Harry Potter and the Four Guardians

Harry Potter and the Four Guardians

Chapter Three: A Munin Core

By: Elf

Duo had to grin. It felt good to be talking with two boys his age about vaguely normal things that didn't involve war. Like kicking the asses of the local bullies. Two boys, if Duo was given the chance, he could become good friends with. Two boys who, if it went well, would draw him into their inner circle not caring who he was or what he had done. Well, the later was pretty unlikely, but Duo thought he was being really optimistic.

"So, how did you do that thing with Malfoy's hand?" Harry asked him as the three of them walked out of the ice cream parlor. Duo looked him over, truly getting a good look at him. He was small, slender, but wiry. He had unruly black hair that fell all over his face, but failed to completely cover a scar that looked like a lighting bolt. He also had the brightest green eyes that Duo had ever seen, and he had Trowa's eyes to compare to.

Duo shrugged and answered, "Easy, you place your left hand to brace the assailant's hand as you slap it with your right, sending the weapon flying." It was one of the first hand to hand fighting techniques that he had learned. The flip he used on the really big guy with the unibrow had been something Heero had taught him. The roundhouse kick had been a product of spending a month in prison with only Wufei as company.

Ron's brown eyes widened as he asked, "Where the bloody hell did you learn that?"

"My best friend," Duo answered, not noticing the note of sadness his voice had taken.

Harry asked, "Is your friend a wizard back in America?"

"Uh, no. My friend wouldn't believe magic was real unless you cursed him to grow a third leg. And no, he doesn't live in America," Duo answered truthfully. Heero was up in outer space somewhere, brooding over Relena Peacecraft most likely. He shoved his hands into his pockets and hoped that they would end that subject.

Harry looked on and pointed. He said, "Hey, Ron, there's your mum."

Duo looked over to a group of six people, all but one having flaming red hair like Ron. The other had wild, curly tawny golden brown hair and was pretty from where Duo was standing. Ron ran on ahead, leaving Duo and Harry alone.

Harry looked at him and asked, "And on the subject of mums, where's yours?"

"Dead," Duo chirped, rocking back and forth on his heels as Ron's family approached them, "Dad too. I'm sort of here by myself. Yours?"

Harry blinked as Ron and his family joined them. Duo noticed twin brothers who were stocky and compact compared to Ron, an older young man dressed like he would belong at a rock concert in black leather with a blue-green tattoo of a legless dragon on his left arm, the pretty girl with the wild hair, and a beautiful little redhead.

Duo looked at the little redhead first. She was tiny, gamin with huge warm brown eyes set into her pale skin, curvy for her young age, and supporting that long, flowing fiery hair. Then he turned his gaze to the more willowy brunette. She was athletic and tanned. Intelligence and wit shone through her keen brown eyes as she looked Duo over. Duo was pleased to note that both girls blushed.

One of the twins asked, "You mean you didn't recognize Harry?"

"Uh, should I?" Duo asked, suddenly confused again.

The other twin teased, "Harry, something must be wrong, the American doesn't recognize you. I guess you're losing your popularity."

"Stop it, both of you," Ron's mother hissed at them, causing the twins to grin mischievously.

Harry had started to blush, looking up at the sky. The brunette stated, "He's Harry Potter. The one who defeated You-Know-Who."

"No, I don't," Duo replied, frowning and scratching his head.

The little redhead noticed Harry's now extreme discomfort and held out her small hand. Duo grinned at her and shook it. She said, "Well, I'm Ron's sister, Ginny. This is my mum, my older brother Bill," she pointed to the rocker, "Fred and George. George is the one dressed in blue," she said as she pointed at the twins.

The brunette held out her hand and Duo shook it as well, "I'm Hermione Granger. Pleased to meet you."

George said, "Yeah, Ron, you need to introduce us to your new friend."

"Duo, Duo Maxwell," Duo claimed as he shook hands with the twins then Bill and ending up with Mrs. Weasley.

Mrs. Weasley smiled and replied, "Nice to meet you, dear."

Fred moved in front of his mother and asked, "Did you really take Malfoy's wand away and beat the bloody hell out of Malfoy and his band of gits?"

"Fred!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.

Duo laughed and answered, "Well, sort of." The twins looked at him with a sort of respect and a challenging glint to their eyes. Sort of like the one he use to look Heero with, he remembered.

George asked, "So, what spell did you use?"

"I didn't use a spell," Duo chuckled.

Ron added, "Yeah, he did it with his hands. Like a Muggle."

Mrs. Weasley gave a sharp gasp and looked at Duo as if he was suddenly a demon. The twins grinned in approval while Hermione shook her head and Ginny was torn from doing the twins' reaction and Hermione's. Duo weakly put in, "I don't have a wand."

Mrs. Weasley looked at him as if he was some sort of homeless waif, which Duo supposed that wasn't too far from the truth. She asked, "Why not, dear?"

"Well, my guardian, I think you'd call him that, is gone and I'm really misplaced. I really don't know what happened to him," Duo answered, selectively telling her things. Adults had the tendency to poke around into things that they shouldn't. Besides, Duo wasn't about to give all of his secrets to people he didn't quite know just yet.

"You mean, you've been here alone?" she cried and Duo had the feeling that she was going to drag him into her arms and check him out for cuts and bruises.

Duo smiled and held out his hands. He explained, "Ma'am, I'm capable of taking care of myself."

******

Harry felt sorry for Duo. Everyone kept pelting him with questions about his family, where he came from and all the braided boy wanted to do was go and hide. Harry understood the feeling himself.

Luckily, they entered Flourish and Blotts and began to get their school books. Harry looked down at the list, there were the regular things like Transfiguration for the Next Level by Donna Change and Potions and Drafts for the Advanced User by Dynncus Purplestone then there was the new DADA books like A Field Guide to Deal with Dark Creatures by Sonja Blue, A Vampire's Weakness by B.A Summers and Liam O'Rourke, and Cursed Creatures: Building Alliances and Friendships (but Avoiding Romances) by Anita Blake.

Harry started to thumb through the Cursed Creatures book. It talked about necromancers, magic users who's powers only focused on the dead, werewolves, vampires, and their natural enemies, like dhampires, the children produced in a vampire and human mating. Harry liked the part especially when Anita talked about how she made friends with a lot of these creatures, and despite her best advice, fell in love with one. She said that despite their "differences" they were people too. Harry grinned at that, thinking of Professor Lupin.

Duo had all of his books piled into his caldron as he wheeled it over to Harry. "I swear, if I don't get a moment where I don't have to hear about Poor Duo, then I'll die happy," Duo snapped as he kicked his caldron.

Harry laughed and explained, "Mrs. Weasley's just like that. You'll get use to it. Bugger, you'll even like it."

"Naw. Too use to doing things myself," Duo replied as he leaned against his caldron.

Harry looked at him and asked, "You mean you had no family to take you in?"

"I was in an orphanage for a while, but I don't like to talk about that," Duo said brightly. Harry suddenly knew that there was more to this violet eyed boy than met the eye. Not that Harry thought he was evil or even working with Voldemort, but he was hiding a past of some sort.

Duo looked him over and asked, "Well, I don't see a Mamma Potter with matching eyes, so I'm guessing orphan too?"

"Right. I'm surprised you don't know the whole story. Everyone else bloody does," Harry grumbled as he closed his book.

Duo replied, "No, but then again, I'm not from around here."

"Lord Voldemort, does that name sound familiar?" Harry asked, not wanting to go over this story again.

Duo's violet eyes flashed. He crossed his arms and answered, "Yeah. My guardian told me to stay the hell away from him. I don't see how one man could be that powerful. Everyone has a weakness."

Harry smiled at that. Everyone else, except Dumbledore, Snape, and Sirius, spoke Voldemort's name in fear when they even spoke it at all. Harry knew that Voldemort could be defeated. He had the scar on his forehead as proof. Harry didn't want to see anyone one like Cedric and his parents get killed ever again. If he had to, he would stand up to Voldemort and part of him even wanted to, to get revenge.

"Still, that's an interesting scar on your head," Duo drawled in his American accent.

Harry lifted his hair up so Duo could see it better. "Voldemort gave me that," he explained with a grin.

Duo's eyes widened as he replied, "How the hell did he do that?"

"He tried a curse that didn't work. Killed my mum instead," Harry answered as he let his hair fall back over the scar.

Duo asked, "So, how long ago was that? The scar looks kinda old."

"When I was a baby," Harry answered, wondering how Duo knew so much about scars.

Duo whistled and proclaimed, "Damn. Well. Damn." Then he realized that what he said could off been taken offensively as he turned back to look at Harry with those uncanny eyes. "Sorry, Harry. I didn't mean it that way . . ."

"Never mind," Harry replied, waving his hand dismissively.

Duo frowned and started to tap his caldron with his steel-toed boot. He swallowed and asked, "Your father?"

"Dead too, died trying to protect my mum and me," Harry answered matter-of-factly, waiting for the boy's reaction. If he heard another "I'm sorry" . . .

Duo smiled darkly and replied, "Vicious fucker, isn't he?"

Harry frowned and answered, "You have no idea." Then he asked, "What happened to your parents?"

"Don't know, actually. It's a long story," Duo answered dismissively, looking down at his books.

Harry nodded as Hermione joined them, smiling. "This year is going to be very educational indeed. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher must have been an Auror like Moody, I can't wait," she giggled, clutching one of the books to her chest.

Duo asked, "So, what about Potions?"

Thinking of Snape, they both cringed and looked at Duo. Duo blinked and asked, "What? It's kinda like chemistry . . ."

"That's a Muggle science, Duo. The science of Potions may have some similarities, but they're both very different things," Hermione explained sagely.

Duo shrugged and replied, "Muggles aren't idiots."

"Spoken like a true Mudblood," Malfoy's voice drawled behind him.

The three whirled around to see the pale boy. Duo cracked his knuckles and quipped, "Wanna rematch?"

Malfoy looked Duo over and ran his fingers lovingly over his wand. Harry slowly pulled his out, knowing that the Slytherin didn't play fair, especially since Duo didn't have a wand of his own. Malfoy was out of striking distance but was close enough to make eye contact to curse or hex Duo.

Malfoy smoothed his black robes down and replied, "You got lucky once, American. It won't happen twice."

"Who said it was luck?" Duo replied coldly, grinning dangerously at Malfoy.

Hermione drew her wand as well. She placed a hand on Duo's arm and told him, "Duo, it's not worth it. His father is very high up in the Wizarding World."

"So?" Duo replied, not taking his eyes off of Malfoy. Harry found himself echoing Duo's words.

Malfoy laughed, "Potter, where do you find them? Or do you find him attractive?" He started to circle Duo, looking at his braid. "Yes, I mean, after Cho Chang rejecting you like that and Granger dating Krum, I guess you would try something else." His grey eyes sparkled as he added, "Poofer."

Harry opened his mouth to perform the slug vomiting curse that Ron had attempted during their second year, except Harry was more powerful and confidant in those powers since then. "Tarantallegra!" a familiar voice shouted out from behind them. Malfoy started to dance as his knees jerked uncontrollably.

The three spun around to see Ginny standing there, holding her wand, while Ron and the twins looked at her wide-eyed. Ginny had never as much as charmed anyone before and she had just cursed Malfoy like it was second nature. Her long, red hair fell around her angry features and she looked like a picture of an ancient avenging goddess in one of their books.

"Leave Harry alone. And you have no right to talk about Duo like that," she sneered, her eyes sending out sparks as she did.

Then Malfoy stopped dancing. Standing behind him, almost a mirror image except older and taller, was Lucius Malfoy. Malfoy looked down at Draco and then glared at Ginny with his icy, grey eyes. Harry moved in front of the girl instinctively as did the others. Harry blinked as Duo moved in front of all of them.

Mrs. Weasley ran over to them and asked, "My goodness, what's going on here?"

"Your daughter just cursed my son," Malfoy sneered as Draco sent Ginny a superior smile.

Harry glared at the Death Eater as Malfoy gave Harry a tiny, superior grin of his own. Ginny spat, "He deserved it."

"Well, I know I shouldn't expect much out of this family," Malfoy drawled maliciously.

Mrs. Weasley's expression quickly matched her daughter's as she growled, "Take that back, Mr. Malfoy."

"Or what, Molly, you'll sic your husband on me? I'm not afraid of the Ministry, especially not that Muggle lover," Malfoy replied coldly.

Duo surprised everyone by saying, "She won't have to."

Malfoy's eyes took Duo in from his braid, violet eyes, to the combat boots that he was wearing. Draco pointed at Duo and sneered, "That's the American I told you about."

"The American who smashed your face into Fortescue's tiles?" Ron snapped, drawing his wand as well.

Malfoy looked Duo over as if he was an interesting and expensive piece of art. He smiled as he asked, "Do you have a name, boy?"

"I'm Duo Maxwell to my friends but to my enemies I'm the Shinigami," Duo answered with a grin.

Malfoy grinned as he placed a hand on Draco's shoulders. "We'll leave them alone, for now. A pleasure to meet you, Duo," Malfoy replied wickedly.

"I'm pretty damn sure that it was all yours," Duo sneered as Malfoy laughed.

Malfoy chided, "Come now, Draco. We have things to do."

"See you later then, Potter and Duo," Draco snorted as he left the shop with his father.

Duo snapped, "Asshole." Then he flipped the Bird to their retreating backs.

"Dear, I wouldn't make the Malfoy's angry if I were you. They're very well respected wizarding families," Mrs. Weasley warned as she placed a hand on the fuming American's shoulder.

Ron shrugged and said, "We all hate the Malfoys."

"Ron!"

"Well, Mum, we do. They're in league with You-Know-Who, you know," Ron explained to Duo.

Fred added, "And Malfoy is really jealous of Harry."

"Because Harry's a better Quidditch player and just an all around better mate," George explained.

Ginny said, "And Harry is famous and Malfoy resents that."

Harry looked down at his shoes then back at his friends again. He advised, "Still, Duo, I'd wait to insult Malfoy until after I got a wand."

"So, lets get a wand," Duo said simply.

******

"Why do I need a wand? I've got powers," the lavender haired youth grumbled as he looked down at his lists. Yelling at the Kai didn't do him any good and now he found himself among a bunch of wizards and witches shopping in Diagon Ally.

He saw his reflection in a mirror and he realized how much he looked like his father at that moment. Usually, the thought of looking like his father pleased him, but the angry scowl that matched his father's only annoyed him more. His scowl deepened as he watched a slender, waif like girl with shoulder length black hair exit from Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.

She held a slender, dark brown wand in her hands and looked up as if she sensed he was looking at her. She smiled, lighting up her whole pale face. She simply said, "Mahogany, 10 and 3/4 inches, with a unicorn hair core."

He froze. She looked older than a first year student and he sensed something different about her. She winked at him and said, "It's not too hard. Just adapt quickly and don't be a baka and you'll be fine."

"Wait," he called out to her as she began to walk away.

She turned back and faced him, her black pleated skirt swinging around her. She tilted her head and asked, "Hin?"

"Are you a senshi?" he asked, his tongue rolling over the familiar word.

She smiled, her dark violet eyes flashing, and answered, "Are you from the miari?"

He smiled as well and replied, "Yes, I am."

"Then I'll look forward working with you, Miari no Senshi," she waved at him, "Sayonara."

He called back, "Good bye, Senshi and thank you." He smiled to himself, pleased with the fact that he was looking more like his mother than his father. He only needed to look like his father during battle, which was a little time away.

Still, it wasn't that far off though. He had a mission and he was going to do it to the letter. He had a person to protect and he'd be damned if he let them fall into the wrong hands.

******

Duo stood outside of Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC with Harry at his side. Ron and his family had gone their separate ways, mainly the twins and Ron going to a joke shop while Hermione stayed in the bookstore. So, having nothing better to do at the moment, Harry went along with Duo to get his wand.

Wand.

Even thinking that sounded strange to Duo. He was use to tools, computers, and guns to help get his job done. He could sense the knowledge of spells, potions, and charms in his mind and the hairs on the back of his neck and arms started to tingle with deja vu as soon as he entered the threshold of the store. He shook the feeling off and sighed. He was probably being paranoid.

Harry said, "It's not so bad, really. I had to try every wand in the store before I found one that suited me."

"Really?" Duo asked, feeling a little better as he watched a tall, very muscular teenage boy with lavender hair wave a wand while a tall, slender man with silver hair watched. He flinched when he saw a mirror shatter in the room. The boy scowled and gave the wand back to the shopkeeper.

Harry pointed and said, "That's Mr. Ollivander. Gave me the willies the first time I met him."

Duo took a double take and asked, "Does that guy really have lavender hair?"

Harry looked as well, his eyes widening from behind his glasses. "Bugger, he does," Harry replied, gaping.

"And, dude, look how beefcake he is. What is he on, like magical steroids?" Duo went on as they watched as the teen in question tried another wand.

Harry grinned at that and replied, "He is rather . . ."

"Beefcake. I'd hide the ladies from this guy," Duo snorted, noting that the teen was actually very handsome as well. Handsome enough to make Duo about his place as Untouchable Sex Object. He crossed his arms and frowned.

Harry frowned as well. "Another one to give the girls the giggles," Harry groaned as the lavender haired teen left the store, a smile on his face.

He passed Duo and Harry then suddenly stopped. Duo straitened to his full height as did Harry. Then he saw the youth's intense blue eyes. A warrior's eyes. Eyes that held honor, pride, courage, and made one flinch in their intensity. Eyes like Zechs Merquese or Heero's, except without the open coldness and hostility. Heero.

Duo said, "Konichiwa." It was an impulse, really. He didn't know why he said that.

The teen's eyes widened as he replied, "Konichiwa, how are you?"

Surprised and somewhat pleased, Duo spoke again in Japanese, "Fine, thank you, and you?"

The teen replied in the same language, "Very good. I was buying a wand."

"Cool, I'm going in there myself," Duo answered.

He held out his wand and said, "Thirteen and a half inches, springy, cherry with a dragon heartstring core. Good for charm work."

"Neat. Nice talking to you," Duo replied as he looked over at Harry's puzzled and somewhat suspicious look. He said, this time in English, "Going to Hogwarts?"

"Yes. If you hadn't guessed, I'm one of the transfer students from Japan," he answered in the same language as he looked over at Harry, "I'm sorry about that. It was good to hear someone else talk like that. Thanks. I hope to see you again." With a wave, he started to walk away.

Duo smirked and thought, Didn't even warrant a bow. Harry asked, "How did you know he was Japanese?"

"I didn't," Duo answered as he walked into the shop, "I guessed. He reminded me of my friend, ya know, the one who taught me the wrist thing, and it was sort of reflex." Still, he was curious about the whole transfer student thing. He quelled his curiosity as soon as he was face to face with Mr. Ollivander and his startling silver eyes.

"Hi," Duo said with sort of a wiggling of his fingers, "I'm here for a wand."

Mr. Ollivander smiled and replied, "Good afternoon. Hello, Mr. Potter. Congratulations on your win by the way. Can I help you?"

Duo stood there, his left hand absently going to his cross that he was wearing under his shirt. It had been years since he played with the cross and chain as a nervous gesture. Then again, men with penetrating silver eyes weren't looking at him either. Harry nudged him and Duo managed, "Uh, I need a wand."

"His name's Duo Maxwell," Harry added because Duo began to look at all of the boxes stacked around the room.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Maxwell. Which arm is your wand arm?" Ollivander asked, moving closer with a magical tape measurer.

Duo managed, "I'm ambridextrious. But I'll use my right hand." He could write with either hand to make near-perfect forgeries, but he preferred using his right hand when using a gun.

"Hmm, I see," Ollivander murmured as he measured Duo's arm, "No two wands are the same, Mr. Maxwell. Each has a core of a powerful magical substance and we use phoenix tail feathers, dragon heartstrings, and unicorn hairs. Veela hairs make very unpredictable wands and therefore I do not have any. Still, every wand is different, as every wizard, dragon, unicorn, and phoenix are different. Of course, you'll never get as good results using another wizard's wand."

"Cool," Duo managed as the tape measure was measuring between his eyes, all on it's own. Ollivander was looking around the store, holding a wand box in his hands. Duo looked over at Harry and then the tape measure. "Harry, man, you're right about him. He's giving me a major wiggens," he whispered.

Harry only chuckled underneath his hand. Ollivander held out a short wand and stated, "Oak, dragon heartstring, seven and a fourth inches, quite swishy. Try it."

Duo looked at the wand and then at Harry. Harry told him firmly, "Wave it around." Duo took the wand and did a snapping motion, as if he was aiming his gun. Nothing happened, so he twirled it in lazy circles around his head. Ollivander snatched the wand away and went to go look for another.

Duo groaned, "This is going to take forever."

"Don't worry. Took me a while to find my wand too. Still, gets annoying as hell though," Harry explained as Ollivander came back with a pale wand.

"Birch, ten inches, unicorn hair, bendy," he said as he presented it.

Duo lifted his eyebrow and chuckled, "Buddy, I can tell you that this wand isn't for me." Unicorns liked pure people. Duo definitely didn't fall in that category.

Still, the wand was thrust into his hand. Duo groaned and waved it above his head. The wand glowed and Duo shouted, "Fuck!" It burned into his hand, rejecting him. He dropped the wand to the floor and rubbed his red hand.

Ollivander frowned and claimed, "I've never seen that happen before. How's your hand?"

"Not even a first degree. I'll live," Duo answered as he looked at the red mark rapidly fading on his hand, "Told you that wand wasn't for me."

They tried a few more wands and each time he tried a unicorn wand it burned Duo's hand. As Ollivander started to look again, Duo noticed a slender black box resting on the counter. He walked over to the box and opened it up. Harry stood up and whispered, "Duo, what are you doing?"

"Hey, I haven't tried this one yet," Duo said loudly so Ollivander would hear him. Ollivander frowned and walked over. Duo waved it and gasped. The same comforting feeling he got when he melded into the shadows ran through his arm and down into him. He smiled as he saw brilliant green smoke swirl from the wand's tip as it shot out violet sparks. He held out the smooth, black wand for Ollivander to look at. "Found my wand," he chirped.

Ollivander took it from his hands and murmured, "Interesting indeed. Twelve inches, ebony, pliable, munin tail feather core. Munin rarely give up their feathers for wands."

"Sweet," Duo exclaimed as he looked the shiny wand over. Munin was Odin's raven's name. At least he thought it was if he was remembering his Norse mythology right. "Thanks."

******

Harry couldn't even look at brooms at the Quidditch supply store. Duo was looking around while Ron and Hermione stood by Harry. Ron commented, "Seems like a decent enough chap. I like him."

Hermione blushed when Duo looked at her and smiled. Still, something was bothering Harry though. One, what was a Shinigami? Two, was it coincidental that Duo beat up Malfoy and was the American transfer student? Three, Duo was acting like a Muggle-born who had just found out about his powers in some aspects but was knowledgeable in others.

Like broom riding.

Duo held the Nimbus 2002, not as top of the line as Harry's Firebolt, but better than Malfoy's and the best they currently had at the store. He called it up perfectly and mounted it with the same familiarity that Harry and the other Quidditch players he knew did. The owner almost fainted when Duo decided to do a few difficult low passes around the store, something that Harry would have done with ease, but would have been difficult for an average rider.

Then there were Duo's questions about Hogwarts and potions. Hadn't Duo ever heard anything about Snape? He asked about Dumbledore and life in general. Hermione and Bill explained the four houses to him. Then Duo asked about what sort of pet he should get.

Scythe was a beautiful Barn Owl that sat in a gilded cage beside Harry, one golden wing folded over his head as he slept. Then there was Duo's usual wand core. At least phoenix feathers were a common wand core, Harry just happened to have the phoenix feather that belonged Dumbledore's pet, Fawkes, and that it was the twin of Voldemort's. He had never heard of a munin before. Not even from Hagrid, who loved all creatures, except cats because he was allergic to them.

So, Harry asked, "Hermione, what's a munin?"

Her eyes widened in surprise as she answered, "They're a bird like a raven. They're magical. They communicate with the souls of the dead and perhaps even direct them to their other life. They have invisibility powers and can fold themselves into shadows, becoming one with them. Odin keeps one named Memory as a pet. Why are you asking?"

Harry watched as Duo purchased the Nimbus 2002 with a breathless grin. He noticed that several of the people in the shop had messy hair due to Duo. He did smile at that.

Harry answered, "Because Duo's wand core is from the tail feather of a munin."

"Most unusual indeed," Hermione replied as she started to study Duo as if he was a difficult Arithmancy problem.

Harry cleared his throat and added, "And we ran into one of the Japanese students."

He saw Duo walk over, cradling his new broom. He picked up Scythe's cage with ease and smiled down at the owl. "Hey, buddy, still sleeping," he whispered to the sleeping owl. He smiled up and held up his broom. "This is just . . . wicked," he exclaimed, holding his broom up and nodding to his owl.

Then he asked, "So, what you three talking about?"

"The Japanese student we saw today," Harry answered, knowing that Duo would give them a better description than he would. Sure, there were some suspicious things about Duo, but there were a lot of things that Harry liked about Duo as well. Maybe Duo just wasn't use to the British Wizarding World. Americans were rather lax and queer in most of their doings.

Duo nodded and answered, "Big guy, muscles like Arnold Schwartzenegger and really intense. He had lavender hair too. Nice though. He was getting a wand too."

Hermione and Ron's eyes met Harry's. He nodded. Ron shrugged, probably thinking that the Japanese probably broke his old wand and needed another. Hermione was probably thinking the same thoughts as Harry was, making connections that probably made more sense though.

Duo shouldered his broom and asked, "What next?"

The four of them quickly met up with Mrs. Weasley and the rest of the Weasley family at Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions. Harry watched as the twins lead Ron away from their mother's prying eyes. He smiled. They were fulfilling the promise they made to Harry when he gave them his Triwizarding prize money. Good, Ron needs a new robe, he thought as Duo was measured by Madam Malkin.

By the time Madam Malkin was done fitting Duo, she was blushing and giggling like a school girl. Duo grinned at her and gave her a quick hug as he gathered up his school robes. He pulled out his list and asked, "Okay, what about dress robes?"

Harry gestured over to all the different dress robes, thankfully some of them were like regular robes, like the green dress robes that Harry had. Duo was looking over them with a critical eye. "Your friend is very charming," Madam Malkin giggled, blushing the same pink as her robe.

Harry only nodded as she giggled and asked, "Do you need new robes, Harry? Seems like you've grown a bit, sweetie."

Harry looked down at himself and then back at the squat witch. He smiled and answered, "I guess I do." Due to the fact that a good majority of his Muggle clothes were hand-me downs from a boy four times his size (at least it seemed that way since Dudley hadn't been losing weight), Harry really didn't realize how much he had grown since his third year.

He was up on the stool, being fitted for new robes as Bill exclaimed, "Bloody hell, George, Fred, you to Ron, look at this." Harry looked over to where Bill was standing, seeing a dummy dressed in pants and robes made out of what looked like to be black dragon scales.

"Done, dear. I guess that you'd like to go look at my new Hungarian Ridgeback robes, too," the tiny witch said as Harry hopped off the stool.

He walked over as Bill licked his lips as the sight of the robes. Fred joked, "It's really nice if you wanna look like a dragon, Bill."

"I'd bet that you'd be flame proof," George added with a smirk.

Ron frowned and sighed, "I'd look horrible in that."

Harry looked at the shining black scales and imagined himself in those robes. Then he reached out and touched the scales. Last year's Triwizarding tournament's first task of with the Hungarian Horn Tail entered his mind all too clearly. He grimaced as he moved his hand away from the scales.

Duo approached the scales with the same look of awe as Bill did. Bill looked at the price tag and gasped, "Bloody hell. Even with my job at Gringotts I couldn't afford this."

Duo looked at the robe's tag as well. He stepped back and frowned, turning away from it. Mrs. Weasley stated, "Horrid, that."

"I think it looks brilliant, Mum," Ginny replied as she looked down at her secondhand robes that Mrs. Weasley had just purchased. At least she came out better than poor Ron did last year. Her robes were a rich, cream velvet that complemented her flaming red hair. Harry found himself suddenly wanting to see Ginny in them.

Duo offered, "Why don't you guys go ahead without me? It might take me a while and I'm staying only a couple of blocks."

"Nonsense, why don't you come stay with us?" Mrs. Weasley offered, smiling.

Duo shook his head and sent her a dazzling smile. One that would have made Lockhart jealous, Harry realized as he looked at the impish grin as well. Hermione brightened and Ginny blushed. He replied, "No, but thank you. I've got some things that I still need to take care of in town and besides, I don't wanna be a bother."

"You wouldn't be a bother," Mrs. Weasley argued.

Fred chirped, "Yeah, you can show us that thing you did to Malfoy."

"And what you did to Crabbe and Goyle as well," George added, grinning.

Ron said, "Mum loves having someone new to take care of. She'll love it."

Duo looked over at Ginny, who simply blushed and looked down at her new robes. Harry knew that look. It was her shy "I've got a crush" look. He supposed that he should be relieved that Ron's baby sister turned her affections to someone else, but surprisingly, he felt a little disappointed and he couldn't explain it.

Duo looked pleadingly at Harry as he said, "And I've got things to do in Diagon Alley before school starts."

Harry sighed and suggested, "He'll be fine, Mrs. Weasley. Besides, he's at the Leaky Cauldron. I stayed there a whole two weeks by myself."

"Fine, dear. I hope we meet again," Mrs. Weasley replied as she shook Duo's hand.

George said, "See you at school, Duo."

"If you see Malfoy again, have him give the floor a tiny taste for us, would you?" Fred suggested as he shook Duo's hand.

George added, "And we've got to take you to Zonkos. You'll love it."

"See you on the train, Duo," Hermione said pleasantly, "And I can help you get caught up if you need it."

Duo smiled and said, "Thanks, Hermione."

"You're welcome," she replied, blushing again.

Ginny smiled and ran off with her brothers.

Ron waved and said, "See you soon, Duo. Maybe you'll be a Gryffindor."

"Better than being a Slytherin," Duo quipped as he shook Ron's hand, "And thanks."

Ron ran up to catch up with his family, leaving Harry and Duo alone. Duo smiled and said, "Thanks for bailing my ass out there, man."

Harry had to smile at that and said, "You're welcome. Well, I'll see you again."

"Yeah, soon," Duo said with a chuckle as he added, "And thanks for warning me about Malfoy. Bye, buddy." Then he started to walk in the opposite direction.

Harry then made a mental note to ask Sirius to make inquiries about the new students. Especially one Duo Maxwell. He didn't think Duo was working for Voldemort, but then again, Mad Eye's double had been pretty convincing as well.