After he was exorcised, Harry Potter was carried to the river again where he was thoroughly bathed by the Shamans chanting some spells before they clothed him in new robes and Sirius was allowed to approach him.

"Pup, are you alright?", Sirius asked him, hugging Harry fiercely. For the most part, Sirius was glad that it was over and Harry was safe. If something had happened to him, he wouldn't have been able to show his face to the world. And he definitely wouldn't have been able to face James and Lilly when he eventually met them in the afterlife.

"I am fine, Sirius", Harry said, "It was very intense. I saw... I saw my parents as they were kill... killed... I sa... saw many men dying. There were so many things that I witnessed there that I can't even recall. So horrible things that I am still shocked."

"I am glad it is over, and you are free of him", Sirius said, "Do you need anything?"

"Yes, I am hungry", Harry pouted.

"Alright pup", said Sirius picking him up, "Let's take you back."

With that, they returned to where they had been staying. As soon as Harry was comfortable, the Shaman entered the hut and asked Sirius to wait outside saying he had few questions to ask of the lad.

"How are you feeling, child?", asked the Shaman.

"I can't describe it", Harry said, "It is like I am missing a part of me or something. Like I had a connection to someone which has been severed suddenly. Makes me look over the shoulder to see if there is something that I have lost. My head feels a lot empty to me right now as if the extra thoughts are being driven away. I had a lot of anger pent up inside me which seems to have drained. I feel a piece which I had never felt before. And I want to smile, to be happy."

The Shaman smiled, "This is all good, Harry Potter. You are free of him now. You have a full life ahead of you to live and to rejoice. Do you feel more powerful?"

"I don't know but I feel like there is a surge in me like power is trying to come out of me", he said, "Is that something to be worried about?"

The Shaman smiled, "No. You have nothing to worry about. The soul piece was hampering your magical growth and now it's free, that's all. You continue to see improvement in your casting as the time passes. Spells which were hard to come to you before will become easy after this. You will find that you can master complicated spells quickly than your peers. But be warned Harry Potter that power tends to turn people's minds."

"I will not forget, revered Shaman", he said humbly.

"Now I am sure that you are hungry after all the exorcism", he said and waved his hand.

A platter full of all his favourite foods appeared before him and he dug in with gusto. After he was done eating, he remembered something, "How did you use magic without using any words or a wand?"

"Wands are merely a medium to channel our magic, lad. Wands don't produce magic. Like if you build a dam over a stream and built gates into it, the water can flow through the gates only, but the dam is not producing water. It comes from the stream. Same way, wands regulate the flow of magic which is already present in us. Have you never thought how you could do accidental magic without a wand? It is because magic does not require a wand to cast. It is used to regulate it. Your country uses it to keep track of magic users."

"Keep track of magic users?"

"Yes. Every wand which is owned by any wizard has a distinct signature which can tell the name of the owner of the wand. Have you never wondered how Ollivander could tell the name of every person who ever brought a wand from his store?"

Now that Harry thought about it, he realised that it was true. Ollivander could even tell who had brought what wand with what composition and he surely would be able to tell who owned a particular wand.

"You mean to say I can cast any spell without using a wand?", Harry asked him in surprise.

"Yes, but there are a few spells and curses that you can't perform without saying the words aloud. I must caution you though that using magic without a wand can be tiring to you at times."

"How?"

"Your magical core has certain limits that you can only cast a limited number of spells without working yourself to exhaustion. If you keep using magic continuously, your core will get bigger with time and your stamina will increase. I'd suggest you use magic for everything that you do."

"And how did you do this without saying any words?"

"This is a secret which not many know about. You don't require incantations at all. Our young children can often cast spells without even speaking them. In every spell, intent is required than words. If your intention is clear, then you can cast a spell without using a wand. Teaching to cast saying the incantation helps you form intention about the spell that you are trying to cast. It is useful to teach new students in a relatively safer environment. It prevents them from making mistakes because the words are forming the intention. But as you grow older and you command on magic grows, you can do it without saying words."

"How long can it take for us to cast without using any words?"

"It depends on how soon you can control your other senses", the Shaman said, "As you can calm your mind, it will be easy for you to cast without using any words."

"Can you teach me?"

"I am not a teacher, Harry Potter", the Shaman said, "But I believe there are people who can teach this to you. Your guardian himself is a very accomplished wizard who would be happy to help you with it."

"Revered Shaman, when can I take Harry home?", Sirius asked, as he entered in after having waited for an hour.

"I can see no other reasons to keep him here, wizard", the Shaman said, "You can take him with you as the sun rises tomorrow."

"Albus, what do you want from me?", growled Alastor Moody.

"Alastor, I know you have taught spell casting to Harry Potter, but I also want you to teach him some offensive spells. Some of the special spells that only Aurors know. It will do him a world of good to know these things. I have a feeling that he will need them soon", Dumbledore said.

"Can I ask why are you paying too much attention to the boy?", Alastor asked.

"Harry Potter will be crucial for our world", Albus said, "And he is the only one who can defeat Voldemort whenever he decides to make a comeback. I don't know how much time do we have on our hands but we must use all the time that we can get to help train him."

"And you want me to teach him lethal spells?", Alastor asked.

"Yes", he said, "He must know spells that can maim and injure if not outright kill. I know he will not cast a curse readily which can kill anyone so you'll have to force him to do it."

"You want me to teach him to kill?", he asked, as if confirming.

"No, not to kill. But to ensure that any enemy that he has shot isn't able to rise again", Albus said.

"Alright, I will do it", he muttered, "Anything else?"

"Yes, there is. I don't want anyone to know that you are teaching Harry Potter so you have to take an oath that you will never tell anyone about this fact that. I am asking you to teach him spells which are banned otherwise and if the Ministry found him using them, there are many who can cause problems over it. And I don't have to impress upon you that many people don't trust you as much as they should."

"You don't need to rub it in, Albus. Alright, I Alastor Moody, do hereby swear on my magic that I will never tell anyone that I am training Harry Potter. So I say so mote it be."

When Harry Potter returned to the Black Manor, they were welcomed by Remus Lupin.

"Harry, how are you?"

Harry smiled, "I am fine, Moony. How you have been in my absence?"

"Missing both of you", Remus said, "This manor is too big for me, so I stayed at the townhouse."

"Moony, did Dumbledore come to the townhouse?", Sirius asked him.

"Yes, he has recalled the order and has told us that Voldemort is still alive. He assigned us duties to do and mine and yours is to find some things which helped Voldemort remain alive."

Sirius nodded grimly, "I know. It was important for me to keep quiet therefore I said nothing at that time. Did he tell you what these things are?"

"No, but he told me that he would show us what these things look like when he comes here this evening", Remus said, "He was also worried about if his gamble would work."

Sirius nodded, "The gamble worked alright."

"Can you tell me what this gamble is?", Remus asked.

"Of course I will tell you", he said, "If I can't share anything with you then I won't be able to trust anyone in the world. One of Voldemort's horcruxes was a living one that he didn't create. It was created on the night that Voldemort attacked Godric's Hollow."

"You...You mean... Harry is...", Remus was too horrified to even finish the sentence.

Sirius shook his head, "Mercifully no. Harry was a horcrux but the soul piece which was in him has been taken away. It was our secret mission in Africa."

Remus exhaled with relief, "Thank Merlin. So, what do we do next?"

"We still have little Harry to go to Hogwarts and finish his studies", Sirius said, "And we will be there when he needs us. Anything else that you want to tell?"

"Andromeda Tonks sent an owl asking for an audience with you. She wants to meet you at your convenience."

"Send her a letter to visit tomorrow evening."

He then turned to Harry, "Now pup, why don't you go and rest in your room. I'll be sure to give you a call when Dumbledore comes. I am sure he will want to meet you."

In Harry's room, there was a bunch of letters waiting for him. Two of them were from his secret friend, two from Susan Bones and one from Neville Longbottom and one each from Ron and Hermione. It looked like people had been worried for him in his absence.

The first letter read:

"Dear Heir Potter,

I have been worried about your whereabouts. I know you had written in your last letter that you will be taking a holiday abroad but you didn't tell me where. I have been reading ahead for our next year and I am excited. How is living with Lord Black treating you?

My father told me that the school year will be exciting but he refused to tell me why. Which is your favourite subject? When we meet, you'll have to tell about the World Cup. I have heard that you were in the thick of things there.

Do you know who will be our new Defence teacher? I hope they bring someone good because it is the OWLs next year. I really liked Professor Lupin but it's a pity he had to go.

Later

The second letter was more or less the same but it merely said that they will meet at Hogwarts when they returned to school.

Ron's letter was scant on details but merely asked about his well-being and told him to visit the Burrow whenever he returned from his trip. Hermione's letter was a lengthier one but as he expected, it was full of usual things asking about his well-being, his studies and if something exciting had happened lately. Harry had a lot to tell them but he was not sure if it could be said in a letter. This was a sensitive matter which should not be discussed in open, especially until Dumbledore told him that it was fine to do so.

Then he got to Neville's letter. It was the second time that Neville had written a letter to him and it was new feeling for him. Neville was a good friend but he was not as close as Ron and Hermione were.

"Harry,

I know we have not talked much before but I think it is time that we do. You know our families were close in the past but you have other friends who have stood with you through thick and thin and you wouldn't have counted me as one among them.

I formally welcome you to Wizengamot and my Gran bids me to invite you to the Longbottom Manor with Lord Black. She says there is an important meeting that we are going to have about Wizengamot and being an ally, you need to be present here.

Before the meeting though I want you to visit me as a friend. We haven't talked much in the three years at Hogwarts and I want to talk to you. Give me a Floo call when you receive my letter. Hoping to see you soon.

Neville Frank Longbottom

Heir of House Longbottom."

Wondering what this was about, he put Neville's letter aside and turned to the last two letters. One of them was dated the day when he had left England. By the time the letter had arrived, he was already in Africa. He opened that one first.

"Dear Harry,

I am inviting you to join the circle of heirs that we have at Hogwarts. This is a group of students who are heirs to different houses. I know it may sound like upper class snobbery to you, but the truth is that you are one of the elites of our world. I know very little about your family but what I do know is that you family has always been a pillar of our world and your forefathers were well respected.

I invite you to visit me at Bones Home and our floo address is "Badger's House".

Later,

Susan Amelia Bones

Heiress apparent of House Bones."

Harry well remembered how the school had ostracised him during the fiasco of Heir of Slytherin, but he couldn't remember anything bad that Susan had done to him. Yes he had seen her listening to Ernie when he said that Harry was the Heir of Slytherin but even then she had not said a word to him. Then his thoughts turned to the second letter.

"Dear Harry,

I realise that I have not known you as much as I should. We are in the same year and have hardly exchanged 10 sentences between us. I know you don't know it, but House Bones was a close supporter of House Potter back before the war and I'd like to rekindle the relations that our houses had with each other. In fact, some of my Bones ancestors were married in the Potter family so we are related in a way.

I would like for you to contact me when you get this letter and visit me. My father says that he will be delighted to host you under our roof and he insists that you bring Lord Black with you. Please floo me when you receive this message and we can set a date for the meeting.

Later,

Susan Amelia Bones,

Heiress of House Bones."

When Harry came down carrying Neville and Susan's letter, he found Albus Dumbledore sitting in the parlour with Sirius Black. As he saw him, he said excitedly, "Young Harry, how are you feeling?"

"I am fine, Professor. Can you tell me everything now?"

"Indeed, I will", said Dumbledore, "The time for carrying secrets is past. Now that you are your own man, I will tell you everything about him and why he did not die. I have brought with me a device which is called a Pensieve in which you can see memories."

"How can we see your memories?", Harry asked him.

Dumbledore set a stone basin on the table and put his wand to his temple. He pulled a silvery thread from his temple and dipped it into the stone basin and twirled his wand causing the contents of the basin to swirl. After the silvery thread had disappeared in it, he said to Sirius, "After you, Sirius."

Sirius dipped his head in the basin and he was gone. Harry turned in shock to Dumbledore who was smiling, "Now it's your turn, Harry."

"Where did he go?"

"He is gone in the memory, Harry. Now if you will follow", Dumbledore said as he dipped his head in the basin. As Dumbledore disappeared, Harry followed suit.

When they returned about half an hour later, Sirius was the one to break the silence, "It is hard to believe that Kleptomaniac Kid became Lord Voldemort."

Dumbledore nodded, "Indeed. But there was something in him that ticked me off in the first meeting and Tom perhaps realised that he had told me lot more than he should have because he stayed awry of me during the years that he attended Hogwarts."

"I remember the shade of Tom Riddle telling me that you were the only one who never believed his story", Harry recalled.

"Yes but I had no way to prove that", Dumbledore said, "With the chamber closed and no one knowing where the beast could be, there was nothing that I could do except try to prevent them from taking away Hagrid to Azkaban."

."What was the meaning to show us this memory, Headmaster?", Sirius asked.

"I showed this memory to you so that you'd know that Tom liked to collect trophies. A kind of memoir to him for his acts of cruelty. It remained the same when he became Lord Voldemort. I have an idea about the list of possible horcruxes and how he acquired them. Would you both care to take a look at another memory?"

This memory was slightly longer, and it showed Tom as a young man who was visiting a witch named Hepzibah Smith. To their surprise he was working at Borgin and Burkes after being the head boy and one of the brightest students to ever attend most interesting thing about that memory was that she seemed to own two artefacts which had belonged to the founders. One was a necklace which was said to belong to Slytherin and the other was a cup which belonged to Helga Hufflepuff and that the Smiths themselves were related to the Helga Hufflepuff herself.

After they had watched the memory, Dumbledore said, "A few days after this meeting took place, Hepzibah was killed by her own house elf who gave her poison mistaking it for coffee beans."

"House elves don't do that", Sirius said, "They can't get confused. Someone must have confunded the poor creature."

Dumbledore nodded, "I thought the same and therefore I inquired into the matter, and I realised that the elf's memory had been altered. Since she had confessed to the crime, no investigation was made into the matter but it was found that Tom had killed Hepzibah, stole the two artefacts and modified the elf's memories to make it look like she had killed her mistress. I am sure that he turned those two artefacts into his horcruxes."

"Professor, how many horcruxes are out there?", Harry asked him.

"I don't have a certain answer to this question and that is the reason that I am asking you to impress Slughorn and get that memory from answer to our questions lies in that memory."

"Can I just ask him to give it to me?"

"If it was as simple as that, I could have done it. As I already told you he gave me a memory but that was altered", Dumbledore explained, "And it was a poor job, so I think the real memory is still there. Please try to get him to give us that memory. It is very important."

"Yes Professor", said Harry, "What do you think I can give him?"

"May be if you were to offer him something very rare and valuable", Dumbledore said, "Like Basilisk's venom for instance then he would trade that memory with you in a trice."

Harry's face split in a wide grin, "I see what you are getting at Professor but how do I get the venom?"

"I'll take you in the chamber and we can draw a vial or two of it", Dumbledore explained, "Even a vial of Basilisk venom will make him incredibly happy."

"Yes Professor", said Harry.

Dumbledore then turned to Sirius who was oddly silent, "Sirius, my boy, is there something on your mind?"

"I don't know why but I think I have seen that locket before", Sirius said, "I think it was found in the Black Townhouse and the elf Kreacher had it in his hand when he died."

Dumbledore said excitedly, "There is no time like present to see if it is truly a horcrux. Can you bring it to me?"

Sirius raised his voice, "Dobby."

Dobby appeared a second later, "What can Dobby be doing for Lord Black?"

"Dobby, there is a box in the cellar where the junk from the Townhouse is stored. Can you bring it to me?"

Dobby went away and returned a minute later with a trunk which he deposited on the table and Disapparated. As soon as Sirius opened the trunk, Harry felt a feeling of oppression and said in disgust, "I can feel him in there."

As Sirius lifted the locket, Dumbledore took it from him examining it and said gravely, "As I said, it is a horcrux. And I need no other test than Harry's reaction to it because he is intimately familiar of him after having been connected to him for years.

Dumbledore tucked the locket into an inner pocket of his robe and turned to Harry, "Harry, it is time that I take a hand in your education. There are things that I can teach you and I want you to learn them. What do you say?"

"I will like that Professor", he said, "What you will be teaching me?"

"This and that", he said evasively, "But whatever I teach you will be helpful to you in the long run."

Harry nodded and then turned to Sirius, "Sirius, Neville and Susan wrote me letters inviting me to their manors for some meeting. And they told me to bring you along."

Sirius looked at Dumbledore who looked smug, "As I had predicted, they can't wait to get you in their faction. I'd suggest that you go to these meetings and see what they are offering you."

Sirius turned to Harry, "Tell Heir Longbottom and tell him that we can visit to Longbottom Hall tomorrow. And tell Heiress Bones that we will visit her the day after tomorrow. We will get to see what they are offering and make our own choices."

As Harry was on his way to the Floo room, Dumbledore said, "It is important that you endear yourself to them as soon as you can manage. Having them on your side will make things easy for us and our hunt for Voldemort will be easier."

"You don't need to tell me, Dumbledore", he said, "I am not a Black for nothing."

"We are going to duel Potter", said Moody, "And I don't want you to use any non-lethal spell. I believe I have taught you the piercing spell, haven't I?"

"Yes Sir", Harry said, "But why do you want me to use lethal spells only?"

"Because I want to see if you have it in you use those spells or I have been teaching you for naught", Mad-eye said sneering at him.

Before Harry could think, Mad Eye sent a grey coloured curse and Harry jumped out of the way to avoid being hit. Moody did not relent but sent every curse that was in his arsenal forcing the teen to retreat or to save himself anyway that he could.

He was so true of his aim that none of the curses would have hit Harry unless he wanted. After having kept casting at the teen for 15 minutes, he waited for the teen to start casting.

Harry started sending all the non-lethal curses at him which he knew and Moody did not even dodge any but he just kept swatting them aside. It went for a few minutes before Moody swatted a curse and sent a very high powered stinger at Harry making him yelp in pain and growled, "Are you coward, Potter? Do you lack the guts to do what it takes to bring down your adversary? Cast some of the lethal curses, Potter."

Harry was not baited by him, and this irked Moody more, "Potter, are you daft? Are you hard of hearing? You are shaming your father by your cowardice. You lack of guts is astounding. If Voldemort returns from the dead, he will have a great time to kill everyone you love and what you will do? Let me tell you. You will be hiding somewhere because you did not have the guts to fire the spell which can bring him down. You will be sulking in a corner tarnishing the name of your parents who would be ashamed to have given birth to a coward like you. If James were alive today, I'd told him that he failed as father. You are a failure to your parents, Potter. And you will be responsible for every death which will take place if you-know-who returns."

"Don't insult me", Harry roared, "I can use those curses, but I don't want to."

"Don't give me that dragon dung, Potter. You either have the guts or you are a coward. There is no fine line between them. Show me what you have got if you are really the son of James and Lilly Potter or go and live as a muggle. You are a coward, Potter. You are a disgrace to your parents."

It was finally enough for Harry who roared and started sending every spell that Moody had taught him. To his credit, Moody was not deterred but he was laughing, "Finally we are making some progress. Keep it up, Potter."

They duelled that way for 15 minutes before Moody called a halt to their practice, "You don't have a lot of time left before you have to go back to school, Potter. Until then you will spend an hour a day casting these spells on the training dummy, and you will keep at it until you are sure that you can cast these spells and curses in your sleep. Is that clear?"

"Yes Sir", Harry replied.

"Also remember son that I am doing it as a personal favour to Dumbledore that I have come out of retirement to teach you. Today is our last lesson together. When I leave today, we won't meet each other here again. And you must not tell any of your friends that you have been learning duelling from me. Albus wants it to be kept a secret, is that understood?"

Harry nodded, "Yes sir."

"Welcome Harry", said Neville as Harry stepped out of the Floo, "I have been awaiting your arrival from days."

"Neville, you have a very nice place", Harry said looking around Longbottom Manor, "I mean Black Manor is beautiful but your feels more homely."

"Yes", said Neville, "Black Manor was left vacant for years so the difference should be obvious. How the holidays have been so far?"

"Holidays were good", Harry said, "There has been a lot of things that I learnt from Remus and Sirius in these holidays."

"Let me introduce you to my gran", said Neville led him to a parlour where sat Augusta Longbottom. She was an old woman about Professor McGonagall's age and she looked stern. She was dressed in a purple cloak and a hat sat on the table before her which was topped by a stuffed vulture.

"Gran, allow me to introduce you to my friend, Heir of Potter and Black, Harry James Potter. Harry, this is my gran and lady regent of House Longbottom, my gran Augusta Longbottom."

Harry took her left hand in his right and pretended to kiss her knuckles, "Lady Longbottom, I have heard a lot of things about you and all in positive vein. Neville here regards you highly."

She nodded, "Well met, Heir Potter. Please take a seat."

As Harry sat, she began to speak, "Heir Potter, can I call you Harry?"

When he nodded, she continued, "Harry, you wouldn't know this, but our families were connected in the past. The House of Potter always sat on the Wizengamot through a proxy because they never liked to meddle in politics, however our interests have always been aligned. You family was not one to lead from the front but they loved to stay in the background and let others do whatever they wanted. Most of your family were merchants, inventors and potioneers. That is how they made their fortune but a few of them were even warriors. Your ancestor Ralston Potter sat on the Wizengamot, and he was instrumental in the adoption and execution of the International Statute of Secrecy. There is an offshoot of the family which lives in USA and one Abraham Potter was one of the first 16 Aurors of MACUSA. One of your ancestors was even the Minister of Magic. I was very good friends with your grandparents- Fleamont and Euphemia Potter. Fleamont was a genius inventor and he invented the Sleekeazy, the most selling cosmetic potion in the world and it quadrupled the family fortune in a very short time. They had James when they were old and by the time you came along, they were aged and infirm. The dragon pox epidemic of the 80s claimed their lives shortly before you were born. As Lord James Potter went into hiding for some obscure reasons, we lost any contact with them and your family seat fell vacant. It was filled in by Elphias Doge who is a very good friend of Albus Dumbledore and I have a fond wish that you will sit in that seat in your own time. I haven't called you here to discuss politics though. My Neville is a good boy, but I know how hard it is for him in the school where he literally has no friends. I'd like it if you were to consider him as one of your friends."

"Madam Longbottom, Neville is one of my friends and I have always seen him that way. I know there are many especially among Slytherin who make fun of him but then they are always trying to make fun of everyone. I assure you that I will never let him feel like he is alone at school."

"Thank you, Harry", she said, "I have heard that you are living with Lord Black now. How is living with him like? I have heard stories about him and your father from Frank and Alice..."

"Who?"

"Frank and Alice", she said, "Neville's parents. Surely, he has mentioned them to you. Hasn't he told you that they were tortured into insanity by Bellatrix No Name, Rodolphus & Rabastan Lestrange and Barty Crouch Junior? They were Aurors who fought in the war and escaped You-know-who three times."

Harry hesitated telling her the truth, "No, I mean I never asked."

She turned to Neville, "Why you haven't told him about your parents Neville? You should be proud of your parents and not ashamed."

"I am... not ashamed", Neville said.

"You sure have a way of showing that you are proud of them by not telling your friends about them", she said, "And that is after the fact that I gave you Frank's old wand to use."

"You gave him your son's wand?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Madam Longbottom, the wand chooses the wizard", Harry told her, "If Neville's wand has not chosen him, it will not work for him properly. That is what Ollivander told me when I went there to get my wand."

Suddenly comprehension dawned in Neville's mind, "That... that is why I have been having trouble with my spells."

Augusta looked horrified, "I am so sorry Neville. I will take you to Ollivander's tomorrow to get you a new wand. I will correct my mistake."

"You don't need to be sorry, Gran. You were doing what you thought was right", Neville said, "It'd be good to have my own wand though."

"Now you boys go and see the manor and then the grounds. I'd like it if you can stay for the day Harry", she said, "Neville hardly gets any visitors."

"I will stay", he said, already starting to walk outside with Neville.

"Harry my boy", boomed Horace Slughorn, "How was your trip?"

Today, Remus had him comb his hair in such a way that the bangs which usually covered his scar were combed neatly to the side, his hair which had started to lengthen and coming to his shoulders were also neatly combed and his nest of hair was tamed with the use of copious amount of Sleekeazy. As a result, his forehead was clearly visible, and anyone could see the faded line where the lightning bolt shaped scar used to be.

"It was fine Professor", Harry said, "I learnt a lot in this trip. I had gone to Africa to meet a Shaman who wanted to see me."

By this time Slughorn noticed the scar on his head, "What happened to your scar? I mean it looks like it has faded by now but the last time I saw it, it looked angry red. Did you get any treatment for this?"

"No Professor", he said, "the scar contained something that did not allow it to heal."

"What?", Slughorn asked in fascination for he had an avid interest in magical research, and he knew a fair bit of dark arts himself. When he had first seen the scar, he instantly knew what it was. It was a curse wound and would never have healed. If something had healed this curse then Slughorn needed to know what it was.

"Professor Lord Black has forbid me from mentioning this to anyone", Harry told him conspiratorially, "But since I trust you, I am telling you this. That night when Voldemort came for me, he shot the killing curse at me but the some arcane protection rebounded his curse on him and his body disintegrated. The Shaman told me that a piece of his soul detached itself and latched it onto me."

"You... you a... are jesting with me, right?", he asked.

"No Professor", Harry said, "I am telling you the truth. The scar contained a piece of his soul and it has been since removed. He divided his soul into piece so he would not die."

"No… You are lying", Slughorn said. He looked afraid as if his worst dream was coming true.

"No Professor, I am not lying", Harry said defiantly, "And the Shaman also told me that may be more out there so Lord Black is trying to find some person who can tell him how many time a person can break his soul. He is offering a unique reward for this information."

"What reward?", Slughorn asked, a little too quickly.

Harry produced a big vial full of an amber colored liquid, "Professor, this is a full vial of Basilisk Venom and Lord Black is offering it as a reward. I have been told that the price of one vial as big as this one is around 1,000 Galleons a pint."

Slughorn was doing the calculations in his mind, "A pint goes for 1000 Galleons normally and there would be deductions of 100 Galleons before the money is paid but if it were to be sold in black market, it will go for as much as 1,100 Galleons. A vial such as this would contain at least 20 pints so that little vial would be worth 22,000 Galleons!"

He turned to Harry, "If I were to tell you the answer to your question, do I get two vials of the Basilisk venom?"

"But Professor how can you know the answer to this question?", Harry asked, "I mean you are a potioneer."

"I just do", Slughorn said, "I will give you a memory to prove the fact."

"If you give us the memory now, Professor", said Sirius who had been waiting for the right moment, "I will readily supply you with three vials full of Basilisk venom and I'll even throw in a fang or two."

It was easy for Slughorn to make such a deal. He could take the money and disappear and nobody would ever find him. If Tom ever came back, he would have his hands full of people who knew this secret and he won't have time to worry about Slughorn.

He put his wand to his temple and pulled out a silvery thread of a memory which he put into a tiny vial which he conjured and gave it to Sirius, "Give it to Dumbledore and he will understand what is to be done. However there can be things in the memory which you may not like and I am too ashamed to admit that I may have told him about the process of tearing his soul into pieces."

"You need not be ashamed Professor", said Sirius, "Even the best of us make mistakes at times."

"Harry, welcome to Bones Manor", said Susan Bones, welcoming him to her ancestral home.

"Thank you Susan", he said, "I hope I am not intruding."

'No, you are not", she said, "Now come with me. I will introduce you to my family."

In a parlor sat the Bones family. She introduced him to people as they sat.

"Harry, meet my father Lord Edward Bones,my mother Lady Seren Bones nee Llewellyn, my brother Edgar Bones and my Aunt Amelia Bones. Everyone allow me to present you Harry James Potter, Heir to House of Potter and Black."

Harry shook hands with Edward Bones, "It is a pleasure to meet you Lord Bones. My godfather spoke highly of you."

He presented his courtesies to Seren, "Lady Bones, I can see where Susan gets her beauty from."

He then shook hands with Edgar, "Pleased to meet you, Edgar. Are you going to Hogwarts?"

As the little boy nodded, unable to speak as if he was awestruck, Susan had to poke him in the shoulder, "It is bad manners to not to reply to people, Edgar."

Finally Edgar seemed to get his bearings, "I will be in first year at Hogwarts this year. Susan has told me a lot about you. Will you teach me Quidditch?"

Harry looked amused, "I am not sure if I can teach anyone to play Quidditch but I will surely try. If you have got a broom, we will see if I can teach you a thing or two."

He then finally turned to Amelia, "Madam Bones, I am very thankful to you for the role you played in exoneration of my godfather. He is all praises about you and your sense of fairness and justice."

"Think nothing of it, Mr. Potter," she said, "Lord Black was good friends with my brother Edgar who was killed in the war at the hands of Death Eaters."

"Mr. Potter", Edward was saying, "I am sure you have been told that your family was among one of the thirteen who founded the society of wizarding Britain. My ancestor was one of the knights of that round table which assisted Merlin and Arthur Pendragon in his war."

"I have been told", said Harry, "And I also know that House of Bones has been a friend of house of Potter despite the Potters being used to a life of seclusion while the House of Bones has always been engaged in the turmoil of the wizarding world. My Godfather has also told me to convey his thanks for bringing Dolores Umbridge to justice."

"Susan why don't you show Mr. Potter around", said Edward, "Take him to a walk around the grounds and maybe he can give some tips to Edgar about Quidditch."