The next morning, we were already up before the sun had properly settled into the sky, training early so the rest of the day could be spent freely in Diagon Alley. The air was still cool, the forest leaves swaying with the wind, carrying that quiet sharpness that came before the day truly began, and for a moment, everything felt still, until...Kathey rushed at me.
She came fast, launching herself forward with a modified Ascendio charm, her movement sharp and controlled as she summoned an arrow mid-motion and fired it straight at me. No hesitation. No warning.
I shifted aside at the last second, the arrow slicing past where I had been, and immediately grabbed her arm, trying to pull her off balance. But she was already ahead. Her form flickered, shifting into her bird Animagus mid-motion, slipping clean out of my hold before reforming into her human form just a step away.
"Too slow," she smirked.
Before I could respond, Elara came in from behind.
Binding charms wrapped around my torso, tightening instantly as then she froze my legs in place, with another spell. The timing was precise. Too precise, and then Victor charged, in his bear form. Wow man.
"Of course," I muttered under my breath.
Without wasting a second, I released a wandless Confringo, blasting the ice apart as I forced myself upward, jumping just in time to avoid Victor's full weight crashing into the ground where I had stood. The impact alone cracked the surface beneath him.
Mid-air, I moved fast.
Three consecutive spells.
One to break the bindings, one to cage Victor mid-turn before he could lunge again, and one clean Petrificus Totalus that caught Elara before she could react.
...
"Alright, hon, I think that's enough for them," Kathey said, walking up beside me and lightly punching my arm.
I exhaled, dropping the spells. Victor shifted back, grumbling slightly as he fixed his rimless rectangular specs, adjusting them like nothing had happened, while Elara stretched her arms, shooting me an annoyed look.
"Next time," she said.
"Sure," I replied casually.
We headed back inside soon after.
After a while of studying, we got ready to head out. The shift from training to normalcy felt almost strange, but not unwelcome.
I wore a dark green full-sleeve shirt paired with beige pants. Kathey went with a dark blue top and jeans, simple but fitting her perfectly. Victor had on a patterned shirt with jeans, while Elara chose a bright yellow dress that stood out the moment she walked in.
"Too much?" she asked.
"No," Kathey said. "You're blinding."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Diagon Alley was alive as always.
The moment we arrived, we split up naturally, Kathey and I heading toward the Magical Menagerie, while Victor and Elara made their way to Gringotts.
Inside the shop, as we picked up supplies for Aluminis and Anubis, my gaze drifted toward the entrance of Gringotts in the distance, where the two had just entered.
"When are we going to tell them?" Kathey asked quietly.
"Soon," I replied. "They'll need to start spreading their influence too… so yes. Soon."
She nodded slightly, though I could tell she was already thinking ahead.
We moved through our usual places after that like, Madam Malkin's for robes, quill shops, apothecaries, and tool stores. We even stopped by our own establishments to check how things were running. As expected, we drew attention. People noticed, and gossiped obviously.
We had just stepped out of one of the Lovegoods' stores when I spotted a very familiar figure.
Large.
Bearded.
Impossible to miss.
And beside him, A frail boy.
Messy hair.
A lightning-shaped scar.…Right.
"Ay' there Taylen! How's ya ere?" boomed Hagrid, pulling me straight into a bone-crushing hug.
"Ahaha—Hagrid, great to see you too!" I laughed, lifting him slightly in return. Heh.
"Oh Merlin… is this who I think it is?" Kathey said, her tone shifting instantly.
"Indeed, Kath'. It is our young Potter. Ah yes, you're getting mass on dem arms too, eh?" Hagrid chuckled.
Kathey and I exchanged a quick glance—just a flicker of Legilimency between us.
Yeah.Canon starts.
We both knelt down to his level.
"Hey there, Harry."
"Hello… who are you?" he asked, cautious but curious.
"I'm Taylen—"
"And I'm Kathey," she added.
"We're your seniors," I continued, "and we'd love to help you feel comfortable during your time at Hogwarts. So if you ever need anything, just ask for our names. You'll find us, alright?"
He nodded slowly. "Mhm."
I stood up, glancing at Hagrid. "You should probably head on. I think you've got Hogwarts work too."
"But how did you—"
"Dumbledore," I said simply. "Don't worry about it. Goodbye, Hagrid."
Then I looked back at the boy.
"And… welcome to the wizarding world, Harry."
As we walked away, Kathey's expression shifted.
"I'm going to kill the Dursleys."
"Calm down," I said, exhaling slightly. "We'll have that talk. Just… not today."
She didn't reply, but I could feel the tension in her. We met Victor and Elara at Flourish and Blotts, but before that, we saw, Quirrell. I could literally feel the bastard in the turban.
The moment we spotted him, Kathey tensed beside me.
"Oh no," I muttered.
"I'm going to burn him alive."
"No, you're not."
She actually stepped forward.
I grabbed her arm immediately. "Not here."
Her jaw tightened. "He's right there."
"I know."
A pause.
Then she exhaled slowly and stepped back.
"Fine."
We got our books, picked up a new Comet broom for Kathey, grabbed some ice cream, and eventually made our way back home.
Later, I sat alone, going through everything again.
Every spell.
Every potion.
Every herb.
Every branch of magic I had learned.
I had already completed all seven years' worth of coursework, and beyond that, I had taken everything apart, breaking spells down into components, modifying them, creating variants with altered effects. Potions had been refined, more effective, less costly, less time-consuming. Obviously revision was needed.
Not when you were as strong of an Occlumen as me- but still.
Snape was in constant contact with me now, not just academically but regarding the workings of the Dark faction. Their flaws.
And through that obviously Dumbledore too.
I was feeding him information on Sirius, we would prove his innocence so that Harry would have a guardian.
Soon, the day came to return to Hogwarts.
Fourth year.
The train ride was smooth, well, mostly.
Except for one interruption.
A bushy-haired girl with large front teeth slid open the compartment door mid-conversation.
"Have you seen a toad?" she asked, completely ignoring the fact that we were clearly in the middle of something.
Victor blinked. "No."
"Alright then," she said, and left just as abruptly.
Silence.
"…What just happened?" Elara asked.
"No idea," I muttered.
I looked at Kathey
'Hermione?'
'Yep.'
The Great Hall was as grand as ever.
Kathey sat beside me as I focused entirely on the food in front of me, eating like I hadn't seen a proper meal in days.
"Slow down," she muttered.
"No."
First years began entering, and there they were.
The trio.
Harry looked up, spotted me, and waved slightly. I smirked, and waved back.
Hell yeah.
Canon starts. Me and Kathey high five.
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