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Re-Awakening by mysticdueler
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Re-Awakening

mysticdueler

A/N: Ooookay, I'm finally back! Here it is, the long awaited and greatly wanted update! I am soooooooooooo sorry about the long wait. I've been writing my ass off the past few days, and earlier I hardly had any time at all to write! As you can see, this chapter is a whopper, so that also took me some time. At over 10,000 words, it's the biggest thing I've written yet! I hope this'll satisfy you guys!

Disclaimer: Here we go again, time for everybody's favorite part of the story; the Disclaimer. Once again we find ourselves lacking in ownership of anything and everything. What a shame! Ah, but that's life! Now, on with the show!

Dumbledore's Debacle

Harry opened his eyes to look up at a crystal blue sky. A gentle breeze blew by, carrying with it the sounds and smells of the ocean. He could feel the sun's rays wash over him, and the cool sand beneath him. Harry sat up and looked, for a moment, out over the sea, peaceful and calm. He caught a sign of movement out of the corner of his eye and smiled before turning to his side. Leaning over, he planted a kiss on her cheek, to which she responded by smiling. "Harry . . ." she sighed, but was stopped when Harry captured her mouth in a kiss. Pulling back, Harry whispered into her ear,

"I love you, Hermione." Hermione began giggling, then jumped up.

"Tag, your it!" And with a quick peck on the lips, she was off. Harry was still for a moment, half in a daze and half lost in admiring Hermione. He was soon brought back to reality by the sound of Hermione's laughter, and quickly gave chase. While she had had a decent head start, Harry was slowly catching up. Hermione began to climb a sloping hill that led to a cliff overlooking the sea. Harry caught up with Hermione to find her staring out at the sea.

"I've got you now! Nowhere to go!" Harry cried gleefully. Hermione spun around, a huge smile lighting her face, her hair whipping behind her in her wake, shinning as it caught the sun's rays. For a brief moment, the scene stretched before Harry; Hermione, happy and smiling, the sun's golden rays casting a golden aura around her, seemingly frozen in time. Then, her smile disappeared, replaced by a gape of horror. Her arms began to cartwheel as her momentum continued to carry her; her foot slipped on the dewy grass and she fell, vanishing over the edge of the cliff. "Hermione!" Harry shouted, running to where she had just stood, barely stopping in time to prevent himself from following her over.

Looking tentatively over the cliff, Harry's heart stopped and his blood ran cold; Hermione had fallen and been impaled on the sharp rocks at the bottom. Darkness began to cloud Harry's vision, and soon he was surrounded by it. All the noises of the sea disappeared, and Harry found himself on his hands and knees, completely alone. Suddenly, he heard the resounding sounds of footsteps, and off in the distance a figure appeared; a woman walking with her back to him, her long, brown bushy hair bouncing with each step.

"Hermione!" Harry began running towards her, but she didn't respond, let alone give any signs of recognition, just continuing to walk on. "Hermione!" Harry had almost reached her; his arm was raised, poised to grab her shoulder, her name once more on his lips. He opened his mouth and drew in breath, but his call was silenced, caught in his throat as Hermione spun around and faced him.

Hermione had a huge, gaping hole in her stomach from where she had been impaled, and Harry could see inside to her organs; part of her intestines were hanging out, and blood was seeping everywhere. She had trails of blood pooling out her mouth, and her skull was cracked over her forehead, revealing a sliver of brains. But the worst part were her eyes; they were a grayish-white, without pupil or iris, and were staring up at Harry, incessantly and unblinking. From deep within the cavity of her chest, she drew a raspy, bubbly breath, then said in a voice incredibly gravely and coarse, "Harry, you killed me . . . now you must suffer . . . now you will pay . . ."

Harry began backing away in terror, but bumped into something solid not more than three steps away. Spinning rapidly in place, Harry let out a cry of fright, then covered his mouth to keep the bile down. Before him stood Sirius Black. Or, what was left of him. He was little more than a skeleton, with bits of flesh strung from rotten bone to rotten bone. His lower jaw grinned eerily its starch white smile, while the skin on his skull was stretched tight. Sirius' long black hair fell forward, hiding his face from view. Sirius stretched up to his full height, lifting back his head to reveal a small black hole where his nose had been, and the same soul-less eyes white eyes Hermione had.

Sirius' voice echoed out of the darkness, harsh and accusing. "Harry, how could you . . . you killed us! You killed us! It's all your fault; you're to blame." Sirius lifted his arm and pointed a rotted finger at Harry. "You are to blame, and you must pay!"

Harry stepped back, away from the accusing finger, but to no avail; Hermione and Sirius were closing in on him, drawing nearer and nearer, closer and closer. Harry turned and broke into a mad run. Looking over his shoulder, Harry briefly saw them, still following, before he tripped over something massive and was sent flying into the ground. Harry scrambled to his feet and turned to see what had waylaid him. The site before him made him sink weakly to his knees.

Sprawled on the ground on his side, lying exactly as he had fallen at Privet Drive was Vernon Dursley. His skin was pale and he appeared more bloated than usual, but he was unmistakably dead. "No . . . no . . ." At the sound of Harry's voice, Vernon's eyes snapped open, revealing the ghastly deadened white eyes. Vernon's arm shot out, grabbing Harry by the throat with a cold hand, choking him. The trademark vein was pulsing on Vernon's forehead, beating faster and faster and pulsing bigger each time. Suddenly, the skin burst open, revealing, not blood, but a giant maggot. Soon Vernon's skin was pulsing and crawling with hundreds of large maggots. Harry somehow managed to break free of his uncle's grasp, and crawled backwards, clutching his neck as if he had been burned.

"Freak, you did this to me! Because of you I'm dead. If you were a normal child I would still be alive. It's all your fault, Freak!" Vernon said as he slowly climbed to his feet. As Vernon began to advance on him, Harry turned, flung himself up, and ran as fast as his shaky legs would carry him, ran for dear life. From out of the surrounding darkness, their voices rose, echoing around Harry.

"How could you do this to us?"

"You are to blame."

"Your abnormality killed us all!"

"We trusted you."

"Your hands are soiled."

"You're worthless, pathetic, and weak! If you couldn't even manage to protect us, how can you possibly save yourself, mutt?"

"No! No! Leave me alone!" Harry cried out, putting his hands over his ears. He stumbled, then fell. "I'm sorry . . . I'm so sorry . . . I didn't mean to . . . I didn't mean for it to happen . . ."

As one, Hermione, Sirius, and Vernon spoke, "You have killed, Harry Potter. You have killed, and you will kill again. Justice must be served; you must pay for your sins!" Harry lifted his head to find all three of them standing, surrounding him. They began to reach for him, attempting to grab him. Harry leapt to his feet and tried to get away, but Sirius had already grabbed his right wrist. Hermione soon had his left wrist; both grips were hard and cold. As Vernon drew closer and closer, Harry struggled harder to break free, with little avail. "Help me! Someone help me! No! NO! NOOOO!"

*****

Hermione opened her eyes, shaken awake from the world of sleep. She had heard a noise, loud and nearby, but wasn't sure what it had been. It was a shuffling sound, as if there was something crawling around inside her bedroom wall. `Wait, my bedroom? How'd I get here?' Hermione asked as she sat up, rubbing the last vestiges of sleep from her eyes. Judging by the sounds of the birds outside, day was just beginning to break. Hermione glanced at her clock to find it was just after five. `The last thing I remember was crawling in to bed next to Harry . . .' As she realized the implications that had, she blushed slightly, a blush that quickly faded as she remembered the events that led to their mutual exhaustion. She sniffed and fought back her tears. `No, I must be strong. Harry needs me to be strong, for him.'

Then, she heard it again; the same rustling, scraping sound on the other side of her wall, a little louder this time. Putting her ear against the wall, Hermione heard a faint mumbling sound, as well as the same rustling sound. All of a sudden, there was a loud, bump, and Hermione heard the mumbles increase, crescendo-ing in a loud spoken "No!" Hermione realized it was coming from the guest room next to hers, where Harry was staying. `Harry must be having a nightmare. Oh, why do bad things always have to happen to him? I'd better go and check on him, and make sure he's all right.'

Hermione's hand had barely touched her doorknob when an explosion of sound came from Harry's room. "NOOO! NOOOOO! HELP! HELP ME! NOOOOO!" Harry was bellowing out at the top of his lungs, and sounded as if he were scared to death. Hermione threw open her door, turned, and ran into Harry's room. Harry was thrashing violently, his screams louder now that she was in the room with him. She immediately ran to his bed and grabbed his arms to stop his thrashing.

"Harry! Harry, wake up! It's me, Hermione. Please, wake up!" As she spoke, she started shaking him slightly, then more firmly when he wasn't responding. Harry seized up, arresting all motion. His eyes shot open; he sat up, and began to scream even louder.

"AHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Hermione drew back slightly, startled at Harry's loud outburst. She had just collected herself and was about to rush in and calm him when Harry closed his mouth, looking pale and sick. Harry covered his mouth with his hand, then scrambled out of his bed and ran for the door. He was moving too fast to correct himself, so he ran into the wall in the hallway before turning and dashing to the bathroom. Hermione followed in time to hear retching and a sickening splash. She stopped at the door, looking in to find Harry crouched over the toilet, heaving once more.

"Harry, are you all right?" Hermione asked as she walked towards him, resting her hand on his back. As soon as she touched him, Harry sprang backwards, landing on his back.

"NOO! DON'T TOUCH ME! LET ME GO!" Harry jumped up and tried to run past Hermione and out into the hall. Unfortunately, he was fairly weak and shaking slightly, and his foot caught the edge of a rug, causing him to fall painfully to the floor. Harry brought his arms up to protect his head, and curled into a ball.

"Harry, it's me, Hermione! Please, calm down. I won't hurt you, I promise."

"No! You - you said - you said I had to die!" Harry's voice was shaking, but not nearly as much as he was.

"Harry, it was just a nightmare. It wasn't real. I would never hurt you." She knelt down in front of him, but not so close as to make him feel threatened. While she wanted nothing more than to hold him and comfort him, Hermione realized that doing so was not be the best thing in this situation, and would only aggravate Harry further.

Slowly, Harry lowered his arms, revealing a scared, tear-stained face. As soon as she saw him, Hermione's heart seemed to immediately shatter into tiny pieces. "A-a d-dream. I - it w-wasn't real?" Harry asked shakily.

"No, Harry. It wasn't real."

"H-Hermione? Is that r-really you?" Harry asked, still shaking slightly. Hermione found she could only nod, her throat too tight for words. She lifted her arms up, holding them out to Harry, who rushed into them and began sobbing on her shoulder.

"Shhhh, shh. It's all right Harry. It's all right." Hermione was rocking slightly, gently rubbing Harry's back in comforting circles. Hermione heard a soft ruffling sound behind her, and as she turned her head around to look she saw her parents standing by the door, both wearing bathrobes and expressions of extreme worry.

"Hermione, what's wrong? What happened to Harry?" Robert asked, stepping into the bathroom. Immediately, Harry froze up and became silent. He began to shake again, this time from obvious fear. Harry slowly turned himself to face Robert and Helen, and then fell to his hands and knees in front of them, as if bowing or begging.

"S-s-s-sir, p-p-please forgive me. I-I-I - I d-didn't mean to w-wake you up. I'm s-sorry. P-p-please, d-don't hurt me." All through his stammering, Harry hadn't moved or looked up; when he finished, he brought his eyes up and met Robert's gaze for the briefest of seconds, before he looked back down again, shaking once more.

For a moment, Robert couldn't find anything to say. Shaking his head weakly to clear his thoughts, Robert said, "Harry, son, it's alright. I'm not angry with you, not at all. Actually, I'd say it was rather time for us to get up, anyway, so there was no harm done." At this he smiled gently, attempting to make Harry feel better. Harry looked up slowly, still shaking, and met Robert's eyes again. "Honest, Harry. I'm not mad, just worried. About you."

Helen moved and knelt before Harry, taking his hands in her own. "We all are. After reading your letter, we . . . well, let's just say it was a very emotional time. You gave us quite a fright when you passed out down there. Robert carried you upstairs, and I was just about to call the hospital when you woke up." Helen paused, trying to rid herself of the memories. "Let me assure you, Harry, that while you're here, nothing bad will happen to you. You're safe here."

Harry looked from Helen, to Robert, and then, turning, he looked at Hermione. Lowering his gaze, Harry softly said, "I'm sorry. Sorry for waking you up, sorry for worrying you all, but most of all, I'm sorry for being such a burden, for imposing on you like this. You - you've all been so kind to me, someone you hardly even know, and I've done nothing in return but cause you trouble."

Hermione sighed, and then said, "Harry, I already told you, we don't mind having you, it's no trouble at all. And if you were to leave, then I'd follow you to make sure you stayed out of trouble, which would be even more of a bother than having you stay here. So, don't worry about it, okay?" Harry nodded, then sniffed.

"Thank you," he whispered. Hermione smiled kindly at him, then rose to her feet slowly, helping a weak, shaking Harry to his.

"Harry, why don't we get you back in bed, so you can lie down and rest. This is hardly the best place for a nap." Robert suggested, his tone oddly devoid of any humor, as he took hold of Harry's other arm. With Hermione and Roberts' help, they managed to get Harry down the hallway and back into his bed. "Hermione, sweetheart, why don't you go get Harry something to drink, as well as a wet washcloth? Thanks." After Hermione left, shooting one last furtive glance at Harry, Robert turned and looked at Harry, and let out a soft sigh.

"Harry, I hate to have to do this, but I want you to tell me what was in your nightmare. I can easily see it shook you up pretty badly, and I know personally that holding something like that in isn't good for you. You need to talk about it, otherwise it will eat away at you from the inside, getting worse and worse." Harry was looking reluctant and slightly afraid. Placing a hand on Harry's shoulder, Robert said, "It's okay, Harry. I know what you're going through. I've gone through it myself." Harry's eyes widened.

"You - you mean, you were . . ."

"Yes, Harry. I was abused growing up, too. It wasn't quite as bad as what you've gone through, granted, but it was abuse nonetheless. I want to help you, Harry. I refuse to let you suffer through this as I did. And if I can overcome my past, you can overcome yours." Harry was unable to speak, the words he needed were beyond him. Robert smiled a little and said, "You're welcome, Harry. It's the least I can do." His demeanor turned serious, his smile disappearing. "Alright, Harry. Now comes the difficult part; tell me about your nightmare. Wait, hold on a tic." Robert stood up and walked over to the door, closing it softly. "I believe this will be easier on you if you are not distracted or disturbed. So, go ahead." As Robert sat down in the desk chair, Harry took a deep breath and began to speak.

KNOCK! KNOCK! "Harry, Daddy? I've got the water and washcloth. Can I come in?" Robert looked at Harry.

"It's your call, Harry."

"Y-yeah. Come in, Hermione." Hermione came over and handed the glass over to Harry and set the moist washcloth down nearby. Harry took a deep drink of water, smiled at Hermione with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, and said, "Thanks." Hermione sat down next to Harry on the bed and squeezed his hand.

"Hermione, why don't you go and help your mother with breakfast? I need to have a private talk with Harry for a while." Hermione rose from the bed, looking somewhat reluctant to go. She began walking toward the door, but was stopped when Harry refused to release her hand.

"Sir, please, I - I want Hermione to stay. I - she needs to hear this too, and it saves me the trouble of telling it twice." Harry looked at Robert, who nodded his head. Once Hermione had seated herself next to Harry again, he took a deep breath. "It's - it's about my nightmare," he said to Hermione. "It - it was terrible." He began to shudder again. Hermione once again held his hand for comfort and support.

"Why don't you start at the beginning, Harry. It might be easiest to start there and work straight through this than skipping around," Robert suggested. Harry nodded, and then closed his eyes, attempting to recall all the details, readying himself to plunge back in.

"It begins on a beach. It's peaceful, relaxing . . ." And so, Harry told Hermione and Robert about his nightmare, sparing no detail (except the opening scene with Hermione on the beach; he wasn't sure if he would be able to explain that). When he had finished, Harry felt completely drained, exhausted. And yet, at the same time, he felt lighter somehow, as if something that had been constricted around his chest, squeezing the life out of him, had disappeared. He lifted his eyes from the spot he had been staring at and brought his gaze to bear first on Hermione, then on Robert. Hermione looked stricken and on the verge of tears, while Robert was looking at Harry with a relatively blank face.

"Harry, first off I want to thank you for telling us this, for showing us the strength to go through it. If before I had had any doubts about your strength or character, this act here has completely blown any away. I know for sure that you are a strong enough person to get past this ordeal." Robert smiled slightly and nodded at Harry. "Yes, you'll make it through, all right. Just as long as you continue to accept help when you need it. Don't forget that you're not alone in this, here."

"Thank you . . . Robert." At this, Harry broke into the smallest of grins.

"H-Harry? Are you sure you're all right?" Hermione asked. Harry turned his head to look into her eyes, and saw the concern staring back; mixed with something else he couldn't quite place. He breathed deep, and closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them again.

"Honestly, Hermione, I don't know. I'm still scared; I'm still frightened; I still don't know what to do. But, your father was right; me keeping it bottled up wasn't good. I feel scared, exhausted, and confused, yet I feel lighter somehow. It's as if I can breathe easier." Harry turned to face Robert. "Thank you. I - I don't know what I can do to repay you for all you've done. I still can't believe you - all of you - are willing to just set aside what you are doing to help someone like me, who doesn't deserve it."

"Harry, if you really want to repay me, stop demeaning yourself; you are not always the source of the problem. More often than not, you are the solution." Harry was looking doubtful, and it was clear he was about to say something in protest. "Look at it this way," Robert cut in, "you say you are indebted to me. I am merely working on your behalf. Following logic, you are indebted to yourself. You don't need to pay me back; you need to make it up to yourself. Do so by having fun, relaxing, and learning to let go. It'll do you good."

At that moment, Helen stuck her head into the room. "Oh, there everybody is! Just to let you three know; breakfast is ready, and waiting. So, come on down before it gets cold!"

As they all rose to their feet, Robert looked unblinkingly at Harry. "Remember, Harry, have fun, relax, and let go." Robert then crossed the room and was soon walking down the stairs with Helen, arm in arm. Harry felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to find Hermione looking up at him.

"Ready, Harry?"

Harry looked at Hermione before answering, "Yeah . . . yeah, I'm - I'm ready." And so they set off down the stairs, Hermione wrapping her arm around Harry's.

*****

Breakfast was a quiet affair; some small talk was made, but Harry didn't take part. He still felt strange, sitting at the table eating with the Grangers; eating a meal he hadn't made. He kept glancing up from his plate to stare timidly at Helen, Robert, or Hermione, depending on who was doing what. Overall, Harry felt uncomfortable, in part because the experience of being a part of a family breakfast was still new to him, and in part because it felt, for a lack of a better description, right. He felt as if he belonged there, as if he had always belonged, though he couldn't understand why. `I don't belong here, I don't belong anywhere. I'm an outcast, a misfit.'

`Then why does it feel so right?' echoed a voice in the back of Harry's mind. Harry started; it was the same voice that had helped keep him sane during his first week at the Dursleys.

`They're a happy family, something I never had. Not that I ever deserved it.'

`Now now, Harry, none of that. But what about the Weasleys? Aren't they a happy family?'

`Yeah, I suppose.'

`Then why have you never felt this relaxed, this at home with them?' Harry didn't have a response to this. `Is it perhaps because it's Hermione's family?' Before Harry was able to respond, Hermione's voice snapped him back to reality.

"Harry, are you okay? You've been awfully quiet, and you've hardly eaten anything. You're starting to worry me again." Harry looked up at Hermione from his plate.

"I don't belong here," Harry said softly, little more than a sigh. "You were already happy; you have a nice house, happy lives, and each other. Then here I come along and drop all my problems on you, disrupting your perfect lives and being a burden." Hermione sighed as she set her silverware aside. She stood up, walked over to Harry, and knelt down in front of him, gently grabbing hold of his hand in hers.

"Harry, you do belong here. If not here, then what better place? And don't even think about saying the Dursleys." Hermione had on her patented stern face as she said this, which then softened before she continued. "Listen, Harry, while it may be true that we do have good, happy lives, having you here doesn't detract from it; it can only improve things." Harry looked up at her. "Actually, you're one of the first friends I've had stay over in a long, long time." Hermione smiled as she stood up. "So, go ahead and eat up, and afterwards we can go and see Hedwig. In all the excitement last night, I don't think you ever had a chance to see her."

Harry, realizing Hermione was right, began to eat in earnest instead of just picking at his food. As he was finishing, Helen took the perfect opportunity to properly nourish Harry. "That's a good idea, but nobody is to leave this table until Harry here has a second helping." She looked sternly at Harry, who saw immediately where Hermione got her no-nonsense looks.

"Yes, ma'am," said Harry as he sat back down and grabbed another waffle. Five minutes later, Harry jumped up and ran his dishes to the sink, and was just reaching for the faucet out of habit when someone put their hand over his, stopping him.

"Harry, you don't have to do those." It was Hermione. "Mum, Dad, will you take care of the dishes, please?" Helen looked at Robert before they both nodded at the two teens. "Come on, let's go and check in on Hedwig." With that, Hermione led Harry to the downstairs study, still holding Harry's hand. As they walked in, Hermione felt Harry's hold on her hand tighten, and turned to face him, finding solitary tears making their way down his face.

"H-Hedwig . . . you're alive . . . she's alive!" Harry turned and hugged Hermione fiercely, an odd combination of laughter and sobs escaping from him. When Harry paused to sniff and wipe his nose, Hermione took the opportunity to stand back and ask,

"Harry, are you feeling all right? What's the matter?" Harry certainly was an odd sight; he was sobbing, yet the corners of his mouth were pulled back in an unmistakable smile and weak chuckles were trying to escape between the sobs. The result pulled his features back into a sort of fierce grimace, which looked somewhat painful.

"S-she's alive! Hedwig's alive!" was the extent of Harry's answer. He was staring at Hedwig as if he had never seen her before, or as if she were some rare and near-extinct magical species. Harry began to walk over to the desk she was perched over, but was walking so shaky and unsteadily that Hermione had to support most of his weight. As soon as Harry reached the desk, he sank down into a chair right in front of Hedwig, who hooted cheerfully back at him in greeting.

Hedwig was sitting on a simple T-shaped perch, her left wing wrapped in bandages. Her feathers looked slightly disheveled, but other than that she seemed perfectly fine and happy. Harry reached out tenderly and pet Hedwig, who, in response, hooted gaily again.

"Hedwig, you're alive. But how? I thought for sure . . ." Harry was gazing raptly at Hedwig, almost completely oblivious to Hermione's presence.

"Harry, what do you mean? What happened to Hedwig?" Hermione asked, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry started slightly at the contact, having momentarily forgotten Hermione was there sitting next to him.

"Hermione . . . who - what - how did Hedwig get here?"

"I believe I can answer that, Harry." It was Helen, who was standing with Robert just behind her near the doorway. They both walked forward and sat in chairs next to Harry, forming a sort of half-circle around him with Hermione. "It was about an hour or two after you and Hermione had gone off to the park yesterday when there was a knock at the door . . ."

----- Flashback -----

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! `I wonder who that is? Surely Harry and Hermione aren't back from the park yet?' Helen thought as she walked to answer the door. Opening it, she found a man that looked to be in his mid-twenties, whom had long blond hair tied in a ponytail and a thin goatee. "Hello?"

"Good afternoon. This would'na happen to be the Grangers', would it?"

"Yes, I'm Helen Granger. What can I do for you?"

"Well, it's just that I got a owl `ere with a letter for a `Hermine' Granger." As he spoke he held up a small cage in one hand and a letter in the other, neither of which Helen had noticed before.

"Yes, that would be my daughter; and it's `Hermione'," Helen said, pronouncing the name correctly. Then, she took a closer look at the cage and the owl inside, a snowy white, very familiar-looking owl. "Hedwig! My goodness, what's happened to you?"

"S'far as we could tell," began the man, "well, `we' bein' meself and my other friends at the clinic, she was shot at, but most of the damage resulted from the fall. See here?" he indicated Hedwig's bandaged wing. "Broken. I was actually the one `at found `er. Saw her fallin', probably from `bout fifty meter up. She wen' down, and I was scramblin' to get to `er."

"That's terrible! How did she survive?"

"Well, I don't know `bout this for certain, but I could've sworn I saw her slow down just before I lost sight of `er. When I found `er, her wing was snapped back at a nasty angle, and she was out cold." He paused and shook his head as if deep in thought.

"Oh, my! How did you know to bring her here to us, let alone find where we live?"

"Well, after I scooped her up, gentle-like of course, and brought her to the animal clinic where I work, we went straight away and patched her up, nice and good. We didn't know who's she was (`ere weren't any identification tags on `er); all we `ad to work with was this `ere letter, which we can't seem to get open." He held up the letter, on which was hastily scribbled , `Hermione Granger.' "Took us a week t' find you. Luckily I've family out here I was plannin' on visitin'. Otherwise you would've `ad to drive clear out to Surrey! Anyway, `ere you go." He handed Helen the letter and cage. "'Ere's your owl and letter. Take core of `er and try and keep `er still as possible. She should be out flyin' `gain in `bout a week or two." Then, the man turned and walked away.

----- End Flashback -----

"Harry?" Hermione asked, "What happened to Hedwig? Did you see who shot her?" As Harry looked at her with a dark face, Hermione already had her answer.

"It was Vernon. I had just sent Hedwig off when they discovered me. I was helpless to stop them. All I can remember is watching Hedwig fall, tumbling out of the sky . . ." Harry closed his eyes and pushed the palms of his hands against them, trying to stop the flow of images. Hermione leaned over and wrapped a protective arm around him.

"Harry," Robert spoke up, "is that why you never responded to any of Hermione's letters? She was growing quite concerned and, frankly, a little annoyed at the fact that you weren't answering." Harry dropped his arms back to his sides and looked first at Robert, then at Hermione.

"Gods, Hermione, I'm so sorry for worrying you like that. Yes, that is the reason why I didn't respond; I couldn't. Actually," Harry paused, taking a deep breath, "I never even got to read my letters in the first place. Vernon would always destroy them."

"You never read any of my letters?" Hermione asked, her voice laced with anxiety. `Oh, now I feel even worse for sending that Howler! Harry doesn't even know why . . . Oh, Merlin! I'll have to tell him in person! How? When?'

"No, Hermione. And I'm sorry about the first note you received. But that wasn't from me; it was Vernon. It was the most he would accept. When I got your Howler, I felt weak . . . I knew I couldn't lose you like that, not to Vernon. So, I wrote you, trying to explain, but I failed. I thought I had lost my last friend . . ."

"Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry! I never should have sent that Howler! I let my emotions get the better of me, something I never do, and I just lost it!" Hermione was looking stricken, and her voice kept rising as she rambled on and on. Harry found himself being squeezed tighter and tighter. Panic started to run through him. Whenever someone rambled like that, it usually meant trouble for Harry, and the increasing pressure around his shoulders wasn't helping things. He began to breath faster, his eyes glazing over. Robert noticed, and realizing what was happening, jumped in before things could get worse.

"Hermione, honey," Robert said, placing his hand on her shoulder, "relax. What's done is done, for better or worse. All we can do is set the past aside and try and move on." Robert then focused on Harry, who's breathing was becoming more and more shallow. "Harry," he said gently, kindly. "Harry, relax. Breathe deeply now." Hermione looked over at what she had unwittingly done to Harry.

"Harry! Oh, Harry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She reached with her other hand to grab a hold of his in an attempt to comfort him, but the increased contact only served to further aggravate Harry.

"Hermione! Let go of Harry, now! Back off and give him some space!" snapped Robert, and Hermione, too surprised at the moment, obeyed without hesitation. They all scooted back, giving Harry about three feet of space. Harry was still breathing rapidly, though, and appeared to be getting paler. "Harry. Harry, listen to me. Listen to the sound of my voice." Robert was looking Harry dead in the eye, barely blinking. "You need to relax, control your breathing. You are having a panic attack. Focus on your breathing; make it even; longer. Longer . . . longer. Slower. Relax all your muscles and focus solely on breathing." As Robert continued to coax Harry in gentle tones, Harry became less pale and his breathing began to slow, bit by bit. Suddenly, there was a bright burst of flames in the air behind the Grangers. Harry's eyes widened, he let out a strangled, choked yell, and promptly passed out.

*****

Harry opened his eyes, staring up at the ceiling, wondering where he was, how he got there, and what had woken him up. The first question was answered easily as he sat up and looked around. Harry was lying on the sofa in the Grangers' living room. His last question was answered as an explosion of noise erupted from just around the corner. Harry was scared, for it was the sound of people yelling (angrily at that). Harry began wondering what he had done to make the Grangers sound so upset. Harry tentatively stood up and began walking slowly toward the shouting voices of Robert and Helen, thinking it best to face his punishments here and now before it could only get worse. Harry's foot caught on the edge of a large throw rug, causing him to stumble and pitch forward. Harry reached wildly at a nearby table in an attempt at stopping his fall, realizing too late that he had grabbed a miniature tablecloth instead. As he landed with a loud THUMP followed by an even louder CRASH caused by the metal fruit bowl that had sat on the table, the shouting voices stopped.

Harry heard heavy, rushed footsteps and knew he was in major trouble. Before he had time to pick either himself or the fruit bowl up off the floor, Hermione was kneeling by his side. "Harry! Are you all right? What happened? Thank Merlin you're awake; I was so worried!" She said all this in one breath while, at the same time, managing to help lift Harry to his feet.

"I'm sorry about the bowl. I didn't mean to disturb you. Please don't be angry with me, I didn't mean to." Harry looked past Hermione to Helen and Robert as he said this, looking pleadingly into their eyes.

"Harry, it's okay, it was just an empty fruit bowl. Why would we be angry with you?" asked Helen, a somewhat confused look on her face as she stooped down to pick the bowl off the floor.

"You - you were shouting, yelling. You were angry. I-I'm sorry for whatever I did wrong. I'm ready for my p-punishment." Understanding flashed across Robert's face. He quickly walked over and sat in a chair close to Harry.

"Harry, we aren't angry with you." Robert said as soon as he met Harry's eye. "We weren't shouting at you, or even about you." Harry was starting to look confused. "We were yelling at dear old Dumbledore." Harry could almost feel the annoyance and irritation in Robert's voice.

"D-Dumbledore? He's here?" Then Harry remembered the burst of flames right before he had passed out. "Fawkes . . . it was Dumbledore." Harry's face darkened, anger beginning to appear. "What does he want?" Harry asked harshly.

"I am here, Harry, to begin your training, as I promised." Everyone turned and looked over by the doorframe. Standing there was Albus Dumbledore, dressed this time in one of his most magnificent blue robes. "And to apologize for the scare I seem to have given you just now. That was bad timing on may part, as Mr. and Mrs. Granger have so kindly informed me." Dumbledore's eyes once again held their blue twinkle, something that was beginning to irritate Harry suddenly. Dumbledore looked from Harry to the Grangers, the twinkling disappearing at the hostility he found. "Truly, I am sorry, Harry. Had I known, I would have Apparated out in the front first."

"And just what gives you the right to come barging in to my home uninvited?" Robert's voice was laced with anger and it carried a challenging tone. "I don't know about you wizards, but here in our world we have laws against that. Ever hear of breaking and entering, or trespassing?"

Dumbledore's face was one of shock and surprise. No one had ever before stood up to him in such a manner, and yet here was this Muggle man, who was virtually powerless against him, all but threatening him. Dumbledore made his face blank before he spoke. "Mr. Granger, as you very well know, I am the Headmaster at Hogwarts, your daughter's school. As you may not be aware of, I am also a member of the International Confederation of Wizards, the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and I possess - "

"I don't give a damn about your name or title or rank! What I care about is how you entered my house, unknown and uninvited! I have half a mind to call the police and arrest you, but I realize that would never work. I'm sure the great Albus Dumbledore would never allow himself to be apprehended by mere Muggles, now would he?" Robert was nearly shouting again, his voice filled with biting sarcasm. This time Dumbledore was completely taken aback.

"Mr. Granger, I am terribly sorry. You are quite right. Being a wizard, you sometimes tend to forget things, especially when you are as old as I am. I promise that from now on, I will never again Apparate directly inside your home, unless it is an extreme emergency." Robert glared at Dumbledore, then nodded tersely. "If you would prefer, I can leave and come back at a better time, perhaps?" Dumbledore added.

"Oh, no! We're not through with you yet, Headmaster!" Robert snapped as he sprang up and stepped to block Dumbledore from leaving the room.

"My husband is right; you've got quite a bit of explaining to do concerning Harry here!" Helen's voice was soft, yet carried more danger in it than Robert's loud ranting had. "How can you justify sending Harry to live with those abominable people?"

Without even pausing or skipping a beat, Dumbledore responded, "It was for Harry's protection."

"His WHAT?!" shrieked Hermione. "You mean to tell me," Hermione began, her voice shaking, her eyes flashing, "that your idea of PROTECTING Harry was to stick him with monsters who TREAT HIM LIKE CRAP AND NEARLY KILLED HIM!!!" Hermione had stood up to her full height, which, although not exceedingly tall, was effective non-the-less. Her fists were clenched tight, and she was shaking all over in anger. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione saw Harry cringe in obvious fear. She managed to calm herself enough to grab Harry's letter off the coffee table, walk over to Dumbledore, and thrust it roughly into his chest. "Read!" she growled out, before turning and tending to Harry.

Dumbledore carefully spread out the letter, and looked at each of the Grangers in turn before looking down his nose at the letter. By this point, Hermione had managed to console Harry, and they watched together as Dumbledore read through the details of his ordeal. As Dumbledore first began, his eyebrows scrunched together and fire appeared to blaze in his eyes. About halfway through reading, Dumbledore's face suddenly paled, and his hands began to shake. He deftly sat down in the chair Robert had abandoned. When he finished, Dumbledore's arms dropped to his sides, limp, and he looked at Harry with sorrowful eyes. "Harry," he croaked out, "I'm so terribly sorry . . . I had no idea . . ."

"And whose BLOODY FAULT WAS THAT?!" yelled Hermione. Dumbledore cringed, then sighed.

"That would be my fault, Hermione." Hermione let out an indignant snort at Dumbledore's response. "I should not have allowed myself to have gotten so wrapped up with the Ministry and Voldemort. However, I thought that the Order's talk with the Dursleys would have kept things smoother."

"Wait, that was your idea?" asked Harry, finally finding his voice. Dumbledore looked at Harry and nodded slowly. "Well, great fucking load of good that did! Real smart, there, Dumbledore! Threatening my uncle certainly worked out nicely!"

"Hold on a moment," interrupted Robert. "You threatened Vernon Dursley back at King's Cross Station?"

"Yeah, he did," answered Harry. "Tried to have ol' `Mad-Eye' Moody and the rest of the Order intimidate Vernon." Robert's eyes flashed as he stared at Dumbledore.

"You fool. The worse thing you could have possibly done was use a show of force to try and intimidate that man. What were you thinking? People like him don't react well to those kinds of threats, and will lash out violently as a last-ditch attempt. Basically, you pushed Vernon to this. This is your doing, Headmaster."

Dumbledore looked down at the floor. "It is . . . I am to blame for all of this." He lifted his head and looked pleadingly at Harry. "Harry . . . Harry, please tell me - what must I do to make this up to you, to regain your trust?" Harry simply glared at Dumbledore, saying nothing. "Please, Harry? I know I made a terribly mistake, and that it will take time, but - "

"You're damn right you did!" exploded Robert. "You should be thankful Harry is even talking to you, let alone looking you in the eye!"

"Please, Robert, that's enough." Robert's eyes widened in surprise. "Dumbledore, once again you have made a mistake when it comes to me and my so-called welfare," Harry continued. "Fortunately for you, I have need of your services in training me, or I doubt I'd be talking to you right now." For a brief second, Dumbledore looked as if he had been slapped, but quickly recovered. "Listen closely, old man. If you want to make things up to me, you can start by not holding back anymore. No more secrets. No more lies. I've had it. When I ask you something, I want an answer, got it?" Dumbledore nodded immediately. "I really don't want to have to be angry with you more than I have to. It's not productive. I'm willing to put this beside me, but you're going to have to prove you can. Prove yourself trustworthy again and I'll give you my trust."

Dumbledore sighed out of relief and sadness; relief that he was still in one piece, and sadness that things had gotten to be the way they were. "Harry, it may not mean anything, but thank you. Thank you for your acceptance." Harry snorted, and muttered something under his breath that sounded vaguely like, `Acceptance my ass.' Dumbledore ignored this and began rummaging around in the pockets of his robes. Finding what he was looking for, Dumbledore turned to look at Harry. "Harry, I understand that I have a lot to make up to you for. Consider this my first act of contrition." With that Dumbledore handed Harry an official-looking paper. "It is an order of emancipation, signed earlier today by Fudge himself (although rather reluctantly). You are now officially an adult, Harry."

Harry's eyes widened. "W-what? What does that mean?"

"You have been granted the status of a legal adult and wizard. You are no longer affected by the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, meaning you are now able to perform magic freely. Also, you may receive your Apparition and Animagus licenses, as soon as you pass the appropriate tests." Harry's face broke out into the first true smile he had worn in a long time.

"Well, old man, you're on the right track." Harry's smile then disappeared before he continued, "But you've got a long way to go."

Robert cleared his throat. "Er, I hate to interrupt, but did you just say Harry can use magic?" Dumbledore nodded, and Robert's face lit up. "Really? Could you perhaps show us some?"

Harry once again broke out into a smile. "Absolutely. It's the least I can do to repay you." Harry pulled out his wand.

"Careful, Harry," Dumbledore warned. "We have yet to work on your control." However, Harry had already started waving his wand. He pointed it at the fireplace and said, "Reducto!" Five heads turned as a giant beam of light stabbed toward the fireplace. There was a loud BOOM! Then, CRUNCH! When all the dust settled, five gasps were heard and five pairs of eyes widened. Where the Grangers' fireplace (and much of the surrounding wall) once stood, there was . . . a new doorway to the back yard; now the Grangers had a huge, five-foot wide hole in the side of their house.

Harry's face paled. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please, I can fix it." Harry turned his attention back to the hole, waved his wand, and said, "Reparo!" The Grangers gasped again; their wall and fireplace were back, and they looked better than brand new, if at all possible.

"Wow . . . " Robert said as he looked at his wife. "Wow . . ."

"Ah . . . yes, that brings me back to the reason I came here in the first place." Dumbledore turned his eyes away from the fireplace and looked at Harry. "Harry, obviously you need to learn how to control the amount of energy you cast in your spells. I would like to start today, it that is all right with you."

"Alright. When can we start?"

"Wait, Harry, Professor," Hermione said, "surely you can't do it here. We're surrounded by Muggles, and judging from Harry's last spell, they might notice if Harry loses control again."

"Very good, Hermione. Thinking ahead, as always." Dumbledore beamed at Hermione, who simply stared back. Her eyes narrowed at the wrinkled visage of the headmaster.

"Just because Harry has seen fit to forgive you doesn't mean I have. Once you've made it up to Harry, then we can talk." Dumbledore let out a sigh.

"Very well, as you wish, Miss Granger. About the Muggle problem, I already have a solution. We will portkey to and from Hogwarts during training." As he said this, Dumbledore pulled out a large old tube sock from his pocket. "Grab a hold Harry, and let's be off."

"Wait!" Harry looked from Dumbledore and the waiting portkey over to Hermione. "H-Hermione? Could you come with me? I don't want to do this alone. I don't think I can . . ."

Hermione smiled warmly at Harry. "Of course, Harry, I'd love to go. That is, if I may?" Hermione looked at her parents with her best puppy dog look. Robert and Helen looked at one another before they both broke out laughing.

"Of course you can go, honey," Helen said.

"Just make sure you stay out of trouble," chimed in Robert, then added as an afterthought, "and the library!" Hermione blushed slightly before turning and grabbing the sock, her hand touching Harry's. Harry felt an unusual tingle in his hands before Dumbledore, holding the other end, began to count down.

"Three . . . two . . . one . . ." The Grangers were soon gone in a rush of wind and a swirl of colors.

*****

When they arrived and the portkey had released them, Harry and Hermione tumbled to the floor of the Great Hall in a giant heap, tangled together. Harry's eyes met Hermione's, and as emerald green stared into chocolate brown, Harry felt something stir deep within his stomach, but dismissed the churning sensation as a result from traveling by portkey. Standing shakily to his feet, he held out his hand and helped Hermione up. "Thanks," she said. Harry nodded in response, unable to respond. He was too distracted with looking at his had, which had begun to tingle where Hermione's hand had touched, as if charged with electricity.

"Come, let us begin, Harry." With a wave of his wand, the light in the Great Hall diminished, and the enchanted ceiling seemed to dull. Soon the Hall was almost completely dark. "Now, Harry, I want you to cast the Lumos spell, just like you did two days ago in the Hospital Wing." Harry nodded and cast the spell. As before, what appeared to be a miniature sun erupted from the tip of Harry's wand.

"Very good, Harry," said Dumbledore as he shielded his eyes from the intense light. "Now, I want you to focus on dimming the light. Imagine you are closing a valve slowly." Harry squinted his eyes shut harder and concentrated. Nothing happened.

"I - I can't get it. It's not working."

"Relax your mind, Harry. You're trying too hard. Let it come naturally." Harry closed his eyes again, concentrating and trying to relax at the same time. Still nothing happened; the light was shining as bright as ever.

"It's still not working," Harry said as he extinguished the light. He was beginning to get discouraged.

"Don't worry, Harry," Dumbledore said quickly. "I had a feeling you wouldn't be able to get any change at first. I believe that in order for you to control your magic, it would be beneficial if you know exactly what it was you were trying to control, correct?"

"I suppose," replied Harry, confused as to what Dumbledore meant.

"I'll see if I can explain this. Granted, all I have to work with here are hunches and vague generalizations, seeing as how very little is actually known for certain." Dumbledore sat down at the nearest table (which happened to be Hufflepuff). "Despite the vast knowledge of spells, hexes, jinxes, and curses, very little is actually known about what magic actually is, or where it comes form. Some theories state that every magical being or creature has a store of magical energy in their bodies from which they draw their magic and replenish continually. Meanwhile, other theories postulate that magic is rather a force of nature, much like gravity, and that we are simply channeling it through our minds, bodies, and wands. Harry was looking at Dumbledore with a blank face while Hermione was apparently enraptured, eager to learn more and having quite forgotten her anger with the Headmaster.

"It is, however, an accepted fact by every branch of thinking that an object or body has a specific capacity of magical energy that it can handle at once. In wizards, attempting to use more magic than your body can handle will kill you. The excess magical energy being used must find a way to be released, and if there is no way out, than it, for a lack of a better term, makes one. Literally." Harry and Hermione winced at the mental picture. "Yes, quite.

"The aura a witch or wizard possesses is thought to be either a manifestation of the magical energy stored within their core, or the level of magic they can cast at once. Allow me to demonstrate." Dumbledore closed his eyes, and soon after Harry and Hermione began to fell the power rolling off him, nearly visible. Dumbledore opened his eyes again, which seemed to be crackling with energy. Dumbledore smiled as the powerful aura diminished. "Personally, I believe that magic is a combination of the many theories; it is both something inside of us, like a core, and that it exists in nature as a force that we draw upon, focus, and direct.

"Harry, I would like you now to try and release your aura. I believe this may help you get a `feel' for your magic, and therefore make it easier to control." Harry nodded in understanding, before asking,

"I see. Now, how do I go about doing this?"

"It is largely a mental task, making an aura appear outside of battle. Perhaps, Miss Granger, you would like to assist us in this practice?" Dumbledore looked at Hermione, who nodded. "Alright. First, you must relax yourself entirely. Loosen everything, let all your tension escape your body." Harry and Hermione sat, eyes closed, breathing slowly and deeply. Fortunately, the lights in the Great Hall were still dim, making it easier to relax. After a few moments of silence, Dumbledore spoke again.

"Good. Now that we have begun to relax, use your senses to feel inside yourself and search for your center, the singular place where all your energies meet. You will know when you have found it when you feel completely at peace, yet powerful and full of energy at the same time." Harry still had his eyes closed, looking as if deep in a trance. Hermione, on the other hand, had her face set in intense concentration, her tongue just poking out of her mouth. Suddenly, she let out a small gasp of surprise, and opened her eyes.

"Professor . . . I - I felt something . . . It was incredible! I hadn't felt so at peace in a long time, and then suddenly, I felt this incredible energy surround me . . ." Harry opened his eyes and looked at Hermione in surprise. Hermione met his gaze briefly before blushing and looking down at her feet.

"Very good, Miss Granger. You've almost got it. The next step is to allow the feeling of power to wash over you, surround you. Let it grow and build up. Go ahead and try it. Harry, if you wish you may continue searching for your center."

"I think I'd like to watch Hermione, sir." Harry looked from Dumbledore to Hermione, who blushed again.

"Continue, Miss Granger, if you please." Closing her eyes again, Hermione once again scrunched her face up in concentration. After about five minutes, Harry began to sense something pouring out of Hermione, as if the air around her had become alive. Hermione opened her eyes, a look of extreme surprise on her face.

"Wow . . ." she breathed out, seemingly staring past Harry and Dumbledore. Harry noticed the shimmering feeling disappeared.

"Very good, Miss Granger. For a witch of your young age, you have quite the remarkable aura, you know. Already you are only a few notches below Professor McGonagall." Hermione's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Really, sir?"

"Yes. I believe that you will be quite powerful when you are older. I have thought so for quite some time, this has just proved I was correct." Hermione blushed faintly, smiling all the same.

"Thank you, sir."

"Quite all right, Miss Granger. Now, Harry, I believe it is your turn. Close your eyes, and relax. Look deep within, feeling for the place where there is natural harmony." Harry, who had already closed his eyes and begun to concentrate, slowly tuned out Dumbledore's voice. Harry was searching, searching, though for what he wasn't sure. Then, out of the quiet, Harry thought he heard, or felt something calling to him. He opened his eyes, to find himself no longer in the Great Hall.

He was surrounded everywhere in pure white. "Hermione? Dumbledore?" Harry called out, his voice echoing around him. Suddenly the feeling inside of someone or something calling him grew stronger, and Harry found himself walking forward. Abruptly, he stopped, and turned to his right. Standing there before him was Hermione, clad in a long white robe, her hair loose and flowing behind her. Seeing her, he felt warm and safe, protected from the world. He walked over and took her into his arms, and she placed her arms around his shoulders. He rested his head on hers, and breathed in the scent of her hair, a faint scent of lavender. As he breathed in, he felt something swell within him as warmth spread throughout him, a gentle tingling of energy. The feeling kept growing, until he felt as if he could burst. He closed his eyes, and felt the energy change to power. He could feel it radiating around him, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.

Opening his eyes, he found himself back in the Great Hall, which seemed to be slightly brighter than he remembered it. He lifted his head and looked at Hermione and Dumbledore, and found them staring at him with their mouths open. "What?" he asked nervously, shifting slightly in his chair.

"H-Harry . . . look at your hand . . . it's glowing." Hermione spoke almost as if she was asleep, or at the very least in a daze. Shrugging, Harry lifted his hand to look, and his mouth, too dropped open. He was glowing, surrounded by a dense aura that was a pulsating in a vibrant golden color. As he watched, the color began to fade, and the Great Hall dimmed once more. Harry felt the power draining away, slipping through him. When Harry returned to normal, he looked once more at Hermione and Dumbledore.

Dumbledore shook himself and cleared his throat. "Why don't we pause for a moment and have lunch before continuing." Harry looked at his new watch and found it was already after noon. He looked back up, confused, at Hermione.

"Harry, you were in a trance for almost an hour. You wouldn't react to anything, not even an Ennervate. Then, we just felt this . . . power washing out. It kept going, and then you started to glow."

"I was in a trance for an hour? But . . . it hardly felt like any time at all." Harry and Hermione were interrupted from further musings when they heard a loud squeal.

"Harry Potter, sir! Harry Potter has come to visit Dobby at Hogwarts!" Harry and Hermione turned to find Dobby standing next to Dumbledore holding a silver platter, upon which were their lunches.

"Hello, Dobby," said Harry, grinning a small grin in spite of him self.

"Thank you, Dobby, that will do for now." With that, Dumbledore dismissed the energetic House Elf, who disappeared reluctantly, with a sad look on his face. "Don't worry, he's perfectly fine. However, we do not have much time to spare, so let's tuck in!"

*****

Two hours later and Harry had just finished mastering how to limit the energy he put into his Lumos spell. Grinning broadly, he cast a normal Lumos for the tenth time in a row, before he opened up and let his magic flow. The light grew in intensity, before becoming blinding. With a quick whisper, Harry's light disappeared leaving only Harry, still beaming, holding his wand. "Very good, Harry! You've got it! I think that will suffice for today." Dumbledore said. With a wave of his wand, the lights in the Great Hall returned to normal, and the enchanted ceiling revealed a sun that was fairly advanced in its position. "I am very proud of the work you have shown, Harry." Harry gave a curt nod.

"Thank you, sir."

"You may also be happy to find that your exercises should help you in your Occlumency. Being able to calm your mind like this is primarily what an Occlumens trains to do. I will be working personally with you in our next lesson to see how your skills as an Occlumens may have changed." Harry looked at Dumbledore with a surprised face.
"You mean I don't have to deal with Snape anymore?"

"Professor Snape, Harry. And yes, I do believe that is the case."

Just then, a loud voice was heard, rapidly approaching them. "Headmaster, Headmaster! There you are! I have come to inform you of the Dark Lords latest - " As soon as he stepped into the Great Hall and saw Harry, Snape froze cold, his sentence dying on his lips. "Potter! What are you doing here!" he snarled.

"Severus, Harry is here because I brought him. For his training."

"Humph! Training indeed! This is just another chance to give that attention-seeking brat more special treatment! I tell you, Albus, that all this pampering is inflating his already overly large head! He is just as arrogant as his father! His father's arrogance nearly killed me, and Potter's arrogance killed Black, and endangered five other students! How can you continue to treat him like he's the perfect student? He should be - "

"Severus!" said Dumbledore. "That's enough. If you would, please wait in my office. I must finish arranging Harry's future Occlumency lessons."

"Occlumency! You can't be serious! Potter couldn't possibly become an Occlumens! I spent most of last year attempting to teach this weak boy here how to close his mind, yet Potter learned nothing! He didn't even put forth an effort! What makes you think you can succeed where I failed?" Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak, but Harry beat him to it, having had enough.

"Because he'll actually teach me something, instead of just attacking my mind!" Harry burst out. "You never taught me a damn thing! You only made things worse! I could have learned if you had been a better teacher, but no, you just had to hide behind your petty school rivalry with a dead man!" Snape's eyes narrowed as he stared at Harry.

"So, you think you can learn Occlumency, Potter?"

"I know I can!" shouted Harry in return.

"Prove it then! Show me you're not as weak and pathetic as I know you to be. Legilimens!" Snape moved too fast for anyone to stop him. The spell struck Harry, who locked eyes with Snape. Snape's eyes widened in surprise.

Harry could feel the presence of Snape's mind just outside his own, attempting to push its way in. `You want in to my memories, eh Snivellus? Fine, look at these!' Harry thought. With that, Harry wrapped his conscious mind around Snape's presence, trapping him. He then opened up the floodgates holding in his memories, and forced them upon Snape. Harry began playing back his memories of the previous two weeks he had spent at the Dursleys; every word, every blow, every punishment. Harry played them slowly, allowing the full effect of each vision to sink in before moving to the next one. Snape fell to his knees, holding his head in his hands.

"L-let me go, Potter! Stop, no more!" But Harry wasn't about to stop just yet. As images raced before him, Snape heard Harry's voice whispering in his head.

`What's wrong, Snivellus? You wanted me to prove I'm capable of learning Occlumency. Now I am!' The images began to slow down further, and now Snape was witnessing Harry's whipping. Soon, not only the memories but the emotions as well began to cross over. Snape was rocked with intense waves of despair, pain, and fear. Harry reached the memory of Hedwig falling, and held it out, stretching it as far as he could. Then, he started back at the beginning of his stay at Number Four and ran through all his nightmares. At this point Snape was curled into a ball; doing his best to shield himself from something he had no control over.

As Harry's last nightmare ended and the image of Hermione, Sirius and Vernon with blank soul-less eyes was finished burning itself into Snape's mind, Harry released his hold. Harry fell backwards, collapsing into his chair, Hermione at his side. Snape climbed to his feet, extremely pale and looking ill. Suddenly, he gave a retching sound, and Harry, without even thinking, waved his hand and a large bucket appeared right next to Snape.

When Snape came back up, he found Harry staring at him with cold, hard eyes. "Never call me weak again, Snivellus. I've lived through far worse things than you can imagine. I have had enough of your bitching and ranting. I've given you no reason to hate me, yet you do anyway. I've tried to get along, I've tried to do what you asked, and more, yet you never let me! You never even gave me a chance! You want me as your enemy? Then fine, you've got me."

"Harry," Dumbledore spoke, trying to calm the situation.

"Oh no you don't, old man. Don't you dare start in; you're on thin enough ice as it is." Turning back to face Snape, Harry continued to address Dumbledore. "I promise, if for nothing more than the sake of the school, that I'll not do anything during terms, unless provoked. But during the breaks, he'd better not come near me, or he'll regret it. I'm tired of him and his attitude!"

Snape rose up and turned to look Harry in the eyes. He looked as if he had something to say, but thought better of it, turning on his heel and storming out of the Hall towards the Headmaster's Office. Harry heard Dumbledore sigh, and then turned to look at him, scowling and daring him to object. Dumbledore looked at Harry for a moment before clearing his throat. "It would appear," he began slowly, "that you no longer have need for Occlumency lessons, Harry." Harry was certain he saw the corners of Dumbledore's mouth twitch as he said this.

"Harry? What did you do to him? Whatever you did shook Snape up really badly." Hermione was looking at Harry almost reverently, with hints of concern also present.

"Nothing much. I just imprinted my memories of the Dursleys into his mind, showing him what I went through. I dare say he didn't like that," Harry said, grinning evilly to himself.

Dumbledore looked surprised. "You forced your memories onto Professor Snape? That's impressive, especially for having never performed Legilimency before. Just another sign of your increased powers, I suppose." With that, Dumbledore rose and invited Harry and Hermione to rise as well. "Now, I believe that has been quite enough excitement for one day. I shall come by again in a day or two once I have finished with the security measures on the Granger household." He pulled the tube sock back out of his robes and handed it to Harry. Harry leaned in close to Dumbledore so that Hermione wouldn't overhear.

"Before I go, old man, know this: we will be having another talk soon, about you-know-what. I'm extremely angry with you on that point, but for Hermione's sake I haven't said or done anything . . . yet. You have been warned." With that Harry stepped back to Hermione, and they both grabbed a hold of the sock.

"Very well, Harry, I'll be seeing you soon. Until then, take care. Three, two, one . . ." Dumbledore and the Great Hall were gone.

*****

When they landed back in the Granger living room, Harry, extremely weak from his day of focusing and the attack on Snape, sank to his knees and refused to get up on his own. Hermione reached down and helped haul him to his feet. "Oh! You two are back! We've been wondering when you'd be finished." Harry and Hermione turned to find Helen standing with a wooden spoon in one hand. "Dinner will be ready in about half an hour, so why don't you two go and freshen up a bit?" They nodded and made their way up the stairs, Hermione supporting Harry's weary steps.

As soon as Harry sat down on his bed, his eyes closed, and he could hardly move. `I didn't realize that fight took that much energy out of me. So tired . . . I'll just rest a little while, then I'll be fine . . .' With that, Harry lay back down on his bed, and closed his eyes, images of Hermione's smiling face beginning to flash across his mind.

Half an hour later, Hermione walked up to Harry's room to bring him down for dinner. Opening the door slowly, she called out quietly, "Harry? Are you awake?" She saw him lying down, deep asleep, and smiled. "Sleep tight, Harry," she said, walking over and placing a soft kiss to his forehead. As Hermione's footsteps descended down the stairs, Harry rolled over in his sleep and smiled.

A/N: *Pants* Okay . . . that should keep you guys satisfied for Spring Break, and maybe then some. I'm going away and I doubt I'll have computer access for a while, but I'll still be writing! Feel free to leave me any and all comments! Not to spoil anything, but the next chapter will finally see the true H/Hr romance! Woohoo! Okay, everybody out there stay safe and have a good Spring Break!


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