Author's Note: First, thanks for reading!

My thought process with Voldemort finding out about the prophecy so soon is that I want him to prepare himself more (seeing as how he is technically younger than his canon counterpart) for the upcoming war and I will address Harry being aware of it soon.

I am slightly torn with how much work to put into Harry's summers and his next few years. I don't want to simply do a time jump but I don't want to bore you with all the details either. My whole vision with writing this fanfic was to get Harry and Cedric together, but I am unable to simply do anything it appears without setting it up in a realistic manner. I will most likely end up doing a bit of both; I will skip some months and focus on specific events or little details so it doesn't seem like Harry suddenly becomes a formidable wizard overnight. I don't want him to be God-like but I trust that he would be well ahead of his peers because of the work that he has put in. Please let me know if I am not doing that premise justice.

Standard disclaimer about not owning anything; I am so thankful for JKR and all that she did for us. She gave us one of the greatest gifts, and so many people have taken to this site and played brilliantly with her creation. We should have a JKR day and it should be a global holiday!

"Better, Harry. Remember, it may not be as important to force someone out of your mind as it is to focus on controlling what they see or don't see."

Snape had an approving look on his face as he gazed at the sweaty brow of his rapidly advancing pupil. Harry had made tremendous progress with Occlumency over the summer since he wasn't concentrating on using his wand, allowing his magical core to recover from the school year. The older a student got, the less fatigue was felt at the end of the year until it didn't become an issue when they reached magical maturity.

Harry slumped down in the chair, breathing heavily; at times, he put so much energy into successfully shielding his mind from Severus' formidable talents at Legilimency that he sometimes forgot to breath.

"I think you just need a little longer before you could keep out a sustained attack on your mind. Of course, a master Legilimens would be able to breach your defenses but in time I expect you to be able to keep them out as well."

Snape reached out to pat Harry on the shoulder. He was truly proud of the progress that Harry had made, even if he was going a little easy on him.

"I've said this before, Harry, you have come very far in your abilities and I think you will be a master Occlumens very soon. I'm sure you have already noticed the improved mental abilities that come along with it?"

Harry nodded tiredly. He may not have been exerting the same type of energy that it took to cast with his wand, but in some ways, what he was doing now was more tiring.

"My memory has certainly gotten better, Professor." Harry supplied.

"Severus will do, Harry, outside of the school year," Snape informed Harry for the umpteenth time since the beginning of the summer.

"Sorry, sir." Harry countered.

He just found it extremely difficult to think of Snape as anything but being his favorite Professor.

"I always had an above average ability to recall things, but now," he looked out the window to the park across the street from the study where he had faced the first of Voldemort's Horcruxes a year ago, "now, I find that if I take time each night to sort my memories from that day that I hardly fail to remember something."

Harry wasn't suggesting that he had an eidetic memory because he couldn't recall everything that he had read or seen, but if he concentrated on a few details and events of importance – those he found very easy to recall.

Snape was glad, very glad. He knew the mental faculties that the Dark Lord possessed, even in his unstable state from making so many Horcruxes. Harry had to be prepared for what he was going to be up against, and it wasn't even his vow that had necessitated his action; he was growing to care for Lily's child partly because he was her child and partly because of how much of himself he saw in the boy. Harry had this thirst for knowledge and Snape found himself looking forward to seeing what Harry could absorb. Very few things needed to be explained to him a second time, and even when he asked for clarification on something it oftentimes led to further discussion. It awoke the love of learning within him as well and it was apparent to those that knew Snape well, which wasn't many, that Harry was his favorite student.

That and he wanted Harry to survive and thought it was imperative that he be aware of the prophecy and be able to deal with it as soon as possible. 'And Harry would be ready for it very soon,' he thought with a mixture of pride and sadness.

Harry was soon dismissed from his lesson and headed to freshen up while Severus departed through the floo and back to Hogwarts, where he had work to finish in preparation for the student's arrival in a week's time.

Harry could hardly believe that he was about to start his second year studying Magic at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

As the warm water cascaded around him in the shower, he found himself thinking back to the point he was at just a year ago when he was just learning about all of this and discovering that magic was real.

Harry had been a loner before Hogwarts, always used to accomplishing things on his own. In some ways, he was still very much that person, but in others... it was very easy to see how he had changed.

And it was only right that he had changed as his circumstances had; how could he not have grown after learning what he had from Minerva and Kreacher that first week? And then everything else that followed? Hell, he had bonded to a snake that could and had killed someone's soul!

So he had adapted; he changed with what was going on around him. He had taken a chance and opened himself up to people - though that wasn't the whole story either. Looking back, his best friends were all a product of accidental happenstance like running into Cedric or random acts of kindness like the note Neville had written him after the truth about Sirius had become known.

They had changed him, they had made him more open to others and he had flourished at Hogwarts. Which was why Harry was very much anticipating his return to the castle in a few days.

With his shower finished, Harry quickly dried himself off and changed into comfortable clothes for dinner with Remus and Sirius, while his mind still lingered on the upcoming year.

Of course, he had read all of his course books already and felt confident that he could perform most of the magic within them. But his summer hadn't been all studying. Sure, Harry had continued his lessons with Walburga and Orion about politics and the like, and still devoted an hour a day to ridding the world of Voldemort – though he was finding himself overwhelmed by the different directions he could take that in. So far, he had simply focused on Runes because he found them interesting and he was curious and eager to decipher the markings in what he now referred to as 'the lair.'

The only other thing he spent time on was learning as much about the history of the wizarding world that he could, and Walburga and Orion were instrumental in that regard as well. Remus and Sirius had even been able to fill in some of the gaps that he had.

Harry had also made time to see his friends as often as he could when both his and their guardians allowed. He would have gone crazy if he had been physically separated from them for the entirety of the summer and his only form of communication with them was through owl post, which they kept up a few times each week.

As he made his way down to dinner, his thoughts drifted to Draco. He had only seen him once this summer and they had only been able to exchange a few letters. Harry was well aware that it was because of Lucius that he was prevented from seeing his friend, as Draco had warned him at the end of term.

"I will write when I can manage but I expect it will be few and far between. I'm not certain what he would do if he found out we were actually friends as opposed to me pretending to be yours." Draco said as he looked out over the students heading to the train station.

"Our friendship here has been confined to the library and 'that place'," Draco said suggestively.

"That is all that it can be, for now" Draco finished with a torn look in his eyes.

Harry had understood that Draco wasn't ashamed of being friends with him, but recognized that there were very adult circumstances at play beyond their control and that they had to be careful.

"You will be alright, won't you… Draco?" Harry countered.

"And you know I'm here and my house is always open to you." He stated more than asked.

Draco sighed and looked off in the distance again, watching the students move leisurely, jealous of the lack of real troubles over their heads.

"I know, Harry. But … there may not be much that I can do – or anyone for that matter. You know what he is capable of. I'm not sure that there is any place for me to hide that he couldn't get to me. Besides, I can't put that on you and Remus and Sirius."

"Nonsense, Draco!" Harry had whispered furiously as they were not completely by themselves.

"We are friends, okay? I want you to promise me that you will come to me if anything bad happens or is about to happen?"

Harry's green eyes had displayed his deep sincerity and concern for his friend, and it was the only thing that made Draco agree in the end.

"I know, Harry. I am truly grateful for you, and Cedric, and hell even Longbottom. I will come to you if it gets bad, Harry. I promise."

The train sounded in the distance, giving its warning of departure.

"See ya, Harry" Draco said as he turned and headed towards Hogsmead Station with those who had lagged behind because they had left packing to the last minute.

The memory had weighed on him all summer. Now that he had friends he was very protective of them and didn't like the thought that they may be hurting or suffering. Harry had been thankful that, so far, Draco had not needed help and hoped that Lucius had not set him to any more tasks like the one he had given him at Christmas. He also hoped that Draco was not suffering abuse because he thought he could handle it or that it wasn't that severe.

When he had met Draco in Diagon Alley a week ago he had kept a watchful eye on his friend for signs that he was hiding abuse or had not kept his promise, but he couldn't detect anything. Kaa had even snuck along with them and hadn't smelled anything indicating otherwise. Lucius, on the other hand, had practically reeked of dark and dangerous magic, and it was coming off of him in waves. It had unsettled Kaa and reminded him of that dreadful locket, though it was very faint and probably similar because of their evil nature.

Since he had spent all of his time on his way to dinner thinking about other things, he had not even noticed that he had been standing next to his chair with a blank expression for a few minutes.

Remus and Sirius traded a brief glance between them. It was obvious that something was on Harry's mind.

"Everything alright, Harry?" Remus asked with a hint of concern on his face.

Sirius watched Harry intently as he seemed to realize where he was and snap out of it.

"What? Oh, sorry." Harry met their gaze and took his seat, the delightful smell of shepherd's pie wafting through the house now.

"I have just been thinking about Draco." He shrugged his shoulders and turned his gaze away from Sirius.

Anger and mistrust flashed through Sirius' eyes; he was still unhappy about Harry's choice of friends and the whole spectacle that had been meeting one in particular last week in Diagon Alley.

So far Sirius had managed to keep his thoughts to himself, and to Remus who had tried to show a different side of the young Malfoy.

The sudden slamming of a fist on the table jolted the comfortable dinner setting, ruining the mood and causing Harry to gasp.

Harry looked slightly bemused at Sirius countenance; he could only guess as to what he was angry about.

"It's a Malfoy, Harry. It is most certainly a ploy of some kind."

"Easy Sirius," Remus tried to placate his angry co-parent and friend of many years."

"No – I didn't come back from Azkaban having been betrayed by someone I thought was a friend," he pointed harshly at Harry, "who also led to your parent's deaths."

Sirius instantly regretted his outburst and recoiled his hands and covered his face with them.

A wetness overtook Harry's green eyes at the outburst and the harsh way that the memories of his parent's death were thrown in his face.

"You think I don't know that," Harry said softly, tears now spilling over his cheeks.

"You think I never thought about that in the beginning or didn't see the way Lucius wanted to Avada Kedavra the Grangers in Diagon Alley?"

Remus and Sirius were slightly taken aback by the seriousness in which Harry had spoken and neither could find it in them to comment on his brazen mention of an Unforgivable Curse.

Kaa poked his out of Harry's sleeve and slithered onto the table so that he could fully see everything.

"Harry…" Sirius started, unsure of how to finish what he started.

"No, Sirius, you don't have to explain. I get it." All of the rage from his previous reply was gone. Kaa's simple action of making his presence known had given him perspective; their bond was strong and often went unseen and unnoticed by others.

"You don't know the whole story, and I do understand your concern."

Harry looked at Sirius softer now, and with understanding.

"You're worried he is my Pettigrew; I get it. Really, it was the first thought I had when he approached me in the library. Neville and I both were suspicious."

Sirius and Remus shared another look between them: it was exactly the fear that Sirius had, and in lesser part by Remus.

Harry was torn; he wanted to assuage his guardians' fears but was this his story to tell? He didn't want to betray Draco's confidence.

He thought for a moment as he scooped some dinner unto his plate and the others quickly followed suite at Kreacher's behest that the food was getting cold.

"They deserve to know, Harry. They are your guardians and should be made aware of certain things. Maybe they can help Draco or at least become aware in case their help is needed?"

Harry looked to Kaa and let his words sink in; he was right, of course.

"You can't say anything to anyone – promise me?" He looked at both of them, in turn, with a pointed expression.

He continued when they nodded, all of their focus and attention was on Harry now.

"True, Draco did approach us on orders from his father at the beginning of last year. I think Rita Skeeter's article on Lucius had something to do with it. Anyways, after the Christmas holiday, Draco returned different than from when he had left."

Remus nodded along. At the time, he hadn't been certain – Malfoy's were very good at wearing masks – but something did seem off about him now that he thought about it. And he had noticed Severus watching him more intently during mealtimes.

"We approached Draco about it one night, with Cedric, and he told us what happened over break. For us, it was enough to trust him, and I do."

Harry wasn't going to mention what they had discovered, not yet anyways.

"And what did he tell you, Harry" Remus asked with his mouth to his wine glass as Sirius looked on with a growing knot in his stomach. He was a Black; he had some idea of what growing up in a Malfoy's house had been like.

Harry looked down at his food that remained untouched, "he was forced to cast the Cruiciatus Curse on a Muggle that his father had kidnapped – and his father cast it on him until he got it right."

Silence. There was no shocked sounds after that revelation, just quiet.

"We all felt for him, saw the truth in his eyes and heard the regret in his voice for his part in torturing someone. He even offered to take a vow of his intent to us, though we didn't think it was necessary."

The mention of a vow peeked the curiosity of the two men and brought them out of their thoughts. They had been stunned by Harry's simple statement that revealed the horrors within the Malfoy household.

Sirius was the first to speak. "Harry," but was soon unsure of where to even begin. How did one deal with abuse of a child in Draco's particular situation?

"He is my friend and I am certain that he is mine – Kaa is also certain and he revealed his true form to Draco."

At this, Harry looked at Remus and an understanding soon passed between them. For Harry to have shown Draco Kaa and for him to have Kaa's blessing ameliorated a great deal of his concern.

Sirius had only heard about the incident with the Locket and with his parents and hadn't seen it with his own eyes – though the thought that Kaa would never let anyone who meant Harry harm near him also made him feel better about the situation.

"He isn't like Lucius, not in most ways. Sure, him and Hermione aren't exactly the best of friends but it improved a lot over the year… and he told me about Lucius wanting us to hang out over the summer for a staged photo in the Daily Prophet."

That hit a nerve within Sirius. "Are you certain he isn't playing you, Harry?"

He lowered his wine glass and stared at his Godson. "I think it is a testament to how far he is willing to go to in his ploy to repair the damage that Rita had caused to be in the presence of a Muggle for a photo. But Harry, what if this isn't all an act?"

Though Sirius could be comforted by Kaa's implied consent of the friendship, and his sympathy at what Draco had gone through at home, the betrayal of Pettigrew weighed too heavily on his mind. He didn't want Harry to experience that level of hurt.

"And if, if, Draco is playing us, however slim that might be, we aren't truly unaware because we are discussing it. I get the stakes that are involved." Harry slumped back in his chair, tired.

Sirius wasn't convinced, not completely; though some of his problem was realizing that Harry wasn't an ordinary twelve year old and it wasn't just because of his intelligence or maturity; Harry had and would face horrors that most could scarcely imagine.

"How are you so old for someone so young?" Sirius asked in an offhanded manner, resigning himself to the budding friendship for the time being. He realized that there wasn't anything that he could do about it at this particular moment.

Remus and Sirius both watched as a weight seemed to settle on the boy's shoulders and Sirius cursed softly under his breath. How inadvertently callous could he be?

"Harry, I'm sorry – that was rather stupid of me to say." He thought about going over to Harry and sitting next to him, and then did so.

Harry shifted in his chair to face Sirius, whose hand was now on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Sirius. I understand. I sometimes feel like I am handling things like you guys would when at other times I have no idea what I am supposed to be doing."

Sirius responded by squeezing his shoulder with a sort of reassurance.

"Sometimes I forget what you've gone through, pup. Sometimes I would rather hope that you could have a carefree existence and not deal with things most will never know."

That was the truth and Harry took it from Sirius at face value. Sirius had suffered through Azkaban and generally just wanted him to be happy. And Remus, Harry looked over to him and gave him a half-smile, to which Remus responded by joining Harry and Sirius on the other side of the table.

'Remus has been through horrors as well,' Harry thought with a sadness that was oddly comforting. Each person in this room had experienced some of the very worst things in life, but they were still here and still living. That, more than anything, gave Harry the strength he needed at times when the thought of the future was overwhelming to him.

"But I'm not alone," Harry piped up. "I have you guys and I have Cedric, and Hermione, and Neville," he looked at Sirius with a slight grin, "and Draco," he finished.

Sirius snorted lightly.

They stayed that way for a few minutes. The adults were thinking about the various things that had gone on at Diagon Alley: how Augusta had watched Lucius intently underneath that truly memorable vulture hat with her hand on her wand, ready to pounce at a moments notice; or how the Diggorys were slightly ignorant of the tension that bubbled beneath the surface and were just delighted to be in such esteemed company. Remus had thoughts of how Harry had pestered him for his schoolbooks at the beginning of the summer and couldn't stop the smirk on his face, nor the shake of his head as he knew that Harry had already gone through them.

So naturally, Harry had picked some books that he informed them were 'for just a bit of light reading,' never mind that some were far thicker than any school text. He never tired of how much of Lily and James he saw in Harry.

Eventually they all returned to their seats and finished the meal, which Kreacher had managed to somehow keep warm, over more appropriate and lighthearted dinner conversation. Sirius was soon narrating, with impersonations and hand waving, stories of their youth to Harry, who was absorbing every word.

With their stomachs full and their eyes heavy they each headed to their separate bedrooms. Harry lingered by the window in his room for a moment and gazed out at the backyard. He smiled when he saw the shadow where he knew the garden that he and Sirius had started was. Since the only magic besides Occlumency that Harry was more or less allowed to practice this summer was Potions, he had managed to convince Sirius to let him start his own garden. Sirius had been reluctant at first, but Harry had only needed to mention Lily before the old marauder had caved.

He placed Kaa in his little nest, which again was just above where Harry slept, and got under a light blanket. He went to sleep that night anticipating his departure for school and he was looking forward to taking the train since it meant that he got to spend more time with his friends. That and Remus had duties supervising the train at the beginning of the year. This way, he didn't have to later in the year.

And in no time, Harry began to dream…

Familiar hands brushed against his knuckles; they were strong, yet soft and bigger than his own, and he knew whom they belonged to. Harry could feel his heartbeat quicken as those hands moved to cup his face gently. Even if he were colorblind he would be able to tell whose eyes he was gazing at: not quite silver with hints of gray and just the faintest bit of green thrown in.

Cedric tried to tame a piece of Harry's hair and soon became frustrated that it could not be placed correctly. Harry started fidgeting the longer that Cedric was concentrating on doing the impossible, and soon was making faces that Cedric found adorably cute considering his consternation at being unable to beat a strand of wayward hair.

"Cedric, you know it won't stay." Harry whined as if he was being tortured, when he couldn't think of anyplace that he would rather be.

"It will, just wait and see," Cedric said with a determined expression.

Harry began to squirm in Cedric's arms more now and Cedric was forced to abandon his attempt at styling and wrapped both arms around Harry to keep him still.

"I am never letting you go, Harry" Cedric responded with a mischievous smirk and a raised eyebrow.

Harry quit his struggle and moved fully into Cedric's embrace, where his head came right up to Cedric's chin. Harry felt when Cedric inhaled his scent and he focused on the sensations that were shooting up his spine as Cedric rubbed small circles into his back.

"Harry," Cedric exhaled in a rich and deep voice.

Harry moved his head back briefly and titled it to look up at Cedric's handsome face.

"Yes?" He replied as he began to realize that the only thing he could see was Cedric and there was nothing around them, but it didn't bother him. It felt natural.

Harry then felt a tingle that he had never felt before and became acutely aware of how the only thing he could feel was Cedric's body pressed against his.

This new sensation became more pronounced as Cedric moved his lips closer to Harry's until they met and there was no space left between their bodies; Harry had never felt such intense feelings before.

It was only a few seconds into the kiss before an overwhelming sensation erupted throughout his body and he could no longer sense Cedric's presence, and he felt this tug in his navel as if his body was about to explode.

Harry opened his eyes suddenly in the dark room and darted them around in alarm before he noticed a wet sensation in his pajama bottoms. It took him a few seconds to mentally work out what must have occurred, and he was glad that the first time had happened when he was not at Hogwarts.

In the back of his mind he had been waiting for this as he knew from his Muggle education more or less when 'the change' would begin, but he had been trying to fight his growing attraction to Cedric that had really picked up at the end of last year. He knew that they had an atypical relationship for two males, but didn't want to get his hopes up. Harry really did value his friendship and didn't want to jeopardize it in any way.

He threw the covers off of him and made his way to the bathroom, feeling slightly embarrassed though he knew it was an irrational feeling; it was his body going through a biological change and it was normal. Though, Harry wasn't looking forward to what the change in hormones would be like and he hoped it wasn't too hard to deal with or changed him too much.

A few minutes in the bathroom and Harry emerged with fresh pajama bottoms and settled into bed once more. This time, however, he did not fall asleep quickly as his mind was still processing what had just happened, and he showed up to breakfast the next day a little later than usual. Of course, Sirius and Remus paid it no mind as they figured Harry had been up reading or doing something else.

Coincidently, after breakfast Sirius and Remus had decided on having 'the talk' with Harry. They had been pushing it off for the entire summer but with his approaching second year of Hogwarts starting in less than a week, they couldn't delay it anymore.

Harry sensed that something was off during breakfast as Remus and Sirius had been fidgeting more so than usual – even Kaa had picked up on it. Though, Harry supposed that he could also be hyperaware of things on account of what he had gone through last night and perhaps he was reading too deeply into things.

However, the moment they asked him to step into the study his suspicions were confirmed and he knew he wasn't imagining it.

Everyone was sitting down and each of them was nervous as hell: the adults for not wanting to do this and Harry for not knowing what to think. Kaa was in the chair next to Harry and was looking more and more confused as he stared at each of them in quick succession.

"Harry," Remus began, "Sirius and I, well, uh, we…" He was beyond nervous and this was perhaps one of the most awkward things he had ever done.

"You see, Harry," Sirius tried, "there comes a time in every little witch or wizards life when certain things happen as their body goes through changes as they begin to grow into adults." Even Sirius was surprised with what had just come out of his mouth.

Harry held his hand up, he couldn't take much more of this.

"I know about puberty you guys, we learned about it in primary school." Harry said matter-of-factly.

Sirius and Remus nodded as the uncomfortable expressions that had been on their faces started to morph into relief. They were not looking forward to discussing the topic as a whole, but were rather glad that they didn't have to describe the specific changes to Harry.

There was some more awkward silence, and Harry used it to fill Kaa in on the ridiculousness that was happening and his hope that it ended soon.

"That's great, Harry," Remus blurted out a few moments later, "but there are still some things we want to talk about, if that's okay?"

Harry nodded; just wishing this whole thing would be over with very soon. The longer he sat there the more he thought about his dream last night and how coincidental it was that they had chosen today to talk with him about this.

"But magical people are different than muggles in some ways, and as such, you may or may not be aware of them."

Harry nodded while looking down at the ground.

"And we want you to know we love you no matter what, and support you no matter what. Do you understand that?"

Harry nodded – boy were they dragging this out, even if they were being supportive.

Sirius was just as uncomfortable as anyone else but he had less reservations about blurting things out; if anything he wanting this over more so than anyone else.

"Whether you are into girls or guys, want to date, don't want to date, or are dating someone – well, we have this little pamphlet here with more information. It has some charms you may want to learn for when the time comes and let us know if you have any questions – though we think it will be a while before you have any."

Harry thought that was a lot of information to get in twenty seconds but appreciated how quickly Sirius had gotten everything out.

"So, is that it?" Harry asked hopefully.

Sirius and Remus nodded their heads in unison; both had noticed the brief look of relief that had flashed through Harry's eyes at the mention of liking guys being okay with them. They had succeeded in their minds without coming right out and asking Harry if he was gay; the most important thing to them was that Harry was happy and safe.

Harry paused at the door, and held up the pamphlet awkwardly.

"Uh, thanks. I think," he said before quickly shutting the door and resting his body against it in utter relief that it was over. He wasn't even sure what he had said when he had departed because he was just so thankful to be out of there. He loved Remus and Sirius and was glad that they cared about him and didn't care about whom he was attracted to, but that had to have been the most uncomfortable conversation he had ever had.

Inside, Sirius and Remus were both helping themselves to a very generous, early morning drink. They too were glad that that was over and agreed whole-heartedly that it was a necessary evil that had to be done; it was something that neither ever expected to have to deal with until recently. But Harry was their charge and his needs came first.

Harry spent the rest of the day in his room and had Kreacher bring his meals – he just wasn't up to facing the others again so soon. Little did he know that Sirius and Remus had more or less expected this response and had Kreacher inform them of Harry's eating plans.

The next day was better, although there was still a slight unease to everyone that made the situation more tense than it needed to be. They each talked more than usual about non-consequential things as they attempted to overcompensate for the day before and show that everything was back to normal.

Things slowly returned to normal over the next few days and Remus, Sirius, and Harry sat down to an early meal on the eve of his return to Hogwarts. Harry and Sirius were particularly sad that they would have to go without each other's company while he was at school and there was a sadness that surrounded both of them.

It was near the end of the meal when Sirius placed a wrapped present besides Harry's dessert.

"What's this, Sirius?" Harry asked, surprised.

"You've already made up for every holiday and birthday you missed with that Nimbus 2001 you gave me for my birthday!"

Sirius chuckled and then smiled in a way that told Harry that whatever this was hadn't cost him anything.

Curious, Harry started to unwrap the box before him and knew at once that he would never have been able to guess what was inside.

It was a mirror, one of those old-timey things that had a handle and would have looked more appropriate if he was constantly brushing his hair or looking at his face.

Sirius had half of a grin on his face as he watched Harry look over the gift with a confused look as he thought back to the many times that he and James had used these communication devices during detentions at Hogwarts.

"Uh, Sirius, a mirror, wow, I don't know what to say."

Remus snorted at Harry's decorum; he was usually more composed than this.

Sirius reached down and brought an identical mirror to rest before him and then looked at Harry pointedly and then turned his attention to the mirror.

"Harry Potter," he spoke in a clear and steady voice.

Harry's curiosity at what his godfather was doing was soon replaced with awe as the mirror grew warm in his hands and he caught sight of Sirius staring back at him through the mirror. He looked at Sirius, looked at mirror-Sirius, and kept looking back and forth between the two of them with a most priceless expression on his face that sent Sirius and Remus into a fit of giggles.

"Bloody hell," Harry was finally able to articulate his thoughts. It was a fantastic magical object.

"You're welcome, Harry."

"Thank you, Sirius. This is great – now it won't seem like we are that far apart at all."

Harry went over and hugged his godfather tightly, and it was reciprocated in kind.

Remus' heart was fuller now than it had been in many years as he was part of a family unit that gelled together quite nicely and really made the best out of an awful and horrible string of events.

The reverie was soon broken up by the realization from Remus that it was going to be an early morning since they had to be at the train station, though if they got up a little earlier, they could still have one final breakfast as usual.

The earlier bedtime was more for the adults that it was for Harry, seeing as how he really wasn't tired and he had never needed that much sleep to function normally. Six hours was all that he tended to need to feel well-rested, and so he just spent the extra time awake in his room.

Harry had been concentrating harder on his animagus training this summer now that he had the free time in which to dedicate a serious attempt at it. He found that after he had used Occlumency to process the day's events each night, his mind was very open and relaxed to the idea of changing into an animal.

He knew that Minnie had said it was dangerous to attempt this feet without supervision, but that had never really been a major concern for Harry. He was convinced that as along as he followed the instructions from the book he had secretly purchased from Flourish and Blotts that he would be fine.

And he was making progress according to the text – which was a testament to how much Occlumency training that he had had and how advanced he was for his age.

The steps to becoming an Animagus, however, were much, much easier on paper that in reality. The first step was being able to clear your mind while the second step simply consisted of being able to feel your magic flow throughout your entire body and feel every body part and subtle nuance. The third step tended to be the hardest for people because it involved finding your core and recognizing what traits defined you best, and then translating that over to which animal you were most like. The problem with this step was that you couldn't choose what animal nor could you change the qualities that best defined you at your core. This was often the step that people gave up on, whether because they weren't honest with themselves or they didn't like the animal they could potentially change into and so stopped trying.

Once you had your animal, all you had to do was imagine your entire body taking on those characteristics and becoming the animal. Again, this was easier said than done, but for individuals with a strong mental constitution it was simply a matter of putting in the effort to make the transition second nature and routine.

After going through the events of the day, and finally banishing the memory of having the talk with Remus and Sirius to the far corners of his mind, Harry was sitting on the floor in the corner of his room. He had also struggled slightly with where to place that dream of Cedric, and the following events. He was torn; he had enjoyed it and when he thought of Cedric a happiness and comfort seemed to bubble just underneath the surface of his skin and it just felt right, but he really wanted Cedric to be in his life in some form. He didn't really know what to think and it was one of the reasons he had put so much time and effort into Occlumency this summer so that he could think about something else. If he wasn't careful, all of his thoughts tended to drift back to him.

It took Harry about half an hour to clear his mind enough where he could get to his core. Harry was more curious than anything to see what made him tick, and in some ways, it benefited him that he was doing this while he was younger and he didn't have to contend with some of the prejudices that clouded older individuals with accepting who they were.

He had gotten to this stage many times before and had only glimpsed some of his innate attributes. Tonight was the first time that he had finally broken through and his raw, naked form. He discovered that he liked to explore and observe: that was his defining characteristic. Harry wanted to see everything from multiple points of view and do so without constraint; he was content with being by himself and didn't mind the solitude, though he also didn't mind being with others.

Then, quite naturally in his mind as he had no contention with what defined him, Harry saw the raven inside his mind and knew at once that his animal made sense; it was why he felt so comfortable in the air and moved as if he had been doing it his entire life. He felt this overwhelming feeling of joy and acceptance course through him and he couldn't help himself as he thought about the feeling of flying again and the air rushing past him, guiding his course through the air currents.

Harry was so intently focusing on that feeling of the wind against his skin that he soon forgot about being on a broom and thought, for just a moment, what it would be like to fly. Suddenly, this prickly sensation spread over all of his body and he felt different, although not exactly uncomfortable. He found that it was hard to think about anything else and it caused him to open his eyes and he was shocked at what he saw when he brought his hands up.

He jumped up and ran to the floor-length mirror and his jaw dropped at what was staring back at him: feathers. He was covered in thin black feathers from head to toe.

"Arghhhhhh!" he gasped quite loudly.

Kaa opened his eyes and hissed from his nest.

"Harry, what happened?" The snake blinked many times as he thought his vision had failed him.

Before he could respond or gain his ability to respond, Remus and Sirius burst through his door with their wands drawn. The sudden commotion caused Harry to jump unexpectedly and it had the effect of causing his feathers to molt, which sent Sirius to the ground, in a near fatal hilarity, gasping for breath as black feathers fell to the ground around Harry. Remus had to use the wall for support as he was trying with every ounce of his willpower not to laugh as well, and reminding himself that this was a serious matter and that Harry would likely need help to morph his feathers back into his normal appearance.

"Harry…. Harry, are you okay?" Remus was finally able to ask.

"Do I look okay, Remus?" He glared menacingly at Sirius who was still rolling around on the floor.

"Homorphus" Remus intoned softly, with a slight roll of his eyes.

The blue light hit Harry and the feathers began to recede into his skin and soon he stood before them, back to normal, in his pajamas. Harry took the opportunity to appreciate his returned form.

By this point, Sirius had gotten himself together and picked himself up off the floor.

"Harry, are you okay? In all seriousness?" Remus remembered back to his first transformation and how witnessing his friend's first attempts had made the whole thing easier on him. He was touched that they had gone through that just to be with him and they had all gotten a good laugh when James had sprouted antlers for the first time or Sirius's tail pushed through his shorts.

Remus went over to him and patted him on the shoulder, feeling slightly guilty for laughing at first – but it wasn't everyday, even for a wizard, that you saw someone covered in feathers.

"Harry – it happens to us all. My first time, I had a tail pop out of my pants – and your dad, well he took the cake. Antlers, huge," he gestured with his hands and also went over to Harry, "on his head. Why, he couldn't make it out of bed because he was stuck."

Harry felt better at hearing these things; he was slightly embarrassed about letting the magic get the better of him.

"Thanks, though it was rather alarming to have feathers all of a sudden."

Sirius patted him on the head, "looked good on you, pup." He smirked.

"Sirius," Harry rolled his eyes.

"Harry, in all seriousness this is rather advanced magic. But I suppose it has gotten to the point where you could succeed quite soon – and congratulations on finding your form -" he smiled genuinely, "-but it is rather dangerous to try this by yourself."

Harry was about to protest that Sirius and his father had done the same thing.

Remus raised his hand in a placating gesture.

"I know; Sirius and your dad did it as well. But they had each other, and were a little older."

He looked to Sirius as if communicating something, and Sirius nodded in response.

"We aren't angry, nor will we stop you, but we ask that you do this under supervision from now on. In fact, I will approach Minerva about this tomorrow, and perhaps she will agree to give you private instruction on this."

A true smile took over Harry's face.

"Really?" he eyes were wide with anticipation.

They both nodded at him.

"Just keep this to yourself, for now?" Sirius asked.

"It could be a great advantage for you someday and it is rather unusual – okay, unheard of – for one so young to master this skill."

Harry nodded. "Okay, I can do that. Thanks."

"Sure. So what kind of bird are you going to be?" Remus asked. "Did you see the whole form?"

All of the tension from the prior few moments went away as Harry thought back to discovering something that just seemed right, as if he had found another part of himself.

"A raven," he replied with a far-off expression on his face. "I get to be a raven."

Thanks for reading; let me know what you think!