Chapter 2: Emotions Awry

That same dying light saw a bushy haired young woman restlessly pacing her bedroom, her thoughts clouded. Her bedroom, painted a bright blue, was spacious with a large queen sized bed sitting against the wall. Always a neat girl, Hermione Granger took no notice of the wall that housed bookshelves that her father had hand-built for her years ago. She also never took notice of the various pictures on all four walls. Her wall was a visual catalogue that extended to pictures of her and her parents, to her and her best friends from Hogwarts; the walls were filled with evidence of her growth. Even more numerous than her pictures, were her academic accolades, many of which predated her Hogwarts years.

Since a young girl, she had always been academically inclined, though not always of her own volition. With her being heavily teased and a social outcast simply because of her intelligence, not to mention her large front teeth, it had often caused some of the others kids to abandon any attempts to befriend her. Even the teachers struggled to create opportunities for her to bond with other students. She had witnessed them try a great many things, but to no effect.

Too often her mother would her find her tear-stained faced firmly pointed into a book, oblivious to the outside world. It had become so awful to witness that her parents had briefly entertained the idea of pulling her out of the public school system and hiring a personal tutor. When she had received her Hogwart's letter in the mail, she had immediately jumped at the idea of escaping the pitifully sad and lonely world that she knew and hated. She was more than excited to starting anew elsewhere. She buzzed with the idea of having a chance to learn subjects that not many others could. She had believed that even then, she would find like-minded peoples - as this could've been her reason for not getting along with her former peers. Seeing her obvious excitement, and knowing that this was just the opportunity that their daughter needed, her parents had readily agreed, despite their fears of rarely having contact with their daughter. And so, she would become a witch.

Hogwarts, beautiful and frightening at the same time, was not much different than the other schools she remembered. There were still the same teasing of her academic prowess, and still nights where she had cried herself to sleep, wondering if she were good enough to have a friends. There were still days where she wanted to disappear, forever. She hid all of that from her parents of course, and put on a brave face when she went home for the holidays.

And then the troll had gotten in, and she had found herself facing the chance of death, only to have a dark-haired boy arrive to fight on her behalf. She hadn't researched it until her fourth year, but every since that night, she had felt a bit of an attachment to the boy would later become one of her best friends.

In the magical world, she found through reading of course, it was very important when a witch or wizard saves the life of another witch or wizard. A magical bond, without any agreement, is created. The person that the bond originates from, or the person that was saved, owed the other individual a life debt. As Harry and her were bestfriends, he had directly saved her life multiple times since then, only complicating the original life debt she owed. It was to the point where she believed she could feel some of his pain at times.

The passage from the dusty tome in the library had clearly stated, "...in the event that a witch or wizard is in danger of their life being forfeited, and another magic-user comes to their aid, a bond is created. This bond, magical in nature, is still being studied by researchers today. Indeed, it is more sacred than some marriage vows, as the would be victim becomes indebted to the savior. Furthermore, in the presence of the victim, the savior shall not come to any harm. It has been said, in some extreme cases, that the victim can feel when the savior is in danger, but this has yet to be proven. No one knows when a Life Debt, for that is what it is, is resolved."

She never disclosed this information to anyone. She wasn't sure she completely understood it, and she certainly was not going to tell Harry of her suspicions. After all, he would only worry about her too much and try to find a way to break the oath. Instead she simply tried to help him as much as she could, from school related issues and the annual fight for his life, all the way to his dating life.

"What a disaster that was." She thought to herself, remembering what Harry had told her about his relationship with Cho. While she didn't think Harry could've been that bad, he was a boy, and they were notorious for not understanding the simplest of signs from a girl. She knew that she had suffered enough from that herself. A part of her knew that the entirety of the male species could not be hopeless, but facts had proven otherwise so far.

On the other hand, from what she knew of Cho, the girl was chasing popularity more than anything. There had been rumors of her snogging indiscriminately throughout Hogwarts. Harry, then, had simply been another victim of hers; a convenience. That alone was enough for Hermione to never trust the girl.

"I'm glad I put that trap on the parchment. Serves the deceitful twit right!" She would never let Ron know, or Harry for that matter, but she was proud of her charm, that while simple, had proven to be effective and hard to remove. Seeing Harry smile at the results made it all worth it. And if she had to, she would do it again.

Her thoughts, cheerful with memories of her best friends, quickly grew confused again as she went back to the original reason she had started pacing in the first pace. She had felt Harry get extremely upset recently, and as she didn't have an owl or his phone number, she couldn't contact him to make sure that he was ok. How she felt his anger was another matter on it's own, and she did not have the time to puzzle it out. It could very well be their bond as friends, and a mixture of the Life Debt; though the tome she had read mentioned no such occurrence.

She knew that something was affecting Harry from the moment she had woken up in the Hospital Wing after the Ministry debacle. He had been sitting there for hours from the look of his clothes. His eyes had held a newfound sadness, that would have surprised anyone. On top of that, he had never looked her in the eye, and he had spoken in a resolved tone. it was almost as if he'd been recovering from the battle from himself.

"But that couldn't be right. From what I've heard and saw, he was the only student to not get hurt in the battle, even though he chased Bellatrix on his own. He's hiding something about that as well, he has to be. He never was good at lying to me."

Pondering about her best friends, while an interesting task, did nothing except make her worry more, especially as she wasn't there to help and guide them. They were like little kids at times. Being the only truly responsible one from the group, she realized that it was often up to her to make sure that they made it through their school year. Even more, as the only girl in their Golden Trio, there were those on the fringes, mainly her dorm mates, that thought it was only a matter of time before she started to date one of them.

"That would be weird, wouldn't it?" Hermione pondered to herself, quickly shaking her head at the very notion of it. Being who she was, she had clearly thought of every possibility that could abound from being best friends with two boys. In her opinion, they couldn't be more different from one another, which made their friendship strong and powerful.

Ron, with his small emotional range, was easily dangerous as he either blew up at everything, or took everything to heart, which usually resulted in him blowing up. Because the red-haired boy got embarrassed easily, he was often the target of Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin through and through. His jealousy issues even jeopardized his relationships with her and Harry, though they always managed to fix it. In all, he was the easier friend to watch out for as he had readily available signs for when he was about to explode.

"If the foolish boy would only grow up he could make something of himself. Honestly!" Hermione, just thinking about the tall red-haired, wanted to pull her hair out.

From her conversations with other girls, that was supposed to be a sign that she liked a boy, or that he liked her. And yet, she knew, deep down, that there would never be more than friendship between her and Ron. That ship had sailed over a year ago when she had entertained the idea of possibly having a mutual crush on him. Yes, he had his moments where she loved him dearly, but she had quickly realized that her friendship with him was more brotherly than anything else. Which was often met with disbelief when someone asked about them. He had potential, certainly, but that potential was for another girl.

Her other best friend, Harry Potter, was a different story altogether. His emotions were slightly more dangerous. He didn't realize it, but he had always been far more powerful than his friends, and his emotions directly affected the type of magic that he put out. And, from what she had seen over the years, he hadn't truly gotten it under control. He tended to hide a lot of things when something was affecting him, not truly trusting anyone with his demons. His demons, too, were more dangerous than usual, because they often tried to kill him. He didn't get embarrassed as Ron did, but he often tried to downplay his success. His humility was truly one of his best qualities, and he was humble about that too. Which was why it hurt her so deeply when she knew he was lying or avoiding a topic completely.

She had a slight idea of what type of background he had had, just by watching his interactions with other people, but not knowing the entire story infuriated her. She hated the muggles just based on whatever it was that they sucked out of Harry. He smiled, he was happy at times, but there was always that shadow across his face as if he were remembering something truly harsh. It was almost as if he had suffered a lifetime of pain. Then he entered the Wizarding World, where he had always been a celebrity. To his credit, he didn't use his fame in an obnoxious way.

"Thank Merlin! I'm not sure I could handle an egotistical Harry." Hermione thought with a chuckle as she reflected. She, honestly, could not picture a Malfoy-like Harry Potter strutting throughout the halls of Hogwarts. If anything, Harry tried to stay under the radar. He consistently performed at or under what was expected of him in class, but his actions outside of class showed that he had a great grasp on magic, and that he made it look easy. He has a connection with magic that she envied, if she was being honest with herself. She may know the technical bit about a spell, but Harry knew the spell. He was instinctive in his use of magic, and his strong emotions only served to fuel him further.

Which of course, only made her furious at him for not trying; especially when she knew he had the potential. She couldn't place all of the blame on him though, how he was raised had as much to do with who he was today than anything else.

"Just how bad are those Muggles?" This was a question that had popped into her head many times, and she could never get an answer. Of course, she didn't ask Harry directly, but she would've liked a clue, or two.

Ron, easy. Harry, not so much. Plenty of the girls in the school had a crush on him, but from knowing Harry, she didn't think any was his type. After all, as a guy, he was oblivious to any and all attention from a girl. He hadn't even noticed Ginny after all of these years, and she was said to be one of the best girls in the school.

"Then again, if the threat of death looms over my head nearly every day, I'd be oblivious to girls too." She thought, again saddened by the life her best friend had to live. He deserved better.

"No matter Harry, I'll make sure I'm there until the end. I promise." She spoke outloud for the first time in hours. Unbeknownst to her, a shooting star flashed high above her house, cementing her promise.

Remus Lupin sat in the kitchen of his shabby house, idly stirring his tea, that had long since cooled. His body was there, but his mind was elsewhere. Apart from his usual shabby attire, the room that he sat in had the bare necessities for a kitchen. That is, he had a table with two chairs, a range that had long since collected dust, a cooling box that had long since been empty. Sirius had been kind enough to grant him this place free of charge years ago, and as the years had waned, so had the amount of time he put into the home.

When James and Lily had died, he had almost given up living, especially since Sirius had been quickly sent to Azkaban. He had never learned what happened to young Harry at the time, only hearing from Dumbledore that he was safe. The Ministry, of course, wouldn't allow a werewolf to raise their savior. He had kept watch of course, after pleading with Dumbledore. Harry had never known, but there were nights where he, Remus, had watched from a distance, seeing his bestfriend in the boy every single day.

He yawned involuntarily.

He wasn't just tired, he was exhausted. His body looked it, and his eyes told that he had had trouble sleeping for the past few days; weeks if anyone knew the truth. He'd failed again.

Not only could he not save the life of his best friend, he had let his other best friend's son get into harm's way again. James and Lily would never forgive him. He wouldn't forgive himself. The Marauders were dead, and he was alone.

A flash of fire near the range had him reaching for his wand, only to toss it on the table as he saw Albus Dumbledore and his trusty Phoenix, Fawkes.

"I'd ask how you are, but I do not believe my eyes deceive me." Albus said looking over his half-moon glasses. He surveyed the tattered furniture, the closed drapery, and the downtrodden appearance of the house, not out of disgust, but out of concern for his long time friend and one of his favorite students.

"I'm ok Albus. Or rather, I will be." Remus responded, not looking up from the tea that he was stirring.

"Harry will need his Godfather more than ever now. I know that Sirius would have had the bond setup as such that it would pass to you upon his death." Albus continued after a moment of silence.

"Yeah, I can feel Harry. It's a bit weird to be honest. I'm not sure how Sirius handled it. The boy feels so many things that it's hard to keep track of them." Remus said with a slight smirk. "James was the same way."

The two wizards sat in further silence, reminiscing on a bygone past. Fawkes was quietly preening himself on Dumbledore's shoulder, an act that belied the intelligence and power of the creature.

"I only came to check on you. Not as your past Headmaster, but as a friend. You have suffered most severely in these wars, similar to Harry." Dumbledore spoke quietly.

"I can't be a father to him Albus!" Remus snarled in response, immediately ashamed that he had yelled at the aged wizard. He opened his mouth to apologize but was cut off by the man across from him.

"Harry, at this stage, doesn't need a father. He needs a mentor, a friend, and someone to support him vigorously. He has Ron and he has Hermione, certainly, but some of the issues that he will face will be beyond them. I'm afraid that there will be times that he will not trust himself to trust them enough. And in some cases, they won't know how to help him anyway. He'll need you." Dumbledore spoke. It was clear to Remus that the old man had been thinking deeply about this.

"What about you? I'm not Merlin, I can't raise an Arthur!" Remus spoke, still heated. He sobered up quickly as Fawkes trilled a soft note.

"No, we cannot be Merlin. But we can be there for the young man that holds a special place in all of our hearts. We can be there for the young man that has possibly saved all of our lives at one point or another. Harry is going to be reaching his magical maturity soon, and you know what type of experiences that provided for yourself, James and Sirius. As powerful wizards, it was painful, was it not?" Dumbledore asked, seeing Remus sink into himself. "Harry is even more powerful. You've seen the results of his MAXIM test. It was everything that I could do to hide them from the Ministry."

"They're usually on file right? Almost to the point of public access?" Remus asked. Still thinking of the incapacitating pain of his magical maturation. It was not an easy process. He would, if being honest, place the pain right up there with his very first transformation after he was bitten as a boy.

"Can you be there for him Remus? I fear that you will be far more readily available to him than I would. The Ministry, Hogwarts, and my other duties are pulling me in many directions at once. This war will be far more vicious than the last, and I fear that no one is truly prepared for the horrors. We've become too complacent."

"I'll be there Albus. I can't let Harry down again." Remus spoke, looking his old professor in the eye.

"That is all that I ask. Our work will not be in vain. I believe in young Harry Potter." Dumbledore spoke, finally standing and coming over to pat Remus on the shoulder. "I miss Sirius as well. He was a good man, and an even better friend."

"That he was. I can't believe he is gone." Remus spoke, fighting back the tears he hadn't even realized were building up.

"Mourn for him if you must, but do not forget to celebrate the life that he led. His rebellious nature, his compassion, his trustworthiness, and his love for those dear to him. He left this world in one of the only ways acceptable to him; fighting alongside comrades and protecting his Godson. That is an amazing death." Dumbledore spoke. Without a sound between the two of them, Fawkes fluttered over, landed on Dumbledore's shoulder and vanished in a flash of fire.

"Thank you Albus." Remus spoke again, a crack in his voice as his emotions finally overwhelmed him. he didn't care, he would mourn his friend, and celebrate the life that he was able to live, despite it not being the best. He let the tears fall freely now, as he knew that he would soon have to help Harry through this same rut. Remus knew, deep down, that it would only get more difficult before it got any easier. The man sat in his chair, silently shaking as his memories sent on a trip in which he relived all of his fondest moments with his two bestfriends, who were more like brothers. He sat there wrecked with grief, sadness, and happiness all at once with the room as silent as a grave.

Upon leaving an emotional Remus, Dumbledore made his way to the Burrow where the Weasley clan was gathered, minus Percy of course. The young man had still failed to make amends with his family over the nasty dispute, and while it hurt his parents a great deal, it hurt his siblings more, as they truly valued the depth of their family bond. Ginny in particular needed the guidance of her older brother, as she had always looked up him in her younger days. Even he himself had been unsuccessful in getting the young man to talk to his family. With an internal sigh, Dumbledore knocked on the front door of the Burrow, inciting a flurry of movement from within as wands were hastily drawn and frantic whispers were heard. One could never be too careful, despite the numerous wards that would alert them of any enemies, the family was a marked one for being close to himself and to Harry Potter; they were taking no chances.

"Who is it?" A woman asked, Molly, Dumbledore knew instantly.

"It is I, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore." Albus replied with a smile. He could feel her relax on the other side of the door, but hoped that she followed through with protocol.

"Prove it!" She spoke again after some length.

"I performed the wedding for yourself and Arthur, as well as blessed all of your children." Dumbledore spoke again, smiling at the memories.

"Everyone knows that. You get one more chance mister and then I won't hold back." Molly spoke again.

"What everyone does not know was the copious amounts of Firewhiskey that you consumed before your wedding and that I had to magically cure you so that you could walk the aisle. They also don't know that the headache that you had afterwards caused you to -" Dumbledore spoke at length, while Molly decided to cut him off by opening the door.

"You promised to keep that a secret Albus!" Molly said frantically, while the Headmaster could see over her head and the interest that her children were showing after hearing so much of the story already. The fact that she cut Dumbledore off, let the group know that this was a serious matter for their mother, one that they would have to find out someway, somehow.

"Alas, in my advanced age, you must forgive me. Why I started the story and could not help but continue to give it it's full justice." Dumbledore spoke, while winking at Ron, Ginny and the twins who had put the wands back into their various hiding places. A great laugh was shared, clearing up the last dregs of the tense atmosphere. Ginny was the next to speak out as she caught sight of the beautiful bird riding atop Dumbledore's shoulders.

"Oh my Merlin, Fawkes, you get more and more beautiful every time I see you." She gushed, causing the powerful creature to flash-fire from Dumbledore to the table in front of Ginny, allowing the girl to pet and coo all over. The boys rolled their eyes, while making gagging sounds behind their sister's back, though they stopped immediately stopped once she sent a glare at them. Sobered immediately, the boys beat a hasty retreat as they knew the full scope of their sister's anger.

Making idle talk, Dumbledore stuck around until it was he and Molly standing alone. There, he got into the actual reason for his visit, to check up on his favorite family. Not only were the Weasley's extremely loyal and supportive of him, but they embodied what Pureblood families should really be. They were humble, quiet, strong and reserved. Sure, the famous Weasley temper had a fierce reputation, but they typically displayed it only when necessary. They weren't power hungry or negatively influential such as the Malfoys, but they gave their all. That was why, he'd found a way to fund the tuition for all of their children. He would've paid for it himself, but those types of things were usually frowned upon. Molly would never know it, but Arthur had been "persuaded" by Dumbledore to take back the payments that they had been making on tuition. Persuaded, as in Dumbledore hadn't presented any alternatives for Arthur to seek.

"How are they doing Molly?" Albus asked finally, both knew who he spoke of. Molly gave a great sigh and began to busy herself around the house; adjusting things that did not need adjustment, cleaning those that already sparkled.

"They won't talk to me Albus, about any of it. I can see some of the pain that they went through, I can see how they jump at the sound of someone apparating. When you knocked on the door, they had their wands out faster than even I did! even Fred and George don't joke about Ron and Ginny as much as they used to, and no one is safe with them." Molly said, her voice rising an octave as her emotions got the better of her.

"Lemon Drop?" Albus asked, pulling a bag of his favorite treat from within his robes. He smiled softly when she took one. "They are young, but they are some of the bravest students that I have ever encountered. They will prevail over this, there is no doubt in my mind about that."

"They shouldn't have to be brave Albus!" Molly spoke. Dumbledore could tell that the Lemon Drop was starting to affect her. All of his Lemon Drop had a very subtle mixture of a Calming Drought mixed within, not that he would admit that to anyone.

"Would you rather them be weak and afraid for the war that is to come? Would you rather them be terrified to defend themselves? If worst comes to worst, would you want them to go down without a fight?" Dumbledore started, drawing his aura around him to make his presence felt. He was ashamed of it, certainly, but it was one of the lesser crimes that he had committed against those that he cared about. He let his magical presence recede to a small trickle, ever so pleased that he had learned to mask his true magical signature.

"But Albus I can't let them be hurt!" Molly spoke. This time, it was Dumbledore that sighed.

"Molly, I had a son once. A powerful, intelligent son, and I loved him fiercely. So fiercely in fact, that I made the error of protecting him too much, and not allowing him to learn how to protect himself. Want to know what happened?" Dumbledore asked, but continued without waiting for a response. "He died. He was murdered by a group of evil wizards for no other reason than that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wasn't there to protect him Molly, and he did not know how to protect himself!" Dumbledore spoke, the twinkle in his turning into a furious spark.

"I never knew." Molly breathed out. Dumbledore, being his age, had never let on about his life before he was as the public knew him. "I'm so sorry Albus."

"It was a very long time ago. Your children have already decided to fight against the darkness that threatens to swallow the world. That means that they are targets, whether we like it or not. Are you going to let them be target practice?" Dumbledore asked, and upon seeing Molly shake her head for a negative, gave her a brief smile.

"What are you suggesting, that we make them into some sort of army?" Molly asked, the very notion of it difficult for her to bear.

"No, not exactly. They were a part of the group that Harry created last year in response to the Ministry, they have already declared themselves, as friends first, to protect one another. Harry, whether he likes it or not, is likely going to be the general at the head of this army. They, then, are likely to be his lieutenants. They are loyal to him, even in their differences, and even when they butt heads. He, too, is loyal to them, in a fierce manner. I don't want to make them into an army, but there is not a doubt in my mind that they need to be prepared for the roles that they themselves have chosen." Dumbledore spoke.

"Are you going to train them?" Molly asked.

"Yes, but not all the time. We have various members of the Order that will circulate through and teach them as many skills as they possibly can for the duration of the summer. I have, in anticipation of this conversation, received Arthur's signature to waive the Underage Restriction for the summer." Dumbledore replied, hoping that he did not get Arthur in trouble when he got off of work.

"Are you going to tell them or should I?" She, in all honesty, was unsure of how they would respond.

"I think, for this time, that a surprise would be better for them. I'll have the first trainer here bright and early in the morning." Dumbledore responded, while pulling out his weird pocket watch and taking a quick glance at it. "Molly, forgive me, I must be going. Have a pleasant afternoon, and tell Arthur that I will connect with him soon."

"Be safe Albus." Molly spoke, her voice pleading. In response, Dumbledore simply smiled in her direction and exited through the kitchen door.

Still in the kitchen, Molly had not her children make it fully up the stairs. Hidden on the first landing, they had heard everything discussed between Dumbledore and their mother, and most of what they had learned still left them in shock. After some very handy wand work from George, they were able to freeze the squeaky steps and return to Ron's small bedroom.

"It sounds like it's getting pretty bad out there?" Ginny spoke up first, taking a seat on Ron's bed after shoving a pile of laundry to the floor. At Ron's indignant look, Ginny merely stuck her tongue out at her older brother.

"Well, one good thing came from this my dear brother." Fred spoke aloud. Ron and Ginny shared confused looks while George merely grinned from his spot near the door. Neither of them spoke again until Ron could not stand the silence any longer.

"Will you just say it already?!" Ron spoke at nearly a yell.

"Dumbledore, in all of his infinite wisdom, just convinced mother to allow us a bit more freedom." George replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. It took a moment, but Ron's eyes finally lit up with sudden ideas. Ginny, on the other hand, was quietly stifling her giggles at her brother's actions.

A few more words were exchanged between siblings before Ron was left to his own devices in his room. His smile faded, and his expression turned thoughtful, which was not the typical facial expression that he made. Yes, his mother had been kindly berated by Dumbledore about her handling of them, and how it could negatively affect them, but the part of the conversation that stood out most to him had been about his best friend.

"My bestfriend is going to have to fight, whether he likes it or not? What is that supposed to mean? Harry has already been through so much!"

The Weasleys were poor, and in some cases that was an understatement. His mother would say that they were rich in spirit, and that being so rich in spirit meant more than any number of Galleons and Sickles. To Ron, that sounded like an excuse. Everywhere he looked, everyone else was well off, with seemingly wasteful intentions with their money. It wasn't that he wanted his family to be rich, but that he had never owned anything for himself. Everything for him had come from one of his brothers and had been altered by his mom at any available opportunity. Even his shoes were once Fred's. Some of his clothes, while new, were still hand me downs. He was frustrated with it, and sometimes he showed that in his actions and his attitudes.

He and his family prided themselves on not being like the rest of the Purebloods that they knew of. He felt they were compassionate, spirited people. He just wished that they could do more, and buy more. Even Harry, who didn't know of his Wizarding heritage until he was 11, had more money than his family did. It made no sense to him! He loved his bestfriend, but hated the popularity that he received, the attention, and the idolization. Deep down, Ron was sure that Harry hated it, but on the other hand, Ron could only see that everything seemed to happen to Harry. He, Ronald Weasley, wanted some of the fame and attention as well. And then another subject was Hermione!

"That girl is bloody mental!' Ron thought with more truth than mirth. His father had once told him that he needed to marry a strong woman that was outspoken but was sensible enough to listen to the man when necessary. From what Ron could see of his parent's marriage, his mother was in charge of the relationship. On the other hand though, he had noticed when his mother deferred to his father on matter of importance. He didn't know if he found Hermione attractive, but her only friends were himself and Harry, so it was likely that she would choose between them. He did not think that she wanted to date the emotional being that was Harry, so that left him.

Sure, they argued a lot, but he reasoned that people only argued when they were truly attracted to one another. Using so many emotions with one person would indicate that there were more emotions likely stored within the person. If he could make her like him, he'd be headed in the right place. He wasn't worried, as he'd heard from his brothers about women that played hard to get, but really wanted the man to work hard for them. He did, though, notice others girls around the school that may have been eying him in the hallways. If Hermione didn't work out, he could always make sure that he had other options and did not have to rely on her.

With his thoughts and confusion settled, Ron settled down to play himself on his chessboard. He never thought to pay attention to the nudging in the back of his head, which would signified the emergence of his conscious.