Disclaimer: If they were mine, do you think I'd be writing fanfic?

A/N: I am completely speechless at the response I've gotten from this story. I hadn't realized how popular AU tales were! I love everyone that's reviewed, and though I love the longer reviews that let me know where I need to clarify something, I treasure all of them. They're what spurred me to crank out over 20,000 words in a mere six days. Gotta love positive reinforcement!

I think I should take this time to reiterate that Harry is STRAIGHT in this story, as is Remus. If I do decide to include slash at any point, it will likely be a background pairing and something really odd, that I've not seen done before. Also, for everyone that wants to see the Dursleys get their just desserts, stick around. It'll happen.

I don't really have an outline for this story, and am open to suggestions, so if you want to see someone show up or have an idea for something you want to see someone do, let me know. I know a couple of you have asked about Sirius. At this time, he's still in Azkaban. Since Ginny was hospitalized, I figured that the Weasley family likely used the winnings from the contest to pay medical bills, so Sirius never got to see the newspaper article cluing him in on Peter's location. A couple of other people expressed an interest in Severus. I do plan on having him come into the story to tutor Harry on potions, and I doubt he will let me write him as anything but his caustic self, though I do plan on putting him in his place insofar as his preconceptions about Harry are concerned.

Okay, so I reread what I've done thus far and found I'd FUBAR'd in chapter one. Harry mentions that Mike couldn't get his wife to wrap the Bday gift. I called her Amy, but in chappie two, it's Beatrice. Go with Bea. I tried to fix it, but when I did so, I ended up losing all my italics, bold, and other textual formatting. Grr.

Chapter Four: Catching Up

Remus dug through his suitcase and came up with a small handheld mirror. The mirror, itself, was obviously of muggle design, as its frame and handle were black plastic, but Albus Dumbledore had placed the charms on it to allow Remus to contact him whenever he needed to. Remus spared a moment to lament the loss of the days when another pair of mirrors - most decidedly not of muggle origin - had circulated through the possession of four friends, nicknamed The Marauders. He no longer felt angry about the loss of his friends, yet there were moments even now, nearly twenty years later, when he was gripped with a gut-wrenching sense of sadness. He still wondered at how completely his life had changed in one small day. Remus shook his head, trying to dispel the lingering melancholia. When he felt that he had a better grip on his emotions, he activated the mirror. "Albus?"

The mirror fogged over, then the haze slowly disappeared to reveal Dumbledore's long beard, white hair, crooked nose, and twinkling blue eyes peering from behind a pair of half-moon spectacles. "Good evening, Remus. I trust all is well with Harry?"

"Of course. Well... Sort of." Remus never was able to lie to the headmaster.

"Oh? How so?"

Remus launched in on what he knew of Harry's situation and what his own suspicions were. "I've already contacted Andromeda Tonks about this."

Dumbledore was aghast at what had been described to him. He couldn't have inadvertently caused this, could he? It was his decision, after all, that had left Harry at the Dursley residence... Albus was pulled from his guilty musings by Remus' concerned voice, "Albus?"

"So sorry, my boy, wandered a bit there. You said you contacted Andromeda?"

"Yes."

"Good thinking. Now, back to what you said earlier. Harry's now staying with this couple, the Kellermans?"

"Yes. I've spoken at length with both of them. They're good folks, and truly have Harry's best interests at heart."

Albus mentally breathed a sigh of relief. "That is good news. I assume you had to tell them of magic?"

Remus nodded, "Yes. I thought it only fair, considering they were kind enough to take us both in, and the Kellermans look on Harry like a surrogate son." Remus smiled a little, "In fact, Harry considers all the guys he works with to be his family. His relatives are just that to him - relatives."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed, "Remus, whom else have you told?"

Remus flushed a bit, "Just Harry's coworkers. Tim Marshfield, Nigel Smythwick, and Mike, Beatrice and Ashley Peterson."

"Remus! Though I can understand telling Mr. and Mrs. Kellerman, I cannot believe you informed those others!"

Remus winced, "Albus, I -"

"It was irresponsible, Remus! I thought you had more sense than that." Albus was just getting wound up, Remus could tell.

"Albus?"

"You were always more inclined to follow the rules than your cohorts were, and even now, though you don't believe in the bias the laws are based on, you follow all the regulations regarding -"

"Albus!" Dumbledore jumped a little and stopped rambling. "Thank you, Albus, for your insight to my character, however I would not have told them if A.) They couldn't handle the information, B.) They weren't important to Harry, C.) They seemed untrustworthy in any way, and D.) Harry hadn't asked me to! I know the Ministry regulations as well as you do. If anyone kicks up a fuss about it, I'll point out both that this is concerning the 'Boy-Who-Lived,' and that nowhere in the Ministry do they state explicitly what constitutes a family. Harry thinks of the guys as his brothers, Albus, and Mike's daughter is as much Harry's niece as if they shared blood. You know that the situation is more than a little unique to begin with. Even if we weren't dealing with these people, if it were the Dursleys instead, there would still come a time for at least partial disclosure to those that Harry keeps close, even if only to allow him to maintain friendships I'm sure he will need in the months and years ahead."

Dumbledore sighed. "I apologize, Remus. I was only thinking of Harry's safety."

"I know you were, Albus, but remember; you picked me for this job, and I'm going to do it to the best of my ability. That includes taking what actions I feel necessary and revealing what information to whomever I deem should the need arise. You know me, Albus. You know I don't normally do things without thinking them through."

"Yes, Remus. And I must apologize once again."

Remus smiled, "Just don't let it happen again."

"Right. Back to your suspicions about the Dursleys, though. It pains me that Harry was forced to endure treatment such as that at their hands. Please, tell me more of what you hope to accomplish." Remus outlined what their goals regarding Harry's muggle relations. Albus was silent for a moment, thinking on the issue. "It seems to me, dear boy, that with subtle application of the right sorts of magic, the investigators' jobs would be made much easier. Also, I don't think that a confession from the Dursleys would quite work the way we wanted. Would you have any objection about hosting an auror for a week or two? I'm certain we could get one assigned to the case..."

Remus thought a moment. "It would be advantageous to have a similar investigation going on in the Ministry. After all, most of this centers on a wizard. Who do you have in mind?"

"I was considering Nymphadora Tonks, actually. You're already working with her mother, so there shouldn't be any issues in that area. She's fully aware of the muggle world, and can move about in it almost undetectable. She recently completed the auror program, including the mentorship to a ranking auror. I've a few people in the Ministry that owe me a favor or two. It would be easy to get her assigned to the case."

Remus nodded, "Sounds like a good choice. When should we expect her?"

Albus shook his head, "I'm not sure at the moment. I'll call or send Fawkes with a specific time, once I know."

"Thank you, Albus."

"And thank you, Remus, for agreeing to all of this. I must admit, though, it's turned out a bit differently than I'd hoped."

"For me, as well."

"Good night, my boy, and keep me posted."

"Will do. Sleep well." The mirror fogged again and Remus was left looking at his own reflection.

Harry placed the well-thumbed, three-month out-of-date magazine back into the stand by the hard plastic chair he had been sitting in when the nurse called his name. He was led to a small exam room that had pictures of miscellaneous body parts on the wall. The nurse was an older woman who gave the distinct impression of having been the unfortunate victim of a botched mummification. She took Harry's blood pressure and temperature as well as noting his height - five foot seven - and weight. She muttered something to herself about him being about twenty pounds underweight. Harry ignored the comment. After a lengthy wait, the doctor arrived and over the course of the next hour found Harry to be completely fit, though a shade underweight.

"I'm glad that's over. I don't like being poked and prodded like that." Harry mentioned to Jennifer over lunch. It was just the two of them. Remus had mentioned he had some things to do in the wizarding world, and said that he may as well get them out of the way while Harry had his appointments.

"I don't think anyone likes going to the doctor." Jenn swirled some pasta onto her fork. "But it's good that we know there's nothing seriously wrong with you... Other than the obvious."

Harry, who had been nodding in agreement until that point, stopped and stared directly at Jenn. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Jenn shrugged, "Well... I already knew you were nuts, but at least we know you're a healthy nuts."

"You... You... Erg!" Harry groaned. "It's because I draw, isn't it?"

Jenn nodded, "Likely. It's been said that there's a fine line between genius and madness. So long as you don't start coming after us with cutlery, I don't mind. You make life a bit more interesting."

Harry chuckled at the thought of cornering Jenn with spoon in hand. When she asked what he was laughing about, he told her. "See? That's what I mean. You make life interesting."

"Whatever you say, Jennifer. Whatever you say." Lunch was over far more quickly than Harry had hoped. He had heard gruesome horror stories about dentists ever since he was in primary school. Suffice it to say he was not looking forward to his own appointment. He was granted a reprieve of sorts when Jenn glanced at her watch coming out of the restaurant.

"It's barely eleven thirty. How about we get the plates for your truck before going to the dentist? That way I can drop you off over at the shop on the way home and you can pick it up."

"Sounds like a good idea." An hour later, Harry was regretting his words. They had been standing in line for well over forty minutes and the queue had only progressed three feet. He was about to ask if they couldn't just do this by post, when another three tellers, obviously just back from their own lunches, opened windows. Though still slow, the line was obviously moving now. With only fifteen minutes to spare, they exited the office and headed towards their last appointment of the day.

The appointment at the dentist's office took surprisingly little time. Harry was a bit relieved when no cavities were found, though the X-Ray machine kind of freaked him a little. With newly polished teeth, Harry meandered from the exam room. He saw Dr. Granger in the hall, talking with his assistant, Jane. "Excuse me, Dr. Granger?"

"Yes Harry?"

"Is there a loo I could use?"

"Just down the hall, last door on the left."

"Thanks." Harry followed the dentist's instructions and upon leaving the water closet, literally ran into a girl about his own age, with unruly hair held in a loose bun by a familiarly-shaped piece of carved wood. "Sorry, didn't see you there," he offered the girl his hand.

"It was an accident, don't worry overmuch. I'm fine." She smiled at Harry. Harry saw that she had a bit of an over-bite, but was wearing braces. She also had dark brown eyes and a small dimple on her right cheek when she smiled. The girl ran her eyes over the boy that had accidentally knocked her off her feet. When she noted the scar on his forehead, her eyes widened.

"I'm sorry, but what's wrong?" Harry asked, concerned.

"You're Harry Potter," she breathed.

Harry grinned. "Not that I'm not curious as to how you know that, but you have me somewhat at a disadvantage."

She shook her head, and offered her hand, "Hermione Granger. Pleased to finally meet you."

"I'd introduce my self, but you've made doing so redundant. How did you know who I am, may I ask?"

"You're in several books I've read while at school. I wasn't sure until I saw your scar." She indicated his forehead. "There's a picture of you as a baby, supposedly just after the fall of Voldemort, that shows your scar in The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts. Though most of the other books with you in them don't have your picture, your story has been written about in," she paused for a moment, "no fewer than sixteen books!"

Harry chuckled softly, "I didn't know that. I think I'll have to get some of these books you're talking about, just to see what everyone expects of me. I take it from your little speech that you're a witch?"

Hermione nodded, "Yes. I'm between sixth and seventh year right now. I'm so looking forward to NEWTS at the end of the upcoming year."

"Pardon? NEWTS?"

"Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests. They're the final exam for all students in their seventh year."

"Oh. So, you like tests?"

Hermione nodded, "A bit. I don't like the worry leading up to them, and I really don't like the worry about what grade I'll get, but I enjoy proving what I know."

"I know what you mean, I hate the worry, too. However, I don't particularly care about proving -"

"There you are! Harry, you've been gone for more than ten minutes." Jennifer was looking down the corridor from the doorway to the waiting area. "Planning on leaving anytime soon?" She smirked at him.

"Sorry, Jenn. Be right there." Harry turned back to Hermione. "Sorry, Hermione. That's my ride. I should go. It's been really nice talking with you."

Hermione smiled, "You, too. You're not quite what I had expected. Not to mention I'd never thought that you'd ever show up in my parents' practice!"

Harry decided he liked this witch. She was obviously muggle-born, and could probably help him with his tutoring from Remus. "Do you have a pen?" he asked, reaching into his pockets for some paper.

Hermione handed him a pencil, "Will this work?"

"Thanks." Harry wrote down his cellular number and his name. "Give me a call sometime and we can chat some more. I don't really know that many people from the magical world."

Hermione's smile grew brighter. "I'd like that. Talk to you later, then."

"See you around." Harry went to where Jennifer was waiting impatiently in the lobby.

As they were walking out of the office, back towards Jennifer's car, Jenn said, "She was pretty..."

Harry snorted, "She's a witch, Jenn. She knew who I was before I even introduced myself."

Jenn smirked again, "Very pretty."

Harry groaned, "Stop it."

"What?" Jennifer tried, and failed, at sounding innocent. "I'm just saying she's pretty."

"Quit trying to fix me up with someone. At least wait until I'm out of school."

"I'm not doing anything..."

"Stop. Please. Just stop."

Jennifer laughed and started the car.

Remus apparated to the Leaky Cauldron. "Morning, Tom," he greeted the barkeep.

"And a good morning to you, Mr. Lupin. How can I be of service?"

"Hmm... Just a spot of tea. Waiting on someone."

"Of course. Find yourself a seat, laddie, and the tea'll be by shortly." Tom exchanged the glass he had been polishing for a chipped china teacup.

Remus located a seat and was halfway through the pot of tea when he was joined by a young witch with lurid pink hair. "Wotcher."

"Tonks." Remus smiled in greeting. "Nice hair. Have to say it suits you more than the green did."

"Eh, you know I did the green just to irritate Mum." She shrugged. "Speaking of which, I hear she's the reason I've got a new assignment?"

"Sort of. It was more Albus' idea than hers."

"So... Do I get details?"

Remus glanced around the pub. Though not yet busy, he knew it was only a matter of time before the lunch crowd took over. "Yes, but not here."

"Straight to the site, then?"

"Certainly."

Tonks shuddered. "I hate Side-Along."

"So does everyone else. I'd have you floo, but it's not connected to the network." Remus apparated them to Wisteria Walk, after settling his tab with Tom. Tonks looked around. "Muggles, Remus?"

"Come on, Tonks. I know you were told you'd be briefed when you got here." Remus took the auror's elbow and guided her to the Kellerman house, noticing that Tonks took everything in, noticing things like the neighbors, the angle of the garage to the house, the number of houses with flowerbeds. Standard auror paranoia was the main reason he hadn't apparated them directly inside the house.

Once ensconced in the kitchen, Remus served some more tea. Tonks laughed. "You're as bad as Dumbledore about the tea, Remus. I swear, the two of you need some sort of twelve-step program or something!"

Remus shook his head, "A what?"

Tonks sighed. "Never mind. Muggle joke." Tonks added a healthy portion of sugar to her tea, "So... Are you going to clue me in or do I have to guess?"

"Same old Tonks. Subtle as an AK." Remus muttered, earning himself a glare from the witch before explaining what her duties would consist of. "And I was thinking about some light wards on the place... Nothing too grandiose, mind, we want to repel people, not attract them."

Tonks thought for a moment. "I can do that."

Just then, the kitchen door opened to reveal Jennifer. "Oh, hello." She sent a puzzled expression to Remus.

"Jennifer Kellerman, this is Auror Tonks. She's been assigned in a dual capacity to Harry. She's going to be aiding in the investigation against the Dursleys and providing some light security when needed."

"That's good. What's an auror?"

Tonks smiled, "Wizarding law enforcement."

Remus poured Jenn a cup of tea and the three sat and chatted for a bit.

With Allen's assistance, Harry soon had the licence plates attached to his truck. "You sure you don't need me for the rest of the day?"

Allen shook his head. "No. It's been rather slow, and I trust you've gotten most of what you needed to do done." He laughed a bit. "And this way, I know you won't be asking for time off when we do get busy!"

"True. I did need to pick up a few last things for my room, so I'd best go. See you later, Allen."

"Take care, Harry. Oh, let Jennifer know that Mike and Bea will be by tomorrow for dinner. I don't know if they'll be bringing Ashley or not, though."

"Will do, see you later." Harry climbed into the truck and started it up. Despite its still ragged appearance, thanks to the work that Harry had done on it - under the supervision of the guys, of course - it was running beautifully. Harry mentally noted that he needed to get a radio installed soon. A short drive later, Harry parked outside one of the American department stores that were becoming more and more common. After an hour of browsing, he located the last of the items he needed for his room. Specifically, a chest of drawers and several stacking modular units in which to store his art supplies. He paused in the electronics department, looking at the computers on display. One of the associates that worked in that department saw him and honed in like a heat-seeking missile.

"What can I help you with today?"

Harry shrugged and motioned towards the computers. "I was just wondering if I needed one..."

The sales associate quirked an eyebrow. "Well... Why do you think you might need one?"

Harry shrugged, "I'm going into my last year of school. I plan on going on to college, but I know most universities have public computers."

The salesman started laughing. "They do at that, but between the number of people that want to use them, the number of times they break down, and the general obsolete-ness of public computers, you'd be hard-pressed to get enough time on one to do your work."

Harry shook his head. "Is that true, or are you just trying to get me to buy one?"

The man laughed. "I'm not joking. I'm in my last year at uni, and I didn't take the chance to get a computer of my own until after my first year was over with. That first year was a nightmare."

Harry turned back to the computers, "Hmm."

"Look, I realize you're probably not the type to sit around playing video games all day, so you don't really need something state-of-the-art. If you're using it solely for homework, you won't need something all that flashy. Here, look." He indicated one of the lowest-priced models. "The good thing about this one, is that it's a notebook, meaning it's not as hard to take with you as a traditional computer. Other than the obvious, it's got programs for word processing, spreadsheets, drawing, and online browsing. It also comes with reference materials, like a thesaurus."

"Just a moment. Drawing?" Though Harry had computer experience, he hadn't realized he could use them for art.

"It's a simple program, used to make illustrations for insertion into a document. You can buy more advanced programs, though."

Harry exited the store with a decent notebook computer and a mid-level digital art program.

A couple of hours later, Harry had assembled the last of the furniture pieces and moved his art supplies from the closet to their places in the modular unit. He was painting in some details on his mural when his cellular phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hi. This is Hermione."

"Hey. What can I do for you?"

Hermione laughed a little, "I was just a little bored and thought I'd give you a call."

"Thanks for thinking of me. I'm sure your friends probably would think you odd to be calling someone you just met and all..."

"Not really. I don't have friends outside school. Unfortunately, most of them don't have a phone, and my parents don't have a fireplace, so it can get a little boring during the holidays."

Harry rinsed out the brush he had been using. "That's too bad." He tucked the brush back into its storage cup. "What are you doing tonight? I know my guardians won't mind if you stopped by for a bit."

"I'm not sure. Can you hang on a minute while I ask?"

Harry nodded, "Sure."

There was a click and faintly Harry could hear Hermione call out for her mum. The rest of their conversation was too faint to hear. He heard some footsteps and a man's voice said, "Hello?"

"Dr. Granger?"

"Yes. This is Harry from the office this afternoon, right?"

"Yes."

"Can I talk to your guardian? Her name is Jennifer, right?"

"Sure, and yes. Just a minute." Harry ran down to the kitchen where Jenn was fixing dinner. Remus hadn't been home when Harry got back, and Jennifer had informed him he was out showing the neighborhood to a wizard police officer that was going to help in the investigation of the Dursleys. "Jenn? Can you talk to Dr. Granger? I wanted to invite Hermione over for dinner..."

"She was that pretty girl from the dentist, right?" Harry nodded and handed her the phone. "Hello, this is Jennifer Kellerman... That's right. Mmhmm... Not a problem... Little Whinging... Of course... Spaghetti... Quite right... I know... Shocking, isn't it? Sure... Will do... Yes, it is a small world... All right, then... Okay." She handed the phone back to Harry, who had realized that there was nothing so maddening as hearing only half a conversation.

"Hello?" The phone was silent for a moment before Hermione's voice broke the silence.

"Harry?"

"Yeah," Harry wandered out to sit on the stairs.

"Mum and Dad said I could come over, but I have to be back by ten. Dad said you live in Little Whinging?"

"That's right. Wisteria Walk."

"Okay. I can be over in a few minutes. What's the house number?"

Harry gave her the address. "Where do you live?"

"The other side of London. Don't worry about it. I can apparate."

"Nifty."

"I'll bring a couple of those books I told you about, if that's okay with you?"

"Sure. See you soon, then?"

"Definitely."

Just as Harry clicked the phone off, the front door opened to reveal Remus and a young witch with bright pink hair. "Good evening, Harry."

"Hey Remus." Harry stood up. "Who's this?"

The pink-haired witch grinned. "Wotcher. I'm Tonks. You've met my mum. I'm going to be around a bit, helping out with the Dursley investigation."

"Good to meet you," Harry shook her hand. "How will you be helping?"

Tonks' grin grew wider, "Just a couple of mild compulsion charms on people in the neighborhood. Make it easier for the muggle police to get the information they'll need."

"Jennifer told me you were a wizarding police officer - "

"Auror."

"Sorry, auror. Isn't what your doing... a bit immoral?"

Remus excused himself and disappeared into the kitchen. Tonks shrugged, "You could look at it that way, I suppose, but if what I've heard about your relatives is correct, then I don't think it really is all that immoral in this case. I'm just going to be 'encouraging' people to be completely honest with the real investigation. It's not like I'm going to be messing about with their memories or forcing them to do something they don't want to."

"Oh."

Tonks started for the parlor. "Come on, let's talk."

Harry followed and took a seat on the sofa. Tonks sprawled across one of the armchairs. "I'm also under orders to provide you with a bit more security."

"Orders? From whom?" Harry asked.

"Albus Dumbledore."

Harry sighed. He was starting to get sick of hearing that man's name. "I thought he was just the headmaster at Hogwarts."

Tonks nodded, "He is that, but he's also involved in our government. He's... Kind of hard to describe. I don't know the whole story, but he claims to have a vested interest in you and your safety. I imagine you'd need to talk to him to get all the details."

"Do you think I'll ever meet him?"

"Probably. I'm a little surprised he hasn't come by here yet, but then again... School will be starting up in less than a month, and I know he still needs to find a teacher for one of the posts, so he's probably a touch busy." Tonks shrugged. "In any case, I mentioned I was assigned to provide some security. One of the things I'm going to be doing is setting up a confusion ward over the house here. What this will do is make it so that wizards won't realize you live here. All they'll be able to find out is that a wizard lives here, and Remus' presence will more than explain that; he's known for living in muggle areas."

"Oh. What else?"

"Until the investigation is over with, I'll be in the neighborhood. If further wards are needed, I'll either set them then or contact someone to set them for us."

"In the neighborhood?"

"Yeah. There's a house for sale down the block. I'll be staying there until I'm no longer needed. This is a rather open-ended assignment and the Ministry is responsible for proper housing while I'm on duty."

Harry smiled, "With luck, you won't have to be here all that long. No offence meant, of course."

Tonks made a dismissing gesture with her hands, nearly knocking over a lamp. "Don't worry about it. It's the kind of assignment most aurors fight over. It's low-risk, practically a vacation. Also, while here, I can help you with your training."

Harry nodded, "Thanks. I'm beginning to get a bit irritated at my aunt for keeping me from Hogwarts."

Tonks shrugged, "Don't think overmuch on it. Who knows how things would have been if you'd went? You might not have met the Kellermans and would still be staying with the Dursleys."

Shuddering melodramatically, Harry joked, "The horror!"

Just then the doorbell rang. A couple of minutes later, Jennifer appeared in the doorway to the parlor. "Ah, he is here. Dinner should be ready shortly."

"Thanks, Mrs. Kellerman." Hermione stepped into view.

"Oh, call me Jenn, dear." Jennifer said before returning to the kitchen.

"Hey Harry."

"Hi Hermione."

"I brought those books I told you about..."

Harry smiled and motioned for her to come in, "Have a seat, Hermione. This is Tonks; she's an auror."

Hermione greeted the woman with the pink hair. "Hermione Granger. You wouldn't happen to be Auror Tonks the metamorphmagus, would you?"

Tonks laughed. "Of course. You're a Hogwarts student, right?"

Hermione nodded, "Yes, I'll be going into seventh year."

"Wait a tick... Granger. Ah, yes. You know Dumbledore's made mention of you on occasion? He said you were the best researcher he'd had the pleasure of seeing through school since the forties."

Hermione beamed. "Did he really?"

"Yes, he did, and he doesn't praise lightly."

"I would imagine not."

Tonks looked back to Harry, "I should get going. I'm not getting paid to hang about doing nothing until after the wards are set." She laughed her way out of the room.

"What's a meta-whatever?"

Hermione sat in the chair Tonks had vacated, "She can change her appearance at will. Things like eye color, hair color and length, general body type."

"Cool."

"It's probably why she's such a good auror."

Harry and Hermione chatted until Remus showed up to announce dinner was ready. "Professor Lupin?" Hermione smiled at the werewolf. "What are you doing here?"

Remus nodded at Hermione. "Miss Granger. I could ask you the same question."

"Harry showed up at my parents' practice today. You?"

"Albus asked that I bring him up to speed on magic."

Hermione's eyes suddenly held a dangerous glint, "You don't say. Need any help?"

Remus laughed, recognizing Hermione's research-mode. "I'd be daft to turn down help."

Harry crossed his arms over his chest, "Hey! Are you saying I need help?"

Hermione smirked, "Well, you did admit to being an artist..."

Harry sighed, "Fine. I'm crazy. But, do remember that though I may be a bit insane, I'm not stupid. Let's leave learning for after dinner. Lunch was a long time ago..." Harry maneuvered past Remus and Hermione and headed for the dining room.

Hermione shook her head and sighed, "Boys."

Allen showed up just as everyone was sitting down to dinner. He was introduced to Hermione and everyone dug into spaghetti and salad. The majority of Hermione's conversation centered on Harry's limited training thus far. "You took him through a magical meditation?"

Remus nodded, "Found his center on the first try."

"Really?" she turned to Harry. "It took me three tries before I found mine. It looked like a lake with all these rivers and streams flowing in and out of it. What did yours look like?"

Harry thought for a moment about how to describe it. "Glowing ropes all tangled together, or neon tubing. There were all these colors, and though they knotted together in multiple locations, the biggest knot was in my chest."

Hermione looked thoughtful, "You said they tangled together in more than one location?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah. There were... seven knots, all told." A thought suddenly occurred to Harry, but before he could voice it, Hermione continued on.

"Makes sense. In arithmancy, seven is a greater power-number. As are three, thirteen, and five. The lesser power-numbers include two, four, and nine."

Taking Hermione's pause for breath as an opportunity, Harry cut back in, "I just thought I was seeing the chalkra centers... I remember reading about Hindu beliefs a few years ago. A lot of what they believe makes sense when you think about it."

"Quite right, Harry. The Hindu people only recently started separating magical folk from the muggles. Come to think of it, that started when Britain was occupying India, back during the days of the Empire." Remus said as he speared a meatball on his fork.

Allen and Jenn were having fun trying to follow the magical discussion at the other end of the table. Jenn leaned close to Allen and whispered, "Between those two and Harry, himself, he'll probably end up coming up with a better mousetrap."

"Huh?"

Jenn laughed quietly. "Look at them, honey. Remus is obviously an intelligent man, and Hermione is obviously passionate about learning. Harry, you know. What do you think is going to happen when you combine intelligence with creativity?"

Allen shrugged. He knew his wife was probably right, but she always had been better at seeing possibilities than he. He turned his attention back to the trio at the end of the table.

"... interfere with electricity. So, that's why you see candles and torches in the wizarding world, rather than light bulbs." Hermione was apparently explaining magic and electricity.

"But why does it interfere? It seems to me that magic is energy. Electricity is energy. There shouldn't be an issue." Harry was trying to understand the problem.

Remus sighed, "We don't know why, Harry. It just does. And most wizards are rather traditional in their beliefs. They don't need electricity, so why would they bother researching it?"

"But electricity allows for so many useful things... Not the least of which is heatless light. There's also refrigeration, television, phones, computers, radio... I know Hermione probably knows about the internet, but did you know that computers are used to communicate over distance, store information, and process almost everything?"

Remus chuckled, "I knew they were becoming more popular, but I don't see what's so wonderful about them. Most of what you're describing, we can use charms or spells for."

Hermione had been nodding along with Harry, "Professor Lupin, I don't think Harry's explained it all that well. Imagine the entire contents of every library you've ever spent countless hours researching a topic in. The hours upon hours thumbing through handwritten journals and spellbooks looking for information on your topic. Now imagine, if you will, a single book containing the exact contents of those libraries. The internet is like that. There are millions of computers linked together, each of them storing information that can be accessed from any of the others at any time. Granted, it's a bit more complex than that, but you get the idea."

Remus shook his head. "I highly doubt that, Hermione. Not to insult you at all, but computers can't store that much information, and I doubt there are that many computers existing in the world. I know Allen has a word processor at his work, but..."

Hermione quirked an eyebrow, "When was the last time you did any research on computers?"

Remus thought. "I think it was back in 1982."

Hermione, Harry, and the Kellermans burst out laughing. "Remus. That was almost twenty years ago!" Harry managed to get out. "You don't think advancements have been made since then?"

Remus chuckled. "I guess that was a bit presumptuous of me, wasn't it?"

"Just a bit." Hermione said.

"You done with your dinner?" Harry asked looking from Remus to Hermione.

Hermione nodded and Remus replied, "Yes."

"Come on. I know Allen and Jenn have an ISP for the computer in the den."

Allen stood as well. "I've got a spare cable modem, Harry, and some cord. Jenn said you bought a clamshell today. We may as well get it hooked up in your room. I know there's a jack in there..."

"Yes, there is. It's next to the outlet I'm using for my desk."

"Go ahead and head on up. I'll bring up the modem and cable. Won't be but a minute."

Harry lead the way to his room. Hermione thought it a bit on the odd side, but it seemed to suit her new friend rather well. She was looking at his mural when Remus joined her. "It's looking even better, Harry."

Harry shrugged, "I was working on it earlier." The mural now boasted a couple of brightly hued birds and vibrant butterflies.

Hermione blinked. "You did this?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. I always wanted to do a mural... and Allen and Jenn said I could."

"It's beautiful."

Allen showed then, modem and cable in hand. "Let's get it hooked up, shall we?"

A few minutes later the modem and computer were connected and Allen was on the phone to his service provider to add the second modem to his package. He hung up the phone. "Okay Harry, when you log into the computer, you'll need to use my password." He leaned down and whispered it in Harry's ear. Harry nodded.

The remainder of the evening was spent showing Remus the advancements in computer technology since the early eighties. It took Hermione and Harry the better part of an hour to get Remus to go to a different page after he stumbled across an internet version of Pong. He mentioned playing it with Harry's mum when he visited her during the summer following their fifth year.

A/N2: And another chappie is ready. This would have been up earlier, but the computer I've been using is my friend's and she was moving to a new apartment over the last three days. I hope you enjoy it, I had fun writing it.

Now, for a question. Do you all want to see Harry get into a relationship with Hermione? With Tonks? With someone else entirely? I'm open to suggestions here. I do know, though, that I don't want to pair him with a muggle. Let me know where you want the tale to go!