Here's the next phase of my Harry Potter series. Since it's been 3 years from the last installment, I have changed a few things and while they're not noticeable, they are there. I have completely dropped the "Prongs" nickname and changed Harry Wales to just "Henry". This story will start to drift further toward Harry Potter POV but you will see Sirius and Remus pop up. The story picks up immediately after they leave for Potter Manor from installment 1 so it will start in Alyssa's POV.

As always: I don't own it! Enjoy!

Return to Potter Manor

Alyssa POV

As she landed on her feet, Alyssa surveyed the area that surrounded their home. Home. A place where she thought she would never find. She had lived with her mother for years, but the few short years she lived with her father and Lily-that was her home. Though her memories were fuzzy of the cottage, she remembered she felt safe. Beside her, Henry and Prongs came to their feet from the dizzying portkey. Both of them looked winded and Prongs seemed a touch green. She watched both of them and smiled seeing a grin break out on Prongs face.

A slight breeze drifted past them as it bathed them in the summer smells of wildflowers and local fauna. Tall, dense trees grew down the path the unplottable Manor. Occasionally they heard an unusual noise coming from the copse of trees that surrounded the area, but she realized that whatever lived out there would stay in the woods. At least she hoped…

Feeling warm fingers slip through hers, Alyssa felt the love that flowed from them to her own heart. The love that her newly discovered soul bonded felt for her had tears prickling in her eyes. Turning her head to Henry, Alyssa gave him a soft smile, which he returned, and tugged him forward. Her brother, Prongs, had started his sprint to the Manor, eager to start his summer holiday.

There was an enormous part of Alyssa that dreaded the upcoming few weeks. They would be separated. She would be finishing the theoretical part of her Auror courses as well as a practical. While he, on the other hand, would be busy for the summer season. She knew that being away from him would be downright torture. Once her Auror courses were finished, they would, hopefully, have the rest of the summer together.

"HEY! Are you two coming?" they heard Prongs shout from the veranda of Potter Manor. Shaking her head, his enthusiasm was infectious.

Chuckling beside her, Henry squeezed her hand and pulled her closer to him. "Of course we are. Why are you waiting for us?"

They watched as Prongs shrugged and bolted into the house, leaving the door open. She and Henry could hear his shouts of joy from where Prongs had left them. Stopping in our tracks, Henry turned to her and held her close. Resting her head on his chest, she sighed happily. Being close to him was soothing. Like a balm to a burn. The bond between us had been a surprise when we discovered it last year. Then the night...that night where she unleashed her anger and nearly harmed Henry.

Since then, he had been diligently working on his shields daily. It was a lesson learned for both of them.

"I am going to miss you these next few weeks," Henry muttered into her hair, still holding her close to him.

Alyssa could only nod. The emotions that rose in her threatened to choke her. "I'm going to miss you as well. You know," she looked up at him, "I am going to be in London."

Henry sighed, closing his eyes and blowing out a puff of air, "Yes, but you'll be quite busy."

"As will you, won't you?"

"Possibly."

That was his code word for 'yes'. Since the night of the Yule Ball, his family has refused to invite Alyssa to any more functions; which she knew only irritated her lovely boyfriend. They may have had a change of heart knowing that their relationship was permanent, but that night happened. It only made sense they changed their minds. While it hurt her deeply, Alyssa understood. During the nights, when she was alone, she was plagued by the nightmares of seeing him in St. Mungo's.

Taking her hand in his, he leads them toward the Manor. As they stepped through the opened door, left by Prongs, they were welcomed by the few house-elves that were ecstatic to have the Potters finally back home. As she scanned the foyer, she noticed the house looked polished and shimmered from the amount of work the elves had put in. She would have to do something nice for them. As long as it wasn't clothes, she mused.

"Ah, there you two are." Sirius said coming down the stairs, "We had half a mind that the both of you were lost somewhere snogging each other brains out." he added, coming toward us with arms open.

Sirius knew it was wonderful to see them again. Especially Harry and Alyssa. When he had lost them over a decade ago, it killed him as he sat alone in Azkaban. When he finally escaped a few months ago, he had sought them. Since he was a wanted man in Magical Britain made it increasingly difficult to travel.

He took a risk to wander upon the Hogwarts property and into the Quidditch pitch that night to see the both of them dueling. He noted that Alyssa was far more advanced than he would have imagined and Prongs, as a beginner, wasn't doing too badly. Stepping out in the light, he was sure he was going to be stunned, but when Alyssa threw herself at him, he knew that things were finally looking up.

She, with the help of Henry, brought him back to London and then onto Potter Manor. As he stepped foot inside, the memories of him and James came flooding back. He nearly wept in the foyer and wished his brother was still with him. Once Prongs realized that Sirius wasn't there to kill him, he opened up to his long-lost godfather. Over Christmas holiday, he finally reconnected with Remus, who had spent the better part of an hour yelling at him before hugging him until he felt a rib crack.

Now the summer holiday was upon them and he knew that based on the kid's schedules, they would be quite busy this summer. It was bittersweet that he had to go another summer without really spending time with them, but he understood.

Alyssa wrapped her arms around the only real father figure she had ever known besides her own father. Though, she still wished a flea bath on him, "Nothing of that sort…."

"We could always escape right now Mr. Black and have everyone look for us," Henry added cheekily which earned a glare from her uncle.

"I am sure you've seen my brother?" she asked, ignoring the banter that was to come.

Sirius nodded at her, still trying to keep the glare off his face. He truly did like Henry but he wasn't in the mood for cheek today. It was the beginning of the summer, but he was in an off mood today. He had been an escaped prisoner of Azkaban for almost a year, but he could still feel the effects of his time there. Maybe he needed to speak to a Mind Healer.

"As a matter of fact, I did. He ran past me like an angry hippogriff was chasing him. I heard a door slam a few minutes ago."

He watched as his niece rolled her eyes at her brother's antics. Sirius could tell they were two very different people, yet he noted, there were some similarities. He hadn't asked them about their lives away from him as they grew up, but something inside him told him that he wouldn't like it if he did ask.

"Has Remus arrived yet?" she asked him, switching the conversation. He understood that if Remus refused to show up that Alyssa and Prongs would hunt him down and drag his wolfy self to Potter Manor.

"I received an owl from him this morning and he said he would be arriving in a few days time. Something about shutting his house down?" Sirius reassured her. He knew getting the family together was part of Alyssa's goal for her brother.

Alyssa nodded at her uncle, who departed a few minutes later to find something to do, and took Henry's hand and led him upstairs to her room. As she pushed the door open, she removed her trunk from her pockets. Setting it down on the floor, she flicked her wrist and her wand appeared. Alyssa must remember to grab one of these for her brother's birthday. Casting an Engorgio charm, they watched as it grew back to its original size. Leaving where it was, she knew the house-elves would unpack the clothes and sort what needed to go into the laundry.

She looked up from staring at the tan and black trunk with her name emblazoned on it to see Henry take a seat on the bed. Giving her a pained smile, she knew that he was dreading the separation. She would be going to America for a few days to drop off her brother before returning to Britain to finish her Auror courses.

At least she would be in London…

Alyssa could feel his eyes on her as she moseyed about her room, setting a few things on her desk and bookshelf. She noted she would need a larger bookshelf. As she turned around to look at him, Alyssa crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a smile, "What?"

"You already miss Hogwarts, don't you?" he asked her.

She nodded at him, "Kind of. You're going to hate this summer, aren't you?"

"Of course I am!" he exclaimed, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. "At least until you return back from America. Where is it located?"

"It's an unplottable area near Lake Placid. The No-Maj…." she saw the confusion on his face, "Muggles...The Americans call them 'No-Maj' don't even realize there is an Academy there."

Suddenly, a small chime echoed throughout the manor and they turned to look at their closed door. Alyssa gave him a strange, but concerned look. No one was supposed to be able to arrive at Potter Manor unless they had a family portkey. She took his hand and they stood. She raised an eyebrow hearing the thudding of feet past the door. With his hand in hers, she tugged him roughly toward the door.

Something was going on. She turned back to see the worry etched in his eyes, but noticed he had palmed his wand. Taking the handle in her free hand, she ripped the door open and poked her head out into the hallway and followed the chiming noise to the first floor.

Exiting the room, she and Henry hurried quickly down the flight of stairs to the bottom floor. She slipped her hand from his and palmed her own wand. Wands ready, they hurried toward the noise. When they found it, Prongs and Sirius were standing guard at an unexpected guest. Sirius had a wand in his hand, pointing directly toward their intruder.

Alyssa wasn't sure how he bought a wand, but she would ask him later.

Their intruder was none other than Will, Henry's brother. Alyssa wasn't sure how he gained a personal portkey to the Manor. "Will, what are you doing here?" Henry spoke up, brushing past her only to be blocked by Sirius.

"Stay where you are!" Sirius spat, his gaze never leaving Will.

"He's my brother! Let me through!"

"He could be an imposter."

"Hardly!" Henry gasped, astonishment in his voice.

"Who are you?" Sirius demanded.

"You know who I am Sirius Black." Will sighed, unamused, "I am Henry's brother."

"Prove it!" Sirius challenged, "Tell him one thing that he knows that the rest of us don't."

Sirius watched as Will looked around the room, his gaze lingering on everyone's faces before he spoke up, "When I was a child, I wanted to be a police officer."

"Before we continue," Sirius started, seizing everyone in place, "How did you acquire a portkey here? I know Alyssa issued only five."

He watched as William wince as if he'd been caught with his hand on his broomstick, "I-er, I found Henry's on his bathroom counter. It was an emergency so I borrowed it."

"Yo-you-" Henry sputtered, anger coloring his face, "You went into MY room and nicked my portkey?"

"I did." William nodded, pulling the ring off his left ring finger.

"Wait!" Alyssa interrupted, "why was your portkey in London and not on you?"

Henry turned to face Alyssa sheepishly, "I showered and forgot to put it back on."

She could have throttled him.

Sirius turned his head briefly to confirm this knowledge with Henry, who nodded. Lowering his wand, he noted that Prongs did the same. Stances eased, but Sirius was still on his guard. He motioned for Prongs to step aside and let Henry through. He watched as Henry pushed past them to speak quietly with his brother. They all waited in suspense until Henry turned around.

Alyssa watched as Henry and Will spoke quietly, she could tell something was wrong by Henry's expression. When they turned to look at them, she walked over and stood before him. Her eyes searching his, "Is everything all right?"

"Family trouble," he replied evasively. Alyssa arched an eyebrow at him, but he shook his head at her. Just something else she knew she wasn't privy to. Sighing, she shook her head at him and blew out a puff of air. Taking his hand, he pulled her close to him. She closed her eyes as he leaned his head down and captured her lips in a slow deep kiss. She pulled him closer to her and wrapped her arms around his neck as he tightened his hold on her hips.

A subtle 'hem-hem' broke them apart. His fingers caressed her cheek and she leaned into him. We stood there absorbing each other as if this was the last time we would ever see each other again. Alyssa knew in her mind that it wasn't true, but her soul was saying otherwise. She needed him just as much as he needed her.

"Henry, we must be off…" Will spoke up breaking the spell between them.

She watched as he turned his head and nodded at his brother. Henry turned his head back and kissed her softly once more before releasing her. Alyssa watched as he walked away, his brother handing him back his portkey with an apologetic smile, and in seconds they were gone.

Alyssa stood there rooted to the floor. She was afraid to move lest she collapses. The subtle pull of the bond felt like it was being stretched. She could already feel him far from her. It was only a few hours difference but it was strong enough that she knew he was gone. Breaking herself from her rooted spot, she cringed inwardly, but stepped away and climbed the stairs toward my room.

HarryP POV

Harry Potter-or now commonly known as Prongs landed roughly on the hard ground and blinked harshly in the bright sunlight. There in the distance was Potter Manor. Home. His home for now on and Dumbledore and the Dursley's could sod off. Stampeding hippogriffs couldn't get him to go back there. Even Voldemort threatening his life couldn't get him to go back.

Here he knew he had a family, though new, who loved him deeply and would do anything to ensure his happiness. Alyssa, the sister he never thought he had, was making sure things were getting set right. Sirius, his godfather who he just found, was there for the unconditional support and father figure he yearned for. Even Remus, who was there for him during the school year was a breath of fresh air to him.

Then there was Hermione. The girl he finally opened his eyes too and would hopefully never stop caring for. A light wind whistled by him, and he was itching to get to his room and unpack before terrorizing the house. Of course, he would eventually sit down and pen Hermione an owl before heading down to dinner. It was unusual for him to have people who cared about him.

Briefly, he turned around his eyes catching the landscape before landing on his sister and her boyfriend wandering aimlessly behind him. At this rate, he figured it would be past sundown before they would make to the front door. He shrugged his shoulders and raced down the worn path and shouted happily when he arrived at the front door.

"Hi, Sirius!" Prongs shouted, running up the stairs, "Bye Sirius!" He was too wrapped up to realize that Sirius didn't even call back.

Prongs pushed the door open to his room, the Gryffindor colors greeted him warmly. For the first time in a long time, he felt happy and excited for summer. Before he threw himself on the bed and officially declared that summer had begun, he pulled his trunk of his pockets and used the Engorgio charm and expanded it back to normal size.

Since living in an all magical house, which was going to take some getting used too, Harry could use magic without the Department of Underage Magic banging down the door and threatening to break his wand as they did in second year when a certain house-elf decided it was a good idea to drop a cake on the Dursley's guests.

Harry knew that Dobby still followed him around and would jump at a moment's notice to help "the great Harry Potter out." He opened the lid of the trunk and left it open. He knew that he would go through it later before they would leave for America. Plus, he knew that he needed to get a start on the homework before left.

Blatantly ignoring his homework, for the time being, Harry threw himself on the bed and laid there for a while doing absolutely nothing. By now, he would have already been lectured by his Uncle about 'behaving and keeping his freakish ways out of sight'. Then have a chore list a mile long that he would have to complete every day to make sure everything was in order...for the sake of appearance.

It wasn't like he didn't like the chores. It gave him something to do during the day hours and at night he would force himself to do his homework. He knew that the past three years of schooling at Hogwarts, he had been slacking off much to Hermione's displeasure. This past year, however, he did try to pick his grades up a bit without angering Ron, who still wished to goof off at a moment's notice.

A chiming noise echoed throughout the house and Harry sat up from his bed and threw his legs off the bed. He pulled his wand from his pocket and ran from the room and down the hallway. Taking two steps at a time, he raced down the flight of stairs and followed the chiming noise. He found Sirius standing there aiming a wand at their intruder. Adjusting his silver-framed glasses, he finally got a good look at the bloke whom he learned was Will.

There was something about how Sirius was standing on his own with a wand ready that made him think twice about pocketing his wand. Against his better judgment, he aimed his own and stared him down. Harry wasn't trying to be hostile, but one never knows who's who in the Magical world. A minute later, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs and knew that his sister and Henry were on their way.

"He could be an impostor!" Sirius snarled.

Peering at Will, he couldn't be an imposter, could he? Harry looked him over and he looked just like Will. The same one he met last year but dressed a little more casual. Hearing how Will nicked his own brother's portkey, he lowered his wand and rolled his eyes. Someone other than Will could have found that portkey. A shiver ran down his spine as he thought about the outcomes of this almost disaster.

Harry ducked his head and shuffled his feet while Alyssa was saying goodbye. Once they had left, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a pained smile. It broke his heart to see the pain in her wide eyes. Honestly, he didn't think she realized they had left, let alone realized when he left the room and headed back to his own.

"Do you think she'll be all right?" Sirius asked, leaning against the door to my room.

He shook his head at his godfather and sighed, his shoulders slumping, "Honestly, I don't know Padfoot. This isn't the first time they have split up for reasons beyond their control. I know that she'll be down for a while and bury herself into something."

"How long has this been going on?"

Harry chewed on his lip and removed his glasses, cleaning them quickly before placing them back on his face, "I'd say since February."

Sirius nodded at him and sighed just as heavily. "Will be she be all right taking you to America?"

"Oh yea, she should be fine. A little downtrodden but that's it." Harry confirmed, nodding his head, "Are you coming to dinner?"

"And miss good cooking?" Sirius gave him a mock glare. "I'll see you at dinner, Harry," he said as he left the room.

As he laid back onto his soft mattress, he sighed again and looked up at the ceiling and realized how much he missed Hermione. He couldn't wait until summer was ending and she would be here. Here at his home where they had plenty of space and hiding spots to sneak off when Ron wasn't looking. He knew he would have a blast in America.

Hermione was thrilled for him, that much he knew. Ron-well, Ron was completely different. He felt that Ron was indifferent with him leaving. Deep down, buried, Harry knew that Ron was jealous that his dark-haired best friend was getting to leave Britain and go to America.

Honestly, it didn't matter if he was visiting or heading off to camp, Ron was going to be jealous either way. Ron, along with Hermione, was going to come and spend a week or two at the end of the summer where they could do whatever they wanted until they left for school on September 1st.

As he rose to his feet, Harry walked over to the large opened window and looked at the grounds. It was large and spanned as far as my spectacled eyes could see. Somewhere on the grounds were a smattering of cottages that used to house family members. Now, it would only Remus and Sirius. Alyssa had offered them rooms inside the Manor, but both declined. Moony had lived alone long enough that it would be uncomfortable living in the house with the younger kids and he was dead sure that Sirius, living alone in Azkaban, would want to be inside, but asked for a cottage.

The next few days were similar to the first day back. It was nice for a chance to sleep in half the day if he wanted. Which he took advantage of on the second morning. While not a slob, the dark-haired wizard had finally gotten around to cleaning out his trunk and the mounds of homework stared at him as it sat alone on the desk. Harry cringed to even look at the summer homework. Though, he knew that he needed to start on it before he left.

It was nice for once to have dinner with family who cared about him, but like at school, once dinner was done, Alyssa would retreat to her quarters as soon as she was finished. Sirius, after learning about the soul-bond and how it affected her, gave her a sad look as she walked out of the room.

The night he had been waiting for when Sirius asked Harry to join him at his cottage. As he followed his godfather through the darkened backyard, down a winding path that was lit up in fairy lights, he wondered where Remus would be staying. The air was warm with only a light breeze tonight and he itched to stay outside. Maybe even camp out. Finally, they arrived at an unusually shaped cottage. It was round, not square like most homes were but Sirius didn't seem to mind.

Sirius opened the door to his new bachelor pad and stepped aside to let his godson in. He watched with careful eyes as Harry looked around. It was small on the outside but large on the inside. No magic needed. The main room consisted of a combined kitchen and living space. There were two doors in the back that was a bedroom and a lavatory to the right.

Seeing the couch, he plopped down on the couch and stretched his legs and looked up toward his godson, "Well make yourself at home."

He watched as Harry took a seat in a nearby chair and nodded at him in thanks, "So, why am I here?"

"What? You don't want to spend time with your Godfather?" Sirius asked in mock anger.

"No! I mean, no-I do wanna spend time with you." he watched as Harry blushed, stammering through his explanation.

"I'm sure you want to know about your parents, don't ya?" he asked, knowing full well this wasn't going to be the topic of the night, "Of course, it's not why I brought you here tonight." the former prisoner sighed and sat up, resting his elbows on his knees. "I want to to get to know my godson. Alyssa is far too moody to talk too-despite what she's going through."

Harry nodded at him and sat back into the comfortable chair. He glanced around the room once more and ran his fingers through already messy hair, " So what do you want to know about me?"

"Anything you're willing to share…."

Deep down, Harry wanted to spill everything about his life up until he met Hagrid, but he knew that if he did, there wouldn't be anything left of Vernon and Petunia Dursley before the night was over and it would give Sirius a real reason to rot in Azkaban.

Sirius watched his godson's face carefully. There was something lurking on the surface and he was sure that Harry wanted to spill everything to him, but something was holding him back. He stood abruptly, giving his godson a chance to collect himself and walked over toward the kitchenette. He pulled two Butterbeer from the small fridge, he handed one to Harry and twisted the top off before sitting down.

They spoke of mundane things, like school. Sirius could tell Harry was leaving things out and realized that he tried to make the best of it until Alyssa arrived. Once Quidditch was mentioned, the conversation became much more lively. Even though he had been locked up in Azkaban for a decade, he was still an avid Quidditch fan.

However, there was one area they hadn't discussed and when Sirius brought updating, Harry turned red as a Quaffle ball and tried to change the subject, much to Sirius's amusement.

"So, Harry," he started and leaned back into his chair, the glass of Firewhiskey barely in his grasp, "are you finally snogging Hermione?"

Butterbeer spewed from Harry's mouth as he began to cough like mad. Harry coughed for a few minutes and tried to get himself under control. "Wh-what are you talking about? Hermione and I are just friends." he lied.

Sirius raised an unbelieving eyebrow at him and shrugged, "You can't tell me that you haven't snogged her brains out?"

Harry felt a blush bulb explode over his face. Ducking his head down, he summoned all the will to look at his godfather with a straight face, but couldn't, "I, uh, well…." he stammered, his hands shaking as he sat the warm Butterbeer down on the worn table.

"Ah, I knew it! You have, haven't you?" his godfather preened, sitting up from his slouched position. He swayed a little but caught himself quickly.

Harry ran his hands over his face, he knew Sirius wasn't going to let up until he confessed. Blowing out a harsh puff of air, he threw his godfather a scowl, "Yes, I am. Have been for several months now, if you want to know…"

"And, I take it that Ronald doesn't have a clue about you two?" the former prisoner asked perceptively.

Harry shook his head at him and closed his eyes before opening them back up, "We decided to keep it a secret…"

"Harry," Sirius sighed and tabled his drink, "I might have been out of the dating game for a very…." he paused and shook his head softly, the black locks dangling to cover his face, "...very long time, but I do know that a secret like that will be exposed one day."

Even though it felt as if a weight had been lifted off the young wizard's shoulders, he still felt the uneasy knot in the pit of his stomach. Since he and Hermione had decided to keep things a secret from Ron, the secret had been festering like a sore in his soul. He wanted to tell Ron every time he saw him, but when he did and how Ron looked at Hermione, Harry knew he couldn't do it.

Not much of a Gryffindor, eh?

He watched as a slightly drunk Sirius palmed his wand an conjured a couple bowls of popcorn. Handing over a bowl to him, they sat there in silence and munched quietly, "Tell me about my parents…"

Sirius paused in mid-bite and glanced over at him, "What do you want to know?" he asked softly, setting his bowl to the side and brushing the salt off his hands.

"Everything you want to tell me," Harry whispered, setting his own bowl on the table and wiping his hands on his jeans.

Sirius nodded, closed his eyes and a smile began to form on his weathered face, "Your dad and I met on the first train ride to Hogwarts…."

Harry cracked a bloodshot eye open and looked fuzzily around trying to figure out his surroundings. Sunlight streamed brightly into the room and he realized he wasn't in his own bed. He was still at Sirius's cottage! He groaned and shifted around and found himself laid flat on a bed. The walls were bare with the exception of a large window.

He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes roughly. The young wizard blinked against the bright sunlight and swung his legs over the bed and touched the bare floor. Quickly taking inspection of himself, he realized that Sirius must have brought him in the room after he had fallen asleep. Reaching toward the nightstand, Harry plucked his silver frame glasses and slipped them on. The world around him came back into focus. Padding quietly out of the room, he found the loo a minute later and took care of things. Quietly, he slipped on his trainers and snuck out into the living room.

Sirius wasn't there, but he could hear a faint snore coming from the second bedroom. He must still be asleep. Exiting the cottage, Harry closed the door quietly and turned to face the walkway that would lead him back toward the Manor. The air was warm but quiet. There were a few birdsongs, but that was it. Harry quickly made back down the worn path bypassing the large backyard that was big enough for a pool.

Opening the kitchen door, Harry caught a glimpse of the two house-elves preparing the last of the breakfast food. Smelling the overwhelming aroma of breakfast, his stomach decided to chime in and remind him that he needed to eat. Giving a small wave to the house-elves, he hurried out of the kitchen and into a hallway. The dining room was around there somewhere. Following the scent of breakfast food, he found the dining room quite quickly. The oak doors were opened to reveal a very large dining room that was far to upscale for the two teenagers eating in it. He saw Alyssa sitting in one of the chairs, reading something. There was a half-eaten breakfast plate in front of her.

He plopped down into a seat across from her and engaged in light talk. Filling up a plate with breakfast food and sipped the tea before it cooled. Digging into the delicious food, he almost didn't see Sirius enter the room and take a seat. As Alyssa and Sirius spoke, he removed a scroll from a non-descript owl that had landed beside me. Handing the owl a slice of bacon, it nipped it and flew off with a soft hoot.

Setting his plate aside, he unscrolled it and realized from the handwriting that it was from Hermione. Already? They haven't been out of school for less than a week. Reading over her letter, she rambled on about mundane things until he got the part where she was going to snog me senseless the next time she saw me. Blushing, he nearly dropped the letter onto his breakfast plate.

Before he could say anything, Alyssa came to her feet and gave them a small smile and left the dining room. He turned back to his godfather and shrugged his shoulders.

"So what are you planning on doing today?" he asked, setting the Prophet down.

"I think I will take my broom out and fly for a while," Harry mused, taking a bite of his eggs.

"Hmm..well I don't have to tell you to be careful. There are plenty of wards on this place so no one will be able to see you fly. Have fun!"

An hour later, he was hovering fifty feet above the grounds staring out at nothing. The property was in the middle of nowhere. Alyssa had told me they owned nearly two hundred acres. IT was mostly wooded, except for the areas around the Manor and cottage. He wondered what sort of magical creatures lived in the forest surrounding the house.

Keeping himself away from the forest, he weaved around the Manor and around the open property until his stomach rumbled again. Landing swiftly on the ground, he noted their new home could really use a Quidditch Pitch. Maybe he'll talk to Alyssa about one. It shouldn't be too hard to have one built.

Finding Sirius and Alyssa already sitting in the dining room, Harry found a seat and sat down. Before him were platters of sandwiches and crisps as well as salads and a steak for Sirius. In front of him, in a pewter jug was pumpkin juice. Reaching for it, he grasped the handle and filled his glass full. Setting the jug back down, he drank half the juice before setting the glass back down.

Looking between a corned beef sandwich or a steak and kidney pie, Harry grabbed both and ignored Alyss and Sirius who were discussing re-opening his case and dug in. Taking the first bite of the steak and kidney pie, he nearly moaned out loud. This was better than Hogwarts. He looked around sheepishly expecting a Hogwarts house-elf to be standing there ready to berate him.

Halfway through his lunch, he swallowed the last bite of his pie and turned toward Alyssa and Sirius, "What do you think about adding a Quidditch Pitch on the grounds?"

Sirius stopped mid-sentence and shrugged his shoulders. Looking toward Alyssa, who shrugged as well." Why not. Sounds like a good idea."

"I can talk to someone about it if you want." Alyssa added, "Or Sirius can make inquiries under the Potter name."

Harry knew his excitement was about to erupt like a volcano. "Really?" he gasped, his mouth flopping open like a fish, "You mean it?"

"Why not?" Sirius shrugged again, "It would be good fun for you and your mates."

"Everyone but Hermione flies," Alyssa hid her smirk in her glass, her eyes dancing merrily at them, "but I am sure that Harry can get her on his broom."

At that moment, Harry realized that taking a sip of juice when one's sister is making lewd comments was a bad idea. He spewed pumpkin juice all over his corned beef sandwich. Choking on the liquid, he coughed trying to expel it from going into his lungs. Once settled, a dark blush tinted his face and neck, "I-well...I-"

"Oh, you! Calm yourself," his sister defended herself, still smirking. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Riiight...sure you didn't 'Lyssa." Sirius leered, rolling his eyes.

"I swear I didn't!"

"Yes, you did!" Harry glared at his older sister without malice.

Harry shook his head at his sister who huffed and frowned as she picked up her glass of juice and taking a small sip before setting it down. Eyeing the both of them, "Anyway, yes, we can put a Quidditch Pitch up."

Harry grinned and knew this was going to be the best summer a bloke could ask for.