It was several weeks later and Harry and Luna were walking through the forest. Harry was hoping for some time to talk to Luna about everything that had happened. He was grateful to have Luna home again. It just wasn't the same without her. He hadn't really needed anything from the forest, but it was a good way to get Luna alone since Tabatha wasn't allowed to come with. Tabatha was great, but that two years' age difference felt quite substantial to him. She'd taken to following him and Luna around everywhere they went. If he was honest with himself, Tabatha tended to follow Luna around and not him, but it was still annoying.

Once they were far enough in, Harry felt comfortable broaching the subject. He had been thinking for a long time about how to bring it up and had decided to just be blunt. Luna was blunt, so he figured she'd appreciate it.

"Luna," he said. "I've been wanting to ask you something about the whole thing with Greyback."

Luna stopped walking for a moment at the mention of the werewolf, but recovered quickly. "Oh," she said. "What exactly do you want to know?"

Harry could sense that Luna was on edge, which was odd for the girl. She was being very secretive so he'd have to be more careful how he approached this, which he hadn't really planned for.

"I'm mostly wondering about the poem and the drawing I found in your room," he said. "The one about a fool and a moon."

He waited with bated breath for Luna to respond.

"Oh that," Luna laughed. "I thought you were going to ask me about…" she trailed off.

Harry stopped walking then and Luna did as well.

"About what?" Harry asked. He wondered if Luna thought maybe he wanted to know more about how she'd been captured and what Greyback had done to her. He shuddered. He would listen if she wanted to talk about that, but he'd prefer to be spared the gruesome details.

Luna hesitated for a moment longer before saying, "Nevermind, Harry."

She pulled his hand so they could keep walking towards the fairy nest and he followed.

"I'll tell you what happened, but you have to promise not to interrupt, or laugh," she said. Harry nodded his agreement.

Luna took a deep breath. "I had a dream a couple nights before Remus brought up his plans to go looking for Silvie. In the dream, I met a woman in bright white robes in a forest. She told me that she was Fate, and that I'd been chosen to become one of her Agents."

Luna hesitated for a moment to test whether or not Harry would try and interrupt. Satisfied that he was taking this seriously, she continued. "She told me that an Agent of Fate was granted the ability to see certain events in the future, but in exchange they had to work with Fate to make sure the event played out correctly."

Harry wondered if that was the cost or if it was something else. He was dying to ask her, but didn't want to interrupt.

"My Aunt May, my mother's sister, told me stories about Fate and I admit that when the woman in my dream mentioned that I had been chosen, I was ecstatic. She told me that in order to become an Agent of Fate that I'd have to go with Remus and then she showed me what was going to happen to me if I did go."

Harry gasped. His suspicions that Luna knew what was going to happen were confirmed.

Luna paused for a time at his gasp, but finally continued. "Yes, I knew what was going to happen to me. The visions were… explicit. I felt every bite and scratch as if they were happening. I felt the humiliation of being kept in a cage, the hunger as I waited for my next meal, and the fear that I would never escape.

"But then she showed me being rescued by you. She showed me that not only would I be freed, but all the other children being held captive. She showed me hope. Somehow, knowing that you would come and rescue me and everyone else made me feel better. She told me that my choosing to go would set things in motion that needed to happen. She told me that I could be Fate's tool to make sure that you came and rescued us. So I agreed and I forced my way with Remus."

Harry didn't like it. He didn't like being manipulated. He didn't think he could have done what Luna had done.

His distaste must have shown on his face because Luna sniffed and asked, "You don't agree with my choice?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't know, Luna. It doesn't seem to be worth it to be an Agent of Fate. To be controlled by Fate like that…"

Luna laughed at that. "We're all controlled by Fate, whether we like it or not," she said. "At least this way, I get to be part of something bigger than myself. I get to be useful."

Harry paused at that.

"Do you think that Fate hasn't already used you for her own ends?" Luna asked.

Harry shrugged. He preferred to think that his fate was in his own hands and not in the hands of some mystical being.

"Being an Agent of Fate is a great honor, Harry," Luna said. "Fate is crafty. She doesn't have to show you the future to get what she wants, but she chooses to have Agents from time to time because she trusts them."

Harry didn't like it and he didn't think he would have chosen the same thing, but he understood where she was coming from. He wanted to be useful too. He wanted to make his family proud and he wanted to be important. That was why he joined the Guild of Shadows after all.

It couldn't have been easy knowing that she'd become a werewolf and then allowing it to happen just so things would play out the way Fate wanted them to. There was strength in her knowing and choosing it anyways and his respect for Luna grew.

"Mrs Figg knows about the poem and the picture, and about you leaving Loki to guide me," Harry said. "She said you might be a prophetess."

Luna shrugged. "That is another word for an Agent of Fate," she said. "Different cultures call them different things, but they're all the same thing. The woman in my dream called it an Agent of Fate, and I like that more anyways."

Harry nodded. It made as much sense as it could, he supposed. He had a lot more questions but he suspected that the more he asked, the more questions he'd have. Fate, Destiny, whatever you wanted to call it, it was confusing.

He decided to just ask one more question. "Has Fate called since your dream?"

Luna nodded, a small smile growing on her face. "Yes, my first night in the hospital," she said. "She said she was proud of me and that I'd done well."

Harry smiled. Even if he didn't really understand all of it and didn't like what he did understand, he was still happy for his friend.

"She also told me to tell you something," Luna said.

Harry felt his eyebrows raise against his will.

"Don't put the Guild Leader's key in your vault, Harry," Luna finished.

He had basically forgotten all about the key, distracted by the Guild Market and his mission. He hadn't ever actually put it in his vault.

"Is this going to be a thing?" he asked in frustration. "Is Fate going to use you to tell me what to do now?"

Luna huffed in return. "I don't know," she said while folding her arms across her chest. "Maybe."

"What if I ignore it?" he said. "I don't want some… deity telling me what to do."

Luna laughed. "What makes you think that Fate hasn't thought of that and knows that by telling you what to do, that you'll do the opposite, thus doing exactly what they intend you to do?"

It was maddening and he yelled in frustration.

Luna came and patted him on the shoulder. "Just do what you think is right. I'm just passing on the message… I've done my part."

They had made it to the fairy nest a while ago, but had stopped to finish their conversation, but when Harry went to harvest, he found that the fairies had abandoned it. He reckoned they had finally gotten fed up with him stealing their eggs and whatnot.

"They've left," Harry said. "Oh well, we didn't actually need anything anyways."

"Oh darn," Luna replied. "Auggie was looking forward to some fresh fairies."

Harry laughed. "Told you that, did he?" he said.

"Shut up," Luna said, without any real bite. "Auggie and I have a bond."

"You and just about every magical creature have a bond." Harry replied. "It's a miracle that Ratatoskr hasn't switched sides already." He said all this with a fond smile. He wasn't actually upset about it. It just meant that he'd found a very good friend in Luna. Magical creatures were excellent judges of character after all.

Luna just stuck out her tongue at him.


When they arrived back inside, they were met by Susan and Amelia Bones who looked to have just arrived via the floo. Harry wasn't expecting this and started to panic. He hadn't actually ever sent Susan a letter to apologize.

"Hi Harry," Susan said while looking him and Luna over. "I'm guessing you didn't know we were coming today?"

Harry recovered quickly and performed the required niceties. The rituals, though annoying, were helpful for buying time. "No, but you are both most welcome," he said. "Susan, I owe you and Madam Bones an apology."

Madam Bones raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at his admission. "Oh?" she asked. "Whatever for?"

Harry stepped back and looked at both of them, forcing his embarrassment aside as he admitted his murmurings about the effectiveness and capability of the Auror Force to the Head of the DMLE.

Susan was beaming at his apology. Madam Bones simply smiled and said, "You wouldn't be the first to voice such opinions, and you most certainly won't be the last."

She looked him over with a calculating look and said, "Your apology is appreciated, but not necessary. You were experiencing some very powerful and very real emotions, I'm sure. I am, in fact, quite impressed by your willingness to accept responsibility for any potential offense."

Harry glanced at Susan, waiting for her response.

Susan smiled brightly and said, "It's no problem, Harry, I understand where you were coming from."

Susan walked over and gave him a brief hug and a peck on the cheek and he felt heat rise to his cheeks quickly. He thought he saw a blush forming on Susan's cheeks as well, but she turned away and greeted Luna before he could be sure.

"Ah, Amelia and Susan, you're here!" Harry heard Sirius say behind him. He turned and saw the man descending the stairs. Harry had never seen him look so put together. He was dressed in fine charcoal robes, his hair and beard were trimmed to perfection.

Harry watched with envy as Sirius performed the pure blood niceties as if they were second nature. Harry could do them well by now, but the way Sirius did them made them look normal.

"I asked them to meet me here so I could treat them to a nice dinner in the city and maybe do some shopping. Would either of you care to join us?" Sirius asked him and Luna.

Luna declined politely and Harry was tempted to do the same since shopping wasn't really his thing, but he had missed both Sirius and Susan and accepted the invitation.

He hadn't noticed before but Susan and Amelia were both very well dressed as well and he suddenly felt very self conscious of the dirty robes he was wearing.

"Do we have time for me to get changed first?" He asked, gesturing at his robes. "I've just come from the forest."

Sirius answered with an easy smile and said, "Oh, yes, of course. Actually, that gives me an excuse to brew some of that cocoa that Mooney gets from the continent… Amelia?"

Sirius escorted Amelia to the kitchen and Susan walked with Harry and Luna back to their rooms.

"They seem to be hitting it off," Harry said to Susan.

Susan smiled and said, "Oh yes. I don't think I've ever seen Auntie so happy actually."

"Sirius has really cleaned up," he said. "It was looking pretty rough there for a while so I'm glad to see him doing so much better."

Harry departed to his room and Susan and Luna went to say hi to Auggie.

Harry changed quickly into his nicest robes and then fruitlessly attempted to tame his hair. He debated on whether or not to bring his 'Adventure Kit' as he'd started calling it.

It contained his Kenetic Guild Robes, his invisibility cloak, useful potions, and some joke supplies from Zonkos. He hadn't brought it with him to the hospital and it would have been dead useful.

Ultimately, he doubted he'd get any use out of it tonight with Sirius and Amelia so close, and it would be hard to explain if he got caught with it, so he decided to leave it behind this time.

He did bring his wand though, just in case.


Later that night, Harry and Susan walked hand in hand behind Amelia and Sirius. They'd just finished shopping and decided to stop at Fortescues for some ice cream.

Dinner had been phenomenal and he'd never experienced anything like it. Sirius had let him get whatever he wanted and refused to let Harry pay for anything.

The group sat and happily ate their dessert.

"So, Susan, what are you most looking forward to at Hogwarts next year?" Sirius asked.

Susan paused thoughtfully. "I think I'm most looking forward to making some new friends and I'm really excited about Charms."

Sirius smiled genuinely and said, "Ah, Charms was one of my best subjects," he said.

Amelia didn't quite manage to hold in her laugh at that.

Sirius turned and gave her a hurt look. "You doubt me?" He said in mock outrage.

"Not at all," she said placatingly. "You're very ummm… charming."

Susan and Harry laughed at their antics.

"You're lucky these two are here," he said while gesturing to him and Susan. "Or I'd show you just how charming I can be."

Susan giggled and Harry saw a small blush appear on Amelia's cheeks. Sirius smirked in triumph.

Amelia cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject. "What about you, Harry," she said. "What are you looking forward to?"

Harry thought about it for a while and answered, "I'm looking forward to a lot of things like finding the secret passageways and exploring the castle. I like Potions, and I really want to learn about Enchanting."

"A true Potter, then," Amelia said with a smile.

Harry grinned back.

"My, my, isn't this touching," a snobby voice said whilst slurring his words. "Two orphans and their guardians. Madam Bones, I'm surprised to see you in the presence of Black… especially after his brother murdered your family."

Harry tensed at the words and noticed that Amelia and Susan had too. He turned and looked at the looming figure of Lucius Malfoy standing next to his wife, Narcissa, who seemed to be trying and failing to lead the man away.

Sirius went to stand and remove his wand but Amelia placed her hand in his arm to call him.

"Mr Malfoy," Amelia said calmly, "I'll have to ask that you refrain from bringing up such a sensitive subject in front of my niece."

She placed a fake grin on her face and added, "Besides, I do recall that you were there and under the imperius at the time. Such a shame that you lacked the backbone to resist such a curse, else my dear brother might still be alive."

Harry watched with satisfaction as Mr Malfoy flinched at her words.

"You dare!?" The man said, outraged.

Madam Bones raised her perfectly manicured eyebrow. "You brought it up, Malfoy."

"We're sorry," Narcissa interjected. "My husband had too much to drink and has apparently forgotten his manners. Please excuse us."

And she led him away towards The Leaky Cauldron. Harry suddenly wished that he'd brought his kit. A drunk Malfoy would be an easy target.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that, Susan," Amelia said with a worried glance.

Susan's eyes looked unfocused for a moment before she shook her head and responded numbly with, "It's not your fault, Auntie."

"Foul git," Sirius muttered.

Susan looked at Sirius and said, "Was he telling the truth about your brother?"

Sirius looked sad and nodded. "Yes, my brother, like most of my family, joined the Death Eaters. I don't know whether or not Regulus killed anyone or if they just used him as a scapegoat. He died before the end of the war and was never convicted. My brother was soft. He was twisted by my parents into joining. I always hoped he had managed to stay out of things for the most part but maybe I was wrong."

"I wouldn't put much stock in the words of a Malfoy," Amelia said. "They're a slippery bunch."

Harry nodded his agreement.

"What is the Imper… the curse you mentioned?" Harry finally asked. He'd spent a lot of time reading in the library but it didn't ring a bell.

Amelia looked at Sirius and Sirius nodded.

"The Imperius Curse is one of the three Unforgivable Curses," Amelia said. "It essentially gives the caster complete control of their victim. They can force them to do terrible things."

That sounded terrible and he said as much, but added, "It sounded like there was a way to fight against the curse?"

Sirius nodded. "An exceptionally strong willed person could fight back, but it's rare."

"Which is why Malfoy was able to use it as an excuse to escape prison." Amelia said.

Harry was busy processing the information. Still stuck on the thought of being helpless while someone controlled him. When Amelia's words finally registered he asked, "You mean you don't believe it?"

"Not for a second," Amelia and Sirius said at the same time. It helped break the tension and they all laughed, even Susan.

With the mood lightened, Harry was reminded that he'd wanted to ask Sirius about Bowtruckles and Runes. It wouldn't hurt to ask someone as accomplished as Madam Bones as well.

He told the group what he'd seen Ratatoskr do and then asked them if they knew anything about Bowtruckles understanding Runes.

"Not that I know of, but I didn't take Runes." Sirius said. "Magical creatures sometimes have weird abilities, but they're usually only apparent when they've bonded with a witch or wizard."

Amelia nodded her agreement. "That's all I really know as well. I took Runes, but I don't recall ever learning that Bowtruckles had an affiliation with them."

He wondered if maybe Olivander would know. He glanced at the wand shop but the lights were out. He'd have to ask another time.


Harry woke up the next day to sunlight shining through his windows. Mrs Figg had been busy with one thing or another for weeks now and hadn't been waking him up early or conducting lessons for him and Luna.

He rolled out of bed with a groan and started doing push ups. Mrs Figg might not be there to wake him up, but he could still exercise. He didn't want to get rusty. Besides, after cramming himself into the cupboard at the hospital, he wanted to add contortion to his regime.

After his workout, he was sure to stretch so that he'd be able to maintain his flexibility. Afterwards, he headed downstairs and walked to the kitchen for breakfast. He was greeted by Sirius and Luna, who were sharing a plate of bacon.

Harry walked to the fridge and found that it was surprisingly empty. Mrs Figg did the shopping and obviously hadn't been able to go recently.

"Has anyone heard from Mrs Figg?" He asked.

Both Sirius and Luna indicated that they hadn't.

Harry hoped she was okay. Maybe he should go and visit Hermes. He usually knew where she was, and maybe he'd be in a better mood since Harry had delivered the catnip.

He made his way to Mrs Figg's quarters and opened the door.

"Mrs Figg!" He called. "Hermes, are you there?"

He waited a moment and was about to investigate when he heard Hermes in his head.

"Yes, Harry?" The deep voice said.

Harry replied mentally, "Have you seen Mrs Figg? I'm worried about her."

Hermes chuckled. "You should be," he said.

"What do you mean? Why?" He asked the cat.

"Mrs Figg is away… doing Guild work," Hermes finally answered. "She probably won't be back any time soon, but she is okay. I'd know if something had happened to her."

Harry felt the mental connection break. He still didn't understand. Should he be worried about her or not? Stupid cat.

Harry left after that and entered the kitchen.

"Mrs Figg is going to be away for a while so we should probably go grocery shopping soon… Do either of you know how we do that?" He asked Sirius and Luna.

They both looked at him blankly. That was a no.

Harry was circulating some sort of plan. He'd been grocery shopping tons of times in the muggle world. He'd just need to convert his gold into muggle money and go out. It had been a while since he'd gone muggle anyways.

He was interrupted from his thoughts when Sirius said, "I'll just send Kreacher. He does all the shopping for the Black family home."

Harry was confused. "Kreacher?" He asked.

"He's a house elf. Mad as can be after being left alone with no one but the portrait of my dead mother, but still capable enough," Sirius said. "He'll hate that I'm making him do this!" He added happily.

Harry was even more confused now but at least the problem was solved.

"Can I meet him?" Luna asked.

Sirius looked hesitant for a moment. "He's not really fit for meeting decent people," he said.

"Please?" Luna said while pouting. Harry thought she looked a bit ridiculous but it was working on Sirius.

"Never could say no to a pretty bird," Sirius said. "Kreacher!"

Harry heard a pop and a small, wrinkly, and ugly creature with large eyes and an even larger set of droopy ears appeared in his kitchen.

More off putting than his general characteristics was the grimace the creature held on his face.

"Nasty Master calls Kreacher to this awful place?" Kreacher said in a miserable, raspy voice.

"Yes, your Master," Sirius said while emphasizing the word. "Has summoned you to introduce you to Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood."

Kreacher looked dully at Harry and Luna.

"Hi Kreacher," Luna said while holding out her hand. "I'm Luna. It's nice to meet you."

Kreacher looked at Luna in confusion. He seemed to be torn between two emotions, but Harry couldn't guess what they were. He blamed the wrinkles.

Harry decided to follow Luna's lead since she tended to have a way with magical creatures and said, "Hello Kreacher, my name is Harry Potter. Welcome to my home."

Kreacher inhaled sharply at his words. He took in several deep breaths as he looked between Harry and Luna in confusion.

"They are treating Kreacher with respect and kindness, like master Regulus always did, but they are's being a nasty half breed and nasty blood traitor. Mistress would not approve," Kreacher said to himself miserably.

Harry was confused but was starting to put everything together. The Blacks were a traditional pureblood family. They were a nasty intolerant sort and they'd obviously twisted the house elf's mind.

Harry glanced at Sirius to gauge his reaction. Sirius just looked at the elf in disgust. An obvious reminder to his home life before he'd run away.

Harry decided to push a little harder to break through to the elf.

"Would you like some tea?" He asked the elf kindly.

Sirius barely managed to hold in his laugh. Luckily, the elf didn't notice.

"Tea?" Kreacher rasped. "You are offering poor Kreacher tea?"

"Oh, and biscuits. We have a little bit left," Luna said as she dug through the pantry.

Kreacher broke down crying. "Masters are too kind to Kreacher and even after Kreacher was so rude. Master Regulus would be ashamed!" The elf cried into his hands.

"I think you broke him," Sirius said with a wicked grin.

Luna put her hands on her hips and scowled at Sirius. "Maybe if you were nice to him, he wouldn't be so shocked," she said seriously.

Sirius looked taken aback at Luna and was about to reply, but Harry interrupted. Harry knew he would likely blow up at anyone that told him he should have been nicer to Dudley or something. It wasn't quite the same thing, but it was close enough. He would need to diffuse the situation.

"Hey Sirius," Harry said. "I think I get it. I know I'd be mad if someone told me to be nice to Dudley after all he did to make my life miserable, but maybe Luna has a point even if she should maybe be more empathetic towards all you went through."

He really hoped that by distracting each of them from their anger before it could set in that it would fizzle out and they'd all be able to move on.

He was wrong.

"You get it!?" Sirius said in disbelief at the same time that Luna said, "I need to be more empathetic!?"

They continued to shout and Harry sat there and took the abuse. At least it wasn't being directed at themselves or Kreacher.

Kreacher was looking at all of them with wide eyes, his mouth ajar. Harry just locked eyes with the elf and smiled kindly. Family members sometimes fought, and that was okay, normal even. He just wanted Kreacher to understand that maybe the Blacks had been wrong about half breeds and half bloods or blood traitors.

Kreacher seemed to realize what he'd done and smiled in return. It looked like a painful torturous smile, but it was genuine. They sat there and smiled at each other while Luna and Sirius berated him for what he'd said.

Harry handed the house elf a cup of tea and they sat there and drank it.

When Sirius and Luna finally realized that Harry and Kreacher were just sitting there drinking tea together, completely unphased by all the yelling, they stopped.

"You're impossible, Harry Potter," Luna said. Her cheeks were red and her hair was all over the place.

Sirius was taking in deep breaths and he still had a scowl on his face, but he wasn't saying anything.

Harry poured two more cups and handed one to each of them. "Feel better?" he asked with an arrogant smile.

"Quiet you," Sirius said as he took the cup. He looked at Kreacher seriously for a long while as he drank his tea. The elf looked at Sirius warily.

"Kreacher," Sirius said. "I will try and be… nicer… going forward as long as you will try and refrain from insulting my friends."

Kreacher nodded and said, "I will try, Master."

"Thank you," Sirius replied. "We were wondering if you'd be willing to stock the kitchen for us?"

Kreacher perked up at this. "You is wanting Kreacher to do more work?"

"Yes… please, Kreacher," Sirius said, barely remembering to add the magic word.

Kreacher vanished with a pop, his tea cup left spinning on the table before finally coming to a stop.

"That was something else," Harry said, still grinning.

Sirius looked at him with eyes that held just a twinge of sadness in them, as if he was remembering something from long ago. "Sometimes, I'm still amazed at how it's possible that you seem to have equal parts James and Lily in you."

Sirius ruffled his hair and added, "They'd be so proud of you."


Later that afternoon, Harry was helping to prepare dinner. Remus was supposed to come home today and they were going to have a small party to celebrate that Luna and Remus were home.

When Remus came home, Harry had been concerned that the man wouldn't be able to get around very well. After all, there were a lot of stairs at Potter Manor.

Remus rolled right to the stairs and then floated up and over them in his wheelchair. Magic might not be able to solve every problem, but it solved a lot of them.

A few moments later, the floo flared green and Amelia, Sirius, and Susan arrived. Harry greeted them and then they made their way to the dining room.

Remus and Sirius spent a good amount of time sharing old memories of their time at Hogwarts.

"Actually, I think I caught your parents snogging in a broom closet my first year as prefect," Remus said to Susan with a smirk. "They'd have been in their seventh year then."

Amelia, who Harry had learned was a few years younger than her brother, laughed and said, "I think I remember that night. I was in third year and caught them returning to the common room. Nathan was rather cross at being lectured by a fifth year, and Rachael thought it was so funny."

Susan smiled brightly at the story. Harry knew how much the stories about his parents meant to him and could only assume that Susan felt the same way.

They talked well into the night before Amelia and Susan returned home. Remus still seemed reluctant to turn into bed, but Silvie and Tabitha turned in for the night.

That left Harry, Luna, Remus, and Sirius who decided to enjoy a cup of cocoa while they talked. The conversation started off with more stories of Hogwarts, but when Sirius touched on one of their full moon adventures, Harry was reminded of a question he had.

"Hey Remus, do you know how your injury is going to affect your wolf form?" He asked.

Remus took a sip of his cocoa before answering. "The Healers speculated several outcomes. They assume that my injury will transfer over to my wolf form, but they aren't sure. It's not well documented."

"Will the transformation complicate your recovery?" Sirius asked.

Remus shook his head and said, "Actually, they have theorized the opposite. My wolf form, being magically strong, might actually help me recover… there is a small chance that I'll regain the ability to walk after my transformation."

Harry perked up at that. "That's interesting," he said. "I hadn't thought of that."

Remus smiled. "I'm trying not to get my hopes up. Actually, I need to talk to you about something, Luna. I'm hoping to go deep into the forest here for my transformation. The ambient magic might increase my chances."

Luna nodded along. "With this being your first time, it'll be really good for you to transform with other werewolves, and I was originally planning on taking Wolfsbane, but it might be better for me to let more of the wolf out.

"How do you feel about your first transformation occurring without the use of Wolfsbane?" He asked.

Luna seemed to be thoughtfully considering everything. "I think I'd like to experience the transformation fully so that I can better appreciate the potion in the future."

Remus nodded solemnly. "I'm glad to hear you say that," he said.

"What about Silvie and Tabatha?" Harry asked, curious.

"They're planning on taking the potion to help keep us in line," Remus said.

Harry nodded. He was glad there would be someone to keep an eye on things. "The next full moon is in a couple nights," Harry pointed out. "Are you ready?"

Luna frowned and said, "Not really. I'm just glad I won't be alone."

Harry hoped he'd someday be able to be there for her too, but he nodded to add his agreement to her statement. He was grateful that Luna had Remus, Silvie, and Tabatha.


It was a couple days later and the full moon was tonight. Harry woke up and performed his routine. Mrs Figg had not been heard from and Harry was contemplating a visit to Hogsmeade and then Mundungus in Knockturn to see if he knew anything.

It wasn't abnormal for Mrs Figg to be busy and gone all day, but it was not like her to just vanish without notice.

Harry contemplated inviting Luna to come with him, but she had been incredibly irritable the day before. She'd nearly bitten his head off when he'd accidentally bumped into her as he was walking down the hallway.

Besides, he was planning to use the invisibility cloak to do some stalking. Maybe he'd run into Lucius Malfoy or some other former death eater.

Harry gathered his gear and put it in his expandable bag. Ever since his little adventure to Italy, everyone has been too busy and distracted to care much about how he spent his time. Sirius was too busy with Auror training and Remus had been in the hospital, which distracted Silvie.

So he was surprised when he made it all the way to the floo and Remus stopped him.

"Going somewhere, Harry?" The man said from the kitchen doorway.

Harry paused, barely containing the guilty jolt his body wanted to make when he was caught doing something wrong.

"Oh, hey Remus, I didn't see you there," he said awkwardly. "I was just going to see if I could find Mrs Figg since she's been gone so long."

Remus looked thoughtful. "Sirius mentioned something about that." He scratched his chin and added, "Normally, I'd offer to go with you but I have a raging headache."

Harry nodded, relieved that he wouldn't have to make up another excuse.

"I hate sending you off alone but I doubt anyone here will be very good company today," Remus said.

Harry thought for a moment for something to put Remus at ease and then it came to him. "Don't worry, I'm going to start at Honeydukes because they're a business partner of mine that Mrs Figg has been working with. Want me to pick anything up?"

Remus looked hesitant at first but Harry could tell he was sold at the mention of Honeydukes. Remus had a bit of a problem when it came to chocolate and Harry wasn't above exploiting it.

Remus promptly listed off several things for Harry to pick up and then Harry resumed his journey.

Harry flooed directly to Honeydukes since he'd been given an open invitation to do so if he ever needed. The apartment was empty so he headed downstairs.

The shop was absolutely swarming with customers. He didn't think he'd ever seen it so full and he wondered if the full moon had any correlation with increased chocolate sales.

He managed to get Mr Flume's attention briefly while he made his purchase and was told that they hadn't seen Mrs Figg for several weeks. Harry nodded his thanks and went on his way.

He was concerned, of course, but there were still other people for him to check with. Hopefully, Feona Greengrass was in and had seen her more recently.

He made his way over to her shop, passing several cart vendors offering random trinkets. He walked inside her shop and found Feona stocking a display case.

"Hey Feona," he said with a smile. "Long time, no see."

Feona turned and looked him up and down before smiling and saying, "Too long, I'd say. You look like you've grown a foot since I saw you last and you've filled in nicely… you no longer look like a skinny runt."

"Oi! He replied. He didn't think he'd been that bad.

Feona laughed and said, "What brings you to my shop anyways?"

Harry explained that he was looking for Mrs Figg.

Feona looked surprised. "Oh, yes, she was here just yesterday actually. We were going over the list of ol' Lucie's suppliers."

Harry let out a breath of relief. He was relieved at least someone had seen her recently. But what was she doing, he wondered.

"She hasn't been home in several weeks as far as I know. Maybe she's just getting in after I've gone to bed and leaving before I wake up," he said.

"Well, I'll let her know you're worried when I see her next," Feona said. "She seemed alright to me, happy even."

Harry thanked Feona and then asked if he could use her floo.

He traveled to The Leaky Cauldron and from there went out to the Alley.

First stop was Olivanders to ask about Ratatoskr's ability to understand Runes. Then he'd head to Mundungus' shop.

When he got to Olivanders, he saw the man was busy with a customer so he decided to wait a while at Fortescues.

He sat at a table and enjoyed a cup of coffee while he waited for the people to leave Olivanders.

He was only there for a couple minutes when he saw Theodore Knott walking through the alley alone. He waved politely when the boy spotted him. Theo hesitated for a moment before walking over towards him.

"Hey Theo," he said. "How are you?"

Theo grinned and said, "I'm doing alright. Bit bored if I'm being honest."

Harry smiled. He hadn't been sure where he stood with Theo since he hadn't heard from or seen him since around Solstice, but the easy way they picked up as if it were only yesterday, put him at ease.

"Yeah," Harry said. "I feel like time has slowed to a stop the last couple weeks." It wasn't true, exactly, but no one really knew that. "Is that why you're wandering the alley?"

Theo nodded. "Yeah, my dad has business on the continent so I've been left to my own devices for the last couple weeks."

Harry thought that kind of sounded nice, but he wouldn't trade his friendships for anything now. He wondered just what Theo's dad was up to. All he knew was that the Knotts dealt in dangerous creatures and had a dark reputation.

"What are you doing here?" Theo asked him.

"Everyone was busy today, so I thought I'd just do some exploring around Diagon," he replied. There was no point in giving away his secrets too freely unless Theo might know something about Bowtruckles and Runes.

Theo nodded. "I'm heading over to look at the new brooms if you want to join me," he said.

Harry thought about it for a minute. He liked Theo and didn't want to offend him by blowing him off, but he didn't want to get sidetracked. Deciding he would rather be on good terms with Theo, he agreed to go with him.

The pair left the ice cream shop and walked together towards the broom shop.

Harry hadn't spent anytime flying yet and knew relatively nothing about brooms. He had been worried that Theo would make fun of him for it, but when he broached the subject Theo said, "Don't worry, I haven't spent a lot of time flying either and I doubt very many kids our age have."

Harry was relieved.

When they got to the shop, they saw a group of people gathered around a display case that featured a brand new broom.

"Oh, this must be the new Nimbus!" Theo said excitedly. "I read that most of the professional teams have purchased these brooms."

Harry looked at the broom, if you could call it that. It was unlike any broom he'd ever seen though it had the general shape of one. It was very finely polished and looked relatively comfortable for riding. The bristles at the end were held by a very fine bronze sleeve and there were fine bronze braces attached where Harry figured the rider could rest their feet.

As he looked even closer he saw several runic sequences running up the length of the broom. The braces and sleeve also had runes etched on basically every surface.

"Do those runes mean anything or are they there simply for aesthetics?" he asked Theo.

Theo raised his eyes at Harry and said, "I don't know, never really thought about it."

Harry felt a bit like a nerd and blushed.

Theo laughed and said, "Don't worry about it. Let's go ask the store owner…"

The store owner was actually thrilled at the question and unloaded a wealth of information on how brooms were made. Harry learned that they did in fact use runes in broom making. Besides the runes, he was interested in what the store owner said about how different kinds of materials were better for some things than others. There were other factors as well that were closely guarded secrets.

Harry was thrilled to learn something new and even though Theo didn't seem all that interested, he didn't make him feel bad for his curiosity.

Theo left shortly after that, however, saying he had already made plans to catch up with an old friend.

Harry made his way back over to Olivanders and, seeing that it was free of customers, he entered.

The room looked much the same as it did last time. He wanted to reach out with his magic, but knew that it would be too overwhelming. He knew he needed to figure out a way to dampen the unpleasant effects of his ability soon. Otherwise he'd never be able to use it at places like Hogwarts.

It didn't take long for Mr Olivander to show up. "Mr Potter," the old man said. His eyes seemingly pierced into his soul. "It's a pleasure to see you here."

Harry smiled at the old man. Olivander was a bit strange, but Harry found it endearing. He greeted the wand maker and sat at the counter.

"Do you have time to answer some questions?" Harry checked. "I don't want to be a bother."

Harry glanced around the room swiftly, noticing that it looked much the same as last time.

"Not at all," Mr Olivander said. "I can make time for you as long as you keep sending me the high quality wood you've been sending."

Harry, who had tried hard to live up to the high standard his grandfather had set, was very glad to hear that Olivander was satisfied with what Harry had been sending him.

"I just had another question about Bowtruckles," he said.

Harry watched as Mr Olivander's eyes grew as he explained about Ratatoskr and the runes.

"Fascinating," the man said when Harry was done. "I've not heard of Bowtruckles having an affinity for runes, but it's definitely something you should keep exploring while at Hogwarts."

Harry felt himself deflate a bit at the man's answer. He had really been hoping for something, anything really, as an explanation.

Mr Olivander must have picked up on his disappointment because he added, "Sorry I couldn't be more help."

Harry nodded in response and said, "Thanks anyways. I'll just have to keep searching for the answer and you were the first person that came to mind."

"I'm honored," Mr Olivander said. "But I'm afraid that wand making has been my sole focus in life since I was about your age."

Harry couldn't help but wonder just how long ago that had been, but he kept that question to himself.

He said goodbye and made his way towards Knockturn Alley, noticing right away that the streets seemed busier than normal. Harry didn't hate crowds, in fact he loved how easy they made it for him to disappear into anonymity when needed.

He slunk from group to group. There wasn't a particular reason to be inconspicuous but it never hurt to practice.

Before he knew it, he was at the entrance to Knockturn. He'd considered putting on his cloak, but decided against it. If he was to become a Master Thief, he would need to be more than a boy with an invisibility cloak. So he turned with a flourish of his robes in a way that he hoped resembled Lucius Malloy.

Harry had always liked acting like different people. It was like putting on a different mask than the one he usually wore. Ever since his conversation with the Guild Leader, he'd understood the importance of this particular skill. What he portrayed into the world, people would believe. Right now he needed everyone in the dark alley to believe that he belonged and wasn't to be messed with.

Lucius Malfoy wasn't a man that Harry liked, but he respected the air of authority and pride that surrounded the man. He'd use it when needed.

Harry worked hard to seem indifferent to those around him, as if he were better than everyone. It was challenging to keep the satisfied smirk off his face when he noticed someone reconsider approaching him.

'Dung's shop came into view and Harry quickened his step. He tried the door and it opened with a creak.

The shop looked much the same as always. Dusty, disorganized, and full to the brim of equal parts interesting and mundane looking items.

A few seconds passed before Mundungus seemingly appeared out of nowhere. "Ah, lad, it has been a while." The man said with a smile. Harry guessed he had sensors set up to detect visitors.

Harry approached and greeted the man. "Hey, 'Dung, is Mrs Figg here?"

To Harry's delight, 'Dung nodded with a grin. "She's in the back. C'mon, follow me."

Harry followed the man down a hallway and into the back room.

When he walked through, he saw a slightly disheveled Mrs Figg organizing a bundle of papers. She didn't look very good if he was being honest. She had heavy bags under her eyes, which he noticed were bloodshot. She clearly hadn't slept the night before. He looked around the room, noticing the multitude of stacked pages, books, and folders scattered about the room.

"Mrs Figg?" He asked with some hesitation.

Mrs Figg started at his interruption. She looked up at him with her hand over her chest. "Harry? What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I came to check on you," he said while leveling her with a flat look. "I haven't seen you in ages."

"I've been busy investigating Malfoy and cleaning up your mess," she replied. "It's not been easy, I might add."

"Well that's mostly been me cleaning up your mess, lad," Mundungus interjected while ignoring Mrs Figg's glare. "We've mostly been busy with something far big-"

Mrs Figg had thrown a book at 'Dung to shut him up.

"What's that for!?" He said indignantly.

"You have a big mouth. Harry doesn't need to know," she said.

"Know what?" Harry asked, hurt. "Why can't I know?"

Mrs Figg sighed. "It's not like that, lad, it's just that this is rather sensitive and if someone were to find out what we're up to…" she trailed off.

"I can keep a secret," he answered. "I know-"

"Not from a legilimens," she interrupted.

Harry halted. He had read about legilimency and occlumency in his family library and he knew she had a point. It reminded him that he'd had a question about that…

"How is it that a legilimens can't find out about the Guild then?" He asked. He figured there was a reason and he didn't expect that it would sway Mrs Figg's decision at all.

"The magical vows you swore seal the secret from legilimency," she answered.

"Then I'll just swear another vow," he answered smugly.

"No, you won't," she said, folding her arms. "It's a foolish habit to get into, swearing magical vows left and right."

Harry glared. It drove him mad to have secrets kept from him like this.

"We could just teach him legilimency," 'Dung offered.

Mrs Figg stopped briefly at that.

"You could teach me?" Harry asked. The books he'd read had indicated that the skill was incredibly rare these days.

"Not me, no," the man said. "The Guild has resources though… once you have enough Guild coins at least."

Harry smiled. It was something to work towards at least.

"You'll have to do a lot of jobs or pull off something huge to afford the Guild's training," Mrs Figg said. "It'll probably take a few years."

Harry frowned at that.

"Don't fret," 'Dung said. "We're a ways off from acting on this information… still in the investigative stages."

Mrs Figg nodded at that. "It would be nice to have another member we trust helping us," she said, her rigid bearing softening now that the argument seemed to be over.

Harry smiled at that, relieved that Mrs Figg did in fact trust him and was just keeping it secret out of necessity.

"I'll work hard," he promised.

Mrs Figg laughed at that and said, "Of that, I have no doubt. You're the hardest working 10 year old I've ever met."

Harry laughed at that and Mundungus slapped him in the back with a smile.

"What about Lucius?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

Mrs Figg looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Keen, are you?"

"I'm bored out of my mind," he answered plainly.

'Dung chuckled at that and Mrs Figg had to work to hide her grin.

Mrs Figg handed him a bit of parchment and Harry read it over. It was a large list of names and addresses.

"Is this all of his investments?" He asked.

"Just the potion ingredient investment properties in England, I'm afraid," she said.

Harry was shocked. "Just how wealthy are the Malfoy's if this is just the potion ingredient properties?" He asked.

"In England," 'Dung added with a chuckle.

Harry glared at the reminder and groaned. "This is going to take forever…" he complained.

"Just a bit of hard work," Mrs Figg said. "You'll be busy, at least… not bored, I hope."

He huffed. Mrs Figg had a way of weaponizing his words.


A/N: Thank you for reading and reviewing!