Let's Try That Again Redux - Chapter 3

Harry stepped out of the shower feeling refreshed. There wasn't much he could do right now. The term had already ended and tomorrow he'd be on the train back to Privet Drive. Still, there was something he could do before he left.

Once he was dressed, he grabbed his cloak. It was a quick walk to the Room of Requirement. The diadem sat in the center of a table waiting for him.

He summoned the Sword of Gryffindor and sliced it in half. The blade slipped through the diadem, as well as the table that it rested on, with ease. Three horcrux down already, four to go. The sword vanished as he stepped back out into the hallway. It had served him well in his last life and it would once more. He could get to the locket once Sirius was back. The cup was in the Lestrange vault, but the goblins were wildcards. That left the ring and the snake.

Last time, Dumbledore couldn't resist the pull of the ring. It led to his death, which Harry was fine with. Unfortunately, that would mean he would have to wait a few years for Dumbledore to finally do something. Harry wasn't sure he could take the old man in a toe-to-toe battle. His magic was no longer bound, but he wouldn't be at 'full power' until he had reached adulthood. As it was, he was confident he was at the level of an Auror. He could make up a lot of ground with the skills from his previous life, but that didn't make him ready to take on someone as strong as Dumbledore.

Running headfirst into danger was going to get him killed. Harry needed to be patient, to plan things out. That little voice in the back of his head that pushed him into action was silent. Harry hated to admit it, but Dumbledore knew how to mold minds. He had never once thought to question the impulse to jump to action. It was as much a part of him as the color of his eyes. People knew him for acting first and thinking later.

He pushed the thoughts away as he strode back toward the Gryffindor Tower. Harry knew there was a list of people who needed to die. Not just for revenge, but to better the world.

For the greater good and all that? Was this how it all started? His choices were clearly the best. But then how did that differ from him killing the basilisk, or Quirrell, or Voldemort? He wasn't trying to manipulate things to give himself power. He didn't have a personal agenda to push, or an ideology to force on the world.

Harry was cleaning up a mess that Dumbledore had made. After all, he was the chosen one. Now it was his turn to actually have some choice in his life.

Dumbledore needed to die because he played with people's lives. Voldemort needed to be put down because he was a rabid dog with even less sense. Umbridge needed to die because she was pure evil. The Death Eaters wouldn't go without a fight. He had spent quite a few years after the war hunting them down. In fact, things would go a lot easier now with all that he knew and since they wouldn't be expecting an attack.

Once they were all dealt with, he would be done. His life would finally, truly be his own.

~§~

With the Sirius situation wrapped up there was no reason to face off against the Dementors. Harry didn't ask why, but his godfather felt the need to escape on Buckbeak even without being told. Someone said they saw a giant dog riding a hippogriff into the sunrise the next morning at breakfast.

He was relieved and a little annoyed. Buckbeak had been lost in the shuffle of the chaos. He would have to ask Sirius why he had taken the creature the next time they spoke. Unfortunately, until Sirius was proven innocent the only option was to return to Privet Drive. That didn't mean he was just going to let things carry on as they had in the past.

The Ministry tracked Underage Magical Usage via the wand. Harry had developed a decent log of spells that he could complete without one. Something else he had picked up over the years was a knack for Rune. There were many, many uses that were pretty much impossible to detect.

Thankfully, the end of term was the next day. He didn't have to pretend to be Dumbledore's pet for more than a couple of hours. Most of which were spent in the Healing Ward under the intense watch of Madam Pomfrey.

He had forgotten how much he liked the older witch. She wasn't perfect, but then, the Healing Ward was woefully understaffed, and she had an entire school to take care of. The fact that she spent so much time taking care of him brought a warmth to her memory. It was also nice to know that she hadn't played a part in the various manipulations through the years.

Harry rode the train back to London with his friends. Hermione seemed to be constantly fidgeting, the cognitive dissonance between Authority Figures still weighed heavily on her. It was hard to look at her without getting angry. She was the true mother of his children, but she wasn't on the list of people responsible for the various potions and spells. He didn't know why she had agreed to Ginny's plan, or the extent of which Hermione's own mind had been altered.

His special blend of tea, Clari-Tea as he liked to call it, would clear enchantments and compulsions for an hour or two. After that they would activate again. Knowing Hermione, the first thing she would do once they had restored would be to go straight to Dumbledore. For Harry's own safety, of course.

Regardless, he needed the ingredients.

Ron seemed unbothered. From what he had gathered, the ginger was a victim as well. The extent was unknown, but the fact that Ginny had planned to pin the murder on Ron pointed to him being clueless. Harry looked out the window and let his mind wonder.

A small plan began to form in his mind. The Quidditch World Cup was this summer. He would be at the Burrow for a few days as well. He would be able to take a closer look at whatever she had in motion once he was there. Thankfully, Molly would be rather distracted after the Death Eater attack.

Harry snorted. He never thought he'd be glad about an attack.

"What's up?" Ron asked.

"Just thinking about this summer." Harry shrugged.

"I tried to convince my parents you should stay with us." Ron grumbled. "They said they can't."

"Thanks for trying." Harry gave his friend a small smile.

"He'll be there later." Hermione waved away his concern.

"Mione!" Ron groaned. "It was supposed to be a surprise!"

"What surprise?" Harry gave him a bemused smile.

"My dad got tickets for the Quidditch World Cup." Ron shot a glare at Hermione. "We were planning on inviting you. He got a three-day pass so we can set up a spot and hang out until after the game."

Harry raised his eyebrows. That was different.

"That sound wicked." Harry smiled brightly. "I'd love to come."

"Yeah." Ron rolled his eyes. "It was going to be a birthday surprise from the family."

"It's early, but still a surprise." Harry patted his friend on the shoulder.

The trio slipped into their own little worlds. Harry was glad for the quiet. There was more that he had to plan than just what he was going to do this summer. Riddle was going to be back within a year. Then the Ministry would plug their eyes and hum until it was too late. He needed to make sure that even if Riddle did come back, he wouldn't have a power base. To do that, a lot of Death Eaters had to die.

No big loss. A lot of them had died during the war, or in the hunt afterwards. The few that did survive were locked in their manors, or behind bars. They had to build a new prison once the Dementors swapped sides. The Aurors were happy not to have to deal with the soul sucking monsters when they were on guard duty.

~§~

Harry knocked his head against the glass as the train came to a stop. Ron let out a little snort of laughter. Harry shot a quick stinging hex at the ginger. Ron yelped with it hit his foot.

"Ow." Ron wiggled his foot. "That hurt."

"So did the window." Harry grumbled. "Didn't realize I fell asleep."

"Wish you didn't." Ron shivered. "You speak snake in your sleep."

Harry winced. Even without the connotations that Parseltongue was dark magic, it still made people uncomfortable.

"Sorry about that." Harry shrugged. "Where's Hermione?"

"She left a bit ago." Ron gave his own shrug. "Something about a study group."

Harry nodded and turned his attention to the platform outside. A wicked smile crossed his face as his eyes landed on Lucius Malfoy. 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. There were other ways to destroy a power-base than murder. Riddle had used Malfoy as his own personal piggy-bank. A hit to the wallet would hurt more than Tommy Boy could ever imagine.

"That's a creepy smile." Ron had moved a bit farther against the wall. "What are you looking at?"

"Lucius Malfoy." Harry gave a low chuckle. "I think it's time I talked to old Lucy."

"You're mental." Ron held up his hands in surrender. "I need to get my things ready. Where's your trunk? I'll grab it too."

"Right here." Harry tapped the pocket on his shirt. "Shrunk it for easy travel."

"I need to learn that." Ron muttered. "Don't know why I keep forgetting."

Harry watched his friend for a moment. He really needed to get that tea together. A stop off at Diagon Alley before he headed to Privet Drive was a good idea. After he terrorized Lucius, of course. Harry practically skipped off the Hogwarts Express directly toward the blond.

Lucius saw him approach. The mask of superior disappointment slipped for a moment revealing pure surprise. Harry came to a stop before the duo.

"Lady Malfoy." Harry inclined his head. "Harry Potter, pleasure to meet you."

Narcissa returned the bow but turned her attention to the disembarking students. She searched for Draco without a second look at him. Harry gave her a point in her favor for that.

"What do you want, Potter?" Lucius sneered.

It was funny to hear the real version rather than the imitation that Draco tried to project.

"Mister Malfoy." Harry purposely didn't use 'Lord'.

"Potter." Lucius glared at the boy.

"You don't know, do you?" Harry asked with a cruel smile.

"Know what exactly?" Lucius looked bored.

"He never died." Harry said in a slight sing-song tone.

"Who?" Lucius squinted, studying him.

"Your old boss." Harry sighed. "Tom Riddle."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." The older Malfoy started to turn away.

"He gave you the diary for safe keeping." Harry spoke loud enough for only Lucius to hear him. "How do you think he'll react once he finds out."

Lucius studied him for a long moment. Harry held his knowing smile as Malfoy started to sweat.

"Narcissa." Lucius snapped. "Mister Potter and I have business to discuss. Tell Draco I will see him when I return home."

Narcissa arched a manicured eyebrow at the words but didn't speak. She nodded in understanding before her attention returned to the crowd.

"Let's continue this conversation somewhere private." Lucius hissed.

Lucius led him away from the station. They didn't cross the barrier, which suited him just fine. He had to a make few stops in Diagon Alley already. 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 planned to lead him into some sort of trap. The pureblood wizard didn't even bother to look back at the younger wizard. 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. Wards locked the place down so the only exit was through the front door. Anyone trying to apparate in or out would be out of luck.

The interior of the building was a mixture of an old-fashioned gentlemen's club and a smoking lounge. Death Eaters and their associates lounged around the area. A brief moment of silence preceded an uptick in whispers when the group saw Harry. Lucius led him to a private meeting room. Numerous 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 comfortable 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 horcrux."

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 shot a wink at Lucius before he disappeared without a sound, breaking through the wards without issue. Harry appeared in the designated Apparation Point in Diagon Alley. There were a couple of Apothecaries that he needed to visit. He made a not to pick up another trunk solely for the potion ingredients. It needed to have protection in place to avoid magical contamination. Shrinking ingredients down was a quick path to disaster.

Once he was done with his shopping, Harry apparated silently to Privet Drive. He had picked up another trunk solely for his potion ingredients. It had protection in place to avoid magical contamination. He 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 settle. A slight bit of focus brought the wards into view.

The 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 of them and it turned out that he had a knack for it. It made him wonder how much better he would be if he had studied Runes 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 unless he was calm. 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 easily. He had faced dark wizards, creatures of nightmares, and worse. Vernon Dursley didn't bother him anymore. "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. Please."

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 it 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."

Petunia hurried out to the car. She disappeared down the road without a look back. Dudley and Harry stared at each other for a moment. Almost in unison, they shrugged. Dudley went upstairs while Harry went to examine his new room. It was the one place in the house that he didn't clean. Marge insisted that he didn't step a foot inside. Harry wasn't going to argue. One less room to clean was one less room to clean.

It was already cleaner than it had been a minute ago. The window was open to let fresh air in to flush the smell of dog out. There were clean linens, Hedwigs' perch had been setup, and his few possessions were dotted around the room.

Dobby was awesome. He started to unpack his trunk. Sirius was still in hiding. They couldn't live together just yet. Even with Pettigrew in custody, they still had to get the charges against Sirius dropped. Plus, he hoped that Dobby could get Grimmauld a bit cleaner before he moved in. Right now, the elf was pulling double duty. Maybe Harry needed to hire more staff. He'd give it a deeper look later. Acquiring a House Elf wasn't a simple process.

"Dinner!" Petunia called as she opened the front door.

Harry found himself sitting at the dinner table with his aunt, uncle, and cousin. He honestly couldn't remember if this had ever happened in his previous life. His head was spinning, he desperately wanted his wand within reach, and the fact that no one was talking made it all the more awkward.

"How…" Vernon started. "How was your year?"

"Me?" Dudley asked.

"Yes." Vernon nodded quickly. "And Harry too."

"Pretty boring." Dudley shrugged his shoulders. "The weather was shite through football season and there wasn't enough interest to get ruby going."

"Language, Dudley." Petunia gasped.

"Sorry, mum." Dudley blushed.

"What about you, Harry?" Vernon finally managed to look at him.

"Thank you for asking." Harry said carefully. "I know how much talking about magic makes you uncomfortable."

Vernon shook his head. "No, no. I asked about your year."

The man paused, seemingly shocked by his own words. Petunia and Dudley looked at Vernon as well.

"Harry." Petunia turned to look at him. "Something changed, hasn't it?"

Harry nodded. "I don't know how much you were told about the 'protection' that was placed around the house."

"Not much." Petunia whispered.

"I learned something new recently and was able to take a closer look." Harry explained. "There wasn't any sort of protection in place."

Vernon blanched; Petunia gasped.

"Instead, there were spells in place to compel anyone in the area to think being different was wrong, and that magic was evil." Harry explained. "There was something similar cast on me as well. Spells to make people focus on negative feelings around me and to doubt everything I said." Harry cleared his throat, trying to clear the lump that was forming. "Today, I was able to remove those spells."

Vernon sat back in his chair. Petunia wept openly. Dudley stared at his cousin.

"I can already see how you're changing." Harry continued. "You obviously can too."

"Harry Hunting. My friends and I…" Dudley said.

"It wasn't you." Harry whispered. "The spells can't create something from nothing, but with how long you were exposed, even the littlest things would become so much more." He paused. "It wasn't just you. The spell cast on me affected everyone around me, the wards around the house served to amplify it."

"I broke your arm." Vernon choked out. "How many times? Four? No, more than that. I'm a monster."

"I smashed your hand with a pan." Petunia sobbed. "Your head, I left razor marks all over your scalp."

"This was magic?" Vernon looked up at Harry.

Harry nodded. A familiar feeling of dread began to form in the pit of his stomach.

"Who did this?" Vernon growled.

"Albus Dumbledore." Harry replied.

Petunia gasped. She sprang from her chair and wrapped Harry into a hug. He had no idea she was so affectionate.

"That was the man who sent you here." Vernon said. "I remember the note."

"He was the one who put the spells on me too." Harry continued.

"Why?" Petunia held him tightly. "Why would he do this?"

"The wizard that killed my parents." Harry's voice came out muffled. "We're connected. I'm the one who has to kill him. I think Dumbledore was setting me up to die while doing it. That way he'd get me and Riddle out of the way without having to put himself in danger."

Vernon stood. Harry tensed as the man walked over to him.

"This was a lot to take in. We can speak more in the morning." Vernon cleared his throat.

Harry watched as his uncle hurried out of the dining room. His aunt was still holding him in a hug.

"Harry." Dudley whispered. "Um… I… I am so sorry. I'll talk to my boys. You're my cousin."

"Thank you, Dudley." Harry smiled at him.

"Maybe we can talk more tomorrow?" Dudley asked. "This magic stuff sounds wicked."

Harry nodded. "Do you think you can get your mum to let me go?"

Dudley laughed. He stood and grabbed his mother gently by the shoulders.

"Come on, mum." Dudley said. "Harry needs to breath."

"Right." Petunia let Harry go. She placed a kiss on his forehead. "Right."

"I think we all need to get some sleep." Harry offered.

Petunia nodded.

"I'll put away the leftovers." Harry said.

"I can help." Dudley looked around the kitchen. "Where are the containers?"

"Cupboard beside the fridge, bottom shelf." Harry answered.

This sparked another sniffle from Petunia. Harry stood up. For the first time in his life, Harry hugged his aunt. She practically collapsed onto him.

"It's okay now." Harry whispered.

He let her go. Petunia hurried out of the room. He could hear her heading upstairs.

"Um." Dudley walked over to the table holding a couple of plastic containers. "I'm not really tired. Do you want to play some games? I got a Nintendo in my room."

"Sure." Harry nodded. "That sounds fun. You'll have to show me how to play though."

The containers disappeared from his hands, a moment later the fridge opened, and the pizza-filled boxes were set in place.

"Wicked." Dudley said. "Can you do that to my room? It's a mess."

"I didn't do that." Harry said. "Dobby!"

The elf appeared. Dudley let out a little yelp of shock and hopped away from the new arrival.

"Sorry." Harry chuckled. "Dobby this is my cousin, Dudley. Dudley, this is Dobby, he works for me."

"H-Hello." Dudley stuttered.

"Does Harry Potter need Dobby?" The elf asked.

"Thank you for putting away the leftover."

"Dobby is happy to serve." Dobby smiled broadly.

"It's a little scary for my family when you do it without them seeing." Harry continued. "When possible, please stay visible. To Dudley and Petunia, for now. We'll see how Vernon takes it and go from there."

"Of course, Great Harry Potter, sir." Dobby turned to the table and began tidying up.

"Did you still want to play some videogames?" He turned his attention to Dudley.

"Sure." Dudley whispered.

"Dobby, would you like to come with us?" Harry asked.

"Dobby doesn't know what these games are, but Dobby is very excited to learn." The elf hopped happily in place.

"We have to wait until tomorrow for my new bedding." Harry explained. "I'm going to be sleeping in my old room tonight."