Harry adopted the cat he and Gokudra had rescued. Harry dubbed him Tripod since the wounded leg was so bad off it had to be amputated. That didn't seem to slow the little tabby down much. When not hurt and terrified, the cat had a very sweet temper. He took to Harry and his friends quickly. Admittedly he did have a penchant for pouncing on Tsuna causing the boy to shriek in shock. Tripod had clearly claimed Harry as his special human (or his minion in Hayato's words) but he adored Hayato. Gokudera would deny it, but he bought the little bugger toys and was often found just having the cat sit leaning against him as the boys relaxed after school.

Gokudera and Harry began working together better; there was still tension and arguments but no all out brawls. For the moment they were a joint unit in defense of and fondness for Tsuna. They just had a few kinks to work out. Gokudera had wanted to go buy more dynamite but he and Harry were in the middle of heated conversation when Yammamoto Takashi found out why they were so drawn to the kid people called Dame-Tsuna.

Yammamoto had waited and watched. Until recently his awareness of Tsuna had been vague. He never really questioned the kid being bullied, and never felt the need to step in. But recently Tsuna had stepped into the light. And with that light the shadows chasing him became more apparent. After the kendo match and the volleyball game, it was almost a comfort to see the boy suck at baseball. They spent a little time together cleaning after the game at P.E. there was a warmth to the boy he had never noticed before. The howling emptiness in Yammamoto's chest gravitated towards that warmth greedily. He found his cheerful mask slipping, and words tumbling out of his mouth of their own accord.

After he spoke those words out loud Yammamoto was damned; Every time the words circled in his head they increased in volume until he found himself on the roof. Sure he broke his arm and that was the "straw that broke the camel's back" but mostly he just wanted to escape those words. When the time came for Tsuna to show up on the roof, Harry held Hayato in a hold his sensei had taught him.

"Don't do it!" Tsuna cried

"Tsuna. If you came here to stop me it's useless." Yammamoto said flatly making Harry examine the boy carefully. "You of all people ought to understand how I feel. They call you Dame-Tsuna. You must know how it feels when everything you do goes wrong and you'd be better off dead, right?"

Harry kept his trap shut because this was Tsuna's play. He didn't realize he was gripping tight enough to choke Gokudera until the boy spluttered and slapped him hard.

Tsuna looked panicked for a moment before he said "No. You and I are different, Yammamoto."

Yammamoto's face hardened in anger and pain as he jumped to the wrong conclusion "So, now that things are looking up for you, you're some kind of bigshot? Now you do everything right, is that it?"

"N-no, you've got it wrong it's because I'm a loser!" Tsuna freaked flailing wildly in his vehemence.

Harry and Hayato were listening closely to the things Tsuna was saying. They were both losers, both misfits and outcasts. They were entranced… well until Tsuna and Yammamoto fell off the roof.

Harry's mind rapidly flicked through the spells he knew as he released Gokudera to run to the fallen railing. Wingardium Leviosa wasn't powerful enough to do more than slightly slow their fall. Harry cast it anyway, but he put far more power into the Supple Skin Shield a technique he had been working on for weeks. It fit to the skin and was an absorption-style spell. It should help reduce the damage of the impact. As soon as the spells left his hand he raced down the stairs. There was nothing he could do from the roof. Gokudera seemed to come to the same conclusion based on the pounding feet just on Harry's heels.

The boys burst into the courtyard pushing aside stupid spectators viciously

"Tsuna-!"

"Juudaime-!"

Even with magic, even with the wonderers and horrors he had witnessed Harry was stunned. Tsuna was alive. So was Yammamoto. Harry cast a brief diagnostic spell he had learned from the healers attending him when he first arrived in Japan. They were both unharmed.

He glanced at Gokudera and read the shocked awe in the boy's face. It was so different from the scowling visage Harry was used to that Harry's awe increased even more. Then Harry caught a glint of movement out of the corner of his eye from an open window across the way. "Reborn. I should have known." Harry muttered to himself as he felt his body slump in exhaustion. Between the power he put into the spells and the adrenaline, Harry was hollowed out. He wasn't expecting the arm that caught him as he sagged to the ground. The body he was pulled against was shaking, the fingers on his hand calloused. Harry smelled cigarette smoke and found himself relaxing before he realized why. When Harry did realize why, he stiffened. Someone was holding him. Hayato was holding him. Just because they got along better was no reason to get too cozy. He didn't see Gokudera's sharp concern shifting between Harry and their boss.

"Go." Harry snapped at Gokudera before his voice softened "Make sure he's ok"

Harry knew Tsuna and Yammamoto were fine. Gokudera did not beyond a visual inspection. Hayato had stayed to make sure Harry was fine too anyway. Harry didn't quite know what to do with that information. What he was sure of is that Tsuna needed to get home or Mama would have kittens.

On the return to the Sawada household after school there was a fourth member of their group. Yammamoto brought a calming aspect to the usually tempestuous gatherings. He laughed freely but Harry wondered how much of that was a front after the events of earlier. Gokudrea simply did not like or welcome him. Time would tell, but Reborn liked him, as did Nana.

Gokudera walked with Harry as he left for his apartment. They lived in the same direction and neither was really looking forward to going home to no-one. Harry's face was as closed in as ever but his mind whirled.

"Hey." Harry started awkwardly "My landlord is kicking me out because of the cat. So I'm looking for a new place."

"That bastard." Hayato growled having encountered the crusty old man before

"My point is, that I'm going to be looking for a house." Harry said quietly "You still staying at the hotel?... Want a room?" Harry pinned Gokudera with his eyes and Gokudera would almost swear they were nervous.

Gokudera stopped walking and stared at him, grey eyes wide. His relatives had only offered him a place out of obligation, the rest of the time Hayato was on his own. He had never been welcomed as a guest, let alone offered a place freely to live.

Then the first part of the statement hit, "A house?"

"Yeah." Harry shrugged "I want a place out of the way, is more private, and hopefully has a basement. I can afford it if I'm careful."

Actually he could afford it either way. He had a vast number of vaults in the Potter alone. In addition to the international charges Japan had made on his behalf, the Goblin Nation had sued for damages in reaction to the wrongs of he British Ministry against him. Including the theft from a few of those vaults. The IWC had been very generous in the number of galleons that judged should be heading his way to make reparations. Harry didn't want their money. He wanted a place he could ward from the ground up and a place to practice his magic more securely (the basement). In short, he wanted a safe house.

"How?" Gokudera's question brought Harry back to the present

"Money from my parents." Harry supplied the half-truth hoping it would be enough.

Gokudera looked at him "I'd be stupid to turn the offer down."

"And?" Harry asked anxiously

"I'm not stupid." Gokudera laughed

They started the house search that day. They lucked out when they found a place on the older side of town bordering a swath of wilderness. It was away from most of the hustle and bustle. While they couldn't find any with a basement, Hayato found that the house could be purchased alongside the tract of land along and behind it. Even better. The sight of nature after so long in the grey labyrinth that was Azkaban was like a breath of fresh air for Harry. There were also clearings scattered about that would serve well as training areas for both boys.

The house itself was a solid one-story construction with the core of the house holding the common areas of the entryway, main room and kitchen before flowing back in two parallel wings holding the bedrooms. Between the wings was a cultivated garden Harry itched to work in. It even had a long porch they could enjoy the garden from that branched off all the way from one bedroom, around the common areas, to the other bedroom.

The real estate agent had drawn the short straw. No one else in her office had wanted to go on a wild goose chase with these two young boys. As if they could really afford what they were asking for! She raised her eyebrows as she showed them the house. She blatantly rolled her eyes as the boys agreed (for once) that they wanted to live there. When she quoted the asking price Hayato's happy enthusiasm had been washed away by keen disappointment. Harry meanwhile was on a different track.

"I'll need to have the house and lands inspected to see the state of the property before making any kind of offer. I also need to consult with my friend, my accountants and a few government contacts to find out the necessary forms to fill out." Harry said steadily as the thoughts occurred to him, trying to sound a bit more composed than he felt. He succeeded. "When can the inspection be done?" He asked the real estate agent

She blinked at him owlishly for a long moment "It can be arranged within the next three days."

"Brilliant." Harry nodded "I'll look forward to your call."

The real estate agent walked off in a confused daze.

Harry glanced at Hayato to find the boy's jaw dropped open. Harry slapped the boy on the shoulder to wake him up.

"Aki, you ever bought a house before?" Gokuderea asked slowly

"Nope." Harry said seriously before snorting and breaking into a smile "My aunt just watched a ton of those horrible design shows. They finally come in handy!"