With under three hours to go until the Hogwarts Express is set to leave for London, everyone and everything appears ready. Trunks are packed, owls are caged, breakfast is done, and students flood the castle's grounds on a sunny Saturday morning. Dozens seek the coolness and shade of many a tree in sight, but Harry sits, on a rock, right in the open.

"So, I 'ave become like an umbrella, I see," says Fleur, seated right beside Harry. The former's long, silvery hair flows over Harry's face while he rests his head on Fleur's right shoulder. "Stop looking so sad, 'Arry, because eet is ze end of term. Now you can run around all 'oliday, sleep late all 'oliday, fly brooms when you're at ze Burrows place—"

"The 'Burrow'," says a mumbling Harry, relishing the coolness of being beneath such silky smooth hair.

"Ah yes, I 'ad evidently forgotten ze proper name." Fleur laughs while resting her cheek atop Harry's unruly hair. "Everything alright under zere? Eet can reflect much 'eat, you know."

Harry shuts his eyes and smiles. "You're lucky to have such lovely hair. So light and so bright; it sure puts you in the spotlight."

"So we are rhyming now? Okay zen." Fleur puts a finger on her lip and tilts her head in thought. "I cannot theenk of a good rhyme at ze moment, my bad."

"It's no big deal—"

"But you need to stop looking so sad," says a smiling Fleur, kissing Harry on his head. "Is it because your older friends are leaving?"

"Fred, George, Cedric, Yasmin, Miles, Cassius, Adrian, Angelina, etc. They were all great people," says Harry.

Fleur tries to suppress her laugh while speaking. "You act like zey've died or something. Zey 'are' good people, 'Arry. Oh well, perhaps I should teach you English, right?"

"So funny; I'm dying of laughter," replies Harry, grinning mischievously upon looking up to make eye contact with a smirking Fleur.

It's not long until they draw a fair bit of attention from students passing by on the slopes. Some remain envious while others either ignore or smile Harry's way. But there's always at least one group of haters who make no effort to curb their vile behaviour. This, of course, comes in the form of Malfoy's group deliberately mocking and sniggering at Harry (and especially his quarter-Veela love).

"For once," mutters Harry, still resting his head on Fleur's shoulder, "I'm just going to outright ignore them."

"Eet is about damn time! No need to sour zis fine end-of-term-day by indulging zose idiots' stupidity. Good boy, 'Arry, vairy good lad."

More students pass by, including the very same seventh-years whom Harry's just spoken of. The group, led by Yasmin, makes their way across the slopes to stand before Harry.

"Meester, your friends are wanting to talk." Fleur lifts her long, silvery blonde hair away from Harry.

"How adorable," says a smiling Yasmin, "Hiding behind your 'curtain', eh, Harry? Well, this is it, I guess; it's not like anyone of us could avoid this day forever."

"I can tell zat you are all feeling a leetle nervous," says Fleur, gently nudging Harry to sit up straight. "But zere is no need to worry, because ze O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. systems 'ave done a good job of preparing you all for ze future."

"Is that an actual compliment, Fleur?" asks Angelina Johnson. "You've certainly come a long way from insulting our 'beeg ugly castle', haven't you?"

"Yes, I 'ave."

Chuckling slightly, Harry whispers in her ear. "You don't have to respond to that; it's a tag question... or you can say it's also a rhetorical one."

"Harry," says Yasmin, speaking on behalf of the (decent) graduating seventh-years. "You've come a long way from the timid little boy who's often forgotten my name. If we don't see each other on the train, or at King's Cross later, then let me take this opportunity to say it was great watching you grow and mature."

"Ugh, speeches," says a yawning Fred, "Look, mate, it was good fun having you around. So, we'll give you a discount in our upcoming store, alright? Bring all your friends and family to come and visit."

"Not the Muggles, though," adds George, "Wouldn't want to risk a Ministry incident in Diagon Alley."

"Now that you've mentioned it," says Cedric Diggory, "Where did you guys get enough money to start up a whole store? No offense intended."

"Our tragic Triwizard Champion over here donated his prize money, of course," says Fred, "Not to mention the King of Pranks himself, Sirius Black, so generously donating a teeny tiny bit of family wealth into our futures."

Cedric steps forward to shake Harry hand and wish him well for the future. "I know the hard times are only getting started, but don't let that spoil your senior years in school. You're N.E.W.T. level now, Harry, and we know you'll own them."

"Thanks," replies Harry, battling to suppress his emotions. Next up, the trio of Slytherin Quidditch boys say their goodbyes.

"Now it's really your time to lead the team, Harry," says Cassius Warrington. "Forget Nott; that team doesn't count for crap. You do whatever is necessary to show that there's only one real Quidditch Captain in Slytherin, alright? Kick arse, take names, and reclaim our Cup from Gryffindor."

Adrian Pucey pats Harry on the shoulder while shaking his hand. "Such a pity that things went downhill this year; I would've enjoyed playing on a proper team, like Marcus had planned. But hey, life moves on and so should we. Wherever yours takes you, Harry, make some lemonade with it."

"Heh, thanks, but the proper expression is: 'When life gives you lemons, make lemonade'," says Harry, grinning nonetheless.

Miles Bletchley steps forward next, and he clears his throat before speaking. "Best of luck to you, Harry, just like Adrian's said. Look, I think it's pretty obvious to all that you and You-Know-Who are going to fight again in the future. When that happens, well, I'm hoping for the best Slytherin to walk away, and it ain't that guy. Seventh-year is a true nightmare of work, so make the most of your sixth one and get ready. But don't forget about having fun and, especially, being a kick arse Prefect as well."

"And when you're done stomping You-Know-Who someday," adds Angelina, "Don't forget about us common folks, alright? Feel free to look down every once in awhile from atop your lordly throne."

"I'll think about it," says Harry, "So, uh, if we do see each other again over the next few hours..."

"No need to be awkward," replies Cedric, "Have a chat, sit down, or whatever. Alright, we're heading to the Boathouse now. Graduation ceremony, you know? Gotta ride those boats, for the last time, on our way out into the big, bad world out there."

"You couldn't have picked a more exciting time to start your journey to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," says George, "Although 'exciting' isn't the word which ought to be used."

"Oi!" Hagrid's booming voice can be heard across the slopes as he stands near the Entrance Courtyard. "Seventh-years, over here please! Yeh ready ter step outta school and into the real world?"

Mumbling a few metres from Harry's group, Graham Montague shakes his head. "No way am I riding with that oaf again. Do I look like a first-year?"

Yasmin draws her wand and grips it tightly. "It's tradition, you jerk! So shut it and let's enjoy our last bit of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Fleur stands up, grabs Harry into a hug, and then ushers him forward. "Zese seventh-years truly seem to mean a lot to you, 'Arry. Don't worry about me; I will do some last minute patrolling around your beeg pretty castle. You must go and watch your friends' graduation tradition now."

Heeding Fleur's advice, Harry immediately joins the growing crowd of students approaching to get a view of the Black Lake. It's not compulsory, but many students opt to watch their seniors depart in the very same boats wherein they've first arrived.

"Oh don't cry," says a lower year Hufflepuff girl to one of her friends in the crowd. "We'll still see them later on in the train anyway."

Harry, meanwhile, walks away from the dozens of students in order to seek out his godfather. Sure enough, he finds Sirius in the Entrance Hall levitating a trunk and owl cage; Harry's ones, no less.

"Ah, there you are, Harry! Just the man I've been looking for. Thought you might've forgotten about all your school stuff now that it's holidays," says Sirius.

"Thanks a bunch! I was going to ask Dobby to bring my stuff, though," replies Harry, with a sudden stern expression upon checking to see if the Hall's clear.

Sirius, naturally, spots his godson's change in demeanour. "Um, what's with that look? I haven't done anything wrong, have I? It's the holidays, man, chill out."

"No, it's nothing to stress about," Harry scratches the back of his hair while trying to put his thoughts into words. "It's just... there's this idea that's been nagging me all morning."

Sirius sets down Harry's possessions before listening attentively. "Okay, let's hear whatever is going on upstairs then."

"You might not like it, though." says a worried Harry.

"Well, I've heard my fair share of 'ideas' in the past from your dad," says Sirius, standing with his hands in his pockets. "Gonna pull a last minute prank today? We've only got less than two hours left to get it going."

"No, this isn't for jokes and laughs," replies Harry, staring at the ground. "I want to go to Azkaban."

"Wait, say what? Oh, I see. Funny man, Harry, funny man... hilarious! Yeah, just pass me a phone and I'll book your cell right now, complete with 5-star accommodation as well."

But Harry doesn't so much as twitch with a smile as he remains unsmiling. "I can either go in under Polyjuice, which there's still a bit of at home, or use my Invisibility Cloak."

"But what for? Going to rub some insults in Lucius or his cronies' faces? Ha! I'd definitely join in on that," says Sirius.

Harry shakes his head before replying, "I'm not just gonna leave a damaged woman in there, you know."

"Oh, here we go again," sighs Sirius, "Listen, I don't mean to be rude, Harry, but you can't be a hero for everyone—"

"She's your cousin, Sirius."

"Don't you think I'm already well aware of that? She's also ninety-nine percent pure evil who's better off behind bars! Sorry, I meant one hundred percent."

"She's your cousin, Sirius."

"I really do admire the surprisingly unconditional understanding you have towards my family," says Sirius, clearly uncomfortable with Harry's persistence, "but some people are irreversibly mad."

"That's the same thing I heard about you, from the papers, back in third-year," says Harry, "and look at you now."

Sirius darts his gaze around the Hall while trying his best to avoid Harry's firm glare. "Damn, it's like arguing with Lily all over again. You're really adamant on your point of view, eh? Can't you understand that Bellatrix is—"

"She's your cousin, Sirius," repeats Harry, locking eyes and glaring at his nervous godfather.

"Argh, fine." Sirius' standing facepalm conveys much uncertainty and worry with regards to Harry's insistence. "This is something I'll have to discuss with Professor Dumbledore and the Aurors."

"Forget the ones who I don't know too well," says Harry, "The only Auror I care about is probably Tonks. Moody's an ex-Auror so he doesn't really count."

While Sirius hurries off to the second floor, Harry levitates his possessions out into the Entrance Courtyard. Then, to his surprise, he spots Ron leading the group of Lavender, Fay, Neville, Eloise, and Parvati around the courtyard's cloister. Following them is none other than Luna Lovegood walking around with an empty sack.

"What are you people up now? You do realise the train's set to leave quite soon, right?" asks Harry.

"Wanna join in on the search, mate? We're scouring the school for some of Luna's stolen belongings," says Ron.

"Uh, just use Accio?" asks Harry, "Provided that you know what they look like, roughly where they might be, etc."

"It's all good fun," says Luna, walking barefoot without a care in the world.

"Any idea who took them? Because I'm so in the mood to dish out detention and penalize House points," says Harry, to which Luna shakes her head as the group enters the courtyard itself.

"Calm your inner rage, Prefect Potter," says Fay Dunbar, checking near some extinguished torches around the cloister. "Nope, no shoes nor gloves here."

"You ought to consider taking revenge on whoever's playing the fool with your possessions," says Harry to Luna, "Perhaps I should teach you some more offensive Hexes and Curses; leave the little Jinxes behind when going after these people."

"Not everyone is as crazy as you, Harry," says Parvati, walking down the courtyard and checking under every bench. "Alright, team, let's split up across the other courtyards or wherever."

Harry would join the search, except that he's soon called over by Tonks standing near the Boathouse's stairs (to the left of the courtyard). Her expression conveys a hint of patience and curiosity towards the approaching Harry.

"Come over here," she says kindly, wrapping her arm around Harry's shoulders once he's beside her. "What's really your deal, young man?"

"I dunno what you're talking about, Dora."

She gently squeezes his shoulder and tilts her head. "How can you have a soft spot for the least softest woman in this entire world? Leave my 'aunt' behind bars where she belongs, Harry."

"Why do you say 'aunt' like that?" he asks, genuinely curious as to the look of disgust on Tonks' face.

"Because she doesn't see me, a Muggle's child, as her family. It's as simple as that." Tonks shakes her head. "She wouldn't hesitate to kill any of us, should the opportunity arise. Look, I know you sometimes go by Dumbledore's way of seeing the good in folks, but Bellatrix Lestrange simply has no good. Her heart's nothing but black, and I don't mean that as a pun at all."

"Funny you should say that, considering the many ways Bella could have taken Sirius and I down at the Ministry—"

"Harry," sighs Tonks, "Don't you remember how she actually almost killed my cousin?"

"You're more like Sirius' niece than a cousin," says Harry.

"I'm his first cousin once removed, because that's how it's stated; Sirius is not my uncle. Anyway, like I've said, Bellatrix Lestrange nearly killed him at the Ministry."

"I was referring to before you guys showed up. Bella could have Cursed or knocked us out in so many ways. Instead, she was more fooling around than anything else," says Harry, "I know she likes to 'play with her prey' before going at it, but this was the all-important prophecy mission where she toyed with us."

"Regardless; she's still nothing short of pure evil. Don't fool yourself into thinking she's some misunderstood woman or whatever. Please, just re-evaluate your thought processes here, Harry. Bellatrix Lestrange," says Tonks, emphasising the notorious name.

"Née Black," adds Harry, "That's all I care about at the moment."

"Lovable little hypocrite, aren't you?" asks Tonks. "What about my other aunt: Narcissa Malfoy, née Black? I don't see you running around trying to soften up Narcissa, nor are you making any effort to 'see the good' in Draco Malfoy."

"I've already tried to appease Malfoy for as long as possible, but it seems three to four years was enough. He's the one that got all aggro on me after awhile anyway," says Harry, "As for Narcissa, well, she hates my guts for sending her husband to prison. With Bella, at least there's still the infinitesimally miniscule fraction of a chance that she's disappointed in Voldemort. I'm not giving up on her just yet."

"You're wasting your time, young man," replies Tonks, "Really and truly wasting your time now. What could possibly make you believe that Bellatrix Lestrange would be disappointed in her biggest idol ever!?"

"Because it's not all freedom and fun for her, is it? I saw, and almost felt, Voldemort do some quick thinking and assessment of usefulness. He opted to grab Bartemius Crouch Jr., instead of even Bellatrix, at the Atrium." Harry scoffs and smirks. "That careless disregard will be his undoing, just you watch someday."

"I know my 'aunt' better than you'd think, Harry. She'll see this as just another test of perseverance in the path to ingratiating herself with You-Know-Who. Don't forget that, without the Dementors, Azkaban isn't much of a punishment for Bellatrix Lestrange these days anyway."

A few seconds passes by as Harry opens the owl cage for Hedwig to swoop down and enter. Coming back to the topic of Bellatrix, Harry turns to firmly lock eyes with Tonks. "Have you ever been held in Azkaban? Once you've gotten a taste of freedom, you'd never wish to spend even another minute back in there, Dementors or not."

Tonks folds her arms and smiles slightly. "That's not going to work on me, young man. Oh no, Remus pretty much warned me about how you pull that 'Lily stare' on people."

"Don't change the topic," says Harry, "I want to visit her and that's what's going to happen."

"Gosh, you're persistent!" says Tonks in disbelief, "What about my mum, huh? She kinda looks like Bellatrix Lestrange, just so you know. Why aren't you so determined to meet and greet her?"

"She's already got a warm and loving environment, doesn't she? But the Malfoys have bloody Voldemort, and so does Bella." Harry spots the look on Tonks' face as the latter realises there's little point in arguing any further.

"By the way," says Tonks, as Harry walks away, "Neville Longbottom's not at all impressed by your stance on my 'aunt', Harry."

"Like I give a rat's arse what he thinks. I, not Neville, am the Chosen One who will bring down Lord Voldemort someday."

At around half past ten, the second to sixth-year students make their way down the castle's slopes. Harry joins the crowd of hundreds as he walks between Hermione and Pansy, both girls glancing with equal concern at each other.

"Don't go and die over the holidays, Granger."

"Try to steer clear of Voldemort over the holidays, Pansy."

Their journey from Hogsmeade station to London takes up the entire afternoon, as usual. Fields, houses, and all manner of landscapes pass by throughout the trip along the countryside. For Harry, however, it's not all peace and quiet. Once he's on his way back from the toilet, and passing many a filled compartment, he hears multiple footsteps coming from behind.

A blast of yellow narrowly misses Harry as it crashes into the roof above. And before he knows it, Harry's locked in a duel against Malfoy, Nott, Zabini, Crabbe and Goyle. Fortunately, the numbers game works in his favour as the five boys struggle to position themselves in the narrow passageway.

"FIGHT!" yells some students from their compartments nearby. However, by the time the patrolling adults (essentially Sirius and Tonks) arrive on scene, they're greeted by an alarming sight. Students gradually flock to see the commotion, and gasps are heard as Tonks tries to calm the situation.

"Let it go, Harry," she warns, "I think they've learnt their lesson."

"Don't let it go!" cheers Sirius, to which Tonks elbows him in the side while shaking her head. "Uh, I meant: that's quite enough now, yeah."

But Harry remains standing above the suffocating Nott, the former hissing out instructions to his Serpensortia snake.

"Wrap around his throat; start crushing it, slowly."

"What's he saying? Is that P-Parseltongue again?" asks some Hufflepuff boy who Harry's unfamiliar with. "This is just like the time when—"

"Shut up," says a Ravenclaw boy, "That group attacked Harry Potter first, I saw it from my window!"

"Can't... breathe..." gasps Nott, while Zabini yells at Harry to cease his attack. Almost immediately, Tonks fires a counterspell which vanishes the serpent and frees Theodore Nott from its chokehold.

"You're a damned monster, Potter!" says Malfoy, "I think you ought to go back behind bars for this."

"You're the ones who are fortunate enough to still be in school," retorts Sirius. "How dare you attack my godson here like such pathetic cowards! PISS OFF BACK TO YOUR COMPARTMENT." He kicks Nott as the latter's hauled up and taken away by Zabini. This leaves Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle to flee with their roommates.

"Sirius! You can't just assault students like that," says Tonks.

"I don't give a Wormtail's arse. Gits thought they could get in some cheap shots? Did they forget that we're here?" Sirius scoffs and checks up on Harry. "You alright? They didn't get you, did they?"

"Not after all that Shield Charm practice I've been doing," says Harry smugly, "The way their spells were deflected back; it was like watching a stack of dominoes fall over, hahaha!"

Tonks grips Harry's shoulders firmly whilst standing before him. "There was no need for that stranglehold, though."

"He deserved it," replies Harry, seeing Tonks looking at him with a noticeably concerned expression.

"Just... please take a moment's rest with your pals. By the way, Professor Dumbledore gave the A-OK with regards to your... you know..."

"If Dumbledore said yes, then I see no reason to deny Harry his 'idea'," says Sirius, now looking at his godson, "However, Tonks, Moody, Remus and I are all coming with you."

"What the hell are they talking about?" asks Ron, standing between his group near the front of the crowd.

Nobody knows, and that includes even Hermione who glances worriedly at Harry as the latter approaches.

"Harry..."

"Don't say it; I'm not in the mood for a lecture on being civil," says Harry, halting before his concerned friend. "Let's just hope they've finally learnt their damn lesson on leaving me the hell alone!"

The remainder of Harry's journey is spent sharing a compartment with Hermione, Pansy, Daphne, Tracey, Millicent, and Sally-Anne. All six girls find themselves torn between laughing, admonishing, and congratulating Harry on his excessively violent defence.

And before he knows it, they're in the heart of London as the train arrives at Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters. Naturally, Pansy beats her pals at grabbing Harry into the tightest hug yet today.

"Please, please, please come back in one piece after the holidays, alright? If you're going to go after the Dark Lord—"

"Oh don't be silly, Pansy!" says Harry, kissing his dearest Slytherin friend on her cheek. "Your Chosen One must still...er... build up his almighty powers, yeah."

"Nice way of saying you're currently hopeless against You-Know-Who," says Tracey, grabbing Harry into a hug.

"But we still believe in you, no matter what!" says Daphne, joining in on the embrace.

Next comes Sally-Anne, eager to get in on the warmth. "Since you're living under some hidden house Charm somewhere, Harry, it'd be a great idea to duel your godfather and pals as much as possible. The Trace will be absolutely clueless as to your location, yep."

Millicent hugs Harry from behind while speaking. "Come back on September the 1st, alright? No jail sentences or anything else to make us super stressed out."

"I'm gonna bake a cake in your honour," declares Pansy, "And then light it up with sixteen beautiful candles on the 31st of July."

"Uh, rather don't do anything 'in my honour' at home," warns Harry. "Especially not your home, which I've yet to visit after all these years."

Watching from the compartment's doorway, Hermione can't help but smile at the group hug embrace. "Okay, ladies and gent, it's time for us all to go. Harry, they're waiting for you."

'They' turns out to be the group of Moody and Remus, clad in Mugglewear on the busy platform outside the Hogwarts Express. The duo are soon joined by Sirius and Tonks as Harry and his pals approach.

"Oh boy, now isn't this super amazingly awkward?" whispers Pansy, upon seeing her mother standing near the magical barrier between platforms nine and ten. Mrs. Parkinson's presence immediately puts Harry's entourage on full alert, and they make no effort of hiding their suspicions.

"Have a good summer holidays, love," says Harry, feeling a pang of sadness as Pansy hugs her mother before leaving through the barrier.

"At the end of the day, Parkinson's still a loving mum," says Sirius, "Anyway, let's see who else is around..."

Harry spots many of his now-graduated pals reuniting with their families. The Shafiqs, Bletchleys, Warringtons, and Puceys all come over to meet and greet the 'Chosen One'.

"Man, is the whole station going to approach Harry?" asks Lupin, leaning against a nearby wall. "Oh, here comes the merriest dad around..."

Indeed, a most jubilant Amos Diggory now approaches to have a lengthy chat with Harry's group. The former spends more than a few minutes boasting about his son's academic prowess.

"Five Outstandings out of six N.E.W.T. subjects! Can you believe it? My boy's coming for his desk in the Aurors' Department, Miss Tonks!"

"I'll be waiting for another Badger in the HQ," says a grinning Tonks, now turning to address Cedric. "But you've still got a long way to go, young Diggory."

Meanwhile, Cedric eagerly shakes Harry's hand while whispering his apologies. "Sorry about all this; dad's in the zone again, as usual."

"Enjoy it," says Harry, "He's obviously proud of you, man."

Meanwhile, Hermione smiles upon grabbing Harry's hand. "Hey, Mister, I thought I'd do you a slight favour for the holidays."

"What?"

"Just shush and see," says Hermione, walking beside Harry and his group (consisting of Lupin, Moody, Sirius, Tonks, Sally-Anne, Tracey, Daphne, and Millicent) as they pass through the magical barrier.

"There's your Muggle family, Potter," says Moody, grabbing hold of his bowler hat upon seeing the Dursleys. "How about it, then? I think it's about time that big bloke got put in his place. Just say the word and I'll have a chat with your uncle... eye-to-eye, if you know what I mean."

The four Slytherin girls snigger in delight, but Harry shakes his head upon seeing what Hermione's 'favour' happens to be. "No, they're still my family and I'm not in the mood to spook the poor chaps."

"Wait, what?" asks Daphne, "Oh don't be boring, Harry! We'd love to see your fat Muggle uncle get the fright of his life."

"Might risk a heart attack, though," says a snorting Tracey, "I still find it hard to believe that they're actually your family."

It's not long until the Greengrass, Bulstrode, Davis, and Perks kin approach to collect their daughters. Although the four families attempt to act indifferent towards Harry, he can tell they're genuinely pleased with their daughters having befriended the Chosen One. This leaves Harry to stand with Hermione, and the four adults, while eyeing the Dursleys ahead.

Standing beside Harry's family are Mr. and Mrs. Granger, the former of whom can be heard speaking, somewhat softly, with Uncle Vernon.

"...yes, I can definitely relate to that. It was ever such a shock when we found out about all this stuff. But you just grow used to it over time, I suppose. Oh trust me, a lot of us try to keep this under wraps, you know? We don't actually have a choice in the matter."

Meanwhile, Hermione whispers in Harry's ear as their families try to keep their conversation as discreet as possible. "I'm not expecting a sudden complete change towards you, but don't you reckon it's better to approach things like this? Scaring them into submission would be a foolish, and short-sighted, solution to your less-than-warm home environment."

"Hmph," says Moody, "I still would've preferred frightening that Dursley. But if you think a little Muggle-to-Muggle chat with achieve anything at all, then fair play, Granger."

"How did I never think of this before?" asks Harry, glancing from a grinning Hermione to the Dursleys (who seem to find the company of two dentists rather acceptable). "Why spook them when they're inherently terrified of magic?"

"Don't get your hopes up, though," says Sirius, "James pretty much tried to be civil with Lily's family... and it didn't have a single good effect. Ahem, well, we'll be planning your 'idea' over the next few days, Harry."

"What idea?" asks Hermione, "Seriously, what are you planning without my knowledge?"

"Promise that you will not shout, scream, punch nor scold me if I tell you," says Harry.

"Well, it depends—"

"Promise, Hermione," says Harry, locking eyes with the curious girl.

"Oh, alright then. So long as it's not meeting some young girl who neither Pansy nor I know about," says Hermione. "You're not flirting with any Muggles I should be aware of, are you?"

Harry tries his utmost best to suppress the wave of laughter coming from within. "Are you nuts? Me? Hermione, I'm practically nonexistent out here in our other world. Who the hell would even so much as look at this scruffy-haired boy? Jokes aside, I'm planning to pay a discreet visit to Azkaban."

"Excuse me?"

"You promised! So, anyway, I feel bad for Bellatrix Lestrange," says Harry, to which the adults sigh and facepalm themselves.

"I suppose it's pretty normal for an adolescent boy to have fantasies over older women," says Lupin, "Weren't we around Harry's age when checking out Madam Rosmerta back in the day, Padfoot?"

Sirius' grin says it all, and he now nods in agreement. "Yeah, but this is my deranged cousin which Harry's speaking about."

"Hey! Who said I'm doing this out of getting a hard-on over Bella?" asks a wide-eyed Harry, "Don't make up your own nonsense, guys, seriously!"

The topic of Bellatrix Lestrange is soon interrupted as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley approach Harry's group, with Fred, George, Ginny, and Ron alongside them.

Mrs. Weasley now walks right up to him. "Harry! Oh, you..."

"Brave gentleman?" Mr. Weasley hurriedly completes his wife's sentence while smiling at Harry. Then it occurs to the latter that he hasn't really been in contact with Ron's parents since before the Ministry incident.

"We're pretty sure mum was hoping to say 'irresponsibly foolish boy'," says Fred, "But hey, what do we know? It's only our mother."

Nevertheless, Harry finds himself fussed over by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley with regards to what had transpired back in April. But what's done is done, and both Weasleys are simply grateful for nothing disastrous to have occurred.

"Oh, cool, it's like I wasn't even present at the Ministry," says Sirius, standing with his hands in his pockets while Harry gets fussed over. "No worries though, Harry deserves all the praise."

"You should've known better than to allow a boy, your own godson, to risk himself like that," scolds Mrs. Weasley, her voice low and furious while trying to avoid drawing unnecessary attention out here.

"Mum, Harry pretty much saved Sirius, or have you forgotten what we said?" asks George. "He's not just a 'boy' anymore, seriously!"

Mrs. Weasley proceeds to admonish Sirius as quietly as possible. Finally, after a good few minutes of scolding, she smiles and states that Harry's welcome to visit anytime over these holidays.

"No hard feelings, Sirius?" asks Ginny, as the rest of her family prepares to depart. "Mum's been waiting to scold you, especially right in front of Harry, for quite awhile now." She turns to wave at Harry. "Bye, Mister King Snake! I can't wait to take you down next year."

"In your dreams, Little Lion," scoffs Harry, returning the gesture by giving a wave as the Weasleys exit the station. Finally, Harry approaches Hermione's parents standing near the Dursleys.

"What an adventurous few years you've had since we've last seen you," says Mrs. Granger.

"Our daughter's written quite extensively about you," says Mr. Granger to Harry, "Nothing classified, though, if that's what you're worried about. Oddly enough, she stopped sending us letters throughout this year."

Hermione groans with a sigh. "I've already told you, dad; it was far too risky to send anything right up until April."

"Well, I suppose we shouldn't be holding you up from your family, young man," says Mrs. Granger, patting Harry on the shoulder.

Just as the Grangers are set to leave, Aunt Petunia calls out to Hermione. "Hold on just a minute there, you."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"So, both your parents are normal folks? And you... 'like' our nephew?" asks Aunt Petunia, to which Hermione happily nods, and Harry's heart races with concern. "Oh, I see then."

Oh crap, this is awkward, thinks Harry, as his aunt glances from Hermione to him and back. What the hell is she looking at me for like this?

"I would love to send you holiday letters, the normal way, Harry," says Hermione (while a wave of relief washes over the Dursleys at hearing 'normal'), "But you never ever know just who's on the bad side. So, we'll catch up when we meet again, alright?"

"Yeah, sure, stay safe!" says Harry, inwardly sighing at not saying anything more memorable. 'Stay safe'? What the flip, Harry? You're supposed to be the Chosen One, he scolds himself.

At long last, it's just Harry and the Dursleys exiting King's Cross Station (while Sirius' group observes from a distance). Soon, Uncle Vernon's the first to break the silence as they walk. "So, been to jail again, boy? Those freaks lock you up with the Dementia?"

"Dementors, uncle," corrects Harry, "And no, I've been a free man since going back."

"Hmph, dentists," says Uncle Vernon, changing the topic. "I suppose your kind can pop up anywhere indeed. But don't think we'll allow that girl to visit, you hear? Come to think of it, wasn't Dudley complaining of a painful back tooth last month, Petunia?"

A look of pure horror crosses Dudley's face, and Harry truly battles to hide his grin. For he'd never have to endure the suffering of Muggle dental treatments ever again.

"N-No, dad! I'm fine—"

"Nonsense, son, it takes a real man to sort his teeth out," says Uncle Vernon. "I say we book him with those two dentists. Did you get their number?"

"Sure did," says Aunt Petunia, speaking for the first time since staring from Harry to Hermione. "Perhaps we could organise a discount to help budget towards our next holiday trip?"

"Brilliant!" says Uncle Vernon, sporting the same gleeful look which Harry's occasionally done when organising more Galleons.

"No worries, Big D," says Harry, wrapping his arm around the clearly bigger boy. "I'm sure that tooth isn't too bad, right? Been laying on the sweets and taking a few bad boxing shots?"

"Come off it, Potter, you don't know what this is like." Dudley flexes his arms while barging Harry aside once they've reached the family car. "Real man problems!"

"Cool, and I only did things like battle a dragon."

"Don't talk crap," says Dudley, although Harry's expression shows nothing less than the truth. "Like that PlayStation game I rented last year?"

"Yeah, except that there's no saving and loading. No memory cards in real life, so to speak," says Harry, climbing into the car once everyone and everything's set.

"Now listen here, boy," says Uncle Vernon, while turning on the ignition. "We don't want to hear you talking all day about your insane world, understand?

"Of course, Uncle Vernon," says Harry, unfazed by any and all harsh tones in his uncle's voice. Why get upset at a bunch of ignorant Muggles? They're still family, after all.

'Family'; the exact same word he's used to justify whatever farfetched hope he has in getting through to Bellatrix Lestrange as well. Now, as the Dursleys' car makes its way out of London, and towards Surrey, Harry leans back to watch the countryside go by. With July less than a week away, and school set to start in September, he wonders just how this summer might go. Surely it'll be better than his last one? After rolling down the window, he enjoys the rush of wind through his hair. For the air is warm, uplifting, and with not a single Dementor in sight.