Disclaimer – I solemnly swear that JKR owns everything Harry Potter. Whether or not I am up to no good with her characters is for you to decide.

-oOoOo-

A/N – Sorry this is a bit late – I've been having some internet problems and while I managed to get this one out, it looks like my problems are going to continue for another week or so. I'll post as I get the chance.

-oOoOo-

The Fourth School

Chapter 2

"Master Harry Sir?"

"Master Harry Sir!"

The tone, if not the words, pierced the haze that Harry was caught in and lifted his head. Prolific blinking of his eyes brought Dobby into focus standing in front of him, looking down upon him worriedly.

"Dobby?" Harry asked.

"Yes, Master Harry Sir," Dobby replied, looking relieved.

"How did I get here? I thought that I was, that I was …. Hermione!" he finished in a panic.

This was definitely not King's Cross Station where he was the last time that he remembered anything. Right where Hermione'd … Lifting his hand, he placed it on his cheek as though to feel her lips once more.

"How long have I been here?" he asked, unfolding himself off of the floor.

"Only a few minutes. Dobby came as soon as you arrived home only to find yous on the floor," Dobby related.

"Oh, she's going to think that … Actually, I don't know what she's going to be thinking," his face fell into his hands. Suddenly, his head snapped up. "I need to explain. Somehow. Is the journal in my room still?"

"As far as Dobby knows, Master Harry Sir," the elf replied.

Wide eyed, Harry started for the door that led from the Receiving Room of the Potter Haven manor.

"Master Harry Sir?" Dobby said tentatively, pausing Harry with his hand on the door.

Harry looked around to see Dobby looking at the top of his head. With a frown, Harry reached up and patted his head. Then, with a soft "oh", he screwed up his eyes and concentrated for a moment.

"Better?" he asked.

"Yes, Master Harry Sir," Dobby nodded, making his great ears flap. "And Master Harry should also know that Mister Wolfie is in the library."

"Remus is here?" Harry asked excitedly.

"Lord Blackie brought him, but Lord Blackie had to go and said to tell Master Harry Sir that he'd be back in time for dinner."

"Thanks, Dobby," Harry replied before ducking out of the room.

-oOoOo-

Harry found Remus standing alongside one of the shelves, a book open in his hands. As usual, Remus looked shabby. His old threadbare cardigan was tossed over a nearby chair, while his shirtsleeves were rolled up to the elbow. His head was bowed allowing his slightly greying ginger hair, obviously in need a trim, to fall across his face.

"Remus!" Harry called as he crossed the room.

At his voice, Remus snapped the book closed and swivelled around, a broad smile on his face.

"How are you, Cub?" Remus asked, crossing the room to give Harry a hug.

"I thought that you'd still be at Hogwarts," Harry stated as they parted.

Remus' hand went to the back of his neck momentarily.

"Ordinarily, I would have been. However, I found it necessary to quit at the end of last week," he related.

Harry frowned. "But you loved that job."

"Very true, Harry, but it's a bit hard to teach when your students are afraid of you."

"They found out about your 'furry little problem'," he said. It was obviously a statement rather than a question.

Remus sighed. "Unfortunately."

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"Professor Snape and I had a little … disagreement, one that Dumbledore decided to side with me upon. The letters and howlers from anxious and irate parents began arriving the next morning. I thought it prudent to quit before I was fired."

"I'm sorry, Remus," Harry said, giving his honorary uncle another hug.

"Thank you, Harry," Remus replied, giving a tiny smile.

"You know, I reckon that you'd be brilliant as a tutor," Harry smirked.

"Why, Harry, are you offering me a job?" Remus laughed.

"Could be, Remus," Harry replied. "Perhaps we could talk about it over dinner?"

-oOoOo-

Dobby had the manor sparkling well before ten in the morning of the second of July. Extra tables and chairs had been procured and set out on the back patio. One was filled with jugs of soft drinks and butterbeer and teas, all charmed to stay hot or cold, depending on the beverage. Another was ready for the bowls of chips, platters of cheese and crackers and trays of pastries that Dobby only needed to magic there at the appropriate time.

Even the valley had been given a once over. The fledgling gardens were weed free, the greenhouses sparkled and the paths had been swept clean. A new path that meandered from the manor all the way down to the loch had also been added. The newest addition was a large gazebo set on a small hill just back from the sparkling blue water. Four small huts had also been placed behind the gazebo so that people had somewhere to change in before and after a swim in the loch.

And Harry had been banished to the Receiving Room. Dobby had deemed him a distraction and boldly stated that he'd be best awaiting his guests in there, right before he began to twist his ears to punish himself for speaking in such a way to his master. It'd taken Harry nearly ten minutes to settle him down.

Harry'd taken great care in deciding what to wear today. He knew that, as the host, he should be dressed more formally, but, as this was supposed to be a party, he'd wanted to at least be comfortable. In the end, he'd settled for a pair of dark grey three-quarter cargo pants and a bottle green polo shirt with a pair of sneakers.

The sound of bodies hitting the ground behind him spun Harry around mid-step as he paced the room.

"Fred, George!" he exclaimed, surprised to only be seeing two red-heads.

"Harrykins!" the one on the left stated as he scrambled to his feet.

"Hope you don't mind us coming a bit early," the other said

"But with the way Mum's been acting, we thought it best to come early to make sure that we didn't miss out."

"Not a problem, guys," Harry replied, "I'm glad that you could make it."

"And we've got a little something for later as well," the one on the right stated, patting the bag at his side.

"Once it gets dark," the other twin clarified.

"Was your Mum not going to let you come?" Harry asked.

"Well … we accidentally let slip that we didn't think that we did so well on our OWLs, so she was all for grounding us."

"We left a note saying that we were going to Lee's for the day while she was out feeding the chickens," the twin on the right confided.

Suddenly, Harry narrowed his eyes. Neither twin had yet identified which one was which. Moving his hands behind his back, Harry flicked his wrist.

"Right. Let's get this sorted out. Which one of you is Fred?" he asked.

"Why Harry, can't you tell that I am?" the one on the left exclaimed sounding incredibly indignant that he wasn't recognised on sight.

Whipping his wand around, Harry pointed it at the now identified Fred.

"Transmutare capillus flavus!"

Fred's expression turned horrified. "What'd you do?"

George, though, was nearly rolling around on the ground, pointing at his now yellow haired twin.

"And just so you don't feel left out, George, transmutare capillum album!" Harry intoned, pointing his wand at him.

This time it was Fred's turn to laugh. "Your hair's white!"

Harry gave a stiff nod. "I'll put your hair back before you leave, but at least for today everyone'll be able to tell you apart."

-oOoOo-

"Madam Longbottom, Neville, welcome to Potter Haven," Harry stated formally for what must have been the tenth time that morning.

Augusta Longbottom inclined her head regally. "Thank you for inviting us, Mister Potter."

"Hey, Harry," Neville greeted.

"Hey, Nev," Harry grinned. "Would you mind showing your Gran to the back patio? Everyone's gathering there and there's still a couple of people to come."

"Sure thing, Harry. This way, Gran," Neville said, indicating the door.

The door had barely closed behind them when there was the sound of another group arriving. At the sight of the bushy brown hair of the smallest of the three, Harry's heart felt like it skipped a beat. Swallowing through his suddenly dry throat, he rushed forward.

"Let me help, Mrs Granger," he said.

Emma looked up and smiled before taking his outstretched hand and allowing him to help her to her feet.

"If that's how you magical folk travel, I think I'll stick to cars and planes," Mister Granger groused.

"Apparently you get used to it," Harry told him, "not that I have yet."

"At least it's not just me then," Dan stated before reaching out to clap Harry on the shoulder. "It's good to see you, Harry. Thanks for inviting us."

Harry smiled. "My pleasure. Thanks for coming."

And then his eyes shifted to take in Hermione. She was standing just behind her mother, an almost-smile on her face. Her chocolate eyes were watching him intently.

"Come on, Dan," Emma suddenly interjected. "Let's go and find everyone. I assume that everyone's outside?"

"Yeah," Harry replied absently.

"Hi, Harry," Hermione said quietly after the door had closed behind her parents.

"Hey, Hermione," and then, in a rush, "I'm sorry about disappearing like that on you, I didn't mean for it to happen. I just accidentally touched the portkey and it took me away."

"It's okay, Harry," she smiled, reaching out to place a hand on his arm. "You already explained in the journal, remember?"

"Oh, um, yeah," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "So, um, shall we go and join the others?"

At her nod, he rushed for the door and held it open for her. Desperately he tried to will away the feeling of his cheeks burning but, even with his newfound abilities, he didn't think that he was very successful. The two walked in silence through the Music Room before Hermione stopped dead at the sight of the crowd outside the glass windows.

"What in Merlin's name happened to the twins?" she exclaimed.

"That was me," Harry admitted. "I figured that with so many people here today, it'd be easier if we could tell them apart."

"So, you turned their hair different colours?" Hermione asked, turning her round eyes onto him. "Which one's which?"

"Fred's sporting the yellow hair and George the white hair," Harry stated.

Hermione shook her head at him. "I'm glad I won't be you when they decide to prank you back."

Harry froze. He hadn't thought of that. Nervously, he looked through the windows at the exact same time that the pair of them saw him and broke out into identical evil grins. Harry gulped. In a panic, he wondered if he could manage to send them home before the party really got started. Nope, not a chance, he quickly decided.

As the pair stepped out onto the back patio, Harry looked around. The three dozen or so people were spread out from one end to the other, all split into small groups. The mothers had settled themselves in a grouping of chairs, while the men, led by Sirius, seemed to have commandeered the area around the bar-be-que, much to Dobby's obvious annoyance. Remus, Minerva and Filius Flitwick had stepped out onto the grass with Remus pointing out something in the distance further down the valley.

For the most part, his friends were all together, clustered near the table of nibbles. Even Mickey, Beth's son from Hermione's Book Nook, seemed to have been accepted; Harry noted that his eyes were glued to the twins and whatever story they were currently telling. The only one missing from that grouping was Neville and Harry'd bet his broomstick that he knew exactly where he was – in the greenhouse making sure that the plants had survived Harry's treatment of them.

"Everyone here now, Pup?" Sirius asked.

"Yep, the Grangers were the last ones," Harry replied.

"When can we go see the mokes and diricawls?" Luna asked, skipping across the patio to join them.

"Anytime you want, Luna," Harry grinned. "Today's a day for fun. The manor and valley's here for everyone to do what they like."

Twin squeals from Hannah and Susan preceded the two of them racing over, grabbing Luna's hands and making a beeline for the creature dome.

"Where are you three off to?" Mary Abbot, Hannah's mum called.

"To see the animals!" Hannah called back through her blonde hair streaming out behind her.

"Ooh, I'd love to see them all again," Emma commented, rising from her chair.

Within minutes, the entire group of mothers were up and following behind the girls.

"Master Harry Sir?" Dobby called from where he'd popped beside Harry to pull on his pants.

"What is it, Dobby?"

"Lord Blackie has told Dobby that he be going to cook the meats," Dobby groused.

Harry let loose a lop-sided grin. Dropping to one knee, he whispered in one overly large bat-like ear. "Leave him be but prepare something else inside. He's bound to ruin whatever he cooks and whatever that is, we'll make him eat. Everyone else can have what you make."

"Yes, Master Harry Sir," Dobby replied before popping away, looking somewhat happier.

He'd barely had time to grab himself a handful of chips before a tap on his shoulder turned him around.

"You have a lovely place here, Harry," Minerva stated.

"Thank you, Ma'am," Harry smiled.

"I especially like the colours that you've chosen to decorate with," Professor Flitwick grinned, flicking his eyes sidewards towards the two-no-longer-red-heads.

"Thanks, Professor," he replied.

"Do you mind if we tour inside?" Minerva stated.

"I'd be happy to show them around," Remus offered.

"Thanks, Remus," Harry replied. "Just don't get lost in the library."

At that magical word, Hermione's eyes lit up. "Library?"

"Uh ah, Hermione, we're here to have fun, not to sit in the library all day," Daphne laughed, waggling her finger at her friend.

Harry leant across to his best friend, "don't worry, Hermione, I'll make sure that you get some time there later."

Her smile in response to his promise, lit up her face.

"So, who wants to have a swim before lunch?" Harry asked, changing the topic.

-oOoOo-

"There's no magical creatures in here, is there?" Dennis Creevey asked.

Harry looked back at the small mousey-haired boy who looked like a small version of Colin. At the moment, he was standing on the edge of the loch with only his toes touching the water.

"Nah," he replied. "I considered it but thought that it'd be best not to. That way we could enjoy swimming in it without worrying about anything. Of course, I did plant a batch of gillyweed over that way. Apparently if you eat it, it'll let you breathe underwater."

"Have you tried it?" Mickey asked eagerly from where he was splashing about with Colin.

"Not yet," Harry admitted.

Suddenly, a pair of yellow and white haired bodies raced into the water, kicking up great plumes of spray before diving headlong into the cool waters of the loch.

"Come on, you lot!" George called.

"Last one in's a big, fat hag!" Fred added.

Hearing the pounding of feet coming down the hill from the gazebo, Harry glomped into the water to avoid being over-run. As he crashed into the water, he attempted to keep his head above water; he still had his glasses on, after all. A sudden burst of water hit him head on and he nearly choked. Shaking his head, Harry tried to wipe his eyes, only to find a second, even bigger wave slap into him, knocking him backwards.

As he came up, it was to hear the twins' raucous laughter. Harry's eyes narrowed, even as water streamed from his hair.

"Augamenti!" he cried, after snapping his wand into his hand from his wrist holster and pointing it at the twins.

A jet of water shot out, deluging the two, cutting off their laughter and turning it into shocked yells. Unfortunately, Harry was jostled from behind and his aim wavered. Now, instead of shooting water at the twins, he hit Fiona in the back, knocking her off her feet.

"Two can play that game, Harry!" she spluttered as she finally managed to get back to her feet. "Augamenti!"

Seeing the jet of water coming right at him, Harry dove sidewards. This allowed the jet to hit Lil in the stomach

"Augamenti!" the twins attempted to retaliate while Harry was distracted.

"Protego!" Harry managed, only his head and his wand tip above water.

Twin jets of water bounced off of the dome of Harry's shield, spraying Tracey, Hermione and Colin. And then it was a free for all. Jets of water criss-crossed the loch. Shields diverted one person's aim, directly at another unsuspecting one. Mickey and Dennis, both who had yet to start their magical education and had yet to even get their wands, spun in tight circles, using their hands to whip up a spray of water at anyone close enough to target.

Peals of laughter rang over the lower end of the valley as the teens all splashed their way into what became known as the 'Potter Valley Water War of Ninety-Four'. At one point, Harry lost his glasses, but a quick summoning charm from Fred retrieved them before the war continued. By the time that Beth and Penelope Greengrass came down to fetch them back to the manor for lunch, all agreed that it was the best way to start not only the day, but also the summer holidays.

-oOoOo-

"There you are!" Harry remarked.

He'd been looking for Hermione for a bit now. Fred and George had hinted that it was almost time for their special surprise and he hadn't wanted Hermione to miss out. He should have known that he'd find her in the library.

Hermione looked up at him, blinking away, whether to see who was talking to her or to shift her focus from the big book in her lap to something further away was hard to say. She was curled up in the big, high-winged chair in the corner of the room, her feet tucked up under her.

Shifting the mass of pamphlets to one side, Harry took a seat on the low table in front of her chair.

"What did you say, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing really," he replied. "I've just been looking for you. It's nearly time for Fred and George's fireworks."

"Oh, alright then," she said, closing the book.

Harry watched her bite her lower lip.

"Spit it out, Hermione," he said.

"What are these, Harry?" she asked reaching forward to touch the pamphlets. "Aren't you coming back to Hogwarts with us next year?"

Harry could hear the nervousness in her voice and decided to answer as honestly as he could.

"I don't know, Hermione," he sighed. "I've just been learning so much here, away from Hogwarts. These," and here he spread out the pamphlets on the table, "are just to help me see what other magical schools are like elsewhere. It's not that I've decided to go anywhere else."

Hermione lent forward, spreading the pamphlets further apart so that she could read the names. Beaubatons Academie of Magic. Durmstrang Institute. Salem Witches Academy. Indianapolis School of Warlocks. Majorca Fellowship of Magic. Dijabelonga Dreamtime High. And, at the very bottom, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"These are from all over the world," she remarked.

Harry shrugged. "I figured that it'd give me the best idea of what other schools are like."

"And what did you find?" Hermione asked, her eyes shining with the prospect of new knowledge.

"Every school's different, with different focuses. But there was one thing that really stood out, though," he replied. "Hogwarts is really backwards. It's the only one that still insists on using parchment and quills and it has the smallest number of electives on offer."

"But I thought that it was the best school for magic in the world," Hermione remarked.

"Propaganda, Hermione," Harry remarked sadly. "And it can get away with it because it's the only magical school in the United Kingdom."

"What does that mean for you? For us?" she asked.

"At the moment, I don't know," Harry shook his head. "But there's one thing for sure: if it wasn't for you guys, I wouldn't even give Hogwarts a second look. But I don't want to leave Britain either. Come on; let's not talk about that right now. Besides, if we take too long, the fireworks the twins have cooked up will start without us."

And then, taking her hand in his, he pulled her up and, side by side, they headed for the door.