"Can I ask why?" she asked.
"You can," he replied. "Regarding Luna is, I think, obvious. For the former, it's so they don't have to ask permission to visit, to give them somewhere they can go if they need to go somewhere due to their home being under attack or something; and letting them know, in a roundabout way, my level of trust in each of them.
"Being added to a Head of House's home wards is considered an honour."
"What about the wards here?" she asked.
"Those sort of wards can't be erected here because it's a muggle home," he explained. "You have muggles visit, such as door-to-door solicitors. If they then get bounced or otherwise harmed because of those sort of wards, it's a breach of the Statute of Secrecy.
"That's why I had various intent-based wards erected. And, even then, they had to be very specific. The ones that are on here are keyed to block those intending only physical or magical harm. It means, though, those with intent to swindle or otherwise rip off your parents will still be able to get through if they push."
"What about Dumbledore?" she asked. "If his only intent is to take you away, why can't he get through?"
"Because that one's a specific anti-Dumbledore ward keyed to his magical signature. However, if he sends someone else to come and try to take me away... I just don't know what will happen. If their intent is just to take me away to another place of safety, they should still be able to take me away. What I'm counting on is, if they were to try and push it when I refuse, the intent-based wards will deal with them."
"Sounds like a very complicated balancing act," she said.
He smiled and said, "It is."
Hermione seemed to run out of questions and then offered him help writing the notes.
"They won't take long," he said. "However, you're welcome to proof-read them, if you want."
She accepted and she did.
Harry sent them off using HEED before going into the kitchen and making an early start on dinner.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
The next morning, the Saturday, Andi came over with Sirius immediately after breakfast to give Harry another check on his fading scar.
Taking Harry apart from everyone else, she scanned it and said, "Still no sign of that dark miasma. It looks like we got rid of it. I'll need to document that solution and write a report for the Saint Mungo's medical board.
"While many might be averse towards muggle healing solutions, there's no doubt it was the muggle surgery that allowed us to get rid of it where wizarding solutions didn't, couldn't and wouldn't work."
What none of them knew was that the Unspeakables had been monitoring the operation and, as soon as the epidermis/dermis matter had been removed, at their first opportunity they surreptitiously removed it and whizzed it off to Level 9 at the Ministry and their own people. They both confirmed it contained the soul fragment of Tom Riddle and were present when the material broke down enough for it to no longer be viable to sustain the soul fragment - and watched it die.
"I'm just glad it's gone," he said. "I hadn't realised it until this morning, but for the past two nights I've had the best sleep I've ever had.
"I don't know if that's finding out I had a Horcrux and it's gone; or, it's because the Horcrux was negatively affecting my sleep."
"I'd say the latter," she agreed. "Either that, or the dark energy emanating from the scar is what was causing you restless sleep.
"I'll also be coming over on Monday evening to give you a last check before you head for Hogwarts. Then I'll send a copy of your medical file to Journeyman Healer Peter Robinson, the new medi-wizard of Hogwarts, so he has a copy of your records. I'll be asking him to report to me how well the new scar heals, so I can add it to my report."
"Normally, I'd be upset with you about using my fame, or something," he said. "However, since this seems to have worked and there's a good chance it can be used to help children not be so afflicted, I guess I can go along with it."
She smiled and said, "Don't worry, Harry. "You're referred to in the report as 'Patient TX12'. I've only a need to verbally tell the Board who the patient is. It's never written down. That would be a breach of healer-patient confidentiality and I would be placing my magic at risk."
Sirius, who was listening in, said, "For your information, Pup, I'm Patient TX11 and Remus is Patient TX13."
He immediately turned to Andi and said, "Don't worry, Andi; it was Remus who told me he was TX13 when I mentioned you designated me TX11. It wasn't then hard to figure out Harry, here, was TX12."
Harry looked to Andi and asked, "I take it there were ten others you've applied experimental healing techniques on before we came along?"
She smiled and said, "I can neither confirm, nor deny, that."
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Once Andi and Sirius had left again, Hermione dragged Harry up to his room and sat him on the chair while she sat on the side of his bed.
"You... want to tell me something you don't want your parents to hear?" he asked, once they were settled.
Hermione nibbled on her bottom lip for a few moments before she blushed and asked, "I wanted to know how far you've managed to get through that book Sirius gave you. We haven't talked about it since well before Christmas and... well... you haven't come and talked to me about it―"
Blushing and looking away he mumbled, "I've finished it."
"You have?" she asked, pleased. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because it's an uncomfortable subject?" he asked right back.
"Oh," she softly replied.
She seemed to think for another long moment and said, "Well, since you've finished it and we're talking about it now... is there anything you wanted to know? That is... is there anything you think I can clarify for you... or, just explain better?"
"I..." he immediately started to reply before he suddenly stopped. "No... No, I don't think there is."
He then seemed to think about it before he said, "Actually, yeah, maybe. However, I don't want to talk about it here. Can we wait until we're not under your parents' roof?"
"You want to wait until we're back at Hogwarts?" she asked. When Harry nodded in response she said, "Alright. We can do that."
"Thank you," he sighed.
When she rose and looked about to leave, Harry noticed she looked a little hurt. Without even thinking about it, he reached out, grabbed her about the waist and pulled her onto his lap.
When she gave a little squeak of surprise as she landed and turned to look at him in shock, he quickly kissed her long and hard. It took her only moments to respond and kiss him just as firmly back.
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