Harry's Search For Love

Chapter 1

Harry woke early in the morning, his first day of summer vacation following his sixth year at Hogwarts. He lay there listening to Ron snoring beside him in the other bed. He closed his eyes trying to go back to sleep. But after lying with his eyes closed for a couple of minutes, Harry realized that he was not going to be able to drift off again. He smiled to himself. For the first time, since finding out he was a wizard, he was looking forward to a summer without the Dursleys. He didn't have to worry about hiding food, or being locked away just because he was there. Considering all that was going on in his life, Harry was relieved to be staying at the Weasleys'.

He sat up, reached for his glasses, quietly got his clothes, and headed downstairs to the bathroom. After he had dressed, washed his face, and tried to make his hair lie down, he headed downstairs to the kitchen. He could already smell the breakfast that Mrs. Weasley was cooking. When he walked into the kitchen, Harry was taken by surprise to see a stranger sitting at the kitchen table dressed in clothing unlike any he had ever seen before. Also sitting at the table was Ron's older brother Charlie, talking quietly to the man. When the man glanced up to see Harry standing at the door looking at him, he motioned for Charlie to look behind him.

Charlie looked up and smiled. "Good Morning, Harry! Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning, Charlie. Yes, I did, thank you. When did you get in?"

Charlie laughed. "About five minutes ago actually. I had to wait until our newest member of the Order arrived at the Reserve before I could come home. Come over and meet him, Harry." Charlie turned to his friend. "Thomas Roaringbear, this is Harry Potter. Harry, this is Thomas Roaringbear. He's going to be staying here this summer while you are going back and forth to Remus' house, during the full moon. To help with training."

When Charlie mentioned Remus, Mrs. Weasley turned around. "I don't understand why Harry has to go to Remus' house. We can protect him perfectly fine here at the Burrow."

"Mum, you know why Dumbledore wants Harry with Remus. It's not because we cannot protect Harry. It's because someone needs to make sure Remus takes his wolfbane potion so that the transformation during the full moon does not hinder Remus' healing. You know that confrontation with Goyle just about killed him, and transforming at the full moon is only going to make his injuries worse. He can't take normal healing potions."

"I know, Charlie. It's just that I want Harry with family." She smiled at Harry. "You know that I have considered you like one of my own since I first met you, don't you, love?"

Harry blushed, slightly embarrassed. "Yes, Ma'am." Harry turned to Thomas, sticking out his hand. "Hello, sir, it's good to meet you. Are you the American that I heard Professor Dumbledore talking about?"

Thomas took Harry's hand, smiling. "Yes, I am. I look forward to starting our training once I get settled in."

Harry sat down beside Charlie so that he could keep the new man in his sight. "Okay, Charlie, would you please tell me what new training I am going to be doing? I thought I was going to be working with the Aurors."

"Don't make it sound like Muggle History, Harry. Actually, Thomas is here to teach you something a little culturally different. Thomas is a Native American Wizard."

"Oh!" Turning to Thomas, Harry asked, "What is that you're wearing? I thought Americans wore the same type Muggle clothes that we wear."

"My jacket is deer skin and so are my shoes."

Harry, completely intrigued, stopped eating to ask, "Do you mean real deer skin?"

Thomas nodded.

Harry started to ask more questions, but Charlie interrupted him. "Harry, how about let's save all the questions about Thomas' background until everyone else gets down here so that he only has to answer all of these questions once?"

"Oh, okay sure," said Harry. "What training are you going to be helping me with?"

Thomas took a deep breath. "Have you ever been with Remus while he was transforming?" He watched Harry shake his head no. "Well, I have some remedies that are not potion related that could help ease Remus' discomfort during the transformation while he is recovering from his injuries. It is a form of chanting and similar to the Occlumency that Professor Snape has shown you."

"Do you mean that Remus won't have to take the wolfbane potion anymore?"

"No," replied Thomas, "it means that while the wolfbane potion will keep Remus from being vicious, he will still suffer during the transformation because of his injuries."

Charlie interrupted, wiping his mouth. "Come on, Thomas. I'll show you to Bill's old room where you can relax until the rest of the family gets up. Harry, I will talk to you more in a little while. Thomas has been traveling all night, and needs some rest." Passing Harry as he helped Thomas carry his belongings up to Bill's old room, Charlie reached over and ruffled Harry's hair earning a smack and a scowl from the younger wizard.

After Charlie and Thomas had gone up the stairs, Mrs. Weasley looked over at Harry and began apologetically, "Harry, I'm sorry. I don't mean to speak of ill of Remus, but I just worry that Albus seems to have forgotten that you are still just a boy, and you have enough weighing on you as it is."

Harry got up, and took the dirty dishes to the sink. He walked up to Mrs. Weasley and wrapped his arms around her plump waist and gave her a quick hug. "I know you worry about me. But, I promise I'm okay with going to stay with Remus. He's all that I have left of my parents. Please try to understand; I need the connection with him, since he is the last of my parents' closest friends. I have no actual family left."

Mrs. Weasley sniffed as she wrapped her arms around Harry. "Oh, Harry, my heart just breaks for all that you have gone through. But, I am also proud of the man you are becoming." They broke apart when they heard Ron clomping down the stairs heading toward the kitchen.

"Morning, Mum. Harry. What's for breakfast?"

Harry grinned as he sat back down across from Ron. He waited until Ron had filled his plate and took a bite of eggs before he spoke. "Guess who we have visiting?"

"I saw Charlie going into his bedroom on the way down, but, it's no surprise. He pops in all the time."

Harry started smirking. "Did you happen to see who Charlie had with him?"

"No, who?"

"A real Indian," stated Harry.

Ron started choking on his eggs. Mrs. Weasley swept across the room and started smacking Ron across the back. Ron looked from his Mum to the boy who had been his best friend since their first day at Hogwarts. "A real Indian?" Ron asked a note of awe in his voice.

Charlie started laughing where he stood leaning at the doorway. "Yes, Ron. A real Indian. But you are not to bother him until he comes down. He traveled by Muggle transportation to get here since Voldemort is watching the Floo network for international travel. He wrongly assumes that a true wizard would not use anything Muggle related to get from one location to another. It makes moving wizards from one place to place a lot easier."

Mrs. Weasley glared at Charlie. "That is enough. You know that I don't like mentioning that name in this house unless it is absolutely necessary. You boys get out of here so that I can clean up a little before the rest of the family comes down."

With that Mrs. Weasley turned around, removed her wand from her apron pocket, and muttered a spell to start the dishes.

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A little while later, Thomas walked down the stairs and heard voices coming from a room off to the right. When he walked into the room everyone stopped talking to look at him. He was amazed that there were four more red headed duplicate images of Charlie.

Charlie smiled. "Hi, Thomas. We didn't wake you, did we? My brothers and sister here can get a little loud when they are talking about Quidditch. Meet my brothers, the twins are George & Fred, Ron is my youngest brother and my sister, Ginny. Of course, you met Harry earlier this morning."

The Weasleys all responded in unison, "Hello."

Thomas smiled at the group as he sat in the chair nearest Charlie. "No, you didn't wake me. I meditated while I was on the airplane so that the time change would not affect me too badly. Have you seen that new team from Brazil that just organized, The Flying Nuts? They are amazing."

Ron snorted. "They don't stand a chance against my Chudley Cannons. They are going to take the Quidditch Tournament this year."

Thomas laughed when the entire Weasley clan, Harry included; started beating the youngest Weasley boy with pillows, telling him to sod off about his Cannons.

Mrs. Weasley walked into the room. She looked at her family, smiling. "Lunch will be ready in five minutes. Ginny, will you please come help me set the table? Boys, go clean up."

The clock hands started spinning on the Weasley clock; it was quite an unusual clock, a family heirloom given to them by Arthur's grandfather. Instead of the traditional two hands on a normal clock, this clock had a hand for each member of the family. All but three of the hands were pointed to home. Two hands were now pointed to travel, and the third hand was pointed just a little to the right of mortal peril. That hand belonged to Bill who had died defending the Dursleys against a group of Death Eaters.

"Hurry up, please, your father and Percy are on their way."

Ginny rushed out of the room to assist her mother, and the boys headed upstairs.

Charlie turned towards Thomas. "Are you ready to get started with Harry's training after lunch? The moon will be full in ten days, so we don't have much time." Before Thomas could respond, two pops sounded close to the fireplace and two more redheaded men appeared.

Mr. Weasley looked around, seeing his oldest son rising from the couch and a stranger sitting close to him in a chair, and smiled. "Hello Son, who is your friend?"

Charlie responded while walking towards his father, "This is Thomas, our new ally from America." Then Charlie squeezed his father's shoulder, and turned towards Thomas. "This is my Dad, Arthur, and another brother Percy. They both work for the Ministry of Magic."

Thomas rose from his chair and shook both of the men's hands. "Glad to finally meet you both. I have looked forward to meeting you since Dumbledore told me you were assisting him in the Order. I would love to talk you later about a few things, if you don't mind."

"Of course, why don't we go get something to eat and bring it in here where we can talk a little more privately?"

Mr. Weasley turned and headed for the kitchen, and spotted his sons and Harry heading down the stairs. "Hello, boys. I'm going to take our guest for a little bit."

They all started protesting. Mr. Weasley spoke above their voices. "If he is not too tired after lunch, you can ask all your questions during the afternoon."

He spotted his wife as he entered the kitchen, placing the lunch on serving platters, and kissed her on the cheek. "Hello dear, we will take our food and eat in the living room, if that is okay. I don't have too much time, and Thomas wants to discuss Ministry business."

Mrs. Weasley turned and smiled at her husband. "No problem, dear. Go ahead and serve yourself, and I'll bring you something to drink." Turning to Fred, she asked, "Fred, will you please get the glasses out of the cupboard and fill them with ice?"

Fred, knowing his mother would frown on using magic on her good glasses, walked to the cabinet and carefully removed the good glasses for his father and Thomas to use. He turned and saw Harry coming towards him with a bucket of ice. "Thanks, Harry. But I could have gotten the ice."

Harry smiled. "Yeah, but knowing your luck when you tried to get the ice in the glasses by magic, you would have ended up breaking one. This is safer. Watch. You take your hand and grab a couple of pieces of ice and carefully place the ice in the glass, like so."

George, who was listening to the conversation between his brother and Harry, started laughing. "Good one, Harry."

Fred pushed Harry away, "Sod off, Harry."

Mrs. Weasley turned and glared at Fred. "Fred Weasley, you know how I feel about that language. You are not too old to have your mouth washed out with soap."

"Sorry, Mum, but Harry started it."

Mrs. Weasley, trying to hold back a smile, said to her son, "Well it would not hurt you to take a couple of lessons from Harry on how to do things the Muggle way. My good china could use a bit of gentle handling." Glancing to take in all the teenagers standing in the kitchen she said, "When you finish eating, the garden needs to be de-gnomed again. When I tried to use the watering can, one of those creatures tried to hit me."

That brought a chorus of groans from Ron and Ginny. "Mum, it's getting hot outside. Can't it wait until the morning when it's cool?"

Mrs. Weasley turned and looked at the sulking faces. "If you work together you can get this done a whole lot faster than grumbling about doing it. And after all, you will have the twins helping too."

At this Fred and George cried out, "Mum, we have to get that order ready to ship for Honeydukes in the morning. We don't have time to fight with those stupid gnomes. We are business men now, not men of leisure."

Mrs. Weasley turned to her twins. "Well you have not been men of business all morning. It won't take long. And remember as long as you two are living under my house and I have to listen to things explode all day, you can at least do me the courtesy of doing a few chores around this house."

"Yes, Mum, we're sorry," replied Fred.

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After lunch the teenagers went outside to the garden. From previous experience they knew that the chore was going to be hard, but working together, they started tackling the gnomes.

Percy, when he finished lunch, leaned at the door watching his siblings and Harry, with a smirk on his face.

Fred, upon seeing his brother, remarked, "Well, well. Look everybody. See who has decided to grace us with his presence. How about getting your arse over here and helping? You still live here too, you know!"

Everyone stopped to look at Percy. Percy stood straight, and replied, "I'm so sorry I can't help you out, but I have to get back to the Ministry. I have an important issue waiting on me. I have an actual job, with responsibilities. Unlike you, Fred and George, who work only when you want to."

Fred and George looked at each other and looked back at Percy. "Sod off, Percy!" they said in unison, and George threw an angry gnome at him.

Percy whipped out his wand and stopped the gnome before it hit him, and sent the gnome to a field far away from the house. As Percy was placing his wand back in his robe pocket, he frowned at his brother. "Nice try, George. Well, off to the Ministry." With a quiet pop, Percy was gone.

Fred and George glared at the place where their brother had been standing and returned to de-gnoming the yard with more vigor than before.

When the teenagers were almost finished with the chore, Thomas came outside to watch. When Harry glanced up and saw Thomas sitting on a bench, he wiped the sweat off his face with the bottom of his shirt, walked over, and plopped down beside Thomas' feet. A few minutes later, the rest of the teenagers joined them.

Thomas looked down at the exhausted group. "When you have rested, we can start on the transfiguration chant. It is not hard to learn. But, with only ten days before the next full moon, I want to make sure Harry is at least comfortable doing it."

Harry looked up at Thomas. "Uh, how am I supposed to do the spell? Didn't anyone tell you that it's against the law for us to do magic outside of school?"

"Yes, Dumbledore did mention that. He has made special arrangements with the Ministry for you to be able to use magic this summer." That said, he magiked cold drinks for everyone.

When Fred and George had finished their drink, they stood up, groaning from strained muscles. Fred looked down at Thomas. "Thanks, Thomas, for the soda. We would love to learn this new spell, but we do have some business to take care of first. When we get finished, we will come find you and catch up."

Thomas stood up also and stretched. "No problem. From what I have heard, you two are quick studies when you set your mind to something. Actually I look forward to talking to you about your business venture. Your parents tell me it's quite a success. Maybe later you can show me some of your products? I am always on the lookout for something new to import back to the States."

Fred and George smiled at each other. "Sure thing! We were not planning on going international for a couple of years, but we're flexible!" George replied.

"See you in a little while," Fred said.

The twin's left the group and headed to a building that had been built just for the twins business, just on the other side of the garden.

Thomas looked down on Ron and Harry, who were both lying on their backs and Ginny who was propped up against the bench finishing her soda. "Why don't we go over by the pond? There seems to be a breeze over there and we won't be distracted. But first, why don't you go inside and clean up a little? I'll head down to the pond and get things set up."

The trio, excited to be doing magic outside of school, dashed inside the house. After they had cleaned up, they headed down to the pond. When they arrived, they noticed that Thomas was sitting cross-legged on the ground with his eyes closed. Thomas was now dressed in a strange shirt covering his chest leaving his arms, which were brown, exposed. Across the upper part of his arms were beaded bands that had a black feather sticking up. Holding his raven hair back was a leather band that also was beaded with a couple of feathers sticking down the back.

When Ginny noticed Thomas, she gapped and started blushing. Ginny swallowed hard and started taking deep breathes to get her heart to slow down back to its normal speed. She had never in her life had a reaction like this to any other male before. Not even her crush on Harry, or other boys at Hogwarts, had elicited a response like she was having now. To cover her reaction, she busied herself getting her clothes straight while sitting down between her brother and Harry.

Harry, also, had a reaction to Thomas when he noticed him. And it was quite similar to the reaction that Ginny had. Harry sat down as far from Ron as he could get, so Ron wouldn't sense something was bothering him.

Thomas opened his eyes, and smiled at the trio. "What I want you to learn first, since this is the most important part for you personally, is the Protection chant."

Smiling, Ron interrupted, "Do we get to jump around like real Indians?" This brought a snort from Harry and Ginny poked Ron in the ribs to try to make him shut up. Rubbing his hurting side, he looked at them and with a gleam in this eye. "What? It was a valid question. He is a real Indian and he is going to be teaching us an Indian chant. It made sense to me!"

"No, Ron, we won't be jumping up and down. This is a calm chant. Charlie told me you three were a lively bunch, and I can see he wasn't lying. We are really going to have fun doing this; I can tell. Now, back to the instructions. I am going to break the chant down into three parts. Once you can do the first part without hesitation, we will go into the next part. Which is when the spell actually starts. Okay, spread out a little."

When the trio had made a little more room between themselves, they started repeating the chant after Thomas. The trio spent the remainder of the afternoon out by the pond. When the twins had finished getting their package ready for shipping, they joined the group by the pond and quickly caught up. By the time the sun started making its decent in the sky, everyone had the protection chant down.

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Charlie was sitting in the living room doing paperwork when he heard the trample of feet going through the house. He looked up to see Harry, his brothers, and sister heading upstairs. Thomas came into the room and sank onto the couch. Charlie looked at the man and inquired, "How did it go?"

Thomas closed his eyes, and then replied, "They all have the first part down. We will tackle the next part tomorrow." Thomas opened his eyes to look at Charlie. "You did not tell me how powerful Harry's magic is. If people knew how truly powerful he will be, they will be eager to kill the boy."

Charlie closed his eyes, and Thomas saw a flicker of pain come across the young man's face. Charlie opened his eyes and looked at Thomas. "They do and they are. That was the primary reason Dumbledore asked you to come and teach us your Indian magic. Voldemort killed Harry's parents when he was a baby. That, I'm sure you are aware of. His godfather, and his Muggle aunt, uncle and cousin, who were horrible people, also were killed by Voldemort's followers. Harry has no one. Not a single family member to keep him safe."

"We've thought of Harry as family since we first met him. Not, The Boy Who Lived. Not, the potential savior of the Wizard world. My oldest brother, Bill, died defending Harry's Muggle family, because Dumbledore knew that if they were killed, Harry would be left exposed. Dumbledore had placed a blood bond spell that hid Harry from the Wizarding world until he was of age to come to Hogwarts. He wanted Harry to have a normal start in life. He just did not realize what kind of people that he had placed Harry with. He had wrongly assumed that they would take Harry in, and treat him like their own child. They did take him in, as it was expected of them. But they treated Harry cruelly.

After their death, Mum went to Dumbledore and insisted that Harry come live with us. Dumbledore sat down with both my parents and myself and made sure that we completely understood what could happen. We already knew about the threats from our double agent. And he made us aware of Harry's true potential, because he is developing into a strong wizard. Dumbledore told me that Harry, when he matures, is going to be an even stronger wizard than even Dumbledore himself. If that does not tell you how strong Harry's magic is, then you aren't listening."

Charlie smiled sadly. "But what is amazing is that Harry is completely grounded. I don't know if he even realizes how strong his magic is. He has the capability to love. And he does. He won't align himself with Voldemort. Harry knows that he is the only one that can stop Voldemort, when the timing is right. He is aware that until the time comes his life, and anyone that chooses to be around him, is also in danger. He was worried coming here would put us in the direct line of fire, but Mum insisted. And no one argues with Mum, not even the famous Harry Potter."

Thomas shook his head. "I thought I understood the situation when I talked to Dumbledore, and agreed to come here. I assumed Dumbledore was just being a little cautious. What do you need me to do while I am here, besides training?"

Charlie sighed and started gathering his completed paperwork up. "Just don't let Harry out of your sight. If someone comes around, and it is not a redheaded Weasley or Dumbledore, get Harry out of sight quickly. Until the okay comes down from Mum, Dad or me."

"Oh, speaking of getting Harry out of sight. Are you going to be teaching Harry that Invisibility spell that you have developed? I know Dumbledore wants you to teach it to the Order, but, even though Harry is a vital part of the Order, I was unclear if he was going to learn it also. If you do, please let Dumbledore know. Harry may not be a true Weasley, but he has the same genetic code that a true blood Weasley has to find mischief. Bill and Percy were the only good Weasleys of the bunch. The rest of us were always pulling pranks and causing trouble. Knowing that charm would allow Harry to run around and have an interesting final year at school."

"Yes, Dumbledore does want me to teach Harry. He is a quick study, and considering what we are going to be up against, Dumbledore said everyone needs to learn it. I have reservations about Remus being able to perform the charm due to the ingredients in the wolfbane potion. When Remus is feeling better after the full moon has past, we are going to experiment."

Charlie smiled and rose from his chair. "If you will excuse me, Thomas, I need to send this paperwork to Romania. Since I took a leave of absence this summer to help out with the Order, I've had a couple of things to deal with that I couldn't get resolved before I left. And I want to make sure that I had all open issues resolved, in case someone has questions while I am gone."

Thomas rose after Charlie left and walked to the Weasley's clock. Thomas stared silently at the clock for a few minutes, then turned and quietly left through the front door of the Burrow. He looked quickly around and not seeing anyone about, headed to the woods that surrounded the house. Thomas walked until the woods were surrounding him on all sides, and there was no sign of civilization to be seen or heard. Thomas sat down and started meditating and thinking about all that Charlie had said.

Unbeknownst to Thomas, his departure was noticed by someone in the house. And that person was Harry.

Harry glanced over at his best friend, Ron. Ron was reading a letter that he had received from his girlfriend, Hermione, who was Harry's other best friend. Knowing that Ron would not notice if he left, Harry grabbed a change of clothes and made his escape.

After Harry's only family had died in the Death Eater attack on Halloween, he'd purchased some clothes that fit, something he had wanted to do for some time. Harry had kept the inheritance from his parents a secret from the Dursleys. He'd known that if they had ever found out about the money, they would have taken it from him and he would never have seen a Knut.

Harry had insisted, when he was asked if he would like to live with the Weasleys, that he give them money for expenses while he was staying with the family. Mr. Weasley had insisted that Harry didn't have to pay them. Mrs. Weasley had told him that he was family. But knowing how tight money was in the Weasley household, Harry had insisted that they at least take a few Galleons each month to help out. They'd finally agreed, but Harry had noticed that the amount of clothing he owned had increased since then. It seemed that Mrs. Weasley was capable of being just as sneaky as the Weasley children.

Once Harry had cleaned up again, he walked down the stairs and out the front door of the Burrow. Harry looked all around and, not seeing any signs of Thomas, he followed the same path Thomas had taken into the woods. Harry knew that Dumbledore trusted Thomas, which should have been good enough for him, but he had a hard time trusting anyone new coming into his life. Past experience had lead to that distrust, and even Dumbledore's acceptance of the man, was still not enough to satisfy Harry.

Harry walked through the woods as quietly as he could. He had walked about ten minutes when he spotted Thomas sitting down, his back to a tree, with his eyes closed. Without even opening his eyes, Thomas asked, "Is there anything I can do for you, Harry?"

Harry stood there stunned. "How did you know I was here?"

Thomas opened his eyes and looked at Harry. "You were not as stealthy as you think you were." Thomas stood up and stretched. "Your shoes, which are Muggle made, are not good for walking in the woods quietly. With natural shoes, like mine, I can feel the ground under my feet so I can be more careful when walking. And you smell like sandalwood soap."

"Oh!" Looking down at his shoes and then to the shoes on Thomas' feet, Harry asked with a gleam in his bright green eyes, "Where can I get a pair of shoes like yours?"

Thomas squeezed Harry's shoulder and turned him back the same way he had come. "I will send a message to a friend of mine in the States. Let's head back to the Burrow. I can smell dinner is almost done."

Harry looked up at Thomas. "Smell? I can't smell anything. Are you part wolf, too? Remus is the only one that I know that has that good of a sense of smell."

"No, I'm not part wolf. It is the way I was raised. My grandfather brought me up and he taught me the ways of my People. When he realized that I had magical capabilities, he contacted Dumbledore. It seems that Dumbledore and my grandfather were old school mates. When my grandfather was your age there wasn't a school in the States to take magical people, so he came to Hogwarts to study. When my talent was revealed, even though there was a school in the States by then, I also came here to study."

The two men walked along beside each other for a couple of minutes in silence. "Thomas, can I ask you a question?"

Thomas stopped walking and looked down at Harry. "Of course you can. If I can't answer the question, I will tell you so. What is your question?"

"What were you doing out here in the woods?"

Thomas sighed, relieved the question Harry asked was one that he could answer. "I was meditating. With the traveling I've done the past couple of days, I needed to find a quiet spot to relax, think, and refresh myself. I figured that with a house full of people, I wouldn't be able to find a quiet place inside the house. Since I'm an outdoor person by nature, I went outside. There is something peaceful about being in the woods surrounded by nature. It really brings my focus back to center. If you want, I can teach you. You are already doing a form of meditation anyway, with the Occlumency. How is that going?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Pretty good, I guess. Professor Snape said, considering my blood bond with Voldemort now, he is surprised that I can block anything at all."

As they came in sight of the house, a man appeared at the door of the Burrow dressed all in black. Remembering Charlie's warning, Thomas pulled Harry close to him back into the shadow of the trees. He muttered quietly something under his breath that Harry, who was startled to be pulled into Thomas' arms, did not catch. When Harry tried to speak, Thomas took his hand and covered the younger wizard's mouth.

Thomas leaned down to whisper in Harry's ear. "Be still, until we know who that is." Before Harry could make a sound the door of the Burrow opened and Charlie was standing at the door. With a quick look behind him, and out into the yard, Charlie reached up to the man's face and pulled him into a kiss.

Harry, who was watching in the protective circle of Thomas' arms, stood there in shock. He knew that Charlie was bi-sexual. But to see him kissing a man, especially when that man was Professor Snape, was mind blowing. Harry relaxed against Thomas and watched as the two men entered the Burrow and closed the door.

Harry quickly realized that he enjoyed the feel of Thomas' arms around him and he was aware of the man's breathing and the beat his heart. The next second came the realization that he was again feeling an unusual attraction to Thomas; Harry quickly pulled himself away.

"That -" Harry's voice cracked. Harry cleared his throat. "That was Professor Snape. He is a vital part of the Order. If you will excuse me, I need to go get cleaned up again before dinner is ready."

Harry walked away from Thomas and went into the house.

Luck would have it that no one was around when Harry entered the house. He quickly went up the stairs, entered the bathroom and shut and locked the door. He walked to the sink and turned on the cold water, and looked up at himself in the mirror.

Harry splashed cold water on his face. When he was certain that he had control over himself, he put his glasses back on and left the bathroom. Harry, not wanting to run into Thomas again, headed up to the bedroom that he was now sharing with Ron. Ron wasn't there when Harry opened the door. Relief flooded Harry as he sank onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling, going over everything that had happened.

Harry stayed up in the room until Ginny came in looking for him.

Upon seeing Harry lying on the bed, staring into space, Ginny placed a hand on Harry's leg. "Harry, are you okay? Mum was looking for you. It's time for dinner."

Harry jumped at the feel of Ginny's hand on his leg.

"Sorry, Harry, I didn't mean to startle you. Are you all right? You were really deep in thought."

"Oh, hi, Ginny. I'm okay. I was just going through the chant in my mind. I wanted to make sure that I have it right. I don't want to make a mistake and cause Remus even more pain."

Ginny frowned at Harry's answer.

Harry felt bad about telling Ginny the lie. He knew if he tried to explain what was going on in his head, she would think he was going mental. He still didn't understand himself what had happened. Harry rose from the bed and gave Ginny's hand a slight squeeze. "Let's get downstairs before your Mum comes up here to get us with a broom."

"You know that broom will be directed at me. Though you are truly a part of this family in every way, except the red hair, she favors you above us all. She thinks you need to be spoiled and pampered, since you weren't spoiled and pampered when you were younger. It will pass soon. Then you will get the wrong side of the broom like the rest of us. Just wait until you get caught doing something wrong at school. She will send you a howler with a flick of her wand."

Harry laughed and the two of them went downstairs to join the rest of the family.

When Harry sat down at the table, he noticed that Charlie was missing. He also noticed that Snape was not around either. He looked across the table and saw Thomas was sitting directly across from him. Harry immediately lost his appetite. Mrs. Weasley, who was sitting beside Harry, leaned over to whisper, "Are you all right, Harry?"

Ginny, who was sitting next to Thomas, glanced over anxiously at him.

"I'm not really hungry. May I please be excused?"

Mrs. Weasley squeezed Harry's hand. "Of course, Harry."

Harry quietly got up and went back upstairs to his room.

Ron came up a few minutes later munching on a roll. "All right, Harry?" Ron asked through his full mouth.

"Yeah, I guess I'm just a little tired."

"Do you want to come down? Thomas is going to tell us about America and Indians."

Harry looked at Ron. They had been best friends since the first day of school. He wished he could talk to Ron about what had happened this afternoon. But he knew Ron was still having a hard time accepting Charlie's lifestyle. If Ron had seen Charlie and Snape kiss he would have flipped. He didn't even want to think about Ron's reaction if he tried to tell him how he felt when Thomas' arms were around him earlier that afternoon. Harry shook his head. "No, I think I'll turn in early."

"Okay, then. Good night, Harry," Ron said and closed the door and headed downstairs.

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A little while later there was a knock on the door. Charlie opened it and stuck his head in. "Harry, are you asleep?"

Harry sat up. "No, Charlie. I'm awake."

Charlie came into the room and closed the door. Charlie walked over to sit on Ron's bed across from Harry and looked at the young man. "Thomas told me you saw Sev and me this afternoon. Are you all right with it?"

Harry blushed at the memory of the afternoon. "Yeah, I'm fine with it. It's not that. Even though seeing you kiss Snape was a little shocking. I just would have never put you two together as a couple. But, if you two are happy together, then that is all that is really important."

"I am glad you are okay with this. But, if seeing Sev and me together is not what is wrong, then what is bugging you? Are you having visions about Voldemort? If you are, I can get Sev back to talk to you."

Harry, remembering what happened earlier that day, looked away from Charlie to the poster of Ron's favorite Quidditch team. "No visions."

Harry swallowed, then looked back at Charlie. "Charlie, can I ask you a personal question? And will you answer it honestly?"

Charlie reached over to the young man sitting on the other bed with troubled green eyes and took Harry's hand and squeezed. "What's the question?"

Harry tugged his hand away, and swallowed again. "How did you know you liked guys, and not just girls?"

Startled that he had asked him such a question, Charlie looked at Harry. Charlie decided quickly that if Harry was asking these types of questions, he needed an honest answer. He wanted to support Harry's search for himself and give him any information that he asked. For a moment, he wondered if Harry might actually be attracted to him. But he could tell that Harry's question didn't stem from Harry being attracted to him.

"I started being attracted to guys in school. For a long time I wasn't sure what was going on. I was still attracted to girls, but occasionally a guy would cross my path that I found attractive. You have to remember, I was a seeker on the house team. What I was feeling was completely against the way I was brought up, not that my parents were against gay people. You know that they are very open-minded. It's just that there was no one in my family that I was aware of that was gay. I thought I was going mad. It wasn't until I was out of school that I came to realize that I wasn't mad. I have dated a couple of guys since I have left school, and a couple of women.

"I don't know when, or if, I find my life partner, if that person will be a man or a woman. Don't get me wrong. Sev is great. I enjoy spending time with him. But, I know that being a double agent is dangerous. We are taking things really slow right now. Enjoying each day as it comes. Mainly because we don't know what tomorrow is going to bring. Harry, did something happen to make you ask that question?"

Harry scooted back on the bed so he wouldn't have to look Charlie in the eye. "No. Nothing happened exactly. I was just curious how you discovered you liked guys. I know Ron is having a hard time getting used to you being bi-sexual. So asking him any questions will make him blow his top."

Charlie smiled sadly at that. "Yes, I know Ron is struggling with this. But he has promised to be happy for me, no matter who I end up with. Harry, you know you can come talk to me any time. I know you have a lot on your mind right now. But, if you are attracted to a guy, what you are going through is normal. I didn't have anyone to talk to about my mixed emotions. If you need to talk, or want a sounding board, or have more questions, just come to me. I will be as open as I can be to your questions." Charlie shifted on the bed. "Now, I have a question for you. Are you going to tell Ron about what you saw this evening?"

Harry shook his head. "No. I know what I saw today, and if anyone else knew, it could possibly get out to the wrong people, putting you, and this family, in more danger than just having me staying here. The less people that know about your relationship with Snape, the safer you will be."

Charlie stood up. "Thank you for understanding, Harry. I will leave you to your thoughts."

Charlie reached over, and ruffled Harry's unruly mane, making Harry scowl up at him. "You have not put us in any more danger than we already are, you know that. We made our stand a long time ago. We want you here because we love you. You have become another member of this family, and I'm proud to call you my brother. We Weasleys stick up for each other, and help each other out when we can. You are stuck with us for the rest of your life."

***********************************************************************

The next few days passed in a blur as Harry, Ron, and Ginny learned the chant. Harry, still not certain of his reaction to Thomas' presence, made it a point of not being alone with Thomas. The night before Harry was to leave to stay with Remus, Charlie caught him on the stairs alone.

"Harry, can we talk for a few minutes?" Harry not catching the we followed Charlie into Thomas' bedroom. There sitting in a desk chair was Thomas. Harry hesitated at the door. Seeing the hesitation on the young man's face, Charlie bit back a smile. "Come on in, Harry, this will only take a minute." Charlie grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him the rest of the way in, and closed the door. "Have a seat, Harry," Charlie said as he leaned against the door, conveniently blocking the only logical way out, besides the window.

Harry sat down on the edge of the bed, as far away from Thomas as he could get. In Harry's teenage mind, he had figured that he didn't start having these guy attractions until he had met Thomas, so, if he wasn't around Thomas, the attraction would go away.

Thomas, reading Harry's body language, looked at Charlie, whose eyes were twinkling with laughter. Thomas, who was still getting to know Charlie, glared at the man. He was quite distraught that Harry was uncomfortable being around him. To Thomas knowledge, he had not done anything to offend the young man.

Thomas, realizing that Charlie was not going to help him out said, "Harry, I just wanted to talk to you to see if you have any questions about what you are going to be doing the next couple of days. If you aren't comfortable doing the chant, I can go with you to see you through the first time."

At that statement Harry blurted out quickly, "NO! I mean no, sir. I don't think I'll have any problems while I am at Remus'."

Thomas, frustrated by Harry's reaction to his suggestion, asked, "Harry, have I done something to make you uncomfortable?"

Charlie snorted and moved from the door to sit down beside Harry. "Harry, would you like to tell Thomas what is going on, or do you want me to do it?"

Harry glared at Charlie. "Neither, if you want to know the truth."

Thomas, completely baffled, got up and kneeled down in front of Harry. "Harry, talk to me. I want be a friend to you. But I can tell something about me disturbs you." Thomas laid his hand gently on Harry's thigh.

When Harry felt Thomas' hand touching his thigh, he jumped. Thomas looked at Charlie. "Would one of you please tell me what is going on?"

Charlie put his arm around Harry's shoulders for support. "Thomas, there is no easy way to say this - so I am going to be brutally honest."

"Charlie, NO!" Harry closed his eyes, mortified that Thomas was going to find out his secret.

Charlie squeezed Harry's shoulder. "Harry, look at me," Charlie said softly. Harry looked at Charlie, his eyes pleading.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of. You aren't a freak. Your reactions are normal. But what you're doing is denying your true self, and that is wrong. I know you. You're a strong person. But what you have been doing has not been in character. You have never run from anything. This won't get resolved until you face it. Now, tell him the truth. It won't kill him, or you."

Thomas, listening to the conversation between the two men, was getting more concerned with each word.

Harry nodded at Charlie and turned to Thomas. Turning pink, Harry said softly, "I like you."

Thomas looked at Harry, confused for a few seconds, until the words sank in. Thomas sat back onto the floor at Harry's feet. "You like me. Well, I can honestly say I wasn't expecting that."

Harry looked at Charlie. "Can I leave now?"

"Wait!" Thomas said, leaning forward to place a hand on Harry's leg again. Looking at Charlie, he asked, "Can I have a few minutes alone with Harry?"

Charlie squeezed Harry's shoulder and, despite the silent pleading in Harry's eyes, got up and walked out the door. When Charlie had closed the door, Thomas got up and retrieved the chair that he had been sitting in earlier.

Thomas cleared his throat. "Harry, I know that this has been hard on you. If I had a clue what was going on in that mind of yours, I could have eased your stress over this. You are a great person. You have been through a lot in your life. You're stronger than you realize, and what you're feeling is not a weakness."

"This just proves that after all you have been through, you are still a normal person. If you weren't going through attraction struggles, whether male or female, I would, and so would anyone who knows you, be concerned. I'm flattered that you like me, and your feelings are nothing to be ashamed of. Be proud of who you are. I see people go through life denying their true self on a daily basis, and they are miserable. I want us to be friends. Do you still want to be friends with me?"

Harry sat looking down at the floor for a few minutes. "I would like that very much. Do you think we could start over?" Harry asked looking into Thomas' eyes; his eyes pleading for understanding.

Thomas smiled kindly at the young man. "Absolutely, Harry. And in the spirit of friendship, I have a new spell that I've been wanting to show you."

Thomas got up from the chair and returned it back to the desk. He stood directly into front of Harry. Speaking a word Harry recognized as an Indian one from the chant, Thomas vanished right before Harry's eyes.

Harry laughed. "Cool! Another way to Apparate." Thomas' laughter joined Harry's, causing the young man to back up onto the bed. "Thomas?" And just as suddenly as Thomas had disappeared, he reappeared in the same spot.

Harry looked at Thomas with awe. "Did you just make yourself invisible?"

"Yes, I did. Would you like to learn this spell?"

"Hell, yes!" came Harry's excited reply, as he bounded off the bed toward Thomas. For the next few minutes Harry was engrossed in learning the new trick.

Harry sat back down on the bed with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Why has no one here been able to do this vanishing trick? I have an invisibility cloak that belong to my father. But, they are quite rare. Until now, that has been the only way I have every heard, or known of, to become invisible."

Thomas retrieved the chair so that he could be on eye level with Harry. "It's old Indian magic. And there are no American Indians here in England, so the spell has been forgotten, if it ever was known here. My grandfather is rather old fashioned. He disliked how younger generations were dropping traditions, and conforming to white people's ways. So to make sure the knowledge would be available to the next generation, he taught me. My grandfather was schooled by his grandfather, who had never been to an actual wizard School to learn his talent of magic. My great grandfather was taught by his father and grandfather. And they passed the knowledge down. Since we did not have a written language, it was never placed in a book. Most of the magic I have learned from my grandfather is done without a wand."

"I envy your life. You make it sound so full of tradition. Is your grandfather still alive?"

"Yes, he is. He is 123 years young. He had my father late in life. When my parents died in a plane crash, my grandfather took over raising me and my sister. Now, it's getting late, and you are scheduled to leave before dawn. Are you all packed?"

Harry laughed. "No, not quite. I guess I do need to go finish. Are you going to teach Ron and Ginny the Invisibility charm?"

Thomas got up from the chair and stretched. Harry felt his lower regions stirring, but was able to quickly control himself.

"No, actually I was going to let you show them. I have a feeling if Fred and George learn this, their Mother would hit me with her broom."

Harry snorted and headed towards the door. "You're probable right." Turning to look at Thomas, he said, "Thomas?" When Thomas looked at him, Harry continued, "Thanks for talking to me. I'm really glad we can be friends." With that, Harry left the room and closed the door behind him.

Harry headed up the stairs to his bedroom. Coming down the stairs was Charlie.

Charlie stopped and looked down at the dark haired young man. "Are we all right, Harry?"

Harry looked up thoughtfully at the man standing in front of him. "Yes, we're all right. Thomas and I had a long talk." Harry sat down in the stairwell and Charlie sat down beside him. Harry sighed heavily.

"There is one thing I don't understand. I have these reactions to Thomas, and he is straight. Why don't I have the same reactions when I see you, and you're gay?"

Charlie reached over and touched Harry's face. "I'm hurt that you don't." At the look on Harry's face, Charlie started laughing. "Just kidding, Harry. You aren't attracted to me, I think, because you think of me as family and I you. You don't get to pick whom you're attracted to. Look at me and Sev. Can you imagine two more opposite people in the world? It is the same when a magical person falls for a Muggle. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

"Yeah, I think I do," replied Harry thoughtfully. "It is just as well that I don't find you attractive. Snape would poison me for sure if I was to start hitting on you!" Charlie snorted at this. "I need to get up and finish packing. Are you still going with me in the morning to Remus'?"

Charlie stood up and pulled Harry up. "Sure. Sev is going to be there to show you how to brew the wolfbane potion in case he can't get back to do it."

At this Harry groaned.

"What's wrong?"

"Snape hates me! He's always picking on me in Potions. I screw up all the time in his class. If I try to do that particular potion by myself, I could end up killing us all."

Charlie grabbed Harry's shoulders. "He does not hate you. He's worried about you. He can't let his guard down at school because he has a house full of Death Eater's kids. He acts the way he does around you because it's expected. To do otherwise would be his death. Sev has told me you have a natural ability for potions. You're just too uptight. Use this time to get to know the man that Sev wants to be. Just don't fall for him. He's mine."

Harry looked up at Charlie and took in what he said. "Okay, Charlie. I will try. But if it is an act, it is a damn good one. Everyone in the school knows he hates me. I'll see you in the morning. Oh, and one more thing. I can honestly say that me falling for Snape is not going to happen in this lifetime."

Harry went up the stairs and quickly finished packing his bag. Knowing in advance that Snape was going to be teaching him a new potion, he gathered his schoolbooks and placed them in the bag.

Harry climbed into bed. But with the conversation that he'd had with both Thomas and Charlie running through his head, it was several hours later before he was finally able to fall asleep.