A/N First off I'd just like to apologise for my absence the last few months. I'm an engineering student at University, and this semester has been pretty hectic. I didn't want to risk posting sub-par chapters that I wasn't happy with, But I'm back now, and moving to a fortnightly update schedule. The world I'm creating is becoming so in-depth, that I don't want to risk messing up details of my own lore just because I didn't spend enough time checking all the details.

With all that said, I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season so far. It's starting to get really warm here in Australia, so I'm spending more and more time writing or reading by the pool just to keep cool. I should have a wonderful surprise for you guys (And Harry!) up on Christmas Eve, so stay tuned!

No matter what you celebrate this festive season, remember these key rules. Stay safe, stay hydrated, and stay sane. Say more no to your inner Bellatrix, and more yes to the little Hermione on your shoulder.

Chapter 8- Manor Sweet Manor

Despite what some might think, Hermione liked to believe that she had grown since her S.P.E.W days. When she had first started her crusade for house elf rights, she admits that she had made a critical error. She thought that by freeing the elfs that they would be free to live their lives without servitude. What she didn't know was that a free elf was a shell.

When they had spent time in Grimmauld place during the Horcrux hunt, Hermione had formed a tentative friendship with Kreacher. That was, of course, when the elf stopped raving about her blood. There were many nights where she couldn't sleep for one reason or another. Whether it was the stress of the Horcrux hunt or feeling sick to the stomach, Kreacher was always there to indulge her in a late night conversation in the kitchen.

At first the conversations were awkward at best, and disastrous at worst. In those early nights, all Kreacher would talk about was the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, and how many disappointments to the family there were. But over time, the names began to change. Sirius and Andromeda were replaced with Bellatrix and Narcissa. When Hermione asked Kreacher what caused the change in his tune, she began to understand the relationship between wizards and house elves.

Generally, the attitudes and behaviours of a house elf reflect those of the witch or wizard that the elf is bound to. Before the influence of Harry and Sirius, Kreacher had been bound to serve Walburga Black. Kreacher hadn't been in the presence of Sirius long enough to begin exhibiting modified behaviours. This was mainly because Sirius would avoid Kreacher like the plague; the elf was a reminder of his hateful mother that Sirius couldn't bare to confront. Harry however, tried to see the elf as much as possible. Kreacher was always invited to sit with them during meal time, despite the objections from Ron. Harry would sit in front of the family tapestry for hours, asking Kreacher questions about the family and everyone in it. And with every encounter, the edges of Kreacher began to soften and fade. Once, Hermione even thought she heard the elf humming a tune while cooking a meal.

One night, after the Mundungus incident, Hermione asked Kreacher about Dobby. The older elf had chuckled, and told Hermione that Dobby would always be like a child because of his bonding before Harry freed him. Most elves were bound to adults, and for good reason. The magical core of a child simply wasn't stable enough to fully support an elf bond. It wasn't until a magical child received their first wand that their core begins to settle. This is because they now have an instrument that channels their core, rather than bouts of accidental magic.

The Malfoy's seemed to have forgotten that fact. A stubborn and spoiled four year old Draco had insisted that he should have his own personal house elf. And so he was presented with a young unnamed elf. Draco eventually named the elf Dobby, because the elf would dob on the young boy. Elves weren't just bonded to an individual you see; they were also bonded to the family. So while Dobby was the personal elf of Draco, his duty to the family and the Lord of the family would always supersede the commands of Draco. And so, as Dobby began to take on the unstable childishness of his personal bond to Draco, his family bond ensured that his antics would never harm the family.

What shocked Hermione most though was the fate of most free house elves. Without a family to stabilise the elves own magical core, the elf would simply begin to wither away under the chaos of their own magic. There was a time frame in which the elf could be bonded to a new family, but it was short, a matter of days. The only reason that Dobby was able to survive as a free elf was because his magical core had grown so used to a chaotic bond that he was able to control it. To nearly every other elf, being freed was worse than death. It was torture, a long and painful end.

Hermione had nearly been ill when Kreacher had told her about that. All the elves at Hogwarts that she had knitted hats for! Kreacher chuckled when Hermione began wailing about all of the elves that she had unknowingly murdered. Kreacher explained that the elves of Hogwarts were bound by a different kind of magic. The elves were bound to the magic instilled in the castle itself. The castle in a sense fed off the ambient magic in the air, from the location of the land and the magic performed by anyone present on the grounds. So long as Mother Magic was present at Hogwarts, the elves would never be accidentally freed. The only person that was allowed to dismiss a Hogwarts Elf was the Highest ranking official of the school- which in most cases was the Headmaster. During the Age of the Founders however, any of the Kings and Queens could dismiss an elf, so long as they had the support of the other Rulers.

And so, rather than being angry at the presence of bound House elves at Potter Manor, Hermione smiled at the sight in front of her. It was clear from the affectionate hugs that Harry was being bestowed with by the small army of a dozen elves that these elves had been loved. All of the elves had tears in their eyes- they had missed their young master. Hermione was glad that the elves had been kept at the Manor; more often than not, Family Magic was woven into the very land. The elves must have used this latent Family Magic to support their Potter Family Bond.

Hermione turned and checked on the state of her parents. While they seemed shocked by the number of elves, they did not appear to be phased by the creatures. Hermione had explained to her parents the role that House elves played in the magical world. She would have to take the time to update them on the information that she had learned from Kreacher; She wouldn't want them to think that the Potter's kept slaves.

Harry was beside himself. He could feel the presence of a new bond forming in his core. While he could sense twelve strands, they all appeared to be intertwined, like a hive mind. But at the same time, every strand was unique. He could feel the faint rolls of emotions rolling off each elf. He realised with a start that this wasn't a new bond at all. This was a bond from when he was an infant that was reconnecting. And while reconnecting, it was strengthening and evolving to accommodate his status as the Head of the family.

The elves attached to him finally detached, and moving as one formed a line in front of the group. With perfect synchronization, the line of elves bowed. When they rose back to full height, the eldest elf stepped forward. Harry had noticed that all of the elves were dressed impeccably. Each elf wore something slightly different. Harry could see an elf that was clearly a gardener; it wore sturdy yet clean black overalls and a black outdoor coat with vibrant red detailing. Another wore a traditional butler ensemble, again with red detailing over his suit and a perfect neat red bowtie. A common theme across all of the uniforms was the use of black and white for the main body of the outfit, with the same vibrant red used for trimmings and accessories. It created a wonderful canvas for the crest of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter present on the right side of every elf- right above where the heart of a House elf lay. The crest of Potter was an elegant piece- A background of black with two mighty red hippogriffs facing outwards from the center. In a simple text beneath them was the words of House Potter; Longo vivas Tempore et bene sit. Harry heard Dan chuckle at the words. When Harry raised a brow in question, Dan told him that the words translated to "Live long and prosper". Harry himself chuckled, but found the words fitting. He wondered if one of the creators of Star Trek had been friends of the Potters. But that was a question for another day.

When the House elves rose back to full height, the eldest elf stepped forward. "Master Harry sir, it is wonderful to see you again. I am Orthello, the Head of the Potter elves. It is with great pleasure that we welcome you and your bondmate home," The elf said, holding himself tall and proud with a smile on his face. It was obvious that he was trying to contain his jubious excitement, a battle that his face was losing.

At this point, Harry wasn't surprised that the Potter elves could sense the Soul Bond between Hermione and himself. If the Goblins could sense it, then the elves that he was bound to would be able to see it as well. "Thank you Orthello for welcoming us home. I'm sorry that we couldn't have come sooner. Until this morning, I didn't even know that I was Lord Potter, much less that any of my properties exist, " Harry said with a tear in his eye, emotional from the love he could feel emanating through the Elf Bonds.

Orthello nodded in understanding. "Yes, it is as we feared then. We could sense through the bond that you had been taken to the terrible sister of Mistress Lily, but we could do nothing to stop it. Dumbledore had somehow convinced Master James to activate the War Wards, stopping anyone but the Lord of the Manor and his companions from leaving or entering the grounds, which left us trapped here. The War Wards finally broke when you returned Master Harry. If the War Wards had not been active, we would have taken you from that terrible place. We could feel your pain and sorrow through the bond, even as it weakened. Vaermina, your mother's personal charms assistant is blessed with the gift of sight. She saw your plight in the future, and watched as you were returned to this time by the Fates. She sees the Archangel that watches over you this very moment. From the corner of the Floo fireplace. " Orthello calmly stated, pointing at the marble fireplace behind the group.

The group whipped around, and marveled as Gabriel seemed to simply appear out of thin air. It was a sight that none of them would ever get used to. It was somehow different to removing an invisibility charm. Perhaps it was the lack of magic in the air as the angel suddenly appeared. Perhaps it was his presence in the room. Or perhaps it was the cheeky grin on his face as his hiding place was uncovered. The mystery that was Gabriel might never be fully understood.

Gabriel swaggered towards the group, his arms outstretched in greeting. "Hey kids. Just wanted to make sure that you found your way home properly. And, nice work Harry, you actually landed properly. You must feel a hell of a lot better without that Horcrux messing with your body. Now, don't see it as stalking, but sometimes I'll just be- ok well it is stalking, but it's just easier if people can't see me checking up on you. So, if you can feel someone watching you every once in awhile, seven out of ten times it will be me. You can guess what people make up the other three times. Anyway, I thought you might like it if I removed that glamour on you. Just give me a call anytime you need it again. Then again, it is tempting to leave you looking like a miniature me…." the angel muttered as he snapped his fingers, returning Harry to his regular eleven year old appearance.

Harry stretched his hands out in front of him, pleased to see that he had returned to his usual eleven year old paleness. He couldn't wait to spend some quality time outside repairing the damage that years with a lack of sunlight had caused. He realised that he was now squinting through the glasses that had reappeared on his head. His eyes no longer had the pressure of the Horcrux pressing down on them, extending him the gift of sight. Something that he had only ever experienced in Valhalla. "Thanks for that Gabe. As nice as it was to walk around Diagon Alley without anyone recognising me, it feels good to be back in my own skin. I assume you can't stick around for long?"

The angel shook his head with a sad little smile on his face, "Afraid not kiddo. I'll visit physically when I can, even if you don't know it. It's best if too many people don't see me, helps to keep the Fabric intact. The Fates reckon that we have found a few loopholes though that we can use if we really need to. The Fabric seems to be under the least amount of stress from energies such as my own at particular times. It's inconvenient, but one of those is at three in the morning. More commonly known as the Devil's hour. Which is a load of shit, since what actually happens is the land's natural leylines begin to finish processing the natural energy that they absorb from sunlight, and begin preparing for the next day. Like magical photosynthesis. During this time there is less magical pressure in the area, and the tension on the Fabric lessens. It's going to be the safest time for any sort of visit longer than a couple of minutes. The other time is during the week before and after Halloween, which is good for us because of all the shitty situations that seem to happen to you around then. The veil between Purgatory and this world are at the thinnest during then, so the Tapestry is more concerned with keeping the Leviathan and Behemoth away than paying attention to the meddlings of an archangel. I'll leave you notes here and there to help you out, but there's not much more for me to do right now. Enjoy your time before school kiddo, and hey. You look great without those crappy glasses. Maybe you should look at getting a new haircut to go with your new look ey?" The angel winked, before disappearing with a flap of wings.

The House elves squeaked with joy. Vaermina spoke up, with a mixture of pride and awe in her voice, " We knew that Master Harry would be a great wizard one day, but we never imagined that you would be an Instrument of the Fates. It explains your Soul Bond to the young Mistress Hermione."

Hermione squeaked herself, but in shock instead of joy. How had the elf known her name? It was the first time they had met after all. " Vaermina, I don't mean to be rude, but how could you have possibly known my name? It isn't a common name, so it isn't like you guessed it by seeing my school trunks." Hermione asked, in awe at the ancient knowledge that she could see in the eyes of the Seer.

The elf smiled kindly at Hermione, already liking the girl. "Such a curious mind you have young Mistress. It is rather simple you see. We are bound to Master Harry through the Potter Family Bond. Through the Soul Bond that you share with Master Harry, you are recognised as being a member of the Potter House. And so, we are bound to you in a similar, yet less involved Potter Family bond. Through this bond we instinctively know things about you, such as your favourite foods, what type of parchment you prefer, and the names of the people or familiars bond to you, such as your lovely parents. We know to place you in a bedroom as close to the library as possible, yet still be on the east side of the Manor so that you can enjoy a sunrise with a cup of rose and vanilla tea. And through this bond we see that your mind is nearly eight years older than your body. With the knowledge of how your's and Master Harry's lives are entwined with the Fates, and it is reasonable to assume that you are here to change the terrible future that I saw in the crystals."

Harry and Hermione both blinked in shock at how calm the House elves seemed to be about the whole situation. Anyone else would have a pounding headache at the thought of the Fates and archangels, yet the elves simply accepted it as being so. Perhaps it had something to do with the Potter Family Bond, and how Harry and Hermione had already accepted the events that were unfolding. For the most part.

Orthello seemed to decided that enough time had been spent in the Floo room. With all that had happened, the group hadn't spent much time examining their surroundings. The room that they were in was opulent, yet not over the top. It seemed to balance the fine line of being elegant without being garish rather perfectly. If the golden sun rays floating into the room were any indication, the room was on the west side of the Manor, with large crystal windows taking up nearly the entire wall, with glass doors matching the windows leading out to a lush garden. The room had two large Floo places on the southern and northern walls. The fireplaces were massive, allowing at least ten people to stand in them with shoulder room to spare. The mantles were simple slabs of opulent marble, with the most curious veins of shining copper running through the stone. Above each fireplace was a carved figure of a hippogriff, so perfectly carved that the beasts appeared to be alive. In the center of the room was a set of low leather couches, obviously designed for comfort while awaiting guests. On the east wall of the room was a large archway leading into what appeared to be the entry hall of the Manor.

As Othello lead the group into the entryway, he explained that the Manor was too large to properly explore and explain in one day. As he did so, he waved his hand, producing four familiar looking maps. As he handed them out, he explained that Remus had felt the need to create a Marauders style map for the Manor after he got lost in the solarium while drunk. Similar to the Marauders map, the Manor map showed your location in the Manor, yet for privacy reasons did not show the location of anyone else if they didn't wish to be found. Lily found this feature particularly useful while she was pregnant with Harry, as James could get a little overbearing in his excitement at times. The Manor Map also gave directions to the room that you wanted to get to, to remove any confusion about how to get around. It would be a useful tool to the group, as the Manor was quite extensive. Four stories high, the Manor had more rooms than one family could ever possibly need. Orthello explained that in the past multiple branches of the House of Potter would reside in the Manor. This was before the Potter Massacres however. Since then, there simply hadn't been enough members of the family left to fill the empty halls.

And the halls were very large indeed. The entry hall reminded Harry of a slightly smaller version of the Hogwarts entry hall. The decor and style however were quite different. Where Hogwarts was stone, Potter Manor was a soft beige silk. There seemed to be a lightness to the room, a feature that was aided by the numerous windows on the southern wall. The entry hall was four stories high, with a large winding staircase and various landings leading to every floor. Again the inspiration from the stairs of Hogwarts was clear. As Harry looked at his map, he realised why Hermione had been so quiet. She was looking at the only other room on the map the encompassed every floor of the manor. The Library.

It was starting to get late in the afternoon, and so Orthello decided to lead the group to their sleeping quarters and the Library, else Hermione would never get to sleep. Harry could see that Hermione was nearly skipping with joy. Luckily for Hermione, the Library was located on the Northeasterly corner of the Manor, which meant that it got plenty of morning sun. Orthello lead the group to the second level, and began walking them through the halls, explaining the layout of the Manor as they went. There was a large room on every corner of the Manor, with the walls being perfectly perpendicular to the directions of the compass. These large rooms were connected by hallways, with smaller rooms running parallel to the halls. In the center of the Manor was a large courtyard, allowing the hallways of every floor of the Manor to flood with light from the numerous windows.

The ground floor of the Manor consisted of the Floo room in the south-west corner; A large sitting and entertainment room on the south-east corner; the first floor of the library in the north-east corner and finally a formal dining room that could be converted into a ballroom with the use of extension charms in the north-west corner. There were various smaller rooms on the ground floor as well, such as a kitchen near the dining room, and the notorious solarium on the other side of the Manor.

The other three floors of the Manor were nearly identical, as each floor was generally inhabited by a single family branch. While the Head Family generally lived on the top floor, they now resided on the second floor. The upper two floors, with the exception of the library, had been put under a stasis charm since they were not in use. The large rooms on each floor were similar to that of the rooms on the ground floor. A casual family room was located on the south-east corner, and a combined kitchen and casual dining area was on the south-west corner. The exception was the master bedroom on the north-west corner. Harry had already decided that he wasn't ready to use his parent's room. He wanted to take the time and properly sort through their things, and wait until he could officially claim his Lordship titles before he moved into the room. Besides, it wasn't something he would use often until he finished school.

Sensing this, Orthello led the group to the three bedrooms on the east side of the floor, along a corridor that joined the library to the family room. Naturally, Hermione was placed in the room closest to the library, else they would never hear the end of it. As Hermione walked into the room, she was stunned at how modern it was. Every bedroom in the house had an ensuite, and this one was no exception. What made the ensuite so unique however was that instead of walls, there was clear glass. Orthello demonstrated that the glass could be turned opaque with a touch of magic if so desired. Hermione decided that she quite liked the openness of the bathroom, allowing the room to be filled with natural light during the day and bathe in the moonlight by night. The bathing area was nestled in the left-hand corner of the room. Within was a large shower with a rainwater style shower head, and a bath that was incredibly smooth on the inside, yet looked like a block of rough marble from the outside. Hermione loved it, and knew she would spend many nights reading a water-protected book in it.

On what was left of the lefthand wall was a large wooden canopy bed. Hermione felt like you could comfortably fit four people in the bed, and so it was massive to her eleven year old body. While the bed was charming, it was the view out the east wall that really caught her attention.

The land that Potter Manor was situated on was magical in its own rights. And not because of the strong leylines that resided under the ground, no. What truly made this land special was the almost overwhelming presence of mother nature. It was obvious that the castle had been built around the land, rather than molding the land to suit the building. Any outer building seemed to just be a part of the landscape, rather than an obvious intrusion of it.

The view that Hermione and the others were treated to from their rooms was a large lake surrounded by calm green woods. In the center of the lake was a small island, in which a single pergola was located. It looked like the perfect place to sit back and just take in the wonders of the natural world. The lake had two streams, one leading into the lake and the other leaving, so you would be able to hear the sounds of a babbling brook as well. Hermione thought it was something straight out of a fairy tale.

Jean seemed to think so as well. "Oh Hermione, that little pergola is going to be the perfect place for your morning meditations! You'll be able to center your core much easier there as well, without all the noise and distractions of suburbia."

Hermione nodded, excited to start centering her core. It was a technique that Madam Pomfrey taught to all first years when they came to get their magical innoculations. Through meditation, a young witch or wizard could connect with their core, allowing easier access to their well of energy and allowing the flow of magic to be more controlled. While the method of mediation was different for everyone, the end result was always similar. Hermione found that she best connected to her core in the morning while performing yoga. The actions allowed her to fully calm her mind and be able to just feel the magic, rather than think about it. Depending on how often she was using more heavy duty spells, she would meditate more than often once or twice a week. During the holidays when she wasn't allowed to use magic, she did the mediations more frequently to help calm her itching core.

Harry was confused. What did the ladies mean by centering the core and meditations? He had never been taught anything about that! When he voiced this to Hermione, he could see her jaw drop as she looked at him with concern.

"Harry, what do you mean that you have never heard about centering your core with meditations? We were all taught about it in the first week of Hogwarts when we got our shots, and Madam Pomfrey asked about them every year during our check-ups. It's one of the first magical techniques we were ever taught, and one of our most used!" Hermione stated, stopping herself before she went into full rant mode.

Now Harry was even more confused. "Hermione, I've never had check-ups with Madam Pomfrey. The only times I've ever seen her was when I had a Quidditch injury, or when I've been attacked by Voldemort. I thought most students never really had to ever see her?"

As Harry continued, Hermione became more and more concerned. It meant that for years that Harry was vulnerable to outbursts of uncontrolled magic, and to a whole plethora of magical diseases. It also meant that Madam Pomfrey never saw the results of the abuse that Harry received from is relatives. And it was with that thought that everything fell into place in her mind. "Of course", she burst out. "Dumbledore must have been Confunding Madam Pomfrey. If she had ever seen you at the beginning of the school year, she would have realised that you were being abused, which would have bought into question your guardians from the Aurors, which would have opened a whole can of worms that Dumbledore realised he couldn't let be open. So he must have been falsifying your records as well just in case Madam Pomfrey decided to check them."

The group decided that once Harry and Hermione got to Hogwarts, they would make a point of making sure that Harry got a proper check-up. And if that couldn't occur at the school, they would make sure to hire a private mediwitch. All while documenting the process to gather evidence against Dumbledore. In the meantime though, Hermione would teach Harry how to center his core.

Hermione set down her purchases, deciding to return it to its original size and sort it out all later. Crookshanks however was gathered up into her arms, where the tiny squash faced kitten began to loudly pur. She would forever be grateful that she could be reunited with her companion so soon. There would have been a cat sized hole in her soul otherwise for a couple of years until she found him again. She would also have to talk to the elves about gathering her belongings from her parents house, since they had thought that Harry would be living with them for the rest of the summer, not the other way around. But seeing the looks on her parents face as they experienced the true grandeur of the wizarding world, she didn't think they would have many issues staying at Potter Manor.

Orthello, sensing that the Soul Bond was something that Harry and Hermione would take some time to get used to, decided to place Jean and Dan in the middle bedroom. The elf knew that at this age there was no sexual nature to the bond, so that wasn't the reason for separating the young mates. Orthello could tell from his bond with Harry that the boy would need some space, but would eventually come to treat the bond as second nature.

As with Hermione, Jean and Dan adored their room. It was the same layout as Hermione's room, but with a slightly different look. The wardrobe was bigger, with two dressers instead of one. The colour scheme was also similar to what the pair had used in their house; it was obvious that the elves where styling each room for the occupants. Just as Jean thought about adding in a personal bookcase, Orthello snapped his fingers and one appeared just where she had been thinking of putting one. Dan smiled; he could get used to the conveniences of magic.

Harry's room was the one closest to the family room. Once again, it had the same layout as the other rooms, but there was a distinct difference in the styling of the room. Orthello explained that this was the room that Sirius lived in after his own family disowned him. Harry noted the differences between this room and Sirius's room at Grimmauld place. Where there were muggle posters designed to irritate his parents were intricate animated paintings. Orthello explained that young Sirius had designed his old room to simply irritate his family and rub their faces in his House placing. At Potter Manor, the true stylings of Sirius appeared. All of the paintings had been painted by Sirius himself, and were reflections of the world he wanted to live in. The most prominent painting in the room was the massive painting on the wall behind the bed. While it was long, it wasn't particularly tall, giving a panoramic feel to the piece. It was a simple forest, possibly the one outside the Manor. In the painting the occasional movement could be seen; woodland creatures flitting in and out of bushes and trees, the occasional breeze through the leaves. The most striking feature though was the clearing that could just be seen through the trees. There were three creatures engaged in a play fight. Harry smiled at the creatures, for there was Moony, Prongs and Padfoot immortalised in oil paint. The painting was currently set in the early evening, with a waxing moon in the sky. Orthello explained that Sirius has painted the image just after he and James had become animagus, a feat that would take Peter an additional year to complete. Sirius had charmed the painting to reflect both the current lunar phase and the time of day. When Harry looked closer, he realised that Moony was lethargic, reflecting the lack of energy that Remus would have after a transformation. Orthello said that the trio would probably spend most of the day sleeping, but it was always hard to know. The painting truly had a mind of its own, and was never exactly the same.

Harry loved the room, and decided that he wouldn't change a thing. Orthello smiled when he said so; the elf was relieved that he had made the right call. Harry could spend hours looking at the paintings, but he could see Hermione bouncing on the balls of her feet in the corner of his eye. For now, he placed his belongings down. He let Hedwig out of her cage and watched as she settled in nicely to the roost that had been set up near the window. The intelligent creature hooted in contentment, before diving out the window to hunt. Harry had no doubt that she would be fine; it appeared that their bond transcended the ages.

There was a large smile on the face of a certain bushy haired witch as they approached the grand doors of the library. While she had no idea what to expect, she knew it would be wonderful anyway if the rest of the house was any indication. What she wasn't prepared for though was the sheer magnitude of the books in the library. As Orthello opened the door, the breath was knocked out of her.

The library was a four story masterpiece. Lining the south and west walls were bookcases that reached floor to ceiling, only leaving room for the doorways in the corner of the walls. In the very center of the room was a spiraling staircase connecting the four levels. Yet the design was genius; each of the floors was essentially a large balcony that went around the edge of the entire room. The staircase was a freestanding structure in the middle, connected to each floor by a walkway. This allowed someone to be able to see from the top story of the library all the way to the bottom, a feature that was useful when it came to summoning books from all over the room. The entire south and west balcony of each floor was made of a maze of bookcases, whereas the northern and eastern balconies were occupied by a variety of sitting areas and work desks. As in the bedrooms, there was entire walls of glass, this time on the northern wall as well as the eastern wall. It gave the room a sense of lightness, yet did not detract from the cosy atmosphere that could be felt from the occasional cosy chair scattered among the bookshelves.

The shelves themselves were a piece of art. It was obvious that these were not random pieces of furniture accumulated over many years, but rather all built at the same time in harmony. Carved into the outfacing wood was intricate scenes that were all parts of a whole picture. Every row of shelves told a different story, and would take months to explore every detail.

The books themselves made Hermione lightheaded with joy. Everything was organised by category, and then by sub categories. Hermione could see from the door of the second floor a history section, where she spotted every edition of Hogwarts; A History that had ever been published, including new editions. Orthello explained that certain books were automatically purchased by the Potter estate as soon as they came off the printing machine, and kept in pristine condition by the network of charms on the library. As such, Potter Manor had the most extensive range of magical literature in the world. There was also a large section of Muggle literature present on the fourth floor, an addition that was made by one of the early Potter's. It wasn't as extensive however, as most of the Muggle literature books were directly donated to the British Library, of which the Potters were part owners when Harry's grandfather helped to establish it. Hermione knew that she and Harry would be doing a lot of research in this room, and she genuinely looked forward to it.

Once Hermione had her fill of the Library, Orthello led the group to the family room. The elf could sense that the group was exhausted, despite only having explored a small section of the Manor. There was plenty of time to do so before the school year started again, so there was no rush. Master Harry would be better suited to receiving his surprise in the morning, the elf decided. It just wouldn't be right to keep the boy up all night from the excitement. Clearing his throat, Orthello announced that he would serve dinner in the family room, as Harry's parents before him had preferred the relaxed atmosphere of the room after a long day. The group was very happy to do so, as the room was incredibly inviting to their sore and tired bodies.

The Family room was very much inspired by the comfort of the Gryffindor common room, but without the gaudy colour scheme. Instead, the room was in the soft colours of the forest, with large cushy couches and low carved wooden coffee tables. What was most surprising about the room was the obvious presence of electricity. When Hermione began to ooh and ahh at the runes that she found carved around the room, Orthello explained that Lily had grown sick of James and Sirius pestering her every weekend to go and visit her parents so that they could use her parents new Atari 2600, the latest and greatest in home gaming entertainment. And so, she working with the Marauders to create a rune system that allowed modern Muggle electronics to work within the Family room. The elves had been instructed to update the selection of devices available every year, and so there was currently an elf, ironically named Sparky by a young James, setting up a brand new tv and freshly released Nintendo Super NES. While Harry wasn't particularly interested in video games because of his inability to play them during his childhood, he could see the excitement in Dan and Jean's eyes. Hermione laughed and explained that her parents were very competitive, and would frequently be found trying to beat each other in one game or another.

The stars were beginning to appear in the sky by the time the group settled into a cluster of couches. Dan and Jean settled down on one, while Harry and Hermione took the one opposite them. Without even blinking, Hermione spread out on the couch and settled her head on Harry's lap, a position the two frequently found themselves in during the Horcrux hunt when Ron wasn't around. Purely on old instincts, Harry began to massage Hermione's scalp and temples, something he knew helped her relax. Harry looked up to see Dan and Jean in a similar position, with Jean smiling at Harry.

"We are going to have to work on the familiarity aren't we? To the outside world you will be a couple of eleven year old children that shouldn't know each other. But to us, we can clearly see how close and worldly you both are, without even being able to see your soul bond. It's the first day that your physical bodies have ever met, yet your natural reaction is that of souls that have known each other for years, with a closeness and ease that some people can only dream of. Not a word was spoken between you, yet you instinctively end up in one of Hermione's favourite relaxation positions," Jean explained, beaming at the young couple. She had known about the Soul Bond for just over a day, yet her heart ached at the thought of it not existing. Harry had always been Hermione's dearest friend, and clearly knew what made her happy.

Harry smiled down at the witch in his lap, knowing that he would do anything to make sure that they couldn't be torn apart, "It will be difficult, but we are used to having to hide things from people. To our peers we might just come across as awkward friends, and to most of our teachers as perhaps a childish crush. The only person we truly have to worry about is Dumbledore. And I'm sure the Crowns of Hogwarts will help in keeping that old codger at bay."

Hermione hummed in agreement. As she did so, Orthello popped back into the room to announce that dinner was about to be served. With a snap of his fingers, a wonderful hot meal appeared on the low coffee table. It was obvious that the elves knew how to cook and what everyone liked by the fair in front of them. With a laugh, the group realised that they all quite enjoyed Indian inspired food. In the middle of the table was a generous pile of fragrant saffron rice, with a heaped plate of garlic naan bread on the plate next to it. While Harry had only had Indian food a few times in his life, he knew for a fact that garlic naan was one of his favourite bread dishes ever. He practically salivated as he smelt the sweet and pungent smell of roasted garlic. There was three dishes of curry; a glistening butter chicken, a wonderfully herbaceous lamb saagwala, and a spicy goat vindaloo. There was an assortment of condiments as well, from dips to chutneys. Everyone began to load up their individual plates and tucked in. Harry very quickly called Orthello to tell him to thank the elves that had prepared the meal; It was truly one of the best meals he had ever had.

Once all of the curry had been consumed, the group began to fall into a food coma. They lounged around for while as Jean and Dan told stories of the time they visited India for a volunteer dentistry program, where the pair fell in love with the art on Indian cuisine. While Harry laughed at a tale of Dan falling face first into a pile of elephant dung, he noticed that Hermione had gone unusually quiet. Peering down at the bush of hair on his lap, he realised that the witch had dozed off. Without thinking, he gently lifted her head off of his lap before attempting to pick her up and take her to her bed. It was something that he frequently had to do during the hunt, as Hermione would stay up and keep watch with Harry, too haunted by memories of Nagini to fall asleep on her own. It was then that Harry realised how weak his eleven year body was from years of malnutrition. At this time, Orthello had popped into the room to clear away the leftovers of the meal. Seeing his young Masters frustration, Orthello told the young wizard that he should simply use his wand. At Harry's confused gaze, Orthello explained that all estates owned by Ancient Houses had warding that allowed underages witches and wizards to perform magic. When he heard this, Harry suddenly recalled how some of his peers seemed so accustomed to spell casting during their early lessons. It must have been because they had six weeks to actually practice magic before school had even started.

Harry decided that it would be best to only use his Acacia wand from Ollivanders while at school, just incase Dumbledore ever decided to check it. Instead, Harry drew his Slytherin wand, eager to see how it behaved. Before he risked using it on his mate, he pointed the wand at a vase in the corner. Deciding to try his luck at wordless spellcasting, Harry tried a simple Wingardium Leviosa on the unassuming pottery. Putting in the amount of power that he thought he would require, Harry was shocked to see the vase rocket into the air, nearly smashing against the ceiling before Harry stopped it with his Seeker reflexes. That could have been Hermione! Sighing in relief that he had decided test with a vase first, Harry slowly lowered the object onto its shelf before lowering his power and trying again. Eventually, Harry found that he needed to only use a tenth of the power that he would have originally had to put into the spell to gently lift the vase. It was clear to him now exactly how much Dumbledore's magic block had been affecting him. Jean and Dan gave a quiet applause at the display of magic- it was something that they never really got to experience outside of their handful of visits to Diagon Alley, and so even a simple first year spell was exhilarating for them to observe.

Pleased with the results, Harry pushed his magic to gently lift Hermione into the air, carrying her down the hallway to her room. Opening the door, he could see that a small bundle of fur had curled up on the end of her bed. Crookshanks unfurled himself as Harry approached the bed with Hermione. As Harry used his left hand and a push of magic to pull Hermione's sheets down, the kitten approached the edge of the bed and began to purr. Harry gently lowered Hermione onto the bed, before removing her shoes and socks. It would be too forward of him to undress her any further, so he simply transfigured her clothing into a pair of pajamas that he had seen her wear once before, before pulling the sheets back over her. Crookshanks moved up to his mistress, curling into her side. Harry gave the kitten a gentle pat, before leaning over and kissing Hermione's forehead as he had done for months during the hunt. Hermione smiled in her sleep, before shifting into a more natural sleeping position. Harry quietly excited the room, and bid Hermione's parents good night.

As Harry prepared for sleep, he was dead on his feet. It had been such an overwhelming day, and it would take a few days at least to properly sort and digest all of the information that he had learned. As Harry slipped into his first pair of brand new sleeping pants, he thought of how incredibly grateful he was at the opportunity to start fresh. Harry started to fall asleep the moment his head hit the incredibly comfortable pillow, looking forward to what was to come.

A new life.

A better life.

A better world.