"Stewed slugs?" Remus asked, looking over the apothecary shelves at Harry. Harry stuck out his tongue, gagging, but held out a jar for Remus to shovel in a heaping scoopful and closed it gingerly.
"Next up?"
"Newts' eyeballs," Harry said, checking the list.
Remus moved over to the eyeball-filled fishtank marked "2 knuts gross" and began filling the slightly smaller jar as Harry scanned the ceiling for pickled algae. It was Saturday, one of those lazy summer mornings in August when one started to get tired of lazing about 'til noon, playing chess with one's godfathers, and even running around in the forests outside. Remus had decided it was time to organize the cottage, so they were back at Diagon Alley restocking on potion supplies, house robes, stationery and sundry.
The door opened with a jangle and a kid burst in, followed a bit more sedately by two parents in robes.
"Is that a tarantula?" he said, running over to the tank at the end. "Mum, look!"
Harry ducked past as the dreadlocked kid went over to the tank of live spiders and immediately plunged his arm in.
"Those are potions ingredients, Lee-," his mum said exasperatedly, as his father took a few steps clear of the cage, looking a little dismayed.
"Can I have one?" Lee asked, taking the largest spider carefully out of the pile. "It can be a familiar-"
"First year at Hogwarts?" Remus asked.
"Oh no, we're old hats by now," Lee's father said, looking eager to be out of the spider conversation. "What about you?"
"Not this year!" Remus said cheerily, scooping up the last of the newts' eyes. "But Harry will be a first year next Fall-"
"Fine, but you are not under any condition bringing it to Hogwarts," Lee's mum was saying warningly.
"Hey," Lee turned around suddenly, looking at Harry. "Harry Potter?"
Harry glanced at him.
"Hi," he said.
"Wow, the real Harry Potter! Look Mum, Dad," Lee said, holding out a spider-free hand to shake.
"We see him, son," Lee's dad said wryly. "Good to meet you, Harry Potter."
"We hear all about you from Lee-" his mum began.
"Muuuuuuum-" Lee grabbed his mother's hand and dragged her into the corner, then ran back over to Harry.
"Cool to meet you," he said, switching his handshake for a fistbump at the last moment. "Bye now!"
"Er," his dad said, "Good to meet you. Send the Minister our best regards."
He shook Harry's and Remus's hands, as Lee's mom nodded politely at them and then went to pay for the spider.
"Well, that kid's a Gryffindor if I ever saw one," Remus said, shaking his head. They paid for their things and walked out, blinking as the dim apothecary gave way to blinding sunlight outside.
"You gave me away," Harry grumbled.
"Maybe next time we can take you out in a hat," Remus mused. "Big pair of glasses to cover your old ones… Shall we see about wands?"
Harry nodded, brightening. Remus had figured that they might as well take a look, while they were in the Alley. Ten wasn't that different from eleven, and given that Harry had stopped his wandless lessons with Loki last spring, it seemed worth looking into more conventional options.
Ollivanders was a rickety store that looked like it had been built a century ago, despite Harry knowing it had been destroyed and rebuilt after the war with France. It was still early enough in the season; when they entered, he and Remus were the only ones in the shop. Remus rang the bell.
"Harry Potter," Ollivander said when he came in. "I was wondering when I'd be seeing you again."
Harry had faint memories of meeting the man as a little kid, when he'd misinterpreted what Loki had said and wandered out into Diagon Alley. He still felt a little abashed about it.
"I was hoping to get a wand," he said, as Ollivander peered at him curiously. He traced the marking where Harry's scar was with his fingers and Harry resisted the urge to brush it self-consciously.
"Thought it'd still be..." Ollivander said obliquely. "Lot of magic in that scar."
"You can see it?" Harry asked, and the man just peered at him strangely.
He seemed to snap out of it a moment later. He clapped his hands and a few boxes flew off the shelves, landing on the table.
"Right then. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible."
Harry picked it up, but before he could so much as wave it, Ollivander snatched it out of his hand.
"Maple and veela hair. Seven inches. Quite whippy-"
Harry tried again, but Ollivander snatched it back too.
"No no, not that at all-"
He tried some more wands as Ollivander scuttled about the workshop, pulling some boxes down and summoning others from alcoves high above.
"Tricky customer, eh?" he said, as the piles grew higher, Remus raising his eyebrows as Harry went through seemingly half the man's stock. "I suspected as much."
The wandmaker grew grim for a moment, then shook his head.
"Well, never mind that. Holly and unicorn tail hair, here."
Harry picked up the wand, cautious of another snatch-back, but the wandmaker seemed more patient. He waved it around, surprised to see a rainbow of sparks emerge.
Ollivander peered at him.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"It seems alright," Harry said. He was still shocked - he had made magic! That had practically been the Light spell Loki had grilled him so hard over.
"Very well," Ollivander said. "Return to me if there are any difficulties."
Remus gave him a strange look but let Ollivander wrap up the box for them.
"How much-"
"No fee, no fee," the wandmaker said, brushing Remus off as he returned to the back. "Good to see you again, Harry Potter."
"Can I try it again?" Harry asked, as they went back into Diagon Alley and Remus gave him back the wand to try, the rainbow sparks appearing again with a faint warmth. It was so easy.
"Are you sure you want to go back to Newbury?" Remus asked as Harry tried tapping the wand against his hand.
"Careful - you could do damage with that," Remus said mildly, and Harry stopped immediately.
"Sorry," he said quickly. He'd forgotten with all the lessons he'd done with Loki that wanded magic was actually quite volatile. "What? Yeah. Of course I want to go back."
"I was thinking otherwise, we could get you a tutor; see about getting a head start for next year," Remus offered.
Harry grimaced.
"No thanks," he said. He remembered both lessons at home with Remus and the failed tutoring sessions with Loki, and he was not in the mood for a repeat.
"You really like it over there, don't you?" Remus asked, looking around at the magical alley. Harry looked too, grinning as a French street-vendor advertised his potions, blowing bubbles shaped like stars. The vendor gave him a respectful nod.
"Yeah," Harry said, looking away.
Remus clapped him on the shoulder.
"Well then, one more year."
At 7 a.m. on September first, Harry's bag was packed with his binders, pens, books, cloak, and wand. Loki had read him through the new security protocol he and Moody had devised - "The wards on the school have been designed to repel wizards who have reached their majority, but if you need me, you need only call" - and Remus had even taught him a few minor spells for use in case of emergencies.
Granted, the jelly-legs jinx wasn't much use against a fully trained wizard, but Remus figured it would give him an edge against people expecting him to come in completely untrained. All in all, Harry was feeling pretty prepared as he walked down the hill towards Newbury Academy.
"Harry!" Jemma waved him over to where she and Leo were standing in the schoolyard, under a red umbrella. Leo waved.
The two of them looked at each other and then, with unspoken consent, flicked his ears.
"Ow, what was that for?" Harry asked, jumping out from the umbrella.
"You didn't write back-"
"You didn't say anything about your summer…"
"Sorry!" Harry said. "I wanted to - I just got… busy."
Leo punched him in the shoulder.
"Write back next time," he said.
"Okay!" Harry said, rubbing his shoulder. That had kind of hurt. "I didn't do much anyways. Went to London for a day. What about you?"
"Oh, you know," Jemma said, graciously not bringing up the letters again.
"Nothing much," Leo muttered. "Same as you."
Harry glanced at Jemma, who shrugged unhappily as the bell rang and they went to their first class.
After a summer full of magic, it was strange to be back in the classroom, listening to people talk about movies, muggle elections, top-five radio. Everyone looked a little different from last year - Leo had shot up a few inches and Jemma'd cut her hair short. Most of the teachers from last year were back too, looking pretty much the same, but the early classes made it clear that sixth year was going to be a lot harder than fifth. After their third lesson where Dr. Marvis, who, looking healthy and more refreshed than ever, had given a quick welcome back and then launched into chemical equations, Harry asked Jemma about it.
"Of course they're going to be harder," she said, looking positively enthused. Both she and Leo had perked up a bit and been scribbling ideas down frantically. "They need to prepare us for the secondary school exams. I do hope we'll be ready in time; there's only six more months until SHIELD!"
"I didn't realize it was that big a deal," Harry said, blinking, and Leo patted him on the arm. As they split for maths, Harry reflected that it was a good thing he was going to Hogwarts, as his chances of getting into SHIELD Academy with Leo and Jemma were probably next to nil.
By the time lunchtime rolled around, Harry felt like he was getting back into the swing of things. Leo and Jemma emerged from Advanced Maths, bickering energetically about prototypes, and grabbed his arm, turning towards the "super-secret lab", which was actually a lot closer to their classrooms now.
Harry flicked on the light, sitting a bit back from the table full of electronic equipment.
"Just like old times," Leo said, happily taking a seat. He was already fiddling with something.
"I still can't believe we spent four months looking for aliens," Jemma said, half-exasperated. "On a dime."
Harry froze, hand on his bag.
"Part of growing up," Leo said sagely. "Everyone's got to at some - oi!"
He scowled into his bag.
"What?" Jemma asked.
"Nothing," he said. "Guess Mum forgot my lunch."
"Oh here," Jemma said, pulling out her lunch. "I can share-"
"I have an extra sandwich," Harry offered, pulling one out of his lunchbag. Remus always gave him a good amount of food. Jemma added an apple and her chocolate pudding, and Harry threw in half his biscuits.
"Thanks, guys," Leo mumbled.
"Not at all," Jemma said.
"I don't mind," Harry added. "I hardly eat half of this anyways."
He settled back as Jemma and Leo quickly scarfed down their food and started plotting out their next Christmas creation - Jemma wanted to grow something; Leo thought another robot would be fun, and both were thinking out more and more outlandish options as they tried to persuade Harry, as the resident unbiased judge.
Harry gave the vote to Jemma in the end, on the grounds that robots were last-year's thing, and a hallwayfull of glowing flower buds or something could be cool. That had led the three of them on a mad dash to the library for books on genetic engineering and required reading - "yes, you too, Harry, put that book down" - before they had to break for Literature, where Professor Mayes chattered on about Kipling and Dickens, and assigned them all fifty pages of reading due Wednesday. Professor Jinkins announced semester projects (Leo and Jemma looked thrilled), and Professor Renaula, Harry's teacher for this year's language requirement, started the lesson in flowing, unintelligible French.
By the time Loki picked him up from school Harry had a throbbing headache and he was ready to go home.
"Of course," Loki agreed, putting a hand to Harry's temple, which did ease the headache somewhat. "Just after we drop in to the Ministry for a quick moment."
Harry groaned, but he sat next to Loki in the Wizengamot chamber as his godfather argued for some "unlikely but critical extension" to "Article 43, Code 59." Harry could see Dumbledore, all decked out in the purple Wizengamot robes, looking pensive (until he saw Harry looking, and gave him a twinkling smile). Lucius and Draco were there too - Harry waved but Draco looked busy scribbling in something, which made Harry think to take out some of his maths homework and try solving equations under the table.
By the time the council concluded, Harry's stomach was warring with his feet for first collapse, and Loki was sunnily apologetic.
"Of course, I promised not to interfere too badly in your academics this year," he said.
He laid Harry's planner in the corner of the table not monopolized by platters of food - it looked like one of everything from the Ministry cafeteria - and coached him while Harry loaded up with steak and rainbow waffles with pumpkin juice and treacle (and olives because Harry guiltily imagined Remus chiding him to eat his vegetables), and solved linear equations and read a chapter of The Naulahka and wrote a neat French fiction about his summer vacation. Loki finally decided he was fit to return to the cottage, so home he went, feeling rather worn but content.