Chapter 5: Why Did Dumbledore Not Think of This!

Before I start, there was a review by d1n0s.

Ugh Ginny, yuck!
Harry should really push himself to learn potions, runes, and wards; they would all be good in a fight.

Ginny will probably not be with Harry for long, and yes, I feel the same way. But I started from the end of the Half Blood Prince, so couldn't just ignore that relationship. I'll break that the first chance I get, pinkie promise.

As for potions, runes and wards, I probably won't have him learn potions. As for Runes, Wards and Arithmancy, he won't learn them, but he will use them. Submit reviews with answers! You have until the chapter where Harry actually uses them.

Note to d1n0s: I really appreciate the feedback, and you gave me lots of encouragement.

Whoever can figure out how my previous sentence is possible will get a special mention, and any one of their reasonable ideas will be incorporated into the story.
Good Luck!

Harry was not having a good day. He was this close to throttling Dudley and his parents. It was a miracle that he had managed to last this long.

Dumbledore appearing last summer had enraged the Dursleys to no end, especially as they had finally figured out Dumbledore's insult.

It aggravated them even further when Kingsley and Mr. Weasley had appeared the second day of the holidays, and told them Dumbledore's plan to hide them from Voldemort.

Vernon Dursley had not believed a word of it, and kept thinking of more and more ridiculous conspiracies. Petunia was suitable afraid, and was the sole reason as to why he kept packing and unpacking.

Harry's favorite moment was when Dudley had packed his dumbbells without Vernon noticing, and his uncle had tried to lift it, sweating profusely and then finally collapsed, red-faced.

The only thing currently calming Harry down were his Occlumency exercises. They calmed his mind, and soothed his magic. He had almost finished the book Dumbledore had lent him.

He was in the last chapter, which was about compartmentalizing his memories and thoughts, so that it was hidden from his own consciousness. Basically, it was like Obliviating himself. He could, metaphorically, set up a timer, and the compartments would wear off after the time, letting him remember.

He could also set other triggers. For example, when he enters a place, say Hogwarts, the compartment wall would dissolve, letting him remember.

This is useful (the book said) if you are facing an immensely powerful Legimens. He could be able to tear of your shields, defeat the defenses in your mindscape, and see through any fake memory, but will not be able to find the hidden memory, because you yourself wouldn't know it exists.
It is obviously not infallible, but it is one of the strongest ways to protect a specific memory, thought or belief.

It sounded very interesting to as he had nothing else to do, he closed his eyes and slipped into his mindscape.

Harry's mindscape was very organized, as he had spent almost two weeks perfecting it. Now, he could instantly recall anything he ever experienced, provided he maintained the mindscape. His eidetic memory was going to be very useful.

Harry landed in the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts, which was his mindscape. There were many defenses, including patrolling suits of armor, traps that would cause immense pain, and even the Basilisk.

Harry walked to the where the Room of Requirement was in the real Hogwarts and willed his actual room where he stored everything to appear. There were red herrings in the Gryffindor Tower, the Headmaster's Office and in the Great Hall, in which were fake memories and thoughts that Harry had created with a lot of effort, making them almost flawless.

People had said that Occlumency was hard to master, but it was astonishing how much a dedicated and determined boy can do with this much time at hand.

As Harry entered the real memory room, he experienced a wave of clarity and an accelerated thought process. The book had mentioned this, but Harry was always unprepared for this.

'This is probably how Hermione feels all the time', Harry thought amusedly.

Focusing on the task at hand, Harry took out a book in one of the many bookshelves and kept it in one of the corners of the huge room. He did this in a second, as this was his mind, and all he had to do was to envision the book there.

Harry had had fun the first day in the mindscape. He could literally create and do anything. His mindscape was an empty field with an empty blue sky then, and Harry had not had so much fun in a long time.

He threw fireballs, lightning bolts and god knows what else from his hands. He summoned lightning, he flew without a broom, he even created two armies and let them march against each other and see who won.

There was no blood shed, and the people in the army were ragdoll. It was like that game he saw Dudley play. Totally Accurate Battle Simulator (AN: - I know it didn't exist then, but I didn't want you to think Harry is a Dark, Evil Bastard who enjoys seeing people kill each other)

Suffice to say, it was an amazing day.

Back in the present, Harry closed his eyes (metaphorically, he had no real body in his own mind), and envisioned walls closing the book away.

Immediately, the contents of the book were lost to Harry. The walls actually became invisible, and both they and the book was nowhere to be seen.

Harry whistled. He knew he hid a book about a bad day at the Dursleys 10 years ago, but couldn't remember exactly what it was. He imagined the walls falling down, and the book became visible again.

Of course! It was about when Marge set Ripper on him, and he had to climb up a tree to escape it!

This was crazy! Having no need to remember that particular day, he closed it off again and frowned in thought.

The accelerated thought in the mindscape was working, it seemed, as an idea was forming in his head.

His mother's protection expired when he no longer called Petunia's house home, or when he came of age.

The latter was not an option, as Voldemort would just swoop in and get him the moment the protection fell.

As for the former… Harry frowned (again, metaphorically). How would the protection know if Harry no longer called the place home? It was in him, so if he thought so, the charm would also think so.

Harry laughed! Of course! If he walled up his belief that the place was not home, the protection wouldn't fail!

And then, he could go to Hogwarts without any threat, and set the walls to fall when he was behind Hogwarts's protection again.

Harry frowned. Why had Dumbledore sent him here in the first place? Surely, he could have stayed at Hogwarts, and let the protection fail, because it would fail anyhow in the next few weeks? Coming here would only make him take the dangerous trip back anyways.

Also, why couldn't he have a Portkey or something? To let him teleport directly to Hogwarts whenever he wished. It would certainly make things easier.

Harry shook his head. It was useless to think about them when there was nothing to do about it now.

With his plan in mind, he exited the landscape and packed everything up. Hedwig looked at him balefully when he asked her to go back in the cage but complied, nipping at Harry's finger in annoyance.

He then went downstairs and told the Dursleys that he was leaving. There was barely a reaction from Vernon, except a muttered good riddance.

Dudley surprised Harry by shaking his hand and actually thanking him for saving Dudley from the Dementors.

Petunia just stared at him for a few seconds, and gave a stiff nod.

Not the most heartfelt goodbye.

Harry went back to his room, made sure everything was ready, and entered his mindscape again.

It took longer this time, as he had to set a location trigger, and had to also block the memory that he had blocked a memory in the first place. He also created a fake memory book the instilled a strong will to go to Hogwarts right away. This book would also disappear the moment he entered the Entrance Hall at Hogwarts.

The changes overcame him instantly, and he exited the mindscape.

Harry smiled. Humming a happy tune, he picked up his trunk and Hedwig's cage and headed out of the house.

Taking out his wand, he held it out to summon the Knight Bus.

Giving Stan the required Sickles, and told him to go to Hogwarts, almost yelling to be heard over Stan's excited squeal upon seeing Harry Potter.

"Mr. Potter, if I may ask, why 're ya garn there in the bloomin' Hey Diddle of the summer 'olidays!"

It took Harry a while to work that out, and then, shrugged as he had no clue whatsoever why.

Harry reached Hogwarts, and the Knight Bus roared away. The gates opened upon sensing a student, and he entered the Grounds. It took him some time to reach Hogwarts itself, and as soon as he entered the Entrance Hall, he remembered.

Dumbledore had come running to the Entrance Hall when he saw Harry walking on the grounds.

"Harry! What are you doing here!"

And Done! Reviews and Constructive Criticism are appreciated.
Also, why do HP ship names sound so ridiculous? Hinny/Garry (Harry x Ginny), Hermon/Romione (Hermione x Ron), Nuna/Levile (Luna x Nevile).
And those are only cannon pairings! Drarry/Harco (Draco x Harry)! Haphne/Darry (Harry x Daphne)!
Don't get me wrong. I ship lots of the above myself, and love many of their pairings. But why do they sound so.. so..

See ya!