Chapter eight: The Wards and The Orders.

Syria Zabini frowned as she felt the wards around Privet Drive wash over her as she entered – they were strong but there was something wrong about them. When Blaise had explained the feeling of compulsion to turn around and leave and not speak with Potter she had worried.

Dark wards. Dark magic.

Even the strongest of wards that should be around Harry Potter (set up by Dumbledore) should be light not the darkest – Blood Magic despite when the Ministry said was extremely light magic.

Good thing she was a wards mistress for Gringotts them wasn't it! Beside her was Bill Weasley who she had called in on the strictest of confidence and unbreakable oath of silence that the head-goblins had got from all of their workers.

"Isn't this…?"

"Harry, yes." Syria nodded swiftly glancing around the empty house in disgust – the only room that was good enough was Harry's and that was because Blaise had been the one to decorate it. Everything was just too clean and too normal! "Don't you feel the compulsions? The heaviness of the wards? Like its compressing you,"

"I – I feel like going to Fudge to give him a report on Harry," Bill admitted shifting as he glancing around for any signs of them being heard or watched. Syria hummed and nodded in agreement, "And I really don't like Fudge."

"Or Dumbledore. My magic feels draining too,"

"Like it's using it to hold the wards up." Bill added though there was no need for it, finally the two of them made their way down to the basement were the wards were rooted – Syria wondering just how the headmaster had managed this if the muggles hated magic.

Looking over the runes in disgust she could easily see where it had been altered over the years and added too – the runes for the wards – and also which had been hand done or purposely by magic…others, the newest, looked like they had been added via magic itself they were so flawless.

That should be impossible though unless the wards were keyed to you – so either Harry or Dumbledore…though the latter shouldn't be able to do such thing without coming here and even he couldn't have been able to get through the apparition wards.

Portkey maybe except that there were wards against that too unless Harry himself as the 'magical-keeper' of the house – aka the only wizard living here – gave direct permission for the portkey as such that Blaise had used for the shopping trip. Harry had told her only that morning that he hadn't ever seen Dumbledore around Privet Drive only the three professors that had been to visit a few days prior.

It had to be Harry then, unconiously maybe or accidental magic? The goblins had warned all they trained about such things. Children accidently adding to the wards because they felt threatened or other strong emotions such as hate – though said child/teenager had to have the knowledge of the runes in the first place and from what her son had told her it could well be possible.

"We need to take all of these down minus the blood ward and start again," She informed her younger partner sighing – it could take hours if not days to get this completed. "Also leave the distraction ward, it's a muggle distraction should Harry need to sneak out or something…and wards connecting to his room that are recent."

"Privacy and a few amateur protections." Bill listed off after checking overlooking impressed, "It's a good idea for those to be there, a final layer of defence maybe? We could add a few,"

"Owl wards, useless." Syria mumbled to herself erasing the runes – if you had the rune stones then it was so simple. "Compulsion to report to ministry or headmaster, yeah right. Magic suppressant…probably to stop accidental magic."
"Should have been removed hours ago."
"One that stops fire…could be useful?" Syria said passing over that particular one until Bill pointed something out to her - this was a muggle house. And from what they had seen on the way in everything including the fire place was artificial. "It's an elemental suppressant. If there can't be fire then…"
"He can't practice it." Bill agreed erasing it himself, Charlie had the same problem with water (why he was great with dragons – he could stop the flames) and his parents had placed a ward around the house until he was old enough to understand, nothing more than a light breeze could appear near the house in the wards. "That's two that should have been removed at age eleven if not younger. How about this one…it isn't one that I'm familiar with?"

"Sanitas…a health monitor." She said after looking over the rune for a while, it was an old one that barely anyone would know on sight. "Dumbledore must have used it to keep an eye on Harry to make sure of no physical abuse or attacks."

"Remove it?"

"Leave it – it'll be best to have it anyway. It links to the ministry," Syria informed him with a quirky smile…hardly anyone knew it but unspeakable and old people. "It's used in muggleborn homes usually, or used to be, to make sure no harm came to them. Even Dumbledore would have been required to hand partial control to St. Mugos and the ministry."

Meanwhile whilst the two warders altered, took away and added to the wards of his house Harry was on a trampoline in the studio – a bit random? Not really. The spring of it helped the body become accustomed to adding power for height and such for backflips. Sensei Vesey had two people on the trampolines (separate ones) whilst the others 'spotted' in case someone fell off.

"Come on Potter! You can't be scarred!" Blaise taunted from the side, Harry shot him a fierce glare whilst trying to work up his courage to do a backflip. Front he was perfectly fine with – he could see what he was doing. "You've fell over 15ft and you're scared of this?!"

"No taunting Zabini." Sensei growled walking over and practically just jumping onto the high trampoline beside Harry who moved back slightly nervous. "Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Harry, come here."

Harry hesitated but in the slight second that he did his sensei had grabbed his wrist anyway and thrown him in the air easily – yelping he twisted around before landing awkwardly and on his back near the edge of the trampoline,

"That…wasn't too bad." He admitted getting up and moving back towards the centre, allowing the sensei to show him a few more times – once he could do the backflip himself he just had to work on the landings.

"Harry. Stay and help put them away." Sensei ordered as the others moved towards the changing rooms, apart from the trampolining they had done the normal blocking practice, kicks and had all faced each other colour by colour or the one above. "I've noticed that you spend a lot of time practicing."

"Yes sensei, everyday sir."

"Morning Harry!" Hunter smirked as they entered into the main office, he was lazing on the sofa in there – Harry smiled back politely before looking back at Chase who had sat behind his desk. "I have been speaking to Mrs Zabini; Blaise comes in three times a week during school time."

"Yes sir," Harry acknowledged,

"I want you here at least five." Chase told him bluntly, Harry coughed a little bit and stared at the man with a are you freaking serious expression, "You have been here near two months now – Blaise and Marcus have been on Blue belt since seven months ago. I want you to their level before the next test."

"Yes sensei."

"Do you know if your school is opening soon?" Chase asked leaning back in his chair, Harry responded negatively and that they didn't go until September, "Good. No need to worry about leaving school then – you are to be here for normal lessons as well as all day Sunday and all day Tuesday."

They met on Monday, Thursday and Saturday normally.

"Yes sir…" Harry nodded before he was dismissed, just as he got to the door he turned to his sensei with a curious look on his face, "Why though sir? I'm just an average student, why me and not the others?"

"You'll see Harrison." Chase told him mysteriously smiling, Harry raised an eyebrow at the use of his full real name, "You'll see. And I don't think you are 'just average' at anything young man."

"But…"

"Go!" Sensei barked him pointing to the door, an undertone of treat to it that made Harry shudder – last time some (cough – Blaise – cough) hadn't listened to a direct order he'd been set laps through the full two hour lesson along with 60 push-ups the next lesson as well.

Harry was still pondering why the sensei was acting the way he did and ordering more lessons when he reached the house again – instantly feeling sooth and safe. A smirking Syria Zabini and Bill Weasley were sat in his room drinking tea and looking way too smug. Sighing he sat down and listened to their 'adventures' into the mystery of Privet Drives wards…he did faint though when they told him about the magic suppressant and elemental suppressant wards, so long as the original ward was strong (the blood ward) then all the others would affect him even away from the house.

The Potter heir's last conscious thought before he fainted was 'is someone trying to mess with my life or is it just coincidence...maybe they had just forgot about the wards there?'. All Syria and Bill could do was watch in amusement as the boy fell backwards onto the well conjured bean-bag on the floor…now he knew they could go and remove those two wards and leave him be.