A/N: I just want to give my profound thanks to everyone that has reviewed, followed, and favorited.

When I started this fanfic, I had originally planned on Harry getting right to Hogwarts and starting the story there. That clearly hasn't happened as I've tried to add some complexity and didn't want to rush. However, I've decided that each school year will be its own fanfic and this one, which has laid the foundation of this series, is coming to a close within the next few chapters. It's been just over one year since I posted chapter one and we're very close to the end of Book 0. Thanks for sticking with me on this story. I've really appreciated it.

Harry wandered out of the master suite as he headed to the kitchen. He was still confused about his experience with the ritual and he didn't feel any different, except now he was starving after skipping breakfast.

He met Astrid as she exited the library and he offered her a small smile, which she met with a scowl.

"Are you following me?" She asked in an annoyed tone.

Harry chuckled in response and raised his eyebrow. "Do you really think I have nothing better to do?"

Astrid rolled her eyes in response. "I honestly hadn't given what you do in your free time a second thought. Us lowly peasants are too busy toiling away in exchange for your scraps!"

Harry didn't know what she meant by that. He hadn't exactly asked for them to lift a finger around the house, save for picking up after themselves. It seemed like she was determined to hate him simply because he was rich.

The pair had been walking together as they exchanged barbs and now found themselves outside the kitchen.

Astrid had clearly not realized they shared the destination as they walked and had hoped to lose Harry as she entered the kitchen. She now stood awkwardly as she realized her mistake. With a huff, she stormed off towards her living quarters instead.

Harry called after her, "Hey, don't you want some food? I don't mind sharing my scraps!"

"I'd rather starve than eat with you! Besides, unlike you, I've gone without food before!" She yelled back before entering her living quarters and slamming the door.

Harry huffed in frustration and shook his head. Harry barely managed not to jump when he heard a voice behind him say, "Wow, she really doesn't like you."

He turned and found Sirius in the kitchen doorway wearing a smug smile.

"I don't know why. I haven't even done anything but every time we talk, she gets me all riled up," he said.

Sirius chuckled. "She probably just needs more time to adjust. You're a great kid, Harry, she'll come around."

Harry looked up at Sirius, then. "What, not going to keep making fun of me?"

Sirius laughed, "I would never!" He rubbed his knuckles on Harry's head and added, "Besides, it wouldn't be a fair exchange seeing as how you're so…" he trailed off and gestured to Harry in general.

"Hey!" Harry declared. "I could take you any day, old man!"

The pair carried on with their teasing and then sat together at the table to eat. It was nearly dinner time, but no one else was in sight.

"How has work been? You've not been around very much so you must be busy," Harry said.

Sirius nodded. "Sorry about that, pup," he said. "I've been working long hours… some rich old pureblood family was robbed. It's been quite the hubbub, really, because whoever did it destroyed a large stockpile of potions ingredients. I have to go back tonight to finish going through the inventory that was turned in."

Harry nodded at that, "The Saxton's," he acknowledged.

Sirius gave him a look. "How did you know?" He asked.

"I read the Prophet, Sirius," Harry laughed, trying to mask his nervousness. He shouldn't have said anything.

"You're the strangest 10 year old I've ever seen," Sirius chuckled.

"Where is everyone?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

Sirius raised his eyebrows at Harry. "Oh, right, you weren't around," he said. "Silvie and Tabatha went to Saint Mungos with Remus to get his situation evaluated. They won't be back until tomorrow."

Harry nodded solemnly at that. "It's too bad about Remus' injury. I had really hoped for a full recovery."

Sirius nodded his agreement. "The boys are off exploring, I think. Aldo said something about hunting for a demiguise he thought he saw. Apparently Caleb doesn't believe him."

Harry had wondered about the creature and was relieved to hear it was still around.

"What were you and Luna up to, today?" Sirius asked.

Harry contemplated the merits of telling Sirius the truth. On the one hand, Sirius grew up in a pureblood household and might even have family magic of his own. He might be able to help guide Harry even further on his path to understanding his own family magic. On the other hand, Sirius might accidentally reveal his secret. He trusted Sirius but the man was so irresponsible.

Still, his father had trusted him and he was his Godfather, so he decided to confide in the man.

"Do you know any privacy spells?" He asked.

Sirius raised both eyebrows at that before smirking and taking out his wand. "You're looking at a Marauder, Harry, I know all of them. This one fills the ears of anyone in the vicinity with a buzzing sound."

Harry watched as Sirius waved his wand and said, "Muffliato!"

Harry grinned and after getting a promise from Sirius that he wouldn't share this secret with anyone, told him about the ritual and Magic appearing before him.

Sirius sat silently as he listened and once Harry finished, he said, "Interesting, very interesting."

The man stood up then and started pacing, clearly deep in thought.

"I know the ritual, having done it myself as a kid. My family always performs it on our 9th birthday you see. Nine is a magical number and so my family believed it should strengthen the likelihood that we inherit the family magic, or a share of it."

"A share of it?" Harry checked. He and Luna had speculated that family magic might have to be shared and Sirius seemed to be confirming his theory.

Sirius nodded. "Yes, there is a legend in magical history that certain gifts, certain abilities you could say, were gifted to families by Magic herself. The gifts seem to dilute as they're shared with more people."

Sirius stopped pacing and said, "My family's magic is the ability to transfigure our body into something else. My family has proudly stated that the first Metamorphmagus and Animagus have come from our family."

"But can't anyone learn how to become an animagus?" Harry checked.

Sirius nodded, "Yes of course, but that doesn't stop my family from boasting that we were the first. A Black is more likely to achieve it, however, thanks to our family magic.

"The metamorphmagus ability is still unique to my family, however. I have a cousin that is one. She's the first in nearly two hundred years, I think."

Harry nodded. "Do you think that Magic actually showed up or am I just going crazy?"

Sirius looked him in the eyes and said, "You're not crazy, Harry. Your account matches what the legends say. It is clearly a rare kind of event, however. Do you feel any different? James confided in me that he hadn't inherited the family magic like Fleamont had, but I'm not fully aware what the Potter family magic entails."

Harry explained that he'd actually been able to use the Potter family magic to sense magic for a while now and that he was hoping the ritual would help him get even better at it or add to it in some way.

Sirius nodded his understanding. "I performed the ritual myself a second time just as we decided to become animagi. It's what helped me to figure out what my animal was. Your father helped with the ritual, in fact and we joked that the Black family had adopted him because he also learned his animal form very shortly after. Peter took ages… filthy rat."

Harry was digesting Sirius' words very carefully. Last night, in Fleamont's journals, he'd read about his family magic and forming bonds with others. Did that mean the Potter family magic used those bonds in some way? Maybe his father did have a portion of the family magic afterall and had used his bond with Sirius to borrow the Black family magic. He wasn't sure he wanted to share that bit of info just yet and decided to focus on another part of what Sirius had said.

"You can do the ritual more than once?" Harry asked.

Sirius nodded. "Oh yes. While the ritual is mostly used these days for unlocking family magic, some wizards and witches use it more regularly to simply feel closer to Magic. It's kind of like a religious practice, if that makes sense?"

Harry understood. It had been a pleasant experience, if a bit strange, and it was one he could see himself doing more of.

There was just one more thing he wanted to ask Sirius about.

"Sirius, I had one more-" he started, but then the door slammed open and three boys walked in.

Sirius waved his wand and cancelled the muffliato spell.

"Hey boys!" Sirius said loudly. "How did your little excursion through the house go? Did you find the demiguise?"

Sirius and Harry listened as they shared the details of their adventure. Harry was still distracted by his conversation with Sirius and kept getting lost in his own thoughts. Sirius was far better at carrying the conversation and even gave them some ideas to try trapping the creature.

Harry saw Astrid waiting outside the door, clearly not wanting to come in while he himself was still there. He got up from his seat with a sigh, not wanting to fight any more with the girl. He exited the kitchen and returned to his living quarters to remind Luna to eat.

Later that night, Harry sat up in his bed, frustrated. He'd checked his grandparent's room again and had found nothing. There had been no change in his family magic. Or maybe he was simply looking in the wrong place.

He blew out some air in a huff and got out of bed. He was feeling restless and annoyed at the lack of progression. Perhaps tonight would be a good night for him to go out and visit Truset.

He smirked at the thought and then dug into the hiding place beneath the floorboards to gather his things. He'd been able to restock the potions he used and he still had the bottles that Ratatoskr had etched runes into. He would just have to recast the blue bell flames and they'd be good as new.

One thing caused him to hesitate and that was the fact that all the adults had left the house. If anything happened while he was gone, Luna and the others would be on their own. He reckoned the chances of that were low, however, and he'd be back before dawn.

As he packed his bag, he heard what he assumed was Ratatoskr rummaging around his tree. He turned his head and saw the stick creature sliding down the tree trunk like a fireman descending a pole. Harry finished packing just as Ratatoskr arrived next to him.

"You want to come with me?" Harry asked.

Ratatoskr nodded and Harry picked the creature up. "It might be dangerous," he added.

The stick creature simply folded his arms and rolled his eyes in response.

Harry chuckled at that and said, "Fine, but no complaining."

The duo slipped out of his room and into the family room. Light flickered beneath Luna's door, a sign that she was still awake as well, and he considered letting her know he would be back before dawn but he reckoned she already knew and he needn't bother.

He needed to hurry anyway.

He left the master suite and crept down the stairs into the main hall and towards the floo. The room was dark, practically pitch black thanks to the darkened moon outside.

He didn't want to be seen in Hogsmeade, but he didn't know how else he could get there quickly without using the floo. He wished he could dissaperate, but that was several years away.

He threw in some floo powder and cried, "The Three broomsticks!"

He spun in a flash of green until he popped out of the fireplace at his destination.

He barely managed to stagger to a stop before he fell on his face. The room was dark and vacant of patrons, but he heard someone call from a back room that they'd be with him in a moment.

He quickly left the bar and couldn't help but chuckle as he thought of how annoyed they'd be when they arrived and he was already gone.

The cobblestone road outside was barely visible thanks to the now dim lights that lined the road. It was a good night to travel unseen but he still wished he had his invisibility cloak.

He removed his broomstick from his bag and straddled it easily before taking off into the sky. It was still cold in the night sky, but decidedly warmer than his last flight. Still, he was glad he had his bluebell flame jars to help him stay warm. He placed one in his Hand of Glory to help light the way around him.

It took him nearly fifteen minutes of flying before he descended into Feldcroft.

Feldcroft was notably smaller and even darker than Hogsmeade, he was happy to note. He hopped off his broom whilst still holding the Hand of Glory and crept down the path to his destination.

The houses here were quite quaint but he could hear families laughing together inside as he walked by. He paused to let the feeling of jealousy slide by. It wasn't their fault he didn't have what they had, after all, so he could still be happy for them.

In the distance, on a hill overlooking the tiny hamlet, was a large manor that he knew was his target. Surprisingly, he saw light spilling out onto the grassy yard from several large windows. He'd have to be more careful as he got closer, lest he be seen.

He flew up into a nearby tree and made himself comfortable. He could just wait until the lights dimmed and then he'd make his attempt to enter the home. He felt Ratatoskr shift from within his robe pocket and then the creature stuck his head out to scope out the area.

"We're going to have to wait a bit," he said out loud. "Might as well get comfortable."

Harry mentally went through the Intel he'd received from Feona. Every once in a while, his thoughts would be interrupted by someone walking by the window. He tried to distinguish who it was, but they were simply too far away.

Time moved slowly and he felt himself start to nod off in boredom but then quite suddenly the lights went out and he became alert.

He waited a few more minutes to be sure everyone had turned in for the night and then began to focus his magic and sent out some probes.

The building and grounds were vibrant with magic and he soon began to feel overwhelmed, but he pushed through until he could comfortably decipher whether or not there were any wards to be wary of. There were wards he was more familiar with, like anti-apparition and a few muggle repelling charms. He supposed they were far enough away from Hogsmeade that there might be muggle villages nearby so that made sense.

A few wards seemed to be the sort to set off an alarm and a few that stunned or immobilized anyone that triggered them. The building was quite secure. More so than Saxton's had been by far. Harry couldn't help but wonder if Truset was more vigilant to begin with or if he had recently increased security because of what Harry had done to the Saxtons.

Whilst the anti-apparition wards were large and likely anchored to the house, it simply wasn't safe or practical to set up stunners or immobilizers in a large area. They were typically scattered around the perimeter or more localized areas instead.

He contemplated his next move. Remus had been rather forthcoming with his knowledge on wards when Harry had asked him during lessons one day. The man had told him that wards wouldn't be covered until he was well into Hogwarts, but Harry had insisted. Being able to detect magic had helped Harry understand more complex subjects a little easier and he surmised that he had a better understanding of magic than most people.

Most wards, he knew, had to be anchored to something. If he could find the anchor, he should be able to lift the wards without setting them off. Of course, if the person setting the wards was competent, they would ensure the anchor was well protected.

Harry sent minuscule probes to inspect the area and was not able to detect the anchors. 'What a bummer,' he thought to himself.

Remus had said that alternatively, a ward could be broken if it was simply overpowered, but he was only 10 years old and didn't have a lot of power.

Ratatoskr was placed back inside his pocket and then he descended the tree and walked around the property as he checked out the wards. He noticed that most of the wards that would incapacitate him were paired with an alarm ward as well. He guessed that if he set off a stunner ward that it would also trigger the alarm. He continued scouting the area, hoping to find a fault in the layout.

Sure enough, the warder had gotten sloppy towards the back end of the property. There were two stunner wards that didn't touch an alarm ward.

He prepared to flee if his plan failed and then sent a strong probe of magic to set off the ward. He saw several flashes in the distance in front of him as the wards attacked his probe. He kept at it until he noticed the flashes begin to become less vibrant, a sign they were weakening.

Eventually, his probe was able to move freely without setting off the wards. Although he was more exhausted, he rushed forward past the wards and entered the property.

Once he was safe and hidden from view, he uncorked an energy potion and took a swig.

Feeling revitalized, he scoped the area for any other wards that he might have missed before he continued. He was relieved to find none, and a little surprised. The Saxton house didn't have the wards all over the property , but the wards around the buildings and house had been a whole lot stronger. He supposed Truset just didn't have the resources the Saxton's did.

The coast clear, he cast an alohomora on a nearby window and then climbed in.

He found himself in a small formal dining room. The light of his blue bell bottles reflected off several portraits lining one wall. He flinched, expecting to be caught, but relaxed as he remembered that, thanks to the Hand of Glory, only he could see the light and the portraits remained asleep. Moving lightly, he made his way out of the room and into the hall and out of view of the portraits. Once clear, he focused and sent a multitude of magical probes to map out the area. In his mind's eye, he traveled the hallway and inspected each room remotely.

It seemed that Benjamin Truset lived alone and was sleeping in his bed upstairs. Harry was free to move around on the main floor.

He roamed the house, carefully, using his magical probes to search for wards or traps. He picked up several random objects that looked valuable and interesting as he searched the house. His intentions were simply to scope out the house and look for intel that might be useful, but that didn't mean he couldn't help himself to a trinket or two.

Eventually he found himself entering a large study. Opposite of the door was a large ornate desk with a few chairs sitting in front of it. It looked like this was a place that Truset did business. In the middle of the room stood a large crate.

Suddenly, lights flared to life around the room and he heard a voice off to the side say, "What do you think-" Harry reacted quickly and sent a freezing charm in the direction of the voice. His heart racing, he saw that a magical portrait had gone unnoticed by his probes. The subject of the painting stood frozen, mid speech. Harry guessed the room was spelled to light up when it sensed a presence and had alerted the portrait.

He mentally thanked Remus and Sirius for the target practice they'd made him do so many times and let out a relieved breath as he looked around the room. Noticing an unfinished letter laying on the desk, he started reading.

It seemed to be a letter to Truset's mother that lived on the continent. Benjamin was sending a magical portrait to her so that they could communicate more quickly without using the floo. It looked like his mother was getting too old to crouch down on the floor to make the call. Benjamin had the twin frame, which Harry guessed he had just frozen. The man, it seemed, was not a great business man or practiced politician and was calling on his mother regularly for advice. Harry smirked.

Harry reckoned the other magical frame was what was in the crate in the center of the room. He hated to steal something that was going to be helpful for an old lady, but an idea was forming in his mind that he thought might be the solution to his problems.

Her shared his idea with Ratatoskr and the two got to work.

The next morning, Harry woke up to the sun shining brightly in his room. He'd left Truset's the same way he'd entered and had returned home without issue with a little time to get some sleep.

He sat up in his bed and stretched before getting up from his bed and walked towards the window. He still sometimes looked over his property and the woods in awe, in complete disbelief that it was all his.

It was nearly the end of spring now and birds sang happily as they flew through the air. He watched as they performed their aerial dance and contemplated life. A lot had changed in the last year and he'd changed from the meek scrawny boy in the cupboard and found family and friends along the way.

His reminiscing was interrupted when he noticed a small figure walking briskly out of the woods. Whoever it was, they were too far away for him to make out, at least with his natural eyes. He focused his magic and imagined himself flying down towards the mysterious figure.

As his consciousness got closer, he was finally able to make out who it was. He ended the magic and frowned. What was Astrid up to, he wondered.

A knock sounded on the door and then Luna walked in before he could answer.

"I sensed you were about to come look for me so I saved you the trouble," she said as she approached.

"I-" he started before she cut him off.

"Astrid spends a lot of her nights in the woods, these days," she said.

"Wh-" he started again.

"I don't know why," Luna answered. "She's still incredibly conflicted and constantly uncomfortable."

Harry paused a moment before he decided it was safe to talk. "You d-" he said before being cut off yet again.

"I can't read minds, Harry, just emotions," she said.

Harry laughed in exasperation at that. "Sure seems like you can read minds to me, Luna!"

Luna shrugged and said, "I know you, Harry, you're easy."

He shook his head at that. He'd be worried about how easy she could read and understand him, but it was Luna and he trusted her absolutely.

"I don't understand Astrid and that makes it hard for me to trust her. I don't remember seeing her that night," he said.

Luna nodded. "I know, we talked about this."

They had talked about it and Luna had refused to say anything to confirm or deny his concerns.

"I have a feeling that we should give her the benefit of the doubt," she said. "At least for now."

Harry huffed. He didn't like it at all. Still, if Luna insisted then he'd follow along.

"Fine," he said.

Luna shook her head. "You could try being more understanding, Harry."

"What do you mean?" He asked angrily. "I've not done anything to her except open my home."

Luna sighed. "Yes, you did that. But how do you think she feels in a strange place, abandoned by her family, and placed at the mercy of someone she doesn't know. How would you feel?"

"Lucky," he snapped.

Luna glared at him. "You of all people would not feel lucky, Harry Potter."

He uncrossed his arms and turned away from Luna. His thoughts returned to his life on Privet Drive. He'd been forced into a home that he was uncomfortable in. He'd always felt like an outsider, but he'd been treated like one too. He hadn't treated Astrid or the boys like that.

Still, he hated having no control over his life. It's what had driven him to stealing, after all. That and boredom, he supposed. Stealing had given him a purpose, in a way. Maybe that was what Astrid needed, to find her purpose.

"She hates me though," he said.

"I don't think that's true," Luna said. "I think she's jealous."

Harry scoffed.

"Think about it," Luna said. "You have everything she's lost or never had. Friends, family, money, and an easy life."

"I don't have an easy life," he said.

Luna chuckled. "Obviously, I know that. She doesn't."

Harry stood there and considered her words. Maybe he just needed to give Astrid a little more time to come around. Maybe they could become friends eventually.

"Alright, fine," he conceded. "I'll give her a break."

"I knew you'd come around, eventually," Luna laughed. "Sirius is going to be so mad."

Harry's eyebrows furrowed. "Don't tell me you two bet on this?" He checked.

"Ok, I won't," Luna said as she skipped out of the room.

Harry lost himself to his thoughts as he prepared dinner. He'd spent most of his day relaxing and going through his grandparent's journals for hints about the family magic. He hadn't found anything substantial, to his utter annoyance.

Remus, Silvie, and Tabatha were supposed to have come home by now, but he hadn't seen any sign of them returning. He had thought about calling on Kreacher to make dinner, since Sirius had basically given him permission to do so whenever he wanted, but decided against it. He liked cooking and he hadn't done it in a while.

His thoughts turned to the crate he'd found at Truset's and to the plan he'd come up with. He desperately wanted to check on the outcome of his and Ratatoskr's actions, but he wasn't sure how to go about it without incriminating himself. If it all went well, he'd hear about it soon enough.

He was in the middle of dicing mushrooms when he heard the kitchen door open. He looked over his shoulder and found Astrid standing stiffly, her eyes were practically popping out of their sockets and her jaw had dropped open.

Harry looked away, not wanting to get in another fight. He was too tired. A moment later, he heard Astrid pull a chair out from the table and sit down. With a heavy sigh, he decided to attempt some conversation.

"I'm making pizza. Is there anything that you'd like me to leave off?" He asked.

"A-" she started. Her words got stuck in her throat and she coughed to clear it out. "Anchovies," she finally answered timidly.

Harry nodded. "I don't care for them either," he said.

He heard the chair scoot and a moment later Astrid stood beside him. "I didn't know you could cook," she said.

Harry nodded. "I used to cook for my muggle… family before I found out I was a wizard." He had paused and nearly choked on the word family as it passed his lips. He knew better what a real family was now.

He chanced a glance towards Astrid and saw the girl was frowning in confusion. He wasn't sure he really wanted to talk about his life with the Dursleys, particularly with her right now.

Making an excuse he said, "I need to get something from the cellar." He walked away and collected himself. He didn't really need anything from the cellar and now he was in a bit of a predicament if he didn't want to be caught in a lie.

At the top of the stairs, he began to feel uncomfortable. He suddenly realized that in the almost year-long period he'd lived here, he hadn't ever gone down to the cellar before.

A pressure grew within him as he descended the steps. It was odd. He'd never been afraid of the dark, really, having spent so much of his time in the cupboard under the stairs. In fact, he quite enjoyed the dark most of the time. At the bottom, he turned and looked into the dark abyss and dread filled his entire being. He bolted back up the stone steps and was relieved to see that Astrid was nowhere in sight. His pride still somewhat intact, he grabbed a crate of butterbeer from the pantry and made his way back to the kitchen.

He was relieved to see that Luna had arrived and was conversing with Astrid. He made eye contact with his blonde friend and she gave him a quick wink. She must have felt his discomfort at being alone with Astrid and had come to the rescue. He wondered if she'd sensed his fear just moments ago but she appeared unconcerned so he guessed not.

He continued preparing dinner while trying to ignore the nagging feeling he had that something important was in the cellar, but he couldn't think of a time he was more terrified.

He also thought he could sense Astrid looking at him every now and then but whenever he checked she'd be looking the other way.

Dinner was a mundane affair. The boys shared some of their recent exploits to everyone's delight. To his surprise, they'd ventured far and wide both in and outside of the house. They'd assured him that they hadn't entered the forest at all. He glanced at Astrid at the mention of the woods and he noticed a small guilty look in her eyes for a moment before it disappeared. Remembering his conversation with Luna, he chose not to comment.

Instead he asked if they'd ventured into the cellar at all and they each shrugged and nodded nonchalantly. "Yeah, a few times. It's pretty boring though," Caleb said.

Harry was surprised at that. He'd been terrified.

After everyone finished eating, Harry got up to put dinner away, but Astrid, to everyone's surprise, got up first and offered to take care of cleaning up.

Harry didn't know what to do. She'd made it clear to him that she thought he was a spoiled rich brat and he was tempted to prove her wrong by insisting he'd do it, but Luna shook her head just slightly and he decided to drop it.

He thought he heard Astrid breathe a sigh of relief when he simply nodded and offered his thanks.

A moment later, he heard the fireplace flare and he ran out and caught Tabatha coming through, followed by Silvie pushing Remus in his wheelchair.

"Hey Remus, everything alright?" He checked.

Remus nodded and attempted a smile. Harry thought it looked genuine, but it definitely didn't reach his eyes.

Silvie interjected then, "The healers think that Remus' body will go through a bit of a cycle, mirroring the moon's."

Harry thought for a moment about what that might mean. Silvie must have sensed his confusion and clarified. "Basically, when he transforms into his wolf form, his spine will be repaired and he'll be able to walk up until around the new moon where his body will weaken and his injury will resurface."

Harry frowned. He'd really hoped Remus would fully recover.

"It's better than nothing," Remus said.

Harry smiled at the man, impressed by Remus' optimism and courage. He doubted he'd handle the news half as well if he was in Remus' place.

"I've made dinner if you're hungry, although I think Astrid might have cleaned it up already."

Remus sighed dramatically and looked up at Silvie. "I told you we should have come straight home instead of going out for dinner. Now we've missed out on Harry's famous cooking."

Tabatha chuckled at Remus and said, "Good thing we saved room," before giving Harry a side hug and entering the kitchen.

Remus rolled on to catch up with her.

Silvie sighed and shot him a wink. "Thanks a lot, Harry."

Harry just chuckled and shook his head at the family's antics.

Harry was sitting up in bed trying to meditate. The book he'd found in the library said that clearing your mind with meditation was the first step to learning to occlude the mind, but that to truly master the art you needed someone that could perform legilimency. He didn't have that and wasn't likely to find anyone able and willing for years to come, but that didn't mean he couldn't prepare now.

His meditations had been so far unsuccessful, especially tonight. He tried to focus his thoughts on his breathing but that kept straying away towards the dark cellar and the problem with the painting he'd found at Truset's.

He had come up with a plan, but it was risky. As much as he wanted to handle everything himself, he knew it wasn't practical. Mrs Figg was too busy with her own problems so he couldn't rely on her. The Guild might help, but he needed to save his Guild coins to hire a legilimens, so that wasn't an option. That left one person that might be able to help and luckily they had some skin in the game.

Frustrated that his thoughts had strayed once again, he got up from his bed, threw on a robe, and walked to the balcony.

He stared out onto the dark grounds, looking for nothing in particular. The night clouds were fascinatingly both dark and light at the same time as they amplified the small amount of light from the sliver thin moon. Cool air billowed across his skin and he closed his eyes as he took the sensation in.

His thoughts again turned to the cellar as he remembered the terror he'd felt as he tried to descend the stairs and then a different memory surfaced. One that involved a silvery blond ponce and a manipulative ring.

His eyes snapped open as a realization struck him. The cellar must have been charmed to ward people off the same way Malfoy's ring was. The question now was, who had done that and why? The only way to find out was to enter the cellar, he reckoned.

He felt goosebumps raise on his arms at the thought and he grinned. Whatever secret was down there wouldn't stay secret for long.

A/N: Please read and review. Sorry for the cliffhanger