Harry and Tonks arrived before a very large and impressive gate. It was made of a solid blueish metal with no markings except for a small rune carved in the middle. Having gotten the information from the new signet ring on his hand Harry walked forwards and pressed the ring against the rune. He felt a wave of magic wash over him and heard a soft click as the gate slowly split apart and swung backwards.

"Holy shit."The pair said in unison as they gazed upon what appeared to be a smaller yet older version of Hogwarts. It was about half the size of the school but no less impressive with spires reaching towards the sky and large windows glowing as they reflected the setting sun.

"I think this should do." Harry was the first one to manage to get his wits about him as he looked at what was to be his home for the foreseeable future. His words managed to snap Tonks out of her daze as well and together pair walked towards the massive oak doors. They looked around at some of the other buildings but were more concerned with getting inside and resting both having had a long and eventful day.

As they got closer to the castle they noticed that the stone work while appearing older was in better shape than that of Hogwarts. It appeared that it was much better maintained than their old school was. This point was driven home when they reached the front doors which swung open on their own accord with barely a whisper. The inside was just as impressive as the outside and appeared to be immaculate.

"It is so good to be seeing you master. We has been wondering when a new master would come and now you are here." The voice startled the two who both jumped and aimed their wands at the source. There stood a house elf in a deep red tunic that reached down past his knees. His eyes were glittering and he did not seem to care or even notice the wands that were pointed at him.

"Umm well I am happy to be here." Harry said trying to play off the fact that a house elf had just snuck up on him. "My name is Harry and this here is Tonks." He waved towards the young woman standing next to him who had gone back to inspecting the room that they were in. "and who might you be?" Harry had turned back to look at the elf in front of him.

"I is Brunny master Harry sir and I is being the head elf here. I is sorry for the mess but it has just been me here and it is hard to cleans whole castle alone." The elf had bowed down so far that his nose was touching the ground. Harry could hear the sorrow in his voice but knew that it was normal for an elf that thought he had failed his master.

"Well we will just have to fix that then. Dobby." Harry called out for one of his most trusted friends without thinking about it. The next thing he knew a tiny blur appeared a few meters away from him and launched itself at Harry's legs latching onto them.

"MASTER HARRY POTTER SIR HAS CALLED DOBBY. DOBBY IS SO HAPPY." Harry could feel the little elf's tears soaking his pants as he sobbed uncontrollably. Tonks having met Dobby before was not surprised by this and leaned against the nearest wall giving the two friends some space. Brunny simply stared his fellow house elf wondering what was going on but not brave enough to ask anything.

"I'm sorry if I worried you Dobby but I'm alright now." Harry had to pry the crying elf's arms off himself as he tried to calm his hysterical friend. It took a few minutes for the overjoyed elf to calm down but managed to do it with a few final sobs. "Now I would like to offer you a job here with me and Tonks." Dobby of course was overjoyed at the thought and after getting the okay popped off to get his stuff and bring Winky along with him.

"There that should help some." Harry had turned back to the other elf who looked equally as happy as Dobby at getting some more help around the castle. "Would you be able to prepare a couple of rooms for myself and Tonks we have both had a long day and would like to sleep before we do anything else." With a smile and a snap of his fingers he was off to complete his task.

"He has been alone for so long with no one to look after. It is good to see him once again filled with purpose. There is only so much he can do for an old ghost like me." The pair once again drew their wands and pointed them at the new entity in the room. A ghost floated down from the ceiling regarding them with amusement. He appeared to be about in his 80's with wrinkles around his eyes and creases in his forehead. His hair was long and he kept it in a ponytail with a few strands falling out of place. He was dressed in a robe that covered up most of his features with a sword strapped to his side.

"Merlin I don't think I can take that many more surprises." Tonks called out as she bent over clutching her chest. She sat down on a nearby chair as she tried to get her heart rate back to a normal level.

"Yeah its kinda getting annoying." Harry agreed as he lowered his wand. He looked at the newcomer and instantly recognized him as a Potter.

"My apologies allow me to introduce myself. I am Mathayus Potter a pleasure to meet you descendent." He bowed upon introducing himself catching the look of recognition that crossed Harry's face.

"A pleasure to meet you I am Harry Potter and this is my friend Nymphadora Tonks." Harry returned the bow assuming correctly that it was an old custom.

"Please just call me Tonks. I don't much care for the other name." Tonks replied automatically upon hearing her first name. It was then that Brunny reappeared in front of them and informed them that their rooms were ready.

"There shall be time for more introductions tomorrow for now I think you two should rest. You both look very weary from your travels." Mathayus dismissed himself and floated away through one of the walls.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea." Harry called after his retreating form. He turned towards the happy elf and asked him to lead the way with Tonks in tow both eager to get some rest.

...

Escorted by a pair of heavily armed guards through the back halls of Gringotts Fred and George were silent. It wasn't because of the goblins but instead it was the news that they had just recieved. Harry was still alive. They didn't understand it, they had been at his funeral. They had seen the body. They had cried tears of loss along with the rest of the Weasleys over the loss of a brother.

They returned to reality as they heard a door slam behind them. Looking around they found themselves inside a small room with two beds. No one would ever be able to call this place homey but compared to some of the stories they remembered from their history of magic professor they knew that they were being treated rather well. Sitting down they began to ponder the situation they found themselves in.

The twins had been in trouble before. It really wasn't anything new to them. Normally they would make a display of how remorseful they were but this time it was different. They started smiling ear to ear. Why? Because they knew a secret. They knew that Harry Potter was alive. It had only been an hour since they had been led into this room and the entire time they had been silent, something that normally would have bothered them greatly. At this point however they were enjoying the silence. It meant that they were being held until Harry came and they knew that before they could be released they would get the chance to see Harry walking around alive and well. It was going to be a long night as neither could build up the will to sleep. Reality had just became better than their dreams again.

...

Hermione had been working hard all day. Her parents had grown use to her always reading but lately they had noticed that she had become almost fanatical. It reminded them of the times before she had met Harry and Ron. They were worried about her but also understood that she had just lost someone she had loved like a brother. All they could do was watch her and offer any comfort they could. They made sure she took breaks to eat and rest but anytime they tried to distract her she would simply ignore them and return to her studying. She knew she was worrying them but also knew they would understand.

She had been studying all her texts for the next years classes and realized that they wouldn't be enough. Sure they were great for the average witch and wizard to learn. Things that would make day to day life easier. But she needed more. Luckily her parents had agreed to take her to Diagon alley the next day to do some additional shopping. Heading to bed that night she wondered what Harry would normally be doing right now. She cried again that night as she fell asleep.

...

Ron had been having a terrible summer. It started when he found out that the Cannons were losing yet another season. He had thought that the summer couldn't get any worse. He wished he had never thought that. The news that his best friend and brother had died and shook his entire world. He had always known that Harry was in constant danger. He knew that with the Dark Lord back his friend wouldn't be safe. But he had trusted that the Headmaster knew what he was doing when he sent Harry back to his relatives. He had been a fool for ever trusting the old man and it was a mistake he would never make again.

As he lay in bed he thought of how his family was taking the news. His mother had gone catatonic when the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall had come and told them. She hadn't gotten out of bed even for the funeral. His father had locked himself away in the shed for a few days. From the sounds he could hear he knew he had been drinking and crying. Fred and George threw themselves into their work coming up with items inspired by Harry. Some were toys like the snitches that they had changed into keys. Others were for defense. He was actually proud of them. Bill and Charlie had returned home to be with their family for support. They hadn't gotten to know Harry that well but had heard all the stories from the rest of their siblings. They had considered him a brother as well.

Ginny had taken it just as hard as Ron. At first she had been crying hysterically. That had lasted until the funeral. After that she had become silent, not that it mattered as no one was really talking each trying to come to terms in their own way. Ron knew what she was doing though. She was blaming herself just like he was. They all knew how much the Dursleys had hated Harry but had also trusted Dumbledore to protect him. They should have spoken up more and told their parents and the order how badly Harry was treated there. Neither Weasley would ever trust Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore ever again.

Ron closed his eyes and tried to sleep. He knew it wouldn't come and if it did it would be filled with thoughts of how he had failed his best friend.

...

Luna had been shocked to learn that one of her first and only friends had been killed. This night however as she lay in bed she smiled. She had been at the funeral and wept with all the others. She had been terrified when the Dark Lord had arrived but at the time couldn't bring herself to try and fight. Now however she knew the truth. She had been back to his grave in secret. She had seen the crow watching over him and knew what it meant. Her father had taken her to America a few years ago in search of the American Crumple Horned Snorkack. She had spent some time learning the cultures of the area and had fully believed the stories she had been told of the magical birds. Rolling over she smiled as she wondered what the future would have in store for the wizarding world. It would be interesting and dangerous times.