A/N: Well, LothirielofRohan reluctantly gave the go-ahead on the final chapter after much whining…er, many helpful suggestions, so it should be ready to go as scheduled. And, now, if you'll excuse me, I'm leading an invasion of Kansas to take back Eomer, which SOMEONE is trying to hold captive and keep from me! Forth Eorlingas!

Tracey – welcome back!

CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur – So, let me make sure I've got this straight…you love it?

Elwen of Lorien – It's funny all the things you see reading the books straight through instead of one at a time as they come out. You pick up themes and nuance and such that you don't see as well with just one book. I've gained a lot by rereading them all. Will probably do it again when Book 7 is done so I have the "complete picture".

Chapter 15

Until they went to Grimmauld Place, where any magic Harry did could not be detected, Aurelia wasn't able to begin further training with him on spells. Even so, she gave him various things to read about the spells, charms and hexes she intended to work on so that he would have something of a background to them when they began.

Remus put in appearance a couple of times a day to check on them, and they fell into the habit of eating lunch together. Rather than bother Mrs. Dursley, or have to prepare something themselves, Aurelia gave Remus a supply of money and directed him to "surprise" them each day, and he did so admirably. Harry couldn't remember ever eating so well at the Dursleys. It was almost as good as having a house-elf from Hogwarts there.

Aurelia had taken out a subscription to the Daily Prophet in order to keep track of things going on in the wizarding world, and once she was done reading them, would pass them along to Remus. They wanted to be alert to anything taking place that might signal Voldemort's next move.

Harry also found a benefit in having Aurelia present when he began working to get his summer homework done. She had been pressing him to get it done now so he could focus on other things once they got to London, and it was handy to have her there for reference. She would never come right out and give him answers, but she would lead him to them with a series of questions until he saw the solution for himself. For the essays he had to write, she would just sit and discuss the topic with him and then leave him to cull what he wanted from the conversation. This was especially helpful for the History of Magic essays. Professor Binns made even the most bloody battles and rebellions seem deathly boring, but her version of the same events was much more lively, interspersed with her telling about her travels that sometimes took her to the site of the event, and he not only found the essays easier to write, but discovered he actually was remembering some of the details now.

After two weeks of staying indoors, Harry was getting a bit stir-crazy, so Aurelia turned him into an owl and let him fly around the neighborhood. Hedwig wasn't at all pleased by the presence of this new owl and watched coldly when he returned and flew around the room before settling on the bed so Aurelia could Transfigure him back. They also used this as a means to go visit Remus at Mrs. Figg's house. Harry would fly down there to meet her while she Apparated over. Mrs. Figg liked the company, but since much of the visit with her was taken up looking at pictures of her cats, they tended to keep their visits quiet and stay in Remus' room most of the time.

Even so, by the end of the second week of July, Harry's homework was finished and the novelty of flying over the neighborhood had worn off, so life became rather dull. He knew Aurelia was bored as well, and several times he got the impression she and Remus would have preferred being alone, but since Dumbledore didn't want Harry out of her sight for very long, that wasn't possible. They were all looking forward to moving to London, despite the gloominess of the house on Grimmauld Place.

Ron, Hermione and Ginny sent regular letters, and that cheered Harry a bit, though he was sorry he wouldn't be able to visit the Burrow this summer. He had rather been looking forward to spending time with Ginny there, now that they were a couple and things would take on new meaning. He knew she had told her family about them dating, but he still rather wondered how her brothers felt about him being with their sister. He didn't think Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would mind much, since they always treated him like a son anyway, but her brothers were rather protective of the only girl in the family.

The tranquil atmosphere ended abruptly when the headline of the Daily Prophet alerted them that the Dementors had deserted Azkaban. The exodus was apparently not unplanned, since Death Eaters had shown up instantly and been able to free their comrades incarcerated there, before the Aurors were able to regain control and put magical means in place to hold the remaining prisoners. Thanks to Dumbledore's preparedness, however, the Aurors were on the scene almost instantly and two Death Eaters had been killed in the battle.

The news put everyone on edge again, and both the Daily Prophet and a good portion of the wizarding community were screaming at the Ministry of Magic in outrage for their failure to prevent it. The outcry was so great, and particularly aimed at Cornelius Fudge, that he was made to resign and Amelia Bones, former Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, was made Minister in his stead. Harry remembered her from his trial the previous year and knew that she was a fair and honorable person, who respected Dumbledore. From his viewpoint, this could only be a positive change, and both Aurelia and Remus agreed with him on it.

Even so, having the Dementors on Voldemort's side was definitely not a good thing, and it put everyone on their guard even more.

Remus took to spending even more time with them, though he grew increasingly tired and haggard looking as the full moon neared. Although he was harmless while taking the Wolfsbane Potion, he refused their offer to stay there with them for the transformation, even after Aurelia promised to see that he was secured from them.

After Remus had left, she stood staring at the spot from which he had Disapparated, and Harry's heart went out to her. He knew a romantic relationship was developing between them, though it appeared to be felt more keenly on Aurelia's side than Remus' and, in unguarded moments, her emotions shone clearly in her eyes. This was one of those moments, and before he realized what he was doing, Harry had moved over and wrapped his arms comfortingly around her. She started at his touch, but then allowed the embrace, and they stood silently in the middle of the room for several minutes before she regained her composure.

"Thanks, Harry," she told him softly, pulling free. He smiled encouragingly at her and they returned to reading and their own thoughts.

xxxxx

None of them were sorry when the end of July finally arrived, least of all the Dursleys. They were due to leave for Grimmauld Place the next day, but with Mrs. Figg's approval, Remus planned a surprise birthday party for Harry, and the Weasleys all Flooed there, along with Tonks and Mad-Eye.

Aurelia had merely told Harry they would go have dinner with Remus on this final night so they could quietly celebrate his birthday without the Dursleys being around, and he was more than happy to spend as little time as possible with his relatives. Even just a quiet dinner with friends would make this his best birthday ever, especially knowing he could leave Privet Drive the next day.

With so little expectation for the celebration, Harry was overwhelmed when they went downstairs from Remus' room and found the other guests awaiting him. They gave a loud yell of "Surprise", followed by "Happy Birthday, Harry" and he was stunned into silent gaping. Ron had even made sure to bring Hermione, and she grinned at him. "Better close your mouth, Harry, before you catch another snitch!"

He broke into laughter, along with everyone else, and Mrs. Weasley herded them to the dining room which was expanded to fit them all around a table laden with food. Tonks entertained them by changing hair and facial expressions in quick succession, the twins set off fireworks that had the cats diving for cover, but the best part was that none of Ginny's brothers threatened to kill Harry when he forgot himself and sat with his arm around her and holding her hand. However, that didn't mean that Fred and George didn't make full use of the opportunity to tease the two of them mercilessly until finally Mrs. Weasley made them stop. When they continued to do it any time Mrs. Weasley was elsewhere, Ginny pulled out her wand and whispered, "Three words, gentlemen – Bat Bogey Hex. Any questions?" The twins immediately found other methods of amusing themselves, and Ginny settled herself comfortably back into Harry's embrace with a smug grin on her face.

Well past midnight, the party came to an end and they drifted homeward. As he drifted to sleep, Harry mused that as great as the surprise party had been, quite possibly the very best part of it was Ginny's "birthday kiss" – that alone made the evening special even if nothing else had happened. He once again fell asleep with a smile on his face.

xxxxx

Harry and Aurelia were up early the next day and quickly had everything packed and ready to go. Aurelia used a Shrinking charm on their belongings to make for easier carrying, They wouldn't actually be leaving for London until dusk, so their arrival would be shrouded in darkness, but neither of them was anxious to remain with the Dursleys any longer than necessary.

Mr. Dursley had already gone off to work, and Dudley had spent virtually all of July as far away from his house as he could get, often spending the night with various members of his gang. None of his encounters with the wizarding world had left him unscathed, and he was not eager to be around them any more than was unavoidable.

Aurelia and Harry found Aunt Petunia in the kitchen alone and, as usual, she tensed up when they put in appearance. Even though Aurelia had been unfailingly polite and courteous to her, and usually cleaned up after meals with Harry, Aunt Petunia made no effort to warm up to her in the slightest.

"Breakfast is ready," she told them sniffily, taking a seat at the table.

Harry was surprised that she was joining them. Up til now, the Dursleys tried to eat and leave before they put in appearance, and Aunt Petunia did little more than prepare it and disappear while they ate and cleaned up.

Aurelia gave no reaction to their breakfast companion, helping herself to some scrambled eggs, bacon and toast while Harry poured juice for the two them, then glanced at Aunt Petunia, "Would you like some juice?"

She seemed startled by the question, but nodded, and forced out, "Thank you", as with great effort.

When all of them had dished up and begun to eat, the table fell silent for awhile until suddenly it was broken by Aunt Petunia asking, "You were a friend of my sister's, weren't you? She talked about you every summer, and I think I met you at her wedding."

Aurelia looked up curiously and nodded. "Yes. Lily and I were very close. We were virtually inseparable at Hogwarts." Aunt Petunia winced at the name but tried to turn it into smile, which ended up looking more like a grimace.

They fell silent again and the meal ended without another word being spoken. As they rose, Aurelia and Harry automatically began clearing the table. As she did, Aurelia told Aunt Petunia, "We'll be leaving this evening, before dinner, so you needn't expect us. I don't know that we will see you again before then so, if not, I thank you for your hospitality, and for your tolerating my presence."

Aunt Petunia stared at her as she carried a load of plates and silverware to the sink. When Aurelia turned back to put away the marmalade, Petunia blurted, "I did love her, you know. My sister. We just never understood one another." She fell silent again, eyeing Aurelia.

Harry saw Aurelia's jaw twitch for a second, always an indication she was repressing annoyance with someone. But all she replied was, "That's understandable. And she would be grateful you took in her son when she died." Left unsaid, was the lack of affection shown the boy and the begrudging manner in which he had been treated.

Aunt Petunia smoothed her dress, said softly, "Goodbye, then," and quickly exited the kitchen.

Aurelia stared at the kitchen door a few moments, then resumed the clean up, and Harry joined in, making no comment.

They spent the remainder of the morning upstairs, then went to join Remus for lunch, taking their belongings with them. Harry didn't even look back before he flew from the bedroom window to Mrs. Figg's house.

They whiled away most of the afternoon in Remus' room, but then joined Mrs. Figg for an early dinner of corned beef and cabbage. They had only been visiting in the parlor a short while before a knock at the door signaled the arrival of their ride.

They reached London in short order, with very little conversation for the journey. Three blocks away, the car pulled up outside a late night market. When Remus, Aurelia, Harry and Mad-Eye had been Disillusioned, Tonks got out of the car, standing by the open door and pretending to check a grocery list. Once they had exited the vehicle, she closed the door, whispered, "See you later," and went inside to shop.

Mad-Eye led the way down the street toward Number Twelve, the others following silently along behind. They had gone two blocks when the car they had been in did a slow drive by them and continued on up the street. Harry suspected they were watching for any signs of trouble.

The group was quickly inside Number Twelve without mishap, and once the door was closed, Mad-Eye led them down to the kitchen. "Dumbledore should be here by now. He was going to meet us."

As expected, Dumbledore was there, but he was not alone. Slouched in a chair at the table sat Viktor Krum.