)O(

Harry did make it to breakfast the following morning, with a great deal of encouragement from Ron and Neville. He still found it hard to get out of bed and he could hardly believe that last nights conversation with Remus and Professor Snape had even happened.

Was he really going to be an apprentice? His mind swam with a million questions as he sat sleepily at the table and pushed his eggs around the plate. His house had been very discreet with him and no one was staring or commenting on his absence from class yesterday or the impressive snot machine he had become in the common room the night before.

Harry glanced up at the head table where his head of house and Professor Snape were conversing about something, noting that Remus wasn't at the table. He would probably be gone for the rest of the week now; either running under the moon or recovering from the after effects.

He looked down again quickly as he felt the headmasters gaze turning his way. Must the man keep staring at him? It was starting to get annoying.

There was a tap on his arm and a small first year handed him a piece of parchment which he opened discreetly.

Dear Mr Potter,

Please come to my office for ten 'o'clock this morning. You will travelling to the Burrow by floo from there. A house elf has already packed your things and a homework list for you.

It would be best if you did not discuss your trip or future arrangements with anyone just yet although you may of course consult with Miss Granger and Mr Weasley if you so wish.

Professor McGonagall

P.S. Please do finish your eggs Mr Potter, they are doing you no good sat on your plate.

Harry flushed bright red and glanced up at the stern witch who was looking over her glasses at him pointedly. He gave her a small nod and forked a pile of the scrambled eggs into his mouth. He was sure he saw a smile cross Snape's face for a moment, before the two professors continued their discussion.

)O(

Harry managed to evade his friends after breakfast and made his way to the astronomy tower, where he sat watching the snow fall until it was time to go to his head of house's office. He tried not to think about all the lessons he was going to miss and to quell his nervousness at seeing Mr and Mrs Weasley again.

He couldn't help remembering what Remus had said about Mr Weasley being angry at his uncle and how the rest of the order had forced several whiskeys on him to calm him down. He hoped things wouldn't be too awkward. He didn't think he could cope with it if Molly got all tearful on him.

There was one awkward moment when he arrived at the burrow and it looked as though Molly was going to do just that, but the moment passed; partly because Professor McGonagall had immediately insisted on taking Harry up to his room and helping him unpack. She had then explained all of his homework in great detail before leaving him to 'have a word' with Molly.

Harry lay down on what he had once been Percy's bed and let his eyes drift shut. Before he knew it, the light had faded to a dull orange glow and a quiet knock was waking him.

Harry blinked around the sunset lit room, before reaching for his glasses and smiling as the face of Arthur Weasley swam into view.

'Good evening Harry. Molly is just finishing off dinner if you would like to come down and join us?'

Harry pushed himself up and looked out of the window in confusion.

'Did I sleep all day again?'

'It's just gone four 'o'clock so I think you've probably slept about five hours. Long enough to be hungry anyway. You still have about half an hour before dinner so if you want to jump in the shower and get out of those school robes then there is time.'

He smiled gently and left Harry too it. Harry sat on the side of the bed and blinked sleepily for a few minutes. He felt rather disorientated; he hadn't expected to be whisked away from Hogwarts just a few weeks into the new term and the burrow felt strange too. It was so quiet.

He was used to the Weasley's home resounding with explosions and pounding feet on the stairs. Instead it was deathly silent and the deep snow outside meant that even the normal sounds of the surrounding woodland were muffled.

Harry emerged into the kitchen twenty minutes later, feeling more alert. His hair was still damp from the hurried shower and he looked rather ruffled in a creased T- shirt, a pair of his new jeans and a sweater that he was shrugging himself into.

He sat a the table beside Mr Wealsey, who was reading the evening edition of The Daily Prophet and the man glanced sideways at him before pulling his wand and absently muttering a charm. Harry felt a quick blast of warm air hit him and his hair was immediately bone dry.

Arthur grimaced then. 'Oh dear, sorry Harry.'

Harry ran an exploratory hand through his hair and laughed. It was all stuck up like a hedgehog and didn't seem likely to be laying flat any time soon.

'It's all right Mr Weasley; it's always like that. No one believes that I actually brush my hair and that it's normal mess is tidy for me.'

Molly smiled softly at him.

'James was just the same,' she murmured. 'He once got fined a days wages in the Auror department for 'looking like a wet mop,''

Harry smiled. 'Did you know my dad well, Mrs Weasley?'

Molly shook her head sadly.

'No, I only met him a few times but I knew Lily rather well. We used to meet in Diagon Alley once a month for coffee before things got too dangerous; Alice Longbottom too. You and Ron shared a crib once you know?'

Harry's eyes widened. 'You're kidding!'

Arthur chuckled. 'I remember that. We went to a garden party at the Longbottoms' and you and Ron must have been about four or five months old. I don't think you had met before. Your dad had already put you down in Neville's crib for a nap when Ron started getting testy. We put him down next to you and the pair of you both dropped right off to sleep cuddling each other. We had hoped to have you both grow up side by side, but then the Longbottoms' and your parents went into hiding and I don't think we ever saw them again.'

Harry looked down at his hands and thought for a moment how different things could have been for him and his family. Molly turned back to the stove with a soft sigh whilst Arthur tried to get a good look at the boy without being caught staring.

He had had to stifle his gasp when Harry had appeared at the bottom of the stairs in his new jeans. Arthur was sure he could get his hands around the boys waist if he tried. He didn't think he had ever seen a child that skinny.

They ate in silence that evening, but it was a comfortable silence. Arthur used his paper as an excuse not too have to pay too much attention to the boy sat beside him. He wanted Harry to feel relaxed and not as if he was on display but he also didn't trust himself not to cry if he focused too much on Harry's slight frame.

What those Muggles' had done was unforgivable. He didn't care if their house was gone and Dursley was in a mental hospital. It wasn't enough; the man should have to pay. Arthur took a deep breath and forced himself to stay calm.

Harry needed mature adults around him now; not vengeance craved teenagers. However, speaking of vengeance...

He smiled happily at the story on page six and pushed it across the table so Harry and Molly could see. There in moving splendour was Delores Umbridge being led away by two rather fierce looking Dementors.

'Seven years!' Harry exclaimed. 'She really got seven years.'

Molly sniffed in a disgruntled way. 'For fifty odd counts of an unforgivable curse they should have sent her down for life!'

Harry shuffled in his seat, his fingers automatically scratching the back of his left hand. He knew the count would have been a lot higher if the court had known about all his little interactions with the toad.

Harry was overwhelmed with a wave of gratitude to Snape. He knew it was his potions master who had started proceedings against Umbridge and somehow the man had managed to keep Harry completely out of it.

They all read the article and Molly folder the paper with a smile, handing it back to her husband. They had been beyond furious when they realised that four of their children had experienced a detention with that woman and been extremely relieved that none of them had been exposed enough to the blood quill to have a scar.

'Good riddance to her,' Molly stated firmly and Harry nodded with enthusiasm, rubbing his hand.

Arthur absently followed the movement and froze as he glimpsed a trace of very visible white lines on the boys hand.

'Excuse me,' he whispered; abruptly standing and fleeing the room, his face set in stone.

Harry glanced at Mrs Weasley with a worried frown and she smiled.

'He's often like this is the evenings. Probably had a flash of inspiration of the next muggle item to enchant.'

Harry snorted in amusement and returned to his unfinished pudding, missing the worried look that Molly threw towards the study door. She had seen a flash of fury on her husbands face and had to resist the urge to chase after him and see what was wrong.

The table had been cleared and Harry was curled up in a chair near the fire when Mr Weasley returned and joined them.

'Did Molly tell you that Professor McGonagall is stopping by for a bit this evening?' He asked the young man and Harry shook his head.

'No sir, is she coming to see you?'

Arthur smiled softly. 'I rather think she wanted to catch up with her new ward and ensure that he was settled here.'

Harry blushed and looked down. He wouldn't be her ward for much longer. He wondered if Ron's parents knew about the new arrangements or if it was being kept secret form the order as well?

'How long will I be staying here Mr Weasley?' Harry asked quietly, worried that he was inconveniencing the couple.

Arthur patted the boys knee and smiled as his wife came to join them, a tray of steaming mugs balanced in one of her hands.

'You can stay as long as you need to Harry. Until Sunday at least. I think Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey were keen for you get some proper rest away from the curious eyes of your school friends. You have had a difficult few weeks.'

Harry grimaced. He felt a bit of an idiot going to pieces when when nothing had really happened. He had been through much worse over the years; it just seemed so weird that things seemed to have overwhelmed him now.

'I'm just tired,' Harry mumbled, his cheeks hot as the two elder Weasleys' regarded him fondly.

'I'm not surprised Harry. There is only so much the body can take before it starts shutting down on you. You just enjoy the break and try not to worry about anything for a while. You can rest as much as you need to.'

He nodded at Arthur's words and picked up one of the mugs of tea; mainly to have something to do with his hands. It felt so strange to be surrounded by adults focused on him. He wondered how different it would have been if he had told someone about the Dursleys' in his first year.

Would they have listened? Would he have ended up living here with Ron' parents or some other wizarding family? He sighed heavily, wishing for the first time that he had confided in someone back then.

The Gryffindor head arrived at eight and settled in an armchair beside Harry, happily accepting a hot drink from Molly and putting her feet up on a stool. She looked extremely comfortable here and Harry realised that it was likely his head of house was a regular visitor to The Burrow.

'How did you get on with your homework today dear?' she asked quietly and Harry blushed and looked away.

'Erm, I fell asleep. I will do twice as much tomorrow.' he reassured her quickly and she frowned.

'Just do as much as you can Harry. One of the teachers will be stopping by each evening to check in on you but I don't want you to push yourself too hard. You have been doing very well so far this term and several of the professors have said that you seem to be a bit ahead on the reading?'

Harry nodded. 'I worked really hard over the holidays.'

'Well then; there is no need to worry about a few days of missed school is there?'

Harry smiled gratefully and sank back into the soft chair. It was nice to be sat staring at a fire in a quiet room, rather than dealing with the rather busy common room.

'Severus will be coming to have a talk with you tomorrow afternoon,' she said quietly when Molly and Arthur disappeared into the kitchen for a moment. 'So you should think about any questions that you have for him about the new arrangement.'

Harry smiled shyly. 'Do you approve ma'am,' he asked, wondering if she was upset with him for ditching him new guardian so quickly.

Minerva leant over and squeezed his knee gently. 'I heartily approve Harry. I think Severus and Remus will be wonderful guardians for you and the fact that we are arranging it this way makes it much more secure for you. It'[s high time you were challenged a little more in the subjects that you are gifted in. I know Severus is very pleased that we have found a way to make this work. He was very touched that you asked him Harry.'

Harry looked away from her piercing gaze and smiled, his heart strangely warmed by her comments.

'Do Mr and Mrs Weasley know?'

'Not yet but Severus will explain things to them tomorrow. You know that they have applied for guardianship themselves?'

Harry nodded and glanced uncomfortably to the kitchen where the elder Weasleys' were putting dishes away. He hoped they wouldn't be too hurt when they found out what was happpening.

'The headmaster had already refused to approve their request so they know that it's not going to happen,' she added in an almost whisper and Harry nodded his understanding.

'Because of the security problems?'

The elder witch nodded sadly. 'It's horrible that we have to even think about these things but the truth is, the more people that have to be keyed into a properties wards, the less secure it is. I would be almost impossible to keep the wards here strong enough for more than a few weeks at a time. The headmaster and Professor Snape were here last night strengthening them and that will likely last ten days.'

Harry found a million questions running through his mind and decided that a study session on wards definitely needed to be added to his list.

Molly and Arthur returned and they all chatted together for a while, discussing Umbridge's fall from grace and the ever growing crisis at the ministry as her actions were exposed. Harry was content to lie back and listen, fascinated with the way the political system seemed to be unravelling. He almost felt sorry for the new minister; almost!

Harry went to bed as soon as the Professor left and curled into his duvet, feeling a lot more relaxed than he had that morning. He thought that tomorrow, he might even be able to get up at a sensible time without Ron yelling in his ear.

)O(

Severus sat staring into the fire waiting for Minerva to return. She had promised to stop by once she had returned and let him know how Harry was doing. As part of the apprenticeship plan, the three professors had agreed to meet once a week and update on how the plan was working. Severus glanced at the charmed window in his quarters, frowning at the full moon hanging in the sky.

For the first time he was actually nervous for the wolf, rather than nervous of him. He wanted to believe it was because he knew Harry would be upset if anything happened to Lupin but her knew that wasn't the whole truth.

He had actually started to feel something close to respect for his bedraggled colleague. The man had been invaluable to the order this year and had never once retaliated at Snape for all his snarky comments and complaints; not even after losing Black.

He glanced up at the quiet knock and smiled as Minerva came in and deposited her cloak over the back of a chair before helping herself to Severus's whiskey and settling herself on the sofa.

'He slept all day,' she stated quietly to his silent question and Severus rubbed his nose with a sigh.

'Do you think we should get a mind healer involved?'

Minerva considered the question for a moment and then shook her head.

'It's not unusual for this kind of reaction after a loss. It could be that it hasn't been safe for him to grieve properly for Sirius before now.'

Severus glanced back to the fire. 'I'm worried about depression. If the chemicals in his body shift too sharply it could impact on his magic.'

Minerva smiled softly at her colleague. He had come so far so quickly she thought..

'Give him the week Severus. If he is no better when he returns to Hogwarts then we can look at what the next steps should be. He looked a little calmer this evening; I think the break will do him all the good. Did you see The Prophet?' she asked, changing the subject and he smirked, the worried expression falling from his face.

'Yes, that nasty old toad won't be causing any trouble for a while. Did you know she turned up to her hearing in pyjamas?'

Minerva snorted. 'You're joking?'

Severus's smile grew rather feral. 'Albus told me at dinner. She turned up muttering about centaurs and spent the whole hearing rocking in her chair. The lawyers thought she was trying to full a past one and claim insanity.'

Minerva's expression became rather stern as she peered over her glasses at her younger colleague.

'You do realise that we need Peeves back at some point don't you?'

Severus raised an eyebrow at her. 'Is it my fault that he has taken a liking to Petunia Dursley?'

'Define liking Severus?' she asked sternly, her eyes sparkling.

'He has been climbing into bed with her apparently.'

The two colleagues stared at each other a moment and then collapsed into gales of laughter; Minerva wiping helplessly at her eyes.

'Peeves and Petunia; what a darling couple!'

Minerva wondered how long it would be before Petunia was sharing the same ward as her husband?

)O(