Bad

With shaking hands, Harry reached into his bag and drew out a small vial, casting furtive looks to each side of him to make sure no one was watching. He took a deep breath and poured the contents of the vial down his throat and swallowed quickly. After a few minutes of dizziness Harry shook his head and stood up, slowly feeling better than he had in years, and with a slight grin he moved towards the doorway. He had a lot to do in the next two months.

*

*

*

The young man entering Kings Cross station was somebody who made you look twice. He was over six feet tall, with spiky black hair that framed his face perfectly and a stray strand that kept getting in his eyes. People who were close enough to this man could see his eyes and were amazed by their brilliant greenness and a rather strange lightning shaped scar on his forehead.

This was a seventeen-year-old Harry Potter; he had replaced his glasses with contacts and after working out all summer had bought some new clothes to go with his new image. He was wearing black boots, dark blue jeans and a tight white sleeveless top; he had a black leather jacket slung carelessly over his shoulder as he looked around impatiently as though waiting for somebody.

That somebody came scurrying up, panting heavily, and lugging a trunk full of luggage as well as an owl, which was hooting indignantly in a cage.

"Get a move on, Dudley." Harry looked annoyed and suddenly shoved Dudley into a wall. The fat boy screamed in horror and closed his eyes, when he opened them he found an amused Harry at his side and a station full of people staring at him. He held out the owl cage silently.

"Ok place it over there," Harry indicated as he leant lazily against a nearby wall and amused himself by watching Dudley struggle with the trunk. He knew that everyone was watching them, but didn't do anything about it

"Done. Can I go now?" Dudley waddled back to where Harry stood.

"Of course you can. Tell Vern I say hi." Harry didn't even bother looking at Dudley. Instead he played with the necklace around his neck, which had a small lion hanging from it.

"He told you not to call him Vern," Dudley said sulkily.

"Which is the very reason I'm doing it, now trot along and make sure you don't get stuck in the door," Harry said nastily as Dudley glowered at him, but backed away, remembering various recent incidents all of which had involved Dudley looking extremely stupid and been afraid of what Harry might do.

*

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*

"Why, it's my favourite mudblood and Weasel," Draco said with a sneer as he entered the carriage where Ron and Hermione had found seats. For once, Crabbe and Goyle weren't shadowing his every move.

"Shove off, Malfoy." Ron looked up with such a vicious glare that most people would have run, but Draco merely smiled.

"Now that's not very nice. I'd be careful, there's no Potter here to save you," Draco warned them, after realising that Harry was indeed missing from the carriage. He had hoped to curse Harry, but annoying Hermione and Ron would do for the moment until he found Crabbe and Goyle.

"Please leave now Malfoy," Hermione said, trying to keep her voice level calm even though Draco seemed to have every intention of staying there all day.

"I don't think so; I'm rather interested to know where Potter is. Has he finally realised that he could never beat me and decided to stay in his cupboard this year?' Draco leant back to rest against the wall of the carriage with his arms folded and a very smug smirk on his face, as though he owned the entire train.

"No, he's standing right behind you, waiting for you to do what you've been asked to and leave," a deep voice growled from the doorway.

"Potter, I really don't think..." Draco began to say, but stopped as he had spun around and seen the size of the man standing behind him. Harry looked as though he blocked the entire doorway with his frame, his arms folded in a very threatening manner, and his eyebrow was raised and he had a smirk on his face.

"That's right, Malfoy, you don't think. Now leave before I make you." Harry took a step forward and enjoyed the worried tone in Draco's voice. Ron and Hermione had looks of disbelief on their faces that this was the same best friend whom they had last seen two months ago!

"You can't do that, as it happens I'm leaving anyway, but we will continue this later." Draco found his voice and tried to regain his superiority, but his voice was noticeably wavering as he stepped rather gingerly past Harry. With one last look of mingled disbelief and loathing, he left, presumably to find his bodyguards.

"Wonderful. I wanted a light snack before lunch." Harry bared his teeth aggressively at Draco's back, absolutely terrifying a lost first year who saw him. He turned back with a slight smile on his face, to see his two best friends looking rather confused.

*

*

*

After exchanging rather mute hellos, there was a silence in the carriage. Harry was waiting for Ron or Hermione to speak first. Ron was wondering how his friend had grown so much, and Hermione was looking Harry up and down with an open mouth.

"We heard this really wild rumour that Dudley was carrying your trunk for you," Hermione said finally, in a rather faint voice as she tried to keep her eyes off Harry. She had to admit he looked rather attractive. Actually, who was she trying to kid? He had always been rather attractive, but now he was drop dead gorgeous.

"It was true," Harry said with a slight smile. Ron and Hermione had clearly not believed the rumor when they heard it.

"Why would he do that?" Ron asked, looking rather confused.

"I just said that I might feel the need to take Vern's new car out for a spin if darling Dudders didn't help me." Harry smirked as he remembered the look on Dudley's face when Vernon had ordered him to help Harry. It had been yet another high point in his very enjoyable summer of making the Dursleys' lives hell.

"I didn't know you could drive," Hermione looked surprised. Harry was only just old enough to take a test, and she didn't know where he would have got his own car from to learn in.

"I can't," Harry said. A look of confusion crossed over Hermione's face. "Well, not legally."

"Bloody brilliant!" Ron exclaimed in admiration. Hermione looked as though she wanted to tell him off for breaking the law, but thought better of it.

*

*

*

As the train approached Hogwarts, Hermione finally worked up the courage to ask the question that had quite clearly been on her mind since she first saw Harry. For once Hermione had been rather quiet in the conversation, and had instead stared at Harry's chest for almost the entire journey. Ron and Harry hadn't even noticed, as Ron had been inquiring as to how to hot-wire a car like Harry had done with the Dursley's, possibly with the intention of stealing his father's new car sometime or possibly because he was rather bored and waiting for the food cart

"So, what's with the new body?" Hermione eventually asked, trying to sound casual, but failing rather miserably.

"Lifting weights every day and running. Got to keep in shape somehow."

"And the new clothes?" Hermione had to admit that he had a great taste in clothes that even Parvati would be admiring.

"I exchanged some of my money and went shopping," Harry explained with a large yawn.

"And the new attitude?"

"That just comes naturally." Harry grinned cockily, as he leant back in his seat with his arms behind his head and his legs stretched over onto the opposite seat, and dozed for the rest of the journey to Hogwarts.