Extracurricular activities - year 6

Harry sent Hedwig to Hogwarts to pick up any mail. He was getting in a much better mood and the thought of talking to his friends seemed enjoyable again. Hedwig and another owl came back with many letters. They were all pretty much the same. How are you feeling? When are you going to write? Then Ron's was; where are you staying? Want to come and stay with us? Cho's actually made him miss his friends the most.

Harry

I hope you're back feeling well. We were all very worried. I want to thank you for saving me. I was so mad at you when you didn't run away with me, but now that you're ok it doesn't matter.

Please write back, I really miss hearing from you.

Cho

He missed her too. Was this bad he wondered? Here he is living in R.J.'s home thinking about missing Cho. He really missed R.J. also, but he would never be able to see her again. He decided to write all of his friends. They were all about the same.

Thanks for your notes, they've helped a bunch. Sorry it took me so long to write back, I shouldn't have waited so long.

I'm really glad you came to see me when I was hurt, I'm sure it helped a bunch.

I can't wait to see you again.

Harry

Cho's had a little extra

I really miss seeing you as well. I was so glad to hear that Firenze got you out ok. Dumbledore told me you spent a lot of time with me before term ended. I really appreciate that. I'm glad to hear you're not still mad at me either.

Harry started sending Hedwig to Hogwarts every few days to collect letters. He still didn't want to tell them how their owl could find him. It was going to be strange when they found out R.J. had owned a castle and now he lived there.

The French lessons with Mrs. Wilkins were going better than he expected. He thought it was going to be really hard learning it. Mrs. Wilkins was happy with his progress and told her grand daughters to try speaking French to Harry whenever they could.

Harry's birthday was a nice quiet one with only Sirius with him. He had gotten some good sweets and books as presents. The one thing that surprised him was a card from Cho. How did she even know?

Happy Birthday Harry.

I wouldn't know what to get you but I really wanted to send you a card to let you know I'm thinking about you and can't wait to hear from you again.

Bye.

P.S. Ron sent me an owl telling me when your birthday is. Do you know what that's about?

Harry smiled. Ron had always thought Harry should be with Cho. Now he's trying to push it along just like Harry had done with Ron and Hermione. What are friends for, he thought.

The next day, Mr. and Mr. Wilkins came over looking more serious than normal. "Harry, can we speak to you for a moment?"

"Sure, sit down," Harry said.

Sirius got up to leave but Mr. Wilkins stopped him. "Mr. Blackenshire, you're a wizard also so we'd like your opinion on this as well." Sirius came and sat next to Harry before Mr. Wilkins continued, "My granddaughters are comfortable seeing both of you and knowing you are wizards but would it be possible for them to meet any of your friends? I would like the girls to see more people, and especially some other girls who are magical. They had put the ordeal of their parents being killed out of their minds, but now they talk about magical people often and I want them to see that you can be just like us."

Harry thought of something. "I have an idea. I'd like to invite my friends here to thank them for helping me when I was hurt. I'm not sure the non-magical families will come due to the distance, but the wizard family probably will. You could bring your granddaughters up to meet everyone."

"You'd do that? It would probably help seeing another family with children going there," Mrs. Wilkins said excitedly.

Now Harry was excited. He had a real excuse to see his friends again. He prepared the letters.

Hermione.

Would you please come to a meal I am having? There are two big reasons for having this. The first is I really want to see you all. The second is that my neighbor's granddaughter's parents were killed by a wizard and they found out I was one. They actually seem ok with this, but they would like to meet other people, and especially a witch.

I know your parents can't travel by floo but if they want to come, I'd really like having them. The date is the Saturday, one week before term starts. We can meet in Diagon Alley the next day if you want.

Harry

Ron

Would you and your family please come to a meal I'm having at my home? There are three big reasons for having this. The first is I really want to see you all. The second is that I really want to start paying your family back for all they've done for me(and to make up for skimming out on Holiday last year). The third is that my neighbor's granddaughter's parents were killed by a wizard and they found out I was one. They actually seem ok with this, but they would like to meet other people and I thought meeting your family would be great. Your dad could quiz Mr. Wilkins about Muggle things.

You can travel by floo and I'll tell you the name later. The date is the Saturday, one week before term starts. We can meet in Diagon Alley the next day if you want.

Harry

Harry knew from previous asking that since Cho was at home right now he should ask her father first. He would have to make sure this letter was done right.

Mr. Chang

My name is Harry Potter. I attend school with your daughter Cho. She recently visited me when I was hurt at the end of term and it helped me get better. I am having a meal for my friends who helped me and for their families. I would be honored if you and Mrs. Chang as well as Cho could attend. I now live in Southingham and since I don't know where you live, I don't know how far this is for you. If you would like to come, I can send directions. If you cannot come but would still allow me to ask Cho, I would be grateful. She could travel by floo. There will be about five students and some parents. I haven't asked Cho yet as I wanted to get your permission. If you do not think this is a good idea, I will not mention to her that I sent you this letter. The date is the Saturday, one week before term starts.

I have asked my owl to wait for a reply. If you wish to discuss this and to let me know at a later date, please give my owl that note to return otherwise she will wait there.

Thank you

Harry Potter

Harry was anxiously awaiting their responses. He was also trying really hard when working with Mrs. Wilkins on French. She wanted to know many things about Hogwarts, but asked the questions and made him try to answer in French. This really helped him get better. Right after one of these sessions, Hedwig flew in and dropped a note. Mrs. Wilkins looked startled. "This is my owl mam. It's how we send mail."

"Is this the only way you send post?" she asked.

"I think normal post would work. I just don't know the addresses. Hedwig can find anyone, she's amazing." Harry read the note

Mr. Potter

My daughter has talked about you for a few years now and has told us how you saved her last year. I am personally in your debt for getting her out unharmed. Even if I weren't indebted to you, I would give my permission for you to invite Cho. If she agrees, my wife and I would also like to attend to thank you personally. Your home is not very close but it will be a nice family trip. When you ask Cho, please tell her I have already given my permission. This will save her the stress of wondering if you followed custom correctly. Also, please give her the address.

I look forward to meeting you in person.

X. Chang

YES! Harry though. He re-read the last of the note about him looking forward to meeting me. He hoped that meant that Mr. Chang thought Cho would accept the invitation. Quickly Harry made another note.

Cho

I'd like to invite you and your parents to a meal at my new home. I really want to see you and to thank you for seeing me in the hospital. Also my neighbor's granddaughter's parents were killed by a wizard and they found out I was one. They actually seem ok with this, but they would like to meet other people and I thought if they met your family it would be perfect since your parents aren't magical.

I have already received permission from you father to invite you. I hope I asked him correctly. I told him the date is the Saturday, one week before term starts.

Let me know soon.

Harry

Harry went to Dobby and Winky to tell them about the meal and to see if they needed any help. They had both acted offended and told him that a single house-elf could handle a party the size he was planning and they would have no problems at all. He had received owls from Ron saying he and his family would come and that his mom was very interested in seeing how he was getting along. He said it was almost as bad as when Charlie first moved out. His mom had worried that he wouldn't be able to take care of himself. Harry still hadn't told them where his home was or that Dobby and Winky were there to help him. Hermione's letter sounded just like he expected.

Harry

I'd love to come and see where you are staying. Why didn't you tell me where it is or how to get there? My parents won't be able to come. They said to tell you thanks for asking and they hope to see you again some other time.

Please write back and tell me about where you are staying. I want to read up on the area.

Love Hermione

Harry wasn't going to tell them how to get here until right before the party to keep the questions he had to answer by owl down. He would have to tell Cho how to get here since her parents would probably be driving here. He hoped Cho would agree to come.

The next time Mrs. Wilkins came up for his French lesson, she brought Katie with her since she knew French as well. After the lesson, Harry was telling them a bit about the people coming. "There should be eight other magical people at the party. One entire family is magical. Two of my friends are girls who are witches and neither of their parents are magical at all, so you can meet one of those families as well. Do you think it will be interesting?"

She looked him in the face and said, "I'm a bit nervous actually. I mean you and Sirius seem normal enough. Do all magical people seem so normal?"

"Most magical people are just like anyone else you meet except they have special talents." Harry thought for a moment and added, "Oh, and they dress differently and have some strange habits. I have a good friend who dreams of having a dragon as a pet!"

"Dragon? There's no such thing," Katie said matter-of-fact.

Harry chuckled and said, "You'd be amazed at how many things really exist. In a competition a couple years ago, I had to steal a fake egg away from a dragon so I know they exist. Did your grandparents tell you about house-elves?"

She looked at Mrs. Wilkins confused and said, "What's a house elf?"

Harry introduced Dobby and Winky to her and then tried to explain more about things that were different in the magical world. He thought everything went well. Katie really started asking more and more questions and he could tell she was warming up to the idea of meeting more magical people. They both thanked him and left. Harry decided he should invite one more person. He felt bad for not thinking about inviting him right off.

Hagrid

How have you been? Any new pets yet?

I'm having some friends come to my home and would really like it if you could come as well. I didn't get to spend as much time with you last year since I was with R.J. so much. Also, there will be a Muggle family coming who found out I was a wizard. This is the family that took care of R.J. grounds..

The date is the Saturday, one week before term starts; I hope you can make it.

Harry

Harry could hardly concentrate he was so excited about seeing his friends. When he got his next post from Hogwarts Cho had sent her reply.

Harry

What all did you say in the note to my father? He had been acting strangely, saying things about us going on a little trip and wouldn't tell me anything. I figured it out once I received you letter and saw you had asked him for permission. He was very impressed that you wrote to him first. He takes traditional customs very seriously. Even if I hadn't wanted to come, he would have probably forced me to. I think he wants to meet you as much as I want to see you again.

I'm really looking forward to seeing where you are staying. Send the address soon.

Cho

Harry was relieved that she was coming but also nervous about meeting her father. He didn't understand why this made him so nervous. He had met very important people in the Ministry and not felt this nervous. He quickly wrote a note back

Cho

I'm really glad you are coming. I was worried that you may not want to. I'm nervous about meeting your parents; I want them to like me.

I live outside of Southingham. Just go straight through the town and there will be a nice white house about 5km further. Turn at the lane by this house. That is where the Wilkins family lives. Down this lane about 1km is where I'm staying. If you need to stop and ask someone, ask for the Veganos house. People in the area will know how to get here.

Thanks for coming.

Harry

Harry hadn't wanted to mention that it was a castle yet. He hoped they wouldn't need to ask anyone in town but if they did he was sure asking for the Veganos house would be enough. Now his only real worry was how Cho and her parents would react to seeing Sirius Black since most everyone, even Muggles had heard he was an escaped prisoner.

The French lessons were going well and Mrs. Wilkins brought Angie up most days. She also spoke some French so Mrs. Wilkins made her ask any question in French to make her practice as well. Two days before the meal, Harry had sent Hedwig with notes to Hagrid, Ron and Hermione telling them how to get to his floo. It was a short note that he knew would cause confusion and many questions.

To get to my house by floo, just say 'Veganos Castle'.

Harry

He could picture Hermione running to the closest library trying to find out where it was and what the history of it is. He imagined Ron thinking that's a stupid name for a house, not believing it was a real castle. Harry had told the Wilkins that Sirius' last name wasn't Blackenshire, it was just Black. They seemed to understand that Harry was just trying to keep questions down when they first met Sirius.

The day of the party had finally arrived. Dobby and Winky had done an amazing job. Harry was very impressed. There were fresh flowers in various locations and the dining table was already set for the eighteen people who would be there. This was going to be the first time that the Wilkins would see him someone different except for the house-elves. Harry wondered if anyone would wear a robe since both he and Sirius wore Muggle clothes when they were at the castle. Harry heard the sound of someone arriving by floo and knew it should be Hagrid.

"Hagrid!" Harry yelled and then went to hug him. "I'm glad you could come."

"'Arry. How ya doing? You're looking good. You seem to have grown over the summer."

"I'm ok Hagrid. I've been working in the yard with Mr. Wilkins. It got me really sore at first, but now it's ok. Let me show you around."

"This is some place 'Arry. Good thing those house-elves came with you. Couldn't believe it when Professor Dumbledore told me about R.J. being a princess and leaving her stuff to you. Never would have thought it."

"That's what I said as well. She sure didn't act like a princess. I still don't think of her that way. I really miss her though."

"'Onestly, I didn't like that she was doing security at first. Never been a fan of vampires. But she changed my mind. Oh, not supposed to tell anything but we may be having visitors at the school this year. Friends I met last summer if you know what I mean."

It took Harry a second to realize what Hagrid was talking about. "Really? Where would they stay?" Hagrid's friends were giants.

"They would setup a camp in the forest. No one's supposed to know yet," Hagrid said.

Harry gave Hagrid a quick tour and then Sirius joined them to talk about the school and what they each thought Voldemort was going to do. Hagrid let it slip that there were more rumors of small attacks planned.

"Why haven't you been telling me this?" Harry asked Sirius, sounding angry.

"Because they're just rumors right now. We hear all kinds of rumors about what he's planning, but nothing for certain yet. Remember what Dumbledore said, you are supposed to have some fun."

Before Harry could argue back, he heard someone else arriving by floo. It was a little before he thought anyone else would get here. It was one of his best friends. It seemed that every year Hermione changed so much in the couple months of summer break and this year was no exception. She had really filled out as a girl and Harry was struck by just how pretty she had become. He quickly felt a twinge of jealousy at Ron since the two were beginning to date. Harry knew she spoke some French so he decided to try it out. "Hi Hermione. I'm really glad you came." Harry met her and gave her a hug.

She was looking around shocked. "What?? You spoke French! When did you learn that? Why didn't you tell me the name of this place earlier? I didn't have time to read anything about the area. And, why are you staying here?" Harry always laughed when Hermione would get excited and asked many questions in a row.

"Good to see you too Hermione," he answered with a laugh then went back to English. "I didn't want you to go off reading anything about it. For once, I'd like to be able to tell you something that you didn't already know. Mrs. Wilkins is originally from Paris and she's been teaching me. You'll meet her later. You're early, you know that?"

"I couldn't wait until it was time, you made me so curious. I can't believe you learned French. Was there any reason you did? Not going to transfer to that French school are you? You didn't say why you're staying here either."

"I have wanted to learn French since those Beauxbatons students came to Hogwarts. It just sounds like a really neat language. I want to wait until Ron is here before I tell you anything about the castle. He'd get mad if you knew anything before him. Cho and her parents are coming."

"Cho? And her parents? Is there something else you're not telling me?" she said with a sly grin.

"No. Remember, part of the reason for this was to thank you all for staying with me when I was hurt and I heard she stayed sometimes too. I had to ask her parents for permission to invite her and knew I should invite them as well. You know how formal some parents can be."

"Of course I knew. I didn't know that you knew. C'mon show me around." They walked into the other room and she saw Hagrid. "Hagrid! I didn't know you'd be here. Hi Sirius."

"Didn't think Harry would invite me did ya?" Hagrid joked.

"So, why is Harry staying here?"she asked hoping to get some info from Hagrid.

"Well he.." Hagrid started but Sirius interrupted quickly. "He will tell you when he gets around to it. That's for him to tell."

"Thanks Sirius," Harry said. Hermione looked disappointed, it had almost worked. Harry showed her around. She was admiring some of the paintings and portraits. She seemed to be trying to figure something out. Back downstairs she asked to see the sword R.J. had given him and she studied it closely before giving it back.

"What's with the sword Hermione? You've seen it before," Harry asked.

"Just refreshing my memory. How are you going to handle serving a meal? I can't see you doing anything like that," she joked.

"Oh, I've got a surprise for you. C'mon to the kitchen." When they entered the room, Hermione saw the house-elves with their backs turned. She looked horrified and said, "There are house-elves here? Who's are they?"

Both Dobby and Winky turned around and then Winky squeaked, "We are free elves Miss Granger." Then Hermione recognized them. "Winky. Dobby! You're both wearing normal clothes. What are you doing here?"

Dobby came over all excited and said, "Dobby and Winky is working for Harry Potter mam. He is needing our help with the castle and we is working for him. It is most wonderful working here."

"Why is she wearing normal clothes? Why are you staying with Harry?" Hermione was totally confused.

Winky spoke up, "Winky is a free elf. Harry Potter asks Winky to wear clothes like these and Winky does what she is asked. Winky is liking them now. We are staying here to take care of the castle. Dobby, we have much to do."

"Dobby must get back to work miss. Thank you for coming to see us."

Hermione turned to Harry still looking like something was really strange. "Ok, why are they here? Do they get paid? Who's castle is this really?"

"Um... They told you why they're here, to take care of the castle and me. Dobby gets paid, Winky won't take any. I'll tell you about the castle later. C'mon let's go back to Hagrid and wait for the others."

Hermione spent most of the time trying to get more information but Hagrid would just smile proudly and say, "Harry'll tell ya when he wants." Harry could still tell she was working things out in her head. She got a satisfied look on her face and asked, "This is her castle isn't it?"

Hagrid looked shocked but both Sirius and Harry had expected her to figure it out. "I expected you to get it sooner than you did Hermione," Sirius said smiling.

"I wondered about it earlier. Some of the portraits had people that reminded me of R.J. But when I saw Dobby and Winky, they just didn't fit. Everything else does. I mean Harry's sword has R.J.V. on one side. This is Veganos Castle. This is her family's castle. But why is Harry staying here and why are Dobby and Winky here?"

She had figured most of it out so Harry couldn't keep it from her anymore. "You're not exactly right. This is her home but she didn't have any family. She left the castle to me when she died. Dobby and Winky are working here taking care of it. They'll go back to work at the school during term."

"R.J. left this castle to you? No way. How did she get a castle? Why was she at Hogwarts if this was hers?"

Answering any question from Hermione just brought on more so Harry said, "She really left it to me, I can't believe it either. It's not a place I would picture R.J. living in. But, let me wait to tell the details when everybody else gets here."

There was a knock at the door. "Either Cho or the Wilkins," Harry said heading to the door.

It was the Wilkins looking somewhat nervous. "We're a bit early. We thought it would be better than coming in once everyone was here," Mr. Wilkins said.

Then Mrs. Wilkins added, "And this is for you." The woman handed Harry a bottle of wine.

"Thank you. I'm glad you're early. Come in. Hi Katie. Hi Angie. My friend who has non-magic parents is already here. She's anxious to meet you."

"I'm a little nervous," Angie admitted.

"Oh, don't be. I think you'll like everyone. Come and meet Hermione."

They walked to the other room. The people already there stood up when they came in and there was a collective scream from the Wilkins when Hagrid stood up.

"That's Hagrid! He's a teacher at Hogwarts and our really good friend," Harry said and Hagrid beamed.

"Everybody, this is Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins. And these are their granddaughters, Katie and Angie. They knew R.J. well."

Harry introduced his friends to all of the Wilkins'. They still seemed unsure about Hagrid. When he got to introduce Hermione to the girls he said, "This is Hermione. She's my best friend and the top student in school. Her parents aren't magical at all."

Hermione was blushing from the praise Harry had given her. "Nice to meet you two. Harry said you hadn't been around magical people at all. Harry and I can't do magic outside of school until we turn seventeen."

"You're really a witch?" Angie asked. Hermione and the girls went on with their own conversations.

It looked like Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins were still a bit afraid of Hagrid. "Mr. Wilkins, Hagrid was the keeper of the grounds at Hogwarts until he started teaching. Hagrid, Mr. Wilkins and his granddaughters keep the grounds here." This got the two of them talking and Sirius was doing a good job of keeping Mrs. Wilkins involved in conversation. Then there was another knock at the door. Harry suddenly became nervous; this must be the Changs.

Harry nervously opened the door and saw Cho with her parents. "Hello Mr. Potter. We are Cho's parents. Thank you for inviting us."

"Please come in Mr. and Mrs. Chang. I'm glad you chose to come with her. Hi Cho," Harry said. Cho looked as nervous as Harry felt. Harry turned back to Mr. Chang. "Please call me Harry. Were the directions ok? I've never actually come here from the road."

"Your directions were fine. Veganos house doesn't do this place justice. How is it that you are staying here?" Mr. Chang asked.

"Father. Harry, you don't have to answer that," Cho said.

"It's ok Cho. I'm going to explain why I'm here Mr. Chang, but if you don't mind I'd like to do it when everyone is here. There are only a couple people who know the story already."

"Of course Harry. A sensible way to handle it."

Cho smiled at Harry and then they went into the common room. They already knew Hermione and Hagrid. When Cho saw his godfather she said, "Sirius Black! You escaped Azkaban! Harry, what's he doing here?" Her parents stepped back and the Wilkins family all looked at Sirius.

"Cho, he's my godfather." She looked stunned. "He didn't commit the crime that he was sent away for; it was Peter Pettigrew or Wormtail. Sirius wasn't trying to hurt me that year; he was trying to protect me. Wormtail was at Hogwarts and he was trying to get me. Dumbledore knows all of this and trusts Sirius."

Sirius stepped forward and said, "I'm sorry if I frightened you. Technically, I am still wanted and probably will be until we can catch Wormtail. Mr. & Mrs. Wilkins, I hope this doesn't change anything."

Mr. Wilkins spoke up quickly, "Of course not. I told you before that R.J. said any friend of Harry's could be trusted completely and I believe her."

"Mr. & Mrs. Chang, Cho if my being here makes any of you uncomfortable, I can leave and come back tomorrow. I don't want this to ruin Harry's party," Sirius said warmly.

"We wouldn't have it Mr. Black. I've been in business for a long time and like to think I am a good judge of character. Both yours and Harry's are fine with me," Mr. Chang said. Harry could see the look of confusion on Cho's face.

"I couldn't talk about it Cho. You understand don't you?" Harry asked.

"Sure. Hermione, you knew?" Cho asked.

"Of course. Harry and I helped him escape when he was caught at Hogwarts. Don't ever talk about that though." Hermione said seriously. Hermione brought the Angie over and said, "Angie, this is Cho. Her parents aren't magical either."

Harry went on with Mr. and Mrs. Chang. "This is Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins. They live down the lane and take care of the grounds. They aren't magical either. They were very anxious to meet you." The two couples began talking and Harry went back to Cho.

"I'm really glad you could come Cho. Can I show you around?" Harry said, feeling happy to be around Cho.

"Sure. Why are you staying here Harry?" Cho replied still trying to figure everything out.

Harry stopped and looked at her then said, "Ok, I'll tell you as much as Hermione figured out so you'll be even with her. Then I'll tell everything when Ron gets here. This was R.J.'s home. When she was killed, she left it to me."

Cho wasn't buying it. "Right Harry. If you can't tell me, just say you can't. Don't lie to me."

"Cho, I promise I wouldn't lie to you. This is really my home now. Mr. Wilkins takes care of the grounds. Honestly."

"You're serious? How did R.J. have this place?" she started to ask another question but Harry stopped her. "Please wait until the others are here. You know as much as Hermione does now.

They were walking back from the quick tour when Cho stopped him and asked, "Do you still miss her?"

She had the look of caring in her eyes. "Yes. I mean I know she's gone and I'm glad I knew her but miss seeing her. You know how it is."

Cho looked down and said, "Yeah, but Cedric and I weren't as close as you two were. It was still hard though."

"It's getting easier. I'm lucky to have good friends. It kind of makes up for not having a family," Harry replied, hanging his head.

"But you have a family, they just happen to be centaurs. And your friends are spiders," she said with a smile. "I couldn't figure out why you wanted me to tell that to Dumbledore. Even Snape was confused. Dumbledore explained the reason. I would be dead if you hadn't come after me. I can't believe you did it and made it back." She had moved in close to him when she said this.

Harry got a worried look at said, "I'm glad you weren't hurt. Until I heard the spiders, I didn't know how to get you out. Want to thank them yourself sometime this year?"

"What, the spiders? Maybe. How do you know how to do all of that stuff? I think You-Know-Who was kind of afraid of you sometimes. And how did you do that to the man you called Lucius? Where did you learn it?"

Harry really wanted to tell her but he knew he shouldn't. "Can't tell you yet Cho. I got some extra training before term last year and that's all I can say." Harry looked at her for a second, trying to decide if he was going to say something but then continued, "You know that was Lucius Malfoy, right? Draco's father."

"How could it be? That would mean he's a Death Eater." Cho looked like she didn't believe this for a second.

"That's right. C'mon. Ron should be here any time." They came back and found everyone talking. He was glad everyone was getting along. He heard the sound of the floo and saw Mr. Weasley come out followed by his wife. She came running to him. "Harry my dear we're so glad you've recovered." She was hugging him tightly. Mrs. Weasley was the closest thing he would ever have to a mother. "We wish you would have come to our house for the summer. Thank you for saving Ginny from that fall. I can't even think what would have happened if you didn't help her." By the time she let go, the other Weasley's had arrived. Fred and George spoke up first.

"Staying in a castle for the summer. Man you have all the luck. Look at this place. Care if we look around?" George asked.

Harry told them to go ahead and then Ginny gave him a hug. "I'm glad you're feeling better Harry." She had grown a lot over the summer. The change in her was even more drastic than the one in Hermione. He really liked being hugged by her. "Thanks for staying with me back at school. I really appreciate it."

She smiled and said, "Well you did save my life again. It's the least I could do."

Ron pushed her out of the way and said, "It's a real castle! I thought you were just being stupid. What're you doing staying here? Why didn't you tell us earlier? Whose place is this?"

"Good to see you too. C'mon, Hermione's already here. I'll answer questions later." Harry went through all of the introductions. When he was introducing Mrs. Weasley to Cho, Mrs. Weasley looked at her for a minute and said, "I've been hoping to meet you Cho. I've heard a lot about you." There was something in her voice. It was friendly but not as warm as it had been. "You were the one kidnapped when dear Harry nearly died saving you."

Cho looked hurt, but Harry spoke up, "Um. Mrs. Weasley, I didn't get hurt helping Cho get back. Cho wanted me to come back with her on the centaur. I knew I had to stay and try to stop Voldemort. Cho was mad at me for not coming with her. If I had listened to her, I wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Mrs. Weasley thought for a second and then said, "She obviously has a good head on her shoulders Harry. You should listen to her from now on. I'm very glad you weren't hurt dear." She sounded more normal now.

Ginny just said, "Hi Cho," and then went to the next person.

All the children were talking together when George asked, "How do I get something to drink around here?"

Katie spoke before Harry could and said, "You just ask! Watch. 'May I have a glass of juice please?'" and then suddenly a glass of juice appeared at the table next to her. Cho and the Weasley's looked confused.

"Is that another of your new special talents Harry?" Ron asked.

Angie answered, "No, it was the house-elf."

"House elf? This castle has a house-elf? That would be great," Ron said.

"It has two Ron," Hermione said, "and you know them. Dobby and Winky work here."

"Really? Why? What are they doing here? They work at Hogwarts," Ron said.

"I'll tell you after the meal," Harry said and noticed Cho had a questioning look on her face.

Then Ron asked with a smile, "Dobby's not trying to protect you again is he? He nearly killed you last time!" Harry, Hermione and Ron started laughing. Everybody else asked "What's so funny?" So Ron told the story.

"No special candy guys?" Harry asked the twins.

"Nah not since there were going to be Muggles here. Mum searched us before we left. Tried to sneak some new stuff but got caught."

Katie heard this and said, "What's a Muggle?" and Hermione explained everything. Ginny was getting along with the Wilkins girls really well. The twins were off looking around so Harry, Ron, Hermione and Cho were talking together.

"Um Harry. I slipped up on the train ride back and mentioned about you...um...being an animagus. Sorry," Ron said looking really ashamed.

"Who heard?" Harry asked seriously.

"Just Cho," Hermione said quickly.

"Oh," Harry said sounding relieved, "that's not a problem. I don't mind her knowing. Better than finding out by seeing me."

Cho was smiling. "Thanks Harry. I'm glad you don't mind me knowing. They didn't tell me what your form is."

"Let me show you sometime instead of telling you. Speaking of that form, did you hear what happened when I woke up?"

They all said no and got closer so he could tell them about waking up in that form and trashing the hospital wing. "Dumbledore said they were all out in the hall afraid to come in. Then Dumbledore came in by himself and tried talking to me but I just jumped out the window and flew to the forest."

"You can fly? I really want to know what you are," Cho said.

Harry smiled at her and went on to say that Dumbledore found him in the forest and he changed back. "Dumbledore thinks that internally I had changed and that's the only reason I didn't die. You know they are supposed to be really hard to kill."

It came time for the meal and they all moved to the dining hall. Harry was impressed with how it looked. He really liked having Dobby and Winky around. During the meal Mr. Chang asked, "Harry, would it be possible for us to meet the elves that have done all this work? My wife and I have never met one before."

Katie spoke up, "They're really neat, you'll like them."

Harry spoke up just a bit, "Dobby, Winky would you like to meet our guests?" 'Pop''Pop' and they both appeared near Harry. Everyone this is Dobby and this is Winky. They have really saved me this summer. I couldn't get along here without them. The elves greet each person, with Winky leading and Dobby behaving right behind her.

After they left Ron said, "I've never seen Dobby act so well behaved. What have you done to him?"

"I think he's in love with Winky," Harry said with a smile. "He wouldn't come to work for me without Winky."

"He works for you?" Ron asked loudly and now everyone was looking. "How does he work for you? What about Winky?"

Harry decided this was as good time as any. "I may as well tell everything now. First of all I wanted you all here to tell you how much it meant to me when I heard you spent so much time with me when I was hurt. I'm lucky to have you as friends." His friends were blushing. "Second and the thing I've been getting questioned on all night is that this castle belonged to R.J. Her full name was Rebecca Jane Veganos and this is Veganos Castle. For those of you who may not have met her, she was a vampire and was doing security work at the school. She died trying to save me." He stopped for a moment looking at Sirius. Sirius gave him a nod and he went on "Her official title at one time was Princess Veganos. Once she became a vampire, the title was taken away but she was heir to this castle. The Wilkins have known her for a long time and they knew this story already. R.J. didn't have any family when she died and she left all of her assets, which include this castle to me. So, this is my home now and I've asked Dobby and Winky to work for me. They are free elves as some of you could tell by their clothes. They can leave anytime they want. I'm not their master or anything; they are my friends and happen to work for me. Mr. Wilkins and his granddaughters have taken care of the grounds for a long time and have thankfully agreed to continue. That's about it. Now that you know, you can send me letters straight here and not to Hogwarts."

There was talking back and forth and some simple questions and then Mr. Chang asked, "May I ask what you intend to do now that you have inherited such a place?"

Cho protested but Harry stopped her. He thought for minute and said, "I don't think anything has changed other than I don't have to live with the Dursley's over the summer. I hope there will be a time soon when Sirius can stay here more of the time but I don't think anything will change."

"How was it that you became so close to a vampire that she would leave this to you?" Mr. Chang asked.

"Father!" Cho exclaimed.

"It's ok Cho. He's not the only one who never knew R.J. They wouldn't know the kind of person she was. I was spending some evenings in the dark forest at the start of the term."

"I thought you had detention," Cho said.

"Yeah so many weeks right of the bat, you're our hero," Fred said laughing.

"Hate to admit it but that wasn't real detention. McGonagall just said that so no one would ask me what I was doing every night. At first I was doing some special training with Professor McGonagall each night. Then, one of the centaurs said I needed to learn more about the forest so Hagrid and I were going to explore each night. We came across R.J. one night and she seemed really arrogant."

Hagrid jumped in, "Should have seen Harry. He got in front to protect me and yelled at me to run and he would handle the vampire. R.J. couldn't believe it and just laughed at him asking how could he possibly handle it. Then she turns around and Harry had a wood stick ready to run her through. He could have killed her right then. She was really impressed that he was able to handle her and that he gave her the chance to see her true intentions before doing something. Said most wizards would have went ahead and killed her."

Mrs. Weasley was breathing heavy, concerned about Harry being in the forest. Mr. Chang was showing admiration though.

"After that R.J. and I explored the forest at night and became really good friends. She even went to the Halloween ball with me."

"So you didn't have detention but you spent every night alone in the forest with a beautiful vampire. That's even better," George exclaimed.

"Know what Harry said right before he rescued me?" Cho spoke up. "He said tell Dumbledore that he had family and friends with him. I didn't understand what he was talking about. Then the spiders attacked and we ran. Harry put me on the centaur but wouldn't come back with me. He stayed to fight."

Mr. Weasley asked, "What did you mean by family and friends Harry?"

Cho spoke though, "Family was the centaurs. They have kind of adopted Harry into their clan. Strange since they don't care for humans much. The friends were the giant spiders. They told Harry they would help protect him in the forest."

"Told you Aragog wasn't so bad," Hagrid piped in.

"He wanted to feed Harry and me to his children a few years ago. The ford saved us that time," Ron added.

"Well, now he won't hurt ya. Long as you're with Harry that is," Hagrid said.

"Is this school always like that?" Katie asked.

Cho answered again, "Oh no. Only for Harry and his friends. School is normally routine for everyone else. The only reason I was kidnapped was to get Harry to come after me. The rest of us hear rumors about things that happen and really we don't usually believe them but since I've been getting to be better friends with the three of them, I've heard the real stores."

"And we've never been seriously hurt," Hermione added

"You were petrified Hermione, and Ginny almost died last year," Fred said.

"But Harry dove off his broom and saved me," Ginny added

"How did you really do that? You both should have died from a fall like that and Ginny only broke her arm," Cho asked.

"Harry was in the hospital for a few days. I was there with him every day," Ginny said kind of coldly again.

Harry wanted the subject changed. "Mr. Chang, did any of that give you what you wanted to know?"

Mr. Chang looked at him warmly and said, "Yes it did, thank you Harry."

They talked a bit more and Hermione was the first to leave. "I'll meet you in Diagon Alley tomorrow. We've got a lot of books to get," Harry said bye and left Ron alone with Hermione to see her off. Mr. Chang caught Harry before he got back to the other guests and asked if he could talk for a minute.

"I want to personally thank you for saving Cho. She has spoken of you for a few years about your flying ability and that she wanted to beat you at least once so we knew something about you. I appreciate you answering my sometimes-personal questions so candidly. I think that shows something about your character. In the future, if you ever decide to invite Cho out or anything, you have my permission. I'm not saying she would go or that I think you are planning to do this. If you ever do, it would be with my blessing."

"Thank you sir. I did try to invite her to the Triwizard ball but she had already been asked."

"Yes, I know. Let's get back to the others."

How did he know Harry wondered? Cho saw them walk back together and gave him a worried look. He was able to talk to her privately, "What did my father ask you now? I'm sorry he was doing that?" Cho seemed really worried about what her father may have asked.

"It's really ok Cho. It didn't bother me. He didn't ask me anything this time. He said that if I ever wanted to ask you on a date that I had his blessings." She looked shocked. "But then he said that he doubted you would accept if I ever did ask."

"He said what? Harry, I told him I wanted you to ask...um..." She hadn't meant to say this.

Harry laughed. "I was joking Cho. He did say I had his blessing but he didn't say you wouldn't go. He said he wasn't saying if you would or wouldn't go, only that I had his blessing. Sorry for kidding." Harry hesitated and looked at her slyly "So, you want me to ask you out?"

Cho was blushing badly. "That was mean Harry. I'm just saying that if you are ever thinking about asking me out that you should go ahead and ask. That's all I'm saying." They laughed and talked to the others until Mr. Chang announced they had to leave. Harry walked them to the door. Mrs. Chang spoke to him. It was the first time she had talked to him directly. "Thank you for having us in your home. Most of all thank you for saving our daughter. I can never repay you for that."

"You're welcome Mrs. Chang. Thank you for making the long trip and coming. See you at school Cho."

"Bye Harry."

Harry saw the Wilkins girls talking to Hagrid and he went over. "So, what did you think of my friends? Did you like them?"

Angie spoke up quickly, "Oh yes. This has been great. I wish I was going to your school." Then Mr. Wilkins came over saying they were going. Hagrid left as well. It was only the Weasley's left.

"Mrs. Weasley, I wanted to apologize for not coming to holiday last year. I hadn't been able to spend time with R.J. and hoped to see her a lot during the break."

"I understood Harry. I have six boys you know. We missed having you. And we missed having you over the summer but after coming tonight, I can understand that also. I had kind of hoped that Professor Dumbledore would have let you come and live with us so that you didn't have to go back to Privet Drive but it doesn't look like that is necessary any more."

"Professor Dumbledore put some protection on the castle so I'm probably ok here. Now that I have access to the floo network, maybe I can visit more often. I'll have to ask." He leaned over to Ron and asked, "Ron, think your parents would let you stay here tonight and meet up tomorrow in Diagon Alley?"

Ron asked his mom and surprisingly she agreed. The Ginny protested and said she wanted to stay as well. Harry said he didn't mind and the fact that Sirius was staying that night so an adult would be there helped ease her concerns. He also told her Dobby and Winky could take care of anything they needed. Mr. Weasley said it would be good to have a quiet evening at home with is wife so she finally agreed.

They stayed up late talking about everything that happened at the Weasley's over the summer. Percy had moved out and was working his way up the ladder at the Ministry of Magic.