A/N: Well, the last few weeks have been insane. Between the multiple papers due, the three midterm exams, the extra hours at work, and a trip to visit family in Texas over Fall Break (that part wasn't all that bad, though it still accounts for a few days of not being able to write), I didn't have a whole lot of free time. But, when I had any free time at all, I used it to write this chapter. Actually, it probably would have been out a few days earlier if I had a beta reader. Anyway, here you go...

CHAPTER 6 - Letters

Their break lasted approximately an hour, and as they ascended the stairs towards Sirius' room, Harry realized he was eager to continue working. The prospect of actually learning spell work and tactics that might save his or one of his friends' lives was encouraging.

He followed Lupin silently the entire way to Sirius' room. Neither said a word, in fact, until they were through the picture frame and standing in the meadow.

"So, what now?" Harry asked.

"Well, as you already know, our afternoons will be dedicated to magic. Today we will focus on just one thing: teaching you to apparate. Since you cannot apparate inside Grimmauld Place from the outside, and vice versa, you will learn by transporting yourself to and from various locations within the house," said Lupin.

"So, I can't apparate from here to the Leaky Cauldron or from there to here, but I can move from Sirius' room to the kitchen?" Harry asked.

"Exactly. See, several of the wards in place around this house are there to keep unwanted people from just showing up. But, the wards don't prohibit you from moving as you like within the house," Lupin said with pride in his voice.

"You know, I always knew that you couldn't just apparate here from somewhere else, but I never really thought about it. I mean, Fred and George apparate all over this house, yet it hasn't ever struck me as that big of a deal," said Harry.

"Yes, they discovered the loophole almost immediately. Those two are very clever wizards; much more so than they appear to be," Lupin said proudly. "Now, let's get down to business. The theory behind apparation is probably the best place to begin. When standing in one location, the witch or wizard concentrates their mind solely on an alternate location. The destination must be a fairly familiar one, at the very least. Otherwise, there could be complications."

"Complications?" Harry asked.

"Yes. The result could be as minor as arriving at the wrong destination, or as major as splinching one's self," said Lupin with a shudder. "The latter is a nasty result, and is reason enough to always fully concentrate when relocating by this method."

"Okay, so I just think about the place I want to go, and I go there? I'm surprised I haven't accidentally done this before," said Harry.

"Well, there is a bit more to it. Theoretically, concentration is the key, though. Remember to close your eyes, too. This will help you to concentrate. Now, I will demonstrate."

Lupin walked about twenty feet from where Harry stood, and using his wand, painted a bright-orange circle with a radius of approximately five feet in the grass. He then strode back towards Harry, slipped his wand back into his robes, and then spoke. "That is the destination. Watch me carefully." The man then closed his eyes, and two seconds later there were two loud pops, as he disappeared from before Harry's eyes, and reappeared in the middle of the circle. "Keep in mind, I have been doing this for a very long time, and that this was a very short distance. Also, you and I are the only people here."

"What does that matter?" asked Harry.

"Well, you must be careful not to apparate into another person. The result is much like splinching, but far worse. Not only are you harming yourself, but another person as well. That is why it is not always a good idea to apparate into a large crowd," said Lupin as he walked back towards Harry. "Now, are you ready to try?"

"Erm, sure." He half lied.

Sensing the apprehension in Harry's voice, Lupin added, "Don't worry. You'll be fine. Just concentrate on the circle. Stare at it for as long as you need to, and once you have the image embedded in your mind, close your eyes. Continue to concentrate on the vivid image, and then simply tell yourself that you want to be there, in that circle.

Harry nodded, "Okay." He swept his eyes from Lupin and directed them towards the circle in the grass. He focused every ounce of his attention on the circle, as he had been instructed. When he felt comfortable enough, he shut his eyes. He still had the image glowing in his mind, as Lupin said would happen. Okay, he thought to himself, I want to be in that circle. Suddenly, he felt a faint jerk within his body. This was immediately followed by the sound of Lupin's voice.

"Excellent, Harry."

"What do you mean? I haven't done anything yet," he said, somewhat perturbed.

"Why don't you open your eyes, and reassess your situation," said the man.

Forgetting that his eyes were still closed, he did as he was told and opened them. He first spotted Lupin, who was standing in the same spot he had been, which was currently about twenty feet away. Without thinking, Harry's eyes flew to his feet. He was standing on the actual line of the circle. He had done it. He had just apparated.

"Now before you get upset at not having landed in the middle of the circle, I want you to know that no one ever goes exactly where they want to on their first try. In fact, usually people end up much further from their target than you did. I ended up two doors down on my first attempt," he laughed. "The fact that you are standing on the line is very impressive."

"Thanks," Harry responded.

"You're welcome. Now, tell me what you saw as you were arriving at your destination."

"What do you mean? I saw the circle, but I didn't even know that I had moved yet."

"Well, there is more to this process than just thinking about the location. We must now work specifically on the arrival aspect of the journey. Tell me, did you feel a slight jerk in your body at first?" asked Lupin.

"Yeah, it was kind of like with a portkey, but not as significant."

"Okay, good," Lupin said. He then pulled his wand back out, and proceeded to paint another circle on the grass directly beside him. "This time I want you to apparate to this circle. As soon as you feel the jerk, I want you to expand your concentration to include the area surrounding the circle. In this instance, you should take notice of my presence. You will continue to move toward the circle, but at the same time make sure to avoid me. This exercise will help you to get used to apparating into places full of people."

"Okay, so I just need to be aware of you standing on that side of the circle?" Harry asked.

"Precisely. Go ahead now."

Harry nodded and lowered his eyes to the newly created circle in the grass beside Lupin. He again focused his mind solely upon the circle and the space within it's boundaries. Once satisfied with his level of concentration, Harry closed his eyes, and he could still see the circle in his mind. Again he thought to himself, I want to be in that circle. He immediately felt the jerk inside his body. This time, however, Harry distinctly noticed a figure beside the circle, and told himself that he didn't want to get too close. For some reason, this time Harry realized that he had arrived at his destination. Somehow the entire process felt like it had been in slow-motion. On his first attempt, he just remembered the circle, and then the slight jerk. This time, however, he actually saw himself traveling. This thought brought him back to the present. He opened his eyes and looked down. He was standing in the center of the circle. When he looked up he saw that Lupin had a rather large smile upon his face.

"It was different this time. I could see myself moving. It was incredible," said Harry excitedly.

"Do tell," the man responded, still smiling.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent practicing the art of apparation. By the time they concluded the day's lesson, Harry had nearly perfected the mode of travel. He had moved short and long distances. He had appeared in desolate areas, as well as designated spots that Lupin had strewn various items about. He had even gotten to the point where he could set his feet down on the exact spot where he was told to land. The best part of it all, though, is that Harry enjoyed every moment. This was by far his favorite way to travel. He loved the idea of not having to travel by floo nearly as often, since it was not the most comfortable of methods by which to travel.

As they exited through the picture frame, Harry and Lupin were discussing the subject of when Harry would be able to apparate outside of Grimmauld Place.

"Maybe we could just go out the front door, and then immediately apparate to the Leaky Cauldron or something," he suggested eagerly.

"I'm not sure about that. I'll talk to Professor Dumbledore and see what he thinks."

"Well, I mean, I need to try it out sometime, don't I? We know that I can do it in here, but maybe it will be different for me in the real world," he said.

"I doubt there will be much difference, but I will talk to Dumbledore. I promise," said Lupin. "Speaking of which, you need to go wash up and relax for a little while. Your Occlumency lesson will be in just over an hour. Do you have enough energy?"

"I think I'll be okay," he responded, knowing full well that any other answer would earn him a lecture about how he needed to put forth more effort. Interestingly enough, though, he really did have some energy left. He was tired, of course, but he was nowhere near as exhausted as he had expected himself to be.

"Good. Now go clean up and I will come get you when Dumbledore arrives," he said as they exited Sirius' room.

Harry spent what felt like an eternity in the shower, letting the almost scalding hot water pour onto his neck, and work its way down his back. He used the time to not only relax his body, but his mind as well. When he stepped out of the shower, he was completely refreshed. He quickly dressed and headed down to the drawing room, figuring he'd just lay on the couch until the headmaster arrived.

As it was, Harry didn't have to wait very long. Moments after entering into the room, the other man arrived.

"Good Evening, Harry," said Dumbledore heartily.

"Hello, Professor," he replied, as he drew himself up from his sprawled position on the couch.

"Is your mind relaxed?" the elder man asked.

Confident in his answer, Harry replied, "Yes, I'm ready sir."

"Very well. If you are ready, let us begin," he said, drawing his wand from within his robes.

Diving right into the lesson, Harry felt the prodding into his mind continuously for over an hour. Professor Dumbledore was different than Snape, though. Rather than yell at Harry for allowing him to break down the mental barriers he attempted to set, Dumbledore made suggestions as to how he should improve. They actually spent more time focusing on exercises that Harry could do in his spare time in order to prepare himself mentally. Overall, he felt much better about how the lesson had gone, than he ever had after finishing with Snape. This was not to say that he hadn't exhausted every ounce of energy in him, though. The work itself had been every bit as tiring as it had been with Snape. The difference, however, was the fact that after his lessons with Snape, Harry was tired, angry, and no closer to mastering the subject. After saying goodbye to Dumbledore this evening, Harry felt tired, yet confident that he was slowly but surely advancing towards his goal.

He currently sat at the table in the kitchen, staring at a full plate of food directly in front of him. He truly was worn out. He had been sitting there for at least ten minutes, and had only managed to take a few bites. Lupin, who had prepared the food, took notice from his seat across the table.

"It isn't that bad, is it?" he joked.

Harry continued to stare off into space, his mind absolutely void of any thoughts.

"Harry?" Lupin tried again.

Finally realizing that the far off voice he heard was speaking to him, Harry snapped back into reality and tilted his head upward, away from his plate.

"Huh?" he asked unaware of what had just been said to him.

"I was just wondering if I should forget about ever cooking a meal again," he said, still smiling.

"Er...huh?" Harry asked, utterly confused.

"Eat," laughed Lupin, indicating Harry's plate. "As awful as it may look, it's full of nutrition."

"Oh, sorry. I'm just tired," he said, while at the same time spearing a potato and raising it to his mouth.

"There isn't any need to apologize. I understand you are tired. Just remember, that you have to remain healthy, and in order to do so you must eat."

"Alright," he replied, sighing.

"Now, I'll let you off the hook this evening. Go on upstairs and get some rest. I'll be waking you up bright and early tomorrow morning."

Harry didn't need to be told twice. He dropped his fork, and raised from his seat at the table. "See you in the morning," he said as he turned and headed out the door.

When he entered his bedroom, Harry was greeted by the sound of multiple owls fluttering about and hooting. Seated next to Hedwig on top of the dresser was Errol, the aging family owl of the Weasleys, while Ron's small owl, Pig, was streaking across the room. A smile appeared on Harry's face as both of the new arrivals slowly flew down and landed upon his bed, each stretching its leg out so that their letter would be the first removed. Harry relieved them both, and softly stroked Errol's feathers, while Pig resumed his flying around the room. Rather than taking off immediately, Errol remained in his current spot, eyeing Harry closely.

Harry turned his attention first to the letter delivered by the old bird. He immediately recognized Ginny's penmanship. Figuring he would read Ron's later, he tore open the envelope containing the letter from Ginny.

Dear Harry

Hey! How is life with the muggles? Have you lost your mind yet? I sure feel like I may lose mine. Mum won't let me out of her sight. It's as if she thinks I'm going to run off at the first opportunity. Her hunch is right, though. If I had anywhere to go, I would. I can't stand it here. Normally, I at least have Ron around to help pass the time, but he's been spending a lot of time in his room since we got home. What is it with you guys and hiding from everybody? Just kidding. Anyway, he only comes out to eat and to use the fireplace (Hermione had her parent's fireplace added to the floo network and she has been calling on him daily). Sure, he'll talk to her, but not to his own sister. He's such a prat. Dad told me not to bother him about it, though. He said that the Unspeakables told him that he would probably want to keep to himself for a couple of weeks, because of the confusing effect that the brains had on him. Still, I'm a little worried. Maybe, if it isn't too much to ask, you could help put my mind at ease. I just saw him send a letter off with Pig to you; could you just let me know how he sounds? I just want to know if there is any way that I can help him. Well, mum is calling me, so I should probably make my way downstairs now. I hope everything is okay with you. Please let me know, Harry, if you aren't okay.

Ginny

P.S. You better write me back as soon as you get this letter. I told Errol not to leave until you had a letter for him to return. Don't disappoint me.

Harry stared blankly at the letter. Eventually, a grin began to spread across his face. Turning towards Errol, Harry said, "So that's why you're still here."

The owl gave a mild hoot as a response. Not wanting to face the wrath of Ginny any time soon, Harry figured he should probably read Ron's letter and then write her back before going to bed. He didn't mind helping her out, especially if she were just concerned for Ron. Though, the way it sounded, Hermione was already taking care of the situation. Setting Ginny's letter on the bed beside him, he picked up Ron's letter and opened it. What Harry read surprised him, to say the least.

Harry,

I need your advice on something. Since the night at the ministry, I haven't really felt like being around anyone. Mum and Dad told everyone to leave me alone, and even Ginny hasn't bothered me much. The thing is Hermione refuses to just let me deal with everything going through my head on my own. When I didn't answer her first owl the day after we got home, she sent one to mum asking if someone could pick her up and bring her to the burrow for the afternoon. When she got here, she burst into my room and started lecturing me about all sorts of things. She said stuff like 'You need to talk to me Ronald. I know what you're going through and I can help.' Now don't get mad, but she even said that I was acting like you did last year. All I did was not answer one stupid owl. She finally left a few hours later, but she made me promise to talk to her everyday. Harry, she had her house connected to the floo network! So, everyday I have to go down to the fireplace and talk to her, or else she'll come and yell at me some more. That's the thing, though. I really am fine. There's no need for anyone to be concerned. I'm just a little bit confused from time to time, with random thoughts popping in my head. Other than that, I'm okay. The strange thing is that I can't bring myself to tell Hermione, because...because...I swear, if you tell Fred and George this, I will make you pay. I don't want to tell her, because I like seeing and talking to her everyday. I don't know what to do about it. It's Hermione! I would talk to Ginny, but I just can't. This is really frustrating. I'd tell you to write me back, but since I'm going to see you in two days, we can talk then. I'm going to go now, cause its time to eat. I'll see you at the reading of the will.

Ron

P.S. Please don't tell anyone about this...especially Hermione.

Harry stared in disbelief at the letter. Ron sounded so...so mature, yet clueless at the same time. The clueless part was normal; the mature side was definitely not. And why would Ron ask Harry about something like this? Since when had Harry known anything about this subject? He felt grateful that he didn't have to write Ron back, since he would see him in two days. Harry's eyes suddenly darted to the end of the letter. He just realized that Ron had said they would see one another at the reading of Sirius' will. He wasn't crazy. Ron had written that he would be there. This put him in a much better mood. His best friend would be with him during the whole thing.

He stood and walked over to his trunk to retrieve a quill and some parchment. Using the top surface of the trunk to write on, Harry sat and composed a brief response to Ginny.

Dear Ginny,

I am fine. Don't worry about me. I'm sorry to hear about your summer, though. I wish I could do more to help. Ron will come around. Don't worry about him. Speaking of, he said in his letter that he would be at Sirius' will reading. Are you coming too? Well, I'm really tired, so I guess I will maybe see you in a couple of days.

Harry

Knowing that his evasion tactics in regards to the content of his letter would probably just anger Ginny, Harry couldn't help but chuckle as he sealed the envelope. For some reason, he felt that this would almost guarantee him another letter, which for some odd reason was what he really wanted.

"Here you go, Errol," he said as he tied the envelope to the owl's outstretched leg. "This is for Ginny."

The owl blinked at Harry before turning to the room at large and giving a loud hoot. This was obviously Errol's way of gaining Pig's attention, because the small bird headed straight over. A moment later, they were both headed home to the burrow, and Harry found he was quite ready to get some sleep. No more than ten minutes later, he lay asleep on top of the blankets on his bed, still fully-clothed.

A/N: Just so you know, the next chapter is written, and chapter 8 is partially written. On top of that, I have a detailed outline through chapter 13, and a rough outline for the rest of the story. Basically, what I am saying is that it won't take me too long to post again. Also, please R & R, as always. Thanks.