Disclaimer: Check first chapter for full disclaimer and other warnings.

Chapter 29 – Girl Friends and Girlfriends

Early in the morning, outside time, Harry Potter came back to Hogwarts through the usual empty office. Thinking about it, he decided to add a few places for his ring, as the office was surely watched. As it was still night time, he transformed into his kitten form, and escaped the room. True to his insight, he saw the tired frame of professor McGonagall heading towards the office. He wanted to see Ginny before meeting his muggle friends or anyone else, and he headed towards the Gryffindor Tower. Once there, he mentally kicked himself again, as he didn't have the password.

Mewling in frustration, he scratched the portrait of the sleeping Fat Lady. The effect was almost immediate, as she woke immediately before shrieking at the damage.

"What did you do, you stupid, stupid animal!" Agitated, she paced around in her frame, before speaking again. "You want to enter, right?"

To her surprise, the small cat nodded.

"Very well... I hope you won't scratch my frame again. Next time, just mewl if your master forgot to take you home."

With that said, the portrait opened, to Harry's astonishment. He had never thought that someone could enter the Tower using this trick. Smiling in a cat's way, he jumped in the passageway, and found himself in the red and gold common room. Transforming into himself, he quickly spoke the appropriate words to add a secluded corner of said room as a destination for his ring.

He then tried to climb the stairs to the girl's dorms, but the stairs transformed into a slide, in the way it usually did when a boy tried to climb it. Thinking about that, he transformed into his cat form again, and tried to climb the stairs again. This time, the protection against boys failed to register his changed form. He reflected that, in the case it had happened, he would still have the sparrow form to fly over the obstacle. His smile widened, and he headed for Ginny's dorm.

Reaching the second year dorm door, he transformed briefly to turn the doorknob, before turning into his cat form again. No need to frighten the girls, he thought. He looked around, taking in the beds set in a circle in the round room. All beds had their curtains closed, but he noticed the trunks and recognized Ginny's. After all, their name was etched on them. His cat form climbed onto her bed.

She looked like she had had some nightmares, judging by the crumbled covers and sweaty forehead, so he went to her face, purring and licking her cheeks, trying to wake her while unconsciously comforting her. She stirred, and hugged him, before registering that something was in her bed.

Her chocolate eyes flew open, and she noticed the grinning cat beside her. His green eyes were fixed on her.

"Harry?" she asked in a squeaky voice.

The cat merely nodded, before licking her hand and pushing its small head onto it, like all cats did. However, knowing that it was him, the move was incredibly sensual as well. She gasped, and, smiling, scratched the sensitive skin behind his ears. Giving in to the animal instincts, he began to purr, and her smile widening, she caressed the furry beast until he lied on his back, licking his paws. She began to giggle lightly at the situation, and the cat's head shot up, before taking in the situation. He straightened and transformed back into his usual shape, still lying on his back.

Blushing, he shot her an annoyed look. "It's not funny."

"Yes it is." Seeing his disgruntled look, she steered the conversation away, and hugged him. "Enough of that. How are you, Harry?"

"I'm... doing fine, I guess, considering that I only recovered my memory less than 36 hours ago."

She hugged him more tightly. "I'm sorry, we couldn't reach you, and..."

He kissed her hair, trying to prevent her incoming sobs. "It's alright. Well... it wasn't for a while, but we are fine, now, aren't we?"

Ginny smiled through her watery eyes. "Yes, we are."

They stayed that way for a few minutes, until she spoke again.

"Harry?"

"Hmmm?"

"You are staying there, now, right?"

He looked into her eyes, and felt her insecurity about him and the world. However, he couldn't lie to her.

"I will be, Gin. But I promised to the muggles who took me in to spend some time there, too." He smiled, thinking about his hideaway. "Although I can spend a day per day with you, sometimes."

She looked at him, not quite understanding his meaning. "Care to elaborate for this stupid girl?"

He chuckled. "You're not stupid, stupid."

"Hey!"

She propped herself on her arm and slapped his shoulder, before lying her head on his chest again, while he continued. "I found that I own a set of rooms where time is slowed. I can spend four hours inside while only one would have been elapsed outside. If you wish..."

"Yes?"

"You can accompany me there now, and we would have..." he looked at his watch, "six hours there, before breakfast."

She raised her head and looked him in the eye. "Harry Potter, is this a manoeuvre to bring a defenceless young girl into your bedroom?"

Taking her smirk into account, he played along. "Why, yes, my dear, and I expect the young girl in question to agree, even if she's far from being defenceless."

She blushed, and they chuckled some more.

After some more time hugging comfortably, she spoke again. "Well... I agree, then. Perhaps you'll tell me what happened to the boy I... I knew."

He frowned at the prospect of spending six hours telling his story, but smiled nonetheless, as he was going to spend these hours with Ginny.

"Okay, Gin. I just hope that I won't have to repeat the whole story each time I meet someone."

"Are you planning on meeting more girls in their bed, young man?"

She was smirking at this, and, smiling, he played his part. "Well... you never know."

She slapped his shoulder again. "You prat!"

He laughed quietly, and remembered that she was still in her nightshirt. "You know, Ginny, if you are going to spend six hours with me, you might want to take a change of clothes as well."

She stared at him for a second before erupting in laughter, making some of the other dorm inhabitants stir in their bed. Seeing his confused face, she laughed again, although quietly this time, her hand on her mouth. When she calmed herself, she waggled her eyebrows and asked "What are you suggesting, Harry Potter?"

Seeing his sudden blush, rivalling with her hair colour, she chuckled some more. After a full minute of this, she tried to recover her normal breathing, while he began to turn his usual colour.

"Okay, Harry, I'll come with you. And I'll bring a change of clothes. Do I need anything else?"

"Take your wand, you never know if you'll need it afterwards."

She looked at him with a sudden thoughtful frown.

"What?" he asked.

"If you want, I can bring a Quick-Notes quill."

"What for?"

"If you want to write your story so that you won't have to repeat it again and again, it would be useful."

He looked at her in wonder. "Of course! You're an angel, Gin." And he kissed her cheek.

She blushed, and he found her so adorable, in her nightshirt with her hair in disarray, blushing in the morning light, that he bent again, and kissed her other cheek, his heart beating.

Several seconds passed by before they shook themselves awake.

"I'll wait for you in the common room, Gin."

"Wait! What if there is someone there already? I know that several five and seven years go there early to study for their OWLs and NEWTs."

He thought about for a moment, before reaching a conclusion. "We'll go from here then. Do you mind if I make it so that we come back right here?"

She didn't quite understand his question, and Harry explained about his travelling ring a bit more, before she agreed. While she fetched some clothes, her wand, and her Quick-Notes quill, he quietly spoke the words to add Ginny's bed to his list of locations, a smile floating on his lips.

They then portkeyed out of the room using the ring, heading towards his hideaway. They were greeted by Hedwig, who had understandably spent a long time waiting, and who only calmed herself when Harry and Ginny gave her some more bacon and promised that she would be released soon.

The next six hours were spent with Harry reliving and recounting his year, while Ginny had matching emotions. They laughed when he told her about his summer job, they cried when he recounted the sad events that had happened to him or his friends. At the end of this, the Quick-Note quill was worn out, but he promised to buy her one the same day in Diagon Alley, as he had to buy the usual wizard's stuff again: a wand, a trunk, robes, cauldron, and the like.

They had also used several scrolls of parchment, astutely beginning a new one when Harry recounted a different event of the elapsed year. That way, they could separate some private events from his global story which he had agreed to give to Dumbledore. To protect the involved muggles from prying wizards, they had also decided beforehand to change their names in the recounting. Not that Dumbledore would go immediately to them, but firstly, you never knew, and secondly, information leaks could be expected.

In the long time they spent together, Ginny also told him about what had occurred in the Headmistress' office with Sirius. Harry was quite taken aback to discover what had been done to his mother, and vowed to spend more time with his newfound sister, starting today.

After promising to meet her again that evening, and warning her about his possible appearance directly in her bed, they portkeyed back in said bed and separated.

Harry disappeared towards his hideaway again, while Ginny went to get some 'late' breakfast. Even if Harry had provided some food in his rooms, thanks to the magical plate, she was now, six hours later, hungry again.

During the breakfast, she notified Ron, Hermione and Megan that she had some more input from Harry. She wrote the same thing, as well as asking for a meeting in the Room of Requirements, on four small bits of parchment, and gave them to Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, and Sirius.

Once everyone was there, she read them what she and Harry had decided to tell from his story. When, as predicted by Harry, Dumbledore asked for the parchments themselves, she only allowed him to copy them through a spell, which he did.

During breakfast, and also afterwards while meeting with her friends and teachers, Ginny was sporting a wide smile. The smile didn't leave her face for the rest of the class-less day either.

That morning, Harry came back to his muggle bedroom with Hedwig, and decided to use her to send a message. The owl's perception of time was surely skewed because of her stay in his hideaway, and she surely wasn't to be missed by muggles should she go hunting now. Besides, there was someone he wanted to meet quite rapidly.

Mr. Black,

You don't know me, but I recently came across your story, and it seems that we are related. In fact, it seems that you are my godfather. You'll understand that I want to meet you quite quickly, then. Can you arrange a time for our reunion? I'm able to come to Hogwarts on a moment's notice.

Yours sincerely,

Harry James Potter

While Harry tied the letter to Hedwig's leg, he couldn't suppress a grin about his cheeky remark concerning Hogwarts. He then looked at his owl intently.

"There you are, girl. Take this to Sirius Black, please. Can you wait for his answer?"

Said owl hooted indignantly, as if he was questioning her post owl abilities. When she departed through the window, he laughed to himself. She was certainly the proudest owl he had ever met.

Like Ginny, he took a 'late' breakfast. Michael looked sleepy while Joan seemed anxious. A bit afterwards, they went upstairs. After preparing himself for a few minutes, Harry suddenly felt as if he was observed. Turning around, he jumped upon noticing the lithe frame of Joan in the doorway. She was even more anxious than during the breakfast, and he didn't know why.

"Hiya, Joan. What's up? You seem-" his breath was cut short as she lunged and hugged him. Hugging her back, he wondered was caused her state, apart from his future departure.

After sitting on the bed, she admitted that, as the year went by, she had been more and more attracted to him. At his started look, she giggled through her tears and told him about his qualities, making him blush.

"But I'm not here to try to catch you. I mean... I could try, but you are obviously smitten to another."

If that was possible, he blushed even more, and she giggled again, before turning serious again. "I'd like to know her, you know."

"I'll try to come back often. And I'll ask my... wizard friends to come too." He smirked. "Kevin would be delighted. Actually..." He looked at her with a calculating look.

"What?"

"I'm going to buy some stuff this afternoon. Wizard stuff. Would you like to tag along?"

"I don't know... is it dangerous?"

"Well," he scratched his head, "after the attack of tonight, things should be fine..."

"WHAT? Which attack? How do you know, you didn't leave the house..."

At his shameful look, her mouth opened wide.

"I did." He wanted to tell her about his visions, and his role in the incoming war, but rightfully felt that it would put her in even greater danger. "I wanted to learn about what had happened in the magical world while I wasn't there, and I also wanted to meet... her. It has been a year, Joan, and we had much to say to each other."

"How comes you are not tired, then?" His crooked smile taught her the answer. "Oh right. Magic, huh?"

He nodded, and she shuffled closer to him. After a few minutes, he started to feel uncomfortable. "Err... Joan?"

She didn't answer, and he was starting to feel a wet feeling where her head was resting against his side. Gently pushing her a little, he was met by her tears.

"What is it, Joan? You know you can tell me."

She smiled weakly through her tears, and attempted to speak once. At his worried glanced, she gathered her wits, and started again.

"That's it, Gabriel. I can tell you, but once gone, I'm not sure to be able to find somebody to hear me out. Especially after... after... what happened... you know?"

He looked at her for a second, before hugging her again. "I'm sorry, Joan. I'll come as often as I can, you know that."

"It won't be the same."

He stayed silent for a time, trying to put up a difficult sentence.

"I don't want to shock you, but... what about our friends?"

"What do you mean?"

"Kevin, Tamara, Jason?"

"Yes, I knew you were speaking about them." She smiled.

"Do you think... would it be better for you, if... I don't know how to say it."

She shrugged. "Just say it."

"Can you tell them?"

She didn't answer, and stayed silent for a long time. Thinking he had messed up, he tried to apologize.

"I'm sorry, Joan. Forget I ever mentioned it."

"No."

"Err... what?"

"You're right, you know. It has been almost a year. I can deal with it, now. Well... better, at least. I will tell them. Today, so that I won't lose the courage."

"I'm proud of you, Joan."

They hugged for a while, until Joan's wristwatch beeped the hour. So as not to be late, they separated, and finished preparing themselves to go to Jason's place.

After greeting Jason's parents, they met him in the attic, where he was arranging the chairs for their meeting. They sat and made some small talk, waiting for Kevin and Tamara. After fifteen minutes, Harry stood up and began pacing. After five more minutes, he couldn't wait aimlessly, and asked Jason if he could read the old family tome again. Jason nodded, and fetched the book, before laying it the desk and opening it at the same page as before.

Harry spent the next twenty minutes perusing the book, especially around Godric's history. There wasn't much more than what had told Jason the previous time, but, now that he had his original memory, everything fell into place differently. He also browsed the book, and found that quite nothing was said about Godric's parents. In fact, his ancestor was cousin of the first generation described in the book, and no higher ancestor was listed. If he could find a book speaking about Gryffindor's ancestry in a wizarding library, he could complete Jason's genealogy tree, too. Smiling, he turned around, and was a bit surprised at the vision in front of him.

While he was reading, Jason and Joan had talked a bit more, and they were now hugging gently. Joan had her back to him, but Jason saw him. Harry, understanding that the boy was going to break the hug to spare his feelings, raised his thumb. Jason got the message, and relaxed imperceptibly.

At the same time, angry voices could be heard coming from the stairs. They went to the door, but it opened before they reached it. Or rather, it slammed open, and Kevin walked through, his features distorted. Behind him, Tamara followed, equally angry, although Harry felt that she was holding it back as much as possible. Her temper was famous, and the fire element was always behind, ready to show itself.

Kevin continued his rant. "Can you believe it? That dumb-"

"It's my father you're talking about!"

"It doesn't make him agreeable in the least."

Without even grasping the bottom of the argument, the three friends felt that it had been going for some time, somewhat explaining their late arrival. Jason tried to stop them, but they continued their argument, as Tamara couldn't let the insult pass.

"You don't have the right to judge him."

"You said even worse before, it seems to me."

"Perhaps, but it's my dad!"

Joan stood up and went between them. "Uh... guys?"

They ignored her, and, turning around her, continued their dispute.

"Why does he want to move again? Ah yes... 'Difference of point of view'."

"You know he can't tell you everything, his job-"

"His job doesn't have anything to do with it!"

"How do you know?"

"I guessed!"

Sighing, Harry decided that it could have been the perfect moment to actually have a wand. He stood up, being decided to end the row before it became bloody. As their friends had proven, reasonable interaction had been ineffective, so he was going to blame his magic. He gathered a bit of energy, and, touching Kevin's shoulder, released it while uttering "Abracadabra." After all, they knew that he was a wizard, so he had to keep up his cover.

The result was sudden, and spectacular.

Kevin jumped at least two feet in the air, yelling in fright, before slumping on the ground, holding his shoulder in pain.

Harry then turned towards Tamara. Seeing that Kevin's state didn't stop her angry stare, he held his hand right in front of his chest, hidden from his other friends, and summoned a bit of energy. When sparks began to dance around his hand, she finally noticed him and the other two, and bit back her sentence. Harry then concentrated to bring his energy back into him. He had never done it before, but it seemed quite the same as pushing the energy outwards.

Afterwards, seeing the hanging jaws of Joan and Jason, he shrugged, and said "What? I'm a wizard after all."

Kevin stood up, massaging his shoulder. "You hurt me."

Harry suddenly looked uneasy. "Errm... sorry, pal. I had to."

"No hassle, mate." Kevin smiled. "Besides, I have what I wanted yesterday." At Harry's questioning gaze, Kevin's smile widened. "A demonstration."

Remembering the day before, Harry smiled too. "You got it. Now that you are calmer, can you tell us about your row?"

Kevin's mood instantly darkened, as well as Tamara's. Harry raised his hands. "Calmly, please."

Kevin breathed deeply, before speaking. "Her dad wants to move away."

Harry held up his hand in front of Tamara, preventing her acid reply. "Why does that anger you?"

He looked up, startled at the question, before blushing. "I... I don't want her to go."

Everybody looked at him in wonder. After a moment, his good-natured spirit rose again, and, looking at Tamara, he smiled. "There, I said it. Sorry about my comments on your dad, but I want you to stay."

She blushed too, and smiled. "And I'm sorry to have shown my temper about that. My dad is less than agreeable at the moment. And I want to stay too."

They stepped toward each other, and hugged. After a minute, the others began to whistle and catcall, and they felt forced to separate. Everyone sat in the provided chairs, and everyone looked at Harry.

"Well... I'm wondering about the whole thing. I can't tell you everything, guys, otherwise wizard cops would get my hide. You know, there are laws forcing us not to reveal our existence. They date back from the middle ages, when our kin was hunted, as you might remember from the history lessons. These laws haven't been repelled, and we can't parade on the streets. As long as you don't shout what I tell you there too, you shouldn't have any problem."

Kevin looked at him mischievously. "What if we do?"

Harry looked at him seriously, before answering. "First, you'll be considered like a madman by the regular people. Then, some wizards will arrive, and they will erase parts of your memory."

They looked at him, flabbergasted. "They can do that?"

"Yes they can, and they do it quite often, each time a magical event happens with an audience. After all," he smirked, "it's not a good thing to witness things like a dragon nowadays."

"Dragons exist?" Joan blurted, before putting her hand to her mouth, her eyes wide.

Harry cringed a little. He had to watch over what he was revealing to them. Too much, and Aurors would catch them at one point.

Jason looked at him intently. "Why are you telling us?"

"Sorry?"

"If your cops can erase our memory, why don't you leave, and they come here and remove our memories of you? Why don't you do it yourself, in fact? You can do it, right?"

Harry looked at him in shock, before shaking his head, looking at his hands. "I could do it, right. I could call upon them to do that, yes. But I would never do that to friends. I mean, I would remember you and the good time we passed together, and not you? What would be the meaning of friendship, then? Of life?"

He raised his head and was shocked again, but now it was the awed expression they were all sporting. Without a word, they stood up, one after the other, and pulled him into a group hug, muttering thanking words.

After they separated, each going to his or her seat, Harry spoke again.

"You know, in fact, I should erase your memories." He smirked at the shocked faces that looked at him now, before becoming serious again. "You know, there isn't exactly peace in the wizarding world nowadays. There is a... madman of sorts, with many followers, and he's trying to destabilize the magical government."

"There is a magical government?" Jason was suddenly ecstatic, his diplomatic side awakened.

Harry looked at him impassively. "Yes, there is. They are holding us together against that madman's attacks. Should they fall, the... regular government wouldn't be able to stop him. And... I have a role to play, too." Because of the events in his two school years at Hogwarts, Harry had already come to the conclusion that he had something to do about Voldemort.

They looked at him, flabbergasted. "I won't tell you more because you might be in danger should anyone overhear you. Just for you to know, the previous... madman like his one had lived something like fifty years ago. That one succeeded in destroying the magical government of Germany in 1933, and he was killed ten years later. I don't have to remind you of what happened in the world at that time?"

If Harry thought that they couldn't be surprised than before, he was in for naught. They all fainted.

Cursing himself and his lack of foresight, he went to the nearest bathroom, and, using a wet tissue, woke them one after the other. He spent the remaining of the morning discussing about his life as a wizard. When midday chimed at the attic's grandfather clock, they looked at each other, still having things to discuss.

Jason started. "If you want to stay, no problem. We can make a salad and a few sandwiches in the kitchen, and eat here. My parents have been invited for a meal outside."

Joan nodded. "Dad is not eating home today either."

"My parents are there, but I can call them to notify them about my stay." Kevin said, before looking at Tamara imploringly.

"Well... dad won't be happy about it, but I'll try to convince him."

Jason stood up. "Come down, I'll show you to the kitchen and the phone, then."

He brought them to the kitchen first and the phone afterwards, so that Kevin and Tamara could come back after calling home. He then went back to the kitchen with Joan and Harry to start whipping up a small meal. After five minutes, Kevin came back.

"Took you a long time." observed Harry.

He huffed. "I spend forty seconds. Tamara is still at it, though. I guess he doesn't want."

Effectively, Tamara entered the kitchen a few minutes afterwards, crestfallen, and muttering darkly. She looked at them, and shook her head. "He doesn't want to. He wants me to come back right now, or he'll come here and take me back."

They shuddered. They began to apologize about it, but she raised her hand. "It's his way. He's generally kind and calm, but... something... has happened recently. I will try to convince him to allow me to come back later. I have to go."

Kevin was on the verge of exploding. "Let me go with you, I will show him! I will-"

"Actually, Kevin, you know that his temper is worse than mine, and he's also stronger than you. If you don't want to be used as punching bag, you'd stay here."

"What about me?" intervened Harry.

They looked at him, before Kevin's eyes lit up suddenly. "Good idea! You could erase his memory, and-"

"I won't do that to friends, Kevin, nor would I do it to anyone without a good reason. It's quite a crime, otherwise, you know? My only reason to go there is to try to understand his reasons for leaving, and turn them down if possible. Reasonably."

Kevin looked dejected at this, and could only nod in acceptance. Tamara and Harry said their goodbyes, and left the three would-be cooks.

They left Jason's place, and started their walk towards Tamara's. After a few minutes, she asked "It's not the real reason, isn't it?"

He didn't answer for some time, and she began to think that he hadn't heard the question, when he suddenly looked around and, noticing that nobody was there, he answered "No, it's not. We have to talk."

"What about?" she answered, even if she had a good idea of what his next question would be.

"What happened, after I left the... the Great Hall?"

"I left, too." She looked down. "I used my element to leave and landed home, in my father's study actually. He was there and took care of me, but he asked why I used that mean of transportation. You see, it's very draining, and he taught me to use it only in a case of an emergency. The... wizards, in the Great Hall... they were looking at me as if I was a... a prize, and I had to flee. One of the female ones-"

"A witch."

"What?"

"Female wizards are called witches."

"Oh. Of course. One witch told me to flee, too, after giving me a note. It has been burnt in the travel, said my father, but he succeeded in copying it. The note said to train you, but seeing what you did to Kevin earlier, you have trained already." They both smiled at that, before Harry frowned.

"That witch, how was she? Was she young, tall, with an eagle on her robe, and a... a stick in her brown hair? Was she looking like a... a lunatic?"

She thought about it, before stopping brusquely. "Yes! That's her! How do you know?"

"I shouldn't tell you that, especially because there is secrecy around it, but as you know about me, I guess you can know about her. She's like me."

"What do you mean?"

"She's a witch and an elemental. An Air one."

Tamara looked thoughtful for a few seconds, before starting to walk again, Harry walking beside her. "That's why, then. Is she the one who trained you?"

"Yes."

"Did she tell you about the powers?"

"No, she just taught me to... to 'ground' my energy."

She looked at him blankly, before laughing. "How appropriate!"

"I know, I know."

"And you found how to strike someone... like Kevin... alone?"

"It was the same thing: gathering some energy in the hand."

She looked at him thoughtfully, before nodding. "That's not how I learned it, but it was efficient nonetheless."

"You learned it... who taught you?"

"Well... who do you know with a flaring temper, closely related to me?"

"Your dad? Your dad is a fire elemental like you?"

"Shush!" She looked around, but noticed nobody. Sighing, she answered "Yes, he is. Remember that I told you about the fact that the elemental powers came from the parents? It's genetic, I said, then."

"Oh. Right. I forgot. Speaking about him, why does he want to leave the area?"

"Remember that I told you that wizards were a legend?"

"Yes."

"Well... it appears that the high-ranking elementals, like my father, know a bit more, and he's quite fearful of them, even if he doesn't say why. As I told him about a great hall full of wizards, he's afraid that they could trace me to our house."

"I'd better not tell him that I'm one, then. But, speaking of tracing, I'm not sure about that. I think it's impossible if you didn't use magic. I mean, 'regular' magic, like a spell."

"Are you sure?"

"No, but I can get the information."

"Do that, please. I don't want to leave the town either." She mumbled the last part, blushing in her hands.

Even if he couldn't quite see her blush, Harry sensed something, and prodded her. "Is it about Kevin?"

She looked at him with a startled expression, before turning away, but her eyes had betrayed her and Harry knew that his intuition had been true.

She turned towards him. "You'd better not tell anyone, especially Kevin."

"Tam, he said it already, and in front of you! How fair is that to him? I won't tell him if you do it."

She turned back towards the walkway, mumbling.

"What?"

"I said 'Okay, I'll do it.' Satisfied?"

"Actually..." He looked at her surprised face, before finishing his sentence. "Yes."

"You prat!"

"...says the girl in love."

She punched his shoulder. "Shut it!"

Massaging his shoulder, he laughed, before conceding the point. "Okay, okay."

They walked for a few more minutes, before he spoke again. "Is it still a long way?"

"No, two minutes."

"Even if I don't tell him about my magic-"

"And you'd better not slip up! I don't want to be forced to leave tonight!"

"-I can say that you are training me. After all, it would have been true, if I wasn't a wizard."

She stopped walking and looked at him thoughtfully, her eyes wide, then narrowing deviously.

As she wasn't moving, he grew worried, and asked "Is it such a bad idea?"

She shook herself. "Not at all. In fact, it's the best idea I could think of. However, I'll ask him to train you himself."

"What? Why?"

They started to walk again while she explained. "Because his only hobby in life is the training of elementals. He couldn't be part of the regular schools because of his lack of respect for any hierarchy." She chuckled. "No surprise here, he's a fire elemental like me. He loves to teach, however, and he'd be glad to stay if only to teach you."

"You seem to be quite sure of yourself."

"I am."

Harry thought about it for a while, before remembering his own life. "But... but I can't! I have to go back to the wizarding world! I promised to stay until the end of term, but I will have to leave this summer."

She looked at him, with a grin not unlike the famous Cheshire cat. "Believe me, that will be enough for him to disregard the whole story. He's quick to anger himself, but he's also quick to forget."

"Oh. Okay, then."

They approached a small house with a red sports car parked in front of it, and Tamara took the house keys from her purse. Shushing him, she opened the door and entered, motioning him to follow her. She pushed him in the den and indicated a seat. Once he was installed, she yelled. "Dad! I'm home!"

Harry wasn't quite sure of what was awaiting him. The man came from a door visibly leading to the basement, and looked at Tamara with anger in his eyes. However, her next words quickly calmed him.

"I brought you a student."

Somewhere, in a huge and deserted building...

The man was working in a deserted office. I was late at night, and shadows loomed around him. Some people could actually call it a dream, while others would tag it as a nightmare.

Actually, Broderick Bode didn't care for other's misconceptions of his job. Anyway, as an Unspeakable, he couldn't talk about it: a Wizard's Oath had been sworn to ensure that he wouldn't speak about it voluntarily, and several charms had been cast so that he wouldn't leak information involuntarily. However, when the Unspeakable Council decided that a chunk of information was deemed safe for other people to know, they had the ability to speak about it.

After his explanation of the escaped man's identity to the two old wizards, and the following heated discussion about the impossibility for them to get the items back, he had returned to the pile of books that had been taken from the old Auror's trunk upon his coming back from Azkaban. Perusing the book, he absently remembered the wizened Auror's reaction to it, and the shock they finally had upon actually reading those books, in perfect state despite their age.

In the few dozen tomes, there were many useless things, like rantings about family feuds or kitchen recipes. However, the one book he was reading now was one of the first to have been written by the newly-escaped wizard, and its cover creaked each time it was used, as if the blood traitor who had owned the skin binding the tome was still trying to rebel.

The book held the most evil spells Bode had ever seen, some even darker than the three Unforgivables. After all, it also depicted the creation of these three spells, and the knowledge-thirsty Broderick bent further, intent on learning about them too.

After a few hours like that, still alone in the wee hours of the morning, he felt capable of taking on the world despite his tired state. He closed the book, stretched, and went to the pensieve-like dark basin. If what he had read was true, in this barrel-sized tub were resting 1000 years' worth of souls. People victims of the Dementors' Kiss, or people victims of a spell designed to have the same effect.

Adava Kedavra.

Unknown to all but the one wizard who had invented it, and now Broderick Bode, the infamous spell was an 'improvement' of an already-existing spell, now forgotten. That first spell's aim was to temporarily remove someone's soul from his body, in order to heal large wounds. It's no wonder that muggles, at that time using alcohol to get the same effect, got to call that state the "little death".

Now that he knew exactly what was in the basin, he got up, stretched, and went to it. He watched the ashen substance tenderly, remembering that it was souls from dead people, some of them having lived a millennium ago.

All Unspeakables knew how to use a pensieve. After all, the item, which was renowned as rare by the ordinary wizard, was one of their most important work tools. They moved important memories from their mind to the basins, and took them back the following work day. That was with just a little apprehension that Broderick Bode did the same gesture, putting his wand in the ashen matter and dragging a greyish smoke. He then finished the motion and brought the wand tip to his temple.

The next few seconds were chaotic. He felt himself thrown through a dark tunnel and, after a bit of rough handling, saw himself landing in a grey liquid. However, when he looked around, he noticed something strange. And looking up, he understood his error. He screamed in terror as his new fate was revealed to him, but nobody heard.

He wasn't quite in a grey liquid. He was now part of it. He was in a sea of souls, one among thousands, all immortals but each fighting to get a view on the outside world. Inexperienced in this kind of fighting, he quickly lost his footing and began to be drowned in the greyish mist, the light lessening for each step taken down. His was frightened about it, terrified to have to live like this for a long time, but he was also frustrated not to have understood the thing before. It wasn't a pensieve, for Merlin's sake!

While he descended in the liquid, progressively losing all light to enter a swirling and kicking blackness, he remembered his last outside glance. When he had looked up, he had seen himself, or rather his body. He hadn't been wearing the mask, and the wide smile displayed on his features wasn't his own, had never been his own. He could only curse his lack of forethought as his possessed body was left to do whatever he pleased on the world.

He could only hope that the soul he had picked wasn't an evil one.

O'Malley's place...

Tamara had been true.

After demonstrating the small tricks he could do with his element, he began to set up a training schedule with an over-enthusiastic Mark O'Malley. Harry was then asked to eat with them before leaving with Tamara again towards Jason's. On their way, they invented a story to make Tamara's dad's change of mind believable, while removing any reference to the elementals. Harry humorously complained that he was to admit being a wizard whereas she hid her elemental powers to them. She blushed at this, and that started a long talk about secrecy and friendship.

Once at Jason's, they met with the others. Joan and Jason were quite happy to hear the news, but Kevin was downright ecstatic. He went as far as kissing her on both cheeks, something that he had never done before. It calmed him, finally, and he blushed profusely.

After this, an uncomfortable moment occurred. Joan, following Harry's advice, and holding his hand for support, told them about her rape with a trembling voice. They all hugged her compassionately, without displaying the disgusting pity she was wary of. They were her friends, and acted accordingly. Tamara then understood why Joan had been so insightful when she had told the story of the school roof, the day before. And Jason, seemingly ignoring Harry's hand, put an arm around Joan's shoulders. After a few minutes, Joan looked at Harry and removed her hand from his, while setting her head in Jason's shoulder. No sound was exchanged at that moment, but everyone understood.

After several minutes during which everyone remembered everything that had been said and done, Harry got up, having some shopping to do. He had proposed to Joan to go with him, but he also didn't want to risk his friends' health: if everybody came, he wasn't sure to be able to track them all in the various shops. And some of the items there were downright dangerous if you didn't know how to handle them. He explained all this, and was surprised to see them agree with him. Understanding hit him when he saw his four friends sitting in couples, comfortably installed. They were digesting today's information, and were quite content to just be together.

Just before he left, though, they all agreed to meet at some time in the future to discuss the revenge on the jocks. Harry also reassured Joan about his presence at home for the evening meal. Even if they had changed their view about each other, they were still best friends. They all hugged him, and Jason accompanied him downstairs. Once at the door, he hugged him again, thanking him about Joan. Harry then left, and took the Underground towards King's cross station. He didn't know the Underground network much, but the pedestrian pathway from the station to the Leaky Cauldron pub was ingrained in his memory. Just before entering the pub, though, he hid in a dark alley and took his Gabriel Swift identification paper out. Concentrating on the picture, he morphed himself to look like the person on the picture. He then entered the pub.

Nothing had changed there, except the stories which were swapped around. Almost everyone was talking about the attack from the previous night, and some rumours were exchanged on the reason about its failure. Smirking mentally, Harry went to the back door and opened the passage towards Diagon Alley.

As he had witnessed in this night's dream, almost nothing had been damaged by the attack. On top of that, the holes in the structures had been filled; the broken beams had been magically sutured; and the charred spots on the ground had been cleaned. The Alley looked like always. Well... Harry had only seen it with the school rush, so he could only imagine that it was normal. For sure, there was place to move in the streets and the shops weren't overrun by teenagers.

His first stop was going to be Gringotts. He had much to do there, and it was required for even thinking buying something. His meagre allowance wasn't allowing extras, and he had had to take from what little savings he still had from his job at the fair to even buy the Underground ticket. Reflecting about it on his way to the bank, he decided to add Diagon Alley to his ring. He looked around, and noticing signs indicating the Apparation entry point in the alley, went there to add it to his ring. This done, he entered into the bank of the magical world, and took his place in the queue.

A few minutes afterwards, he arrived in front of a goblin. Harry had witnessed the other customers, and noticed that the area around the cashier seemed to be impervious to eavesdropping, as he couldn't make a sound from what the man before him had said. It was important, if he wanted his identity to be hidden. He greeted the goblin politely, and asked if it was possible to enter a vault without a key, as his key seemed to be lost. When he gave his name in answer to a request from the small creature, he saw something few humans could report having witnessed: a nonplussed goblin.

Shaking his head, the goblin exited his through a door in the back of his booth, and a good five minutes went by before he came back. He told Harry that he was going to be received by the bank manager, in an office to which he gave the directions on a charmed card.

The card also served to call the elevator, and it disappeared when Harry entered a large office which door had been held open for him by a wrinkled goblin. Well, goblins were always wrinkled, but this one was positively ancient, his head was lolling, and he spoke with a low and broken voice. His eyes, though, were always alert.

"Good aft'rnoon, m'ster Pott'r."

"Err... good afternoon, sir."

"It ha' come t' our 'ttention tha' you're no' dead 'nymore."

"Well... I think... you could say so, yes."

"We've to v'rify your 'dentity, thou'h."

"Okay, I guess."

"Good. Plea'e step 'n tha' plate, th'n."

Harry stepped on the square platform that had been designated by the goblin. After a few seconds, a disincarnate voice uttered his full name.

The bank manager repeated it. "Harr' J'mes Pott'r."

"Yes, sir?"

The goblin began to read from a stack of parchments on his desk. "As you h've bee' deemed dea', you' vault' h've been g'ven to yo'r l'gal guar'ian. Your 'uggle gu'rdians bein' 'ead too, yo'r 'ccount h's been transf'rred to th' newl'-free' S'rius Black, as mugg'e wills c'n't int'rfere with our 'ccounts. H'wever, said S'rius Black didn't 'pen the vault' at 'll, so 't can be turn'd back 'nto your poss'ssion. It 'lso seems th't you don't hav' a key an'more. Our keys 're magic'l, and tu'n back h're whe' they 're lost or 'n the proc'ss of 'eing d'maged. Here 't is."

Harry was feeling the beginning of a monstrous headache coming up, but the little he could understand, as well as the proffered key were a good indication that his vault had been given back to him. He felt a bit uneasy about removing the vault from his godfather's assets, but the man hadn't touched it at all, so he couldn't be in great need. After thanking the old goblin, he went back to the bank lobby, and waited for a goblin-driven cart to be available. After a few more minutes, he could go back to his vault which had been left untouched for a whole year.

Well... that's what he thought. When he saw the inside of the vault, he stopped, gasped for breath, and promptly fainted.

Nothing could have prepared him at the immaculate sight in front of him.

Nothing.

The vault was empty.

To be continued in next chapter: Shopping Issues...

Now that the girls are settled,
The story has been whittled.
To discern what will happen,
Leave a review, use your pen.