The knock on the door caused the dark-haired boy to stir under the sheets of his bed. A hand emerged from underneath the covers and reached out as a boy's voice called through.

"Mom wants you up, Harry. Need help?"

"Naa…" the reply was interrupted by a yawn as the hand finally found the rimless glasses it had been questing for and pulled them under the sheets. "I'll be fine."

"Okay. See you downstairs, Harry. Mum's cooking a full breakfast for all of us!"

The sound of feet clattering down the stairs echoed and Harry pushed the sheets off him, using his right hand to push his glasses up enough that he could rub at his eyes, then pulled his glasses back down. Rolling onto his side, he held his hand out and frowned in concentration, then caught the artificial arm that had flown towards him. With the ease of long practice, he slid his left elbow into the shaped socket, then twisted the fastener to hold it in position. Lifting it up, he stared at it until the fingers flexed, then he nodded and reached out again. This time it was a pair of artificial legs that flew to him and Harry placed them by his bed ready for when he had pulled on his jeans.

.

"Good morning."

"Morning, Petunia." Harry replied as he stepped off the bottom step with enough smoothness that an observer would not have realized that his legs from the knees down were metal and plastic instead of flesh and blood. "Good morning, Vernon."

The well-built man with the bushy mustache nodded in reply as he passed another envelope to the boy sat next to him. "Morning. Here you go, Dudley. Looks like this one's from the Polkiss family."

Dudley grinned as he opened it, then looked up at Harry, who held out a card.

"Here you go."

"Thanks, Harry." Dudley grinned as he accepted the card, then paused as Vernon growled.

"…Vernon?"

"Sorry, Pet." Vernon apologized, his eyes moving as he took in the official letter he was holding. "It seems that Marge is coming up for parole."

Harry winced, as did Dudley.

"Think she'll get out?" Dudley glanced out into the back garden, his eyes on the gap where a tree had once stood, his skin paling slightly as he remembered.

"Probably not." Vernon finally folded the letter and returned it to its envelope. "And if she does, we already have a restraining order on her. She's not allowed to come within a full mile of Harry."

"Good." Dudley's single-word statement was full of remembered anger and fear.

"Dudley, forget about her for now." Harry waved his hand at the envelope Dudley was holding. "She's still in jail, Ripper was put down… it's over."

Dudley looked at the artificial hand his cousin was using to motion with, but didn't try to protest. Instead, he opened the envelope that Harry had given him and pulled out the card. Reading it, he opened it, then started to laugh.

"Harry… that's dreadful. I love it!"

Vernon glanced at the card as Dudley angled it, then guffawed as Dudley opened it to show the punchline. Petunia only sighed, although her lips twitched in a slight smile as she moved back to the stove.

.

With breakfast eaten, the family had moved through to the living room where a pile of presents waited for them (or for Dudley, to be more precise). Dudley gazed in amazement at the pile awaiting him, then his eyes moved to a relatively small package with familiar writing on the label. Picking it up, he looked at it, then opened it to reveal a VHS tape within.

"The BFG?"

"You enjoyed the book once you got going, so…" Harry shrugged, then grunted as his larger cousin caught him in a hug.

"Thank you! This is already the best birthday ever!"

Vernon and Petunia exchanged smiles as Dudley finally released his cousin and moved towards the video player.

"What about the other presents? And we're going to the zoo later." Petunia prompted and Dudley paused, caught between the excitement of animals and the potential of the film in his hand.

"How about on the way back, we'll pick up some pizza and popcorn to eat while watching the film. Does that sound good?"

Dudley nodded as his father skillfully broke the chains of indecision that had bound him.

.

.

"…oh."

Everyone looked at Vernon as he paused while sorting the mail, then he sighed and extracted one of the envelopes from the pile before him. Harry blinked at the sight of the envelope; rather than being white paper, it looked a lot like old-style parchment held closed by a wax seal. Petunia sighed as she saw it, then she nodded in resigned acceptance.

"Harry, this is for you." Vernon handed the letter over and Dudley craned across to look at it.

"Weird." He announced. "They addressed it to your bedroom."

Harry slowly worked the wax seal loose, pausing as it broke, then he pulled out the letters within and opened them. After a moment, he looked up at his aunt and lifted his left arm.

"It says I'm to attend a magic school?"

"It does." Petunia confirmed, her eyes distant.

"As in how I control my hand?"

"And a lot more." Petunia sighed. "Just like your mother."

"You never told me much more than her name." Harry prompted and Petunia sighed again.

"It's a long, sad story. I'll tell you later, then we need to get you to London. I know where to go to get the things you'll need and I'm fairly sure your mother left you something. I still have the way she gave me to contact one of her old teachers in an emergency…"

"Does this count as an emergency?" Harry asked, then he was interrupted by Dudley bursting into laughter, waving the book-list in front of Harry.

"Those names! They can't be real, can they?"

"Some wizards do have very strange names." Petunia admitted, a sad smile on her face. "You eat up, I'll find the details Lily left me."

.

The wizard that Petunia had called turned out to be an elderly, jovial man who was as well-padded as Vernon had been prior to what was only referred to as that day. Petunia had taken him aside as soon as he had arrived for a hushed conversation and given him a piece of paper, which he had accepted before vanishing with a pop that had left the two spying boys wide-eyed. A bit over an hour later, he had returned with another wizard, this one wearing a purple suit and with a beard that reached down past his waist. Once again, Petunia had pulled them to one side for a quiet, intense discussion, then the long-bearded wizard had handed her something sparkly before bowing and vanishing with a far quieter pop.

"Boys, come out!"

"Busted." Harry grumbled as he and Dudley let the door they had been peering through swing open.

"Horace Slughorn, my son Dudley and my nephew…"

"Harry Potter!" Slughorn smiled broadly. "It is an honor to meet you. Your mother was one of my favorite students, a real treasure to teach. If she had only not died that night, she would have greatly surpassed me in the art of Potions."

"You knew my mother?" Harry asked despite himself and Horace nodded.

"I knew both of your parents. Lily, bright, eager to learn, determined and loyal: James, brave to the point of foolhardiness but skilled enough to always come out on top… well, almost always… but surely your aunt has told you of them?"

"I… avoided the subject." Petunia admitted and Horace looked at her, then nodded compassionately.

"I can see why. The loss of family always leaves a scar on the soul and those scars are the ones that take longest to heal, even without daily reminders. Harry, you certainly have your father's hair… but you have your mother's eyes."

"I… do?"

"You do." Horace confirmed with a wistful smile, then he clapped his hands. "So! Shall we head off? We can catch the Knight Bus. I'm sure that it'll be quite an experience for you!"

.

Harry felt the velvet-covering of the armrest crease under his panic-fueled grip and a slight ripping noise had indicated that his artificial fingers had actually penetrated the covering and were embedded in the stuffing. Dudley was screaming with joy as the armchairs slid and Petunia had closed her eyes, her knuckles white.

"Why don't they secure these things?" Harry managed to ask as Horace slid by and the elderly wizard chuckled.

"Oh, they tried at first, but the spells that propel the Knight Bus? They interact oddly and the only places they could stabilize were the driver's seat and the steps. By leaving the chairs unattached, it smooths out the ride. It is quite safe, though. There are cushioning charms on the chairs and anti-collision runes protecting your feet."

"I'm not sure that helps!" Harry yelped as the Knight Bus somehow not only managed to race through a tunnel half its height, it did so by corkscrewing through it, inverting twice.

"This! Is! AWESOME!" Dudley yelled as he slid past.

.

Harry leaned against Dudley as the world finally slowed in its spinning.

"Got your feet back under you yet?" Dudley asked quietly and Harry couldn't help but snort with laughter.

"That was bad and you should feel bad." He chuckled as Petunia descended from the bus gracefully behind them, then promptly ruined the effect by grabbing onto a nearby streetlight and hugging it tightly. Looking round, he saw that they were outside a rather shabby-looking store that proclaimed itself to be The Leaky Cauldron.

"Weird." Dudley released his grip on Harry's shoulder, then put his hand back again. "It vanished when I'm not touching you."

"It has protections so that those who are not magical will not see it." Horace explained as he handed Dudley a medallion on a cord. "This will help. Tuck it in under your shirt so it touches your skin."

Harry waited for Dudley to put on the piece of jewelry, then Dudley looked up and nodded.

"Then shall we?"

With a slight bow, Horace held the door open for Petunia. As Harry followed, he noted the inside matched the outside, but the inhabitants were certainly not like those he was used to. Pointy hats were worn by the majority, most wore robes of various patterns ranging from open-fronted over-robes almost indistinguishable from a long overcoat to flowing garments that enshrouded the wearer.

"Look!" Dudley motioned and Harry followed his gaze to where a Wizard was reading a book while twirling his finger above a cup, causing the spoon in the cup to stir the drink. "Wish I could do that."

"Coming?" Horace prompted and the two boys scrambled to catch up to him as he waited by a second door. Stepping through, they found themselves in a small courtyard.

"Now, pay attention." Horace made a gesture and a wand seemed to materialize in his hand. Reaching out, he tapped an otherwise-normal brick which responded by shivering before the entire wall seemed to fold back and outwards, the bricks shifting and twisting to form an arch through which a long, twisted narrow cobbled street could be seen. "Welcome to Diagon Alley, the largest magical shopping area in all of Britain and where you will find all you need for your upcoming education. Petunia, if you would?"

Petunia nodded and reached into her handbag, pulling out a golden chain threaded through a key. "Here. The Headmaster was holding this for you, it's the key to your parents vault."

"…vault?"

"It will be our first stop." Horace motioned for them to follow him. "Keep that key with you at all times. While you can arrange to have it get a replacement, the key itself allows the holder to access your vault and take up to a tenth of the contents each year. As the key is attuned to you, however, there are no limits for you."

Harry looked at the key, then quickly donned it like a necklace, tucking the key away. Once it was safely against his chest, he looked round at the shops they were passing.

One shop seemed to call out to him and he watched as it passed, the broomstick hovering in the window somehow promising freedom.

Looking ahead, Harry blinked at the large building looming on the right side of the street, its marble facing implying wealth but the offset, oddly-angled columns implying that whoever or whatever was there, it wasn't human.

"Gringott's Wizarding Bank." Horace paused to wave one hand at the bank. "Run by Goblins. Be polite to them and never knowingly lie to them, they will know if you do. As long as you are truthful to them, they shall return the favor. However, once through the door, you are in Goblin territory and Goblin rules apply. Just treat them with respect and you will be safe."

With the warning given, horace led them through the door, nodding respectfully at the two armored figures flanking it, and stepped up towards one of the desks lining the large hall inside, motioning for Harry to join him.

"You'll need to present your key when asked." He half-whispered and Harry nodded, his hand rising to the chain holding the key even as the being behind the desk looked up at them.

"How may Gringott's assist you today?"

"Harry Potter to make a withdrawal from his vault." Horace motioned for Harry to hold up the key and the Goblin leaned forwards to squint at the proffered item.

"Hmmm, all seems to be in order. Bladefist!"

Another Goblin seemed to materialize from nowhere, causing Harry to jump slightly in surprise.

"Take Mr Potter and his party to vault 687."

.

"That was… nowhere near as bad as the Knight Bus." Petunia admitted as she stepped off the cart that had transported them to in front of a large vault adorned with a complex lock that stretched the entire height.

"Key." Bladefist commanded and Harry glanced at Horace, who nodded. Handing the key over, he watched as Bladefist tapped it to the door, then drew his finger down, causing the cogs and bolts to turn and slide, allowing the door to swing open. Behind it, multiple piles of coins glinted in the light of the magic-fueled lanterns hanging from the ceiling.

"Much of this is the reward granted to your parents for the death of the Dark Lord." Horace noted as Harry stared in shock. "Some from the Ministry, much from the Wizarding public."

"What happened to their home?" Petunia asked from the doorway and Horace sighed.

"It was seized by the Ministry, along with its contents, and spells placed to preserve it as a national monument in exchange for a payment. All technically legal… if not right."

"That's…"

"I know." Horace gave Harry a pat on his shoulder. "Some think that it was done at the behest of the followers of the Dark Lord, but there's no evidence. At least the Ministry agreed to pay you half-again the full value of the house and contents rather than the original offer of one Sickle. Albus did a good job of looking out for you there, even if he was unable to prevent the house from being seized."

"Can I… go and see it?"

"I shall take you tomorrow, if you wish." Horace smiled down at Harry. "For today, we must prepare you for your return to the Wizarding World and those who admire you for surviving the unsurvivable. Now, I believe that to outfit you properly and in the style expected of you, a hundred Galleons should suffice. Here's an expanded purse for you to carry it in and… my word!"

Horace's eyes were not the only ones that widened as a pile of gold coins began flipping themselves one after the other through the air and into the mouth of the purse. From the door, a gasp showed that Bladefist had been watching as well.

"He does that." Dudley shrugged, the novelty of Harry's summoning/banishing skill having long since faded.

"Incredible…"

.

"Ollivander's Wands." Horace motioned to the store in front of them, a store that had as its window display a single wand lying on a velvet cushion. "While there are other wand-makers who will make custom-fitted wands for you upon request, Ollivanders is the place to find a wand that will grow with you."

Opening the door, Horace stepped through, the others following him into the shop. Inside, the shop consisted of a small area to stand in, a long counter that stretched all the way across with a gap at one end for access and behind it, a number of floor-to-ceiling shelves, each one filled almost to overflowing with long, thin boxes.

"Ah, welcome back, Mister Slughorn." A voice said from behind them and Harry tried to spin round, only to stumble. With reflexes honed over several years, Dudley caught him and held him just long enough for Harry to regain his balance. "Ah, good morning, Mister Potter. I thought that I would be seeing you."

The speaker stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself to be a thin man with wild hair and eyes that somehow looked both at and through Harry. For a moment, he simply stared, then his eyebrows shot up.

"My word… I have never seen a Wizard like you before… may I see your arm? Your left one?"

Harry blinked. "What?"

"Your left arm." Ollivander repeated, stepping closer. "You have infused it with your magic… why, it could almost be a foci in its own right!"

Horace coughed and Ollivander stepped back. "Yes, yes. After we've found the Wand that wishes to be partnered with you, perhaps. The Wand chooses the Wizard, you know."

Horace moved to one side, drawing Petunia and Dudley with him, as Ollivander pulled out a tape measure.

"Let's see. Let's see… height… shoulders… arm length… right arm only… head…"

Ollivander bustled to behind the counter and Harry blinked as the tape briefly wrapped itself around his chest and then flipped to measure his outside leg from his waist to the point where his knee fitted into the socket of his lower leg.

"Yes, I think I have enough measurements now." Ollivander held out a hand and the tape flipped away from Harry's face where it was measuring his lower lip, coiling up in the air before Ollivander caught it. "So, let's see. Several possible woods to choose from… try this one. Cherry and Unicorn Hair."

Harry gingerly took the proffered wand and a small explosion rocked the shop.

"Maybe not… that one." Ollivander coughed as he produced his own wand and removed the soot, then returned the wand to its box. "Well, let's try this one."

.

"Odd." Ollivander returned the Holly and Phoenix Feather wand to its box. "I was almost sure that… then again, given that its brother gave you your… your…"

Ollivander ground to a stop as he looked at Harry's forehead, then he carefully used one finger to lift Harry's fringe, revealing the unblemished forehead underneath. "…how?"

"Skin transplant." Harry supplied.

"They used his butt for the skin." Dudley chuckled.

"Means I'll never have to worry about shaving, though."

Ollivander frowned in confusion, then shrugged. "That can wait. Let's find your wand. I'm sure it's somewhere here, just waiting for you…"

.

"I still can't believe that he had to go into his Experimental Wand collection for you." Horace marveled as they finally left the store. "Cedar and Quetzalcoatl Feather… quite a combination."

Harry nodded as he finished tucking the wand away into the belt-holster he had purchased at Horace's suggestion, then he winced slightly as his stomach made a small sound.

"Let us go to Fortesque's for a snack, perhaps?" Horace chuckled. "He makes good sandwiches and stocks excellent ice cream. Afterwards, we can continue on your quest."

Dudley chuckled as Harry rolled his eyes.

.

.

Severus Snape blinked in surprise as he entered the Staff Meeting Room. While most of the other members of staff had arrived before him, there was also someone that normally had no business being there. Suppressing his curiosity for the time being, Severus moved to his preferred chair and settled down in it, mentally preparing himself for another round of meaningless twaddle and the almost-inevitable over-excited babble over their upcoming celebrity student.

After what seemed like hours, the final few members of staff had arrived and taken their seats, several of them giving their unexpected guest curious glances.

"Good evening everyone." Albus Dumbledore smiled, although Severus caught hints of sadness in the normally-ebullient Headmaster's smile. "Before you ask, no. Horace here will not be rejoining us as a member of the faculty, but he does have some information that many of you will need to hear. First, however, let us proceed with the usual things that need dealing with prior to the return of our students in just over a week…"

.

"…and with one exception, that just about wraps things up for now." Albus noted. "Thank you for waiting on us, Horace."

"It was no problem, Albus." The former Head of Slytherin smiled. "It brought back many good memories."

"I am glad it did so." Albus replied, then his partial smile vanished. "As you all should be aware, Harry Potter is returning to the Wizarding World…"

"And are we to give special treatment to this… celebrity?" Snape sneered, only for both Albus and Horace to glare at him.

"We are, but not for reasons you may think." Albus stated coldly as Horace pulled a folder out of his tunic and used his wand to float it over to Poppy Pomphrey who snagged it out of the air with a nod, then opened it up and began reading. A moment later, her head snapped up to stare wide-eyed at Albus.

"Yes, Poppy, the folder is correct. Young Mister Potter will be joining us, but without the scar that was inflicted upon him. I would normally be happy about that, but the same incident that led to his scar being removed cost him his legs and one arm."

Severus felt his insides suddenly try to congeal at the thought of Lily's child being so injured.

"What… how?"

"His Uncle's older sister set one of her dogs on him and Harry failed to escape." Horace's voice lacked any trace of his usual joviality. "The resulting attack destroyed his lower legs, his left arm and tore almost half his face off before Vernon could intervene. The woman was arrested and sentenced to prison, her dogs destroyed and her wealth confiscated for use in providing Harry with the best medical care the Muggles could provide. They performed miracles even St Mungo's would have been proud to call their own in rebuilding his face so that no trace of scarring remained, but his limbs were another matter entirely."

Even the sound of breathing seemed almost absent as the staff listened to Horace.

"He has learned to cope, he has custom-shaped artificial legs and a prosthetic arm that he has managed to learn to control through his magic. To the uninformed, he only appears to be slightly clumsier than the average Wizard."

The silence was even more intense and Horace sighed.

"He did wonder how things would have turned out had he been even only one second faster…"