When Harry returned to his room he found a pile of letters from the Weasleys and Hermione, as well as one from Professor Dumbledore. Deciding to get the worst of them over with he reached for the letter from Dumbledore and gently broke the seal and pulled out the letter.

Harry,

While it pleases me to hear that you have finally shown some aptitude for mind magic, it saddens me that you caused a rift with your relatives in the process. As such I have taken the liberty to modify the wards on their home so that they will be protected in your absence. I see now that forcing you to live with them was not the best laid plan, and I hope that you can begin to forgive me for the ways that I have wronged you thus far. Arthur wasn't very forthcoming about the facility you're staying at but he assured me that it is well warded and not many in either the muggle or magical world know of its existence. I took the liberty to ask Ginevra to look after Hedwig until you join the Weasleys at the Burrow the last week in August. In the meantime if you have any need to send a letter Fawkes has offered his services to you.

Dobby has also been asking after you since he heard about your accident this afternoon so do take the time to summon him and reassure him that you are indeed in one piece. As of right now the cover story is that you were attacked in transit from King's Cross and it was deemed necessary to start your training early this summer. Arthur has shared with me your concerns about revealing the type of training you're receiving to your friends and I agree wholeheartedly with your decision. However, secrets are better shared sooner than later as you have so thoroughly taught me, so please don't keep your friends in the dark too long.

I have obtained clearance for Auror Tonks to come and train you in various combat techniques that you may find useful in future encounters with Tom and his allies. I hope that you have a wonderful summer, and I hope that we can get together before term starts to have an open conversation about where we stand, both as teacher and student as well as friends.

Yours,
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Harry eyed the letter suspiciously and set it to the side. Turning away from the desk and facing the open center of the room he called, "Dobby!" and the small elf popped into existence a few feet away from him before launching himself into Harry's chest. "Oh great Harry Potter sir! Dobby thought you was dead! Dobby saw the car in the wall Harry Potter sir, Dobby feared the worst!" Harry slowly dislodged the wiggling elf from himself and held him at arms length, "I'm fine Dobby really, thank you for worrying. Dumbledore said you had been asking about me. How are you finding working at Hogwarts?" He set the elf on the floor and Dobby began to bounce in place, "Dobby loooooves working at the castle Harry Potter sir, but if Harry Potter sir needs anything Dobby would be glad to help him." Harry grinned and thanked him before sending him off. Harry then turned to his desk and found a pile of parchment and a few quills along with a bottle of ink, which sat upon a note from Mr. Weasley.

Harry,

Let me know if you need to replace anything else. We can take care of your tab when we go to Diagon Ally before school starts."

Arthur

Harry smiled and opened the letter from Ron.

Harry,

Tough luck mate, you always seem to get the short end. I'm glad to hear that you'll be training because that means you'll be able to teach Hermione and I all the cool stuff you'll be learning. Mum says you'll be here the last week in August and that we're to use Fawkes to send our mail to you, how cool is that? I've got to go, the Cannons are playing Puddlemore on the wireless and the games about to start. Let me know if I can send you anything, mum says "Including food" so don't hesitate to ask.

Ron

Grinning, Harry dreamily thought of Mrs. Weasley's treacle tart. He pulled the next letter from the envelope Ron's came in.

Harry,

Are you okay? Nobody told us exactly what happened just that you were attacked. I hope you showed them not to mess with you anymore. Dad says you've gone into some sort of training program to help you fight Riddle. I'm glad to hear it, you need all the help you can get. Hedwig is being a dear and helping keep all the field mice out of the garden, mum is over the hill about it. Hope you're not cooped up somewhere, write back soon.

Ginny

The thought of Hedwig flying free in the country and hunting field mice brought a smile to his face. He reached for the final letter from Hermione.

Harry,

Mr. Weasley just stopped by while we were packing for our trip and told me that you're in some training program run by the ministry. I hope that wasn't code for "Locked up in the loony bin" and if it was I don't know how you'd be able to tell me one way or the other. I hope you're learning a lot and you're learning something that you can teach us when we get back to school. Have you thought about asking Dumbledore if you can run the DA as an official club? Actually don't worry about it, I'll send him a letter right now. I was told to ask Fawkes to take this to you so you're obviously somewhere they don't want a lot of owls flying in and out of. Stay safe.

Hermione

Harry laughed at Hermione's suspicions and set that letter aside as well. He wrote a similar letter to each of his friends, assuring them that he hadn't been abducted and that anyplace was better than the Dursleys so even if he had been it wouldn't be a big deal. He wrote a letter to Dumbledore agreeing to the meeting before the start of term and thanking him for the training from Tonks. He asked about using magic during training and asked if he could possibly be trained in Apparition. Sealing each letter he then called to Fawkes and the beautiful phoenix flashed into his room and alighted on the edge of the remains of his trunk. "Thanks for helping me out this summer Fawkes, I really appreciate being able to contact people." The phoenix let out a trill of reassurance before flying to the desk and taking his letters with a flash.

A few minutes later Harry was re-reading Dumbledore's letter when two more appeared on his desk with a flash. Opening them he saw that the first was from Dumbledore promising him that he was no longer being monitored for underage magic. He went on to say that he would make sure that Tonks included Apparition in his training regime because it could be a useful tool for escaping a bad situation. The second letter was from Gringotts.

Lord Potter,

Your presence is requested on August 1 for the reading of the will of Lord Sirius Ogden Black. If that date does not suit you please alert us by July 20.

May your gold always flow,
Griphook, Potter Estate Manager

Harry stared, baffled at the title he was addressed with. He was a Lord? After a few minutes he realized he hadn't read the rest of the note and by the time he caught up he had tears threatening to show themselves. He wiped them away and reached for his wand. Calmly he transfigured two pieces of parchment into an "In" and "Out" box and set them on one side of his desk. He wrote a reply to Gringotts and set it in his "Out" box and then decided to get ready for bed. It was then that he realized that he only had the clothes on his back to live with. He rubbed his face with his hand and got up and headed toward Mark's room. He knocked and soon enough Mark was there looking at his curiously. "What's up Harry?" Harry sighed again and explained his situation to his new friend, asking him where the school store was. "Well it's probably closed by now, but that shouldn't be a problem, we'll just sneak in and leave the money in the till." He led the way down to the first floor and walked to the school store and then around the corner to the side door that the employees used. Harry pulled out his wand to unlock the door when Mark put his hand on his wrist, "You would leave a magical signature, I however…" Mark held his hand over the bolt and Harry heard the tumbler release and Mark tried the handle. The door swung open and he gave Harry a thumbs up.

Quietly they stalked around the room, picking out a few solid colored t-shirts for Harry along with a few pairs of sweatpants and gym shorts along with a weeks worth of boxers and socks. Totaling the cost in his head Harry left the full hundred pounds Dennings had given him, leaving the last ten as an apology for the breaking and entering. As they left Mark did the same thing to the lock before they headed back up to their rooms. Harry thanked his new friend and entered his room, filling his dresser with his new "purchases". He changed into a pair of gym shorts and a white t-shirt and climbed under his Gryffindor covers and fell promptly to sleep, his mind grateful for the break from consciousness.

Pain welcomed Harry back to consciousness. He groaned as voices, thoughts, and emotions bombarded his brain. He felt a cool hand on his forehead and a calm voice above the din, "Harry focus on my voice. Watch as I build these shields and mimic me in your own mindscape." He watched as walls were built on the outside of his mind, slowly lowering the volume of noise and the number of sources bombarding him. Slowly he built up his own walls, and then brick by brick his walls became the walls of Hogwarts on the very edge of his mind. Towers sprouted with gargoyles perched upon the parapets. Going further he envisioned the wards of the castle stretching across the sky, connecting his walls and towers across his mind with a solid yet translucent shield. Finally he built great doors in the front of his mind guarded by fierce goblins riding dragons. The voices were gone and the walls that were built outside his mind slowly fell away and he heard a knocking on his shields. Somehow recognizing the presence he opened a small one way hole, allowing a voice to carry through, "Good Potter, now hold the shields as long as you can, learn every inch of them, know what every detail looks like, make them your own." Harry felt himself appear along the walls, he walked around the perimeter of his mind, noting the position of each gargoyle and taking the time to name them.

He opened his eyes and found himself alone. Looking around he saw that his door was still closed and it didn't look like anything had been disturbed. Thankful for the lack of voices hammering on his brain he fell back into his pillows, turning one over to rest his forehead against the cool underside. His respite did not last for long however because not fifteen minutes later his shields fell and the voices were back.

"Did I lock the front door?"

"I hope this guy pays me tonight."

"I think I just threw up food that I ate last week."

"God, I don't know if you're listening but if you are please take care of Nana, mum says I need to pray for her and I don't know how else to ask…"

Harry did his best to focus on his shields again and quicker than last time they sprang into existence, every brick, goblin, and gargoyle in its place. He sighed and flipped his pillow again, hoping they would hold until morning.

He was sadly mistaken an hour later when he was awoken by more meaningless sentences that seemed to think that they were the most important things in the world. Again he focused and threw up his shields, this time however he noticed how much easier it was than the time before, how much stronger they felt from the time before that. Going on this line he dropped his shields briefly and then threw them up again. Once again they were stronger, more responsive to his will. He grinned and repeated the process five more times before finally leaving them up and going back to sleep.

Somewhere else in the facility a man and a woman seated across from one another let their eyes come back into focus. "He's a quick learner," she said, smiling to her friend, "He built his shields in minutes and then learned how they work, how to make them stronger, make them last longer. He's a natural, I'm surprised you never realized it." Dumbledore looked down at his hands in contemplation, "I do not think that I gave him the proper resources or environment to learn in. I was too afraid to delve into his mind this past year; too afraid He would realize our connection…" he trailed off, his voice growing sad. The woman put her hand on his, "Albus you cannot be blamed for those fears, and you are indeed human despite what everyone seems to think. I can work with him to prepare him for what is to come, it may not be the way that you would have done it but in the end he'll be able to defend himself, psychically at least." Dumbledore reached into a pocket and removed a small bag, offering it to his companion before removing a lemon drop and popping it into his mouth, "Thank you for being open to Nymphadora Tonks coming and teaching Harry to keep his magical ability up to snuff." She grinned, "Of course Albus, I have a few Unspeakables as trainers in both the mind and the magical arts, but having a familiar face would work better for him. She should come on Tuesdays and Fridays after lunch. Her 'classes' will be supervised by one of my Unspeakables to ensure that Harry is approaching his spell work from the proper angle."

After bowing his head graciously, Dumbledore stood and shook her hand before walking to the hearth and flooing back to his office. The woman focused her mind once more, projecting herself into Harry's room, smiling to herself as he slept soundly and then went further, ghosting along the outsides of his shields. Grinning to herself she saluted the goblins as she flew by, proudly examining the airtight shields. Pulling back she ran her ghostly hand across his forehead before returning to her body. He would be an interesting student indeed.