Final exams took place the first week in June. Harry tried to focus and do his best, but the unresolved situation with Sirius weighed on him. Besides worrying for his godfather's own sake, each day that passed with no news increased Harry's dread that he might have to return to Privet Drive for the summer.

Then on Thursday, the last day of finals, the front page of the Evening Prophet bore the headline "Sirius Black Cleared!", and in a smaller font underneath, "Pettigrew Alive, Revealed as True Villain!"

Harry noticed the stares turning his way as the news spread around the Great Hall, but was too happy to care.

Lupin was at the head table with his own copy of the paper, and he smiled back when he saw Harry looking his way. Snape didn't appear nearly as pleased, not that Harry was the type to treasure the sour look on the Potions Master's face, or gloat over how it made the whole thing even sweeter. Not much, at least. An hour or two, tops.

The next day, Harry got a note asking him to visit the headmaster's office that afternoon. When he arrived and Dumbledore invited him to enter, Sirius and Lupin were already there.

Sirius stood scowling with his arms crossed. He brightened when he greeted Harry, but it looked somewhat forced.

"Ah, Harry, thank you for joining us," Dumbledore began. "We must discuss your living arrangements for the summer. Please have a seat."

"I thought the plan was for me to stay with Sirius," Harry said, looking at his godfather as he passed him on his way to a chair.

"Still would be, if it were up to me," Sirius told him.

"There may have been some raised voices regarding that point," Lupin noted in his usual understated manner.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I'm afraid that when Sirius made that offer, he was unaware of all the relevant circumstances."

Dumbledore went on to describe some sort of magical protection tied to blood relatives of Harry's mother. Harry thought it sounded like a bad joke. The last thing he'd ever felt with those people was protected. He tuned out most of Dumbledore's explanation, as it all boiled down to him not being able to leave Privet Drive until August.

"I'm really sorry, Harry," Sirius told him.

"It's fine, Mr Black. You don't owe me anything."

"You can call me Sirius."

"Thank you," Harry said, keeping his face and voice neutral.

"I know you're disappointed. I am too. But I'll come see you. Soon. We can still go out and have fun even if you're not living with me. I'll make sure you're not trapped there all summer."

"Sure."

"I mean it. I can sympathize more than most with being stuck somewhere you don't want to be." He glanced at Lupin. "Also, you should know I've asked Remus to stay with us as well."

"Though we wanted to find out how you felt about it first," Lupin added.

Harry looked back and forth between them, puzzled. "It's not my house."

Sirius said, "I'm hoping you'll come to think of it as a place where you belong."

Dumbledore hastily added, "Though of course the Dursley household must remain your actual home for the time being. I'm afraid that is essential."

Harry said nothing in response to this.

Lupin said, "Sirius is your godfather, and I don't want to get in the way of you two bonding."

Harry asked, "Will you give me more Defense lessons if I ever actually make it there?"

Lupin smiled. "I'd be happy to. Though asking for extra summer homework is more what I would expect from Miss Granger."

"Just Defense, not every class. And practical stuff, not essays."

"I believe I can accommodate those requirements." Lupin glanced at Dumbledore, and added, "At least as far as allowed within the limitations imposed by the Trace."

Harry said, "Then it's fine with me."

Lupin and Sirius relaxed. It seemed like they genuinely cared about taking his wishes into account, which struck him as unusual behavior for adults. He wondered what was behind it.

"To be honest," Sirius said, "the house I inherited isn't in great shape for company yet. I haven't been able to do much with it so far. I couldn't show my face in Diagon Alley to get a new wand until the Ministry stopped dragging their heels and finally cleared me. Having a couple months to work on the place wouldn't hurt, and Moony's help will make a big difference."

Dumbledore said, "I'm glad we were able to work out a compromise acceptable to all concerned."

Harry wasn't sure they'd been at the same meeting if that was Dumbledore's takeaway, but he dutifully nodded, rose from his chair, and said goodbye to everyone.

As he passed Sirius on his way to the door, the man reached out to give him an awkward pat on the shoulder, but he barely registered it. His mind was on finding Ginny, so she could get him a fresh supply of Draught of Peace for the summer.

~*~

Harry found Ginny in the Gryffindor common room, and asked her to take a walk outside with him. When they reached the lake, he stared down at the water while he gave her a terse summary of the meeting with Dumbledore.

She promised to get more of the potion for him before he even asked. She put her arm around him and added, "I wish I could do more. You deserve better."

"It's enough. The potion will keep everyone quiet, as long as Aunt Marge doesn't show up. She seems immune. Maybe Snape and I should publish a paper on it."

Ginny didn't laugh. "Are you absolutely sure you don't want me to go ahead and burn the bloody place down? Then nobody could stay there."

"I don't think I can commit to absolutely sure, so I'm going to say fairly sure. Can we talk about something else? I don't want to spend another minute thinking about them before I'm forced to."

"Okay. Are you excited about your first trip to Hogsmeade tomorrow?"

He blinked at the change in subject. "What?"

"The Dementors went back to Azkaban. No escaped convict is out to get you. There's no reason for you not to."

"I still don't have a permission slip."

"Sirius should be able to sign that for you now."

"Maybe. I haven't thought much about it. I was just glad he got cleared, and then just now, I was too frustrated about the summer to think of anything else."

"Even more reason you should go. It'll help take your mind off everything. Ask McGonagall to let you call him over the Floo."

"I don't want to start bothering him with every little thing. He must have more important things to do, now that he's free."

"Harry. The guy bought you a Firebolt. Once he finds out you've already missed three Hogsmeade weekends, he'll blame himself for sure. He'll jump at the chance to make sure you get to go this time."

"Dumbledore will find some other reason why it's not safe."

"Maybe not. From the way you described it, you played it right by not blowing up at him. That should make him feel even more guilty. You can use that."

"I wasn't playing at anything. I just didn't see any point in arguing."

"I know, but you know what I mean. You were thinking along the right lines when you asked Lupin for lessons, but he would have been happy to do that anyway."

"I don't know why he would. It's not his job anymore."

"Maybe because he cares about you? I know adults have let you down a lot in your life, but there are some good ones, like my parents. Or Hagrid. He and Lupin and Sirius stood their ground against Dementors for us. That means something."

"Yeah, it does. It means a lot. I guess I could have been friendlier to Sirius when he was here. It's not his fault. Dumbledore was the one who changed everything, not him. I was just counting on him so much to get me out of that place. I should know better."

"We haven't seen enough yet to say if you can count on him for day-to-day things, or if he's more of a 'make a big, heroic gesture and then disappear' kind of guy. If he comes through with a Hogsmeade permission slip, that'll be a good sign."

"You can't go until next year."

"I told you way back in October you should go. Okay, that turned into a disaster, but I didn't want you to stay behind for me then, and I don't want you to now. I can get by without you for one day."

"I know, but it's one of our last days together before summer. Are you ready for that?"

"You help me, Harry. You know you do. But I'm not your problem to solve."

He shook his head. "That's not what I'm saying."

"No, listen. I got through last summer okay, and I'm doing a lot better now than I was then. If I'm being honest, when I reach for your touch these days, it's not like right after everything happened. A year ago, I needed it to feel like the world was real. These days, it mostly just feels nice."

"Oh. That's alright then. Yeah, it does. Feel nice, I mean." He idly ran his hand up and down her back.

She waited to see if he would say or do anything more. When he didn't, she asked, "What about you? I'll be with my family all summer. You'll be… Well, you know."

"Yeah."

"Sorry, forgot we weren't talking about that."

He shrugged. "It's fine. It'll be fine."

"No, wait, I remember now. We were talking about you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow, but we finished with that topic. Have fun."

"If you're sure."

"I am. We're going to see McGonagall right now."

"Ron and Hermione were already planning to skip this one."

"They've been several times already, and were only going to skip this one because they thought you still couldn't go. We'll tell them about the change in plans after you get in touch with Sirius."

"That still leaves you out. You could come along under the Cloak."

She paused to consider it, but said, "Nah. We should save the Cloak for more important things."

"This is important."

"I mean like if I need to use it to sneak up on Riddle someday, to put an end to him once and for all. It's best if people don't start to expect me to be sneaking around invisible as a regular thing."

"I don't think that'd work anyway. I'm pretty sure Dumbledore can still sense me when I'm wearing it, so Riddle probably could too."

"Obviously I'd need you to distract him first."

"Obviously. It's so simple, I don't know why I didn't think of it."

"Maybe the Cloak won't be enough by itself, but we should be thinking of ways to use every advantage we have. Especially anything that gives us the advantage of surprise."

"Yeah, I suppose so."

"Of course. I always know best. That's how I know the best thing for you is a visit to Hogsmeade tomorrow."

"Alright, you've convinced me. Is there anything you want me to pick you up from the shops?"

"I'll write a list."

"A whole list?"

"I deserve a reward for my selflessness."

"I'm not sure that's how selflessness works."

"I have so much to teach you."

~*~

Ginny's list turned out to be quite short, which was fortunate, as Harry was scrupulous about dragging Ron and Hermione around to make sure he got every item on it before letting them give him a tour of the rest of the village.

The following Monday, Harry and Ginny went to their last meeting with Lupin. He told them he'd learned who their next Defense teacher would be when they returned to school in the fall, and that the man was well-qualified for the position.

"That's not necessarily a good thing," Ginny said. "The competent ones tend to be dangerous. No offense."

"None taken. But you need not worry about him being sympathetic to the Death Eater cause. Few have devoted themselves to fighting Dark wizards more relentlessly. In the meantime, I've selected some books for each of you which you may enjoy browsing through this summer."

Lupin waved his hand to send several books from his desk floating over to each of them.

Ginny felt disappointed–though not surprised–to see that the book she most coveted from his collection was not among those Lupin had chosen for her.

Harry caught the books directed towards him. He glanced at the titles, but said, "Thanks, but my relatives aren't keen on anything magic-related, even books."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Lupin said. "Sirius may yet find a way to have more influence and presence in your life this summer than you expect."

Harry tried to get him to explain, but Lupin refused, saying he didn't want to spoil the surprise.

Lupin said, "As for you, Ginny, I have another suggestion for how you may proceed with your studies this summer, but you must promise to abide by the safety guidelines I will lay out. Harry, you may find this interesting as well."

Ginny considered his terms. She didn't like to limit herself, and promises involving magic were not something you offered lightly.

"Would it mean I could cast magic over the summer?" she asked.

"It would."

"I promise to listen to your advice and not push myself beyond what I think I can handle."

Lupin gave her a wry look. "You picked the wrong person to try to fool with clever wording. I did far too much of that in my own misspent youth."

Ginny gave him her best look of astonished innocence.

Lupin shook his head and turned to Harry. "And you? I expect the same caution from you, if you wish to try what I have in mind. Even if you don't work with fire, any spell can prove dangerous in unexpected ways if performed incorrectly."

"I make the same promise as Ginny," Harry answered with a grin.

Lupin sighed. "Very well. I'm going to be trusting you both to use your own best judgment anyway. Now then, you are aware that the Ministry uses the Trace to restrict underage magic. But you also know that no one gets in trouble for accidental underage magic. An inquisitive student might wonder what distinguishes accidental magic."

Ginny said, "Accidental magic is fueled by strong emotion. But then again, so is some deliberate magic, so that can't be it."

Harry added, "Accidental magic lacks the specific, directed intention you're supposed to put into a proper spell."

Lupin told them, "I see why you're thinking along those lines, given how much time we've spent on both those topics, but not quite what I was looking for. What else?"

Ginny said, "It happens most with kids who don't have their wands yet."

"Ah, interesting. Having noted that, the same inquisitive student might wonder how wandless magic might appear to the Trace."

Her eyes lit up, seeing where he was leading, but then she frowned and asked, "Isn't wandless magic awfully advanced?"

"Yes, for most people, but you have an advantage when it comes to fire-based spells. Given how easily fire comes to you, it should need little in the way of deliberate encouragement, even without a wand."

"There has to be more to it, though," Harry objected. "What about when Dobby got me in trouble? He didn't use my wand."

"Well-spotted," Lupin said. "House-elf magic is different, in ways we don't fully understand. Dobby may understand the Trace well enough to trigger it intentionally."

Lupin turned back to Ginny. "While we're on the subject, there is a charm which can reveal the history of spells cast by your wand. Ordinarily, this could be used as evidence against you. With wandless magic though, it can work to your advantage, by serving to confuse things. As an added precaution against complications with the Ministry, you should cast a wand-lighting spell–or something similarly innocuous and unrelated to fire–before you leave Hogwarts."

Harry said, "Oh, I get it. When I got a warning letter, it said which spell they detected. If the Ministry checks and finds a different spell on her wand, it'll look like the office that handles that stuff screwed up."

"Precisely," Lupin said. "Now, we must discuss safety. Fire magic is never entirely safe, but developing the control required for wandless magic now will help reduce the risks in the long term. And I can tell you are determined to continue–determined enough to break into my office and steal spells I warned you were too dangerous for you to attempt yet."

Ginny asked, "Sorry, what? Your office?"

"I doubt the spell you used to repel the Dementors can be found in any other book at Hogwarts–at least no book readily available to students. Might I ask which other spells you copied?"

Ginny hesitated, then listed the spells.

"I imagine you found them quite beyond you?"

"Yes. Will you explain them to me?"

"No. Certainly not when I am not going to be around to guide you."

"But you saw me perform one of them."

"For which I owe you my lasting gratitude, considering the circumstances. Nonetheless, that spell is perilous to cast, and the others even more so."

"How about as a going-away present?"

"No. And I believe the convention is to give those to the person leaving."

"Sorry, didn't think to get you anything. Can you at least put in a good word with next year's Defense teacher?"

"I will give him an accurate assessment of the remarkable progress you both have made."

"Alright, thanks. You know, there was one other spell I thought I might find towards the end of that book."

Lupin sighed. "Out with it, then."

She glanced over to double-check that the door to the corridor was still shut, but then spoke in a hushed voice anyway. "Fiendfyre."

Lupin shook his head. "Of course. Everyone who feels drawn to fire wants to learn that spell, though there is almost never an occasion which justifies its use. You will not find it in any book. No one has ever found a way to commit it to paper without the paper catching on fire. It must be taught in person. And no, I will not teach you."

Ginny pressed her lips together. She'd expected him to refuse, but still wasn't happy about it. Then another thought occurred to her. "You kept teaching me after that night, despite knowing what I'd done. You weren't mad about me sneaking a peek at your book?"

"Let us say, I was not surprised. An old tradition holds that an act of theft of magical knowledge is part of the initiation into the use of fire magic. It symbolizes the hunger which is a key aspect of fire, its tendency to consume everything, paying no heed to defined limits. Even Muggles see connections between fire, knowledge, and theft, as in the myth of Prometheus."

"So I was… what? Fated to do it?"

"Only in so far as we are all fated to follow our own true natures."

"If I hadn't done it, would my fire be less powerful?"

"That I can't say. It's not clear how such an act could have any magical effect in the sense you mean. But as I keep trying to impress upon you both, magic is not just about spells, but also about intentions and choices, even those which don't appear overtly magical."

He gave her a moment to reflect, then said, "Set that aside for now. We were about to discuss safety. Begin with something simple. The basic Fire-Making Charm will do. You've moved far beyond it when using your wand, but wandless magic will feel almost like starting over. You may find it easier at first to get results if you remove your amulet, but you should keep it nearby.

"Always have a large bucket of sand within easy reach. It's more effective than water for extinguishing certain types of fire. Always keep your wand nearby as well, even when you're not planning to use it. You won't get in trouble for using magic to put out a fire in an emergency. Remember the spells I've taught you for extinguishing fires, and review them if you need to.

"Always make sure one of your parents or another magical adult is close enough for you to call for help. Never practice by yourself with no magical adults nearby–and of course never around Muggles. The Statute of Secrecy still applies to wandless magic."

Ginny said, "That all sounds reasonable, though I'm surprised a teacher would suggest practicing magic outside of school, even with the precautions."

"Well then, it's just as well I am no longer your teacher."

Both students looked melancholy at this reminder.

"Also," Lupin added with a conspiratorial smirk, "please note that at no point did I say you could avoid the Trace by practicing wandless magic. You arrived at that conclusion on your own–though perhaps inspired by my aimless musings."

Though they were sorry to see him go, Harry and Ginny couldn't help but return his grin.

Harry said, "You said I might be able to try it too, but all you've talked about is fire, which is more Ginny's thing."

Lupin said, "I believe it will be more difficult for you. I haven't seen you show an affinity for any one specific form of magic, such as Ginny has for fire. Your magic seems strongest when you need a massive outpouring of it in a moment of crisis. Not uncommon, but difficult to replicate under controlled conditions."

"Don't be so sure," Harry said. "I'm spending the first part of the summer with my relatives. That's a crisis waiting to happen."

"I wouldn't worry too much before you see what surprises the summer may hold. Though of course, you should avoid casting any magic around Muggles, relatives or not, and wandless or not."

"Yeah, I know."

"In case you do choose to attempt wandless magic, you should also cast a cover spell with your wand before leaving Hogwarts. For that, we first need to decide which spell you wish to learn to cast wandlessly. If you could master just one wandless spell, which do you think would be most useful?"

"If it was the only thing I could do without a wand…" He looked down at the books Lupin had sent his way with a simple gesture. "Oh! Summon my wand."

Lupin smiled. "Very good. That is the most useful application of wandless summoning, though the choice of target is of little consequence in learning the spell. Do be careful not to practice with anything heavy, breakable, or valuable, of course."

"Okay, but we haven't even learned to summon things with a wand yet."

"I will teach you now. I don't expect you to master it on your first attempt, but try to manage it at least once with your wand before you leave for the summer. It's far easier to cast a spell wandlessly if you already have a feel for the flow of magic unique to it, which you can gain by casting it with a wand. Just make sure it's not the last spell you cast before leaving, as we discussed."

As Lupin demonstrated the spell, Ginny watched as attentively as Harry. As soon as she could light fires wandlessly, she wanted to learn wandless summoning as well.

After showing them the spell, Lupin briefly reviewed the safety rules once more, and then impressed upon them the need for discretion.

He told them, "The Ministry has not imposed these restrictions in order to spoil anyone's fun. Magic can be dangerous when performed without proper guidance. And there is of course the Statute of Secrecy to consider. It would not do for every Hogwarts student to start trying to get around the Trace. I have chosen to make an exception for you two, as you both have rather different circumstances than the average Hogwarts student. But I have shared this information with you so you can use it wisely, not so you can share it with the student body at large."

Their lesson time came to an end, and the two students both thanked Lupin for everything and said their farewells.

As the two started back towards Gryffindor Tower, Ginny remarked, "Hermione is going to be happier than McGonagall in a catnip patch when she hears about this. I know what Lupin said about keeping it to ourselves, but you know we have to share this with her, right?"

"I don't know if she'll be as happy about it as you think. She's not a big fan of rule-breaking."

"Yeah, but this is the right kind of rule-breaking. For a chance to spend more time practicing magic, I'm sure she'll find a way to justify it to herself."

"Yeah, I can see that. We'll tell just her and Ron then, and nobody else. Agreed?"

"Agreed."