Dark Phoenix Rising

Chapter Three: Mr. Borgin and the Impostor

The man looked at Theo and Xavier. He was rather intimidating. His face was wrinkled and pale as a vampire's, with narrow slits for eyes. His head was framed by white hair that looked as if it had been struck with lightning, and he was thin as a rail, rather like a walking skeleton. His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't talked in many years. His eyes fell on Xavier. "You look familiar, boy," he growled. "What's your name?"

"M-mine, s-sir?" Xavier stuttered. The man rolled his eyes, and gave him a curt nod. "M-M-Malfoy, s-sir... X-Xavier M-Malfoy." He shrank under the man's intense gaze. "Er... n-nice t-to m-m-meet you, s-sir," he added, shaking violently.

The man gave a snort of what seemed to be derisive laughter, and then said, leering, "Malfoy, eh? Not the son of that blood traitor..." he spat out the next name, "Draco Malfoy? No wonder you looked so familiar, Malfoy. That little bastard used to come in here with his father all the time. And I thought he had promise, with his fascination with the Dark objects in this shop. But he turned out to be a spy for that... Order..." he said, his face becoming more and more unpleasant with every word.

Xavier straightened up, defiance suddenly in him, giving him courage. "Don't talk about my father that way," he spat. "He's far better than that half-blood you called a Dark Lord. At least he's not a hypocrite!" He raised himself to his full height, which wasn't much, but to Theo, it was quite scary.

The man looked at him. "You seem to lack the Malfoy family good-temper gene," he said, looking amused. He turned to look at Theo, who suddenly realised the necklace was bulging out from beneath his Muggle shirt, and he didn't have any robes to hide it. His eyes narrowed. "And what do we have here, hmm? A little thief?" he said, his hand reaching out at Theo. Theo backed away, breathing heavily. "You'd better give it back, boy," the man said in a dangerous voice. "Give it back now, or you'll regret it. You don't want it, you stupid boy."

"No," Theo said defiantly. He cursed inwardly at his stupidity. This was a Dark alley... what was he thinking? The man reached out and grabbed the necklace, pulling it off of Theo so that the chain was broken, and Theo was wrenched forward. He landed on the floor on his knees, gasping in pain, rubbing the back of his neck, where his skin had been scraped raw. Xavier rushed over and helped him up.

The man looked at the phoenix necklace. "Only a copy, boy," he said. "Out with it... what did you want with it?" His eyes had a mad gleam in them as he peered at Theo and Xavier, both of whom gulped.

"We thought... we thought it was a rather interesting looking amulet," Xavier said, looking between the necklace and the man's livid face. "It's rather... rare looking." He jumped as a gloved hand grasped his shoulder. The man jumped as well, and his eyes moved from Xavier to the owner of the hand.

Theo and Xavier looked too, and found themselves staring at another robed figure. Xavier gulped again, loudly. The robed figure raised his hand to his hood, and pulled it off. It was Draco. "I would appreciate it, Mr. Borgin, if you would not stare at me," he said coolly.

Mr. Borgin leered at Draco. "Hello, Draco," he said in an oily voice. "I was just telling your son here what I think of you. Your father is probably rolling in his grave, Malfoy, you blood-traitor bastard."

Draco looked coldly at Mr. Borgin, then leaned casually against a pole in the shop. He looked disgusted at the amount of dust that was accumulating on his robes, but then returned to his smirk. "First of all, Borgin, it depends on who you're talking to. Most people don't call me a blood-traitor, because I, unlike you, have honour and power, something you can't even grasp. People only dare to call failures blood-traitors, otherwise, they revere the person too much to bestow such an insult on them. Secondly, Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black had been married for three years before I came along. Of course, if you mean 'bastard' as an insult, then I suppose I have to agree. I am a rather smarmy bastard. Good day, Borgin," he said as he began to push the boys to the door.

Borgin glared at him, apparently surprised that someone would talk to him in that way. "I told Lucius to send you to Durmstrang, but he listened to Narcissa instead, and sent you to Hogwarts," he spat. "Where that Velour girl corrupted you. You were so promising to the Dark Lord when you first came here into this shop." He waved a ghostly hand at the wares in the shop.

Draco looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "If I had been sent to Durmstrang, Borgin, I would have met Isidora many years beforehand. She was a transfer student from Durmstrang. In fact, I wouldn't have had to go through all those years of Pansy Parkinson hanging onto my arm like I was a life buoy. As I said already, have a good day, Borgin."

He gave Xavier and Theo a push and then slammed the door closed behind him. "Go," he said sharply, his smirk off his face. He was wearing a frown.

"Father, why are you in disguise?" Xavier asked, looking at Draco's black cloak with a hood. "That's Grandfather's Death Eater uniform."

Draco glared at him. "If you and Theo hadn't wandered into Knockturn Alley instead of going to the manor like your mother and I said, then I wouldn't be in here, masquerading as a Death Eater," he said angrily. "You're lucky your mother isn't here, Xavier, or you'd be deaf by the time she's through."

"Yes, Father," Xavier said, hanging his head in shame.

"You're lucky you weren't seen by anyone. Do you know what would have happened if my son was spotted skulking around Knockturn Alley?" Draco continued. "Think about it, Xavier. Now wait here for a few minutes. I have an errand to run for the Aurors. Don't talk to anyone, or look them in the eye. Stay here."

"Yes, Father," Xavier said. Draco nodded and then stalked off into a shifty-looking pub, probably to collect information. Once he was gone, Xavier looked around at the alley way curiously. Theo thought that Knockturn Alley was quite different from El Sombrero. It was long, winding, and had many smaller alleys branching off of it. It was also extremely dirty, and everything looked as if it was covered in soot. "Come on," Xavier said, waving a hand at Theo, signalling for him to follow.

"Your dad told us to stay here," Theo said staunchly.

Xavier looked at him. Finally, he said coolly, "So? Mother told me that Father told her that when Grandfather took him here, he never stayed in the same spot when Grandfather told him to stay, and no one bothered him. Come on, where's your sense of fun? Don't be a goody-goody."

It was the 'goody-goody' remark that did Theo in. He scowled, but nodded. Xavier grinned, and the two began making their way down the smaller alley next to Borgin and Burke's. It was damp inside the smaller alley, and there were a few dingy shops that lined one side of the alley. A man that was dressed in rags and soot looked up at the boys with a blank look in his eyes.

"Buy a Basilisk egg," he rasped. "No need for a toad. Just hatch it, and it will be obedient only to you." He held up a basket of what looked like sick chicken eggs. "Only one hundred Galleons apiece."

"Er... no thank you," Theo said. He and Xavier rushed away from the Basilisk-egg seller, and stumbled into a pile of rags lying in the alley. To their surprise, the pile of rags stirred, and an arm shot out of it. Theo and Xavier yelled and jumped backward in fright.

***

The boy woke suddenly when someone tripped over him. He raised an arm to hoist himself up, and whoever tripped over him yelled in fright. Blearily, the boy raised his head. He knew he looked absolutely frightful. He was dirty, and his hair was still covered in ice crystals that hadn't melted in the coldness of the alley.

He found himself face-to-face with two boys his age. One had sandy-brown hair, rather mousy, and a freckled face. He was small and skinny, but he was taller than the boy. Next to him was a blond boy with a very pale and rather pointed face. He resembled a ferret, and was also small, though taller than the other two. His mouth looked like it was used to smirking and sneering. He looked like someone the boy knew, yet not like him; his eyes were a violet colour, which was extremely strange, and he did have a few other small differences.

"Who are you?" the boy rasped with difficulty, wondering if these boys could help him.

The blond boy seemed to regain his speech first. "H-he's Theo Finnigan, and I'm Malfoy. Xavier Malfoy."

Malfoy? The boy thought to himself. And Finnigan? "Er..." he said out loud. "Erm... do you have older brothers? Named Draco and Seamus?"

Theo looked at him blankly. "No," he said.

Xavier seemed surprised. "No. I don't have any older brothers. I'm the heir to the Malfoy fortune..." he bragged. He was interrupted by a gloved hand clapping onto his shoulder, tightening over it like a vice grip. He winced. The boy wasn't sure if it was in pain, or if he was in trouble.

"I thought I told you to stay where I left you," said a cold voice from within the cloak.

The boy suddenly realised that the man must work for Voldemort. "Get away!" he shouted, backing away from the cloaked figure. "You work for that You-Know-Who bloke who's after Harry, don't you?" he said frantically.

The man turned in his direction, and took off his hood, revealing a good-looking blond man who looked distinctly familiar to the boy. "The You-Know-Who bloke who's after Potter?" he said sceptically. "No, I don't work for Voldemort. He's been gone for seventeen years." For some reason, he clamped a hand protectively over his left forearm for a moment, before letting go and peering at the boy intently.

"He's my father," Xavier said, nodding at the blond man. "The one you thought was my older brother."

The boy was confused. Then he gazed into the elder Malfoy's grey eyes. He had seen them before... where? They belonged on a twelve-year-old face, above Slytherin robes... "Malfoy?" the boy said incredulously.

Xavier looked at him. "Yes, we established that my name is Malfoy," he said, raising an eyebrow. "And my father, too."

"No..." the boy said. He looked at Malfoy, the only person he knew in this strange place. "I meant Draco Malfoy. The Slytherin. The Slytherin Seeker, in his second year at Hogwarts!" the boy added.

Draco Malfoy looked at the boy. Then he spotted the camera that hung around the boy's neck. He backed away. "It can't be," he muttered. "You're dead." He looked at him, alarmed. "You can't be Creevey. The impostor told us you were killed by the Basilisk." He got a suspicious look in his eyes. "You're here to cause your old friends pain, aren't you?"

Colin backed away from Malfoy. It seemed like the entire world, except for Colin, had gone mad. "I'm not dead!" he said.

Malfoy stared at him. "We'll see about that," he said. "Xavier, Theo. We're going to the Ministry. Xavier, take your robes off. We have to go into the Muggle world." Xavier removed his black robes, revealing a black button-up shirt with short sleeves and black trousers. Malfoy looked at Theo, raised an eyebrow at the T-shirt, but said nothing. "Robes," he said tersely to Colin, who handed his robes to Malfoy. "Your Hogwarts uniform will do," Malfoy said, scowling.

***

Ginny sat at her desk at the Ministry, looking at the pictures in the cubicle. She looked at the picture of Theo and took off the old label, replacing it with one that read 'Theo'. She sighed, hoping the Dark Lord wouldn't try to get Theo again. It seemed as if he already knew who the almost-Leo was.

She decided to get a cup of tea at the teashop near the Atrium. In the corridor, she met up with Hermione, who was headed in the same direction. "Oh, hello, Hermione," Ginny said, distracted. "Has Icicle come back to the Ministry?"

"No," Hermione said. "She Flooed me and told me that Xavier and Theo decided to wander off somewhere, and Ma- Draco's off to find them."

"It's Knockturn Alley," Ginny said. "My brothers and I always wanted to go in there. Fred and George, the most. But Mum and Dad got even stricter after Harry somehow landed there. By the way, have you been in to see Mum lately? I haven't had the chance to go yet."

"She remembers Harry now," Hermione said, gulping. "Last time, she was talking about how Ron and Harry just boarded the Hogwarts Express for the first time. It'll be in a few years when she finally regains all her memories. And then... we can just hope she can take the time jump."

Just then, Draco came in, three boys in Muggle clothes in tow. He was carrying Death Eater's robes, which meant the two boys had been in Knockturn Alley. Xavier and Theo looked ashamed, but the third boy, who was dirty and confused looking, was looking around at the Ministry in amazement.

"You walked through London with Death Eater robes in plain sight?" Hermione said.

"No. I shrunk them and put all the robes in my pocket. I only just re-enlarged them. I hate people looking at me," Draco said.

"They're still looking at you," Ginny pointed out.

"So?" Draco snapped. "At least I succeeded in finding the boys." He passed the robes he had shrunk to his son and the dirty boy. "And by the way, what possessed you to send him," he nodded at Theo, "Potter's T-shirt?"

Ginny shrugged. "So... what are you doing with the boys?" she said.

***

Colin looked at the two women in front of him. Both were rather attractive, but Colin thought the redheaded one was prettier. The first woman had curly brown hair tied back in a bun. She wore wire-rimmed glasses, and reminded Colin distinctly of McGonagall. The redheaded woman also looked familiar to Colin.

Malfoy turned to Colin. "This boy was found in Knockturn Alley."

Both women looked surprised as they recognised the boy. The redheaded woman's legs collapsed from underneath her, and she fell to the floor, looking at Colin in shock.

"It can't be," the McGonagall-like woman said. "The magic... it told us... the Basilisk... he's dead..."

"Wait a minute!" Colin protested shrilly. "I was only trying to visit Harry Potter in the Hospital Wing!"

The curly-haired witch stooped down to say softly to Colin, "Harry hasn't been in the Hospital Wing for years," she said kindly.

"Why should I trust you? You could all work for You-Know-Who!" Colin said.

The curly-haired witch sighed and took off her glasses. Then she said in a bossy voice, "You can't Apparate or Disapparate in Hogwarts, according to Hogwarts, A History." She gave Colin a glare that he remembered quite clearly. Draco smirked a little.

"H-Hermione?" Colin said. Hermione just smiled. Colin turned to look at the redheaded woman. "And... and you must be Ginny..." he said in awe.

"Yes, yes," Malfoy said impatiently. "Now how are we going to prove if you're an impostor or not?"

"An impostor?" Colin said.

Hermione looked back down at him, her glasses back on her face. Colin wondered if Ron had glasses as well. Then all three of the trio he had known would have glasses. "Yes. You see, Colin, an impostor who was impersonating you for nearly six years told us he had watched you being dragged off by the Basilisk. He wasn't sure if you were alive, but he was certain you had been killed afterward."

"But... what's a Basilisk?" Colin said. "All I remember is trying to bring Harry grapes, and then there was a bright flash, and I was in a dark place. It was cold, and there were a lot of robed figures. I escaped using something called a Flying Folder..."

"Come on," Hermione said. "We'd better go into my office."

"You two should go to the teashop," Malfoy directed Xavier and Theo. The boys nodded and left. Hermione led the rest of the group up a level, into a large, dome-like room with many doors leading out of it. She opened a door marked 'Head of Department', and ushered them all in.

"Colin, have a seat," Hermione said. Colin sat. "Now continue."

"Well, the Flying Folder took me to Knockturn Alley, and I was found by Xavier and Theo. I don't know what else happened. I don't know how I got here, into the future," Colin said, looking at the group of adults that he had known as students his age.

"I... I see," Hermione said.

"We don't know if he's making it up or not," Malfoy pointed out.

"Which is why you are going to watch over him, until he goes to Hogwarts," Hermione said. "If he's the real Colin, then he should be getting an education. Meanwhile, you and Ginny are going to look around for Dennis Creevey, and I'll look around for ways in which Colin ended up here. And I'll talk to Snape." She glared at the other two until they relented, and nodded sullenly.

"We're going to have to search every bloody Muggle pub in the United Kingdom, then," Malfoy said, annoyed. "Last time Potter and I searched for Creevey, that time we thought he might have seen Uncle Rodolphus, he was in Dublin, Ireland!" He folded his arms and glared at Hermione.

"Uncle Rodolphus?" Ginny said, raising an eyebrow. Malfoy just scowled at her.

"I'd better get a good drink out of this," he muttered.

***

A week later, after travelling all over the United Kingdom in a Muggle car, Ginny and Draco found The Drunk Beggar, a small country pub somewhere in Wales. "This had better be the right place," Draco snapped as he got out of the driver's seat of the car. "I don't know how much more of that shit the Muggles call a good drink I can stand," he grumbled. The two Aurors were pretending to be a married Muggle couple on a road trip. "And I don't know how much more of being married to you I can stand."

"I agree," Ginny said coolly. "I don't see how Icicle can stand being married to you." She shot him a sarcastic smirk and grabbed her Muggle handbag, swinging it over her shoulders. Draco scowled and followed her into the dingy and smoky pub. "Bloody Muggle thing," he heard Ginny mutter angrily as the handbag caught in the door.

The two found the man they were looking for at a table in the far corner, nursing a strong Muggle whiskey. "Hello, Dennis," Ginny said cheerily, sliding into the seat across from him. Draco looked distastefully at the stool that he was supposed to sit in, and sat resolutely.

"'Lo," Dennis slurred, the drink in his hand obviously not his first. He looked up blearily. "Haven't seen you two in a while."

A very eager waitress came up to Draco, eyeing him appreciatively. "Anything, sir?" she said in a heavy Welsh accent.

"No thank you. I'm on a job," Draco said. The waitress rushed away happily, obviously pleased that Draco had even looked at her. Draco turned back to Dennis. "Listen, Creevey. We're here to bring you back. We've found..."

Dennis wasn't listening. He slumped over from the drinks he had consumed. Ginny shook her head. Ever since he had found out about Colin's death, he had been depressed, but Harry had managed to iron him out a bit. However, after his father, his last remaining family member, died right after he left Hogwarts, he had inhabited the pubs. "We'll put him in the back seat," Ginny said.

Draco and Ginny were able to carry Dennis out without attracting too many stares. "Who would have thought someone so small would be so heavy," Draco said dryly as he stretched out on the passenger seat. Ginny started the car.

It was early morning the next day by the time the car was pulling into the long path that winded its way up a hill, all the way to a large manor house at the top. Usually, the path was unused, but it was kept clean for Muggle cars, in case they were used. Ginny rolled her eyes as Draco stopped his complaining and instead, started trying to annoy her by pretending to snore. "Grow up," she snapped.

There was a groan from the back, and Dennis Creevey raised himself, looking hung over. "Why, hello, Dennis," Draco said cheerfully. "Had a good night? Would you like a cinnamon bun?" he asked, digging into a bag in the front.

"Well at least one of us has energy," Ginny muttered as Dennis looked at Draco as if he was mad. "God, Malfoy, most of the time, you act like Harry did every morning."

"Which is?" Draco said happily.

"Like he was hung over and he caught me with my brothers in a closet," Ginny said simply. "It was horrible."

"Ah," Draco said. He took a swig of a bottle Ginny didn't notice until she actually looked at Draco.

"Have you been drinking?" Ginny said.

"Only this bottle," Draco said, nodding vigorously.

Ginny grabbed it from him, and stopped the car. She swore when she saw the label. "Ogden's Medical Fire whisky for Sterilization?" she said incredulously. "Draco, one shot of this could get you drunk. And you drank the entire bottle!"

"Potter and I learned it from the Germans," Draco muttered, some of his words slurring. Ginny wondered why she hadn't heard the slur before. "I was bored of complaining, so I drank some." Ginny, disgusted, threw the empty bottle into the backseat, where Dennis eyed it, surprised.

Sighing, Ginny pulled into the cave that served as a natural-looking garage, and she and Dennis managed to drag the too energetic Draco out of the cave and up to the front door, Dennis complaining of a headache the entire way. "Why are we here anyway?" he moaned, clutching at his head.

"You'll see," grumbled Ginny as Icicle opened the door, a house elf behind her.

"Good morning, Aunt Bella," Draco said, staggering.

"Are you drunk?" Icicle asked suspiciously, letting them in. As an answer, Dennis pressed the empty bottle of Ogden's Medical Fire whisky into Icicle's hand. He and Ginny walked away, to the living room. From behind them, they heard Icicle screech, "DRACO MALFOY, YOU ARE NOT SETTING A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR XAVIER, GETTING DRUNK LIKE THAT! NO, I AM NOT YOUR AUNT BELLA, NOR AM I YOUR MOTHER!"

Ginny and Dennis snickered, Dennis a bit painfully.

***

Colin sat with the other boys, playing his favourite wizarding game, Exploding Snap. Xavier swore loudly as his cards blew up. However, Hermione didn't hear the words, since the explosion covered it up. Suddenly, Mrs. Malfoy started yelling at someone, and the door opened. Ginny and a man on the short side came in, sniggering. A bit of Mrs. Malfoy's furious diatribe came through the doorway.

"HORRIBLE EXAMPLE FOR THE CHILDREN, DRACO! AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE MEDICAL FIRE WHISKY? YOU'RE ACTING LIKE A CLOWN ON SOMETHING! NO, STOP TRYING TO DO BALLET, YOU'RE GOING TO TRIP... ARGH!"

"BUT AUNT BELLA..." they heard Draco whine before Ginny closed the door, openly giggling. Hermione had a hand over her mouth, and she looked like she wanted to laugh.

"Father's soused," Xavier said, shocked.

Colin, however, was looking at the man who looked so familiar. He was dressed in rumpled Muggle clothes, and looked exhausted, as if he hadn't slept for a month. His mousy brown hair was unkempt. The man looked back at him, and his eyes stayed there, widening in disbelief. Ginny looked at him, amused. "That's why," she said.

"Colin?" the man said disbelievingly.

"Dennis," Colin said.

There was a loud "WHEEEEEEE!" from outside, as apparently, Draco got past Icicle, but the Creevey brothers didn't hear it.

"We found him in Knockturn Alley. Apparently, someone or something transported him here to the future. That's all I found out so far," Hermione said.

The door opened, and Draco came in, nearly bounding, an idiotic grin on his usually serious or smirking face. "Sit!" Ginny said forcefully, pushing him into a chair. Draco automatically collapsed in one, out like a light. Xavier snickered.

"Right," Hermione said. "Erm... I'll take the boys, and you two can fill Colin in on the years he missed."

"You didn't already?" Ginny asked.

"I thought that it was your right to do so," Hermione said softly before closing the door behind herself and the boys. Dennis looked at Draco, who was out, and shrugged.

"Er... why don't you ask us questions, and then we'll answer them?" Dennis said, looking uncertainly at Ginny.

"Okay," Colin said. "Erm... where's Dad?" he asked Dennis.

Dennis looked pained. "Died," he choked out. "Car accident, fourteen years ago."

"Oh," Colin said, gulping. His next question was a little wavered. "So... either of you married?"

Dennis said yes the same time Ginny said no. "No?" Dennis asked Ginny, looking at the ring she was twisting nervously. Upon seeing the anguish in her eyes, he nodded, and said with finality, "No."

Colin raised an eyebrow, but asked another question. "Er... how are all your brothers?" he asked Ginny.

"Well... Bill's married to Fleur Delacour... who came in our third year, Charlie's still in Romania, Percy's married to Penelope Clearwater, that Ravenclaw Prefect, Fred's inventing jokes, George is married to Alicia Spinnet and managing their joke shop, and Ron's in Australia. He... he and Hermione got divorced," Ginny said.

"Right," Colin said uncertainly. "Um... where's Harry?"

There was a long uncomfortable silence as Dennis looked at Ginny, who seemed to be staring blankly into space. "I'll talk about it," she said, finally. Dennis nodded, and left the room quietly.

"What happened?" Colin asked, concerned. "You-Know-Who didn't kill him, did he?" He suddenly got a very horrible idea. "He wasn't the Heir of Slytherin, was he?"

Ginny managed to laugh a little. "No," she said. "No. You heard how Dennis said yes when you asked if either of us was married, and I said no?"

"Yeah," Colin said.

"I was married, Colin. To Harry."

"Oh," Colin said. He was confused. "Congratulations." Upon seeing the sadness on Ginny's face, he added, "He didn't leave you for someone else?"

"No," Ginny said. "He disappeared one day. They think... they think he's dead. You see, he sacrificed something to defeat Voldemort in his seventh year. We think it was his life."

There was a pop, and someone's face appeared in the fire. Colin jumped, but Ginny turned to look at the woman. "Yes, Grandmother?" she said. Grandmother was a strict-looking woman who was obviously nearing McGonagall's age, since Ginny had called her Grandmother, yet she looked no older than fifty.

"Ginny, dear, Headmaster Snape from Hogwarts called, looking for Hermione. Is she there?"

"Yes... I don't know where, though," Ginny said apologetically. "Grandmother, could you send Maia over? I'd like her to meet someone."

Grandmother nodded, and she disappeared. Moments later, a girl slid out of the fireplace. "Grandmother said you wanted me here. It's not to see Xavier again, is it?" she said. Ginny smiled.

"No," she said, brushing soot off the girl's robes.

The girl looked curiously in Colin's direction. "Maia, this is Colin, who's going to be a schoolmate of yours; Colin, this is my daughter Maia," Ginny said.

Colin's wide eyes were met with familiar emerald green ones.

***

Hermione strode quickly through the corridors of Hogwarts, Colin in tow. "Where are we going?" Colin asked.

"Headmaster's office," she replied. "I'm not looking forward to seeing Snape again in person, but we have to register you on the student list again. And we have to come up with a plan."

"Snape's headmaster?" Colin said.

"Yes," Hermione said. "Dumbledore became ill in my seventh year, and McGonagall retired after a few years. So it's Snape. Mind you, it's a lot easier for Gryffindors to lose points nowadays, but he also takes many points from the other Houses."

Colin nodded as Hermione said, "Monkshood," and the gargoyle in front of them moved, revealing a circular staircase. They walked up the stairs and into a large, circular office, where a group of people was already gathered. Most of them, Colin didn't know. A portly man with a green bowler's hat was there. Colin assumed he was Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. He'd seen Fudge in a Daily Prophet once. Snape sat at his desk, his once greasy black hair now greasy grey hair. He still had the sneer, though.

Hermione greeted a woman in her forties with black hair tied back and a pale, attractive face. "Glad you're here, Tonks," she said.

"Glad I'm here too. If that law wasn't revoked, I wouldn't be here," the woman named Tonks said. She was wearing the blue robes that Colin assumed was the Aurors' uniform. "I thought my cousin was supposed to be here, as he found the boy?"

"He's hung over from a bottle of Medical fire whisky. And his headache is probably worsening from Icicle screeching at him," Hermione said. "Serves him right."

Tonks sniggered. Colin looked around at the others in the room. Apart from Snape, Fudge, and Tonks, there was a man, also in his fifties, with grey hair with a few streaks of sandy coloured hair remaining. Also, there was a frightful looking man leaning on a gnarled stick, his blue eye whirling around madly in its socket. A pretty but tired-looking Asian woman leaned against a wall, conversing with the surly-looking man next to her.

"If we may start now," Snape said icily. The room fell silent. "Where is Draco?" he asked Hermione.

"He... was unable to come," Hermione said.

"He's hung over!" hooted Tonks with delight. Snape raised an eyebrow, but didn't reply to the outburst.

"Very well," he said. "Miss Granger, would you please recount the story of what happened, as Draco is obviously unable to?"

Hermione nodded, and repeated the story. Snape looked at her when she finished. "Ah, yes. Interesting tale. Lupin, I believe we will be able to add the boy onto the list of this year's students. Yes, Miss Granger, we'll be..."

He was interrupted by the grizzled man with the blue eye shouting, "Constant vigilance!"

"Yes, Moody," Snape said sourly. The sandy-haired man, whose name was Lupin, was writing Colin's name on a list. He turned to Colin. "As you are here, Creevey, you might as well learn a few of your teachers' names. It is funny, however, because most of us remember you meeting all three of the professors in the room."

The door to the office opened, and Draco walked in, trying to look as dignified as possible while clutching his head in pain. The Asian woman giggled, and Draco glared at her. "Shut up, Chang," he muttered.

"You wouldn't be like that if you hadn't drunk a bottle of Medical fire whisky," Hermione pointed out.

Draco glared at her. "I was bored," he said simply. "Besides, how would I know Weaselette... Potterette kept Medical fire whisky in her car? I thought it was normal fire whisky."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "If you paid any attention at the ISD, Draco, you would know that all Aurors keep a bottle in their Muggle vehicles for emergencies. And I believe you're supposed to call her Ginny."

"Whatever," Draco said, sinking into a chair.

Snape scowled, and continued where he had left off. "The woman over there is Professor Chang. She teaches Defence Against the Dark Arts. The man writing is Professor Lupin. He is the Deputy Headmaster and teaches Transfiguration. And the man next to Professor Chang is the Potions professor, Professor Krum."

Colin nodded politely at all three. "And now the plan," Chang said, nodding at Krum. "Viktor and I believe that Colin can keep his own name. We also decided it would be best if he was resorted, and that he should attend first year, as he'll only be a few months older than before. Do you all agree?"

"Fine, fine," Snape said impatiently. "Dumbledore seems to think it is a good idea as well. It took me awhile to get past that guard outside of his room," he added, scowling.

"Didn't take so long for us," Draco said dryly. Snape glared at him, but he didn't notice.

"Draco, it would be prudent of you to keep your mouth shut, as you are the one stupid enough to drink Medical fire whisky," Snape said slowly. Something that resembled a smile passed briefly over his face as Draco glared at him.

"I am not stupid," he hissed angrily while everyone else snickered.

***

Maia was not pleased. Xavier and Theo were over her house again. Theo she didn't mind at all; it was Xavier she wanted to chase out. He acted like a prick every time he saw her. He had even developed a few nicknames for her: 'Freckle Face' and 'On Fire' were two of his favourites. Another was 'Nose Stuck in a Book'. Maia didn't see what was so funny about these names, but they seemed to be hilarious to Xavier.

Another card exploded. "Argh!" Maia screamed. "Would you two play chess or something? I'm trying to read my book!"

Theo looked at her. "It's not Hogwarts, A History, is it?" he asked, glancing at the boulder-sized book on Maia's lap.

Maia glared at him. "For your information, it is! All I'm trying to do is try to get a head start on the year, but all you two seem to want to do is play Exploding Snap!"

"We would play Quidditch," Xavier said. "But Mother took my broom away as soon as she read the Hogwarts letter."

"And she was right to do so!" Maia said.

Xavier and Theo looked at each other. Shaking his head, Xavier made his way over to Maia, sat down on the sofa next to her, and to her horror, slung his arm around her shoulders. Theo snickered. "Maia, darling," Xavier drawled, his voice a perfect imitation of his father's, "you've got to learn how to loosen up... live a little."

"Get off me!" Maia hissed.

Xavier grinned widely at her. "As you wish, darling," he drawled, pecking her on the cheek wetly. Maia grimaced. She found a tissue, and wiped his slobber off her face. Theo and Xavier doubled over, hooting with laughter.

"Stop it! Both of you!" she said angrily. "Great-grandmother will see!"

"See what?" Great-grandmother said icily, standing at the door.

"N-nothing, Great-grandmother," Maia stuttered. Theo and Xavier had stopped laughing, and were now watching the other two.

Great-grandmother was about to answer when the doorbell rang. She sighed. "Go get it, Maia, the house elves are busy in the kitchen."

Maia nodded, and bustled out of the living room, followed by Theo and Xavier. Maia glared at the two before opening the door. Standing there was a fat man with many chins and blond hair plastered to his head. "H-hello," Maia said. "Are you looking for someone?"

"Yes... does Ginny Weasley live here?" the man said, leering at Maia.

"Weasley?" Maia said. A look of surprise came over her face, then realisation. "Oh, do you mean Mother?" she said.

The man raised an eyebrow. "Is 'Mother' named Ginny Weasley?" he said.

"Partially, sir. That was her maiden name," Maia informed him.

The man shook his head. "Is she here?"

"No."

The man glared at her. "All right. Is Potter home, then?"

Maia was getting annoyed. "What Potter are you talking about? If you're talking about Mother, no, she's not home. If you're talking about Great-grandmother, yes, she is. If you're talking about me, then obviously, yes," she said icily.

The man turned red. "I MEANT YOUR BLOODY FATHER, YOU WRENCH!"

Maia's jaw nearly dropped, but she stopped herself just in time. "I'm sorry?" she said, amazed at the man's rudeness. "Well, there are lots of Potters," she said coldly. "No, I would think you would know that he's not here. Father's-"

There were two loud cracks from behind the man. Everyone turned to look at the new arrivals. Ginny and Icicle froze. "Dudley," Ginny said, shocked. "What are you doing here? I thought you have a job and your own home?"

"I came here for you, darling," Dudley said, leering at Ginny. It was quite comical; he was looking up to meet Ginny's eyes.

Ginny looked disgusted. "Get away from me, you fat lump," she said. "I wouldn't go out with you even if you were the last man on Earth." Xavier and Theo snickered at this.

"Ah, darling," Dudley sighed. He turned to Icicle. "I've seen you before too," he said flirtatiously. Icicle gave him a look as if he was a headless slug. Xavier looked like he was ready to pounce on the man. Maia wondered if he would be able to beat him up. He was almost as tall as the man, who was only about five feet tall.

Dudley moved closer to Icicle. Suddenly, he jumped as someone poked something into his back. "Potter?" Dudley stuttered.

"No," a voice drawled. "Turn around, Dursley, and get away from my wife."

Slowly, Dudley turned, and looked up at Draco. He gulped. "What are you doing here, Dursley? No family to visit here. Leave."

Dudley nodded, and scampered away. Draco looked back at Ginny and Icicle. "The boy's still at Hogwarts. They decided to introduce him to the other professors."

***

Colin sat in front of the Transfiguration professor, Professor Lupin, who was writing the list of materials needed over for Colin, as everyone else had received their letters a few days before. "Sir? Is it true you are a werewolf?" Colin asked uncertainly.

Lupin looked at him. Finally, he said, "Yes, Mr. Creevey, I am a werewolf. But a potion helps me every month with my transformations, so it's not quite as bad as the Muggle movies make it sound like. So don't worry."

Colin nodded. "Sir, did you teach the other me?" he asked.

"Yes, Mr. Creevey. I taught the other you in what was supposed to be your second year." Lupin looked at him again, and smiled. "I see you still have that camera. Oh, and did you know you were taught by Harry for half a year in your fourth year?"

"Really?" Colin said in awe. He felt a twinge of jealousy against the impostor Colin. "Sir, did you know Harry? I mean, outside of school?"

Lupin smiled sadly. "Yes," he said. "I was good friends with his father. But Harry... you see, Colin, he had a bit of a hero and self-blaming streak in him. When his godfather died, he blamed himself. His godfather came back as a ghost, but Harry chased him off, since he thought he hated him. When I found out, he thought I hated him, so he chased me away as well. He gave me something, for a laugh, though, before he distanced himself. He told me I could keep it or rip it up... it was my choice."

"What was it?" Colin said.

Lupin reached inside his robes and pulled out a rather worn picture. "I mentioned this picture because I thought it would be better if you had it," he said, handing it to Colin.

Colin gasped. It was the picture Colin had taken in his first year, with Harry being pulled into the picture by Lockhart. "He signed it, saying that he hoped you would find out one day, somehow. It was in your... I mean you, not the impostor's... memory."

Colin remembered the day when he had asked Harry for a picture, and Draco Malfoy had come in, making sarcastic remarks. It was strange, remembering that the incident had taken place twenty-two years before.

"Thank you, sir," Colin managed to say. Underneath the faded loopy lilac signature of Lockhart's was a simple, newer one written in black ink: H. J. Potter.