Harry leaned against Buckbeak's side, trying to read a book Moony had given him, and failing miserably. The bustle downstairs was playing with his emotions too much. They had promptly banished him to the higher reaches of the house, stating that it was improper fro him to see the preparations for his birthday party. Since he had no experience at that, he decided to follow their order and head up.

The Hippogriff rubbed his beak along Harry's arm and made a contented noise in his throat. He stroked the feathers along the crest of his head, glad that he was feeling better after the betrayal of that foul beast, Kreacher. Harry had visited him soon after he had awoken, and had discovered that his wing had been sliced, as an attempt to lure Sirius away from contact. While Kreacher had been dealt with, Buckbeak remained injured, so he was under the car of Molly Weasley for now. As it turned out, however, he seemed to remember Harry well, and even seemed to like him, so Harry had volunteered to work with him. Molly was glad to give him up, and Harry read up on injured Hippogriffs, just to make sure he wouldn't cause more damage.

A tapping on the window brought him out of his thoughts, and he turned his head to see Hedwig sitting on the sill. Quickly letting her in, he untied the letter from her leg, petting her all the while. It had only been two days since she had seen her, but he always felt better when she was around. He unfolded the letter and read, discovering that it was from Mark.

Harry,

The representative from the school is coming tomorrow to take me to the place where I can get all of my stuff, including a wand! I'm so excited. Is there anyway you can meet me there? The rep is nice, I guess, but she's awfully stiff, and I don't feel comfortable asking her things about the school. Write me back if you can.

Mark

Harry lowered the letter with a grin. Surely Professor McGonagall was going to be at the party. He would ask then, and try to arrange the security issues with the Aurors. Surely they wouldn't deprive the first year of some familiar comfort?

Feeling his stomach growl he looked out of the window and noticed that the sun had sunk considerably lower. He hoped that they weren't too much longer.

Almost as if on cue, the door opened and his three year mates came in. Bowing carefully to Buckbeak, who nodded his head in response, they pulled Harry to his feet and tied a blindfold around his eyes, making comments about really giving him a shock. They lead him down the stairs, carefully leading him around obstacles in his way. When they stopped, he tried to ask a question, but they shushed him. Then, without warning, he was pushed through a door and the blindfold ripped off.

"Surprise!"1 Harry barely stopped himself drawing his wand as he recognized the numerous people in attendance. All of the Weasleys, except for Percy, Tonks, Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and even Madame Bones and Susan were here! There were unfamiliar faces too, of course, though they were far out numbered. He noticed that Professor Snape was missing as well, and decided that this wasn't a bad thing. Then he was swept of to the table with a huge cake on it, and seated rather firmly by Mrs. Weasley. Neville was seated right beside him, and seemed shocked that his name was on the cake as well. It appeared that the adults had changed some things around while he was gone. When he asked Neville about it later, he learned that his actual birthday was the day before, and he had opened his presents from Gram with a minimum of fuss.

The next hour was one of the best he had ever had, and he was sure Neville liked it as well. There was music, cake, laughter, an interesting rendition of the birthday song by Mundungus, who seemed to have started the festivities a little too early with brandy, and a comic act by the twins. He should have known it wouldn't last all that long.

There was the briefest of tingles on his neck before he started to open his presents, and he put the one he was holding down. The others looked at him strangely, no doubt wondering about the change in his attitude, when something inside of him made him speak.

"Well, if it isn't the bestest little Death Eater in the whole wide world. What brings you?" There was a gasp from around the table as Severus Snape stepped from the shadows he was concealed in.

"It certainly wasn't to see you worshipped, Potter. The sight of abject adoration sickens me, especially when directed at a glory seeking little idiot like yourself." Harry felt his face twitch, but he managed to keep a hold on his emotions. If the reading of Sirius's will didn't make him crack, Snivellus sure wouldn't.

"You know, I don't think I invited you to my birthday party which is in my house. If you must be here, spew your bile into a corner and let the real guests enjoy themselves." With that he dismissed the moron completely to open his presents.

Which were great! Hermione and Moony had given him a compendium entitled Great Duels of the Past Century, and How I Could Improve On Them by Bellius the Baleful. Harry could tell it was really rare, and thanked them. Remus quietly noted that the book had been her idea, and he had just contributed money to the cause. Ron got him a chocolate frog collection, asking him to share any rare cards he might get. Ginny got him a little pendent of a wolf, stag, and dog pouncing on a rat, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or cry. Deciding to do neither, he put it on, hoping that he could act as the conduit for it to come true.

What really stuck out in his mind, though, was the gift from the twins. It was a small box with a card in it. After Harry had read the card, they took the smile on his face as a sign that it was good news. They were surprised, however, when the card burst into flames. Harry was quick to put it down, but not before Moody noticed that he didn't really look singed or in pain.

On his part, Harry was shocked by the gesture they had extended to him. He remembered clearly what was written.

Harry-wary,

As the backer for our glorious ambitions, and the only one who really believed in us, we have decided to give to you one of our deepest secrets. If you should victim to any one of our wonderous items, simply say or think strongly fun and games and the effects will end. Please refrain from sharing this information, as it could put us out of business.

Yours in Prankster Brotherhood,

Frederick and Georgius

WWW Inc.

He winked at the two red headed men across the table and they grinned at him. This would come in very handy, he knew.

The rest of the party after the arrival of Snape went great. He even managed to get Professor McGonagall to one side and convinced her that letting him go along to Diagon Ally was in the best interest of Mark. All in all, he felt that the night would make a great Patronus, even if he couldn't exactly cast one in the foreseeable future.

Harry was just finishing up some more ice cream when four owls swooped through the window. There was a pause in activity as everyone held their breath, expecting bad news. Harry, however, had a feeling that he knew what this was about as one dropped a small packet in front of himself, Ron, Hermione, and Neville. Taking a deep breath, he picked his up and read it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the others do the same.

Sure enough, it was his O.W.L. results, and he scanned them with some trepidation.

Dear Mr. Potter,

Here are the results of your Ordinary Wizarding Levels. May your scores enable you to continue with the career path of your choice.

Sincerely,

Delerius Delory, Department of Magical Education

The listed grade is an average taken from the theory and practical portions of your exam.

Charms - Outstanding

Transfiguration - Exceeds Expectations

Defense Against the Dark Arts - Outstanding XX

Potions - Outstanding

Divination - Poor

Astronomy - Acceptable

History of Magic - Poor

XX - Mr. Potter, not only did you manage full credit on both parts of the exam, but extra credit was awarded on both parts as well. Congratulations!

O.W.L.'s in total - 10.5

Harry looked up in amazement from his letter. If he was figuring his total right, he had been awarded 4 points for his DADA O.W.L. His thoughts were interrupted by Hermione's shout.

"!5! Alright!" She started jumping up and down, and Harry was once again surprised at the joy schoolwork inspired in her. He looked expectantly at Ron, who nodded and rolled his eyes before telling his results.

"Well, I got 7.5. Which is a lot better then Fred and George", he said, dodging the hands that tried to smack him. He ginned at his mother, who had tears in her eyes, and Harry looked towards Neville, who was eyeing his Grandmother with trepidation.

"Well, I got 9, which is really good, don't you think?" He sighed with relief when his Grandmother nodded her approval and granted him a small smile. "Besides, Outstanding in Herbology and Defense Against the Dark Arts, not to mention Exceeds Expectations in Potions! This is great!" Ron, Hermione, and Harry all chimed in.

"We got O's in DADA too." They all eyed each other before grinning wildly and busting out into laughter. Dumbledore, who both felt very proud of them, and had some idea of why they were laughing, simply smiled on them without comment. The others were not so well informed. They were about to ask some questions when a tawny owl flew in, dropping a letter in front of Harry before swooping out again. Picking it up, he noticed the name Bones. They had left just half an hour ago, pleading business. Opening it up, he quickly read the short note, a smile growing on his face,

"It's from Susan. She got an O too! I knew she could do it!" There was a general acclimation from Ron, Neville, Hermione, and Ginny, who was laughing with the rest of them. Mrs. Weasley looked confused at the conversation and started speaking.

"Dears, what-" She was interrupted, however, by the small deluge of owls that commenced delivering their letters to Harry. He sorted through the names. Seamus, Dean, and many, many others that Harry recognized. It looked like the entire fifth and seventh year population of the D.A. had mailed him. Gesturing for his friends to help him, he check the contents of the letters. After conferring when they were done, it was established that all of the students that had been tested had gotten at least Exceeds Expectations, and they were in the minority. Most had gotten O's, and they all thanked Harry profusely. Harry glowed with pride in them. He had known they were all good, and he hoped that their skills would help them survive the coming fights. He looked up to notice the looks of surprise, and quickly tried to think of something to say. She beat him to it.

"Well, if what you were talking about is true, then Umbridge must not have been as bad a teacher as we thought." Mrs. Weasley's pronouncement was met with hisses and boos. She looked shocked until Hermione took it on herself to explain.

"Seriously, as if that woman could teach us anything. Why, if not for-" She broke off when she saw Harry shaking his head violently and blushing. "For the independent studies we engaged in, I have reason to believe we all might have failed miserably." The adults that weren't in the loop (everyone besides Moony, Professor McGonagall, and the Headmaster), looked unconvinced, but they let the matter drop.

There was another consideration, however. Professor McGonagall took this as an opportunity to give them their school letters, and they had to decide on classes. She had highlighted the classes required to be an auror on his, as well as recommending a few she thought might be helpful. He decided on Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense, the required courses. Also, Basic Healing, Care of Magical Creatures, and Magical Combat Theory and Practice, although he needed two recommendations to get into the last one. He when he asked her about them, she handed him two, one from herself and one from the Headmaster. He guessed that they had anticipated his request.

The party pretty much wound down after that, and they headed off to bed. Comparing notes with the others about their classes, he was happy to see that they had a good number of classes in common. He shared the basic classes with them both, and he was happy to note that they had both decided to continue taking Defense.

He turned in early, knowing that the guard would be by in the morning to escort him to first the Evans's and then Diagon Alley.

Harry straightened his tie once more, looking nervously into the street. When he had been told to dress nicely by Professor McGonagall, he had almost regretted asking to come along. Compounded with the fact that they were dangerously close to Privet Drive, the dress shirt and slacks were decidedly uncomfortable. It was interesting to note that she pulled off muggle dress in a very convincing way. No doubt all of her experience made her at ease. He was about to comment on the weather just to break the silence when he saw something that made his heart start beating faster.

Dudley and his gang were headed this way, and Harry knew there was no avoiding it. True enough, they soon spotted him.

"Hey Potter, going to a funeral?" Dudley was quiet, not wanting a repeat of the last time, though his friends had obviously been obliviated. Catching his eye, Harry smirked.

"Fellows, I wanted to introduce Professor McGonagall. She one of the teachers at my school." Dudley's eyes started bulging at his words, just as he had hoped. He quickly started trying to convince his friends that more fun was to be had in an entirely different neighborhood. He could tell that the others were wary of his teacher. Even if you didn't know that she was a powerful witch, she looked intimidating, especially if she was frowning. They all decided to leave the area as soon as they could. When they were out of sight, she turned a questioning eyebrow to Harry. He shrugged.

"The fat, quiet one was my cousin, Dudley Dursley. The rest was his gang, and I guessed they missed me a lot." Her other eyebrow rose at this comment.

"You were friends with them?" Her obvious disbelief was slightly amusing. He started walking again, even though he didn't really know where they were going.

"Well, a better way to put it would be that I was their prey. Their favorite game used to be something called 'Harry Hunting'." He looked back to see back to see shock on her face, and she still hadn't moved "Don't worry, I've gotten over it. Don't we have to hurry?" His words got her moving again, although he heard her murmuring about talking to Dumbledore.

They soon arrived at his house, one Harry hadn't seen before. Ringing the doorbell, they waited politely until it was answered. A tall woman opened it, and greeted the Professor cordially.

"Good evening, Ms. McGonagall." Harry gave a start at hearing her referred to in this way, but none the less made his way inside when she wave and stepped aside. On the couch, sitting next to Mark, was a man who could only be his father. He was smiling, though it seemed to fade a little bit when they appeared.

"Ah, Professor, it's nice to see you again." His voice was warm and inviting, though when he addressed Harry, there was a cold edge to it. "And you are the 'friend' that we've been hearing so much about, except for a name, of course." He did not offer a hand to shake as he had with McGonagall. "You can surely be none other than Harry Potter, however. Which leads me to ask the question: Exactly what are you doing here?" Mark had his head in his hands, and McGonagall looked as though she were torn between outrage and surprise. Harry, on the other hand, was berating himself for not expecting this. He shook his head and addressed Mr. Evans in a calm voice.

"Yes, I am Harry Potter, no I do not attend St. Brutus's Secure Center for Criminally Insane Boys, and yes my cousin Dudley is a jerk and a bully. Surely you don't believe the rumors the Dursley's have been spreading around for all these years. If I was that bad, don't you think I'd be locked up permanently?" He could tell he was shaken by his calm tone of voice and the very accurate list of all the rumors. That's when the Professor decided to enter the conversation.

"Mr. Potter is one of my finest students. As for what he is doing here, he felt, and I agreed, that having another wizard closer to his age then myself would make the experience less disorienting for Mark." Mark turned red at the last remark, knowing that it was his letter that had prompted Harry's visit. His father, however, turned much calmer and friendlier after she had intervened, as treated Harry as well as could be expected. He seemed interested in the wizarding world, and was as eager as his son for all the experiences. Harry had the feeling he wouldn't like the first one

A half hour later, he tried to keep from smirking at the nauseated look on his face. A ride on the Knight Bus was hectic at any time, and it had seemed especially so this time around. Mark, of course, had enjoyed it, while the Professor showed no reaction. Harry waited until the green had faded, then approached him.

"Mr. Evans, if you come into the Leaky Cauldron, I'm sure Tom can find something to fix you up." He looked up from his crouched position, looking at him.

"Where?"

"The entrance is right here" he said, pointing to the sign. He saw the confused look in the man's eyes and sighed. He had forgotten that muggles couldn't see the doorway. He looked to McGonagall for support, and she told him what to do.

"You have to be touching him when we get to the door, otherwise he won't be able to pass through. Harry took his arm and led him through the door. Mr. Evans gave a start when a barroom seemed to materialize, and his sickness was quite forgotten. He greeted Tom, who called out a greeting to Harry, though he didn't use his name. After making sure that Mark and his father were ready to continue, McGonagall led them to the back alley. She gave Harry a hat, one that matched his clothes, and proceeded to tap the appropriate brick. As the bricks formed into the standard archway, she addressed Mark exclusively. "Mr. Evans, welcome to Diagon Alley, center of the wizarding world." His mouth dropped open at the sights before him, and his father wasn't far behind him. Harry, on the other hand, was soaking in the sights like they were lost friends. He had spent many days here before his third year, and hadn't been back since. It was nice to return.

Before Mark or his father could run off and be lost, McGonagall suggested they head to the bank to exchange their money. Harry realized that he need to make a withdrawal as well. The number of books he needed would not be cheap.

The snowy white marble building rose in the distance as they approached it. When they went up the stairs, Mr. Evans had to be convinced to keep moving, as he just wanted to stare at the goblins. McGonagall led them to the exchange counter, while Harry went to find a goblin to take him down to his vault. Hearing the swish of some fabric in the air behind him, he hid his smile.

At the desk, he pulled out his key and convinced a goblin to take him. When he got in the cart, he made sure to hold the goblin until he felt another bounce as his shadow entered it. The ride was as thrilling as ever, and when he got to the vault, he decided to take an inventory of what was there. Though he had been using it for about six years, the piles of gold, silver, and copper didn't seem to have shrunk any. Shaking his head, he gathered as much as he could in the two pouches he had brought with him, and asked to be taken back up.

The others were done with their exchange, so he followed them out to the street. McGonagall wisely decided to direct them to Ollivander's, before they exploded with joy. When the bell tinkered, the old man sitting at the counter looked up and smiled.

"Minerva, what a pleasure to see you again. New student?" She nodded in the affirmative, but his gaze was distracted from her as Harry entered the shop. "Mr. Potter. What an honor it is to see you again." Harry bowed to him, and remembered something he had wanted to ask.

"Mr. Ollivander, when we are done getting Mark his wand, I want to talk to you about something." He looked curious, but turned to Mark none the less. Taking his measurements with the animated measuring tape, he puttered around the back, collecting some boxes and dismissing others. Meanwhile, Mark was looking nervous.

"Why's it doing that?" He asked when the tape measured the width of his nose. Harry laughed.

"I think it's checking your magic and your personality. You see, a wand is just a stick of wood with a core from some magical source. By itself, it can't make magic. However, when it's combined with the magic energy in a wizard or witch, spells happen. Because this is the very basis of magic, you need to make sure the wand suits you as well as possible. If you are the peaceful type, for example, and the wand is really good at destructive spells, your magic isn't able to flow correctly, and the spell loses most of its power." He was shocked when a voice came from right next to him.

"That's a very good explanation. Do you think I could use it?" He hadn't noticed Mr. Ollivander was back, with a stack of boxes. When Harry nodded, he turned back to Mark. "Well Mr. Evans let us see what suits you most."

Twelve boxes later, Mark had a thirteen-inch maple wand, with the heartstring of a dragon in the middle. "Good for strengthening and endurance spells" was what Ollivander had to say on the matter. Harry waited until the others were outside before he asked his question.

"Has Neville Longbottom been in to get a replacement wand yet?" The old man's eyebrows rose.

"No he has not. I was under the impression that he was using his fathers wand." Harry shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, when he helped me at the Ministry a couple of months ago, it got broken. I expect he'll be in here at some point." Ollivander nodded at this, and made to head off to the back room. Harry called after him. "Wait, please." When he had his attention again, he made his request. "When he does come in, don't charge him. Take the money from my account instead." Under his questioning look, Harry blushed a deep red. "It's sort of my fault that his wand was broken." He nodded his understanding, and they shook on it.

It was an uneventful day in Diagon alley, thank goodness. The most interesting part was trying to carry all of the books that he needed. All of the classes required at least two books, and both Magical Combat and Basic Healing needed three. It was fun, though, explaining to Mark about the various things muggle raised people need to know about not only Hogwarts but the entire wizarding world. He was stunned to learn that they actually flew around on broomsticks, and spent some time at the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies.

What tempted Mark the most, however, was Eyelops. He spent long minutes there, looking at all of the owls fluttering in their cages. He asked his father about it, and the man regretfully informed him that they were close to the end of their money, and he still needed robes. Mark walked away from the window sighing, and Harry slipped in to make some arrangements of his own. After all, without what Hagrid had done for him, he didn't know where he would be.

As they left Mark at his house, Harry wondered at the future of this boy. He honestly liked Mark, liked how even the threat of beatings from Dudley didn't stop him from trying to save his friends from the bully's wrath. How he had accepted Harry as a good person with barely any proof, just his word. He only hoped the boys luck was much better than his own.