Author's Note: Hi all! I'm back. Sylvia requested my presence. Here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy. Also, it was brought to my attention that answering reviews may be annoying to some of you. If you really want an answer, include your email. I'll answer that way.

Harry waved as Hermione left the building, her gifts sitting next to him. He really did appreciate her coming down to see him. Harry just wished she could have brought the Order as well. He would have accepted Professor Snape, after he told the man off for being a narrow-minded git who couldn't see past his own childhood to help his student. Then, Harry would apologize and ask Snape to help him master Occlumency. He wasn't ready to face Dumbledore just yet, or Voldemort, for that matter.

"Hey, buddy." Harry looked up to see Paul standing there. "How'd your visit go?" Paul asked, thinking Harry looked a little depressed.

"It went well. Hermione brought me some things." Harry said, gesturing to the bag. Paul nodded. He would have to look through them.

"Care to show me?" Harry nodded and led Paul into the visitation room. He sat down at the table and pulled out the Slinky, smiling when Paul's face lit up. "Slinky. Very cool."

"Hermione said that a Slinky was a requirement for very hospital stay. I've never had one before." Harry said as he pulled out the box of brownies. "Her mother's brownies." Paul smiled again.

"Sugar rush, I'm sure." He told Harry ashe stacked CDs up on the table.

"You can have one. If I don't eat the rest of them, Mrs. Granger might be upset and decide to hold me hostage to fatten me up." Paul shook his head.

"Maybe later. Books?" Harry6 nodded.

"Some are magic." Harry told him. "Chocolate frogs." He put the box of jelly beans on the table. "Every flavor means every flavor. These are dangerous, because you never really know what flavor you're going to get." Harry saw Paul looking through the books.

"Shakespeare, Dickens. Your friend has good taste." Harry nodded. Hermione was Hermione. Paul handed him a book. "Check out the note on the flyleaf." Harry opened it and looked.

Read Henry the Fourth, part 1 and 2 and Henry the Fifth. He reminds me of you, Harry.

Hermione

"Ever read those plays?" Paul asked, picking up one of the magical books.

"No, sir." Paul raised an eyebrow.

"Don't 'sir' me." Paul told Harry. "It makes me feel old." Harry smiled. He reached out and played with the Slinky. "You might identify with Henry. Your attitudes are really close to the other." Harry nodded, wondering when would be a good time to bring up the sleeping pills. "Moving pictures!"

"Pictures do that in the magical world." Harry told him. Paul's face didn't look shocked, exactly, just a little taken aback, like he had forgotten about that piece of information. Harry had a feeling that Paul had not believed him. Well, what sane Muggle would? Harry knew how the man felt. After all, he had not believed Hagrid at first until he had proof. "You okay?" Harry asked.

"I'll be fine. Just give my mind a second. It doesn't like shocks." Harry saw one of the books Hermione had given him and pulled it towards him. He flipped it open and scanned the index. He found the right page and shoved it towards Paul.

"That's the ceiling of the Great Hall at Hogwarts." Paul's face was priceless as he watched the ceiling change from sunny day to starry night. "The ceiling shows the weather outside, too." Harry said, wondering if he would ever get Hogwarts: A History back from Paul.

"I want one of these ceilings." Paul told him. Harry smiled and nodded. He wanted the same thing done at the Dursley's.

"Um, Paul?" Paul looked up.

"Yes?" Harry took a deep breath. It was just a simple question. He could ask a simple question.

"Could I have sleeping pills tonight?" Paul closed the book and sat back, taking in Harry's posture.

"Why?" Paul asked.

"Just wondering." Harry turned back to the Shakespeare book.

"You had to have a reason for asking." Paul pressed. Harry shrugged.

"I thought that I would sleep better." He told Paul.

"Everyone sleeps better when they're drugged. What was your specific reason?" Paul reached out and took the book Harry was looking at. Distractions would not help right now. "I want to help you, but I can't help you until you tell me what you need." Paul looked at Harry's face. "Is it your nightmares?"

"Not nightmares." Harry said. "I don't know what they are, precisely. It's something Voldemort does." Paul nodded.

"So Voldemort is real?" Harry smirked.

"Unfortunately." Paul leaned forward, knowing that Harry had something more to say. "He does something while I'm dreaming. Everything he does while I'm there feels real." Harry sighed. "If he touches me, I feel it. Any furniture he puts there feels real. I can feel the heat from the fireplace. If he conjures any food, it smells real. Any spells he casts feels real, too. He manipulates me. I'm so weak and he lets it show." Harry got up from the table and paced. "I tell myself it's not real, that I can beat him. It doesn't happen. I get weaker every time." Harry stopped pacing and just stood there, head hanging. "The sleeping pills prevent him from getting into my head. Not even Dreamless Sleep Potion does that."

"Are you dreaming when he comes up?" Harry nodded.

"He always shows up during a dream." Harry told him, ignoring Paul's gesture to sit down. He wanted to pace. He was frustrated, so he was going to pace! "It's almost as though he stops the dream and makes everything else go away. Then, he just takes over." Paul watched Harry pace for a few seconds.

"I'm guessing that you don't like that much?" Paul said in an effort to get Harry talking again. Harry froze in his pacing and snorted.

"Ironic that you say that." He told Paul, putting his hands in his pockets. He sighed and stared at a spot in front of him, unseeing of the room around him. "I'm starting to like it. He makes it comfortable, soothing, calm. Everything that my life is not." Harry said in a dead voice. "If it weren't for his shows of power at the end of it, showing me what will happen if I don't accept his offers, I would truly look forward to it. Welcome it, actually."

"Offers?" Paul asked. Harry's face took on a look that frightened Paul. He had had a lot of clients in his practice, and many of them needed a lot of help, but none of them had looked at Paul like Harry's look.

"I'd become his second. His right-hand man. His equal." Harry's cynical words bit into the air. "The only thing is, he forgot something. Or, he didn't know it in the first place." Harry told Paul. "He's already marked me as his equal." Harry lifted up his fringe and revealed his scar. "Oh, if he knew." Harry trailed off, thinking of things that Paul was afraid to wonder about. What had happened to this kid? What was this "marking as an equal" stuff?

"You have not accepted his offers?" Harry shook his head. "Why?" There had to be a reason.

"Aside from the torturing of innocents, killing people, bowing down to his feet?" Paul blinked. Well, when he put it that way, it was understandable. "I don't like him." He answered shortly. Well, that was simple. "He killed my parents when I was a year old." Harry told him. "Gave me this." Harry gestured to his scar. "Now, we share a wonderful connection that feeds on emotions. His mostly, though he likes to send me nightmares with mine. Recently, those dreams I've been talking about." Harry dropped down into his chair. "I have no aspirations for power, to join his little group of mad followers. I just want to be me, live my life, and forget about him. That's not going to happen." Paul raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?" Paul asked. Harry snorted and smiled at Paul.

"Dumbledore. My headmaster. He's oh-so-concerned with my safety." Harry folded his arms. "I realize that he does what he thinks is best. It just doesn't work with me." Harry told Paul. "He won't let me just up and leave. He thinks that Voldemort will find me and kill me." Harry paused and smiled. "I've been here how long?" He asked.

"About a week and a half." Paul answered. "Give or take a day." Harry smirked.

"Well, Dumbledore's wrong. If Voldemort hasn't shown yet, I doubt he's looking for me at the moment. If I ever tell you to run, I suggest you take it. They like to play with non-magic beings." Paul looked at Harry, wondering where such a hard glint came from. Experience, most likely.

"So, the reason you're requesting sleeping pills is?" Paul asked. Get Harry away from depressing thoughts! Get Harry away from depressing thoughts!

"I can't keep up the resistance much longer. I'm just so tired now. He's getting better at it, you see. I don't know how much longer I can keep it up." Paul reached out and put a hand over Harry's own. Harry looked up and met his eyes.

"I'll make sure you get some tonight." Harry nodded, rubbing at his face.

"Thank you." Harry said sincerely. Paul handed some things for Harry to put back in his bag.

"No problem. If you need anything while you're here, that's what I'm here for. As long as it isn't illegal." Harry snickered and lowered some of the books into the bag.

"Okay." Harry told him. Paul looked down the magical books. Some of the titles were self-explanatory. One, however, he could not identify.

"Harry? What is Occlumency?" Harry looked up. Paul held up the book.

"No way! I swore that no book existed that could help." Harry reached out and took the book. "Occlumency is a way of protecting your mind. I was trying to learn it to keep Voldemort out of my mind." Harry opened the book. A piece of parchment came out.

No wonder Mrs. Weasley tells us to stay out of Knockturn Alley. Scary place! This author is a well-known in Occlumency, Harry. I checked Flourish and Blotts for a list, ad he was at the top. The man I talked to told me that he was the best and the book was excellent. Hope it helps. Please destroy this note so that no evidence exists of my visiting Knockturn Alley. Mrs. Weasley would kill me!

Harry chuckled and slid the note back into the book. "She visited a not so reputable shop for this. I'm going to need to think of a good way to thank her." Paul looked at the book.

"Would you mind if I read this tonight?"

"No, I don't mind." Harry said. "I'm afraid that it might not make much sense to you." Paul smiled.

"Sounds like a lot of my university reading lists." Paul told him. "I'll return it tomorrow." Paul glanced at his watch. "Whoa! We're going to be late for dinner."

"And that's a bad thing?" Harry asked. Paul sighed and helped Harry pack his bag up.

"No. Remember, you have art class tonight. I'll be by your bedroom directly after to give you your sleeping pills." Harry followed Paul to the dining room. "Your mates are looking for you." Paul pointed out Harry's floor.

"Hey, Secret Agent Man!" Paul smiled as Harry gave him a quick goodbye and went to join his friends. Harry was settling in fine.

Petunia Dursley bent down and retired the mail from the floor. Bill. Bill. Tea invitation. The last letter made her stop. It was a parchment envelope addressed in bright green ink. She knew exactly who had sent the letter and opened it with a sigh as she returned to the kitchen. She sat down and slid a single page out of the envelope.

Dear Mrs. Dursley,

A week ago, I wrote to Harry, telling him that someone would come and remove him from your care to another location fro the rest of the summer. Due to recent circumstances, that plan has been laid aside. I must request that you keep Harry for the rest of the summer and tell him of the change in plans. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Author's Note: How was it? Let me know!