A/N Sorry that I didn't answer many reviews. They didn't come through until Sunday, and I was not able to access a computer this past weekend. Many of you have great questions, but they are answered in later chapters, so I'm not going to answer anyway :) Like I've said - it's complete. 5 chapters after this one. And I hope to put out one a day or so - depending on how busy I am.

~~ Chapter 2 ~~

Hermione put her trunk in a rack in an empty carriage and put Crooks's carrier on the seat. Ron joined her, but Ginny went to sit with friends her own age. She'd not been as friendly with Hermione since Harry'd been attacked, and Hermione had a sneaking suspicion as to why.

Ronald's sister didn't need inside information on Harry anymore since she'd never date a squib. Hermione imagined this was a big part of the reason Molly Weasley was so resentful of Harry's status: she'd planned on her daughter marrying the boy hero, and his squibbing had smashed that dream. Smirking, Hermione mentally shrugged. Totally Ginny's loss; Harry was now a really, really good kisser.

Then she frowned. She'd not be getting any kisses until Yule, and that was a seriously disappointing situation. She was glad she'd be able to talk to him, but she liked flirting with him while they studied.

Who would have thought Hermione Granger liked to flirt?

Well, his absence would make studying easier, but she really would miss just being with him, holding his hand, wrapping her legs around his. Studying was going to be boring.

She sighed.

"Wot?" Ron demanded. "What'd I do wrong now?"

Hermione shook her head. "Sorry? My mind was totally elsewhere." His eyes narrowed at her. He was going to question her more thoroughly when the door opened again.

"Mind if I join you?" Neville popped his head in.

Hermione smiled, "Plenty of room, Neville." He smiled back and hoisted his trunk to the shelf, then he looked at Hermione.

"Harry?" he asked.

She smiled. "He's actually doing really well. He was tired a lot at first, but he's come back and is healthier than ever, thanks to Sirius Black."

Ron rolled his eyes but stayed silent. He had time to fix Hermione's attitude about the ungrateful squib.

"How was your summer, mate?" he asked the weak wizard in front of him.

His mum was right: they really needed to watch the standards at Hogwarts.

~~ this is a scene change ~~

As the train began its journey to northern Scotland, Hermione and Ron donned their new prefect badges and went to the prefect meeting. Hermione was subdued, thinking on what Harry'd said about the privilege she'd been given. Was it just a chore? Knowing Ronald, she'd be doing almost twice the work all year long. She'd have to do something about that early on to nip it in the bud. The Slytherin fifth year prefects both wore black armbands… that was a Victorian sign of mourning, she knew. And since the magical world was easily a century behind in fashion…

The Parkinson that was killed must have somehow been related to Pansy, she concluded. And though she loathed both Malfoy and Parkinson, she still felt empathy for their loss. The rest of the compartment had mostly emptied as she ruminated on her thoughts; Ronald hadn't even waited for her. She was alone with Pansy and Draco.

And she was the better person.

"Mr. Malfoy, Miss Parkinson," she began formally, and they sneered at her. "Please allow me to express condolences to you for your loss."

"Mudblood, you probably danced for joy when you heard what'd been done for my father. Or were you too busy crying over your squib, Potter?" Draco sniped. But the words had a sadness behind them; a loss that was profound.

Hermione ignored his jab. "We're not friends, you and I; we've no respect for each other. But I am sorry. No one should lose a parent like that. No one." She spoke quietly. Pansy glared still but Draco lost his sneer and stared stonily at her. Hermione nodded briefly and left. As she made her way back to the compartment she and Ron were sharing with Neville, she greeted a few students. Few of them greeted her back in a friendly manner.

Taking a deep breath, she resolved to make this year better. Seeing Lavender and Parvati in a compartment, she decided to make a fresh start. She knocked and saw Lavender roll her eyes.

"Hey!" Hermione said, trying for natural. It sounded forced but the two other girls already looked a little confused. "Just wanted to say hi and ask how your summer was."

Parvati looked at Lavender and nodded briefly. "Then come in."

Hermione smiled and walked in. Before she left, they were laughing naturally with her and Lavender had offered to let her know where Hermione could get a brush that would work with the natural coarseness of her hair while Parvati offered to get her an old book on personal charms so Hermione could read about them. In exchange, Hermione talked about muggle fashion and offered to get them some muggle fashion magazines and samplers of muggle makeup and perfume.

It was a start.

She made it through the sorting, helped the new first years find the common room, and eventually made her way to bed. When she was behind her silenced curtains, she called Harry on the mirror,

"It's weird here without you," she sighed, sitting cross legged on the bed.

"It's lonely here without you," he admitted and smiled sadly.

Her heart melted a little as he said that.

"So, who's braving the defense curse this year?" he asked, just wanting to hear her talk normally.

"Believe it or not, the headmaster couldn't get anyone to fill the slot. Apparently the 'curse' on the position has been worse than ever the last few years," she dished.

Harry smirked. "You mean that possession and being held captive weren't the norm before we came to Hogwarts?"

"I guess we just raised the bar. Or lowered it?" Hermione bit her lip, considering. "Anyway, the ministry had been going to send that woman Umbridge to teach us."

"The one who got kissed for setting dementors on me." Harry didn't even question it. "I'm not surprised. If it made no sense and endangered children, Fudge would probably do it. See exhibit A: releasing dementors at Hogwarts."

Hermione huffed. "Well, after she had her up-close-and-personal with a soul-sucking-demon, and Fudge got tossed into Azkaban, they forgot they were supposed to provide the instructor. Everyone forgot. Minister Bones has apparently assigned a rotating set of aurors. The class will be taught by anyone on desk duty or who volunteers. She's going to have the education department write the curriculum for all seven years so anyone can come through and teach it. This way, we won't have to contend with the curse anymore."

"Interesting. Where'd you hear all this?"

Hermione laughed. "Lavender knew. She knows all sorts of stuff. Speaking of, I kind of promised some muggle beauty stuff to trade with her and Parvati."

Harry sighed. "And you want me to pick it up."

Hermione's smile was beatific. "You're such a smart boyfriend. Ask Sirius get a package-carrier for Hedwig. Then you can send me stuff. I'll send you stuff back: maybe even treacle tart from the kitchens?" She said enticingly.

"Mmm. That's a deal. It'll give Hedwig some work, too."

They chatted a bit longer until he could see that she was tired.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow night, love." He called me 'love,' she thought mushily.

"Goodnight, Harry"

"Goodnight"

~~ this is a scene change ~~

Sirius kept up on his promise to exercise with Harry. They both needed to work on their physical health. Nutritional potions were a fixture for them both, and Sirius had hired a private, muggleborn healer to work on both of their back catalogue of injuries and weaknesses. Just a few weeks later, the results were starting to show. The kid didn't sleep all the time and kept up with their jogs, easily, even pushing Sirius.

They were about a mile out from Grimmauld Place when Sirius noted Harry's health progress. "You seem to be doing well, kid. But how are you feeling, really?"

"Honestly, I feel better than I ever remember feeling. Aside from having food when I'm hungry, I don't get headaches anymore. I didn't even realize how often I got them. I think maybe I'm allergic to brewing, since I always got them after potions. Or maybe it's just the new glasses," he huffed. Talking that much while jogging was hard.

Sirius, meanwhile, kept a growl to himself. "I doubt it's potions. Did you get the headaches after looking at Snivelly?" Sirius asked. Harry nodded in response. "Well, that douchebag is pretty good at something called legilimency: it's the art of reading someone's thoughts. He can do it by looking into your eyes." He caught his while Harry processed the idea. "He didn't try it more than once on James, because the Potter heir ring zapped him a good one. My family taught me occlumency, so he knew better than to try on me."

"I've never heard of that magic – sounds like that bird from one of the creature books I read."

"That's an occamy. No, occlumency is protective mind magic. Most people don't learn that, though, or have family rings. That's why Dumbledore always has Snivelly on hand – to read the thoughts of the people around him and confirm Dumbledore's own readings."

Harry shook his head, "That ought to be illegal."

Sirius huffed a laugh, "It is! But how do you prove it? No, best to develop a defense. I still can't believe Snape does it to kids, though. What a dickish maneuver."

"Well, he is a class A wanker – it's practically the only class he has," Harry replied with such matter-of-factness, Sirius couldn't even correct his vulgarity. And, after all, Sirius had been vulgar first.

Sirius agreed with a grunt. He hated having to hang out with Snivelly, but the potions master was part of the Order, and Sirius needed information from that group to keep Harry safe. So, he kept up with the order, attending meetings at the Hog's Head tavern in Hogsmeade. The first meeting was quite tense, as many of the order thought it was their due to live in his house and partake of his riches. Dumbledore all but ordered him to turn over the books Snape had "borrowed" from the Black library.

He was beginning to see why his family hated light wizards so much.

But a few in the order remained friendly. Moody was one. And the news he'd given Sirius the evening before was too good to keep secret.

"Speaking of the order, I do have some news," he said as they went on their jog.

They wore glamour rings that Sirius made. It wasn't a huge change to their features but was enough that he wouldn't be connected with the no-longer-wanted (but still a notorious curiosity. Wrongly convicted? Exonerated? But still an escapee?) Sirius Black. And, of course, it wouldn't do if Harry were recognized by a magical in the street.

"Well, are you too out of breath to tell me this news?" Harry ribbed, keeping up with his godfather's longer legs easily. He was really feeling quite spry these days, and running was something he'd been good at for years.

"Moody talked to me after the meeting last night. They got Peter."

Harry almost stumbled. He figured Sirius told him out here because he would already be burning off energy. They were two miles from home and still heading out – they planned a full fiver today.

"How'd they catch him?" Harry asked.

"Minister Bones is a lot smarter and more paranoid than Fudge, and she believed all of your testimony. She put up something called a captis-animagus ward around her home and her office in the ministry and caught him," Sirius panted as they turned east.

"Oh, that's grand. Since he's 'dead,' he has no rights. They can question him 'til Tom kills him with the mark." Harry had been reading up on the laws of the land – both sides. He'd been studying his arse off since he had landed in Grimmauld and Hermione was just pleased as punch with his new intellectual attitude.

He didn't think Ron would like it, if he ever spoke to Ron again. He had sent letters to a few of the folks at Hogwarts – only Neville and Hermione had written back. Hermione's letters, of course, were treasured even if he talked to her daily. But Neville's were just as treasured. He'd made a true mate who didn't care if he was still magical or not.

And Hedwig liked having regular excuses to fly to Scotland.

Sirius continued over Harry's musings. "You'd think. But apparently, that new, silver arm of his saw his testimony as betrayal of the Dark Ballsack. She got confirmation from him that Moldytwat got resurrected, but before she could confirm anything about the current operations, the arm killed him. Still, she questioned him in front of the Wizengamot in a secret, emergency session. Everybody heard it. There's no hiding that Volditwat's back. Using the uproar, outrage, and the ministerial decree method that Fudge was so fond of abusing, she ordered all convicted death eaters in Azkaban be given the kiss so that Voldie can't free them."

"Are you joking? That's amazing! How did she get that past Dumbledore?"

Sirius shrugged and took a few moments to get his breath back. "He's not been reinstated as chief warlock." Though Harry was curious, he let Sirius explain at his own pace. "The people in the moderate and light factions who believed Voldemort is back sided with the dark in keeping Ogden in the seat, but for a different reason," he huffed. "They want Dumbledore at Hogwarts full-time, protecting the kids," he shrugged and took some more time before continuing. "Anyway, the ones they kissed were death eaters who had fair trials and were unrepentant. They were asked, under truth serum, if they would rejoin Voldemort given a chance. They all answered yes. In a way, I think it's a better treatment for them as I think dementors are torture. They were, to a man, batshit crazy from dementor exposure."

Harry puffed, "You'd know."

Sirius nodded.

They finished their run in relative quiet, both contemplating the future. What would Riddle do when he found out his most faithful were forever out of reach?

Time would tell.

~~ this is a scene change ~~

"Mr. Black. Please, come in."

The education specialist – Oluakemi Ali – welcomed S. Black to her office. She was beautiful, with wide brown eyes and ebony skin. Her handshake was firm and her eyes assessed him with intelligence and compassion. "I must offer condolences on your legal troubles," Her slightly-accented voice was strong but held sympathy. "To be wrongly held for a dozen years… absolutely horrifying." She gestured to the chair across from her desk and he sat after she did.

Sirius smiled abashedly. "Thank you, Dr. Ali. It was such a crazy time. James, my best friend, had crossed the wrong terrorist. You remember the terrorist attacks in the late seventies?"

She nodded even as her jaw firmed. "My family had moved to Britain in the sixties and we watched the attacks, wondering how we had left one brutal country to find ourselves in another. My brother was killed in one of those attacks."

Sirius shook his head and closed his eyes. "I am so sorry. We all lost people. James was my best friend from our first day at boarding school. He was a brother. We were both part of her majesty's forces. He fought in the open; I was under cover, trying to infiltrate. When he was killed – obviously betrayed by someone - they believed I had turned. I wasn't even properly tried. Treason clauses."

Dr. Ali sighed. "We always see the true mettle of people when they are under the most adverse conditions. We must put aside these old wounds now. You have a ward that needs attention?"

Sirius nodded, "James's boy, Harry. James and Lily were killed and with me being sent up, only Lily's sister was available to raise Harry. But she'd hated Lils. Harry was not treated well and ended up attending a very deficient secondary. I've pulled him out to homeschool."

Dr. Ali's brow furrowed. "You've pulled him from Hogwarts for a normal education?"

Sirius's wand was in his hand in a fraction of a second, and the dangerous auror replaced the charming elite man in the blink of an eye.

"Who are you?" he demanded in a harsh and quiet voice.

Dr. Ali's eyes widened and she put her hands up in the universal surrender motion. "I… I'm just an education specialist."

"How do you know about Hogwarts? Harry's papers say Highland Academy for the Gifted."

"Mr. Black," her voice remained calm in the face of the terrifying cold wizard, "you were referred to me from Drs. Granger. Their daughter is a witch, as my brother was a wizard. We're all in a – what you call muggleborn – network? I assure you; I am no witch. My brother attended Hogwarts. He was four years behind you and in some… Pufflestuff?"

Sirius lips twitched, and he lowered his wand, slightly. "Hufflepuff. Sorry. It's war out there. Literally."

Dr. Ali put her hands flat on her desk in an obvious calming gesture. "I understand. We've had at least five other muggleborn pulled from the magical schools at this point. The Grangers have kept their daughter current with her education, but she refuses to give up on the magical program at this point."

"Harry doesn't have a choice. He was attacked and lost his magic."

Her breath came in through her nose and she nodded. "Harry Potter. I've done some research. He's your ward."

Sirius nodded brusquely. "And Hermione's best friend and boyfriend. Even if she left the magical world, they'd track her down. She has some protection in that castle; it's why she went back."

"And Mr. Potter? Does he have any normal background to speak of?"

"What I said was the truth. He was with Lily's sister, Petunia, who is normal." When in Rome, Sirius thought. "He went to primary, though he did not do very well. Petunia absolutely despised Lily. She took that hatred and anger out on Harry. He wasn't allowed to excel in school. On the other hand, the last few summers, he's been required to tutor his normal cousin to help that admittedly dim child keep up with his own boarding school: Smeltings."

Dr. Ali turned to her computer, touched some keys, then, viewing the results, scrunched her nose. "Smeltings is not known for its academic standards."

"And yet…" Sirius smiled weakly. "In the end, Harry is, according to Hermione, at level. I'd like to find out what I need to do to get him registered for GSCE's."

Dr. Ali smiled. "GCSE's," she corrected. "You've done very well adapting, though. Most of your kind can't. You haven't even flinched when I referred to our side as normal. I didn't want to work with you; I'll admit that. My brother was magical and he was killed for it. My parents never got over that. But you didn't kill him. You fought – fight – against those who did?"

Sirius gave a perfunctory nod.

"I will help." She handed him a paper. "I have here a list of documents that we need to procure to establish Mr. Potter's identity in the muggle world – and resources you can contact to get what's missing." Sirius looked down at the list, contemplating the idea that he'd be forced to… interact with Petunia, as she should have the documents needed from when Harry was registered for primary. "I'll set him tentatively for the exams in March, if you think he'll be ready."

Sirius nodded. "Hermione seemed to think he would be."

"Miss Granger is quite talented and not prone to exaggeration. I also believe he will be ready." They firmed up what details they could and Sirius gave her his mobile number. He really liked the idea of mobile and thought maybe he'd look into fixing them up to work better around magic.

~~ this is a scene change ~~

Sirius had his most… serious muggle outfit on. A suit, not too posh but clearly representing a man of means. He knocked on the door of number 4, Privet Drive.

The gaunt woman answered his knock.

"Yes? How can I …. You!" Petunia recognized Sirius from the wedding she'd attended. Though she'd never have admitted it, she'd thought him handsome and devilish. He'd made an impression. When he'd been listed as a prison escapee, she remembered him again: the bad boy. And when he'd been cleared of all charges and awarded compensation for false arrest, she'd thought they'd surely misjudged. He was clearly, clearly a bad man.

"Please. I'm only here to talk."

His face wasn't smiling. His eyes were, in fact, grim and full of some sort of anger. She knew that anger. She felt it every day.

And she remembered that he'd lost Harry. So, she bent just a bit.

"All right, then. Come in. But none of your funny stuff."

She led him to a parlor that was spotlessly clean and bereft of any charm or life. There were pictures of some quite-rotund child adorning the walls, and a few albums out. She'd obviously been looking at pictures of her son.

"Your son?" he asked, confirming.

"My Dudley." Her voice wavered, her eyes filled, but her back stayed ramrod straight.

"I'll come straight to the point. Do you want justice or do you want vengeance?"

"What?" She was startled. Dudley had died of drugs, the doctors had said. At first, she had blamed that freak, thinking he provided the drugs. But cleaning Dudley's room had showed that he had the drugs. Harry had nothing – and no money to get anything. And yet, he was in the same state as her Dudley. "You know where the drugs came from? You can…"

Sirius sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "You've been lied to by omission. Harry, Dudley and his friends were not sickened by a bad batch of drugs. They were attacked by dementors. They're…" before he could finish, she interrupted.

"The demons that guard Azkaban prison," she gasped, pulling the memory from her head. That awful Snape boy had told her gleefully about the dementors of Azkaban as an example of the power of the magical world. The cruelty of the magical world.

Her Dudley had been killed by a soul-eating demon.

Her legs no longer supporting her, she sank onto the couch.

"An enemy of House Potter sent them to kill Harry."

"Your Dumbledore told me the wards here would protect him."

"From wizards, yes. They protected your home also. But dementors…"

They were silent. She wanted to rage in fury, but she simply didn't have it in her anymore. And part of her wondered – if she'd been more caring, if she'd tried harder… would the wards have been stronger? Would her Dudley be alive?

She was tired, so very, very tired. Sirius looked at her, wanting to help Lily's sister if he could. Even if she did misuse his boy, Sirius could be the better person. He didn't want vengeance anymore.

"The person who sent the dementors has been fed to one herself. Justice has been served. I know telling you about the dementors may fire the thirst for vengeance into you. I've been tempted myself – go after all the people that supported that witch. But I followed vengeance once before – I went after the person who betrayed James and Lily. That action landed me in prison and Harry with you. I ask again: are you satisfied with justice? Or do you need vengeance?"

The tears ran over, and she pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve. "Vengeance against whom? Harry? He never asked to be here. He never asked to be attacked. I've asked myself over and over again, if I'd been different, would the boys have been different? Would Dudley have lived? I can't help but think part of the blame in this is on me."

Sirius was silent, unable to deny her self-blame. He wasn't that good of a person. "Harry isn't dead, and he's woken from his coma." Her eyes flashed to his, and he could see the resentment building. "He has no magic. I'm catching him up on his regular schooling. I would like, if you can get it, any records you have for him from primary, any medical records, anything that could help establish his identity in your world."

Harry lived. Dudley was dead but Harry lived. But he wasn't a freak anymore. He was normal.

"How, how did he live?" She demanded.

Sirius inhaled sharply through his nose, sighed, and shook his head. "It's unknown, and now that he's not magical, there are few that will concern themselves with him."

"Of course, he's not worthy now that he can't wave a stick," she sneered. He raised his eyebrow, not saying anything but the look of understanding – how she'd treated Harry because he could wave a stick – made her embarrassed. She felt ashamed. "Fine, then."

She got up and went to a small fire-proof box. Opening it, she pulled out a folder and handed it to Sirius. "I kept everything, in case. His birth certificate, his records for his jabs. His report cards. He's not very bright."

"As you had him tutoring your son, I think we know he's extremely bright and hid it well."

She chuckled humorlessly. "Vernon wouldn't have been well pleased if Harry did well in school. He had no time for swots, and made sure both boys knew that."

"Harry's best friend and girlfriend, is, I'm led to believe, as swotty as Lily ever was. I suppose the lesson didn't completely sink in."

"Girlfriend? She didn't drop him when he lost his magic?" Petunia was flummoxed.

Sirius chuckled grimly. "No, she's a lot like Lily. Smart and loyal as the day is long. And a muggleborn. Her parents are dentists."

"Hmm," Petunia was caught between wanting to be proud of the boy and wanting to rail. She spent a great deal of her time these days in two emotional places at once – grief and anger, unbearable sadness and unassailable disinterest.

Through it all, she wondered if life would ever be worth living again.

"Well, you've got your papers. As for your question – justice or vengeance? – I couldn't care about either. Nothing will bring my son back. Just go away. Just go away."

Sirius nodded, took the folder, and left the house to its grief.

~~ this is a scene change ~~

It was the beginning of October. Autumn was in full force and Harry wondered if Hogsmeade had started getting cold yet. Harry had chatted with Hermione the previous evening while she sat in her silence-charmed bed. She looked good and she admitted that she'd started branching out. Apparently, there were other things to do at Hogwarts that he never knew about. She was taking yoga and dance as well as keeping up her piano lessons. She seemed busy and happy, mostly.

He missed her like a limb. But he was busy, too.

He and Sirius were going to try a swimming pool today – he was kind of looking forward to it. He'd been playing with doodling and drawing for years, but the art instruction books he picked up had given him technique and understanding, and the clay he modeled made him really appreciate sculpting. He wasn't ready to share any of his work with anyone, but he loved the creative outlet. The school work he needed for GCSE's seemed to get easier with his studying and, except for being a little lonely, his life was pretty good.

And then Dobby stopped by.

Harry was alone in his office. Dobby looked guilty. Harry just smiled at the odd elf. "Hello, Dobby. How are you? What brings you here?"

"Dobby be hearin that Great Master Harry Potter, Sir was attacked by bad dementory things. Dobby be poppin to bad old house and be popping all of Great Master Harry Potter, Sir's things into his Gringotty vault. Dobby couldn't find Great Master Harry Potter again until todays. Dobby brings things to Great Master Harry Potter?"

"Hang on, how do you have access to my vault?"

"Elvesies always have access to their masters' vaults"

"Don't I have to be a wizard to have a vault and an elf," Harry asked, confused.

Dobby shook his head harshly. "Vault is for Potter family. Squibby can have wizardy baby so vault still there. But Great Master Harry Potter is still a wizard. Dementories make magic be sleepin but now it be wakin up." Harry sat down in shock. His magic was coming back? "Dobby be seein' it; that be how Dobby be finding Great Master Harry Potter, Sir. Goblinies crystal say Great Master Harry Potter still a wizard. Dobby tells goblinies to lock down vaults until Great Master Harry Potter comes back to gobliny bank. Mean old goblinies got scary happy."

"I'm afraid to ask," Harry said faintly, "but 'scary happy'?"

Dobby nodded almost furiously, his ears bouncing with his fervor.

"If bad witches or wizards try to get Great Master Harry Potter's gold, goblinies can put them in mines and be mean for long time."

"So, I'm still a wizard then…" and he didn't quite know how that made him feel.

"Great Master Harry Potter sir still wizard and be as strong as Stupid Crabbe now. That why Dobby be finding yous now. Soon, maybe in few days, Master Harry Potter be stronger than Stupid Goyle. Dobby can feels Master Harry Potter sirs magic growing." Dobby nodded his head in certainty.

Harry felt anticipation in his gut. He had choices. He needed to plan, though, because when Dumbledore found out he still had magic, he'd be putting Harry through his paces again. And just somehow, it would leak to Voldemort. Accidentally, of course.

"Dobby, is there a way to get books and stuff without anyone knowing? I don't really want to buy stuff because someone will find out."

Dobby looked down for a minute then his eyes got impossibly wider. "Dobby come back tomorrow with what Great Master Harry Potter sir needs!"

"Don't hurt yourself, Dobby!" Harry exclaimed, knowing how Dobby got when he was on a mission. "You're one of my few friends right now."

Dobby sniffed. "Great Master Harry Potter sir call Dobby friend. Dobby bes fine, Master Harry Potter."

Dobby popped into Harry's rooms the next day. Harry had spent the afternoon the previous day cleaning them the muggle way – he had a great deal of experience cleaning in that manner. He was neat and organized. Dobby looked around and, knowing what his master liked, clicked his fingers to fix the bed and walls and furniture (things that couldn't be done the muggle way, though the furniture itself was new and nice, since Sirius had just bought it) in both the bedroom and the classroom. Then he set up the bookshelf with a house-elf charm: only he and Great Master Harry Potter would see it. He loaded it with the texts and reference books he'd found in the room of requirement and abandoned classrooms at Hogwarts. Master Harry's firebolt was stored on the side and his other treasures were all put onto the shelf, also, so that Harry could see them. Dobby provided a mokeskin pouch, explaining what it was to Harry, in case there was anything Harry wanted to carry with him with no one else knowing.

Harry was doubly surprised when Dobby popped in with a barrel of wands. "These left behind in come and go room. Master Harry Potter, Sir, find new wand that works but doesn't tattle-tale on him to bad ministry."

Harry's eyes grew wide. "Well done, Dobby!" He tested a few dozen simply by picking them up for the feel. He finally found one that felt, astonishingly, better than his trusted Holly wand. He put the Holly wand and cloak in the mokeskin bag, he used his holster for his new wand, and Dobby popped the rest of the wands back to Hogwarts.

Harry thought about telling Hermione about the fact that he was getting his magic back… and then he thought about being forced back to Hogwarts. He just couldn't face it. He thought about that mind magic stuff that Sirius mentioned. He even went so far as to have Dobby pick up a book on it. But the best estimate to making shields was months. If those gits were scanning Hermione – and he was certain they would – they would wonder why she was making those shields. They would wonder just what the secret was she wanted to hide.

Snape and Dumbledore were both nosy and always in everyone else's business.

So, he set the book aside for a Christmas present and decided to keep his secrets, for the time being.

Harry spent the next few weeks working contentedly. He was lonely, of course, but he chatted with Dobby most days and talked to Hermione every day. She was becoming seriously fed up with having to pick up Ron's slack as a prefect but she was getting along with the other students very well and mostly enjoying her term. The care packages her "parents" sent had gone a long way to helping her fit in with the other girls in her year.

Of course, it was actually Harry sending them. Hermione's mother wanted her to be social, but Estelle Granger would be more out of place trying to buy teenage-girl-accoutrements than even Harry was. He'd felt weird buying fashion magazines, friendship-bracelet kits, nail polishes, and the like, but when he explained to the motherly clerk at Marks and Spencer that his girlfriend was at a remote boarding school, she helped him pick out gifts to send because she thought it sweet. And when she reminded him to send sweets, too, he broke the dentist's daughter's rules and sent her sweets to share with her friends.

Hermione laughed when she talked to him after she got that first care package. He was seriously afraid she'd yell about tooth decay and such, but he didn't want to alienate his ally in Keeping Hermione Happy at Hogwarts. She explained that magical dental treatments killed the bacteria that caused cavies – or cavities – so it was fine.

He also came clean early on that Dobby had been able to track him down because Dobby had made Harry his master. Hermione was a bit upset at first, but Harry explained how Dobby had explained – that house elves die without the balancing bond to a human. "Honestly, it's not like I can curse him or anything. I just hang out with him, mostly. He's so happy to be around now."

Hermione smiled and nodded, deciding to trust what Dobby said. "A bit of magical help wouldn't be amiss when you venture out from under the wards. I know you wear those glamour rings, but magic could counter that pretty easily. He'd put down any death eater that would hurt you."

Harry was glad for her approval and hinted that she might want to bond Winky if the elf was amenable - for the same reasons. She had a great big target on her head, and any hidden help would be an advantage. Her hum of an answer made him think she was – at least – thinking about it. Breaking the serious notes of the conversation, he told her some anecdotes of the things he'd been cooking. By the time they ended that particular call, he almost didn't feel guilty.

He didn't tell her about his growing magic, and he knew it was wrong to keep it from her. But he didn't want to go back to Hogwarts.