Harry woke up to the sound of Filch's voice in the corridor shouting at Peeves.

Well, at least I don't have to wonder where I am this morning, he thought ruefully, sitting up and grabbing his glasses from the bedside table. Looking around the room, he saw the morning sunlight streaming in the windows, and the books piled on the chair next to his bed.

He'd managed to finish Shields and Other Useful Charms last night, but only because he'd mostly just skimmed through the last section, which dealt mainly with the types of hexes he'd learned last month for the Third Task. He wasn't really looking forward to having to read through all three of the others today - he wanted to have tomorrow morning free to enjoy his birthday - but that was not something he wanted to have to tell Snape.

The sound of the door opening pulled his attention away from his glum contemplation of the books, and he looked up to see Dumbledore walk in, carrying a tray with breakfast and the two potions.

"Ah, good, you're awake," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling brightly as he smiled. "I hope you don't mind that I'm bringing you your breakfast and medicine rather than Professor Snape, but I wished to speak to you about a few things."

"No, sir, I don't mind," Harry replied. He was just as happy not to have to deal with Snape this morning, but he couldn't exactly tell that to Dumbledore.

"Good, good." Dumbledore put the tray down on the table, then lifted the books off the chair and sat down. "I see Professor Snape has already informed you of what you will be doing for the rest of the summer," he added, placing the books carefully on the end of Harry's bed.

Harry nodded and opened his mouth to ask about the tutoring, but before he could say anything, the headmaster continued.

"Now, I suggest you take your medicine, and then tuck into breakfast." He handed the phial containing the Levatio Potion to Harry.

Raising the small bottle to his mouth, Harry swallowed the contents quickly, relishing the soothing warmth that went through him as he finished. The Healing Draught followed, and then Harry turned his attention to the food.

While he ate, Dumbledore picked one of the books - How to Defend Yourself Without a Wand - off the end of the bed and began flipping through it. "Hmm..." he murmured absently. "Yes, this is good... Very well-written section, this... Nicely said..."

Harry finished quickly, and pushed the tray off to one side. "Professor? You said you wanted to talk to me?"

"Ah, yes." Dumbledore put the book back on the bed. "First of all, I took the liberty of informing Sirius, young Mr. Weasley and his parents, and Miss Granger that you are no longer at the Dursleys'. As it is your birthday tomorrow, I thought it would be wise to ensure that any presents arrived in the correct location." His eyes were twinkling brightly as he added the last.

"Thank you, sir," Harry replied. "Professor Snape said I'm not allowed to get out of bed until the day after tomorrow, so I hadn't had a chance to send Hedwig with a note."

Dumbledore nodded, and Harry saw the twinkle dim slightly as his expression became more serious. "Yes... that is one of the other things I wished to discuss with you. I know you told Professor Snape that you hadn't thought the pain you were experiencing from your visions was important. Why is that?"

Harry blinked. "Umm... I... just didn't, Professor. It just... seemed like an extension of the visions. I mean... I only had them twice over the past year, and then after..." He hesitated for a moment, and then grasped his courage with both hands and continued on, "After Voldemort... came back, I started getting them every few days. I just thought it was a change like that."

"I see." Dumbledore looked thoughtful. "And... what vision was the first one in which you experienced the pain, Harry?"

Harry frowned, trying to remember. Snape had been in it, he recalled that... Oh, right! "It was the first one I saw with Professor Snape, sir," he replied. "When Voldemort was trying to discover where I was for the summer, and Professor Snape told him that he didn't know." Although Voldemort did know that he lived with his relatives - he'd said so during his speech at the graveyard, Harry remembered suddenly... Maybe he simply didn't know where the Dursleys lived.

Dumbledore nodded again, and Harry thought he looked... satisfied. "So that was... July eighth," the headmaster said. "Aside from the night before last - when Professor Snape informed me that Voldemort was feeling... rather more upset than usual - has the type or intensity of pain changed at all?"

"The type of pain hasn't changed, sir - it hits... all over. It's been starting to get a bit stronger, but not much - aside from the night before last."

"And has it been every vision since the eighth, Harry, or only certain ones?"

That was another question Harry had to think about for a minute or two. Finally, he shook his head. "Not at the beginning, Professor. It was that one, then the one on the twelfth, the one on the fifteenth, and every one since then." He frowned. He hadn't really thought about that before. "Do you know why that is, sir?"

Dumbledore looked directly at him for a long moment. "I have my suspicions, Harry," he answered finally. "However, I do not know for certain, and I would prefer not to lead you into believing the wrong conclusion should I prove to be incorrect." His voice held the note of finality that Harry recognized from their discussion over the Pensieve earlier in the year, when he had asked about Snape.

"Yes, sir," he said resignedly.

"Now, I believe you have some reading to do before tomorrow," Dumbledore said, standing up. "I suggest you start with this one." He handed Harry How to Defend Yourself Without a Wand. "I believe you'll find it quite interesting."

Harry cast a doubtful look at the large volume, and then looked back at Dumbledore, who was almost at the door. "Professor?"

"Yes, Harry?"

Harry hesitated for a second, wondering whether he really wanted an answer to this, and then plunged ahead. "Sir... why did you ask Professor Snape to teach me?"

A surprised expression flickered across Dumbledore's face. "I think you must have misunderstood something, Harry. Professor Snape was the one who suggested that these additional lessons would be a wise idea, and volunteered to conduct them."

Harry stared at him in surprise, and Dumbledore smiled. "I think that you will find them most instructive," the headmaster added, and then slipped out the door.

The lessons were Snape's idea?! The Potions master - the one teacher Harry had been certain hated him - had volunteered to teach him over the summer?!

Opening the book to the first page, he shook his head. Ron and Hermione are never going to believe this...

Snape looked up from the potion on his lab table as the door to his workroom opened and Dumbledore stepped in.

"Ah, here you are, Severus. I've been looking all over the dungeons for you."

Snape raised one eyebrow in patent disbelief at that statement. "I told you earlier, when you came down to get the potions for Potter, that I would be working all morning, Albus. As it is only nine o'clock, I believe it still qualifies as being 'morning'."

Dumbledore smiled calmly in response. "Considering the fact that you informed Mr. Potter that he was to have finished the books you gave him for tomorrow, I had thought that you would be working on lesson plans, rather than research."

So Dumbledore didn't think he should be starting lessons tomorrow? "The lesson plans for the first week are already done, Albus. We're going to concentrate on theory, and move on to the practical when he's physically recovered." He glanced down at the potion, dropped in two beetle eyes, and gave it one stir counter-clockwise. "We'll be starting with the basic concepts in the books. I'm not fool enough to expect him to have the entire contents memorized. If we were talking about Granger, perhaps, but not Potter...

"Besides," Snape added, looking up and meeting Dumbledore's eyes, "what else is he supposed to do? He's restricted to bed until the day after tomorrow at the earliest, depending on the results of my scan in the morning. The hospital wing is exceedingly dull, and I doubt the ghosts - or even that house-elf he befriended - could keep him occupied for long. Better he have something useful to do. The last thing he needs right now is to either be brooding about the Tournament, or attempting to get out of bed before he's ready."

Dumbledore looked amused. "Careful, Severus - your compassionate side is showing through."

Snape ignored the comment. "Did you just come down here to entertain yourself by baiting me, Albus, or was there something else you wanted to discuss?"

"A few things, as it happens. First of all, I've informed Sirius and Mr. Potter's friends that he's here, so you might want to reschedule tomorrow's lessons, as he will most likely be preoccupied with gifts and well-wishes throughout the day."

Snape blinked. "Potter's birthday is tomorrow?" Well, that explained why Dumbledore had implied that he shouldn't hold lessons until later.

He wasn't going to change his mind, however. He had one month - he doubted that Potter would want to continue being tutored by him once school began again and he had his friends around him - in which to give the boy enough of a grounding in the basics that he'd be able to continue to develop his skills on his own. The sooner he started, the better. "I've already informed him that tomorrow's lesson will be in the afternoon. That should allow him sufficient time to enjoy himself in the morning. What else is there?"

"Have you found a way to determine whether or not Mr. Potter has the Sensitive's gift yet?" Dumbledore asked, accepting his change of subject.

Snape sighed. "Nothing to confirm it, no. The resistance I sensed when I scanned him is apparently one indicator, much as his ability with wandless magic is, but neither of them are conclusive. Some of what I've read implies that there is definitely a way for one Sensitive to identify another, but there's no explanation of how."

"Hmmm..." Dumbledore murmured thoughtfully.

Snape glared at him. He knew that innocent-sounding murmur all too well. "Albus... What are you up to?"

"Up to?" Dumbledore asked. "Whatever do you mean, Severus?"

"I know the sound of you plotting something. I've heard it often enough."

The headmaster didn't even have the courtesy to look guilty. "Now, really, Severus...

"As it happens," the old wizard continued, "I spent yesterday afternoon re-doing some of my research into the Sensitive's gift. I'm more convinced than ever that Mr. Potter is indeed a Sensitive."

"That doesn't help unless you've also found some way to test for conclusive proof," Snape said, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Glancing at the clock, he dropped a single rose petal into the cauldron and muttered a quick incantation, before stirring it three times clockwise. "Have you?" It would be entirely too much like Albus to wait for him to find a way to discover whether or not Potter was a Sensitive, and then reveal that he'd known it all along.

"Not... precisely." Dumbledore frowned, and Snape immediately focused his entire attention on the headmaster. Frowns from Dumbledore were never a good sign. "I did, however, find some information that suggests that Mr. Potter might be feeling the Cruciatus curses in his visions because he is a Sensitive."

Albus was hiding something, Snape knew. If he hadn't been, he would have explained precisely what information he'd found that had led him to that conclusion. And he had that expression on his face that stated that he had said all he was going to say on the subject - for now, at least.

Snape sighed again. "Very well, Albus. I suppose we'll stand a better chance once I actually start his practical Defence training. Was there anything else?"

"Just two other things. First of all, I received an owl from Hagrid earlier; I'm going to have to be away from Hogwarts for a while. He's run into some trouble with the giants, I'm afraid."

Snape rolled his eyes. He wasn't overly fond of Hagrid - the half-giant had a very narrow view of some things, and despite Dumbledore's hiring him as the professor for Care of Magical Creatures, was not all that bright. Nonetheless, he was loyal to Dumbledore, and a good man to have at your back in a fight; and he'd stood up for Snape, on more than one occasion. "How long, do you think?"

"With any luck, not more than a week," Dumbledore said, turning to head for the door.

Snape raised one eyebrow. "What about that other thing you wanted to discuss?"

"Oh, yes," the headmaster said. He opened the door, and then looked back at Snape. "For some reason, Mr. Potter was apparently under the impression that I was the one who suggested the tutorials. I was simply wondering why."

Before Snape could come up with a reply, Dumbledore was gone, the door swinging closed behind him.

---

"Sirius!"

Mundungus Fletcher glanced up from the map he was studying to look at his companion. "What have you done now?"

Sirius's pale eyes widened and he did his best to look innocent. He wasn't terribly successful. "Done? Me? Gus, you wound me! Moony's just hyper today."

Mundungus looked sceptical. "Remus? Hyper? Are you sure you're not on something, Sirius?"

Sirius did his best to look even more innocent, but the effect was ruined when the door opened and Remus poked his head in, saying, "Oh, Snuffles!"

An evil grin crossed Mundungus's face. "Snuffles?"

Remus chuckled. "New nickname. And he has only himself to blame for it, too."

"Moony!" Sirius protested. "Why are you telling him that?"

"Well, it's true. And if you're going to get mail addressed to Snuffles," Remus pulled an envelope out of his pocket and held it up, "Gus will need to know who to give it to."

"Mail?" Sirius repeated, as both he and Mundungus stood up. "From?" His eyes were fixed intently on the letter.

"Dumbledore, I think," Remus replied, handing it over. "It looks like his writing, at least, and arrived with a Hogwarts owl."

"Has something happened?" Mundungus asked.

Remus shrugged. "It's only addressed to Snuffles, not all of us," he said, as Sirius rapidly tore open the envelope and scanned the letter. "Probably not Order business."

"Huh?"

Mundungus and Remus both looked at Sirius questioningly. "What is it, Snuffles?" Mundungus asked.

Sirius glared evilly at him, and then returned his gaze to the letter. "You were right, Moony; it is from Dumbledore. He says that Harry's at Hogwarts, and will be staying there for the rest of the summer."

"Why?" Remus asked.

Sirius frowned, looking a bit concerned. "It doesn't say. Just that he sent one of the staff to check on Harry, since Arabella is busy elsewhere, and... well, I'll quote. 'Circumstances arose that resulted in the staff member in question removing Harry from the custody of the Dursleys.' He also says that I'm not to worry, Harry's doing well, and Dumbledore's taken the liberty of arranging for him to receive some extra Defence tutoring for the rest of the summer."

"Well, that's certainly a good thing," Remus remarked, leaning against the doorframe. "Additional tutoring can only help, and considering Harry's situation..."

Sirius's frown deepened. "Dumbledore hasn't mentioned who's going to be tutoring him, however," he commented.

Mundungus and Remus exchanged glances. Both of them could think of one professor who would be in a perfect position to teach Harry Potter more about Defence Against the Dark Arts - particularly with respect to Voldemort - but they also both knew better than to mention that to Sirius.

"Perhaps it's this year's Defence teacher," Remus suggested quickly. "With Voldemort--" he narrowed his eyes as Mundungus flinched slightly at the name, "revived, Dumbledore won't be taking any chances. He'll have picked someone good for the job."

"Yeah," Mundungus chimed in. He could tell that Remus was thinking the same thing he was - that they couldn't give Sirius a chance to think about which professors might be at Hogwarts all summer who had experience in dealing with the Dark Arts. In fact, Mundungus wouldn't be surprised if Snape had been the 'staff member in question' who had removed Harry Potter from his relatives' house; he couldn't think of any other reason for Dumbledore to avoid any names. "Anyway, Sirius, now that you know that young Harry's perfectly safe, why don't you return your attention to helping me? Arthur's going to need some more results."

Sirius sighed. "Fine," he muttered, stuffing the letter into one of his pockets. "Moony," he continued, as he sat back down at the table, "when you take Harry's gift to the post, remember to send it to Hogwarts."

"In which case I'd better do it now," Remus replied, as he headed out of the room. "Otherwise, it'll never get there on time. Good luck!"

Mundungus also returned his attention to the map. "All right, we've got one potential Dark Arts cache locked down, so let's see if we can find another before we're due to contact Arthur..."

---

Ron winced, glancing involuntarily upwards, as another explosion came from the direction of Fred and George's bedroom. The twins had spent the past month busily - not to mention cheerfully - blowing things up; somehow, they'd apparently managed to find an investor for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, and had been taking advantage of that fact. There seemed to be owls coming and going almost constantly from their bedroom window, and Ron had noticed that his mother seemed to have given up on the idea of dissuading them.

There was a sudden tapping sound from the window, and Ron looked over to see a large barn owl waiting impatiently outside. Putting the Transfiguration textbook he'd been reading down on the table - Hermione had been bugging him about getting his homework done - he got up and opened the window.

The owl flew in, landed on the back of his chair, and extended the letter it had been carrying toward Ron. He took it, and blinked in surprise as he noticed the Hogwarts crest on the back. But it couldn't be their school letters - it was addressed only to him.

Opening it, he quickly skimmed through the letter, and then re-read it, much slower.

Mr. Ronald Weasley,

I am writing to inform you of the fact that Mr. Potter is currently at Hogwarts and will be staying at the school for the remainder of the summer. Please direct all mail for Mr. Potter to Hogwarts. I have also written to Miss Granger and our friend Snuffles, advising them of Mr. Potter's relocation.

Please be advised (and if you would do me the courtesy of informing your mother, it would be appreciated) that at the present time, I cannot permit Mr. Potter to visit your family; nor, in fact, is he permitted to leave the grounds of Hogwarts at all, for his own safety. You may assure your mother that his textbooks and school supplies will be picked up for him by one of the professors.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the summer, and look forward to seeing you, your brothers, and your sister upon your return to school in September.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Ron was still staring at the letter when his parents came into the room.

"What's that, dear?" his mother inquired.

"A letter from Professor Dumbledore," Ron replied, uncertain as to what, exactly, he was feeling.

"Oh?" his father asked.

"He said that Harry's at Hogwarts, and will be for the rest of the summer. And that he can't let Harry come visit us."

His mother nodded thoughtfully. "Well, if he's at Hogwarts, at least he's safely away from those horrid relatives of his," she replied. "May I see?"

Ron handed her the letter, and waited as she read it, with his father reading over her shoulder.

"Snuffles?" she said archly, a moment later. "And just who is Snuffles?"

Ron glanced down at his feet for a moment. "Sirius Black," he replied quietly.

His mother, who had met Sirius at the end of the Third Task, knew that he was innocent, and Ron had no doubt that she had told his father. However, the rest of the family didn't know, and Ron was pretty sure that Dumbledore didn't want them knowing just yet. Especially not Percy, who - although he had accepted Dumbledore and Harry's word that You-Know-Who was back - still believed that the Ministry as a whole was stainless and infallible.

"Snuffles," his father repeated thoughtfully, and then chuckled. "Excellent! I think I'll have some fun with that..." Still chuckling, he headed back into the kitchen.

His father, Ron knew, was one of a handful of people inside the Ministry who believed Dumbledore, and, as a result, was involved at some level in the fight against You-Know-Who. Unfortunately, neither of his parents were saying much about how he was involved, and no one, not even Fred and George, had been able to discover the answer.

"Well," his mother said suddenly, pulling him out of his thoughts, "you did tell Pig and Hermes to deliver Harry's presents to him, not just to the Dursleys' house, right?"

"Of course, Mum," Ron replied. Then he paused. "I wonder if we could visit Harry, if he can't come here."

"Well, write and ask, before this owl has to leave," his mother suggested. "Then, if you want, you can use Errol to let Hermione know."

"Thanks, Mum!" Grabbing a quill and parchment from the table, Ron scribbled a quick note to Professor Dumbledore, and one to Harry, and then sent the owl off. He then wrote a slightly longer letter to Hermione, explaining that he'd asked Dumbledore if they could visit, before returning his attention - reluctantly - to his Transfiguration homework.

---

Hermione looked up from her perusal of the Daily Prophet when the sound of an owl tapping on the window caught her attention. Opening the window, she let the owl in and took the letter it proffered her.

She was surprised to see the Hogwarts crest on the back of the envelope, and quickly opened it.

Miss Hermione Granger,

I am writing to inform you of the fact that Mr. Potter is currently at Hogwarts and will be staying at the school for the remainder of the summer. Please direct all mail for Mr. Potter to Hogwarts. I have also written to Mr. Weasley and our friend Snuffles, advising them of Mr. Potter's relocation.

Please also be advised that at the present time, Mr. Potter will be required to remain within the Hogwarts school grounds for the rest of the summer, in order to ensure his safety, and so will not be permitted to visit the Weasleys in August. One of the professors will obtain Mr. Potter's textbooks and school supplies from Diagon Alley for him.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the summer, and look forward to seeing you upon your return to school in September.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Hermione frowned as she studied the letter. She instantly noticed that Professor Dumbledore had given no explanation for why Harry had been relocated to Hogwarts, just said that he had been. She wondered if Ron or Sirius had been given any more information, or if Dumbledore had perhaps decided there was too much of a chance of the owls being intercepted.

Frowning, she handed the owl a treat and let it leave, and then returned her attention to the Daily Prophet. She had little doubt that Ron would owl her as soon as he received his letter from the headmaster, and she'd see what his reaction to the situation was. Meanwhile, she had to finish checking the paper.

So far, Rita Skeeter had kept her side of their bargain, but Hermione wasn't sure if it would last; especially not if the reporter thought there was something else going on with Harry. That was one reason why she'd re-subscribed to the Daily Prophet.

The other reason was to keep informed on the activities of the Death Eaters and Voldemort - or, at least, what Cornelius Fudge let the paper print about them. It was obvious from the articles published about the three attacks that had taken place so far that Fudge still didn't believe the Dark Lord was back. That worried Hermione; worried her a great deal. If the Ministry kept denying Voldemort's return - and people did trust the Ministry - then they wouldn't know to protect themselves against the Dark Lord, rather than just bands of Death Eaters. Yes, Dumbledore had made that announcement at the Leavetaking Feast, but Hermione wasn't sure that many of the parents actually believed him, whatever their children might think.

Two hours later, just before Hermione was about to go down and join her parents for dinner, a familiar ragged-looking owl flew in her window and collapsed on her desk.

"Oh, Errol," Hermione muttered, shaking her head, as she removed the letter from his beak.

Hermione,

Just got a letter from Dumbledore saying that Harry's at Hogwarts for the rest of the summer - which you probably know already, since the letter said he was also writing to you and Snuffles to let you know. Only problem is, Dumbledore also said Harry won't be allowed to come visit us; he's going to be restricted to the school grounds for his safety.

At Mum's suggestion, I've written him back to ask if we can visit Harry instead. That way, we can still see him over the summer. I'll let you know as soon as I get a reply back.

Fred and George are still at it; I think there's been more explosions over the past two weeks than there were all summer last year. I can't help but wonder where they got the money for it all; it's the Great Weasley Family Mystery this summer.

Got to finish this off or Errol will never make it to your place before nightfall - Pig and Hermes are taking Harry's present to him. Let me know what you think about the situation with Harry.

-- Ron

Well, it would be nice if they could visit Harry at Hogwarts, but something - perhaps the tone of Dumbledore's letter - told Hermione that it was unlikely to be permitted. She'd write Ron back tomorrow, once poor Errol had had a chance to recover.

"Hermione! Dinner!" her mother called from downstairs.

"Coming, Mum!" Hermione replied. She quickly gave Errol a bowl of water and an owl treat, and then hurried down to the dining room.

---

Harry closed the potions book, put it on his bedside table, and leaned back against the pillows.

It had been a long day, doing nothing but reading, interspersed with visits from Dobby at lunch and dinner. The house-elf had chatted away to Harry while he ate, which had at least provided some relief from the monotony of reading.

And the books themselves...

The book on Dark Creatures had been pretty much what he'd expected, and Harry had been able to skim through the sections on creatures they'd covered in third year with Professor Lupin, only checking for new information in those parts. The book on potions, which he'd only just finished, had been surprisingly interesting, with the potion recipes interspersed with anecdotes of their use in battles, and an entire section devoted solely to different types of healing potions; he'd even found mention of the Levatio Potion in there, although not the recipe itself. It made sense, of course, especially considering the fact that he seemed to regularly end up in the hospital wing after a battle with Voldemort, but he'd never really thought about healing potions assisting with Defence Against the Dark Arts before.

It was the last book, the one Dumbledore had advised him to read after breakfast, however, that was occupying most of his thoughts just at the moment.

As Harry had suspected, it did indeed have a section devoted to physical defence. However, that was only one section of the rather large book. Most of it involved discussions of wandless magic and using it for protection.

Harry already knew a bit about wandless magic; after all, that was how he'd freed the snake at the zoo on Dudley's eleventh birthday, how he'd blown up Aunt Marge two years ago, and how Neville had survived a drop out of an upstairs window when he was eight. What Harry hadn't known was that the majority of wizards had very little wandless magic, only enough to do very basic things. According to what he understood from How to Defend Yourself Without a Wand, what he'd done to Aunt Marge meant that he had more ability to do wandless magic than over half the wizarding world, but it couldn't tell him exactly how much ability he had.

The book had gone into detail about ways to use wandless magic for defence, no matter how much or how little of it you had. The point it emphasized, over and over again, was that with wandless magic, your enemy didn't know what you were about to do, and how that surprise could end up giving you a huge advantage in a fight. It had given Harry a great deal to think about - as well as the definite impression that the writer must have been a Slytherin.

Shooting a quick glance at his watch, Harry blinked in surprise to see that it was after midnight already. He was now officially fifteen years old. He could only hope that Ron, Hermione and Sirius had received Dumbledore's letters in time to keep any presents from going to the Dursleys'; he didn't think Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would appreciate being woken by owls with his presents, looking for him. Or that they'd at least told the owls to find him, not just given them the Dursleys' address.

Which reminded him - what had the Dursleys' reactions been Saturday morning when they'd woken up and found him gone? He seriously doubted that Snape had left them a note, or any such thing. Had Dumbledore notified them? He'd have to ask...

"Still up, Harry?" came the headmaster's voice suddenly from the door, and Harry looked up, surprised again, to see Dumbledore walk in with a bunch of packages floating behind him.

"I've only just finished reading the books Professor Snape left for me, sir," Harry replied. Then, thinking that he'd probably better not try to get Snape in trouble if the professor was going to be tutoring him for the next month, he added rapidly, "Besides, I always stay up until my birthday."

Dumbledore smiled in response to that. "Ah, yes, it is after midnight, isn't it. Happy birthday, Harry. I had a number of owls at my window after several of them tried to find you in Gryffindor Tower. A good thing, too; Professor Snape would have been most displeased if you'd had to get out of bed to let them in here."

Harry nodded as Dumbledore guided the presents to the foot of his bed and lowered them to the covers. Now was the perfect time to ask... "Professor, what have the Dursleys been told?"

"Your aunt and uncle? I sent them a letter Saturday morning explaining that you'd been removed from their care for the rest of the summer due to problems with your health." Dumbledore shrugged. "Now, I'll leave you to open your presents in peace. Just remember to get a good night's sleep; I don't think Professor Snape would appreciate it if you were to fall asleep while he is teaching you."

Harry felt himself pale slightly at the thought of what Snape's reaction would be if that happened, and Dumbledore chuckled. "It's unlikely that you'll see me for the next week or so; I have to deal with a few things outside of Hogwarts," the headmaster continued. "Professor Snape is in charge of the school while I'm gone. The only others here at the moment are Professor Binns, Mr. Filch, the house-elves, and the ghosts."

Dumbledore's expression became sober, though his eyes were still twinkling merrily. "I expect you to obey Professor Snape as you would me, Harry. I don't want you wandering around at night, and you must remain on school grounds, for your own safety. We must not let Voldemort learn that you're here, and we most definitely must not provide him with the opportunity to grab you."

Harry nodded, Dumbledore's words making his mood equally sombre. He was fully aware of the danger to himself; and equally aware of what Dumbledore hadn't said. If Voldemort found out that he was at Hogwarts, the Dark Lord would expect Snape to do something about it, and would also wonder why it hadn't been Snape who told him in the first place. And while Harry still didn't like Snape - and, he suspected, probably never would - he didn't want the Potions master to die, either. "I'll be good, Professor," he promised.

"Excellent. Well then, as I said, I'll leave you to open your presents, and I expect I'll see you in about a week's time." Dumbledore smiled again, and then headed out the door.

Focusing his attention on the pile of presents at the foot of his bed, Harry reached first for a large square one, with Quidditch wrapping paper. Opening it, he found a wooden box labeled Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, and a letter.

Hello, partner of ours! Happy birthday!

Enclosed you will find a large sample box of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, along with instructions on how to make use of all our new items.

You will no doubt be pleased to know that we've already started making a return on your investment. It's become the great family mystery of the summer, but - as promised - we aren't saying a word. Some of the guesses Ron and the others have come up with are absolutely hilarious; we'll share them with you when we see you.

We'll be buying Ron his dress robes when we go to Diagon Alley to get our school supplies. Which do you think would be better: dark blue or golden brown?

-- Gred and Forge

Harry laughed as he finished reading. It was good to know that the twins were enjoying themselves; and he'd been right, he knew that. They would all need something to laugh about; now more than ever. What Voldemort had done so far proved that.

The next package was the usual cake and jumper - this one the same green as his eyes, with his initials done in gold over the left side of his chest - from Mrs. Weasley. He put the cake on the bedside table and the jumper on the chair, and moved on to the next gift.

This one was strangely shaped, and Harry wasn't sure who it was from. Opening it, he found a practice Snitch kit, and a photo of the Bulgarian Quidditch team, with personalized signatures from all of the players. Like the present from Fred and George, there was a letter inside as well.

Harry,

Happy Birthday! I just got back from my visit to Viktor in Bulgaria. He was more than happy to help me pick out your birthday gift; he says that the practice kit is the same as the one he used to use, and he arranged for the signed photo. I thought you might like both. (I had a wonderful time there, by the way. The wizarding museums over there are wonderful, and Viktor was quite happy to play tour guide.)

I hope things have been going well, and that the Dursleys haven't been treating you badly. Have you had any more visions? If so, I hope you've let Dumbledore and Snuffles know.

How is Snuffles, by the way? Have you heard from him yet? Has he finished 'alerting the old crowd', as Dumbledore asked him to? I hope he's been eating regularly - he still looked awful last month.

I've got to go - I have to check the Daily Prophet (I'm keeping my eye out for anything by Rita Skeeter) and finish my Potions essay (four feet on the uses of unicorn horn - I wonder if we're going to be concentrating on healing potions next term?). I hope you've been getting your homework done as well...

Write me and let me know what's going on, okay? Since I'm back in England now, we don't have to worry about continental owl post...

-- Hermione

Harry shook his head in amusement. Hermione never changed.

He didn't know what to tell her about the visions, however. Maybe if he just told her that yes, he had had other visions, and he'd already told Dumbledore? He didn't really want to go into detail about any of them - not to Hermione, and not to Ron. Not with what he'd seen happen in them.

Well, he'd think about it later. Tomorrow. He wasn't going to be able to reply before then, anyway. For now, he still had a few more presents to open.

The present from Ron was something of a surprise. Harry had expected something Quidditch-related, but instead Ron had given him a book - it was almost as though Ron and Hermione had switched - entitled Strategy: How to Win at Wizard's Chess. There was also a fairly lengthy - for Ron, anyway - letter.

Hey, happy birthday, Harry!

Thought you might appreciate this book, all things considered - my grandad swore it was the best book ever for learning chess strategies, and we might be able to surprise Dean and Seamus come September, not to mention Hermione, if you can hold your own.

D'you know she just spent two weeks in Bulgaria with Krum?! And here I thought she wasn't going to go, after everything that happened. Not that Krum was to blame for it, of course, but still...! At least she's back home now.

Harry chuckled quietly, reading that, and wondered when Ron would realize that he was actually jealous of Viktor Krum.

On to other news... We still haven't managed to figure out who Fred and George managed to rope into investing in Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. They've barely come out of their room for the past two weeks, and there's been more explosions during that time than there were all last summer. Mum's basically given up on convincing them to stop - I think Dad spoke with her about it.

And speaking of Dad - he's been awfully busy lately, and no one's giving us any explanations. All he and Mum will say is that it's a busy time, trying to deal with the Death Eater attacks - even though there's only been three, so that's obviously not the whole story. Especially since Dad isn't an Auror. All I know is that it has something to do with Dumbledore and You-Know-Who, but not what. Any ideas?

How are the Dursleys treating you? And how's Snuffles? Any clue what he's doing for Dumbledore?

-- Ron

Harry frowned slightly as he re-read the part about Mr. Weasley. Part of the reason Voldemort had been so angry Friday night was because there had been Ministry raids on caches of Dark Arts materials the Death Eaters had stored away after his original disappearance; caches that Voldemort seemed to want fully intact. Had Mr. Weasley been involved with that? It would make a certain amount of sense, since Mr. Weasley was apparently one of the few people in the Ministry who actually believed that Voldemort was back, but Harry wasn't sure - and he didn't think that Snape would tell him if he asked, even if the Potions master knew.

Sighing, Harry put the letter and the book down on the table beside the cake, and turned his attention to the last package. Opening it up, he was surprised to see a small, delicately carved wooden box. He tried to lift the lid, and couldn't. Frowning slightly, he turned his attention to the letter.

Harry,

This is a joint present from Padfoot and myself (he's busy at the moment, which is why he isn't writing this letter). The box is my contribution; the contents are Padfoot's. (Don't ask me how he managed to keep hold of it while he was in Azkaban; he's refused to tell me. He may have hidden it somewhere just before going after Wormtail.)

Just in case you've never seen a wizard safe-box before (which, knowing Petunia, I suppose you probably haven't), you open it by touching your wand to the lid. Each box is specifically keyed to one person; I took the liberty of arranging for Mr. Ollivander to key it to you after the Wand Weighing Ceremony during the Tournament.

Harry pulled his wand out from under his pillow - he wasn't sure whether Snape or Dumbledore had put it there, but it was convenient and unlikely to fall on the floor - and tapped the lid of the box. It sprang open, and Harry looked inside to see a cloak brooch in the shape of a red lily, gilded with gold.

He stared at it for a moment, knowing instantly who it had belonged to - his mother - and then returned his attention to the letter.

It was a present from your father to your mother upon our graduation from Hogwarts. Padfoot says he found it in Godric's Hollow just after Hagrid left to take you to Dumbledore. He thought that you would like to have it.

We both hope that you're having a good summer. Don't worry too much about Padfoot; he's laying low here, and I'm making certain that he gets fed properly. He's looking much healthier than he was.

We should both be seeing you sometime in the new school year.

-- Moony (and Padfoot)

Harry reached into the box and gently ran his finger over the petals, and then very carefully closed it and put it on top of the book from Ron. He would think about it later.

There were no more packages, but there were two letters still lying on the bed. Picking the first one up, Harry immediately recognized Hagrid's writing.

Harry,

Sorry I couldn't get you your gift on time for your birthday, but I've been busy working for Dumbledore on the continent. I should be back by the time school starts, and I'll give you your present then.

Olympe and I are getting along well. Say hi to Fang for me.

-- Hagrid

That made Harry smile again. Hagrid was another person who never changed (although he couldn't help but wonder how Hagrid had known he was at Hogwarts in time to write this letter). At least it looked like Madame Maxime had indeed joined him on his mission for Dumbledore - which was, Harry suspected, acting as emissaries to the giants. Despite Fudge's refusal to even consider it, Dumbledore was undoubtedly well aware of what would happen if the giants were to side with Voldemort.

There was only one more letter left, but Harry couldn't think who else might have written him for his birthday. Unless, of course, Sirius had decided to write a separate letter from the one Lupin had sent...

His life seemed to be full of surprises today, however, because the letter was another one from Ron.

Harry,

Just got a letter from Dumbledore saying that you're at Hogwarts, and going to be there for the rest of the summer. Why? What happened? Was it the Muggles - or the visions?

He also said that you're not going to be allowed to come to the Burrow in August, that you're going to have to stay at the school. I've written back asking if Hermione and I can come visit you there. Hermione would get a kick out of it, I think - getting to visit the library while no one else is around!

Got to finish, the school owl's getting impatient. Hope to see you soon.

-- Ron

There was another note attached to it, in Dumbledore's handwriting.

Harry,

I presume this message from Mr. Weasley concerns the request he has made of me, to visit over the summer. However, I'm afraid that I cannot permit a visit by Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger as it would draw attention to the fact that you are here; which, as I have no doubt told you, is a very unwise idea indeed. I have conveyed this fact to young Mr. Weasley, and will be reiterating it to his parents.

-- Prof. Dumbledore

Harry sighed, a bit disappointed. He would have liked to have Ron and Hermione here with him... but he could see Dumbledore's point. Especially in light of the comments the headmaster had made just before leaving.

Besides, with Snape teaching him, Harry doubted that he'd have very much free time anyway.

Putting the letters on the table as well, Harry settled down in his bed and closed his eyes, quickly drifting off to sleep.