Stepping through the portal into the familiar environs of King's Cross, Harry looked around before spotting Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia waiting for him. Beside them, Dudley was standing with his hands behind his back, seemingly interested in his shoes.

Aunt Petunia appeared to have gotten even younger since Easter; her hair no longer in a bun but carefully straightened and flowing around her shoulders. She looked remarkably like the pictures of Harry's mother, something that Harry had to process for a second before walking over.

"Harry, lad! Welcome back." Uncle Vernon waved, Harry smiling in return as he moved his cart over to them. Next to the three was Dudley's cart, his own trunk propped up and ready. "Ready to head home?" Uncle Vernon's large hand patted Harry's head, making the boy beam with happiness.

Harry was about to agree when Aunt Petunia knelt down and gave Harry a hug, her long arms wrapping around him. "Welcome home from the two of us as well. Dudley has so many stories to tell and all of us want to hear everything about your school year! That snake of yours that you mentioned in your letter, is she in your trunk?"

Harry opened his mouth, stunned at the warm embrace from an Aunt that a year ago hated everything to do about him. The Easter Ball had been strange, but now he was seeing her affection fully on display.

Without much more being said, the small family headed to Vernon's car. Uncle Vernon seemed to have gotten it carefully cleaned and waxed as Harry could see himself in the black luxury vehicle. Vernon put Harry and Dudley's trunks into the boot of the car, smiling as he saw Harry's reaction.

"Your friend's father seemed impressed with the car, so I got it professionally polished and cleaned for when they visit next. Your Aunt has been answering questions from others down the street for the past month, lad! She's the talk of the street, all thanks to you and the friends you've made."

Harry blushed a bit as he got into the car. "Well Uncle Vernon, I'm happy I could introduce you to him. Supposedly some of that mind magic affected him with Voldemort as well, so next time you could discuss that as well."

Vernon frowned a bit, making Harry worried he'd overstepped. Seeing Harry's nervousness, Vernon quickly smiled again. "No no, lad. Not you. I was just thinking. If someone could cast that on a Lord of the magical world, I imagine it'd be simple and quick to use on muggles like us." Vernon got into the car after Harry, with the family heading home.

"So, Lad. What did you find out about mind magic?" Vernon asked, as Petunia and Dudley both went silent to hear what Harry had to say.

"Well, it's disturbingly common in the magical world. There's even a department of the Ministry of Magic dedicated to wiping the minds of muggles that see magic." Harry explained. Petunia looked a bit pale, as Dudley spoke up, "And they're allowed to do that whenever they want?"

"Well, it's a government department. The Ministry of Magic works under the Charter of Magic that was written by the royals hundreds of years ago. So it's kind of like Scotland Yard."

"I see," Vernon said, nodding as he drove. "And what about mind magic that can be put on objects, like we discussed?"

"Yes, Uncle. They're called Compulsion Charms. They can, when charged with enough magic, be effectively permanent. There's some uses of it in medicine to prevent people from becoming dependent on potions, and also for things like minor penalties for small crimes to keep people from doing the same crime again."

"Then that's what happened to me, Harry." Aunt Petunia quickly spoke up. "I think the thing that frustrates me the most is, that wasn't me. It was never me. It was someone that I don't know. If Magic can do that, then maybe my sister was right to keep us away from it."

Dudley spoke up next. "I wasn't affected by it, so that makes what I did to you even worse, Harry. I'm sorry for being such a bellend of a bully. When I got to Smeltings, I felt like I was unstoppable, that no one could touch me. I did the same that I did to you to others, Harry; Mum and Dad both got a letter about it from my teachers. But when I was sitting there in the headmaster's office with a kid I bullied, I realized something. Everything I had done had never made me feel strong; it had made me feel in control. And I realized that I wasn't strong at all as long as I acted like that. I vowed right there that I would never treat you or anyone else like that ever again, and started to work to find ways to help you. Because I had a goal and I stopped being a bully, my grades got better and suddenly everything was so much clearer to me. I even made it into the Boxing team, the youngest boxer in Smeltings history!"

Harry felt relieved to hear that his Aunt and Cousin truly didn't hate him. All those years with the two of them, all that hate from Aunt Petunia; it was over. It wouldn't happen anymore.

"Of course, now we have to find out who cast that spell," Harry muttered. Vernon heard the comment and spoke up, "I agree, lad. But I doubt that it'd be possible. The letter is long gone, whatever spell was on it was lost with the letter itself when Pet burned it. We may never know."

Harry sighed, and then perked up a bit. "Oh! I managed to get onto my school's sports team too, Dudley. It involves brooms and flying." Harry grinned at his cousin. Dudley leaned forward in the seat, his eyes going wide. "Flying? Brooms? Like the stories of witches?" Dudley asked curiously. When Harry nodded, Dudley grinned. "Wicked. Would I be able to try?"

"Not at Privet Drive, I don't think." Harry said, thinking. "It can't be done where there are people who don't know the secret of magic. However, if we go on a hike and bring my broom with us, I could take you up on it!"

"A hike sounds like it would be wonderful. Vernon has been working on his weight, and Dudley was told that he'd need to slim down to stay in his preferred weight class as well," Aunt Petunia said, adding, "We could even make it a weekly hike if we all enjoy it."

"And I'd be able to come?" Harry asked softly. Aunt Petunia's face scrunched up like a prune for a split second, before she hurriedly spoke up, "Harry, the things I said and did to you are inexcusable. If I had continued to do that then I deserved to be put into a jail cell for the way I treated you. You are a member of this family, Harry. What I said back then was not something that I will ever repeat again. This I promise you." Petunia's words came out calmly and clearly; it was evident that she had thought for a long time on the subject.

Harry's smile was small at first, but soon blossomed into a genuinely beautiful and warm one. His excitement made his magic dance, bursting through him like a bundle of fireworks. He felt it burst, flowing from him in a rush , complete out of control as he abruptly felt himself turn into his fox form.

Petunia gasped as Dudley's eyes sparkled as he looked at his cousin. His cousin had turned into a three-tailed fox! Vernon's eyes grew wide as he peered back through the rear-view mirror. "Are you alright, lad?"

Harry quickly turned into his human form, panicking. He had been told that he needed to hide his form from muggles… was he going to get in trouble? He saw magic building around like when Lucius had cast a spell, was that the Trace on underage magic? As he noticed it, his magic suddenly surged around him, a familiar inner voice echoing. These chains are keeping me bound. I want to be free.

There was a sudden jolt, like the sensation of scissors cutting a taut wire as the magic tried to build, before the sensation broke and it began to fade slowly. In the back of his mind, he heard a whisper. Freedom. Harry shuddered a bit. Had he just… broken the trace on underage magic? He tried to focus on his magic, but now there was no sign of any trace of what he had felt before. How had he done that…?

"That was utterly wicked!" Dudley shouted, cutting off Harry's train of thought as Petunia looked back. "Is that a normal magical thing? People becoming animals?" Harry blushed a bit. "Um... well, it's kind of a special skill. I even got recognized by the magical government for being one of the first magical creatures in a long time. It's called an animagus form, and you can only get it after doing a special ritual."

Dudley grinned. "Could I get it? Does it require magic?" Harry saw his cousin's excited face, not wanting to puncture his enthusiasm as he shook his head and said, "It requires some stuff that you can't get in the muggle world. I don't think you'd even be able to try."

"Oh, well then can you maybe get some of the materials and see if I could?" Dudley asked, clinging on to hope.

Harry considered for a moment. He didn't think it'd work, but it'd be an interesting experiment. His mind considered the possibilities, before speaking up again. "I'll see if I can. It shouldn't be hard, and at the very least we can try, right? But it probably won't be for a while."

Dudley beamed with the joy only a happy 11 year old could give. His hopes high, Dudley leaned back in his seat. It wasn't long afterwards that the car turned into Privet Drive, as Harry saw someone by the door of the house.

"There's someone there, by the front door." Harry learned forward, pointing it out to his Uncle and Aunt.

"Are you expecting anyone, Vernon?" Petunia asked as Vernon drove to the driveway. As they pulled in, Harry noticed the black pinstripe suit of Gringotts on a man that had a similar look to Inquisitorian Blackstone.

"I think it's a goblin." Harry whispered, his eyes tracing over the magic that surrounded the man. "We don't have to worry. Just note, Uncle Vernon, Goblins take showing teeth as a challenge. Make sure when you smile, you keep your mouth closed"

As the family got out of the car, the man walked over and gave a polite bow. "Messrs Dursley and Potter, apologies for not sending prior word, we believed that an in-person representative from the Bank would be best for the information we'd like to share."

Vernon nodded to the man, who grinned back. "Certainly. Come right inside." The man returned the gesture as Vernon escorted him in, followed by Petunia, Dudley, and Harry.

Vernon nodded, giving Harry a thankful squeeze on the shoulder as Harry moved to get the tea, but Aunt Petunia stopped him before he could get too far. With a discreet whisper she leaned down to him and smiled. "You always make tea for us, Harry. Let's do it together. You aren't a servant to us, after all."

With that, Petunia walked into the kitchen with Harry, taking a moment to put the hot water on and make the tea. Harry carefully measured out the leaves, and the two of them soon returned with the tea set, the rich scent of tea around them. Happy to have done it with his aunt, Harry moved to move sit on the couch next to his cousin.

Once everyone had arrived, the man cleared his throat. "Now, I have here a full list of documentation of the ward schemes. The wards have been removed, except for the Blood Wards, which are far too complex to remove discreetly with what magic we have access to in a reliable time frame. However, because of their beneficial and defensive ward arrangement, I believe you will be glad to have them once I have explained their purpose."

Vernon took the parchment first, eyes glancing over it before handing it to Harry. Harry immediately saw the issue; the parchment described the warding runes in both magical and non-magical terms.

Glancing through it himself, Harry rubbed his chin. He was still a kid, but thankfully he had done a lot of research on runes at Hogwarts in the past year.

"So, Master Goblin. I assume you are a goblin judging by the glamour spell that you currently have, but it says here that there was an illegal Incineration spell keyed to permit only Ministry and Hogwarts messages through, as well as a tracking ward that would let a third party monitor when the wards were entered and exited. There also seemed to be a ward that incites quick anger and rash decisions? Also illegal on a muggle home."

Harry blinked as he realized what he had said; if that ward existed, why didn't Uncle Vernon get affected by that ward? He looked over at his Uncle curiously, then realized that it hadn't affected Dudley as much as Aunt Petunia either; he had been a bully, sure. But quick anger and rash decisions would have been far, far worse than what was done. Was there something he was missing? Rubbing his chin, Harry was startled as the man cleared his throat and caught his attention.

The man grinned lightly at Harry correctly identifying him, giving a nod to each of Harry's comments before speaking up, "Indeed, Mister Potter. We have removed those three, as well as a slew of other minor wards that would track the mental and physical status of the home's occupants. It's unheard of to find wards on a muggle domicile."

Harry nodded for a second before Vernon interrupted, "Thank you for removing those— wards, was it? It troubles me that someone was monitoring our lives that deeply without us knowing." As he said this, Petunia hugged herself and shuddered.

"The Potter Estates were set up to handle such costs ten years ago in the event of the deaths of the Lord and Lady. Gringotts has attempted to contact you and Mister Potter for a decade, and are quite happy to finally be in contact with you both. Now that we are, we can begin to set right what wrongs have been made."

Harry gave another nod in agreement before returning his gaze to the parchment. He read over the analysis of the blood wards, and sighed. "So these blood wards were created by a blood ritual, that involved a mother giving her life for their offspring? They were put there because of my mother's death?"

Vernon paled, as Petunia gasped softly. The man gave a grim nod before affirming, "Indeed, Mister Potter. Blood Wards are an ancient type of ward that are technically illegal to create without authorization of the Ministry. Either your mother, whose magic is keyed to the wards, got an exception or simply didn't care to request permission to protect her child. Blood Wards are also around major familial homes such as those belonging to the Blacks, Longbottoms and Potters. They are not foolproof, as was the case with the destruction of Potter Manor and the assault of Lord and Lady Longbottom by Death Eaters near the end of the war, but they are far stronger than most other wards."

"What exactly does that mean for us? Will it harm us in any way?" Vernon asked, placing a hand on Petunia's shoulder to steady her.

"No, in fact, they are a robust protective measure. Any who intend harm on yourself, your family, or Mister Potter in any way will suffer the full assault of the wards if they approach. The wards already show indication of eliminating three such threats."

That was news to Vernon and Petunia, whose eyes grew wide at the revelation that they had been saved from certain death not once, but thrice.

"Thank you, Master Goblin. I am curious; are there any other wards that could be added to enhance the home's security?" Harry asked.

The Goblin shook his head. "Unfortunately, Mister Potter, you'd need permission from the Ministry to apply such wards. Due to the wards being in place for ten years and thus beyond the statute of limitations, you will not be punished for the current wards. However, erecting new wards will be in direct violation of the law without written permission from the Ministry."

Harry nodded as Vernon looked over. "Do you think we'd be able to get permission from your government, lad?" The question made Harry give a sly, foxy grin as he nodded, "Considering that the Minister himself seems interested in me, and Lord Malfoy is one of his advisors, more than likely."

The goblin got up, giving another bow. "Now that I have explained the ward removal and the current in-place wards, my business here is done. Please be prepared for a copy of the Potter ledger in the next week, as your Accounts Manager, Stonetooth, has been working on creating a comprehensive overview of your family's estate and holdings."

With that, the glamoured goblin made his way to the front door, where he disappeared with a slight popping sound.

It took a few minutes for the four to parse the information that had been given to them. However, after those few minutes, Vernon spoke up quickly.

"Three people who intended us harm?" Vernon asked quietly. "And they were eliminated?" Petunia shuddered gently, sharing the sentiment with her husband as she added, "Magic can be as dangerous as it can be beautiful, my sister used to say."

After a few minutes more, Vernon stood up. "Now, lad, I want to show you something. Dudley, go on with your mother; she has something to show you as well." Gesturing for Harry to come over, Vernon walked towards the crawlspace door and the garage door next to it.

"I know how much you enjoy the crawlspace, lad, but it wouldn't be proper for a growing boy to be living in the dirt for the entire summer. I spoke with Pet, and she suggested using some of our retirement funds on something for you and Dudley."

Harry felt he knew what was coming next, quickly speaking up. "Uncle Vernon, I hate to sound ungrateful, but if you're suggesting that I move into Dudley's second room, I much prefer the crawlspace. It—"

Vernon cut the boy off with a chuckle. "I had a feeling you'd say that. No, we're turning the second bedroom into an office, and Dudley's room is getting a renovation. Instead…"

He took a white sheet off a large object, revealing a massive selection of wood, bricks, bags of cement, and more. Building materials, still in their pallets. "I was thinking me and you could turn that crawlspace into a proper home for you. Dig it out and make it a full room as a family project. Even Dudley has expressed interest in helping with it, and Pet has said she is eager to go shopping for a nice set of furniture with you when we are finished. I already contacted a few contractor friends of mine, and they instructed me where to dig and where to avoid to be safe. Once you go off with your friends at Malfoy Manor, I'll have the contractors come in to finish. For the next two weeks, all of us will be working on this together, as a family."

Harry's eyes sparkled, glimmering with excitement and enthusiasm. Looking back and forth from Uncle Vernon to the pallets of building materials, Harry bit his lower lip. "A-are you serious, Uncle? B-but that is so much money—"

"Your Aunt already agreed to it, and we paid for it from our retirement fund, lad. We want to make you feel at home here, and Petunia wishes to further show that the person she was back then is not who she really is. I already had builders come and extend the foundations and applied with the government for the permits. We have the all-clear to expand the basement as we see fit."

Harry felt the guilt when they mentioned taking from their retirement fund, but the happiness of them caring about him that much made his entire body burn with joy. Not only that, but Uncle Vernon had mentioned that his job was on the line, yet he took off two weeks to spend with him? Harry felt tears come to his eyes and rushed forward, hugging Vernon with a huge, gleaming smile on his face. "Thank you thank you thank you!" Harry repeated over and over, almost hopping with joy. Vernon smiled, hugging Harry right back.

Welcome back! With this, we begin Book 2. But, don't you worry, there will be plenty of shenanigans during the summer, about a quarter of this book will be about it. There's plenty of fun stuff ahead, so don't you worry!

Looking for more beta readers! Even if you just read it over and give thoughts and proofread for spelling mistakes, it really would help a lot. If you are interested, post a review or a comment with your discord username and I'll reach out!

For those who keep spamming me with reviews to commission them to turn this story into a comic, stop. I won't even be CONSIDERING that until I'm at the very least on book 4. Thank you for the offer, but I don't have money to spend on it.

Thank you all so much for sticking with the story over the hiatus! I have a backlog of chapters now, with more to come.

And just for all the new people, this fic runs on a Monday-Thursday schedule, but the Thursday chapter is not guaranteed. If the chapter released Monday is sufficiently large enough, then I skip the Thursday chapter. It's mostly so that you guys don't have to worry about small chapters and have to wait a whole week before the next. This chapter is a semi-long one, but because it's the first of the book I will still be releasing another one this Thursday.

Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling, not me.