A/N: Ok, I’m back and this is the first chapter of the sequel to Of Elves and Magic. I’m not thrilled with the chapters at the moment, and many of you will probably say that it isn’t as good as my last fic, but its up by popular demand. Hope you like, anyway.

Chapter 1: Preparations

It was nearing the end of the school term, but Harry Potter wasn’t at school. He was staying with his elf friends in their forest, learning all there was to learn from them about medicine, elf magic and other crafts he might find useful, having left behind a school in which everyone thought he was dead, and he hoped it would stay that way for a long while yet. He knew his friends were mourning for him, but he couldn’t risk their lives by going back, so he had decided to have Dumbledore tell them that he was alive and well and would shortly be in contact with them, but he had so far been unable to do this.

So far since his “Death”, he had visited Il nostro proprio cielo to learn several things, including a spell that would allow him to return to school without anyone recognising him; a new appearance, one so different from his real one that his own family wouldn’t recognise him (not that they would want to. Harry briefly wondered what his Uncle, aunt and cousin’s reactions would be to his ‘death’ if they knew about it, but couldn’t be bothered to find out). He had learned more fighting skills from a Tibetan monk named Chow Yu, and from his old mentor Wai Hon, and had also learned to focus his powers and calm his mind through meditation.

“Clear your mind of all thoughts,” Chow Yu had told him one day, sitting on the floor of his house cross-legged. “Focus on the world around you, and eventually you will reach a state of mind that will allow you to see your thoughts from another angle, giving you the answers you seek in those thoughts; much like a natural Pensieve. You can use this to calm a turbulent mind or to increase your focus. I meditated everyday, and as such I never made a rash decision that would affect the lives of those around me or myself.”

Harry had mastered this, and had learned Japanese, Cantonese and Chinese from Chow Yu and Wai Hon (who had also taught him to play a game called Taipei), and fighting with a staff, how to fight in close or narrow quarters (like on a narrow bridge), and some ancient potions using simple ingredients that could heal, relieve pain and put to sleep. He assimilated this knowledge eagerly, looking for any advantage over Voldemort and for his own curiosity.

He had even met Merlin, possibly the greatest wizard of all time, and learned ancient spells and magic of which Merlin was an expert. He spent a lot of time simply talking with Merlin, learning some of the tales he had heard of the great wizard to be complete fiction, and Merlin himself laughed at a couple of the stories his name was put on.

“I understand,” he said one day, walking with Harry through the imaginary scenery that was created by Il nostro proprio cielo, “that you have inherited my staff. I wish to tell you a little more about it.” They sat by a lake and Harry conjured the staff from his hand.

“Ah, yes,” he said fondly, stroking the wood after Harry had handed it to him. “I did love this staff. I got the wood from an elf tree, you know. It had dropped at my feet during a particularly large storm, and I immediately picked it off of the ground and started whittling it into a staff, thankful for the gift of the forest and not knowing exactly why I was doing it; it was more impulsive than my usual actions. I made it and tested it, having put several magical substances into the core, including unicorn hairs, phoenix feathers and dragon heartstrings like I would a wand, but something was missing from it, something that I could not place.

“So I travelled the world looking for the something to complete my staff of wood, and found the Cleopatra Gem, a jewel of such beauty and power that it was said to have been made by Queen Cleopatra herself. I had to win it from the Pharaoh of the time in a game of chance, and he was most unwilling to give it up. If I had lost, I would have become his slave, but I did not lose and when it was finally in my possession, I placed it in the head of the staff, and it finally felt complete, after twelve long years of searching. The jewel gave the staff its true potential, and in turn the staff unlocked the jewel’s real power. They were beneficial in the release of energy.

“Before I died, I gave the jewel to a Muggle friend to look after. He said he would guard it and hide it throughout his family line, so no one would ever find it, until the right person came forward. They would have the staff, and he or his descendent would retrieve the jewel and present it to the next staff bearer.

“That time is now. I have tracked his descendents to Muggle London. A man named John is the holder of the jewel now, but he does not know of the vow. His father, who gave him the jewel, made him promise not to sell it and has written it into his will that his son bear the jewel until the real owner came to collect it. You must collect it; it is the only thing that will break through all of Voldemort's immortality experiments so what happened when you were a child will never happen again – he will not come back and will die a mortal man. You must combine the jewel with the staff and await the final battle, learn to master the combined forces of the Gem and the staff.”

“So, where can I find this man?” Harry asked, finally relieved to know he had a weapon against Voldemort.

“He enjoys going to… ‘Night clubs’, I believe they are called by the youths of today, and in one of these you will find him. He also gets into a lot of fights – he is descended from a hot tempered man I knew in my youth, and you will fight by him on one occasion. He is John Rice, and is twenty years old. He has the jewel hidden in his home, and he will await his father’s orders of what to do with it. You must find him soon, or lose the jewel – possibly forever.” Harry nodded and asked what the jewel looked like, and an apparition formed in front of him of a large purple crystal, one of beauty and magnificence, laced with a pattern of wiry gold. It was so dark it was no longer translucent, and seemed to have some form of energy running underneath the surface. Harry could never describe it with words, and he could only imagine its power. It was so beautiful he almost tried to touch the vision of it, but kept himself in check.

“So, I have to go through all the clubs in London until I see a fight including a twenty year old called John Rice. That isn’t very much to go on.” Merlin nodded and told him that it would take some patience, but it wouldn’t take him too long, as it was his destiny to find it. Harry left il nostro after that meeting, pondering on what to do.

Upon returning from Il nostro proprio cielo, Harry was presented with a cauldron of Phoenix tears by Heanar. He had heard of Harry’s past injuries and would not let him leave without some special medicine, or the phoenix tears. Harry had accepted them gratefully, and shrunk the cauldron until it could fit in his trunk along with everything else and put an anti-spilling charm on it.

Suana, one of Harry’s elf friends, had been away during most of his stay, delivering a message to some elves in another forest. For some strange reason, it saddened Harry not to see her beautiful smile, or hear her sweet voice. He remembered the night they had slept in the same bed together, almost half a year ago - that night had been the most peaceful of his life. He missed her, and felt more of a bond with her than most people. Something invisible was tugged when he was apart from her now, and it felt... strange.

He decided, as he lay in his bed at Serenya's home one night, that he would go back to his aunt and uncles house and use that as a launching point to check all the dance and nightclubs he could find in London, with the added advantage of the protection charms that would be gained from staying with his aunt. This would mean more chores during the day, but it would be easier than finding somewhere else to stay. He had sent a letter to his guardians saying he would make his own way to their house at the end of the holidays, so he wouldn’t have to go to the station and risk being seen by those who thought he was dead.

So, at the end of the school term, Harry said goodbye to his elf friends and transported himself to Surrey, in the local park that he had frequented many times alone and knew places that were out of sight from the road and were usually empty, and made his way to number four, Privet Drive, holding his trunk and Hedwig’s cage (which had a cloth draped over it). He rang the bell and his aunt answered with a scowl. Without a word he got his things straight to his room (which had been cleared of everything but the bed and desk) and took the cloth off of Hedwig’s cage, and opened the cage door and the window so she could fly out at her leisure.

He was feeding Hedwig a treat when there was a knock at the door. His uncle opened it and walked in.

“Alright, boy,” he said, standing in the centre of the room, “I have no idea why they have been so kind, but Dudley and his friends want you to spend time with them. There is a party tomorrow night, and you will go and you will be normal!” he growled. “Until then, you have a list of chores to do from Petunia. And if you embarrass Dudley or the rest of my family in any way, shape or form, I will lock you in the cupboard for a whole year, understood?” Harry nodded, groaning inwardly, and his uncle placed the list on his bed and left. Harry glanced over the list, and this time let the groan escape his lips.

Washing the dishes (for breakfast AND lunch), cleaning Dudley’s room, gardening and digging a pit for a new water feature in the garden, and all that on the first day. Harry put his trunk under his bed and walked downstairs to start on the work.

The digging was the last to do, and Harry was tired already. He was sweating like mad after making the hole three feet deep and three feet wide on all sides in an hour. He was just finishing the edges and making them smoother when his uncle came to inspect his work.

“Well,” he said, obviously flummoxed by the fact that Harry had finished already, “We seem to have found something you do well. Dudley has visitors; don’t make any embarrassment for my family.” Harry nodded and went straight for his room, not wanting to see Dudley’s friends or indeed Dudley himself.

Unfortunately, as he entered his own room, he had no choice, because Dudley was attempting to break into his trunk while Piers and Julie were watching over. Harry had not been noticed, and Dudley was going at the lock of his trunk with a bent hair pin – probably donated by Julie. Harry’s anger rose to extraordinary levels in his chest, and he took a step into the room.

“What,” Harry said, standing in the doorway, “the fuck, are you all doing in my room?” he asked slowly - murderously, knowing exactly what they were there for. Dudley squealed and jumped, landing on his butt and making the floor rumble. Piers went pale and Julie mumbled something about not wanting to have done this in the first place.

“Harry, you’ve finished the water feature already?” his cousin asked shakily. “Well, err, we’ll just be leaving then!” and all three intruders ran from the room, not looking back until they got to Dudley’s room. Harry shook his head and silently thanked his lucky stars that Godric had given him a trunk that was charmed so that only Harry himself could open it. He pushed it back under his bed and sighed.

He went to his desk and transported some parchment, ink and a quill from his trunk and began to write.

Professor Dumbledore,

I have found a way to alter my appearance completely so no one will recognise me next year, and I have made preparations to become someone else for school. I have transferred my money to another account in Gringotts under the name of David Jameson, and I have made a sort-of cover story for myself for when I return. David is an orphan, having grown up in a country orphanage (a Muggle one) with an unknown lineage. I will try to keep myself as different from the old me as possible to keep up the façade of it being a different person, but I will have to change houses, as the Gryffindor’s will most likely work it out after a while. I should let the sorting hat decide when I arrive, but I am thinking that Slytherin will be as different as possible, as much as I hate to admit it.

I hope this doesn’t present a problem for you, but I would like to complete school; under an alias if required. I have asked Sirius about this, he agrees that I should – with your own permission, of course. Please respond to this as soon as possible, as I will not be at my aunt and uncles long. With my new identity, I wish to try it out in Diagon alley while buying my school things.

And I have a favour to ask of you, on top of the ones already stated. I want you to write to the Weasley’s, Jade Jensen and Hermione Granger and tell them I am alive and that I have gone into hiding. As you know, the Weasley’s are like my adoptive family. This will put them at ease and they will not suspect me to return to Hogwarts.

Thank you for all your help, professor.

Harry.

He gave the letter to Hedwig and let her fly out of the window, watching her fly away. He put his things back in his trunk and lay down on his bed, not feeling hungry even though he had done hard physical work since he had returned to number four. He let his mind wonder, and his thoughts came to his best friends. The Weasley’s, Hermione, Jade and Cho. All were probably going to be so relieved when they found out he was alive. Then he kicked himself mentally. Only Hermione and Ron would know from the most important of his friends. Cho would have no clue, and she would continue to mourn for him, which made him feel like crap.

Harry sighed and rubbed his temples. There was a knock on the door and Harry waited. Another knock and Harry groaned. That meant it was either Julie or Piers, as Harry's uncle and aunt never knocked and waited, they just barged right in. Dudley never knocked (although that was because Dudley hardly ever tried to see Harry).

He got up and opened the door, finding Julie waiting for him.

“Hey,” she said nervously. “I just wanted to apologise for earlier… Dudley wanted to prove you went to that school-“

“Look, he’s lying, ok?” Harry said irritably. Julie nodded.

“Ok, ok,” she said. “Can I come in? Dudley and Piers are talking about girls.” She made a grimace and Harry didn’t move out of the way, and looked slightly confused.

“Aren’t you and Piers going out?” he asked, genuinely surprised – he had hardly ever seen Julie more than ten metres away from Piers, and had assumed they were together, but she shook her head quickly and made a face of horror.

“Are you insane?!” she said, giggling. “No, we aren’t going out, we’re just friends. Anyway… Can I come in?” She sounded hopeful, and Harry backed away.

“I guess,” he said, walking back into his room. He made a quick check to see if everything was packed away and Muggle-like, and thanked any omnipotent being listening that they were.

“Thanks,” she said, coming in and looking around. “Why don’t you keep much in your room?” she asked, looking around at the furnishings. Harry sat down on the bed and she did the same, though at the foot end while he sat on his pillow at the head end.

“Because I don’t own much,” he replied. “Everything that I own apart from some clothes is in that trunk you tried to break into. And I don’t spend much time here anyway.”

“Hey, I wasn’t breaking in. I objected to it, but Dudley said he was going to try anyway.” She shifted into a more comfortable position. She wore a short, very dark red skirt and a thin v-neck top, which was black and only went down to her hips, leaving her stomach exposed. Her blonde hair was out long and she had a little makeup on, but not much.

“So what were you looking for?” he asked. She looked up at him from having wiped something off her skirt.

“Like I said, Dudley wanted to prove where you go to school,” she said. “Do you really go to the school he said you do?” she asked again, sitting up a bit. Harry rolled his eyes.

“Yeah.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Harry said again, smirking. “And I also have a squadron of flying pigs, I have tea with the Devil on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s and I have cold hard proof that the pope shits in the woods.” She laughed and shook her head, waiting for the surprise to fade.

“Sorry,” she said, smiling. “I didn’t know you had a sense of humour. Last year you were so… cold.” she finished, waiting for an explanation. Harry sighed and closed his eyes.

“Someone I knew died, okay?” he said irritably. Julie nodded and looked down and didn’t pursue the subject. Harry looked at his watch and then at Julie. “I’m sure they’ve had a change of conversational subject by now,” he said pointedly. She took the hint and stood up.

“See you on Friday?” she asked. Harry nodded grudgingly. “Great!” she waved and left the room, and Harry lay back on his bed and dozed off.

He awoke to the sound of Hedwig rapping her beak against the window. She had brought a reply from Dumbledore, which basically told him that he agreed that Harry should continue his schooling and that he should hide away in Slytherin house, but also as a prefect. Harry had to laugh, and made sure his new prefects badge was on top of the pile of clothes in his trunk before re-locking it. The letter also included a book list for the New Year, and Harry decided that after he had done his chores, he would go to London for supplies. And to try out his disguise.

His uncle couldn’t wait to get him out of the house, and said that as long as it required no effort on his part, Harry was allowed to go were he wished when he had finished working. So Harry connected up the new water feature and finished pruning the rose bushes and went back upstairs to grab his money and his wand, which he most probably wouldn’t need but took anyway. He left the house and found a secluded spot before transporting himself into London. He immediately used the face changing spell and remembered Godric’s advice

“The spell wares off in twenty four hours unless you renew it. It responds to your thoughts so you should think about the appearance you want before you try, but it won’t change your eyes and I doubt it will hide your scar, at least not at first. I do not know what you can do about that.”

But Harry did know, and he had bought some Muggle concealer, a powder that matched the wearers skin tone and concealed any spots. Or scars.

Harry walked calmly into the leaky cauldron and headed straight for the bathroom, where he checked himself in the mirror and applied some of the concealer to his scar, rubbing it in until it hid the lightning bolt perfectly. He then looked himself over in the mirror.

He had spiky, dirty blonde hair, with a really mischievous look over his clean face, which was free of spots and freckles. His body was of the same build and shape and seemed unchanged by the spell, which was all right – he liked his body the way it was. Harry had decided when he thought up his new persona that he would dye his hair a lot to add to the difference between Harry and ‘David’. He nodded at the face in the mirror and smiled. His smile looked mischievous as well, reminding him (disturbingly) of the Weasley twins.

He walked out again with his things in his hand and went straight into Diagon alley.

Harry went around looking at all of the shops. He bought potions supplies (including some of the more advanced ingredients which he knew how to use), stationery, treats for Hedwig, books and other bits and pieces he would need. He went into Madam Malkin’s Robes for all occasions and got some new dress robes (blood red and made of silk, a black one and a green one, all with a silk lining), and school robes, and some new Muggle shoes from a section he had never noticed before. He then went to Gringotts to replenish his money supply.

A goblin took him down to his vault and opened it for him when he presented his guide with the key. Harry threw a large amount of galleons, sickles and Knuts into his moneybag and noticed that his money was still a huge pile. He thanked the goblin and gave him a galleon for his troubles. The goblin smiled and discreetly put it into his pocket, saying a quiet thank you and bowing. Harry also, thinking of his mission to find John Rice, changed some money into Muggle currency, and left with four hundred pounds in his own pocket.

He then went out to the alley again and went for a sundae. While eating it, he saw a poster across from him. It was for a new alley opening off of Diagon Alley that was devoted to nightclubs and raves and hip, young bars – Nightlight Alley – with clubs for teens as well as adults. He smiled, thinking it would be fun to go to one of these clubs and try to get his lively attitude into practise.

As he was leaving, Harry caught sight of a sign in the Quiditch shop.

‘Upgrade your Firebolt into the latest model: The THUNDERBOLT! Only fifty Galleons! Bargain!

Harry immediately transported his broom to him with some extra money and went inside and had the upgrade, which took about an hour to make. He came out with a gleaming new Thunderbolt, the name of which was written in silver on the pale handle. Harry also bought special polish for it, to replenish the Firebolt polish he had received from Hermione. He still had about a hundred and ten galleons in his pocket, more than enough for the school year.

He got back to Privet drive at seven in the evening, taking off the face-changing spell as he did so. He placed his things carefully into his trunk along with some sweets he had bought. This would get him through the rabbit food his aunt fed the family to help Dudley’s diet (which was still not working), and Harry ate a mars bar right there and then. Harry was happy with his face changing charm (which also changed his voice), and Harry felt no need to fear Voldemort as the dark lord thought Harry was dead. All he had to contend with right now was the Dursely’s and Dudley's friends.

It felt good, living outside the world’s expectations.