From high in the sky
Through the clouds and rain
Every familiar field
Seems like an old friend
When every hand that you shake
Is like a warm embrace
Could only be one sweet place
Home in the heartland

Sing out your songs and
Ring out your stories and rhymes
Weave from your dreams those mystical
Dances that lead us to bend in heart and mind

As we circle the world
With our wandering airs
Gathering here and there
Leaving behind our share
Like the leaves in the wind
They are blown along
Each melody rising from
Home and the heart land

For Harry Saying goodbye to Severus was one of the saddest things that he had ever done in his life. Also leaving his two best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger behind was also a very hard decision.

Walking through the veil at the department of mysteries was what he hoped to be his ending of his pain and suffering, but it wasn't, Harry became caught in his own destiny and was now going through intensive training for when he returned to the physical realm.

Even though Harry had promised that he would come back Severus was in a deep depression and nothing Albus Dumbledore could do would help his potions master.

Announcing the death of Harry Potter to the wizarding world was one of the hardest things that Dumbledore ever had to do. Even though he was an old wizard and experienced many things in his life, nothing was as terrifying of what would happen next because Voldemort was now unstoppable.

Voldemort had begun to take over the ministry of magic, and now that he had gotten rid of Fudge he put Lucius Malfoy in charge of running the wizarding world.

Hogwarts had even changed. Even though Dumbledore was still the headmaster of the school Voldemort had allowed him to run Hogwarts as he wished except for the fact that Death Eaters were always patrolling the school grounds to make sure that Dumbledore didn't do anything too brash.

Hogwarts was now very subdued because of the loss of Harry Potter. The golden trio wasn't even Golden, they were a very quiet pair of people that started to go out with each other realizing that not matter what they could do they could not bring Harry back.

Watching all of the events playing out below him from the looking glass above, Harry realized what exactly he had done by leaving all of his friends and love behind. He had destroyed their souls.

"Harry dear," his mother Lily Potter said to him gently. "It is time for you to go back to where you belong."

Looking up slowly at his mother Harry saw that she had gathered all of his family and mentors together and they were waiting for him to say goodbye.

Harry had been training for thirteen years with his mentors. Even though he spent thirteen years training each month in the wizarding world was a year for Harry, he was now thirty but had the physical appearance of someone in their early twenties with an exceptional physical build.

"Harry," Merlin said, "I know this is going to be hard for you, but we would like you to finish your final year at Hogwarts so that you can bring hope back into the world and eventually defeat Voldemort."

Harry just sighed and looked into the eyes of Salazar Slytherin and slowly nodded his head in under standing. By trying to escape his destiny of destroying Voldemort by going through the veil, Harry just sped up his training and destiny. Unfortunately for Harry he was now ready to face everyone that he had let down by disappearing.

It was time to go back to Hogwarts, it was September first and people were just starting to gather in the great hall for the beginning of the year feast and the sorting to start.

Saying goodbye to everyone that had helped Harry in the past years he opened a portal to the side chamber of the great hall and with one last look over his shoulder at what had become his family, he walked through the portal back into the wizarding world.

Watching the portal close behind Harry, Godric Gryffindor let out a great sigh, "And so it begins."

Feeling a slight shift in the wards of the school and another shift of another person entering the school, Albus Dumbledore was in the great hall making sure everything was getting set up for when the students began to arrive. Knowing that there was a person off to the side chamber in the great hall called for Severus and Minerva to come with him to see who the person was.

Entering the side chamber Severus was surprised to a person sitting in a tall chair facing the fire.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Hello, my name is Albus Dumbledore and I am the current headmaster of Hogwarts and I would like to have a talk with you."

Harry, sitting comfortably in the chair stood up slowly and walked around the chair to see Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape all looking at him waiting for an answer.

"Good evening Severus, Minerva, Dumbledore," Harry said nodding his head in respect towards the professors. "I doubt that you will be able to recognize me but I am Harry Potter."

Severus dropped his mask for a moment to let a look of surprise and awe fickler across his face. Harry had become a fine young man, instead of messy black hair, there was long black hair flowing down his shoulders and also no glasses were evident. The only way he could recognize Harry for who he was, were the green eyes that were searching his entire face.

Minerva gasped taking in the drastically changed appearance of her favorite student. Not knowing what to say, she looked to her left where Dumbledore was currently standing.

"Welcome back Harry," Dumbledore said. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you return from the veil?"

"That is a story for another time professor," Harry began looking quickly at Severus who he figured told Dumbledore that he went through the veil. "I will be happy to tell you what happened sometime later when we have a few hours to ourselves."

"That is fine with me Harry. I was wondering what you would like to do about your appearance, because Voldemort is in charge of the wizarding world right now and you are dead to most people."

"Well," Harry began trying to think of what is best options would be. "I would like to be resorted into another house, but also given another name. Also I would like to be put in my seventh year."

"I don't think that is a wise idea," Severus began his voice silky devoid of any malice. "I think that since Potter here has missed his sixth year he would redo his sixth year."

"I would think," Harry began pausing to gather his own thoughts while putting up a mental barrier against Snape from tying to break into his mind. "That I would be tutored by a teacher until I am up to seventh year standards but until I am up to standards I would be allowed to sit in the class and try and learn as much as I can."

Harry knew that even if he was put in any seventh year class he would ace the class because of his training with his family and mentors was ancient magic and it was much harder than anything Hogwarts taught.

"Severus," Dumbledore began to say, "You have no right to judge Harry on what level he is at magically. I will resort you tonight and I will have the other professors monitor your progress in your classes to make sure that you aren't falling behind."

"Yes professor," Harry said. "I have thought of a good name for me, Alexander Covan."

"Minerva, it is time for the sorting to begin, Alex, please follow Minerva," Dumbledore said. "Severus it time."

Harry followed professor McGonagall to the entrance hall where the first years would be ready to enter the great hall and be sorted into the four houses.

Following the younger students that were being lead into the great hall Harry quickly changed to color of his eyes to a dark brown so that no one would recognize Harry for who he really was.

As Harry entered the great hall he noticed Dumbledore stand up and address the student body.

"Good evening to all of you, before we start with the sorting you may have noticed there is a new student, his Name is Alexander Covan and he is from a small wizarding town to the north and his family and home have been destroyed by Voldemort and he is coming to Hogwarts for his seventh year."

Murmurs broke out among the hall but were quickly silenced by the sorting hat rising up a few inches above the stool that it was resting on and started to begin its song.

"Many years ago
I was created to divide
But now that everything has happened
In dark and light
These times are the times
We unite together for
A common goal
To become one
Not many
For those in Gryffindor
With a brave heart
And a common goal
Is the lions house
For those in Ravenclaw
Where brains prevail
And sharp minds are key
For those in Hufflepuff
Loyalty is the common thing
But every house is in you
And Slytherin
The slyest most mysterious house
Beware; some one has destroyed your heir
But now my job has begun
To sort you is now my fun
Because you'll do great things
Were you best belong!"

The great hall broke out in applause while Minerva began to read the names of the new first years that were being sorted.

Harry began to let his mind drift until he finally heard his name being called. Walking up the stool and placing the sorting hat on his head brought Harry back to reality.

"Where should I put you?" The hat began to say. "I see that you are heir of all of the houses and also Merlin, but where to put you? Well you were already in Gryffindor but I think that I will keep you there. GRIFFINDOR!"

With the last word Harry took off the hat and placed it back on the stool and walked over to the Gryffindor table where the noticed Ron and Hermione sitting next to each other looking sad. Not wanting to sit by his friends, Harry tried to find somewhere else to sit, but the only spot that was available was next to Ron.

"Hello my name is Ron Weasley and I am the head boy, it's nice to meet you."

"Alexander," said Harry holding out his hand to shake. "You can call me Alex."

Ron took Harry's hand as if he was going to shake it, but instead of shaking his hand he pulled up Harry's left sleeve to make sure that Harry didn't have the dark mark.

"Ronald!" Exclaimed a very startled Hermione, "Why did you do that?"

"You can never be too sure these days."

Hermione gave up on trying to make Ron be civil to Harry and noticed the food now on the dishes in front of her and began to serve herself some roasted potatoes.

Dinner was very uneventful. Harry sat there eating his food lost in his own thoughts about how much the world changed when he was training. Seeing that people were now getting up to go to their common rooms Harry got up and followed Hermione to the Gryffindor common room entrance. Even though he knew where the entrance was, Harry thought it was best if he did as he was told by Hermione because he was supposedly new to Hogwarts.

Hermione said the password to the common room, "Love." Harry went inside and waited for Ron to show him up to the seventh year dorms.

Ron entered the common room looking rather flustered; not wanting to provoke Ron any more than he probably was Harry kindly asked Ron to show him to the dorms so that he could go to sleep after a long day.

Walking up one of the towers, Harry was shown his old bed where he sat down and took a small box out of his pocket and un shrunk it. Opening the box Harry found a letter addressed to him and also his new trunk that had several compartments depending on what a person needed at the moment.

Pulling the four poster drawings close Harry changed into his pajamas and climbed into his bed after placing several complex wards around his bed incase something happened while he was sleeping.

As Harry drifted off to sleep he thought about how nice it was it finally be back home after being gone for so many years.

Thank you so much for your coments, they have been very helpful in starting to write the rest of the story. I will be out of state for three weeks and I'll be back on July 4th, so I probably won't be updating during that time. PLease leave your thoughts or comments!! Thanks!!