The List

By: lbfan

Edits by: The Ink Stained One, Zayne, and leiselmae

A standard (copied and pasted) Disclaimer: The characters and situations of Harry Potter depicted in this story are the legal property of J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury, and AOL Time Warner, and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made off this story, and it is being used for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter 2 – Kreacher Komforts

While the Dursleys were busy sitting in the lap of luxury with Harry's money, the threesome were very busy with their own endeavors.

Staying in his room day after day, Harry studied away the hours, making notes as he went. Unlike Hermione and Ron, Harry was not able to cast magic to try out the defense spells that he found, but he practiced the wand movements and made detailed notes.

Then there was his Occlumency. Without a Legilimency caster, it was hard to tell if he was doing anything right. However, he learned from the books much more than Snape had ever taught him. He still could not believe how Dumbledore had trusted that dungeon bat.

Ron spent the days studying giants, wizarding and muggle military tactics, and magical means of communication. The most promising progress was in communications. Ron found a jinx called Schizotox in a book of practical joke spells that were meant to antagonize Muggles. This particular spell caused the recipients to hear voices in their head, and thus think they were going mental. Only Ron would search for a useful spell in such an unlikely book.

Usually Ron would flee from excessive studying, but after their first year of studying NEWT level courses, it seemed easy. With his choice of subject and a strong purpose in mind, it seemed easy for him to maintain his motivation.

When Hermione picked her research projects, she seemed to choose the most impossible ones. Because Remus no longer had Snape making his Wolfsbane potion, Hermione had begun working furiously to master the potion for him. She believed she would have it right by the next full moon.

If that was not enough, she had been tackling the undiscovered dementor-killing curse. After the first week of grueling research, she gave up on finding the spell in a book and had begun creating the spell from scratch. She made good progress in her research and was now preparing to start the development process.

Every day the three would join for the noontime meal and share in each other's progress. Sometimes it became too much when Hermione went on about the difficult Arithmancy problems used in spell creation. Other times, it was Ron who droned on and on about Attila the Hun or Robert E. Lee and their military maneuvers. Add in a few rows between Ron and Hermione, and everything seemed to be … normal.

With this meal, Hermione made sure that her boys were at least getting one good meal a day. This was always questionable considering where they were staying. Contract or no, they could not really depend on the generosity of the Dursleys.

At the end of the second week of residency at Privet Drive, Harry purposely waited for Ron to leave to pursue his studies before he pulled out his personal project. This project was particularly sensitive to Hermione, so he kept it secret from both of his friends. This subject was on elf culture and enslavement.

Harry reviewed a list of questions. He wanted to be sure that his new plan would work. In order to do this, he needed to thoroughly learn elf and Ministry laws and customs.

"Dobby!" Harry called out, as if he was just in the next room and wanted to chat. It only took about a minute, and Dobby the house elf appeared in his room with an eager expression on his face.

"Yes, Harry Potter, sir. What can Dobby do for you, sir?" Dobby asked, his pointed nose nearly touching the floor.

Amused with his small friend's antics, Harry silently chuckled to himself.

"Dobby," he said, "May I take some of your precious time to ask you some questions about house elves and the laws that govern you?"

Dobby's tennis ball sized eyes looked as if they were filling with joyful tears. A pleased but astonished look stretched across his face. Dobby gushed, in his squeaky high-pitched voice, "The great and mighty wizard, Harry Potter, asks insignificant Dobby for information? What an honor! Yes, Harry Potter sir, Dobby will do anything for Harry Potter!"

The next half-hour went well for Harry. Dobby enthusiastically explained house elf culture and wizarding law with regards to elves. Satisfied that his plan may actually work, Harry sat back and relaxed.

Unsure what to make of the silence, Dobby asked, "Does the great Harry Potter not need Dobby any more?"

This question seemed to pull Harry out of his contemplation. He almost forgot he was in a discussion. "Oh, I'm sorry for my rudeness, Dobby," Harry said.

Dobby went wide-eyed again and said "Again, Harry Potter shows his greatness and kindness by considering the feelings of a simple house elf, especially just Dobby."

Harry wasted no time correcting this statement by saying, "Dobby is a great house elf. He considers my needs and health above his own. On many occasions, Dobby has shown loyalty when it was not earned, kindness when it was not returned, and protectiveness when nothing bound him to do so. It is Harry Potter who is honored with the presence of the great and good house elf Dobby." After that, to confirm his reverence of Dobby, Harry knelt before Dobby and gave him a bow. Harry quickly continued, "Dobby, you have been free for four years now. By now, you should have enough of a self-identity to know what is important to you. What does Dobby want more than anything else?"

"Never, never ever has a wizard ever humbled himself to a house-elf," Dobby stammered. Dobby was so taken back by the level of praise that he forgot the question. Dobby said, "The brave, virtuous Harry Potter again demonstrates humility beyond any other wizard."

Still kneeling on one knee, yet his back up straight, Harry repeated, "Dobby, what do you want more than anything else?"

With a look of sincerity Dobby answered, "Yes, Dobby knows what he wants. Dobby wants to be a servant again, but not for just any wizard. Dobby wants to serve Harry Potter, Sir."

Harry did not know how to take this. Everything that he had learned from Dobby about house elf culture had taught him that the S.P.E.W. effort was on the wrong track. But this free elf wanted to be in servitude again. Not only that, but be his servant. Harry wanted to think, but he did not want Dobby to leave yet. Harry asked Dobby to stay for a while.

After a few minutes, he decided to follow what his heart told him to do. 'Hermione is going to kill me' he thought.

"Dobby," Harry started, "I want you to have what you want for yourself, but I don't believe in house elf slavery. I would like to offer you a mutual and voluntary bond instead. For my part of the bond, I commit myself and my family to be yours and your family for as long as the family line lasts. As your wizard, I will provide, protect, care and honor you with all of my energy and talent. As my house elf, you will serve, protect, care, and honor my family and me with all of your energy and talent. The strength of this bond is forged from the love of family and the honor of the family name. This is voluntary and we individually could disregard our obligations to each other without reprisal if anyone so wishes. As a free elf under this bond, you may wear anything you wish. You may also adorn your clothes with the Potter or Black family crests, since I'm the patriarch of both of these families. As my testament to my bond, I will forever more wear mismatching socks to show that I'm Dobby's wizard."

Harry feared that if this was not accepted well, that he could have actually insulted his little friend quite severely. Dobby seemed to still be listening without any signs of disgust, so Harry carried on, "As others join our families in marriage, birth and adoption, they too would be bound to this mutual bond.

Under this bond, you serve because of desire and not obligation; you belong because you are loved, not because you are owned. You will share the family resources, not be a part of the family resources. The secrets you keep you will keep because you want to, not because you have to."

Harry then concluded with the offer, "Dobby, does this bond please you? Will you join me in this mutual bond?"

Dobby finally came out of his shock and said, "The great Harry Potter is making history today by adopting Dobby into his family and share his family name? Of course, Dobby will enter into this bond."

Harry knelt down in front of Dobby on both knees. He grasped Dobby's small hand in his, and then closed his eyes. Magic seemed to spill over them as Harry started his oath, "I, Harry Potter, head of the houses of Potter and Black, do hereby enter into a mutual bond of servitude to Dobby and his family line. My bond is to protect, provide, serve, care and honor with all my energy and talents. By the power of love and family honor, I make this pledge." Magic, at this point, had taken a physical attribute similar to the wizard's oath as a cord of white light seemed to wrap itself around Harry's and Dobby's hands and wrists. A soft whirlwind of dust seemed to glow and flow around them.

Dobby, understanding the spirit of the ceremony, replied with an oath of his own. "Dobby agrees to enter into a bond of mutual servitude with Harry Potter and his family. My bond is to serve, protect, care and honor you and your family with all of my energy and talents. By the power of love and family honor I make this pledge." The whirlwind of dust seemed to glow brighter and the cords of the oath started to pulse with light.

Harry finished the oath, "Dobby of the house of Potter is now Harry Potter's house elf, and Harry Potter is now Dobby's wizard. Dobby now shares all honor, wealth, and property of Harry Potter." The cords of light entwined around their hands and wrists seemed to fade and soak into their bodies. The whirlwind of glowing dust shot away from them and faded through the walls.

Wide eyed, Harry and Dobby both gaped at the magical essence of the bond as it dissipated.

"Dobby," Harry started, "you can call yourself, Dobby, Dobby of the house of Potter, or just Dobby Potter. However, your official title is 'Dobby of the house of Potter.'"

With his eyes brimming with tears, Dobby launched himself at Harry and said, "Thank you, Harry Potter. Dobby has the highest honor of the Elfish world to not only serve Harry Potter but to have his service as well. Thank you."

Harry turned to Dobby and suggested, "Dobby, I think you should notify Professor McGonagall of your legal status. The second thing you should do is to take down all of the portraits in our house at Number 12 Grimmauld Place and start redecorating it to give it a bright and warm feel like Gryffindor Tower, rather than a Slytherin dungeon. If anyone is in there or is trying to gain access to the house, please report back to me immediately. Oh, one more thing, if you do take a wife, please let me meet her. She too would belong to the house of Potter. If she is not free already, then we will buy her freedom to serve under this bond instead."

After Dobby left, Harry could not shake this ridiculous feeling that he should have asked for Ginny's blessing before making this house elf bond.

After dinner a few nights later, Vernon started on Harry over the various household chores that needed to be accomplished. In his usual violent tempered mannerisms, Vernon seemed to be practically shouting in Harry's face.

'This is it,' Harry thought. Instead of pacifying his uncle and aunt with consoling promises to attend to the requests in a timely manner, Harry quietly sat down and looked at each of them in turn.

"What is it?" Vernon barked, unable to retain his anger towards Harry. At this, his aunt's face started to go pink, and her horse-like face contorted with irritation at having to listen to Harry again. Dudley, on the other hand, got up to leave the room. Well, he was actually struggling to roll his obese body out of the chair.

Harry stopped him by saying, "Dudley, you better stay and listen to this. It affects you as well."

Vernon would have belted Harry, but a glance at Ron had stopped him. With raised eyebrows, Ron sat stiff in his chair with his hand clearly grasping onto something stowed in his jacket. It was as if Ron was saying 'Just give me a reason…'

Vernon recoiled into his seat with genuine hatred apparent on his red face.

"Let's get one thing straight," Harry started, "It is not your fault that I'm here, nor is it mine. Shortly after I was born, a seer prophesied that I could possibly be the one person able to bring about the destruction of Voldemort. Since that time, he has been trying to kill me. In the process, he has been killing others around me as well. Dumbledore had no choice but to place me with you, in order to cast the ancient magical spell which has been protecting me and this house. This is because you, Aunt Petunia, are my only living blood relative. This spell is only intended to protect a child, so at the end of this month there will be no spell protecting me … or you." Harry waited a minute for this to sink in before continuing.

"Mark July 31st on your calendars. That is the day I will turn seventeen and become an adult in the magical world," Harry said. He and Ron exchanged smirks at the irony of having to tell the family which raised him when his birthday was. "I'll be leaving sometime before then, but I do expect that Voldemort's followers will come here looking for me when they realize they can," Harry said.

It did not take long for the Dursleys' faces to show acknowledgement of the threat. Harry continued, "I suggest that you make out-of-town holiday plans to leave on the 30th, and stay gone for at least a week." Still noticing their discomfort, to assure them, Harry said, "I am not going to leave you completely defenseless. I do have a plan. As a part of my inheritance, I received something which would be useful for protecting you: an elf."

"What! That disgusting little creature we saw last year?" Petunia exclaimed as if the memory made her nauseous.

"Yes," Harry beamed, "and you actually got his name right. See, house elves have the ability to not only clean and maintain homes, but also to protect the property and occupants of the home. Kreacher should be able to protect you from one or two wizards as well as fix any damage to the house or furnishings that become damaged from the visit."

Now came the hard part. Harry's face fell as he continued, "The bad thing is that Kreacher is a bad elf. He was complacent and let Sirius's house go to waste. But I think it happened because Sirius was too soft on him. Sirius never did earn Kreacher's respect. The same thing would happen if I use him. But that won't happen here."

"Why do you say that?" Vernon glowered, "What makes you think that a reject midget would shape up for us?"

"Well …" Harry carefully began, "like his previously successful owners, you discipline with a firm hand. In short, if he acts up, you'll quickly correct the problem. See, Kreacher has spent most of his life serving a dark wizarding family. These types of families are notorious for punishing their house elves. I just feel that you would not withhold the necessary punishments from him. Basically, you are a better family for him than Sirius or I could be."

Vernon thought about this and said, "Yes, I could see that. You never did have any backbone."

It was just another insult. Harry ignored it and continued on with his discussion. Harry proceeded to instruct the Dursleys on what house elves were and how to own one.

"Before I call Kreacher here, I want you to meet Dobby," Harry said. "Dobby!" Harry called out into the air. Practically jumping out of their chairs, the three Dursleys jerked as a little elf with tennis ball eyes and a pointed nose appeared in front of Harry with an audible 'Pop' sound. Dobby was now dressed in a tye-dyed shirt that hung down to his knees and socks on his ears. On the shirt, proudly and just above his heart, was the Potter family crest.

"Yes, my great master, what can I do for you?" Dobby asked with a broad smile on his face.

Harry addressed Dobby, "Dobby, you can call me anything you want. Bad or good names, you have earned that right."

This time, it was Ron's turn to speak. "Harry, you didn't tell me that Dobby is your elf now!"

Harry gave Ron a half-smile and said, "Well, in a way, and you could say I'm his wizard, but I'll tell you later."

Turning back to Dobby, Harry said, "Dobby, I am going to instruct Kreacher to serve the Dursleys here for me. I would like you to be the one to call if Kreacher gives them any problems. Is that OK? It would mean that you have authority over Kreacher, and you can discipline him at will."

With that, a smile spread across Dobby's face. He replied, "Dobby would like that." Then he turned to the Dursleys and said, "If Kreacher gives you any trouble that you can't handle, just call me, and I'll take care of that insubordinate disgrace to all house elves."

"Well," Harry said, "Dobby, call Kreacher. He should now come for you."

Dobby looked incredulously at Harry. "Kreacher, come!" Dobby commanded.

Another pop, rattled the three Dursleys again. In front of Dobby appeared the ugly, dirty house elf that they had seen just the year before. Petunia shrieked in protest, "Ugh, I don't want that ugly pest in my house!"

Harry reassured her, "Kreacher will clean himself up and put on something like a used pillow case instead." Now looking directly at Kreacher, "That is a command, Kreacher, but before you leave, I want you to meet some additional family members for you to serve." Pointing at Dudley, Harry introduced him, "Kreacher, this is Master Dudley." He went around the table introducing Uncle Vernon as 'Master Dursley' and Aunt Petunia as 'Mistress Dursley.'

Kreacher immediately started to object, "Oh, no … no… no… I don't work for Muggles, no, I don't."

This time, it was Dobby that corrected him. "Kreacher will work for whomever he is commanded to work for. Kreacher will treat Dursley masters and Harry Potter with respect. No using the 'Muggle' word in front of them. Kreacher will call them 'normal people' and wizards are just … wizards. Kreacher will not say anything bad about his masters. Kreacher will be a good elf."

Kreacher turned to Dobby and asked, "Why do you command Kreacher? Dobby is not my…" Kreacher could not say the words. It was as if his voice failed him. Kreacher then fell to the ground and started beating the floor with his fist in frustration.

"Oh yeah," Harry started, "Dobby, is also a master of yours. Since he owns everything I own now, and that includes you."

Harry turned towards his obese cousin. "Dudley, you try and give him a short task and see if he does it."

Dudley turned to the nearly naked midget and said, "Kreacher, bring me a bowl of pudding and a spoon."

Again, Kreacher tried to protest by saying, "Master Dudley doesn't need …" Like the last time, the words failed to escape him, and he was compelled to go to the kitchen and do what he was told. However, in doing so, he made a bad mess in the kitchen; the spoon was dirty, and the bowl of pudding was very small.

Dudley started to protest, but Aunt Petunia cut in, "Kreacher, can't you do anything right?" After landing a solid blow to his head with the back of her hand, she commanded him to bring him a clean spoon and a large portion of pudding. "Now!" she yelled.

Kreacher did as he was told and returned with a large bowl of pudding and a clean spoon.

"Uncle Vernon," Harry asked, "Would you like to give him a command now?"

Steaming mad, Vernon was looking for something to distract him from all of this.

"Kreacher," he bellowed, "Bring me the remote for the telly." He was pointing right at it.

Kreacher, interpreting the gesture, picked up a remote and handed it to Master Vernon.

"That's the wrong bloody remote, you idiot!" Vernon yelled. He chucked the remote at Kreacher's head where it hit with such force that the back fell off and the batteries scattered across the floor. Vernon continued, "That remote is for the new DVD player. I asked for the telly remote, you good for nothing piece of shit!"

Kreacher ran over to get the other remote and handed it to his new master.

"Good," Vernon barked with a stern glare on his face. He then commanded Kreacher, "Fix the other remote and put it back where you got it."

Kreacher snapped his fingers, and the remote, the batteries and the backing all reassembled themselves into one in his hand. Kreacher then put it back on top of the DVD player where he found it.

When he did that, Vernon cringed at the use of magic in his house, but at least he was in control of this magic. This magic was being used to serve him and could not be used against him. So, for now, he relaxed and turned on the telly.

Aunt Petunia dragged Kreacher by his ear into the kitchen and had him clean up the mess he made.

Harry, before leaving, suggested that they store Kreacher in the cupboard under the stairs when they were not using him. Dobby and Ron followed Harry up to his room. Dobby said, "Dursleys are bad masters, but Kreacher deserves worse."

Ron shared his thoughts, "Did you see him? I think he actually cracked a grin after the remote hit him. Blimey, a masochistic nutter, that one is. I hate to say it, but I think you were right to say that they were perfect for him."

Harry and Ron bid Dobby good-bye. Ron started to get ready for bed, and Harry went back to the writing desk to make another failed attempt at writing a letter.

Another week went by smoothly. Hermione was taking Harry to Diagon Alley this morning. Because the shops did not usually open until 9:00, Hermione brought some breakfast from home for him to eat. They sat in his room to talk to pass the time.

Hermione had seen Harry in a melancholy mood ever since he returned to this house, almost three weeks ago. She was hoping that Ron would reach out to him and pull him out of it. However, she had forgotten that Ron had the emotional backbone of slug.

Harry would become excited and involved as they worked on a project or entered in a discussion, but as his thoughts become idle, he kept on slipping back into a depression. As time progressed, it just seemed to get worse. Now that she had him alone, she hoped that she could find out what was wrong. She was confident that when she guided him through it logically, he would shake off the depression.

"Harry," Hermione said, "What's consuming your thoughts so much lately?"

Harry did not answer immediately. He did not really want to tell her about this. She… she was a girl. However, she was his best friend, and she was not directly related to her. It was already difficult enough to talk to blokes about this, if there was a bloke around whom he could talk to. It may not hurt to talk to Hermione about this; besides, she may have read about this in a book somewhere, he finally concluded.

Harry said, "Seamus makes it look so easy. I mean… breaking up with girls. At the time, it seemed so logical, but now I feel as if I have an empty hole in my chest. What's more, I can't seem to get her out of my mind. She consumes my thoughts in the day and invades my dreams at night. Part of me wants her safely away from my life, but the other part of me feels incomplete without her in my arms. At times, I wonder if the sun will ever shine again. Hermione, what have I done? Why can't this be simple?"

Hermione had been hoping for a simple problem, not this. What did she know about matters of the heart? It would be like the blind leading the blind.

Harry's use of metaphors to describe his feelings best related to the writings of Shakespeare, particularly Romeo and Juliet. In this case, though, it was not the family that was driving them apart; it was the lack of peace in this world caused by Voldemort and the prophecy that linked their fates together. She hoped the intensity of their unquenched passion for each other did not lead to their untimely deaths, as it did for the characters of the story.

"Harry," Hermione started, "your instincts have proven me wrong, time and time again. In just this last year, you were right about the book, Snape and Malfoy. Love has always been your strength. This is a very important decision in your life. You must trust your instincts and follow your heart."

Hermione was torn inside. She could not believe that she could give advice that was not soundly based on logic. It was just like her feelings for Ron. There was no logic to them.

A smile rose to Hermione's face. She said, "Harry, I have an idea. Ginny is working at her brothers' joke shop in the alley. Why don't you ask if she has moved on? It would make it easier for you to let go if you knew she found someone who made her happy."

Harry looked away with a sullen look. He did not want to face the possibility that she would not wait for him. He did not actually ask her to wait for the outcome of the final battle, but he was hoping she would. This thought did nothing for the intense ache in his chest. It seemed as though the monster of jealousy, which had been so active in his chest last year, was now the one being tortured.

Harry insisted on bothering Mrs. Figg to use her Floo to get to Diagon Alley. He did not want to Side-Along Apparate if he could avoid it. As soon as they got to the entrance to Diagon Alley at the back of the Leaky Cauldron, Harry threw on his invisibility cloak and let Hermione guide him while he kept a hand touching her elbow or back.

The first place that they visited was a small shop, well tucked away, and hardly noticeable. This was the wizarding optometrist's store. The door jingle alerted the optometrist of the arrival of his next appointment.

"Miss. Granger, I presume," said the wizened old man.

"Yes, I'm here for my 9:00 appointment, Mr. Ho," Hermione answered.

"Are you sure the appointment isn't for the young man under the invisibility cloak wearing glasses?" Mr. Ho asked with a slight smile on his face.

Knowing the charade was up, Harry hastily removed the invisibility cloak and stored it away.

Hermione smiled back and answered, "Yes, you are correct. The appointment is actually for this charge of mine. Mr. Ho, this is Harry Potter." Turning to Harry, she introduced, "Harry, this is Mr. Ho, your new optometrist."

Turning back to Mr. Ho, Hermione explained, "Mr. Ho, I'm sorry for the charade, but I'm trying to keep Harry's presence quiet. I'm sure you understand."

Mr. Ho looked at the two young wizards and said, "Oh yes, I understand quite well. Harry, please come and sit down over here." He indicated a simple examination chair.

Harry strode over to the chair and sat down. He had only been to the optometrist once in his life and that had been bloody murder with Aunt Petunia constantly fussing over the cost.

Mr. Ho continued, "Harry, I was wondering if and when you would be coming to see me. If you have noticed, there are only very few wizards who wear glasses. Those who do wear glasses, usually only wear them to correct presbyopia, a far-sightedness the elderly suffer from. You have been wearing glasses to correct myopia, or near-sightedness. In both the wizarding and muggle world, there are many other choices for correcting the condition. May I take a look at the glasses you are using?"

Harry handed him his glasses. He tried to give Hermione a puzzled look, but she looked too fuzzy to see her reaction.

"Here in the wizarding world, we have five different options: First, we can cast a charm on your eyes to allow you to see correctly, but this only lasts for a few hours at a time. Second, there is a potion that we could give you, but it is also temporary and only lasts for 6 weeks. Both of these choices can be magically removed with the Finite Incantatem spell. The most common correction is casting a spell that would reshape the cornea of your eye to correct the vision. This is similar to the Muggle practice of LASIK eye surgery. Our way is simpler and much safer. The least common are eyeglasses, like the ones you are wearing. Charms can be added to them for additional magical properties. Finally, the last choice is what I'd suggest: permanent-wear eye contacts. Unlike Muggle contacts, they never dry out or cause your eyes to tire. Like glasses, we can add charms to them as well."

"What kinds of charms?" Harry asked.

"Miss Granger, would you be a dear and place Imperturbable and Silencing Charms on the doors and walls?" Mr. Ho asked.

Hermione complied. When she was completely satisfied with her work, she stood a little closer with interest.

"Miss Granger, what relation did you say you were with the patient again?" Mr. Ho asked.

"She's my legal guardian," Harry interjected. "I have burdened her with that responsibility after Dumbledore passed away."

Hermione said, "Yes, that's right, though it's not really a burden. It is my pleasure to help you, Harry."

"Ah, that explains much," said Mr. Ho, "It also makes things easier, since I'll need your approval for this."

Turning his attention back to Harry, Mr. Ho said, "To answer your question, there are three different kinds of enhancements we make to the contacts. First, standard charms for ease of use; second, optional charms for common usability enhancements; and third, special ministry-approved-only enhancements, intended for an Auror.

The standard charms are intended to keep contaminants from getting into your eyes and make them so you can't tell you're wearing anything at all. The optional charms are to enhance your vision in bright light or darkness and provide telescopic and microscopic vision. Another optional charm is to allow you to change the color of your eyes. The special enhancements include out-of-band vision, such as infrared or ultra-violet, and the ability to see through walls, invisibility charms and cloaks."

Hermione asked, "How much for the works?"

Mr. Ho gave a slight smile and said, "Somehow, I was expecting that. I know what you are up against, and I want to support you in this way by bending the rules for you. You understand what it means to have some of these extra powers, don't you? You must keep this a secret. No one must know about these extra charms, and you must restrain yourself from invading people's modesty. These contacts are not voyeur toys for a hormone driven teenager but a useful tool for the man who holds the hope of the wizarding world in his hand."

Mr. Ho then turned to Hermione and answered, "I typically charge the ministry three thousand galleons for the pair, but for you, twenty-two hundred is my offer."

Hermione leaned down so Harry could see her and gave him a concerned and questioning look. Harry gave it some thought and then nodded.

Hermione looked back to Mr. Ho and said, "That would be fine. When can we have it done?"

Mr. Ho replied, "They are already prepared and are sitting in my safe. It will only take 10 minutes."

Hermione gave him the vault number to charge the purchase to, and Mr. Ho inserted the contacts in Harry's eyes. The price was ridiculous. Most people did not even make that much in a year, but if they would help save his life, it would be worth every knut.

Since they were permanent contacts, the bonding process felt like his eyes were being burned for 10 seconds, yet for Harry, this was nothing compared to pain he had already endured through his life. With another spell, Mr. Ho set the prescription into the contacts. Mr. Ho spent the rest of the time going over the features and explaining how to use them.

As they were leaving, Hermione said to Harry, "If anyone asks, just tell them that an optometrist corrected your vision and nothing more. Let them make their own assumptions." Hermione lifted the charms on the office and guided Harry to the armor store.

In the armor shop, Harry purchased special boots for quiet movement. He also picked up a white dragon hide breastplate and cloak for protection from fire, frost and some magical spells. The sales clerk said it was from a white Tibetan relative of the Chinese fireball.

Hermione found them some potion-scabbard belts. The belt held 20 small, empty, color-coded vials. When the vials were removed from the belt, they would expand to a normal size potion bottle. The vials were also charmed to be shatter proof.

When Harry asked about a wand holster, the sales clerk directed him to the wand dealer at the street cart.

To conduct business at the street cart, Harry had to reveal himself on the street. He had no glasses on, his eye color changed, and he put on a hat. With all of this, he hoped he would not be recognized. The wand dealer told him that he would not be able to sell him a second wand, but he did outfit Hermione and Harry with the top-of-the-line, Auror class wand holsters. These holsters had anti-summoning charms on them, and with a flick of the wrist the wand would immediately appear in the wizard's hand.

The stop after that was Madam Malkin's. Both Harry and Hermione had to find appropriate robs for the wedding. Hermione did not allow him to see what she purchased, however she helped him purchase some robes that would look great. Harry could tell that she appreciated having her own money. This kind of expense would have been a little tight with the money her parents gave her, but with the stipends from Harry, she seemed more relaxed and enjoyed the shopping experience.

It started to get late, and they were pushing for time to get back for lunch with Ron. Harry told Hermione that he would catch up with her at Flourish and Blotts. He knew she could take all afternoon there and never be bored. Harry also asked her to purchase him ten Healer books. Harry wanted to go visit Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes to talk with Fred and George.

Once inside the shop, his heart quickened. Amongst all of the smells of the shop, he identified the flowery smell that reminded him of Ginny. Sure enough, she was there at the counter helping a customer with their purchase. Even in the magenta staff robes, the sight of her made him catch his breath, she was so beautiful. The monster inside him seemed to purr in delight.

As she was handing the bag to the customer, she looked up to acknowledge the familiar presence that had entered the shop. A mixture of emotions seemed to flow across her face. First it was excited, delighted, irritated, stern, stupefied, and then settled on saucy. "Well stranger," she started with a sarcastic undertone, "you look handsome without glasses, but I still prefer your eyes green."

George was stocking new products on a shelf nearby when he heard her greeting. He looked up to see who it was.

Harry returned the greeting, "Ginny, you look as beautiful as usual. The magenta robes do not complement your lovely hair."

"Ginny, could you go in the back and get me another case of Skiving Snackboxes from the store room?" George asked.

Ginny, too irritated to blush at the compliment, turned on her heel and marched into the back.

It was Fred who approached Harry. "Hey mate, what brings you in here today?"

Harry told him that he was looking for any items that he could use for defense, sneaking around, or attacking someone.

"Sure Harry, we have what you need, but I was wondering if I could talk to you about something else," Fred said.

"Sure, anything, Fred," Harry said in a curious tone.

"Harry," Fred started, "do you know how transparent you are?"

"Transparent?" Harry asked.

Fred explained, "Don't take me wrong. It's a good thing about you. It is one of the things that makes you an effective leader. By just looking at you, your words have credibility. The same thing occurs with your emotions. You wear your emotions on your sleeve, even your subconscious emotions. For instance, when was the first time someone has ever mistakenly accused you of having a girlfriend?"

Harry's mind immediately shot back to a scene in Flourish and Blotts when he was 12. Malfoy suggested that Ginny was his girlfriend. Then he remembered Ron constantly being teased about Hermione, but even he… even he figured the attraction between them as well.

Seeing the realization come across his face, Fred said, "We're not the only ones who can see your affections for her; even Death Eaters know what she means to you. Separating yourself from her won't save her, when you are revealing the one whose death would hurt you the most. Just think about it."

Ginny returned into the store flustered, "George, I don't see a case of Skiving…." She looked around the room, then said, "Where's Harry?"

Hearing Ginny returning to the shop, he had gotten scared. He had thrown the invisibility cloak over him and slipped out the door as a customer opened it. His heart was pounding, and his head was spinning from the revelation. This certainly made things more difficult.

Once in Flourish and Blotts, Harry put away the invisibility cloak and strode up to Hermione looking disheveled. "Hermione, I'm ready to go now," he told her.

Irritated and put out, Hermione shot Harry a dark glance. Noticing the stress in his expression and posture, she complied by gathering up the books she found and paying for them at the counter. She waited until they were out in the Alley on the way to the Leaky Cauldron before she asked, "So, I take it that it didn't go well with Ginny then?"

The mist in the Alley grew thick, and they could hear the doors around them being closed and secured.

Harry said, "No, I mean I didn't get to…." Before he could explain he felt the temperature fall a little too quickly.

Harry switched his eyes to infrared mode and noticed that there were twelve cold shapes floating into the Alley. Down a ways, a mother and daughter were huddling close, beating on a shop door for escape from the alley.

"Dementors!" Harry shouted. The restriction for under-age magic did not even register to him as his wand flew into his hand. "Expecto Patronum!" he cried. The silvery mist from his wand quickly took the shape of a stag and leapt down the alley to head off a dementor heading for the mother and daughter. From behind him he heard Hermione cried out, "Expecto Patronum Militis!" He turned to see a dementor only meters away from them, drifting towards the unformed patronus shield that Hermione conjured. The shield was not a silvery mist but a mist of what appeared to be pure molten steel. Never before had he heard a dementor sound the way it did when it touched the shield. It almost resembled a scream, as its body seemed to burn and melt on contact. At this sound, all of the other dementors disengaged the attack and fled.

"Is it all clear?" Hermione asked Harry.

"Yes, all of them have left," Harry replied.

Hermione wrapped her left arm around him and then, without asking, Apparated them to the alley near Privet Drive. It was not as bad as he experienced with Dumbledore, but still it was weird. Hermione seemed to have a pleased look on her face.

"What did you do that for? We could have walked to the Leaky Cauldron, besides I wanted to see if the family in the Alley needed help." Harry asked with a puzzled look on his face.

Hermione turned to him, trying to remove the smile from her face, and said, "I didn't want any questions asked. Aurors would have arrived. If we hadn't left when we did, we would have been up to our eyebrows with Ministry inquiries and press. No, I was right to pull us out of there when I did. Let's quickly get to the house."

As they were making their way to the house, Harry asked, "You just faced a dementor, how can you be so pleased?"

"Well," she started with her eyebrows raised and a grin on her face, "It worked. I mean, the test was successful." She felt that she was losing ground and covered by saying, "I didn't actually want to be attacked by dementors, but it did give me a chance to test the new spell, didn't it? I figure all that all the spell really needs is a very happy thought or more magical power."

When they walked through the door, they saw an angry Aunt Petunia throw Kreacher into the cupboard, and yell "You stay in there and fix yourself up. How dare you bleed all over the floor!"

At the grizzly display of hostility, all of the happiness from the previous few minutes vanished. Tears filled Hermione's eyes, and she ran up the stairs to Harry's room.

Harry calmly followed her. He also felt like he had been sucker-punched in the stomach. It was as if he was experiencing déjà vu, but only from a third person perspective.

When Harry entered the room, he found Ron trying to comfort Hermione. Ron wrapped his arms around her in a comforting gesture. Hermione's head was buried into his chest, and her tears were soaking his shirt.

At Ron's questioning look Harry said, "She witnessed a scene of house-elf abuse downstairs."

After she regained her composure, Hermione said, "It's not just Kreacher. That is the kind of thing that regularly happened to you, didn't it?"

Wishing they could talk about something else and just allow this discussion drop, Harry just nodded.

Hermione commanded, "I want you two out of here. We have to leave this 'Hell hole.'"

"Hermione, we can't," Harry said pleadingly. "I know what you are thinking, but it is only for another week. Hopefully, by the wedding, Neville will have it all worked out where we are going to live."

A few nights later, an Order of the Phoenix meeting was being held in a living room of someone's home. Minerva McGonagall led the discussion. "By tradition, the leader of this group is supposed to be a wizard or witch who is a chosen companion of a phoenix. This is to assure that we follow someone who is pure of heart. Since a phoenix hasn't chosen any of us, we must start looking outside of this group for a phoenix companion who would have an interest in leading our group. Without a leader, we are no more than a group of concerned citizens who hope to make a difference in this fight."

Throwing a Daily Prophet down on the table, Sturgis said, "It looks as if our 'Chosen One' is out playing hero again. I don't get it; we have spent hours of our free time to protect this cub, just for him to sneak out and put himself in danger."

Always skeptical of the rag, Arthur Weasley piped up, and asked, "Are we sure that this was Harry?"

"We spoke to him only a few minutes beforehand," said Fred.

"He was in our shop looking for…" George paused.

"…toys for defense, attack, and sneaking about," Fred continued.

"Who else would stand in the middle of the alley facing down a dozen dementors?" George reasoned.

"And protecting innocent lives," Fred explained.

"Not to mention the tell-tale sign," George exclaimed.

"Stag patronus!" Fred finished.

Tonks added in, "Hermione was with him in the alley at the time. I was the Auror who volunteered to get his statement from them at his home. There was something that they were not telling me. It was like he was guarding a secret. By the way, he no longer wears glasses."

Careful with the words he chose to say, Remus added, "That boy has grown up. He is now on a mission. He and his friends have also been very busy this summer. If I were to speculate, I would say that Harry is picking up the secret project that Albus had been working on all last year."

Kingsley chimed in, "Well, for once the paper may be true when it said 'The hero of Diagon Alley may be the only light we have during these dark times.' This is one statement that is really raking Gawain Robards's nerves. Minister Scrimgeour is riding him to make some visible progress in this fight, and now he has been shown up again by a sixteen year-old boy."

George said, "If were looking for a leader, I'd vote for Harry any day."

Then Fred quickly added, "I would follow him to Hell and back, if he asked."

Molly just gave them a sour look.

Miles away back at Privet Drive, Harry and Ron were getting ready to go to bed. As a nightly routine, Harry struggled over writing a letter again. Hedwig was impatiently waiting and giving him a look of imperious disdain. Harry wadded up the letter and threw it into the bin. The bin was already overflowing with this same kind of wadded parchment, so it fell onto the floor. As Harry closed his eyes to focus on his Occlumency, Hedwig swooped down to the floor, grabbed the half-written letter and flew out the window. Assuming that Hedwig just went out hunting, Harry completed his exercises and went to sleep.

Author's Notes:

Credit for inspiration goes to Abraxan (for mind communications spell) and RossWrock (for contacts, armor) Bobmin356 (for the cool wand holster).

Spoiler: General inspiration for this story was also contrived from Harry Potter and the Veil of Mystery by semprini. I strongly encourage everyone to read this story.

Thank you for the reviews. The positive feedback was encouraging.