(A/n: Sorry about not updating in so long. I've had a lot of stuff happen in my life and I just haven't had the time nor the motivation to continue the story. But now that everything's settled, I decided to restart this story. I may actually do a rewrite; I've been reading over the previous chapters and I saw that my ideas were all over the place and that some details were either left ambiguous or not included at all. I'll have to see. Well, without further ado, I present the 5th chapter of Harry's Summer. Enjoy!)

"Ron!"

"Lavender!"

Harry and Hermione looked shocked and stared at the scene in horror.

"Hey guys," Ron said hesitantly. "Um…. Nice weather…. we're having, eh?"

Hermione stuttered.

"Wha…. You…… him…… I…"

"Calm down Hermione. It's not so bad is it? It's not like I'm dating Malfoy…"

"Yeah, but its Ron! I thought you were going for Seamus."

"I thought I liked him. But I liked this hunk a lot more."

At this, Ron blushed. He looked sheepishly up at Harry and Hermione.

"You two aren't mad are you?"

Harry immediately responded.

"Of course not Ron. Right Herms?"

"…… Right. Just don't you dare hurt him Lav. He's like my brother. I'll be watching….."

"I'll take good care of him. Don't worry about that," Lavender said while tracing Ron's chest delicately with her finger. She leaned forward and pecked him on the lips.

Harry and Hermione sat down on the opposite side.

Ron looked at Harry.

"So, you never told us where you were. Why you never received our owls. Why you couldn't come to the Burrow….. and how you changed so much."

"Ah, well. I had a very different summer this year."

FLASHBACK (A/n: The next few chapters are going to be one full flashback. I'll alert you to when the flashback ends.)

"Albus, can you excuse us please?" Michael asked.

"Certainly. I'm sure you would do a better job of explaining everything to him than I would."

"Oh, Albus?" Harry asked.

"Yes, Harry?"

Harry looked him evenly in the eyes.

"We're going to have to have a talk."

Dumbledore looked down and sighed. When he looked up, Harry noticed that Dumbledore lost the sparkle in his eyes.

"Of course. Maybe after dinner."

"Sure."

"We'll be down in an hour."

Nodding, Albus left and Harry and Michael sat on the overstuffed chairs.

"Tea? Coffee?"

Harry looked up.

"Tea's fine, thanks."

Nodding, Michael raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, a tea kettle, two cups and a bowl of sugar cubes appeared out of thin air.

"How…."

"All in due time, Harry."

Michael bent down and began to pour the tea.

"So, why don't you tell me about yourself."

"Well. Wow. Where should I start?"

Michael handed the cup full of tea to Harry and sat down.

"From the beginning I suppose. With your time at the Dursley's. How was life like with them?"

"Well, my muggle family did not like me very much. It's from their hatred toward all things magic. They didn't do anything bad to me, but they didn't do anything good either. They just clothed me, fed me, and housed me. They really didn't give me any toys, unless they were broken ones of Dudley's. They rarely took me out on outings unless they really had to. That all changed when I got my Hogwarts letter. I came to an environment where not only am I well cared for, but where I am well known. Before, I was a no-good criminal who went to St. Brutus's correction center. And now…..well, you probably know the rest. Did you hear about all of my adventures?"

Michael smiled and gave a chuckle.

"Yeah. Albus mentioned that a couple of times during our meetings. You, Ron, and Hermione must be close now."

Harry looked down and murmured, "Yeah, we're close."

Michael looked at Harry questioningly, but decided not to pursue it further.

Harry then looked up.

"So, how about you?"

"Well, I came from America. I was in a similar situation, but in an orphanage rather than with a living relative."

"How was your life similar to mine?"

"Both of my parents, along with my entire family line, were killed when I was very young by dark wizards. Maybe not by some self-proclaimed dark lord, but by dark wizards nonetheless. Anyway, during my pre-school years, I wasn't very liked by my classmates, or by anybody for that matter except one person besides my foster family. You see, I was adopted by an upper-middle class family in a town where family lines were the most important. The children alienated me since I was supposedly from a low working class family and since I was not really connected any of the members of the community. My foster parents weren't so bad themselves. They just….. I don't know. I think they knew something was off about me so they tried to keep their distance. But anyway, the girl. Her name was Kate Thompson. She was a nice girl; always polite and caring. I remember one day, I was sitting by our favorite tree when I heard some yelling. I looked around and I saw Kate in a fight with some of her friends. I couldn't really hear exactly what they were saying but with a final shout, she stormed off into the school. I looked back at the group and they all glared at me. I scurried into the school and frantically looked for her. I finally found her, after 15 minutes of searching, in the stairwell on the second floor. She had tears running down her face; her white, long-sleeved shirt was soaked through. I climbed the last few stairs and sat down next to her. For a minute, she didn't say anything to me at all. I didn't know what to do at all. Should I hug her? Should I speak to her? Should I just leave? Then suddenly she spoke in a small, squeaky voice. 'What are you doing inside on such a nice day like this, Michael?' She sniffed and wiped her eyes. 'You should be outside by our favorite tree and enjoying the fresh air.' I responded. 'I would, but I noticed that my only friend is in distress. What kind of friend would I be if I just left you here like this?' At this, she grinned and sniffed twice. 'Thanks Mike. But it's really nothing to worry about. It's just some girls are so stupid. They think just because you're not from some great family that you shouldn't be friends with anyone in the entire town! It just angers me that people think like this.'"

At this, Michael grinned.

"You should've seen her that day. Her hazel eyes flashed with such passion, such emotion. I was captivated. This girl, no bigger than I, looked to be reincarnation of God. Her wavy brown hair seemed to flutter though there was no wind. She seemed to strain to hold her power within her. That was the day when she found out about the magic within her. The walls of the school began to crack and the stairwell creaked ominously. I put my hand on her arm and immediately, everything stopped. She looked up at me with her eyes filled with unshed tears. I smiled at her; she smiled back. She then threw her arms around my chest and started crying. I comforted her as best I could. She then looked up at me and leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. She whispered, 'Thank you, Michael Potter."

Mike paused and looked thoughtful

"That was, as much as Kate laughs about it now, my first kiss. We were inseparable after that. Both of us knew how we felt towards the other but just didn't know how to express it. We went to the same magical preparatory school when we were eight. We went to the same magical undergraduate school when we were twelve. We even went to the same finishing school and graduated at the same time. All that time, we stood by each other no matter what. Eventually we married and now live together in my manor back home. Three kids too. Mark and twins Elizabeth and Alexandra. I hope you have that kind of life someday, Harry. It's something I would never want to trade in for anything."

Mike looked down at his watch and his eyes suddenly widened.

"We have a bit of time left. What do you want to talk about?"

"How did you find out about me?"

"Well, I was reviewing all of my bank statements and decided to look at the inheritances I received. While looking over the list, I saw that some properties, monies, and mines had red stars next to their name. When I inquired about it with the inheritance manager and he said that the red star denotes a conflict. He looked into the files and said that there were in fact two families that had claim on the same inheritance. I requested the name, your name came up, called up the genealogist, linked me to you. I gave the inheritances up to you if you're worried about that. I don't need any more money or properties."

Mike paused for a moment and sipped his tea.

"I hear you're in some sort of crisis."

"Crisis?"

"Yeah. For some reason, you're not being trained up for your confrontations with the big V."

At this, Harry chuckled

"Yeah. But I've beaten him quite well in the past using the spells I know now. I could do it again."

"That may be, but you need to be trained up. Sooner or later, your luck will run out. Voldemort has years of experience and an enormous volume of knowledge at his disposal. Don't underestimate his capabilities just because you've managed to escape his wrath more than anyone else in history."

Mike looked down at his watch.

"Woah, is it that late? We should get going. We're late for dinner."

Mike rose up and cleared away the tray with a flick of his wrist.

"Let's go Harry."

Harry rose from his chair, worked out the kinks in his neck, and followed Mike out of the room.

Meanwhile…..

Ring Ring Ring

"Yes, Hello? Dr. Granger's office."

"Hi. My name is Petunia Dursley. I am calling to confirm my son's appointment today."

"Ah, yes. Dudley. I hope he will be better behaved this time around."

"Oh absolutely. Dudley has been an angel. I assure you he won't give you so much trouble this time."

"For your husband's bank account's sake, I hope so. So, 3 P.M. this afternoon?"

"We will be there. Thank you very much."

"See you soon."

Click

/ I can't believe they're coming today! Harry's aunt and cousin! I wonder if they'll bring him along…./

With that, a brown haired girl swung herself around on her swivel chair and neatly stacked color coded files into the cabinets.

"Hermione honey? Come here for a second will you?"

"Okay mom! One sec."

Sighing, Hermione stood up and proceeded into the office. She saw her mom busily rummaging through one of the drawers used to hold the equipment. This woman seemed to have the same features as the girl who just walked in. Brown hair, short but well-proportioned physique, attractive facial features. The only distinctive difference were their eyes. While the girl's eyes were chocolate brown, the woman's were blue-gray.

"Yeah mom?"

"Hey. Can you organize these tools while I check up on the teeth molds?"

"Sure."

"So, who was that on the phone?"

"Oh, just Petunia Dursley. She called to confirm her darling Dudley's appointment today."

The older one laughed.

"Oh yeah, perfect angel Dudley. If that boy doesn't stop eating so much candy, he's going to lose all of his teeth by the time he hits 20. But does he listen to the dentists? No."

"Oh calm down mom. He's nothing to stress over."

"Yes honey. But patients are still patients."

A clanging sound came from the reception room.

"Hello? Anyone in here? Claire? Hermione?"

"In here Matt!"

A man with a stocky build, dirty blonde hair, and brown eyes walked in hastily throwing on his lab coat.

"How are my two lovely ladies today?"

The two ladies in question just rolled her eyes.

"Always the flirt aren't you Matt?"

"Especially to pretty ones honey."

Claire slapped Matt's outstretched hand

"Stop it Matt! We have work to do."

"I'm hurt. Y.Y.. You….You don't like me anymore?"

Hermione just looked on with amusement. The two seemed so sweet, even after 19 years of marriage. She observed wistfully, wishing she would be able to get the same fate with her loved one. Slowly, Hermione walked out and began to think.

/Well girl, if you were just brave enough maybe that sort of thing would happen/

\\Yeah, sure. As if Harry would want someone like me when he has hundreds to choose from\\

/But remember. Is Harry like those stupid boys who only look at the physical? Like Ron/

\\Of course not! Comparing him to Ron is like a sin!\\

/So then, what are you worrying about? Just go for it/

\\But Harry doesn't look at me that way. He only thinks of me as his best friend\\

/Then make him get to notice you. Do something/

\\ But what?\\

As if an answer to her question, a goddess-like young woman walked through the front door. She was one of those girls whom at first glance you would name "Blonde bombshell." Long, straight blonde hair, pristine features, perfectly manicured fingers and toes, clothing in the latest hot fashion, nice assets. Hermione felt a twinge of envy at the girl but swiftly pushed it down.

"Hello, may I help you?"

"Come on Herms. Don't tell me you don't remember your favorite cousin!"

Hermione opened her mouth in shock

"Amber?"

The two girls screamed and literally threw themselves on each other.

"Oh my god Am, it's been too long!"

"I know, I know! Oh I missed you so much!"

"So tell me, how on earth did you change so much? Last time I saw you, you were this small, shy little girl. What happened?"

"Well, as you know, we moved to the States, California to be exact. Became fast friends with the high society people. Things just took off from there."

"Wow. That's amazing."

"Yeah, it is. Anyway, tell me, any guys in your life now?"

"Amber!"

Amber's ice blue eyes flashed with mirth

"What? Come on, I'm sure you have all the guys lining up for you fighting to be the first one on H.M.S. Hermione."

"Amber! That is just gross!"

Amber giggled.

"I'm just joking Hermione. So, do you?"

Hermione looked down towards the ground.

"No… not at the moment."

"Noone?"

"No. Nobody wants me at school. They all think I'm just a bossy know-it-all muggleborn witch."

"Hey Hey Hey. Enough of that. Who's got all of that into your head?"

"Noone, don't worry. It's not that important."

A female voice called from the office.

"Honey? Do we have company?"

"Yeah mom. Come here quick!"

Amber muttered in Hermione's ear.

"Don't think you've escaped just yet. We'll talk later."

Hermione nodded and looked toward the hallway. Claire walked out taking her lab coat off.

"Yes?"

"Mom! It's Amber!"

"Oh my god! Amber! Give your aunt a hug!"

The two women embraced while chatting frantically about how Amber changed so much and how Claire seemed to be getting younger as the years go by.

"Amber, you must come by the house. I insist"

"I would love to aunt C, but I have to make the flight back home. Daddy was on some business for a couple of days in England so I thought I'd drop by to visit. Maybe some other time."

"When's your flight?"

"5. Daddy said I had to get to Heathrow by 4:30 the latest."

"Oh how is Dave doing? I haven't talked to him in a long time."

"He's doing fine. It's just that he's working too many hours. Mommy and I are very bored just wandering around the house all day. We've been pushing him to come home more often."

"Well, its nearing 3. Dudley should be coming. I'd better get back into the office and get the stuff ready. Hermione, can you give me a hand?"

"Sure, Mom."

"I'd better go. Maybe I'll go around town for a bit."

"Ok Amber, I'll see you some other time then. Make sure you call when you get home!"

"Bye, Aunt Claire!"

She then turned her blue eyes toward the brown haired girl.

"So Hermione, you got away with the question this time, but I want a full report by the time I get home."

Amber pulled out a pen and a piece of paper.

"This is all of my contact information. You have to reach me and tell me everything. Ok?"

"Sure Am. I'll be sure to."

They hugged each other good bye and Hermione watched as Amber climbed into her black Porche convertible and sped away.

Sighing, Hermione closed the door and walked back into office.

(A/n: I felt I owed it to you guys to write a long chapter. Hope you liked it. R/R!)