Thankfully, the feast was without drama. Slytherin won the house cup, which he didn't care about. It was funny to see the entire Gryffindor table react so loudly though. For a moment he thought that the evening was going to devolve into a massive food fight. If they twins had been there, it probably would have.
The next day Harry stepped onto the Hogwarts Express. He found an empty cabin before settling in. There would be time for making new friends in the coming year. Right now, he had to focus on what he could accomplish this summer. It wasn't until he saw Lucius Malfoy waiting at the station that he remembered setting up a meeting with the man. The regal woman standing next to him Harry recognized as Narcissa Malfoy nee Black. She had always been an attractive woman. Right now, she was a beacon of cold beauty.
Draco stopped before his parents. He looked to his father, who motioned for the boy to join his mother. Harry approached once the pair had split off.
"Shall we?" Harry asked.
"Of course, Mister Potter." The stiff posture and sneer had returned. "I know somewhere we can chat without prying eyes."
The man must have convinced himself that their previous meeting had been a fluke. Clearly, Harry Potter was not as powerful as he felt in that moment.
Lucius led him away from the station. They didn't cross the barrier. Harry had a brief thought about his uncle waiting for him on the muggle side of things. He dismissed the idea, turning his full attention to Lucius. The man didn't take Harry as a true threat.
It was a certainty that Lucius had some sort of trap planned. The pureblood wizard didn't even bother to look back at the boy. Harry took the initiative. He disillusioned himself and crafted an image of himself a few feet away. The false Harry followed his actions flawlessly. Its only downfall was that it couldn't interact with the world around it. It was an image and nothing more.
Lucius led him to an ornate set of double doors. A doorman stepped out, looked Lucius over, and opened the doors without a word. The real Harry followed off to the side while fake Harry stood directly behind the older wizard.
The interior of the building was a mixture of an old fashion gentlemen's club and a smoking lounge. Lucius led them to a private meeting room. Once the door closed, the blond wizard spun on Harry. His wand pointed right between the eyes. Of the false Harry, that is.
"Talk, boy." Lucius commanded.
Harry flicked his wand, casting a silent disarming charm. He caught the dislodged wand as he dropped the invisible charm. Lucius gawked at the sudden change of events.
"Tommy boy left you the diary for safe keeping." Harry stepped around Lucius to find a row of comfy looking leather chairs. He picked one facing the door and sat. "What you may have not known was that the diary was the first of seven horcruxes."
Lucius dropped into a chair across from Harry.
"You not only failed in a simple order, but you also allowed a soul anchor to be destroyed." Harry spoke slow and clear. "Tom isn't dead. He had six other horcrux set. He remains on this mortal coil until all of these are destroyed."
"Why are you telling me this?" Lucius asked breathlessly. "I could turn you over to the Dark Lord. Your capture would certainly solidify a place among his scholars."
"If he didn't decide to just kill you, that is." Harry countered. "He's coming back. I've already fought him again. He had possessed Quirrell, and I was able to kill him, momentarily."
"Again." Lucius said. "Why are you telling me this?"
"You need to protect your family, and yourself." Harry stated. "When he gets a body again, you know he's coming for you. If not to outright kill you, then to ruin you while you serve him. He'll drain your vaults dry and set you up for the fall. You need to keep your family safe." Harry paused. "This isn't completely altruistic. The more you step away from him, the more resources he will lose. We both know that if he comes back, it won't be good for anyone. How many pureblood lines did he end last time?"
Lucius sat back in his chair, rolling the thought around as Harry waited. Malfoy studied the boy in front of him for a long moment. Lucius nodded.
"If you need my help, don't hesitate to contact me." Harry stood. "Otherwise, stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours."
He smiled and apparated silently to Privet Drive. Harry wasn't looking forward to coming back, but part of it was curiosity. In the past he had never had the chance to study the protections that were supposed to be in place. Once the war was over, he had no desire to ever come back.
Harry appeared across the street across from the house so he could get a good look at the wards. He let his magic loose, feeling his very being relax. A slight bit of focus brought the wards into view.
He ground around him began to shake the longer he studied. There were layers of mail blocking wards, as well as a network of obscuring spells. Anyone, muggle or magical, looking in would see a perfectly normal family. Not only that, but it also had a lingering effect. No one would consider the Dursleys to be anything but your average suburban family, for at least a few days afterwards. Underneath all of it was a modified compulsion spell that repeated the phrases 'different is bad' and 'magic is wrong'. It wasn't keyed to anyone, meaning that even he would feel the need to shy away from speaking about magic while there.
That was it. Nothing to actually protect or hide him. There wasn't even something as simple as a monitoring charm. No wonder no one knew when he had known he had left after blowing up Marge, or when the Dementors attacked, or when Fred and George literally busted him out. There was no reason whatsoever for him to come back here for all those years.
Years as an auror had trained him in many things. Ward breaking was one such thing that he had a knack for. It made him wonder how much better he would be if he had studied it in school. Focusing his magic into blade, he sliced through the wards, carefully deconstructing it. As tempting as it was to simply smash through it, the sudden release of magic was too easy to track.
The air around him crackled with energy as he strode across the street. He took a deep, calming breath to get his magic back under control. There was no way he could face his aunt and uncle. Accidentally blowing up the house was an actual option with how much power he now had. Harry braced himself, then opened the door to the house.
"Who is it?" His uncle yelled from the kitchen. "Boy, is that you?"
Vernon Dursley stomped out of the kitchen, heading straight for Harry. His approach slowed as he got closer to the boy.
"Where have you been?" He barked. "I wasted my afternoon going to that train station and you weren't there."
The older man stopped out of arms reach. Vernon didn't feel the usual urge to hurt the boy. Sure, it was annoying that he had wasted a trip into the city, but it wasn't that big of a deal. He had managed to swing by the office to pick up some paperwork, so it wasn't a total waste.
He scrunched up his brow as he studied the boy. Harry was underweight, dressed in rags, and simply waiting for something. Vernon didn't like the boy, but they did get a monthly payment of ten thousand pounds. That alone was worth having Harry around. The kid was quiet, well behaved, and worked his ass off around the house. He was a freak, like his parents, but he didn't rub it in their faces. In fact, he didn't do any of that freakish stuff around them.
"Sorry." Harry said. "It won't happen again."
"See that it doesn't." Vernon grumbled.
The old man walked back toward the kitchen. Something had changed, like a headache had finally stopped.
"Tomorrow, we're taking you to the store." Vernon called over his shoulder. "You look like a transient dressed like that."
Harry watched his uncle walk away. There was a warring storm of emotions brewing in his chest. A mixture of relief and confusion was swirling around a molten core of anger. His uncle wasn't suddenly a saint, but he wasn't abusive either. Vernon had raised his voice and that was it. No hitting, screaming, or threats. On top of that, his uncle wanted to get him new clothes tomorrow.
It was all because of Dumbledore. The nights he went hungry, all the broken bones, and all the beatings. Without the aura Dumbledore had placed, none of it would have happened. The hostility and anger weren't caused by the spell, it could only magnify the feelings already present. A small exposure had made a composed Pureblood draw a wand on him, ready to cast the killing curse while inside a school and near the Headmasters office. How could Vernon and Petunia stand up to years of constant exposure.
He was going to kill Dumbledore. Forget bettering the world, this was revenge pure and simple.
Harry took another long, slow breath. He was going to have to rethink his entire approach to his family. This one interaction had thrown him for a loop.
Aunt Petunia stepped out into the hallway from the living room. She came to a stop, mid-step as she saw Harry. A myriad of emotions flashed across her face in a matter of moments. She took a shaky step toward him, then another. Harry tensed as the woman practically ran at him. She wrapped him into a tight hug and sobbed.
Her sister had once been her best friend. She had idolized her, and as much as she hated to admit it, begged to be magical just like her. Lily was dead. Her sister was dead. Here was her nephew, the last little bit of her sister still in the world. What was she doing to him? How could she treat him like this?
"I'm sorry." She sobbed. "Oh, dear Harry. I am so sorry. You have her eyes. My God, why did I never tell you that before?"
Petunia grabbed him by the hand and pulled him upstairs. She stopped in front of 'his room', her progress can to a sudden stop as she looked at the door. Petunia took in the locks and the pet door. She turned to face Harry again, pulling him into another tight hug. She burst into the room, pausing for a moment as she saw Dobby waiting inside.
She took a moment to compose herself. "Hello."
Dobby tilted his head to the side as he looked at the woman.
"Do you work for Harry?" She asked.
Dobby nodded.
"Could you help me move Harry's things to his new room?" Petunia asked. "This simply won't do a moment longer."
Harry stared at his aunt. He had seen many things over the years, but this had caught him completely off guard. Dobby looked to Harry. He nodded. The elf disappeared, as did his things.
"This will be the new guest room." Petunia said. Her words came out faster than usual. "I'll have your uncle get rid of this junk. It would go faster if Dudley and you helped. There's no rush."
She led him downstairs to the guest room. "Marge won't be happy, but she never is. The bed down here is bigger, nicer too. We'll need to get you some new bedding. Curtains too." She scrunched up her nose as she opened the door. "It needs to be aired out too. Smells like old dog and cheap perfume."
Harry nodded; his brain couldn't form words just yet.
"We'll have to make a trip to the store tomorrow." Petunia crossed the room, opened the window, and pulled the curtains down. "Will this be big enough for your owl?"
"I think so." Harry managed to say.
"Do you want to sleep upstairs tonight?" Petunia asked. "We can keep the window open to let it air out. By tomorrow night we should have it ready for you."
"Thank you, ma'am." Harry said.
"No." Petunia snapped. Her hands slapped over her mouth. "I'm sorry, dear. No ma'am. No miss. Aunt Petunia, or auntie. I will not answer to anything else."
She squeaked as Harry's trunk and clothes appeared in the closet. Dobby settled next to Harry.
"Thank you." Petunia knelt down to speak to Dobby. "We haven't been properly introduced. My name is Petunia Dursley, I'm Harry's aunt."
"Dobby be Great Harry Potter's elf." Dobby said slowly.
"It is nice to meet you, Dobby." Petunia wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry, I must look a mess. I've never met an elf before. Do I curtsy?"
"No." Harry smiled. "You're doing great. Dobby works for me. Kind of like a butler."
Petunia smoothed her dress as she stood. She stepped forward and grasped the sides of Harry's face. Petunia kissed him on the forehead.
"You wonderful boy." She held him tight. "You have done so much for us. Suffered. My dear. I am so sorry. Please, I know I don't deserve it, but I will work toward earning your forgiveness."
Harry cleared his throat, trying to clear the sudden tightness that had settled in it. He rubbed his eyes, trying to figure out why his glasses were fogging up. His fingers came away wet.
Petunia finally let him go. "I'll get started on dinner. Or would you prefer if we ordered out? We could have a welcome home dinner."
Harry shrugged.
"This is going to be Harry's new room." Petunia turned to look at Dobby. "It needs to be prepared, as you can see. Is there any chance you'd be able to help?"
Dobby looked to Harry. Harry nodded.
"Dobby will take care of it." The elf nodded.
The front door opened then slammed shut.
"Dudley is home." Petunia said.
Harry stepped out into the hall. Dudley looked at him.
"Hey, Harry." Dudley said before heading up the stairs. "When did you get home?"
"A few minutes ago." Harry answered.
"I'm going to order take-away." Petunia said. "What did you want?"
Dudley stopped at the top of the stairs. "Pizza sounds good. You, Harry?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah, pizza sounds good."