Response To Reviews:

ObsessedWithHPFanFic: I'm glad you like it! I like fanfics where Harry is taken away from the Dursleys but most that I've read have been too direct, not explained thoroughly, or written poorly. That's not to say that there aren't some good ones out there, but I thought I'd try my own way.

Philosophize: Thank you for letting me know, I wasn't even aware that I was doing it. I try to make it past tense but I guess I slip up sometimes.

Nigelcat1: In my opinion, Ron started losing my trust in the fourth book when he didn't believe that Harry didn't put his name in the goblet. I mean, really? He's been friends with him for how long, and he still believed that he put his name in? No, just…no. He easily becomes jealous over the pettiest of reasons. As for Hermione, I'm half on her side and half not. She has her good moments but sometimes she lets her loyalty to authority figures get in the way of important things. And I agree with you that she's being played by Dumbledore. She probably would've ended up in Ravenclaw if it wasn't for her admiration for the man and everything he stood for. I am glad that you like my story so far! I hope it will continue to interest you.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own any Harry Potter characters besides some OC ones that may or may not pop up. I also DO NOT own any story plots that are canon. I do, however, own the things that ARE NOT canon.

Fred and George were the only ones still seated at the table in the dining room, plates of their mother's dinner that she cooked earlier that evening sitting in front of them and uncharacteristic frowns on their faces. They weren't in the mood to eat.

A couple of days after the summer holiday had started, Dumbledore showed apparated to the Burrow and announced that he was moving their family to Grimmauld Place, a townhouse in London.

"Your family is very close to Mister Potter," he had said to their father. "Now that Voldemort has returned, he will undoubtedly target everyone who is close to him. There is a place in London that has the necessary wards, where your family shall be safe."

So without much protest, well, from their parents anyway, they packed up most of their things and moved to Grimmauld Place, where they're at now.

Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, lives here as well, along with Buckbeak, a hippogriff that he escaped on back in Fred and George's fifth year. Hermione showed up a couple of days after they all settled in, being one of Harry's best friends and a viable target of Death Eaters and Voldemort for kidnap and torture.

But something Dumbledore said when they were all together didn't sit right with the twins.

"Do not attempt to contact Mr. Potter. We can't have Death Eaters tracking him to his residence, and having Lord Voldemort figuring out where he is. Please, for his own safety, do not try to contact Mr. Potter."

Now, they can understand wanting to keep Harry safe. After all, to them, he's like the little brother they wished they had. He's one of the few people who can actually tell them apart and doesn't treat them like they're the same person. He's important to them, so they want him safe as much as anyone else.

But…not to contact him? Like, at all? They get not wanting owls to be tracked, but there are other ways to get in touch with someone. From what they remembered from when they picked Harry up from his relatives' house, they had a fireplace. They could use the Floo system to contact him if they wanted. And even then, there were muggle ways that were unknown to them that they probably could've used.

They had thought Hermione, being the only one other than Harry to grow up in the muggle world and being the self-proclaimed brightest witch of her year, would point that out to the Headmaster, but she just nodded along to his words with everyone else.

The twins didn't like it. Harry has just been through the Triwizard Tournament. He faced a dragon and almost got burned alive, went to the dwelling of the merpeople and almost drowned, and then went into a maze where he faced creatures that tried to kill him, ended up in a graveyard with Cedric Diggory who actually did get killed, witnessed Voldemort be brought back to life, and ended up having to duel the monster himself. No matter what Harry had told them before he left with his relatives, there's no way that he's fine after all of that.

So, leaving him alone, leaving him cut off from everyone after going through all that…really rubbed them the wrong way.

Fred sighed, bringing them out of their memories and back to the present. "I don't like this Gred."

George shook his head. "Me neither Forge, me neither."

"I've always joked that Dumbledore has gone mad, but I think this time he really has," Fred continued. "I mean, really? He can't honestly believe that leaving Harry cut off like this would be best, can he?"

"I dunno," George answered as he stared unseeingly at his plate of food. "He seemed pretty serious when he told us. His eyes didn't even twinkle."

If anyone were to walk in on them now, they wouldn't recognize the twins at first glance. Fred and George, despite being pranksters and loving to goof off, were really smart and intuitive. They'd have to be, in order to plan their pranks to go off correctly and at specific times.

"I want to try to contact him anyway," George continued. "Screw what Dumbledore says. If I went through even a little of what Harry did, I wouldn't want to be alone. Especially since his relatives don't seem like the type to care about 'magical' problems. Or any of his problems, really."

Fred smiled. "You read my mind Gred," he said, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. "So, how you reckon we do it? We're hardly left alone and I doubt Hermione would teach us how to send a letter the muggle way if she finds out we want to send it to Harry."

George nodded, ideas rolling around in his head as he stared absentmindedly at the wall in front of him. It wasn't clean, but then again, the entire house was in need of cleaning. Honestly, Ron and Ginny's daily complaining about the state of things were driving them mad. It seems as if Kreacher, the house elf in charge, didn't do much cleaning while the house didn't have inhabitants.

Suddenly, a smirk began to form on George's face as a plan began forming in his mind.

"I know that look," Fred said. And he does, he'd seen it often enough in the mirror. "What are you thinking?"

George turned and quickly told him what he was thinking. When he was done, Fred had a matching smirk on his face.

"Well," he said as turned to look at the wall his twin was looking at not five minutes ago. "I admit, mum and dad won't think of this, and I doubt Dumbledore would either."

George nodded. "Exactly."

It was at that moment their mother chose to walk in. She sighed when she saw the untouched food on the plates in front of them. "Really now boys, if you didn't want to eat you should've said something," she scolded as she took their plates to the kitchen. "Go on to your rooms now. It's getting late and you two should be getting some sleep. We're going to start cleaning this place up tomorrow, you'll want to get all the sleep you can."

They both nodded. "Goodnight mum," they chorused as they headed for the door that led to the stairs and their room. Hermione and Ginny shared a room while Ron was in a room with them. When they got there he was already asleep. They chose to discuss their plan further, seeing as their brother wasn't awake to disturb them.

It really was a great plan, but then, what'd you expect from two teens who were almost sorted into Slytherin, the House of Cunning and Ambition?

"Killed me, that one did…you fight him, boy." The ghost of an old man with a hunched posture floating in the air, a determined look upon his face.

"Don't let go, now! Don't let him get you, Harry - don't let go!" The ghostly shadow of Bertha Jorkins hovering anxiously on the edges of his vision.

"Your father's coming…hold on for your father…it will be alright…hold on…" Lily Potter's green eyes, so intent on him.

"When the connection is broken, we will linger for only moments…but we will give you time…you must get to the Portkey, it will return you to Hogwarts…do you understand, Harry?" James Potter, so much like him but different all the same.

"Harry…take my body back, will you? Take my body back to my parents…" Cedric's gray ghost floating above him, a sad look upon his features.

"Stand aside! I will kill him! He is mine!" Voldemort with his maniacally glinting red eyes, his Death Eaters standing behind him with their wands at the ready.

Harry bolted upright in his bed, a scream in his throat and sweat covering every inch of his body. Looking around he acquainted himself with his surroundings. He wasn't back in the graveyard with Voldemort and his Death Eaters. He was in his room at Peverell Cottage, the room he went to after his conversation with Hunter the previous day. Panting heavily from the nightmare, or in this case a terrible memory, he placed his head in his hands with a sigh.

Unfortunately, Harry was no stranger to nightmares; he's been having them for nearly all his life. Before finding out about having magic and getting to go to Hogwarts, his nightmares consisted of a woman screaming, a green light, and a cold, cruel laugh. After his first year at Hogwarts, his nightmares took a different turn. A troll with its club, a three-headed dog, and a person with a black cloak covering their face joins in with the others. After his second year, a huge Basilisk with sharp fangs with blood dripping from its closed eyes joined in as well. After his third year, the sounds of his mum and dad yelling and screaming for Voldemort to let him live appeared. And after his fourth year-

Well, what he just went through is an example. Sometimes a ferocious dragon will be there in his nightmares too, or the sight of Mad-Eye Moody becoming a different person with a crazy smile.

Nightmares have never left him, and he doubted they ever will. It's just something he came to terms with a long time ago.

"Harry? Are you okay?"

Harry looked up from his hands and glanced to where the voice came from.

Hunter was standing in the doorway, his wand held aloft with a slight glow coming from it. A Lumos.

"Hunter? Why are you up?" Harry asked, grabbing his glasses from the bedside table. He studiously avoided the question he was asked.

Hunter quirked a brow, knowing exactly what Harry was doing, but didn't call him out on it. "I've always been a light sleeper," he explained. "Your magic exploded outward from your body and it woke me up. I just came in here to see what was going on and if you were alright."

"What do you mean 'my magic exploded'?"

"Not in the literal sense. Think like accidental magic, except way more powerful. Your magic reacted to your emotions."

"Oh." Harry looked down at his hands in his lap. "Um, what time is it? Is it in the middle of the night?" He asked, glancing at the darkness outside his window.

Hunter flicked his wand and numbers appeared before him. "It's a little after five in the morning," he informed the teen, canceling the spell.

"Oh." Harry looked back out the window. He doesn't know how to talk to Hunter when there wasn't anything super important going on. Him and Harry discussing how to get away from Privet Drive were probably the longest verbal exchanged they've had. How do you talk to someone who's actually you, but acts completely different? How do you hold a conversation with yourself?

Harry remembered the conversation he had with Hermione when they were still in their third year, on a mission to save Sirius and Buckbeak. She had said that coming face to face with your younger self will cause you to go mad. So, why hasn't he gone mad? Or why hasn't Hunter? Is it because Hunter doesn't look like a carbon copy of him?

A dip in the bed alerted him to the fact that Hunter hadn't left. He turned to see him sitting at the edge of his bed, staring at him with concern written on his face and in his eyes. "Do you want to talk about it?"

'Huh? What is he talking about?' Harry thought to himself, before realizing he was referencing his nightmare. "Uh, no," he shook his head. "I'm fine."

Hunter raised an unbelieving brow at him. He knew all about deflection; after all, he used it all the time when he was younger.

Harry sighed at the look Hunter was giving him, somehow knowing he won't be able to get out of this. "It was about the night Voldemort came back," he admitted after a moment. "When I was dueling him."

Hunter said nothing, merely nodded in affirmation. "It's normal, you know, to be having nightmares," he explained. "You went through a terrible trauma, not to mention that you probably have survivor's guilt."

"'Survivor's guilt'?"

"Because of Cedric," Hunter said softly. "You came back alive but...but he didn't."

Harry shifted uncomfortably. Before he left Hogwarts, many of the students who didn't believe Voldemort was back believed that he, Harry, was the one who actually killed Cedric for the glory of winning the Triwizard Tournament. Having seen Cedric die by the hands of someone he viewed as a coward and a traitor by the orders of someone he saw as a monster and lunatic, made him feel both angered and depressed whenever the topic of his death came up.

Hunter sighed as his hand dragged down his face. "I'm going to teach you how to block your mind."

Harry looked at him, shock and confusion on his face. "'Block my mind'?" he repeated in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"There's a branch of magic called Occlumency that acts as a mind shield," Hunter explained. "Whether it's shielding from outside penetration and influence or unwanted memories."

"So…it will help with the nightmares?" Harry asked when he registered the last part of what Hunter said.

"Yes," he answered. "It will also help with your emotions so you can keep them under control better. At least you won't lash out in anger too much if something frustrates you."

"What are you talking about?" Harry protested. "I have control over my emotions!"

Hunter merely raised a brow at him. "Marge?" He asked, his tone flat with a hint of amusement buried underneath.

Harry flushed in embarrassment and didn't say anything.

"Your emotions are tied to your magic when they're powerful enough and can influence your spells," Hunter explained. "The Patronus Charm is an example."

"Because it uses your happiest memory?" Harry guessed.

The older man nodded. "Exactly. A memory with an extremely powerful positive emotion will make an amazing patronus."

Harry nodded absentmindedly. He admitted to himself that learning Occlumency sounded really useful, especially if it will help with the nightmares. Being able to shield…your mind from…anything…

"Whether it's shielding from outside penetration and influence or unwanted memories."

The teen frowned. "Wait," he said. "What did you mean when you said it can shield from outside penetration and influence?"

Hunter nodded in approval. "I was waiting for you to notice," he said with a smile, causing Harry to flush in slight embarrassment. "While Occlumency is the art of magically shielding your mind, Legilimency is the art of magically navigating the mind."

"Navigating?"

"Yes, navigating. The mind isn't so easy to read. You're probably thinking that it's like flipping through the pages of a book after looking at the table of contents. Think of the mind as…as a file cabinet that isn't labeled; you won't know what a certain memory is unless you open it up. Sometimes, if the person is skilled enough, they can influence a person's emotions through Legilimency as well. If someone doesn't know Occlumency then it would be easier to access their memories than someone who does. A person who can perform Legilimency is called a Legilimens while a person who can perform Occlumency is called an Occlumens."

Harry's head was spinning at the information. "So, wizards and witches can actually read minds?" He asked, mostly to himself. "How do you know when they're doing it?"

"Well, first of all, there needs to be eye contact," Hunter explained. "For someone who isn't skilled in Occlumency, it is almost impossible to tell, especially if the person doing it wants to be subtle. If they aren't subtle, then you'll have a pounding headache, you just wouldn't know from what. However, if someone is skilled in Occlumency then they'll know immediately. The Legilimens would either be forced out of their mind or would come against their shields."

"Has anyone ever looked through your mind?" Harry asked after a moment.

The older man looked sad for a split second before his face took on the passive look he had earlier. "More times than I could count, " he admitted.

"…was Dumbledore one of them?"

"He was the one who did most of it," Hunter replied instantly.

Harry closed his eyes in sadness as a grimace overtook his face. 'I still can't believe…that it's Dumbledore,' He thought to himself.

He opened his eyes and stared out the window of his room. "You said that Dumbledore betrayed my trust," he stated without turning his head. "…why did he do it? And…and how did he?"

"Harry, maybe we should save this talk until-"

"You don't have to tell me everything!" Harry interrupted hastily as he turned back to face him. "You don't have to say everything right now. Just…just a few things."

Hunter stared at him for a moment, his green eyes boring into Harry's own. Harry didn't look away, trying to mentally convey to him just how much he desperately wanted answers. After a moment, the impromptu staring contest came to an end when Hunter closed his eyes with a sigh. "I've forgotten how stubborn you can be," he grumbled halfheartedly.

Harry gave a weak grin at that, but he couldn't help the sliver of elation that flowed through him at Hunter's admission. 'Now...maybe now I can get some answers to some things I've been wondering about,' he thought to himself.

Hunter stood up from the bed, earning himself a questioning look from the teen. "C'mon," he said to him. "Neither of us is going to be getting back to sleep soon, so I might as well start making breakfast."

Harry looked at him in shock, even as he grabbed his wand after getting out from his bed. "Isn't it too early to be having breakfast though?" he asked.

Hunter shrugged. "There isn't really a set time for food," he said as he walked out the room, Harry right behind him. "Besides, I need good food in me so I don't become too irritable."

"'Irritable'?" Harry repeated in confusion.

"Yes, irritable," Hunter said dryly. "Talking about the old fool you know as 'Albus Dumbledore' always gets me in a bad mood. Eating something I made while I talk about him might prevent me from hexing something."

"It's really that bad then?" Harry asked, after a moment. "What he did, I mean?"

Hunter merely nodded.

They entered the kitchen, Harry going to sit at the table while Hunter approached the appliances, taking his wand out as he did.

Harry's mind turned inward when Hunter began summoning things to him to begin cooking. 'Dumbledore,' he thought. 'I'll admit when Hunter told me that someone I trusted betrayed and lied to me, he wasn't the first person to pop into my head. Well, no one really popped into my head, because I couldn't believe someone could do that to me. What is it that Dumbledore has done that has Hunter reacting like this? I thought he was always watching out for me, being the grandfather I never had. He seemed like he was one of the few people who actually cared about me.'

The sound of something sizzling brought him from his thoughts and he looked up to find Hunter in front of the stove, his eyes focused on the pans filled with cooking food.

"Albus Dumbledore," he said as he worked. "Formerly the Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts and Deputy Headmaster, now acting as its Headmaster. Defeater of the Dark Wizard Grindelwald."

Harry stayed quiet, his whole focus on Hunter as he talked.

"Because he defeated Grindelwald," he continued, "he was gifted with The Order of Merlin, First Class, and considered 'The Leader of the Light'; the most revered wizard since Merlin and the four founders of Hogwarts. And when Voldemort was on the rise, it was he who everyone looked to for guidance. Rumors spread that Voldemort wouldn't attack Hogwarts just because Dumbledore was there."

He flipped something over in one of the pans - 'Bacon,' Harry realized - before he continued speaking. "Dumbledore was used to being put on a pedestal. He was used to being the one everyone looked to and admired. But that all changed when Voldemort came after you and your parents."

"What?" Harry questioned. "How did that change anything?"

"Harry, Voldemort came to your house, killed both your parents and then tried to kill you," Hunter said, not unkindly. "When the dust settled, Voldemort was gone and you were still there, with a lightning-shaped scar on your forehead. To everyone else, you defeated Voldemort. You, who wasn't even two years of age yet, managed to defeat a wizard almost as notorious as Grindelwald was. And suddenly, Dumbledore wasn't the one everyone was toasting to; you were."

"Where are you going with this?" Harry asked after a long moment of thoughtful silence, his voice quiet.

Hunter didn't immediately reply.

Harry watched as he finished up at the stove and brought the food to the table. He sat down before he spoke. "In the simplest of terms Harry, you're merely a pawn on Dumbledore's world-sized chessboard," he spoke gently. "You were the one to bring the downfall of Voldemort, so he wants to control you. To him, you are a means to an end he wants to achieve. He wants you as his ideal 'Soldier of the Light' that looks up to him and dedicates everything to him. So, when everything is said and done, he will be revered again."

Harry looked down when Hunter finished speaking. The food he had set on the table earlier no longer looked or smelled appetizing. His head was swimming with the new information he was just told and he didn't know where to start.

"So," Harry said, his voice small and quiet, very unlike him, "Dumbledore has been….manipulating me this whole time?"

Hunter nodded, his eyes sad. "I am so sorry Harry," he said softly.

Harry didn't acknowledge the apology, his head still bowed as he stared unseeingly at the plate of food in front of him.

Hunter stared at the boy across from him, regret simmering in his chest. However, the regret was for the reaction he had, not for what he told him. Harry needs to know what's going on around him in order to be safe. Hiding things from him would just put him in more danger, if not from the dangers themselves, then by him going off on his own to find the answers that were denied him.

"Hunter," Harry said, lifting his face to stare into the eyes of the man sitting across from him. "What happens now? What do I do?"

Surprisingly, Hunter gave him a smile. "Now?" he said, a chuckle leaving his lips. "Now, I train you to survive. To survive, and to win."

I'm back!

Sorry for the delay, but I finally got this chapter out.

I hope you guys like how I described Fred and George, they are some of my favorite characters in the HP universe, especially since they're not featured as much as Harry Ron and Hermione.

Would you guys like me to put a poll on my profile regarding the whole good/bad Hermione and Ron thing? Or would you like me to decide?

R&R!