I own neither Harry Potter nor Star Wars. I promise to do nothing with other people's characters they wouldn't have them do themselves. Of course, for Harry Potter, that means I could have Hermione name her own kid Hugo, or allow it to be done. No offence if your name is Hugo, but for me, it's a HuNO!

It started in the ministry. Madam Bones prided herself on her accuracy, and so the reports she filed on the incident were true and precise. They were immediately delivered to Cornelius Fudge, who thought these reports needed to go no further than his desk. The Minister for Magic didn't want to cause a panic with rumours of You-Know-Who flying around possessing people.

Not that he believed such a thing actually occurred, of course. The reports just said a cloud of vapour with a face that screamed. The Minister noted that in the report, Harry Potter didn't claim this cloud had introduced itself as You-Know-Who, or anyone else for that matter. It had only mentioned Yaxley. It would be irresponsible to go around claiming You-Know-Who was back when there was no actual evidence that he really, really was. Well, it was too late for Yaxley, at any rate. He couldn't defend himself against any charges, what with being dead, and Fudge was only too glad to let the apparently not so former Death Eater take the entire fall.

The Minister for Magic knew very well the measure of the people he was Minister for. He was quite well aware that once they got it in their minds that You-Know-Who was back, they'd be bleating at him like sheep to do something about it. He should know them, after all. He frequently was the beneficiary of their fickle loyalties and instant judgements. So, he ordered that the reports on this incident be immediately sealed.

Sealing the files stopped any news of You-Know-Who from becoming public knowledge, but other facts were not so easily contained. Yaxley had been killed by a killing curse, and that curse was verified to have come from his own wand. Those facts were verified in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and managed to escape that office before the news embargo took effect. Much like trying to put a genie back in a bottle, the news could not be fully contained. The few facts were quickly diluted with guesswork (some of it more accurate than others) and outright fantasy. Each retelling further escalated the story as each teller added or changed bits to fit his or her audience. The facts that entered the ministry bore little resemblance to the rumours that left it not many hours later.

Like wildfire, the news spread across Wizarding Britain. Harry Potter had survived the killing curse again! No mention was made that it was actually Hermione Granger the curse was fired at, nor would the public have cared had it known. The only consistent facts were that Yaxley had fired the killing curse and that Harry had somehow deflected it. Before long, some versions of the story had transformed to include Harry standing there, letting the spell bounce off of his invincible chest while shouting 'For my mother!'

There was a vague awareness in the Wizarding world that not everything printed in their newspapers was entirely accurate. As long as the publishers didn't go too far overboard, however, they were free to sensationalize all they liked to juice the story up. They did their job very well.

Harry, enjoying his first Christmas holiday with the Grangers, was blissfully unaware of how much the rest of the country was talking about him. The family was sitting on the couch a few days after Christmas, having just finished watching a movie. Harry was staring at the palm of his right hand in confusion.

"Hermione, can you take a look at my hand, please?" he asked.

Mr and Mrs Granger had gone to the kitchen to get some snacks before starting the next movie when it occurred to Harry that something was odd about his right hand. It had been bothering him all day, and he hadn't been able to figure out what it was. Hermione looked his right hand over, but couldn't find anything.

"I'm not sure what I'm looking for," she said to Harry.

"The burns from the handle of my lightsaber," he explained. "I just realized they don't hurt anymore."

Her eyes opened wider as she understood and examined his hand closer.

"They're pretty well healed," Hermione said, tracing the thin lines that formed a square and several straight lines on his palm.

"Holding hands already?" asked Emma Granger. She had returned to the living room with a tray of finger foods. Her voice was teasing, but still kind.

"Could you take a look at this, Mum?" Hermione asked.

Emma took Harry's right hand and examined it. She was a dentist but was also trained in basic first aid, so when Dan had brought an unconscious Harry into the house, she had done a basic exam. She had seen the burns on his hand, and they were a lot more prominent the previous night than they were now.

"Did you put something on this that would have healed it so quickly?" she asked.

"No," answered Harry. "At first, I was watching Dumbledore and Nicholas going at each other, and then we were busy reconstructing my lightsaber. By that time, I was pretty well exhausted and went to bed."

"Do you think handing that stone might have done it?" Mrs Granger asked. "Nicholas did say it had healing powers."

That brought something to the front of Harry's memory.

"Now that you mention it," he said, "when I turned the lightsaber on something unusual did happen."

"I'll say," Emma Granger responded. "Seeing that handle turn from silver to gold was probably the most magical thing I've yet seen out of the magical world."

"It definitely was eye-opening," agreed Harry, "but something else happened as well. I felt a tingling and warmth in my hand. Now that I think about it, I don't think the burns have bothered me from that moment."

"I'm not sure what I should be more impressed by," she admonished. "That your lightsaber can both hurt and heal, or that you spent all day working on it with burns on your hand and never once complained about it."

"I pretty much just ignored any pain from it," he explained. "I was too excited by the chance to fix my lightsaber to bother with the burns."

After receiving hugs from both of the female Grangers, Dan Granger entered with some soft drinks. They sat back to enjoy the snacks and another movie.

Harry was enjoying the feeling of having a family for the first time in his life that he could remember. It wasn't his family, of course, but the Grangers were so accommodating to him that they might as well have been.

Hermione had added all of her notes into the Organizer's Notebook, and Harry spent several days reading Advanced Defensive Magic. By the time the break had come to an end, Harry wasn't certain how he had lived without a Christmas break before.

The Hogwarts Express rolled smoothly down the track, leaving London far behind. Onboard, Harry Potter was learning how much that simple swipe of his lightsaber had apparently swept across the country. Everyone was talking about it. There was a constant stream of students coming into their compartment asking him if the papers were really true if he really had deflected a killing curse, and if was he actually immortal.

He told the truth but kept the tale to the few facts that were reported in the paper that he knew to be correct. He told them that it was true that he'd deflected a curse of some kind, but it was with his lightsaber. To the best of his knowledge, no newspaper was entirely true. He rolled his eyes a bit at the ones who asked about his supposed immortality. The constant flow of students into their compartment finally trickled down to the point where Harry and Hermione could ask how Neville and Daphne's holidays were.

"It was pretty uneventful, at home," Neville said. "Me and my Gran, for the most part. We had quite a few family members over for Christmas dinner, of course. It caused quite a stir when Gran told them all I was in the top three of all my classes. Uncle Algie almost fell out of his chair. He thought I was a squib until I got my letter."

"That's something I've often wondered about," said Hermione. "As I understand it, the school is aware of who is getting a letter at the birth of the magical child, isn't that right?"

"Yes," answered Daphne.

"How exactly do they find out?" Hermione asked.

"There is a quill, supposedly at Hogwarts, that registers the birth of every magical child in the United Kingdom," explained Daphne. "It separates them by year, and then when the child turns eleven, their letter is dispatched."

"Well," said Hermione, "I wonder if they shouldn't be telling these families about magic long before they turn eleven?"

"Why?" asked the Slytherin girl.

"Because," answered Hermione, "it would solve a lot of problems for Muggleborn students. My parents almost had to send me to a special hospital when they thought my summoning books was me manifesting a 'behavioural issue.' I live in a good home with a loving family, too. I can't help but wonder how many Muggleborns end up in a mental ward because their parents don't know it's normal for their child?"

"I don't know," said Daphne. "I do know that if anyone can cause it to happen, it'll be you two." She pointed at Harry and Hermione with one finger each and a smile.

"How about you, Daphne?" asked Neville. "How was your Christmas?"

"We had a fair few more guests than we usually get," answered Daphne, "but mostly just my Dad's old friends wanting to talk about Harry."

"Why would your dad's friends want to talk about me?" asked Harry.

"Don't worry," said Daphne. "My parents are not Death Eaters and never have been. They're purely about business. They certainly think pure-bloods are better than everyone else, but to them, money is money no matter who holds it. Not a lot of repeat customers among the murdered. I think everyone's parents have been talking about you, though. At least all the of the pure-bloods have. A pure-blood attacks someone and accidentally ends up killing himself with his own curse? How many times does that happen?"

"Well," said Harry, "every time one has attacked me so far, I think."

Everyone in the car stopped and thought about that for a moment.

"I suppose that's true," said Daphne. "Well, keep it up, Harry," she said with a slight smirk.

Albus Dumbledore watched from his office window as the students filed into the castle. The incident with Yaxley disturbed him, but not as much as the aftermath at the Grangers. He suspected a Death Eater trap and had tried to warn Nicholas, but the old man insisted on taking back his Philosopher's Stone. Not two days later, Flamel had been taken from his home. The action against Harry Potter and Harry's subsequent victory forced Albus to reevaluate part of the prophecy. He had always believed love would be the power the Dark Lord knew not. Now, Albus was considering that it might very well be the Force.

The dressing down he received by Nicholas in front of the Grangers was unpleasant, but Albus had heard worse. Vernon Dursley could give Nicholas lessons, he thought, ruefully. It wasn't Nicholas's anger that bothered Albus as he watched the students enter the castle. It was his own arguments. He had very nearly tried to make a case for the Greater Good. Again. This was something he had thought he'd laid to rest in himself long ago. He hadn't meant it, of course. It was just a talking point to get Nicholas to stop talking about sensitive issues in front of Harry and the Grangers.

Even so, reverting to past mistakes was not an answer. It was time to let go of the past. He took one piece he had been holding onto for far too long out of a drawer in his office. With a wave of his wand, it wrapped itself in red and gold paper. Summoning a house-elf, he had it delivered to Harry's bed. In this new age of change, it was time to let it go.

So much had changed in Hogwarts already, due mostly to the joint efforts of Harry and Hermione. He hadn't missed how they tended to tag team their efforts. Their questioning of him about how he knew things he shouldn't be able to know was just a case in point. It was as if the Jedi were harbingers of change. Or perhaps it was just Harry. Time alone would tell.

The Great Hall was still decorated with Christmas trees for the returning feast. They would be removed by breakfast, but it was a festive scene that greeted the students back to Hogwarts. Dumbledore had just welcomed the students back and was about to signal the kitchens to send the meal when something unexpected occurred. Toma Kendet approached the head table, accompanied by Master Amani and Grandmaster Yoda.

"A moment, Headmaster Dumbledore," Yoda said, "to address Padawan Harry Potter, the Jedi requires."

Dumbledore agreed, curious as to what the small Jedi had in store. Harry stood and approached the three Jedi standing in front of the head table. Grandmaster Yoda was in front, with Master Toma slightly behind and to the right, and Master Amani behind and to the left. The students, having seen Yoda around the castle several times by now, looked on in interest. Harry kneeled in front of the Jedi Masters and waited.

"In recognition of your actions in defeating the Death Eater Yaxley," Master Amani said loudly, ensuring he was heard by all, "the Jedi Council award you the Unit of Action."

Master Amani stepped forward, and Harry rose to meet him. Harry looked at his lightsaber trainer carefully, but no hint of what was going on was betrayed in the Zabrak's face. Master Amani pinned a small, rectangular medal to Harry's right breast, and moved back to his original position. Harry knelt once more.

Master Kendet spoke next.

"In recognition for your actions in saving five innocent lives at great risk to your own," Toma pronounced, "the Jedi Council awards you the Unit of Merit." Toma came forward and repeated the pinning of a similar medal to Harry, then stepped back. Harry knelt once again. Yoda took a gold cylinder out of his robes.

"Padawan Harry Potter," said the small, green Jedi, "for your hard work, sacrifice and perseverance, confer on you the rank of Commander the Council does. Award you this lightsaber, I do. May it serve you well, and may the Force be with you."

Yoda lit the lightsaber, causing everyone who had seen Harry's green blade to draw in a quick intake of breath. The ruby-red blade with the gold and green ribbons weaving in and out of the plasma shaft was beautiful but drastically different from the blazing green blade they had seen in his hands before.

Yoda held the lightsaber up for a moment keeping the blade horizontal to the ground, then turned it off and held it out to Harry. It floated through the air to the young Padawan, who took it and held it in both hands. Harry then stood up, bowed to each of the Jedi Masters in turn, and returned to his seat to the applause of his fellow students and his professors.

Dumbledore, who had sat back in his chair when the Jedi began their awards ceremony, now stood up.

"Indeed, congratulations, Harry Potter," the Headmaster said. "And now, let the feast begin!"

Food filled the serving platters, and the students began to eat.

Ronald Weasley had just had one of the strangest Christmas seasons he had ever had. Usually, Christmas consisted of waiting for whatever brothers were currently attending Hogwarts to come home, then playing match quidditch games in the back yard, opening presents and comparing them, a lot of eating and plenty of goofing off. This year, though, he was pretty much alone. His parents went off to Romania to visit his brother Charley, and his brother Bill was off in Egypt as a curse breaker for Gringotts.

In Hogwarts, he had his older twin brothers Fred and George and his brother Percy. All of his dorm mates had left for the break. Fred and George were usually off on business of their own while the other students were gone. Knowing them, they were likely using the reduced staff (and potential student witnesses) to set up pranks for the rest of the year. Percy, while pleased with Ron's new attitude towards studying, was involved in his own studies and didn't have time for anything else.

With nothing else to do, and not wanting to fail his first year, Ron had made an attempt to study and do his work. It wasn't Hermione level work, by any means, but he had made actual progress. He didn't have a subscription to the Daily Prophet, so he was one of the few in the Wizarding world who was completely unaware of the events of Christmas Night at the Grangers. When he heard the tales from the other students as they returned, he reacted with surprise to hear the tale being told all over the Great Hall.

"What are these 'Units,' Harry," he asked his dorm mate, "and what does the rank of Commander give you?"

Harry thought for a moment, trying to come up with a way to explain without making himself look overly heroic, but was having a hard time discussing them. It was somewhat embarrassing to be awarded these medals when he didn't feel he truly deserved them. He knew that they were, in truth, smokescreen awards designed to provide a reason to Dumbledore for Harry to have possession of what Dan Granger had named The Philosopher's Lightsaber in a way that wouldn't raise suspicions. The problem was that the Jedi usually didn't give out medals and awards at all, other than gaining rank. Toma didn't even receive these awards for singlehandedly defeating a Sith Lord but was made a Master Jedi, instead.

Harry was in no way even close to being ready for the Jedi Trials, which would end his apprenticeship to Toma and grant him the level of Jedi Knight. It wasn't likely that Dumbledore would fail to notice the gold handle and ruby red blade unless it was presented to him in such a way that was unconnected with the stone.

The Jedi currently residing in Hogwarts debated requiring Harry make a new lightsaber on his own, but that would either mean taking Harry out of school for a month to go acquire a new crystal or having him wait until summer break. The only other option was for Harry to carry a lightsaber that was not tuned for him in the Force.

Under the circumstances, the Jedi Council agreed to give Harry some rewards they normally would not consider. The rank of Commander was meaningless unless Harry was in combat with Toma and a squad of Republic soldiers. In that extremely unlikely event, Harry would be second in command of the unit, behind only Toma, who would be addressed as General. Harry explained some of this to Ron, leaving out the true reasons behind the awards and how rare it was for a Padawan to be awarded either of these medals and tried to change the subject.

Draco Malfoy was, on the surface, a changed boy. His father was livid when he learned how Draco's interactions with Potter had gone so far. Draco was under very strict orders from his father. 'Do not antagonize Potter, do not call attention to yourself other than academically. And if you do not pull your grades up by the end of the year, I will be in the market for a new heir of Malfoy.'

Internally, Draco was livid because of all this attention on Potter. He dared not go against his father, though, so he kept his face as carefully neutral as it was possible for him to make it. Apparently, he could no longer rely on his family name to provide results. He would have to do it the old-fashioned way. He hated to study, preferring to let others do the work while he reaped the benefits. He thought he'd hate being replaced by his father even more. He would have his revenge, though.

The students returned to their dormitories, tired from the journey and stuffed from the feast. Harry said goodnight to Hermione with a hug.

"Thanks again for a fantastic holiday," he told her.

"You're welcome," she answered. "And thank you for saving my parents and me."

Hermione kissed Harry on the cheek, then ran up the stairs, blushing furiously.

Harry, with his face slightly red and wearing a smile, climbed the stairs to his dormitory. He noticed a silver-wrapped package lying on the foot of his bed.

"Does anyone know who this is from?" he asked. Everyone answered no.

"Go on, then" urged Ron Weasley. "Open it!"

Harry parted the red and gold wrapping and dark silver, silky material flowed into his hands. A note with writing in copperplate handwriting fell to the floor. Harry retrieved it and read it out loud.

"Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it safely."

"That's odd," Harry said, looking over the note again. He shook the fabric out and determined it was a cloak.

"Try it on," Neville suggested.

Harry draped the cloak over himself and gasped to find that his body was totally invisible!

"It's a... cloaking cloak?" he asked.

"It's an invisibility cloak," corrected Ron. "They're really rare. I wonder who gave it to you?"

"I don't know," answered Harry. "Use it safely, the note says. I'm not sure why whoever had it waited till now to return it, or why they had it in the first place. I'm going to keep it on me, though. You never know when something like this might get you out of a situation. I might ever be able to use it to give Master Amani a surprise."

"Why don't you go out and try t?" asked Ron. "You know, test it, make sure it works."

Dean and Seamus were totally on board with that suggestion. The idea of wandering about the castle at night, invisible and able to go anywhere, greatly appealed to their sense of adventure.

"I don't think that would be a good idea," Neville said. "I don't know who gave that to you, but using it like that could get you in trouble."

"I agree, Neville," Harry said. He stuffed the cloak into the Mokeskin pouch Hagrid had given him for Christmas to the disappointment of the three other boys. Bidding them goodnight, he changed into his nightclothes and crawled into bed.