The next morning two well rested teens awoke and blushed red at the position they found themselves in. It was Hermione who dispelled the awkwardness by leaning over and gently kissing Harry.
"Good morning, my Champion." she said softly. Harry grinned happily and answered back just as softly.
"Good morning, my Lady." Harry was in no hurry to get out of bed as he was perfectly comfortable. Hermione on the other hand knew she had to get back to the girls' dorm. A quick "Tempus" revealed that it was already past eight-thirty. There was no chance of nobody being awake between here and her own bed. When she put the problem to Harry she watched his brow furrow in concentration. Harry looks so hot when he's thinking. Hermione's thoughts were causing some interesting reactions in her body. Luckily Harry didn't notice though she worried for a moment when his face lit up.
"Winky." he said firmly. With a soft pop and a curtsey Winky appeared inside the hangings of Harry's bed.
"What can Winky be doing for Master Harry?" she asked in her usual squeaky voice.
"Winky, could you pop Hermione over to her own bed so that no one notices?" Winky nodded enthusiastically.
"Winky will do. Miss, please be taking Winky's hand." Surprised Hermione did as she was told and after a brief sensation of pressure, was sitting alone in her own bed. Oh, that has possibilities if we ever want to take things further. Shaking herself, Hermione got out of bed and got ready for the day.
Back in the boys' dorm Harry also got ready for the day. Around him his roommates were desperately trying to pack their things before the trunks were scheduled to be taken to the train. Harry walked into the bathroom and called Dobby.
"Dobby, I should have everything packed already, but could you just check for me? If everything is in the trunk, just take it where it needs to go, alright?" Dobby nodded an affirmative and Harry thanked him for his dedication before heading down to the common room to await Hermione. The two Gryffindors headed down to breakfast to meet Luna and their friends among the other champions. They wanted to say goodbye to Fleur before she left and then not have to hurry on their way to the Express.
When they got to breakfast a fast moving silver blond blur hit Harry's midriff and started talking rapidly in French. Harry's arms came around his ambusher's small shoulders.
"Bonjour, Gabrielle. Did you manage to give Fleur the slip again?" Harry grinned at the little veela. Gabrielle responded with a long string of French.
"Gabrielle!" Fleur came storming up to the group looking mightily put out with her sister. She eventually settled for shooting the younger Delacour a quick glare before looking at Harry with a smile. "Bonjour, 'Arry. We are to sit wiz Cedric today, oui?" Harry grinned at her and nodded.
"Yeah, looks like Luna is already over there. Shall we?" As they started walking Gabrielle grabbed Harry's hand and started skipping while swinging their clasped hands and chattering happily while her big sister translated. Breakfast passed in high spirits between the group and afterwards the British students took their French friends for one last walk around the grounds, ending at the Beauxbatons carriage. There they all said a teary farewell with Gabrielle especially having to be carried into the carriage while begging to be allowed to stay for a few more days. Harry's promise that they would meet again one day did nothing to stem the flood of tears from the little blonde though Fleur gave him a grateful nod.
Around them other groups of new friends were also saying their goodbyes. When the carriage took off back towards France most of Hogwarts was out on the lawn waving goodbye. The goodbyes with the Drumstrang students were a lot more reserved, but when their ship left the Black Lake it was also to waving from the British students. With all the foreign visitors gone, the student body started thinking towards their own journey home in a little over an hour. Harry, Hermione and Luna saw no point in hanging about the castle, only to be caught in a crush of students headed for the train at the last minute. Getting to the train early the three friends were able to claim a compartment for themselves and get it warded with Notice-Me-Not Charms before the rest of their schoolmates arrived. They had just settled down when their schoolbags arrived and all three called out their thanks to the elves.
The train ride passed easily with the three friends reading, talking and playing a few games of Gobshites. Hermione could be a particularly vicious player with that game. The model for the stones passed by the compartment they were sharing a few times but never saw through their charm. The trolley lady didn't either but nobody minded since Dobby and Winky had packed them some delicious snacks that were a good deal healthier than anything the jolly old witch might be selling. As they got closer to London, Hermione noticed that Harry was starting to show signs of being nervous. Hermione had a feeling she knew what he was nervous about from her reading.
"Harry, are you alright?" she asked him, feeling a little mischievous. Harry looked up at her from the book he had been reading.
"I'm fine, Mi. Why?" he answered her. Hermione wasn't buying Harry's standard answer.
"You wouldn't happen to be nervous about something? Meeting my parents perhaps?" The grin that she had been suppressing finally broke out on her face. Harry just looked at her a little strangely.
"Well, a little I suppose. Am I not supposed to want to make a good first impression?" Harry asked her.
"No, you are. It's just funny that someone who can face dragons and basilisks without flinching would be afraid of my mum and dad." She started giggling.
"Yes, well since I don't particularly want to kill your parents with a sword I don't think that comparison holds water." Hermione briefly paled as she imagined that scenario. "I've never been introduced to a girlfriends parents before. Since I also don't have any parents I rather feel like I'm going in blind." Hermione realized that she had made a mistake in her estimation of what Harry was feeling.
"Don't worry, Harry. My parents are wonderful people, you'll love them and they'll love you." She reinforced her encouragement with a kiss to his cheek.
"They raised you, Mi. I'm sure I could at least get along with them if they're anything like you. It's just a bit of an unknown situation, so you can't expect me to be completely calm," he gave her a smile, "but thank you for the kiss and the reassurances anyway." The two leaned into each other for comfort and the simple pleasure of each other's presence. Across the compartment Luna couldn't stop smiling at her friends. She hoped that one day she might be able find someone like Harry and Hermione had, someone who could accept her and love her for who she was.
When the train eventually pulled into Kings Cross Station Harry helped the girls locate their trunks and wheel them over on a trolley. Harry and Hermione first met Xenophillius Lovegood. Harry remembered the man betraying him for Luna's sake and found that he couldn't hold a grudge for a parent acting like a parent. They spent several minutes holding a headache-inducing conversation with the Lovegoods before the two blondes went home. Next up was the meeting Harry was most nervous about. Hermione was already scanning the crowd looking for her parents. Harry could easily identify the moment that she found them. His girlfriend's entire face lit up and she rushed off through the crowds. Harry followed her as best he could. He found her surprisingly easily considering how packed the station was with all the reuniting families. Harry paused a few yards away from where the Grangers were hugging each other happily. He felt a slight pang shoot through his heart. He would never begrudge Hermione her family, would do anything to ensure that they stayed together and that she would never have to Memory Charm them, but it still hurt to know that he would never have this. Maybe if I have children one day I will be able to experience at least one side of that.
When Hermione realized that she had more or less abandoned Harry in her haste to greet her parents she looked behind her only to find him standing there with a longing look on his face. She slipped out of her parents embrace and took Harry's hand. Pulling him over to stand in front of her parents she proudly handled the introductions.
"Harry, these are my parents: Richard and Helen Granger. Mum, dad, this is my boyfriend: Harry Potter." Harry stepped forward and without releasing Hermione's hand held out his other to her father.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Granger." The dentist had a kind face and dark brown hair. He reached out and grabbed the boy's hand.
"A pleasure indeed, Harry. You'll have to come over sometime over the summer so we can get to know each other better." He spoke with a calm voice that Harry imagined was very soothing to any patients that found their way into his chair. When the two men let go of each other's hands Harry was immediately faced with Hermione's mother. Helen Granger was a petite woman with curling brown hair and intelligent eyes. She had a hold of Harry's hand before he knew what was going on.
"Oh yes, it's wonderful to finally meet the person we know from our daughter's stories." She said with a bright smile.
"Mum!" came Hermione's clearly embarrassed exclamation.
"It's good to meet you too, Mrs. Granger." Harry said, a little taken aback by the woman's enthusiasm. He spent a few more minutes talking with the Grangers during the course of which he was invited to come and visit them over the holidays another two times. Eventually they had to go if they were going to get to the restaurant where they had reservations for their dinner. Hermione's parents took the trolley with Hermione's trunk and moved off a ways to give the two teens a chance to say goodbye.
"I'm going to miss you something awful, Harry. Promise me you'll write." Hermione was suddenly far less enthusiastic about her homecoming now that it hit her that she would hardly see Harry for months.
"I'll write you every week, Mi. Promise me you'll answer. With Riddle back in his body things are going to get dangerous. If I don't hear from you for more than a week, I'm hopping on my Firebolt and coming to find you." Harry's eyes showed that he was dead serious about this. Hermione agreed and the two kissed tenderly, each trying to let the other know that they would be missed. When they finally drew apart Hermione had to be led away by her parents who were looking fondly exasperated as she was still staring into Harry's eyes.
Once she was out of sight Harry heaved a sigh. He felt an almost physical pain from her absence but he had plans that couldn't wait. Slipping through the barrier to the non-magical platforms, Harry easily spotted his uncle standing there like a volcanic island in a sea of people. Judging by the colour on Vernon's face he didn't appreciate having to wait around for Harry. Too bad, Uncle. You'll be there for a while yet. Harry carefully snuck past his uncle by simply walking along behind a large family, keeping them between him and Vernon the whole time. Since Vernon was looking for a boy hauling a large trunk it never occurred to him to look around at the faster movements of people without trolleys. It also helped that he refused to look at the barrier between platforms 9 and 10 so that he would not have to be exposed to more freakishness than absolutely necessary.
Outside the station Harry found an empty alleyway and called his elves. As soon as they appeared Harry started passing out orders.
"Okay, you two. I need you to make sure no one can see us. We're in muggle London and I doubt people will understand." Once the two elves had cast Notice-me-not and Muggle Repelling Charms Harry continued. "Dobby is everything set up like we discussed?"
"Yes, Master Harry." Dobby sounded unusually excited to have been able to help Harry with the plan they had devised together.
"Excellent. Good job! Then we can move on to Disspelling the tracking charms on me. I need the two of you to do the actual magic. If you need me to do something, tell me, okay?" Harry looked them both in the eye to ensure that he was understood. Dobby and Winky started waving their hands in unison. Harry closed his eyes and felt their magic wash over him. When the feeling left he couldn't tell if anything had changed. Opening his eyes he could see Dobby and Winky standing there looking disappointed and guilty.
"It didn't work, did it?" he asked. Dobby shook his head sadly.
"The charms is placed by a powerful wizard or several wizards. Dobby and Winky is not powerful enough to break the spells." Dobby's face took on a nervous cast. "There is a chance that if Master Harry were to share his power with Dobby and Winky that they could be powerful enough to do as Master has asked." As soon as the words had left his lips Dobby slammed his eyes shut. Winky looked shocked at what she had heard. Their reactions made Harry cautious.
"That sounds like a good idea, Dobby, but I have no idea how to do that and the way Winky is looking at you makes me think it might be dangerous." Dobby was shaking his head at the end of Harry's question.
"It is not being dangerous, Master Harry. Wizards is usually angry when not-wizards is asking them to share magic. If you is letting Dobby and Winky hold your hands, Dobby and Winky will draw out magic through the bond and use that." Harry considered that for a moment. It sounded like he could cut off the flow of magic by breaking skin contact so he wouldn't be completely drained and it seemed to be his last chance to be rid of those tracking charms; that was really all he needed to know.
"Alright. I trust you both. Just do your best and stop if any of us fall unconscious or show other signs of being too drained to continue." Both elves nodded and Harry knelt down in front of them and held out his hands. Each elf took one hand in one of theirs and started waving the other around again. Harry immediately felt the drain on his core begin. Apparently the elves needed to draw a lot of magic to pull this off. It took several minutes and Harry was starting to get nervous that he would not have enough power to help the elves break the charms when he felt the backlash of a spell being broken slam into his body. The force of the backlash knocked him back and into a dumpster bin. Holding his head to steady it against the dizziness he was feeling Harry looked around to see where Dobby and Winky were. The two elves were clambering up from where they had landed against the opposite wall.
"Are you okay, Dobby? Winky?" Harry asked as he was running through a mental checklist of his body to see what was damaged. It felt like he had just had the wind knocked out of him and he hoped that the elves had fared at least as well. When the two affirmative answers came Harry felt a wave of relief sweep through him.
"If we're all alright we should get out of here. Whoever cast those charms will know that they have been broken here and come to investigate. Are you well enough to apparate?" Again both elves answered in the affirmative. "Let's go then." Both elves grabbed a hold of their master and with a loud pop the alley was empty once again.
The three reappeared in front of a fairly large tent standing in the middle of the forest. Harry eyed it carefully.
"You warded it like we discussed?" he asked, just to double check. At the elves hyperactive nodding he smiled. "Fantastic job, guys. Let's get inside then. I think we could do with dinner and we have some field trips to plan."
:-:-:-:-:
At Hogwarts Castle, Minerva McGonagall was sitting in her office with her back to her desk, watching the sunset out of her windows with a glass of whisky in her hand. She did this every year after the Hogwarts Express had left. It was her moment to reflect on the past year. She knew several of her colleagues had their own rituals they would be engaging in right now. Her eyes drifted towards the south and the direction her charges had disappeared in. She tried to view them all in the same light regardless of the fact that she was Head of House for only a quarter of them. She was Deputy Headmistress for all of them she reminded herself regularly.
She was a Deputy Headmistress in charge of an almost empty castle right now though. Albus had come storming in moments ago telling her he had an errand to run before rushing out again. He might have shown as much concern about Harry Potter being entered into that damn tournament. It rubbed her entirely the wrong way that Albus had remained so calm and unruffled while a fourteen year-old was entered into a deadly competition that was only supposed to be for legally of-age competitors. Albus had been one of the people to put that rule in place and at the first sign of it being broken had done precisely nothing. Never mind that Potter had won the damn thing, that boy excelled at the ridiculous and unpredictable. One might even go so far as to say that the older champions had been at a disadvantage facing off against him. All of it was still no excuse to throw the poor boy to the dragons, literally. Minerva's grip on her tumbler tightened as she remembered Potter dropping his golden egg and grabbing his broom to fly to the rescue of his classmates; classmates who had been treating him like garbage at the time. The nerve of that little bugger to actually spit in a dragon's eye.
Minerva gulped down her whisky and got up to get herself a refill. At her desk she couldn't help but open a specific drawer and take out the now familiar framed photo within. This photo was one of the most comforting things she owned. First of all it was a picture of her favourite students, even though everyone knew that the Hogwarts Transfiguration Professor didn't play favourites. Second, she would have to admit to having secretly enjoyed the moment depicted. A smile stole across her face as she looked at the three people in the picture. Miss Granger was looking beautiful and proud to be included in a photo with her Professor. Minerva herself was trying to project an air of approachable authority. Mister Potter's eyes were twinkling with the mischief he had planned. She watched as the young scamp repeatedly grabbed her in a hug before grabbing his date and running off laughing. If he can still laugh after all he's been through, there may be hope yet. Settling down in her chair again with a new drink and the picture Minerva thought to herself that she had never had an easier choice in assigning the prefect badges than she did this year.
:-:-:-:-:
At a home shaped like a solitary tower Luna Lovegood was unpacking her trunk. A lot more of her possessions had made it home than usual. She knew exactly why that was and was happily reminiscing about the past year. Marietta and her pack of attack bitches had cornered her but something entirely out of the ordinary had happened. Two people who wanted to be her friends had happened by. The extraordinary part was that Harry Potter and Hermione Granger might be two of the only people who could have intimidated her tormentors. A professor wouldn't have done half as well since every Ravenclaw knew what line the teachers wouldn't cross. Harry Potter was an unknown quantity, especially after his mysterious entry into the tournament. After he slew the dragon the Ravenclaws had known that whatever that quantity was nobody wanted to cross him. The reactions of her housemates when Harry had glared at them after the first task were a guiltily happy memory for Luna. The whole of Ravenclaw House knew as well as she did that Armageddon could be visited upon their tower if Luna ever asked for it. It was wrong to enjoy it, it was almost bullying except that she wasn't using it to force anyone to do anything except not bother her. Luna idly wondered if all friendships were like this or if you only experienced this with a Wind Spirit like Harry Potter in the equation. Maybe she would ask her father; he would know.
:-:-:-:-:
In a well-kept home in Crawley the brightest witch of her age was paging through her scrapbook while seated on her bed when her mother came into the room.
"Hermione, sweetheart, can we have a talk?" Helen asked her daughter.
"Of course, Mum." Hermione replied closing the scrapbook and looking attentively at her mother. Helen was a little uncomfortable bringing this up, but considering the fact that Hermione had a boyfriend it had to happen.
"Sweetie, I want to talk to you about Harry." Helen began. She wasn't surprised to see her daughter's face take on an exasperated expression. In fact, she rather suspected she had had a similar look on her face when her own mother had this talk with her. She knew her daughter would remember the talk she had been given before heading off to Hogwarts about human biology. This second talk was just as important but could really only be given after Hermione had fallen in love for the first time. It was easy to loose your head when you experienced it for the first time and do something you might regret. Years after the fact Helen wished she had listened more to her own mother and was determined to do her best to make her daughter understand. "Your father and I both think Harry seems a nice boy from what we've seen of him. Certainly from what we've heard of him from you. We're just a little worried about how…enthusiastic you seem when you talk about him. I know that he may seem like he is a fairy tale prince who slays dragons in his free time, but I just want you to keep your eyes open and make sure you see him in a realistic light." Helen had run through a list of expected responses and when she had laughter hadn't featured anywhere on that list. Anger, dismissal, denial and tears? Yes. Uncontrollable laughter? No.
Hermione had in the meantime gotten up and started rummaging through her trunk. When she returned to her bed she was carrying a stack of periodicals and still giggling away.
"I think I understand what you mean, Mum. You need to think of some new metaphors for Harry though." With that she handed her mother the pile. Helen's mouth dropped open as she held a newspaper showing her daughter's boyfriend pulling a sword out of what looked like a dragon and handing it to a bird that appeared in a burst of flame. "Before you start: that isn't doctored in any way. I was there when it happened. Harry really killed a dragon with a sword and a broomstick. The reporter who wrote that sent him a copy of each article she wrote about him. He gave them to me for my scrapbook. I just didn't have the heart to tell him I also had my own subscription and that I wanted to keep at least one copy of the papers intact."
Helen's mouth was moving but no sound was coming out as she tried to absorb what the picture and her daughter were telling her. In an attempt to buy herself some time she looked at the other headlines. It was a poor decision. That massive snake was at least as scary as any dragon. Her daughter being hoisted out of the water as if she was on the cover of a bad paperback novel made Helen's point pretty well and at the same time made it less likely that Hermione would listen. The front page of a magazine describing her daughter's first date didn't seem possible. The picture of the chaos in front of some hedges didn't really mean much to her yet, but if it was anything like the others, Hermione's boyfriend would be at the heart of it.
"I wanted to get some picture frames like the ones I sent you and Dad for Christmas and hang them on the wall. I think it might be good idea if you read them first. They're not actually as inaccurate as we had feared." Hermione gave her mother an understanding smile "Don't worry. It's difficult to get a grasp on exactly how amazing my Harry is. Give it time."
Helen just nodded and got up. As she left the room holding the magical newspapers and magazine she reflected that no part of that conversation had gone as planned. She needed to find Richard and the two of them needed to look through this mass of information. Somehow she didn't think Hermione had decided to prank her parents all of a sudden. The conversation about Hermione's boyfriend could wait until they figured out exactly who this boyfriend was.
Back in her room Hermione had given in to the giggles that were consuming her. Happily she dug out her scrapbook again. Saving up extra copies of articles about Harry had turned out to be one of her better ideas after all.
:-:-:-:-:
In a ramshackle house in the Devonshire countryside a redhead sat pondering the last year. Ronald Weasley had started out the year as Harry Potter's Best Mate. That had changed when Potter entered himself into the tournament and wouldn't share how he'd done it with Ron. After the first task Ron had been the centre of attention when Dumbledore had asked him to look after the golden egg until Potter could collect it. That day had been one of the best that Ron could remember. It really grated on his nerves that there could have been so many more of those days if Potter would just stop hogging all the glory and let Ron share in it every so often. Still he had apologized and all, so Potter should have forgiven him. After much thought on the subject Ron had realized why it hadn't happened the way he'd planned: Granger. That ridiculous bookworm had planted herself firmly at Potter's side. Ron was sure that if it hadn't been for Granger, Potter wouldn't have made such a fuss. That meant that he had to get her away from The Boy Who Lived and the fame and recognition he had enjoyed after the first and second task would come flowing back to him.
Ron's problem was that he had no idea how he was going to drive a wedge between the two. After all girls were strange and unfathomable creatures. He knew what he was going to have to do and was now just trying to find the determination to do it. Standing up, he walked out of his room in search of someone he was sure would know the inner workings of a teenage girl like no other.
:-:-:-:-:
In a magnificent manor house in Wiltshire one of the wizarding world's most noble princes sat pondering upon the last year. It had, in Draco Malfoy's estimation, been a nightmare of a year. That half-blood bastard Potter had publicly humiliated him and then gone on to beat two proper purebloods to the damn Tri-Wizard Cup. To make matters worse his father had been severely injured by Potter directly following the last task. The Malfoy patriarch had lost his wand hand to one of Potter's damned cutters and was currently learning to use his wand with the hand he had left. It might be better than Goyle's father who had been vaporized by one of the bastard's Exploding Curses or one of the other seven who died at Potter's hands. This kind of insult could not be left unanswered, if Potter wanted a war he would get one. It would take cunning, stealth and an ambitious plan though; Draco set to work plotting revenge on his nemesis.
:-:-:-:-:
In the office of the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement Amelia Bones raised a glass of Firewhisky to Harry Potter. The lad had come through for her and all of Magical Britain: on her desk was a letter from Gringotts that her department had received a donation in excess of four million galleons. She would use the money to set up a response system to any Death Eater attacks. She would write a note to Mr. Potter thanking him for what he had done right after she was done with that. It was the absolute least she could do.
:-:-:-:-:
In a side alley in London a figure was moving about, waving a wand. It had definitely found the last place the trackers on the Potter boy had been active. There was no magical signature that it could identify though so how had the little brat removed them? The figure growled in frustration. There was nothing here that could help it. It would need to look into other methods of finding the boy and it damn well didn't need this right now. With a loud crack the figure disappeared from the alley.
:-:-:-:-:
In a tent in a clearing in the Forest of Dean that no one knew existed anymore Harry Potter sat driving himself into a panic. It had been a little more than a month since term had ended and he had used that time well as evidenced by the blue orb he was currently tossing up and down in an effort to relieve some of his gathering anxiety. He and Dobby had gone on a 'field trip' to the Department of Mysteries. On his trip there Harry had noticed that the Order had already started 'guarding' the entrance when he saw a leg sticking out of thin air and heard snoring coming from that same area. He had slipped in and switched out the prophecy sphere for a prepared recording sphere with an insulting message.
While he was down there Harry had found the Unspeakables' library. He had been struck by inspiration and set off to find any information he could on soulmates. He had also pocketed some other tomes that looked interesting along the way like Sensing Active Magics: A Dissertation and Cascading Ward Failures: A Brute Force Approach. Eventually he found a disappointingly small volume titled On the Bonding of Souls which seemed to be the only source the Department had on the matter. He had decided that since he was officially committing a burglary at that point he should probably get out of there with his ill-gotten gains. He promised himself he would return them after the war.
He had since read the books he had stolen and was frankly a little disappointed with the available information on soul bonds. According to the book this was due to the intimate nature of the bond. Most bonded couples didn't feel like having someone probe and prod at them and their relationship. This also made it difficult to say exactly how rare a phenomenon it was. On the Bonding of Souls described the soul bond as a life-long process by which two people grew together and merged until their souls were connected at a fundamental level. After the first connection was made the bond was considered forged and it was usually measured by how intertwined the magic of the couple had become. It was unknown if muggles also formed soul bonds since there was no magic for the Unspeakables to measure. None of this made it easier for Harry to approach Hermione about them possibly being soulmates since the book didn't actually explain how to measure the intertwining of two people's magic, apparently assuming that the reader would already have that knowledge. Harry continued throwing the prophecy up and down.
He had taken it as a good sign that Madam Bones hadn't sent him any kind of summons with her thank-you note or the subsequent package. When asked if there was anything she could do to thank him for his donation, Harry had responded with a request for the aurors' After Action Reports from the last war. He had combed through them to try and find any kind of pattern in the Death Eaters' attacks. So far he hadn't found anything other than that their tactics consisted of outnumbering and terrifying their opponents. If those opponents couldn't fight back the Death Eaters turned invariably sadistic; if they met resistance they fled.
Harry had also been working on spell practice under Dobby's ward to prevent the detection of underage magic. He had made some serious progress with Gaia's Embrace now that he was away from the magically saturated, man-made flagstones of Hogwarts. It was by no means mastery of the spell but he could at least shape small amounts of earth and it gave him something to work with when he got back to Hogwarts. He could also hold the Heaven's Shield for a full eighteen seconds now.
He had asked Winky to take his armour to the armourer and have it repaired using the extra hide he still had in his vault. He also had gloves and boots made to go with his armour. That way he wouldn't have to suffer through a mangled hand or foot if he decided to throw a non-vital body part in front of an otherwise lethal spell again.
He had taken a field trip into the muggle world by himself to buy some new clothes with money that Dobby had exchanged at Gringotts. Rather, he had visited a second hand store and bought some clothing that fit him properly. It was a new experience at any rate and Harry had been inordinately pleased with his new wardrobe. He knew that his body would change drastically in the next twelve months and had no intention of wasting his money buying expensive things he would never use before he grew out of them. He could only hope Hermione might approve of his new look.
Harry heaved a sigh. He knew he was trying to distract himself and to be honest it wasn't really working. Hermione's message hadn't arrived this week and Harry was starting to worry that something had happened. Hedwig had been dispatched yesterday morning but even when the Grangers had been in France for their annual holiday she had returned faster. He had already gotten his invisibility cloak and broomstick and was ready to tear out of the tent the moment it was 'official'. He didn't want to intrude on Hermione's time with her family and would feel like a heel if he showed up, wand blazing when the reality was that Hermione was simply lost in the pages of a book.
Harry had just caught the prophecy again when something caught his attention through the tent flap. Harry immediately put it down on top of the stack of newspapers on the table in his magically expanded tent. He had continued his subscription to the Daily Prophet so he could keep track of what to expect when he returned to the wizarding world. He had been surprised that Dumbledore had been dismissed from the Wizengamot and the ICW for 'theft of a rare artefact'. Reading carefully he had come to the conclusion that the article was referring to the Pensieve. He felt a little guilty that he had caused the headmaster to lose such a valuable tool, after all he had stolen from that particular department too and couldn't really condemn the older man for that. He had also noticed that his name was being dragged through the mud again and had wondered why he was even bothering. He knew the answer though: he couldn't condemn innocents for the corruption and wilful idiocy of their government. He had also noted that Sturgis Podmore had been arrested for trying to break into the Department of Mysteries.
Harry had drawn his wand as he moved towards the entrance. He could see a speck moving through the sky towards him. He clamped down on his first reaction which was joy and relief. He had received plenty of owls from the order over the summer. Much more than he had last time around, except that these letters all contained Compulsion Charms, Portkey Charms, Locator Charms or a combination of all three. Harry had only answered the ones from Sirius if they were charm free, letting his godfather know that he was fine and safe and that he didn't appreciate the kidnapping attempts. When he saw that the owl on approach was Hedwig, Harry didn't allow himself to relax. Hedwig was ridiculously smart but she had had a tail before who had thankfully run headfirst into a Confunding Ward that Dobby had erected.
Hedwig landed on a tree branch she had claimed as hers all summer and hooted dolefully. She didn't have any letters for her human and she knew it would cause him distress. She was right. Harry cursed out loud before jamming his wand back in its holster. He grabbed the cloak and his Firebolt and marched back out.
"Dobby. Winky. We're headed for Hermione's. She hasn't checked in and that's not like her." Harry's tone was harsher than usual as he spoke to his elves.
"We can be popping Master Harry to Miss's home." offered Winky. Like Hedwig the elves knew that this was hard for their master.
"Thank you, Winky. I hate to impose on you but the sooner we find out what happened the better." Harry told the elf, forcing himself to moderate his tone. Focus! Hermione's life could hang in the balance and you wanted to ride a broom. Harry's self-recrimination was cut short by a sensation of pressure before he noticed that he was standing in front of a rather nice looking house. It was certainly larger than number 4, Privet Drive. Dobby and Winky made sure they were invisible as soon as they arrived so Harry started moving towards the door. Years of experience had taught him that respectable people hate to see someone loitering near their house. Moving like you knew where you were going kept people from shouting to Uncle Vernon that his nephew was about to burgle their houses. At the door Harry was grateful to see the name Granger on a little plaque above the doorbell. He rang the doorbell and prayed that when it opened he would see a familiar head of bushy, brown hair. He was half right.