Harry Potter and Gaining Momentum

For the fifth day in a row, Harry Potter was lying on his bed, head propped on a dingy pillow, staring out of his window into the unforgiving rainy day. He didn't really mind the peacefulness of the rain, but it reminded him of how utterly bored he had to be due to the weather.

He'd found himself more willing to work out in the garden this year than ever before. He suspected it had something to do with not being forced, but he knew it was for reasons he would rather not think about. It seemed that as long as he was busy, the thoughts of Sirius dieing in the Department of Mysteries tended to be warded off, if only for a short while. He'd caught himself several times at the beginning of the summer wishing for death out of depression. He had even contemplated sending an owl to Voldemort to set a meeting so that he could get his pathetic life over with. But as much as he wanted to die and be with the family that truly loved him, he couldn't bring himself to leave his friends and the rest of the wizarding world to writhe in the doom that would be bestowed upon the wizarding world had he chosen to leave. There were many times when he just thought about not going back at all, but that only resulted in him realizing that he'd be stuck here until he was seventeen and of legal age to thump Dudley one good time and leave.

His summer, as far as his relatives were concerned, was going fairly well. Dudley hadn't dared to lay a finger on him and Vernon and Petunia weren't brave enough to ask for any type of help around the house due to fear that the order members that had threatened them at Kings Cross would find out. They simply resorted to avoiding him altogether; well Vernon and Dudley did anyway. His Aunt Petunia had been sneaking glances at him and piling food on his plate as if he would loose his temper at the smallest flinch and go tattle on them. This actually kept Harry entertained in a morbid sort of way, he would subtly complain about something and within seconds he would have his way. He assumed this is what it was like to be Dudley for the other sixteen years of his past life.

As of right now Harry was simply taking a breather while watching the rain. In absence of his yard work to keep his mind occupied, he'd turned to his books. There were several books that he had borrowed from the library before he left Hogwarts on Defence Magic so that he could make a proper lesson plan for the DA this year should he and Hermione decide to continue with its presence at Hogwarts. He had totally thrown himself into the books. So much so, that he didn't look up until he couldn't see, until he fell asleep using the books as pillows, or was forced to leave his room for food or to use the bathroom.

Sighing he got back up and shuffled back over to his desk where he was reading the last book he had, it was about duelling. Making Magic Work for You by Martha Wabbles. The book was a whole new approach on duelling and magic in general. It was actually more interesting than most other books he had read on the subject, but he was dreading finishing this large tomb. It was his last one, and after this, he was out of ways to keep his mind occupied.

So with no other options, he read, and read, then read some more, until the last page of the book was flipped and he was forced to lay it down. That would make the tenth tomb that he had read so far this holiday, and he still had a good month and a half left before school started. Not that he was really looking forward to it as much as he usually did. He was fearful of what it was going to be like back in the wizarding world once more. Voldemort had been quite quiet over the last couple of months. Not a twinge or shimmer of pain in his scar, and it worried him. He knew that now that he practiced his Occlumency, Voldemort could no longer control his dreams, but Harry would still be able to see visions of events that aspired when Tom Riddle was in a state of strong emotion. He had been practicing his mind games, as he called them, daily. He was getting quite good at shutting everything out of his head. He usually spent about two hours before bed in a sort of trance where everything on the outside world became foggy, but his senses sharpened. Everything smelled stronger, looked sharper, and felt rougher. He couldn't explain it, but every time he would meet someone's eyes, such as when he caught his Aunt Petunia staring at him, he would see a flashy vision of a sort. At first he put it off as a game of Voldemort's, so he increased his mind game time to two hours, but then he realized it happened only if he looked someone in the eye, so he decided that he'd best not do that anymore until he figured out how to control the scan, and even more unbelievably, the urge. Looking in someone's mind could be really addictive he found out. After seeing a flash in Petunia's mind of Dudley, shall we say, pleasing himself, he abruptly began to probe for other things without realizing he was doing so. Before he knew it, he was seeing an argument between his aunt and his mother. That was when he cut the line and his aunt shook her head and looked at him again strangely. He abruptly panicked and left the dinner table for a more secure environment.

Deciding it was roughly time for bed; he picked up a spell book from one of his previous years at Hogwarts and threw himself into his mind games while reading it. He learned early that if he read while in this state, he seemed to absorb things easier. He also found that it was very easy to read no matter what the curriculum was. He was fairly sure now that if he were to be able to use his wand while on holiday, he would be able to have a very nice room by use of transfiguration. He tore over his books from previous years and had them all dedicated to mind in less than a week after learning he could do this. One after another he was throwing down books and picking others up. His aunt even brought his dinner once because he failed to come to the kitchen to eat with everyone else due to this state.

He sat on his bed, book in front of him opened to the first page, and closed his eyes to throw up his brick walls and start focusing on the material in the book. This too was the last book from his fifth year and he had no doubt that by tomorrow, he was going to have to owl someone for more books if the blasted rain didn't stop. The only person he knew of that could and would send him books was Hermione, though he didn't feel particular keen on letting her know that he was devoting himself to filling his head with information at the speed he was.

***

Harry woke up the next day feeling, bright, refreshed, and relaxed. He wondered what woke him up this early, but didn't think anymore about it due to having no nightmare last night. The book he was reading was lying beside his pillow closed, on its face, presumably done. He scooted to the edge of the bed and stretched his usual morning stretch before he noticed a very impatient Hedwig at the window glaring daggers at him. He snorted at her. He could only imagine what she was thinking of him. She was probably cursing him for so slowly rising and taking his precious time answering her call. This was evidently the reason he was awakened. He shuffled over to the door bright eyed and bushytailed and clicked the clasp to let her in. she fluttered in his face for a second, as if to remind him that he didn't own her, she owned him, and fell softly on the bed bearing a parchment on her left leg. He sat down on the bed next to her and bent to retrieve a treat from the bedside table. He gave her the treat and gave her a few soft rubs before he untied the scroll from her leg. She accommodated him by sticking her leg out for him as if he was too incompetent to do it himself. He let out another snort and told her thanks before lifting her up and taking her to her opened cage.

He walked back to his bed and sat cross-legged on the edge while he opened the burden. Right off he knew that the letter was from Professor Dumbledore. The elegant penmanship that came with a hundred and fifty years of experience was scrolled neatly in perfect lines in fluid elliptical movements.

Dear Harry,

I am writing to tell you that I have taken care of the life time Quidditch ban against yourself and Mr's Weasley. I am also pleased to inform you that all decrees set into effect by Dolores Umbridge are now revoked and vetoed. Your broom is currently safe and in my care here at Hogwarts.

I have spoken to the Ministry as of yesterday, and they have been very cooperative in letting me have magical guardianship over you and other needs that may arise in the wizarding world now that Sirius has gone from us. His Will and Last Testament has been reviewed by myself, a member of the Wizengamot and the Head Goblin at Gringotts and we have all decided that due to the demise of such a fine man, should you be able to prove his innocence, you will be his sole heir. Though I know that this should come as no surprise to you, I must ask your permission to keep Grimmauld Place as the headquarters for the Order for as long as needed. Deemed you are not still furious with me, it would be greatly appreciated by all members, if we were able to share this environment with one another at this grave time of need.

Furthermore, I have spoken to the Ministry Department of Underage Magic, and have convinced them to allow you to practice magic over the summer holidays as long as you keep your magic strictly to your residence. I hope that this privilege will benefit you greatly in the future.

On a last and probably more important note, I have recently acquired an individual that is in need of a place to stay for the remainder of the holiday. This member's father is a Death Eater, and he has decided it is not a life for him. His mother has recently disowned him and he now has nowhere to belong. Assuming you have felt this feeling many times, I am asking your permission, before your Aunt and Uncle's, before I bestow another burden onto your already loaded shoulders. The Child in question has given his word to help you train and study over the next month so that he may earn his share in your household. I will be putting up the cost for his housing by your relatives and hope that you can find it in your heart to let him belong with you.

Should you choose to comply, I will speak with your relatives and we shall 'make a deal' as to how much it would cost to leave him with you for the remainder of the holidays. Do you happen to know what kind of car your Uncle drives? I dare say that if it is not new, he may like the latest model. No, this is not coming directly out of my pocket, but I wasn't the Transfiguration Professor for so many years for nothing.

Please remember any letters written or received should be carried by Hedwig only due to the non untraceable spell I have put her under. I have some other business I wish to discuses with you pending my arrival should you accept my offer, which has to do with the Potter Fortune.

Hope to receive your reply soon,

Albus Dumbledore,

Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Harry finished reading the letter. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do. A Death Eater's son, inside this house, how is that going to help him practice? Though the more he thought about it, the more he was comfortable with it. He would not be constantly ignored, he would have someone to keep his mind off Sirius's death, he would have someone to practice magic on, and he would be able to help him study. He was still leery about the circumstances, but figured that due to this Death Eater's son changing sides, he was probably in just as much danger as Harry himself was. He took a seat at his desk and began to write Dumbledore back:

Dear Professor Dumbledore,

How do you expect me to prove Sirius's innocence without actually catching Wormtail? No, I don't mind if the Death Eater's son comes to stay, as long as the order keeps post as usual, and my Uncle drives a 96' Lincoln Town Car. Should you have any other questions, please owl me,

Harry

P.S. I have finished my summer collection of books and homework for next term. Do you think it's possible that when you come, you could bring some more reading material with you? I'd really like to keep the DA going so I'll need duelling books, oh, and a book on Occlumency. Thanks.

He read over it once more, yes, he thought, short, sweet, and to the point. He would never admit it, but he was still quite pissed at Dumbledore's behaviour over the last year. He had kept many things from Harry, it would only serve him right to tear his office to shreds once again, but...no, he thought, I will not stoop as low as him to achieve my means anyway possible.

With that thought he tied the scroll to Hedwig's leg and turned his mind back to his room. He was able to do magic now, some things needed to be changed in his room.

***

By the time he was finished, the room looked like the common room in the Gryffindor Tower at Hogwarts. Everything was nice and plush, not to mention red and gold. He had a feeling that whoever this other boy was, he was most likely a Slytherin, and he knew it would irk him to have to sleep in such house rivalling conditions. The room truly looked luxurious, well, compared to what it did before. He was just lucky he had enough of Dudley's old toys lying around in the corner of his room to be able to transfigure all these things. He, as he thought he would, found magic much easier to perform now that he had read though all of his past books, and all of his new ones.

Now that his room was done, he made his way downstairs for lunch. It had been about six hours since he had written to the Headmaster, and he was thoroughly surprised so see Hedwig tapping on the kitchen window when he arrived. He looked at his Aunt and Uncle and noticed that they were just ignoring her and went to the window to let her in. He opened the window and was surprised when she didn't fly to him, but instead, to his Aunt Petunia. Shrugging, he closed the window and sat at the table.

"Boy, what in the bloody hell does the bird want?" His uncle asked eyeing Hedwig like he was wondering if he had a good stab of actually hitting her with his dinner fork before she could get away.

"How am I supposed to know, the letter isn't for me if she didn't come to me. She knows who everyone is, so she's not mistaken," he said as he picked up his huge sandwich and took a monstrous bite.

"Harry, do you think maybe you can take it off her leg?" Petunia asked apprehensively. Harry got up from his seat and walked around the table to where Petunia was sitting and stroked Hedwig a couple of times. He swallowed what food he had in his mouth and made the gesture for her to perch on his arm. She, as always, responded to the gesture and stepped up onto his arm.

"There, she's not going to hurt you, untie it while I have her. She's only likely to attack if you attack me or her. I promise she won't hurt you," he told his Aunt who looked at him as if he had grown and extra head, but plucked up the courage to untie the string and take the scroll of her leg. Hedwig gave an appreciative trill of a hoot and flow to Harry's shoulder. He picked a piece of extra bread off of Petunia's place while she was unrolling the parchment and gave it to Hedwig. She ate it and nibbled Harry's ear affectionately.

"Okay, but upstairs and into your cage. I'll probably be sending a letter to Ron and Hermione this evening. I'll be using you again then okay?" he asked as she ruffled her breast feathers importantly and took off up the stairs.

"Do you mean to have me believe that she understands you?" Vernon said accusingly.

"Why wouldn't she? Yes, she does. She'd do anything I asked of her," he said shrugging and making his way back to his chair and tending to his meal once again.

"Who is this fellow Albus is speaking of Harry?" Petunia asked. At first, Harry was shocked that Petunia had actually said his name instead of 'freak', and then he realized that she not only said his name, but his first name.

"Um--I'm not sure," he answered flustered, "He didn't mention it in his letter this morning. I have a feeling he's from the Slytherin house, because most Death Eater's children are," he answered with his brow furrowed.

"What's Sythereen?" Vernon asked doing a horrible job at repeating the house name.

"Everyone at my school is sorted into a house, or dorm, that fit their personality. Slytherin are known as cunning and resourceful. Ravenclaw are known for being intelligent. Hufflepuff are known for being fiercely loyal and humble, and Gryffindor, that's my house, are known for being daring and brave. When I was sorted, the Hat couldn't choose which house to put me in. It wanted to put me in either Slytherin or Gryffindor, but let me choose pretty much," he said as he took another bite of his sandwich.

"Hat?" asked Dudley rather stupidly.

"Yes, Hat, it looks into your head and looks at your virtues and values then places you with those you'd do best with, it's simple really," he said again confused as to why there was a sudden interest in his life beyond normality. He noticed Dudley had gone pale at the mention of the Hat looking into his head. Harry thought he was probably thinking of the Dementor's from last summer. It was just about this time when Petunia gasped.

"What--what's wrong," Vernon asked anxiously.

"Oh, he--we--um, said that he'd pay for us to keep him here for the holiday. He said that he'd also trade in the Lincoln for the newest model. I didn't think that your kind had real money?" she said looking at Harry with interest. Harry all the sudden felt his face flush with anger at the remark of 'his kind' and the insinuation that 'his kind' were all below them like poverty ridden hobos.

"Of course we have money. How do you think I pay for school every year? Mum and Dad left me just enough to get through to my seventh year at Hogwarts in a vault at a bank for 'our kind'," he stressed as he looked at her with anger flashing in his eyes.

"You mean you've had money all this time and you've been making us pay for you!" Vernon bellowed. Harry was in no way going to tell him that he had more than enough to get through school.

"If I didn't have that money I wouldn't have been able to go to school, and thus I'd have to stay here year round. My magic would most likely get out of control. You think it was bad untamed when I was smaller, you would hate to see the havoc I'd cause if I went on with life untrained," he said staring at his uncle in defiance and daring him so curse him for saying 'magic' in the house. His uncle murmured something under his breath before turning back to Petunia.

"How much did he offer dear," he asked trying to peer over the letter to see the sum of money.

"A thousand Galleons, what ever that is," she said looking at Harry again as a reference.

"Um, after it's exchanged at Gringotts, I'd say about two-thousand five-hundred pounds, not to mention the car he offered," Harry said looking away somewhat ashamed. He couldn't believe that they were only going to allow it because money was offered.

"You can't be serious, exchanged?" Vernon hissed at him.

"I'm quite serious Vernon. I've never exchanged any because I can't afford to, besides, Dumbledore looks after my account. He would also be kind enough to pay for my way if I spent it all, but I'd rather not have to sponge off someone. That's why I've never asked you for more than you've been willing to give me," he said waiting for the vicious retort. It never came. He assumed they were still milling over the amount of money they could make for letting the boy stay.

"Well, are you going to allow him to stay? I'd really appreciate it, besides, I'm allowed to do magic now and I'm going to need someone to practice with, and I'd rather not have to make one of you do it. I'd like to practice with someone that could actually defend themselves, give me a challenge perhaps," he said smirking.

"But-but I thought--you're not allowed to!" Dudley whined in a panicked voice.

"Dumbledore visited the Ministry yesterday and got me permission to do magic as long as I don't do it outside of the residence. He knows that I need to learn and get stronger or the next time I meet Voldemort he may kill me. And after the way Fudge treated me last year, I don't think he would dare try to interfere with Dumbledore's plans," Harry added as he was getting up. He smirked for a second before he took his wand out of his pocket and aimed it at the plate he had been eating off of, "Scourgify," he casually said as the crumbs and mayo disappeared from the plate and left it sparkling clean. "I'll be up in my room if you need anything," he said as he turned around and bounded back upstairs with a maniacal grin on his face.

***

Harry spent most of the day conjuring and practicing the duelling methods from the book he read the day before. He now knew how Voldemort conjured the shield and how Dumbledore made the statues from the fountain listen to him. Animated duelling, there was absolutely no better way to duel. He could make things jump in the path of spells, or just simply listen to a command of his and protected him at all cost. It was simply as easy as putting the Imperius on an object along with an animation spell. With those two spells together, one could conjure up an army if they could keep their mind in contact long enough.

Before long, Harry even noticed that his magic was getting stronger. But of course for right now he was only blaming it on puberty. He knew that a wizard comes into his power during puberty, and the harder they pushed themselves to do more difficult spells, the more powerful they became. Magic always got stronger with experience, but if one does not exercise their magic after or before puberty, they may as well be one aura up from a squib.

By the end of the day Harry was getting restless. His aunt had come up to his room, he figured that Vernon sent her because he was too frightened, and told him that they had accepted Albus's offer and that he needed to send the letter back to his headmaster. He sent it off along with letters from Ron and Hermione and told her to deliver Dumbledore's first. She took flight at about one o'clock, but had yet to come back. He knew that Ron's house was quite a ways from here, but didn't exactly think it would take her ten hours to get to Hogwarts, then to Ron's, then to Hermione's and back. But then it hit him that Ron could be in Romania visiting Charlie and Hermione could be abroad with her parents. So he sat back and began his mind games for the night before drifting off to sleep with no reading material to feed his pleasant dreams.

***

Harry woke the next morning to a persistent tapping on the window, yet again. Irritated, he launched himself from the bed at tore to the window. He unlocked the window and shooed her in slamming the window immediately after she was in.

"Took bloody long enough don't you think?" he said. He was quite rude, but he justified this to himself by thinking that he could still be sleeping comfortably in his new plush bed. Hedwig, however, took very much offence to his accusing tone. She squawked a bit, which is not like her, and then she leapt away from him refusing to give him his mail. Harry, seeing that his was going to take all day, finally broke down and apologized after about twenty minutes of playing cat and mouse with one another.

"Fine Hedwig, I'm sorry, I know you've had a long flight, I think," he added so not to sound like he was absolutely bowing down to her, "and I'm sure you're quite exhausted. Now, may I please have my mail?" he asked gently. She squawked one more time and flew to the steeple of her cage before holding out her leg and turning her head away as if he were some vile creature that reeked of rotting corpses. "Thank you," he added as he extracted a small box and a letter from her.

Wondering why someone would send him a gift before his birthday, he opened the small box and realized that they were mini-trunks. He decided to read the envelope first before undoing the shrinking charm.

Harry,

I and your holiday visitor will be arriving at approximately ten o'clock a.m. These are his belongings and I hope that you have studied enough, as you say you have, to be able to cast the counter on them for him. If not, I will heed the task when I arrive. I have also included a trunk of books I'm sure you'll find interesting when planning your class and making out your syllabus. I'll speak with you further when I arrive.

Yours,

Albus Dumbledore,

Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Books! He thought. He couldn't wait till he looked through some of these. Dumbledore had very good taste in books, this he knew from experience. He extracted six small trunks from the larger box. Each trunk fit in the palm of his hand. He lined them all up in the corner of his room and performed the counter curse on them and went directly to the trunk with the Hogwarts crest on it. He performed the simple unlocking charm and began to dig through the books. He was right; they were fascinating and would more than likely keep him busy for the majority of the summer.

He took out the first one on animal transfiguration and began to flip though the pages. The book was quite in depth, but he could do without the history and the discovery of it. He just wanted to learn the process. He set the book aside and kept digging until he found another that would rival the other as 'first read'. The book was about wandless magic. Harry knew he was capable; just ask his Aunt Marge, that is, if she could remember after the Ministry wiped her mind. Book after book seemed interesting he had piles upon piles of information at his disposal now.

Deciding to start with the wandless magic he started his mind games and began to read. He noticed that when he read like this, he read about five times faster than he usually did. It was quite invigorating to be able to absorb this much information and remember it all in no time at all. He glanced at the clock halfway though the book and noticed that it was nine o'clock and brought himself out of his state of bliss. He began experimenting with different hand movements that could and would be incorporated with wandless magic. He concentrated hard and waved his hand over his unmade bed. As his hand moved over the linens, they began to tuck and smooth themselves out upon the bed as if ironed to perfection right before his eyes. He learned quickly that he was defiantly going to like this wandless magic stuff.

The clock chimed ten o'clock in unison with knocks at the door. Harry afraid of how his relatives might present themselves ran to the living room to greet the guest. He reached the bottom of the stairs to see his aunt in a very smug fitting cocktail dress, she actually look decent. Vernon was in a navy blue suit with matching pants and looked like a marshmallow about to explode out of the seams. And finally, Dudley looked, well, like a beached whale in an expensive suit. The sight was not one he would want to share with everyone; he looked between them curiously before he put his hand on the door knob and turned the handle. Pulling it open, he gasped and slammed the door shut again. This cannot be happening, he thought. What is he doing here? With that thought, and in a half daze, he threw himself up the stairs quickly and locked himself in his room.