In a forest clearing, a large group of people appeared out of nothing. Harry Potter looked around and nodded in approval. A large tent was set in the peaceful spot. Elizabeth and Hwasa ran inside without waiting for any instruction and he sighed; it would be hard to deal with them wreaking havoc in such a limited space. He followed the girls and the first glimpses of the inside of the tent almost made him smile. It was a minimalist version of the castle's decor, quite simple and practical, maintaining the touch of elegance that characterized the Potter family.

“This place looks amazing,” Sirius commented while looking around.

“Of course it is. I enchanted it myself and Nile decorated it,” Eleadora sneered at the bane of her existence.

“I was not talking to you,” Sirius snapped at his arch-nemesis.

“I believe we will be more than comfortable in here,” Blaise muttered.

“There are enough rooms for sir's friends and we also placed our wards around the outside,” Rome told Harry.

“Thank you, Rome. You can go back to the castle now, unless you want to stay."

“No thanks, people act like uncivilized chimpanzees when sports fanaticism is involved. Enjoy your stay,” the elf said as a farewell and left with a pop.

“I will never get over your house-elves having more class than we do,” Draco whined.

“Anyways, we need to find ways of spending our free time,” Marcus said before anyone else could continue complaining.

"We can still exercise in the morning and train in the evenings; there's no reason to change our whole schedule,” Daphne announced.

“True, we still have a few spells to learn before classes begin. Perhaps we can duel between us to practise. I'm sure Madam Bones wouldn't mind sending a few of her Aurors to help,” little Luna said with a dreamy smile directed at Sirius.

“She won't mind at all. She would even use it as an excuse to motivate them,” Sirius told the others.

Since his godfather had started dating Amelia Bones, he had changed for the better. It was astounding to see how much the man had matured in such a short time. He understood at last that jokes were not meant to be played at every moment and that there were people who did not enjoy them at all. Sirius learnt to be more tolerant of different ideas and Amelia had forced him to expand his perceptions of right and wrong. He had begun taking his role as a Lord seriously, understanding that a simple vote could make a difference. It seemed that the indomitable man had only needed a gentle push towards the right direction in order to start thinking for himself instead of following what the populace believed.

Remus had followed the same path when he noticed an immature male becoming a responsible adult. He noticed how much he had been living in the past, which had been the catharsis for his change. The man began taking an active role in the education of the children who were under Harry's protection and noticed how much a single decision could affect many lives. Seeing as the man had been dismissed from Hogwarts, even after being one of the best teachers in decades and having no incident with his monthly problem, he severed his last ties with the headmaster.

Everything was going well, but Harry still had that strange feeling of foreboding for the coming school term. He decided to ignore it and began searching for a suitable spot for reading.

The next day was calm until the evening, when three Aurors arrived to help them train. The princess also joined and he would have been lying if he had said he was not curious about how capable the girl was. They paired at random and, for some reason, he ended up with the princess. He sighed but helped her to establish the barriers to prevent any spells from getting out of their space and harming others. Hwasa had a smirk playing on her lips and he raised an eyebrow at her. She did not answer but her smirk widened. He gave up and bowed, she did the same and their duel began.

When he thought about it, he noticed that he had never before attacked someone in mock duels the way he attacked her. He guessed he had high expectations from the beginning, and he was not disappointed. She was not afraid of sending curses and her shields were stronger than he could have ever expected. Hwasa was fast and precise, but powerful and chaotic. Harry remembered why she had always reminded him of an indomitable force of nature when they battled. For the first time, he allowed himself to let loose and enjoy the duel without fear of harming his opponent.

Kingsley Shacklebolt was sulking. Madam Bones had ordered him and two others to help kids to train their duelling skills. He was sure Moody had something to do with it as revenge for winning the bet they had on whether Sirius would ask Amelia out, he had won ten Galleons, but it seemed it was not worth it. He admitted being impressed with the group of kids, all belonging to notable families and the last being Potter himself. However, he thought that being the children of important figures, the most he could expect was a couple of charms and jinxes.

How wrong he was... Kingsley was not expecting for them to be so organized while getting divided, nor for them to place safety barriers around their spaces, something that few did, but which was essential for training. It seemed that they would not be hopeless brats.

His mouth fell open when a caramel-skinned girl and Harry Potter began duelling, which was something he did not expect out of the professional circuits. She began moving, throwing spells and curses his way. The boy responded with equal ferocity and soon they were engaged in an enticing, yet lethal, dance. The other two Aurors wore astonished expressions that he would laugh at were he not emulating them. The duel seemed to pick up in intensity and, for a few minutes, the only thing he could do was watch. The duel ended abruptly and both teens bowed to one another. He had no idea why they had stopped but something told him he would rather not know.

Kingsley realized everyone was looking at the pair of teenagers who no longer looked so young. Perhaps it was good for him to be sent here. He was sure Moody would throw a fit when he learnt what he had missed. A small girl with platinum hair and dreamy expression approached the famous boy and hugged him.

“Now that everyone knows how much you are holding back, they will work harder to keep up, so don't worry,” the dreamy girl whispered and the Potter smiled at the girl.

“Moron!” the Greengrass' eldest hissed, crossed her arms and glared at the boy.

“So that's why Flitwick keeps giving you one on one lessons,” one of Arthur's kids said and then shrugged.

“You do know that now I'll be forced to work even harder? I didn't sign up for daily torture,” the Nott spawn complained and Frank's boy smiled at his dilemma.

“You mean Master Flitwick is teaching you?” an Auror asked and the group nodded.

“Smarter than we were at their age. So now that you are here, does anyone volunteer to help them?” Sirius asked with a gleeful smile.

It was a humbling evening for Kingsley. Even though he had more experience and power than the teenagers, they were far better than he had been at that age. They teamed up when one of them was getting overwhelmed and had managed to jinx him multiple times, something he was not proud of. Their teamwork was flawless and they complimented each other. The eldest teens were a decent match alone, but when they paired up they were dangerous, and he was sure they would cause problems for most of the actual Aurors. He was impressed by them and hoped that more than one would join the DMLE.

“So how was your day?” a smiling Alastor asked.

“It wasn't what I'd expected...” he muttered.

“That's a formidable group, isn't it? I offered the Pucey boy an apprenticeship; he's training with me twice a week."

“So you knew... I think I hate you. It would be good to reassure the other two that they are worth something as Aurors because our collective pride took a beating today,” Kingsley complained.

“Cocky bastards, that is what they are. It will do them good. I'm planning on sending Dawlish tomorrow; it will be good to see him have a breakdown,” Alastor chuckled.

"Whatever. By the way, do you know the tan girl? The one who has long black hair and monolid eyes? She's a great duellist but I was unable to recognize her."

“I have no idea who you're talking about, so how did The Boy Who Lived do?"

“He's definitely Lily's son. The boy was able to force a stalemate, but I think that if Sirius hadn't interrupted he would have gained the upper hand. His charms are too powerful for his age and the boy is too damn fast. He uses the same strategy that James did, avoids instead of blocking and leave your opponent apoplectic in the process,” Kingsley groaned.

“He oozes potential then. It takes years for Aurors to learn that the most intelligent strategy is to dodge and save energy. A shame he seems to have more of Evans. He could be an excellent Auror but, just like his mother, he prefers duels. Sirius is going to sign him for some competition next year. Such a shame he is not interested in following James' steps,” Moody complained, but Kingsley ignored the man in favour of his own thoughts.

He was sure that those kids would be deadly in a real battle because they didn't once hesitate to send a curse when they saw an opening, something that only the most successful Aurors did. Understanding that a battle was to kill or be killed at such a young age was a disturbing thought to dwell on.

Harry Potter was taking a walk in the forest while the others were resting after an arduous duelling practise. The past days had been entertaining enough; his friends worked harder than ever to better their skills and he was proud. The Aurors that came to help them left with a new appreciation for hard work. It seemed Madam Bones was using them to force her Aurors to work harder.

On a stranger note, Aunt Eleadora had forced him and Elizabeth to always carry a tiny vial masked as a pendant upon their communication necklaces. After a few days, she had given one to his entire group of friends with one single instruction: to only use it in case one of them was at death's door. If that cryptic message was not enough to put him on edge, his thoughts certainly were.

Since Harry had gone to visit Ragnok at the beginning of the summer, he could not get Tom Riddle out of his mind. His childhood had been almost the same as his: both grew up in orphanages, both were bullied, both were powerful, both were intelligent, and neither of them tolerated being crossed. He wondered if he would have ended up as Tom were it not for Elizabeth. He wondered what had pushed Riddle to become a Dark Lord because there was no possible way of him being evil from the beginning. What had made him believe in blood superiority if he was a half-blood? Did he really believe in it? Perhaps it was his way of ruling over those who once believed themselves to be better because of their blood and now have them kneeling at his feet... He could only guess at what his motivations were. There was no doubt that Tom Riddle had once been a promising young man, what had managed to push him on that path?

There were so many questions plaguing Harry's mind, but one, in particular, disturbed him the most. Would he lose his sight of the path of accomplishing his goals and somehow end up like Voldemort? He stared into a creek that flowed with gentleness, creating a peaceful murmur. He heard some familiar footsteps and sighed. From their first duel, he had discovered he enjoyed battling with the princess and it had become commonplace to see them duel. It was obvious the emperor wanted his heir to be able to fend for herself and he was sure she could.

Their first duel had met an abrupt end when he noticed the senbon hidden in her wrist and the knife that rested on her hip. He was sure they were covered in poison and she was more than capable of using them. She could stab him in less than a second and he would meet his end. It was obvious she had already won, so he had surrendered. From that moment, he began carrying the blade Ragnok gave him and practised with it every moment he was able to. Perhaps he could add a few other weapons as well...

“You're brooding again,” Hwasa stated and sat beside him.

“I beg your pardon?” he asked, a bit offended by the idea of him brooding.

“You've been doing that since I arrived. I know you will not tell your family or friends what is bothering you because you don't want to worry them, but I am neither, so what happened?” she asked, looking at him, and he sighed in defeat.

“You know about Lord Voldemort. I learnt about who he was before he became that...” he said in a low voice and she did not speak. “He was raised in an orphanage. He was the best of his year, which means he was intelligent and talented enough,” he whispered.

“You are afraid to be like him,” she concluded. He could feel her eyes on him but kept looking at the creek.

“I'm not afraid, but I do wonder what made him that way."

“In order not to commit the same mistakes... There is a major difference between the both of you,” she said after a brief pause and he looked at her. “You have a family that loves you, a sister that adores you, and friends who will always support you. He wouldn't have changed his name and sacrificed his identity if there was something worth living for,” she told him with a slight smile. “I bet his name is something as simple as Tom or John. Besides, I saw the pictures of the thing he became, you are too vain to lose your looks,” she said with a smile and he gaped at her for a second before composing himself.

“Does that mean that you think I am handsome?” he asked with a smirk.

“You are pretty and that is better,” she answered with a satisfied grin.

“Since when you are a counsellor?” he asked, giving up on the idea of teasing her because he doubted his ego could take much.

“Since you decided to brood. It feels good."

“I am glad my existential crises please you."

“I get to feel like the mature one for once; you are always taking care of Elizabeth and me... I like reminding you that I'm older."

“A year is not much,” he muttered.

“But it's something... Have I ever told you the story of The Monkey King?"

"What does that have to do with anything?” he asked, bewildered at the random question.

“So that's a no... The monkey was rebellious. He was, according to the story, born out of a rock, fertilized by the grace of Heaven and Earth. Being extremely intelligent, he learnt all the magic tricks and gongfu from an immortal Taoist master. He could transform himself into seventy-two different images, such as a tree, a bird, a beast of prey, or an insect that can sneak into an enemy's body to fight them from the inside. Using clouds as a vehicle, he travelled miles at a single somersault. He claimed to be The King in defiance of the only authority over the heaven, the seas, the earth and the subterranean world.

“The emperor of jade considered that an act of high treason, and so he incurred the relentless scourge of the heavenly army. In fact, the monkey had fought into the ocean and seized the Dragon King's treasure: a huge gold-banded iron rod used as a ballast of the waters. Able to expand or shrink at his command, the iron rod became the monkey's favourite weapon in his later feats. The first test of its power came when the monkey stormed into hell and threatened the Hadean king into sparing his and his followers' mortal lives so that they all could enjoy eternity. Even though he was so powerful, he suffered much humiliation because of his pride. During his journey to the West, he learnt to be humble and how important is to have someone to lean on... He discovered that his greatest enemy was not someone he could fight with. In the end, his friends were the ones who ensured his victory over the jade emperor,” she narrated and he allowed himself to get lost in the cadence of her voice.

“So you're comparing me to a monkey now,” he snorted, not really offended but a bit confused.

“Nope, the Monkey King is an amazing character,” she said with a smile and he chuckled at her indirect. “It's my favourite story and I wanted to share it; you should read it sometime."

“Let's go, it's getting cold,” he muttered but she did not move.

“I will stay for a bit. Sirius is arguing with Flora about who has the best hair and the others are causing a ruckus."

“It is safe to assume she's winning then... I thought you enjoyed that, the chaos,” he said and closed his eyes. Her velvety chuckle made him look at her, questioning her mental health.

“I do, but I also enjoy the silence...Do you know that we are both Leo? In the zodiac, I mean,” she inquired and he just stared at her, lost at how her brain worked.

“And what is that supposed to mean?"

"We are meant to be ruled by the sun, but you act more like a cursed vampire,” she informed him.

“And you act like a whimsical cat in the mornings,” he deadpanned and she scowled at him.

“Mornings are evil,” Hwasa muttered.

“So is sunlight,” he commented and she stuck her tongue out at him. “And you are childish."

“I'm older,” she goaded.

“You're not even a year older, just eleven months and twenty-three days."

“Still older,” she said with a wide smile and he sighed in defeat. Sometimes it was impossible to win.

They walked back to the tent after a few hours of talking. She had stolen his robe because she was cold but, if he was honest, his gentleman persona would drive him crazy if he had not done that either way, so he surrendered it without a word. Not to mention his pride stopped him from complaining despite the biting cold. They entered a silent tent and he realized they might have stayed out longer than expected... It seemed he would have to stick with Daphne if he wanted to avoid all the annoying things Sirius would suggest.

That night he was woken by someone entering his room and placing something on his night table, then leaving. Once the familiar steps were gone, he cast a silent Lumos. A book and a glass of tea rested on the table. It seemed the girl would not give up on the idea of him being a rebellious monkey, if the book was anything to go by.

The next days, Harry had been lost in his thoughts. The book Hwasa lent him had given him too many things to think about. It was an interesting story with a deep meaning behind it. The Monkey King had many enemies, but the one that had almost driven him to his knees in defeat was the only one he was unable to fight against. He found the most terrible enemy in himself. He got lost in the high of constant victories and allowed his pride to consume him. If it was not for his companions, he would have been unable to accomplish all his feats... He understood what Hwasa was trying to tell him: the ones who he held close to his heart would not allow him to fall into the same path that Voldemort walked. That moment of understanding left him feeling an immense internal peace and he felt everything was going to go well somehow. Of course, this did not last.

The day, his friends and he had gone to visit the Weasley tent. The twins' mother had almost smothered him with an unwanted hug the moment she recognized him, but ignored her children and the other newcomers. With a cold expression and precise movements, he extricated himself from the woman's grip and looked at her with almost palpable disapproval that the woman seemed to be either unaware of or ignoring. A short but muscled red-haired young man was grimacing in his direction and Harry felt even more annoyed, if possible.

“Hello, dear. It's good to meet you at last. Sirius never allows us to see you and I was getting worried about your health,” the woman gushed.

“Good evening. I don't know you, but it seems you know about me. Have I introduced you to my friends, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood? Of course, there are also your children, but I doubt they need any presentation,” he said in a honeyed tone that dripped poison.

“Yes, good to meet you, dears. Anyway, have you eaten? I can cook something. You're far too skinny for your own good,” the woman said and left without waiting for them to agree.

“I suddenly wish I'd stayed with the others,” Neville muttered.

"Welcome to our lives,” the twins said in unison.

“Sorry about that. Mum can be... intense. I'm Charlie, almost the eldest one,” the stocky young man introduced himself.

“He's a dragon handler in Romania,” Fred told them. "Where's Bill?"

“He went out for a bit with Ginny and Ron, but their friends are here if you want to talk with them,” the man offered.

"Who did they bring?” George asked in curiosity.

“Ron brought two of his roommates, Dean and Seamus. Ginny brought a girl in Ron's year, Hermione something. The girl is... ehm... spirited,” he grimaced.

"We know her. She hates Harry with all her soul for besting her year after year,” Neville shrugged.

“Yeah, never mind. I didn't catch your full name. Don't tell me they named you after Harry Potter,” Charlie joked and no one laughed.

“Excuse the idiot, it seems the brains skipped two children,” George sighed.

“Dear idiotic brother of mine, he is Harry Potter,” Fred announced and the man's eyes widened in surprise.

"Why does this always happen to me? I thought Bill was joking,” the man muttered. “I'm sorry about that, ehm, yeah. Please don't fire me,” the man almost begged and Harry had to smile at the twins' brother comical dilemma.

“Don't worry about it, though I would appreciate if you kept that information to yourself, as you were told to. How is Hagrid adapting to the reserve?"

“He's doing great dragons love him. He really feels at home. It's good he left Hogwarts, I never liked the conditions he lived in."

“That's why Harry offered him a good place. Let's sit; they will arrive soon,” Luna said and Charlie blinked at the strange girl but followed the others.

“So how did our dear mother take the idea that we aren't staying here?” Fred asked with an impish smile.

“You can already imagine, but she calmed down when Ginny asked her if she could bring a friend... I wanted to speak with both of you about your careers. I know you enjoy a good laugh and I'm willing to help you open that joke shop, but I want both of you to get good grades in your NEWTs. I know that-."

"We aren't opening the shop,” Fred interrupted before his brother got worked up.

“Yeah, a Healer in St. Mungo's offered me an apprenticeship and, in my free time, I will pursue a mastery in Runes,” George shrugged and his brother gaped at him.

“I've chosen to become an enchanter and perhaps there is Potion’s mastery in my future,” Fred commented.

“That's great! Mum was complaining about your grades and she had a big fight with Bill, so I was getting worried. Don't take this the wrong way, but how did you manage that with such low grades?” Charlie asked, and Neville sneered at the preposterous idea.

“I don't think she looked at our results. Both of us got twelve O's plus extra credits. That's why we got the apprenticeships,” Fred answered and sagged in his place.

“I can't believe she didn't take the time to even look at our grades,” George muttered.

An uncomfortable silence descended on the group. Charlie had no idea what to do or say. He had always known his mother put them aside, but he never knew how much until now. He was trying to find a way to diffuse the tense atmosphere when Bill came back, much to his relief.

Harry was trying to control himself; the irrational anger he felt towards the twins' mother threatened to overwhelm him. He did not know what the woman was thinking, pushing aside her own children because they brought back memories? It was not only ridiculous but also childish. He took deep breaths while Luna held the twins' hands in tacit support. Gentle Neville had a dangerous glint in his eyes and he remembered why it was not a good idea to anger a kind person. He watched Bill approach them, along with two other redheads: a girl that blushed a deep red when she saw them and a tall boy that scowled at them.

“Sorry for being late, I needed to speak with my little siblings. She is Ginny and he is Ron. I'm sure you know each other,” Bill said.

“I do, but I guess he doesn't. I'm going to see my friends,” the tall boy muttered and left. The girl followed him with a pronounced blush.

"What was that?” Neville asked.

“My complicated family dynamic. Ron is having problems in school and these last months have been hard for him; he's jealous of Harry. Ginny is being shy; she has had a crush on Harry since she was a toddler,” Bill said with a smile.

“She still does? I thought she had got over it already. It won't be good if she keeps up her fixation,” Luna commented.

“So, when were you going to tell us what dear mother thinks about our grades?” Fred asked in order to distract his brothers, who were looking at Luna with curious expressions.

“I wasn't planning to do so, but I guess this idiot opened his big mouth,” he said scowling at Charlie, who was looking at his hands with unwarranted intensity. “Don't worry about it. She's too concentrated on Ron to bother you. His grades were so bad that McGonagall requested a meeting with our parents; if he doesn't improve, he'll be the first student in a century to fail a year."

“Let me guess; she's blaming us for it and is angry,” George inquired.

“Sort of. I'm not saying it's okay or that it's rational, but give her a time to calm down,” Bill almost begged.

“That's not the problem, but now isn't the time to talk about it,” Luna said with a gentle smile. "Who do you think will win the game?” she asked with her usual dreamy expression.

“Do you have any feeling, dear Luna?” Harry asked and the girl's smile widened.

“I do, but I'm not telling,” she said in a singsong tone.

"What are you doing here?” someone demanded to know. They turned to see a familiar girl with bushy hair and prominent scowl.

“Excuse me, do I know you?” Harry asked with a velvety voice and warm expression, trying to annoy the girl that dared to demand something from him. But he was being honest, he didn't think he had met the girl before.

"We're in the same year. I am Hermione Granger and we met on the train during our first year,” she snapped, her face turning red in anger.

“I apologize, it must have been a brief meeting, I don't recall,” he explained with a soft smile.

“Let's go,” Neville said with a fake charming smile. “It seems we're disturbing your guests. Bill, Charlie, if either of you wishes to visit us, you can find us in the reserved spaces."

“Come on. Lea was going to make desserts for tea. A pleasure to meet you, Hermione Granger. I hope you get rid of the green wrackspurts; they are clouding your vision,” Luna announced and the small group left the tent with satisfied smiles.

“I told you he was a git! He was showing off,” Ron complained at the entrance.

“He's so arrogant!” Hermione huffed.

“I think you overreacted,” Ginny said in a small voice, her blush still dominating her face.

“So why don't you like them?” Charlie asked his youngest brother.

“Isn't it obvious? He has everything: money, fame, he's a pretty boy, and the teachers always give him good grades,” Ron complained.

“You seem to forget you have something he will never be able to: you have a family, Ron. Do remember that,” Bill told his brother and saw how wide his eyes opened at the realization.

“I'm sorry. I guess I'm jealous,” he muttered and fled the room.

Bill watched his brother leave with a sigh. Ron had always acted without thinking. It seemed the same applied when judging someone. He noticed the bushy-haired girl was trying to find an argument and he sighed once again. The girl was indeed intelligent, but he began to understand how much jealousy could blind someone to the point of obsession. He looked at Charlie, who shrugged in response.

“Perhaps we can ask Harry to help Ron,” he told his brother and winked at him.

"Who knows? We can ask. After all, he managed to force the twins to study."

“Yeah, they told me he works really hard all the time. He's really kind to his friends too. I heard Luna was always alone when they took her in."

“I had no idea, but she's a sweet girl, though I admit the boy tends to be aloof,” Charlie sighed, trying to hide his smile at the witnesses of their conversation.

“He grew up fending for himself. I guess growing up with no family or friends can do that to you, but he's a good kid,” Bill commented. "Well, we have an invitation; want to go out with me tomorrow?"

“Sure. After all, they have the best camping space in the entire place,” he shrugged and heard the girl leaving. "Was that necessary?” Charlie asked in a whisper after a few moments.

“It was. The girl is wasting herself trying to compete with someone who doesn't even see her as a possible rival. She's Ginny's friend, so I wanted to help her somehow."

“By reminding her how much better the boy is?"

“In a way, but also reminding her that he's also a person who has suffered and not the epitome of perfection. I hope Ginny talks about it with Ron.”

“Yeah, he's not taking what happened well. It will be a hard year for him. It's time he grows up and realizes that his decisions have consequences,” Charlie said with a tired sigh.

“Or we will end up with two Percys, and I don't think I'll be able to survive that,” Bill said and both siblings winced at the possibility.