Harry Potter and the Rising War

***

Chapter 4: OWL's and Transformations

Once he had got himself settled in his new room at Grimmauld place, Harry closed his eyes for a much needed sleep. But he didn't sleep for very long. Unfortunately his mind was once again assaulted with images of Cedric, Sirius, his parents, and countless other nameless people that had died unnecessarily. Within a few hours, Harry was awake again, and looking for a book to read.

'Bloody Voldemort; can't he just sleep for one night?' Harry grumbled to himself, as he picked up 'Obscure Transfigurations' and began reading it for the rest of the night. There was a section that caught his eye, which he thought could be very useful in a battle situation:

'Wand Transfiguration: This is perhaps the single most difficult transfiguration contained within this book. It takes great control over one's magic, and a very strong will, because the wand is a magical object, which holds its own limited magic within itself. Since the wand is the object most wizards use to draw their magic from their core, most people don't bother to even try this, as it can only work for such people who are able to draw on their magic without a wand. This transfiguration may be very useful in a battle situation where normal magic proves to be useless. To transfigure your wand, you merely channel a large amount of magic through the body to the arm; then you must will the change to occur. Though explained simply, it takes a great deal of magical energy and will power to perform the change, and it is not recommended to try to do it more than twice (change it and then change it back) in 24 hours. The same process is done to change the object back.'

Harry was intrigued, not only by the usefulness of this technique, but also by the process. He had had no idea that wandless magic could be done on purpose; he would have to begin reading his new history of magic book for more information.

When morning came round and Harry was sure everyone else was beginning to get up, he went downstairs and sat at the table next to Ginny, not even bothering to look at Ron and Hermione.

'Morning, Harry, sleep well?' Ginny asked him whilst reaching over for some toast.

'Morning; fine thanks, how about you?' Harry asked. He could have sworn he saw her look at Hermione before she answered.

'Well I slept the best I could, given certain circumstances,' she replied. Before anyone at the table could comment further, an owl flew through the open window and dropped four letters on the middle of the table.

'Are those your O.W.L. scores?' Mrs. Weasley asked.

'Yep, they are!' Ginny replied cheerily, obviously rubbing it in that she had nothing to worry about.

'Well, open them up then; we haven't got all day, you know!' Mrs. Weasley said. Harry grabbed for the pile to get his letter, but was too slow. Ron got to it first and handed Hermione hers, took his, and chucked Harry and Ginny their letters. Luckily for Ron, his mum had turned around to the stove again. Harry glared at Ron for a moment, and then looked down at his letter. He hadn't seen Remus come into the kitchen, so when he slapped a hand down on Harry's shoulder, Harry jumped off his chair and turned around with his wand pointed at Remus, who now had his hands raised in defense.

'Calm down, Harry! You don't need to be so jumpy here, you know,' Remus said.

'Sorry, Moony; reflexes, you know?' Harry replied with a sheepish smile.

'That's fine; just make sure that you stay that sharp when the time actually comes to use them,' Remus said with a laugh as he sat down at the table. 'Is that your O.W.L. score?' he asked.

'Yeah, I was just about to open it,' Harry replied.

'Well, what are you waiting for?' Remus said. Harry gulped and then picked the letter up and slid his finger inside the envelope to open it. There were a few pieces of parchment in it, so he took them all out and began reading the letter to himself.

Dear Mr Potter,
Enclosed within, you will find the scores to the O.W.L. (Ordinary Wizarding Levels). The marks you were given for both the practical and theoretical parts of the exams for each subject will determine if you will be able to rejoin that class for N.E.W.T. (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests). Congratulations on your score, and good luck in your future.

Mr Alan McKinnon
(Head of the Department of Wizard Examinations)

Harry put that parchment to the side, and then picked up the next one, which had the scores on it. Before he had a chance to look, however, he was interrupted by Ron shouting out, 'I've been made Quidditch captain! Woo Hoo!'

'Well, there goes that dream,' Harry thought to himself. He would have been happy for Ron, after he got over his initial jealousy, if Ron were still his friend; but now he wanted nothing more than to see Ron fail terribly. If Harry had looked up when he heard Ron shout his announcement, he would have seen Hermione hug him and then kiss him; but as things were, the less he saw of them the calmer he felt; so he began reading his results.

O.W.L. Results for Mr Harry James Potter.

History of Magic: Written - Poor. Mr Potter displayed a vague understanding of the events of historical turning points, and was unable to correctly name any historical figure. Also, he was unable to finish the exam. Mr Potter will not be accepted into the History of Magic class for his 6th year.

Herbology: Written - Acceptable. Mr Potter showed an understanding of the processes of plant cultivation, at a level which would be expected of someone his age. He was able to correctly name the majority of plants, but was unable to correctly identify their magical properties accurately enough.

Herbology: Practical - Acceptable. Mr Potter was able to handle the plants with care, and could correctly identify each one's needs. However, he found some difficulty in replanting and in collecting items off the plants. Mr. Potter will not be accepted into the Herbology class for his 6th year.

Divination: Written - Poor. Mr Potter was unable to take the subject seriously enough to answer the questions accurately.

Divination: Practical - Terrible. Mr Potter has no seer abilities, and no gift for the subject. Mr Potter will not be accepted into the Divination class for his 6th year.

Astronomy: Practical - Acceptable. Mr Potter was able to identify most of the distinguishing constellations in the night sky, but was unable to finish the exam due to an outside disturbance, which was taken into account when marking his tests. Mr Potter will not be accepted into the Astronomy class for his 6th Year.

'Well that went as I expected, although I thought I would have done a little better with Herbology,' Harry said to Remus as he finished reading the first parchment.

'What did you get so far then?' Remus asked.

'History, poor; but I had the vision then,' Harry said with a shiver down his spine. 'Herbology, average in both practical and written; and poor for written Divination and Terrible for practical; and Average in Astronomy. I haven't been accepted into any classes so far,' Harry said, a little down at the fact that he had done so badly thus far. When he had finished telling Remus his scores so far, Ron snickered at Harry's poor scores.

'Hey mum, I got Exceeds Expectations for both parts of my Herbology, and average in divination and History so far, and Hermione has Outstanding for everything!' Ron said, obviously trying to rub it in that he had done better than Harry.

'Don't let him get to you, Harry; it's the other scores that matter,' Remus said quietly.

'Yeah; thanks, Remus,' Harry said weakly, and looked at his next parchment.

Transfiguration: Written - Outstanding. Mr Potter has shown a very firm understanding of the theory for Transfiguration. He was able to answer the questions accurately and describe the transfiguration in great detail.

Transfiguration: Practical - Exceeds Expectations. Mr Potter has shown he has potential to become skilled in this subject. Whilst performing the transfigurations, he had some trouble with the harder aspects of some spells; however, he has shown he understands the process and the magic required, and that with enough effort he could do great. Mr Potter will be accepted into the Transfiguration class for his 6th year.

Charms: Written - Outstanding. Mr Potter has displayed a level of charms work that is above that of the average student; he has a particular knack for the subject. He can correctly identify the effects of charms, and the wand movements needed to perform them.

Charms: Practical - Outstanding. As stated above, Mr Potter has displayed a superior level of charms work. He has no problem in performing charms, and is able to do so quickly and accurately. Mr Potter will be accepted into the Charms class for his 6th year.

Potions: Written - Outstanding. Mr Potter showed a firm understanding for concepts of potion brewing and the properties of ingredients. He was able to correctly identify various potions only by descriptions given of what they look, smell and feel like.

Potions: Practical - Outstanding. Mr Potter is a very able potions brewer when he has confidence in what he is doing. He was able to brew the correct potion as stated to him; and while there were a few slight differences from the desired outcome, overall the potion was close enough to its desired state. Mr Potter will be accepted into the Potions class for his 6th year.

Defence Against the Dark Arts: Written - Outstanding. Mr Potter has shown that his understanding of the defence against the dark arts is far above average; he was able to answer all of the questions correctly, and could describe in full detail certain situations and how he would react to them. He was able to correctly identify dark creatures and the spells used to repel or defeat them.

Defence Against the Dark Arts: Practical - Outstanding + 1 Extra Credit. Mr Potter has shown exceptional understanding of the subject, and has exceeded the level for that of someone who would be at N.E.W.T. level. He was able to conjure a corporeal Patronus Charm. Mr Potter will be accepted into the Defence Against the Dark Arts class for his 6th year.

Care of Magical Creatures: Written - Exceeds Expectations. Mr Potter shows a good understanding of magical creatures and their magical attributes. He can identify the proper techniques used in calming the animals, and knows their likes and dislikes.

Care of Magical Creatures: Practical - Outstanding. Mr Potter has a way with all creatures, and as a result is able to keep the creature he is handling calm and happy. He has shown that he knows the correct way to handle the animals, and ways to detain them. Mr Potter will be accepted into the Care of Magical Creatures class for his 6th year.

Congratulations, Mr Potter, for achieving 11 O.W.L.s, and being the only student to achieve extra credit in Defence Against the Dark Arts. Below is a list of classes that you are eligible to attend.

Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Defence Against The Dark Arts, Care of Magical Creatures

Additional lessons that are being offered this year include:

Magical Dueling, Spell Modification, Healing

Harry was positively beaming with happiness at the rest of his results. He didn't think he had done too well when he had seen the first parchment, but the rest were better than he had expected. Seeing the look on his face, Remus asked, 'So, how were they? They couldn't have been that bad if you have a silly grin like that on your face!' Harry could have sworn that Remus was just as nervous as he was, if not more so.

'Here, see for yourself!' Harry responded, handing Remus the parchment that bore the rest of his results. He was eager to see what Remus' reaction would be to his Defence Against the Dark Arts score. After all, it was Remus who had taught him most of what he knew, especially the Patronus charm and the dark creatures.

'Harry, these are fantastic scores! You did really well in DADA! A bonus mark! Amazing,' Remus said, gushing with pride at his best friend's son. At hearing the bonus point part, Hermione's head shot up. She looked totally amazed, and not in the friendly 'I'm happy for you' way, either; but luckily she didn't say anything.

'Did you read the last part about the extra lessons?' Harry asked Remus, who had just handed the parchment back.

'Yeah, I did; about that – Dumbledore asked me to pass a message on to you. He said that you would not be taking any of those lessons,' Remus said to him casually, knowing that it wouldn't be a problem for Harry as he was now Dumbledore's apprentice. There was a time when Harry would have become livid at this, but now he didn't care one way or the other.

'That's fine; I wasn't expecting to be able to take part anyway,' Harry responded.

'What's the matter – think you're too good for the lessons? Or is it that you're too afraid?' Ron asked snidely. Luckily, before anyone else had a chance to say anything, Mrs Weasley rounded on her son.

'Ronald Weasley, you apologise this instant! That is no way to talk to a friend!' she shouted at him, easily resembling a lioness, Harry thought.

'I will not!' was all Ron replied, as he got up from the table and walked out of the room, followed by Hermione.

'Harry, I am so sorry about him. I don't know what's wrong with him. It's not like him to be like this,' Mrs Weasley said.

'It's okay, Mrs Weasley, things will work themselves out; I'm sure he will be back to normal when he has time to cool down,' Harry said, using what he thought was a good reassuring tone. He picked up the last piece of parchment that contained the usual start-of-school-term notices, and his train ticket. Also there was a list of all of the books he would need for the next term. The list included all of the lessons offered, which Harry thought was due to the O.W.L. scores. He marked the books he would need, and then thanked Mrs Weasley for the lovely meal, and left the room.

Harry spent the rest of the day sitting in his room practicing the animagus transformation and researching his animal. Sometime in the afternoon, Ginny paid him a little visit to talk about Ron and Hermione. She explained what had instigated their annoyance and resentment: there had been a report in the Daily Prophet about what happened at the ministry, which had made Harry and Dumbledore out to be saviours, but didn't even mention any other names, referring to the rest as 'a few friends of the great Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter.' Harry now understood what was the matter with them; but it didn't mean that he was ready to even think about forgiving them for what they had said and how they had acted towards him. But Ginny had still more to tell him about Ron and Hermione. Harry found it both shocking, and yet oddly, not surprising.

'Since Hermione got here, she and Ron have been ... sort of ... you know, together. I think that's why she stuck up for Ron yesterday. They both know the way they have acted is wrong, but I suppose their jealousy is blinding them,' she said. Harry wasn't totally convinced of this. Something in the back of his mind told him that not all was as it seemed.

The day seemed to go by quickly, 'Too quickly for my liking,' Harry thought to himself. When Dumbledore finally showed up in his room with Remus, it was 10:30. He hadn't known when they were going to come, or even if they were going to stay when he transformed. He hoped not; if this thing was going to be painful, he didn't want to see pity for him on their faces.

'Good evening, Harry; it's good to see you are still studying; but please remember, there is more to life than what is contained within a book,' Dumbledore said to him. Harry thought that Dumbledore had a greater meaning to this, but brushed it aside. He was too nervous to worry about Dumbledore's cryptic hidden messages. Before getting down to the matter at hand, Harry wanted to ask Dumbledore something that he hoped would teach Ron a lesson.

'Professor, would it be okay if I participated in the duelling lessons? It would be great practice, and it would seem suspicious if I didn't attend at least that lesson,' Harry said quickly before he could interrupt. Dumbledore seemed to be thinking it over. Meanwhile, Remus had a look on his face that clearly said, 'I know what you're up to, and I don't like it!' But Harry didn't care.

'After careful thought,' Dumbledore said, 'it seems that you have a very good point. However, you will only attend for the first half of the year. We will work on an excuse to exempt you from the rest of the classes after that, as your level of duelling will far outrank that of your peers.'

'Thank you, Professor; that's all that I ask,' Harry said with a mischievous glint in his eyes that nearly made Dumbledore re-think Harry's motives for asking to attend those lessons.

'Now then, Harry: how are you handling everything so far?' Dumbledore asked him.

Harry thought about it for a few moments and then answered, 'Well, it feels like I have been drinking coffee all night; and my practice for the animagus transformation is coming along very well; as a result, I think I will be able to change my hands soon.'

'Wait a minute, you're becoming an animagus?' Remus asked.

'Oops!' Harry thought, 'forgot to tell Remus; I knew there was something.'

'Yeah, among other things. The headmaster said that I should try learning everything that I can in order to end this war and come out alive. And I wholeheartedly agree with him on this one,' Harry replied with a little laugh, trying and hoping to make it seem less serious than it really was.

'I see,' was all Remus would say; he was amazed that Harry was reading a book of his own free will, let alone in his free time – and, by the look of things, enjoying it.

'Yes, Harry has seen the light, so to speak, in that area. Now then: back to business. Harry, during your transformation tonight, would you like one of us to be here?' Dumbledore asked.

'Well, I appreciate the offer, but no, thank you. I would prefer no one saw me screaming like a baby,' Harry said, in a firm tone that clearly meant 'No, and I mean it!'

'Very well then; we shall be placing some silencing charms around your room, as well as some unbreakable charms. When I went through my transformation, there was a large aura of magic that engulfed me, and it shattered and broke all of the objects in the immediate area,' Dumbledore told him.

'Wow! But I thought magical auras were calm things that shone around a wizard at certain times,' Harry said.

'That is correct; but as there was so much magic, and I was so young, it was uncontrollable. If I were to display it now, it would look very calm,' Dumbledore replied.

'Can I see it now, sir? I've never seen one before,' Harry asked eagerly.

'Certainly, Harry; but you must not try to do it yourself once you get back to the Dursleys'; you could cause a lot of damage,' Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes. Harry didn't know what to expect, but the prospect of seeing Dumbledore's aura excited him. When Dumbledore closed his eyes and began the procedure to show his aura, it looked to Harry like Dumbledore was pushing with all of his might to squeeze the magic out of his core, and stretch it around himself. When it was done, the sight that met him was breathtaking. Dumbledore was surrounded in a perfect sphere of blue light that looked remarkably like the colour of his eyes. The sphere also had 'blobs' of silver flecked randomly over it. Inside of it, Harry could see Dumbledore, who looked perfectly normal except for an invisible breeze that made his beard and hair move gently. Seeing Harry's amazement, Dumbledore asked, 'Is it what you thought it would look like?'

'Not really, sir; I didn't have a clue about what to expect. Does it take a lot of magic to do it, sir?' Harry said, still with a look of awe on his face.

'Not as much as you might think, but still it takes an above-average wizard or witch to show one. It's mainly an effort of will and determination to manifest it,' Dumbledore said, and then he concentrated once again, though this time not as hard, and made the aura disappear. 'Now: on with the charms.'

Whilst Dumbledore was busy placing the unbreakable charms onto the objects within the room (there were a few pictures and a large chandelier for him to do), Harry began chatting with Remus.

'Remus, do you know the time that I was born? It would help a lot if I knew, so that I'm not caught off guard,' Harry asked him. It appeared Remus needed no time to think about it at all.

'1:32 am and 35 seconds, according to James. He made sure we all remembered the exact time. He was so proud, it was almost funny!' Remus said.

'So there's not much time left, then,' Harry stated. It almost felt like he was awaiting his execution. Knowing when it was going to happen didn't really make it easier; that was the one good thing about the cruciatus curse, if you could call anything associated with that horrible curse 'good': you didn't know when or whether your opponent was going to use it. They continued chatting for a few minutes, and when Dumbledore was finished, he and Remus wished Harry good luck and left him for the night.

If Harry thought that the day had passed fast, it was nothing compared to how fast the night passed. In no time at all, Harry's watch was pointing to '1:30.' He set his 'lion book' aside and then stripped down to his underwear, as he didn't know how fast his size would increase, or whether his clothes would grow with him in time. Once Harry was undressed, he glanced at the watch that was now on the bedside table (Dumbledore had placed an unbreakable charm on the watch before he left), and saw that he had only 8 seconds left! Bracing himself, he prayed to whatever god was listening tonight to make it quick. Harry had no such luck, as at exactly 1:32 am and 32 seconds, he was levitated into the air; and then, in one sudden rush, his magic had pushed itself out of its core – some surrounding his body in an aura, some flowing through his blood, bones, skin and even hair.

The sudden attack on all of Harry's nerves was overwhelming, and he nearly lost consciousness right then. It was so painful and shocking that Harry didn't even register what his aura looked like. He was thankful that there were silencing charms and unbreakable charms on the room. He was screaming and shouting in profound pain. The only pain that came close to this was the cruciatus curse, which was something he never wanted to feel again.

He could feel the changes to each area of his body as they happened. There would be a build up of magic in the area, which would feel like it was on fire; and then he would feel the stretching of bones, growing of muscles, disconnection and reconnection of nerves, and even hair pushing its way through his skin. The pain was terrible, but after an hour the pain began to decrease slowly, and when it was all over, Harry wasn't sure that he hadn't died and gone to heaven.

Ginny was enduring another fitful night's sleep, so she did what she usually did when she couldn't sleep: she got up silently from her room, and walked the eerily quiet halls of Grimmauld place towards Sirius' old room to visit Buckbeak. She was rather fond of the Hippogriff, and was sure he enjoyed the company. However, when she reached the hall that Sirius' room was located in, and when she walked towards the door, it felt like she was riding a muggle train through a long tunnel (her father had insisted she try it to experience the sensation). The feeling only lasted a second; it felt like her ears had 'popped' and then 'un-popped.' The sound that reached her ears after they had 'un-popped,' however, was terrible. It sounded like someone was in immense pain.

'That voice; it sounds so familiar ...' she thought to herself, whilst wracking her brain thinking of who owned it. There was a slight break in the screaming; but when it started again, she was able to identify the voice: it was Harry! 'Oh my god, what's happening to him?' she asked herself. Not knowing what to do, she approached his door and knelt down to look through the keyhole. What she saw was the last thing she expected. She had thought that maybe Death Eaters had found Harry and placed a silencing charm around the room whilst they tortured him; but that was furthest from what was actually happening. Harry was floating in mid air, surrounded by an emerald green and silver spherical aura. The two colours were mixing with each other while not actually changing colour. It was beautiful, Ginny had to admit; but she was still worried about what was happening to Harry.

She was just about to go in and see if she could do something to help, when he began to quiet down and start sinking towards his bed. A few moments later, Harry was lying on his bed and the aura was gone; but the Harry that was lying on the bed was not the same one she had seen earlier. He was still identifiably Harry, but with a mature look; his hair was longer, his face more defined, more pointy; he looked bigger and he had bulked up; he no longer looked skinny, but was not yet muscular – sort of in-between. 'What just happened here? A few hours ago, Harry was going about things normally. He looked like all of the other times I've seen him. In fact, he has never really changed, and maybe that's why this happened. But just now he was floating in the air, in obvious pain, with a massive green-silver aura surrounding him; and now that he is in bed, he looks like a normal 16 year old should. What is going on?' Ginny pondered as she walked back towards her room.

~~~~~~

'Ahhhhhhhhhh!!' Harry shouted 'What the bloody hell was that for?' asked a rather angry and slightly soaking wet Harry.

'I've been trying to wake you for ages!' Remus said, but Harry wasn't sure he had even tried once. 'Well, how did it go last night? You've changed a lot!' Remus said.

'It was comparable to the cruciatus curse. I was levitated into the air and then began changing. What do I look like now?' Harry asked.

Remus conjured up a large mirror for Harry to look in. He certainly had changed. Looking back at him was not the scared, shy-looking 11-year-old Harry Potter, but now a tall (roughly 6 ft.), slightly bulky (but not fat at all), 16-year-old, confident, powerful Harry Potter. His eyes twinkled with knowledge and merriment, much like Dumbledore's; but also they held a look of someone who had seen too much in their life. His face was sharper looking, more defined and angular. His hair reached his shoulders (it was almost there when he left the Dursleys'); but the most surprising thing was that his scar also changed to accommodate the difference in Harry's face. It had grown slightly, and also become a little more noticeable in colour.

'Wow!' Harry whispered.

'Exactly! Come on, get dressed and come downstairs. You have presents to open, and breakfast to eat before we leave,' Remus said.

Once showered and dressed (black jeans, white t-shirt with an open black shirt over the top), Harry went downstairs to eat and open his small collection of presents. When he got to the kitchen, however, there was someone sitting at the table that he didn't expect to see. Ginny had got up extra early, considering the late night she had, because she was sure Harry would be leaving before the others were awake, if he had not told anyone of his change.

'Happy Birthday, Harry!' Ginny said when she saw Harry enter the room. He looked to Remus to see why she was sitting at the table with him, but apparently he didn't know either. 'You look a bit different today, have you changed your hair?' she asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes – much like Fred and George, when Harry thought about it.

'I – I – I – ' Harry stuttered, struggling to find something, anything to tell her; but his mind was blank.

'Yes?' she prodded. 'Ah hell, I might as well just tell her, its not as if I was told not to. In fact, I don't know why I didn't in the first place!' Harry thought to himself, and then answered his own question: 'Explaining why I hadn't gone through puberty to Ron's little sister: yeah, sure! We're just getting to be friends!'

Harry sighed, took a seat at the table and filled his plate. As he did so, he began an explanation like the one Dumbledore had given him. When he was finished with her explanation and his breakfast, he asked Ginny what she was doing up so early, and she confessed to him that she had seen the last part of the transformation last night, and was sure he didn't want anyone to see that he looked different overnight.

'So you saw everything, right?' Harry asked her.

'Yeah, why?' Ginny asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

'Well, I was in so much pain that I didn't really register how my aura looked; could you tell me?' Harry asked her.

'Why don't you just show it instead?' she asked.

'Dumbledore says that it's too dangerous until I can control it. So will you tell me?' Harry said.

'Sure. It was a sphere; it was emerald green, like your eyes, but it had silver mixed in; but the colours stayed separate. Oh, it was so beautiful!' Ginny explained. Harry wished he had paid it more attention. He would have to get Dumbledore to show him how to do it.

'How about opening your presents now, Harry? We'll be leaving soon,' Remus interrupted.

For the first time, Harry noticed the pile of presents that were sitting to the side of the room. He picked up the first, which was from the Weasley twins. They gave him a box of joke items. From Remus, he got a framed picture. It showed his parents, Sirius and Remus on Harry's first birthday; his mum was holding the infant Harry, who was wearing a magical birthday hat that changed colours from time to time and emitted sparkles of light, much to baby Harry's delight. The picture was touching; he couldn't have wished for a better present from Remus, and he told him so. From Dumbledore, Harry got a book entitled 'So You Want To Become a Master Dueller?' The book itself was very big, and Harry guessed it would take him months to learn even half of what it had to offer him. From Ginny, he got a silver necklace with a lion on it; it was in mid-pounce with its head in a roar. The detail was amazing, and Harry thanked Ginny for it at least a dozen times. Not so surprisingly, he didn't get anything from Ron or Hermione, which hurt, despite everything that had happened between them recently.

'Got everything packed up and ready?' Remus asked Harry, after he had sent him back up to his room to get his bag and pack his things.

'Yep, all set,' Harry replied, feeling relieved to be leaving, but sad at the same time.

'Bye, Harry, have a safe journey,' Ginny said.

'Thanks, I'll see you at the station probably. Enjoy the rest of your summer, and don't let Ron and Hermione get you down!' Harry said, and then gave Ginny an awkward hug. He wasn't sure if they were that far in their blossoming friendship yet, but judging from her response they obviously were. She was a bit awkward too, at first, but she seemed to relax into it, which encouraged Harry. When they broke apart, they bade each other goodbye again, and Harry and Remus went to the car.

On the drive home, they talked about all of the spells and magical research that Harry had been learning and researching, which was good for Harry. They swapped views, and talked about concepts and theories of magic. It was when they were nearing the Dursleys' home that Harry thought of something that hadn't occurred to him yet.

'Remus, what's going to happen with the Order? I mean with all of the meetings; is someone going to come and pick me up?' Harry asked.

'Well, we thought that until you were fully trained, we would just update you on the information if something big comes up; and then once you are back at school, Dumbledore will keep you updated,' Remus said.

'Sounds fair to me,' Harry replied. The rest of the drive home passed quickly, and when Harry reached the Dursleys', he bid Remus goodbye with a sigh, and went into the house. 'Home Sweet Home,' Harry grumbled to himself.

***************************************************

A/N: Thanks guys for all the reviews; and a special thanks to MaidenMasherV for the very big and hyper induced review. Hopefully the next chappie will have some action (finally) now that the stage has been set, so to speak. Enjoy!

Muhahahaha: sorry to disappoint; but we both know Harry is a good guy at heart.

MadenMasherV: What a great review, the idea with witch weekly hadn't really occurred to me, but you got my brain thinking with it. As for why Hermione is so bitchy, I hope this chapter at least gave enough of a reason for her being as she is. And don't worry, the terrible trio will be whole again soon. As for the power thing and Draconian type idea, I have something in my mind but it wont be over-dramatic, with Harry having enough power to crack the earth, but he will kick ass soon! The role-playing idea I don't think would work for me, unfortunately; I have enough trouble writing this fic with all of the information that the great J.K Rowling has supplied us with, without having to think up a whole new set of chara's and places. Thank you so much for the review, your hyper driven review boosted my confidence in the fic.

Urgh: thanks for pointing that out to me, I changed it now, hope it is more accurate.

Tower: Thanks for the review. The Hermione thing will become crystal clear soon (next chappie I hope). And as to the Harry-Ginny thing, I am a firm Harry and Ginny shipper, so this story will be, but not right away; after all, Harry is 16, so he deserves a little fun before he settles down. :D

As always edited and corrected by the capable hands (and brain) of David305!

Next chapter: Wormtail and Mark

Until next time.
GG