N.B: Apologies for the re-upload but FF decided to crap the bed on me and not fully upload on my end.

Chapter Four: Summer can't last forever.

The Flamel Estate, Southern France, 24th August 2008.

"CRUSHING WAVE."

BOOM.

12 year old Harry Potter let a savage smile plaster itself across his lips as he watched the final mannequin opposite him get caught by a wave of white magic that slammed into it with the weight of a freight train. However, rather than simply dissipating upon making contact with its target, the wave of magic carried ploughing forward, carrying the mannequin with it until it slammed into the wall some 10 ft behind it. Upon impacting with the wall, the Crashing wave finally detonated, sending plumes of smoke, rubble and mannequin remains flying in all directions. Taking a deep breath, Harry calmly raised a palm and watched as a blue magic circle appeared beneath him, before projecting a blue barrier in-front and above his body, protecting the youngest Potter male from the few bits of debris that managed to reach him. The rubble bounced off of the shield, its kinetic force nullified by the basic shielding spell.

Protego had been one of the many spells that the rat-bastard Quirrell had taught him before attempting to murder him, but it had been more of a basic necessity to help Harry with his control as opposed to a spell the Defence professor had expected Harry to master. Quirrell's personal fighting style had emphasised relentless aggression and evasion as opposed to shielding and counter-attacking, and he had taught Harry the basic foundations of it during their time together as master and student. Even though Harry hated the back-stabbing bastard, he couldn't deny that the man had been an excellent teacher - even if they were limited in what they could cover due to Harry's age. However, whilst the style was an effective one which could turn a Mage into a one-man army when properly used... it was not one that his new teachers felt that he should start out by learning.

The Flamels had calmly but thoroughly explained that, whilst the style in of itself was an extremely effective one, it simply wouldn't be possible to use it properly until Harry had a good fundamental grasp on reinforcement magic and was able to maintain the spells required for extended periods of time as opposed to short bursts - something that his young body wouldn't be able to handle for at least another year. As such, it was imperative that he mastered shielding spells until he was able to properly implement a more aggressive style using reinforcement magic...

That and they firmly believed that Harry having the spells in his repertoire would be incredibly useful - after all...

"No Magus can dodge forever, Harry. There will come a time you have to stop running and stand your ground."

Harry smiled as Nicholas' words echoed through his mind. Although he had known he was fundamentally correct, Harry was initially somewhat reluctant to learn a whole new style. But after gentle and kind reminders from Perenelle Flamel that he had an entire lifetime to experiment with and learn as many styles as he wanted (and the a slightly less gentle demonstrations courtesy of Nicholas beating him black and blue in a spar), Harry was forced to concede that he needed to change his style of fighting for now. Shaking his head lightly, the youngest male Potter rolled his shoulders as he turned away from the wall he was facing and began making his way towards the exit of the room he was in. Aforementioned room was a gigantic, several hundred metre wide training area underneath the Flamels' private estate. At the moment it was little more than a barren stone-floored room, but its simplicity was a result of the extensive magics used to maintain the room. Able to transform from a fully-equipped muggle gym to an assault course or a magical sparing arena at but a single human thought, the Room was far more impressive than it may have first appeared. Harry currently had the room set to a practice range for smaller-scale spells, hence its rather barren appearance at that moment in time.

Rolling his shoulders gently, the youngest Potter breathed a sigh of relief as he opened the door at the back of the room and began scaling the stone staircase that would take him out of the Flamel's basement training-room, eventually leading him into a small side room of the main estate. Even though it had been 3 long months since he had first stepped foot into the Flamel's manor, the opulence and beauty of their private residence never failed to amaze Harry. Though the Flamel's manor was far from grand in its size, it was clear that just about every last item in the room that Harry had stepped up into was of the highest quality. The room Harry had stepped into upon finishing his climb up the stone stair-case was what one could identify as being a team-room. Three extremely expensive dark-brown leather arm-chairs and one sofa were positioned around an ornate coffee table that was at least two to three centuries old. The sheer care and quality of workmanship that went into the furniture indicated that they were likely hand-made for the Flamels, and the sturdiness of the items themselves clearly indicated that no cost had been spared when it came to the materials used in their construction. Across from the table and chairs was a small but ornate stone fireplace which had several facades carved into the high-quality marble it was made of, the fireplace itself was currently empty, as it was coming towards the end of August and it was still exceedingly warm in the South of France at this time of year.

Stretching his arms above his head to work out several kinks in the muscles of his back, Harry began to head out of the room that held the training room's hidden entrance behind a painting of a nymph and towards the small bedroom and bathroom that the Flamels had given him in order to get washed and changed before he went back home. Today was Harry's final day of training with the Flamels before he went back to Hogwarts for his second year of schooling so he came in earlier than normal so that he could finish in time to have the whole afternoon free. The reason for this was because Harry was due to meet some of his friends at the Leaky Cauldron for lunch before going out to pick up his school text-books and other such supplies for the school year.

'It's been so long since I've seen the guys. Letters and phone-calls are all well and good, but nothing beats seeing people face-to-face no matter what anybody says.' Harry thought to himself with a small smile, the prospect of seeing Daphne, Tracey and Blaise filling the youngest Potter with a great amount of excitement... whilst the last member of their group filled Harry with more joy at the thought of seeing than the rest put together.

'God, it's been a month since I've heard her voice or had a letter from her. I wonder how her trip to Italy was?' Harry thought to himself with an absent smile on his face. Without a doubt, out of all the friends he had made thus far during his time at Hogwarts, Shirley Fenette was by far and away Harry's closest friend that wasn't Draco Malfoy. However, where Harry's friendship with Draco had been borne of mutual respect for each others ability and later a need to have somebody who could watch his back in Slytherin, Shirley was the first friend that Harry had made purely out of a desire to get to know somebody. Daphne, Tracey and even Blaise had all been friends out of necessity first and foremost: Harry became friends with Shirley first and foremost because he genuinely liked her as a person.

However, just as the youngest male Potter was about to make his way to his room, a gentle voice called out to him.

"So then, Harry, how have you found your first few months of your apprenticeship with me and Nicholas?"

Harry let out a small yelp as he jump several feet in the air, spinning around as he did so in order to face a smug looking Perenelle. The platinum blonde woman was currently leaning against the wall of the hallway, wearing decidedly muggle attire in the form of jeans, a white blouse and black open backed slippers, whilst a smug smirk played at her lips - still obviously happy about her ability to be able to sneak up on Harry in just about any scenario. Letting out a calming breath, the youngest male Potter fixed his teacher with a withering glare before he answered her.

"Heart-attack inducing." He responded, his voice filled with a light trace of humour. Although it was certainly annoying to have the immortal rituals mistress sneak up on him practically every day he was training, Harry couldn't deny that he somewhat enjoyed it. It was almost like their own personal joke. Even though Harry knew it was meant more as a lesson to teach him awareness of his surroundings, he found it somewhat comforting to have this kind of interaction with the legendary wife of Nicholas Flamel. It helped make her feel more like a person and less like a living legend bought to life - an odd sentiment, but when one was confronted with individuals who's names were synonymous with power and ability far beyond the average Mage, it was easy for even someone like Harry to disassociate them slightly from more realistic expectations. Slightly childish interactions like this somewhat helped put Harry at ease around Perenelle and Nicholas - it made them feel more normal.

Letting out a soft chuckle at her apprentices response, Perenelle Flamel pushed herself off of the wall and began walking down the hallway towards Harry's room, gesturing for the young British mage to continue along with her. As he pulled level with her, Perenelle responded to his dry comment.

"And now without the sass?"

Biting his lip lightly, Harry tried to think of how best to sum up his first three months of training under the Flamels. Hellish would have been one way to describe it: they expected him to work from 8 am to 6 pm every day with minimal breaks, all whilst giving maximum effort in every single task that they set him. The sheer physical and mental stress that his six day schedule put him under was utterly mind-boggling, but the young Potter had quickly found it within himself to adapt to the speed and intensity of what was expected of him, and it wasn't long before the days became less and less hellish... and instead more and more interesting as he was able to accomplish more and more as his body grew used to the punishment and stress it had to endure.

Informative was another way of describing his time with the Flamels thus far. No question was off limits with either Nicholas or Perenelle, though they did sometimes only explain the basics to him, citing a need for knowledge in other areas before he could understand some of the answers to his questions. Although such answers would disappoint Harry slightly, he also understood their reasoning, and rather than allowing such answers to dampen his mood, he simply used it as motivation to study hard. Everything and anything Harry could use for motivation, he used - even if it only made him study for 10 minutes more each day after he got back from the Flamels, or pushed him to perform one more set of spells to perfection, then it was worth it as far as Harry was concerned.

After several moments, Harry decided to answer Perenelle honestly.

"At first it was hard, I won't lie... but now I honestly can't imagine how dull school is going to feel in comparison to this." Harry said, vaguely gesturing around him to emphasise his point. Perenelle let out a giggle at his answer, clearly expecting something along those line.

"Yes, whilst Albus is an excellent educator and Hogwarts is by far and away the finest magical institute outside of the Magus College in Naggarond." Perenelle replied, earning a small nod from Harry. The Magus college of Naggarond was the open institute maintained by the Fallen Angels in their capital city, founded in the Southern Underworld following the conclusion of 'The Great War'. Admission was only granted to the absolute elite of mortal mages or those of Fallen angel blood, and it was required that any graduate of the College serve the Grigori for at least 5 years after completing their education if they were a mortal - though many often ended up staying with the Grigori thanks to the countless benefits that being formally tied to such an institution provided. Smiling at Harry, Perenelle continued to speak.

"Nicholas and I have taken the liberty of sneaking a peak at your class schedule for this year, and have created a training time-table for you to use whilst at Hogwarts. It's nowhere near as comprehensive as what we can obviously accomplish when we have you full time, but we feel this will let you keep up an acceptable level of progress." She handed Harry a time-table as she spoke, allowing Harry to take it and have a brief perusal of the suggested training patterns offered to the young Potter. Harry winced slightly as he looked at the scheduling - the vast majority of his free time had been allocated to training, homework or studying, leaving him precious little free time.

"Packed it in a little bit, have we?" He asked drily, earning another laugh from Perenelle - her Veela heritage making the sound far more pleasing to the ear than it perhaps otherwise should.

"Indeed. I suggested we give you Fridays off, but Nicholas seems to think that half-days on the weekend are more than generous enough to you." She replied, earning a sigh from Harry.

"Of course he did. Sometimes I can't tell if the old man is trying to kill me or make me a better Wizard." Harry grumbled in good humour, earning further laughter from his second mentor as they came to a stop outside of the room he had been given. Opening the door for Harry, Perenelle gently placed her hand on the small of his back and pushed him through the doorway, all whilst calling out to him as she closed the door, her voice gently calling out to him in something more akin to a purr as she spoke his name.

"Why, my sweet little Harry, why can't it be both?"

(Twenty minutes later, Flamel manor private sitting room)

'I swear that the water here must have a muscle soothing potion and some kind of pepper-up potion flowing through the system, because holy fuck there is no way a normal shower should feel that good. I'm going to have to ask them about it some time.' A thoroughly refreshed Harry Potter thought to himself. Even though he may tear his body apart every day he arrived at the Flamel's training ground, Harry never left feeling like he was about to keel over and collapse. After stepping underneath the cascading hot water of the ornate shower-head in his en-suite bathroom, the soreness and tiredness would ebb away from his body and he would emerge feeling far more energised than he had any right to be. He was still exhausted, of course, but it was a far cry from feeling like he was ten seconds away from collapsing - and he still had no idea how the hell it made sense.

"Ah, I'm sure there's some odd reason that would take half a year to fully explain because I don't understand some obscure branch of Alchemy or something. I'll save the question for when I come back in the summer - gives me something fun to hypothesise over during the school year." Harry muttered to himself, a smirk tugging at his lips as he opened the door to the Flamel's private sitting-room. Aforementioned room was spacious, with two large sofa's positioned opposite a low-sitting table and a T.V that was bracketed to the wall. The T.V was currently off, as Harry's mentors were stood a little further away from the sofas by the fire-place at the back of the room. Nicholas was leaning against the mantle, animatedly chatting to his wife in French with an almost child-like smile plastered to his face, whilst Perenelle stood there looking somewhat bemused by her husbands exuberance. Stopping a few feet away, Harry let Nicholas continuing his chattering for several more seconds before finally deciding to save his wife from the ear-ache she was undoubtedly now suffering from.

"Sorry to interrupt Nicholas, Perenelle, but I'm afraid it's time for me to get going." Harry said somewhat morosely, the fact that he was actually finally stopping his lessons for the summer hitting the youngest male Potter a little harder then he had first expected. Back home, Harry felt like he was little more than the lucky child who had stumbled on the golden ticket to an apprenticeship with the Flamels: his brother and older sisters barely even seemed phased by the fact that Harry was learning magical spells and theories that were several years before they had covered them at Hogwarts. Even when he came home from his lessons and talked about what he had studied that day with his parents, his siblings seemed completely fine with the progress he was making.

'Why do they still look at me like I'm just their little brother, not a powerful up-and-coming mage in his own right? Why won't they take me seriously? Do they honestly think I'll hide in their shadows forever?' Harry thought to himself bitterly, the prospect of suffering under the 'sympathetic' looks of his siblings irritating him to no end - no doubt they would think he would need babying for the last week of the holiday, the same he needed it when he came back from training with the Flamels during the week.

'Spiteful shits think I'm so weak that training would ruin me!'

However, before Harry could continue stewing in his annoyed and bitter thoughts about his elder siblings and their dismissive nature, his attention was snagged by Nicholas speaking out.

"So it would seem, dear Harry. I take it that Perenelle has already given you the schedule we would like to see you follow whilst you are out of our care and back with Albus?" The immortal alchemist said with a chipper tone of voice, which elicited a small nod of acknowledgement from Harry.

"Yes, she has." He responded stiffly - his mood from his previous train of thought persisting into their conversation. Nicholas either did not notice Harry's tone of voice, or simply chalked it up to Harry being disappointed at having to suspend his formal tutelage until the next summer. Perenelle, however, frowned lightly at his tone of voice, though she didn't speak up - the look would have been almost imperceptible to those who had not spent a significant amount of time around the Veela rituals mistress, but to Harry it was as clear as day. However, even though she clearly suspected that something was bugging Harry beyond losing access to the Flamel's tutelage for now, she did not give voice to those concerns.

Nicholas, not noticing his wife's look, continued on.

"Excellent, my boy! Remember to keep to the time-table, and when you come back in the summer we'll be able to accelerate your training. You've already made absolutely fantastic progress over this summer - do not let all this hard work go to waste by slacking off now. Treat your classes and private training sessions at Hogwarts as if they were given by myself and Perenelle." Nicholas stated seriously, his words clearly emphasising the importance of maintaining the same level of excellence that had been expected of Harry throughout their summer together.

'As if I ever planned on letting any of this hard work go to waste.' Harry thought to himself determinedly, nodding sharply at his teacher's words.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Nicholas. I don't want to let you or Perenelle down... but more importantly, I don't want to let myself down." Harry stated resolutely. At first his response had earned him small smiles from the Flamels, who were clearly happy that he held them in high enough regard to want to please them. But those smiles turned almost blinding when Harry admitted that he was mostly focused on not letting himself down - clearly that was the answer the two wanted to hear the most from him.

"I'm glad to hear it my boy." Nicholas stated as he stepped forward, offering his hand to the youngest male Potter to shake, which he did so without the hesitation he had when he first arrived at the Flamel estate. Letting go of Harry's hand, Nicholas stepped back as he let his wife stride forward and envelope Harry in a gentle but firm hug that bought a small smile to Harry's face. Fairly early into their relationship as master and student, Perenelle had taken to hugging Harry goodbye. Why she did that, the youngest Potter couldn't honestly answer, but he wasn't exactly going to complain. Between the delightful scent of the perfume she wore and the genuine affection he felt from such an action, Harry would have been more worried if he didn't enjoy such moments.

After all, it was a far more pleasant experience than having to dodge traps she had set up on an obstacle course or melting his mind with magic-circle theory.

"Make sure to write to us, dear child. You are our student now as much as you are Albus', we want to hear everything about how your year goes. We are going to miss having you around the house terribly." The beautiful French Veela's voice had started off strong, but her voice lost a little bit of it's strength as she went on, a watery smile breaking out on her face as she pulled out of the hug. Smiling sadly at her, Harry responded.

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to tell you about how I'm crushing everyone in class." He said with a lighter tone of voice, eliciting a soft chuckle from his second master. Pushing away from Harry and dusting down the front of his clothes, Perenelle gestured to the fireplace behind her.

"Go on then, don't keep your family and friends waiting. I'm sure they're looking forward to having you for the afternoon."

Nodding once, Harry stepped forward and into the fireplace, grabbing a handful of Floo-powder from the pot to the side as he did so.

The Flamel estate was protected from entrance or exit by magic circles with the exception of those cast by Nicholas and Perenelle. This coupled with the fact that the average magus could not produce a teleportation circle powerful enough to take them further than fifty miles at most meant that most Mages had a Floo connection for longer distance travelling.

When he was safely into the fireplace, Harry threw the powder in his hand at the floor beneath him, whilst firmly calling out his destination.

"Potter Manor!"

And in a flash of bright-green light from the roaring flames that exploded underneath him...

Harry Potter disappeared from the Flamel estate, and re-emerged several hundred miles away in his ancestral home, ready for the year to come.

(With Perenelle and Nicholas, one hour later).

"I still do not like your plan for the boy, Albus." Perenelle stated firmly as she glared at the aged headmaster of Hogwarts. She, Nicholas and Dumbledore were currently sat in the three arm chairs of the coffee-room that lead to their private underground training room. The aged headmaster of Hogwarts let out a soft sigh as he gently stroked his beard, leaning back into the soft leather before reply to the wife of the Immortal Alchemist.

"My dear, I am well aware that you do not approve of my plan - but the simple fact of the matter is that young Harry is the one this world needs." Hogwarts headmaster resolutely responded, earning a snarl of frustration from the usually cheerful and well-mannered Perenelle.

"He is a child, you fool. A child with extreme insecurities about his place within his family. A child who never feels as is he is good enough to get the attention of his parents. A child who feels that his siblings pride in his achievements is mocking and sarcastic as opposed to genuine and wholesome. You're playing a dangerous game that may well end up breaking that poor boy in ways that cannot be fixed. If he didn't hold such affection for two of his friends at that school, I'd make him my apprentice full time just to keep him away from you and your hair-brained scheme." She hissed venomously, her eyes glowing an ethereal blue as a light sheen of magical aura began to form around her body - the same blazing blue as her eyes. Dumbledore for his part, did not back down at Perenelle's words or stance, instead choosing to meet her glare with an impassive stare.

"I am many things, Perenelle, but a fool is not one of them. I am well aware of the damage that I could end up causing the boy by putting him through this, but the simple fact of the matter is that our world is on the brink of war once more. Voldemort is set to return... and you and I both know that they are waking again." Dumbledore replied firmly, his eyes narrowing as if challenging Perenelle to contradict him. However, before she could respond, Nicholas spoke up for the first time since their impromptu meeting had begun.

"So you would risk the life of arguably the most prodigious talent born since Merlin himself based on rumours?" He asked, his gaze challenging as he met the headmaster's stare with his own. Here, Dumbledore's gaze turned almost mocking as he spoke to his former mentor and friend.

"Nicholas, you are no fool - we both know that the Three Great factions are mobilising for war. Azazel has been recruiting Sacred-Gear users at an unprecedented rate, the new Devil-Kings have instituted an over-drive for creating reincarnated devils with the Evil Piece system and the Vatican has ordered the Teutonic Order to begin the process of re-arming its knights and instituted a massive drive to find new Holy-Sword wielders." Here Dumbledore paused briefly to gently sip from the cup of tea that the Flamel's had offered him when he first walked into their home before continuing with his speech.

"No matter how much the ICW would like to deny it, the Supernatural world is on the brink of open conflict once again. If any of us are to survive the coming storm, Mages will need to unite. Individual countries, academies and conclaves won't be able to survive - we will all need to band together in order to survive what is to come. And what better way to unite the world than to give it a hero to believe in."

"You're making a child soldier, Albus." Perenelle growled, earning a soft sigh from the aged Headmaster as he leaned back into the chair further, the weight of his age seemingly crashing down onto him.

"Yes, I am Nicholas. But I am also making sure Harry becomes what I know he can be: our best hope for survival as a people. I am well aware I am destroying that boy's chance at a normal life... but I cannot allow his happiness to override the survival of our people. I fully expect him to hate me one day, and to curse my name into oblivion alongside those who learn the truth. But if I must become a monster and take away his chance to enjoy his childhood in order to save us all, then I will gladly face the consequences." Dumbledore's voice started out strong, but it quickly grew weaker and weaker as he spoke, until it was barely above as whisper once he finished speaking. An uncomfortable silence filled the room for several minutes after Dumbledore finished speaking, the two Flamels slowly letting their magical power drop as their aura's vanished, whilst the aged headmaster of Hogwarts sat there with a morose look about him - clearly wallowing in the guilt he felt at pushing the youngest male Potter down such a route. Eventually, Perenelle broke the thick silence that had engulfed the three ancient mages.

"I hope you know we are not training the boy because we agree with you, Albus. We're training him to make sure that your hair-brained scheme doesn't kill him." Perenelle said in a completely emotionless tone of voice, earning a stiff nod from Dumbledore.

"I know that Perenelle: I'd be most concerned if you did approve." He responded neutrally.

"Then let me make this clear to you: one day you will tell the boy why you let him almost die at the hands of a man he trusted as a teacher. He may not say so - but that affected him far more than he is willing to admit. It has taken us months to get him to trust us as teachers, and I will not have you destroy that bond." Perenelle's voice took on a vicious timbre as she spoke, becoming more and more feral sounding with every passing moment.

"On the day you finally decide to explain your hair-brained scheme to Harry, we will be present and make it very clear we are opposed to your plan to fling him to the wolves in an effort to stop the worst Dark Lord our world has seen in millennia. And if that boy says no to you Albus, and doesn't want anything to do with your war... let me make something very clear to you right now..."

Here Perenelle stood up from her chair as the room began to quickly heat up, the blue aura that had engulfed her earlier returning but this time flickering like the flames of a roaring inferno as it engulfed her entire body - cloaking her form in a fiery aura that made Dumbledore shiver from the sheer magnitude of the magical pressure bearing down on him. Through the roaring magical inferno that surrounded the wife of the Immortal Alchemist, only Perenelle's eyes were now visible - and they were no longer the gentle blue orbs that had fondly gazed upon Harry Potter an hour ago.

In their place were two amber orbs that resembled the eyes of a hawk, glaring with a predatory hatred at the aged headmaster of Hogwarts school - fixing him to his seat with the raw emotional ferocity he saw in them. Realising she had the headmaster's undivided attention, Perenelle stalked past the coffee table that was between and leaned down till her eyes were level with Dumbledore's own bespectacled vision. Raising her right hand, a sharp, talon-like finger emerged from the roaring inferno that had engulfed the legendary rituals mistress. Placing the tip lightly against Dumbledore's cheek, she ran the sharp appendage down it with agonising slowness, leaving a shallow but long cut in her wake as she did so, all whilst hissing at the aged magus in a voice that sounded anything but human.

"You will not attempt to force him into it. If you do, trust me - myself and Nicholas shall know..."

"And we will destroy you."

(With Harry Potter, The Leaky Cauldron, London.)

"BOLLOCKS!"

Thud.

"Harry James Potter, language! / Harry that's a naughty word!"

Harry let out a soft groan as he pulled himself up off of the dusty floorboards of the leaky cauldron to see Lilly and Lucy Potter glaring at him for his rather loud use of profanity. Whilst Harry could only sheepishly shrug his shoulders and mutter a soft sorry at his mother's thunderous expression, he did find it somewhat difficult to take Lucy's expression seriously. As hard as the eight-year-old tried, her attempt at looking angry at her favourite elder sibling was less threatening and more adorable - however, no matter how much he wanted to, Harry didn't have it in his heart to laugh at his younger sibling. Looking at the pouting and disappointed looking Lucy, Harry offered his favourite sibling an apologetic smile as he stretched his arms out towards her in invitation of a hug, his earlier slight amusement at her expression having quickly faded and replaced with a small sense of guilt. Harry knew that it upset his youngest sibling to hear him swear, and considering he was already feeling guilty for not spending more time with her over the break thanks to his vicious training schedule, it did sting a little bit to see his sister even remotely upset with him. He knew that she had grown up slightly over the past year and was less demanding of his attention, but that didn't mean he would stand for seeing her even vaguely displeased about something.

"I'm sorry Lucy, I shouldn't have said that word - especially in the presence of a princess like yourself."

At her older brother's words, Lucy's expression brightened considerably as she flung herself into her brother's arms, giggling at being called a princess. Harry smiled lightly, looking at his mother from over his sister's shoulder, noticing the soft look in her eyes as she gazed fondly at her two youngest children - her earlier displeasure at Harry's loud use of profanity clearly forgotten. Tearing his gaze from his decidedly happier mother, Harry pulled out of his hug with his younger sister and gently nudged her with his arm.

"Alright then, Lucy, let's see if I can't find my friends, eh?" Harry said, eliciting a happy nod from the youngest Potter. Looking up from his sibling, Harry quickly scanned around the interior of the leaky cauldron. The oldest pub in Magical Britain was an old, somewhat poorly lit but exceptionally well-maintained and beloved establishment. Thankfully, the vast majority of the tables and chairs were abandoned, as the major lunch rush had already occurred. A few remaining older patrons seemed to realise who had just stepped into the pub, and some even seemed to be contemplating coming over to see the so-called 'girl-who-lived', but a ferocious glare from Harry or his mother quickly put rest to such plans. After glaring an elderly woman into submission after she had gotten out a quill and book for his baby sister to sign, Harry resumed his search for his friends. However, before he could finish his search, a familiar voice called out to him.

"Oi! Harry! Over here ya blind git!"

Turning his eyes over to the furthest corner of the pub, Harry spotted the grinning face of one Tracey Davis as she stood up from the table she was sat at whilst waving at him. The girl had obviously decided to embrace her muggle-born mother's taste in fashion, as she was wearing a light blue summer dress and flats whilst her hair was done up in a simple but elegant ponytail. She had clearly grown a few inches over the break, her body slowly beginning the long and arduous process of changing from girl to woman. Smiling at the Davis heiress, Harry waved back and quickly spotted the rest of his friends sat at the table. Turning to his mother, Harry tilted his head towards the exuberant Tracey, a small sheepish smile on his face.

"Well I guess I've found them." He said somewhat embarrassed, earning a chuckle from his mother.

"I guess so. I expect you to behave and to be back before dinner tonight, am I clear?" She asked, earning a nod of acknowledgement from Harry. Happy that her son knew the rules laid out for him, Lilly Potter offered her youngest daughter a stern but playful look as she spoke directly to her.

"Behave for your older brother now young lady and do as he asks of you." The lady Potter's words carried no heat, but he knew why his mum was saying as such. Lucy didn't get to go out much without Harry's mum or dad with her, thanks to her position as the 'girl-who-lived'. Between the thankful masses and those who would want to hurt her, there was always an inherent risk with the young girl leaving the family home to go somewhere public. Initially the Potter patriarch and matriarch had been adamantly against allowing their two youngest children to wander Diagon alley with just Harry's friends for company. However, after reassurances from Harry that he would look after his little sister, and Uncle Sirius using his position and influence within the DMLE to station extra aurors around the alley that afternoon when there would be far fewer shoppers about, the elder Potters relented and agreed to allow Harry and Lucy to go to the alley that afternoon. For added measure, they had applied a light bit of muggle make-up to Lucy's scar in order to hide it so that people wouldn't recognise her at a passing glance.

Harry smirked a little bit as his sister's face grew serious as she responded to the Potter matriarch.

"I will mum, I promise!" Lucy stated resolutely. Lilly Potter smiled at her youngest children one last time before taking the Floo back to Potter manor, her form disappearing from sight in the trademark green flames of the network. Looking at his little sister, Harry placed a hand on her shoulder and began walking over towards his friends, calling out to them as he went.

"Nice to see you too Tracey. Glad to see your manners are as impeccable as ever." Harry said sarcastically, meeting Tracey's teasing grin with one of his own as he waved to Blaise and Daphne, who were both smiling warmly at him. The brown-haired Slytherin pouted at his words before she noticed Lucy walking next to Harry. Upon spotting Harry's sister, Tracey's face seemed to light up with a beaming smile that Harry couldn't help but laugh at.

"I don't think I need to ask who that cutie is, but it'd be rude of me not to ask you to introduce us." Tracey said as she squatted down slightly so that she was eye-to-eye with Harry's sister as they came to a stop near the table she and the rest of Harry's friends had been sat at. Puffing up his chest slightly, Harry nudged his baby sister forwards before speaking again.

"Lucy this is Tracey Davis. Tracey, this is my baby sister, Lucy."

"H-hello Ms Davis." Lucy said shyly as she curtsied, her etiquette training somewhat overriding the obvious nerves she had about meeting her older brother's friends. Tracey for her part couldn't help but coo at the young girl's impeccable manners and soft voice, her eyes alight with joy at meeting the youngest Potter child.

"Oh by all that's magical she's absolutely adorable, Harry. Can I keep her?" Tracey asked with wide, starry eyes as she stood back up, hands clasped in-front of her in a pleading motion. Harry smirked at her before pulling Lucy gently towards him.

"Sorry Tracey but I'm not giving up my baby sister." He replied drily, earning a pout from Tracey. However, before the young Davis heiress could retort, she was cut off by her best friend's soft voice.

"Tracey that's enough, you'll scare the poor girl." Daphne said as she walked forwardly and greeted Harry with a brief hug before curtsying to Lucy. She was wearing a summer robe that was made of much lighter material than normal, with shorter sleeves less material around the legs in order to keep her cool in the warm summer air. Like her friend Tracey, Daphne too had began to show the early signs of womanhood, though it appeared she hadn't grown much in terms of height over the break.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lucy. I'm Daphne Greengrass." She said formally but with a clear undercurrent of warmth. Lucy smiled warmly at the girl's greeting, reciprocating it in kind. Blaise similarly greeted Harry's sister with a formal bow, a friendly smile on his face as he gently took Lucy's hand and lightly dusted his lips across her knuckles. Though Blaise was not as close a friend to Harry as Draco, Harry still considered the young man to be amongst his closer friends - the two having gotten to know each other quite well thanks to the informal study group Harry and Shirley formed, the young Italian having joined after Tracey and Daphne dragged him along one evening. The young Zabini had clearly gone through a growth spurt, as he now stood about an inch taller than Harry, his frame ever so slightly lanky due to the sudden change in height he had experienced. He too was wearing summer robes, though clearly tailored to a male's physique.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Lucy. I can see why Harry and his family are so adamant about keeping you from us roughians - you're going to become quite the beauty when you get older." He said cheekily, earning a giggle from Lucy and a playful scowl from Harry.

"Don't you go filling her head with that nonsense Zabini." The youngest male Potter said, earning a laugh from the Italian boy.

"Relax, Potter - I'm sure you'll be able to fight off all her suitors if they don't live up to the standards your family sets." He responded smoothly, earning a laugh from Harry. After the greetings were done, the group sat down at their table and were about to break into more relaxed conversation before Harry spoke up.

"Hang on a minute, where's Shi-"

"Harry, is that you?"

Spinning on his heels, Harry couldn't help but allow a full-blown smile to break out across his lips as he caught sight of a familiar auburn-haired and greenish-yellow eyed Hufflepuff. Even though her skin was tanned thanks to a month abroad, Harry was able to identify Shirley Fenette with but a second's glance. Somehow, despite all logical reasoning in Harry's mind, the girl appeared to have somehow gone from being a cute first year to a beautiful young girl over the space of a scant few months. Her jawline had grown slightly more defined and her cheekbones ever so slightly more pronounced. In addition to that, her body had clearly began to feel the affects of ageing as her body had slowly began to develop into that of a beautiful young woman's.

For several seconds, words failed Harry as he struggled to respond to the beautiful young woman, scarcely able to believe how much she had changed in but a few short months apart. Unbeknown to Harry, Shirley was also somewhat struggling to believe that the young man in front of her was her best friend Harry. When they had parted ways at the end of last year, the young Fenette's friend had been far from ugly, but the past few months had clearly been kind to him in the best possible ways. Where before his frame was wiry and lithe, he had seemingly bulked out a little bit more from both a miniature growth spurt and all the work that he had been putting in over the summer. Furthermore, his face had began losing small amounts of baby fat, giving him sharper features which began to truly show the aristocratic blood that flowed through his veins.

The two stood there in a slightly awkward silence for several seconds, unsure of how to greet their friend. Eventually, the two adolescents were saved from further embarrassment by Lucy.

"Oh, you're Shirley! My big brother's told me all about you!" Lucy exclaimed as she raced over to the older girl, who looked at the youngest Potter with a surprised expression on her face. However, after a moment, a knowing smile came to her lips as she crouched down slightly to be eye-to-eye with Lucy.

"Ah, so you must be Lucy! Tell me, what has your brother said about me then - only good things I hope?" She asked teasingly, throwing Harry a mock glare which snapped him from his slight daze.

"Uhuh, he says you're his best friend and that you're super-smart and everything a good mage should aspire to be like!" Lucy responded honestly, eliciting a slightly surprised but extremely pleased look from Shirley, who threw Harry a thankful smile. Harry shrugged his shoulders, a gentle smile on his lips as he spoke up.

"What can I say, Shirley, you're impossible to complain about. Unlike Blaise that is." He commented coolly, earning a peel of laughter from the girls in the group and an indignant squawk of protest from Zabini, who was attempting to look offended but failing thanks to his inability to stop grinning every five seconds. Smiling brightly, Shirley stepped forward and wrapped Harry in a gentle hug which he reciprocated with ease.

"It's good to see you again Harry, it feels like forever since we last spoke." She said softly, earning a small snort of amusement from Harry.

"It's only been 3 months Shirley - did you really miss me that much?" He said teasingly as he lead her and Lucy over to the table, pulling out a chair on either side of his own in order to let them sit down. Shirley nodded her thanks before responding to Harry's question, a teasing tone to her voice as she spoke.

"Am I not allowed to miss my best friend?"

Smiling brightly, Harry responded without missing a beat.

"Of course you are."

Leaning back into his chair, Harry happily took something of a back seat as conversation erupted amongst the grouped friends, the steady flow of talking barely interrupted by the owner of the Cauldron, Tom, taking their orders for lunch. Looking around at his friends and his baby sister laughing and joking together, Harry felt somewhat saddened by the fact that Draco couldn't join them thanks to his father's... views on the world, but he was comforted by the fact that he would get to see his other best friend come a week's time, when they would embark onto the Hogwarts express for their second year at school together. Letting all thoughts of annoying older siblings and the pressure of training slip from his mind, Harry couldn't help but feel hopeful for the coming year.

'Hopefully this one will be a little bit quieter.' Harry thought to himself, eager to have a less exciting year than his first one.

Unbeknown to Harry and his friends, however, fate was conspiring against them... for Slytherin's heir would soon walk the halls of Hogwarts once more. This time the prize at the heart of the Chamber of Secrets - Salazar's mightiest weapon, would be his.

And with it, his dominion over the Magical world would be assured.

(Unknown Location).

The prophecy hung forever in her mind.

'Cursed to never die, bearer of the perfect weapons... the immortal witch shall sit upon an eternal throne, her soul bound by the house of Snakes until the apprentice of the Immortal Alchemists is found. The day the final seal breaks, and the emperor of Storms strides forth from his millennia of slumber, the witch shall walk free again at her partners side... and deliver the world from destruction... or dance at the heart of the firestorm as the world collapses around her.'

Cold.

Her body had been entombed in the never-ending ice of solitude.

"When the time comes, my child, you will know what to do."

She knew.

She needed to share this curse.

To finally feel again.

They had called her a witch.

Left her to die a thousand times.

Perhaps soon...

Soon she would finally share this burden with a worthy partner.

'My Emperor of Storms... please Hurry.'

'Please.'

A/N:

And there we have it. My first chapter back. I'd appreciate any and all feedback you can offer me: I feel a bit rusty after three years of not writing properly, so any and all critique is welcome! I'm trying to keep faith with my original style, but also take a more organic and mature approach to my writing. If you think it's working, let me know! If not, tell me what you think needs improvement!

In regards to this chapter's content, I know some people like seeing training montages or long, detailed explanations as to what's happening in character's training, but in all honesty I don't find it enjoyable to write. Like before, I shall try to give little flashbacks to specific conversations etc, but I won't actually dedicate entire chapters to the task - I feel it messes with the flow of stories a little too much. I also know this isn't the most action orientated chapter we've had, but alas it is necessary to set the world up a little bit more - the world in this story is large, so there's going to be times where you'll see more talking than stabbing and blasting with magic.

Hopefully that's not too much of a deal breaker!

With regards to the chapter's ending, I think most of you can probably figure out who made their first little appearance at the end of this chapter, but where's the fun in me just telling you, eh?

Anyways, that's enough out of me. I hope you enjoyed it.

Remember to drop a review if you have something to say, and follow or favourite if you want to keep up-to-date with the story.

Stay safe folks, and I wish you all the best.

Mantis.

P.S: I'm keen to pick up a beta for the story in order to fine-comb any spelling errors etc, so if anybody's interested drop me a D.M and let me know why you think you'd be a good pick! I'm already going through the first few chapters myself, and the updated chapters will come out soon, so any work would be from this chapter on!