AN: I do not own Harry Potter or the Wizarding World Universe.

I couldn't do it. Hedwig is Hedwig. I debated finding another name to closer match the journey of this Harry Potter but she is simply the best. I don't want to change the name. Only slight literary license to the real St. Hedwig.

Chapter 30

"You know, you remind me of that portrait of Saint Hedwig. Supposedly, she was a warrior queen in another country. I remember she had something to do with orphans. That's me. Are you a warrior queen owl?" Harry laughed.

Kreacher confirmed it was Dobby and that the wretched house-elf had been stealing Harry's mail from Hedwig. It was why she attacked him on sight. There was no way to summon Dobby, and Mr. Tonks was looking into ways of warding his home, office in Horizont Alley, and a storage place against house-elves entering.

The owl cocked her head to the side at him. Harry frowned. She didn't attack him or buffet him with her wings. "I'll show you a picture and read about her. Does that work?" he asked.

Five days before he would head back to Hogwarts, Harry sat outside with A History of Magic in his lap, flipping through the pages. He finally found her. "Hedwig of Silesia was a duchess consort and became a saint after her death. Her charitable works include focusing on the poor and sick, as well as many notable donations. Maybe I was wrong about orphans," he muttered as he continued to read aloud. "There are several things associated with St. Hedwig, including care, protection, and guidance. Ah, here we go. Considered a skilled witch, she worked closely with Muggles and, after her death, was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1267. Oh, that's amusing. They were hunting witches back then," he laughed.

His owl peered down at the marble statue in the illustration. She barked once and took flight.

"Well… she didn't hate it… I think," Harry muttered as he watched her soar around the yard. "Do I tell her about the bit where she's also seen as a patron saint of bribes?" he muttered. With a grin, he called out, "Hedwig, how would you like a biscuit?"

With the speed and grace of a natural predator, the snowy owl swooped down and landed on the railing. Harry fought hard not to laugh as he dug out the treat.

He went back inside. His owl did not like staying in her cage for any amount of time unless it was absolutely necessary. Harry put his book away and looked over the general clutter in the room. With a peek outside the door, he didn't see anyone. Focusing hard, Harry imagined precisely what he wanted his magic to do. He concentrated on how things would go into his trunk and, more importantly, which books would go where. "Pack!" he commanded as he moved the wand in an exaggerated squiggly line, going from left to right. It was a Charm from Mrs. Tonks.

The books moved quickly into the trunk, then his old trainers and the cloak he used for a pillow, and then things started to go wrong. His arms went up in the air as his shirt forced itself off his head. He barely managed to keep his trousers on as he cried, "Finite!". As it was, he had his pants and undershorts around his ankles, and one boot was almost in the trunk.

"Well…" Harry sighed as he yanked up his trousers and underpants. "It sort of worked."

He got dressed again and grumbled that he had to lace his boot again. Somehow, the strings came undone.

That evening, Harry was late in joining the others for dinner. While he'd packed his belongings, nothing was quite how he wanted. He had to take everything back out again and sort it by hand. It was frustrating, and he cursed at himself for trying the stupid Charm instead of doing it by hand.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Tonks smirked as he took a seat.

"Yes… that I shouldn't use the Pack Charm," he grumbled.

Mrs. Tonks looked at him and then at Mr. Tonks. "What did you try to pack, and what do you think went wrong, dear?" she asked.

Harry grimaced as he attacked his meat pie. "I tried to put everything I had out in my trunk. Concentrated on how I would move everything in my head. Practiced the wand movements first and everything too. Then… it works, but then my shirt comes off, and my boot. I finally got it stopped," he grumbled. He didn't want to mention anything else. "I went to look at the books and realized that everything was out of order in the trunk. My stuff was jumbled together, and I even managed to spill part of my ink pot. Scourgify worked, but still…"

Tonks smirked at him. "Sooooo, what about your trousers?"

Harry looked at her, horrified. Had she seen him? The look in her eye was not at all comforting. "Nothing, and you should stay in your own room," he huffed.

"Aww, but you have such a cute little butt, waving it around and trying to get your trousers back on."

Harry was not blushing. He was not!

"You like looking at his butt?" Mrs. Tonks questioned.

Harry was immensely pleased that it was Tonks' turn to go red in the face.

"Not that we mind, Dora. He comes from a nice, proper family," Mr. Tonks said with a judicious nod.

Tonks stood up abruptly. "I think I'm not hungry," she said quickly and went upstairs in a huff.

Harry looked between Tonks and her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Tonks looked pleased with themselves for some reason. He wasn't sure what to feel.

"Don't worry, she's just embarrassed, as you were. I didn't realize the spell could backfire quite that way," Mrs. Tonks said carefully. "Next time, do things in slow stages. Yes, it might take some time, but you'll get the hang of it. Or, you could be like my dear husband and daughter. They're absolutely terrible at household charms."

"Rubbish," Mr. Tonks confirmed with a nod.

Tonks wasn't mad or embarrassed for long. She came back downstairs dressed in a fancy set of robes that clung to her body. Harry thought she looked nice. Mr. Tonks disagreed.

"Dora? Are you going out… in that?" he grumbled.

Mrs. Tonks shot him a look that Harry knew Petunia used when Vernon was going to say something stupid. How it wasn't all the time, he didn't know, but those looks were reserved for a special stupid. Like the Japanese Golfer Joke Vernon used with all his guests.

"I'm sure Dora knows what she's doing," Mrs. Tonks said firmly.

Harry waited until Tonks went toward the table to escape upstairs. He didn't want to intrude on whatever was going on. Once inside the guest room, he sighed and looked between his trunk and wand.

He stayed up way too late practicing the Dancing Feet Spell and the General Counter-Charm on a stool. Something thumped hard outside his door. Harry frowned and opened it, thinking someone wanted him even if it was past midnight. What he took to be a knock at his door was someone in the bathroom next to the guest room. He looked in and saw Tonks half in the tub, cursing about the hard bed.

"Uh… Tonks… wrong room," he said.

A middle finger and several slurred curses was his answer. He stared at her, half out of the copper tub. For a moment, he considered leaving her there. She was clearly drunk and had somehow stumbled home. Vernon always had someone drop him off. Maybe one of her friends had done that and gone home already.

Harry went out of the guest room and looked downstairs. No one was awake. He sighed and went back up. Tonks was asleep, face still in the tub and straddling the edge.

"Wingardium Leviosa," he said softly. Tonks rose out of the tub and floated toward the middle of the room.

Harry didn't mean to let her backside hit the door frame. She just went sideways a little. It wasn't a little thump, either. Tonks woke up and cursed something for a few seconds before blearily looking around.

"Wotcher, Potter," she giggled drunkenly before her head drooped again.

"Here, Harry, I'll take her," a voice said from the stairs.

He turned to see Mrs. Tonks in a night robe frowning at him.

"She fell asleep in the tub," he explained.

Mrs. Tonks' nose scrunched up. She sighed and nodded. "Nymphadora rarely gets this drunk," she said and whipped her wand in a circle.

"D'nt call' e Nymphadora," Tonks angrily mumbled.

"Yes, dear," Mrs. Tonks smiled as Tonks' bedroom door opened at the other end of the hallway.

Harry went back to bed and considered what he'd seen. Mrs. Tonks was every bit as skilled as Kreacher hinted at. He wished he could unbanish her from the Black family. She was obviously powerful. That made him think about her sisters. Two were Death Eaters or married to one. That made him shiver. How powerful were they? Did Draco have that much potential too? He was pure-blood and didn't seem to have the same issues as Harry with his magic.

After considering it, Harry didn't know how strong Draco actually was. He rarely showed off in any of their classes together. Few Slytherins liked to stand out, like Tracey Davis, Pike, and Vance. He honestly couldn't remember their first names. Greengrass stood out in her own way because she was cold to everyone, even her fellow Slytherins. He was pretty sure she was smart, but it was hard to tell. Crabbe and Goyle stood out for their sheer stupidity. The rest, though?

That made him think about what was considered strong. Is it some arbitrary number of spells they knew? He still wasn't sure what an Obscurial was and why he barely had any magic. It was something he should have looked up as soon as he was with Kreacher. The Black Library must have something on magical strength. Quirrell or Voldemort definitely said that his magic would turn dark and cannibalize itself. He might not like it, but reading those dark books might be the only way to get answers safely.

Harry finally fell asleep late and woke up when the door opened. Tonks grinned at him, looking chipper and not at all like she had the previous night. "Heard you pulled me out of the tub. We celebrated Fiona's acceptance to the Dragon Keepers of the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary. Your Galleons gave her a great shot at getting in. Her N.E.W.T.s did the rest. She'll be working at one of the premier sanctuaries in the world. Thank you," she said and looked him over.

Harry was still trying to wake up and process what Tonks told him. He mentally clubbed his brain into working and formulating a response. "That's great."

Tonks snorted and crossed her arms. She looked over the room and eyed him on the floor. "You do realize you can make your mattress harder, right? The spell is dead simple."

Harry blinked at her. He hadn't considered that. The boot room was all he remembered, and the beds were too soft at Hogwarts. "Oh," he managed to get out as he looked at the bed. "Stone?" he wondered aloud. There was a charm to turn objects to stone.

Tonks sighed loudly. "I'll get the charm for you before you head back to Hogwarts. Are you excited?"

Harry nodded and sat up. "Yeah, I've got loads I want to do," he admitted.

"Just keep in mind about the Quidditch team. You really are brilliant on a broom."

"No, thank you. I don't want to get targeted by the other Houses, and I think everyone was a fifth or sixth-year on the team last term. They'll still have their spots."

"Not necessarily. Hufflepuff awards spots on merit. There are other factors, like if you can work with others, but for the most part, if you are good, then you're on the team," Tonks argued.

Harry still didn't want to play. The only position that looked interesting to him might be a Chaser, but he saw how much of a beating they took in every match. He wasn't nearly as big as any fifth, sixth, or seventh-year. They would knock him off his broom easily.

"Also, you'll get plenty of practice learning how to defend yourself," she added with a grin. "You get to learn all sorts of things like how to break curses… how to deflect jinxes and hexes… oh, and how to fend off pretty witches who looooovee Quidditch," she teased.

Harry gave her a flat look. He couldn't imagine Daisy or Hannah looking at him like they looked at Diggory. That simply wasn't him.

"Aww, you're no fun," Tonks sighed. "Fine, I'll let you sleep. I just wanted to let you know about Fiona. She misses you, you know. You didn't write to her at all over the summer, and I think it hurt her feelings."

Harry eyed the witch. "No, she doesn't," he said carefully.

Tonks shot him a grin. "You'll never know. This famous ragamuffin comes into her House and wins her over with a sock of Galleons. I can't imagine a better start to a love story," she said.

Harry knew she was teasing him, but he still felt his face redden. He wasn't even embarrassed. Giving her the money was the only way he knew to thank her. Thankfully, Tonks left without saying anything else.

Harry lay back on the pallet of blankets on the floor. He sighed and looked at the ceiling. There were only a few days left before he returned. He was glad Tonks reminded him about Galleons. It slipped his mind that he wanted to leave some money to thank the Tonks Family for being nice and taking him in for the rest of the summer. He just hoped that he wouldn't need to do it next summer.

"Are you sure you want to leave that early?" Mrs. Tonks asked carefully as he talked about his plans for September first. It would be on a Tuesday, and he knew Mr. Tonks would be up early for work.

"I was last term," he admitted. "I took the Knight Bus. I can do it again."

Mrs. Tonks shook her head. "There are still dangers in our world. I'm glad nothing happened last time. Would you mind if I escorted you? I don't mind that you're going so early, just that I worry you won't have someone with you," she said with a smile.

Harry had a feeling the only answer to her question was to agree. "I don't mind," he lied. It wasn't that he didn't mind her company, just that she didn't trust him to do something as simple as get to the Express alone.

"Excellent. Would you like to use the Floo or do you want to still go by Knight Bus?" she beamed.

It was a good question. He considered the hour ride last time. While it wasn't too bad, he could skip it by using the Floo. "If you don't mind, could I use your Floo then?"

"Certainly. It'll be much better and, I dare say, faster than using the Knight Bus. It also means you don't need to wake up at six o'clock. The Floo opens on the Platform at nine."

Harry supposed it wouldn't be too bad. Hedwig wouldn't want to be in her cage for the trip on the Knight Bus and certainly not during the trip through King's Cross. He hadn't thought about what might be best for her. "I guess Hedwig will fly to Hogwarts," he said aloud.

"Many owls do," Mrs. Tonks said with a nod.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Tonks was at the Ministry, and Mr. Tonks was at a client meeting. He said he would be home early for Harry's last night with them.

"Thank you for letting me stay with you," Harry eventually said to break the silence. The Tonks Family had been great to him. It was a lot better than having to deal with the Dursleys.

"It was our pleasure, dear. You are more than welcome to join us for any of the breaks if you need or want to get away from school for any reason. Just send me an owl, and I'll make arrangements," Andromeda said with another of her smiles.

Harry wanted to shake his head. She and her husband shouldn't drop everything for him. He would be perfectly fine at school, and he hoped they wouldn't be too upset if he didn't come back the following summer. While the house Kreacher had for him was dangerous, Harry still enjoyed the freedom it allowed him. He would try to get Kreacher or someone else to purchase a new home or somewhere for him to live outside of Hogwarts. It might not be possible, but he wouldn't know unless he tried. The question was, who would help him?

"Thank you," he said belatedly. She probably expected an answer even if he would never take her up on the offer.

"Will you be practicing as much when you get to Hogwarts as you have the last few days?" Mrs. Tonks questioned, the corner of her lips tugging upward.

"Maybe," he muttered. He hadn't realized that Tonks had told her mother what had happened.

Harry got bored one night and snooped in the guest room closet. He hadn't used it or even been curious until he got bored of reading. A box on the bottom shelf drew his attention because it had Dora written in yellow marker or paint. Inside were little moving figures of witches and wizards with wands. They didn't do anything special, just moved around.

Harry got the bright idea of playing with them by making them float around the room and have little duels. He grimaced. It was fun right up until Tonks came in and caught him. She wasn't upset, more amused.

"At least it's my old toys and not my panties," is all she said before she closed the door.

Harry had been mortified and put her stuff away guiltily. After that, he cut little parchment men out of the massive stack he had ready for the start of term and had them fight to the death. The Animation Charm was great, but it was hard to control more than four paper soldiers simultaneously.

"Well, I'm glad you were having fun. Dora said she enjoyed having you," Mrs. Tonks said into her cup of coffee. Harry couldn't stand the stuff. Give him tea any day. At least you could make the tea taste better. Coffee was a lost cause.

When he didn't answer her, Mrs. Tonks smiled at him and got up. "Would you like to do the chopping for dinner for more practice?" she asked.

Harry got up quickly. He liked how useful the charms that Mrs. Tonks used were. It would have made his life several times easier at the Dursleys, and he knew he would still need to cook after he left Hogwarts. Kreacher wouldn't let him cook, but Harry still enjoyed the process.

Mrs. Tonks got out a separate cutting board and knife. She hovered the tip of her wand over the blade before setting it on the counter. Then, she did the same over the cutting board. When he questioned her about it the first time, she got a funny look on her face and explained that Dora's first few attempts nearly cut the countertop in half. The cutting board was in so many pieces that even a Mending Charm wasn't enough to save it.

"Sectura," Harry said carefully as he flicked his wand at the knife and then at the onion. There was no jet of light, but the blade lifted itself off the counter and began quartering and dicing the onion. Unfortunately, little bits of onion escaped the cutting board, and Harry had to watch because he wasn't going to stick his fingers near a magically moving blade to put them back on the cutting board.

"Well… it could be worse," he sighed once the onion was in a rough dice. Some pieces were about an inch long, while others were closer to a mince than a dice.

"A good second try," Mrs. Tonks encouraged. "Go ahead and clear the board. This time, cut part of the onion yourself. I'll need more for tomorrow's stew," she said as a new half of an onion floated over to where Harry worked.

He did as instructed and carefully cut the half onion as he would have done at the Dursleys. It was familiar if unpracticed. Once done, he felt better about giving Mrs. Tonks something usable for dinner.

"Excellent. I'll bet your work in potions helped. Now, concentrate on what you just did. Focus hard. Walk through the slices and decisions you made when cutting that last onion. Once you're ready, let me know," Mrs. Tonks said as the recently cut onions floated over to the pot she was working on with a flick of her wand.

Harry frowned and did as she asked. For several minutes he stood there with his eyes closed and pictured each cut. He wondered if she thought he was terrible at cooking judging by the poor attempt using his magic. His first attempt the previous night was just as bad. When he felt like he was ready he opened his eyes and said, "I think I'm ready."

"With all magic, confidence is key. You just demonstrated that you could cut the onion. Your magic is an extension of yourself. Eventually, you will not need to stop and imagine each step to a Charm like this. It will become second nature, as easy as breathing. You might have been told spells like the Knitting Charm are hard. That is both true and false. Why it is considered difficult is because it requires knowledge that isn't… given to us directly by magic or its influence. Do you know how the Locking Charm works?" Andromeda asked as she finished waving her wand over the pot.

Harry could see the onions breaking down and becoming translucent faster than was natural. "Our magic puts a barrier over a lock or… mechanism that opens. It can be something like a door, a trunk, or even the hinges," he answered with a frown. He wasn't sure where she was going with her example.

"Exactly. You aren't only creating a barrier over a lock; there are several other uses for the Charm. How, then, is using your magic to cut an onion different?" she pressed.

Harry frowned as she floated the other half of the onion toward him. Was it as simple as imposing his will, his magic over the knife? Wasn't that what he did when he cast the incantation? Putting his magic on the knife? The Charm would direct his…

"I think I understand," he said softly.

"Take your time. Take it slow. There is no rushing magic. If you rush, you can make mistakes. While you're learning, that is okay. It is why we tell our children to practice. How many times did it take you to cut the onion that well?"

Harry felt like he understood. "Magic… it isn't just about doing it once, or even twice. It's about how many times you do it, over and over. Practice… and it's why older witches and wizards are more skilled," he realized slowly. Mrs. Tonks… no… Andromeda Black would have been a strong heir if she were a wizard. Kreacher said as much. She must have spent a long time practicing.

"Theory is good, and many times, understanding the spells is enough. You are already taking your studies as seriously as any witch or wizard who wants to succeed. Harry… I know you are worried that you are weaker than your peers. That couldn't be further from the truth. Dora and I have both seen a marked increase in your control and magic in just the last week since you've been having fun with your magic. Your connection between you, your studies, your wand, and your magic are all critical."

Harry nodded and looked back at the onion. Was this all that he was missing last term? Could it be that because he focused on reading and making notes rather than practicing that he was weaker, and that was why Voldemort and… Dumbledore dismissed him? Did that mean his magic wasn't going to go dark… or would practicing more make it happen faster? He looked at his hawthorn wand.

"Sectura," he said, focusing hard on what he wanted his magic to do, guided by the Charm. The knife rose and sliced through the edge of the onion, creating a perfect half-ring.

Harry looked around the guest room of the Tonks home and made sure he didn't miss anything. He didn't have time to attempt the Pack Charm again in case he got something dreadfully wrong, not if he wanted to make the nine o'clock goal he'd set for getting to the Express. While he had until eleven, it was better to be early just in case.

He had a much better idea of exactly how much one hundred Galleons was. It wasn't a fortune by any means. Fiona must have needed that amount as a first installment. Harry ate, slept, and took up the Tonks Family's time. One hundred Galleons wouldn't take up a third of what they likely spent on him, and one thousand too much. He left two hundred on the nightstand. The pile was visibly impressive, at least to him.

Edward and Nymphadora Tonks told him to have a great term the previous night. Harry would have been up to see Mr. Tonks leave for the day, but he took a little longer in the bathroom than he'd anticipated. The shower felt wonderful. Tonks was already at the Ministry for an early assignment.

"Are you ready?" Mrs. Tonks asked as he came downstairs in his robes and with his trunk.

"Yes, ma'am," he grinned. It felt amazing to finally go back to Hogwarts. He was excited to see the others and to get back to using magic all the time.

"Great, into the Floo. You'll say King's Cross Station. I'll follow behind."

Harry felt odd, holding his trunk, as he floated through the darkness. He had a terrible feeling that if he let go of his trunk that he would never see it again. That made him grip the handle tighter.

In less than three minutes, Harry stepped out of the green flames on a familiar Platform. He saw the red passenger cars ahead of him and a small stall set up to sell food. Less than a minute later, Mrs. Tonks appeared out of the fire.

"Excellent," she beamed as she looked around. "Now, would you like me to see you off?"

Harry felt uncomfortable. He didn't expect her to do anything other than make sure he got to the train.

"I'll take that as a yes," Mrs. Tonks grinned. Harry hadn't said anything! However, she still gave him a hug and whispered, "you'll do great this term. Don't worry about anything other than having a wonderful time, and don't forget to send me a letter if you ever want to talk."

Harry felt even more uncomfortable as Tonks' mother let him go and fussed over his robes. "Ah… umm," he muttered.

"I'll stop embarrassing you," she laughed. "Go on, I'll watch as you board and then head out."

Harry nodded and looked at Andromeda Tonks again. "Thank you… for helping and letting me stay."

"It was my pleasure, dear."