Disclaimer: Don't own; don't sue.

This is the rewrite of The Bond of an Army. You do not need to have read the original version, it's hardly relevant.

Full Summary: Harry Potter is unsure of who he is. Then, he simply vanishes over the summer, returning to claim nothing happened over the two months and insisting that he was not kidnapped. But it is not long before the truth comes out, leaving Harry with a million questions to answer.

Soon he and his friends a large mystery to untangle thanks to the DADA teacher who is all too mysterious, Professor Binns's abrupt topic change from goblins to the Knights of Templar, Professor Snape, and Lord Voldemort.

Hermione is suddenly going on about goblins herself and Ron seems to be struggling with growing up. All in all, Harry is less than ready for sixth year, despite the sudden revelation of his mother's family and a summer of Elvin Boot Camp.

So everything is right on track.

Harry Potter and the Library of Templar

Chapter One

The Broken Swing

The park in Little Whining had been deserted for well over a year now. The children in the neighborhood knew better than to play there, having grown up in the era of Dudley Dursley and his gang. They were infamous for their love of beating up younger children. There had been only one swing left unbroken last year. Had anyone walked by, they would have thought the dark haired boy that sat there was remarkably brave. But Harry Potter did not feel such himself.

Harry was lost in thought, replaying his last month in school through his head over and over, analyzing it from every point of view. There had to have been something else he had missed. There were so many mistakes he'd made. There had to be more. The way Harry had himself composed, hunched up as much as he could while sitting on the swing, one seemed to overlook him.

As such, when Dudley's gang entered the park, they did not see him at first. It was Piers Polkiss who spotted him. Harry had not noticed either and was quite ashamed when he jumped off the swing in alarm to Piers's shout. The teenage boys around him were leering, and Harry suddenly felt ten-years-old again.

He stood face to face with his cousin. They looked each other in the eye, both unsure of themselves. Harry was reminded of all that had changed between the two in the last five years when Dudley's eyes showed his discomfort and uncertainty. Harry himself felt strange. He was no longer afraid of his cousin, that he knew for certain. It felt childish to him that he'd ever thought of Dudley as scary. Harry shivered as his mind flashed to black cloaks and white masks.

"So, Potter, Bid D told us you went round the twist," Malcolm said, eyes glittering maliciously. Harry thought of Malfoy's manipulative and arrogant grey gaze and suddenly felt as if this entire world he stood in was foreign.

"Maybe I have," Harry muttered, eyes growing dark. He wasn't quite as restless as last year, but it was only the first day of summer break. Harry had a long way to go before he was free of his life in Surrey.

"I s'pect you have, you little freak," glowered Piers.

"Shove it up your arse Polkiss," Harry hissed. Alarmed, Harry felt the serpent inside him rising. But he was too angry to calm himself, his mind flashing scene after scene of his life connected to those words.

"Baby Potter's learned some language at that military school of his," crowed Piers. "You didn't mention that, D." Dudley said nothing, watching transfixed at Harry.

"You know, Polkiss, you sure talk a lot of smack for someone who looks like he came out of the back end of his mother, 'stead of the front," Harry snarled, repeating something he'd overhead one of the Weasley twins tell a Ravenclaw in their year.

Piers turned red. "You'll pay for that one." He walked around Harry and jerked on the swing. Before long, one side of the chain had snapped off. Piers gave a satisfied noise. Harry, unsure of what, felt something inside him sinking. It took a moment before he was sure he wouldn't cast his breakfast all across the ground.

'This is ridiculous,' Harry scolded himself. 'It's a stupid swing. You don't care.' But Harry's knees gave out from under him and he fell to the ground. Dudley's friends laughed, the sound ringing in Harry's ears and digging into his skin. Harry's breath was a bit labored. He felt his insides beginning to twist, as though coiling around themselves. A buzzing filled his head, and his skin went clammy. His arms were holding him up and they began to shake. Harry squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm himself.

"Dud," he distantly heard Piers say worriedly. "Dud, something's wrong with your freaky cousin. Dudley." Harry had barely registered Dudley's terrified look before a searing pain ripped at his scar. He screamed and clutched his forehead.

It only took a second. No one noticed but him. The silver light only flashed once. An all-too-familiar laughing filled his head, slowly fading with the pain. Harry sat kneeling on the ground in front of the alarmed gang of his cousin, panting still.

"Potter?"

"Harry?"

"Potter!" Harry mustered the strength to lift his head at the sharp voice of a wizard. The gang confusedly scattered as a man stalked toward them. The black, shiny head of Kingsley Shacklebolt came clearly into Harry's vision.

"Mr. Sacklebolt?" Harry wheezed.

"No need to be so formal, call me Kingsley," the Auror said gently, kneeling next to the young wizard. "What happened? Are you alright? What did you see?"

"N-nothing," Harry stuttered. "I just- Vold - he was just toying with me, testing our bond since the Ministry." Kingsley looked worried as he handed Harry a small vial. "What is this?" Harry suddenly became alert. He mentally slapped himself for the second time in five minutes. How was he to know this was Kingsley.

"Number twelve, Grimmauld Place is the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix," Kingsley recited quietly, catching onto Harry's suspicion. The boy seemed to relax even more. "It's some potion Dumbledore had Severus make."

"That's very reassuring," Harry muttered bitterly. Kingsley gave a snort as he closed Harry's shaking fingers around the small piece of blue glass. Harry unsteadily pulled out the stopper, shutting his eyes tightly from previous experience. But no smoke emitted from the vial and Harry downed it one gulp. He wasn't sure what it was, but the ache in his scar dulled and his hands stopped shaking. He felt his heart beginning to beat normally. Harry sighed in relief.

"So, did Severus concoct something useful, or should we have him burn the recipe?" Kingsley asked, eyes light. Harry smiled weakly.

"Potter?" came the half annoyed, half frightened voice of Malcolm. Harry cursed darkly under his breath, though he could tell by the slight smile Kingsley had adopted that the Auror had heard him.

"What do you want?" Harry asked wearily, leaning on Kingsley to help him up.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Piers, eyes mistrustful, if less hostile than before. Harry said nothing and only squeezed his eyes shut. If it had not been for Kingsley, this aftershock of pain would have sent him falling to the ground once again.

"Harry?" Kingsley asked quietly. "Who are these boys?" Harry flinched as though he'd been slapped across the face. He exhaled slowly and opened his eyes.

"This is my cousin Dudley and his gang," Harry said, not really caring at the moment what the bald wizard made of it. Suddenly he was thinking of something else. "You're on guard duty aren't you?" Kingsley looked taken aback by Harry's harsh tone.

"Well, yes, I am. Dung just left with Tonks. Figgy and Remus both insisted that Dung only be allowed the shift from midnight to four but he was hanging around anyways. I think Remus has got next shift. That's in about an hour," Kingsley said, checking his watch. If he had been able to, Harry would have stalked away. As it were, however, he could do nothing but glare at the ground. "What is it, Potter?"

Harry gritted his teeth. "Dumbledore forgot to mention that I was still going to have a guard. I'm not so stupid that I can't protect myself. It didn't do me much good last time, now did it?" Harry couldn't help but feel slightly guilty when Kingsley flinched, as though Harry had slapped him. But Harry did not apologize.

"Look, Harry, we-" but Harry cut Kingsley off.

"Would you please decide on whether you're calling me Harry or Potter?" he asked politely. His scar throbbed a little more painfully and Harry gritted his teeth, waiting for Kingsley to go on.

"Harry, you need a guard. Dung is just a little bad a judging when it's a good time to do something. But he's a fiercely loyal chap," Kingsley said. "He helps us a lot. Knows his way around the dirty part of Knockturn Alley." Harry shrugged.

During their conversation Kingsley had led the young wizard to the heavily dent slide. Harry sat at its end, grateful to be off of his feet. It was hard to stand, even with Kingsley's support. "So, seeing as you're my baby-sitter, what happens now?" asked Harry, his voice letting a bit of bitterness slide through. "I, uh, think that my cousin's friends are getting a bit suspicious." Dudley's gang was looking at him as though he was some grotesque specimen, making Harry feel as if he were in one of the jars that lined Snape's office.

"Don't worry about it," Kingsley said, smirking. Discreetly, he flipped his wrist and his wand fell neatly into his hand, shooting out of the sleeve of his robe. Giving the boy in front of him a wink, Kingsley spun around quite fast, proving to Harry that Aurors were rather skilled. In the same motion, the word "Obliviate!" slipped from his tongue. With a swish of the wrist, Piers suddenly looked blank. Dudley squealed, causing Harry to wince. Kingsley quickly hit him next, before finishing up with the others.

"Now what?" asked Harry, perplexed.

"You don't know how a memory charm works?" Kinglsey asked, surprise evident on his features.

"No," Harry said, feeling self-conscious. He nervously tapped the toe of his trainer on the ground. He had, obviously, seen the spell attempted before and had heard of it on many occasions. He had been unable, however, to witness it pulled off successfully.

Kingsley, it seemed, dismissed the fact Harry knew little of the spell. "Saying the spell is the easy half. Once that is done, you must give the bespelled person a story to fill the time of their life they're missing. Stories that aren't that complete are where the problems start. Now then, Harry, how would you like to give your cousin and his friends a little story?"

Harry smiled slightly and moved to face the teenage boys. A wicked grin spread across his face, but vanished rather quickly. Harry knew what Sirius and his father and mayhap even Ron, would do in this situation, but then he thought of his mother, Lupin, and Hermione. They would certainly act responsibly.

"You had a nice stroll around Privet Drive, making fun of the neighbors that were around and picking out a few new victims. Then you decided to swing by the park for a smoke. You've all decided to go ring a few ladies." The boys muttered and nodded in agreement as Harry spoke, leaving when he finished.

Harry watched them retreat with amusement. He turned back to Kingsley, awaiting evaluation. "Pretty good for your first memory charm," Kingsley said. Harry smiled slightly.

"I suppose Hermione would've done a better job," he said with a shrug. "Me 'n Ron are more the brawn of our little group."

"Sure you are," Kingsley said, as though agreeing only to avoid discussion. Harry cast him a strange look.

"What is it?" he demanded. Kingsley seemed to be laughing at him, smiling in that annoyingly knowing way adults do when they think about how foolish children are.

"Nothing." Harry's gaze did not repent, growing more agitated. Knowing of Harry's hostile temper as of late, Kingsley decided to give in. "The Order talks about you three often." Harry snorted, picking up a stone from the ground and rolling it around in his hand. He motioned for the Auror to go on. "We classified Hermione as the brains of your operations-"

"Of course," Harry agreed, as though discussion Defense homework. "She is, after all."

"We figured that you make the obvious conclusions that Hermione overlooks, the one who instigates action."

"My hero-complex," Harry muttered darkly, tossing the stone violently as the swing set.

"Your what?" Kingsley settled down on the grass.

At first it seemed as though Harry wouldn't answer. "Hermione says I have a hero-complex. It's not important. What about Ron?"

"Some people suggested brawn," Kingsley said. "But then Charlie mentioned Ron's excellence at chess. And McGonagall agreed. So they've classified him as your strategist. Only, it never seems that you've had a strategy to your plans."

Harry sat mulling over the man's words. Ron was an excellent strategist. But he was so quick-tempered that he never gave himself time to think. In the past, Ron had usually just done what he and Hermione had told him to. And there was always and undertone of jealousy between Ron and himself. Ron, Harry suddenly realized, was growing up a little slower than Hermione and himself. Sighing, Harry nodded at Kingsley. "I guess that makes sense. Ron really is wicked at chess. Hermione is horrible. We try to make her play enough to keep her ego in check. And I suppose to boost Ron's self-confidence. Neither of us are that great at schoolwork. But Ron can whip anyone at chess."

Kingsley smiled. "I've actually been looking for a chance to pop into Headquarters and challenge him to a game. I came real close to beating McGonagall. It sounds like Ron could use a real opponent. I'm stopping by after my shift."

Harry stretched out on the ground, gazing up at the sky. Kingsley moved next to him a few minutes later. He wasn't sure how long they lay there before he fell into a light sleep. It was when Kingsley sat up suddenly that Harry roused form his stupor.

"Don't move, Harry," he said from the corner of his mouth. "Someone's in the trees." Harry's gaze flickered to the tree tops his range of vision could barely find, resting behind his head.

And the next thing Harry knew, a cloaked figure had sprung from the trees, landing easily on the ground, balanced on their toes. The figure raised its hand, palm facing the bald Auror. Kingsley has just finished pointing his wand at the figure. The figure murmured something Harry could not quite make out. A bright light flashing across the stone that hung around the figure's neck, as neon orange beam shot at Kingsley. The man had just barely resurrected his shield when another spell was fired.

Harry unobtrusively drew his wand, lying as still as the action would allow. Quietly, he swung up into a crouch. A flicker of color in the green trees drew his attention. He could have sworn he saw a flash of silver. The fight quickly regained his focus.

Kingsley was having little opportunity to attack, busy defending himself. Harry pointed his wand at the figure, ready to fire a spell. Just then a second silver-clad figure emerged swiftly from the forest. "Kingsley!" Harry yelled. "There's another!"

But he was too late. The second figure had flipped over the two battlers and landed perfectly behind Kingsley. As the man turned, a sharp jab at his neck sent him falling to the ground. The two figures turned to Harry, who raised his wand shakily, firing a spell at the one who had defeated Kingsley. The figure dodged easily, but the hood of the cloak fell off, revealing the face of a beautiful woman, luscious waves of black hair framing her face. Harry prepared to send another curse.

"We mean no harm," the woman said calmly, albeit loudly. Moving towards him, she pushed her cloak back on her shoulder, revealing a sash skirt and short clinging shirt.

"W-what did you do to Kingsley?" Harry asked, uncertain of what to do. The woman glanced at the fallen Auror.

"Kingsley, as you call him, is fine. All I did was render him unconscious. He will be fine in an hours time. And we three will be gone."

"Who are you?" demanded the wizard. She smiled, giving a short curtsey.

"I am Kilarati, High Fighter of the Elves. This is my brother, Atonics, High Magician of the Elves. And you are?" Harry stared, stunned, his wand arm lowering heavily.

"I'm Harry. Harry Potter."

"Well, Mr. Potter," Atonics said, lowering his hood. His face was line with a few kind lines, his black hair falling gently to his chin. "We must hurry. The portal will be closing soon, and there is not reason to open another. It causes great disturbances in both of our Realms."

Harry just stared at the two figures in front of him. Impatient, Kilarati said something in an unfamiliar language to her brother. Atonics nodded, and suddenly Harry was drifting towards them. Kilarati grabbed his arm and pulled him along as Atonics led them into the trees.

Moments later, an owl dropped an envelope on the spot Harry had been standing. Pops were heard as no less than five wizards in ministry robes apparated into the park.

A/N This chapter is short, the others will be significantly longer.

P A/N Kingsley previously said "Number thirteen Grimmald Place.' This was actually a rewrite mistake. I had first had this Kingsley being an imposter, then changed it as it was impossible, in my opinion. I just forgot to change it.