Author's Note: Fifty-two reviews! You guys are just awesome. I love you all. Here's the next chapter. Chapter 15! I never thought that I would get this far. For those of you who are following Sylvia's story, she finally updated! Yay! Okay, some common questions:

Hermione telling the Protectors that DD is lying: yes, just not yet.

Star Wars Movies: Love them! The old ones. I haven't decided about the new ones yet. I am waiting to see the third one. They just fit Harry's situation.

Snape's involvement: Not until much later in the story. He will become involved when he gets hit with some hard truths about Harry, along with some help from a very stubborn Gryffindor. He and Hermione have had no contact yet, but he will be the only one to put it together and figure out who does know where Harry is, followed shortly by Draco.

Dumbledore knowing/ finding out: All I can say…yikes. He won't know what hit him. He doesn't know yet. Fireworks, people, fireworks.

The Order Knows/Doesn't Know: They don't know. The events Dumbledore mentioned to Petunia has something to do with that.

Pairing for the story: I can see why so many of you think it is Harry/Hermione. It's not. Hermione's just being a friend. There may be Harry/OC, but I'm not sure about that yet. Sylvia's given me a lot of leeway about this. (evil grin)

Draco's Role: Integral, I assure you. I won't say how though.

Harry's Return to Hogwarts: It will happen, though probably not in the way so many of you think it will. As for him deciding not to go back, check out the title. Dumbledore said that blood magic was not fully understood. There has also been mention that magic is stronger through force of will and emotions. That's all the hints I am dropping.

Harry and Jedi: Harry wants to be one. There will be more on that later.

The thing at the end of chapter 14: journal entry of Harry's.

Time Line: We have three weeks left until September 1st.

With that being taken care of, I just want to say thank you to each and every one of you. You guys just rock my little fanfiction world. Thanks for taking the time to respond to me.

On to the story…

Dear Mi,

I was re-reading parts of my journal and remembered a question I wanted to ask you when you were here. How was I able to tell Paul about my being a wizard without the Ministry storming in and locking me up? How does the law work?

Love,

Skywalker

Harry dropped the letter into the outgoing mailbox and waved goodbye to his friends as he walked down the hallway to Paul's office. He winced as his shoulders pulled. He stretched them a bit and sighed. He had yet to learn Sensei's motivations, but the man, it seemed, knew something Harry did not. Harry had tried to get answers from him, but Sensei was worse than Dumbledore in that respect. Where Dumbledore would drop clues, Sensei said nothing at all. It was a perplexing situation to Harry, one in which he was not quite sure he wanted to be involved. Let the man keep his secrets and mysterious looks; Harry had his own.

He had yet to tell anyone about his feelings concerning his decision not to return to Hogwarts this year. He had written to his aunt and told her, thanking her for doing what she had thought was best. Harry was thankful for what she had done. He was just afraid to do more than say thank you. Expressing his feelings to his family, he had learned, was a sure way to get him hurt. He hesitated to do that. Old lessons died hard.

Harry reached Paul's office and knocked on the door. He opened the door and smiled at Paul. A voice from the corner distracted him. "And behind door number three…a human! Yes, I know I'm amazing. I'll be here all week!" Harry laughed at the snake and settled on the couch.

"Yes, I have finally brought my snake in. I have some paperwork to finish up, if you don't mind?" Harry shook his head. "I'm almost finished, so you and he can have a quick chat. I'll be done in just a minute." Harry thanked Paul and moved over to the cage. Secretly, Paul had turned on a tape recorder and was watching Harry. He started in surprise when Harry responded to the hissing with some of his own.

"What are you staring at, four eyes?" The snake demanded of Harry. "Oh, the joys of speaking another language! I can insult you all I like!" The snake slid over its rock. Harry was sure that he was smug with himself. "And you can't do anything about it!" Oh, definitely smug.

"I beg your pardon." Harry answered him. The snake stopped moving and turned his head to stare at Harry. "I would rather you not insult me. I did not mean to offend you." The tongue slipped out twice as the snake seemed to consider its options.

"You speak." The snake said. "You speak very well. I have never met anyone who did such a thing. No humans at least." Harry smiled at him.

"There aren't very many of us." Harry answered. "May I ask your name?" Harry asked.

"I am called Zen, at your service." The snake reared up and affected a bow.

"Zen? Interesting name." Harry turned to Paul. "You named your snake 'Zen'?" Paul dropped his pen and looked at Harry.

"Yes…Zen told you?" Harry laughed at Paul's expression.

"You didn't quite believe me, did you?" Harry asked. "It's okay. I didn't even know there was a name for it until my second year at Hogwarts. Let's just say that went over well. 'Harry Potter a Parselmouth? Being a Parselmouth is the mark of a dark wizard! Doom and devastation! The Gryffindor Golden Boy is a Parselmouth! Run away and hide!'." Harry made his voice quite different for each sentence and ended on the couch collapsed in a heap. Paul smiled at Harry's joking and poked Harry in the shoulder. Harry smiled at Paul and sat up.

"You're in quite a mood today. What's up?" Paul asked, setting aside his own work.

"Nothing really. I just found the magical world's reaction quite humorous. So I can talk to snakes? Big deal. It's like being left-handed." Harry tossed his schoolbag on the ground.

"I love it when you use my analogies." Paul said with a proud smile. Harry sat cross-legged on the couch and hid his face.

"Oh, stop. You're making me blush." Harry returned. "Anything you would like to ask Zen?" He asked with a grin. "I'm willing to act as an interpreter." Paul stopped and thought for a few seconds.

"Is he happy?" Paul always wanted to know what his pet was thinking. Harry turned to face the cage and said something in the snake language.

"Zen, Paul, this guy here, would like to know if you are happy." Zen cocked his head to the side and gave Harry what he thought was a snake smile.

"Warm lights and rocks, plenty of space, entertaining views, food. Yes, I am happy. Though you can tell…Paul, was it? ... that I am starting to get hungry." Harry smiled at Zen's response. "Here, mousey mousey, mousey!" Harry laughed at Zen and turned back to Paul.

"He said that he was content with his home, you know, enough space, warm lights and rocks, food, etc. He asked me to tell you that he's starting to get hungry and then he said, 'here, mousey, mousey, mousey.'." Paul's face was enough to set Harry off into laughter again. "I think your snake has a great personality." Harry pulled his favorite pillow to him and started tossing it in the air.

"Ooo, play thing!" Zen said from the corner, watching Harry play with the pillow. Harry giggled.

"I like you, Zen. Would you like to be friends?" Harry asked him. Zen slithered up to the front of the glass and fixed Harry with a stern look.

"That is dependent upon you telling me your name." Zen said in a serious voice. Harry realized that he had forgotten to tell the snake his own name.

"I apologize. My name is Harry." Harry told him. Zen bowed again

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Harry. I would be delighted to be friends with you. We can talk to each other. Maybe you will see what you can do about a mouse?" Zen asked. Harry promised him that he would see what he could do, but would not promise a mouse.

"So, how is your day going?" Paul asked, pushing away his paperwork.

"It's fine. Can we go outside?" Harry asked.

"Ah, you can't get enough, can you?" Harry smiled as he picked up the chess set. Harry smiled and shook his head.

"I'm determined to be a chess master by the time I'm ready to go back to Hogwarts." Harry said.

"Ah, yes. That giant chess set. Yes. Now, the question is, how quietly can you sneak me into Hogwarts to see it?" Harry smiled and shrugged.

"Can we bring Zen?" Harry asked. Paul considered the fact that Harry could control the snake.

"If you can ask him to stay near us, I don't see a problem." Paul watched as Harry went over and talked to the snake. He slid the tape recorder into his pocket and watched as Harry put his arm into the tank. Zen slid up his arm and settled around Harry's neck. "Did you ask him not to choke you?" He asked.

"Yeah. He won't hurt me and promised to stay near us. He did say that he'll want to stay on one of us, for the heat." Harry told Paul. Paul smiled and slid a finger down the snake's back. "Oh, he really liked that." Harry told him.

"What did he say?" Paul asked.

"'I am a puddle. Just a puddle.'." Harry translated. "He's quite a character." Harry followed Paul out of the office. Maybe he would win today.

The next day…

Harry rushed out of literature class and down the hall. He had seen the drama teacher, Professor Bevington, walk down the hallway just minutes earlier with a folded sheet of paper in his hands. Harry was sure that that paper was the results of the auditions. He had never been so scared. Yes, he was right. There was a large crowd around the bulletin board. Various shouts of joy came from several people as they saw their names on the sheet. Harry joined the crowd and made it to the results. He stared at the sheet. They were doing King Lear. Harry hadn't read that one yet. He scanned the list under Dramatis Personae and felt his heart stop.

Edmund – Evan James

"I made it." He whispered to himself. "I made it." He noted what time practices started – 4:00 pm that very day – and backed away from the board. "I made it." He said to himself. He went to Paul's office and knocked on the door. Harry opened the door when he heard Paul call for him to come in and stood in the doorway.

"I heard the results were out." Paul pointed to the ceiling. "There was a stampede of nothing less than elephants above me just a few minutes ago. Well?"

"You're looking at Edmund!" Harry announced. "I'm Edmund!" Paul let out a little shout, which made Sky stop in the hallway and stare at them.

"Nothing's wrong, Sky. Just a little celebration of theater parts." Paul said, waving her away. Sky left, mumbling something about enthusiastic theater patrons. Harry chucked his schoolbag in its customary corner and flopped onto the sofa. "So, you made it to the actor's list. Congratulations." Paul reached into his little refrigerator and tossed Harry a Coke.

"Oh, thanks." Harry waited until the fizz died down before opening it.

"I was wondering if you would allow me to start recording our sessions." Paul asked Harry. Harry blinked.

"They won't be used against me?" Harry asked.

"Most people would ask why I wanted to do so, or what I would use them for." Paul said, pulling out the tape recorder. He raised an eyebrow. "Why did you ask if they would be used against you?" Paul set it down in front of Harry, but didn't turn it on.

"I have enemies, Paul." Paul made a note in his ever present notebook. Harry had enemies; Paul knew that, he just wondered how close they were to Harry that they would be able to threaten him. "Some would pay big money for some of the things in my head." He said sadly.

"These recordings would not leave my office. They will help to cut down the amount of time I would take notes during our sessions and would allow me to focus more on what you're saying at the time of the matter." Paul smiled a bit. "In fact, if it would make you feel better, I'll erase the ones you really don't want to exist after I'm done taking notes on it." Harry pulled up his legs and wrapped his arms around them. He stared at the recorder. Paul realized that Harry was thinking. Harry brightened up and dropped his legs.

"I don't know why I'm worried about it. Most wizards wouldn't know what to do with things like that anyway." He said, pointing to the recorder. "You can use it."

"Thank you, Harry." Paul switched it on. "Just speak normally and try to forget about it." Paul advised him. A hiss from the corner caused Harry to look over there. Harry answered with a hiss of his own. "What did Zen say?" he asked.

"He said hello, and I told him hello back." Harry listened to Zen for a few seconds before smiling. "He still wants a mouse, and he thanks you for taking him outside with us yesterday." Paul smiled.

"Could you tell him he's welcome, and that I'm sticking to his schedule on food and he will have another mouse at the end of this week?" Harry nodded and relayed the message. He listened to the response and laughed.

"He said 'if you must' and 'I'm going to take a nap'." Harry turned back to Paul fully. "You still get a little freaked out about me being able to talk to him, don't you?" Harry asked.

"Why do you think I'm freaked out?" Paul asked.

"Aren't you?" Harry returned to his position of pulled up legs.

"No, I'm fascinated." Harry looked at Paul as though he was the one talking to snakes. "Try to understand it from my viewpoint. This is like you learning that you were a wizard." Paul told him. "A whole new world has opened for me when you told me Zen was happy. I had no idea if he was or not. Now, I know that I'm at least doing something right." Paul explained to Harry.

"Walking on your hands with an explanation, huh?" Harry asked. Paul smiled again and nodded.

"Exactly." Paul told him. "Now, I have some serious things to talk with you about." Harry nodded. "Oh, don't look so down. They're not so bad."

"Okay. What are they?" Harry asked, toying with the pillow.

"When your aunt first contacted us, she and I had a long discussion. She told me a few things about the way you were raised." Paul watched as Harry tensed up. Ah, unexplored territory. "I recommended that she and her family go into therapy as well." Harry nodded. "She has followed my suggestion and their therapist and I have been in contact with each other. I haven't told him anything you've said, just listened to him." Harry nodded again. "I was wondering if you would be comfortable with having a joint therapy session. Their therapist would come and meet you, get to know you a bit, and then you all would meet." Paul explained.

"Will you be there?" Harry asked. He would not be in a room with the Dursleys by himself if he could help it. He understood Aunt Petunia a little better after reading some of her journals, but Vernon and Dudley were unknown factors.

"For every second." Paul told him. The doctor stopped and looked at Harry. "I feel that it will help you, but if you're not quite comfortable with the idea, we can put it off until later." Harry took on his thinking pose, as Paul called it, and closed his eyes.

"They were horrible to me when I was younger." Harry said quietly. "Not quite abusive, at least, I don't think so. There were times, though, when I wished someone would have called the police. I don't know if I want to try to get to know them, or become a family, or whatever it is they want from me!" Harry grew progressively worse through his sentences.

"Breathe, Harry." Paul counseled. He reached out and took Harry's hands. "Look at me, Harry." Harry took a deep breath and looked at Paul. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to." Paul told him. Harry nodded. "Did they ever hit you, Harry? Touch you in inappropriate ways or places?" Harry shook his head. "Can you tell me what they did do to you?" Harry shook his head again.

"I'm not ready. Not yet." Harry told him. Paul frowned.

"Your actions are telling me that they did do something, like hitting you. Is that why you are afraid to talk about it?" Paul asked. Harry shook his head and stood. "Please, don't leave Harry." Harry pulled his schoolbag towards him.

"I'm…I'm not leaving." Harry dug into his schoolbag and pulled out a portfolio. "It hurts." Paul didn't have to ask what hurt. "They never really hurt me, but what they did was bad enough." Harry took a deep breath and let it out before continuing. "I drew some pictures." Harry handed several sheets to Paul. "They'll give you an idea. I…I just can't talk about it yet." Paul took the sheets and looked over them. They were pencil drawings, quite good drawings, but they gave some good information. Harry had labeled them. "Cupboard Under the Stairs", "Before Second Year", and "Accidental Magic" were scrawled across the bottom. Paul nodded and handed them back to Harry.

"I understand a bit better now. Thank you for showing me." Harry took them back and put them away. "We won't meet with them for now." Harry visibly relaxed. Paul looked at Harry, crashed on the couch, and smiled. Now, he looked like a teenager. "How are you?" He asked, wanting an update.

"I'll be okay. Thanks for understanding." Paul smiled.

"That's what I'm here for." He told Harry.

"I know. Thanks." Harry laughed as a hiss came across from the corner. Paul gave him a look. "I think Zen is dreaming. He went 'here mousey mousey mousey' again!" Paul snorted and Harry laughed again.

"Would it be okay if their therapist came and started to get to know you?" Paul asked. Harry thought for a few minutes before nodding.

"As long as you stay with me." Harry told him.

"I'll be right beside you." Paul pulled out the chess board. "Chess?"

"I'm going to win!" Harry announced.

"Hmm, that's what you think." Paul told him. "Maybe Zen can give you suggestions." Harry rolled his eyes and picked a piece. Black. "You've joined the Dark Side, I see." Paul said. "Watch out, Vader. Here come the Jedi!"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Dear Skywalker,

I'm not sure why the Ministry didn't show up. The law implicitly states that a wizard may not reveal the magical world unless his life is in danger. Harry, I hesitate to ask, but you weren't suicidal, were you? Please tell me the truth. All I can say is that something out there is on your side, perhaps even magic itself. Who knows? I'm certainly not asking Dumbledore. Maybe you just got lucky. I'll try to figure it out. Take care. May the Force be with you.

Love,

Hermione

One week later…

Harry stood on the stage and faced the seats; his drama professor was the only one sitting there, but there was activity throughout the entire hall.

"Alright, Evan. Act One, Scene 2, line 121, if you please." Harry glanced down at the script in his hand and nodded. "Let's hear it."

"This is the excellent foppery of the world, that when we are sick in fortune- often the surfeits of our own behavior- we make guilty of our disasters the sun, the moon, and stars, as if we were villains on necessity, fools by heavenly compulsion, knaves, thieves, and treachers by spherical predominance, drunkards, liars, and adulters by an enforced-"

"HEADS!" Harry ducked, but the crash came from the backstage area. "Uh-oh." A quiet voice said. Harry thought it sounded a lot like Bug, but he couldn't be sure. "Guys, how fast do you think you can run?" Professor Bevington leapt onto the stage and rushed past Harry.

"What is going on here?" Wow, drama guy to teacher in 0.2 seconds. Several voices started speaking all at once. "Enough. Is anyone hurt?" Professor Bevington relaxed as the voices all answered that no one was injured. "Good. Evan, that's enough for you today. Have someone read with you. You're doing fine." Harry recognized the dismissal, thanked him, and left the drama hall. He had time to answer Hermione's letter.

Dear Mi,

At that point, I just wanted everything to stop. I didn't care how really. Had it gone on much longer, who knows? I certainly don't wish to die now. I plan on being around for a little while. Mostly just to annoy Voldemort. Just kidding.

I got a part in the play! I'm Edmund, Gloucester's bastard son in King Lear. Cool, huh? The play runs from November 1st to the 4th. Family and friends are welcome. Let me know if you want to come, okay?

I've discovered muscles I didn't know I had thanks to Sensei's careful observation to unknown muscle groups. He told me that he couldn't turn me into a super fighter, but that he would give me survival skills. I haven't figured it out yet, but he said that I will understand soon. I sure hope so. Well, that's all my news, Mi. May the Force be with you.

Love,

Skywalker

P.S. – Dumbledore equals Obi-wan Kenobi. What do you think?

Author's Note: Well, there you go! I hope you all enjoy. Please tell me what you think, and if you have any suggestions for improvement, let me know.