Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter, or any character related to him. This is a work of fiction, written to allow the author get rid of his stress and share his ideas with the reader. Any place; setting; characters from the Harry Potter books utilized in this work are the property of J.K. Rowling. Original characters however, are property of the author. This work is the intellectual property of the author, and distribution and any replication of the work is prohibited without the express consent of the author. Any distress due to the need of a dictionary beside the reader so that he or she may enjoy the story is not intended.
A/N : There goes the ridiculously long disclaimer. This will be the one and only disclaimer in the story, due to my forgetfulness. This story will be updated more frequently after 10 October 2007, when I have finished my examinations and have relaxed sufficiently. Any similarities to other works are un-intentional, and are mostly due to my irritating ability to assimilate and subconsciously result in similar plot devices. I shall pertain not to bore you further with my long-windedness, except that I feel it obligatory to warn my readers that this work is AU, set after the 4th book, just before they board the Hogwarts Express, meaning that even the ending in the 4th book is ditched. My story starts after the asterisk in page 628 of Harry Potter : and the Goblet of Fire Bloomsbury edition. All criticisms welcomed. However, please do not slate or static at me, being a normal teenager that is undergoing puberty may result in me avoiding this story till I calm down sufficiently. If you feel it necessary to inform me about a certain obvious flaw, at least attempt to mask your words, lest my ego gets hurt. My English is not that coherent as I wish it to be, and Microsoft Word's spell checker is not that fantabulous as I hoped for.
Enough of my whining like an old lady. May I present to the reader, Harry Potter : Electus Unus
Harry Potter paused. He was not sure if he really heard someone calling his name, and he continued to walk on, attributing it to him being paranoid after being so near to death, by the hands of Voldemort.
"HARRY!"
Harry Potter spun around, only to meet the smiling figure of Dumbledore, the twinkle in his eyes diminished. Dumbledore walked forward, and grabbed Harry's shoulders.
"Harry. I do realise the death of Cedric has taken a toll on you. Didn't you hear me call you the first time?"
Harry remained silent.
"I'm not entirely too sure if I should tell you this, but if you want to prevent Voldemort from entering into your thoughts again, you should take some time off to study this branch of magic, called Occlumency."
Dumbledore passed a thin book to Harry. Harry looked up quizzically at Dumbledore, only to see the wizened man smile back.
"This book contains my notes at the back, which will definitely aid your understanding. I have charmed the book to only be readable to you, and any other persons that pertain to invade your privacy will have their hands full trying to make sense of a catalogue of socks."
Harry's mouth curved upwards at the ends, as he was reminded of the scene in his first year, when he re-visited the Mirror of Erised.
"Sir – Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?"
"Obviously, you've just done so," Dumbledore smiled. "You may ask me one more thing, however."
"What do you see when you look in the Mirror?"
"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woollen socks."
Harry stared.
"One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."
Harry grinned subconsciously, as Dumbledore caught on what Harry was thinking.
"Thinking of my response to your question in your first year, Harry?"
"Yes, Professor."
"Get on the train before it goes, Harry. I don't want to be required to Floo you back to Platform 9 and three quarters."
Harry boarded the train, hand clutching the book tightly.
Harry soon found the waiting compartment, as three pairs of hands grabbed his trunk inside and stowed it away. Ron, Hermione and Ginny were inside, with Ron sitting next to Ginny, and an empty space next to Hermione.
"Thanks guys."
"No problem Harry, what are friends for?"
Harry grinned. It was satisfying to know that he had at least three friends that would stick with him through thick and thin, with the rumor spreading by the Slytherins that Harry had killed Cedric to win, and quite a number of students had then avoided him after that.
He sighed, and flopped down on the compartment's only empty space, and after noticing Hermione giving him a stare that was full of concern, opened his mouth.
"I'm alright, Hermione. I'm just saddened by the loss of one of our fellow Hogwarts students."
Hermione hugged him, being conveniently sitting beside him.
"Don't worry Harry, it will be alright. The rumors will be proven false soon enough, I assure you."
Harry grinned at Hermione. Somehow she always knew what he was thinking, and knew just the words to comfort him. She stayed close to his side throughout the journey, something he was grateful to her for, as he felt hopeless and weak after being forcefully reminded of the fragility of life.
The food trolley soon passed by, and as Ronald Weasley basically wolfing down his food, Harry munched on the sandwich while he read his "catalogue". Harry smiled as he saw Hermione leaning towards him, being always fascinated by books.
She could not contain her question as it exploded out of her.
"Why are you even reading a sock catalogue Harry? I wasn't aware such things existed!"
"Dumbledore thought I needed help in selecting decent socks."
As they shared the laughter, Ronald Weasley choked on his food and after a load of slapping his back and him coughing, his airway was clear, before the rest laughed at him. His face suddenly blended in with his hair, turning into a bright shade of red. Although they expressed concern at Harry's selection of books, they dismissed it, as Ron preferred to turn his attentions to Wizard Chess, in which he was playing with Ginny, while Hermione was brooding over another book she had. After all, if Dumbledore gave it to Harry, who knows if Dumbledore wanted Harry to tell him which sock he though suitable, and frankly, it was really not their business to probe. If Harry wanted to keep mum about it, so be it.
They laughed, as Harry's train of thoughts suddenly went back to the time where he saw Dumbledore's full fury. He was amazed at how he did not realise that when people call Voldemort as the Dark Lord, there was something wrong. He cursed his stupidity, and his apparent lack of any attention to details. He looked out of the window, only to spot the scenery fly by.
"Harry, there is no need to berate yourself over that."
Harry turned, only to see Hermione looking at him. He wondered about why she was so acute to his thoughts.
"Actually, I knew you were thinking about that from the forlorn look and the sadness in your eyes. You are so easy to read."
Harry then realised that Dumbledore was once again, right. His mind was painfully vulnerable to probing. If Hermione, a budding witch could do it, imagine the ease that Voldemort had. He picked up the book again, and tried to comprehend the massive amounts of information flooding his brain. He suddenly remembered that Dumbledore left notes at the end of it, and he constantly referred to them, thankful for the way Dumbledore explained them. He wished that Dumbledore could teach all the subjects. He had managed to make the massive amount of information comprehendible and easy to digest. He would no doubt make Ancient History more appealing than the boring Binns.
Suddenly, Hermione held out a bottle with a beetle and a few twigs and leaves inside. The beetle had these curious antennae that resembled Rita Skeeter.
"I found out how Rita Skeeter came to know about the details. She was bugging."
"But I thought you said electronic bugs had no effect in Hogwarts..."
"Not electronic Harry, she is just like your godfather."
The realization dawned on Harry, as his mouth came out with a single word.
"Animagus."
"That's right. She is also incidentally an illegal Animagus, so technically I could have her in Azkaban. However, I gave her a chance, to stay off her quill for a year to see if she will learn that honesty is the best policy. There is also an Unbreakable Charm on the bottle, and unless she likes to see herself squished, she wouldn't attempt to escape."
The beetle quivered at the mention of Azkaban, as Harry peered at the beetle. Hermione replaced the bottle, taking her chance to manhandle the bottle as unnoticeable as possible. She flashed one of her grins at him, before burying her nose in a book again. The various mysteries around Rita Skeeter's articles settled, and Harry was about to return to the book, when the door opened with a bang, as Draco Malfoy and his entourage appeared in their field of vision. Malfoy smirked, before opening his mouth to speak in a condescending tone.
"So, the Mudblood has captured a lousy reporter and Potter is Dumbledore's pet again. Potter, I warned you about these imperfections and filth. Why are you still degrading yourself, forcing yourself to be friends with a Mudblood and Muggle-Lover."
"Do not speak in that tone again, Malfoy, unless you can pay these cheques your mouth is writing."
"I shall speak as I please Potter. Why do you contend yourself to being friends with these"-He waved his hands around- "Commoners."
"Leave the compartment Malfoy. You are not welcomed in here."
"Shut up Mudblood. You have just polluted the air around here with your disgusting breath."
"Do. Not. Speak. To. My. Friends. Like. That." Harry stressed every word, as his eyes suddenly lost their emerald green colour to be replaced by a dark green colour, emitting pure fury.
"I SHALL speak as I please Potter. Is it that the great Potter is afraid of the facts? Deaf, to go along with it, too?"
"Do not make me resort to violence, Ferret. You for one know my abilities." Draco winced as he remembered himself turning into a ferret.
"Are you stupid or just thick enough, so that the Dark Lord's attack couldn't get through the thick skull of yours? You need to select your circle of friends carefully. Not these commoners Potter."
"I shall do as I please. You said that much yourself. Why should you be concerned about my affairs? Worry about your own and I shall worry about mine myself. Kindly make yourself scarce, unless you prefer to be carried out unceremoniously. On the other hand, would you prefer turning into a ferret? The fake Mad-Eye taught me the spell before I went for the second task." Draco flinched again, only to speak after regaining his bearings.
"The Dark Lord has risen again, Potter. Surely you are not as oblivious as you let on. Why do you persist on sticking with the losing side? Cedric is merely but one of the few pawns that has to die..."
Suddenly, there were flashes of lights and after the light died down, the sprawling figures of Draco Malfoy, Goyle and Crabbe were seen lying on the floor, suffering from multiple hexes.
"Who gave Malfoy so much boils?" Harry asked, as he kicked the slumbering bodies out of the carriage.
"Me. I gave him the hex twice." Hermione grinned.
Another "whoosh" marked the two twins entering, before they entered, they were sure to step on the figures of the three. Fred lingered on Malfoy's body, before choosing to get off before his shoes were dirtied. George however, was using the levitating spell on the three's arms, and dragged them in the direction of the toilet, making sure that their heads bumped against the floor.
"Malfoy's being shifted to somewhere else less incriminating by George, Harry." Fred chuckled.
Harry suddenly remembered something, and rummaged around his trunk before emerging with a sack of Galleons in his hands. He pressed it into Fred's hands, before returning to his book.
"What? Is that the winning prize of the Tournament? We can't accept this Harry."
"Take it as an investment in your joke shop, then."
"I guess, alright then."
Fred left the compartment before sharing a cheer with his twin and returning to theirs.
As he continued to read the book, his friends were either sleeping or daydreaming. Hermione was reading her textbooks again, being the bookworm she was. He smiled.
They bade goodbye to each other, with Hermione giving Harry a kiss on the cheeks before blushing and running to her parents. Harry rubbed the place where she had kissed him, and turned around. Harry found a gruff Uncle Vernon to deal with. Harry followed silently behind his uncle as they approached the Dursley car. Harry sat on the back seat, and the car drove off, heading for 4 Privet Drive.
Harry suddenly felt a pang in his heart, as he yearned for the holidays to end so that he could finally escape from the Dursley's and returned to where he belonged.
END OF CHAPTER 1
A/N : So how did you guys like this so far? Do review and tell me about my mistakes and inaccuracies. I will attempt to correct them and make reading my story a more enjoyable affair. In case you have not noticed, with the interaction between Hermione and Harry, I am going for a Harry Hermione thing. In the circumstance that you prefer Harry and Ginny, please do not let this distract you from immersing yourself in my world.
Anyway, I seriously question J. K. Rowling's decision to pair Harry with Ginny and Hermione with Ron. Ron is an insensitive git, who copies her work and has made her angry more than once. Harry was always the one comforting her. Seriously J. K., you need to take a course on interpersonal relations before pairing them, and for those saying, "Beauty is in the eyes of the Beholder", I assume you think Hermione would love to see Ronald Weasley wolf his food down with no sign of any table manners and his frequent jealousy towards Harry.
I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, being just nearly 1900 words not counting the text walls that greet you first. After all, the aim of this chapter is simply to introduce you to my story, and twist the ending towards my aims. For the more detailed analysis on Rita Skeeter's methods, I refer you to the official books. The next chapter will be much longer, as I take time to expound on their characters.
This story has a Flesch Reading Ease rating of 70.4, so it should be quite easy for you to understand. For the words you don't, check your dictionary. Now who said reading Fanfiction does not improve your English?