Harry and Company

Notes: This is an AU story, heavily inspired by an anime series (Hunter x Hunter).
In this story Horcruxes and prophecies are ignored.Voldemort is more of a mafia leader than a psycho Muggle killer, though he still holds his anti-Muggle ideals.
Also, the Wizarding world is very different from the one in the books/movies.
I'll be using many locations which can be found on the Atlas of Wizarding Britain in the Harry Potter Lexicon site. Some others might be made up.
Pairings (for sure): Harry/Hermione, Ron/Luna.
Side-pairings: Cedric/Cho, Remus/Tonks.
Possible (not sure and in the background): Draco/Ginny and/or Neville/Ginny.

Chapter 1: The Start of a Journey

A young boy, no older than thirteen years, walked out of the woods and into a clearing in the middle of nowhere. His home, the Wolf's Den, was located in a very remote area of England, where no one would even believe people could live. His scruffy black hair and shining green eyes were things that characterized him. As did his rounded spectacles.

Those who had known his parents, James and Lily Potter, would say he looked like his father and had his mother's eyes. Harry Potter actually got that a lot from his godfather Sirius Black and his pseudo-uncle Remus Lupin. Both men had been his father's best friends, along with someone else, of whom they rarely talked about.

But the most remarkable thing about his life was him being a wizard. He could use magic. His parents had been a wizard and a witch. They had been Aurors, the equivalent of what Muggles (non-magical people) called policemen. They had been investigating the cases concerning the Knights of Walpurgis, a criminal organization of wizards led by Lord Voldemort, a man who was rarely seen, but was believed to be powerful and merciless.

The murders of the Potters and the Longbottoms (they were known as the Great Four) was a clear message to the Ministry of Magic to stop them from chasing the Knights down. And the Minister, Cornelius Fudge, did just that. Because of that, Sirius Black took his godson and moved to Wolf's Den, with his friend Remus Lupin.

Harry spotted the small hut near the darkest trees on the other side of the clearing. Sirius and Remus were outside, looking around excitedly. Curious, the boy hurried to his home. "Harry!" the dark-haired man exclaimed happily, once he spotted his godson.

"What is it, Sirius?" Harry asked bemusedly.

Remus chuckled and handed him a fine looking letter. "Read this, Harry."

The boy grabbed the letter and read it aloud, "The Hogwarts Certification Test will open on September 1 of this year. In order to become a certified witch or wizard you must pass all tests.

"You will receive a card with unlimited access to the International Gringotts Fund and a Killing License (you will not be arrested for killing another witch or wizard; this does not include Ministry personnel and Muggles).

"All participants must be at Falmouth, England, before the sunset. You will be given a badge with a number that will represent you until the tests are over.

"Participants cannot be younger than twelve years of age, no exceptions. There is no maximum age. If someone drops out from the exams, they can apply again on the next year.

"Participants must take a Ministry approved wand, food supplies and/or means to hunt down their food and an optional pet (cat, owl, toad, rat, small bird).

"All participants must know basic spells that will be required for passing the tests.

"Participants cannot: kill other participants or Muggles, use magic on Muggles, trade number badges with other participants.

"Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore - Head of Hogwarts Certification Secretary."

Harry smiled and looked at his guardians. "This means I'll be able to enter." Sirius and Remus nodded, feeling excited but apprehensive about the boy taking the tests.

"People die during these tests, Harry," Remus said.

"You guys and my parents didn't die, though," he said with a sly smile.

Sirius frowned. "We weren't thirteen, we were nearly twenty," he said.

Harry sighed and nodded. "I know, I know. But I want to go. I want to explore the world..."

The two men frowned at him. "You want to find the Knights, don't you?"

After a somber pause, the boy nodded. "Yes. And nothing you say will stop me from going," he frowned up at them.

The combination of his father's face and his mother's eyes was enough to crumble the men's defenses. With defeated sighs, they nodded and agreed to let him go. "You better get ready, though. You've got only a week to get to Falmouth."

The three of them spent the next few days reviewing all of the spells the boy knew. They also took him to get a legal wand, which would allow the Ministry to track him down during the tests. Harry also decided to get his guardians an owl, so that they would be able to send him letters, and got a white one, which he named Hedwig.

By the end of the week, Harry stood Muggle London, outside of the Leaky Cauldron with his guardians. "Well, Harry, this is it," Sirius said with a painful lump in his throat. "I'll miss you, son."

The boy hugged his godfather briefly and grinned smugly at his pseudo-uncle. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. I'll come back as soon as I get the certification," he said as he raised his wand in front of the empty street.

With a loud bang, a purple bus appeared in front of them. "Hello, there! Welcome to the Knight Bus!" a pimply young man said cheerfully. "My name is Stan Shunpike and I'll be your conductor today. Where are you headed?" he asked the boy, who only carried a backpack.

"To Falmouth, for the Hogwarts Certification Test," Harry explained, stepping into the bus. Stan paled and stared wide-eyed at the two men who were watching their charge with sad eyes.

"Are you bloody out of your mind?" Stan asked, looking back at the boy. "People die in that thing!" Harry simply sighed. "Oh, well. Join the rest of the soon-to-be-dead people," he laughed as he motioned to a group of people sitting near the driver's seat. "They're all headed there, anyway."

Harry looked at the wizards and witches and noticed most were adults, even older than Sirius and Remus. One woman looked particularly elegant, with strange glasses. He gulped. A lot of people had to take the test many times before finally passing. It could take him several tries to obtain the certification. He grabbed a fistful of Knuts, gave them to Stan, and sat away from the other passengers.

Sirius and Remus waved at him as the Knight Bus sped off and disappeared from view. The dark haired man sighed. "So much like his father, he looks."

"But he isn't James," Remus said looking at his friend. "He's Harry."

When the Knight Bus arrived to Falmouth, the sun was nearing the horizon. Those who were going to participate in the tests rushed out of the bus, including Harry. He followed the group into the seaside town and looked around for any indication of what to do.

There were many confused faces all around. Amazingly, he could see some kids of his own age, though not as many as the adults. He sighed and decided to sit down on a small coffee shop a couple of blocks away from the harbor. He was seriously considering going back to the Leaky Cauldron when someone sat in front of him. "Wotcher, there! You're going to participate?" a soft voice asked.

Harry's head jerked up and his eyes met the strangest young woman he'd ever seen. She was a bit taller than him, her face was heart-shaped and her eyes were dark. But her hair was bright pink. She wore clothes that practically screamed I'm punk! "Um, yeah," he said looking at his hands. "But I don't know where to go," he admitted embarrassedly.

To his credit, the woman didn't laugh. "Oh, that's fine. I just found out that we should be on a ship in thirty minutes," she said casually, looking towards the harbor. "By the way," she turned to him with a gentle smile. "I'm Tonks."

Harry smiled slightly. "I'm Harry," he said shaking her hand.

Tonks looked at her watch and raised her eyebrows. "We should get going. Things can get nasty if we're not there a bit earlier than specified."

"You've taken the test before?" he asked as they stood up and headed to the port.

The young woman blushed. "Um, I've been taking it for a couple of years now. I'm afraid I'm a bit... clumsy. Always manage to do something wrong," she explained.

As they neared a large wooden ship, Harry wondered if her clumsiness would affect his own performance in the tests. He was snapped out of his thoughts by a loud booming voice coming from a rather big man. The man had a bushy dark brown beard and his hair was wild. His eyes were dark but gentle. "Welcome to the first part for the Hogwarts Certification Test!" he bellowed. "I'm Rubeus Hagrid, the Test Manager until we reach our destination. I will decide who continues and who goes." Everyone gulped at that statement. "You will stay out of my crew-men's way during our journey.

"Now, my assistant, Irma Pince will hand you your number badges. You may not trade them. If you lose them, you're out." Hagrid looked at everyone seriously. "Place them on your chests or somewhere where they can be seen clearly by Test Managers."

Harry and Tonks were given their badges (407 and 408, respectively), and they stuck them on their clothes, above their chests. Finally, Pince walked back to Hagrid and muttered something to him. He nodded and looked at the crowd. "This year we have four hundred and thirteen participants. Remember, that usually one person every year passes the tests!" At this revelation many people paled. Others looked more determinate. Harry had mixed feelings about it. He only wished to follow his parents' steps and become a certified wizard to defeat the Knights of Walpurgis, so that his parents could rest in peace.

Notes: Well, that's quite different from the selfless path canon!Harry must go through!
On the next chapter Harry will meet Ron and Hermione. :) More about the test and the non-canon world will be explained as well.
Hedwig was originally planned to be his travel pet, but I decided to leave her with Sirius and Remus. Maybe he'll get another one, later in the story.