Harry tumbled through the fireplace after the Weasleys and looked around their house. Immediately, a small redheaded figure screamed and ran out of the room.

"Ginny," said Ron in an undertone to Harry. "My sister. She's been talking about you all summer."

"Yeah, she'll be wanting your autograph, Harry," Fred said with a grin.

"She better not," Harry warned. "We'll have to get her to relax around me somehow. I can't go through two weeks of her screaming every time she sees me."

Ron took Harry upstairs to his bedroom. On the third landing, a door stood ajar. Harry just caught sight of a pair of brown eyes staring at him before it closed with a snap.

"Ginny," said Ron. "You don't know how weird it is for her to be this shy. She never shuts up normally."

Harry thought about the two years it took for Ginny to warm up to her and wondered how to speed up the process.

"We'll work on her," Harry said. "I can't picture a shy Weasley."

When Harry walked down to breakfast the next morning, Ginny accidentally knocked her porridge bowl to the floor with a loud clatter. She dived under the table to retrieve the bowl and emerged with her face glowing like the setting sun. Harry wondered if it would be better to pretend not to notice, as he did in his dream, or to try to set Ginny straight.

"You don't have to be scared of me," Harry told her. "Forget whatever you heard about me, and just think of me as your brothers' friend. Are you starting Hogwarts this year?"

Ginny nodded, blushing to the roots of her flaming hair, and put her elbow in the butter dish.

"Okay," Harry said. "I decided I'm not Harry Potter anymore. You could pick any other name for me, or else call me Harry Black, but there's no reason for you to freak out every time you see me."

Harry spent the day playing quiddich with Fred, George, and Ron. He considered asking Ginny to join, but decided not to embarrass her so much yet.

Harry went with the Weasleys to buy school supplies. He got out of the right fireplace. While they did see the Malfoys at Flourish and Blotts, Gilderoy Lockhart wasn't there, so there was nothing to make Draco angry about.

After two weeks, Harry went back to Sirius's house. The next day, he was visited by Professor Dumbledore.

"Barty Crouch Junior was arrested today," Dumbledore told him. "It took lots of work to restore Bertha Jorkin's memory. Barty Crouch Senior was removed from his post. I plan on going after the horcrux today."

"Don't go by yourself," Harry advised him. "It's dangerous."

"Are you offering to come with me?" asked Dumbledore.

"No," Harry said. "You need someone strong enough to hold you back, confident enough to stand up to you, and skilled enough in countercurses to undo whatever damage takes place."

"Who do you suggest?" Dumbledore asked him.

Harry thought about it for a minute. He remembered Dumbledore going by himself and killing his hand. Snape was the one he went to at the time.

"Professor Snape," Harry suggested.

"I'll ask him and get back to you," Dumbledore said.

A few minutes later, Professors Dumbledore and Snape entered the house. Snape glared at Harry and Sirius when he saw them. Professor Dumbledore looked at Harry.

"Can you explain the dangers we will be facing?" he asked.

"The hor"

Harry was immediately silenced. Dumbledore removed the hex and apologized to Harry.

"Did you really expect Professor Snape to go on a dangerous mission with you without explaining what it is you're retrieving?" Harry asked.

"I believe we already discussed the need for secrecy," Dumbledore told him.

"Do you think he's going to kill me?" Harry asked.

"Considering the way he's looking at you, it wouldn't surprise me," Sirius answered.

"It's a good thing looks don't kill," Harry retorted. "Unless you're a basilisk."

"Just discuss the dangers," Dumbledore said.

Harry started again.

"The object you're trying to get has a strong curse on it. Whoever touches it could die on the spot. Because Professor Dumbledore understands the value of the object, chances are he will forget the danger and try to grab it. That's why I suggested you go with him," Harry told Snape.

"What should we do with the object?" Snape asked.

"It needs to be destroyed," Harry told him. "So far, we had three similar objects destroyed with fiendfyre. It could also be destroyed with basilisk venom."

"Considering I don't have a big supply of basilisk venom in my disposal, I guess we'll have to make due with fienfyre," Snape said. "If it's in the ruins of an old house, we don't have to worry about moving it before we destroy it."

"I was actually hoping to use it," Dumbledore said. "It's an object I would like to keep."

"It's dangerous," Snape said. "It's not worth losing your life over it."

"If you would know what it is, you would want to use it too," Dumbledore told him.

"How does Potter know about it?" Snape asked.

"When the killing curse hit Voldermort, many of Voldermort's memories were transferred to Harry," Dumbledore explained.

"So that's how you know about the other thing," Snape said softly.

"Don't worry," Harry told him. "I try not to think about the memories and don't hold anyone accountable for the small parts of the memories I saw about them."

Dumbledore came back later that night with the good news that the object was destroyed. Snape had to pull him back from touching it before destroying it.

Not long after, it was time to return to school. Harry boarded the Hogwarts Express without any difficulties and sat with the Weasleys for the ride. Since the barrier wasn't locked, Harry did not get in trouble for flying a car.

After lunch on the first day of class, Colin Creevey wanted to take Harry's picture.

"Let's get something straight," Harry told him. "I did what any Gryffindor would do in that situation. Since you are also in Gryffindor, that means that you would have done the same exact thing. There's nothing special about me, so please don't make a big deal over me."

Colin looked slightly abashed as he walked away. Harry felt bad, but didn't want a whole scene with signed photos.

Colin followed Harry to the crack of dawn quiddich practice. Harry talked fast as he walked, eager to get to practice on time.

Wood wasted lots of time talking, and when he finally stopped, the Slytherins came out.

"Flint!" Wood bellowed at the Slytherin Captain. "This is our practice time! We got up specially! You can clear off now!"

"Plenty of room for all of us, Wood," Marcus Flint said back.

"Don't push it," Harry told Oliver. "He'll just get Professor Snape to back him up. Just continue as if they're not there."

It wasn't a successful practice, but at least Ron didn't end up coughing up slugs.