Harry's legs could barely support him as he exited the Knight Bus, the completely mad and nonsensical mode of transport Matthew had chosen for them to take. The bright purple, triple-decker bus had gone at speeds that shouldn't have been possible, and defied every law of physics during their relatively short journey. He had been squeezed, stretched and squashed countless times and had fallen into two people's laps, who hadn't complained too much about the Harry Potter accidentally fondling them. For what it was worth, Matthew had been perfectly relaxed on the ride, simply leaning against one of the poles and watching his friend suffer repeatedly. Somehow, during the chaos, he had also found the time to change out of his 'Muggle' outfit and back into his regular clothes, without Harry even noticing the process. It only added to his annoyance of how calm Matthew had been, though he had known what to expect.

"You could have told me what it was going to be like!" he complained, as the Knight Bus whizzed away, searching for more potential victims, no doubt.

"Where would the fun have been in that?" Matthew responded, his brow furrowed. "If I told you everything about the wizarding world, would you get to enjoy it as much? No is the answer I'm looking for."

"Do you really think that I enjoyed that? I had to be sick in an old woman's purse!"

"And just think of how much money she's going to make through flogging that. The Boy Who Barfed, that'll be the tagline. You'll have set her up for retirement."

"Why couldn't we have used your normal way of getting around? Because you haven't been using that deathtrap to travel all the time."

"It can be temperamental," Matthew explained evasively - he truly had no other way of talking most of the time, especially when the topic got personal. "And, frankly, not as interesting as what we just went through. You need to experience the staples of this world if you want to call yourself a wizard. I'm broadening your horizons. You should be thanking me actually." He looked down at Hedwig, who was still in her cage. Her feathers were ruffled and on edge, making her look as if she'd just been put through a blow dryer. "Your owl, on the other hand. I suppose I should be expecting a few presents of my own waiting on my pillow tonight."

Harry poked a finger through the bars but all she did was nip angrily at him. "You've broken her. She's blaming me for that trauma. It's my birthday and what you've given me is an angry bird."

"A lot of men wouldn't mind that," Matthew quipped as he began to walk away, heading towards the pub tucked away on the corner of the street.

Harry smiled at the sight softly, remembering his first time walking through these doors. He had been saved by Hagrid from his family and transported into this brand new world. And this had been the rather unassuming entrance to it all. The sign was still the same, swinging gently in the breeze and creaking as it did so. Harry was surprised it hadn't fallen off by now. As he followed Matthew inside, lugging his trunk slowly behind him, he found that the inside hadn't changed that much either. It remained dark and slightly cramp, though it was the sort of crampedness that people found charming and rustic. The one thing Harry did note was how it was much quieter than it had been the first time he'd visited. Then, it had been full of people ogling and grabbing at him, hoping to have a quick word of him before Hagrid shooed them away. Now, there were only a few patrons in the pub, most of them sitting in the booths, hidden away.

"It's a bit…empty, isn't it?" he whispered to Matthew. He didn't want to speak too loudly in case he insulted the large man behind the bar, currently attempting to clean glasses with a dirty rag.

His friend's expression was grim and he nodded his head to one of the wooden beams supporting the ceiling. A poster had been attached to it, with a photo of a man emblazoned on it. The man's face was gaunt and shadowed, his eyes sunken but still carrying a manic rage in them. His black hair was greasy and matted, running down to his shoulders in knotted tangles. Harry shivered just looking at him, and didn't think it was too much of an overreaction given he was obviously a wanted man. The poster made that very clear.

"I think…he was on the news. Yeah, when I was cooking tea one night, they definitely did a report about him. Uncle Vernon was quite alarmed about it all. Aunt Petunia couldn't watch most of it, hugging Dudley as if this person was going to come barging in at any moment."

"Well, Fudge has come under a lot of fire for telling the Muggle Prime Minister about him. People reckon he's risking the secrecy of our world just because he's been unable to catch him again. But, seriously…who would believe a politician saying that there's a wizard on the loose? I think it was smart of Fudge. One of the few smart things he's done for a long time."

"Who is he?" Harry couldn't tear his gaze from Black's eyes. There was a fire there, luring him in. But there was something else that he couldn't understand properly.

"Sirius Black, one of the most infamous prisoners of Azkaban. You remember Hermione explaining what that was to you in first year? And obviously Hagrid was sent there. Well, Black was imprisoned twelve years ago from what I've read. To spend that amount of time there…you can see why he looks so mental."

"What did he do to deserve that?"

"They say he killed thirteen people with a single curse. They also say that he was a big supporter of Voldemort ." He whispered the last word, not wanting to risk causing a scene. "After you came along and took him out, those supporters were tracked down, including Black. Those thirteen people died because he didn't want to go quietly." Matthew stroked his chin in thought. "It's an unpleasant story. I'd never looked into it before recently but I'm not certain that narrative is entirely true. But the Prophet puts it like that and the people lap it up. They think a deranged murderer is on the loose and that's why there aren't as many people out and about as there should be. Fear. One man inciting that much fear. He's either incredibly evil…or they've done a good job of turning him into a villain."

"Which do you think it is?" Harry always looked to his friend for guidance. Now was no different. Matthew had always appeared to be wiser beyond his years and he wasn't ashamed of admitting that he needed that wisdom as he continued to stare into the eyes of the suspected criminal.

Matthew let out a long sigh. "I think…it's foolish for us to judge a man when we have none of the information. Maybe I'll read up on it and see if anything stands out. You got a glimpse last year of how corrupt wizarding society can be. I don't know whether it'd be corrupt enough to send an innocent man to prison though." His expression was grim but, as he often managed to do all the time, Matthew's demeanour changed instantly. "But enough about this! It's your birthday! We shouldn't be discussing murder when we're supposed to be celebrating you and your new found freedom from the Dursleys."

Harry grinned and followed his friend to the bar. He watched Matthew perch his arms on the counter. "Morning, Tom!" The innkeeper looked up from his cleaning duties and smiled warmly at the pair.

"Mister Mormont, nice to see you again. Your rooms are ready as you requested. I must thank you again for the generous tip you gave when you booked in advance."

"Nonsense. I won't hear another word about it, Tom. Now, if we could have the keys. And don't go asking whether we want you to carry our bags. We've both got two arms and you're obviously busy."

Tom looked positively aghast at the suggestion. "But…"

"If you really want to do something, you could prepare us some of those hot sandwiches I've heard a lot of talk about. Do you fancy an early lunch, Harry?"

Matthew was such a whirlwind of a character that all Harry could do was dumbly nod his head. As Tom passed them over their respective keys, he smiled sheepishly at the innkeeper, almost apologising for how overactive his friend could be. But the thought of one of those sandwiches was definitely appealing. And the best thing was that he didn't have to cook it, unlike if he'd been at home. A wooden staircase led them to their rooms, facing one another on both sides of the narrow hallway. The inside was furnished in homely oak furniture, with a comfortable-looking bed slapped in the middle. It wasn't extravagant by any means but it looked spectacular to Harry. He had his own space for a few weeks without the fear of one of his relatives barging in or telling him off for being too loud. All because of the boy he was standing next to.

"Thank you," Harry mumbled as Matthew poked his head past the doorway to see whether Harry's bed was bigger than the one he'd been given. "For rescuing me when I really needed it. You don't understand how important it was to me to be reminded that…there are people out there who actually want to spend time with me. And you've gone to such effort as well. I could have easily paid for the room myself." Harry was well aware of how much gold was burning a hole through his vault at Gringotts, though he didn't really like to talk about it.

"I know perfectly well how unusual it can be to know you have people close to you. I didn't have that for a very long time, Harry. This is my way of ensuring you don't forget me over the Summer months, or find someone else to replace me." Matthew did a mock shiver, but there was a real vulnerability hidden underneath.

"I don't think that will ever happen. Don't worry. Is it strange that I…can't really remember a time before you and Hermione were in my life."

"Not at all. I get the sentiment, especially with how isolated we all were before coming to Hogwarts." Matthew moved to sit on the edge of Harry's bed. "I just worry sometimes that I'll mess this up one day. And I worry that that day is getting closer."

Harry frowned at him. "I don't know what you're talking about. But, really, that's the case for most of the time I'm listening to you." He smirked at his friend's look of annoyance. "If you carry on like this, there's no chance of you messing this up. Treating me to a holiday…I could get used to this."

"You wouldn't have been saying that if Tom had put the bunk bed in here as I originally wanted. Count yourself lucky that you're not having me sleep on top of you."

xxxxxxxxxx

Harry had never felt as relaxed as he did over that first week living in the Leaky Cauldron. Of course, he was always comfortable at Hogwarts, unless a certain Dark Lord was trying to kill him, but school came with the added pressure of work and exams, counteracting how wonderful the place was. Living at the Dursleys was torture so that was no comparison to the bliss of this escape. The only thing that resembled his peace of mind was when he had been at Hermione's house the previous Summer, which had been perfect. But that had come with the constant threat of making a mistake in front of her parents, his fear always at the back of his mind that he would embarrass himself. He'd still not comprehended why he'd put so much pressure on making a good impression. Perhaps it was because he knew he couldn't afford to lose Hermione by messing up with her parents. That made sense, apart from the truly visceral and horrid sensation he felt whenever the thought of losing Hermione came up in his head.

He and Matthew spent most of their time wandering around Diagon Alley, taking in the atmosphere. The Leaky Cauldron may have been far from full, but the cobbled streets of the wizarding district were overflowing, just as Harry remembered it. He'd never been able to wake up whenever he wanted, or eat what he chose. Every morning, Matthew would be in the downstairs area of the Cauldron, waiting for him, and then they would go and explore. Each day, they would sit by a different cafe, under the umbrellas as the sun beared down on them. Even homework was made more fun, just because he was doing it outside and had a friend to talk about it with. They quickly settled into their usual dynamic that was normally reserved for the common room. Harry would try to do his work, Matthew (already having finished his somehow) would distract him with a ridiculous story, and the day would quickly be lost in their chatter.

Harry had not visited Diagon Alley the year previous since he'd been at Hermione's. The last time he had walked those streets, he had been accompanied by Hagrid and their agenda had been strict, with not a lot of time before he had to be returned. That meant that this was the first opportunity Harry had had to properly explore. After filling up his pockets with some of his gold, silver and bronze coins from Gringotts, he very much enjoyed the freedom of being able to browse what different shops had to offer. Sometimes, he and Matthew would split up. On other occasions, they would walk around together. Most of that time was spent in the bookstores, neither of them wanting to be dragged out by the owner when the shop eventually closed. Harry was most fascinated by an old games shop, wondering whether he should invest in a luxurious set of gobstones to prevent their little group from always doing work in the common room. He'd walked past the quidditch supplies store with barely a second glance, wondering why people were so fascinated by the latest broom. His interests were more focused on a gorgeous glass ball that had a moving model of the galaxy tucked inside. He knew exactly the person who would love such a thing.

What Harry enjoyed the most about their time together was that Matthew showed more elements of the kid he truly was. At Hogwarts, he could be cheeky and mischievous, especially when it came to goading Hermione, but there was always a limit to that persona. There was always a weight to his words that no child had the right to use. Now, he was more carefree, laughing loudly and boisterously, never caring if people looked at him. Harry wished that he had a similar level of confidence. They would spend a good portion of their time outside Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlour, where Matthew would show how much of a sweet tooth he actually had. Harry had no doubt that, if Hermione had been there, there would have been no chance of him eating that much of the sugary delicacy. Harry had claimed that that was down to him being secretly afraid of their friend. Matthew had responded that there was nothing secret about it.

It was a strange feeling for Harry that he felt rather upset that the holidays were coming to an end and school was around the corner. His primary school years had been filled with a nervous dread at the prospect of returning. But, since starting at Hogwarts, the summer months had been a ticking clock until the red express was waiting to pick him up. Yet he had grown used to this simple and fun life. This was what a child was supposed to be like. This what had been taken from his childhood. More than ever, he was grateful to have Matthew to inject that fun and whimsy into his life, even when his days were spent around the most impossibly whimsical acts of magic. Matthew had taken the time to remind him that it was okay to be childish sometimes, when Harry was always weighed down by the pressure of his name and history. Paradoxically, he'd been given an independence that he'd never experienced before, making him feel like an adult almost. It was the sort of conundrum that summed his friend up, being a childish adult, and Harry was all too willing to be more like him.

He was walking down the stairs one morning, planning on asking Matthew how he had gotten Dumbledore to agree to giving him this freedom, when he was met with a different scene than he'd grown used to. Matthew was sitting in his typical spot, a newspaper laid on the table with his reading glasses on top. But he was accompanied by two unexpected figures, who currently had their backs to him. Harry looked at them with a curious frown. Why was Matthew meeting with anyone? They felt recognisable, from their brown hair. It was a woman and man, the latter's hair going grey in areas. Harry didn't know what to do. Was he allowed to listen in? It looked like a relaxed conversation but would it still be considered eavesdropping if he were spotted? Of course, he could have rushed back upstairs and pretended he'd not seen a thing but then Matthew's gaze landed on his frozen form…and lit up in delight.

"Ah, there he is!" he exclaimed. "I was wondering if you were ever going to wake up."

His two companions turned their heads to greet his arrival and Harry suddenly felt very stupid for thinking anything was strange was going on. Katherine and Peter Granger looked at him from the table, both smiling warmly at. They stood out, Peter's hand outstretched, which Harry took almost obediently. He moved to do the same with Katherine but she rolled her eyes and wrapped him in a hug he hadn't been expecting. Matthew watched the interaction with a grin, loving how surprised Harry was.

"It's lovely to see you again, dear," Katherine said. "It feels far too long since we last saw you."

Harry was still processing their presence, absentmindedly looking around for the person he would have expected to be with them. "Um…yeah, it has. Thanks again for last year. It made my Summer a lot more enjoyable."

Katherine glanced at her husband in amusement. "Have you heard him, Peter? Still thanking us for something we did a year ago! Your manners are excellent, I must say. Hogwarts must be teaching you well because Matthew here has been a perfect gentleman whilst we've waited for you."

Harry looked at his friend quizzically. The one thing Matthew didn't normally have time for was a complete focus on his manners and decorum. He usually said it how it was, not hiding his feelings. Apart from when it came to personal details about himself, of course. Matthew raised an eyebrow as if he were daring Harry to challenge Katherine's comment.

"We're just sorry that we couldn't do the same this Summer," Peter was saying, oblivious to their small and silent interaction. "But we wanted to treat Hermione to a holiday since we don't get to see her as much anymore. She didn't even come home at Christmas this year…" He frowned, remembering how upset he'd been when they'd received that letter from their daughter. "The first Christmas we've had without her since she was born."

Katherine patted him on the arm. "She's growing up. We knew that this would happen eventually. And we also realised that it was likely that this new experience was going to accelerate that."

"Still…I'm allowed to be grumpy about it," her husband replied sulkily, practically pouting as he looked at his partner.

Harry watched the interaction with an obsessive fascination. Here were two people who obviously loved one another. He could tell from the way they talked to one another, from the way they looked at each other. It was almost as if they'd forgotten they had company as they spoke. Harry had never seen a couple like this, especially not up close. He supposed his aunt and uncle were in love, but they had a distinctly different way of showing it. He silently wondered whether his parents would have been like the two people in front of him, so enamoured with one another that they could lower their defences without ever having fear of getting hurt. He didn't want to feel jealous that Hermione had been able to grow up in a home like that, yet the niggling feeling kept eating away at him.

"If it makes you feel any better, we did try to convince her to go home," Matthew said delicately. He was watching his words, careful not to bring up anything too explicit about why she'd chosen to stay at Hogwarts. How could he possibly explain that a giant snake had been roaming the school, hell bent on attacking pupils exactly like their daughter? There was no chance that they would let her board the Hogwarts Express in a few days' time. "But you know what she gets like. We had a lot of…um…work to do and there was no way she was going to leave that unfinished."

"I suppose I wouldn't be in a hurry to leave if I was in the company of two dashing young men as yourselves," Katherine quipped and she delighted in the fact that both boys wore brilliant blushes at her comment.

"That's something I really don't want to think about," Peter grumbled and Harry couldn't escape the sense that the older man was glaring in their direction. He gulped in response.

What Harry wanted to do more than anything, apart from curl up in a ball or run away from the ire of a protective father, was change the subject. "How come you're here at Diagon Alley then? There's a few days left until school starts."

"It was all Matthew's idea really," Katherine explained. The boy in question bowed his head in mock humility. "He thought it would be nice for us all to get together since we've been away. And this comes with the added bonus of spending some time in the magical world." She mainly mouthed the word 'magical'. "I'm sorry, I don't know whether magical is an appropriate term or whether it's actually rude! I'd hate to cause offence. We haven't been able to properly experience this side of Hermione's new life since it started so I'm looking forward to having a few days to explore."

"You can say magical, by the way," Matthew told her. "It's not as if anyone's going to storm the doors and take you away for saying that."

"What an…incredible imagination you have. I'm now more concerned than ever that that's going to happen."

"You're staying here?" Harry asked excitedly. "That's great! Although…has Hermione come with you or is she arriving later?"

Katherine looked confused. "She was here just a moment ago, I'm sure of it. We were engrossed in conversation though. Matthew was telling us about some of the spells you've been taught so far. And some of the things you've got up to."

Harry was about to ask what secrets his friend had let slip when the back door to the pub opened with a surprising amount of force. Hermione came charging in, chasing after a blur of ginger fur. The few other occupants in the Leaky Cauldron looked up in annoyance at the disturbance as she weaved around the tables, almost tripping over a chair leg at one point in pursuit of whatever it was. Harry had been unable to make it out properly but Hermione looked desperate to catch it.

"Crookshanks!" she yelled hopelessly. "Please come here! I'm not trying to hurt you! I just want to hold you!"

A cat jumped up onto their table, though it was large enough to practically be a tiger in Harry's eyes. Its ginger fur was spotted in places and its face was smushed in, giving it the impression that it was frowning. The animal sauntered over to where Matthew was sitting, paused and stared at him with its large eyes, and then allowed him to scratch it under the chin. Hermione came to a sudden halt with a huff as she watched that play out, frustrated with how easy he was making it look. But she put that annoyance to the back of her mind for the time being as she turned to her other friend.

"Harry! It's so good to see you!" She thought about hugging him but, with her parents right there, she thought better of it. She didn't need to provide them with any more ammunition, certainly after the number of questions she'd been subjected to over the holidays about the two boys in her life. Most had been innocuous, but some had been positively embarrassing. No, she didn't need that right now, especially with the boys in question there to witness it.

Harry was slightly disappointed that she hadn't offered one of her patented hugs. "It's great to see you're back. Knowing you were in a different country just didn't feel right." What was he saying? Why did it matter where she was? She didn't need to be near him all the time. His mind was telling him to abort quickly. "And who's this you've brought along?"

Hermione smiled down at the cat, which was now curled up in front of Matthew. "This is Crookshanks. My parents were kind enough to give me some spending money and I've always been slightly jealous of the relationship you have with Hedwig. So we went to the magical menagerie as soon as we got here…and I found him there. Can you believe that the owner said he's been there for years because no one wanted him? It broke my heart!"

Frankly, Harry could totally understand why that was. Crookshanks wasn't the most attractive of animals, but he wasn't about to say that out loud.

"He's a kneazle, which is basically a magical version of a cat. They're supposed to be very intelligent." She gazed down at the sight of Crookshanks with Matthew, and a peculiar look washed over her face. "And they're famous at being excellent judges of character."

"I'm flattered to receive such a glowing recommendation then," Matthew quipped but his smile fell at her odd expression. "Unless you think he's got it wrong…" For some reason, he desperately needed to hear her answer.

"...of course not!" Her response had come after the briefest of delays but it had been long enough for the unspoken truth to be loud and clear. "Though I wish he was as well behaved when he's with me." Hermione attempted to relieve the tension with that, but Matthew just frowned and didn't say anything as she picked the creature up. She hated the uncomfortable air around them so decided to bring up something much more up her street: school. "Harry, have you chosen your classes yet for this year? I'm so excited for our lessons to expand and diversify."

Harry wasn't as thrilled as Hermione, but that would always be a given when it came to academics. "I have been looking. I'm just not sure about whether I'm right for some of the courses. Divination sounds interesting."

Matthew harrumphed loudly, evidently still in a mood from his odd interaction with Hermione. "It's a load of rubbish if you ask me. No amount of looking into glass balls or at blooming tea leaves is going to decide your future. That's always going to be up to you, and you alone."

"You shouldn't dismiss subjects before you actually try them," Hermione countered. "It could be enlightening, showcasing a different side to life, something more mystifying."

"The last thing Hogwarts needs is more things to be mystified about. Last year, I saw a ghost at one of the feasts try to eat a roast potato, only for it to fall straight through him, and then he tried to eat it again. That's enough of a puzzle for me to get my head around."

"So what will you be doing instead if you're so above divination?"

"The staples. Our usual classes, with ancient runes and arithmancy tacked on."

"See, that's the thing," Harry butted in. "Last year, when we were reading a lot in the library, things constantly came up in connection to runes and things like that. I found it quite fascinating. But I just don't know whether I'm smart enough to be taking those subjects. I'm not at both of your levels."

Hermione's demeanour softened immediately. "Oh, Harry. I'm tired of telling you not to put yourself down like that. I bet you'll be superb at them. And you'll always have us to assist whenever necessary." She was relieved to see Matthew nodding his head as well to confirm the sentiment. "Although my schedule is going to be very busy. Along with our old classes, I'll have runes and arithmancy, as well as divination and Muggle studies."

Matthew would have spat out his drink if he'd had one. "Hermione! Have you considered the sort of workload that'd involve? That's madness! You'll run yourself into the ground!"

"We told her it might be too much," Katherine added. "Even though we don't exactly know what the lessons involve."

Hermione folded her arms defensively. "I'm perfectly capable of managing it all, thank you. I don't need any of your obvious doubts about my ability."

Matthew rolled her eyes. She was being stubborn, as always. "You know we're not saying that. But you could at least drop one. Why would you even want to do Muggle studies?"

"Because it will be interesting to know how wizards view the world I come from. I'm not going to just limit myself because it will be difficult. Which is why I'm proud of Harry for thinking about arithmancy and runes. You could have picked easier topics but you're challenging yourself. And do you know what that means?"

Harry almost dreaded asking. "What?"

"I can take you around Flourish and Blotts and show you all the books you're going to want to read!"