Harry stumbled barefoot down the stairs still dressed in his flannel pajamas. He had just crawled out of bed and had only one thing on his mind. Food. Harry entered the kitchen and yawned while he rubbing the sleep from his eyes and ran a hand through his severe case of bed head. His eyes roamed around the kitchen as he debated where to start his search for food. He began opening cupboards and peeking inside hoping for something edible he found several random food items, several vials of substances that he expected were house hold potions and a shopping list. He silently swore to himself. Just his luck it was grocery shopping day. He went back to rummaging through cupboards and had found what had to have been the wizarding equivalent of a refrigerator, a random cupboard with a cooling charm placed on it, and was looking through there when he heard someone walk into the room.

"Try the cupboard under the sink."

"What?" he said looking up to face his Aunt.

"Molly told me she left you food under the sink." Petunia moved over to the table and sat down. "I don't exactly understand why it's under the sink but that's where she said she had left it."

Harry opened the cupboard under the sink and it became apparent as to why his lunch was left there. "Warming charm," he said as he took a seat at the table. He began to eat with his Aunt looking over at him. Her gaze was unnerving. He looked back up to her. He was unsure what to say, but he had to break the silence somehow. "Chip?" he offered.

"No thanks, Dudley and I ate lunch at a normal time today."

"Oh," said Harry. He looked around the room for a hint as to the time but found nothing. There was no hint of a clock and the pouring rain outside left no daylight to base the time on. "What time is it?"

Petunia smirked at the boy. "A little after three in the afternoon."

"I'm sorry," Harry mumbled. "I should have been up earlier."

Petunia reached out to touch the boys arm making him flinch slightly. The idea of him being afraid of her broke her. She knew it was her own damn fault. She should have stood up to her husband early on, but she was to weak. "Harry don't worry about it. You can sleep in as late as you want. You had a rough night."

At a loss for words Harry shrugged. He started eating again but the silence was gnawing at him. Deciding that an uncomfortable conversation was better than the silence he spoke up. "Where are the Weasleys?

"At St. Mungos they will be home for dinner. St. Mungos that's right?" Petunia sighed, "This is so hard to get use to."

Harry nodded, "Your telling me. You were right though it's St. Mungos. How are Fred and George doing?"

"This morning Mrs. Weasley said that the curses they were hit with were completely reversible and they would be home tonight or tomorrow. I think they are staying here since their shop and apartment above the shop were completely destroyed."

A grin spread across Harry's face. "You realize they are going to torture Dudley?"

Petunia shrugged, "He's a big boy. He can fend for himself."

Harry choked on his pumpkin juice in shock.

Petunia continued, "He needs to learn that what goes around comes around."

"But I thought you didn't know about Dudley and his bullying."

"Oh I knew, but that bastard of a husband wouldn't let me do anything," she sighed. "Thank God that's over."

Throughout the last couple of days one thing still remained a mystery about Petunia. Harry played around with the idea of asking for a short moment in his head before he opened his mouth. "Aunt Petunia, I thought only wizards and witches could perform magic and see dementors."

Petunia bit her lip trying to figure out the best way to explain it. "After Lily was accepted to Hogwarts I became jealous. I thought it was so unfair she was so special and I wasn't. I wanted to be an equal to her again. I read everything I could find. Lily was really helpful by supplying me with books that they didn't have in the normal world. The more I read the more I figured out that a wizards power isn't unique to just wizards, but wizards are born with a special ability to harness and use those powers. Well, you know what squibs are right?"

Harry nodded his head.

"To a wizard that can harness their powers the powers are normally triggered by a deep emotion, but when you don't have that ability there's a chance you can learn to through certain exercises. In the past this has worked for squibs and I figured that if a squib can do it I should be able to as well. Through a lot of work and a lot of help from your Mum I slowly started to enter the magic world. By no means am I witch, but I have been able to use a little bit of the magic in me. I am more sensitive to the magic around me which allows me to see the dementors."

It was just so hard to comprehend that his aunt who had treated him so cruelly because of his back round only wanted to be what was. She had worked far harder than anyone he had known to learn magic and amazingly did so. She had to have know what was happening when early in life Harry found himself performing accidental magic , but it was her to helped lock him in the closet. It was her who denied him necessities of life. It was her who never stood up for him. She was the one person who may have had a clue as to what he was going through, but she never even tried to pretend she cared. Why should she act like she cares now. He had to get out of the kitchen the more he thought about his Aunt the more he couldn't stand her. He looked up and pretended to grin. "Where's Dudley?" he asked hoping that he could avoid the boy as he ran off to his room.

"He's in his room pouting. I refused to send him to that horrid school his Father had sent him to. Instead he's going to the public school," Petunia sighed. "I'd like to send him to a nice private school, but I can't afford that." Petunias voice trailed off and quietly to herself she added, "I'm going to have to get a job for the first time in my life."

Harry nodded unable to stay in the room any longer. "I need to go study" he said getting up from his spot at the table and taking his dishes to the sink before rushing off to the safety of the upstairs bedroom he shared with Ron.

The owls in the closet softly hooted in welcome as Harry fell into the chair in front of the aging small desk that lined the one of the walls of the yellowing white washed room. He buried his face in his hands taking slow breathes trying to sooth the anger he was feeling. Pushing the pads of the fingers against his head he slowly massaged his temples quietly muttering to himself in a barely audible voice and lacing his language with obscenities. He just couldn't believe his Aunt. How could she ever expect him to forgive her. Harry was beginning to lose himself in thought when he heard a swish of wings and felt and owl gently set itself down on his shoulder. "Hey Hedwig," Harry murmured to the owl. "Your just using me for owl treats," he softly jested with the owl as reached for a container on the desk. He pulled a small treat from the container and held it out for the snowy owl who gingerly took it out of his hand. Behind him he heard the hyperactive fluttering of wings and spastic hoots of the small owl Ron owned. Harry turned to the closet and grinned. A small ball of feathers was fluttering around the top shelf of the closet. Harry got up from his chair with Hedwig still placed on his shoulder and set an owl treat on the closet shelf while Pig hooted around Harry's head in excitement. Hedwig made a noise of distaste for the small birds antics. Harry reached up and lightly stroked his fingers against her soft feathers. Harry again sat down at the desk and pulled the large Transfiguration text book to him. He began reading and taking precise notes. He had to do his best this year. He wasn't willing to let anything get in the way of him becoming an auror.

Harry wasn't to sure how long he had been studying when the door creaked open and Ron entered the room. Ron snorted when he saw what Harry had been doing all day. "Has Hermione possessed you?"

"Nope," Harry answered barely lifting his head from the text. "How are your brothers?"

"Their fine. They have been harassing the nurses all day. It's gotten to the point where their assigned nurse refuses to answer their call light and instead sends a male nurse who looks older than Dumbledore to their room. They should be coming home tomorrow afternoon," Ron said as he threw his cloak onto a chair and sat on his bed. "How was your day with the Dursleys?"

Harry shrugged pulling his attention away from his textbook. "I didn't see Dudley at all but Aunt Petunia is… I don't know how to explain it. I guess she expects me to feel bad for her or something because she has been through so many hardships." Harry sneered at the thought. "That's not going to happen."

"Right!" agreed Ron. "It shouldn't happen after the way she has treated you. You know today that piggy son of hers spent most of the morning whining because he couldn't go to some school. It was quite annoying."

Harry nodded. "I heard about that." A smirk began to appear on Harry's lips. "You realize that now he is going to have to wear the Gods awful black uniform that Aunt Petunia tried to make me wear before I was accepted to Hogwarts. She literally dyed some of Dudley's old clothes for me. I know that she can't afford to buy him a new uniform. Serves him right. For once he wont be getting the new and the best."

Ron snorted and pulled a book out from under his bed and began flipping through the pages. Curious, Harry looked over and out of shock fell off his chair onto the hard wood floor and burst into a fit of giggles. Through giggles he questioned Ron. "Divination? Are you mad?"

Ron nodded, "Yes, yes I am. I had to take one more class to please my Mum and Divination seemed like a better option than History of Magic."

"Anything is better than History of Magic. What classes are you taking this year?" Harry asked.

"Charms, Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Divination, and Herbology," Ron listed. "What about you.?"

"Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Charms and Potions. They are all the classes McGongall said I should take if I wanted to be an Auror." Harry shook his head in disbelief. "I still can't believe I got into potions."

"Harry an Auror? You never told me that's what you wanted to be!"

"Oh yeah, sorry I had a lot going on." Harry blushed. He wasn't use to the idea of people supporting his decisions. "What are you planning on doing after Hogwarts?"

A look of confusion crossed Ron's face. "I'm not really sure. I was thinking that if I didn't know by the time I graduated I would help dad out at the ministry or something. So do we know if Hermione has dropped any classes?"

Harry grinned. "Nope she is taking everything. She thought it was such a shame I dropped Astronomy and History of Magic." Harry rolled his eyes. "She takes everything way to seriously."

Before the conversation could go on Mrs. Weasley was heard yelling through the house that dinner was ready. Ron and Harry joined the small crowd in the kitchen and began eating. Harry couldn't ever think of a meal with the Weasleys that had ever been this quiet. Partway into the meal a doorbell disrupted the silence. Mrs. Weasley got up from the table and was soon followed back into the kitchen by Tonks. Tonks had a large grin on her face and sat down next to Harry at the table and started filling a plate with food. After taking several mouthfuls of potatoes she turned to Harry and poked his side. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I found out you have a birthday coming up in two weeks. I know you celebrated your birthday with the Weasleys and the Order last year but this year I decided to throw you a real birthday party at my apartment. No adults."

Harry stared at her. "Your kidding." No one had ever considered throwing him a real birthday party before.

"Nope. Saturday the 31st you and some of your classmates will be arriving at my apartment to have a party."

There was fury in Mrs. Weasleys eyes. "A party with out a chaperone? Albus surely wont agree to this."

Tonks turned to Mrs. Weasley. "I'll be there to chaperone and Professor Dumbledore has already approved. He thinks it would be a great idea. I went to him with the idea today."

Mrs. Weasley was defeated. She quieted but held the look of fury in her eyes.

Harry was left in disbelief. He turned to Tonks and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Thank you so much."