Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter JK Rowling and Warner Bros does.

AN: Thanks so much to Malexandria and Suzaku Chan for reviewing my story and if anyone else is reading drop me a line let me know what you like/ don't like

Harry's Summer

The ride home from the train station was tense to say the least. Mr Dursley mumbled away to Mrs Dursley about "Their kind" whilst Harry just sat there silently thinking about all that he had lost and all he had to do. Harry wasn't looking forward to the summer at all, to most people his age it meant spending time with friends and family, carefree attitudes and long lazy days in the sun however to Harry it meant isolation from all that he cared about and oppression. As they finally arrived back at the Dursley's house Harry pondered how things could have and should have been different. If his parents hadn't died he would be going home telling them about how his OWLs went, he would be telling them about his, Hermione and Ron's fun adventures and about his first failed relationship.

If Sirius hadn't been framed then he would probably be telling him the same thing. But they all were dead. Everyone whom Harry had cared for was dead. Sure that little skit the order put on looked a bit like they cared for him but really all they cared about was killing Voldemort and as Harry had to be the one to kill him then they cared about Harry only by default. Harry made his way up the stairs only to be met by his much larger cousin, "Will you be seeing Cedric in your dreams tonight Potter, will you cry about him?" Before Harry had realised what he had done he had curled his hand into a fist and slammed it into Dudley's face. The punch took Dudley by surprise and had he been a smaller boy or one who wasn't a boxing champion then Harry might have been close to knocking him out. Unfortunately for Harry, Dudley was neither and quickly his training kicked in and Harry found himself in a heap on the floor, his eye swollen shut.

The noise that the scuffle had made had bought Mr and Mrs Dursley out from the lounge room where they had been discussing the new neighbours appalling lack of car when Mr Dursley shouted out "What did you do now Potter." Harry smiled to himself, for a change he was going to be punished for something that he did do, rather than what lies Dudley told, Harry piped up "I hit Dudley." The colour of Mr Dursley's face could only be described as plum; he was so close to spontaneously combusting that Harry couldn't help but comment. "Careful Uncle Vernon wouldn't want to have an aneurism?" Mr Dursley was in such a precarious situation, not only had Harry had hit his son but he had been disrespectful to him but the threat of the order was still foremost in his mind, "In your room boy, I will deal with you tomorrow." And with that Harry tromped into his room.

As Harry lay on his bed he couldn't help but feel let down by the confrontation. Harry desperately wanted someone to punish him that way he could have something else to focus all of his pain on. Dudley's punch had helped but it was not nearly painful enough to distract Harry's thoughts of Sirius, Voldemort and the prophecy. In a too frequent moment of introspection Harry wondered to himself why he was already missing Sirius so much as Harry wouldn't normally be visiting Sirius yet anyway, he wouldn't have even gotten a letter from him. For crying out loud he hadn't even known the guy three years ago yet he was completely devastated by his untimely death. Harry thought to himself "or am I?" maybe I didn't really care about Sirius at all? Maybe the reason why I am hurting so much is because I am a murderer. Harry said aloud "My name is a Harry Potter and I am a murderer." Harry thought to himself again I'm a murderer, I killed the one person who loved me more than anything and anyone in the world and I killed him. Not only did I kill him but I nearly killed my best bloody friends. To Harry it had seemed that Ron and Hermione had seemed reserved around him over the last week, probably didn't want to hang around with a murderer, I bet they were wondering when it would be there turn. Harry obviously didn't mind killing people that he knew and liked. They were probably better off without him and with that thought Harry made the decision to cut all ties with them, he grabbed two pieces of parchment out of his trunk and sat down on the floor ready to write them a letter explaining his idea. Harry sucked on his quill, this letter had to be formal and to the point, no use worrying about their feelings if they're not going to be friends again.

To Mr Weasley,

                        I am writing today to inform you of my wish to terminate this friendship. It has come to my attention that continuing to be my friend may cause you harm and as such I am requesting that you do not try and pursue a friendship when me when we return to school. If I may suggest a reconciliation with your brother may be in order as he was right about his appraisal of me. 

Yours truly, Harry Potter

Harry looked over the letter. It was perfect, the use of large words may in fact suggest to Ron that he had changed so much that their friendship was irreparable. The letter to Hermione was going to be harder to write. Hermione tended to be more perceptive than Ron, who was less likely to be awed at his brilliantly constructed letter instead Hermione's letter was going to be cruel and harsh, a sure way of losing a girls friendship. Harry thought for another minute and then he had it.

To Hermione,

                        I am writing to say that I have regretted being your friend for the past 5 years. You are a stuck up, spoilt little brat. You are a know-it-all mudblood that enjoyed keeping secrets from me last year. You are only trying to trick me into this friendship, you certainly like them famous don't you, just like Victor. You picked the wrong boy this time though, I would not touch you with a 50 foot barge pole. I don't think we can be friends anymore. Don't write back.

Harry Potter

Harry looked at the letter, it was callous and unkind, but it was also all lies. But Hermione didn't need to know the truth, all she needed to see was that she shouldn't be friends with The boy who was a murderer. Even Voldemort hadn't murdered his godfather and with that ugly thought Harry fell asleep.

Harry awoke the next morning after a night of fitful sleep that was interrupted with nightmares. Harry couldn't count the number of times that Sirius fell through the veil nor could he count the number of times that Ron or Hermione were tortured and subsequently murdered by Voldemort and with those thoughts Harry went to look for Hedwig so that he could deliver the letters to Ron and Hermione, the faster the letters were delivered the better it was for them. But Hedwig was nowhere to be found.

Harry gave up looking for her not long after he started, figuring that she wasn't back from hunting from the previous evening. When Harry arrived in the kitchen he was shocked to see all of the Dursley's present. Normally in the holidays it was rare for his cousin Dudley to be up before 11, it was also rare to see that breakfast was already set out and it looked like they were waiting for him. Mr Dursley glared at him as he sat down at the table and started to pour the cereal into the bowl "Now boy, the three of us have come to an agreement. You will mow the lawns for yesterdays little outburst and after that you will be on your own. You may use any of the amenities that are here if they are not being used by one of us, you also may take a reasonable amount of food. You will not have to do any jobs but you will be responsible for cleaning up the messes that you make. Do you think that it will satisfy you and your friends?"  Harry desperately wished to say that it wouldn't satisfy either himself or his friends but common sense stepped in "That would be fine Uncle Vernon, thank you." Mr Dursley looked oddly pleased with himself and he quickly left the table heading to work but not before he reminded Harry to mow the lawn.

Harry moved into the front yard after successfully mowing the back lawn, to tell the truth he was grateful that he was doing something. Not having anything to do inadvertently allowed his mind to wander, usually to sinister and depressing thoughts that felt like they were consuming him. So having to mow the lawns to Harry was actually a relatively enjoyable experience. It was upon his first descent down the lawn that he noticed that they had a new neighbour. It was on the second descent that he realised that the man that had moved in was watching him from his window, this made Harry uneasy. In the wizarding world it seemed like he was always being watched because either they were plotting his death or because he was some figurehead, the boy who lived. The third descent that he made down the lawn didn't uncover any more information on the man. It was on his fifth descent when he worked out who it was. "Kingsley? he asked himself and then curiosity got the better of him and he walked down to the house and knocked.

Kingsley Shacklebolt opened the door, he was surprised that Harry had actually come down to talk to him "Come in Harry, would you like some tea?" he said as he held open the door. Harry nodded and walked in and took a seat at the kitchen table and sat silently waiting for Kingsley to make the tea. Finally the silence got to Harry and he practically shouted "What the bloody hell are you doing here? I'm safe here and I can look after myself." Kingsley was not at all shocked after meeting Harry the previous summer so he turned calmly towards him and said in a voice that held no emotion "Fudge appointed me your guard since I am not looking for Sirius anymore." It was like a slap in the face for Harry, the ministry had finally let go of pursuing Sirius yet he wasn't around to enjoy it. Harry sat silently wallowing in self pity but Kinsley interrupted his thoughts "It was convenient for the order that Fudge appointed me your guard it freed up others to do other jobs. In fact Tonks is accompanying your friend Hermione on holidays with her family." Harry looked up quickly "Why does Hermione need a guard?" Kingsley didn't know whether to tell Harry the truth like Dumbledore had instructed him to do. He didn't look like he was coping too well with the death of Sirius and dumping on him that his friend was a target for Voldemort now was a big deal. Finally Kingsley decided to follow Dumbledore's advice, he was the head of the order, had worked with children for a large period of time and knew Harry a lot better than himself. "Both Hermione and Ron are under the orders care. Severus came back from a death eater meeting where he was told that they were being targeted. Voldemort wishes to use them to get to you but he also wants them because Hermione is a muggle born who is kicking the pure bloods arse at school and you already know that the Weasley's would be targeted because of their association with Dumbledore and because according to people like Lucius Malfoy they are blood traitors. So don't fret too much." Harry sat there thinking about what Kingsley had just told him, Voldemort is targeting my two best friends because of me. It was like Kingsley hadn't even mentioned that there was more to it. Suddenly Harry jumped up from the table "They're not my friends you know, I have no idea why Voldemort would want them. I just have to send them a letter each so they know that we're not friends again. Bye." Before Kingsley could stop him Harry had left the house.

The short trip back to the Dursley's was full of anguish for Harry, Kingsley had bought up all of the things that were wrong with Harry's life at the moment and he did it unapologetically, how dare he. Harry returned to mowing the front lawn and it wasn't long before he had finished it and he was about to enter the house when he noticed that Kingsley had made his way over and was gesturing for him to stop. Harry considered his options he could either stop and go and see what he wanted and then Kingsley would hold all of the power for the rest of the summer or he could go inside missing out on what he had to say as well as having to encounter his Aunt or cousin, finally Harry decided he would take the lesser of the two evils. He let go of the door and started to walk over to Kingsley. He stopped halfway down the driveway making Kingsley come the rest of the way. "You ran off and I hadn't explained how the summer was going to work?" the cheek of him Harry thought to himself, who did he think he was telling him how the summer was to go. "Well how is it going to work" he said rather sarcastically. Kingsley inwardly grimaced, it was going to be a long summer if things continued on the way they had started. "Well Dumbledore has decided that you will be staying here for the first month and then you are going to meet your friends" in spite of his earlier statement Harry found himself asking if he was going to the burrow. When Kingsley shook his head Harry found himself shouting at Kingsley "I told you they're not my friends."

Kingsley had finally had enough of Harry's crappy attitude, "Listen up here kid, Sirius is dead and you can't bring him back by pushing everyone else around you away. We are all very sad and upset about it, not as much as you most probably but we are still upset. He knew what he was getting himself into when he joined the order the first time. He would probably have taken you out the back of the house and smacked you around a bit if he heard you talk about Ron and Hermione like that. Did you know that he was a tad jealous of your friendship with them and this coming from a man who was part of one of the tightest friendship groups that Hogwarts had ever seen. He changed secret keepers with Peter knowing that he would most probably be tortured to give up something that he didn't even know. Now are you ready to hear me out about the details that I have to share with you or are you going to continue to be confrontational and a pain in the arse." Harry nodded in shock, he never got a talking to like this, Hermione did it now and again but she usually skirted the important emotional issues and focus on the measurable ones.

"Good now Dumbledore wants you to be treated like an adult just like Hermione and Ron will be, so make sure you start acting like one. Now you are not allowed to send owls to anyone, your owl has already been intercepted before. If you desperately need to contact someone please come and tell me and I will help you is that understood?" Harry nodded again. "We will be going for a run every morning at exactly 9 and then we will visit a muggle gym which is down the road every night except for Sunday at 5 is that understood?" Harry nodded once again. "Dumbledore has promised to drop around regularly, now would you like to the go to the gym this afternoon it is up to you whether we go today." Harry nodded having got into a habit of doing it "Okay then I will see you at 5 unless you wish to drop round earlier, you're welcome anytime." And with that Kingsley was gone.

Lunch and the rest of the afternoon passed quickly. At about 4 Harry realised that he didn't really have any clothes that were appropriate for what Kingsley had suggested so he decided to go round their early. He knocked on the door and Kingsley promptly opened it "Hi you cancelling on me?" Harry looked a tad sheepish and then proceeded to explain his problem to Kingsley. Kingsley looked thoughtful "Why don't we call off todays session and go shopping for a while." At this suggestion Harry actually blushed, "I can't, I um don't have any muggle money" Kingsley actually laughed "This coming from THE Harry Potter, heir to the Potter fortune, don't worry I can cover it with order funds until you can get your hands on some of your money. I could even contact Bill Weasley, I am sure that he could help you get some money." Harry thought about the offer, it would be a nice change to have some money for the summer "That would be good, any chance he could come in person." Kingsley thought for a moment, the Weasley's already knew where Harry lived and he could see no problem with it. "I'll see what I can do, in the mean time why don't we head down to the shops now?" Harry nodded feeling just a tiny bit happy for the first time in a fortnight. Harry and Kingsley returned from the shopping expedition with full arms. Harry had managed to buy 3 pairs of new shoes, 4 whole new outfits as well as a few other items. As they reached Number 4 Harry thanked Kingsley sincerely, he had managed to forget some of his problems for awhile. Kingsley bid Harry a good night and made his way home to organise Bill's trip.

Harry awoke early the next day probably because of the awful nightmare he had just had, sweating and feeling slightly nauseous Harry made his way to the bathroom what he saw there shocked him. A small pale boy with large rings around his eyes was the face staring back at him. His face looked like it had never cracked a smile before in its whole entire life. Harry just couldn't his own eyes. He turned away from the mirror, it was obvious that the mirror was distorting his features to make him look like some sort of vampire half breed and like a lot of depressed people Harry made his way back to his bed to focus on all that was bad in his life. Before he knew it the time was 8.45, Harry thought about blowing the run off but then thought better of it, the last thing he needed right now was more hassles. He changed into his new runners and made his way down to the kitchen, grabbed an apple and ambled down to Kingsley's house and  knocked. Kingsley opened the door looking way too bright and cheery for Harry's liking "Morning sport" Harry cringed at the nick name. Sirius had called him that sometimes. Kingsley continued on like he hadn't noticed that Harry had cringed "Bill is dropping by during his lunch break, he will be apparating into the house at 1." Harry nodded still devouring his apple. Kingsley made small talk until Harry had finished and then they left. To Harry's surprise the pounding of feet on the footpath actually soothed him quite a bit and by the time they returned Harry was feeling a little less angry and depressed. When they reached Harry's house they both said their goodbyes and Harry promised that he would be back in time to see Bill.

Harry's morning was uneventful and by the time midday had come around Harry was so bored that he had sought Aunt Petunia out to see if she had any jobs he could do and when she shook her head Harry decided to go and get ready for Bill. Out of all of the Weasley's Bill was a mystery to Harry. Bill was going out with the beautiful Fleur Delacour and obviously had an affinity to danger if you consider his chosen career but that was as far as Harry's knowledge went. Harry had a feeling that Bill was hiding something from him but he had no idea what it could be. Harry grabbed his key for his vault and then made his way to Kingsley's. When he arrived there he was surprised to see that Bill was already sitting in the living room. "How are you Harry" he asked in solemn terms as Harry entered the house. Harry just nodded, he wasn't being rude he just didn't want any pity from him. Bill was by no means put off by Harry's lack of answer but just kept going with his small talk. It finally started to get to Harry, he interrupted him in the middle of what would normally have been a very amusing story about one of Fred and George's tricks. "Can we stop with the small talk Bill." Bill looked surprised, it sounded to him like Harry wanted to have a bit of a heart to heart and if it was one thing Bill was good at it was having heart to hearts, who wouldn't be if they had 6 younger siblings. "Something up Harry?" Harry looked at Bill, he could tell that Bill was being sincere, Harry recognised it as a brotherly action and it made him want to cry, Harry started to nod but then his eyes betrayed him when they started tearing up. Bill made his way over to where Harry was sitting and slowly embraced him like he did so many other times to Percy, Fred and George, Ron and Ginny whenever they were upset. While Bill was making his way over to Harry Kingsley quietly left the room knowing that he wasn't really wanted. When Bill took Harry into his arms Harry tried to shy away not really used to being physically comforted but Bill just held him tighter that was when the tears really started to roll. Harry started to mumble into Bill's chest "What's wrong with me Bill? Why does everyone I love die? I must be bad or evil just like Voldemort for all of this to happen to me?" Bill just held him closer again sensing that Harry wasn't ready for an answer to his question yet.

Five minutes later Harry had calmed himself enough that Bill let go and made his way back over to his previous seat, he waited until Harry had made eye contact which was a bloody long time "You ready to talk now?" Harry nodded and then found himself blurting out everything that was on his mind "It's not fair I never got to spend any time with him, I should be living with him instead he is dead. Dead because of me, I'm a murderer." Bill was horrified but he tried very hard to keep it off his face, thinking that Harry may misinterpret the look, thinking that Bill believed he was a murderer and that's why he was horrified. Bill started "I'm not going to give you some bull shit story about life not being fair because you already know that. You have been dealt some horrible cards in your life, there is no denying that, I'm sure if a different person had been dealt such shitty cards that they would have topped themselves years ago but you haven't. You are strong just like you're parents were."

Bill stopped talking letting what he had just said be processed by Harry, "You knew my parents?" Harry asked. Bill nodded and said "Yeah, we went to school together, but I don't want to talk about that now. You have every right to be sad about Sirius' death and the things that you have had to give up but you have to realise that you can't stop living." Harry thought about what Bill was saying, he was right of course but he wasn't quite ready to acknowledge it so he changed the subject. "Why don't you hate me, I split your family up by making you pick between believing in me and listening to Percy. I have bought Ron on all my little rule breaking adventures and I even bought Ginny with me when I went to the Department of Mysteries." Bill made sure he had Harry's full attention before he spoke "We don't hate you, I don't, Charlie doesn't, Dad doesn't and you know for certain that Mum doesn't. I would go as far as saying that Mum loves you like she loves all of her other children and Ron probably loves you even though he is too manly to tell you. I know for sure that he loves Hermione."

This statement achieved the impossible, Harry actually laughed "Don't we all know it, but that's why it would be okay if I stopped being their friend, and then they wouldn't be in any danger." Bill started to get the Weasley red and Harry felt a little guilty at what he said, after Kingsley's talk yesterday Harry decided that it seemed a bit extreme to completely sever his friendship with the two of them. Bill spoke again "Harry didn't you listen to a word that Shacklebolt told you, they're in danger anyway. Us Weasley's have never got on with the Malfoy's and from what I heard about Hermione she is the smartest witch in Hogwarts, I don't know how she fell for my brother then. Hermione is muggle born, just the sort of thing that the death eaters hate. If you were to stop being their friend it would hurt all of you. You don't realise how much you rely on each other and use each other for support." Harry looked down unable to continue to hold Bill's intense look, he was right. He did need Ron and Hermione but they weren't here for him and that hurt nearly as much as losing Sirius.

Harry and Bill's talk continued for another 20 minutes when Bill suddenly realised that he was going to be late. Harry handed over the key and the letter and started to say goodbye when Bill did something that surprised him. Bill leant down and gave him a one handed hug, "We'll talk some more tomorrow if you want, little bro" Harry smiled, Ron was right Bill was the cool one. Harry nodded, waved and walked out the door after telling Kingsley that he would be back at quarter to five.

Harry returned to Kingsley's right on time and they left immediately. It wasn't a long walk only 5 minutes and soon they had both bought a one month membership. They made their way into the cardio room and it wasn't long before Harry was sitting on the stationary bike as part of the warm-up, he followed the machines around the room until he had used each machine and then Kingsley told him to follow him, they were starting weights. As Harry entered the weights room he was amazed to see that most of the occupants made Dudley look small he couldn't help but feel intimidated "Kingsley, getting big like this would ruin my quidditch career." Kingsley chuckled

"Harry you would have to lift big weights for years to get this big, that's not what we're here for." Harry let out a sigh of relief and then they started to work. The next hour flew by and soon they found themselves heading home. For the first time in ages Harry was actually looking forward to going to bed, he had decided that all of this working out was going to leave him exhausted and with that thought Harry fell into his first nightmare free sleep.

Harry awoke feeling a tad refreshed and quickly found his way to Kingsley "Morning Kingsley" Kingsley was happy to see a very different Harry had appeared "Morning muscles." Harry smiled, muscles was an okay nickname, Sirius hadn't used it and that was the only person who had ever given him a nickname. They left and once again the run was done in silence, Harry realised that running was something that he could learn to really enjoy. Like when he was flying, when he was running he felt free from worries and grief. The run was over sooner than Harry wanted but he quickly said his goodbyes but was back at Kingsley's house just over 3 hours later waiting for Bill to return with his money. A small pop was heard and Bill had suddenly appeared in front of him "Hi Harry, Kingsley" Harry and Kingsley both spoke their replies and then Harry was handed a wad of bills and his key to his vault. "Thanks Bill you're a bit of a legend" Bill smiled "I know everyone always tells me but don't tell Fleur that apparently she is allowed to get jealous when girls swoon over me but I'm not allowed to get jealous of nearly every man she meets who swoons over her, apparently she doesn't enjoy it but I do and that's the difference." Harry laughed he could only imagine the problems that Fleur would encounter with her many admirers.

 Harry was a bit embarrassed about yesterdays outburst and so the silence that descended between the three of them was rather uncomfortable but with the ease that came with practise Bill continued his easy banter and soon Harry was feeling comfortable in his presence and he decided to broach the topic of his parents "So Bill how did you know my parents?" Bill was the one to seem uncomfortable for a change but he looked at Harry and started "Harry I didn't really know them that well, I more knew of them rather than know them personally. They were in their final year at Hogwarts when I was in first year" Harry nodded, feeling a bit stupid that he hadn't worked out where Bill would have known them from. "Now contrary to popular belief I wasn't always the cool and sophisticated Bill Weasley you see before you. I like Ron had low self confidence as the Slytherin's picked on me for having no money. You're father being head boy and all round nice guy and Slytherin hater sort of helped me sort out a few problems. He was an amazing flyer Harry, much like you and your Mum every boy in our room had the biggest crush on her and she used to smile at us and we would all giggle. They were the perfect couple you're Mum managed to control his and Sirius' rulebreaking much like Hermione does for you and Ron." Harry smiled widely, even though he was still being haunted by the sight of Snape hanging upside down. "What else do you remember about them Bill?" Harry asked with much anticipation but Bill shook his head sadly "Sorry Harry, I was only 11 the only thing I remember is what I just told you. Maybe you should ask Remus when you see him next about what James and Sirius were like when they were younger." Harry's smile had dropped from his face but decided that maybe Bill was right. He didn't know much about when his parents were younger. "Hey Bill, have you heard from Ron?" Bill looked up at Harry "All I know is that he is safe, like you he isn't allowed to send mail." Harry's face which was impartial had now become a frown "I'm really sorry about all of this Bill" Bill smiled brightly "If I know Ron he would be having a ball where he is" Suddenly Harry spotted his uncles car which was very unusual "Guys my uncle just came home and he is never home now, maybe I should go and see what's happening. Thanks for the money Bill, say hi to your family for me. Bye" Both Kingsley and Bill said goodbye and then Harry was making his way home.

Harry arrived home to here Dudley in the middle of a tantrum which wasn't a pretty sight. "I don't want to and what happens if HE does something funny while we are there?" Harry knew right away who he was and it wasn't sounding that fun whatever Dudley was talking about. Harry walked silently into the kitchen and took a seat opposite Dudley. "Aunt Marge has specifically requested that you visit her at the hospital every day and if you behave Dudders I will get you a new car?" There were only 2 things that would motivate Dudley to visit his Aunt in hospital, food being one of them and material possessions being the other. Harry cringed inwardly though, what would Aunt Marge want him to visit her for, I guess to insult me he thought to himself. "What's wrong with Aunt Marge?" Harry asked innocently "Aunt Petunia gave off a couple of fake sniffles and then proceeded to tell him in a voice that was meant to sound upset that she had cancer and that he was meant to start visiting her every day after lunch by taking the bus to the hospital with Dudley. Harry grimaced, a trip to the hospital every day would not only depress him even further, standing there being insulted by one of the worst muggles ever born but it also may stuff up his afternoon gym session with Kingsley. Dudley had started once again on his tantrum, giving Harry some time to think he would need to go and talk to Kingsley, he would inevitably have to accompany him whether as himself or under some other concealment charm. Uncle Vernon's voice cut into his thoughts "You can't go today as the doctor has requested no visitors today but I expect you to start visiting her tomorrow is that clear?" Harry nodded his reply and then excused himself, he had had enough of Dudley's hissy fit. Harry made his way to his room, his good mood that he had earlier had been ruined, he got ready for his workout even though he didn't have to leave for another couple of hours and then sat down on his bed looking at the photos of his parents and the ones he had gotten from Colin of himself, Ron and Hermione. His parents looked so happy as did Sirius, completely oblivious to the tragedies that lay ahead of them. The photos of the trio were different though. As he looked through the years he noticed that each year their bodies only aged a year but their eyes showed experience and a certain sadness that shouldn't be present in 13, 14 and 15 year olds. The photos of Hermione's 15th birthday were the worst. Smiles were plastered on their faces but it didn't reach any of their eyes. Harry's eyes showed anger and depression, Hermione's showed how worried she was, whilst Ron's showed no emotion at all, which worried Harry immensely. The first four years Ron had kept a lot of his innocence but you could tell that by the time that 5th year had come that it had been robbed of it. Harry looked over at the clock and found that he was nearly running late. He had spent a good part of 2 hours dwelling on the past, lost in his memories and lost in stories that he had never heard about his parents wedding. He put down the album and made his way to Kingsley's.

The gym was a good place for Harry to discuss plans for the coming weeks if he had to go and visit his Aunt at the hospital. In between sets Harry managed to get out the story about Aunt Marge and Kingsley suggested that maybe they should change the afternoon session to a run and the morning session to a gym session. That way it wouldn't matter what time they got back from the hospital. It also allowed for a quieter workout as they missed the after work rush. Harry happily agreed. He was still intimidated by the large body builders and he had never been fond of crowds so it sounded like a perfect solution. They quickly finished their session but they soon found themselves back there the next day. Harry was walking very tenderly, two days of lifting weights for the first time had caused his muscles to spasm at any spontaneous moment. Kingsley decided that a light session was in order.

It wasn't long before Harry found himself sitting on the bus by himself. Dudley sat at the very back of the bus with Kingsley sitting opposite him. Dudley had informed Harry that he wasn't allowed to sit with him on the bus as he would ruin his reputation. They arrived at the hospital and promptly found themselves lost. Harry had never visited a hospital that he could remember but he assumed that like St Mungo's that they would have a sign directing them to all of the different wards. He suggested to Dudley that maybe they should look for an information board but was reproached with a sarcastic reply that bashing an orderly would work just as well. Luckily for Harry and the orderlies Harry spotted an information board and quickly made his way over. "Oncology is on level 4 Dudley." Dudley looked a little disappointed that he didn't get to bash an orderly but slowly made his way over to the elevator where Harry had pushed the up button. The ride up to the 4th floor was both boring and tense. Dudley looked a sight; a 16 year old boy sulking looked ridiculous. The elevator doors opened and they were met by the most sterile looking corridor Harry had ever seen in his life. Kingsley threw Harry a look that suggested that he didn't think much about the hospital either and then took a seat near the elevator. Harry and Dudley made their way over to the nurses station Dudley shouted at the nurse "Marge Dursley." The nurse looked appalled at his lack of manners and asked "Excuse me" Harry butted in, if they got banned from the hospital it would surely end the Dursley's good treatment of him "What my cousin wished to say was could you please tell us where Marge Dursley's room is Miss." A smile made its way onto the nurses face "Down the hall, 2nd door on the left, room 406." Harry thanked her as Dudley stalked off.

Harry made his way slowly towards his aunts room but was interrupted when a young girl approached him "First time, huh" Harry didn't really know what she was talking about so he nodded and the girl continued "Well what type do you have, you're not looking too good for a newbie." Now Harry was really confused what was the girl on about "Excuse me." The girl looked a bit guilty but just continued on with her line of question "What type of cancer do you have. I have an aggressive form of leukaemia. I would guess that you would have the same, pale, tired and sore." Harry finally understood, she thought he was a patient "Oh, I misunderstood you. I'm not a patient. I am visiting my Aunt. My name is Harry by the way." She held out her hand which was still connected to an I.V. line "Jess is mine. Sorry about before but you just looked unwell. Are you okay?" Harry thought about whether he should answer honestly and decided against it "Yeah I'm fine. Late nights, summer you know and I have just started a new exercise program that's why I am sore. How are you?" This time it was Jess' turn to look at Harry and decide whether to tell the truth. She looked into his eyes expecting to see pity but all she saw was heartbreaking depression and that was present before she told him about having cancer, she wondered what could have caused such a young boy to have eyes like that. She ended up deciding to answer truthfully how she was, she had a feeling that this boy in front of her may understand her just a little. "Do you want the truth" She asked offering Harry an escape route if he really didn't want to know the truth but Harry nodded. "I had a bone marrow biopsy yesterday and it hurt like all buggery, I'm starting chemo tomorrow and none of friends are coming to visit because they heard that things aren't looking up for me?" She smiled at him and then continued "But other than that I am feeling pretty good. The sun is shining and I just met you." Harry couldn't help but smile, this girls attitude was like a breath of fresh air. "So does that mean that you'll be here for a while, I'm meant to be coming every day, apparently my Aunt wants to see me every day even though all she ever does is criticise me." The girl laughed aloud and then made some comment about that's what Aunt's do. Harry decided that maybe he better go and see Aunt Marge, "Speaking of my Aunt I better go in and see her, see ya." The girl smiled and said "Not if I see you first." As Harry made his way into Marge's room he couldn't believe his luck, this girl didn't know he was the famous Boy who lived and didn't look at him with pity because his Godfather had just died she just took him at face value. He entered Marge's room and the sight that met him shocked him. What had once been an extremely large lady had become a frail, thin old lady and for once in his life Harry thought of her as a human being rather than a necessary evil that plagued his life. Dudley looked equally shocked and was for a change being a pleasant young man. Harry and Dudley made appropriate small talk with the woman, she kept her mean comments about Harry and his parents to herself and time ended up passing relatively quickly.

The next two days passed much the same as the one before, breakfast, gym in the morning, lunch, hospital visit, run, tea and bed. The routine didn't change until Dumbledore decided to drop in. Harry was a bit apprehensive about seeing the old man. They hadn't left on the best of terms as they didn't talk again after the night at the MOM. Kingsley informed Harry that he would be returning to the wizarding world for the morning and he asked if he needed anything. As Dumbledore apparated into Kingsley's living room, Kingsley disapparated out. Dumbledore took the seat next to Harry's and wasted no time before asking him how he was. Harry didn't have to think about his answer "I am doing much better than what I was doing before, sir." Dumbledore looked a bit disheartened at the mention of the word sir. He felt they had come far enough in their relationship that such pleasantries were unnecessary. "Please call me Albus, Harry. I think the time has come that you and your friends are treated more as adults." Harry nodded but looked uncomfortable, no other students called Dumbledore by his given name. In fact not many wizards at all called him by his given name. It was an honour that Harry didn't feel that he was ready to accept yet. Dumbledore continued "Let me first tell you that Ron and Hermione are fine, I have or am going to see each of them very soon. They are both missing you and each other very much." Harry nodded again and the headmaster could tell that he wasn't making much headway with the boy. "Did Kingsley tell you about all of the arrangements?" A nod once again and Dumbledore was getting a little exasperated so he decided to sit silently until Harry was ready to talk.

They sat there in silence for 20 minutes before Harry spoke "I am sorry about your office." This time Dumbledore nodded taking a trick out of Harry's book so Harry continued "About the prophecy are all prophecies accurate." Dumbledore nodded and Harry spoke once again "How am I supposed to kill Voldemort?" Dumbledore looked sad but spoke anyway "We're going to look for you. Once you leave Privet drive you will be going somewhere where you can learn extra duelling magic. Ron and Hermione are going to join you as is Miss Weasley. I have made the decision that you three will be given all information concerning the war. You are all too involved for us to keep you in the dark. You also have a knack of finding it yourselves if you're not told." Dumbledore smiled warmly at him but Harry thought about his words and then asked "Do you really think that Ron and Hermione have to be involved, they are kids." Once again Dumbledore's face took on a sombre look "As are you Harry, best not to forget. No, you are going to need their support, as they are going to need yours. The three of you have already shouldered too much responsibility in this war. If it wasn't for all of you Voldemort may have risen when you were 11 and then the war could have been impossible to fight. It was the right time for all of you to get involved." Harry thought about what the old man had just said, he was a kid with more life experience than nearly any man alive but he was still a kid. The rest of Dumbledore's visit passed quickly and before Harry knew it he was saying goodbye to the elderly professor. Dumbledore left pleased. He was very happy with Harry, he was well on his way to accepting his path in life and with acceptance comes understanding.

Harry had a quick lunch and soon found his way to the hospital. He had a routine once he arrived. He would go and see Marge for about an hour and then would spend anywhere between 1 and 4 hours hanging out with Jess. He entered Jess's room and was appalled by what he saw. Jess had been having chemo for the past three days and she had looked okay, not great but okay whenever he visited. He slowly walked over to her bed and sat down "You awake Jess" Jess gave him a thumbs up sign, she was too nauseous to nod and too tired to talk. She secretly hoped that Harry would realise this and get out. It was the worst thing about chemo and she usually got quite down when it happened. Harry didn't leave though he started talking softly to her. "I had a visit from my headmaster today, bit sad huh I'm so bad that he feels he needs to check up at me at home as well as at school" Jess wanted to laugh instead she opened her eyes and they portrayed her thoughts. Harry continued "He told me that Ron and Hermione were okay but were very sorry they couldn't see me. I haven't told you much about them have I well here it goes. Well the three of us, Hermione, Ron and I have been inseparable since we were 11 and we have somehow managed to get the nickname of the trio. Hermione is the brains of our group, our conscience and our emotional support. Ron is the funny, logical and loyal one and I guess you could say I'm the one that gets us into trouble." At this Jess really did laugh but was quite upset when the sudden movement made her want to throw up. She quickly gestured to the bowl that was sitting by her bed and when Harry handed it to her she quickly deposited what little food she had had for lunch in the bowl. She pressed her buzzer and a nurse promptly appeared took the bowl away and handed her a new one, leaving her as quickly as she came. Jess felt a little better so she sat up a bit more "Go on. I don't know much about you" she said. Harry wracked his brain, there wasn't much more he could say about them without telling her about Sirius or magic or anything else like that and then it came to him. "Well let's see. There is something sinister about our little trio. Ron likes Hermione and has, ever since a professional athlete came and invited her to one of the school dances." Jess looked intrigued and beckoned for Harry to continue. "I also have a sneaking suspicion that Hermione likes him back. We made friends with a new girl last year who seemed to like Ron and Hermione started to act all jealous of her. And Hermione is not really a jealous type." Harry looked over to Jess to see what she made of all of it she smiled at him and then decided to have her two pieces "Well then Harry why don't you get them together." She asked quietly but excitedly. Harry thought about it and then his mind drifted back to Dumbledore's words "you're still a kid too Harry, best not to forget." Harry looked back at Jess and smiled "Maybe you're right" She nodded and then she fell asleep.

Harry continued to sit there until she woke up which she did about an hour later. She threw up again and the same routine with the nurse followed and then she looked towards Harry "You still here Harry?" Harry smiled and made some smart arse comment in reply which Jess fully appreciated. She was obviously feeling a little better after her little sleep as she started to ask a question "What about you Harry? Anyone you like?" Harry laughed, Jess still didn't know about the problems he had in his life "Too many things going on in my life for romance, honey" Jess frowned and then decided it was time to find out why Harry's eyes held such sadness "There's never too much going on for love Harry." at this comment Harry started to feel guilty. Not once had he seen any adult figure excluding medical staff with Jess and she was pretty well going to die. Harry decided that it was time to let Jess in on some of the details of his life. "I didn't know love until I met Ron and Hermione, my parents died when I was little and I can't remember them. Ron and Hermione were my only family for 3 years before my Godfather came into my life 2 years ago and he died a couple of weeks ago." Jess was surprised that he had told her all of that, she was saddened by what he had told her but her nature didn't allow her to pity him. "Well that's much like my story, I don't have any parents but guess what sunshine I'm dying and all I have for company is you. I think I win on the hard luck story" and with that she laughed and Harry realised for the first time in his life that there was people who had things a lot worse than he did. If he had Jess's outlook on life then he would surely be a much happier person. He couldn't change what happened but he could certainly make a better go of it in the future. "You're right Jess, you win hands down." They both laughed and then Jess got uncharacteristically serious "I only have one regret in life and that's not having ever loved or been loved. Harry give you're heart carefully but when given give it openly." Harry looked at her. He had never heard her so serious but it gave Harry an idea. He spent another hour or so with Jess and then made his way out of her room. He stopped at the nurses desk and asked about Jess's condition. The prognosis wasn't good but he made tentative plans to take Jess on an excursion when this round of chemo finished. Harry then went to find Kingsley and he ran the plan past him.

Two days later and Jess had finished her chemo and was feeling a little better. Harry checked in at the nurses station to confirm that she was ready. She had had a pretty good day, she had stopped feeling nauseous and she had had a big sleep earlier on in the morning. He thanked the nurses and asked them to pop into the room in 5 minutes to help her get dressed. Harry made his way into Jess's room. "Afternoon sexy." She smiled at him and replied "Hey good looking." Harry couldn't believe the change in her from two days ago. She still looked pale and she was now completely bald but she was back to her normal bubbly self. Harry smiled "Put on you're Sunday best we're going out" Harry pulled a bandana out of his pocket, placed it in her hand and placed a kiss tenderly on her forehead. The nurse had already entered camera in hand, she clicked it just as Harry was kissing Jess. The photo emerged a minute later being a polaroid camera. Harry looked down at the photo and saw that it captured each of them brilliantly. He turned to Jess and found that she was smiling widely whilst a few tears escaped her eyes. He told her that he would wait outside whilst she changed. When she emerged Harry was so happy with how she looked. The nurse had done such a good job, she had added some makeup so that Jess didn't look so pale. He promptly introduced her to Kingsley and he was informed that a wheelchair access cab was available down stairs for them under Harry's name. They said a quick goodbye to the nurses and Harry wheeled Jess downstairs.

Harry, Kingsley and Jess arrived at the large shopping centre which Harry and Kingsley had visited earlier on. Harry wheeled Jess ahead whilst Kingsley stayed close enough to be of assistance as needed. Jess still hadn't talked so Harry decided to start "I thought it was about time that you left the hospital, what would you like to do?" Jess looked up at him, "Honestly?" She asked him. Harry nodded "I would love to share a milkshake like they do on all of the t.v. shows but that's out of the question. How about we just do some window shopping for awhile and then could we take in a movie?" Harry answered "Whatever you want sexy" but was secretly surprised by what she wanted to do. According to the doctors and nurses it was unlikely that she was going to live out the month and she wanted to go shopping and to a movie. Then Harry worked out why she wanted to do those things, it was one of the most normal things a teenage could do. Harry started to push her way down the mall and she sporadically told Harry to stop. At some of the shops that Harry stopped he got quite bored but when those times he would look over to Jess and see just how happy she was. Suddenly Harry stopped and pulled Jess into the lingerie store. "Every girl needs sexy lingerie" She laughed so hard that he was surprised that she didn't get sick but she managed to get herself under control. Harry asked the question that every girl hates to here "Now what size are you?" Jess screamed at him "You don't ask a girl what size she is, what are you a Neanderthal?" Harry just laughed and made his way to the red lingerie. He held up several sizes and decided that she was definitely the small. Then he made his way to the purple sets and started to check the colour on her, he then called Kingsley in. "Hey Kingsley I need a mans opinion. Red or purple" He held each up in turn and then kept on alternating. Finally Kingsley decided "Purple. No question. I'm sure you will look very beautiful lying up in bed in your new lingerie." Both Jess and Harry laughed this time. Harry made his way to the counter paid for it. All three of them then made there way to the cinema. Harry got three tickets to see Notting Hill, from the teasers that he had seen on the TV he could tell that it was a romantic comedy, not really what he wanted to see but he knew that Jess would like it. He asked the attendant about the wheelchair access and was quickly told to follow a different attendant. They all settled down to watch the movie, Harry held Jess's hand throughout the whole movie. He found that he actually enjoyed it, a happy ending was just what he was hoping for.

The three of them made their way back to the taxi rank. Harry could tell that Jess was incredibly tired. She had closed her eyes whilst they were waiting for the taxi that Harry had booked. When they were successfully inside the taxi Jess said without opening her eyes "I love happy endings" she waited awhile and none of the boys knew how to respond so they said nothing and then Jess continued "I got my happy ending," and she promptly fel asleep. As they approached the hospital and got Jess settled back in her room Jess thanked them for a lovely afternoon. Kingsley and Harry didn't go running for a change instead they stopped and had a meal at a restaurant on the way home. Harry started the conversation "Jess is a remarkable girl, what did you think of her." Kingsley thought about his answer "She is a great girl. We could all learn about a lot from her." Harry nodded thoughtfully and then decided to share some of what he had learnt from her "I have. She has basically no chance of survival and she has no family yet she is one of the happiest people that I have met. She has already taught me so much. She made me realise that I have to keep living no matter what bad luck I encounter." Kingsley was surprised to see the remarkable change in the young man that sat before him. A little over a week ago he had been a raving depressed boy who was angry at the cards that had been dealt him yet today he radiated maturity and his moods were much less severe. There was no question that Harry had moved from clinical depression towards a more healthy state of grief and he was much pleased. He had worried nearly every night that he might kill himself. They finished their tea and headed home.

The next few days contained many surprises for Harry. The day after Jess's and Harry's excursion he received a phone call from Hermione. He was both surprised and incredibly happy. To hear Hermione's voice was an amazing luxury and he was relieved that she was safe. Dumbledore and Kingsley had told him that she was safe but to be able to hear for himself made all of the difference. He had what girls call a deep and meaningful conversation with Hermione and he bought away from the conversation what he thought he knew but something he wanted to be confirmed. Harry had a family, it was by no means a conventional family but who's family is. When he made his way to the hospital to see Jess and Marge he was disappointed to hear that Jess was too tired for visitors but he understood why. Yesterday would have taken a lot out of her especially as they had gone the day after she had finished her chemo. The next day Bill dropped in with some of the twins products. And the day after Dumbledore returned. Dumbledore's visit was an interesting one for both parties. Harry started to open up a bit more to Dumbledore, cracking a few jokes about Dumbledore being a Gramps and then he let him in a bit on the friendship he shared with Jess and Ron and Hermione. Dumbledore left the meeting with a greater understanding of the maturity that the three teens held. Of course he already knew that the three of them were already mature but he didn't really know the degree to which their experiences had changed them.

The day after Dumbledore's visit Harry was back at the hospital and Jess was once again able to receive visitors. She was sitting up in her new purple top that Harry had bought but she didn't look like herself. They talked quietly for a few minutes and then Jess would fall asleep. She would then wakeup and continue the conversation like they had never stopped. The conversation eventually turned round to the morbid discussing of odds that each of the patients on the paediatric oncology unit had. Harry was uncomfortable with this line of discussion as it touched upon Harry's thoughts on the prophecy but decided to stick with it as Jess wanted to discuss it and it felt to Harry that maybe she needed to. "That girl over there." She pointed to a little girl "She's 7 and she has only a 1 in 10 chance of surviving until she is 10. That one over there she is 4, a 1 in 4 chance of surviving until her 5th birthday. That boy there is the lucky one, he has a 1 in 2 chance of surviving." She then turned to Harry "Do you want to know my odds?" Harry looked at her with fear in his eyes but nodded knowing that she wanted to tell someone who cared about her "1 in 100 of surviving till the end of the month." She turned away and then asked him to leave. Harry made his way out of her room and approached the nurses station when he had gotten the attention of one of the nurses he told her what Jess had just told him, she looked at him sadly and started to nod "Sorry sweetheart, she's right. She isn't having anymore chemo and the bone marrow transplant she had last year didn't help at all. We can take your number and ring if things look like they take a turn for the worst. You are about the closest thing she has for family." Harry handed her the number and left, completely ignoring any attempts of conversation that Kingsley made. After their run Harry sat down in his room and thought about what Jess had told him. She thought that the kid who had a 50 50 chance of surviving was lucky. Harry had never thought of himself as lucky but by Jess's reasoning he was. He had a family and he didn't have to face certain death like she did. He also could increase his chances by training.

The next day Harry arrived at the hospital only to find Jess was slipping into and out of consciousness with unnatural ease. He made sure to tell her that he loved her every time she was awake but left early all of the same. In a last gesture of being normal Jess she cracked a joke as he left "Bye sunshine, I'll take you out tomorrow return the favour you did me." As Harry left the hospital he made his mind up that he was going to live life to the fullest, if Jess could crack a joke in semi-consciousness surely he could crack a joke among friends, smile at random people and love those are close to him. Kingsley was happy to see Harry in a better mood again and when Harry and he had finished their run he certainly wasn't expecting to see Harry back at his door at midnight.

All was quiet in the Dursley house when suddenly the loud shrill ring of the phone woke up all of the occupants. Vernon was appalled to here that the person on the other end was asking for Harry, all the same he went and got the boy. Harry picked up the phone thinking that Hermione had gotten the time difference messed up but was saddened to here that it was the hospital telling him that Jess only had a matter of hours to live. Harry told the woman that he would be there as soon as possible and to tell Jess that he was coming if she regained consciousness. He then dialled for a taxi giving Kingsley's address. Harry then went and got changed and ran down to Kingsley's banging aggressively at the door. Kingsley quickly worked out what Harry wanted and why he needed to do it and went and got changed. The taxi came and the two of them made their way to the paediatric oncology ward and made their way to Jess's room. Harry grabbed a chair pulling it over to the bed so he could hold her hand. Kingsley pulled up a chair next to Harry and gently put his arm up squeezing his shoulder. Harry was pleased to see that she was wearing the purple night dress that he bought her. Jess never regained consciousness and died a couple of hours later but Harry didn't leave until dawn came. As he made his way out of her room a nurse called him over "Here Harry, Jess wrote a letter after you left yesterday. She knew her time was coming. Take care okay." Harry nodded grasping his letter tightly whilst Kingsley manoeuvred them out of the hospital and towards the waiting taxis. When they finally reached home Kingsley told them that their workouts were off unless he turned up wanting to do them. Harry nodded passively and made his way to his house.

Harry sat on his bed looking at the letter. He had managed a couple of hours sleep once he had returned from the hospital but he now felt that he should read Jess's letter. He opened the envelope and pulled out the letter that Jess had written for him and just held it. For a change Harry didn't feel guilty about someone's death, just sad. He decided that he was only putting off the inevitable and he pulled it open.

Dear Harry,

                  So I'm dead. I hope you are okay with it. I'm okay with it. I have seen a lot of people come through the oncology ward and a lot of them have died too. When I first saw you, you already looked dead. You couldn't see anything that was great about this world. I know there is more to you than what meets the eye but I want you to remember that hope and love is the greatest gift you can give anyone and you gave those to me. You gave me hope because I could tell that you would become a great man, a man that other people could look up to. You also gave me love, something that no one has ever given me before. Remember Harry that it works both ways though. You have to be ready to accept someone elses love in order to feel complete. Let Ron and Hermione and everyone else that you have mentioned love you. Remember the glass is never half empty and that nothing is black and white. Look beyond appearances and you will learn many a things. Remember all of those you have lost for the good times and forget the bad. Somethings just aren't worth dwelling on. Keep this letter always and hopefully you can draw hope from it, like I did from you and accept the love that I am now giving to you freely.

Love Jess

Harry folded the letter and replaced it in the envelope and put it safely into his trunk and left to go for a run with Kingsley. Jess didn't have a funeral but Harry took Kingsley to a church nearby to say their own private goodbye.

The last two weeks after that passed slowly with the only highlights being Hermione's subsequent phone calls and Dumbledore's visits. With a week to go Harry asked Kingsley if he could contact Dumbledore for him as he had something to discuss. Kingsley wasted no time getting him and Harry soon found himself sitting at Kingsley's table with the headmaster. Dumbledore waited for Harry to start and for the first time in his life Harry didn't feel at all intimidated by the figure sitting before him "I want to tell Ron and Hermione about the prophecy. They have a right to know." Dumbledore had expected this. Ever since Harry had started to open up, he knew that eventually he would decide that his friends needed to know about the prophecy. Dumbledore started to speak, Harry needed some reassurance that what he wanted to do was the right idea. Dumbledore doubted that Harry would have kept the prophecy to himself if he had asked him to anyway. "I think it is a wonderful idea Harry. You're right they do have a right to know. I would like to ask however if I could tell the order?" Harry considered the request. It would be in the orders best interests if they knew about the prophecy but Harry didn't really want every man and his dog knowing that he had to become a murderer or be murdered. He decided on a compromise "You can tell a small part of the order, I don't really want everyone knowing about it but I also have to tell Ron and Hermione first. It will be hard enough on all three of us without them not knowing why everyone is so solemn around me." Dumbledore nodded. He still truly couldn't believe how mature the boy was. If he had any doubts about letting the three of them in on order meetings they had all been erased. "Would you like to borrow my pensive Harry?" Dumbledore questioned. Harry thought for a second and decided it would probably be much easier to let them see it rather than explain it. Harry nodded. Dumbledore rose from the table and explained to Harry that he had to get back as he had an important meeting with Fudge to attend and then promptly left.

The days after the impromptu meeting with Dumbledore were a lot easier for Harry to bear. He had come to accept his fate and he had come a long way in accepting Sirius's death. Getting over Jess's death was different. Harry had no problems accepting that she was dead. However she was very much in his thoughts. Harry would often find himself thinking to himself would Jess approve. She had become his behaviour modifier. If he got too depressed he would try and pick himself up a little. Think about all of the good in his life. However there was little good that came out of his vision that he had on the second to last day. He was lying in his room when suddenly he was back looking through Voldemort's eyes. His scar felt like it was on fire and Harry was sickened by what he saw before him. Voldemort had gained the dementors for his cause and he had rescued the death eaters that he had helped put in prison. As soon as Harry was able to move he ran straight down to Kingsley's house and told him what had happened. Kingsley quickly walked Harry back to his house, made Harry promise to not leave and then disapparated away. Upon his return Kingsley just told Harry that yes the dementors had abandoned Azakaban but things were being taken care of. The next day continued like normal and Harry was a bit intrigued to find that he was thanking the Dursley's for a some what pleasant holiday. He promised to see them the next day and made his way to bed. The next morning Harry woke early and said his final goodbyes and made his way to Kingsley's where a portkey was waiting to take him wherever he was going. He knocked on Kingsley's door and was promptly handed a portkey and in another 10 seconds he had gone.