Harry Potter and the Hero's Path

by TheJackOfDiamonds

AU Ritually abused by the Dursley's, young Harry Potter learns to count on himself. After discovering magic at a young age, he practices to become stronger to protect those weaker than him. Full Summary inside.

16. Christmas and Conspiracies

A/N Well, apparently people prefer the longer chapters, so who am I to disappoint?

Sorry about the delay for this one, but for some reason I just couldn't get it to come out right, and ended up re-writing different parts more than once.

Thanks again to everybody at DLP – Lord Apophis, ip82, Ryuu Ken, Myst, Master Slytherin, SLASH SUCKS, vanna, Fuegodefuerza, ChuckDaTruck, Shezza88, arkeus, Stalicon, Randeemy, TheIllusiveOne, jbern, cazten, Shuujaku, LT2000, JDZ, and nonjon – who commented on the rough draft.

Anyways, hope you enjoy.

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The week after Halloween was frustrating for Harry, mainly because it seemed that he couldn't go anywhere without someone following him and monitoring his every move. Apparently, the fact that Sirius Black had been attempting to break into Gryffindor rather than Slytherin did little to discourage the assumption that he was after Harry; an assumption that irritated him to no end.

Another thing that was bothering him was the lack of hostility he felt from Malfoy and his cronies. He'd expected some sort of retaliation after the incident with Bletchley and Blustrode, but it hadn't come. Ironically, the exact opposite was true with the other houses in the school, as he'd noticed an increasing amount of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs glaring at him every chance they got.

On Thursday, Harry had his overdue first Patronus lesson with Professor Lupin. He had spent the last few days re-reading the details of the charm and how to perform it, but for some reason he was still unable to make it work. He hoped the Professor could shed some light on why.

"So," Lupin said once Harry had told him the problem. "You think you're doing it right, but you can't get results?" Harry nodded. "If you don't mind me asking, what memory were you using?"

"The first time I rode a broom," Harry replied slowly.

"That is most likely part of the problem," Lupin said thoughtfully. "But first you have to understand that the Patronus Charm, unlikely most charms, is made more powerful by emotion rather than raw power. In this memory, you were very happy, correct?" Harry nodded. "Yes, that is part of it, but merely remembering being happy is not enough. In order for the charm to work, you have to feel happiness and use it to power the spell. Spells powered by emotion, such as the Patronus Charm, are among the most difficult to master because they require both normal focus and intense emotional concentration."

Harry considered this for a moment before frowning.

"How do I feel happiness in the presence of a dementor?"

"Ah, and there you see the real difficulty," Lupin said wisely. "Harry, there are many witches and wizards who can cast a patronus, but there are very few who can do so in the presence of an actual dementor. The best that most of us can manage is a silver mist like the one I used on the train. Let me be clear: the mist will repel a dementor, but it is quite weak, and if confronted by too many, would most likely fail."

"But a corporeal patronus wouldn't?"

"Correct," Lupin said, smiling. "Now, I thought it best to begin with no outside interference until you can manage at least a solid mist. At that point, I will ask the headmaster for his assistance in re-creating the effects of a real dementor."

Harry nodded his agreement and followed Lupin's instructions for the rest of the lesson. By the end, he was able to manage a fine silver mist, much to Lupin's amazement.

"That is an incredible amount of progress for your first lesson, Harry," he said when they were finished. Harry just shrugged and agreed to meet the same time the next week.

After thanking Lupin for his time, Harry started back down to the dorms. The Patronus Charm was the first spell he'd come across that required the caster to be feeling a specific emotion, and he wanted to know why he hadn't discovered this particular branch of magic before. He resolved to set aside some of his own study time to find out why, and to increase his emotional control.

The next day was the first scheduled Quidditch match of the year between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, and although he didn't really want to go, Harry somehow found himself sitting in the pouring rain next to Tracey and Blaise as the game began.

"Trust me, you'll be glad you came," Tracey told him when they were seated. "You enjoy flying way too much not to like Quidditch."

As the game progressed, Harry had to admit it did look like fun. Tracey had filled him in on the general rules, and the only thing he couldn't figure out was why the seekers refused to catch the snitch, which he'd spotted no less than 3 times already.

He was about to ask Tracey if this was part of their strategy when he started to feel the cold sensation he associated with approaching dementors. As he flipped his wand into his hand, Harry began to focus on feeling happy, but found that the dementors, which were now circling the pitch, were already too close for him to manage it. Gritting his teeth, he was struggling to stay lucid when a bright beam of energy lit up the pitch, causing the dementors to shriek as they fled. Harry followed the spell to its source, and was unsurprised to find Albus Dumbledore calmly casting the most powerful spell he had ever seen. He looked on in appreciation as the blinding white energy seemed to coalesce into the wings of a giant, ethereal bird, with streaks of energy streaking from it like a star. When it was clear that the dementors were gone, the bird soared into the sky and slowly dissipated into thin air.

After a few minutes of confusion, Madame Hooch regained control of the teams and the game began again, but Harry was no longer paying attention. Instead, he was thinking about the demonstration he had just witnessed from the headmaster, and wondering how long it would be before he could even attempt to repel so many dementors.

The fact that he had once again been unable to fight off the effects from the hideous creatures also weighed heavily on his mind, and though he had managed to remain in control of himself this time, the dementors had also been farther away, and it still hadn't been easy. Still, it was an improvement, and that was slightly encouraging. He could only hope that Lupin remained an effective teacher, and that eventually dementors would no longer present a problem.

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The next night, Harry was in his usual spot in the library waiting for the rest of the group when Row entered looking furious.

"What's wrong?" He asked, immediately on his guard.

"Hermione just got hexed!" Row fumed. "And by her own housemates! She's in the hospital wing right now."

"Is she ok?" Harry asked as he got up and followed her out of the library.

"She'll be fine eventually, but somebody hit her with the densaugeo curse, and she had to go to Madame Promfrey to fix it."

"Did she say why?"

"Something about an argument; she said she'll tell us when you get there."

The two walked quickly to the hospital wing and entered to find Sarah and Padma already there next to Hermione's bed.

"Ok, we're here," Row said, still fuming. "Spill."

"Ok," Hermione said, taking a deep breath. "I was in the common room today and I heard Ron Weasley talking about you and how you were spreading rumors about him, Row. I told him that wasn't true, that you'd never said anything about him at all, but then he called me a liar and starting making fun of me," she paused for a moment to gather herself before continuing. "He said that I was already a traitor to my own house and that I was probably helping, since," she stopped with an embarrassed cough.

"Well, since what?" Harry pressed.

"Since, well, I'm, uh, friends with you," she said carefully, blushing. "I told him he didn't know what he was talking about and he should get his facts straight, and he got really mad. I tried to pull my wand but he cursed me before I could." She sniffed. "They started laughing when they saw what the curse did."

The other three girls all moved to comfort Hermione looking murderous, but Harry looked thoughtful.

"What rumors are they talking about? Does anybody know?"

"I heard that Weasley is scared to death of you," Padma answered. "But I don't know if that's what he's talking about or not."

"I didn't start any rumors," Row said angrily.

"We know," Sarah said soothingly. "But obviously somebody did, and Weasley thinks it was you."

"He said something about that at the Three Broomsticks," Harry mused. "He made it a point to say that he wasn't afraid of me."

"They mentioned that too," Hermione put in, anxious to talk about something else. "Ron was arguing with his sister about the Slytherins attacking him at the Three Broomsticks, but I didn't know he meant you."

Harry frowned.

"I really don't get this," he said to no one in particular. "I've never done anything to him. If anything, I should be the one getting angry after what he and his brothers pulled with the boggart."

"He's positive that you and Row are the ones spreading rumors about him," Hermione replied. "I don't know why, maybe somebody is setting you up?"

"Like Malfoy," Row said instantly. "You know he wants to get you back for what you did to him."

"It's possible," Harry said slowly. "But what's in it for him? It's not likely Weasley is actually going to do something."

"You were just in the hospital wing for three weeks because of the Weasleys, Harry," Padma said slowly.

Harry was considering that when Madame Promfrey entered the room and shooed the visitors out, saying Hermione would be released in less than an hour. Row and the other girls decided to wait, but Harry headed back to the library to resume his studying. He had a lot to think about.

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As Harry was returning to the library, Albus Dumbledore was reading a letter he'd just received. Opening it, he saw the words:

Godric bless the first!

Intrigued at the use of such an old code, the headmaster summoned his penseive and examined a memory in it before casting a very specific charm on the parchment. Once he had, the words began to fade, leaving a short note.

Albus,

Sources reveal that Malfoy and Fudge are seeking a new 'proper' home for the Thomas girl away from the Potter boy. Her uncle has asked for the change, and because of her blood, you know this is possible. I am certain they are currently approaching potential families willing to take her in by the summer. The families are to be granted full guardianship rights, and the necessary rules invoked by the minister. All contact should adhere to the second of the old rules.

Dumbledore read the note twice more to be thorough before his eyes started to twinkle madly and he set the letter aside.

This was perfect! There was no doubt in his mind that Harry Potter would fight tooth and nail to prevent his sister from being taken away from him, which gave the headmaster a perfect opportunity to earn the boy's trust. If he played his cards right, he might even be able to place both Harry and his sister with a stable, light-sided family without having to apply any type of pressure himself. When he had his plan carefully diagrammed, the headmaster grabbed some floo powder and tossed it into the fireplace.

"Minister of Magic Private Office, Albus Dumbledore calling!" He said loudly, placing his wand in the fire followed by his head.

"Dumbledore!" Exclaimed Fudge when the old wizard's face appeared in his office fire. "This is highly irregular! I was just about to head home."

"Indeed, I apologize for the intrusion, but there is an urgent matter I need to speak with you about involving some students. I need your help, Cornelius, and I would trust no one else in the ministry with this situation."

"Well then," Fudge replied, puffing his chest out slightly. "What can I do for you?"

Satisfied that he had flattered the man enough, Dumbledore continued.

"It involves Mr. Harry Potter and Miss Rowena Thomas," he began, ignoring the suddenly nervous look on the minister's face. "It has come to my attention that they are both currently under the guardianship of a Mr. Jack Thomas, who is a squib, and only 16 years old. Both children are very important, as you know, and I cannot help but think it would be good for both of them to have a more stable family here in the wizarding world. However, since they are both emancipated in the muggle world, I would need your help." He looked at the minister expectantly.

"I must say, Dumbledore, I'm quite glad to hear you say that, quite glad," Fudge said as he leaned forward conspiratorially. "In fact, I'm already on top of the situation, and the matter should be settled very soon."

"Indeed?" Dumbledore feigned surprise. "Well, that is good to hear! I'm sure you'll find an excellent place for both of them." Dumbledore shook his head wryly. "I cannot imagine what would happen if Mr. Potter were to be forcibly separated from his sister; the boy is quite protective. Have you found a family to take the two of them yet?"

"Two of them?" Fudge squeaked, wide eyed. He cleared his throat and took a drink of water before regaining his composure. "Well, I've only just begun to approach the families, you understand-" He blustered.

"Of course," Dumbledore replied kindly. "It is certainly not an easy job with children as important as them." He paused thoughtfully. "I may be able to provide some possibilities, if you would be interested?"

"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt," Fudge said arrogantly. "Who did you have in mind?"

"Amos and Pricilla Diggory would be a fine choice," Dumbledore replied thoughtfully. "You've met young Cedric, haven't you?"

"Diggory? Oh yes, a fine boy indeed. I considered them, of course. But with the busy times at the Ministry lately it's been simply impossible to find the time to approach Amos with the idea."

"Of course," Dumbledore replied amenably. "Would you prefer that I broach the subject to them? I am scheduled to meet them and Cedric quite soon anyway, if you'd prefer."

"Yes indeed," said Fudge pompously. "That would be a great help, Dumbledore."

"I could also speak to Arthur Weasley and Edward MacMillan, if it would help." Dumbledore said suggestively. "They have also shown themselves to be excellent parents of pure ancestry. Percy Weasley is the head boy this year, in fact."

Fudge seemed to consider that for a moment.

"Yes, I believe that will work out quite nicely." He said smugly.

"I am glad I could be of help," Dumbledore said, inclining his head slightly. "I shall let you know if I make any progress." With that, Dumbledore exited the fire and returned to his desk. Summoning a quill and parchment, he began to write a note to Amos Diggory.

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The next day was Sunday, and Harry had his first detention with Professor Flitwick and the Ravenclaws.

Unlike his other detentions, the Ravenclaws seemed to take to him immediately, although it didn't hurt that three of the five people he met with already knew him rather well. In addition to Row, Sarah, and Padma, Harry was introduced to Anthony Goldstein and Terry Boot, both of whom appeared to be nervous, but relaxed once it became clear that Harry was not only quite intelligent, but also enjoyed talking about academics. The group enjoyed a lengthy discussion about the merits of Arithmancy, and both of the boys were quite impressed by the Slytherin's knowledge. After the meeting, Harry used the rest of the evening to practice his spell work in a nearby classroom.

The next morning Harry had Transfiguration with the Gryffindors, which gave him an idea. When no one was looking, he cast a quick severing charm at Ron Weasley's book bag, leaving the bottom wide open. When class was over, Ron, as expected, filled up the bag obliviously and slung it over his shoulder, only to have all the books pour out all over the ground. As Ron scrambled to pick them up, Harry cast a quick silencing charm and waited patiently by the door as McGonagall and the rest of the class left.

Ron finally finished picking up his books and started to leave, shooting Harry a glare as he approached. His glare was quickly replaced with shock and then fear as Harry quickly disarmed him before throwing him roughly against the wall and hitting him with a foot-freezing curse, ensuring that he couldn't move either of his legs.

"What the-" Ron spat before he was abruptly silenced.

"Shut up and listen," Harry said coldly, standing over the frightened Gryffindor. "If you have a problem with me, you come to me, not to Hermione. If you want to curse someone, you curse me, or at least you can try." His eyes narrowed. "Now, we're going to get to the bottom of this, once and for all. Row didn't spread any rumors about you, and neither did I. Personally, I simply don't care about you that much, one way or the other. I want to know who you heard these things from, and now you're going to tell me." He removed the silencing charm and looked at Ron expectantly.

"Like I'm supposed to believe you?" Ron spat incredulously. "Everybody knows you lie about everything, snake boy. I'll bet-" He was cut off as Harry silenced him again and sighed, exasperated. He had hoped to be able to discern the truth with legilimency, but thus far the only thing on Ron's mind was how much he hated Harry. He decided to change tactics.

"Look, Weasley," Harry snapped. "You don't like me, which I really don't care about, but what I do care about is that you were talking about my sister and you cursed one of my friends. So," Harry grabbed Ron by the neck and slammed his head back into the wall. "You can either tell me, right now, where the fuck you heard these rumors, or I can start cursing you. It's your choice." He let him go and the redhead swayed forward before catching himself.

Ron struggled valiantly to move, but his legs were still frozen to the floor. He glared murderously at Harry, who entered his mind but again found nothing he could use.

"You want to know who told me?" Ron finally spat. "Everybody told me, so I know it's true! Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, even the Hufflepuffs are saying it! How you think Gryffindors are cowards and I'm so afraid of you, well I'M NOT! I-"

"For the last time, Weasley, I never said any of that," Harry ground out slowly, shaking his head in frustration. "Listen, I'll make you a deal: you tell your housemates to stick around after Defense today, and I'll tell everyone, in person, that I never said any of that. Then maybe you'll actually get it through your thick skull that you are not that important."

Ron still looked furious, but Harry could see he was at least considering the offer.

"Fine!" He finally spat. "But if you try anything-"

Harry just rolled his eyes and walked off, canceling the hex as he left.

When their Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson ended later that day, Harry stayed behind, as promised, and was unsurprised to see all of the Gryffindor third years stay behind as well. He waited as Professor Lupin gathered up his papers and walked out into the hall, pausing slightly as the door when he saw who had remained behind. When he was finally gone, Harry cast a silencing charm and turned to the rest of the group. As he surveyed his audience, he didn't notice as the door opened slightly and a disillusioned Remus Lupin crept back in.

"Ok, we're here because there's a bunch of rumors going around about me that aren't true," Harry began firmly. "First of all, I've never said anything about Ron Weasley, or any other Gryffindor. I've never called any of you a coward, or said you're stupid, or anything like that, and neither did my sister, Row Thomas. Hermione," he gestured to the girl who was looking at the floor. "Has never said anything bad about any of you either, and she definitely didn't deserve to be hexed in her own common room by the people who are supposed to support her." A couple of them looked down at that.

"How are we supposed to believe you?" Lavender Brown asked loudly. "Everybody knows that you're the new Slytherin leader, so how do we know this isn't some sort of ploy?"

Harry fixed her with a hard stare and she shivered involuntarily.

"I am not the leader of Slytherin. In fact, most of them don't like me very much, but they stay out of my way because of what I did to Malfoy." His eyes narrowed. "And what I can do again. That goes for you, too. I could care less if you like me or not, but you leave my sister and Hermione out of it."

"You honestly expect us to believe that?" Pavarti asked incredulously. "We know what you've been doing to the other houses, why would we believe you over them?"

For the first time in a long time, Harry was absolutely speechless.

"What!" Was all he could manage to get out.

"Don't act like you don't know," Seamus said hotly. "I heard even Sprout knows what you're doing, but she can't prove it, otherwise she'd have you expelled."

"We know you're lying about everything," Lavender said matter of factly.

"And we know you get off on beating up first years!" Seamus sneered.

"Harry would never do that!" Hermione broke in heatedly.

"Shut up, beaver!" Seamus exclaimed as he shot a silencing charm at her.

Or at least he would have shot a silencing charm at her if he hadn't been knocked forward on his face from the concussion hex that Harry had thrown behind him. Lavender and Parvati went down with a scream, but Ron Weasley was only knocked off balance and was able to level his wand at Harry.

"Expelliarmus," he cried.

"Protego," Harry flicked his wand and deflected the curse back at Ron, hitting him in the chest and sending him flying backwards into a desk. Turning, Harry whipped his wand forward and leveled a stunner at Dean Thomas, who had just regained his feet. He was about to do the same to Seamus Finnegan when he saw his stunner impact on a hastily formed shield.

"ENOUGH!" Came Lupin's voice as he strode into the middle of the group. "I am very disappointed in all of you! Twenty points from every person who cast a spell, and another twenty from Miss Brown for insulting a housemate."

"But Professor," Lavender whined.

"That's enough," said Lupin, holding up his hand. "Mr. Potter obviously asked you all to be here so that he could clear the air, and you respond by throwing accusations at him and attacking Miss Granger." He looked at each of the students in turn. "I, for one, believe that he had nothing to do with these rumors, but you should each think about them yourselves, and form your own opinions, rather than simply taking someone else's word. Now, I trust there will not be a repeat of this little incident?" Everyone except for Harry shook their head emphatically. "Very well, then I think we can forgo any detentions this once, you may go. Mr. Potter, if you could stay behind."

"Hermione too." Harry said.

"Very well, Miss Granger, you may stay as well."

Hermione smiled thankfully at Harry and took a seat while the rest of the Gryffindors filed out of the room.

"Now then, Harry," Lupin said when they had left. "That was a rather interesting display, if I do say so myself. Concussion hex?"

Inwardly chastising himself, Harry nodded.

"I told you I was a little ahead of the third year curriculum."

"That you did," Lupin replied with a nod. "So, I take it you're having some problems fitting in?"

Harry regarded Lupin carefully before extending a light legilimency probe. Finding nothing but honest concern, he shrugged and answered.

"It's not that bad, but somebody is spreading rumors, and everybody seems to believe the rumors more than me."

Lupin nodded sagely.

"Well, rumors usually die out after a little while," he said kindly. "It's best to just wait them out."

"I don't think that will work this time," Harry said, frowning. "I think someone is deliberately setting me up, but I don't know who. I guess it could be Malfoy, but it just doesn't seem like his style."

"I'm pretty sure it's not anybody in Gryffindor," Hermione said cautiously. "Most of the rumors involve the Gryffindors, after all."

"What about the stuff about other houses and Professor Sprout?" Harry asked her. "Have you heard anything about that?"

"No," Hermione shook her head. "But Lavender and Parvati always get gossip first, so it's very possible that it's a real rumor."

"I'd suggest talking to Professor Sprout, or maybe the headmaster," Lupin suggested. Harry scowled.

"Both unacceptable. Sprout made it very clear she wanted nothing to do with me, and Dumbledore would probably tell Snape."

"Wait a minute, Harry," Hermione said thoughtfully. "Maybe Sprout was acting strange because she already heard something about you and her students."

"If she was willing to believe a completely unsubstantiated rumor, what makes you think it'll do any good for me to talk to her now?" Harry asked quizzically. "No, she had her chance, and she'd probably just ignore me anyway."

"I wish you'd reconsider, Harry, but it's your decision." Lupin said kindly. "And remember, if you need to talk about anything, my door is always open." Harry just nodded and followed Hermione out into the hall.

"It's not fair how they treat you," she said quietly as they walked.

"Life is rarely fair," Harry replied. "They can't hurt me anyway; it's you and Row that I'm worried about." Hermione smiled slightly to herself as they continued walking.

Eventually they parted ways, and Harry made Hermione promise to tell him if they tried anything again. When he was satisfied, he made his way back to his dorm.

Harry spent the rest of the week splitting his time between studying his personal material and forming his plan to deal with the rumor situation. Despite his rather hectic life at Hogwarts, Harry was quite happy with the progress he was making on his own. He was yet to successfully create a ward, but his Ancient Runes and Arithmancy classes had finally given him some of the skills he needed to decode the book he had, and he found himself at least able to begin the process. After McGonagall's instruction, he had really taken to Transfiguration, and was almost done with the fourth year curriculum using the more efficient method. He also devoted some of his time each day to simple meditation and focus, which he used to strengthen his mental defenses and improve his emotional control, which had helped him almost form a patronus in his latest lesson with Lupin. Of course the work he was typically assigned in class was fare below what he was capable of, but he didn't mind. He was always careful not to show off just how easy everything was for him, and as a result he stayed almost completely out of the spotlight, which suited him just fine.

That Friday he had his second detention with McGonagall; something he had been looking forward to ever since the incident on Monday. The Gryffindors still glared at him every chance they got, and although Hermione hadn't been hexed again, he could tell that they were ridiculing her whenever they could.

He entered McGonagall's office to find her seated alone behind her desk grading papers. As he entered, he felt a strange sensation, almost like he was being watched, but the sensation quickly vanished and a brief survey found no one else in the room.

"Welcome, Mr. Potter," she said. "Please, take a seat." Harry sat in the chair facing the desk and looked at her expectantly.

"Now then, I thought perhaps it would be better for the two of us two spend some time together before bringing in the other students. I hope this meets with your approval?"

"Actually, it's perfect; there's something I need to discuss with you," Harry replied evenly.

"Oh?" McGonagall asked, surprised. "And what would that be?"

"It's about Hermione Granger," Harry said slowly. "And it's also about the ridiculous rumors that most of your students believe about me. Have you spoken to Professor Lupin about what happened after his class on Monday?"

"I have."

"Then you know that I tried to talk to Weasley and the others, but they wouldn't listen. The only person who believed me was Hermione, and Finnegan was about to curse her for it." Harry eyed McGonagall seriously. "I know they mistreat her, Professor. They make fun and laugh at her all the time, and she doesn't have a single friend in her own house. It's not right, and it can't continue."

"As much as I agree with you, Mr. Potter, there is very little I can do. I have already told my prefects about the situation, but I'm sorry to say that teasing is not against any Hogwarts rules."

"This is more than teasing," Harry insisted. "It's malicious, and it's meant to make her feel worthless about herself. One of the girls called her a 'buck-toothed train wreck,' and then Finnegan called her 'beaver.' The only person in Gryffindor that will talk to her is Ginny Weasley, and she can't do it publicly because her brother won't let her. Something has to be done."

"What would you suggest, Mr. Potter?"

"Support her," Harry said immediately. "Make it clear that you're on her side, and that you'll listen and believe her if she tells you something. The other students will think twice about insulting her if she's obviously in good with you, and if they do try something, she knows she can come to you."

"That hardly sounds like proper etiquette for a professor, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said with a slight frown. "I agree that Miss Granger is treated unfairly, but you're asking me to treat her unfairly as well, albeit in the opposite manner."

"Yes, I suppose I am," Harry sighed. "I'm really asking you to be her friend, but I suppose you can't do that."

"Aren't you forgetting something, Mr. Potter?"

Harry shook his head. "You're going to say that I should be that friend, but you don't understand. The reason that they torment her more than they did before is precisely because she's already my friend. If she hadn't defended me to Weasley a long time ago, they would have continued to leave her alone. What you don't understand is that the more she is associated with me, the worse she'll be treated." He stopped and looked the Professor in the eye. "I can't let this continue, Professor. I mean no disrespect to you or the ideals of your house, but I've already tried the rational approach, and it was completely rejected. The only other option I have is to subdue them with force, and I'd rather not do that." He paused. "But I will if I have to." He finished quietly.

McGonagall eyed Harry thoughtfully while she considered what he'd said.

Her first reaction was to reprimand him for such a thinly veiled threat, but as she looked at the boy in front of her she knew instinctively that he didn't deserve such a response. Truth be told, she agreed with him, especially about Miss Granger's treatment, which had frustrated her for some time. She knew the girl was brilliant from her essays, but whenever she called on the young woman in class, she would clam up and only give the barest of acceptable answers. It was obvious that she was shunned by the rest of the house, but McGonagall had originally hoped that time would solve that problem for her; it now appeared that wouldn't happen.

"Mr. Potter, as much as I agree with you about Miss Granger, I am honor bound to obey the rules that come with being a Professor. While I would like nothing better than to see Miss Brown and Mr. Finnegan change their attitudes, I cannot condone you doing so forcibly, no matter how good your intentions."

"I understand your position, and I respect your dedication to what you believe is right," Harry said slowly. "But I think you're wrong about Hermione. This place is killing her slowly, and I won't let it continue."

The two sat in silence for a moment before McGonagall sighed and changed the subject.

"Well, since we are here, we might as well discuss your work. How are you faring with the more gradual focus in transfiguration?"

As the two began to talk about the finer aspects of transfiguration, Dumbledore calmly slipped out of the room into the hallway. For a moment he'd been afraid that Harry had sensed him, and had immediately masked his presence completely, cursing himself for underestimating the boy yet again. The conversation he'd just witnessed was enlightening, and it gave him yet another idea.

The headmaster made his way to the Gryffindor common room and stepped through before asking a young girl if she knew where he could find Hermione Granger. The terrified girl had managed to stutter the word library, and the headmaster thanked her as he left.

He finally found Hermione with her nose buried in an advanced Arithmancy book with a frown on her face.

"Good evening, Miss Granger," he said serenely, causing Hermione to jump. "May I sit with you?"

"S-Sure," Hermione answered, bewildered.

"Ah, the wonders of Arithmancy," Dumbledore said, eyeing her book. "Truly a fascinating subject, if I do say so myself."

"Yes, I mean, I think so too, sir," Hermione replied, still flustered. Dumbledore just smiled at her kindly.

"Now then, Miss Granger, it has come to my attention that several of your housemates have been treating you rather harshly due to your association with young Mr. Potter. Is this true?"

"Uh, well," Hermione stammered, looking down at the desk.

"There's no need to be nervous, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said kindly. "I am aware that young men and women are often less than cordial with each other. However, I happen to believe that Mr. Potter is a rather remarkable young man, and he deserves all the support he can get. I would hate to see him lose your friendship because of prejudice."

"That's precisely the problem, sir, prejudice," Hermione exclaimed, her nervousness temporarily forgotten. "I mean, I know he'd never do anything like what they're accusing him of, but they won't listen! Harry even tried being nice, sir, he really did, and they just called him a liar!"

"Calm yourself, Miss Granger," Dumbledore replied, chuckling. "I have spoken to Professor Lupin and I understand what happened. However, I am also concerned that their treatment of you goes past simple teasing, and I intend to speak with your housemates personally to see that it does not continue."

Hermione was gobsmacked. The headmaster was going to personally make sure she didn't get made fun of anymore? What in the world was going on?

"I see that surprises you, but it shouldn't. I take the safety of all my students very seriously, Miss Granger. You are a very bright witch, never let anyone tell you otherwise."

"I-I won't sir," Hermione replied, still somewhat awed. "Thank you."

"It was my pleasure, dear girl. If you ever need a friendly ear, I shall be most happy to oblige."

With that, the headmaster got up and walked slowly back to his office.

Three days after his meeting with McGonagall, Harry was sitting with Row in the library when Hermione walked in.

"Well, he did it. He really did it," she said in a disbelieving voice.

"Uh, Hermione?" Row giggled. "Who did what?"

"Dumbledore, he talked to Ron, Seamus, Parvati, all the 3rd year Gryffindors, and told them to leave me alone."

"Dumbledore talked to them?" Harry asked skeptically. "Are you sure it wasn't McGonagall?"

"No, it was Dumbledore," Hermione said assuredly. "He told me he was going to, but I didn't believe it."

"He talked to you?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded. "When?"

"The same time you had your meeting with McGonagall."

"Hmm," Harry said thoughtfully. "Well, I guess we owe him one. Have they said anything to you?"

Hermione shook her head.

"Not a word."

"Well," Row said, smiling. "Score one for the good guys then!"

Hermione huffed and shook her head, but it didn't go unnoticed by Harry that she seemed genuinely happy by the new development.

Maybe the old man isn't so bad after all, he thought to himself as he turned back to his book.

------------------------------------------------

Later that week Harry produced his first corporeal patronus during his lesson with Lupin: a giant silver stag.

"Prongs," said Lupin in an awed whisper as the stag pranced around the room.

"What?" Harry asked.

Lupin seemed to shake himself back to reality and Harry was shocked to see that he had tears in his eyes. Reaching out with leglimency, Harry got a vision of his father and Sirius Black standing next to each other before slowly morphing into a stag and a dog.

"Professor?" Harry questioned. "Did you say Prongs?"

"Yes, I did," Lupin replied slowly, running his hand across his face. "Prongs was your father's nickname. He was an animagus, and his form was a stag. Your patronus is identical, Harry; your patronus is Prongs."

Harry took a moment to marvel at that before he turned a questioning look to Lupin.

"Did you ever go and run around with him? As a werewolf, I mean."

Lupin looked at him in amazement.

"That's right, how did you know?" he asked softly. Harry just shrugged and Lupin got a far off look in his eyes. "Sirius and Peter were animagi too, so in a way I guess we all were. Although my transformation was slightly less voluntary than theirs," he said with a wry chuckle.

"What were their forms?"

"Sirius was a grim; a big black dog, and Peter was a rat."

"A rat? You're kidding."

"No, I'm not kidding," Lupin said with a grin. "At first we laughed at him too, at least until he told us about how easy it was to sneak into the girl's showers. Then Sirius wanted to trade." Lupin had a big smile on his face now, and it was obvious to Harry that he was lost in his memories.

"Why didn't anyone tell me before?" Harry asked quietly.

"It was a well-kept secret, actually," Lupin replied. "All three were unregistered, and only became animagi to keep me company on the full moon. You know where the Shrieking Shack is, in Hogsmede?" Harry nodded. "That's where I used to go during the full moon so that it was safe. One of the reasons people think it's haunted is because of the noises I used to make when I had trapped myself in there."

Harry looked at Lupin seriously.

"Thank you for being honest with me."

"I make it a rule not to make the same mistake twice," Lupin replied wryly. Harry eyed him approvingly. "In any case, I think you've broke some sort of record for casting a corporeal patronus, so now comes the hard part. I'll talk to the headmaster about setting up some sort of ward to re-create a dementor's effects. We'll start on that after the holidays."

"You know how to create wards?" Harry asked curiously.

"Some," Lupin replied with a shrug. "Only the most basic though, and nothing with significant range. Ward-casting is extremely complex, Harry, even for fully-trained wizards. Other than professional curse-breakers, it's a very rare skill."

"Do you think it would be possible for me to watch as you and the headmaster set up the ward?"

"I don't see why not, I'll let you know."

Harry thanked Lupin for his help and walked out of the room with a spring in his step. He was on his way to the dungeons when his messenger started to vibrate.

Hey Harry, you there?

Yeah Jack, I'm here. What's up?

I've been thinking about what Dumbledore said in his letter.

I thought we already talked about that.

No, you told me we weren't going, and I said we should talk about it in person.

Jack, the Weasley's hate me, especially their youngest son. If we go over there, it will be a nightmare, I already told you all this.

I understand that, but if there's a way for me to be a part of you and Row's world, then I want to know about it. Be honest, do you not want to go because it's dangerous or because you just won't enjoy it.

There was a pause.

Let's talk about this later, I have to go.

When?

I'll come see you tomorrow night, how about that?

Ok, see you then.

With a sigh, Harry put the messenger away and hurried back to the common room.

The next night after classes Harry made himself invisible and slipped out of the castle before walking to Hogsmede and apparating to meet Jack.

"I think you grew," Jack joked when he saw him. "Master Choi told me to ask if you'd been keeping up on your exercises."

"Not like I should," Harry admitted, taking a seat in front of Jack. "There's nobody to practice against, and I'm pretty busy with all the different spell research I'm doing."

Jack nodded sympathetically.

"So," he began. "About this Dumbledore thing, I really want to go, Harry; I think it's important."

Harry groaned.

"Why?"

"You and Row have this whole other world, Harry," Jack said almost wistfully. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I love my life," he grinned. "But I miss the two of you, and if there's a way for me to live my life normally but still know what's going on in your world, then I want to know about it. Harry, you have to admit that it's only going to get harder for me to be a part of Row's life if I stay in the real world forever. Think about it, I'll never have anything to talk to either of you about, and I won't understand most of the stuff you're interested in. We'll practically be strangers. I don't want that."

"I don't want that either, Jack," Harry said earnestly. "But I think you're putting too much faith in Dumbledore, and I know you're putting too much faith in the Weasleys."

"Row said the girl is ok," Jack pointed out.

"That's true, but they have one girl and like 20 boys, and every one of them hates me. We can find another way."

"You're exaggerating."

"I don't think so."

"Well, I'm not even going to meet the people you know, I'm going to meet their cousin, who's like me. She works as an accountant in both worlds. Both worlds, Harry. I need to do this."

Harry considered his brother thoughtfully for a moment.

"There's something else, isn't there?" He asked after a slight pause. "What's the other reason Jack?"

Jack sighed heavily and wrung his hands together.

"Dumbledore said he'll bring my uncle," Jack said quietly before looking back at Harry. "Don't you see, Harry? I have to know! I have to know why he left, and why we never heard from him! I know you said he's a git, but…" he trailed off before continuing quietly. "He's my uncle, Harry. I have to face him."

Harry sighed heavily and ran his hand through his hair. Jack was right. No matter how much he hated Snape, Jack deserved chance the confront him. He also knew that Jack deserved the opportunity to meet other squibs; he just wished it could somebody not related to the Weasleys.

"When were you planning on going?"

"They invited us all over the week after Christmas, any day we want. I got a letter from Molly Weasley saying she was anxious to meet me and to see Row again." He looked at Harry seriously. "You never answered my question from before. Do you really think we'll be in danger, or do you just not want to go?"

"I really really don't want to go," Harry said honestly. "I get too much of their family already, and the last thing I need is to meet the parents." He paused. "But, if you want to go, then I'll go with you. Just don't say anything nice about me, or they'll probably start hating you too."

"You don't have to go, you know," Jack said slowly. "I could go by myself, it wouldn't be that big of a deal."

"No, if you're going, I'm going," Harry said firmly. "I just wish we were going someplace else." He muttered.

"Thanks, Harry," Jack said, standing up to slap him on the back. "I really appreciate it."

Christmas with the Weasleys, Harry thought sarcastically to himself as he prepared to apparate back. Great. Just sodding great.

------------------------------------------------

Two days later after Harry's meeting with Jack, another meeting took place in an empty classroom in the Hogwarts dungeons, and its purpose was far less benign. In attendance were Daphne Greengrass, Theodore Nott, Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Marcus Flint, Adrian Pucey, Milicent Blustrode, Graham Montague, and Miles Bletchley.

"So, does everyone understand? We stop right now, no more." Malfoy said. "Good." He nodded to Flint, who removed the silencing charm from the room and watched as everyone filed out.

"Greengrass, wait," he said as she passed.

"Ok, what? You still don't get it?" She asked when everyone else had left.

"I don't see why we don't get him ourselves," Malfoy snarled as he placed a silencing charm over the two of them. "And why are we stopping now?" Daphne gave an exasperated sigh.

"How many times have you and your boys thrown the Hufflepuffs around in the last month?"

"I don't know," Malfoy shrugged. "A few."

"And how many detentions have you had? How many times have you been caught? How many Puffs are even mad at you for it?"

"What's your point?"

"My point is, everyone thinks you're acting under Potter's orders, so he's the one they blame for it. Do you have any idea how hard it is to make Hufflepuffs angry?" She snorted. "It's almost impossible, but we've done it. They're angry now, and guess what? They're not angry at you! The Gryffindorks are angry too, and they're not angry at you either! Half the school thinks that Potter is using the rest of us to carry out his dark plans! Don't you see!" She said, exasperated. "Between what your father put in the paper and what we've been doing, they're so afraid of him they can't see straight. And the best part is that even if we ever do get caught, we just say that we're as afraid of Potter as the rest of the school," she put a scared expression on her face and started sniffling. "I had no choice! He had snakes, I was so scared!" She wiped her eyes and laughed. "He gets punished, we go free."

"If they're afraid of him, how do you know they're going to try something?"

"We just have to be patient."

"But why are we stopping?" Malfoy pressed. "If can still get away with it and Potter gets blamed, why stop now?"

"Because if Potter finds out, this is all worthless," Daphne responded carefully. "We've already set the stage, and anything else just makes it more likely we'll get caught. Look," she said, eyeing Malfoy seriously. "At this point, nobody in Hufflepuff or Gryffindor will trust him, and we have a scapegoat for anything else we want to do later. When something goes wrong, people used to suspect you, now they suspect him."

"So everything for the last month has been a set up? You didn't really want me to leave Potter alone?"

"Why fight yourself when you can get others to fight for you?" Daphne answered with a smirk. "Just remember, you can take credit for the plan, but you owe me."

"I remember," Malfoy replied. "And if I can see that Potter gets humiliated, it will be well worth it."

------------------------------------------------

The last weeks of November were very strange for Harry. Because it was up to the Professors to choose what days he would spend with them, Harry himself never knew about the meetings more than a week in advance. He had assumed that he would have one every weekend, however, and was therefore surprised when his next two weekends were completely clear. After his meeting with the Ravenclaws, he found himself talking to other members of Row's house often, but was still forced to endure nothing but bitter comments and glares from the other two houses. Truthfully, he had all but given up on the idea of reconciling with Hufflepuff or Gryffindor, and by the time December came, he found he really didn't care.

The first week in December Harry had another "detention", but it wasn't with any of the other houses; it was with Dumbledore.

"Come in, Harry," the headmaster said when he knocked. Harry entered to find the old wizard seated behind his large desk looking at him seriously. "I have some very important news for you, Harry. I suggest you sit down, it is quite serious."

Harry eyed the old man uneasily, but sat down anyway.

"Harry, because of the incident with Professor Snape and Miss Thomas, I have avoided speaking to you regarding your living situation and done my best to allow you the freedom you deserve." He paused for a moment and sighed. "Unfortunately, the same does not appear to be true of Professor Snape. At his insistence, the Minister of Magic has invoked a very old decree that forbids squibs from acting as the sole guardians of magical children. He plans to move you and Miss Thomas into a pure-blood family, Harry."

For a moment, Harry's eyes flashed with such pure rage that Dumbledore thought he was going to have to defend himself. But as quickly as it came, the anger was gone, as Harry put his many hours of emotional control to use.

"No," he said coldly. "That's unacceptable, and I won't let him. Professor Snape probably wants to send us to the Malfoys," he laughed humorlessly and clenched his hands into fists. "Let him try."

"The exact family has not been decided yet, Harry," Dumbledore replied carefully. "I myself found out only a week ago, and since then have been compiling a list of families that you may find suitable. I believe one of the Minister's first choices was the Greengrass family." Harry's eyes narrowed at that. "As for when, he plans to act as soon as a suitable family is found."

"I want to speak with a solicitor," Harry said immediately. "We're emancipated, and I refuse to let him rip my family apart." He regarded Dumbledore coldly. "If you want me to stay anywhere close to this world, you'll help me."

"I'm afraid that magical law traditionally supersedes muggle law," Dumbledore said sadly. "And therefore there is very little I can do. You are emancipated as muggles, but as wizards, you are still children."

"I still want to speak with a solicitor, and soon," Harry snapped. "What possible basis can there be for this law?"

"The decree states that any member of a pure-blooded family should be raised by 'a suitable family of sufficient means and pure ancestry,'" Dumbledore replied.

"So rich pure-bloods have to raise other rich pure-bloods then," Harry snapped angrily. "I'm surprised Malfoy isn't all over this. I'm not a pure-blood, what about me?"

"The minister has been surprisingly secretive about the entire effort," Dumbledore said knowingly. "It is unlikely that Mr. Malfoy has heard of it. I myself might not have known, had I not had a chance encounter with an old friend. Afterwards, I immediately contacted the minister and advised him that it would be unwise for him to move one of you without the other."

"He's lucky then," Harry growled. He tried to collect his turbulent thoughts for a moment before he turned his hard gaze back to the headmaster.

"I suppose you're going to tell me I can't do anything to stop it?"

"I'm afraid not, Harry."

"You'll forgive me if I don't take your word for it," Harry said sarcastically. "It's rather ironic that Professor Snape started the process, but yet you only found out a week ago." He glared at the headmaster. "I don't suppose you just happened to have a few families lined up for me to talk to, do you?" His eyes narrowed. "And I'd better not hear you mention the name Weasley."

"The Weasleys are just one family that have expressed concern over your situation, Harry," Dumbledore replied, only slightly unnerved at the boy's perceptiveness. "The Diggorys and the Macmillans are likewise interested, as is the Davies family. I know it seems like your freedom is being taken away, Harry, but you are not without options."

Harry, for his part, could not remember the last time he'd been this angry. At the moment, he felt like destroying the entire magical world one man a time, starting with Albus Dumbledore.

"What happens now?" He ground out through gritted teeth.

"It is up to you, Harry," Dumbledore replied carefully. "I would suggest meeting with the families that you find least objectionable." When Harry's gaze flickered, Dumbledore nodded sadly. "Yes Harry, I am fully aware that there is no magical family that you would pick willingly, and that you find this entire matter a most egregious breach of your personal freedom." He paused before continuing. "Unfortunately, I cannot prevent it from happening. The best I can do is help you select the family to take you. I was able to convince the Minister of that much, at least." He looked at the young man seriously. "I am sorry I cannot do more, Harry."

Looking at Dumbledore, Harry was caught between warring emotions. On the one side, he was still incredibly angry since Dumbledore was part of the whole conspiracy, and probably had a lot more influence that he let on. On the other hand, he had told Harry what was coming, and was willing to give him options, despite the fact that he almost certainly could have just selected a family and put him there. The headmaster had also been instrumental in making Hermione's life easier in Gryffindor, and as near as Harry could tell, it appeared that Dumbledore actually did want to help him. In the end, he realized that he would need to calm down completely before he could formulate a proper plan, and there was no reason to turn down Dumbledore's help other than pure spite, so he agreed.

"Set up the meetings," he bit out. With that, he turned and strode angrily from the office.

It took him almost thirty minutes of meditation to completely calm down, and once he had the first thing he did was pull out his messenger to tell his siblings what he'd just learned. As expected, they were as outraged as he was, and Jack even suggested telling the muggle police. Harry suggested that they wait at least until he was able to contact a wizarding solicitor, and the other two agreed.

The last weeks of term flew by for Harry, but he was so engrossed in his legal dilemma that he hardly noticed.

After speaking with three different solicitors, two of which were versed in both muggle and magical law, it was official: there was nothing they could do. Severus Snape was the only magical relative of Rowena Thomas, and was therefore fully within his rights to demand that she be raised in a purely magical household, regardless of her muggle standing. It was spiteful, backwards, and completely unfair, but it was also the law. In fact, if it hadn't been for Dumbledore, it was most likely that Harry and his sister wouldn't have even been consulted, and would have simply been shipped off to live with a family they'd never met. As loathe as he was to admit it, Dumbledore had done the two of them no small favor by allowing them to choose what family would have them, especially because it bought them both time. Because of their unique situation, it was decided that they would have to make a decision by the first of April, otherwise the decision would be made for them.

"That's barely over three months!" Row exclaimed when she heard. She and Harry were currently in their compartment in the Hogwarts Express on their way back to London for the Christmas Holidays. "How can we possibly make a decision to live with people we've only known for three months!"

"We've still got options," Harry said cryptically as he watched the people passing by their compartment carefully. "We'll talk about it when we get home."

"What are you looking at?" Row asked him. "It's just students."

Harry frowned.

"I've seen the same group pass by 5 times already," he replied, his eyes never leaving the door. "It's mostly first and second year Hufflepuffs, and I don't think it's a coincidence."

"What'd you mean?"

Harry shrugged. "Call it a hunch."

Row just shrugged back and went back to her book. Harry noticed the same group pass by several more times until finally it stopped outside and one of the began to open the door.

"U-Uh," one of the first years stammered. "S-Sorry, we thought this was s-somebody else's compartment." He finally ground out. However, the group made no move to leave when he had finished.

"Well?" Harry said quizzically. "Don't let us keep you if you're looking for someone."

He noticed a couple of the boys look confused until one of them began whispering something and the entire group filed back out and into the hall.

"That was weird," Row said when they had gone. Harry nodded his agreement but said nothing and they passed the rest of the ride in silence. When the train arrived at King's Cross, they disembarked with the rest of the students and caught a taxi back home.

When the two finally reached their flat, they met a depressed looking Jack at the door and exchanged greetings before making their way inside.

"I still can't believe this," Jack said angrily. "They're taking you away forever and there's nothing I can do."

"That's not quite true," Harry said slowly after he'd put his trunk in his room. He turned to his sister. "Row, we do have another option, but it would mean not going back to Hogwarts and hiding until you turn 17."

"How would we pull that off?" She asked, surprised.

"Since the beginning of the year, I've been exchanging letters with Gringotts," Harry explained as he sat down. "I don't have unrestricted access to my family's money, but because I'm emancipated in the muggle world, I have a little more access to my family's estate that I normally would, and nobody knows, not even Dumbledore. In fact, the only goblin that knows what I've been doing is my account manager, but that's another story. Anyway, at the beginning of the year, I had my account manager buy us another place to live north of here, and since then I've had it heavily warded by Gringotts cursebreakers so that we could hide there if something went wrong."

"Plan B," Jack said, nodding.

"Right, plan B," Harry replied. "Originally, I had it set up in case Jack started having problems with people from the magical world like reporters, but the place is large enough for all three us to live there if we need to. That reminds me," he said, breaking off suddenly. "I had portkeys made for all of us in case of an emergency, but they're registered with the Ministry, so you really shouldn't use it unless you absolutely have to. Anyway, where was I? Oh, if we do decide to go with plan B, then afterwards we could go to America for a while, or maybe Australia, but no matter where we went, they'd be looking for us, and unless we stayed inside all the time, we'd probably eventually get caught."

"Why don't we just move to one of those countries now?" Jack asked.

"You really think Dumbledore would just let us go like that?" Harry asked him skeptically. "They've made it quite clear that being emancipated means absolutely nothing to them, and neither do our opinions. We'd have to convince another magical government to grant us some sort of instant citizenship or amnesty, but to get that we'd have to fight a political battle against both Fudge and Dumbledore, so we'd probably lose. Not only that, but they'd know we wanted to run and they'd lock us up even tighter." He shook his head. "No, if we run, we hide. Anything else is just too risky."

"What's the other option?"

"The other option is to choose one of the families we're meeting with after Christmas, and be good little children." He finished sarcastically.

"What about Jack?"

Harry sighed.

"I don't know. If we choose to stay in the magical world, we'll have foster parents, and they'll probably try to tell us what to do, so we'll have to make sure that whoever we pick likes Jack, I guess."

"How did they choose the families?" Jack asked.

"Dumbledore and Fudge finally agreed on a short list," Harry replied. "That's why the Weasley and Greengrass families aren't on it." At Jack's confused look, he elaborated. "Dumbledore had some families that Fudge didn't like, and Fudge had some families that Dumbledore didn't like, so they had to compromise. They ended up with the Diggory, Davies, Edgecomb, and Macmillan families, and we have to pick one. If we don't, Fudge gets to pick, and I can guarantee we won't like that decision."

"Why those four?" Asked Row.

"It's strange, actually," said Harry, scowling. "Fudge immediately dismissed all the traditional Gryffindor families, and Dumbledore did the same with the Slytherin families, so all we've got left are Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff."

"Why is that weird?"

"Well, I see why Dumbledore vetoed the Slytherins, but why did Fudge attack the Gryffindors? You'd think that he'd want me with a Gryffindor," he mused. "Plus, all the families that Fudge suggested, except Edgecomb and Davies, can be tied to Voldemort in one way or another, almost like he wants us in a dark family instead of a light one. I guess Fudge could be a closet dark wizard, but he doesn't seem the type."

Both Jack and Row looked unsettled at that.

"So what happens now?" Jack finally asked.

"Now we have a happy Christmas," Harry said firmly. "We don't have to meet anyone until next week, and there's still three months before we have to make a final decision. There's plenty of time to cut and run if we want to."

"Do you want to, Harry?" Row asked quietly.

Harry considered the question before exhaling heavily.

"I don't now," he said quietly. "I just don't know."

------------------------------------------------

The holiday passed all too quickly for the young trio, and before they knew it Christmas had arrived. The three exchanged gifts with each other, as usual, until Harry noticed a large, awkwardly shaped present under the tree with his name on it. He ran a series of wandless detection charms over it before he carefully unwrapped it to reveal the most magnificent broom he had ever seen.

"Wow Harry," Row breathed when she saw it. "Who in the world sent you a Firebolt? Do you know how expensive those are?"

"Not exactly," Harry said, frowning. "And there's no note." He spent the next several minutes carefully examining every aspect of the broom, both physical and magical, in precise detail, but came up with nothing out of the ordinary. Still, that fact that someone had anonymously sent him the best racing broom on the market left him more than a little suspicious, so he decided to try something else. Grabbing hold of the broom, Harry began to concentrate and, after a moment of focus, he could feel the magic in the broom, just as he had been able to before on Blaise's Nimbus. He stretched the feeling farther, almost as if he was reaching into the magic that made the broom fly, and still he found nothing strange or troubling. Satisfied that the broom wasn't cursed, he set it back on top of his pile of presents.

"How is it?" Row asked when he was finished.

"It feels powerful," Harry admitted. "A lot more powerful than Blaise's broom was. I can't wait to try it out."

"Can I try it after you?" Row asked. Harry agreed and the two rejoined their brother by the tree.

The day after Christmas was the day that Jack decided to visit the Weasleys, mainly because Harry had said there was no way he could enjoy the rest of the holiday with it hanging over his head. It was therefore with a sense of absolute dread that Harry entered the Leaky Cauldron, prepared to floo to the Burrow.

"Why do they call it the Burrow?" Jack asked as they waited in line.

"I have absolutely no idea," Harry said. "And frankly, I don't care, either."

Row giggled.

"C'mon, it's not that bad, maybe one of the older brothers will be there. I think one of them is a curse breaker, maybe he could help you with your warding."

"Not with my luck," Harry muttered, but he was already entering the floo so nobody heard him.

Harry arrived in the Weasley living room first, and was greeted with the smell of baking cookies and an empty room, which was a near perfect greeting for him.

The sound of somebody falling over announced Row's arrival, and an instant later Jack also arrived face down. When they had regained their feet, the trio walked cautiously towards what they assumed was the kitchen.

"Hello?" Row said, taking the lead as she opened the door.

"Oh, you're early!" Came the voice of Molly Weasley as she came forward to greet them. She immediately engulfed Row in a hug before turning to Jack.

"And you must be Jack?" At his nod, she smiled. "My cousin is out back, and so is a friend of hers. They're both anxious to talk to you." Jack thanked her and threw a look at Harry before walking out the door at the back of the room.

Mrs. Weasley turned and greeted Harry somewhat stiffly before excusing herself and walking up the stairs.

"And so it begins," Harry muttered as he helped himself to some cookie dough.

"That wasn't like her at all," said Row with a frown. "She seemed almost, well…scared of you."

"She probably believes the prophet," Harry replied succinctly. "Or if not, then maybe she believes her children. They don't like me, Row; they might have told her I'm a raving lunatic for all we know."

Row continued to frown but said nothing, and the two waited in silence until the door opened again and Ginny Weasley entered.

"Row!" She exclaimed, giving her a hug. "I'm glad you came, it get so annoying around here without another girl around." She turned and her gaze landed on Harry. "Oh," she said, blushing slightly. "Hi, uh, Harry."

"Hello Ginny," Harry replied politely. "How are you?"

Ginny just blushed harder and it was Harry could do not to roll his eyes in exasperation. At that moment, the door directly behind Harry burst open and someone grabbed him by the shoulder, trying to push him out of the way. Instantly, Harry grabbed the offending hand by the wrist and stepped back, simultaneously pulling his attacker forward and swinging his other arm around his opponents neck. When he saw the telltale sign of bright red hair, he loosened his grip and let the boy go.

"What the hell, Potter?" Ron Weasley rasped, clutching his throat.

"Sorry," Harry replied, not really sorry at all. "Instinct."

Ron looked like he was going to say something else, but was cut off by Mr. Weasley.

"Now Ron, you didn't have to come barreling into the room like that," he said diplomatically. "And you definitely didn't have to grab young Harry here to force him out of the way."

"I'm guessing he won't do it again, in any case," said another young man from behind Mr. Weasley. Harry also noticed that Percy and the twins had entered the room and were watching the exchange. Harry turned his gaze back to the head of the Weasley family.

"Hello, Mr. Weasley," Harry greeted the man politely. "I apologize for that sir, but I don't like to be startled." Arthur Weasley nodded.

"Don't worry yourself, young man," he said, extending his hand. "Good to see you again. Ginny speaks very highly of you and your sister, and I'm glad to get this opportunity to talk with you." The man eyed him speculatively, and Harry understood the hidden message. Arthur Weasley didn't trust him, but he didn't mistrust him either, and that was something Harry could respect.

"I'm glad as well, sir," Harry said as he shook the man's hand. He turned to the other man next to him and introduced himself. Percy and twins gave him a brief nod as they followed Ron out of the room.

"Good to meet you Harry," the man said cordially. "I'm Charlie."

"Charlie works with dragons," Ginny piped up.

"Dragons, really?" Row squeaked. "Real dragons?"

Charlie laughed.

"Yes, real dragons. Have you ever seen one?" Row shook her head. "Well, you really should, they're amazing creatures. Just ask Ginny, she's seen the ones I work with."

Ginny joined their conversation while Harry continued to stand there somewhat awkwardly.

"You have a son who is a cursebreaker for Gingotts, right?" He asked, turning to Mr. Weasley. "Is he here?"

"No, I'm afraid Bill had to get back to work immediately," Mr. Weasley answered. "He's working on some very important sites in Egypt, and couldn't spare the time." He paused and looked into the kitchen, where Ron was helping himself to the cookies. "Tell me Harry, do you play Quidditch? I think the boys were just getting ready for a game."

"No, I've never played," admitted. "I just learned how to ride a broom not too long ago."

"Never played Quidditch?" Charlie asked, aghast. "That won't do at all. Hey Ron," he called into the kitchen. "Why didn't you tell us Harry had never played Quidditch before?"

Ron glared at Harry before answering.

"I didn't know," he admitted. "Why, scared Potter?"

Harry frowned and turned back to Charlie, ignoring him.

"Come on," the older boy said, leading him into the kitchen. You'll be with me and Ginny, Ron will be with Fred and George. We play to 100, no seeker, just a chaser, a keeper, and a beater. Sound good?"

"I didn't say I would play," Harry pointed out.

"Oh come on," Charlie replied. "You've never played before, it's fun, and over here you don't have to worry about too many people watching. What have you got to lose?"

Harry thought about that for a moment before deciding that he really didn't have anything to lose, and pulled out his shrunken Firebolt, ignoring the shocked looks on other boy's faces.

"Is that a Firebolt?" Charlie asked in awe.

"Yeah," Harry replied absently. "I've never actually tried it out, though."

"I've never even seen one of those," Charlie said as they made their way outside. "They're supposed to be absolutely amazing in the air, you're pretty lucky. Anyway, what position do you want to play, Harry?"

"Chaser," Harry answered after a moment of thought.

"Alright, that works perfectly. I'll be our beater and Ginny can play keeper, ok Gin?" Ginny nodded and the three took to the air.

"Everyone ready?" Called Arthur Weasley. "Begin!" He tossed the quaffle into the air and the game was on.

Having never actually handled a quaffle before, Harry was worried that he would drop it, but found it surprisingly easy to handle. The instant the ball left Mr. Weasley's hand, he shot in a dive and caught the ball easily before pulling up and darting past Fred, who was playing chaser for the opposing team.

He felt a bludger coming at him from the side and evaded it almost lazily before he aimed a shot at the far left ring and let go. Unfortunately, Harry had never been one for sports when he was younger, and the ball sailed well wide of the hoop before it was recovered by Ron who passed it to Fred.

Harry spun his broom around, marveling at its maneuverability and speed as he approached Fred from above, diving at the last moment to knock the quaffle from the older boys grip. Harry adjusted his dive and caught the ball as it fell to the ground before twisting around another bludger and shooting back down the pitch, once again aiming a shot and once again missing badly.

And so began possibly the strangest game of Quidditch ever witnessed at the Burrow. Harry's flying skills surpassed Fred's by so much that the redhead had only been able to get three shots on Ginny, scoring once. Harry, on the other hand, had lost count of how many times he had shot against Ron, but unfortunately the majority of his shots were so wild that they never had a chance. If it hadn't been obvious from the look on his face that Harry was trying very hard to score, Ron would have thought he was toying with them with the way he constantly stole the quaffle from Fred and lazily evaded bludgers from George. If Ron was honest with himself, he had to admit he'd never seen anyone fly as naturally as Harry Potter did. This, of course, only made him angrier.

Finally, after an hour of flying circles around everyone on the pitch but only scoring 4 times, Harry decided he'd had enough and motioned for Charlie and Ginny to follow him to the ground.

"Oi, what'd you think you're doing!" Ron called when he saw them. "The game's not over!"

"I don't want to play anymore," Harry called back. "Call it a draw, I'm hungry."

"There's no draws in Quidditch!" Ron yelled, aghast. "If you quit, you forfeit, that's the rule."

"Ok, then we forfeit," Harry replied, shrugging. All he'd really wanted to do was fly around anyway.

If possible, Ron's face turned even redder at that.

"Calm down, Ron," Charlie said reasonably. "He's not a Weasley, and this was his first game, so the usual rules don't apply."

"What's the matter, are you scared?" Ron yelled, ignoring his brother. "Afraid you'll get hurt, or embarrass yourself?" He called nastily.

Completely ignoring Ron's taunts, Harry turned and started back towards the house, where he was met by a laughing Jack and Row.

"That was awesome! You looked like you were born in the air," he exclaimed, slapping Harry on the back. "Angela, that's one of the girl's I'm here to meet, said you're the best she's ever seen."

"I don't know about that," Harry said modestly. "I couldn't seem to hit those rings to save my life. Still, it was nice to get out any fly, at least."

When they reached the house, Mr. Weasley approached them.

"That was some very impressive flying, Harry," he said. "Are you on your house team?"

Harry snorted.

"I'm afraid the Slytherin house team is bought and paid for by Draco Malfoy, and he doesn't like me very much. So no, I'm not on my house team. I just like to fly."

"I'd say you do a fair job of it, too," Charlie said with a grin.

"Yes, I can understand why," Mr. Weasley agreed. "And I understand what you mean about the Malfoys; they think they can buy anything."

Harry shrugged.

"In this case, they're right."

"What's the big idea, Potter?" Harry turned to find Ron Weasley storming up to him angrily. "I know we're better than you, but I didn't expect you to forfeit like a coward."

"I didn't feel like playing anymore," Harry replied with a shrug.

"Leave him alone, Ron," Mr. Weasley broke in smoothly. "For his first Quidditch match, I'd say he did pretty well." Ron glared daggers at Harry and stormed out of the room.

"If you don't mind me asking, Harry," said Mr. Weasley when Ron had left. "Ron doesn't seem to like you very much, do you know why?"

"Don't know and don't care," Harry replied succinctly. Mr. Weasley frowned and shot a look at Charlie, who was about to respond when Albus Dumbledore entered the room, followed by the absolute last person Harry wanted to see: Severus Snape.

Snape, for his part, didn't appear to be any happier about the situation than Harry was, if the scowl on his face was any indication.

"Ah, hello Harry," Dumbledore greeted him jovially. "Having fun?"

"What's he doing here," Harry asked coldly.

"Mr. Thomas asked specifically for his presence, Harry," Dumbledore admonished slightly.

Remembering what Jack had said before, Harry scowled but said nothing. Dumbledore greeted Mr. Weasley as well and Harry went back outside to get Jack.

"Jack, Snape's here," he said, coming up next to the older boy. "Do you want Row and I to stay with you?"

Jack took a deep breath but shook his head. Harry gave him a questioning look, to which Jack shook his head more firmly.

"No, I have to do this alone."

Harry sighed.

"Alright, just don't look him in the eyes."

As much as he didn't like it, Harry knew this was something that Jack had to do, and turned to go back inside just as Snape and Dumbledore came out.

"No wands," Harry said, standing in front of the two Professors.

"What?" Snape asked incredulously.

"I said no wands," Harry repeated slowly. "I don't trust you, so give your wand to the headmaster."

"Why you-" Snape snarled, but was cut off by Dumbledore.

"It is a reasonable request, Severus," he said calmly. "The boy is no threat to you, certainly."

Fuming, Snape pulled out his wand and thrust it into Dumbledore hand before returning his vicious glare to Harry, who ignored him and walked calmly back inside.

Dumbledore came in shortly thereafter, and since he had no desire to actually have a conversation with the old wizard, Harry promptly excused himself. As he walked around the Burrow, his mind wandered between being worried about Jack and worried that he'd run into another Weasley. Finally, he decided he'd take a walk outside and started toward the front door, where he found Charlie.

"Hey Harry," Charlie greeted him. "I see from the look on your face that you've seen Snape."

"He's here to see Jack," Harry replied.

"Yeah, I know," Charlie answered. "Dad told me about your situation. I know it doesn't count for much, but I'm sorry. Fudge can be a real git when he wants to. Any idea what you're going to do?"

"Not yet." Harry answered succinctly.

"I'm sure there are lot of families that would be happy to take you," Charlie continued. "It just seems pretty ridiculous when you've been living on your own for so long."

Harry nodded but said nothing, and Charlie laughed.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

Harry shook his head.

"No."

Charlie shook his head in amusement and was about to respond when they heard a commotion coming from the back of the house. With Charlie close behind him, Harry walked swiftly back inside to investigate.

What he found was a disheveled Severus Snape being magically restrained by Albus Dumbledore. When he took a closer look at Snape and realized that his right eye was swelling up, he grinned. Unfortunately, Snape chose that exact moment to look at him.

"YOU PLANNED THIS!" Snape roared. "I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS, POTTER! YOU-" He was abruptly silenced by a very tired looking Albus Dumbledore, who gave a heavy sigh.

"I trust this was not your intention, Harry?" He asked.

"Harry had nothing to do with it," Jack said angrily as he entered the room. "That foul bastard is no uncle of mine, and he deserved a lot worse for what he said." He glared at Snape. "If I ever see him again, it will be too soon." He said coldly.

"Very well," Dumbledore sighed. "Then we will be leaving. I hope that our meeting tomorrow goes more smoothly." He finished with a slight warning in his tone. Harry was about to tell him exactly what he could do with his warnings, but the two had already vanished from the room.

Harry turned to look at Jack, who was still fuming.

"I take it he was his usual self, then?"

"Too right," Jack snorted. "He's everything you said and more. Hell, I'm glad he never came around before, and that's saying something."

"I'm sorry," Harry said earnestly. "I know you were hoping for something better."

Jack paused in thought for a moment before replying.

"I actually hate him now," he said softly. "I hate my own uncle, how about that?"

There was a pregnant pause before Harry replied.

"Think about who you're talking to, Jack," he said quietly.

Jack's eyes widened and he started to apologize, but Harry just waved him off.

"Don't worry about it, it's over." He eyed Jack seriously. "The three of us have each other now, and that's all that matters." Jack could only nod solemnly in reply as the two rejoined the others in the dining room.

"Oi, did you really hit Snape?" One of the twins asked Jack when they entered. Jack nodded sheepishly.

"Our hero has arrived!" The twins exclaimed together, motioning Jack over to them. "Jack, my boy, I believe we'll be great friends! Have a seat."

Jack looked at the two skeptically, but took a seat on their side of the table. Harry took his own seat across from them in-between Row and Charlie. The group made small talk as they ate.

"So then, Rowena, Ginny tells me that you're quite the student." Molly Weasley said after a while, throwing a look at the twins. "Tell me, what subjects do you enjoy most?"

"Actually, I like all my subjects, Mrs. Weasley," Row said. "But Charms is probably my favorite."

"It certainly won't be potions after what your brother just did," George laughed. Mrs. Weasley threw him a warning glare.

"I hear good things about you from the Ravenclaw prefects," Percy put in pompously. "If continue, you have a chance at becoming a prefect yourself."

"And then you can be like ickle perfect prefect Percy!" Fred said sarcastically.

"And she'd want to do that why?" Jack muttered, earning him a laugh from both Fred and George and a glare from Percy.

"Oh you boys, hush," Mrs. Weasley said. "Why charms dear?" She asked, turning back to Row.

"What did he say that made you hit him, anyway?" Fred asked Jack, turning away from his mother's conversation.

Jack's face clouded over.

"I really would rather not say," he said quietly.

"Understandable, of course," Mr. Weasley broke in. "That man has never had a friendly temperament."

There were scattered chuckles at this before Molly Weasley stood and announced that it was time for dessert.

Most of the Weasley's faces lit up at that, as did Row's, but Harry found himself feeling uneasy. Jack was talking and laughing with the twins, and Row was giggling quietly with Ginny, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.

"Something wrong, Harry?" Charlie asked him quietly.

Harry shook his head.

"I'm feeling a bit lightheaded," he lied. "Maybe it was all that Quidditch."

"I'm sorry to hear that," the older boy said earnestly. "I thought maybe you were feeling uncomfortable with the rest of our family because of Ron." Harry looked at him sharply as he continued. "He's always been a bit of a hothead, so don't take anything he says too seriously." He chuckled. "It looks like you tend to set him off."

Harry shrugged.

"He doesn't like me, that's no secret. And to be honest, I've got more important things to worry about."

Charlie considered the young man seriously for a moment, but could only nod in acknowledgement before turning back to his desert.

------------------------------------------------

Harry and Row returned to Hogwarts on January 2nd, and Harry spent the first two weeks of term trying desperately to find a solution to the adoption problem. Every day brought them closer to the April 1st deadline, and yet he was no closer to finding an answer than he had been when Dumbledore gave him the news. In the weeks following their visit to the Weasleys, Harry, Jack, and Row had met with two of their potential foster families, and neither meeting had gone well.

The Edgecombs had seemed like a nice enough group, that is until Mrs. Edgecomb realized that Jack was a squib, and immediately forbade any child of hers from contact with him. That had ended their meeting rather suddenly.

Their second meeting, with the Macmillan family, had gone better, but it was far from a perfect fit. It was immediately clear where Ernie Macmillan got his fondness for rules, as his father laid out a typical summer schedule with nearly every hour already planned out. Harry had used legilimency to determine the man's motivations, and although he did detect an honest desire to help, the idea of currying favor with Dumbledore and the notoriety from raising such well-known children were the two primary reasons he was interested. Harry let the meeting proceed as planned, but inwardly he decided he would rather go to Plan B than live with the Macmillans.

Their third meeting, with the Davies family, was schedule for January 15th, but Mr. Davies contacted Dumbledore at the last moment and said that he would have to reschedule because of a family emergency. That left their last meeting with the Diggorys, scheduled for January 22nd.

Since the 22nd was a Sunday, Harry and Row spent the early part of the day studying before they met Dumbledore in his office. Together, he and Row portkeyed to their flat to pick up Jack before taking another portkey to the Diggory house. They arrived in the living room and were immediately greeted by a tall, brunette woman who introduced herself as Pricilla Diggory.

"Thank you for having us, Mrs. Diggory," Row said politely. "You have a lovely home."

"Why thank you child," Mrs. Diggory replied with a smile. "The men are waiting in the sitting room, if you'll follow me."

The three followed Mrs. Diggory down a long hallway that ended in a smaller, cozy looking room where Amos and Cedric Diggory sat, talking in low tones to one another.

"Ah, you must be Harry then," Mr. Diggory said as they entered, standing to shake his hand. "And this must be Row, which makes you Jack. A pleasure to meet you."

"A pleasure to meet you too sir," Jack replied formally.

"This is my son Cedric," Cedric stood and shook Jack's hand as well, but made no move to acknowledge Harry. "Of course, you two must know that, going to Hogwarts and all." Mr. Diggory gave his son a proud look. "I'd imagine he's quite the popular one, am I right?"

Harry was about to respond when he noticed that Row was blushing rather profusely, and frowned.

"Hello Cedric," Row said shyly. When he smiled at her, her flush deepened. Jack turned his gaze from Row to glare at Cedric.

"Ah yes," Mr. Diggory chuckled. "Quite the heartbreaker, aren't you Ced? Now then," he said, his face growing serious. "You know why we're all here. Personally, I think it's absolutely despicable that the Minister would try to force you apart, but," he paused for a moment with a strange look on his face, and Harry hastily withdrew his legilimency probe. Mr. Diggory shook his head before continuing. "Where was I? Oh yes, the minister. Well, as I'm sure you know, there isn't much to be done. Pricilla and I never intended Cedric to be an only child, but things don't always go as planned, so here we are. Let me begin by saying that if you do choose to come stay with us, Jack will be welcome anytime. In fact, we'd be happy to have you live with us as well."

Jack looked speechless at that.

"Don't look so surprised," Mrs. Diggory chuckled. "Not all pure-blood families hold such backward beliefs about squibs. My Great Aunt couldn't cast a spell to save her life, but she was a fearsome woman in her own right." She regarded Jack kindly. "We'd be happy to have you."

Harry was careful not to make the same mistake twice, but found that unlike her husband, Mrs. Diggory had no occlumency training, and surprisingly, everything she said was true.

"Well, I think I speak for all us when I say that's a relief," Jack said jokingly. The Diggorys all smiled.

"We understand that you've been living by yourselves for some time," Mrs. Diggory continued. "And we don't want to jeopardize what you already have with each other."

"Of course, we'd expect you to live by the same rules Cedric does," Mr. Diggory said seriously. "We understand that may be hard for you to accept, and believe me when I say we'll do our best to respect your independence. If anything, we see ourselves more as guardians than parents."

"Yes, you all seem very mature already," Mrs. Diggory said with a smile. "But we'd be happy to talk to you about anything, anything at all." Both Mr. and Mrs. Diggory smiled.

"Dad?" Cedric broke in. "I'd like to have a word with Harry in private, if you don't mind."

Mr. Diggory looked at his son quizzically for a moment before he threw a questioning look at Harry. Harry nodded and stood to follow Cedric out of the room. Cedric led him down the hallway and into a smaller room that appeared to be some sort of office.

"Ok, Potter, here's the deal," Cedric began when they were alone. "Dumbledore says that most of the rumors going around about you aren't true, and that's good enough for me at Hogwarts, but not when it comes to my family." He looked at Harry seriously. "If you're going to be living here, I have to trust you, and right now, I can't do that."

"First, I need to know what rumors you're talking about," Harry replied.

"Don't play dumb," Cedric said angrily. "Even if you're not behind it, you still know what's going on, and that's bad enough."

"Actually, I don't know what's going," Harry said, narrowing his eyes. "Why don't you tell me?"

"You want to act that way? Fine." Cedric went to the desk behind him and picked up a vial. "Then you won't mind answering some questions under Veritaserum."

Inwardly, Harry cringed.

"If you want to know something, I suggest you just ask."

"Will you take it or not?" Cedric demanded.

Harry knew he was trapped. He couldn't take the Veritaserum, of course, not without knowing the questions Cedric was going to ask. All it would take was a question like "what do you not want to tell me," and all of Harry's secrets would be laid bare. It was possible that he would be able to fight the potion, but that wasn't a chance he was willing to take. He sighed.

"No."

Cedric looked at him sadly.

"I see."

With that, he put the vial back on the desk and walked back down the hall to the sitting room. Harry followed him, and entered to find Jack and Row laughing at something Mrs. Diggory had just said. They smiled when he entered, but Cedric went immediately to his father and whispered something in his ear, causing him to frown.

"I thought we settled this already," Harry overheard him say.

"I'm sorry," Cedric replied in a normal voice. "But I don't trust him, no matter what Dumbledore says."

Jack and Row looked at Harry quizzically, who shook his head.

"Excuse us for a moment, please," Mr. Diggory said, leaving the room with Cedric.

"What was that all about?" Row asked when they had gone.

"He's afraid I'm evil, like the papers said, I guess," Harry said with a sigh.

"Oh, I'm sure that's not it," Mrs. Diggory said lightly. "Amos was the one who investigated what happened at Hogwarts, after all. He's never spoken ill of you to us, I know that much."

Harry just shrugged at her and the four of them made small talk for a while before Mr. Diggory returned to the room alone.

"I'm sorry about that, Harry," he said.

"You don't have to apologize," Harry said, waving the man off. "You should know, I seem to have a knack for making more enemies than friends."

Both Diggorys eyed him sadly and Harry found himself hoping someone would change the subject.

"So," Row broke the uncomfortable silence. "What else can you tell us about living here?"

The rest of the meeting continued without incident, and when it was over Harry and Row portkeyed back to their flat with Jack before returning to Hogwarts. All three of them agreed that the Diggorys seemed like the obvious choice, and that the only potential problem was with Cedric. Harry promised to see what he could do about that in the coming weeks.

Apart from the adoption issue, the rest of Harry's time at Hogwarts was remarkably quiet. He continued with his patronus lessons, and the first week in February, Lupin was finally able to create a primitive nightmare ward that would re-create a lighter version of the terror inspired by dementors. Although Harry found the ward distracting, it only took him two lessons before he was able to completely overcome it and cast his patronus without difficulty. Lupin had been absolutely amazed and stated that he could try to make the ward stronger, but other than that Harry had learned everything he had to teach.

Truth be told, Harry was more interested in the spell itself than its effects. Because it was only a weak ward, it consisted of a focus stone and only one set of 5 rune stones, 5 being the number of the mind in Arithmancy, and therefore the best choice for a ward with mental effects. Because the desired effects were dark in nature, each rune stone was inscribed with a rune carefully selected from the set of six; meaning that each rune was drawn using 6 separate movements, since six is the Arithmancy number associated with dark or evil purpose. And yet, as complicated as it all was, Harry found that seeing a ward constructed in front of his eyes helped him understand the process much more clearly, and he resolved to test his new knowledge soon.

The Saturday after his second Patronus lesson, Harry decided to join Blaise and Tracey in Hogsmede. He hadn't spent much time with his Slytherin friends in the last few months, though with all he had to deal with, it simply couldn't be helped.

As they were walking, Harry noticed Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle glance around furtively as they slipped away from the main group and walked behind a building. Harry told his friends he'd catch up before he slipped away and made himself invisible to see what the blond boy was up to. As he came around the building, he saw a very familiar scene: three Slytherin students standing over a Hufflepuff girl he recognized as Hannah Abbot.

"So mudblood," Malfoy said with an evil smirk. "Lost your friends, have you?"

"L-Leave me alone," the blond girl stammered, looking around wildly.

"Oh, I don't think so," Malfoy said casually. "You didn't think you could get away with it, did you? Potter knows what you've been saying about him." He grinned. "And that's bad for you."

"I never said anything!" Hannah said frantically. "I've never done anything to Potter!"

"That's not what he said," Malfoy said with a smirk as he raised his wand. He was about to curse the helpless girl, but two loud crashes broke his concentration, and he turned to see both Crabbe and Goyle lying unconscious against the side of the building. He spun around to face their attacker, but was thrown back as a disarming charm hit him. Looking up from where he'd landed, his eyes landed on one very angry Harry Potter.

"Don't move," Harry snapped as Hannah started to get up. He turned his gaze back to Malfoy. "So, this is your little game, then. You gang up on other students and tell them I made you do it. Fracta." The bone-breaking hex caught Malfoy in the arm, and he screamed. Harry watched him dispassionately before turning back to Abbott. "I didn't tell him to do this. In fact, I've never told him to do anything. I'm not the leader of Slytherin, and I have no desire to be. Maybe now you'll believe me."

Hannah was looking at Harry with wide-eyes, and could only nod dumbly.

"Y-You, you're not with them?" She finally managed to squeak.

"No, I'm not with them, and they're not with me," Harry replied as he hit Malfoy with stinging hex and banished him into the wall again. "In fact, if any of the Slytherins pick on you again, you tell me, and I'll deal with it." Harry's eyes narrowed. "Painfully. Fracta." This time it was Malfoy's left leg that shattered, and he writhed in pain for a moment before Harry finally stunned him. He turned to see Hannah looking at him fearfully.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said with a sigh. "Go back to your housemates and tell them what happened. Tell the them the truth. Understand?" Hannah nodded slowly and backed away. Harry threw one more disgusted look at Malfoy and his group before he enervated Crabbe and Goyle and threw them back their wands.

"He'll need to get to the hospital wing," Harry said casually as he walked off. He smirked when he heard one of the goons enervate Malfoy, who immediately screamed to be stunned again. As Harry made his way back to the high street, he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. When he turned his gaze to see what had caused it, he stopped dead.

Standing not twenty feet away from him, partially hidden by the underbrush, was a quite large, very shaggy, and very black dog.

A/N Ok, that is definitely the longest chapter to date. I thought about ending it a couple of other places, but this seemed fitting.
Next chapter will have a lot more action than this chapter, including Sirius, Dementors, and Fudge, Oh my
As always, comments are appreciated, and thanks for reading!