covered her body. They worked their way to the back of the train in silence, flattening against the wall whenever they passed someone in the corridor. Hermione thought that following Dudley might have been more difficult if he hadn't thoughtfully (and incomprehensibly) left a small bit his right hand slightly visible. It was also rather fortunate that so many people had lit their wands, making it far easier to move around undetected.

As their compartment had been in the middle of the train, it didn't take too long to reach the very end. They both noticed it getting noticeably cooler, but as she couldn't see his face, Hermione couldn't tell what Dudley made of it. At the end, the door was slightly ajar. Dudley pulled it open and looked out into the darkness, leaning over the side to see. A flash of lighting illuminated the world for just a moment, startling them both. Hermione screamed as she saw a dark figure gliding away towards the front of the train.

"The hell was that?" Dudley asked as he pushed her back inside. He'd dropped his invisibility, as had Hermione.

"What? I was startled!" Hermione huffed indignantly.

"No, I meant what was that thing? I didn't get a good look, but I'd swear it was a wraith."

Hermione gasped and covered her mouth, looking horrified. "No, it's not possible! They should be at Azkaban, not here!"

Dudley looked very seriously at her. "Hermione, what was that thing?"

"A dementor! That's why it was cold, and I knew I was feeling too horrible just to be scared!." She said quickly. "They're a kind of wraith, but they feed on good memories and feelings, and even your soul. But none of them should be loose! They're supposed to guard Azkaban, the wizard prison."

Dudley's brow creased with thought. "Memories and feelings? I felt that crap too, and I shouldn't have, so they must be almost Omega level telepaths. I'd better warn Harry." He raised his raised his right hand, the index, pinky, and thumbs pointed out while the ring and middle fingers were tucked into his palm, and began to mumble something Hermione couldn't quite understand. Then, as if speaking into a radio, he began talking into his hand. "Harry! Harry, you've got to listen to me! There's some wraith thing called a dementor headed your way. It's an Omega level telepath. Cast a mind shield. Harry, are you there?"

After a few moments of silence disembodied voice croaked in an ominous whisper "Dud...help..."

Dudley's eyes widened and a shadow of fear flitted across his face. "Let's go." he said, pulling Hermione after him as he sprinted down the narrow corridor. "And I need to know what weaknesses these dementors have."

She pulled him to a stop. "Wait, you're not going to actually fight them, are you? We need to get an adult."

"I'm not wasting time looking for anyone but my brother. If you want to go do that, be my guest, but only after you tell me how to beat these things." And he turned on his heel and continued running down the corridor. Hermione looked undecided a moment before sighing and running to catch up. By the time she'd caught up to him, they were nearing the front of the train. It had gotten noticeably colder, and she was feeling extremely apprehensive. When she came closer to Dudley, however, the cold seemed to disappear, and she felt far better.

"That's the mind shield." he said, answering her unasked question. "And I thought you were going to get an adult."

"Someone's got to keep us out of trouble." she answered as they crept down the corridor. Students in the compartments cast frightened glances out at them as they advanced. "Now about dementors: the only spell that works on them is the Patronus Charm."

"Never heard of it." grunted Dudley, his eyes squinting to peer ahead into the darkened hallway. "Can you teach me real quick?"

"No, I haven't even been able to do the spell myself, not that I haven't tried. That's why I said we needed to get an adult." Hermione whispered.

"Great, that's just awesome." Dudley said, sliding open the door at the end of the train car. The scene that greeted them as they stepped into the next car made their blood run cold.

Harry lay in the middle of the car, which was clearly some sort of club room and had no compartments. He'd curled his body into a fetal position, his wand forgotten on the floor beside him. Surrounding him were four dark, hooded figures which seemed to hover ominously like so many Grim Reapers. One of the dementors reached down to slowly lift the boy up, even as its hood fell backwards, exposing a corpse-like, skeletal face.

"NO!" Hermione and Dudley screamed simultaneously, and for a moment the four figures paused and regarded them before returning to their task. Hermione felt her hairs stand on end as four electric blue balls shot forward, splashing on the ragged robes of the dementors and sending crackling electricity arcing across their bodies. The attack was for naught, though, as it seemed to have no affect whatsoever on them. Stunned, Dudley waved his wand again, only to be stopped as the dementors seemed to be pushed out of the way.

"What the hell?" Dudley exclaimed. Hermione stepped out beside him and stalked forward, her wand waving in the general direction of the dementors and mumbling something that he couldn't quite hear. He rushed to Harry's side and knelt down beside him, feeling for a pulse. Dudley let out a relieved sigh when he found it. Besides the clammy skin and shivering, Harry seemed to be okay.

"I thought you said spells don't work on them." Dudley said, standing and pointing his wand impotently at the dementors, who were alternating between rushing forward and being pushed back into the walls by Hermione's spell.

"They - don't!" she replied with a grunt, pausing to mumble the incantation again. "Banish - the air - at them!"

Dudley smacked himself on the forehead, wondering why he hadn't thought of it himself, before raising his wand and whipping it in a circular pattern over his head. A strong wind surrounded them, effectively forming an unassailable barrier.

"Thanks." Hermione said, and Dudley noticed that sweat dampened her brow and her breathing was ragged. "I'll wake Harry."

"Don't! I can't hold a mind shield for all three of us and keep this spell going." Dudley said. "I'll wake Harry while you go get help. Make a break for it once I drop the spell, okay?"

Hermione shook her head fiercely. "I can't leave you-"

"Hermione, if you don't, none of us are getting out of this!" he said forcefully. "Just do it, okay?"

"Fine. But give this to Harry when he wakes up, if you can." she reached into her pocket and handed Dudley a chocolate frog. "Make him eat it. It'll help."

Dudley looked skeptical, but nodded. "Go on my mark. Once you get out of the car, I'm breaking the shield, so be ready for it." Hermione nodded, her wand at ready by her side. "GO!"

The wind died so suddenly that Hermione's ears popped, but she ignored this as she banished a dementor out of her way. Her heart pounded all the way to the door to the next car, where she paused for a second to look back at Dudley. With both arms outstretched, he seemed to be banishing the dementors away with both his wand and his left hand. Even more incomprehensible was the excited, almost exultant grin that graced his face, as if he were enjoying every second. Then her eyes fell to Harry's curled up form on the floor and she remembered that they were relying on her. With a great heave, she slammed open the door and ran to find someone, anyone, who could help.

Dudley watched Hermione exit and very quickly ended the mind shield. A wave of cold and despair washed over him, threatening to overwhelm, but he managed to just utter the shield spell again. Warmth flooded his entire being and, more importantly, Harry stopped shivering and curling up. Dudley cast the wind tornado again, only this time it was much weaker than it had been. He knelt again and, ripping the chocolate wrapper open with his teeth, forced the chocolate into Harry's mouth.

"Harry, eat that, quick! You've gotta pull yourself together. I can't do this without you!"

Harry struggled to his feet, his legs slightly wobbly, and leaned on Dudley's shoulder for a moment. An angry scowl marred his face as he looked around at the hovering dementors. "What are these things?"

"Dementors." said Dudley. "Look, these things are tough. No spells work against them and they can get around our mind barriers. I'm just barely maintaining a shield over us right now."

"Right. No spells. Fine." Harry said brusquely. He pushed his wand into his robes and reached for the toothpick that was stuck behind his right ear. "Let's do it the old fashioned way."

He whipped his hand down and suddenly, incomprehensibly, the toothpick grew. In seconds, it had become a long wooden staff. Dudley nodded in agreement and stashed his wand away. The whirlwind disappeared with a small pop, and the dementors immediately descended upon them. Dudley calmly reached inside a pouch at his belt and, with the ringing sound of steel on steel, he swiftly drew a sword from beneath his robes, pointing it forward threateningly. For a moment the scene was still, the boys standing back to back, their weapons poised to strike as the dementors regarded them in silence.

"HAI!" Harry shouted, whipping the staff overhead and spinning to bring it around in a sweeping arc. The nearest dementor took the full brunt of the blow, flying several feet to the side. He swung back around, catching another dementor across it's hooded face. However, they were apparently made of tougher stuff than he'd thought, as they seemed to shrug off his attacks. Harry faced the first one, holding the the staff level to the ground as he sidestepped to the right. He spun again, this time with a cry of "Extend!" The staff shot out at both ends, which caught both dementors in the chest and pushed the back against the walls of the car. For a moment, it seemed they were stuck, but the dementors grasped the staff and began forcing it back towards Harry. With a frustrated "Retract!", Harry returned the staff to it's normal size and backed up, beckoning the dementors to come at him again.

As soon as he felt Harry move, Dudley sprang at the two dementors that glided at him. Taking two steps to the left, he sent his sword right to left across the first dementor's chest, and then sent it back again before bringing the sword low and crouching even lower. He exploded upwards, twisting in the air, his sword a striking the dementor several times as he arced away towards the other dementor. His target held it's bony arms up in defense, and his sword impacted solidly a few times before he landed, the sword digging an inch into the floor. Dudley twirled and slashed, his sword flashing and sparking as it tore into the dementor that seemed entirely too slow to defend itself. Sensing danger, he rolled backwards and pushed and sent a banishing spell at the first dementor, sending it crashing into the other. Another banisher sent the sword flying at them, impaling the dementors against the wall. He celebrated for just a moment, when a bony hand calmly pulled the sword out and dropped it to the floor. Floating at him again, the dementors showed almost no damage at all and, indeed, the puncture wound disappeared as if it had never been there.

"Uh, Harry!" Dudley shouted, summoning the sword back to his hand. "Hitting 'em doesn't work either!"

"No, you don't say!" Harry shouted back as he battered a dementor away with increasingly wild blows. He was so busy that he didn't notice the other dementor grabbing at him. Dudley tried banishing it away, but the spell fizzled. Harry cried out in pain as it yanked him back, then turned and pointed the staff at it's chest. "Extend!"

It shot up at the ceiling and then fell gracelessly when Harry retracted the staff. The brothers backed up and found themselves, once again, at the center of the dementors' circle. They were both breathing very deeply through their mouths.

"These things are tougher than Diamondhead." said Harry, waving his staff threateningly to keep the dementors back. "Any ideas?"

"Banishing." said Dudley, pushing one away while swiping at the other with his sword.

"Tried that, didn't work." grunted Harry.

"The air around 'em. No spell works on them, remember."

"Right, how stupid of me." Harry said sarcastically. He pushed out with both hands, sending powerful banishers that still only pushed the dementors five feet back. "And that's not working so hot either. Running's starting to sound like a good plan."

"You read my mind. Hard blast on three, then we get the hell out of here?"

"Count it off." said Harry grimly.

Dudley nodded, mentally corralling all his energy for one big banisher. "One...two..."

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

A burst of silver light from near the entrance to the compartment flooded the compartment and the slight chill that they'd felt during the entire fight was replaced by a warm breeze. To their astonishment, a great, silvery dog, obviously the source of the light, came bounding at them, growling and snapping dangerously. Harry and Dudley crouched, ready to defend themselves, but were relieved to see it attack the dementors. Contrary to their expectations, the dog seemed to actually hurt the dementors, and they shrank away, gliding backwards as quickly as they could go.

"Get out." a voice said loudly and firmly. "Sirius Black is not on this train."

Harry and Dudley watched the dementors glide out of the opposite door, each looking back briefly at them, as if to remember their faces while the dog paced and growled at them. When they'd all gone, the dog barked loudly once, then dissipated into smoky gray mist. They weren't quite sure what they'd just seen, but it had worked. They turned to see who had come to their aid.

The man was a rather thin and pale and was dressed in a shabby set of wizard's robes. Though he looked young, his hair was graying slightly, and despite his rigid upright posture, they could see the bags under his eyes that gave a distinct aura of exhaustion. In all, he looked like a man who hadn't slept in years and was wearing down rapidly. This made his very angry expression all the more convincing, at least until he fully looked at Harry. He seemed taken aback, as if he'd just seen a very familiar face he never expected to see again.

"James?" he whispered, his eyes distant, before shaking his head and saying more firmly, "Harry?"

To Be Continued in Chapter 3: Hogwarts At Last

Author's Notes:

Five months is an awfully long time to wait between chapters. Hopefully I made up for that woeful update rate with the length of this chapter. I've started chapter 3, but I won't even insult your intelligence by saying when it'll be done. Hopefully this chapter is enough of an enticement to keep you checking back. There's a lot of interesting stuff that's going to start in the next couple of chapters.

Please check out the forum if you have any questions. I'll be glad to answer any that won't spoil the story. Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment. Until next time...