the heart bond

8/14/2019 The Heart Bond

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The Heart Bond

It was a dreary, rainy day on Privet drive, and the raven-haired boy with the unusual scar

on his forehead was matching it perfectly, laying down on his bed and staring into

eternity. He had been like this since hed returned home to the Dursleys two days ago. .

His Aunt and Uncle had taken to ignoring and avoid him since Mad-Eye had had a chatwith them about treating Harry correctly. This new tactic didnt bother Harry at all. In

fact, he preferred it.

This past week had been the worst hed ever had in his life. His mind was weighed down

with the thoughts of the battle in the Department of Mysteries that had occurred only a

week ago. He blamed himself for involving all the people he loved and cared for, foralmost getting them killed, and most of all for Sirius getting murdered. Harry had gone

down to the Ministry thinking he was going to save him, and instead he fell into a trap

and got Sirius killed instead.

He slammed his fist into his pillow in frustration. It just isnt fair; I was going to live

with him. We were going to be a family! He screamed, forgetting in his anguish that hewas still at his Uncles house. A moment later an enraged Uncle Vernon burst into Harrysroom.

What the bloody hell do you think youre doing? Its 9 o clock at night! Youre going towake the neighbours. Theyll be wondering At that moment he stopped after realizing

that Harry had been crying. What are you crying about? What happened, you cant go

back to your school? Did they realize how bad of a person you were? Or did that convictthat you call a godfather get caught finally? Well boy. answer me! Answer! Vernon

screamed, his face turning an ugly puce colour.

Harry felt his stomach drop at the mention of his deceased godfather, he didnt need tohear about him right now. He would have hexed Vernon right where he stood if it wasnt

for the fact that if he did he wouldnt be able to go back to Hogwarts; Instead Harry stood

and said in an icy voice, Leave me alone.

Or what? Youll curse me, Vernon cried derisively. I know you cant do you your

thingy out of school, youll get expelled. The large man spat at him.

Leave Harry said again, this time standing and pointing towards the door. He was

furious at his Uncle and the way he had treated him all his life. At that moment a loudcrack sounded and Uncle Vernon flew through the door and tumbled down the stairs.

Harry thudded down on his bed, dumbstruck; he had just performed wandless magic, heknew that sometimes wizards could perform accidental magic, but he never knew onecould do complex magic without a wand. The stunned boy had now completely forgotten

about his uncle, piled unceremoniously at the bottom of the staircase. All that mattered

now was that he was certainly going to be expelled from Hogwarts for performingunderage magic. He turned around when he heard the familiar noise of an owl tapping on

his window.

The ash grey owl lifted its leg so that Harry could retrieve the letter. It was from the


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Ministry addressed to him... Might as well get this over with. He muttered to himself.

He opened the letter expecting it to be a summons to another disciplinary hearing, but

what he found surprised him. It was a letter from Madam Bones. The letter said

Dear Mr. Potter-

It has come to our attention that a massive amount of magic was expelled at theresidence of #4 Privet Drive. It was concluded that it was underage magic. Under usualcircumstances we would be forced to take your wand and potentially expel you from

Hogwarts. However, this is not the usual circumstances; Albus Dumbledore has brought

to my attention that it is imperative that you and your friends are allowed to use magicover the summer in hopes of preventing another attack. I would have to agree and

therefore The Order and I have now officially made you, Mr. and Ms. Weasley, Ms.

Granger, Mr. Longbottom and Ms. Lovegood registered wizards. You are now legally

adults in our world. I can only urge you to use the utmost care with your new allowances.

Sincerely,

Head of Auror Division Madam Bones

Harry dropped to his bed, still clutching the letter, he could do magic out of school! He

couldnt imagine what his friends would be doing. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny would be

ecstatic, and Neville and Luna would just be stunned. The one thing that bothered himabout the letter was Madam Bones knowledge of the Order of the Phoenix, he mentally

reminded himself to tell Dumbledore.

Harry just sat there on his bed imagining what he could do know that he was a legal adult

wizard; he didnt even notice Uncle Vernon walk into his room again.

They threw you out didnt they, thats whats in that letter isnt it? Uncle Vernonlaughed manically.

Nope, and with that one word Harry raised his wand and shouted, Expelliarmus!

Uncle Vernon was, for the second time that night, forced out through the door and

tumbled down the stairs. Harry used colloportus and a silencing charm on his door, and

went to bed smiling for the first time in a week and a half at the thought of his unclesstartled expression when he had pointed his wand at him.

The next day, when Harry woke up he realized that it had been the first night he hadnthad his usual nightmare of Sirius falling through the veil. He was very grateful for not

having to witness it again, and was able to finally sleep soundly. Strangely, he

remembered his dream was about him sitting in a green meadow with a beautiful redheaded girl, but he couldnt figure out who it was. It definitely was better than what he

used to see so he wasnt complaining.

Harry decided, because it was so early, it would be nice to go for a walk. He now wasable to protect himself so he didnt have to stay cooped up. He grabbed one of Dudleys

used sweaters and his wand and walked out the door.


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He wandered around for a while, just thinking to himself, trying to figure out what went

wrong at the ministry until he passed the small park that Dudley and his gang terrorised.

He spotted the swings and decided to sit down for a while. He walked over, sat down andstarted to rock back and forth; it had been such a long time since he had actually done this

and was enjoying the comforting feel of the rock. He did this awhile, but stopped

suddenly as he heard someone walking up from behind. He turned around quicklyexpecting a death eater or Voldemort, but what he saw was a little girl who couldnt have

been older than 11. She had dark brown hair done in a ponytail, and had hazel eyes.

The little girl looked up into the raven-haired boys deep green eyes and immediately

liked him; she knew there was something unusual about him, and it piqued her interest

immediately.

Hiya! I hope I didnt scare you? I was just coming over to swing. Can I join you? She

said in a light voice.

Umm, sure. Harry hadnt dealt with many younger kids besides the ones he passed in

the halls on the way to classes, so he was unsure what to do.

She jumped on the swing next to him and started to swing. So whats that stick youre

holding? She asked. Harry hadnt realized he even had pulled it out; it was just a reflex

for him now.

Oh this, this is a gift from my parents.

Could I see it? It looks pretty.

Harry wasnt sure what to do, she was just a muggle so she couldnt do anything with it,

but he felt naked without it. He decided to let her hold it just for a little bit. Sure, just be

careful because its really important to me.

She took the wand from his hand and began to wave it around, When she did that though,a jet of red and gold sparks shot out of the end, and she dropped it in surprise.

Whoa, that was cool! She said, grinning again.

Harrys mind was in overdrive, she was a witch and didnt know it, because muggles

couldnt do anything with a wand. Dudley had stolen his and couldnt even get it to let

out a spit of fire. She had to almost be 11, and if her parents were wizards then theywould tell her, so she must be muggle-born. Well, just try and figure out as much stuff

about her as you can, he thought to himself.

Its just a toy, like a magic wand, see, he lifted his wand off the ground and shot some

more sparks out of the end, Its just a toy. Oh and by the way, my names Harry Potter.

Mines Emmaline Massey. I live just up the street, she pointed her hand behind her,Where do you live?

Oh I live at #4 on Privet drive, but Im gone most of the time at school in Scotland.Where do you go to school? This girl was growing on him every second; he could tell


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she was very intelligent; she would make a good Ravenclaw.

Oh I go to the public school right up the street. What do your parents do? Mine islawyer.

My parents were murdered when I was only a year old; I live with my Aunt and Uncle

the Dursleys. Harry said sadly, remembering he wasnt going to be able to live withSirius any more, but somehow being near this girl seemed to take the edge off of the

memory of Sirius death.

Oh Im so sorry. My dad died also, he was killed in a car accident. She looked down at

her trainers momentarily then looked up at him again, You have to live with Dudley?

Thats a bummer. Hes too fat.

Yeah he really is a great pig, isnt he, but its alright. I dont have to see much of him,

thankfully. How old are you? She seemed to have a very strong personality, one whichHarry enjoyed

Im just about to turn 11, what about you?

Im going to turn 16 on July 31. So that means if shes going to get the letter it will besoon. Maybe even before this school year starts, McGonagalls usually pretty good about

that stuff.

She let out a gasp of excitement, Oh wow, thats so cool. I have the same birthday as

you! Emmaline was really starting to like this boy, he sure seems mysterious, but hes

also nice. I wonder if hell be my friend, he doesnt know about the stuff that I can do. She

thought to herself. Do you want to be my friend? She asked shyly.

Harry was taken aback for a moment, but then happily said Sure Id love to Emmaline.

Cool, you can call me Emma. She had just gotten her first friend; she just hoped shewouldnt frighten him away.

Ok Emma, you can call me whatever.

Ok Whatever, she giggled at her own joke, I have to go home right now or else mum

will be mad, but Ill meet you here tomorrow ok? She jumped off her swing, gave him a

quick hug, and then ran off to her home.

After a little more swinging Harry also got up and headed home smiling, thinking about

the little girl who hed just become friends with.

Harry was sitting at his desk, surrounded by a pile of used parchment. Harry had been sofocused on his letters that he forgot to have breakfast, and lunch, for that matter. He was

having trouble writing the letters to Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, and Ginny. He

couldnt figure out what to write to these people whom he had carried into a life-threatening situation. The one he had the most trouble with was the one to Ginny. For


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some reason he wanted to make sure it seemed just right. He felt horrible about dragging

her into this whole mess, and wanted to make sure she wasnt upset with him. He

struggled for over 3 hours, but finally sent Hedwig off, laden with the five letters.

The days were passing much more quickly now; in the morning he would walk, or

sometimes jog, up to the park and swing with Emma, talking about their lives. She wasinteresting to talk to and was very intelligent, almost like a miniature Hermione. Shed

grown up a single child and didnt have many friends because she would make weird

things happen when she got angry or scared. This startled Harry because it was so similarto his own childhood. Harry told her not to worry and stay strong, because he would be

her friend no matter what happened.

After he left the playground he would go back up to his room and work on his defensivespells from books hed been reading. Harry had been writing down any spells he thought

might help him in the fight against Voldemort; the list now had over fifty different hexes,

jinxes and other spell he thought he might be able to use.

One night Harry woke up from another dream about the Department of Mysteries onceagain. It was always the same: he would rush to the death chamber to try and save Siriusbut right as he got there he fell through it. Then Ron and Hermione, and Ginny, Neville,

Luna, Lupin, and It just kept going until he woke up with his scar twingeing irritably.

Harry stumbled out of bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and trying to shake out the

bad dreams inside his head. He felt around the bedside table for his glasses, knockingover the lamp, which then in turn landed on his foot, in the process. Cursing under his

breath Harry shoved his glasses on his face and searched the room for the cause of his

waking. Outside the window Hedwig stood on the sill, tapping on the glass; she wascarrying a bundle of letters.

He untied them, gave Hedwig an owl treat, and then quickly tore open the first one,which turned out to be from Hermione.

Harry,

Im so sorry that this had to happen to you. Even though youre saying youre alright Iknow you too well. You arent. Youre probably blaming yourself for Sirius death. It

wasnt your fault; its no ones but Bellatrixs and Voldemorts. Please promise me youll

forgive yourself. We followed you there; you didnt force us. You saved all of our lives at

least once. Thank you for that, by the way. You are like my brother, and I hope you thinkthat about me.

Love,

Hermione

He set the letter down smiling; he had known that was what she was going to write. He

was also pleased that she considered him to be her brother, because he had alwaysconsidered her as a sister. He picked up the next letter, which was from Ron.

Harry,


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How are the muggles? I hope theyre feeding you better than last year. If not Ill go overthere and give them a piece of my mind! The Cannons are finally winning again after

their 5-year losing streak. They beat Ireland 250-0.

Do you know when you can stay with us again? Ive been asking Dumbledore but hewont say anything specific, just something like all in due time Write me if your troll of a

cousin is giving you any trouble, Fred and George have some new products to test. Their

store is a huge hit; even Mum thinks it was a great idea to start it up now.

See you soon,

Ron

Harry laughed out loud at the idea of Dudley turning into an octopus or some other weird

thing. He would definitely have to have Ron send some things over to him; it would

hopefully make his stay a little more enjoyable. He picked up the last letter. This one wasfrom Ginny. He hadnt really been expecting one from her but welcomed it nonetheless.

Dear Harry,

I know you dont know me as well as you do Ron or even Fred and George, Ive justalways been Rons-little-sister-who-had-a-crush-on-you, but Ive always wanted to get

to know you better; even just as friends. Thats why I asked you to write me on the train

ride. I know what it feels like to lose someone close to you. My cousin, who was also mybest friend, died from a fever when she was 9. I was so upset I cried for weeks. Let me tell

you its alright, you need to cry to let out all your emotions. It isnt healthy to stay bottled

up like you do. Youre going to have to forgive yourself. We came with you by choice, and

the only person to blame is Voldemort. Were all worried about you, especially mum.Shes going nutters.

I hope youll realise Im not just Rons sister but your friend also. I care for you, anddont want to see anything happen to you. You can write or talk to me any time you want.

Love,

Ginny

Harry was shocked. Ginny, Rons sister had just said she cared for him, and that she was

worried. He knew that she used to have a crush on him; the way she always used tostutter when she was near him proved that, but he had figured that she had moved on. She

was actually dating Dean right now. However, this made Harry second-guess that; this

was a sincere letter, she seemed to still have feelings for him.

It wasnt as though he hadnt thought about Ginny, but he always pushed her out of his

thoughts when he remembered how protective Ron was of his sister.

She certainly had grown into a pretty young woman; she isnt shy anymore, but filled witha passion for life. From all the pictures hed seen of his mom, Ginny looked just like her.

But NO! Shes Rons sister, hed pummel me if he thought I fancied her. Remember what

he was like when he found out she was dating; I bet it would be a hundred times worse


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than that. I cant think of this right now. He shook his head trying to clear his thoughts.

That letter sure had made him rethink his decision. He glanced at the clock and realised

that he really had been lost in thought; it was already 8 o clock! He got dressed quickly,stole some toast from Dudleys plate and went down to the playground to meet Emma.

When he got to the park Emma was already there, waiting for him on the swing, therewas also a woman whom Harry figured had to be her mom. They looked almost identical,

with the same brown hair and eyes. When Emma saw Harry she jumped off the swing

and ran up to him,

Hey Harry! She said

Hey yourself! how are you? Is that your mum? Harry waved at the older woman.

Yeah, she said she wanted to meet you. Come on. She pulled him over to her mom.

Hi Im Joy, Emmalines mother. Shes talked non-stop about you for the last week so I

decided that I should come down and meet the famous Harry Potter.

Yes, Harry Potter, he instinctively moved his hair to cover his scar, Its nice to meet

you, your daughter is really nice.

Thank you; she says the same about you. Joy looked at the scrawny young boy, takingin his oversized clothes and unusual scar. Would you like to have brunch with us? It

would be nice to talk to you some more, and Im sure Emma here would enjoy it. She

hoped that she might be able to feed this boy, even though it appeared his family didnt.

Yeah! Id love to, Harry was glad for any excuse to get away from the Dursleys and he

could do with some food.

Emma took Harrys hand, and the three headed up the street to her house. When Harryentered it he immediately could tell that this was a loving family. There were pictures ofEmma and her family on the walls, and everything had a homey feel to it that the

Dursleys lacked.

Your house is really nice, and it smells really good too. Harry said to Joy.

Thank you, we try and make it feel nice and cozy; you probably smell the crumble cake

thats baking. Joy was surprised at how polite and mild-mannered the young boy was,no he isnt a boy, hes a man, she corrected herself.His eyes make him look like hes a

hundred years old. Joys motherly intuition told her that he was dealing with some large

problem, something which had caused him to skip over his childhood.

Cmon Harry! Over here into the kitchen, we have lots of food. Emma dragged him

into the kitchen and sat him down. Joy opened up the oven and pulled out the steaming

cake and cut each of them a piece; there was also bacon, eggs, and orange juice on thetable. For a while the room was only filled with the sounds of the silverware hitting plates

as they ate.

Thank you for having me over Emma, I get really bored over the summer so its nice to


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do something every once and a while. I cant wait till school starts again. Harry said as

they cleaned up.

Emma laughed, Silly! Why would you want to go back to school? Summers fun!

Because its more of a home to me than anywhere else, he said quietly.

Do you not do anything with your parents over the summer? Joy asked.

No, my parents were killed when I was one, I live with my Aunt and Uncle, and they

usually dont like to acknowledge that I even live with them. He said with a sour laugh.

Oh, Im sorry; Emma lost her father, Harold , in a car accident. If you dont mind measking, how did your parents die? Joy asked softly.

Harry tried to think of a story in his mind which would not reveal him as a wizard yet stillexplain what happened. In the end though, he decided to just tell part of the truth.

Well, my parents were murdered by a man named Tom Riddle. He killed both of them,and tried to kill me. He couldnt though, but left me with this scar. He lifted his bangs

out of the way so they could see the lightning bolt scar he was so famous for.

Did they ever catch the man who did it? Emma asked.

No, he ran away after that, no one could find him. Some said he was killed but he was

seen again last year. Harry stated, satisfied that the story made at least some sense.

Well Im sorry that happened to you. You said that you live with your Aunt and Uncle

now. How are they? Joy said patting him on the shoulder reassuringly.

Theyre.ok. I guess. I mean they feed me and clothe me. My Aunt never liked her

sister, or my dad, so they dont exactly love me. Im more like a tenant or something.Theyre as happy to see me go off to school as I am to go.

Oh, well Im sorry to hear that. Do you like your school though; do you go to the one

near here? Joy asked, she hadnt seen the boy at Emmas school and most of theneighborhood kids went there.

Nope, I go to a boarding school even though the Dursleys say I go to St. Brutuss Schoolfor the Incurably Criminal.

Really? I went to a boarding school too, whats it called? Joy asked.

Harry hesitated for a moment, but then decided to tell them because they would most

likely be figuring out soon enough.

Its called Hogwarts; its in Scotland near a town called Hogsmeade. Its really cool, the

schools an old castle and theres a huge lake that you can hang out by. Its like my real

home. He said nostalgically, but also remembered how horrible the last school year was;everything from Umbridge to learning about the prophecy Dumbledore had been keeping

from him. Harry shook his head clearing it of all those memories, itll be better this year.


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I know it will.

It sounds cool; I wish I could go to a school like that! It would be wicked! Emma saidexcitedly.

Ive never heard of a school by that name, but Emmas right it does sound wonderful, I

could see why you love it so much. Do you have to apply? Joy asked, it sounded like agreat school and she herself had enjoyed boarding school. Maybe Emma would too.

Actually, I just got a note one day saying that I was accepted into it, apparently my mum

and dad had me signed up for it. That was one of the happiest days of my life. Harry said

happily, thinking about what a shock it will be to Emma and Joy if they got the letter.

Well Ill have to look into that, since I enjoyed my boarding school experience and Im

sure Emmaline would too. Joy glanced at her watch and gasped. Oh no, Im sorry Im

going to have to go, but I have a case that I should be working on. Harry youre morethan welcome to stay with Emma if you want. Emma Ill be at my office. You know the

number, and Ill be home around six alright? She bent down and kissed her daughter on

the forehead.

I think Ill be going home also, I have some chores I need to do. Ill see you tomorrow at

the swings Emma? Harry smiled at the little girl.

Sure, same time, same place. See ya Harry! She hugged him around the waist.

That night Harry sat down to write a response to Ginnys letter, but hed been thinkingabout how to reply ever since he got it. He was sure now that he wanted to tell her how

he felt, but not in a way that shouted I love you! It had taken him two hours and about

four feet of parchment but Harry finally managed to get his thoughts down on paper.

He re-read it to make sure it said what he wanted it to, signed the bottom and walked over

to Hedwig.

Ok girl, this is for Ginny, so take it directly to her room ok? Hedwig nipped his finger

as if in understanding, turned on her perch and flew out of the open window into the

night.

Its out of my hands now. I only hope that Ginny likes me in that way, and I wasntreading too much into it thinking that she liked me.

Harry laid down on his bed, fully clothed, and closed his eyes to another fitful night, full

of bad dreams.

Ginny was in her pyjamas, combing her hair. She had just taken a shower and was about

to go to bed. Shed been worried about how Harry would take the letter she had written

him.I hope it wasnt too vague; I want him to know that I still do like him. But maybe he

doesnt like me. Will he just think that the letter is just from a friend? I could swear thatsometimes I see a glimmer of something in his eyes; those deep green eyes. Get a hold of

yourself Gin! If he likes you then hell write back, if he doesnt then hes just a friend.


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Ginny stopped, suddenly hearing a tapping noise on her window; Hedwig was there,

holding a letter. Her heart leapt as she raced over to the window. Throwing it open, she let

Hedwig in and took the letter from her. Hedwig looked around for a moment and thenflew off.

Ginny didnt know why but her hands were shaking out of nervousness. She sat downand tore the envelope open.

Ginny, or is it Gin?

Thank you for the letter you sent me, its nice to know that there are people out there whocare for me. Sorry I didnt write back sooner Ive been trying to figure out what to write.

First thing, I am glad that you consider me to be a friend, I am sorry that I havent ever

really noticed you before, I guess it was just me being afraid ofRons reaction; Iremember how he responded to you and Dean.

For some reason I feel that I can talk to you about this, and I hope you dont see me as

weak once youve finished this letter. Ive been having trouble sleeping, every singlebloody night I get nightmares. Ones where Ron, Hermione, Lupin and even you, are

killed in some way thats my fault. And if its not that dream then I just replay the battle inthe Department of Mysteries. I get only a couple of hours of sleep a night blimey Im so

tired even right now. I remember you saying that you had nightmares after the Chamber

of Secrets. Do you still have them? Can you get rid of them? It would be nice if I couldget at least a couple more hours of sleep.

I know that Ron will always protect you, but maybe he would let up a little bit if he knew

I was with you. You really are a good friend, and Im so sorry that I dragged you into theDepartment of Mysteries; I should have made you stay. Youre too important to me

tolose. I dont know why I didnt notice it last year.

Anyway, I hope I dont seem defenceless or weak to you now; I just had to tell someone

and you offered to listen to me. Cant wait to see you all again, hopefully soon.

Love, Harry

Ginnys eyes fogged over with tears, she couldnt believe that hed actually written back

to her, and exposed himself to her so much. It also seemed that Harry was looking at her

differently. He said that he was afraid of what Ron would do if he went out with her.I

can take care of my brother, and then maybe then hell make his move.

She looked back down at the letter.Hes having bad dreams? Well, how couldnt he aftereverything hes suffered through, Im just surprised he hasnt completely snapped under

the weight of everything.

The first few months after Ginny had been rescued by Harry from the young LordVoldemort she had barely been able to close her eyes in fear of being repossessed. It had

taken the combined efforts of Madame Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore to finally

allow her to get a decent nights sleep, and that was with the aid of a dreamless sleep


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potion. Why wasnt Dumbledore giving him that same help she got? Was it because he

couldnt help? Or was it to make sure it did not interfere with Harrys trespasses into

Voldemorts consciousness?

Emotionally exhausted, Ginny crawled into bed and drifted to sleep, thinking of Harrys

continuous plight and how she might help him.

It had been a long day for Joy, she had just gotten back from a tedious day at court and

now she just wanted to have a nice dinner with Emma and go to bed early. She walkedinto the kitchen to get dinner started when she saw a large bird standing in the kitchen

window frame. Thats not just a bird! Thats an owl! Whats an owl doing at our window?And whats that in its beak? It looks like a letter.

The owl gave a soft hoot as it dropped the envelope on the counter, spread its wings and

flew back out the window, leaving a completely bewildered Joy reaching for the envelope

tentatively.

She first noticed that it was addressed to Emma, more specifically Emmaline Massey of

Number Eight Broom Hall Lane, Upper Left Bedroom. Well thats oddly specific shethought to herself as the she broke the wax seal, which had a very odd looking coat of

arms on it with the inscriptionDraco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus. She unfolded the

letter and began to read:

Dear Miss Massey,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School ofWitchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and

equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await you owl by no later than July 31.

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

Joy stared at the letter with complete incredulity. What is this? This HAS got to be a joke!

There arent such things as witchcraft, and Ive never heard of this school before hold

on, I have heard this name before! Wait... Harry said thats where he goes to school!Maybe hes pulling a prank on us, but why? It doesnt seem like something hed do. Oh

well, I wont tell Emmaline until I talk to Harry about this. It doesnt make any sense.

Reading the letter over and over again, Joy went about preparing dinner for Emma beforeshe came back from her play date.

The next day Joy stayed home from work so she could talk to Harry about the letter shed

gotten. It was just a little after ten when Harry came with Emma to their house.

Hello Mrs. Massey! How are you today? Harry asked cheerfully.

Im fine Harry, I was wondering if I might be able to talk to you for a moment, just in


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the living room. Well only be a moment Emma. She gestured towards the room off the

hallway.

Harry gulped nervously, why did she want to talk to him privately? Out of sheer paranoia

Harrys hand travelled to his wand inside his jacket pocket.

Harry, come over here sit down, she patted the seat next to her then seeing hisexpression she added, Oh dont worry youre not in trouble I just was wondering if you

might be able to help me understand this letter I got from an owl last night. Joy pulledout the letter, which she had now read many times.

Harry saw the parchment and immediately understood what she had wanted to talk to him

about; it was Emmas acceptance letter. He grinned.

Do you know what this is? Is it a joke youre pulling on Emma? She asked curiously,

seeing that he had seemingly noticed the letter.

Well I know who its from. Its from Hogwarts; you know, my school? I bet youre

wondering if its true or not? Harry asked.

It cant possibly be true! I mean there arent such things, they just exist in fairytale

books, dont they? She asked uncertainly.

Harry just nodded, Would you like a demonstration? You should bring Emma in here

also; does she know?

She shook her head and rushed off to go get her daughter, and a moment later she came in

with Emma in tow. Honey, yesterday you got a letter from someone; actually it was from

Harrys school, Hogwarts. Well, you got accepted into the school, and if you wish to goIll be supportive of your decision. Now, there is something that may seem a little, odd

well I cant exactly explain it. Harry? She looked over at him pleadingly.

Sure, he turned towards Emma, Hogwarts isnt just a boarding school its a school

for a certain group of people, more specifically witches and wizards. He looked at her

expression, in which he saw the same disbelieving look that he had given Hagrid six

years before.

Well how bout I just show you what I mean, because seeing is believing, right? He

smiled jokingly, as he pulled out his wand. Yes Emma. This isnt a toy from my parents;this is a wand. Ok then, here we go, conflagra! He said commandingly, pointing his

wand at the fireplace. Instantly a roaring fire erupted in what was, moments before, a

stone-cold hearth.

WOAH! Emma yelled. Joy dropped the letter in disbelief and just stared at Harry in

amazement.

Yeah thats what I thought when I figured out, and I couldnt believe such a thing

existed. Are you ok Mrs. Massey? You look a little stunned. Harry said, grinning

slightly.


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Oh, y-y-yesyes Im fine, but its just a lot to take in all at once. It is hard to believe

that such a thing exists. How do people not know about wizards? I mean Ive never heard

anyone talk about them outside of fairytales. She took a deep breath trying to calmherself. Emma still just stood, staring at Harry, completely gobsmacked.

Hogwarts will teach you everything you need to know, and youll no longer be weirdjust because you sometimes let your magic get away from you. Everyone there has done

some sort of involuntary magic at some point in their life. Also, youll love everyone

there. The teachers are great, and theyll help you learn all about the magical world.Harry smiled at the ecstatic 11-year-old. He knew exactly how she felt at the moment;

excited that she was a witch, but also still somewhat doubtful that this was all actually

true.

Mrs. Massey? Would it make you more comfortable to meet the headmaster of

Hogwarts? Im sure I could convince him to come over and talk to you for a while about

how everything works. I remember how confused I was. I was brought up by mugglesthen seeing their confused expression, sorry, non-magic people, so I didnt know

anything either.

I would like that very much Harry; it would just be nice to know a little more about

where Im sending my daughter before I pack her things.

So Im going? I can actually go? Emma asked her mother excitedly.

Yes dear, of course I want you to go. If this place will make you happy and allows you

to fit in, then why not? And I know your father would let you also; right now hes up inheaven smiling at you.

Emma jumped into her mothers arms and hugged her tightly; both of them had tears in

their eyes. Harry took this as his cue to leave. Well I think Ill go. I have a lot of choresto do for my Aunt and Uncle, and I need to see if Dumbledore can meet with you.

Joy and Emma both said goodbye, and Harry let himself out the front door. He strolled

down the sidewalk towards the Dursleys house, trying to work out how he was going to

get Dumbledore to come to the Masseys house. He thought that Dumbledore might not

want to talk to him after what Harry had done to his office upon hearing about theprophecy. That, and he did tell me not to have any contact with anyone whom I didnt

know, so he might be mad that I became friends with Emma.

Harry was halfway home when he felt the hair on the back of his neck stick up;

something told him someone was following him. He pretended not to notice but slowly

raised his hand up in the general direction of where he thought the person was. Whoeverwas watching would have just seen a scrawny teenager waving at thin air, however this

wasnt so. He had really just cast a petrifying spell on whomever it was that was

invisible, and then bound them with ropes hed conjured.

Harry approached cautiously, with his wand out now, and pointed in the direction of

where the person now lay bound and gagged. His foot hit the invisible lump and he

kicked aside the invisibility cloak. Underneath it was a very belligerent Mad-Eye Moody,


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whose magical eye was spinning like a top in its socket. Harry waved his wand and

murmured Finite Incantatem.

Moody was released from the ropes and the spell, and sat upright rubbing his head. His

eye was still spinning wildly until he hit his head sharply with the palm of his hand.

Good one Potter, he grumbled, still rubbing the back of his head, way to have constantvigilance! I only wish you hadnt dropped me like a sack of potatoes. But seeing as I

could have been a Death Eater you had every right.

Sorry, but why are you here in the first place? Harry asked, his temper rising slightly.

He already knew the answer that Moody was going to give him.

You cant honestly believe that Dumbledore would let you go wandering around theneighbourhood unguarded, Potter! Youve had at least one auror guard on you every time

youve stepped outside. By the way, what do you think youre doing meeting with

random muggle girls in the playground? I thought that even you would have more sensethan that! Moody laughed hoarsely.

Harrys temper flared quickly, his eyes lit with a powerful glow. The dustbins next tothem started to quiver ominously, and one or two car alarms went off. He was fed up with

Dumbledore regulating everything he did and controlling where and whom he met. After

his last meeting with Dumbledore, Harry thought he would have learned his lesson. I

cant believe he will still do this, even after he admitted to being a cause of Sirius death!

Harry squeezed his eyes shut, hiding his tears and counting to ten at the same time.Bestnot shoot the messenger, he thought to himself as he turned to once again face a

somewhat nervous looking Moody.

Well, you can tell Dumbledore thank you for looking after me, but I can do perfectly

well alone, especially without the Order peeking in when Im in the shower or something.

What do you think; Voldemort will bewitch my shower head to drown me! Hah! Harrylaughed incredulously at the thought. Also, for your information, that girl is a witch.

She has her letter from Hogwarts if you want to go take a look, in case you dont trust meenough. Now, before I leave you to your skulking, I need you to tell Albus to meet with

this girl and her mom to explain how this will all work out for them, and also to explain

the whole Voldemort-is-trying-to-kill-everyone scenario. Harry glared right at Moodys

now completely still magical eye until Moody was forced to blink. He then turned awayfrom the dumbstruck Auror and proceeded up the steps of the Dursleys house.

Inside his room, Harry Potter fumed. He couldnt understand why he was still beingwatched like a 3-year-old, even though he had been the only one to survive a duel with

Voldemort three times. His anger blocked him from acknowledging that each time he waseither extremely lucky, or had someone else to help him.

Its just not fair. I should be able to deal with things the way I think they should be dealtwith, not just be one of Dumbledores toys. I just wish I could have a normal life. Damn

Voldemort, damn his death eaters, and damn SNAPE! If he was dead, I would still have

Sirius. He and Dumbledore forced Sirius to stay at his mothers house and then Snapeteased him into insanity about obeying orders. Damn this prophecy too. Why do I have to


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follow what it says? Couldnt I just hide away somewhere? I wish I could talk to someoneabout this. At that moment something clicked inside his head,I can talk to Ginny. I can

tell her about all this, well most of it. Not the prophecy right now, but later. Shell

understand, and she wont freak out like Ron or Mione would.

Harry sat down and tugged a blank piece of parchment out form underneath the large pileof defensive spell books. He sucked on his quill thoughtfully for a while, contemplating

where exactly he was going to start. He took a deep breath then started to scribble out his

thoughts to Ginny, hoping he was making the right choice in telling her all this.

It was almost night by the time Harry finished the final sentence of his confessional to

Ginny. He was still angry about what had occurred earlier, but by writing it down if felt

as if a large weight was lifted from his shoulders.

He rolled the letter up and gave it to Hedwig, who had just returned from hunting. Okay

girl, this letters for Ginny again. Dont wake her if shes asleep but make sure she gets it,and only her. Peck Ron to death it he tries to take it from you. The white owl nipped his

finger affectionately as if in understanding, then leapt up to the windowsill, spread herwings and took flight.

Harry sighed deeply, hoping that Ginny would understand what he was feeling, and

maybe could tell him what to do to help get rid of these dreams.

As he pulled on his pyjamas and crawled into his bed, he thought despairingly of the

unsettling dreams he would soon become prey to once again. At least in real life you

could run away from the bad thing, but in dreams you had to sit and watch the event playout, trapped in your own mind.

Ginny woke up to a white owl tugging on one of her braids. She rubbed the sleep out of

her eyes and yawned deeply.

Hello Hedwig. What do you have for me? she asked the owl stroking its head.

The owl dropped the tightly rolled parchment, and then hooted softly.

Ill write back, I promise; I care about him as much as you do. This seemed to satisfyHedwig, as she hopped up to the window and took off.

I hope hes okay; Harry usually doesnt write this often. Two letters in one week sure is a

lot for him.

Gin,

First off, dont worry. Im okay. I just wanted to write you again because I feel that I cantell you stuff that I cant tell Hermione or your brother without having them both go into

some form of panic. The last time I got a letter from you was the first night I didnt have

some sort of nightmare, so thank you for writing me. I still cant get rid of them, but everyonce and a while I will get a nice dream of me having a picnic on some hill somewhere.

Its really quite nice and quiet.


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On another, unrelated topic, what do you know about your brothers incredible crush onMione? I was thinking that we might be able to prod them together in some way or

another. Maybe seeing them squirm will help me get over these dreams. Anyway, if you

happen to come up with an ingenious plan worthy of the twins, write me back and maybe

we could put it into action.

I cant wait till I can come back to the Burrow; its the closest thing I have to a home. I

hope it will be soon, but with Dumbledore and the bloody Order breathing down my neckI might not come back too soon. Maybe you, Hermione, and Ron could work on that for

me.

Well, Aunt Petunia is yelling at me to go and clean the dishes. I have to go, I guess, even

though theyre petrified now that I can do magic whenever I want. I think I might just

wash the dishes with magic, just to give my aunt a heart attack.

Harry

Once again, Ginny had tears in her eyes from reading one of Harrys letters.He can be acomplete moron sometimes, but every once and a while he says the right thing.

She looked outside her window at the perfect green hills in the background, the same

green hills that were in her dreams, and from what she could tell, Harrys too. She looked

at the letter again and smiled. Hed actually called her Gin, she hated the name whenanyone else used it but for some reason it sounded amazing when he said it, so she had

written him back and told him to call her that.

So Harry had noticed Ron and Hermiones little crush? Not that its hard to see, I mean a

blind cave troll could see that they like each other. Ill have to ask Fred and George ifthey have any ideas, Im sure theyd be more than willing to torture their little brother.

Maybe if we can get Ron and Hermione together then maybe Harry will make his move.Well, I guess Ill have to wait and see.

Ginny sighed, mentally reminded herself to write a letter back to Harry that night, and

moved away from the window and down the stairs to get breakfast before Ron ate all of

it.

At the same moment that Ginny was rushing down the stairs to get some bacon, Harry

was trying to steal some as well, or at least a scrap of toast. Dudley had been allowed to

go off the diet because Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia called it barbarically cruel, andeven went so far as to threaten the school with a lawsuit for child abuse. Although the

Dursleys avoided Harry like the plague ever since Harry threw his uncle down the stairs,

he was still denied food and expected to do his chores. The one upside to all this was thathe was never sore anymore from the beatings he used to get from Vernon.

The food problem wasnt too big of a bother for him. He just got up earlier than the rest

of the house and wouldslink down the stairs and into the spotless kitchen to steal somebread, or leftovers from last nights dinner. While he wasnt starving, Harrys body still

showed the signs of hunger, which, coupled with his grief and a teenagers growth spurts,

gave his face a very wan complexion.


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This morning Harry managed to make a few pieces of toast and get a glass of orange

juice without alerting the Dursleys, and was now nibbling on them in his bedroom as he

studied a defense book labelled Mastering the Minions of the Dark, which mostly taughthow to defend against dark creatures or beings. Harry had just finished an interesting

chapter on bewitched statues and figures, which unnervingly reminded him of when

Dumbledore had bewitched the fountain to protect him in the Department of Mysteries.The only difference was that at that time it wasnt used for evil, but for good.

Harry finished off his toast and swigged the last of the orange juice, closed the book andheaded over towards the window. He couldnt see anyone, but he knew that there was an

Auror right outside the front door, waiting to tail him the moment he left. The fact that he

was being followed didnt upset him nearly as much as the fact that Dumbledore was still

doing things behind his back, even though they directly concerned him. He thought thatafter the confrontation in his office only three weeks ago, the headmaster would have

opened up a little more.

Harry sighed, fogging up the window, as he remembered that if Dumbledore came to talk

to the Masseys he would have to talk to him again, and do so in a cordial manner. Hedidnt want to break a window, or catch something on fire because he let his anger get outof hand. That would definitely not set a good example of the wizarding world.

Harrys mind now turned to Ginny, and the letter hed sent her. He hoped that it wasnt

going to worry her to know that he still had the nightmares, and that he wanted to comeback to the Burrow. For some reason, writing her was therapeutic in a way, just as

swinging and talking with Emma was. Harry had written to Ginny a few times now, and

every time he did so, the weight of the prophecy seemed to lessen.

I just wish I could tell them about the prophecy; I want to be able to explain why Ivealmost gotten them all killed multiple times. I want them to know that I dont have a

choice. Harry knew that it was a greedy thought, but just once hed like to not feel all

alone. Ever since Dumbledore had revealed Harrys fate, his world had shrunk down to

just himself. No one could understand what he had to deal with.

Over the past few weeks, Harry had seriously contemplated breaking off his friendships

with Hermione, Ron, and the Weasleys. He didnt want to put them in harms way, and he

knew that by his being their best friend, they were sure to be on the top of Voldemortsmost-hated list.

After suffering through Sirius death, Harry didnt know if he had it in him to watchanother member of his surrogate family be murdered, let alone know that it was his fault

that they were killed.

However, for some reason he couldnt bring himself to cut his ties. Every time he came

close to sending the letters of explanation, the idea of never going back the Burrow or

spending hours playing chess with Ron and Hermione in front of the commons fire halted

this action.

He was brought back to the now when a flash of fire and light came out of nowhere by

his bed. Harry spun around, wand already drawn and pointed in the direction of the


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disruption. His hand relaxed though, after seeing what it was that had appeared. Sitting

regally on his bedpost was Fawkes, Dumbledores phoenix. Harry smiled at the elegant

bird; he felt a great tie to Fawkes, asFawkes had saved his life from basilisk venom in theChamber of Secrets.

lo Fawkes, Harry said softly, holding out his hand and letting him hop up onto it. Thephoenix crooned softly, and Harrys mind became completely at ease abolishing the

previous grief and sorrow hed been wallowing in. He stroked the birds head softly

several times before noticing it had a tightly rolled piece of parchment in its talons. Hepulled the letter from his grasp and set him back on the bedpost so as to allow him to read

the letter. Once unfurled, Harry squinted at the small loop-de-do cursive that he knew all

too well.

Harry-

I have just received word from Alastor about your confrontation. First off, let me say how

sorry I am I have not told you everything. Alas, I am still trying to overcome the secrecy I

have built around you for your protection. I promise I will strive to tell you moreexplicitly of what is going on.

Furthermore, I also understand that you have befriended a young girl by the name ofMiss. Emmaline Massey. She is indeed a witch, and has just received her letter of

acceptance. Alastor told me that you wishfor me to speak to her. I can completely

understand and am willing to help. I would be honoured if you went with me to theirhouse this Thursday so we can betterexplain the wizarding world to her together. I also

see it as a time when we may be able to sort out a few other problems that may be

bothering you. Please respond via Fawkes, for Fudge is still keeping an annoyingly close

watch on all owl post coming in and out of Hogwarts.

Your humble servant,

Albus Dumbledore

Harry reread the letter to take in all the information. He then sat down on his bed and

once again began petting Fawkes. While the letter certainly helped take the edge off of

his resentment towards Dumbledore, he couldnt help but still feel somewhat bittertowards his headmaster.I just wish I could be told everything. I mean,am I not the one

who has to fight Voldemort?So why is everyone keeping secrets from me when I need toknow what hes doing the most? Harrys scorn rose once again, and the mirror in front ofhis bed started to shake somewhat.

Fawkes called softly once again, nuzzling the side of his head. His anger subsided as thephoenixs calming effect took hold. Thank you Fawkes. I guess I should write that reply,

shouldnt I? Harry stood up, rustled around for a piece of parchment and rapidly penned

out his response.

Headmaster,

Ill meet you at the Masseys house at 11 AM on this Thursday; if this is acceptable you


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dont need to reply. Concerning the other topic you mentioned, Ill be willing to discuss itwith you when we meet.

Until then,

Harry

Harry forced himself to be as polite and curt as he could when responding back to the

headmaster, although he wanted to write a scathing note worthy of Rita Skeeter. He heldhimself back knowing it would do no one any good to get in a public fight with

Dumbledore.

He rolled the note up and placed it in Fawkes talons. The phoenix called out once more,and then disappeared in a flash of light and flames. Harry sighed again when he heard

Uncle Vernon come marching up the stairs in a huff. In his anger, he seemingly forgot the

last time he caught Harry in a bad mood, and stormed in and headed right for the boy. Hispudgy hands extended and aimed at Harrys neck. Harry held up his hand, palm

outwards, and just looked at Uncle Vernon with a rueful smile.

Not right now, Uncle Vernon. Actually, it would be best if you never did it again.

Vernon had come to a sudden halt just a foot away from Harry and was now hovering a

good foot off the floor, looking at the boy with the utmost incredulity. Bye-Bye Harry

said as he pointed to the door with his hand and the fat man went sailing through it.Apparently you cant teach old dogs new tricks, or in this case a fat uncle a lesson, Harry

thought to himself with mild amusement. While Madam Bones had warned him about

misusing his allowance to do magic, he simply wrote this little incident off to protectinghis own neck, literally.

The rest of the week went by agonizingly slow as Harry awaited Dumbledores meeting

with the Masseys. He had informed Joy and Emma that the headmaster would be visitingwith them that Thursday, and for the rest of the week, Emma was bouncing off the walls

in excitement for her upcoming meeting with another wizard. That didnt mean that shewas bored of Harry in the least,though. In fact, whenever they were alone, Emma would

ask him to do some magic. He kept it relatively tame: levitating this or that or catching

things spontaneously on fire. Joy was also enthralled by Harrys abilities; occasionally

she would stop what she was doing just to watch Harry show Emma a new little trick.

She had never seen anything like what Harry was doing, and she knew now that this

wasnt just some elaborate trick or gag; that raven-haired boy really was a wizard. Andfrom what shed seen so far, a pretty damned good one too.

One morning, Harry had come over, and hed explained to her about how Emma couldhave possibly become a witch. One was that she herself was just a squid, or squib; some

word Joy had never heard used before, and that her parents never told her. Another

possibility was that Emmas father, Harold, had been a wizard but had never told anyone.

The last one,which Joy found easiest to believe, was that Emma was a muddle, muffle,muggle, something-born witch; someone who was just magical for some weird reason.

Even if this was the reason for her amazing ability, it still left Joy somewhat anxious.


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How in the world would she tell the school, let alone everyone else that Emma just left

for a boarding school for Witches and Wizards?No one would believe her if she did, and

instead they would probably throw her in the psychiatric ward if she said so. Harry,however, insisted that she tell no one. Apparently the wizarding world was very secretive,

which was probably why she had never heard of them before the letter.

When Thursday came around, Joy was so nervous awaiting the Headmaster that she

started to obsessively cleaning the house just like Aunt Petunia did. She was panicky

about meeting the headmaster of the school that her daughter had been let into, and didntwant to change his mind about accepting Emma. Emma, however, was completely the

opposite; Joy had never seen her daughter this happy since her husband had died four

years ago. It warmed her heart that her daughter would finally fit in, and have friends.

Harry arrived at around 10:30 that day, having come late because his uncle had forced

him to wash the car before Harry left. Something about the boys relationship with his

family seemed odd. Whenever Joy mentioned his aunt or uncle, he would flinchinvoluntarily. She always wondered about it, but not being a busybody, she didnt look

into it.

Joy, Harry, and Emma spent the thirty minutes before the headmasters awaited arrival at

11:00 sitting in the living room, chatting mildly about the basics of wizarding etiquette.

Harry had told them all about robes, and wands, and even a little bit about owl post. He

was now telling them, with quite a lot of enthusiasm, about Quidditch. He had just startedinto the different players on a Quidditch team when the doorbell rang merrily.

Joy jumped as if shed been electrocuted, and Emma sprinted towards the door to meether new headmaster. Harry stood up and led Joy to the front door; the mother was

obviously nervous and Harry was curious to see how shed react to Dumbledores

undoubtedly peculiar fashion sense.

Emma opened the door to reveal, standing in his most luridly purple robes, Dumbledore.

He smiled genuinely at Emma, and then took on an expression that appeared to be sorrowwhen he caught sight of Harry.

Hello little miss, you must be Emmaline Massey? Dumbledore said to the ecstatic little

girl, and then turned to Joy and held out his hand, and you must be Mrs. Joy Massey if Iam not mistaken. I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft

and Wizardry.

Joy was undoubtedly shaken by his initial appearance, but took the wizards hand in hers

and shook it with great kindness. Although his clothing appeared to be a bit amiss, this

Dumbledore character seemed to be perfectly kind.

While Harry here has undoubtedly told you somewhat about the school that your

daughter has been accepted into, I am hoping to clarify things, and to tell you a little

more about the current state of things in the wizarding world. Shall we go somewhere alittle more comfortable? There is much to tell you, and alas, not all of it is good.

Dumbledore stepped inside curtly and followed Joy and Emma to the living room. Harry

walked beside him but did not say a word to the headmaster. Dumbledore noticed the


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seemingly icy demeanour Harry had developed, looked over to the boy and smiled sadly.

Once everyone was settled in the living room, Dumbledore, much to Emma and Joyssurprise, conjured tea and biscuits for them all to nibble on. Now that we are settled, I

see no sense in delaying any longer. Dumbledore smiled, So Harry, what have you

discussed with the Masseys so far?

Harry listed off that hed explained a bit about secrecy, wands, magic, how Emma

mightve become a witch, what the school was like, and the basics of Quidditch.

Ah, well he seems to have done a fine job of explaining the basics. Ill try to fill in all

the blanks, and then tell you about the wizarding world right now.

Harry flinched at the last part, knowing how mild a euphemism he was using to describe

Voldemorts reign of destruction. Hopefully, the revelation of the wizarding world being

in such a state of turmoil would not dampen Emma and Joys enthusiasm. Harry crossedhis fingers and turned his attention towards Dumbledore, who was explaining the basics

of the school.

The headmaster spent well over an hour explaining the niceties of the school, even going

so far as to describe the wonderful assortment of hidden pass ways and rooms. When

the topic of the school was finally exhausted, the attention turned to the wizarding world

itself and what was currently going on. Harry saw the headmaster visibly straighten as hebegan.

Now, onto the less pleasant facts of our world, I fear, Dumbledore smiled softly at thelittle girl whod been completely enthralled by the discussion so far. Now this is not

intended to discourage you from sending Miss Massey here to Hogwarts, but currently

our world is at war with itself.

This was when Joy piped up, but didnt you say that there werent that many wizards? I

mean it couldnt be much of a war when only a few hundred are fighting.

Dumbledore sighed, I wish that were true, but I am afraid it isnt. There is a very evil

wizard by the name of Lord Voldemort, who, with his faithful followers the Death Eaters,

has been spreading panic and fear within the wizarding community. Now there have beenmany dark wizards over the centuries, but this one is especially so. This is the second

time he has been terrorizing people. He said grimly.

What do you mean his second time? Emma asked nervously.

Well Lord Voldemort was very strong sixteen years ago, and was doing the same thingshe is doing currently, but he was defeated and his rule was destroyed. Dumbledore

stated, smiling proudly at Harry.

How was he defeated? I mean, how could someone have defeated someone as powerfulas you said he was? Joy asked; her fear had been piqued by the headmasters latest

revelation. She was wondering if it was the right idea to send her daughter to school

during a war.


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Dumbledore turned towards Harry his eyes twinkling mischievously. He was defeated

by a young boy, his parents were unfortunately murdered by Voldemort, but somehow

this baby vanquished this dark lord. Although Voldemort tried to kill him, his spellbackfired and all that happened was that the boy received a lightning bolt-shaped scar on

his forehead. No one is quite sure why, or what happened, but somehow he brought about

Voldemorts end. For well over eleven years Voldemort was thought to be dead, but wewere given quite the wakeup call five years ago when Voldemort returned. The same

young boy who destroyed him the first time foiled his plans once more, this time at the

age of eleven. Over the next four years he continued to fight Voldemort in differentsettings and ways. He is the youngest person who has ever survived a fight with

Voldemort, let alone four different times. He is actually a current sixth year at Hogwarts

right now, and is by far one of the best Quidditch seekers I have ever seen pass through

the school; better even, some may say, than his father.

Harrys cheeks glowed fiery red under the headmasters embarrassing praise.

Whats his name? Emma asked quizzically, in complete wonder how a little boy could

defeat such an evil person so many times.

Dumbledore turned once again towards Harry, looked deep into his eyes, and then

proudly said, His name, if Im not mistaken is Harry James Potter.

WHAT! Joy and Emma both shouted at the same time swirling in their seats to face theembarrassed boy. Harry buried his face in his hands. Well he couldnt have done that anymore subtlety. I sound like some sort of prophet or something.

Dumbledore chuckled softly as if he could hear Harrys thoughts. Harry raised his head

out of his hands to look over at Emma and Joy who were both staring at him

incredulously. For Harry this was right up there with his most embarrassing moments in

his life. He was frustrated at Dumbledore for telling the story in such a way that it madehim appear to be something he wasnt. Right about now he wished he had his invisibility

cloak with him so he could disappear forever.

Why didnt you tell us Harry? Emma said, sounding a little put out that her best friend

had not told her something this important.

Harry got up and sat down next to Emma and put an arm around her comfortingly. I

didnt tell you because I didnt want to scare you or worry you. Its not exactly normal for

a 16 year old to fight the worlds most powerful dark lord. And its summer, I just want tobe like any other sixteen year old right now, because once I get back to school everyone

stares at me for my stupid scar and my over sensationalized stories. Harry ended in a

somewhat defeated voice. Joy placed a comforting hand on the boys shoulder and Emmahugged him.

Its alright Harry, we wouldnt have cared, I mean if we could handle the sudden fact

that Emma is a witch then Im sure we could have handled your story too. And youreright; you should have every right to live a normal life not one thats in the spotlight. Joy

said in a comforting voice.


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I completely agree with Mrs. Massey here, I believe that you should enjoy this summer

to its fullest and not worry about what is to come. Dumbledore put stress on the last

words. You are first and foremost a student and a teenager, not an Auror, and it would dowell for you to pursue what other teenagers do. While I cannot stress how important it is

for you to stay wary you should also relax for, unfortunately, it may be the only time you

have for a long time. Dumbledores eyes twinkled in a way Harry had never seen before;they were not merry but morose. When he stopped to think about it the Hogwarts

headmaster had never looked this worn down. Joy sensed that there was a large amount

of sorrow between the two wizards in front of her, and decided that they neednt bring itup again just for their sake.

Well Mr. Dumbledore, thank you so much for meeting Emmaline and I. We cannot tell

you how much it means to us that you would take time out of your schedule, especiallywhen there is a war going on. Ill make sure Harry is acting like a normal teen, but Ill

also make sure that he is safe. I dont know anything about spells or wands, but I can

promise you that Ill protect him. He means too much to Emma for me to let him getharmed. Joy stated, smiling happily at the two children.

Dumbledore stood up and shook Joys hand congenially. The same goes for you Mrs.Massey, I will have an Auror posted by your house to ensure that you and your daughter

will not come into any sort of harm. Dumbledore smiled at the little girl and then turned

to Harry, Harry? Might we have a word while you go back to your house? Harry just

nodded fearing what new revelation Dumbledore would have for him. Excellent! Thankyou for your hospitality and I will expect to see you, Miss Emmaline, at Hogwarts on

September 1st. Dumbledore stepped out the door after ensuring there werent any

muggles around, and Harry followed closely waving goodbye to Emma and telling herhed meet her tomorrow at the park.

Harry, thank you for having me come today. I think it was best that they were told asmuch as possible here instead of Emmaline learning it all second hand from her peers.

This year the entrance rate has actually dropped significantly because parents are too

afraid to send their children away from their sight, even if it is safer at Hogwarts. At thisDumbledore stopped walking and turned to face Harry, Harry, I meant what I said in

there. You really are an amazing person facing adversity most people could never

imagine, and overcoming it with a sense of style that I dont even think I have. I also

meant what I said when I told you that you had to have a normal summer, relax. If youvenoticed there havent been any more public disturbances by Tom after the Ministry

incident, sadly this is only the calm before the storm.

The headmaster continued walking, speaking in a softer voice, I really and truly am

sorry that I have continued to snub you. I am still teaching myself that I cannot protect

you from everything without an explanation. I will strive to tell you more now, although,because you have still not yet mastered occlumency I cannot tell you everything.

Reaching the front step of the Dursleys house Dumbledore came to a stop and placed his

hands on Harrys shoulders. Before I leave you let me say two more things. One; it is

not your fault; you couldnt have done anything to prevent your godfather from going tothe Ministry that night. And secondly; this is not only your battle, use your friends

support that is why they are here, they care for you, especially young Miss Weasley, she


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has been most distraught over your current situation. Harrys mouth was agape.Howdoes he always know everything?

There are more ways than one to overcome grief Harry; you just need to find the one

that suits you. Dumbledore winked over his spectacles, turned, and without saying

another word apparated away.

The next two weeks for Harry were filled with early morning walks to the swings, intense

hours of defensive training, and the now commonly occurring dream of him and a girlhaving a picnic on a green hill. While Harry didnt have any particular qualms about

these dreams they left him wanting more every time he woke up, for some reason this

dream settled his fears and grief better than everything else, besides swinging with Emma

and writing to Ginny.

While he still couldnt make out the girls face he noticed that slowly but surely the dream

was becoming sharper, more defined. It wasnt really blurry anymore but still things werea bit indistinct. Something that was bugging him was that he knew the girls laugh from

somewhere, hed spent hours trying to recall where hed heard it but it eluded him.

Sometimes he would wake up from the dream standing up, other times he was hugging

his pillow as if it were a person. He also knew these werent just normal dreams either,

they were too real. He could feel the grass on his legs and hands, and when he ate a

strawberry he could actually taste it. He couldnt make heads or tales of this but he washappy this time the dream didnt involve long winding hallways or an endless procession

of friends and family falling through the veil in the Department of Mysteries. In fact,

Harry couldnt recall a time when he had actually been excited about a dream.

Along with Ginnys now almost daily correspondence, Harry had received a few letters

from both Ron and Hermione telling him about the different things that were going on in

the wizarding world. The one thing that frightened him however was that neither of themhad heard anything about Voldemort or the Death Eaters in the past few weeks. The only

thing that was closely related was something Ron had said about Fudge trying to salvagehis career by randomly searching houses and arresting suspected threats. Although the

ministry Aurors had apparently arrested over fifty people, not a single one of them had

been actually declared a Death Eater. From what Harry could tell Fudge was, politically,

on his deathbed. His reputation had taken quite a hit after Voldemort waltzed right intothe ministry itself after saying that he was all just a figment of Harrys imagination.

Fudges career was poised to topple and Harry would have no ill feelings if it were he

himself who gave the last shove.

Before Harry knew it, it was July 30th, the day before his birthday. He hadnt evenremembered about it until Errol and Pig came flying in together carrying a very large boxfilled not only with a chocolate cake from Mrs. Weasley, but a smaller box of sweets from

Fred and George. He set the sweets aside and reminded himself only to feed them to

Dudley.

He also received individual packages from Hermione, Ron, Hagrid, Lupin, and Ginny.

Everyone sent him either large amounts of sweets and cakes, or books on defensive, or


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white magic. Ginny had sent him a small leather bound book, which held, when he

opened it, pictures of Harry with Ron, Hermione, the Weasleys, Lupin, the Order, and to

Harrys anguish a small picture of him and Sirius grinning stupidly at the camera duringChristmas break.

Harrys heart ached as he recalled the best Christmas of his life, when he was witheveryone at Grimmauld Place, and there wasnt a prophecy to worry about.

He turned over to the last page of the book to find a short letter to him from Ginny.

Harry,

I remember you showing me the photo album Hagrid made you of your parents; I noticed

that there werent many of your friends or your new family, so I decided to make you

another. I asked Colin to owl me a bunch of really good photos and I sorted through themand found the best ones. I hope that you think this is a good present; I wasnt really sure

what to get you, seeing as you sure as hell dont need anymore defense books or broom

stuff. You can send it back if you dont like it.

Happy Birthday

Ginny

Harry was touched that Ginny cared enough about him to go through all this trouble just

for a birthday present. The photos in the small book brought a smile to his face, he

especially liked the on of all the Weasleys, and all of the Order of Christmas last year.They looked up at Harry and waved happily, as if there wasnt a war going on when this

was taken.

Harry then reeled when he remember a similar picture that Moody had shown him that

same Christmas. In it were all the members of the old Order of the Phoenix. Harry looked

down once again and closed his eyes, praying that unlike the other photo all of thesepeople would still be alive in a few years.

For the rest of the day Harry played with Emma, showing her the photo album, and

bringing over some of the tamer prank candy that Fred and George had created. Theyboth laughed when Joy accidentally ate one of the Canary Creams and burst into a giant

yellow canary, complete with realistic chirp. Once the charm finally wore off Joy too

joined in laughing about the prank.

For his Birthday Emma had baked a cake all by herself. She carried it out while singing

happy birthday to him, then told him to make a wish and blow out all the candles.

I wish this war could be over, and I wish that I could have a family. Harry thought with

his eyes squeezed together, and then blew hard at the candles. Emma took the one that

went out last and handed it to Harry.

When you go home tonight take this candle and place it under your pillow. If you do it

will make your wish come true! The little girl chimed, thrusting the candle into hishands as he was walking out the front door.


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Okay Em, I do want these wishes to come true. Thanks Mrs. Massey! I had a wonderful

birthday, Harry said to Joy as she hugged him tightly then wished him goodbye.

Harry didnt head directly home, instead he walked around the park once or twice

thinking about random, pointless things. His feet carried him without thinking, eventually

taking him to the front of the Dursleys house. He sighed and looked down at his watch.It was only 9:00 at night; he would have to just sit in his room and try and go to bed. He

thought of taking another walk, but his better judgment told him nighttime and a dark

alley dont mix too well, not to mention what Moody would do to him if he did indeeddecide to go for a walk.

So solemnly, he resigned to his fate, and walked up the front path to the door.

Oy! Potter, happy birthday mate! Someone invisible whispered as a heavy package

thudded in front of the door.

Harry immediately recognized the voice as that of Tonks, and spun around wildly

searching for her and her invisibility cloak. She didnt appear but whispered once more,

Sorry, cant take off the cloak, Moody would skin me alive revealing myself to the

enemy, sorry you didnt have a great birthday. Next year though well throw you a huge

party to celebrate your coming of age.

Harry looked in the direction of where the voice was coming and smiled, Thanks Tonks,

its nice to know that its you keeping watch and not someone like Dawlish. Harry

picked up the poorly wrapped package and tore off the paper revealing a small booktitled, 101 Ways to Decorate Your Room by Martha Stewart.

Harry was shocked, Martha Stewart is a witch!

You bet, how else do you think she figured out about those stocks? Shes not a very

good one though, just can make things look pretty. I figured youre in your room enoughthat you should at least make it look nice. Tonks whispered from behind the begonias.

Harry smiled again in her direction, Thanks Tonks, its perfect. Youre right my room

could use a little bit of a personal touch. Tell everyone hi for me, and tell them I saidthanks for their gifts too.

Sweet dreams Harry, Tonks whispered from farther away as he headed inside. Harrysmiled, knowing that his dreams were definitely going to be nice, especially when it came

to the part of him kissing the girl in the dream. He just wished he could figure out who it

was.

That night Harrys dream once again returned, it started as usual, with him walking up

and sitting down next to the pretty girl and smiling. They then had a giant picnic together

talking and laughing about anything and everything. She was so amazingly beautiful;although he couldnt see her clearly his mind told him that she was breathtaking. Every

time he tried to focus on seeing who it was her image just got blurrier which frustrated

Harry to no end, he just wanted to finally see the girl. It was just as infuriating as the


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endless halls of the Department of Mysteries, only much more pleasing to experience.

He knew the dream was once again ending; theyd finished dessert and were now justlooking at each other.Please just let me see her, I want to know who it is Im dreaming

about.

The girl leaned forward as if to kiss him, Harry tried to focus his eyes but all they couldmake out now was a blur of red. She was now just an inch away from his face and slowly

getting closer. Hed never actually kissed her, waking just moments before, shaking hishead in frustration. This time however he didnt wake up and his lips connected with

hers.

That exact moment everything became crystal clear, he looked up and saw her browneyes and red hair and he pulled back in shock. At the same time he was pulling back he

woke up sitting straight up with a rather heavy weight on his legs. He heard a muffled

gasp of surprise as he fumbled to get his glasses on the table. His feet were tangled in thebed cover and the weight on top of him wasnt helping matters, it was right on his

stomach and also seemed to be moving.

He finally managed to grab his glasses, but in the process knocked over the lamp causing

the whole thing to break. He groaned inwardly, this much noise was sure to draw the

wrath of Uncle Vernon. Whatever was on top of him slid to the side and came into

Harrys view. He gasped and so did the girl. It was Ginny Weasley, sitting on the edge ofthe bed in her pajamas looking quite flustered as if just waking suddenly.

Harry! She managed to stutter out before looking down at what she was wearing andbegan to blush.

Uh, hi Ginny, He said awkwardly trying to avert his eyes, although for some reason

that seemed to be very difficult.

WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON IN THERE BOY! Uncle Vernon shoutedthrough the door. Thankfully Harry had started to magically lock it so he couldnt barge

in and beat him.

Nothing, just practicing a new spell, he knew that would shut him up and he was right.Harry stood up, and then realized he was wearing just his briefs, grabbed the blanket and

covered himself. Ginny giggled.

I think your uncle said it best, what the bloody hell is going on? One minute I was

asleep dreaming and then the next second I wake up on top of you. She said in complete

disbelief, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

Thats what happened to me too, I was asleep and dreaming and right before I woke up

I Harry stopped, his dream now coming back with amazing clarity. He turned to face

Ginny. What was your dream about Gin?

Her stomach clenched a little at Harry calling her Gin, she wouldnt let anyone else call

her that but for some reason she liked it when Harry called her that. Well I was dreaming


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about a picnic with a boy, except I couldnt figure out who he was, but right before I

woke up I figured out it was She stopped too, her dream coming back; she stared at

Harry in realization It was you.

That was the same dream that I had, except I couldnt see the girl, but at the end we

were about to kiss I saw her, and it was, you Harry stood stock still, his blanket slippingdown his waste.

At that moment there was a loud crack and someone apparated in Harrys room. Harryspun around, with his wand pointed at the intruder.

Whoa, whoa there Harry! Its me Remus, calm down. The man stepped out of the

shadows to reveal it really was Lupin with his hands raised high to show he wasntholding a wand. Whats going on Harry, all your wards were tripped every single one.

There are still alarms going off at headquarters. We thought that someone had broken

through Lupin stopped as his eyes landed on Ginny, she smiled and waved feebly.

Erhello Professor Lupin, she said in an embarrassed voice.

What is going on, how did you get her Ginny? Remus turned a humorously suspicious

eye at Harry, then back to Ginny just in her pajamas.

Not me, Harry said throwing his hands up in innocence, We were wondering the exactthe same thing.

One second we were dreaming, then the next I was sitting on top of Harry in mypajamas. I some how got apparated onto his bed! She said exasperatedly.

Lupin just shook his head in amusement and started to chuckle. Im sure your motherwill be just ecstatic when she hears the news, you take after James, Harry, redheads.

Ecstatic about what? Ginny asked nervously, Lupins laugh was setting her on edge.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, in front of the two very tired teenagers, then looked

up and smiled at them, Well, I dont know much about it, but Dumbledore warned us it

could happen.

Harry bristled at the mention of Dumbledore and him telling everyone but him about

something. What would happen?

As I said I dont really know all about it, I just know that its really powerful.

Dumbledore told us that once you started to become a man it was possible that something

along these lines would occur. He stopped for a moment, smiling once again. Its onlybeen know to happen twice in recorded history. Once with Merlin and Gwendoloena,

thats his wife, and Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw, both times when the

wizarding world was in a state of utter turmoil. It helped them win their battles; it madethem stronger, both mentally and physically. He stopped for effect.

Well, what is it called? Harry asked impatiently, he hoped it wasnt another prophecy.


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Remus looked at them once again,Albus was right, they are a perfect couple, and Harryalready looks somewhat healthier. I guess it wont hurt to tell them, theyll figure out one

way or another. Well, its been called many things, in Latin its Cordis Catena, but itsmost famous name is the Heartbond.

The two teens just stared at Lupin dumbly. He sighed and tried to think of another way toexplain it.Im not an expert at this, what Ive told them is everything I know about it

right now. They will need to know more about it if theyre going to be bonded for the restof their lives. Maybe I could take them to headquarters, let Dumbledore explain things.

Lupin thought over it for a second then came to his conclusion. Ok, heres what were

going to do. Im going to head over to headquarters really quickly and see if Dumbledore

can come over here and explain it. I really am not the one you want to be asking about

this whole thing, and there are a lot of details that Im sure only he knows of.

Ginny spoke up first, finally snapping out of her astonishment and confusion. Do you

promise that he will tell us everything? I mean from what Ive heard from Harry theheadmaster seems to be keeping us in the dark on a lot of things.

Harry was touched that Ginny would stand up for him, but knew it was fruitless;Dumbledore was too used to keeping things a secret. He would never tell them anything

more than what was necessary.

Its okay Gin, itd just be nice for him to come here and tell us what is going on. I meanyou said, Lupin that he knew that this could happen for a long time. So Im sure hes had

plenty of time to research it. The sarcasm in his voice seemed to drop the temperature of

the bedroom just a little.

Lupin just shook his head, he didnt know exactly what had passed between Harry and

Dumbledore after the Department of Mysteries, but it had made a profound effect on the

boys trust of the headmaster. Hed thought that Dumbledore treated Harry like his ownson, trying to take care of him. It wasnt a secret at Hogwarts that Dumbledore adored the

boy. It shocked him to know that a riff had grown between the two.

Well Harry I cant promise anything, but Ill leave right now and try to get him to come

here and explain things to you two. All I know for certain is that you will make an

excellent couple, just like James and Lily. He smiled softly, patted Harry on the shoulderand made for the door.

Wait, Lupin! Harry started as he was heading out of his room. What about the wards,you said that someone broke through them, are you sure theyre still there?

Lupin laughed softly, Yes Im quite sure, it took me quite a while to apparate into youroom, even with the passes Dumbledore gave me. Now if I cant get the headmaster to

come Ill be back shortly, meanwhile, you two dont get into any trouble. He winked,

and then disapperated with a pop.

Harry turned to Ginny, and smiled foolishly. So, ummm how has youre summer been

so far?


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Ginny just laughed, Its been okay, you know that though silly, remember how youve

been writing me for the past month and a half?

Oh yeah, right. He stuttered embarrassingly, about that, thank you. Ginny was about

to speak up, but he cut her off, No really I mean it, I know you didnt have to do it, but

you really helped me through a tough time, I just feel comfortable talking to you.

Ginny now had tears in her eyes, she hadnt seen Harry for over a month, but it felt as if

they had become unbelievably close. She had never felt like this before, she cared forhim, she loved hi

the heart bond

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