Chapter 2 Daniel's Arrival

Daniel Potter sat staring out the window of the Hogwart's Express. He had never felt so miserable in his life. He pressed his face to the window and watched as the train pulled away from the station.

Without any warning whatsoever, that very morning, two older men of the tribe, Jamud and Tomas escorted Daniel to Diagon Alley and purchased all of the supplies he needed for the approaching school term at Hogwarts. Amazingly, they paid for these items directly without even bartering. Both men's faces reflected a fierce determination as if their distasteful chore reflected a solemn but reluctant vow.

In spite of his protests and arguments, Daniel had been ushered into King's Cross station in London, shoved through the barrier at Platform 9 ¾'s and pushed down on a seat in one of the train's compartments exactly two minutes before it pulled out of the station. As a last measure, one of the men, Daniel often called Uncle Jamud, shoved a parchment into his hand. It turned out to be a hand-written letter from his mother.

"This is from yer mother," the man had whispered, his lips hardly visible from under the heavy handlebar mustache. The man peered out from under the Homburg hat he wore pulled down over his dark velvet eyes. "We have done our job, now it is time you do yours. Latcho Drom (safe journey)." Jamud gave him a rough squeeze on the shoulder and left the train compartment.

Daniel opened the letter and read it first before he could believe it came from his mother. He had never seen her write and had never received anything written from her.

My son,

I think Yanel, my most beloved son, that you will be much surprised at this letter. Jamud and Tomas have done what was told to them to do. I knew if I told you about what is planned for you, that you would not want to go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

All of your life, you have traveled in the wagons, sitting by the fire at night. The stars have been the only roof over your head. I know it will be hard, but, I want this for you. I want you should learn to be good wizard and Jonas says you are ready.

I want to tell you also, you will not be alone. Your father, he will be at Hogwarts. He is new Headmaster.

You are almost of age. The Kumpania has nothing for you now. Look ahead at your future. Make me proud, Yanel. This is what I want.

I will come to see you.

With my heart in your hands, Latcho Drom. Daj ( Safe journey. Mother)

He read the letter several times and wrapped it carefully in a new handkerchief, his heart hurting at her words. Daniel laid the letter in his new trunk. It held his new clothes, school books, a wand and other things that had been listed in the letter of acceptance sent by the school. His "uncles", the two elderly men, had even put three gold galleons in his pocket. It was the most money he'd ever had on his person.

Staring out of the window from the empty compartment, steel, blue-gray clouds of rain were creeping up from the west as they rolled out of the city. Daniel sat alone pondering the events of the day, the trip from camp, the shopping in Diagon alley and the letter from mother. His thoughts turned towards his father.

He had the same dark hair and green eyes as his father without the scar that was so easily recognized on his father's forehead. All his life he had lived in the shadow of his famous father. Repeatedly, around the campfire, he heard the stories of Harry's escape from the Dark Lord as a child and the legend of a great battle during which Harry finally defeated and killed The Dark Lord known as Voldemort. Harry's fame as an Auror, even exceeded that of the infamous, wild William Nigar; a man of legend in his time.

Daniel sighed. He wanted to return to the camp. His gypsy family held no concern about fame and glory. All he had ever known was living in the woods, traveling in the wagons and sitting by a fire. He had never needed or wanted more.

And yet, he could remember how the camp had always greeted Harry with great joy whenever they met up. Daniel had been a little boy the last time he had come. At first, he had treated Harry as he would any other male elder in camp, not favoring him with any special feelings. While Daniel remembered Harry vividly, they really seemed like strangers to each other.

Daniel wondered about Harry. Even then, before his own special skills had really come to light, he had been sensitive to the nuances of his father's emotional world. Intuitively, he was both impressed and saddened for the man. He was also curious about his father, the one he knew lay beneath the skin.

Bitterness filled Daniel's heart as he remembered the last visit with Harry. Only seven years old, they'd become re-acquainted. They played together and laughed. Daniel remembered Harry's green eyes sparkling with joy. Even at that young age, Daniel sensed the emotions of others by looking at the small movements around their mouths and eyes, the changes in pitch and tone of their voices and he knew his father suffered; no longer physically, but his emotional pain ran very deep.

Once Daniel remembered laying his tiny child's hand on his father's heart and saying something about making it stop hurting. Harry's eyes softened perceptibly and tears rolled down his cheeks. Daniel looked into his father's eyes, and he, too, felt a burning desire to cry; something he never remembered ever having done.

Daniel learned to fly on his father's broom. He remembered Harry's warm comforting arms around him as they zoomed through the sky. On that day ecstatic peals of laughter burst from their lungs as both Harry and Daniel felt the warm sun against their faces and the cool breeze blowing back their hair They spent hours and hours together, walking in the forest, lying in the grass near the horses as they grazed and sometimes walking by the wagons as they lumbered down the country roads. And, then, suddenly, his father was gone.

The years passed and Daniel's mother told him that it was the war and later his work, that kept Harry away. "It is the way of the world, Yanel," she spoke, her voice a rich Hungarian growl. "He is a traveler like us. We take different roads. Tomorrow we may meet again, no one knows." Daniel knew that she missed Harry as much, if not more than he did at that moment. He had grown to love his father.

Now, Daniel sat on a train with his newly purchased packages surrounding him, on his way to a new destination; to school, to see his father who he had not seen for almost four years and wearing clothes that outsiders, the Gadje, wore. He looked down at his new shoes and grew angry. He just didn't know exactly what was making him the most angry, the fact that his mother had made the decision without telling him, that everyone had helped her do it or that she was sending him off to an outsider's school with a father he hardly knew.

He was scowling to himself when a face peered around the door. "Hello." The face was freckled. The boy who stood there had a head of flaming red hair. " May I come in?" he asked. "The other compartments are full." .

Daniel immediately recognized the boy as one of the Weasleys. It couldn't be any other. He'd even seen Ron Weasley once and Mrs. Weasley, the woman Harry called Hermione. They had been in the War with his father. He'd seen them in the camp many timesand even though they were Gadjo, they were treated by his people as friends. With his ever growing special skills, he had learned a lot about Ron and Hermione Weasley while they visited his father. He looked now at one of their children and nodded.

"You're a Weasley," he ventured, the scowl still on his face.

The boy hesitated. "Yes, Ron Weasley, how'd you know?" He edged nervously into the seat nearest the door.

"Sorry," Danielle sat back, and took a deep breath, "I'm Daniel Potter. I met your parents."

"Oh yeah? Know you. Or at least know all about you… and of course your dad." Ron smiled. "Your first year at Hogwart's too?"

"Yes." He softened his tone realizing that was exactly what he was, a first year student at Hogwarts. " Is there another? Your dooy ?" Daniel asked.

"Sorry?" Ron's eyebrows went up.

Daniel realized he had spoken in his own tongue, "Twin. I'm sorry I meant 'twin'."

"Oh. Yeah. She's down at the other end of the train. That's Veronica. Should be along in a moment. Looking forward to Hogwarts, of course, ever since it reopened and the letter came. Mum and dad were pleased. Say, your dad's gonna be headmaster at Hogwarts." He was speaking without a breath. "That should really be wicked. Harry Potter, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Ron said and shook his head in wonderment.

He continued excitedly, "They said Hagrid's back teaching Care of Magical Creatures classes and even Professor McGonagall is still there. Dad says she's pretty ancient by now. Was when he went to school. Can't imagine how she looks now though. And sharp!" The boy had relaxed considerably and lounged on the seat with his feet up. "Dad said that McGonagall was really tough. She's the head of Gryffindor House. Then there's Flitwick, the Charms teacher and a few others. All from dad and mum's day. Course your dad's too. All went together you know."

The redheaded boy's way of talking seemed rather strange to Daniel. He'd heard of all the people Ron was mentioning. He'd heard about them from Harry. "Yes, I know."

A girl poked her head through the door. "Here you are." Young Veronica Weasley plopped down across from Daniel. Unlike her red-headed twin, her long hair was a reddish brown, and she bore a strong resemblance to her mother. Daniel remembered the woman whose picture remained sharp in his mind. "And who are you?" she asked breathless.

"It's Daniel Potter, Vicky," Ronald said, answering for him.

"Oh! THE Daniel Potter?" she asked and Daniel nodded. "Cool. Are you as good a Quidditch player as your dad was? It's said he was in the league for two years, just after Hogwarts. No better Seeker to be found they say, or mum and dad do. Go on about him for ages sometimes. Shame he couldn't continue."

Ron added, "We like Quidditch." The two nodded in unison.

"I've never played Quidditch," Daniel answered between the questions. He wasn't used to be compared to his father. He had rarely been around normal witches and wizards and had never had the occasion to reveal his relationship to Harry to anyone outside the Kumpania.

He remembered one night, in his mother's wagon, with only the light from a kerosene lamp, Daniel's mother had warned him how dangerous it might be to tell anyone that he was related to Harry Potter. She told him about his father's past and what had made him famous. With her dark eyes hidden in the shadows, he could not read the fear there. But he had heard it in her voice and had felt the air stir with her rapid breathing.

She told him there were still devotees' of Voldemort that had not been caught and might want to hurt him or use him in some way. He had no reason to talk of his mother's warning again or to tell anyone. Now he was sitting next to two people who thought nothing of the talking lightly about something he had kept guarded as a secret for years.

Returning to Veronica's question about Quidditch, he replied, "Don't know how." He felt slightly embarrassed.

"That's okay." Both Weasley's said at once.

"Bet you have it in you though," Veronica continued.

"Don't know, Vic," Ron frowned at his sister, "Doesn't have to you know. Although it would be a shame."

" It's a great game!" They said together.

Ron had turned back to Daniel. He talked for an hour about his uncles and how they had been players' on the same team as his father's. They discussed the great games that Ron's favorite team had played. Daniel was surprised to hear that their uncles, Fred and George Weasley, were the famous twins that had a number of jokes shops world-wide.

Daniel also learned about the other members of the extended Weasley family. He felt he would know them if they walked into a room, in spite of the fact they all had red hair. He was also learning a great deal about the Ron and Veronica. Clearly there existed a strong connection between them. He noticed they often finishing each other's sentences or spoke at the same time. He also recognized that Veronica talked more than Ron but was timid.

After a while of listening to Quidditch talk, Veronica stuck her nose in a book. The title read, Hogwarts: A History. It was at least eight inches thick and was so tall it sat on her knees and covered her to her eyebrows. All Daniel could presently see was the top of her head and her legs and feet dangling over the edge of the seat.

Daniel relaxed and sat back studying them. It was second nature for him now to study others. It wasn't that Daniel wasn't gifted in his own right. His father might have been famous but his son had been born with a rare and unusual gift.

He was called a Senseve. His talents included an ultra-sensitivity to people's emotions and body language. In his natural surroundings of woods and nature, Daniel was deeply tuned into the world that surrounded him. A much older man, Jonas, known as an Adept Senseve served as Daniel's trainer.

Jonas' superior sensibilities enabled him to follow the path of a deer walking through the forest even after a weeks time. When blindfolded Jonas identified a flower by its scent. His keen memory and sense of direction made it unnecessary for him to use maps. Jonas saw things that others ignored and heard what others could not. Daniel had once marveled when Jonas had examined a spider web with his fingers and left it intact.

These qualities, combined with his magical abilities, made Jonas a powerful magician. And yet, he was so humble about his abilities and so unassuming that few realized how much skill he possessed. He took special care to remind Daniel that bragging about one's abilities was distasteful and rude behavior. As a result, few people knew of Daniel's special talents. As Daniel thought about Jonas he made a vow to himself, determined to not forget anything that Jonas had taught him.

Daniel believed Jonas when he told him that Harry found his work as an Auror hard to break away from. Daniel heard the words not spoken, Harry loved his work more than he loved his family.

His thoughts drifted randomly as he reviewed the day's event and he still felt angry. I bet Harry Potter has had something to do with my being drug off to school, he thought.

Daniel thought of his camp, his friends and his mother. It was not the custom of his people to say goodbye. Sometimes there would be wagons that parted from the main camp and went off on their own. The family knew they would always meet again somewhere on the road as they moved from village to village. Daniel looked out the window and wondered about this new road and where it would carry him. He didn't think it likely that he would join up with his family again soon.

For all of his eleven years, his people had treated him with respect. His special talents had been discovered when he was young and nurtured by the members of the camp he called his family. He lived in his mother's wagon, considering the men of the camp his adopted fathers and uncles. Uncle Jolie cared for Daniel and his mother. As elders, Uncle Jamud, Jolie and Gregor and a few others led this camp and decisions centered on them.

Sometimes at night, his talents would be tested. Jolie would lay by the campfire, a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth, spiraling up toward his squinting eye. "Danny," he said, "Danny, we need to talk." The other men sat lounging around the fire and smoking. Each face reflected a smile curving underneath their thick moustaches and wide-brimmed hats shadowing their eyes. Daniel knew his skills would be demonstrated to the camp. He was entertainment for everyone and he didn't resent it. He knew the game well.

The tricky game began when Daniel would be presented with a mystery to solve, usually a riddle or a puzzle. He couldn't solve it right away because that would insult the questioner's ability to present a difficult problem. If he failed to solve the problem, then he would embarrass himself, as well as the whole group since they were his 'teachers'. They were invested in his success, plus the fun in trying to give him clues. He would also insult Jonas, something that almost frightened him.

"Danny, I have this puzzler This problem I cannot solve," the man would begin. "Let us see if you can find the answer to it." Danny would crouch out of the smoke of the fire and listen, and watch as the teller would begin. He would look for clues in the man's eyes and body movements. Jonas would often be under a tree in the shadows, listening, watching his pupil and waiting.

Danny's job would be to make it look like he was struggling to find the answer or solution. He would make faces and scratch in the dirt at his feet. The audience, of women and children outside the circle offered whispered suggestions. At last, he shook his head as if he had failed to solve it and then he would pretend to take a guess. The camp erupted in applause or laughter. The entire camp delighted in his success, reflecting pride in his training and his abilities.

"I give you a group of three," Jolie drew on his long-stemmed pipe and peered out from under his hat. His eyes reflected the red firelight. "One is sitting down and will never get up. The second eats as much as is given to him, yet is always hungry. The third goes away and never returns. What are they?" he asked in a hoarse whisper.

Daniel smiled inside and frowned outwardly. Of course he knew the answer but let the younger children whisper clues to him. He waited the appropriate amount of time and then finally spat the answer out, "A stove, a fire and smoke?"

They all laughed. The game continued. Sometimes the men danced while others played music on various instruments. His mother once told him that he would never be a man unless he learned to dance. He remembered the feeling of his bare feet on the earth. He looked down, now, at his feet in new shoes and felt disgusted.

He had to remember what his people always said, "Drom te las…drom te makas, (The road that brings you… also takes you away)." It was a reminder that the road takes a person both ways. He would see his camp again.

Daniel was relieved when the witch rolled the trolley up to the door to distract him. He realized how he longed for his family even now and he had been parted from them for only hours.

Between the three of them, they had money enough for pumpkin juice and treats. Daniel tried to enjoy the remaining hours before the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station. He had never been on a train or traveled by himself. He didn't know anyone who had actually been to school. He realized, as he talked to the twins, that he felt shy and he was determined to face this with courage.

Night was falling rapidly and only the lights from a few lanterns were shining. The walkway was empty and still. A three quarters waning moon had begun its ascent in the western sky as the gold-blue twilight descended.

Veronica and Ron and Daniel heard the deep voice just ahead, "All first years this way, follow me." The figure looming ahead in the dark was the biggest man Daniel had ever seen. Ron and Veronica knew him immediately. It was Hagrid, the half-giant Daniel had heard about from his father. Sometimes, Daniel wondered if what his father told him were stories or tall tales, as he had never seen a giant.

"Hello there, Weasleys!" Although frightening to look at, Hagrid's warm smile peeked through the scraggily, almost white beard and the eyes twinkled in the lantern light. "Who be with ya there? Well my stars if it isn't little Danny Potter. Haven't seen you since you were a baby, Daniel." A large hand pounded his back and the air from his lungs and propelled him forward a few inches from the ground.

"Hello," he said and tried to smile up at the tower of a man. Even with the breath knocked from him, Daniel stood awe-stricken. He remembered Harry had trusted Hagrid completely and loved him as a friend.

"This way First years. Come on Daniel, this way. All First years follow me to the boats." The group followed this towering man as he led them into the darkness with his lantern.

They made their way across the glassy surface of the lake. Even Daniel was impressed as he looked at the castle and the thousands of glimmering, welcoming lights. The uppermost spires gleamed a brilliant gold in the last beams of the setting sun.

Somewhere in there is Harry Potter, he thought, the biggest and the best. He was shivering from the chill that swept through him on this warm summer night. He wondered how he would feel. The man that had sat by their campfires and who had become a brother to every man there, would now be the Headmaster at his school. Would Harry be different now that he is here in his own world, Daniel wondered.

Daniel could still remember the last time he had seen him. Harry had left them during the night on another of his missions. Daniel hadn't expected to feel the burning, stabbing pain that flooded from his mother's heart as they stood watching the man disappear beyond the circle of the campfire light. At only the age of eight, Daniel was unable to guard himself against the potency of an adult's feelings and he took the full force of the impact of her emotions on himself . He stumbled into the dark, away from her, gagging and then vomiting into the grass. The fever of the emotion blinded him and he held to a branch trying to gather himself enough to crawl off away from her sobbing. The memory of it almost made him gag even now. He gritted his teeth. "He won't do that to me," he swore under this breath.

The lake was a solid sheet of inky blackness. No ripple touched the surface on this balmy, calm, Autumn night. Daniel looked up at the familiar stars. It was the only thing right now that remained unchanged. Daniel depended on those stars. As they reached the opposite shore, they climbed the stone stairs that his father had walked at the same age twenty-eight years before.

The Sorting ceremony was taking place in the Great Hall. The small group made their way through huge oak doors and continued two abreast between the tables. Daniel was as stunned by the enchanted ceiling as were the other first year students.

There were not many students sitting at the long tables. "Just half as many as there was in the years before the wars," said one boy that walked next to him. The wizarding world was still cautious about sending their children back to school. It had been open again for only five years.

"This First Year class is the biggest that has been seen in five years," explained Veronica, in rushed whispers, as they moved through the hall. "Hogwarts closed for a short period of time and then they reopened it again."

They all walked to the head table raised above the main floor. Sitting at its' center, Daniel saw his father, one of the youngest of all the adults at the table and dressed in subdued deep, rich midnight-blue robes with the Hogwart's Crest gleaming in gold from his collar. He looked like a god. Even the notorious scar was hidden by an unruly mass of dark hair that seemed so familiar. His glasses reflected the candlelight.

When Daniel glanced up he could not see his eyes. He swallowed hard with nervousness and turned away so that he was not tuned into the nuances of expression and attitude from his father or the other teachers sitting at the long table. Instead he turned to watch the old woman who was setting an old hat on each student's head. Professor McGonagall, he thought. She looked ancient and withered. Even so, she stood as straight as an arrow, though her walk was slow. Her mouth was a stern thin line.

His name was called just after first year student, Jacob Panel who was sorted into Hufflepuff.

"Mr. Daniel Potter!" she said loudly. A muffled excited chatter burst from some of the students behind him.

Daniel moved from behind several students and walked up the three steps to the stool, sliding on it quickly, his back to the teachers.

The sight of the Great hall was hidden from him as the brim slipped over his eyes. He was glad for it. He could hear the student's whispering, "It's him, Potter's son," or, "that's the Gypsy boy!"

The hat sat silent on his head and then a low humming began in his ears. Then, "There is something very special here," it said, "talent and sensitivity, and courage as well. But much more. I'll have no argument as I have heard from another Potter- know where to put you," it murmured. "GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted aloud.

A scattering of applause rippled through the room as Daniel made his way to the Gryffindor table. He didn't look back at the staff table. As he sat down, his eyes fell on Hagrid and he saw big tears flowing down the ruddy cheeks into the white beard. The applause was dying down but only after Daniel could feel his face grow fiery red. Other names were called and students parted to find their House table. Ron and Veronica grinned from ear to ear. They, too, had just been sorted.

"It's wonderful," both said, "we're all in Gryffindor."

The sorting ended and Harry stood long enough to say quickly, "Let us now enjoy our meal. Tuck in everyone."

Daniel didn't know how he felt about officially being in Hogwarts, but he was enjoying the feast. There were many times in his life when meals were few and far between and the feast laid out before him was astounding. He dug into the meat pie. It was delicious!

He looked around as he ate. To him, these people were all Gadje, non-gypsy people. All to be distrusted. Only in his gypsy world, with all Roma his extended family, did he feel at home. Yet he looked at Ron and then Veronica and felt some comfort. If I have to be here, he thought, it's best to have friends.

After the feast, Harry stood to make announcements. His voice, soft but firm, could be heard throughout the hall. Daniel refused to look at him but heard many things in the voice and between the words that told him something about the man.

"Greetings to everyone, old students and new students. It is my pleasure to be among you tonight as a newcomer myself." Harry had stopped for a brief moment. "Not to Hogwarts I should add, but as it's new headmaster." There was a burst of applause from the tables.

"Thank you, thank you very much," he said and went on. "There are a few announcements and then we will all be off to bed. First, to all students, but especially first-year students, be aware that the dark forest is strictly off-limits to everyone. Tryouts for the Quidditch team will take place next Monday."

"I am also very pleased to announce several new teachers. Professor Neville Longbottom, our new Herbology teacher." A rather short, stocky man nodded to everyone, turning red up to his black hairline. " Professor Broder Berdache, our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." At the far end of the table in the shadow a tall, willowy- thin man stood. His hair was black and long, sleeked back into a ponytail. He was pale and his white hands were gathered together in front of his gray robe, in almost a monkish fashion.

"And last, but not least," he spoke and this time he looked directly at Daniel, who glanced away immediately. " I am very pleased to announce that this year Hogwarts will be hosting a very special event. I am happy to say I received confirmation only this afternoon and announcements will go out shortly to your parents. Many of you may know the famous Vardo Gypsy family."

Excited, hushed mumblings filled the tables and Daniel felt a nervous rumble in his stomach. Why is he talking about the kumpania, he wondered, to the whole school? Unable to control it, he felt the fevered red of a flush rising once again in his face.

"If you are not aware of this famous group then let me explain," Harry continued. "Many years ago this family traveled far and wide and produced the most extraordinary Ice Carnivales ever done in the wizarding world. These wonderful displays have been the favorites of royalty and other notables for centuries."

He made a slight bow, "I tell you this because it is my pleasure to inform you that Hogwarts will be hosting the Premier Vardo Family Christmas Ice Carnivale this December." Loud gasps emanated around the hall and then scattered applause. Several minutes passed as those who knew about the carnivals whispered quick explanations to others. "We will all have the pleasure of seeing the first Carnivale done in over thirty years."

Daniel could hear others nearby, "Oh they have the most beautiful displays ever my mum says." and another, "They have rides and all kinds of things that are really exotic."

"Your teachers will also be picking the King and Queen of Carnivale," Harry said. "That means 5th year students. The choices will be announced at the Halloween feast. Their duties will also be announced at that time." The noise grew louder in the hall and then quieted when Harry raised his hands. "We all will have much work to do but hopefully this will be a great treat that we can all look forward to. In the meantime, it's off to bed for everyone." Harry said and sat down, turning to Professor McGonagall at his side.

Daniel stared at Harry. He couldn't believe it. Only the oldest of the wizards would even know how to manipulate the ice to produce such an event. He had never seen one himself, of course, but he knew that they were suppose to be incredible. It also meant that his whole kumpania, including other bands, would be wintering at Hogwarts. They would have to arrive at least within a month to begin the preparations.

Daniel felt shocked, but joyous. He looked at Harry and wondered how he had ever pulled it off. He also realized in his brief glimpse that in spite of the calm exterior the man felt worried about something.

Daniel was aware that the announcements were over and they were finished for the evening. Harry's face was turned away from him. He allowed himself to feel a moment of curiosity. Then, realizing how tired he felt he shook himself free.

"Dan, I've read about the Vardo Carnivale. They are supposed to really be something. The Vardo's are your people aren't they?" Ron asked, looking excited.

"Yes. It means that my caravan will be encamped at Hogwarts for the winter," Daniel said, smiling shyly.

After the long trip on the train and the excitement of the evening, he was happy to follow Ron and Veronica and the other first year students to the Gryffindor tower and into the their room. He had to admit it was beautiful. He'd never slept in a bed by himself , always with cousins or friends his age and usually on the ground by his mother's wagon. Even though the bed was comfortable, it felt huge. Curled onto one side with a blanket twisted around him, he fell asleep immediately, dreaming of his being in the woods and working with the horses. The other boys in the room fell asleep soon after.

In the darkened, quiet room a figure moved. Harry pulled the Invisibility Cloak from his head and watched his son. He wanted desperately to touch him and to talk to him. Quietly, he pulled the cloak back over his head and left. Climbing through the portrait hole, he pulled it away again, carrying it over one arm and limped slowly through the halls.

-----------------------

It had been a long time since Harry had been able to sleep through the night. Years of vigilance had taught him to stay awake. Now that it was safe to sleep, he couldn't. The halls haunted him. A small figure met him and walked with him. It was a wizened old house elf. They talked quietly as they walked from corridor to corridor.