CHAPTER 3

Little Whinging, Number Seventeen, Privet Drive, July 3, 1993

It was another fine and peaceful sunny day at Little Whinging. And on top of a tree on the yard, Rogue Walker was enjoying a nap on top of one of its branches, underneath the shade of its leaves, unmindful of the chirping of the birds, which in his ears was like music, and lulled him into a peaceful slumber.

"GET BACK HERE, KIRA!"

Unfortunately for him, the peace of mind he had turned out to be short-lived.

"I'M SORRY! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" a cat with white wings and black fur, who went by the name Kira shouted, as he flew by, while the other exceed, who went by the name Sora, was on his tail.

The silver-furred exceed, however, merely scoffed in disbelief, as she raised her wand. "LIKE HELL IT WAS! PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"

As she said these words, the other cat's body stiffened, his arms and legs locking together as the spell hit him, while the wings on his back disappeared, And in the next instant, he fell to the ground.

Fortunately for Kira, he ended up landing on top of something soft, and thus he was unharmed.

Unfortunately, however, what cushioned his fall...

"?!"

Was a basket of newly-washed clothes.

"KIRA!"

Sadly, since the cat was currently covered in vile chemicals, he ended up earning a beating from Sara, who was the one who washed said clothes, and was on the process of hanging them to dry.

And as he watched the scene unfold, with his sister and her exceed beating Kira to a pulp, the son of Skiedrum could not help but shake his head, and palm himself in the face.

Rogue had known from the beginning that something like this would happen. However, despite this, he had been hoping that it would not come to this.

Of course, since this has happened several times in the past, it was, he had to admit, a foolish belief.

And now, even though he wanted to help his partner cat, he knew he wouldn't be able to, partly because he believed Kira deserved it, but also because he did not want to get torn apart for something that wasn't his fault.

Just like the rest of them, Kira actually loved Potions, and in fact, the cat's fascination with the subject is even greater than any of theirs.

Unfortunately for them, even though this was the case, his partner exceed did not have any talent for said branch of magic whatsoever, and the cat's capability at it was, no offense, at the same level as Sara's skill is at knitting and sewing. Knowing the concept about something, after all, was different from applying it.

Rogue had tried, had done his best, to convince his partner to drop it. After all, they were only doing self-schooling, so it was not as if he would be getting a tainted record for it whatsoever.

Besides, even if Kira did become the greatest Potion Maker in the world, being what he was, it was nearly impossible for him to be able to sit in an O.W.L.s examination.

However, none of these stopped the cat from doing what he wanted. Recently, they had tried using a different tactic. Due to the dangers involved, they decided to restrict his use of Potions substances, allowing Kira access to only the safest ingredients which were least likely to end in a disaster, while hiding the more dangerous ones from him.

Sadly, it did not work. Apparently, anything in the hands of the exceed that he used for his concoctions, even something as harmless water, could end up being explosive.

Due to their current predicament, the Shadow Dragon Slayer actually contemplated on cutting down their Potions supplies, but decided it wouldn't work. With the kind of persistence the cat was showing, he'll probably order some directly from the shop, or worse, if his attempts are intercepted, go out to buy some himself.

Ring! Ring!

Suddenly, the son of the Shadow Dragon was brought out of his thoughts, as he felt a vibration from his clothes.

Muggle equipments, like TVs, arcade games, and all sorts of electronic appliances and other Muggle items, have been known to malfunction and go haywire in the presence of magic, especially Magical Wards. However, there were ways in which to counter this, simply by not allowing magical energy to enter said Muggle items.

And cellular phones were one of them.

Dudley? thought Rogue to himself, having brought out his phone from his pocket to check who it was, and saw that the call came from the blonde. What the hell does he want?

"Hey there, Dee-Dee," the Shadow Dragon Slayer greeted over the phone. "How's it..."

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT! IT'S DUDLEY YOU MORON!" the person on the other end screamed angrily.

Luckily, for Rogue, he was already expecting this kind of reaction, and immediately moved the phone away from his ear.

To Rogue, Dudley Dursley was a close friend and acquaintance. He was a good companion to have, and was a constant visitor to the Walker household.

Yes, Rogue once held a lot of ill-will toward the boy (and still held a bit) though given what he had to go through because of the blonde, it was actually no surprise. Still, he had already forgiven Dudley for all of it. Normally, he probably would not have been able to do so, but after what they've been through, he had decided to let go of his grudge. For the young Dursley, had changed for the better. Not entirely though, but at least his bullying nature has been directed towards deserving targets rather than innocent bystanders. For ever since Rogue and Kisara saved him that day, Dudley had shifted in priority, and had since stopped tormenting the weak and the defenceless, and had instead, along with them, taken the role of protector, and whenever they had time, Dudley would normally go with them during their nighttime outings.

Yes, the five of them including Kira and Sora, had developed a habit of patrolling the neighbourhood at night. Not that the police were overly incompetent of course, but even they were not perfect, and there were details, as well as areas, that even they, as well as their surveillance camera system, overlook, and in the past three years, they managed to help out quite a bit, and their contribution had helped reduce the crime rate, including mugging, rape and sexual assault. In fact, they had even uncovered a warehouse which was being used as a storage for illegal drugs and firearms.

Dudley may still act a bit like a git, hell he was still a git, arrogant and haughty, but at least his heart was in the right place.

"So anyway," Rogue began as the person on the end of the line stopped ranting,. "What is it?"

"Oh nothing," Dudley replied over the cell phone. "Just thought I'd disturb you from your beauty sleep."

"Why you..." the shadow dragon slayer began, feeling irritated but before he could finish what he was saying, the person he was talking to cut him off.

"They were here..." Dudley stated.

And as Dudley said these words, the air around him tensed, and the son of Skiedrum suddenly felt wide awake.

"What did they want?" Rogue asked in a quiet voice.

"Same as before, information," the young Dursley replied. "They were looking for you cousin."

?!

And now the shadow dragon slayer could not help but feel nervous.

"Open your computer," the spiky-haired blonde told him. "I'm sending you a video."

Yes, Rogue had always known that something like this could happen eventually. After all, before they had been taken in by their Mum and Uncle Jim, before he had been raised by his father Skiedrum, Rogue was once known as Harry Potter.

Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, the one who was supposed to have vanquished the Dark Lord, Voldemort, when he was still a baby. Yes, this is what the Wizarding World had come to believe. What they thought to be true though, was actually far from the truth.

Yes, Voldemort had indeed been vanquished, defeated. However, Harry, or Rogue, knew that it wasn't him who did it.

During his time with his father, the young dragon sleyer found out exactly how he survived that night. At the time, he did not know yet that he had been famous. However, he did know that a lich who wields powerful magic had come to attack his family, and that it was his parents' sacrifice, particularly his mother's, which saved his life, using a powerful form of magic which gave Rogue. The ordeal he had when he was still an infant had indeed been one of his worst memories, and it shook him nearly as badly as his last memory of the dragon who was his father, who, despite the different circumstance, had also done something similar.

Yes, Rogue would have wanted to avenge his parents. However, he had no idea where to begin. Yes, he knew a bit of knowledge when it comes to splitting souls, but even Skiedrum was not certain if the one who attacked his family was still alive. For there was a possibility that the soul fragment, given the nature of the spell that had been cast, could have only been created by accident.

True, Rogue could not help but feel that the wizard responsible might still be alive, but he decided not to pursue his revenge. After all, he was Rogue now. He was no longer Harry Potter. But more importantly, he had people who he cared for, and while it was true that a small part of him wanted to go and hunt down the lich, his stronger will would not allow him to do so. If Voldemort were indeed to appear again, he might go after him, but Rogue was not about to abandon his loved-ones and waste his life to go on a wild goose chase looking for an enemy that may or may not even exist.

The shadow dragon slayer had already done his fair bit of research when it comes to the workings of the Wizarding World, and because of it, he knew that his decision to hide his identity was correct, and the only ones who knew that he was once known as Harry Potter were his foster parents, Sara, their two exceed companions, and Dudley.

But now, as he watched the video sent to him by his cousin, the son of the Shadow Dragon could not help but feel anxious, his eyes narrowing in worry.

For showed on the screen were four people, who were talking in the living room of Number Four, Privet Drive. Two of them, of course, were his hated Aunt and Uncle, who, even though he was friends with their son, he had not yet completely forgiven, with a grim and irritated expression of their, undoubtedly uncomfortable with their visitors. He could not hear what they were talking about, and Rogue could not help but suspect that a Privacy Ward was in place, but what he saw, as well as his cousin's words, were enough to put him on alert. For one of them Rogue easily recognized as the Headmaster of Hogwarts and Supreme Mugwump, Albus Dumbledore, having seen his picture from one of the cards he got from a Chocolate Frog, while the other...

?!

Was a man with a hooked nose and long, raven hair, the man who they had run into outside of the Apothecary just the other day.

-WHITE AND SHADOW DRAGON-

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, July 3, 1993

Inside of his office at his school, an ancient-looking old man, with a silver hair and beard, was walking to and fro, deep in thought, as he tried to figure out what should be his next course of action. Still, despite his worries, the old headmaster could not help but feel slightly lighter compared to the past couple of years, as he had seen a glimmer of hope.

Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, the son of two of Dumbledore's favourite students, Lily and James Potter. He remembered, it, as if it were yesterday, when he had, with a heavy heart, decided to leave the boy in the care of the Dursleys. Yes, Dumbledore knew very well how Lily's sister, Petunia, felt about magic. However, he thought, out of respect for a family member and the goodness in her heart, that she would treat the boy well enough. Or at least, he hoped they would. Yet just a couple of years back, he found out just how wrong he was.

Yes, the defence he had placed on Number Four Privet Drive to protect Harry Potter was unique. It was a Blood Ward, one which works at its maximum only if the one it was intended to protect was living with his blood relatives to at least the third degree. True, it only worked to ward off anyone who intends to do direct harm to the boy, but it was enough. After all, Dumbledore did have capable allies in the Ministry, who made sure that any and all letters and packages sent to the house was harmless, and in fact, he also had friends who work in the Muggle post office, who made sure that any dangerous items sent via the normal people's way did not make it through.

Aside from that, he also placed at least one person to patrol around Little Whinging at least once a week, as an extra precaution. The fact that Arabella Figg, a Squib, lived in the neighbourhood, was not his plan, but actually served as an added bonus. With all these precautions in place, Dumbledore was sure that he would be able to keep the boy alive and well, until such time that he was old enough to enter Hogwarts. He knew that some of his moves were questionable, especially the use of the Blood Ward, as it was considered a Dark Arts, but Dumbledore did not care. He needed to keep the boy safe and keep the promise he made to his parents, and if it meant that he would have to step down from his position because of his actions, then so be it.

After all, with his credentials, as well as the number of supporters that he had, removing him from being the Supreme Mugwump was the worst his enemies could do, aside of course from attempted indirect assassination, which unfortunately for them, would not work on someone as powerful and experienced as Albus Dumbledore.

Yes, Dumbledore had plans for the boy, and as someone who believed in prophecies, he knew that Harry Potter would someday have to face Tom Riddle, who the Headmaster of Hogwarts knew was not dead. However, even if it was the case, he was not about to allow it to come to pass.

Neither can live while the other survives? Even if it was meant to be, the old man, while his plans and manipulations involved having Harry Potter eventually face off against Lord Voldemort, it did not involve fulfilling the last statement of the prophecy, and he planned to do everything in his power to try and make sure that at the end of it all, the boy survives the ordeal. After all, with everything he has done, with all his manipulation and all the strings he pulled, Dumbledore owed him at least that much. Besides, he was not about to let Harry Potter lose his chance at a childhood because of some dumb prophecy, even though the Headmaster believed it to be true.

That was still later, however, and thus, Dumbledore first focused on ensuring that the boy survived the first few years of his life, alive and well, but in such a way that he will not grow up to be a pompous brat, something which, given his reputation in the Wizarding World, would only be possible if he was kept away from all the attention. And by placing him with the Dursleys, Dumbledore was sure that he made the right decision.

Two years ago, however, he discovered just how wrong he was, just how senile he had been, to believe that what he had formulated was the perfect plan.

It was during the 31st of July, 1991, when his Deputy Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, had come barging in to his office, and the fact that she did so by blasting the door open, while carrying the decapitated head of the stone gargoyle which guarded the main entrance, was proof of just furious she was. After all, she was the one who had argued with him that leaving Harry Potter with the Dursley, who she judged as 'horrible people,' was a grave mistake.

And apparently, she was right.

Being the busy man as he was, being both the Supreme Mugwump, as well as the Head of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore, like all leaders had a lot of duties and responsibilities, one of which was one of the worst enemies of all times, an enemy, known as paperwork. He barely had time for anything else, even his favourite pastimes like tenpin bowling, and the only recreation he had left was eating his favourites. Of course, his fellow teachers were also faced by similar responsibilities, but they were nothing compared to his own.

And because of it, one of the responsibilities he had forgotten was checking up on the wellbeing of the Boy-Who-Lived. Of course, this was because he was confident with protection and precautions he had in place.

A grave mistake.

For as it turned out, when the Deputy Headmistress went to fetch Harry Potter, as well as Dudley Dursley, who had also been discovered to possess magic, Harry Potter was not in Number Four, Privet Drive, and in fact, he had not been living there for years. And that fact alone threw all his plans out of the window.

Dumbledore knew that it was his fault, which was why he allowed the angry Transfiguration Teacher to scream at him all she wanted. Perhaps if he had gone with his alternative plan, which was leaving Hogwarts and raising the boy personally, as Merlin had once done with Arthur, teaching the boy the proper morals and to walk in the light, things would have gone differently. But now, it was too late.

Even though Dumbledore was known as a wizard who fights for the light, using the Dark Arts for the Greater Good was something he would do, even if it was against his principle. Even though he did spare Grindelwald when he fought him in the past, the Hogwarts Headmaster actually killed hundreds of Wizards in his career, and in fact, during the First Wizarding War against Voldemort, the number who fell before Dumbledore's Wand reached thousands.

Yes, he may have become soft through the years, he may believe in second chances, but Dumbledore was not above killing someone when there was no other choice. In fact, in one critical skirmish alone, Albus Dumbledore, while considered a hero because of it, actually caused what could only be considered a slaughter, obliterating countless creatures allied with Tom Riddle, which include Inferi, trolls, giants, and among them, over two hundred Death Eaters. And the slaughter only stopped when Voldemort himself appeared, thereby taking the powerful wizard's full attention.

And he was angry, furious, with the Dursleys, because of what happened, and in fact, being in a rather irrational state of mind at the time, had he discovered that they were responsible for the boy's disappearance, as one of the theories that formed in his mind was that they killed little Harry, he would have probably not been so lenient, and probably killed them himself, or requested to the Wizengamot that they be subjected to the Dementor's Kiss. Forgiving though Dumbledore was, a man who believed in second chances, hurting a family member was an extremely touchy subject for him, having lost his own sister because of his own foolishness.

As it turned out, however, it was not their fault, at least not entirely. True, the living conditions Harry Potter had was only little better than a servant boy, but at least he had not been completely abused. And while it was true that their child, Dudley, had been bullying the son of Lily and James, having found out by using mild Legilimency on them, he could tell that the boy was sorry for what he had done. Dumbledore did not know exactly why, not wanting to pry too much lest they notice, but at least the regret he felt about it was enough, aside from the fact that he was a child, to withhold the wizard's wrath.

That, however, did not change the fact that did not change the fact that Harry Potter had disappeared, and as Dumbledore inspected the house, he was able to narrow down his theories to two possibilities. One, the boy used accidental magic and disappeared. Two, Harry Potter has been abducted. Both possibilities, however, had very disturbing implications.

Still, at least Dumbledore was sure that he was still alive, for the protective wards he had placed, particularly the Blood Ward, would only dispel if the person it was protecting died, or had already reached the age of seventeen.

And now came the hard part: finding the Boy Who Lived. In the past couple of years, Albus Dumbledore had done his best to try and find the boy, using every resource he had, including manpower, to help him in this objective, without alerting the Ministry. For if the truth were to be found out, it would cause quite an uproar. He had called upon his most trusted contacts and allies, and in fact he had personally gone out to join the search, to no avail. Using all the influence at his disposal, Dumbledore convinced the Wizarding Community that Harry Potter was safe and sound, and that he was being raised and taught magic by an anonymous individual.

There were a few sceptics of course, but most people, including the Minister, Cornelius Fudge, was convinced. In fact, some of them actually believed that Dumbledore himself was, ironically, the one who was raising the boy.

Sadly, no matter how they tried, they could not find him. They had tried everywhere, even going as far as America and Asia in their search, yet it yielded no results, except perhaps bringing Dumbledore a lot of migraine and stressing him enough to make his ancient face look even more ancient, and the old Headmaster could not help but feel that his life, long though it already was, had been shortened a decade.

Two years before, the Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, Quirinus Quirrell, made an attempt on the Philosopher's Stone, a special stone, created through alchemy, that can be used to turn any metal into gold, as well as create the Elixir of Life, which could be use to extend a person's life, as well as help them regain their youth indefinitely, thereby granting them immortality.

Naturally of course, both Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel, the Headmaster's very old friend and the owner of said stone that was kept at a maximum security vault in Gringotts, knew that it was a fake, and it had only been taken to Hogwarts, upon Dumbledore's request, to try and lure out a traitor among the teachers. For while he did not have solid proof, Dumbledore felt something in the young stuttering Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher that was peculiarly like Tom Riddle. Still, the fake stone was well-made, that even those who knew its basic properties would find it difficult to tell the difference, until they decide to use it, when they will discover that it is not the real thing.

Flamel of course, had offered Dumbledore, who had proven himself a loyal friend, to share the Elixir with him, which the younger, yet physically much older Dumbledore refused. After all, he had once tried to find a path to immortality himself, yet he almost lost himself to Darkness because of it. Power and eternal life, while it may have been alluring to him in the past, no longer interested the one who is believed to be many as one of the greatest wizards who ever lived. In fact, Dumbledore had two items in his possession that were rumoured, if combined with a third, to give its wielder immortality, yet even if he possessed them, it would not make much difference. Having learned many harsh lessons through the decades, Dumbledore believed that eternal life was not for someone like him who could not be trusted with it, and would probably throw away the chance in fear of abusing it.

And so, Voldemort's follower, Quirrell, took advantage of Dumbledore's constant absence from the school, and one Halloween night, he let a troll in to Hogwarts as a distraction. Unfortunately for him, not only was his troll unable to do much distraction or damage, (since Flitwick, the Charms Professor. chanced upon on his way to the Great Hall after taking the loo and brought it down swiftly), Severus Snape, one of Dumbledore's most trusted subordinates, was onto him, and had been reporting to the old man of his movements.

Having learned through the Hogwarts Gamekeeper Hagrid how to get past the Cerberus, which was immune to most powerful spells, as well as the rest of the other teachers' enchantments, Quirrell breezed through the defences, only to find Dumbledore, who had never actually left the school at the time, waiting for him at the final chamber, having set the whole thing up. There was a duel, in which Dumbledore managed to defeat the young turban-wearing teacher, and despite what he had done, knowing he was just being controlled and manipulated, having noticed that he was under a spell similar to Imperius, the old Headmaster spared him. Sadly, the spectre of Voldemort, which was hovering around them, managed to escape, though truthfully, despite his deep understanding of magic, Dumbledore did not have one that he could cast fast enough to trap or destroy it.

Yes, it was indeed a stressful ordeal, but at least it ended well. For the first time in decades, the curse upon the Defense Against the Dark Arts Job has been broken, and Quirrel, now free from Voldemort's influence, had proven to be an effective teacher. He was still under watch of course, but at least he was once again walking on the right path, and despite his stuttering, which was now real instead of a facade, his combat ability as a wizard was actually up to the task, and he was imparting his knowledge with the students.

Sadly, the same could not be said for Hagrid, who tried to raise a dragon in his cabin. True, they managed to fix the situation before it got worse, preventing the baby dragon from destroying anything aside from the Game Keeper's hut, eventually deciding to send the dragon to Charlie Weasley, who was an expert with dragons, but it caused Dumbledore a lot of stress just the same.

Then, on one of his travels in search for the son of the Potters, Dumbledore, by chance, came upon a young man with golden hair pointing a wand on another person's back. Sensing foul play, Dumbledore immediately took him down. It was later found out, that the attacker was someone known as Gilderoy Lockhart, a popular idol figure who published books of his adventures and encounters with various dangerous creatures and situations. When the investigation by the Ministry was over, however, it was found out that the man was a fraud, his wand discovered to have been used to cast Memory Charms on the people who had actually done the courageous acts, then claiming it for themselves, thus earning him a life sentence in Azkaban.

And indeed it had been quite a scandal. Unsurprisingly, many, especially the witches in the Wizarding Population who were part of the Lockhart fan club, were in an uproar with the Ministry's supposed 'injustice,' and the complaints only stopped when Dumbledore stepped up and publicly announced that it was he who had caught the man.

Yes, so many things had happened indeed, in the past two years, which had brought the Supreme Mugwump a lot of stress. And now, another one added to this list, one which added, not only to his stress, but also to his worry.

It was perhaps, as Dumbledore would call it, Divine Providence, the encounter which his Potions Master had the day before. At first, he had to admit he had been sceptical, unsure, if Severus Snape was in the right state of mind and not being delusional, for ever since he heard that the son of Lily went missing, even though he had remained calm on the outside, Dumbledore knew that the news added to the man's suffering.

As he checked the memory, however, with the use of his Pensieve, placing the silver strand into it, the old Headmaster realized that it was not the case. Finally, after a long time of searching, they had found a clue. For the boy who the former Death Eater encountered, there was no doubt about it. His eyes were emerald green, exactly like the eyes of Lily Evans Potter...

...and also the eyes of the infant who Dumbledore had left on the Dursley's doorstep thirteen years in the past.

And now, all they had to do was to find him, and in a matter of a few hours, the Headmaster discovered something crucial

Suspecting that his theory was not unfounded, Dumbledore, Severus with him, decided to pay the Dursleys another visit a few hours earlier that day, and thus, he confirmed his suspicions. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, was more likely than not, alive and well, and was closer to home than they originally thought.

And now, as Dumbledore, exhausted from all his walking, slumped down onto his chair, he could not help but smile slightly. He now knew what to do.

"Fawkes," the Headmaster whispered.

Immediately the wizard's faithful companion appeared in a flash of fire, circling around the room once, before it perched itself onto the Headmaster's shoulder.

"My old friend, forgive me," Dumbledore apologized to the phoenix, as he caressed his winged companion fondly. "I know you are still exhausted from last night's trip, but this is an urgent matter."

As if knowing what its bonded wizard companion was thinking, Fawkes the phoenix snatched the envelope which the Headmaster's other hand was holding with its beak, looking at the old man in the eyes with understanding, before disappearing once again in a flash of fire.

-WHITE AND SHADOW DRAGON-

Little Whinging, July 3, 1993

It was now eleven o'clock in the evening. Having been inspired by the many stories and cartoons about superheroes, as well as the values that had been instilled into them by their dragon parents, Rogue, and his sister (not by blood) had been, in the past few years, patrolling the neighbourhood at night, taking on the role of vigilantes, who help fight against crime. And ever since the time they saved him a couple of years back, Rogue's cousin, Dudley, had been tagging along with them.

Overall, their little campaign had been successful. Little by little, their contribution has had a significant impact on the community, and their efforts had indeed helped reduced the crime rate, and in fact, in the past few months, save for the incident a week before, there had been very few incidents of mugging, rape, murder, and other criminal activity in the area.

Normally, something like this, to the vigilantes who had been putting in their effort to helping the people, would have been a cause for celebration. Rogue, however, found that he could not.

Sara, overall, was a nice person. She was friendly, kind-hearted, and when it comes to Rogue, she was really clingy, which the Shadow Dragon Slayer found as both pleasant and disturbing. True, in the past, all it did was give him a warm feeling of being subjected to such affection but now, along with the nice feeling, a similar yet different kind of heat now rose within him whenever the girl hugged him, one which brought him a lot of discomfort, and it took every bit of willpower he had to stop himself from pushing her down. He had tried of course, to politely tell her to keep her distance, but when he did, the girl had thrown such a tantrum, that in the end, the boy once again found himself at a loss.

Defeated, the son of Skiedrum resigned himself to letting her do as she pleased, hoping, doing everything in his power, not to give in to his inner desire, placing enormous effort to block out the voice of the shadows that were beckoning him to take her.

As of the moment, however, as the silver-haired female continued to latch onto one of his arms, a different kind of discomfort, which had nothing to do with his carnal desires was plaguing him, and the reason behind it...

"I'm bored," the white dragon slayer yawned.

Was because the female was currently feeling bored, and whenever she was bored, it did not bode well for them.

Yes, Sara was a good person, and in fact, was quite mature for her age. She may have a short temper, but overall, she was organized, responsible, and in fact, was quite good with doing household chores without magic. Of course, Rogue also helped out, as he and the female would alternate on the tasks on a daily basis, but when it comes right down it, the quality of the output of their work, especially when it comes to cooking, were leagues apart, and the shadow dragon slayer had to admit that he would probably never be able to cook as well as her. However, the girl had a side to her, which Rogue must admit, was quite troublesome.

For whenever she was bored, or extremely irritated with someone, Sara would often retreat to her favourite hobby which is...

...pranking...

"I'm soooo...bored," the girl repeated her complaint.

And now, Rogue was feeling nervous, as he felt beads of sweat beginning to form on their face. Looking to his left from the corner of his eye, even though he could see him due to the Shadow Dragon's Cloak he had cast upon himself and his companions as he always did to avoid people seeing them (although at other times they use the Disillusionment Charm), the shadow dragon slayer could not help but notice that Dudley was taking her behaviour worse than he was, although it was not actually much of a surprise. After all, the blonde happened to be her favourite target, and from the look on his face, Rogue knew that his cousin was recalling the first time they met, when Dudley and his former gang had been beaten up by her, and while it was their fault, tying them to a post then painting their faces to make them look like clowns while casting a lasting Tickling Charm on them was, even in Rogue's opinion, a bit too much.

"KYAAAA!"

?!

Now though was not the time for him to be thinking about such things.

Running swiftly towards the direction of the scream, the group of five, with the exceeds flying overhead, headed towards the direction of the shouts, where they almost crashed headlong into three girls with a look of panic on their faces, running as if the devil was on their heels. Following their trail back, the group continued on their pursuit.

And found themselves facing something unexpected.

In truth, in the past, their group had already faced differently groups of thugs, ranging from bullies, to drunkards, and even more dangerous people, including those who wield guns. And aside from that, they had also gone around to seeing various magical creatures up-close in Diagon Alley, including a dragon (which was once put in display by a dragon handler who was trying to gain recruits), which, as Rogue discovered, while powerful, were closer in strength, intelligence and nature to the Waiverns in Fiore. However, it was the first time they had encountered something like this outside of the Magical World.

For near the corner of the alleyway, was a creature, which appeared to be twice the size of a human, its form hidden from view by the darkness, which, based from the crunching sounds it was making, was eating, probably the food that was left behind by panicked drunk girls that passed by them.

"What is that?" Sara asked in a quiet voice.

Normally, one would have believed it to be either just a normal animal, probably a cat or a dog. However, Rogue was not deceived. For the creature in front of them, whatever it was, had a strange scent that was unlike any ordinary animals,' and aside from that, it was emitting a magical aura.

"Impossible," the son of Skiedrum whispered to himself.

As if noticing their presence, the stopped what it was doing and turned to face them, which actually surprised him. For the Shadow Cloak he had placed around them would masked them, not only from vision, but also their energies, and unless he dropped or weakened the spell, no one should be able to find them.

"Grrrrr..."

Suddenly, it made an angry, growling sound, the creature lunged, with incredible speed towards them...

"ROGUE!"

Unfortunately, despite their speed, the creature's action took them completely by surprise, and now, the shadow dragon slayer was unable to move, pinned to the ground, finding himself staring straight into the face of a huge, shaggy black dog, its mouth opened wide, revealing its sharp set of canine teeth, feeling its hot breathe, its eyes glowing dangerously in the darkness...

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Alright, another chapter out. Now, as I'm sure you've noticed, there are already a lot of differences in my fic compared to the Canon HP, and as usual, I'm using the 'butterfly effect' or 'chaos theory' in full effect.

Firstly, in my fic, Dudley Dursley also gets a letter to Hogwarts, which change a lot of things, including the person who went to fetch them. Instead of Hagrid, it was McGonagall, for logical reasons, who came to visit. Naturally, Rogue and Kisara, as well as Kira and Sora also received a letter, but since they have magical parents and living with magical people, no one was sent.

Second, Quirrell-controlled by- Voldemort was bolder and more impulsive. This was because Dumbies spend a lot of time outside of the school looking for Harry Potter. Unlike in Canon though, the stone was a fake, since I need a certain someone to be alive if ever I decide to give him more role in the plot. Quirrell as well, met a different end and was given a second chance. After all, in Harry Potter Canon, Voldemort only started to possess his body after his initial failure, and that was weeks after the troll incident. Now of course, the curse of the subject has been lifted, although as to how long he will last, well I'm still thinking about whether to make him a sideline protagonist or antagonist.

Third, the events of Chamber of Secrets do not happen here. Lucius Malfoy, of course, still has possession of Tom Riddle's diary, and the reason why he did not use it was because he had not yet seen the perfect opportunity to do so.

Fourth of course, is damned Gilderoy Lockhart, one of my most hated characters in Harry Potter universe, since he is the embodiment of credit grabbing and undeserved rewards and attention, nuff said.

As to the rest of the events, like a certain raffle for the Daily Prophet, I suppose that it's raffling system would not be affected by the presence of the twin dragon slayers, so it's still the same. With regards to some of the major characters though, like Harry Potter's two best friends in canon, I'm still thinking about how I should portray them, as well as whether or not I give them major or minor roles, though that is still up for debate. I do, of course, plan to give a certain girl in Ravenclaw who was bullied simply because she was a bit and different a bit of justice. Yes, it is true that she will not be paired with Rogue/Harry, but in the Canon, I really wish that J.K. Rowling chose her to couple with Harry instead of Ginny-(sorry for the foul language) Weasley. I will only be bashing her for a bit, but that will probably because she will only have a minor role. Sorry Ginny/Harry fans out there, but it's how I really feel about it. Besides, given how many dates she had in canon, I doubt if she was still a virgin when they married.

But enough about that...

And like always, I hope you enjoy reading this chapter...

Later then, people...