Tangled Fates

A Harry Potter Fan Fiction
By NAPPA and PixyChick AKA Lauren

Chapter One: A Magical Mystery Tour

A shrill, unearthly cry echoed through the dark stone corridors that made up Lord Voldemort's fortress. "Tell me, centaur, or certainly you will be feeling much worse than that, I swear it! I know you've got some sort of prophecy and I want it!"

A once-robust centaur lay writhing on the filth-covered floor. "Never!" he choked out. "Never will I ally myself with the likes of you!" His words remained valiant, but his body and will were weakening slowly under the incessant rounds of torture at the hands of the Dark Lord.

A whispered word and another jet of light flew at the centaur's prone form. Back arched and screaming, as the painful effects of the Cruciatus curse broke another once -strong will. "Fine! FINE! I shall tell you what you wish to know! Please! Please! No more!" The chestnut mare sobbed, finally giving in to the darkness that pervaded every pore of his body. He began to speak.

Two months later, with a horrible cut shaped curiously like a bolt of lightning on his forehead, Harry Potter slept upon the front porch of number four, Privet Drive.

~*~

Vernon Dursley bustled about his sunny kitchen, lovingly preparing a breakfast for his wife, Petunia. Normally, Vernon himself would be the one being pampered, but tragically, two weeks earlier, Petunia had suffered a horrid miscarriage, one that had left Petunia unable to bear any more children. So Vernon hurried about, flipping pancakes and brewing fresh coffee to serve his bed-ridden wife's every whim. Loading up a tray with a surprisingly delectable-looking breakfast, Vernon trotted down the hall, expecting to pick up the post from the front hallway. To his surprise, there was no post pile in front of the door. Balancing the tray in one hand, he pried open the door...and promptly screamed.

The meticulously prepared breakfast crashed to the floor as Vernon stared at the bundle on his doorstep. There, swaddled in blankets and sleeping soundly, lay a baby, dark-haired and cherubic, with, mysteriously enough, a large, lightning bolt-shaped slash across his forehead. The initial shock gone, he crouched over the baby, marveling at his tiny form, and perhaps, at the chance to raise a child when only two weeks previously his dreams were shattered. A letter written on heavy parchment fluttered to the ground as the child rolled over. Sitting down on the porch next to the bundle, Vernon severed the wax sealing the letter shut and began to read.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,

My name is Albus Dumbledore. I am writing to you as a friend of Lily and James Potter, and now, as an executor of their estate. I am terribly sorry to tell you that earlier this evening, a dark wizard by the name of Lord Voldemort broke into Lily and James's home and, though they fought bravely, succeeded in his dastardly mission of killing them. I offer my condolences to you. They were beautiful and brave people, very much in love with each other and with life. They did, however, leave an amazing legacy behind, one that will live on forever in their son, Harry.
Harry Potter is no ordinary boy. He has powers and potential that we cannot even comprehend. This is the reason that I believe Lord Voldemort wished to kill him. Harry did not die, though, even when he was hit by the killing curse, which, to my knowledge, has never before failed, and what's more, Voldemort's spell backfired upon him, breaking his power and freeing our world from his grasp. For this, we are all in debt to this little boy. He is a hero and will be revered as such from this day forward.
For this reason, I have decided it is in Harry's best interests that he should stay in your custody, away from the crowds and fame, until he is ready to handle it and come into his own. You are his only living family, and I trust he will be safe in your care. I will contact you again when it is time for Harry to come to Hogwarts to begin his education. Until then, my condolences are yours.

Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Order of Merlin, First Class

Vernon felt a tear slowly trace a path across his cheek as he gazed upon his nephew, already a hero, already accomplished so much, and already orphaned.

"Vernon!" Petunia's shrill voice cried, "What's going on?"

Vernon picked up his nephew, still clutching the letter and walked inside. "Hold on, Petty, I'll be up in a minute. I've got something big to tell you."

The door closed behind him.

~*~

Fourteen years and a trans-world move later, the Dursley family had settled down upon the island of Sofeba off the coast of New Zealand. When Harry was three, Vernon had given up his position as supervisor of production at Grunnings drill factory and moved the three of them to an upstart sugarcane plantation, one which, under Vernon's careful watch, had grown into the largest producer of refined sugar in the southwest Pacific. Petunia, though rather unhappy to leave the British shores, was now quite the hostess, and delighted in redecorating their large, airy home as often as she wanted, especially when there was need for a party.

Harry, now fifteen, stood a sturdy six feet tall; his frame topped by an unruly mop of thick, jet-black hair and sparkling emerald green eyes, which were hidden behind either glasses or contacts, whatever mood suited him. Vernon had become a wonderful father to him, making up in full for his lack of real parents and Petunia's inexplicable coldness towards the boy. Vernon did not care that his wife did not like Harry, for he loved him like the son he would never have and did his very best to instill the values in Harry that his father before him had left on Vernon.

Petunia never took to Harry, and it was always supposed that her general dislike for her nephew stemmed from resentment about her child who had died where Harry had lived. Secretly, Harry always thought that perhaps there was also a deeper meaning for her lack of love towards him, something between his mother and her that was never resolved. However, from Petunia's neglect grew a new and very important relationship in Harry's life— that with his nanny, whom Vernon had hired to watch over Harry while he was at work, not really trusting his wife to take good care of him.

Mrs. Chambers was a kind and good-hearted woman with a boy Harry's age. She accepted Harry into her family like he was one of her own and Harry was always grateful for it. Her son, Danny, grew to be Harry's very best friend, a bond that began in the most unusual of ways: one afternoon when Harry and Danny were playing by the bay near the Dursley's plantation, Danny slipped and fell in, immediately getting swept up in the riptide. To his surprise as much as Danny's, Harry found himself diving in the waters, willing himself to swim faster in order to reach his friend before the inevitable happened, and when Harry found himself actually turning into a whale...well, suffice it to say that it was one of the single-most frightening moments of his whole life. Luckily, he kept his wits about him and brought his friend to safety.

Danny advised Harry to keep his transformation a secret. After all, he rationalized; you never know what kind of government spook could be looking for a kid who could turn into a whale. From that day on, Harry and Danny were practically inseparable – and as they grew older, it seemed that Harry appeared as more of an extension of Danny and vice versa.

They had a friendly rivalry on almost everything—from schoolwork to athletics, and even girls!

Harry had already made quite the name for himself, being both top of his class and a well-respected athlete. This, coupled with his striking good looks, made him quite the small-town celebrity—the boy all the girls wanted to date and all the guys wanted to be—and so Harry was used to strangers coming up to him and saying hello. The weirdest thing was that some of these people were garbed in what seemed like long dresses, and they all seemed to disappear when Harry gave them a second look.

Even with the spattering of odd occurrences, (once, Harry had been in his bedroom, seriously craving a milkshake, when suddenly, one appeared before his eyes!) Harry had always found life quite enjoyable. He dismissed the supernatural happenings that always seemed to occur around him, simply saying, "sometimes, things need a to be a little extraordinary." However, Harry Potter had no idea just how extraordinary things were about to become...

~*~

Harry Potter sat up, rubbing his green eyes blearily as a cool breeze trickled through his open window, ruffling his hair and scattering the papers stacked on his desk. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, reaching lazily for his glasses and placing them on his head. The world snapped into focus. Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle—he had the distinct feeling of being watched.

Steeling his courage, he swung around, eyes darting madly for any disturbance. He let his arms drop to his sides, feeling stupid, although a little wary, because there, on the windowsill, sat an owl.

Harry walked over to the owl. He had never really seen one before, for owls were not very commonplace on the island. Much to his surprise, it appeared that the owl was carrying a letter. "Hey, what's that you've got there?" Harry whispered soothingly. The owl shot him an appraising glance and took to the air again, fluttering over to where Harry stood. Dropping the letter at Harry's feet, the owl swooped out the window, flying away into the early-morning sunshine.

Harry picked up the letter. It felt heavy, like it was written on some sort of parchment. Turning it over, he read the address aloud. "Harry Potter. Second bedroom, Dursley Plantation, Sofeba, New Zealand."

Now very curious, Harry sank back down on his bed, peeling off the wax seal that held the letter closed and removed the letter. Eyes wide, he read its contents—feeling amazed, yet somehow knowing in the back of his mind that this was what he was waiting for all his life. That this was the reason he always felt special and didn't know why.

Dear Mr. Potter,

I am pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Normally, students are sent this letter upon their eleventh birthday, however, there are some extenuating circumstances surrounding your admission. First, you must learn about your past. I know this will be hard to hear about from a letter, but you must. This is the reason why your admission has been delayed four years, and the reason why your parents were killed.
You, Harry, are an extremely powerful wizard, the likes of which we've never seen. This must come as a shock to you, but, yes, wizards do exist. Magic is quite real, you know. We have a whole world to ourselves, carefully hidden from any Muggle's prying eyes. (A Muggle is what we call a non-magic person.) Anyway, fourteen years ago, on Halloween night, a very dark wizard named Voldemort arrived at your parent's home. Although they did their best to fight him off, he murdered them. After all, no one had ever lived after Lord Voldemort had decided to kill them, no one, that is, except you.
Yes, Harry, you lived. To this day, no one knows why, but somehow, when He shot the killing curse at you, it somehow rebounded back and hit Him, leaving him virtually powerless. You freed our world from twelve years of horrible fear and oppression and for this, we are eternally grateful. You are The Boy Who Lived, Harry. When you come to Hogwarts, please do not be alarmed by anyone's reaction to you. You are quite famous and your life is shrouded in legend, you know, because no one's seen you in so long. Just be prepared. However, the reason you are only being contacted now is that the year before you were to be admitted, Voldemort planted a spy here, one who we trusted implicitly and turned on us in the most horrible way, using his position as a professor here to steal the Sorcerer's Stone, which we were hiding here. He gave it to Voldemort and using the Stone's immortality powers, returned him to power.
For the next four years, a fierce battle raged, pitting Light magic versus the Dark. Only until a spy of our own managed to steal and return the stone to us, was their any hope for our side. Without the stone, He could make no more Elixir of Life and was therefore vulnerable. The war was not fully over until Albus Dumbledore, our very own headmaster, managed to defeat Lord Voldemort, however in the process, sacrificing his own life for all of us.
Dumbledore believed it unsafe for you to return to the wizarding world at that time. However, it was his last wish that you be brought to Hogwarts and trained as best as we could. He seemed to know a lot about you, Harry Potter. I know there is another letter waiting for you when you arrive from him.
We hope you accept our invitation to study here. In a day's time, one of our very own professors, Remus Lupin, will be traveling to fetch you and bring you back to England. I speak for all of us here when I say I anticipate your return.

Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress, Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry
Order of Merlin, First Class

Harry sat in shock. Magic? Wizards? And he himself was some sort of hero. Harry was vaguely aware of his uncle's footsteps in the hallway and a knocking on his door. Suddenly, Uncle Vernon's concerned face was right in front of his own.

"Harry? You all right?"

Harry wordlessly handed over the letter to his uncle, whose face paled considerably as he skimmed its contents.

"Oh, um. I didn't think it would come this soon, ever since we got that letter from this Dumbledore chap when you were ten, I've been dreading this day."

"Why didn't you tell me, Uncle Vernon?" Harry asked softly.

Vernon averted his eyes from Harry's piercing gaze. "I don't know, Harry. I guess-- I guess I never actually believed they'd think it was time for you to go and I didn't want to get your hopes up or scare you or anything. I realize now that I should have told you years ago, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. You think we haven't noticed all those strange things that seem to happen around you, Harry? I knew you were magic just like your mum when you were just two years old! I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Harry, I regret it now, but still, you know now anyway."

Harry sighed. "Is this magic hard, do you think?

Vernon smiled. "Not if the past years are a good example of it. You've been making things move since you were old enough to walk. I'd expect that you'd be quite good at this magic stuff once you learn about it a bit. It's quite amazing, you know, I saw your mum doing some of it a couple times. Astounding, really."

"But won't I be behind? I mean, the letter said the other kids were already there since they were eleven!"

Vernon frowned. "I don't think so, Harry. The other letter we got from Hogwarts said that there was something special about you, they didn't really elaborate much, though. But you've never really had a problem with schoolwork before, have you. Mr. I-Take-University-Level-Courses-Even-Though-I'm-Only-Fifteen?"

Harry laughed, "Well, what can I say? When you've got it, you've got it." He dodged a playful swat from Vernon, jumping off the bed. "I guess I shouldn't really worry about this much. It'll be weird being famous, don't you think? This Lupin guy is supposed to be coming tomorrow, so we'll find out more then. Anyway. I'm supposed to meet Danny at his house at 10, so I better get ready."

"Lupin? I don't know why, but that name sounds awfully familiar to me..." Vernon mused as he left the room.

Harry shook his head, laughing, as he headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

~*~

Harry pedaled up the drive of the Chambers's house. Ditching his bike on the lawn in the same spot it always landed, he jogged up the front porch, taking the steps two at a time. Knocking on the door, he went inside, calling, "Hello? Anyone home?"

Mrs. Chambers bustled out of the kitchen, grinning widely at the sight of Harry. She crossed over to him, wrapping him in a huge hug. "Hello, Harry, dear!" she cried, "Danny'll be down in just a minute." Harry smiled, following her into the brightly lit kitchen. Everything from the stark-white walls to the well-scrubbed butcher-block table impeccably clean and smelling of home, reminded Harry just how much he loved this family.

"Good. "Harry said, sitting down at the table and accepting the cookie Mrs. Chambers offered him. "Because I've got something important to tell you both."

Mrs. Chambers sat down across from him, looking a little wary. "Something big, Harry?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Harry answered ruefully.

Just then, Danny bounded down the back staircase and entered the kitchen. "Hey!" he cried happily, "you ready to go? I told John and Sam that we'd meet them at the field by 11."

"Um, yeah. I have to tell you something, though, so sit down, okay?"

Danny sat down, looking rather apprehensively at Harry.

"Okay, well, the thing is, is that I am going to have to go away for a while—to England, er, to go to school, and I think I have to leave tomorrow, I don't really know, I don't really know anything, come to think of it, how they expect me to catch up is beyond me and I have so much to live up to and--"

Mrs. Chambers cut in, laughing, "Harry, dear, you're babbling. Slow down! Did you say you have to leave?"

Harry looked down. "Here. Read this." He pushed the Hogwarts letter across the table so that both Mrs. Chambers and Danny could read it together. He stared out the window while they read, trying to ignore the sounds of surprise they both were letting out.

Finally, Danny spoke. "Is this—is this some kind of joke, Harry?"

"No, honestly, it's not. I'm supposed to meet this Lupin tomorrow and go away, I guess and they all think I'm some sort of hero, isn't that weird? It's just, you can't tell anyone, okay? I don't even know if I was supposed to tell you, but you're my favorite people in the whole world and I couldn't lie about why I was going away."

"Well, Harry, it seems you've got an interesting year ahead of you. Just don't forget us all back here, okay? We'll be waiting for you to come home." Mrs. Chambers stood up and crossed to Harry, enveloping him in a hug.

"You're okay with all this, then?" Harry asked apprehensively.

Mrs. Chambers smiled. "Of course. I've always know there was something special about you, Harry Potter, something that made you different. I guess this is it. I will miss you though. You've been like a son to me all these years."

Harry looked down, willing himself not to cry. "What about you, Danny?"

"Yeah, I guess so. It's really cool, Harry. But how are we going to win any basketball games with you gone?" Danny laughed.

"I guess you'll finally have to learn how to play, Chambers." Harry joked.

Danny shot him a look. "What am I going to tell everyone when you leave?"

Harry thought for a moment. "I guess just tell them I've went to boarding school in England. Say you don't know the name—it's really exclusive or something. No one should question that. I guess Uncle Vernon will make the arrangements with the school so don't worry about that, either."

"Yeah, well, you know I'll miss you, Potter. Everyone will, especially Serena Feliciano!"

Harry groaned loudly. "There's one reason to be glad I'm leaving." Serena Feliciano was a skinny twelve year-old girl who was madly in love with Harry. Her father owned the town's main store, so every time Harry and Danny ventured into the heart of the village, she accosted them. Needless to say, Harry didn't think he'd especially miss Serena's attentions.

At this, Mrs. Chambers laughed. "That's enough about poor Serena! Anyway, aren't the two of you supposed to be at the school now?"

Harry said his goodbyes, gathered up his letter, and followed Danny out of the house. As they pedaled towards the school and its basketball court, Harry mulled over everything that was happening to him. Just barely fifteen years old and having to move so far away from home, although, if you thought about it, he was actually born somewhere in Britain, so maybe, he was really just returning home.

~*~

After a very sleepless night, Harry awoke at the crack of dawn, intending to go for a run to clear his head. Slipping on a pair of mesh shorts, a sleeveless t-shirt, and sneakers, Harry crept down the stairs, heading for the path that circled the entire plantation—easily a good fifteen mile run.

Running made Harry relax. Somehow, while pushing his body to continue moving when it didn't want to, he seemed to forget everything else and just lose himself in the beauty of the morning. After a good hour or two, Harry jogged back up his own driveway, sweating profusely and quite fatigued. Walking the rest of the way to the house, Harry noticed a thin, sandy-haired man standing at the hedge, staring at the house.

"Um, can I help you with something?" Harry asked suddenly, startling the man.

He turned around quickly. "Oh, yes well—" He trailed off, gazing at Harry. "James?" he whispered.

Harry looked confused. "Right. Well, I don't know any 'Jameses' so if you don't mind; I really have to go take a shower now."

The man flushed. "I'm sorry, you just look so much like—Anyway, you must be Harry. Remus Lupin, at your service."

Harry jumped. "Oh! You're Professor Lupin? Right. I'm Harry Potter, but I guess you already knew that. Um...come inside, please!"

Lupin smiled, following Harry up the staircase and into the house. "Um. My uncle should be around here somewhere; he's usually up by now. Who knows where Aunt Petunia is, though." He led Lupin into the kitchen where Vernon was sipping a cup of coffee while he read the paper.

"Good morning, Uncle Vernon." Harry said as they entered. Vernon looked up, smiling, his gaze turning inquisitive as he spotted Lupin. "This is Remus Lupin."

Vernon stood up, coming over to shake Lupin's hand. "Nice to meet you, Professor Lupin."

"Don't you remember me, Vernon? We met at Lily and James's wedding. I was one of the ushers?"

Vernon's eyes widened. "Oh! Yes! Of course! I knew I recognized your name! How are you, Remus?"

"I'm fine. I'm in my third year of teaching at Hogwarts, Transfiguration, you know. From the looks of it, you and Petunia are doing fairly well, too."

"Business is good. Of course, Harry helps out a lot, when he's not busy with sports or schoolwork..."

Harry sensed that this reacquaintance would take awhile, for Vernon had a tendency to brag about his nephew, so he excused himself to go take a shower.

After about half an hour, Harry clambered back down the stairs, hair still wet and wearing a new shirt and khakis. He noticed Aunt Petunia lurking about the doorway, muttering to herself about "those people." Harry shook his head and entered the kitchen, finding Vernon and Remus talking like old friends. They stopped talking as Harry entered, and greeted him warmly. Harry sat down across from Remus, relaxing visibly at how well his uncle and professor got along.

"We were just talking about you, Harry. Seems you're quite the scholar and athlete, huh?

Harry blushed. "I do all right, I guess."

"Boy's modest." Vernon chuckled.

"Well, I guess we should get down to business then. Harry, we'll be leaving for Hogwarts tonight, um, you'll be arriving at school about a month before the rest of the students. This is to acquaint you with the castle, to sort you into your house, and to get you started on some work to see what levels you're at."

"Houses?" Harry asked.

"Oh, right, you don't know. Well, Harry. At Hogwarts, there's four houses named after each of the four founders of Hogwarts. There's Gryffindor, where the brave at heart are supposed to go, that's your father's old house, Harry. Hufflepuff, for the loyal, Ravenclaw, for the bookworms, --that's where your mother and I were-- and Slytherin, whose pupils are supposed to be sly and tricky, although even though you think some of them are okay and you've known them forever, they turn around and stab you in the back."

Harry stared at Professor Lupin. "What are you talking about?"

Lupin started. "Oh...nothing, sorry about that, Harry.

"Uh, right. Um, Professor, could I ask you something?"

"Sure, Harry."

"Um. How am I supposed to catch up to everyone? I mean, they've been there for so long and I really don't know anything about magic."

"That's a very difficult question, Harry. Professor Dumbledore left a letter explaining it, and I'll give that to you once we get to Hogwarts. I don't really understand everything he did pertaining to you, but I am sure that you needn't worry about catching up. I think Minerva McGonagall wants you to take your O.W.L.s this year, as well."

"O.W.Ls?"

"They're tests you're supposed to take at the end of your fifth year: Ordinary Wizarding Levels. They're pretty important. I think we had a girl last year who got thirteen or fourteen, in fact."

"Er--okay...so, I guess I should stark packing then, right?"

Lupin slapped his forehead. "Oh! I almost forgot! Here's a trunk for your stuff." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small trunk, about an inch high, and set it on the floor.

"Um, I don't think that's big enough for all of Harry's things, Remus." Vernon said warily.

Lupin grinned widely. "Just give me a second." He then pulled out a long, thin stick of wood. "My wand." He explained. Pointing it at the tiny trunk, he cried, "Enlargio!" and a stream of white sparks flew out at the trunk. To Harry and Vernon's surprise, the trunk shot up rapidly, growing to a regular size. The trunk itself was made out of a smooth mahogany with brass fixtures. On the top, also in brass, were Harry's initials. All in all, it was a very handsome trunk.

"Wow!" Harry gasped. "That's amazing!"

"I told you that this magic stuff was great, Harry! Now, I guess you'd better go and start packing. You've got a long journey ahead of you. I'm guessing about thirteen hours on a plane, right, Remus?" Vernon said.

Again, Lupin laughed. "Actually, it'll only take us seconds to get there. I brought some Floo Powder and we'll just head over to the Consulate and use their fireplace." Noticing Harry's very confused expression, he continued, "Floo Powder enables us to travel by fireplace. We can go from the Consulate to the pub in Hogsmeade, which is the town right by Hogwarts and from there, we can easily get to the school."

"Wow." Harry murmured again.

"Now, as Vernon said, I suggest you go and pack. We're expected to be at Hogwarts by seven this evening."

~*~

The rest of the day was spent throwing clothes and sports equipment into the trunk. Harry called Danny and Mrs. Chambers and they were to arrive shortly to say goodbye and accompany Harry, Vernon, and Remus to the British Consulate.

Finally, the doorbell rang, and the Chamberses entered the house. Harry was sitting on his bed, just gazing around the room that he'd lived in for as long as he could remember. He had mixed feelings about going to Hogwarts—on one hand, he was really anticipating leaving Sofeba and seeing how his parents had lived. On the other, he felt that leaving home and all his friends and basically his whole life behind would be one of the hardest things he'd ever do.

Harry jumped as Danny burst through the door to his room. "Oh, hey, Danny." Harry said.

Danny looked shocked as he glanced around Harry's room. Once bursting with Harry's possessions, it now looked as though everything he owned was packed inside a large trunk sitting in the middle of Harry's room.

"How are you doing, Harry? It's almost time to go, I guess."

"I'm okay. It's just kind of weird to be leaving. You'll tell John and Sam and everyone I said goodbye, won't you? And I think I'll be coming back for Christmas break, so I'll see you then."

"Yeah, sure. No problem." He looked down. "I'm really gonna miss you, you know."

"I know. I'll miss you, too. This is like a whole new world; what if I don't fit in?"

"This isn't like you, Harry. You never worry about things."

Harry sighed. "It's just, I'm supposed to be famous and my parents were well-known and I'm just worried that I'll disappoint them somehow."

"You won't, Harry. I've been trying to live up to you my whole life. Trust me, you'll be fine."

Harry smiled. "You're right."

Just then, Uncle Vernon's voice rang up through the hallways. "Harry! Danny! Come on! It's time to go!"

Harry and Danny looked at each other. "Come on. I'll help you carry the trunk."

Together, they lifted Harry's trunk and went downstairs. Lupin was waiting for them, wand in hand, ready to shrink Harry's trunk back to traveling size. Danny and Mrs. Chambers went wide-eyed as Harry's trunk almost blinked out of existence.

Taking one last look around his home, Harry walked out the door, looking back as Petunia called, "Goodbye, then." Harry smiled at his aunt's almost-sentimental gesture. At least that was better than nothing.

Piling into the back of Vernon's car, Harry watched as the familiar scenery sped by. Suddenly, Harry found himself in a part of town he'd never even seen before. People walked about the sidewalks dressed in long, flowing robes and signs reading things like "Zeeker's Joke Emporium—A Subsidiary of Zonko's" adorned the buildings.

"Where are we?" Harry whispered.

"This is Fantastic Alley. It's magic only. The Consulate is at the end of the street." Lupin answered.

After a couple more minutes, he told Vernon to pull over in front of a large, white, building. "This is the British Consulate. Come on, we're expected."

Harry, Danny, Mrs. Chambers, and Vernon all followed Lupin into the magnificent building and up to an information desk.

"Hello." Lupin said cheerfully. "I'm Remus Lupin. I believe I have a Floo transport scheduled for 6:45?"

"Right. A few questions before, though." The man at the desk asked in a very bored, mechanical voice. "Destination?" Harry looked on in awe as the man's words inscribed themselves on a roll of parchment lying on the desk.

"The Three Broomsticks, Hogsmeade, Scotland." Remus answered.

"Passengers?"

"Two. Remus Lupin and Harry Potter."

At this, the man's head snapped up, eyes wide. "Did you say Harry Potter?" he asked breathlessly.

Lupin smiled. "Right, Harry Potter. I'm taking him to Hogwarts."

The man stared at Harry for a minute, other witches and wizards in the area who heard the man's exclamation stopping and staring as well.

"Um, hi?" Harry said meekly.

At this, the man's jaw dropped. Danny looked amused.

"Now, if you don't mind, Harry and I really need to get going, so please, can we continue?" Remus questioned, fighting back a smile.

The man shook his head, jolting himself back to reality. "Oh, right. Um...I—er—can't think what comes next...just go ahead. Room 234."

As they walked away, Harry avoided the stares he was getting from passers-by, some visible pointing at his forehead.

"Remus?" Harry whispered. "Why are they pointing at my head?"

"Oh, right. It's your scar, Harry. That's the mark you got when You-Know-Who's curse failed."

"Oh." Harry was quiet.

Finally, they stopped in front of room 234. Remus pushed the door open, revealing a room with comfortable-looking armchairs and a blazing fireplace. "Well, this is it." Remus said.

Vernon wrapped Harry in a huge hug. "Goodbye, son." He whispered huskily.

Harry hugged him back. "G'bye. I'll see you soon."

Then Mrs. Chambers came over and hugged him goodbye. "Good luck, Harry." She whispered.

"It's time to go, Harry," said Remus.

Harry took one last look at his family, gathered around the fireplace. Lupin threw a glittering handful into the fireplace. The flames burned a brilliant green.

"Just step in the fire and say 'Three Broomsticks' okay? I'll go first. Watch me."

Harry watched as Remus stepped into the fire, crying, "Three Broomsticks!" and disappeared.

Harry smiled at Vernon, who was looking at him worriedly. "Three Broomsticks!' he shouted, jumping into the flames. The world spun around him. Suddenly, he felt himself hit a hard stone floor.

"Oof!" Harry said, looking up at Remus.

"Harry," Remus said, smiling, extending a hand to pull him to his feet. "Welcome home."

~*~

Author's Note: Hello! This is a joint project that, we hope, everyone will enjoy. The plot was concocted by NAPPA, and he and myself will be expanding on it and continuing as soon as we can. As far as this first chapter goes, we hope that everyone enjoyed it and will continue to look for future chapters. Thanks!

Disclaimer: This story was based on characters and plot lines developed by J.K. Rowling and in no way, shape, or form do they belong to us.

"The Magical Mystery Tour" is a song/album/movie by The Beatles, and, well, that doesn't belong to us either.