Harry walked into the library and looked around. Seeing that Hermione was the only person in the room, he quickly made his way over to the table she had claimed as her research area.

"Hey, I need your advice. Do you have time to talk?" Harry asked, worrying his lower lip.

Hermione looked up from her notes and saw that Harry was very agitated. "What is it, Harry? You know that both Ron and I will help you in any way we can," she said in a soothing tone.

"Well, it's two things actually. Wait let me just..." Harry quickly waved his wand and Hermione recognized very extensive privacy wards that Harry cast around their area.

"Ok, Harry, you have my full attention, why such drastic wards?" Hermione asked as he finished.

"It's two things really. First, how do you feel about me bringing Aunt Petunia here? I've been trying my best to think of another place to take her to, but I really think this is the safest place for her. Voldemort wouldn't think twice about using her against me, and I really don't want her to die, no matter how nasty she treated me. I'm sure that the Order has safe houses she could use just fine, but we have no idea who the spy is. I don't think it's safe for anyone outside this house to know where she was moved to. But, do you think it would be harmful to her to live in a fully magical house?" Harry paused, looking into Hermione's brown eyes, silently pleading for her normal scrutiny for this problem.

"Hmm..." Hermione said, as she thought over all that Harry had said. "I agree, Harry, I think this is the safest place for her. I would hope she would see that living in a magical home was far better than being dead, and you said that it seemed she has had a change of heart when you talked with her and your cousin in the Hospital Wing. When will she be getting out of Madam Pomfrey's care?"

"Well, she um...tonight."

Hermione giggled, causing Harry to look up from the patch of floor that had previously occupied his attention. "You will never change, will you Harry Potter? And just how did you plan on getting her here from Scotland? "

"McGonagall said that she could arrange a portkey," Harry paused to shudder, "for two or three, if Petunia either couldn't or wouldn't use the cabinet. I guess that's another question; can Muggles use stuff like the Vanishing Cabinet, or is it like a broom and feeds off the witch or wizard's magic to work?"

"Harry, what are we going to do with you? How can you forget that you accomplished a Side-Along Apparition the very first time you Apparated on your own? If you can Apparate Dumbledore, when he's practically unconscious, then I'm sure you could Side-Along your Aunt from Hogwarts to here," Hermione explained.

"Thank you, Hermione, you're wonderful! Now, this other thing I want to talk about. It's the reason for the strong wards. I don't think we are ever going to convince the Tarnished Trio, plus Ron, to let me strengthen my control over Voldemort's and my connection. If Salazar's theory is correct, and the connection really is mine to control, this might just be the advantage we need. I never thought I'd say this, and actually mean it, but Snape was right when he stopped me from casting an Unforgivable. If the Light side starts to use those, then we are lost. We will become what we are fighting against, and I refuse to do that. But, we do need to use our other advantages, and I know it down to my very core that this is one of the biggest we have! So, will you help me?" Harry pleaded.

"I couldn't have said that better myself, Harry. What do you want me to do? How can I help you with this? I'm happy to do whatever I can!" Hermione said, her eyes lit with a fire more fierce than Harry had ever seen.

"I have no idea where to begin. I know I don't want to get trapped while I'm in there, nor do I want him to find me. I'd also need to figure out how to disconnect at will as well. Is this something you could research? I know our connection is unique, so is research even possible, or will this be a trial and error, testing this and that as we go, sorta thing?" Harry was pacing as he finished, getting himself lost deep in thought.

"I'd rather try and research first, I refuse to risk your life. That would defeat the point. Maybe we could find a way for me to ground you here, and I could act as your off switch until you get the hang of it? Hmm, very interesting...now just where did that Legilimency book wander off too?" Hermione mumbled as she looked through her many stacks of books that were strung out all over the table and floor.

Many hours later, Ron looked into the library to find his two best friends nose deep in books with many parchments of notes scattered between them. He shook his head, and went to get their attention.

"Harry, Pomfrey is in the fire, she says you were supposed to be at Hogwarts an hour ago. Hermione, did you really feel the need to corrupt Harry further? I mean come on, isn't it bad enough that he got me to study at the very beginning of summer?" Ron finished with a chuckle, as his girlfriend gave him a friendly glare.

"Oh crap! I can't believe I forgot! Hermione, you really think I can do this? It will be safe?" Harry asked, as he fidgeted, coiled ready to run to the cabinet.

"Yes, Harry. It's the safest thing to do, on both accounts. Now go get her. Ron will help me get her a room ready while you're gone," Hermione said.

Harry heard Ron's sputtering, "Who's he going to get? And why do I have to help clean?", as he ran from the room.

*~~*~~*~~*

Harry was extremely happy that Hermione had insisted on him learning the Disillusionment Charm, as he ran full stop through the halls, making his way from the dungeons to the Hospital Wing. He came to a skidding stop just down from the door.

"I'm sorry...Aunt Petunia, Madam Pomfrey. Hermione...and I got caught up...in research and lost track of time," Harry explained as he tried to catch his breath.

Madam Pomfrey eyed Harry critically, "You better be grateful that Argus or his cat didn't catch you, young man. Had he caught you running in the halls, even though you are no longer a student, he would have had your hide! Now, I gather that you are here to pick up your aunt. Have you decided on a suitable place for her? I have heard nothing from Minerva on the matter."

"I believe I have, as long as Aunt Petunia is ok with it. The safest place I can think of is with me," Harry said turning to his aunt. "I can explain fully after we get you settled, but I can tell you a little now, if that's ok?" Harry asked.

"Go ahead, Harry, and don't look so worried. I was serious before, and I plan on doing my best to show you I mean it. What you did for us, well, it opened my eyes, and I don't plan on shutting them anytime soon." Petunia said, trying for a calm voice.

"It's been explained to you why you can't go home, it's just not safe there, Death Eaters are still watching it. You're not comfortable here, it's just too magical. So really, the only place left is my house. One of the major problems is that it's a fully magical wizarding home. Do you think you can handle that, living with a bunch of us in a magical home?" Harry asked carefully.

Petunia closed her eyes and gathered courage before opening them. "Harry, while I know I will miss Dudley, as he's away at school, I'm positive you have done everything you can to ensure my safety. So, let's get on with it and get ho...home. I'd like to get settled before dinner."

"Ok, is she all set Madam Pomfrey? No last minute instructions or medications?" Harry asked, knowing Poppy's leaving drill by heart from his many visits.

Poppy smiled, "No, Harry, Your aunt has a clean bill of health. Miracle really, I wish I knew how she healed so well. Poor Bill will have those scars for life," Poppy trailed off into tutting. "Oh, off with you, and it's a good thing you thought to wear that Glamour. This school can't handle your usual commotion, Mr. Potter."

"Are you ready, Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked, holding out a set of Hermione's black robes for her to put on over her dress. "If you could put this on, we can get out of here without causing too much of a disturbance," Harry asked, trying to keep the pleading tone out of his voice, but not succeeding. He then sighed in relief when she took the robes with not a single argument. ‘Hmm, maybe, just maybe she was really sincere when she said she was going to keep her mind open about all this.'

They quickly made their way from the Hospital Wing to the Great Hall doors. Luckily for them, the students were used to seeing strange people in the school, ever since the attack. As they made their way to the gates, Petunia took in all she could see about the school that helped her nephew turn into the wonderful young man that tried his hardest to rescue her family.

"Here we are, I need you to hold onto my arms, close your eyes, and do not let go until I tell you its safe. Ok?" Harry asked.

"Just what is going to happen?" Petunia asked, sounding every bit the nervous Muggle that she was.

"I am going to Apparate us home. It's kind of like that Instant Transmission from Dudley's science fiction shows on the telly. You might feel a bit strange, but it will only be for a few seconds. So, when ever you are ready..." Harry trailed off as he waited for his aunt to grab onto his forearms. As soon as she did and had her eyes close, Harry Apparated.

All at once Petunia felt as if she was being squeezed, almost to the point where she was about to scream, and then all of a sudden it was over.

"Ok, we're here. You can open your eyes now," Harry said, trying to soothe his aunt. He was sure if he hated the feeling of Apparition, then she would be utterly horrified by it.

"Harry, I can't move forward? Why can't I follow you?" Petunia questioned.

"Oh! Yes, sorry. Hold on a second," Harry said before he mumbled the incantation to let Petunia into the house, being very grateful that Albus told his aunt where Number Twelve was, since the Fidelius Charm was still in effect, although it was unsure whether or not Albus transferred Secret Keeper before he died.

"There we go, ok, see if you can follow me now," Harry said, waiting for her to move. "Great, now let's hurry inside. I don't like being out like this, it's not safe," Harry said as he practically pushed his aunt through the door.

"Now, I know it doesn't look like much. But the House-Elf that was supposed to be keeping up with the place was a bit on the, uh...well he was a bit odd. He didn't do his job very well. We've been cleaning the best we can, but haven't had much time to spare. Your room is up this way, uh hold on. Let me go find Hermione so she can let me know which room she got ready for you," Harry said before he quickly ran down the hall away from his aunt.

Petunia looked around and shuddered. ‘He's been living here? Oh my, this will never do. Maybe I can get him to go get me some cleaning supplies, surely he hasn't forgotten what I like to use, and there is no point in me just sitting around. I might as well be as useful as possible. I'll have this place sparkling when I'm done! Oh, where did he go?'

"Hello, Mrs. Dursley. I'm Hermione Granger, I'm not sure we were properly introduced earlier this summer. I am so very sorry for your loss," Hermione said as she held out her hand to shake Petunia's.

"Yes, Miss Granger. Well, where is Harry? He said he was..."

"I'm right here, sorry that took so long. Had to sort out dinner, had to let Dobby know there was another person in the house. Said he knew, because Snape had already told him. How he learned I was bringing you home, I have no idea? Hermione, you mind leading the way?" Harry said, looking puzzled when he mentioned Dobby and Snape.

"Harry, calm down," Ron whispered from behind him. "I'm sure everything will be just fine. If need be we can leave her Stunned in her room." Harry smiled, as Ron finished. They quickly looked towards Hermione to make sure she hadn't heard, and sighed in relief when it didn't look like she had. No one wanted to deal with a Hermione, going off on a rampage over manners that night.

"Here we are. I'm right down the hall on the left, and there is a bathroom off from your room, so you won't have to worry about sharing with a bunch of teenaged boys. There are three in the house, by the way. I'm sure Harry hasn't had time to fill you in quite yet. Now is there anything I can get you? Your towel closet is filled with clean towels and bed linens, I made sure myself," Hermione explained as she showed Petunia into her room, and en suite.

"This is...lovely, now where is Harry with my bags? Poppy was nice enough to have someone get me some of my things from home. Oh there you are Harry, so you still have my things in your pocket?" Petunia asked her nephew as he walked in the door with Ron.

"Aunt Petunia, this is Ron Weasley, my other best friend. I'm sure you remember both Hermione and Ron from earlier in the summer," he said as he started pulling out small bags and handing them to Hermione and Ron to enlarge once again. After all the bags were enlarged, Hermione and Ron left Harry with his aunt to explain who all was living there.

"We've got a pretty full house, there are the three of us that you've already met, as well as Lucius and Draco Malfoy, and Severus Snape," Harry stated describing the three men, and missed Petunia's slight gasp at the mention of Snape's name. "The Malfoys are father and son, and up until just a few months ago, I thought they were on the other side. In fact Draco and I have gotten into many..."

"Fights, yes I know. I received many notices from your Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore on the matter. Very upsetting, I know we were not the best in the way we treated you, but I know you were taught not to fight at school. Lucky, you hadn't been expelled." Petunia said, after she finished Harry's sentence for him.

Harry chuckled, "Let me see you put up with Malfoy for a day, and see if you don't want to strangle him, or worse. Although, speaking of that. Aunt Petunia, I don't want to scare you, no one in this house will harm you in anyway. But you need to know how to deal with the other three that live here. The Malfoys are a different breed of Wizards than my parents and I are. They, well, they don't like Muggles too much, or well that's how I grew up understanding it at least. Things have changed so much this summer; I'm not sure what to think anymore. But anyways, what I'm saying is try not to make them mad. As I said, they won't hurt you, but I don't want to chance it. Oh, and Snape he's a Half-Blood, like me, so you don't have to worry about his prejudice about Muggles. You just have to worry about his foul temper and all around nastiness. He's definitely one you don't want mad at you," Harry said holding back a shudder as the image of Snape as Harry chased him from the Tower popped up in his mind, "Yes, please don't upset him. I think that should do it for now. I'm sure you'd love to finish unpacking and freshen up before dinner. Just yell for me, if you find you need anything, and I'll get it for you. I'll come up and get you when it's time for dinner, until then I'll be in the library researching again with Hermione and Ron, ok?" Harry said.

"I'll be fine, Harry. Oh, and Harry? Thank you. I know offering me a place in your home could not have been easy for you. I'll do my best to make myself useful were possible, and stay out of your way. I know what your doing is important, not only to your world, but mine as well. There are a few things I'd like you to get me the next time you go out, but we can talk about that after dinner. I'll see you then," Petunia said, and then went back to sorting through her things.

*~~*~~*~~*

Harry checked the kitchen table to make sure there were enough place settings, and that the food was all out of the basket and set on the table properly, before he went to let everyone know that dinner was ready. Not once had it occurred to him, to wonder why he hadn't seen a single white blonde or greasy black hair that day.

Harry, Petunia, Ron, and Hermione made their way to the kitchen. As they went, Harry took the time to show Petunia around the house a little, showing her the library, as well as a few other key rooms to take note of. Especially the Drawing Room, where they had stored all the questionable items they found as they slowly cleaned the house, including the noisy portrait of Sirius' mom, and the tapestry.

"Please Aunt Petunia, promise me you will not enter this room unless you are with one of us, and we have our wand out and ready. There is stuff in there that gives us trouble even then," Harry explained.

Petunia paled slightly, and answered, "Of course, I won't go anywhere near the room even if I have all six of you with me. Same goes for any room you don't think I should enter. Thank you for the warnings, and the tour," she said, after taking a calming breath.

After that they quickly made their way down to the kitchen. Harry stopped right as he entered, noticing at once someone who shouldn't be there. Someone who helped send his Godfather to his death. Someone, who Harry never wanted to see, no matter what side she was on. Harry saw red.

"WHAT is she doing here? Isn't it enough I have let, not only Lucius and Draco Malfoy into my home, but now Narcissa as well?" He turned to glare at Snape. "She helped KILL Sirius, I refuse to let her live here!" Just as Harry said that, a wind started to pick up in the kitchen, the dishes started to rattle, and the tell tale sound of tinkling glass showed that a few things had already started to break under the force of Harry's magic.

Petunia backed away from her nephew slowly to give his friends room to get close to him.

"Harry, calm down please. I'm sure that Professor Snape wouldn't have brought her here unless it was necessary," Hermione said pleadingly, as she rubbed his back, trying to ground him to the here and now.

"Yeah, mate, calm down. This kitchen can't handle this kinda punishment. Why don't we just sit down and listen to what they have to say? Remember what you told me about what happened with Ginny? I'm sure this is the same type of thing. The Malfoys are...well they are on our side now. And have been for a while. Please, Harry, please calm down." Ron said, pulling his wand out getting ready to Stun Harry if he couldn't rein in his magic.

Slowly the wind and rattling died down, and Harry slumped into a chair, once again staring off into nothing. Just as he had when he first saw the Malfoy men, and just as before, Snape took the opportunity to rid Harry of his wand. ‘Not that this will really do much good, if he can cause that type of magic release, and then control it enough to stop it without causing an explosion in the process.'

"How long will he be like this?" Petunia asked, finally bringing attention to herself.

"You? What are you doing here? I thought you were going to stay at the school?" Snape growled, causing Petunia to take a few steps back from Harry.

"Well, Harry didn't tell me whom he was living with. Had I known you would be here, I might have reconsidered," she growled right back after she found her footing, once again.

"You two know each other?" Hermione asked.

"Of course I know him, he's one of the ones that killed poor Vernon. He's also the one that helped heal..."

"ENOUGH! We shall discuss this later. Right now we need to snap Mr. Potter here out of his dramatics. Miss Granger, would you be so kind as to get Mr. Potter here a hot cup of tea, thank you? Now, I suggest the rest of us have a seat, he might be out of it for a bit longer." Snape then took the cup of tea from Hermione and added a generous splash of calming draught to it. He then shoved it into Harry's hands, holding the steam under Harry's face letting the potions steam start to work.

Harry slowly blinked, and then took a sip of tea. It was as if it were an automatic response to him having the cup in his hands. The potion then took immediate effect, and Harry was back with them again.

"Wha..what happened? The last thing I remember..." Harry stopped and looked around the room. "Oh, so it wasn't a dream, she really is here. I guess now is the time where you explain to me how, she just had to make Kreacher hurt Buckbeak. And how there was no way to trick Bellatrix. And how Sirius was a grown man, and it was just as much his fault as it was anyone else's? Save it then, would you? I think I've quite had enough shock for one day, no need to test me temper any more," Harry said as he set down the drugged tea, and slumped back into his chair.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Petunia, I didn't mean to frighten you. It really is relatively quiet around here most of the time," Harry said through the fingers of the hand that he had covered his face with. "If you don't mind though, I think I'll head up to my room. My head feels as if Voldemort attempted a repeat performance of possession. I really think I should go lay down for a while," Harry said, and then quietly left his stunned housemates behind in the kitchen.

"Bloody Hell! Was that Harry?" Ron asked as soon as he shook himself from his stupor.

"Well, Mr. Weasley, pray tell whom else could that have been," Lucius drawled.

Draco was deathly pale as he looked at Snape, "I'm lucky to be alive, aren't I? Had he known what that spell was, how to put all his power into it, there wouldn't have been anything but little bits of me all over Myrtle's bathroom? Its no wonder I was never able to best him in school, I doubt there was a student there that could truly match him," Draco finished shakily.

"Dear, Draco, I highly doubt that even some of the teachers could best him now," Narcissa said quietly.

"Too true, Narcissa, too true," Snape replied, his voice showing none of the turmoil that churned deep inside of him. "We might as well eat dinner, I doubt he'll be down the rest of the night. No need for the rest of us to ‘Starve' ourselves," Snape said giving Petunia a furtive glare of contempt, as she flinched at his wording.

Everyone quietly agreed, and they sat down to a very subdued dinner. Unfortunately the quiet was not to last. Remus burst into the room.

"Ron, Hermione, Harry. Where's Harry? Never mind that can wait; the three of you must come with me now. There's been an attack. It was on at the Burrow. George has been badly hurt, and no one can find Molly or Ginny."