A/N: I'm am really sorry that it's taken so long for me to update. I have decided that summer is even busier than the school year!

If there are a million mistakes in here, I apologize. My friend who usually checks it is away for two weeks. I figure I'll just edit it later.

Jadyn Potter : I know! It takes me forever to update! I'm sorry about that, but stick with me. I'm not done with it yet!

Silvercrystal77: I'm glad you like it. You'll find out what Dumbledore wants in this chapter!

Miss Effie: sheepish grin Don't be angry with me:D

MadJupiter: blushes under praise You'll find the answer to that in a later chapter.

Chapter Four-A Pleasant Surprise

Petunia looked up at Mrs. Figg. "I'm a witch," she whispered.

"I see," Mrs. Figg said, her eyes wide with shock.

"I've never told anyone that before!"

"Your secret is safe with me. But if you don't mind my asking, why haven't you participated in the wizarding world?"

"Well…when Lily and James were…you know…I had no reason to be a part of that world. I vowed I'd never go back," Petunia said, fresh tears now falling.

"Sounds to me like you're running."

"I am!" Petunia sobbed. "I was scared. Two of my best friends had just been killed! The other was sent to prison for killing thirteen people! What was I supposed to do?"

"Face it," Mrs. Figg stated simply.

"How?"

"Get involved again."

"I'm already receiving letters from Dumbledore twice a week with updates. He's telling me about Harry too. He received all O's on his OWLs, except on Divination where he got an A," Petunia proudly said.

"Maybe you should get involved with Harry personally. Not face to face. I don't know if he'd be able to handle it right now. But maybe you could write him letters," Mrs. Figg said.

"He hates me…"

"Don't sign your name. But ask him questions, confide in him. Maybe he will start to trust you. He may call you his friend. When the time is right, tell him who you are."

Petunia stood up, sending the cat running, wiped her eyes and smiled.

"Thank you."

Mrs. Figg stood up and gave Petunia hug. "Anytime, honey."

They headed to the door. "You're welcome here whenever you need me," Mrs. Figg told Petunia.

Petunia nodded and walked out the door.

Harry's heart was pumping harder with each step he took as he racked his brains for a reason Dumbledore might need to see him.

When he finally reached the gargoyle blocking Dumbledore's office, he had decided that Dumbledore just wanted to check on him after the summer.

"Hmmm…wonder what the password is this year?" Harry pondered aloud. "Jelly Slugs? Nope. How about…Fizzing Whizbees. Guess not. Maybe it's Ice Mice. Not that either. Pepper Imps? Exploding BonBons? Cockroach Clusters?"

Harry was starting to think that Dumbledore had changed the theme of his passwords when he gave one last attempt. "Nosebleed Nougat! Puking Pastilles! Fainting Fancies!"

The gargoyle sprang to life.

"Fainting Fancies? Fred and George would be proud."

The wall behind the gargoyle opened revealing Professor Dumbledore standing there staring at Harry through his half moon spectacles, his clear blue eyes alight with mischief. Dumbledore was wearing long turquoise robes and a smile.

"Good evening, Professor."

"Harry, I'm glad you could join me. I have a few things I would like to discuss with you on our way down to the feast."

Dumbledore walked out into the corridor still looking at Harry. The wall closed behind Dumbledore and the gargoyle leapt back in place.

"First off," Dumbledore continued as he walked down the hall, Harry at his side, "you will find your school supplies and extra money on your bed. I sent Hagrid out to get them for you."

"How did you know I couldn't get them myself?" Harry asked, looking up at Dumbledore.

"I have my sources." His eyes shimmered even more. "Secondly, how was your summer? Nothing unordinary happened did it? No Dementors, threatening letters? Because if something did happen, I need to know," Dumbledore said sternly, the glimmer in his eye fading a little.

"No, nothing…well, my aunt acted a little weird," Harry added, knowing it wasn't smart to keep anything from Dumbledore.

"How so?"

"She'd give me these looks. She wouldn't let me go to Ron's. She'd smile at me one minute, then get all barmy the next."

"I see. Nothing drastic though?"

"No."

"Good. Thirdly, you are going to resume your Occlumency lessons. Only this time…I will be your teacher."

"Do you think it'll be safe?"

"I hope so. But, Harry, you will need to practice on your own. Have friends help you. You need to master it. Now that you have let everyone know Voldemort is back, and now that they actually believe it, Voldemort is going to try to get back at you. The one place you are vulnerable is in your sleep. This is the only way to protect yourself. Do you understand?" Dumbledore said, his eyes completely serious and his voice was as formal as Harry had ever heard it.

Harry nodded. "Yes."

"Good."

They were standing outside the great hall now. "And fourthly," Dumbledore said, the twinkle and smile returning, "congratulations on becoming the Gryffindor Quidditch captain!"

When Harry found his voice he said, "I'm the what?"

"The Quidditch captain. I am sorry about all the work you are going to have to do."

"What do you mean?"

"You've lost some good players. Your three chasers are no longer attending Hogwarts, and your two beaters quit."

"They what!" Harry almost yelled.

"Calm down, you'll interrupt the feast," Dumbledore said, but not as if he cared. "Since you only have a team of two, I suspect you will want to hold Quidditch tryouts."

"Right," Harry grunted.

"Now, if you will excuse me, it looks as if the sorting is almost done."

Dumbledore turned, but before he opened the door, he looked back and said with a smile, "Harry, I do believe your choice of robes for tonight will not be fully appreciated tomorrow when classes begin."

Harry blushed as Dumbledore opened the door to the Great Hall, then they both went and sat with their peers.

Petunia no longer felt like crying. She had a plan, a friend, and an empty house. All of those combined made her feel happier than she had in days.

As soon as she entered her house, she turned for the stairs and slowly started her ascent. When she reached the top, she headed for the closed door across the hallway.

She took a deep breath, and pushed the door. The room she was facing, was Harry's.

The room wasn't very full, as all of the things that usually occupied it were currently at Hogwarts, but the bed, desk, bookshelf, and cupboard were still there.

Petunia crossed to the bookshelf and saw that a pile of parchment was left on the top shelf. She took a single piece and went to sit at the desk. When she was seated, Petunia started rummaging through the drawers for a quill and ink.

The first drawer contained only a few rubber bands. The second drawer held at least a dozen owl treats. The third drawer had nothing at all, and finally in the fourth drawer, Petunia found an almost empty inkbottle and one broken quill.

'This will have to work,' Petunia thought.

She looked at the piece of parchment sitting before her. "This is harder than I expected," she said to herself.

Finally after a few more minutes, Petunia bit her lip and wrote:

Dearest Harry,

She stopped to look at it. "No, no, no! That looks like he's my best friend."

She crossed it out, and beneath it wrote:

Mr. Potter:

"Much too formal."

Hey Harry!

"Too childish."

Hi.

She went on like this until the first sheet of parchment was filled with crossed out greetings. "I'm never going to get this done… but I have to try."

She stood up to retrieve another piece of parchment. As she did, her eyes went to a spot on the floor that was halfway hidden by the bed.

The memories started flooding back:

An owl from Dumbledore bringing news of Lily and James's deaths…vowing never to return to the wizarding world…trying to snap her wand, but it wouldn't…hiding it in the floor…never coming back to it…

The tears were starting to threaten her again, but Petunia held them back and headed to the spot under the bed.

She sunk to her knees, and pried up a loose floorboard. All that was there were a few crumbs and wrappers, leftover from Harry's stash of food.

Petunia smiled to herself. "I knew it," she breathed.

Even though there seemed to be nothing in the hiding spot, she reached a hand in and felt in the corners until she found the corner that had a chunk of wood missing. She stuck her finger in the small hole, and lifted, removing the false bottom.

All eyes were on Harry and his robes when he entered the Great Hall. But he wasn't paying attention to all the looks he got. He was still stunned about becoming the Quidditch captain.

He sat down next to Ron, just as Wyatt, Paige was sorted into Hufflepuff.

"What'd he want?" Ron asked eagerly.

But Dumbledore had stood up to speak, so Harry said, "Tell you in a minute."

"As I cannot give a speech on an empty stomach, all I am going to say is enjoy."

As Dumbledore sat, the golden plates magically became filled with food, and everyone started laughing and talking.

"So, did Dumbledore yell at you for the lack of black robes?" Ginny asked, trying to look innocent while she scooped mashed potatoes onto her plate.

"No, not exactly," Harry said as he bit a chunk out of his roll.

"Well, what did he want?" Hermione asked as she eyed the macaroni.

Harry swallowed and said, "Well, he asked some questions about my summer."

"And?" Ron asked impatiently, his plate already covered with lasagna.

Harry lowered his voice. "He's going to start giving me Occlumency lessons."

"I think you'll be much better off with Professor Dumbledore. But you're going to have to work a lot harder than you did last year, Harry," Hermione stated firmly.

"That's what Dumbledore said." Harry paused. "He also said I'd need to have help from friends. You guys will help me…won't you?"

"Of course, Harry! Don't look so worried!" Ginny said.

Harry smiled, then turned to look up at the staff table. "Where's Hagrid? And who's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Harry asked, looking at the teacher he didn't recognize. She was a middle-aged woman, her blonde hair pulled back into a knot. She had a very sharp nose, and was wearing magenta robes.

"No idea," Hermione said, looking up at her too.

"You can't have told us everything… you're holding something from us, mate. And I want to know what it is!" Ron said, not falling for Harry's changing the subject trick.

Harry gave a sheepish grin.

"Well, it must be good if you're acting like that," Ginny said.

"I'm Quidditch captain!"

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks."

"Good job, Harry. You deserve it," Ginny said. Then, looking across at Ron, she added, "Ron, you don't look very becoming with your mouth hanging open like that."

Ron closed his mouth, then scooped some sort of bean casserole onto his plate and started stuffing his mouth with it.

"That doesn't look any better," Ginny said. "You look like a chipmunk."

Ron shrugged as he swallowed. Looking down at his plate he said, "Good job, Harry."

Harry didn't think Ron looked very happy for him. Suddenly he had an idea. "Ron, do you want to be my assistant?"

"What? Why?" Ron asked, looking slightly happier.

"We only have a team of two, maybe three. We'll need to hold tryouts, and I'll need some help," Harry explained.

"I suppose…if you really need me," Ron said, grinning broadly. Harry smiled back.

"What do you mean by maybe three?" Ginny asked.

"Well, now that I can play Quidditch again, it means you no longer have a position as seeker. But since you made it onto the team, I was going to give you the option of becoming a chaser or beater."

"Ooo! Chaser most definitely! Thanks, Harry," Ginny said, a big smile on her face.

"No problem," he said. Then he took a bite out of his chicken leg.

They stopped talking then, and started eating. When they were done with their main course, they started in on desserts of pudding, cakes, and pies. When the Great Hall started to get louder, the food disappeared and Dumbledore stood once more.

"To those of you who are new to Hogwarts, welcome. To those of you who are not, welcome back. Another excellent feast is now in our past, so I now have some start of term notices to tell you first years. Although some of you older people should listen closely too," Dumbledore said as he smiled. "First off, everyone should note that the Forbidden Forest did not get its name for being safe. It is forbidden, and I warn you not to push your luck by entering it. Secondly, I am to remind you that magic is not allowed in corridors between classes.

"Also, Mr. Filch has asked that I remind you about the list of forbidden objects. It now includes anything from Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. The full list now has a total of 613 items on it, and it is currently residing on Mr. Filch's office door if any of you wish to view it.

"I would like to introduce and welcome back some teachers. Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is Nymphadora Tonks, who has taken leave from her Auror position at the Ministry, and will be staying with us for as long as necessary."

Harry looked up at the staff table, as did Ginny, Ron, and Hermione. Tonks looked back at them and winked. Then she smiled at the polite applause directed at her.

"Hagrid is back with us, but has asked to just remain gamekeeper. I am honoring his request, so Professor Grubbly-Plank is back as our full-time Care of Magical Creatures teacher." The applause was a little louder for Grubbly-Plank, but as Harry clapped, he was wondering why Hagrid quit.

"The Divination position is now filled by two teachers. Professor Trelawney and Professor Firenze." Parvati and Lavender were the only two who bothered clapping as neither of the teachers were in the room.

"And finally, I need to see all the prefects up here for a brief meeting before sending all of you to bed."

Hermione stood quickly and said to Ron, who didn't seem to be moving with as much energy as she was, "Are you coming?"

"Don't see why I have to. We don't ever do anything," Ron muttered as he stood.

"You're a prefect! It's part of your responsibility!" Hermione said as she and Ron left arguing.

"Honestly! You'd think they hate each other with the way they bicker," Ginny said.

"Tell me about it," Harry agreed.

"They should just start dating. It might save the rest of us," Ginny said.

"You think?" Harry asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Yes. Don't you? It's obvious they like each other. They're just too thick to see it," Ginny said, sounding surprised Harry didn't know.

"I suppose," Harry said shrugging.

"He's talked to you about it, hasn't he?" Ginny asked, not sounding surprised.

"Who?" Harry asked, trying to sound clueless.

"Harry, don't play dumb with me. It's obvious Ron's told you something."

"It is?"

"Yes."

"Ok…so Ron did tell me he liked Hermione. You reckon the feeling is mutual?"

"I know it is."

"How?"

"My word," Ginny commented at Harry's thickness. "Hermione has told me, obviously."

"Really? That's great!"

"I don't know. My brother is really thick. I don't think he'll go for it."

"Well…we should help them," Harry stated.

"How do you propose we do that, smart one?"

"I was hoping you would know."

"Yeah, I completely agree!" Ginny suddenly exclaimed, forcing a laugh.

"You agree you would know? Huh?" Harry asked, confused.

"No, silly. That it's going to be a boring year without Fred and George," Ginny said, giving a meaningful look behind Harry.

Harry took it to mean Ron and Hermione were coming back, so he nodded and said, "Yep. It's going to be a whole lot quieter without them."

"It sure is," Ron added as he sat down next to Harry.

"I think it's going to be rather peaceful," Hermione said as she sat next to Ginny.

"Yeah, well, you would," Ron snapped.

Dumbledore stood up then, causing everyone, including Ron and Hermione, to fall silent.

"I'm sure you are all ready for bed. Be sure to get a good night's sleep. Classes start tomorrow. Goodnight."

With that, he sat down again and everyone in the Great Hall stood up, causing the air to be full of noise.

Ron and Hermione went to the head of the table calling, "First years, over here! First years!"

Harry even heard Draco say, "Hurry it up, ya babies. You're moving slower than the Mudbloods." The first year Slytherins were trying to look brave, but ruined the image when they failed to control their trembling hands.

Harry shook his head and fell in step next to Ginny, trailing behind the first years.

"So I guess we'll figure something out later," Harry said, trying to fill the silence.

"Guess so," Ginny replied.

And they walked the rest of the way talking about their chances to win the Quidditch Cup.