Chapter 29! Felicitations to all. I am sorry i haven't updated this story in such a long time. Please forgive me! Read and review, Reviews give me life.

While Snape was considering his changed circumstances Harry was thinking about how great sleep overs were. That was honestly the most fun he had had in a long time. It beat out flying any day. The pillow fight had been brilliant too! He had not expected Severus to join in but the man had. Not only that he had been really good at it. Harry had not felt this silly in a long time, not even pretending to be 8 years old had been as fun as this morning.

"You have your appointment with Flitwick in about ten minutes. Bring your wand and don't do anything too moronic. Your clothing should be arriving sometime today. It will be placed in your room when it arrives."

"Thanks Severus. I'm going to hurry up to Professor Flitwick's classroom now."

Harry did just that, he summoned his wand and ran out of the room. The door slammed shut behind him and Harry made his way to the stairs. When he got there, he knocked on the door. The familiar squeaky voice called him in and Harry opened the door. Flitwick waved him into a chair.

"We'll be doing some magic soon enough but first I need to assess your skill. Please be as honest as possible with these questions."
"Okay professor."

"Other than the parseltongue do you have any abilities?"

"I don't really know many defensive spells, anything I can do is accidental." Harry mused. "I can do wandless magic but all I know how to do is levitation and summoning charms. I know, because I've read about it, that you can do lots of different spells with this ability. I made some kind of shield this morning but I don't know how I did that."

"A shield charm at your age, phenomenal. What precipitated the shield?"

"Well Ron and Hermione found out I was here and why. I wrote them a letter yesterday about an hour before dinner telling them about what happened. Hermione thought that I really needed to see them cause I was worried about their reactions." Harry said awkwardly. "They showed up last night around 8pm, broke into Severus' quarters and tackled me in a hug."

Flitwick giggled at the image Harry was painting. Harry gave a light smile before continuing the story.

"Well I managed to convince Severus to let them stay the night. This morning Severus woke me up and I was so startled that I shot up pushing Ron off the bed. He threw a pillow at me which I ducked and it hit Hermione. Hermione threw the pillow back at Ron who then tried to throw it at me. I lifted my hand to block the hit but this blue shield appeared and threw the pillow even faster in another direction hitting Severus."

Flitwick laughed again.

"Let me guess. Severus threw a pillow back at you."

"Yeah it was great! We had a huge pillow fight. I got the house elves to bring a bunch of pillows throughout the castle. Hermione, Ron and I charmed some of the pillows to explode on impact into instantly dried paint."

"Oh my. Now I want to hear about this charm."

"Fred and George Weasley created this paint charm that makes any object a paint bomb. It explodes on impact and changes into the targets least favorite color. It's genius!" Harry said. "I changed it a little to make sure it only would explode if it hit a person. I didn't want paint all over Severus' quarters."

"How interesting. Back to the subject at hand. Wandless magic." Flitwick walked over to his bookshelf and removed a book from the bottom shelf. "Everyone's magic, just like their mind is different. We all have different talents or abilities. Our magic works better with some areas of magic while others we struggle in."

Harry nodded, that seemed to make sense. Flitwick opened the book and began looking for a certain page as he did he continued the explanation.

"Some like Professor Sprout or your friend Mr. Longbottom have magic that specializes with the earth and life. Thus herbology will always be his biggest strength. If I were to teach him how to duel I would focus on dueling tactics that use that skill." Flitwick explained. "There are spells that can allow the user to speed up the growth of nearby plants and use them as extensions of themselves. Sort of like having your own personal whomping willow if you will. Mr. Longbottom would work best with those kind of spells. That is not to say he couldn't use other types of magic but I like to focus on people's strengths."

"That makes sense. Does that mean anyone can learn wandless magic? Some just do it more instinctively than others?"

"Exactly right Mr. Potter. The ability to use wandless magic naturally like you do has to do with the shape of your magical core. It doesn't have much to do with your strength as a wizard contrary to popular belief. The weakest wizard can be excellent at wandless magic if his core is the right shape and the strongest can be awful at it."

"Magical cores can be different shapes?"

"Yes. That's what this book is for so I can show you what shape yours most likely is. Did you tell me about all the things you can do?"

"Oh I almost forgot! I can change my shape, a metamorphagus. That's the word. Also if I'm injured and I don't pay attention my magic kind of rushes in and heals me. It uses most of my magic but when it finishes I'm good as new."

"Those are useful skills." Flitwick commented sounding slightly surprised. "Ah here it is. Look at this image."

The man flipped the book around and slid it over to Harry. On the two pages were illustrations of the human body. It was at the muscular level so you could see the major muscle groups of the two men. One man, the one on the left had a shimmering blue line in the shape of a cylinder in his chest. The man on the right had a blue shimmering line that kept changing shapes morphing like a snake.

"What does this mean?"

"The one on the left represents a wizard or witch whose core is very rigid and stable. This core is very strong good with transfigurations. This is because they have rigidity of magic to force one thing into another shape according to their will. Your father had such a core as does Professor McGonagall. Your father could and did transfigure anything."

"But what about the animagus transformation? Wouldn't a rigid core make that kind of change difficult?"

"Yes and no. Rigid cores do fight against changes that would affect itself but if the wizard in question picked an animal form that fit perfectly with their core and personality they would find the transformation impossibly easy." Flitwick said thoughtfully.

"Oh so my dad's form fit perfectly with him? That's pretty cool." Harry murmured. "What about the person on the right?"

"This is the other extreme. This is a witch or wizard who has a very fluid core. A person like yourself has a very fluid core. Yours is probably the most fluid I've ever come across. People with fluid cores find their skills in different areas. Professor Sprout's core reaches out into her hands which means when she works with her hands her magic interacts with the plants. Professor Snape's core does the same but his deals with potions instead of plants. A person's core can have the same shape but a different specialization."

"Well what do I specialize in?" Harry asked.

"Based on what you've told me I can only guess. You seem to have a lot of contradicting skills. My best idea is that your core stretches out to your skin. It would be like that blue line just outlining the body in the illustration. Most people who have the metamorphagus ability have a core like that. It is similar for people with a natural inclination for wandless magic as well. It is rare to see both in a person but you are a special case I presume." Flitwick said with a rueful smile.

"So how does that help us?"

"I am going to teach you to focus your core shape. It will help you control what your wandless magic does."

"Okay." Harry said nodding that made sense.

Thus began their lesson. He found it very similar to building occulmency shields but much more exhausting since he had to do it awake. Instead of meditating in his mind he had to focus his meditation on something he had never seen before. His core. Sure he used his magic every day and it was a part of him but it was like trying to locate a tiny organ that he knew was in his chest but not exactly where.

When lunch time arrived Harry had yet to successfully focus his core. Flitwick however felt that Harry had made great process and was very optimistic.

"Your concentration and control are extraordinary. This is a difficult skill I would consider it a major success if you were able to focus your core by the end of the summer. Don't get discouraged by what seems like lack of progress. You are making more progress than I expected. Meditate every night and you'll get it."

Flitwick said this as they walked into the great hall for lunch. Harry had an appointment with Professor McGonagall after lunch. She was already there eating. As was Remus and Severus. Both Remus and the headmaster had changed their clothing but the paint on their skin and hair was still very bright. Flitwick giggled.

"Hello Severus." Harry said waving a hand at the man who was trying not to laugh at his colleagues.

The man waved back and Harry sat down next to him. Remus looked at him with a pleading expression.

"Harry. Please get rid of this paint!"

"I don't know if I can sir. Only the person who charmed the pillow can get rid of the paint early." Harry said with a grin. "Ron and Hermione charmed a bunch of the pillows too."

"So I'm stuck with an orange head?"

"It only last 24 hours. So you'll just have to wait till tomorrow morning. The Weasley twins charms are both crazy and extremely reliable."

Remus scowled but the headmaster seemed to take the news in stride. He merely nodded in Harry's direction and went back to his meal. Harry kept himself from giggling by telling Severus what he had done with Flitwick. The man also seemed impressed but Harry didn't think it was all that amazing. He hadn't done anything after all. Lunch was composed of a soup and sandwich mix. Harry ate but every time he glanced at Remus and or the headmaster he would smirk.

Harry followed McGonagall to her office where she had a desk set up. He sat down as she motioned him into it. She sat down in her own desk.

"The goal here is for you to learn control is it not?"

"Yes professor."

"Well then we will do drills."

The drills were extensive torture. At least to Harry. Transfiguration had never been Harry's strongest subject. Really he had only inherited his Dad's skill of flying. The drills were simple in concept but difficult in practice. She would give him a simple task like turning needles into match sticks. He would have to do that as many times as possible within a minute long timespan. If he didn't do it enough times and to her specifications he would do it again and again until he did. It was exhausting and after his two hour lesson Harry felt dead on his feet.

"Dinner is in three hours Mr. Potter. I suggest you read or some other relaxing pursuit during the interim."

"That's a good idea professor. This was really exhausting."

"Mr. Potter. If this training continues through your summers here as I imagine it will. I believe I can eventually teach you to become an animagus."

Harry was instantly alert. He really wanted to do that.

"When? My dad started to learn when he was a third year. It took him two whole years and I want to do it quicker than him!"

"I am aware of your father's and his friend's actions." McGonagall said with a grin. "They weren't very sneaky as third years so I watched from a distance. As it is I wouldn't attempt to help you with the transformation until your third year depending on your aptitude for the subject. If you continue working hard I foresee no problem helping you."

"Really? That's awesome! How long do you think it would take?"

"The entire process alone takes years of work. With a trained adult here to help you 6 to 9 months. If we began at the beginning of your third year you would have your form down by the end of it."

"Professor if you knew my dad was doing that why let him? Isn't it dangerous to do on your own?"

"It is. Your father and his friends were very stupid to do it on their own. However I knew why they were doing it though and your father was a transfigurations genius. I knew that he would be able to do it. I kept a close eye on them however. They were never truly without supervision."

"You watched them?"

"I use my cat form for more than just surprising students."

"Did you get to see them in their forms?"

"No. I had another meeting to be at the night they transformed and after that they no longer needed my supervision. At that point they had become much more secretive and I never saw them at it again."

"Thanks professor. I'll see you at dinner."

"Make sure to rest Harry!"

"Yes professor."

Harry walked slowly back down to the dungeons. Severus wasn't there when he got there, Harry assumed he was brewing. He walked into his room and found some bulky packages. The clothing had arrived. He smiled and began unpacking his clothing. He roughly removed the rags he had been forced to wear all his life and threw them on the floor. He dressed himself in a red t-shirt and some blue jeans.

It was strange to look at himself in clothing that actually fit. He still looked pretty thin but no longer did he look starved. He began putting his clothing away. His belongings had slowly drifted out of his trunk and into other parts of the room. The house elves had cleaned up the destructive mess he had caused a couple of nights ago pretty quickly. They had taken it upon themselves to unpack his belongings at the same time.

Once everything was away Harry flipped on his music player and relaxed in his bed. He felt very tired. So tired that it was rather easy to drift off to sleep. Severus woke him in time for dinner thankfully. The man teased him about his nap but Harry ignored it, it was a well deserved nap after all. Dinner was enjoyable and they had their tea time after words. Harry actually had a question for the man this time.

"So tomorrow is Draco's birthday party thing."

"Yes."

"Do I have to get him a gift?"