Harry did get weekly trips to Hogsmeade with Poppy and Dromeda and when he returned he spent the whole week looking forward to the next. They really helped him and he was back to his old chirpy, or as Andrew put it frustrating, self. Poppy chuckled the first time Andrew told her about how Harry was being and told him that she'd spent eight years trying to keep him in check!

As the last week of July started, thoughts turned to Harry's birthday and how to celebrate it.

"Could he perhaps stay at his house the night before? To wake up on his birthday out of hospital and to be able to celebrate it at home would mean the world to him" Poppy said.

Two faces turned towards her in sheer confusion and Andrew put his hand on Poppy's forehead.

"Poppy are you delirious?" he said. "I feel no temperature but I can see no other explanation for such a question. He is still on the Circ T potion. Perhaps two weeks and we can lower it to once every two or three days but not now."

"I know that. But he only takes it on a morning now and as long as one of us is there to give it to him I don't see a problem. You know he's only here now because of that potion and your caution about releasing him. I'm surprised he hasn't been lobbying you about it yet."

"Well he has been asking when he can be off the potion rather insistently. I assume he believes that whenever he's off that, he can leave."

"And can he?"

"Poppy are you sure you're alright? You'd never be like this if he was your patient."

"Believe me Andrew, if I was his healer he would have already told me which day he was leaving. He's got a date in his head and you can be sure it won't be much after. Did you know we wanted to set back the school opening until January because none of us believed him able to be there in September? Apparently he turned to Remus, calmly stated that that was a load of bollocks and demanded that we opened in September. He'll be out before you know it Andrew - at least my way you get a tiny test run first."

"Hmmmm I'll think about it."

"Excellent. We'll be by to pick him up on the 30th then."

"Remind me of this conversation next time she have him as a patient won't you Andromeda?" Andrew asked with a smirk.

"I would never dream of doing such a thing... Alright!" Andromeda replied, equally smirking.

Poppy shot a glare at both and escaped into the fireplace.

"I do think it's a good idea and Poppy has a fair point. He wants to be released, at least this way it's under your control. One of us will be in the house, probably Poppy you know what she's like, and the other will turn up just before breakfast. It would be the best birthday present you could give him."

"I know Andromeda but at the same time he's come so far, I don't want to push too hard and mess it up now."

"I would expect Poppy out of anyone to know what Harry is and isn't capable of. He's skirted death more times than anyone should be able to, let alone feel that they must, and every time Poppy has been there to patch him up. You know he could be released into her care now even if he is not yet fit to be released and that itself is only a matter of time."

"I know, give me a couple of days to think about it."

"Ok, I'll see you on 30th then."

When both witches had left Andrew thought long and hard about what they had said. He fetched Harry's medical chart and studied it as objectively as he could. The ladies were right, there was nothing here, save the potion, that meant Harry had to stay in ICU. Perhaps he would allow this trip, but he wanted to be there himself. Evening and morning checks did not have to be completed at the hospital, did they?

The following day Andrew called Poppy and Dromeda to his office.

"Alright ladies, I agree to you taking Harry overnight provided I am there. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I would like to see how Harry handles it and the excitement of his birthday. I do not intend to stay for the whole day but just to assure myself that nothing untoward is likely to happen."

"So you will be responsible for him overnight?" Poppy asked.

"Yes. I'd need to perform evening and morning checks anyway and I'd feel better on site over night in case anything happens."

"OK. We'll see you on Friday."

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Harry knew this trip out was different to the rest but he didn't know why. He'd also kind of hoped that they would leave it until tomorrow. Being in hospital on his birthday was not going to be fun. Maybe he could get Andrew to allow him a few people to visit and they could decorate the room across the way and have a bit of a party. That would at least be better than nothing. For today he'd best enjoy it or else he would have wasted a precious outing day.

Harry did many things during the day, helping out wherever he could. Lift pads had been installed so Harry could get onto the higher floors and all the corridors made wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair. To say he wasn't a student or a teacher he felt awed that everyone had gone to so much effort for him. He had actually been left alone today, under strict instructions not to tell Andrew and he found Hermione in what appeared to be an English classroom.

"What are you doing in here Mione?" he asked.

"Merlin Harry your chair is quiet!" Hermione exclaimed before becoming stern. "Have you run away from Poppy? You know she'll catch you."

"Hermione stop being so reproving. Both Poppy and Dromeda had urgent things to attend to they said. Don't tell Andrew about it, he'd have all our heads. I didn't think that you could get a healer more protective than Poppy but I think I've found one!"

"Ok Harry, I won't tell, for now. As long as Poppy's alright with it. What are you doing here?"

"Well, um you've done well with this classroom, is it all your own?"

"No Harry, I'm going to let other people design and furnish my classroom" Hermione replied sarcastically. "Of course I did it!"

"Wait? Your classroom? I didn't know you were teaching English."

"Oh yeah. You remember the time around the start of April when everything was just being sorted out? The time you got Poppy to agree to a health check?"

"Oh yes, that was a good day" Harry chuckled.

"Well the day after Remus came to see me because he got really confused about your house names. He mentioned you wanted muggle subjects and it just went from there. Poppy agreed to teach Human Biology, and somehow I ended up with English and Latin as well as Muggle Studies/Wizarding Culture, but we were hoping you might agree to teach Maths. Sorry we've never asked you before but there just wasn't a suitable time."

"Is that why all of this building is built for my wheelchair?"

"Er, perhaps." Hermione was trying to look ignorant but failing.

"Oh stop it Mione. You can't lie to save your life! You persuaded them all didn't you? You've got it all set up, I can see it in your face!"

"Well I just thought you were the one that could spot all of my arithmancy problems really quickly so I bet you'd be really good at maths. I can send you some textbooks if you want to read?"

"Yeah, maybe. I liked Maths at school but I always had to do worse than Dudley so my teachers all thought I was stupid. We'd have to wait a year though, I don't know anything to teach it!"

"What's eight times four?" Hermione asked suddenly.

"Thirty two."

"Six times nine?"

"Fifty four."

"Eleven squared?"

"What?"

"Eleven times eleven."

"One hundred and twenty one. Hermione what is all this about?"

"Harry you know your times tables better than most people I know, can I assume you know how to divide as well?"

"I know how to, but I'm not quick at it."

"Eighteen over three?"

"Um, six."

"Eighty over two?"

"Forty. That one was easy!"

"One hundred and ninety six over fourteen?"

"Errrrrrrrrrm... Fourteen?"

"Correct Harry! We were made to learn all of the squares up to twenty for Art of all things. That's why I know that one."

"What's a square Hermione?"

"A number multiplied by itself. So three times three is three squared, twenty seven times twenty seven is twenty seven squared and five point six times five point six is five point six squared."

"Right. Gotcha. So what's this got to do with me and teaching, interesting as it is to know?"

"The purebloods are often further behind in basic lessons than their muggle-raised counterparts because they've been homeschooled. They'll need to catch up. Just tutor them in multiplication, addition, subtraction and division."

"That can't take up a year, surely?!"

"Given by the state of some of my Arithmancy class it probably could, but have you heard of algebra?"

"I remember Dudley complaining about how hard it was and that the teacher failed him on purpose one summer, but I've never done it. Is it hard?"

"No. If I said to you that 2x equaled 8 what would x be?"

"2x equals 8. That's two lots of x right? Like two bags of quaffles or two hippogriffs or something?"

"Kind of I think Harry. 2x does mean two lots of x."

"So it would be 4? Because if two lots of it is eight, then one lot of it would be four."

"Correct Harry! You've just done algebra in a nutshell! What's x if 3x equals 36?"

"Ummmm, twelve?"

"Correct!"

"Ok, I think I get that. Have you got a book on that I can read?"

"I can find you one, yes."

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When Poppy found them later, they had moved two doors down into Harry's classroom.

"Is it time to go back now?" Harry asked. He had really enjoyed his day and becoming a professor seemed a sensible thing to do with his condition even if starting in four weeks time was a little insane. However, he did realise that it was late afternoon and they would have to be getting back soon.

"Not quite yet" Poppy replied. "I see Hermione has managed to drag you in at last!"

"Yes, although I'm not sure I know enough to do it!"

"I hope you've got a light schedule. None of us will let you do more than you are allowed and can manage." Poppy looked from Harry to Hermione as she spoke.

"Yes, he's only got first years to catch up those homeschooled. It's only four hours per week" Hermione replied.

"Good. Now then, let's go find Dromeda and go home."

Hermione smiled at the use of the word home. Oh what a surprise Harry was in for!

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Harry was confused again and a little apprehensive. They had met up with Andromeda but instead of portkeying out like they usually did, they had blindfolded him and started pushing his chair. His demands to know what was going on were met with vague answers or silence and Harry wondered if they were polyjuiced imposters. However they gave their wartime identity answers and so Harry was left to assume that the two witches had something up their sleeves. Thank Merlin he wasn't still on evening potions, he must have missed that time by a fair bit by now. Andrew wouldn't be pleased by such a late return though.

"Won't Andrew be angry that we're late?" Harry asked.

"No" came the informative reply.

The chair was stopped briefly before it was lifted up and then carried on moving. Harry recognised something about this place when he stopped again. He couldn't see it, nor had he seen any of the area outside the school grounds but it just felt familiar, like he had been here many times before. He couldn't have left Hogsmeade, there wasn't any magical travel and Hogwarts didn't feel like this. This left only one place he could think of.

"Am I at home?"

The blindfold was removed to show Harry's living room and Poppy's grinning face. Suddenly Remus appeared and then Hermione, Neville and Ginny.

"Welcome home Harry!" Ginny said, hugging him round the middle. "And I would say this counts, wouldn't you?" she added in a whisper with a wink.

"Hi guys! Thankyou all for coming. I wish I could offer you food and drink like a good host but this was a surprise and I'm afraid I have not been around for a while."

"No worries Harry. Remus has been doing a excellent job on that score. Everyone's just glad that you can be here for your birthday" Neville said.

Harry turned to Poppy and Andromeda. "Really?! I can stay overnight?"

"Yes. Talking of which we'd best get you upstairs or Andrew might reconsider! Happy Birthday Harry" Poppy replied.

"See you tomorrow Harry!" Neville called.

Andrew was in Harry's room when they entered. "There you are!" he said. "What do you think to this for your birthday Harry?" His wand went back and forth as he spoke.

"I never expected this, thankyou so much!" Harry replied.

"You're welcome but you should thank those two ladies first. It was their idea."

"Thankyou Poppy and Dromeda. This is going to be the best birthday ever!"

Harry snuggled down into his own bed and was quickly asleep.

"Remus insisted that I take his room tonight and he sleep in the living room. He wouldn't have it any other way and I admit it does make checking on Harry easier. What time do the charms lift tomorrow?"

"Filius said the disillusionment would wear off around eight am, so we should be set for when Harry wakes. You will let him come to the kitchen for breakfast tomorrow won't you?" Dromeda replied.

"Once he has taken his morning potions, I see no reason why not."

"Excellent. We shall be here for 7:45 in the morning then. Good night Andrew, Harry" Dromeda said.

"Good night Andromeda, good night Poppy."

"Good night Andrew. Sweet dreams Harry."