A/N: Check it out, I'm back on schedule. Lets see how long I can keep this up :D

-PP


As promised he sat down at his desk the next morning in his boxers, t-shirt, and socks and let himself fall into the memory of Tom's revival. He watched it a few times, approaching it from an academic standpoint and then a tactical one, observing what happened and where he could have improved. He realized that without precognition he couldn't have saved Cedric's life, and he vowed to hunt down Pettigrew and repay the favor, both for Cedric's death and for Sirius' stay in Azkaban. Pulling himself out he called Dobby and requested a light breakfast from the fanatical elf. Dobby had a similar viewpoint as Mrs. Weasley when it came to a 'light' breakfast, which was also the same as Hermione's view on 'light' reading. Upon returning from the bathroom he found a buffet set up in one end of his room with a smorgasbord of breakfast foods.

Shaking his head he tapped his three dorm mates and informed them of Dobby's boon before downing a few sausages and setting down to his pensieve again. This time he took himself into the Department of Mysteries and watched as he and his friends valiantly fought their way away from the swarm of Death Eaters. He cheered each time they took down an opponent and cursed when a spell landed on his friends. Soon he was the only one left standing with a wand, the sickening crunch of Neville's wand being snapped still echoing in his ears. He watched the memory in slow motion as his godfather dueled for his life, living for the thrill of it he unconsciously called out to him as Bellatrix's spell made contact and launched him backwards through the veil.

He watched as his ethereal self ran toward the veil, hoping to see Sirius come out the other side. Then the image was shifting rapidly as he raced after Bellatrix, the details of the walls going by too fast for him to register even subconsciously. He felt Mark, Simon, and Coggy join him in the memory as he failed cursing her, and heard them gasp in awe as Dumbledore and Riddle dueled. Finally he felt three hands on his shoulder as the four of them watched Harry's mouth beg for death before Voldemort was expelled from his body. When they withdrew from the pensive Harry had a hard look on his face.

"Don't worry mate, you're better prepared now, that won't ever happen again." Said Simon calmly, his fist flexing as he attempted to keep his own emotions under control. Watching Harry's memory allowed them to become entranced by his feelings of grief and anger.

Mark walked out of the room but returned a minute later carrying a wand. "I never really got any training to use my magic, I have a pretty good control over it so I won't do anything accidentally, but do you think you could train me how to defend myself on Thursdays? We could trade off teaching each other." Harry's green eyes flicked to Mark's baby blues before he nodded solemnly.

"Sure, it'll help me make up a lesson plan for the DA for when school starts. Do you know any spells?" He sat down at his desk and pulled a roll of parchment toward himself, inking a quill with his free hand. He began making a list of spells, while he opened his trunk with his mind, summoning his defense books and pushing them into Mark's arms. His list covered 'Required Spells' and 'Optional Spells', the former list stretching to the bottom of the parchment and starting again at the top, while the option spells only included things that required a significant amount of power such as wards and the Patronus charm. "We'll work our way through this as quickly as we can, read this book, then this one, then these two, and then this one." He pointed to each book in turn and Mark was making a face that expressed his feelings of regret in asking Harry for help with magical defense.

Simon and Coggy laughed, expressing their joy that they weren't magical and that they didn't need to deal with all of that. Harry blushed when he realized they were making fun of his lesson plan but got over it quickly, ordering Mark to practice the shield charm whenever he had free time.

Before long the boys made their way to the roof where a pool had been installed and a strict 'no psionics, no magic' rule was enforced by Elena because the roof was overlooked by two apartment buildings and an office building. The boys took great pleasure in dunking one another and playing water polo. They stayed outdoors until they were called to dinner, enjoying the sun and each other's company. Once they were fed they all headed to their rooms for less active activities, the combination of the sun and the food had worn them out. Harry took the time to write a few letters before retiring to his bed.


Hermione sighed as the portkey deposited her in her bedroom the next morning. Things had been stressful at home since she returned at the beginning of the summer and had to explain her injuries to her parents, which led to her explaining all of her adventures at school with Harry and Ron. In an attempt to appease her parents she had made an effort to make muggle friends in the time she spent at home and only studied her textbooks or did her homework once she was home for the night.

After spending five years at Hogwarts she had become much less socially awkward, and living with Lavender and Pavarti had taught her how to make herself presentable with minimal effort. So it was a week after she was home that a much less bookwormy Hermione made her way to the mall via muggle bus, hoping to find a group of girls her age either in the food court or one of the many clothes stores her suburban mall had to offer.

Oddly enough it was while trying on some new jumpers that she finally found what she was looking for. The two girls she heard giggling from across the shop were both slightly taller than her, one with brown hair, curly and short, the other with straight blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. She gathered up her Gryffindor courage and approached the girls, asking them for their advice on the clothes she was planning to try on. It didn't take much more than that before the three girls were giggling, talking about boys, and sipping tea in the food court.

The weeks between Hermione meeting her new friends and Harry's birthday flew by and the night before she left for the Burrow she had been informed of a party the Friday after Harry and Neville's birthdays. She really didn't want to go, but she knew that her parents were treating her amicably because she was putting on a front of making friends in the muggle world. She met up with Cassie and Rebecca a few times during the week, who chatted incessantly about the party and the boy who was throwing it, Giles Cruncher, who was a popular boy at their school. The way they described him he sounded like a muggle Malfoy but she had already promised to attend and the girls had helped her pick out an understated but cute outfit to wear on Friday.

She left her house on Friday, promising not to be out too late, wearing khaki shorts and a white blouse with a zip up jumper to keep the night's chill away. She met the girls at a café down the block from the Cruncher's home and the three walked to the house, which they could hear as soon as they exited the shop. When they knocked on the door, loud enough to at least be felt over the music, a tall boy with brown hair and gray eyes opened the door. "Giles!" called Cassie, pulling the boy into a hug, "So lovely of you to invite us, this is Hermione, we found her at the mall a few weeks back, she's bloody clever." Giles let the two girls pass before offering his hand to Hermione.

"Giles Cruncher, at your service." She smiled at him and shook his hand before following him back into the house. There was loud music playing from the front room and a large collection of drinks and snacks threatening to bring down the dining room table. She helped herself to a can of soda and made the rounds, talking to a few people she recognized from hanging out with the girls, finally settling herself on a couch in the front room.

Before long Giles joined her and they began talking about politics and history and the direction they thought the government was heading. He was very charming, he was tall like Ron but lanky like Harry, well, like Harry was. The party raged on and before Hermione knew it, many of the guests were heading out. Giles had just brought her a new drink when she mentioned that she would be heading out soon, and that she had such a lovely time talking all evening. She wasn't much for parties and it was nice to find an intellectual to talk to.

She was setting her drink down for the second time when she felt it, something was making her feel sluggish and she could feel her magic sparking to retaliate. She looked bug-eyed at Giles and mumbled, "You! You've…given me something…" she stood shakily and stumbled through the remaining party guests and tried for the front door, which she found locked. Then she made her way up the stairs, hearing Giles' footsteps behind her. With a final burst of energy she made her way into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. She fell to the floor and thrust her hand at the door and encanted "Collo…Colloportus." The door gave a slight shimmer, nothing like what she could accomplish with her wand but she hadn't had time to draw it. She hoped it would hold the vile muggle back. She felt her mind begin to dim, her vision fading to black, before she was too far gone she screamed as loud as she could with her mind, pushing as much magic into it as she could, "Ron! Harry! Help…me…". The next thing she knew was darkness.


"Ron! Harry! Help…me…" Harry heard Hermione in his head and he shot out of bed. Her urgency must have bypassed his shields and he was pulling clothes on before he stopped to think. He traced her mind back to a home in the suburbs of London but something was sedating her. He sent a burst of information to his friends and by the time he got to the parlor they were all waiting for him, Coggy and Simon appropriately armed. "Hermione just called me for help, I don't know whats wrong and something has got her sedated. I'm going to stop and get Ron, you guys meet me after I leave the Burrow." He got three nods before he turned on his heel and translocated to the Burrow.

Once he was inside the wards he did it again without thinking, moving himself into Ron's room. Unsurprisingly Ron was awake and looking worried. "You heard it too then mate?" Asked Ron, who was pacing back and forth when Harry entered his room. "I want to help her but I don't know where she is, do you think you can find her?" Harry nodded and grabbed is friend by the arm and moved them first to the edge of the wards and then, a few steps later, to a house in the suburbs. Seconds later Mark, Coggy, and Simon materialized next to them.

"Harry, have you got a plan?" queried Simon, checking the clip of his Baretta. In response Harry stormed up the front walk and up the stairs to the porch. He "knocked" by pulling the hinge pins free and ripping the door out of the frame before sweetly calling out, "Hello? Anybody home?"

A few remaining party goers stood in the hallway before him, stunned that he had removed the door from its frame. Before they could react Simon and Coggy pushed past him waving badges in their faces, "Scotland Yard, you lot get back into the front room and sit on your hands, I want to see bums to fingers boys and girls, bums to fingers." Coggy was smiling kindly as he recited this, waving the tip of his gun between the teenagers and the sitting room.

Meanwhile Mark was scanning the house for any sign of Hermione, he found her in an upstairs bathroom. "Harry she's upstairs in a bathroom. Take Ron and get her, we'll do crowd control." Harry nodded and made his way upstairs, tactically clearing each room he came to until he reached the bathroom.

He tried the door, finding it locked he kept going, wanting to clear the rest of the second floor before removing Hermione from her haven. When he got to the last bedroom the door opened before him and a smarmy looking bloke wearing a smoking jacket looked startled at the gun in Harry's hand. "See here, you're in my home, you can't just come in here waving that around. Get out of my house!" The man stank of lechery and, upon rescanning Hermione's message recognized the boy. Without preamble he flipped his gun in his hand and swung it at the teen, pistol whipping him and knocking him to the floor.

"Don't you EVER come near Hermione again or next time I swear I'll use the other end of my gun." He kicked him again for good measure before calling to Ron. "Okay mate get her out of there, looks like a weak colloportus on the door, clever girl." He turned to Ron who was holding his wand loosely in his hand, looking sheepish.

"Harry mate, I've still got underage restrictions until March, I can't so much as levitate a feather without the Ministry coming down on me." It was Harry's turn to look sheepish and he mumbled a short, 'Oh' before repeating his performance with the front door, ripping the bathroom door away from the frame and depositing it on top of the moaning form of Giles.

Hermione stirred slightly at the ruckus of the door being removed and she struggled weakly to push herself away from the doorway. Her vision was blurry but she saw a tall form coming towards her and leaning down to speak to her. "Mione its okay, we're going to take you home." She saw blue eyes and red hair and gave a contented sigh as she felt herself bodily lifted by strong arms and coarse hands. He smelled of the outdoors, grass and pine and dirt. She knew that smell, she loved that smell, without much conscious thought she mumbled out, "mmm Ron." Before snuggling her face into his chest and falling back asleep.

Harry was doing his best not to notice the beet red face Ron was trying to play off, but he had heard her as clearly as Ron had. Maybe he'll realize that she cares for him as much as he does her. He smiled to himself and led the way down the stairs, stopping at the bottom to let Ron pass before he waved his hand up the stairs and replacing the door. He sent Simon and Coggy to flank Ron as he headed down the steps to the front lawn while he and Mark addressed the crowd. "Your mate Giles is a pig that gets off on drugging women. I suggest you all head home before curfew and forget what you've seen here." The last bit was a true suggestion, laced with psionic power the teens would dismiss any memories they had of doors being blown off as day-dreams and they all left the house in a single-file line to head to their respective homes. He followed Mark outside before checking that the coast was clear and repairing the front door.

Joining his friends on the sidewalk he put his arm around Ron, making sure his fingers were touching Hermione's that were flung around Ron's neck, before he stepped through the darkness and onto the front lawn of the Grangers. Simon and Coggy checked the perimeter while Mark, Ron, and Harry walked up to the front door, Hermione still with a death grip on Ron in her sleep. Harry knocked politely and waited as lights came on upstairs and soon he was standing face to face with Dr. Dan Granger. "Harry is that you? And Ron what…Hermione!" He went to reach for his daughter but Harry caught his hand and pushed it back toward him.

"Hermione has had a traumatic experience with some muggles Dr. Granger, muggles that you and your wife were forcing her to make friends with." Hermione's father blanched and Harry took the opportunity to push his way past him and into the house. The four other boys joined him in the living room and he turned back to Dr. Granger. "Where is Hermione's bedroom sir? I'll have Ron tuck her in, don't forget to get those shoes off Ron." His friend nodded and then turned his eyes from Harry to Dr. Granger who gave him directions to his daughter's room.

The group stood in silence while Ron's footsteps made their way up the stairs and into the second door on the right. There was some shuffling and a few clomps as Hermione's shoes hit the floor before they heard the click of her door closing and Ron made his way back down. All five boys looked expectantly at Dr. Granger who sunk into an armchair, "We didn't think anything like this would happen. We just wanted her to have a normal summer. She told us about all the times you three got into trouble at school and we were scared. We wouldn't have suggested she go to anything if we thought there wouldn't be proper supervision, you have to understand that Harry, Ron." The two boys exchanged glances before nodding and turning back to Dr. Granger.

"We know you couldn't have predicted this sort of thing happening, and you're really not to blame but I couldn't kill the boy responsible so some of that is coming across at you. Just trust Hermione to take care of herself, and trust us to take care of her. We wouldn't let anything happen to her, she's like a sister to me." The older man nodded, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Do you know what she was drugged with? Will she be okay?" Harry nodded, explaining that he ran a scan on her and it seemed to just be a sedative rather than a date rape drug. Probably a sleeping pill emptied into her drink at the party. Her father let out a sigh of relief. "I'll tell her what happened when she wakes, would you two mind stopping by tomorrow to visit with her? I'm sure she'll need the support."

Harry shook his head and apologized, "I've got class tomorrow most of the day but I can stop by after dinner, but I'm sure Ron would be more than happy to come over first thing and keep her company." Dr. Granger turned his gaze to Ron who was attempting to look anywhere else, while Harry was winking at him conspiratorially. Ron agreed to stop by after breakfast, and Harry took the time to make a portkey out of a pen that was laying on the coffee table. Handing it to Ron he said, "Tap that with your wand when you're ready and say, 'The Grangers' like you're using the floo. When you're ready to go home, if I'm not here, do the same thing but say, 'The Burrow'. Not sure how long it'll last but it should give you enough charges to go to and from most of this week, be here for her since I can't be." Ron nodded and took the pen, shoving it deep into his pocket so he wouldn't lose it.

"Right well, we must be off, can't be gone from the Institute too long, Aunty will get angry." Began Mark, ushering everyone out the door. "Nice to meet you Dr. G. Lovely home. Lets go boys." The three Institute residents translocated back home while Harry took Ron back to the Burrow, promising to see him at the Grangers the next day.

He got back to the Institute and nearly made it to his room before Elena stepped out of the shadows and blocked his path. "And where exactly were you tonight Mr. Potter?" Uh oh, he lost his first name privileges. He looked shamefully at his feet as he swung his right foot back to front, scuffing the ground slightly with the sole of his shoe.

"My friend Hermione was attacked, so I went after her with Ron and we found her drugged in a bathroom at a muggle's house. I might have thrown a door at him…but I put everything right before I left." He could feel her discerning gaze boring through him, though she made no attempts to invade his mind. She sighed and let down her stony exterior.

"Harry you need to let someone at least know that you're taking off. We had no idea where you had gone and we couldn't be sure you hadn't been lured out and captured. I trust you four," Harry gulped at this, he hadn't realized she had caught all of them, "to take care of yourselves and each other, but I need you to be responsible and let someone know when you go gallivanting off to save some damsel in distress. I understand that Ms. Granger is like your older sister so I'll give you some leeway this time, but if I catch you sneaking out again you're going to have to answer for it."

Harry nodded and gave her a one-armed hug as he passed, hoping to reassure her as much as himself that their friendship was still in one piece. She smiled despite herself before ruffling his already mussed hair and sending him off to bed.