Chapter 3: Making Waves: A Pebble into a Lake

'Contrary to common opinion nothing is ever done alone. Many attribute incorrectly to me the breakthroughs in the field of Alchemy, and for the most part they are correct to do so. Yet it must be stated that I would never have achieved such innovations without a select few who have rallied and roused me, even when I thought I was to crash upon the shoals, to reach far beyond my own imagination. It is to them that I dedicate my life's work; a combination of my heart's greatest passion and my minds most dexterous accomplishment.' Excerpt from a half scorched letter from Nicolas Flamel to unknown.

It was a very worried and exceedingly anxious Remus who found himself walking through Diagon Alley in the middle of the day not 24 hours after his troublesome conversation with his Marauder kin, who just so happened was strolling next to him.

"This is stupid," Remus whispered roughly to Harry. "We will be seen!"

Glancing around as non-suspiciously as possible Harry stuck to Remus' side aiming not to make eye-contact with anyone. "Easy Moony, this plan isn't even all that risky. I doubt the order or even Riddle and his Deatheaters will be looking for something that they already know the location of." Harry returned slightly more confidently than he felt. "Besides I have absolute faith in your transfiguration abilities. I'm sure that no one who even bothers to glance in my direction will have any inkling of who's beneath. So stop worrying and relax. Everything's fine," he stated, trying to convince himself as much as Remus.

The Duo were currently walking through the thankfully less than normally busy Diagon Alley; both attempting to avoid eye contact whilst being wary for anyone who looked too closely at them or indeed seemed to be paying more attention than was warranted. Fortunately Remus' brilliant skills had been able to conceal Harry's famed lightning shaped scar which usually alerted everyone like a fog horn to his presence and had changed the shape of his face and hair so he looked very little like the famous boy-who-lived. To top it off, Harry was also currently wearing a scruffy brown jacket with a matching hat and looked like a middle aged relative of Remus' with his messy yet flat light brown hair and slim rimmed glasses. While Harry knew Remus had done a great job, it was still unnerving to walk down the most popular magical street in England relying solely on someone else's magic to make him anonymous. Thankfully, up to now it was working like a charm.

The two men moved in sync and headed directly for the Wizarding bank, the first stop on their audacious trip list today.

Although Harry was as scared and anxious as he knew Remus was too, the thrill of being defiant against the wishes of his Headmaster and the knowledge that it was all for his own independence was carrying him forward with an alacrity that befitted a much more confident man. Remus on the other hand looked visibly more torn than Harry let show. His old teacher who at first was seemingly split between chuckling at Harry's uncharacteristic appearance and grinding his teeth in anxiety over their current game plan now looked like he'd crossed the border from nervous to outright sweaty and edgy.

"Calm down Moony, we're nearly there. Nothing's happened and I very much doubt it will, especially this soon after the events at the ministry. Nothing strikes fear into the population as much as the anticipation of danger, and as long as Riddle has that advantage he will press it until his next reveal." Harry stated calming himself and hopefully Remus.

"I know Harry, you're probably right. Dumbledore said something similar at the last meeting. And you know it's strange actually", Remus continued visibly calming down before smiling slightly, "the last time I was this nervous was when I used to go on outings with your father and Sirius. You just never knew what was going to happen with those two on the loose, and so I guess it's only naturally that I feel the same with you." Remus finished, chuckling and letting some of the tension flow out of him.

At this Harry smiled, "Thanks Remus, it feels good to be compared to them. Honoured even."

"I am curious though as to how you're not as nervous as I am," Remus asked, "you have the most to lose here after all yet you seem to be handling things rather well, especially in comparison to myself." Remus gestured to his brow which had begun to take on a sweat in the midday summer heat.

As pleased as Harry was at Remus' recognition of his outer composure, he was underneath equally as worried about being found out by Dumbledore or even worse, Voldemort. Indeed, he had not forgotten what was at stake here. If he was caught by one it would mean his freedom; if he was caught by the other it would likely mean his life. But to be honest, it was being caught by Dumbledore that worried him the most and for three very good reasons.

Firstly, the man had an uncanny ability to know what was going on in most situations, regardless of whether he was present. Harry thought back to his use of a magical cloak in second year and Dumbledore's ability, without even the need of a second glance, to see right through it when no one else ever had. Fortunately, he had allowed them to continue with their troublemaking at the time. However, if Harry was caught this time around he would no doubt be less permissive.

Secondly, because Harry needed to prove to the old Headmaster (and in honesty, to himself) that he was capable of making his own decisions and striking out on his own. If he failed and was caught it would show he was every little bit the child that both Voldemort and Dumbledore treated him as.

And finally, because Harry guessed that it would likely be Dumbledore and not Voldemort who would have people watching over Diagon alley, particularly during the day time. Voldemort had suffered heavy losses less than a week ago at the Ministry and was likely regrouping before his next attack. He therefore, could not afford to place people here too. Now was the calm before the storm Harry felt. This summer would likely be his coming out party and it was just a matter of time.

"Well I am nervous Moony that much must be evident to you," Harry replied, "Everything I wish to do and become is riding on the success of today."

"So no pressure then." Remus joked incredulously his smile betraying his sarcasm.

"Not exactly," Harry responded smiling in return, "but while there are butterflies causing havoc inside of me, it's because I have them that I know what I'm doing is right. I'm more excited about what I could achieve than I am nervous over what would happen if I was to get caught. I know that may sound stupid given the worst case scenario in this situation but to be honest that's always going to be a viable scenario in my life now." Harry said honestly before stopping and turning to look at his friend.

"I need to do this Remus. I finally feel an energy inside of me at acting on my own, most likely because I'm taking steps towards gaining more control over my life: which is something that my current situations' restrictions have shown I'm severely lacking" Harry finished.

Remus nodded his head in acknowledgement while giving the impression that he required time, on top of what he already needed, to digest Harry's words. He smiled again at Harry though in acceptance before gesturing to Gringotts, the Wizarding Bank of which they were currently standing outside. With a nod in return and not wishing to dawdle outside Harry led the way into their first destination.

"Okay Harry, just as we discussed let me do the talking and we'll go from there. Nice and easy." Remus reminded Harry.

"Sure thing Moony, I'll let you take the reins here". And at that Remus headed over to the back of the bank where a defiant looking goblin was stood guarding a small ironclad door. Harry watched as Remus approached the creature respectfully before engaging in conversation about Harry's accounts.

As Harry stood idle waiting in the corner of the Bank he enjoyed the feeling of not being recognised, of fitting in and being as normal as being a wizard would allow. It was standard for him to be experiencing a constant barrage of looks, be them demeaning or admiring, from the surrounding public. And all of a sudden not having that made him so appreciative of magic and Moony's talents in concealing him. In short, he was enjoying not being fawned over or gawked at by the inquisitive masses. Disguises really did give you a great sense of anonymity, he'd have to think about using this more often, Harry noted.

Allowing his eyes to casually sweep over the hustle and bustle of the bank, he reflected on the past 24 hours and the events that had followed. He had spent the rest of the yesterday with Remus and the two of them had discussed what Harry had planned and how best to accomplish his goals. Remus had been straight forward with him about how long he thought it might take or how difficult certain branches of magic would be to learn that Harry had his eye on, but nonetheless the two had talked amiably and in the end had an exceedingly productive afternoon together. It was good, Harry thought, to hear an adults opinion on things. Getting another set of eyes to look at the same problems certainly helped to clarify some thoughts and bring things into perspective.

Having said that though, Harry kept a few of his plans and ideas secret from Remus. It was not that he didn't trust the man, but more that he liked to have some areas of exploration that were just for him. Harry wanted to research more into Parseltongue magic, if there really was such a thing, but wanted to do so as a private venture; mostly because he was the only one who could speak it anyway, and also because he had no idea what results would come of it. He wanted to look further into occlumency as well but hadn't overly mentioned that to Remus either as he knew this too would be for the most part a lone venture.

With regards to his ideas, Harry also didn't mention the depths of his future planned defiance against the Headmaster, only because he had already rocked Remus' boat thoroughly enough for one day. Harry greatly respected Dumbledore, but if anything, doing what he was now was giving him such a great feeling of achievement and they hadn't even really accomplished anything yet. Ever since he had let go of his uncertainty and focused on what he could do Harry had felt so much better: so much more capable than ever before. His destiny while predetermined by Voldemort and the prophecy left a lot to interpretation and Harry chose to interpret his life as his choice, making his own decisions. And if he was honest with himself, so far he felt so much happier that way. Granted it had only been a few days, but still, as Harry learned just a short time ago, a few moments are all that's needed to change the course of one's life.

Thinking about it deeper, Harry found it actually felt liberating in a crazy sort of way because now he knew why he had to do the things he must, why he had to fight, what his life would be and most importantly who he had to become. He had of course always been the boy who wanted to protect his friends and those under attack, but doing it when you had to and actively choosing to seek out the darkness and fight it forever were two very different things. In the past danger had followed him like darkness clings to light and he had no doubt that it still would, but knowing everything he knew now gave him the strong urge to fight back, not just resist but rebel. It was this sense of purpose, this driving force that urged Harry forwards and gave him the courage necessary to strike out on his own and actively search to improve his own abilities. So that when the time came he and subsequently those he cared about would have a greater chance at defeating their common enemy.

Snapping back to reality Harry reacted to Remus' look which called Harry over to where he and the goblin were now standing awaiting him. As Harry moved closer he hoped Remus knew what he was doing as almost all of his future endeavours required capital to come to fruition. Fingers crossed, Harry thought as he approached the two awaiting him, a bead of sweat running down his cheek.

One hour, several documents and thousands of galleons later and Harry left the bank with Remus in tow feeling like he'd just won the Quidditch Cup. Sirius had left both him and Remus money that had been left over in the Black family vault and as a result both men now had stacks of gold to put to good use. To add to that, Harry also had money from his trust vault and from the Potter vault, something he didn't know existed until the goblin rather haughtily informed him it had for centuries. Surprisingly, it didn't even hold much gold in it, not nearly as much as the Black vault. But what it didn't have in gold in made up for in priceless artefacts and trinkets of all kinds, like the deed to the cottage in Godric's Hollow, as well as his Mother and Father's wedding certificate, his birth certificate and a whole crate full of old magical items. There was also a collection of family books and albums which Harry would go back for once he had the time and ease of access back and forth to Gringotts.

It was a touching moment when Harry and Remus had been told that Sirius had wanted all of his possessions both personal and familial to go to the two people who weren't his blood yet clearly meant more to him than his own family ever had. Both he and Remus were saddened that Sirius had thought to even have such a thing as a Will, yet given the nature of the war and no doubt his desire to provide for the two of them made him create one. While it had saddened both of them to remember the loss of their so recently deceased friend and godfather their spirits had been raised when the goblin read out loud Sirius' stipulation that if anything were to happen to him then absolutely nothing was to be awarded to the blacks on the other side of the family, or else he would 'come back and haunt the living hell out of those who gave them some!' Chuckling at the thought of Sirius' joy over such a condition put both men in a better mood and reminded them of their own current roguish endeavours.

For now, Harry settled for taking heaps of money both muggle and wizard, in an expandable pouch which he could put to good use immediately. Now that the bank visit had been so successful, he and Remus made for the next destination on their list: the eye specialists. It was after all about time Harry got a fix for his glasses, preferably contacts, a very muggle thing, but insanely useful over his easily breakable circular rimmed glasses. He noticed in the department of mysteries that his glasses were more than just a hindrance to him, they were flat out unnecessary. If muggle's could have contacts then he assumed he sure as hell should be able to have something magically similar. Considering his more than likely engagement in fights and dangerous situations in the future Harry considered it an obvious purchase as if he lost his normal glasses in a fight, he was to put it simply, screwed. One less vulnerability was one less thing to worry about in a life or death situation after all. Plus his round rimmed spectacles drew too much attention to him, resting slightly too notoriously on his nose, they were a dead giveaway as to who sat beneath.

"So Moony", Harry began as they left Jameson's Eye Specialists with a few yearly sets of contact lenses as their first purchase, "I think now would be a good time to get something that would suit all of my needs this summer". Harry said before elaborating. "I need something sort of like what the Weasleys had at the Quidditch World Cup in the form of an expandable magical tent. Only I don't quite think a tent would go so well in my dinky room at the Dursleys. I need somewhere I can live in or at least work from and store all kinds of valuables I'll be acquiring, this summer and beyond, without needing to worry about them being seized. Any ideas?" Harry asked.

Remus thought about it for a few seconds while they shaded themselves from the throng of potential onlookers in an alley to the side of the Specialists. "Well, I believe a magical trunk would suit you best." Remus suggested, "they are usually used for storage after all, but I think it's possible for you to get one that has a small live in capacity. They can also be locked for you to keep your things completely private and are relatively easy to transport."

"Wow, Remus that's brilliant! I hadn't even thought that was possible," Harry exclaimed. "I mean I knew that they existed and could technically be lived in, although I don't think Mad-eye would attest to such after his year long experience locked in one. But not to the degree of actually living inside of one. With furnishings and all?" Harry asked and at Remus' nod Harry exclaimed delightedly, "Awesome!"

Laughing at Harry's joy Remus gestured towards the trunk shop where he knew they would have the best chance of finding what Harry wanted. The two arrived a short time later and entered into what Harry could only describe as an unfathomable collection of seemingly random junk akin to a polished rubbish dump; some things just managing to be categorised under useable materials, while others looked like they'd passed their throw away date by a good few decades. "Don't worry Harry", Remus began addressing Harry's obvious concerns, "while the place may look like a mess, Artimus is as famous for his extraordinary trunks as he is infamous for his untidy work habits."

"Well let's hope you're right". Harry responded uneasily. The shop was jam packed with things likely any normal wizard would have thrown away or simply vanished. It was like the man purposefully collected crap. Although defining some of this stuff as crap may be an upgrade. There was however quite a few smaller hidden trinkets Harry spotted as they walked towards the back of the shop, dodging random artefacts that had found their way to the floor in the process. Some of these items interestingly looked to be quite valuable, or at least seemed so next to the rubbish that surrounded them. Maybe there was potential after all Harry thought, hopefully not too prematurely.

Just as Harry was reflecting on how his summer hopes were pinned on such a trunk maker the man himself walked through a battered doorway in the back to greet his new customers. "Ah Gentlemen, my apologies. I didn't realise I had customers, a tad too engrossing is the world of trunk making I'm afraid," The old man started amicably with a smile. He wore a classic carpenter's overalls and hunched as if he had been holding the Ministry of Magic statue for the past 50 years. Despite this, his voice conveyed an alacrity that surprised Harry and was empowered by the man's clear professional passion as he gestured with pride to his shop.

"Yes, good day Artimus", Remus responded, "my friend here is looking for a trunk that would suit his rather unique needs. I believe you have certain trunks that have an apartment style setting inside, correct?

At Remus' request, the shop owner smiled avidly and cocked an eye-brow no doubt expecting a high priced sale from these two. "Ah, you have unique tastes sirs. I haven't made so many as of late as they require a great deal of time to make and prepare for use. It's the space problem you see. It's surmountable naturally, but it takes care and intricacy to create such objects and that of course eats away at time. Anyway, through here Gentlemen to my trunk collection", the old man motioned while walking back through the tattered door he came in through.

As Harry ducked the hanging piece of door frame, following Remus through, he stopped in shock at the sight of the next room. This room sat in almost exact contrast to the entrance room they had arrived in. It was as tidy and cared for as a palace might be only it was obviously a workshop with hundreds of tools and bits of strange equipment hanging neatly from the walls. And on top of each work bench laid a different style of magical trunk. Some were ornately polished and perfectly sculpted, some were worn but classically elegant while others looked like they'd been dragged behind an enraged dragon all its life. But then remembering the shocking polarity between the man's two opposing work spaces Harry guessed that there was a hidden reason behind those shoddier looking trunks.

As the man led Remus and Harry to the end of his collection he stopped and indicated to the last trunk on the shelf. It didn't look too special or in fact too bad either. Frankly, it just looked normal.

"The secret to this deceptively average masterpiece is its spaciousness inside," the owner gloated clearly impressed with his creation. "Now before we head in, you should know this is one of my best creations and I shall settle for no less than 5000 Galleons for its purchase." Artimus finished deadpanned.

Harry stared at the man and contemplated for a moment, the man clearly wanted a guarantee of their authenticity. 5000 Galleons was a lot of money, but to be honest he could afford it now and if this trunk was all it was cracked up to be it would be crucial to his summer and future plans and therefore worth it. Breaking his thought, Harry took out his money pouch reached inside and scooped up ten 100 Galleon coins and handed them to the shocked old man out of nowhere.

Not disagreeing at the feel of money in his hands yet not understanding Harry's meaning the shop owner looked at Harry questioningly. "There's 1000 there as a down payment and there will be another 5000 more if I decide to buy it and for your absolute silence over its purchaser." Harry stated firmly.

The old man paused for a few moments to consider this new bargain while Harry stared unflinchingly back at the man to convey his seriousness. "Well I had better show you the extras as well then hadn't I?" He said with a satisfied grin and with that he led Remus and Harry down into the trunk.

20 minutes later and 6000 Galleons lighter Harry and Remus exited the trunk shop with the former carrying a shrunken down brand new trunk in his cloak pocket. The trunk they had been shown was perfect for what Harry needed. It contained what was basically a normal sized apartment with all the furnishings inside, as well as a kitchen, bathroom, furniture and amazingly a refilling fridge. If Harry wasn't sold before he certainly was by that last add-on. This would save him so much time and would allow him to practise his spells and live in comfort while still technically in his room at the Durselys. He couldn't wait to get in there later and fix everything up to how he wanted it. But for now he had a few other places to visit first.

"Okay Remus now that I have somewhere to store my purchases I think the next best place to visit would be the book shop?" Harry said wanting to tick off items on his wish list in order of importance. Books would, Harry hoped, be the cornerstone of this summer's activities. He was aware his performance on his O.W.L.S wouldn't be brilliant and yet not exactly bad either. That was down to the fact that he was more of a practical person preferring to try the spells rather than learn the theories and intricacies behind them which likely had hurt his exam scores. But for the future Harry needed all the knowledge he could get his hands on. He may be good in action but if he was able to combine that with a large repertoire of spells it would expand his comfortability going into future unknown situations. Thus, the more he added to his magical knowledge the greater his chances of getting out of these situations or even, to a greater extent, beating Riddle and making it through the war alive.

Hell, if it weren't for Hermione during his first few years he would have likely have been killed many times over by now. Harry knew he couldn't always rely on her, that just wasn't fair on her, nor practical for him as he would more than likely find himself in a situation without her in which he wished he had payed more attention in class. As a side note, Harry would try to remember to tell his smart bushy haired friend next time he saw her how much he appreciated all of her help during their time at school. Perhaps he could show his appreciation with a present he thought, but before he could follow that chain of thought Remus responded.

"Absolutely, which book shop would you want to visit?" Remus asked. Again the two were speaking in hushed whispers so as to not be overheard.

"Bookshops? As in plural? I didn't know there was more than one on Diagon Alley?" Harry asked curiously.

"Harry," Remus replied amiably with a small chuckle before carrying on, "the wizarding world is highly complex with a long and strange history. Of course there is more than one book shop. It's just that Flourish and Blotts is the most popular as they have a largest collection, including most notably the books students need to buy for Hogwarts."

"Wow", Harry responded surprised and rather embarrassed. "Didn't know that. They must do really good business then huh, I mean a couple of hundred students per year each with 5 plus books to purchase. That's a killing right there," Harry observed making Remus laugh.

"Very true Harry, anyway there is Obscurus Books a little further down and then there are a few shops I believe in Knockturn Alley that sell books along with other junk in them. Although I wouldn't go in there alone, if you're ever thinking about it." Remus cautioned sagely whilst glancing in Harry's increasingly mischievous direction.

Harry merely made an acquiescent noise in response while thinking about checking them out another time. "Well Flourish and Blotts first then as its closer, then to Obscurus Book second," Harry finished quickly so as not to arise suspicion. Fortunately Remus seemed to accept Harry's assent of this and the two carried on down the Alley.

On their way to the book shop they passed a few of the students who looked to be in second year and were chatting animatedly over a new Quidditch magazine issue that was displayed in the window of Broomstix. Had it really been so long ago that he had done the same with Ron over the new firebolt?

They also passed a group of girls he thought to be in his year from various different houses although he couldn't name all of them. 'Wow, my knowledge of people from other houses really is appalling, especially as they are in my year as well!' Harry realised stupidly. Was he really that ignorant? To be fair, he did have a lot on each year in his school life up until now, but still he really should learn their names. Being careful not to stare, he observed casually as they walked passed that some of them were actually quite pretty. 'Wow, I really have been ignorant', he thought.

Not breaking step and keeping up with Remus perfectly made Harry all the more surprised when the apparently mind reading werewolf stated, "try not to stare for too long kid, we do have tasks to complete before we get caught."

Harry snapped his head in Remus' direction in confusion over the wolf's ability to know exactly what Harry was thinking. "What," he barely stated, "How did you know I was even….." But before Harry could finish Remus cut him off.

"Because you're a teenager and those girls were clearly your age. Hardly a difficult deduction. And also I knew exactly what your dad and Sirius were like during our youth. Although thankfully you held your composure much better than they ever would have." Remus said with a smile. To which Harry responded with a smile as well.

"Yeah well it's actually nice not to be recognised or looked at weirdly for whatever reason the prophet or witch weekly can think of next for drawing attention to you. That gets old fast. Believe me." Harry said candidly.

"I do Harry, I'm sorry it comes down to that sometimes." Remus said putting a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder and stopping the two of them from walking, "But if they don't know you very well they are more likely to believe those rumours than if they do". Remus put forth steadily, wanting to advise but not criticise his young friend. "Don't get me wrong I know it's not possible to know everyone and maybe you don't care what they all think, which can help in dealing with things too. But from what I know of you, you don't tend to socialise too much at school which in the end I think you'll regret." Remus stated with a smile, trying not to be too pushy. "It certainly doesn't hurt too have a few more friends in your corner kid."

"That is likely a very good point Moony," Harry replied, thankful for his father's friends input after a few seconds of deliberation and acceptance. Perhaps he did need to get to know more people this year. He didn't need to necessarily become friends with everyone by all means, but certainly being friendlier to his classmates and being less esoteric with regards to himself, Hermione and Ron may well go a long way.

Seeing Harry's acceptance Remus continued, "Especially if they looked as good as your faintly tinted cheeks would suggest". Harry's mouth shot open wordlessly in response to Moony's light teasing not know what to respond with. He settled with wiping the flabbergasted look off his face and bumping into Remus' shoulder as he stalked past and into the Flourish and Blotts which they had arrived at.

Flourish and Blotts was a small looking shop on the outside, but indoors contained thousands of books crammed into every nook and cranny of the shops magically expanded and overloaded interior. Once on the inside, half of the book shelves looked like they would have toppled in a normal muggle bookstore- if not from the weight then from the awkward shape they were twisted in order to fit more books on. The wonders of magic, Harry thought.

With that he set off in search of books he thought he would need this coming year. He grabbed all of Remus' recommended choices and a few books with titles that caught his eye as well. Fortunately the basket at Flourish and Blotts came with a lightweight and Extendable charm otherwise Harry's back would have buckled under the weight of everything after only half of his final choices.

When it came time to pay he whipped out his trunk and enlarged it with a tap of his wand. Fortunately, one of this trunk's perks was that it came with a draw at the bottom which functioned like a teleportation device, in that if you put books or any items on it and closed it the items would immediately appear on the shelf in the apartment of the trunk. But if you opened the draw once more they would be sitting there ready for you to take out once again. A rather useful piece of magic that Harry was easily willing to pay extra for and something he would have to research in detail later.

In order to unlock his trunk however, Harry first had to whisper the password. At a look from Harry Remus nodded and quickly caught the shopkeeper's attention by engaging him in conversation about a book that was on sale in the opposite direction. The shopkeeper, recognising how much money the two men would be spending in his shop, was all too happy to encourage more purchases from the duo.

Having asked Remus and the owner of the trunk shop for privacy when he chose his password earlier, Harry had naturally chosen a password only he would have thought of. Of course only he knew that it was a password few others in the world could even understand let alone guess. So bending down and leaning close to his trunk he uttered in Parseltongue, "Taking Control". With that the trunk clicked and Harry was able to slot all of his purchases on the pull out draw.

Having stocked up on the classic school books for his final two years Harry also brought books on several other branches of magic including some on Advanced Defence as well as on Charms, Transfiguration, Healing, Runes (to add to what he could learn from Moony's book) and Potions as well. Although he had never been particularly good at potions, most likely because of his lack of affection for a certain potions master, he thought that it was important to learn and clearly had applications in the magical world, Harry thought remembering Moony's need for the Wolfsbane potion.

Curious though as to why he couldn't find any good books on Animagus transformations or indeed Occlumency Harry asked what the reason behind this was. Remus explained that because the ministry required registration of animagi most books on specifically transforming into one were considered rare and highly sought after. With that discouraging information Harry highly hoped that Remus would be able to find the Maruaders' work book soon.

Occlumency and ligilimency were equally precious books as well and were in high demand in the wizarding world. Harry hoped not everything that was high in demand was rare otherwise he would have a hard time purchasing some of the material he desperately needed.

As they finished their purchases and exited the shop, ducking a flock of paper aeroplanes that were racing around the alley and now in Flourish and Blotts thanks to them, Harry and Remus took a right turn and headed back past Gringotts towards their last stop in Diagon Alley: Obscurus Books.

Thankfully the shop was located a little way off the main shopping street of Diagon Alley and away from most onlookers. However, it was as they neared the shop that Remus and Harry simultaneously spotted none other than Nymphadora Tonks with, Harry assumed, her auror partner hovering around outside the pub opposite from the book shop. Ironically, the half deserted nature of the street which they had only moments ago cherished as a welcome gap in their anxiety was now the very same thing which gave them little crowd cover and exposed them completely.

'Merlin', was the only thought Harry could muster as his brain went into overdrive and his heart skipped a beat before hammering wildly against his chest. They hadn't noticed them yet, but they were bound too any second. And while Remus kept on walking he tensed up massively, attempting Harry presumed to think of way to explain his 'friends' presence without seeming suspicious.

Harry saved him from having to however as half a second before Tonks turned her head Harry whispered to Moony, "keep on going and distract them".

Quickly, Harry took a step to the side and bent down to seemingly tie his shoe. This managed to buy him time and put distance between himself and Remus so as to make it seem like they were unconnected people. As Harry reached the floor he heard Tonks exclaim Remus' name. Raising his head subtly to see how far away Remus had managed to get he noticed that he had closed the gap almost completely to the pub they were standing outside of. Thankfully, Remus had read the situation and quickened his pace so as to distance himself from Harry.

As Harry finished fake tying his shoe he stood up nonchalantly and carried on as if everything was the same, albeit he was shaking underneath his out composure. Remus had done an artful job of turning Tonks so she was facing the pub and therefore away from seeing Harry walk behind her and into the book shop. For a second he wondered why her co-worker hadn't engaged Remus as well. Somewhat strange, Harry thought, and then just as he was opening the door to Obscurus Books, he overheard part of their conversation.

"You've been dodging me the last few days old man. And don't you go denying it because I know you have." Was all Harry heard Tonks say before he hastily opened the door and entered the shop. While he definitely wanted to know more about that conversation, his focus right now had to be on staying in the cover of the shop until Remus joined him afterwards. Apparently, Remus was nervous upon seeing the auror not just because of their little outing, Harry noted as he turned to spy the two of them chatting outside. Moony still did look a tad shaky. Hopefully, Tonks would chalk that down to him seeing her rather than him accompanying a disguised Harry around on a barmy break out mission. Unlikely, he thought.

Not wanting to waste any time Harry glanced around the shop to see a collection of books or in some cases Tomes which looked like they could indeed denote the term obscure. In direct contrast to Flourish and Blotts, where books were stacked orderly albeit messily, here books were stacked haphazardly, chaotically strewn all over the cosy shop. There was no order or system apparent just a random assortment of books, both old and new as well as worn and mint. Here though, there seemed to be less generic books one might find in the more popular shop. In fact, upon second glance Harry wasn't able to see the same book twice. In the middle of the room lay between ten and twenty stacks of varying heights. If they were accidentally knocked or if a draft from an open window caught them Harry judged they would cause a domino effect that would leave the shop an even bigger heap. He would certainly need assistance from someone if he was to get what he wanted out of this mess.

The shopkeeper sat on the left hand side of the store reading a small book he seemed absolutely bored by, although still paid no mind to Harry. Apparently bored was likely to earn him more money than a man who looked as ragged a customer as Harry. Man would this guy be in for a shock, Harry thought smugly.

"Excuse me Sir, I was wondering if you could help me", Harry ventured approaching the counter. The man who looked to be in his late twenties didn't even move his head, instead settling to just shift his eyes from his book to Harry before blowing a small bubble with his gum as if to ask 'yeah, with what?'

'Oh I see, so you're a massive ass then', Harry thought. But before he could ask his question an odd idea passed through his mind. He needed to grab this guy's attention and garner his respect all in one. And fortunately, he had one of the most powerful tools to accomplish such a thing: money. Taking a second to calm his previously hammering heart and rally his emotions for the task at hand, Harry steeled his will and focused intently on the shopkeeper.

From his position in front of the counter Harry bent down to lean on it, bringing him close enough to the man so he could no longer ignore him while looking at him sternly in the eyes. Upon having his personal space breached the shopkeeper immediately pulled back a little, now looking at Harry anew with a mix of curiosity and consternation. Seeing the man being pulled out of his earlier statue-like state and don actual emotions on his face Harry pressed his advantage. He pulled his money pouch out from his pocket on the opposite side of the counter to the shopkeeper so he couldn't see it. Reaching in Harry pulled out a number of coins, the exact amount not really mattering as he knew he could afford it, and palmed them down hard on the old wooden counter top.

Recognising this gesture and knowing what was likely beneath, the man's eyebrow's shot up in surprise as he looked back up into Harry's eyes for an explanation of his actions. Releasing his hand from atop the small pile of gold Harry drew back, not bothering to look at how much he had just placed on the counter knowing it would ruin his aplomb if he did. The shopkeeper obviously did though, and on seeing the amount piled beneath his eyebrows shot up another notch. Harry noticed his eyes nearly bulging out of his sockets at the sight of such money casually lying in front of him. Sirius wouldn't mind Harry spending his money this way Harry knew. In fact, he would say it would absolutely be worth it just to see the now idiotic look plastered all over the previously arrogant shopkeeper's face.

Having successfully gained the man's devout attention Harry, who hadn't taken his eyes off the man's, spoke in as an authoritarian voice as possible. "Now, as I said, I need some help." Harry said with emphasis. "Do you think you could accommodate my rather specific needs?"

Harry had barely finished before the shop keeper began nodding dumbly. The thought of all that and more spent in his shop in one day was clearly not a common occurrence here. The man's still raised eyebrows suggested that more than anything.

"Good," Harry began adopting a sarcastically polite tone, "now I wonder if you could find for me any books you have on Occlumency, Ligilimency and Animagus transformations." Having said out loud his topics of interest Harry realised he really didn't like divulging his next few months work to a complete stranger who could potentially tell others about it. But he needed these books and if anyone asked the shopkeeper would simply say a middle aged tatty looking man with brown hair had come to buy them. Someone who was very much not the boy-who-lived.

The shop keeper nodded his head again, apparently speech was now as far away from him as it first was when Harry walked in, although likely for an entirely different reason. He moved off to the side and without much thought seemed to go right to the exact places in the front half of the room and then the back half of the room where Harry guessed his requested books could be found. At least he was a competent book clerk, Harry thought.

As Harry was waiting for the man he turned to glance out of the window to observe the current state of Remus' plight when his foot caught on something on the floor. It was a dusty old leather journal or sorts that had the Hogwarts symbol emblazoned on the front. Harry bent down to inspect it and found some old style writing of a language he didn't recognise in the front. The rest of the book was blank. It smelled pretty bad but had a certain class to it that Harry thought would be cool to write his own notes in, so he placed it on the counter to await his other purchases.

The man returned a few minutes later with a small pile of books with Harry's listed requests lining the spines of each book. Most of the books looked worn or damaged in some shape or form, so thinking it a good idea to check their validity Harry picked each book up and in turn assessed its usefulness.

After taking his time and browsing over the assorted books, the shopkeeper staring at him with a reserved look the entire time, Harry picked the one's which had their uses and separated them from those which were less beneficial.

Remembering what Remus had said earlier about books or to a wider degree information scarcity in the wizarding world, Harry decided to test this theory and asked the awaiting shopkeeper with a smirk, "Show me the rarest books you have?"

It was a severely nerve wracked Remus who walked into the Obscurus books twenty minutes later to find a smirking teenager awaiting him. Harry was just finishing up his purchases as a visibly shaken Remus walked forwards to address him. Not wanting to give the man behind the counter any other information about him Harry merely smiled at Remus' predicament and placed the rest of his purchases in the magically charmed bag the shopkeeper had produced. Once he had done so, he looked the shopkeeper in the eyes one last time and gave him a small and commanding nod, affirming his bargain with the man.

Remus then followed Harry's lead silently exiting the shop and walking side by side the way they had come back through Diagon Alley and out into muggle London. The two didn't speak on their way. Remus clearly wanted total privacy for his explanation.

Breaking his composure as soon as they were out of magical earshot and a privacy charm had been set up Remus rounded on Harry. "Okay kid, what the hell was that and what the hell happened?"

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, easy Moony. Nothing happened. I got the books and everything is fine." Harry paused to let his worried friend absorb the news. "To be honest, I feel more than inclined to ask the same of you. I was worried and panicked when I saw her. You were an entirely higher level of panic my friend. I was surprised you managed to keep on walking with your eyes that far out of your sockets." Harry teased while Moony looked shocked. "Your failure to mention the obvious tension, other than our common one, which gripped you the moment you locked eyes on a certain lovely young Auror, lets me know exactly why you're so sweaty and nervous." Harry joked suggestively with a wink.

Remus balked at that not knowing what to reply with. He exhaled with a great relieving sigh as if he'd been holding his breath the entire time Harry was in the shop."Merlin Harry, that was too close. I thought, well, I panicked I guess- perhaps slightly more than necessary", Remus admitted as he choked out his words between pants of breath. "I have no idea what Tonks thought of me then. She knew something was up and asked me why I was sweating so much, but I just chalked it up to the summer sun, before mumbling something about being cold when I left the house. She didn't buy that for a second though. But so soon after Sirius' death I think she believes that I'm grieving and therefore is willing to believe any state I'm in." Remus finished before deflating against the wall of the alley they had positioned themselves in.

Harry regarded his old teacher and new accomplice with a cheerily contemplative look.

The man appeared more worn than this morning, yet at the exact same time seemed younger than Harry had ever seen him. Now that the stressful part of the situation was over, the man started laughing and in doing so appeared to Harry to be so full of life, possessing vitality he had rarely seen in his old professor. Despite himself, Harry knew Remus was having fun, even if it was the type of fun which left him exhausted and severely nerve wracked. Sirius would have no doubt loved to have seen his school friend like this, Harry thought smiling.

Remus, catching Harry's stare and growing mirth interrupted the teen's thoughts. "What is it?"

"Nothing Moony, I was just thinking about how young you look. You're sweaty, your clothes are ragged, your hair's a mess and yet the smile on your face and the light in your eyes says you're having fun." Harry said smiling. "I've never seen you laugh this much before. Even if it is due to our little outing."

Remus chuckled in return, "well I'm glad my state can entertain you so kid. But if it's all the same to you I think I need a drink and some food". Remus stated before leaning off of the wall and straightening his clothes out. His breathing had returned to normal and he looked visibly more relaxed. Laughter was clearly good for him, Harry thought.

"You and me both Moony," Harry replied warmly. The two then turned and walked further away from Diagon Alley, into muggle London and towards the nearest restaurant they could find."So, you and Tonks huh?" This was met with an exasperated look by his Marauder friend. Harry merely chuckled before steering them in the direction of the closest restaurant in sight.

"Drink up, Neville now. You'll need all your strength for the coming year. We all will, no doubt." Augusta Longbottom said, as she encouraged another rejuvenating potion down her grandson's throat. Neville wasn't complaining, and his gran was hardly wrong. They would need all the strength they could get for what was already hot on their doorsteps.

"Thanks gran," he said, groaning as the potion slugged its way down his throat. Neville was spending the first few days of summer break recuperating in bed after his craziest year at Hogwarts yet. Over the past school year there had been up's and down's aplenty to keep the student body entertained and his nerves on edge - which was not unusual for Hogwarts. But this year more than any other had had the greatest impact on his life by far. He'd improved his spell casting considerably thanks to Harry and the D.A.'s help; he'd, along with everyone else, endured arguably the worst Defence teacher yet, which given the subject's track record was saying something; he'd witnessed borderline torture of the student body by that same bigoted bitch of a teacher; and to top it all off he had to find time to study and pass his O.W.L. examinations. Certainly not the easiest of years. However, all of this was nothing compared to the adventure he and his friends had undertaken to save Harry's godfather less than one week ago.

In spite of their oppressive temporary school 'headmistress' they had broken free and flown to the Ministry of Magic where they believed Sirius was being held. On arrival, however, they had discovered that their rescue attempt was instead a trap set by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named himself.

In the end, they had survived a lot longer than he thought they should have. After looking back on it however, Neville realised a lot of that was down to sheer luck and timing on the part of their own rescuers. It was a miracle none of them had been badly wounded or worse. Fortunately, all of his friends were recovering well from the ordeal and would retain no lasting effects of any damage done.

His own injuries came back to haunt him as he twisted his head around to look out the window. Gasping briefly, Neville tried to breathe through the pain, a move that was caught by Neville's gran despite the fact she was looking the other way. "Only two more days of rest and healing potions pop, Pomfrey's orders," his gran said as she fussed over his bed covers.

Neville smiled placatingly. Unfortunately, the potions did nothing to stop the fact that every nerve in his body still ached riotously from the Cruciatus Curse. Luckily, She hadn't been able to hold the spell on him for too long, otherwise he would certainly have been feeling the severities of its aftereffects now.

Neville glowered as he thought of her.

Bellatrix Lestrange, the crazed bitch who had stolen his parents away and tormented him for it during their brief fight. Nothing made his blood boil as she could. The thought of revenge against her drove him more than words could belay. Yet, the same thought saddened him too, for the more he pursued his revenge, the more it reminded him of why he had to. He turned to see a picture of his parents on his bedside table; his mom radiant with baby Neville in her arms and dad beaming with pride over his new family, a baby Neville cheekily squirming under his parents coddling.

That picture, his greatest treasure, acted as a tempestuous catalyst, in one moment reminding him of what he can't have, and in the next drenching him with happiness in the knowledge that he was loved.

It was for them and their stolen time together that he wanted so badly to avenge their fates. It pained him that he couldn't claim justice for his parents and make the world a better place by bringing down those responsible for the losses of so many others like him. Next time, Neville thought. Next time, he'd be ready and wouldn't lose, vowing to himself.

While their endeavour at the Ministry had very nearly proved fatal for them, he was still proud of his friends for what they had done, and strangely he as of himself too. He had fought with a passion he never knew he had; fighting right up until the moment he was captured and even after, continuing to struggle with his tormentor, heedless of the wand held tight to his neck. He'd seen another side to himself in those moments and felt a strength, like a cool fire laid dormant, just now beginning to catch.

"I'll leave you to rest dear. You make sure you get some shut eye now!" His gran said sternly as she turned to leave.

"Yes gran. I don't think it'll be too much trouble,"he said. She smiled happily in response and let him be. Bellied by his performance and his grandmother's now beaming pride in such, Neville actually felt almost good about everything that had happened. He had faced almost certain death and come out the other side. Something told him he would be all the stronger for it in the future.

If not that then his new wand would surely help in that endeavour. His heart soared at the thought of being in Ollivanders and for the first time owning his own wand. His father's had suited him okay up until now, but had always felt foreign in his grip, like a someone else's glove that didn't quite fit. Well, with any luck that would be fixed permanently in a few days' time.

As it had since the Ministry, Neville's mind took a detour from that happy thought. After having been through such an event as they had Neville had been reliving the moments that could have proved fatal if they had made a slightly different decision or had accidentally tripped here or not dodged a spell there. His thoughts constantly went back to those split seconds when he'd seen a sparkling light rocketing towards one of his friends and had been helpless to stop it. Neville knew he had to trust his friends to defend themselves. The trouble with that was in those moments it was hard to remember such a thing or even your own well-being when those you cared about the most were under attack. He hardly found it hard to remember how frightened he was carrying an unconscious Hermione whilst fleeing Death Eater spells and sprinting as fast hard as his legs would carry him. The worry he'd felt as she lay supine in his arms, not knowing whether she was still breathing, yet couldn't stop for a second to try to look after her as he would have almost certainly fallen as well, shook him even now.

Once again he hoped they were all alright. Perhaps he would write to them this summer and wish them well. Especially Harry, Neville thought. He suspected Harry would be grieving over the loss of his Godfather for the summer, but he hoped it wouldn't consume his friend too much. He would write to Harry first and wish him his condolences as well as remind him that his friends are always there for him should he wish to talk.

It was as he was thinking of his friend that a bright white something shot into the room, startling an unprepared Neville. He immediately began to reach for a wand that wasn't there until he eyed a hooting Hedwig, who circled gracefully before alighting in front of him.

"Hedwig", Neville greeted the elegant bird exasperatedly. "You nearly scared the life out of me." The bird just looked at him, with he swore mirth dancing in her eyes. "But, it's nice to see you so soon," he continued. Do you have a letter there for me?" To which the owl stuck out her leg indignantly as if to say, 'well duh'.

At this Neville chuckled and took the folded up letter, no doubt from his friend who had beaten him to the punch and written first. Before reading it though he gingerly got out of bed and tiptoed over to his desk, so as not to be heard by gran, to retrieve a treat for Hedwig. Upon returning, Hedwig must have noticed his slight pain at movement as her features seemed to drop their haughtiness and she adopted a remarkably warm cooing.

Smiling at the birds sympathies Neville handed the treats over, happy to see her hungrily devour them before cooing once more. Taking that as his queue, he unrolled the letter and began to read.

Several minutes and rereading's later and it was an indescribably stunned Neville who scared off Hedwig from sitting on his bed with his outcry.

"WHAT?" he exclaimed.

"Merlin Hedwig, this is crazy!", Neville said to the bird gesturing to the letter to explain his actions. Neville was shocked beyond belief. He had just found out that Harry's life and all the troubles, adventures, hassles and everything that followed in the wake of Voldemort, could have been his. It could have been him 'the greatest Dark Lord of our age' had pursued since he was a baby. His credentials had apparently fit just as Harry's had. And all because of a prophecy claiming that a child at the end of July would become Voldemort's nemesis.

But no, by some fancy he had chosen Harry. Neville's realised he was panting slightly now and his heart was beating far too quickly. He needed to get a hold of himself and process this.

20 minutes later, his mind having sped through all the different scenarios that could have been, Neville finally caught up to reality and thought about the future and what all of this meant. While this didn't technically affect anything because it only suggested a path not taken by a psychotic dark lord it did leave Neville torn and overwhelmed. This was an explanation for him that he never knew he needed. He now knew why his parents had been targeted as mercilessly as they had. Neville and his grandmother had always assumed that they were pursued for their affiliation with Dumbledore, which was still correct. But now, he knew there was much more too it. It was them specifically because of their proximity to the prophecy.

As overwhelmed and astonished as he felt over this revelation right now, he was still grateful for Harry's honesty and compassion in his letter, if not a little shell shocked from its contents. While he would have preferred to have heard all of this in person, he understood Harry's reasons for not wanting to wait. There just wasn't the time anymore. His gran and he had acknowledged that much upon his return home and saw that before long Britain, both magical and muggle, would be feeling the full force of Voldemort's long awaited wrath.

Since returning, his Gran, seeking to prepare him for the future, had explained to him all she knew of the previous wizarding war: from the first rumblings of trouble to Voldemort's abrupt demise. Grudgingly Neville had acquiesced and accepted the information. Before the Ministry affair he had not wanted to know about the climate that created his parent's forlorn conditions, feeling that the knowledge would only bring pain to something that could not be changed. Now though, both he and his Gran recognised that such ignorance would only hurt him in the future.

Ha had since had a few days to process everything in the aftermath of that talk. Looking down at the letter again he felt like he would need at least a few more days to process this too.

Hedwig, who had been patiently regarding the startled boy, seemed to perceive his internal reflection as she flew over to his headboard, nipped him on the head affectionately before flying out of the window, leaving an appreciative and distracted Neville to his thoughts.

It was a thoroughly exhausted Harry who walked back into his room at the Dursleys after a long day with Remus. Once the two had eaten lunch they had spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Hyde Park discussing the various branches of magic Harry was interested in, as well as his plans for the future and even a few stories about his father and Sirius too. All in all harry thought he had probably walked several miles today, suffered a light panic attack, listened and digested all of what Remus had to offer in answer to his questions, and had ultimately made huge steps towards his independence.

And all while pretending to be someone else and in the space of one working day no less. 'No half measures now', Harry thought to himself.

The two had luckily just made it back in time for Harry to say goodbye and thank you to Remus before Mundungus had awoken from Moony's sleeping charm. It had successfully knocked the man out for the entirety of their day and left the poor Mundungus none the wiser. Another good spell Harry needed to learn. It had appeared that they had gotten away with their little outing without anyone noticing. Although, the full validity of that would be proven over the next few hours if Harry failed to receive a visit from a certain disappointed Headmaster.

For now, Harry was spent and wanted nothing more than to enjoy his first evening in his new abode. Grabbing his shrunken trunk from his side pocket he tossed it on the floor, tapped it on top with his wand to enlarge it before speaking the password. The lid flipped open and revealed a darkened entrance with a ladder and light at the bottom.

Descending the stairs Harry stopped at the bottom to look around his perfect new apartment. It was everything he could have hoped for.

To the left of the stairs was a small kitchen, complete with fridge and running water; both of which magically replenished themselves. The kitchen counter then split half of the left side of the room off from where a comfy couch and seats awaited his arrival on the far side. On his right in the top half of the room lay, also awaiting him, a giant sized bed complete with pillows and a bedside table. Dragging himself out of that thing every morning sure would be a welcome challenge, Harry believed. After that on the right side of the room was a door that led into a plush bathroom. Finally, filing the entire wall behind where he was standing was a massive wooden bookshelf. The stairs down into the room doubled as a moveable shelf ladder which followed a track that ran parallel to the shelf much like old muggle libraries had. Smiling, Harry could see all of today's book purchases sitting nicely on the shelf in the far corner next to the bathroom door. All in total there were about 30 books Harry had purchased. 'Well if I'm going to get through all of those this summer, then this is probably the best place to do it', Harry thought warmly taking in the room once more.

To top everything off there was a window facing the stairs in the seating area which magically cycled through day and night in conjunction with the outside weather and even incorporated the seasons into its display. That may well prove effective in case he ever got too caught up in what he was doing and needed a daylight reminder.

Harry had also chosen the fully furnished option which meant that on top of the furniture came sheets, blankets, rugs, cutlery, dishes, soap, towels, etc. It had cost a little extra but in the end Harry thought it would be well worth it and would save him so much time not having to worry about those little things. Perfect, was the only thought that ran through Harry's mind as he headed to the bathroom to freshen up and test his new facilities.

Half an hour later Harry plopped down in his exceedingly comfy arm chair near the window and propped his feet up on the small coffee table that sat in between him and the sofa. His shower had without doubt been the best he had ever had. The Dursleys were never exactly accommodating in allowing Harry to use their facilities for longer than ten minutes at a time and Hogwarts toilets were nice enough, but the joy in being able to walk around and take your time in your own bathroom with no pressure on you was incomparable and something Harry could definitely get used to.

Reflecting on all that had happened today Harry closed his eyes and contemplated his next moves. Harry and Remus has gotten around to talking about most things that he considered important and together had made a few plans about how he could best achieve them this summer.

Much to Harry's amusement Remus had pointedly ignored Harry's jibes and attempts to get information out of him with regards to Tonks on what was quite clearly something between the two of them. But with regards to all other information the werewolf had been more than helpful where he could be.

After lunch, the two had found a quiet spot in the park and began by discussing the trace and how Harry could try getting around it to practise magic this summer. Doing and practising magic were after all integral to making improvements in his life and the continual enforcement of the trace was his biggest hindrance towards accomplishing that. Remus, whose studious nature came in very handy here, informed Harry that magic is traced mostly through a person's wand and its connection to the caster. The trace is placed by the ministry in conjunction with wandmakers on every wand and is broken when the caster comes of age at 17. Through its connection, the wand recognises that the caster has reached 17 and the trace is immediately broken.

As magic is rarely performed without a wand by underage children the ministry can tell who performs magic where through the accurate tracing of the wand. Of course the ministry does have general sensors in place so that they can detect accidental magic and magic done in totally non magical areas by adults. However, these sensors aren't particularly accurate or even sometimes effective as many factors can cause the sensors not to work, for instance, wards as well as muggle technology can sometimes interfere, Remus had told Harry. Thus, the best form of tracing available to the Ministry was through the wand.

This left Harry with only a few options. He basically either needed a new untraceable wand if he wanted to perform and practise magic outside of Hogwarts. Difficult. Or he needed to go to Hogwarts to practise, something that was risky as Dumbledore would surely be alerted to his presence plus Harry would have to get back and forth without anyone noticing. Hardly feasible. Or finally he could try to persuade the ministry to cancel the trace on his wand and keep their secrecy about it. Laughably implausible. Therefore, Harry was left with the only real option of acquiring a new wand without the trace having been placed on it yet. At that, Harry had moved on not wishing to dwell for too long on things he couldn't change as of yet and would only drag his progress down. He would think about his problem greatly over the next couple of days and try to come up with a solution for the next time he saw Remus.

From there the two had talked about the various branches of magic Harry wanted to learn. Remus had told Harry all he could remember on Animagus transformations, which actually wasn't a lot as he wasn't all that involved in the marauders transformations and he himself hadn't seen any practical advantages of knowing such magic as it would likely not benefit him much being as he couldn't change into one. Although, he had tried to help all three of them with the theoretical side of the transformation which was slightly more his area of expertise than the others who were more hands on learners.

To begin with Harry would have to drink a potion which would induce a trance like state where he would envision the animal which was most viable for him to transform into. Remus had offered to brew it for him but Harry, wanting to learn how to do it himself, politely declined. Harry was more than happy to brew the potion as well because currently this was really the only form of magic he was capable of and he wasn't going to let someone else do it for him when he so clearly needed the practice and the outlet. Moreover, he wanted to keep this project a secret from Remus for now. Harry didn't want to give the wolf any more reason to be worried and given what Remus had already said, Harry thought this project would likely end up being more of a solo one anyhow. Plus it would be totally worth it to see the surprised look on Moony's face when he transforms for in front of him for the first time.

After discovering his animal Harry would then need to learn how to utilise and transform the magic inside of him wandlessly. According to Remus this was the most difficult part of the transformation as one needed to have an exceedingly good feel for his own magic. This is what had taken his father and Sirius so long to get the hang of. Apparently for over a year the two had wrestled with their own magic and had eventually been able to tap into it accurately enough to channel it effectively for their transformations. At this harry had mentally gulped at the task that was seemingly ahead of him. While he knew the transformation would not be easy, it sure as hell needed to happen quicker than a few years if he was to find any uses for it in the war.

Wishing to move on despite being grateful for the information, Harry had asked Remus about the previous war and Voldemort's tactics as well as what the order had done back then vs. what they were doing now. The two had then moved onto a range of other topics and naturally let the conversation flow between them. Harry was exceedingly grateful for not only Remus' help but his candor too. They had ended up talking for hours before finally heading home. Harry thoroughly enjoyed taking the time to get to know his old teacher and felt much more comfortable around him now than he ever had before. Even if the reason for their meeting and talking was for Harry's own goals it was still something Harry looked forward to doing again as he was happy to get to know his parents' former friend better. He actually found himself opening up to the man about several things in his life and in turn relaxing more as Remus had talked about his life as well. While they didn't have the time to go too deep into things they had still formed a bond Harry was grateful for and looking forward to expanding over the summer months and beyond.

As they had parted Remus had guessed it would most likely take him a couple of days to search Sirius' old house for the notebook. Harry therefore would spend the next few days reading and learning as much as he could from all of the books he had now acquired. Hermione would boil with jealousy if she learned of any of the books he had managed to get his hands on.

From the rare books store Harry had bought 12 of what the shop keeper had called exceedingly rare tomes and 1 book which he had labelled 'one of a kind'. Jumping at the chance Harry had purchased the lot. The shopkeeper had been blown away by the amount Harry had bought and upon a look from Harry had promised not to reveal to anyone who had purchased the books. Knowing that caution was everything at this stage of the game and with Mad-Eye's motto ringing in his ears – 'Constant Vigilance-, Harry said that he simply couldn't trust such an unsubstantiated promise and required something more concrete to solidify his bargain.

At this the shopkeeper had looked nervous but upon the opening of Harry's seemingly endless pouch once again the man had readily agreed to something called a wizard's oath. This basically meant that once swearing not to reveal any details about Harry or the books he had purchased to anyone he literally couldn't or else would suffer the tragedy of losing his magic forever. The last part was a little extreme in Harry's opinion but considering what was at stake he didn't dissuade the man. After all Harry wasn't the one swearing anything.

Now though Harry was beaming at the amount of books he had purchased and was equally excited to dig into the rarer forms of magic that were mentioned on the spines of some of them. Thinking it logical to finish his theory of magic book first though before he got carried away with the others Harry walked over and retrieved it from his shelf.

Harry had continued to read through it last night after his initial meeting with Remus and had found it increasingly useful. The book certainly was interesting, for the most part posing theories about magic and listing the possibilities or impossibilities that wizards and witches were able to accomplish with it. Each section was dedicated to one of his subjects at school and within that section was labelled the various theories and rules that had been established under said theory. For instance, under transfiguration there were several laws pertaining to what you could and could not conjure. Water was conjurable, for instance but not food. Most likely for its complexity. It could however be summoned.

There were many rules of conjuration laid down by magicians dating back hundreds and in some cases thousands of years who had suggested for example, that one could simply not conjure gold or other dense metals. Harry remembered that the only thing capable of such feats were immensely powerful magical objects, such as the Philosopher's Stone. He was sure though that there were other equally powerful items out there or at least had been that defied these rules. The magical world had a long and diverse history that surely made almost anything possible. Harry certainly hoped that was true as he knew he'd need to work hard and pull off a few miracles himself if he was to come close to defeating Riddle.

At the end of the day Harry also recognised that any magical knowledge, no matter what it was, was knowledge that would no doubt have a use somewhere down the line. Learning all he could now would certainly put him in a better position in the future. And with that the teen sunk intently into his reading, enjoying his new armchair in his new apartment where he would await Remus' next response so he could plan his summer more thoroughly and begin his training in earnest.