AN: I do not own Harry Potter, that honor goes to J. K. Rowling.
Thank you to my reader who caught my mistake in a previous chapter. Early in writing this book, I debated making Sirius, Andromeda, and Bellatrix siblings. It would take little effort to make it work and I'm a little surprised it wasn't done in canon. However, after thinking about it for a while, I decided to revert back to the way J.K wrote it. Thank you again for the feedback and for catching my mistake. The chapter has been updated, which amounted to five words changed.
Chapter 6 - Summer Lessons
Harry closed his book on Experimental Charms Theory and rubbed his eyes under his glasses. The atmosphere around the Burrow remained tense after Percy's abrupt departure. Mr. Weasley tried to contact his son multiple times at work, but Percy ignored all his attempts. Mrs. Weasley sent the family owl, Errol, with a letter but never got a response. The twins tried to cheer their mother up by pranking her one morning but it just caused her to start crying. Ginny resolutely stayed near Harry as much as he would allow, pestering him with question after question about Charms and Transfiguration.
Ron simply ignored everything that wasn't Quidditch or his summer homework. The visit to the Master Charms Hall seemed to change Ron's outlook on schoolwork in general. He no longer complained and bemoaned the need to do essays or even read the required reading the professors gave him. Mrs. Weasley, shocked at her son's sudden change in demeanor, asked Harry about it one morning before Ron got up. He simply told her that Ron had seen something he didn't like and wanted to change it but that it was Ron's story to tell.
Mr. Weasley came home the following week after Percy left and announced that Minister Fudge and Barty Crouch had accepted their son into the Department of International Magical Cooperation as a Full Assistant to the Head of the Department. He jumped a full ten years within the political scene of the Ministry. With a nervous look at Harry, Mr. Weasley sucked in a deep breath and looked at the table.
"Harry, I want this to come from me," the middle-aged wizard stated as he placed his hands on the table in front of him, palms flat to the surface. "Percy has told Fudge and Barty Crouch everything he knows about you. A colleague of mine overheard most of the conversation, as she was doing Barty Crouch's schedule for the upcoming... err... event," he finished with a flush. He looked around the table at his children and coughed. "Harry, he didn't paint a pretty or accurate picture of your attitude and behavior."
Harry sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. He stared at a dark smudge on the table, trying to think through what problems Percy may have caused for him. "Thank you for telling me," he said after a moment. The entire kitchen was quiet, looking at him with different expressions. Mrs. Weasley looked sad while Mr. Weasley scrubbed the balding spot in the middle of his head with one hand.
"I suppose things could be worse," Harry said and tried to smile. "I'm glad he got a high-ranking position within the Ministry. For all of his faults, Percy worked hard," he commented and was surprised he actually meant what he'd said.
Mrs. Weasley teared up, and the twins exchanged dark looks. Ron snorted into his pie but shrugged a moment later. "Thank you for saying that," Mr. Weasley got out a moment later.
That night, Harry talked to Sirius about what Mr. Weasley told him. He wasn't sure how it started, but most nights Harry found himself using the mirror to talk to his godfather. "Do you think Percy will cause me trouble by telling the Ministry anything?" he asked as he turned the page in his book.
The mirror, propped up with a pillow, showed Sirius fingering his oiled mustache with pursed lips. "Maybe, Harry, maybe," he answered in an even tone. "The Ministry isn't going to be your concern. It will be mine. You continue focusing on studying and learning magic. If everything goes well, I'll have some good news for you tomorrow to offset this minor issue," he announced with a fierce grin. "Now, we were talking about a spell to condense air into a physical wall. Your idea has some merit but to condense that much air around you would be taxing on anyone's magic. Water and earth are the easiest substances to enchant and transfigure into a solid barrier. You can do it with fire and air, but again, it takes a lot more magic. That being said, if you lift too much water or dirt away from the ground then it will take more magic to accomplish whatever you wish to do."
"So I can't make a wall of water thirty feet in the air?"
"I'm not saying you can't. What I'm saying is it will take a lot more focus, skill, and magic to accomplish it. We naturally adapt our magic to suit our needs, even when casting predetermined spells. You already know this, but what you might not know is that we, as wizards, can do all of it through sheer force of will."
"Like when I cast a spell wandless magic," Harry remarked with a nod. He clenched and unclenched his fist, remembering his recent surge in power as the core of his magic solidified.
"It's impressive you can do that at your age," Sirius commented with a boyish grin. "Yes, similar to that. The truly advanced magics come from a deep understanding of the forces you are altering with your magic. Verbal spells are a crutch to wizards like Dumbledore. Once you understand how, why, and what you want to change with your magic, it becomes second nature to work with your magic to accomplish your desire."
Harry pondered what Sirius told him and stared at the book in his lap without reading. His mind wandered through each of the spells he knew, from easiest to hardest to perform, and frowned. "I know you aren't lying, but I don't know if I understand how to make that happen," he said as he looked up.
"It will take years and years of study and more importantly, practice. The more you use your magic, the more you'll come to understand it. Remus could probably instruct you better on that kind of advanced magic. The Patronus Charm and the Disillusionment Charm are examples of easy-to-cast Ancient Spells."
Harry grunted as if Sirius punched him in the stomach. Both spells gave him a lot of trouble to cast and maintain. The casual way Sirius spoke of them make him realize just how far he had to go to reach his dreams of being self-sufficient and independent. "Well... I suppose I know where I need to start studying," he muttered.
Sirius shot him a gentle smile. "Harry, it isn't about how much you know but how you use it. The simplest spells can do the job better than complex, old spells might struggle to achieve. Intelligence and ingenuity are key. Both of those are skills you have in abundance," he said and sat closer to the mirror, his eyes shining. "You are worrying about things that I struggle with, and I've been using magic far longer than you have. Okay, fast review. How does the Floor-cleaning Spell work, and what forces do our magic change around us?" Harry frowned but answered. Sirius nodded before launching into a rapid-fire style of questioning, similar to how Master Ogata did his.
The next morning, Ron entered Bill and Charlie's bedroom without knocking. "Morning, Harry," he greeted with a huge yawn. "Up for a round of Quiddich then," he said before breaking off, his eyes widening. "Blimey mate, where did you keep that from Mum?" he questioned as he made his way over to the cauldron bubbling way in Harry's open trunk.
"By hiding it, of course. The magic in the trunk doesn't activate until the lid is closed and locked. I just let the cauldron bubble away for a while while I'm downstairs or outside."
"Blimey, I never thought of doing that. Well, I wouldn't really want to do it because there isn't anything I'd want to brew. Potions are alright and all, but why would you want to brew some now? Is it for one of your essays?"
Harry eyed his friend peering into the bubbling cauldron. He didn't want to tell Ron the potion was for the twins. Ron knew Harry supported and financed the twin's projects, but Harry ensured Ron didn't know just how much help or Galleons he provided. "Something like that," he answered with a bark of a laugh. The laugh made him grimace. His laugh sounded like Sirius' laugh.
"Blimey, I understand why studying is important now, but do you have to do it every waking moment?"
"No, but I enjoy Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Magic is amazing, so it isn't a chore to study and learn more. It's fun."
"Mental you are, mental. Anyway, Mum said your Sirius was coming round near lunchtime and wanted me to tell you." Ron stopped and sniffed, peering closer at the cauldron. "It smells sweet. What are you brewing?"
"A Befuddlement Draught," Harry lied with a smile. "You know the potion gives off smells of whatever will distract you most."
Ron jerked his head away. "I could do with another of Dobby's pastries. Right, I'll be up in the orchard in a bit," he said with a firm nod and strode out of the room, leaving the door open.
"One day," Harry muttered and glared at the open door.
Sirius arrived just before lunch, dressed in a dark Muggle suit. "Harry!" he greeted with a broad smile. "How is your day going?"
"Great, thanks. You dropping in for lunch, or do you have an objective?"
"Why? I can't visit my godson without a reason? As it so happens, I have a rather great surprise for you, but I need to talk to Molly about it first."
Harry felt his eyebrows rise and wondered if Sirius planned another outing like the last one. Not wanting to miss whatever his godfather had schemed up, he followed his godfather into the Burrow.
"Mrs. Weasley," Sirius greeted by the door. He gave a short, crisp bow from the waist and what Harry knew was his best, winning smile.
Mrs. Weasely eyed Sirius a moment before a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Come in, dear. Have a seat. I'll be serving lunch here in a few," she said while beckoning Sirius and Harry in. Harry was glad to see a smile on Mrs. Weasley's lips as they dug in for lunch. Since Percy left, he'd noticed her red eyes more often than not every morning, and it wasn't until after lunch that her mood cleared. He knew she blamed herself for Percy's behavior.
During lunch, Sirius joked and amazed everyone with little bits of wandless magic, like making the silverware dance across the table. He told jokes and even pranked one of the twins. Mrs. Weasley looked torn between laughter and exasperation.
"Mrs. Weasley, Molly, I'd like to ask you if Harry could visit me on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Mine and his father's old friend, Remus Lupin, has agreed to be a mentor or tutor of sorts for him," Sirius said and looked around the table," and anyone who might be willing to learn over the summer."
Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips and looked at her children. "It is up to Harry if he wishes to go, but I don't know if doing more studying outside of summer schoolwork is necessary," she allowed after a minute went by in silence.
"It will be just in the mornings to mid-afternoon. Remus assures me it won't be an issue to have more students."
It took Harry a moment to realize what Mrs. Weasley didn't want to say. "Mrs. Weasley, I know you weren't comfortable learning Dumbledore hired a werewolf, but I've been with Professor Lupin loads of times near and after a full moon. He would never hurt anyone, and if need be, I'll buy or try and brew the Wolfsbane Potion for him," he said after another minute of silence passed.
Mrs. Weasley eyed him but didn't confirm what he suspected. "He was a great teacher, Mum," Ginny said with a bright smile. "Could I go too?" The twins looked conflicted as they shared a look.
"I'll need to talk to your father," Mrs. Weasley replied in a firm voice. She glanced at Harry again before looking at Sirius. "How will Harry get back and forth? Will food be arranged or do I need to make some for him to bring?" she questioned. She paused before launching into question after question before Sirius could answer the last.
Harry watched Sirius dance through Mrs. Weasley's deluge of questions with grace, his smile never fading. He wondered how he did it. Mrs. Weasley flustered Mr. Weasley whenever she interrogated him.
"As you know, the Black family is rather well off," Sirius joked when Mrs. Weasley asked where they would be holding the classes. "I have access to properties all through Diagon Alley and the housing district off Horizont Alley. The flat above Weeoanwhisker's Barber Shop is large and will suit our needs. It has three rooms, a fireplace, a bathroom, and a kitchen. I'll be paying for all the food and any materials we might need."
Mrs. Weasley hummed and pursed her lips. "Three days a week? Not every day?" she questioned as she eyed Harry.
"As much as Harry would probably enjoy learning every day of the week, I, for one, think moderation is best."
Mrs. Weasley made a sound of agreement that brought heat to Harry's cheeks. He wasn't that bad! The looks from the Weasley children made him wonder if they thought all he did was study. He sighed, which made everyone laugh.
Ron gave him a sour look the next morning at breakfast. "Do you have to go? I mean, can't you just study here?" he questioned.
"Professor Lupin is going to be teaching us! He's probably the best professor I've had, and that includes Professor Flitwick and Vector. You'd be surprised, but Professor Vector knows her stuff. She has to, doesn't she? Arithmancy branches out into every subject taught at Hogwarts and more."
"You don't have to sound so bloody excited, but yeah, I suppose he was a good professor. I learned loads. Who do you think we'll get this year for a Defense Against the Dark Arts?"
"Probably a washed up has been. We've had a professor who Voldemort occupied inside. A professor who was more airhead than teacher. Then Professor Lupin, who was amazing. So now, I suppose it will be someone we've never heard of or worse... someone from the Ministry. They've been poking around the school the Daily Prophet said."
"You caused a lot of problems last term," Ron remarked in a low voice.
"I did," Harry admitted with a sigh. "I just want to be left alone to study."
"They'll never leave you alone, mate," Fred commented with a laugh. "If they ever find out how much you really do know, you'll be the next Minister of Magic."
"Please no!" Harry groused and shuddered. The image of him in Fudge's position made his numb skin crawl.
"You'd be good at it," Ginny supplied with a bright smile.
"Good or bad, I don't want it," he muttered, which made Ron laugh harder.
Sirius arrived after breakfast and greeted Mr. Weasley at the door. "Good morning, Arthur," he said with a wide smile.
"I'll talk Molly round," the middle-aged wizard said in a low voice. "Thank you for thinking of my children too."
"They are Harry's friends, and you've sheltered Harry. I'm never going to forget that."
Mr. Weasley looked taken aback but nodded. He glanced around, but he didn't see Harry standing in the narrow corridor. "Harry is no problem at all to have around. Molly and I see him as a son of sorts. He's been through things I'd never want my children to see or experience."
"I plan on making sure he doesn't experience worse. We need to sit down, sometime, soon, and have a discussion. Dumbledore mentioned some possible complications in the future," Sirius said in a lower voice.
Harry strained to hear the rest of the conversation as someone, probably Ron, thundered down the stairs. He stepped out into the kitchen, not wanting to get caught eavesdropping by whoever arrived on the bottom floor. Mr. Weasley and Sirius' conversation cut off as Arthur spotted Harry.
"Morning, just headed off to work. Enjoy your day and good luck, Harry," Arthur said with a wide smile. He nodded to Sirius and Disapparated away with a soft crack.
"Harry," Sirius greeted with a wider grin. "Ready to go? I see you have your school bag."
"Whenever you are."
"We'll use the Floo because it's safer overall. Just say Lupin's Study when you step into the fire. It'll take you right there."
One quick ride through the darkness later, Harry stepped out of the green flames into an off-white room with five desks, two blackboards, and several suits of armor standing guard against the wall. A small, open kitchen was against the back wall with a large oak door opposite it. He scanned the room and noticed the polished wooden floors, making him wonder if Dobby had done some cleaning here too.
Professor Lupin and Sirius walked out of the adjoining room that had no door, smiling. "How are you, Harry?" Lupin asked. The ex-professor of Hogwarts looked worse than Harry had ever seen him. His shabby robes had holes and rips in them, and his face looked gaunt. He struggled to remember if a full moon had happened recently.
"Professor," he greeted with his best smile.
"I'm not a professor anymore, Harry. Just call me Remus or Lupin. Sirius tells me you'd like to continue your studies over the summer."
"More than ever," Harry answered with a fierce nod.
"I've got permission from the Ministry, as the Scion of a Most Noble and Ancient House to teach you magic. They weren't happy but couldn't refuse me or the bribe of Galleons. The Ministry runs a tight budget at the best of times and this isn't a good time for them. I think Fudge will try and do something about it, but he won't get far. That means you can use magic outside of school as long as I'm here. I have a feeling they wouldn't like it if I put Remus down as your teacher. Sorry, old friend," Sirius said with a look at Lupin.
Lupin shot him a helpless smile before turning back to Harry. "Right, go ahead and lay out what you've got to do over the summer. We'll start there. No sense in starting a new project when you have plenty of work already," he instructed and walked to the front of the makeshift classroom.
Harry arrived back at the Burrow an hour before Mr. Weasley came home from work. He wanted to stay with Lupin longer, but Sirius stepped in and said he'd promised to have him back to the Burrow by a certain time. However, before he left, Lupin gave him a list of things to work on the next day and have complete before meeting him again on Friday.
"How did it go?" Ron asked as soon as Harry stepped out of the green fire.
"Bloody brilliant," he answered with a massive grin. "It was like when he was teaching me the Patronus Charm. We worked on a ton of charms and spell work."
"Blimey, but you're out of school. You can't use magic," Ron gasped. The confused look on his face cleared as he stared into the distance. "Sirius must have bribed the Ministry. I remember Bill talking to Mum about maybe helping pay the fee to have us learn magic before we went to Hogwarts."
"Yeah, he did. You could use magic too if you went," Harry tempted with a grin.
It took a week for Mr. Weasley to talk Mrs. Weasley into letting Ron join Harry. Ginny wanted to go as well, but Mrs. Weasley put her foot down. It caused a huge row one evening. Upset at being left out, Ginny refused to come to breakfast and dinner the next day. Fred and George seemed torn between working on their projects and asking to join Harry and Ron.
"Mate, I'll just go on Monday and Friday. The stuff you and Professor Lupin talk about is confusing. I mean, what would you need to calculate the density of air for? Just wave your wand and cast the spell. No, I'll stick to what the professors give me to do, and that'll be enough."
Harry smiled and pointed to the long calculation on his parchment written in Ancient Runes. "You can change so much about a Charm and make it form to what you want it to. Take the Levitation Charm. If I understand what Professor Lupin is saying, in theory, you could learn to fly by layering spells. You can't tell me it wouldn't be amazing to fly without a broom," he asked with a smirk.
"I mean, there are a few legends and children's stories of wizards who could fly, but no one has been able to do that in centuries if not longer," Ron scoffed, but he grinned all the same.
Ginny eventually got her way near the end of June. Mrs. Weasley, happy with Ron's progress in his school work and attitude toward Quidditch, reluctantly allowed Ginny to attend a class with Professor Lupin. It took a letter from Dumbledore to convince her. After a long talk with Professor Lupin, Sirius, and Mr. Weasley, she agreed.
Professor Lupin welcomed Ginny to the classes and spent just as much time tutoring her in her Charms work as he did Harry and Ron. Unlike Ron, Ginny chose to attend every class she could and asked to have more days for study because she got bored at the Burrow. Harry watched his friends grow as they learned the various topics Professor Lupin taught them. After everyone finished their summer assignments, he moved onto different subjects. As the days flew by, Harry started to watch Professor Lupin as he instructed his friends. His gentle but firm instruction encouraged Ginny to think through her spells and answers. For Ron, his patient tutoring pushed him to commit to his decisions and encouraged him to make mistakes as long as he learned from them.
On Wednesdays, Sirius took Harry to different places around Magical Britain. After the first full week he spent with Professor Lupin, they visited the Transfiguration Museum, and the next, they spent the day browsing the stalls in Diagon and Horizont Alley. Hermione kept Harry up-to-date on the goings-on in her life and her pseudo-apprenticeship with Ted Tonks. At first, she remained angry with him for introducing them and made it seem like the entire venture was a waste of time. However, by the third week of her studies, she admitted she was learning more than she dreamed possible.
Neville wrote during the second week of July, letting Harry know that his grandmother and Zoe Stewart got along a little too well for his comfort. Harry tried not to laugh when he read the letter aloud for Ron and Ginny. Mrs. Weasley did laugh.
One morning in the middle of July, two brown owls flew into the kitchen through the open window and deposited two letters in thick envelopes with the Ministry of Magic logo on one side and the Hogwarts Crest in the wax of the seal. Fred and George stared at their letters without touching them.
"Well, boys," Mrs. Weasley asked, her eyebrow raised as the two owls took off from the table and flew through the window again.
Fred and George took a deep breath at the same time and glanced at each other. As one, they reached for their letter on the table. The twins sat in silence as they read the cover parchment and then stared at their marks.
"Well?" Mr. Weasley asked, his voice tight.
"We did alright," Fred said with a glance at George's letter.
"I'm sure Mum will say we could have done better," George remarked with a smirk.
"What did you get?" Mrs. Weasley asked, her knuckles white as she gripped her apron.
"Well... I suppose we should start from the worst scores," George answered and took a deep breath. "Forge Beatus Rodent, fifth-year student of Hogwarts," he stated with a smirk. Ginny snorted and rolled her eyes.
"Stop messing around! What did you get?" Ron asked, interrupting his brother.
"I got a Poor in Astronomy and History of Magic," George reported with an exaggerated sigh.
Harry blinked and tried not to grin. It took Mr. and Mrs. Weasley a little longer to realize what George was telling them. "You... you passed seven O.W.L.s?" Mrs. Weasley asked, her breath catching as her eyes went wide.
George brushed his knuckles against his pajamas. "I did what I could, Mum," he answered with a smirk. All eyes turned to Fred, who coughed into his hand. "I... well... we are twins aren't we?" Fred said with a matching smirk.
"Bloody brilliant!" Harry cheered and clapped. His action sparked the others. Mr. Weasley picked Fred up in a bear hug. Harry thought the middle-aged wizard might have been crying. Mrs. Weasly clutched George to her chest and did cry.
It took a while for the small celebration to wind down. Everyone was ecstatic for the twins. While they didn't progress to N.E.W.T. levels in all of their passing courses, they managed to get Exceeds Expectations in a few classes. Fred could move on in Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Herbology. George shocked everyone by getting an Exceeds Expectations in Potions, along with his good scores in Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Transfiguration. Fred and George had a long discussion with their parents about what N.E.W.T. level courses they wanted to take. Mrs. Weasley talked George into attempting Potions, even if the professor was Snape.
One morning the following week, Fred and George asked Mrs. Weasley if they could join everyone else studying with Professor Lupin. Their mother, shocked that the twins wanted to study more, watched them like a hawk as she attended one of the lessons. That evening, she praised Lupin's knowledge and ability to teach. She admitted it had been a long time since she'd seen some of the material, but by following Lupin's instructions, it came back to her. Mr. Weasley joked that his wife was being stolen away to which Mrs. Weasley kissed him hard to the chorus of moans of disgust from the Weasley children. Harry just laughed.
Weeks before, Ireland beat Peru in the semi-finals, and the entire country celebrated its heroes. The morning after Fred and George started attending the class, the Daily Prophet announced the Irish National Quidditch Team purchased a full set of new Firebolts, the new top-of-the-line broomstick, for the Quidditch World Cup. In response, the Bulgarian team put in a rush order for a full set too. The Quidditch-obsessed fans in the wizarding world tried to put in orders of their own, but the famous broom makers refused most of the orders.
"I think Ron will enjoy this more than you, but I want to see how you fly," Sirius said to Harry with a huge grin. Instead of their normal Wednesday trip of visiting somewhere for Harry to see new types of magic, Sirius brought him to the other end of the British Isle through the Floo Network. The Quidditch World Cup would be played in a few short weeks and everyone tried to book the various stadiums around the country to live out their fantasies of being a professional player. Remus tagged along because he wanted to see what Harry could do too.
"Blimey, thanks again for inviting me," Ron gushed as the four of them walked onto the large pitch in the mountains of Scottland.
"You would have tried to shrink yourself to fit in Harry's pocket if I hadn't," Sirius remarked with a smirk. Ron's cheeks reddened but didn't refute the statement.
"This must have cost a fortune to book," Ron goggled as he looked around the opulent stadium. "Even the goalposts are golden."
"It cost a few Galleons but nowhere near what this did," Sirius commented with a smirk before producing a long brown package. Ron choked, his eyes going wide as he stared at what Sirius held.
"For me?" Harry questioned, his eyebrows rising. He had a sneaking suspicion of what was in the package.
"I wasn't able to get you a Christmas present, and your birthday is right around the corner. Think of this as a late Christmas present because I have something else planned for your birthday."
Harry nodded, unsure of what to say. "Thank you," he finally got out and took the package. Lupin watched on with a complex expression as he looked back and forth between Harry and Sirius.
Harry unwrapped the unassuming brown package from the slender end first. The polished ebony handle of a broomstick appeared as the rough material ripped away. He saw the words 'Firebolt' and a three-digit number in gold inscribed into the wood. "Bloody hell," he gasped as he pulled the broomstick away from the packaging. The hazel twigs appeared to glow for a moment as the magic took over. In the blink of an eye, the Firebolt hovered in the air, ready to be mounted.
"Well, give it a go!" Sirius prompted with a huge smile.
The Nimbus 2001 was fast, but it paled in comparison to the Firebolt. At the slightest touch, he could direct the broom to do exactly what he wanted. It took him a few minutes to realize Ron, Sirius, and Lupin all took to the air. "This is bloody brilliant!" he yelled over the whipping winds around the stadium.
"Come on, I brought a Quaffle," Sirius called back. "Two versus two. You and Ron first against me and Remus."
"You're on!"
Harry felt like that afternoon would stay with him for the rest of his life. He'd always loved flying and loved the thrill of the physical exertion Quidditch gave him but learning more magic always came first for him. It was freeing to play Quidditch with someone who simply enjoyed the game. When he practiced with Ron, it always felt like he was playing in a serious match, but with Sirius, they joked and played around. They did nothing more than throwing the Quaffle back and forth for a bit while talking about different subjects.
Remus wasn't the best flyer, but he did his best. Ron got a turn on Harry's new broom and bemoaned the fact he didn't have a super-rich godfather. Everyone laughed. Before returning to the Burrow, Sirius brought Harry and Ron to his flat in London. It was near Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron but still within Muggle London. He showed everyone around the small, two-bedroom flat and told Harry he would keep a fire going at all times in case he wanted to pop in for a visit.
"Blimey, he bought you a Firebolt?" Fred asked that evening at dinner for the twentieth time that night.
Harry laughed but didn't answer. Mr. Weasley smiled while Mrs. Weasley had a strange expression on her face whenever her children brought up the broom. She'd forbidden Ginny to fly on the broom. She said she'd seen Ron racing around the orchard, and it had told her how fast and dangerous the broom was. If Ron wanted to break his fool neck then she'd just have to make another boy. Mr. Weasley choked into his goblet but didn't say anything.
"Almost half the summer has gone by," Lupin said to Harry as they watched Ginny and Ron practice the Stunning Spell on one of the suits of armor. If the spell worked, the armor would crash to the floor for a moment before standing back up again. So far, Ginny was having more success than Ron was.
"Time seems to be racing forward. I'm having the best summer ever," Harry commented as he watched Fred and George hover over a cauldron in the small kitchen. With Sirius and Lupin's help, the twins had hundreds of new ideas to try for joke shop items and experts to help them develop their new products. Fred and George devoted every moment they could to produce and test the new range of sweets, joke items, fake wands, color-changing garments, and enchanted cloaks. Their growing stockpile of goods filled two compartments in Harry's trunk.
"I'm glad," Lupin said with a smile. He paused and watched Ginny perform the Stunning Spell again before continuing, "you mentioned that you were having trouble meditating on Wednesday. Did any of my suggestions help?" He turned and gazed down at Harry with wide, worried eyes.
"I tried them all, but," Harry answered, trailing off as he struggled to explain the feelings and sensations he felt while he was in deep meditation. "The... troubled feeling arises when I try to probe my defenses. I'm progressing, slowly, in Legilimency. My natural barriers, according to the book's information, are strong but, I struggle with expanding my defenses to protect memories. When I try and follow the instructions and delve deeper... I feel... anger? Hatred? I don't know. Whatever it is... it's violent and... well Dark."
"Sirius is looking into the matter for you. Sorry, but I brought him in on the problem because, well, werewolves can't use Ligilimency. Our inner-selves are a wolf. Very few people can tame our inner wolves to see any of our memories or surface thoughts."
Harry grimaced but nodded. He'd come to respect Sirius' judgments over the last few weeks. While childish sometimes, the older wizard cared deeply for him and did everything within his power to assist him in whatever Harry needed or wanted. "I've read Master Ogata's notes in the book he translated for me. I don't have thoughts of hurting myself or anything like that. Just a powerful, violent feeling."
"That still isn't ideal for trying to work on your Legilimency. Maybe you should stop for a while until Dumbledore can inspect and guide you."
"I have other things I could work on," Harry allowed after a moment. "My control over wandless magic is growing by leaps and bounds."
Lupin laughed, a deep chuckle that startled the twins near the kitchen. "Sirius told me you got him back by pantsing him with magic when he was talking to an attractive witch last week," he remarked, trying to contain his mirth.
"He tried to coach me into talking to a middle-aged witch," Harry groused, feeling heat grow in his cheeks. He'd been caught staring at the older, beautiful witch by his godfather.
"Hormones are natural, Harry," Lupin said in a gentle voice. "It's just starting a little earlier for you than most. Nothing to be ashamed of. Well... you'll remember plenty of embarrassing moments caused by raging hormones later in life, but it's part of growing up."
Harry grunted and focused on the golem of stone lumbering around the middle of the room. His transfigured creation lurched instead of walked around, and its legs looked twisted. He consulted the book on Transfiguration in front of him to try and fix the problem.
"You're running before you can walk," Lupin remarked in a warm voice. "Creating a humanoid golem from stone is immensely difficult, even for me. Collapse your creation and try making a serpent. They are much easier to control and, with practice, move faster and easier than a humanoid creature."
Harry mumbled under his breath that he could have perfected the golem but complied with Lupin's suggestion. The pile of rocks resembling a small child collapsed with a wave of his wand. It took him five minutes to follow the instructions in the book, calculate how to best form the golem of stone, and cast the necessary spell.
He felt the magic in the room condense as the spell worked over the stone pile on the floor. Ginny gasped and jumped back as the head of the rock, forming into the head of a Basilisk, reared up and looked around. He knew the snake golem couldn't see, but the life-like movement and scary appearance made him shiver.
Ron gulped and backed away. "Blimey, that's scary. You messing about with snakes, mate?"
"It's one of the few snakes I've seen, and it certainly left an impression," Harry muttered as he stared at the deep grooves where the eyes of the snakes should be.
Sirius appeared in the doorway from the adjacent room where the bathroom was and froze, his eyes wide. "Bugger me with a Bludger, is that a Basilisk?" he managed to get out with a wheeze as he looked around the room. His eyes landed on Harry. "If you ever need to scare someone, just have this thing knock on their door," he said with a forced laugh.
"I'll keep that in mind the next time you feel the desire to play a joke on me," Harry remarked with a laugh. He thought Sirius' face might have paled a little more.
