It was safe to say that, after being at the Grangers for an extended weekend, returning to the Dursleys for the rest of the Summer was a bit of a culture shock. There were no more happy greetings in the morning, nor breakfast waiting for him at the table. Instead, it was Harry that was making the morning meals, loading plates of bacon and eggs whilst he was forced to be happy with the scraps he could hide. Obviously, his only company was Dudley once again, a severe downgrade on Hermione and Matthew. So Harry did his best to keep out of his way, remaining in his bedroom and doing the last of his school work, constantly thinking of when the Summer would end. It was the sort of mindset that would baffle most other kids, and probably the majority of adults too, but it made perfect sense to Harry.

That wasn't to say that being at Number Four, Privet Drive was a complete nightmare. Far from it, in fact. During his absence, his Uncle Vernon had managed to wow some other middle aged white man with money over dinner, an event that Harry was grateful to have missed. Earning some sort of deal for Grunnings (he didn't care to listen attentively to the details) and a promotion to boot, it was the happiest that Harry had ever seen Vernon over his twelve years. So, as long as he kept his mouth shut, a pleasant mood was allowed to permeate through the house. It was the most relaxed he'd been at the Dursleys. Sure, there were still the occasional japes at his expense and rude comments that had him biting his lip, but he could deal with that fairly easily. He wasn't going to ruin the peace, not when he was so close to escape.

And, with Dobby the House Elf no longer interfering in his affairs thanks to Matthew's little white lie, he was able to write letters to his friends to keep himself sane. The first thing Harry had done was send a letter to Hagrid, explaining why he'd been so silent over Summer. The response that had come back was largely stained by what looked like tears so Harry was relieved that he'd decided to have that conversation via owl and not in person. He kept Hermione and Matthew up to date with his Summer life, even when nothing remotely interesting happened. It was just nice to talk to them, discussing trivial matters. Even more exciting was his Aunt Petunia allowing him to use the phone once in a while so he could talk much more easily with his two friends. Hermione always found something to natter about for long periods of time, whilst Matthew would never tell him where he was actually phoning from, probably more to annoy the both of them rather than being truly secretive.

But, before long, Harry was being dropped off at King's Cross station, his uncle even taking the time to say goodbye before he sped off in the new car that his promotion had bought. Wandering into the train station with Hedwig atop his trolley, earning them plenty of confused looks from other commuters, it brought a whole host of memories flooding back. How nervous he had been upon coming here for the first time. How he hadn't known how to get onto the required platform, leading to him panicking a great deal. How a strange boy had appeared at precisely the right moment, saving him from his fears and providing the answers he so desperately needed. And then the journey had begun, a journey he hadn't known would have proven to be as wild and magical as it had been. He was so excited for the next adventure to begin, no matter what trouble he eventually got himself into.

"Funny seeing you here," a recognisable voice sounded to his left. Matthew was leaning against one of the pillars, looking so effortlessly nonchalant. He just had that presence about him, something bubbling away under the surface that Harry wanted to find out more about. Perhaps their second year together would give him the opportunity to do that. "I'm getting the oddest sense of deja vu. Me, finding you all alone apart from your pet bird, all frightened and clueless."

"I'm not clueless!" Harry defended himself but he was wearing a smile that matched Matthew's smirk. "I'll have you know that I know exactly how to get to the platform this year."

"Well, I thought I'd wait here just in case. I know how easily you can get yourself lost so Hermione thought it best for me to find you."

"Hermione's already here?" Harry's eyes lit up. Spending so much time with her had only given him a hunger for more such time.

Matthew chuckled, evidently finding something funny about what he'd said. Harry was momentarily concerned that he could tell how excited he was, which didn't make sense because there was nothing to be embarrassed about. He was just happy to be seeing his friend again. Nothing more than that. He was just as happy to see Matthew, although there was something different about that. Or was there? He was confusing himself now, which wouldn't help matters.

"Of course she is," Matthew said, unaware of the battle Harry was having with his own mind. "You know what she's like. She's punctual. I think she'd have an allergic reaction to ever being late. She's currently guarding my trunk in the compartment we both picked out. She'll be waiting impatiently for us to return so she can stop fending off other students wanting to take a seat. And she'll no doubt want to quiz us on the topics we're supposed to be covering this year but she'll have already memorised all the information." People listening into their conversation may have thought that Matthew was insulting her, or at least poking fun at her, but Harry could tell from the smile on his face that it was all down affectionately. Matthew's way of speaking just took a bit of getting used to.

They started walking towards the barrier that was close by. There didn't seem to be any other wizards hanging around. You could normally tell with their outlandish dress sense. It was likely that they were all on the other side, in a setting they were much more comfortable in. Or, as Harry had noticed on a few occasions, they usually left things to the last minute and would be turning up just before the Hogwarts Express left. Uncle Vernon had wanted to get rid of him as quickly as possible, which was why they were so early. It was just a good job that his friends had the same thought.

"No trouble with the Dursleys since we last saw you?" Matthew asked him, making conversation as they weaved through the busy station, made a lot more difficult by the trolley Harry was having to push.

"No more than usual," was Harry's response, which had Matthew frowning. "I'd actually say they were kinder than normal. My Uncle Vernon has been given this massive promotion so he's had a smile on his face for days. It took his mind off insulting me."

"Sometimes good things happen to bad people," Matthew grumbled, shaking his head at how at ease his friend was with mentioning the insults, as if it were perfectly normal behaviour. "You can forget about them now though. No more Dursleys for a blissful year. You just have to put up with me, if you can manage that." He shot Harry a playful wink as, glancing around at their surroundings, he casually leant against the barrier, falling through and disappearing from view.

Harry was still amazed by how it worked. He was surprised that no one had noticed the other boy completely vanish but they were all too busy focusing on catching their own trains to notice, no doubt helped along by a touch of magic here and there. For some reason, he got the same nerves as he'd had at the exact same moment the previous year, like he was racing headfirst into a stone wall that would prove to be more like stone than he'd prefer. He knew what awaited him on the other side but knowing that and then doing what was required were completely different entities. What had Matthew told him a year ago? To run at it as fast as possible without really thinking about the possibility of crashing painfully. But now all Harry could think about was the crashing and pain aspects of the instruction. Hedwig was giving him a look that screamed of her displeasure at being made to wait, the prod in the back Harry needed to get moving. Taking one last breath, he gripped the handles of his trolley more tightly and charged towards the entrance to Platform Nine and Three Quarters.

He made it through with little stress, which exemplified how silly he'd been at thinking that anything could go wrong. It wasn't as if anyone would want to close the barrier on him on purpose. Matthew was waiting for him, his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. He was tapping his foot, clearly not impressed.

"What took you so long?" he complained. "I'd like to sit down. It was only out of the goodness of my heart that I came looking for you but that doesn't mean I won't leave you to deal with your stuff on your own if you test my patience too much."

"Stop being so sour," Harry shot at him with a grin. "How can you be grumpy when you have this around you?" He gestured to their surroundings, the bustling platform as wizards and witches milled about, families seeing off their loved ones for another term. There were some tearful goodbyes and some tight hugs that sent a pang of jealousy running through his body but he tried to ignore that as he looked at the Hogwarts Express. The train appeared an even more brilliant shade of red than last year, just as magnificent as it had been when Harry first laid eyes on it. It represented the promise of a return to home for Harry, the promise of another year where he could explore who he truly was. Harry supposed that the other people around him were taking it for granted, so used to these wonderful types of things that they no longer impressed them. He hoped that he never reached that point, forever clinging onto this childlike glee.

"I suppose it is rather nice. If you're going to arrive at school, at least we get to do it in style," Matthew conceded, already walking again, almost expecting Harry to follow. "But we have an even nicer girl waiting for us in a cosy compartment where I can stretch my legs so get yours moving." Contradictory to his words, Matthew stopped right in front of Harry, almost being on the receiving end of the trolley. "By the way, don't tell Hermione that I just called her nice. It'd only go to her head and I like to keep her grounded."

After they had sorted out Harry's things and carefully allowed Hedwig to begin her own journey to Hogwarts, the first thing Harry did was precisely go against Matthew's wishes and tell Hermione of the compliment he'd paid her. The looks on their faces couldn't have been more different. Matthew wore a deep scowl that spoke of a silent promise of retribution in the very near future, whereas Hermione bore a wide, triumphant smile, though Harry couldn't tell whether that was aimed at him for telling her or at Matthew for saying it in the first place.

"You know, Matthew," she began saying and the boy in question was already groaning in annoyance before she'd even finished her sentence. "You can say these things to my face. I didn't take you for being shy ."

"I'm never saying anything remotely kind ever again," he declared, wedging himself in the corner of the compartment by the window. "I don't deserve this sort of abuse."

Hermione pouted. "We're only playing . You can't be annoyed with us when we've just been reunited."

"Just you watch me."

"How about we get him something from the trolley," Harry suggested. "That'll cheer him up."

"You're talking about me as if I'm some sort of kid!" Matthew grumbled. "...but I'll take a chocolate frog if the offer still stands."

They did exactly that and Matthew's pouting seemed to lessen. He always appeared as the oldest of the three, wise beyond his years, and yet he was also the most childish really. It was a juxtaposition that described Matthew perfectly. As the train began to move, they sat in silence for a bit, watching the changing scenery roll by, the urban area of London soon replaced by the green of the countryside. It was relaxing, not just because it signalled their return back to the place they really wanted to be.

"Dobby hasn't come to see you again, has he?" Hermione asked at one point. She was opening up a chocolate frog, the one treat she was allowing herself being a dentist's daughter, but it quickly pounced out of the box. It landed on top of Matthew's head, who was close to wrapping his hands around it, before Harry managed to deftly catch it, showing reflexes that he didn't know he had. He'd almost forgotten that Hermione had asked him a question during the chaos and took a few seconds to remember what she'd said.

"Nope, thankfully," he replied. "I can only imagine what sort of trouble would have happened if he'd turned up at the Dursley's. If my uncle or aunt had seen him, I don't know what they would have done. Probably locked me in my room or something."

Hermione let out a little gasp. "They wouldn't do that, would they?"

"I wouldn't put it past them." Harry was already wanting the conversation to go in a different direction. He never liked to speak about his home life, believing that he'd ever get pitiful looks in response or that he'd be making too big a deal of a manageable situation.

"I still don't think that you should be living with them," Matthew commented sourly. "I'm sure that there must be at least one better option than that."

"You could come and stay with us for longer next year," Hermione suggested excitedly. "My parents wouldn't mind. They loved having you around, getting to know someone from this side of my life." She glanced over in Matthew's direction as Harry smiled gratefully at her. "You could both live with us. We've got plenty of room. I know you don't talk about your living situation, Matthew, but you need only ask for a little bit of help."

Matthew held up a hand to stop her in her tracks. "Whilst I'm grateful for the offer, you really don't need to worry. I've survived long enough on my own to know how to do it comfortably."

"That doesn't mean you should still be doing it, just because that's what you're used to. Change can be good, especially with this. If you don't agree then at least tell us where you live, so we can have a bit of peace of mind."

"It varies," was all he said and Harry could see the frustration growing on Hermione's face. "And that's all that'll be said on the matter. Anyway, we're supposed to be focusing on Harry and his awful relatives. I'll be having words with Dumbledore again about it if something doesn't improve."

"But it has improved," Harry was quick to assure them. "They've been more friendlier, which wasn't that difficult to be honest, and…hold on, why would you speak to Dumbledore about it?"

Matthew looked as if he'd been caught out and he hesitated before speaking. "Well…you didn't have any relatives left when your…parents died so it'd stand to reason that he would have been involved with the decision process somewhat, being the most powerful wizard in the country and all that. And he's the headmaster so he has a duty to look after his pupils, even away from Hogwarts."

It wasn't the most convincing of arguments. A part of Harry thought that he'd intentionally made the slip to distract them from talking about his own home life, but it was working quite effectively. It seemed that another layer of the enigma that was Matthew was being unwrapped, only to be met with another, equally as tough barrier underneath.

"You said again ," Hermione pointed out, leaning forward with that look on her face she always wore when she wanted to find something out. "Why?"

"It…was a slip of the tongue."

Harry wasn't having that and a past interaction popped up in his head. "My uncle said that Dumbledore came to see him about the way they were treating me. Did you…tell him to do that?"

Matthew bit his lip anxiously, looking out the window again as if he were collecting his thoughts. "Not exactly. I may have…brought it up in passing conversation. If he acted on my words, then that was his own decision."

"I didn't ask you to get involved!" Harry said loudly, getting quite angry. This was his personal life that Matthew was interfering with.

"Would you have done anything on your own? Would you have complained to Dumbledore? No! I was only looking out for you. I'm certainly not going to apologise for that." Matthew had his arms crossed, clearly not impressed with the display.

"Did you stop to think that maybe getting someone to speak to them would only make them angrier? They don't like magical people! Sending one over could have made everything worse. My uncle explicitly told me not to do it again!"

"They're too scared of magical people to do the opposite of what they're told. It doesn't matter if they don't like it. And look, you said it yourself that things got a bit better so it worked."

"Oh, of course, because you're always right, aren't you?"

It was Matthew's turn to get annoyed. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You're always so sure of yourself, never letting anyone change your mind."

"Well, it hasn't served me wrong so far so why should I change my ways?"

"You wouldn't even let us help you with your living situation because you're so stubborn. If we're not allowed to interfere with your life, then why are you allowed to get involved with mine?"

"That's different."

"You're nothing but a massive hypocrite."

"Says the person being just as hypocritical. You're getting annoyed at me helping but you're fine wanting to help me? It's a bit rich for my taste."

"I'm not the one who went behind your back."

"Went behind your back?" Matthew repeated in disbelief. "That suggests I've done something wrong, betraying you or something, when I only had your best interests at heart. Why can't you see that?"

"All I can see right now is how you took an opportunity to be saviour once again. You're the one who has to come to the rescue because no one else is seemingly good enough."

"You've got to be joking! When have I done that? As far as I remember, we went down and faced Voldemort together last year. No one was taking the lead."

"You went through the fire first, almost wanting to sacrifice yourself so you get an everlasting glorious reputation."

"I'll warn you to stop before you say something you really regret, Harry."

"Oh, you're warning me! Just like you kept warning Malfoy throughout the year of what you would do to him? You're obviously this super powerful wizard who's been hiding his abilities for some reason. And this is just another case of you keeping a secret when all we've ever asked from you is the truth! Why do you keep so many secrets? Do you think it makes you look mysterious? Enigmatic? Characteristics that really don't make a good friend."

"Enough!" Hermione shouted, finally reaching her breaking point and deciding to intervene. "First of all, you're making so much noise that I'm sure the entire train will be listening in so just…be quiet. Secondly, why on earth are you talking to one another like this when you've just been reunited? You're supposed to be friends!"

"He started it," Matthew muttered sulkily.

"I don't think friends mess around with one another's lives without asking permission," Harry said, still glaring daggers.

Hermione was close to raising her voice too. "Harry…I understand where you're coming from and I know why you would be upset. You've been forced to live an isolated life for the majority of your childhood and that means you're not used to people looking out for you. But framing what Matthew did as some sort of a betrayal is a bit extreme, don't you think? Can't you see why he thought this was best?"

Matthew shot him a triumphant smile. "See, I told you."

"As for you ," Hermione continued, focusing her ire now on the boy who just spoke. "You've lived on your own for…I don't know how long…because of factors outside of your control and your own choice. You've forgotten the boundaries that people tend to have, especially concerning topics like this. Can't you understand why Harry might have been embarrassed to talk about his home life and wanted to keep that a secret?"

"If it's kept a secret, then how would things improve? That's the point I'm trying to make."

"I know and I do know that your intentions were good. But don't you think that, maybe before you start preaching that, you should take a leaf out of that book beforehand? You keep far more secrets than Harry. Perhaps…you're punishing him for your own mistakes?"

"Since when did you become our therapist?" He was deflecting, she knew that. Hermione had learnt by now how he operated, no matter how much he believed he was a closed book.

"It's all part of being a friend. As is looking out for one another, which you're both trying to do. Quite unsuccessfully, I might add. And, like it or not, friendship is also about taking missteps such as these and learning from them, whilst not allowing them to break the relationship you've formed."

"Did you get this all from some book?" Matthew asked, too grumpily for her liking.

"Maybe you'll get to see the book when I hit you over the head with it. Frankly, I don't want to be in a compartment with two people who are fighting, especially with such a large journey ahead." Hermione stood up, straightening her clothes in an effort to focus her energy away from the current anger eating away at her. "I'm going to find another place to sit. I bet Neville will be better company than you."

"You don't have to go!" Harry pleaded, a part of him not wanting to be left alone with Matthew at the moment.

Hermione gave him a soft smile, which spoke of how she didn't really want to do this. "I think I do." She walked out of the small cubicle, sliding the door on them before they could protest any further, quickly disappearing from view. Harry shook his head, whilst Matthew held a palm against his forehead.

"Well done," Harry said petulantly. Matthew didn't respond straight away, instead looking at the floor.

"I didn't mean to upset you," he sighed eventually. "It was a spur of the moment kind of thing. I saw Dumbledore walking through the corridors, I remembered the snippets of information you'd told me up to that point, and I saw an opportunity. I didn't give myself time to consider the potential ramifications."

Harry hadn't expected Matthew to concede so quickly. He was usually a lot more defiant and stubborn than this. Perhaps he had realised that this was a fight that wouldn't have any winners, something Harry was beginning to see himself. Was it worth risking their friendship when no one had been hurt?

"Maybe…I…overreacted a little bit," he admitted bashfully. "I mean…it did make my life a lot easier, especially being allowed to go to Hermione's for a little bit. They probably wouldn't have agreed to let me go if Dumbledore hadn't spoken to them. And I would have definitely still been under the stairs. So…yeah…thank you."

Matthew was too preoccupied to accept his gratitude. "What do you mean, under the stairs ? Please tell me they didn't keep you in there." He got his answer from Harry's lack of response. "Wait until I get my hands on them! They're scared of wizards? Oh, I'll give them something to be terrified of!" He'd stood up, prowling the small compartment as he seethed. How could anyone be so viciously cruel to such a kind young boy? Why would he be allowed to stay in a place like that in the first place? He glanced down at Harry, who looked incredibly awkward and something began to click in Matthew's head. "But…I'm getting ahead of myself because that's something you have to choose to discuss with me. I won't go running in willy nilly, waving my wand and hexing them. Unless you want me to do that because I've been practicing some new spells that would be absolutely perfect for this."

"It's something I've always been told not to discuss with people," Harry said in a quiet voice. "In truth, the Dursleys liked to pretend with other people that I didn't actually exist so when would I have even got a chance to tell someone? I…didn't want to make a fuss. I was ordered not to make a fuss. Which is why I never really speak about it. And it's why I didn't want people getting involved…in case they started to think less of me, for allowing myself to be treated in that way."

Matthew lowered himself onto the same bench that Harry was on. "No one could ever think less of you. Just look at your adoring fans! They think you're perfect." The attempt at levity didn't really work. "But even the people who truly care about you, such as me and Hermione, would never use the way you've been brought up as an insult to your character. And don't ever convince yourself that it was somehow your fault. The only people responsible for the way you've been treated are your aunt and uncle. Don't be afraid to talk about it more if you ever want to. Maybe it would be best for us to actually discuss things before we act." He smiled sheepishly at his friend.

"I guess we were both in the wrong there. I didn't mean what I said, saying that you always have to be right and things like that. I was just lashing out, deflecting from the truth of what you were saying. Exactly what my uncle does. I try to pretend that I'm nothing like him but it's difficult to have not been influenced by him in some way after spending my entire life with him."

"I hardly know the man but I have no doubt that you're a far greater person. Despite everything that's plagued you, you're still a kind person."

"I wasn't exactly kind then." Harry looked suitably embarrassed by his own behaviour.

Matthew shrugged. "We all have our off days. I didn't help the matter. I know you're frustrated with me not telling you everything about me but there is a good reason for that. If I were in any serious trouble, I would ask for your help, don't worry."

"That's all I can ask for really. But…whatever reason you have for keeping your personal life a secret…try and reconsider it. It'd make Hermione happy…and me too. But you know how she feels about you. She gets frustrated."

Matthew let out a huff of laughter. "Just like she was a minute ago. Oh, we're going to have to produce the greatest apology ever concocted. I've never had to grovel on my knees for forgiveness. I don't think my body will be able to take it."

"There's no need for any of that," the girl in question said as she slid the door open, wearing the largest of smiles on her face. "Seeing you talk to one another in a civilised fashion is enough of an apology for me!"

Both Harry and Matthew were flabbergasted, the latter having his mouth open and close in bafflement. "You…heard everything? But you said…you were going to…find somewhere else to sit."

"Only to get you two to actually talk about the situation instead of shouting. You needed a proverbial kick and I was only too happy to provide that. I left the little window open on the door so I could listen in. Neither of you thought of chasing after me, which I'm trying not to take as an insult."

"You left on purpose?" Harry asked. This train journey had messed with his head far too much. At least he didn't have lessons straight away. There was no way his brain could function properly at the moment.

"It was a risk. Knowing Matthew, there was always a chance that he'd use his wand and do something silly, although I was always close by to stop that happening." Matthew gave her a look as if to say he doubted she'd be able to stop him, though a raised eyebrow on her behalf shut that challenge down. "But I'm glad to see it worked. We've got a brand new year ahead of us and I don't want any of it to be ruined by arguments. We're here to learn and grow as people, as well as sometimes having fun. It's going to be difficult and if the warning Dobby gave us is true, then we're going to need one another more than ever. So…are we still friends or do I need to leave for a bit longer?" She dared them to tell her to do that.

"I think we've settled our differences, which weren't really differences in the first place," Matthew told her.

"Yeah," Harry agreed with a smile. "What he said. And not just because I'm afraid of you."

Hermione grinned at that. "I'm glad to hear it. And what have you learnt today, even before we've started classes?"

"...we should always discuss our issues?" Matthew offered.

"Insults never help a situation?" Harry suggested.

"Even I sometimes make mistakes?"

"Shouting means that everyone can hear your arguments?"

"No," Hermione said with a roll of her eyes. "That you're lucky to have me around and you should always listen to my advice. Boys…where would you be without me?"