Harry Potter & The Knights Of Merlin's Keep

Fan fiction: Harry Potter

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. I own the original characters. Any similarities to persons living or dead are coincidental.

Rated R: For violence, some language, mature content, and eventual slash. Though I haven't decided how much, you have been warned.

AN: This is a revised version of the story. It is not complete and though I am working on completing it, I have many other things of higher priority (like school) that I must do first. Please read & review.

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Kim Vermont was absolutely beside himself with excitement as he and his parents, along with Aaron Devlin, walked into the Leaky Cauldron. They got more than a few odd looks from some of the patrons, but no one said anything. Muggle-borns were easy to spot their first time in.

Aaron took them all to a table and sat them down. James and Athena Vermont sat with Kim in between them while Aaron sat across from him. Aaron was the only one who didn't look completely lost or astonished.

"I've been by this street for countless times and I've never seen this place." James said, still not believing that he was there.

"You aren't meant to, Mr. Vermont," Aaron explained while also signing for Kim, "This is a wizards domain. The only time Muggles are allowed here are for certain circumstances. Shopping for student's school supplies is one of them. In any case, a wizard would need to be with you for you to see the Leaky Cauldron, much less enter it. Now that Kim knows it's here, he will be able to bring you back anytime. But school supplies aside, the only reason a Muggle should be here is if it's an emergency."

"Understood." James said resolutely, "Mr. Weasley explained a little bit on why wizards keep themselves separate from the rest of us. I can't say that I blame you."

At that moment, a waiter walked up to the table.

"Something to drink?" He asked Aaron, seemingly avoiding looking at Kim or his parents.

Aaron's lip twitched at the rudeness of the waiter, but didn't want to cause a scene. He had to set a good example for Kim. He forced a smile as he replied.

"Yes, I'll have a coffee, the gentleman and lady will both have a butterbeer, and a Wizard's Fizzle for the young lad."

The waiter turned away without another word. The situation was not lost on James or Athena.

"Is it just me or did he not want to serve us anything?" Mrs. Vermont asked.

"That is, unfortunately, an accurate perception, Mrs. Vermont." Aaron replied diplomatically, not letting his anger show through. Kim wasn't fooled though. He could sense that Aaron was quite upset, but he didn't know why he could tell.

"There are many wizards that believe that Muggles are inferior to them. Known Muggle-born wizards face a lot of bigotry. Now there are many other wizards who don't pay much credence to such a preposterous notion, Mr. Weasley being one of them.

"Kim will face a lot of that bigotry, however there are a lot of Muggle-born students at Hogwarts, and the Headmaster is well known for his acceptance of those who are different.

"As for you two, well you will see first hand just how eclectic the wizard population truly is. You'll find yourself at odds with some wizards, while others will welcome you with open arms."

Kim asked about something he'd noticed since they had walked in. [Is that the same reason why most of the other patrons are staring at us?]

Aaron half-smiled, half-grimaced. [Not exactly, Kim. They're used to Muggles coming in around this time of year. They are not used to people using sign language.]

Kim looked a little dejected, [So even at Hogwarts I'll be weird.]

Aaron's blood boiled as he saw Kim's disappointment, but he kept his emotions under control.

[I won't lie to you, Kim. Yes, you will be treated considerably different, but don't let that deter you. I'm sure you will make good friends at Hogwarts, especially among the other Muggle-born students. They spent most of their younger lives in similar situations. They caused weird things to happen that they couldn't explain. Their peers called them freaks. Now they may not have as an extreme history as you did, but it's there. Give them a chance. If they don't prove worthy, then that's their problem.]

"Here, here!" Said one of the patrons close enough to hear Aaron's verbal translation.

The Vermont's looked over to see who had spoken. It was an old woman sitting at a table to the left of theirs. Aaron and Kim didn't hear the woman, but they both noticed the heads turning. They too, turned their heads, Kim with curiosity, Aaron with confusion. Aaron glanced to James Vermont, who then quickly repeated and signed what the woman had said.

Aaron smiled and winked to Kim, then gave a nod of appreciation to the old woman. She just raised her glass then went back to gossiping with her friends. The waiter looked surly at their entire table, but Aaron just smiled pleasantly at him.

"Thank you very much, sir." He said in an overly cheerful tone. The Vermonts took a cue from him and did likewise. The waiter wasn't fooled and he scowled even further.

"If the kid wants the Fizzle to fizz, he'll have to do it himself!" he said and then walked off in a huff.

Athena was confused, "Fizzle?"

"It's the drink I ordered Kim. It's a wizard's drink popular among children. The fizzle is really what makes it special, but you need to activate it with some magic, otherwise it's basically the same as a carbonated soda. Since Kim hasn't gotten his wand yet, we'll need to improvise the magic."

He looked at Kim with a grin. [I want you to keep you eyes on the goblet in front of you, but I also want you to pay attention to what I'm going to do. first of all, take a deep breath and relax yourself. Good. Now let yourself feel the magic, like you would feel the wind breezing across your face and arms. Now keep your eyes on the goblet.]

Kim kept his eyes on the goblet, wondering what was about to happen. He opened his mind up to feeling the magic, but he wasn't sure if he was doing it right. Then he felt it. It was brief but there. He looked at Aaron who nodded and said try again. Kim took an even deeper breath and relaxed his entire body. He stared at the goblet, yet he was no longer watching it. He felt something move across his body, like a slight breeze. It slipped past him and into the goblet.

The result was nothing short of spectacular. The goblet's content's seemed to explode out in a flurry of sparks, snaps, and pops. It was like a miniature fireworks show. When the initial explosion was over, the contents that remained in the goblet were still sparking and popping, falling back into the goblet only to spark again.

Kim beamed radiantly at the display. Aaron motioned for him to take a sip. He picked up the goblet and could feel the tiny explosions vibrate the cup. He nervously put it to his lips and drank. The experience was exciting. The liquid snapped and popped in his mouth, but it was far from unpleasant. It continued all the way down his throat until it got to his stomach, where the snapping suddenly stopped. It was absolutely delicious. Kim smiled even brighter.

[I thought you might like that.] Aaron signed with a grin.

Once the drinks were finished, Aaron took his charges into the back alley from the Leaky Cauldron. He pointed out the third brick to the left.

"That is the brick that you will need to tap three times with your wand. The wall will open up into Diagon Alley. We don't have a wand, but I've had a little practice not needing one."

He tapped the wall three times with his index finger; the brick started to quiver and then stopped. The wall did not open up.

Aaron smiled through his now red face, "I'm a little rusty." He tapped three times again, this time the brick quivered and moved out of the way. Suddenly, the rest of the bricks in the wall were folding in on themselves, opening up to reveal Diagon Alley.

"There we go." he said, still slightly red faced, as he led them into the crowded street.

All three Vermonts were agape at the scene before them. Wizards and witches bustled about from one odd store to the next. They passed the apothecary, Eeylops Owl Emporium, Quality Quidditch Supplies, shops of all sorts. Aaron had to fight from being amazed himself. Though he'd seen a bit of Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade just barely a week ago, the twenty years he had spent away from the Wizarding world had caught up with him.

He led them to a large white-ish building. A large sign above the entrance labeled it Gringotts Bank.

"This is Gringotts. You will be hard pressed to find any other place in this world to secure your money. Not even the American's Fort Knox is as safe. It's run and operated by goblins, so don't be to shocked when you see one. They can be a little bit... grouchy at times, so watch what you say.

"Now you won't have to have an account here to exchange your money into Wizard money, but I would advise it. They give you a much better exchange rate if you're a customer. The interest is nonexistent but what you save on the exchange rate alone would be well worth it."

They walked into the bank and once again the Vermonts were surprised. The inside seemed larger than the outside, and it was grand. Old marble, great candle-lit chandeliers, and old English Oak. It was absolutely beautiful. Behind the large desks and teller windows, were the goblins of Gringotts.

Mr. & Mrs. Vermont were able to easily hide their surprise and curiosity. Kim was not. He didn't point but he did find himself staring a lot and keeping very close to his parents. The goblins noticed this, but they were used to Muggle children being completely shocked at their appearance.

Aaron led them to the money exchange, but James stopped him first.

"Mr. Weasley also suggested I open up an account and as Kim will be living primarily in the Wizarding world for the next seven years or so, I think it would be better for him as well."

"Good idea, new accounts are over here. At least, I think. The U.S. branch is set up a little bit differently."

The out of place group walked over to a series of desks, most of which were occupied by busily working goblins. One of them looked up at them, snarled, and then went back to work. Another goblin, hearing the snarl walked over to them.

"New account?" he asked, his voice was low and guttural.

"Yes, sir." James answered.

"This way." The goblin said as he walked past them. He led them to an empty desk, motioned to the chairs, and then sat at the desk himself. After pulling out various forms on parchment and a quill and ink bottle, he looked at the odd people before him.

"Muggles. I suppose you will be opening this account with Muggle money. No doubt in effort to save on the exchange rate." The goblin huffed, "Well let me tell you something Mug.."

"Stow the small talk, shorty, and get to it already." Aaron interrupted, looking down at the goblin. "Time is money."

The goblin looked evilly at Aaron for a good amount of time. Then he huffed what seemed to be a laugh. "All right. First things first, we don't run our bank like the Muggles. You only get one type of account, that's a vault. Whatever you put into it is your business unless it is a hazard to Gringotts employees. We also don't pay you interest, and why should we? We don't use your money so you don't get any of ours. We charge twenty galleons a year for a standard vault. That's cheap, as the Zakas here will tell you."

Aaron blanched at the obvious derogatory but said nothing.

"How much do you want to deposit?"

"Would a thousand British pounds be good?" James asked, nervous but steady.

"Humph!" The goblin huffed again, "That'll fetch you about three hundred thirty Gold Galleons. You should be glad he told you to open an account, otherwise it would have gotten you only one hundred forty-five Galleons.

"Now we keep tabs on how much gold is worth in the Muggle world, and I'll tell you right now, don't even bother with trying to melt it down and sell it for a profit. Galleons, Sickles and Knuts are minted with a special alloy, which makes it impossible to melt. It also makes it worthless to Muggles."

Athena nodded, "To protect the economy and stabilization of the currency, sounds remarkable. I wish we could do that with British pounds."

"Eh?" The goblin was a little taken aback, "A smart one you are. Very rare. Well time is money, hand over the pounds, read this and sign at the bottom. Also put the names of whoever is allowed access. You will be given a key. Only one key, so don't loose it. If we have to replace it, it will cost you a lot. And I mean, a lot!"

James handed the Goblin the paper money. The goblin looked at every last bill very carefully.

"Good, all is in order. Have you signed yet? Why not? Time is money!"

James quickly read the account agreement. He thought it might be written in some sort of legalese but it wasn't. It was written in plain, easy to understand, no chance for confusion, English. It said quite simply that the bank was not liable for anything barring an actual break in. Accounting was up to the customer. This included paying the annual fee. James signed at the bottom, putting Kim's name down as the account holder. Athena signed as well then had Kim sign.

"Here's your key. Obviously there's no money in your vault yet. Hand this to the exchange officer. He will tabulate how much you will get and give it to you. You will then pay him the twenty Galleon fee. From there, if you want to deposit it, you can either go to a teller or deposit it yourself. We charge a handling fee if we deposit your money."

James took the shiny gold key and put deep in his pocket.

"Good, now go away already, I have work to do." The goblin huffed and shooed them away.

"Well that was the worst of it." Aaron said quietly, "They're always a lot meaner to new clients to kind of set the tone of how things work. Once you get the hang of things, they're almost pleasant."

The four collected the Galleons, Sickles and Knuts, paid the fee, and were soon on their way out of the bank.

The first stop was Ollivander's Wand Shop. Aaron insisted that Kim get used to having his wand on him at all times though he wouldn't say why. Kim, however, seemed to understand anyway, having been told about Voldemort by his parents just a few days earlier.

All four shoppers went silent as they entered the old shop. There was a strong undercurrent of magic and even Kim's Muggle parents could feel it, it was so strong. Not for the first time did Kim notice that Aaron was nervous. He seemed to get so whenever anything to do with wands was mentioned. Only this time, the nervousness was palpable.

It became even more so when an old man, obviously the proprietor, came out from the back room. He eyed each individual with careful scrutiny, stopping on Aaron. A look of profound disappointment befell his face and Kim actually felt sorry for the man, though he had no idea why.

"Does the prodigal son return?" he asked Aaron. Kim couldn't hear the tone of the words, but it was if he had felt the subtle hope in them. It was rather eerie.

"Just helping the young lad." Aaron said coarsely as if his voice hadn't been used in years.

"I see," Ollivander replied. Kim's heart ached with the sadness in his face, but it was short lived as the old man looked his way with a genuine smile.

"So you are the young Kim Vermont that I have been told about." Kim could only nod. "Well let's see if you are any more difficult a customer than your predecessor. A wand is not simply a stick to be waved about. No, it is an extension of a wizard's will. A wizard's personality. As unique as his own DNA and almost as vital. It is not something that you choose lightly. In fact, it is not something that you choose at all. The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Vermont."

Kim still had nothing in him aside from a nod. This old man seemed nice, but in a creepy way.

"Your wand arm, please."

Kim held out his right hand and Ollivander started measuring it. The tape suddenly had a life of its own and began measuring different areas of his body. Unlike most magical things he'd seen up to this point, he thought it rather funny and couldn't help but giggle a little bit. This made the old proprietor beam with joy.

"Now let's see what we can come up with. Try this one, Elm, Unicorn hair, ten inches."

Ollivander exchanged the wand for the measuring tape. Kim wasn't sure exactly what to do, though.

"Well give it a wave, boy."

No sooner did Kim begin to wave the wand when it was snatched out of his hands by the old man.

"No. No good at all, try this one, Oak, dragon heartstring, twelve inches."

Kim grasped the wand and something happened. He felt a chill down his spine yet warn all over. He hadn't even began to wave it when a burst of multi-colored sparks shot out of the end. Clearly not even Ollivander was expecting such a result as his hair was singed in his almost too late efforts to duck.

"Goodness! I'd say we've found a match." Ollivander smiled wide, oblivious to the smoke emanating from his slightly scorched hair. "You must be very eager to express yourself to have such a reaction. I hope you will keep your enthusiasm for the years to come."

Kim was simply to stunned to respond. Even though he hadn't intended to cause such a scene, it felt right. The wand felt very comfortable in his hand, as if it were an integral part of him. He was hesitant to let Ollivander take it from him even to wrap it up. Aaron was too.

"He'll take it as is."

Ollivander gave Aaron a quizzical look. "How is he supposed to carry it? He's not wearing robes and Muggle clothing isn't generally designed to hold wands."

"I have an old wand holster that he can use."

"As you wish. The wand will be eight Galleons and three Sickles."

James pulled out the appropriate amount to pay the old man while Aaron opened his rucksack and fitted the old wand holster to Kim.

[There you go. Now most wizard clothing is designed with pockets and such to carry wands, but this holster will come in handy when you are in the Muggle world. You have to make sure it remains hidden though. With certain exceptions, Muggles aren't meat to know about us.]

Kim nodded with a smile, happy to know that he wouldn't have to be separated from what he now considered to be his right arm. The holster was fit comfortably and would be well hidden by his jacket or even a vest. Now that his wand was paid for, the four left Ollivander's to continue their shopping. Kim gave a wave goodbye to Ollivander, who kindly returned it.

Aaron took them up and down Diagon Alley to the other various shops and stores. Most of the other shops were interesting in their own way, but still just plain stores, so the excitement wore of Kim rather quickly. He did find the Owl shop extremely intriguing. He realized he really wanted an Owl, but Kim had been raised not to beg or whine for something he wanted, but to save up his own money for it if it was really important to him.

He checked how much pocket money his father had given him and compared it to the price of a rather small barn owl. The owl was far more than he could afford. Slightly dejected, he decided that he would just have to save up for it, and that he would not spend his pocket money on candy. Well... maybe one piece.

As they continued their shopping, Kim's mother suggested that he go get fitted for his robes. The adults would then look into getting his remaining supplies. He figured that wouldn't be too bad. They would still have plenty of time to see everything after lunch, and Kim was getting hungry.

He entered Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, feeling, rather than hearing the tinkle of a bell. A plump woman came from the back area and had said something to him, but as he was looking around, he hadn't been able to read her lips. She had a friendly smile and he smiled in return, then he pointed to his ears and shook his head.

The woman looked extremely perplexed. She asked him something else, which he guessed was "You can't hear?" He shook his head and shrugged. The lady smiled again and held out her hand. She pointed with her other hand to the back area where another boy was getting fitted with robes.

Kim followed her and stood on the pedestal that she pointed to. She placed a set of robes over his head and then set about pinning it up for measurements. The other boy was older by a few years. He looked rather thoughtful. Then he turned to Kim. Kim smiled and waved hi. The boy said something that Kim couldn't make out. Just as he was about to point to his ears again, the woman pinning up Kim's robes distracted the other boy.

Then the look of understanding crossed the older boy's face. Kim figured the plump woman told him that Kim was deaf. But then the boy started using sign language. He wasn't very good, but he was at least understandable.

[My name Simon. You?]

[Kim. I am starting Hogwarts this year.] Kim signed proudly. Simon smiled.

[That is two us. I start too.]

It was Kim's turn to give a puzzled look. [But you're older.]

Simon looked a little frustrated but smiled nonetheless. [Long story. Where you go school before?]

[Foxridge Elementary. It was horrible. The teacher didn't know sign language and was always talking away from me. If it weren't for my friends copying down her instructions, my grades would have been abysmal. As it was I had to constantly do extra homework.]

[I'm sorry hear that.]

[It's okay,] Kim signed back, [Now I'm going to Hogwarts so everything is cool. I was originally hoping to get accepted into this special program for deaf kids, but there wasn't enough space. But then Mr. Weasley came by with my letter for Hogwarts. He said that they had brought in a specialist that would help me learn magic even though I'm deaf.]

[Well was nice them.] Simon signed haphazardly as the other woman had removed the fitting robe from him. [Well I get going. Maybe help me sign at school?]

Kim smiled and nodded. Simon smiled and waved as he left. A few minutes after the older boy left, Madam Malkin removed the fitting robe off Kim. She looked at him and said "Three hours" while holding up three fingers. Kim smiled and said thank you as best he could. He also signed it out of habit. The plump witch smiled and walked him out of the store.

When he walked out, he saw Simon speaking with two boys and a girl that looked to be about his age. They were all picking up books that had apparently fallen. The dark haired boy with glasses was rubbing his head as if he had been hit. Kim then saw something that nearly made him pee his pants. The dark haired boy with glasses had a scar like lightning on his head.

Kim didn't know why, but he knew instantly that this boy was The One Who Wears The Crown of Lighting. He knew that he had to find his parents quickly. He turned around and started to run. He looked back at the dark haired boy for an instant, but it was enough distraction to take a misstep. He found himself running into a wall of robe.

He fell backwards onto the cobblestone street with an "oof". When he looked up to see whom he'd accidentally run into, he was met with the piercing gaze of a tall man with silver blond hair. The man was sneering viciously at him. He then started yelling so fast that Kim couldn't keep up to understand him.

He tried apologizing as he stood, but the man was obviously not appeased, for he closed in on him. Kim stepped backwards to get away but the man grabbed him by the shirt. He then raised his other hand as if he were about to strike him. As the man brought his hand down, it was caught.

Kim was absolutely relieved to see his father holding back the hand that was about to strike him.

James Vermont looked at the man before him. Rage just on the edge of his voice.

"Is there a reason you were about to strike my son, sir?"

The light-haired man sneered at James as if he was royalty and this serf had dared touch him.

"Your impudent son wasn't watching where he was going." He said trying to shake his hand free. He didn't succeed.

"It was an accident." James replied, squeezing hard on the fingers of his would-be prisoner, "I'm sure if you had given him enough time to get up, he would have apologized."

Grimacing with pain, the silver-blond man released Kim, and was rewarded with his own hand back. He glared at James coldly.

"You better watch yourself, Muggle," The man hissed his words, "You and you're mudblood son aren't wanted here."

"Speak for yourself, Mr. Malfoy." Arthur Weasley said drawing several heads to turn his way. He was not smiling in the least, and his wand was in hand. "I for one, am delighted to have this gentleman and his son here."

"You would, Weasley. A Muggle loving fool, like Dumbledore. Are you planning to use that on me or are you just trying to impress the Muggles? Trying to show them what a real wizard looks like?"

"I have no need to, Malfoy. You're doing a fantastic job of it by yourself."

Lucius' hand dove for his wand but Arthur was quicker. He pointed his wand straight at Lucius' face.

"Attacking a Ministry Official is a grievous crime Mr. Malfoy." He said with an almost imperceptible smile, "Worth at least six months in Azkaban. A Ministry head such as myself will get you 2 years minimum. By all means continue. I can curse you with impunity and still have you thrown to the dementors."

Lucius stood there, poised to continue his trek for his wand, but after almost a minute in the stand off, he lowered his hand.

"I won't forget this, Weasley." Malfoy hissed as he stalked away.

"See that you don't!" Arthur yelled.

When he was sure that Malfoy was no longer going to cause any trouble, he put his wand away.

"I am terribly sorry that you had to witness that, Mr. Vermont. Most of us wizards at least try to pretend that we're civil." He said, red faced with embarrassment.

"I take it he's one of those that Mr. Devlin warned us about?" James asked, putting a hand on Kim's shoulder to calm him down.

"He's one of the worst. His boy has been a particular thorn in my son's side for some time now as well."

"How unfortunate."

"Indeed," Arthur sighed, "Well life goes on. My family is here along with some friends of theirs. We were just about to go to lunch, would you care to join us?"

James quickly translated for Kim, who nodded with a small smile, but it was short lived, for he then quickly signed something to his father. James looked puzzled but nodded.

"We'll meet you at the Leaky Cauldron. Kim want's to show me something first."

Arthur simply nodded and walked off. Kim wasted no time in telling his father about who he had seen. James wasn't so sure, but after Kim described everything about him, James had no doubt. He knelt down and looked Kim straight in the eye.

[Kim, this is very important. This is what your mother and I have been preparing our whole lives for. This is what we have been trying to prepare you for. Now you were inducted into our order at a very young age, because you are special, but because you are so young, you haven't been taught everything you need to know. We have little time as it is, so heed my words.]

[Learn all you can about him. Who his friends are, where he lives during the summer, anything and everything. Even if you think it's completely useless, tell us anyway. We need to know if we are to protect him. We will keep in touch with you as much as we can.]

[One last thing. You will be very busy at this new school, and as you are in a different year, you will not be able to watch him all the time, and well you shouldn't. Remember that you are a wizard, and you will need to learn how to be the best wizard you can be. There may come a time when you must decide between what is best for the Knights, and what is best for you. That choice is yours and yours alone. I trust that whatever you decide, it will be the right one. Do you understand?]

Kim nodded, his face showing the awesome responsibility that has now been handed to him.

[I'm glad son. If you see him again, try to act casual. He probably doesn't know what he's destined for and may not appreciate being gawked at. Now let's go get lunch.]

The two Vermont men walked hand in hand towards the Leaky Cauldron.

---

Simon Bergstead and his foster parents made their way through Diagon Alley. Simon couldn't tell who was more excited, him or his parents. Like tourists in a foreign country, they wandered about wide-eyed and agape at the unusualness. Also like tourists in a foreign country, they were easily recognizable. Some wizards gave them less than pleasant looks, others chuckled at their unfamiliarity, but most wizards just ignored them.

Their first stop was Gringotts bank. For some reason, Simon didn't think it all that strange to see a goblin. His parents were a different matter, but they wisely kept silent as Simon talked with one of the goblins. The short creature named Griphook took them down to Claudius' former vault, now Simon's.

The vault was far from overflowing with coin, but it had a lot more than Simon expected. Definitely enough to get his school supplies without having to rely on his parent's money. Not that they would mind, but Simon figured that his grandfather would have wanted the money spent on his education. It was one of those little things that he felt would honor his memory.

He filled a money pouch with gold, silver, and bronze and all of them were soon on their way back to the surface. After a second exhilarating ride in the mine cart, the three humans departed Gringotts ready to begin shopping.

Most of his equipment he already had, thanks to his grandfather, though the telescope was rather antiquated and fragile, so he would replace it. His potions equipment was top notch and well kept. In fact, there were no less than ten cauldrons in his basement of varying sizes and made of different metals, including a solid gold one. Claudius was apparently very serious about his potions.

Simon's parents left him to collect his supplies and they agreed to meet at the Leaky Cauldron in time for lunch. Simon's first stop was the general market. Most of the stores in Diagon Alley served a specific purpose but for everything else, there was the market. It had produce and food stores, non-standard containers and utensils, and other mundane items that weren't sold at the more specialized stores.

He bought himself a large trunk and rented a trolley to roll it around while he was in Diagon Alley. Then he went to the apothecary. He spent little time here, as the smell was rather odious. After purchasing his basic potions kit, he wandered over to Ollivander's wand shop.

The wand shop had an eerie feel to it. If Simon didn't know any better, he was sure that the store itself was alive and definitely aware of his intrusion. Proving his theory more likely, an old man appeared seemingly from nowhere.

"Good morning, young man. I am Mr. Ollivander."

G-good morning, sir." Simon said, a little of guard, "I am here to purchase a wand."

"Of course you are. Why else would you be here?" The old man said without malice, "You look very familiar. What's your name?"

"Simon Bergstead. I'm sure we haven't met before." Simon replied, his nervousness growing.

"Ah! You must be Claudius' grandson. That's why I recognized you. You have his ears. A little bit larger and pointier than most. Though yours aren't nearly as large as his were when he was your age."

Simon could only look confused as the old Mr. Ollivander answered.

"But he was a very good man. I was dearly saddened to hear of his passing, but I'm glad that you are finally able to start your magical education. Now, let's make sure you get started off right, shall we. Stand over here so I can take some measurements."

Simon complied silently as Mr. Ollivander pulled out a measuring tape.

"Wand arm please." He asked, uncurling the tape through his old wrinkled fingers. Simon held out his left hand and the old man began measuring it, among other things. He then let the tape go and it started measuring Simon by itself. Mr. Ollivander then set about pulling out some long thin boxes.

"Having been raised as a Muggle, you will probably not know how we find the right wand for you. Well the simplest explanation is that we don't find it; it finds you. The wand chooses the wizard. No Ollivander wand is alike. Some may use the same components, oak wood, unicorn hair, and may even be the same size, but they are always truly different.

"One wand may have the hair of a unicorn from England, while another may come from Ireland. They will be radically different. Even so, I try to avoid repeating myself where possible."

Simon was just listening patiently as the tape had started measuring places that he wouldn't have thought important to owning a wand. It was quite embarrassing.

"That's enough." The tape measure dropped just as it headed for his more personal of places. Ollivander climbed down from the ladder against one wall with several boxes in his hands.

"Now, give that a wave, Oak, Phoenix feather, 14 inches."

Simon grasped the wand and gave it a wave, but no sooner did he start when Ollivander had clutched it from his hand.

"That won't do try this one." The process repeated itself numerous times, each with no luck. As Ollivander went to get more wands, Simon noticed one sitting on the counter. Normally Simon would have never given into his curiosity, but the whole situation was just odd enough to test even his self-control. He picked up the wand, not really expecting it to do anything.

He was wrong. As he grasped it, his whole body got very warm. Simon gave the wand a wave and blue and silver sparks flew out the end. Mr. Ollivander was startled and nearly dropped several boxes. He turned and stared hard at Simon, who was now feeling very foolish.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly as the old wand maker put the other boxes away.

"Well let me remind you of the old fable of how curiosity killed the cat, however, the wand did find you, so I can forgive you this time. Very curious though."

"How do you mean?"

"Well your wand is not entirely unique." Mr. Ollivander explained as he cleaned up the remaining wand boxes. "I mean it is in it's own way, but I remember every wand I've made and sold. Every one. Yours is made of Holly, has a phoenix feather for it's core and is eleven inches. I made one exactly like it several years ago. I used a different phoenix for yours, however, and a different tree. Those two factors make your wand unique for you, but it is still very odd.

"It is interesting that you are to have that particular wand. I just finished making it. Had you started Hogwarts when you were originally supposed to, we may not have found you a proper wand. Very interesting. Well shall I wrap it for you, Mr. Bergstead?"

"Yes please." Simon was nearly speechless. Not an unusual circumstance considering that he didn't talk much to people he didn't know, but it was compounded by the strangeness of the whole situation.

Mr. Ollivander wrapped the wand up and escorted the perplexed Simon out of his store. "Good luck, Mr. Bergstead. I'm sure you will make Claudius very proud.

"Thank you, sir." he replied, and then quickly left.

Checking his watch, he noticed that it was almost lunchtime. If he hurried, he could get fitted for his school robes before lunch and pick them up at the end of the day. He found his way to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. The bell rang softly as he entered.

An older, friendly looking witch greeted him.

"Good morning, dear, come to get some new robes for school?"

"Sort of. I'm just starting."

"Oh? A late bloomer. Well that's quite all right dear, come back here and Hilda will get you started." The plump witch led Simon back to several pedestals where another witch was unfurling a fitting robe. Simon stepped up onto one of the pedestals and was soon covered in a fitting robe.

As Hilda began pinning up the robe, he heard the tinkle of the front bell again. Madam Malkin greeted the new customer then brought him back to the pedestal next to Simon's.

Simon figured this boy would be starting Hogwarts as well. Seeing the age of this boy, he was reminded that he would be the oldest first year in the school. He sighed in resignation, and then turned to face the boy.

The other boy wasn't very tall even for an eleven year old, but he looked like he might have competed in sports because he had some muscle definition. Or at least Simon thought that he did; it was hard to tell as Madam Malkin had just put a fitting robe over the small boy's head. The boy smiled and waved at him.

"Are you starting Hogwarts, too?" Simon asked.

The boy looked a little confused and started pointing at his ear, but Madam Malkin was quicker.

"Oh, this boy can't hear you. You might have to talk a little slower so he can read your lips."

Simon realized why the boy had started pointing to his ears. But Simon knew a little sign language. Enough to be understood he hoped.

[My name is Simon. What's yours?] He signed, but he was sure that there might have been something he left out.

[Kim.] the boy signed back, very proud of what he was saying, [I am starting Hogwarts this year.]

[That makes two of us. I am starting, too.]

[But you're older.] the boy replied with a puzzled look.

Simon breathed deeply at the latest reminder that he was out of place but smiled. [Long story. Where did you go to school before?]

The boy's reply was very animated; so much that Simon had difficulty keeping up. However, he knew that it would be rude to ask him to slow down. That was one of the things he learned at the university when he was taking deaf studies. However, Simon was able to get the gist of what the boy was saying. Apparently he had a tough time at school but had some friends helping him.

[I'm sorry to hear that.] Simon signed back honestly. He had seen how difficult it could be for deaf people. Most of the people he'd met were beyond independent as a result, but it could still be frustrating for them.

Kim was still signing a little bit too fast for Simon, but he was still able to get the idea of what he was saying. The boy was going to go to a special school but there apparently wasn't enough room. Then a gentleman whose name Simon couldn't make out had delivered Kim's acceptance letter. And they had brought in a teacher to help Kim specifically.

[Well that was nice of them.] He tried to sign just as the woman had pulled the robe off of him. [Well I need to get going. Maybe you can help me practice signing at school?]

The smaller boy grinned and nodded. Simon waved good-bye to him and walked out the door. He checked his watch and realized that his parents would be waiting for him at the Leaky Cauldron. He began to rush towards the inn when from nowhere a shadow crossed his path. They collided and both ended up on the ground, books dropped everywhere.

Simon picked himself up and was about to offer his hand to the black haired boy he had taken down with him, but was interrupted by a red head considerably taller than him looking very angry.

"Hey! Can't you watch where you're going?"

"I'm terribly sorry, I was in a hurry." Simon didn't know whom he was apologizing to, the boy he knocked down or the boy that looked like he was about to knock him down. "Let me help." He said in an almost frantic voice, hoping that he could avoid a physical confrontation. He bent down and started picking up all the books. He didn't hear the bushy haired girl admonish her friend for being overbearing.

The boy who was knocked down collected the other half of his books then stood about the same time as Simon. Their eyes met and Simon recognized him immediately. His eyes went wide.

"You're alive!"

"Um... yeah," he said rubbing his forehead where he got hit, "Though this hasn't exactly been my week."

"My parents and I were so worried about you. We thought you had died."

The black haired boy looked a little perturbed. "What has this been spread all over the daily prophet again? I can't have one weeks rest without the whole Wizarding world making a fuss!"

"Harry, there was nothing about you in the Daily Prophet. And that Rita Skeeter has so far, kept her word." The bushy haired girl told him.

"Well then how does he know about it?" Harry asked angrily.

"I live across the street." Simon replied before he could stop himself, "It's kind of hard not to notice your house burning down."

All three friends turned at him in unison and said "What?"

"You're house burnt down. Didn't you hear about it? You're parents were killed."

The boy named Harry flinched and his hand brushed over a scar on his forehead. Simon could see true pain in his eyes but could do nothing about it as the Red head had grabbed him and was starting to shake him roughly.

"What are you playing at, boy?" he yelled angrily. Simon turned absolutely white and felt like he was going to collapse right there.

"Ron!" the girl was trying to calm him down, "Let him go."

He complied but it was more of a shove. Simon couldn't help but take a step back to balance himself. As it was, his knees were shaking and his heart was beating rapidly. He tried very hard not to let his eyes water, for he knew if he did, then this bully would just push him even further.

"I should knock some sense into him." Ron muttered angrily. The girl just glared him down. Then she turned to Simon.

"Something isn't right here." She said, half logically, half annoyed, "You can't be that much older than us, yet you talk as if you remember the fire like it was last week. You would have been two years old at most when that happened."

Simon was seriously confused, and the terror he was experiencing wasn't helping him think, but the fire was last week. Of that he was sure.

"It was last week." he said very nervously, "His parents and brother were killed. I saw them as they removed the bodies."

"He doesn't have a brother!" Ron yelled and stepped closer, causing Simon to step back. Simon's heart was beating faster than ever and his eyes were beginning to water, much to his chagrin.

The girl pulled Ron back by the scruff of his neck. "Ron, stop being belligerent."

"Hermione, I'm not being belligerent," he protested, shaking free, "I'm just trying to get this jerk to back off."

Ron flung out his hand in a violent gesture towards Simon. He didn't come close to actually hitting him, but Simon, suffering from a severe panic attack at this point, couldn't tell the difference. With a whimper he ran away, not thinking to take his trunk with him.

He didn't know where he ran off to; only that it was dark and secluded. He collapsed against an old brick building down a back alley. Tears flowed from him as he curled up into a fetal position, all the while saying, "Please don't hurt me." in a weak voice.

---

"Ron!" Hermione admonished, "Was that really necessary?"

"What? You heard what he was saying, it was complete nonsense."

"We'd better go find him." Harry said quietly, still in shock about the whole thing. Something about the other boy seemed familiar.

"Why should we?" Ron protested.

"Because one of us is responsible for making him run off," his now girlfriend chided. "Didn't you see how terrified he was of you?"

"Well..." Ron reviewed the confrontation in his head and realized that Hermione was right. "I didn't realize it at the time."

"Come on." Harry said urgently. He had the sick feeling that the boy was in trouble.

The three friends started walking off and looking for the boy, Ron grabbing the boy's trolley. Harry was leading the way, with his two friends following close behind. He didn't know exactly where he was going, only that it was the general direction. Something was leading him. Something familiar, only he couldn't place what.

Soon, the three turned down a small back alley. There was the boy, curled up in a ball against the brick building, sobbing heavily. Harry could hear the words, "Please don't hurt me," repeated quietly, over and over. The familiarity was growing.

Hermione cautiously kneeled next to him and placed her hand on his head to brush the boy's long brown hair from his eyes. He curled up tighter.

"Please don't hurt me!" he cried harder, "I'm sorry, just please don't hurt me. I won't do it again."

"I'm not going to hurt you." Hermione said calmly, "None of us are."

The boy did not seem to hear her, for he continued to beg to be unharmed. Hermione seemed at a loss for what to do. She turned to Harry and Ron, exasperation in her eyes. Harry took a hard look at the boy curled up in front of him. He looked very familiar. Then it hit him suddenly like a ton of bricks.

"Oh my god." he said quietly. Hermione and Ron both looked at him incredulously.

"What is it, Harry?" Ron asked.

"Hermione, step away from him quickly. You're only going to make it worse."

"But I'm trying to help"

"He can't see that!" Harry grabbed her gently and pulled her away from the crying boy. "He's in shock. Nothing of what we're saying is registering to him. He's legitimately terrified."

"Why?" Ron asked fearfully, "I admit I might have been over the line, but I couldn't have possibly been that bad, could I?"

"You were the catalyst for something greater, Ron. I think he's been beaten like I was."

Hermione gasped, "How can you tell?"

"Because he's saying exactly what I was feeling when Vernon was lashing me with his belt." Harry had paled as the memory was coming back to him. He tried to remain calm but it was increasingly difficult as the seconds passed by.

"What do we do?" Ron asked, genuinely concerned.

"I don't know. We can't just leave him here, but we can't get near him either or he might just have a heart attack." Harry said getting more and more frustrated.

"I'll go find Mrs. Weasley, She'll know what to do." Hermione said.

"Yeah, Mum knows practically everything about these things. I'll go with you."

Harry watched the two run off. Not knowing what else to do, he just sat himself up next to the brick wall. He then started talking to the boy. About what happened to him, and how he felt about Ron. He couldn't figure out why he was saying all these things, especially to a complete stranger, but he was beginning to feel better about everything. He kept talking so much to the point where he didn't realize that the other boy had long been silent and was listening intently.

As Harry paused in his ramblings, he finally noticed the silence. He turned to the boy, still curled up in a fetal position. The boy started to go pale again.

"I'm not angry" Harry quickly said, "It's okay, I don't want to hurt you."

"You promise?" the boy asked meekly.

"I promise. My name is Harry. What's yours?"

"Simon."

Harry gave Simon a serious, yet comforting look.

"Who beat you, Simon?"

"No one." Simon said quickly.

"Don't lie, Simon. I don't have to see the bruises to know it. I told you what happened to me. Was it your parents?"

Simon bowed his head and more tears were shed, though in shame rather than fear.

"You don't understand. It's different for me. I'm a wimp. The other kids pick on me all the time. They would corner me on the playground and then torture me. Sometimes they would tie me up and do horrible things to me. Just because I was smarter than them. I couldn't fight back, they were much older than me."

Simon had completely broke down at this point. Harry went out on a limb and reached over and placed his hand on the other boys shoulder. Simon fell into Harry's arms and wailed. This was the second panic attack that he had in a week. He genuinely didn't know if he would be able to survive the first month without having a nervous breakdown.

It was at that point that Ron and Hermione had returned with a nervous Mrs. Weasley, and a slew of other Weasleys who were curious as to what was going on. Mrs. Weasley's first reaction was to grab the boy into her own arms and hug him, but the boy had obviously bonded with Harry, so she let him cry himself out on Harry's shoulder.

Molly shooed the other Weasleys, Ron and Hermione included out of the back alley and told them all to go to the Leaky Cauldron. After a few minutes, Simon stopped most of his crying. Feeling a bit ashamed he tried to just leave, but Mrs. Weasley would hear nothing of it.

"Oh no, young man, you're not going out there in the state you're in." She pulled out her wand and with a quick spell, Simon's face felt like it had been washed clean. In fact, it had.

"There you go. Much better. Now, where are your parents?"

"I was supposed to meet them at the Leaky Cauldron." Simon said, out of tears, but still feeling like crying from shame.

"Well I'm sure they're worried sick about you. Why don't we take you there."

Simon was to exhausted to argue. Harry put his hand on Simon's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.

"It's okay, Simon."

Simon couldn't explain why he felt the way that he did, only that he believed Harry. On an impulse, he pulled Harry into a hug and was pleasantly surprised when Harry was hugging him back. Harry then broke from the embrace and with his arm around his new friend, walked him back to the Leaky Cauldron.

---

Simon's parents were worried. Simon was very punctual to a fault; yet today he was about half an hour late. At first, his mother just said that he was probably still exploring and lost track of time. Considering this was their first time in Diagon Alley, they couldn't blame him. But not this long. Simon would never have been this late without having something drastic come up.

Right as she stood up to go looking for him, Simon came in with a boy about his age, arm around his shoulder. When Simon saw his mother he rushed to her and practically crushed her in his hug. She could sense his shaking and knew that he had had another panic attack. She didn't question him, just hugged him back, and then managed to separate him so they could sit down.

The Black haired boy with glasses walked up with concern.

"Simon, are you going to be okay, now?"

"Yes, Harry, thank you." Simon nodded, "These are my parents, David and Elaine Thomas. Mom, Dad, this is Harry Potter."

"How do you do, Harry?" Elaine asked nervously. She was still worried about Simon.

"I'm fine, thank you." Harry answered almost as nervously.

She nodded then turned back to Simon, "Honey, what happened? We were worried sick about you."

"I had another panic attack. I'm okay, now though. I'm just still a little shaky."

"What brought it on?" David asked, genuinely concerned.

"Umm..." Simon was trying to explain everything without making it sound like it was Harry's fault, but Harry stepped in.

"It was kind of my fault. Mine and my friends." Harry said quickly, "It was really a big misunderstanding. Simon was trying to tell me about what happened to the Dursleys, but he thought that they were my parents, not my aunt & uncle. Well it's a long story, but my parents death is kind of a touchy subject, and well..."

"But it's okay, now Dad," Simon interjected, seeing Harry's discomfort, "As he said, it was just a misunderstanding on both our parts. Harry helped me through it though."

After a brief moment, David nodded, then held his hand out to Harry. "Thank you for helping my son, Harry."

Harry really didn't know what to say without sounding foolish, so he just nodded politely, shook David's hand then made his way over to the numerous tables that the Weasley's and Vermont's had staked out.

Simon and his parents sat down at there own table. Elaine gave him a loving but stern look.

"Okay, what really happened?"

"Truthfully, it was big misunderstanding." Simon explained, "His parents were killed when he was only one year old. When I mentioned what happened to the Dursleys, I had thought that they were his parents. His friends thought I was mocking him, so naturally they went to defend him. The tall one over there, Ron, was rather aggressive. He didn't actually threaten me or hit me, but he had grabbed me. His girlfriend, Hermione stopped him though.

"I ran off to have my attack, and they followed. Harry sent them away and then he just sat down and talked to me. Told me about a lot of his problems. He really helped me come out of the attack."

"Are you sure you're okay, Simon? We can come back another time."

No, Dad, I'm okay," Simon answered, calmer but still shaken, "I just need some food and I'll be fine."

David stayed silent but nodded.

As the three ate lunch in silence, Simon couldn't help but take furtive glances over to Harry. He knew that Harry was now his friend. What they shared with each other was just too personal for them not to be. But he felt something more. Simon dared to hope that he might actually have a friend that was more than a friend. Time would only tell.