Disclaimer: The world, setting, and all the characters are the creative property of J.K. Rowling. I am making no money from this work.

Author's Note: This is the most confident and interested in my fanfiction work that I have ever felt. I have tried to write chaptered fanfics before and have never been confident enough to post them or dedicated enough to write the whole fic. That being said, there is a fair chance that this fic will be abandoned at some point. I make no promises to finish it but I will try. I also make no promises about the speed of updates.

I could also use a beta reader for this fic. I am pretty good at catching grammar and spelling errors but I could use someone who can read for fluidity, consistency of tenses, and Brit-picking.

Chapter One: Going Home

It had been a long year and he and Alastor had traveled the world training. He had met monks in India who taught him how to focus, calm himself, and had helped him work through the emotions he felt after Sirius' death. He had trained with French special forces and Chinese samurai warriors. He had learned to wield all kinds of weapons, magical and muggle, and had turned his own body into one. He could fight unarmed or with a sword, one on one or with a team. He was a weapon, and weapons did the dirty work.

But now Harry was finally going home. He was nervous about what the others would think of him now. Would they know about the things he did while he was away? He knew Alastor hadn't told anyone about the dark magic he had seen Harry use or about the people Harry had killed and even tortured. He just couldn't get over the feeling that he was going to walk in and everyone would see it on his face plain as day.

His body was covered with ugly scars. Scars from burns, scars from swords, scars from cutting spells and stinging hexes. He wasn't the same Harry Potter that left them two years ago. He didn't know how they would react to the Harry he had become and he was terrified that they wouldn't like this Harry. His friends were still so young. They weren't even the same age anymore. He was now a year older than he would have been if he an Alastor hadn't used a time turner. To his friends, he had only been gone for a year, but to him, it had been two. And they didn't have a madman hanging over their head. They hadn't seen the things he had seen or done the things he had done. Mentally he was years ahead of them.

Part of him hoped his friends would want to reconnect with him. He had missed them dearly. In the beginning, their absence hadn't been so noticeable. He had been so consumed by the guilt and grief of Sirius death that he hadn't really thought about them. But after a month or two, he had found himself wanting to tell his best mate about the crazy things the Monks did or tell Hermione about all of the new things he was learning. But part of him also hoped they wouldn't want to reconnect with him because it would be easier to keep them safe if they weren't as close.

"Alastor when should we be expecting Harry? Dinner is ready, and I don't want anything to get cold while we're waiting."

"Should be here soon, Molly. The lad won't care if we start without him as long as there is some food left for him when he gets here."

Number twelve Grimmauld Place was bursting with order members, all waiting for the arrival Harry Potter. Harry and Alastor had been traveling and training for the past year and had only arrived back in London that morning. The dining room was littered with people chatting and laughing, and the atmosphere was more joyous than it had been in quite some time. Lord Voldemort had announced his return a year and a half after Harry left by setting his death eaters on Diagon Alley in the middle of the day. The Death Eaters had been ordered to spread fear and panic and while many were injured, only one life was lost. Finally forced to face reality, the minister began increasing the auror ranks and scheduling patrols in heavily targeted areas. He also began seeking Dumbledore's advice but still only followed the advice which benefitted his re-election.

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, was seated at the head of the table. The man, 116 years old, was starting to show signs of his age. The last few years had been stressful for him. His blue eyes were tired but still twinkled at an amusing joke told by the twins. His forehead was wrinkled and after the duel at the ministry, a year prior his walk had become stiff. For all his physical ails the man was still as kind-hearted and humorous as ever. At present, he was listening to a story told by Nymphadora Tonks.

"So the guy was dueling me and we were having quite the time of it. He was a bloody good dueler for a petty thief, but I was gaining on him. I had him backed up into a wall in an alley down near the apothecary and all the sudden a stunning spell hits the guy from behind me and he goes down. So, I turn with my wand ready thinking, maybe his partner was there and aiming at me when I get hit with an expelliarmus and there's old mad-eye muttering to himself about not teaching proper dueling techniques in auror school with my wand in his hand! And I say to him, "what the hell did you go and do that for. I had the guy." And he just says, "I don't have all night for you to mess around trying to capture one criminal. Hurry up and get the guy to lock up. I've got the other one already."' Tonks was a young auror and metamorphmagus who favored odd, brightly colored hair which was currently violent magenta.

"Alastor never was one to take things slow, were you Al?" asked Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Get in, get the criminal, go home. The quicker the better."

At the other end of the table, Hermione Granger and the four youngest Weasely's were completely oblivious to the adult's conversation. They were busily discussing the return of their friend.

"He can't be that different. I mean, he's still Harry. He just learned some new spells."

"Ron, he didn't just learn new spells. Tonks said Moody had him learn dark spells and had him doing all sorts of survival stuff in the middle of nowhere. He had to fight for his life and that changes people. Plus, it's been a year. Who knows how he has changed. You're not the same person you were in fifth year, are you? And he was grieving for Sirius when he left. Remus hasn't been the same since, and, unlike Harry, he had people who cared about him nearby when he was grieving." Hermione was the most anxious to see her friend. She and Harry had been very close, ever since he and Ron rescued her from the troll in first year. She had written him and at first got no reply but finally, four months after he left, Harry had sent her a letter. It was a short letter and only said that Moody was working him hard and he was doing well. He had warned her he might be hard to reach for a while and he would try to write when he could. After that, she had only received letters once every other month or so and they were always brief and vague. She had written him every week updating him on the things that were happening in school and with the order. She had given all her letters to Professor McGonagall who would pass them on through some secure means the order had of contacting Moody. She had often worried about Harry's happiness while he was away. Not to mention his school work. She had no idea how he had been keeping up. She had already worked out a review schedule for when he came back so they could make sure he was able to pass his NEWTS on time.

Ronald had been less concerned about Harry's whereabouts over the past year. He had struggled with Harry's absence at first, but he had quickly become close with Seamus Finnigan. Now the two were rarely seen apart during the school term.

Ginny, Ron's younger sister, had been smitten with Harry since she had first laid on him when she was only ten years old. She had lamented that Harry had to go away for training so she could not be near him but had moved on rather quickly. She was now been dating Dean Thomas and had been for several months much to Ron's dissatisfaction.

The twins had been doing great for themselves since they left school. They now ran a joke shop in Diagon Alley and expected to open a second store in Hogsmeade before school starts for the new year. They had sent Harry a few of their inventions and even got a reply from him. They were thrilled to find out that Harry had used one of their decoy detonators to create a diversion and it had worked splendidly.

"We really should start eating soon. The turkey is starting to get cold, but I hate to start Harry's welcome home dinner without him. Surely he'll be here soon."

"I'm sure Harry will just be happy to see everyone. He won't care if we started eating dinner without him, Molly." Remus Lupin, a warm, gentle man was the current owner of number twelve Grimmauld Place. He was the closest thing to family that Harry had left. Remus had been friends with James and Sirius during their school years and had helped nurse Sirius back to health after Azkaban. With Sirius' death, Remus lost his last real friend and suffered from deep depression for months. Harry had contacted Remus more than anyone else during his absence. He even met with the werewolf on one occasion a few months into his training.

"Why didn't he come with you, Alastor?" asked Molly.

"He said he had to see someone about a thing. Wasn't very specific and I didn't ask. Best to just let the lad do as he sees fit."

"Isn't it dangerous for him to be out by himself. Surely you should have gone with him."

"He's spent a year training with the best duelers the world has to offer. That boy can take care of himself, Molly. And I thought he could use some privacy. He's spent two years on the move and if the boy wants to seek out a lass then so be it."

"Harry's got a girl?!" shouted Ron.

"Not a steady one but I can't imagine any other reason a lad his age would be as anxious as he was."

"Maybe he just wanted to see a friend that he knew wouldn't be here. He has been gone for ages," Hermione frowned. She expected Harry to be different but when she had last seen him he couldn't even put a sentence together around a girl. She couldn't believe that he would have changed so much in two years that he would be doing Moody was implying.

"I'm sure Mr. Potter is not doing anything unseemly and will be here soon. Personally, I am quite famished," said Dumbledore, quickly put an end to discussion of Harry's whereabouts.

Everyone was nearly finished with their meal when the kitchen door swung open and a man walked through. The man was slightly taller than average height with tanned skin and dark tousled hair. His well-developed muscles and broad shoulders could be seen through the tight short sleeved shirt he was wearing. His emerald eyes sparkled with mischief and on one side of his forehead you could barely make out a lightning shaped scar. Everyone sat motionless as they took in his appearance.

"Nice to see you again, old man."

Albus chuckled and asked, "How are you, Harry?"

"Harry?!" The shout arose from several people sitting around the table but Harry simply smiled and said, "So I guess you're all glad to see me?"