Author's Note: The amount of reviews for the last chapter was amazing. Thanks to all who reviewed. In total, 90 of you felt my story warranted a review. You have no idea how that makes me feel…honored, amazed, and humbled. I have just a few responses and then we will continue to the story!
Harry meeting with the Dursleys: Eventually.
Getting chapters faster: I think an update a week or every ten days is pretty good. Sorry.
Dumbledore finding out about Harry: September first, of course.
Hermione not a Protector: There is a very good reason as to why Hermione is not a Protector. Think hard. You'll figure it out. You all are so smart! ;)
Harry staying at St. Jude's: You'll find out later.
Return of the Jedi: No idea. I have it in my notes, but they're scattered about at the moment. He'll be quoting ROTJ lines with Hermione soon enough. Don't worry.
The lone Protector: You know the one who wasn't answering questions? He's not a Gryffindor.
Guards around Harry's house: They were pulled and sent to protect Hogsmeade. Read chapter 16 again. The full explanation is in there.
Wandless magic: A Jedi's power flows through the Force…
Hermione learning with Harry: She's Hermione. What do you think?
Joe and Evan James: Paul uses Harry, and so will Joe. They will both be his therapist; Paul will be Harry's individual and Joe will be family. That and the family mentioned Harry. Not Evan.
Harry's return to Hogwarts: Yet herein will I imitate the sun. I'm sure you understand my meaning.
Hermione's return to Hogwarts: Yes, she is going back.
Sensei knowing something: Sensei knows many things.
critic unknown: Your review left me speechless. I do plan on going professional, but not quite yet. I have to go to law school first. Thank you for such wonderful encouragement and an offer to buy my books. I will let you know when I do start writing professionally. As for your speculation: you got it in one! Congratulations!
Koobie Kippers: You paid me a very high compliment. Better not let JKR find out! ;) Thanks for reviewing and encouraging me.
Okay, gang. I'm stopping the reviews here so ffn doesn't kill me and take my story down. I've been warned. There are too many reviews to answer here. If you would like an answer, include your email address and I will email you. You all have been phenomenal and wonderful. I send out virtual chocolate, cookies, pizza and pickles to all. I'm still speechless. On to the story!
"Come in!" Paul said when he heard Harry knock. Harry was here for his appointment. Harry came in looking relaxed, but that changed the minute he saw Joe sitting in a chair next to Paul. "Hi, Harry." Harry nodded, still staring at Joe. "Harry?" Harry looked at Paul, eyes questioning the other man's presence. "Do you remember when I asked about bringing the Dursley's therapist here?" Harry nodded again. "This is Joe, the Dursley's therapist." Joe stood and went over to Harry, extending his hand to Harry. Harry took it cautiously and shook it lightly before dropping it.
"It's nice to meet you, Harry." Joe said in his softest voice.
"Likewise." Harry said, still eyeing the man.
"He speaks!" Paul fell out of his chair and onto the floor. The action had the desired effect. Harry snorted and relaxed enough to smile. "I've not heard you so quite since you saw The Empire Strikes Back!" Paul told him. Harry rolled his eyes and sat down on the couch, still wary, but willing to trust Paul's judgment about this man.
"Yeah, well." Harry ducked his head before looking back up at Paul. "Finding out that Darth Vader is Luke's father was pretty traumatizing." Harry stopped and looked at Paul suspiciously. "What else haven't you told me?" He demanded in a serious voice. Paul smirked and slouched in his seat.
"A great many things, young Jedi." Paul took on a haggard appearance and imitated the Emperor's voice from the movie. Harry looked at him with wide eye and shuddered. "A great many things."
"Don't do that. It's creepy." Harry said, tossing his bag in the corner. He felt his wand against his leg. He had a defense against this man, this…Joe. Harry studied him again. He looked like a typical Muggle. Too typical. Of course, that didn't mean anything. Harry wanted to smack himself. He was becoming as paranoid as Mad-eye!
Paul got up from his seat and went over to the fridge and started digging. So what if it was before lunch? Harry could have a soda. He needed one, and he was sure Joe would appreciate more caffeine. In fact, if he played this right…
Joe studied Harry, who was also studying him. He was a small teenager. He did not take after his cousin and uncle, but more like his aunt. His stare was intense, but he didn't make eye contact. He didn't need to. Joe could read his feelings through body language alone. Harry did not like him…yet. He didn't trust him either. He was sure that once he and Harry had met a few times they would become friends. Paul had been right. Harry was one tough kid. Joe jumped in surprise as a bottle of soda flew at Harry. Harry reached up and caught it without looking at it! His face must have shown his surprise, for Harry raised an eyebrow before setting the soda aside and smirking.
"Use the Force." He told Joe. Joe smiled and shook his head.
"Sorry, I can't do that Jedi stuff." Paul handed him a bottle of soda. "So, that's how you did it?" He asked Harry. "The Force?"
"Harry's a regular Jedi. Or so he thinks. I think he just has really good reflexes. Something to do with sports at school." Harry smiled again and nodded.
"Yeah, that's it." He told Joe. Quidditch was a sport. Joe didn't need to know which. "Sports at school. I need to protect my head from flying objects, and we don't wear helmets for that." Joe nodded his understanding and took a long drink from his soda. Ah, caffeine. The source of his power.
"So what do you play?" Joe asked.
"Football on my house team." Harry said. Nice save, Harry. Bravo! Okay, so Joe was…different. More serious than Paul, he guessed. He felt his wand again. It was still there.
"That's good. Do you enjoy school?" Joe asked. Harry smiled. This conversation sounded familiar. Much like his first conversation with Paul. Harry chanced a quick glance at Zen's cage. Oh, the snake was sleeping. That wasn't fair.
"Oh, yeah. Well, the work I do. Some of the teachers. Sports, definitely." Harry told him. Wand was still there.
"Does your leg hurt you?" Joe asked. Harry jerked his hand away and shook his head.
"No, my muscle's just a little sore from practice. I'll put something on it later." Note to self: do not touch wand again. Joe eyed him, but dropped it. "What do you like to do?" Harry asked. Joe smiled and thought for a few minutes.
"Well, let's see. I like to read." Paul snorted. "Do not call me a bookworm, Paul. You do it too." Harry smiled.
"What do you like to read?" Harry asked.
"Oh, my favorites are Sherlock Holmes and Shakespeare." He told the boy. He had the surprise of his life when Harry gave a huge smile and sat up.
"What's your favorite play?" he asked excitedly. Joe blinked in surprise while Paul groaned.
"Have fun, Joe. Harry here is a regular Shakespeare enthusiast." Paul watched in satisfaction as the two chattered back and forth about the different plays. Joe turned Harry's attention towards the sonnets and longer poems as worthy of his perusal, while Harry quoted favorite parts of plays he had read. Joe easily returned with the other parts.
"Oh, you can help me with me lines!" Harry said while pulling out the small book of King Lear Professor Bevington had given him so he didn't have to lug his big book around. Paul smiled and allowed the two of them to get to know each other. Joe seemed to be having fun and Harry was starting to relax. Paul stopped them when it was time for lunch.
"Attention all Shakespeare nuts: It is time for lunch." Paul said, switching off the tape recorder. Harry let out a good-natured groan. "Go on, Harry. Joe and I will come down in just a few minutes." Harry got up and gathered his bag.
"When will you be here again, Joe?" Harry asked.
"Same time next week." Harry nodded and said good-bye to both men. Joe gave Paul a satisfied smile and relaxed into his chair. "And you said that he was hard." Paul smirked and shook his head.
"What makes you think that you got in?" Paul asked. Joe sat up and stared at Paul.
"Are you saying that what I saw was nothing more than a front?" He asked. Paul pushed the rewind button on the recorder and nodded.
"Joe, I hate to tell you this, but I think that the Harry I deal with on a daily basis is still a front. I have seen maybe one or two glimpses, I think, of the real Harry in all the time he has been here." Paul looked at his friend's distraught face and shook his head. "Not to burst your confidence about him or anything like that." Joe waved the comment away. He had thought that he was doing so well with the boy. "If it's any consolation, he talked to you more than the first time he met me." Joe nodded a bit, still staring off into space.
"It helps, thanks." Joe told him.
"No problem. Come on. I'll feed you before I let you leave. I think I smell macaroni and cheese from here." Paul pulled Joe from the office and led him down to the dining hall.
Harry was in his room studying for his test on Monday when Jack knocked on the door. "Hey, 007." Harry looked up. "Your girlfriend's here." Harry raised an eyebrow.
"I don't have a girlfriend." Harry told him. Jack smiled.
"I know. Hermione's here and she brought more books. I think that I smelt brownies too." Harry jumped up from his desk and bolted for the stairs.
"Thanks, Jack!" Jack watched him run down the hallway. He was excited, so Jack wasn't going to run the mood. Let him run.
Harry skidded around the corner and nearly barreled into the opposite wall. He regained his footing and turned to the sitting room where Hermione usually met him. He went in the door and looked around. Hermione got up from the couch.
"Who's Luke's father?" he asked.
"Duh, Darth Vader." Hermione tackled him in a hug and released him when they both started to fall to the ground. "It's good to see you." She hugged him again. "Want to go outside?" She asked.
"Sounds great." He helped her with the packages and told the attendant that they would be just outside and would stay in view of her. She nodded, giving Harry an odd smile and shooing them out. "What's that all about?" He asked Hermione.
"No idea." She told him. The two of them settled under a tree and Hermione opened the box of brownies. "Mum sent these along." She gave Harry one and took one for herself. "I got your books for sixth year, a few other surprises. I have copies of everything, so if you have any trouble, just write me and I'll tell you what I know." Harry dug into the bag and pulled out the books. He stared at the pile and then at Hermione.
"These are all of the sixth year books?" He asked.
"Of course not. I added some to your list. Why do you think that my grades are so good? I use sources other than the textbook to write my essays." Harry counted the number of potions books and looked at her.
"Seven?" He asked. Hermione smiled and pulled out a rather tattered looking one.
"This was mine for my first year. I think that you could use it now. I don't know why I haven't thought of it before." She handed it to him and he looked at the title. A Muggleborn's Guide to Potions: How to Survive the Dungeon. Harry smiled at the title.
"I always wondered how you did it." Harry told her. "Thank you, Mi." She smiled at him and nodded at the pile of books.
"You're on the fast track. Snape won't know what hit him when you get back to school." She gave an evil grin, which Harry returned with equal force. "Besides, we need to get you ready for some outstanding school work." Harry nodded again.
"Mi, I was wondering something." Harry told her.
"What's up, Skywalker?" She asked. "What do you need?" Harry stared off into space for a few seconds before answering.
"I need to know what the Summer Studies students are learning. Everything they are learning. Do you know any way that we could find that information out?" Hermione frowned and chewed on her bottom lip. That would be difficult. Not impossible. Just extremely difficult.
"It's possible. I'll see what I can do." She told him. Harry nodded, thanked her, and turned back to the books.
"Mi, what's this?" He asked, holding up a small black book. Hermione's smile grew wide and she pulled out an identical one. Harry looked at his and found "Skywalker" on it.
"It's called a Mini-Messenger." She told him. "Say 'lightsaber'." Harry raised an eyebrow again but said the word. "Now open it." Hermione opened hers and scribbled something into it with a pen she found in her pocket. Harry looked at his first page and was amazed to see two words appear on it. Hi, Skywalker.
"Mi! This is so cool!" He snatched the pen and wrote his own message. Hi, Mi! Hermione giggled and closed her book.
"We can write messages back and forth. They are endless, so we'll never run out of paper. Our writing is encrypted, so we're the only ones who can read what the other person writes. If a person doesn't know our password, they can't read it." She told him.
"This will be such a big help." He told her. Hermione nodded.
"Check it daily for lecture notes and homework assignments." She told him sternly. Harry nodded seriously and closed his own book. "I picked light saber for a reason." She told him. He looked up and she gave another evil grin. "These are our weapons against Dumbledore. An elegant weapon for a more civilized age." She told him. Harry smirked at the line quote from Star Wars.
"Pen is mightier than the wand?" he asked. Hermione nodded enthusiastically. "I like that." Hermione shrugged and poked Harry with a stick. Harry glanced at her and pushed the stick away. She poked him again. Harry grabbed his own stick and poked her back.
"The Force is with you, young Skywalker, but you are not a Jedi yet." Hermione said, getting up and pointing her stick at Harry. Harry got to his own feet and grinned. The two started a lightsaber battle with their sticks. "You have learned much, young one." Hermione said, trying to imitate Darth Vader's voice.
"You'll find that I'm full of surprises." Harry said with a little grin. He dodged Hermione's stick and returned her move. The two of them fought their way across the yard, back and forth in front of the window. Hermione giggled and fought against Harry for a few more minutes before stopping the match.
"Impressive." She said, trying to catch her breath. "Most impressive." Harry gave her a little impish grin and dropped the stick. Hermione tossed hers aside. "What are you doing, Skywalker? Is Yoda in there training you?" She asked. Harry shook his head and smiled.
"I've got Sensei." Harry told her. Harry returned to the books and gathered them up into the bag. "Um, Mi? What's this?" he held up a book.
"Wandless magic, Skywalker. I think that it will be interesting to study it, see what we can make of it. There should be another book in there about it." She told him.
"The Force." Harry said. Hermione smiled.
"Perfect code word. The Force." Hermione helped him with the books and they both sat down again. "So, code words. Dumbledore is Obi-wan, Voldie's the Emperor, you're Skywalker. Hmm. Who's Darth Vader?" She asked. Harry shrugged. "Ron's Han Solo." Harry shook his head.
"Nah, make him Chewie." Hermione snorted and nodded.
"Okay, Ron's Chewie. I still want to figure out a Darth Vader." Hermione told him. They sank into silence. "Snape!" she said suddenly.
"Where?" Harry's wand appeared as he leapt to his feet and looked around.
"No, I mean Snape could be Darth Vader." She said happily.
"Ugh. He's not my father." He told her. Harry put his wand away and sat back down.
"No, he's not, but think about it. They both de- never mind. I forgot you haven't seen the last one. Just accept it for now." Harry rolled his eyes.
"Alright. I'll take your word for it, Leia." Hermione shuddered.
"Eww, Snape's my father." She shuddered again. "Eww!" Harry smiled and poked her.
"You deserve it." He told her. He grinned.
"I think you have scarred me for life." She collapsed on the grass. "Snape as my father. I will never be able to look at him the same way again." Harry's eyes widened before he joined her on the grass.
"What have we started?" He asked. "Just the thought…" He shuddered. "It just won'tfit in my head." He complained. "Snape and my mum! Gah!" Hermione shuddered again.
"Quick! We need to change the subject! Who's Lando?" she asked. Harry thought hard.
"Um, Draco Malfoy." He told her. Hermione paused, thought for a few minutes, and nodded.
"Sounds good. Who fits Mad-eye?" She asked. They both paused. After several minutes of thinking, they both gave up on Mad-Eye. They could not think of someone to fit him. "C-3PO?" Hermione asked.
"Percy." They said at the same time. They both laughed at the image.
"Hello, kids!" Both teenagers looked up to find Hermione's parents standing there.
"Hello, Dr. Granger." He stood and shook both parents' hands. "Thanks for everything, and letting Hermione come and visit. It means a lot." Hermione's mother gave Harry a short hug and smoothed his hair.
"You're welcome, dear." She told him. "Friends are important." She smiled and handed him off to her husband. Dr. Granger pulled him away from the girls and behind a tree.
"I'm going to make this quick, because if my wife finds out, I'll be ordering pizza out for a month. I have Star Wars costumes, and if you ever want to borrow one, just write me at home, okay?"
"That sounds great, Dr. Granger. Thanks!" Hermione's father smiled.
"My science fiction genes went into Hermione. Her mother may never forgive me, but I'll nurture such appreciation when I can." Dr. Granger messed up the hair Hermione's mother had fixed and led Harry back to the girls.
"And what were you two doing?" Hermione asked.
"Fatherly threats, Princess." Hermione turned red and squeaked.
"Yeah, Leia." Harry told her. She glared at him. "Uh-oh. Hermione Death Glare." Harry hid behind his hands. He found himself being hugged in the next instant. He returned it and knew that Hermione's parents were going to wait by the car. "This is the last time you're going to visit before you go back to school." He said. She nodded.
"Yes, but I'm going to write everyday with the Mini-Messenger. I'll expect you to do the same." She said, stepping back. "And study!" Harry nodded.
"Alright. I promise." Hermione hugged him again and stepped away.
"May the Force be with you." She told Harry.
"And with you." Hermione left and Harry watched until her car turned the corner. He took out his Mini-Messenger and said his password. She was already writing a message. The Force will be with us, always. Harry pulled out his pen and wrote a return message. A Jedi's strength flows from the Force. He closed the book and gathered the others. Knowing Hermione, she had already read them. He needed to catch up.
Author's Note: I know. It's short. There'll be more next chapter cough Hogwarts! cough. Just thought you'd like to know. Thanks again for all of the great reviews and support. You all rock my little fanfiction world. Hugs to all!