300 gems = 1 bonus chapter
500 gems = another bonus chapter
*******
Aiden's first meeting with the Boy Who Lived had been hasty, almost accidental. Now, as July drew to a close, the air at the Burrow was thick with anticipation. On the penultimate Sunday of the month, Aiden left the Weasley home for Hogsmeade, slipped through the secret passage from Honeydukes, and emerged within the shadowed corridors of Hogwarts.
"I must be the only one sneaking through secret passages before even enrolling," Aiden thought as he stepped into the cool, familiar stone passage.
"You seem rather at home here, Aiden. It hardly looks like your first time at Hogwarts," came Dumbledore's voice, gentle and amused, from the shadows.
Aiden grinned, not missing a beat. "For people like us, secrets in the mind aren't all that safe, are they, Professor?"
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "I would never pry into another's secrets lightly."
"But the curiosity of youth is another matter entirely," Aiden replied, his tone teasing.
Not wanting to push the conversation further, he changed the subject. "Well, Professor, I'm off to find your beloved gamekeeper. Have you forgotten the task you set me?"
"Ah, yes. You've met the child already. What do you think?" Dumbledore asked, walking with Aiden towards Hagrid's hut.
Aiden recalled the encounter at the reptile house. "His magic is complicated, but one thing is certain—he's kind. Even when he's angry, there's a radiance of pity and tolerance in him. He's not the sort to shatter his own soul."
As they spoke, they arrived at the hut. Dumbledore knocked, and a loud crash sounded from inside before the door opened to reveal Hagrid, towering and broad, his moleskin coat even more enormous up close.
"Good morning, Professor Dumbledore," Hagrid greeted, beaming.
"Good morning, Hagrid. This is Aiden. He's not yet started at Hogwarts, but I'd like you to fetch Harry next week, help him buy his school things in Diagon Alley, and bring Aiden along as well."
"Of course, Professor!" Hagrid replied enthusiastically.
Aiden and Hagrid exchanged greetings. Hagrid, ever the host, offered Aiden a rock cake, which Aiden politely declined after one glance at the stone-like treat.
*****
After their meeting, Aiden returned to the Burrow. Molly was already bustling about, preparing to take the twins and Ron to Diagon Alley for their school shopping.
"Aiden, we're about to leave for Diagon Alley. Would you like to come along?" She called.
"Sorry, aunty. Dumbledore's arranged for Hagrid and me to pick up Harry for school. I'll go to Diagon Alley with them at the end of July to get my things," Aiden replied.
"Harry? Harry Potter? That's brilliant!" Ron exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement.
"Hmph, Dumbledore must be getting senile. We could have taken you ourselves, and now he's got a young wizard helping as well. He's using child labor!" Aunty Molly huffed, shaking her head.
Aiden's gaze drifted to the rat in Ron's arms. He recognized it as Bill's old pet, handed down to Percy and now to Ron. He narrowed his eyes, his vertical pupils glinting like a big cat's. After a moment's scrutiny, he looked away, a thoughtful frown on his face.
The Weasleys left for Diagon Alley, leaving Aiden alone at the Burrow.
*****
Meanwhile, at Number Four, Privet Drive, Mr. Dursley was having the worst week of his life. Letters had begun falling from the sky, each one addressed to Harry Potter, and each one more unnerving than the last.
"P-Petunia," Vernon gasped, staring at the letter in his hands.
Dudley tried to snatch it, but Vernon held it high out of reach. Petunia grabbed it, read a line, and nearly fainted.
"Vernon, oh my goodness, Vernon—look at the address! How could they possibly know he sleeps there? Are they watching the house all the time?"
"Watching—monitoring—maybe even following us," Vernon muttered, his face pale.
"What should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want—"
"No," he said finally, voice trembling but determined. "We won't write back. If they don't get an answer, maybe they'll just… stop. Yes, that's best. We don't have to do anything."
"But—"
"Petunia, we can't have it in this house! Didn't we swear, when we adopted him, to drive out all that dangerous nonsense?"
"Then let's leave, go far away where they can't find us."
Vernon yanked a tuft of his mustache in frustration. "Pack your things. Five minutes. Only the essentials. No arguments!"
The Dursleys bundled Harry into the car and drove away from Privet Drive, traveling for hours before reaching a lonely, windswept tower on an island reef. They believed it was the farthest, safest place they could hide.
As night fell, a fierce storm battered the tower. Harry, shivering in his thin pajamas, stared at Dudley's watch, counting the seconds to midnight. He drew a birthday cake in the dust, ready to celebrate alone.
Outside, Aiden and Hagrid stood at the door, rain lashing their coats.
"Terrible weather, but very English," Aiden joked, pulling his cloak tighter.
Hagrid didn't answer. His mind was on Harry. He knocked on the door, waited, and then, growing impatient, used his own version of Alohomora—by simply breaking down the door.
Inside, the Dursleys cowered in fear as Hagrid entered, Aiden close behind, eyes narrowed and watchful.
"We're sorry to intrude," Hagrid said, his voice gentle despite his size.
"Could we at least have a cup of tea? It's been a long journey," Aiden added with a smile.
He used his ability to read the Dursleys' emotions: fear, panic, but also—surprisingly—protection and love. He lingered on this, fascinated. "So there's more to them than meets the eye," he mused.
Vernon, despite his terror, tried to assert himself, holding a gun in trembling hands. "Leave at once! You're trespassing!"
"Shut up, Dursley, you old scoundrel," Hagrid growled, bending the barrel of the gun with one hand. Vernon, startled, pulled the trigger, and the gun went off with a harmless bang.
Aiden cast a subtle calming charm on the Dursleys, easing their panic.
Everything unfolded as expected. Hagrid presented Harry with a birthday cake and explained the truth about his past.
Aiden handed Harry a mechanical watch he'd bought at Sainsbury's. "It's you—the one from the reptile house last time," Harry said, recognition dawning.
"We meet again. Hello, I'm Aiden, your future classmate," Aiden replied, offering a friendly smile.
As Harry took the watch, Aiden sensed a strange wave of magic emanating from Hagrid, brushing over Harry and lingering. The sensation was oddly familiar.
"Isn't this…?" he wondered.
"Ding. Yes, this is the collective unconscious," the system chimed in his mind.
"So prophecy magic is just a replica of the writer's ability?"
"Ding. Similar, but the process is different."
Aiden's curiosity was piqued. "This is fascinating," he thought, feeling the urge to meddle with the prophecy just for fun.
"Tsk, you coding bastard," he muttered, half amused, half exasperated.
While Aiden conversed with the system, Hagrid finished explaining everything to Harry and, as expected, gave Dudley a pig's tail for good measure.
Ignoring the Dursleys' protests, Hagrid led Aiden and Harry out of the tower and into the storm, the first step on a journey that would change all their lives.
*******
Don't forget to donate gems.