A Return of the Past

1st September, 1992 – Hogwarts Express

Luna Lovegood, Loony to those who weren't her friends, stood in the walkway of the Hogwarts Express and stared at one specific compartment. The compartment had an incredibly strong spell weaved around it to keep it hidden from view unless a person was the truest of friends to whoever was inside.

Luna could See magic. She was able to See the way it lived and breathed in the world and how it was manipulated by others. She knew the spell permeating the compartment wasn't a Confundus charm, she knew what those looked like. So what exactly was the magic that was hiding the compartment? And why did it see her as a friend?

Luna pulled together the small amount of courage she believed she possessed and walked, blonde head held tall, to the door in question. Her firm knocking was spoilt only by the shaking of her hand and thankfully she didn't have to wait long for the door was opened by a very unique boy.

The boy's reddish-black hair was a little longer than his shoulders and tied back with a leather thong. His robe, more a cloak really, glistened with every movement in a way that captured her Sight and made it difficult for her to look away. Luna knew that the robe was special in a way none of the school robes were supposed to be and wondered what it could do.

Three scars bisecting the left side of his face, starting from a smaller jagged scar at his forehead, down over the eye, to end at his jaw. The very eye the scars passed through was a strange amber that glowed softly in her Sight and Luna was sure it allowed the boy to also See beyond the usual. The right eye looked normal, as normal as an eye could look when it was the most brilliant green she had ever seen.

He took a measuring of her with the look a wild animal takes in assessing another to determine food or foe. Luna didn't have time to worry before he broke into a roguish grin that caused her young insides to do flip-flops.

"Come on in."

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Albus Dumbledore was in a bind. Two years, a month and a day ago the Boy-who-lived, Harry Potter, had vanished from where the famous Chief Warlock had put him. Dumbledore only knew about this because two years to the very day was when he had found out that the Dursleys, the owners of the place in question, had been brutally massacred.

The boy, Dudley if his memory served, had got off easiest. He had only been gutted with a knife, hogtied and left on the kitchen table with an apple in his mouth. Lucky brat. Petunia Dursley had been slashed to ribbons and then put to death with one of those noisy muggle weapons and, according to the medical reports, she had most likely welcomed the end by the time her head had been blasted off her body. It was the man who had faced the worst of the torture though. The murderer had taken their time, possibly hours, and there was very little of what had once been Vernon Dursley left by the time his still living corpse had been pulled apart.

It had been those gristly deaths that had told Dumbledore that something was amiss in his plans. Number Four Privet Drive had been saturated in strange magic that had nothing to do with his wards or monitoring charms. The strange magic had alerted the standard Ministry alert system and had the DMLE investigate. According to Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, an old acquaintance of Dumbledore's, some of the Aurors who had first seen the inside of the house still refused to go out in the field.

Thankfully no one who knew about the deaths knew that it was these Muggles who had been given possession of Harry Potter. The only other person who knew what he had done, Minerva McGonagall, had no reason to hear about the deaths of some worthless Muggles. Especially with how busy he kept his deputy headmistress.

Dumbledore had attempted to use his impressive collection of instruments to track down the boy and, to his unbelieving shock, they all failed. Such a thing should have been impossible considering he had blood-bonded most of them to the brat before leaving him at the Dursleys. He only knew the boy was still alive because the blood ties between instrument and target had yet to stop. So the esteemed Headmaster of Wizarding Britain's best school decided to wait and find answers when Harry showed for his first year.

A first year the boy missed.

The plan with the Philosopher's Stone had been perfect if Dumbledore said so himself. It was all ready for the star of the show and then...nothing... The Wizarding World – Britain – was in uproar at the failure to produce the Boy-who-lived and Dumbledore's plans collapsed around his ears.

In order to keep Tom from gaining access to the Stone, Dumbledore had been forced to face the possessed Quirrell with the aid of Professors McGonagall and Flitwick - he made sure to leave Severus out of the battle once he was sure he knew where the Tom-spirit was hiding – and now they knew of Tom's survival far sooner than he would have wanted.

The battle and victory did not endear him to his colleagues. Filius demanded to know why the trap had to be in Hogwarts near the precious students while Minerva refused to let go of her anger about the missing Harry. Didn't she realise he would have materialised the boy he he had been able?

At least this year would be different. It had only been the day before that the letter had arrived to signal the boy's intent to enrol. It had politely accepted the idea of being a year behind and thanked them for keeping his spot open. Nothing more! The absolute bloody cheek of the brat! Minerva had been over the moon yet Dumbledore couldn't help but spot the glaring omission of details and explanations in the letter. Details he would soon demand once the dust had settled on a perfectly planned Sorting.

So yes, Albus Dumbledore was in a bind. If the letter had been a joke then it meant he was still without Harry Potter while Tom was out there. If the boy did show up, Dumbledore had no idea what type of child he had turned into.

As the doors opened and the new first years entered the hall, his sharp blue eyes scanned for the single most important boy in history. Well, who wasn't named Albus Dumbledore of course.

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The stiff upper lipped Scotswoman had stood before the group of new students and given them a lecture about a House being a family. Considering what her boss had done to his family, Harry Potter felt that the speech lacked important things like honesty and integrity. He growled at the woman once her back was turned and then mentally chastised himself. Uncle John would not be happy at his thoughts. Though Aunt Suzie would.

Although, considering Aunt Suzie was a borderline psychopath, he shouldn't really hold her up as his idol. At least that was Uncle John's argument even though he refused to be held up as one either. Some days Harry couldn't win with those two.

Harry looked around the Great Hall and smiled. It wasn't really a typical smile as smiles on a twelve year-old boy went but it was a genuine one nonetheless. His magical eye Saw through the illusion of the ceiling but he could still enjoy the non-magic magical effect the illusion created.

The entire school seemed to be watching the newbies and Harry ignored them with ease of long practice. He'd enjoyed the ride on the train and had been surprised when the knock came. What followed had made the homesickness seep away and Harry felt he had actually found a true friend in the blonde walking beside him. She reminded him of a cross between Cathy and the Travelling Doctor.

Harry zoned out the speeches, instead using the time to assess and mentally mark the teachers. The tall, scruffy haired man had an aura that appeared to nullify much of the magic floating around him that would indicated some type of anti-magical creature. The man didn't have the full height needed to be a giant but was still rather large. Half? Harry wondered. Quarter at the least. He decided.

The small round woman appeared to be soaked in Earthen magic and knew she would be a good, no nonsense type that he wouldn't mind having in his corner. He'd already tested the first teacher and caught a trace of an animal in her aura. He assumed some type of shapeshifter though the colours were different to any of the ones Uncle John had introduced him to.

There was a dark haired man with darker eyes and an aura Harry understood perfectly. It was being poisoned by something on the man's left arm but the teacher was certainly dark enough on his own right to not need the extra push. Harry's fingers twitched to reach for his knives and attack the man before they became enemies but he forced himself to breathe and relax. There was far too much space between then for an easy kill and he didn't want to upset the young ones so early in his time as a student.

The movement caught Luna's starry-eyed attention and she looked down to where Harry's knives were hidden and over to the teacher in question. The light giggle told Harry she would have been okay with his initial instinct.

A smaller man was not far from Harry's real target, the white hair and shining eyes portraying a happy-go-lucky personality. This man's magic was different from all the others and it had a familiar feel that made Harry's smile turn into a truly happy one. A goblin, even a diluted one, would be a wonderful ally, especially once he brought up the name of his guardians. Though he thought it best not talk about Cathy after the time she outdrank one of their clan chiefs.

Harry deliberately ignored the old man and his throne. There would be time enough for revenge and retribution later and his emotions, raw from being away from the only people he considered family, were too out of control for him to risk anything now. He felt his cloak shift in reaction to his tenseness and Harry mentally whispered to it until it calmed.

That was one secret he needed to be kept hidden as long as possible.

He frowned when he watched the new students being called up one by one and a raggedy hat dropped on their heads. By the time it was Luna's turn, Harry had guessed that the Hat was doing some type of mind reading to assess their personalities. This was something he did not like. His personality was whatever he wanted it to be for a specific situation, it was the first thing both his – better upgraded – Aunt and Uncle had taught him to do.

"Harry Potter!" The first woman – McGonagall, wasn't it? - called and Harry wondered if he imagined the tread of joy in her voice.

The students hushed and all eyes turned to him. Harry was well aware of his fame to the Wizarding idiots and had expected this. Well, Uncle John had expected it, and made sure Harry accepted the possibility.

Hey...when the man who was the son of a biblical myth tells you some people might have a problem about who you are and your past, you listened.

Head up. Back straight. Harry told himself as he strode towards the three-legged stool as though it was his birthright. Don't let them see weakness, Harry. Make yourself the Alpha, show them strength, and they will back away if they're smart. Aunt Suzie's advice kept him strong as the Hat was lowered to do its job.

The Hall waited, watched. Minutes went by and then the Hat's mouth appeared to speak.

"GRYF-ERIN-PUF-CLAW!"

McGonagall looked sharply at Harry and the Hat in shock while the students stared in confused surprise. He knew that the Old Man would be going crazy trying to work out what had happened and smirked when the Hat actually had to cough before trying again.

"SLY-EVEN-DOR-PUFF!"

"Sebastian?" Dumbledore called from his throne, anger tainting the polite question.

"One moment, Headmaster." The Hat sighed.

"I don't know how you're doing this." It mentally scolded Harry. "And I can't believe I'm going to say this...but where do you wish to go, young Potter?"

The answer came in images along with an apology. Sebastian the Hat mentally shrugged, understanding the reason behind Harry's dislike of the Sorting even if it didn't know how the boy had gotten around the very magic of Hogwarts herself.

"RAVENCLAW!"

There was continual silence as Harry rose and carefully placed the Hat on the stool. Eventually the students roused themselves to politely clap his Sorting as he made his way to the Ravenclaw table.

The Ravens were so stunned that they had got the famous Harry Potter that their applause rivalled the quiet Slytherins. The Gryffindors couldn't understand how he had slipped away from them and barely brought themselves to celebrate someone else getting the Boy-Who-Lived. Harry ignored them all and instead focused on the exuberantly happy Luna bouncing and clapping his every step to the chair beside her.

He sat beside his new friend as the Sorting failed to continue. Apparently McGonagall had also not considered his placement beyond her Gryffindor House. An older girl from further down the table leaned forward, her long curly hair brushing the wooden surface, and called out to Harry.

"Why haven't your robes changed?" She hissed, trying not to draw attention in the silent Hall.

"They're supposed to?" Harry frowned at the question and looked around to his House-mates to see all their robes having the same trim and badge on the breast. He looked down at his own and shrugged, the action causing a ripple in the robe's material that had everyone who looked blinking. Between one second and the next it matched those of everyone around him. He looked back to the girl and asked. "Is that better?"

"Err...yeah, yeah, it is." She admitted with confusion and leaned back.

Harry nodded, satisfied, and scanned the Great Hall as the Sorting finally continued. The Gryffindor table caught Harry's attention as a redhead was alternating between giving Harry glares of anger and confusion. A little way down the table was a slightly chubby boy with scruffy blond hair who seemed as though he was talking himself up into some type of action. There was something familiar about the second boy, some part of his features that tickled at Harry's memory and he wondered if the boy was a child of someone out of his parents' photographs.

The table behind Harry looked filled top to bottom with students who portrayed themselves as better than the rest. Harry was familiar with that type of attitude but was more than happy to knock the Slytherins down a peg or two if they overstepped themselves.

The Sorting was coming to a close with a girl of striking red hair. Harry glanced back to the Gryffindors to check with the glaring one and the twins he had seen further up. Same colour, big family. He mused.

The girl had caught Harry's attention by the small streaks of darkness that seemed to be branching through her aura. There were too many possible causes behind an infected aura but she was certainly one for him to keep an eye on.

"And now that our new students have found their Houses for the next few years." Headmaster Dumbledore smiled to the many eager faces. Harry focused on meditative breaths to keep from snarling. "I wish to say only one more thing. Tuckus Inus!"

The food appeared and the hounds were released. Hundreds of hungry students went for their most desired dishes with gusto. Harry took his time.

"I don't see any pancakes, Luna." He chuckled to the lovely girl next to him. "Whatever will you do?"

"Daddy told me where the kitchens are." She beamed back before continuing her ruthless attack on a poor potato that wished it could surrender already. "He made me promise to only go there if I don't get pancakes or chocolate cake for three days in a row."

"You mean you might have to go three days without either?" Harry gasped in horror. Neither cared that they were attracting the attention of the usually fastidious Ravenclaws. "Well we can't have that. Your daddy didn't say that I couldn't go there every day, did he?"

Luna blinked at the question and took on a look of intense focus as she ran back through the conversation in question. Her sudden smile lit up the room.

"Nope!"

"Well that settles it then." Harry nodded sternly as though they'd solved all the problems of the world. "I'll check in at the kitchens on the days you can't."

The Ravenclaws were then faced with a squealing Luna who would continue to bounce happily in her seat throughout the remaining feast. Many were stunned that the girl was able to eat without sending the food flying nor make herself sick with the constant movement.

"Excuse me?" A bushy-haired girl spoke up from nearby.

Harry's open smile at the Lunabug's antics vanished into a calm mask as he faced the girl. To her credit she only slightly cringed at his mismatched eyes.

"Yes?"

"Hermione Granger." The girl stated as an introduction. "What happened with your Sorting? The Hat's never acted like that before."

"Can you make it do it again?" Luna pleaded with pale puppy-eyes.

"Sorry, hon, only if I'm wearing it." He told Luna without taking his eyes away from Hermione, the answer turning the pleading look into a pout. Harry didn't bother fighting the small smile at her antics as he answered the bushy-haired girl. "Do you know how the Hat works?"

"Of course!" The girl cried with indignation, taking the question as a personal affront. The other students did their best to pretend they weren't listening but considering they were Ravenclaws, it was a given.

"It scans your personality and memories." An Indian girl sitting next to Hermione answered. Harry liked this one, she stared him straight in the eyes without flinching. "It's not allowed to reveal anything it learns because it has to go as deep into your very being as needed to pick the correct House."

"Correct." Harry nodded as he reached into his pocket to withdraw a strange looking coin. It glinted in the candlelight and no one apart from Luna could look at it for any serious amount of time without getting a headache. "This here is a Sumerian Protector. It doesn't stop people reading my thoughts but makes it incapable of them acting on whatever they find."

Luna broke into cute giggles while the rest looked on in confusion. Hermione frowned aggressively and made to take the coin but was disappointed and taken aback when Harry spun it between his fingers and it vanished.

He did so love John's magic tricks.

"A person, or the Hat in this case, reads my mind." He explained with a grin at her annoyance in losing out on the coin. When she sat back in her chair, Harry flicked his hand again to bring the coin back. Low giggles surrounded them at his teasing of the well known Hermione. "They try to act or speak about what they found and they can't. Actions make no sense, words become gibberish, writing is nonsensical. You get the idea."

"Why would you have one of those?" Hermione demanded with suspicion.

"Protection, obviously."

"That type of protection isn't uncommon back home." A Chinese girl spoke up. "It's considered rude to hide your thoughts from friends but people still want their secrecy so they use something similar."

Hermione's head spun to lock onto the other girl and she instantly demanded details. The Indian girl rolled her eyes and introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Padma Patil. You'll get used to Hermione. She takes being a Ravenclaw serious and always wants to know more."

"I think she's a little more open about it that the rest of us." He chuckled as they shook hands. Padma shrugged as though unable or unwilling to voice an opinion.

"Let me help you out." She started to point out the other students. "The one at the end who asked you about your robes is Penelope, that's Su Li, this is Lisa Turpin and this is Terry Boot. I'm sure you'll meet everyone else tonight."

"Nice to meet you all." He nodded to each and went back to his meal. Thankfully the Ravenclaws, for the most part, accepted personal space and allowed him his quiet time.

The end of the feast did see Lunabug get her chocolate gateau and she skipped alongside Harry as the new Ravenclaws were led to their dorm by the friendly Penelope. Harry had to wonder if it had been a good idea to give his blonde friend his portion of the dessert.

"You have to be careful." Penelope warned the eager firsties. "Out of all the Houses, the path to our common room changes the most often. Because of this, our Head of House, Professor Flitwick, has an alert system set up the closer you get to the entrance. As long as you're within this area when curfew starts, you won't be in trouble if you get to the common room late."

The group climbed the final spiral staircase that took them to a door with a raven knocker. It opened its bronze eyes and stared knowingly at the students.

"You cannot feed me yet I grow. You cannot kill me yet I can die. I am everywhere yet am nothing. I have protected heroes and mothered villains. What am I?"

"And this is how you get into our common room." Penelope stated as the students did their best to overcome the riddle.

Luna turned to Harry with knowing eyes and he gave the girl a put-upon sigh. She knew he knew the answer.

"The dark. It can grow and die in relation to the light, is made of nothing yet is everywhere and both types of people have used the dark for their purposes."

The raven glared at Harry for a moment and the scoffed before opening the door. "It would have to be you who answered."

Penelope frowned at the comment but, to Harry's delight, she merely lead them into the blue common room. Harry ignored the curious glances at the raven's words to take in what would be his new home-away-from-home.

The room was comfortably large without being overpoweringly so. Desks were dotted around the room ready for use and in the middle stood the smiling form of Professor Flitwick. Harry suspected that the teacher had his own, much quicker, access to the tower in order to get ahead of them.

"Welcome, welcome, my new Ravenclaws!" He excitedly clapped. "Up those stairs there are your dorm rooms and each of you will have his or her own for your entire stay at Hogwarts. The last seventh years were on the fourth floor so that is where you will find your rooms. I want you to be comfortable enough to personalise it as much as you want."

That sent a ripple of excitement through the students. A personalised room would make the long stay at Hogwarts far easier to handle than a cookie-cutter environment.

"You can use any type of charms you wish." Flitwick continued with an excited gleam. "Though I will inspect them all and I won't tolerate anything that could seriously harm one of your fellow Claws. Over to my right is our own library that you can use in addition to the Hogwarts main one downstairs. Access is free to all but your privilege may be revoked at any time if I feel you've deserved the punishment."

Harry liked the threat. It would be agony for the information seekers of Ravenclaw House to be denied knowledge and might keep many toeing the line.

"Before I let you all go, I would like you to introduce yourselves one at a time and tell us something about who you are."

There was the usual grumbling from pre-teens at having to share but they followed the order with minimal fuss. Luna's declaration at being on a quest to find the Crumble-Horned Snorkack brought a few snickers that had Harry's hackles rise. When it came to his turn everyone waited with baited breath.

"My name is Harry Potter and I'm happy to be back in the Wizarding World after my time away. I'm looking to learning all I can here."

The lack of anything more personal was clearly a disappointment to many. A number of the older years had stayed rather than disappear to their own dorms simply to hear Harry speak and were grumbling quietly to themselves. Flitwick only nodded and continued onto the next student. He had suspected it wouldn't be that easy for the noisy to find their gossip.

After the last first year shared and the group was dismissed, the part-goblin Head of House called Harry to follow him into the library and through a door that led to an office.

"Only I can open the door into this room." Flitwick explained as he took a seat in a small chair that then rose to put him at Harry's eye level. "But do feel free to knock any time if you need to talk."

"Thank you, sir." Harry answered automatically as he glanced around the office. A painting on the wall caught his attention and rather than take the open chair, he moved to inspect it. "This looks like a goblin village."

"It is..." The stunned Professor answered. "It's a rendition of the Flitwicks' home before the goblins moved beneath Gringotts. How is it you know what a goblin village looks like, Mister Potter?"

"There are still some out there, Professor." Harry replied with a shrug as he dropped bonelessly into the waiting chair. "Just not in this country."

"Is that where you've been? Out of the country?"

Harry broke into a wide grin at the question. He'd debated over whether to let his past remain hidden and knew anything he shared would end up getting back to his enemy. Secrecy would be the best plan yet Harry was proud of the life he had led the last two years with his new family. He also felt it would do them a disservice in hiding away their influence over his life.

"I've been as out of the country as one could be without leaving these shores." He cryptically answered. Flitwick frowned though there was a certain glint in the teacher's eye at the riddle. Harry allowed a few minutes for his Head of House to guess the answer and chuckled when he heard the sigh of defeat. "I've been living in the Nightside, Professor."

The half-goblin paled at the name. The goblins might have a branch of Gringotts inside the infamous part of London but that didn't mean many were eager to be assigned there.

"Was there a reason for this meeting, sir?" Harry asked with amusement after a few more minutes of silence.

"Quite right, quite right." Flitwick shook himself down to clear his mind free of the many Nightside stories he had heard. "I've been informed by the Headmaster that he would like you to be put into your correct year."

"And how does our great overseer plan for me to overcome my lack of magical education?" The sarcasm and disrespect oozed from Harry and Flitwick made a mental note to not come across as a Dumbledore man to his unique Claw.

"Extra lessons with your teachers." He told Harry, parroting the answer he had received when giving a similar question to Dumbledore. "I could fight for your right to be kept in the first year if you wish me to, Mister Potter. In the end, it is down to you."

"Do you think you'll be listened to?" Harry's eyebrows raised at the idea and Flitwick had the decency to nod his acceptance of the point. Harry did appreciate the attempt and wondered if he had already found an ally in the man. "I'll do so only for the subjects the teachers who are willing to accept me."

"That is a fair answer, Mister Potter. I'll let the Headmaster know."

Harry gave a wry smile at the idea of Dumbledore's reaction and stood to leave. He could tell the Professor had questions and was in a mood to answer at least one.

"Go ahead, sir. Say what's on your mind." He urged with a smirk.

"Whatever were you doing in a place like the Nightside?"

Harry's smirk turned into a full blown feral grin that would have looked at home on the face of a goblin warrior. The answer would have suited one of them as well.

"Hunting, sir. Plenty of things to hunt in the Nightside."

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