Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the HP world…and I've never claimed to so don't bother trying to sue me…I'm broke as a joke.

Summary: Harry and friends disappear for a summer. When they return they've got numerous secrets that Albus Dumbledore and many others are just itching to be informed upon. Ever imagine what the illustrious Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would do if denied that information? Pranks, classes, stalkers, anger, laughter, frusteration, and much more...it's going to be one hell of a year at Hogwarts.

Rating: Rated for language, adult themes, and various other things that younger peoples shouldn't be reading. In other words, if you can't handle any of that then find a different story to read. Of course, you're more than welcome to return and read this when you're ready. Laters! ((grins and waves))

School had only been out for about a week and already Harry Potter was back in the wizarding world. It would have been wonderful except for two major things. One, his godfather had been killed not even three weeks prior. Two, he was absolutely furious with Albus Dumbledore, Tom Riddle, and most of the adults he knew. Needless to say, he'd been doing a lot of thinking over the last couple days and only yesterday had made a huge discovery.

Now he was in Diagon Alley after having run a few errands and was waiting for his three closest friends to show up. He'd sent them letters asking them to meet him here and to not tell anyone about it. He himself had snuck past the Order members standing watch on Privet Drive in order to avoid anyone knowing what he was doing. Hopefully things worked out so they'd be able to meet him.

After about ten minutes of waiting Harry spotted two redheads and a curly haired brunette making their way toward the meeting place he'd specified. After making sure there were no obvious followers, Harry pulled his cap down farther over his eyes and walked up to them.

"Hey guys," he said, making sure to keep his voice quiet.

Hermione looked up at him and gasped before hugging him. "Harry! What's going on? Why didn't you want anyone knowing about this?" she asked, taking her que from him to keep her voice low.

Harry just smiled and greeted the other two before suggesting that they get a butterbeer at the Leaky Cauldron. They agreed and the four made their way to the dimly lit place. Once inside, they acquired the use of a private room from Tom.

When they were all seated in the small room Ron turned to the raven haired boy. "What's going on Harry?"

Harry took a steadying breath and started speaking. "Well, remember when Dumbledore sent me to his office after the battle at the Department of Mysteries? When he came back he told me that the reason my parents had gone into hiding under the Fidelius Charm was because of a prophesy that pointed to Voldemort and one of two possible children. I was one and Neville Longbottom was the other. It turned out to be me that it meant." Here he paused, taking deep breaths to keep from losing his cool.

"What was the prophesy Harry?" Gin's voice was soft and caring. She'd picked up on the tension within him.

"Trelawney gave it. As far as I know, it's the first of two true prophesies that she's ever spouted. Dumbledore was there when she gave it and showed me the memory in his pensieve. It's burned into my head!" he paused and glanced up from the table top where his gaze had been directed. "Are you guys sure you want to hear it? It'll put you into more danger."

Ron snorted, "Too late. It's well known that the Weasleys stand against all You-Know-Who stands for and Hermione's muggle-born so the three of us are already high on his hit list. Granted, not as high as you are but we're up there. What's the prophesy Harry? Maybe we can help."

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..." Harry said quietly. The other three gasped before the room fell silent for a minute.

"Oddly enough, I'm not that surprised," Ron said. "I mean, think about it. Why else would You-Know-Who have tried killing you as a baby? Why would he continue to try killing you? If I was a psychotic madman I'd try to take out any possible enemy as soon as I could."

The two girls nodded in agreement and Harry was just happy that the three of them had taken this particular chunk of news so well. Now came the interesting part of his news. The part that made him roaring furious with one Albus Dumbledore, even beyond what he'd been the night he heard the prophesy.

Harry gave Ron a grin to show he was grateful for the understanding before speaking again. "That's not all. I found a letter for me from my parents. It turns out that Dumbledore went directly against what my parents wanted for me. In fact, my parents set something up in order for me to learn what I need to without Dumbledore nosing in."

Hermione's frowned, "What do you mean Harry?"

"Here, read this and you'll see what I mean." Harry handed her a letter from his pocket.

Harry,

Oh my darling Harry. It's a sad reason that I've written this letter and I wish to the heavens that I didn't have to but I do. This letter was charmed to find you just after your fifth year of school and what you're about to read is something only three other people on this planet currently know.

I'm a Dreamer, a type of Seer. Your father James, Sirius, and Remus are the only ones who know this. Not even Albus Dumbledore knows. When I was a fourth year student I discovered that I have this ability when I started Dreaming and then what I'd Dreamed came true a few days later. Naturally, not everything I Dreamed happened that soon and sometimes I was even able to change the outcome I Saw. I kept this ability under wraps because I'd had a Dream not long after all this started that showed me what could happen if I told anyone too soon. I did tell James when we started dating but when he wanted to tell the Marauders I told him he could tell Sirius and Remus but no one else; I never really did trust Peter very much. I beg you to tell only those you trust above all and no one else.

Now, the reason I'm writing this is because of a Dream I had. I know that your father and I won't be around to see your second birthday. I know that you'll have to live with my horrid sister and her bulbous husband and that you'll be treated badly. I also know that you'll have to fight Voldemort, due to both the Prophesy Trelawney gave and my own Dreams. I know that you're burning with the need to fight back and I want you to have every advantage possible so your father and I have set up a way for you to train, without the meddling of Albus. I know he means well but he really has to stop running everyone's lives. Especially since I know you'll end up with my sister because he directly goes against our wishes on that respect.

So, that said I'll give you some information to help you win your battles against Voldemort.

James bought a small house in the United States that no one knows about other than you, me, your father, and those you let read this letter or tell. The house itself is warded from detection under a charm of my own design. Once you set foot inside the house, you will be hidden from detection charms of any kind and not even owls will be able to find you. Should you choose, you can go to this house and train for your battles. I will tell you that there will be a battle at the end of your sixth year. This may not seem like enough time but there's a trunk hidden in that house that has everything you'll need while training. Inside the rooms of that trunk, time passes differently. For every day inside the trunk, an hour passes outside the trunk. Don't worry, you won't age physically while inside the trunk. That continues at the rate of life outside the trunk.

There will be a note on the kitchen table to tell you how to open the trunk without trouble. Make sure you've read that note or you won't be able to get into the trunk's rooms.

This is your choice Harry and I don't want you doing this unless you want to, not because you think it's what we want. If you decide to go through with everything, all you have to do it grab the small chain inside the envelope this letter was in and say the activating word: redemption. Never forget that your father and I love you with all our hearts. Remember to follow your heart and we'll always be proud of you.

Your loving mother,

Lily Potter

Harry watched silently as his three friends read the letter. Once they'd finished they turned to him with shocked expressions on their faces. Finally Ginny spoke.

"Are you going to do this Harry?"

Harry nodded silently.

Hermione was the one who said what Harry was desperately hoping to hear. "Well in that case we're coming with you." The two redheads nodded firmly in agreement.

Harry let out a sigh of relief. "Great! I was afraid you guys wouldn't want to come with me but I didn't want to ask you to."

"You should know better than that by now mate. We're going to stick by you through thick and thin. So, when do we leave and will we be able to pull this off without anyone getting wind of this and trying to stop us?" Ron said.

"The sooner we leave the easier it'll be to avoid detection," Hermione offered her opinion.

Ginny nodded in agreement, "I say that we leave today. I can't think of anything that I need from home that I can't get later and my homework is already done. What about you guys?"

Ron and Hermione both said they didn't need anything and Harry said he needed to go to Privet Drive to get his things so his horrid relatives didn't throw them out. In the end it was decided to do any shopping they needed to get done before going to get Harry's things and leaving the country. It didn't take the four of them long at all to purchase the few minor things they needed before ducking into muggle London and hailing a cab to Privet Drive.

When they got there, the Dursley's were gone so all Harry had to do was slip into the house under his invisibility cloak and then back out. Grabbing his things was easy due to the fact that he's placed everything he owned into his trunk and asked Professor Lupin to shrink it and Hedwig's cage for him the other day, using the excuse that it would be easier to hide them from the Dursley's. Placing those in his pocket, Harry told Hedwig to meet him in the park down the block. Once Hedwig was out the window Harry silently moved back outside, thanking the stars above that Mundungus Fletcher was on duty once again instead of anyone else as Dung had a habit of dozing off.

The raven haired teen met up with his friends and stashed his cloak into the bag of things he'd bought at Diagon Alley and the four friends hurried down the street to the park. They found a small grove of trees and after making sure no one was watching them, they each grabbed the chain and Harry spoke the activation word after Hedwig had secured herself on his shoulder. There was a pulling at their stomachs and soon the four of them were away from England and in the middle of the United States.

After picking himself up off the ground where he'd landed on his rear, Harry looked around and noticed that they'd landed in the front yard of a pleasant little cottage in some woods. He had no idea just what part of the country they'd landed in but so far it looked pleasant enough; the woods had a serene feeling permeating them and he could hear the woodland animals running around in the trees. After determining that there was nothing around to threaten them, the quartet turned their attention back to the small house.

It was, oddly enough, a log cabin with shutters over the two windows they could see on either side of the door. They made their way inside to find a cozy room with a large fireplace directly across from them and a doorway on either side of it. The room itself was paneled in a light colored wood and the floor was hardwood with colorful rugs scattered artfully around the room. The furniture in the main room was worn and comfortable looking, right down to the embroidery basket sitting next to a rocking chair in the corner. Through the door to the right of the fireplace it was possible to see a modern kitchen while the doorway on the left opened into a hallway.

Harry led the way down the short hall and discovered that there were four doors, two on the left and two on the right The door immediately on the right opened into a spacious bathroom that was tastefully decorated in creams and blues. The door directly across from that opened into a large bedroom. It was done in deep green and pale beige with a huge bed taking up most of the space right in front of the door. Along each side wall was a wardrobe that, one holding men's clothing and the other holding women's clothing. The second room on the left opened in to a smaller, single occupancy bedroom that was done in the same colors as the other bedroom. Glancing at each other with puzzled expressions, the four shrugged and made for the last room on this side of the house.

It was a small, plain white room that held one thing: a trunk.

They knew they wouldn't be able to open it due to the letter Harry had received so they moved onto the kitchen to find the key to opening it. It was a muggle kitchen and decorated simply in blues and greens. At one end was a large oak table with a single item on it.

An envelope with Harry's name on it.

When Harry reached for it, Hermione stopped him. "Wait Harry. Something's off about this whole thing."

"What? What's wrong?" Harry's eyes darted to and fro, his hand moving for his wand.

Hermione shook her head, "It's just a feeling. This place feels lived in. Why else would there be clothes and that basket that's in the main room?"

Ginny frowned in thought and looked around before speaking, "She's right Harry. The place does feel lived in but I don't think we're in danger here. Call it a hunch but I think that letter or whatever it is in the clue to this little mystery."

Harry turned to the envelope on the table and took a deep breath to steady his racing heart. Slowly he picked up the envelope and opened it to pull out the paper inside. It had a short massage on it.

To unlock the trunk push the hidden catch in the center of the lily on the lid. Only Potters or those keyed into the trunk by a family member can find it. Your questions will be answered once inside. Make sure you shut the lid behind you.

"Well," Ron broke the silence, "I guess we'd better do as the paper says."

The others agreed and they went back to the empty room. Upon closer inspection, the trunk turned out to be simple yet elegant cherry wood with metalwork accents. The metalworking was done in a platinum silver that was free of tarnish and there was an inlay on the lid that took the teens' breath away. It was done in the same silver as the rest of the metalwork but there were gold highlights to emphasis the design. In the center was a graceful lily flower, on the right side of the trunk was a magnificent stag, and on the left of the lily was a playful dog that looked suspiciously like a Grim. The teens were silent for a moment or two as they tried to get a grip on the feelings that rushed through them at the sight, especially Harry.

Finally calming himself, Harry reached out and brushed his fingers across the center of the lily. Feeling the slightest of creases, he pushed down and heard a soft click. Glancing at the others he gently pulled the lid open to find the top of a ladder stuck against the inside of the trunk and disappearing into an unknown area within the trunk. Shrugging he started to climb down with his friends following, Ron pulling the trunk shut behind him. As one the four friends turned to face the room and froze, not believing their eyes.

They had to be seeing the impossible.

Albus Dumbledore was spending an early summer evening reading a book when a very anxious werewolf rushed into his office and startled the headmaster enough that he almost dropped his book. Putting his stocking covered feet onto the floor, he turned to Remus and spoke. "What can I help you with Remus?"

"Harry's gone missing!" the Marauder looked ready to pull his hair out. "I went to visit him and I found all of his things gone. There wasn't a trace of a struggle or any unidentified wizarding folk at the Dursley's place."

Albus felt like his stomach had fallen through the bottom of his chair but tried to look reassuring as he worked to calm the upset werewolf. "We'll check with Miss Granger. I'm sure she'll have a clue as to where he's gone off to so it won't be too long before we have him safe and sound back at his aunt's."

"She's gone too and I've got reason to believe she's with Harry."

The headmaster froze for a split second, "What brought you to that conclusion?"

Taking a deep breath, Remus began. "When I found Harry gone I went to Hermione's to see if she had any clue as to his whereabouts. She wasn't there but her mother was. She said that Hermione had called this afternoon and asked her parents if she could go on a summer trip with Harry and two other friends. Apparently Harry was going anyway and wanted some company. Hermione told her parents that the four of them would be careful and that she didn't have to worry about her things as Harry was going to buy them all new things when they got where they were going. If I had to make a guess I'd say the other two going were Ron and Ginny Weasley."

"Hmm," Albus thought for a moment, "my guess is Molly wouldn't let any of them go anywhere without clearing it first. I'll floo her and see if the children are at the Burrow."

Unfortunately for the headmaster, Molly's head appeared in the fireplace just as he was getting up. "Oh! Albus I was hoping to catch you. Ron and Ginny ran off to Diagon Alley earlier today by themselves and haven't come back yet. The twins told me a little bit ago that they'd seen them there with Harry and Hermione. Would it be possible for you to have Harry's guards send them home?"

Remus hid a grimace and discreetly stuck his fingers in his ears while the headmaster answered the redheaded mother, knowing very well what was going to happen in just a few seconds.

"I'm afraid I can't do that Molly. It seems that Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny have run off on their own. I myself didn't know any of them were missing until Remus informed me of it not ten minutes ago." Molly's reaction could be heard in the hallway outside the office.

"WHAT?"

Albus sat in his chair at the head table, waiting for the students to arrive so Minerva could lead the new first years in for the Sorting. As the older students entered, his mind wandered to the four new teachers this year and the first time he'd met them three weeks ago...

The headmaster sighed, almost frustrated enough to bang his head on the desk. After that Umbridge woman last year and the horrid scores in Defense, he wanted and needed to bring the students up to the levels they should have been at when summer began. So far though, none of the applicants possessed the qualifications and skills needed for such a task. He was just starting to shuffle through the pile of resumes again when his office door flew open.

In walked Remus Lupin and three strangers. The werewolf didn't beat around the bush, "Albus have you filled the Defense position yet?" When the headmaster shook his head the man continued, "Well what would I say if I told you that I've managed to find you four Defense teachers that can work together to get the students up to par and possibly above?"

"Am I correct when I assume that the four would be you and your friends?" the older wizard looked over the top of his glasses.

"Yes. This is Eros Cloud, his brother Apollo, and Apollo's wife Kleio." Remus pointed to each of his friends in turn.

Eros was a tall man, right around six feet with hazel eyes and short black hair that looked as if it curled when longer. Apollo was a bit slimmer and less than an inch shorter than his brother and wore his shoulder length black hair pulled back in a leather tie. His gray eyes showed the same intelligence and mischief as his brother. Kleio's long brown hair brushed the small of her back and seemed to enhance the cinnamon brown of her eyes. She was shorter than her husband by a good three inches or so but slim with a simple beauty to her features.

After questioning them for a moment or two on their knowledge, Albus was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "I think we could make something like that work. Shall we iron out the details after getting you four settled in then? I'm rather anxious to see what the four of you can do together, especially since I know what Remus can do when working alone!"

The doors opened, jerking Albus back to the present as the deputy headmistress lead the first years in for the Sorting. The Hat gave it's customary song, then Minerva called upon the students and they were Sorted. Before too long it was done and everyone was seated. Barely holding back a sigh the headmaster stood and signaled for silence. When all eyes were on him he began.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts! I would like to make a few announcements before our brains are occupied with feeding ourselves. First, please remember that the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students." Albus barely kept himself from glancing at the empty space where Harry and his three friends usually sat. He'd tried to find the four missing students but nothing had worked. Not tracking spells on their letters or the owls carrying them; not Mrs. Weasley's clock (which continually pointed to Unknown); not locator spells; nothing. Albus only hoped they were still alive.

"Second, Mr. Filch has added numerous items to the Banned Items list and that list is posted outside his office for those who wish to read it. Finally I would like to announce that we have four Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers this year. They are Professor Eros Cloud, Professor Apollo Cloud, Professor Kleio Cloud, and the returning Professor Remus Lupin. I believe that the Professors Cloud will have to devise a way for everyone to determine which of them you are speaking to. For now though, I've just a few more words before we fill our bellies. Bibble, babble, and bubble!"

With that the tables filled with food and everyone dug in. Albus firmly kept his wandering mind in check; not wanting to speculate uselessly on where Harry and his three friends had wandered off to and why they hadn't returned yet.

The next morning saw one very shocked and confused student body. Breakfast had just started when the doors opened to reveal a slim figure reading a large book. All eyes were fixed on the unknown person and it wasn't until she had taken a seat at the Gryffindor table that she was recognized.

Oddly enough, it was Draco Malfoy that put a name with the face. "Granger? When the hell did she get so hot?" he blurted out without thinking. Luckily for Draco, there were no teachers in the Hall and everyone was to stunned by the changes in Hermione to notice his slip.

The brunette Gryffindor had indeed changed. She was taller, right around five feet nine inches in height. Her figure was slim and toned with curves in all the right places and a grace that would make a super model jealous. Her hair was cut to chin length and hung in a riot of sleek curls with strands of silver vibrantly standing out against the dark brown. When she glanced up at Draco's comment it was possible to see that her chocolate brown eyes seemed to shimmer with power, confidence, and knowledge. All in all, Hermione was stunning with a captivating beauty that held at least one person in the Hall spellbound.

Not paying the slightest bit of attention to the gawking students after glancing at Draco, Hermione continued to read as she nibbled on her breakfast. Before too long the students turned back to their own meals. Whispers ran around about Hermione's change but once again the opening of the Hall doors grabbed the attention of most. This time it was relatively easy to identify the newcomers.

The shorter of the two young men was about five feet ten inches tall and lean with whipcord muscles. His jet black hair was spiked and just long enough that a bit fell into his eyes, giving him rakish look while conveniently covering his famous scar. The tips of his hair were colored a dark green that went well with the black hair. He no longer wore glasses and his vibrant green eyes seemed to glow with power.

The taller one stood at six feet tall with broader shoulders and a slightly more muscular build. The copper red hair on his head was also spiked but a bit shorter with dark gray tips. His piercing blue eyes held the same glow of power that his companion's did.

Both boys moved with a grace and ease of a well accomplished fighter and it struck many students that the two were moving like predators. Still, quite a few girls sighed as their eyes followed the two as they sat down across from Hermione. They ignored the Hall and continued their discussion without pause.

"Oh come on Harry, tell me what happened. Please," the red head said as he piled food on his plate.

Harry smirked, "It's not my fault you don't remember what happened Ron."

"Hey, that is not my fault and you know it! Moony was the one mixing the drinks and I seem to remember you having quite a few yourself. Now tell me what happened or I'll tell a certain someone what you did the last time we had a binge," Ron growled.

Holding up his hands in defeat Harry gave in. "Alright, I'll spill. You jumped off the fifth floor balcony into the pool. You made one hell of a splash."

Ron stared at his best friend for a few seconds before pumping his fist in the air, "Awesome! I wish I could remember doing that."

"I'm not surprised you don't remember," interjected a new voice. "You were way beyond tanked when you did it." All eyes in the room flew to the newcomer standing behind Hermione.

She was petite, about five-four with a deliciously curved figure. When she moved to sit it was possible to see the grace in her toned muscles. Her shoulder length hair was a myriad of reds and subtle oranges with streaks of blue woven through it, giving her hair the appearance of flames. Her cinnamon eyes almost sparked with power and mischief. When she was sitting next to Hermione it was easy to see that both girls were equally attractive but the redhead's beauty was the more subtle of the two with an alluring quality that was almost mystifying. It was only due to the similarities between her and Ron that allowed the students to identify her as Ginny Weasley as she'd changed about as much as Hermione had.

Finally though, Hermione closed her book and joining the conversation. "We were all pretty toasted last night. It was fun though." The other students wondered what in the world the quartet was talking about before shrugging their shoulders and returning to their meals once more.

"Hey Mione, what book were you just reading?" Gin asked. The two boys rolled their eyes and dug into their breakfast, intent on blocking out the girls' conversation.

An hour later, the four Gryffindors found themselves in the Headmaster's office. It was highly amusing to them that he hadn't been able to wait even a day before attempting to get information out of them.

Once they were all seated before the old wizard's desk, said old wizard sat back in his chair with an annoying twinkle in his eyes. Off to the side sat Professors Snape and McGonagall, the only two teachers on staff who were members of the Order. After a few minutes of silence the headmaster held up a small dish full of yellow candies.

"Lemon drop?" he offered but put the bowl down after they each declined. "Very well. I suppose you know why I've called here so I'm not going to beat around the bush. Where were you this summer?"

Harry raised an eyebrow and said, "Right. And why would we tell you that? It's not your place to ask anyway." McGonagall's jaw dropped and Snape's face started to turn a rather interesting shade of pink.

The Headmaster spoke before either one of the house Heads could react. "What makes you say that?"

"Simple. What we were doing this summer was and is not school related and as such you have no authority to try controlling our lives like you've been doing to me for the last five years or more. Am I clear enough?" Harry spoke in a cool voice.

Before any of the teachers could speak again, Hermione stood and smoothed her robes regally. "As this meeting is not related to school, we shall be taking our leave. Good day Professors." With that, she turned and glided from the room with the other three right on her heels.

An artist would have had an amusing time painting a portrait of the moment as the jaws of all three teachers seemed to reach the ground while they stared after the teens in what one could only call shock.

A couple hours later, in a double potions class, a rather bored red head sat literally twiddling her thumbs. The lesson for the day had been to brew the aging potion, which in all reality only took thirty minutes. For some stupid reason though, everyone else kept screwing up a simple potion. Finally getting sick of being bored, Ginny took stock of what she had in front of her and what was available for the students to use. Making a decision, she started preparing the ingredients for a second potion while humming a song she'd learned over the summer. Before she realized it the class was ending and Professor Snape was glaring at her while she bottled up the potion as her classmates fled the room.

"Miss Weasley," he sneered.

"Yes sir?"

"Just what exactly do you think you doing?"

Grinning impishly, Ginny set the vial next to the other and leaned back to look up at the towering professor. "Brewing a potion sir."

Snape sneered, "As I recall, your assignment was to brew the aging potion. What you were just finishing up is in no way related to said potion."

The petite young woman held up a finger elegantly, "Except the fact that all the ingredients are the same save one. That one ingredient was available for use this lesson so I decided to do something other than sit here and be bored while I watched my classmates make idiotic mistakes."

"Tell me Miss Weasley, what potion did you just brew?" Snape raised an eyebrow.

"Draft of Peace." Ginny studied her nails, completely at ease even though Snape was glaring daggers at her.

"I highly doubt you would be able to brew that one Miss Weasley as we have not covered that in class yet," Snape's face was unreadable.

Ginny stood, shouldered her bag, grabbed the potions in one hand and faced the potions professor. "I studied over the summer and had an excellent tutor. Here's my assignment and one extra. Do what you want with it. Good day sir." With that the Gryffindor strolled out of the room. Professor Snape watched her go before looking at the two potions in his hand.

A/N: Well, there we have it. The first chapter of what will hopefully be a full story complete with a sequel. I can't guarentee that I'll update regularly but I don't think this will be a story I even want to think about abandoning. I've got many ideas for things I want to happen, both in this and its sequel. So, that said, remember to review. Constructive reviews are great, even if they point out flaws. I don't have a beta reader so I'm expecting a fair number of those...just don't be to mean...please? Type at you next chapterTyanne