When Harry arrived back to the Dursley's house supporting a weak and visibly shaken Dudley, while also being followed by the neighborhood loon he expected that a clamor would ensue. He was right. As soon as they walked through the door Petunia was fretting over Dudley, while Vernon was shouting at Harry asking what freakish things he'd done to his child. Mrs. Figg was trying loudly to explain what had happened, but no one was paying the insane cat lady any attention, and there in the middle of it all stood Harry calmly, waiting.

"Well boy, what did you do to my son?" Yelled Vernon. The rest of the house had finally quieted, and everyone else was waiting for Harry to answer. Harry debated whether to tell the truth or lie, but his decision was made up for him when Dudley spoke.

"Dad we were just going for a walk together, and all of the sudden it started to get really cold and I felt so helpless, like I was drowning and I couldn't break the surface to get the air that I needed." Dudley paused for breath, but before he was able to continue Vernon had already covered the distance between Harry and himself and he picked Harry up by the shirt. He slammed him into the wall hard enough that Harry had the wind knocked out of him.

"Last chance you freak tell me what the hell you did to Dudley!" Vernon demanded.

Harry was still trying to breathe and was gasping for air before he finally managed to pull in a breath and he immediately began to cough. He tried several times to say something, but he couldn't. "Saved him." he finally croaked out a bit later, causing Vernon's grip on his shirt to tighten.

Vernon looked like he was about to hit Harry again, and Harry was doing his best to brace himself when Dudley yelled out to stop "He's telling the truth dad. I don't know what he did, but as soon as he pulled out his wand and said something, I finally felt like I had escaped what was suffocating me and I could breathe again. Like I said I don't know what he did, but I do know he saved my life." Dudley finished in a tone that was almost daring his father to try to contradict him.

Vernon noticed this and slowly lowered Harry, who was still trying to catch his breath, back to the floor. "Well what happened boy?" Vernon asked in a less angry tone, but he certainly wasn't happy.

"Dementors." was all Harry could get out.

"Demen-what?" asked Vernon.

"Dementors," responded Mrs. Figg finally getting over the shock of the most famous wizard in Britain being slammed into a wall by a muggle. "they're some of the most vile creatures in the entire world. They make you relive your worst memories while also making you feel like your son described. The only way to beat them is to cast a spell that only a percentage of fully trained wizards are powerful enough to cast."

Vernon looked like he was about to reply or ask another question when an owl suddenly flew in and landed next to Harry. Harry quickly snatched the letter from the owl and began to read.

Dear Mr. Potter,

We have received intelligence that you performed the Patronus Charm at twenty-three minutes past nine this evening in a Muggle-inhabited area and in the presence of a Muggle.

The severity of this breach of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery has resulted in your expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ministry representatives will be calling at your place of residence shortly to destroy your wand.

As you have already received an official warning for a previous offense under section 13 of the International Confederation of Wizards' Statute of Secrecy, we regret to inform you that your presence is required at a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic at 9 a.m. on August 12th.

Hoping you are well, Yours sincerely,

Mafalda Hopkirk

improper use of magic office

Ministry of Magic*

Harry felt his stomach drop. How could they possibly expel him from Hogwarts and snap his wand? He did what he had to do to save his and Dudley's lives, not because he just felt like breaking the law. Did they even care? He doubted it, while wizards could do some amazing things, they also happened to be some of the dumbest people he knew.

Harry was still contemplating the letter when he heard the telltale crack of apparition outside and quickly got up and started for the back door, he was hoping he could outrun whoever it was that came to snap his wand. Mrs. Figg had quickly walked towards the front door and checked through the eyehole in the door before yelling out to Harry "Stop Harry it's just Dumbledore."

Harry felt so relieved he could throw up. Dumbledore quickly walked into the house exerting confidence and control over the situation that helped to ease Harry's nerves. He was wearing his signature star and moon robes and Harry could already see the looks of fear and disgust on his aunt and uncles faces. "Vernon, Petunia hello. Mrs. Figg thank you for notifying me when you did. Harry, you've certainly caused quite a stir. Have you received anything from the Ministry yet?"

"This letter, sir." said Harry handing him the note "Sir? Are they really going to expel me and snap my wand?" Harry asked fearfully.

"Not if I have anything to say about it, Harry." He looked over the note quickly and seemed to have a quick mental debate with himself before he finally spoke again. "It is clear that Minister Fudge's paranoia has reached an alarming level, Harry. I do not know if he specifically sent those dementors, but they are under Ministry control at the moment. That being said I don't want to leave you here, and if you would so like I could take you somewhere hidden. I warded this property myself, and I do not want you to think I'm a braggart Harry, but I am quite strong and well versed in the art of warding." Dumbledore paused here, and Harry gave a slight chuckle at the understatement. "I also happen to know that a certain large grim loves to lounge about in the house and a few of your friends are also there. So, tell me Harry, what do you think?"

"Thank you, sir, I'd love to go there." Harry said lighting up immediately at the thought of seeing his godfather.

"Very good." said Dumbledore, and with a wave of his wand all of Harry's belongings quickly floated down the stairs and stacked themselves neatly. Harry snatched an indignant Hedwig out of the air and quickly confirmed with Dumbledore that if he let her fly out the window, she would be able to find them later. Once that was settled Dumbledore touched his wand to Harry's belongings and quickly sent them on their way.

He looked at Harry and opened the door." Please wait outside a minute Harry. I would like to have a quick conversation with your lovely guardians." Harry hastily excused himself and only a few minutes later the door opened, and Dumbledore walked out of 4 Privet drive and down the walkway towards the street. "Come Harry it's already late." Harry had a feeling he knew what the conversation was about, but decided he'd ask Dumbledore later.

Harry followed Dumbledore and they walked in silence for a few minutes. "Are we walking to this safe place?" Harry asked a few minutes later.

Dumbledore gave a light chuckle and continued to walk at his quick pace. "No Harry, I just needed to get us somewhere where I could side-along apparate you out of here. I was rather reckless in my hurry to get to you, and was frankly quite lucky that no one saw me apparate in." The headmaster replied.

Finally, after having reached a street with just a few lights and even fewer houses Dumbledore pulled out a strange looking device. If anyone had been watching they would've seen everything go pitch black for just a second, and when the lights came on again, it would look like the two people who had been standing there just a second ago had vanished into thin air.

Harry spent a few minutes trying not to vomit, when he finally felt he could open his eyes without showing his headmaster what he had for lunch, he began to look around. "Sir is this where the safe house is?" asked Harry with a bemused expression on his face. As far as he could tell he was looking at some houses that could have been quite nice once upon a time, but now they looked run down and shoddy. There was trash littered around the sidewalks and some of the windows were broken and boarded up as if no one had lived in most of these homes for a while. What confused Harry the most however, was the fact that it looked to be an entirely muggle neighborhood. The house they were standing in front of had the telly on and he could hear a stereo from somewhere down the street playing a rock song loudly.

Dumbledore responded by handing Harry a slip of paper. "If you would be so kind as to read that Harry, we can continue our conversation inside." He said with a small smile.

Harry looked at the slip of paper and read 'The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number 12, Grimmauld Place, London.' The paper then shriveled up and burned itself until not even the ashes remained. Harry looked up and saw that they were standing directly in front of 11 Grimmauld Place, so he quickly looked to the right and saw that the next house was 13.

He looked at Dumbledore who seemed to be enjoying this all too much, but answered his unasked question, nonetheless. "Concentrate on what you've just read Harry." Harry recited in his head what he had just read and no sooner had he thought of Number 12 when 11 and 13 seemed to jump apart. Harry watched amazed as first a door, then walls and windows and a roof sprung up in front of him and assembled a house.

"Wow, that was incredible." he said quietly. "What was that sir?"

Dumbledore chuckled and began to lead the way into the house. "That is what's known as a fidelius charm. It hides away a building or piece of land so that it cannot be found by anyone except those who are given the secret by the secret keeper. Now I could have just told you the secret as I am the secret keeper for this particular house, but I was weary of any ears that might have been listening.

"Now come quickly Harry I'm sure all of your friends are still up waiting for you, and I am nearly certain Molly has prepared you something to eat."

"Sir, what is the order of the phoenix anyway?" Harry asked.

"It is a group of wizards and witches that fight against Voldemort led by myself. It was founded during the war, and your parents were part of it" Dumbledore explained. "Now that Voldemort is back, I have been getting into contact with some old friends and we have started it up again."

Harry was going to ask for more information, but Dumbledore had opened the door and he got his first look at the inside of the house. He was extremely underwhelmed. He saw what appeared to be an umbrella stand made of a troll leg near the doorway and lots of ugly paintings. The entire house had a grimy sort of feel to it as if it were covered in a layer of dust that you couldn't get rid of. The house itself was quite large going up three stories not including the attic and Harry guessed that there must be plenty of rooms that he could explore if he wished to do so.

Harry was so caught up in looking around that he didn't notice Hermione running at him screaming his name until it was too late. With a thud she slammed her body into his and engulfed him in a tight hug. Harry was very happy to see her but was also very quick to remember how annoyed he had been with her over these past few weeks because of her vague letters. He hugged her back briefly and then ended the contact. She gave him a confused look as her smile turned into a slight frown and even though he knew it was childish, and that it wasn't really her fault, it made him feel just a little better.

Next up was Ron who clapped him on the back, completely oblivious to what had just happened. Harry was upset with Ron as well over the lack of information received, but to be honest he had expected it from him, and they never wrote much about the news to each other over the years anyways, so Harry found himself forgiving him a little quicker. "Hey mate, we've missed you. How have the muggles been treating you?"

Harry found himself smiling a bit at his oldest friend. "Not too bad actually. They've left me alone for the most part and as long as I wasn't bothering them, they didn't bother me."

"That's great mate! The twins and Ginny are in the kitchen and mums made us wait for you to arrive before we could start eating, so let's get going mate. We can talk about our summers at the table." Harry gave a slight chuckle as he saw how eager Ron was to fill his stomach. Some things always stay the same.

When he walked into the kitchen, he was immediately pulled into another bone crushing hug, this one courtesy of Mrs. Weasley. "Oh, Harry we've all missed you very much. My goodness you're taller than you were just a few weeks ago and so skinny. Have those muggles been feeding you properly? Well, it doesn't matter I suppose I can always make enough to get you up to a healthy weight." Although Harry would never admit it, he loved being doted on by Mrs. Weasley. Just the fact that someone seemed to care about him that much made him feel special. Maybe that's what it would be like to have a mum. He stopped thinking about it before he could start feeling too sorry for himself, it wouldn't do him any good and he couldn't change the past.

After she let go, he was greeted with two simultaneous claps on each of his shoulders from the twins.

"Hello Harry." Started Fred.

"We sure are glad to see you" continued to George.

Harry rolled his eyes at the two of them. "It's good to see you guys too."

Fred leaned in close to Harry's ear and whispered. "When you have time, we'd love to show our favorite financial backer what we've been working on. It really is quite impressive."

"Of course." Harry quickly replied enthusiastically. This was something he was excited about. He knew the twins were practically geniuses, and now that they had some money to back them, he was sure their pranks and wheezes would be superb. He found himself really looking forward to them showing him just what they had been able to concoct. He was sure it would be able to match and probably even surpass anything sold at other joke shops, even Zonko's.

The last person to greet him was Ginny and she walked right up to him and pulled him into a tight hug. "Hello Harry, I'm happy that you're finally here." she said with a smile "We've been cleaning out this dump and we need all the help we can get."

"Yeah, this place looks a little worse for wear, doesn't it?" Harry said. He was very happy to see Ginny acting normally around him. He was hoping she had gotten over her crush on him, and from the lack of a blush on her face and the way she was acting, it looked like she had had. He knew that she was a cool person to be around when she wasn't acting shyly, and he hoped to get to know the real her better while he was here.

"You don't know the half of it," she said "but you will soon. We start cleaning again tomorrow morning." All the others in the room groaned at the reminder, and the adults laughed a bit.

"Well come on, I'm sure we're all famished, so let's eat then." said Mrs. Weasley. They all sat down and enjoyed a delicious roast. Even Dumbledore, who Harry had thought would leave after dropping him off, stuck around to enjoy some of Mrs. Weasley's outstanding cooking.

After eating for a bit Harry finally noticed what was bothering him, someone was missing "Where's Sirius? I thought you said he'd be here." Harry directed his question towards Dumbledore.

"Yes, he should be returning tomorrow. He is helping me with a task at the moment, and has been away for a few days, but it seems everything is going to plan, and he should be able to make it back soon without a hitch" Dumbledore replied.

Harry considered asking the headmaster where he was, but he knew that he probably would not get an answer, or an answer he liked better put. It was quite frustrating honestly. He, as well as everyone else, knew that he was number one on Voldemort's hit list, but no one seemed inclined to tell him any details that might just save his life. That being said, he didn't worry too much, because he knew Sirius would tell him everything if he just asked him. Shortly after that that they all finished eating and Molly told them to get to bed because she would be waking them up first thing in the morning.

The group followed Mrs. Weasley up the stairs, and she dismissed each of them as they reached their respective rooms. When Harry reached the room he would be sharing with Ron, he saw that his trunk and other belongings and possessions were stacked neatly next to his bed courtesy of Dumbledore. He quickly pulled out his pyjamas and changed into them. A lot had changed, and after such an eventful day he had fallen asleep before his head could properly hit the pillow.

Harry woke up in a cold sweat. He knew it was a nightmare that woke him up, but the dream itself was already fading and he couldn't remember what it was about. He glanced around the room and noticed that the clock on the wall read a quarter to five in the morning. Deciding he probably wouldn't get back to sleep anyway he quietly got out of bed and began to get dressed. He pulled out his toothbrush and toothpaste and made his way to the bathroom adjacent to their bedroom that Mrs. Weasley had pointed out last night and began to prepare himself for the day ahead.

When he finished his morning ritual, he decided to explore a bit. He had found out last night at the dinner table that this was the home that Sirius grew up in, and he was certain that the Black family would have an extensive library. Now that Voldemort was back, he had to do all he could to prepare. He had been regretting the fact that he wasn't trying his hardest these past few years and promised himself that he would give his all in every class every day from now on. He also wished that he hadn't taken divination, but rather spent his time on something more worthwhile like ancient runes. In fact, he had decided to ask Ms. McGonagall if there was any way he could drop divination and pick up Runes. He was sure if he worked hard enough he would be able to catch up with his fellow fifth years in time to take his OWL in the subject.

While he was thinking, he was wandering the halls searching for the library and eventually he pulled open a door to a room that could have only belonged to his godfather. He saw posters of muggle girls in bikinis lining the walls as well as some picture frames. Harry knew Sirius had ran away from home to live with James during the summer after fourth year, so he thought this must have been how he left it all those years ago, and from the looks of it no one has touched anything.

He walked slowly across the room looking at all the pictures. Most were of Sirius and James, but there were plenty of pictures with all four of the marauders doing silly things and goofing off. Harry noticed that most people were right when they said he looked like his father. James was a little more built than Harry, but other than that and their eye colors they could easily pass for twins. Harry was sad to not see any pictures of his mother, but it made sense as she and James only started dating at the end of their sixth years. Finally, with one last look around the room, Harry left and set off once again to find the library.

He finally found it on the first floor after a few more minutes of wandering and immediately began to look around at the titles of the books. He pulled a few books off of the shelves that caught his interest and settled in on the long sofa. He had brought a notebook in case he wanted to write anything down and quickly began filling up the pages with new spells and their counters and how to use them effectively. Even though he couldn't practice magic away from Hogwarts he wanted to be as prepares as possible for when he returned. Before he knew it the grandfather clock in the back of the library struck seven am, and he decided it was time to leave the musty smelling library.

He was in the process of putting the books he had borrowed back where they belonged when he heard someone else walk into the library. He turned around and was unsurprised to see that it was Hermione and that she didn't seem to notice him. She walked to a certain area of the library and began browsing through the books much like he had earlier. He decided to make his presence known. "Hey Hermione, how was your night."

She jumped up and held a hand to her chest "Harry Potter! How dare you sneak up on me like that?" She was breathing heavily and her face was pale.

"Sorry Hermione, I didn't mean to scare you. You didn't notice me when you walked in so I thought I'd say hey." He said, though he was biting back a laugh at her reaction knowing it would annoy her if he did.

"Oh, I'm sorry for not noticing you, nobody but me has been frequenting the library since I got here, and I didn't expect anyone this early. That's why I was so scared when I heard a voice behind me." She said laughing "So what were you doing in here anyway? Especially this early in the morning."

"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to do a little bit of studying, but I was just on my way out. I'll see you later, yeah?" He said making his way to the door.

"Harry, wait!" she yelled after him. He turned around and gave her a questioning look silently motioning for her to continue. "It's just that last night when you got here, you seemed quite distant with me and I was wondering why that was. Did I do something to upset you?" she asked bluntly, but he noticed there was some worry on her face. This was one thing Harry had always admired about Hermione, her ability to get straight to the point and ask or say what was on her mind even if she feared the answer.

"I'm not gonna lie when I saw you yesterday, I was quite annoyed with you due to the lack of information you've been giving me over the past weeks in your letters." Hermione started to protest, but he held up a hand to silence her. "I know it's not your fault and you were just following orders, but even though I probably wouldn't have done the same I can see where you were coming from, so I'm over it. Don't even worry about it." He told her genuinely.

Hermione ran to him and gave him another hug like the one from last night and this time he let her hold him to her heart's content. She finally broke the hug and smiled up at him. "When did you become so mature?" She asked teasingly. "I thought that might be the reason you were upset, and to be honest I didn't expect you to get over it so quickly." She said.

He smiled down at her and thanked her, "I figured that having my friend by my side was more important than some stupid argument." She beamed up at him and gave him one last hug.

"Okay Harry, I'll see you at breakfast normally Mrs. Weasley serves it at around eight, but usually not everyone is there until about eight fifteen."

"Thanks for letting me know. I'll see you later" He went back to his room and decided he could spend the remaining time before breakfast trying to get a start on his essay for Snape. He had most of his homework done already, except for potions and history. He figured he may as well start now as he would have to do it eventually and while potions was quite difficult it wasn't as mind numbingly boring as history. So, with a fresh piece of parchment and a self-inking quill that he received as a gift from Hermione last year, he set to work.

Daphne woke up at just after noon. She got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom inside of her room. She had decided earlier during her summer break that, besides her family, what she missed most during her time at Hogwarts was her own private bathroom. The public bathrooms at school were okay for the basic necessities like washing herself and getting ready, but her bathroom at home was on an entirely different level. She left all of her things wherever she pleased and didn't have to worry about anyone taking them or messing with them (that was a lesson they all learned quickly after Millicent took a shower and had her hair turn Weasley orange for a day). The other thing that made her bathroom so much better than the Slytherin ones at school was the fact that she had a gigantic bathtub that was equipped with all sorts of salts and foams that she could use whenever she wanted to.

She knew the prefects had privileges to use the prefects bath, which she had heard were quite luxurious, and she was holding out hope that when she got her annual letter from Hogwarts a prefect badge would accompany it. However, she knew that her head of house and Draco Malfoy's father were good friends, and for that reason alone Draco would surely be selected as a prefect. It was also for that reason that she wouldn't be surprised if Pansy, who was Draco's betrothed, was picked despite her marks being mediocre at best and her tendency to get points taken away for bullying. She laughed a bit to herself thinking that she sounded like a Gryffindor complaining about the unfairness that would most likely take place.

Snapping out of the tangent she had accidentally gone off on, she decided she would take a bath tonight, because she needed to get as many as she could before once again being stuck with the cold showers in the Slytherin bathrooms. For now however, she grabbed her brush off the counter and ran it through her hair brushing out all the tangles that were accompanied with a long night of sleeping. After brushing her teeth and washing her face she wandered back into her room and threw on a weird sister's t shirt and the most comfortable pair of sweatpants she could find. Deciding that she was ready she began heading downstairs for a very late breakfast.

Because it was half past noon, she knew that her father would be at work for a while longer, and her mother had mentioned doing some clothes shopping the other day. Daphne and Astoria were invited to join, and from the lack of noise in the house she assumed that Astoria had taken her up on it. Daphne on the other hand would much rather sleep late then go shopping. It wasn't that she didn't like shopping mind you, she just liked sleeping even more.

"Missy?"

Daphne's call was accompanied with an instantaneous pop. "Yes, mistress Daphne, how may Missy be helping you?" replied a squeaky voice that belonged to the Greengrass house elf.

"I've only just woken up and was wondering if there were some leftovers from this morning's breakfast?"

"Oh no Mistress, you must not be eating the leftovers. Missy will be preparing you something fresh." and with that the little elf popped away, presumably to make Daphne more food than she could ever dream of finishing.

Daphne sat down at the table and began to think about what she should do today. She knew that in the few weeks since school had let out that she had managed to work a bit on her tan by laying out in the back besides the pool with a book in hand, but she had been lazy enough today and she thought she should work on something productive. Her homework wasn't quite done yet so she could work at it for a few hours, and she might be able to knock out another one of her subjects, maybe Defense? No, that was something she would rather save for later.

She pondered a bit longer and then remembered the conversation her family had from the other night stemming from the owl that had interrupted them during dinner. She was curious as to why Potter was being treated the way he was, so she decided to look through her father's library for a book on law and see what that was all about. She had always had a passion for law, and though she never told anyone before, she would love to work as a solicitor some day. Also, the fact that Potter was involved intrigued her, probably more than it should have if she were being honest with herself.

She had always thought the boy wasn't very good at magic as he seemed to earn poor marks in his classes, yet last year during the tournament he was performing magic on a similar scale to the other three older champions, sometimes even outperforming them. She had thought that he wasn't very smart as Granger was always helping him and Weasley, but now that she thought on it more, he was usually in the top three when it came to mastering a new spell. The fact that he also had sprung up a few inches in the last year, and that he looked pretty good without a shirt (most of the fourth years in their transfiguration class knew this courtesy of a timed prank from the Weasleys.) made him even more interesting.

Before she could think too much further on the topic, the table in front of her filled up with enough food to feed a family. After she thanked Missy, she began to dig in and thought about maybe jogging later so she wouldn't gain too much weight from the delicious cooking. On second thought, she'd rather read up and learn more about Potter's trial, it would certainly be more fun than jogging.

Harry was walking downstairs towards the kitchen with Ron and Hermione. They had just been cleaning in the Master Bedroom when a red-faced Mrs. Weasley sent them down to have a snack. "I will never understand why the hell the Blacks own some of the stuff they do." Said Ron "I mean while we were cleaning through the master bedroom, we found all these cuffs and whips and stuff. Why would they keep that stuff in there? I suppose it doesn't matter in the end, mom said she would finish that room off."

Harry saw Hermione beginning to turn red and tried his best to contain the laughter that was threatening to escape him. Ron had an absolutely hilarious confused face on as he tried to figure out what the whips and cuffs were for, but before anyone could add anything to the conversation the front door opened and closed loudly. Immediately a horrible screaming could be heard. My greatest disappointment has returned! "Have you brought more blood filth and creatures to further soil the house of the Blacks?!"

"What the hell is that?" asked Harry.

"That would be a portrait of Sirius' mum. She wakes up if you make enough noise and starts to spout off rubbish about half-breeds and mudbloods." Hermione answered. Harry was just starting to ask another question when another yell interrupted him.

"I sure did you old hag, they're all waiting outside to meet you. The centaur and the goblin seemed especially eager to talk to you." Harry recognized the voice immediately and began running towards the entrance of the house. Ron and Hermione went to the kitchen to allow Harry a moment of privacy with his godfather. Sirius saw him coming and quickly asked Harry for some help. "You grab that end of the curtain and let's get this old bat to shut up."

Despite Mrs. Blacks protests Harry and Sirius managed to close the curtain and immediately the painting stopped yelling. After he was sure the curtain wouldn't open anymore, he lunged forward and gave Sirius a hug. "Oof, hey pup I missed you too. How have you been?"

"Alright I suppose, we were just cleaning some rooms upstairs, how have you been? You definitely look better than the last time I saw you."

"I was just doing something for Dumbledore that we can talk about later. I look better because I managed to get my hands on some potions that helped with the malnourishment that I had from my days in Azkaban. Enough about me though, want to tell me why you have a court date at the ministry in a few weeks?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"There were Dementors in Little Whinging, they attacked me and Dudley, so I used a patronus to drive them away. They threatened to expel me and snap my wand, but Dumbledore made them knock it down to a trial so I could share my side of the story. Where have you been?"

"I'll tell you later Harry. The two of us need to have a discussion with Dumbledore tonight to sort out some things, but first I need some food. Care to join me for a late lunch?" Harry thought that Sirius looked a little upset at the mention of Dumbledore but decided he could wait until tonight to figure out what it was all about.

"Sure, Ron and Hermione are probably waiting for us in the kitchen anyways, and there's some leftover sandwiches Mrs. Weasley made in there."

"Perfect let's go eat; I'm starving." As if to prove his point his stomach let out a loud growl. They made their way into the kitchen and Sirius was greeted with another hug, this one from Hermione, and a somewhat awkward handshake from Ron. "So how has everything been since I left?" This question was directed at Ron and Hermione.

"Not too bad. Besides Harry showing up yesterday it's been somewhat boring lately. No one from the Order has stopped by." said Hermione.

"Yeah, and mums been forcing us to clean nonstop." added Ron.

Sirius laughed through the food in his mouth before swallowing it. "Yeah, this place is a mess. I didn't even consider visiting here until Dumbledore suggested we could use it for the order. When he first told me his idea, I immediately liked it, mostly because I know my mother is probably turning in her grave at the thought of this place being used to fight against blood purists."

"Speaking of the order," Harry segued smoothly "what exactly do they do? Dumbledore said that you guys fight against Voldemort, but what exactly are you guys doing?"

"Well as of right now it's just recruitment." Sirius answered "We're out there subtly asking people what they think, trying to feel out who would be willing to join us, and who would be willing to support us. That's actually what I was doing for Dumbledore, trying to see if some of the people who helped me when I was in France would be interested."

Harry thought that made sense and nodded his acceptance at Sirius. "Well, we better get back to cleaning." he said standing up. "The sooner we finish the sooner we can do what we want, and with Sirius able to do magic we can finish in no time." Harry said while shooting Sirius a hopeful expression.

"Alright then let's go" Sighed Sirius. All three of the teenagers cheered a bit and set off to finish their chores.

That night at dinner Molly made sure they ate quickly and went upstairs before any of the order members arrived. She was adamant that they were not allowed to stay during the meeting. Harry would have protested, but Sirius insisted that they weren't discussing anything extremely important at this point, and if something important did come up he would let him know right away.

Hermione was looking over Harry's potions assignment and revising it for him, while he and Ron were playing a game of exploding snap. Just as Harry had lost again Ron spoke up. "You know Harry, the twins have created these really cool things called extendable ears. We could use them to listen in on the meetings if we really wanted to."

Harry shrugged "Sirius said that they haven't been talking about anything important, but that he'd let me know if they did. I say we just wait for him to tell us rather than risk being caught." Ron looked disappointed that Harry didn't want to go eavesdropping but agreed that they should hold off on using the extendable ears unless they really needed to.

Eventually they could hear voices meaning that the silencing spells had been taken down which signified the meeting was over. They waited a few minutes for most of the people to clear out before heading down the stairs. As they entered the kitchen, which was where the meeting was held, they noticed that there were still a few people left, but not many. One of those people was Severus Snape who sneered at the three of them before leaving the room and presumably the house.

Harry walked up to his godfather who was talking with a pretty girl who looked to be in her late teens or early twenties with pink hair. She was waving her hands animatedly and when she finished her story, she let out a laugh that sounded very familiar. Sirius turned around and noticed his godson and quickly introduced the two. "Harry this is Tonks my wonderful cousin twice removed; she has a first name but she told me if I ever say it again she will castrate me. Tonks this is Harry Potter my godson."

Tonks gave him an exaggerated once over before looking at him with a devilish smile and winking. "It's a pleasure to meet you sexy. I'd love to get to know you better." she said while licking her lips. Harry went bright red and before he could even try to stammer out a response, she began laughing at him. "Calm down Harry, I was just taking the piss. I like making boys blush." She said with another wink that caused Harry to turn even redder.

"Well, you're definitely very good at it, it's a pleasure to meet you." Harry replied.

Tonks looked pleasantly surprised. "It took the twins a few days before they could talk to me, and Ronald still won't look in me in the eyes." She laughed "Good on you mate, for being able to take a joke." They talked for a little while longer during which time Harry learned that Tonks was a metamorphmagus and could change her appearance at will. He spent some time talking to her about that until she said that she had to go as she had work in the morning, and it was getting late. This of course caused Harry to ask where she worked. When he found out she was an auror he was even more intrigued and made her promise that they would talk again later which she agreed to instantly having taken a liking to Harry.

After Tonks left Harry was about to head towards Ron and Hermione who seemed to be having a discussion with Bill, when he noticed Sirius waving him over. "We need to have that talk with Dumbledore now, come on."

They made their way towards Dumbledore and when they reached him Sirius asked for a word in private. Dumbledore led them to another room and immediately placed some silencing charms on the door. "What can I do for you two?" Dumbledore asked happily.

Harry just looked at Sirius as he had no idea what this was all about. "On my way back to England I made a stop by Godric's Hollow, I needed to see it for myself." Sirius started, and Dumbledore gave a nod encouraging him to continue. "While I was there, I found a letter in a hollow floorboard James had shown me when he first moved in. He said that he would leave stuff in there in case I ever needed help.

"In this letter, James writes why Voldemort was coming after Harry, but didn't want to write the exact wording because he was afraid it could fall into the wrong hands. He said if I wanted to hear it in its entirety to ask you. I figured Harry deserved to know why as well. Why he was a target, why his parents were murdered."

Harry was about as confused as one person could possibly be. "What are you talking about? He asked showing his confusion.

Dumbledore sighed. "Harry, do you know what a prophecy is?"

Harry thought for a moment and nodded his head yes remembering the prophecy that Professor Trelawney had in his third year that had ultimately come true. Dumbledore looked pleased that he knew and gave a slightly more in-depth version of how they worked.

"So, what you're saying is that there's a prophecy that had to do with me? And that's why my parents were killed?"

"What I'm saying is that there still is a prophecy that still has something to do with you. I would have told you about this sooner, but I wanted to let you live as a normal child without the fear of a prophecy hanging over your head."

"Well, what was it?" Harry asked impatiently. He was upset that the headmaster had been hiding this for so long and really wanted to know what it was that had eventually led to the sentencing of his parents and himself to be killed by a psychotic mass murderer.

"I'm afraid that I cannot tell you that." Harry began to protest but was quickly quieted when Dumbledore gave him a look that showed he wasn't budging. "I would like to tell you, but I fear with the link that you and the dark lord share, he will try to pluck it out of your mind. In fact I believe that Voldemort is actively attempting to get into the Department of Mysteries where the only remaining copy of the prophecy is being kept. That being said, I find it prudent that you learn the art of occlumency which is a way to protect one's mind."

"I hate to admit it kid, but Albus is right. I could start teaching you occlumency while you're here with me." At Harry's inquisitive look he added "All Black's are taught from a young age. I can teach you the basics and you could finish up your training with the headmaster once you get to school. At that point you will let him know the prophecy won't you Albus?" Sirius directed his question towards the aged headmaster in a somewhat dangerous tone.

"That sounds fine to me." Dumbledore agreed amicably, "I will let you know the prophecy when your occlumency is up to a high enough standard, is that alright Harry?" Harry nodded and Dumbledore continued. "I would advise you to not tell too many people about this Harry. I believe that Voldemort is trying to find a way now to figure out what the prophecy is, and it would be a shame if someone who shouldn't hear about this did and were to report it back to him."

Harry nodded his understanding, he immediately recognized who Dumbledore was talking about. "I agree sir. Thank you for letting me know all of this."

"The reality is that I should have told you sooner, but like I said I didn't want you to worry, I wanted for you to have as normal a life as possible."

"It's alright sir I know you were just trying to help. If you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to go to bed. This is a lot to digest."

He began to make his way out of the room when Dumbledore called his name. He turned around and looked at the headmaster expectantly. "Minerva has put your name up for her prefect selection, I want to know if you would be willing to do it or if you would rather not have that responsibility bestowed upon you. I know you are dealing with much and more, and wouldn't want to burden you further if you do not wish it."

"Sir I'd be honored to be made a prefect, but if I could just suggest one thing. Draco had been bragging all of last year that he will be a prefect because of his father's influence, but Draco is a bully and he doesn't deserve the honor. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it would help if the position were based off merit and not standing or popularity. So, if there is someone more deserving of the position than I am then give it to them, and likewise if there is someone more deserving than Draco make sure they get it."

Dumbledore looked impressed by what he had just said and gave Harry a small smile. "I assure you Harry that you are definitely the most deserving amongst your housemates, but what you said has merit. I will be discussing some of the other picks with their heads of house and I will determine whether or not they are the right choice. Thank you, Harry. Have a good night." By the time he had finished talking he had a ridiculous twinkle in his eye and a proud look on his face.

"Good night pup." Sirius said with a smile. Harry mumbled a response and headed off to bed. Sirius turned towards Dumbledore and let out a long sigh. "You know even though he's the spitting image of James he acts so much like Lily."

"Yes, I can't help but agree. Those two were a frightening duo and now we have the living embodiment of that duo growing right in front of our eyes."

"Yeah, it's a shame James and Lily don't get to see him, he's a special kid." Sirius said with a sad look on his face. "Well, Albus, I'll see you later, it really was a long journey, and I could use some shut eye."

"Yes of course, bear in mind that I would like to discuss how your trip went at your earliest convenience. I hope you have a good night."

"You too Albus." and with that Sirius headed out the door leaving Dumbledore to contemplate this turn of events. He had been hoping to wait a bit longer before letting Harry know about the prophecy, but now that he did know Albus felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. The boy had been maturing, as shown by his willingness to give up the prefect position, and Albus was happy to see his transformation into a dedicated and kindhearted young man. It saddened him to think that Lily and James missed out on raising him. He promised himself that he would do his best to end it more quickly this time, before more innocent lives were lost.

*Quote taken directly from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling.