Finding Our Way

Part 1

Bonded in Secret

Author's Note:
Well I'm back again with another chapter, and now I have a Beta! I will continue to update and post as regularly as my beta reader (or more - I am open to a third opinion) and my flow of writing will allow. Very Special thanks to Dimitra for her Beta work, and her assistance with planning for future chapter and parts of this story!
Well that's enough from me here, Enjoy the Chapter! Reviewer responses below as well.
Edited: 'Britishization' done, proper British terms now in place (like secondary school) thanks for the notes in the reviews!

I would also once again like to acknowledge the magnificent works of J.K. Rowling from which I take excerpts, and refer back to the disclaimer posted on the preface.

~Benign vieweR~

Chapter 2: (Waking to) The Hogwarts Express

Harry slowly woke in the confines of his closet. When he'd first woken after the Vanishing glass incident he had been relieved to find that he wasn't too badly hurt. Sure his wrist hurt like hell and it was undoubtedly the worst beating Vernon had ever given him, but the man was more of a pig and a bully than a thug, he'd only hit Harry a few times, if he thought he'd done something involving 'funny business'. The worst injuries Harry had received came from Dudley and his gang, or from neglect.
Today however, as he roused himself mentally ticking off the days, marked the last day of his month confinement in the cupboard, and it was already into the summer holidays. Obviously no one had noted that he wasn't in school the past few weeks, his Uncle and Aunt probably wove a convincing tale about some illness or other. It wasn't like he had any friends there or anything, Dudley saw to that.

He was due to start secondary school after the break, and for once he was actually marginally looking forward to it. It would get him out of this house, and for the first time completely away from his relatives. Dudley was all set to go to Smeltings – Vernon's old school to carry in his old man's footsteps, or trot prints befitting the pigs they were. He allowed himself a small smile at the bitter thought. Oh what a present it would be to see the two of them cavorting around as pigs.

That brought to mind another thing he had to face – his birthday. The Dursley's never did anything on his birthday, indeed they treated it just like any other day, and he doubted they even remembered it. Ok, that wasn't necessarily true; two years ago he had gotten a present – a coat hanger and a pair of Vernon's old socks. He supposed looking at Dudley that perhaps he should be thankful. Still every year he felt the familiar pang of loneliness, and he wished he had a family to share it with. Or even a friend would be fine by him. Someone.

Shaking himself awake he briefly tried to remember what he had been dreaming about. Over the last month of being stuffed in this closet, between the infrequent meals delivered to him, he had nothing to do. Nothing except dream. Surprisingly one vivid dream kept returning to him, in between the nightmares, and even with them he always woke with a small smile. The details of the dream had long since blurred together, and it was nothing more than an indistinct memory that fuelled him, but it was the feelings the dream evoked that made it so vivid.
It was always set in their meadow, and he felt like he was actually close to someone, that he was sharing something. It was their dream. He had no idea who the other person was, didn't even know if she was real. All he knew of her was the memory of long fiery red hair framing a small stature, and the feelings. Always the feelings were the most vivid, he felt connected, like it was someone he knew, someone he could trust, a friend.

When his Aunt had come in to give him the first meal in his imprisonment, he had asked her if she had known any red-haired girls. Petunia had been stunned, but her fluster turned to anger before she slammed the door in his face, leaving Harry even more confused.

Almost a month later he was still consumed by the mystery of his dreams. He thought it was probably wishful thinking on his part, yet he desperately wanted to believe it. His Aunt however seemed to have pushed the incident from her mind, and he knew better than to remind her. He didn't want to spend any longer in that cupboard than he had to.

She seemed to study him for a moment as she opened his closet door and demanded he prepare breakfast, yet if she had any inkling as to what he was thinking she didn't show it. "Bacon is in the freezer, you'll have to defrost it first" she said coldly, then marched into the living currently inhabited by her husband and son.

Through out this, Harry said nothing as he quietly prepared the breakfast and served it to his family, wisely not serving any for himself. All he got was a small bowl of oatmeal from a packet his Aunt and Uncle set aside for him. It was probably the only sign that anyone but the Dursley's inhabited this house.

Yet it seemed someone knew he was staying here, for right at that moment, as Petunia asked him to collect the mail that had come through the letter slot in the door, a new letter dropped in. Reaching down to pick up the new arrival and add it to the rest of the letters, Harry nearly dropped the whole pile in shock. The offending letter, now grasped firmly in his hand had a bizarre crest on the back where it sealed; a shield with four different animals surrounding a large 'H', above a small logo in Latin. Even more shocking for Harry than the strange symbol was the writing on the front of the envelope, it read:

Mr. H. Potter

The Cupboard under the Stairs
4 Privet Drive
Little Whinging
Surrey

Of course, just as Harry had been about to open the first ever letter he had received – the first anything he had received – Dudley shouted it to his parents, and Vernon snatched it from Harry. He then promptly threw both Harry and Dudley out into the hall to the surprise of both. The following discussion he overheard between his Aunt and Uncle did nothing to sate his curiosity, especially since for the first time ever they did something nice by having him move into Dudley's second bedroom. Yet for all the new space the room afforded him, Harry would have willingly given it up to look in that letter.
The next few days heralded more letters, arriving in the most bizarre fashion, at one point some two dozen had appeared in the eggs delivered by the dairy man. And the letters continued to pile up, and his Aunt and Uncle looked ever more haggard and weary with each new one that arrived. After the infamous 'Sunday incident' as Harry thought of it, where hundreds of letters had flooded into the Dursley's living room via the chimney, Vernon had stuffed them all into the car for an impromptu trip. He seemed determined to escape these letters, and while Petunia still stood by him, even she looked a little worried at her husband's antics.

He could barely repress a smile at Dudley's horrified expression when he couldn't watch T.V. "Daddy's gone mad hasn't he?" he had mumbled to his mother on the verge of tears.

It got so bad that Vernon led them to a small shack on a barren rock off the coast only-god-knows-where. Or so he thought at least.

It was the night of his birthday and he was counting down the seconds until he was eleven. It came as no surprise to him that the Dursley's would forget or ignore his birthday given the current circumstances, when these sorts of things happened it always seemed to be his fault as far as they were concerned. So he expected no love from them, if he ever got any.

Now once again he was alone, for another birthday wishing he could be anywhere but here. Still, he found comfort in his isolation by drawing aimlessly in the dust that coated every surface in the shack liberally. He had even drawn himself a little cake for the occasion. He was idly doodling around it, scratching in mindless details, still counting down the seconds. He thought he heard crash somewhere outside and wondered if in the rough weather that dominated the night, the rock and shack would collapse into the sea. So preoccupied with the strange noises and his count down he didn't pay any attention to what he was doodling with his hand.

He counted carefully now, thirty seconds… twenty…. Eleven - ten - nine… He swore he heard a series of loud crunches and thuds, like battering ram was being smashed repeatedly against the ground. Five - four… the thuds moved closer now, and then stopped altogether. Three - two… He took a breath to wish himself a happy birthday… One–

BOOM.

The impact rocked the small rundown house; it was like the battering ram had suddenly moved from hitting the rock below to slamming against the door. In a sudden rush of fear induced adrenaline he leapt off the floor, looking for a place to hide. Quickly setting his sights on an old table he dived under it, never noticing in his haste the scuffed doodling, repeating a name over and over… Ginny…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
~~F i n d i n g ~ o u r ~ w a Y~~
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

What followed next was definitely not what he had expected. A giant of a man had entered the house, breaking the door down as if was no more than a sheet of cardboard, and then ramming it back into place. He was then threatened by a terrified Uncle Vernon who pointed a gun at him which the giant bent into a knot with ease. He then promptly gave Harry a somewhat squashed cake for his birthday, introduced himself as Rubeus Hagrid – Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, and told Harry he was a wizard. Harry nearly passed out from shock right then and there.

Yet everything about the wizarding world felt surreal - even days later, as he became more acquainted with the idea of magic, the startling discovery of Diagon Alley on his trip with Hagrid, and even his supposed fame from the history behind his lightning bolt scar, the now acclaimed Boy-who-lived still found it hard to believe it all. It was like a dream come true. A hoot from beside him drew his attention away from his musings, to his new companion. Hedwig, his snowy owl, was a gift from Hagrid but when the giant had led him into the weird-named owl shop it was almost as if Hedwig had chosen him. Through the long days at Privet Drive she was all that reminded him that it was all real.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
~~F i n d i n g ~ o u r ~ w a Y~~
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The last month with the Dursley's wasn't pleasant, but it was much improved from all the years before. Dudley was too scared to even be in the same room as him, and while Vernon still bossed him around with his usual bluster, he took care not to push Harry too hard. As September 1st arrived, he finally managed to convince his uncle to drop him off in London to get the train to Hogwarts, all be it on the way to take Dudley to a hospital to have his pig's tail removed. Now Harry found himself alone again, this time at Kings Cross Station with the seemingly impossible task of finding the non-existent platform nine-and-three-quarters. Stupidly he asked one of the conductors around the station if he could tell him where to find the platform but the muggle, as Hagrid had termed the non magic folk, just sneered at him.

"Think you're being funny do ya, boy? Don't waste my time."

"Sorry" he mumbled, embarrassed, and suddenly felt all his doubts returning. He sat on a bench dejectedly with his pile of trunks on a trolley, and his owl Hedwig hooting softly. Idly watching the people passing by, his ears caught one rather odd conversation.

"- packed with Muggles, of course -" A plump middle aged woman with faded red hair was saying. She was leading four boys with the same red hair only brighter, all with similar trunks to his, and what's more - they had an owl. Heart hammering, he quickly got up from his bench, and pushed his trolley in pursuit of the strange family.

They stopped, and he did too, just close enough to hear what they were saying.

"Now what's the Platform number?" asked the boys' mother.

"Nine and three quarters!" Piped a small girl, also red headed, which was -if possible- even more vivid than her brother's, and Harry was unbidden reminded of an image he'd seen somewhere before... Flaming red hair, warm brown eyes... "Mum, can't I go..." she complained, tugging on the woman's arm she held.

"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right Percy..." Whatever the woman said next was lost to Harry as he stared intently at the girl - Ginny... her name seemed to reverberate in his head, familiar, like from a half remembered dream.

He was interrupted again, as what looked like the oldest boy marched towards platforms nine and ten. Harry watched, careful not to blink in case he missed the supposed entry to the non-existent platform – but just as the boy reached the divide between the platforms, a large crowd of tourists bustled through the station, and by the time the last rucksack had moved away, the boy had vanished.

"Fred, you next," the plump woman said.

"I'm not Fred, I'm George" said the boy "Honestly, woman, and you call yourself our mother?"

"Sorry, George, dear."

"Only joking, I am Fred" said the boy, and off he went, receiving a sharp little shove from Ginny along the way. His twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done it for a second later he was gone – but where?

Now the third brother was walking briskly towards the ticket barrier – he was almost there – and then, quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere.

There was nothing else for it, Harry decided, approaching the remaining members of the family. "Excuse me," he said to the plump woman.

"Hullo, dear," she said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too." She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin and gangly, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose.

"Yes" said Harry. "The thing is – the things is, I don't know how to-"

"How to get onto the platform?" she said kindly, and Harry nodded. "Not to worry, dear. It's Ron's first time at Hogwarts as well" she said. "All you have to do is walk directly at the wall between platforms nine and ten. Don't be scared. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous."

"Uh, what happens if you're scared?" Harry asked, trying desperately to prevent from trembling. He looked to the remaining boy for some sort of assurance, but Ron, as his mother had called him, seemed just as nervous as he was.

It was the girl Ginny who in the end provided the solution. "Here, grab my hand" she said with surprising force, Harry didn't even think to deny her, although he shuddered involuntarily at the touch. "Now I'm going to pull you through the wall. Nothing to be worried about, see?"

The plump and cheery woman smiled approvingly at her daughter. Harry had to admit, something about the small girl's hand in his made him feel marginally better, but he pushed the feeling aside as his nervousness set in again. Harry pulled his hand out of the girl's grip, feeling uncomfortable. He'd grown up without any sort of comforting touch, and despite the reassurance that Ginny was offering him; he couldn't bring himself to accept it.

Ginny frowned slightly when Harry pulled his hand out of hers, but she did not mention it, nor did any of the others seem to notice. "So what's your name then?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Uh-" Harry didn't know how to answer, Hagrid had said he was something of a celebrity – a hero, he had called him – in the wizarding world, and the last thing Harry wanted was to cause a fuss.

Ginny however seemed to notice his reticence and huffed. "Look, I don't care who you are, even if you were Harry Potter-" she scowled as she heard Ron snort loudly behind her, and she glowered at him, missing Harry's nervous expression.

Harry suddenly felt himself in motion, and realised a second later that Ginny had given him a hearty push, which was surprisingly strong for a girl her size, and next thing Harry knew he was passing through the barrier. He didn't even have time to be scared as he saw the stone wall rushing towards him, and once he was through he was thankful for the little girl's efforts. Moments later Ron joined him on the platform, followed by Ginny and then finally their bustling mother.

He spotted the train immediately, which stood out bright red against the already garish station. He was captivated momentarily by the old steam engine which was in immaculate condition, and then his gaze swept down the long line of old fashioned carriages. A large crowd was gathered around the train, with what he assumed were the other Hogwarts students hanging out of some of the windows, conversing with families, while others were standing around still in groups. Feeling rather left out amongst all the gathered families and friends, he made his way along the train, looking for an empty carriage through the windows.

"If you need a hand with getting that into a spare carriage, you should ask the twins" Harry spun on the spot to see Ginny again, looking at him curiously.

How did she know…? Once again Harry pushed away the feelings of familiarity, afraid to sound foolish in front of the first wizarding family he'd met. "Oh, uh, thanks" he mumbled when he realized she was waiting for an answer. "Shouldn't you be with your family?"

"I've made this trip half a dozen times now, ever since I was old enough to travel, so it's nothing new. And I couldn't stand hearing mum going on about 'Prefect Percy' for any longer."

"Oh, uh, thanks" Harry mumbled again, aware that for trying not to make a fool of himself, he was doing an admirable job of doing just the opposite.

"Don't you say anything else?" Ginny giggled, then, "You never did tell me your name."

"Um, no… I didn't" he stammered

"Well?"

"I'm Harry. Harry Potter" he muttered looking at his shoes.

For her part, Ginny was mortified as well. "Seriously?" She then blushed heavily, before burying her face in her hands and groaning.

Worried, Harry asked "Are you alright?"

"I'm a bloody-idiot, that's all" she murmured through her hands, startling Harry with her swearing.

"Um, I don't really like the whole 'Fame' thing much, either" Harry said "Honestly, I never thought there was anything special at all about me, when I grew up."

"But every witch and wizard knows your name…" Ginny insisted, fighting a blush.

"So I've been told."

Their conversation was interrupted however, by the loud blaring of the Hogwarts Express's horn. "The train's gonna be leaving soon," Ginny said anxiously "come on!"
Once again she grabbed a hold of his hand, although this time the motion was accompanied by a huge blush and a nervous stumble, all of which left Harry completely baffled.
"Hey! You two!" she yelled.

"You mean us, little Ginnybaby?" One of her older twin brothers answered.

"I think she does George" the other said

"Looks like she's still leading the ickle first year around too, Fred" the one identified as George quipped

"Indeed she is, and she's blushing as if it was Harry Potter's hand itself she was holding"

"Oi!" She yelled. "Quit being jerks and help Harry with his trunk!" she added a glare which both of the brother's quailed under, although she immediately dropped Harry's hand as if burned.

"Alright, alright!" they answered together placatingly, before relieving Harry of his possessions and lifting them into the carriage. "Seems we've been relegated by our darling sister to serving ickle firsties." One of them continued.

"Hey Fred, you don't think that…" George said gesturing wordlessly at Harry, and staring at the large gold 'HP' on his trunk.

"You mean Ginny's blushes…"

"Aye, and she even called him Harry…"

"Hey, you don't suppose he has the scar?" Fred continued. Obligingly, Harry brushed aside his unruly mop of black hair to reveal his lightning scar.

"Brilliant" the twins chorused, but Harry just didn't get what the fuss was about. "You're him!"

"Who?" Harry asked, self-consciously.

They shared a look, before facing Ginny together "Blimey, our own little sister as pulled one over us!" they promptly turned back to Harry "You're Harry Potter!"

Harry nodded shyly, Ginny hadn't been lying, it seemed every witch and wizard did know his name. It had been easier to believe Hagrid was exaggerating when he smuggled him through a dingy pub into Diagon Alley.

"We're so proud of you, sis.'" Fred said, wiping away a mock tear "You should really be going to Hogwarts this year, instead of Ronniekins." Ginny continued to glare at her two brothers, but her pink cheeks kept blooming, burning positively red now.

"You two had better hurry up, the train'll be going any minute now, and mum wants to have a word with you." Ginny said, mumbling despite her tone.

"Of course, darling sister of ours. Just remember-" Fred began

"-to let go of him-"

"before the train leaves-"

"and you end up going with it!" George finished, before the two of them were whisked away by the crowd towards their mother.

"Did your mother actually want to see them?" Harry asked, feeling comfortable enough to talk while alone.

"She always wants to harp on at them about something, since they are always getting into trouble." Ginny muttered, grinning at him before quickly hiding her face again.

"Ginny, dear!" The unmistakeable call of her mother could be heard across the platform. "Come say good bye to your brother's!" Ginny rolled her eyes unmistakeably, and went to do as her mother asked. Suddenly alone again, Harry made his way into the carriage. Opening the window he strained his ears to catch the conversation.

"– Ron, you've got something on you're nose" The youngest boy tried to jerk away, but his mother grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose with a handkerchief.

"Mum, geroff!" he grumbled, wriggling free.

"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" teased one of the twins.

"Shut up," Ron shot back

"Where's Percy?" said their mother, heading off the fight.

"He's coming now" The other twin answered.

The oldest boy came striding into sight, already in his billowing black Hogwarts robes, with a shiny silver 'P' badge proudly pinned on his chest. "Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front; the prefects have got two compartments to themselves -"

"Oh are you a prefect, Percy?" One of the twins cut in, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."

"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it" said the other twin, "Once -"

"Or twice -" the first put in

"A minute -" the other continued

"All summer -"

"Oh, shut up," said Percy.

"Seems to be a common answer" both twins mocked. "Look who Ron takes after"

"Shut up," Ron repeated, to snickers from the twins and an unrestrained giggle from Ginny. "How come Percy gets new robes anyway?"

"Because he's a prefect," said their mother fondly. "All right, dear, well, have a good term – send me an owl when you get there." She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left.
Then she turned to the twins. "Now, you two – this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've – you've blown up a toilet or -"

"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet!"

"Great idea though, thanks Mum!"

"It's not funny." She interrupted the twins banter. "And look after Ron."

"Don't worry; ickle Ronniekins is safe with us."

"Shut up," said Ron for the third time.

"Such creativity" one twin said with mock appraise to the other. Ron just glared at them. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink from where his mother had rubbed it.

"Hey, Mum, guess what?" The other twin broke in, seemingly taking pity on Ron. "Guess who we met on the train?" Harry leant back from the carriage window so they couldn't see him looking. "You know that black haired boy who was near us at the station?"

"You mean the one Ginny led through the barrier?" Ron said, perking up.

"Yeah." the twins answered, giving Ginny a pointed look. "Know who he is?"

"Who?" their mother asked, sounding frustrated by their antics, but more than a little bit curious as well.

"Harry Potter!" the twins exclaimed with a flourish.

"Is he really, Fred?" their mother asked. "How do you know?"

"Caught him and Ginny talking, she was blushing like a tomato." At this Ginny flushed again, and ducked away from her family. "Saw his scar." The twin now identified as Fred continued. "It's really there – like lightning."

"Wicked" Ron mumbled.

"Poor dear – no wonder he was alone, I wondered. He was ever so polite when he asked how to get onto the platform." She seemed to catch sight of her daughter slinking away for she said "Oh, go on, Ginny – you can say good bye. But hurry."

Ginny shot her mother a huge grin, followed almost immediately by an even larger blush, while the boys snickered. "Shall we start planning the wedding now?" the other twin – George – teased. Ron mimed vomiting. Where he was sitting, Harry flushed red, and was glad that none of them could see him.

"Never mind that, do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?"

Their mother suddenly became very stern, but Harry missed her words of warning as Ginny bustled into the compartment. "H-Hi" she stammered.

"Hey" Harry said also uneasy after eavesdropping on her family. "I uh, want to say, uh, thank you – for helping me onto the platform

She looked up from her shoes, and smiled warmly. "You're welcome." Harry wasn't very tall, but Ginny still had to look up at him, and as her eyes wandered unable to hold his, she saw the open train window. "Were you listening to us?"

"Um…" Harry stammered, trying to find a way to deny it, but in the end his honesty won through. "Yes" he admitted.

He was surprised by a cheerful sound, Ginny was laughing, and he let out a relieved chuckle as well. Ginny suddenly blushed again, obviously remembering the parting sally the twins had left her with. "About what the twins said…" she mumbled

"It's fine" he assured her, and she beamed at him "Your brothers are, well -" he trailed off flustered, unsure how to finish.

"Yeah, I know" she giggled again. "Ron will be in your year" she added sounding a little disheartened.

"Should I look out for him too?" Harry tried to joke, and was rewarded with another giggle. He was surprised at how easy the conversation sprung between them. It was still filled with awkward blushes, but Ginny was genuinely being nice to him, his first friend of sorts, and he wanted to be a friend in return.

"He'll probably need it, Harry – can I call you Harry?" she asked, a little less nervously. He didn't understand how overnight waking up to find himself rich and famous made people think of him, he was still just Harry, wasn't he?

"Can I call you Ginny?" he asked, still unsure, yet also slightly teasing.

"Sure" she replied

"And being called Harry is a nice change" he answered, trying to sound trivial despite the truth in his words. If she noticed the uncomfortable memories triggered, she didn't show it.

"Well, Harry, I wanted to say goodbye, and I hope you have a good year."

"I do too, my aunt and uncle tried their level best to stop me going, so anywhere really is better than back home"

A shrill whistle sounded in the background, but neither of them noticed it, suddenly, and inexplicably, engrossed in each other. "I'm sorry to hear about that" she said softly. "I will be all alone this year at home, and Mum never lets me do anything." A sudden jolt rocked the carriage, breaking the trance between them.

Harry, who was used to being shaken awake by Dudley or Vernon thundering down the stairs above his closet, instantly recognized what was happening. "Uh Ginny -"

Ginny however didn't immediately realize what was going on and continued "I just wish I was going to Hogwarts too this year -"

"- Ginny, you uh- you are"

TO BE CONTINUED...

Next Chapter: (A Taste of) Hogwarts to Come
Following Chapter: (Listening to) The Sorting Hat

Talkback: 'The Corner'

hushpuppy22
I can understand why you might be upset at the mention of child abuse, as it is a very tender subject. However I must firmly disagree with you, that I do not believe this is any way an insult to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter, and I am by no means endorsing this idea of mistreatment not being 'bad enough'. The Physical I have described is intentionally vague and is actually mild, and while it's distasteful I find that in reality, it is quite likely that the Dursley's (we know for a fact that Dudley already did, but in this case Vernon as well) might well have hit Harry on occasion given their prejudices and fear inspired hate of all things magical and out of the ordinary. I am by no means going crazy with the abuse, and if you continue to read this I mention that physical abuse only happens on a rare few occasions, yet do not think I am doing this just because I think mistreatment isn't 'bad enough'. There is a definite plot reason for why this is included, if you choose to continue to read the story perhaps you can figure it out. I am by no means insulting you for your opinion, but please don't insinuate against the quality of my writing unless you have an actual complaint against it, and not the content described.
Upon Edit: Thanks for the advice about warnings and the like, and the characterization pointers.

lija
As I said above in response to hushpuppy22, I am not endorsing any form of physical abuse, nor downgrading the experiences Harry went through as J.K. wrote it. It is a nessecary plot device, but I am by no means going overboard with it. Hopefully this chapter will put the incident of the previous chapter into context, and Harry's tumultuous past with the Dursley's will come up again, but nothing on the scale of a thrashing or even another out of control beating. The incident I wrote at the end of the Vanishing Glass chapter seems more serious at the time, becuase I know from being in a similar incident where I was being threatened and was beaten (a mugging) that it always seems scarier, more painful and unpredictable when it's happening. As I said before I hope this chapter clears it up.
As for what you said about Charlie and Tonks graduating, I didn't know that. I feel a little more comfortable making them a tad older, I never could pick their ages when reading the books and I hope the ages I have them set at make sense and work within the plot.
Also I want to thank you for your kind words, constructive influence, and I'm glad you were looking forward to this chapter! I hope you continue to enjoy this and yes, I assure you it will ONLY be H/G... personally I get a little weirded out by three-or-more way bond fics as well...
Thanks again for your comments!

Tindual
I'm glad it'd different. I find Soul Bond Fics tend to have a lot of similar ground considering, so I hope to make this one unique my own way, although I do intend to largely follow J.K.'s Plot. However almost, if not all, the shipping will be done differently, and I intend to spend a lot of time in amongst the different classes, and developing my own plot within J.K.'s which will differ more as the years pass... not wanting to give too much away here ;)
Also thanks for the correction, I have made the changes to the previous chapter (preface) as nessecary. Thanks, and again for commenting!

Hoisin
Very observant. I am glad you picked up on that, but I don't want to give anything away as to why or how yet. But yes, the weasley's did end up with Dudder's breakfast, although I didn't write that out it was kind of implied. Made for some rather grumpy weasley's that morning =P
Thanks for commenting!

Also as an aside (although somewhat related to hushpuppy22's comments) - Harry wasn't born courageous. What do you expect a ten year old or younger boy to do but cower before their uncle when he's in a rage, and they have no means to fight back or escape. It is my opion that Harry's treatment with the Dursley's lead him to be more accostomed to pain and loneliness (as sad as it may be) and this leads him to be more willing to put himself in harm's way for others, and this selflessness is somewhat born of initially low self esteem. As he learns more magic and becomes more powerful he no longer cowers before the Dursley's as he finds he no longer has reason to, friends he never had before give him confidence he never had and pain and suffering (as well as a little Voldemort possesion/horcrux) causes his Anger and temper to build as well, as he grows up.

Thanks once more to everyone who commented, and I only ask that you be fair in your criticism, and be truthful with your praise. If there is something you love about the story, please tell me what and why, same thing goes if something is bothering you about it. I know I raised some controversial content and I can understand why some people have adverse reactions to it, but I am trying to be gentle in it, but it does serve a purpose. Sorry if I have offended anyone.
Also, I know this chapter is very similar to Canon, as I wanted to recapture that particualr scene as well as make reference to Harry's past (which will largely be as canon) just with more emphasis on Ginny, and subtle hints of the bond. All will be explained, I promise! For now please continue to read and review!

Kind Regards
~Benign vieweR~