AN: Again there is a scene with a bit more violence into than usual so read at your own risk.

Homeward Bound

Caleb tossed and turned in bed. Despite the fact that he was exhausted, he just could not fall asleep. Eventually, he threw the covers off and pulled on his trousers that lay on the foot of his makeshift bed. Careful not to wake Brendin or Kyle, he tiptoed out of the dark room. Quietly, he crept down the passage toward the kitchen; the cold tiles stung his bare feet. He rounded the corner and crashed into a red-eyed Harry.

"Sorry, Harry." Caleb apologized.

"It's fine, Caleb." Harry ruffled the younger boy's hair playfully. "No harm done."

"What're you doing up so late?"

Harry smiled. "I should be asking you that question."

Caleb's eyes darted around. "Couldn't sleep."

"Nervous?"

Caleb shook his head. "Depressed, perhaps."

"What makes you say that?" Harry inquired interestedly. They had made it to the lounge without waking anyone else.

Caleb shrugged. "I just thought that my parents would've acted differently. Especially since Grandpa is a witch."

"Give them time, Caleb." Harry sighed and conjured up some hot chocolate for them. "They're just worried that there'll be a repeat of last year, or worse."

"Won't there be?"

Harry paused. "No. This year we win." He smiled with firm resolve. "Yeah, this year we show them who's boss."

Caleb's posture relaxed. "I'll hold you to that."

"You can count on it, Caleb." Said Harry reassuringly. "You can count on it."

Caleb yawned and sunk further into the chair. "Will we be able to say goodbye?"

"I think that Dumbledore is sorting that out right now." Harry placed Caleb's dropping head on his shoulder with a smile. "You don't have to worry about a thing."

Harry so dozed off himself. His dreams however, refused to allow him to have a restful sleep. It seemed that he had developed immunity to Dreamless potions, and now had to contend with dreams and nightmares, even if he took the potion. He dreamt about his parents' deaths and Voldemort killing all his friends. He saw Hogwarts burned to the ground and the Dark Mark, blanketing its ruins in sickly green.He saw Prue and Patricia, crying on the bodies of their dead family and Nihilus, putting them out of their misery. Caleb's head rolling toward him as the rest of the boy collapsed next to a grinning, shadowy figure.

Harry woke with a start. He felt weight on his shoulder and looked down. Caleb was sound asleep with a peaceful grin on his face. Harry smiled and bit back tears and sobs that threatened to coming rushing down his face. He placed a hand on the boy's head and ruffled the hair gently. "I promise you that no one will hurt you."

Harry and Caleb awoke longer before anyone else did. They had a bit of toast and tea before seeking out Dumbledore. Caleb was eager to learn if he could say good-bye to his parents or not. They found the headmaster in library poring over some ancient tome.

"Sir?" Harry hesitantly broke the silence.

Dumbledore looked up from his reading. "Harry, Caleb, what can I do for you?"

When Caleb did not answer, Harry delved into it. "We were wondering if you've made any arrangements err, concerning…saying farewell?"

Dumbledore gazed at the two for a few minutes, making them both very embarrassed. He began slowly. "I informed all of the parents that they were welcome to see us off at the airport. I do not know if any of them are planning to attend, or if they are even planning to stop us, but that is that." Dumbledore returned to reading the book.

"Err…thank you, sir." Caleb voiced before quickly following Harry back down to the kitchen.

"So what do you want to do?" Harry asked.

"About what?" Caleb frowned at the older teen.

Harry took a deep breath. He was going to have to control his anger today. "Do you want to go talk to your parents now or not?"

"Is that ok?" Caleb looked around him.

Harry chuckled. "I'm sure that Dumbledore won't even notice."

"But what about the rest?"

Harry worked his tongue in thought. "They can take their chances."

Caleb looked horrified.

Harry quickly explained himself. "I doubt any parent would just ignore Dumbledore's invitation even if it is to stop us. You just seem to want to say good-bye…and…I…" Harry faltered. He did not know exactly why he was doing this or why he had become so protective of Caleb.

"I'll wait." Caleb said evenly. "I'd much prefer to face my parents with Brendin than alone, especially if they're trying to hinder us."

"Quickly, Ron!" Mrs. Weasley yelled up the stairs. "We need to be back at headquarters in less than five minutes!"

Ron grumbled and cursed under his breath as he picked up the remaining personal items strewn across the space that had been his bedroom for the summer. He still could not believe that it was almost over; that this time tomorrow, he'd be back in school, being worked to the bone by his teachers. This year would be different, he reminded himself; this year they would be alone. Their classes would consist of just his friends, which meant the teachers would be breathing down all their necks a whole lot more. He closed the lid of his trunk with a flick of his wand and with another, shrank it.

"RON!" yelled his mother.

Ron pocketed the trunk and took one last look around the room. He spotted the tiny medallion he had gotten from Sandra when he and Hermione graduated. He placed the small stone into his pocket along with his trunk.

"RONALD WEASLEY!"

Ron shut the door behind him. "Coming, mother."

In the Granger household, things were even more hectic than usual. The Grangers had got home and barely put their things in their room when the house exploded with movement. All the teachers for the year and members of the Order who would be staying at Phoenix Hall started making—or rather, conjuring—breakfast for themselves. The kids, being their usual lazy selves, had not finished packing the night before so they darted every which way collecting items that they had left scattered throughout the house.

"Hi mom, dad," Hermione entered the kitchen in sweats. She gave her parents each a hug and kiss before going to the pantry to scrounge up some breakfast.

"Luke, Candace, welcome back." Harry greeted Hermione's parents with a handshake. "Enjoy Hawaii?"

"For the most part." Candace smiled. "We just wish Hermione had joined us."

"I would've come, except I had all this homework to do." Hermione said backing out of the pantry laden with fruit. Harry grabbed a few of the fruit. "I had to finish it before school started."

"We understand, sweetheart." Candace hugged Hermione again. "We were just disappointed."

"Where are you going with that fruit?" Hermione grabbed Harry by the shoulder. Harry dropped an apple but was able to keep the rest of the fruit from falling out of his grasp.

"I was taking them to the rest." Harry picked up the fallen apple. "They're too busy to come get some themselves."

"Why?" Luke inquired. "Weren't you all told to be packed by today?"

"Like that helped." Harry said sarcastically. "The only reason they're not still asleep is because Dumbledore charmed they're beds."

Most of the teachers had alreadyleft on an earlier flight from the small airport they're plane was based. Dumbledore had arranged some deal with the US Military for the use of two small planes. The planes would crash land in the water off the coast of Scotland and from there, they would orb or Apparate into the village where Phoenix Hall resided. They would walk briskly up the hill and into the protection of the up and running wards. Once everyone was inside Harry would reactivate the wards Dumbledore and Uurande-tur believed would keep Voldemort out.

A simple enough plan if all went well, but Dumbledore had sent the majority of the adults ahead of the kids. They would provide a warning if Voldemort discovered them and Dumbledore would call off the operation.

"Mom! Dad!" Caleb exclaimed when he saw his parents among others who had turned up to wish them luck.

The fathers formed a circle around Dumbledore. "This is you last chance to back down, Dumbledore."

Dumbledore sighed. "I have made myself extremely clear. I will not talk your sons out of joining their friends this year. It is their decision and I will not influence them."

"Fine," Mr. Will waved his hand. "Officer, arrest this person. He is the one who kidnapped my son."

Dumbledore brought out his wand with a snap. "Under the authority of Order 1988, subsection 10, paragraph XXX, I order you to let us pass." He issued a single green spark from the wand.

The policeman completely baffled and a bit fearful backed down. The parents remained rooted to their spots, although eyeing the brandished wand with caution. Another officer stepped up as if to confront Dumbledore, but instead turned around to face the parents.

"I am sorry; but we cannot arrest this man."

Mr. Jacobs tried to push past the officer. "You…will not…take…my SON!"

Daelan stepped up to his father. "I'm sorry, but I'm going with." He drew his wand and stunned his father.

The other parents backed up and the officer placed his hand on the fallen man's neck. He whispered to Dumbledore. "Go quickly. I'll revive him."

Dumbledore motioned for everyone to get on the plane. Caleb remained behind, smiling sadly at his parents. Harry placed his hand on Caleb's shoulder. He gently led the younger boy onto the plane. Caleb went to sit next to his brother. Harry sighed sadly, but did not join the other teens. He instead went to sit closer to Dumbledore and Piper, the two adults accompanying the teens.

Dumbledore climbed into his seat and pocketed his wand. He looked tired and older than Harry ever remembered him looking. Dumbledore pulled out a flask and took a sip of the liquid. Shuddering in disgust, he pocketed the flask. Piper, the last on the plane, took her seat opposite the old headmaster but did not strike up a conversation like Harry had hoped.

"Buckle up, we're ready for take off." The pilot said over the intercom. "Estimated time of drop off is nineteen hundred hours Pacific time. The issue of the Daily Prophet is available for anyone who is interested."

Harry summoned a Prophet from the pile sitting in front of the door separating their compartment from the pilot's. He reasoned that the two adults were not going to provide much entertainment during the long flight. He flipped the newspaper over and choked down a laugh of disbelief when he read the title.

"HOGWARTS REOPENED Recent events have stirred our new government to rethink their ideas on education and other aspects of our daily life. Just last night, Bellatrix Lestrange made an important announcement that Lord Voldemort has decided to reopen his old school, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is uncertain if Lord Voldemort has repeated this plan in other areas under his rule, although most insiders believe that he has. He passed a law earlier that day stating anyone who comes from a magical family is to attend Hogwarts, including those who never went to school. Many families voiced their contempt of the new law and so far, Lord Voldemort has not made any move against them. The newly elected headmaster, Lucius Malfoy, was elated when he heard the news. 'Now that the school is under a more authoritative hand, rest assured, there will not be any of the mishaps that occurred under previous headmasters.' Lucius Malfoy promised the worried parents. 'I am sending my daughter to school. If I trust that there is no danger, then so should the rest of them.' May Malfoy was rescued from the clutches of the Order of the Phoenix by Lord Voldemort during a battle just prior to the one that wiped out the Order of the Phoenix earlier this year…"

Harry stopped reading. He just could not comprehend it; Voldemort wanted to strengthen the very public he was suppressing. He removed his seatbelt. He walked wobbly down to the back of the plane and took a seat in the first empty chair. Sitting next to Casey, he pointed down at the newspaper and held it so Casey could read the article.

Casey looked down to read, but did not get further than the headline before freezing in shock. "How can he open the school? The last time we were there, it was destroying itself."

Harry nodded. Hermione had told him about the castle deterioration after they had lost Brendin and Ethan. "Voldemort might have found a way to reverse the damage. He is an heir as well."

"What do you mean Voldemort is opening the school?" Hermione asked from behind Harry.

Casey grabbed the paper from Harry's hand…

"Where we go to school is a choice, not something the government should dictate." A young boy screamed at the cloaked Death Eater.

The Death Eater laughed and pulled out his or her wand. "Prove it. Duel me."

The boy grinned. "Reducto!"

The Death Eater screamed; her left leg shattered. "You'll pay for that, you little brat!" Without a word, a flash of green appeared out of the Death Eater's wand. The boy lay dead on the floor. "Greyback, remove it."

A hairy man with a hunchedback and blood shot eyes appeared behind the Death Eater who was busy conjuring a prosthetic leg. Greyback walked as if he was not used to walking on such stubby legs, but when he saw the body of the dead boy, he smiled. His smile revealed enlarged sharp, yellow teeth, which matched his overgrown nails.

He spoke in a quiet voice as if he had a sore throat. "May I have it?"

"Yes, yes." The Death Eater waved Greyback off.

Greyback sneered at the Death Eater but removed the expression when the Death Eater looked down at him again. Greyback lunged and snatched the body by one leg. With surprising ease, he ripped the leg off the body and began eating it in front of the crowd. He carried on munching the leg as he carried the rest of the body out of sight.

"Anyone else wish to argue against Lord Voldemort's decree?"

Out from the crowd stepped Cho Chang. She pulled out her wand and pointed at the Death Eater. "I'd like a shot."

The Death Eater fired off a Cruciatus Curse, which hit Cho straight in the chest. She dropped to her knees, but did not scream out in pain. The Death Eater walked down the steps to stand in front of Cho. The crowd backed off creating a semicircle with Cho and the Death Eater in the middle. "And what makes you think you'll do any batter than the snot nosed brat?"

"This." Cho looked up and punched the Death Eater square in the nose. Without missing a beat, she kicked out with her left leg which knocked the prosthetic leg straight out from under her opponent.

"Avada Kedavra," screamed the Death Eater but she could not aim and the spell fired over Cho's shoulder.

Cho closed her eyes and ropes leapt out of her wand and wound themselves around the Death Eater. "Give up?"

"Never," spat the captured Death Eater. "DEMONS!"

Five demons burst out of the crowd and surrounded Cho. Cho ducked the fist that one of them threw and vanquished another with the dagger she procured out of her right sleeve. With two demons down, the others were more cautious in approaching Cho. Cho pulled a potion out of her left sleeve and hurled it at the biggest demon. The demon screamed in agony as the potion ate away his skin before he burst into flames. The other demon moved further back. Cho pulled out another potion but never got a chance to throw it.

"You're on your own, witch!" The demons said as they shimmered out.

"Weaklings!" She screamed. The Death Eater had managed to escape from her bonds. She awkwardly balanced on her one leg. She threw a fist at Cho, which was diverted off to the side.

Cho kicked with her right leg and landed it in the center of the Death Eater's chest. The Death Eater flew back onto the stairs that led up to a giant statue. The Death Eater hit the stairs with bone snapping speed and remained motionless.

"Tisk, tisk." Greyback appeared from behind the right of the statue. He made his way slowly down the stairs shaking his head. "I told Voldemort that she would need more help. He should have allowed me to have her position, but he is as bigoted toward werewolves as the old administration."

"Greyback, go back to your doghouse!" Cho shouted. Her eyes darted around for her wand, which had slipped out of her fingers during the demon attack.

"But then I would not have anyone to devour. That poor boy was a mere appetizer. I require more than an elven-year-old to satisfy my cravings." Greyback reached the Death Eater. He bent down and licked the exposed face of the evil witch and smiled. "But I'm not allowed to eat Voldemort's followers. He needs them even in their death."

Greyback moved with lightning speed and grace he had not previously shown. He grabbed Cho's neck and held her tight; his nails drove into her neck. He licked her ear. "You'll make such a fine feast. It is a pity I did not meet you yesterday; you'd have been an excellent member for my growing pack. You're an excellent fighter; I can see that."

Cho closed her eyes and tried not to whimper. Blood started to run out where Greyback's nails punctured her neck. "Go to hell, Greyback."

"Ahh, but my master told me to remain up here. Believe me, I would much prefer to be down there sitting at his side instead of being the lackey of incompetent humans." Greyback released his grip. "But I'd enjoy a fight nonetheless. It'd be such a pity to waste all of your talent."

Cho spun around ready with her leg kicking to crush Greyback's nose, but he wasn't there.

"Werewolves are faster than that." He whispered in her ear.

She spun around, but he was no longer there. She called her dropped wand back into her hand. "Reducto!" Her spell missed Greyback by mere centimeters. Greyback watched the spell pass with a bored expression on his mismatched face.

"And here I was, looking forward to a thrilling and exhilarating fight." He said as he kept on advancing. He stopped when he was a meter away then he pounced. Cho screams ceased when his jaws crushed her windpipe.

Casey dropped the paper. He shook his head and regained his orientation. "Oh my God!" His heart was racing and his eyes started to fill with tears.

"What! What did you see?" Harry asked anxiously.

"Cho…dying." Casey heaved out. Saying it just made what he was feeling ten times worse.

Harry froze. His heart had stopped on hearing Casey's proclamation. He felt his ring, cold and alien on his finger. He looked down and saw the fiery red words slowly beginning to form breaking up the gold. He shook his head and took a breath. Casey has premonitions; so we can stop them from coming true. Thinking a bit more rationally he asked Casey, "When did it happen?"

Casey frowned. "Late afternoon. The sun was still up…Greyback said something about the full moon…err…it had been the day before."

Wyatt looked up; he was visibly shaking. "That means it happens today. The full moon was last night."

Harry took a calming breath; he could not let his hopes rise too much. Ok, so there's still time. "Where?"

Casey shook his head. "I don't know England that well. Center of town…ummm…could have been Hogsmeade. I don't know." He looked at Harry. "Sorry."

Harry racked his brain for more questions.

"What was going on?"

"There was a protest of the new law. A Death Eater was standing on a big stairway like those in front of the US Supreme Court but…"

Wyatt nodded. "I know where that is."

Harry frowned. "You do? I don't know of any place like that in…oh…OH!"

"What?" Everyoneasked. "What did we miss?"

Wyatt explained. "Harry and I saw some pictures of the changed landscape of Britain at the last Council meeting. Voldemort built a giant monument of himself in the center of Hogsmeade. It is the spot where he supposedly first came up with the idea of ridding the world of its stagnant ways during his third year at Hogwarts."

Harry knew what he had to do. He got up and moved back to his original seat. "Professor Dumbledore?"

"Yes, Harry?"

Harry intently stared at him."Did you hear our conversation?"

"Yes." Dumbledore's voice showed that he was fearful.

"Then you know what I'm going to do next." Harry said evenly.

Dumbledore turned around. "No, Harry. Wait!" It was too late. Wyatt, Harry, and Draco vanished from the cabin. "Damn it!"

The three boys moved quickly through the crowd. They split up in hopes of finding Cho quicker and getting back to Phoenix Hall before they were noticed. If only they had realized just how big the crowd was. Obviously, the Resistance had been gaining support.

Harry heard the voice of the female Death Eater explaining to the crowd why Lord Voldemort had chosen to intervene on this issue. He blocked her out; listening would only make him more incensed. He pushed passed a few more people before breaking free of the crowd and standing just slightly in front of them with the towering statue of Voldemort casting a shadow over the whole affair. Harry decided that sitting and waiting was a better option; they would never find Cho in the crowd. He pulled back into the crowd but remained close enough to the front to move when the time was right.

Harry saw the little boy challenge the Death Eater but was too shocked to stop the Killing Curse. It was the first time he had seen the curse performed without the spell. Even Voldemort had spoken the spell on the numerous times, Harry had dueled the dark wizard. He watched in horror and repugnance as Greyback ripped the boy apart. He saw Cho step out of the crowd to challenge the Death Eater. He tried to go and help her, but was held back by two hands on his shoulders.

"We'd best not draw too much attention." Wyatt said. He had on a robe with a hood that covered his face in a shadow. Draco was dressed similarly. Wyatt waved his hand and changed Harry's attire.

All three of them were thrown to the ground by a wind that erupted. Harry looked around for the source and saw another dead body this time of a girl with blonde hair. He gagged when he realized he recognized the face. Draco was getting up and was out of arms reach by the time either Harry or Wyatt had the sense to try and stop him. They need not have bothered. Draco was thrown to his feet by a demon that rushed out of the crowd to help the Death Eater.

Wyatt was next to Draco in a second. "It's ok, Draco. There was nothing you could've done."

Draco wassobbing into Wyatt's shoulder all pretenses forgotten. Harry patted Draco on his back, but the suffering of his friend was utterly forgotten when he saw Greyback approach Cho. He covered his face with the hood and stepped out of the crowd. Greyback turned to face him.

"And who are you?"

Harry answered by raising his right hand. Greyback flew back into the giant statue. Greyback back on his feet charging at Harry, but Harry simply caught the werewolf by the throat. He let go of Greyback's neck and whispered into the man's ear. "I'm your worst nightmare."

Greyback struggled to move, but he was rooted to the spot. Harry raised his both hands in front of him and struck Greyback with lighting bolts that issued from his fingertips. Once the werewolf was unconscious, he stopped the attack and grabbed Cho by the hand.

"Let's go." He whispered into Wyatt's ear. In a flash of light, the four teens disappeared.

"What the three of you did was dangerous and completely against the specific instructions and regulations Professor Dumbledore laid out for all of you before we left." McGonagall paced back and forth in front of the three young men.

"Alright, we know we did wrong and that things could've have gone horribly wrong, blah, blah, blah." Wyatt interrupted the witch's admonishment. "Look, it didn't and we didn't expose ourselves, so can you just tell us what our punishment is and let us go."

McGonagall's nostrils flared. "The headmaster has decided not to punish you, but he says that if any of you do that again, there will be hell to pay." She visibly calmed down. "Harry, when you're ready please join the staff in the study. We have things to discuss."

They waited until McGonagall was gone. "Are you alright, Draco?"

Draco sat in his chair, vaguely staring in front of him. Dracola hugged his master's neck protectively. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you tomorrow." Draco got up and left.

Harry and Wyatt stared at the retreating back of their friend, not knowing if to race after him or not. They got up and headed for the lounge just off the entrance. They decided that they would let Draco alone for the night. They would tackle the issue tomorrow.

Harry split off from Wyatt when they reached the main passageway. Harry went left toward the study while Wyatt followed the passage straight to the Entrance Hall. Harry still felt sick to his stomach. First, he almost lost Cho and they actually did lose May Malfoy this time for good. As he walked down the passage, he noticed the all the pictures staring at him. He could recall some of their names, not that it mattered much. They were all dead; all family members that he never got to know and love. He knew inside that he was being silly; most of these people had been dead long before his parents were even born, but it still bugged him. Seeing Draco lose his sister and almost losing Cho so close to seeing his parents again was not the best thing for his emotional stability.

"Harry, we have some bones to pick with you." Paige called from inside the study.

Harry took a deep breath and placed on a strong façade. "Like what?"

"Like where we'll be teaching, sleeping, eating…you know, the basics?" Paige teased.

Harry nodded. "Phoenix Hall is naturally broken into four areas. The east section is perfect for classes. It has a potion's lab and a large empty room that can be used for dueling or other things that require some room. The south side, which is the Entrance Hall and kitchens and such is where we'll eat and entertain any guests if need be. I only ask that the back room with the caution sign never be opened. I don't know why, but I know that something bad will happen. The north section—being the smallest—can be the sleeping areas for us, the…er…students, while you, the teachers can have the larger rooms in the western sector."

Dumbledore nodded his agreement. "Could I have this room as my office? And the one next to it has a large fireplace so it could be the Order's office?"

Harry agreed. "That sounds fine. The last piece of information I must tell you about is in the center courtyard there's a large oak tree. Two griffins use that tree as a nesting area; have done so for ages, I guess. So I'd stay clear of the tree unless you're willing to battle two very protective griffin parents."

"Now about the wards, Harry." Dumbledore pressed on through the stunned silence.

Harry was nervous now. He was hardly at his best after what had happened so far; but the wards had to be placed. "I'm ready. I'll need everyone in one room, preferably the lounge."

Harry stood in the center of the courtyard surrounded on all four sides by the majestic Phoenix Hall. Built out of red brick, the Hall looked to have been built in the late 1700s instead of the early first decade of the first century. Its color scheme reminded Harry of the pictures he had seen of Monticello. But that was where the similarity ended. The Southern and Western "walls" were five stories high while the East had three stories plus a dungeon, and the North, only one. The walls were exactly that, brick walls with room inside. They were big rectangles fitted together to form a perfect pentagon; the south broke into two parts. Where Harry stood was a giant stone right in the center of the pentagon. Engraved on the stone was the triquetra and in the center of that, a heptagram. Around the edge of the stone were words written in ancient runes that looked similar to the few runes of Elvish he had seen. The giant oak was the only tree in the whole courtyard; it stood at the apex of where the two southern walls met. He could hear the griffins squawking and purring.

Harry sat down and placed his hand behind him so that he was touching each point in the Triquetra. The symbol glowed in recognition for a second. Harry smiled; he could now feel the wards and how they interplayed with each other. He found the locked wards bursting against the seams of magic that held them at bay.

"You are a powerful wizard, Harry." A voice echoed silently in his head. "Use your powers well, and you will bring about the everlasting peace the Light so yearns for. It may not come during you lifetime or your children's, but when there are twins born of my heirs, then the Empire will collapse and peace eternal shall be unleashed."

Harry nodded. "How do I reactivate the wards you brought into being, Merlin the Great?"

"Unleash them from their bonds. They will not harm you or those you love, but beware: they will not stand against the greater enemy…" Merlin's voice faded as the ward's burst from their seams.

Harry opened his eyes to see a pentagram be drawn in a blinding light across the courtyard. The magic converged on the rock Harry sat on. He felt the rock shudder as the magic entered it. Out of nowhere, gold poured down and filled in the engraved Triquetra then truesilver filled in the smaller heptagon. The glowing pentagram became a path of dull silver connecting the five doors into the courtyard. The two griffins were circling their nest, most likely spooked into flight by the magic unleashed by Harry. Everything settled down and the glowing of the still warm metals died down. Harry knew deep down that it was done.

Carefully he lifted himself to a standing position and looked at his hands, which had not been able to move when the liquid gold had been poured into the engraved symbol. Where his skin had touched the metal, a deep burn remained, but it slowly healed until it was no longer visible. He repaired his shoes and leapt off the rock onto the grass below.

Harry stood in the doorway of Kyle's room. Both Potters had chosen to keep their rooms in the Southern sector. They had previously used the rooms the last time they had been at Phoenix Hall. Harry noticed that unlike his room, Kyle's seemed to fit the younger Potter perfectly. It was neat and orderly, without looking like a museum. The color scheme included blues and silver; the single picture was of baby James and his parents. The picture was a Muggle one just like all of the others in the bedrooms. It seemed that Potters had a phobia of moving pictures in their rooms.

"So? Glad to be back?" Harry asked.

Kyle looked up from placing the last of his shirts in the chest of drawers. "Yeah. I feel at home in this place."

Harry nodded. "The house just seems too much more homely than its size suggests. It feels like a family summer home rather than a giant fortress."

"Well, when you put it that way…" Kyle smiled. "I wish my father could see this. We never took many photos when my mom was alive. My mom explained it to me once that the less evidence we have of ourselves, the easier it is to disappear. Never understood it all…until I heard about Voldemort."

Harry sat down on the bed. He spotted a silver photo frame, inside was a picture of a five-year-old Kyle on his dad's shoulders and his mom eyeing Kyle warily.

"That's the only picture I have left of her, besides for those in this house. The few photo albums we did have of that time of my life were destroyed in a fire." Kyle reminisced. "I remember that day clearly. I fell off my dad's back seconds after that picture was taken; my mom caught me easily enough. We had just moved into that house; I think it was in Dallas, Texas. We stayed in the house for the summer before my mom's work reassigned her to D.C. We moved to Chicago about a year after that. My dad established himself as a successful lawyer so the FBI allowed us to remain in Chicago until I was kidnapped. They moved us to Sacramento after that, and that's where we stayed until my mom died."

Harry closed his eyes and held Kyle's hand firmly.

"My dad tried to stay in the Sacramento area until I finished middle school, but then our house was burned down by vandals. The FBI made all the arrangements to move us down to the Los Angeles area; they got my dad a job as the executive prosecutor of homicide."

"Did you hate moving around so much?"

Kyle shrugged. "I got used to it. I simply didn't make any strong friendships to protect myself from the heartache of leaving them. When I began dating, I only dated girls that would dump me in a week or two. Brendin, Casey, Daelan, and Ethan are the first real friends I've had for a long time. Coming to Hogwarts was like a dream come true…." Kyle trailed off. "How are we cooking for everyone?"

Harry shook his head in confusion. "Dumbledore got some of his house elves to come and help Dobby and Winky."

"Hermione must be furious."

Harry nodded. "She'll certainly be mad when she finds out."

"Now that we are all full, I have some announcements to make." Dumbledore spoke from the head of the staff table. The students, a few Order members, and the Halliwells sat at the table parallel to the staff table. "As you all know, this year will be different from your previous years of learning. With the new building, everything will take time to set up, and for your teacher to get settled, so classes will not start until after the weekend. That hopefully gives everyone time to become well acquainted with the majority of Phoenix Hall."

The students cheered at the news.

"Now, on to introductions. Professors Snape and McGonagall will teach their usual courses for seventh years at Hogwarts. NEWT Charms will be taught by the newest member to our staff, Cho Chang." Harry applauded the loudest."Professor Phoebe will continue teaching Dueling and Physical Training. Professor Piper will teach NEWT Defense Against the Dark Arts and Demonology. Professor Mathews will take on the task of training you all for your NEWTs in Herbology with an emphasis on Potion ingredients. Along with your core classes we we'll all be training you in other areas of magic. I know that Cho had agreed to train those willing in the art of sword fighting and if any of you are interested, I'll teach a class every now and then on archery."

Dumbledore looked around. "Now although there are no classes tomorrow, I strongly advise everyone to take this rare chance to get a good night's rest."

Harry snorted. Even if he did go to bed right now, he doubted that he would ever have a decent night's sleep until Voldemort was dead. The teachers and other adults filed out of the dinning hall leaving the students to do as they pleased. Cho remained behind and joined Harry, Kyle, Brendin, Uur, and Wyatt when they left the hall for the more comfortable area of Harry's private study.

The study was a fairly large room with a solid oak desk sitting close to the far wall. On it sat Harry's laptop and his book on wandless magic that had been written by Merlin and his wife eons ago. The window overlooked the courtyard and just below them sat the small owlery. Harry lit the fire with a wave of his hand. He took a seat in the red leather loveseat. Wyatt, Brendin, and Kyle took the three-person couch; Cho sat down next to Harry. Uur sat down in the black Laz-E-Boy that he moved from behind the desk.

"The Potters are hardly in need of money." Uur commented. "This place is more lavishly decorated and designed than the Northern Dwarven Temple."

"Well, this place was built ages ago and it has remained in the family ever since its foundation." Harry said evenly. "I'm sure that this is just the accumulation of two thousand years of being used."

"Yeah, but the Potters are the richest wizarding family in the world. The Dumbledores are next, but they trail by well over a billion galleons." Wyatt stated knowledgably. "This is just one of five other similar estates they own. This is the most secure and usually, a very well kept secret. That doesn't include the twenty or so smaller getaways."

Harry and Kyle gaped at Wyatt. Neither Potter had realized that they were filthy, stinking rich. Harry knew that his parents had left him a hefty sum, but to hear that he was the richest wizard in the world along with Kyle was heart stopping.

"Well, it does not surprise me." Uur said evenly. "After all, they are royalty."

Harry burst out laughing. "You're kidding, right?" When Uur did not say anything Harry began to worry. "Right?"

Uur shook his head. "You are directly related to me and Brendin Will. My father's sister married Merlin's father and had Merlin. Then she married Gryffindor's father. She married some idiot elf before, but they got divorced and she vowed to never marry another immortal again. She died during Ash Goth's first attempt at ruling the whole world."

"You're kidding." Kyle exclaimed.

"Nope. Now unfortunately for Gryffindor, she was broke by the time she married his father. Merlin inherited most of her money, being her firstborn. He invested it into a fledging Gringott's Bank and the money pile continued to grow from there I guess." Uur laughed at Harry and Kyle's dumbfounded expressions. "Oh, that elf who was married to my aunt, married to the first Malfoy, the daughter of a Zechariah Slytherin and a Muggle mother. So I am guessing that the Malfoy fortune was also started by a few truesilver bricks."

"That's impossible!" Brendin murmured.

Uur stared at his distant cousin. "I am telling the truth. Why do you think my parents were so adamant about protecting the Potter line? That, and the fact that Professor Dumbledore is my stepbro…" Uur looked horrified.

Wyatt finished the sentence with excitement. "Albus Dumbledore is you stepbrother!"

Harry almost fell out of his seat. Cho became motionless; the only thing that showed she was alive was the constantrise of fall of her chest. Brendin and Kyle did slide out of their seats in shock.

Uur looked pleadingly at his friends. "Don't tell anyone about that. My dad made me promise to never tell a soul. Dumbledore is very sensitive about this point."

"Why didn't his own parents raise him?" Cho asked, snapping back to reality.

Uur shrugged. "All I got out of my parents is that his parents gave him to them when he was very young. My parents believed that they were barren since they were well past the usual time for Elves to have kids. Me and my sister were a complete surprise to them and then my younger brother was another miracle." Uur looked around the room again. "Promise me that you will not say a word about Dumbledore and my relationship to anyone."

Harry and Cho agreed immediately. Brendin and Kyle slowly nodded their heads in agreement. Wyatt looked around the room pleadingly. When everyone glared at him, he gave in.

"Fine, but you'll all regret this when training comes around."

The following morning, a strange owl landed in front of Hermione. She gave the owl a Knut and ignored the looks everyone gave her.

"I wanted to get the Prophet, ok!"

Everyone turned their attention back to their food when Hermione's gasp pulled their attention back to her.

"You're little rescue mission did not go unnoticed."

Harry grabbed the paper. Hermione crossed her arms in anger but did not attempt to retrieve her paper.

"MYSTERIOUS WIZARDS CRITIACALLY INJURE GREYBACK

Yesterday's riot at Hogsmeade protesting the new laws put in place by the New Order government, turned deadly when a young boy attempted to assassinate the head of Voldemort's Death Eaters in that area. The boy was easily dealt with by the witch—who lost a leg—and Greyback, the leader of the loyal British werewolves. A young unknown female (shown in the above picture) dueled the same witch while Greyback was busy elsewhere. The female easily incapacitated the Death Eater before Greyback could assist. She also vanquished three demons and the other two fled. Greyback was about to take the female into custody, when a cloaked wizard stepped from the crowd and began to duel the werewolf. He effortlessly defeated Greyback before disappearing in a flash of light along with two other similarly-dressed wizards and the young witch."

Harry turned the page to where the story continued. He read through the rest of the story that described the conditions of the two injured combatants. It also went on to describe the Sith-like powers the mysterious wizard used. Harry had to shake his head at that comment. But nowhere in the entire article was May Malfoy's death mentioned. It did not surprise Harry, as he was sure that Lucius would want to keep the fact that his daughter had been a part of the riot quiet. What surprised Harry is that his scar had not acted up. The fact that Lucius had failed to see through May Malfoy's ruse must have surely angered Voldemort. It actually made Harry worry.

Harry passed the newspaper back to Hermione. He motioned Wyatt to follow him. They made their way to Draco's room in the student's section. Draco had not appeared at the feast the night before nor at breakfast, which had made some of the staff suspicious. Snape had personally come to speak to Harry in his room. It had taken everything Harry could think of to keep his most loathed Professor from going to talk to Draco.

"Draco," Harry called through the closed door. "Can we come in?"

Draco's hoarse voice could barely be heard from behind the door. "Harry, go away."

Harry placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it. The door opened and Harry walked through it, closely followed by Wyatt. Draco was still in his bed with bloodshot eyes and an even more of a pale complexion. Harry opened the closed curtains and allowed the warm sunlight to stream into the room.

"Come on, Draco. You need to eat and shower." Harry put on a chipper voice. "You can't just waste the day away in that bed."

Draco glared at Harry. "I just lost my sister. I'll stay right in this spot for as long as I like."

Wyatt sat down on Draco's bed but didn't say a word.

"I know you did." Harry said softly. "I lost a friend. But that doesn't give us the permission to give up on life."

Draco covered his face with his pillow. His muffled tone replied, "That's what you think, Potter."

"That's what I know." Harry snapped. "If I had given up when I heard that my parents died at the hands of Voldemort instead of in a car accident, then we would not be sitting here. Voldemort would've returned to power our first year and the school would have been completely unprotected."

Draco sat up in his bed scowling. "So that means everyone must be as strong as you?"

"No," Harry's voice softened. "It just means that if you give up, you're helping the person who murdered your sister. Don't you want to avenge her death?"

Draco sneered. "Of course I do, but so what? Who'll be there to celebrate with me when I kill that slimy son of a…" Draco's voice faltered. His eyes teared up again.

Harry frowned, a look of fixed determination alighting his features. "We'll be there. Look, May was your sister, but we're your family as well." Harry could not believe he was the one using these lines instead of the one listening to them. "We've got your back. It's normal to be depressed when you lose someone you love, but to completely shut yourself off from life won't help you come to terms with her death, Draco. Believe me," Harry's eyes flashed in concern. "I know."