A/N: Slight delay on this chapter. Graduate school caught up with me this week and I had a lot to get done and I didn't have time to proofread the chapter before tonight. Thanks for reading and please review, it keeps me inspired. -PP
Harry spent his weekend absorbing his replacement schoolbooks and organizing the library in his mind. He broke up the monotony by hanging out with his friends and going to the shooting range. By the end of the weekend he had taken to carrying his Walther PPK in a holster in the small of his back. Mark insisted that it was 'Very James Bond.' After handling the gun in the range for hours at a time he felt more comfortable handling it than not. He knew that he wasn't going to hit anything he wasn't aiming for, and he had modified the safety on his gun to not only react to his magic, but his intent. All in all it made him feel better about carrying a loaded firearm around with him.
His second week at the institute passed much like his first. His training went well, with very few bumps along the way. Taking his talk with Dumbledore to heart he 'read' a lot of books pertaining to spell theory and magic artifacts. He learned a lot about enchanting muggle objects and creating magical foci.
The weeks passed and eventually Harry's training took on more of an independent study feel than lessons being learned. Before he knew it he was awoken one morning when the three other teens at the institute jumped onto his bed. "Happy birthday Harry!" yelled Mark in his ear. With a wave of his hand he removed the intruders from his bed, piling them in a heap by his desk. "You would think that you guys would eventually learn some manners but apparently that isn't going to happen anytime soon."
Harry climbed out of bed, pausing to retrieve the note attached to Hedwig, before stretching and pulling his desk chair out to sit on it. He read the note before turning to the pile of humanity next to him, releasing is hold on their bodies they fell apart, groaning loudly. "Seems we're all invited to the Weasley's for my birthday, guess Arthur talked to Mrs. Weasley about bringing you hooligans along."
As one they rolled their eyes and clambered to their feet. "When it is time to go, let us know then trans ahead. We'll tap you for directions and meet you there." Harry nodded and started picking through his now quite healthy wardrobe. It had only been a few weeks since he had been training with Simon and Coggy but the clothes he bought after Sirius' will reading were getting a little tight from all the weight training they were making him do. He slid on a pair of jeans before pulling one of his favorite t-shirts over his head, it was blue and had 'Relax, I'm Hilarious' across the front. He was tying his boots when Mr. Weasley popped his head in his room.
"I'm assuming from you being so presentable before noon on a Saturday that you got Molly's message?" Harry grinned and pulled the knot tight before standing up. He tousled his hair a bit before winking at Mr. Weasley and ushering him toward the door.
"Yeah, thanks for having her invite the guys as well, I'm not sure how I'm going to get used to not having them around when I go back to Hogwarts." The two of them made their way down to the entrance hall where the wards allowed for translocation. Gripping the Weasley Patriarch's arm tightly he moved them through space mid-stride, so that their stroll down the hallway seamlessly morphed into a walk up the pathway toward the Burrow.
Equally smooth, Mark, Coggy, and Simon appeared behind them, talking excitedly about the architecture of the Burrow, insisting that without copious amounts of magic the building wouldn't be able to stand. Mr. Weasley was partway through an explanation of the magic involved when the front door opened and Hermione emerged. "Welcome home Mr. Weasley and…is that Harry?!" She raced toward him, attempting to pull him into one of her infamous hugs but his muscles wouldn't budge. "Harry what have you been doing? You're built like a rock!" He grinned down at her, returning the hug with gusto.
"Little Harry over there was a bit scrawny when you lot turned him over to us that we thought we'd do a bit of remodeling. You know, thin some stuff out here and here, do a little expanding here and there." Simon lectured, talking as if he was remodeling a home rather than a human being. Hermione was looking between the three psions curiously. "Oh, right, I'm Simon, the midget is Mark, and the ginger is Coggy, no offense Mr. W." Arthur waved it off and made his way inside, he hadn't been home since Tuesday.
It was at this point that Ron and Ginny came around from the garden and greeted Harry excitedly. "Hey mate! Welcome back, we've just been de-gnoming the garden so it'll be presentable for our guests." Harry pulled his two favorite Weasleys into huge hugs before introducing his friends from the institute, leaving out the common crack about Coggy's hair as he would have offended many more people than the joke originally called for.
Once the introductions were made a switch must have gone off in Hermione's head because she suddenly got a predatory look on her face. "So Mr. Potter, what else have you been training besides your body?" Ginny took a second to squeeze his arm appreciatively before nodding in agreement.
"Yeah Harry what have you been learning?" Harry looked to Mark for support but all he got was a shrug in return. Bloody useless he was, though Harry supposed Mark really didn't have any sort of family to inform about his abilities since his aunt ran the place.
Thinking of a way to stall he held up a finger and said, "There is one thing that I have to do before we go down this road." He gently pushed past Hermione, sniffing the air as he went. Making his way into the kitchen of the Burrow he snatched a biscuit from a tray cooling on the counter before obtaining a jam jar from the pantry and, with deliberate attention to detail, made himself a jam sandwich. He bit into it and nearly moaned as his taste buds were assaulted by Mrs. Weasley's cooking. "Oooh yeah, that is what I've been looking for all this time, would you believe me that we don't have the makings for a simple jam sandwich at the Institute? Not that they hold a candle to your mum's cooking Ron."
From behind him he heard someone clear their throat before speaking, "I was going to yell something about spoiling appetites but with such rave reviews I can hardly blame you over myself Harry dear." Mrs. Weasley came up behind him and gripped him from behind in a hug to rival Hermione's.
"Oi there proxy mum, you'll squeeze the jam back out of me." He could feel her beaming at his nickname for her and knew he had escaped her wrath pertaining to his appetite. Turning back to his classmates he said, "I'd really rather wait until Nev is here to explain all of this." To himself he added, 'If I'm going to scare all my friends off I may as well do it all at once.'
His friends shrugged and they adjourned to the garden where they could enjoy the summer weather. An hour later all the guests had arrived, Reamus pulling him into a huge hug and making sure that he was okay with the Sirius situation. Due to safety concerns the only Hogwarts students in attendance were Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and himself. Luna had been invited but she was with her father in Norway hunting Snorkaks so she wasn't able to make the party. After they had a huge meal in the early afternoon, and before Mrs. Weasley could bring the cake out and insist on presents, Harry guided his friends into the living room to have a chat he was not looking forward to. Glancing to the side as he followed them into the house he saw Dumbledore give him a reassuring nod before the doorframe blocked him from view.
After settling themselves comfortably in the living room, Harry's friends all looked up to him, as he was pacing back and forth in front of them. "As you guys know I have been doing some individualized training for the past few weeks. As Hermione and Ginny have pointed out it has included physical endurance training." He winked at them and they blushed, caught in thinking that their friend looked fit. "The main part of my training, however, has been in Psionics…or mind magic." He watched as surprise spread across three faces and interest spread across Hermione's.
"Is there much more to mind magic than Occlumency/Legillimency and memory/confundus charms?" she asked, eyeing him curiously. At the word Legillimency Ron's face went a bit pale, which didn't escape Hermione's notice. "Oh come off it Ron, Harry isn't going to invade our minds or anything, are you Harry?" Harry shook his head rapidly.
"Of course not, but when I woke up after my incident on the way home from King's Cross I was doing passive scanning, I was hearing voices from all sorts of people around me. They were inane things, surface thoughts taken completely out of context that wouldn't mean anything to anybody. Mark's aunt," he gestured to the doorway into the kitchen where the three psions stood, knowing that Harry had sensed them, "Helped me build my occlumency shields. Now I can keep everyone out, I haven't learned, or intend to learn, how to solo anyone's thoughts out from the maelstrom that I would get assaulted with if I dropped my shields."
He turned back to Hermione, "To answer your question the power of psionics is nearly limitless, much like magic. I can do anything from tying my shoes to killing someone with my mind, in a multitude of ways. I can communicate telepathically with any other psion without it being intercepted; I can do something similar to apparating without the associated squeezing feeling. Simon and Coggy are teaching me how to defend myself the non-magical way and I'm learning a lot from them as well. I can give my kicks and punches additional oomph by accelerating them with my psionics, I rarely miss a shot, both with my wand and my sidearm. I'm learning a lot of things that will help me survive in the future, and anything that you are capable of learning I will teach you when we get back to school."
Hermione seemed shocked that he was carrying a gun, but with the constant threat on his life she couldn't see how it would do more harm than good. Ron looked apprehensive but seemed to accept Harry's adamant statement about not wanting to be able to read any one person. "Do mum and dad know about all of this?" he asked, worrying about how they would react to Harry's newfound power and lethality.
"Actually, your dad is the liaison between the Institute and the Ministry. He is closer to an Unspeakable than anything else because even the Minister doesn't know about the program. You should ask him to explain how the Institute ties in to his cover in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office, you'll learn a lot about what I am and it's an interesting tale." Ron and Ginny looked shocked, and Harry knew that they would be interviewing their father later in the evening. "If you'd like I can check your aptitude level to see what kinds of things I'll be able to show you…" He trailed off, looking at his friends faces hopefully.
Strangely enough Neville was the first one to speak, "Lets check me first Harry, maybe I'll have an aptitude in this as well as Herbology." Harry grinned at his now confident friend and summoned the hand scanner from Mark's offering hand. Aiming it at Neville he flicked the switch and grinned when the taller boy flinched slightly.
"No need to worry Nev, doesn't hurt a bit, just does a quick measure of a slightly different kind of power." He glanced down at the screen and saw a bright number 3 glowing up at him. Flashing Neville a lop-sided grin he said, "Congrats Nev, you're of Auror level aptitude, if you were any lower they wouldn't consider you as an applicant. All Aurors need to be able to employ Occlumency and if their aptitude is any lower than T3 they can't get more than a desk job." Neville pumped a fist in excitement and Harry dragged the scanner across the rest of his friends, "Same deal guys, I'll be able to first help you with your Occlumency and then maybe a few other fun things."
His friends all beamed at him, excited to be learning how to defend themselves from the inevitable danger. Harry then went on to entertain his friends with little tricks that he had learned from Mark until Mrs. Weasley called them back outside. Ron and Neville took him by the shoulders and pushed him into a seat at the end of a picnic table that was laden with presents. Sighing he summoned the package from the top of the pile and began tearing into it. "That one is from me." Stated Coggy, simply. Curious as to what the psion had gotten him he peered into the box and found a leather handgun holster, similar to the one resting in the small of his back. "Mark took us to Diagon Ally and I had it enchanted by Olivander. Your gun is summon-proof while in the holster and it is charmed to keep any weapon inside of it clean. It will also resize itself to any size handgun you put in it."
Harry ignored the look on Mrs. Weasley's face as he grinned at Coggy. He immediately switched it for his normal holster and had Tonks try to summon it out. When she failed Harry sat back down and grinned again as a small cushioning charm kept the sharp metal from poking him in the back. Moving on to the next present Simon spoke up, "That one is from me." Harry ripped the paper, throwing it at Ginny, before sliding the lid off of the box. Inside was a folding knife, thicker than a normal combat knife, and it looked formidable. "It's a Zero Tolerance G10, its spelled to stay sharp and is resistant to curses, I honestly couldn't wait to give it to you, I feel naked without my knife and I have no idea how you've been living without one." Harry thanked him profusely and clipped the blade one his hip pocket, the weight giving him some reassurance.
The rest of his presents weren't nearly as scandalous, at least not according to Mrs. Weasley. Hermione, Remus, and Tonks all got him a various books on Defense, while Ron and Ginny got together to get him refills for his broom servicing kit. The twins stockpiled him with enough pranks and tricks to get all of Slytherin house, twice. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley gave him a present that brought tears to his eyes. In a long box was a golden hand for a clock that had "H. Potter" inscribed upon it. "This means so much to me, thank you. It is so wonderful to have people that care for me." The adult Weasleys drew him into a hug before Arthur took the hand and promptly went inside to attach it to their clock in the living room.
Finally Dumbledore set a rather large package on the table in front of him. Raising an eyebrow at the old man suspiciously he used his new knife to cut the twine holding the brown cardboard box shut and slowly lifted the lid. Inside was a large stone bowl etched with runes, though compared to the penseives he had seen in both Snape's and Dumbledore's office, the carvings looked new and the stone somehow more polished. "While you have your own way of sharing memories, I often find it useful to be able to physically organize my thoughts. I had this commissioned for you before you left school this summer and thought it an appropriate birthday gift. Use it in good health my b-…my friend." Harry caught the slip up at the end and smiled to himself, grateful that Dumbledore was seeing him as the man he was becoming rather than the boy he left on the Dursley's doorstep. He stood and shook the headmaster's hand and thanked him, promising him that he would use it responsibly, and not to dwell in past desires.
Dumbledore's eye twinkled at Harry's reference to his first year before he nodded his head solemnly. "I must be getting back to Hogwarts, I've still yet to find a replacement for the Defense position. Neville your present is in your pile, but requires much less explanation." With a sweep of his cloak he made his way around the house and down the path to the edge of the property, where Harry's trained ears heard the faintest pop as the headmaster disapparated.
With Harry's presents all open Harry immediately moved his gifts out of the way and sat Neville down in the seat of honor, pushing his pile of gifts toward him. Grinning excitedly Neville tore into his gifts, thanking his friends for the books on Herbology, and thanking Harry specifically for the rare plant. "I don't think Professor Sprout has one of these at school, hopefully I can get a seedling before we go back and I can add it to the school's collection." Harry nodded and patted his friend on the shoulder, glad that he felt comfortable in his element. His last present was a small box from Dumbledore, inside was a key labeled 'Greenhouse Ten'. The note attached told him that it was a specially warded greenhouse used for independent projects, and that Professor Sprout had requested that the Headmaster gift Neville with a key. The brunet boy glowed with pride and everyone cheered him for his green thumb.
Everyone stayed at the Burrow as late as they could, the four psions finally bidding the Weasley family goodbye at midnight. Hermione would stay the night before heading back to Crawley in the morning via a Portkey provided by the Headmaster. The boys said a quick goodnight to one another, while Harry got hugs from Hermione and Ginny. It surprised him how small they seemed after only a month apart, he attributed to a month of good living on his part and building his body up to where it should have been before the neglect and malnutrition from his relatives.
Hermione and Ginny watched and waved as the four boys walked down the path, their laughter easily heard all the way up the path until they reached the edge of the wards and vanished into thin air. They arrived back at the institute and their conversation carried them to the hallway of the dormitory where they separated, three of them wishing Harry a happy birthday before they all disappeared into their rooms for the night.
Harry set his pensieve on his desk before delicately extracting copies of his memories from the graveyard in fourth year and the ministry just a month ago. He told himself that he would review them in the morning when he had a clear head and an objective perspective. That out of the way he made his way over to his bedside table where he set his pile of books next to his lamp, and his knife next to his wallet and watch closer to the bed. His gun made its way under his pillow while the holster sat leaning against the lamp. He stretched as he toed off his boots and then stepped out of his jeans before crawling under the covers. He thoroughly enjoyed his birthday this year and thought, hopefully, that he should really plan something spectacular for his 17th birthday.