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I Needn't See the Light to Chase it

Year 3

A Harry Potter Adventure

~H~

Harry's summer went, in many ways, better than last year's. The Dursleys, partly out of fear of another 'attack' by mr Greengrass, and partly out of newfound sense of pity for his condition, had left him mostly alone. They'd even signed his permission slip without argument.

Hell, Dudley seemed to be taking Harry's blindness harder than Harry himself. Maybe something in his disability woke some sense of kinship in his cousin, because Dudley put a lot of effort into trying to be civil, if not outright nice, to Harry. Which was weird, because Dudley had no idea how to be nice and the results were oftentimes disastrous and/or hilarious.

Still, it was the sentiment that counted, and Harry appreciated it. When Harry showed Dudley his stash of Lemon Drops and allowed him to taste one, he could not order more fast enough for the big boy's liking.

The sad part was that, since he was not at Hogwarts and could not use magic, all his magic-born aid was gone. His other senses were still heightened, but not as much as with the aid of spells. He had to get a cane-a cane!- to walk safely on the streets.

Blindness came with some perks, Harry guessed. He was well aware of the smear campaign his aunt and uncle had ran him through for years, and knew of his reputation with the neighbors. However, who would hate a cripple like him?

Adding to the weirdness of this whole situation, he must have been the only blind man on earth with a cat as his guide, rather than a dog. Rufus would walk next to him on the sidewalk and nudge him in certain directions, which Harry would follow. He really was a smart cat.

Seeing him walk slowly on the street with his cane and his cute cat garnered him several sympathetic comments, a few conversations, and even a few apologies. For the first time, people his age, boys and girls he'd gone to primary school with, had come to him to talk. At first, it was simply to ask him what had happened, to which he'd given some bullshit excuse that he'd been cautioned to give by Healer Murphy. After that, though, and seeing no reprisal from Dudley, they came to him simply to hang out.

Harry's (censored) stories of his new school were a hit with his new friends. Though he did not consider them anywhere close enough as his three friends from Hogwarts, it was nice to pass a good summer. They would go on long walks, drink various caffeinated drinks, visit London, etc. Harry had his first romantic experience that summer, when a girl called Maggie kissed him one night in a park, much to the amusement and cat-calls of the others. Harry let her, because Maggie was a decent girl, even though he didn't really feel anything for her. It changed little in their dynamic. Simply, they walked with hands clasped and when everyone was seated they would occasional sit really close or even kiss. It was a good time, and Harry didn't give it much thought. Both knew he would be leaving and not come back until next summer, and neither had any illusions that they would be together during the year. As Maggie had said, they would "see what happens next summer".

He was in constant contact with his magical friends, of course. Though he politely declined Daphne's invitation to spend the summer wit her, he did agree to visit often. He went through with it, too, with mr Greengrass picking him up.

His peaceful and fun summer was blasted to bits, however, when that she-devil, aunt Marge, had visited. Though uncle Vernon had mellowed out due to his blindness, it seemed to have the opposite effect on her. She would go on constant rants regarding his poor lineage, blame everything on his parents and, as she got more and more drunk, call them progressively worse names.

It took all of Harry's self control not to blast her with accidental magic. And in the end, when his control snapped, he still retained enough of it not to blast her. He did the next best thing, and blew her up.

Literally. As in, she expanded to the size of a balloon and floated away. That seemed to be enough to make his uncle forget that he was to be pitied, apparently, because he went in a rage and demanded that he bring her down.

Harry did no such thing. Instead, he gathered his things, took Rufus and his cane, and simply left Privet Drive.

He hailed the Knight Buss after a nearly disastrous encounter with a stray dog that had Rufus hissing up a storm. Without thinking, he decided to go to Hogsmeade. He would not impose on the Greengrasses again. He had his own money, and he preferred Hogsmeade to the Leaky Cauldron.

When he arrived, a man was waiting for him outside the Three Broomsticks, where he planned to rent a room. He was guided up and into the best room available. He was told that it was a huge, luxurious room that had seen lots and lots of magic to make it that way. Most blessedly of all, a huge bowl of top-notch Lemon Drops apparently rested on the living room table.

There, waiting for him, was none other than the Minister for Magic. He was informed by the esteemed Minister that he was accused of performing magic in front of no less that 4 muggles, with several neighbors having witnessed the results.

When Harry asked what his reprisal would be, the Minister laughed at his face. He waved off his concerns, saying that he would not be punished for a simple account of accidental magic. It would, however, go on record, and he should be careful because he was getting too old to lose control like that.

Harry accepted everything the man said, sagging in relief. Before he left, the Minister informed him that he was welcome to stay in that room, at the Ministry's expense. He called it an early birthday present. Harry silently called it buttering up, but happily accepted.

The rest of the summer passed in a blast. Though he was missing his muggle friends, his arrangement in Hogsmeade meant he could get someone to redo his charms and invite his friends over whenever he wanted.

On Theodore's suggestion, he kept the cane, though he had it transfigured to something a little more stylish. He didn't exactly need it, but it helped, and people said it added style.

His birthday came and passed and it was awesome, despite the increased paranoia regarding that escaped mass murderer. He received a dishwasher from the Dursley's, which was in no way useful to him but he sent back a thank-you note, knowing that it was the first ever expensive gift his relatives had ever given him. Daphne had, once again, given him the old peck-and-run tactic, though this time she aimed for his mouth. Harry accepted the quick peck and watched her bolt with amusement. His recent experiences had given him enough knowledge to see that Daphne liked him. Her kiss was proof enough. He decided to let her walk on her own pace. If she wanted to get together, he would not refuse, but he wasn't really sure if he felt that way for her, so he would not make the first move.

September the first arrived, the train ride was a blast, and the new Defense Professor was announced at the start of the feast.

What was it with professor Dumbledore and hiring ex-Death Eaters?

Granted, this one was now a licensed ministry employee. Walden McNair. Harry had no idea of the politics or political pressure that led to his hiring, but assumed that it must have been notable, if the Headmaster had allowed it to happen.

For his electives, Harry went with Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. They were the subjects that tied closer to his goals, and the ones that interested him the most.

Professor McNair was on the low-end of decent regarding his teaching ability. He seemed to know some things and could follow a teacher's-planner well enough, but had little to no patience and his sharp, sometimes even outright rude attitude put off many of the students.

It was soon announced that Dementors would be guarding the castle. Harry shared everyone's apprehension, though he did not partake of the panic. His time was taken either by studying, of which he did a lot, or by his friends, and Daphne in particular. The girl had gathered her courage and asked him to Hogsmeade on a date, to which Harry happily agreed. They had good fun, though this new aspect of their relationship seemed to make everything more awkward at first.

That is, until he fainted one day on the grounds, when a Dementor came within a hundred meters of where he and his friends were lounging.

He immediately went to professor McNair, the DADA teacher, and asked to be given hints on the Patronus Charm. The professor laughed for a full minute, loudly and in barking bursts.

He explained that the Patronus Charm was a highly advanced spell, well outside of Harry's ability, and sent him on his way.

Harry looked it up further, learned everything that he could about it from books, then went back to the professor and presented him with the white mist he could now produce.

He must have impressed him, because the man agreed to show him how to complete the spell.

Or maybe he meant to torture him, because the man's idea of teaching consisted of taking Harry out to the grounds, near Hagrid's hut, and have an actual Dementor approach him. Harry lost count of how many times he fainted.

Professor Snape had demanded to be present in all such tutoring sessions. Harry appreciated it, though he could not exactly understand why.

In the end, several weeks later, it was the memory of his realization in the hospital wing, last year, that he was not helpless and that his goals were still possible, that allowed him to create Rufus' heavenly likeness and banish the Dementor advancing on him.

Halloween arrived and just as Harry expected, brought disaster with it.

All the students were ordered to go to their dormitories and were shepherded there by the Prefects while all the teachers gathered and went to do something or other. Harry felt the Headmaster's presence, even all the way across the great hall. He was radiating power, and undeniable fury. Harry felt fear coursing through him. Dumbledore was a monster. A moral, grandfatherly monster, but a monster nonetheless. He could wipe out cities with a swipe of his wand if he felt like it, but he spent his years teaching students instead. The magnitude of Dumbledore's presence hit Harry with all the force of a bludger to the head, that Halloween.

The students were not informed of what was happening while they stayed huddled in the Common Rooms. The castle would shake, occasionally, a scary event in itself, and they could hear faint booms reach as far down as the dungeons.

The next day, the truth arrived via the Daily Prophet.

"DARK WIZARD ATTACK ON HOGWARTS. DARK MARK SIGHTED. SIRIUS BLACK SUSPECTED OF REVIVING DEATH EATER MOVEMENT"

Apparently, professor McNair had attempted to circumvent the wards of Hogwarts from the inside and allow several squads of resurfaced Death Eaters to infiltrate for a surprise attack, the goal of which no one knew. Thankfully, Dumbledore's wards were not fooled, and the alarm was sounded. Dumbledore himself had incapacitated half the Death Eaters before the Ministry Aurors arrived.

Scary stuff. And was that really organized by his parents' betrayer? Sirius Black was not among those captured or recognized, but he was widely blamed by the Ministry as the instigator of this attack.

In the wake of the attack Hogsmeade visits were cancelled, which put an effective halt to his budding relationship with Daphne.

Professor Remus Lupin was brought in to replace the, now in Azkaban, former professor McNair. Professor Lupin, Harry could tell safely, was a much, much better teacher. He was firm, but knew how to work with children and had a wicked sense of humor that inspired everyone to work with him. He was a great professor.

Curiously, a mail arrived to him one day, anonymously. Could it be more Collector's Edition Lemon Drops from his mysterious benefactor?

As it turned out, it was something only slightly less amazing than that. It was a magical map of the entire castle that showed where everyone was at any given moment. Harry had heard the Weasley Twins bemoaning the fact that Professor Lupin had confiscated exactly such an item from them, a few days ago. Could they be one and the same?

Regardless, as soon as he found a way to read the map (he had a seventh year show him the charms so that it would reply to vocal commands and give him the location of anyone he asked, or emit a 'ping' sound whenever people of a specific list approached). The map was an invaluable tool.

The note that came with it was curious. " It is your rightful heritage", it read. Whatever could professor Lupin mean by that?

One day, he was dragged by Daphne to one of her Care of Magical Creatures classes, insisting that professor Hagrid had something special to show.

That was an understatement.

Easily as tall as an adult man and with a wing-span wider than Hagrid's hut, Norbert the Dragon was a fearsome sight.

Dragon handlers were literally everywhere as professor Hagrid proceeded merrily with his class as if he hadn't brought a creature so dangerous as to merit its own classification in a yard full of thirteen year old children.

Despite his craziness, Harry had to admit that Hagrid knew his dragons and that Norbert was nothing if not pleasant, when one got through the whole 'giant winged serpent of fire and death' part.

Near the end of the year, events spiraled out of control as they were wont to do every year around this period. Harry and his three friends were involved in a complicated turn of events that ousted professor Lupin as a Werewolf, Sirius Black as innocent and Peter Pettigrew as alive and well.

The four of them were enough to convince professor Snape, who suddenly burst into the scene, to hear what professor Lupin had to say. The Slytherin Head of House confirmed that Peter was alive and that he was the traitor. Unfortunately, professor Lupin's transformation was enough to allow the vile man to escape.

Regardless, professor Snape's account was enough to see Sirius' name cleared, and a manhunt to be begin against Peter Pettigrew. Said rat animagus was now heaped with the blame for the Halloween attack as well, though Harry, his friends, and the professors knew that that was impossible as Peter had been a rat all this time at Hogwarts.

Regardless of the rat's escape, however, Harry suddenly had a godfather. Now a free man, the ex-convict awkwardly offered Harry a place to stay for him and Rufus, if they so wished to join him. His inclusion of Harry's pet earned him a lot of points in his mind, whether it was intended as such or not.

Harry was not sure if he wanted to leave Privet Drive just yet-where things were looking up-, but he now had a link to his parents that he never had before, and a new person vying for a spot in his life and promising him endless amounts of Lemon Drops if he allowed it.

Things ought to get more interesting.

~H~

A/N: I'd completely forgotten about this.