Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Warnings: Violence , Gore and Lemons(Much Later)

Chapter 16

As Hermione explained the situation that Daphne was in, she looked at the various reactions of the people that were surrounding her.

Her parents were, understandably, quite angry, and had immediately told her that they would allow Daphne to stay here as long as she needed to, but asked Hermione what Daphne would do when they would be leaving for their annual family vacation or Hogwarts for that matter. Hermione had no answer to that question, and they decided that they would discuss it with Daphne later.

Looking at Harry, she was surprised, but at the same time, not. He didn't ask her questions about why she was willing to help her, or why she considered Daphne her friend. His face was set in anger, and was visibly trying to suppress it. She had never felt so proud to call Harry her friend.

After Hermione had finished, silence reigned in the room. Hermione thought back to the conversation that she had with Harry shortly after he had informed her of her parent's decision.

"But we decided that we wouldn't tell anyone about this, except maybe Sirius and Remus! If we were to tell my parents about this, I'm sure that they would freak out. They wouldn't understand. I haven't even told them about the troll for this very reason!" Hermione exclaimed with and incredulous expression directed at Harry.

"You have to come clean about our previous adventures anyway; I think that we can use it to our advantage." Harry suggested calmly, a hesitant look in his eyes. He wasn't sure how Hermione would react to his suggestion; the idea was definitely a bit manipulative in nature.

"What did you have in mind?" Hermione asked curiously, she had noticed the fleeting look of hesitance in his eyes.

"Just tell them enough to sate their curiosity, and quell their concerns. Tell them that the Headmaster decided that it would be better for our safety if we were to become Apprentices, in order to help train us better for the situations that we find ourselves in. They didn't buy our story of the Nutrient Potion, but I'm sure that after you tell them about the Apprenticeship, and we stick to our Potion theory, they would accept it." Harry said with a neutral expression on his face. But Hermione could detect slight traces of apprehension on his face, but she only saw it due to her close relationship with him.

Hermione pondered over Harry's idea in her head. She was honestly surprised that Harry had thought of that in the short time that had passed. It was something that she would expect from Daphne, not Harry. If they went through with Harry's idea, she could convince her parents with the official document that they had signed to be submitted at the Ministry, though Perenelle had informed them that the significant details would only be known by a single person that Perenelle trusted inside the Ministry, someone named Amelia Bones, who was the Head of the Department of Law Enforcement. And as an added benefit, she and Harry would not have to sneak out of the house every day to get to their training.

On the downside, while technically not lying, she had always considered the omission of facts as lying. And she didn't want to do that to her parents. Again.

"I don't know Harry. It might backfire on us, my parents could think that this was the last straw, and withdraw me from Hogwarts." Hermione said worriedly.

Harry again tried wracking his brains, but could not come up with something more convincing.

"I think we should do it. But you have to promise me that you won't try to take the blame on yourself. " Hermione said, bringing Harry out of his thoughts. The only response he gave was nodding at her silently.

Hermione cast a nervous glance at Harry and after Harry nodded at her and smiled his support, she turned towards her parents with a determined expression. She still had trouble believing that she was actually going through with this. She knew for a fact that such a thought would not even have passed her mind a mere few days ago.

"Mum, dad." Hermione started, gaining her parent's attention.

"Yes dear?" Emma asked gently. She was still quite shocked to hear Daphne's situation, her motherly instincts had kicked in and she had immediately glared at Dan as he had started to open his mouth, no doubt intent on grilling Hermione for more information about it. It was not as if it would make a difference to them. Being doctors, and quite successful ones at that, they had an overabundance of money, but didn't flaunt it. Having two of Hermione's friend living with them would not be a problem. Dan had initially become suspicious when Emma had informed him of Hermione's request, and Emma had to sit down with him and explain that Harry was just Hermione's friend and there was nothing afoot.

"There is something that I would like to tell you." Hermione said, her eyes looking intently at her parents.

Dan and Emma glanced at each other, and then turned their attention towards Hermione.

(Break)

"Why did you lie to us Hermione?" Emma asked after Hermione had finished telling her parents about everything that they had agreed on, ending with the Apprenticeship.

"At the time, I didn't think that you would understand, and would pull me out of school, thinking that you would protect me by doing that." Hermione said.

"Are these types of incidents common in the Wizarding World?" Dan asked a bit curious despite the situation.

"Um, not exactly, no." Hermione replied a bit of nervousness creeping back into her voice.

"So why were you targeted?" Dan asked.

"I guess it was partly our fault and a lot of bad luck, we went to investigate things that we were warned against." Hermione said. She glanced at Harry as she said this, knowing that he would feel that it was his fault somehow.

"So what you told your mother earlier about taking Supplement Potions, was that true?" Dan asked with a stern expression on his face.

"Yes dad, that was completely true. Being Petrified wasn't exactly healthy for me." Hermione said calmly.

"Tell me more about this Mentor of yours, Mrs Perenelle Flamel?" Emma asked, fishing for information, trying to determine if her daughter was lying to them again. She was sure that Hermione wasn't lying, but it didn't hurt to be sure.

"She was Professor Dumbledore's mentor as well. She is very knowledgeable about the Wizarding World and has many Masteries under her belt. She was the one who approached us, this summer." Hermione said calming down slightly; this was something that was relatively safer to talk about.

"She must be . . . uh, very old." Emma said, struggling to not offend Hermione's mentor.

"She is, but her husband is the only known creator of the Philosopher's Stone. She is over 6 centuries old." Hermione said with a smile.

"It just all seems so unbelievable . . ." Dan said.

"So what exactly are you expecting to learn under her mentorship?" Emma asked excitedly.

Hermione smiled at her mother's enthusiasm, and released a silent sigh of relief.

"Well, she gave us a couple of books to read for the week, and after that she will be telling us of any further expectations. Her teachings will really help me with my career options." Hermione said.

Harry was slightly surprised that Hermione had already started to think about what she wanted to do in her life after Hogwarts; she hadn't said anything about that to him.

"What are your thoughts on this Harry?" Emma asked with a smile.

Harry was startled slightly by the unexpected question, and took a while to properly formulate his answer.

"Well, I haven't thought about what I intend to do after Hogwarts, but looking at it on a short term basis, I guess it would help me survive the adventures that I find myself in. On a lighter note, it will definitely help me improve my grades. I think it is time that Hermione finally had a competitor at Hogwarts." Harry said with a cheeky grin directed at Hermione.

"Well, I think that you don't have to worry about your career right now Harry, Hermione probably has her whole life planned out by now." Dan said, laughing heartily at the affronted look on his daughter's face.

After that, Emma told Hermione to show him, the house and the room that he would be staying in, while she prepared dinner.

The Granger's house was a duplex bungalow, with 4 Bedrooms overall and 3 bathrooms. Two of the bedrooms were on the ground floor, while two bedrooms that were occupied by Hermione and her parents were on the first floor. The door of the house opened to the hall where Hermione informed him that the family sat down to watch the telly, and the kitchen was joined to the separate dining room towards the right side of the house. The two guest bedrooms were on the left side. Hermione told him that the first floor consisted of little more than the two bedrooms, and that she would show Harry her room later.

She was apparently saving the best for last, because as she led him to the sliding glass doors, at the end of the hallway consisting of the guest bedrooms, Harry was amazed to see the large garden, fitted with a fountain the middle, and two hammocks. The garden was properly maintained, and had a multitude of flower bushes surrounding the edges, with a fine sheen of green grass, in the middle. It was a truly relaxing place to be in, considering there was a small swimming pool there as well. It wasn't big enough to properly swim in, but it was perfect to laze about in the water on hot summer days. Hermione informed him that it was 15 meters long and 8 meters wide, with a maximum depth of 6 feet.

"You never told me that you had a swimming pool in your backyard. Do you know how to swim?" Harry asked.

"It never came up, besides, it wasn't really relevant. And yes, I know how to swim, I could teach you if you like." Hermione said.

"Maybe if we have time, I don't know how much time we will have to ourselves this summer." Harry said with a distracted wave.

"Come on, I'll show you to your room. I think I will freshen up before dinner, you should too." Hermione said.

The guest bedroom was bigger than what Harry was used to at the Dursleys and the bed was decidedly more comfortable. It was decked in a soft cream colour, and had an attached bath that Hermione informed him, was shared by the other guest bedroom. Other than that there was a standard, dresser, and a cupboard.

"Harry, about Daphne . . ." Hermione started hesitantly as Harry plopped down on the bed, testing it out. He turned his head towards Hermione, and looking at her hesitant expression, smiled slightly.

"It's okay, Hermione. I won't judge you for your friendship with her, and I understand why you felt that you needed to keep it a secret from me. But I have to admit I am a bit curious how you two met." Harry said.

"I didn't mean to keep it a secret from you Harry, but I didn't think that Ron would appreciate my friendship with her." Hermione said with relief in her voice.

"Yeah, I can imagine his reaction." Harry said with a grimace.

"Dinner will be ready in 10 minutes!" came the shout from the kitchen.

"We'll talk after dinner." Hermione said and went out the room.

Harry brought out his wand and un-shrunk his belongings, preferring to keep it in the trunk itself. He got out a few clothes that he thought were not too shabby, and with a few well-placed shrinking charms and a few repairs here and there, he thought that he had acceptable muggle clothing. He laid it out on the bed and entered the shower.

(Break)

Dinner was enjoyable, and Harry got to learn a lot about the Granger's practice and their lives in general. But it was majorly boring for him as Hermione recounted her year spent at Hogwarts, though he was careful to not show his boredom. Still it seemed that Hermione had picked up on it, and she would give him small apologetic smiles occasionally.

After dinner was finished Hermione surprised her parents when she cleaned up the dishes with a quick wave of her wand, and then she spent some time with parents showing them some simple charms that she had learnt at Hogwarts. She told her parents that being an Apprentice; she was exempted from the rule concerning underage magic.

As it was getting late, Emma told both teens to get to bed. The two teens decided that their talk could wait, and both went to their rooms to get some much needed sleep after their tiring day.

(Break)

Harry turned around on his side, praying for sleep to claim him. He had been lying down, and sleep did not come to him. It was as if his body was just too full of energy to fall asleep. He didn't get it at all, he hadn't fed today, but still he was not feeling the thirst. There was something going on with him that was not normal. He almost smacked himself at that thought. Of course there was something unusual about him, after all, he was the bloody Boy-Who-Lived, seemingly cursed to have something wrong with him all the time.

Sighing in frustration for the umpteenth time, he got up and switched on the lights of his room. If he couldn't fall asleep, he figured that he could always read his History Of Magic book, it had never failed in putting him to sleep before. He carefully got out of bed, being mindful of Hedwig's sleeping form and opened his trunk, searching for the History of Magic textbook. As he was searching for that, he caught sight of Mastering Your Mind by Ryos Grimhill, the book on Occlumency that Perenelle had given them earlier. Figuring that he might as well read that, and hope that it would help him sleep, he took it back to the bed and lay down comfortably, and began reading

He read through the introduction, slightly surprised that the author wasn't human, and as soon as he started on the actual subject, he was hooked, all vestiges of sleep lost in from his mind. . He discovered an attached note from Perenelle, stating that even though the Dwarves had a different name for Occlumency, she had edited the book to make it easier to understand.

"Occlumency, the art of Mastering your mind, is an art that has proved necessary for Dwarves and is practiced by them to help them protect their secrets and their lives. The practice was first developed by the Dwarven Clan to protect their homes from a predator that was capable of seemingly plucking thoughts and memories out of the victim's heads. Before the practice was developed, the Dwarves suffered highly under the Predator. . .

Harry read on as the author described the suffering that the Dwarves had endured, and eventually got to the parts that described the benefits of the practice and the steps involved.

. . . the Dwarven Mind Mages, as they were called, discovered that the Magic that they had developed had some other benefits than keeping your secrets safe. As the study into the Art grew deeper, the Dwarves found that not everyone was capable of the Magic at advanced levels, contrary to their earlier beliefs. As the Mages progressed further into their research, they discovered that Occlumency provided them with various additional benefits, total memory recall, a mutated form of photographic memory, better concentration, and undivided focus. These were their findings, and some Mages had proved to be more inclined towards one benefits and not the others, while some had equal ability of all benefits . . .

Harry was left wide-eyed at that bit of information, but grew curious. Hermione had told him that Dumbledore had informed her that most Purebloods were aware of the Art. Reading the description, he couldn't help but wonder if the Occlumency developed by Dwarves was a different form of what the Wizards used today. If he was not overestimating the benefits, he would never need to worry about schoolwork again! He resolved to ask her about that later. He read on . . .

. . . the first step that precedes mastering Occlumency, is finding and successfully envisioning your Magical Core. This is a generally basic practice that has various other applications, and can be achieved by . . .

Harry read through the detailed description of the process and immediately sat up on the bed, assuming the meditative position. Finding that the bed wasn't stable enough, he moved to the floor. He closed his eyes, and immediately focused on the feel of his magic, feeling it coursing through him; he concentrated on the reserve that he could feel was the core of his power. He tried hard envisioning it, but every time he focused on it too hard he would lose concentration of the feel of his magic, wasting his effort.

Harry took a few deep breaths and calming himself, tried again, this time he tried not to focus too hard on envisioning his core, but concentrated on it, feeling through his magic for what felt the most natural. He felt a slight shift in his magic, and then the darkness that surrounded his eyes seemed to become absolute. The sight that greeted him was the most awe-inspiring thing that he had seen.

A swirling mass shaped as a sphere of pitch black, with occasional flares of silver that surrounded the core on the outside, resembling a corona. It was humongous, although he had no way to compare it to another Wizard's, he had a feeling that it was considerably larger that an average Wizard's. Estimating it's size, he thought that it was big enough to completely fit inside the Quidditch Pitch at Hogwarts. He curiously brought his hands forward to touch the sphere, and a tingling feeling overcame the region surrounding his torso. He stared at it for a long time, admiring it, memorizing its appearance. He eventually decided that it would help him if he would be able to do it faster, and relaxed his concentration.

He repeated the very same thing five more times, each repetition reducing the time required as well as the concentration required. Figuring that he had that step down, he read on . . .

. . . After you have successfully found your magical core, you can begin to shape and manipulate it. Imagine your body as a whole and concentrate solely on your mind. You will eventually be able to envision a space that is the centre of your mind . . .

Harry was slightly confused by what he read. How was one supposed to envision one's mind? Envisioning his core was easy enough; he had felt his magic and concentrated on it. It had a sort of physical feel. But as far as he knew, he was always able to feel his mind, so shouldn't he be able to already . . . visit the place, which was said to be his mind, where he kept his memories, already? Questions arose in his head, but no answers were forthcoming. Even the book didn't provide him with any clues. Thinking that he had done enough for today, he closed the book and placed it on his desk, and lay down, hoping to sleep. He visited his core again, twice before sleep finally claimed him.

(End Chapter)

A/N:- Thank You for the reviews that you sent. Just because I don't seem to reply to your reviews doesn't mean that I don't read them.

I have attempted to change their behaviour a bit in this chapter. I would like it if you would comment on that . . .