Year V

Author's Note: Okay, for those of you who read this chapter before on FF.Net, yes this chapter has been changed. To be honest, I didn't like how it turned out, especially with Jesse's confrontation with Malfoy (which seemed a little forced and made me feel that Jesse was starting to tread into the dreaded MS/GS zone), so I changed it. Don't worry, Jesse will have his confrontation with Malfoy, I just wanted to push that to a later point in the story that would make sense. Also, just to let some of you know, we won't be seeing much of Jesse in chapters 6-8 as other plotlines start to unfold...what, did you really think I was going to ignore Harry and crew? I’m still not too happy about how it turned out because all the crap was supposed to hit the fan in this chapter, but I decided it would be better to break it down instead of forcing you to read a 10000-plus worded chapter. On another note, chapters 5-8 will not take three months to post. Expect more chapters to be posted in the next couple weeks. Hopefully this chapter will stay as-is (with the exception of typo or error corrections). And finally, as a warning to any writer: Never use the “auto-correct” function in Star Office…the damn thing kept trying to turn “Lucius” into “Luscious” (expect earlier chapters to be corrected).

Summary: More back story on Jesse and his history with the Malfoys. Nicholas St. John-Dupuis selects his target.

Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Harry Potter, I'm just borrowing JKR's universe for a bit. Harry and crew will be returned unharmed. "London Calling" is owned by the Clash (We'll miss you, Joe!)

Chapter Four

Confronting the Past

After Flourish and Blotts, Mrs. Weasley had finally relented and decided to let everyone loose to do their shopping…everyone except Jesse. And while she was nice and even helpful when it came to purchasing school supplies, she watched him like a hawk and made sure he didn’t try to buy anything that “could possibly cause any unnecessary mischief”. It was like having an Auror accompanying him all over the place. However, she did let him buy a set of sour cherry flavored sugar quills from a candy store, but that was it.

“I’m sorry dear,” she had told him several times. “But Arthur warned me about you and I’m not taking any chances.”

This went on for another hour when Mr. Weasley showed up. “Well Molly, Jesse behaving himself?”

Mrs. Weasley nodded and smiled. “Yes, although he did try to buy a unicorn horn while at the Apothecary.”

“Really?” Mr. Weasley looked back at Jesse. Although he did seem a little disappointed, he was also curious. “What did you need the Unicorn Horn for?”

“Nothing, just figured I could use it for a freezing potion I was toying around with in my other school.”

Mr. Weasley laughed and put his hand on Jesse’s shoulder. “Interesting. Molly, I’ll take over from here. I need to talk to Jesse for a bit.”

Mrs. Weasley nodded then left to find the others. When Mr. Weasley was certain she was gone, he guided Jesse over to what appeared to be a small café. “Have a seat Jesse, we need to talk.”

Jesse simply shrugged and did as he was told. A couple minutes later, a waitress came to their table. “Good afternoon, what can I get for you?”

“A butterbeer, please. And you, Jesse?”

“An iced mocha, please.”

The waitress nodded and walked off to get their order. That was when Jesse noticed Mr. Weasley was staring at him.

“What?”

Mr. Weasley shook his head. “I’m sorry, Jesse, but something happened last night and I have to ask where you were.”

“I was in the Leaky Cauldron.”

“You didn’t go anywhere else?”

“Um…no. I showed up, I got a room, and spent the rest of the night eating a sandwich and reading back issues of the Prophet before crashing. Joscoe went out briefly to get some dinner for himself, but that was it.”

The older wizard smiled. “Ah, yes…your familiar. I’m surprised you didn’t bring him into Diagon Alley.”

“Yeah, well…doing a quick trip to London on short notice makes him hungry. He’s probably invaded a couple fish markets by now.”

“He already has,” Mr. Weasley chuckled. Then his smile faded a little and his tone became more serious. “Jesse, I know this is a sore subject with you, but I need to talk to you about your…ah…”

Jesse finished the sentence for him. “My elemental control?”

Mr. Weasley started to look uncomfortable. “Try not to say that too loud.”

Jesse laughed. “It’s okay, Mr. Weasley…you don’t need to act like you’re walking in a mine-field.”

“A what?”

“A mine-field…it’s um…ah, skip it.”

Mr. Weasley was about to say something, but stopped as the waitress returned with their drinks and waited until she was gone before he continued. “Jesse, this is serious. Two wizards were murdered outside the Leaky Cauldron last night. One of them looked like he was mauled by some animal and the other was burned to cinders. Now we both know what kind of magic it takes to turn a wizard into ashes like that.”

“Well, it wasn’t me.”

“I know and we checked with Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron. He said that you were in your room all evening."

“Have you told anyone else about me?” Jesse asked as he took a sip of his mocha.

“Aside from myself and Professor Dumbledore, no one knows of you being an Elemental.” He paused again and started to look even more uncomfortable. “Jesse…I know this is difficult for you. But I need to talk to you about that what happened back in 1985.”

Jesse felt tendrils of pain as an old memory flashed through his mind. His eyes glowed for an instant as he felt the fire within begin to awaken. But a moment later, control had returned and his eyes returned to normal. However, his hands were still shaking as he put his mocha back on the table. For the second time in the same day, the smart-ass attitude faltered. “I’d rather we didn’t.”

“You still remember, don’t you?”

“Yes, I remember!” Jesse's eyes started to glow again, but he took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he endured yet another flash of pain and memories. When he opened his eyes a few seconds later, the glow had subsided and he took a slow breath. “It was over ten years ago, Mr. Weasley. Let it drop.”

“I’m sorry, Jesse. I didn’t want to bring that up, but I had to know how well you were able to control your power.”

Jesse reached into his jacket and fumbled for his sunglasses. His little outburst did attract the attention of other patrons and while he was certain that nobody picked up on the topic of the conversation, it wouldn’t be a good idea for him to be seen with glowing red eyes. As he put the sunglasses on, he could already feel the pain starting to subside and his facade starting to fall back into place. “It’s okay,” he managed to lie. “A year at St. Mungo’s undergoing therapy and memory charms helped.”

“But it didn’t erase the memories, did it?”

“No.” Jesse took another sip of his mocha. “I guess it’s true what they say about the Cruciatus curse, you do remember after being touched by it, no matter what others do to make you forget. As for the elemental stuff, well...let's just say that you won't have to worry about me freaking out and incinerating things on accident.”

“You must have remarkable control then.”

Jesse shook his head and gave Mr. Weasley a sad smile. “No, you can never control this stuff. However, the fact that it hurts when I try to use it helps me keep it in check.”

“Really?” Mr. Weasley asked as he gave Jesse a curious look. “It hurts when you use the ability?”

Jesse nodded. “I can do small things like little fireballs and stuff without too much trouble, but anything bigger than that gives me a nasty headache.” And I have to relive that night every time, he thought.

“Curious. I was under the impression that Elementals didn’t suffer from that…well, it was never mentioned in the reports. But the Ministry hasn’t seen an Elemental Mage since 1943.”

“Sounds like your files are a little behind the times.”

“Elementals are extremely rare, Jesse. They’re almost a myth.”

“Well, I have to tell you, being a living myth sucks,” Jesse said as he finished off the rest of his mocha. “You really think that one of those wizards was killed by an Elemental?”

“I do…but by ruling you out as a suspect, that brings up a more terrifying possibility.”

Jesse didn’t need to be told what this was leading up to. “That there’s another Elemental running around.”

“Indeed.” Mr. Weasley sipped some butterbeer, savoring the taste for a moment before he spoke again. “On another note, Jesse, you seem to be fitting in well with the others.”

“Yeah, with the exception of Ron. I know he’s your son, but I was half tempted to punch him out earlier today. However, I can’t blame him for being a little suspicious about me. After all, I find it interesting that I’m thrown in with this group of kids that just happens to also include the ‘famous’ Harry Potter.” Jesse tilted his head to one side. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

For what had to be the third or fourth time that day, Arthur Weasley hesitated. “I won’t lie to you, Jesse. You’re right, there are some things I haven’t told you, but I will tell you this much: you can never escape the past, and eventually, you will have to confront it, perhaps even sooner than you think.”

“What do you mean by that?” Jesse asked.

"Turn around and look behind you, coming out of Gringotts."

Jesse did as he was told and saw a boy about his age with pale skin and blond hair come out of the entrance to the famous Wizarding bank. From the way the boy was dressed and the way he moved, Jesse figured him to be some rich brat. Then he saw the man coming out after the boy and almost choked. The man looked like an older version of the boy, except a little taller and more sinister looking. It took Jesse a few seconds to find his voice. “That’s Lucius Malfoy,” he managed to say.

“Yes,” Mr. Weasley said as he signaled to the waitress that he wanted the bill. “Lucius Malfoy and his son Draco.”

Images and sounds flashed through Jesse's mind as the memory pushed itself out of the dark shadows where he kept it hidden. And for a moment, the world around him disappeared and he was five years old again.

“Where is the Stiehl, woman?”

“I don’t know! Please, let him go.”

“I think you’re lying. CRUCIO!”

And more screaming...always the screaming.

Jesse shook his head and closed his eyes as he willed the memories away. When he opened his eyes, he saw Lucius Malfoy and his son enter a clothing shop a couple spaces down from the bank. A moment later, he returned his attention to Mr. Weasley. When he spoke, his voice was barely more than a cold whisper. "Okay, what the hell is going on here?"

"Ten years ago, your family filed charges against Lucius Malfoy for attempted murder. However, there was wasn't enough evidence to prove the claim and he had already paid several witnesses to provide him an alibi. He also managed to find and pay off a healer to take care of those burns you inflicted on him."

"This is ancient history," Jesse snapped. "I didn't come here to relive the worst parts of my life."

"Fine," said Mr. Weasley. "You want new information, here it is. As you know, the dark one has returned and Lucius Malfoy was resumed his role as part of his inner circle."

"Then arrest his sorry ass already."

"It's not that easy, Jesse. Have you read the latest issues of the Daily Prophet? The Minister of Magic himself doesn't believe You-Know-Who has returned and he refuses let Ministry personnel say anything to the contrary. Besides, Lucius Malfoy hasn't done anything I can charge him with."

Mr. Weasley leaned forward and lowered his voice a little. "Jesse, I was the wizard investigating your case back then. And believe me, I know first hand what lengths Lucius Malfoy will go to just to cover his tracks. I wanted very much to bring him down, but he had covered his tracks well. A few generous donations and a couple vanishing witnesses convinced Minister Fudge to dismiss your case."

"Maybe someone ought to torture the Minister for awhile and see how he likes it," said Jesse, not bothering to hide the hatred in his voice. "But this is old news, Mr. Weasley. It doesn't exactly explain why I'm here."

"You're a loose end, Jesse. The last thing Lucius Malfoy needs is something to come back from his past to haunt him." Mr. Weasley paused for a moment. It was obvious that he didn't like what he was about to say. "To be blunt, Jesse McCade, you're bait."

Jesse leaned back in his seat and, to Mr. Weasley's surprise, smiled. "So let me get this straight. You brought me back here just to nail Lucius Malfoy. This has nothing to do with concern for my well being or my future?"

"Actually, Dumbledore is concerned for your future, but yes, we brought you in to lure Malfoy into a trap. These are dangerous times, Jesse and we must do whatever it takes to stop Malfoy and his master. However, I have talked to Dumbledore, and we've both agreed that it was best to let you know why you're here."

"Okay, and how exactly do I serve as bait?"

Mr. Weasley's eyes glistened in amusement. "That's the beauty of it, Jesse, you just simply have to be yourself. One thing I know about your family, is that they have a way of finding trouble. If you're anything at all like your parents, I'm certain you'll attract attention."

"You know, my parents would never have agreed to this."

"Actually, they favored the plan, but they said they wouldn't approve unless you made the choice to go along with it."

"Um...excuse me? I wasn't offered a choice. It was either do this or the Ministry starts using my cat to string tennis rackets."

"That was just to get you here. But you're being offered a choice now," said Mr. Weasley. "We're asking you to willingly put yourself in danger and it's only fair to give you the option to back out right now, no strings attached. If you want to leave, you're free to go and take your familiar with you. But by doing so, you will forever lose the chance to make the man who destroyed your life pay for what he did not just to you, but to other innocent people as well."

Jesse shook his head. "Oh yeah," he muttered sarcastically, "no strings attached."

He closed his eyes for a moment as he pondered the decision. As much as he wanted to get the hell out of England, he knew that he couldn't walk out now. He was being given a chance to pay back the man who hurt him badly...something he really wanted. But another part of him was screaming for him to take the way out and run.

This is not your concern, he heard a tiny voice tell him. Just grab Joscoe and get the hell out of here.

He turned and looked around at the crowded street behind him, Mr. Weasley's last comment echoing through his mind: "But by doing so, you will forever lose the chance to make the man who destroyed your life pay for what he did not just to you, but to other innocent people as well."

Damn, Jesse thought, I'm going to regret this. "Okay," he sighed as he turned back to face Mr. Weasley. "You win. I'll do it."

“Very well then.” Mr. Weasley pulled a couple scrolls out of his cloak and handed them to Jesse. “I want you to read these over the next couple weeks before the term starts.”

“What are these?”

“The first scroll is from Dumbledore, it’s a very condensed history of Hogwarts and covers things that have happened there over the last few years.”

“Ah, kind of like an orientation thing that regular schools do to new students.”

“Yes, something like that.”

“And the second scroll?”

“It’s a back issue of the Daily Prophet. But you won’t be able to open it until after you’ve read the first scroll.” Mr. Weasley’s face became more somber as he spoke. “A student died last year, Jesse. And because you’re American, there will be a general sense of distrust, not to mention the fact that one of the school houses will probably hate you the moment you step through the castle gates.”

“Big surprise there,” Jesse said as he rolled his eyes. “So which house will I be in?”

“Er…well…we’re not sure yet,” Mr. Weasley stammered.

“What? I thought you had this set up already.”

“It’s not that easy, Jesse. To keep your cover story, Dumbledore thought it would be best if you went through the sorting ceremony.”

“Aw, jeez, not another one! I’ve been through two ceremonies already since I started my education. First I had to deal with a burning crystal thingie, then it was a shifting ring that nearly took my damn finger off.”

That got another chuckle from Mr. Weasley. “Well, you don’t have to worry Jesse. All you have to do is wear a talking hat.”

“What? You mean I have to wear a muppet on my head?”

“A muppet? What’s that?”

“It’s…never mind.” Jesse leaned back in his chair again. “So what now, Mr. Weasley?”

Mr. Weasley got up out of his chair and tossed some coins on the table to pay for their drinks. “Now, Jesse McCade, this is where I leave you.”

“Huh? Whoa, you’re leaving?” Jesse asked as Mr. Weasley started to walk off.

Mr. Weasley turned and gave him a smile. “Yes, I don’t suppose you want a Ministry watchdog following you around while you check out Diagon Alley.”

Jesse couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Seriously?”

“Seriously. But you must promise to be back at the Cauldron by nine tonight. We’ll be staying there for the night and finish the rest of our shopping tomorrow before heading home.”

Jesse pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. “Let me get this straight…you’re letting me loose in Diagon Alley.”

“Yes, you’ve proven that you’re responsible enough…unless you want me to follow you around.”

“No, that’s okay,” said Jesse, not believing his incredible luck. “I’ll see you at the Cauldron at nine.”

“Very well, then. Oh, and Jesse…”

“Yeah?”

“Don't buy any Floo Powder, or I'll have to confiscate it."

"Damn," muttered Jesse under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing...never mind. See you at nine."

******************

Nicholas St. John-Dupuis sat on the roof of Flourish and Blotts, looking down at the bustling street traffic below. He thought picking a target was going to be easy, but then he discovered that he had too many targets to choose from. “Something public,” DeBoer had told him. “Something that will shock them to the core.”

Easier said than done, Nicholas thought. He had originally considered targeting Gringotts early the next morning, but he immediately dismissed that idea. Aside from killing a random group of wizards and goblins, the attack wouldn’t do much except char the lobby. If he had been able to get to the lower levels of the bank and dump one of the Seeing Stones down there, it would have been a different story. But security was too tight which ruled out Gringotts as a target. He had considered planting the Seeing Stone in Flourish and Blotts and then triggering it tomorrow morning when business picked up, but that all changed when he saw something else.

When he had come out of Knockturn Alley earlier, he saw a brilliant display of lights above Quality Quidditch Supplies. He read some of the promotional banners flashing various colors as they advertised: “Firebolt Mark II…Arriving today.” He watched in amusement as he saw hundreds of children and young adults crowd around the shop as they tried to get in. It wasn't that hard to prepare the Seeing Stones and place one of them on the roof of Quality Quidditch Supplies.

He studied the faces of the crowd below…men, women, children. All of them happy, going about their business in their little world. He took perverse pleasure in this, knowing that in a short time, a good portion of these people would be dead or injured, while the others would be running and screaming in terror. It was a rush for him, knowing that he held the lives of so many people in his hands and that he could end them quite literally with a snap of his fingers. Sure he could have waited until tomorrow, but today provided such a wonderful opportunity.

However, it wasn’t time…no, not yet. He pulled his cell-phone out of his coat and dialed the number. “Yeah, it's me. Call up DeBoer and tell him that there's been a change of plans. I'm moving the timetable up to today.” Nicholas pulled out the Death Eater’s wand he had acquired from the night before and twirled it in his fingers as he listened to the person on the other end of the line.

“Yeah, I know it's a sudden change in plans, but DeBoer put me in charge...deal with it. No, I don't need any back-up. These British fools have no clue." Then an evil grin formed on his lips. "Besides, by the time I'm done, they'll be seeing Death Eaters around every corner. Look, just cool it at the safehouse and order a pizza or something, okay? I'll be there shortly."

He closed the phone and put it away, returning his attention to Quality Quidditch Supplies.

It won’t be long now…

******************

“London calling to the faraway towns

Now that war is declared-and battle come down

London calling to the underworld

Come out of the cupboard, all you boys and girls

London calling, now don't look at us

All that phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust

London calling, see we ain't got no swing

'Cept for the ring of that truncheon thing…”

Jesse turned up the volume to his CD player as he strolled down Diagon Alley, checking out the various shops. More than once, he glanced around to make sure Mr. and Mrs. Weasley weren’t lurking around. And although he was certain he was being watched from a distance, he didn’t care that much…it was definitely better than having someone hovering over him like a crazed Auror. He hadn’t seen any of the Weasley crew since he dropped his school supplies off at the Cauldron, although he had seen the twins wave at him from what appeared to be a candy store. He nodded at them and heard them yell something about being at Quality Quidditch Supplies in an hour. He hollered back that he’d be there before he disappeared into the crowd.

“The ice age is coming, the sun is zooming in

Meltdown expected, the wheat is growing thin

Engines stop running, but I have no fear

London is drowning-and I live by the river…”

He continued down the street, pausing in front of a couple shop windows to see what was on display before moving on to the next one. He still couldn’t believe it…total freedom! He spent the next hour checking out the various shops and buying a lot of the things that Mrs. Weasley had kept him from buying earlier…a couple unicorn horns from the Apothecary, a book on advanced Illusions from Flourish and Blott’s, and a crystal remember-all with advanced memory display from a magic supply shop.

“London calling to the imitation zone

Forget it, brother, an' go it alone

London calling upon the zombies of death

Quit holding out-and draw another breath

London calling-and I don't wanna shout

But when we were talking-I saw you nodding out

London calling, see we ain't got no highs

Except for that one with the yellowy eyes…”

Jesse looked around periodically and caught people looking in his direction and smiled. He knew he must have looked out of place in Diagon Alley wearing jeans and a leather jacket with his headphones in his ears. But then again, he was used to standing out and being an outsider…why not have a little fun with it? In a place where people dressed up like it was still the nineteenth century, it was kind of cool making people think a muggle had accidentally stumbled into their world. However, he did note, there were some dark stares from a few kids and their parents in some of the shops. And he had heard the term “Mudblood” muttered a couple times.

“The ice age is coming, the sun is zooming in

Engines stop running and the wheat is growing thin

A nuclear error, but I have no fear

London is drowning-and I live by the river…”

He stopped and pulled the headphones out of his ears as he looked across the street and saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione sitting at a table outside an Ice Cream Parlor. He was tempted to just walk on by and leave them be, after all, he nearly punched Ron out in the bookstore. But he kept hearing Mr. Weasley's voice going through his head: it's important that you blend in with the others...

"Yeah, right," he muttered. But that didn't stop him from crossing the street anyway.

Harry closed his eyes as he savored the taste of his sundae. It had been nearly a year since he had a Florean Fortescue sundae and it was the perfect way to finish off a day of shopping. He, Ron, and Hermione were sitting at a table outside Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor talking about what to expect at Hogwarts this year.

“So,” said Ron in between bites. “What do you think we’ll get for a Dark Arts instructor?”

Harry shrugged. “Who knows? It wouldn’t surprise me if we had a vampire this year.”

“Well, at least that’s better than Snape,” said Ron.

“True.”

“I don’t know,” Hermione said as she thought about it for a moment. “Despite the fact that he’s not our favorite teacher, he does have some experience. I think we might actually learn something.”

“Um, Hermione. He hates us,” Ron said. “It’s bad enough that we’re barely passing Potions. I don’t want to be in danger of failing two courses.”

“Besides,” Harry added, “it wouldn’t feel right.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, think about it. Ever since we started going to Hogwarts, we always had a different teacher.” Harry started counting off with his fingers. “First we had Quirrell, where all he did was stutter and stammer and plot to bring back Volde-“

“Harry!”

“Sorry…YOU-KNOW-WHO. Then we had Gilderoy Lockhart.”

“Oh, there was a teacher,” snickered Ron. “The git couldn’t pull his face away from a mirror for more than a minute.”

“Then we had Lupin, who actually was a good teacher.”

“If you overlooked the fact that he turned into a bloodthirsty monster for a few days each month.”

“Ron!” Hermione snapped. “It’s not his fault.”

“Yeah, I know, I know. And you’re right, Harry, he was a good teacher.”

“And then we had Mad-Eye Moody, who wasn’t Mad-Eye Moody, but in fact Barty Crouch Junior who was trying to arrange my death and bring his master back. In the process, Cedric…” his voice trailed off and he felt a lump start to form in his throat. For a moment, he relived that terrible night…the Triwizard tournament, Cedric Diggory’s death, and the return of the one of the most powerful dark wizards of all time. Though he never told the others, he still blamed himself for Cedric’s death and he still had an occasional nightmare about it. And while others were telling him that it wasn’t his fault, he couldn’t help feeling that it was.

“Harry?”

“Sorry, got lost there for a moment.”

“You okay?” asked Hermione who looked a little concerned.

“I’m fine,” Harry said, although he wasn’t sure himself. “But as I was saying, it wouldn’t surprise me if Dumbledore actually hired a giant to teach the class.”

“Now that would be different,” Ron said with a smile. Then his expression darkened slightly. “I wonder if our American guest even knows what the Dark Arts are.”

“Ron, I’m just curious. What do you have against Jesse exactly?”

“Not just Jesse,” said Ron, “but Americans in general. American wizards seem to think they’re better than anyone else and their magical abilities leave a lot to be desired.”

“You don’t know that for sure, Ron.”

“Hermione, we’re talking about a group of people whose only major accomplishment is creating a spell that has the words ‘dude’ and ‘awesome’ in it.”

“Really?” said a familiar voice. “I wasn’t aware we had a spell that used the words ‘dude’ and ‘awesome’.” They all turned and saw Jesse standing there. And while he did sound a little angry, Harry could have sworn that a smile pulled at the corners of Jesse’s mouth. “So that’s the problem you have with me?” he asked as he set his bag of school supplies on the ground. “Because I’m American, you think I’m inferior, is that it?”

Ron shook his head. “Not at all, I just don’t think you have what it takes to make it at Hogwarts.”

“Hmmm…I see.” Jesse gave Ron an evil grin and Harry started hearing warning bells go off in the back of his head. “If I were to successfully cast a spell for you, would you change your mind?”

“Sure, okay,” Ron said. “One simple spell.”

“Ron…don’t,” Harry said as he read the expression on Jesse’s face. He wasn’t sure why, but he was certain that Ron was in for a world of hurt.

Jesse looked over at Harry. “Don’t worry, Harry. I’m not going to curse him.” Then he returned his attention to Ron. “Okay, Ron. What do you have in mind?”

Ron pulled out his wand and pointed it at a water glass that was sitting on a table. “Wingardium Leviosa.”

The glass suddenly lifted into the air, hovered there for a few moments, then gently lowered itself back to the table as Ron guided it with his wand. “It’s an easy spell, McCade,” he said as he put his wand back in his cloak. “Basic Levitation.”

Jesse pulled out his wand, then glanced at Harry and winked. He pointed his wand at the glass. “Wingardium Leviosa.”

The glass started to rise. “Tardoante!” Jesse suddenly shouted.

Harry wasn’t sure what happened next. The air around him seemed to ripple and he thought he felt a cold breeze. For a moment, it looked like Jesse had disappeared and reappeared. Then he heard the sound of the glass breaking as it fell on the table.

“I rest my case,” said Ron with a smirk on his face.

Jesse looked down at the broken glass and hung his head in shame. “I don’t know what happened. I guess you’re right.” Then he reached into his jacket and flashed Harry another grin. “Oh, and by the way…here’s your wand back, Ron.”

Ron stared dumbfounded as Jesse handed his wand back to him. “What? I could have sworn I put that-“ he stopped as he looked in his cloak and realized that his wand had been taken. “How did you do that?”

“How do you think?” Jesse laughed. “Magic. Oh and by the way…Cogorum!”

The pieces of broken glass rose from the table and re-assembled back into a water glass. Hermione was actually impressed. “Not bad,” she said. “But what spell did you use to get Ron’s wand? I never heard of that one before.”

“Tardoante,” Jesse replied. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I could pull it off as well as I did. It’s a time-slowing spell. Since there wasn’t much movement, I just cast it at the table, grabbed Ron’s wand out of his cloak, and then walked back to where I was standing. Twenty seconds later, the spell wore off and everything snapped back into real-time.”

“That breeze I felt,” Harry said as he realized what had happened. “That was you walking by me to get to Ron.”

“Yep.”

“Showoff,” grumbled Ron.

“Hey, Ron, ease up on the attitude, okay?” Jesse put his wand back in the sleeve of his jacket and sat down at the table. “I only wanted to make a point. Okay, so maybe I showed off a little, but I’m not an arrogant jackass.” Then he smiled again. “Besides, you’re right, I do suck in other areas.”

“Really? Like what?”

“Just don’t ask me to do any advanced Transfiguration stuff. I tend to blow things up.”

This got a laugh from everyone at the table, including Ron. Jesse then extended his hand to Ron. “So what do you say? Truce?”

For a moment everything fell silent as Harry and Hermione looked over at Ron. Finally, Ron slowly reached out and shook Jesse’s hand. “Okay,” he said. “Truce.”

“But you still don’t trust me, do you?”

“No.”

“Smart man.”

“Oy! Jesse!”

They all turned to see Fred and George come running across the street. Jesse glanced at his watch and groaned. “Damn…sorry guys, I lost track of time.”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Fred. “We were coming to fetch Harry anyway. Harry, you should check this out too…they’re unveiling the new Firebolt Mark II.”

“They’ve already made a follow-up to a Firebolt?” said Ron in disbelief. “How can they mess with perfection?”

“They probably just changed the color and basic styling to it,” said Jesse. “Another excuse to swipe another five or six hundred Galleons from those who could afford it…you know, those stuck up rich snobs who can afford to buy themselves a new broom every year because they think it’ll make them look good.”

The mental image of Draco Malfoy begging his father to buy him a new broom flashed through Harry’s mind and he suddenly burst out laughing. He wasn’t the only one who thought that, he noticed, because Ron and Hermione were laughing as well. A few minutes later, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Jesse were following the twins back to Quality Quidditch Supplies.

“So what do you think?” Ron asked. “Think it will have any actual improvements?”

Harry shrugged. “I really couldn’t tell you. I have no problem with the original model.”

“Well, if you do buy the new one,” Ron said with a smirk, “can I have your Firebolt?”

Harry punched his friend in the shoulder. “No, I like my broom…besides, I promised Ginny she could have it.”

“What!?!”

Harry was still laughing as Ron punched him back. “Ow! Ron! That’s my Snitching arm!”

Jesse let himself fall a few feet behind the group and watched as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the twins talked and joked around with each other. It was fun being part of a group and hanging out with your friends for a change…then he smiled sadly as he realized something…they weren’t his friends. He was just a complete stranger that happened to fall in with their little group.

You’ll never truly belong, he heard that tiny voice say. And if they ever find out what you are, they will hate you.

Then another voice broke through his thoughts. “HalllllllooooooO! Jesse McCade!”

Jesse blinked his eyes as Fred waved his hand in front of them. “Wake up, Jesse! You can do the sleepwalking routine at Hogwarts, but not here.”

Jesse shook his head. “Sorry, I was just thinking about something.”

“Aw, come on, Jesse,” said George as he guided him through the entrance of Quality Quidditch Supplies. “You don’t have to do that for another three weeks.”

“Besides,” Fred added. “You’re a Yank, you’re not supposed to think, right?”

“Shut up,” Jesse laughed. He knew the twins were joking and he appreciated that they were trying to help him fit in. “Besides, I was going to ask you…what positions are open on your team?”

“Well, we’ll have to find a new Keeper. Ours graduated a couple years ago and we didn’t recruit one last year because of the Triwizard tournament. Other than that, the other positions are filled.” Fred gave him an apologetic smile. “George and I are the team Beaters…sorry about that.”

Jesse shrugged. “That’s okay. Probably better that I don’t play this year.”

“That’s if you’re in Gryffindor,” said Harry. “You might be able to play for another team.”

Fred and George acted as if Harry had said something vulgar. “What do you mean ’if he’s in Gryffindor?’ How can he not be?”

“All I’m saying is that he could end up in another house…Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or even Slytherin.” Harry started laughing again. “Okay, maybe not Slytherin.”

“Yeah, that would be amusing,” said George. “Malfoy would throw a fit about having a Yank on the team.”

They all laughed as they entered the shop. Harry agreed, Draco Malfoy would be furious about having an American on the team, let alone attending Hogwarts.

“Of course, you’re making the assumption that Lucius Malfoy’s brat will actually live that long,” said Jesse.

Harry suddenly stopped dead in his tracks when he heard that last comment. Even though the others were laughing, he saw something flicker across the American’s face…it almost looked like hatred. And once again, Jesse’s eyes seemed to glow for a moment. Then Harry realized something else, Jesse had mentioned Lucius Malfoy’s name. How did he know who the Malfoys were? He glanced over at Hermione who was also staring at Jesse. From the look on her face, Harry could tell that she had also picked up on Jesse’s comment. He waited until the twins and Jesse took off to look for Beater equipment before he said anything to Ron and Hermione.

“Did you hear that?” he asked.

“Yes,” said Hermione. “How did he know about the Malfoys?”

“Who cares?” said Ron. “At least he’s got one redeeming quality.”

“That’s not all,” said Harry. “There’s something else.” He told them about how Jesse’s eyes glowed in Flourish and Blotts and a few moments ago. “Now, I know that I’m not too familiar with the Wizarding World, but is that common?”

Ron shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. He is a Yank, after all, maybe they all do that.”

Harry looked over at Hermione who was standing there with a thoughtful look on her face, as if she was remembering something. “Earth to Hermione…”

“What? Oh, sorry, Harry. I was just thinking.”

“Now there’s a concept.”

“Shut up, Ron.” Hermione gave one last glance in Jesse’s direction. “I don’t think Jesse McCade is what he says he is. That spell he used…I don’t think that the Colonials taught him that.”

“Well, he did attend a school in Liverpool last year,” said Harry. “Maybe he learned it there.”

Hermione frowned and shook her head. “I don’t think so. Marneons may be a smaller school, but from what I understand, they pretty much teach the same material they have at Hogwarts. It’s almost as if…” her voice trailed off and her eyes widened as she realized something. “But that would mean Dumbledore…Harry, Ron, I’ll be right back. I just thought of something I need to pick up at Flourish and Blotts, I’ll talk to you later.”

Before Ron or Harry could say anything, she was already shoving her way through the crowd and out the door.

“It’s just like her,” muttered Ron. “We’re in the middle of a conversation and she suddenly decides to cut out and grab a book.”

******************

Thousands of people...men, women, and children....they were everywhere. They walked up and down Diagon Alley oblivious to the reality of their situation. In a way, they reminded Nicholas of a bunch of ants moving up and down an anthill going about their little routines with no worries or a care in the world. But then again, that's what they were, weren't they? After all, they were nothing like him. As far as he was concerned, they were inferior, obsolete relics living the system of an old order. An order, he thought bitterly, that would seek to destroy him because of what he was. He thought it amusing how the Wizarding world treated his kind the way muggles treated Wizards and Witches...with fear, disgust, and hatred...one must never forget about hatred.

Although, Nicholas admitted to himself, he could care less. If they hated him for what he was, he'd simply kill them and be done with it. After all, that was the whole point of his existence...not to mention the fact that it was a constant rush knowing that he was the one with the power to decide who lived and who died. And for Nicholas, the higher the body count, the bigger the rush. He took one last look at the crowd of people below then stepped away from the edge of the roof.

"It's showtime," he said to himself with a smile. He reached into his coat and pulled out the other Seeing Stone and tossed it in the air in front of him. The amber colored crystal stopped and hovered in the air five feet in front of him, then it suddenly flashed to life and formed a small sphere of light around itself. He pulled out the Death Eater’s wand again and pointed it at the Seeing Stone.

“MORSMORDRE!”