THE SUMMER OF WISDOM

By Kimberjingle

CHAPTER 1

Harry wiped the drops of sweat off his forehead with the bottom of his oversized t-shirt, but it didn't do much good. The soggy shirt was saturated with a days worth of sweat. Damn, it was hot. Crossing his arms and tugging the t-shirt up and over his head, he closed his eyes briefly to relish the feel of fresh air hitting his tired body. Harry tossed the shirt over a freshly built handrail of the back deck he was working on. Harry's Uncle Vernon had decided that a nice little deck on the back of the house would be a wonderful addition to their home. Remembering when the estimates of the job had come in the mail, Harry just knew that the blue vein in Vernon's forehead would burst when he saw the cost.

"No way in hell I'm paying those shoddy bums that much!" Vernon had grumbled. "Look at this" he continued as he thrust the paper into Petunia's hands and pointed to it. "...and that much is for the labor alone!"

Petunia squinted at the numbers on the page and looked up. "Vernon, the Polkisses have had their sundeck for about two years. As I remember it, Gladys said that John had done a lot of the work himself, and the cost was minimal. Maybe we could ask her if...."

"Ha! That lazy waste of a man?" Vernon snapped as he curled his lips in a snarl. "Hmmmph! He doesn't have two cents worth of brains. He'd screw it all up and I've already paid for the blueprint plans for the deck." Vernon continued his mumbling as he made his way to the sofa while Petunia was clearing the dinner dishes off the table. "...costing that much...what we need around here is some free labor...." Vernon's face lit up as the dawn of an idea broke. "PETUNIA!" he shouted.

"Vernon, are you alright?" Petunia came scrambling into the den almost tripping on the rug.

"I've got the perfect plan," he drawled at the questioning look on her face. "It's time for that miserable piece of shit to make himself useful around here. He's been lying around like a king for a week, buried in those stupid books, and closed up in his room." Vernon's eyes sparkled at the thought of getting free work out of anybody. He rounded to Petunia with an evil grin. "The fresh air will do him some good."

Well, that was almost a week ago. The lumber had been delivered and the plans were laid out on a sheet of ply board between two rails so that Harry could read them. For the last two summers Harry had helped Mr. Bell from number 7 Privet Drive with odd jobs occasionally, and a few of those had been carpentry. Harry really liked working with the wood and kneading it with his hands. The feeling of great accomplishment it gave him to finish a project was really worth more than the bit of cash he got, well that, and the opportunity to be out of the house and away from Dudley. Harry had been almost glad when Uncle Vernon had made him build the deck, but he would never tell his uncle that. Nothing that made Harry happy could ever be allowed to exist in the Dursley's home.

The deck was almost complete with only a few side rails left to attach. It was after six o'clock and Harry heard the back screen open. His head popped up to see his aunt, with arms folded, and spoke to him through gritted teeth.

"Get washed up! You're not sitting at the dinner table smelling like you do." Then, just as quickly, she had turned back into the kitchen.

After retrieving all the scattered tools and placing them into the shed, putting away the nail bucket, and moving a few stray wood scraps, Harry walked up onto the deck, inspecting it and smiled at his accomplishment. It was almost finished. He beamed a large smile and walked into the kitchen.

After shutting the screen as quietly as he could and turning around...WHAM! A large, beefy, hand smacked his left upper jaw and his eye sending him tumbling over a counter whose edge slammed hard into his ribcage as his cheek hit the corner of the top cabinet. Upon hitting the floor with his eyes tightly shut, the full shot of hot pain ran thru his body and his eyes flickered open to find a fist and a fat finger pointing directly at his nose.

"Don't you dare walk into this house with that smug expression on your face, you ungrateful little shit!" Vernon spat. "And when your aunt tells you it's time for dinner, you do as you are told and come that instant! I will have none of your attitude, boy. Do you understand me?"

Harry, having known his uncle for many miserable years, he slowly nodded his understanding. Vernon turned to head the dinner table, and Harry got up and made his way to his room. He picked up a fresh t-shirt and a clean pair of sweatpants and headed to the bathroom. After a 5-minute shower, as he toweled off his body and began to dress, he noted his reflection in the full-length mirror. He ran a finger over the purple bruise forming on his cheek and under his eye. His hand cupped the swollen spot on his ribcage where there was a sweeping spot of purple. 'Probably a few cracked ribs, nothing major and not as bad as last time' he thought.

Harry quickly dressed and headed down to the dinner table. The Dursleys all gave him a small sneer as he sat down to his plate of mashed potatoes, boiled carrots, and a slice of ham. They continued their meaningless conversations as Harry ate in silence; but his mind was blurring with thoughts. He had only been here for three weeks and the smacks and shoves had already started. 'But what can I do? I have to stay here, Dumbledore said so.' Shaking his head to clear his thoughts of the depression of it all, he cleaned his plate and put his and the others in the sink. Another good thing about working on the deck all day in the hot sun was that, besides his tan that he was somewhat proud of, Harry was always very tired and that kept him from having the nightmares. Sleep came easier with the physical work and the mental work that Harry was expected to do before bedtime every night on Dumbledore's orders.

Since the botched attempt at teaching Harry Occlumency last term, Dumbledore had given Harry two volumes of text on the subject and some assignments so that Harry continue his study during the summer. He was more interested in his Occlumency now that Snape wasn't the teacher, and the more he learned and practiced, the more he found himself clearing his mind many times during the day.

Night was the critical time that Harry had to relax and practice the most. Before bed each night, he sat on his bed with his eyes closed and hummed a small 'hmmm' to coax himself into a trancelike state. Usually the trance would last about an hour or so. During this time is when Harry melted into himself. He concentrated on the magic running thru his very veins, the beat of his heart, his breathing, and the stillness. It was bliss.

A heavy thump to his sore ribs and feathers on his face woke Harry around dawn. With a small groan, he sat up lazily noticing the lingering pain of his ribs. 'Definitely cracked' he thought .It was a brown, tawny, barn owl. 'Who is this from?' Harry scratched the unfamiliar owl's head and ran his hand down her back as she nuzzled under his forearm. A letter from Hogwarts was attached to her leg; he quickly untied the letter and reached for an owl treat to give to the friendly bird. With the letter in hand, he got up off his bed and slumped into the rickety chair at his desk. Unfolding the letter, he recognized the handwriting as Dumbledore's and a wave of panic flooded over him...'This can't be good if he's writing me during the summer. What has Voldemort done now? I wonder if everyone's ok...Ron? Hermione? Oh God...' His thoughts trailed off as he started to read.

H,

I do hope you are continuing to practice your lessons. Your skill in that particular subject is indeed needed. There have been some developments, as of late, of which I believe you should be aware. The nature of these occurrences prevents me from revealing them in this post. Upon speaking to a few of our mutual friends, I feel it necessary for you to spend the remainder of the summer holidays with someone who will be able to help you further in your studies, and be able to tutor you in several more areas that may be needed in the near future. Please owl me upon receiving this post, and you will be collected tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock.

Hoping you are well,

D

When it comes to being vague, Dumbledore was truly a master. However, having been around him and knowing him as Harry did, it was possible to read between the lines. Basically this letter said two things to Harry: the first is that something has happened involving Voldemort and the second is that the Order of the Phoenix, or 'mutual friends' as the old man called them, believes that Harry needs some skills that are required to be taught to him now rather than later.

Overall, Harry's reaction to the letter was mild. Of course, leaving the Dursleys for the remaining two months of the summer would be absolutely great, but Dumbledore never mentioned where he would be going or who this person or teacher would be that would be guiding him over his studies. Excitement mixed with worry flooded Harry's mind. 'I guess I should tell them that I'll be leaving. I'll wait until 9:55 a.m., and then I'm out of here!' Harry grinned at the thought.

A bit later Harry heard Dudley stomping down the stairs; Harry knew breakfast was probably ready. He closed his trunk carefully over his belongings. He grinned at the thought that he was already packed to leave and the Dursley's didn't even know it yet. He quickly bounced down the stairs with a crooked smile on his face and slid into his normal chair at the breakfast table. He picked up his fork, ate his eggs, and kept glancing at the clock over the refrigerator. It was 8:30 a.m., only an hour and a half to go. When the eggs were gone, Harry washed the few breakfast dishes and put them away. Only one hour to go. While trying to pretend nothing was out of the ordinary, Harry slipped out the back door to finish nailing the few last remaining pieces onto the handrails of the steps on the deck. He was a perfectionist and he liked to finish his carpentry work to the best of his ability. When the last nail was in place, Harry gathered the tools, placed them all neatly in the toolbox and swept the deck of all the sawdust. Looking down at his watch, he saw it was already 10:06. 'Oh crap...'

Placing the broom next to the back door, Harry slowly made his way into the kitchen listening to the sound of voices. Upon turning the corner, he was stunned to see none other than the Headmaster standing in the Living Room between uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. With a welcoming gesture, Dumbledore waved his hand in a motioning way as he made his way over to where Harry stood rooted to the spot. "Harry, my boy, do come in. Your aunt and uncle have been telling me of your building project in the back lawn. I should most like to see it."

Uncle Vernon pushed his lips together in a tight sneer and his eyes glared in that

'how-dare-you-bring-one-of-these-freaks-in-my-house' kind of way, while aunt Petunia looked back and forth between a panicked Harry and a livid Vernon.

"Yes, sir. Of…of course, sir. This way." Harry slowly led the way for Dumbledore thru the kitchen. The aged man was looking around amused at all these 'muggle-contraptions' and he was sure he heard the old man mutter something like 'splendid' when he saw the microwave. Harry lead his Headmaster out onto the wooden deck, down the two long stairs and out into the small space of lawn so that the whole deck could be seen at one time. Dumbledore walked onto the lawn and gazed over the whole deck with what looked like appreciation and awe without speaking a word for a long time.

"You have done a remarkable thing here, Harry. Working with a gift from the earth and molding it to create a good work with your hands and without magic is not an easy thing, and especially for a wizard. Sometimes we rely on magic too much, I think." Dumbledore laid an appreciative hand on Harry's shoulder and nodded to him.

"Thank you, sir." Harry said with a small grin. That one compliment from his mentor meant more than any compliment that the Dursleys could ever have given him. Of course, they would never compliment Harry, but if they did, it could not ever mean as much as what Dumbledore had spoken.

When back in the living room, Harry stood by Dumbledore and nervously fingered the sides of his jeans, waiting for the old man to speak to his aunt and uncle who walked nervously over to the pair of wizards.

Folding his hands in front of him and bringing himself up to a formal position, Dumbledore said

"I am here to collect Harry for the remainder of the summer so that he may continue some in-depth studies with a very strict teacher who has agreed to dedicate himself wholly to the task. If neither of you, as his guardians, objects, of course."

Petunia eyed the old man with an unreadable expression and turned to Vernon, who had a similar expression. Harry's uncle gave a pained little chuckle.

"Should have known you'd be falling behind in your studies, boy. You never were much for learning anything. I'm glad they have a strict teacher that will be able to knock some sense into you."

Harry just stared at his uncle and took the insult.

"Oh yes, I'm sure Harry will be studying very hard over the summer, Mr. Dursley. Harry has never been taught by this teacher, and I'm sure his methods will surprise young Harry."

Harry cringed inside and looked up at Dumbledore who gave him a tiny wink and lowered his head to look at Harry over those half moon spectacles while never losing that twinkle in his eyes.

"If there's nothing else, then we should be off. Harry, do you have your trunk prepared?"

Dumbledore asked. Harry nodded. "Well, gather your things and we shall be going."

"Yes, sir." With that, Harry went to his room, gathered his trunk, Hedwig's cage, and his Firebolt and came downstairs with them in tow.

Dumbledore smiled, and then said, "Harry, if you would, please cast a non-detectable magic penetrating spell on this room, and shrink your belongings. We will have to apparate from here inside the house as to not upset the muggle neighborhood."

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon stepped back as Harry drew his wand. Aunt Petunia grabbed Vernon's arm and stood near him. Harry walked around the room casting the spell in glee as he'd never been allowed to do magic in the house before, and the look on his aunt and uncle made it that more pleasant. He grinned in spite as he purposely came very close to them while casting the spell. When the ward was cast and finished, he shrank his belongings, put them in his pocket, and came over to stand near Dumbledore.

"Very good, Harry. Very good, indeed." Dumbledore then cocked his head and asked Harry. "Is there anything you wish to say to your aunt and uncle? You won't be seeing them until after this school year ends"

"Please tell Hedwig to come and find me when she comes back. She will be able to find me wherever I am. And have a nice summer." Harry smiled at his aunt and uncle, and turned back to Dumbledore. "I'm ready, sir."

"Please feel free to owl Harry with any correspondence you may wish to send addressed to Hogwarts" Dumbledore spoke to Petunia.

Harry gave a questioning look at Dumbledore and said "Hogwarts? Sir, who is to be my teacher over the summer?"

With a genuine smile at the young lad, Dumbledore said, "Me. Good day to you both."

With a hand on Harry's shoulder, they both disapparated.