Child Survivor, Hero, Friend
A/N: Hello, everybody! This story is a sequel to The Hardest Thing, kind of a follow-up on Matt Potter and the destiny that he lived to fulfill. While it's not necessary to read The Hardest Thing to understand this story, it would help you a great deal. I know this might not get that many reviews, but it's something I really, really want to write. So here's the sequel; please review! <3, Katie
Chapter 1: Going to School
Matt Potter stood solitary in his bedroom, looking around carefully at the surroundings that had been his only world for the last twelve years. His vivid green eyes took in everything slowly, almost as though attempting to memorize the setting in an attempt to remember it forever. A huge, leather trunk sat open on his bed, already filled to the brim with contents. He looked carefully at the white bookshelf that was propped against his window and went towards it, pulling down a battered copy of Hogwarts: A History. If his mother's words were correct when she had given him her dog-eared copy, the volume would help him immensely during his schooling there. The sheer size of it didn't bother him: he was as big a bookworm as his mother, if not more so. He had learned to read basic things at a young age, and he'd been hooked ever since.
As he slammed his trunk lid shut for the final time, he heard the patter of footsteps at his doorway. Turning, he saw his six-year-old brother Jeremiah watching him cautiously, his chocolate eyes looking around the room carefully.
"Matt, Mum and Dad told me to tell you to hurry up. Or else you'll be too late to catch the Hogwarts Express."
"Thanks, Jeremiah." Matt's chest heaved and he flopped down onto his bed. Jeremiah scampered across the room and plopped down beside his big brother.
"What's wrong with you?" He flopped over onto his back so that he could stare at Matt upside down. "You look sad on the day you're going off to school."
"I'm really not looking forward to this." Matt admitted, hating himself for the knowledge. Other kids would do anything for this opportunity to go to the most prestigious wizarding school in the world.
"Why?" Jeremiah flopped back over and started to play with the clasp of the trunk.
"It's hard to explain." Jeremiah blinked at him to continue. Matt gave him an annoyed look before facing the wall. "I'm scared that I'll be behind even the muggles since I never got a chance to go to wizarding primary school and waited for a year to come to Hogwarts."
"That's bad, `specially since Dad is who he is and all."
"Exactly." Matt nodded. "What if I'm so bad that they send me back?"
"They won't. Before long you'll be the top of the class, and you'll be better even than Dad was."
"Oh, really?" Matt smiled impishly at his brother. "Would you care to tell me the rest of my fate at Hogwarts?"
"You'll be just like Dad, and you'll find your true love on the train today."
Matt made a `pssh' with his lips before tackling Jeremiah in a playful tackle. Before long, they were rolling around, trying to pin each other down. They were so involved in their battle that they didn't even notice Harry come in.
"BOYS!" They flew apart like the same sides of a magnet. "You know your mother doesn't like you to fight, especially when we're on a tight schedule!"
"Sorry, Dad," Matt mumbled, and Jeremiah nodded in agreement.
"Hug each other to apologize…"
"Dad, aren't we getting too old for that?" Matt smiled.
"Not at all! Both your mother and I were only children, but we know how important brothers are to each other, and we want you guys to have a good relationship! Hug." Jeremiah gave Matt a devious grin before attaching himself to his legs, mocking uncontrollable sobs into his pant leg.
"Oh, Matt, I'm so sorry!"
"I'm unfit to be your brother, J!"
"I'm unfit to share a room with you!"
"We have to love each other more! Or Dad and Mom will hate us and we'll hate each other and our lives will be ruined!" Jeremiah instantly let go of his brother's leg and took off on a dead run, Matt close behind. Harry watched the chase in mock anger, barely concealing his smile when Matt finally caught the younger boy and began to attack the top of his head with kisses as Jeremiah tried to struggle away.
"Okay, boys, okay. You don't have to ham it up every time; I get the picture. Now, let's go, or you'll miss the train!"
"Which is where you'll find your true love," Jeremiah whispered out of the side of his mouth. Matt playfully swatted at his head, but Jeremiah was too fast for him. Harry ignored the boys' laughter as he whipped out his wand and charmed Matt's trunk so that it floated down the stairs in front of them. The three Potter men and the trunk finally reached the outdoors, and Harry fastened the baggage to the top of the family SUV. Hermione ran off a quick checklist for Matt before handing him Andromeda, his tawny, green-eyed owl, in a shiny metal cage. Once she was situated between Matt and Jeremiah, they set off for King's Cross Station.
The area around Platform 9 and three fourths was bustling with activity. Harry led Matt over to the hidden doorway, looking around carefully for any who might be watching.
"Okay, Matthew." He whispered. "Best to take it at a run. I'll be behind you the whole way." Matt stood behind his trolley and ran into the barrier, all the while feeling his father's hand on his back. He blinked in the sudden sunlight and smiled when he saw Hogwarts Express, shining in the entire splendor that Harry had described. A moment later, Hermione and Jeremiah were at his other side. They took him to the entrance of a train car and went on board with him, helping him get his luggage situated in an empty car. They piled off of the train to say their good-byes on the platform.
Hermione got all misty-eyes watching him, and hugged him casually so as not to embarrass him in front of his future classmates. To her surprise, he didn't accept her half-hug; he threw both of his arms around her and held her in a bear hug. Although he had been unnaturally small at one time, he had grown up considerably and at the age of twelve stood just taller than her shoulder.
"I love you, Mom."
"Oh, Matthew," She whispered in his ear, trying not to lose her composure. "I'm going to miss you. Do the best you can at school and remember all that we've taught you. And don't forget to write us, every once in a while." Matt smiled and kissed her lightly on the cheek before turning to Harry. He gave him the same bear hug, not noticing the tears in his eyes. When they broke apart, Harry looked into the eyes that mirrored his own.
"Did you pack the invisibility cloak and the marauder's map where your Mom couldn't find it?" Matt smiled and nodded, trying not to laugh at his mother's questioning look. "You'll do fine, son. Don't worry about being behind the other kids, you'll catch up quicker than anything."
Matt nodded and turned to the person it would be hardest to say good-bye to. He knelt down so that he was Jeremiah's height and looked into his chocolate-y eyes that were swimming with unfallen tears.
"I'm gonna miss you, Matt." A single tear fell and he reached out to Matt and held on as tightly as he possible could. Matt held him with the same strength and cried for the first time about leaving home.
What am I thinking? I can't leave Jeremiah! He's my best friend, and I'm his role model! How will he be without me? How can I go a day without him?
Jeremiah pulled his head away and forced a little smile. "Have fun, bro."
"I'll write you every week, I promise."
God, please watch over Jeremiah while I'm gone, and help us stay close even though I'll be away.
"'K."
Matt gave a final hug to everyone in his family before the whistle sounded. He bounded off and jumped over to get in the line of train boarders. As he ran, he turned back to wave once more at his family. Since he wasn't watching where he was going, his shoulder collided with someone in front of him.
"Oh, I'm sor-" His words caught in his throat as he saw the girl he had run into. She had medium-length, perfectly straight brown hair. Well, at least it was mainly a light brown, but along with the brown there were a hundred other different colors, ranging from dark to medium brown to blond to red to black. All the colors were completely natural, and made her hair shine in the morning sun. She was tall and slender, not taller than he was, and not incredibly shapely. But the curves she did have stood out sharply on her fine persona. Her neck was long and her arms and legs were unnaturally small. Her hands were thin, her fingers long. She wasn't pale, but she wasn't tan, either. A dark little dot birthmark was located on her cheek, right beside the dimple that formed as she smiled. All these things about her were interesting to Matt, but none so much as her eyes. He thought his eyes were green, but they were nothing compared to hers. The green depths of her eyes made her eyes seem to twinkle under her dark lashes, and he was delighted to see sparks of honey and hazel dancing around her pupil. Those same sparks resided in his eyes, but before now he had never seen any other person who had them. When she opened her mouth to speak, straight white teeth were revealed in addition to a very clean tongue. She was actually quite plain compared to other girls that Matt knew, but something about her gave him a funny feeling in his stomach.
"Oh it's all right." She smiled shyly. "I'm Charity Sullivan, by the way. I'm a First Year."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Matt Potter, first year, too."
Matt Potter didn't really have much experience with love, but that was the only word to describe the feeling he felt when he had heard Charity speak. He didn't know how, but he knew it that instant that he loved Charity Sullivan, a girl he had only just met.
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