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Disclaimer: Nice men, white coats, etc.

A/N: this story will probably be told mainly from Matt's point of view. I'll try not to make it all from his POV. I've also decided to make Luna a year older. I'll mention again that I have no clue as to where this is going; I just write what makes sense to me. Therefore, any author’s note that makes predictions as to what developments will take place in future chapters should be taken with a pinch of salt.


Chapter 4: Confrontations

July 6,1991

It was late at night by the time the Gangers and Robertsons arrived at Number 8 Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey. This year, owing to the fact that Hermione and Matt would be starting at Hogwarts in the fall, Candace and Clive had invited the Robertsons to stay with them for the summer. Theon could only get three weeks off, which he scheduled for the last three weeks of August, as Jenny would have to be back home and recovered from jetlag by August 20, when classes started.

The next day, Matt was woken early by the sound of "One" by Metallica being blasted directly into his ear. His eyes snapped open. "As much as I like that song, that's not exactly the most pleasant way to wake up." He groaned as he sat up. "What time is it?"

"It's half past six," replied Hermione.

"That makes it just after midnight my time!" Matt moaned as he rolled over to go back to sleep.

"Oh no you don't!" his cousin shouted as she pulled him out of bed by his foot. The muscular eleven-year-old stayed limp until she threatened to give him a swirlie if he didn't wake up.

"I'm up, I'm up!" He cried as he struggled to stand; she was still holding his foot. Finally he was able to pull his foot out of her grasp. He got dressed in a tight black T-shirt (He called it a 'muscle shirt,' everyone else but his dad simply called it too tight.) and a pair of black jeans. He was slightly shorter than average for his age, though very stout. Hermione, because of this, had taken to occasionally referring to him as Gimli.

Hermione was tall and willowy. Like him, she preferred to dress in black, only grudgingly wearing other colors, usually the pale blue of faded denim. Often, during the school year she would be found in her room cranking thrash metal out of her stereo while reading something by Heinlein, Clarke, Aasimov, or R. A. Salvatore. Other times she would be out tormenting her nemesis from down the street Dudley Dursley. She would walk up to him and call him any number of names, but her favorite was the Pig in the Wig, which went all the way back to when she was four and he had grabbed her copy of The Cat in the Hat. This invariably infuriated him, and he would chase her around for about ten minutes, or until the shooting pains in his chest and arm showed up. Though lately even that wasn't any fun, because he was finally beginning to figure out that he would never be able to catch her.

After breakfast they decided to take a walk through the neighborhood. As this was Matt's first trip to England, they were going spend the next few weeks sightseeing, but his mother wanted to get over the jetlag first. As they walked they talked about the upcoming World Bowl, leading to a discussion of his father's career as a linebacker with the St. Louis (football) Cardinals. Back when he played, his father had a reputation for being a punishing tackler from the middle linebacker position, going to two Pro Bowls. Sadly the 'Cardiac Cards' never went very far, aside from the 1975 and 1976 seasons.

They went on like that for a few minutes until from behind them came a voice dripping with contempt. "Well if it isn't the little freak. And she's got a boyfriend too!" they turned around, Matt couldn't see who had spoken at first, until what he had initially taken to be a decorative tree moved, revealing Dudley Dursley walking towards them. Dudley was dressed in a camouflage shirt and pants. Matt knew immediately that he did not want to look this boy in the eyes.

Hermione calmly responded, "He's my cousin you fat lu--"

"I knew your mom was from America, but that's just sick!" drawled Dudley, interrupting Hermione.

At this Matt sprang into action. Before Hermione could come up with a comeback, he charged Dudley, kicking him in the balls. "Don't you dare insult my family ever again, lardass!" he whispered coldly in Dudley's face. Unfortunately when he did this he accidentally made eye contact. He saw pain. Not the physical pain, though that was made plenty evident by the tears at the corners of his eyes. No, he saw a deeper, emotional pain, combined with a longing. Matt looked away as quickly as possible, but that instant of eye contact would haunt both boys for a while. "If I hear that you have been insulting my family again, I will do far worse than that. That's a promise."

As the large boy just lay there, clutching his groin, trying to draw breath, Hermione turned to Matt and hissed, "Why the bloody hell did you do that? The minute he gets home, he's going to tell his parents, and the Dursleys will be out for blood. He'll probably tell his dad that you attacked him unprovoked. Vernon Dursley does not listen to reason."

"I don't know what happened. I've never reacted to bullies before. Something about him, I don't know, made me think he needed a good thrashing to set him straight. I have a feeling we won't have to worry about him anymore. I can't explain it. You know how good I am at reading people, right?" She nodded. "Well, I can't really explain it, but I got the impression that no one had ever really stood up to him, he never had been put in his place. Then I made eye contact. I could see deep emotional pain in his soul, connected to a longing. After I broke eye contact, I could feel respect coming from him. Well, mainly it was fear, but underneath it was respect." He shivered, "I hope I never have to follow through on that promise. I made that promise to you, and I intend to keep it, if necessary."

Walked a little more, discussing music now. Matt spent a while trying to convince Hermione that Anthrax and Slayer were the best of the Big Four, while Hermione insisted that it was a toss up between Metallica and Megadeth. In the end they agreed that all four were awesome bands. By the time they returned to Number 8, Matt was regaling Hermione with a description of a CD he had received from Harry by a band called Pantera titled "Cowboys from Hell."

After lunch they settled in to play some Dungeons and Dragons, while listening to "Cowboys from Hell," along with "Seasons in the Abyss," by Slayer, "Peace Sells...But Who's Buying," by Megadeth, "Master of Puppets," by Metallica, and then trying to form a two person mosh pit while listening to "Among the Living," by Anthrax. Unfortunately this last endeavor failed when Mrs. Granger came upstairs complaining they were making to much noise.

The next several weeks were spent sightseeing. Matt liked the Tower of London and Big Ben in particular. Hermione tried to explain that Big Ben was just the bell, not the actual clock, but he zoned out at this.

\m/

July 31, 1991

Five days after the Hogwarts letters arrived, everyone at Number 8 was celebrating the arrival of Sirius, the Potters, and Mr. Robertson, who had been ably to get and extra week off. Today they were going to Diagon Ally for school supplies, and that night they were going to celebrate Harry's birthday.

The trip to Diagon Alley was rather uneventful, but once they got there it was a different story. The barman at the Leaky Cauldron, who looked like a toothless walnut, recognized James and Lily immediately. The Mr. Granger, Mr. Robertson, and Sirius were eventually able to fish the Potters out of the tangled throng of bodies and out the back door. By the time the crowd realized they were gone, the Potters had managed to blend in with the crowd in Diagon Alley.

After a stop at Gringotts--where instead of simply changing muggle money the Grangers and Robertsons decided to open vaults for their respective children while the Potters made a withdrawal for Harry--Jenny, Candace, and Lily decided to take care of books, James and Sirius Decided to get the general supplies, and Theon took the kids for robes.

There was one other person in the shop, a boy with pale blonde hair and a pale pointed face. As Madame Malkin Began fitting Harry, he turned to this boy and said, "Howdy, my name's Harry. So you're going to Hogwarts too, I see."

The boy was taken aback by Harry's accent and upfront manner, so he put on his most refined, disdainful appearance, and sneered, "Since when do Americans go to Hogwarts. Probably some ignorant mudblood aren't you?" Harry flinched at the sound of the word mudblood.

"No, my dad's from one of the oldest pureblood families in Britain, although my mother is muggleborn, if you really must know. They moved to the States shortly before I was born," replied Harry. Then added, "Thank God," muttering under his breath.

At this point the boy's gaze fell upon the other three people with Harry. "So what about them?" he asked with a sneer, nodding his head in their direction.

"My two best friends in the world, Matt Robertson and his cousin Hermione Granger, along with Matt's dad, Theon,” responded Harry, indicating each one as he said their name, carefully avoiding the fact that Matt and Hermione were muggleborn.

At this point Madame Malkin finished with the boy and sent him away. "Sorry about that guys, there are a lot of jerks like that in the Wizarding world. You just got to deal with them,” Harry explained with a sigh.

Thirty minutes later the three friends and their parents, were crammed into Ollivanders, after Harry got his wand, along with an uncomfortable history lesson, Hermione stepped up. Ollivander got it right on the second one: larch with dragon heartstring.

Then it was Matt's turn. When Ollivander looked into Matt's eyes he sprang back, and without even taking any measurements ran to the backroom. He came back out a minute later carrying a box with him. He took the wand out of the case and handed it to Matt. It was a perfect match.

"Pecan and phoenix tail feather. When I made it I honestly had no idea why. Every time I tried to scrap it, I couldn't. I've never made wand from pecan wood. It's just too temperamental; makes elder look quite docile. Though when they do work they make for fairly powerful, versatile wands. It just takes a unique individual to wield such a unique wand," gushed Mr. Ollivander.

Leaving the shop, they made their way back to the Granger house for the party. It was after midnight before they could convince Harry to go to bed.

The next day the three were walking down Privet Drive when they walked past a tall, bony woman with a ridiculously long neck, trimming the hedge in front of her house. She narrowed her eyes when she looked at Harry, but said nothing. Later when the trio retuned to Number 8, they told the adults about what happened.

"Mom, Dad, earlier today we saw Mrs. Dursely," The Potters perked up at this, "an she looked at Harry almost like she knew him."

Before the Grangers could answer, Lily asked, "What's Mrs. Dursely's first name?"

Candace Granger responded, "Petunia, why?"

"I believe Mrs. Dursely might be my sister," answered Lily. "Tell me, does she have a comically long neck and a face like Mr. Ed?"

Harry grinned at this accurate description and nodded.

"That's her,” she sighed. "It's probably best if you three tried to avoid her from now on."

\m/

The rest of the month passed relatively normally, with the older Potters and Mr. Robertson going sightseeing. Harry passed when given the option. Before they knew it, it was the first of September. The trip to Kings Cross was rather uneventful, but the traffic was very heavy, and they arrived at the barrier with only ten minutes to spare. A short, plump red haired woman was walking away from the barrier with her daughter when she noticed the Potters. She grabbed her daughter's hand tighter and gave James and Lily a friendly smile as she walked past.

Five minutes later they were all on the train looking for an empty compartment. The best they could find was one containing a girl with dirty blonde hair who was currently staring out the window.

"Mind if we join you?" asked Hermione. The girl turned around and immediately Matt got the feeling that she was a few pumpkins short of a pie, but in a good way. She was wearing a necklace made of butterbeer corks, earrings that looked like neon orange radishes, and had her wand tucked behind her ear. But it was her eyes that startled him most. They were a silvery blue, open wide, giving her a permanently startled expression. This was not what startled him. When they made eye contact he saw pain, fairly fresh, along with a pure honesty that he had rarely seen before in others, but to a degree he had never seen, giving him the sense that this girl could tell the truth, even if she did not consciously know it. This was not what startled him. No, what startled him the most was that when he looked into her eyes, he--for the first time in his life--experienced the sensation of having his soul laid bare. The surprise caused him to drop his trunk on his foot. The epithet that followed made everyone in the compartment blush, along with several seventh years in the compartment across the hall.

"Sorry about that,” he said to the girl's feet after calming down and putting his trunk up. "I just never expected to meet another soul reader. I was told they are very rare."

"I'm not a soul reader, at least I don't think I am,” she said. "That's never happened to me before." Her voice had a dreamy quality to it, as if she was only half paying attention to the world. "My name's Luna Lovegood, by the way."

It was Harry that spoke for them, "I'm Harry Potter,” Luna’s eyes seemed to widen even more, "this is Hermione Granger," indicating Hermione, "and my eloquent friend here is Matt Robertson. I've never seen him so open with someone he just met. Then again, I've never heard a string of cuss words quite like that one. I didn't even know 'motherhunching' was a word. His ability gives him serious trust issues, by the way," he cast a sidelong glance at Matt. "I think he likes you." Matt's face suddenly resembled an oddly shaped beet.

They were suddenly interrupted when the compartment door opened, followed by a drawling voice saying, "There's a rumor that James and Lily Potter were seen on the platform. This means The-Boy-Who-Lived must be on the train. Have any of you seen him?" Standing in the door was the boy from Madam Malkin's, only now he wasn't alone. He was flanked by two boys that Matt initially took for ogres, but he dismissed this thought, reminding themselves that ogres weren't that small, if these boys could even be called small.

Before anyone else could say anything, Luna piped up, "Yes, he's right there,” she said as she pointed at Harry.

The boy turned to look at the indicated boy. "You!" he sneered in surprised disgust. "I would have thought Harry Potter of all people would have been brought up with a sense of proper Wizarding pride. Instead I find him hanging out with a pair of mudbloods and a nutter of a blood traitor. Are you sure you want to be seen hang out with this filth?" as he finished his rant Matt and Hermione stood up forming a solid barrier between Harry and the boy. "Oh you're using the mudbloods as bodyguards are you? Bloody brave, that is. Looks like you'll be in Gryffindor for sure."

As he turned to leave Matt gripped his wrist in a viselike grip that came from a life as a farmhand. He locked gazes with the boy, noticing the same wounds on the boy's soul as were on the Dursely boy, only these would never heal. "Listen here you little queer, If I wanted to I could break every bone in your wrist right now, just for the way you insulted my friends and family, but I figured I'd give you a warning first," with that he twisted the boy's arm until a sickening pop was heard. "That should be a little easier to heal, but I doubt there are many on this train that know how to pop it back in. If you apologize to us, I'll pop it back, in, before any permanent damage is done. Oh, and tell your thugs to back off, because if the try to pull me off of you, there's a good chance your arm could get ripped off entirely. Your choice"

The large boys, which Matt had decided to think of as Stay-Puft and Michelin, looked at their 'master', who reluctantly nodded. "Now," he twisted the arm a little more, "the apology."

With a look of pure hatred, the boy looked at each one of them, saying, "I'm sorry I ever laid eyes on any of you." Without warning Matt popped the arm back into the socket, causing the boy to scream, which drowned out the Sickening pop of the ball going back into the socket.

"Whoops, looks I forgot to mention that it can hurt more going back in than coming out," Matt said, struggling to contain a sadistic grin. "Too late now."

You haven't heard the last of me!" the boy cried. "Crabbe, Goyle, lets go," with that they left, the pale boy still wincing.

Matt turned around, noting the sickened look on Harry and Hermione’s faces, and the look of mild curiosity on Luna's face. " I don't care what anybody says to us, just don't do anything like that in front of me, ever again," groaned Harry, while Hermione nodded fervently from his side.

After everyone sat back down Luna asked, "Where did you learn that?"

Matt shrugged, " My dad's a doctor in an Emergency Room. He taught me how to set a dislocated shoulder after a bull threw Harry's dad. I figured out how to do it in reverse after he taught me some basic anatomy."

After that they went into a discussion about the various houses. Luna told them she didn't really care, but hoped her housemates would be as nice as them.. Harry figured it would probably be either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor for him. Apparently his dad had almost been in Ravenclaw, and only his stubborn desire not to be the first Potter not to be in Gryffindor kept him out of it. His mother was almost in Ravenclaw as well.

They continued to talk and get to know each other until the train arrived at Hogsmeade. As they three exited the train with their new friend they each had a feeling that this would be an interesting year.

\m/

A/N: Another chapter down, and the quality seems to be going down. If it starts to get bad, tell me. Now, as for the choices I've been making in developing Matt, he has learned in the years since he learned he was a wizard to figure out how to shut out the sensations, allowing him to get the feel for someone, and then use the sensations that the other person feels to emphasize the point. He'll probably be on par with Hermione in terms of intelligence, but with only average power. And as for the violent streak he's showing, he is the kind of person who bottles it all up, resulting in the occasional explosion of anger.

Constructive criticism is welcome, flames are not. If any part confuses you tell me, I'll try to fix it.