Harry Potter and the Circle's End

madscientist

Rating: NC17
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 6
Published: 11/08/2005
Last Updated: 06/10/2006
Status: completed

Picks up two weeks after the events of HBP. However reluctantly Harry has inherited a quest that will determine the fate of the world. Rating upped for later chapters

Chapters

1. A Fortnight of Longing

2. A Conversation With Canvas

3. A Reunion at the Burrow

4. A Joining Of Fire and Ice

5. You Can't go Home Again

6. The Most Noble and High House of …Potter

7. Three Sevenths of the Way

8. What was once lost, is now found

9. A Dark Majority Part One

10. A Dark Majority Part Duex

11. Hell If I Know...

12. I'm a Big Girl Harry

13. Of Ferrets and Howlers

14. A Big Red Train

15. A New Day

16. Merry Old Sherwood

17. A Hidden Bond

18. Beginnings

19. The Calm Before the Storm

20. What Goes Around...

21. A Darkness of the Mind

22. Potters' Bequest

23. The Lion Stalks

24. Field Trip

25. Until We Meet Again

26. A Dark Intent

27. Leo in Waiting

28. Dancing With the Devil by the Pale Moonlight

29. An Introspective Yule

30. Yule 2

31. New Year’s Resolutions

32. A Return to Reality

33. Getting Ready

34. The Nile….yep it’s still a river in Egypt.

35. Breaking the Bond

36. Rattlesnape for Dinner

37. A Long Overdue Talk

38. A Surprise Candidate

39. Playing Politics...

40. A Strike From the Night

41. An Unexpected Offer

42. A Question of Divided Loyalties

43. Dinner for Two

44. A Late Realization

45. The Light Further Dims

46. One Last Turn Around the Pitch

47. The Crucible

48. One For the Money, Two For the Show...

49. Three to Get Ready

50. And Four to Go...

51. The Die is Cast

52. At the Turning of the Tide

53. Steel in the Night

54. The Floor Falls Away

55. A Grand Morning in Hogsmeade

56. The Lions of Gryffindor

57. The End of the Circle

58. The Sun Slowly Shines

59. The Long Road Back

60. Waking From a Nightmare

61. Epilogue

1. A Fortnight of Longing

Harry Potter and the Circle's End Year Seven by Madscientist

Chapter 1: A Fortnight of Longing

************************#4 Privet Drive******************************

The night outside was sweltering as Harry stared vacantly at the lampposts and dimly lit houses of Privet Drive. This summer, unlike years before, had been a wet one. The air was still dense and muggy from the rain that had poured down this afternoon. A brief flicker of wind rustled a disheveled stack of parchments on his desk even though the night was still and dead. Harry sighed and glanced absently at an eleven-inch holly rod sitting propped against a large, framed photograph, on his battered and gouged nightstand, of which at least one of the gouges had been the fault of his head getting in the way of the nightstand. In the photo a tall, freckled, redheaded young man was standing with his arm around the shoulders of a brown eyed, honey-haired girl. Her curly locks were falling forward over her eyes, hiding one from view, but the other, the one that could be seen, was glancing worriedly over at Harry's doppelganger.

In the pictures, a small, half smile was decorating his lips as he stood slightly to the side. His hands were deep in the pockets of the jeans that could be seen under his partially open robes. Harry sighed again as Ron smiled hugely in the picture and gave him a thumbs-up. He rose with a thoughtful expression on his face and crossed to the window. In the photo, Hermione's eyes tracked him all the way.

He stood at the window, looking out at the dark houses of muggles who did not know that unless the despised delinquent nephew of Vernon's pulled off a feat worthy of Merlin, that their comfortable, two car, suburban home...normal lives would be shattered. In prescient flashes of emerald and screams of terror and pain, the scene faded to another night, a night not that long ago, when all hope had been shattered, when all had seemingly been lost.

"Avada Kedavra" a swarthy, goateed, man hissed and a green bolt snapped across the intervening space and the man, the great man that had defined the side of light for a hundred and fifty years fell to a traitor. Harry stared; his body shielded by the cloak as Snape grabbed his precious Slytherin prodigy and ran.

Harry sighed again and absently ran his hands up and down his arms, the air had suddenly taken on a chilly tone as he thought of that the night. Mum, dad, Sirius Dumbledore...who else must fall for me. Will it be Ron, Remus...Hermione next? Absently he waved his hand towards his wand and it flew to his subconscious call. For even as he had been thinking, moping, trying to deal, he was watching a curious sight, and for Harry Potter, curious sights were not always welcome ones. One by one, the pinpricks of light of each streetlamp and porch light were jumping from their bulbs and floods, slicing across the night and vanishing as if they were being placed in a box.

Harry's eyes scanned the night, the tip of his wand following them. Finally the last light vanished and darkness, total darkness settled across the lawns of Privet Drive. Nothing happened for a long moment and then, BOOM, BOOM. A pair of loud, thunderous knocks sounded in the house.

"WHO THE RUDDY HELL IS THAT?" Vernon screamed as his elephantine footsteps stamped down the hall from the master bedroom to pause outside of Harry's door. "It better not be one of your freaks." He growled as he started off again, the floor was slightly quaking at his passage. Harry crossed to the door, and rattled it. It was locked, of course, with many chains and deadbolts blocking his passage to the hall. A tapping at his window drew his attention from the door, and in a rush of almost silent wings, a great, snowy-white owl flew across the room and dropped a short missive onto Harry's waiting hand. Even as he caught the paper, a brief flash of...something swept across the house, causing the short hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. His eyes flicked to the paper in his hand:

The Ministry cannot punish what it cannot see.

The note was unsigned, but that would have been a waste of ink. After six years of seeing those neat characters correcting his papers and filling passed notes, he knew that writing as well as his own. With a wry grin, he flicked his wand at the door, and like some odd eighteenth century machine, the many locks on the door clicked, whirred and rattled and the door fell open. Harry crept out onto the landing just as Vernon flung open the door.

Harry's smile grew wider as Vernon goggled at the sight before him. For it was not a hooded, cloaked or cowled figure with a glowing, electric-blue eye or pink hair or some large, purple pointy hat. No instead, a slim girl of seventeen in worn jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt stood silently with her hands behind her back, bouncing slightly on her the balls of her feet as she stood waiting on the porch. "Who the ruddy hell are you girl?" Vernon repeated himself as stared at her. "Dudley is asleep."

"No," Hermione replied politely as her eyes flicked up the stairs to see Harry leaning against the landing with his arms crossed and a grin on his face. Her chocolate eyes flicked back down to the florid man blocking her path and a matching grin to Harry's lit her face. Her hands came from behind her back and she slid a carved, ivy-wood wand behind one ear. "I am here to see Harry."

Vernon goggled... "FREAK" Hermione flicked her wand at him and his roars faded to nothingness. Another flick and his large body floated out of her way, and dropped to the floor in the hall. Hermione glanced at him, more to make sure she hadn't hurt him...seriously, and as her eyes swept away from him, they caught a shining steel padlock on a painted hasp. The lock was guarding a cupboard under the stairs.

Hermione's breath caught, and only a callused hand catching her wand on the down stroke, saved Vernon Dursley. Harry gave her a small smile as he shook his head and whispered, "its not worth it, Hermione." "Somus" he muttered and Vernon fell asleep once more. "Come on." He said taking her hand and leading her up the stairs. A creak echoed as Dudley's door eased open and a huge, slightly hung-over, younger version of the elder Dursley poked his head out. He glanced at Harry and Hermione blearily. His head snapped through a double take.

"MUM, DAD, HARRY'S GOT A GIRL..." Any further words of Dudley's were lost as an invisible force flung him backwards into the room. A crashing sound was heard from within as Dudley's flight path intersected a pile of his possessions. Hermione's wand danced and two doors flashed white for an instant.

"That should hold them." Hermione said with a satisfied air as she took Harry's hand and pulled him towards the smallest bedroom. A soft, inarticulate growl escaped her throat as she saw the locks on the outside of the door. The door closed and locked itself behind them, though neither moved their wands. Hermione turned to Harry, and smiled, "Hi Harry." She said, laughing.

"Hi yourself." He replied. Harry barely caught her as she jumped and almost cracked one of his ribs as bushy, brown hair filled his field of view. After a long moment, Hermione dropped the hug. Her eyes dropped to the floor for an instant, "I missed that."

"Yeah." Harry muttered, not really looking at her, but enough to catch a fleeting look of...something in her eyes. Harry sat on the bed, which was really the only seating in the room. After a minute Hermione joined him and they both sat looking at Hedwig, neither one talking.

Finally Hermione broke the silence. "I'm sorry Harry." She did not turn to face him with her words. Instead her gaze remained fixed on the living symbol of wisdom who was currently cleaning her feathers.

"For what?" Harry replied. A bemused expression danced in his eyes as he looked over at her. He turned to face her, but her eyes were still locked on Hedwig. Her hands twisted in her lap as she whispered something inaudible. "What Hermione?" Harry repeated.

"I failed you Harry." Hermione whispered, just barely enough for him to hear. Harry mutely shook his head, but she went on, resolutely, "I didn't listen, I was too caught up in being jealous over your potion scores, and I was so mad at you for listening to that damn book...I didn't think you needed me anymore Harry." A soft sob escaped her throat. Harry leaned over and pulled her into a hug, his hands rubbing small circles on her back as she continued whispering in a voice choked with tears. "I just don't know what came over me last year."

"Hey," Harry replied, as he fought not to laugh, "I'll always need you. Ron and I would have failed out long ago if it weren't for you." Hermione stiffened for an instant as the word "failed" slipped across the room. "Hermione?"

Hermione slipped out of his arms and stood. She crossed to Hedwig and started petting the rather pleased with herself owl. She cooed quietly as Hermione stood, softly stroking her feathers. Harry watched Hermione's face as she obviously was working out exactly what she wanted to say. He waited, patiently. It was enough that she had come to free him from this prison. She shrugged, and looked over at him. "Will you reconsider coming back to school?" Harry opened his mouth to respond but stopped at a wait-a-moment gesture. He crooked an eyebrow and waited. She did not immediately speak but instead dug into a pocket. Finding her quarry, she tossed a shiny gold object at him. Almost seven years of instinct guided his hand as it snapped the object out of the air. He looked down and a brief look of shock flitted across his face as he took in the golden badge in the palm of his hand. A large H overlaid the coat of arms of Hogwarts, with the motto "Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus" wound about the bottom of the shield. He flipped it over to find Harry Potter, Head Boy inscribed on the back.

"Hermione...I already said that I wouldn't be coming back, even if McGonagall kept it open." Harry objected softly and started to toss it back to her.

"Wait a minute damn it." Hermione snapped and Harry sat back. He motioned for her to continue. "Listen, I have one too ok?" Harry nodded; he had expected that if the school remained open. "I have been thinking over the last two weeks."

"There's a shocker" Harry quipped, gaining a momentary, wintry smile.

"Done being a smart arse?" She replied though she wasn't really angry. He knew her angry and this wasn't it by a far shot. He nodded anyway more to placate her than anything and she went on. "Listen, we will need a base of operations and supplies and support..."

"Hermione." Harry replied, slightly impatiently "I am not going to risk...look if you and Ron want to stay behind, fine I understand. McGonagall can give the badge to Ron, he deserves it..."

A sudden glare answered his words and she crossed the room in two strides. She took a deep breath, then another. Hedwig rustled his feathers and took flight into the night out of the open window as the lights flickered in the room for an instant. "Listen." Hermione snapped, then blinked and continued on a more even keel. "Listen Harry, I...and Ron will charge the bloody gates of hell with you. You are not getting rid of us ok?" Harry nodded warily and she gave him a soft, half-smile. "Now I am not saying what we should do. But McGonagall came to my parents' place last night as I was packing to come get you and...."

"Wait a moment." Harry interrupted as if he suddenly realized something. "Where is Ron? The letter you sent the other day said you both were coming." His hand twisted towards his wand but he stopped as quickly as he started. "Never mind"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "what about constant vigilance Harry?"

"I know it's you without asking...ok?"

Not knowing what to make of that answer right now she shrugged. "Ron was going to come with me, but at the last minute he sent Pig with a note saying he wasn't able to..."
"WHAT" Harry snapped jumping to his feet, "you shouldn't be alone...He..."He quieted as a soft hand touched his shoulder.

"Harry, I'm a big girl now, and unlike you I can do magic without my wand getting snapped..."

"I know," he sighed, "I know Hermione, but I couldn't stand to loose you or Ron, not after..."

She smiled at him as he trailed off and sat back down next to him. Hermione twisted on the bed and scooted up it to rest her back on the headboard and drew her legs up under her Indian style. Harry bit back a small chuckle as she slipped her wand behind one ear, just like Luna was wont to do. "What?"

"Nothing."

Hermione grinned at him for a brief instant before her gaze fell and she started playing with a loose thread on the hem of her jeans absently. They sat mutely. Hedwig, having noticed that the room was quiet once more, fluttered in the window to perch on top of her cage. Large amber eyes glared reproachfully at each of them in turn. On the nightstand, Hermione's picture looked up at her namesake then over at Harry. Hermione shrugged and pulled off her trainers and tossed them in a corner. She slipped down on the bed to lie down with her head propped up on an elbow. "Well I guess we should get some sleep." She announced softly.

"WE?" Harry choked out as the implications sunk in. He looked around the room like a trapped animal looking to escape. He sighed, "ok then toss me a pillow then, I'll kip out on the floor."

Hermione rolled her eyes, and slapped a pillow next to her, "Harry...honestly, we are both adults, I trust you with my life, I can bloody well trust you with my virtue. Get your scrawny arse up here."

"Only because I'm too tired to argue." Harry grumped, "and my arse is not scrawny." Hermione crooked an eyebrow and smirked as he settled on his back next to her. Harry tucked his hands under his head and stared up at the cracked plaster of the ceiling. "G'night Hermione." He whispered and faded away as he closed his eyes.

Hermione flicked her wand and the lights in the room extinguished. She carefully tucked her wand under her appropriated pillow. Hedwig rustled into flight behind her as she laid watching Harry sleep in the moonlight leaking in from the otherwise dark outside. She bit her lower lip absently as she carefully reached out and plucked the glasses from his face and dropped them on the nightstand behind her. Merlin knows I'll have to fix them if I don't, she convinced herself silently. "Goodnight Harry." She whispered as she tucked her hands under her pillow and closed her eyes.

A sudden sense of wrongness caused Hermione to gasp awake several hours later. She tried to move, but a strong arm held her fast. She turned her head to find Harry shaking, trembling. Soft muttering words sounded in the room. "Mum...don't leave mum...please." He took a breath and shook violently, as if he were being slapped. "No Sirius...not you." Hermione gently worked her arm loosed and tried to shake him gently, "No...No....NO!. Snape you bastard." Harry growled, and then a suddenly tear-choked voice he added, come back Professor...please I..." Hermione let out a breath as Harry calmed for a moment, and settled back down. She closed her eyes and... "No...Hermione...please don't be dead." Her eyes shot open one more as his tremors redoubled and he snapped awake, sweating, tears filling his unseeing eyes. "No...not Hermione...no damn it...I can't loose her, not her." His muttering escaladed as he stared, sightless, out of the window.

Not knowing what else to do, Hermione threw her arms around him, and pulled him back down onto the bed. "I'm right here, Harry." She cooed in his ear, "I'm right here, I won't leave you." She felt his trembling subside as he blinked and saw her for the first time.

"Hermione?" He whispered disbelievingly as her fingers gently swept damp bangs off of his forehead. His eyes squinted slightly and Hermione moved a fraction closer so he could see her.

"I'm here Harry."

"Sorry I woke you." Harry apologized. He started to pull back, but stopped at a curious resistance.

Her bottom lip was in her teeth again for an instant, before she glanced up and her brown eyes were glistening with an unshed tear in the dimness. "Do you always think I'm going to leave you?" She asked guiltily. Harry looked away suddenly until a small hand pulled grasped his chin and forced him to look in her eyes.

Last year, Harry had been briefly able to lie to her...that was gone once more, and something that had been missing for too long, basically since the start of last school year came home. "Not leave me Hermione...sometimes it's Ron who...who dies. But yeah, it's usually you."

"I can't promise I won't die Harry." Her gaze never dropped from his as her hand slowly fell back to the pillow. "But I can promise that I will never leave." Harry gave her a half smile, but didn't answer.

He glanced out the window to see the night still black and still. "You should," She opened her mouth to snap a retort, but stopped and glared at his wave to silence. "I know you won't, but..." He sighed, and pulled away from her and rolled to off the bed and to his feet in one move. Her eyes widened as his glasses floated across the room to him, and settled on his face. Harry didn't seem to notice as he went to the door. "I can't sleep now, I'm going to go get something to drink, go back to sleep Hermione."

Hermione stretched like a bushy-haired, brown-eyed, larger version of Crookshanks and sat up, "hold on, I'll join you." She grimaced a bit, "I haven't been sleeping too well either, since, you know."

"Yeah." Harry agreed and opened the door and waited silently for her to cross the room. She passed him and headed down the stairs, "I know."

They stepped over the prostrate from of the unconscious Vernon and into the immaculate kitchen of Petunia. Hermione looked around and whistled softly. "Even my mum's kitchen isn't this clean."

"Well yeah," Harry replied absently as he opened the fridge to retrieve a bottle of milk. He set it on the counter and pulled a pair of mugs off a nearby rack. "At least if I live, whoever ends up having to put up with me can be happy that I can keep a clean house." He poured the milk into the mugs and placed a bit of coco mix into each from a retrieved jar. "I can thank them for that at least." Harry motioned absently upstairs and Hermione's breath hissed through clenched teeth. Harry didn't notice as he smiled sarcastically, "I wouldn't be surprised if I could out clean Dobby if I had a mind to."

Hermione looked at him and stood suddenly. "Harry," she whispered, her voice cracking slightly. Her eyes bored into his, "show me that cupboard." He shook his head, "Now, Harry, I need to know." She stepped around the small table, quickly, and grabbed his and pulled him out of the kitchen and down the hall until they were standing, staring down at a small door that still occasionally haunted Harry's dreams. Her wand flicked and the hasp clicked open. She dropped to her knees and crawled into the tiny space, and as Harry knelt down, looking in the door, he could see tears threatening to erupt once more on her face. Her fingers traced where he had scratched his name into the wood inside, over the tiny toy soldiers that he had stolen from Dudley to have some company here in his prison, and her lower lip trembled slightly.

"Come here, Mione." Harry said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the tiny closet. He fell back to his rear and sat against the wall opposite the door as she hugged him. "It's ok now, it's over, I'm gone tomorrow and I never have to come back."

"I'm sorry Harry." She whispered tightly into his shoulder "I'm so sorry, I never knew, never really knew. I would have..."

Harry ran his hand absently down the back of her hair, "Don't be Hermione, you didn't do this. You out of every single person I know; are the person most not responsible for this. For the last six years, thoughts of you...and Ron and the rest have kept me sane until I escape from here every summer. And you are the one who is taking me away forever." He stood slowly, pulling her to her feet as he did so. He noticed that she carefully did not touch the wand in her back pocket or look in the direction of Vernon as she let him lead her back to the kitchen and back to her abandoned coco. She watched silently as he waved his wand over the tops of the mugs and steam gushed from them.

"Harry give me your wand." She said suddenly. Harry raised an eyebrow, but did as she asked without question. He watched as she carefully placed it on the pristine, white tablecloth. She touched the tip of her wand to his, and mouthed a long, complex spell. His wand glowed suddenly, jumped up in the air, spun around five times and dropped back to the table with a clatter. She waved towards it impatiently, "well try it on something."

Harry picked up his wand, and looked at her challengingly, he pointed it at a stool across the room, "Wingardium Leviosa." He pronounced clearly and distinctly and the stool floated about for several seconds, "finite" the stool fell back to the floor, "It's fine Hermione, though now that I think about it, there was always this odd vibration when I cast a low level spell, I never noticed it with combat spells, but..."

"You were usually busy at the time, I know." She gave him a slight grin, the same one he had first seen when she told him and Ron about the polyjuice potion in second year. The "I am a supergenius and you should bow before me," grin. Harry felt lightheaded for an instant, and took a drink of his coco, he hadn't eaten all day. "The vibration comes from the Ministry tracking spells that Olivander is required to place on your wand. They don't admit it, but that's why its discouraged to have a foreign made wand, especially an American made one; they don't track at all. Did you ever wonder how the Death Eaters could go around casting unforgivables right and left and the Ministry's "massive magical detectors" never seem to find them, but you get blamed for magic Dobby does? Yes they do monitor magic use at know underage wizard's houses, which is why I used the cloaking spell that Mad-Eye taught me before I came and got you on the house wards, but they are able to detect wand usage as well. That's how Umbridge came after you, your wand had a special tracking charm on it." She shrugged, "It seems that mine did as well; as does Ron's new one. You my friend, as us muggle-borne, say are now the proud owner of an off the grid wand." Her eyes grew hard for an instant, "happy hunting Harry."

"And just where did you learn this little trick?" Harry asked with a tiny smirk as he pocketed his now, unregistered wand.

Hermione blushed the tiniest bit as she looked down at her mug. "I...um...had Tonks go get me some of the Dark Arts tomes in Grimmauld. I told her that you said it was ok, and she was family, so with the wards reset she could enter. It was ok, wasn't it?"

Harry laughed and a tiny smile lit Hermione's face, "yeah, Hermione. In fact, stay here a second." She watched, perplexed as Harry got up, and after several minutes in which she could hear the creak of the stairs in the otherwise silent house as he went up and then came back down he reappeared with something clutched in his right hand. A gold chain dangled loosely from his clenched fist and without any explanation he set the item down in front of her.

Hermione stared open mouthed at the Gringotts key that lay on the table in front of her. She looked at him and he knew her question before she asked. "Take it, Hermione. You and Ron are all the family I have left. What's mine is yours. All of my money is spilt between you two in my will anyway. This just speeds up the process a bit."

"Harry I don't want your money." Hermione snapped and pushed the key at him. "It's like you are giving up..."

He sighed and gently picked the key back up and without looking from her eyes, slowly turned over her hand, and placed the key back in her palm. He closed her fist around it and gently held it closed. "Hermione...do you have any clue just how rich I am right now? I have not only my trust fund, and the money Sirius left me..." he breathed out through his nose slowly, "Dumbledore left me a great deal, and he was richer than the Blacks if you can believe it, and according to a letter I got from Gringotts, on my seventeenth birthday, the remainder of the Potter monies and estate becomes mine."

"So you will give Ron a key too?" Hermione asked softly.

"Sort of..." he shrugged, she stared, he explained, "he has a separate account now that receives 100,000 galleons a year. Officially he now has a job as a field investigator for Fawkes Industries as of my birthday when the incorporation papers will be filled on my behalf with the Ministry."

"So my key is the same?" Hermione asked as she dropped the chain around her neck and tucked it under her shirt; Harry watched the key fall and then looked away quickly. "Like something you see Mr. Potter?" Her eyebrow inched upward.

"Yes...no.... anyway. No Hermione, your key is different." Harry quickly changed the subject. She's with Ron, maybe. Hermione's voice echoed in his head. Why the hell am I even thinking about it? You must be lonely after Ginny and she is a very pretty girl after all, and I am still only sixteen. His own voice replied followed once more by Hermione's Sure...and you are Seventeen very soon. He shook off the sudden internal dialogue to answer her initial question. "No yours is a duplicate of mine. You have full rights to all of my money."

"HARRY JAMES..."

"Hermione," Harry muttered placatingly, "you already are the one I have designated as my primary decision maker in case I am incapacitated or something." He shrugged, "who else am I going to name?"

"Oh I don't know, Lupin, Tonks, Arthur Molly?" Hermione shot back snarkishly, but she didn't, Harry noticed with an inner grin, remove the key from her neck. He knew that he had already won; she was just going on because she was Hermione, and so he ended the argument.

"I trust you, no one else, not even Ron if it comes down to it." Hermione's lips snapped together as any response she would have volleyed back withered and died.

"Thank you Harry." Both of them knew that she wasn't thanking him for suddenly making her de facto one of, and perhaps, the richest witch in England. He nodded and smirked just slightly as she laughed softly, "I just have to know, just how rich are we now?"

"As of the 31rst of July, there will be about 250 million galleons in liquid assets available, with properties and stocks and others perhaps quadrupling that number." Her jaw dropped, she had had no idea. "Yeah no one did, I don't think Sirius had any real comprehension of just what he had available alone. He knew of the cash, and Grimmauld, but not of the ohh...Florida estate, the one in the south of France near Nice...and mum and Dad both seem to have had a few properties more than just the cottage at Godric's Hollow." He laughed hollowly... "There's a bloody castle Hermione. There's a bloody castle Hermione." He repeated and his voice cracked. His head fell to his hands as silent tears began to leak from his eyes. He only vaguely noticed, as it was her turn to hold him as he started to cry. Her lower lip was in her teeth as, "damn it Hermione...why, I don't want this...I want them...why can't I trade?"

"I don't know Harry. I don't know." She held him as his tears exhausted themselves, and let go as he quieted down and gave her a little shake. She watched as he stood, and walked to the door.

"Will you be able to sleep tonight anyway?" Harry asked, knowing the answer, he knew her, and somehow, he knew her like he used to, before Dumbledore died, before he was proven right about what he had been saying about Snape for all these years. She frowned slightly and shook her head; he nodded knowingly. Let's leave then." She followed him, forgetting about Vernon in the floor and stepping on him. Harry smiled slightly at her muttered, "oops." They stepped into the room, Harry flicked his wand, and something that he had wanted to do ever since he learned he was a wizard happened. All of his possessions shrunk themselves, flew to his trunk and it slammed closed. Hedwig looked at him expectantly from the windowsill. "Go to the Burrow Hedwig, we will be there sometime tomorrow."

"Sometime tomorrow?" Hermione asked with a slightly confused expression.

"Yeah, You and I need to go somewhere else first." Harry replied and Hermione was suddenly shocked as a Harry flicked his wand and she felt the wards around the house die. He gave her a melancholy look, "and you thought that I just learned about Voldemort's history from Dumbledore." Harry held out his hand, and Hermione unthinkingly took it, "If you don't mind my lady, I would like you to apparate us to the gates of Hogwarts. There are some people you and I need to talk to and a couple of items that Dumbledore requested I collect from his office in his will.

A loud CRACK echoed in the room, and in an instant, a bare room was left behind; as if no one had ever lived there save the marks on the window where bars had once been, a cat flap in the bedroom door and many, many locks on that door.

A/N: Ok this is the book I started right after HBP came out and briefly abandoned after the "interview." I am posting this chapter as a bit of an experiment, to see how everyone likes it. As usual this book will be R or maybe higher rated if it continues, I couldn't write a G book to save my life. If I choose to keep on with this, I don't know how often I will update it, probably not as often as the Lions universe books, because frankly, that one makes sense, after HBP, who knows... My really big challenge for this book is twofold...First H/Hr will be together, eventually. I don't promise when, but I took all of Darkness to get them there in my other universe. Second, at some point Harry has to be able to face Voldemort and have a chance of winning. In HBP he never was shown to actually train, he learned more magic on screen from the HBP book than Dumbledore...So I may "cheat" and assume that he did do so, but off screen. Next chapter if I write it, which unlike my normal practice I haven't yet written, will deal with Hermione and Harry getting to Hogwarts, a chat with DD's portrait and another talk with McGonagall.

SeYa
Mike

- 11 -

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2. A Conversation With Canvas

AN ok, I broke down, another chapter enjoy.

Chapter 2: A Conversation with Canvas
********************Hogwarts*****************************

The CRACK of a side-along apparation silenced the hoots of owls and the twittering of songbirds as Harry and Hermione appeared next to the statues of winged hogs guarding the gates of the castle. They quickly looked about, their wands questing for any targets as they scanned the night. Finding none, Harry waved at the entrance, "I guess we are walking." Hermione nodded and the two of them headed up the long, gravel path to the entrance of the castle, stopping every so often to look out over the grass or to catch a glimpse of some odd animal peaking out from the edge of the forbidden forest.

No one challenged them as they entered the castle via the front doors. They walked aimlessly down the silent stone corridors, their footsteps echoing oddly as they passed empty suits of armor and tranquil, sleeping portraits. Several of them, cracked an eyebrow as they passed, and hushed murmurs of the "chosen one" echoed behind them as they passed out of sight.

They reached the third floor, and passed the room where they had found Fluffy so long ago. Hermione looked over at him and laughed softly as he knelt over the hatch leading below and cracked it open. She patiently explained that the Devil's Snare would have died out after her assault in their first year when Harry wondered aloud where it was. A small hissing presence stood at the door as they turned to leave. Mrs. Norris, the first sign of life they had seen since they had arrived save the faint smoke of Hagrid's cooking fire still coming from his chimney, stood with her hackles raised and glared at the duo with baleful, lamp-yellow eyes. "Oh hush." Hermione snapped at the cat as she brushed it out of their way. The cat gave her an incredulous look, and dashed off, no doubt to find her supposed master.

As the pair walked toward the transfiguration wing on their random meanderings, an oily presence came up from behind. "Oi, what are you children doing here. School is out, and may never restart. Bloody good thing too, if you ask me. No children cluttering the halls, casting magic...leave now or I'll..."

Harry gave an exasperated sigh and spun on his heel, "Or what Flitch?" He rolled his eyes and Hermione let slip an involuntary chuckle next to him, "Or what? You'll give me detention? Take house points? Whip me?" His eyebrow crooked upward. "Go ahead, try." Harry turned back and walked away, his footsteps resonating oddly as thousand year old stones bounced the sound back at them. Hermione gave the old squib a sarcastic smile and followed in her best friend's footsteps. "Sorry Hermione."

"For what," she laughed as she caught up to him and threw an arm around him for a moment, "For telling that windbag off?" She dug around in a pocket, "you know until we surrender our badges, we are the head students he can't do a blessed thing to us anyway."

"Yeah I guess so." Harry agreed. They looked up, to find the portrait of a fat woman, with a pink dress looking down at them annoyedly.

"Well do you want to go in?" She growled, as she yawned hugely.

Hermione shrugged and Harry waved in the direction of the door. "We don't know the password." She objected, but in responses the portrait swung open on oiled hinges.

"Silly girl," the fat lady snapped as Hermione steeped through the portrait hole for perhaps the last time. "You are the head students, you don't need one."

"Harry?" Hermione asked softly as she noticed that he had not yet came through the hole.

"Go on Hermione I will be along in a second, I, um...need to tie my shoe." Harry replied with a small smile. Brown eyes flicked heavenward as she continued on to the common room. Harry's smile faded as he turned to the fat lady, "don't ever call her a silly girl ever again." He hissed, and the fat lady...blinked. She nodded silently as he stepped through the portrait hole and found Hermione already ensconced on one of the ragged couches before the fireplace. A large fire was roaring in the grate, and as he approached, he noticed that no heat was warming his face as he sat next to her. A pass of her wand and a pair of mugs sat steaming on the small coffee table in front of them.

"Harry," Hermione commented as she reached for the mugs and handed him one. "I don't need you to fight my battles for me." She sat back and watched as he sighed and took a sip of the coffee she had conjured.

"You would be about the only one then." Harry muttered bitterly as he stared into the flames. "Everyone else seems to think that is my only purpose. It is, isn't it Hermione? To fight everyone's battles? To be the bloody, fucking, chosen one? Scrimgeour wants me to be the image of the Ministry, the Order members, when they weren't telling me I was too young to fight, were wondering when I would grow up. Ginny wanted me to be the boy-who-lived, who she fell for. Even Ron does it, when he's not insanely jealous of some damn thing that has probably cost another life of someone who didn't deserve to die, looks at me like I'm some kind of savior." Harry ran his hand roughly though his inky locks as he watched a log pop in the fire, "I guess they are the smart ones though." He added thoughtfully. "Everyone who has just thought of me as just Harry...my mum and Dad, Sirius, Dumbledore...they are all dead Hermione, everyone except you."

Harry stood suddenly and paced to the windows and peered out the leaded-glass panes. "If you really just want me to be Harry, not your savior, you should go Hermione. Run to America, Australia, anywhere. Maybe Victor would put you up in Bulgaria?" Hermione muttered something under her breath as he added the last. "I promise I'll stop him before he gets that far Hermione. If for just you if nothing else."

"I won't run Harry." Hermione shot back calmly.

"It's not running Hermione. It's being smart, I thought you off all people would realize that. He has years and years of study on me, and who else is going to stop him? Mad-Eye? Remus, Tonks? The Ministry? They've all tried and failed. Hell the only reason he hasn't been ruling the world for the last sixteen years is that he miscalculated when I was a baby."

"Yes he did." Hermione snapped back, as a bit of ire filled her voice, "he took on you, as a baby...and he fucking lost." Harry's eyes widened as she continued. "Harry he will die and you will live. I couldn't...you just will ok?"

Harry nodded, despite his misgivings he wasn't going to disagree. "Ok, then Hermione, how are we going to accomplish that little task?" He asked softly.

"No idea." She admitted in the same tone, and caught his eye. An instant later they both erupted with laughter. Her head fell sideways onto his shoulder as they continued to laugh. Finally after several minutes of hilarity they stopped, pausing for breath. She sat back and looked over at him. Thoughts could be seen dancing behind her eyes, noticeable at least to Harry, who had subconsciously watched them duel for years. She thought back over his words from earlier. "Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened with you and Ginny?" She looked down, sipping her coffee as she asked.

"I let her go Hermione..." Harry sighed. "I let her go, because she really doesn't have a clue of what we are up against. I wish you didn't either. I doubt Ron really does, his family, especially Molly was too concerned with coddling him to tell him the tales of Voldemort's first reign and that was when Dumbledore was still around to keep him in some sort of check. Oh, I don't doubt that he truly believes in the case, or think that he's not loyal to me, but he's also in it for the adventure. He's never read the quote, I guess, about adventure being danger happening to someone else, far away." Harry played with the handle of his mug for an instant. "No, I broke up with her at the funeral and she gave me some line about me not being happy unless I was hunting Voldemort, about that's why she fell for me in the first place."

Hermione let out a soft gasp, as she realized that Ginny had never really known Harry, anyone who really did would have never said that to him, I know I never would have. "I'm sorry Harry. I was so happy for you when you kissed her..." A small, tired smile crossed her lips, never touching her eyes.

"It's ok." Harry said as he returned the tiny smile. "What about you and Ron?" He asked with a tired tone to his voice. "Why didn't he show up today...yesterday?" He corrected himself as he glanced down at his watch.

"I don't know Harry." She admitted, "he's ok, I guess...we fight, we sort of make up, we stop arguing anyway." She shrugged, "I honestly don't know what is up with us. At times I really like him, at other times I think I am settling..." She had whispered the last words and if he wasn't even sure he really heard them. She didn't seem to think she had said them out loud so for his part Harry ignored them as she went on. "Don't ever tell Ron this." She commanded and he nodded, intrigued at her openness, "for the longest time I knew about his feelings for me...fourth year anyway, then for the most part of fifth he was pretty quiet about it so I let it go." She laughed at some inner thought. "Actually at the end of fifth year I thought he had moved on, I even thought that he might be feeling something for Luna..." Harry barked a laugh and she grinned slightly and nodded. "Yeah, I know...but hey if it made him happy. At least she wasn't a total airhead like Lavender, even if she were insane." Harry raised an eyebrow at the odd stress on "him," as if she weren't, at least in the main, referring to Ron. "But when he started his...thing with Lavender, I don't know, I had already given up so much, so I went a bit haywire. I mean I don't know what I was doing last year Harry."

"None of us did Hermione, it was like we were totally different people." Harry agreed, he reached out and touched her hand for a moment before leaning back. "But you never answered why Ron didn't come with you."

She frowned, "We had another argument, what else Harry?" She took another sip, of now, cold coffee, grimaced at the taste and grunted. "I went over a couple of days ago to help Ginny with her dress fitting, and Ron and I got into it about why I hadn't been over before then. I explained that I wanted to spend time with my parents, as I didn't know when I would see them again. He seemed affronted so I apparated out on his arse, probably left him smelling like brimstone, if I got the spell right." Her eyes flicked to the side for an instant, ostensibly looking towards the portrait hole.

"You were right Hermione," Harry replied, "I love him, but he does take his parents for granted sometimes. Do me a favor and don't ever do that. Don't ever take them for granted Hermione, please." He visibily thought of something and sighed to himself. Bright yellow daylight streamed through the windows, the night had passed in their wanderings and conversation both here and at Privet Drive. Harry looked out the windows at the sun peeking above the clouds and stood. He extended his hand and pulled Hermione to her feet easily. "Let's go find McGonagall," Harry said as he headed to the portrait hole. He looked around the common room, and nodded to himself, some decision made. Hermione didn't ask, but merely followed him out the portrait hole into the seventh floor corridor that they had stood in innumerable times before.

The pair of them walked the length and breadth of the castle, finding no one at this hour. They might have spotted the tail of Mrs. Norris retreating behind a suit of armor as they headed down the second floor corridor on the way to the Headmistresses office, but if it were, the cat had wisely decided that discretion truly was the better part of valor and left them alone. For a long instant they stood silently at the gargoyle guarding the entrance to McGonagall's office. Harry looked up at the stone statue, then over at Hermione and back to the statue as an odd thought crossed his mind. "Sugar Quills."

The gargoyle's stone eyelids ground open and odd, blue eyes looked the pair of them over. With the sound of rumbling rock, the gargoyle stepped aside and waved the pair of them in. A marble staircase ground endlessly upward as Harry and Hermione stepped in and rode them to the top. A large oak door with a griffin knocker, gleaming softly in the torchlight awaited them at the top. Harry looked at Hermione and shrugged. She returned the gesture and reached out and beat the knocker against the door three times.
Sounds of sudden movement and rustling papers came from behind the door, and a moment later a familiar burr rang out, "Come in."

Harry opened the door to find Minerva McGonagall sitting behind the huge oak desk that Harry had associated with Dumbledore in his previous meetings here. His eyes instinctively shot to the portrait behind the desk, to find the slumbering visage of his old mentor. McGonagall was dressed in severe, dark green robes as she sat watching the two of them enter, and waved to a pair of comfortable chintz armchairs in front of her desk. Harry had expected the stiff, straight chairs of her old office, but as he looked up, he noticed that Dumbledore was more awake than he had appeared. The portrait gave him a small wink as he glanced over and Harry knew that the chairs had been his idea.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, I have been expecting you." She said kindly. Minerva gestured over her shoulder in the general direction of the portrait, "or at least Albus thought so." She added dryly. "I know you are awake Albus."

"Aw yes." Dumbledore replied from his portrait, not bothering to deny the accusation. "I am. And unless I miss my guess, Mr. Potter is here to make some...requests. I suggest that you grant them, Minerva." He nodded to Harry, who returned a small touch to his head, the same as given in a formal duel to acknowledge a point. McGonagall straightened her square-framed glasses on her nose and sat back. She gestured for Harry to begin.

Harry leaned forward and pulled the Head Boy's badge from his pocket. He placed it face up on her desk, but did not push it forward, but left it out of her reach. Without a word, Hermione did exactly the same. "Headmistress, I...we..."

McGonagall raised a hand in interruption, "Harry, Hermione, if you don't take those positions, I am afraid that school will not reopen in the fall. I need trustworthy students to be Heads, and frankly I don't really have any other choices in your year. Especially not ones that I can trust fully in these perilous times. Frankly Mr. Potter...Harry...as much as I hate to say it, the presence of the chosen one may be the factor that persuades parents to allow their students to return to school." Harry opened his mouth to snarl a retort, but Hermione beat him to it.

"Professor McGonagall, Harry may be the one prophesized to kill Voldemort, but I would think that you would...."

McGonagall nodded, and gave them a small motion to apologize, "I am sorry Harry. You were going to ask me something?"

Harry nodded and then after a moment's thought, "If Hermione and I may have a moment?" McGonagall nodded and Harry got up and walked to the back of the room. Hermione confusedly followed him at a gesture and flicked her wand instinctively to form a cone of silence around the pair of them. "Hermione," Harry said with his back to McGonagall, "do you really think it is a good idea to return here for the school year?"

Hermione nervously bit her lower lip as a finger came up and absently twirled a curly lock around and around. "Yeah Harry, sort of...I mean there are advantages to being here...The castle defenses are formidable, the Death Eaters got in though a unguarded means last year," Her eyes more than amply expressed her apology for that oversight, which despite his words last night, she still felt guilty for. She shrugged, "Despite you and Ron's distain for the library, Hogwarts has one of the greatest wizarding libraries anywhere. I know that Riddle wasn't able to find out about Horcruxes from it, he had to learn from Slughorn. But there are other things we could learn. And we will have to learn Harry."

"Yeah we will Hermione." Harry's emerald eyes held hers for a long moment, searching for something. Finding it, he nodded to himself, "Hermione, do you trust me?" He asked, already knowing the answer as she nodded mutely, with the flames of just a touch of annoyance dancing in her pupils. He reached out and squeezed her hand, silently apologizing. She gave him a small, half-smile in acceptance. "Ok then, follow my lead, no matter what I ask for...or rather demand," he corrected himself with a small shrug. Harry crossed back over to McGonagall's desk, but instead of sitting back down he stood, looking down at the elderly witch. Hermione came over to stand next to him, and leaned back against the coming of a nearby window that looked out over the grounds and Hagrid's hut.

"Ma'am I apologize in advance if I am to offend you. And I only let you know that I am entertaining this, as I would like Hermione to have at least one of her dreams if possible, and I know she will follow me." Harry never looked over at Hermione, he knew she had meant her words, McGonagall nodded slowly, listening. "We will return next fall, and take those badges...but there are conditions and I am afraid that they are non-negotiable."

"What are they?" McGonagall asked in a slightly affronted tone.

"First, Hermione, Ron and I are to have total freedom of movement and action." Harry crossed his arms, and if possible his emerald eyes glowed softly in the early morning light. "We will be able to leave the castle when and how we choose, we will be able to do magic at any time, anywhere, and we will excused from classes as needed without any excuses needed, it is entirely possible that we may be gone for days, weeks even. We will perform all assignments, and I feel that you will be pleased with our progress, but we may not be able to take them in scheduled classes."

"I cannot make Mr. Weasley a head student as well Harry, and it seems as if you are asking to have a status equal to mine..."

"No mum," Hermione interjected, as she had already discerned the direction of Harry's thoughts. "Ron is only to be granted the same freedom of movement, he would not have the powers of a head student. We just don't want Flitch or some professor complaining about us wondering the halls as we return from some..." she drifted off as she suddenly wondered if she were wandering into forbidden territory.

Fortunately Dumbledore once again saved the day. "She knows about the Horcruxes, Miss Granger...or may I call you Hermione? It would be convenient if you both would call me Albus as well, as it seems that I am no longer your headmaster. His head turned to McGonagall, "I told you Minerva." She glared at the image of the ancient wizard; he smiled right back. "What are your other terms?"

"Have you yet found replacements for yourself and...Snape, mum?" The cold that filled her voice at the former teacher's name could have frozen the loch outside in the middle of July. McGonagall shook her head, "Good then I would, suggest that Remus Lupin and Tonks would be eminently suitable for the DADA and transfiguration slots respectively. And that you turn a blind eye to any...indiscretions that the two may find themselves in." Next to her, Harry covered his mouth to hide a quiet chuckle. He caught her gaze and saw the same expression dancing there.

Minerva gave them a small smile, "Actually you will be glad to know that I was already considering Remus for that slot, I feel that any issues with his...affliction, will be greatly outweighed by his stance on the current difficulties. I will see if Nymphadora is available from the Ministry for that post. With Amelia gone, we do not quite have the support we once had within the MLE, but if it is possible..." Harry and Hermione nodded as one, they both recognized that some things were only possible if they were. "Next?"

Harry moved to sit back down. Hermione did not reseat herself, however. She propped a hip on the corner of Harry's chair so as to stay more or less standing. "All staff of Hogwarts will be investigated under both veritaserum and imperious-detecting charms before the start of school and at random intervals thereafter. This will include Hermione, Ron and myself as well as members of the DA, which will be reestablished and will meet with the full support of the school." McGonagall nodded angrily, but Harry could tell somehow that her anger wasn't directed at him or Hermione.

"I will agree to all of those conditions Harry...Hermione..." she smiled to herself, "now Albus has me doing it, calling my students by their Christian names. I am curious, though, are you also wanting Miss Weasley to be given the same freedoms?" Her old eyes asked a question.

"No mum, there will be only the three of us. Ginny, as well as Neville and Luna and several others will be vital members of the DA, but..."

"Fine then," McGonagall nodded, her eyes flicked to Hermione, "I am glad I was correct in your fifth year, at least you do listen to Miss Granger if no one else."

"Actually," Hermione corrected her with the faintest tinge of a blush, "I listened to Harry this time." McGonagall nodded, her eyes twinkling slightly.

All three of the living humans in the room looked over as Dumbledore made a soft coughing noise, "Now that that is settled," He said, and it was amazing that canvas could twinkle, "There are certain items that I feel that Harry might need." McGonagall flicked her wand at a tall, closed cabinet and a large, leather bundle floated out and settled on her desk with an odd metallic clank. Her wand flicked once more and the bundle opened, to reveal a slender, gleaming sword. The rubies inset in the handle of the Gryffindor sword glittered in the light of the sun, which was now streaming in the window. Several smaller daggers with the same design as the Gryffindor sword were strapped next to the sword. Half a dozen of the silver instruments that used to populate this office when it was Dumbledore's surrounded them along with three golden keys and a small, leather bound book. Each of the keys was marked with odd runes.

Harry reverently picked up the sword and as he did so, a sudden, source less wind rustled his hair and a golden glow surrounded him for an instant before fading away. "Aw yes Harry, as I told you in your second year, only a true Gryffindor could pull that sword from the hat. Harry, if you would please hand the sword to Hermione." Hermione shrugged as he did so and his jaw dropped as the exact same reaction happened to her as had just happened to him. As one, they turned to Dumbledore. "Yes, now you see the truth, true bravery is not dependent on birth or position, but a choice, a choice to stand against the darkness against all costs. Miss Granger chose Gryffindor Harry, just as you did. The teens shared an uncomfortable look, "the sword as well as the daggers can be used to cast spells just like a wand, and as you may have noticed there are six. I would think carefully on whom you gift with those, I would expect that you would give them to your closest allies. The instruments, I will not take time to explain, the manual will explain their use, they are instruments that I have used in the hunt for the Horcruxes as well as other endeavors."

"And the keys?" Hermione inquired with an odd, breathless excitement.

"One goes to a hidden vault in the Potter ancestral castle that by now Harry has learned will be his on the 31st. The second goes to a vault in a cave about thirty miles from here, which contains several of my journals and books that you should find useful, and the third..." Dumbledore shrugged, "I am not sure actually, I am sure that it is important, however." Harry and Hermione rolled their eyes in unison. "Finally, through Minerva's kind auspices, I have arranged for additional training for the two of you, as well as Mr. Weasley. Training that I was not able to undertake." Kind blue eyes were sad for a moment, "The Order is in disarray I am afraid, but those members that still live will be at your call Harry. Or your designate." He added with a glance at Hermione. The portrait turned to McGonagall, "Minerva, now that we have clearly been put in our place." Hermione's cheeks were only barely tinged with embarrassment while Harry didn't visibly react at all. The portrait nodded, some fact confirmed. "You have something to show them." McGonagall nodded and stood.

She walked to the door and without looking to see if they were following, went down the stairs and out into the second floor hallway. On the way, they passed several Professors, Flitwick, Vector, and Trelwany all of whom seemed pleased that Harry and Hermione had agreed to return and take up the posts of head students. Trelwany may have been happy purely because she hadn't lost her favorite target for predicting a student's death.

The trio continued on, eventually returning to the seventh floor corridor that concealed the entrance to Gryffindor tower. Instead of continuing on, however, McGonagall stopped and tapped her wand on the bricks of an empty stretch of wall around the corner from the fat lady while murmuring something under her breath. A stone archway appeared, revealing a narrow marble staircase. McGonagall led them up the stairs, not even starting when the archway closed behind them. She paused as she reached a door at the top and pried it open.

They came into a smaller rendition of the Gryffindor common room. Shelves of books lined fully half the circumference of the room, with titles like Defense Against the Darkest of Arts, Most Potente Potions and A Compilation of Wizarding and Muggle Battle Tactics. Harry bit back a huge grin as he noticed at least three editions of Hogwarts a History tucked in among the others, along with an entire section on Quidditch. Hermione's eyes glittered as she glanced over at Harry. "This is your common room, of course." McGonagall waved at the door furthest on the right and set opposite the others. "That door exits to the Gryffindor common room. It comes out behind the portrait of Wilhelm the Courageous." McGonagall walked around the worn couch in front of an unlit fireplace and dodged around a pair of chairs set opposite as she walked over to the other three doors and opened the middle one. She opened it to show a large, t-shaped bathroom.

The bath was the same as would be seen at any luxury hotel, providing it was a wizarding one of course. A large marble shower sat in one corner, big enough for a party to be held inside if the revelers were friendly and a whirlpool tub, easily big enough for six sat next to it. At least twenty faucets surrounded it, labeled in various colors. Toilets sat at either end of the room with small partitions around each one. A door lead from the opposite ends, most likely to the bedrooms. McGonagall confirmed that supposition with a quiet comment. She closed the door to the bathroom and entered the bedroom on the left.

A large four-poster sat in the middle of the room, which was easily as large as Harry's normal dorm that he shared with four other boys, pushed against the far wall. A crimson and gold coverlet covered the bed, with the Hogwarts crest proximately displayed. A large oak desk, quite similar to the Headmistress' own dominated a corner with bookshelves crowed around it with titles that explained without words that this room was to be Harry's. The bundle from Dumbledore's office was lying on Harry's bed, along with his head's badge. In the opposite corner from Harry's desk, a tattered love seat sat in front of another fireplace. "Hermione's room is the same, just inverted." McGonagall walked over to a hand-sized gold orb set on the mantel and indicated it with a long finger. "This is your personal portkey to get around Hogwarts, you each have one. It will allow you to by pass the wards and enter and leave directly. It is also charmed to self-destruct if someone other than yourselves tries to use it or to compel you to use it on his or her behalf. Albus seemed to feel the need for them."

"Yes I did Minerva." Dumbledore agreed as he appeared in, an, until that very moment; empty frame. He smiled at Harry's sudden shocked look, "Do not worry, other than right now I will only come to this or the matching portrait in Hermione's room if summoned or in an emergency. Now I expect that the two of them would like to look around and talk without the presence of us old codgers." Dumbledore's laugh faded oddly as he vanished from his portrait, presumably to go back to his in his old office or maybe just to go visit somewhere.

McGonagall started to leave, but paused at the door to Harry's bedroom, "I know what you are going to do Harry, when school restarts, we must return to outwardly normal practices, but until then call on me at any time. Either of you. You are welcome to come and go, as you will until school starts. I would suggest carrying the portkeys at all times. They both have a run settling, that if either of you are hurt or just need to escape they will whisk you back here and activate the wards of the castle to full wariness at the same time." She left without another word and Harry and Hermione could hear the door to the stairs open and close in the silence.

"Well Hermione what do you think?"

"I love it Harry, but do you think this is the best idea? I mean even with the freedoms you...ok we, forced on McGonagall we are still constrained somewhat by just being here."

"You were right Hermione. You always are." Harry shrugged and she grinned at him as he pulled his tiny trunk from the pocket of the khaki cargo pants he had on and tossed it to the floor at the foot of his bed. He flicked his wand and it instantly grew to full size. He opened it and removed a battered, leather knapsack. She watched, curiously, as he carefully placed miniaturized jumpers and jeans, a couple of robes and various bits of other essentials in the pack. He casually flicked his wand over his shoulder and the door to the room sealed with a squelch and a white flash lit the walls.

"Silencing charm." He explained. "Layers on layers Hermione, McGonagall, and Dumbledore I guess gave us one of the solutions to out problems right here." He pointed to the orb as he placed the tightly folded silvery fabric of his cloak into a thigh pocket of his khakis. She watched, slightly amazed as he slid the sword of Gryffindor point first into the bag, where it proceeded to slide in, without the tip ever emerging on the other side. Just the handle poked out, and with a tap of his wand, it vanished. Harry settled the pack on his back and reached up and back behind his right shoulder. His fist closed on something and he nodded to himself.

"We can officially be here, but anywhere else in England except Grimmauld place in an instant. And for that, we just use the portkeys to get out of the castle and apparate to the manor, I have already added you to the house wards. All of the charms were reset when I gained the house. It doesn't exist even more than when Sirius was alive. However as soon as we can, we go there and refresh the Fidielus Charm, and only the three of us will have access. The Death Eaters and their spies will think we are here, when we can be anywhere looking for them."

"Thanks Harry." Hermione said simply.

"It's not just for you, Hermione, though you are welcome, mum and dad were heads and I expect that they would like for me to carry on the tradition. Harry walked over to his bed and carefully lifted the bundle off of it and placed it on the closed lid of his trunk, "Now I am going to kip off for a bit for a bit before we leave for the Burrow." Harry looked at the bedside clock, which as he was de facto a quasi Muggle-born actually showed the time at 8:15 am, along with a snide message reading, "it's summer you fool boy, go out and play."

"Ok Harry." Hermione agreed as she walked out and mostly closed his door, leaving it cracked. She watched through the crack as Harry let the night catch up to himself and yawned. He kicked off his trainers and escaped to the land of dreams.

She nodded and crossed their new common room to check out her own quarters for the next year. For some odd reason, she left her door cracked as well as she didn't bother to unpack besides tossing her shrunken trunk at the foot of her bed. An already full knapsack was in hers as well. She rolled on her side as she watched the crack of the door, ears straining, just in case before the events of the night and the morning caught up with her as well.

A/N There you go, I hope it's not too horrible, I literally banged this one off today. For those of you reading shadows hand on, a new chapter of it will appear soon as well. In this universe, next chapter we will get to the Burrow, and well....

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3. A Reunion at the Burrow

A/N: Here's the 3rd.... Much thanks for Lady Starlight looking this chapter over. Any mistakes are purely my own, not hers. And yes this universe isn't mine, more the pity.

Chapter 3: A Reunion at the Burrow

*********************The Burrow******************************
12:05 pm

A rainbow fall of light and a rush of sound erupted on the lawn of the ancient Weasley home as Harry and Hermione arrived. Harry's hands flashed out and caught hers as she stumbled from the momentum shift inherent in Portkey travel. She dropped them and smiled at him gratefully as she reached back to check her pack. Harry did the same, his fingers brushing lightly over the hilt of the invisible Gryffindor sword.

Mrs. Weasley had appeared at the commotion, and rushed forward. She enveloped Harry in a huge hug. "I am so glad you are here Harry dear." She glanced over at Hermione, and back at Harry, "Ginny and Ron are up at the pitch." She pointed up the hill were several brooms could be seen swooping back and forth. She motioned to their packs, "Let me have those I'll put them up with Ginny and Ron." Harry and Hermione shared a glance and shrugged. They handed their packs over, "Hermione my dear, I am afraid that you will be a bit crowded, Luna is staying with Ginny as well, her father had to stay in London for a while." Hermione just waved in response as she followed Harry on their slow trek up the hill.

Spotting them on the way up, Ron and Ginny banked over and swooped down to land next to them. Immediately Ron pulled Hermione into a hug, which she returned and gave him a peck on the cheek. He looked oddly disappointed as Hermione stepped back and tucked an errant lock behind her ear. Ginny and Harry shared a small smile and an only somewhat awkward hug. A faint flowery smell reached his nose, but oddly enough it vanished as he glanced back to notice Hermione quietly telling Ron something. Ron didn't look as if he particularly liked it, but he glanced over at Harry and nodded.
"Harry." Ginny said as she grabbed his arms and pulled him over to her broom. "Look what Bill got me for my birthday. It's a Firebolt, just like yours. He got it from a coworker who sold it used, cheap. He gave it to me early so I could start working it up for the season."

"Yeah Ginny," Harry agreed as he scanned around to look for Ron and Hermione. They had vanished. He frowned, he wanted to talk to his other best friend before the wedding tomorrow. "It's just like mine. You should be awesome at Quidditch this year."

"Too bad you lot won't be there." Ginny said sadly. "Gryffindor would be unstoppable."

"Actually," Harry corrected her, he might as well, she would find out soon enough anyway. "Hermione and I talked to McGonagall just this morning, we are returning as Head students, at least for now. We need to learn all that we can." He shrugged, "I doubt I am going to play Quidditch at all...in fact I need to tell McGonagall that I'm giving up the Captain's slot."

"Then Harry..." she began, her eyes lighting up.

"No Ginny." Harry said kindly, "None of my reasons have changed. Now if you will excuse me, I need to find Hermione and Ron." Ginny watched silently as he walked off, then as he vanished out of sight, she sprinted for the house for the extendable ears she had secreted there along with various other...items that had proven helpful last year.

Harry had caught none of that. He strolled across the lawn and walked around the house. Unless you knew better, one would have never known this backyard belonged to the Weasley clan. The garden was immaculate, with a tall, white arch at one end, lit softly with fairy lights. Twin columns of seats sat on either side of a wide, red-carpeted aisle. Ribbons in white and gold encapsulated the seats and Harry nodded, pleased with the environs for Bill and Fleur's wedding tomorrow. A small platform was situated under the arch and knelt down facing the other way; a tall, thin girl with long, platinum blond hair was working on something. She glanced back and a wide smile blossomed on her face. She ran down the aisle and swept Harry into a hug. "'arry...iz good to zee you again."

"Yeah Fleur." Harry replied with a small grin, "you too. Have you seen Ron or Hermione?"

"They iz up at the creek, I believe." She replied, her smile frozen in place. She watched as he walked in the direction she had indicated and with a small shrug she went back to work.

As Harry approached he could hear raised voices. He sighed softly to himself and headed closer, only to stop as he heard his name. He paused just out of sight.

"What Ron?" Hermione snapped.

"I thought that we were going on this mission with Harry, not back to school. Did you convince Harry to go just so you could be Head Girl and take your NEWTs?" Ron snarled and Harry started to reveal himself, but Hermione beat him to the retort.

"No you dufus. Yes I wanted to be at school, but I want Voldemort dead far worse. Did you listen to me at all? We decided use the school as a base, it gives us advantages that we wouldn't otherwise have."

"So you and Harry can leave without me, with your fancy Portkeys?" Ron said bitterly. He spun and glared at her, "Is that why you won't hardly even return a hug, let alone kiss your boyfriend, you would rather be with Harry? You know Ginny still fancies him? Do you really want to be a scarlet woman?"

Hermione took a startled breath, as did Harry in his unwitting eavesdropping spot. As did another red-haired member of the clan hidden on the other side of the clearing. Three pairs of ears waited on her response. "Honestly Ron," she snapped briskly, "I don't remember being your girlfriend. A few stolen snogs don't make a relationship."

"So what does Hermione?" Ron replied tiredly as the fire went out in his voice. "Hanging out at his aunt's house and then at Hogwarts? You could have come and got me before you two talked to McGonagall. Now I have to explain things to mum, that I now will be back at school."

"It was a spur of the moment thing; we had to make a decision." Hermione didn't even try to hide the exasperated tone to her voice. "Not everything revolves around you Ronald."

"No, I guess it revolves around Harry then. Why don't you just go be with him? He gets everything else anyway." Ron snapped and a crack of sound echoed in the woods as Hermione's hand whipped around and intersected his jaw. Hurried footsteps thundered in the woods, directly towards Harry, and he took a panicked breath. He glanced over to either side, and then with a sudden realization, his hand dove into a thigh pocket of his khakis. A snap of his wrist, and a practiced twirl of the silvery cloak and he vanished. It was just in time, as a chestnut-haired whirlwind thundered past on her way into the woods. Harry glanced back towards Ron, and then in the direction that Hermione had gone, torn between finishing the job Hermione had started with his fists or his wand or making sure she was ok.

Hermione won on two counts, he had never meant to overhear their argument, so he could never admit he had heard it. And he knew that Hermione would be angry with him if he completed her work for her. He took off, quickly casting a Silencio on his steps to deaden the swish of the leaves coating the forest floor as he followed Hermione. Even though the forest surrounding the Weasley house was relatively tame, she wouldn't be able to protect herself from a Pygmy Puff in her current condition.

After following her steps for several minutes Harry heard them stop. He paused, thinking furiously as he thought of some valid reason for him to find her. A flash back to fourth year and he had his answer...if it worked, because if it didn't she would know. He held out his hand with his wand held flat on the palm. "Point me to Hermione." He whispered with a touch of desperation and as in answer to his prayers the wand spun around five times, before the tip settled pointing towards Hermione. Harry quickly refolded the cloak and stowed it. He canceled the Silencio and made a great deal of noise as he walked forward, shouting, "HERMIONE."

"Here Harry." A soft, resigned soprano replied and he walked into the clearing. Hermione was sitting on a downed log, and something bothered him greatly, even more than it usually did after one of their fights, as he saw her angrily wipe away tears. Harry sat down next to her, about a foot away and waited. "How did you find me Harry?" A slightly accusatory note was in her voice.

Harry carefully did not wipe away a bead of sweat from his brow as he shrugged. "Did you know that the point me spell will find people? I just tried it and it worked."

"No it doesn't" Hermione disagreed with a small glare. Harry just repeated his earlier trick, and her eyes grew wide, "Ok...weird. I guess you did a Potter." She gave him a tiny, fleeting smile, "You did your "make the spell do what I want thing". I would think you were Dumbledore if you were taller and had a beard." Both of them realized what she had said at the same time and an awkward silence fell over the clearing.

Harry broke it after a minute; "Dumbledore wouldn't want us to be sad every time his name came up in conversation. Hermione nodded. "Are you ok Hermione? What's wrong?" He asked innocently as if he had never heard anything. And he was still unsure of what he had truly heard. Were they together? Had they broken up...had they just broken up? Harry didn't know what to think.

"Just sit with me here a bit Harry, before we go back." Hermione said and they sat together for a time that neither of them bothered to measure before heading back without another word shared between them, especially not over conversations not heard.

Ginny eased open the door to her room, to find, sprawled out on a hastily added camp bed, a slender blond-haired girl. Luna rolled over, her odd silvery-gray eyes as wide as ever as she smiled languorously and stretched, her spine popping loudly. "Did you overhear another of their fights?" she asked with a curious note in her otherwise airy voice. "I would like them to stop soon; they are disturbing the Irish winged rats that I spotted the other day in the glade. They would be a good omen for tomorrow if they stay around." Luna sat up and started weaving her long, dirty-blonde hair into a loose braid. She had changed over the almost two years since she had first shared a compartment with the trio, Ginny and Neville. Her hair was no longer a tangled mess, her eyes were clear, bright and held an odd, knowing gaze and as she stretched again, Ginny wondered absently that after what she had overheard, if that her decidedly odd friend might really have a chance with her brother if she applied herself...and if other things were to cease.

Ginny walked over to the cot next to Luna's which now held Hermione's pack. She moved it aside, and resisted the temptation to investigate the odd metallic clanks that came from it. She smiled, slightly unconvincingly, "What makes you think I overheard them fighting?"

Luna turned and looked at her, and Ginny paused. The moment passed as Luna turned away to play idly with a loose thread on the hem of her cutoffs. "Everyone else has." She shrugged and stood. She checked the fall of a pair of radish earrings in the mirror. Her eyes caught Ginny's bright, brown ones in the reflection "come clean with him, with them, Ginevra." Luna said suddenly.

"W...what do you mean?" Ginny replied hastily, instantly unnerved as Luna's eyes hardened again for the briefest of instants.

Luna looked down as she inspected a butterbeer-bottle cap necklace hanging on her chest. "He's as smart as his mother Ginny, and she's the brightest one since Rowena... Eventually their innate magic will provide them immunity and you know that they will figure it out. I suspect that they are already wondering what happened. They weren't the same last year Ginny and deep inside they know it."

"What?" Ginny repeated, though she knew quite well what the odd girl was talking about. She thought over her steps, wondered where she could have slipped up.

Luna shrugged, "if they find out what has happened to them, before you come clean. Well you know their tempers. I expect that Riddle will eventually come to regret ever crossing either one of them; you really don't want to be the recipient of their ire. You are a powerful witch Ginny, but she's like a bonfire to your candle. She just doesn't know it yet."

"You want Ron for yourself, you're just jealous of her." Ginny accused and crossed to her bed. She picked up the purple ball of fluff on her pillow and started petting it, it crooned softly.

"A bit, yes." Luna agreed amicably. "But I know all will work out in the end as it should be. There are universes where he ends up with me, and those in which he ends up with her." She smiled, showing all of her teeth, "and there are those where he ends up with Draco, however the latter is not this one. I have few enough friends that I would sow discord among them, please don't do it here."

Luna got up and left the room, and Ginny followed her all the way out. She watched the door close quietly behind the odd witch and looked down at her Pigmy Puff, Arnold. "I just have to be with him, I mean, he's.... and..." she trailed off hugging her furball, who cooed softly.

8:30 pm

All of the teens crowded into Harry and Ron's room, perching here and there on Ron's bed, Harry's cot and as Ginny had done, on the window seat that once had held Ron's aquarium of frogspawn. Ron sat on his bed, with Hermione next to him, but at least a foot away. She had just glared at him when he had patted the bed next to him and sat. Harry was leaning on the footboard facing the rest of them, while Luna, Fred and George sat on Harry's cot watching him.

Harry glanced over at Hermione, and she nodded. She flicked her wand towards the door and an Imperturbable charm flashed into existence. He caught hers and Ron's eyes then looked at the room as a whole. "As you may or may not know plans have changed somewhat, Hermione, Ron and I will be returning to Hogwarts in the fall. And along with that, Hermione and I have accepted the Head Students slots for the coming year."

"Accepted?" Fred asked, "It sounds like you are not too happy about that mate."

"See Ronniekins," George put in, "Harry knows the value of being perfect...not at all. So Harry what did she have to give you?"

"There were concessions granted, yes."

"Good," Fred rubbed his hands together gleefully; "so Harry have we ever talked to you about becoming a full partner?"

"We are in a war for survival." Harry snapped back flatly, he took a breath, "sorry, Fred, but that's the truth, anything that McGonagall agreed to, will be used to fight Voldemort," the usual quivering except for Hermione who seemed proud for some reason. "No what we called you guys here for is to let you in on what we can. McGonagall has agreed to let us restart the DA." Luna beamed and Harry gave her a small nod. "The ones of you here, plus Neville, will be leading the group, except for you and you," he nodded at Fred and George. "I want you to work up a set of gear for each of the members of the DA, make it fifty sets, all the good stuff, guys. When you get them done, let me or Hermione know and we will make sure you get paid. But we might not be easy to get a hold of until school starts. I want every kit ready on September 1 in any case, and in my hands or at the school."

"No big, Harry, we know you are good for it. We might even throw you in some new toys." George replied gleefully.

"Guys?" they nodded, "lethal is fine." The twins became instantly sober and the rest of the room silent. Harry looked at each of them in turn. "I won't lie to any of you, this is not some adventure, not some child's game any longer. If any of you want out, now is the time. I will be giving Neville an opportunity when I next see him, tomorrow if I can get him aside. You have already seen it in action at Hogwarts, Dumbledore is dead." Harry's voice was hard, "we are all going to have to do and see things that we would rather anyone not do or see." His eyes flicked to Hermione and Ron's. She nodded hesitantly while Ron frowned slightly, but nodded as well. "Honestly, there is every chance that we will lose. I will try my best to make sure that does not happen, but..." He shrugged. "As well, all of you will have to under go periodic Veritaserum and Imperious testing to make sure that no one has managed to subvert any of you. That goes for all of the members of the DA as well as the Hogwarts staff."

A flash of fear slipped across Ginny's face, but was gone before Harry could catch it. "Finally, I do have good news on one front, Lupin will be back to teach DADA." Everyone in the room smiled at that. "Ok that's it." Harry nodded and started to wave his wand to cancel Hermione's charm.

"Harry?"

"Yeah Ginny?" Harry turned to her.

"Why can't I...we, come with you until school starts? And where will you be anyway, what will you be doing that..."

"You can't Ginny." Harry replied shortly, as he shook his head, and cancelled the protective charm. He left the room without another word, after a minute all in the room could hear the door slamming far below. Two pairs of brown eyes watched the empty door for a long instant before they met involuntarily. Hermione picked up a book that she had taken from the Head's room from the bed next to her and left the room quickly, and headed for the porch, where an oil lamp and a comfortable swing waited. Ginny crossed the hall to her room, and a loud bang was heard a moment later.

After a long moment of silence, Luna looked across at Ron, "Ronald, would you like to play chess?" He just nodded and opened a drawer on his nightstand and proceeded to set up the board on his bed. The twins laughed at some private joke and vanished with a loud, dual CRACK.

11:15 pm

Harry had been sitting in the dark for over two hours when a vaguely ethereal presence seemingly materialized out of the night. The tip of a phoenix-cored, holly wand tracked to the figure, its tip already glowing red with the precursor of a stunner discharge, when he recognized her. "Luna." He muttered exasperatedly, "You should make some noise or something." She shrugged as she sat down next to him.

"All will work out in the end." Luna announced as if she were giving the score of a particularly boring Quidditch match. Her eyes had an odd glow to them as the moonlight caught her open, gazing expression.

"Luna, thanks for the vote of confidence, but in all honesty Voldemort does have years and years on me."

"I wasn't talking of that." She picked up a small branch from the ground next to her. "I need to have some protection against the Nargles, you know?" Harry just nodded.

He sat out in the dark for several more hours after Luna drifted away in her usual fashion. At about midnight he felt Hermione walk near to where he sat, but she left without a word after standing motionless for several minutes as if watching over him. Exactly how he knew it was she, he did not know, but he did. An hour after that encounter, he heard the stumbling sounds of Charlie and Bill as they returned from a night of revelry before the wedding. Remus Lupin seemed to be watching over them as they, so far, unsuccessfully attempted to climb the six-inch stair to the front porch and other than a hidden smile, he took no action.

A half hour after the more or less triumphant return of the two oldest Weasley children, Harry yawned deeply and bounced to his feet. No sound was heard from the house other than a soft hoot from Hedwig up in Harry's room as she annoyedly knocked Pig from her perch with a wing and settled in to take a nap. Deciding that he most likely would not get to sleep for a bit longer tonight, even as tired as he was, he took a turn into the kitchen.

Harry went directly to the icebox in the corner and extracted a large, glass bottle of milk. He filled a glass, and set a plate of cookies out on the counter to the side, when just as he was reaching to replace the milk, a soft purring sound came from down near his feet and a large, ginger half-kneazle rubbed on his legs. Harry glanced down to find Crookshanks looking up at him optimistically. He laughed and pulled a small saucer from a cupboard and filled it with milk for Hermione's cat. "Here ya go, ya big mooch" Harry muttered affectionately. Crookshanks' purring redoubled as he gave Harry's legs a final rub and started to lap up his milk.

"You know that he knows that you are a soft touch." Hermione said quietly from the door to the kitchen. Harry spun around to find her there, laughing slightly at him. She was dressed for bed; long, flannel tartan sleep pants were worn under a white spaghetti-strapped tank. Her hair was pulled back into a messy tail and thrown over one shoulder.

Harry gave her a sheepish look, "you know me, hopeless causes and small animals." He crossed to the table, bearing the plate of cookies in one hand and his glass of milk in the other. He set it down and looked at her, "do you want some?"

"Sure." Hermione crossed to the icebox, poured herself a glass of milk and sat down across the old, round scrubbed wooden kitchen table. "You know," she mused, softly, "He won't take food from Ron...it's the oddest thing." She took a bite of her cookie, "mmm, chocolate chip...I can't get these at home." Harry chuckled as her eyes danced for an instant.

"So Miss Granger...what brings you to this neck of the woods?" Harry asked as he dipped his cookie in his milk glass and took a bite. He swallowed as Crookshanks jumped up on the table and lay down, purring, between them. "Better not let Molly catch him on the table." Harry observed, Hermione just reached out and started petting her cat as she crooked an eyebrow upward.

"The usual," she said after a minute, "thinking." Crookshanks gave one last, loud purr and hopped off the table and headed up the stairs, probably having heard the squeak of a mouse. She watched him leave with an odd expression, almost as if her last reinforcement in some battle had left her alone on the field.

"You should really stop that." Harry cracked, "it might make you smart or something."

"Heaven forbid." She paused and ate her cookie contemplatively as she stared off into space. "Where and when are we going to start Harry?"

He knew what she was talking about. "I figure that we will leave in the morning after the wedding. We might as well get the sleep while we can, and the Burrow is about as secure as anywhere else." He shrugged tiredly, "then I guess...we go to the Hollow."

"Harry, I..."

"It's ok, Hermione," he said reassuringly, "It's kind of odd, now that I think about it that I've never been back, or that I've never asked about it rather. I figure that we will look about there and depending on what we find, either stay there for a bit or head back to London." Harry frowned. "We should go get some funds out of the vault and convert them to muggle cash, we need to get supplies, camping gear, food, other things. And then..." he smiled briefly, "we do what we do best, I act rashly, Ron either sides with me or not depending on his mood and you save both our sorry arses."

"Harry, you..." Hermione started but stopped as another presence entered the room. Ron looked blearily down at them, but perked up instantly at the sight of the plate of cookies.

"What are you two up to?" He asked with an odd tenor to his voice. He sat down at the table, unconsciously forming a triangle of the trio and started munching on cookies.

Harry eyed him for a minute. His eyes flicked surreptitiously between Hermione and Ron, noticing the sudden tension in her, something that very, very few others would catch, and the only moderate pace at which Ron was reducing the plate of cookies to crumbs. He let out a soft chuckle and to his credit; it wasn't forced-sounding at all. "Oh the usual Ron, I was outside brooding and Hermione was awake thinking...and now you are here eating."

Ron grinned at him suddenly and the tension in the room vanished, for now anyway. Harry nodded and continued on. "Hermione had just asked me when we are leaving, I told her, the morning after the wedding." Ron nodded and took another cookie. "Ron do you think that you could pack us up some rations, without your mum knowing? I want to get out of here as soon as possible with as little fuss as possible."

"Yeah mate, I think I can get something together." Ron replied around a mouthful of cookies. Hermione rolled her eyes at his manners and Harry ran his hand over his chin to hide his sudden grin.

"And don't eat them Ron." Hermione muttered, but she smiled as she did so. He laughed and nodded.

"Sure, Hermione, I'll try to remember." He replied sarcastically, Ron glanced over at Harry, "As we are on the subject, Fred dropped back by while you were out moping, they already had care packages made up for each of us. Seems they had an idea that something like this was going to happen. He said to tell you that they should have everything ready for the DA when school starts. There are some extra special toys in our gear too. I haven't looked into them yet though."

"Ok Ron, we'll look at them together." Harry stated and stood up with another yawn. "Guys...I just want to say, in case I don't get to later...thanks. You two are more than my best friends...you're my family, all I have left." Hermione's eyes were damp as she gave him a small smile. Ron just nodded. The pair of them watched Harry leave the kitchen and a moment later heard the soft squeak of trainers on the stairs.

Back in the kitchen, Hermione sighed and looked over at Ron. She looked down and played with her glass, spinning it slowly as she looked into its depths. A tired, half-smile played at the edge of her lips, as she looked up and met Ron's eyes. "This thing, whatever we have or had, isn't working Ron." She said quietly. White teeth captured her bottom lip as she glanced back down.

Ron looked at her and sighed. With a small grunt, he stood and paced over to the kitchen window and peered outside. In the bright moonlight, he could see the sparkle of part of the creek through the trees and a pair of raccoons looking for scraps at the edge of the woods. "So what, Hermione?" He finally asked, resignedly, "I'm not Harry?" Unlike this afternoon, his voice had no heat to it, only acquiescent resignation.

"No Ron," She said softly as she rose from her chair and joined him at the window. Her eyes were melancholy as she wrapped her arms around his neck and gently pulled him in for one, last, chaste kiss. She dropped her arms from his neck and stepped back, holding one of his hands in hers. "You are not, and in some ways that's the problem, but it's not the real problem with us."

"Then what is Hermione?"

She shrugged, "It's that we aren't compatible Ron, not in that way. You and I are on different wavelengths. Opposites may attract Ron, but they don't stay together. We don't talk, not really. You talk about Quidditch; I talk about books and learning. What we do talk about...is Harry, or Voldemort. And frankly one of those two topics is not one I want to while away my years with and the other, is our best friend. And when we are together, we force it." She squeezed his hand gently as he ran his fingers through sleep tousled ginger hair. "We talk about those things, or some utter nonsense because we can't stand the silence between us, and because we are too bloody stubborn to admit that we might have made a mistake."

"I just wanted..." He shook his head; "I thought that the arguing meant we loved each other, just like my mum and dad."

"Your mum and dad are weird." Hermione replied with a soft smile.

"Yeah, you're right" Ron shot back and they both cracked a quick grin. "So this is it, then?"

"I guess." Hermione closed in, rose up on her tiptoes and kissed Ron on the cheek. She walked to the door, and stopped. Tears were hanging unshed in the corner of her eyes as she turned back. "I do love you Ron...just not like you want me to."

"I know Hermione." Ron whispered, but she had already fled to the stairs and Ginny's room. Ron walked over to the icebox, removed the bottle of milk and returned to the table. Without another word or gesture, Ron attacked the cookies with renewed vigor.

A/N: There it is....

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4. A Joining Of Fire and Ice

A/N: here ya go, as always any screwups are all my fault

Chapter 4: A Joining of Fire and Ice.
********************The Burrow****************************

July 10, 1997

The weather was perfect for a July wedding, a comfortable; gentle breeze blew across the spectators as they waited, milling about on the lawn for the signal to take their seats. Harry was standing near the front porch, his emerald-green dress robes shining in the summer sun. He had just spoken with Neville, hurriedly filling in the one, that if not for the decision of a mad, would-be, tyrant, could have very well been in Harry's position today. But there are no guarantees. Harry thought as he spotted Ginny in a black dress that if Molly had not been distracted with the wedding, she would have had to go change long before, and if that the dress was not one that Fleur had chosen for her bridesmaids, of course.

Harry's looked at her, her hair glinting brightly as it spilled like a fall of fire over her bare back, and was surprised when he felt nothing really. Especially not when she was laughing at some joke Neville said, and patting his arm possessively. No odd beast rose up in his chest at the sight, save some vague question of what might have been. He glanced over at the already burgeoning buffet table that was set to one side, for the reception later today, only to have to hide a sudden grin as he watched Ron being chased away from it by Molly. His hidden grin only widened as he thought back and compared the sleek, black dress robes Ron was wearing today to the infamous maroon, lacey ones that circumstances had forced on him for the Yule Ball. His grin mostly disappeared as the other events of that year flitted across his thoughts, in his distraction; he missed the contemplative look that Ginny threw in his direction.

But what he did catch was in its own way; even more important. A shiny, shimmering presence, like the moon dancing in the daylight, glided up behind Ron and touched him on the shoulder. Harry was a touched, shocked, and Ron...Ron looked like Harry had felt the night he had first seen Hermione at the Yule Ball.

Luna looked as if she were the one who was getting married, not Fleur. The blond girl said something to Ron and he just nodded, as he looked her over and far from discretely. He took in the sparkling, silver sleeveless gown that was closed in at the throat and open down to the small of her back in the rear. She smiled softly up at him, her silvery-gray eyes oddly nervous as she adjusted a tiara of lilies on her hair.

"Pick up your jaw, Ron." Hermione muttered as she slipped in behind Harry. Harry turned to her, and his heart...hiccupped. Her eyes twinkled as she stood arms akimbo. Hermione's hair was straight and twirled up into a knot on the back of her head, with a loose strand falling forward on either side to frame her face. A long, silver needle held the knot up, with a bright green jewel on the tip. She did a little twirl as he slowly panned down, to take in the red version of Luna's dress, with a few alterations to fit the older witch, such as the slit hem on the right that went up almost to her hip, which as he caught a flash of skin as she moved, seemed to indicate that there was basically only her under it. A small, emerald glinted at her throat, held up by a platinum chain, setting off a pair of small emerald studs in her ears. "Well how do I look?" She asked with one eyebrow raised. He swallowed hard, and she grinned.

"Fine." Harry choked, and a look of hurt flashed darkened her chocolate eyes, she started to glance away, to stop at a hand on her arm. "I'm sorry Hermione, you look gorgeous. You shocked me a bit." She gave him a shy smile. A sudden commotion came from near the house and the duo watched the guests start to file towards the backyard. Molly came and collected Ron and Ginny and led them off. Fleur had picked Ginny to be one of her bridesmaids while Ron had lost the lot to stand up with Bill. The competition had been fierce between the twins and Ron over who would have to stand up with Bill. Normal Wizarding tradition would have had Charlie and Percy as companions to Bill, but as Percy hadn't even bothered to show up, the other Weasley boys had to substitute. While the entire family now heartily accepted Fleur as one of their own after her stanch defense of her husband to be at Hogwarts not a month ago, the younger boys had bemoaned having to stand up with Bill, so in the end, Bill had just chose Ron to end the bickering. Privately Harry thought Ron was happy to stand up with Bill, but he could never admit it to the twins.

"Would you escort me to my seat, kind sir?" Hermione asked cheekily.

Harry rolled his eyes and let out a long-suffering sigh, "If you insist." Hermione gave him a light punch on the arm, before taking his proffered arm in hers. They proceeded down the aisle to the groom's side and took seats about halfway down. Harry gave a soft greeting to Lupin and Tonks as they sat down in front of the pair. Harry and Hermione sat down, leaning their heads together and talking together in that odd, linked way that had come back to them so easily. They were totally oblivious to Tonks' slight eye roll and motion towards them, or Remus' responding laugh that was quickly covered as errant cough.

The music started and they stood. Ron, and Charlie climbed to the stage, with the elder Weasley taking up the post of best man. Hermione watched and dabbed away a tear as first Ginny and then Gabrielle marched slowly down the aisle and were helped to the stage with a hand from the boys. The music changed and every eye fell on the vision making her way up the aisle, alone and proud. Every eye except Harry's, whose gaze kept sliding to the girl next to him. Hermione caught his eye as Fleur reached the front and mouthed, "what." Harry just shook his head and glanced up front, missing the slight smile that danced on soft lips for just a moment.

The rest of the wedding was a blur, spent in a pleasant hum of normalcy. His best friend, confidante, whatever was at his side, laughing, as they watched Ron dance nervously on the stage, seemingly, more nervous than the groom himself. They chuckled softly together, catching the silent ire of Molly at least once, as they watched Ron's gaze periodically glance over at Luna, who was sitting a few seats from them. Harry's attention snapped back to the present as Fleur ran her fingers gently over Bill's scarred cheek, her ring glinting in the sun, and whispered, "forever, my love." Harry swallowed heavily for some reason and stared, almost dumbfounded as the minister announced them as husband and wife.

Hermione laughed softly as she grabbed his hand to pull him to his feet as the wedding party started to regress back down the aisle. They stood closely together, her hand not quite holding his as they watched the eldest Weasley escort his bride down the aisle in their first stroll as husband and wife. As the rest of the wedding party filled out from their seats Harry stayed, and sat back down. Puzzled, Hermione sat in the seat next to him and waited. "Hermione?"

"Yeah Harry?" She asked as a slight breeze played with the loose tendrils of her hair.

He frowned and looked down, "Do you think my Mum and Dad's wedding was like this? I mean I have pictures, but..."

"Oh Harry," Hermione sighed and bit her lip, "I'm sure it was beautiful. Just like I'm sure yours will be someday." Her eyes caught his and they both fell suddenly silent. After a minute he grinned at her and stood, extending his hand. She took it demurely and let him help her to her feet. "Lets go congratulate Bill and Fleur."

The line to congratulate the newest Weasley couple was long; winding around the outside of house all the way to the back, where the wedding had been so they really didn't have to go far. While in line, Hermione elbowed Harry and pointed out Ron as he seemed to be sneaking periodic bits of food from the buffet by levitating them over with his wand behind his back, while at the same time, returning the handshakes and words of the guests as he stood in the reception line next to Charlie and Ginny. Hermione leaned over to Harry just as they took another step and whispered, "interesting cough Ron has developed, seems that every time he has to cover his mouth, he has to chew right after."

Harry grinned, "at least he's swallowing before answering." He muttered back and she laughed. Remus and Tonks spun to look back at them from about five people in front of them, and let the others pass.

"What's so funny?" Remus inquired with a Marauder-worthy glint in his eyes. Hermione smiled and whispered the answer to the Lycan behind her hand. He glanced over and chuckled, and after he related the item to his date, her trademark braying laugh rang out over the lawn. Several guests turned and looked at the quartet, with a few muttering things about the "chosen one." Harry frowned a bit and turned away. Hermione's eyes grew hard and her glare caused the worse offender, some Ministry hack that had been invited because of Arthur's job, to turn her face back to her date.

"Harry, they're idiots." Hermione whispered to him as he paused and let others go past him. He shook his head as his eyes examined the grass minutely. She waved to Remus to save their place in line as she led Harry to the side once more. Her eyes were only on Harry; not catching the hard gaze of another pair of dark brown eyes as they flicked over to them from the reception line. "Harry, you can't listen to them...it's..."

"You don't think I don't hear them Hermione?" He whispered bitterly, "about how their 'chosen one' couldn't even save Dumbledore from a teacher...about how he let Draco fucking Malfoy get the better of him? Did you ever think that maybe the reason I didn't want to go back to school, was what I'd have to hear from the Slytherins...you know that you will be telling me to just take it, to not do anything..."

"No actually." She said softly. A trace of regret for something, some lost bit of childhood colored her voice, "no, those days are over Harry. We won't be able to back down from anything or anyone..." Harry looked up surprised, and she gave him a sad, little smile. Fingers came forward of their own volition and swept inky bangs out of his eyes. "I am telling you now, and I'll tell Ron later. We will have to own that school, go back to the old days of the Heads, make the Slytherins look over their shoulders at every moment...now, however if you two are stupid or capricious about it you will have to answer to me."

"Yes, mum" Harry grunted and she laughed.

They progressed through the line, eventually greeting the wedding party. And if Ron's hug of Hermione was a tiny bit uncomfortable and Ginny's slight reluctance to let go of Harry was evident, it wasn't really noticeable. Harry stepped to Fleur and the blond witch grinned and swept him into a hug. "'arry. Bill and I would like to zeak to u" She muttered in his ear and he gave her an odd, questioning glance as he stepped back. She nodded and handed him off to her new husband. As Bill embraced him, he repeated Fleur's comments in a hurried undertone. As they left the line, a shared glance and Harry knew that Hermione had been asked the same.

Several minutes later, after Harry had retrieved a plate of food for each of them, and Hermione had acquired a pair of butterbeers, they sat down at a table slightly set off from the rest. Harry glanced up in the middle of cutting his meat and caught her doing the same. He laughed and his thoughts flashed back to thousands of meals at Hogwarts, with her sitting across from him, under the watchful gaze of his mentor...his grandfather in all that mattered really, and his smile fell.

Hermione's lip was captured in her teeth as she saw his expression. Her hand came across the small table to rest on his; then shot apart as Bill and Fleur came around on their rounds, Charlie and Ron were trailing them as they smiled down at them. Ron looked a touch, conflicted, as he looked down at Harry and Hermione, but he sat at Harry's left without another thought. Harry's eyebrows shot up as Bill's wand described a pentagram in the air and a shimming cone enveloped the table for an instant before becoming invisible.

Bill sat next to Harry, as Fleur perched on Bill's knee. Charlie leaned forward on the table, "Harry..." Bill's gaze flicked to Fleur's and she gave him a small smile. "We know."

"Know what?" Ron asked with a quick glance to Harry and Hermione.

"We aren't stupid, little bro." Charlie replied, smiling.

"We know that you three are up to something." Bill replied. He looked directly at Harry, "We knew, even if mum would never admit it that it was always going to between you and Voldemort. And that you two would be there with him until the end." He glanced at his oldest brother and his wife, "We just want you to know that whatever you need, whenever, we'll be there."

"All of uz." Fleur put in. She squeezed Bill hand and leaned forward over the table. Her head cocked towards Harry slightly. "'arry, 'ermione...Ron. Gabrielle is going to 'ogwartz this year. Keep her zafe."

"Fleur, I couldn't...I can't save anyone, I couldn't save Dumbledore." Hermione's eyes dropped and met Ron's sadly. Her eyes never left Ron's as she reached across the table to grab Harry's hand. His neck barely bent, but the nod was still there all the same. None of the trio caught the looks that Bill, Charlie and Fleur passed amongst themselves.

"We'll do what we can." Hermione answered for her boys and Fleur answered with a jerky nod. Bill gave them a small smile, and Fleur gave Ron and Harry a kiss on the cheek as they got up and left.

After they had gone around the corner, and left Charlie to investigate the possibilities of finding a gillywater martini for Fleur and a pair of fresh beers for him and Bill, Bill grinned and pulled Fleur in for a hard kiss. She smiled against his lips as they hid from hurricane Molly as she passed by looking for the wedding party. "What's the chances of you and I sneaking off, M'lady?"

Fleur giggled as Bill nuzzled on her neck. "For 'enzligh lezzons?" They both laughed. "Bill?" Fleur asked suddenly.

"Aye, luv?" Bill replied with distracted air of one who had been married for about two hours and had yet to really have a moment with his wife.

Her eyes were concerned as she glanced back in the general direction of the trio. "'zhe'z 'ztill trying...I can zell it'" She ran her hands up and down Bill's arms as he pulled her into his chest. She kissed the shoulder of his robes as his hands ran up and down her back contemplatively.

"I know, Fleur, I know." At that very instant Charlie returned with drinks in hand. He handed them out, receiving a tired smile in return from Bill.

"Why the long faces." Charlie asked with a laugh, then sighed and glanced around..."Let me guess, its still going on, isn't it?" Fleur just nodded, and leaned back into Bill's arms.

"I wizh, I waz not a Veela...I would not knowz..." She added softly. She glanced up and back at Bill. And he shook his head sadly.

"I tried. But you saw today. Maybe the point is moot, they certainly seem to be on the way back to normal..."

"You mean where they should have been last year if it were not for?" Charlie replied. "You know that if they figure out what happened...it'll split the family, mum'll never believe that her baby could do such things, Bill."

Fleur looked between the two, "iz 'is not a wedding?" She asked and the boys laughed. She squeaked loudly as Bill picked her up and swung her around, kissing her firmly the whole time. The discussion was tabled, for now...

Back at the table they had left, the trio was looking at each other silently. Ron was working on a heaping plate that he had retrieved from the buffet, while Harry sat picking at his food. Hermione glanced between the two, torn over what exactly to say, Hell, I don't know what I'm feeling really, let alone to say. She popped a chocolate-covered strawberry in her mouth and chewed contemplatively. They all turned as a tinking sound echoed in the glen and Charlie stood at the head table.

He raised a flute of champagne in his right hand. He glanced down at Bill and Fleur and back into the crowd that was standing and sitting around the clearing that housed the Burrow. "When Bill came to me last summer and told me that he was getting married..." Charlie grinned, "Well I admit I was shocked. I told him, Bill...you know this is one bird for the rest of your life, are you insane?" Laughter broke out among the crowd; even Minerva McGonagall cracked a grin at the reminder of her infamous, former seeker and Head Boy's antics with the fairer sex at Hogwarts. "And then," he continued, "he told me of this wondrous girl, she was gorgeous he said, but that didn't matter because she had the heart of a lion, and her inner beauty far outstripped anything on the outside. Well I wasn't too sure that the boy hadn't been confunded, because I only knew of her through her being chased by dragons." Fleur laughed. "But then I got to really know her, and I am proud to welcome her to the clan...welcome sister." A tear blossomed, as Charlie raised his glass above his head. "To Bill and Fleur...may their hearts provide them all the comfort they need, and may they never need any comfort other than each others'...and may they have kids really soon so mum gets off the rest of our cases."

"HERE HERE." Came an anonymous voice from the rear.

Charlie laughed for a moment, "William, my brother, congratulations...and Fleur, good luck...you'll need it. Bill and Fleur."

"Bill and Fleur."

Music floated out over the air, and Bill and Fleur slipped to a large, conjured hardwood floor sitting out in the middle of the clearing. She flowed into his arms and more than one "awww," was heard from the female guests. The happy couple danced alone, all eyes on them, for the first song and halfway through the second when other couples started to drift out onto the dance floor. Hermione pointed and laughed as Gabrielle, little tiny, fourteen-year-old Gabrielle was dancing with Charlie. The future Head Girl glanced at both of her boys; sighed and looked longingly out at the dancing couples.

Harry's gaze met Ron's and something passed between the two boys, but before either could say anything to the other, a soft, airy voice came from behind Ron's shoulder, "Um, Ronald?" Luna asked as she stood in her silver gown, her head was cocked at an odd angle like a large crane and her voice was a touch tremulous, "would you..."

Ron looked at Hermione and Harry, and rose slowly to stand over Luna. He took her hand, gracefully brought it to his lips and she almost collapsed, "I would be honored, my lady." He led the willowy blonde onto the dance floor and Harry and Hermione watched with slightly slack jaws as Ron and Luna started to sway together to the music. "Well..." Harry said, softly, "Okay then..."

"Yeah." Hermione replied, equally as thoughtfully. She glanced over Harry's shoulder, "Harry, Ginny's coming for you like a herd of Tamerian Snortcats."

"Huh?" Harry replied to Hermione's Lunaism. He glanced back out of the corner of his eye to see a slight, vision in red and black approaching and stood quickly. He never turned as he extended his hand to Hermione, "If you would grace me with this dance." Hermione's eyes came up to meet his and she nodded. She never let herself turn and look at Ginny as she let Harry lead her out onto the dance floor by the hand. Her arms went around his neck of their own accord as she felt his hands settle on her hips. "Thanks Mione." Harry said softly as they started two sway to the music and his heart pounded at the sudden escape...

She snorted softly, "for what?"

"Saving my arse like always." Harry replied with a grin and she giggled. "Ginny was coming to try to get me out here so she could try again to get me to let her come with us" He shrugged under her wrists, "I'm tired of telling her no."

Hermione looked down at their feet. "Harry you could let her come with us...at least to Grimmauld, you could..." Hermione felt her heart start to race, as she suddenly couldn't bear to see his eyes when he agreed with her.

"No, Mione." Harry whispered as his hands slipped off her hips to rest together on the small of her back. Her eyes slowly came back up to his as she felt her heart pounding in her chest. "I meant it then, and I'm not telling her any different...she has no idea what she would be in for..." he sighed as her arms slid higher around his neck. "And she has no idea who I really am, not like..." Harry trailed off as he spotted Ron over Hermione's shoulder. He grinned suddenly and indicated his friend with a nod. "I guess Ron is noticing Luna" Harry announced, then as Hermione glanced back, with an odd, longing expression to find Luna head tucked under Ron's and a beauteous smile on her lips. "Hermione..."

"It's over Harry," she replied before he could even complete his thought and his stomach flip-flopped, hard. "Whatever it was, its over." Her whispered soprano was wistful, but not quite sad. It was more as if she were merely commenting on the loss of a sentimental dream than anything real. She bit her lip and dropped her head to his chest. Her left cheek pressed against Harry's chest as the crown of her head tucked perfectly under his chin. Her eyes slipped closed as a feeling of peace filled her for the first time since that fateful night that she had seen the body of her Headmaster lying motionless on the ground under the Astronomy Tower.

Neither of them saw the burning eyes of a girl in a night-black dress as she stomped off.

The song ended and they slowly pulled away from each other, neither quite wanting to meet the others' eyes, just in case. Harry and Hermione returned to their table from before. Harry held out her chair as she sat, and sat himself. Harry looked out over the guests and the couples still on the dance floor, "Hermione," Harry's gaze was troubled as he watched Ron continuing to dance with Luna. "Are you ok with this, really?"

She smiled at him, wanly, "Yeah Harry, I really am...I've known it was over for few days now. When I went to your Aunt's place I knew, I just didn't admit it to myself until we got back here and Ron and I were fighting within the hour." Hermione shrugged and took a slip of some cocktail that appeared at her elbow with a soft pop. Harry made a mental note to give Dobby a raise.

A sudden commotion caused them both of them to stand and hurry back to the dance floor. Harry's hand was on his wand as she hurriedly pushed though the crowd, and he was not so distracted to miss the sight of Hermione's hand slipping under the slit in the side of her dress and emerging with her wand. So that explains the garter. The random thought slipped across his brain as he came into the cleared area at the center of the dance floor, with Hermione at his back and Ron at his side a heartbeat later. As they witnessed the scene on the dance floor, a huge grin broke out on his face. Harry's wand slipped back into his robes as Hermione let out an odd "squee" sound next to him and Ron chuckled.

"Nymphadora..." Remus said softly as every eye in the clearing was on him. He had been nervous about doing this here, but Tonks was to leave tomorrow for a bit on a mission for the remnants of the Order, and he was damned if he would let her leave without knowing his true feelings. And besides, Fleur had thought the idea terribly romantic and Bill had just shaken his hand when he asked their permission to do this on their special day. "You are far too good for me, and I can't say how good a husband or a...father I would be, but I love you more than my poor words can express. Marry me? Please?"

Harry thought he could see the pulse pounding in poor Remus' throat as he knelt, looking up at the black-haired, gray-eyed, base form of his lover. A sudden silence fell over the place as more than one person waited on her response. Tonks' mouth opened and closed a couple of times, with only a strangled, "wotcher" slipping out. Finally she gave up on speaking, fell to her knees in front of Lupin and dove forward onto him. She was raining kisses on his face as loud, tumultuous applause erupted, none being louder than that from the wedding party or Harry, Hermione and Ron.

*****************************Harry and Ron's Room************************

11:12 pm

After several hours of dancing, revelry and a truly amazing amount of butterbeer consumed by the guests, the Burrow was once again filled with only Weasleys or those considered such. Fleur had beamed as she came into the living room at Bill's excited yell to find her name on the clock. Molly cried as the blond witch gave her a hug, with more than a few tears of her own mixing with the Weasley matriarch's. Her and Bill had left to London, where they would leave from for a short Honeymoon in the morning.

Almost every non-married female and a couple of the married ones had flocked to Tonks to minutely examine the ring that Lupin had given her. Even ever practical Hermione and, slightly not on the same plane of existence, Luna had basked in the reflected glow from Tonks. A few of Fleur's more annoying relatives had pooh-poohed the odd ring, with a tiny, engraved wolf in the gold band, and its odd, color-changing, main stone, but Harry had thought it rather appropriate. The werewolf and the metamorph had vanished soon after to go...celebrate, and Harry and Ron had muttered a few ribald jokes at Lupin's expense, until Hermione had whacked both of them upside the head. Her eyes had been grinning though.

Harry looked up from the packages spread out on his bed as the door to the room opened. A brief white flash lit the room as Hermione cast an Imperturbable spell on the room. Ron glanced up from his Quidditch Quarterly, and grunted a greeting. Hermione gave him a slight, sneering, eyeroll and Harry silently chuckled at them. "Are these what the twins brought by Harry?" Hermione inquired with an eager note to her voice. She looked over the open roll of equipment, and bent down curiously to examine a few of the objects in detail.

"Yeah Hermione." Harry replied as he walked over to Ron's bed and kicked it.

"Oi?"

"Get your arse over here mate."

"Seen it," Ron replied, annoyedly, "Those are the mark two kits they are selling to the Aurors." CRACK. Ron fell out of his bed as Fred and George appeared at the foot of his bed. "Bloody hell you two, how did you get past Hermione's Imperturbable charm?"

"Because it doesn't guard against apparation Ronald." Hermione replied exasperatedly, "and they are Weasleys, they are allowed past the house wards."

"Yes little brother." Fred said as he pulled Ron to his feet.

"Pay attention, Ronniekins, because it could just save your life" Inserted George as he walked over to Harry and handed him three packages. He went over to Fred to stand near their wares and waited for Harry. Harry tossed one of two identical packages to Hermione and the second to Ron, who fielded it absently.

"Happy birthday." Harry said softly as Ron opened his, and gasped. "Yeah Ron, I got tired of you trying to fit under the cloak with us." He glanced at the twins, "Nothing leaves here; I mean it." They nodded as Harry walked over to Ron and pulled a golden key on a chain from his pocket. "Welcome to the firm, Ronald." Ron looked confused, as Harry took pity on him, "That my friend, is something that I had set up before Hermione had convinced me to go back to Hogwarts, I think she is right, but this should still prove useful. You are now my chief field investigator for Fawkes Industries."

Ron glanced down at it thoughtfully, "thanks Harry."

"What little bro, no odd protestations that you shouldn't take it?" Jibed Fred.

"It's not charity Ron," Harry put in as Hermione took care of glaring at the twins for him. Fred raised his hands in surrender.

"I didn't think it was Harry," Ron looked up with a slight grin, "so how much?"

"100,000" Harry replied and the twins whistled. "A year." Their jaws dropped. Ron did look shocked then and started to toss back the key but Harry shook his head, "No Ron, I'm serious, you need the money just in case. Ok?"

"And Hermione?" Ron asked curiously as he hung the chain around his neck.

"Harry set something similar up for me." Hermione replied with the barest of eye flicks in Harry's direction. She took her invisibility cloak out from the package that Harry had given her. She tossed it over herself and vanished. She reappeared a moment later as she took it off. "Where the heck did you two get a pair of these? Its hard enough to find one." Fred opened his mouth to respond, "never mind, I don't want to know." She corrected herself as she muttered things like "I'm a felon and I'm not even eighteen."

Harry and Ron grinned at each other behind her back. "Ok then, you two lets see what you brought." Harry watched as the twins...glowed as they started to explain their latest creations. He slipped the package containing Muggle pounds that he had had the twins get for him into a pocket of the cargo pants he had changed into after the wedding. Ron and Hermione came over to him and the trio stood on the opposite side of the bed from the twins as the two opened their mouths.

"First," Began George, "Two sets of our shield hats and cloaks each. These are special in that they automatically change to look like either Muggle or Wizarding attire according on where you are. They should appear to look like standard clothes as well, not like the older ones that everyone knew were special." Fred held up a small box, he opened it to show tiny bottles and flasks, and a one-inch cauldron. "A full miniaturized potions lab, it automatically expands and shrinks as needed. There's a full set of ingredients for things such as the Strengthening Potion, Blood-Replenishment, etc. Hermione, yours is a little bigger, it has a larger set of ingredients, for things like Polyjuice, Veritaserum...we can get more for the rest of you, but most of those are restricted...we cleaned out our private stocks for you." Harry nodded his thanks; there was nothing else to say.

Fred waved at another group of items, "The instant darkness powder, and these..." he held up a pair of slightly odd looking glasses, "After Hogwarts...we made these, these will allow you to see in the darkness, I charmed yours with your prescription Harry. Those are not for sale. The only ones in existence right now are these three pair and a pair for each of us. We should have the rest ready for the DA and the Order, what's left of it, by the fall." He picked up several shiny disks with metal teeth embedded in the rims. "Expanding Very-Fanged Frisbees. These can be thrown directly, or can be set to act as defenders of the wielder, attacking any non-friendly within fifty feet; you choose the friendly. You can chose between steel and silver for the blades with a spell. Argentium Grenade, shoots silver spikes up to twenty feet, I would make sure you are further away than that, even if you aren't a werewolf." Ron pulled his hand back from examining the silver orb, and George snickered softly.

"Anti-floo powder." Fred said as he held up a half dozen phials of a red powder, "shuts down a floo fire, both ways, for a half hour. Fire does not actually have to be lit if its something like a fireplace, just smash a vial in the hearth. Shocking Ropes...not sure what you will do with them, but we made them up the other day. They provide a shock to whatever you tie them up with. Also a set of Ever-Expanding Ropes for Climbing. Portkey Scrambler; redirects any targeted Portkey to a site of your choosing, it's similar to the spell." He answered Hermione's question before she asked it.

"Bugs." George said as he held up a jar, of what did really appear to be tiny, silver bugs. "Let them go, and they will come back in an hour and dump their memories into any Pensive. Good for things like rooms that certain people guard with Imperturbable charms to save the little children's feelings."

"Couldn't come up with a better name?" Ron snorted.

"We were in a hurry, Angelina will come up with a better name after you three take down Voldemort." Fred retorted sarcastically. "Would you rather we made them all look like spiders?" Ron wisely shut up. "That's basically it for now Harry. There are a few more things that we are working on, but they are still unreliable...we won't let you guys use something that might fail on you."

"Thanks guys." Harry replied gratefully, and then stopped as Fred raised one finger and pulled an odd, t-shaped item from the pockets of his robes. A plethora of lights lit the surface of the odd instrument, as he looked at it.

"We were thinking of what you said about testing the staff at Hogwarts, Harry." Fred explained. "We had started work on this a while ago to detect aura deviations that indicate someone was under the influence of external magics....potions, the Imperious, the usual." He ran it over himself and it remained quiescent. Fred nodded and turned a knob. The lights lit up as he passed it over Harry and Hermione and he whacked it on the side, hard. "You aren't still being possessed by Moldieshorts are you?" He joked.

"I hope not," Harry, replied wryly, "bugger has the worst sense of humor."

"Thought not." George sighed, "I guess we will take it back to the shop with us, I hope we can get it working for you by the start of school. If it works, we will rig up something with a Protean charm...if Hermione will help us?" She nodded with a small smile, "so you don't have to have the unit visible, maybe something like a quill?" He mused.

Harry went over to his pack and pulled it open. He set his old pocket sneakascope out on top of some clothes as he dug in the bottom. He pulled a small, jingling bag from a hidden flap in the bottom, and pressed it into Fred's hand. "Here you go. Guys, let me know you need any..." Fred opened the bag and poured half of the coins within, out, and handed them back to Harry.

"You're family Harry, all of this and the DA gear is at our cost," Fred said softly. We'll see you guys later. Don't get yourselves killed, we want you three for endorsements after the war." And with that the twins vanished with a CRACK.

"Endorsements?" Ron asked as the echoes of the twins' apparations faded from the room. "What the bloody hell are those? Some odd doormen?" His face was classically Ron, classically puzzled. Hermione bit her lip as her gaze flicked over to Harry. Chocolate met emerald and they both lost it. "What?" Ron whined and their laughter redoubled.

"It's a Muggle thing Ron." Hermione replied after a moment. She opened her mouth to say something else and a loud knock was heard faintly through the ward. It was instantly apparent why the Trio was unstoppable when they were together. Hermione's wand was already flashing as she Envesco'ed the gear from the twins. Ron picked up his discarded Quidditch magazine and slipped his new cloak under his pillow as Hermione made a large spellbook appear from somewhere and sat cross-legged on the bed in her sweats and t-shirt, while Harry flopped on the bed so as to look as if they were doing homework. The ward died as Harry pocketed his wand and Hermione shouted, "come in" towards the door. All in the span of about ten seconds.

The door opened slowly to find Ginny standing alone in the doorway. "I thought I heard an apparation?" Hermione's eyes flicked over to meet Ron's, which were rolled heavenward behind his magazine where Hermione could, but Ginny could not see them from her angle at the door. Hermione knew damn well that the trio could have had a marching band in here with her wards up and no one would have been wiser.

"No Ginny." Harry replied softly, "What's up?"

"I was just wondering what you were up to?" She replied as she came over and sat next to Harry on the bed. A brief scent of roses flitted across his nose as she leaned close to him to examine the book he and Hermione had open between them, "what's this?" She asked.

"Oh," Hermione replied with a long, annoyed, sigh, "like usual Harry was behind on his homework for the summer. So I was helping him. I swear these two would fail out if I didn't harass them."

Ginny gave her small nod and a smile that did not quite reach her eyes. She leaned across Harry and a hint of roses met his nose once more. His mind started to process some obscure fact that had eluded him for a year, when it was interrupted by Ginny. "So Ron, what's up with Luna?" The cut of her eyes towards Hermione was almost undetectable.

"We had a nice time" Ron replied saccharinely, as he slipped into the old patterns of brother and sister. "What was up with you pawing Neville? Huh Sis?"

Ginny shrugged as she leaned close to Harry, "He's nice, I bet he would be a good kisser, what about Luna huh, get in a snog or two?"

Harry's breath caught, as a growl of something ate its' way up from the pit of something. His eyes hardened as he started to say something, then without any warning another old companion came home to roost. Neville's a nice bloke. Hermione voice rang in his head; he'll be good for her. "Good for you Ginny." Harry put in with a genuine smile. He yawned, "I don't know about you guys but I would like to go to bed." Hermione gave him the feeblest of nods as his eyes caught hers and she got up.

"Ok Harry, we'll work on this tomorrow. At Godric's Hollow she mentally finished. Her eyes caught the five splayed fingers Harry held down by his side as she and Ginny left out the door to the room and closed it behind them as Harry was walking to his trunk to get sleep pants out. He dug for a second; then glanced over suddenly as a soft whirring penetrated his tired thoughts to find the sneakascope still spinning.

A/N: Next Chapter, A small Muggle village in Wales.

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5. You Can't go Home Again

Here we go, a note on the italicized colors, as normal Italics are thoughts and or particularly emphazied words, both in dialogue and text. The color are for the most part character specific, black-Harry, blue-Hermione, orange-Ron/Ginny, etc. AS usual I still don't own anything...Kristin, if there are any screwups, it's my fault, please berate me.

Chapter 5: You Can't Go Home Again.
***************************Godric's Hollow, Wales*************************

July 11, 1997
5:15 am

A raging storm was washing over the tiny, Muggle village high up in the hill country on the seashore. The early morning was dark, with nary a streetlight or porch lamp in sight, the power had gone out several hours ago, and no one from the local co-op had yet appeared to fix it. CRACK, Three figures appeared in the middle of the empty street on the very edge of town, carving out gaps in the sheets of water falling from the skies with their bodies. "Bloody Hell, Harry." Ron snapped as he glanced over at his friends, "you didn't say it would be raining."

Hermione rolled her eyes as she dropped her arm from Harry's and stepped away from their Side-Along Apparition arrival spot. She swept suddenly sodden hair from her eyes and didn't even bother to raise the hood on her cloak. "Like he checked the weather on the wireless before we left Ron." She turned on him, "we weren't making any noise, remember?"

"Come on you two." Harry sighed as he started to walk down the lane. They walked almost a mile in the pouring rain before arriving at a wrought iron gate, rusted shut and overgrown with ivy. Harry's wand flicked and the gate opened with a loud, squelching sound. A brief grin crossed his lips as he heard Hermione's muttered "reparo" on the gate as she passed through. It closed much quieter than it had opened when Ron closed it from sheer habit.

A crack of lighting illuminated the sight of a torn and shattered, once whitewashed, house and Harry stopped abruptly. He looked up at the burnt and shattered top floor, the blown-in front door and gulped. Behind his back, Ron and Hermione shared a glance and came forward as one, to stand at Harry's shoulders. He gave each of them a small smile and together they stepped forward. A slight tingle of static ran down their skin and danced in the small hairs at the back of their necks. Harry glanced at Hermione, she shrugged; there shouldn't be active wards after all of this time with no occupant.

His hand was shaking slightly as he placed it on the empty doorframe and looked into the torn and shattered front room. A large indentation was visible on the stained plaster on the far wall, and a dark smear of, something, was on the carpet at his feet. He stepped inside and felt the eyes of both of his friends on him as he stepped around an overturned and ripped couch. Hermione's boots made a slight crackling sound as she tread over some broken glass to stand at Harry's side as he stood at the foot of the stairs looking upward. Her eyes flicked back to Ron and he nodded, mouthing, "I'll look around down here." He was already pulling his wand and muttering a charm that Hermione had hurriedly taught the boys this morning, one that would detect aberrant magical signatures. Of course, if it would even work here was a good question as Harry's own signature, as indeed those of the other two, weren't quite normal for seventeen year olds, or almost seventeen years in Harry's case.

Harry didn't question the soft tread behind his as he eased up stairs that had last seen the heavy tread of frantic rescuers, terrified that all was lost.

Harry didn't make a sound as he walked into his parents' bedroom. A stained and age darkened coverlet in Gryffindor colors was laying crumpled at the foot of the bed. The large, four poster bed itself was broken and shattered as it sat under soot colored walls. A large hole in the wall at one corner of the room revealed a black, rolling, stormy sky. Harry walked silently over to the broken, bay window at the back of the room, that the bed had once looked out over commandingly. In the gradually lightening early morning, vague shapes of miles and miles of hills and forests could be made out, while off to the side something else, maybe the seashore, was slightly visible. Hermione stood at the entrance to the room, her hands covering her mouth as tears threatened to come forth.

She stepped aside quickly as Harry hurried out of the room and her back hit the wall, hard. She leaned against it for a long, long moment before following Harry.

She found him, standing in the middle of the floor of the room next door, and the tears did come. He was bent over slightly, in front of the remains of an old, broken crib. A small, blue blanket was clutched in his fist and tiny, gold snitches could still be seen as they swept around the cloth. Faded, moving, murals of Quidditch pitches, unicorns and happy hippogriffs and other magical creatures cavorted around the walls. "Mum..." he whispered and Hermione bit her lip until it bled slightly to keep from saying anything.

His eyes turned to the doorway, and somehow she knew he wasn't seeing her. "NO!" He screamed, "NO, you fucking bastard stay away." Hermione dove to the ground as Harry's wand appeared in his hand and a blue bolt snapped over her head and out through a broken window at the end of the hall into the storm. Ron thundered up the stairs, to stop out of sight at Hermione's frantic motion. She eased around behind Harry, and with a deep breath, ran to him and threw her arms around his chest from behind.

"Harry...calm down, l...calm down, its ok, no one is here except me and Ron." She cooed to him, and barely caught his weight as he staggered backwards, his wand falling from suddenly limp fingers. "Shhh, calm down." They eased down to the floor together.

His eyes slowly regained focus behind water stained lenses. His lip trembled as he turned and saw her. "Mione...he was here, mum was here...he..."

"I know, Harry, I know." She shook her head as Ron appeared at the doorway behind his wand. He nodded and left as quietly as he had come. Her hands slowly swept wet bangs from Harry's forehead as they sat on the soggy carpet. She kissed his forehead softly as he rocked in her arms, sobbing silently, just like the Dursleys had taught him.

Hermione walked into the kitchen an hour later. Unlike the rest of the house, this part was mostly clean and dry. Nothing sullied the kitchen save a few cobwebs in the corner. The evidentially remaining, though weakened, house wards had apparently been sufficient to keep any errant flora and fauna out of the house. Ron was sitting with his elbows on a large butcher-block table, under a still hanging rack of pots, nursing a cup of conjured coffee. He summoned one for her as she sat down across from him. "Is he ok?" Ron asked in a small voice.

"No" Hermione replied, truthfully. "But he'll survive."

Ron nodded, "Yeah, that seems to be the case with him...with us I guess." He played with his cup and dug in his pack. He pulled out a paper-wrapped sandwich and pushed it across to her, "here Hermione, eat, we left before breakfast."

She took a bite of the sausage and egg sandwich and eyed him suspiciously, "What about you?" She asked after she swallowed a bite.

"Already did." Ron admitted with no trace of self-consciousness." He took a deep breath, "Hermione, I would have never been jealous of him, had I..."

"I know Ron." She gave him a tired smile, "I know." She reached across and patted his hand for a second before reaching for her sandwich again.

"I guess you saw how the Dursleys treated him?" I never really did, I mean when I did Dad and Gred and Forge were there..."

"I even saw that fucking cupboard Ron...I laid down in it, and I'm like half his size and I barely...fit." She whispered, her eyes were haunted as she looked over at him, "I didn't know, I mean I had heard from him a little and from you and the twins, but...Ron if I had known, really known, the entire Order wouldn't have been enough to keep me from taking him from there. Why the bloody, fucking hell Dumbledore kept him there I don't understand."

Ron snorted softly, "the blood protections...what else Hermy?" She didn't have the heart to glare at him for the hated nickname. "You ever wonder..." Ron got up and walked to the door to the kitchen. He glanced out into the living room to make sure Harry wasn't there. "That if Dumbledore wasn't trying to harden him? To get him ready?"

"And a wonderful fricking job he did of it Ron." She snapped, and gave him an apologetic look; this wasn't his fault. "He couldn't even cry properly for her, Ron. The bloody Dursleys have beaten that out of him."

"I could let you two go onto Grimmauld when we leave and I could stop by Privet Drive on the way back?" Ron asked hopefully, with a slightly hungry look.

Hermione snorted softly, "No that's desert after we kill Voldemort." Ron nodded and didn't even flinch at Tom Riddle's alias. She finished her sandwich and got up to go explore the house.

"Hermione?"

"Yeah Ron?"

"You know, I'm glad that Harry didn't let Ginny come along...not because she's my sister, and we all have about a fifty, fifty chance of getting killed, but..."

"But what Ron?"

Ron took a deep breath and stood back from the table, he paced to the back window overlooking the sodden grounds and his shoulders fell tiredly, "She couldn't have taken it Hermione. Or rather she couldn't have taken Harry, not like this." Hermione gave him a silent nod and left to go check on Harry, "not like you." Ron finished in a whisper.

Hermione was growing slightly frantic, as she could not find Harry in the house. Desperate, her path led her out into the still raging storm. The sheeting rain instantly soaked her to the bone as she ran about. Looking. After another minute she paused and glanced up at a tall hill overlooking the house on one side, and the ocean on another. Her heart fell to her stomach as she saw the dark figure bent low over a pair of harsh white stones set under a tall beech tree.

She ran up the hill, casting a Silencio on her steps so as not to disturb Harry. He was kneeling in front of a pair of white, marble gravestones. The stones were simply marked with James Potter, and Lily Potter, 1981. A small lion was engraved under their names on each of the stones along with the words "only the strongest of hearts can give light to the darkness." A tall, beech tree crouched protectively over the stones, a comfortable looking bench was sat on one side of the tree, a quarter of the way around from the stones, under a carved heart in the bark of the tree with the initials J and L intertwined with a large P. Hermione covered her mouth to keep from weeping again.

"Sorry Hermione." Harry said as she came up behind him with nary a word, or sound to mark her presence. "I just had to..." Rain streamed off his glasses as he turned to look at her. He cleared his throat softly. "Mum, dad, this is Hermione...she's the main reason I'm still alive after all my screw ups." Harry continued to look at Hermione, and his voice faltered, "I wish you were here to meet her." Hermione gave him a small smile as she knelt on the saturated ground in front of him and watched him from about twelve inches away. Her hair was dark brown, almost black with water, and hanging in drenched ringlets around her face. More rain ran off her lashes and down her cheeks as she looked up at him slightly. "I...I guess you should a...ask Sirius, he knew her."

"Oh, Harry" Hermione whispered, and she crumpled into him, her resolve finally broken. For the second time today tears mixed with the rainwater. She could feel heavy drops hitting the top of her head as Harry held on to her for dear life. Her head was tucked under his chin, just like yesterday, but today her face was buried in his drenched jacket, as if she were trusting Harry, even as torn up as he was, to protect her against anything that came their way.

The time that the pair clung to each other under the falling sky might have minutes or hours...they never knew. Finally after that endless period, Harry pulled Hermione to her feet and led her back to the broken house, her hand clutched desperately in his the entire way.

For his part, Ron only handed them dry towels that he had acquired from somewhere and led them into a back room, maybe James' den from the age-tarnished and faded Quidditch posters and trophies on the wall. On one wall, set proudly in the exact center, a row of various diplomas and awards hung in two columns, one for Lily, and one for James. Copies of their Heads' papers, their NEWT degrees, an advanced degree for Lily from Stonehenge University, their Auror graduation diplomas and still others. Ron had already cleared a large space on the floor for their sleeping bags, and had rolled them out. Hermione's was between the boys.

Harry dried his hair, making it even messier than it had been before and started walking around the room. Like the kitchen and unlike the rest of the house, this room was oddly undisturbed. Small knick nacs cluttered shelves along with books on several subjects. An old, Wizarding chess set sat on a small table to one side between a cracked leather couch and a wingback chair. The pieces were frozen, not moving, looking just like a Muggle set. The enchantment had worn off years ago.

Harry walked around his father's desk, and looked down at a framed photo of himself in his mother's arms. He carried the picture with him as he sat down on the old couch next to Hermione.

Harry stared at the picture for a long minute as Hermione leaned over his shoulder to see it as well. Finally, he set it aside with a sigh and looked at his friends. "Thanks."

Hermione just nodded, as Ron replied, "Sure mate. Sure."

*************************The Burrow***************************

7:00 am

Ginny awoke from a rather...pleasant dream. She smiled slightly as a fleeting vision of messy hair slipped from her thoughts. She looked over at a cloud of blond hair spread out over a pillow. Luna was asleep on her stomach, and humming a soft tune. Ginny rolled her eyes as she realized it was "Weasley is our King." She laughed softly to herself as she thought of Ron and Luna together, Delusional.

Ginny looked down at an empty cot next to Luna's and sighed. Hermione was always an odd one...getting up early to go to class. She rolled her eyes once more and crossed to her closet, and selected a pair of short, cut-off jean shorts and a thin-strapped tank. Ginny peeled off her pajamas from the night before and slipped the clothes on, not bothering to put anything else on.

She left Luna humming the second chorus and padded up to the boys room. Carefully she eased the door open, just in case for some odd reason Ron was parading around naked. Of course if it were Harry... But she was disappointed. Ginny opened the door fully to discover neither Harry nor Ron sleeping off the effects of yesterday's revelry. She walked into the room, noticing immediately Ron's neatly made bed and the carefully folded blanket at the end of Harry's cot. She glanced around the room for a minute as some odd sense of something missing fought to come to the surface, and then as she looked around Harry's cot and at the foot of Ron's bed she knew. Ron's trunk was gone along with Harry's pack that he had seemed oddly protective of the other day. Her eyes looked over the room more carefully to finally notice an envelope lying on Ron's bright orange pillow.

She gasped and ran over to the bed and tore the envelope open. A single sheet of parchment fell to the bed and she frantically opened it:

If you are reading this, we have left. Please do not try to find us or to interfere, as we are doing something that we must. Merlin willing you will see us on September 1 at King's Cross, but if by some chance this is our last communication, know that we all love you very much.

Harry, Hermione and Ron.

"No" Ginny snapped loudly as she crunched the letter in her fist. She ran out of Ron's room and down to hers. She ran over to Hermione's cot, bumping Luna awake on the way, and noticed for the first time that Hermione's pack, the one that had made interesting sounds when she moved it the other day, was gone.

Luna rolled over on her back, and looked up at her with slightly bloodshot silvery-gray eyes. Her voice was slow, clear and distinct. "What the ruddy hells are you doing Ginny?"

"They're gone."

Luna nodded knowingly as she sat up and her normal dreamy expression settled back over her face. A small smile lit her features. "Yes," she breathed, "I had expected they would. I hope Ronald doesn't get infected by Cornish Ear Mites while he's out on his quest...it would make snogging...annoying."

Ginny didn't bother to hide her eye roll. "Luna my prat of a brother is..."

"Yes, he was very nice to me...he made up for his behavior last year...seemed odd then." She commented, and shrugged as she stood up and casually whipped off her t-shirt and started digging in her bag for a fresh one. Ginny sighed, exasperated, and left the room as Luna sat down in front of the dresser mirror, pulled a brush from the top of her bag and started to brush out her ponytail from last night, having forgotten, or just disregarded the whole shirt concept.

***********************Azkaban, North Sea*****************************

9:00 pm

The final defending Auror crumpled lifelessly at the feet of a dark, cloaked, tall man. A faint red glow leaked from under his hood as he casually waved an ebony, phoenix-cored wand and the massive gates of the prison ground open. Behind the man, a host of dark cloaked shapes slid through the night, passing him and giving him a wide berth.

Screams of utter terror filled the night as silver animals came into being, fought off the cloaked ones for a while, and then faded into nothing. New screams wafted on the damp night air as the Dementors fed on those few who had been able for a brief time to hold them off. The cloaked man passed a man whose very soul was being ripped from him and kept walking though the screams of the dying and soulless and the pleading of Aurors for mercy.

The tall man stepped over a body lying on the step and paused only a heartbeat at a locked, barred door that lead to the interior of the prison. He chuckled softly, an odd-high pitched chuckle, as more screams echoed off the ancient stones of the prison. The glow from under his hood provided more light than the few, meager torches that lit the way as he crossed into the high security ward of the fortress. He casually walked the entire length of a long, echoing passage under the prison to finally stop in a circular room with several, barred cells off of it. A red beam of a stunner shot out from the side and impacted the intruder to no effect other than to cause him to turn to that side, flick his wand, and watch disinterestedly as a green beam snapped across the room with a rush of sound and that Auror died. He fell to the ground, his eyes dead and fixed, his face frozen forever in a mask of instant death.

The dark wizard flicked his wand over the cells and the doors sprang open. Eleven men slowly emerged from the cells led by a tall, narrow-faced man with platinum, almost white-blond hair.

As one, the inmates fell to their knees and prostrated themselves. Long, skeletal hands came up and lowered the hood of a dark cloak. Narrow, cat-pupiled eyes glowed a sullen red as they mutely surveyed the gathered Death Eaters. Flat slits of a nose flared and he nodded happily.

"Do not fail me again Lucius...Antonin" Tom Riddle commanded in a flat, sibilant hiss. "Or I will not be as forgiving...next time." He looked over the gathered dark ones. "But as a reminder of Lord Voldemort's generosity...CRUCIO" A hated, putrid yellow beam fanned over the two at the head of the pack, and pain like the slashing of a thousand red-hot knives ripped through Lucius Malfoy and Antonin Dolohov.

**********************Godric's Hollow*************************

11:00 pm

Ron looked over the chessboard at Harry. His best friend, his brother in all but blood was fading fast. The emotional toll of this visit had so far proven wasteful in the grand scheme of the quest. After Harry had sat dazed for a bit, he had led them on a search of the house and grounds. The fresh memories, ripped from his subconscious into the fore of his mind had led them to follow Voldemort's footsteps that fateful night.

Ron had felt his heart tear as he watched Harry slowly, torturously, follow the path of the Dark Lord from the garden gate to the living room, where traces of his father's ultimately futile fight still remained, and slowly up the stairs to stand once more over the crib that had sheltered him for the first years of his life. He had physically felt everything and anything, searching in vain for some trace of familiarity, such as what he had felt from the diary. Nothing. Ron glanced over to the other arm of the couch, where Hermione was paging through a book of Lily's on Dark Magic Detection, trying to find something that could help.

Her sense of concentration was failing her tonight, however. Every line or two, brown eyes would flick over the top of the page to glance with worried depths at stooped, black haired boy...man. She let out a small sigh and closed her book with a snap. "Ron's right Harry, lets kip out; we can restart in the morning."

"No." Harry replied in frustrated, exhausted voice, "No, You're right Hermione let's go ahead and get some sleep, but we'll leave for Grimmauld in the morning. I don't think there is anything here for us to find any longer."

"I'll take first watch Harry." Ron announced.

"No Ron, I still can't sleep. Go ahead you two, I'll wake you in a few hours." Ron opened his mouth to argue, but stopped as Hermione shook her head. Ron got up with a sigh and stretched out on his bag, and a minute after Harry had nox'ed the lights, a soft snoring sound was coming from a bright orange sleeping bag.

He sat at the window, sitting in the moonlight from the now cleared sky looking out over the lawn for an hour, two. Large brown eyes continued to watch him silently from a bag next to Ron's. She watched as he paced slightly and took sips from a cup of coffee he had conjured in an attempt to stay awake as his exhausted green eyes scanned the landscape warily. Finally she had had enough. Hermione reached out and shook Ron's shoulder hard. Her hand went over his mouth before he could speak and she whispered frantically in his ear. He nodded. Ron yawned, stretched and climbed out of his Chudley Cannons sleeping bag and approached Harry. "Go on Harry, kip out, I have it from here, I'll handle Hermione's shift too." Harry didn't move so Ron physically pushed the smaller teen to his bag next to Hermione. "I'll be fine, I'm going to go fix myself something in the kitchen."

The sound of Ron's footsteps on the hardwood floors faded as he retreated towards the kitchen and his midnight meal. Harry sighed and rolled over on his side to face Hermione. "I know you're awake Hermione."

"Harry you have to go to sleep." Hermione commanded softly. "Please for me. You won't be any use to anyone if you fall asleep on your feet."

"It's just that I keep thinking Mione." Harry replied, darkly. His inky hair looked as if a mad baker had spilled frosting on it as he wrapped his arms around his pillow. "What it was like for mum and dad when he came for them...for me. I just don't want that to happen to you and Ron. To be startled some night by the door being blown into the living room and you throwing your lives away needlessly." Hermione reached out and thumped him on the forehead. "Ow, what was that for?"

"You're being stupid, Harry. It would never be needlessly or uselessly if we stopped or slowed him from getting you. You would do the same for us without a thought, why can't we for you?" She frowned slightly.

"I can't lose you...or Ron, not now." He sighed as she communicated her response with a glance, "yeah I know. It's just that...Hermione, what if I am the seventh Horcrux? I mean he came for me to make the Horcrux, he was going to use the deaths of me and my parents to make it...what else could it be, I mean..." he looked beseechingly at her. "Hermione if you have to, please have Ron do it, I don't want..." he stopped suddenly as Hermione laughed, loudly. "Oh I guess that you find the possibility that you or Ron will have to kill me or I will have to kill myself to destroy Voldemort funny?"

"No, silly, Harry." Hermione replied quietly as her hand reached out and pushed strands of hair out of his eyes, she jerked her hand back quickly as she realized what she was doing. "Harry, Voldemort in his body right now, is the soul that was there when he attacked you as a child correct?"

"Yeah as far as I know." Harry replied, bemused.

"Then you aren't a Horcrux Harry." Hermione replied with utter conviction. Her eyes locked with his in the night, "If you were, then he wouldn't have tried to kill you so many times, it would kind of be defeating the purpose, don't you think?" Harry looked at her in amazement, and a sudden, terrible weight fell from his shoulders, leaving behind only the normal, weight of Atlas he carried around every day.

"Go to sleep Harry." Hermione smirked at him and closed her eyes.

Four and a half hours later Ron watched the sun begin to crest the horizon in the east. It was dawning a clear, perfect day and he took a sip of his enhanced coffee in salute. He wasn't feeling tired at all right now, rather wired in fact, especially after he had used the espresso spell the twins taught had him last fall.

Ron turned around and leaned back against the window frame and regarded his friends. Sometime during the night Harry had half woken, muttering fiercely, until a small hand found his arm in her sleep. I wish Neville or I could calm him that fast from a nightmare I'd have made sleeping in the same room as him for the last few years easier. Ron mused as he took in his former girlfriend for all of three weeks. He grinned to himself as he noticed that sometime after the nightmare, Hermione had rolled in her sleep until she was almost, but not quite sleeping on Harry's shoulder.

Ron looked back out the window and indulged in thoughts of silver moons, and lunar cranes. He let his friends sleep as he walked over to James' desk and borrowed a piece of parchment from Hermione's pack. His tongue hung out of the corner of his mouth as he started writing:

Dear Luna,

A/N: There we go, another chapter down. Next Chapter: a return to Grimmauld Place, Grim discoveries, and realizations. Or something like that.

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6. The Most Noble and High House of …Potter

A/N ok here we go, Unfortunately I don't own these folks...if I did my car would be paid off. Once Again, thanks to Lady Starlight for her outstanding beta work, and for putting up with me.

Chapter 6: The Most Noble and High House of ...Potter

***************************Godric's Hollow******************************

July 12, 1997
9:30 am.

Harry yawned as his eyes slipped open to find that he was curiously well rested for sleeping on a hardwood floor with only a thin sleeping back between him and the old pine, with one slight problem...he couldn't see. It was not the normal, hazy-fuzzy view of the world that he was used to when he first awoke before he put on his glasses, disregarding the whole question of exactly were those glasses were right now as he had thought he fell asleep in them, of course. No, what greeted his eyes this morning, was a wall of chestnut, which as he yawned again, he saw dance in his breath. Just then he noticed the oddly...normal...warmth covering his left side, and he figured it out, even without Hermione's help, he was Lily and James' son after all, and despite what a certain greasy haired personal enemy of the Trio might think, he wasn't dumb.

Harry used his free hand to gently brush Hermione's curls away from his face. He pawed around on the floor around him to finally find his glasses and slip them on. His vision cleared and as he looked up, he found a smirking, softly chortling; Ronald Weasley hanging upside down in his field of vision. "Ron, I..." Harry whispered but Ron shook his head.

"If you move her and wake her up, I'll hurt you myself. She needs the sleep as much as you" Ron replied as he took a sip from about his third or fourth espresso. His eyes were bulging slightly, and curiously fixed.

"Please Ron, I..." Ron rolled his eyes and cast a freezing charm on Hermione with a slightly shaking wand hand. Harry slipped out from under her, already missing the warmth and canceled the spell. The boys watched as she rolled over in her sleep and cradled Harry's pillow to her chest. Ron motioned towards the back door and Harry nodded. Ron led Harry out the door, though the kitchen and out onto a porch that in the clear morning light, now that the fog had burnt away, from which they could see a half-court Quidditch pitch taking up part of the immense back yard. "Cool." Harry said wondrously as he took in the gleaming golden hoops.

"Yeah," Ron replied, "I guess the wards are still up if the Muggles can't see this."

"Ron...about." Harry muttered nervously as he leaned on the railing, looking out at his dad's playground.

"No Harry, it's ok." Ron replied as he flicked his wand oddly and handed Harry the cup of espresso he had created. "We are over, if we were anything anyway. Looking back, I don't know why we thought it'd work to begin with."

"Woh" Harry snapped as he took a sip of the espresso, "Strong."

"Yeah, isn't it great." Ron replied, he glanced back at the house, then his eyes slowly panned back to Harry's. "You know; if we changed the taste a bit with a spell..."

"She'd kill us Ron."

"It'd be hilarious."

"Do you want a wired Hermione...you've seen a wired Hermione Ron...you've dated a wired Hermione Ron," Harry replied reasonably. Though it would be funny.

"No," Ron disagreed, "Not really." He shrugged and took another sip from his mug. "She never really ever let her hair down with me, so to speak. She looks damned cute with it up though" He looked over at Harry and the boys shared a grin.

At the open door to the kitchen, just inside the house, Hermione paused and closed her eyes tiredly for an instant as she heard "she." Here's where Ron gives Harry the whole don't hurt Ginny speech. She thought, annoyedly. She stopped to listen, a small frown darkening her eyes. I wonder if I should surprise him with Ginny for his birthday...

Harry looked at Ron, and nodded. "Yeah, when I saw her with her hair up at the Yule Ball...bloody hell Ron." Hermione's eyes grew wide, "I should have asked her to go with me; I was a prat."

"No I was," Ron admitted. "I had a thing for her even then." He turned and stared directly at Harry, and watched as green eyes tried to look just over his shoulder, "and you did too."

"No, I..."

"Bullocks, Harry." Ron laughed slightly. And saluted him with his mug. "Let's pretend for a moment, that I have greater than the emotional range of a teaspoon, was it? And that I have lived with the two of you for the last six years, that I have bled, cried, and damn near died with the two of you...you..."

"I can't Ron. What if I don't make it through this? What if?"

"Are you a bloody Gryffindor or not...is that not the bloody Sword of Gryffindor in your pack back in the den next to Hermione as we speak?" Ron set his mug down and held out his hand and started to tick off events, and in the kitchen Hermione leaned against the wall and slid to the floor as she crammed a fist into her mouth. "Let's see Harry, first year...you went to save her...theoretically weren't even her friend and you charged a bloody mountain troll for her, could you even handle one now?"

"Umm yeah Ron I could actually, pretty easily." Harry replied softly and Ron snorted.

"Yeah, mostly because of her." Ron retorted and Hermione's heart skipped as she crouched in her unplanned listening spot. She didn't catch Harry's grudging nod of course. Ron grinned slightly, "Second year, I secretly wondered if you were the Heir of Slytherin...she didn't. Third year, the girl who is terrified of heights, got on a hippogriff to save your godfather."

"He was her friend too, Ron." Harry objected.

"Not then," Ron countered, "Then he was an escaped criminal who we had just stood between him and you to keep from killing you, he was important to you."

"Ron she's as brave as either of us, hell braver than us, she would have tried to save him just because it was right." Ron snorted.

Ron sighed, "and then forth year, she was the only one who believed you Harry, I should have, my fucking heart did, but my brain decided to jump in for once and believe that you would have tried for the attention. I'm sorry Harry."

"Just don't go thinking again." Harry replied and they both laughed and Hermione covered giggles.

"Then fifth year...She and you were the dream team...you, I thought I wasn't really needed, I..."

"She will do anything for you." Ron looked Harry directly in the eye and Hermione strained to hear, as he finished his thought with a slightly awed mutter. "She'd kill for me Harry, but she'd die for you without a thought."

"That's just it Ron, I can't, I mean...what about last year Ron, she was at my throat all the time, she was distant and I thought I had lost her, I could barely take that, do you have any idea what it would do to me, to either of us if we lost her for real?"

"You mean like she shut down when you told her the prophecy Harry?" Ron snorted, "she was afraid Harry, she was scared totally and completely shitless..." Ron took a sip of his coffee and Harry did the same, mimicking him exactly. In the kitchen Hermione bit her lip as she fought not to cry. "You should know that Harry, you know her better than me."

"I do?"

"And I'm supposed to be the dumb one." Ron muttered annoyedly. "Yes, I will bet you good money that you could tell me, how she likes her tea, what the name of her first cat was, what chapter of bloody Hogwarts a History that she likes most..." he looked at Harry as his eyebrow inched upward.

Harry's lips were moving before he knew what he was saying. "Hot, two sugars, dash of milk. Emilia, it's from A Midsummer Night's dream, where her name is from. And she likes the chapter on the establishment of the Library of course." Ron's jaw dropped...as did Hermione's. "What, doesn't everyone know that?" Ron shook his head. "Bloody hell Ron, haven't you been paying attention all these years?"

Ron shook his head slowly, "I doubt dad knows that much about mum." Just then a soft crash came from the kitchen, and a soprano voice muttered, "bloody hell."

Hermione emerged from the house, her hair was pulled back into a messy tail and she still wore her rumpled clothes from the day before. Her eyes were half closed as she reached out and took Harry's espresso from him and downed it in two gulps. Her eyes perked up as she looked over at Ron with a grin.

"Fred's Wake'Em Up spell?" She asked softly. Ron nodded. Hermione leaned back against the railing of the porch and arched her back, popping it softly. She looked at Harry who shook his head rapidly for a second as if throwing off some spell before catching her gaze. "So Harry?" She asked with an odd tenor in her voice, "What are we up to today."

Harry took a breath, and Ron and Hermione watched as he changed from a tired teen in over his head to something...else. Someone that the sword in the den belonged to. Someone that one day very soon, would give Tom Riddle someone else to fear. "We go to Grimmauld, where else? Ron, since we will be in London, do you think you could slip out and get supplies? Hermione you and I will start looking through the Black Libraries for hints on the Horcruxes, more specifically on how to destroy them."

Ron and Hermione nodded, and started to head back into the house. Hermione made it halfway into the door, when Harry called after her. "Hermione?" He said quietly, not steadily at all, as if everything he had just said was a grand illusion.

"Yes, Harry?" Hermione turned and leaned on the doorway, her heart pounding rapidly for some reason.

"Thank you Hermione...for yesterday...for everyday actually."

"You're welcome." She replied softly, and he nodded and headed back inside. Hermione let out a deep breath she had not known she was holding and stared, unseeing, into the back yard for a moment before following Harry and Ron into the house.

***********************#12 Grimmauld Place, London**********************

The soft pop of Hermione and Harry's Apparition mixed with the slight louder crack of Ron's as the trio arrived in the kitchen of the old house. A smell of disuse and decay assaulted their noses as they arrived to find spoiled food and trash spread out in the kitchen that in Molly's tenure had been immaculate. "Bloody hell, what's that smell?" Ron shouted as he lit his wand and started to look around the room.

In the light of Ron's wand, Hermione glanced over to Harry; he nodded and then shrugged. She frowned as she lit her wand as well and led them from the kitchen out into the hall and up the stairs into the parlor. She eased the door open, following the smell, and gasped. Her left hand came up to cover her face as she saw the small, crumpled body.

Kreacher had gotten his hearts desire...he had died in the service of the Black heir. "Blimey." Ron exclaimed as he looked over Hermione's shoulder at the tiny, withered elf. He was lying under the rows of House Elf head that decorated this room. "So that's what smells." He shrugged, "So now what, who's cooking."

"Ronald, he was a foul loathsome creature, but he was that way because of wizards" Hermione snapped as she spun on her heal and leaned into Ron.

"He betrayed Sirius Hermione." Ron snapped back. Harry walked up slowly to the body and knelt down next to it with a small frown.

Harry ignored Hermione as she shot back to Ron something about a thousand years of repression, as he muttered, "Dobby." With small pop, he appeared. "What is the proper means for burial Dobby?" Dobby looked up at him, with wide, shocked eyes.

"Harry Potter Sir, Dobby will take care of this sir, there's no need for such a great Wizard as..."

"Dobby," Harry interrupted softly as behind him Hermione stopped arguing with Ron and looked down at him and Dobby, Ron started to say something else, and she hit him absently to shut him up, "What's the proper way Dobby?"

Dobby looked down guiltily, "Dobby does not knows sir, the Malfoys sir, they just threw old house elves out with the garbage sir. I am sorry sir..." Harry's hand flashed out and caught the tiny elf by the scruff of the neck and thereby preventing him from beating his head on the nearest piece of furniture. Dobby looked up at him gratefully.

"I won't do that Dobby, not even to him." Harry stood and flicked his wand at the body. The withered body of the ancient elf floated ahead of him as he lead the way to the warded back yard and set it on the ground under a tall, bent oak that was probably older than the house. Diffindo penatratus terratus a four foot, rectangular hole appeared in the ground under the tree. Harry didn't say a word as Hermione's wand flicked and a small, child-sized casket appeared around the elf. He just gave her a small nod and levitated the casket over and down into the ground, and with another flick, covered it with soil. A tiny headstone appeared with the words, "Kreacher, a House Elf of the Most High and Noble House of Black."

"Goodbye Kreacher..." Harry muttered as Dobby bowed his head and said something under his breath and Ron looked on from a bit further back without a comment. "You were loyal to your beliefs at least." He walked away from the small grave and walked silently back into the house. He passed Hermione as she entered the house and waved her to silence as she opened her mouth. Harry climbed the stairs and several minutes later Ron and Hermione could hear a bedroom door closing firmly.

Hermione looked at Ron, he shook his head. "No. No Hermione, if you want to go to him, go ahead, I'm not dealing with him right now, I've lived with him long enough to know to let him cool off. I'm going to go get supplies like Harry said." He looked through his pockets until he found Galleons. "Should have enough for a bit." He said as he counted out twenty.

Hermione nodded and dug in the front pocket of her jeans. She found a twenty-pound note and handed it to Ron. "Get a pizza or something on the way back."

"Where will you be then, when I get back."

She ran her lower lip through her teeth as she glanced up the stairs. The old house chose then to let out a loud creak and they dove for wands, only to replace them in hidden holsters a moment later with sheepish grins. She sat on a dusty couch and unlaced her boots, revealing thick, cotton socks. Hermione glanced up at Ron and shrugged. "I guess I'll start research, I guess."

Ron nodded and vanished with a loud CRACK. Hermione thought about the long climb to the library on the second floor, and then grinned. Pop. She felt the sensation of being squeezed though a bottle and reappeared in the massive, Black Family Library. Two-story tall shelves greeted her eyes in the massive room that was central to the large mansion. High windows at one end let in the London daylight through grimy panes. A single, once highly polished table sat in the center of the room surrounded by four comfortable looking chairs. The Black Coat of arms was hanging, centered between the windows and looking down on any that might dare enter this sanctuary. Hermione slowly walked over to the rolling ladder that ran around three quarters of room on a inset track and gave it an tentative push. It moved reluctantly and gave a loud squeak of long-unoiled metal.

A small, twisted smirk bloomed on her lips as she paced over to the fireplace and looked at a torn, battered couch that reminded her of nothing more than the Gryffindor common room couch. She looked up at the mantle, and moved aside a series of small bits. With a shrug she walked back to the books and started looking around, pulling likely volumes and tossing them in the general direction of the table. She didn't notice them floating across the room and neatly stacking themselves in tall, even piles.

Hermione had been engrossed in a series of books on the destruction of magical artifacts for almost an hour. Almost two feet of notes trailed down towards the floor, when she felt a familiar rubbing familiar at her feet. She glanced down, "Crookshanks." She exclaimed, as she suddenly remembered with more than a bit of embarrassment that she had forgotten him at the Burrow. He obviously hadn't as he jumped up on the table and gave her an annoyed glare. "I'm sorry ok?" She told the cat guiltily, "I had other things on my mind." Crookshanks obviously agreed with her as he turned and stared at the doorway, as if pointing something out.

Harry was standing, leaning on the doorjamb, with a wry smile on his lips and his pack slung over his shoulder. "Forgot something huh?" Harry dropped the pack, padded over, flipped a chair around backwards and sat down opposite her; Crookshanks took his ear scratch from Harry as only his due.

"How did you get him, you can't apparate until the 31st or they'll come after you for underage magic?"

"Seems that you aren't the only one who can read Hogwarts a History," Harry smirked and Hermione mocked laughing. She glared at him and he relented. Harry took a familiar gold ball from his cargo pocket and held it up with three fingers. "Seems that the Head's Portkeys, are old artifacts...they predate the underage restrictions and registration requirements on Portkeys." Her eyes widened as she realized the implications. "Yeah so do the wand cores in the sword and the daggers, not that it matters to us any longer...Speaking of which...."

"Never mind that, how did my plodding cat get here from Ottery St. Catchpole?" Hermione interrupted, placing a hand on Harry's stop his petting of Crookshanks. Crookshanks glared at her and she gave him an apologetic glance before meeting Harry's eyes again.

"Simple Mione," Harry replied with a grin, "I put on my cloak, ported to the Burrow and called him. They never saw me."

"He came when you called?" Hermione's eyebrows almost met her hairline. Harry shrugged and glanced down at her book.

"Where's Ron?" Harry asked as he walked back over to the door and retrieved his pack. He bent down in it and a soft, clinking sound rang like small bells in the room. Hermione watched curiously as he pulled a black velvet rapped package from the depths of his gear and placed it carefully in front of her. "Here, I have, this...feeling that these are yours, I saw your face when I picked them up anyway." Hermione gave him an odd look and carefully unfolded the velvet.

A pair of ancient daggers were sitting on the black fabric. Both were identical, with wire-wrapped hilts under thin, Damascus steel blades. Slowly Hermione picked up the right hand one, and as she did, the same rush of power that had filled her bones when she first held her wand or when she had held Godric's sword. Crookshanks let out an annoyed "meow" as a sudden; source less wind ruffled his fur along with Harry and Hermione's slightly unkempt locks. She tiled the dagger, catching the afternoon sunlight on facets of the layered steel and found a small Gryffindor lion embedded in the guard. Hermione picked up the second with her other hand and gasped as both of the knives elongated, their six-inch blades doubling in length as the guard stretched and formed forward facing points on either side of the blades.

A brief flicker of green fire lit her pupils and the left dagger spun in her grip in a blur, a second later she repeated the performance with the second one. "Harry..."

"Yeah." Harry replied, "Hermione I don't think I even ever told you, but that first time I used the sword on the Basilisk, I knew...I knew I could use it. I knew how it felt...anyway..." Harry dove back into his pack, and pulled out a dual sheath set for her new toys and pushed it across. "This showed up right after I picked them up..." Hermione picked up the pebbled, black leather sheath and examined it.

"It's black dragon hide." Hermione commented absently as she stood up and slipped it onto her belt behind her back. Both daggers slipped into it, shrinking back to their relaxed size as she slipped them home, and it vanished from sight. "Cool" Hermione muttered as she twisted around to see her back. She reached back and one of the two reappeared in her hand and did its normal expansion trick. She pointed it at a book across the room, "Accio book."

Harry quickly ducked as the 5th edition of Lethal Magical Creatures of Southwest Asia flew overhead and landed with a pop in Hermione's other hand. Harry's eyes narrowed as he half remembered some odd movie that he remembered Dudley watching...he glanced around for something. He spotted an old, tattered notebook, sitting on a shelf. He opened it and paged through the yellowed pages to find it empty. "Hermione."

"Yeah?" She asked as she turned back to him still examining her one of her new companions.

"Get it." He flipped the book in the air, and her eyes flared and her left hand blurred. WHACK. A heartbeat later, the notebook was held against the doorjamb by the mate to the blade still in Hermione's right hand. Harry and Hermione shared a shocked glance as she summoned it back, even though Harry knew somehow, he reached back and the Sword of Gryffindor appeared in his hand. A brief glare lit his eyes and he felt a new knowledge sweep though his muscles and sinews. A part of his mind...knew...the best way to fight someone with the paired sai-like daggers that Hermione now held or the best way to defeat someone with an axe, which if McNair ever escaped...could be useful, another part of his mind, the logical Hermione voice, admitted.

"That was weird." Hermione replied.

"What was weird?" Ron asked as he came in the room, bearing a boxed pizza and a six-pack of butterbeers. He scooted Hermione's books out of the way, remembering all too well the feeling of all his underwear being two sizes too small for a week when he had last placed food on top of one of her books.

"Probably the same as this." Harry replied and tossed him a similar velvet wrapped package.

"Cool, presents." Ron said as he opened it to find a single, larger dagger of a different design than Hermione's. Instead of a long, thin blade it held a thick, leaf shaped one, with a leather-wrapped handle under a simple steel crossguard. The crossguard was similarly emblazoned with the Gryffindor Lion, however and as Ron picked it up, it morphed as well, the blade grew to about two foot, with the pommel end gaining a large, rounded, skull crusher end.

"That looks like a Roman Gladius." Hermione remarked interestedly, as Ron held it up for her to inspect.

Ron placed the dagger/sword back down on the table and it shrunk to its normal size. He picked up the sheath that Harry handed him and slipped it in. Ron glanced up at Hermione, "Roman, huh?" She nodded, "Ok, that makes sense." He replied and took a slice of pizza from the box and took a large bite.

"What makes sense?" Harry asked.

"Mumph, Rromph, whanceptnto" Ron replied with a mouth full of pizza. Emerald and chocolate eyes glowered. Ron swallowed. "I said." He announced, speaking slowly as if they were both slightly slow, "that that made sense, some of my ancestors were Romans from the Legions that once held Britain." Harry and Hermione shared a look, it was as good as explanation as any, and they sat down at the table, where Ron was already into his second slice.

"Now that we have a second." Hermione said, gesturing with her butterbeer bottle after she and Harry had had their two slices apiece and Ron had finished the other half of the pizza, "Let's think about the Horcruxes, what do we know about them."

"We already did this the other day Hermione." Ron muttered, looking longingly at the empty box.

"Harry wasn't there remember, still at the Dursleys...humor me Ron." Hermione shot back dangerously. He nodded quickly and she gave him a bright smile.

"Let's see." Harry began. "First Dumbledore was assuming that there were seven including Voldemort himself...but I've been wondering about that." He admitted as he took a swig of his beer and got up to pace. Hermione and Ron's eyes tracked him the entire way. "When he came to kill me, Dumbledore was thinking that he was going to use my death as the means for the seventh Horcrux, right?" The other two nodded, "now assuming that I am not one." He grinned at Hermione and she returned a shy smile, "What is it?"

"What do you mean Harry?" Hermione asked. Her head cocked to one side and she started to play with an errant curl as she was absently taking notes with the other.

Harry stopped pacing and looked directly at her as he leaned against a half-empty bookshelf. "I mean we know of five, physical objects that hold Horcruxes, with Voldemort's body holding a fraction, the fraction that was knocked askew by me...Slytherin's locket, Helga's cup, Nagini, the ring and Riddle's diary. Dumbledore destroyed the ring, but it cost him his hand, and I destroyed the diary, and the other three are out there."

"We know all this mate." Ron replied tiredly, and looked longingly at the empty pizza box. Hermione shushed him, without looking at him and Ron rolled his eyes, they weren't paying attention to him again.

"Voldemort would have wanted seven parts." Hermione stated. "He would have believed the legend of the number being special, he left school before Arithmancy proved that seven was just a number."

"Exactly, that's what Dumbledore believed, minus the Arithmancy explanation of course." They shared another grin and Ron took the opportunity to practice new and interesting eye rolling techniques.

"But you're right Harry, if he hadn't spilt it off then, when he attacked you first, when would he have? Or did he?"

"That would leave him with only six Hermione...I still think that I might, be..."

"No, now stop it." Hermione growled at him and he sighed.

"But then when would he have, he likes monumental deaths...ones that mean something to, him and he didn't kill Dumbledore after all. Does he have to commit a murder to split his soul?"

"From what I can find, it is the conventional means...we need to talk to the portrait, Harry, feel him out." Hermione declared for the both of him and he nodded, "Let's concentrate on the ones we know about for now. Ok?" Harry nodded and Hermione got up and started pacing opposite Harry, "Do you still have that fake amulet?" Harry nodded and levitated it out of his pack. "Good I will use it to look through book illustrations, I would think that this RAB character would have made the fake to look just like the original." Ron picked up the green locket with the twisted S and stared at it while Hermione continued on, "now as to the others we need to track down Voldemort's past I guess."

"Well the Chamber and the orphanage are done, Dumbledore and I took care of those, and the locket is somewhere else..."

"Even if that's what where they were, there's no guarantee that they are still there though Harry."

"True," Harry conceded and ran both hands through his hair, messing it further as he tried to force some thought from a hidden recess of his mind.

Ohh, god that's so hot, Hermione thought as she glanced up and Harry stopped messing up his hair and gave her an odd, questioning look. "You say something Hermione?"

"No," she replied and he shrugged, all the while Ron was staring at the fake. "We know he murdered to get the cup, but not where it went from there."

"Guys." Ron interjected, as Harry and Hermione continued to bounce ideas back and forth, "Guys?"

"What Ron?" Hermione shot back with a touch too much heat.

But he ignored it, he knew what pressures she was under, what they were all under, and she seems to have gained a bit more of a...personal stake in the quest. Doesn't this locket look just like the one we found here summer before last? I'm just saying..."

Harry and Hermione's eyes met and their mouths opened in silent, "O"s. "RAB? R.A. Black?"

"The tapestry is still up." Harry replied thoughtfully as his and Hermione's eyes locked. She ran around the table and grabbed Harry, and they vanished with a soft pop. Behind them in the now empty library Ron started whistling softly and watching the locket dance in his fingers. A minute later, POP. Harry and Hermione reappeared.

"Regulus Augustus Black" Hermione said quietly with a air of shocked, awe. "Sirius' brother," She looked at Harry he shrugged and looked sheepish. He hung his head for a second and glanced sidelong at Hermione out of the corner of his eye. A tired, worn chuckle came from his throat as he backed against the wall and slowly slid to the bottom. Hermione crouched down in front of him. He shook his head and glanced up at her.

"Dobby?" Harry muttered and the elf appeared with a pop. Harry raised his head from his hands to look at the elf more or less at eye level.

"Master Harry Potter sir, needs Dobby sir?" Dobby asked as he bounced slightly on the balls of his feet. "Dobby would be most pleased to help Harry Potter, sir, or does Harry Potter's Mione need Dobby's help sir?" Ron snorted softly at the table and Hermione turned and glared at him for an instant.

"Yes Dobby," Hermione replied and the elf ginned hugely, basking, "can you tell us if there is another locket in the house like the one Ron is holding." Dobby gave a huge nod that shook his whole body and popped over to Ron. Huge, tennis ball sized green eyes peered at the locket closely and with another POP, he was gone. The trio glanced at each other for several long minutes.

POP, Dobby reappeared looking mournful, his head hung as he stood next to Hermione, "Mistress Hermione, there's no locket of that sort in this house, Dobby is sorry for taking so long, it took a bit to look through Kreacher's things." Dobby looked sad, and after another minute vanished.

Hermione looked on worriedly as Harry stood slowly and walked around the room with his hands fisting in his hair and his head down watching his feet. She watched as he walked over to one of the doors leading from the room, CRACK. A loud, snapping sound echoed through the house and Ron turned suddenly green, as Harry cradled his hand and walked away from the door.

Hermione was across the room in a flash, as Harry muttered, "that hurt a bit." She gave him a tiny glare as her wand came out of her pocket and passed over his hand and arm. A soft red glow hovered over his wrist and she sighed.

"Come on, you cracked it." She held his elbow gently as she led him over to the couch in the corner and sat him down. Her wand flicked oddly and Harry felt a tingling sensation and the pain faded. "There you go, dufus."

"Thanks, Mione" Harry whispered, to gain an exasperated smile.

"What brought that on?" She asked, then, "oh..."

"Yeah." Harry replied and she nodded. She sat down heavily next to Harry, and her hand brushed his. "It was all a waste."

"I'm sorry, Harry." Hermione glanced over at him and he sighed. "Damn it." She muttered and started absently petting Crookshanks as he jumped up next to her and began purring loudly and rubbing.

"What?" Ron asked with a bemused expression on his face as he looked back and forth between his friends, "What?"

Outside of the window, clouds rolled in, obscuring some of the afternoon sunlight. A large hawk or something wheeled past the window, as the room became oppressively silent. Hermione frowned and took Harry's hand openly. Harry glanced down at it before looking over at Ron. "It means Dumbledore died for nothing Ron...there weren't enough Death Eaters at Hogwarts to stop him had he been healthy...he swallowed the poison for..." Harry go up and stomped out of the room. Hermione looked a question and after a minute followed.

She walked out of the Library to find an empty hall. She walked up to Sirius' old room, no Harry. Down to the parlor and the kitchen, no Harry. She did find Dobby however. Dobby had a tray of glasses set out, along with a plate of cookies. Ron probably got Dobby to make some. She realized angrily, and resolved to discuss, once more, Dobby's role with Ron. She walked over to check out the glasses and glanced down to find a light orange liquid, pumpkin juice. Cool. Dobby looked up with a start then smiled. He came over to Hermione holding a small glass phial.

"Mistress Hermione...Dobby is glad you are here...Dobby has run out of the vitamins that he is supposed to put in Master Harry sir's food. Does Mistress Hermione have any more, Dobby tried to floo Miss Weals..."

"Just Hermione, Dobby, you are a friend." Hermione replied absently, then her prodigious intellect fully parsed the sentence Dobby had been saying when she interrupted, today it took a half second, as most of her thoughts were on Harry at the moment, wherever he was, "Wait Dobby, what are you putting in Harry's food?" Her eyes grew hard and the elf cringed, "and who told you to..." Dobby suddenly realized he had made a mistake as he cringed openly and stepped back slightly. He took a breath as to pop out, "Don't you dare move..."

"I is sorry Mistress," Dobby shook slightly, and Hermione's eyes softened.

Hermione knelt down in front of the elf, a kindly expression on her face. "Dobby let me see the vial." Dobby shook his head, and backed away, and the rest of Dobby's part of the conversation hit her. "Dobby why are you calling me Mistress?"

Dobby gave her an odd look, like she had suddenly sprouted antlers instead of ears, and while that was entirely possible in this house with probably more than one bag of WWW's special treats still lying around, she didn't think she had. "Because you are Master Harry Potter sirs, Mione...you is the Mistress of the house." Dobby replied simply and Hermione...blinked.

Oh...OH. She gulped and took a breath I can disabuse him of that notion later...but do you really want to? Another, soft voice that sounded just like Harry replied. I...a... "Then as Mistress of the House, give me the vial Dobby...now." Dobby shuffled his feet, but handed it to her. A whiff of the remnants of the vial, it was...Amortentia. Oh, bloody hell, "Ginny told you to give Harry this?" Dobby looked as if he had been told not to say anything, "it's ok Dobby you can just nod." Dobby nodded. "How much have you been giving him Dobby...I need to know, to as it is to help Harry. You didn't do anything wrong." Hermione added quickly to calm the agitated elf.

"When I first put it in, it was a quarter of this vial...now I am supposed to use two, Mistress." Dobby replied and Hermione slowly closed her eyes and sat back on the floor.

"Dobby, you have to take my orders over anyone except Harry right?" Hermione asked softly, tightly.

"Yes Mistress Hermione, and Master Harry sir can only...." Hermione waved him to silence and her heart fell as she saw how the elf must have been treated under the Malfoys, but she went on determinately.

"Dobby you are very loyal, I am glad that Harry hired you...he did hire you right?"

"Yes Mistress," Dobby replied with an annoyed frown, "Master Harry insists on paying Dobby entirely too much, and then he said something about giving Winky money too, and something about a trust funds for retirement and vacations...Dobbys closed his ears Mistress, he could not..."

Hermione cracked a small smile, "It's ok Dobby, from now on though, you are not to put anything in Harry's, or my or Ron's food or drink or anything without checking with me or Harry first, ok?" Dobby nodded solemnly, "And Dobby, if Ginny or anyone, asks, tell her you are putting it in, and give me the potion, Ok? And don't tell Harry of this, I will ok?" He nodded, "Do you understand," he nodded again, "repeat my orders back to me Dobby."

"Mistress I am not to adds anything to yours, Master Harry's or his Weezey's food or drink without asking you or Master Harry's permission, and if I am asked I am to lie, unless its to you or Master Harry, Mistress. And you will inform Master Harry." Dobby repeated clearly.

"Good Dobby." Hermione said with a small smile, while inside her thoughts were boiling, "Now there is nothing in those, right?" Dobby nodded, "Ok go give that to Ron" Dobby turned to pop away, "where is Harry Dobby?"

"He's on the roof overlook, Mistress." Dobby replied.

"Let me take him his and mine Dobby." Hermione asked softly and Dobby...leered, at her. He snapped his fingers and hers and Harry's drink goblets suddenly transformed into Muggle to-go cups, and a small paper wrapped package of the cookies remained behind as he vanished with a soft pop. Did Dobby just...leer at me? Focus girl. She crossed to the stairs and started to climb, realizing suddenly that she didn't' know where the roof access was, "Point me to Harry." She commanded her wand and it pointed left to a newly revealed set of stairs. Her mind was racing as she climbed the stairs. Think Hermione, think, its Harry damn it, you aren't going to fail him again. But what if he really loves her... if he did, she wouldn't have needed a potion...but why is she having Dobby increase the dosage all of a sudden. The wedding, Harry's voice answered her, of course, he was avoiding her, by hanging out...with me.

Hermione stopped and leaned back against the wall hard, Does that mean Harry, might, really... Suddenly she "heard" an odd noise, like someone talking just out of earshot, and a slight rush of something ran through her. What was that? Focus Mione. When did I start calling myself Mione? About the time Harry said it out loud. A slightly smug voice replied. And despite being by herself in the staircase, she blushed slightly.

What do I say to Harry? I have to think...Amortentia induces feelings of infatuation and lust; it doesn't create true love. She thought back to other books on the subject she had perused one bored night at the castle, It can be thrown off, by a sufficiently powerful wizard, though in doing so, one's magical power is reduced as it is being redirected to fighting off the portion. Oh...Ginny...oh you stupid fucking little girl. Harry couldn't have fought Snape, he was weakened at the time, he couldn't have helped Dumbledore, Dumbledore must have realized it too late...I have to get it out of his system, I need a flushing potion... "Dobby" the elf appeared instantly, "is the Potion lab in the basement operational?" He nodded, "Please see that it is fully stocked, ok?" He nodded once more and popped away without a word, probably still a bit afraid of her.

Hermione continued on, and reached the top of the stairs, she opened the door, to find Harry sitting with his back against a redbrick chimney, staring unseeingly out into the smoggy London skyline. His hair had fallen forward into his eyes, she noted automatically as she sat next to him. I won't tell him, not until I've flushed the remnants from his system...and I need to come up with something for next time we're with the Weasleys... "Hi Harry." Hermione muttered as she handed him his cup. He gave a soft chuckle as he spotted the Muggle take away cup. "You ok?"

"I will be."

"Yeah, Harry, you will be." She replied as she dropped her head to his shoulder and his fell on top of hers after a moment and they watched the far away traffic passing by.

Harry picked up his head after several minutes but did not move Hermione's. "I was thinking..."

"That someone might have taken the locket?" Hermione finished.

"Mundungus." They said together softly, and Hermione let out a sound closer to a growl. "Are you ready to become that felon, Hermione?" Harry asked softly, and she just squeezed his hand in response. "Get the Veritaserum ready." Hermione nodded and raised her head off his shoulder. Her lip twitched and she turned and kissed him on the cheek and got up. "What was that for?" Harry asked with suddenly oddly bright eyes, Hermione just shrugged and started down the stairs to make a restricted potion, and another one, a first year one, one that just might prove to save the very world in the end.

**************************Library, 12 Grimmauld Place******************

July 12, 1997
10:00 pm.

Hermione was going slightly cross-eyed as she ran her hand over a stiff neck and straightened up from her fourth or fifth complete book tonight on magical artifacts and sighed. Crookshanks looked up at her from his newly found perch on top of a short stack of books and gave her a not so subtle glare. He still had not quite forgiven her for forgetting him at the Burrow.

She stood up and picked a mug of tea from the table near her and paced to the high, two-story windows of the library. Tonight they were enchanted to provide a glimpse of the lake at Hogwarts. She watched quietly as the Giant Squid lazily waved a tentacle above the inky water. The Flushing Draught's done. She mused quietly. Should I give it to him tonight? What are you going to tell him...Mione, huh? That Ginny poisoned him so he would fall in love her...and oh by the way, you couldn't have fought Snape or saved Dumbledore, 'cause the stupid bint didn't research the side effects...I would have researched the side effects...but I would have died before we did anything of the sort to him...yeah...No, she forced the decision through her bickering consciences. We'll wait until after tomorrow night, it'll be safer...

A soft knock at the door interrupted her meanderings. She looked up to find the subject of her quandary leaning on the door facing.

Harry looked tired, she noted absently as he gave her a worn smile and walked over. He had his school bag slung over his shoulder; does he want help with something? Hermione cocked her head to the side, considering, as he stopped in front of her. She smiled slightly as Harry shuffled his feet, and ran a hand through his hair inattentively.

"Umm, Hermione."

"Yeah Harry," Hermione replied easily as she took a sip of her tea and looked over the rim of the cup at him. She canted her head slightly in a silent question

Harry reached into his bag and pulled out a torn, worn old copy of Advanced Potion-Making. "Hermione...I...uh want you to have this...look through it to see if anything's of use." Hermione's hand shook very slightly as she took the book from his hand.

"What about you Harry?" She asked very softly.

Harry gave her a sheepish look as he dug back into his bag and pulled a brand new copy from within its depths. "I...uh...had Dobby go get me a new one, I'll get along by myself next year...if you will help me that is?"

Hermione nodded, mutely as Harry grinned crookedly and left, muttering something about sleep.

She hugged the book to her chest and rocked back and forth on her heels as quiet tears flowed.

A/N: A house of cards starts to fall.

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7. Three Sevenths of the Way

Unfortunately I still own nothing. Thanks once again to Lady Starlight for her gracious beta work, any mistakes are as always purely my faults...and now onto the show.
Chapter 7: Three Sevenths of the Way.

****************************St. Mungo's*****************************

July 13, 1997
8:00 pm

The harried receptionist looked up from admitting yet another patient for what the Healers had taken to calling Who's it, Itus" And gasped as six, dark cloaked figures wearing the masks of the Death Eaters phased through the wall. She saw a wand rising towards her, a flash of green, and nothing. At all. Ever again.

Screams broke out among the scattered patients and well-wishers in the Lobby, most scattered, screaming into the early evening. A few visibly tried to apparate, failed as they ran up against the new protective wards of the hospital and dived behind whatever cover they could find. The Death Eaters ignored the majority of the crowd as a few, a meager few, shot easily deflected minor jinxes at the Death Eaters before they vanished into the main part of the hospital. All new screams and sounds of spellfire were heard from beyond the swinging doors.

****************************Soho, London****************************

10:00 pm

A, today, blue-haired young witch backed out of the kitchen levitating three butterbeer bottles behind her, and a tall, thin man with gray-tinged, brown hair, kind brown eyes, and just a touch of fangs when he smiled, and a tall, broad, bald-headed man, with a single gold loop in his left ear cringed, and shied away.

Tonks turned to Kingsley and Remus and rolled her eyes. She handed the massive Auror one of the beers, forcefully, and turned and walked to Lupin on the couch opposite. She dropped in his lap, with an accompanying "ompf" sound from the Marauder. She gave him a sweet smile and kissed his cheek as she leaned back against her fiancée's back. "I can handle carrying three beers, thank you very much." She humphed and took a drink of her beer.

Lupin sighed and gave her a pained smile. He turned to their guest and looked thoughtful. "How bad was it this time Kingsley?"

Kingsley Shacklebolt took a drink to bide time as he looked around Tonks' apartment. One could tell that Remus had just taken up, at least temporary residency. The apartment was purely Tonks. A pair of enchanted lava lamps lit the side table, while a large poster of the Weird Sisters was hung crookedly in a large frame over the couch. A Muggle television and stereo were crowded into one corner of the room, with a small dining table taking up another. The walls were currently painted, or charmed most likely, in an odd two-color scheme of purple tops and blue bottoms with the colors fading to each other in the middle. Through an partially open door at the back of the room, Kingsley could see a rather disheveled bed, it had taken several minutes for Tonks to reply to his knock after her distracted "Wotcher."

"It was bad, Scrimgeour is still there right now. Looks like they were after the injured Aurors there. And maybe..."

"What Kingsley?"

"George Weasley was in there earlier that evening...seems he had a small accident at their shop. Bugger was making something up...dangerous, wouldn't tell me what it was for. When I reminded him of his obligation to the Order, he just laughed at me, and asked 'what Order'." Kingsley's eyes grew dark, "I should have grabbed the bugger then and dragged him back. I'm sure they were after him for information on Potter, since he's vanished from our sight as well." He sounded disgruntled and looked at Remus who just shrugged. "You know where Potter is don't you? He's at Grimmauld, that's why we can't get in any longer."

"Honestly," Lupin replied airily, "I don't. I'm sure he's fine. After all he has things to do just like the rest of us."

"Surely you don't believe in that Chosen One nonsense?" Shaklebolt snapped.

"Well I do for one." Tonks piped up, and stared at the large Auror.

"Even if it is true," Kingsley sneered, "Potter is just a child, he's..."

"What Kingsley?" Lupin snapped, "He has fought Voldemort, not a Death Eater, Voldemort, in one incarnation or another and survived four times now. Albus was the only one who ever beat that record, and he was a hundred and sixty. Think, you know who Albus trusted at the end with whatever he was doing...Harry, that's who."

"Well what support does Potter have, that Granger girl, Ron Weasley?"

Tonks stood up abruptly; or rather the normally clumsy young woman flowed to her feet with all the grace of a hunting panther. Her eyes glowered at Kingsley. "Which is but a tithe of what he should have, yes if that is your point, I agree. I seem to remember the purpose of the Order being to kill Voldemort, and since Harry seems to be the one that will do that..."

"He's just a misguided boy, looking for adventure." Kingsley snapped, and Lupin closed his eyes.

"Get out." Lupin said softly. Kingsley just looked at him, and if Tonks had been a panther when she gained her feet, Remus was a wolf on the prowl. Fangs slightly dropped as barriers that he had fought all of his adult life to keep in place frayed. "That boy...is your only chance in hell. Get out and don't speak to me again until you are ready to admit that."

****************************Knockturn Alley, London*********************

July 14, 1997
1:20 am

Mundungus Fletcher took a hit off of an old, smelly pipe and smiled, revealing yellowed teeth. With a small grunt of satisfaction as he played with a stack of coins in his pocket, he tightened his ragged, rags of robes around his body and started to walk towards the Leaky Caldron for a drink, and possibly a game of chance if he were lucky. Raw, dark laughter, the kind that one hears in places where all hope is gone sounded in the night, but ended with a gurgle. A young witch, who by all rights looked as if she should be in her fifth or sixth year at Hogwarts, was standing in a red-lit doorway as he passed, her robe, what there was of it, only covered the essentials and those barely, it draped down over her front and back and was tied closed at the side with a single cord. She shouted out a price in an Irish brogue and he replied not tonight.

Definitely not tonight, at least not for him. As he rounded a trash-strewn corner, and stepped over a half-naked hag passed out on the ground, but not before quickly patting her down, he felt the tip of a wand indent the skin behind his right ear. "Goodnight Dung," a soft baritone whispered and everything faded to black. Harry bent over the unconscious thief and tapped him on the forehead with his wand. An instant later, like watching a mirage disappear, Mundungus faded from view. Harry flicked his wand and the quasi-invisible Mundungus lifted into the air and started floating towards a dim flickering light that marked the entrance to a run-down boarding house. Harry vanished under his cloak and followed.

The pair of them, the Gryffindor and the thief, passed the night man at the desk, who would have not noticed them if they were visible and dancing the mamba. He was far too engrossed in the Muggle magazine in his hands under the desk. Nor were the wizard and witch sitting, staring at the corner of the room with slightly slack expressions on their faces, paying the slightest attention at all. The man was groping the woman absently, reaching inside of her robes, and she seemed to care, not at all.

Harry reached the second floor like a ghost, his captive in front of him. They reached room eleven and entered.

The old boarding house was decrepit, or more precisely gross. A broken bed sat in one corner; its mattress was caved in, in the middle, and covered by graying, stained sheets. A small brazier sat in the other corner to provide heat when needed, and a cracked, peeling mirror reflected the room from the other from the top of a dresser that had last seen polish sometime around the Battle of Waterloo. The remnants of used...potions sat in an overflowing garbage can next to the mirror.

One single, straight wooden chair completed the furniture and with a negligent wand flick, Harry sat Mundungus in it and tied him up. His head lolled forward onto his chest as Harry pulled off his cloak.

Two others appeared an instant later. Hermione's eyes were hard as she walked over to Mundungus and pulled on the ropes. Her boots made a slight thumping sound on the worn, wood floor as she retreated to stand next to Harry. Behind them, Ron leaned against the wall, his arms crossed and his wand in hand. He faced the door and flicked his wand and watched disinterestedly as a Silencing charm lit the room for an instant.

A wand flicked, and Mundungus stirred. He fought for a moment against his robes for an instant then relaxed. He looked up and a fake smile lit his face. ""Arry, Hermione...let me go...we are friends, there must, be..." he started then stopped at the hard expressions on the faces watching him silently. He gulped and started working at his sleeve.

"I have one question," Harry said softly, darkly, then corrected himself, "or rather I have two, but since the second requires accuracy on the first answer, you will need help in telling the facts." Hermione held up a small phial of a clear liquid and approached him slowly.

She bent down and started to reach towards his forehead to push it back to force his mouth open, when...a small, sharp blade fell into Mundungus' hand and he sliced the rope, his hand came up with the knife towards Hermione's throat, to kill her or gain a hostage...and stopped as he felt a trickle of blood escaping from his throat at the tip of a twelve inch blade, just under the line of his jaw. "Honestly, Mundungus, that was a poor choice." She glanced down at the shattered vial of Veritaserum and grimaced when she saw it had splashed on her boots. She frowned and looked back at Harry.

Harry crossed the room in two strides, slapped his hand on Mundungus' forehead and pushed back hard. His other poured a vial of Veritaserum directly down Mundungus' throat and watched darkly as the thief swallowed involuntarily. Harry let him go at the same time Hermione stepped back, with the tip of a dagger and the tip of her wand both pointing at their captive.

Harry contented himself with glaring at Mundungus for a minute as the potion took effect then pulled the fake Horcrux from his pocket and held it in front of Dung's face. "Did you take something like this from Grimmauld?"

"Yes." Mundungus croaked. And Harry's heart thumped.

"Where is it now?"

"Borgin and Burkes" Mundungus cried and a red light lit the room as Hermione stunned him.

"What do you want to do with him mate?" Ron asked with a slight tremor in his voice. Hermione glanced over at Harry, and her lip was shaking slightly, but he knew she was still in the fight.

"Like we planned, despite what he's done," He looked at Hermione, she looked troubled, but nodded. She turned to Mundungus and her wand whipped up. "OBLIVATE" a shimmering cone snapped out from her carved, ivy-wood wand and enveloped his head. She knelt and checked his pulse, felt for a second and nodded. Ron came up from behind her and poured a fifth of singularly putrid rotgut over Mundungus' face and robes and threw the bottle down to shatter next to the thief's head.

"Let's go," Ron said lowly and urgently, "we can check out Borgin..."

"Go on ahead, Ron" Harry replied quietly and flicked his eyes towards Hermione who was still standing looking down at Mundungus. Ron flipped his cloak over his head and vanished. Harry came up behind Hermione and placed his hands on her shoulder, "will you be ok, Mione?" He whispered.

She nodded and shivered a bit. Glancing down, she noticed that both her wand and right hand dagger were in her hands, and she sheathed them before dropping either or both. "He tried to kill me Harry." She muttered. Hermione turned around and watched as words of concern, and comfort and other emotions danced behind his eyes. "It's not the first time, someone's tried...but..."

"Yeah."

"Let's go Harry, let's go see if Borgin and Burkes has the Horcrux or if we can see where it went." Hermione shot him a small smile that vanished as a silvery cloak passed over her head. Harry felt a sudden nostalgia for the days when the three of them, or when just he and Hermione had hidden under a single cloak. He shook his head, flipped his cloak over it, and left, closing and locking the door with a silent Colloportus as he went.

The entrance to Borgin and Burkes, several minutes later due to their having to go slow despite being invisible to avoid drunken wizards, a couple of witches even younger than the girl before selling something, and a large rotund man, about the size of Hagrid, who was drunkenly singing loudly about Bonnie Prince Charlie, was dark and shadowed, the nearest unbroken gas light yards away. Harry eased up to the door, next to where, for some odd reason, he knew that Hermione would be standing. "What now Hermione?" Harry whispered. "He surely has the door warded to..." He heard one footstep on the boardwalk, a long, complex string of Latin and a soft click.

"Well come on." She whispered harshly and Harry and Ron hurried into the shop. Harry closed the door so it just closed but did not quite lock. Silencing charms on the their feet, the trio started to search the shop. Harry went immediately to a large glass case on one side that contained a large, opal necklace with a small card next to it, reading "Caution, do not touch, Cursed-Has Claimed the Lives of Nineteen Muggle Owners to Date.

Across the room, Hermione scowled at a display of skulls in a glass case topped with several human femurs. She pushed aside a coil of Hangman's Rope in the midst of several rusty instruments and peered into a large black cabinet on one side of the room surrounded by masks.

"Hey Harry." Ron stage whispered and motioned them over. He was standing behind the counter, his hood was thrown back, making him half-invisible, half not, and holding a thick ledger. Harry and Hermione slipped over and saw what Ron was pointing too in a section of the ledger marked amulets, talismans and random jewelry:

Pearl necklace, cursed ? Sold to E. Foxworthy 7 galleons, August 1, 1996
Amulet of Torna. Purchased from C. Barrett, 25 Galleons. August 4, 1996
The Talisman of Confuses de Amor Inflecto, Sold to G. Weasley, 10 Galleons, August 10, 1996.
Broken Locket, Green with Snake Emblem, Purchased from M. Fletcher, 5 Sickles, November 12, 1996.
...

"What was George doing buying an talisman here?" Ron wondered, and Harry and Hermione shrugged as one.

"Harry we need to get out of here..." Hermione said urgently. Harry frowned and nodded.

"But it's here Hermione." Harry shot back, he looked at her with a sudden realization, "I can feel it...could it be that easy?" He mused, "Accio Slytherin's Locket." A pile of papers rustled on a nearby desk and a large, green locket shot across the room to slap into his hand with a loud noise. Harry felt instantly cold. He started to speak...

CRASH, Ron backed up and knocked down a half-rusted suit of plate armor, and a loud stomping noise was suddenly heard from the upstairs apartment. "Let's go..." Hermione snapped in an undertone and the teens flicked their hoods over their heads in unison and ran. Harry pointed his wand over his shoulder as he slipped out of the door into the alley and heard the door seal itself. He felt Hermione's hand find his left one and they ran through the night, hidden under cloaks, jumping over drunks, around tables, barrels and refuse and at least one large, bat-like creature.

They ran until they reached Diagon Alley, and paused for breath. Nearby they heard Ron breathing hard and Hermione dropped Harry's hand as they walked towards the sound and though neither could see the other, they both knew their wands were out and ready. "You okay Ron?" Harry whispered to the air, and received a grunt in return that he took as an affirmative. "Can you Apparate?"

"Yeah." Ron replied with a more constant stream of breath.

"Then go home." A crack sounded in the still night air a moment later, and Harry felt something brush against him. "That you Hermione?" He asked even though he knew it was somehow. She took his hand in response and he felt the sensation of being squeezed through a bottle to pop out in the Library at Grimmauld place.

Ron was already popping the top on a bottle of butterbeer. He motioned one towards Harry and Hermione. They shook their heads in response, Hermione yawned; rather prettily Harry thought tiredly. "Dobby," he muttered. The tiny elf appeared, but fell silent at a gesture from Harry, "Dobby, no one comes into the house from now on, without one of our permissions, even if they are related or something, and do not touch this." Harry held up the locket and conjured a steel lockbox. He placed the amulet into it and closed it with a tap of his wand. "I'm going to bed."

4:15 am.

Harry was sitting up in bed, having a staring contest with his owl, not because he wanted to, but mostly because his adrenaline was still spiking, jangling along his frazzled nerves like a live wire across a puddle. Visions of that small blade glittering as it approached Hermione's throat haunted his eyes. He saw not the quizzical expression of his familiar but the sight of Knockturn Alley as they ran. He closed his eyes, deliberately, sat back on the pillows and ran his fingers through his hair.

A soft knock drew his attention to the door. Hermione was standing there, her hair up in a pair of braids on either side of her head, and a short, thin-strapped camisole over a pair of sleep pants on her body. He just waved to her and she crossed the room and sat Indian style on his bed facing him. "What are you doing?" She asked softly.

"Having a staring contest with Hedwig." Harry replied truthfully.

Hermione snorted, "Who's winning."

"She is, she has bigger eyes."

"I like yours better."

"Thanks" Harry replied with a small grin. They sat for a minute as Hedwig turned and took flight, the window automatically opening and closing for her. Hermione let out a small sigh and pulled a glass vial with an opalescent blue solution in it from her pocket. She twirled it in her fingers as she watched the colors dance in the light from Harry's lamp. She glanced around the room, Sirius' former bedroom.

Dobby did a good job in this one, I wouldn't mind staying here myself... Dobby had taken the concept of Gryffindor a bit too seriously. The room, which should have been square, was circular, just like the dorm rooms or the Common Room. Harry's bed, which was probably half the size of his bedroom at Privet Drive, sat against one wall. A large bay window, looked out over the expansive, hidden backyard through crystal clear panes. A new rack held the Sword of Gryffindor vertically next to the bed, with a three level perch providing accommodations for Hedwig. A large closet was open opposite the bed, Harry's heavy Docs were on their sides next to the door and a pair of jeans was thrown haphazardly over the back of a chair. A large, slightly decrepit crimson and gold couch finished the furniture off and she idly wondered if Dobby had made it that way or if Harry had.

"Harry," She murmured, as she looked down at the phial in her fingers, "If I ask you to..." She didn't even finish before he held out his hand for the vial. "Not even going to ask?" She said softly.

Harry closed his hand over hers for an instant as he took the vial, "No, I trust you'll explain..." She nodded, as he gave her a quick smile.

"You might want to lay down Harry...the text says this should be taken in the early morning hours," She frowned slightly.

"This is going to taste like shyte?"

"Don't they always?" Hermione replied. "Ready?" Harry nodded and took the vial in his left hand. Hermione started to step back to stop as his hand touched her arm. Her eyes caught his, she couldn't explain...yet, but she wasn't about to leave, she stayed. Harry looked at her and downed the vial in one gulp. He let out a horrified grunt at the taste as he laid back.

Nothing happened for several minutes and for an odd instant Hermione was wondering if she was correct and if so if she was...Harry suddenly let out a blood-curdling scream. He arched up off the bed and a wave of magic, so long repressed in its battle against ever increasing portions of potions fought free. Hermione staggered but only showed a small wince as Harry squeezed her hand painfully. The odd noise like someone talking just out of earshot built to a roar and Hermione did finally drop Harry's hand to cover her ears as the sudden pain drove her to her knees. The non-noise faded away after a minute to the background hum that she had felt before and that was not really noticeable behind her busy thoughts. Hermione climbed back to her feet panting heavily and leaned on the edge of the bed for support to check on Harry.

Harry's eyes flicked open for an instant to show glowing green eyes, before he slipped into unconsciousness. Her heart almost beat through her chest as she bit her lip nervously and cast a First Aid spell. The soft green glow showed he was just sleeping and a tear of gratitude escaped. Hermione gently floated Harry all the way up to the head of the bed. She crawled in next to him, never letting go as she cradled his head.

Hermione fell asleep an hour later curled up with Harry.

10:30 am

"Harry, get up you..." Ron stopped suddenly as he noticed the messy pile of his best friends on the bed. You could have at least closed the door. A brief flash of...annoyance danced across his face and he turned to leave, before stopping suddenly and looking back on the scene. "Oh, bloody hell." He muttered as the realized something was amiss and crossed the room rapidly.

Hermione was passed out on top of Harry's chest, still gripping his hand tightly or was it Harry gripping hers? Ron took in the dark circles of sweat still on Harry's t-shirt and a slight trickle of dried blood under his right nostril. Ron shook Hermione's shoulder; she turned her head and blinked at him several times, before motioning him to be silent. Picking her wand up from where it had dropped next to the bed with a groaning stretch she checked Harry, he was still asleep. She held her finger up to her lips and pointed out into the hall, Ron nodded.

"What the hell?" Ron asked quietly, urgently, as she slid slowly into the hall and eased Harry's door closed. Hermione leaned against the wall heavily and eyed him exhaustedly. "Why is Harry still passed out, and why was blood coming from his nose, and?"

Hermione glanced down to absently notice Harry's blood on her white top. Her hands came up into her hair as she eyed her friend and sighed. "Harry was under a potion...it umm, was impeding his magic. I gave him a Flushing Draught to get it out of his system."

Ron was a wizard, who had grown up with wizards. And most pointedly, he had grown up in the same household as Fred and George, he had had to take more Flushing Draughts than he could count over his formative years, "Hermione, a Flushing Draught doesn't cause one to bleed from the ears and nose..."

"Well one doesn't normally have a teenage Dumbledore taking it either." Hermione snapped, lowly, and shrugged. "Sorry Ron, long night..." Chocolate eyes looked up through dark lashes, "I had to give it to him in the late morning..."

"Who gave him something? Was it someone poisoning him like they did me?" Ron asked quickly, dangerously. His fist clenched at his side.

"I don't know who, for sure." Hermione replied evasively. She played with the hem of her top as Ron looked at her with a glance that more than adequately communicated that he did not really believe her, but he let it drop for now.

"Why didn't you take him to Pomfrey, she would have taken care of him?" Ron asked reasonably. He checked his watch and shook his head.

"Because it's my job to take care of Harry, Okay?" Hermione said and then large brown eyes grew to be huge as her ears caught what her throat had just let go. She covered her mouth absently and crossed to her bedroom across the hall and shut the door firmly.

"Weeellll, I guess it is at that." Ron replied philosophically to the air and smiled a small smile. He went back into Harry's room, checked briefly on his best friend and left silently, headed down the stairs to the kitchen and a bit of late breakfast.

*************************Library*********************************
8:15 pm

Hermione absently paged through a book on magical talismans and amulets in a search for a way to destroy the locket, without killing themselves in the process. So far of the two, known destroyed Horcruxes, the diary, and the Riddle family ring, Harry had been at death's door when he had plunged the Basilisk's tooth into the diary and Dumbledore had effectively lost his hand to destroy the ring. She would rather not repeat that if she could help it, but if it helps Harry, I could loose a hand... The lockbox for the Locket had opened at her touch and she had used her wand to pull it out and set it on the table. An odd coldness permeated her bones when she looked at it, so she had pushed it as far away as was possible and still be keeping it out on the table. The only reason she even had it out was a series of odd runes on the back, that might hold a clue to how to destroy it, maybe. Her eyes flicked around the room, hopeful that Harry had gotten back from his sojourn out to talk to Lupin and Tonks, or that Ron had gotten back from his rendezvous with the twins at their Diagon Alley store.

Of course the fact that a certain blond who just happened to be the daughter of the editor of the Quibbler, which as it turned out, just coincidentally had its offices located just four store fronts down from the twin's shop couldn't have a single, solitary thing to do with Ron's sudden urge to see if the twins had come up with anything new in the three or so days since they had least seen the pranksters couldn't have anything to do with it...no, of course it couldn't. Harry and her had fallen out of their chairs laughing yesterday morning when Pig had appeared carrying a scroll at least four times his own size, tied with a yellow ribbon and addressed to "My King." He had turned red and vanished until right before they left to go after Mundungus.

Harry had awoke at noon, exactly, and sought her out. She was still sleeping when he had arrived in her room, having kipped back out, so he just left her a note, letting her know that he was going to go to Gringotts to check out some tomes that he had been told were now in his vault and was going to go talk to Remus and Tonks about training. He had taken the Knight Bus, for time to think, he had said in the note. She frowned at the thought, Harry wasn't stupid, in fact she knew that he was at least as smart as his parents had been, and he knew as well as Ron that a Flushing Potion didn't normally have that effect. And she knew, that he had been suspecting...something had changed their relationship last year.

Hermione stopped turning the pages for a while, she hadn't been reading them anyway and dropped her head to the cradle of her arms. It's all my fault...if I hadn't panicked when he related the Prophesy. Maybe I would have caught the signs...but no, that Harry-like voice argued sarcastically, you wouldn't have, you were too caught up with worrying about whether or not Ron was in Lavender's knickers. No I wasn't...yes you were...but why; even if I was interested in Ron...hello dated him for three weeks remember? Snogs and horniness don't count. It would if it were Harry... Harry's voice won the argument with six words and she looked back down at the book, as her faced flushed. She shook it off and returned to her study with a vengeance.

Her eyes focused rapidly as she passed a page on the amulet that Ron had found George had purchased at Borgin and Burks. A large, color illustration showed an odd, flat, silver amulet in the shape of a twisted star. An evil looking, oily black stone sat in the middle of the star:

The Talisman of Confuses de Amor Inflecto, or the Amulet of Geeves the Melancholy. This amulet was believed to have been created in 1675 by Geeves, a Welsh wizard of particular talent with enchanted objects. Geeves was thought to have created this amulet in order to lure away the attentions of another wizard, Edward of Saxony, from a witch, Sasha Delacourt, that both of the men had romantic feelings for. The talisman acts by using a focused Confundus charm to lure away the feelings of the effected one towards another that the affected has strong feelings for such as a close friend of the opposite gender. If the attentions of the close friend for which the emotions of the effected are not returned immediately, often resentful or irrational behavior is observed with symptoms ranging from uncharacteristic acts, violence towards friends and loved ones and irrational jealousy of others.

This talisman is limited in its duration and effects. A witch or wizard's innate magic will eventually defeat the effect of the amulet, but until then, the magical powers of the inflicted will be lessened. This effect is similar to that occurs when a person is under the effects of Amortentia for a long period of time. This weakness proved to be Geeves' downfall as in early 1676, Geeves was killed in a Wizard's Duel, by an enraged, fully remagiced Edward after he had overthrown the effects of the magic and discovered that Geeves had replaced his favorite Amulet of Darkness with the talisman, which the talisman is made to resemble.

Hermione sat back in her chair with a gasp and began to cry as they implications, if true, hit her between the eyes. She stood after a moment, drying tears angrily as her temper rose to the fore, "Accio Confuses de Amor Inflecto" She growled. For a long, heartstopping minute nothing happened and Hermione started to berate herself for thinking of that, surely Ginny wouldn't have; I'm her... Hermione's hopes were dashed as a familiar, thick, leather bound planner flew into the room and dropped in front of her on the table. A large, burnished silver star decorated the front cover of the planner, a gift from her last birthday from Ginny, with a bright green stone in the center of the straight star. Her heart was in her throat as she touched the center of the stone with the tip of her wand and whispered, "Revelo."

The silver star shimmered, and slowly the tips of the star twisted and the bright green jewel faded to black.

A conscious thought never crossed Hermione's mind as her right hand dagger came out of its sheath, its blade already alit with bluebell flames before it even fully extended. She flipped it in her hands and rammed the tip of the dagger with all her might into the stone.

Shards exploded outwards, falling slowly, ever so slowly...a rainbow wave of light shot out of the talisman throwing her across the room to bang hard into the wall, denting the plaster. On the other side of the table the Locket of Slytherin fell to the ground and the unopenable locket...cracked open.

Hermione pushed herself to her knees, shaking, and suddenly, without warning, pain ripped through her. Like the Cruciatus, but worse, this was caused by a friend, a sister in all but blood. Hermione whimpered as she pulled herself along the floor to a chair and used it to pull herself upright. Green fire danced in her pupils as she panted heavily and tried to force herself upright, only to fail and fall back down to her knees.

A dark shadow rose from behind the table, black, featureless, except for a pair of sullenly glowing eyes, Hermione glanced up through tears of pain, OH GOD....HARRY.... the room faded to black as her body crashed...

******************************Soho*********************************8

8:10 pm

A soft knock caused Tonks to extract herself from Lupin's embrace and get up from their bed. His brown eyes glared toward the door as he swung his legs onto the floor and started looking around on the floor, "If that's Kingsley again luv, just curse him and leave him outside for the landlord to get." Lupin growled and Tonks giggled. She pulled a dressing robe from the floor and wrapped it around her as she went to the door, her long inky locks drawing themselves up into a short spiky hairstyle and fading to pink.
Tonks looked through the peephole to find a messy mop of jet hair standing with his head down. She yanked the door open, "HARRY!" Harry glanced up at her and nodded. Not really noticing she was in a robe with nothing under it. She frowned, "come in Harry, please." He nodded and walked in past her. "How did you know where I live?"

"Phonebook" Harry said shortly, and Tonks laughed. She had forgotten that. Harry crossed the room and started to sit, when Lupin came out of the bedroom, sans shirt. Harry's eyes opened widely as he looked to Tonks again and back to Lupin. His face turned crimson, "Oh Merlin, I'm sorry, I didn't think, Tonks, Remus, I...I'll go..."

"Nonsense Harry." Tonks replied and sat down across from him. Her eyes flickered and her skimpy robe morphed to jeans and a t-shirt. "That better?" She asked softly and he nodded. Remus came over and sat next to Harry as he pulled a shirt on over his jeans.

"What's wrong Harry, did something happen?" Lupin asked as his eyes caught Harry's tired, slightly haunted ones. Lupin looked over at Tonks, she shrugged. Harry was fine last time I saw him, at the wedding...oh crap he went to the Hollow...why the hell didn't Sirius or I... "Harry, is it the Hollow, I mean Sirius and I were going to fix it up, but we never..."

"No it's not that," Harry whispered, and looked up at Lupin, "I do thank up for the inscription, though, I remember you using it third year." The werewolf nodded solemnly, "No something else happened, happened last year, that I just found out about."

"Can we help?" Tonks whispered as she used her wand to conjure three butterbeers and handed one to Harry and tossed one to Lupin.

Harry returned a small smile, "not right now, Tonks, thanks, I need to talk to Hermione about it, I guess...maybe later." The wistful look Harry had on was not lost on either of the others. Harry took a deep breath, "I...ah...I"

"What is it?"

"It's just that...I mean," Harry began nervously, then with a breath calmed, and his emerald eyes came up and met theirs levelly. "I am going to ask you to do something that may be against your oaths to the Order, and I don't want either of you two-to feel..."

"Harry." Tonks replied, reaching over and patting his knee, "Remus and I are sorta on the outs with the Order anyway, I seriously doubt that you can make it any worse."

Harry nodded, and looked up at Tonks, "Was Minerva able to get you the Transfiguration slot for next year?"

"She said something about it, but I should be in the field, I am..."

"Trust me," Harry replied flatly, "Hogwarts will be at the center of the fight." Tonks crooked an eyebrow but nodded after watching him for a minute. "I came to talk to you two about-"

"Training you and your friends, Harry?" Lupin replied with a smile, "I already knew, Dumbledore left me a letter." Harry just nodded, not surprised, "So where should we start. Grimmauld?" He and Tonks laughed at Harry's flummoxed look, "you three did a good job of reactivating the charms, and I assure you that taking the headquarters away from the Order caused a bit of...consternation..."

"Too bad" Harry replied softly. His hands came up and ran through his hair again, he paused as an odd background buzz that he had been hearing for the last week or so faded to silence, he grinned, and...his heart stopped.

HARRY! Hermione's terrified voice echoed in his mind and green fire lit his eyes. A rush of magic filled his bones and he...vanished. Behind him in the now emptier by one, apartment, Tonks and Remus looked at each other with astounded looks as they both clearly felt Tonks' anti-Apparation wards die. They looked at each other for one more heartbeat before quickly summoning shoes and vanishing as soon as they were laced.

In the basement of the Ministry of Magic, two old, disgruntled wizards sat watching a large, faceted crystal. They were eagerly awaiting some foolish underage wizard to break the underage, anti-Apparation rules. They hadn't snapped a wand all week and were eager. Their faces lit with a wicked anticipation as they saw the crystal light from within, only to duck under their desks an instant later as the crystal shattered into a million pieces.

****************************Grimmauld Place*****************************

A dark, evil presence glided towards Hermione's unconscious body. Twin glowing embers brightened as they sensed the seer magical potential that was now unlocked in the teenage witch, and if the seventh of Voldemort's soul had a face, it would have been lit with an unholy grin. It reached for her, already tasting the life, already reaching out for its counterpart in Tom Riddle's body, already thinking of the potential as it took its new vessel.

A thunderous CRACK shattered the windows in the room and a furious, glaring wizard stood between Hermione and Voldemort's shadow. The shadow stopped abruptly and drew itself up. Harry's right hand reached back and a thousand year old blade filled his hand with a soft pop and a snap of light. A blue line of fire illuminated the dark room as the blade snapped forward, and then with a twist of the wrist, back, cleaving the shadow into thirds.

An inhuman scream drove Harry to his knees; he dropped the Sword from limp fingers and covered Hermione with his body, curling up on top of her. An explosion of light and a flare of Phoenix song rang in the large room and Voldemort was abruptly three sevenths of the way closer to death, forever.

A CRACK sounded in the hall outside and a second later, "Harry, Hermione...Remus and Tonks are out..." Ron let out a shocked sound as he saw Harry cradling Hermione in his arms.

"Let, em in Ron." Harry snapped, "and let Dobby know." He quickly added as Ron ran off, waving his understanding.

Harry rocked back and forth slightly; Hermione's head was cradled against his chest as thundering footsteps came up the stairs. Tonks let out a gasp as she took in the sight before them. Harry never noticed any of them, tears blurred his vision as he kissed her forehead, whispering, but every ear heard him. A year and a month fell away, a year and a month that had seen tragedy and sorrow, which had started on a forlorn hope to help a godfather, who was never in danger until he was, and suddenly Harry was watching Hermione fall again.

His pulse pounded in his ears, and a horrid, terrible buzzing clouded his thoughts, "Oh please Hermione, don't leave me...Please don't leave me, I'm sorry." Harry feverishly kissed her forehead again, as he swept a loose lock of her hair behind an ear with trembling fingers. "It's all my fault, Mione...please...I can't do this without you, I'm nothing..."

"Harry" Hermione's voice cracked the drone of Harry's terrified mutterings. "So tired, Harry." Her voice faded away as she slumped in his arms.

"I'll...you'll be ok, Mione, P...Poppy'll fix you." Harry raised a hand and a golden ball whizzed by Ron's ear close enough to brush his hair in passing. It slapped into his upright palm with a loud thwack, he closed his fist over it and his lips moved.

Harry and Hermione vanished in a rush of wind and a rainbow fall of light.

A/N: The house of cards has fallen, but will Hermione survive its collapse?

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8. What was once lost, is now found

Chapter 8: What was once lost, is now found. ***************************Hogwarts********************************

July 14, 1997
8:25pm

"POPPY" Harry screamed even before he finished rematerializing fully in the infirmary. A matronly looking witch barreled out of her private quarters, knocking over a medical cart in her haste. A teacup was still held loosely in her grip as she came around the corner. It shattered on the slate floor as she ran over to Harry.

He laid Hermione down on a convenient bed, coincidentally the same as she had been in for so long second year, a small distant part of his mind noted absently. "Mr. Potter...what has happened to her?" Poppy began running her wand over Hermione as a clipboard levitated off of a nearby table and began to fill in with complex terms and words.

"I...I'm not sure." Harry replied softly. His face was haunted as he ran his fingers over her limp hand. "I came back to find her like this." Harry lied absently.

"Harry," A familiar voice came from a portrait above the bed. Both he and Poppy looked up to find a pair of familiar, ice blue eyes looking back down at them. Seconds later, Tonks, Lupin and Ron arrived with McGonagall on their heels. "Tell them all Harry."

Harry glanced up at the portrait to find Dumbledore's kind eyes meeting his; "You were the one telling me to keep this to myself." He objected as Poppy began to grab potions and cures from a shelf. "She's lying here in part because your Order couldn't be trusted... I won't see her hurt any more because of some new traitor..."

Remus gave Harry a hurt look, as a long ago choice to think him a traitor and not Pettigrew, came back to the fore. Tonks grabbed his hand as Ron shared a look with Harry. "Tell them Harry...if we're going to be here anyway, they will eventually find out." Ron said finally.

"Ok." Harry replied dejectedly. "Secure the room Ron." A wand danced and a white flash lit the walls. Harry watched as Poppy cut back Hermione's left sleeve with a well placed Severing Charm and started a Glucose IV. "She was examining a Horcrux," Minerva gasped and Remus' eyes grew huge.

"So the rumors were true, Voldemort," Poppy shivered slightly as she started a second IV with a purple strengthening potion, "split his soul, to keep alive, that's how?" He looked at Harry, who nodded.

"Yes Remus, so far, it looks as if I've destroyed one, Dumbledore one, and for my sins, Hermione was hurt destroying one...I came back and Tom's...shadow was coming at her, I destroyed it with the sword."

"Mr. Potter...Harry," Pomfrey interrupted quietly, "excuse me, but Miss Granger is experiencing symptoms of magical repression followed by immense magical discharge. The only other time I've seen the like is when I first started here and that little girl was under Amortentia for a year. In that case the poor dear was being force-fed the potion to ease an arranged marriage." An odd compulsion took over her hand and a wand was waving over Harry before she knew what she was doing. She checked the clipboard, and a soft curse escaped the witch's lips. "Mr. Potter, you are showing similar symptoms, however in your case, you show the faintest traces of a truly massive continuous dosage of Amortentia, have you taken a Flushing Draught in the last few days by any chance?"

Ron looked pensive; he looked at Harry speculatively, "So that's why Hermione fed you that draught last night."

"Is that what that was?" Harry mused, and Tonks mouthed something about, "the boy took something and didn't even ask?" She shook her head exasperatedly as she thought of what Mad-Eye would have done to her. Harry grabbed Hermione's hand gently and ran his thumb softly over the tendons on the back of her hand. "Ron?" Harry said quietly without looking up.

"Yeah mate?" Ron whispered as he came to stand at Harry's shoulder and knelt next to him. In the darkness now visible out the window, a single white owl flashed by, settled on the window and looked in.

Harry's fingers flicked, the window opened and his familiar settled on his shoulder. She cooed mournfully down at Hermione, and Harry petted her. "Hermione was working on something else, go back and see what it was." He glanced up at Poppy, and an air of command settled in his voice, "she was under something similar to the potion in its side effects, but not the same, right?" She nodded and he took a deep breath, "Take Tonks Ron, I'll fill in Remus, he can talk to Tonks later, whisper it in her ear in bed if need be." Harry added the last with a tiny, pained smile.

Ron gave him a pat on the shoulder, bent down and kissed Hermione on the cheek, "get well Hermy, if for no other reason than to kick my arse for using that name." Ron whispered so only the trio could hear. Ron left with Tonks a moment later to get out of range of the anti-Apparation wards.

Harry quickly explained the events of the last year, and indeed the last seventeen, as he understood them to Remus. If Poppy actually heard, she said nothing as she ran various testing charms over Hermione, eventually stating that she really didn't know why Hermione was reacting like this.

An hour later, which was mostly characterized by Harry sitting at Hermione's bedside and holding her hand silently, Ron and Tonks returned with a book, Hermione's wand and a leather-bound binder emblazoned with a twisted silver star. Hermione's dagger was still thrust through the ruins of the stone at the center of the star. Harry took a deep breath as he recognized the planner, he should; he had seen the bloody thing almost every day for the last year in conjunction with his best friend as she meticulously planned her day. Even at the height of her apparent, difficulties, with him and Ron, she had marked down her activities and plotted out her day.

"It's her planner Harry." Ron said unnecessarily, he pulled a small fragment of a black, oily stone from his pocket. "These bits of stone were scattered all over the floor."

"Minerva" Dumbledore's portrait spoke up from the wall, where he had been listening quietly. "I believe if you examine that planner, you may find something interesting." Harry watched as the reflection of his mentor heard his suspicions confirmed after a several minute examination of the planner. His eyes were sorrowful as he looked down at Harry, "Harry I am sorry, I suspected something, but..."

"You were not the one that caused this. May Ron and Hermione and I have a moment?" Harry asked quietly of the room and without a word, Minerva, Tonks and Remus filed out, none of them daring to tell Harry that Hermione was still unconscious. Dumbledore gave Harry a brief nod and left the portrait he currently inhabited and after a quick check on Hermione, Poppy stepped into her office as well. Harry sighed, slightly and looked at Ron. Hedwig hooted mournfully and panned her head back and forth between Harry and Ron. Harry looked down at his hand, which was still rubbing Hermione's and looked up at his best friend. "Ron, I have to ask this once and I promise I never will again..."

"No Harry, I would have never, not even if it meant she ended up with me." Ron shot back coldly at him, and Harry reached up and touched his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Ron I just...No," Harry said suddenly, "By Merlin, I can learn something from my history despite what that arsehole Snape says. I trust you Ron. I'm sorry I..."

"It's ok Harry." Ron replied quietly as he sat gently on the edge of Hermione's bed on her side opposite that where Harry was currently sitting. Ron reached over and grabbed the book Hermione had been reading when she had evidentially destroyed a talisman, and opened a Horcrux. He opened the book to the page he and Tonks had found the book open to where it had flopped face down on the ground after Hermione's release of energy. "It's the talisman that was listed in Borkin's ledger Harry."

"Were any of us ourselves last year Ron?" Harry asked plaintively. His thumb stroked Hermione's hand once more, before he stood and looked out onto the lawn. Hagrid's hut was lit from within, and Harry felt a tang of guilt of their ignoring their giant friend for so much time last year. Maybe I can get in his class this year, Harry thought idly as he leaned his forehead against the cool, leaded glass of the hospital windows.

Harry watched the dark lawn beyond, lit only sporadically by projected squares of yellow light from a few occupied castle windows. He spotted a pair of unicorns emerge from the edge of forest near Hagrid's hut and smiled slightly as he watched Buckbeak snap at them for disturbing his rest. "You know what this means Ron? I wouldn't blame you if you choose to stay out of this mess."

"V...Voldemort, my family, no big." Ron moaned slightly under his breath and joined Harry at the window, "You thinking we should get back into Creatures?" Harry glanced over at Ron and they laughed together softly.

"Only if Hermione does." Harry replied and Ron nodded. The pair of them turned back to the window in time to see Hagrid staggering back to his hut from another night at the Three Broomsticks. "Ron you're my brother in all the ways that count."

"I know." Ron said quietly, "you too. Even though you are a git." He paused, "wait that's Percy, you're just a prat." Harry smiled slightly.

"Anyway..." Harry turned serious once more, "I won't see her hurting Hermione any more Ron. At all. I don't care what we had if anything, and I honestly don't care if she is your sister. Hermione thought of her as one Ron, did you know that, the younger sister that her parents never gave her. She's going to be devastated when she wakes up."

Ron walked over and sat back down next to Hermione. "Yeah." He patted her arm softly, "I know."

"Ronald, Harry." An ethereal voice called from the door. Both of the boys turned to find Luna Lovegood looking oddly...determined as she crossed the room. Luna was looking much more like a Muggleborn than a Pureblood today as she came closer. The willowy blond had her pale locks pulled back into a tight braid and was wearing a low cut pair of jeans and a tight, short top. Ron let out an involuntary gulp as the young witch came over to Hermione and knelt down. Her silvery-gray eyes were oddly focused as she ran a hand over Hermione's forehead and looked to Harry. "I am sorry Harry, I was not in time. I was helping father outfit for his annual Gilded Gradlehuff safari when I saw."

"Saw what?" Harry replied, confused, a normal, rather comforting state with Luna.

Luna looked at him like he was smoking a pipe like Mundungus' "The effects of the talisman shattering of course. I would have been here sooner...but I passed out." She walked over to Ron, who caught the exasperated shrug Harry gave behind Luna's back. Luna didn't even pause for a breath as she wrapped her arms around Ron's waist and tucked her head under his. "Are you ok Ron?" She whispered.

"Yeah Loony, I'm fine." Ron muttered and Harry raised an eyebrow behind the pair of them.

"I am sorry Harry." Luna announced a moment later as she had now rolled in Ron's arms to lean back against the tall teenage wizard. She seemed to be supporting Ron as much as he was supporting her. "I tried but she was willful, there is an excellent article in March's Quibbler about recovering from Love Potions, I can get it for you Harry."

"Thanks Luna." Harry replied flatly, he shared a glance with Ron over Luna's head. "Luna I know that Ginny is your friend-"

"No Harry," Luna replied with a chill in her voice that frankly, scared Harry a little bit. "She was my friend, but when she hurt you and Ronald and Hermione, who isn't always my friend I admit, but I do like her... I will miss Ginny, she was so nice when she was younger." Her voice was mist-like at the end, she tilted her head back to look straight up at Ron, "Ronald, you should eat something, that growling will bring Samarian Horsemoths, and you know how they are-" She shrugged daintily in Ron's arms, "I should probably eat too, don't know why I passed out, either the low blood sugar, or Voldemort."

"Go Ron," Harry said with an only slightly forced smile, "You two go get something to eat."

"What about you mate?" Ron said as Luna bounced slightly in his arms.

"I'll just stay here." Harry replied and looked back down at Hermione. Luna and Ron shared an oddly knowing glance before Luna led Ron out of the room by his hand.

********************Room of Requirement, Hogwarts***********************

July 22, 1997
4:30 pm

"Again." Remus snapped and Harry dove to his side. A sizzling red beam shot through where he had been. Harry rolled, came up and caught two more stunners on a silver shield. A sliver bolt snapped from his wand to impact between the eyes on a masked figure.

Harry dodged another Death Eater. Ducked under another red spell bolt and returned fire. He dove behind a large desk and panted slightly. This time, the Room of Requirement had taken a shape much like that of the Ministry's Time Room on that night Sirius had died. Several heavy desks sat around a round room. A large, glowing tank sat in the middle of the room, with shelves and doors lining the walls. A dozen Death Eaters filled the room, but today, Harry was alone against them, no Neville...no Hermione. A hated, accented, mocking laugh rang out in the room, "is that all you have, wee little baby Potter?" and Harry MOVED. Green fire flicked in his eyes as he banished a heavy desk across the room to crush two Death Eaters against a wall.

A shining canary curse hissed towards him, he ducked and a Death Eater screamed as the Cruciatus took hold. Harry dove forward, firing, and a pair more Death Eaters fell. "INCENDIO ENVELUM" Harry's wand flicked and another two were enveloped. He stood, looking for the rest...

"Too bad Potter..." A green flash lit the room and everything vanished, leaving only a pair of couches and a table between them with a pitcher of water and two glasses on it. Remus did not say a word as he waved Harry to a seat.

"No Remus; lets go again." Harry objected as he wiped sweat off his forehead and took a breath, ready to begin a session for the twentieth time today. He was panting slightly, and pale. His hands were shaking slightly as he raised his wand to a ready position. "Let's go..."

"No Harry." Lupin said kindly as he crossed the room slowly. He cautiously reached his hand out towards Harry, like a trainer towards a rather tired and annoyed lion and plucked Harry's wand from mostly unresisting fingers. "Lets stop here." Remus closed his eyes briefly as a vision of a determined thirteen-year-old version of the powerful and...scared wizard in front of him crossed his thoughts. Of a young man learning to fight Dementors ten years before any normal wizard learned that spell if at all. His wand flicked behind him and a filled glass of ice water floated over.

He handed it to Harry, who chugged it down and tossed the glass into the corner of the room. It shattered into tiny pieces and vanished. "Happy now Remus? Give me my wand back, I'm ready..."

"No you aren't Harry," Remus slipped Harry's wand into his back pocket along with his own. He placed his hands on Harry's shoulders, "You need to rest Harry, you've been training with me or Nymph or Minerva every second that you haven't been with Hermione for the last week. Have you even eaten today?"

Harry shook his way out from Remus' arms and paced away. He absently flicked his fingers and his wand jumped from Lupin's back pocket, curled around the lycan and dropped in Harry's waiting hand. Lupin cocked an eyebrow. "It doesn't matter, Remus. Nothing matters, I have to be ready..."

"For what Harry, Voldemort, Harry even..."

"Even what? Professor?" Harry snapped, "Even Dumbledore wasn't a match for him? Is that what you were going to say? HUH?" Harry turned on his heel, the water pitcher and the remaining glass exploded, shards of glass almost reaching Harry and Lupin a good fifteen feet away, before vanishing.

Lupin sighed and dropped his eyes for a second, he looked up at Harry, "No Harry that's not what I was going to say and you know it, Dumbledore was a match for him, he fought Riddle to a draw every time they fought..."

"That's just the thing, Remus." Harry fairly howled, "I have to be better than Dumbledore, I have to kill the fucker, and I can't even do that until I find his Horcruxes, and..." Harry paced to the couch and dropped on it, bouncing several times before he stopped. He dropped his head to his hands, "I just don't know if I can do it, Remus...dad couldn't beat him, Dumbledore couldn't beat him, and now...Hermione is sitting in the hospital wing-again, and it my fault, just it was last time," Harry waved his arm vaguely in the air, indicating the room as a whole. "This was just twelve Death Eaters attacking, Remus, just like at the Ministry, what happens when it's a hundred, a thousand..."

"Do you love her Harry?" Remus asked suddenly and Harry's gaze snapped to his with an utterly pole axed expression. "I mean it, do you love Hermione?" Harry's mouth opened and closed a couple of times, "Like she loves you?" Harry shook his head not in denial but utter disbelief, "because even when Ginny had her under the influence of the talisman, she still loved you...Harry she sat there in the infirmary the night Dumbledore died and her first thought was that she failed you. Not Dumbledore, or Ron or the school as whole, you..."

"That's just the thing Remus, she didn't...she never could, ever. If she had stayed with Ron and married him and had fifteen little redheads or if she left all of us forever and went to live in America as a Muggle she couldn't fail me, not ever." Harry looked at his wand absently, "I don't want her to have to face this Remus...even though I am a hundred times the wizard with her than without her. I...I won't have what happened to mum happen to her, even if it kills me inside and out." Neither of them noticed a soft gasp from near the door, "what happens when they come after us some night..."

"Then we kill them Harry," A soft soprano answered his question and Harry's heart thumped. He turned, and somehow, he was across the room and flinging his arms around her. Hermione slumped against him as his tears darkened her shirt. "I'm so sorry Harry." She whispered in his ear, as Harry shook his head.

Neither of them noticed as Remus escaped the room.

Harry held onto her like she was the last drink of water in the desert and he a man dying of thirst. "Mione..."

"Shhh, Harry, it's ok." She chewed her bottom lip nervously as she looked him in the eyes and her hands were trembling slightly as they came up to cradle his face, as if her entire life from this moment forward was riding on what she said...and did, now, "it'll be ok, love, I promise." Harry just nodded, Hermione took a breath; her fingers fisted in inky-black locks and pulled him to her.

Lips crashed together, and a jolt of energy slammed through both of their bodies, crashing them to their knees, and shaking the walls of the room. Hermione moaned as a soft tongue teased along her bottom lip, and it slipped home to greet hers. Her eyes slid closed, as Harry's hands came up to run through her hair and she knew...she had been right. Ohh, thank Merlin. Hermione whispered in her thoughts and Harry sat back and looked at her...oddly.

"For what Hermione?" Harry asked softly, she cocked her head, "you said thank Merlin." Hermione's eyes grew wide and she smiled hugely, heartstoppingly.

For you loving me too silly. Hermione replied, looking directly into his eyes, and pointedly not moving her mouth. Harry laughed, a laugh of freedom and tears of joy in his eyes.

This is different, He replied likewise and fell backwards onto the suddenly soft floor, pulling her along with him. She giggled as she landed on his chest and he kissed her again. They broke apart as lungs began heaving for air. I'm sorry it too so long Mione. Harry replied softly, silently, as she gave him a small smile and swept his bangs from his eyes.

Hermione leaned forward and kissed his nose, before dropping her head back to his chest. It doesn't matter anymore. None of that matters, Harry. Her eyes glanced around the room without rising from his chest. She had absolutely no desire to ever be out of touching distance again, but a couch would serve a tad better than the floor. The room heard her, and with a soft pop and a muted flash, the room changed.

A dimly lit version of the Gryffindor Common Room appeared, perhaps only one third the size of the real one in the tower one over, but perfectly adequate for their needs. A tattered couch sat before a blazing, purely atmospheric fire. Shelves of books and study guides lined the walls, which were interspersed with familiar portraits, of which one, a currently empty one, Hermione was relatively certain might be for an certain recent Headmaster of Hogwarts. Hermione flowed to her feet and Harry followed, her hand never leaving his firm grasp. He sat down on a corner of the couch, as Hermione tucked in next to him. She drew her legs up under her and her head fell to his shoulder. He sighed, suddenly content for the first time in a very long time.

How did this happen?

She knew what he meant, the newest developments between then were only a bonus to that understanding that, except for that hated, despised period, had only grown over the years. She frowned slightly and leaned back into his chest. An errant curl wrapped around her finger as she thought of how to explain. Harry smiled as he could feel the wheels turning. After a minute of contemplation, several things at once most likely. She let out a breath, lets see...first, let me ask you something...have you ever seen the magical potential ratings for first years? More specifically your own?

You mean that wonky test were we cast spells at big iron balls try to make them move and catch fire and other arsinine things, stupid things never did want to move...

Yeah that's the one. She agreed as she glanced down at their intertwined fingers, students are not supposed to see their results really, kind of like Muggles are like with IQ tests in primary school, they don't want kids bragging about it to other kids. Harry the balls aren't...supposed to move. He could see the flicker of amusement in her eyes, even though she was looking away from him into the fire. She pressed back against his chest, arching her back slightly, Yeah they moved for me too. A flash of guilt crossed her thoughts, fifth year; I um, sorta saw ours by accident...

Harry smirked, accident huh?

McGonagall was pissed at Umbridge for something right as she was supposed to go over my career counseling with me, Umbridge was still arguing with Minerva over you, I guess she had had the test results out to look over them, and forgot to hide them when she and Umbridge stepped into the hall. Both yours and mine had a question mark Harry. Ron's was under ours, he was right at the top end, but they didn't measure ours, or couldn't rather...

What does this have to do with the telepathy Hermione? Harry reminded her patiently. He bent forward and kissed her ear, she shivered as a wave of happiness shot through her, and rolled in his arms. She captured his lips with a mischievous grin, and they played for a long moment. Hermione moaned softly against his lips as curious hands inched under her shirt and slipped upward, to lightly cup her breast. Her eyes widened as she felt exactly how happy Harry was with this turn of events, and she sighed disappointedly as he slowly pulled his hands back to safer territory. No, not yet...Harry told her sadly. I love you too much for that. His fingers stayed under the fall of her loose t-shirt, but hovered lightly on her stomach.

A fiery thrill jangled down her nerves at his words. She nodded slowly, and chocolate eyes gone almost black, met dark, dark green ones. Yeah, she agreed, me too...but not very long Harry. A subtle twitch, I meant time wise dumbarse. Not very long at all, just not today Harry, I want to be with you before I am with you. Harry gave her a small smile of assent, where was I...

Something about us being different from the average bears. Harry reminded her. She smiled at his Mugglism.

You think? What Ginny did to us...it just didn't screw with our emotions; it repressed our magic Harry.

I never really noticed. Harry objected thoughtfully. Professors never said anything either.

Well they wouldn't have, would they? Hermione replied reasonably, if you think about it, the class that sheer power comes into the most in is DADA, and we both know Snape would have only...

Suddenly, Harry knew where she was going. I couldn't have beaten Snape, I was panicked Mione, I couldn't do a damn nonverbal to save my life, and I didn't seem to have the power I needed...Dumbledore knew...why didn't he?

I don't think he knew until too late Harry, there were other things at stake beyond our love lives...

But I could have...

Maybe, Harry. She ran her hands soothingly through his hair, maybe, but there are no guarantees...we'll get him Harry, I promise, I'll help you.

I know, anyway back to the telepathy?

She smiled and kissed his nose, basically what she did, the Amortentia and the talisman she used, in addition to causing you to fixate on her and for me to get all screwy and transfer from you to Ron.

There had to be something there for that one to work, Hermione. Harry put in as a tide of sudden worry flooded his thoughts. An invisible hand soothed his fears and he sighed softly.

I'm going back and killing Vernon; nothing human would treat another like he treated you. Baby, you know what I'm feeling, you can feel it, hear it, her eyes twinkled madly, taste it, smell it...

I thought we agreed not tonight.

"Damn you're right." Hermione whispered out loud and Harry laughed. I did mean soon though. But anyway...the secondary effect of the agents was to tie up a great deal of our magic in fighting the effects, and when it was flushed out of you, or I destroyed the talisman, it was like a dam bursting. It beat you into unconsciousness for several hours and I just happened to regain my powers at the same time Voldemort's spare bit of soul was floating about...the extra effects caused my body to have to take more time balancing the load. She raised her hand and gestured towards a chair, which suddenly floated off the floor.

You noticed.

Simple stuff only though.

For now, Harry partially agreed and she nodded. That's not the real problem though. I already talked to Ron several times about it. He supports us...no matter what the outcome. And on top of that, the Order is fragmenting.

One problem at a time, she frowned and he shrugged an apology. Do you have to have revenge Harry? Her eyes searched his, don't get me wrong Harry, there will be a reckoning, but we don't really have time for this.

Yeah, he agreed so we ignore it for now? Tell Ron and the others not to say anything. Make her wonder why suddenly her machinations aren't bearing fruit?

Big word...yeah, basically, now I'm damn sure not going to pretend to distance myself from you, but we probably shouldn't go out of our way to acknowledge her suspicions...of course that will mean little to no PDA in the halls. Harry wore a slight look of loss; we have our own suite and a month until school starts at Grimmauld I'll make it up to you.

Fine, but if she somehow catches us or whatever, I'm not denying a damn thing...except

Fuck Voldemort...Harry with Dumbledore gone, I'm already at the top of the kill while torturing in front of Harry list, whether or not I'm sleeping with you won't have a bit of difference in the end. Now what's this about the Order?

Yeah, sorry about that? She gave him a small glare, You know I won't stop worrying, She nodded, Anyway, this came out when I went to talk to Remus and Tonks...basically the Order is splitting down the middle, with dividing line basically over me. If I'm merely a school kid who should stay out of the way of the adults and those that support me, basically believe in the whole "Chosen One" malarkey.

You are the Chosen One Harry, I wish you weren't but you are. Hermione reminded him grimly. Let me guess, it basically splits on the "old" vs. "new" Order, with Minerva and Remus on our side from the old, and Mad-Eye and Arthur and Molly on the other.

Damn you're good. Harry replied with thoughts full of awe. Hermione grinned a little Cheshire grin and stood, extending her hand. She looked up at a clock that had magically appeared on the wall. "Damn it's suppertime already." He commented, following her gaze.

"Yeah lets go see what's in the Great Hall for supper during the summer, and then lets go home..." Hermione replied in a soft whisper, "we may not have acted on what we both wanted today, or even tonight, but I'm moving in when we get home."

****************************Great Hall, Hogwarts**************************

5:15 pm.

The four great, house tables and the raised Professors' head table had vanished. In their place, the vast, cavernous hall hosted only one, rectangular table, set to one side, the Gryffindor side, suitable for only perhaps twenty. The late afternoon sun streamed in from the high windows near the top of the hall, and a pair of lonely owls fluttered about the rafters, passing occasionally in front of the enchanted ceiling, which today was showing a reflection of the clear, cloudless, deep blue sky.

A full meal was set out for the few Professors and guests present today, over a month until summer hols ended and Hogwarts would reopen for the first time in forty years without the presence of Dumbledore on his golden throne. Platters of chops, tins of Shepard's pie and plates of roast beef competed with goblets of butterbeer and pumpkin juice for space, while bowls of potatoes, corn, beans and other foods sat waiting for spoons to dig in.

Minerva McGonagall was sitting, talking quietly with Remus and Tonks as they sat together. Tonks was leaning on Remus, occasionally gesturing with her fork to some comment. Flitwick, next to Tonks, was not really eating as he was much more concerned with the flight path of that fork in Tonks' hand than he was in eating. Madame Sprout had sat across from them, her tall hat on the ground next to the table. She was bent over in conversation with Poppy about some new article in the Herbology journals. Ron and Luna were sitting a seat away, Ron was looking slightly nervous at sitting with all these professors, but Luna, Luna was enthusiastically joining the conversation with McGonagall, Remus and Tonks, occasionally stopping to feed herself from Ron's plate. He didn't seem to mind all that much, he just ate around her flashing fork.

Conversation stopped as Harry and Hermione entered the hall. Her fingers were intertwined in his and brown eyes caught each and every other set, daring for someone to say anything. No one did. Ron gave them a small smile as he dodged Luna's fork with his own and went back to eating. Luna, glanced over, shrugged as if she similar occurrences every day and went back to eating and conversing.

Harry glanced around slightly self-consciously, but he didn't blush or otherwise react when Hermione sat on his knee at the table, and filled a plate for both of them. In the end he didn't really give a damn for what anyone else thought, except maybe Ron, and Ron had already accepted it. He wrapped an arm around Hermione's waist as she leaned back into him. Conversation gradually restarted as McGonagall looked down on them with a smile that looked rather nice on her normally stern face, lifting almost twenty years from her eyes. "I suppose congratulations are in order." She declared in her normal blur. Her eyes were soft, as she looked at Harry and Hermione and then glanced at Luna stealing a sausage from Ron's plate. "Unfortunately, school discipline will not allow you to behave like this at the dinner table in the next year. And as Heads..."

"Yeah Professor, we know." Harry acknowledged as Hermione bit her lip and glanced back at him. "In fact..." Hermione squeezed his hand under the table, "we probably will be less demonstrative than allowed actually in public, at least around here." McGonagall quirked an eyebrow at them, inviting them to explain, while snogging at the table, being caught in coitus and other certain...actions were frowned upon if caught, hand holding in the halls and even a kiss on the cheek or lips was fine as long as it didn't get out of hand. And as to the others, the Professors weren't stupid, they were in the middle of a thousand teenagers, as long as they didn't get caught and anything unfortunate didn't happen beyond an occasional broken heart they stayed out of it.

Hermione gave him a small smile, "Harry and I have decided that...the fallout from certain recently revealed actions, on the part of certain other parties...well frankly we don't have time to deal with her. Unless she makes an issue of things and if that happens, she will get stomped on hard." She a gave a small tight smile to McGonagall and the rest, "I am afraid that we have no other choice, not any longer. In fact ma'am..."

"You intend to control this school as your own." McGonagall replied softly and frowned, but did not look angry, with them at least. "Technically that is the prerequisite of the Heads if needed, but that hasn't been the case for many years. Percy tried..." Several sniggers came from the assembled staff and guests. Minerva sighed and looked back over her shoulder towards where Dumbledore chair should have been. An empty hollow feeling came into being in Harry and Hermione's stomachs. "Please try to keep the bloodshed to a minimum."

"Nothing will happen, ma'am," Harry replied for Hermione and as he glanced at Ron and Luna for them as well, "unless they start it, and if they do--it'll end quickly." Harry leaned forward and gave Hermione a soft kiss in crook of her neck and McGonagall nodded.

A/N: There it is the foundation has crumpled and the house of cards has fallen...you guys didn't really think I was going to kill of Hermione did you...in chapter 7...

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9. A Dark Majority Part One

A/N: Ok, here we go...you might have been waiting for this, and yep this is why the book is rated NC17, and for more than one reason. Many, many thanks to Lady Starlight for her gracious beta work and bouncing ideas back, however as usual, all mistakes are mine alone, so blame me. Also one other point I noticed today. Gabrielle is eleven not fourteen as it said in chapter 4, I'm not going back and correcting it as I'd loose the reviews but it should be ok, going forward.

Chapter 9: A Dark Majority Part One.

**************************# 4 Privet Drive*******************************

July 31, 1997.
12:01 am

Several hooded, cloaked figures watched with incipient glee as the wards around the house, the plain Muggle house of three bigoted, hating people flared and died. Harsh laughter echoed off the clipped and neat lawns of the monotonously similar homes as a tall, goateed man strode up to the door and flicked his wand, knocking it flying into the house, with a great clatter and crash.

The Death Eater smiled, as his fingers of his left hand came up and swept greasy, night-black bangs from his brow. Heavy footsteps sounded on the stair landing above, "FREAKS" Vernon Dursley screamed as Snape causally motioned with his wand and he suddenly hung inverted in the air for a long instant before slamming down the stairs to land bleeding and battered at the traitor's feet. Snape gestured with a pair of fingers over his shoulder and pointed upstairs.

Boots slapped carpeted stairs, and a moment later a high-pitched scream came from upstairs. Snape smirked as he used his wand to levitate Vernon to the pristine, white living room. A moment later, two more Death Eaters appeared, with Dudley and Petunia in tow. Ropes shot out of wands to wrestle each to the ground. A miss-set clock chimed midnight and Snape gave a harsh laugh.

"You can't even get the time right, stupid Muggles." He laughed as the other Death Eaters joined him. A suspicious puddle gathered under Dudley as a dark haired, darkly suggestively dressed woman appeared from behind Severus. Several of the attending Death Eaters gave her a half bow, almost groveling in her presence.

"Don't dawdle Sev..." Bellatrix said softly as she ran a finger down his cheek and slithered over to Dudley. Her tongue licked absently along her full lips. Bella's wand flicked and he hung in the air...

"No don't" Petunia screamed, Bella smiled coldly as she turned to her and absently flicked her wand behind her in the air. A terrible CRACK sounded in the house as Dudley's head hung at an odd angle and he fell from the air; his eyes were dead and blank. "No, NO..." Petunia screamed, and broke into sobs as Bella flicked her wand and the ropes binding her vanished. She crawled over to him, "Dudders...my poor Dudders..."

Snape smiled darkly as he turned back to Vernon, "tell me Vernon, where is Potter?"

"I don't know where that freak is...don't all of you FREAKS track each other...ask that Ministry place of yours." The Death Eaters crowded into the suburban home laughed. One at the door shook with dark mirth as they stared at the poor, doomed Muggles.

"Poor little dirty Muggles...you know so little of a world that you hate." She smiled slightly as her wand flicked and Vernon shut up. "Crucio" She muttered almost lovingly and Vernon shook, and twisted. Veins popped up in his neck as he turned puce and his mouth locked open in a silent scream.

"Bella..." Severus snarled reproachfully. She pouted, but relented and canceled the curse. Snape gave her a small nod and returned to Vernon. "After all, Bellatrix...that way is so inefficient." His wand flashed and Vernon shot across the room, to be held spread-eagled against wall by invisible bonds. Another flick and Vernon's eyes locked open, fixed on Snape's.

Vernon tried and failed to scream once more as Snape's mind ripped though his. Offal of an unorganized mind shot past Snape's probe, until he finally managed to steer his way to memories of Harry. Images of Harry's childhood here, interspersed with occasional encounters with someone from the Wizarding world. Feelings of...fear associated with Harry emerged and Snape laughed. He flicked his wand at Vernon and the florid man fell to the ground, a vacant look in his eyes and a line of drool escaping his lips.

Snape...smirked at Vernon and bent close, flicking his wand at Petunia to toss them together in a pile on the floor. She was frozen, rightly so, in fear. "You poor stupid Muggles, it was not Potter you should have feared...but us. He was your only hope...poor as it is." The Dursleys' eyes were huge as he stood and ran his fingers contemplatively over a night black, neatly trimmed goatee. "I will say this..." his beady eyes bored into theirs, "you did at least treat him as he should have been treated...pity you were so incompetent at actually killing him. Unfortunately for you...we are not." He wheeled and turned in a flutter of a shadowy cloak and left.

Through the still open door, twin flashes of green briefly lit the darkened lawn. "Did they know anything..." Bellatrix asked as they watched the Dark Mark bloom hatefully above the lawns and roofs of Privet Drive.

"No." Snape shrugged slightly, "No one from the Order has visited all summer, I suppose the reports of its shattering after the death of its great leader, are true. " They both sneered identically, the sneer of those who knew in their hearts of hearts, they still were no match for the fallen Phoenix Wizard, "No surprise really. Potter left weeks ago...Granger was here to collect him it seems."

"Interesting, our last report from Draco was that he had taken up with the little blood traitor bitch Weasley." She laughed, "he left her for that mousy little bookworm?"

Snape arched an eyebrow, "I daresay that you haven't seen her lately Bella, I would have thought that one with your shall we say peculiar ... proclivities would have paid greater attention. And what Malfoy reported was a sham...the signs that Weasley had altered him were unmistakable to a Potions Master such as myself. Eventually even Potter's minuscule brain, just like his father's, would have eventually discovered it. Though I am sure that Granger told him, she always does all of this thinking for him anyway." A soft pop sounded on the lawn as Snape vanished. A half dozen others followed, leaving only Bella behind. She blew a kiss towards the Dark Mark, floating high in the sky and vanished.

***************************#12 Grimmauld Place***********************

1:35 am.

Hermione cracked open a bleary eye as Harry moaned in his sleep and shook, shaking her from her, now, normal sleeping position on his shoulder. She gasped as she saw the scar standing luridly out from his forehead in the moonlight leaking through their bedroom window. She crawled upward, feeling his forehead. On impulse she kissed the scar, and suddenly Harry's moans fell silent. She groaned slightly as she tasted Harry's blood on her lips. Hermione absently licked it away as if it were her own and settled into his shoulder as she felt his mind relaxing in their link.

She glanced across the darkened room to see the softly glowing, sad eyes of their familiars looking over at them and sighed. Crookshanks had taken the window seat as his own as soon as he and his mistress had moved in with Harry a week ago. A brief absent smile flitted across tired lips under troubled eyes as she compared the strange ease the kneazle and the owl had with one another, especially when compared to their relations with Pig. You would think they're human...Hermione thought absently.

"Who Mione?" Harry asked in a sleep-addled tone.

"Our pets..." As one the kneazle and the owl glared at her, "ok, familiars happy?" The two animals seemed to nod as one. Hedwig gave her a soft hoot, and took flight, the enchanted window opening for her as she passed. Crookshanks sauntered by the bed, his tail held high as he pawed at the door to the hall. It opened for him and shut firmly behind him.

Harry bent his head up enough to look at the door without dislodging Hermione from her sleeping spot, which was honestly about the only thing that let him actually sleep through the night. "Did your cat just slam the door?" He asked perplexedly.

"Yeah...I think so."

"Weird."

"Yeah." Her neck bent slightly as she pressed her lips to his shoulder, "what's wrong Harry, I thought he couldn't get through any more." The worry in her voice was palatable.

Harry sighed and rolled to his side, pulling her into his chest. "He can't really." He replied, thoughtfully, as the brief flash snapped back into his head. "He was more just letting me know he was happy. I really hate it when he's happy." Harry added softly. He glanced at an enchanted Muggle clock over her shoulder. Red glowing numbers told the time, and he chuckled softly. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I can Apparate and stuff now. I passed that arbitrary line the Ministry laid down."

"That's nice dear, are you really going to wake me up for the next three hundred years to tell me stuff like that?" She grinned softly.

"I might" Harry replied as he tried to wear his most affronted look and failed, horribly. Hermione giggled at him and rolled over, snuggling back into his chest. She sighed softly as happy hands slipped under her loose shirt, one of his actually, and danced along her stomach muscles lightly. She giggled again as he jangled a belly button ring that Tonks and Luna had dared her to get in Muggle London and that a quick wand flick had instantly healed and deadened any pain as soon as they were out of the shop. "That tickles."

"Good." Harry replied as his hands slipped higher and lightly cupped a breast under her shirt. Hermione purred contently and shivered slightly.

"What do you want for your birthday Harry?" Hermione whispered as her eyes slipped shut under his absent efforts.

"Besides the obvious?" Harry smirked as she wiggled her bottom in response to elicit a groan.

"Yeah..." she rolled her neck as Harry nipped at it playfully.

He shrugged and looked out over the nighttime rooftops of London, seeing the stars through the enchantments that removed the excess spill of London back ground lights and the haze of the ever-present smog. "To be normal, Mione. To hold you, to walk down a bloody street holding your hand and not have to worry about a Death Eater attack or some random Death Nibbler going home to tell mummy and daddy about it. To go to dinner or a movie and just be us, not the bloody Chosen One and his whatever you are...do they have a nickname for you yet?"

"Not yet." Hermione replied, "I'm hoping for something like the Girl-Who-Shagged-The Boy-Who-Lived. Kind of a Bond title." Harry grinned, white teeth flashing in the moonlight.

"We could work on that, you know." He paused, "did I tell you how cute you look in knickers and my shirt?

"You just like the color." She replied and rolled back to kiss him, and burrow into his chest.

"I admit, I was pleasantly surprised at the number of your unmentionables that seem to be the color of my eyes..." Hermione's eyes rolled and her fingers flicked. An emerald green thong shot out of a drawer to whack him on his head. "I would have rather you had them on first, but hey." Harry commented softly.

"Boys..." Hermione muttered. She pulled back and looked at Harry, "Seriously Harry..." She blushed slightly; prettily in the moonlight and Harry felt his stomach quiver happily. "I was actually planning on um..."

"You were huh?" He asked softly. "Hermione I will wait for whenever you..."

Hermione laughed slightly bitterly, "no, that's not it...if Tonks hadn't landed that kick on my hip and dislocated it...she fixed it, but it still hurts." She sighed as fingers traced lightly over that sore hip. "Of course if you keep that up."

Harry pulled her back into his chest, as she pillowed her head on his arm, "Go back to sleep love. I think we're ok for tonight." Hermione closed her eyes with a sigh and slipped off.

****************************Privet Drive***************************

4:00 am

Mad-Eye Moody looked annoyed. Not that that was a totally unusual state of affairs but it was the truth. He glared up at the Dark Mark that had yet to fade from sight as he stomped in his peculiar peg-legged stride towards the house. He waved at a pair of Aurors that he had trained thirty years ago and came to stand next to Remus Lupin who was glaring down at the covered bodies of the Dursleys. If not for the bodies and the slight indentation on the wall where Vernon had been held by Snape, and some overturned furniture, it would have looked as if nothing had happened, totally unlike the scene when Petunia's sister had died.

Yeah, it's a lot different when they can fight back. Remus thought absently as he turned to Mad-Eye annoyedly. "Why didn't you tell me, Moody?" He growled, "Were you planning on keeping this from Harry too, just like you've kept the breakout from us?"

"I just found out about Azkaban yesterday Remus. I bloody well have enough with getting on with without having to cater to you and your bird and Potter." Remus growled for real then.

"Do not tell me that you just insulted my fiancée and Harry in the same sentence Alastor." Lupin brown eyes turned to flint as he felt those bonds fray once more. His hands flexed as a pair of Aurors eased around them and headed for parts unknown. A heavy stifling silence settled in the room.

Mad-Eye shook his head, "Blimey Remus...I will get Kingsley to apologize...I like Tonks, she's a fine Auror, and you know that I support Potter." He pulled a shining silver flask from a deep pocket and took a hit.

"Then support him, with whatever he's doing. He's the one Voldemort is after."

The pair of them left the house as Aurors and Obilivators started knocking on surrounding doors. An Auror in a chartreuse robe conjured a for sale sign on the lawn and stepped out of the way as three covered bodies floated out of the house and into a large, black, unmarked van. "If he's so important, then he should be in hiding. Not out taking down Death Eaters."

"Bloody Fucking Hell, Mad-Eye, is that all you lot have to say, some variation on hide Harry...we'll protect you and your loved ones. Huh? He's like James, he won't back down from a fight." Lupin rubbed his eyes tiredly, he had been half-asleep, listening to Tonks complain about sore ribs from Hermione landing a kick to them yesterday afternoon when the summons had come. A brief smile flitted across his face as he remembered Tonks' counter that had popped Hermione's hip and probably added to his de facto Godson's frustration at the same time. An Auror course was supposed to take two to three years, he and Tonks were trying to cram it down Harry, Hermione and Ron's throat in months at the most. "We've done such a great job at it after all."

"Is this some transference thing from James and Lily?" Alastor accused quietly.

"Yes." Remus replied as he stared at the man who had killed or captured untold numbers of dark wizards in his career, and Mad-Eye stepped back slightly. "I failed them. I won't again. Alastor there are two things, well three that I fully intend to do before I die. I will marry Nymph before she realizes what a mistake she has made. I will either kill Peter or watch him die, either is fine actually though the former is preferable. And I will live to see Harry kill Tom and have the life that James and Lily would have wanted him to have." He sighed and glanced at a pocket watch he removed from his pocket. "I am going to let Harry have his birthday if at all possible before I tell him of this and of Azkaban. The rest is up to you Alastor. If you want to talk to Nymph or I, come yourself, Kingsley is no longer welcome in my home. Good day." Lupin vanished with a small pop, leaving Mad-Eye looking oddly back towards the house.

**********************Grimmauld Place****************************
4:00 pm.

Hermione glanced up at Harry across the library table as he worked on an essay for Lupin. The pair of them along with Ron, who had mysteriously vanished soon after their afternoon training session was complete, had discovered that the Auror course that at the three of them were on was not only shooting curses and throwing punches. Harry was currently working on three feet for Remus on detecting magical traps, while Hermione was on her fourth foot for Tonks, for field-improvised equipment and supplies using both Muggle methods and Transfiguration/Charms.

She glanced down, finished the line she had been working on and blew it dry. She rolled the parchment up and sealed it with a charm to prevent Ron from peaking. Hermione got up from her chair, sauntered around the table, and without warning seized the back of Harry's head and kissed him, hard.

She stepped back with twinkle in her eye as Harry blinked up at her confusedly and she fought not to laugh at his expression. "Umm...not complaining mind you, but..."

"You looked so kissable," she purred as she ran a finger down her throat and across her chest. She fought not to laugh as Harry's eyes followed her every move. She turned on her heel and left the Library, feeling disappointed eyes on her the whole time. I'm going to go get ready.

For what?

You wanted to be normal...we're going on a date, dinner and a movie...and since you wanted to be normal, you get to meet my parents for dinner.

Hermione! Harry shot back and she giggled as she entered their room and started pulling out the clothes she had fortunately already selected ahead of time.

She heard him coming up the stairs and the door opening quietly behind her. She turned around, her shirt hanging open. A worried look darkened her eyes as she realized she should have probably warned him, it's ok Harry; we don't have...

Harry shook his head slightly as he crossed the room and kissed her, Hermione let out a slight, contented sound as she let him hug her, No, I meant it Hermione, when I said don't take them for granted. I...I would like to meet them before I...um...

What Harry? She prodded gently.

Before I...well, never mind. You know that you get to pick out my clothes right? Hermione rolled her eyes and gestured towards the bed. A green button down-shirt and a new pair of jeans sat waiting for him. "You really have a green fetish don't you?" Harry teased.

"Would you rather I preferred blondes with gray eyes?" She shot back with a twisted half smile that knotted his guts.

Harry raised a finger to his chin and pretended to think. "Well that depends...do you mean Luna or Draco...if it's Luna I would admit that would be rather hot, otherwise, its just sick and wrong." Harry ducked the softly thrown shoe as he retreated to the bathroom with his clothes to take a shower.

********************Canton England, Granger Family Home************

6:00 pm.

The almost silent double pop of Harry and Hermione's arrival was almost lost in the early evening chirping of birds as they arrived in the back yard of a relatively upscale home. A moderately sized swimming pool sat over to one side in the large back yard; with a tool-shed set back a ways from it. A small painted cathouse sat next to that, with the name of Hermione's familiar emblazoned in gold lettering on an otherwise crimson, tiny house. Harry turned slowly, taking in the surrounding as he looked up at the light blue painted house. A large, sliding glass door stood open at the rear of the house, and as they looked up, a woman with wavy chestnut hair stepped out from the kitchen.

"MUM," Hermione cried and the woman looked up with a huge smile blossoming on her face. Jane Granger looked just like her daughter, with the peculiar exception of bright blue eyes inherited from an odd, irascible Scottish grandfather and the fact that Hermione was actual an inch or two taller. Hermione crashed into her mother, and Harry instantly knew that he wasn't the only recipient of those hugs of doom.

"I'm glad you made it honey." She exclaimed as Hermione let go. A slight knowing smile lit Jane's face as she took in Harry. Her eyes flicked sideways to Hermione and back to Harry. She laughed. "Oh for God's sake hold his hand or something..." Hermione gave her mum another hug before returning to Harry's arm.

"Hello Mrs. Granger." Harry said softly, extending his hand. He was briefly shocked as Jane ignored the proffered hand and pulled him into a hug. Harry stiffened for an instant before relaxing.

"Please Harry, call me Jane." Her eyes shot to Hermione. "I get the feeling that we might as well get comfortable with each other now." She laughed slightly. "So Harry...you're a wizard...."

"Mum."

"Just kidding," She waved them towards a patio table where a tray of drinks was already sweating in the temperate July evening. "Harry I have to say that your...familiar, is that correct, not a pet, is very lovely and quite friendly for an owl."

Harry and Hermione shared a glance, briefly remembering the conversation with a pair of familiars this morning, they chuckled at the inside joke, "Thanks, Yeah...Hedwig actually doesn't like to be called a pet. Kind of like Crooks.'

"Yes, that bloody cat does think it's a member of the family or something." An amused tenor replied wryly from the door. Hermione grinned as she jumped up and hugged the newcomer.

"Hi daddy." Hermione murmured, as she was almost lost in the arms of her father. Roger Granger was a large man, 6'2" and broad, but where Vernon might be the same size, Roger was solid, the build of a man who had worked hard for a living with his body and was just now relaxing into a profession where he didn't have to any more. Harry watched the two of them with a slight lump in his throat.

Roger came over and Harry took his hand, a grip that was firm, but not crushing, one of a man confident in who and what he was. One kind of like the one Dumbledore had first given him all those years ago. Harry smiled, "It's very nice to meet you sir."

"I'm sure that Jane has already told you about being formal here. Roger please, Harry." Harry smiled as he nodded and made a soft excuse about needing to go the loo. Jane pointed it out to him and he left with a nod.

"He's very polite" Roger observed softly. He looked at Hermione, "so when are you two getting married?" Hermione had been in the process of taking a drink; she sprayed lemonade all over the table and glared at each of them in turn.

"Dad...that's..."

"Too fast, too slow, what daughter of mine?" He played with his glass, "so this is the famous Harry Potter that we heard about every time we actually saw each other for the last six years. He seems...shorter than I would have expected. And I don't see any wings..."

Hermione took a breath, and realized they were teasing her; she gave them a tentative smile. "Do you really want to know the answer to that question dad?" She crooked an eyebrow, "do you want to know that he has only played on the edges of that, but that if he asked tonight I'd marry him tomorrow. I know that you think that we're young but..."

Jane smiled and reached out grab her hand briefly. "No we know that you're mature honey...now why don't you go see about Harry, it's been a bit, make sure he hasn't fallen in." Hermione gave a silent, slow nod and went to go find Harry.

"Well what do you think so far? Besides the fact that she's in love with him enough to charge the gates of hell for him?" Roger asked. "I will admit that he seems a much better match for her than that Ron bloke she was dating there for a bit."

Jane scowled, "I get the impression that something else was going on there if I read between the lines of what she said to us, and the letters she sent...like she was fighting against something. And even besides that, when they looked at each other, there was a...desperation there, I've not..."

"I have." Roger said softly, "Dear you know exactly who paid my way into dental school. The crown didn't give me that funding for hanging out on a beach somewhere... I've seen that same look on blokes, sitting in a little hole somewhere in the jungle, knowing that when they jump out to go do their duty, chances are they aren't coming back."

She sighed and looked toward the house, "it's like when you were at Hereford, and couldn't tell me where you were going, when they called you up." Jane looked at her hands, noticing idly a wedding ring that had been put there by a Sergeant Granger all those years ago, right before he got out and they started Dental School together. "I know that our baby is getting into something that is dangerous as all hell and is afraid to admit it to us, because we might try to stop her. Not that we could or she would, but that we'd try."

Hermione knocked softly on a closed door to a bathroom hallway. Not hearing a response, she entered to find Harry sitting on the closed lid of the toilet, fully clothed, staring up at her. Found you.

Sure did. Harry agreed. Sorry I ran off, but I...

Got sudden flashes of wonder what would have happened if your parents survived...remember I know you as well as you know me. Hermione commented as she knelt down and captured his lips softly. Her forehead slipped forward to touch his. It's ok Harry; we can stay here all night if you want.

No let's go...love you have to move, it's a bathroom...not much room...Hermione gave him a slight grin and took his hand as she led him back outside to her parents and the meal on the patio.

Two hours later Hermione stood nursing a cup of coffee as she leaned back against the kitchen counter with her mother looking on. "So mum, I know you're dying to ask?" In the fading twilight, the pair of them could see Harry and Roger standing out near Crookshanks cathouse talking. Or rather Roger seemed to be, while Harry shrugged a lot.

Jane leaned on her elbows facing Hermione. A mug of coffee was in her hand as she smiled slightly at her only daughter. She sighed as she set the mug on the counter and ran her hand through hair so similar to her daughters. Jane dropped her hand from her hair and played absently with her ring for a moment. She looked back up at Hermione. "How bad is it Hermione?"

"Real bad, mum, real bad." Hermione bit her lip and frowned slightly. She took a sip of the after dinner coffee and absently sent a mental hug to Harry, she could see him shuffling his feet and looking down slightly as he talked to her father "Dumbledore's dead and Harry's the only real hope now...or I guess Harry, Ron and I are rather. Harry's dealing...I guess. He's lost almost everyone he considers family he had left, in the last two years, except me and the Weasleys and Remus...and even that isn't entirely true." Hermione trailed off as she glanced at her boyfriend who was laughing at something her dad said.

"What happened honey?"

Hermione's eyes fell to the tile floor. She shuffled her feet slightly, remarkably like Harry, Love, mum wants to know about what happened...

Jane's eyebrow crooked absently as she watched Harry pointedly turn to Hermione and catch her eyes through the open sliding door. Go ahead, Mione. Do what you think is best...maybe it's better if they know. It might explain some things to them.

Hermione's lip twitched upward and Jane smirked to herself as she picked up her coffee to hide her smile, They already asked when we are getting married, baby. Hermione barely stopped a laugh as she saw Harry spit his coffee over the lawn.

"So" Jane inquired casually, "do you two do this telepathic thing all the time?" Hermione goggled at her a bit, "I've known you for almost eighteen years, maybe not as well as that boy out there, but I am your mother, Hermione Jane."

"Don't tell anyone, mum, nobody else knows," Hermione pleaded softly and Jane nodded with a little smile. "Actual words, like a couple of weeks," Hermione replied quietly, "Emotions, ideas...probably since first year." Jane's jaw dropped slightly.

"So," she said shakily, she had been mostly kidding. "How does it work, do you hear all his thoughts and?"

"Oh Merlin, no." Hermione laughed slightly, "Most of the time, it's more like just talking, if we don't specifically try to think to each other, it doesn't come across...If I try though...I can feel his heartbeat, I can hear what he hears, but that takes a specific effort usually, which is rather tiring, unless...." Hermione blushed slightly as she did not quite meet her mother's eyes. Jane grinned behind her hand. "And no I won't let him cheat off me in class...not that he'd ask." Hermione added quickly almost as an after thought.

"Back to my original question Hermione, what happened? I know, what you said to me after the Ministry, I never told your dad, but, I was half expecting you two to be here last Christmas..."

Hermione closed her eyes and groaned. "I failed him mum," She replied in a small, child-like voice...I got scared and ran, and then...it happened."

"What happened honey?"

Hermione paused and paced out of the kitchen, her mother following her. She settled on a comfortable couch and drew her knees up next to her. "Ginny." Hermione whispered. As she lowered her head to her knees Jane frowned and looked at her oddly.

She sat down next to Hermione, her hand rubbed softly on Hermione's neck but she didn't look up. "What about Ginny? I thought Ginny was your friend?"

"So did I." Hermione muttered, she took a breath and ran her hands though her hair. "She always had a crush on Harry, even more so after he saved her from the Basilisk..."

"You mean a really big snake that paralyzes people, they are a myth right?" Hermione shook her head absently to Jane's question, "You mean there really are Dragons, Hippogriffs and stuff, I thought you could just change things, move stuff around, a lot of other stuff..."

Hermione smiled slightly, remembering years in Hagrid's class, then groaned slightly as her behavior...all of the trio's behavior towards Hagrid last year registered. I'm getting back in... "Yeah mum, there are. Harry killed a Basilisk second year, after it paralyzed me and kidnapped Ginny, or maybe Riddle took her down there, we never really figured it out." Jane carefully listened knowing that Hermione was absently categorizing what she and Roger had worried about over the years that Hermione had never admitted to. " And we had a Hippogriff named Buckbeak at the school...Harry and I have rode him together, and Hagrid had a Dragon named Norbert, and then Harry fought one fourth year, and a Sphinx, and Blast-ended Skrewts...those really sucked." Hermione chuckled to herself.

She shook her head and turned back to Jane from were she had been reminiscing. "Ginny had a crush on Harry before she even met him. Molly evidentially used to regale her with tales of this boy wizard who defeated the most powerful wizard of the age at one" Hermione took a breath, and looked down, and the rest of the story tumbled out in a rush... "Ginny told me that she was over Harry, but she wasn't mum, she used me then she gave Harry a Love Potion so he'd love her, and she snuck a talisman into my planner to get me to like Ron. And but I was mad at Harry, he was using a book with the answers and he didn't need me so I shot some birds at Ron, and I went out went out with a jackarse to get Ron's attention, but I was trying to get free of the talisman. And Snape and Draco were really bad and I didn't listen to Harry and he was right, but he couldn't fight Snape cause of the potion weakening him and Dumbledore froze him to save him and...."

Hermione broke into tears, and heartbeat later, Jane learned just how close the link between her daughter and the wizard she had brought home with her actually was. Harry appeared like a ghost and gathered Hermione into his shoulder before he had even finished falling to his knees in front of her. "I'm sorry Harry." She sobbed, "I'm ruining your birthday."

"No love, you couldn't if you tried." Harry whispered, but loud enough for both Jane and Roger, who had followed him when Harry had broke into a run towards the house, to overhear. He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss, and she smiled shyly at him as he thumbed away her tears. "You okay now? We probably need to get going if you still want to catch that movie, or we can stay. It's your call, Mione."

She gave him a small look of gratitude, more than enough to say what she didn't say. "We better go then." Hermione went and hugged each of her parents, she stepped back and started to reach for Harry's hand again, when a flash of inspiration crossed her thoughts. Hermione paced over to a large, open cabinet in the corner of the comfortable, but not immaculate living room. One could tell someone actually lived here, unlike the Dursleys where Petunia ruled with an iron fist, cleaning, or making Harry clean rather, until the room was sparkling. An abandoned drink glass sat on a coaster next to several marked, large books, a stack of medical journals and at least four remotes on a scarred by use coffee table.

Hermione briefly examined a pair of framed photos; one was of her the summer before she started Hogwarts and another, one she had taken at Hogwarts third year or rather Harry had taken it. In it Crookshanks was looking annoyed as a smaller, younger Hermione smiled up hugely at the camera, and Harry coincidentally, as she held up her half-Kneazle who had been forced to wear a Santa Hat. She laughed slightly, and took her wand from, somewhere, and tapped the frame as she muttered a long string of Celtic under her breath. The frame shook and glowed a soft gold before settling back onto the shelf. Hermione picked it up and pressed it into her mother's hands... "If you ever need us, grab the frame and think of Harry or I..." She glanced her dad and then back at her mum, "if something happens...run, don't try to fight them, please. Dad?" She asked, and Harry was privately sure there was something that he did not yet know about the man.

"We'll see." Roger replied and smiled. Hermione smiled softly back at them and her and Harry walked out into the yard. They vanished with almost nary a sound.

*******************************12 Grimmauld Place************************

11:45 pm

"So do you think I'm shagadellic baby?" Harry whispered against Hermione's lips as he softly pressed her back against the wall in the entrance to the old house. Hermione was never so glad as she was right now that it had taken Dobby a good fifteen seconds to remove the portrait of Sirius' mother once he had taken over for his "Master Potter." Of course he had used ten of those seconds rubbing his small hands together in glee, but no one was counting really.

"Lord...I knew we should have seen something different." Hermione muttered, she gasped slightly as he nibbled behind her ear. She sighed as she slumped slightly against the wall and arched her neck to give him a bit better access. Harry grinned as soft kittenish sounds slipped from her lips. Hands played softly with her exposed midriff and she giggled softly as her fingers started to work on the buttons of his shirt though a sudden haze of emotion. Her eyes glanced around the entrance to the house, "Harry..." she murmured urgently, though her fingers seemed to be on autopilot and had almost completed their initial task on of his shirt. "We can't do this he...herre...Oh..." she squealed as his hands slipped higher and slipped her bra aside. "Ohh...shit...Harry..."

"Yeah?" He replied then gulped as she retaliated by lightly running her fingers across his crotch. His eyes darkened further as his fingers tweaked a small nubbin that happened to be begging for attention.

Hermione placed her hands on top of her shirt, on top of his under it, and smirked, at his disappointed expression. "We can't do this Harry." She said slowly, and her heart fell at his hangdog expression, I meant not here silly...she corrected herself and smiled and kissed him as his eyes looked up at hers. "I am not doing this in the entrance hall, Harry..." she bit her lip considering her words, "well at least not the first time, Ron can get his show from Luna" Harry laughed as he pulled his hands free and placed them along side her head. He leaned in and kissed her, his tongue slipped home to hers...and she felt the sensation of Apparation for the first time with her powers in full bloom and her hormones racing.

Hermione panted wide-eyed as the sudden rush settled, followed by another, as she swept Harry's shirt from him. Her lips crashed to his, she giggled as she felt herself being swept from her feet and tossed on their bed behind her. Crookshanks let out an angry merow as he growled at them and left after narrowly having escaped being crushed. Harry leaned over her, panting slightly as dark, forest eyes looked into hers beseechingly, "Mione...we can stop right now, if you want."

Hermione's heart beat faster at the emotion the poor boy managed squeeze into those words. Her only response was to pull her wand from her jeans, point it at her belly, inconcievious. "Harry." Hermione replied softly, "Love, I've been wanting to all day...I wanted to yesterday..."

"Damn Tonks." They muttered as one, and laughed.

Harry leaned down and kissed her softly, almost chastely, "I love you..."

"I love you too...now get your arse in gear, Potter.'' Hermione growled. And then hissed, as her back arched off he bed as Harry's fingers slipped down the front of her jeans. She felt her jeans unbutton and Harry tugged on them until she raised her arse to let him slip them free. Of course she had to reciprocate, as she unbuttoned his jeans, letting Harry slip them off. Her eyes glanced down at a large bulge in a pair of snitch-patterned boxers and an eyebrow crooked.

Hermione licked her lips and Harry moaned as a small hand slipped inside and grabbed him, while the other, through some odd magic, managed to disappear those selfsame boxers. Her eyes slipped closed as she marveled in the sensation. Harry retaliated with even happier hands as he massaged her chest gently, pushing her bra out of the way, until it flummoxed him for an instant. Hermione laughed happily as Harry gave up, his eyes flickered and he snapped his fingers to vanish it.

Merlin you're beautiful. Harry whispered as his eyes met hers and his fingers rested lightly on her the waistband of her knickers. She nodded slightly and shivered as he slowly pulled them down, sliding down her entire body. She giggled as his tongue circled her belly button, his teeth grazed her hipbone softly and...

Hermione arched upward as Harry's tongue teased her gently and she saw stars... "Holy shit." She snapped and Harry chuckled against her thigh to watch her shiver again. Harry inched back upwards a fraction and returned to what he had been doing.

A soft keening, sound echoed in the room as Hermione's pulse raced. Her hands absently split time between knotting themselves in his hair and taking up the slack for Harry's hands were he had been paying attention to her breasts. She shivered, and bucked up off the bed as her hands fell to the sheets and twisted in them as her keens became low, animal growls. His tongue flicked once more, "OHH....FUCK....HARRY...." She screamed and arched up hard enough to throw Harry back.

She collapsed to the sweat-soaked sheets and looked up at him, panting as she enjoyed the warm afterglow filling her to her toes. A light sheen caught the moonlight from the window beyond and he gulped slightly at the sight, "Merlin you're beautiful." He repeated himself absently and she reached up to pull his lips to hers.

Her nails scratched down his back as she groaned, tasting herself. She lay back slightly. "Make love to me Harry...please..." White teeth worried at her bottom lip as she ran her fingers through locks dampened with sweat.

"Alright."

"Let me on top Harry." Hermione said almost shyly and he nodded. They flipped with a soft, shared groan and Harry's eyes slipped half-closed as a small hand took him in hand and positioned him. Their hands joined. A long shuttering moan slipped from his lips as Hermione slowly, tortuously lowered herself onto him, and paused as she reached an impediment...

"Look at me, Mione." Hermione blew wet bangs out of her eyes and met his gaze. Chocolate and jade eyes flared, as a green fire lit their eyes and she slowly forced herself downward. A distant sting was echoed in a twitch in Harry's face and they paused, waiting. Her breasts started heaving slightly as she sat motionless, adjusting. She bent forward to capture Harry's lips in hers; never letting go of his hands and...moved.

Eyes never left each other's as a crash of thoughts snapped back and forth and heartbeats, rushed to the same beat. Sweat beaded up on their bodies in the slightly cool room as Hermione leaned back to the extent of their arms and bounced before falling forward again, panting. Soft, repetitive moans slipped from her throat in an ever increasing stream as she felt Harry's feelings dancing over and mixing with her own, and a brief shudder, a mere teaser snapped along her nerves. "OHH...Fuck...me," Harry whispered heatedly.

"Wor..rrking on i..it" Hermione replied, breathlessly as Harry started to push her off, as he increased the rhythm they shared...She felt a flush building in her stomach...then with the rush of a flash fire along her nerves...she collapsed...spasming , as Harry continued to move, once, twice and followed her over the edge, letting go all at once. A rush of energy snapped outward from their bodies rattling the walls and knocking loose items to the floor. A whole set of DADA and Transfiguration tomes were dumped in a messy pile. Hedwig's perch was on its side and the closet doors hung oddly.

Hermione fell to his chest, breathing heavily as she continued to twitch randomly for several long moments. She nuzzled his chest as she look up into his eyes though damp bangs, a utterly sated smile on her face. "Well that was fun." She chuckled slightly and after a moment Harry joined her.

"Yeah." Harry agreed, and looked pointedly at her. Her eyes widened suddenly and she stretched to kiss him roughly.

"If you insist, I guess we can," Hermione said as she grinned evilly down at him.

You are going to kill me...

I am certainly going to try.

A/N: Ok, there we go, next chapter...we get to visit the Grangers again

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10. A Dark Majority Part Duex

Chapter 10: A Dark Majority Part Duex.
**********************Ottery St. Catchpole**********************

August 1, 1997
2:15 am

"This is your test." Lucius related softly as he looked down on a hooded man, who was standing silently, too silently at the edge of the forest surrounding the Burrow. "Succeed and the Dark Lord will reward you greatly," Lucius smiled darkly, "fail in this however, and the consequences will be severe." The anonymous Death Eater nodded slowly and moved towards the yard of the house. Shadows detached themselves from the tree and followed. Glimmers of moonlight off of steel and darkly polished wands caught the attention of an errant owl; it hooted and jumped into flight.

As the group of perhaps twenty Death Eaters approached the house, a golden wall shimmered into existence. The man from before, the mysterious man under the hood raised his wand, and with a muttered incantation, described a doorway in the ward.
Raucous alarms blared as the first of them stepped onto the lawn, and green bolts hissed towards the house.

**********************Canton*****************************

A body fell to the ground as a blade flashed. Snape walked over and nodded almost absently as he looked down at the lifeless body of Theodore Slilton. "You should have gotten out why you could Teddy." Snape whispered almost to himself as an anonymous Death Eater levitated the body of the Order member behind a hedgerow. A slight rustling in the grass to Snape's left caused him to whirl with his wand extended. Antonin Dolohov chuckled menacingly as he looked over at the arch-traitor.

"Why so jumpy Sev...afraid that Potter will jump out from behind the bushes?" Dolohov sneered as he regarded the light blue house, he leaned lazily on a post box labeled, "Drs. Granger" "It is just a couple of Muggles...there was no real protection here. The Order is overwhelmed since their Great and Powerful Leader died, and the Ministry would not lower itself to protect a few disposable Muggles. Relax my friend...perhaps we can still have...pleasure tonight. The mother is supposedly the equal of her daughter." Behind him several of the young, masked figures that had accompanied him and Dolohov tonight laughed, with terrible, eager laughs.

"We will see Antonin, we will see." Snape gestured to the Death Eaters with them and pointed at the house. Eight, black shapes swarmed past them and toward the house. He frowned absently as he watched them rush toward the house in a clump. A dog, wandered across the lawn in front of one of them, barked once, and yelped as a green bolt snapped out, and it dropped to the ground lifeless. "Idiots..." Snape hissed.

He flinched as a Reductor blew the door to splinters with a thunderous BOOM, and the attackers piled in.

Up in the master bedroom, Roger Granger snapped awake at the sound of the bark, and final yelp of their neighbor's dog. "Jane" he hissed as he was already rolling out of bed and shaking her awake. Her bleary eyes shot open and she barely managed to stop a shocked scream as their front door exploded downstairs. She looked across at her husband, who had already taken a position at the wall next to the door, he nodded, his eyes wide, but not panicked. A dark fury glittered in his eyes as the door creaked open and a wand led the way through.

Roger grabbed the wand arm and swung the Death Eater hard into the wall, stripping him of his wand and snapping it with a quick thought. He rolled to the side as several red bolts snapped past his head and Jane rolled off the bed and grabbed the picture frame Hermione had charmed just this past evening. Hermione... She watched fearfully as another Death Eater charged Roger. Roger ducked to the side, and grunted as a bad knee; the one that had retired him from the Regiment staggered him. He punched the second Death Eater in the throat, and spun to his wife...

Six red bolts shot out of the darkness to impact him. He crumpled as two Death Eaters paced into the room and pointed their wands at Jane. The rightmost one stunned her almost absently. The standing Death Eaters stood to some odd sort of attention as Snape and Dolohov appeared at the door to the bedroom. Snape sneered at the sight. "Take them downstairs...it will make a better presentation for Potter and his bitch." Snape looked over at the first Death Eater, who seemed to be cradling a broken arm and the second, who had survived, as Roger had been in a hurry and out of practice. He looked up at Snape pleadingly as he gurgled something through a damaged throat. "Avada Kedavra" The green beam snapped and the Death Eater slumped. The rest, except Dolohov looked to him with fear in their eyes.

Dolohov chuckled as Snape pointed at the fallen Death Eater, "that is the price of failure to Lord Voldemort...do not forget it." The team nodded as one, and began to carry the Grangers to the bottom floor where Dolohov was already thinking of something...artistic to do.

**************************12 Grimmauld Place/#93 Diagon Alley**************

"Angelina move." Fred snapped as he rolled over with sleep-glazed eyes, shocked, as a Patronus sprang into his room and...he knew. He tumbled out of bed, pausing only to transfigure his sleep clothes to jeans and a shirt. He met George coming out of his room next to his twin nodded fearfully.

George spun to the fireplace and flung a handful of glittering powder into the low fire burning there. The flames became emerald. "12 Grimmauld Place," he screamed and thrust his head into the flames. He didn't notice the spinning sensation as he looked into an empty kitchen. "DOBBY," he screamed and the elf appeared a moment later, "Get Ron, tell him the Burrow's under attack." Dobby popped away with a terse nod, and an instant later, back in Diagon Alley, the twins vanished.

Angelina and Alicia grabbed small packs from the kitchen counter and vanished right after them.

*****
Ronald Weasley was a notoriously heavy sleeper. As Dobby appeared in his room, which was remarkably like Harry and Hermione's room, and started shaking him he just rolled over, muttered something about moons and cradled his pillow. Dobby clapped his small hands next to his ear with no effect. Dobby looked fretful as he snapped his fingers and a bucket appeared hovering above Ron's head. It tipped and ice-cold water rained down on the redhead.

He sat up suddenly sputtering, "FRED..." he roared as he blinked himself awake and his wand came into his hand from under his pillow. He frantically looked about the room at head height as his surroundings came into focus in his sleep-addled mind. Finding no one, especially not a stocky redheaded doppelganger, he frowned and looked down next to his bed as a soft noise pierced the fog of his thoughts.

"Please forgive, Dobby Wheezy sir, but George sir, he says to gets yous sir...the Burrow is under attack sir." Ron's heart stopped as he rolled out of bed, almost stepped on Dobby, stepped into a pair of boots near the door and flicked his wand at them. They were lacing themselves as he dove down a flight of stairs and flung open Harry's door.

At any other time the sight of his two best friends lying naked and half-covered would have at least caused the infamous Weasley blush to erupt, or at the very least the formulation of diabolical plot of teasing and embarrassments. Not tonight however, as he sprinted across the room to shake Harry's shoulder hard.

He spun away with a gasp as a pair of wand tips, already lit with a pre-discharge glow; aligned themselves with his head as if by magic. Harry blinked rapidly and Hermione groaned. "Ron..."

"The Burrow is under attack." Ron interrupted. Harry and Hermione glanced at each other and rolled out of bed. Ron did blush then for a brief second before his higher brain functions beat down the response. His eyes cut away as Hermione skinned into a pair of jeans lying at the floor next to the bed and tossed on a black, long-sleeved t-shirt. She glanced up to see Harry already dressed and tossing her, her daggers followed by a small thigh pack with some of the twins' newest toys.

The Gryffindor sword vanished behind his back as Harry met her gaze again fearfully and nodded. "Ok Ron." She said, "Let's..." But here statement of readiness never finished as a picture of her and Harry at some party lifted itself from the nightstand and started vibrating and glowing brightly. The frame was a matched set with another one that she had presented her parents with third year. "OH GOD!"

Ron took a deep breath, "Go, you two GO; I'll go to the Burrow. There are a hell of a lot of Weasleys coming, move it." He snapped, and watched as Hermione shot him a ghost of a thankful glance. Her and Harry turned back-to-back...and vanished without a sound.

Ron's CRACK a second later shattered the window glass of Harry's room.

************************Ottery St. Catchpole****************************

In the pitch darkness of Ginny's room, Luna's eyes popped open. Her eyes flicked back and forth as she rolled gracefully to her feet from her cot and padded over to Ginny like a large, blond Anterian Snartcat. The blond shook the redhead hard, but unfortunately, Ginny shared Ron's sleeping habits. Luna let out a tiny, exasperated grunt.

Instead of Dobby's solution...Luna's was a bit more practical. A small fist slammed out of the darkness, hitting Ginny on the shoulder hard enough to scoot her over on the bed. Ginny's eyes shot open. She tried to scream at Luna, but was silenced by a curiously strong hand over her mouth. "We are about to be attacked." Luna related in an infuriatingly calm voice. She crossed back to her cot and removed a pair of dark trainers from under it and laced them on. A flick of her wand later and her red Gryffindor Lions pajama pants, with 'I'm a Keeper' written across her arse and a yellow t-shirt with a picture of a dragon eating a quaffle underscored with the motto, "so you think you could score on me...I'm the King", morphed into black jeans and a dark blue pull over. "I would suggest that you get ready."

A blaring, atonal alarm pierced the night. "Too late."

Luna was already easing around the corner of the hallway and pointing her wand down the stairs when the front door tumbled into the living room accompanied by a huge explosion. Molly and Arthur staggered out of their room, shakily pointing their wands into the night, when Luna pointed them back sharply. Ginny slipped in behind her and nodded. "You kids stay back," Molly screamed.

"Stay here mum," Ginny growled as she tossed a small pack to Luna. "Turn about is fair play, wouldn't you say?" Luna's gray eyes lit with an evil grin as she took in the package. Molly mouthed something but the girls were already moving.

"This is the limited use stuff." Luna remarked absently as they heard footsteps stomping around downstairs. The crack of Apparations could be heard on the lawn, along with the crash of spellfire. "Sounds like friends...I like having friends, let's go join them, shall we?" Luna remarked and flipped a pair of pellets down the stairs.

The inside of the Burrow vanished into a depthless, featureless morass of blackness. A crash cracked out in the room as one of the Death Eaters crashed into a coffee table. Another cursed loudly as a clattering, gonging sound echoed in the hall as he ran headlong into the Weasley Family Clock. The three Death Eaters that had actually entered the Burrow turned in the darkness, unseeing, as they heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"STUPEFY" Ginny and Luna screamed as one, and a pair of red bolts pierced the sudden night caused by the Instant Darkness and two Death Eaters crumpled to the ground. The third turned towards the source of the bolts, "AVADA KEDAVRA" The green bolt of death hissed into the room, it's light vanishing almost immediately as it shattered the stairs.

A quarter of the way around the room, twin wands tracked, "STUPEFY" The final Death Eater that had penetrated the Weasley's sanctum crashed back against the wall, and slid down it, lifelessly as both girls' more than full power stunners impacted a hand's breath apart on his chest. They didn't stop to admire their handy work as they sprinted for the door and out into the starry night. Luna tossed aside the night vision glasses of the twins' and headed towards a flicker of spellfire to her right, Ginny to the left.

Fred and George had arrived and were already heatedly dueling with another four Death Eaters. Half a dozen of their Fanged Frisbees were circling them, periodically rushing out to attach a Death Eater. Angelina was down, unconscious behind the shed, as Alicia tended to a large gash on her forehead. A Death Eater came around behind her, "REDUCTO" A red mist settled slowly in the air as a headless body slid to the ground. Fred frantically grabbed Angelina and pulled her with one arm while firing off curses with the other as he pulled the girl back to cover with him and George. George ducked as Alicia dove over the low garden wall that all four of them were covering behind.

"How many do you think dear brother?" Fred asked as he snapped off a Severing Charm over the fence. A scream cried out.

"Well one less now." George put in. "Better question is how did they get through the nighttime wards...should only be family can do that, or Harry and Hermione I guess, but I doubt it is them." All four of them ducked as a Reductor shattered the garden wall ten feet from them.

"And why would that be?" Fred quipped as he reached into one of the packs the girls had brought and pulled out a shining silver sphere. "I did tell Ron that it wouldn't be healthy even if you were human..." He popped up, and threw the small ball like he was a chaser instead of a beater. It landed at the feet of three Death Eaters and they stared at it for a long moment, "wait for it..." A thunderous roar and a flash of blue-white light lit the lawn for a moment as shining silver stakes ripped into the night. And as fast as that, the odds were almost halved.

"If it were they wanting us dead...." George replied almost contemplatively after a moment, as the pair of them rolled over the wall and dodged toward the porch of the house, spell fire crashing around their heels, he dove and slid in next to it, his brother bumping his back a second later with his own, "I would fully expect that we would be dead by now."

"Fred" Ginny fairly howled as she rolled over the side of the porch.

Fred glanced over at her and back forward as he was satisfied she was all right. "Quite bro, quite. Ginny, everyone ok in the house?"

Ginny rolled to the side and a pair of red stunner bolts shot from her wand in the general direction of the forest, "yeah, three came in, Luna and I took them out. Mum and Dad are still inside." With a sudden hiss and a bang, a Reductor smashed the corner of the porch and Ginny cried out in pain as a huge post fell out of the darkness and shattered the same ankle that had been damaged in the Ministry Battle. "FUCK." She howled as Fred pulled her under cover. Ginny immobilized, the twins gathered round her, as several, black, cloaked shapes appeared ghosting back and forth.

Fred and George raised their wands for a last stand. A sudden CRACK further rent the night and with that, the tide had changed.

Ron appeared directly behind three Death Eaters, DIFFINDO SPARSI a hail of silver darts shot from his wand, shredding the two on the left, he stepped left and swung up and right and the Arthurius dagger or sword rather, tasted blood for the first time in a thousand years. Ron sheathed his dagger, not watching as it shrunk to its carrying size, as he ran off into the night. A familiar cloud of dirty blonde hair appeared at his back as if summoned and Ron let out a breath he had not known he was holding. "Ok Luna?"

"Yes Ronald." She replied tightly. Their eyes met for a heartbeat and a tight smile flitted across her face, "Lets' go." Ron paced off after her as she spun behind some odd Muggle tractor Arthur had gotten the other day to fix up.

Over on the other side of the open clearing demarking the yard of the Burrow, Bill, Charlie and Fleur arrived as a unit and a Reductor, an Asphyxiation Curse and a Severing Charm shot out as one before they had fully solidified. With brief chopped screams of pain, three more Death Eaters went on to wait for their master in Hell.

Fred and George pulled Ginny behind them as five Death Eaters rose behind their wands and began to charge. They took a breath...Ron and Luna rolled out from behind Arthur's broken tractor, Luna's wand bucked as a Reductor popped the head of the rightmost like a grape, he crumpled and a pair of spells from Ron's wand and dagger hissed through the space where he had been.

Snape's custom Cutting Charm was only amplified by a thousand-year-old wand core as a fan of blood shot out across the lawn from a ripped-open chest. Ron's other shot, the one from his wand, shot out into the night, missing everything until it cut down an eight-inch tree in the forest beyond. Ron and Luna dove away as three bolts of green answered their attacks.

Eight spells from seven people blended into a lethal rainbow as all seven defenders fired on the three Death Eaters...nothing was left but a puddle. At the edge of the forest, Lucius grunted as he fired a Severing Charm near his leg, opening it from knee to hip. He grunted in pain as he clenched the wound together. He vanished with a soft POP.

In the glen, all was suddenly quiet. The Weasleys, adopted and otherwise, and their guest panted slightly. Ron took another breath and started reaching out for his new destination in Canton, when... a last shadow rose behind Bill, he was turning, his wand in hand, "BILL." Ron screamed and dove to the side, desperately trying to get clear so he could get a shot...

Charlie dove in front of Bill, his wand spiting silver as a stuttering red bolt slammed into him. He crumpled as a spray of blood shot spewed from his attacker. Ron ran up, Luna at his heels just as Bill knelt down next to him. "He's alive," Bill muttered, "but barely."

Ginny limped up on the shoulder of Fred and stared at Ron. "Where's Harry?" She snapped, But Ron shook his head and took a step back. He didn't question the hand that grabbed his, as he and Luna Disapparated with a CRACK. Ginny gave the air where the pair of them had been a slight pout and started to limp over to where the rest of her brothers were crowding around Charlie as Fred conjured a stretcher and Bill walked over to the last Death Eater, his wand extended just in case.

Behind them Fleur let out a scream as Bill tugged at the hood of that last Death Eater. He was green as he sat down heavily on the ground; he rolled over onto his hands and knees and lost his dinner.

"Oh my God..." Fred muttered disbelievingly, "Percy..." Ginny fainted and George joined his eldest brother.

***********************Canton*************************

With only a whisper of displaced air to mark their arrival, a pair of darkly clothed figures appeared silently on the lawn behind the shed. They were back to back with a pair of wands already questing for targets and hoping there were none to see them arrive. Harry flicked his eyes back to Hermione as he could feel her heart racing. She gulped once and her eyes hardened as they met his. A soft flickering glow danced at the edge of the irises, ready to flare up into a conflagration. Let's go Hermione. Harry muttered, and snapped out a silvery cloak.

With a twirl of a cloak that he had practiced innumerable times, but never for an occasion as dire as this, he vanished. Hermione followed suit a heartbeat later. They headed out together, more silent than ghosts as they snuck towards the house.

Only temporary footprints could be seen on the grass as Harry crept up behind a lone Death Eater standing watch. She was standing aimlessly, a lit cigarette dangling loosely in her hand as she watched an inflatable raft drift by in the pool.

A wand in an ear and a silent, silver flash later, a body fluttered to the ground with a muffled thump.

Harry crept up to the edge of the sliding door and opened it a crack...and heard the voice of one of the three people that he had sworn specifically to kill. Harry took a deep breath, muffled by the Silencio on his cloak. It's Snape...and Dolohov. Harry added a moment later as the distinctive accent of Voldemort's second or third most psychotic henchman after Bella rang out. Harry dug into a thigh pack and rolled a small blue ball about the size of a marble into the kitchen. No one noticed as it oriented itself on the room and the living room beyond.

Harry took a small pocket mirror out from the bag and watched as an image appeared of the two Grangers lying on the floor in the living room surrounded by three Death Eaters and Snape. The large comfortable couch that Harry had held Hermione on, less than a quarter of the day past was tipped over and the scarred coffee table was shattered. I see your folks, Dolohov and Snape along with three others... A soft fury colored his thoughts as he considered the room. He forced it down, to a cold hard ball as he felt Hermione's own thoughts start to reinforce and amplify it...now wasn't the time.

How are they Harry? Hermione sent over, as she tasted blood from her lip. She forced it out of the death grip of her teeth

I don't know. I would guess they are still alive though; they wouldn't be still here otherwise. How many do you have?

Hermione tapped her wand on the ground next to her, Domicillia Enimatus Revelo instantly, a series of small glowing dots appeared next to her shoe. Two empty red circles were present, one above and to the right of a cluster of five red dots surrounding a pair of blue ones, while the other seemed to be in the direction from whence they came. Hermione took a breath, as she knew what she was about to have to do, what Harry had already done... Another pair of dots was standing away from the others on the far side. I've got five in the house Harry, plus mum and dad. One more over to our left next to the Mullhulans' hedgerow and two up front... Hermione slowly sheathed her wand. She reached back and grabbed a pair of matched hilts from behind her back. I've got the two up front...You got the one to the side? Even without seeing him, she could feel the slow, worried nod...Hermione padded away as she slipped to the front of the house and flashes of both long sessions with Tonks and Lupin, and images of thousand-year-old battles flicked across her mind's eye.

She paused as she flipped her left hand dagger inverted, I love you Harry. Hermione sent desperately. She took a breath, and a green fire flared across her nerves and she MOVED. Hermione took one step, a second. Her cloak fluttered to the ground as she slipped up behind the first Death Eater. Her foot shot out, buckling his knee and a blade flashed. She released the dagger to fall with the body, rolled left, and the other knife shot across the ten feet separating the two Death Eaters, burying itself in his chest to the hilt. Hermione summoned both blades with a thought, resheathed them and vanished once more under the cloak...ten seconds passed on the clock.

In the side lawn, a soft rustle, a flash of steel and another Death Eater darkened the Granger's grass. You ok Hermione? Harry asked tightly. She sent a nonverbal reassurance, as he slipped back to the back door. He could feel her quivering in their link, and felt it as she clamped down on it with a will of iron.

No...Hermione almost whimpered in her thoughts back, but I will be... she took a deep, heavy breath as she glanced back to see the pair of bodies lying in untidy heaps on the lawn. She gulped down air as she fought down a sudden wave of nausea. Hermione's temper flared as she felt a wordless, worried inquiry, I'm ok, damn it Harry... she snapped, and closed her eyes for a heartbeat. Let's just do this, please...

Ok, Mione. You take the three minions; I'll take Snape and Dolohov...

Bullshit... Harry's stomach grew queasy for a second, as suddenly what he saw in front of him was not from his own eyes. An unseen ghost breezed in through the gaping hole that had once been her front door. Harry felt a familiar wand track upwards to align on the back of Snape's skull. And his heart stopped as he remembered his being discovered on the train...if Hermione was caught, far, far worse would happen then just a beating.

Dolohov smiled, as he pulled a large knife from somewhere under his cloak and reached for Jane. And every thought of tactics went out of Hermione's head. "NO...STUPEFY!" Hermione snapped and watched as her bolt shot into the ceiling, deflected off a hasty shield. The Death Eaters turned as one. A fusillade of spells shredded a couch as Hermione dove behind it.

"Granger...where is..." Snape hissed.

Incedio Incarcerium. Flaming ropes erupted over two of the Death Eaters, they fell away screaming as a silver whirring disk flashed into the room and buried itself in a third's head. Harry rolled behind the counter and ducked as a blue beam of a Reductor shattered Jane's pot rack. Snape and Dolohov shared a look. With a flick of a wand Dolohov summoned Jane to hang as a shield in front of him. APPARECIUM DELATARIUM a soft glow settled over the house for an instant, as Harry quickly barred their escape.

"COME OUT POTTER..." Dolohov snarled as he started to back towards the door. Jane hung limp, still unconscious from the stunner as she floated in front of Dolohov in the grip of a hasty Mobilocorpus Charm. Snape remained curiously quiet as his beady eyes scanned about the room. "She will die Potter...Mudblood do you want your mother's blood truly on your hands...give up..." Dolohov ranted.

Harry chanced a visible glance around the corner; his cloak had long fallen off into the floor. A green beam hissed back, close enough to singe his hair. Harry rolled back behind the counter as Snape began to systematically reduce it to splinters. Get ready...He felt Hermione nod...GO...

Hermione MOVED. A dark blur met surprised eyes as she snap kicked to her feet, rolled over the top of the couch and fired a Summoning Charm at the cabinet behind Dolohov in one long continuous, blurred movement. He spun slightly; Jane fell away, as Snape's return shot missed Hermione by a foot. She rolled to her right....

As Harry dove over the top of the shattered counter, firing. A wave of force flung Dolohov into the wall, and partially through it. His shield flickered and died as his wand came loose from his grip in the impact. And a moment later, he followed as a shining silver beam neatly bored a third eye in Dolohov's forehead. Time seemed to stop as he flowed slowly to the ground.

Eyes glowed slightly in the dim house as Harry and Hermione's wands centered on Snape. "Hello, Snivellus." Harry said quietly in a voice dangerously bereft of emotion. "You seem to be remarkably lacking in friends."

"Potter...so sure of yourself, especially when, just two months ago, we proved just how weak you really are..." Snape sneered, "I suppose that the presence of Granger, might give you a chance to survive, but then again...a Mudblood didn't save your father either, did it?" He looked around, "So Potter where are your friends? Where are Dumbledore's little lapdogs in the Order ready to jump out and save you, where is your Godfather...oh yes, I remember...HE'S DEAD" A wand flicked and a wave of purple fire slashed towards Harry.

PROTEGO A shimmering, blue dome broke the wave, dissipated and Harry took a breath, as he felt Hermione circling to her left. Snape's eyes widened slightly, as a dark, half smile lit Harry's face and the former and once again Death Eater started to circle towards the door, to stop as Hermione cut him off. "You always accused me of being my father Snivellus," Harry taunted softly, more as a distraction than anything. "I guess you got him..." Harry spun to his left and vanished. Snape's jaw dropped as he barely dodged a line of white fire.

"Crucio." The yellow beam missed Harry by a foot and blew a large divot out of the stairs as he vanished once more...Snape glanced around the room, desperately, as he noticed that Hermione, and both of her parents had now vanished as well.

"Did you think that Dumbledore only talked to me last year Snivellus?" A dark baritone filled the house. A silver jet sliced out of nowhere to open his thigh from hip to knee. Severus gasped as he staggered behind a bookcase, which the Granger household had in abundance and clamped his thigh closed, he muttered a charm as he ran his wand across it, to find that his Binding Charm was only partially successful. Blood oozed from the long wound. He glanced up; saw a flash of jet hair, "AVADA KEDAVRA"

Harry flicked his wand, and a chair shot across the room and shattered as the Death Curse destroyed it. A flaming whip shot back from Harry's wand, charring a long, burnt line at head height on Jane's light yellow walls. Snape stuck his head back around the corner and Hermione sent a severing charm racing back towards him. A suddenly summoned silver shield, emblazoned with the logo of a bat caught the spell and deflected it with a loud gong like sound as it spun out of his hand from the impact. Hermione rolled back to her left and snapped her wand diagonally at the bookcase Snape was sheltering behind.

Dozens of books rose from the shelves and flew at him, like a hailstorm of leather and paper. "REDUCTO" a hastily fired curse blew a hole in the storm attacking him. Snape spun to his right, spotted the Grangers lying in a downstairs bedroom through an open door, "REDUCTO" The hissing blue bolt snapped into the ceiling over them...

ARRESTO MOMENTUM Hermione frantically flung a hand towards the bedroom where she had moved her parents. The entire weight of the house suddenly fell on her mystical shoulders as she desperately tried to keep it from falling on them.

The load suddenly lightened as Harry spun from Snape, his hand and eyes were glowing bright green as he fought to hold the house up. GO HERMIONE...she felt Harry cancel the anti-Apparation ward he had cast, and she dove for her parents. A soft POP and a loud CRACK echoed in the house as both Hermione and Snape Apparated away with their precious cargos, Hermione with her parents and Snape with his skin. Harry vanished a moment later right as the center of the house caved in on itself.

He reappeared next to Hermione and fell to his knees. She was worriedly examining her father. Jane was stirring next to them as she shook her head and rose to her hands and knees shakily. Harry crawled over to her exhaustedly. Hermione turned to him; "We have to get him out of here to St. Mungo's or Hogwarts, she turned to her mum, "What hit him mum?" She snapped.

Jane blinked at her vaguely a couple of times as Hermione repeated the question more forcefully, her voice rising, "I think...five or six...red beams." Harry glanced at Hermione; her lip was trembling.

"Yeah, Mio..." Harry's response was cut off as sirens suddenly sounded in the distance, and a loud CRACK echoed in their ears. Ron almost learned exactly how powerful a wizard his best friend really was.

Ron and Luna looked around, shocked, as they saw the devastated house. "OVER HERE" Harry yelled, as he flung out his free hand and a two-foot piece of lumber shot to it from the wreckage. "Portus." The board shivered and glowed blue, before settling to a low vibration in his hand. "We have to go now Ron." Harry flung out his hand again, and a pair of slivery cloaks draped themselves over his shoulder.

"Where," Ron replied breathlessly as he slid in feet first next to Harry, Hermione and the Grangers. Luna dove on him and the six vanished in a rush of color and howl of wind.

"Here" Harry replied tiredly, as Ron recognized the white, stone walls of the Hogwarts infirmary, and the harried steps of its matron.

*******************************Hogwarts*************************

8:35 am.

Ronald Weasley was becoming quite accustomed to the espresso spell that the twins had developed. He took a sip of his conjured coffee as he looked fondly across the Head Students common room at Luna. She was currently curled in a ball on the ragged couch, like a large, blond tabby cat, snoring softly. Maybe after the war, I can go into business with Gred and Forge with this espresso stuff...maybe a shop off the joke shop. Ron mused absently as he finished his cup and set it on the table. A flick of a wand later, and the cup vanished into the ether.

Ron glanced towards what would be technically, in about a month, Harry's bedroom at Hogwarts. An odd, half grin, half-frown crossed his face for the briefest of moments as he glanced through the open door to see his best friends passed out on the bed. Hermione was clinging to Harry in her sleep, as if afraid that he would vanish forever if she let go. The pair of them, had lasted only about as long as it took to relate to Poppy what had happened to Roger, and Hermione had slumped down on a bed next to her father, crying softly...at the loss of innocence more than one had experienced this night.

Ron honestly did not know what to think as he looked in on them. He expected, absently, that if say Ginny could see them now, that she would be berating him about how he should be jealous of them, about how Harry should be with her, and Hermione should be with him so they could all be one big happy family. That, of course, was putting aside the whole, she used talismans and potions to try to get her way with Harry's emotions, and shattered Hermione's in the process, and possibly caused the death of the greatest Wizard the world had ever known as a unforeseen side effect...Yeah, Gin... we see how well that happy family thing turned out didn't we?

Ron let out a soft grunt as he thought of the revelation that had occurred right after he and Luna had left to go help Harry and Hermione. A rescue that in the end had been needed more from themselves than from the Death Eaters. Ron was probably the only person in the world that could convince Hermione to go get some rest, that Poppy was astonishingly capable at her profession, and if anyone could fix up her dad, it was her. And where Hermione went, Harry followed, so by getting her to sleep, Ron got Harry to sleep.

He had not yet told his friends about the shocking revelation at the Burrow, the tearful owl from Bill telling of the news, had arrived an hour after Ron had forced the rest to go to sleep at about five or so. Luna had woke instantly as he read the last letter and pulled him into her arms as he wept for a brother, who despite what he had become or why, was still of his blood in the end.

No, Ron thought absently as he sat down next to the couch to Luna and she spun around on the couch, still asleep by all appearances and laid her head on his thigh, some things weren't meant to be. He glanced over towards the two, that now, considering all they had been through in almost a month's time, and beyond that in almost six years time, he considered more than blood. Luna let out a soft moan as she shivered and her eyes snapped open.

"Ronny?" She asked tremulously, very possibly not seeing him at all in the room. "Will the bad people come again?" Her voice was like a small child's as he pulled her into his lap and she buried her face in his chest. "I keep seeing that Eater dieing Ron." She whispered softly as the night came back to haunt even the most serene of them all.

"It'll be alright, Luna..." Ron breathed into her hair as he gently ran his fingers through her tresses. "I'll make it better..." Luna nodded into his chest, if Ron believed himself or not, it really didn't matter, or even if Luna believed him, in the end all that mattered was that he was there as the walls broke.

A/N: there you go....

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11. Hell If I Know...

I really still own nothing....
Chapter 11: Hell if I know...

***************************Hogwarts*************************************
August 1, 1997
10:30 am

Luna had not left Ron's side ever since her nightmares had driven her back into the realm of the wakened. Her normal, slightly detached expression had settled back over her face and actions an hour later, but she still wanted him close. Even to the point of demanding that he stand in the women's restroom, his back turned of course, while she went, just so she could see he was still there.

Ron had humored her...and even put up with the taunts of Myrtle as she blew raspberries at him and splashed him with water from the sink.

The pair of them were sitting on the castle steps looking out onto the lawn, with almost identically happy expressions as Luna went on about some belief that Scrimgeour was using his new position to ease the way for the fifth Grindylow uprising. Luna was sitting between his legs, a step lower than him, leaning back into his chest as they sat in the peaceful morning air, both trying to decompress more than anything after last night.

Ron who couldn't for the life of him, remember just when the first four Grindylow uprisings had occurred or exactly why a water demon, who never set foot on land, would be interested in the arid uplands, just nodded at seemingly appropriate times, and Luna beamed up at him. She quickly progressed into a discourse on Demiguise farming when Ron suddenly realized two things...for some reason it was much easier listening to Luna ramble on about some random fact than Hermione. This was of course putting aside the whole if she were insane or not question, but then again he wasn't always too sure about Harry or Hermione's sanities in the first place either. And the second, as he caught an odd look out of the corner of his eye...he wasn't too sure that she wasn't putting him on. He turned to confront her with a twinkle dancing in his eye, when a familiar head of long, red hair appeared coming up the path from Hogsmeade.

"RON." Ginny screamed as she came up to the stairs. She gave Luna an odd look as the blond was leaning rather possessively on her brother. "Where's Harry...was he hurt last night, why didn't he come to the Burrow with you?" Her words came out in a rush.

Ron glanced down at Luna, and for the first time that he could remember besides the occasional trio moment, he knew the sensation of having a conversion in a glimpse, just like Harry and Hermione had for years. "Hermione needed help...her parents needed help Ginny, I sent him there with her." Ron settled back slightly, "Now as to where he is...bloody hell if I know, he's probably out brooding somewhere." His eyebrow fought to twitch and only a contest of will kept it under control. "It is kind of annoying when he does that really, gets on my nerves sometimes frankly."

"Yeah" Ginny replied absently as she looked around the lawns for a sign of Harry. "It did annoy me last year..." She gave Ron a calculating look, and smiled slightly, "Of course he does snog superbly...."

"Ginevra..." Ron howled, "You do..."

"What Ronniekins... mum doesn't know what I do, and don't you go telling her." She glanced at Luna, a brief hummingbird flicker of a glance, "or I may tell her, just what you and Hermione were up to..."

Ginny left with a huge smile on her face as Luna stood up abruptly and let out a small hiss at Ron. She scampered out of sight, and Luna fell directly back down to her previous position sitting with Ron. "Luna, we, ah..."

Luna smiled slightly and reached up, pulling his lips down to meet hers, letting go after a moment, "all is as it should be Ronald. I am happy, and she has already lost...and far more than she might think. Friends are a commodity that one cannot afford to spend frivolously...you have taught me that."

***********************Grimmauld Place******************
August 2, 1997
10:20 pm

Harry. Hermione sent softly as she appeared next to him on the roof outlook, and sat down. Harry didn't speak as she felt for his hand, and intertwined their fingers. Out in the distance the lights of the London traffic flickered about like mad, grounded fireflies. Are you ok, baby?

Did you know? Harry replied as he leaned his head back against the rough, red brick chimney. He took a deep breath, no of course you didn't. I'm just tired of it Hermione...I don't care if it were my birthday, they should have fucking told me.

If they had...what would you have done Harry?

Harry frowned; I don't know...he just should have told me...would you have, even considering what we were planning on doing later? Hermione sighed and lowered her head to his shoulder, remembering absently the last time they were on this roof.

Yes, She replied after a moment's consideration, I would have, you deserved; we deserved to know. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and I would have damn sure told us that Tom broke his minions out of Azkaban. Honestly, this whole lets not tell the targets who is shooting at them shyte is getting old.

Welcome to my world Hermione, Harry replied bitterly, why do you put up with me, I mope, I rage...

Because I love you. She glanced over at troubled emerald eyes, it's a two edged sword, love, the good and the bad. And that I know you better than anyone else...I know that no matter how much you hate them, you didn't wish them dead.

But is it bad that I don't feel a fucking thing...I at least felt sick when I heard about Percy and he was a traitorous arsehole of a git, She shivered as the winds picked up slightly and Harry pulled her into his side. I just feel like I should feel something, for Petunia at least, she was mum's only sister. Hermione shifted around until she was on his lap, with her head cradled on his shoulder. That I should feel guilty for the thoughts that you are engaging in me, when I should be mourning them.

Harry, they don't deserve your guilt, or your tears. They should be the ones that feel guilty, wherever they are.

They died because of me, Hermione Harry replied exasperatedly. Me. Snape and his butt munching little friends tortured them to find me.

And they would have given you up if they had known Harry. Hermione replied reasonably. Those aren't the actions of those who love you, or even like you. Ron or I or any of the Weasleys would have died before we ever surrendered you...just like you would do for us.

But, that's...

Just it, you're tired of other people sacrificing themselves for you? Hermione finished for him, and received a small glare in exchange. Harry sighed and dropped his eyes apologetically as he shrugged his shoulders. Hermione gave him a small grin as she kissed him and settled back into his lap, her head on his shoulder as they watched the night go by, filled with Muggles about their business, totally unaware of what their guardians suffered in their stead.

***********************Hogwarts ************************

August 10, 1997
10:00 am

Ten days had passed since the long night marking Harry's majority. A whipsaw of emotions that had driven those effected by the events of that night to their knees. Percy had been buried in a funeral attended by only the family, Harry, Hermione, Luna, Remus, Tonks and Minerva. No others of the Order had shown, on that blustery day as he was laid into the Weasley family gravesite.

Roger Granger was doing better; the five stunners had briefly stopped his heart before it fitfully restarted again. He was currently sitting in Poppy's infirmary, where he, Jane and Poppy were having daily discussions on the differences and similarities of Muggle and Magical medicines. Poppy did repair his bum knee while she was at it, and curiously asked him, why he just hadn't had Hermione do this? It was easy enough for her.

Charlie still lingered on the cusp of life and death at St. Mungo's, as no one seemed to know exactly what the curse was that Percy had hit him with. The best current guess was that he had panicked and mistakenly altered a stunner with disastrous effects.

All of this had driven the trio even harder into the fight...Ron, Harry and Hermione had spent every waking hour over the last ten days, training or reading. Or else, in the case of one disastrous effort to find a clue of the whereabouts of the Hufflepuff cup, had ended up in a running battle with several Death Eaters for almost three hours before they managed to escape around the Death Eater's anti-Apparation charms.

Hermione was still limping slightly from the night of that battle four days ago. She paused as she entered the Hospital Wing to find Jane and Roger busy sitting up together reading through a first year Transfiguration book. Neither one of them mentioned the limp, or the raging fight they had heard between Harry and Hermione as soon as they got back about the battle. Harry's entire back had been burnt from where the Death Eaters had set fire to the shack the trio had been hiding in, and he had shielded Hermione at the cost of his own skin. No, Hermione's parents had just stood back, while Harry and Hermione had raged at each other across the room, watching with odd, little smiles as small objects shattered randomly and Poppy lost several windows to random magical releases. The stumbling, half-begging apologies that each had stumbled over the other's words a half hour later had more than convinced them of the two's real feelings.

"Hey mum, dad." Hermione said softly as she sat down next to her father. He smiled up at her and nodded as he sat his book down and took her hand for a minute. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine sweetheart" Roger replied as Hermione bent down to kiss his cheek, "Where's Harry?" A small little knowing glance passed between her parents as she glanced up and to her left. A small, glowing orb hovered over the top of Roger's bed, softly pulsing at about sixty beats a minute. An IV containing a clear, yellow potion dripped into his arm, rebuilding the nerves damaged by the multiple stunners to his heart the night of the attack.

"Umm..." She paused, considering for a moment, "Seventh floor I believe...maybe the Room of Requirement, he and Lupin were going to work on animating objects." She looked at her mother, "ready to go on your tour mum?"

"Sure honey." Jane leaned back down over the bed and kissed her husband with enough energy to embarrass her daughter thoroughly.

"MUM!"

Jane grinned evilly, "what, dear...you made your father and I watch as you snogged your boyfriend the other day..." She crooked an eyebrow, "was the make up any good?" Hermione sputtered as Jane went on airily, "Your father and I are married dear."

"We, uhhh..." Jane just laughed and stood up, kissing Roger on the cheek once more as Hermione mutely followed her. Hermione took a breath as they left the Hospital wing, "what do you want to see?"

"Let me see what you saw over the last six years." They passed the back of the clock tower and glanced out onto the grounds. Hagrid was herding several Thestrals about, evidentially getting them ready to pull the coaches in a few weeks time. Jane frowned as she saw them, she knew what the reptilian horses meant, and she knew what the accepting look in Hermione's eyes meant as well. Normally Muggles could not see magical creatures, the Ministry spent a great deal of time, using charms and disillusionments to hide the existence of things like Thestrals, and the pair of Unicorns the two women could see emerging from the edge of the Forbidden Forest. However, most of those charms were predicated on one crucial factor...that the Muggles not believe in magic. Hermione's parents knew better of course.

Hermione began at the Great Hall, Jane had eaten here since her arrival but, her daughter's descriptions gave it new life, as Hermione portrayed Halloween feasts with giant pumpkins floating past, innumerable meals eaten by the side of her friends, and a few eaten alone as they were one or all feuding for some reason. Jane could see the long lines of first years filing in to take their place under the Sorting Hat and she could feel her daughter's joy as she related how the hat had placed her with that black-haired boy from the train in Gryffindor over the stodgy intellectuals of Ravenclaw. That was at least how scared eleven-year-old eyes had seen it, as was described by a more experienced seventeen-year-old throat. Hermione grew quiet as she pointed out Dumbledore's golden throne on the teacher's dais, she smiled after a minute, but Jane could tell the smile was forced.

They continued on to a dark, dank dungeon where Hermione related long hours of toiling under a hated taskmaster, one that in the end had proven to be what he had portrayed himself to be all those years, their enemy. Jane laughed as Hermione grabbed a small bottle from one of the shelves, and using a dropper dropped five drops on a large rat, that she attracted from the corner of the room. The rat turned colors and started dancing.

They next went up to McGonagall's classroom, now Tonks', where Hermione related their first day, of Harry and Ron showing up late, and McGonagall berating them for it. Hermione smiled as she easily transfigured an errant quill into a white lily and gave it to Jane. She shuffled her feet slightly and thrust her hands into the front pockets of the khaki cargo shorts she was wearing, and shrugged her shoulders slightly.

Hermione next led the way to the DADA classroom, where Jane looked up, slack jawed at the skeleton of a Dragon and watched as Hermione tossed up a handful of wood blocks and shot them out of the sky before they hit the ground. Hermione's knee buckled slightly as she twisted with the target.

Jane's hand shot out with the mother's instinct to comfort a child, but stopped at a look as Hermione bent down and adjusted a elastic bandage around her knee. "I'm ok, Mum" Hermione snapped testily, "It's just a sprain, Poppy thought it better to let it heal on its own than use magic, just in case there was some remaining difficulty from the talisman." Jane did not speak of the problem, not now; she just followed Hermione as she led them up the stairs. She showed her, the room where Fluffy had been, and the trapdoor, the trio had fallen through to lead them through their first real brush with the darkness.

"Let's go to Gryffindor Tower, mum, then I'll show you the Head's quarters." They climbed the many stairs to the seventh floor corridor, and paused outside of the Fat Lady. The pink-clad woman turned in her portrait.

"I recognize you, Miss Granger," She began happily, after forcing the two of them to listen to a particularly bad aria, "But I have not met your sister before, did she go to Beuxbatons?"

Hermione giggled, as Jane preened not so subtly, "No, my lady," she chuckled slightly, "this is my mother...may we pass?"

"Yes, Head Granger" and with that, the portrait swung open to reveal the hole through the wall that led to the slightly decrepit Gryffindor Common Room. The room was curiously quiet as the pair of them entered and looked around. No one was home, right now, a little under three weeks until school restarted. No books cluttered the worn study tables, no errant pets scampered under foot, and no giggling of girls or raucous cries of laughter from the boys at some dirty joke sounded in the circular room.

Hermione spun around the room slowly, "This is home, mum, at least while I'm here for the last six years." She walked over to the fireplace and looked down into it, longingly, "I remember this is where I think I really knew I was in love with Harry." Hermione said softly as Jane hung on her words, afraid to say something that would close her back up. "Unfortunately...my brain decided I couldn't really be...he was just a friend. I watched him try desperately to go save Sirius, I remember that that was the first real fight we ever had..." Hermione frowned a bit as her arms hugged herself, stretching out the design on the Muggle 'Stones t-shirt she was wearing. "I mean we had fought before...but this was the first time that I knew his whole heart was in it...because he was scared, scared out of his wits. To this day I still don't think Ron or Ginny or anyone else that went to the Ministry knew how much Harry was scared at that moment. Of loosing Sirius, and then when I thought Umbridge was..."

Hermione broke off with small smile and waved towards the portrait hole, "Let's go see the Head's quarters shall we? We can get there from here, but it's cooler this way." Hermione led her back out of the hole, down the hall a bit and tapped on a particular brick. A soft grinding sound accompanied moving stones, as an archway appeared where only a blank wall had been before.

Hermione smiled as she ushered Jane into her new home. Jane smiled appreciatively as she looked around the circular room and ohhed and awed at the appropriate times as Hermione showed her the sumptuous bathroom and the amenities of the common room. "So Hermione," she asked as she turned to catch Hermione's eyes, "Which one is your room?"

"Oh that one, mum." Hermione replied easily as she pointed to the right hand room. She started to move towards it, but stopped as she realized Jane hadn't moved.

Jane smiled crookedly, "No dear, which one really, is your room?" Hermione bit her lip slightly but wheeled on her heel to open the door to Harry's bedroom, which had become, by a mutually unspoken agreement, their bedroom. Hermione silently led her mother into a room, that was immediately obvious to a woman who had been married for over twenty years, that two people slept in.

Unlike the perfectly kept and immaculate room that Jane knew without looking would have been what they found in the other bedroom, this one showed signs of two lives intertwined everywhere she looked. A haphazard stack of dirty laundry was in an open bin in the corner, tops of Hermione's clustered in with boxers of Harry's. A large desk in one corner held stacks of papers, framed pictures of the Trio, Harry and Hermione alone, the old one of Harry's parents dancing together in the snow, and one of her and Roger at their twentieth wedding anniversary. Jane walked slowly around the room, smiling to herself as she saw the unmade bed, the Quidditch jersey with "POTTER" written across the back tossed on top of a four-foot high stack of books. Crookshanks opened one eye at them, and then closed it again as he sunned in the window.

Hermione watched her mother nervously, waiting for a lecture, but none came. "Just promise me one thing honey." Jane said finally.

"Yeah mum?"

"Both of you survive this...I want to have grandchildren to spoil someday." Hermione laughed as she hugged her mother and sat down in the couch, gesturing her mother to join her as she flicked a wand and two hot cups of tea appeared. They both sat back, fixing their tea as they liked. Jane watched her daughter as she sat, relaxed, yet tense at the same time. "I don't want to pry..." She began softly.

"Yes?" Hermione replied with a sudden sense of unease.

Jane took a slow sip of tea before setting the china cup back down on a coaster on the coffee table and sitting back slowly. "How is your...situation with Ginny?"

Hermione scowled as her eyes glittered dangerously, her voice was flat and hard, "We agreed, Harry, Ron and I that we were going to just let it slide, to not do anything. And that hopefully she would get the hint, but she hasn't yet. She has shown up here three times since the first, wanting to come and just 'visit'." Hermione's slightly snarling tone wasn't lost on Jane. "She even jumped him in the hall that first day right in front of me. Of course she doesn't know, no one does, but still..."

"Harry hasn't been encouraging..." Jane asked softly.

Hermione laughed bitterly, "oh Merlin, no. In fact the poor dear runs and hides when she comes. Keeps thinking she will get the hint that he's busy every time she asks, but so far she hasn't. She seems to have this obsession that she just won't drop. She even basically told Ron that he should have abandoned me to go to the Burrow after her..." Hermione blew a wayward lock of hair from her face as she got up and started to draw her hair back into a tail. "Can you find your way back mum, Harry Ron and I have training with Tonks and Remus." Jane nodded as she watched Hermione strip off the t-shirt she had on to replace it with a plain one, and slipped on a pair of BDU pants to replace the shorts she had had on. She left as Hermione picked up her wand from the couch and slipped it into a sheath on her thigh.

4:25 pm

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU CALL THAT WEASLEY?" Lupin roared in Ron's ear as another spell shot off into the distance scaring some squirrels at the edge of the trees. Lupin flicked his wand in the direction of several floating, bobbing outlines of man shaped targets. They froze as he turned to the trio. All three of them looked exhausted, Hermione's injured knee was trembling slightly as she stood at a quasi-attention as Lupin berated them. Behind him Tonks was pacing, shaking her head as she looked out at the targets that Ron was supposed to be servicing. The fact that they had been alternating running laps around the lake, followed by trying to hit targets out at several hundred yards that refused to stay still had absolutely nothing to do with it of course.

The trio had started out doing extremely well at the task but after the tenth lap around the lake the task had gotten more difficult. Hermione glared up at Lupin as he paused in front of her. "AND WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING GRANGER? THINK THIS IS A GAME? I WOULD THINK THAT UNLIKE THESE IDIOTS, YOU WOULD BE THE ONE WHO WOULD REALIZE IT WAS NOT." Hermione barely kept herself from flinging a rude gesture at the Lycan as he turned on his heel. "Drop and give me twenty, now DAMN IT!" Lupin snapped, at the trio dropped to a forward leaning position, a position that Hermione had learned rapidly and Ron and Harry had been all too familiar with from Quidditch punishments. They started to bob them out as Lupin walked back to where Tonks was standing with her arms crossed, glaring for effect.

"Well what do you think love?" Lupin asked softly to Tonks with his back to the three teens. Hermione and Harry got done at almost the same instant and paused, panting slightly. She glanced over at Harry and they shared exhausted grins.

"I SAW THAT GRANGER, TWENTY MORE." Tonks snapped, the teens groaned and started again. She replied out of the side of her mouth, her lips moving not at all, "Honestly, besides the fact that we are punishing them for letting their exhaustion not allow them to hit targets at three times the regulation range distance," she snorted softly, "you know that they will kill us in our sleep someday, right Remus?"

"As long as they are alive to do so, I'll die happy, I could face James, Lily and Sirius with a clear conscious then." Remus replied seriously. He stepped away from Tonks. "Ok, you're done for the day, go." He announced almost kindly. He closed his eyes tiredly as he watched Harry and Ron help Hermione back toward the castle; she was too tired to even fight them. "I'd do anything to let them just be kids Nymph, to screw around like we did in school, but I can't. And if I didn't drive them this hard, they'd drive themselves even harder." He took look back towards the castle and sat down on a large bolder that demarked the edge of the clearing they had been using. He looked up as she dropped next to him and turned so her back was leaning against his side. "Any word on..."

"I think Mad-Eye is about to crumble." Tonks replied, knowing what he was asking. "He always supported Harry, he was one of the ones along with Sirius that thought Harry should have known everything a couple of years ago. He saw what happened at the Burrow, and at the Grangers. And I think he knows that this is Harry's war to win...Kingsley is set in his ways though, and Molly is campaigning behind the scenes with her usual let the adults handle it line, or at least that's the vibe I'm getting. I think that Mad-Eye was...scared, when Albus died, and if Harry were to be killed he'd see it as a personal failure to his friend. That's really why this hide, Harry, hide thought of his came to the fore."

"Yeah. So did you get your lesson plans done for the next year...Professor Tonks?" Lupin laughed as she rolled her eyes. He got up and took her hand, pulling her easily to her feet as they headed back towards the castle.

"I did, Professor Lupin..." she stopped and looked worriedly around, "Do you think that Minerva has told him yet?"

Lupin frowned and ran his hands through his hair and messing it up thoroughly, "No...there are still targets along with the forest surviving downrange. I fully expect an explosion when he hears about this...she did torture him and get away with it."

"He won't back down to her ever again Remus, none of them will. All three of them are of age; she could find herself under the Code Duello quickly. It's only because the students realize that it is suicide to take on a Professor that it hasn't happened in two hundred years here. Heck it's been fifty or so since the last actual sanctioned honor duel between students here. But they can take anyone here, one on one, and they know it."

"I was a bit surprised that she didn't find herself tricked into challenging Hermione...she was sixteen then, she could have accepted it." Remus replied absently as they passed under the arch into the stone courtyard.

"Hermione was panicked Remus, love can do that to you." Tonks replied with a shrug as they entered through the front doors of the castle. Flitch was off to one side mopping something, growling at anyone who came near as Mrs. Norris looked on. "All things considered she did pretty good that night."

"Yeah, I'm waiting for this little explosion I think." Remus glanced in the general direction of the Headmistress' office.

************************Headmistress' Office**************************

"Albus, I will not have that woman in my school..." Minerva's blur was almost incomprehensible in her fury as she paced back and forth in her office, shaking a dull green parchment marked with the official seal of the Ministry. A large tin of biscuits fell to the floor as she slammed her fist on the massive desk. Dumbledore looked on impassively from his portrait, waiting. "She will not walk in that door as long as I am still Headmistress..."

"Calm, Minerva, calm." Dumbledore replied serenely. "Let her come, she will find no succor in this school, not this time." He smiled and paced within the confines of his frame. "Let Scrimgeour send his spies, she will learn nothing here."

McGonagall paced to the window where she could see, Harry basically carrying Hermione back to the castle, with Ron acting as both their guard Wyvern and helper. Old gray eyes closed behind square-framed lenses as she thought of what the presence of that person here, once again would mean to them. She knew what the presence of that person would mean to this school, her old house, and more importantly to the three just now entering the castle. "Harry will never let her dominate him again. Not in the slightest. And if were to hurt one of the other two...I shudder to think of the consequences."

"So," Dumbledore replied after a moment's contemplation, "when are you going to tell them?" McGonagall shrugged and looked back out the window without answering.

**********************Hogwarts Library******************************

9:45 pm

"So Remus?" Hermione began, and paused as she yawned hugely. She closed her eyes for a moment, before looking up at him exhaustedly. She glanced over at Harry, who was passed out face down, in the third volume of Animation, Deanimation Magic. She absently reached out and rubbed his neck softly, as there was no one else here to see them. No one that didn't already know, anyway. Ron had wandered off two hours ago to go work with Tonks on advanced shielding charms with Luna following along. Somehow, even though Harry so far steadfastedly refused to let her in on exactly what they were doing, about what they were looking for when they had left the castle several days ago and came back wounded, Hermione strongly suspected that the odd Ravenclaw had a pretty good idea, and it could only help the DA in the long run if she learned a bit more combat magic. "How are the Inferi animated again?"

Lupin looked over at Harry pointedly. He watched with a small grin as Hermione's fingers slipped forward to play absently with the hairs on the back of Harry's neck. "Do you want the simple or technical answer?" Lupin watched as Crookshanks sauntered in and hopped up on the table, an accomplishment that both of them knew Madame Pince wouldn't allow him during the school year.

"He's not stupid Remus." Hermione growled softly, her eyes glinting darkly. "He might not have always applied himself..."

Remus raised his hands defensively, "I know Hermione...I know, anyone with his parents would have to be a truly odd combination to not be bright, scarily so. In fact?"

"Yeah, he might just be smart as me." Hermione snorted, "He had to work hard to hide it though. I wonder what Snivellus is thinking right now about the 'spoiled, useless son of James Potter'...who handed him his arse..." Hermione's other hand, the one not busy with Harry's hair clenched as thoughts of that night ten days ago passed. She lowered her eyes to the table and examined the wood grain minutely. She glanced up to find Remus' kind eyes watching her, "is it wrong to hate him so much Remus?" She glanced over at Harry and watched him squirm in his sleep. Hermione forced herself to be calmer, before looking back at Lupin. "I used to berate Harry for hating him so much...no that's not right, I loathed Snape. Probably as much as Harry did, I just never let him get to me like Harry did. But now...he's killed Dumbledore, he tried to kill my parents and me, and...he's tried to kill Harry, again." Hermione laughed darkly, "is it weird that him trying to kill me, really doesn't bother me all that much, but when..."

Lupin shook his head, "Not at all...in fact that only makes sense. Just proves you are a Gryffindor lass." He smiled slightly as an old memory flitted across his mind, "what was that old quote of Godric's that Sirius used to have written in his DADA book...oh yeah, 'kill me, that's just annoying, look at my friend oddly, I'll wear your guts for garters.'"

Hermione laughed, and stared at him goggle eyed. "Honestly, Remus...is that for real?"

"Who knows?" Lupin admitted, "but Sirius liked it. As to your original question before we got distracted with thoughts of philosophy, or at least what us fellow Gryffindors would consider philosophy; it's a complicated process actually. The bodies used have to be older than one year, but less than five since they died. The reanimation is a an ancient spell, one that I think Voldemort borrowed from somewhere else during the last war...it basically reanimates them, much like one would animate a statue."

"How does he control them?" Hermione asked with a small frown as she started to scratch notes on a piece of parchment, she pulled it to her lips and sucked on it to get the ink flowing."

"Two ways we think...Harry would be glad to know Lily worked on this a bit, before she got distracted, with him. Um, if I remember correctly, she thought that he had tied a modified Mobilocorpus charm to move them, with some sort of Imperius charm to give them his will. Since they are dead, they have no wills of their own, so they are effortless to dominate."

"What about the ones like Harry found in the cave, Riddle wasn't there to control them."

"No," Lupin agreed, "in that case, we think that he enchants an object with a...quasi-sentience for lack of a better term, that gives them a will. That approach has weaknesses though, in that they can only do a singular task, such as defending a site, and that at a very instinctual level."

"So," Hermione mused, if I were to...." Her hand left Harry's hair as her quill suddenly flew across the parchment, leaving behind a long, complicated Arithmatic equation. Lupin watched with a slightly dumbfounded look as she muttered a spell and a pair of books shot out of the restricted section, and fell open on the table before her. The pages of the books turned themselves as her eyes scanned back and forth between them. Occasionally she would scratch out a term and replace it with another. After another ten minutes of Lupin watching, slightly dumbfounded, and another four books, Hermione sat back with a pleased expression and went back to scratching Harry's scalp absently.

"Can you check this please Remus...I made an assumption in the fifth line, I used the standard decay rate of enchantments on inanimate objects with a thirty percent margin, but I think it should work, even if he's controlling them directly." Hermione shrugged slightly and looked a tad touch guilty as she took a sip of the coffee at he elbow that Pince would have skinned her for if she caught her with it, near her precious books.

"Ummm" He replied after a long moment, "It looks good, as rusty as my Arithmancy is...you know this is beyond NEWT level math right?" Hermione shrugged, "I guess the incantation would be, what...Imperatum dispersium inferati de flagratto? What's the last term for? Cutting the link?" Hermione nodded. "Well we'll see what happens then, won't we?"

Hermione stood up and stretched, her spine popping softly as she twisted. "Has Harry talked to you about the DA? He's thinking of restarting it and handing off the day to day training to Neville or---Ginny" Lupin didn't comment, "We would almost like to have Luna, running it...she has more training than those two actually since she's sat in on some of them here, but too many people think she's mental." Hermione shrugged.

Lupin carefully hid a grin as he remembered a time, not too long ago, that Hermione would have been one of those very people, but that was before betrayals and revelations innumerable. "A bit, yes. I would like to integrate the training with my classwork...but I guess that is not possible, is it?"

"No, its not, not any longer. Neither Harry or I will trust anyone, not really, except Ron, and Luna...I guess." Hermione suddenly looked as if she didn't know if she wanted to laugh or cry at that. "A few others; that I suppose we will give parts of the puzzle to, such as Neville, and the rest of the Weasleys. But as of now, the six people and one portrait that know for sure about the quest is it."

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12. I'm a Big Girl Harry

A/N: I really still own nothing...Many, many thanks to Lady Starlight for her superb Beta work and allowing me to bounce ideas off of, but as always any mistakes are purely mine, blame me...
Chapter 12: I'm A Big Girl Harry.

******************Hogwarts*******************

August 13, 1997

"No, absolutely not." Harry snapped as he threw up his hands and paced off down the hall. He muttered under his breath some comment about "damn stubborn girls" Hedwig, who had been sitting on his shoulder hooted at him reproachfully and took off, out a window.

"Honestly Harry," Hermione growled as she stomped off after him down the second floor corridor outside of McGonagall's office, "I am a big girl, I can take care of myself...I would have thought you would know that by now." Ron rolled his eyes as he took a post up against the wall and looked on. He shook his head slightly as he bit back laughter, "We need to go check out that Library...Dumbledore said in his journals that he suspected there might be a record of what Rowena left, a verified artifact list, it has been around since the Crusades, it holds records from that time, if it hasn't been plundered... We can't destroy the bloody thing, if we don't know what to destroy Harry."

"He said a lot of things Hermione," Harry muttered as she caught up to him. "We will check it out, just not today." His hands came up to grab his hair roughly, "You are the one that insists that I not go off by myself...it applies to you too dear." Hermione glared at him, then sighed and leaned back against the wall next to him petulantly, not looking at him, as she knew he was right.

Ron glanced up at the pair of them, "Why don't you take Tonks or Lupin, Hermione?" Ron smiled slightly as his two friends glanced at each other and then at him, "they already know what were doing right? Why don't you let one of them back you up, it's not like there should be any danger, it's a just an old library right?"

He's right, not that I'll admit it out loud to him Hermione sent over. Her arms were crossed as she crooked an eyebrow. Harry just sighed and nodded. She gave him a small smile as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. I'll make it up to you; meet me at the Three Broomsticks for dinner love? Harry frowned for a second before nodding.

Yeah, Yeah, I know...just be careful, Mione. Harry replied. She walked backwards and waved as she vanished out of sight as she headed off to find Tonks. "Ron," he commented without looking at his friend, "you know I'm going to kick your arse, right?" Harry pushed off the wall and started back off towards the Head's quarters. "Just be ready, in an hour, we are going to go to the twins to get their new toys."

***********************Diagon Alley***************************

Harry's presence in the Wizarding center of London, as usual, drew long, and not discrete stares. As had been the case, the last time they were here, an air of desperation and unease permeated the sparse crowds. Before, the rise of the Death Eaters had panicked many, causing them to only travel in large groups. Now the times were even worse. Dumbledore, the light that many had secretly relied on for years and years to protect them, had fallen, victim of the treachery of one of his own. According to rumor, their only hope for salvation from the oncoming darkness was a seventeen-year-old boy not yet out of Hogwarts.

New, somber, deep purple posters crowded the shop windows. Pictures of Death Eaters new and old glared down at them as they walked by. Lists of ever less helpful suggestions of the Ministry's of what to do in case of an attack, shared space with the wanted posters, each basically filled with variations of, run, don't try to defend yourself, let the Ministry do so for you. Ron read one quickly that ended with, "in case your family is attacked, try to stay calm and wait for the Aurors to arrive." He snorted, it had taken an hour for Aurors to arrive at the Burrow, and that was with Arthur running his own department.

If either Ron or Harry had noticed, that they, unlike almost all the rest in the alley, walked down the middle of the street, heads held high, they did not show it. A pair of lions, in the company of frightened sheep as they passed Flourish and Blotts. Two second-year Gryffindors saw them stride by and unconsciously straightened, their shoulders coming up and back.

Harry sighed as he and Ron passed Ollivander's boarded up windows. He waved off an offer of an amulet to deter werewolves from a rather shady-looking vendor and headed off down the street. Harry glanced up, to find the marble artifice of Gringotts filling his field of vision. "Ron," Harry asked softly, "do you think Bill could get us past the lines, there's something I would like to get out of my vault."

"What, the Boy-Who-Lived, is going to use his fame for special treatment?" Ron replied wryly as he changed his course towards the gold-inlayed doors. He led the way up the stairs shaking his head the entire way. An armed, goblin guard bowed Harry and Ron into the bank, opening the door as they approached. Another guard met them at the door, and motioned for them to follow. Harry just shrugged as Ron gave him a look and followed the goblin. The guard led them to a closed, oak door, set with a brass plaque in a script that neither of them could read.

The door opened and the two entered at a gesture from the guard. Ron smiled as Bill looked on at them. The eldest Weasley child looked worn and drawn as he approached Ron to give him a quick hug. "Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, may I introduce you to Grayfang..." An ancient looking goblin was sitting behind an oak desk, easily the equal to Dumbledore's old desk at Hogwarts. He looked at Harry over a pair of golden pince-nez glasses as Harry bowed respectfully from the waist, his eyes never leaving the goblins as Hermione had taught him. Ron repeated the gesture at a discrete glance from Bill.

"Mr. Potter." The goblin said in a gravely, gruff voice. He hopped down from his chair and came around the desk and extended a hand, wizard-style. Harry took it instantly, ignoring the two-inch claws on Grayfang's hands. "I am pleased to meet you myself...your family was always a friend of the goblin race, whatever service we may be to your or yours, would only be a mere tithe of what we owe your family, or your mentor. We were very...sad to hear of Dumbledore's death. He was a friend to us as well."

"I thank you, Master Grayfang." Harry replied evenly, his eyes still on the goblin's. "At this moment, Clan Potter has no need to call on you or yours, other than the execution of business of the most mundane sort." Harry stated formally, with another duelist's bow.

"Then, you shall execute that business, Clan Master Potter." Grayfang replied with an odd glint in his dark eyes. "Curse Breaker Weasley will act as your escort. If you ever have cause to call on Gringotts for any services, please know that we stand ready to assist you."

Harry knew that some subtext of which he knew not was going on, but he nodded, "May your endeavors be profitable, Master Grayfang."

"And yours Master Potter." Harry, Ron and Bill left the office. Bill led them to an unoccupied conference room next door and closed the door.

"How's Charlie doing Bill?" Ron asked softly. Bill sighed and pulled on his ponytail absently. He frowned and shook his head as visions of his once vibrant brother crossed his thoughts.

"About the same, bro." Bill said finally. "Mum's still there most of the time. They've moved him to the long-care ward...but; there's not too much hope. They restarted his heart a couple of times already this last week. You need to go by if you can Ron..."

"Bill I, ah..."

"It's ok little bro," Bill replied as he reached out and pulled Ron into another hug, "we understand...Charlie understands. Just do what you need to, and know that we will be there when you need us," He looked at Harry without letting go of Ron. "Anytime, anywhere Harry." Harry shook his head slightly, and Bill suddenly looked as if he were trying to weigh exactly how to relate some unpleasant thought. "Umm, Harry, even if we...all didn't consider you part of the family already, which we do, your family and ours go back a very long way...there are alliances and blood ties going back at least five hundred years...just promise us if you need us, call alright?" Harry nodded slowly and took Bill's hand reluctantly. After a moment, "what were you really doing here, Harry?"

"I, umm, need to look into my vault, get some things out of there that might be useful." Harry replied truthfully, at least in the main,

"Alright, let's go then." Bill replied. He stopped on the way to grab a large set of keys after signing a large, ledger with a quill that left a faintly glowing ink behind. "Needed the keys," he explained. The three of them proceeded to the vaults, riding the underground mine carts at an almost terrifying speed. Off in the distant recesses of the caverns, Harry thought he could hear the roars of Dragons. Bill led them from the mine cart as they stopped in front of a huge, vault door.

Harry looked at Bill questioningly, "Um, Bill..."

"Your funds have grown even more," He shrugged, "it seems that some Muggle enterprise that your parents had shares in expanded enormously. Please insert your key Harry." Bill instructed softly as he pointed at a keyhole three feet away from the one he was placing a large silver key into. Harry pulled a matching gold key on a long chain from under his shirt and placed it in the keyhole, "On three then, Harry...one...two...three." The huge, battle-steel vault door ground open almost silently. A spill of reflected light fell around the trio as piles and piles of gold reflected the torch light from the halls.

"Harry what are we getting here?" Ron inquired; curiously, they could get gold or Muggle money at the Hogsmeade branch if needed, without having to deal with much of this hassle.

"There are some journals that mum and dad had that might be of use." Harry replied, and I think a couple more of Dumbledore's that were here in Gringotts that transferred over instead of being in his other hideaway. Go look over there, Ron." Harry asked as he waved Ron to the other side of the vault. Meanwhile, Harry walked to a small table pushed against the opposite wall, and opened a small box set on it. An odd expression crossed his eyes as he looked into the box for a second, before closing it abruptly and putting it in his pocket.

"Oi, Harry, found em" Ron shouted from across the cavernous vault, Harry waved at him to show that he understood."

Harry waited as Ron left the vault, "Ok mate; let's go." His hand ran unnoticeably over the pocket with the small box, "I think we have what we need. Let's go see the twins."

After leaving the bank, and promising once more that Ron would do his best to go visit Charlie, and Harry promising that he would make sure that Ron did so, and Harry promising that he and Hermione would do so as well, Harry left the building with Ron in tow. Bill looked up as Fleur detached herself from the shadows and fell in next to him.

"Iz interezting." Fleur commented softly as they entered Bill's office and closed the door. The white flash of an Imperturbable Charm lit the walls for a second as the doors closed.

Bill gave her a small smile, as she sat demurely on the edge of his desk, "you mean the last part were Harry promised, he and Hermione would come and see Charlie?" He smiled, the expression pulling his faint scars taunt across his face. "As if they were one unit."

"And 'onald, acting as if that were every day..." Fleur agreed with a beatific smile. Her expression fell after a moment, "She...has not stopped, Bill." Fleur commented sadly. "'Arry, is very forgiving...but he will not easily forgive that transgression. There are factors involved, that she knows not of, things of destiny and prophesy... A Veela would have known not to fool with the fates...the one time that full bloods tried to influence him, Hermione broke the spell, it is known among the clans.... the only other ones that weren't influenced or broke the spell that day, were already bonded. I could, zpell the Amortentia on him at the wedding Bill, and it most definitely wasn't keyed to 'ermione. And ztill, he fought it off...

"Yeah." Bill replied softly, "yeah."

The twins shop was a riotous splash of color in an otherwise dreary street. The shop, which currently had a large glowing and flashing sign advertising their newest product, "The curse that should be an Unforgivable...the ImPEEious curse." A lurid illusion of a scantily clad witch standing with her legs crossed, floated over the store. "You know," Ron mused as they passed under the sign, "That could be handy for our green wearing friends." Harry laughed softly as they walked into the store.

"HARRY" Fred yelled as he came from around the counter. Angelina waved at them as she took over. A half dozen third years, in a mix of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw robes were hauling a mix of Tongue Taffys, Skiving Snackboxes and Professor Deflectors. Harry and Ron passed into the back room amid crates of Shield Hats, skittering Decoy Detonators and racked, stacks of Really Fanged Frisbees, the civilian versions that just stunned.

Fred came to a blank wall, tapped three times on a certain brick and a large glowing eye appeared in the wall. Fred gave it a rude gesture and the wall shimmered and vanished. A set of spiral stairs appeared leading downward. He waved Harry and Ron on, and followed, the wall reappearing behind him. "Where's George?" Ron asked as they reached the bottom.

"What do you mean Ronniekins? I'm George."

"Please..." Ron replied, rolling his eyes.

"You're no fun anymore." Fred complained. He frowned, "He went by the Burrow." Ron nodded slightly as Fred led them over to a crowded worktable. "We did what you asked Harry. We have another fifty or so of the mirrors made up, each can be keyed to a user with a standard identity spell, so we should have enough to equip all of the DA. However, we were only able to make another four of the Osirus Eyes, like the prototype you used at the Grangers Harry." He shrugged. "The Demiguise essence that's needed for the vision element is too hard to get right now. But." Fred paused with all of the spirit of the pure showman, "we did come up with something as good." He reached into a side pocket of his robes and pulled out a closed fist, Fred held up one finger, and threw the other down hard next to him. A bright flash and a loud bang like a gunshot rang out, and as the smoke cleared, Fred was gone.

Ron jumped at a touch on his shoulder, his wand extended, to find Fred laughing at him. "Interesting." Harry muttered, as he bent down and examined the burnt residue on the floor, "but we can already Apparate."

"Yes," Fred agreed, "However this is not the same, with this stuff, which we are calling Instant Portable Floo Powder, you can hop from one spot to another, even in such places as Hogwarts, where the wards will not allow any apparation, not only in and out. It is limited in its use though; the furthest anyone has hopped with it is twenty feet. And those under fifth year basically have to say their destination out loud, so..." Fred shrugged and went to the next item, "we have been looking into the Inferi problem, but so far we have not had any luck, sorry Harry. Hermione sent along her notes..." He glanced at Harry hopelessly, "We don't understand them mate...so we don't have a way to stop them. Can anyone actually do that spell?"

"Yeah, Mione and I can." Harry replied instantly. "It's tiring though."

Fred and Ron shared a knowing look and hidden grins. "Ok, then...we did however get these to work...we think." He held up a small oval shaped, faceted stone dangling from a leather thong. "It should detect the presence of Inferi within say a hundred yards." He handed it to Ron, who looped the stone around his neck and placed it under his shirt.

Fred reached for one more item, it looked like a Muggle fishing reel, filled with a thin, almost invisible line. He pulled on a loop tied in one end, and after digging around in a box of assorted, loose items, Fred found a bright red, locking carbineer. He put the bineer through the loop and locked it. "Pull on it Harry." With just a touch of trepidation, Harry did so after Fred had played out a bit of line, and to his amazement, the line neither stretched or snapped, even as he started to let a touch of magic flow. "Acromantula thread...should be about a hundred times as strong as an equivalent thickness of steel. The reel it's on, can be placed somewhere and it will lower or raise you, I recommend however that if you use it to climb or get down into something, that you wear a harness, I have sets of those too, they're a bit of Muggle kit, American even, but they work really well, Eagle Industries I think." He shrugged, "That's about it, for now Harry."

"All right then," Harry replied, looking somewhat anxious, "we will be in touch, have what you guys have done ready by the first, we will try to reconstitute the army within the first week of school. One of us will get in touch with you to have you demonstrate the gear to the members.

"Sure Harry." Fred replied, and with a slightly amused expression, he watched Harry and Ron vanish.

*************************St. Gabriel's Abbey, Southern Ireland****************

With a soft pop, and a bare whisper of displaced air, Hermione and Tonks appeared in the center of a green, overgrown, stone garden. Tonks glanced over at Hermione, and pulled the hood of her deep black Auror robes over her head, vanishing her features into shadow. Hermione did likewise and the pair headed down a long, winding path under a canopy of overgrown oaks.

After several minutes of walking, in which Tonks drew her wand trice at the feeling of being watched, the pair passed though a tall stone archway, inscribed with faintly glowing blue Runes. A snap of light, and they were somewhere else.

Hermione and Tonks both drew wands and pointed them out into the darkness. They were suddenly standing in a room, possibly, in a puddle of light. Endless night surrounded them as they slowly backed together. A voice boomed from out of nowhere, "Who seeks the knowledge contained and protected here."

Hermione slowly sheathed her wand and used her other hand to forced Tonks' down. She stepped away from the metamorph slowly and lowered her hood, "I am Hermione Granger, I come on the instructions of Albus Dumbledore, my companion is Nymphadora Tonks; she comes as my escort and friend."

A soft sound of hushed, urgent speaking surrounded them, after another drawn out moment, the same unseen voice as before answered, "you seek the list of Rowena, and Godric..." a light like a giant flashbulb appeared in their midst. A floating scroll bound with a dusty string and sealed with the coat of arms of Hogwarts set in blood red wax remained. "If what you seek remains within our archives...it is in this scroll." Hermione stretched out her hand and as she touched it. They vanished to reappear at the archway from before.

"Well that that was interesting." Tonks quipped softly as she dropped her hood and pulled her robe open to reveal a Muggle outfit that would probably fit in, in most clubs in London.

Hermione crooked an eyebrow as she took in the older witch. "Planning on doing something later?" Tonks' grinned at her as the pair of them started off down the path towards the spot marking the edge of the wards. A large gull soared by as they could hear the crash of the ocean waves on the nearby rocky shore.

"And you can talk?" Tonks replied flippantly. Hermione flashed open her robe with a soft laugh to reveal a short, bouncy skirt that might, sort of, reach mid-thigh and a loose top that stopped a couple of inches above her waistline.

"Well I promised Harry that we'd go out to dinner, I can't very well let the boy starve now can I?" Hermione replied cheekily.

"Oh heaven forbid." Tonks rolled her eyes, "and you think he'll be able to eat with you in that?"

"Oh no, he is a boy," Hermione replied with a laugh, " I'll wear my cloak for dinner, this is for later." She glanced down at Tonks' left hand, "and what's your excuse, miss I'm already engaged to the sexiest bloody teacher to teach at Hogwarts in the last ten years?"

Tonks never answered Hermione as the chirping of birds and the rustle of insects that had surrounded them, fell suddenly silent. Brown and black eyes met, and two wands snapped outward. A patch of air shimmered in front of them, and a dark, presence that neither had expected to ever see again appeared from behind a disillusionment charm. A tall, blond haired young man with a long, pointed face, Hermione's age, stood with his wand extended.

"Draco." Hermione growled as her wand aligned with his throat. "What do you want?" Her lethally low, dark hiss barely registered as her eyes hardened and flickers of green fire danced at the edge of her irises.

"Mudblood." Draco replied, as casually as one would discuss the weather. "My master would like to know just what you are doing." Another six shimmers appeared surrounding them and six more Death Eaters appeared. Of them, Hermione only recognized Marcus Flint, the former Slytherin Quidditch Captain. He leered at the two witches. Draco's wand flicked and Hermione and Tonks' outer robes were ripped away, leaving them only in their street clothes. Draco smiled, slightly manically, "Yes the Dark Lord said there would be rewards to his service. I would expect he would approve of the extra...impact of your, shall we say, used, bodies when Potter gets our note." He shrugged "of course, we will have to get the information from you, somehow...

HARRY. Hermione hissed in her thoughts, and a thousand miles away, Harry grabbed Ron by the scuff of the neck, grabbed a golden ball with his other hand and vanished in a fall of color. She had been holding her senses in tight, the magical wards and barriers to this place had been causing her a slight headache. She felt out as she found another four Death Eaters behind them, still under their charms. A slight smirk appeared as she felt two of the signatures fade away, forever. A pair of stronger, welcomer presences replaced them and she smiled.

"What the bloody hells are you smiling at Granger?" Draco snarled. His eyes grew wide, "just what do you and Potter do, I had thought you were with the Weasel..." Hermione's lips tightened into a fine line as he chuckled, "I didn't know you liked more than one at a time? Toss away your wands...now." Tonks glanced at Hermione, to find the younger witch giving her a small nod, and as their eyes met, she noticed Hermione's briefest eye flicker to the rear. She frowned but tossed her wand at Draco's feet, Hermione following suit a moment later. She knew without knowing as Harry snuck up behind another hidden Death Eater directly to her right and dispatched him without a sound. A slight rustle to their left announced the loss of Draco's last-remaining hole card.

Hermione...I can't let you go anywhere, can I? Harry sent with only the barest trace of panic in his thoughts. She felt the Gryffindor Sword become unsheathed as her own matched daggers responded to their brother in his hand.

Well, I had thought that you might want to take Draco alive...for now anyway. Hermione added in the last as she glared at the junior Death Eater. And we are still going out for dinner.

I won't last through dinner with you in that outfit. Harry replied cheekily as she felt him come to stand behind the three Death Eaters to Draco's right. Not even a rustle of fallen leaves betrayed his presence, and only a link forged over seven years allowed her to know his whereabouts. The two of them watched as Draco bent down to pick up Hermione's wand. She carefully didn't grin.

That was the idea Harry...Draco's mine...on three...one...two...Harry felt Hermione's magic stretch out towards her wand, the idea had come to them the other day after another exhausting session of training, when Harry had mused on the insane things he had done over the years or rather had happen to him. In particular, that day when he had lit his wand, while it was still feet from his hand. THREE, INCARCEROUS. Thick steel cables shot out of her wand, binding Draco instantly and flinging him to the ground.

An invisibility cloak fluttered to the ground to her right as Harry MOVED. The Gryffindor Sword cut up and right, Harry spun as the Death Eater fell, brining the sword down again as he faced the second. A pair of corpses settled slowly to the ground in his wake, he didn't even turn to confirm Hermione's dagger protruding from the back of the third on his side.

To the left, Ron flicked his wand, and the ground froze under one Death Eater, he fell to the ground with a shout as a silver curse dispatched his neighbor and sharp rap on the side of the head with the pommel of Ron's sword finished the third. Ron flicked his wand again, stunning his first target. He knelt next to his last and felt for a pulse and with a glance over at Harry, he shook his head. Hermione called her wand to her hand and summoned Tonks' with a flick and handed it to the metamorph, right as Harry gave her a hug.

Hermione didn't even frown as Ron, kicked Draco in the side, hard, on the way over. Tonks gave them a small smile as she clapped Harry and Ron on the shoulders... "Good job boys." She eyed Hermione oddly for a moment, "but how did you know to get here?"

Hermione's eyes caught Harry's for a heartbeat, and without a word between them, she strode over to the ruins of her robes and bent down. She pulled a compact mirror from inside of it, it was already open, and as Harry pulled another, already open mirror from his pocket, Tonks nodded as Hermione crossed back over to Harry.

"Wotcher, I get it, you nudged it open before Draco thought he'd get cute." Tonks said thoughtfully and Hermione gave her a small smile as she relaxed back against Harry. He glared over her shoulder at Draco, and suddenly Tonks felt rather afraid for the Death Eater.

"Draco." Harry's voice was lethally cold, like a sword blade of ice, "give me one reason, why I don't eviscerate your arse right here and now?" His fingers twitched as Draco rose to hover a foot off the ground, upright and rotating slowly in the air. Green eyes lit with an icy blaze as he leaned on his sword slightly. "Tonks?" he asked without turning to her. Hermione rested her hand on his shoulder lightly as her other hand retrieved her dagger. Draco's eyes watched the entire purposefully slow flight of the Damascus blade. "What is the current proscribed punishment, by the Ministry for a Death Eater?"

"For one guilty of murder or conspiracy to commit the same...beheading." Tonks replied coldly. "Followed by public display of the head in the Ministry Atrium." She paced over to Draco and flicked her wand; his wand flew to her hand from his immobilized one. She snapped it in front of him, watched as the small particles floated to the ground, and tossed the remains at his feet contemptuously.

"So...if I were to?" Hermione asked, holding up her blade to the light.

Tonks shrugged, "no one would care really, as long as you left the eyes intact, they like them open and starting on the pikes. She paced back over to Harry and Hermione as Harry handed her the sword and flicked his wand. The cables vanished for a moment, before reappearing, and forcing him to his knees. Draco's lip trembled slightly as he glanced up to see his very own Muggleborn Angel of Death standing over him. Tears came to his eyes as the late afternoon sun reflected into his eyes from the flat of the blade. Rubies danced in the sunlight as Hermione raised the sword above her head, the blade became a sliver blur as it came around...

"WAIT." Draco screamed. The sword stopped, instantly, kissing the skin of his pale throat. A thin line of blood appeared where the edge of the sword touched his skin, and he gulped, wide-eyed as twin, glowing green eyes ripped into his skull. Draco screamed as paired, joined minds shattered whatever Occlumentic barriers he had erected to defend himself. He collapsed to the ground, whimpering. A small bit of drool leaked from his lips onto the gravel below.

Hermione glanced at Harry and shrugged. She gave her wrist holding the sword an odd twist and it vanished into the ether without a sound. She turned back to Draco and flicked her recovered wand, a red bolt snapped out, and Draco went limp. "What should we really do with him?" Her teeth found her bottom lip as she ran her hands up and down bare arms as if she were cold.

Harry looked over at Tonks meaningfully his eyes cold, "Tonks, would it violate any of your oaths if, we umm, lost Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Flint in transit? I have a feeling that they may be of use. At least they should know the identities of the majority of the Death Nibblers still in Hogwarts."

"No, but where do you want to keep them?" Tonks replied thoughtfully. "I doubt that you would want to keep him at Grimmauld."

"Hogwarts has dungeons...Dobby." The elf appeared, but before he could say a word, his green, tennis ball eyes caught sight of Malfoy. "Dobby, I would like you find...quarters for misters Malfoy and Flint. And make sure they do not escape. They are not to be seen Dobby, and no one, except Headmistress McGonagall is to know that they are at the castle. Understood?"

Dobby grinned. "Yes, Harry Potter Sir..." the elf turned its head to glare at Malfoy, "And if hes tries to escapes Harry Potter Sir?"

"If there is no other choice, kill him." Harry replied simply. Dobby's grin grew. "But only if they give you no other choice Dobby...I mean it." Dobby's grin fell somewhat and his eyes grew, nodding briskly and vanishing with a soft pop, Malfoy and Flint vanishing with him.

"Good," Harry muttered as the elf disappeared with his nemesis. "I would have..." he glanced down at Hermione who gave him a small smile, "I don't think I could have questioned him tonight." If he had...

Tonks and I could have handled it, Harry. I called you so we could get prisoners...

I know, but... Harry just gave up and kissed her, as Tonks looked on smirking.

"That whole conversation thing you two do, is kind of unnerving." Tonks announced softly. She glanced down at a enchanted, Muggle digital watch and muttered something under her breath in another language. "I have to go, I promised that I'd meet Wolfie." Harry and Hermione rolled their eyes in unison as Ron chortled in the background. They watched Tonks head off at a trot towards the Apparation spot her and Hermione had arrived in, marking the designated hole in the wards. A minute later a soft pop carried to their ears as Tonks vanished.

"What about you Ron?" Hermione asked softly as the trio followed Tonks at a more sedate pace.

"I dunno, thought I'd call Luna, see if she was...free to meet me somewhere." Ron replied, "You two still going to the Three Broomsticks?" Hermione stopped abruptly at his words and glanced back to where the spot where Draco had jumped her and Tonks could still be seen.

"Actually Ron." Hermione mused, "After dealing with that piece of trash, I honestly would rather forget I'm a witch tonight." She glanced at Harry, "I would rather, just be a normal Muggle teenager tonight, if its alright. I want to be able to eat with my boyfriend in public and actually act like he is, without it possibly getting back to Ginny. The Dursleys never took you anywhere did they Harry?" He shook his head with a slightly confused look in his eyes. "Ron, how would you and Luna like to go see a odd Muggle landmark?" He shrugged. "You know where Piccadilly Square is in London?" Ron nodded as they reached the Apparation spot. "Meet us there in an hour, dress as a Muggle." Harry and Hermione vanished with a breath of displaced air.

Ron grinned, as he reached into a pocket and pulled out a folding pocket mirror. "Luna." He whispered into it, and after several seconds, Luna's glowing, happy face appeared looking up at him. "Hi."

"Hello Ronald." Luna replied breathlessly. "Is something the matter?"

"No luv." Ron returned with a slight, wondering headshake. "How would you like to have dinner in London?" Luna's tiny face lit up, "Hermione says dress like a Muggle." Ron shrugged.

In the mirror, Luna's tiny eyes went even more unfocused than usual before sharpening to hard points. "Hermione wants to be normal and not have to worry about your sister." Luna said with that maddening air she got when she knew what the answer had to be, and knew it without any corroborating facts. Ron did notice that Ginny had become "your sister" and frowned slightly, almost imperceptibly, before smiling at her. "When do we leave, we do have to be careful of the London Ale Flies this time of year...should I bring repellant?"

"Umm...no," Ron didn't even roll his eyes, "we are to meet them at Piccadilly Square in an hour, so I'll be by..."

"No Ronald." Luna said softly, "Come by now...I need to fix you up a bit, you still have those ratty jeans and t-shirt on, don't you?" Luna's gaze was oddly calculating as Ron swallowed softly, and nodded. He vanished a second later with a soft CRACK.

************************Hard Rock Café, London***************************

8:20 pm

"This is pretty cool." Harry replied thoughtfully as he looked around the rather loud restaurant. The restaurant was crowded on a Saturday night, filled with everyone from American tourists to several other younger, "locals" such as themselves. Hermione gave him a small grin and took a bite of her pasta. The four of them were seated in a corner booth, under an authentic Hendrix's guitar and a gold record. "I remember that Dudley had to come here once, but Vernon hated it-said it was too loud." He glanced over at a photo of the Stones outside of the Café, one of them winked at him, "But I thought it was a Muggle place."

Hermione followed his gaze, "Oh, you know that Richards is a Wizard...he's like two hundred years old. There are more than him here Harry." She looked up at a monitor showing an Aerosmith video. "I have that album," she mused as she looked over at Luna and Ron. Luna was looking around at the various artifacts scattered along the walls and in display cases. Her head cocked oddly as she took in a '46 Harley in one corner under a an ivory bass guitar, next to an older acoustic with a nameplate marking its origin from Clapton's original donation in '71.

The two purebloods were sitting there with dazed expressions on their faces as they looked around the restaurant. Ron was almost, almost shocked off his feed, as he took in the surroundings, while Luna was probably just happy with all the shiny things and glittering lights. Harry looked up as a pretty, brown-eyed, red-haired waitress, wearing a short black outfit stopped at their table. She smiled down at Harry, as she swept a loose lock of hair behind her right ear. "You got everything you need honey?"

"Umm, yeah." Harry replied, oblivious. Ron rolled his tongue around in his mouth as Hermione scooted even closer to Harry. She shot a glare at the waitress who just shrugged and refilled their drinks before leaving. Hermione's glare transferred to Ron, and he returned his gaze to his food. Luna had been true to her word; she had made Ron change into "acceptable" clothes, a button down shirt and new jeans and even to more or less neatly make up his hair.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Harry was Harry, he had changed from the torn jeans and t-shirt he had had on earlier under his robes when they went to Diagon Alley and then the Abbey after Hermione and Tonks to a dark blue shirt and khakis, but his hair, was even worse than normal. Hermione caught his glance and smiled, as they pretended for one night that they were not who they really were, that they didn't have wands ready to draw at all times.

She leaned over as Luna moved onto Ron's lap, and the pair started to make out. "That's not a terribly bad idea," Harry whispered and kissed her on the forehead. "At least we're back out of the way."

"No, it's not love," Hermione responded softly against his lips as her hand slipped across his thigh.

"Umm, check...please."

(A/N Aerosmith, Falling in Love is Hard on The Knees, #81 in 1997)

A/N: There ya go, I felt happy so I thought I'd get this one up a day or two early. Next Chapter, some stuff happens, a talk to a ferret, Luna does some math, and plans are hatched to look into another Horcrux...

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13. Of Ferrets and Howlers

Here we go again, and yes I just thought up the chapter title right before I posted. Thanks once again to Lady Starlight, without whose hard work this fic would probably be gibberish.

Chapter 13: Of Ferrets and Howlers
**************************Grimmauld Place*******************************

August 14, 1997
3:40 am.

Harry awoke with a sudden feeling of loss. He reached over and finding only a fading warmth left were Hermione had been, he sighed and rolled out of bed, after feeling around on the nightstand for a good minute for his glasses. Jerking on a long-sleeved t over a pair of workout pants he found on the floor, he slipped his wand unto the waistband and set out looking for her.

His search didn't take long.

He smirked as he leaned against the door coming of the Library, and rolled his eyes. It was only through their link that he could tell that Hermione was actually buried somewhere in the general vicinity of the couch, behind a stack of books, a pile of parchments, a flock of used quills and a single, highly annoyed, half-Kneazle who looked up at Harry beseechingly as if begging him to drag his mistress back to bed at such an unholy hour. Harry gave him an, "are you kidding look?" as he settled on the tattered couch next to her, moving aside a stack of books as tall as him from the seat.

Hermione gave him an aggravated sigh and a reproachful, upside-down glare as he dropped his head into her lap. She gave up a second later, bent double to kiss him and went back to her book. "What are you doing?" Harry asked in a childish, sing-song voice.

"Working on the scroll, that the library Guardians let Tonks and I have," she replied softly as she scratched a note on a clipboarded stack of parchments that she was balancing precariously on the arm of the couch. The original scroll was spread out on the coffee table in front of her, while a thick tome, was floating at eye level in front of her. She occasionally gestured with her quill at it, it turned the page as her other hand had somehow ended up playing with his hair.

"Can I help?" Harry asked seriously, his voice back to normal.

"You can keep me company," Hermione replied. She scribbled down another sentence on the parchment before she continued. "It looks as if this really is just a list of the known artifacts of Rowena and Godric. Godric's we pretty well already knew...I mean honestly, we have the sword and the daggers with us, and the hat is at Hogwarts and none of them are a Horcrux."

"So the remaining one is something of Ravenclaw's?" Harry muttered as he glanced up at Crookshanks, who seemed to be jealous. He stuck his tongue out at the cat; who returned a baleful, amber stare before giving up and curling up on the top of the couch next to Hermione's head. "Does it say what she left behind?"

Hermione paused in her scribbling, to brush a loose curl behind her ear, "Umm...a spellbook, of course, a ring that might have been her engagement ring, it's unclear there isn't a direct translation from this Rune dialect, and a stick?"

"Staff," Harry corrected with a yawn, even as his stomach lurched as she mentioned the ring.

You right...what's wrong Harry?

Nothing. Harry replied a bit too quickly "Why are you awake?" he grinned, "I thought I'd tired you out." Hermione giggled.

"You'll just have to work harder next time dear." Hermione sighed as she reached forward and placed the Ancient Runes reference that had been floating in front of her and her notes on the coffee table. She inched down on the couch until she was lying next to Harry and grunted contently. "No really, Team Red Moon needs to lean just what the hell a Silencing Charm is." Harry laughed softly.

"Are you ok, Mione? After today?" He asked after a instant of contemplation. "Did we do the right thing?" His hand ran up and down her back absently, pausing for a moment, "Ron and I didn't even give them a chance..." Hermione didn't say a word, as he continued, "am I turning into Tom...I'm supposedly almost the same, I..."

"No you're not, Harry" Hermione whispered fiercely, "Not as long as you can lay here and hold me, and wonder about it." She leaned into his chest, "Not as long as I'm here." Harry shrugged slightly, and grunted, as Crookshanks used him as a springboard to launch off of to go chase a sudden squeak. Hermione giggled again as Harry rubbed sore ribs. "Don't look at me, I just feed him."

"You are just a Familiar Crooks," Harry said loudly enough for the Kneazle to hear him, "I can buy her another." Crookshanks flitted out of the room, with his tail high and Hermione chuckled.

They curled up together, quietly for a long moment, "Harry, we should let Draco go." Hermione mentioned out of the blue. Any other person in the universe including her parents would have been shocked, not Harry.

"Question him under Veritaserum, Obliviate him and let him go somewhere?" Harry replied thoughtfully, "I would really like him dead Hermione." Harry finished softly.

"Me too...but..."

"We place a tracking spell on him, and let him lead us to Moldie..."

"Better, I would bet his contact is Snape." Her voice toughened, "we find him, and we go with you, me, Ron, Tonks, Remus, maybe Luna and Neville, and we kill the bastard. And I suppose that Draco will have outlived his usefulness by then."

"Alright."

**********************Hogwarts***********************************

7:45 am

Hermione dropped a huge book with a correspondingly loud thump on the table next to Harry's hand. He didn't even flinch from his breakfast at the sound, or when she sat down next to him and took a muffin off his plate. She absentmindedly fed him a bit of it as she started to glance through the book, her lips moving slightly as she read to herself.

"Ignore me over a book?" Harry asked quietly after she had read at least a chapter, or in normal people's terms of time, about three minutes, she was reading slowly. She rolled her eyes, grabbed his chin and kissed him thoroughly before returning to her book for another long moment. She closed it and leaned against him with a sigh.

"I'm going to miss being able to do this when school starts." She muttered as Harry put an arm around her shoulder.

"We aren't violating any school rules...I did read the entire regulations book, Mione." She kissed his cheek.

"Good Boy," she replied, her face fell as the Daily Prophet owl delivered the morning news, and Hedwig delivered a large package from Mrs. Weasley. Harry passed it to her without a word, a quick wand flick and she cursed under her breath as it glowed red. She ripped it open to find a box of chocolate chip cookies, "Damn and those were good cookies."

"Give them to Ron," Harry muttered as she pushed them away, "he already loves Ginny."

"Yeah," Hermione responded darkly. She took his hand and watched it closely as she ran her thumb over the veins and tendons in the back, "That's it Harry."

"What's it Hermione?"

"Ginny has until the end of October to stop this, and then we stop pretending in front of her. If we are still here at Christmas, I'm bloody well kissing your arse under the mistletoe."
Harry laughed, but there was little overall humor in his voice. "I would rather you kiss me somewhere else, then..."

"You know what I mean Harry," Hermione snapped peevishly, Hedwig looked up at her, from her plundering of Harry and Hermione's shared plate, as they were distracted from it. Harry gave the owl a glare and she took flight unashamedly.

Harry and Hermione watched her go, with equally perplexed expressions. Harry glanced down at the Prophet, which held a headline about another attack on a Muggle village in Wales. The article next to it spouted a tired diatribe about the "Chosen One" and him being spotted in Diagon Alley yesterday:

Just what is the Chosen One up to?
By Rita Skeeter

Yesterday, the former apprentice of the late Albus Dumbledore was spotted in Diagon Alley, but was the one whom rumor credits with having the responsibility of saving us all looking for Death Eaters? No, Harry Potter the former Tri-Wizard champion and if reports are correct, one of the ones involved in the Battle of Hogwarts, the night that the former Chief Warlock died, was spotted going to a reputed joke shop, after stopping by Gringotts, no doubt to continue with his playboy lifestyle.

For it seems Mr. Potter is only concerned with his happiness at a dire time like this. In recent years, Mr. Potter has been romantically associated with several witches, most notably his bushy haired friend Hermione Granger and current Auror trainee Cho Chang, but in this last year he was associated with Ginny Weasley in a torrid romantic affair that was marked by a heated breakup at Dumbledore's funeral....

"You know you don't want to read this tripe, Harry," Hermione replied bitterly. She took the paper from his hands, and it vanished in a flare of fire. "We actually have work to do-" she glanced around the Great Hall. McGonagall was sitting at the restored Professor's table, with it being so close to school starting, she had had the House Tables restored. Tonks and Remus were sitting next to her; Remus was leaning over talking to Flitwick with large, humorous hand gestures as if he were telling a joke. Which he evidently was as the diminutive Professor fell off his pile of cushions laughing. "Where is Ron?"

Harry looked slightly...sheepish. "I might need you to save me love." The crooking of an elegant brunette eyebrow was his only response. "I sorta got him up while he was up..."

"You didn't?" she giggled.

"Yeah, I did, got even for waking you and in a way, me up."

"Harry James...what did you do?"

Harry glanced around to make sure no one was near. "I used the twins' voice changer to change my voice to Molly's and beat on his door. Ron came out of there, in only his boxers and red as his hair." Harry took a sip of his coffee, "and then not a second later, Luna comes out in his shirt from last night, and very possibly only his shirt from last night and goes 'hi Harry, you're not Molly?' and then she turned right around and went back to bed." Hermione covered her mouth as her eyes danced.

"Where are they now?"

"Well right now, Ron is down glaring at Malfoy, while I guess Luna is still in bed at Grimmauld. I bowed to the inevitable and added her to the access list for Grimmauld." Hermione nodded as she finished their shared muffin and stood up.

"Let's go talk to the Ferret, dear." A low feral sound came from her throat as she took Harry's arm and they left for the Dungeon.

******************Somewhere under the Hogwarts Dungeons*******************

"About bloody time you two showed." Ron snarled. He was pacing outside of a barred door, through the bars; they could see a platinum-bland head of hair bent low over his chest. "Wake me up and make me miss breakfast-"

"Are you not a wizard?" Hermione muttered with the same exact tone one had while pounding their head against a metaphorical wall, her wand flicked and a small table, with a large plate filled with eggs, bacon, sausage, a muffin and a large goblet of pumpkin juice appeared. "Honestly." Ron muttered something under his breath and started eating.

"Mrofya, raumgph whn I rumohed hn" Ron said through a mouthful of food, and Hermione pointed her wand at the plate. A link of sausage rose off the plate and began beating Ron upside the head. He glared at her before swallowing purposefully, "He woke up and was annoying me so I stunned him." He finished his breakfast, "Can I go now?"

"No, mate, we are going to question Malfoy, and then we will Obliviate the both of them before tossing them back with their friends." Harry replied as he opened the cell door, his wand flicked and Malfoy stirred. After a moment, Malfoy glared at the three of them from the floor.

"Potter, and his...entourage." Draco mused; he glanced around the room before looking up at them. The cell that Dobby had found for him was actually rather comfortable, for a cell under Hogwarts. The room was dry, and secure. The remnants of a meal sat on a metal plate next to a cot set with clean sheets. All in all, it was better than most of Harry's accommodations had been for the better part of his first eleven years. "Are you doing to torture me...maybe have me watch as you and the Mudblood make out...or will you have your pet Weasel..."

He fell silent at an irritated gesture from Harry. His lips continued to move for several moments before closing. "No." Harry replied flatly, "No Draco, you are going to answer some questions that's it. You have no option, no hope. Just like you and Snape left Dumbledore." His wand flicked and Draco flew up and onto the cot, petrified, with his mouth gaping open. Harry watched silently as Hermione approached Draco and drizzled a clear liquid down his throat. He waited the required minute and unfroze him, canceling the Silencing Charm with the same gesture. Harry waved at Hermione, who conjured a clipboard with several questions already listed on it and a quill.

"Draco," She began, "where is Voldemort?" The trio watched as Draco shivered at the name. He glanced around the room, frantically before allowing his head to droop to his chest.

"I don't know, I was not allowed in the Dark Lord's presence." His response was in the form of an utterly flat monotone.

Hermione's eye crooked at Harry, "Why were you allowed to live after your failure to kill Dumbledore?"

"Snape told him, I was delayed from executing the mission. He told him that he had to perform the mission...Snape has kept me from the Dark Lord's presence."

"When were you and your team expected back?" Hermione inquired after scribbling a note to Harry that read, "Interesting, why is Snape protecting him?" Harry shrugged, before mouthing back, "teacher's pet?"

Draco gave a small shrug, "there was no set time; I was supposed to send an owl to a address in Edinburgh by tomorrow at the latest."

"Is that where Snape is?" Harry asked levelly.

"No," Draco replied, "It is a mail drop for the Dark Lord's upper echelon. A initiate is used to collect the messages for security."

Hermione glanced back at Ron, who was leaning menacingly against the open cell door. He has like another five minutes on this dosage, Harry; I can't give him any more, without frying his mind. Harry nodded understandingly.

Let's get what we originally came for, then you program him, you're better at it than me. Hermione nodded. "Draco, whom among the Hogwarts population is a Death Eater?"

Draco looked as if he were trying not to answer the question. Veins popped up in his neck, and his eyes bulged for a moment, before the potion took hold once more. Names began to spill from his lips, "Zabini, Parkinson, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott..." Harry and Ron both turned as one to look at Hermione, she shrugged as Draco continued without pause, luckily her quill had been writing by itself the entire time. "Elliot, McGovern-"

"Who is not a Death Eater in Slytherin, Draco?" Hermione interrupted the monologue.

"None under fifth year." Draco replied softly, "Though several such as Nott, have younger brothers who will carry on the tradition, above that, Greengrass, she and her family are in defiance of the Dark Lord...they will die."

End it Hermione. Harry ordered softly, she nodded, a flash of red lit the cell and Draco slumped to the cot. Her wand tracked to Draco as she started to mutter something under her breath.

"Have him remember that he was caught by Aurors and they put him in with a whole bunch of chickens and they..." Ron said happily.

Harry...Hermione pleaded. Harry turned and glared at Ron, until he shut up, Thanks... "Obilivatium remonstrance confundatum" A brilliant yellow cone of light shot from Hermione's wand and as it faded, Draco looked at her with an absolutely blank expression on his face. "Draco," Hermione began slowly and distinctly, "you will wait thirty minutes...you will find that Dobby has left the cell door open, you will escape, taking Flint with you. You will remember only that a group of Aurors headed by Tonks caught you and they put you here as she was based here, before transport to the Ministry. They did not question you. They did not have time. At some point, when you know for certain the location of Severus Snape and that he will not leave for at least a day, you will send an owl to Harry Potter telling him where Snape is. You will not remember doing this immediately after doing so. If Snape or anyone tries to probe beyond these memories, you will develop a blinding headache." Her wand flicked once more and Draco fell back to sleep.

She motioned Harry and Ron out of the cell, "Let's go, I'll program Flint and we'll go watch them, 'escape.'"

Like clockwork, thirty minutes later, Draco's eyes slipped open and he crept to the door of his cell. He pushed on it hard, and it swung open. "Stupid house elf." He mumbled gleefully. He slipped next door to Flint's cell, and after several minutes work with a small implement, he pulled from a loose heel of his boot; he got the cell door open.

Invisible presences crept after him as the duo slipped out a heretofore unknown vanishing cabinet that was placed in an unused storage room off the Slytherin common room.

An instant after they had vanished, six presences appeared from various locations around the Slytherin common room. Hermione and Harry appeared as one, as Harry swept his cloak off them. Tonks appeared next, as she removed Hermione's borrowed cloak, while Remus shimmered into view as he canceled his Disillusionment Charm, the combination of his Lycan characteristics and the dim dungeon lighting making it easy enough for him to vanish, and Ron, who was quite too tall anymore to fit under a cloak with anyone else faded into view as he pulled his cloak off and started to fold it tightly to fit in a pocket.

A final member joined their group as a small gray and black tabby padded from out of the shadows and SHIFTED, growing and stretching until Minerva McGonagall stood glaring at the gaping hole in her security. Her wand flashed and the cabinet shattered into a million tiny splinters. "DOBBY!" Harry snapped, and the elf appeared with a soft pop, "Get the other elves, if it's alright Headmistress?" She nodded. "I want to know every way in and out of the castle, in every part of the castle, unused or not, and I want to know by sundown." Dobby vanished and a moment later, soft pops rang out as almost five hundred house elves started to hop here and there about the castle.

The group left the Slytherin common room, and fifteen minutes later, Dobby and Winky appeared. "Dobby is sorry sirs, ma'am" he bowed to Harry and Hermione, and Ron once again barely kept from laughing. "That it tooks so longs to find...here is a list." He handed Hermione a slightly crumpled parchment, in which an impossibly long list listed everything from the windows in the Owlery to small mouse holes.

Harry's eyes met Hermione's and they gave a perfectly synchronized sigh. Harry closed his eyes for an instant before waving Ron over, "Ok, Ron, Mione we need to find a way to..."

"No, Potter...Harry." McGonagall said softly with a tired warmth filling her burr, she motioned to Lupin, "Remus, Nymphadora, I would appreciate it if you would look into this. Harry, I think that you three have other matters to look into..." Harry nodded and led Ron and Hermione away. As soon as the trio was out of earshot, McGonagall turned back to her two newest Professors. Her eyes grew hard as her lips thinned. Her words came out soft but utterly resolute, "you will make sure that those three have a safe home here. The only way another Death Eater is coming into my school is in chains or dead."

Remus nodded as he looked after Harry, "and what about those students that Draco named?"

McGonagall frowned. "Harry is much like Albus, he would rather have them here...Remus..."

"Oh they will learn little from me. Except, perhaps, to fear the night, if they cross the line openly." She nodded and the three headed off, leaving behind only the dim, empty stones of the Dungeon.

***************************The Burrow*********************************

August 20, 1997

"Mum," Ron objected exasperatedly, "we are doing what we have to do." He paced up to his room, and started to place several books, and his current year's set of school uniforms in his pack. He shrunk a set of books before tossing them into the bottom of the decrepit, leather pack. He frowned over a set of dress robes before shrugging and packing them.

"There is no call for this, Ronald Weasley..." Molly hissed as she paced over and started packing for him. Ron stood back and leaned against the wall next to the head of his bed, the bright orange color of the poster next to his head, contrasting drastically with his hair. "There are adults that are trained and ready to fight, you and Harry and Hermione need to finish school first and then maybe Auror training, you always wanted to be an Auror... when you three headed off last month, it almost killed me, and where are you staying? Just you three at Grimmauld, who is looking out for you..."

"We can handle it mum, or are you really asking who's chaperoning?" Ron shot back as he picked up his pack, seizing it from her hands and storming out of the room. Molly followed on his heels. "We are fully qualified wizards mum, we can take care of ourselves."

"But..."

Ron ignored her as she fumed and headed out onto the lawn. He fought to not roll his eyes, as he found not only his girlfriend, which it had just so happened that he had yet to mention to anyone else in the family was a certain blond neighbor, and who had just happened to come over, but his sister, who was even now interrogating Luna. "Hi Gin, Luna."

"Hello, Ronald..." Luna greeted him with a small smile, and Ginny did roll her eyes.

"Ron," Ginny looked over at Luna meaningfully, "you don't have to pretend...brother; I know you two are sleeping together."

Luna's eyes flared. "There's no reason for that Ginevra," Ron growled. He frowned at her as she drew up to her full height of 5' 2." "Let's go Luna," he sighed as he held out his arm to co-Apparate her, "You needed a lift to your father's office?" She nodded at him, but before they could vanish Ginny placed her hand on Ron's other arm.

"Ron, I want to come along...I can help." Ginny demanded.

Ron shook his head, "I'm just taking Luna to her dad's office; I'll see you on the first." With a hard jerk of his arm, he vanished along with Luna. Ginny took a deep, noisy breath in and out through her nose, and grunted angrily. She slammed the door of the broomshed open and pulled out her new Firebolt. She headed off towards the Quidditch pitch, with her broom trembling in her hands.

"I guess I can tell mum about Ron and Luna." She muttered as she kicked off from the ground and motioned for the charmed Quaffles to rise to her hands from the ground.

******************************Grimmauld Place***************************

August 31, 1997
7:35 am

Ron looked on with undisguised loathing as Hermione came into the kitchen with a stack of five, three-inch thick books hovering after her and directed one each to land in front of him and Harry on the table. She stopped to give Harry a kiss on the cheek as he began to page through it. "Come on Hermione." Ron whined, "We haven't even woke up yet." He took a bite of bacon.

"Oh let me have it..." Luna replied softly as she took the book from Ron and started to read. She glanced up at Harry, "So we are to start the DA as soon as we return?" She paused and looked down at her book, in an uncharacteristically small voice, "I can fight Harry..." Luna glanced over at Ron, "I can go along..."

Harry ran his fingers through his hair. "Luna, I...uh..." A soft flutter of wings interrupted them by Pig appearing, having flown in through the Owl door. A slightly smoking red envelope was clutched precariously in his talons. Pig dropped the envelope in front of Ron and left the room in a blur, heading for cover.

"Oh. Bloody. Hell." Ron closed his eyes as he reached out for the envelope. Hermione gave Harry a concerned glance, and looked at Ron supportively. Ron opened the envelope...

"RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY..." Molly's voice shattered several dishes in the sink; Hermione quickly threw up a shield around the remaining crockware as Molly continued. "HOW CAN YOU? THAT GIRL IS UNDERAGE...NEVER IN ALL OF MY YEARS HAVE I EVER HAD A SON OF MINE ACT LIKE THIS...I AM CONTACTING HER FATHER...WHAT ABOUT HERMIONE, DID YOU EVEN THINK OF HOW THIS MIGHT..."

Hermione flicked her wand and the Howler vanished. "Thanks Hermione." Ron said as he stuck a finger in his ear and waggled it back and forth, trying to restore a bit of his hearing. "Oh by the way, are you hurt?" Ron gave her a small grin.

"I'm just shattered," Hermione replied dryly as her brown eyes twinkled. She crooked an eyebrow as she turned to Luna, "that is one point though, Luna, just how are you staying here...you are underage after all, doesn't your father..."

Luna shrugged as she turned a page, "Daddy pretty much lets me do as I like." Her gaze turned to Ron and Harry and Hermione could swear that her eyes glowed softly, "I told him that I was with my future husband; he just asked what's for dinner." She got up and walked to the door, "I am going to go pack; I hate for the Kneazles to place their talismans in my trunk...takes days to get the spells out." She left and to her credit, Hermione held off laughing before Luna left the room. She was still shaking her head as she turned to the sink and started the dishes washing themselves.

Behind her, Harry mouthed "Future husband?" Ron flipped him off and retorted; he mimed slipping a ring on his finger while looking back and forth between Harry and Hermione's turned back. Harry tapped his wand, which was sitting on the table next to the open book, with one long finger.

"BOYS" Hermione said warningly, without turning to look at either one. She returned to the table cradling her coffee, and sat down on the table next to Harry. She sighed as Luna came back into the room, Hermione waved towards Ron and they watched as Luna leaned on the back of Ron's chair. "I thought you were packing?"

"I forgot, all of my stuff is already packed into Ron's trunk." She smiled, "Hermione can I borrow your book on Arithmatic Transforms? I need to check some homework for Vector."

"Sure Luna." Hermione took a sip of coffee and leaned back as she thought of something, she looked at Ron, before looking directly at Harry. "We need a plan, both for tomorrow and for checking out that possible Horcrux in Nottingham, or Sherwood rather to be more precise."

"You found one?" Harry asked, his voice rising slightly. He started to get up, but stopped as Hermione pushed him back down in his seat.

"Hold on, Harry." Hermione shook her head, "I need to do a touch more research. There is some mention of a strange book emblazoned with a blue and bronze eagle being mentioned in a listing of Robyn Hode artifacts, in Mixed World Artifacts Quarterly. It was first noticed in the collection about twenty years ago, when a certain Gaunt family donated several artifacts to the museum there, including a very old longbow and a otherwise blank book."

"Just like a spellbook would appear to Muggles?" Ron put in thoughtfully. He frowned, but who is this Robyn Hode character. Seems familiar somehow."

Hermione laughed, "probably because you've heard of him as Robin Hood. Hode was actually a contemporary of the Founders. He was a wizard that took a dim view of some of the practices of the Muggle government of the time. They couldn't ever seem to catch him, probably because he'd Apparate away every time they got close. He also happened to hold a minor title in the aristocracy. The book itself is at a museum in Sherwood."

"So what's the problem?" Ron asked, slightly puzzled, "it's just a Muggle museum, we Apparate in, grab the book and Disapparate out." Both Hermione and Harry groaned.

"Oh because it could be a trap...does the timing make you wonder Ron?" Hermione covered her face for a second, "twenty years ago Ron...right when Riddle was at the height of his power."

"So what Hermione, set to trip if a magic user tries to take it?"

She nodded "yeah Harry, the museum is in the middle of Greenwood, in the center of Sherwood, it would have been perfect to set another trap with buried Inferi set to spring, with maybe an ward set to raise an anti-Apparation and Portkey field the instant its touched." Harry groaned slightly.

"Then don't touch it," Luna piped up without looking up from a complicated drawing she was scrawling on a parchment. Harry, Hermione and Ron all looked at her slightly dumbfounded. She looked up at them and held up the parchment. "Have Hedwig do it. It's just a book, right? She can lift it. If it's in a case use a rock and smash the case, and then have her pick it up. Simple, and we can go for ice cream...I like chocolate, but the newer chocolate can have coco weevils...so I usually just have vanilla." In the picture she had illustrated, a small, rather well drawn likeness of Hedwig watched as a rock soared from somewhere off the paper, smashed a glass fronted cabinet, and the owl swooped in, took the book and flew off the other edge of the parchment before the drawing started again.

"Um...ok," Hermione said finally, "that could actually work. Owls are a nightmare, you can't set wards to spring up against them, or they'd be going off all the time. Since they are literally everywhere. But I still want to hold off trying for it, until we are settled for a week or so at Hogwarts, we need to secure our base first."

"Yeah." Harry agreed as he looked up at Hermione and took both her hands in his, "and we need to discuss your parents, love." She frowned at him, but nodded warily. The kitchen grew quiet as even Crookshanks who had been sitting in the corner working on his own plate, looked to Harry. "We can't keep them at Hogwarts any longer Hermione, not with school starting, there will be too many Death Nibblers there waiting to let Tom know where they are, and I won't see you get hurt." He sighed and let go of one of her hands to run his hand through his hair, "Remus has agreed to act as the Secret Keeper Hermione...so even when he tells us where they are, we won't be able to tell anyone, even if Voldie breaks into my head or yours through me." In the background Luna pursed her lips as something just said confirmed a thought of hers but said nothing. "I trust him to die before he tells Hermione. He has to tell voluntarily, or write it down, so even Leglimency or Veritaserum won't get it out of him. I thought we would go to Hogwarts today so you can say goodbye to them, for a while." She nodded as she ran her teeth over her bottom lip. Harry could see tears in the corner of her eyes but she did not shed them.

"What about Tom's minions at the school?" Hermione said after a moment, in a tight voice, "what do you want to do about them?"

"Well I was thinking of feeding them to Fluffy." Harry replied honestly, Luna giggled and Harry turned and looked at Ron, "Just what have you been telling her Ron? Anyway, I suggest that we use tomorrow night after the Sorting to...introduce ourselves to Slytherin House, to let them know, that the Head Students will be actively looking out for their best interests."

"They'll probably take that as a challenge." Hermione replied in a tone that let him know she wasn't disagreeing, just pointing out a fact.

"Then so be it," Ron replied for all three of them, "we return whatever they try against us ten fold, they shoot a trip jinx, we stun them, they try anything worse, we drag their arses out for a duel..."

Hermione muttered something under her breath in French, "yeah, Ron, but that will only work for the sixth and seventh years, if they start using the younger ones as their minions..."

"Then we come up with something else," Harry finished and looked at the other three in the room, at his two oldest friends and the newer one, that in the span of weeks, seemed to have expanded the trio by one. "Something." He repeated.

A/N: There you go, next chapter...A train, some toads, several surprises, and an long overdue talk to Hagrid...along with some other stuff.

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14. A Big Red Train

A/N: Yep it really took 14 chapters to get them to school...slow buses I guess. Once again, many, many thanks to Lady Starlight for her gracious beta work.
Chapter 14: A Big Red Train

***************************Hogwarts, Hospital Wing************************
August 31, 1997.
10:20 pm

Roger and Jane Granger looked like nothing more or less than a normal, modern, Wizarding couple as they stood in the Hospital Wing. Both of them were dressed in long, black traveling cloaks over dark Muggle clothes. Jane smiled at Harry as he and Hermione appeared in the doorway to the room, and Hermione ran to her mother. Tears were in the eyes of both women as Hermione hugged Jane tightly and Roger pulled Harry aside.

Harry glanced over at Remus, the only other person in the room. Even Poppy had been told to vanish and she had done so, though not without protest. Remus was also dressed in black, and tonight, the kindly Professor was nowhere to be seen, the wolf was taking up residence. A black cloak that seemed to pull the very light from the air was draped over his shoulders, with a dark watch cap covering his gray and brown locks. A long kukri was sheathed down one leg, while the other held his wand and a pouch of necessities. He nodded to Harry, before stepping out in the hall.

"Keep her safe Harry," Roger said softly as he pulled Harry into a hug as if he were his own son.

Harry looked up at him, with a tight smile, "They'll have to kill me first."

"That's all I can ask," Roger paused as he glanced over to see Jane whispering something in Hermione's ear. "Don't wait Harry." Harry regarded him for a long moment, before nodding once more.

Hermione dashed over from Jane and threw herself in her father's arms. "I'm going to miss you daddy," she sobbed. Outside of the windows, a light rain had begun. The clouds blocked any trace of the moon, and privately Harry thought it an apt night for a mission such as this. He walked away from the Grangers to look out the window at the wet lawn.

In the darkness, nothing much was moving. The Thestral herd was stampeding around their paddock annoyedly, they didn't like rain and no doubt some flobberworms were surfacing but that was about it. Harry knew that at this very moment, all throughout the castle a legion of elves was under the direction of the Headmistress and Tonks removing, trapping or warding almost every entrance into the castle, no matter what the size. In fact, Lupin, as DADA Professor, should be overlooking that task as well, but for once Harry had decided to take advantage of whom he was. Yes, in all likelihood it was he who for good or ill must try to save the world from Voldemort, but Hermione was his heart, and he was not about to see hers broken if he could help it.

After several minutes in which he heard soft noises from behind him, familiar arms wrapped around his waist from behind. He turned to place his around Hermione as well as they spun back to watch. Remus pulled a small, golden ring from somewhere in his pocket and held it out for the Grangers to hold. In a fall of color and a sudden rush of wind, the Grangers and Remus vanished.

Hermione threw herself into his shoulder and bawled as she clung to him. With a deep breath, Harry softly ran his fingers through her hair as he muttered quiet, nonsense into her ear.

********************Platform 9 & 3/4, King's Cross Station, London**************

September 1, 1997
10:45 am.

For a while, after Dumbledore's death, it had been thought that the brilliant crimson locomotive and its retinue of well appointed cars would be retired, hidden, put into storage possibly never to emerge again. But now with fifteen minutes until the train pulled away from the hidden platform in the midst of one of London's most heavily traveled stations billowing clouds of steam filled the tracks. Students in a mix of Muggle jeans and shirts and Wizarding robes and cloaks crowded the causeway.

Young chattering girls looked up adoringly at older boys carrying their trunks past, while their male counterparts laughed and traded Chocolate Frog cards and played stupid jokes on one another.

A veritable river of trolleys appeared at miniscule intervals through the hidden wall to the Muggle world, faster and faster now that the time for departure had almost arrived. Students, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin boarded the train with their trunks floating or being manhandled behind them depending on their age. And over looking all of this, at least half the active duty Aurors still on duty, and almost all of the few remaining members of the Order of the Phoenix, which by now consisted mostly of the Weasley Clan. Several had died several more had just vanished. Remus, Tonks, Minerva and Hagrid were, of course, already at Hogwarts.

A murmur of whispers sounded out as a trio of presences swept down the platform with a hundred gazes following their progress. Shining badges hung on their chests, two with a large central "H"; the remaining one with a "P. Hard, green eyes swept the platform, pausing for an instant on a cluster of seventh years, all in Wizarding casual clothes. Blaise Zabini met his eyes for an instant before looking away with the feeling of his very soul being measured and found lacking, and with rude shouts and gestures the Slytherins boarded the train.

The green eyes softened as the owner knelt next to a young girl who didn't look ten, let alone eleven, as he along with his brown-eyed companion helped her repack her spilled trunk with casual flicks of holly and ivy-wood wands. Behind him at his shoulder, a tall, blue-eyed guardian constantly swept the crowd. After the first two had finished their task, he smiled down at her, a distance of almost two feet and handed her a chocolate frog from his pocket. The tiny girl watched the trio leave with a slightly star struck vision dancing on her face, and watched them stop in the midst of a cluster of ruby hair broken only by a pair of silver manes.

"Harry." A small red-haired presence shouted and threw her arms around him. Ginny looked up at him, "where have you been, did you get my package?"

Bill and Fleur's eyes met behind her sister Gabrielle. He flicked them towards Hermione's stonily impassive face and she nodded.

Harry smiled down at her, with not a hint of anything other than pleasure at her presence. The Dursleys would never know just how helpful they had been in learning to hide his true emotions. Harry noticed that unlike Hermione who was behind him and dressed casually in a t-shirt and khaki cargos, in other words dressed to fight if need be, Ginny was dressed to kill, him. In fact from the occasional glance he caught Molly shooting in her direction out of the corner of her eye, she didn't totally appreciate the short black skirt or white camisole top the youngest Weasley was sporting, or the two inch heels she seemed to have on as well. "Yeah Ginny I did, thanks. We all appreciated the cookies."

A faint waft of roses flitted past his nose as Ginny swept an artfully loose strand behind her ear, ohh honestly...Hermione growled in the back of his mind, and the faint stirrings of, something, were crushed under the breakers of a torrent of feelings from Hermione.

Thank you Hermione. Harry sent as he gave Ginny a small smile, and walked over to Mrs. Weasley. She gave Ron and Hermione an odd look and immediately Harry wondered just who had prompted that Howler yesterday morning. She crushed him in her arms.

"You three don't go off and do anything, you stay in school and learn, you hear." She glared at Hermione and Ron as if admonishing them for leading Harry off the beaten path, but smiled immediately and swept both of them into crushing hugs anyway. "It's a shame your parents couldn't be here Hermione."

"Well they are safe, that's what's important," Hermione replied with more or less complete belief in her words.

""Arry" Fluer said suddenly as she guided a smaller version of herself through the sea of Weasleys, "Gabrielle, pleaze take care of hers" Gabrielle shot an annoyed glance back at Fluer.

"Harry, it is good to see you." She said in a much less accented English than her big sister managed. "I am happyz to ze attending Hogzwartz."

"You too, Gabrielle," Harry replied with a genuine smile. She returned an absolutely dazzling one, Hermione...if she were two years older, we would never get any sleep this next year from having to chase all her suitors back to bed. He felt the feeling of agreement that she sent his way. "You probably need to get on the train." She smiled and after a quick wave, Fleur and her headed off to put her belongings on the train.

Bill watched after his wife and motioned the trio in close, Ginny leaned in, but no one minded for this, "Harry, guys, keep her safe the best you can. Fleur feels that even with Hogwarts being what it is, a stick in Voldemort's eye, she's safer there than at Beuxbatons. Even without Dumbledore," Harry frowned, "Hogwarts is still the safest place in England... Beuxbatons', only protection is Maxine. Voldemort will overrun it in an hour and he will strike at the schools in Europe. He isn't strong enough in the Americas to go after them yet, but he will be..."

"Ok Bill." Harry's heart was heavy as he took on responsibility for another soul, "I...we'll do our best."

The whistle to the train sounded and Harry straightened. Bill and the rest of the Weasleys, the adults anyway looked at him twice as a sudden, presence, erupted from his very bones. Without another word, the trio swept off, sonorous "IF YOU'RE GOING, GET ON" Harry roared and a half dozen lollygaggers including Ginny piled on the train. Harry glanced down both sides of the train and finding no one, motioned to the conductor and three blasts from the whistle sounded and the train started off. He glanced to either side, found no one and leaned in to kiss Hermione hard. Ron whistled behind him tunelessly. Hermione gave him a rude gesture under Harry's arm without breaking the kiss and he laughed. After a minute, "ok Mione." Harry said softly, a touch out of breath, "I see you in the Heads' compartment."

"You aren't going to do something, are you Harry?"

"No Hermione. I just need to see a friend." Harry replied truthfully, looking her in the eyes the entire time. She gave him a grin and after another glance up and down the halls, she gave him a quick, parting peck on the lips and headed forward.

"So Harry," Ron said as they headed aft together, "Are you?"

"Yeah and I'm scared bug-fuck," Harry replied truthfully. Ron carefully did not laugh at his best friend. He looked back toward the head of the train. "Ron, do me a favor, see if you can find Neville, I need a favor."

Thirty Minutes Later....

A dark, wood-paneled, compartment lined with several comfortable couches held sway immediately following the coal car for the train. The room held appointments lacking even in the dedicated teacher's car, which none of them ever used anyway. Tasteful accents in crimson and gold highlighted the trim this year, as both Heads were Gryffindors. A perch and fur-lined basket sat in the window for Harry and Hermione's familiars, who were currently basking in the attention from a pair of fifth-year Hufflepuff prefects. An actual working fireplace crowded into one corner, with a small, atmospheric fire currently burning.

Harry leaned up against the front of the cabin, his hair dangling in front of his eyes. A crowd of twenty-five people filled the small conference area of the Head's coach. Two prefects from each of four houses for fifth through seventh years with the exception of Gryffindor who was short one prefect due to Hermione being Head Girl. Harry glanced around and took in Ernie McMillan, and Susan Bones from Hufflepuff, the later girl holding a hard, dark gaze she had worn ever since the death of her Aunt to Voldemort's forces. Blaise and Pansy from Slytherin, with a pair of intimidated looking Slytherin fifth years sitting next to them. An entire group of Ravenclaws sat to his left, with Ron, Colin, and one of Ginny's year mates, a black haired witch that Harry didn't recognize sitting with the Gryffindors.

He felt Hermione come up to stand at his shoulder, "Ok, I'll make it short..."

"It'll have to be so Weasley can understand it," Zabini stage whispered.

Hermione glared at him, "I doubt Headmistress McGonagall or Professor Slughorn would appreciate one of Slytherin's prefects loosing fifty points before we even passed Edinburgh." Zabini glared but shut up. She crossed her arms; "Let me make this perfectly clear...you are to make sure the ride to the school functions smoothly and to deal with such infractions that are unacceptable. However every detention or other punishment, will be reviewed by myself or Harry, and if we fell that you were unjust, we will adjudicate up to and including transferring any punishment to you."

"Ok," Harry said as he pushed off from the wall, without any apparent effort or movement, "get out of here, decide on patrols among your houses, Fifth year Ravenclaw and Sixth Year Gryffindor have the duty tonight when we get to the castle, I will post a full schedule for duty shifts in the Prefect's bathroom tomorrow. Get out of here." With a meandering rush, the compartment emptied, leaving after only a minute, the trio alone in the car. Ron looked over at Harry and shrugged. He grinned slightly as Hermione turned her back to dig something out of her bag and Harry frantically motioned Ron out the door.

"I'm going to go see about Luna," Ron said just a hair's breath too loudly and Harry felt like beating his head against the wall. Hermione just smiled as she looked back at the other two and shook her head.

"Are you going to come up here and ride with us?" Hermione asked Ron as he opened the door.

"Um...yeah, I expect I'll be back presently," Ron replied and shut the door softly.

"Well..." Harry said to the compartment as a whole, "alone at last." He waggled his eyebrows at Hermione and she chuckled softly. She had just thrown her arms around his neck and was leaning in to pass the time until Ron returned, when a soft scratching was heard at the door to the compartment. Harry shrugged dejectedly as Hermione sighed and went to the door. She opened it to find no one, and started to close it again when a large, familiar toad hopped into the compartment.

Hermione looked down at Trevor, slightly befuddled again, as she absently closed the door, thinking she needed to corral the toad for Neville. She frowned slightly as she noticed a parchment tied loosely to Trevor's back, she bent and plucked it off him and began to read:

Hermione,

You found me again where it all began. Look up

She looked up automatically to watch as Harry dropped to a knee in front of her. Her hands came up to cover her mouth as tears bloomed in her eyes before Harry could even speak, "Hermione, ever since I met you on this train seven years ago, you have been the only constant in my life. The one person who has kept me sane and alive and the only person, in the whole world, that I can trust my heart to because you already have my soul, and I think that I've loved you since we were eleven," he choked out softly, as Hermione's lip trembled and her hands shook slightly, "will you marry me, please? Because I really don't know what I'd do without you in my life every day, and I'm really afraid to find out."

"Yes. Oh God yes," Hermione replied almost as softly as she fell to her knees in front of Harry. Her hands came up to cradle his face as she pulled him into a long kiss, before falling into his arms, crying. After a moment, she pulled back, laughter dancing in her tears, "you did get me a ring, right?"

Harry's eyes widened, "oh, yeah." She giggled as the savior of the Wizarding and Muggle worlds, fumbled out a small, black velvet box from his pocket and promptly dropped it. Her hand returned to her mouth to stifle her laughter, then all the laughs vanished as Harry managed to pry open the box and look up at her expectantly.

Truthfully, not that she would have ever admitted it to Harry even, well she probably would have to him, eventually, she would have been happy with a piece of colored yawn, but this...

A worked, patterned, platinum and gold band supported a trio of softly glowing magical stones. A brilliantly, deep blue, triangle-shaped sapphire and a deep, blood-red ruby of the same shape and equivalent to any of the stones in the Gryffindor Sword, surrounded a large, square diamond. Light danced in the diamond from a source of its own, and she could see faintly glowing runes lining the band as he slipped it on a suddenly trembling finger. Their eyes widened together, a green fire lit their irises as the oil lamps lining the compartment flickered and died. A sudden, sourceless wind whipped at their hair and snatched their breath away before everything returned in a rush. "Harry, I, it's..."

"It's mum's Mione, if you don't like it we can, but I didn't have time and-- " His bumbling words were silenced as her lips crashed to his and they fell backwards onto the floor. "Oww." Harry muttered as his head lit the hardwood floor and she laughed against his lips. His eyes, still glowing slightly, slipped closed as a soothing warmth followed her fingers through his hair and any thought of pain vanished.

I...I love it Harry, and you; I'm never going to take it off. Mrs. Hermione Potter that's me, now and forever. She sat up and looked down at the ring sparkling on her hand, and her heart fell into her stomach as a sudden thought crossed her mind. But I'm going to have to take it off, aren't I...we can't keep up the deception very well if I'm sporting this around, can I...

Harry smiled at her and flowed to his feet, reaching down he pulled her to her feet and held her close as the fingers of his right hand interlaced with those of her left. Their eyes relit as he stared directly into her chocolate orbs with tears straining to escape once more, I am occasionally useful, love...Fidelium Orbis Amor...a sudden feeling of all of the magic in the room streaming past them as if drawn into a tiny black hole in the center of the ring shocked her for a instant, then it stopped. Modified Fidelius Charm...she can hold your hand and she wouldn't know. Right now, in all of the world, only you and I can see it. I would probably tell Ron before he thinks I've gone insane asking him to put a note on a frog and not tell Neville where Trevor is, or why...but you don't have to, it's up to you.

Hermione's eyes closed as she leaned her forehead against his, she laughed, only slightly bitterly as a sudden thought crossed her mind, I would really like to jump up on the table tonight and shove this in her face, I mean, I'm two years older than her, and I don't own a skirt that short, Harry crooked an eyebrow. Ok, yes I do, but I don't wear them to get on the train.

You know if you had, we might have been having this conversation last year...Harry gave her a sheepish smile. But I was too much of an idiot, I should have known Hermione, I knew something was wrong-

It's all in the past, Harry. I love you, you love me and that's the end of the story. She leaned in and kissed him leisurely, a soft knock interrupted them and she laughed slightly. I look ok, Harry?

But I like the post-shag look Hermione...Harry mock pouted, yeah, fix your shirt a bit and you're fine. She opened the door to find a slightly scared third year Hufflepuff holding out a pair of scrolls tied with a purple ribbon.

"I'm...supposed to deliver these to Hermione Granger and Harry Potter," the girl said quietly. Hermione quickly opened hers and stopped the girl with a glance:

Hermione,
It would be delightful if you could grace our presence in Compartment C for a spot of lunch.

Sincerely,
Professor H. E. F. Slughorn

Hermione's gaze flicked back to Harry's before returning to the young girl, "our complements to Professor Slughorn, but please give him our regrets, Harry is not feeling up to lunch." The girl nodded and left. "Unless you wanted to go?" She asked softly as she closed the door again, only to reopen it as Ron, Luna and Neville came knocking.

"There's that damn frog." Neville muttered as he came into the compartment. Hermione's eyes twinkled as she met Harry's behind his back.

"Um, yeah Neville, we found him in the hall a couple of minutes ago, we were just about to take him to you, but since he's already here, stay a while."

"Well if you insist." Ron said brightly as he crossed to a small inset cabinet and pulled out several bottles of butterbeer. They were in the air to the others before anyone could answer his inquiry if they wanted one. Harry flicked his wand, and the couches arranged themselves into a comfortable conversation nook. Harry set next to Hermione but this was his first real test. His hand didn't even twitch towards hers though Harry could swear the nerve impulses were shooting down his arm to do so.

'Um, Hermione..." Neville said hesitantly as he glanced around the compartment, "I was sorry to hear about your house." He looked at Ron, and everyone could tell he really didn't know what to say about the attack on the Burrow the same night. It was still a mystery exactly why Percy had been with the Death Eaters that night, he had not had the Dark Mark, and even the spell he had ultimately hit Charlie with in what must have been a fit of panic was probably not intended to be lethal. There were speculations however. Penelope Clearwater had been missing now for at least a month, and it was that slight hope that Percy had faced an impossible choice that Molly clung to. Of course the fact that Voldemort could have just disappeared her as a bit of vengeance for his failure was carefully never mentioned in her presence.

"It's ok Neville," Hermione replied, "They are ok, that is the main thing."

He nodded as he took a sip of his beer, "You aren't going to Slughorn's little lunch; I would have thought he would have invited the heads?" His eyes flicked to Harry, "I saw Ginny heading that way."

"Naw," Harry replied easily, "we got invited, but I really didn't feel like going." Neville nodded knowingly and changed the subject.

"So, when are we starting up the DA again this year?" He frowned and took a sip of his beer and went to go look out the window at the passing landscape. "I know you were busy last year Harry, but we should have, I mean maybe Ginny and I and some others we should have been ready." He frowned as he downed the rest of his beer in one long pull. "He is coming to Hogwarts this year isn't he Harry?" Neville turned back to him and the eleven-year-old, chubby boy who had been afraid of his shadow was long gone. A lean, resigned young man remained, the fires of the last three years having burnt the excess away.

"I don't know Neville." Harry replied honestly.

"I think Gran knew." Neville went on as if Harry hadn't spoken. "She was crying, actually crying a bit, when she left me off at the platform this year. They've cost us too much Harry; we can't back down any longer. Even Seamus is here, his mother tried to keep him from returning to school, said it was too dangerous, but he showed up anyway. I guess you noticed that Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw are pretty sparse," Neville mused, and Harry nodded, "it seems that only Gryffindor and Slytherin will be the only full houses...kind of draws the picture right there doesn't it."

"Yeah it does Neville." Harry looked at Hermione and a brief conversation passed. "Yeah it does."

The rest of the trip passed in relative harmony, of course the fact that Draco, if he were still even alive, was somewhere running for his life didn't hurt that in the slightest. The windows grew dark outside of the train as they passed into the highlands of Scotland and Ron, Luna and Neville excused themselves to change into their uniforms and robes.

Harry stepped from the train, and smiled, the sparkling lights of the castle overlooking the lake, the sound of Hagrid's booming voice yelling, "'Irst 'ears over here." Harry waved at him, and smiled as Hagrid thundered over. "'Arry...'ermione," Hagrid smiled and swept Hermione up in a massive hug. She squeaked, as he swung her around.

"Hi Hagrid," she said happily. She was still glowing a bit, and really, really wanted to tell Hagrid about the ring on her finger, but alas, she couldn't. Her eyes caught Harry's and he nodded, knowing and sharing her thoughts. "Hagrid...Harry and I...Ron, we were wondering if we could get into Creatures...we would make up all the work from last year." Her words were barely out of her mouth when Hagrid picked her up again... "O' course you can. O' course you can, 'ermione. I's won't make up make up the courses either, providing all three O you keep up your grades."

Hagrid thundered off, looking the happiest he had since Dumbledore died. "Well that was easy." Harry remarked as he led Hermione toward the coaches.

"Oi, Harry." Ron yelled and waved towards one that he had already boarded. Almost all of the rest had already left for the castle while Harry and Hermione were talking to Hagrid. Harry nodded and waved. He sighed softly as the quite visible Thestrals pawed at the ground and turned to them as they approached. The lead mare, rubbed up against him as he passed and he paused to pet her.

"Hey girl." Harry whispered as he ran his hand over the soft scale-like skin of the skeletal horse. Hermione scratched the mare's ears as her face wore a small, half-smile. She motioned towards the carriage and Harry nodded and followed her, with one final caress.

Ron pulled the door closed behind them and the carriage started off down the bumpy road around the lake. Hermione leaned against Harry in the privacy of the coach as only Ron and Luna were across from them. She glanced up at Harry; he nodded. "Ron, Luna." They looked at her. "We're getting married." As the words came out from her lips, her ring faded into view. Luna let out a soft "oooh" sound as she leaned forward and took Hermione's hand. She and Hermione started talking lowly among themselves as Ron just leaned forward and shook Harry's hand.

"Good job, mate." Ron said quietly. His voice was slightly tight as he looked across the carriage at his best friends. Luna let out a last soft noise as the carriage stopped. Ron looked at the rest of the people in the carriage, "Game time I guess." He frowned to himself as he watched Hermione get out and purposefully take a step away from Harry, and he knew that they were really mostly pretending for him. "I'll see you later luv." He whispered and gave Luna a last, lingering kiss and headed out with his friends.
Just as they climbed the front stairs and started into the castle, a hand shot out from nowhere and dragged Harry into a small cloakroom just off the main entrance. Hermione and Ron spilled after Harry, and all three had wands half raised before they recognized the pair waiting for them. Lupin and Tonks were both standing, nervously for some reason, in the cloakroom. Unlike last night when Harry had last seen Remus, he was dressed in a rather well put-together suit and robes, neither shabby. Minerva had already given him a multi-year contract to teach if he wanted, and he had money to spend for the first time in years. Of course the fact that Tonks had picked them out for him probably didn't hurt in the slightest either. Even Tonks looked more or less...normal, at least for the admittedly broad definition of that term here. Her hair was long and blond today and pulled up and back in a knot at the back of her head, and her robes were a deep, sapphire-blue color.

"Yeah," Tonks admitted before they could say anything, "Minerva said I had to look like a proper Professor.' She shook her head ruefully and Hermione's eyes laughed. "I get to look more normal though...I can have a proper hair color in class tomorrow." She looked at Lupin as her expression became serious.

"Harry." Lupin said tersely, "If I ask you, on your Marauder's Honor, to take no action, no matter whom you see when you go into the Great Hall will you...will all three of you?"

"What's wrong Remus?" Ron asked, laughing, "Did Snape come back to teach...or maybe Malfoy decided to take his NEWT year after all..." Lupin didn't laugh. Harry glanced at Hermione, he knew her thoughts, and then at Ron, he shrugged.

"Yes, Lupin, on our honor...providing no one attacks us first, of course." Harry replied and Remus nodded. He placed his hand on Harry's shoulder for the briefest of instants, as he and Tonks hurried out, no doubt to head to the Professor's table. Harry, Hermione and Ron followed him more sedately, and entered the Great Hall a couple of minutes later. A soft murmuring followed them as they started up the long tables and hundreds of eyes tracked their movement towards the far end of the Gryffindor table. Immediately as Harry scanned around the room, he could see Neville had been right. The Gryffindor and Slytherin tables were mostly full, only lacking the usual new first years to take their seats. The other two, the two in the middle however, they were a different matter.

The Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables were about half empty. Many students were missing, leaving whole swaths of the tables empty. Harry sighed as he glanced up towards the Professor's table. His throat was tight as he saw McGonagall sitting in Dumbledore's huge, golden chair. He caught her gaze and she gave him a tight, slow nod. He did not notice that her eyes stayed on him and the other two as he slowly took in the rest of the occupants. They were as expected as he scanned right to left, Glyph and Vector, Pomfrey and Hooch, and an empty seat belong to Flitwick whom Harry had already hear had been appointed as interim Assistant Headmaster, and was no doubt getting ready to bring in the new first years.

He continued on, looking to McGonagall's right, Remus, Tonks and Hagrid, no surprise. He spotted the fat shape of the back of Slughorn's head blocking someone else from view and nodded, a sudden thought, Hermione...Slughorn...his club.

Yeah, Harry, She agreed, but without Dumbledore we'll need dirt on him.

Harry gave her a nod as they reached the end of the table and just as he was to sit down, Slughorn moved and Harry instantly knew why Remus had made them swear.

It was only the thought of what his parents and Dumbledore would have thought had he broke his word to Remus that kept his wand in its sheath, or his sword from wherever it went. He felt Hermione's response a heartbeat later, and felt her hand brush his wrist, in restraint. Ron's "Oh. Bloody. Fucking. Hell." was ultimately superfluous, but it pretty well expressed all of their thoughts. His mind still reeling, he sat down heavily next to Neville as Hermione dropped next to him and Ron sat across from them. Luna was sitting at the Ravenclaw table just across the aisle. Seamus, Dean and Ginny were crowded in on the other side of Neville, while Pavarti and Lavender were sitting next to Ron. Padma had also scooted up to sit next to Luna and across from her sister.

"Harry." Seamus asked urgently, "What the bloody fucking hell is that woman doing here. I mean; she tortured you."

"I have no idea Seamus." Harry replied softly. His eyes were hard as he met the tiny, beady eyes of the simpering owner of their consternation, "I don't know." He glanced up at McGonagall; she shook her head minutely. Oh...you better explain this one McGonagall. Or we're gone.

Harry, Hermione replied as she studiously looked away from the teacher's table and towards the great doors, where the first years would enter. Are we going...she's...she's not hurting you again Harry, she's a dead toad if she tries...I... Harry saw her left hand trembling slightly on the table; he patted her thigh under the table surreptitiously.

No we wait, Mione. But thanks for the offer, dear.

Anytime.

Ron met Harry's eyes and nodded at the headshake Harry gave him. He watched as Harry's eyes flicked to Hermione and caught Ginny's watching them. He sighed. They all watched as Flitwick came in, levitating a stool with the Sorting Hat on top in front of him leading a line of first years only about half as long as normal. Right in the center of the line, a silver haired mane caught the light and Gabrielle gave Harry a small wave.

McGonagall stood and motioned to the stool. She cast no apparent spell, or talked above her normal voice, but every ear in the hall heard her. "Welcome to Hogwarts. As is normally the case, we will begin with the sorting..."

Every eye in the gigantic room watched as the Sorting Hat rose above the stool, it seemed to turn and look at each house in turn before a rip opened and it began to sing:

Once long ago, the times were dark...
The night had come and it wasn't a lark...
Four houses, once one were ripped asunder...
A dark one led one; set on loot and plunder...

Swords and wands were crossed and many died...
And all should sympathize...
For now, is the time when four should become one...
Or less, it is all undone...

A hero will arise, his blade ancient...
His companions true, his cause just...
But what will become of the rest of us...
For if he falls though our inaction...
We will have no satisfaction...

It is time for all to join under a banner true...
Green, Gold, Red and Blue...

The hat fell back to the stool, and hushed murmuring started once more. McGonagall ignored them as she waved to Flitwick to start the ceremony. Hermione leaned into Harry's side, "did the hat, quote the Stones..."

Hermione shrugged, "It seems that we should all unite...I think I've heard that one before somewhere." She muttered sarcastically. They turned to watch the rest of the sorting, noticing that Gryffindor and Slytherin seemed to be gaining students at about twice the rate of the other houses.

They perked up as, "Delacour, Gabrielle" echoed across the room in Flitwick's squeaky voice. The hat sat still, pondering for a long, endless minute..."GRYFFINDOR" Applause erupted from the Weasley contingent, and after a quick whispered explanation on who the silver haired girl was, from the rest of the sixth and seventh years. Gabrielle smiled shyly as her robes automatically acquired the rampant lion and crimson and gold trim of her new housemates. She sat next to Ginny as a space was made for her at the table. After the rest had been sorted, with a sudden influx for Ravenclaw, McGonagall stood, and the room became more or less silent.

She stood behind Dumbledore's podium and closed her eyes for a brief moment, before she began to speak in a burr choked with emotion. "There were those who thought that this school should not reopen." Her shoulders straightened, "There were those who thought that the cowardly, reprehensible acts of a poor, deluded few would cause us to cower in our homes and wait meekly for the minions of the dark to come to our doors. They were wrong." She took a breath and the silence was defining. "There are those here, tonight, who believe that any action is justifiable in service of an ignoble goal, that the slavery and deaths of others, because of an accident of birth is right and just. They are wrong." McGonagall's eyes and the entire, almost two hundred pairs of eyes from her house, fixed on the table furthest to the left.

"Hogwarts has stood for a thousand years as the shining example of what the Wizarding world can aspire to, a sense of loyalty, of honor, of courage, of wisdom. It will stand for another thousand years."

Tears bloomed in dark eyes, behind square glasses, "A great man, a brilliant wizard, an wise judge and an able negotiator, but overall just a great man died here so that the dream of Hogwarts would not fail. It is him we should honor tonight." Around the room, goblets of pumpkin juice appeared in front of every student and faculty member, McGonagall raised her glass, "Albus Dumbledore, the greatest Headmaster Hogwarts has ever seen."

Hundreds of goblets rose, and every eye was on Slytherin house, and slowly starting with the new first years, those glasses were raised as well. In the end, it might have been the quite real possibility that the entirety of Gryffindor along with the majority of the other two houses were quite willing, at that moment to force the issue, but it wasn't necessary after all.

"ALBUS DUMBLEDORE" the roared response shook the rafters. McGonagall paused for a moment and didn't bother to hide her face as she wiped away the tears. "And now, I have a few announcements...as one can tell, security will be tight this year...so in the interests of your own safety please obey the posted regulations. Also, as usual the Forbidden Forest is forbidden for reasons that should be obvious. Mr. Filch has provided me with a listing of prohibited items, a copy of this list may be found outside of his office...or if you happen to have a copy of Weasley Wizarding Wheezes fall catalog, that will also serve." Ron and Ginny waved in triumph and Harry swore, that just for an instant, McGonagall grinned.

"I also have several introductions to make, first our new Head Boy and Head Girl, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger." Relatively tumultuous applause broke out, spoiled only by several stage-whispered "boos" from the Slytherin table. McGonagall glared at them and they stopped. She pointed to her right; "also, as is normally the case, this year we have new staff to introduce, first, Remus Lupin has graciously agreed to return to Hogwarts to once again teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Lupin will also be taking over from myself as head of Gryffindor House." She paused as Remus stood and gave a small bow and the Gryffindor table erupted, with the other houses relatively enthused, except Slytherin of course. "Next to him, Nymphadora Tonks has taken over for myself as Transfiguration instructor." Tonks stood to more applause and even a few wolf whistles from some of the older male members of the student body, which Harry thought oddly appropriate.

McGonagall turned back to the students and raised her wand, when a loud, "Hem, Hem" came from her far right. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "I forgot to mention that Delores Umbridge has returned to grace us with her presence once more as a liaison to the Ministry." The sarcasm was lost on no one.

Umbridge rose, or at least Harry thought she did, he wasn't really sure, she was so short, but whatever words she might have tried to say were drowned out as a blizzard of boos, jeers and general insults to her character drowned her out. "SILENCE" McGonagall roared and the students quieted. "Please do not boo, it reflects poorly on the school." If Umbridge thought that McGonagall was going to further state that she should be respected, or that she should be listened to as a Professor...she would be waiting a while.

************************Slytherin Common Room**************************

September 2, 1997
1:00 am

A fizzing, flaming streak shot across the dark, deserted Slytherin common room. The dim room, lit only by a totally inadequate pair of wall sconces shaped in the image of twisted serpents, suddenly became bright as day as a huge, blazing Hungarian Horntail appeared, roaring and spitting fire.

A hundred bare feet slapped ancient, worn flagstones as the entirety of Slytherin House stumbled up twin spiraling staircases from further below the school into the green-tinged common room. Dazed first years clustered protectively together around a dark green, worn couch. They looked up, amazed, at the flaming Dragon, one of the Weasley's most popular products. Dark hangings, covering the otherwise barren stone walls, were occluded as a tithe of third years pulled emerald and silver trimmed robes around pajamas.

Blaise Zabini walked to the front of the crowd, with Crabbe and Goyle pushing smaller students out of the way. Pansy trailed him, pulling tight a robe over an outfit that seemed to indicate she had been doing anything but sleeping. She glanced up at Zabini; he gave her a small sneer and shrugged. He glanced back at the crowd, "Go back to sleep, whoever set this thing off, will..."

"Actually Blaise," a smooth, calm baritone said clearly from the air in front of him, "I doubt I will do anything much at all." Harry faded into view in front of their eyes. He was leaning easily against a tall, black bookcase that held a rather large collection of Dark Arts Quarterly, along with a few artifacts that probably should not be in this school, let alone in the Common Room of a House.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Potter?" Blaise growled as he gestured and Crabbe, Goyle and Nott started forward. Crabbe was cracking his knuckles. "Didn't we do this, just last year on the train Potter?" Zabini laughed.

"They touch him, you die." A steely, dark soprano replied as a second presence appeared in the room.

"You wouldn't dare, Mudblood, there's no Dumbledore to protect you now. Put away that wand and go read a book." Pansy sneered. She tied her robe securely as she came up to Blaise and leaned against his arm.

"Actually," Harry replied without moving, "she would. And by the way Pansy, that will be one hundred points for insulting the Head Girl." Pansy opened her mouth to utter a retort. "Would you rather it be two hundred?"

Zabini put his hand on Pansy's arm, "What do you want Potter? You two could disappear and no one would ever find you."

"If that were the case...Blaise...an hour later, there will be no students older than fifteen in this house, breathing that is." Harry retorted, his voice absolutely flat. Somehow, there was no one in the room who doubted him. Blaise gestured to the other seventh years, and they stopped. Harry nodded.

A dazed fourth year chose that moment to speak up, "You two can't be in here...you're Gryffindors and it's after curfew."

Harry smiled, darkly; his eyes never left Blaise, "Let us pretend, for a moment, that the Head Girl and Head Boy of Hogwarts have just appeared in your common room for a talk." He chuckled to himself, and Hermione followed an instant later as Dumbledore's last appearance to the Dursleys flicked across both their memories. "And let us pretend, for just another moment, that you seem to be mistaken in just what we can and we can't do. Miss Granger?"

Hermione smirked, "Section 3, paragraph 5 of Hogwarts regulations. The Head Students, shall, at their earliest convenience, introduce themselves to the students of the various Houses. Section 3, paragraph 8, the Head Students shall, in the course of their duties, have free and total access to the school, it's grounds and quarters, only excluding the lodgings and offices of the Professors and staff."

"You see Blaise," Harry explained, "Miss Granger and I are here to give our proper introductions, and to ask if any have any problems they would like to discuss?" A sudden, deafening silence answered his call. He smiled kindly, his eyes softening. "The rest of you, the fourth years and below can return to bed." His words were kind, but still, most assuredly a command. Hermione's wand flick and an Imperturbable charm lit the staircases. Harry nodded.

"Very well then. Let us further assume that there are some of you here tonight whom, may have...issues with the Headmistress' sentiments. Let us assure you, that she meant them...every word. And no psychotic, cowardly worm of a Dark Lord will change that fact." A sudden rustling caused robes to billow as hands started to reach for wands. Hermione slashed hers down hard and at least ten people dropped their wands with a shout as their wands suddenly glowed a sullen, heated red.

Hermione's spoke up softly, "Just in case the subtext of Mr. Potter's argument eluded you ladies and gentlemen, let me elucidate. An attack on any of us; is an attack on all of us. The days of moderation in our response to your attacks is at an end, any assault or action will result in an overwhelming response. We fully realize that there are those among you who will not adhere to this, who will think that since they have given insult and have attacked other students for years that they will continue to do so without repercussions. They will find that they are mistaken."

"We also know that there are those in this House, who wish to only peacefully coexist with the rest of the school, those students will always find help if they ask for it." Her eyes flicked to Harry's, "Since we are Gryffindors and remember what honor really is, we are giving you fair warning. At one time this house was known for it's shrewdness, it's ability to judge where the winds are blowing, its ambition... remember ambition is only an option if you are alive to practice it. I would think that you would like to recapture that tradition, of staying out of the way..." A flick of two wrists, a pair of flashes of light and twin, gunshot-like bangs rang out, and Harry and Hermione were gone.

A/N: There it is...did you see that coming. Next chapter, classes start and the gauntlet is thrown down...

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15. A New Day

Here we go again, Thanks once again to Lady Starlight for putting up with me, and for betaing this fic.

Chapter 15: A New Day
******************************Godric's Hollow**************************
September 2, 1997.
5:30 am

"So do you have everything you will need for a bit?" Remus asked as he looked around the house, that for almost eleven years, in a single act, he had thought he had lost his soul in. He took in the newly repaired living room, a pair of tasteful leather sofas were sitting facing a brick fireplace, with several small combination bookshelves/tables framing each one. An oak coffee table provided for a place to rest a large tome or a drink. Further built-in bookshelves lined a pair of walls, and framed the doorway to the rest of the house. They were only partially full, still waiting the books of at least one of the persons who might, hopefully occupy this house in the future.

In a bow to the current occupants and the Muggle ancestry of the permanent ones, a modern entertainment center was set up in the corner, with a widescreen television and stereo. But of course the house had been more Muggle than Wizarding even when James and Lily were here so that was not a real change. The walls were freshly painted; new carpets lined the floors, all in all, the house was pristine, at least compared to how it had been at the beginning of July. He glanced up the repaired stairs to watch Jane coming down in her pajamas and yawning slightly.

It was amazing what two dozen house elves that were then Obliviated could do in a month, but the Potter home was proof. Sirius had left moneys separate from those given to Harry, to fix up the Potter home, but Lupin had not done so, it had never seemed a priority. But even before Harry had come to him, wanting a way to hide the Grangers, he had already been expecting the request and had started the renovations. The house at Grimmauld was not really an opinion as both Harry and friends needed it as a place away from Hogwarts, and it was known to too many. Godric's Hollow was destroyed; every child in the Wizarding world knew that.

Godric's Hollow, on the other had was known but to a few, and now with a Fidelius Charm on it, once again, it might as well not exist. And this time, no one will violate the trust. Lupin vowed silently. There were ways to break the charm, of course, too many people knowing, enough magic could overload it if someone knew close enough to where it was, but it bought time. Even a Dumbledore or Voldemort could not break the charm without a truly monumental effort and expenditure of power, and the amount of which, and the time it would take would be suicidal. Even Tom Riddle was not secure enough to let Harry have that free a shot at him.

Lupin had left other precautions. He had warded and trapped the site to almost within the levels of Hogwarts. There were five unregistered Portkeys scattered about the house, and another two on bracelets the Grangers wore at all times. Muggle weapons were secreted about the house, toys that Roger was quite familiar with. And as soon as any ward was compromised, he would know. There was really nothing else he could do, but still he was slightly worried.

"I think that we are fine for now Remus." Roger said softly as he extended a hand to take Remus'. He looked back at his wife as she came up next to him; she bit her lip absently as she looked to Remus.

"Keep them safe Remus," Jane said softly as she hugged Roger's side, "both of them." She glanced up at Roger, "And tell Harry...thanks."

"I'll try Jane," Lupin replied, his throat tight. "I owe them that much at least. I'll be back in a week, or you know how to get hold of me at any time." He took a step backwards and vanished with a soft pop to mark his passage.

Left behind, Jane crawled around the front of her husband, and sighed as he rested his chin on her hair. "Well what should we do, now?" His chest muffled her words.

"Well I guess we could work on that little sister to Hermione, we always talked about and never got around to." Roger replied with a small grin. Jane giggled, softly.

"Alright."

***************************Little Hangleton*****************************

A pair of hooded, sullen red eyes watched as a sallow, dark-haired man came into his presence and kneeled. The owner of the eyes rose slowly from a black, throne-like chair and moved towards the man. Flat slits for nostrils, like that of a snake flared as he stood on his heels, and regarded the prostrate man in front of him. An ebony wand twitched in a thin, skeletal hand as his arms crossed.

"Tell me Severus, please tell me why after your failures that I allow you to live?" Behind the man, curled at the base of his throne, a harsh, female voice laughed. "Silence Bella," Voldemort said without turning. The dark haired woman contented herself with gazing at Snape reproachfully. "I have given you considerable...latitude since your success in your mission, but Lord Voldemort's gratitude has its limits. Tell me, why your efforts to find Potter have failed."

"Sire, I..."

"Oh yes, Severus, I had forgotten, Potter...found you this summer, and humiliated you. Tell me Severus, how a boy, that you have repeatedly told me was an average wizard at best, and his Mudblood...companion, killed eight of my followers, including Antonin Dolohov?"

"I do not know my Lord," Severus replied softly, he took a quick breath, "however Potter is known to be at Hogwarts now. Perhaps we should..."

"Silence," Voldemort snapped. He began to pace heavily, "Even with Dumbledore gone, Hogwarts has impressive defenses. I doubt that we will have such easy access again. More's the pity." He sighed and returned to his throne. Long fingers ran over the crown of Bella's head as she crouched next to the throne. "It does not matter in the end, I suppose," Voldemort replied contemplatively as Bella let out a soft moan as his hands knotted in her hair. "Potter is merely an annoyance, now that his mentor is gone. He will come after me in time and I will swat him like an insect, just like I did to his parents." He gestured towards the door, "You may leave Severus." Snape glanced up and hesitantly rose to his feet, he turned to leave. "Aw, yes, I have forgotten one, little detail Severus," Snape started to turn, "CRUCIO."

Snape fell to his knees screaming, writhing as a thousand red-hot knives tore into his flesh. His screams almost drowned out Voldemort's words. "I do not easily forgive incompetence Severus, remember that."

*******************************Hogwarts*********************************

Brown eyes slipped open to find themselves, alone. Green tinged light was starting to creep over the distant mountains to lighten the window as Hermione knelt next to the bed and pulled on a set of sweatpants and a loose shirt of Harry's. She sighed softly as she looked back at the crumpled sheets next to her spot on the bed and slipped on a pair of trainers. She left the room silently, and headed out of the suite, down the stairs and out onto the lawn of the castle.

Finally, on the long, twisted path around the lake, she found her quarry.

Hermione fell in at his side as Harry ran along the path, almost at a sprint. His hair was plastered to his forehead on this brisk, Highland morning, for once obscuring his scar, and sweat had turned his light gray t-shirt, dark. His breath came in short pants as he rounded a bend and kept going. Hermione didn't have time to frown as she kept up with him; her eyes were worried, but her throat and mind too busy with the business of supplying and using oxygen to comment.

After another two laps of the lake, Harry stopped and bent over, his hands on his knees. His eyes flicked to hers as he fell to the ground under an old oak tree bordering the lake and leaned back against it. His wand flicked and a pair of water bottles appeared, he tossed one to Hermione and took a long drink.

You ok? Hermione asked as she sat down next to him and leaned against the rough bark. Harry shrugged. Still worked up about the Slytherins? Harry shrugged again. Hermione growled, grabbed his chin and kissed him forcefully.

You were saying something? Harry asked with a sudden, slight grin and she punched his shoulder. OWW, he replied; that bloody ring hurts.

Your fault, you gave it to me. Hermione quipped, her eyes twinkling.

Harry rolled his eyes as he reached over and pulled her to him, she half sat on his lap, it was pretty much a given that they were the only ones out here at five thirty in the morning. Sure, blame the boy. He frowned, How long until Blaise tests us?

Today most likely, Hermione replied instantly. She pulled Harry's wand from a sheath at the small of his back and flicked it. A small pop of light, and her planner with a carefully repaired star on the front, appeared on the grass. She opened to the front, to find her class schedule. As Heads, her and Harry had already had theirs delivered to them. You won't like it...

Let me guess, Harry muttered, you have a class today that I...we don't.

It's Tuesday, so yeah I have Runes, way over in the Archive Wing. Nice ambush spots she remarked absently as her fingers drummed on the page. She glanced up as the tree above them rustled as a pair of school owls took flight and headed back to the Owlery for the day.

Then I'll...

What Harry, hang out every day and wait for me outside of class...act like my boyfriend?

How about your Fiancé? Harry replied. Hermione smiled and kissed his cheek and settled back against his shoulder.

I really like the sound of that you know...I just wish...

Someday Hermione, someday you can stand on top of the House table and announce it for everyone to know, but even after the deadline with Ginny passes, one way or the other...

Hermione scratched her nose, idly; she reached around and slid his wand back in its holster. How far do we take it today if they want to play? Her thoughts were resigned as her eyes frowned into his. Unconsciously, she rubbed up against his hand like a large cat, as Harry's fingers stroked through her hair over her right ear.

I'm not loosing you...if they want to go that far...but I doubt that they will today, probably try to scare one of us, humiliate you... Hermione shivered as the sweat soaking her shirt started to dry, Lets go up to the castle, I need a shower.

Hermione laughed out loud as she rolled off his lap and kicked to her feet. You do stink, Potter, you're lucky I love your dumb arse...water conservation is good. She stated suddenly as an afterthought and crooked her eyebrow at him before taking off for the steps of the castle at a run, still an hour before almost anyone, especially a certain red-haired someone would wake.

**************************Great Hall********************************

7:15 am

"Honestly Ron," Hermione growled as she flicked her wand at his plate. It shot away from him, and he looked after it mournfully. "Do you really think that's all we do?" She snapped in a low voice. She glanced up and around, but the only other Gryffindors of their year or last, that had yet joined the trio at breakfast, was Neville, and he didn't look entirely awake. It seems that while the Head Students were, visiting the Slytherins last night, Seamus and Dean had decided that they should welcome their last, first night at Hogwarts with a minor party. According to reports, from Neville who had then wandered down several yards and laid his head on the table, they were still in their beds, along with the majority of the sixth and seventh year female population, passed out. He had mentioned quickly that they all seemed to be fully clothed, though, to better assuage the Head Girl.

"Well if I had a whole suite to myself..." Ron replied softly and waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. She turned her head to look at Harry. He, like Neville had his head down, but it was in a paper. He frowned as he read an article describing the loss at sea of a small cruise ship that seemed to have been destroyed by a Kraken, it had been reported to the Muggles as having hit another iceberg. Green eyes flitted to hers and a fleeting smile was shared, but not much else. She cut her eyes to Ron, and he sighed.

"Leave her alone Ron," Harry turned the page and looked up and around. "And for future reference, the incantation is...Si..len..ci..o, alright?" Hermione grinned as she looked down at her plate.

Any retort was lost to the ages, as Remus Lupin started down the table; he started at the far end, among the first, second and third years, all of who seemed to have actually woken up this morning. Gabrielle was surrounded by at least three other girls and several boys her age and a bit older. Lupin bent down and handed schedules out to the underclassmen, and explained classes. He waved his wand once and conjured a map for a blond first year boy and explained gently to a timid third year girl that Hagrid really wouldn't let his beastie of the day eat a student the first day no matter what the fifth year boys may have told her.

Remus came up to them, nudged Neville and slipped a schedule under his head as he moved without batting an eye. It was definitely a different experience having a Marauder as House Head. In fact, McGonagall had already been supposedly muttering to herself about what she was thinking when she had given Lupin her House. He handed a schedule to Ron and watched with little pity as Ron groaned. "Bloody Hell, a double first thing?"

"Yes Mr. Weasley." Remus replied lightly as he sat down next to them, and poured himself a cup of coffee from the carafe on the table. He leaned forward, his job done for the moment, and took a sip. "I'm to pass on their love, Hermione," he mentioned quietly after a moment. "To you as well Harry." Hermione returned a small, tight smile and nodded. "Interesting meeting you had this morning." He commented obliquely.

"They won't listen, Remus," Harry replied softly.

"No, Harry," Remus, agreed, "they probably won't, but I understand, you had to give them one warning. Sometimes it sucks to be the good guys." He added philosophically. He glanced around to each side. The nearest student or person was still Neville, who looked asleep, "That project you asked about seems to have worked. Mad-Eye has come around to our side, he and Tonks extracted them last night, they should be safe, or at least as safe as anyone can be for now." He shrugged slightly. Remus stood and set his cup down on the table. His voice raised to just a hair above normal, "It was good to talk to you...Mr. Potter, Miss Granger," He handed her a stack of schedules, each bearing the name of a tardy Gryffindor, "It would prove embarrassing for our House if the remainder of your year mates did not join us for class today."

"Yes Professor Lupin," they sing-songed in time and he rolled his eyes. Lupin wandered off muttering things better left unsaid.

Let's go Mione. Harry glanced over and handed Ron his bag. "Here Ron, meet us in Charms, ok?" Ron staggered slightly as he took it. He further groaned as Hermione dropped hers on him as well.

"What the bloody hell do you have in this bag, woman, seriously?" Ron snapped. She smiled, kissed him on the cheek and headed out of the Great Hall at Harry's back.

So Mad-Eye and Tonks were able to extract the Greengrasses? Hermione inquired as they started up the first moving stairway. She didn't break stride as she summoned a helmet from the nearest suit of armor to block a spitball from Peeves. He blew a raspberry at her and vanished through the nearest wall in search of easier targets.

Harry absently pulled her from the last step to the landing just as the stairway started to move away. He waved at a greeting from Lady Elinor in her portrait as they started up to the fifth floor. Yeah, at this rate half of England will be under a Fidelius by summer. He caught her eyes with a slightly frown, but a casual brush of his hand with hers, reassured him.

So, how do you want to do this...Greengrass never was one of Pansy's crowd, in fact I've heard that she's kind of like Fred and George, just ambitious as all hell. They probably would have ended up in Slytherin if it weren't for that pesky braver than whatever thing...

Yeah, I know someone like that. Harry shot back and a brief, alluring smile answered him before it vanished. I would like to use her against Blaise and his crowd directly, but probably a better use would be to try to get her to keep the younger ones and the merely ambitious, not evil, ones to at least stay out of it. Harry paused as they stepped off the stairs at the seventh floor landing, and cocked his head slightly. Of course...

If we could get her and others to openly come out in favor of the light, now that her family is safe from Voldemort? Harry just nodded as they approached the Fat Lady. She smiled and nodded them in, their status allowing them access. "I'll go check the girls quarters Harry." She walked over to the spiral stairs, "Wait for me?"

"I can come up now, I am the Head Boy," Harry announced in his best Percy voice and Hermione laughed. She vanished up the stairs. Several banging doors later, and a single sleepy first year later, she reappeared. "That's all of them, I don't even think there was a seventh year bed slept in." Hermione chuckled evilly, "I think that requires a rather...moist wake up, don't you Mr. Potter?"

"Aye, Miss Granger, that it might." They quickly checked the remaining dorms, Harry peeking in each and finding none present. They came to the last, the Seventh Year boys' room and without knocking Harry and Hermione strode right in. Hermione came in and sighed.

She leaned against the wall where Harry's bed would have been, and looked around balefully at the scene. Dean, Seamus, Pavarti, Lavender, Ellen Thomas and Gretchen Banks, both year mates of Ginny's, and some sixth year boy she didn't recognize were sprawled on beds and chairs. Seamus was buried under the two sixth year girls, while Dean was supine on his bed, his feet on the headboard with his head hanging off the edge. Pavarti and Lavender were curled up together on Neville's bed, with the blonde's soft snore's disturbing Pavarti's unbound locks. At least they have their clothes on. Harry observed and then watched as Hermione picked up a lacy, pink bra with her wand, which seemed to have come straight out of a Morgana's Secret catalog. Or do now anyway. He corrected himself.

It's not that I mind that they party; Merlin knows we all need it, but it the first frigging day of class? Hermione replied exasperatedly, they could have waited until Friday or Saturday, and we would have joined them...maybe. She added quickly remembering their plans to look into a possible Horcrux. Anyway...her wand flicked and a shimmering bubble enveloped her and Harry. A jab at the ceiling and sudden, impossible rain showered down on the Gryffindors.

"WHAT THE FUCK..." Seamus snapped as the girls stirred and rolled off of him. He rolled a bit and fell of the bed and looked up, blinking rapidly. Dean opened and closed his mouth for several seconds, like he was trying to get a drink, before opening his eyes. Pavarti and Lavender squeaked loudly and moved apart. Harry was absently happy to see several wands in hands.

"Get up guys," he snapped loudly as Hermione canceled the Fire-Fighting Charm. The bubble died around them as he strode forward and pushed a schedule into each hand. "You guys have about fifteen minutes to get to your first class now. You're lucky, if it had been McGonagall still as Head instead of Lupin..." Harry shrugged and Dean, at least, nodded. Hermione flicked her wand again and the people and the room dried instantly. He laughed as Seamus muttered something under his breath about "damn bloody prats."

Harry pointed his wand and a large clock appeared floating in the room, counting down to class starting. He and Hermione left with identical, small waves as they headed out the door.

***********************Charms # 3***************************

To the great consternation of the majority of his students Flitwick had immediately launched into an in depth discussion of the Analytica Charm, a charm to determine the composition and contents of an object almost as soon as the bell faded to silence. He stood on his desk, and periodically waved at the board, to draw notes up there as he spoke. "As you can see," he squeaked, "this charm also incorporates the Schematicus and Projectorum Charms to display the results obtained. The base of the Charm is of course a modified, Revealo..."

Harry tuned him out as he watched Lavender, slowly, walk around the classroom, handing out small, locked black boxes that rattled suspiciously. He took his from Lavender and watched disinterestedly as she gave Hermione a mean look. She'd get over it; he wasn't worried. Besides, Hermione dried her out. Harry looked down at his notes, as his self-writing quill copied down what Flitwick was saying. He glanced over at Hermione to find her scribbling "Hermione Jane Potter" on a corner of her parchment before darkening it out again.

"Mr. Potter, if you could attempt the charm?" Flitwick said to him from his perch, and Harry sighed.

His wand slipped into his hand, Analytium. A soft, yellow glow enveloped the box, before his wand floated out of his hand and the tip began to write flaming letters in the air:

One chick aged 6 mos.
Two Wingnuts 5/16
One Pencil, # 2 lead.

His wand settled back into his hand and with a slight swish, the lock clicked open. Harry glanced in the box and tilted it so Flitwick could see. "Excellent Mr. Potter, ten points to Gryffindor." An annoyed muttering was heard from the back of the class, from several green and silver wearing participants, but no one comment was distinct enough to draw a warning.

The rest of the class passed quickly, with Flitwick progressing to a whole lecture on detection charms and their related cousins, intrusion wards. Harry's attention sharpened as Flitwick covered the latter. He and Hermione had spent much of Sunday morning and afternoon looking into the subject as research for the Nottingham lead, and suddenly Harry wondered just where Flitwick fell in this conflict. He was on the side of the light, yes, but an Order member? But that didn't make sense either as no one knew of the possible lead except the four that had been in the kitchen.

The bell rang and students quickly gathered bags, wands, quills and books and scampered out of the room, grateful to only receive three feet on the charms covered today. Harry and Ron waited for Hermione, she always had the most books to pack after all, and they headed out of the classroom together, unconscious of Flitwick's eyes on them the entire time.

Hermione glanced to either side as they left the Charms classrooms and started across the outdoor bridge to the Archive Wing where Runes was normally held, two floors directly below the Library. "Are you two, honestly, going to do this every time I have a class and you don't?"

"Nope." Ron asked simply as they came to a set of moving stairs upward. He stepped on them and waved, "I'm going to the, um...Library to meet up with Luna." He chuckled at the pair's expressions as he took off up the stairs. Hermione gave him a half-arsed glower before continuing on down the corridor.

You didn't answer Harry. Hermione reminded him.

He shrugged and thrust his hands into the pockets of his uniform slacks. He glanced over at her as they walked, I just want to walk you to class, Hermione. I would rather be holding your hand, but I'll take what I can get. Harry admitted finally after they had passed several empty classrooms without a word, walking a good foot apart, and periodically checking themselves as they drifted together like magnets.

Can I just kick her arse and have done with it? Hermione took a breath and stopped as they reached the classroom. Her gaze communicated what she couldn't say out loud or do for the moment. She settled for a mental caress as Harry gave her a jaunty two-fingered salute and headed off.

His meanderings lead him to the Quidditch Pitch and he sat, still in the middle of the field, looking upward at the great golden hoops at the north end of the stadium, the end that for his entire Hogwarts career had demarked the goal that his teammates had defended. It was possible that that was very much no longer the case. Remus had received back his Captain's badge with only a nod, as Harry had already given up the Captaincy. It had been both unfair to himself and the team to keep it, as his focus was nowhere near Quidditch, and somewhere inside he knew it never would be again.

In his mind's eye, he could see pickup games at the Burrow and at Godric's Hollow, with Ron, Ginny, the twins, even Hermione playing. But any further organized play...who knows. He knew, inside, that even though Ron professed to want to be an Auror, he would rather play Quidditch any day and who knows after all this was over, maybe he would have a shot at a team. But Harry, who knew that he was good enough to play professionally, also knew he never would, it just didn't seem to be him any longer.

Harry absently stood and walked over to the sidelines and glanced up at the Gryffindor stands, at the spot were Hermione had stood and watched him every time he had ever played, even when she was mad at him, she had showed. The rampant lion banners fluttered in the light September breeze as he headed back off towards the castle, still undecided if he would play at all this year.

Back in Runes, Hermione frowned to herself as she felt the subtext of Harry's thoughts, not the thoughts themselves, but the annoyance and frustration. She quickly returned to jotting down notes on the Cambian series of Runes that Glyph was currently covering, in just a bit too much detail for even her, I mean, who really needs to know that this series is a derivation of a derivation of Atlantian devotional runes. She shook her head and finished the page she was filling, and flipped to another. Just as Glyph was starting on how the symbol for E'srack was really just a slang term for E'srackiantiza the bell rang. Hermione tossed her books in her bag and joined the rest of her class in exiting the room.

She paused for a moment, outside of the classroom, half expecting Harry to be waiting, but he had given her the latitude she wanted, even though she knew that it griped his very soul to leave her unprotected, even though he knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself. She headed off down the hall, humming a soft tune.

Hermione stopped suddenly as a change in the air made itself known. She took another step, turned a corner and found herself surrounded by six Slytherins. A sudden pall fell over the hall as Hermione realized that there were no witnesses, no one at all around. In her haste to get to lunch and find Harry and Ron, she had taken a short cut through a section of the castle that was basically empty. Her eyes flicked around, cataloging her adversaries. Of them, Grayson Sneade was the only one she recognized, a sixth year Slytherin older than she was, who had been sent back twice, the first for failing all of his OWLs through a severe lack of studying and the second time for being caught cheating on the same. The rest, a mix of sixth and seventh years had drawn wands, as Sneade stepped up to her.

"It seems that you are all alone Mudblood," he sneered as he paced closer. Hermione rolled her eyes slightly as she glanced about. "I doubt that anyone would miss you until afternoon classes...imagine what we could get to in that time."

"Do all of you work from the same notes?" she asked, as she felt the power start to seep into her bones. A small, half-smirk lit her lips as she placed a hand on her hip and cocked her head challengingly. She glanced pointedly over Sneade's shoulder...

"Do you...gentlemen have a problem?" Harry's tone was deadly as he stood in the center of the hall. Sunlight from a window behind him, cast his face into shadow, except for a pair of glittering green orbs that seemed to have a light all their own. "Hermione, are you alright?"

"I'm fine Harry, there's only six of them after all," Hermione said with a small smile as she pushed past Sneade. She brushed next to a tall, blond Slytherin that bore an odd resemblance to Draco, and the situation fell apart.

Draco's doppelganger, Jason Johns, snapped out and grabbed Hermione's elbow. "I got the..." His statement never was completed, and probably in the long run it was better for him, even with what did happen...

Hermione instantly twisted like an eel, spinning, her other elbow came up and shattered his nose. His hands shot to his broken nose, and just in time for her right heel to impact the side of his head. He crumpled as Hermione continued her spin, her toe touched ground as her wand came into her hand.

Harry spun the other way as wands appeared in the other five Slytherins' hands. "Put them away, now," he snarled as the tip of his wand lit red, he glanced down at Johns. "That is one hundred points from Slytherin, and a month of detention for assaulting a Head Student."

"Well I say she assaulted him," Sneade snapped, a bit disbelievingly, "He's the one on the floor." His tone was shocked, amazed.

Harry looked down at Johns again, pointedly and sighed, "He does appear to be down, yes." Harry glanced over at Hermione, "Miss Granger."

"Yes, Mr. Potter," Hermione replied without looking to him.

"I am afraid that will be one point from Gryffindor...your follow up was a small bit off." His face was carefully bland. "Now if you will excuse us?" Harry asked as he motioned for Hermione to precede him down the hall. They turned, and a heartbeat later, a chartreuse curse shot from behind and impacted Harry in the leg. He staggered, and turned. Blood was staining his jeans as he turned and fury was darkening Hermione's eyes. NO, MIONE!

If it was me...

Yeah, I know that I'd kill them were they stand, but, examples need to be made. Harry's wand flicked and a banishing charm impacted a hastily raised shield and tossed Sneade and his shield back ten feet against a wall, it flickered and died. With another wave, Sneade's wand flew over to land in Harry's hand. Harry didn't even look up as two charging Slytherins went flying backwards from crashing into Hermione's Impediment Jinx. The other two Slytherins vanished into the school.

Sneade shook slightly as Harry slowly brought the tip of his wand to bear on Sneade's forehead. "You sir have attacked me, with my back turned," he growled. "I seem to be bleeding so I can only assume that it was through your incompetence that I was not killed or seriously injured. Therefore, Mr. Sneade, I challenge your worthless, snake-hugging arse to a duel, you will meet me on the on the Field of Honor at dusk, you may have a second who will fight in your stead, however if you choose that course, any fate that he suffers will be visited on you. I remind you...sir...that since we are at Hogwarts, this duel is unfortunately only to incapacitation, however any curse 'cept an Unforgivable may be used, so you may die anyway. Do you accept, or will you apologize to myself and Miss Granger...now."

"I'll be there you worthless, Mudblood loving piece of Dragon shit." Harry took a deep breath, and for a heartbeat, Sneade thought he had just committed suicide. He never realized that only a small hand on Harry's arm kept him from death at that moment.

"Very well, choose your second and fail to meet me at your peril," Harry replied and purposefully turned his back on the Slytherins once more. Hermione fell in at his side, her eyes holding a combination of fury and worry. She did not say a word until they had reached the second floor hallway and stopped in a small alcove.

Heedless of any eyes that might catch her, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him for a long moment, Are you ok? She knelt next to him and touched his wounded leg gently, she only frowned slightly as she pulled a small orb from a pocket, and they vanished in fall of color.

Hermione stood as they reappeared in their common room. "Take off those jeans." She snapped. Harry groaned slightly as he peeled them off over the cut and sat down on a cassock next to the couch, he watched silently as she used her hands to pinch the nasty tear closed. Sutureus, Hermione muttered as she slowly ran her wand down the length of the wound, biting her own lip as the brief sting of the spell was echoed in her thoughts. "Really, Harry, are you alright?" She asked softy as she glanced up at him.

"I wasn't kidding when I accused him of incompetence...that was a bone breaking charm he tried and missed the bone." Harry muttered and a brief fleeting smile answered him. He summoned a clean pair of jeans from their room and pulled them on. "Hermione, let's go see McGonagall..." he laughed to himself, bitterly, "she's not going to be happy about this."

"You think?" Hermione replied sarcastically as they left the room.

**************************Headmistress' Office, Hogwarts********************

Harry's prediction seemed to be dead on as he, Hermione, Remus, Slughorn and a very put-out Umbridge crowded McGonagall's office several minutes later. McGonagall had rapidly run out of invective, though in the time that she had railed on them, even Dumbledore's portrait had seemed impressed. Now she was seemingly content to glare at them, alternating between Hermione and Harry. McGonagall hadn't spoken to either of them for a minute, though in all truth she knew this wasn't their fault. She just wanted to get it out of the way. With a long-suffering sigh, she did. "Very well Mr. Potter, I will notify Filius, I assume that he will be acceptable as a referee?"

"Yes, ma'am." Harry replied softly, his eyes meeting hers. She nodded briefly, accepting the wordless apology for the necessity that he was to under take, just as she knew this was not the last one to occur. This was preferable, if only just so to open warfare between Slytherin house and the rest of the school. Word had arrived on the wings of black owls during the lunch hour, while Harry and Hermione were having their run in with some of the second string, of new attacks. In particular, a loss of another former Gryffindor at the hands of Lucius Malfoy.

"I cannot believe that you are condoning this...behavior Minerva." Umbridge simpered. She pushed her way to McGonagall's desk, shoving aside Hermione roughly on the way, and almost starting a second duel right there until Remus frantically calmed Harry with a hand on his shoulder. She spun to Harry, "You are catering to Potter's fantasies of being some great wizard. He..."

"Delores, be silent." McGonagall snapped as she looked to Slughorn, "Horus, Remus do you have an objection?"

"No, Minerva, I do not." Slughorn replied with a small frown. Remus shook his head regretfully.

"Very well, you two should return to your classes, I dare say that your second years may be up to no good by now Remus." Slughorn and Lupin nodded and left. Harry and Hermione started to follow, but stopped as Umbridge reached out and grabbed Harry's arm.

"You spoiled, half-blooded little brat," she hissed. "I am the overseer for the Ministry for this school, you will retract this...challenge to a son of a noble house or I will see you and your," She sneered at Hermione, "I will see you and your little friend here expelled and in Azkaban. I will see you and your little wh..." McGonagall rose from her chair, her wand in her hand.

Harry pulled his arm from her grasp hard enough to stagger her. "Shut, the fuck up, you little toad," Harry hissed, almost silently. A subtle hint of power danced around the edges of the room as he took a step back. "Let us make one thing perfectly clear...Delores," Harry whispered with a tone that conveyed only his total and utter loathing for the toad, "you touch me again, and you will not have a hand." She opened her mouth to speak. "You say a word and it will be you on the pitch facing me, next." He took a step towards her and glared down at her, "Me and mine will never, ever submit to any of your abuses, ever again. Your entire existence here is predicated on my, and the Headmistress' good will. I do not care that you have the ear of the Minister, I have been on the outs with the Ministry before, I am sure I will be again."

"Mr. Potter..." McGonagall hissed.

"Sorry Headmistress, I apologize for saying such things in your presence...however, ma'am," he said his next words carefully, "I am a Gryffindor. I chose to be one, and I will be damned if I ever bow to a half arsed, wanna-be tyrant again." Several portraits applauded and Hermione's lip twitched. McGonagall frowned, but gave him a small, accepting nod after a moment longer. Harry returned a quick, apologetic smile and left without another word to her or Umbridge, who was apoplectic in the corner.

*****************************Quidditch Pitch*****************************

6:00pm

A large, multivariate crowd filled the stands of the Quidditch Stadium this late afternoon. In the end, McGonagall had decided that this should not be a private affair and had let the student body attend. A formal duel had not occurred on Hogwarts grounds for the last fifty years, not since the days of the Grindelwald war, but the precedents were clear...almost a thousand years of them in fact. Duels had been uncommon, but definitely not unknown to this school, the protocols were well established. Hermione had read them in Hogwarts a History.

Harry was standing with Ron and Hermione, waiting. His black dueling cloak bore the ensign of the Head Boy, while its ruby lining told of his house. Hermione shrugged slightly as they watched Grayson Sneade being accompanied, or rather if certain sources were correct, escorted to the pitch by Vincent Crabbe. There had already been stories bandied about of Sneade wanting to back out, but certain elements of Slytherin House would not let him, mainly Crabbe's current boss. The pair of Slytherins were dressed in identical emerald and silver dueling robes, the Slytherin crest tiny, so as to not give much of a target.

Hermione leaned close to Harry, I can't exactly give you a good luck kiss, she glanced around, and pointedly up at the Gryffindor stands, screw it. She rose on her toes slightly and kissed his cheek, lingering a tiny bit too long for just good luck, but not so much that anyone would notice. "Harry, don't play with him, just end it. Just make your point and go." Harry nodded.

"Yeah mate," Ron agreed with Hermione, but no one commented on the event, "he's only a pawn, just demonstrate how easy it would be, and go with it. I'm hungry."

"We'd hate to keep you from your food, Ronald." Hermione snapped, and took a breath. Ron just nodded, accepting what she didn't say.

"I'll be fine," Harry replied. "You two just watch my back..." He glanced up at the Slytherin stands to find Blaise with Pansy hanging off him, both glaring, "this won't be the last one." Ron and Hermione nodded and Ron left, heading towards McGonagall, Flitwick, Lupin and Slughorn. Hermione fell in behind him and to his right, her wand in hand. The job of a second was not only to take the place of the primary if needed, but literally to guard his back. There was always a chance, if slight, that someone would take this opportunity to attack.

The crowd fell to silence as Flitwick cast a Hovering Charm on himself and floated to the center of the pitch, halfway between the combatants. "Sonorus. A CHALLENGE TO AN ATTACK HAS BEEN GIVEN." Flitwick sighed a small sigh, "WILL THE OFFENDED WITHDRAW?"

"If he apologizes and makes restitution, aye, if not?" Harry shook his head.

Flitwick looked to Sneade, "WILL THE CHALLENGED ACCEPT THE TERMS FOR WITHDRAWL?"

Sneade glanced back at Crabbe, and then up to the Slytherin stands. "No." His voice was approximately level as he replied to the diminutive wizard.

Flitwick muttered something under his breath in a long lost language; he nodded, "VERY WELL." He floated back, and McGonagall motioned to Remus. His wand flicked and a tall, hard, crystal wall appeared between the professors and the combatants. "BEGIN."

The duel was over almost before it began.

Sneade's wand snapped up, "OSSEIN DIFFINDO" The chartreuse curse from before shot towards Harry's head, and time slowed. Of all those on the field and in the stands, probably only Hermione and maybe Ron and Luna, no one was ever sure exactly what Luna did and didn't see, followed the action. Only they saw as Harry's wand flicked twice, the Bone Breaking Charm shot off through the northern center hoop as a glowing sapphire shield defected it. A searing red beam impacted Sneade between the eyes as a simple stunner hissed back across the pitch. He fell over backwards. Stunned.

As was the crowd, a shocked silence fell over the stadium, as Harry silently summoned Sneade's wand to him. He knew as he turned his back that Crabbe's wand raised to his back, just as he knew that if a word slipped past the large Slytherin's lips, Crabbe would meet his ancestors. Hermione glared at Crabbe until the fat Death Nibbler put his wand away and raised his hands.

Harry's left hand gave an absent wave and the protective wall vanished. Harry tossed Sneade's wand to Flitwick, nodded to McGonagall and started back towards the castle. "Let's go eat," Harry said softly to Hermione and Ron. Ron clapped him on the back and they left without another word as a thousand eyes followed them out of the stadium.

Far above, lost in the glare of the late afternoon sun, on the very top of the highest box, a flare of fire erupted, and a single golden feather floated down.

A/N: There you go, next chapter, back to business....and yet another surprise ....

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16. Merry Old Sherwood

I still don't own these characters, just playing. Once again many thanks to Lady Starlight for her gracious work on this fic.
Chapter 16: Merry Old Sherwood.

*******************Hogwarts, Room of Requirement***********************
September 4, 1997
8:10 pm

The room was full of students in a mix of Muggle jeans and T's and robes. As had been usual for the DA, the room had lined itself with shelf, upon shelf of reference books with topics ranging from fighting werewolves, to advanced shielding charms. A score of man-shaped practice dummies stood at one end, swords, staves and daggers lined a rack to one side, while a large table holding various Dark Magic detectors such as Foe Glasses and huge Sneakoscopes sat against a third wall.

Applause broke out as Harry, Hermione and Ron entered the Room of Requirement to find the entire DA assembled and waiting for them. All of Gryffindor House, fourth year and above was standing, intermixed with many from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Harry gave them a small smile and waved them to silence. "Ok guys quiet." Harry shouted amusedly. "Welcome back to Dumbledore's Army..."

"Potter's Army," someone yelled from the back. Several shouts of agreement rang out in the room.

Harry frowned and shook his head, he waved for silence, "No," he said softly, but through a trick of acoustics or pure magic every ear heard him as if he were right next to them, "No, we're Dumbledore's now and forever." Hermione gave him a small smile and a nod. Fresh applause broke out at his words until he finally got them to silence once more. He looked around, seeing the old members, Dean, Seamus, Terry, Parvati, Padma, the new, Gretchen and Ellen among others. He could see Neville, in the back, leaning casually against a bookcase filled with DADA spellbooks, his wand dangling loosely in his hand, looking like the relative veteran he was. Luna sitting on a table next to Ron, with her feet dangling loosely and her wand stuck behind an ear, who could possibly be one of the most dangerous ones here if truly pressed, she had already proven so this summer. Ginny was sitting next to her, looking attentively at Harry.

"Alright..." Harry said as he looked about the crowd. He frowned and ran his hands through his hair, disheveling it further. "Listen...guys, I want to apologize for last year...there was no excuse for not reconstituting the DA then..."

"It's alright mate," Neville shot back loudly from the back, and several mutters seemed to agree. He looked about the room, "We should have done it ourselves...we knew that the war was coming, we tried to ignore it. We knew better."

Harry nodded slowly, "Still...Listen, this year, we won't pretend. We are at war guys. Dumbledore died, and any one of us could be next." Harry was about to say more, when twin bangs, like gunshots, and pillars of black smoke appeared next to Harry. He rolled his eyes and without looking to either side, "The twins are here to show a bit of equipment that we have for you."

"Thank you Harry for that introduction," Fred said as he opened his cloak and tossed a bag onto the table. He flicked his wand and it expanded until it almost filled the library sized table.

"Gather round, gather round," George shouted as he conjured a stool so he stood a head above everyone else, even Ron. Fred handed him the first item, "First ladies and gentlemen, the first of the Weasley Enterprises Magical Mirrors of Mirth, suitable for makeup application, looking around corners in the case of Basilisk infestations," he looked at Hermione who returned a quick, rude gesture, he laughed, "and with a quick murmur of a name, communications at up to a thousand miles." He demonstrated to the amazement of the gathered members.

Fred handed up another item, and a pair of glasses, "Instant Darkness Powder, and so you won't be stuck in the dark...Cat Eye Spectacles." Fred and George continued showing and demonstrating the new toys, and letting the DA members try them out. Neville showed an amazing proficiency with the Fanged Frisbees, changing the blades to silver and back to steel on the fly and nailing targets with them from yards away, with the tracking spells dislocated. Ginny and Luna described to an attentive audience the uses of the Instant Darkness Powder and the Cat Eye specs. Finally after an hour, Harry looked around at the group and shot off a Noisemaker Charm to gain everyone's attention.

"Ok everyone, find your coins, well use them to let you know the next meeting, it'll be soon though" Harry smiled slightly and waved to the door, "I'll see most of you tomorrow, goodnight." He smiled and shook hands and talked a few words with most everyone as they left.

"Hey Harry." Ginny said demurely as she stopped next to him as almost the last one out. At the doors, Ron waved to Harry and escorted Luna out, and Harry gave him a nod of understanding. "What are you up to this weekend?" She gave him a shy smile and cocked her head slightly. Across the room, Hermione glanced up from her perusal of the books and clenched her fists. She bit her lip and looked back at the books, finally selecting, Dispatching Annoying Annoyances.

Harry caught the title of the book cross Hermione's thoughts and barely kept a grin from his lips. "Um...Homework and stuff Ginny. Some training as well, I guess."

"Well, Quidditch tryouts are this weekend Harry...it just won't be the same if you don't play. I'll be there." She smiled and rocked back and forth slightly, her hands held in front of her.

"I'll...think about it Ginny," Harry replied softly, "I just don't know if I feel like it this year."

Ginny reached out and ran her hand down his arm, "Please, think about it Harry." She smiled again and slipped from the room. A moment later, a slightly livid, curly-haired brunette came up behind him.

"I'm not playing Hermione," Harry announced without turning to face her. He moaned softly as she wrapped her arms around him from behind and pressed herself into his back and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm not worried about your feelings Harry. Not really, I'm just getting tired of it." Hermione explained lowly, her slightly racing heart against his back amply announcing her anger.

"Let's go home love." Harry replied, touched a golden ball in his pocket, and they vanished in a fall of colors and a rush of wind.

***********************Hogwarts, DADA #1****************************
September 5, 1997
2:30 pm

Harry's wand flicked quickly as he deflected the Stunner Hermione sent his way. He shot back a Tripping Jinx and a reduced power Reductor, more because he was concerned for the walls than Hermione. He knew she would dodge or deflect it. And she did, cartwheeling out of the way of the Tripping Jinx and capturing his Reductor in a net and shooting it back at him. Harry caught it on his wand and reabsorbed the energy. Lupin shook his head, he couldn't very well tell them to go full out; he knew quite well it probably would be dangerous to the rest of his class.

He had decided to have the Seventh Years duel to determine just what Snape had taught them last year. They had covered Inferi on the first day of class, and had discussed the conventional means of destroying them, through fire. He had not, of course, said anything about Hermione's new spell, that if worked would make them at best a pile of unanimated corpses. Harry had sat stony faced through the entire lesson, in which not a Slytherin had said a word. They were still reeling from Harry's casual defeat of Sneade Tuesday. Remus had not missed the worried looks Hermione had shot Harry out of the corner of her eye as he sat with the entire lesson a grim reminder of his failure last year, or at least what he perceived as failure.

Personally, he, along with Tonks if the truth were told, was convinced that this plan of Harry and Hermione's to act like 'friends' until Ginny gave up and moved on was doomed to failure. It would be kind of like James pretending Lily was 'just a friend'. Remus frowned slightly as he corrected Neville's form on a Bombardment Curse.

He was not the only Professor who was annoyed with the turn in events. McGonagall had been livid, privately, that a Gryffindor would do such a thing. Almost as livid as she had been when Percy's possible treason was exposed. The night-black course of his thoughts passed as he saw Harry looking down and laughing at some thing Hermione had said or done. Lupin came around Crabbe's large and ultimately inept form, none of the Slytherins had yet commented that he tended to ignore them in class, or that the class seemed to be slanted towards combating minions of the Dark Lord. Lupin followed Harry's gaze to his feet and laughed himself.

Hermione had transfigured Harry's trainers into a pair of animated, fuzzy, pink bunny slippers. The ears of the one on Harry's right foot were wiggling, while the left one was trying to pull Harry's foot forward towards a carrot that Hermione had created out of thin air on the ground in between them. The bell rang as he was watching and he took a breath, "Everyone, I will need three feet on common defensive wards on my desk by Monday." Groans met his words, "Fine, Wednesday." A few muttered 'thanks Professor' met his sensitive ears. "Mr. Potter, a word please." Harry stayed behind as the rest of the class filed out, Lupin didn't comment, as Hermione didn't move as well. "Very well, my office if you please."

Lupin ushered the pair into his office and closed the door. A wand jabbed and the white flash of an Imperturbable Charm lit the walls. He grinned slightly as he turned back to Harry and Hermione. Remus noticed immediately that Hermione had leaned back into Harry slightly as soon as the coast was clear. He didn't comment. "You are going tonight right?"

"Yeah," Harry replied hesitantly. His fingers drummed lightly on Hermione's stomach, "We are."

Lupin nodded. "You won't let me or Nymph come along will you?" he asked even though he already knew the answer.

"I can't Remus." Harry shrugged. "You know why...its not that I don't trust you..."

"But you don't" Remus finished sadly. He sat down behind his desk and ran his fingers over his face. "Harry, just know that when you are ready..."

"Yeah Remus, when the time is right..." Harry gave an odd, non-committal gesture and left with a small nod. Hermione followed after a moment, with a glance back to see Lupin looking thoughtfully at a small, framed picture on his desk of the original Marauders, in it Lily was sitting on James shoulders with him and Sirius crowded around him. It had been a long time since Peter had showed his face in that picture.

***************************Sherwood Forest******************************
September 6, 1997
1:15 am

Three pairs of invisible eyes watched a Muggle night watchman on his rounds about the museum. He obviously had no idea of the various magical artifacts scattered about the exhibits on Robyn Hode, Richard the Lionhearted and others. The sword in the corner, with a plaque stating that it might have belonged to Robyn, that possibly came from the same smith that had forged the various blades the trio possessed. A shining silver arrow that really wasn't a Hode artifact, but rather a standard issue Auror arrow for dealing with werewolves that someone had found and put in the exhibit and others. But the reason that they were here was sitting all by itself in a glass case. The faded blue and bronze eagle on its leather bound cover, a giveaway.

Voldemort had guarded the book well; Hermione could feel the wards encasing it. But ultimately he had bargained on this Horcrux, if it was indeed one, being found by normal Wizards, not young Dumbledores or Morganas in training. Hermione slipped on the glasses that the twins had developed to use with the Instant Darkness Powder and tapped them with her wand. Revelo Proctectorum. A web of lines appeared in her vision, some red ones, from the Muggle security lasers which were ineffectual against the cloaks, and a veritable Acromantula's web of green and yellow beams and walls showing the net Voldemort or someone had cast around the book.

She glanced over towards where she knew Harry to be, What do you think Harry? She felt his senses stretching out and crossing her own. He sent a wordless shrug in reply as he pulled his cloak back from his head.

As the cloak swept down, a pure white, snowy owl was revealed next to Harry's head. She was sitting on his shoulder, without a sound as if she knew any noise could give them away. He reached up to pet her softly and Hermione watched as Harry carefully whispered something in her ear. Harry looked over to Hermione's other side and gave a slow nod to the air. In one motion, Ron shrugged his cloak half off, drew a simple Muggle slingshot and fired a steel marble at the case. The glass shattered with a loud crack. The footsteps of the guard returning sounded in the sudden silence. He came around the corner, and collapsed as a bolt of red from Hermione's wand took him in the side, without ever seeing any of the teens. Obliviate, the simple memory charm wiped his memory of the last ten minutes and he vanished a second later as Ron ran up to him and touched his flashlight on his belt with his wand.

Portus, Ron cast with his unregistered wand, which like Harry's and Hermione's had had the Ministry's tracking spells removed, the flashlight glowed blue and shook for a second. Ron tapped the flashlight again and the watchman vanished in a fall of color and a soft rush of wind

Harry pointed to the case and Hedwig took flight. Through their enhanced glasses the trio watched as Hedwig gracefully banked, barrel-rolled and swooped around the various wards and lasers, Harry's familiar taking her clues from her master to dodge the traps. They watched with baited breath as she landed on the book, hooked it with her claws and lifted off. She soared back to Harry dropping it in his hand before settling in on his shoulder once more. "Good girl." He whispered. He glanced to Hermione, and started to open his mouth, when....

A sudden burst of energy surrounded them, distorting the ethereal fabric of the area. "Anti-Apparation and Portkey fields," Hermione snapped, confirming his initial guess. At the same time Ron suddenly reached into his shirt and withdrew a vibrating, glowing crystal on its leather string. "Thanks for the warning, guys," Hermione muttered as she recognized the twins' Inferi detector.

"GO!" Harry shot across to them and ran for the door. He stepped into the night, followed closely by the two others. Hedwig took flight as soon as they got outside, and shot up into the sky, safe. She headed north towards Hogwarts.

All around the trio, the ground rippled and cracked. Desiccated, greenish hands clawed through the soil, pulling dead bodies after them into the dim night. Lank, matted hair topped sightless eyes as the Inferi appeared, one, five, a dozen, fifty, a hundred. Harry felt as Ron and Hermione closed in on him on either side. "FLAME 'EM!" Harry growled, and fire shot from three wands, almost a dozen Inferi burned with absolutely no sound from their dead throats. Another two dozen replaced them and Ron lit them and watched as they once again redoubled. "Hermione," he pointed towards the wood, "Your spell, then run."

Hermione glanced back over her shoulder then towards the edge of the woods where she could feel the edge of the anti-Apparation field's effects, a rush of magic gathered in her from the very air as she raised her wand, Imperatum dispersium inferati de flagratto, a spiraling trail of fire shot out in their path, growing to a fan, and all at once the entire host of Inferi in front of them dropped to the ground like puppets with their strings cut, and Hermione collapsed to the ground, as her eyes rolled back in her head and a trickle of blood ran from a nostril.

HERMIONE...Harry wheeled and flung his wand in an arc. A huge wall of flame followed his hand, building a wall of fire between the Inferi that had not been hit by her spell, and the trio. Half a dozen Inferi steeped into the flames in their single-minded determination to get at them and puffed alight. He flung the book to Ron, scooped Hermione into his arms and ran for the edge of the wards in a blur of motion, his glowing eyes leaving a green streak of light to mark his progress. Harry and Hermione vanished the instant they crossed the barrier, and ten seconds later, Ron followed with a loud CRACK.

**************************Grimmauld Place****************************

Harry arrived in his bedroom and placed Hermione gently on their bed. He spun as Ron arrived with a CRACK, and dropped his wand to the floor as he recognized his best friend. He went back to Hermione and ran his hand gently over her forehead. He kissed her lips a moment later as his thumb wiped her smear of blood from under her nose.

"Is she alright Harry?" Ron asked worriedly. He walked to her, and patted her hand softly. Hermione rolled onto her side towards Harry. Ron looked up to Harry, who shrugged.

"Yeah, she's fine," Harry replied softly with a touch of pride as he looked at her. "She just exhausted herself. She'll be fine in the morning," Harry reached around her and pulled off her sheathed daggers along with her equipment pack. "I'm going to stay here with her Ron, go back to Hogwarts if ya want."

"Na," Ron replied with a small, thoughtful smile, "but I might have Luna sneak out." Harry laughed and nodded. Ron patted Harry on the shoulder, "Good job tonight mate."

"It was a trap, Ron."

"They all are Harry, you got us out; that's what's important," Ron replied wisely as he patted his shoulder once more and walked to the door, closing it behind him.

Harry looked after him a minute before he reached down and pulled off Hermione's boots and socks, before gently stripping her to her underwear and tucking her under the blankets of their bed. He changed for bed quickly and crawled under the covers with her, pulling her tightly into himself.

After an hour of Harry watching over her silently, Hermione stirred and pulled back slightly. She looked up at him for a second, a confused look clouding her eyes before they cleared of their own accord as she reasoned out her circumstances. She smiled at him, before she bent down to kiss his neck and snuggle into him. She reached back and unsnapped her bra. "You know this works better if you don't have any clothes on either," she commented softly as she pushed her knickers down and kicked them off under the covers. She flicked her fingers and watched as his boxers and T-shirt appeared on the floor next to the bed. Hermione flipped around and pressed back into him, smiling as she felt him against her arse. "Sleep now, Harry," she said tiredly as she relaxed into his warmth behind her. Harry nodded against her neck, "But that doesn't mean I don't want you inside me as I sleep." She bit her lip as he nodded again and moved her up enough to slide into her from behind. Not moving, just happy with the sensation for now. "Good." Hermione whispered and closed her eyes.

11:15 am

"This sucks." Hermione said bitterly as she glared sideways at the Ravenclaw Spellbook sitting in front of them on the coffee table. She was back in the land of the living, more or less, clothed casually in a pair of flannel sleep pants under a sweatshirt, with her hair in a messy braid. She was stretched out lengthwise, on the couch in the Library at Grimmauld with her head comfortably ensconced in Harry's lap. "All of that for nothing."

"Not totally, Mione," Harry replied consolingly, "We learned that your spell works."

"It took me out too Harry," she reminded him, and closed her eyes to slits as he ran long fingers through her hair in a wordless apology. "It'll get better, though," she admitted after a moment, "and it shows that we can break Tom's enchantments." A sudden sense of pride filled Harry as he looked down at her. "I can't believe he'd go to all that trouble just to leave a fake though. The wards weren't recent, they had to be years old, from his first reign of terror."

Harry's hand paused on its route through her hair, as he thought. His hand started moving again as he looked off into space for a long moment, "Hermione, think for a second. We knew of the book's existence through the list, but we could have just as easily found it through the journal article." Hermione nodded, "So the book was easy to find, relatively, and at the time when he was hiding his Horcruxes..."

"Yeah, he would have been setting traps for members of the Order," Hermione agreed. "But it wouldn't have been enough against Dumbledore." She rolled onto her back so she was looking up at him, she shrugged as he nodded, already knowing her thoughts, but she said them anyway, "but if Dumbledore took the book, he might have thought it a Horcrux."

"Maybe...yeah, Dumbledore doesn't have my link to Tom, he might have been fooled by that residual spell Tom put on it." Harry glanced over at the book as Crookshanks sniffed at it and backed off. "I don't guess the book is useful for anything?"

"No, not other than as a curiosity for the Ministry's museum...it's too despoiled for anything else." Hermione blew her hair out of her eyes. "Should we go back to Hogwarts today?"

"Do you want to?" Harry asked and she shrugged.

"Not particularly." Hermione glanced back at the closed door to the Library, and thought briefly about the possibilities before deciding that both of them were too tired. Her hands came up to lie in front of her eyes and she glanced at her ring. "When do you want to get married Harry?"

"Today if you want."

Hermione snorted. "Alright."

"Alright." Harry replied instantly; then paused as both of them realized what they were saying. He took a deep breath as their eyes met; he gulped, "Seriously?"

Hermione bit her lip as it threatened to tremble, "If you are." She sat up and moved until she was more or less sitting on his lap. She intertwined their fingers, and looked at them for a long minute.

"I meant it when I asked you Love," Harry whispered, his eyes following hers to their hands. "So..." Hermione dropped her head to his shoulder and nodded. "Alright, then, how about your birthday, then? Do you want your parents there?"

A silver tear slipped out of her eye and down her cheek. "We can't risk it, Harry." He kissed her brow as her shoulders shook slightly. "When I was a girl," She said softly, slowly, "a little girl, that is, you know, I thought I'd have this grand white wedding..."

"You still can, Mione, anything, anywhere you want." Harry murmured. "I'll..."

"I know, but somehow that's just not us, is it? Not anymore, not while this is hanging over our heads," Hermione leaned up and silenced an objection with her lips before it escaped. "Maybe after we've killed the bastard, but that could be years, and I'm not waiting Harry..." She grinned ruefully, "I want to you to have my ring on too, when we finish it...just in case. And who knows, it might just save one or both of us."

Harry laughed, a touch bitterly, but not at her. "So, we get eloped in two weeks and married in Westminster for the victory party?"

"Something like that."

"Alright."

A/N: Were you expecting that? :) Ok as often requested, here is the answer to the Ginny question....at this point, barring revisions, we are at 19,825 words until the chapter where Hermione and Ginny have their "discussion."

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17. A Hidden Bond

Once again, many, many thanks to Lady Starlight for her work on this fic.

Chapter 17: A Hidden Bond
**************************Spinner's End*****************************
September 10, 1997.
5:15 am

Severus Snape eased through the night as he snuck down the dilapidated Muggle street his house was secreted on. He paused outside of the garden gate and flicked his wand, and waited. After several tense moments in which he started at least twice at alley cats disturbing the night, a green glow flashed three times up near the eves of his house. He looked both ways and cast out several silent Accios randomly in case someone was watching from under a cloak.

He motioned with his wand, opening the door and crept in. Other than a rather impressive layer of dust, and a faint smell of decay that seemed to come from the kitchen, nothing greeted him. He flicked his wand at a set-in bookshelf and watched as it opened. He walked in, and down a set of stairs hidden behind it.

At the foot of the stairs, a complete Potions lab sat, even in some ways more complete than his personal lab at Hogwarts had been. Snape opened a tall, glass enclosed cabinet, in which the faint hiss of an exhaust enchantment could be heard pulling the fumes out of the hood and through a water scrubber before exhausting the air outside. He jabbed his wand at a purple flame under a brass cauldron. It went out and he waved his hand over the potion he had been making to examine it.

As the fumes cleared, he found the crystal-clear water-looking potion waiting for him. Snape nodded to himself as he pulled a large, stone ladle from a drawer behind him and poured the potion into several tumbler-sized vials. I don't know why the Dark Lord needs a Conceptious Patron Potion but I don't have the luxury of questioning him right now, damn Potter...Snape paused to reflect on it, Nor do I think that I want to think on it...

**********************Hogwarts, Dungeon*********************************

10:00 am

Harry yawned slightly as the fumes from the Stabilization Draught he was working on got to him. Why exactly Slughorn thought that the class would need to learn an esoteric potion that was used in rare cases to fight the effects of Unforgivables, the Cruciatus and Imperius, and in rare cases the Avada Kedavra where the caster didn't really mean it Harry didn't rightly know. The potion was used to stabilize the soul and to keep it from shearing away, but was supposed to only be used by specialists at St. Mungo's. Now, Tom, Tom may need it soon... Harry wafted the fumes away from the potion to inspect its clear, purple depths and extinguished the flames under it. He bottled a sample and glanced over at Hermione sitting next to him. She had her head down, writing in a notebook as she was waiting on him to complete his potion. Hers was already done, bottled and her mess cleaned up. She glanced up at him with a small, just for him smile.

Harry returned it; then his expression fell once more as he saw the adhesive bandage that was covering a bit of her brow above her left eye. Ginny had claimed that it was an accident last night at DA, and to be honest both Harry and Hermione believed her, but it was still another pinprick. I'm fine Harry. Hermione said softly, knowing the course of his thoughts.

Yeah, I know, but. He shrugged and nodded as she patted his thigh under the table. He glanced up at Slughorn; I think tonight will be a good time to talk to the good professor.

Hermione bit her lip and nodded. She returned to her notebook, canting it slightly so Harry could see her writing, a seemingly confused mix of rambles about the class, a cryptic note about where? That Harry knew to be in reference to where exactly they were to get married as they hadn't exactly figured that out yet, beyond it probably needing to be a Muggle Justice of the Peace somewhere, though Hermione had become even more determined than Harry on that point, so he knew he would have a wife in about nine days. If Dumbledore had still been alive...

He broke that train of thought as Hermione caught his eyes and nodded, they had had that talk that very evening, after they had decided to get married. It had come after a dinner in which Ron had commented how domestic they looked as Harry cooked and Hermione helped and the two had conjured somewhere in the neighborhood of a couple of hundred foam balls and shot them at Ron. He had still been ducking an occasional, errant foam Bludger hours later. Luna had wisely stayed out of it, other than asking for a refill on her wine, which had gone well with the quick meal of spaghetti and bread Harry had fixed. If Dumbledore had still been alive, they both knew he would have performed the ceremony, and would have most likely agreed to keeping it secret.

Harry's eyes suddenly widened as he stared at Hermione, The portrait...

Is that even legal?

Do you care? he asked and she shook her head after a moment. She smirked at him as she carefully wrote Hermione Jane Potter in a corner of her parchment before blacking it out. The bell rang and Harry and Hermione along with the rest of the class got up to hand in their potions and leave. Ron glanced at them, asking a silent question as Harry hung back, and nodded as Harry motioned stealthily with his hand towards where Hermione and Neville were waiting outside in the hall. He vanished and Harry was carefully the last one to hand in his potion.

"Aw Mr. Potter, this potion looks excellent as always," Slughorn said slightly ingratiatingly as he looked up at Harry, who stood several inches above him even when they were both standing up and despite Harry not being particularly tall. Harry watched as Slughorn marked an O on a sheet with today's date next to his name, Harry wasn't too concerned as Hermione had already been marked for an O as well he noticed.

"Thank you sir," Harry replied with a small, mostly convincing smile. Harry pulled his book out from his bag. He opened it to a page on Binding Potions, "I was wondering if I could talk to you this evening about the assigned work sir, there are some questions that I have on combining wormwood and asperia to gain the desired effect."

"Sure Harry," Slughorn's bare palate glinted in the light from the torches scattered about the dungeon classroom as he nodded. "I would be happy to discuss it with you." Harry smiled and started to leave. "Oh, Harry...I am having a gathering later this week, Friday evening, if you could attend." Slughorn grinned, "Miss Weasley should be there as well."

"I'll check to see if I can attend sir," Harry replied with a wooden, at least to those who really knew him such as Hermione or Ron, smile. He nodded as he stepped out into the hall and looked up at Hermione, Ron and Neville. The others fell into formation around him as Harry motioned them to follow.

The group followed Harry as they towards the Arithmancy classroom where Hermione had class next, the rest had a free period. Luna came up to them, from her class that immediately proceeded Hermione's and after verifying that they had a few minutes before Hermione had to make it to Vector's class, Harry motioned them all into an empty classroom. The walls lit white as the, by now, usual anti-surveillance charms were cast. "Alright, I'll be quick, Luna you and Neville want in all the way, well here's your chance. You two work out a way to set up a meeting with Greengrass discretely, I have heard that we have started to gain the support of her parents, especially after they realized that Tom was not exactly happy with their lack of support for his cause. "

"I'll do it," Neville replied after a long moment and a glance between him and Luna, "I have History of Magic with her tomorrow."

"Fine," Harry replied appreciatively, "do that. We need to see if we can at least establish a neutral relationship with some of the Slytherins. I have no doubt there will end up being blood on the floor, but I would rather keep all those out of it who weren't actually Death Eaters in training. But Neville, if you get a chance, impress on her that we would prefer she take a more active role. If we need to, we can protect her, just like the Order or rather Moody did with her parents." Neville nodded. "I set up a meeting with Slughorn this evening. He thinks that he's meeting with me over Binding Potions, but he's not. He's going to have a little chat with me, about the relationships he's built up over the years with his 'club'."

"Why the hell would he talk to you about that?" Ron asked, and Harry and Hermione grinned as one.

"Because mate, my mum and Dumbledore weren't stupid. There are certain things that they both left in their journals that Horace doesn't want to have in the Prophet," Harry replied ferally and the rest nodded. Harry sighed, "He also mentioned a get together of his club Friday night." Hermione's gaze shot to his, and her eyes hardened as she read his words off his mind a few seconds before he uttered them from the rest. "He mentioned that Ginny was invited, so I would guess some of the rest of you are as well." Luna gave Harry a measuring look then a questioning one to Ron. Neville glanced back and forth among the other four, knowing there was some subtext he was unaware of, but said nothing. He could always ask Parvati or Lavender, they seemed to have all the gossip if he really cared.

Harry took a breath as they started to leave and waved before anyone could open the door, "Listen, Neville, everyone else already knows at least somewhat what we are up to, and there are things that I can't let you know yet. I'm sorry about that, but there are reasons."

"It's alright Harry, I understand."

"Thanks Neville, I promise Hermione won't have to petrify you again." All of the seventh years laughed, Harry along with them until he turned serious once more, "Neville, the adults have given up for the most part. At least the Order members in the main and I would honestly say some of the Ministry. They are just waiting for Voldemort to roll over them and dictate terms. I'll be damned if I ever bow to that fucker," Harry said bluntly. "And if the so called adults won't fight him other than folks like McGonagall, Moody, Remus and Tonks, then I will."

************************Dungeons*******************************

8:00 pm.

Harry knocked quietly on and then proceeded to open the door of Slughorn's office. He looked up and waved Harry in. Harry held the door open for a brief moment, before he closed it behind him. Harry took a seat in front of Slughorn's desk and declined an offer of refreshments. "Where is your book Harry, I can't give you a new one all the time." Slughorn laughed at his joke, Harry didn't. He reached down instead and tossed a sheaf of parchments onto Slughorn's desk. The parchments all had the slightly ink-stained look that comes about from them being the duplicates created by a Duplicata Charm, so they both knew they weren't the originals.

"Let me be blunt, Professor," Harry said softly, with an air of menace. "You are being recruited as a source of intelligence." Slughorn opened his mouth several times without a sound escaping, and Harry cut him off before he could voice an objection. "Dumbledore had the patience to allow you to be persuaded to give me the information about the Horcruxes, and to allow your...indiscretions to lay silent. I don't. There are certain indiscretions both personal and financial enumerated in those files that I am sure that you don't want to appear on the front page of the Prophet. Dumbledore may not have used them against you, but you knew the threat was there, didn't you?"

"I am not worried Potter," Slughorn said darkly as he leaned back in his chair, "those will never see the light of day..."

Harry grinned, much like a lion over a freshly killed gazelle. "On the contrary, sir. I know that the editor and several reporters were in your... 'club'. But I am sure that the Quibbler will publish, and it's not such an automatically discounted rag any longer is it?" Despite himself Slughorn nodded. "Also there are Aurors who are much more interested in justice than promotion, even these days. I know several. And finally, sir...I am the 'Chosen One,' people will listen if I say something. The Prophet and the Ministry's tame journalists may make up that I prefer giraffes as bed partners the next day, but people will listen. It's amazing the talent that folks have developed to determine the wheat from the chaff."

Slughorn sighed and ran his hands over his eyes. "What do you want Harry?" he asked finally, "I won't fight, even if you release those files, I'll at least be alive in Azkaban."

"I am not asking you to," Harry replied softly, conciliatorily, "just that you continue as usual to take in...bits of knowledge from your...associates, and relate them to us. And that occasionally, you pass on inquiries of that we give you, that's all."

"Fine," Slughorn replied softly, "Is that all?"

"No," Harry reached down and placed his textbook on the Professor's desk, "I do still have some questions about the assignment."

***************************Hogwarts*********************************

September 12, 1997
10:00 pm

The party had been going on for almost two hours as Harry glanced up to catch Hermione's eyes across the room. Terry Boot, not a terrible bloke, but not whom she would rather be talking to all in all, though the secondary byplay she sent over their thoughts was amusing, was currently chatting her up. Her eyes flicked towards the buffet, in that secret language they shared that could communicate paragraphs in a glance or a single word in a paragraph of them, and he gave her tiniest of nods and turned back to whom he was talking to.

Over the years, Ernie Macmillan had had a slightly rocky semi-friendship with Harry. Ernie had been a founding member of the DA, but he had also been one of those that believed that Harry was variously the Heir of Slytherin and a lying attention-seeker when the fake Moody had conspired to place him in the Tri-Wizard. Which, now that I think about it...shouldn't that one be called the Tetra-Wizard? Across the room he caught Hermione's grin for a second.

Slughorn had called this a "Welcome Back to Hogwarts Get-Together" but Ron had called it an excuse to get drunk on a Friday night with students and not get sacked. Harry privately agreed with him, but the booze was free, and there were other reasons to be there. There were days when Harry was almost driven insane as he realized that almost every action he took was some element in this never ending war. Slughorn had not said a word to Harry or anyone else since Harry's little chat with him Wednesday, a brief note had arrived the next day however, with no signature, that had talked of a rumored defeat of several Aurors that had never shown in the Prophet, and the possible defection of a two more to the dark. Currently Slughorn was over near the windows of the room, talking to a pair of sixth year Hufflepuffs that he had his eye on.

Harry nodded as he finished his talk to Ernie, something about the Cannons vs. Bailey Bats; he hadn't been listening, and started to drift over towards the table. As he peeked around the room he could see Zabini and Parkinson standing rather close together in a dim corner. Parkinson seemed to be moving oddly, jerkily and Harry shook his head and moved on. He filled a plate from the buffet, more to have something to do with his hands than anything and frowned slightly as he found Ginny dancing closely with Neville. He frowned, he felt no hint of jealousy, but he knew what she was doing, and he wished that she had chosen someone other than Neville to do it with. Neville was rapidly becoming one of Harry's trusted advisors and friends, and over all he was a good guy. Horny, yes, but he was a guy. Harry looked away as Ginny put her arms around Neville's neck and rose on her toes.

Next to him Hermione came up to the buffet, and filled her own plate. I see you noticed, she commented briskly.

Yeah I noticed, Mione. I just hope it doesn't get Neville hurt over this.

Yeah...I just don't get it Harry. She has this...obsession, with you. I understand that you are cute and all. Harry sent over an impure thought and she elbowed him in the ribs, covertly in the dim room. But she has gone to lengths that... She just won't give up. She's like the bloody terminator...just a lot shorter.

I'll be back...They both laughed in their thoughts. If you just want a bloke to snog at this party, I can go out in the hall, put on a Glamour and come back in? Harry asked hopefully.

No, that'll just give the gossip twins something else to talk about. Hermione retorted a bit wistfully as she mentally pointed towards Parvati who was deep in conversation with some sandy-haired sixth year Ravenclaw boy that Harry didn't know.

*The Long and Winding Road, the Beatles.

Damn, Harry smiled as the music that Slughorn had playing, a rather off mix of modern Muggle and Wizarding songs for a host who was at least seventy, segued to a slow song. His hand slipped down to hers, as he set his plate on the table behind them she glanced down at their hands and back up to his eyes, "Would you like to dance?"

"What about?" Hermione whispered, her eyes cutting to at a familiar redhead and back.

"She has a date," Harry replied seriously, quietly, and frankly love, I don't give a damn. Besides, can't a bloke dance with his best friend? Hermione laughed out loud as her arms slipped up around his neck, and she felt his hands clasp lightly behind her back.

Hermione sighed as she dropped her head to his chest and closed her eyes, When did we do this last? Fleur and Bill's wedding?

Yeah...you know I used to hate dancing. Hermione smiled and let Harry move them both. She opened her mouth, when... A crash sounded across the room, and Harry and Hermione spun to watch Neville's fist crash across Zabini's face. Hermione spun away from Harry and the two jumped across the room in time to fire off twin Petrification Curses at the fighters.

Hermione turned to Harry, just as a small redhead and a black-haired, slightly pug-faced girl crashed into her from the side. She bounded up as a misaimed blow from Pansy smashed into the side of her face and the room fell apart. Harry could dimly hear Slughorn calling for order as Neville managed to throw off the Petrification hex at the same time Blaise did and they crashed back together, in their haste both Harry and Hermione had pulled their spells. Harry watched as Zabini threw a counter at Neville, which he blocked and retaliated with a jab to Zabini's nose.

The second time the Heads' wands flashed; the curses weren't pulled.

Twin Impediment Jinxes threw all four combatants ten feet backwards, knocking askew a table on the way, crashing various bottles, glasses and plates of food to the floor and shattering them. The jinx slammed the four into the wall and pinned all four to it like interesting specimens in Creatures. The fight stopped, forcefully, Harry glanced over at Hermione to see her wiping blood away from her left eye where Pansy's errant blow had reopened the accidental cut she received from Ginny the other day. You alright? She nodded, her eyes flaring as she took a deep breath to calm herself.

A moment later, before Harry could calm himself enough to tear into the four, the matter was taken out of his hands. McGonagall and Lupin stormed into the room. She took in the four still being held motionless, Hermione bleeding onto the collar of her pale green blouse, and Harry looking...annoyed. Her lips thinned almost to the point of non-existence. "Everyone go to your dorms now. You four, Potter, Granger, my office, now. Professor Slughorn, I will inform you of my decision." She spun on her heel and marched out, Remus trailing after he shared a glance with Harry, who shrugged.

Harry flicked his wand and the combatants fell to the floor. He sighed and chanced a look at Hermione. She was trying not to laugh. Harry pulled a kerchief from his pocket and handed it to her, she pressed it against her cut with a free hand. They fell in behind Ginny, Neville, Pansy, and Blaise as all of walked slowly down the corridors to the second floor, dodging Peeves on the way as he dropped a watermelon he had gotten from the Kitchens near them and paused at the Gargoyle. Hermione muttered the password to it, so as not to be overheard and watched as it nodded and stepped aside with a grinding of stone. All six rode the revolving stairs to the top, Hermione and Harry not daring to catch each other's gaze in case they started laughing. As they reached the waiting room, "POTTER, GRANGER, COME IN, LEAVE THE REST OUTSIDE." McGonagall's burr was...annoyed to say the least.

She watched with a gimlet eye as the pair entered the room, her door closed with a loud thump as Remus' wand flicked and a white flash lit the walls as he cast a Silencing Charm. McGonagall motioned them to chairs and they sat slowly, barely chancing a glance around. Most of the portraits were silently watching, pretending to be asleep, except for Dumbledore, he looked amused, as if he were sitting somewhere watching this as if it were a humorous television show. "What happened?" McGonagall asked, her tone flat.

Harry glanced at Hermione, "We don't know ma'am. We were across the room...dancing when we heard a crash and witnessed Neville and Blaise fighting. Hermione and I cast Petrification Curses to stop them, but I guess that we pulled back a touch too much, they broke them and continued."

McGonagall's expression softened a touch, "then how did Hermione become injured?"

Hermione frowned, "Pansy hit me, she was trying for Ginny. I guess that I got in the way." She pulled away the kerchief from her head to check if it were still bleeding, it was so she pressed it more firmly against it, batting away Harry's attempt to help, and causing Remus to chuckle before McGonagall and Hermione's twin glares caused him to shut up rapidly. "We, umm, didn't pull the Impediment Jinxes too much the second time," Hermione added with an odd mix of embarrassment and pride.

"I noticed," McGonagall said dryly, "Very well, that is more or less what I was expecting. Harry please usher the rest in, Hermione go stand over there with Remus." Harry went to the door as Hermione got up and crossed to her Head of House. Over her soft objections he pulled away the kerchief to inspect the wound. He muttered something about having Poppy look at it; Hermione shook her head and whispered back that she'd have Harry fix her. He nodded knowingly.

The four came in and stood in two groups as McGonagall had vanished the comfortable chairs in front of her desk. They stood a sort of attention as Harry slipped behind them to lean up against a window facing, next to Hermione and Remus.

"Very well," McGonagall said tersely, "explain yourself, you first Mr. Longbottom."

Neville took a breath and looked McGonagall in the eye, the boy that had trembled at her displeasure third year was gone. "Ma'am, Mr. Zabini insulted Miss Weasley, I was defending her honor."

"Is this true Mr. Zabini, did you insult Miss Weasley?"

"I was only telling the truth ma'am, I cannot help it if Longbottom took it wrong..."

"He called her a blood-traitor slut," Neville interrupted. He bristled and started to turn towards Blaise again, when Neville suddenly noticed his feet seemed to be rooted to the floor. McGonagall carefully didn't notice Harry's fingers closing into a fist and slipping back into the pocket of his robes. "He..."

"That will be enough Longbottom, Zabini..." McGonagall snapped, "and if Longbottom was defending your honor, then why did you feel the need to get involved physically Miss Weasley?" Pansy started to snigger, when she caught Hermione twirling her wand in her fingers out of the corner of her eye.

"Pansy said that Percy got what he deserved, it was only just that one traitor die at the hands of another," Ginny spat and Pansy shrugged. The small witch bristled, until McGonagall rose from her chair.

"And I suppose that all of that justified you striking the Head Girl, Miss Parkinson?" McGonagall asked rhetorically. She leaned over her desk, her eyes blazing behind her square-framed glasses. Her next words came out in a hiss that would have done justice to her Animagus form. "Very well. Longbottom. Zabini. Each of you will serve a month detention with your respective Heads of House, along with one hundred points from each of your houses. Weasley your punishment is the same. Parkinson, you have gained yourself an additional week and another hundred points for striking the Head Girl," McGonagall glanced over at Hermione, "Unless she sees fit to settle it otherwise?" Hermione shook her head, and McGonagall nodded. Leave, and go directly back to your dorms." The four left, but not before Zabini gave Harry a glare and mouthed, "This isn't over Potter," behind McGonagall's back.

The door closed behind them, and Minerva looked over at Hermione, and then at Harry, she shook her head, "Can you two not stay out of an altercation for ten minutes?" She sighed, "Go to bed, and Hermione have that looked at." Harry nodded and took Hermione's hand in the safety of the Headmistress' office, and vanished in a fall of color.

McGonagall flicked her wand and the chairs reappeared in front of her desk. She waved Lupin to a chair and flicked her wand again to conjure a tea service and a plate of biscuits. Remus took a cup and a pair of chocolate biscuits and sat back. Minerva looked vaguely in the direction of Gryffindor Tower and sighed as she took a sip of her tea.

"It's not their fault Minerva," Remus said, misinterpreting the direction of her thoughts.

"I know Remus," she chuckled softly, "I never thought that I'd ever see any group of three students that could possibly get in more trouble than you, James and Sirius did...but I was wrong."

"I guess he does have good genes after all."

"I suppose," she agreed. "Do we have any word from Alastor?" she asked as Dumbledore's portrait paid particular attention.

"He has not yet found him," Remus replied thoughtfully, "I am hoping that we can locate their base. Perhaps we can weaken him before Harry has to end it. If it comes down to it, if we have to sacrifice ourselves to get him a chance..."

McGonagall nodded as Lupin took a sip of his tea and looked out into space.

********************Hogwarts**************************

September 19, 1997
2:00 am

Hermione gave the unconscious form of her boyfriend, lover, and for all intents and purposes in the eyes of the universe, husband, a soft smile as she eased into his room, their bedroom, in the Head's chambers. If she thought about it, really thought about it, the old, logical Hermione, the one that had slid open a compartment door looking for a toad would have never even thought it possible how far they had come between Harry's birthday, and today, her own. Forty-five days that had made all the difference in the world. Forty-five days that had seen a Horcrux destroyed, the machinations of one she had once thought of as a little sister in all but blood exposed, attacks on them and theirs...and a ring on her finger that had last seen the light of day on Lily Potter's ring finger.

Of course that ring was hidden, under a modified Fidelius charm so that only four people in this castle, in this world, could see it. The two in this room, and the only other two people that they knew they could trust. An odd, possibly insane Ravenclaw girl named after a moon goddess, who very well might be a seer, a true seer, and Ron, their friend, protector and brother, and if all went well, sometime today after classes, that ring would be joined by another band.

Hermione slipped out of her clothes, tossing the school uniform and her underwear in a corner on top of Harry's clothes. She slid under the blanket and scooted over until she was pressed firmly against him, desperate to feel his heartbeat against her own. She bit her lip softly as Harry's arm pulled her in even closer to him in his sleep, and she felt a welcome heat against her stomach. She tucked her head under his chin as her legs intertwined with his and she felt sleep start to take her. Her knee moved slightly, and a soft groan escaped Harry's lips at the same time a distant pain echoed in her thigh.

"Bloody Hell," Harry muttered without opening his eyes. "What time is it Mione?"

"A bit after two," she replied as she reached down and started to gently knead the unseen bruise that she had inadvertently kicked.

"Thanks," Harry replied as he relaxed under her ministrations. His thoughts flicked out and grazed on hers, catching the edge of a stream of images flashing by. Knut for your thoughts.

Didn't you already pay me like 250 million Galleons for them? She replied with an inner smile.

Har Har...besides, its closer to three quarters of a billion if you count the properties and businesses from my folks, Sirius and Dumbledore. His fingers started to trace the bumps in her spine and she slumped in his arms.

You can keep that up...I was just thinking of what that eleven-year-old girl would have thought...would she have opened up the door? She liked rules...do you know how many rules you and Ron have made her break?

Oh...she's soooo innocent. Hermione didn't even have to glance up to see the smirk. She batted his arm playfully, only to suffer the consequences of being pulled in tighter. She rolled in his arms to face the other direction as she spooned back into his chest. She frowned slightly as she felt Harry's fingers tracing a faint, almost invisible scar between her breasts, courtesy of Antonin Dolohov. So how many are we breaking right now?

It depends...not as many as Ron and Luna were probably going to be when they left the Library at midnight.

Sorry, Mione, I got held up working with Remus, he wanted to go over some stuff for the DA.

I know baby, remember you told me that, telepaths...remember, duh? Anyway we are at like twenty or so right now...unless we were to admit we were betrothed and then since we're Heads then it's none really, save that we were probably supposed to tell McGonagall.

She probably knows, or suspects. Hermione shrugged. So are you concerned because you are seeing me the night before? Harry grinned as she reached down and pinched his bruised thigh. OWW.

Serves you right... Hermione giggled and stretched, and Harry groaned. Oh no, none for you before the wedding...

Um....

Never mind...that was a pretty pitiful threat wasn't it? Harry nodded, as Crookshanks jumped up on the bed, paced around a bit, decided he probably wouldn't fit at the head of the bed and settled on the blankets at the foot of the bed. Both of the humans in the room looked at Crookshanks with identical, annoyed expressions. He smirked as only a cat can and settled down, looking up at them, his eyes glowing slightly in the light of the twin candles burning on the bedside table. You know that marrying me doesn't get you out of getting me a birthday present. Hermione stated suddenly as she tore her eyes from her cat. Harry glanced up at her, and found her trying not to laugh.

Harry rolled his eyes, pointedly, Such materialism, Mrs. Potter. He quipped; she let out a small shiver as the thought crossed hers.

I think that was the best present I've ever gotten, Hermione said quietly, her thoughts tight with sudden emotion; I just wish everyone would call me that. A couple of tears slipped from her eyes. Hermione glanced out of the darkened window to see a scattering of stars pricking the velvet night. But no one will, we can't let them know can we...if we couldn't let them know that we were together, or engaged, we damn sure can't let anyone else know...

Ron and Luna can, Harry replied reasonably and pulled on the blanket slightly to cover their shoulders from where Crookshanks was trying to take it. Or do you want to take the gloves off? Slap her down and just live our lives?

Hermione took a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth before responding, No, I said until the end of October, I'll give her that, and still we will have to keep the depth of it secret... She let out a soft purring, moan as Harry kissed her neck, and nodded into her shoulder.

Ok...I do have something cool to show you, Harry said, and he could feel her eyebrow crooking. She watched, curious, as he raised a hand and the Marauder's Map fluttered over to him from his pack on the floor by the door, where it was sitting with hers. He sat up, pulling her with it, and spread the map out over their blanket-covered laps. I solemnly swear that I am up to no good. The map filled in from the corners, after a quick, borderline lewd, comment from a Mister Padfoot, to show a diagram of the castle. Hermione turned and glanced at him, look for your name.

Hermione shrugged and immediately went to the part showing the Head's Suite. Her jaw dropped slightly as she spotted Hermione Potter, next to Harry Potter. Harry chuckled, Ron actually spotted it the other day, I don't normally look for you cause I pretty much know where you are...I think it's said that since we got engaged. And remember...the map never lies.

Cool...She kissed Harry more properly before she blanked the map, folded it and sent it back to Harry's bag. She slid back down under the covers and closed her eyes. I think you better get some sleep Mr. Potter if you're going to survive your wedding night. Harry's only retort was to extinguish the candles he had left burning for her return and to pull her back to him. Neither of them could hardly sleep any more if they were not physically touching, whether it was a side-effect of the bond or the times, neither cared really.

A/N: There you go, one chapter closer to the end :), next time, join us as we attend some function or other...and yeah that's only after we run across a few more surprises.

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18. Beginnings

Once more to Lady Starlight...thanks, and obviously I don't own this, I owe money on my car

Chapter 18: Beginnings
**************************Little Hangleton*********************

September 19, 1997

"Severus," Voldemort hissed as the ex-Slytherin Head strode at his heals. Voldemort looked over as a pair of masked Death Eaters levitated a limp victim past them. The Death Eaters bowed as the dark pair passed. The door closed behind the Death Eaters and faint screams reached the ears of the two. Voldemort smiled darkly, his lipless mouth a faint line. "I will require more of the potion."

Severus took a fearful glance around the dark, dimly lit hallway under the old, ruined Riddle Manor. A soft squeak cut off abruptly as a rat was swallowed by Nagini. Voldemort smirked as he felt Nagini's pleasure. "Sire, may I ask why you need such a potion?"

Riddle stopped his pacing and looked at Snape. His eyes glowed faintly as he considered for a long moment, "Not as of yet Severus, you will know soon enough."

**************************Room of Requirement************************

10:00 am

Luna scissor-kicked her way back to her feet and swept her long hair back out of her eyes. The band she had had in to hold it back had fallen out a couple of passes ago. Hermione grinned at her and sliced her foot through the air at Luna's head. Luna grabbed her ankle as it passed and pushed up.

Hermione went with the motion, flipping backwards and landing in a backwards summersault and bounding to her feet in one blurred movement. Luna charged and Hermione was forced on the defensive as Luna snapped a jab, a backfist and a sweep at her; which Hermione blocked, ducked backwards and jumped over respectively. Luna hopped backwards as Hermione's left leg scythed through where her stomach had been a heartbeat before. Luna grinned at her and snapped a kick at Hermione's knee. Hermione dodged it, as Luna commented absently, "I was thinking the other day...uggh." The hammer striking wood sound of Hermione striking her block snapped across the room.

"What?" Hermione panted as she dropped and swept at Luna's leg. Luna jumped over the sweep and tumbled forward, leading with her elbow.

Luna shook her head to throw her hair back out of her eyes, "Do you think blonds have more fun...uggh." She took Hermione's snap kick in the leg, but blocked her follow up to the head. None of the cadre fought with the safeties on any longer. In more settled times it would have been amazing how fast the skills they had needed were absorbed by the teens, but there wasn't really a choice any longer. "Or are we...uggh," she punched a quick combo at Hermione, getting through on the third hit and receiving an open hand blow to the jaw in return, "easier to spot in the dark?"

Hermione shrugged, grinned, hopped once on the balls of her feet and MOVED. Even with her occasionally spotty abilities, Luna barely followed her as Hermione hooked the back of her leg, dropped her to the mat, and punched for her throat. Hermione's middle knuckle rested lightly on the blonde's esophagus and Luna tapped the mat next her. Hermione rolled off her, bounded to her feet, and pulled Luna to her feet. "I don't know Luna." She flicked her wrist and a pair of towels shot over from a folded pile the Room had created next to a half-dozen, life-like target mannequins. "What does Ron think?" her eyes twinkled at the odd girl that was rapidly replacing the spot Ginny had held for years.

"Oh, Ronnie's a boy...I love him, but he is a touch daft," Luna replied easily and started minutely inspecting the towel Hermione handed her, for what, Hermione did not, or did she really want to, know.

Um...kettle, hello, my name is pot. Hermione thought instantly as she dropped to the mats, and folded her legs under her in an easy lotus. Hermione looked down at her towel in her hands and pulled a drink from a water bottle that had appeared at her hand. "Um, Luna..."

"I would be honored, eight?" Luna replied as she bent double at the waist and touched her forehead to her shins. Hermione just nodded. "Good," Luna replied softly as she reached down and grabbed Hermione's hand with both of hers, "I haven't worn that dress I bought this summer yet." Luna smiled hugely, showing all her teeth and Hermione giggled.

******************************Godric's Hollow****************************

Poppy looked around the tastefully decorated living room as she waited for her patient to return. She looked at the mixture of Muggle and Wizarding volumes on the various bookshelves, the entertainment center in the corner, and the assorted Gryffindor memorabilia. Poppy had listened early this morning as Remus had come to her, and given her the location of a house hidden under the Fidelius, which she could not now, literally could not, divulge the location of, even if Voldemort himself questioned her. She shivered a bit at the thought as she smiled kindly over at the solid man sitting in a leather armchair, looking upward worriedly as they waited for his wife to finish redressing after Poppy's examination.

After another minute, Jane returned from upstairs, from the new guest bedroom that had been added in the most recent renovation, and came down the stairs. The owners of the master suite had yet to spend a night in it, but even though Roger and Jane knew that neither would mind if they took the bigger bedroom, and would probably insist on it if they knew, they hadn't. Roger had made a joke about they should get used to the in-law's visiting bedroom anyway. He didn't know how right he was, of course.

Jane came down the stairs and perched on the arm of the chair Roger was in. "So Poppy am I alright, I would think that the flu would..."

"I am afraid that you don't have the flu, Jane," Poppy said quietly, she paused as she looked down at the parchments on the enchanted clipboard she was holding, "In fact you are in perfect health...as is your daughter."

"I would assume that Hermione is," Roger replied instantly before he looked to see Jane covering her mouth with both hands. Her blue eyes danced as she looked down to see Roger looking up at her dumbfounded.

Poppy laughed slightly, "Normally considering whom my usual patients are, this isn't a particularly welcome event at that time in their lives, but I think I can make an exception in your case." Jane fell into Roger's lap in the chair and cried softly on his shoulder.

"When, Poppy?" Roger asked as Jane looked up, her bottom lip in her teeth, giggling slightly.

"Late May sometime, I should be able to tell you more precisely during your next exam." Poppy got up, and grabbed the Portkey that Remus had supplied her. "I have to be returning, lest someone see that I am gone, but I will be back. I will send along a schedule of appointments along with Remus and a diet for you to follow Jane." Poppy glanced down at her clipboard, "Do you want me to say any thing to Miss...Hermione?"

Jane and Roger shared a long glance, finally he shook his head, "No, please don't, it will be pleasant surprise, I hope." Poppy nodded, and vanished in a fall of color.

Jane looked up at her husband happily as he ran his hands through her hair, "Well we had always wanted a bigger family." He laughed.

"Yeah, what's the bet we gain a daughter and son-in-law in the same year?" Roger quipped as he pulled her in for a kiss. She shivered as his hands ran up the back of her jumper.

"That's a sucker bet, honey," Jane snorted, "of course if they get eloped, they are damn sure going to have a wedding I get to go to."

"Sure dear, sure," Roger replied placatingly.

******************************Hogwarts*********************************

2:15 pm

"The key to fighting many dark creatures is often selecting your ground," Lupin said with no trace of nervousness for himself, even with the Slytherins dotting the back row, they didn't even pay attention to him, with the exception of a few. "Some of this is a branch of Magizoology, dealing especially with such beasts as Acromantulas," Ron shuddered on Hermione's left, and Harry fought not to laugh on her other side, "Sphinxes, Manticores and the like, and I am sure that if you paid attention to Hagrid, you have learned extensively about them." Lupin looked like he wanted to laugh himself as he paced over to his desk and leaned back against it. "However, several of those creatures that I have just mentioned are currently classified as beasts..."

"Isn't that you as well, Professor?" a voice uttered just a touch too loud from the rear.

"That will be twenty-five points from Slytherin," Lupin replied without breaking stride. He flicked his wand at the front of the class and a large chart listing many dark creatures and their weaknesses appeared. "Memorize this, some of this is also listed in Scamander's book," he glanced over to see Hermione's hand up, "Yes, Miss Granger," Lupin said after the barest of pauses. Damn, I almost called her Mrs. Potter...I've been listening to Nymph tease them too much.

"Is there a reason that werewolves and vampires are listed as beasts, sir?" Hermione inquired.

Lupin frowned as he glanced back to the chart. "They are variously listed as beasts and beings, Hermione, like Centaurs, House-Elves and other intelligent beings." A soft snigger from the back of the room did not escape lycan hearing, and Lupin's hazel eyes shot to the back, but too late to find the actual miscreant. "As to my original point, it is often possible to use the surroundings to your advantage when facing dark creatures. For example, a vampire will often not want to cross moving water such as a stream or river. This is more evident in turned vampires than purebloods of course, but even the purebloods will often show a reluctance."

Lupin continued on with his lecture as Harry carefully took notes, only glancing over at Hermione out of the corner of his eye once or twice a minute. We should invite Lupin and Tonks, Hermione announced after a minute. Harry turned and looked at her for a bit before nodding and returning to scribbling down notes. Hermione squeezed his hand under the table before she picked her quill back up and resumed taking notes; or rather the part of her brain that wasn't always concerned with at least some aspect of Harry or his well being, which had been recording what Lupin was saying, transferred what it had heard to her quill hand.

I do wish...

Hush Harry, hush, it's ok, I'll get that chance later, her lips twitched, and as they were in the front row, only Lupin and Harry noticed, and Lupin didn't say a word beyond starting in on which type of wood often made the best stake.

The remainder of the class was more of the same, with Harry or Hermione or occasionally one of the other DA members asking a question or two. The bell rang and the class vanished like the early morning mist when the sun came up. Hermione motioned towards Remus, and Harry nodded. She gave him a smile and walked up with him to the Marauder.

"Yes, Harry, Hermione?" Lupin asked as he placed several texts into a large, leather bag on his desk. He turned to them with a slight smile as he placed his wand into his robe pocket. He watched as Harry and Hermione's eyes flicked to each other's.

"Um, Remus," Harry asked very quietly, "are you and Tonks doing anything tonight?" Lupin shook his head, puzzlement evident in his gaze. Harry looked again over at Hermione.

"Could you two come around to our common room about eight, we would appreciate it," Hermione finished for him nervously. Lupin looked at the pair of them oddly as if he expected bunny ears to sprout from their hair any second.

"Sure, I think we can," Lupin replied slowly.

The sun was shining down over the tops of the mountain and through the trees bordering the lake as Harry and Hermione walked slowly around the winding dirt path where he and Hermione had once hidden from his critics and fears after the Tri-Wizard selection. She glanced over at him as she shared the memory, Sorry, no toast today.

Did I ever thank you for that? Harry asked as he brushed his hand against hers. She smiled but didn't answer immediately. They both glanced up as a soft hoot whispered through the trees above them, and Hedwig fluttered in to land on Harry's shoulder next to Hermione. Hermione reached up and petted her as they paused and looked out over the lake. The squid was waving to several giggling third-year girls who were over by the rocky shore where both of them and Sirius had almost lost their souls to the Dementors.

Hermione finally shrugged slightly as they started off again, Hedwig bobbing slightly on Harry's shoulder, and looking back and forth between Harry and Hermione as if wondering why they weren't holding onto each other. I don't know, Harry, and honestly, you never will have to. Kinda the point.

I know. But, thanks.

You're welcome. Her hand came up and brushed her hair from her eyes, before pulling a band from her pocket and pulling it back into a tail. She stopped and sat down on a large rock overlooking the lake and glanced up as Harry joined her, and pulled his knee into his chest. You scared?

No, not really, I was scared when I was going to ask you, she glanced at him, and a chestnut eyebrow crept up leisurely, fine...I'm scared shitless.

Me too, baby. Her hand came over to rest on his for a moment, before returning to stroke Hedwig's feathers once more. Harry's familiar had remained on his shoulder throughout their walk and Harry's sitting down. "Alright, you can come too," Hermione replied to the owl. She cooed softly and hopped over to Hermione's shoulder.

"HARRY, HERMIONE," Harry rolled his eyes as he heard the voice of Hogwarts' resident photojournalist. Harry and Hermione moved apart hesitantly, as if their bodies were trying to resist their brains. The young blonde came running up, with his camera in hand. He stopped in front of them, "Can I take your picture, please?" Harry glanced at Hermione she gave a small nod, and he nodded to Colin. "Squeeze in together" Harry's arm went around Hermione's waist and her head fell to his shoulder without a thought. Hedwig hopped out of the way, and settled on Hermione's other shoulder just as Colin's shutter clicked and as quick as that, the photo that would later be their wedding picture was born. "I'll get you a copy Harry," Colin waved as he ran away, happy that Harry had let him take a picture without complaint.

"He's just weird." Hermione said after a moment, watching the sixth year take off towards the castle seemingly as happy as a pig in slop.

"Yeah," Harry agreed as a small, black and white bunny hopped across the path. "He is odd." He looked at his hands for moment before, pulling his glasses off with one hand and pinching the bridge of his nose with the other. His eyes cut sideways, So what are you doing tomorrow?

She laughed; I had better be recovering... Harry grinned as she glanced down to smooth her skirt over her legs. Why Harry? She asked seriously.

I just want to go to Hogsmeade or something, before we start in on studying for the day...Ron will be busy at Quidditch.

Oh, she realized, and looked up over at him. I won't stop you, if?

I don't have time Hermione, he replied grimly, Ron might think I'm daft for not playing, but I don't have the time to practice, I have too much to learn. I guess I'll just watch. Harry looked back over his shoulder at the castle. It was getting less and less fun every year anyway, I love the game and flying, but it seems like another bit of my childhood that I have to give up. The part that really annoys me, is that fucking Umbridge gets to watch me sitting there in the stands...it'll tickle her pink.

Hermione didn't care who would walk up, as she leaned over and pressed herself against his side. How about I turn her into a Niffler...she'll chase her paws all day long...Harry laughed, and slid off the boulder to his feet. He turned and caught Hermione as she slid off and gave her a quick kiss.

Let's go, Mione. Their fingers wrapped around each other's until they emerged into a populated area, and fell apart. She flashed him a small, nervous look as they entered the castle, and headed to dinner.

*****************************Head's Chambers*********************

8:00pm

A certain portrait was looking rather pleased with himself as he looked over at Luna, Ron, Remus and Tonks. The latter three were looking rather perplexed, while Luna looked...happy. She had been true to her word and had worn a rather, bright, blue sundress, that seemed a touch too light for the end of September, but no one really commented. It was Luna after all. The three confounded ones, along with Luna, looked over across the room at the portrait of Dumbledore, who was deep in conversation with Harry.

Harry for some reason was rather dressed up for a Friday night. His jade green dress shirt and black trousers contrasted sharply with the simple jeans and a jumper that Ron had on, or the tweed jacket and trousers Lupin was sporting. Tonks, looked at Harry critically, glanced over at Dumbledore's image which was raptly listening to Harry's account of their last, failed attempt to gain a Horcrux, and suddenly her eyes grew huge. She giggled loudly behind her hands and bounced up and down like a large, slightly demented bunny rabbit. Lupin looked at her as if she had gone insane, until she came over and whispered something urgently in his ear. Both of Lupin's eyebrows went up as he glanced at her, over at Harry and back at her, to see her nodding furiously.

The door opened to Harry's bedroom, Hermione came out nervously for some reason and took Harry's hand. Her lower lip trembled a bit as she looked up at Harry. She had also chosen a simple, white sundress for tonight, with her hair falling in waves over her back and a single, conjured white lily tucked behind her right ear. She glanced down as Harry muttered a spell under his breath and she felt the various security wards around the suite go into full effect, even the map couldn't see them now if it weren't already here. Crookshanks and Hedwig were sitting together on a nearby windowsill, as it they were spectators at a particularly interesting Quidditch match.

Harry looked around the room, at the blazing fire going in the mantle, at the worn couch in the corner, at the perplexed guests and back down at Hermione before speaking. "Um, thanks for showing up, we, um, I mean Hermione and I we decided that we would go ahead and get married." Remus just stared as Tonks giggled. "We were wondering if you would consent to being our witnesses."

"Ah, Harry," Lupin said after a long, long moment, "I'm not against this, really I'm not," he said urgently, waving his hands in front of him, as if to ward off an attack, "but who is going to marry you two?"

"That would be I, Remus," Dumbledore's image replied jovially from behind Harry. "It seems that there is no ruling actually taking away my powers as a Warlock of the Wizengamot, nor Headmaster for that matter, despite my current...situation."

Both of Lupin's eyebrows shot up, but he did not object further. In the portrait, Dumbledore proved once more that canvas could, twinkle, as he turned to Harry and Hermione. "I imagine that if I were there in person, that this would be a more formal affair, but, as it is, let us get started shall we?" Harry and Hermione slowly nodded as one, and Dumbledore chuckled softly. "Excellent, now, if Ronald and Luna would take places as the Best Man, and Maid of Honor respectively, after all we do need someone to hand off the rings don't we?" Harry silently dug in a pocket and handed Ron a small box. Ron opened it and handed Luna the slightly smaller one of the pair.

Harry and Hermione had decided that they wanted bands of their own if possible, so late last Saturday, the two of them had vanished to Diagon Alley under slight disguises to acquire said rings. The matched pair that came from a trip where Hermione had deliberately looked like Lily to Harry's shock when he saw her, with charms turning her eyes emerald and her chestnut waves, dark red, and Harry had magically been as blond as Draco, were a pair of one-off creations that could have only been created by magic. Platinum and gold had been melded together in a Damascus pattern to run together like water, much like the pattern that made up the swords and daggers, but in precious metals rather than steels. A faintly glowing band of runes ran along the inside of each ring denoting both their names and a few other sentiments.

"Excellent," Dumbledore began, then looked around at the guests, he seemed to take a breath, "years ago, I watched a young boy, one that I had hoped against hope would emerge relatively unscathed from what I had chosen to put him through. Fortunately, he did, and exceeded any of my hopes for him. I watched as he found friends and later much more, the likes of which hadn't been seen here in years, and I was relieved a bit I admit. And now, the time has come to complete a pattern that began seven years ago, one of ebbs and valleys that leads us to today."

"Marriage is a holy bond, with obligations and responsibilities beyond those of any other duty. It is a also a journey of highs and lows...much like how you two got here, that with luck, may take you centuries further along that road, and beyond. In all of my years as Headmaster, I can remember all of the couples I married, both in school and without..." Lupin and Tonks looked shocked, "Oh, yes these two are far from the first that I have married still in school, or right out of it for that matter, but I think that they may be my most favorite so far." He watched as Hermione's hand clenched almost painfully on Harry's and Lupin's ears seemed to perk up as he could hear their hearts beating in time. "At this time, there is really nothing that I can say, that they themselves can not, so I shall leave it to them, Harry?"

Harry took a breath and took both of Hermione's hands in his. Somehow, though neither seemed to actually move, they were suddenly standing, looking into each other's eyes from a few inches away, their foreheads touching lightly. The faintest hint of ozone permeated the air, as the small hairs on the necks of the watchers began to prickle. Time stopped, and somewhere far away, a bell tolled, Harry whispered, "Hermione...ever since I met you, I've always imagined my life with you there. I think that along the way, I've forgotten what a life was without you in it somewhere, and I really can't imagine living without you. You're probably the only person I've ever really known who loves me for who I am, not an image, but me, all my flaws as well as what I'm supposedly good at. You are almost the only thing that has kept me sane and alive for the past six years and you are the one inspires me to be the best Wizard...and man I can be. Thank you Hermione, for giving me a purpose and a reason to live, beyond what others may think. I love you more than I can possibly say, I love you, Mione, now and forever."

Hermione bit her lip as a soft, choked sound escaped her throat. She didn't bother to wipe away the tears that fell softly as she leaned forward, a bare couple of inches, to kiss him, before pulling back slightly and whispering, "Harry, my love. I dreamed of us together since before I really knew what those dreams meant. You are my heart, my soul and the one who makes me be better than I would otherwise be. Without you I would still be hidden up in the library, hiding behind a stack of books, if I was even here at all. Everything I have done, and everything I will ever do, will be for us, for you. When we finally pass from this plane to our next adventure, after a day or a millennium, know that I love you now, I loved you then, and that I will love you always, and always and I will be with you forever."

Next to the couple, Luna gasped as a sharp wind ruffled her skirt and a sudden bubble of force pushed her and Ron back. The candles in the room flickered as twin; soft glows lit chocolate and emerald eyes. Dumbledore chuckled softly, "Excellent, excellent. Now Harry...Do you, Harry James Potter, take Hermione Jane Granger as your wife, to protect her above all others, to honor her above all others and to love above all others, in happiness and sadness, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall inhabit this plane of existence?"

"I do, I will, now and forever." Dumbledore's eyebrow crooked at Harry's slight change and he turned to Hermione.

"Hermione Jane Granger, do you take Harry James Potter as your husband, to protect him above all others, to honor him above all others and to love above all others, in happiness and sadness, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall inhabit this plane of existence?"

Hermione's lip twitched upward, "I do, I will, now and forever." Small crackling energy webs crackled at the edge of the room, and Dumbledore seemed ecstatic. Behind them, Lupin pulled his and Tonks' joined hand to her lips as she leaned against him. Luna glanced around Hermione, to catch Ron's eye and he gulped.

Dumbledore glanced at Ron and Luna and nodded, the extended the rings to their respective honorees and watched, a touch amazed, as the rings lifted in front of them to float in front of Harry and Hermione. "Harry, please take the ring that is destined for Hermione and repeat the following. With this ring, this symbol of our bond, our love, I bind my magic, my heart and my soul to yours." Lupin's jaw dropped as he recognized that Dumbledore had upped the ante even further, invoking the old ceremonies that were seldom if ever practiced in this day and age, as they were well neigh impossible to break, even with death as they made the pair one...and suddenly he knew. Instead of objecting he pulled Nymphadora fully into his arms and back into him, her head resting under his as they watched. On either side of Harry and Hermione, the two purebloods were slightly speechless as Harry plucked the ring from the air and slid it on Hermione's ring finger until it abutted Lily's ring.

Harry was crying slightly as he placed the ring on her finger, "With this ring...this symbol of our bond, our love, I bind my magic, my heart and my soul to yours." The fingers of his left hand remained intertwined with hers as Dumbledore nodded and looked to Hermione.

"Hermione, the same."

Hermione plucked the ring from the air and slid it on Harry's left ring finger; her voice was soft and slightly choked up as she whispered, "With this ring, the symbol of our bond, our love...I bind my magic, my heart...and my very soul to yours...even though you already had all three." she added in a faint breath that only Harry heard. A sudden crackling bridge of light snapped between the rings and a green glow erupted in their eyes fully as a brief wind ruffled feathers, fur and hair about the room. Ron and Luna were knocked back another pace before the bubble collapsed with the almost-newlyweds standing stock still, unaffected.

"Very, well then," Dumbledore pronounced, "I hereby declare you husband and wife," he grinned, "I hope you can take it from here." Harry nodded vigorously as he and Hermione pulled on each other's hands to pull them together.

The room faded away as Harry felt Hermione's hands leave his to knot in his hair and her tongue suddenly dancing with his. Somehow his hands ended up running though chestnut curls as she leaned against him, trusting him not to let her fall. Faint greenish glows escaped slitted eyelids as their ears ignored distant sounds of amusement.

Finally they fell apart slightly, their heads still together, their eyes still looking directly into each other's. Hermione was fully relying on Harry to support her now, or perhaps it was the other way around as Dumbledore spoke, "May I present then, Mr. and Mrs. Potter."

Applause came from the few spectators as the pair finally broke apart, and came to their senses more or less. Hermione turned and gave Luna a hug, while behind her; Harry hugged Ron like a brother. They switched after a moment, for Hermione to hug Ron and kiss him on the cheek, with Harry doing the same to Luna. Lupin was almost crying himself as he swept Harry and then Hermione into a hug. "Did we surprise you, Moony?" Hermione managed after a bit.

"A little bit, yeah." Lupin laughed. Harry grinned as he led them to the sitting area and dropped onto the couch, Hermione falling with him to end up on his lap. Lupin shook his head as he dropped into a chair opposite them and Tonks, being Tonks, sat on the floor at his feet and leaned her head back against his knees. Ron flicked his wand and a tray of six butterbeers appeared, he took two and sat down, grunting slightly as Luna emulated Hermione. "I do wish that you had told us before...when the hell did you get engaged?"

"The train," Hermione replied instantly, she looked around the room, "you aren't mad are you, Remus?" she looked to Harry, "I mean you are..."

"You're about the closest thing I have left to a dad, besides Hermione's dad, Remus," Harry finished for her, "I know that we..."

Lupin shook his head as he leaned forward, "No I understand Harry, believe me," He looked down at Tonks as she looked up, "I understand. If the times were different, then yes maybe you rushed things, but somehow I don't think that you did even without that consideration." He laughed at a sudden memory, "I almost called you Mrs. Potter this afternoon in class, already, I'm really going to have to watch it aren't I?"

"Yeah," Harry and Hermione whispered as one. "Speaking of that, I guess that you all realize that we can't let this out, until Voldemort is dead, this was for us, really." The other four nodded and Hermione and Harry joined their hands, again, Fidelium Orbis Amor, they incanted together and all three rings flashed as one. "Fidelius charm," Harry explained as they looked at the room. He took a drink of his beer to quench a parched throat.

"So, now what then, Harry?" Lupin asked as Crookshanks and Hedwig decided to join the party. Hedwig settled next to Harry, while Crookshanks padded over to Tonks as she was on his level for an ear scratch before jumping up on the couch to take up half of it.

"We go on as we were, Remus, we act like we were before in public," Hermione answered, with barely a touch of bitterness. The last of the butterbeer flowed down Ron's throat and he summoned himself another.

"Are you sure you want to do that Hermione?" Tonks asked as she looked around the room, "This is a nice suite, I think it's even better than Wolfie's." she added thoughtfully after another minute of examination. "I never was...good enough to be Head Girl."

"Well, you know..." Hermione said with a smile. She turned to Harry and kissed him, just because, before shrugging. "No, that's not what we want to do, but we will until Ginny stops her whatever, then, we might, ummm," she laughed and Harry joined her, "we might date or something."

"Yeah, or something," Harry agreed, "Tomorrow, it's back to the salt mines, I think Hermione and I are going to go to Hogsmeade while Ron's at practice."

"You still could play, mate, I, um know the Captain," Ron put in. He watched as Luna got up and stretched. She smiled down at Ron and crooked a finger, beckoning Ron to his feet. She flicked her wand and soft music began to play. Ron took her hand, but she shook her head and waved to Harry and Hermione. They looked to each other and stood, Hermione flowed into his arms and they started to sway to the music.

The song ended as Ron and Luna started to dance, followed by the elder two. Harry smiled slightly as he kissed his new wife, and rested his cheek against hers. The two of them, never noticed as Lupin, Tonks, Ron and Luna silently slipped out of the suite and down the stairs to the hallway.

After several minutes, maybe an hour, Hermione glanced up at Harry, and around the room. She laughed softly as they noticed that sometime since their last check on reality, they were alone. She led Harry back to the couch and they collapsed together on it lengthwise. They lay quietly for a moment, not talking as Hermione rearranged her rings in the proper, married order, and kissed his cheek. So, Harry feel any different...

Other than that odd, deliriously happy feeling and the sudden warmth where the fear was...no, not really, Harry replied cheekily, Hermione giggled as she looked down at his chest and started undoing buttons. A soft mewing sound seemed to accompany her lips as she started to nibble next to his ear. Just what do you think you are up to Mrs. Potter...

Well, Mr. Granger...

Ha, Ha...

Hermione's hands stopped as she looked up at him through long, dark lashes. He could feel her hands trembling slightly as she placed them flat on his chest, Bloody hell, Harry, why am I so nervous all of a sudden? His hand came down and trapped hers in his as his other ran in small circles over the small of her back.

Probably the same reason I am, forever is a very long time...but there's no one else I could spend it with but you. I love you Hermione.

You know...if we are to do this right...Hermione's eyes flickered and a millisecond later they were in their room. Harry raised an eyebrow as she pushed him back onto the bed and stepped back. He watched, silently, as she bit her lip nervously and reached behind her back. A small movement later, her dress lay pooled at her feet leaving her only in a tiny pair of black knickers. Harry groaned as she crawled over him and sat on his lap, rocking side to side slightly as she slowly unbuttoned his shirt. Hermione smirked as her eyes cut down for just a millisecond before glancing back up.

This...is...not...fair...Harry managed as he felt a sudden magic pulse vanish his shoes, and a millisecond later his pants leaving only a thin layer of cotton and an even thinner layer of silk between them. Brown eyes twinkled as she started kissing him along his collarbone before slipping down to nuzzle him at the base of his throat. He grunted as she reached down to slip a hand into his boxers, and stroke him a couple of times, as her lips crashed against his. Jade eyes darkened to forest as she felt a pair of callused fingertips slide under her knickers to retaliate and tweaked a small nubbin. She gasped and sat up.

With a small motion of his fingers, Hermione felt herself being floated backwards to lie on the bed, and her kickers vanished to wherever half of their laundry had gone. I should do a pape... Hermione idly thought, her brain always working, and then, suddenly it shut down, as she felt Harry kissing his way down her stomach, tickling a smooth patch of skin, before... "OHH....FUCCCK..." Hermione gasped as she saw a pair of glasses fly past her field of vision as Harry flipped them in the general direction of the nightstand.

He settled in, licking, nibbling and occasionally lending a finger or two to the task. Her hands slipped to her own breasts, teasing them as Harry was busy a bit further down. He grinned against the inside of her thighs as she growled softly from somewhere deep in her throat. A breath, a second, and Hermione shuddered against his face, screaming...something...the sheets bunched up in her fists, and her center bucking up off the bed as he held her down gently with his hands on her hips.

She looked down, panting, a loopy smile on her face, as Harry crept back up her body, stopping to nurse a bit on the way before capturing her lips with his. She groaned loudly, almost a roar, as she knotted her fingers in his hair in an attempt to keep him firmly attached at the lips.

Hermione groaned as Harry pulled away, his lips slipping down to tease one breast while his fingers played with the other. She eased back up to a sitting position, backing up on her elbows. My turn, she announced, and pounced. Harry bit off a laugh as she threw him back, and his head bumped against a post of the bed. OHHH, I'm sorry, baby. Hermione half-giggled, at his slightly crossed-eyes.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him down, rolling at the same time so she ended up looking down at him. She ran her lower lip through her teeth as she looked down at him with brown eyes gone black. Envesco... Harry...make me your wife...please... He nodded as she reached down and back, stroking him a couple of times before guiding him home.

She slid down slowly, her eyes slipping shut until only a tiny sliver of her eyes shown through. They sat motionless for seemingly a millennia as Hermione, felt herself already crashing, and Harry whimpered at the sensation. Her eyes opened incrementally a hair as she leaned forward, captured his lips again and started to move. A tiny flicker of green fire flitted across two pairs of eyes before erupting fully. The fall of her hair hid both their faces from observation as only their panting breaths disturbed the curtain, and hearts fell in step as minds and souls fell into each other.

"Harrrry....ff..faster..." Hermione grunted and yelped as he flipped them over, and her ankles came up behind his back with a will of their own. A loud purr, progressed to a soft yelping sound as she pushed back up, matching him, push for push. She shivered again as a precursor shot along her nerves.

"M...M..iiiii..onneee" Harry whispered, breathlessly as he felt the echo of her emotions, and sensations over the top of his own. He fought to hold on, a touch longer, as he started sliding in and out faster, meeting her as she pushed up off the bed.

A minute, another and a warmth began to spread. "OHHH, MERLIN, I....LOVE...." Hermione felt her body crash as her inner walls clenched almost painfully around Harry, and she felt him come a moment later after one more, quick movement. A soft crashing sound came from several places in the room, but neither paid it any heed. That was one of the main reasons that Dobby was the highest paid House Elf in England, and possibly the world. Most of their stuff was reasonably sturdy anyway.

"You..." she finished tenderly as Harry collapsed onto her, and panted into her neck quietly, as she lay perfectly still, content to enjoy the random twitches and warmth of the afterglow and the comforting weight of her husband on her body.

You too, Mione, Harry replied, not bothering with using up precious oxygen. After a minute, he slipped out as Hermione quietly bemoaned the loss. He crawled up slightly and rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him like a blanket. A second later, she felt the covers come up and cover them, and her eyes, once more chocolate looked into his as she reached up and swept sodden bangs from his eyes, before doing the same to her own, damp hair.

Her knee pushed his apart to nestle between them as she lazily stretched enough to kiss him gently. Hermione smiled, as she felt their hearts slow together, easing towards sleep, which she felt rapidly overtaking them both. Night Harry, she whispered as her eyes dropped closed. Love you.

I love you too Hermione Potter, Harry replied instantly; then grinned slightly as he felt the automatic response her unconscious mind gave him when she was asleep. His arms tightened around her as he closed his eyes and waved his hand to extinguish the light. I do wonder where the hell my glasses ended up, was his last thought before he let sleep claim him, after all he and Hermione did have training before they could enjoy themselves tomorrow.

A/N: Next Chapter, Training, Quidditch, a study session interrupted, and yes we are at like 6851 words, barring revision before Hermione and Ginny have a "little talk."

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19. The Calm Before the Storm

A/N: Ok here it is, what you've been waiting for...actually it's not, sorry, but this is the last chapter before that chapter. Thanks once more to Lady Starlight for her help with this fic, it is appreciated.

Chapter 19: The Calm Before the Storm
**********************Hogwarts, Room of Requirements**********************

September 20, 1997
7:00 am

Hermione dove under a yellow bolt from a masked Death Eater, and waved at a stack of books over to the side. They shot sideways like a horizontal blizzard of leather-bound hail and pummeled the specter. A shimmering, silver beam hung in the air over her shoulder for a millisecond and the Eater collapsed. She slid next to Harry as he conjured a silver shield on his left arm and took several hits with corresponding loud gongs.

His hand dipped to a pouch at his hip and three silver discs howled back, expanding to the size of normal Frisbees before they had gone a foot. Two shot past a Death Eater to imbed themselves in the wall where they continued to hum with identical, high-pitched whines, while the third neatly decapitated a Death Eater in a spray of simulated blood.

Harry dropped his shield as Hermione's wand flashed and stones shot from the walls to pile in a four-foot revetment for them to hide behind. Harry dug in his pouch again and tossed a silver-black ball over the wall and hugged Hermione to him. A second later it went off with a roar that shook the room, and if this had been other than the Room of Requirement, probably the castle. Shrieks of pain echoed from beyond the fortification as Hermione tossed a small, marble-sized, blue ball over the wall and flicked open a mirror. After a moment's examination, she held up three fingers, lowered one and motioned to the right, dropped the other and waved to the left.

Harry gave her a nod and pointed to himself and then to the right, then at her and to the left. Hermione rolled her eyes before nodding. She dug into her pack and pulled out a pair of black-framed glasses. She slipped them on and smiled slightly as Harry tapped the sides of his own and took a small, black pellet from his pocket.

She gave him a nod, and he tossed the pellet.

The room went black, and they MOVED. Harry rolled over the top of the wall, and dove to the right, Hermione around the side and to the left. She reached her target first, slipped sideways, a blade flashed in the darkness and the Death Eater crumpled. Harry reached his a moment later and sliced up and right, rotated his wrist and cut back to the left. A simulated head fell away from the second as the first dropped face first to the floor.

The pellet's effect vanished a second later to reveal their handiwork. Harry nodded grimly as he looked warily around the room, not trusting the scenario to be over. It was, however, as the room flickered a couple of times before becoming the normal training room of the DA.

Hermione flicked her wand and tossed Harry one of the water bottles that appeared. She gave him a tired smile as Lupin and Tonks appeared from seemingly out of nowhere. "Wotcher," Tonks grinned as she took a drink from a mug of something steaming that she held in her left hand. "I'm amazed that you two can walk this morning, let alone take down that scenario...it's a graduation level Auror one."

"Ha, ha," Hermione replied and took a drink of her water, "I'll have you know that we got at least two or three hours of sleep." She waggled her eyebrows and Tonks brayed a laugh. Lupin grabbed onto her coffee mug worriedly as she leaned against him, cracking up.

"Are we done Moony?" Harry asked as he knelt down to retie his trainers. He looked up at the Lycan, who shrugged.

"Yeah, Harry," he smiled mischievously, "go forth and be merry."

Hermione glanced at him and her eyes twinkled, "We'll see, Remus." The pair left the room with a pair of towels still around their neck as Tonks stepped away from him and walked around the room. She started perusing the Dark Arts books on the wall as she thought, looking for something interesting.

"Remus?" she asked as she removed Splinching Spells, How to Recreate an Accident on Purpose, and turned to him, "I was thinking."

"Are you sure you should be doing that, luv?" he quipped as he leaned against a training dummy.

"I sure didn't agree to marry you for your sense of humor, Remus," she shot back and stuck out her tongue. She placed the book on a convenient table and walked over to him, and took his hand. "I think that they had the right idea of it Wolfie."

He sighed and ran his hand through her chartreuse hair. She smiled up at shyly and sighed softly as he kissed her forehead, "If you really want to go through with it, Nymph...we can."

"I wouldn't have said yes if I didn't mean it, you prat," she snapped and stepped back a bit, still holding onto his hand. "So when then?"

"Depends," Lupin waved his free hand non-committedly as she looked on. He looked down at her hand in his, watching the stone in her ring cycle through colors for a moment, "Do you want a big wedding or do you want to just get eloped? It's the same to me, Nymph as the end result is the same."

"I don't know, Remus," Tonks replied honestly, "I would love to have it at Grimmauld with mum and all of them there, Harry has already restored her to the family in his role as Lord Black, just to spite Bellatrix and Narcissa, but, we can't until it's over."

Lupin nodded and kissed her, "Think about it and let me know when and where I'm supposed to show up then." She punched his shoulder lightly before nodding.

****************************Hogsmeade*******************************

11:00 am.

Harry looked back and helped Hermione from the carriage and with a small, shared grin they headed into the village. She waggled her eyebrows at him after a minute and he laughed out loud. Parvati and Lavender who seemed to be traveling in a cluster of Gryffindors including Seamus, Dean, Neville, and a tall, black-haired, sixth year girl named Honor, which was just an outstanding name for a Gryffindor, along with Seamus' impromptu bed-mates of the opening night party, Ellen and Gretchen, looked at them oddly as they passed. Neither of them noticed the girls whispering excitedly behind their hands.

Harry stopped after a moment to look back towards Hogwarts, where the castle could be seen looming over the village, and just to one side, one could see the top curve of the Quidditch Stadium. If one squinted they could see little dark dots flitting about over the stands. "You miss it, don't you Harry?" Hermione whispered, knowing the answer.

"Sometimes, Mione, yeah," he responded as he turned on his heel and strode towards the village. She frowned and followed; Hermione had wholeheartedly agreed with Harry not playing, they really didn't have time. In fact, in her mind, Ron shouldn't be playing either, but she hadn't fought him over it, Harry was feeling bad enough about it as it was. Ron had further railed on Harry about him having to find a new Seeker and a new Chaser. An argument in which Ron had brought the old, morose Harry fully back, after which Harry had left bitterly, snapping at his friend. Harry gone, Hermione had then let fully into Ron, berating him in at least three languages, one of them dead, about dumping on Harry, and 'wasn't he happy anyway, he was the fucking Captain now?' as Harry felt he had let them down by not playing. Hermione had shot a parting spell gluing Ron's feet together and left to find Harry, still cursing redheads under her breath.

In the end, though, Ron had had to find not a Seeker and a Chaser, but two Chasers. Ginny had moved back to Seeking, and while Ron griped about her not being as good as Harry every time the subject came up, he knew not to push it.

"So where are we going, Harry, on our..." Hermione glanced around, "date?" she finished in a hush, her eyes grinning. Harry laughed and shrugged.

"I don't suppose that you'd want to visit Madame Puddifoot's?" he teased back as they headed down the gravel track to the town. He reached out and played with one of her braids.

Her eyebrow crooked, Only if you like sleeping on the couch...without me. She giggled as Harry gave a highly exaggerated grimace and shake of his head.

"So, the bookstore?" Harry replied quickly, he glanced down and looked at her hand, she returned a knowing look, "Shall we?" She nodded and they walked past the Three Broomsticks and took a left into a small, two-story shop. Harry was immediately hit with the smell of leather and parchment and grinned as he saw Hermione's face light up. She smiled up at him, and he waved towards the innards of the store, "Go ahead I'll amuse myself." She started to move to kiss his cheek, but paused, shrugged slightly and did so anyway, even if she lingered just a hair too long for "friendship."

Harry watched her climb a ladder to a loft filled with rare volumes, with a more or less disguised appreciation of the fit of her jeans. He laughed at himself as he walked into a section of the shop dedicated to Dark Arts and began to browse. He could feel the happy overlay of her emotions as she skimmed titles, occasionally picking one up, sometimes blowing the dust off and reading a paragraph or chapter. Mione do we have a copy of Offensive Offense?

She thought for a second, running over a mental catalog of her books, which were scattered among those in two bedrooms, a common room, those loaned out to Remus, Tonks and McGonagall, those at Grimmauld and a few that were at Godric's Hollow. Second Edition, Harry, if it's newer get it.

It's a fourth edition, claims to have improved projectile spells. Harry replied as he tucked it under his arm and felt her nod. He looked a bit longer, eventually picking up Explosive Spells for Fun and Dismemberment and Playing with Sharp Objects, a reprint of an old manual of arms by a G. Gryffindor. Mione, dear, I love you but I'm getting hungry.

He felt her sigh; I can't decide, she admitted after a moment, I have five, but they are all expensive...

Hermione, we can buy the shop out of our pocket change, Harry reminded her as he rolled his eyes, causing a fifth year to look at him oddly. She felt her sudden shock and he knew she was looking at the rest of the loft with new eyes. We don't have space, Hermione Jane.

Damn, she replied and he laughed causing the fifth year near him to think even more that the 'Chosen One' was a touch daft. He watched as she climbed down the ladder, the books she had chosen floating at her shoulder. She reached out and handed them to him. She watched with a little smile as he walked over the counter and paid for their purchases. A wand flick later and the books vanished to their rooms.

"Let's go eat," Harry laughed as Hermione's stomach agreed with him. She shot him a glare as she spun on her heel and stalked out of the shop, knowing full well that he could read her true feelings. He caught up with her as they reached the door of the Three Broomsticks and a subdued Rosmerta waved them to seats at the back, a cozy two-person booth set against the back wall.

Rosmerta came up the table and dropped a par of butterbeers on their table. "What'll you have?" she asked quietly. Rosmerta had been very withdrawn since her recovery from the spells she had been under last year. She was still jumpy and Harry knew that she was reported to have a guard troll hidden out of sight somewhere.

"What's on special?" Hermione inquired as she looked up at the witch, whose dressing habits hadn't followed her new shyness. Over in the corner booth, which was filled with the seventh and sixth year Gryffindors that weren't at Quidditch practice, Lavender elbowed Parvati and nodded in the direction of their table. The dusky-skinned girl grinned hugely and made a kissy-face for a second before returning to the conversation with Seamus and Dean, which would have given any of their parents heart attacks if they had heard it.

"The mutton is not bad today, or we have some Dragon steaks in from the coast," Rosmerta replied.

Harry and Hermione shared a look as they remembered the greenish steak that Hagrid had had over his eye fifth year, "The mutton please," they replied together. She left them to their devices and Hermione's wand flicked under the table casting a Distortion Charm around them, so they could talk in peace. "Where to next Harry?"

He grinned, "Well we could check out the Shrieking Shack..." Hermione muttered something about splinters and he laughed, a happy sound that caused her to smile. "Seriously...let's just walk around if you don't mind. Maybe we can head up to Dervish and Banges to see if they have any of those micro Sneakoscopes in." They paused in their conversation as a young, twenty-ish girl brought their orders and they each took a few bites.

Hermione swallowed the bite of mutton she was working on and looked over at him, "Alright, I need to go into Scrivenshaft's for a bit." She paused, "This is a tad annoying." She looked over that the Gryffindors and then around the room, pointedly.

"You mean the lack of us being able to snog at the table, or the fact that you wore jeans?" Harry said quietly with a twinkle in his eye that did odd things to her heart rate. She glared at him, but didn't mean it. She didn't talk to him as they finished their meal, but he could feel her laughing.

She stood, pulled several Galleons from her pocket and laid them on the table, "Let's go Harry," she commanded and he followed without a word. He barely took two steps out of the crowded pub before she grabbed his hand to drag him into a blind alley. Harry distantly felt his back crash against the wall as Hermione threw her arms around his neck and proceeded to make him forget the last several minutes. She took a deep breath to slow her heart rate as she licked her lips as she disengaged them from his. "What had it been?" she whispered.

"Like three, four hours," Harry replied, he leaned forward to kiss her again, more or less chastely, before he stepped back to run fingers through his hair, a lost cause. Hermione just grinned as she pulled her jumper straight, pulling the hem down to meet the waistline of her jeans. She took his hand once again as they left the alley, looking both ways as they exited, after all, 'friends' hold hands, Hermione rationalized.

A brief flicker of light danced near the eves of the inn.

They worked their way down the High Street, picking up a new, micro Sneakoscope at Dervish and Banges, and a half dozen quills at Scrivenshaft's. After meandering past the street leading to the Hog's Head, Harry looked up towards the base of the mountain overlooking the town. He pulled on her hand and she followed.

After several minutes of walking, and climbing a bit, they slipped into the cave where Sirius had hidden for so long. Bits of trash and windblown leaves were scattered about the floor. Yellowed Daily Prophets looked up at them, with pictures of Harry and her under Rita's three-year premature byline decorating an unfolded one on top. Hermione flicked her wand and cleaned a spot for them. She gave him a small encouraging smile as Harry slid to the ground and sat down on his lap, straddling his legs. She kissed his nose as his hands slipped under her sweater, before they proceeded to make out for a bit; somehow neither of them thought Sirius would mind terribly much.

***********************Quidditch Pitch, Hogwarts**************************

October 4, 1997
11:55 am

The first game of the season featured Gryffindor against Hufflepuff. In more normal times, this game would have been a run-away for Gryffindor, a 'gimmie' as Harry would have dominated the sky against the Hufflepuff Seeker, leaving only the final score in the hands of Ron and the Chasers. This year was anything but normal.

This year, Harry was sitting in the stands, much like he had done the majority of fifth year, watching. But this year, unlike then it was by choice rather than punishment. He waved to Ron as Ron led the team onto the field, as Captain now that Harry had surrendered the title as well as his spot on the team.

Harry handed Hermione a mug of Hot Chocolate he had conjured on this blustery, almost cold day in early October. She gave him an appreciative smile as he turned to talk to Hagrid. "'It's a ruddy shame that you're not playing 'arry." Hagrid boomed, and several rows away he could see Umbridge turning to him with a simpering grin. He didn't see the lethal glare Hermione retaliated with for him, but he didn't need to see it to know either. Harry looked over to the announcers box to see Luna perched at the microphone, Flitwick next to her. Luna had taken permanent ownership of the announcer's job at the start of the year. While no one seemed to be able to convince her that a three-foot, lion's-head hat might show a bit of bias, no one else really wanted the job, either. The aforementioned hat was sitting behind her, roaring occasionally.

"I was just too busy Hagrid," Harry responded and the half-giant nodded his great, shaggy head. They both turned to the game, Hermione gave him a supportive glance as the Quaffle was tossed up and the game began.

Immediately Harry knew that the Quidditch season could be a long one. Hermione let a small wince escape as the Snitch hovered behind Ginny's ear for a good thirty seconds, about twenty more than it would have taken Harry to catch it, and darted away.

"Gryffindor has the Quaffle...they lost it...darn..." Luna commented as the Quaffle was knocked from Demelza's grip into the hands of the Hufflepuffs. "Hufflepuff has the Quaffle...OH MERLIN WHAT A SAVE BY THE KING...." Luna screamed, jumping up and down as the Lion Hat roared.

They both jumped to their feet as Ron snagged a shot on goal, and beat it away with the tail of his broom, knocking it the length of the Pitch to slip neatly through the center hoop. Harry whistled loudly as Demelza, Ron's only returning Chaser as Katie had graduated, stole the Quaffle and groaned as a Bludger took her in the back causing her to drop the ball.

"Gryffindor has the Quaffle...well they did...And at this point it should be mentioned that the Bludgers used by Hogwarts were carefully inspected by myself and Ronald just this morning just in case they were transfigured Dodos as that would be...not so good." Hermione rolled her eyes as Luna commented, and shook her head.

"Guard your Chasers Peakes!" Harry yelled as Peakes and Coote flashed past the stands. He looked down to see a small hand on his arm and he calmed down. They watched, for the remainder of the game, a game that lasted almost four hours, as Ron valiantly kept the Hufflepuffs from scoring more than four times, while the Gryffindors only managed seven. Harry just sighed as both of the Seekers let the Snitch escape again.

"Weasley lets the Snitch go again...Snitches do make wonderful pets..."

Finally, Ginny spotted the Snitch and dove, the Hufflepuff Chaser, Nathan Forest, on her tail. The two of them bumped several times on the way to the pitch, Ginny stretched out her hand and plucked the Snitch from under his nose, which met the turf of the Pitch an instant later as Ginny used her small size to her advantage and pulled out of a dive that Forest had too much mass to abort.

"Gryffindor...wins...HI RONNIE...." Luna dropped the magical microphone on the table in her booth, causing a loud, booming sound to fill the air before Flitwick could shut it off, as Ron waved to her from the Pitch and she left the booth almost as fast as if she had Apparated away.

The crowd erupted and Harry clapped for a moment before giving Hermione a glance and left as Luna ran out onto the field and tackled Ron.

Hermione caught up to him as he reached the steps to the castle, If it helps, you can put on your jersey and I'll shag the conquering hero. I always wanted to, she admitted, with a faint blush coloring her cheeks. They headed up the stairs towards Gryffindor tower as Harry cracked a smile which had been her intention, though the comment and the offer were both real.

Sounds good to me, Harry winked and vanished in a fall of color as he triggered his pocketed Portkey. Hermione laughed and followed, the rush of wind of her vanishing disturbing several wall tapestries.

**********************Gryffindor Common Room*******************
October 4, 1997
8:00 pm

Gryffindor was celebrating their first win of the season, their first win without Harry Seeking when he could have played, in seven years. He stood aside and watched as Seamus and Ron were tossing back butterbeers in the midst of a crowd of admirers. Unlike Harry, Ron had not stopped playing Quidditch, and his Keeping today, had been stellar. Without Harry playing, Ginny had once more returned to Seeking, and had eventually captured the Snitch, though well after Harry knew he could have ended the game.

He took a sip of butterbeer as he leaned back in a corner watching, ever watching. Despairing of living a normal life. He sighed as Ron laughed to something one of the admiring fifth years said and pulled Luna to him. They kissed to the accompaniment of the cheers of the Gryffindors and few scattered Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs crowding the common room. Luna was now, after her stance at the Ministry and then later being one of the few who actually fought the Death Eaters at Hogwarts, more or less an adopted Gryffindor. Privately, Harry wondered if her quick acceptance was as much a function of the Gryffindors' shame as it was her bravery. The reconstituted DA was proof as almost every Gryffindor above third year had appeared, ready and willing to fight.

Ginny was laughing in the midst of a group of boys. Periodically she would dance with one of them to the music from an enchanted Muggle CD player that Dean and Seamus had begged Hermione's help with installing. Harry glanced up to see a Snitch flash past his face. His hand shot out and captured it, and let go before anyone noticed. "Hey Hermione," Harry said quietly as she walked up to him.

She was not dressed for a party, her frayed and worn jeans with the knees ripped out and an old, too large Gryffindor Lions sweatshirt that was secretly Harry's, was much more appropriate for a night of studying. She had her pack slung over one shoulder, with the corner of an old, leather-bound tome peeking out. "You alright?" Their gazes encompassed Ron as he pulled Luna down onto his lap on the couch, their couch, and she writhed slightly as Ron's hands ran up the back of her jumper and the blond and the redhead's lips met.

You mean am I jealous of Ron, Mione? Harry asked as he glanced at her. He could see the jewels of her engagement ring and the glimmer of the twin bands dancing in the firelight, only for him of course. A little, yeah...not about Luna though, he added quickly. Would I like the freedom to at least kiss you in public...yeah that would be nice. You going to go study?

Yeah...I thought I'd go work on that essay for Lupin. I don't feel much like partying, Hermione replied silently. She shuffled slightly on her feet and gave him a quick, fleeting smile.

Harry tipped up his butterbeer and finished it in two gulps. I'll come with you. He flung out his hand and watched as the portrait door to the Head's Suite opened for a second as his pack shot out of it and to his hand.

I knew you would, Hermione admitted as she led them to the portrait hole and out into the hall beyond.

In the midst of the crowd of partiers, Ginny watched them leave; she growled something under her breath and the fifth year boy she had been dancing with rather closely looked at her oddly. The song ended and she left to go to the girls' loo. Finding the stalls empty, she chose the one furthest from the door and slightly isolated from the rest by a support column for the floor above. She closed the door and did her business; dressed and stood to leave when she heard the door open and a pair of new voices entered the room. An odd smacking sound came from the direction of the mirrors and then

"Did you see them leave?" Lavender said haughtily.

"Yeah," Parvati answered slightly breathlessly. She laughed, "It will be nice for them to just admit it and get it over with. Her voice deepened a half octave, "Oh Harry...you survived again. Let's go and make babies." Her voice rose slightly to her normal register. "Seriously, hun, I'm happy for them, Merlin knows the poor boy has needed some happiness and we both know she's been pining for him since like...first year."

"Yeah," Lavender replied, "I never did get the whole Ginny thing last year. She is cute and all yeah, and what is that Muggle expression Dean said the other day?"

"I dunno, I was drunk remember? And you were the one..." Parvati shot back snarkishly with an undertone that told Ginny she didn't quite have the whole story.

"Oh yes," Lavender said loudly, ignoring her friend, in the voice of one who might be a touch around the bend, "It was 'I wouldn't kick her out of bed for eating crackers.' I admit that she is delectable." Ginny's eyes widened.

"So you want the set of both brother and sister?" Parvati growled back, giggling.

"Nah, too much hassle at family reunions...trust me," Lavender replied knowingly and the two erupted in laughs. "So how long do you think?"

"Till what, they snog, make out in the middle of Tonks' class what?"

Ginny's eyes narrowed and she bit her lip as a low hiss tried to escape. We'll see about that, I'll just have to remind Harry what he's missing. She probably wouldn't even kiss him if she had the chance...that bookworm. A dark seething feeling clouded the back of her mind.

"Let's say snog," Lavender replied after a moment.

"Christmas. You know Harry, he'll probably stay here, the poor boy doesn't have any family to go home to, and I bet she stays, probably claim something about homework even though she'll already have it done," Parvati replied with a tone of utter certainty.

"Five Galleons? I say it'll be before," Lavender replied.

"Done." In the stall Ginny heard the odd smacking noise for several seconds again along with a slight grunting sound. "We should probably get back."

"Yeah." The door opened and closed again and Ginny growled as she came out of the stall and checked her makeup. She brushed her hair back behind her ears and headed back to the party as well.

***********************Hogwarts**************************

October 5, 1997.
9:45 pm

Hermione yawned and glanced over at Harry. His normally disheveled mop looked more like the nest of a slightly drunken condor as he ran his hands fitfully through his hair. The large, back table they currently occupied was Hermione's favorite, one that very few other students would even dare to inhabit even if she were not here. It had the dual advantages of privacy from the occasionally raucous tables in the more open part of the library that were usually filled with students more concerned about the color of their parchments than what was on them, and convenient access to the Restricted Section, which Harry and Hermione enjoyed as Head Students.

She glared as a giggling fifth year Hufflepuff paused at the entrance to the cul-de-sac and looked at Harry, longingly. The young blonde left abruptly, and Hermione carefully hid a grin. She knew there were rumors about her and Harry, there had always been rumors about her and Harry, but she was pretty sure that none of them were anywhere near the truth. Parvati and Lavender had asked her rather pointedly about it, as soon as it was blatantly obvious, anvil-sized hints rather; that Ron was with Luna. She had just shrugged and given the standard 'Harry's my best friend' line. It was true after all, just not the whole truth, not in the least, the other half of my soul maybe. She thought absently as she ran her thumb over an invisible band on her left hand. There wasn't a day that the 'Chosen One' wasn't hit on or otherwise propositioned in the hall and she gave him a small smile, as she knew that he wanted to come out in the open as much as she did.

In a way, it was Percy, as much as Ginny who had caused their current predicament. If it hadn't been for the late, third Weasley brother and his letting the Death Eaters past the Burrow's defensive wards, for whatever reason he had done it, the situation would be different. In some way, in that tiny corner of her mind, that had never given up hope, that had led the fight against Ginny's talisman, she had always thought that if she were to have to hide a relationship with Harry, it would be because of Voldemort. That wasn't the case. Between their linked minds and radically boosted powers due to their finally being free of their shackles and the simple fact that it was as dangerous to Tom as it was to Harry to force a connection these days, Voldemort's spying into Harry's mind was pretty much a non-issue. Besides, though she would never tell Harry, she had an odd suspicion that Voldemort already knew. She knew, now, that she was already in love with Harry, fifth year, and at the back of his mind, the part that even then had talked in her voice, he had known then as well.

No, she was pretty much a target, but not any more so than Ron or Harry, himself. Their current issue was that they hid for Ron's sake, not that they would say as much. His family was already fractured. The kids pretty much were of a mind that Percy had been a Death Eater, initiated or not, while Molly clung to the belief that he had been forced into it. The Ginny situation only looked to make things worse, and the clock was running. Ron knew of Hermione's ultimatum of right before school started. He knew that his best friends were not going to pull back from it, and though he had never said so, he also knew the only reason that they hadn't already squashed her was the fact that they had been desperately hoping that she would move on and forget this. And he also knew, when the time came, which side he would choose.

Even so, Hermione thought as she looked back down at her book and scratched out a note about possible means of containing the released sprit of a Horcrux, so it could be crushed without the energy release that had cost Dumbledore his hand, and almost cost her, everything. Harry needs to relax. She glanced up, You ok baby?

I'm fine Mione, Harry replied without looking up. Just tired of looking at spells. Hermione Granger, the most studious person in this school nodded and stood up. Her eyes flitted around the room and finding no one, she kissed him on the top of the head.

I'm going to go look up another book. Then maybe sneak down to grab a snack and bring it back, you need anything? Hermione asked as she placed the notes and the book she had been reading into Harry's pack. Harry shook his head and dropped it into the cradle of his arms. She glanced at the stack of combat magic books stacked next to Harry and sighed as she headed back into the stacks. Truthfully, either her or Harry could have probably already stood almost any of their NEWTs right now, except maybe humorously enough, Care of Really Dangerous Creatures. Even Ron was pretty much beyond NEWT level in DADA and Charms, his Transfiguration and Potions were still a touch weak, but she knew he was ahead of most of his classmates in those as well, or he was when he bothered to study.

Hermione headed forward into the front part of the Restricted Section, the part where she could see the rest of the Library to find that it had emptied out. She shook her head and started to search for a book on binding spells, when a hand touched her on the shoulder. She whirled, her hand blurring for a wand, with the other already coming up for a strike to clear her area, when she stopped abruptly. "My apologies Madame Pince," Hermione said in a whisper, "you gave me a fright."

"I am getting ready to close up for the night," she said in a harsh whisper, the type of voice one gets from talking that way all the time, "I assume that you and Mr. Potter will be leaving soon?" Not only did Pince dislike the Head Students having full access to the Restricted Section, but also she also really didn't like them having access to the Library at any hour. Unfortunately for her, that was not a condition that Harry and Hermione had imposed, but rather one that had been in place for many, many years.

"Yes, ma'am I expect that we will about another hour," Hermione replied with absolutely no idea how much longer they would stay before surrendering for another day before they left to go collapse on top of each other for the night.

Pince left with a slight huff and Hermione returned to searching for her book. Finally after ten minutes of increasingly annoyed searching, the Restricted Section books tended to rearrange themselves, she found Restraining and Imprisonment Spells hiding behind a series on werewolves, and a rather thick book called Coital Thaumaturgy, that she marked for later, leisurely perusal, and headed back towards her table, having decided just to take Harry home and get out of here for the night.

Hermione paused as voices came from the direction of the table. Harry's and one that she really didn't want to hear at this moment...

"So what are you working on Harry?" Ginny said softly. Her voice was almost a half octave low as she attempted her inveiglement. Hermione took a silent step backwards and stood out of sight. She spied Harry's pack sitting on the floor under the table, and crouching down, she flicked her fingers at it. A very tightly folded and shrunken cloak shot across to her along the floor and vanished into her hand. She smiled tightly to herself as she remembered that they had only brought Harry's stuff here.

I'm not here Harry, Hermione sent silently and his eyes didn't even flicker in recognition.

"Just some stuff for DA," Harry replied vaguely. He turned the page he was looking at and glanced up at Ginny. Harry swallowed softly, and Ginny's lip curled. A hint of black lace was visible under the open neck, and loose tie of her school uniform, and her skirt seemed to be one that she had had as a third year. "Do you need something Gin, I am kinda busy." Hermione silently applauded as she stepped around the edge of the stacks, totally invisible.

"Can I help?" Ginny asked as her brown eyes locked to Harry's.

No, Hermione, Harry thought forcefully as he could feel the magic start to concentrate behind Ginny's back.

Under the cloak, Hermione shook her head vigorously and returned, No, actually I have a better idea. Without another word, she dropped to her knees under and crept under the edge of the large table without a sound. Now be quiet...

What...OH FUCK...Harry's eyes widened for a second as he felt a cloak being tossed over his lap and a zipper being slowly lowered. His other fist clenched under the table as he felt himself respond to a small, invisible hand. Hermione bent her head and licked the tip of his suddenly erect member. Harry's eyes crossed slightly as he looked down at his book.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Ginny asked and below the table Hermione giggled without moving her head. Harry tasted blood as he bit his lip.

"Umm...Yeah, I'm just fine," Harry replied in a voice that was almost normal. Ginny smiled down at him and leaned over the table to examine the book he was looking at, and just so happened to give him a small flash. He felt his heart thump in his chest and thin sheen of sweat popped on his brow as something hot and moist surrounded him below the table.

"Why are you sweating?" Ginny asked suspiciously. A series of vibrations shot up his core as a new series of giggles vibrated down low. A rush of air and then a cat-like tongue sliding languorously up his length.

You are evil... "It's a touch hot in here," Harry replied very quietly, and slowly. "I really need to get this done, Ginny," Harry said truthfully as he looked back to his book, and fought desperately to keep his breathing level, and to keep seeing in fact, as his vision was starting to gray out. Ginny looked as if she wanted to say something else, but shook her head slightly.

"Ok, then Harry," she replied, disappointment readily evident in her voice. She moved off, and out of the little cul-de-sac.

Hermione started moving faster, sucking a touch with each stroke, and a moment later, Harry dropped his head to the desk as he exploded...bucking up or at least trying to, out of his chair. He fell back into it a moment later, panting, desperately trying to replace starved oxygen as an invisible body slid up his body, pushing him away from the table. A fall of chestnut curls became visible as she swept the hood of the cloak off and crashed her lips to his.

Harry growled slightly as his her tongue slipped home to meet his and he tasted himself on her. His heart hammered against his chest and Hermione grinned like Crookshanks with a canary, as she settled herself on his lap. Shall we continue this?

Definitely, but lets go back to our rooms. Harry felt a reaction to her in his lap, And you really need to get off my lap right now...or we won't last that long.

Spoilsport. Hermione shot back but slipped to her feet and cleaned them up with a spell. After fixing himself, Harry stood and vanished their books and his bag with a flick of his wand. Harry took her hand and led her out of the Library, pausing to Nox the lights and lock the door with a spell. Hermione glanced up and down the hall and seeing no one, threw her arms around Harry's neck and kissed hard enough to crash backwards against the doors.

Pulling back Harry brushed a lock of hair out her face and behind an ear, before taking her hand again and heading off down the hall towards the rest of the castle, the castle that by now was emptied of wandering students.

Except for one, a hard eyed, fire-haired presence slipped out from a dark crevice and shimmered as a disillusionment field faded away. That fucking bitch, Ginny hissed in her thoughts. She pondered for a moment, before turning and running in the other direction, towards the seventh floor and the Room of Requirement.

She paced to and fro three times in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, thinking hard, and an old, oak door appeared. A single desk was sitting in the center of an otherwise barren room. A sourceless spot of light illuminated the desk, which contained a single sheet of parchment and a envelope.

Ginny looked down at the parchment, it was a letter, note really, that Harry had sent her over the summer after the Basilisk, asking how she was, because...he was Harry:

Ginny,

I hope you are ok, I hear from Ron that you sometimes have problems sleeping. If you need someone to talk to let me know.

Your friend,
Harry.

Ginny smirked slightly as she drew her wand and placed the tip of the worn, ash wand in the center of the parchment. "Vicissitudo." As she watched, the letters, Harry's own handwriting moved and changed, the letters rearranging, morphing into others and attaching to different letters. A moment later it stopped:

Hermione,

Meet me in Lupin's class tonight at 9; I've been talking to Remus and he wonders if we can modify it to work against other creatures Ton might have under his control

Love,
Harry.

Now, I'll just send this to her, when I know Harry's otherwise occupied and we'll have a talk...

Ginny crept out of the Room of Requirement, and slipped down the hallway to Gryffindor Tower, and for once, not a familiar, Professor or ghost was between her and her goal.

A/N: DUN DUH DUN....ok, ladies and gentlemen, in this corner.... Do I REALLY need to expound on next chapter, nah....

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20. What Goes Around...

A/N: Ok, here....we....go.... Thanks again to Lady Starlight, for her tireless work.

Chapter 20: What Goes Around...

***************************Hogwarts******************************

October 10, 1997
9:00 pm

Hermione was tired, so tired. This constant training that she, Harry and Ron had been under since they had left the Burrow oh so long ago, and the destruction of one Horcrux nearly at the cost of her life, was causing her very bones to ache, and her brain to pound. One too many bouts of Leglimency training against several opponents at once, had driven her behind her shields for the day, blocking out even Harry at this distance. Unless he actively searched her out, of course. She looked down slightly cross-eyed at her watch and wondered just were the hell Harry was. She could feel his presence of course, but it seemed that he was in another part of the castle and her head hurt too much to reach out across the distance to ask him were he was. I swear if I didn't love the boy I would feed him to Norbert.

Hermione leaned against the wall outside of Remus' classroom and pulled her wand out. She idly examined the carved surface of her ivy-wood wand and noticed a slight chip that had happened yesterday in a training exercise with Tonks. And if he would show up I could use his wand to fix this blasted ding, it doesn't hurt it, but I liked that carving. Hermione checked her watch again, and pulled the note out that an owl had delivered after she had left training with Tonks just now. Sure enough the time and place was right. And the handwriting was Harry's, she was sure of it. She had seen it almost every single day for the last seven years taking time off for summers and hiding from dark forces. Well, I guess I'll just go in and wait.

Hermione flicked her wand at the door and it clicked open. I really need to talk to Remus about his locking charms; Ron could have beaten that one hung over. Hermione pushed her way into the room and looked around, no Remus, no Harry. Harry had sent her the owl to meet him here to go ever her new anti-Inferi spell. Harry had gotten it easily, but he wanted to talk to Remus to see if it could be modified to work against other dark creatures. He gets everything easily, it's like Dumbledore's reborn in him...Hermione took a seat at a front table and took out the ancient copy of Advanced Potion Making that had caused the rift between her and Harry last year. With an annoyed sigh, she fell into the relentless concentration that had gotten her through six years of study here, pushing aside everything else; it was at least quiet here, as she began to read.

Her heart had almost stopped that night at Grimmauld when he had come to her in the Library and handed her the book, his eyes never quite meeting hers, and asked her to look through it, to see if there was anything they could learn from it. He had held up the brand new copy he had sent Dobby to purchase and said he would get along on his own...or with her help rather, from now on.

She had cried that night after he left. And it wasn't because she was mad at him.

It infuriated her beyond belief, but there were several items in the book that might prove useful, and it was far too late for worries about where a spell or potion that might confuse, disable or destroy a Death Eater might have come from. Hermione's quill scratched on a blank sheet of parchment for a half hour as she took notes from the book. She had already learned the potentially lethal curse of Snape's, which Harry had used on Malfoy and tried to use on the Inferi. Mine works better, she thought with no small bit of self-satisfaction as they had proved earlier this year in Nottingham.

A soft scrape came from the door, and Hermione turned to it, with a small, exasperated smile, "Harry, where the...." But it was not Harry that was standing there, but a petite redhead at least a foot shorter. Ginny was already glaring at her as she slammed the door behind her and locked it with a Colloportus spell. Hermione crooked an eyebrow as she softly asked, "Hello Ginny? What's up?"

But Hermione already knew, as her mind reached out to find Harry up in their rooms, and she quietly cursed herself for letting herself get distracted and not search for him before. She quickly damped her presence before he reacted; this could be bad enough, without getting Harry involved. Her eyes flicked around the room, quickly cataloging anything and everything of interest or use. Ginny took a step into the room and her wand came out from behind her back. "Why did you have to take Harry? Why couldn't you be happy with Ron, he loved you?" she hissed darkly as her wand started to track slowly towards Hermione.

Hermione sighed softly and stood from the table. She gave the younger witch a wan smile; "No, he didn't, Ginny, at least not like that. He was a friend, maybe one with benefits for a while, but in the end he's my brother, nothing more, nothing less."

Ginny didn't look as if she had even heard Hermione, her eyes flared and her wand flicked. A shimmering bolt snapped across the room to whine uselessly into the ceiling. Hermione's slightly glowing shield hung in the air, automatically orienting itself between the two girls. Hermione's eyes flashed and she responded softly, in a tone that Death Eaters would learn to fear, "You really do not want to do that, Ginny." Her eyes flicked to the small crack in the ceiling that Ginny's deflected spell had caused, "Honestly, Ginny, a Bat-Bogey Hex, you can do better, hell I taught you better myself."

"Yeah, Harry taught me a lot," Ginny shot back snarkishly. She flicked her wand again and a hard banishing charm pushed against Hermione's shield, which should have pushed Hermione back into the wall...hard. But Hermione just stood her ground and rolled her eyes.

"Please stop this Ginny," Hermione sighed as she slowly started to circle to her right around the various desks and chairs. "I let it go when I found out about the potions and the talismans." Her eyes hardened, becoming clips of brown flint, the pupils became tiny pinpricks of green fire, "But I am not going to let it go any longer, leave him alone. You're a friend, I thought you were mine." Hermione sighed and summoned her books and bag to her, and turned to leave the room by the far end door. She canceled her shield and vanished her wand, and had almost reached the far door, when some instinct caused her to dive to her right. The silver jet of the cutting beam grazed her left arm, darkening the sleeve of her white blouse with her blood and cutting the strap of her pack on that side causing it to spill to the floor. Books and papers flew about the room, an inkpot shattered and pencils, quills, and a tube of strawberry flavored lip-gloss rolled under a desk.

"Don't you turn your back on me, you scarlet woman, you...slag. You're just like his mother a Mud..." Ginny roared, and Hermione took a breath. She bit her lip and her small fists clenched.

"Fine then," she said flatly as she cut off Ginny's rant. Hermione rolled her neck slightly, cracking it, and turned to Ginny in a voice of slow-pulled steel, "Ginevra Molly Weasley...with no provocation, you have attacked me with a lethal curse and insulted the honor of myself and my lover," Ginny gasped loudly as Hermione finally admitted what had been her greatest fear since seeing them seemingly back to themselves at Bill and Fleur's wedding the day after Hermione had ended things with Ron. "You will meet me on the Field of Honor at noon on the 'marrow. You may chose a second that will fight in your place should you fail to appear. You are reminded, as this is Hogwarts, the duel is to incapacitation, Unforgivables will result in your termination by the appointed judge. However, any spell other than the forbidden three may be cast and could result in death if properly utilized. On your honor as a Gryffindor, do you accept the terms as presented or will you give restitution to myself and Master Potter?" Hermione's words were almost verbatim from Hogwarts a History. They were the formal terms used at a Duel of Honor, and that had not been used in almost fifty years, until this year, when Harry had already had to face two duels with various Slytherins too stupid to abide by his and Hermione's midnight warning a month ago, or when Ron had stood as Luna's champion after she had been ambushed after a DA meeting by Austin Waldinger, a sixth year Slytherin that had probably been put up to it.

Minerva McGonagall's glare at Harry and Hermione had been historic the day she had signed off on the duel between Harry and Jacob Flint, but she had just nodded in the end, and agreed. Umbridge in her capacity as overseer for the Ministry had growled and wined and railed and threatened the two Heads with expulsion and incarceration, until Harry's faintly glowing eyes had finally turned to her and told her to "shut up" with the addition of an expletive normally used in conjunction with an activity that it was doubtful that Umbridge had herself ever experienced.

The toad had scampered away, and McGonagall's almost hidden grin was not lost on either of them, especially not after Harry had asked her point blank at the start of school, when her appointment had been announced, why he as a Gryffindor, should ever be expected to meekly bow down to a tyrant of any level. The realization of the fact that that was exactly what she had advised him to do fifth year was not lost on any of them.

Ginny's brown eyes were almost as hard as Hermione's when she nodded, "I will not need a second; I will be there."

"Very well," Hermione replied and watched, wordlessly, as Ginny stalked out of the room. She slowly picked up her books and things and placed them in her bag carefully. She mended the strap severed by Ginny's cutting spell and checked the fit of a pair of daggers beneath her robes at her back, all in an futile attempt to calm herself. The attempt failed.

A heartbeat later, she was running though the halls of the castle, ignoring a shouted complaint by Flich as she sprinted up the stairs to the seventh floor. She scraped her shoulder on the secret archway to the Head's suite as she was through the arch before it had even fully formed. The upper door slammed open as she approached and Harry and Crookshanks looked up from where they were reclining on the couch, Harry reading a treatise on wandless Transfiguration and the Kneazle enjoying a leisurely scratch behind the ears as he lay in Harry's lap.

Crookshanks barely got clear as his brunette-haired mistress threw herself into Harry's arms and started weeping. Harry didn't ask, he just held her against his shoulder, stoking her hair with the hand that had held the abandoned book, and kissing the crown of her head as the other hand rubbed the small of her back in small circles. Finally, she pulled away slightly and rolled in his arms, to face the fire in the corner. She arched back into him, pressing her back against his chest as if trying to touch him with her whole body. "What's wrong Mione?" Harry asked quietly as he knew tears continued to roll down her cheeks. His thumb came up and swept a few away as his lips kissed her collarbone softly.

"Ginny..."

"Ginny, what?" Harry inquired as his voice started to rise slowly, "What happened Hermione?" His tone became quietly urgent as he wondered what could have happened to the diminutive witch, who despite his and Hermione's, and Ron's if it came down to it, differences with her she was still their friend, or so he thought. He did not know as her thoughts were closed and warded, a practice that she normally did not practice, at least not with him. Hermione sighed and sat up, and turned around to face him once more. Harry's heart moaned at the sight of still more tears in her eyes. She grabbed both of his hands with hers tightly and met his eyes; a flare and a rush of images filled his thoughts.

"Damn," Harry whispered. He dropped her hands and pulled her back into his shoulder as she started to cry openly again. Damn Ginny, damn it. She cried softly for several minutes more until, with a soft choked sound she pulled away and wiped tears angrily. "She faked the note Hermione, I never, I would have been there, I thought that you were up in the Library, I..."

Hermione gave him a forced half-smile and a soft snort, "I know Harry, I knew as soon as I saw her come in the door."

Harry slowly rose from the couch and kneeled next to her. His hand reached out and cupped her cheek, Hermione rubbed against it as her eyes closed. "Are you going to be alright for a bit, Mione? I...need to go talk to McGonagall."

"Yeah," she breathed, "and I need...I need to talk to Ron." Harry nodded at her as he left via the passage to the corridor. Hermione took a deep breath and headed in the opposite direction, towards the Gryffindor common room.

***************************Hogwarts, Quidditch Pitch*******************

Saturday, October 11, 1997
11:58 am

The sky was endlessly blue as Hermione stood in a black duelist's cloak, bearing the markings of the Head Girl, on the edge of the center circle in the middle of the green grass of the pitch. She glanced around at the stands surrounding the pitch, where at least most of the school was gathered. And while the student body at Hogwarts was at least halved due to the war, there were still many, many students, Professors and others looking down at her as she waited for the preliminaries to end.

Opposite her, Ginny waited as well, in scarlet robes emblazoned with the Gryffindor crest, her wand was held easily in front of her as she glared at Hermione. Over to one side, halfway between her and Hermione, Harry, McGonagall, Flitwick, Remus and Ron stood, and none of them looked happy at all to be there. Poppy stood a ways back, a stretcher and several bags ready just in case.

Harry was there as he was the Head Boy, though he had wanted to stand in a second for Hermione as she had done for one of his duels, Ron had had his back at the other, but today Hermione had kissed his cheek and told him he would be better off with McGonagall. Ron was there as the titular representative of the DA, McGonagall as Headmistress, Remus in his role as Head of Gryffindor House and Flitwick as a judge. The diminutive wizard held his wand ready, as he looked between the two.

He cast a Hovering Charm on himself and floated out between the two witches. A sudden silence fell over the crowded Quidditch pitch as everyone watched him glance back and forth between the two of them "Sonorus, A CHALLENGE TO AN INSULT AND AN ATTACK HAS BEEN OFFERED." Flitwick looked to Hermione, "WILL THE OFFENDED WITHDRAW?"

A ghost of a frown crossed her eyes as she answered, but unfortunately none of the trio could back down any longer, to anything or anyone, "If she apologizes, aye, barring that, nay, sir." Flitwick nodded, he knew.

He turned to Ginny, "WILL THE CHALLENGED ACCEPT THE TERMS FOR WITHDRAWL?"

"No sir," she replied harshly, "since I was correct in the terms I chose to describe her and Potter's mother." A loud murmuring broke out over the stands, and as Flitwick nodded sadly and spun to the crowd, another presence ran out on the field.

"No, don't do this, no, don't hurt my Ginny." Ron caught his mother and stopped her progress. Ron had been caught in the middle with all of this since last night when of his best friends came to him in tears and told him what had happened. He had fielded the Howler from his mother as well, this morning, for somehow not stopping her precious youngest daughter from getting her arse kicked. Which, unlike many in the crowd who still regarded Hermione as a shy, retiring bookworm despite the obvious changes over the years, is what he pretty much knew would happen if Ginny crossed wands with the Head Girl with intent. And he knew what might happen when he chose his brother and sister by choice over the sister by blood. Almost the entire clan had appeared this morning, two or three hours after breakfast, a breakfast in which Gryffindor tower was pretty much silent.

Bill had gone to talk to Harry, and then to Hermione. He had meant what he had said at the wedding in an aside to the trio. A quick sharing of memories with Harry and he had turned gray. He had left, to go stand with Fleur with only a quiet, "Please try not to kill her." Hermione had bit her lip and cried several minutes in Harry's arms after they escaped after all the Weasleys had had their say. Of which most, post a brief talk with Bill, had mostly consisted of similar sentiments to his. Arthur had just sighed and took a coffee that Dobby had supplied, smelling suspiciously of Ogden's.

Molly had gone to her daughter and glared at Hermione instead. She had refused to even consider that the memory was not a fabrication. And now she was pulling at Ron's arms, "Let me go, damn it," she snapped at the tall redhead who overshadowed her by almost a foot. "Let me go. She will get hurt."

"Yes mum, I am afraid she that will," Ron agreed sadly. He looked over at Harry and Hermione. Hermione was stony eyed as she stood looking at her former best friend exclusive of Harry or Ron. "She needs to learn there are consequences to her actions," he said kindly.

"She got in an argument, you lot do it all the time," Molly hissed as she waved vaguely at Hermione. She tried to shake his arms on her shoulders, but to absolutely no avail, Ron might be the youngest of her boys, but he was easily the biggest. A gust of wind snapped the cloaks of the combatants and witnesses exposing Ron's wand sheathed on one thigh, with another of the daggers on his other leg.

"Mum, we don't cast lethal curses at each other, or call each other slags or call their parents a...." Ron broke off, not wanting to complete his thought. He looked at Molly thoughtfully, "You really don't know do you?" He sighed, "What she has been doing for the last two years..."

"Ginny wouldn't do anything..."

"She's not a bloody angel, mum," Ron growled in her ear.

Minerva forestalled any further argument, "Mr. Weasley, please remove your mother from the field." Her voice was kind, but hard.

"I will not...Minerva, she's underage, I am her parent, I extend the apology for her..."

"Alas you can not," Flitwick replied, "While she is underage as to the general use of magic outside of the school, according to the law, she may be challenged and may accept challenges at sixteen." Molly's mouth flopped open and closed like a fish as Ron led her back to the stands and gave her into the arms of Bill who just nodded. Unlike his mother, he understood. He understood that you sometimes had to choose what was right and just, no matter the cost, over what was easy. Bill had already known of the things Ginny had done to the three of them in her quest to gain Harry. She had been discrete, but in the end Fleur was part Veela, she knew of the ways to induce feelings of desire better than most of the people who wrote those restricted spellbooks did. Fleur had felt it at the Burrow.

Fortunately, Bill and Fleur's intervention was not needed; the depth of feelings and the sheer magical power of the affected people had thrown off the influences, along with a series of events that could not have been foreseen by the youngest Weasley.

But that did not change the past, and did not change the present. Flitwick floated back to the witnesses and nodded to Harry. A wave of Harry's hand and a translucent, diamond wall appeared between them and the duelists. "BEGIN"

Ginny's wand shot up, "REDUCTO," the blue bolt of a Reductor shot across. Hermione's wand flick was almost negligent as she deflected it and it whined off into the boundless sky. Hermione's eyes narrowed as she deflected one, two more curses. The girls started circling, looking for vulnerability. Ginny's eyes widened and she grinned. She whispered something and waved her wand oddly. A splash rang out as a huge, bottomless swamp appeared under Hermione's feet and she began to sink into it. Hermione flicked a Repulsion Hex at her own feet as she flipped up and back, using the spell as a springboard. She landed on solid ground and did something that Umbridge had not been able to do in fifth year...she banished the swamp with a slight sneer.

Ginny looked over at Hermione and swallowed, a brief passage of a conversation between her and Luna at the Burrow flicked across her thoughts, You are a powerful witch Ginny, but she's like a bonfire to your candle. Hermione's wand flicked and a cloud of yellow birds shot at the redhead, and on the sidelines, Ron winced. Ginny's hasty Reductor destroyed the birds, and a silver curse retaliated for the birds, only to hit only air as Hermione dove to her left, rolled and bounded back to her feet in one smooth, blurred motion.

Harry watched the duel with an expression on his face that seemed to indicate he was a thousand instead of seventeen. He caught Ron's eye; who just nodded. They both knew. Hermione was trying to not to have to hurt Ginny, Hermione who, along with Harry and Ron, had already had an abortive Auror course shoved down her throat. Who already knew at fifteen, more curses than Ginny would probably ever know, was trying not to have to hurt Ginny too much. They could both see that Hermione was looking for an opportunity to stun her or something and take her wand, which would technically end the duel, as Ginny wouldn't be able to continue.

But unfortunately Ginny had other ideas. "DIFFIDO SPARSI" A hail of silver darts flashed out at Hermione. She blocked most of them, but staggered as blood ran down her legs and back. Behind the barrier, Harry's hands twitched and Ron placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. A new hush fell over the previously cheering crowd; everyone knew that the stakes were changed. Ginny, in her blinding Weasley anger, was going for the kill instead of incapacitation. And with that confirmed, the duel changed.

Harry's voice echoed in Hermione's thoughts as she rolled to her feet, a shimmering blue field dancing in the air between her and Ginny, End it Hermione, please... She frowned. Ginny tried her shotgun blast again, but Hermione was ready for it.

She MOVED, A flutter of a cloak and she vanished from in front of Ginny to dance to the side. Incendio incarcium. Flaming bars of fire erupted around the small witch, Ginny shot out several random stunners, missing with them all. A twirl of a cloak, a hard slash downward with an ivy-wood wand, and a purple wave shot through the bars, cutting Ginny off at the knees. The crack of her leg could be heard throughout the stadium. Hermione stopped in front of Ginny, "Please Ginny...end it," she pleaded.

Ginny's only response was a flurry of silver bolts back at Hermione. Hermione spun to her left and fired a Banishing Charm at the girl with a hurried flick of her wand to cancel the flames before Ginny shot back twenty feet and skidded on her back another ten. Molly was crying as Hermione once again called for Ginny to surrender. Hermione blocked another lethal curse and fired a stunner in return, which whined off into the protective wall around the judges.

Hermione growled, and spun her wand in a tight cone, Cyclonium. A horizontal cyclone shot out from Hermione's wand, grabbed Ginny and tossed her in the air. Wild random spells shot out from the center of the whirlwind for a moment, before stopping. Finite, Arresto Momentum. Hermione cast silently and Ginny's unconscious, battered body slowly floated to the ground. Hermione slowly approached, and summoned Ginny's wand with a wand flick. She turned and walked over to the witnesses. Tears were in her eyes as she resolutely handed Flitwick Ginny's ash wand. Flitwick nodded and took the wand. He announced the end of the duel as Hermione fell into Harry's arms and Ron hugged them both, kissed the top of her head and went over to Ginny as Poppy levitated the witch onto a stretcher.

"Will she be ok?" Ron asked as Molly, freed of Bill's arms, came running up. Bill, Fleur and Fred were following at a more sedate pace.

Pomfrey nodded, "Yes, Miss Granger did a good job of keeping the damage to a minimum." Her eyes were hard as she flicked her wand up and down the witch. Text filled in on an enchanted clipboard. Poppy looked over the words and gave a terse nod. "Yes she will be fine in a week or two." The stretcher followed her as she led the way up the lawn to the castle and the hospital wing within.

"Two?" Molly howled, "Two?" She spun on her heel, ran up to Hermione, and jerked her away from Harry. A crack was heard in every corner of the stadium as Molly's hand slapped against Hermione's cheek. "How dare you? She was your friend!" Hermione stood looking at her, and her eyes hardened for an instant before Hermione turned her back on the elder witch. Harry glanced back at the woman who had been the only stand-in for his own mum for all these years and placed his arm around Hermione's shoulders as they walked off together. Ron looked after their retreating forms and sighed. "And what do you have to say for yourself young man?" she seethed at him, "Siding with a girl like that over your own sister?"

"Do you want to air our laundry out here mum?" Ron asked tiredly. He groaned, "Bloody Hell...fuck it, I'm going back into the castle."

"Ronald Bilius Weasley..."

"Fine, fine mum, you really want to know..." he spun and threw his arms in the air. His wand flashed and a cone of silence surrounded them. Molly's jaw dropped at his spellwork, along with many other things she had not realized that more than one situation had changed. "Let's start at the beginning or at least when she started her plot, when in her fourth year she spiked those eggs you sent us for Easter with Amortentia and tried to get Harry then. You know mum, the potion that you thought Hermione had used on Harry our fourth year. And the one that you talked about making...but she screwed up the potion mum, she didn't figure out that you were supposed to add something to attract with, to establish the infatuation." Ron paced, the cone of silence following him and he looked back, "Then she probably stole some actual potion from the twins... and used it on Harry at the Burrow, but that didn't work either...not really. So she set out to make him jealous, with Dean, all the while she had convinced Dobby that it was some sort of potion that was supposed to be in his food, she used Dobby's loyalty to Harry to get him..." Molly's jaw dropped as Ron looked at her grimly.

"Then lets see, just to go for the sweep, she tried to get Hermione and me together to clear the field...in that she was right, more or less. We did like snogging each other anyway." Molly let out a soft strangled sound. "Yes there were feelings there, honestly there would almost have to be with all we've been together for. But her heart belonged to Harry, mum." Ron saw Luna approaching out of the corner of his eye and he gave her a tiny shake of his head, she frowned and came on anyway. He sighed as she walked through the silence cone and wrapped her arms protectively around him. "But my heart wasn't in that either, I love Luna mum. Or rather I love Hermione more than I can express, but I don't want to marry her." Luna let out a small squeak.

"Where was I...oh yes, Ginny then used a talisman she had gotten from Borgin and Burkes to confund Hermione into believing that she would be helping Harry if Ginny and him got together, and that it would be good if she and I got together so we could all be one big happy Weasley family. I think it was you who said that one day..." Ron shrugged, "Of course that particular talisman only works for so long and Hermione was already staring to turn the corner in fighting it off, and strong emotional events and sheer magical powers tend to negate the effects as well, same thing happened with the potion. Didn't you ever wonder why Harry chose Dumbledore's funeral to break up with Ginny, and Hermione and I started to drift back to our normal behaviors about then as well?" His wandtip described a five-pointed star in mid air and the cone shimmered and died.

"I am going to go get something to eat with my girlfriend mum, and then I will go up and visit Ginny, as about then I expect Poppy will be allowing visitors," he started walking back towards the castle, and shot over his shoulder, "and after that I am going to go sit with the two I choose to be my siblings because by then I am sure Hermione will have more than once soaked through Harry's clothes with her tears."

A/N: Ok there we go, next chapter the fallout from this day...

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21. A Darkness of the Mind

A/N: Ok, the fallout starts. Many, many thanks to Lady Starlight for her gracious help on this, now back at it.

Chapter 21: A Darkness of the Mind.
**********************Hogwarts*************************

October 18, 1997.
2:00 am

Ginny sat up in her bed in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing and looked around. Besides her, only a bandaged third year who had run afoul of a Snapping Stinkweed in Professor Sprout's class and a quietly moaning Andrew Peters whom had gotten in a unsanctioned duel in the hall and had a third foot conjured and shoved, somewhere, were present.

She looked around the room one more time and rolled to her feet, wincing as she stood and holding her ribs. You silly girl you let a Mudblood defeat you...SHUT UP...Harry was yours...SHUT UP, What did I do, why did you have to come back, I was so happy...because you are greater than them...SHUT UP. Ginny looked around, wide-eyed as she fought down a dark voice that had only gained strength in the last week, and in the last year. She slipped out of the Hospital Wing, almost as quietly as one of the ghosts would have managed and crept down the halls. She held to the shadows, pausing behind a tall suit of rusty armor on the fourth floor landing as she heard Filch and Mrs. Norris shambling along. Filch was complaining about the new Head of Gryffindor House, not have the proper respect for his job and Mrs. Norris was merowing at appropriate intervals.

After they passed, Ginny sprinted on cat feet up the stairs until she was in front of the Fat Lady. Ginny stopped to catch her breath and to hold a stitch in her side before muttering the password and slipping into the Gryffindor Common Room behind the sleepy portrait. Thankfully there was no one here at this hour of the morning as Harry and Hermione had their own common room and the rest of the house tended to actually sleep. Ginny slipped up the Girls stairs and cast a muttered spell on the door to her dorm to muffle any squeaks.

She snuck into her own room, feeling full well the incredibility of the actions. Ginny froze as Honor rolled over onto her back muttering something about some boy she was dating. Ginny shook her head as she saw that Gretchen's bed was unslept in and she quickly went to her trunk and opened it. Ginny removed a piece of parchment, and by the light of the full, silver moon shining in the window she wrote a note. She folded the note and tucked it under the edge of her pillow, before returning to her trunk. Jeans, jumpers, all of the Galleons she had saved for a rainy day, several changes of underwear and other sundries disappeared into her pack. With a slight frown she placed one of the Twin's DA issue equipment packs on top of the rest of the gear and synched it closed.

Ginny gave the room a long look before she turned her back on it and left, a pair of silver tracks escaping down her cheeks.

*******************Great Hall**********************************

7:20 am.

Hermione looked up a Harry and gave him a tired smile as he passed her the butter. She put it on her toast and sat back, absently turning the pages of Offensive Offence and making notes on a separate roll of parchment. She was about thirty pages in and had two pages of notes, about normal. As she was about to eat, a tawny owl dropped her copy of the Daily Prophet on her book and glared at her until she dropped a couple of coins in its pouch. It took flight, nearly knocking over her coffee with a errant wing. Hermione set the paper aside and returned to her book, muttering. She took a bite of her toast and looked up, annoyed, as she heard several fifth year girls looking towards her and Harry and giggling.

Just in case her or Harry had accidentally started holding hands or sitting on each other's lap or something, such things had almost happened, more than once, Hermione looked around her immediate area. Even though the duel with Ginny had happened they were supposed to ease into their public appearances... She looked at Harry, his eyes were almost closed as he slowly fed himself, and Hedwig snuck an entire piece of bacon from his plate before leaving after delivering Harry some fan mail, which the owl had just dumped into a large heap in front of her master.

He winced slightly as he moved his arm, stretching for a platter of eggs and flicked his fingers so it came closer. Hermione gave him a worried look as she felt the distant echo of his shoulder strain from his morning, but he waved her off. She glared at a new set of fourth year Ravenclaws giggling at them and went back to her book as Ron and Luna meandered in, only up this early on a Saturday as he had had training with them earlier, and was supposed to have Quidditch practice later. Ron promptly overfilled a plate with eggs, bacon, sausage, and some fried potatoes and started in on first breakfast. "Is that the Prophet?" Ron asked after a couple of minutes highlighted by loud munching sounds from Ron and Luna examining her food for Kneazle prints, or at least that was what Hermione took the sounds from his full mouth to mean. She passed him the paper without a word, too tired to fight. Luna usually eventually got onto him about it, anyway.

Ron flipped open the paper... "BLOODY HELL!" he snapped and Harry's eyes snapped open and Hermione's head, shot to him. Ron looked at them nervously, "You might want to read this." Down the table a ways they heard Lavender crow, "I told you Par, pay up."

Hermione took the paper from Ron looked at the front page and her head fell for a moment. Harry came around the table and sat on her other side as they looked down at a picture of them, caught in the alley behind the Three Broomsticks. Harry's back was against the back wall of the pub, with Hermione fully pressed up against him, her hands were tangled in his hair and his were up the back of her jumper, exposing a good two inches of skin. The lips were locked together and their eyes closed, and it was obviously not a 'friendly kiss.' Parvati and Lavender looked at each other again and then down the table at them with newfound...respect. Most of their year mates said nothing really as Harry and Hermione started to read the article attached:

The Chosen One has Chosen?
By Rita Skeeter.

Harry Potter, The Boy-Who-Lived, seems to have come full circle in his love-life. Recently rumors have once again begun to sprout of the 'Chosen One's' infatuation with the lovely Muggle born witch Hermione Granger. This association was first revealed by this author almost three years ago, and must lead us to question Mr. Potter's truthfulness with the press, among other vital matters. For indeed if our heroes cannot be truthful then how can any of expect to be? When asked about their relationship, they have always steadfastly maintained that they were only "friends" but as the picture shows, they must be truly, special, friends indeed.

An earlier article this year by this author, mentioned the previous inamorata of the Seventh Year Gryffindor, Ginevra Weasley, daughter of Arthur Weasley Head of the Dark Artifact investigation department for the MLE and her and Mr. Potter's breakup at the late Albus Dumbledore's funeral. This brief infatuation may have already erupted into violence at least once between Miss Granger and Miss Weasley, as reports of a duel one week ago on the Hogwarts grounds have come into the possession of this reporter from a Ministry source that cannot be named. While the duel is believed to have been totally legal, the circumstances behind the duel are up for debate.

The results are not however, in the duel, Miss Weasley was soundly defeated by all accounts, leading one to question the inherent fairness of Miss Granger, and possibly leading one to question her reasoning for the duel. Was it in some way a means to cover up her alleged use of Love Potions to snag the one that Witch Weekly has just placed at number three on its most eligible bachelor under 21 list, right after the International Quidditch Sensation Victor Krum, and Odgen's Heir, Bruce Waynewright.

Is it possible that the loss of Mr. Potter's mentor, the estimated Albus Dumbledore has truly driven him into the arms of someone whom may be using him to better her station in life...

The paper crumpled into a ball in Harry's hand and their Doppelgangers looked up at them with furious, annoyed expressions before shrugging and returning to their previous activities amongst the wrinkled pages.

Harry pulled Hermione into his shoulder as her shoulders hitched. Most in the hall would have thought that she was crying, and a few Slytherins were stupid enough to say so openly and spitefully. But in fact she was laughing as Harry dropped his lips to the crown of her hair and kept them there. Well since we are busted anyway... she pulled back and looked up at him as she put her arms around his neck and leaned in.

Hermione felt her eyes slip closed as she kissed her Harry for the first time in the Great Hall since summer. She sighed against his lips as they pulled apart, her lip dragging slightly in his teeth before he let go. Hermione leaned back against him, as they stayed just on this side of the "acceptable" line for behavior in the Great Hall and looked around defiantly.

A sudden silence fell over the hall, then without warning two things happened. The seventh year Gryffindors stood and applauded. Hermione blushed and leaned back a bit more against Harry. Just as they were quieting down and McGonagall was hiding a small smile at the Head Table, Neville came running into the hall.

"GINNY'S GONE!"

**************************Headmistress' Office***************************

8:30 am

Remus Lupin entered the large, circular room without knocking and shrugged at McGonagall's heated glance. He frowned as he noticed Molly standing in the corner, glaring at Minerva; he could almost hear her dulcet tones still hanging in the air in the office. The door opened again, and Tonks, Harry, Hermione and Ron entered, all looking forlorn. Dumbledore looked at the newcomers from his picture and sighed. Lupin gathered himself to report, but before he could, Molly's voice cracked across the room like a whip.

"What is she doing here?" she hissed, loudly as she glared at Hermione. Hermione flinched slightly before she caught herself and stood straighter. Her eyes narrowed, and she took a calming breath as Harry placed a hand on her shoulder.

"She is the Head Girl of this school, Molly," Minerva replied quietly.

Molly bristled. "Perhaps she shouldn't be then," she shot back heatedly, "after all she..."

Hermione took a deep breath and stood her ground, not commenting. Ron glanced at her concernedly for a moment before squaring his shoulders and looking at Molly, darkly, "Mum, that's enough," Ron announced flatly, her jaw dropped and he ignored her before turning to McGonagall and Remus who had drifted over to her desk. "We could not find her anywhere on the grounds." He looked at Harry who gave a small, tired shrug.

"Yes, ma'am," Harry agreed, "none of the Prefects or House Elves report having seen her since around Midnight when one of the Elves assigned to the Infirmary says he saw her." He looked to Tonks.

"There was no evidence of her being taken by force," the veteran Auror put in, "no evidence of magical traces other than those we would expect in either her dorm or the Hospital. There seems to be several articles of clothing that her roommates say were missing. Also there was no money in her trunk and her...other equipment was gone," Tonks added vaguely. "It looks as if she left voluntarily."

Molly shook her head as if she couldn't believe the words Tonks was saying, "But those signatures could have been hidden or faked. Couldn't they have been, Tonks?" Her eyes flitted to Hermione for not even a heartbeat, but Tonks caught it, her experience in interrogating Dark Wizards coming to the fore.

"Yes..." Tonks agreed slowly, looking at Lupin helplessly, "they could have been, but..."

"We don't have time for this," Harry interrupted and Molly glared but he continued on as if she weren't there, "if we are start looking for her we need to now, and frankly she couldn't have done this at a worse period."

"She's the one..."

Harry shut her up with a look as his eyes flared; even the portraits on the wall silenced themselves as he looked around. "Ginny is now a security risk to the school. She has been able to leave undetected and if she can do that, she can be forced to let others in the same way. Remus, can you and Tonks contact Mad-Eye, have him start looking?" Lupin nodded. "Hermione and I will take Diagon...and Knockturn Alley, Ron you take Hogsmeade, take Neville with you." Ron nodded and reached into his pocket for his two-way mirror. Harry looked to McGonagall, "Ma'am can you have the House Elves search...everywhere?" Minerva gave him a sad look but agreed, both of them not wanting to say anything about that option in front of Molly. On the wall, Dumbledore's image nodded as if to himself, and a small look of satisfaction for something, not today's events, but something, crossed his ice-blue eyes.

Harry turned to leave, but froze as Molly reached out and grabbed his arm roughly. "Harry," her eyes were wide, "you act as if she's already betrayed you."

"She has Molly," Harry snapped lowly, and shook his arm free of her grasp, "she has."

As if a gun had gone off announcing the start of a race, the teams vanished. Harry and Hermione instantly in a fall of colors as their Portkeys activated, Ron as he ran out the door at a run, filling in Neville as he went and having the Gryffindor bring his equipment, and Remus and Tonks, tossing a pinch of Floo Powder into Minerva's fireplace and vanishing to wherever Mad-Eye was.

*************************Diagon/Knockturn Alley**************************

7:00 pm.

Harry and Hermione came in the back entrance to the Leaky Caldron and paused, looking around. Tom glanced up from wiping a glass clean and nodded towards a private parlor in the back. Harry gave a small wave in return and entered into the rear, ignoring the curious glances that he always got when he was here, and had even more so today as his and Hermione's 'Honeymoon Date' picture had been splashed over the front page of the Prophet. Luckily at least that was under a Fidelius, the only one that could feel or see the wedding bands on her hand was him or those that had earned his trust.

As he took in the tired searchers gathered in this back room, he privately thought that he should add Neville to that list; he had certainly earned it.

Without more than a two-sentence order, Neville had mobilized the entire DA to search. Hogsmeade had been deluged with every underage member while the Seventh Years had started appearing in Diagon Alley minutes after Harry and Hermione themselves had arrived. Harry had been steadfast in his orders that they were not to venture down Knockturn Alley in groups of less than four, though of course he and Hermione had violated that, but really, the two Death Eaters that had been stupid enough to try for them had regretted it.

Tonks had taken their battered, unconscious bodies to the Ministry and returned.

Ron, Neville and Luna had appeared about four hours into the canvassing of Diagon Alley and had announced that Hogsmeade had literally been searched house to house to no avail. Ron had sent the remainder of the DA back to the school under McGonagall and had came on to Diagon Alley, where Luna had looked at a oddly dressed woman, and pronounced her a Death Eater. She had run at overhearing Luna's announcement, and stopped suddenly as ten, rather lethal looking wands from those...children, pointed her way. The Dark Mark had just been a bonus when Tonks took custody of her for a second trip to the Ministry's holding cells, running into Kingsley on the way. She had been in a hurry but not so much so than to escape her opportunity to mention that Harry's "children" had captured more Death Eaters in four hours than the Ministry or the Order had managed in four weeks.

Harry looked around the room and just for a brief second a small warm feeling filled his heart. Seamus, Dean, Parvati, Lavender, Padma, Ernie, Susan and even Terry Boot were crowded around a long table; Seamus was explaining something with his characteristic loud hand movements to Ron, Luna and Neville. Several more seventh years were next to them talking to the Twins in low tones. They and Angelina and Alicia had been on the case the instant Harry and Hermione had appeared in their shop, and had provided the first clue in the case and had immediately proven that Ginny had run and had not been taken.

The door creaked open behind them one last time and Mad-Eye stomped in, in the company of Remus and Tonks. They took seats and poured themselves glasses from one of several large pitchers of butterbeer that were on the table. None of them had had anything to eat since breakfast.

Harry looked a question at Mad-Eye. "No lad, I am afraid that nothing came up of the Apparation records at the Ministry, and the Knight Bus did not pick her up either," Alastor replied with a small shrug and gave Harry a slight, knowing look, "of course the main Apparation detector has been broken for several months now." Harry didn't even blink at the news.

"Thanks Mad-Eye," Harry replied, and looked to the room as a whole, "thanks for coming out today guys," he glanced at Hermione as she grabbed his hand.

Ron stood from the table, "Yes, thank you, it means a lot."

"She's a DA member," Susan put in as if that explained everything, and in a way it did in the same way it should have put the fear of Merlin in any Death Eaters that contemplated Hogwarts as a goal. Someday, perhaps, they would look back at this night, this night of confusion and panic and the possible loss of one of their own, as the rebirth of the Order, the rebirth that might someday actually have a chance of ending Voldemort's reign of terror, but all of that was for a future time, if at all.

Similar, murmured comments went around the room and Harry felt his heart swell afresh, and just a touch more hope for the future come home to roost. He nodded, "Alright then, first, the timeline appears to be as such," Hermione caught his eye and her wand flicked and the walls of the room flickered white as anti-eavesdropping charms went into effect over the ones that Tom, supposedly, kept in place. "At about three in the morning, Ginny Flooed into the Twins' downstairs shop from, they believe, Honeydukes. Which would make sense as none of the Castle fires were used to Floo."

"Harry, what about the wards on the passage to Honeydukes?" Neville put in, finally admitting out loud to the two attending Professors that all of the Gryffindors present, at least, knew of the secret passage.

Harry glanced over at Lupin, who frowned, "We warded the Hogsmeade entrance, we were not concerned with those leaving."

"From there," Harry continued, "there is a time gap of several hours. We know that she helped herself to some of the special items in the back for our use as they were missing when the twins went to look after they checked the security wards when Hermione and I informed them. Tom may have served her breakfast, he's not sure, however the witch he served sounded young and was Ginny's height but she had a cloak thrown up to hide her face."

He paced around the room, stopping to take a drink from a butterbeer that Hermione pushed into his hand, "She then went to Gringotts at opening and cleaned out her personal account, and pulled some cash from the DA operating account as well." Tonks, Mad-Eye and Lupin looked up at that, they had not known of the true depth of Harry's preparations. In fact, except for Luna and Ginny, none of the DA members below seventh year and not in Gryffindor had known of the various hidden cashes of equipment and the accounts that had been established in case of the worst were to happen. Harry waved at Ron.

"We looked everywhere at Hogsmeade, no one saw her, and no one saw her double back."

"Yeah, I figured," Harry agreed, "from what I know she took from the DA accounts, she has at least several thousand Galleons with her, and she exchanged a bit of it for Pounds." Harry looked down at his feet and ran his fingers through his hair roughly, Merlin, this is hard. Hermione's eyes were soft as she nodded and took his hand again, neither of them wanting to do what must be done, what Harry had to do, "She's gone to ground in Muggle England, and the twins' Aura Hider works a bit too well, she took the prototype from the shop, we can't scry or use a ball to find her. We're going home folks, for now, Mad-Eye you'll have the Order looking?" Moody scowled but nodded in the end as Harry paced out of the room, Hermione following not a heartbeat behind as soft muttering whispered behind him.

She followed him into the main part of the room, and ignored the murmurs that filled the room once more as the two headliners of the Prophet's Saturday edition passed through the room. Harry looked around the bar, his eyes hard and growled something under his breath and walked out the door into Muggle London.

He looked down the dimly lit length of Charing Cross Road and started walking. A darkly dressed man looked up as they passed, but shook his head and leaned back against the wall with a slight shudder. Harry paused as they reached Trafalgar Square and squeezed Hermione's hand, which had found his sometime during the journey. A flock of annoyed pigeons cooed loudly at them, as they turned left walked a bit further and then right until the Thames stopped them.

Harry slid to the ground with a sigh and leaned back against a low, concrete wall as Hermione slipped between his legs and leaned back against him. They watched the lights of Waterloo Bridge dancing on the dark waters of the river for a while and the passage of several barges and boats in the night. Do you think she had the right of it? Running? Harry asked finally after maybe an hour.

Would you have run? she redirected softly.

I'm too stupid to do that...ask Snape...

Hermione laughed, bitterly, We both are... She frowned as a large barge passed on the river, its wake disturbing several docked boats on the nearby Embankment Pier. I suppose that we won't be getting any jumpers this year. Or rather I won't...I'm so sorry Harry, I know she was like a mum to you.

Like there's a choice between her and my heart, Harry tightened his arms slightly, I'm more worried about Ron. He's loyal enough to us to stand against her...maybe the twins are as well. This is just what we were afraid of.

I should have...

No, Mione. She brought this on herself. I don't care if she was under the Imperius, she could have fought it off if she wanted to, there is always a choice. It may not be the easy one, but its there. If we never set foot in the Burrow again, well that's as it will be.

****************************Soho*****************************

A grey hood pulled up to cover her hair, to blend into the early evening; Ginny Wesley sat down at a table and took the cup of black coffee the waitress offered. She returned the girl's automatic smile and sighed, looking down into the cup as if trying to divine her fate. Her other hand was curled around the hilt of her wand under the table as she looked up every time the small bell hung above the door rang out the entrance of a new customer.

What am I doing...You're running silly girl, what do you think you are doing...I can say I'm sorry...But why, they're the ones who turned against you, the Mudblood knew she was trespassing...but I told her I had given up...So you lied, so what...But they're my family...since when, since they betrayed you...but Harry saved me...exactly, he should have been yours, he would have been yours, he rescued you after all... Ginny's internal dialogue froze suddenly as she glanced up at another bell to see a head of fiery hair on top of a stocky, solid body. A loud, familiar, female voice spoke next as Ginny pulled her hood tight, and turned her face downward as the duo stood in line to her close enough for her to hear their conversation.

"Yeah George, thanks for coming with me to my apartment," Tonks said exhaustedly as she waited in line with him, "Remus had to get back." Tonks glanced around the room, her gaze passing over the back of Ginny's head, it wasn't unusual to see someone with a hood pulled up and staring down into a mug here, "Bad time of the month for him, for this to happen."

"So he went back to..." George stopped before mentioning the school.

"Yeah, he had to take his...medicine, probably just made it too," Tonks completed and looked up at the counterworker, "I'll take a half-caf latte, and a tall black for my friend." She paid and took their drinks as they started to head back out of the shop.

George stopped, "so you'll be alright then Tonks?"

"I'll head back in the morning, George," Tonks replied with a small smile, "lets get that...thing you needed so you can be on your way."

"Nymph," George sighed, "had Harry or Hermione come back when you left the pub?"

Tonks let out a soft groan as she ran her hand through bright purple hair, "You know better than that George, he had to go blame himself for a while and she had to go talk him down."

"He's not that bad any more," George objected.

"No, but he's lost a lot in the last few years, this can't be easy on him," Tonks shrugged. "Your sister didn't think George. If she wanted..." she shook her head fitfully as they stepped back out of the way of a customer entering the store, almost backing into the small table Ginny had claimed near the door. "Wotcher, I visited her last week George or at least tried to, she just sat there in a snit, I don't think she thinks she did anything wrong. If someone had done anything like that to Remus...I hate to think what I would have done, how she didn't get..."

George finished putting sugar into his coffee from a nearby server and replaced the lid, "We knew sorta, or at least Bill and Fleur did I guess, but we were trying to let it pass, hoped it would just go away, but now... Mum's going spare, and I'm pretty sure that Herms is now persona non gratta at the Burrow...I suppose her and Harry will be at Hogwarts for Christmas, Mer...Lord knows that he's not going back to those relatives of his, and her parents are on that, trip ya know."

"They'll probably be off on a...assignment anyway," Tonks muttered as she pulled the door open. George just nodded as he led them out of the store, and turned up the street towards Tonks' apartment a block away.

Ginny sat stock still for several minutes after they left before slipping out the door and escaping in the other direction, every one of Tonks' and George's words ringing in her ears.

*****************************Little Hangleton**************************

A tall, dark man accompanied by a equally tall man, as fair as he was dark, knocked on a oaken door, inscribed with twin intertwined serpents and waited. The light from several nearby torches flickered oddly in endlessly deep grey eyes and glinted off twin fangs.

"ENTER," a dark, hissing voice commanded and the pair entered with only a bare, half-second glance at each other. The stopped a moment at the front of the room and waited as their eyes adjusted to the gloom. As their eyes sharpened, they could make out shapes, and a moment later they could discern the features of the room.

A large, dark ebony bed sat to one side of the room, its covers vanishing into the gloom. Several small tables were set around the room, some covered with odd artifacts and tomes, one held the remains of a supper and a final was empty save for a goblet of a dark, steaming liquid and a folded paper. On the back wall of the room, a fire was blazing in a black iron grate, the snakes on the door repeated here. A tall, wingback chair was in front of the fire, visibly occupied from the rear. The earlier, high-pitched, hiss came from the chair, "Come here."

Malfoy and Greyback strode around the chair and knelt before their master before he motioned them to their feet. Voldemort nodded to them as he took a sip of his drink and steepled his hands in front of his red-eyed, snake-visaged face. Tom was not alone, at his feet, curled like a large, sullen pet, Bellatrix was lying. Her heavy lidded eyes took them in reproachfully as she eased to a sitting position and stretched. Her untied robe fell open to reveal, everything, as she did, and she just smiled at Fenrir's subtle growl. Her pale skin was almost like a lamp in the room as the firelight reflected off of it and she moved subtly to reveal even more. Tom reached down and fondled her absently as he considered them for a moment.

"I have assignments for each of you, do not fail me this time," they nodded in unison, "Lucius...I wish for you to travel to Severus and discuss the failure of his potion. Make sure that he has an...adequate familiarity with the price of failure." Lucius bowed, grateful for the reprieve even though he knew that it was mostly the funds that he had secreted before his capture, exclusive of Gringotts, that kept him in whatever favor that he still enjoyed. Voldemort waved him away and he backed to the door and out.

Voldemort waited a moment before pulling the copy of today's Daily Prophet from the table next to him and tossing it at Greyback, "Potter has been a thorn in my side for too long, Fenrir." He smiled, "He took Antonin from us, I am sure that you can devise something...appropriate for his little pet." His eyes glowed, and the remainder of the light in the room save that from his red, glowing eyes seemed to vanish, "Break her in every way before you leave her body for Potter." Fenrir chuckled coldly as Voldemort hissed a laugh and Bella giggled from the floor.

A/N There ya go, I'm off to see GOF in about six hours...

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22. Potters' Bequest

A/N: Ok ladies, gents and various familiars, here we go again. Once again, thanks to Lady Starlight for her superlative work on this fic, it is much appreciated.

Chapter 22: Potters' Bequest
****************************Hogwarts*********************************

October 30, 1997 (Thursday)
10: 20 am

Slightly vexed, Hermione looked on, as Ron failed, again; to feed the Unicorn that Hagrid had acquired for them study today. She looked about the class from her spot leaning up against Harry as they sat under a handy oak tree set a bit up on a small rise near Hagrid's hut, warmed by a hasty warming charm courtesy of her husband while they waited for the Unicorn to allow someone to approach it. Hermione was half temped to explain to their giant friend just why the unicorn, the symbol of purity, was not letting the majority of the students near, but she didn't want to ruin his class. He was just so happy that Harry, Ron and her were back in the class. She shook her head as she took in Parvati and Lavender sitting together doing what looked to be Divination homework from the chart that they had spread out on the grass and Ernie and Susan slipping off behind Hagrid's hut, Hagrid had never quite mastered the concept of 'class control'.

Hermione shared a glance and a miniscule smile with Harry before he looked back down at his notes. She bit her lip as she closed her eyes and let Harry read for both of them, as she listened to his internal dialogue. Unfortunately what they were studying today had little to do with creatures. Both Harry and she, and probably Ron, were getting frustrated with the Horcrux hunt. There had been no real leads on the Horcruxes, since that false Horcrux had caused them to have to deal with Inferi and damn near get killed. There had been no sightings of the Hufflepuff cup, and they still had no definite idea what the Ravenclaw item was, of the two possibilities, Rowena's staff, of which Hermione had finally found an old woodcut image of in the 23rd ed. of Hogwarts a History, was the one that she felt the most likely for some reason. She really didn't think Voldemort would repeat himself with another ring after having already used the Riddle ring for one.

They had even gone to the condemned, abandoned orphanage that had already been searched once to no result. Hermione had walked in the front door of Borgin and Burkes with blond, straight hair and in an outfit that had caused Harry blood flow issues, with a money pouch that exclaimed money and tried to get information on the Cup or possibly Rowena's item, but also to no effect. They had canvassed Knockturn Alley both openly and covertly, and had, during one heart-rending night, returned to the cave where Dumbledore's fate had been sealed.

Harry had transfigured the entire shallow lake to oil and roasted the remaining Inferi where they slept before he had let Hermione or Ron in the cave.

There was of course one Horcrux that they knew of and knew were it was, more or less, but that was absolutely the last one that they could destroy. Nagini was at the same time the most vulnerable and most dangerous of the Horcruxes. Most vulnerable because despite her size, and fangs and poison and whatever other enhancements Voldemort had enchanted her with she was still a living creature, and as Lupin had said in a particularly memorable training session, if it breathed it could die, even Voldemort.

But it was also the most dangerous as those who were destined to destroy it, if anyone could, had to do so at the absolute last moment lest Voldemort finally cotton on to what they had done. For a brief while and without adding to Harry's fears, Hermione had worried that Harry would be vulnerable to the freed soul fragments, but then she had realized something. Voldemort in his full powers had not been able to possess a much less powerful Harry at the Ministry; his soul fragments wouldn't either, especially against a Wizard with two more years experience and powers that just might rival Voldemort's own.

Hermione flicked her eyes open again to find that Parvati had had even less success in luring the Unicorn to the apple in her hand, and closed them again, content to listen to Harry's voice in her thoughts as he recounted the notes. Ron should have been over here with them using the time to look over Horcrux information but he was not. Ron was looking over Quidditch plays and debating with a large notebook and several scraps of Parchment spread about whom he was going to get to replace Ginny. Hermione knew he was just trying to cope the best he could, and he was being responsible, but the old "why don't you play Harry," debate had returned. To be perfectly honest, if Harry wanted to play she would not say a word other than cheering for him at games, but Ginny's flight had only redoubled Harry's determination to find the Horcruxes, if that were indeed possible, and Hermione was really tired of anyone hurting Harry.

Hermione's eyes cracked open as the bell rang and she looked down at her watch, Hagrid was over leading the Unicorn to a paddock as the rest of the class left and Harry frowned over at her and started to pack, but stopped with a small grin as she slipped down from his shoulder to rest her head in his lap and look up at him with a grin in her eyes before she closed them, Don't you have Runes? Harry asked, knowing quite well she did.

Shut up, Potter, I'm resting...besides Glyph had to go into London for a family emergency or something. No class...

I've always thought you had class.

Thanks baby, now let me lie here and enjoy it with no one attacking us or cursing us or feeding us potions or some damn thing and you keep reading.

Make me do all the reading. Harry groused as he started to idly comb his fingers through her hair. He looked up as Ron mouthed, "I'm off to look for Luna, see you at Lunch?" and Harry nodded.

You needed to catch up with the research side anyway. Hermione replied, not mentioning that she knew Ron had headed off as Harry knew so she did...occasionally it did get a bit confusing where one of them left off and the other began. She smiled as he bent down to kiss her before straightening up.

Sometime later after several minutes had passed Hermione felt herself being nudged awake. She had dozed off in the warmth and security. Mione...listen, according to this register of known magical artifacts, the Potter family lent several artifacts to the British Museum when my dad was still in school.

So...your family is an old Wizarding one, they of course might have things that have cluttered up some castle attic somewhere...oh...She suddenly realized what he was thinking.

Yeah, what if that night he... Harry stopped suddenly as Hermione remembered afresh what day it was. Tomorrow would mark the sixteenth year since Voldemort had walked into the Hollow; his thoughts freshly filled with the words of a traitor, and had killed both of Harry's parents. He continued after she reached up with her mind to gently hug him without moving a muscle. What if he never had it with him that night? What if he had already made it with something from my family? Hermione sat up and leaned back against the tree at his side and looked down at the parchments in his hands, copies of copies of old Prophets she had found with a Googling Charm. There is a ring in the collection and the supposed dating would match Rowena's.

You know what I think, but lets look into it anyway. It'll be tough to do at night, maybe try during the day, go in openly. The British Museum isn't some little touristy thing like Sherwood Harry...we'll need help.

He frowned as she gave him a small, odd look shrugged. I didn't want to bring any of the others in Mione...I only let you and Ron come along because you won't leave me alone.

Thanks...Hermione replied sarcastically.

You know what I mean. Hermione bit her lip but nodded and looked around. She wormed her way around until she sat in his lap and kissed him hard enough to raise his blood pressure. She smiled, a Cheshire grin and rolled off his lap and snap-kicked her way to her feet in one motion, intentionally flashing him as she did. Damn it woman, Harry griped as he took a breath and glared at her and she smirked, before they collected their things and headed to lunch. You just had to wear the fun skirt didn't you?

It is sorta short...she mused, looking down. Maybe I should get rid of it.

Don't you dare, Harry replied instantly as they passed through the main doors of the castle.

Don't worry dear, dear husband of mine...I have like three, four more of these. Her eyes twinkled as she took his hand again and led them into the Great Hall for lunch. And just think of all that free time we have tomorrow.

*********************Transfiguration #1***************************

2:33pm

Transfiguration with Tonks was a entirely different experience from those years of study they had experienced with McGonagall. It was not that the young Auror, only a bare few years older than the seventh years crowded into Transfiguration One, did not know her subject. No, in many ways she was as much a master of this subject as the Headmistress or Dumbledore ever were, as where they had learned almost everything there was to know about the subject through tireless study, she had literally been born feeling the transfiguration potentials.

So all in all, her lessons were often, eclectic, bouncing from unrelated subject to subject, as the mood might strike her, unlike McGonagall's strictly linear teaching style. A habit that would have greatly annoyed the girl sitting next to Harry, periodically sharing a glance or a muffled snort as Tonks would trip over something like a dust mite or a Kneazle hair on the floor, with the dual exceptions, that she had already read the entire seventh year book, twice, along with the recommended reading list for the Doctoral Track in Theoretical Transfiguration, so she knew what Tonks would teach in class at least, and the fact that she was too busy occasionally teasing Harry by playing with the hem of her skirt and pretending he wasn't watching her. It was a pretty good thing that she had made him read the same material too.

"Mr. Potter," Tonks said suddenly, and his eyes shot to the front of the class to catch the soft, amused twinkling he found there, in a pair of knowing, dark eyes. "Can you demonstrate the Agwa Metallio charm?" she asked as she extended a thick, steel bar to him and set it on the table in front of him.

Harry crooked an eyebrow and looked up at her as she smirked slightly and changed her hair from Gryffindor red to a dark, dark green. "What forms would you like...Professor L...Tonks." Harry finished with a smile.

Tonks looked as if she wanted to laugh, "A dagger and a teapot would be fine Mr. Potter." She stepped back to watch. Harry's eyes ran up and down the bar as if measuring, then with an odd, rolling flick of his wand and a long, mouthed sentence of Latin that Tonks knew that Harry had gotten perfectly just from the expression on Hermione's face and the odd, suspicion that the Heads really could read each others' minds, the bar glowed a bright pink and shook several times before dropping back to the table.

Tonks picked it up and said loudly and distinctly, "Teapot." A shining copper teakettle, with an inlayed picture of the Thestrals towing the carriages on the students' arrival at Hogwarts, appeared as the metal bar flowed up and expanded into a pot. She smiled slightly, "Dagger." The teapot flowed back into it's original bar shape, the metal changing color as it did so, before flowing into a ornate, dagger with a wire-wrapped handle, and fancy, gold-inlayed engraving all the way to the tip of the blade. She smiled and nodded, "Excellent, Mr. Potter, fifteen points to Gryffindor.

Tonks stepped back, almost tripped on the hem of her robes, again, and looked out over the class, "Can anyone give an example of a practical use for this charm...Miss Granger?" Tonks said carefully, her and Lupin had been catching themselves almost slipping on a daily basis. The actual fact that the Potters were really married was of course under a Fidelius Charm, that only Harry or Hermione could bestow the knowledge of, but that still didn't keep one's brain from trying to fill in the blank.

"That Transfiguration is most often used to have one of several needed tools available to those such as Aurors who might need a verity of equipment with them, but not have the space or time available to either carry them all or transfigure or conjure them." Hermione smirked just slightly as if to say, "Yes I was flirting with my husband Nymph, we know where you and Lupin live and we are both Marauders as much as you or he are, do you want to bed to become a large swimming pool some morning?" Her gaze was rather expressive when she wanted it to be.

Tonks gave her a small motion of her fingertips to her forehead, as if awarding points in a practice duel, "Correct Miss Granger, another ten for Gryffindor." She stepped around her desk and looked through a pile of papers before looking back up at the class, "Originally I was going to have Headmistress McGonagall in here this afternoon to help demonstrate effects that one can see when you try to transfigure a magical animal or object, but she was tied down with covering for Professor Glyph today with the third years, so...Wotcher, you have a free day..." The class let out a soft cheer, "providing that you have your comparative essays on the Incan Transfiguration series and how they compare to modern practices completed, it is ten feet due next week people." Groans greeted her announcement and she sniggered slightly as the majority of the class glared at her before heading in the direction of the Library.

"I guess I better go get started," Ron muttered, he looked at Harry, "you coming mate?"

"I'm done Ron, for at least a week or two," Harry replied softly.

Hermione's eyes were huge as she looked across Harry, and he covered his face with his hand. He had told Ron last week to start it. She let out a small huff as she got up and didn't look at him she went to talk to Tonks. Harry shook his head as he began to pack Hermione's books, "She has you whipped mate," Ron whispered, chuckling as he watched Harry gathering Hermione's bag as well as his own.

"Why didn't you start it Ron?" Harry asked tiredly, trying not to laugh as the more things changed the more they stayed the same.

"Bloody Hell, Harry, I think you were there, let's see, Quidditch, various dark forces out to get us, my girlfriend, I dunno, I got busy."

Harry shook his head, laughing under his breath, "And how is that different from any other week?" He glanced up at Hermione deep in conversation with Tonks, and from the byplay he could overhear in her thoughts Tonks was asking Hermione about dress choices for Tonks' wedding, whenever it was that her and Remus actually got around to it. "Oh well, mate...I'm the one getting laid tonight, while you'll be working on that essay."

Ron looked at him oddly, "Last I looked my girlfriend was blonde, not brunette mate..."

"Oh, I know, and I thank God for that every day bro," Harry replied with a small glint in his eye as he shouldered both his and Hermione's bags and stood. "But Hermione is helping Luna with her Arithmancy tonight...and you know how they like to talk about us, and I think Luna mentioned something about your homework just the other day."

Ron looked a touch pale as Harry left him standing at the table. Harry slipped up next to Hermione and kissed her on the cheek as he took her hand and they left out the door to go somewhere not involving homework.

************************Hogwarts, Library******************************

October 31, 1997 (Friday)
8:30 pm

Hermione gasped silently against the skin of Harry's neck as he smirked and pressed her back against the wall of the Library, far, far back in the stacks. She was wearing "fun skirt number two," evidentially, as it was flipped up for easy access and held up by the pressure of their bodies together. She closed her eyes and moaned, as his fingers played under her knickers, what there was of them. She managed to pull his lips to hers as first one, and then a second finger slipped home and started to dance to the same rhythm as his tongue with hers.

Her heart sped up, faster and faster until she felt herself crashing, her eyes rolling back in her head as she fell forward limply, trusting him to hold her up. She took a deep, shuddering breath before she trusted her legs and leaned back against the wall. "Ready to continue on this course of study Mr. Potter?" she whispered throatily and reached forward to start to unbuckle his belt...

"'ERMIONE...'ARRY," a familiar, slightly accented voice rang out from the front of the stacks, and Hermione leaned forward and dropped her head to Harry's shoulder in resignation. She gave him a small smile as he waved his hand to clean them up and she carefully smoothed her skirt while he tugged her jumper back down. More or less presentable, they marched up to the front of the stacks where Gabrielle was standing looking sheepish.

She looked up at their approach and Harry could swear the eleven year old, smirked, but she kept it hidden if she did. Hermione gave him a small shrug and looked down at the small girl, who looked up at her and pulled on a platinum braid. "What's wrong, Gabrielle, why aren't you at the Halloween feast?"

Gabby's look in return more than amply asked why they were not as well, but she didn't voice it. Instead she frowned and looked down slightly, "I...iz left my Tranzfiguazion bookz down near 'Agridz... can you?"

Hermione rolled her eyes slightly, "Sure Gabby, lets go get them," she glanced over at Harry, then over at their pile of books stacked on the table, where their investigations had been interrupted for a "study break." Harry went and grabbed her heavy outer robes and tossed them to her, and started to gather his, "It's alright Harry, stay here; we'll just be a minute." He opened his mouth to object. "It's alright, Har..."

"Harry, Hermione..." Honor came running into the Library, her black hair in disarray. She looked as if she had been laughing hard enough to burst a gut, and she seemed to be still letting out soft, periodic giggles under her breath as she looked up at them.

"Yes?" Harry asked mildly, and Hermione fought off giggles of his own as she heard his thoughts.

"You guys need to come quick...Ernie and I were patrolling...someone turned Crabbe into a...well...a jackass."

"He already was, Honor."

"No...I mean a real, jackass, ears, tail, everything," she giggled softly and Harry felt his eyes dancing, "we can't change him back and we don't want to bother the Headmistress in the middle of the feast." The slight, black-haired girl broke down in giggles then and Harry sighed and looked to Hermione.

"You go handle the jackass Harry," Hermione replied with an utterly straight face, "I'll run down to Hagrid's with Gabrielle and get her books and join you." Harry frowned, not liking that plan but nodded and let her leave, knowing that she could take care of herself.

Several minutes later, Hermione and Gabrielle were panning the beams of their lit wands over the dewed grass near the trees overlooking Hagrid's hut where Gabrielle and several of her classmates had been studying outside on a particularly nice day, warmer than yesterday. Hermione looked up as Gabrielle shouted and held up a damp, leather-bound book. A smile began to blossom and then died as her eyes flared green as a dark presence bounded out of the forest and a red beam shot out of the darkness to fell the little girl.

Hermione turned as a hard, dark voice came out of the night and resolved itself into a hated visage. Fenrir grinned at her as he slipped between her and Gabrielle, "Potter's little slag...it will be fun, breaking you." His nose flared and he laughed, "I can still smell him on you, I hope you had fun, I ensure you that I won't be as much so...at least for you." He looked at her meaningfully, "I rather will however." He steeped back and waved his wand in the air, "LUNARIUM"

A bright shining ball of white light appeared at his shoulder and he began to change, stretching, growing. Fur sprouted along his body, as his clothes tore away and his jaw distended. Three-inch fangs hung from a wolf-like face as he gathered himself and sprung.

Time slowed as Hermione's eyes lit brighter and she flipped backwards out of the way. She landed in a backwards summersault, and shrugged off her heavy outer robe, leaving herself free to move in only the dark jumper, skirt and trainers she had had on under it. She reached back to feel a pair of familiar friends slide into her hands. Twin, twelve-inch blades gleamed in the light of the quarter moon high above and the false one still hovering near them as she pulled herself into a ready crouch, balancing on the balls of her feet. Argentium, she murmured and her blades flickered briefly in the moonlight, seen only by her. She glanced over at the unconscious first year, and knew she could get away, that she could outrun even this werewolf for long enough to gain the castle, which even a were wouldn't have a chance of getting out alive of, but that really wasn't a choice, not with a family member on the field. She could feel Harry sprinting towards her, moving much faster than humanly possible, and knew she just had to keep Fenrir busy until then, if she could.

Fenrir sprung, leaping the ten feet between her and growled as she danced backwards and snapped a kick into his shoulder. He howled and bounded again, hissed as her sliver blade drew his blood and laughed in his head as his claws tore into her leg. His teeth were the real danger of course; he had to bite her to turn her, though he intended to kill her in the end, perhaps after having a bit of fun first. His claws shot out again towards that injured leg, but missed as she flipped sideways and landed hard, staggering on that damaged thigh.

He looked at her, a dark, malevolent intelligence in his eyes and sprinted for Gabrielle. Hermione gasped and the pain in her leg vanished, and all of a sudden, she did the impossible. A breath of air whispered as she vanished and reappeared in front of the girl.

Greyback's eyes were wide as he slashed at her face, and watched as his hand-paw was blocked in a pair of crossed blades, Hermione pulled them together with more than human strength and a blood-curdling scream echoed into the night as his hand-paw fell away with a spray of blood, without pause, she rolled inward along his extended arm and thrust upwards under his jaw with her right hand dagger. A loud crunch, the werewolf's eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed to the ground. She let the dagger remain where it was as her other slipped from her hands to fall to the grass.

Hermione staggered backwards, her damaged right leg folding under her, just as Harry's arms stopped her collapse. He dropped to the ground as Ron, Remus, Tonks and McGonagall came running up, the elderly witch clearly out of breath. A bare two minutes later, a dozen DA members were lighting the area with their wands and forming a perimeter. Hannah Abbot, Susan Bones and Luna surrounded a revived Gabrielle and hurried her back to the castle under guard. Harry whispered a charm and a small, floating ball of light hovered above he and Hermione and he looked down at her worriedly. She smiled up at him, slightly drunkenly, as he tenderly felt up under the side of her skirt and jumper searching for unseen damage. "He just scratched me, Harry, no teeth." She said softly and both Harry and Remus looked relieved. Harry's eyes still glowed softly as he ran his wand along the four parallel gashes in her thigh and closed them up with almost no trace of a scar left behind, only four faint, white lines against her thigh.

His head fell against hers, I'm supposed to be the one, who gets the scars...God damnit Mione...you scared me.

Scared you, she shot back incredulously, breathing heavily, as the adrenaline overload slammed into her. Big fucker with teeth was out here... McGonagall looked on them as if they had lost their minds as they started quietly laughing together as their brows touched softly. Harry waved in the direction of Greyback and caught her daggers in his hand, flicked his wrist and they vanished with a small pop of light. Without so much as a grunt, Harry rolled to his feet with her still cradled in his arms, and started back towards the castle. I can walk, Hermione commented softly, but sighed as he just kept walking, leaned her head against his shoulder and let him carry her, But this is nice too.

None of the wizards or witches trailing them commented that Harry could have just levitated her if she couldn't walk.

Behind them at the body of the werewolf, now once again human, or as human as Fenrir Greyback had ever been, Ron, Hagrid and Remus looked down at it with undisguised loathing. The Seventh Year and the Half-Giant watched as Remus spit on the corpse's face. Remus turned his back on it, "Hagrid, burn it, somewhere where no one will ever find the ashes. Let Tom wonder what happened to his...dog."

**************************Head Students' Quarters**************************

9:35 pm

Hermione walked out of her and Harry's bedroom in her old, ripped jeans and a Lions sweatshirt, having changed out of her torn and bloody school uniform, and curled up in a small ball next to Harry on the couch. She looked up, not concerned at all with propriety as this was their home after all, and glanced around the room at the various people scattered about the room.

An impromptu council of war for what was, for all intents, the Order of the Phoenix, the part that supported Harry anyway, was assembled in their Common Room. Harry had briefly deactivated the Wards to allow Mad-Eye to Floo in to the room, while Tonks, Minerva and Remus had just arrived. Their quarters had been chosen, as they were more discrete than either Minerva's office or the Room of Requirement.

The students were not unrepresented either, Neville had arrived in the escort of Ron and Luna and sat at a chair by himself looking slightly overwhelmed. He had already been told that he might hear things that he would not know of. He took a sip of a conjured cup of something as he watched Hermione shiver a bit and reach over the back of the couch for a throw.

Hermione smiled at Harry as he flicked his wand to conjure a pitcher of milk and a plate of cookies. She took two and scarfed them, before looking up and shrugging at Neville's odd look. "Harry's and my metabolisms are on overdrive Neville...we are wizards, but we still have to use the energy to move and such. And at the rate we were moving tonight, I am sorta sugar crashed." She grinned slightly, "How do you think that Dumbledore stayed so skinny all those years the way he ate every sweet in the universe." She looked over at Ron pointedly, "I can't actually explain Ron, though. Honestly, I can't...I've tried."

Ron pretended to laugh, and took several cookies pointedly.

Harry smiled at her fondly before he took a breath and looked up at Mad-Eye. It was probably better for all concerned that Hermione was mostly leaning on him and Voldemort himself would have to come in the door before he would disturb her, as she felt the anger in him gather like the clouds at the forefront of a storm, "Before we begin," Harry said in a flat, lethal tone as his eyes swept from Hermione to focus on Mad-Eye. Both of Moody's eyes, real and fake focused on him, "I would like to know...Just what the fuck the so-called Order is doing these days. How the hell is it that my w...girlfriend could be attacked not five hundred yards from the bloody front gates of the castle."

"Harry..." Hermione snapped.

"Are you that overwhelmed that..."

"HARRY JAMES..." Hermione snarled and sat up. She took a breath as the blanket fell from her shoulders, "I...am...fine."

"Yeah, NOW," he hissed back and the rest of the room fell suddenly silent, "What if that had been Tom, or what if they had had more werewolves or..." His eyes dropped from hers to glare around the room, anywhere but at her.

"Harry," She grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her, "I am fine, love, just a couple more scars, now calm the fuck down." Or I swear by Merlin your arse is sleeping on this fucking couch tonight and will until I let you back in the bedroom, she added silently, as she looked into green eyes filled with...Oh, my god, Harry...Baby, I'm sorry...

No one in the room except them existed as he sighed and pulled her into his lap, shaking slightly as he fought to keep in what he had to until this meeting was over, He set it up Mione...he wanted to give himself a birthday present and remind me, your body would have made a hell of anniversary card on the lawn. Look I killed your parents sixteen years ago...now I killed your wife...Happy Fucking Halloween...

Then it's funny how he keeps fucking up on this night then isn't it...He didn't get you sixteen years ago, Quirrell didn't get me with the troll, his stupid blood warning on the wall just put us on the trail of his Basilisk instead of scaring us, and his fucking dog is feeding the Acromantulas or something. She cracked a tiny smile and kissed his nose. But your question was valid...and don't you love the Fidelius charm? His eyebrow rose for a second before he nodded as she turned to the rest of the room, Securiata The defensive wards flashed to full strength and she took a breath, "However inelegant my..." she didn't even grin, "husband's presentation of the question was, it is still valid, just what the fuck does the Order do these days?"

For the first time in her almost six and a half years at Hogwarts, Hermione had the pleasure of seeing Minerva McGonagall with an expression of total bewilderment. She sat back in her chair looking from one of them to another, her eyes wide behind her square glasses. Mad-Eye did not looked as if the news affected him much either way. Neville did not look nonplussed at all, he just rose slightly from his chair and extended his hand to Harry, "Congratulations mate," he said simply and sincerely and sat back down.

"What..." McGonagall started in her burr, "But none of the school records changed...how long...who married you?"

Hermione took pity on her, "Taking them in order, the fact is under a Fidelius charm," she held up her and Harry's joined left hands to show their now visible rings, "Since the day before that picture in the Prophet was taken, my birthday in other words and Dumbledore." She pointed over her shoulder at the so-far silent portrait. He waved.

"Is that legal?" McGonagall asked, stunned, and Harry and Hermione shrugged in unison.

"It's legal in our eyes, that's all that matters in the end," Harry replied softly and looked at Alastor, "but that still does not answer my question, what is the Order up to," Moody opened his mouth to speak and Harry shook his head forcefully, "and if I hear that we are too young or some such foolishness, I will openly break with the Order tonight."

Mad-Eye growled something under his breath and pushed himself to his feet and started pacing. The clump of his wooden leg on the stone floors echoed in the sudden silence for a long minute, before he stopped and took drink from a burnished silver flask he took from a hip pocket. "Not a bloody thing lad," Moody admitted after a long moment, "not a bloody thing." He glanced around the room, and sighed, "in fact the only reason that you are alive today is that you have become more individually more dangerous than the Death Eaters. There hasn't been a watch on any of you since the end of school last year, not a real one. The Dursleys' protections were pulled when you left...and Stilton died at the Grangers." He looked at Hermione and shrugged, "When Albus was alive we had real protection on your parents lass, but now..."

"What happened to all of the members?" Harry inquired, his voice odd as he shared a look with Hermione.

"Albus stopped recruiting last year, he was busy with something else," Mad-Eye replied simply and looked at Remus, Tonks and Minerva, "and there are few left who are actual fighters. Vance, Dodge, Bones, Jones, they're all dead. Kingsley has almost totally gone back to working for the Ministry exclusively, and Remus and Tonks here, and I suppose me, we're on the outs..." He took another sip, "When Voldemort was striving for power the first time, we had fighters, Harry, your parents, Sirius, the Prewitts, but now most of them are old and scared, the ones that are still alive anyway."

"But we have them Professor," Neville piped in suddenly and every eye shot to him as if they had forgotten he was in the room, he straightened in his chair and carefully set down his cup on the coffee table, "Right now, we you could have another twenty members, maybe more, in the fight."

McGonagall spun, "There will be time for that later, Longbottom."

Neville stood suddenly and Harry was reminded afresh that the soft, timid young man of their past was long gone, Neville's shoulders subtly squared about as he looked at her, "With all due respect, ma'am...we are in the fight," he waved violently towards Harry and Hermione, "Harry since he was born, Hermione and Ron since they were eleven and the rest of us for years as well." Neville's eyes tightened, "My parents are stuck in St. Mungo's, their minds raped for Bellatrix's amusement, Ron lost a brother and still may lose another, Susan has lost her entire family now, and Hermione damn near did, and SHE AND HARRY HAD TO SAVE THEM." He took a breath, and looked sheepish, "I am sorry ma'am I will accept whatever punishment is appropriate for raising my voice out of turn, but I will not apologize for my point. We are the ones fighting now, not just Harry."

"You don't know what it's like out there," Remus said softly, unthinkingly.

Hermione let out a soft sound as Neville clenched his fists and paced away, his eyes dark and hard. "Yes, we do," Luna put in, in an oddly lucid, diamond-hard voice before anyone else could respond. She didn't move her head from Ron's shoulder as her eyes focused on his, "Do we know what it's like to see the red mist shining in the flickering light of spell fire after you've delivered a Reductor to some random Death Eater's head...I've seen that in my dreams almost every night Remus..." She quieted abruptly and closed her eyes, her piece said.

A tear tried to escape McGonagall's eye as Mad-Eye turned back to Harry, "what do you want then lad?" he asked resignedly.

"Support, and not holding out on us because we are kids," Harry replied, "I'll..."

"We'll..." Hermione whispered.

"We'll kill Voldemort," Harry said determinately, "I have something to live for after all, you lot just keep his followers busy until we can be ready to strike."

Alastor nodded and carefully did not look in Minerva's direction to see the look of newfound horror on her face, "Fine then Harry, I'll come by the next DA meeting and we'll discuss the best way the Order can..."

"NO," Luna and Neville snapped as one, Neville looked to Luna and she nodded, "We will follow Harry," she announced like it was a fact rooted in the very bedrock below, "He's our leader, and he's the one who will kill Tom, no one else."

There ya, go...next chapter, the Order is back in business, a surprise for ya'll, and we catch up with some little redhead or another.

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23. The Lion Stalks

A/N: here we go again, once again thanks to Lady Starlight for her work on this...

Chapter 23: The Lion Stalks
***********************Canton, England**************************

November 10, 1997. (Monday)
6:00 pm

"Blimey lad will you sit down...you're making me nervous," Mad-Eye shot across the room as Harry paced fitfully back and forth. Harry stopped and glared at him, before resuming his journeys. Neville and Ron looked up from the midst of their two or three hundredth chess game, before looking back down, and giving identical shakes of their heads. Ron reached out and absently took a carton of take-out Chinese from a nearby table and started working on it as Neville looked forlornly at his next, losing move. The four of them were currently ensconced in a small suite of rooms, in a Muggle hotel overlooking a large grouping of small offices and shops.

Harry sighed, dropped on a large couch, and stared out the window, across the way at a one-story office building set across a tree-shaded lane. The sign set outside of the brick building, with large, plate-glass windows, read Granger and Granger, Family Dentistry. Harry leaned forward and picked up his carton of takeout and started moving the noodles around aimlessly with a pair of chopsticks. "Neville, what about Umbridge?" Harry asked monotonously, as if he had already asked the same question before.

Neville rolled his eyes slightly as Ron shrugged; they both knew why Harry was like this, especially after the events of Halloween. "We Obliviated her, again...at this rate she's going to be as bright as a turnip by Christmas. I think the current story that Parvati stuck in her craw was something about the entire Gryffindor seventh year having a severe case of Wizard's Flu. She hasn't even come close to the tower in days."

"And that's a change, how, mate?" Ron replied instantly, shrugging. He took a bite of his Kung-Pao Chicken and grinned. "She never was the brightest."

Harry didn't share in their mirth; he stood again and walked to the window, and placed his fingertips on it. "Ron, check with the twins, and Remus, make sure..."

Ron looked at Alastor, who stomped over to the window and gently placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. He leaned in and spoke to Harry softly, "Lad," Mad-Eye paused to take a sip from a silver flask, he replaced it in his pocket; "you are going to have to get used to this."

Harry sighed, "Does it get any easier Mad-Eye?"

"No," Alastor admitted as he glanced back at the two young wizards joking about something and frowned, he scrunched up his scarred face, and scanned about the area with his eye before responding. "If you care about your people, it never does."

"Then why the hell do we do this then?"

"Because no one else can." The pair of them watched a mother pushing a stroller across the crosswalk; both of them bundled against the cold on this blustery, nasty day. He patted Harry's shoulder again and stepped back, "I'm going to go to that meeting with Kingsley now, I'll see if he has changed his mind." The elder statesman of Aurors turned and vanished with a soft pop. Harry ran both hands through his hair, before he deliberately stepped away from the window and paced back over to where Neville and Ron were still playing, with Ron wining handily.

Ron looked down, moved his queen and looked up at Neville with a smile, "Check," The tiny queen raised a minuscule sword and Neville's king quivered, "I do have a question for you mate?"

"Yeah?" Neville said warily and moved his king out of check, temporarily.

Ron chuckled darkly and moved a rook, "Checkmate." Neville's king shook a fist at him, before he turned and fell on his sword. "Neville...mate, just what were Parvati and Lavender doing coming out of your room here this morning?" Neville suddenly developed a marked interest in resetting the board. "They looked awfully...relaxed."

Harry suddenly forgot his previous worries as he leaned against the wall, "Neville?"

"I...uh, I'm going to go check on the wards." Neville quickly stood and grabbed his coat. He checked his wand and headed out into the hall, and Harry and Ron laughed loudly. Ron pulled out his mirror and told Remus and the twins who were scattered about somewhere around Hermione's parent's office, watching to see if any had tripped their trap.

Right after the attack on Hermione's parents, a quick story had been given to their office that they needed to leave for a while due to a family emergency with Jane's family in Scotland...true in the main, but not what was implied. Jane's mother had died when Hermione was in Primary School and her father was currently somewhere unknown. Several days ago, Roger and Jane had come back to their practice to take care of a great deal of backlogged paper work and look over several case files. A pair of dental hygienists was in to perform cleanings, but neither Doctor Granger was performing any actual repair work.

Which was quite appropriate as neither "Doctor Granger" was really qualified. Since last Wednesday, Hermione, who with a simple charm to change her eye color and to add a bit of age, looked a great deal like her mother and Tonks, who looked like anyone she wanted had been playing the part of the Grangers. They had been dangling the "Grangers" out in front of Voldemort's nose to see if he would strike. There had been a curious silence from that quarter since Halloween, and they were curious to see if Tom would try again after the Grangers after they had failed on Harry's Birthday. Harry frowned as a sudden black thought crossed his mind, "Ron, what are you doing for Christmas?"

Ron frowned as well, "I suppose I am going to the Burrow if Mum will have me." Harry nodded knowingly, since Ginny's duel with Hermione and her flight, Molly's communication with the trio had been in the form of two Howlers to Ron, one to Hermione, that called her a slag and a whore and a scarlet woman in front of the entire Great Hall, and a memorable slap to Hermione's cheek when the trio had returned to Hogwarts without the wayward Weasley. Molly never realized the iron control Harry had held himself under when he witnessed that action and let Hermione convince him to just leave. Ron stood and walked to the window where the scene was now only lit with softly glowing streetlamps shining down through a cold November rain, bits of sleet falling with the water. "Though I may not, the way she's treating you and Hermione...you two are family, no matter what she says now...the rest of us still will be there for you two Harry, and I damn sure will be."

Harry shook his head, "No Ron, go. I'm just worried that Tom may try again at the Burrow."

"If he does, then we'll just repeat what we did last time," Ron replied softly, not forgetting what the assault had cost them last time. He had just returned from visiting Charlie in the long-term ward at St. Mungo's.

Harry nodded, sighing and turned to the window again, just as a soft pair of POPs disturbed the silence behind them. Harry didn't turn, recognizing the presence of Lavender and Parvati, as much by their magical signatures as by their distinctive sounds of Apparation. By now, he could tell almost any of his friends without looking. He and Hermione, depending on how tired they were, generally didn't make much of a sound, if at all, Ron tended to sound like a whip cracking, while Neville tended towards the classic car-backfiring, though relatively subdued. Parvati sounded almost like a House Elf with her arrival, while Lavender for some odd reason sounded like someone snapping his or her fingers.

Harry felt it as the girls came up to them and joined them at the window; Ron smiled as they looked out on the empty street, "Evening ladies, Neville will be back after a bit."

"Jealous, Ronnie?" Lavender asked, her voice dropping several registers.

"Not really," Ron shrugged and grinned, "though I do wish you had shown this side a touch earlier Lav..."

"Concentrate, Ron," Harry said sotto voce and looked over at the girls, his tone subtly taking on a edge of command, "Listen, I don't care what you are up to tonight, but be ready...I've got a bad feeling about this..."

"You and Hermione are here tonight right, Harry?" Parvati asked as she placed her hands in the front pockets of her jeans and shrugged.

"Yeah, we're staying in our room..." Both girls and Ron leered, "where we will be sleeping... Listen don't rile her up, please, this is starting to get to her alright? She still feels guilty about her parents being attacked." The girls nodded and after Harry glared at Ron, he did as well. "She and Tonks should leave the office soon; 'Roger and Jane' are staying here since their house was damaged in that 'fire'.

"You got any food Harry, Par and I left without eating...sick you know," Lavender faked a horrible cough and Harry laughed before waving at the side of the room.

Parvati watched as Ron led Lavender to the small kitchenette set over to the side of the Common Room of the suite they had been letting for this stakeout and took several boxes out of the refrigerator for their dinner. The suite was set directly above the room that 'Roger and Jane' were renting. It was a trivial matter for Hermione and Tonks to Apparate from within the room to the suite. Defensive charms had been set to capture any attackers in that room, if need be.

Harry started as a device in his pocket gave a soft, "hoot" and he pulled out his mirror. Remus Lupin's face was in it, barely visible in the dim light outside. His hair was plastered to his head and a brisk wind was ruffling the collar of his upturned Muggle jacket. "Harry," he hissed, quietly as if he were afraid of being overheard, "we've got movement..."

"LET'S GO!" Harry snapped across the room without responding to Lupin. He vanished between heartbeats; Ron grabbed a pair of jump packs and threw them to the girls before leaving in a whipcrack of his own. Five seconds later the girls were gone, the plan long since ingrained in their heads.

*************************The Leaky Caldron, London************************

Mad-Eye appeared without a word and stomped over the bar. Tom motioned him towards the stairs and tossed him a key. Moody growled a response, which might have contained words of thanks, and clumped up the stairs. He paced down the hall until he reached a door set with the number 12, with the one dangling loosely, upside down, on its bottom nail.

The electric blue light infusing his artificial eye grew as he scanned around the area, and slowly panned over the door in front of him. He took a step back and used a flick of his wand to open the door, and waited, after a moment he headed in.

Kingsley Shacklebolt was sitting at a table in the center of the room, occupying one of a pair of straight-backed wooden chairs. A pewter pitcher was in the center of the table, sweating, with a pair of goblets. Kingsley took a drink from his as he watched Mad-Eye close the door behind him and cast at least five locking and anti-surveillance charms behind him, the effects of which shimmered along the wall in a rainbow effect of excess Cherinkov radiation. Mad-eye carefully examined the chair, the table and the pitcher before he sat, with Kingsley rolling his eyes all the way.

"What's wrong, Alastor," Kingsley asked laughingly, "working with those kids got you jumpy?"

"No, I just remember I am in war, do you?" Moody looked across the small table at him levelly. He grimaced as he took a sip from his hip flask, ignoring the goblet of butterbeer in front of him.

"I had wondered," Shacklebolt said flatly, "playing with children, instead..."

"Instead of what lad?" Moody interrupted, as his rough voice took on a lethal smoothness, "watching Death Eaters attack Muggles, and not interfering because they were Muggles?"

"That was the Minister's orders, we were ordered not to get ourselves killed in a futile gesture." Kingsley replied with his eyes lifeless, "Do you think it was easy on me?"

"You should have," Mad-Eye retorted hotly, "and since when do you follow the Minister's orders over the Order's?"

"He's the only hope we have now that Albus is dead."

"No he's not."

"Don't tell me that they've convinced you too, Alastor," Kingsley shot back, his eyes wide in shock, "Potter is a bloody school kid, and his friends are no better...yes, maybe someday they will be, but...Potter has his bird, and that Weasley kid, but they are still in school..."

He stopped abruptly as Moody slammed a scarred fist on the table, "You really haven't been paying attention then have you..." He shook his head and stood slowly, looking down at the bald palate of the tall, dark wizard, "It was Potter and his bird, that took out a Death Eater assault on her parents this summer, eight to two odds including Snape and Dolohov and Snape was the only one who got away." Kingsley opened his mouth to retort. "It was the twins and Ronald and that odd girl of his, Moon or something, that stopped the attack on the Burrow, the bloody Aurors never showed until way too late. They have since gone on to take down several Death Eaters that I know off, and I have this odd suspicion that they have done more than they are letting on, something Albus put to the boy before he died. And as a topper...it was Granger that killed Greyback."

"She did...with what, she's not licensed for a Kedavra..."

"Hand to hand," Moody shook his head as he watched a curious expression cross the tall wizard's face. "Twelve inches of silvered steel in the brain will kill anything, even a were." Mad-Eye shook his head mournfully, "At Hogwarts mind you, and on the grounds... you might want to tell your master to put a few more resources at the school. I imagine that Potter will start to get annoyed if he and his girlfriend are having to defend themselves every time they want to go to the loo." A small, odd smile flitted across Moody's weathered face, "And I am starting to suspect that causing them excessive annoyance is about as brilliant as pissing of Albus was."

Moody turned and vanished without a further word.

****************************Canton**********************************

A dozen shapes in black robes appeared in a series of soft cracks and ran towards the front door of the Grangers' offices. The one in the front paused for a moment and opened the locked front door with a spell. He motioned the masked Death Eaters following him into the building, and stepped under the awning shielding the entrance from the rain to watch out for newcomers.

The Death Eater's eyes narrowed as he saw a sliver of motion, he took a step forward and collapsed to the ground as point of a wand dimpled the skin behind his ear and a spell flashed. The twins appeared out of the rain and levitated him away, behind the bushes as Harry resettled his cloak around his shoulders, gave them a nod and vanished again.

Inside the eleven Death Eaters that had come into the building, stormed through the waiting room, knocking aside chairs, tables filled with magazines and a couple of baskets filled with children's toys. They hammered open the door leading from the front to the hall behind and stopped. Several closed doors were situated along the long hall, which was decorated with pictures of landscapes around England and the world. A light was coming from under the door on the far end of the hall, and they hurried towards it.

"REDUCTO," a blue bolt shot down the length of the hall, shattering the door, and sending burning fragments tumbling into the office behind. The scream of fire alarms sounded, as sprinklers erupted in the building and one of the Death Eaters cursed loudly He spun and blew the alarm off the wall with a curse as their leaders stormed into the small office.

A tall, broad man and a smaller curly-haired woman looked up, and Rodolphus Lestrange sneered, "The Mudblood's parents," he laughed and the two others who had entered the room with him did as well, "The Dark Lord will reward me well for bringing them to him."

"Will he now?" Hermione replied and Rodolphus gasped as 'Jane's' eyes glowed a bright, shimmering green and twenty years vanished. Next to her, 'Roger' shimmered and shrunk rapidly, his hair becoming a garish bright blue as Tonks relaxed into her more or less base form. Hermione's arm blurred as an ivy-wood wand appeared in her hand and Bellatrix suddenly became a widow as Reductor blew a hole through his chest. She and Tonks vanished a heartbeat later as the Death Eaters returned fire. Large holes appeared in the back wall as spells shot through where they had been.

Harry dove out into the hall, diving low as Ron spun around a corner at head height. Harry's first spell dropped a Death Eater at the front as a Cutting Curse from Ron dropped the second Eater aiming for his friend. Both boys spun into an examination room as a half-dozen spells shot back at them. The Death Eaters looked at where Harry and Ron went when Parvati and Lavender popped back into the room where Hermione and Tonks had been. Lavender and Parvati fired as one, Lavender's Bludgeoning Curse dropping one as Parvati's precise Piercing Charm drilled a neat third eye in another's forehead.

A violet beam shot back, Parvati screamed, and fell clutching her side as blood shown around her fingers against the pale grey shirt she had on. Lavender dropped onto the girl and pulled both of them behind a desk.

The lights in the building flickered died as a sudden rush of magic filled the air. An unexpected coldness fell over the Death Eaters in the hall and as one they tried to Disapparate away, only to find to their immense horror that they could not. Two pairs of glowing eyes appeared in the gloom, one at each end of the hall, and a pair of shimmering walls appeared blocking the remaining Death Eaters in the middle of the hall. A pair of synchronized gestures, and the walls shot towards each other in a rush of air and crashed together with a thunderclap that did not quite mask the crunching sound of the Death Eaters trapped within.

The lights reappeared and Harry and Hermione gave each other, small, flat smiles. Remus and Neville came running into the building, Neville bumping past Harry as he rushed to the office at the end of the hall where Parvati was lying. He checked on her, she was pale but breathing regularly. He glanced up at Harry, "The suite," Harry said quietly and Neville and Lavender vanished with Parvati between them.

Remus looked at Harry, who grimaced at the bodies of the Death Eaters and started removing masks. Harry quickly felt through cloaks, looking for anything that the Death Eaters were carrying that might give them a lead as to where Voldemort was, but nothing other than their wands, several daggers, a pair of short swords and what seemed to be an empty, shrunken Pensieve were in their pockets. Harry took the Pensieve, destroyed the wands and stepped back. He took a breath and the bodies of the Death Eaters vanished. "Where did you send them?"

"They're in the fountain at the Ministry," Harry replied and looked to the twins who had wandered in from the front, "Let's get out of here, you lot going back to Diagon?" Fred nodded and waved as he and George vanished in a one-two double crack. "Remus? You going back to Hogwarts?" Harry asked as Tonks came over to Lupin and leaned on him heavily.

"I..." Tonks gave Lupin an odd look and he grinned, "I think we'll stay at Tonks' tonight, go back in the morning." He looked at Harry speculatively, "You will be in class tomorrow...yes?" The last came as more of a command than anything, but Harry just shrugged it off.

"We'll see," Harry replied as he grabbed Hermione's hand and vanished. Ron followed a tick later with a soft crack. Remus and Tonks waited one moment longer and disappeared, and a not a instant later the front door fell inward as the first of a company of Muggle firemen crowded into the building.

When Ron reappeared in the suite, he looked over to find Harry sitting in an oversized chair with his eyes closed. Hermione was curled in his lap like a large cat, her arms around his neck with her eyes closed as well. "Hey Ron," Harry said without opening his eyes. Harry shrugged down a bit in the plush chair and leaned his head over to rest it on Hermione's, still without opening his eyes. Harry opened his eyes and looked across the room to three people sitting on a couch, and as Ron's gaze followed his entire face flushed as red as his hair. "Are you sure that you don't want to go back to Hogwarts tonight, Parvati? Have Poppy look at that?"

Parvati, who as Ron had noticed and as neither Harry nor Neville seemed particularly worried about, had only a bright white bandage on above her jeans, shook her head and leaned against Neville. He summoned a blanket from the open door to one of the rooms to throw over her, she sighed softly and looked up at him for a moment with dark, liquid eyes, "No Harry, I don't want to Apparate or Portkey until I get some sleep, I think he cracked a rib with that." She grinned and slid her head down until it rested in Neville's lap, and Harry wondered absently where the shy boy had of first year had gone.

Probably is still at the Department of Mysteries, Harry thought pensively and he felt Hermione's silent agreement.

"I'm just going to stay here with my teddy bear here and rest." Parvati finished and Neville did finally blush, as Harry chuckled softly. Ron would have, but he was still trying to not think about Parvati topless in the same room.

"We should have a party." Lavender announced suddenly. Her wand flicked and with a skill at conjuring that Hermione was shocked to learn she had, a bottle of Ogden's appeared, along with several glasses. She gave her wand an odd, seemingly quite practiced twist and the stopper popped off and streams of amber fluid shot out to land in each glass.

"I don't want any Lav," Hermione muttered as she reached up to brush her still wet curls out of her eyes.

"Oh come on, Hermione, you ninny," Ron chided and forced a glass into her hand, "you need to unwind."

"Harry," Hermione whined and Harry obediently glared at Ron, but he had none of it. Neville and the other girls chuckled as Ron stuck out his tongue at her.

"Oh, hide behind Harry..."

Hermione sat up on Harry's lap and summoned a second glass to her with a flick of her fingers. She handed it to Harry, and held hers up, "Fine then...to Albus Dumbledore, a barmy old codger...I miss him." She whispered the last and several eyes held sudden tears as they repeated the toast softly and slammed the drinks. She tilted her head back enough to share a kiss with her husband and ground against him rather obviously, causing Harry to close his eyes in appreciation and Neville, Lavender and Parvati to laugh.

"You would do that because Luna's not here wouldn't you?" Ron accused and Hermione smiled slowly, chocolate eyes twinkling as she kissed Harry again. "Well fine..." Ron replied petulantly as Hermione gave him a small wave and the pair of them vanished from in front of their eyes, "I'm just going to go get her here or something." No response came from the room that Harry and Hermione had been staying in for the duration of the mission except the closing of the door. Ron tiptoed over to it and cursed, "damn silencing charm," he announced to the room.

Hermione had jumped the pair of them directly onto the bed. Her fingers were pushing up under his shirt and teasing it off. She shivered as his fingers slipped down to unbutton her jeans and slip down to dance lightly at the waistband of her knickers. Her bottom lip was in her teeth as Harry tugged her still wet jeans off her, dragging her knickers with them. Hermione looked down and sat up, pulling off her shirt and reaching back and unfastening her bra. "Well, Potter, there is a wet, naked girl in your bed, just what do you plan to do hero?"

"Oh...I'll think of something," Harry whispered. He grinned roguishly as he crawled on to the bed slowly walking her back until her back hit the covers. Hermione's eyes slipped closed as he leaned in to kiss her, and she purred as she threw her arms around his neck. Harry pulled away slightly and laughed under his breath as she groaned and looked up at him accusingly, "You know how I hate to have a plan," Harry mentioned conversationally, as if he were talking about a particularly normal Cannons match with Ron, his fingers brushed the side of a breast as he talked; he didn't seem to notice her reaction, "I thought I'd just make it up as I go along..."

"Harrrryyy," Hermione moaned and reached up to grab his hair and pull him down to her. She let go after a moment, smiled as she felt his pulse dance, You have entirely too many clothes on, she commented, pointedly looking down, then let out a soft mew as he settled up between her legs and rubbed against her. Please Harry...

You just had to ask nicely...Harry replied, his eyes twinkling as he rapidly divested himself of his damp clothes, Hermione pretended to chuckle for an minute before taking a deep breath and muttering a spell. Harry eyes grew dark for moment, as he felt the tingle of the Contraceptive Charm against his fingertips where they rested on her belly before they lit with a soft, inner glow as their thoughts fell together and the already very low wall between their consciousnesses collapsed.

Their lips touched and Hermione and Harry's eyes slid almost closed as a faint sliver of greenish light lit the sheets. Their eyes slipped open a touch, heavily lidded, they held each other's gaze as Hermione reached down and slid him into her, hissing in pleasure as he slid entirely into her, until their hipbones and stomachs were touching.

Hermione's fingers slid along where they were joined and she smiled as she felt his join her. She took a breath and nodded, mewing softly as Harry began to slide in and out of her.

Oh..Merlin...Miione... Harry muttered as he leaned forward to kiss her again, and rested his lips against hers as their tongues began to move to the same beat as their hips. He smirked, and sped up slightly rocking his fingers on her back and forth a bit and looked down on her astonished, as she was already trembling under him. A flicker of his fingers, a caress of tongues and another slow movement later, he felt a rush of warmth fill her in his thoughts and gasped almost as loud as she did as she crashed.

"Oh...bloody, fucking hell..." Hermione gasped as she looked up at him wide eyed, panting, groaning, as Harry gave her an evil grin and kept at his languorous pace. She panted again, "Har..Harr..." Fast..faster Harry...

His face crashed to hers again as he took both of her hands in his and slid them up and behind her head, as his pace and heartbeat sped up. A sudden wave of emotion fought with the tingling rush that was rapidly trying to fight its way out from their centers, "Miiioone...." Harry paused, took a breath and gasped as he felt her let go again, felt her walls clench around him, and any hope of lasting any longer was gone in a rush... "I love you..." Harry whispered against her lips as he pulsed into her, filling her with a new kind of warmth, and seeming draining any bit of remaining strength away into the ether, as he collapsed onto her, and glanced around noticing absently that the communication mirrors really were indestructible. Some far distant corner of their mind, cataloged the fact that she had wrapped her legs and arms around him, pulling him even tighter into her as they released together, and that he probably would have bruises in the morning but right now they didn't quite care.

God, I love you so much...Hermione whispered as soon as rational thought returned. She lazily contented herself with nibbling on his neck for a bit while they tried to summon enough strength or magic, either one, to move.

Harry took a breath as he rolled to the side and closed his eyes as he felt Hermione's quite warm body snuggle up to his. They kissed just for the hell of it as they luxuriated in the sensation of being, safe, for a bit. A heartbeat slowed, one of theirs it didn't matter which, as Harry motioned in the air with a couple of fingers and summoned a blanket from a chair to lay over them. It seems, wrong somehow to be that horny after a fight...Harry mentioned thoughtfully. Hermione cooed something under her breath. Not that I mind particularly, Harry added after a moment as she tucked her head against his chest.

Blame evolution, or creation or whatever, Hermione whispered, Harry grinned despite himself as he heard the tone of her thoughts automatically shift to 'know-it-all' mode. We're wired that way. Makes us want to make babies right after the adrenaline ebbs.

That was a bloody good idea...Harry commented, though I don't know what we're going to do after all of this is over.

I'm sure we'll still be running after bad guys after Tommy is in the ground, Hermione replied unthinkingly as she settled in to sleep. Harry replied with a wordless query and she shrugged, Like I would let you do this by yourself afterwards. I have the Auror packet at home for both of us.

Both?

Yeah...I told Minerva for sure the other day, didn't really matter as I already had all of your classes anyway. Harry let out a long, loud breath and Hermione tilted her head back enough to catch his eyes looking down on hers.

You could be a Healer, Solicitor...anything you want.

So could you Harry, she shot back, with just a touch of heat, annoyed at his automatic lessening of himself, But you want this don't you? He sighed and frowned but eventually gave her the briefest of nods. You don't think the little 'Mudblood' wants to prove she's the best either? Harry grimaced at the epithet. Baby, if you don't I won't, but I'm damn sure going to if you do...I definitely don't trust anyone else at your back. They'll put us together you know, like your folks and Neville's parents, its procedure.

You don't trust Ron? A fleeting grin slipped across his face.

She gave him a look before responding seriously, No, I mean yes, I mean... he waited for her to finish, do I trust him to die for either of us, yeah, I know he would without a thought, but in the end I don't trust anyone else to watch your arse, no not even him...and it's such a cute arse, she added unthinkingly.

Thanks, Harry replied and she grinned and burrowed further under the covers as she rolled on her side pushing back into him. Her lips muttered something and the lights dimmed and the drapes across the large, plate glass window opened, showing them the dark, cold night outside with the rain having almost gone fully to sleet. They watched the storm for a while before drifting off to sleep to the sound of the patter of ice pellets on the window.

***************************************************************

Tuesday, November 11, 1997
6:00 am.

The grey light of sunrise flooded into the room, and Hermione opened one eye blearily. She sighed as she rolled over to look at Harry. His face was peaceful, and she disparaged waking him, as neither had slept the night through. As almost always happened after a mission they did, good or bad, Harry's nightmares had returned with images of Lestrange taking her away, or killing her. She stretched and smirked as she felt him stir at the feeling of her breasts against his chest as she kissed his scar, she was the only one he let get away with touching it, and rolled out of bed. Harry muttered something uncomplimentary in Latin, but as nothing happened and no magic rushed past her, he must have just been cursing. Harry felt around for his glasses and watched appreciatively as Hermione bent over to pull on a pair of flannel pajama bottoms. She grinned and waggled her arse a bit more than necessary as she pulled them up and tied them around her hips. She grabbed a worn sweatshirt from the top of her pack and slipped it on. Returning to the bed, she bent over and kissed him properly, grimacing a bit at their morning breath, but continued anyway for another moment. "What time is it Mione?"

She gestured in the air, and floating, fiery numerals and letters spelled out, "November 11, 1997, 6:05 am." "Bloody hell Mione, come back to bed." Harry moaned as he flopped back onto the bed. His voice dropped, deeper, "I'll make it worth your while."

Hermione bit her lip as she turned and looked at him, and Harry could easily read her desire to do just that very thing, "We should get back, go to class." Harry groaned and rolled out of bed with a muffled thump. Hermione laughed as she watched him find a pair of sleep pants and pull them on as she opened the door to the suite.

She waved at the window and loud, annoyed mutters rang out. Her toe nudged a blanket from under which a shock of red hair was peeking, and heard giggles...Hermione's gaze was curious as she watched a head of dirty blonde hair start to slowly slide out. Hermione cocked her head slightly to the side as she felt Harry standing in the doorway to their room behind her and Luna poked her head out from under the blanket and...blinked, several times, slightly unnervingly, "Hi Hermione," Luna said cheerily to the moans of the others in the room, "Ronald would get up...but he's kind of already up." She vanished back under the covers and Hermione closed her eyes, briefly.

New, totally unrelated moans slipped out from the direction of the couch. Immediately Hermione noticed that sometime after her and Harry had Apparated to bed, someone had expanded the couch to so it was wide enough for all three occupants. Several empty Ogden's bottles and an empty two liter of Coca Cola were scattered about the floor around the couch, and lying on their sides, empty. She glanced back at Harry and gestured towards the pile that was Ron and Luna, Harry crossed the room in a pair of quick strides, knelt down next to Ron's ear and muttered something, that caused Ron to leap to his feet as if bit. Spiders, Harry explained and Hermione giggled.

She paced over to where Lavender was curled in a ball on one end of the expanded couch and shook her shoulder, "Get up Lav, we have class in a couple of hours." The blonde nodded through blood-shot eyes and felt around on the floor until she found her wand and aimed it in the direction of the bedroom she had been sleeping in. A bag shot out of it and dropped into her hand. Rummaging around in it she found three vials of WWW HangoverBeGone, and downed one of the bright purple potions with a grimace.

Harry had nudged Neville's shoulder while Hermione was waking her former roommate. Neville looked up at Harry, and nodded when Harry motioned to his watch. Neville looked down at the small, raven-haired girl on his shoulder whom had gained Neville's button-down shirt since Harry had last seen her, and from the legs he could see sticking out from under the blanket covering them both, had lost her jeans in an effort to get comfortable. Neville shook her gently and she stretched and looked up at him.

Harry did not miss the wince on Neville's face as he heard Parvati hiss as her probably cracked rib flared up. "Parvati, you are going to see Poppy when we get back." Harry said forcefully.

"I'm bloody well fine, Harry," she snapped, she sat up with another growl of pain and gave Neville a glare. "What, you too? You're not my bloody father, Neville." She glared down at the other end of the couch, "and you're not my mother either, Lavender."

"No, I'm not." Neville agreed flatly, and she visibly shrunk. She her eyes met his for a long moment before she got up and slipped into the room where Lavender's bag had been and closed the door with a soft thump. Harry glanced over at Hermione; she shrugged and waved her wand around the room. Instantly, scattered clothes packed themselves into bags, food scraps and bottles neatly deposited themselves into waste containers and the couch shrunk to its normal size.

After several minutes Parvati came out of the bedroom, dressed in a soft pair of sweat pants and a Gryffindor sweatshirt. She had a small leather pack slung over her shoulder; its top and half of her face were covered by her unbound hair. She walked up to Neville and leaned against him, "Apparate me home, Neville...I'll go see Poppy." Her voice was slightly unsteady as she spoke, her down turned head and curtain of hair blocked anyone from seeing her face. Neville pulled her pack off her shoulder and tossed it to Lavender, Neville got a knowing nod from Harry and vanished in a loud CRACK, from Neville followed a beat later by Lavender's snap of disappearance.

Ron looked up at Harry and Hermione and took the pack that Luna handed him and vanished. Hermione looked over from the television, where she was using the self-check out system, it showed the room as checked out and billed to "Fawkes Industries," and gave him a smile before she wrapped her arms around him and they vanished as well.

**********************Hogwarts, Great Hall******************************

7:20 am

Hermione smiled to herself, almost vacantly as she picked at her breakfast plate and turned the pages to her Charms text, not seeing any of the words, but rather a rehash of images from the night before. She stopped pretending after a bit and smiled to herself biting her lip absently as she rehashed the previous night's events. She glanced up at the doors, looking to see if Harry had yet made it down to breakfast and sighed, as she didn't see him. But, she had learned from the Ginny incident, Where are you?

I'm on the way down now love, Remus was relating what Mad-Eye told them this morning about his meeting with Shacklebolt. She felt his nod at her curious inquiry, He's still of the 'Harry's a glory seeking kid and all of his friends are kids over their heads' mien... Hermione could see him in her thoughts stopping to lean heavily against a wall and scrub his hands heavily though his hair. She fought down a sudden flushed feeling at the image and bit her lip a bit more. I knew you thought I was shagadellic ...

You're damn lucky I do...I doubt anyone else would put up with you...now get your arse down here, I'm lonely.

She felt Harry's presence start to approach hers faster; I'm on my way.

Hermione grinned and looked down at her reading. Her pleasant conversation with Harry that took up a corner of her thoughts while she started actually rereading the Charms text for the tenth time and eating a muffin off her plate, was interrupted as a harsh, unwelcome hand fell on her shoulder. "Hem, Hem..." a soft, sickly sweet voice sounded in her ear as Hermione was sitting, making her about even with the toad who was standing.

All in all Umbridge was perhaps too ignorant of the true realities, to realize that the slight smirk that danced across Hermione's lips was a combination of the fact that the young witch had already cataloged and envisioned at least seventeen ways to dispose of this annoyance in the time it took her to turn around, ten of which were lethal, five of those magical and two involving actually Transfiguring the toad into, a well...toad, and feeding her to Crookshanks, which was sort of a combination platter really.. As if called, Hermione's familiar appeared at that moment and hopped up on the bench next to his Mistress and glared, licking his lips. "Can I help you?" Hermione asked softly with an utter lack of any detectable emotion in her voice. A couple of Gryffindors near them noticed and looked around nervously. Seamus shared a look with Dean, slid his right hand into his left sleeve and palmed his wand.

Somewhere about the third floor, Harry stepped around an invisible corner and let out a soft gasp as his vision blurred for a moment, as he vanished into the ether.

He reappeared a millisecond later just outside the doors of the Great Hall and disappeared in mid-stride as a cloak fluttered around his shoulders. He eased up to stand behind Umbridge, and his heart flipped as Hermione gave his invisible form a beatific smile. "What are you smiling at girl?" Umbridge hissed.

"I would have you remember I am the Head Girl here...Delores. I do not answer to you in the slightest," Hermione snapped, "I repeat myself, what do you want?"

"You are up to something." Umbridge accused, her sharp little teeth in a feral grin, "I am going to...Knit...I forgot my knitting today." The toad wandered off after a bit, and headed out the doors, still muttering about knitting.

Hermione waited for a couple of minutes before she muttered something easily overheard about Harry's lack of punctuality...a blatant lie that none of the Gryffindors would contest, fixed several sandwiches from the eggs, bacon and biscuits in front of her, wrapped them in a napkin and stood. Knitting? Hermione asked as she strode alongside an invisible Harry, her stride matching his without thinking, not that anyone would know.

I was in a hurry...besides you've never served detention with that bitch, Harry stopped as they stood outside of sight of the Great Hall and he reappeared, and pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her waist. I did consider beheading her right there, but I know you don't like blood on the school uniforms.

It is a pain to get out, she agreed silently and leaned her head on his chest. Confundus Charm...

I could have just fried her brain...Harry replied, it wouldn't have taken much, not with how much she was projecting her hate towards you, towards us, Harry made a small side to side motion with one hand before replacing it on the slope of her bum, I could have ripped into her mind no problem. If Snape had taught me Legilimency fifth year she would have never succeeded in anything.

Did you get anything off her?

No, Harry shrugged, I didn't really try to probe; I was looking for a way to get rid of her without making us get rid of her. Harry looked up as he spotted Neville coming down the Great Stairs, I want to talk to Neville, Mione, find out what's up with Parvati, if I can.

She kissed his cheek as she handed him the sandwiches she had prepared for him and started off towards Charms. You just want to know if he's really...Can I listen in?

You know you never have to ask love, just don't run into any walls, Harry chided gently and almost laughed as he felt, the rude gesture she sent his way as she climbed the stairs past Neville and bid him good morning as if she hadn't already woken him up several hours away. "Oi, Neville," Harry said as the Gryffindor passed him, "can I talk to you a moment?" Neville nodded as Harry led him into a large cloakroom off the Great Hall and cast an Imperturbable Charm, one strong enough to cause the small hairs on the back of Neville's neck to stand on end. "Neville, I want to let you know that upfront that I consider you my friend as are Parvati and Lavender...but I need to know what happened to Par this morning." Neville sighed and looked over at Harry speculatively.

Neville took a deep breath and squared his shoulders slightly, "Yes alright, yes, Harry, let me just say that right now. What you and I suppose every seventh year Gryffindor, by now, suspects is true...at least mostly." Harry crooked an eyebrow as he felt Hermione close her eyes and focus entirely on the conversation in this room; she must have gained the Charms classroom and be sitting down by now.

Harry watched him fidget for a minute, "Are you guys happy?"

"Yeah I think so, as much as we can be?"

"Lord knows that Hermione and I aren't ones for extended courtships," Harry admitted to the tall Gryffindor, who knew his secret after all, "But how long..." He almost grinned as Hermione hung on Neville's words.

"That night after Slughorn's party." Neville replied with a sheepish grin, "Par heard about me defending Ginny's honor against the Slytherins and asked me to that next Hogsmeade Weekend. I guess you and Hermione were on your honeymoon."

"If you can call it that..." Harry replied; then closed his eyes as Hermione mischievously sent him an image of her in an emerald green bikini, and a promise to explore the possibilities of a 'real' honeymoon.

"Listen Harry..." Neville began then stopped as he noticed the clouded expression in Harry's eyes, "Harry?"

"Wha...Oh, sorry, Neville, tired I guess," Harry replied vaguely to Neville, Hush Mione, or I might just come up there right now...

I'm waiting...Hermione shot back, and Harry gave Neville a small motion to continue.

"Harry," Neville frowned and looked down at his feet a moment, before looking back up at Harry, "You know about how Seamus' mum tried to keep him from coming back?" Harry frowned slightly at the apparent non sequitor, "Well with Parvati...it was her dad." An almost identical cloud of emotions swept across both boys' eyes at the thought, as neither one had one to argue with...not really. Harry remained silent as he let Neville explain, "I met him once, years ago at some party that Gran took me along to, she couldn't find a sitter I guess, I thought he was a nice man, but he seemed...brittle I suppose. Par told me that he lost his brother to the Death Eaters right before she was born..."

Neville took a breath, and shrugged at Harry, "Lavender...well she's Muggleborn, Harry, like Hermione, so you know I don't mean anything by this?" Harry nodded. "But they don't realize what's going on...she won't admit it, but I doubt that her parents have any clue what's going on, I think she said that they are concerned about all the attacks by the IRA and other the factions that the Muggle Government is blaming for the attacks. And as to me, I love my Grandmum...I really do, even if I am a touch afraid of her," Neville grinned self-consciously, "But when I go home at Christmas...If she's standing at the door when I leave in a toga and pronouncing that I should come home with my shield or on it...I wouldn't be surprised really. Parvati's and Padma's parents have already tried to make them come home... and from what she has told me...I guess that she and her sister Apparated out on them, when her Dad tried to make them stay. I don't think she has spoken to them since."

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, "Neville...I know that we're all too stupid to let ourselves show any weakness, or maybe its' that we are too stupid to know when to quit. Or maybe we are all trying to prove ourselves, but. There may be a time when we don't have the option to let our weakness show, but this morning wasn't the time, Neville...I have to know, until that time that she'll take care of herself, or that you will."

"I'll talk to her, Harry," Neville promised and looked down at his watch, "we need to get to Charms." Harry nodded and dropped the charm, and opened the door.

"So, what are you going to do for Christmas, Neville?" Harry inquired as he climbed the stairs to the Charms wing "Stay here?"

"Na...we're Gryffindors...all three of us are going to Gran's"

*************************Dublin, Ireland********************************

"Here ya go hun," A kind looking waitress sat down a meager breakfast in front of a tired, worn looking girl. A battered leather jacket of an odd, pebbled, black leather and stained leather knapsack were sitting on the chair next to her in the mostly empty pub. The girl looked up, sweeping a lock of flaming red-hair behind an ear pierced with three rings. She gave the woman a small smile, nodded, and brown eyes flicked back down to the book she had open on the table. "You at the University dear? That looks like Latin to me."

"Yeah, something like that," Ginny agreed as she swept the book away into her bag, Stupid, get pinched by the MLE for magic in front of Muggles. The waitress refilled her coffee mug and left and Ginny bent down to eat. She had been running, what for, she was not entirely sure, but running nonetheless since October. She looked out the window of the pub at the cobblestone street outside, which was dotted with a few Muggles on their way to work, or school or whatever and she sighed. She took a bite of her bangers, and froze, subtly but froze regardless. A tiny fist slipped closed around the haft of an ash-wand.

Ginny gasped as the point of a wand dimpled the skin behind her ear. She looked up, glaring as a young man in a black, hooded sweatshirt sat down at her table, setting her bag and coat on the floor as he sat.

The waitress came back at his approach, "Can I get your boyfriend something dear?"

"Coffee, and I'll have the special," A soft, slightly curt, cultured voice replied. The waitress gave him an odd look; upended a mug and poured him a cup. She left with a unsubtle backwards glance as he smiled and threw his arm around Ginny. She could feel the wand that he had under the table pointed at her ribs as he started to absently play with her hair. "Fancy meeting you here, Weaselette." Draco muttered in her ear, "Giggle or something," he commanded as his fingers slipped forward to run lightly along her neck.

Ginny shivered, and closed her eyes, before hissing back. "What the fuck are you doing here, Ferret?" She shivered again as he pulled her closer to him, and plucked a sausage from her plate.

"What does it look like luv?" he replied in a normal tone, "I'm eating breakfast with my woman." His voice dropped, "I was sitting over there, minding my manners when what do I hear but the youngest member of almost the most annoying family in Wizarding kind?" His fingers traced the line of her jaw, almost possessively, as the waitress returned with his meal and placed it in front of him, "You know," he whispered in her ear, "if I take you to the Dark Lord my transgressions will be forgiven."

"If I take you in to Harry, then I would think I could go home as well," Ginny replied softly, Draco felt a gentle jab in a tender part of his anatomy, "Look down, Honey." She whispered, her voice throaty.

"Touché, Red," Draco replied as he glanced down to find the tip of her wand lightly touching his crouch, "Detente then? We eat in peace and then go our separate ways you running from yours, me from mine?"

"Sure, Draky..." Ginny ran her fingers along his thigh in retaliation for his still around her neck. "Let's do just that." Draco gave her a long look but said nothing other than pulling his wand from her ribs as she pulled hers as well.

After a long, long breakfast in silence other than the clank of their utensils against their plates, Draco stood, tossed enough Muggle pounds on the table to cover both of their checks and bent over to lean close. "Until next time, Weaslette." He kissed her cheek, spun on his heel and out the door, without so much as a glance backwards.

A/N: There we go, next chapter, a Field Trip....

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24. Field Trip

Back to work....Thanks to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter...

Chapter 24: Field Trip.
*****************************Hogwarts******************************

November 13, 1997.
12:25 pm

Hermione kissed the top of Harry's head in passing as she settled next to him and opened a book. He glanced over, sighed, and pushed a plate towards her, at the faint trace of her shaking. "Mione," he whispered with a faint trace of worry as she ignored it in favor of reading yet another book, Familiars, Their Use and Bonding, in hopes that the subject was similar enough to the Horcrux process to learn something, "you need to eat love...you're crashing."

She glared at him out of the corner of her eye and took a single roll off the plate and ate. Harry muttered something under his breath, Hermione Jane, you can't do this shyte...I won't let you.

I'll be fine Harry, Hermione snapped back, her mood aggravated. She turned slightly and looked back at her book. She started reading again, her lips moving with the words, her knee trembling under the table, until Harry reached down and held it down as his other hand reached around and grabbed her chin.

No you aren't, Hermione...his fingers flicked and the book skittered across the table to land in a rather surprised Luna Lovegood's lap as she ate at the next table over, she looked up, but only nodded at Harry's gesture and started reading the book herself. She had commented to Harry the other day that she was looking for a Familiar of her own. Hermione gave him a glare for a half a heartbeat before her eyes dropped and she nodded. There will be a time, Mione, but not today, you can't take on odds like you did this morning and not recuperate, Harry growled, thinking of this morning when Tonks had summarily declared Harry incapacitated and Hermione on her own against twenty to one odds. Hermione had won, but not without tapping into her magic further than she had since the night her parents were attacked.

That's what we are up against, Harry...you know that. We have to be ready, Hermione replied reasonably, the fire fading from her thoughts as he reached around her shoulders to pull her against his side. She started eating; leaning against his side he nodded.

Yeah...it is, Hermione, or worse. But we don't have to be stupid about it.

Aren't I usually the one who says that? she muttered, and closed her eyes, leaning into his side, It would have been nice if Tonks hadn't decided to do that little wrinkle on our 'hell day', Hermione commented as she thought on their Thursdays. She grinned at him, he didn't see it, but that didn't matter, Want to hang out in the back of Tonks' class and snog? I want to see if my new Illusion Charm is strong enough to last all class period.

It works then? Harry muttered curiously and grinned as she started as he played with the hem of her skirt under the table. What about when she wonders why Hermione Granger isn't answering questions?

Yeah...and you can try that later, she added, subtly scooting closer on the bench until her hip was pressed against his. You'll see about the questions...

*****************************Transfiguration*************************

Did I ever tell you how brilliant you are...really? Harry whispered as he nuzzled Hermione's neck as they sat curled up on a corner windowsill, under Harry's cloak. Hermione smirked as she leaned back into him, almost purring under her breath.

You're not scared of me? She teased back, What did ye old font of thoughtfulness say? Hermione grunted, gesturing towards Ron with her gaze, Scary, brilliant, but scary?

You heard that huh? Harry asked as he contented himself with leaning back against the castle wall and wrapping his arms around his wife. They winced in unison as Tonks took a pratfall, her feet flying out from under her as if there were a floor full of banana peels under her feet. Which was even a bit much for Tonks, as there weren't actually banana peels on the floor. Hermione muttered a string of Latin and a glowing red line hung in their vision, leading back to a sniggering Pansy Parkinson.

A flicker of green fire lit Hermione's eyes and a fine dusting of a green powder appeared in the air and fell down over the Slytherin's hair and head. Harry crooked an eyebrow; Wait for it, Harry, Hermione whispered, a curious glee in her thoughts. They watched as Tonks picked up herself, and Harry felt a whistle in their thoughts.

Seconds later a ginger streak shot in the room followed by at least five other cats and a single, surly-looking Kneazle named Mrs. Norris, whom no one actually seemed to remember just whom she had been married to or when. All seven of the felines jumped up on Pansy's desk, merowing loudly. They purred and rubbed against her, a couple of them reached out and started pawing at her hair. She screeched at them to leave her alone, and patted away paws as laughter rang out in the classroom. She screeched again and ran from the room, all seven cats following closely.

Tonks looked around the classroom, her hand over her mouth as she ostensibly looked for the culprit. She didn't look too hard however. She glanced down at the front row and watched as Hermione's doppelganger looked up at her and shrugged. Harry's duplicate next to the image shook its head and looked back down at its parchment.

This is pretty cool, Harry mentioned and watched as his duplicate made notes, How does this work...

Hermione smiled, Oh, a little bit of this, a little bit of that, she paused as Tonks asked a question and the duplicate answered, receiving ten points for Gryffindor, Honestly I got the idea from the Dark Tosser, it's a combination of an image projection charm, a note-taking charm and a few other little things I threw in...I can either control them directly like now, or I can make it so it has a limited self-awareness, kind of like how he controls the Inferi when they're not under his direct control.

I love you, Harry replied softly, feelingly. I am sooo glad you're on my side.

I am? Hermione teased, I guess I am, she sighed. Her demeanor hardened with a breath, So are you still wanting to go after that Saturday? Harry nodded.

Yeah, it's easiest since we are taking a full team...they watched as Tonks ignored Hermione's duplicate's raised hand, in favor of asking Ron a question directly; Ron was gazing off into space aimlessly. Hermione groaned as Ron flubbed the question confusing "Transfurgetate," with, "Trangfrageteate". The class moaned as Tonks rewarded them all another three feet on the variances inherent in the interactions of noble metals with mass variance spells.

Hermione bit her lip, frowning, If you want Harry...we'll go tonight, just you and me. We don't have to take anyone else. We can do it...I think.

Harry tightened his arms, thinking, You think it will be easier during the day? Hermione nodded, Then we go during the day, and we take the team. A heavy feeling filled the pit of his stomach, but he remained silent. The bell finally rang, ending this long, long day. Hermione controlled their duplicates, having Harry's tell Ron that they would catch up. The cloaked pair slipped up behind their duplicates, and as soon as Tonks turned her back and the rest of the class had left in a hurry as that was the last class of the day, Harry swept off the cloak and Hermione dismissed the spell. Hermione gave Tonks a small smile and handed Harry her bag as the magenta-haired witch looked back into the room. Harry gave Tonks a shared eyeroll, and the pair headed out into the hall.

They headed off, towards the seventh floor. They passed a large, three-story portrait of a giraffe, and stepped around a pair of Hufflepuff girls sitting on the steps, gossiping. They giggled in time as Harry passed them and Hermione barely hid a grin. They stopped as a gaggle of Ravenclaw second year girls passed. Hermione turned to share a glance with Harry, when she staggered, falling into him, "HEY!" Harry yelled, as a green and silver trimmed robe vanished around the corner.

"No, Harry," Hermione whispered urgently, she tilted her hand slightly, showing him a scrap of parchment.

******************Astronomy Tower, Hogwarts****************

November 14, 1997
Midnight

This late in the year, it was extremely unusual for couples to populate the ramparts of the tower in search of a site for a liaison, or tryst, not that many had since the events of last June. So it was both a blessing in that no one was present to witness the meeting and a curse, in that anyone who might happen along would find it suspicious, that the anonymous note passed to Hermione, in a very amateurish brush pass, had asked for a rendezvous here. Of course, most seventeen and eighteen year olds didn't have the most accomplished Auror in the last hundred years teaching them espionage either, so it could be forgiven after a fashion. Tonight, a cold wind blew across the top of the battlements, rusting the robes of a single, lonely figure. It stood looking out over the grounds, silent and waiting, looking down as a rampant stream of thoughts flowed unchecked.

Harry had not been to this spot, this dark spot where Dumbledore had fallen to the grass far, far below, since that day. A subtle shiver slipped across his nerves as he closed his eyes. He watched, again, like he had that night and many nights since, as Dumbledore looked across the roof, his serene features twisted in agony as he begged for Snape to end his life, to kill him as he had wasted his energy to keep Harry hidden.

An act that should not have been necessary, an act predicated on an attempt to secure a false Horcrux, and one that should not have been necessary had not Harry's own powers been drained away by an even more insidious brew. Harry gripped shoulder-high battlements hard enough for his knuckles to whiten, under the black gloves that covered them. He did not turn as a solid, iron-shod, oaken door opened behind him with a soft squeak of improperly oiled hinges.

He waited until the small, slight figure in unmarked robes eased the door closed, and stepped away into the light of scattered stars, before acknowledging her presence, "Hello Daphne," Harry said lightly, "I got your message."

"Thank you Potter...thank you for saving my parents...my sister," she replied softly, approaching and lowering her hood. The small, blond, brown-eyed girl looked at him and frowned. She took a breath and walked to within a single stride and stopped. "Therefore...I owe you and yours a debt...Slytherins do not like to owe, but rather be owed."

"That is the difference then isn't it," Harry remarked as if he were discussing the weather, "between the Lion and the Serpent? The lion goes into his actions not caring what the consequences may be to himself, is willing to take the consequences whatever they might be as long as the action is right and just, while the serpent looks for the main chance, the ability to find the easiest path, and hopes that that path leads to the end that he seeks." Harry turned from the dark grounds to find her looking at him expectantly. The enchantments on his glasses allowed him to see her as if it were day, to see the worried look on her face and her eyes darting about as if she expected a foe to escape the shadows at any moment. "Relax, Daphne," Harry said reassuringly, "there are none here that wish you harm." He slipped his hands into the pockets of his cloak, "What did you really want to meet about?"

She sighed, "I won't come in on your side...not yet, not openly, my parents are working with...your faction, but they have a luxury that I don't. They are hidden away from their enemies, mine sleep one bed over."

"McGonagall will remove you from the House, if you are in danger," Harry mentioned, though that was actually the last thing they needed, they needed a source inside Slytherin. "But if you wanted out, you would have already done so."

"Blaise is planning something, I don't know what. I will try to find out, but I am not promising anything. I'm already disliked by many in the house as it is. I don't know if I can find out, but I should be able to give you a spot of warning. More so than you got when Draco was still here."

Harry nodded; he had expected this after all. The Slytherins had been relatively quiet since the duels the first couple of months of the year, the three with Slytherins and the one, the most convincing one in many ways, the one with Ginny. "Thank you," Harry said sincerely, knowing that she had come knowing what it might cost her, "please do one other thing, if you can," she gave him a slow nod, "when it happens, do your best to keep the younger members of your House out of it."

"I'll try," Greengrass agreed and gave him one last long look before nodding once more and leaving via the door she arrived by, sweeping her hood over her face to hide it even as she opened the door.

It boomed shut and Harry paced back to the battlements and leaned against them. He looked down at the dim light seeping from Hagrid's windows as he listened to the sounds of the night creatures of Hogwarts, owls, Thestrals, wolves, whatever sing their songs of nighttime, "Well Mione?" Harry said softly, not looking over as her head appeared next to him. She finished throwing off her cloak and folding it to fit in a pocket. "What do you think?"

"She's scared, Harry. She and her folks don't want any part in this, they would rather sit this war out," Hermione paused, looking out at Hagrid's as the half giant staggered back to his hut from yet another night at Rosmerta's, "but she doesn't want her sister to have to take the Mark...to either become an Eater, or worse a companion."

Harry nodded, as Hermione had just repeated his thoughts out loud. He reached over and took her hand, "Let's go to bed, Love, this is a worry for another night. And we need to spend tomorrow tidying up the plan."

Hermione led them to the door, and opened it with a casual wave. I still don't think it's the Horcrux, Harry...it is a Founders artifact though...I'm almost sure of it.

Harry nodded, and stopped, wrapping his arms around her, I trust your judgment, Hermione...but even if it's not, we need to get it, so we can make sure. Harry tightened his arms as they stepped around an invisible corner and vanished.

***************************Grimmauld Place******************************

November 15, 1997
8:20 am

Ron yawned and threw Harry an annoyed glance across the expanse of the sunlight Library. Harry just shrugged and walked over to a carafe set on the large, central table and poured himself a new cup. "Harry, why are we doing this?" Ron asked, watching his own mug as if it held the answers in its depths. Neville looked up, shook his head and leaned back on the couch. He continued to play with a silver and black curved dagger, the fourth in a set of six, watching a small, engraved lion as it bounded from end to end of an arched guard. His wrist flicked slowly as he watched the light glint off it as he waited.

"Umm, because the bastard needs to die Ron?" Harry snapped back snarkishly and looked out the window onto early morning Saturday traffic. He stretched and looked back at Ron, slightly annoyed as the redhead shrugged at him and waved.

"But why now, Harry, why not tonight," Ron replied, "and where the bloody hell are the girls?" He added in a slightly peevish tone. Harry frowned at him, not trusting himself to comment. It wasn't Ron's fault he was annoyed really, not really. He, along with Harry and Hermione had gone to visit Charlie last night, and his brother had not improved, not at all.

Bill had quietly taken Harry and Hermione aside, as much to get them away from Molly's glare as to actually impart information, and told them it did not look good. The curse, whatever it was, that Percy had used at the Burrow almost four months prior had steadily degraded the second oldest Weasley boy's nerves, and even now only life-support spells were keeping his heart beating. All of the Weasleys, knew, somewhere, that it was only a matter of time until the end. Ron's mood had been, to put it lightly, surly ever since he had returned from that trip.

Not that any of those who had gone to St. Mungo's was chipper, in the slightest. Neville had gone with them, to look in on his parents, who were about the same. Over the years his mother had had flashes of almost lucidity, but his father, not so much. They were still, in the main, trapped in their own minds, not much improved since he was a boy.

"We're here, Ron," Hermione announced with a touch of asperity to her voice as she entered the room, and crossed to stand next to Harry. She gave Harry a small smile at the silent whistle she heard in her thoughts, and looked around the room. She knelt down slightly reaching under her skirt to check the fit of her wand sheath before she straightened and looked over the tops of a pair of small, round wire-framed lenses that perched on her nose. Both she and Luna looked like a pair of young, professional Muggles, in that indeterminate age between seventeen and thirty that some women could carry off. Hermione had dressed in a black suit, her hair piled up on top of her hair in a somewhat messy bun, while Luna was clothed in a dark blue pants suit, her hair falling down her back in a tight braid.

"Nice suit," Harry commented quietly in her ear, as he kissed her cheek and waved at the air over the table. A projection appeared floating of a ring, a silver ring, with a moderately sized, square sapphire surrounded by a pair of triangular diamonds. "This is possibly Rowena Ravenclaw's ring. As you know we, or rather Dumbledore had figured out that Tom was trying to use artifacts from the founders to establish his Horcruxes, at least after his first two. We think that the first had to been his diary, as the soul fragment was sixteen, he had to have made it in school. It and the ring were both tests I think...no one else that we can find records of has managed to split his soul more than once and stay corporal, so he must have been taking a risk when he split it a second time."

Harry looked to Hermione, she smiled and her voice dropped into her lecture tone, more or less, distracted only slightly by Harry playing with a loose tendril of hair that framed her face. She batted his hand away, hiding a grin as she did so, then the urge to grin faded, "Tom tried to use artifacts of the Founders for his Horcruxes, thinking that they would give him power. He may have been right, so far we know for certain that he has used the Cup and the Locket as Horcruxes, the Locket has been destroyed," Hermione didn't bother to mention that that adventure had almost been her last, "and we don't know where the Cup is."

"Dumbledore believed that Tom ran out of time frankly, was forced to use Nagini as a stand in for one of the artifacts, as it turns out, he was never able to secure one of Godric's, so chances are, one of Rowena's artifacts is the unknown Horcrux," Harry mentioned. "And since one of the three known artifacts of hers has already been shown to not be the Horcrux, it must be either this one or her staff."

"That's well and good, Harry," Ron put in as Luna perched on the arm of the chair next to him, "but why are we going into to get this now, during the middle of the day when the place will be full of Muggles and such, why not at night like we did in Nottingham?"

"Because, Inferi are ineffective during the day, Ron," Harry replied, and Ron looked shocked, before he nodded, wide-eyed, "and with the size of the British Museum he could have hidden enough to overwhelm us. Let's go over the plan now..."

**************************British Museum*****************************

Hermione and Luna stepped from the cab on Russell Street and ascended the stairs to the main floor, the heels of their dress shoes clicking oddly on this bright sunny day. Hermione's hand shot out, to pull Luna back on course as she started to wander off to investigate the Pigeons filling the steps. Luna shrugged and continued on, following Hermione.

Hermione looked back over the crowds of tourists and locals walking around the outskirts of the Museum, briefly spotting a familiar head of black hair, of course the fact that there might as well been a large glowing neon sign on him didn't hurt either. Scattered throughout the street crowd she could see at lease half a dozen wizards and witches, detectable mostly from their auras, for lack of a better term, but Harry's was closer to the sun, than the light bulbs of most of the rest. She panned back towards the front after sharing a glance and her breath caught; Harry...Bellatrix is here...

What the bloody hell...Harry growled, his gaze immediately following Hermione's invisible pointer, is she doing here? Harry looked around, searching, as he pulled a worn ballcap from the pocket of his jacket and tucked his most distinguishing feature, his hair under it, making sure to leave enough fringe to hide his scar. He muttered a spell and his eyes faded to a light blue and he looked over at Ron. "Ron, Neville, go find a place out of sight and get reinforcements here, keep them out of sight," Harry muttered and started up the stairs. Ron nodded, touched Neville on the shoulder and headed off down the stairs at a slow, trained pace.

Harry knew that they were going to try to get Parvati, Lavender, maybe Tonks and Remus here as backup, maybe a few more, the ones that could easily meld into the primarily Muggle crowd. Mione...Love are you still willing to do this? Harry felt her assurance and prayed a quick prayer that this was one of those odd things. He watched Hermione and Luna as they entered the Museum. He tailed Bellatrix, an iron band over his emotions as he followed the killer of his godfather as she walked right past the turned backs of Hermione and Luna as they inquired at the visitors' desk and headed up the south stairs to the second floor.

Harry stepped into an exhibit on Celtic Pottery as Bellatrix stopped and looked through an exhibit. You have fucking got to be kidding me? Harry said wide-eyed as he took a camera out from his coat pocket and pretended to take a picture of an old pot.

Down on the main floor, Hermione smiled at an information desk attendant and extended a folder of credentials, "Hello, I'm Dr. Harriet Evans from the Elliot institute, I have an appointment with your curator of medieval exhibits." She smiled and motioned to Luna, "This is my associate Melanie Goodnight; she's here to take the photos." What Harry?

One floor up, Harry ran his hand over his chin as Bellatrix looked over an old, Iron Maiden on loan from France as if it were a piece of furniture she was looking to add to her bedroom...which on frank consideration, considering who it was, she very well might be. She's looking at the exhibit of "Interrogation Devices" from the French Revolution. The problem is she's only one exhibit away from where you need to be. That one is right outside of the Medieval English artifacts hall.

Hermione felt out with her thoughts, feeling Luna next to her, and Harry's welcoming sun and Bella's dark, cold pit of an aura above her. She looked up as a tall, tweed-suited man approached and extended his hand, "Hello Dr. Evans, I'm Dr. Phelps" He said, with a broad smile, "I am pleased to accommodate you today." He motioned with his arm towards the south stairs that Harry and Bellatrix had already gone up. Hermione followed, Luna in tow. Luna preceded them up the stairs with a wide, swinging gait. "I was very interested in the photos of that locket you found in Scotland, it is like the ring you wanted to take photos of, both of which show a remarkable degree of craftsmanship for English artifacts of that era."

"Not really," Luna commented airily as she and Hermione climbed the stairs with no apparent effort, while the curator with them, was puffing slightly, "not considering that such artifacts as Excalibur and the Yorkie Candelabra were also from that era."

The curator laughed, "Don't tell me you believe in that fairy tale, of knights, Wizards and such." He laughed again as Luna stopped and looked back at him.

"If you say so, but they also say the Dodo is extinct as well." She added with a beautiful smile. She shrugged and continued up the stairs.

"It is..." he said quickly.

He took another breath, and Hermione took the chance to get back on subject, even though for once, Hermione knew quite well that Luna was for once, totally normal, for a witch. Both of them knew quite well that Excalibur and Merlin had existed. Merlin's handiwork was everywhere in Wizarding culture, from certain laws to everyday spells that were still in use to today, and Excalibur, the great sword...well, she had this odd suspicion that the blade that hung in her bedroom next to Harry's side of the bed, might be Excalibur, or at least more likely from the same, lost to time, smith.

Hermione held her breath as she, Luna and Dr. Phelps walked right behind Bella, hoping that whatever Luna was going on about now, was more or less normal as almost her entire train of thought was involved in masking her and Luna's magical signatures from Bella. Bella never moved as the trio entered the large hall dedicated to Medieval English artifacts. She knew Harry's hand was clenched in his pocket ready to destroy Bella if she moved. The problem wasn't Bella herself, actually for once.

Between her and Harry, not to mention, Ron, Luna and Neville, along with by now, probably Remus, Tonks and two or three seventh years, Hermione was reasonably confident they could take or kill her, it was just that they couldn't afford to, they needed to do this clean, and be gone as if it were never there. Even if Bella had been sent by Voldemort to check to see if the ring was there, if it were indeed even a Horcrux, Hermione was confident that only Harry or Voldemort himself could easily tell if it were real.

"Here we go," Phelps said happily as they arrived at a large glass case, with several necklaces and rings scattered about, he gestured to an armed, Muggle guard standing in one corner of the room. Phelps took a key from his pocket while the guard called in to let security know they were opening the case. After receiving a tiny acknowledgement, he nodded and the curator put on a pair of white gloves and set a green velvet cloth out on top of the cabinet. He opened the case and placed a silver ring with a square sapphire surrounded by a pair of triangular diamonds out onto the counter. The ring was still in a small ring box. "I am sorry, for some odd reason we can't seem to remove the ring from the box."

No, duh? Hermione thought, trying not to roll her eyes, one of Rowena's own defenses on the ring was that only a Ravenclaw could remove it, and Voldemort would have been sure to not disturb that if he had taken the ring, so as to not let some "crusading Gryffindor" take it. Of course over the years, not every Potter had been a Gryffindor, there were a smattering in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff over the last five hundred years that Hermione had been able to find records on, and there were also those, who had chosen Gryffindor. Ready Harry...this could be tricky, I'm going to have to switch them with Fred and George's fake, and if the box won't let go, Luna will just have to grab it, and then all hell will break loose.

I got her Hermione, she's just moved onto the rack, I think she's taking notes. She moves towards you...she's dead. I won't let her near you, Love.

"That's fine," Hermione said brightly, with a megawatt smile, "we just need pictures of the stones and the top of the band anyway. Odd about the box though." Phelps nodded and Hermione caught Luna's eye and nodded. The camera Luna was holding flashed, the flash filling the room for an instant, and totally concealing the millisecond dual flashes as the Ravenclaw ring vanished from the box, the box agreeing with the hat and allowing Hermione to take the Ring, and the fake from her pocket Apparating into its place microseconds later.

In the exhibit over, Bellatrix tensed for a moment and looked around, then shrugged and continued looking at the exhibits, shrugging off the odd magical pulse, which wasn't terribly odd as they weren't really all that far from Diagon Alley.

Hermione kept her smile on her face as she forced her breathing to remain normal while Luna took another five or six pictures, moving the ring box from side to side to get pictures of it from all angles. She gave Hermione a nod as she was done, "I should have it, Her...Harriet, providing we don't have any problems with Fair..."

"Yes, Melanie those Fire Ants that climbed into the developing solution the other day were annoying," Hermione cut her off quickly. "I think we are done here, Dr. Phelps. I thank you."

"It was our pleasure," He responded gaily and replaced the ring in the glass case and relocked it. They headed off, out of the exhibit, past Bellatrix for another harrowing pass and down the stairs. "Would you have time to join me for a spot of tea?" he asked hopefully, eyeing Luna as if he were hoping she would get lost on the way.

Hermione shook her head and pushed up her decorative glasses up her nose with one finger, "No I am afraid that we have another appointment," With my husband, you doof, "I am afraid that I will have to take a raincheck."

"Until then," Phelps replied with a touch of regret and shook both of their hands again and left.

We're clear, Harry, Hermione sent as her and Luna exited the building. Her small glasses automatically darkened and Luna pulled a pair of sunglasses from her pocket and put them on. I don't know if I'm the Pink Panther right now...or bloody Laura Croft.

Harry grinned as he walked past Bellatrix and down the stairs, ready to strike. He pulled his coat tight around him as he exited onto Russell Street and started down the stairs. He noticed Remus out of the corner of his eye, with a Fedora pulled low over his eyes, helping an old woman down the stairs; he assumed that the woman was Tonks. Harry nodded to Hermione as he caught her eye and she pulled a small mirror from her pocket. She flipped it open and pretended to check her makeup, "We're clear," she whispered to it, closed it and repocketed the mirror. A car backfired on the street an instant later and a couple of soft pops rang out a second later. No one noticed a thing as Hermione and Luna entered a cab and took off down the street, lost in a moment in London traffic.

**************************Room of Requirement****************************

8:00 pm

"What do you mean it's not a Horcrux?" Ron yelled as he leapt up from the couch the room had summoned and paced over to Hermione. His entire demeanor was tight, angry. "You and Luna could have gotten killed, that was bloody, fucking Bellatrix just standing there enjoying the day."

"I bloody well told all of you that I didn't think it really was the damn Horcrux, Ronald," Hermione growled, tossing the ring, in its new, conjured box, down on a table, that contained a large magnifying mirror on a stand, several beakers and a large boiling cauldron that Harry thought was more for effect than anything. She spun on her heel, her hands falling to her hips as her eyes flared and small tendrils of hair started to float of their own accord. "I know you bloody, fucking well don't ever bother to listen to me, I don't know why I thought you might start now, when the whole world is at stake..."

"Then why the fuck did we do after it then, oh genius?" Ron snapped, as he started to walk around the room, ignoring the...annoyance, in Hermione's eyes. He also seemingly ignored the fact that she was bristling, Hermione's eyes shot to Harry's, pleading. He shrugged and she bit back her retort and turned back to the ring, not responding. "Don't have a..."

"Because it could have been, Ron," Harry replied reasonably, looking over with his arms crossed, "and even if it weren't it's better to be in our hands than his." Harry crossed the room in a pair of strides and grabbed Ron's arm. He pulled him to one corner of the room, and leaned in, "What the hell is up with you Ron?" Harry's eyes hardened, "Hermione told you, told us all that she didn't think it was the ring, we are doing what we have to do, if you don't like it, mate," he hissed, "there's the door."

Ron looked at him for a minute, then sighed, "I'm sorry Harry," he muttered contritely, "I guess that seeing Charlie last night, scared me a bit...and when we saw Bella there, and Luna was in there with Hermione-" Harry sighed as he looked at his friend of seven years, and nodded, he knew that fear well, too well.

"I was there too, Ron, and I wouldn't have let anything happen to her," Harry whispered back, urgently. He glanced over Ron's shoulder to meet Hermione's eyes; she was biting her lip as she looked back at him, while Luna was spouting something about Kneazles in her ear. Ron looked down at his feet and shrugged, nodding absently. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Yeah," Ron stepped away from Harry and walked back over to Hermione, "Sorry, Herms." She gave him a smile and looked over to Harry to find him nodding at her; she gave Ron a small smile and a quick hug, before she stepped back to the table. She picked the ring back up from where it had gone and set it in the center of a white chalk circle on the table. Hermione walked back over to the couch and dropped on it, waiting as Harry leaned on the back, next to her head, and Ron took his seat next to Luna. The rest of the group that had gone was about somewhere in the Castle, of them only Remus and Tonks had known what they were really after, and the hasty reinforcements, only that Harry and his group might need help.

"As I was saying before I was interrupted," Hermione said softly, looking at Ron. His ears pinked slightly, but he gave her a sheepish smile, "Even though this ring isn't a Horcrux...we can use it. It was never bespelled so its original magical properties weren't compromised, and I think, I can use it to find the other Ravenclaw artifact, since we have the Ring and the Book."

"Can you do it now?" Harry asked, and she bent her head back until she meet his gaze, he gulped at something he saw there.

"Maybe," she replied slowly. She stood and flicked her wand at the table. The Ravenclaw spellbook, appeared with a soft pop and she walked over and placed it on the floor. She stepped over a pace and placed the ring in its box on the floor. "Harry, conjure me a map of Great Britain to start with, none of the others have been outside of the Country yet..." she gave him a nervous smile as his wand flicked and a large map of the British Isles appeared on the floor next to her. She positioned it at the point of a triangle made up with the two Ravenclaw items and whistled in her thoughts.

Luna's eyes grew wide as she approached, "Would you rather I do this, Hermione?" she asked, her voice utterly serious as Ron looked between Harry, Hermione and Luna, each with staid looks on their faces. "Do you need a circle?"

"No, Luna, not if I can get," A small cat door appeared in the door to the Room of Requirement and Crookshanks sauntered in. He stopped and sat on his haunches several feet away, outside of the triangle of the items. "Crooks here," she finished. Harry...

I got your back, baby, me and Crooks... Harry said softly, and Hermione's familiar meowed in agreement. She nodded jerkily, and dropped into a lotus in the center of the triangle. Harry gave her a final nod and...

ENCLOSIUM, a shimmering, yellowish white half sphere snapped into existence around Hermione, the map and the pair of artifacts. Every other light in the room, every torch, candle and fire extinguished with a pop. Glowing eyes looked out of the sphere to find Harry's returning her gaze, she glanced down at Crookshanks, whose yellow eyes were fainting pulsing in time with the cycles of the sphere. She slowly reached behind her back and pulled out one of her daggers. She balanced it by the point for an instant before flipping it up in the air, it flipped once, twice, started back down, flipped again and stopped, hovering in air over the map, it's tip pointing directly at an unmarked spot in the Scottish Highlands, Hogwarts in other words.

FOUNDROUS FAMILIARUS LOCATUS... white beams shot from the two Ravenclaw artifacts past Hermione to impact together on the tip of her floating dagger...PROJECTORM. Hermione convulsed, her back arching forward, her eyes slipping almost closed, save for emerald glowing slits, as a second larger bubble snapped into existence enclosing the first with her in it, along with Harry and Crookshanks. The first vanished with a loud BANG. She shook slightly as images started racing past her mind's eye, images of green fields, of mountains, of lakes.

The floating dagger started moving, scanning over the map as the images speed up in her mind, moving quicker and quicker. Crookshanks eyes glowed brighter as he lay down on his stomach, watching her. Harry staggered slightly but kept his feet as he felt an odd, swooshing sensation in his stomach, and saw what Hermione saw, filtered through her link.

"What the bloody fuck is going on?" Ron snarled, turning to Luna desperately. She gulped slightly, her eyes sharp, as she moved to his side and interlaced her fingers with his, and squeezed hard.

"She's...she's using the other two to locate the third, from their magical signatures, Ronald," Luna replied breathlessly, "She's scrying for them."

"Then why..." Ron waved at Harry and Crookshanks.

"You really need to read, dear," Luna said with a shake of her head, "Crookshanks is her Familiar, he's anchoring her, keeping her here. And Harry...Harry's there in case she runs into Riddle, or his soul fragment in the Horcrux." Ron's jaw dropped and jumped forward reaching for them, "NO..." Luna snapped tackling him to the ground, "Only Crooks or one of them should break the circle now."

The images slowed as the Dagger slowed over Southern England, and dropped to stick point in.

Hermione's head turned slightly, as she suddenly looked down at a graveyard under the light of a half moon. Several tombstones lay broken or tumbled on their side as she watched through her mind's eyes she slowly moved among them. The images slowed as they wound their way though the yard. She shivered as they passed a sullen white stone, inscribed with Tom Riddle. They exited the Graveyard and slowly moved up a grassy hill, passing several masked, cloaked figures walking the grounds. A large, run down house topped the hill; its windows overgrown with ivy and bushes.

A door slowly opened in the house, and they entered. A dark, suffocating presence turned to Hermione's projection. MUDBLOOD... Hermione screamed, and turned away, as the shadow charged she collapsed both in the projection and the real world. The cold shadow reached out, only to be knocked backwards as a wall of fire surrounded her.

In the Room of Requirement, the protective sphere was now pulsing a bright blue, as Harry's eyes were fully open, shining as bright or brighter than the sphere, BREAK THE CIRCLE... He roared in his thoughts, and a ginger streak flowed to his feet, his claws glowing as they extended and swiped at the sphere.

It vanished with a roar and a wave of energy that shattered the Room's furniture and drove Ron and Luna behind a hasty Protego. They dropped it as Harry turned to them, "Get Poppy," and collapsed next to Hermione as if his strings had been cut.

Ron ran from the room as Luna walked over and knelt next to Harry and Hermione, she glanced over at the map to find the tip of the dagger was sticking through the map and into the wood floor at a small town labeled Little Hangleton.

A rush of flaming hair led a long, lanky body down several flights of stairs, dodging pets, fallen suits of armor and an annoyed Mrs. Norris. Ron turned and sprinted down the hall leading to the Hospital Wing, turned a corner and crashed into Remus, knocking the older man sprawling and sliding down the floor a bit. Remus did not censure Ron, but looked up at him, with a somber, heart-rent expression. Ron glanced up, and his eyes widened as he saw the companion that Remus had been traveling with this night.

Bill's face was pale in the moonlight leaking in from the windows. A handpaw's worth of scars lined his face, each scar catching the light as if painted in luminous paint. Ron didn't question why Bill was here, he reached down and pulled Remus to his feet, "Remus," he said hurriedly with more than a trace of panic in his voice, "Harry, Hermione...Room of Requirements."

Remus' face went from pale to ghostly. He pulled his wand from his jacket and pointed it in the direction of the Hospital, and a silvery wolf bounded out, sprinting down the halls, towards the Hospital as Remus gave Bill a glance, got a nod in return and vanished in a blur of movement down the path that Ron had just traveled.

Ron stared towards the Hospital wing, as if wondering why he had not thought of that, he turned and started to head back to the Room of Requirement when a strong, slightly shaking hand grabbed his arm. He looked up at Bill, and noticed, finally, the wide eyes, the lank hair, the hard set of his mouth, and he knew before Bill could say a word, "Charlie's dead, Ron."

Dun Dun DUHHHHHHH!!!!!!. Sorry about that....

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25. Until We Meet Again

Thanks to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter....yep, we're back...be afraid, very afraid

Chapter 25: Until We Meet Again
*************************Little Hangleton***************************

"Sire?" Lucius Malfoy asked as Voldemort strode from his chambers, looking pale and drawn. A subtle sense of weakness permeated the air, as Tom sneered at him, and shoved him aside. A quick glance into Voldemort's chambers showed a nude Bellatrix, collapsed across the black covers, looking...dead. Malfoy quickly averted his eyes and followed Voldemort, as the Dark Lord swept down the corridor.

They stopped briefly for Tom to admire a recently captured prisoner, before they continued pacing down the hall. "I have heard that the blood-traitor Weasley has finally succumbed," Voldemort mentioned casually, and Lucius nodded, "good, good. How does our next major step progress?"

Malfoy paused, and gulped slightly, but did not try to soften his words, "It does not go well; he is always extremely well protected. We have not yet been able to see a situation where he could be taken."

Fortunately for him, Voldemort was in a forgiving mood; he nodded and continued down the hall, Nagini looking up as he passed, looking for a treat, "Use the circumstances to our advantage Lucius." Riddle turned slightly back towards the direction of his chambers, "Have someone look in on Bella. I am afraid that she is somewhat...drained. And find Wormtail, either have him feed Nagini, or feed him to her, I do not care."

****************************Hogwarts, Hospital Wing***********************

November 16, 1997.
9:00 am.

The events of last night were secret, discrete, so of course the entire school was buzzing on this early Sunday morning about Potter and Granger being unconscious in the Infirmary, and of Ronald Weasley sitting in a chair, not moving or talking, looking out the Infirmary windows at the grey skies of middle November in the Highlands. Madame Pomfrey looked at this sad tableau, shook her head and checked on Harry and Hermione before leaving with a pat on Ron's shoulder. He never noticed.

Against this backdrop of tribulation, Luna walked with a large paper sack in her hands. Her eyes focused oddly in the middle distance as she looked over at Harry and Hermione before she slid over to Ron and knelt in front of him, talking both of his hands in hers. "Ronnie, luv, I have some breakfast for you...Dobby packed it special." Ron sat motionless. "Ron, you have to eat, honey," she whispered, tugging on his hands, "Harry and Hermione will be fine...they will both wake up within the day." Luna's voice was soft and knowing and finally Ron looked at her hopefully.

"Are you sure?" he asked hoarsely, his voice rough and cracked as if he hadn't spoken in a long while. She smiled slightly and nodded, and reached out with her arms. Ron fell forward as she wrapped her arms around him, and pulled his head to her shoulder, holding him on the floor of the hospital wing. Her hair fell forward, like a blonde curtain hiding both of their faces, as soft sobs escaped Ron's throat.

They sat almost silent for a long, long time before Ron pulled back slightly to look at her. Sometime during the minutes or hours they had huddled together, his or her tears had dampened her hair to her cheek; he brushed it away with a shaking hand, "I can't remember the last thing I said to Charlie, Luna...I don't know if we were arguing or telling a joke or what, and it's driving me insane."

"You'll see him again, Ron," she whispered as she leaned towards him, and softly pressed her lips to his bangs. "You can ask him then."

"Really?" Ron whispered in a voice filled with a bare tinge of hope. He looked over to see his best friends still unconscious from the night before. Luna just smiled as she leaned in and kissed him before flicking her wand behind her to set out the food that she had brought.

******************Transylvanian Alps, Romania**********************

November 21, 1997
2:15 pm

Charlie Weasley's enumerated last request had been a simple one, for a wizard anyway. In his will, which had already been opened due to his long, lingering illness, he had requested to return once more to his beloved Dragons. And so, he had. A tall, wooden platform sat empty, waiting, for his final flight.

A brisk wind blew down from the mountaintops surrounding the small, hidden valley where a large crowd stood, waiting. Black clad figures stood huddled against the cold, as the shadows of a phalanx of multi-hued Dragons standing on the surrounding mountaintops looking down, crossed them. Charlie had been popular, well loved, and so there were many from his days at school. An entire contingent of black-clad young women stood weeping softly into a rainbow of handkerchiefs from some of Charlie's friends. Several of the Hogwarts Professors stood in a clump near the front, with McGonagall holding a tissue to her eyes.

Another clump of mourners stood to their side, with Alastor Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt and scattering of others, a barely paltry scattering that amply showed just how deep the causalities to the Order had become. Mundungus stood a bit away from them, looking guilty, which he probably was. With them, sticking out like a sore thumb, Rufus Scrimgeour, the Minister of Magic for Britain was surrounded by ten uniformed Aurors, their wands hanging loosely in their hands as several of them looked up nervously at the silently watching Dragons. His reasons for attending were suspect, at least to the few Order members present, but they kept carefully mum, content to let sleeping Cerberi lie.

On the other side of a cleared aisle, Molly and Arthur were standing, with Molly hanging almost limply in Arthur's arms, her face was sallow, pale in against her black robes, and half-veil. Several other friend of the family stood with them, Remus, Tonks, and Hagrid. She turned and looked as if looking for a missing presence; then with an obvious pause, she turned and glared to her right.

Harry sighed to himself as Hermione leaned on his shoulder, not looking in the direction of Molly and Arthur. He shook his head as he pulled her against his side, both of them shivering slightly in the frigid, mountain air. His eyes caught Remus', the lycan nodded slightly and he and Tonks casually drifted to place themselves between Harry and Hermione and Molly. On Harry's other side, Luna took that movement as a signal, as she wafted over to interpose herself as well, both movements in an effort to diffuse the situation that was only growing worse every day Ginny was gone. Molly's acrimonious feelings towards Hermione and to a somewhat lesser degree Harry, had already colored the morning, with her lashing out at the pair as they all had waited for a Portkey to this remote location in the Romanian mountains.

Fleur stood next to them; she shared a tight look with Hermione and a small, tired smile as she held an inconsolable Gabrielle in her arms. The small girl had developed a hard, unrelenting crush on the second oldest Weasley boy since he had danced with her at Bill and Fleur's wedding. The tiny girl's sobs whispered out into the afternoon air as a sudden silence fell over the attendees.

The four Weasley boys approached silently, a shrouded body resting on their shoulders. They passed between the mourners, as soft cries followed their progress. Molly bawled loudly as the body passed her, and Harry, closed his eyes. He felt Hermione's fingers crushing his as Ron passed them, at the head of the procession with tears filling his eyes. The four ascended a set of stairs and gently placed the body on the wooden bier and retreated, still without any more noise than their harsh breathing between them. The four retreated, passing back down the stairs as they came to stand with their friends and family.

Luna almost vanished in Ron's arms, only her light colored hair shown against his robes as she buried her face in them, for a moment, before she turned back to face forward as Bill went to stand with Fleur and the twins with Ron, Luna, Harry and Hermione.

An old, white-cloaked wizard ascended a small platform, and stood. "Charlie Weasley was a good man, a loyal man, and a man I was proud to know, I will miss him." He looked about the assembled crowd, "If there are any who wish to give witness on this man's life, please step forward and give witness."

Harry did not hear as folks stood to give witness to Charlie's life, he merely held his wife to his chest as several girls told of Charlie saving them from a rampant Dragon in the nearby forest. As Fred and George told of pranks they had pulled with Charlie against their eldest brother. As Bill related, tearfully, of the time his younger brother won the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor for the first time in years. More and more stepped forward and told of the Weasley's kindness, bravery and humor, and finally after several more stories and many more tears, it was done.

The speeches and remembrances given; a single rough-hewn man in worn and battered leathers approached from behind the bier. The ground shook at his approach, not from him, but from the fifty-foot wall of green at his shoulder. A great triangular head looked down at Charlie's' shrouded body with uncanny intelligence and bowed its head, and closed its eyes for a moment. Slowly it opened them again and rose up, until its head was directly above the body looking down.

A shimmering field snapped into place as the Dragon took a breath and a torrent of fire erupted, flaring out as it impacted the bier. Flames licked the sky as the wood and the body rapidly immolated, until after only minutes there was only ash. Silence reigned as the mourners turned to leave, save for the soft sobs from Molly and Gabrielle as they were led away from the site.

Sudden exclamations of surprise rang out as several Wizards tried to Apparate away. Harry and Hermione turned automatically to the cries of shock, and he reached up to brush away a dripping sensation on his forehead. Pulling away his hand, he looked at the red stain of his own blood on his fingers for an instant, before a sudden spike of pain staggered him.

Shouts of dismay from the Auror escort to the Minister echoed off the rocks as they tried to Apparate or Portkey away, and they closed around the Minister. Harry's eyes lit, and the pain vanished, driven away as he felt energy start to flow to him. His eyes tracked to an empty spot, just up the hill from a pile of rocks, and he took a breath, "SHOW YOURSELF TOM!" His voice stunned nearby attendees, and small rocks tumbled down the hill.

A shadow wavered in the light before resolving itself into a tall, pale hooded figure. Skeletal hands reached up to sweep back a hood; dropping it to reveal sullen red eyes set in a flat, nose less face. Thin, almost non-existent lips curled in a caricature of a smile as a thin hand fell to his robes to remove a twisted Ebony wand. "Lord Voldemort does not answer to that name, Harry...you know that." Cries of dismay and fear answered his words from the side of the attendees. Voldemort took a step forward, his free hand in the air, "I so love the spectacle of a good funeral...this one was almost as good as Albus'."

"That's interesting," Harry said softly, though every ear heard his voice. A small smirk, graced his lips, "I seem to remember that you were too afraid to face him yourself...you sent your lapdog and Lucius' leavings instead." Next to Harry, Hermione choked out a harsh laugh.

"What are you laughing at Mudblood?" Voldemort sneered in his high, raspy voice. A chattering laughter surrounded him as another twenty Death Eaters faded into view. Bellatrix giggled highly as she stood next to Voldemort, and pulled her wand out.

Hermione looked the Dark Lord in the eyes, his glowing, red-cat pupiled eyes, and cocked her head slightly as if looking over a particularly interesting creature in a Dark Arts class, "Well, if you really want to know...A pretentious half-blood arsehole, who hides behind a made up name, and who isn't worth the Dragon dung he's standing in right now...just my opinion..." She added sweetly.

"YOU...AVADA KEDAVRA" Bella screamed and a jet of green shot for Hermione, only to be intercepted by a flying rock. It shattered into gravel, the fireball blinding all for a second. Harry and Hermione dove to either side as eyes lit and summoned shields deflected half a dozen curses.

The ten Aurors surrounding the Minister were immediately cut in half as a torrent of green washed over them. A quick-thinking Auror pulled Scrimgeour out of the line of fire and behind several boulders. Hermione's eyes snapped to them and threw her hand out, a sudden cyclone of stones, ranging from gravel to rocks the size of Quaffles, spun around the Aurors and the Minister, deflecting curses, falling away as gravel as Kedavras or Reductors shattered them.

Behind her, Harry rolled over the top of a bolder and fired two quick Severing Charms dropping a pair of Death Eaters as they lined up on Arthur and Molly. He dove back behind cover as Voldemort snapped a Crucio at him, before he was distracted by Mad-Eye and Kingsley volleying curses at him. Tom sneered as a pair of Stunners merely bounced off him. "Fuck," Harry snarled under his breath as he rolled out from cover, and fired a Reductor at Voldemort.

A hastily summoned silver shield emblazoned with a green serpent deflected the curse, off into the sky with a resounding GONG. Tom turned to Harry, and the battle seemed to pause. The fighting around did not stop, as the twins reared up and dropped a pair of Death Eaters, with a Severing Charm and a Asphyxiation Curse, while at other end of the small, cleared valley, a pair of Death Eaters killed another Auror. Harry felt it as Hermione danced to the side and engaged Bellatrix.

Bella shot a Cruciatus at Hermione, she dove under it, and retorted with a Piercing Charm that blew a neat hole through the boulder Bella had sheltered behind. Harry... she snapped as she and Harry both felt another ten or twenty Death Eaters approaching from behind. We need to get out of here...

You noticed... Harry muttered as he blocked another curse from Voldemort and dove behind another boulder. His wand flicked to either side of Voldemort and twin piles of rocks reorganized themselves into monstrous great stone Golems. The Golems strode towards Voldemort, swinging. Voldemort shattered both into gravel and the battle went on.

"I was so glad that you came looking for me, that I thought I'd come to see you, Harry," Voldemort laughed, and shot another Kedavra at Harry. Harry batted it away with the flat of the Gryffindor sword and vanished in a twirl of a cloak.

Hermione...Harry sent quickly as he faded back into view behind Voldemort. A flaming whip shot from his wand, encircling Voldemort and turning to bands of steel. He doesn't know we were after the Horcrux, he thinks I we were looking for him... He felt Hermione's acknowledgement, Can you break his anti-Apparation Field?

YEAH. Hermione spun out from cover, her eyes glowed as she MOVED out of the way and threw Bella against a wall of stone, hard. She slid down it, and didn't move. "RON, COVER ME!" Hermione screamed, and Ron looked up, spun around the Death Eater he was dueling with and sliced downward with his sword. He nodded and didn't even flinch as Luna's own dagger flicked past his ear to embed in another Death Eater's throat. Hermione dove behind a pile of rocks as Voldemort shattered his bonds and spun to Harry. If you keep him busy.

Two-dozen huge constrictors shot out of his wand at Harry, only to vanish as a wave of Harry's hand threw up a wall of fire between Harry and the snakes. He chanced a glance backwards to find that Remus and Tonks had pulled all of the Weasleys behind a rock pile where they were busy trading curses with the ever-increasing number of Death Eaters that seemed to be appearing out of the very ground. Harry gave them a wave down, and Remus nodded.

Back next to the Minister, Shacklebolt stood and fell almost immediately as a silver jet, tore his leg open, and Mad-Eye pulled him back under cover. He cast a Ferula charm, bandaging the wound, Scrimgeour grabbed his arm; "WHAT IS POTTER PLAYING AT?" he screamed in Alastor's ear.

"He's trying to save your worthless hide," Moody barked, "now bloody well stay under cover Minister and let the experts handle this."

"Potter's out there."

"I was talking about Potter." Moody hissed back as he reared up and dropped three Death Eaters, as he used a half dozen small boulders summoned with his wand to crack them in the back of the heads. Their dark robes fluttered as they fell.

Harry and Voldemort circled, as a rainbow of beams scintillated back and forth between them. Harry flipped back and to the side as yet another Kedavra raced towards his chest. The beam shot off behind him, to kill a Death Eater dueling with Tonks. She rolled sideways and pulled Remus to her, pointing to Harry. Harry pointed his wand to one side, his sword to the other and twin searing blue bolts shot out shattering the rocks to either side; he dropped both and waved his hands inward as a pile of stones formed a dome over Voldemort. INCENDIO MAXIMA Harry snarled and a firestorm erupted from his wand, racing over the dome and leaving behind a smooth, obsidian dome.

Ron and Luna spun out from behind cover and fired three Cutting Charms, the purple waves flashing out and cutting the legs out from another two Death Eaters as they tried to line up on Hermione. She was kneeling, her eyes glowing brightly and seeing nothing as she muttered long strings of Latin under her breath. A torrent of magic streamed past her, concentrating between her hands, HARRY, I NEED YOU...

Harry looked up, spun right and opened up a Death Eater's chest with a quick upswing of the Gryffindor Sword. He breathed and MOVED, he slid in on his knees to Hermione, and his hands clasped to hers.

A great, white shockwave snapped out, and the anti-Apparition fields died. "GO!" Harry screamed as Voldemort's cage exploded and a chunk of rock ripped into his shoulder. His left arm suddenly numb, Harry stood and vanished in a flutter of a cloak as a ripple of CRACKs, POPs, RIPs and other assorted sounds of Apparation sounded in the glen. Hermione looked around saw that everyone was gone save Ron and Luna, she waved at them and they vanished with a loud CRACK as Ron grabbed Luna and vanished. She vanished in a twirl of a cloak to reappear next to Harry.

Harry grabbed Hermione, raised one finger to Voldemort and vanished in a breath of displaced air as a bolt of green shattered the rocks behind where they had been.

****************************Hogwarts*****************************

A soft pop of light and sound snapped out and a half dozen wizards and witches whirled as Harry and Hermione appeared from mid-air in the middle of McGonagall's office. Ron hurried over, followed closely by Luna. Luna's hair was matted with blood, but she didn't seem to notice it, or Ron the black eye that he had somehow gained during the fight.

Ron reached out as Harry staggered back to the outside wall and slid down it, Hermione still bundled in his arms. Harry's left arm hung limply at his side, and blood shown in his hair, and along his side. Ron looked down to see Hermione's blood mixing with Harry's as a large gash oozed on the same leg she had taken damage from Greyback on, her skirt was torn and rent on that side, and Ron couldn't figure out when she had gotten hit. Ron reached out to touch Harry on the shoulder, but jerked his hand back as a spark of magic snapped from Harry, like a massive bolt of static electricity. Small eddies of energy were still sputtering about them as Harry leaned fully back against the wall and muttered a cushioning charm softening the wall and floor.

Hermione slipped down until her head was resting more or less on Harry's stomach, she pried her eyes open a sliver, taking in Ron before she slipped them closed with a sigh. Harry glanced around the room, and every one there felt it as he sent out a pulse of magic, checking for anyone not seen, "Ron, secure the room..." Harry whispered as he felt his eyes slipping closed again.

Ron flicked his wand and watched as Imperturbable Charms established themselves over the wall, before he slid down to sit next to Harry. Luna joined him and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I do have furniture," Minerva mentioned with an odd tenor to her voice.

"We know ma'am," Hermione whispered without opening her eyes, "but that's all the way across the room." She took a deep breath, unconsciously perfectly in time with Harry's, "We're bleeding on your floor...aren't we?" she added wryly.

McGonagall pursed her lips as she looked around the room. Remus and Tonks were sitting together on a couch, Tonks had her legs up in Remus' lap as he gently probed her ankle; she had twisted it getting away. "Go to bed, Potter," McGonagall said after a moment, and rolled her eyes as both Harry and Hermione replied together, "alright," but did not move. "And take your minion with you," she added with a small, worn smile.

She did not comment as Harry felt around for something in his pocket and he and Hermione, along with Ron and Luna vanished in a fall of color and a rush of wind. Instead she looked over at her Transfiguration and Defense professors. "We need to be ready, Remus, as soon as you finish with Nymphadora," she said dryly, "please have Dobby and the rest of the elves check to see if anything untoward happened during our absences."

*****************************Head's Chambers***************************

"Hey, Harry, I'm a minion now," Ron said oddly as he collapsed in a large, worn, overstuffed chair near the fire in the Head's Common Room. He glanced up, grunted as Luna just let her weight drop on him, and canted his head in a question, "Is that a promotion from sidekick?"

Hermione winced as she heard Harry pop his own shoulder back into place. She limped slightly as she walked to the couch and hissed as she peeled back her skirt to find a gash in her thigh. She bit her lip as Harry ran a wand down it, sealing it without even a scar to match the four, faint, pale ones she had from Greyback on that same leg. She rolled over on her side until she was looking at Ron, "No, Ron, that's a demotion," she teased, blackly, "sidekicks generally have a chance to get laid...minions tend to die horribly and frustrated."

"You'll always be my hero, Ronnie," Luna put in lowly, and all four laughed but the sound was hollow and short lived. Harry coughed as he pulled off his black cloak, which was torn and muddy, and tossed it on the floor. He pulled up his shirt and looked down at a cut along his ribs, and touched a wand to it. White bandages wrapped around his chest, and he sighed.

"I'm going to take a shower," Harry announced, and rolled his sore shoulder experimentally.

"Take me with you?" Hermione whined, with the tiniest grin, and Harry rolled his eyes, before waving his hand in her direction and watching as she levitated off the couch and to her feet. "You're supposed to carry me," Hermione pouted and leaned against him. She glared at Ron and Luna as they leered at her, "Keep your minds out of the gutter, unless you want to wait for both of us to finish separately?" Ron and Luna looked at each other, for a long moment, before they erupted in laughter, and Hermione closed her eyes as she realized that her explanation hadn't been much better. She left for her bedroom, muttering, and Harry gave Ron a look promising divine retribution before following her.

Half an hour later Hermione reclined back against Harry with a mug of hot chocolate clutched between her hands, and glanced over at Ron and Luna. Luna was in a pair of Hermione's pajamas, curled up like a huge cat, on the couch next to Ron, reading though the Familiars book again. The blood was washed out of her hair as she swept a lock of it back behind an ear and turned a page, "I could get a Crumple-Horned Snorkack...but then they tend to fight with the owls..." Hermione rolled her eyes, not sure if Luna was having her on, as Ron was sitting starting off into space. She frowned and nudged Harry.

"Ron," Harry asked with his voice full of concern, "are you alright, mate?"

"Not really," Ron admitted after a long minute, "I just don't want to contact mum and dad, I'm sure she's going spare about now...fucking V..V...Voldemort, showing up..." He paused and looked directly at Harry, "She heard the part about where he said he was there for you."

Harry nodded and paced to the window. His shoulders slumped as he looked out on the grounds, and watched Hagrid staggering back to his cabin. "I know, Ron," Harry replied in a soft voice, "I know...this is why I wasn't going to return," he added, and didn't turn as he felt three pairs of eyes on him. He leaned into Hermione's hand, as it found his shoulder, she had followed him over, "It's too late to run now."

**************************Godric's Hollow**************************

6:30 pm

"That's one thing I like about the Magical world," Roger quipped as he poured Poppy a cup of tea from a service set on the table, "you can actually get someone to make house calls." He pushed aside his plate and leaned back laughing slightly as Jane looked up at him, and grinned.

"You two are a special case," Poppy admitted, as she sipped her tea contently, and sighed slightly at the thought of the complicated procedures Remus had put into place since the events of this afternoon. She had not told either of Hermione's parents of the events of this afternoon, but merely explained away her tardiness with a supposedly injured student, which there had been, more than one. For once though, it wasn't their daughter or son-in-law, not that they or she knew that he was, that had been driven to the Hospital Wing. Harry and Hermione had gotten off lightly and even treated their injuries themselves, refusing to go back into the Hospital Wing so soon after their last visit.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for dessert, Poppy?" Jane asked as she pushed a freshly baked pie towards Roger, the scents of cinnamon and pumpkin trailing in its wake. Roger took a slice and pointed towards it as he looked to the Medi-witch, but she smiled and shook her head.

"It was enough that you insisted that I join you for dinner," she replied quickly, and finished her tea before leaning forward. "I need to return, but I want to remind you again that if you experience any...odd, occurrences please let Remus or I know."

"We have a witch for a daughter," Roger reminded her absently, "we are used to weird." He and Jane shared a look as both of them, separately, recalled the odd hair-cuts of the pets, random fires and explosions, their brand new car suddenly matching their daughter's new polka-dot Easter dress when she was six, and other humorous and not so humorous events.

"I know, however, the second child from a Muggle couple where the first was already a magic user, and your new daughter will be a witch as well, is often a bit more active in the womb," Roger rolled his eyes and sighed theatrically, and Poppy graced him with a rare grin, "I know that you had, issues with the instruments going haywire in the delivery room with Hermione, in fact I had the records sent over from St. Mungo's from the specialist they sent over to your hospital for review." She nodded to their shocked expressions, "Yes in cases like that it is often standard procedure for Physicians in the know, to send for a Healer, just in case. They don't tell Muggle parents usually however, they like to wait until Minerva contacts you eleven years later." Pomfrey scowled her disapproval of that practice; "You may start to see occurrences of spontaneous magic before she is born, so be ready for them." She took a deep breath, "Just in case, when she is ready to be born, even if you are still in hiding, we will move you to either Hogwarts or St. Mungo's for the delivery."

Jane nodded and smiled slightly as Poppy got up from the table and gathered her bags. She took a step back and waved, "I will see you in two weeks." She vanished with a soft CRACK.

"Well," Jane said, turning to Roger, and pulling her hair back from her face as one hand dropped to fall to her slightly protuberant belly, "I guess Anastasia will get to see her new school a bit early."

"A bit early for Kindergarten, I would think."

"Well is Hermione's sister," Jane commented wryly and stood to start to remove the dishes to the sink.

******************Ministry of Magic******************

November 22, 1997.

8:35 am

Rufus Scrimgeour sat alone at his desk in his expansive, Ministry of Magic office and slowly paged through stacks and stacks of reports. He sighed as he opened a folder on the total destruction of a small, Muggle village in Ireland. The entire town of fifty was gone, with only a blackened crater remaining. A force of ten Death Eaters had attacked, for no more apparent reason than to have something to do. He set that report aside, and picked up another folder, this one marked detailing the abduction of several workers for Gringotts, with their bodies being found later that day.

He dropped that report and paced to the false window in the corner of the underground office, as he clasped his hands together to stop their slight shaking. Images of yesterday's attack flashed through his thoughts. He felt the panic, again, as that Potter boy had stood up and called out the most feared wizard of the last hundred years, almost as if Dumbledore himself had stood on the field once more. He felt once more the shame, the guilt, as teenagers had held off the attackers long enough for his surviving security detail and him to escape along with the other surviving guests. Eight of the ten Aurors he had had with him, exclusive of those attending separately had died along with two more guests. No one really counted injuries any more, unless they were critical or crippling.

Scrimgeour glanced at a side table where a copy of the Saturday Prophet sat folded so the front-page headlines could be seen. He gritted his teeth as he picked up the paper and read the first:

Minister Ineffective, You-Know-Who Strikes Again.
By: Angie Forthright

Once again the Wizarding World wakes up, shocked at the sheer evil of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Yesterday, at a funeral service for Charlie Weasley, son of Ministry of Magic Official Arthur Weasley, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, stuck immediately following the service. He and his forces are known to have killed at least eight Aurors, further reducing the ranks of our valiant defenders.

Reports are that the majority of the Aurors killed were actually killed sheltering the current Minister Rufus Scrimgeour from attack. It is unknown what actions the Minister undertook during this attack, but the very ability of the leader of the feared Death Eaters to strike directly at the head of the Ministry of Magic cannot bode well for the average civilian on the streets of England. Minister Scrimgeour took over from former Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, after the former Minister was dismissed via a vote of no confidence in June of 1996.

It is highly debatable, now, that the replacement has been for the better. During Scrimgeour's leadership, vast numbers of disappearances have occurred, Giant, Inferi and Werewolf attacks have become common, and his crown jewel, his supposed security of Hogwarts was penetrated numerous times last year, the ultimate result of which was the death of Albus Dumbledore, one of the Greatest Wizards of our times.

Indeed from many reports of attendees, it was only the presence of the Chosen One, Harry Potter, and his companions at the funeral, one of whom, Ronald Weasley is the youngest brother of Charlie Weasley. It was not the 'experienced leader' who stood against, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but a seventeen-year-old boy who has already lost so much to this conflict. One must therefore wonder whom we should be looking to for guidance, the Boy-Who-Lived, or the Minister-Who-Hid....

Scrimgeour threw down the paper in disgust and stood looking blankly out the false window for several minutes. Finally, he looked back at the stack of folders and made a decision. Pacing to his desk, he leaned foreword and touched a button on a small box. A soft, voice came out of it, "Yes, sir?"

Rufus looked at a small flyer, barely visible from under a corner of one of the stacks of reports. What could be seen of the bright green and red flyer, depicted a lit fir tree, with the lights softly twinkling in the dim office, and a round, bearded man in red and white, endlessly waving. "Stephen, I think that we need to send another invitation to next month's event."

There we go again, next chapter, a secret will be revealed, and an invitation given...to more than one...

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26. A Dark Intent

Here we Go, part one of the Christmas blitz, hopefully there will be a new one shot set in the Lions universe and a chapter of Shadows up before Christmas, as well. No I don't own anything...Thanks once again to Lady Starlight for her splendiferous work on this chapter once again. And remember, nothing is simple.

Chapter 26: A Dark Intent
*******************Normandy, France*******************

November 27, 1997.

A dark, suited figure strode over the sand, towards a lone, pale-haired man standing looking out to sea, across the gray, choppy Channel towards England. The young man was leaning against a large, rusted steel barrier, which once a dark regime had hoped to help hold back the revenging light. It hadn't. He turned and glanced back, frowning, before looking back to sea. His emerald green and silver parka provided nearly the only color in the vast expanse of the beach, other than gray or brown.

A light sleet was falling over the pair as the newcomer, a black-haired, goateed man, pulled a dark gray overcoat tight and approached closer. Both him, and the original had their right hands in their pockets, clenched about something. He stopped, several feet away and waited. A minute later, the blond man turned. "What did you want Snape?" Draco snarled. He turned, his hand still on his wand, and scanned the cliffs above, a faint flicker of movement caught his gaze, and he carefully did not nod in recognition. He looked at Snape as the older man slowly reached into the pocket of his Muggle trenchcoat and pulled an embossed envelope from it. He took a step forward and placed it in Draco's unresisting, off hand. "What is this?" Draco inquired suspiciously.

Snape, sneered. He took a step back and replaced his left hand in his pocket, "On December twentieth, the Ministry is having its annual Yule Ball."

"So?"

"The Dark Lord is...displeased with your father's planning of the recent assault on the Blood-Traitor's funeral," Snape explained nastily, not mentioning the real reason that attack had not gone as planned, "he does not like to be denied his goals. You are to correct for your father's mistake." Snape retrieved a small vial with a glowing green potion from his pocket and tossed it to Draco, "You are to place that in the Minister's drink. He should die later that evening."

"And just how the ruddy hell am I supposed to get into the Ministry of Magic, Snape? Especially with the security that will be present. I am almost as wanted as you by the Aurors, not to mention Potty and his groupies. I will be Kedavra'ed on sight."

"No," Snape hissed, and pointed towards Draco's pocket, where the teen had placed the envelope, "That is an actual invitation to the event, it belonged to a pair of blood-traitors that will have no further need of it. It will pass the security screenings. At your normal drop you will find two doses of a new, improved Polyjuice variant that I have developed, the doses will last the entire night, and they give you the appearances of the two."

"Appearances?" Draco asked suspiciously.

"Yes, Draco, appearances," Snape smiled slightly, "take a date, take Parkinson, or just pick up some slag from Knockturn Alley and tell them it's a game to crash the Minister's ball...in fact that would be even better, in some ways..." Draco gave him a slow nod and turned to leave, but stopped at Snape's irritated gesture, "That is not all, Draco...you, personally have to make up in the Dark Lord's eyes; I can only do so much to redeem you. And so, the Dark Lord has another assignment for you." Draco's eyes narrowed. Snape's lethal, slow smile returned, "It has come to the attention of the Dark Lord that Ginevra Weasley is somewhere on the run, estranged from her family and the Order. Evidently, she and Potter's Mudblood had bit of a spat...You are to find her and recruit her to our cause, a jilted love is often a powerful motivation."

"And if she won't join?" Draco replied doubtfully.

"You are to leave her corpse as an example for the rest, of the consequences of refusing a...request by the Dark Lord," Snape replied and took a step back, "You have your assignment." He turned and vanished into the sleet.

Several minutes passed while Draco continued to lean against the fifty-year-old barricade before a soft tread disturbed the wet sands behind him. "You heard then?" he asked softly. A small presence came to stand next to him, the hood of an ash gray parka pulled up against the weather, hiding her features.

"Are you going to do it?" she asked as she replaced a light-colored, ash wand in her pocket. She crossed her arms across a substantial chest, for one of 5'2", and shivered slightly. Draco gave her a long glance before returning to his gazing over the Channel.

"Probably," he replied after a moment, "Does it bother you? Scrimgeour is just about as bad as Snape or Riddle in his way..."

"No, neither of us is a virgin any longer," she answered softly, not really taking time to consider her words, "sacrifices have to be made, he's an arsehole politician...Maybe dad will get it."

Draco nodded, and pulled the invitation from his pocket, he glanced down at her, "You are coming with me?" he asked, but the question was more of a statement than anything. She nodded silently. "Which leaves our other problem, as I suppose you want to take the Mark about as much as I want the one I have."

"A problem," she agreed, "though in some ways, this helps us, when...we assassinate the Minister, that should gain us time. For you to, um, find me."

"Yes, and Snape's head, providing that we are not blamed for Scrimgeour's death, should at least buy us sanctuary from the Order." Draco turned and looked at her askance, "Though you could have that at any time, Red." She shook her head fitfully.

"Not as long as Harry is under Granger's spell," Ginny spat, "as long as he is, then the only thing that will really secure my return is if I come back with Snape's head on a platter. It's about the only thing that will keep him from killing you on sight too," she added with a small smile. "Let's go," she grabbed his elbow and they vanished.

***************************Hogwarts*********************************

10:40 am

Howling winds accompanied the small pellets of ice battering the scattered students as they stood trying to discern just what Hagrid was going on about in the midst of this late November storm. He seemed to be cupping something in the palm of his hand, though it was hard to tell. Chunks of ice, and droplets of frigid water dotted the half-giant's beard as he went on about the beastie that he had acquired. From a bit of logical deduction, and having read the book twice, Hermione figured that was holding a Finish Ice Sparrow, as it was the only thing she could think of that they hadn't already covered that would both fit in Hagrid's hand, and liked this weather. Most of Hagrid's favorites were a touch larger after all. She shook her head forcefully, shaking bits of ice from her hair and leaned back into Harry where they were trying to share body heat.

Next to them, Ron was looking disgruntled as his heating charm had worn off, and when it was working had only served to turn the sleet and ice into frigid water as it struck him. She watched a orange trail of sparks follow the tip of his wand as he cast another, hoping to stack the effects. She didn't have the heart to tell him that the effects couldn't stack.

Next to him, Neville and Parvati were huddled together, or at least Neville was standing, trying to orient his back to the wind. Parvati's presence was implied from the bit of long, night-black hair, speckled with ice, sticking out from under Neville's cloak. A few other students were sticking out the class, more as a show of solidarity towards Hagrid than anything; most of the rest of the class hadn't even shown up. Harry? Hermione whispered.

Yeah Mione? Harry muttered as he shivered against her, neither of them had enough body fat to be anything resembling comfortable in this. Harry took a breath, summoning his powers and he felt suddenly warmer as his metabolism sped up drastically. I'm going be really hungry in a bit, he mentioned absently. He grinned as Hermione copied him, and leaned back. I always knew you were hot, Harry quipped, and she smiled slightly.

Thanks, she replied, Harry I think I know what went wrong when I was scrying for the Horcrux, Harry waited, I think that I was more focused on the item being a Horcrux than its relationship to the other Ravenclaw artifacts, I would bet it was there at some point, before he hid it, I picked up the trail, but we ran across both Tom and Nagini there, so...

Ok, then, what? Do we try again? Harry let out a soft sigh, which was lost in the winds; I don't mind telling you that I don't particularly like that idea.

She shrugged; You think I like it any better? A distant bell pierced the winds of the castle and a soft happy cheer echoed from those few brave souls out in the weather. Hagrid yelled something that the majority took to be "class dismissed," and they started trundling up to the castle. Harry and Hermione stopped at just inside the doors to the castle. Hermione gave him a small peck on the lips and backed away, waving until she was out of sight around a corner. Parvati rolled her eyes, before kissing Neville and following Hermione; she needed to go in the same direction, up towards the Library in the same wing. We'll talk later Harry, Hermione sent and felt him nod.

Parvati giggled slightly at the slightly absent look on Hermione's face, "So Hermione when are you two getting engaged?"

Hermione shrugged, "I don't know, we have talked about it," she admitted vaguely as the pair of them reached the stairs leading up to where Parvati needed to go.

"Well, good luck Hermione," Parvati said with a grin, "maybe he's waiting for Christmas, they think that they have to propose on holidays or something..."

"Or something," Hermione agreed. She watched Parvati climb the stairs out of sight to the upper floors, before she closed her eyes and fell back against the castle wall as silent tears slipped from her eyes. She felt Harry's concern across the breadth of the castle and she shrugged it off, sending back a silent reassurance that she knew that he didn't believe, but she knew he would let it pass. After a minute she pushed back off the wall, and angrily wiped tears from her eyes before she sprinted for her class, just making it in the door as Glyph flicked her wand at the doors to close them.

****************************Gryffindor Common Room**********************

Harry looked down at the pitiful wreckage that was once a neatly ordered line of chess pieces and sighed. His King looked up at him and started to berate Harry, but he wasn't in the mood to listen. Between Ron once again demonstrating the difference between his strategic mastery and Harry's instinctive tactical skills, and the melancholy feeling that he could still feel from Hermione, even though she had protested at least twice, the second more than a little annoyed at him, that she was alright, Harry really wasn't feeling up to this. In fact the only reason that they were playing at all, was that no one else would hardly play with Ron since Ginny had left, except Neville and on occasion one of the other boys when they had had enough firewhiskey or butterbeer to forget their last trouncing.

Harry glanced up and looked around the Gryffindor Common Room, which was empty save for Gabrielle and a couple of her friends: a very shy black-haired girl name Patience and a tall, for an eleven-year-old, dusky brunette, Elisa. The three first years were looking over some assignment of Tonks' and at least once Harry had heard Gabrielle utter a word that, from his limited French that he had learned from Gabby, Fleur and Hermione, wasn't exactly complementary towards the Metamorphagus.

Harry looked back over at Ron, and he knew that the fire-head had something to say that he would rather not. "What is it Ron?" Harry asked, "You've been looking at me like that all game. Is my hair on fire or something?"

Ron shook his head and looked down at the board and watched as his Queen moved over to Harry's King and decapitated him, and started to do a little dance. "I talked to Fred yesterday when he stopped by to drop off the new stock of gear," Ron began slowly.

"Yeah," Harry put in, frowning, slightly distracted as he told Hermione that he and Ron would meet her for lunch in a few minutes, "What did he have to say, Ron? Did they say anything about when they could have the resupply of the Frisbees ready?"

"Um, yeah Harry, he brought another four cases, he also has a prototype of the trap variant ready...but, Harry, he mentioned something else." Ron looked nervous and picked at loose thread on the end of his tie. Ron looked up, gratefully as a herd of third years entered, complaining about Hagrid loudly. One of them chattered incessantly about how Buckbeak was "sooo gorgeous," and several others complained loudly about flobberworms, about how boring they were. The portrait closed behind them and Harry looked back at Ron, with a penetrating look to his eye.

"Spit it out, Ron."

"Mum, well, she thinks that it would be best...considering the times that..."

Harry closed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair, still without opening them again, "Hermione and I aren't invited for Christmas are we?"

Ron shook his head, fitfully, "Harry...Luna and I talked, and Gred and Forge and...well if you aren't welcome than we aren't either. If you can't come to..."

Harry reached out and clasped Ron on the shoulder, "No, mate, no...you be with your family...spend what time you can with them, Hermione and I'll be alright." He stood and picked up his bag, "Let's get to lunch," Harry said with a small, little grin. He led his friend out the door, and onward to that next great adventure...lunch.

*******************************Library*******************************

9:20 pm.

Harry looked over at Hermione. She had refused to talk almost the entire evening they had been at their usual research spots in the library, pushing off any attempt to converse with him by looking into another curse or charm. For the first hour she had sat directly across from Harry, not even looking at him; but then, still without talking, she had almost leapt over the table to sit next to him, pushing their chairs together until they touched and clasping his hand under the table as if she were afraid he would leave any moment.

Finally, Harry had had enough. Glancing around and finding no one, he pulled her to her feet and dragged her far back into the stacks where no one could come up on them without a substantial effort. Hermione pulled back slightly and glared up at him, "Damn it Harry, we can do this later, we have..."

Harry shut her up with the simple expedient of kissing her. She blinked at him a couple of times as he pulled back and looked her in the eyes. "Hermione I know, but that's not why I brought you back here."

"Then why?"

"What's wrong Mione?" Harry asked softly, walking backwards and pulling her with him, until his back hit the wall. He pulled her, unresisting, into his arms, "What's wrong, Love?" he repeated, "You've been uptight ever since you went to Runes...did someone say something?"

"Harry," Hermione asked in a tiny, almost silent whisper, "you don't think it was a mistake to..." Her voice failed her as her eyes fell to their joined hands. Harry closed his eyes for a beat, before he tightened his arms around her, hard enough to cause a soft squeak to escape Hermione.

"Hermione...Love," Harry started then took a breath, "the only thing that I have never had second thoughts about is you, and I never will. I swear that I love you more every day, every time I look at you, every time I hear your voice or your thoughts, every time you tell me I'm being daft or," he grinned, "gasping out my name as your head explodes in ecstasy." Hermione cracked a smile as she reached up and punched his shoulder playfully. She followed Harry down as he slipped down the wall to sit on the floor, and settled herself on his lap, straddling his legs. "What brought this on Mione?"

Hermione sighed as she leaned forward to rest her head on his shoulder. A soft purr rumbled from her chest as Harry's fingers ran up under the sides of her skirt possessively, and she pushed into him trying to get closer. It was something Par said...she didn't mean anything by it, I know she didn't, she and Lav have become pretty good friends with me now, sometimes I wonder if Ginny had something to do with why they and I weren't always the greatest friends when we were younger...I mean we hardly ever....

What did she say, Hermione?

She was teasing, asking when you were going to pop the question. I know that a bunch of the girls have been talking about it...they wonder...

Harry grabbed her left hand in his right and held it up. Love it's up to you...we can keep on with what we are doing, ostensibly 'dating' or, his thumb touched her engagement ring, when we come back from Christmas they can see this ring, he moved his thumb down, to touch her wedding band nestled closer to her heart, or this one.

I'm tired of hiding from our friends Harry, some of them already know, the fact is under a Fidelius anyway, lets let the rest know. Almost all of them have sacrificed a lot to be here to support you...us, she paused in thought, Par, Lav, the twins...hell all the Weasleys except Molly and Arthur, just because it wouldn't be fair to Arthur, your old roommates...

Tonight?

Why not? She asked, rubbing up against him unconsciously as she stretched enough to kiss him properly. She bit her lip as she looked up at him with abnormally bright eyes as she felt him start to respond to her through the very thin single layer of silk that separated her from his jeans. But we don't have to hurry back, most of them are late to get to bed anyway...

Harry's eyes darkened as he felt her hands reaching down under her skirt to unbuckle his belt and unbutton his jeans. He laughed softly as he caught he look of absolute concentration Hermione was wearing for the simple task. She looked up at him, her bottom lip in her teeth, worried. Harry kissed her nose, Yeah...we...can...be...late I g..guess, he managed as she rose up just enough to slide his jeans and boxers down a bit. Harry felt the tingle on his stomach where she leaned against him as she muttered a charm and grinned crookedly.

Eyes met and flared slightly as Hermione slowly slid down on to his lap with a sound somewhere between a sigh and a moan. Her arms went around his neck as she leaned forward to meet his lips. They sighed together as Hermione started to rock gently, side to side, up and down a bit.

Minutes passed as they barely moved, just enough for tongues to duel and hearts to race. Harry felt a rush of warmth towards his center as he let go, almost lazily, and felt Hermione follow him over the edge a moment later, sighing, as a soft pulse of energy snapped outward to disturb several of Pince's precious books. Hermione fell forward to rest damp bangs against his before she kissed him again, luxuriating in the feeling of being loved more than anything, this time being more about being together than the actual act.

"We need to go, Mione." Harry stated quietly after they had sat motionless for several minutes in the same positions in which they had finished. She pouted slightly and shook her head against his shoulder. Harry laughed, "It was your idea, Love."

"Send a Patronus or something," Hermione replied contently, "I'm happy where I'm at. They can come here."

"If we do that...Seamus probably will come here..."

"I can move now," Hermione replied, laughing. She flowed to her feet, adjusting her clothes and flicking her fingers to clean the two of them up. Hermione reached down and pulled Harry to his feet as soon as he had finished making himself more or less presentable. Harry snapped the free hand that wasn't holding Hermione's into a fist as they passed the table were they had been studying and the books, papers and quills scattered about the table, vanished with a soft pop of light.

*******************************Heads' Chambers**************************

11:15 pm

Harry looked back toward his bedroom for an instant as Dean and Seamus entered the room from the Gryffindor Common Room. They glanced around, Seamus looked tired, as if he had just been roused from sleep, and dropped into a couch near the fire and slumped down into the cushions. Neville nodded at them before he went back to talking to Parvati, Lavender and Ron about something involving the Cannons, the Arrows and the Wasps. Luna was sitting next to Ron, listening to the conversation with wide, unblinking eyes. Seamus looked a touch afraid of her.

A palatable sense of unease hung in the air, as the Gryffindors and Luna, who might as well have been one, waited for Harry or Hermione to explain why they had received a covert summons to their quarters. The obvious reason, a Death Eater attack or some such was on every mind. In the week since the Charlie's funeral, Voldemort's forces had gone on the offensive, a Giant attack had shattered a small village only a hundred kilometers from Hogwarts, a half-dozen werewolves had slaughtered a double-decker in Glasgow, turning ten, and a gold convoy from Gringott's had been ambushed outside of Fridley. Diagon Alley was almost deserted, with nearly no shoppers even this close to Christmas. Hogsmeade was only somewhat better.

The group looked up as Hermione came out of the bedroom, casually dressed in flannel pajama pants, bare feet, a Lions sweatshirt and with her hair tied back and a soft, unconscious sigh of relief came out. If she wasn't ready to go into something, then they probably were safe, more or less, for tonight anyway. She paced over to Harry and grabbed his hand, almost painfully, for an instant before loosening up a bit. "Thanks for coming on such short notice," Hermione said softly as she looked about the room. She caught Seamus' gaze from the couch next to Dean and dissolved into giggles. Harry fought not to laugh as well, as a two-hour old flashback flitted across their thoughts.

"Bloody hell," Seamus muttered, loudly, he looked down at his robes, then around his area, he felt his hair and eyebrows before sniffing his armpits to the whispered, "EWWs" of the girls. "What, am I on fire...did Dean turn my hair purple again?"

"No, mate," Harry replied, fighting down his humor, "no...it's nothing." He nudged Hermione, who rocked a bit on her feet before continuing.

"S...Sorry, Seamus," Hermione sputtered then got control of herself, "No, Harry and I want to tell you something...something that we should have trusted all of you with from the beginning, and Parvati, Lavender, don't be mad with Neville, he knew but the knowledge was under a Fidelius. Parvati, you sorta upset me this morning when you asked if Harry had asked me..."

"You actually are engaged?" Parvati asked happily, but stopped quickly at Hermione's headshake. She looked at Hermione oddly, then at Harry and shrugged. She glanced over at Neville who pointed to his mouth and shook his head, he couldn't say.

Hermione glanced up at Harry as she leaned back against him, before looking over at their friends and taking pity on them, "No, Par, Lavender, Seamus, Dean...Harry and I are married actually." On Harry and Hermione's ring fingers, three rings appeared with a flash, at least to those four named, as the others knew, they had already seen them. Parvati and Lavender both jumped up to hug their former roommate and, of course, examine Hermione's rings. They gave the appropriate "OHH and AWWs" before they each gave Harry a hug.

"Hey!" Neville objected, laughingly, from the couch and the two of them paced back to him and dropped on his lap in a carefully timed, one, two punch. He grunted loudly and acted as if they had hurt him, which as the two of them might together outweigh him, he was fine.

Harry led Hermione over to an unoccupied chair and sat down, as Hermione perched on the arm. "We should have told you," he looked at Hermione, she gave him a small nod and a smile, "but after Ginny..."

Four heads nodded as one, after the duel between Hermione and Ginny, the word had finally leaked to Gryffindor house, at least the sixth and seventh years anyway, exactly what Ginny had done, and what the cost had been. No one was exactly sure how that had happened as Harry, Hermione, Ron and Luna had all refused to talk about it, but it had. Ginny had committed one of the few unpardonable sins for a Gryffindor, entanglements and infatuations...happened, they all knew it. If that was all it had been, if she had just come on to Harry, or had an honest catfight with Hermione over him or something, she would have caused a scene, but it would have been handled, eventually. But what she had done was closer to treason than anything; Dean glanced at Ron for the briefest instant, before looking away. He didn't say anything, but the obvious parallels between Ginny and Percy were there, if all was at it seemed with Percy. Ginny's actions were proven, in many, many ways.

After all that had happened, Hermione probably would have been ostracized if she had not challenged Ginny because of the younger girl's actions, and that was even without the knowledge the rest of the Seventh Years had just learned. For that very offence, witches had, in not that terribly distant a time, faced duels to the death, even here.

All of that went unsaid, known, but unsaid as Hermione continued. "Unfortunately, you are all now bound by the Fidelius as well, sorry." No one objected, the reasons that had held for so long, still held even more now.

*****************************Headmistress' Office*************************

November 28, 1997.

8:00 am

A soft knock sounded on the ancient oaken door, and Minerva looked up from a stack of reports by her Professors on the seventh years' progress. She closed a file on Susan Bones, noting absently as she did of Tonks and Filius' observations that she was almost absent as much as she had been present this year. However, she also noticed that Remus had noted that she had had a perfect attendance in his class, but had seemed abnormally intent on offensive spells, even with her membership in what was privately called Potter's Army. Or at least it was called that amongst the staff, no one called it that in front of Harry. "Come in," she called, her soft burr cutting across the soft snores of the portraits lining the walls, that seemed to have developed a habit of sleeping in on Friday mornings.

"Are we late ma'am?" Hermione asked as she looked about the room, finding no one. She yawned slightly, covering it with her hand as Harry meandered in after her, his eyes half closed. Somehow, after the rest of the seventh years had found out that "mummy and daddy had got hitched", which was Seamus had called it after a few too many celebratory drinks, the rest of their friends had thought it a perfect time for a impromptu private party. The Irish wizard had been amazed that Hermione had agreed to it, but she had.

"No Hermione," McGonagall replied softly, "you both are exactly on time...however; I called off the staff meeting for this morning. It seems that Filius had a pressing issue he had to deal with in his own house; something about the Sanchez sisters fighting again, and Remus is still recovering from that bad reaction to his medicine. And Tonks was required to travel to the Ministry this morning," her face hardened for a moment, "to look into certain reports. Therefore we were rather lacking on staff this morning for a meeting." McGonagall waved to the comfortable armchairs in front of her desk, and nodded as the pair dropped into the chairs.

"Since you hare here, however, there are however a few things I would like to discuss with you," Minerva continued as she offered them tea and biscuits which they both declined. "First, Hermione, I would like you to talk to the Sanchez sisters, see Filius after this, they need to stop this fighting between each other over boys..." Harry was carefully quiet. "See if you can talk to them about it, they are otherwise excellent students, I would hate to have to send them packing, but I am starting to think there may be no other recourse."

"Yes, ma'am," Hermione replied, changing her mind and leaning forward to pour herself a cup of tea. McGonagall nodded and turned to Harry. Behind her, ice-blue eyes blinked awake but did not speak, content to listen for now.

"Harry, I would like you to look over the security requirements for tomorrow's Hogsmeade visit," she ordered softly and Harry nodded, "I approve of the plan to use DA members to evacuate students to the castle, however I want you to look over the plan to provide security to the third years again, have Mr. Weasley help you. I was going to have Remus work with you, however..." she shrugged.

"Forgive me for saying so, ma'am," Harry started, shared a look with Hermione, and glancing behind the Headmistress to find Dumbledore looking at him intently, "It seems...odd, that Remus' first dose of Wolfsbane after the funeral attack would make him this ill." Harry took a breath, "It would be-"

"Horace would not poison Remus, Harry," Dumbledore's portrait put in with a small, knowing smile, "his own mastery of the subject-"

"Goes to show what you know Dumbledore," Phineas Nigellus argued quickly. He sneered down towards Dumbledore's portrait from his perch higher up on the wall, "If a true Slytherin wanted rid of Lupin, he could..."

"Nevertheless," McGonagall snapped, cutting across the voices of the dueling paintings, "Nymphadora is taking a sample to Auror headquarters to have their forensic potion experts look at it; just in case." She frowned, and took a sip of her tea, considering, "Have you received any useful information from him, Harry?" McGonagall asked, her gaze flicking back to Dumbledore's.

Harry shrugged and stretched his legs out in front of him, "Yes and no, he has given us a bit of information on attacks that his...friends pick up rumors on, that was one of the sources that let Mad-Eye ambush that attack on a school Tuesday in Edinburgh, but on the Horcruxes...no. He claims that he does not know any more than he has already said. I'm not sure I believe him, at least when he claims he doesn't know anything additional about how they are made, or an easier way to destroy them, but I do believe him when he says he has no idea where Tom hid the Cup or the Staff."

Hermione stood and paced over to Dumbledore's portrait, "We think that we have a way to find the Staff, but the Cup, do you have any idea where Tom might have hidden it, any wild guess that you did not trust to your journals?"

Dumbledore looked pensive as he stood and paced within the confines of his portrait. He looked out at her a couple of times, pausing and looking back into the depths of his painting as if trying to find some hidden secret there. "No, Hermione," he said after a moment of consideration, "as of yet, I cannot think of any location that I could find in the memories that I was able to obtain."

Hermione sighed and ran a hand through her hair, grimacing slightly as she pulled out a tangle, "So nothing then, in his past that you know of."

"Maybe it's not his past we should be looking in then, Mione," Harry put in, as he stood and walked over to join her, "maybe it's someone else's." Their eyes met for a second, her mouth opening in a silent "O", of comprehension, they both looked back at Dumbledore, "What if he used some place from my family's past, or yours, or something else entirely. What if he just stuck the thing in some random snowbank, tossed it out the window of the train as it went by," Harry's voice was frustrated as he ran both hands through his hair and scrubbed them almost violently against his scalp. Hermione fought not to laugh at his hair as she automatically reached up to try to push it back into something resembling order. Harry gave her a look, and she gave up with a sheepish shrug.

"It is an interesting theory," Dumbledore replied thoughtfully, he pulled of the half-moons decorating his nose and polished them absently on the hem of his painted robes. "I shall give it thought," he gave Minerva a glance, "however for now, I believe Minerva has something for you." Harry and Hermione looked back at the Headmistress as she used her wand to send over a gold embossed envelope, addressed to "Harry James Potter, Baron Black and Guest". Harry shared a look with Hermione, she shrugged, no one called Harry by his inherited titles from Sirius, or the one from his parents. He handed it to her, she opened it as he looked over her shoulder, to find a green and red card embossed with a twinkling Christmas tree. The card flashed as Hermione touched it, and flashed again as Harry did as well. They read it together:

Baron Black,

You and a guest are invited to the Ministry of Magic's, Four Hundred and Seventh Annual Yule Ball on the Twentieth of December at eight p.m. Please RSVP at your earliest convenience to confirm your attendance.

Sincerely,
Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic

"Bloody hell," Harry muttered, he shook his head, and walked over to a garbage bin next to McGonagall's desk. It opened its jaws wide, reaching for the snack...

"Wait Harry," McGonagall said quickly. She shook her head slightly, "No Harry, you," she nodded at Hermione, "and Hermione should go."

"With respect Professor," Hermione replied, sharing Harry's thoughts, "this is just another attempt by the Minister to try to use Harry as a 'Poster Boy' for his policies. My parents are in hiding right now, because, in part, of some of his policies." A touch of fire lit her words and her eyes. Chocolate eyes flitted to emerald ones, and he nodded.

"We're not going ma'am..." Harry replied, setting the invitation on her desk. "We are not going to-"

"No Harry," McGonagall replied, "you should. For more than one reason," Harry and Hermione waited as she gathered her thoughts, "first...Lord Gryffindor," Harry frowned slightly, "it is your duty to show that you are not afraid to attend."

"I'm, not afraid to attend," Harry objected heatedly, "I just don't want to lead credence to Scrimgeour's agenda...."

"It is not just that, Harry, eventually you will need the Ministry's help," McGonagall interjected, "Not every battleground is fought with a wand or a sword." She caught Hermione's eye, before sitting back in her chair and pulling off her square-framed glasses to polish them. She replaced them and smiled at her Head Students, "Sometimes they are fought in dress robes and a cocktail gown...where the only blood being spilled is that of thoughts, and ideals."

There you go, another chapter in the journey....we still have a long way to go. Next time, which will most likely be after Christmas, a new secret about the school will be learned, and the Slytherins start to react, and a touch of action...shock, I know.

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27. Leo in Waiting

And once more into the breach my friends...it's been a bit, but this one is long. Thanks as usual for Lady Starlight and her terrific work on this chapter.

Chapter 27: Leo in Waiting
*********************Hogwarts********************************

December 1, 1997
2:11 am

Hermione woke to a soft, skittering, noise from somewhere nearby. Without opening her eyes she rolled over slightly, and found only a warm spot in the sheets guarding her side. Frowning, she opened her eyes and looked around the room. Over by the fire, which was low, but still burning, Harry was sitting on the couch, staring into the flames as if expecting some great revelation to occur.

The sound was explained as she watched Harry rolling the hilt of the Gryffindor Sword back and forth between his hands. Sparks were flying up from the tip as it effortlessly drilled through the stone at his feet.

Frowning, Hermione rolled out of bed, slipped on a long t-shirt of Harry's from the floor and padded silently over to him.

Harry did not react to her, as he continued to drill a divot in the flagstone floor near the fireplace, other than to scoot all the way down to one end of the couch, allowing her to lie down on it with her head on his leg. He stopped after another period of sparks and laid the sword under the edge of the couch and sat back. His fingers slipped though her hair, pondering, "I didn't want this," Harry stated as he ran his fingers along her jawline for a moment before returning to her hair. He paused, and a soft smirk danced across his face, "Well, yes, I did want you with me like this," he admitted and Hermione smiled, her eyes dancing in the light from the fire. "But I just wanted to be normal...I'm the bloody Heir of Gryffindor, the Boy-Who-Lived, the fucking Chosen One...I just want to be Harry."

What brought this on, Baby? Hermione whispered lovingly as she settled her cheek more comfortably against his sweats.

I don't know...I just can't stop thinking about it, about how fucked up our lives are, Harry explained and Hermione nodded and kissed his thigh, I mean that...look at us, I'm the Heir of Gryffindor through my dad, which in this world means I might as well be a Prince...of course that would make Tom one too... Hermione shuddered slightly against Harry's leg, not from fear, but purely from loathing. I'm seventeen Mione, I don't want a war to fight, one that I have to win if we are to have a chance at a life, even putting aside that damn prophesy. And right now...I don't know that we are.

Hermione nodded slightly, I know...Did you hear that Fleur is pregnant? Hermione asked softly, the tone of her thoughts, odd. Harry nodded, knowing what she didn't say. Let's go back to bed Harry, Hermione added, flowing back to her feet and grabbing his hand to pull him up. Which she did without so much as grunt of effort.

Pretty strong there, Mrs. Potter, Harry smirked silently, and laughed as Hermione made a rather impertinent gesture towards him. She knelt down next to the couch, her eyes laughing as she watched Harry's eyes watch the t-shirt she had on ride up. She picked up the sword to hand it to Harry, when all at once she froze as images both from her memories, of gigantic glowing yellow eyes, and Harry's, of a giant serpent, of a flaming bird bringing salvation in the form of the sword in her hands and of the image of a sixteen-year-old Tom Riddle, already calling himself the "Flight of Death".

As one, their eyes met and heads swiveled towards the direction of the lake. Oh, damn, we were stupid.

It's probably not there Mione, Harry replied as he crossed to their closet and tossed her a dark jumper and a pair of black cargos. He slipped on a matching rig, watching her as she doffed the t-shirt and replaced it with the jumper. He watched as she flung out her hand and her daggers, already sheathed in their twin sheath, soared over to her hand. She bent at the waist, her hair falling forward to hide her face as she strapped the sheath of her wand on her thigh, before toeing into her boots and flicking her fingers at them to cause them to lace themselves.

We should have looked there, I should have thought of looking there. She buckled a small pack to her left leg as she watched Harry slipping the Gryffindor Sword on his back and looking around for something. He found it and slipped it into his pack.

Harry found his boots next to the door and slipped them on, No, Hermione, I should have thought of it. But why would one be there? I already destroyed the Diary? Harry reached for his mirror; I'll get the others.

Hermione shook her head and pushed the mirror back into his pack, No just you and me Harry...we can handle it.

Alright.

*************** Moaning Myrtles' Bathroom/Chamber of Secrets*********

Harry frowned as he watched Hermione looking at him, he stood next to the joined sinks and knelt down, , he hissed. They stepped back quickly as the center sink ground slightly before sliding back and out of sight. Carefully, they eased up to the dark, gaping hole in the floor as Myrtle looked on silently. Harry glanced back at her, "Myrtle, if we aren't back in three hours, get Ron or Lupin." The ghost nodded, Harry looked at Hermione as she held out her hand and a ball of blue, blazing fire appeared in it.

She leaned over and dropped the fire down the shaft, the blue flames light eerie on the walls of the tunnel. Hermione turned and attached one end of the Acromantula thread to the wall near the open hole with a Permanent Sticking Charm and clipped the spool to her repelling harness, which the Twins had thoughtfully included in her, Harry and Ron's more than normally equipped kits. She waited as Harry did the same.

He nodded and jumped into the hole, Hermione following an instant later as the sound of the spools unwinding was the only sound in the room. An instant later, the soft crunch of boot soles on animal bones echoed as they touched bottom. Wand tracked around the room, questing for targets in the pale blue light cast by the ball of fire burning merrily on the top of a particularly large pile of rat bones. You take me to the nicest places, honey.

Don't I though, Harry agreed, as they started to move forward, covering each other. In his mind, Harry could not help but compare this to the last time he was down here, with Ron. At that time however, they had had the spectacularly useless Lockhart with them, and both of them were rushing headlong into danger without a thought. Unfortunately they had learned better.

Harry could feet her disgust as she bumped against the huge skin of the Basilisk, she bit her lip and rolled over the top of it, fighting down her unease as she waved Harry forward with her free hand. They advanced another several hundred yards and stopped as they were blocked by the same fall of rock that had stopped Ron so long ago. It didn't significantly slow them however. With several odd swishes of her wand, Hermione conjured shining steel reinforcements for the tunnel ceiling. She stepped out of the way as Harry pointed his wand at the rock fall, DISSENDIUM, Harry muttered and the rocks turned to dust.

Harry led Hermione through the newly opened gap. They slipped along the corridor, and stopped as they reached one last corner. Harry focused for an instant, forming a glowing ball in his hand and spun around the corner and flipped the ball of light into the corner, lighting the whole entry to the chamber. Harry's wand panned around the area, finding no one or nothing greater than several rats scurrying in the corners.

Hermione walked up to the stone portalis, and stopped. She reached out and ran her fingers over the carved stone snakes on the door. An atavistic shudder ran though her body as she stepped back and ran her hands over her arms as if she were caught out in a sudden blizzard. She stepped back, bumping into Harry. "Are you alright?"

Hermione shook her head, "No Harry, it's evil, I can feel it. Things...people have died here," she added unnecessarily. Harry squeezed her hand once, before walking to the door and whispering , the Parseltoungue words translating automatically in both Harry and Hermione's heads.

A steady drip of water echoed in the vast, dim chamber as the pair of them entered slowly, with all of the hesitation inherent in almost five years of nightmares. A curious, sourceless red glow provided what illumination there was in the chamber besides the twin beams of wand-lights. They passed innumerable tall stone pillars, each carved with serpents spiraling around the columns. Hermione muttered something sharp as the beam of her wand crossed the desiccated corpse of the Basilisk. She approached it slowly and poked it with her wand as Harry sniggered. "Oh, shut up, last time I saw this damn thing I spent months in the Hospital Wing."

"I'm not saying anything, Mione, remember the damn thing nearly killed me too," Harry replied softly, placing his hand on her shoulder as he passed her on the way to the front of the chamber. Harry looked up, and up at the statue of Salazar, before looking down at the feet of the Slytherin Founder. He knelt next to the giant stone feet and placed his palm on the water-stained stones.

"This is where it happened?" Hermione asked in a whisper. She knelt next to him, looking down at a small depression in the stones. A lingering dark presence remained, readily visible to their magical senses.

"Yeah...When I first came in the door, after I left Ron and Lockhart behind, I saw Ginny laying here. I thought I was too late, that she was dead... I remember it being cold, just like it is now, even though it was June then. I looked up and I saw Tom there, from the book." Harry sat down heavily, remembering, "I should have known," Hermione crooked an eyebrow in the dim room, and Harry shook his head, "not then maybe, but later, last year...I just repeated history."

Hermione looked at him, stunned for a moment, before she breathed in his ear, "You didn't do anything the rest of us didn't do Harry. I knew too, I screwed up too." She paused heavily, "We just can't do it again." Harry nodded as he stood.

"Yeah...let's take a look about this place," Harry replied gratefully, he gave her a brief smile before walking over to the statue and starting to look it over. He looked back as Hermione raised her wand over her head, muttered a spell and flaming white tendrils shot out, searching around the room. The sudden light from the spell drove rats to the tunnels surrounding the chamber with a chorus of annoyed squeaks. Hermione's eyes were glowing slightly as she followed the seeking spell around the chamber, searching, while Harry reached out with the link to Voldemort. Hermione's gaze flicked to him, as he dropped the shield protecting his mind, for a brief instant, trying to find a link to any Horcrux.

Her heart raced for those brief instants before she felt his mind protected against all but her...there was no real shield between them any longer. Harry shook his head. "Me too," Hermione confirmed bitterly, "not that I thought it was here, it was too easy."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, "but maybe there's something else here, lets look for a bit longer," he glanced at his watch, "we've only been down here forty-five minutes." The look on Hermione's face was classic as she rolled her eyes at him but agreed. Harry turned, and started to examine the wall near the stature more closely when he spun back as a loud splash behind him and over to the side.

Hermione's head was sticking up above a pool of water as Harry sprinted across the room in a blur of motion; sliding to a stop. "You alright, Mione?" He asked, as she glared at him for a moment before taking his hand to pull her out from the pool that looked for all intents and purposes to be a puddle.

"I'm fucking wet and cold, Harry, how do you think I am?" she snapped irritably, before shrugging slightly, apologizing. She still took great pleasure in pulling him into a hug, soaking the front of his jumper though. She swept drenched locks from her face, pulling her hair back and wringing out the water the best she could before looking back at the pool she had fallen in.

Hermione annoyedly flicked her wand behind her, casting a vanishing charm on the water; Harry froze as he caught sight of something. She turned to follow his gaze to find it fixed on a second, sealed stone door. This one was emblazoned as well with carved serpents. "Oh, this is...interesting." She said slowly. She squinted slightly examining the area around the door, "Harry, it looks like the water used to be even higher...I don't know if this door would have been visible fifty years ago."

"Well," Harry tapped his wand on the side of his leg a couple of times, "I suppose I should open it," he said dubiously.

"If you must," Hermione took a step to the side, and pointed her wand at the door, and nodded to Harry.

, Harry hissed and jumped back and to the other side. Twin wand beams probed forward as the portal ground open, small stones fell from the walls around the door, as it slowly opened. A waft of stale, dead air came from up the tunnel, and Hermione sent a air-renewal spell up the tunnel. I knew there was a reason that I married a genius, Harry sent over.

Hermione grinned for a microsecond, No dear, you're the genius...I'm the super genius, get it straight... she teased, and took a breath, "Harry, well shall we..." He nodded and slipped into the tunnel, dosing his wand and touching the frames of his glasses with it. The black tunnel turned to green-tinged twilight as he looked over to see Hermione had donned her Cat's Eyes as well. The pair of them slipped down the long tunnel, periodically switching sides, and scanning for traps.

A soft click sounded and Harry reached out and pulled Hermione to him and down as several silver darts shot out from the side of the tunnel to impact on the other. A viscous, slightly smoking potion dripped down from the darts and Hermione took a deep breath and kissed his cheek.

They eased on, climbing for a long bit, almost an hour as the tunnel dog-legged back and forth. Hermione pulled Harry back as a crackling bolt of lighting shot between a pair of half-concealed orbs, and he reciprocated a moment later as the floor of the tunnel fell away. She fixed the floor with a spell and after another series of long, tense minutes, they finally came up against another door. This one however, was emblazoned with a rampant Lion. Six slots were spaced around the edge of the door, each about the width of a dagger blade, with wider slot set directly above the head of the Lion. Harry looked at Hermione; she shrugged as he drew the Gryffindor Sword and slid it into the slot.

The Lion came alive, sitting on its haunches as twin; ruby eyes regarded him and Hermione. The Lion let out a silent roar, and the door slid open, grinding slowly against the stones.

A waft of frigid, mountain air greeted their faces as the door finished t opening. Soft choruses of night owls greeted their ears. Harry followed Hermione and heard her soft gasp as she swept off her spectacles as they looked up together at the Castle looming up over, across the lake. They looked down to see the gas streetlights of Hogsmeade spread out below them. "We're near Sirius' cave," Hermione said thoughtfully. They spun as the door ground closed behind them, revealing the same slots and lion on this side as well.

"Try your daggers, Hermione," Harry said softly, and watched as Hermione slid hers in the slots on either side of the wide one for the sword. Nothing happened. Harry stepped forward and slid the sword into the central slot; the lion came alive, and roared, but shook its head and looked pointedly at each of the empty slots. "I guess you need them all to open it from the outside."

Hermione bit her lip as she resheathed her daggers and ran her fingers over the carved mane of the lion. It acted as if it enjoyed the petting for a moment, before it returned to its frozen appearance. She stepped back and the entire door vanished, its image wavering into the appearance of the surrounding mountain. "I guess that Godric wanted to be secure."

"This means that Tom and his cohorts didn't know about it, to get into the school," Harry mentioned, and looked down at his watch, "It's been two and a half hours since we gave Myrtle her deadline."

"Yeah, we better get back," Hermione agreed and took his hand. They stepped around an invisible corner and reappeared in Myrtle's bathroom, causing the ghost to shriek and dive into a toilet with a great splash. Hermione looked down at her watch, shaking her head, "Its too late to go back to sleep now, we have Potions in a bit over two hours," she closed her eyes tiredly, "and training with Tonks in about fifteen minutes."

"Great..."

***************************Potions/Creatures*************************

9:15 am

Harry gratefully took the Pepper-Up Potion that Hermione slipped him and palmed it, drinking it in one draught as he glanced around the classroom. Her hand lingered in his, under the table for a moment before she dropped it and returned to her notes. Of course the dual facts that Harry and Hermione were Slughorn's star pupils and that he really didn't want to cross either didn't hurt, as the rotund professor ignored the fact that the Heads were sitting with their sides literally touching. Ron glanced over at them and rolled his eyes, muttering something to Neville next to him. Neville shook his head and leaned back slightly, gathering his robes about him in the chilly Dungeon classroom.

Another fifteen minutes passed while Slughorn droned on about specialized shrinking potions, how they could be used to hide objects, disguise them as something else, when the bell rang and the class gratefully, more or less, got up to leave.

More or less, as the very next class for many of them was Hagrid's. Hermione stopped at the door, and paused, looking out into the snow falling over the grounds. She waited, as the rest the desultory class that had Creatures with them next headed out onto the grounds. Do you think Hagrid will be annoyed if we don't show up? Hermione muttered plaintively.

We should go, Hermione, especially after last year.

I know, I just want to go back to sleep...you are done after this, while I still have Arithmancy, Hermione retorted as she took his offered hand and let him lead her out into the snow. They carefully picked their way down the icy steps to the grounds, following several black shapes as they approached closer to Hagrid's hut. They stopped, waiting with the rest of the class for Hagrid to appear, it generally wasn't a good thing when Hagrid wasn't waiting for them. It normally meant a "special" beastie was in store.

You know damn well that I will wait for you, Harry replied as they crowded in with Ron, Neville, Parvati and Susan in the lee of Hagrid's hut. A loud booming sound came from the forest, causing trees to shake and snow to fly everywhere. A horrible, discordant growl came from seemingly a pack of huge dogs and Neville, Susan, Parvati and Ron's wands filled their hands almost instantly. The four subtly drifted to form an arc around Harry and Hermione as the ground shook and a huge furry head appeared around the corner of the hut.

The class barely had a second to release their held breaths before another three heads followed Hagrid's. The teens stepped back, several raising wands shakily as three identical heads, like that of three large dogs, if dogs were fifteen feet long and had three heads, sniffed the air. A loud growl escaped the center one's throat as red, glaring eyes focused on Harry and Hermione. The growl died in mid-'grrr' as four eyes flared, just a touch, and the huge dog took a step backwards. "Sit, Fluffy', Sit'" Hagrid said happily, and looked out over his audience.

Several soft giggles accompanied Hagrid's command to the giant, three-headed dog as he turned and petted Fluffy. Hagrid stepped back as he tossed a large, greenish steak to the dog. The left head snapped it out of the air, and an instant later the other two had

Can we keep him, Mione...Harry whined, grinning. She turned enough to whack him behind the ears, before turning back to Hagrid as he started in on the use of Cerberi for herding Australian Fire Sheep.

Only if you walk him, Hermione replied with a silent laugh. She let out a loud, "Eep" as his fingers wormed their way into her robes and tickled her ribs. She blushed slightly and elbowed Harry as several of the rest of the class looked at her oddly. The remainder of the period passed easily as Hagrid only assigned them with a labeled drawing of Fluffy, due next week. Harry, whom still, occasionally, saw the beast in his dreams, knew that he wouldn't have any problem with that particular assignment.

The class dismissed, Harry took Hermione's hand, once again grateful that at least they could be open about seeing each other, even if the full depth was hidden until that day when Tom Riddle would rest forever next to his hated father. She smiled at him, shaking snow from her hair as they the entrance to the castle and stopped. A gaggle of second-years swarmed past, headed for Slughorn's lecture. "Going to walk me to class, Harry?" Hermione teased as she pulled on his hand slightly, leaning towards the direction of the Astronomy and Arithmancy wing, where the two classes were housed.

"Of course," Harry replied with an air as if he would have rather chewed off his arm than not walk with her. She smiled, already knowing the answer to her question. She swung their joined hands merrily as they started off down the hall. "Do you want to take the bridge or the passage?" Harry asked as they attained a fork in their path. Hermione reached out and pushed a protruding stone in a certain alcove, and tucked herself into Harry's chest as the entire alcove spun around, replacing itself with an exact replica.

Hermione let go and stepped back from Harry slightly. Incendio, Hermione whispered and the hallway lit as an endless line of torches lit with a cascading series of soft whooshes. "It's too cold outside to take the bridge," she explained and headed off, him trailing as they walked. Torches lit and extinguished themselves as they traveled, leaving them in a soft pool of light surrounded by darkness. Finally after several minutes, they reached a tapestry of a large, six-legged cat, he bleeked at them, before scampering off as Harry pulled it aside; to reveal the backside of another tapestry. "Bye," Hermione muttered as she pecked him on the lips and vanished through the revealed tapestry.

Harry smiled before taking a left in the passage and heading up towards the Library.

He exited out onto the hallway near the Library entrance, from behind a large statue of a wizard in a top hat, named Robert the Quizzical. He took a step and glanced to either side to make sure that no one had seen him. Even now, only Hermione knew the passages as well as him...or rather, of the current students only Hermione knew as well as him, he was rather sure that Lupin and the Twins were just as knowledgeable of the secret ways around the castle.

Harry passed past a half-full forward section of the Library, with students of all ages working on assignments, gossiping quietly or reading up on something totally unrelated. Madame Pince was slowly moving through the tables, looking over shoulders to see if any were desecrating her books by eating, writing in the margins or ripping out pages. Harry nodded to her as she caught his gaze; she frowned at him but didn't say a word as he headed back into the stacks towards Hermione's normal study nook. As he passed out of sight he could hear her sudden, hushed yell as she berated some poor girl for spilling ink on a periodical.

Harry dropped his bag on the table and headed back into the Restricted Section, his casual wave of a hand deactivating the charms that Pince had placed on the door to the section. He paced back to the back, passing Troll Herding, Addictive Potions Vol. 2: Aphrodisiacs, Extenders and Enticement Draughts, and A Comprehensive Study of the Binding Geas Used to Control Summoned Daemons. Harry frowned at the last one, and noted its title for Hermione, he didn't think she had read it; it might still hold some needed spell. They still had one crucial task that they still had not quite figured out, even with two of the three people ever to destroy a Horcrux and survive, which was quite handy to the quest, especially as they were leading it in fact, was that they still had no safe way to destroy a Horcrux and the soul fragment within. They didn't need the first two books for any reason that he could think of, Trolls were better off dead in his honest opinion, and as Hermione had said the other day, her merely breathing was probably enough to get a rise out of him.

Harry shook his head ruefully at the thought and retrieved Dastardly Jinxes, Hexes and Lethal Curses from the shelf and headed to the front to see if he could pick up anything new. He returned to his seat, flipped the book open to a chapter on modifying the standard Incarerious spell for more, lasting, effects, muttered a spell over a quill retrieved from his pack and began to read as it took notes for him from what he was perusing. Harry's fingers flicked absently as he read through the spells, working through the wandless transformation as he looked over an interestingly nasty variant that replaced the ropes or cables normally produced with razor wire. He shuddered slightly as he looked over the pages and agreed with the decision to put this book in the Restricted Section.

With a loud sigh, he pulled his Advanced Potions text from his bag and opened it, diving into his pack for a roll of empty parchment; he set it out, and started to write, working on the assignment due next week. The sound of students being berated from the front of the Library carried to the back, and he rolled his eyes, as he continued to work on the assignment on the use of poisonous plants in Healing Potions, Harry jotted down a line about dilutions of Hemlock and checked with Hermione on the use of Lackspur, she confirmed he was right with a invisible smile as he grinned and wrote on.

His eyes glanced up as he distantly noted the Clock Tower chimes chiming, almost expecting Hermione to be there, though she couldn't have possibly arrived that fast after class, unless she cheated, and besides she was almost always the last one out of class. Are you still in Vectors' class, Mione? Harry muttered, continuing to work on the assignment so he didn't have to this weekend.

Just leaving, do you want me in the Library, Harry? Hermione asked, Harry's grin grew wider, You know what I mean...

You're closer to the Great Hall, you can nick us some lunch and join me up here to work if you want, or I can come down there to meet you for lunch, your call, Hermione, Harry replied, adding, we can work on the other as well if you'd like.

He felt the eyeroll four floors up and hundreds of yards distant. I'll get us something, I'll be there in ten, twenty minutes, Harry, she shot back, and Harry smirked as he carefully noticed that she hadn't really discounted the possibility of the other. He returned to his parchment with a long-suffering sigh, once again questioning his sanity of becoming an Auror, when the scuffle of feet caused him to look up.

Harry caught the worried look of Patience, as she ran into the back, her eyes were wide and fearful as she pulled on his sleeve and urged him to come with her, "Harry...Harry."

"What, Patience?" Harry asked good-naturedly/tolerantly. He stood and looked down on the small, first year as she pulled on his hand, urging him towards the entrance to the Library.

"It's Gabrielle...they are..." she said worriedly.

"Where, Patience?" Harry replied urgently, kneeling down in front of the girl.

"Third floor, by that painting of the giraffe," she replied, not meeting his eyes. The girl wrung her hands, and stood back as Harry pushed her towards the door.

"Go back to the tower, Patience," Harry commanded, putting his hands on her shoulders and pushing her towards the entrance, "I'll help her." Harry didn't look back to see if the girl followed his instructions before he hurried out of the Library, gathering a shouted admonishment from Pince as he did.

Harry headed down the hall, checking his pockets as he went, cloak, wand, map. He passed several students on the way, almost knocking down a Hufflepuff third year in his haste. He felt Hermione running from the other direction at his silent call, and slid to a stop as he reached the third floor landing, just out of sight of where the giant, three-story painting hung. Harry glanced up as he felt Hermione come up behind him, and slid in against the wall next to him. He glanced over and raised an eyebrow, and gave her an odd look as she shook her head. Wait, Harry.

Hermione reached into the pocket of his robes and snapped open his cloak, she whirled it over both of them and they vanished. Not that I have any complaints, Hermione, but...

I have a feeling we should watch this first...trust me, Love. It's something Fleur said. Harry gave her a doubting glance under the cover of the cloak, but let her pull them around the corner. As soon as they rounded it, it was all she could do to keep Harry from working on his human to animal Transfiguration.

Five Slytherin boys, all seemingly four or fifth years, in other words, too young to really punish were standing over a small, blond haired girl as she knelt on the flagstone floor of the nearly abandoned hallway, which was a prime shortcut between Gryffindor Tower and the Great Hall below. The girl's bag was ripped, with ink from several smashed inkbottles staining the stones, several books torn to shreds and a large picture of the Weasleys and Harry and Hermione at Bill's wedding lying half-burnt at her feet. In the picture, she was being held in Charlie's arms, protectively. Gabrielle's outer robes were ripped, along with her sleeve and Harry felt his vision start to redden.

"What's wrong?" mocked Malcolm Reynolds, a dark, sneering fifth year Slytherin, "what's wrong little half-breed, your bag torn...your little picture of blood-traitors destroyed--" He laughed as he reached out and brushed her hair back and she whipped her face away from his hand. The rest of the Slytherins chortled as Gabrielle started to back away, fearfully. Their laughter faded as the girl visibly looked down at the torn and burnt picture of the wedding, of the kind face of Charlie Weasley looking up at her, and the fear vanished from her eyes, a curious light dancing in them.

They watched as the bedraggled girl stood to her full height and locked her gaze to the Slytherins'. A soft, knowing smile, one much too old for an eleven-year-old, slipped across her lips and Harry felt the very air in the room change. He felt Hermione's hand in his as he suddenly knew what the young...Veela was about to do.

For an instant before it faded, Harry saw a faint, golden glow surrounding the girl, as she smiled and looked over the Slytherins... "What iz you doing...silly boyz..." a dark, chuckling grin crossed her face as she stepped back to the edge of the landing, and looked down at a book, two stories below that was probably hers, having been thrown down there by the young minions, "Oh look, iz that, my bookkz...I zeemed to have dropped eet. Pleeze can you geet eet for meeze?" She smiled, her eyes glittering, and with five, identical blank looks on their faces the Slytherins started to walk towards the edge of the landing like Lemmings off a cliff.

Reynolds had his hand on the railing, about to vault over when Harry whipped off the cloak and a bolt snapped from his wand, immobilizing Reynolds and causing him to fall backwards onto the landing. The spell broken, the other four Slytherins started to turn, but collapsed as a wave of red swept over them. Gabrielle slid to the floor, drained, as she looked up accusingly at Harry and Hermione, "They'z dezevered eet..." she cried, holding the Heads' gaze for a long moment before she dropped her eyes and began to sob softly.

Hermione picked up the small girl in her arms, flicked her wand to repair her torn sleeve and robes from where the Slytherin proxies of Zabini, and ultimately Tom Riddle, had damaged it and held the girl to her chest. Soft cries came from the girl's throat, as Hermione looked at Harry, nodded and led Gabrielle off, towards Gryffindor Tower and family and safety. Harry didn't need her help for five fifth and four-years.

He watched them pass out of slight and flicked his wand at Gabrielle's bag. It rose in the air, the tears mended themselves, and quills, inkbottles, and her books, including the one tossed far below flew back into the back. The picture slowly became unburnt, the straightening out before settling back into the bag. He flicked his wand again and it vanished with a flash of light. Harry crossed his arms as his fingers flicked and five bodies floated up to stand against the nearest wall. He snapped the fingers of his right hand and ropes appeared and bound all five, and with a final wave of his wand, all five awoke, slowly and groggily.

"Wha..What the bloody hell?!" Reynolds yelled; he looked around to find Harry leaning causally against the rail of the nearest staircase, "Let us go Potter!"

"No," Harry replied flatly.

"You'll pay Potter you and your..." another of the Slytherins, a brown-haired fourth optimistically named Julius Caesar McDermott, growled only to be silenced along with his fellows as Harry glanced their direction and eyes flashed.

"No," Harry repeated, his voice a rather close approximation of the Headsman as he denied the condemned permission to go for a walk, "we need to talk gentlemen." He grinned slightly, "Rather, I suppose that I will talk, and you will listen." Harry pushed off from the wall, "Let us pretend, just for a moment, that you five decided...all on your own...that you should go and find some little Gryffindor swot and make her life hell. Let us further pretend that you had no idea that I considered that girl family, that I made a promise to keep her safe. I keep my promises gentlemen, and I tend to, shall we say, permanently end problems, and I will not tolerate any attacks on me and mine...and that includes any student, especially those that can't defend themselves. If you want to go pick on each other in your common room, fine, but do not come into this school looking for trouble. Any questions?" Harry asked with a small smile, and waved his hand at Reynolds as he saw the boy's mouth flapping uselessly.

"The Dark Lord will..." he hissed, only to be cut off by another, annoyed wave.

"Consider one fact if you will," Harry replied softly as several of the other Slytherins flapped their gums uselessly, "you may very well be afraid of Zabini, the Death Eaters and Tommy," Harry rolled his eyes at the blank look on several of the serpent house's finest, "honestly, the bloody, Half-Blood prat who calls himself Voldemort," they shivered at the name. "Really if you are going to give your souls to the arsehole, you really shouldn't cower at his name, but back to my point. Voldemort," he said the name slowly, drawing it out, taunting, "and the Death Eaters are out there...I am in here, consider that fact next time, I am not warning you again." Harry spun on his heel and grabbed a staircase as it separated from the landing and began to lift away. He never looked back at the still restrained and silenced Slytherins.

*************************Hogsmeade*********************************

December 6, 1997.
10:00 am

It had been a long, long week for Harry, Hermione and the rest. The attacks and pranks by Zabini's and by extension, Tom Riddle's, proxies had struck throughout the week, some of them humorous, some most definitely not. Three Gryffindor third years had mysteriously "tripped" down a flight of stairs, earning them overnight stays in the Hospital Wing. Several of the Hufflepuffs' pets had vanished only to be found later, hairless and caged in an abandoned classroom on the fifth floor. A Ravenclaw Chaser had had her hair charmed green, with glowing, neon letters floating above her head spelling out, "GO SLYTHERIN," but that could have been as much attributed to the fact of the Ravenclaws playing Slytherin a week from today as much as any grand nefarious plot. Those had been the highlights, of course. In the main, the younger Slytherin minions of Zabini had perpetrated a series of actions that danced just on the safe side of an outright declared war with the supporters of the light, in particular an odd emphasis seemed to be on incidents with younger members of the DA and younger siblings of older members.

The finale of the week, yesterday, would probably have turned out a tad bit better for the Slytherins if they had chosen someone else for their 'prank'. At the end of dinner, Parvati Patil, who was already in a quite annoyed mood after yet another letter from her parents, was the latest victim of Zabini's planned assault. Her sister had left already in tears, heading towards Ravenclaw Tower, muttering imprecations under her breath, as Parvati came out of the doors of the Great Hall in the company of Neville, Seamus and Honor. Parvati had turned to answer a question from the Gryffindor sixth year when, with a rush of air, she had found herself standing nude in front of a hundred students.

Unfortunately for Kimberly Wandsworthy, a blonde Slytherin sixth year, Parvati was not embarrassed enough to stop to cover herself before she looked up, saw the wand in the girl's hand and, after crossing the intervening distance in three strides, breaking Wandsworthy's nose in a spray of blood. Only after watching the girl on her knees holding her hands to her face to try to stop the streams of blood for a good, satisfied minute, had Parvati taken the robe Neville offered her.

Parvati had taken the week's detention with a small smile, after all Kimberly was the one now stuck with cleaning out the Thestrals' stalls for two weeks, while she was inventorying the supplies of the Charms and Transfiguration departments. Normally this was an arduous task, except that Professor Lupin had mistakenly omitted to tell Parvati that she could not use magic.

Today all of that was hopefully in the past, or at least held up at the castle, as Harry dismounted one of the carriages to step out onto the High Street to head into town. He smiled slightly as Hermione took his hand and leaned back against him for a moment, before reaching up to adjust her winter hat worn over twin braids. Harry glanced around as Neville nudged him and pointed towards the eves of a nearby building. "OI, Ron," Harry yelled, laughing, "you can do that inside, it's cold out here. Come on."

Ron looked up, then down at Luna as she smiled up at him with her hands in Ron's back pockets. He grinned, took her hand and started to lead her away, "We'll catch up later."

"Oi, Luna," Parvati smirked, "you better have Weasley cast a Warming Charm, you don't want to explain to Pomfrey how a bloke can get frostbite on his-" She was silenced as Neville picked her up, placed a hand over her mouth and started to carry her off. He set her back down after a few paces as they headed down the street, and she smirked back up at Neville, "Well if you're going to carry me..." Neville's only warning was the soft crunch of snow under Parvati's boots as she ran around behind him and jumped up on his back, throwing her arms around his neck. He rolled his eyes, but picked up her legs automatically anyway and started walking with his new, not unwelcome, burden.

"That's no fair Par," Lavender whined, leaning up against Neville, "where will I ride?"

"You guys can figure that out for yourself," Hermione laughed, grabbed Harry's hand and they vanished, only to reappear on the hill leading to the Shrieking Shack and overlooking the town. Far below, spread out amongst the streets of the small village, they could see the small dots of a flock of third years headed to Zonko's. Ron was readily recognizable due to his size, even at a distance, as Luna tumbled him to the snow and ran off laughing.

The crowds were lighter than usual, even this far north under the very shadow of Hogwarts, the townspeople were few and sparse, tending not to linger on the streets, but to scurry from shop to shop as if they were afraid of being caught out in the open. Even the students, who seemed to compose the majority of the population on the streets, were fewer than on a normal Hogsmeade weekend. Many of the parents of the students who had remained in Hogwarts had rescinded the permissions of their children to attend Hogsmeade, even such as the Patils, who as they were of age, where it was a gesture only.

Hermione leaned against him, her head tucked against his shoulder and sighed, before she looked down at the town and pulled on Harry's hand, "Let's go Harry, we need to get our shopping done."

"I don't wanna," Harry whinged, pulling back, "It's a stupid idea to go to a ball..." he grinned and started to pull her up the hill towards the Shrieking Shack, "Let's go check out the Shack." Hermione smiled at him, a touch regretfully, but shook her head in the end.

"Yes, it is," Hermione agreed, "but the Ministry is bound and determined to have it, to show that they are not afraid and, in some ways, that is about the only thing that they have done right. Since McGonagall convinced us to go to see if we could gather allies, we need to dress the part. If I'm going to be on the arm of the handsomest wizard there, he really needs to look his best. " She concentrated for a second and they vanished, to reappear in a familiar alley next to the Three Broomsticks. She pulled him out onto the High Street and headed out.

"But can't you pick out both our clothes?" Harry looked at her, his eyes wide and pleading, and she sighed.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "If you're good, you can pick out what I wear under the dress." She smirked, as Harry paused, considering.

"But I already know that nothing is best, really," Harry retorted, grinning. He started to pull her towards Honeydukes and the line of students congregated there. Across the way, they could see Luna leading Ron into Zonko's, his red head bobbing in answer to something she was saying.

"You can be horny later, Harry," Hermione shot back with a small grin and pulled him down the street in the opposite direction of where he wanted to go.

"Hermiiiioneeee"

An hour and a half later, Harry held open the door of the Three Broomsticks for Hermione and stepped inside, following her. They paused for a moment, as their eyes adjusted to the relative gloom inside the packed pub as compared to the bright, early winter day outside. Seemingly the entirety of Hogwarts older than thirteen along with much of the town was crowded into the room, drinking, talking, flirting and eating.

In a corner to their right, Slytherin House seemed to be isolated from the rest of the patrons; Blasé Zabini was holding court with other members of his house crowded around. Pansy was sitting in his lap, laughing at something, while his inherited bookends, Crabbe and Goyle stood to either side, looking out. The rest of his house was packed in about them like sardines, as if they were afraid of contamination from the rest of the school. Zabini sneered at Harry as he stepped forward and started to wind his way through the crowded pub. Harry just ignored him. Daphne was seated at a table on the very fringe of Slytherin occupied space, looking nervous as she talked to an auburn haired fifth year, Andrea Crenshaw who had been identified as another possible recruit if not to the light, then to the grey line in the middle.

"OI," Ron yelled from across the pub and waved as Harry and Hermione came into his sight from around behind the pot-bellied stove in the center of the room. Harry nodded and he started to lead Hermione towards the back corner of the pub directly opposite the main door. As he did so, he noticed with not a trace of surprise that unlike Slytherin house, the remainder of the school was scattered throughout, intermingled with the townspeople, visitors and guests, with no real division save that similarly aged students tended to sit with one another. Harry paused to exchange a greeting with Hagrid as the half-giant held down a good quarter of Rosmerta's scarred, oak bar. He patted his friend on the shoulder and continued back, finally reaching the far back corner where Ron had called to them from.

Hermione stopped as they reached the booth, her hands on her hips and regarded Ron with a gimlet eye, "And just where are we supposed to sit?" The booth, which looked to be designed to hold maybe eight, was packed to the gills. Besides Ron, Luna, Seamus, Dean, Parvati, Padma, Lavender, Susan, Ernie, Honor and a friend of Susan's, Sasha Thurston, were crowded into the booth.

Ron grinned, "Well there is always the floor, I'm sure that Harry would let you sit on his lap, Herms."

She rolled her eyes, "Honestly, Ron, you grew up with magic." Harry?

Harry waved his hand over the booth, and suddenly, without it taking up an inch more floor space in the crowed pub than it had before, the tight, cramped booth was abruptly spacious and roomy. Dean scooted over to let them in, as Ron slid a pair of butterbeers over to the newcomers from a large bucket of them in the center of the table. Hermione stuck her tongue out at Ron as she slid in next to Harry and more or less sat on his lap anyway. "So Harry, what are you doing for Christmas?" Dean asked after a moment as he took a sip of his beer and leaned back in the booth.

Hermione glanced up and caught Ron's eye. He looked down at his stew and did not comment as Hermione bit her lip slightly and shrugged, "Stay here I guess," she replied softly, "Harry and I don't really have anywhere to go to." Ron nodded without looking up, he knew that the Grangers were in hiding...just in case, but he didn't comment. Several other heads gave brief, knowing nods, the most that they would acknowledge of the still simmering conflict between the Potters and the Weasleys, or more specifically and to the point, with Molly Weasley, whose intransigence on the point of contention, Ginny, was unabated.

"Well, I guess that can be-" Dean's comment was cut off as a witch near the outer wall commented loudly about how cold it was in here and for someone to stoke the fire. Harry glanced automatically towards the potbelly stove in the center of the room to find that not only had it gone out, but also that ice was starting to form on its surface as well. He glanced towards the windows to the High Street to see them start to glaze over. A sudden, suffocating, all pervasive feeling of dread and bone-chilling cold settled over the bar as Harry and Hermione slipped to their feet almost casually.

Harry leaned over the table, if he were just making a particular point, "We have company," he muttered, drawing his wand covertly as he did so, and every face at the table nodded. Harry glanced back to find Hagrid at the bar, already pulling back his moleskin coat to reveal the hilt of a Bludger-bat-sized wand. Harry had had a new, proper wand procured for his oldest Magical friend to replace the one snapped by dint of one of Riddle's earliest crimes over the summer. It had been remarkably easy for one of Harry's newfound resources to grease the proper palms in the Ministry in order to acquire it for Hagrid; and with the addition of a muttered spell over it by Hermione, it was untraceable as well. Hagrid gave Harry a small nod, finished his mead with one, large swallow of his bucket-sized goblet and stood as if to stretch.

"Dean, Honor, Susan, Ernie," Harry whispered urgently as he glanced around the room as Hermione flicked her wrist where her hand hung down next to her leg and her wand appeared inconspicuously in her hand with a flicker of motion, "go out the back, get the youngsters out, use the Honeydukes tunnel or whatever." The four of them edged to their feet and slowly started to slip towards a nearby door set in the back wall that led to the kitchen and through it to a door into the back alley.

"DEMENTORS!" a witch seated near the windows to the High Street screamed suddenly and Harry's desperate, hasty plan to keep some semblance of calm fell apart. Several Wizards vanished with loud CRACKs of Apparation, knocking their chairs, tables and mugs askew. The teens fought to get to their feet to get at least free enough to Apparate away to get more room to fight when the door to the room flew inward with a huge BOOM. Green scaly hands shot out from the ends of tattered sleeves and grabbed a short wizard just as he reached the door, and started to pull him to a faceless hood.

Harry desperately reached out with his magic, yanking the unfortunate wizard to safety just as "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" A huge silver otter shot past Harry's ear driving the Dementor, along with a couple of others that had started to push into the pub, back with a horrible, terrible keening sound from somewhere beneath their hoods.

"GO!" Harry screamed and vanished, reappearing in the High Street outside of the Three Broomsticks. "EXPECTO PATRONUM," an immense silver stag, fueled by memories of the expression in Hermione's eyes when she said, "I do," shot out, its antlers impaling a Dementor that was starting to charge Harry. Prongs circled, driving back another half-dozen foul ones as Hermione appeared at Harry's back sending her otter slashing out to drive away another group headed towards Zonko's.

With a moment to breathe gained, Harry looked up and down the street. Fortunately there were few visible casualties so far, he saw three lifeless bodies sprawled along the street, but none looked to be younger than thirty. He saw at least as many Dementors as had threatened him and Hermione third year and he muttered a curse. Harry looked towards Honeydukes to find Ron suddenly standing there, and watched as his wand flicked and a large, rather huge actually, hedgehog appeared, rolled into a ball, and started to fire ethereal quills at the Dementors. Ron stood his ground as rainbow flashes started to light the windows of the candy shop and Harry nodded as he watched the evacuation of the younger students start to take place. He pointed his wand at another clump of Dementors that were approaching Hermione from the rear, and Prongs leapt to her defense as Hermione's own otter raced though the air towards the hill housing the Shrieking Shack where another ten Dementors were gliding towards them.

A soft hoot sounded from Harry's pocket, Harry flicked open his mirror to see Dean's panting visage, just as a large spectral lion ate a Dementor that was approaching Ron from behind, Luna slid in behind Ron as Harry looked down at his open mirror, "Harry," Dean shouted. From the background behind him, Harry could tell that he was near Hogsmeade Station, "we have the thirds and fourth years out, Ernie's down, Dementor got to him, but he'll live." Harry just nodded as he looked up and whistled. A hundred yards away, in the midst of a flock of Dementors Prongs' head perked up and he galloped back to Harry's side.

Hermione twirled her wand in an odd, spiral pattern and her otter started to swim, faster and faster around the two of them and Prongs, driving back approaching Dementors. Harry took a breath and pointed his wand at Prongs, PATRONUM EXTRANIUM DELLATRIUM. Prongs' already glowing, silver eyes lit like searchlights as he searched out his natural prey, Go back to hell, Harry muttered as Prongs' hoof hammered down onto the snow-encrusted, hard-packed earth. A shimmering wave of energy shot out from the impact of his hoof, ripping into the packed Dementors. The closer ones seemed to fold in on themselves and shimmer before vanishing into nothingness with terrible, horrible howls. The ones further away ran, flitting away as fast as they could before disappearing back to wherever they came from. Prongs pounded his hoof on the ground once more and another ring of light snapped outward tearing at the darkness and the misery, driving even more back.

The day suddenly brightened once more, as the sun seemed to come out though it had never gone behind the clouds. A blanket of warmth settled over the town as the shadows were driven away. Harry staggered slightly and Hermione's hand unthinkingly shot out to catch him. He gave her a tired smile as Ron resheathed his wand and walked over slowly from his post outside of Honeydukes, "Bloody hell, Hermione," Ron muttered tiredly as the last of the foul shadows escaped to the nether regions they came from, "why hasn't your Patronus changed from fifth year, like Tonks' did?"

Hermione rolled her eyes as her husband leaned into her as he muttered something into his mirror, checking up on the rest of the teams, "Honestly, Ronald...can you spell....add a P to otter...." Harry chuckled softly as his arms slipped around her.

"Ron, we'll head back to the castle and talk to McGonagall, make sure the rest of the DA are alright and find us," Harry said, Ron nodded and watched as his two best friends vanished without a sound.

Several minutes later, after Ron had already made sure that the remaining students, composed mainly of the DA and a few other older students were on their way back to the castle on the Orders of the Head Boy and Head Girl, several loud CRACKs of Apparation were heard on the High Street. Ron walked causally out of Honeydukes, with a large bag of candy. "About time Kingsley, we already drove them off," he said idly, as he started to walk back up towards the carriage stop, with Luna feeding herself Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans from a large sack at his side. She tossed one in his mouth, "Damn...Ralph," he griped and spit it back out.

Ok there we go, next chapter, A ball, and a reunion

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28. Dancing With the Devil by the Pale Moonlight

Hey, kids...here we go, another step towards the precipice...Thanks, as usual, to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter.

Chapter 28: Dancing with the Devil by the Pale Moonlight
*********************Grimmauld Place********************************

December 20, 1997
3:00 pm

Harry looked up from another of Dumbledore's journals, this one going over his adventures in the Himalayas almost a hundred years before to watch as Ron and Luna crashed into the door coming of the Library and a small table set next to it and knocked down one of Hermione's carefully ordered piles of books to investigate. He shook his head and returned to the journal, "I'd make sure that I picked those books the way she had them." Harry turned a page and jotted down a note as Hermione appeared next to him, and handed him a mug as she sat back down next to him. She picked up another one of the journals from a stack, and began to read in the strong sunlight coming through the high Library window.

"Pick up my books, Ron," Hermione growled as she leaned against Harry, and started in on the journal that covered Dumbledore's time in the Auror service. She nodded as she glanced over a paragraph describing a particularly dumb dark wizard and his plans to take over the world with an army of Imperius controlled Hippogriffs. She snorted as she read about his downfall, forgetting to bow, once. "I had them in order Ron," Hermione hissed, not looking up from her book as Harry looped the arm he was using to hold his book around her, under arms. Ron rolled his eyes and flicked his wand at the dislocated pile of books. It leapt back onto the table sorting and stacking until it was, almost, as he had found it, "Switch the top two, Ron," Hermione commanded without looking across the room.

Ron did so, his eyes pointed at the heavens, "Happy?"

"Yes."

"I thought you'd be getting ready for the ball, Hermione," Ron said from the door, smiling, "How many hours did it take you for the Yule Ball?"

"....Weasley, I..." Hermione sputtered slightly, she paused and a slow, smile blossomed on her face as she snuggled into Harry's side, "It won't take any time at all, I'm already gorgeous, Harry said so, just this morning."

"He's shagging you, doesn't count," Ron coughed, and Hermione glared at him for an instant before they both chuckled slightly. "Seriously," Ron said, "you did look great; I'll even say that with Luna here." He frowned slightly, "Herms, Harry...I just thought you'd want to know...mum and dad will be there tonight, as it's a Ministry function and he's a bigwig now."

"Thanks, Ron," Harry replied for them both, glancing over to see the small grimace of annoyance crossing Hermione's face. "We don't have to be there until eight or so..."

"No, actually, Harry," Luna put in suddenly, thoughtfully, "you shouldn't arrive until nine or so...give the event time to start, and the guests time to...imbibe." The trio looked at her, dazed, and she shrugged, "Mum, and dad went to such things before she..." Luna frowned slightly and turned away for a moment, when she glanced back the usual, slightly vacant expression that normally decorated her eyes was back. "Of course there is always the possibility that Scrimgeour will try to use this as a means to implant Tibetan Ear Weevils, to control the guests when they leave, they can't be detected like the Imperius, so don't eat any cheese from the buffet," Luna added earnestly. "Because I'd miss you," she added softly.

"Ummm," Harry muttered, "sure." He looked across the room at Ron who was studiously ignoring the byplay, "Where are you two going? Headed directly to the Burrow, or?"

Ron glanced at Luna, she smiled brightly and grabbed onto Ron's arm, "Ronnie's taking me to look for a new familiar in Diagon Alley." She bounced slightly on the balls of her feet as she looked up at Ron adoringly.

"Yeah," Ron said slowly, "I guess we are." Luna nodded again and ran out of the room; Ron shook his head slightly and sat down across from Harry and Hermione. He looked towards the door, and flicked his wand, establishing a Silencing Charm. "Thanks for letting us stay here for the weekend, Harry."

"You didn't even have to ask, mate, you know that," Harry replied with a small smile.

"Just wait until we're asking you to baby-sit in five or so years," Ron retorted with a laugh.

"Are you going to ask her, Ron?" Hermione inquired, as Harry heard a distinct, soft Squee, in his thoughts. Harry rolled his eyes, before looking at his brother in all that really mattered.

"Yeah," Ron responded almost silently after a moment's contemplation. He looked down at his hands as they twisted together in his hands, "It's you two's fault of course..."

"Ron, I..." Hermione objected softly, but Ron shook his head and reached out and patted her knee for a second, before sitting back in the wingback chair he currently occupied.

"No, it's not like that, Hermione," Ron gave her a fleeting grin, "it's just that I see how happy you two are...and I know...well we could all be dead before this is over. And I...you know." The other two in the room nodded, almost automatically. "I'm going to ask her over Christmas, just have to see when the time is right." Harry nodded knowingly as Ron went on, "I still need to get a ring, though...I haven't, I was going to that day in Hogsmeade, but you know how that day went."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, "we remember." His and Hermione's thoughts shot back, two weeks ago to the Dementor attack on Hogsmeade, an attack that had mysteriously never made the papers. The Ministry had immediately clamped down on the news, to "dispel panic," but word had still seeped out, in pubs and bookstores, from students and from little old witches from the mountains.

Harry...why don't we let Ron give Luna the Ravenclaw ring, Hermione put in, she looked up at Harry, she's a Ravenclaw, the ring's protections would work for her...since the Hat thought I should be one too, they probably would me as well, but I already have a ring.

Think he would take it, and don't we still need it to scry for the Staff again when we are ready?

Ron looked between them and rolled his eyes, he had long ago discerned what they were doing, but it was more exasperating than anything, as he waited for them to finish.

We can only ask, and if Luna has the ring, I'm sure she will let us borrow it; the scrying doesn't hurt it. And next time we try, I think we might want more than the two of us anyway. Hermione flicked her wand at the coffee table in front of Ron, and watched as a small, black box appeared, "Ron, we might have a solution for you."

"Blimey, Hermione," Ron muttered, "this is the Ravenclaw ring, I can't take this..."

"Yes, you can, Ron," Harry replied, "Hermione put it in a normal box so you can get it out...but more importantly, Luna's a Ravenclaw, this ring has a bit of magic itself, besides its being one of a kind, kinda like her, mate." He looked across at his friend, "Ron, this isn't charity, in a way, it's her heritage, and it might just save her while it's at it. Alright, mate?"

Ron sat back in his chair, and looked down at the open ring box, the door started to open and his hand shot out and swept the box into a pocket. Luna bounded into the room and grabbed onto Ron's arm as he stood. She threw her arms around his neck and sighed softly as Ron bent down to kiss her. "Ready to go, luv?" she asked breathlessly.

"Yeah," Ron muttered back, in a similar tone as Hermione fought back chuckles, "Hermione, Harry...thanks, guys." Harry gave him a nod as the two of them vanished with a soft CRACK.
***********************London, Bank of the Thames********************
6:15 pm

A light snow was softly falling over the streets of the ancient city as Ginny stood at the window of the Savoy, and looked across the Thames at the lights of the Muggle traffic far below. She watched as the lights from Muggle Christmas decorations, glistened off the half-frozen waters far below this penthouse window. She sighed. "Tell me again...Draco. Tell me why your father has a permanent suite in a Muggle hotel," she commanded softly, as she splayed the fingers of her hand over the window glass.

"This is the thirteenth floor, Ginevra...this doesn't exist for Muggles," Draco replied as he sat up from the bed and looked over at her. "The Malfoys are not the only old family with suites here...The Zabinis have one two suites down, and the Blacks another. Dumbledore used to have one here as well," he shook his head, "Are you going to get ready then...I can still pick up, something, from Knockturn Alley, if you don't want to go...while I might have no issue with your current attire, there are those who will be there whose attitudes are older than his hotel."

Ginny turned from the window and dropped her robe, revealing a bra and knickers set that her mother would not have approved of. Not that that mattered any longer. She crossed the room and sat down cross-legged on the foot of the bed. "Go ahead," Ginny muttered, "find someone else to help you, I dare you." She grinned, darkly, "Chances are any slag you find in Knockturn would be an agent for the Order, or maybe for the Ministry." She looked around at the dark wood of the walls, at the tastefully decorated suite in the old English style and frowned, "Is this how you normally live?"

"A far sight from what you are used to, isn't it, Red?" Draco replied. He reached over and took a sip of an amber colored liquid from a tumbler set on a bedside table. "I could get another, I suppose. They certainly would be more...experienced," he added thoughtfully.

"Fuck you, Draco," Ginny snapped, jumped up and paced back to the window. She watched out the window, off towards the south bank of the Thames where she could see, tiny, brightly colored dots walking along the riverbank. Miniscule figures holding hands, or laughing along with the antics of even smaller figures at their sides meandered with not a care in the world, certainly not of what was going on at this very moment, in the shadows and alleys, and occasionally right in front of their eyes. "Just give me the potion, Draco," she said after a moment. Draco looked at her, nodded and tossed her a phial of a putrid, green liquid.

************************Grimmauld******************************

8:45pm

Harry looked up the stairs, again, and resumed pacing. He didn't bother to restrain himself from running his hands through his hair. He looked up once more, up the stairs towards his bedroom from which he had been forcefully evicted several hours ago. He sighed, pulled his robes straight and rubbed his hands in front of him for a moment.

Harry paused as he caught sight of himself in a hall mirror and sighed, shaking his head at the sight. He glanced down at the deep black, very subtly shimmering dress robes, and pulled them straight, again grimacing slightly at the emerald green shirt that Hermione had picked for him, and glanced down at his black dragonhide boots to make sure that he had not managed to mess up the shine that Dobby had insisted on applying to them over Harry's strenuous objections. He looked down at the tiny replica of the Hogwarts crest pinned to his chest, right below another small badge with an odd heraldic device, with a Phoenix and Eagle in flight over a seated lion, with the cross hilt of a sword peaking up from behind the Lion's head, the ancient coat of arms of Gryffindor.

I look like a bloody Malfoy, Harry groused as he rocked on his heals and started to amuse himself with making several of the chess pieces on the nearby set duel. He watched as the tiny, white queen, took two steps, executed a forward flip over the black king and sliced back and up with her miniscule sword. The king fell to the board in two pieces and Harry flicked his fingers, resetting the board.

He turned at a soft tread on the stairs, and his heart lurched slightly. No, Love, Hermione corrected him as she slowly walked down the stairs; You look like Baron Harry James Potter-Black, Lord Gryffindor, and the one of the richest wizards in Great Britain. Harry looked at her, and she smirked as his jaw worked for an instant.

God, Mione...you look...wow, Harry whispered, and she grinned, with her lip half in her teeth as she stepped off the stairs and into the soft glow of the firelight and candelabra above. Hermione had appeared in a night black, form-fitting dress, the exact same shade as his robes, with the same soft shimmer to the fabric. The dress was held up by two thin straps, and slit up one leg almost to her hip along her right leg, to move in. She crossed the room and stood in front of him, almost shyly as she absently played with one of the tendrils of her hair, which she had allowed to escape the neat twist, that the rest of it was piled in on the top of her head. A pair of low heels brought her eyes almost to the level of his as she stood on her toes to kiss his scar gently and stepped back a couple of inches. Her hands came up to straighten his glasses before she took both of his hands in hers.

Thank you, Harry, Hermione whispered; as he glanced down to see her hands clutching at his almost nervously.

You know, that makes you Lady Gryffindor, and Baroness Potter-Black right? Harry asked, and smiled slightly as she jumped at the thought, almost as if the entire idea were new to her. Though I seriously doubt that there will be anyone remotely comparable to you, no matter what your name is.

I'd be happy with Mrs. Potter, honestly, Hermione said after a minute, after she could form words again, after the sudden rush his last comment had caused. Merlin, I'm wound tight tonight, she punched Harry's shoulder lightly at his salacious grin.

Got your wand, Mione? Harry inquired as he spun her around gently, pulling her back to his chest and wrapping an arm protectively around her waist. She nodded, and they vanished.

**************************The Ministry of Magic**************************

8:55 pm

Deep within the large, mostly subterranean building housing the Wizarding government, there were many rooms. Rooms where judgments were passed, rooms where wizards studied the mysteries of the universe, and many, many rooms where bureaucrats did whatever, bureaucrats do. All of these rooms were unimportant tonight, for tonight; a celebration was going on, one with the express purpose of ignoring what was happening outside of these buried corridors.

A pair of Aurors in dress uniforms stood a on either side of a large, golden door, their hands resting on sheathed wands. They looked up automatically as Harry and Hermione approached and stopped. Harry saw a flicker of recognition from the one on the left as he stepped into a pool of light cast by a torch mounted on the wall. He nodded to the Aurors and glanced around as a tall, rather pale Wizard in a deep blue robe stepped from a hidden cul-de-sac. The man carried a small baton with topped with a glowing blue jewel and wore a heavy, gold pendent with a open and blinking eye on his chest, "Invitation," he snarled, and took the heavy parchment envelope Hermione handed him. He opened it, showed it to the eye and his attitude abruptly changed. "Sir," he said diffidently, with only a bare glance at Hermione. Harry's eyebrow slowly rose, "and ma'am," the major-domo quickly corrected himself, "Wait here, I will announce you."

"That's not--" Harry began, but fell silent as the man vanished back into his cubbyhole.

In the main room, the Ministry of Magic's ballroom, a room used only for events like this, receptions and award ceremonies, the room was about half full. Witches in dresses that some of them might wear once a year, if that, were dancing with a wizards in dress robes and uniforms, the deep, midnight blue of the Auror Corps most notably. A large crowd of male suitors, and a couple of women as well, were standing next to a blonde woman, with her back to the door. Her pale, almost white hair glinted in the light of innumerable candles floating high over the ballroom floor, as she responded to something that a tall, but yet stocky man said with an accented laugh.

The deep blue walls and highly polished, dark wood floors were seemingly odd this far within this warren of stone but also oddly fitting as a tall red-haired man with his long hair pulled back into a neat tail bound by a pair of silver rings pushed his way through the crowd to stand at her side, to accompaniment of muttered growls of displeasure. The crowd groaned softly as the blonde witch turned to the newcomer, stood on her toes and kissed him thoroughly. Her admirers wandered off, as Bill laughed. "You did that on purpose, luv," he accused softly.

"I waz...bored," Fleur admitted as she grinned up at him, her eyes twinkling slightly. She mouthed, "thanks," as Bill handed her a goblet of pumpkin juice that he had retrieved for her, and he took a sip of his own whiskey. "I would, honezteztly, rather be az zome."

"As would I, dear," Bill admitted, "but when Greyfang said that we should go to represent Gringotts--" she nodded and placed her hand on her still-flat stomach for a moment as they both looked around the room. Bill glanced down at his watch and frowned slightly as he noticed Arthur talking to a several darkly robed members of the Wizengamot, looking for support for his new Dark Arts Artifact Usage Act. There was an odd, especially considering the times, resistance to its passage. Molly stood next to him, smiling softly as Arthur presented his case and Bill sighed softly. He looked over to see Scrimgeour looking down at his watch as well, before summoning his aide to his side and muttering something forcefully in his ear.

"If Ron and Luna were right, they should be here any moment," Bill whispered, and Fleur nodded knowingly. There was a subtle tension between them. They looked up just as the doors opened once more, and a blue robed man stepped out onto a slightly raised landing with stairs that led down into the main room.

He took a breath, "HARRY JAMES POTTER, BARON POTTER-BLACK AND MISS HERMIONE JANE GRANGER." The doors opened silently behind him, and the named pair stepped into the room.

All new mutterings erupted as the "Chosen One" stepped into the room accompanied by his "date". Several young women looked at his companion balefully as they eyed the one who had just been named, again, one of Witch Weekly's "most eligible bachelors." A tall redhead in a rather revealing dress and a blonde similarly dressed, started to approach, but stopped at a raised eyebrow from Hermione. She took Harry's arm as they started down the stairs, knowing without looking that they were this moment's objects for stares. Bill glanced over at Molly, who was glaring at Hermione and Harry, turning away from them at Arthur's hand on her shoulder. Bill grabbed Fleur's hand and pulled slightly in the direction of Harry and Hermione, and got a small nod from her in response.

Behind them, Scrimgeour looked at Harry with a small, tight smile. He turned back to the young couple he was talking to, Andrew Gates and his wife Anastasia. Anastasia smiled up at him, and tucked a lock of jet behind her right ear; her eyes flickered as she watched the Minister take a sip of his cocktail, and shared a glance with her husband. "I was not aware that the...'Chosen One' was here this evening," she commented with a small smile. She lazily looked over near the door where Bill and Fleur were nearing Harry and Hermione, her eyes visibly scanned up and down the Hogwarts' Head Girl, "Who is that...girl on his arm," she asked sweetly.

Scrimgeour shrugged and took another sip of his drink, "I suppose that is that Muggle-born that the Prophet caught him with the other day...the Potters are an old family, but they have always had an issue with proper - etiquette."

"Yes, they have," Andrew agreed and squeezed his wife's hand as a slow song began and the hubbub from Harry and Hermione's arrival started to wane. "Come my love, I would like to dance, if you would excuse us, Minister." Scrimgeour nodded and watched as the pair drifted towards the dance floor before leaving, heading vaguely in the direction of the newest arrivals. Andrew pulled his wife much closer than the majority of the older couples on the dance floor, and rested his still, slightly pointed chin on the top of her head, reaching up to brush a lock of dark brown hair out of his eyes before he rested his joined hands on the slope of her bum. "Merlin, Red," he whispered harshly, "can you keep your sodding claws in for one moment? Do you want them to figure out who we are?"

"Sorry," she hissed, glancing up at Draco before looking back over at Harry and Hermione. Her gaze cut to Molly, glaring at Hermione, and she felt her stomach lurch for just an instant, before she looked away with a will. So the little girl isn't welcome any more, she started it, a darkly familiar voice whispered in the back of her thoughts. Not really, I told her I was over him...It doesn't matter, she said she was your sister, remember she said that she was your friend, friends, sisters don't do that to each other...But she's been with him as long as I have known them...So, if she had really cared she should have said something earlier, made him take her to the Yule Ball maybe...But, she... Ginny swallowed heavily, and glanced back up at Draco, "We've done what we need to do right?"

Draco glanced down, frowned, "Yes, but we can't leave yet. It would be...unseemly." He spun her slowly to the music, "Enjoy yourself, Weaselette, it's not every day your family gets invited to these things." Ginny sighed and didn't bother to mention that four members of her family were within easy reach of a raised voice.

"I see that you've found the place," Bill said wryly as he and Fleur appeared at Harry's side.

"Been here before," Harry shot back softly, and Bill nodded. "You know why we are here, any suggestions?"

Bill glanced up at the starry ceiling for a moment, "Yeah, a few, Attikus there," he gestured with his head towards a tall, dark wizard with a almost orange beard and a shaved head in deep purple robes, "he already has had several public quibbles with Rufus over his handling of the war. You already know Marchbanks of course; she has gained surprising amounts of influence since the whole Inquisitor affair. You already have the support of the Goblins, such as it is, they won't fight for the other side, and they won't help the Ministry against you, but..." Bill looked over a Fleur for a moment, "Otherwise, you just being here is a kick in Voldemort's teeth, mingle."

Harry felt Hermione's pulse jump for an instant, "You aren't thinking he would attack here tonight, are you, Bill," she murmured urgently, looking around the room surreptitiously.

"No," he took a breath as a brief flicker of pain crossed his face, and just for an instant, through a trick of the light, his pale scars shown distinctly on his cheek, "no," he continued in a normal tone, "ever since you two held him to a standstill, he's not shown his own face anywhere, and the Ministry is too well defended tonight for him to send in his forces by themselves...probably anyway." He looked up from them, glanced over Harry's shoulder, "Bloody Hell."

"Harry," a cold, familiar voice said from behind them. "Ron didn't tell me that you were going to be here," Molly added, sparing only a soft glower for Hermione. "Have you any word on Ginny?" she added hopefully, though with another unsubtle glare at the brunette.

Harry sighed, and waved Bill back as he started to say something. Jade eyes held Molly's blue ones as Harry reached out and intertwined Hermione's fingers with his own, "No, Molly, we have not. And to be frank, putting aside Hermione's and my shared desire for her to come home," Harry hurriedly looked around and found no one untoward near, "We have other Kneazles to skin as the saying goes. If and when she gets tired of running, we will welcome her home with open arms, but she chose her path, she chose to do what she did, and to be perfectly honest, she is lucky in how easily she got off with the consequences of her actions." Harry gave Arthur a shallow nod as the older man approached and walked away.

Hermione could feel his hand trembling slightly in hers as he took a flute of champagne from a floating tray as it passed, handed it to Hermione and took one for himself. Hermione watched worriedly as Harry took a sip of his drink, You didn't have to do that, Harry, she whispered, and kissed his cheek, but thanks. I'll go work on Marchbanks, you can have Atticus.

But before either of them could move, "Harry, I'm so glad you could make it. I was so happy to extend the invitation for you and your lovely companion, I don't think we have been formally introduced..." Rufus Scrimgeour smiled at Hermione.

"Hermione Granger," Hermione replied and extended her hand, Scrimgeour took it in his, but instead of shaking it, raised it to his lips in the continental fashion.

"Aw, yes...currently Head Girl at Hogwarts I believe," he said, smiling. He let her hand drop and took a step back, "I have heard only good things from Delores about you," he looked to Harry, totally missing the briefest flicker of amusement that Hermione felt cross her eyes. "Harry," he went on, his voice soft, "have you thought any more thought to what we discussed in June? There are advantages to working with the Ministry, Harry, we have resources, respect...Dumbledore is gone, Harry, you showed great wisdom in not trying to search out his killer on some mad quest, but returned to school to finish."

"As you say, Minister," Harry agreed with a nod. "The Ministry does have vast resources, I will admit, however I am sure that you will realize that my dealings with the, shall we say, highest of officials has not always been completely cordial."

"Yes, yes, Harry, I will admit that there have been...difficulties between yourself and the former Minister, but you must concede that the Ministry is really the only hope for stopping He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named now that Albus is gone. I am sure that whatever...misunderstandings that you may have had with the Ministry in the past were just that, misunderstandings, which of course can be rectified..."

Harry's face took on a contemplative expression, "I will consider your words, Minister." Scrimgeour gave Harry a large smile, nodded to Hermione and walked away, heading towards Archibald Devenwand, a large contributor to the Ministry for years. I don't care Hermione, Harry shot over to her, his thoughts full of venom towards the Minster of Magic, what do we need that arsehole for, he insults Dumbledore, you, and he's too damn afraid of a fucking name to say it.

Don't be too hard on him, love, Hermione retorted sarcastically, he probably thought he was giving me a compliment. After all, I'm just a Muggle-born...Merlin knows that's the pinnacle of my life... Hermione glanced towards the dance floor as the small string quartet started up once more from their break. The four instruments were hovering in mid-air over a small stage, where three wizards and a tiny witch were directing them with their wands. Dance with me?

Why not, Harry replied and let her lead him to the large cleared area near the stage, bordered with seven large fir trees, each decorated with thousands of tiny Fairy lights and dusted with magical snow, each softly pulsing in various colors according to the gender and age of the Fairy. Hermione smiled at him, before leaning her head against his chest as she looked around the room, idly, watching the various couples, most of whom were much older than they stumbling through the steps. One ancient couple, though, was executing a perfect waltz, which was odd as this wasn't a waltz. Harry grinned, glanced down to notice that Hermione's earrings, the same as she had worn at Bill's wedding, were catching the light, and deciding that that wasn't enough for the season, muttered a spell to cause them to glow in time with the trees.

Hermione rolled her eyes, At least I won't loose them now... her 'voice' died away as they spun and she caught sight of something in a young woman's eyes where she was dancing with a brown-haired wizard. Both of them were young, seemingly not much older than Harry or Hermione, and dressed, very, very well. Hermione frowned, thinking, Harry? he nodded, Do you know those two over there...they should have been at Hogwarts in the last few years, they seem familiar somehow.

Harry shrugged as he followed her mental pointer, No, in what way?

The girl, she reminds me of someone...not how she looks...just... Hermione paused and watched as the couple kissed, broke apart slowly. The woman looked up and bright blue eyes under straight black locks caught Hermione's and a small smirk erupted on the stranger's lips. She looked up and exchanged a soft word with her companion. He glanced over, touched his fingers to his forehead in a jaunty salute and led the woman off the dance floor. That was odd, Hermione commented absently as she watched them leave, as an odd, half-remembered memory tried to surface, one that if she was correct, she had repressed for some reason or another.

Draco led Ginny to the door, and after stopping to exchange his regrets with the Major-Domo, led Ginny to an alcove near the Apparation spot, "What the hell was that, Red," he hissed, pulling her close, "glaring at Granger, they could have recognized us."

"What about you, O' font of imperturbability," Ginny hissed loudly, drawing the attention of a pair of elderly witches in shawls as they passed by. She glared at them until they looked away, and lowered her voice, "What was that with Harry...taunting him," Draco shrugged and she sighed, "we've done our evil deed for the night right?" Draco frowned, but nodded, "let's leave then." Draco slid his arms around her and they vanished with a soft POP.

Back in the main ballroom, Harry had meandered over to Attikus, and was busy being regaled with the elder wizard's tales of glory during the first Voldemort war. Harry nodded as the man compared him to his father, nodding where appropriate and watching Hermione out of the corner of his eye talking softly to Griselda Marchbanks. Hermione laughed at something the ancient witch said, and Harry smiled slightly, not really paying attention to his conversation, which was reasonably obvious. "Harry...I say, Harry," Attikus said concernedly.

"Oh," Harry said, snapping his attention back to the person he was talking with, one he had been recommended to by Bill, rapidly finding out that the older Wizard had a great deal to say, and ignoring Hermione's soft laughter in his head, Be quiet you, he sent across the room. "Sorry, sir, late night last night," Harry replied sheepishly.

"Oh, for the joys of youth..." Octavias Attikus replied, smiling, he looked over to see Hermione now chatting up a storm with three other bystanders, another elderly Wizard that Harry vaguely remembered from the OWL examinations and a younger couple, with the wizard in an Auror dress uniform with a Lieutenant's insignia. From the byplay in her thoughts, Harry could tell that she was working in her spiel for creatures equal rights while she was at it. "She's a lovely one, lad," he said, looking at Harry, "Touch of fire in her as well, I reckon."

"Yeah," Harry replied unthinkingly, "you could say that."

"She reminds me of your mother," Attikus added, and Harry's attention snapped to him, he nodded, "you didn't think that she only talked to old reprobates like Slughorn, did you lad...no, when she got her teeth into something, Merlin himself wouldn't keep her from it." Attikus sighed, "Listen, Harry, I would like to help, but I can't, not like I could the first time around, and putting aside an old man's foolish tales of glory, I know what it's like out there and will be if you don't win."

The older wizard looked around, and motioned Harry closer, no one could really over hear them over the noise of the orchestra and the chattering of the guests, but still, Harry only approved as he noticed the older wizard easing a wand out of his pocket and flicking it to establish a quick Cone of Silence, "I can not help directly as I said, Harry, I do not control the fighters, and since I retired, I don't have any real influence with the Aurors or MLE...but I do have a bit of...room to persuade certain records to be released to you or a designate. Some of them may give you details, facts and theories on suspected Death Eaters that were never released to the public." He looked darkly at Scrimgeour, "Some of which are in this room as we speak, there were many more who were, and are suspected than were ever brought to trial. It will take time however to get them. I shall get them to whom, Alastor Moody perhaps?" he asked with a small smile and a nod, "There were reasons that I was never a member of Dumbledore's Order lad, that had nothing to do with the goals of the organization, more of a disagreement with his inclusion of certain, members."

Harry found he could not speak for a moment, "Thank you, sir."

"No, Harry...thank you, if the rumors are true, then you will need all the help you can get. And I don't trust the current Minister as far as I could throw him. Cornelius was incompetent and corrupt, but at least he could be worked around...this new one, he is a different kettle of flobberworms," he held out his hand and Harry took it, "Good luck Harry." The wizard left, leaving Harry staring after him.

Harry started as a loud, chiming clock struck midnight. He looked down at his watch, then back up as Hermione approached at his shoulder. Let's go home, Mione.

Alright, let's head to Padfoot's.

Harry smirked slightly, shook his head and led her from the room, passing Bill and Fleur, and stopping long enough to share Christmas wishes with them, as they probably would not be seeing them until after the holidays due to a certain, fire-haired matron glaring at them from over in the corner.

Harry wrapped his arms around her again, stepped into the Apparation spot, No, Love, I meant, let's go home, and vanished.

************************Godric's Hollow*****************************

December 23, 1997
8:00 am.

"Roger," Jane Granger asked as she looked through a large box of belongings that she had just pulled out and was looking through. "Do you know where those decorations that Remus brought by are at?" Roger shrugged as he came in from the kitchen, toting a large mug of coffee that Jane looked at longingly. "You just have to parade that in front of me, don't you?" Roger waggled his eyebrows and laughed.

"I think they're up in the kids' room," he replied, still laughing at his wife's predicament. Jane started up the stairs, and paused half way up, her hand on her slightly swollen belly.

She smirked down at him, "I seem to remember this being at least half your fault, Honey," she replied in a sickly-sweet voice, "and right now, you really don't want to be on my bad side." Roger rolled his eyes as she turned on her heel and continued upstairs. Jane passed her and Roger's room, the guest room, and opened the door quietly. She crossed the room, opened a closet door, and dug around on the bottom of the closet amongst several bags of clothes that Harry and Hermione kept here, just in case, before she found a box labeled "Christmas Decorations," that Remus had been able to retrieve from the ruins of their house. Fortunately the Granger's house while destroyed, had not caught fire even though the center had collapsed. Remus and Tonks had been able to salvage much of their clothes and other personal items, and amazingly enough, this box of decorations had survived the fight unscathed under the stairs.

She pulled it out of the closet, turned...and almost dropped the precious box as her jaw dropped to find Harry and Hermione curled up under the blankets asleep. Or at least she assumed it was them as the only thing she could really discern was two incredibly disheveled mops of hair, one blacker than night, and the other one chestnut, fanned out over one pillow, along with one leg garbed in red flannel with the letters, "dor" visible and a small foot with red-painted nails on the end. She covered her mouth with one hand while wishing for a camera and quietly escaped, but not unnoticed.

Your mother was just in our closet, Harry muttered and snuggled closer to Hermione.

It's alright, Harry, all my naughty knickers are in my dresser.

I was worried about mine, Harry shot back and Hermione giggled, wanna get up?

No, it's Sunday, I think I'll be lazy. You know this bed sleeps rather nicely, Hermione commented contently snuggling back into Harry. Several minutes passed quietly before...Can't go back to sleep.

Yeah, Harry agreed, and threw back the covers annoyedly. He sat on the edge of the bed and watched as Hermione stood and stretched, before kneeling down next to Harry to kiss him, before rocking back on her heels and to her feet in one move. She walked to the door, started to open it, and stopped as she noticed that Harry wasn't moving.

"What's wrong?"

"I feel rather safe here. I think I'll just stay," Harry replied with a rather nervous glance at the door. Hermione crooked an eyebrow, inviting explanation. "Your dad's scary, Mione," Harry explained softly, frowning at her from across the room.

Hermione rolled her eyes, walked back over to the bed and sat down next to him. "Harry, love, Mum and Dad like you," she took a breath, "no, they actually probably love you," she half turned and began to pick through his hair, moving errant locks from side to side, with really no true effect, "You asked them already and they gave your their blessing right?" Harry nodded. "Honestly, what's the matter then, if we tell them that we're already married, baby."

"Your dad will know that, I'm, we're..."

"Shagging like bunnies," Hermione supplied, and Harry nodded fitfully, "Harry, Mum figured that out this summer, I'm sure that Dad knows, they tell each other everything after all." Harry looked suddenly ashen at the thought. Hermione flowed back to her feet, and pulled Harry with her, "Come on, hero, I'll protect you."

Harry dutifully followed Hermione out of the bedroom, down the stairs and into the kitchen. The door had barely opened before Hermione jumped into her father's arms, and then after a few, brief muttered words of greeting stepped over to greet her mother. Hermione froze suddenly as she molded to her mother, stepped back, and a soft gasp escaped her throat. "Merlin, Mum," she said wondrously, "when..."

"About when you graduate, honey...hopefully by then this will all be over and we can be out of your hair," Jane said softly and stepped away from Hermione and held out her arms to Harry, "Well come here," she said with a grin and laughed slightly as Harry gingerly returned her hug, having already received the explanation from Hermione. "Honestly, Harry, I'm not going to break, I made it through working on my feet for nine months carrying your girlfriend. I think I can handle a hug," she laughed.

Hermione took Harry's hand again and stepped back, leading them both to the coffee maker and pouring each of them a mug. Jane's gaze flicked to Roger's and shrugged, they could tell a delaying tactic when they saw it. Hermione took a sip of her coffee, squeezed Harry's hand and set the mug down on the counter. "Well, Mum, you see," she said slowly, "Mum, Dad, I'm not exactly Harry's girlfriend." Jane frowned slightly. "You see..."

"Roger, Jane, we're married," Harry finished for her, nervously. He felt Hermione's fingers start to crush his own, as chocolate eyes gazed into emerald ones worriedly. The owl door to the kitchen flapped open, breaking the silence as Hedwig appeared, and settled in on the table to look up at her humans.

Roger and Jane looked at each other once more, and broke down laughing uproariously, with Hedwig seeming to join in a moment later.

'************************************************************
10:20 am

Remus Lupin had planned the Potters' secret hideaway extremely well, taking into account the exact personalities and talents of the new masters of the house, ones that, in the end, were not terribly different from those of the previous owners after all.

The upper two floors, the ones that showed above ground, were outfitted as much for a Muggle as they were for a Wizard. The bedrooms, three of them, plus a small nursery were clustered around a central hall, with the nursery adjacent to the Master bedroom, where Harry and Hermione had crashed last night, for the first time in their bed, at what they hoped would be their true home. The second and third bedrooms, the third added in the rebuilding that Remus had supervised, were almost as large as the master, each with a large, simple, comfortable bed and solid, English Oak furniture. Not flashy, but functional. The master was the same, with the only difference being that the bed was a smidgen larger, with a comfortable crimson and gold comforter, and that several framed photos, of friends and family, both Wizarding and Muggle, were scattered about the room.

There was a large bay window overlooking the half-court pitch, with a large, padded window seat suitable for two people if they were close, to cuddle up and read or watch the weather. Next to the window, a tall golden perch with branches at various heights stood with small bowls of water and treats floating in the air nearby. Over near the bed, a single red and gold enchanted lava lamp, that Luna had gotten them as a wedding present, moved slowly on the bedside table, casting odd shadows on the head of the bed and the open pages of a book that Hermione or Harry must have abandoned. Roger shook his head as he looked into the room after a quick knock, just in case, and laughed to himself softly. He had absolutely no idea, how someone like his daughter, who was probably borderline obsessive compulsive with her books and studies, was so...untidy when she was at home with everything else.

Harry, I could understand, he mused as he pushed aside a pile of clothes that one of the two had probably dumped out of a bag to find something, He's just lashing out at his upbringing...Hermione told me about that place, how he was the one who kept it perfect, so it makes sense that he'd be messy. But Hermione, I don't know, she didn't used to be this way...maybe it's because they are both so high strung these days. He shrugged again and left the room, for now giving up the search for the photo album that Harry had told him was up there; the one that had pictures of them in school along with Harry's parents, Sirius, and the others; Jane had wanted to see it.

He came down the stairs, walked into the living room, and smiled as he found Jane asleep on the couch, her hands cradled protectively over her belly. For all their teasing of the kids this morning after Harry and Hermione's admission, their night had not been restful either. Roger pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and pulled it to her chin. He bent down, kissed her hair and left silently on cat feet, with knees that were as good as when he was twenty, courtesy of Poppy Pomfrey. The skills and habits of his youth had come back automatically, brought forth by the events of this summer, but even so, when he had been 'working for a living' as an old American friend from those days had called it, he never moved as quietly as his daughter or son-in-law now did. They seemed to move as ghosts, with eyes that took in everything as they came into a room, cataloging it for threats or opportunities, he knew the look; he had worn it once.

He glanced into the large den cum library that Lupin had renovated and looked about. Only Crookshanks was home as Roger glanced around the room; that Lupin had told him was almost unchanged since James and Lily had had it as their study. Roger walked around a large cherry desk to stand, looking down at several framed photographs that were taking up places of honor in the bookshelf behind the desk, which as they were replacing precious space that could be used for books, he knew instantly that they were important to both Harry and Hermione.

The first, a Wizarding photo framed in a carved wooden frame with inlayed lion rosettes on each corner, showed a much younger, Harry, Hermione and Ron. In the photograph, the three of them, maybe eleven or in Hermione's case, twelve, were piled in a large clump on the stairs of Hogwarts. He watched as his tiny daughter leaned on Harry, and reached over and pulled Ron into her side as well. He watched as Hedwig swooped through the shot, to land on Hermione's shoulder, the owl looking absolutely huge on her tiny body.

He glanced at the next picture, one that Hermione had given a copy to her parents this morning, in it, Harry and Hermione were sitting, curled up together on a large rock, his hand was around her waist pulling her in close and once more Hedwig had joined the shot. A single, impossible tentacle was visible sticking up and waving from the placid waters behind them. Hermione had told them that this picture had been taken on the day of their wedding though the photographer had had no idea of its true significance. All in all, Roger found that he rather liked it much better than a normal, posed wedding picture, for it showed one thing truly well, it showed that they were happy, a task that a million poses might not show, but a snapshot let shine through.

Next to that one, a pair of black-framed Wizarding pictures sat; and Roger closed his eyes for a heartbeat as his thoughts reached out to his wife and unborn daughter, another witch like Hermione; as he knew that he and Jane had come close to having their photograph join these two by the slenderest of margins. The first was of two black-haired men, and one auburn-haired, green-eyed woman. She was in a white wedding gown, with her hair piled up on the back of her head, while both men seemed to be in black robes. Her tiny green eyes twinkled as she reached out and playfully swiped at the taller of the two men with her, all the while still resting in the arms of the other, a man with incredibly messy black hair and black, wire-framed glasses decorating laughing hazel eyes. The three of them were laughing in the picture.

The other picture was newer, but of a much older person. Roger had only met Albus Dumbledore in person once, when the old wizard had appeared secretly, to talk to him and Jane to relate what had happened at the Ministry of Magic on a fateful June night. This picture showed him in full cry, standing in front of the student body in the Great Hall, a flaming Goblet was sitting on a pedestal in front of his raised dais, and he was smiling down over it, even at the tiny scale of the photo one could tell his eyes were twinkling.

Roger left the room and paced back into the living room to find Jane still asleep on the couch, she had rolled over and lost the blanket, so he replaced it before turning the lights off and pacing back to the stairs where he opened a door and headed down.

Down the stairs was the real secret of Godric's Hollow. The current, relatively small cottage that occupied the space was a replacement for a much larger manor house that had once stood on these grounds. Below the house was a series of caverns that extended into the limestone and back up the hollow towards a large structure that was not there. Exactly why Lily and James had not retreated into the more defensible lower levels of the house that long-ago Halloween was unknown, perhaps they somehow knew that it would have been pointless, perhaps some other reason, but they had not.

Roger stepped from the stairs into a brightly lit cavern and paused, looking around. In the large space below the house, Remus, or someone, had crammed in almost every thing that one might need to fight a war in the magical world. The large cavern was divided into quadrants, according to specialty. In one, a large Potions lab at least as good as any at Hogwarts was set up with special enclosed hoods to contain the fumes of any reaction along with a large worktable. Racks of labeled ingredients with names like salt, flobberworm extract and powdered Dragon claw filled one wall, with a tall glass cabinet holding acres and acres of pristine glassware. Hanging over the top of the worktable were several caldrons of various sizes including one in bronze and one that he thought might be platinum, which if it were the case, could have bought the Grangers' old house and most of their neighborhood besides, easily.

In another corner, several Muggle exercise machines sat incongruously, centered around a large mat. Near the machines, near a large wooden door that he knew led to a hidden tunnel that slanted upwards and out to come out near a road in the hills, an old, black Harley motorbike rested, ready to ride. Roger walked to it for an instant, and ran his hand over the leather seat before moving on. He passed several doors set in the walls that led to additional sleeping quarters, and stopped as he came to the final area of the cavern. He sighed softly as he watched his daughter, the little girl that had cried in his arms when she skinned her knee take a spinning kick on her crossed arms hard enough to drive her back several paces. Roger leaned against the wall and waited quietly.

Hermione spun left and snapped a jab at Harry, flicking backwards to dodge his return. "Come on, Harrrryyyyy," she chided, "afraid to hit a girl? She bounded once and snapped a kick at his head, which he blocked, and snapped a sweep at his feet, causing him to jump in the air, and to be knocked backwards with a wave of her hand. He landed flat on his back, and looked up at her, blinking, for an instant.

Harry scissor-kicked his way to his feet, rolled his head on his neck and laughed, "So that's how you want it, Mione?"

She waggled her eyebrows in return, "I have to get my frustrations out somehow...and since you married me, you can't get away." She started to circle to her left, and watched as Harry followed suit. Harry MOVED, his movements only a blur to Roger as he continued to watch silently. Harry's leg scythed through the air where Hermione's head had been a millisecond before, she snapped a punch at his stomach, glancing off his side as he danced to the side.

"I'm beginning to think you don't like me," Harry groused as he rubbed his side for an instant before slipping to the side and firing off a combo, high, low and a third kick that hit Hermione in her previously injured thigh. Roger could see the sudden pain in Harry's eyes as it landed, but Harry never stopped, launching another kick to her midsection. Hermione's hand flitted out, caught his ankle and twisted, sending him tumbling.

"Why would you think that, love," Hermione smiled slightly as she flickered into movement, bounding backwards. She snapped her wrist and caught her wand as it fell into her hand. "I love you more than life itself," she bit her lip for an instant, before a smirk replaced her sudden frown, "but I'm afraid that I'm going to have to kick your arse anyway."

"My, Mrs. Potter, such foreplay, from such an...innocent girl" Harry retorted, grinning, Hermione laughed, until her eyes cut right and saw her father leaning against the stone wall. Her face flushed bright pink, and Harry closed his eyes; Your dad is right behind me, isn't he?

That would be correct, Hermione muttered.

"Don't mind me," Roger said with only a hint of fatherly concern at the conversation, "just keep on with what you were doing." The distant sound of dripping water could be heard coming from a ways up an open tunnel that Roger had never explored, as he looked between his daughter and son-in-law. "I won't be in the way."

"Um...dad," Hermione said after she had recovered her voice, forcing down the blush that was still fighting its way to the surface. "It's not exactly safe for you there," she shrugged, "Harry and I tend to destroy things if we really play," She frowned for a moment, "though... Harry, love, Protego Enclosium Translucentium?"

"You're brilliant, Mione," Harry replied with a smile, and turned to Roger, "Don't move," PROTEGO ENCLOSIUM TRANSLUCENTIUM, a bright rainbow-colored wall appeared between Roger and them, the colors cycled through the rainbow, before disappearing entirely to leave a transparent, glass-like wall. Hermione sketched her wand through the air and a comfortable recliner appeared.

Roger laughed and sat down, "You know, Poppet, I need a snack if we are to do this properly." Hermione rolled her eyes, but flicked her wand anyway. A small table appeared next to the recliner with a soft pop, a sweating bottle of butterbeer and a large tub of popcorn was sitting on it. He watched as both of their faces changed subtly, eyes hardening. Roger felt an odd tingling at the back of this throat, and felt the short hairs at the nape of his neck rise.

A rush of power lit two pairs of eyes, Hermione and Harry's wands snapped up at the same instant and twin, searing red bolts shout out from their wands and hit each other head on, a fireball erupted where they intercepted, blinding everyone in the cavern for an instant. Hermione's vision cleared first, Asslantium, a bright white spiral shot towards Harry, he ducked and rolled under it, a silver bolt snapped back, which Hermione reflected off into the ceiling. Behind where Harry had been, the rock was frozen.

Harry rolled to his feet, flicked his wand at the sides of the room and watched as Hermione flipped forward, away from the twin torso-sized rocks that slammed together where she had been, he snapped a stunner at her in mid-air only to have it caught in a shimmering net and shot back at him as her feet touched the ground. She slashed her wand at his feet and green growths shot up from the ground at an incredible rate, only to fall limp as he severed them with a silver beam.

Harry's wand snapped up then back, a large Lion appeared as a loose rock was transfigured. It took two running leaps towards Hermione, she rolled to the side as it landed where she had been, and jabbed her wand at it as it bounced again. The lion shrunk as it flew towards her, landing at her feet as a small cub. It rubbed up against her, purring for a moment before she banished it. Is that all you have?

Not really, Harry retorted, spun and vanished. Hermione grinned and vanished. She reappeared where he had been, just in time to catch a stunner on her hasty Protego. She vanished again, to reappear behind Harry. Her fingers flicked and braided steel cables surrounded Harry, pinning his arms to his side. He rolled his eyes as she stood and blew a kiss at him.

They fell to the ground as he vanished from within them, reappearing next to her, Rictusempra; Hermione erupted in giggles, as Harry paced over to her.

She held her hand to her side as she continued to giggle uproariously, while with the other, she poked her wand in his general direction and sent a quick thought. Harry's shoelaces tied themselves together and he fell forward onto his face. Roger laughed in his observation spot, before Harry sat up and flicked his wand twice, untying his shoes from each other and canceling the spell on Hermione. She moved over and dropped next to him, before canceling the protective barrier.

Hermione leaned against Harry, a light sheen of sweet on her brow as she watched Roger get up from his chair, his drink in hand. She smiled as her father sat down on the ground across from them with nary a complaint. She still remembered when she was younger the problems her father had had with his knees, with some injury he still refused to talk about, but now with Poppy's help he moved like he was closer to twenty then just on the high side of forty. "Is this how you normally fight?" he inquired.

"Honestly, Dad, we were holding back, a lot, until the end, when we were just screwing around," Hermione replied with a small shrug. She frowned at Harry, before responding softly, "It's very...difficult for us to go full out against each other, besides our feelings for each other, we have to keep our link dampened or it's not even a duel, more like a proper game of tic-tac-toe...it's a stalemate."

"Also," Harry picked up the thread, "if we had been going at it like we would have to when I...we face Voldemort," Harry added as she squeezed his hand, "you'd never have seen us, 'cept as brief flickers." Harry's face went slightly blank as his mind went back, to memories of the Ministry and his duels with Voldemort at Little Hangleton and in Romania. "It changes a bit at a place like Hogwarts...though Mione and I can still Apparate there, even though we're not supposed to be able to," he added slightly sheepishly, and glanced down at Hermione, "as Hermione told me at least once a month during my formative years."

Roger looked to them, "What unarmed form were you using there, before you started with the magic, it seemed familiar...and don't Wizards need wands to do magic?"

"Probably because it was familiar, dad," Hermione replied, "we were trained by Aurors, technically, we are qualified as Aurors, even though Scrimgeour doesn't know that, they have the same trainers as you used to, in that." Roger looked at her thoughtfully, "Yes, Dad, I figured it out a long time ago," she confirmed, "I was just letting you not talk about it." She frowned as she pointedly lifted her hand without her wand in it, and floated his now empty bottle back to the table, "As to the other, well, normally that's the case."

"I beat several of them that night by taking their wands," Roger confirmed softly looking to each of them in turn, "but if they could use magic without them..."

"No, Ro...Dad," Harry replied with a small, tight smile as he felt the memories of that night running though Hermione's thoughts. He pulled her closer, kissing the side of her head before continuing, "Most of them can't...in fact, deprived of a wand; the average Wizard is pretty helpless."

"But not you two?"

"We're...less capable," Hermione explained, vaguely. "Actually any wizard, even Merlin himself, uses or used a wand, or in his case a staff rather, because it's easier to do complicated things. Over the years though, it's become so that almost no one can really do controlled wandless magic, except people like Dumbledore."

"You talk about him like he's still alive, Hermione," Roger replied sadly, having been rather impressed with the elder wizard in the few times that they had met him.

"We wish he was, more than you could imagine," Harry replied almost silently. Hermione nodded in agreement, and squeezed his hand tightly.

******************************Soho********************************

6:20 pm

A soft crack cut across the sound of This is the Night by the Weird Sisters playing softly across the Wizarding Wireless, and Tonks looked up, the tip of her wand tracking towards the sound before she dropped it on the kitchen table with a slight shrug. "About bloody time, Wolfie," Tonks growled, annoyedly as she returned to tossing a salad with a pair of large tongs.

"I hope that's not all we're having," Remus grumbled as he took a seat at the table, and summoned a Butterbeer from the icebox. He rolled his eyes as Tonks threw a roll at his head; he fielded it and took a bite.

Tonks muttered something uncomplimentary about dogs and their eating habits and held up a very rare steak on a fork before dropping it on a plate and placing the plate in front of him. All of Tonks' crockware had long since had Unbreakable Charms put on them. "Happy dear?" she asked with a small smile.

"Ecstatic," Lupin replied dryly, and shared a kiss as she passed with her plate. Tonks' smiled at him across the table, and paused, her smile falling as she cut into her meat, which was rather more done than Remus'.

"How bad is it, Remus?" she asked softly, her dark eyes dropping from his to look at the table.

"They took him in about an hour after Harry and Hermione left the party...They've had him in the Intensive Care section ever since."

"Is he going to make it?"

Lupin shrugged slightly, "Who knows, Mad-Eye was able to talk to some old cronies in the protective detail, they've had Scrimgeour on the table twice already since last night. Drained his blood at least once and rebuilt it with Blood Replenishing Potions." His eyes took on an odd look, "The forensic section has already gotten a sample of whatever they dosed him with. Looks like it was in his drink, something in it broke some of the poison down, so he only got a partial dose. The Ministry Potion Masters have never seen anything like it...but we have."

"We have?" Tonks muttered confusedly.

"Harry has anyway, if what he told me about that night Dumbledore died was true," Remus cut his steak violently, looking down at the blood filling his plate, "I don't want to be the one to tell him about this one, he'll take it hard, and he couldn't have done a thing. The experts say that he was dosed a half hour before they even got there."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"No," Lupin shrugged, "I'm going to let him have a Christmas, such as he can...there's not anything they can do anyway."

There ya go, next Chapter(s)...Christmas.

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29. An Introspective Yule

Here we go, Chapter 1 of 2 for Christmas. Thanks as usual to Lady Starlight for her work on this fic.

Chapter 29: An Introspective Yule

****************************Godric's Hollow*********************

December 24, 1997.
2:00 pm

Hermione looked up as Jane entered the study and sat down, looking at her daughter across a low table filled with various books, and stacks of notes. Crookshanks leapt onto the table from his post next to Hermione and walked over to easy reach of Jane, butting his head against her hand until she started to scratch his ears. "Where's Harry, dear," Jane inquired, with a soft, half-smile, "I didn't think that you two were out of touching distance for more time than it took to go to the loo...and I'm not too sure about that," she added in a undertone that Hermione pretended she didn't hear.

Hermione smiled slightly and glanced back down at the notes she was working on, "I think he's wrapping my present, I'm pretending that I believed him when he said he was going flying."

"They always think that they're fooling us," Jane replied, smiling. "Hermione...about Harry-"

Hermione's head snapped up, her bottom lip fluttered for a second, "Mum, you and Dad aren't mad at us are you, I don't want you to be mad, but I love him Mum, and we don't know, if-"

Jane shook her head and reached out to touch her daughter on the hand, "No, honey, we love Harry. Your dad always wanted a son," she shared softly, her eyes twinkling slightly. "He's good for you, we can tell," Jane said softly. "We were always afraid, when you were younger that you'd never really have friends, then you went to Hogwarts-and putting aside the occasional letter detailing your near death," Jane smiled softly, "your dad and I were ecstatic. You had friends and a boy that you were stupid for..."

"Mum," Hermione objected.

"That's not a bad thing, honey," Jane reassured her quickly, "I'd do anything for your father, no matter what it was."

"I'm scared, mummy," Hermione whispered, she swallowed heavily as her eyes looked suddenly haunted. She took a breath, swallowing emotions, I'm fine Harry, just a flashback, she replied to an urgent thought. She closed her eyes as a mental hug caressed her mind, before taking another breath and opening her eyes to find her mother's blue ones looking to hers. "It's not a fairy tale mum, honestly, I always knew it wasn't, I mean, if it were Harry'd challenge Riddle and end it, and everyone would live happily ever after. The Death Eaters wouldn't go after the hero's family and his friends' families. They would stand and fight, meet on some grand plain and not strike from the shadows against children like the bloody, f... cowards they are."

"Is that why you are working, even now on Christmas Eve, Hermione?" Jane muttered looking down at the notes that Hermione had scattered about the table. A large book was open to a page on Canopic Jars, while another, smaller handwritten one was discussing the similarities between certain Tibetan reincarnation beliefs and the usages of Familiar soul binding practices of ancient Romanian Dragon tamers.

"We don't have a choice, mum," Hermione whispered, looking around the dark, paneled study, "we can't hide, not for long. It's been tried before. But I'm not going to let the same thing happen again, not if I can help it."

'*********************************************************************
December 24, 1997.
8:30 pm

Hermione had been scandalized that Harry had never seen Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in all its puppet glory so they had to watch it when it came on. Sitting there, with her family, he could not help but be amazed at the aplomb that Roger and Jane had shown on learning that their little girl was not just engaged to be married but actually was so; despite how accepting Hermione's parents had been the last time that Harry had seen them in person, the night before school had started, and despite Roger's secret blessing. Of course, he thought lightly, it could be Jane's hormones, he added as he caught the outline of his mother-in-law's very slightly distended belly in the light from the fireplace, Christmas tree and television.

Harry James... Hermione reached back and lightly clonked him on the back of the head as her parents looked over and laughed.

Well it could be, Harry defended himself, as he tightened his arms around her and sighed softly as she pushed back against him. Hermione pulled up the bright, and warm, patchwork quilt that covered them as they lay together on the couch and stretched a bit, further tangling her bare feet with his under the covers. Your feet are cold.

Well warm them up, husband, I married you for some reason... Hermione giggled as Harry muttered thoughts having to do with "powerful bloody wizard...saves world every year...warms feet..." She closed her eyes and leaned back as she felt his feet rubbing hers, You keep that up, we'll have to go upstairs and I'll end up like mum...

Would that be so bad? Harry asked seriously, as he caught the flames reflected from the firelight and the white glimmers from the fairy lights on the enchanted tree in her eyes as she leaned her head back to meet his gaze.

No...no, it wouldn't...> Hermione replied with a slightly wondrous feel to her thoughts as she suddenly watched ghosts of tiny replicas of themselves running down the stairs and diving under the tree. She bit her lip as she felt Harry's fingers slip under the hem of her jumper to rest lightly on her belly. I want that too Harry. God I want that soo much. In the dimness of the room, Hermione felt tears try to escape her eyes, as they knew that they, amongst almost everyone else, could not chance that right now. It was neither school nor the fact that their marriage was still a secret known by a bare handful of people, or even their still young ages, not that all of those weren't a factor. Until Voldemort was defeated, any child would have the substantial risk of not having parents when it was all over, and neither of them could stomach that possibility.

You'll have that, Hermione, Harry whispered back as she rolled on her side between his legs and his hand came up to rub her hair, you'll have that...you'll get to curse me in the delivery room and tell me that you'll never let me touch you again, and scream at me for letting our five-year-old play with daddy's broom, and get really mad when I teach them all the tricks to annoy Filch...

Promise? > She asked nervously, knowing full well that he could do no such thing. He nodded, and she gave him a small grin, before settling back down against him.

Jane and Roger shared a glance, as they looked over at the pair. "What are you two talking about?" Hermione shrugged and laughed at something she saw on the telle.

"Stuff, mum," Hermione replied laughing slightly. She glanced back at Harry, "Stuff," she repeated in a whisper.

***********************Ottery St. Catchpole**************************

A bright moon reflected off an almost undisturbed blanket of snow, as a pair of hooded figures walked hand-in-hand down a brightly lit path in the middle of the woods surrounding the house. Ron glanced down at Luna as she looked up at him, her bright eyes framed by a white halo of fur. She looked down at her white-gloved fingers in his black-gloved ones and smiled as she leaned against him, trusting him to hold her up.

They walked together, for a bit longer, until they reached a small clearing. A small brook bubbled slightly through snow-encrusted rocks, the water silver in the moonlight. Ron waved his wand over a large bolder set to one side of the clearing, cleaning it of snow. He sat down, and cast a silent warming charm before Luna sat down with him, more or less on his knee, and leaned back against him as his arms wrapped around her.

"Thank you Luna," Ron said out of the blue several minutes later. She nodded, but did not speak, letting him talk, letting him say what he needed to say. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here tonight." She looked down and played with his fingers where they were clasped together against her, right below her belly button.

"It's just that I don't know what happened...just all of a sudden, I can't hardly ignore it, when Mum goes on her, 'oh I'm sure Ginny would love that tree', or 'this is Ginny's favorite dish' rant and then looks over at me like its my fault her damn daughter listened to her going on about the 'Great Harry Potter' and tried to land him like he was some great prize at a competition and didn't think of what else might come about from it." Ron shook his head and let out a long breath through his nose noisily. "And Mum is being so bloody fucking...petty about it. Almost all the family has already argued with her about it...that's why Bill and Fleur, are 'spending their first Christmas together'. Fleur tried to talk to her about it the other morning, but mum still won't hear the truth, that Ginny was the one who started it. That she was the one that, if it had been anyone else who had done that to Hermione, Harry would have killed them out of hand and not thought a thing about it. I think Fred and George just showed up to eat; they've already left after all. I guess they'll be back in the morning."

Luna raised his joined hands to her lips and kissed his palm silently, still without saying a word. She blinked a couple of times and wormed her way back into his grasp. "I am amazed that she's not tried to blame Percy or Charlie on them, or Hermione specifically. Or maybe she realizes that she better not cross that line, or I'll never come back. You know that there's no presents to them this year...Mum's even already had the bloody jumpers made for months now. That'll probably hurt them more than anything else, not the lack of the presents itself, Merlin knows that either of them, hell I can now, buy whatever they need, but it was always the thought for them that meant a damn thing." Luna nodded knowingly.

"I don't know what we'd done if you weren't with us this year Luna...what I would have done." Ron let one of his hands drop to his pocket before they clasped together again on her stomach. "And I don't really want to find out about what I would do in the future without you with me." Without looking down, Ron produced a silver ring set with a moderately sized square sapphire surrounded by a pair of triangular diamonds, he silently peeled the glove off her left hand, and slipped the ring on her left ring finger. "Marry me?" he asked as Rowena's ring resized itself to fit her.

"Alright, Ronnie." Luna bent her head back until she could meet his eyes with hers, "I will."

*********************Pendle Hill, Lancashire**********************

Neville Longbottom looked slightly stunned as he passed a plate of potatoes to one of four women that he was sharing a meal with on Christmas Eve. Over the years, Neville had developed a reputation for being confused, stunned, confounded or just plain bewildered; even though those days were gone for the most part, tonight it would be expected of most anyone. Yesterday, Neville had shown up in the company of both Patils and Lavender on the doorstep of the Longbottom's Pendle Hill home, a sprawling multiple-winged, multi-storied, old manor home. A large, sprawling garden decorated the manicured grounds to the rear, its design showing off Neville's horticultural talents. To his immense surprise, Gran had just smiled and ushered them in, and directed their House-Elf, Simmy, to prepare rooms for the girls, which the elf had grinned and immediately did. Neither the elf, nor the girls or Neville had mentioned that two of the girls had spent the night in his room. There were things that Gran did not need to know.

Neville had not hidden his relationship with the girls, in fact he had pulled Gran into a private parlor as soon as Simmy was ready to lead the girls up to their rooms, and explained that he was in a relationship with both Parvati and Lavender, and if she did not accept it, then they would leave. Gran had surprised him, the stern, taskmistress with almost Victorian values that had ruled his life since the night that his parents had been driven into insanity, had thrown her arms around him and cried. Which had scared Neville more than anything, truth be told.

Neville's original plan had been to bring Parvati and Lavender with him to the Longbottom home, and to basically confront Gran with the reality. That had changed three days before they were to leave Hogwarts, when Parvati had found him, crying. She was holding her sister's hand, who had looked at him guiltily, as Parvati explained to her boyfriend that their parents had given them an ultimatum to come home or else. They had chosen the "or else", of course. Their parents, whom had both attended Beauxbatons before their jobs had given them reason to move to England, had not understood their daughters desperate pleas to understand that they had to do this, that they had made promises and there were people, loved ones, counting on them. Their argument when the girls had met them in Hogsmeade at their urging, had managed to push past Rosmerta's almost constant stupor these days to get them kicked out of the Three Broomsticks.

Padma gave him a small smile in thanks as she took a serving from the tray and sat the plate in front of her. Neville nodded and turned back to look at Gran Longbottom who was deep in conversation with Parvati about her NEWT studies. Her black eyes caught Neville's for an instant before she smiled at Gran and continued with her explanation of the current Defense curriculum and how much better it was this year under Lupin than it had been at any time since the last time the lycan was teaching at Hogwarts.

Lavender looked across the table and gave him a tiny grin before she leaned over to Padma and continued to eat her dinner, cutting into her turkey and bringing a bite up to her mouth, her eyes twinkling as she slowly took it off her fork as Neville watched every move. Neville started as he felt her foot rub along his leg under the table, and glanced up to see the blonde waggle her eyebrows, before looking back down at her plate. Neville sighed. "Neville, dear."

"Yes, Gran," Neville replied instantly, tearing away his eyes from Lavender. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Parvati trying not to laugh.

"Neville can you see to our guests?" She rose from the table, and Neville and the girls rose automatically as well. "I wish to retire for the evening. I fear that I have over exerted myself. Simmy?" A small, House Elf with bright, blue eyes and a crooked nose appeared at her feet with a soft pop and looked up at her. "Please prepare my bath, Simmy, and my bed, I'm sure Neville can see to the needs of the ladies if you wish to go visiting after you see to me." The elf grinned up at her and vanished. Gran nodded and headed to the back of the house, towards the wing opposite of the one that Neville had his bedroom in, the same one that his parents had occupied when they still lived here...and the one where they had been tortured.

All four of them watched as the door closed behind the elderly witch and a sudden, shocked silence hung in the air like a thick fog. After a good minute Padma looked at the other three, and sighed. "Fine," she watched the other three, fighting not to laugh the whole while, "I'm going to go grab my mirror and see if Seamus is free to talk, he should be bored by now at Dean's." She left with a small smile dancing in dark eyes.

**************************Dover, England****************************

An old, abandoned, Muggle cottage sat on the white chalk cliffs looking out onto the Channel, its faded and peeling paint and cracked and dirty windows testament to its not having been occupied since World War Two. Muggles avoided the house, as persistent rumors of it being haunted by its former occupant, a widowed wife of a British aviator of the Battle of Britain who had jumped from these very cliffs on learning of her lover's death were true after all. A ghostly, spectral spirit did pass through every so often, not speaking and seeming to look for something or someone.

It did so now, and nodded as the small, red-headed woman sitting up in the magically repaired bed, her knees drawn up and a tattered quilt that she had found in the house wrapped around her naked shoulders, waved to her with a half-full flask of Ogden's reserve. The girl ran her fingers through her hair as she looked out the window at the sleet falling over the choppy, grey waters of the channel.

She handed the bottle to a blond, vaguely aristocratic young man, perhaps only a year or so older than she. He took a pull on the bottle and set it on a rickety table next to the bed, where a single candle glowed, providing all the illumination in the room, save a sullenly glowing pile of coals in the corner hearth. "This is stupid, Red," he commented, as he looked around the room, at the scattered clothing, a pair of small packs, and two pairs of boots, sitting together near the door, both with socks already in them. He reached over, and pulled a cigarette from a half crumpled pack on the table and lit one with his wand, before replacing it back under his pillow.

"These can kill you," Ginny commented as she took the smoke from his lips and took a toke, before handing it back. "Not that we are going to live much longer anyway," she shrugged and noticed as Draco's eyes wandered down as the quilt slipped from her shoulders. She pulled it back up, "Is that all you think about?"

"Basically," Draco agreed snidely, she looked down to watch as his free hand slipped over to rest on her upper thigh, and started to massage the skin it found there. She closed her eyes as her breath hitched. "It must be in your blood, Weaselette, how else do you explain your...family?"

"Boredom?" she shrugged and motioned for the bottle. Draco passed it to her, and watched as she took a drink. "What do you want to do then? Stay here and fuck until either the Order or the Death Eaters find and take us?" She stole his cigarette again, and the pungent odor of a Wizarding cigarette filled the room as she blew out a smoke ring. "I might live if the Order finds us, even though I'm a 'traitor' for attacking Granger. Harry'll want your arse though if he ever catches you. You are probably dead. On the other hand," she frowned slightly, thinking of the consequences and not caring much any longer, "If your daddy or his master catch us, you'll probably be tortured and I'll get the same treatment as any other 'blood-traitor witch'."

Draco did not look terribly concerned as he continued to pat her leg, "Actually, Red." Ginny glared at him as he continued to use call her by her hated nickname. "I probably would be rewarded if I took you to the Dark Lord...the Chosen One," he spat, "probably would come after you, you'd be excellent bait in Voldemort's eyes."

"I doubt Harry'd give me the time of day," Ginny growled, "I seriously doubt that he'd come after me, even if brilliant, perfect Hermione would let him." She walked over to the window, not caring that his eyes were on her, not any more, and leaned against the cold glass. "At least not for anything other than to toss me in the Dungeons." Draco gave her an odd look, almost as if he were remembering a half-lost memory and shook his head.

"I'm weary of talking about Potty and his Mudblood, luv," Draco drawled, "come back to bed." He took a drink and flicked the remaining butt of his extinguished cigarette into the far corner of the room.

"Why Draco," Ginny sighed jadedly, as she turned back to him, "are you going to take me home, Introduce me to your family," a sarcastic smile twisted her lips, "make me the next Lady Malfoy?"

"I was just planning on shagging you," Draco snapped heatedly, as he jumped from the bed and stomped over to the window. "Is that what you want," his hand snapped out and grabbed her shoulder, "to be a miserable plaything for the next Malfoy...I can arrange it. Do you want that?" His voice held an odd edge as he pushed her back, pinning her back against the cold glass. "Do you want a Dark Mark right here," his hand fell to her wrist and snapped it back, holding it next to her ear. Be just like my mother...she didn't want it, not really, but after father and her sister took it..." his voice muttered in her ear as he held her back against the glass with his entire body, and she shivered, and not from the cold.

Ginny was absolutely silent as she looked up at him other than the rapid pants of her breathing. Draco snarled something under his breath and her arm drop before kissing her almost savagely. He turned his back on her, paced back over to the bed and dropped on it, the aged mattress squeaking under his weight as he bent down to retrieve a pair of jeans from the ground next to the bed and pulled them on. He slipped on his abandoned jumper and summoned his boots from the corner with a flick of his wand as Ginny watched him, finally after several minutes; she spoke. "Where are you going?" she asked softly.

Draco glanced up at her from the bed and frowned slightly, "I have to go report to Snape, or the Death Eaters really will think I've turned. Not all of us have the luxury of running."

"It's Christmas Eve, Draco."

Draco closed his eyes as he turned from her for a moment, to toss a coat on, "I know, Red," he muttered softly, and gave her a small, melancholy smile, "it is...go home Ginny...please."

"I can't, Draco, not yet. Spinner's End, right?" Ginny muttered softly as she pulled a long sweatshirt from his pack, a dark green one that fell to her knees, with a large silver serpent on the back, and pulled it over her head. He shook his head as he picked up his bag and shrunk it to fit in his pocket.

"Yeah, if you still want to go through with it," Draco agreed, "Snape might be the only thing that can buy our freedoms." He gave her a jaunty wave and vanished with an odd ripping sound. Ginny watched the space where he had been for the span of three heartbeats before she returned to bed and dropped on it, in the spot where Draco had been.

******************************Hogwarts*****************************

11:55 pm

A single set of tracks marked the fresh snow leading down to a small cemetery set near the lake. A stark white tomb shone in the moonlight, with a crust of undisturbed snow on and around it, save for one set of absolutely huge footprints. Minerva paused on her errand as she saw the evidence of Hagrid's visit, frowned and continued on. She stopped as she reached the tomb, and reached into her tartan-trimmed, black robes and pulled a small, brown paper sack with the emblem of Honeydukes on it out, along with a colorful pair of socks, with tiny animated Lions on them. Brushing a patch clean of snow on the top of the shoulder high tomb, she placed the bag in the newly cleared spot, set the socks on top of it, and stepped back.

"I'm sorry Albus," she whispered in a choked, tearful burr. The elderly witch looked pale in the silver light reflecting off the snow, several trees, barren of leaves sat around the tomb, like sentinels, defending the resting spot of one of their own. "I tried," she continued, "but it's hard, my old friend. I wish you had told me last year, had told me what was happening instead of going off on your fool quest with just Harry and yourself...I wish you would have told me. I wish I wasn't so blind to what was going on in my own house...One of my own, our own caused your death, more than anything. They're like my own grandchildren Albus-the ones I never got to have, you know why."

McGonagall sighed and looked down at her hands, "I shouldn't have reopened the school, Albus, no matter what your portrait, or that letter you left said...They've already attacked Hogsmeade, and someone got to Scrimgeour at his party, last night. He's in St. Mungo's, now, but they think they got him there in time, they had to regenerate almost all of his organs and flush his blood, twice so far, but it seems that whatever he was drinking partially counteracted the effects. I haven't told Harry or his retinue yet, but Slughorn was called in on it, it was the same as...you stupidly drunk."

She paused, looking out over the lake, where parts of it, were starting to freeze. Shivering slightly, she cast a Heating Charm and nodded as she warmed a bit. "You'd be proud of Harry, Albus, he and all of them. Harry and Hermione have already faced Tom, and fought him to a standstill. All of the kids, even the bloody Hufflepuffs are acting like heroes," her voice broke, "and so many of them aren't going to make it. Harry will be a great wizard Albus, someday, maybe even another Godric or Merlin, but he's still so young. And Hermione, she's the only one who can stand with him, but I'm so afraid that it's not going to be enough. He's coming, Albus, he's fought Harry directly now, for the first time since the Tri-Wizard without you there, and he knows that he can't wait. He still doesn't know what they are up to, but it's only a matter of time. And I don't know if they can find them before he attacks."

She stopped and watched as several of the school owls winged by in formation, as if they were saluting the fallen Headmaster. A wolf howled in the night, but she only frowned slightly, before her voice came again, "I wish you were here, Albus, that damn portrait is a pale imitation. We'll try to hold them when the time comes, we'll try to give Harry the time he needs, but I don't know if we can." McGonagall looked back up at the scant lights of the castle, the one in her office far up on the side of the Headmaster's tower, a couple of lights on in Gryffindor tower, and one window lit in Ravenclaw. "Happy Christmas, Albus," she said softly, and headed back towards the castle, retracing her steps in the snow.

Behind her, unnoticed by any save the wind, a flicker of fire appeared and vanished on the top of the tomb, leaving behind in the place of the bag of lemon drops and the pair of socks, a single, long golden feather, which blew away in the wind.

*******************************Godric's Hollow***************************

"Harry," Hermione said, turning over in bed and sitting up. She reached back, and tugged on her loose ponytail for a moment, before getting up and walking across the room to her dresser. She shivered a bit as her bare feet touched the hardwood; "Remus gave me something to give to you for Christmas." She looked back to see Harry holding a book on his lap, and grinned slightly, as he did not quite seem to be paying attention to her words as she bent down to get something out of the bottom drawer. "Honey...it says 'Gryffindor' on the seat of my sweats, just in case you need your prescription checked."

"Funny, Mione," Harry replied grinning, then gave her an exaggerated sad look, Hermione laughed as she ran over and jumped back on the bed, kissing him before she held out her hands. A small, glowing bottle and a tiny pensive sat in her hands. She set it down on the covers next to Harry, and flicked her fingers, watching the engraved bowl expand as they watched. "What," Harry asked as she held up the tiny bottle that most assuredly held a memory, "is that?"

"Remus said that you should see this..." Hermione held her lip in her bottom teeth for a moment, "I thought that you'd like to see it, privately, it's a real memory of your mum and dad...how they really were in school, not what Snape, remembered," she started to get up off the bed, and handed him the stoppered bottle. She stopped as his arm reached out and pulled her back down to the bed. Harry flipped the book in his lap off into an armchair near the fireplace and pulled Hermione down to sit between his legs, with her back to his chest.

"No, Hermione," Harry said, as he kissed her neck and placed the pensive in her lap, "come with me." He handed her the bottle back and smiled at her as she leaned back to give him a quick peck. Hermione unstoppered the bottle and poured the contents in to the bowl, watching as the thick, silver fluid swirled around with a life of its own. She let the empty bottle drop to the comforter, and intertwined the fingers of her left hand with Harry's where they rested together on her belly and slowly reached towards the shimmering surface of the memory. Her finger touched the surface, breaking it slightly...

A rapid rush of color and sound enveloped them as they felt themselves being pulled forward, faster and faster until they vanished into the memory, leaving behind an empty room, save for a old, ornate bowl carved with runes and filled with a shimmering, blue light.

Harry looked around as he and Hermione felt themselves standing together in familiar surroundings. The Great Hall of twenty years ago was decorated for Christmas, with enchanted snow falling from the ceiling, piles of presents were stacked in the corners, and the traditional twelve trees were resplendent with garland and twinkling Fairy lights. A somewhat younger Hagrid was staggering past looking a bit worse for wear in the company of an excited, almost chattering Professor Flitwick. Both of them looked as if they had been hitting the Christmas mead already. Harry took Hermione's hand and they followed, and as Harry heard Flitwick's greeting, he thought his heart stopped for an instant.

"Evans, Potter," Flitwick laughed, "I know you two have a suite of your own," the diminutive Professor looked around and added softly, "Minerva is around here somewhere."

"Oh, that won't be an issue, Professor," an amused baritone replied from just around the corner, "I'll just apply the old Potter charm, and she'll be putty in my hands."

"Like you did to me?" another, softer voice replied with an undertone of laughter. Harry came around the corner, and stopped as he found Lily and James, curled together in one of the small alcoves that Hogwarts had an inordinate number of. He felt Hermione's fingers tighten on his as he looked on the 'live' images of his parents at the age he and Hermione were now. From the jeans and jumpers the two had on, mostly, they were definitely during the holiday break or a weekend, though both had on their heads badges. Harry stopped for a moment to look them over, as every picture he had seen of them was after they had left school, save Snape's memory of course.

Lily's hair was long, but not quite as long as Ginny's, or even Hermione's when it was wet, and not quite as bright a fiery red, with just a hint of curl starting to work its way in. Her emerald eyes, Harry's own, were grinning up at James, as he wrapped his arms around her more firmly, and propped his head on top of hers. James' hair was Harry's of course, just as wild, if not more so, but the eyes behind the black frames were hazel. A tiny glint of metals and stones hanging around Lily's neck caught Harry's eye, and he led Hermione closer, to look.

Harry glanced back at Hermione; then down at her left hand, as they both recognized the same ring that had adorned Hermione's finger since September. Lily reached up and tucked the ring on a gold chain back under her jumper. "I wish you'd just wear it, Lils, I know that you don't want to cause any rumors," James muttered softly, "but it makes me afraid that you..."

Lily rolled her eyes, and pushed James back into the alcove throwing her arms around his neck and snogging him until they pulled back, with James blinking stupidly and looking around the area as if he had forgotten his name, let alone his earlier concern. Hermione giggled, as Harry let loose a small shudder at watching his parents make out. He was beginning to wonder if this were Remus' dream at all when, Remus appeared from out of nowhere, or rather from behind another suit of armor with a small, brunette witch looking at him, dazedly. "Bye, Remus," she said dreamily, and walked off, waving. Lily giggled slightly as Remus looked back and them and shrugged.

"Come on out Padfoot, he's gone," James yelled, and all three of them laughed as a petite blonde, with startling violet eyes staggered out of another alcove, fixing her skirt and blouse as she went. "Bye, Cordy," James muttered, and smirked as Sirius appeared, looking totally unflappable. Sirius bent down and gave the girl a long, deep kiss, as if showing off for the others before she staggered away, looking dazed. Lily rolled her eyes and crossed to the pair, leaving James standing leaning up against a gold suit of armor.

Lily reached up, grabbed both Remus and Sirius by the ears and tugged them towards the Great Hall, "Come on you two, I'm hungry, and I still want to get in some studying tonight," she grunted as she pulled against the resistance of both men, who towered over her by at least a head, "Sirius, you can...see her later."

"But LIIILLLY," Sirius grunted, "you can study anytime," he glanced at James, who was whistling and pretending not to pay attention, "ohh, I get it...studying, back at your private table, all the way back in the stacks, just you and Prongs, eh?"

My table? Hermione asked, in a mixture of emotions. Harry shrugged, and pulled them back out of the way as his mother took a step backwards, and BANG, a huge, shaggy black dog stood where Sirius had been.

"Infestious," Lily incanted, and James and Remus laughed as Padfoot sat back on his haunches and scratched his side furiously, all the while letting out soft whines. Lily let him scratch for a moment longer, before flicking her wand again, vanishing the fleas, and scratching Sirius behind the ears, "you know I love you Padfoot," she whispered in his ear. A huge dog grin erupted in his face as he jumped up, placed both paws on her shoulders and licked her face, "EWW," Lily cried, "Sirius slobber."

The dog's great head looked back and forth, verifying they were alone, and SHIFTED, standing and flowing back into the tall, handsome form of Sirius. "Ya know you love me Lily," Sirius proclaimed, as he bounded forward and placed his arm around Lily. She grabbed his hand and twisted, spinning out from under and pinning his arm back for an instant, before she crossed back to James and leaned back against him, unconsciously snuggling back in his arms as she glared at Sirius.

"I...suppose," she agreed after a moment, she bounced her wand against the palm of her other hand for a minute, "if I didn't, you'd probably be a tad less popular with the members of my gender," she jabbed her wand at him, causing him to flinch and her to giggle before she vanished it up the sleeve of her jumper. He just rolled his eyes as she turned on her heel and led them into the Great Hall. The four of them crossed into the Great Hall, and stopped, looking around as the normal four large house tables and the Head table had been reduced to one smaller one set for around twenty. The four of them entered and sat, with Sirius and Lupin digging in immediately, and James right after.

"Shame Peter couldn't stay with us this Christmas," Lupin proclaimed after a moment, he looked around at the almost empty hall, with only a couple of other students still here, "Think of what we could get into, I hear Slughorn got in a new batch of Doxie Venom, we could..."

James' eyes lit as he leaned forward, "We could rig little droppers over all of the seventh year Slytherins' beds..."

"No," Lily said flatly.

"But, Lilllyyyy", three voices whined as one.

"No," she replied and holding up a breadstick as if it were a wand, pointed at each of them in turn, starting with Sirius, and ending with James, "we are going to have a nice, peaceful Christmas, no worrying about what the...group, is up to--" she paused and looked around to see if anyone had heard her, "no pranking...well maybe a little," she allowed and all three boys grinned, "but only with what you already have. Slughorn already thinks I nicked the Boomslang skin last month."

"Yes, dear," all three of them replied exasperatedly.

She rolled her eyes, and took a drink of her pumpkin juice, before jabbing her thumb over her shoulder at James, "He gets to call me dear, you two," waving at Sirius and Lupin, "can call me Miss Evans."

"Yes, Mrs. Potter," Padfoot and Moony said as one, and ducked as several rolls lifted from the table and shot past their heads. Sirius got up quickly and retreated from the hall at a run, as four large turkeys rose from their plates and began to march at him. The turkeys followed at a trot.

Lily smiled slightly as she slipped her wand back in her sleeve, and raised an eyebrow at Lupin, he held his hands up at chest level in surrender; she nodded and turned to James. "Why'd you do that?" James muttered as she slipped her arms around his neck, and looked up at him.

"Because," she shrugged as she leaned in, and muttered against his ear, "Sirius is distracting when I do this, and Merlin knows, that distraction is bad," her eyes slipped closed as she tilted her head slightly brushed her lips across his.

"What about Remus?" James asked, whispering against her lips.

"He's smarter than Padfoot, he knows better," Lily replied grinning, and groaned as James returned the smile and dropped his lips to hers.

A whirl of color and sound swirled though the memory, and Harry and Hermione felt themselves behind pulled backwards to land back on their bed in Godric's Hollow. The pensive rocked for several instants info Hermione's lap before she held the bottle up above the glowing liquid, and watched as it flowed back into the bottle, and stoppered itself. Hermione carefully set the bottle and pensive down on the floor next to their bed before she half-turned to tuck her head into Harry's chest and closed her eyes as he leaned back against the headboard. Neither of them said a word as she felt his fingers start to run through her hair.

There we go, Next Chapter more Christmas, more Ron and Luna, he he...and Hermione's parents learn a bit more of the consequences that Harry pays for his destiny.

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30. Yule 2

Once more, thanks to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter.

Chapter 30: Yule 2
*****************************Godric's Hollow*****************************

December 25, 1997
3:17 am

"No..." Harry muttered and rolled over in his sleep. Hermione raised her head slightly from where it had been displaced off his shoulder, pushing hair out of her eyes as she looked at him sleepily. She bit her lip slightly as she watched him shaking, moaning, "No....leave her alone..." Small objects around the room started to vibrate, and shake, as her breathing sped up. A pile of books toppled from a nearby table and Crookshanks let out a startled "merow," and leapt from the bed to run to safety through the magical cat door in the bottom of the bedroom door that appeared and disappeared as he approached and passed through it.

Hermione fought down a spike of fear that shot through her core as Harry muttered, "Take me...you want me, leave her alone..." She groaned as she fought down the wave of despair that slammed though their link before it was cut off as Harry's subconscious fought himself to protect her. "FUCK YOU, TOM..." Harry screamed suddenly as he jerked, almost all the way off the bed. "No...Mione..." Harry sobbed and Hermione felt her stomach fall. Brown eyes flared, glowing emerald to light the walls of the dim room as she took a breath and ripped past the barriers that he had erected to protect her. The small little girl deep inside, who still believed in shining knights on a horse, swooned slightly at the thought of what he was willing to go through alone for her, but that flicker of emotion was dampened by her need to protect him herself...even when it was from himself.

Hermione...blinked and found herself in the midst of charred, smoking ruins. A quick glance to her right and left, finding the shattered remains of the courtyard fountain and the fallen debris of Gryffindor Tower, told her immediately where she was. She had seen this same place in hers/their dreams before. She looked down at herself to see that she was still in the clothes she had thrown on to sleep in, since her parents were down the hall, a long-sleeved t-shirt and red Gryffindor sleep pants, and with a thought she was in combat blacks. She nodded to herself as she felt the comforting weight of her twin daggers at the small of her back, and brushed her hand over the hilt of her wand where it was strapped to her thigh.

She passed down torn and rent halls, past classmates lying bloody and lifeless, or more horribly somehow, looking untouched except for the vacant, dead expressions in unseeing eyes. She almost cried as she paused at the door to the Great Hall, what was left of it anyway, as one of the doors was lying on the ground with the other hanging by only one hinge, and found Ron and Luna on the ground together, with Luna curled up on top of him as if she had tried to save him. The stones under her best friends were dark and stained with his blood and she didn't even try to stop the tears as she knelt down and closed their eyes with gentle fingers.

With a breath, she flung out her hand and watched as the last door blew inward into the Great Hall to land with a thunderous, thump. She walked into the long, high-ceiling room, that was so filled with memories, good and bad, and looked up to see the four house tables gone along with the Head table. In their place, and replacing Dumbledore's golden chair, which McGonagall had kept intact, a twisted back throne sat, like a cruel mockery of former greatness.

But nothing compared to what was on that throne, instead of the great, human, but still great Albus Dumbledore, a dark, hated presence filled the throne. Tom Riddle had come home to Hogwarts, his twisted, serpentine features sneering down on a shivering, broken form sitting on the cold flagstones of the hall at his feet. Hermione repressed a slight shudder as she moved between rows of Death Eaters, standing proudly around the throne. Her breath caught in her throat as she passed the twisted visage of Antonin Dolohov, dead these six months past, and stepped around Lucius and his bride. They were leaning together, talking to a sneering Severus Snape, pointing and laughing at the presence at Voldemort's feet.

Hermione felt her lip in her teeth in this shared, horrid dream as she saw Harry, kneeling, broken with her dead body in his arms. For a moment, she almost thought that she really was dead, in this nightmare of Harry's. Harry looked up at Voldemort as the Dark Lord looked down from his throne, pausing in his absent fondling of his...companion, "She's dead Harry...just like you will be soon. You have failed, Harry, just like Albus...just like your dear Godfather...just like your poor parents."

"SILENCIO," Hermione roared, a hissing vermilion fan shot from an ivy-wood wand, and the dream Voldemort tumbled backwards out of his chair. Hissing green bolts shot through her, without effect, as she walked to Harry and crouched down next to him, talking his face in her hands, and forcing it to hers. "This is a dream, Harry, wake up, Love, come back to me..."

"No," a choked, broken eleven-year-old voice whispered back, "you're dead." Harry tried to pull from her grasp, to look down at her double's body, lying in his arms. Hermione closed her eyes, and flicked her wand, vanishing the body, and forcing his eyes back to hers.

"I'm here, baby," Hermione pleaded softly as a softly glowing gold bubble slowly formed around them, deflecting the curses of the Death Eaters here in this malicious travesty of Hogwarts. Harry shook his head, trying not to look at her, afraid to believe.

"She's dead, Potter..." the high-pitched hiss came again, along with the dark laughter of the surrounding Eaters.

Hermione growled, twined her fingers in Harry's hair and crushed her lips to his. She watched, open-eyed as dead emerald eyes snapped fully open; then came alive again. She let out a soft groan as she felt his tongue against hers, returning the kiss, her eyes slipped closed as ethereal notes began to ring out in the hall. A giant phoenix, red and gold feathers as bright as the very sun appeared in the rafters of the hall, and spread its wings. One, by one, then in twos, and threes and dozens, Death Eaters burst into flames, silently crumpling into piles of ash until only Riddle remained. They broke the kiss and looked together to the front as Voldemort looked up at the flaming Phoenix in dawning horror; the huge, golden beak opened and a ray of light, like that of the sun breaking through a line of clouds enveloped the Dark Lord. His lipless mouth opened in a silent scream as a pillar of emerald fire consumed him, leaving only a pile of ash after a moment, which a sudden gush scattered.

"Mione..." Harry choked, tears in his eyes.

"Wake up baby, I'm here..." a swirling rush of color and sound, like a Portkey trip gone bad ripped past her senses, slamming her consciousness back into her body with a jolt. She opened her eyes, her real ones, and took a shuddering breath forcing magic down, back into her core as her eyes faded back to chocolate. She crawled up the bed, where she found Harry sitting up against the headboard with his knees drawn up slightly and shaking. She forced his legs flat as she crawled into his lap and slipped her arms behind his neck as she tangled her fingers in his hair. His neck bent slightly as she forced his head down enough to kiss his forehead, his scar, before she met his lips to taste salt and the copper taste of his blood where he had bit his lip sometime during the nightmare.

"Thanks, Mione..." Harry whispered hoarsely as his arms tightened around her. They began to rock slightly as he dropped his head to her shoulder. He sighed softly as he muttered into the crook of her neck, "I don't know why you put up with me."

"Because you'll do the same for me tomorrow," she replied, nuzzling his right ear. After a minute, as if it were being pulled from him he nodded, and grunted something she took as an affirmation. Hermione pulled back slightly, kissed him again and slipped from his lap to the floor. He looked up at her with a vague, forlorn look before she leaned back down and kissed him hard enough to push him back against the headboard. "Stay here, I'll go get us some hot chocolate, I know you won't sleep."

"I can get it, Hermione," Harry said, softly.

"I know you can, baby, but I want to alright?" she smiled and with a final kiss to his forehead, she slipped from the bedroom and paused for moment on the landing, looking down at the softly glowing lights of the tree in the living room below. Her knuckles whitened as she took a breath, collecting herself before she ghosted down the stairs, took a right and pushed the kitchen door open.

She took a breath as both of her parents were sitting at the butcher-block table sipping coffee. She bit her lip as she turned from them and flicked her wand at the stove. A small flame lit and a copper pan drifted down from the rack to rest on the heat. Another flick and an odd slashing motion later, milk floated out from the icebox, to pour itself into the pan, and an instant later a chunk broke itself off a block of Honeydukes' best chocolate, and dropped into the heating milk. "I guess you heard," Hermione commented to the silence. She reached up and pulled out the rubber band holding her hair into a ponytail, regathering it, and putting it back up.

"Is it always that bad, honey?" Jane said, as her hand reached across the table to hold her husband's left hand. Her thumb ran over his ring finger as Hermione's shoulders slumped slightly. Hermione shrugged vaguely and summoned a pair of mugs from the cabinets. She snapped her fingers, conjuring a cinnamon stick in each before pouring in the hot liquid. She waved her wand over the mugs, placing a Heating Charm and an anti-Spill Charm on each.

Hermione turned around after turning off the stove and sending the pot to scrub itself in the sink, "Sometimes...they've gotten worse after Dumbledore died. They were really bad after Cedric, and he tried to keep it away from me last year when we were...whatever, but yeah. Just be glad that that wasn't one of Tom's little gifts." Her eyes were slightly haunted as she looked down, "Those were-worse. Thank Merlin, he doesn't dare try that shyte any more." Hermione looked down at her hands, "I'm sorry you guys were woken by that. We have a permanent Silencing Charm up on our bedroom at Hogwarts, forgot we needed one here."

Jane glanced over at Roger, he nodded slightly, "What about yours, Hermione Jane?" he asked quietly.

Jane's hand clenched on Roger's as Hermione looked off into the distance. She paused as Crookshanks sauntered into the room and looked up at her as if checking to see if she was going to start gibbering, seeing she wasn't he rubbed against her legs and walked to his dish before giving her a meaningful look. She waved her wand at the refrigerator, causing the milk to fly out once more and poured a small amount in his dish, before replacing it in the same manner. "I have my good days and bad ones, just like Harry," she whispered. "Neither of us are insane, mother," she added after a minute, slightly defensively, "mostly anyway...I had thought I had gotten though it after Sirius died...he was almost Harry's dad in all that mattered there for a little while, but when Dumbledore...and it was my fault, I failed Harry," she whispered, "I, ahh...I'm going back to bed." She picked up both mugs and rapidly vanished from the room.

************************The Burrow*****************************

7:20 am

A crookedly hung door opened with a soft squeak, and a slight figure in a white cloak eased into the room and eased the door closed. She crept closer to the single, slightly cockeyed bed sitting in the middle of the room, and leaned over the unconscious form there. A bright orange comforter covered all but a shock of red hair, and matched innumerable posters all holding various renditions of a orange intertwined double 'C' logo, generally with a cannon ball endlessly flying out of it. Several broomsticks and riders flew over the bed in formation from one poster to another as the visitor lowered her white hood.

Silvery-grey eyes danced as she slowly peeled off a pair of white gloves and tossed them in a corner. A blue stone on her left hand caught the light from a single candle burning in a dish on the windowsill as she reached forward and slowly peeled the comforter back enough to reveal a freckled face. She lightly bent over, ghosting a kiss on his forehead. Ron groaned and rolled over in his sleep, "Luna," he muttered and she giggled behind her quickly raised hands. Ron opened and closed his mouth several times, and she giggled again.

Those grey eyes brightened, almost glowing she continued to peel the comforter down the bed, revealing Ron's sleeping attire of purple and gold boxers with tiny gold hoops that were defended by a single Keeper flying constantly from hoop to hoop and a t-shirt with a tawny lion munching contently on a snake held between its paws. "Wake up, Ronald," she breathed into his ear, smiling as he brushed at the warm air on his ear. A small pink tongue stuck out of the corner of her mouth as she glanced downward and raised a shapely, pale eyebrow. "Ronnnalllddd," she purred, rubbing her cheek against his. "You need to shave honey, Sleepnirs could be nesting." Ron did not move other than smiling a bit and shrugging back into his pillow slightly.

Luna rolled her tongue around in her cheek, and stood tapping her foot. She reached down and kicked off her fur-lined boots leaving her in bare feet on the cold wooden floor of the Burrow. She looked back at door to the room, and frowned slightly. If Molly doesn't like it...too bad, he's mine...I need to put in a cat door for Greymalkin...I wonder if Ron can do carpentry... Luna shook herself slightly as her eyes focused, looking down at Ron.

Her fingers flicked near her throat, and with a slight shrug, her white cloak fell to the floor. She shivered in the cool room as she stood over the bed, clad in only a tiny pair of pale blue knickers tied on each side and a matching half-cup bra. Taking care not to disturb the bed, not that it seemed to matter really, Luna slid over him, straddling his legs and sliding forward to lie fully on top of him.

She began to nip at his neck, nuzzling his ears and giggling slightly as Ron grinned and shifted under her, still sleeping. Luna sighed and rolled her eyes. Drastic measures...

Luna slipped back, until she was crouched across his calves and bent forward. She wore a look of utter concentration as she slowly pulled down the Keeper boxers, carefully pulling them over the large obstruction in the way. She kept her eyes on Ron's face as she bent forward, and took him into her mouth. She started to bob up and down, pausing to run her teeth and tongue lightly up and down.

Ron stirred slightly as Luna redoubled her efforts. She let him slip from her mouth, licking the tip as Ron moaned softly, then took him back in, sucking in slightly on each up stroke, until, with a huge, shuddering groan, Ron arched up off the bed.

His eyes flew open as he dropped back to his pillow, panting. His eyes slowly panned down. Luna waved as she sat up, licking her lips before sliding up to perch on his stomach. She bent down and kissed him, shuddering as she kissed him thoroughly. "Good morning, honey," Luna whispered next to his ear.

"Bloody hell," Ron said in a voice full of awe. He looked down at her, and gulped slightly as he took her in. "You're gorgeous, luv," he whispered, and Luna beamed.

"Ronnie," she muttered, "you might want to cast a few charms." She bit her lip slightly and motioned towards the door with her head as she sat up and began to peel his shirt from him. "And I'd use something a touch stronger than Colloportus, though..." she shrugged, "I guess Molly'll find out eventually." Ron looked suddenly panicked, though she noticed idly that his...attention seemed unwavering. Luna smiled at him shyly, as her heart thumped in her chest, "I love you too; Ronald...try Securita...I doubt your mum can break it," her eyes brightened as she rubbed against his stomach slightly, "and don't forget..."

Ron nodded quickly and took his wand as she dropped it in his hand with a huge grin on her face. "Securita," Ron whispered, slowly as Luna wiggled slightly, smirking. "S..Silencio," the walls flashed white, "Inconceivious." A warm flush filled Luna's belly for an instant. She closed her eyes as Ron reached down to rub against her knickers with the palm of his hand. She muttered something unrecognizable, as he pushed aside her knickers, to slowly side a pair of fingers inside her. She shuddered and nipped at his shoulder, as he began to slowly, teasingly, move them in and out.

"Now...would be good," Luna commented almost conversationally, reaching down to either side and pulling the strings. She rose on her legs slightly and tossed the scrap of fabric somewhere in the room. Her eyes held his as she placed both hands flat on his belly and slowly lowered herself. Ron groaned, as Luna leaned forward, kissing his nose, then lips before she started to rock on his lap.

"Ohhh....ugggh..." Ron moaned feelingly.

"Roonnniieeee...." Luna grunted, "f..faster." She began to push off, bouncing harder, as Ron began to meet her thrust for thrust. Her lip trembled as Ron slid his hands down until the palms rested on her hipbones, with his thumbs rubbing in time to their shared rhythm where they met.

"I'm..." Ron panted, as he felt his heart try to start to beat right out of his chest.

"What?" Luna gasped, leaning forward until her loose hair covered them both. A soft purr grew louder as she felt her stomach muscles begin to twitch...Her eyes slipped closed, narrowing to silvers, not seeing that Ron's were dropping as well.

"Come on, baby," Ron managed, as he felt himself begin to tingle, then in a sudden rush he felt her clench around him, pulling him along with her. "Oh...fuck..." His hips came up off the bed, taking them both with him, as Luna collapsed on him, quivering. She panted, trying to catch her breath as rested her head in the crook of his shoulder before stretching enough to share a slow kiss. She snuggled down, tucking her head under his head, not moving from where they had finished. Ron moved enough to kiss the top of her head, his breathing more or less back under control, "What brought this on, Luna, luv?"

"Did you like my-outfit?" Luna asked, anxiously, or at least as anxiously as she ever got, "Hermione helped me pick it out...she has one, like..."

"Alright..." Ron said quickly, pulling her head up to quiet her with a quick kiss, "luv, I really don't need Harry beating me to a puddle because you put ideas in my head like that," he reached up and pushed damp blonde strands behind her ear, "and more to the point, I have everything I ever wanted here right now." He grinned slightly and pulled her into his chest tighter, "But for the record...I loved it."

They both looked to the door as the knob rattled fiercely. Ron pulled his wand back out from under his pillow, where he had replaced it earlier, and canceled the Silencing Charm. "Ronald, wake up," Molly's voice came through the door, "Why's your door locked?" Ron didn't answer as Luna buried her face in his neck and giggled, loudly.

"Is someone in there with you, Ronald Weasley?" Molly snarled suspiciously. Ron rolled Luna off his chest and covered her mouth with his hand lightly. She bit her lip as she rolled all the way off his small bed and padded over to where she had thrown her knickers. She tied them back on, and with a quick flash of inspiration, dove for Ron's equipment pack, tossed her own cloak into the open closet and vanished under Ron's invisibility cloak. Ron stood, threw on what he had slept in, flicked his wand to vanish the evidence of this morning's activities and canceled the locking charm.

"No mum," Ron yawned, as she pushed the door open. He yawned again and paced over to his closet to find a pair of clean jeans, which he slipped on, not flinching at all as Luna goosed him invisibly. "I locked it to keep Fred and George out," he explained simply and Molly nodded unthinkingly.

"Well, fine...everyone is waiting to open presents," she frowned, slightly and gave the tiniest of headshakes, "well almost all of us are here." She huffed slightly as she looked around the room at the scattered clothes, books and extremely messy bed. "Hurry up Ronald," she put in, "and clean your room sometime, it's a pigsty...would you want your...girlfriend to see it like this?" She left, muttering, leaving the door open.

Ron watched her leave, before Luna's head appeared at his shoulder. "I'll go outside, and come back in."

"Honey," Ron frowned slightly as if remembering something, his eyes focused on the area under her floating head, "You need some...clothes; I don't know if Mum would appreciate it, I would, and I know Gred and Forge would, though I'd have to hit them, but..." Ron rambled.

Luna cut him off with the fingers of her right hand against his lips. She tossed off the cloak to reveal herself fully dressed except for her still bare feet in a pair of khaki jeans and a dark blue jumper. "I had them shrunk in the pocket of my cloak," she whispered with a knowing grin. She bent over and pulled on her boots, before wrapping her arms around him and pecking him quickly on the lips.

"I love smart girls," Ron whispered against her lips. She smiled at him and walked to the door, knowing his eyes were on her the whole way, "and I love it when they walk by," he added unthinkingly. Luna paused at his door, blew him a kiss, pulled on her white cloak, and flipped his invisibility cloak over that, vanishing instantly. Ron followed her silent footsteps down the stairs, pulling on a dark green jumper over his t-shirt as he went. He purposefully bumped into a table as he came into the living room, distracting every eye from the door to the outside that opened and closed silently.

Ron took a seat on a dilapidated loveseat, and nodded to Fred and George, who were sitting on the couch across from him. As one, all three boys' eyes flicked to their grandfather clock in the corner, once again finding it was empty of two names that once decorated it. The rest was relatively uninformative, as every other name, including Fleur's recently added one, was pointing as had become usual to "Mortal Peril." Ron frowned slightly, before blanking his face, as Fred looked over, a mug of coffee already in his hand.

"Oi, Ron, where's Luna this fine morning?" he leered slightly. George glanced up from looking at a plate of Christmas snacks, and shared a look with his twin.

"Yeah, Ronniekins, where is the blonde bombshell this morning?" George put in. Ron looked down, flushing slightly.

"Boys," Molly snapped as she came in from the kitchen levitating a tray holding a carafe of hot chocolate long with a plate of muffins, "leave your brother alone. She's a nice girl, unlike some he could be with," she added softly, but not so softly that none of the three heard her. Ron's fists clinched at his side, before he looked up at the twins. They frowned, and Fred gave him a miniscule headshake.

The kitchen door slammed open, and a moment later Luna came into the living room. She stopped to hang her cloak on a hook near the door and shook snow from her hair, before she crossed to Ron and curled up next to him on the loveseat and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Would you like some cocoa, Luna dear?" Molly asked with a small smile.

"That would be lovely, ma'am," Luna replied. Luna reached for the mug that Molly poured her with her left hand, not thinking. Molly screeched and grabbed her hand. She held it up to the light, gaping slightly at the ring on Luna's finger.

"When dear?" she asked breathlessly, not letting go of Luna's hand. Luna shared a glance with Ron, as the twins sniggered behind her. Luna managed to extract her hand from Molly's, with a soft, torpid smile.

"Last night, Mum," Ron muttered sheepishly. He was almost instantly slammed back into the couch as Molly threw her arms around both him and Luna. He fought for breath, and glared over Molly's shoulder at the Twins as they made kissing faces at him.

"Ohh, my baby's growing up..." Molly sobbed, "my little Ronniekins is becoming a man." Behind them Fred and George clasped their hands over their mouths, fighting to keep their laughter silent. They each cast silent Silencios on each other, as they escaped the room. Sudden, loud, raucous laughter came from the next room as they lifted the spells.

Ron sighed, thinking of what he would have to go through with the twins when he and Luna were free of their mother. Molly let them go, and stood, hurrying back into the kitchen muttering something about making the dinner extra special. Ron glanced down, nodding as Arthur came over and gave him a hug, before leaving to follow Molly into the kitchen from where they could hear soft sobbing coming. Luna squeezed his hand, and curled up next to him, kissing his cheek and settling in contently, "Happy Christmas, Ronald."

******************************Godric's Hollow************************

10:15 am.

Roger gave Jane a small grin from his post on the floor next to the tree as Hermione slid down the banister from the floor above, giggling slightly. She turned her head, looking up, only to slam into Harry at the bottom as he suddenly appeared in front of her. "No fair, no Apparating," Hermione squeaked as Harry picked her up, and spun her around slightly. She laughed as she jumped up and wrapped herself around him, leaning to meet his lips.

"I don't remember agreeing to that rule," Harry whispered breathlessly, as he walked backwards with her still wrapped around him and fell back onto the couch. Hermione somehow, possibly through magic, remained in his lap as they landed with her arms still around his neck.

"Honestly, Harry," Hermione smirked and kissed his cheek, "it was implied. You should know that."

"Huh?"

"Happy Christmas, Harry," Hermione muttered, "love you."

"You too, Mione."

"It, um, took you two long enough to make it down his morning," Jane mentioned conversationally as she took a sip from her morning cocoa. She crooked her eyebrow at Hermione as she leaned over the arm of her chair to set her mug on the floor next to her.

Hermione looked down for an instant, her cheeks burning slightly, before she caught her mother's eye with an almost defiant glare for an instant. "We were...delayed a bit." She leaned back, grinning despite herself as she watched her mother's jaw drop for a moment, before she laughed.

"It was bloody well long enough," Roger put in softly, Jane rolled her eyes and threw a pillow from the chair at him. Harry sat silently. "We've been up for hours."

Harry's jaw worked for an instant, with no sound coming out, before Hermione took pity on him and summoned a present from under the tree for him. "Here you go, Harry," she smiled slightly and patted his knee, as Crookshanks jumped up on the top of the couch next to him and stretched out, purring. "This is from mum and dad, Harry." Hermione plucked a brightly wrapped red and green package from out of the air next to her shoulder and handed it to him.

The package was rather heavy, Harry noticed, as he took it from Hermione and sat it on their joined laps. He ripped open the paper to reveal a carved wooden box, about the size of a hatbox. The box was engraved with his name in script under a lion sitting on its paws. The lion's tail twitched periodically, as it waited for him. Harry watched, slightly dumbfounded, at the magical gift from Hermione's parents. He glanced up at them and Jane waved at the box, he nodded and eased it open to find thirty-two, velvet-lined fitted compartments, each with a small figurine in them. Harry laughed as he realized what the figures were, it was a chess set, but instead of the usual knights, and castles and such, small figures on brooms, golden hoops, stadiums and snitches filled out the places. The two oversized teams were dressed in red and gold and green and silver, and Harry laughed again. He gave Hermione's parents a slightly awed look. "Hermione helped us pick it out...obviously," she added as a small red and gold seeker took flight. The tiny, Gryffindor-robed Seeker, that Harry thought seemed to have on a tiny pair of glasses whipped around his head and shot up the tree as if looking for a snitch.

"You can change the teams with a spell, Harry," Hermione put in flicking her wand at the green and sliver pieces still in the box, and changing them to the bright Orange of the Chudley Cannons. "It will let you have any of the Hogwarts' House teams or any of the Professional teams of Great Britain, the Americas or the National teams...The players change to suit the teams."

"Cool," Harry enthused. Thanks, Mione, he whispered as he looked over at her parents. "Thanks, I love it..." he looked at both of them and grinned, "I...ah..."

"You're welcome Harry," Roger replied, "maybe we can play later, I used to play a bit in my younger days," he looked at Hermione and Jane, "I never could get Hermione or Jane to play much."

Harry shared a grin with him, "I don't know about Jane, but Hermione doesn't play all that often with Ron or I...she doesn't like to lose."

"Funny how that seems to be passed down," Roger quipped, "OW!" both men snapped as one, as both of them were whomped in the back of the head at the same time.

Harry rubbed the back of his head, frowning, until Hermione reached up and kissed his hair behind his ear. She smiled nervously as she flicked her fingers over her shoulder, not looking as a small present dropped into her lap. She picked it up, and handed it to him, "Here, Harry, I ahh...thought that you might like this. I talked to Remus about it, he..." Hermione broke off, she bit her lip slightly, "well open it." Harry ripped open the white paper with small golden snitches flitting about, revealing a flat, book-sized box. He opened it, to find a torn, battered notebook bound in stained pebbled black leather. He glanced up at Hermione to see her looking at him nervously, "It's well; it's the notes and such that the Marauders came up with to be Animagi." Harry's eyes widened as he opened the pages to see Lupin's cramped, almost pained handwriting interspaced with James' messy, spiky script and Sirius' large looping one. Harry looked back up to Hermione to share a soft grin, "If you look in the back, your mum's added in her notes in the subject."

"You've read it?" Harry asked, amused.

"Of course," Hermione agreed, "it's a book isn't it? Look under it," she added. Harry looked under another layer of the package to find a small vial filled with a glowing opalescent potion. "It's the final potion, it took a while to brew, and the ingredients I could get without anyone knowing were just enough for...two. I thought that we could..." She shut up as Harry hugged her.

"Sure Hermione, just us?" Harry whispered against her ear. She giggled slightly, and nodded.

Something just for us...a last fall back maybe...or maybe we'll turn out to be little bunnies or field mice or something.

You'd look cute as a bunny...I'd hold you and kiss you and call you Bob.

Hermione barked a laugh, and her parents looked over at the silent pair, Why Bob?

I don't know, Harry shrugged. Hermione grinned and kissed his nose, before sitting back and snuggling back against his chest. So do you want to see what I got for you? Hermione nodded eagerly like a little kid and looked up at him. Harry waved his hand and watched as a clumsily wrapped package meandered over to them. Hermione crooked an eyebrow, What...I wrapped it by hand, Harry explained, Hermione smirked slightly and started to open it, carefully untying the ribbon, easing the tape back with a nail, and unfolding the paper, Alright, you're doing that to annoy me.

Hermione rolled her tongue in her cheek, looked him in the eye and ripped the paper off in about half a heartbeat. Harry laughed as she looked down at a blue and silver box. She glanced up at him for an instant, and watched him nod, before she opened the box along a thin, concealed hinge. Hermione gasped slightly as she pulled out a bracelet. Each individual link in the chain was a melded blend of platinum and gold, the same pattern as Harry and Hermione's wedding rings. Several charms hung from the links and Hermione looked up at Harry. Harry?

The charms are there for some of the times you've saved me...even from myself, he explained as he took her hand and pointed to each in turn, The train is for when we met, which pretty much saved my sorry bum for the next seven years by itself. Hermione smiled slightly, watching him, the potion bottle is for when you were smarter than anyone else...which is pretty much all the time. The broom is for when you cared enough for me to risk our friendship just in case you might have been right. Thanks for that by the way.

You're welcome. And the rest? Hermione whispered, with the tone of her thoughts choked, as she fingered each charm in turn.

The toast is for when you believed me and no one else did, and then saved me again by staying up all night trying to beat that damn charm into my head.

It was rather difficult, Hermione agreed, it is rather hard.

Yeah, it is, Harry replied, he ran his thumb over the back of her hand, and the wand is when you came up with the way for me to fight back against Umbridge. Hermione gave him a small, half smile, and a tiny nod.

What about the other two? Hermione asked with a small lump in her throat, even though she knew what they meant somehow.

The ring, Harry fingered it, that's for everything this year, he took a breath and held up a tiny, silvery baby carriage, this is more of a promise, Hermione. That's to remind you, when you need it, that we are going to get through this, and we are going to put that nursery to use again. I could have had more...but your wrist isn't big enough for all of them.

Oh Harry, Hermione sobbed, and buried her head in his shoulder as tears began to flow. She held out her wrist without pulling her head from his shoulder, put it on, please. Harry fastened it around her left wrist, and listened to the soft jingling as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Harry leaned his head to hers and kissed the top of her head. You've gotten much better with crying girls, love.

Thanks, Harry snorted, as Hermione giggled softly before leaning back and pulling her wrist back to look at the bracelet jangling at the end of her arm. She rose up on his lap and kissed him, closing her eyes as their lips met and her parents broke out in spontaneous applause.

Hermione dropped her lips from Harry's and placed the crown of her head on his shoulder as she turned to regard Roger and Jane with a gimlet eye. They looked unrepentant, "You know since you are my parents there's no secrecy acts protecting you two..."

Jane smirked and leaned against Roger's hand as he reached up to rub her neck, "It's your fault really, Hermione Jane," she shared a look with Roger, he laughed, "if you two had admitted it years ago, we could have gotten it out of our systems a long time ago."

There you go, next chapter, The Hippogriff will drop....it'll make sense later. And then, back to reality.

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31. New Year’s Resolutions

Here we go, thanks again to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter.

Chapter 31: New Year's Resolutions
**************************Grimmauld Place***************************

December 31, 1997
11:10 pm

A subtle, almost subliminal force had pulled the quartet back together soon after Christmas. The draw of their natural families had pulled them apart, rightly so, for a bit, but they needed to see the ones that they had chosen far worse. Well, that and the fact that Ron had to sneak Luna in every night to the Burrow put a damper on their celebrations. And as Luna's house was out due to the fact that Luna's father had protective wards around their house that frankly put some of Dumbledore's best work to shame, Ron and Luna had arrived back in the secret hideout, tumbling in the door with Luna's arms and legs wrapped around Ron like she hadn't seen him in a year. It had been thirty-five seconds since she had side-along Apparated from the Burrow with Ron. Their familiars, Pig and Greymalkin had flitted or sauntered in as case the case might be, and at least in the case of the odd Kneazle-like creature, rolled its eyes. That had been two days after Christmas and he and Luna had not left their room for an entire day.

After three blind, random Apparations to make sure that no one could back trace them to Godric's Hollow, Harry and Hermione had arrived a day after them, Apparating from Leeds directly into the Library where Hermione had immediately settled in with research on Scrying, to get ready for the next attempt to locate the Staff.

Now, two days later, Harry walked into the Library and handed her a Butterbeer, pausing to kiss the top of her head as he passed. He walked over to the large Library table, picked up a thick sheaf of notes and paced back to Hermione. He settled in, moving his arm automatically to let her curl up next to her. His arm crossed under hers, still holding the notes as he began to read.

"Oi, what are you two doing?" Ron said, rolling his eyes in seeming utter exasperation. Luna giggled slightly as she ran up behind him and jumped on his back. Ron didn't even seem to notice her weight as he reached down to grab her legs to hold her up, "It's bloody New Years' Eve."

"We're drinking, see?" Harry replied, not looking up and holding up a beer bottle. Hermione just nodded and absently took a sip of her beer, before settling back against Harry with a soft sigh. Harry looked over a page of notes, frowned and read it again, remembering something Dumbledore said, "Mione, I think that we can use the Mark against them."

"Not enough," Ron put in, annoyedly. Harry glanced up at him, noticed idly that Ron was completely sober despite his implied desire to be sotted, shook his head and returned to his studies.

"What do you mean Harry?" Hermione glanced over at him, crooking an eyebrow. She licked her finger, turning a page in Looking High, Looking Low, a Seer's Guide to Remote Viewing. She took another sip of her beer and leaned over Harry to snatch a half slice from the pizza sitting under a Warming Charm on the couch side table next to him. She took a bite and looked up at him though her lashes with a small shrug.

I was wanting that.

Share? Hermione replied sheepishly, and held up the slice to him. He took a bite, and watched as she floated the slice in front of her, and picked a piece of pepperoni off and ate it.

"You two are disgusting you know that, right?" Ron grunted and took a complete slice and ate it in three bites. Harry didn't comment, before he looked back to Hermione. Luna jumped down from Ron's back and hopped up on the table, swinging her legs absently as she started to pet Crookshanks and Greymalkin alternately where they lay together on the table.

"Think about it, Mione," Harry replied as another slice floated past his face to land next to Luna. She slipped her wand back behind her left ear and starting to pick the toppings off. "The Dark Mark is a modified Protean Charm right?" Hermione nodded, and took a sip of her drink. "The Protean Charm connects objects on a sympathetic level, where they act on each other, right?"

"I don't think we can use them to really damage them or something, Harry," Hermione bit her corner of her lip and her eyes rolled up and left, as if reading something off her frontal lobe, "I mean I thought about it, Harry." She reached down and squeezed his knee, "It's a good idea, love, but--sympathetic magic can't alter the basic structure..."

"I know, Mione, but..."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Harry," Hermione replied as her eyes opened slightly. "I see-"

"Luna and I will just be over here," Ron said loudly and pushed the slice of pizza out of Luna hand and leaned in, kissing her, and pushing her back onto the table. Crookshanks hissed at them and jumped down from the table as Luna's hands came up to tangle in Ron's hair, Greymalkin on the other hand took two paces to the left and laid back down on a two-foot-high stack of books on Jinxes and Countercurses and closed his eyes.

"Yeah," Harry continued, "the charm is used to communicate, more or less. Tom wouldn't be stupid enough to use something that could injure another of his vermin or maybe himself every time some Auror takes one out. But if we had a prisoner with a mark..."

Hermione nodded and summoned a partially filled notebook from the table next to where Ron and Luna were busy snogging. A book fell to the ground with a large thump and Hermione glared over at them, before returning her attention to Harry, "So you are thinking what? A means of tracking them?"

"Yeah...maybe," Harry agreed, and took a sip of his drink. "But I remember what happened fourth year, and then some things Dumbledore told me. Tom created it to summon his Death Eaters; they are supposed to come to wherever he was if he touched it. What if we could find a way to make them come to us?"

"Trap them?" Hermione finished the thought, and frowned. "Maybe, depends on the spell used exactly. I mean, I doubt we could summon more than a few at a time, I doubt that any of the inner circle could be drawn in that way."

"Run it by Remus and Mad-Eye, they would be in the best position to do that?" Harry went on for them both, "We can't afford to get to tied down in a long term operation like that, we have to concentrate on the Horcruxes, but..."

Hermione shrugged, "But we need to keep them off balance as much as possible." She took a drink, thinking, "I'm not sure we can lure them in, honestly, now that I think about it." Harry turned his head, waiting for her explanation, "I love the idea Harry, but as far as we know, only Voldemort can summon them with the mark, Yes?" Harry nodded, slowly. "I mean we've not heard of say Lucius using it to call in their minions," Hermione stated, "So I would say that the summoning function of the Mark is probably keyed to him and him alone, most likely either through his wand core, which even yours wouldn't match identically, it's a brother not a twin, or through his own magical signature." Harry sighed and shook his head. Hermione gave him a small smile, and reached up to fix the collar of his shirt where it was poking out from under his jumper, "However the part that allows the Eaters to communicate with him, and I suspect, allows him to leech from them if need be, that part of the spell should resonate within certain, set criteria. We should be able to detect that resonance flux, maybe with a modified anti-Apparation ward," she mused, and started to write out an equation in a notebook.

"Are you two going to sit here all night?" Ron asked as he pulled Luna up from the table. She wore a slightly vacant grin as she hung on Ron's arm and looked up at him with utter adoration. Harry and Hermione's eyes met, finding shared amusement in the sight, before she completed the equations she was working on, closed the notebook and vanished it with a flick of an ivy-wood wand.

"Fine, Ronald," Hermione said in an uncanny imitation of Luna's exact speech pattern, "what do you suggest?" She gave Harry a covert wink and crawled into his lap, turning so she was straddling him. "We were already going to spend the rest of the night..."

"And tomorrow," Harry added helpfully, before leaning forward to press his lips to hers. Hermione forgot what she was saying for a minute, lost as her fingers slipped up from behind his neck to tangle aimlessly in his hair as their tongues dueled. She broke away, panting slightly, before the tiny corner of her mind that had not shut down reminded her of what she had been saying.

"And tomorrow," Hermione agreed, and let out a seemingly involuntary moan as Harry kissed her behind the ear. "We were thinking of spending it in bed, Ron. But if you'd rather, Harry and I can start celebrating right here." Hermione glanced down, not looking back at Ron as she began to play with the hem of Harry's jumper. Is he bothered yet? Hermione whispered, hiding her grin.

Just how much of that over the years was you picking on him? Harry muttered in return, as he kept her from tipping backwards from her precarious location, and, yeah, he's a touch red.

Honestly, Harry, would I do that...most of it was his fault, I never started it...she replied with an air of utter conviction, before she twisted, and leaned into Harry's hands on her hips, trusting him to hold her up, "Why Ron, do you have something else in mind, other than just getting sotted?" Ron didn't answer directly. He pulled his wand from his back pocket, and flicked it through the air. A pair of black, winter cloaks appeared, and he threw them at his best friends. "And just where are we going, Ron?" Hermione crooked an eyebrow, as she caught the garments and set them on the couch next to her and Harry.

"Luna and me-"

"Luna and I, Ron." Hermione and Luna muttered as one.

"Bloody hell," Ron growled, "Fine, Luna and I are going to Diagon Alley for the New Year's celebration they have every year, I've never been."

"They are still having it?" Harry muttered glancing down at Hermione, "I'd thought that the Ministry wouldn't want to have anything that public since the...problems that happened at the Ball." Harry sighed silently, thinking of the fate of the Minister of Magic, who still clung by an acromantula's thread in St. Mungo's to life.

Ron shrugged, "Well the old sponsors, Madame Malkin's and the Daily Prophet, backed out so-" Ron reached into his back pocket, and pulled out a deep purple flyer. It was full of fiery explosions, dancing couples and in the middle, Flashing green and white letters spelled out:

NEW YEAR'S IS ON!

A stupendous New Year's Eve celebration, hosted by the gracious auspices of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes (open now at #93 Diagon Alley, London and coming soon to Hogsmeade and Paris) and Odgen's Firewhiskey, for when you get that parched feeling.

COME WATCH THE HIPPOGRIFF DROP!

WWW branded gifts, souvenirs and vital supplies will be available at a substantial discount.

Hermione looked at Harry, he shrugged, "Watch the Hippogriff drop?"

"Yeah," Ron said as he held out Luna's cloak for her, and watched as she buttoned the shimmering white cloak at her throat. "Fred and George got the idea from something the Muggles do in the colonies; they have this bloody huge Hippogriff, that they've put like...thousands of fairy lights on it. They are going to drop it at Midnight."

Hermione looked to Harry, with both hands over her mouth, giggling. I've got to see the giant Hippogriff...think it's named Buckbeak?

Shall we then? Harry returned, and with a small nod, and a kiss to his forehead, her lips catching the edge of his scar, Hermione hopped backwards and flowed to her feet. Harry followed and hung his cloak around his shoulders. He held hers out and draped it around her shoulders before leaning forward to plant a kiss on her hair. They vanished between breaths without a sound.

********************************Diagon Alley**************************

11:30 pm

The streets of Diagon Alley were filled with revelers. A distinct difference from the days prior when the Wizarding center of London was almost abandoned due to the visitors living in fear. Of course the difference might be in the time; the fact that many of the inhabitants were fueled, at least to a degree, by some type of liquid courage was immaterial of course.

Harry and Hermione appeared, and immediately ducked as a flaming, hissing Great Golden Dragon, or at least the Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes Grand Conflagration version of the same ripped over their heads. Hermione laughed as several more partiers dove to the ground, obviously not as used to the Twin's antics as they were. She stepped back into Harry, moving out of the way of a chattering heard of several young witches who looked to be about Tonks' age, or a bit younger. They looked back at Harry and giggled. Hermione frowned, slightly, before she leaned back and grinned as Harry automatically wrapped his arms around her.

The shops lining the street were brightly lit and full of revelers. Gringotts marble edifice was glowing from the result of several Spotlight Charms. The effects of the lights on the gold trim sent sparkles of light down the street, shining off the members of the crowd. A look down towards Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes showed the store covered in lights. A large glowing sign outside proclaimed, "Fun Headquarters, inquire within." Harry shrugged towards the store, Hermione nodded, and they stepped aside, just as Ron and Luna appeared just where they had been with a soft CRACK. "OI, HARRY!" A familiar brogue roared across the street, and the quartet looked up to see Seamus and Dean heading across the street from outside of Flourish and Blotts.

"What are you two doing here?" Ron asked, pausing as Luna bent down to pick up a shiny trinket from the ground and examined it. He shook his head slightly as she grabbed his hand and leaned against him, smiling up at him. Seamus and Dean rolled their eyes sniggering softly. Ron looked over both of them critically, "What's wrong, mates, couldn't find a date?"

Seamus glanced around, and seeing no one close enough to overhear, "No, Weasley, neither of us needed to give a ring to bring a date." He looked down pointedly at Luna's left hand where the diamonds and sapphire of her ring were splitting the lights of the fireworks and strings of Fairy Lights strung along the storefronts.

"Careful, Seamus," Hermione warned, as a soft, dangerous smile slid onto her lips. Her eyes glittered slightly, as Dean and Seamus swallowed together. "You wouldn't want to spend the time until graduation as a little, cute mouse," she held her fingers up, about an inch apart.

Seamus reached up and swept off his bright green top hat, and bowed, sweeping the space in front of him, "Forgive this poor miscreant, M' Lady." He grinned broadly as he straightened and replaced his hat on his head, "For he knows not what he does."

"You got that right," Harry smirked, "have you seen anyone else you know?"

"Yeah," Dean replied, glancing around and pointing in various directions, "Katie, Angelina, and Alicia are in the store. Katie's here with...Oliver Wood," he waggled his eyebrows slightly and the Gryffindors laughed. "Hannah and Ernie were here earlier, I think that they are down near Gringotts in that new coffee shop the Twins opened. Susan and Sasha are around somewhere." Dean paused and glanced at Seamus, they both laughed at something before they looked back to Harry, Hermione, Ron and Luna. "Smith was about half sotted, he tried to hit on Susan...she decked him."

"Good for her, he always was a prat," Ron said a touch too loudly, Hermione crooked her eyebrow, but nodded after a moment's reflection. Her sense of propriety had undergone a great deal of reflection since she was eleven and boarding a red train for the first time.

Just as Ron was about to ask something else, Padma appeared next to them, and leaned on Seamus' arm. "Hello," she said happily to the group before she rose up on her toes and kissed Seamus on the cheek. He blushed slightly, as the rest of them laughed. "Neville, Parvati and Lavender will be by in a-" she was interrupted as a BANG, SNAP and POP cracked next to her ear and Neville appeared with the girls on each arm.

"Glad you could join us," Harry said wryly, "It looks like the gang's all here." He looked at Ron, "Did you plan this?" Ron just shrugged and shook his head, and waved towards WWW.

"Let's go, before the crowd appears." The rest of them followed, laughing as a small girl who looked to be no more than fifteen walked past them wearing a sweatshirt under her open cloak, that showed what was probably a Death Eater running from a small fluffy bunny armed with a wand.

They stopped outside of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and looked up as a pair of thundering, familiar voices boomed out of the darkness. "HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE!" The entire crowd joined them in looking up, as hovering in mid-air above the Weasley's shop, a shimmering, shining platform appeared. Through the ostensibly millions of multi-colored Fairy Lights two tall, red-haired figures could be seen standing waving out over the crowd.

"WELCOME TO OUR LITTLE CELEBRATION!" said Fred, as he placed a huge top hat on his head that flashed New Year's greetings around the brim as he stood. He held his hands up, as if commanding the crowd to silence.

"THERE ARE A FEW RULES FOR THIS GATHERING," added Fred as he held up a bottle of butterbeer and saluted the crowd. Several already slightly inebriated patrons shouted encouragement at him, and laughed heartily as he touched his wand to the stand and a half-dozen Weasley's WhizBangs went off.

"FIRST," George announced, "IF YOU ARE HERE WITH A DATE..." the twins looked down at Harry and the rest, and smirked, "AT MIDNIGHT, YOU WILL BE...REQUIRED TO GIVE THEM A KISS..."

"AND NOT A LITTLE PECK EITHER," Fred put in.

"A REAL HEARTSTOPPING, BLOOD RUSHING TO THE NEITHER REGIONS, LET'S GET A ROOM, RIGHT NOW ONE, OR..." George said with a leer.

"THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES," Fred finished. He waved out over the crowd, and a trickle of light followed his wand as he waved it through the air in front of him. A fiery symbol appeared for an instant that suspiciously seemed to greatly resemble the Ogden's logo.

"OW!" Ron hissed as he reached up and rubbed his head. Several more Witches and Wizards cried out in shock or surprise as Ron bent down and picked up a glass tumbler glowing with the characteristic faint orange glow of an Unbreakable Charm on glass. He glanced over as Harry snapped a pair of glasses out of the air as they fell towards his and Hermione's heads. Harry held them out and watched, slightly perplexed, as they filled with an amber liquid. A quick, hesitant sniff identified the liquid as Ogden's. He handed one to Hermione and took a tentative sip of his. Ron followed Harry's example, downing the tumbler quickly and watching as it refilled itself. "Cool," he exclaimed, and shared a odd, happy look with Seamus and Dean. The other two boys clinked their glasses with Ron and swallowed them down.

In the shadows of the lee of the Twins' shop, a slight figure flicked the hood of her cloak up over her head and nodded, her heart sinking slightly as she looked up at the Twins, and then over at the gathering of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, that if not for her actions she would have, probably, been in the center of, even though Molly would not have wanted her to attend. Another, taller, also-cloaked figure came up behind her, and slipped his arms around her. "Let's go, Red," he muttered in her ear in a faint drawl.

"I want to stay," she whispered back, not making a move to escape the light grip he had on her, "please?"

"Alright," he conceded after a moment, as they both listened to George add some rule about minimum consumption, and Fred tack on that souvenir hats, t-shirts and sweatshirts were available by stopping into the shop or by Owl order. "But let's go a bit up the street, we don't want to attract any attention from the do-gooder crowd."

Ginny nodded and took his hand, and let him lead her down the street towards Gringotts, trying not to reflect as she did so on how her life had changed so utterly. She glanced up and to the side, catching a brief glimpse of his face as they passed unseen next to Ernie McMillan and Hannah Abbot, Hannah was pushed back against the wall with her fingers tangled in Ernie's dark hair, evidentially they had taken the Twins' warning to heart and were practicing. Ginny glanced back, at the Twins, and back down at the crowd next to the store. Through a gap in the crowd, she saw Luna as she jumped up on her brother, and wrapped herself around him, snogging as if she had not a care in the world, and next to them, Ginny let slip the tiniest of nods as she saw Hermione's arms wrapped around Harry's neck, with his hands resting on the slope of her bum under her cloak. The two of them were dancing to music that only they heard as Harry leaned down slightly to kiss her, Ginny could see them as the kiss broke for a moment, and Hermione laughed at something, her face alive and her eyes dancing in the lights of the Fairy Lights and fireworks.

Draco looked in the direction of her gaze, but didn't say anything, other than giving her hand a small squeeze and gently tugging her forward.

"AND NOW," Fred hollered, and flicked his wand. A large, floating, glowing stage appeared and the fairy lights started to strobe in time to a new beat line that erupted out of the nothingness. "THE MUSICAL STYLINGS OF THE WEIRD SISTERS."

*Do the Hippogriff, The Weird Sisters.

Many of the girls, young women, and several of the younger men screamed as the Weird Sisters began their surprise set. The stage they were on dove and swooped over the crowd, like a demented broom, as the enchanted speakers cleverly hidden about the alley boomed out the music. A crowd that, like the party in general, seemed to be made up of Wizards and Witches all under thirty or so, started to dance along with the song, bouncing and gyrating in time to the music.

Harry looked up at the stage as it flew over them, and smiled. He was standing behind Hermione with his arms wrapped around her as they sort of danced to the music. She grinned and bent her head back and to the side enough to share a quick kiss, when a voice that Harry hadn't heard in three years, in person, came out of the night.

"Her-my-on-ninny," the voice said and they both turned to see the form of the Bulgarian Seeker appear out of the night and walk towards them. The group of their friends with them looked at each other, but didn't say a word as they all took a casual step back, even the ones such as Dean, Seamus and Ron, who were well on their way to getting blitzed.

"Viktor," Hermione said warmly, and smiled up at him as he stopped in front of them.

"Viktor," Harry said calmly as he extended a hand to his former rival for the Tri-wizard Cup--and possibly other things. "I...we didn't know you were in town."

"I have just gotten in," Viktor explained as he casually flicked his eyes over Harry and Hermione, and noticed that even though Harry's grasp on Hermione was light, she had made absolutely no effort to escape. He smiled and clasped Harry's hand with his right as his left came up to cup Harry's elbow. "I was in talks with Puddlemere, over their Seeking position." He paused and took a breath, "I have noticed that congratulations are in order, yes?" Harry gave a small nod, and a relatively easy smile. Hermione beamed up at Krum, as she settled back against Harry.

"Thank you, Viktor," she replied. All three of them ducked as another WhizBang, this one in the shape of a Hippogriff to the tune of the song, roared overhead.

Viktor looked at them, and nodded, "I must be going, I saw you and thought I should give my greetings." He held out his hand again to Harry, who shook it then to Hermione. She glanced back at Harry for an instant, before she stepped forward and gave Viktor a quick hug. Hermione took a step back and smiled slightly as Harry's arm wrapped around her again. She glanced up at Harry; he smiled down at her.

"Let us know how that works out, Viktor, we should get together sometime," Harry said loudly, enough to be heard over the noise of the rapidly ever-more inebriated crowd, the fireworks and the band. Krum nodded and headed off with a small wave. He started through the crowd, pausing to sign several autographs as he went as fans recognized him.

Thanks, Harry, Hermione whispered as she leaned back. Overhead the Weird Sisters started in on their new hit, Broomride.

You're welcome, Mione, Harry replied, slightly puzzled as he glanced in the direction of Gringotts, having, just for an instant felt an oddly familiar presence that he knew he should have recognized, but didn't. It didn't seem to be intending him ill, so he shrugged and kissed the side of Hermione's hair, I didn't see the need to worry, I don't see you getting all worked up over Cho anymore...who's over there by the way.

Yeah, I noticed, Hermione confirmed, Love you, Harry.

You too, Hermione, Harry responded and smiled as she reached up and back, wrapping her arms around his neck as she danced slowly to the ballad playing on the night. They looked over to see Luna deep in conversation with Parvati over something. Ron was drinking with Seamus and Dean, toasting to something. Harry flicked his wrist, summoning a pair of butterbeers from the air. He handed one to Hermione, she took a sip and parked it in mid-air, hovering next to them.

"Harry, Hermione," the pair glanced up, a smidgeon annoyed, as another person who seemed to know them shouted from the crowd. Their annoyance faded as they looked over to find a tall, red-haired, pony-tailed man striding confidently through the crowd. A svelte woman with pale blonde hair that caught the flickering colored lights clutched his hand and followed him closely. He looked back at her every few paces, protectively. Almost every male eye, and a few female ones, followed her progress as they meandered through the crowd towards the Gryffindors. Several of the men started to follow her as if being led by a chain until stopped by their dates, sometimes with unsubtle slaps. Hermione giggled softly under her breath as the pair came up to Ron, and both of them gave him a huge hug. The woman rose on her toes and gave Ron a kiss on the cheek as several of the crowd looked on enviously, before they moved on to stand next to Harry and Hermione, close enough so as they didn't have to yell, too much, over the noise.

"How are you doing, Harry, Hermione?" Bill said loudly. Harry glanced around, palmed his wand, and sketched out a five-pointed star near his leg. A cone of silence appeared around them, muting the crowd and party noise around them. "Nice," Bill commented, "traveling Cone of Silence," he paused to look around, "I admit that I am surprised to see you out here, it is a touch...exposed."

"Not really," Harry remarked, wryly, "Didn't you notice Mad-Eye stomping around near Gringotts, or the ten Aurors on the roof there. Not to mention the twenty or so, I've noticed in plainclothes, walking around, or the five brooms on high cover or the ten or so that are on top of 'Wheezes."

"You forgot the ten Dark Detectors, Love," Hermione added, "though the two nearest here are Confunded."

Bill and Fleur laughed, "So they are," Bill agreed, "I would bet the Twins did that. If they were the Ministry ones, I'm sure they were set so that they might-interfere with their business." His face darkened slightly, as he glanced back at Fleur, "I'm sorry that you weren't welcome at the Burrow, Harry, Hermione...that wasn't, our..."

Hermione's eyes flicked up and back to catch emerald ones, "That's alright, we don't hold it against either of you, honestly." She frowned slightly, "It's history; it'll play out as it does. Or it won't."

"'Arry....'Ermione," Fleur said after a bit, looking between her husband and the others, "Gabrielle, haz told me, about thingz." Hermione looked back at Harry, and nodded, slightly. "Thank you, 'Arry, 'Ermione, for zaving her."

"Is she coming back to school?" Harry asked softly, guiltily.

"Yeah," Bill supplied, with a slight grin for some reason, "she thinks she's a Gryffindor or something," Fleur's face held a small scowl as she looked at him, before sighing, Bill squeezed her hand, "she demanded to go back to school, before we could even get her off the train." Fleur just nodded as Bill reached out to throw his arm around her waist, and pull her into his side. "We are going to go see to the shop, see what Gred and Forge have cooked up now," he sighed, "I suppose that we should be going." They gave the pair one more nod and stepped backwards breaking the cone and allowing the noise and mayhem of the celebration in once more.

Hermione looked around the crowd, Anyone else we know? she asked, slightly bemused.

I hope not, who would have thought that we'd run into so many people we knew? Harry shrugged and looked around as well, slightly uneasy again for some reason as he scanned towards Gringotts but shook it off. So, Mione, can we still spend tomorrow in bed?

Best idea I've heard, Hermione agreed, as she turned around in his arms and wrapped her arms back around his neck, the band segued into another song, and Hermione looked up, biting her lip, Remember this song?

*Magic Works, the Weird Sisters.

The one Luna played at our wedding? Harry asked as she dropped her head to his shoulder.

It was also playing at the Yule Ball...that last song when Ron and I were sniping at each other.

Sorry, Mione.

It's alright, everything worked out in the end, she grinned up at him before laying her head back to his shoulder. They moved slowly back and forth, more or less dancing as the song played, testing the limits of the Silencing Charms surrounding Diagon Alley.

"ALRIGHT," George's voice boomed out over the night as the song died. He waved his wand and a huge, flaming clock appeared in the night sky showing only two minutes until midnight, "IT'S TIME, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN." Another flourish of a wand, and a huge, shining Hippogriff, made up of innumerable, multi-colored lights appeared on a large, shimmering pole.

"AS WE SAID BEFORE," Fred added, "YOU MIGHT WANT TO FIND YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER..."

"OR JUST SOME RANDOM BIRD OR BLOKE..." George put in, as the clock ticked down to one minute till midnight. The glowing Hippogriff began to pulse softly as the second hand on the glowing clock hit thirty seconds. "HERE WE GO..." The clock hit ten seconds, and the Hippogriff started to slowly slide down, "TEN...NINE...", the crowd joining in, "EIGHT...SEVEN..."

Who am I to argue with tradition? Harry grinned, as Hermione reached up, winding her fingers in his hair. Their faces slid together, and eyes slipped closed as mouths opened and tongues met their mates. The noise of the crowd only vaguely impinged on their consciousnesses, as Hermione jumped up to wrap herself around him, and felt herself being held up automatically. Behind them, Luna had pushed Ron against a wall, and was snogging him enthusiastically, while Neville, Lavender and Parvati were sharing a three-way smooch, which probably wouldn't make the front page of the Prophet in the morning due to the censors. Flashbulbs went off near them, not that they noticed, and a pair of Wizarding Paparazzi grinned and escaped back into the crowd, already laughing at the bonus they would get from the Prophet.

In their glee, they never noticed the faint trail of light from the CounterDeveloping Jinx that Mad-Eye cast on their cameras. He put away his wand and tipped his bowler to Harry and Hermione, before vanishing back into the crowd.

"THREE...TWO..."

Harry staggered back slightly as he adjusted his wife's position, as to not drop her as Hermione began to move more passionately. A loud purring sound slipped from her throat as she pulled back to breathe for an instant before they crashed together again.

"ONE...HAPPY NEW YEAR..." The shining Hippogriff hit the bottom of the pole, and the entire length of Diagon Alley exploded in light and sound. An entire year's production, or at least it seemed as such, of WWW's best WhizBangs went off, filling the night sky with flaming Catherine Wheels, immense Dragons, and giant fiery letters spelling out such things as "Snogging Here", "Get A Room" and "Drinking, Much?" among others.

The duo broke apart a bare couple of inches, panting, and glanced around. Hermione grinned slightly as she realized that Harry was using magic to hold her up, leaving his hands free to roam under her cloak. She crooked an eyebrow and he laughed. She joined him as they looked around to see several human-sized chickens standing, clucking confusedly. They obviously had not believed the Twins' warnings. Hermione giggled as one particularly clueless chicken wearing a orange fedora ran into a wall and fell down.

"Happy New Year, Hermione."

"Happy New Year, Harry."

A/N: Ok there we go, next chapter, a return to stark reality. The songs, Do the Hippogriff, and Magic Works are actual songs from the Weird Sisters, and are tracks 22 and 24 on the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Soundtrack. Broomride I just made up.

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32. A Return to Reality

Here we go, just like the title says. Thanks once again to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter.
Chapter 32: A Return to Reality
****************Beauxbatons Academy 250km north of Paris**************

January 2, 1998.
12:12 pm

Lines of smoke rose into a cloudless sky over the shattered, once manicured lawns of the French magical academy. Lines of spell fire snapped back and forth as dozens of Death Eaters poured spellfire into a large, fairy tale castle. Pastel colored walls held huge rents, where Reductors had breached the defenses. A tall, cloaked shape danced back and forth among the shattered walls, firing spells back at the cloaked figures assaulting the castle from the hedgerows and fields.

The lank forms of several Death Eaters along with the bodies of two-dozen French Aurors and too many small forms in the light blue uniforms of the school littered the lawn.

Madame Maxime paused as she rolled behind a large, stone pillar and took a breath. "Jeanette, Robert," she snapped to either side at her head students. The taller of the two, a blond-haired boy, was holding his left arm awkwardly across his body as he looked over to her. The girl that she had named, looked up from where she was lying, panting, on the ground next to him. Blood stained the front of her uniform and shone oddly in her dark hair as she glanced over the low, shattered wall she hid behind and snapped a Piercing Charm back out at the Death Eaters.

"Yes, ma'am," Jeanette replied, gulping as she caught sight of a huge, ash-dark cloud hovering above the school, on which a gigantic glowing green skull with a hissing serpent emerging from the open mouth.

"Cover me," Maxime snapped and both of them, along with another five students rose and fired off a continuous stream of spells. "EXPECTO PATRONUM," Maxime roared, and a giant, glowing bird of some sort erupted from her wand and streaked out to the north. She snapped off a huge Reductor killing another two Death Eaters before she dove back behind the cover of the walls. Ten blue spell bolts shattered the walls further, raining chunks of stone down on the defenders.

*********************Hogwarts Express, 2 hours north of London***************

The Head Students car was home to a few friends and family, riding out the trip back to school in a companionable, more or less silence. Hermione smiled down at Harry, where he slept with his head on her lap, stretched out lengthwise on the couch. She looked around the carriage, cataloging Ron and Neville playing chess with Harry's new Quidditch-themed set in the corner, while Parvati, Padma and Lavender were quietly, but urgently talking over the latest edition of Witch Weekly. Luna was next to them, periodically adding some random comment, but overall seemingly more interested in her copy of this month's Quibbler, in which the current Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, who had just been transferred out of the ICU wing at St. Mungo's was under scrutiny for several odd dealings that he had had in his past with known Death Eaters.

Harry muttered something in his sleep, rolled onto his side and snuggled back in. Parvati and Lavender giggled at them, and looked away at Hermione's practiced glare. She returned to the article in Transfiguration Quarterly she had been reading, not even noticing, consciously, as her fingers combed through Harry's disobedient locks. Seamus and Dean, along with several of the Gryffindor sixth years had been by earlier, but had left to go wander the train, with their only instructions not to start anything.

Hermione frowned as a loud, booming knock on the compartment door shattered the pleasant stillness. Catching Ron's eye, he was nearest, he nodded and stood, and slid open the door to the compartment, to find a decidedly pale werewolf and metamorph standing at the door. Hermione waved them in, and without a thought, cast a Silencing Charm on the carriage. "What, Remus?" she asked briskly, as her magical senses, as well as her eyes, caught the disquiet radiating off both of them. Harry stirred on her lap, awakened by the spillover of her emotions. He caught sight of Remus and Tonks, and instantly, any trace of sleep vanished.

"Where?" Harry added as he rolled to his feet and caught Hermione's eye. She was already diving for their shared trunk, sitting over next to the window. She shooed Crookshanks off the top and opened it, tossing Harry a familiar, scabbarded friend from the top.

"They are attacking Beauxbatons as we speak, Harry," Remus snapped urgently, "Hagrid is already on the way, he should be there by now." Harry gave him a brief nod and looked over to Ron. He swallowed and nodded, his eyes hardening as he looked at his friend.

"What about Durmstrang?" Hermione put in as she slid her dagger pack and equipment pack on. In the rest of the room, the other DA members, or rather Order members as that's what they all were by now, stood from what they were doing and gathered around.

"We don't know, Hermione," Tonks replied quickly, looking around at the rest of them, "Minerva received Maxime's Patronus about ten minutes ago, hers just caught up with us now. She frowned at Hermione annoyed look at the delay, "I know that the mirrors work faster, but Maxime didn't have one."

"Remus," Harry put in as he looked at Ron and Neville, they nodded as one and vanished into the train. "Do you think this is a set up? Trying to draw the Order out into the open?"

Lupin shrugged, "Who knows, I have already been in touch with Mad-Eye by mirror, he got Kingsley and several other Aurors to Hogwarts just in case. Arthur, Bill and Fleur should be there as well, by now, along with the Twins, Alicia and Angelina, but..."

"Without the people on the train, right now, McGonagall only has the Professors to hold the school," Harry completed for them all. "I can't leave kids there, Remus, if I can get them out..." Hermione chewed her bottom lip absently as she reached out to squeeze his hand, before she gave him a tiny nod. They all looked up as Ron and Neville entered the car trailed by several more DA members, all seventh years. Seamus and Dean went to go stand next to the Gryffindor girls, while Hannah, Ernie and Susan leaned against the wall near the door. Zacharias Smith came in a moment later, saw Susan and carefully went to the other side of the compartment. Justin Finch-Fletchley came in at his heels, along with Anthony Goldstein. Harry nodded to himself, as this was almost the entire initial DA, with the exception of Michael Corner, who had not returned to school, the Creeveys and the ones that had graduated already. He looked up again as Honor, Gretchen and Ellen, along with several of their sixth-year male Gryffindor counterparts, Sam O'Neal, Clarence Daly and Franklin Locksley, crowded into the room. The Creeveys appeared as if by magic, Colin was a sixth year of course with Dennis only a fifth.

Harry looked at them, and sighed. The DA was actually bigger, including a few seventh years that he knew were still at Hogwarts for the holiday, but he didn't have time to wait. "Alright, here is the situation, Beauxbatons is under attack right now," he looked at Ron and then Hermione before going on, "I am going to take whatever seventh year that is willing, to try and get them out of there." Several of the sixth and fifth years present started to object, but Harry silenced them with a wave, "No, I trust all of you, but I need to have people who can Apparate, I assume that all of the seventh can Apparate by now?" he got several nods in return, "Fine, we will Portkey away as soon as we can, to a spot outside of Beauxbatons, unfortunately I've never been there..."

"I have," Tonks interrupted, "I'll go along."

Harry nodded, "Good, thanks, Tonks."

"The rest of you," Hermione said, looking at the younger ones, "go on to Hogwarts and listen to Professor Lupin, and the Headmistress, we will be back as fast as we can. You are to hold the train and the castle against any attack, however if you are attacked in overwhelming force, or if Voldemort attacks, run, evacuate the best you can."

"Our only mission is to counter attack the Death Eaters, to give Madame Maxime time to get her students out," Harry said grimly, not mentioning the dark reality that was going carefully unsaid, that there might be no one left to save, "we are there only for that, understood, nothing else. Beauxbatons is smaller than Hogwarts, only around two hundred and fifty students at most, but I had heard that it was under populated as well this year, so it shouldn't take as long to get them away, however, the castle is not really a fortress as is Hogwarts, so they might have already been overrun." He took a breath, "Go, seventh years that are going, we leave from here in ten minutes, full gear, shield cloaks and hats, and the Twins' gear."

The compartment emptied in a rush as Harry looked up at Remus, "I'll hold Hogwarts, Harry."

"I know, Moony," Harry replied as Tonks began to program several Portkeys, using her Auror clearance to override the restriction on International Portkeys. He glanced over to see Hermione's bare back where she had turned from Remus and Tonks to change into her gear behind the couch, from the bright, cheery jumper and tartan skirt she had been wearing. Harry caught the blacks she tossed at him without looking and peeled his old, green "H" jumper off over his head as he stood next to Remus and replaced it with the dark, long sleeved t-shirt and black jumper that Hermione had tossed him. He toed out of his trainers, and changed from a pair of khakis to the pants that Hermione had tossed at his head and hopped backwards to lace on a pair of boots. Hermione was tying back her hair as the first of the DA members returned and entered without knocking, already wearing the dull-grey shield cloaks in their non-chameleon configuration.

Tonks looked around at the group that was going, and slid next to Remus, he was quivering slightly, his eyes slightly haunted as he looked at her. "I have programmed the Portkeys to appear in the woods outside of the school," she pulled a shining crystal from her robes, and tossed it in the air, it started to spinning faster and faster with a beam of light shooting from the tip, until a glowing, hovering image of the French school appeared. "This is an image of the school from the Ministry archives, I got it from Mad-Eye just in case. There used to be plans to help each school, just in case, during the reign of the Minister before Fudge."

Harry looked at the floating diagram, and then at Tonks and Remus, "Beauxbatons is new right? Only a couple of hundred years old?" he asked and received a nod. "So, no passages for either side to exploit to get in or out," he mused, "Ron, Mione, Neville?"

Ron frowned and looked at the others, then back at the floating diagram of the grounds, he walked up to the projection and traced his finger through it, looking at the image of the light blue castle backed up against the cliffs of the Northern French coast. "I dunno, Harry," he admitted after a moment, "the layout sucks both for us to relieve them and the Death Eaters to attack. The castle is out on this point of the cliff," he waved, "and anyone trying to get at it has to attack over a narrow front, unless they climb the cliffs from behind or use brooms to fly in, but that's suicide during the day, unless you are Harry. How wide are the--"

Tonks flicked her wand and a glowing red line appeared showing the limits of the anti-Portkey and Apparation Wards. Ron nodded and looked at Harry, and both of the boys and Hermione's eyes widened at the sample time. "But we can climb the cliffs, can't we?" Ron muttered and frowned at the cliffs, "What are these like fifty feet?" Tonks looked at the tiny scale next to the image and nodded. "If we can get someone inside to coordinate a break out, Harry, have them, maybe five or so of us go in."

"And the rest attack from the outside," Hermione supplied.

"We could break out, drive them back enough to get the kids out of the range of the Wards and port everyone out at soon as they reach the woods."

"I don't see a choice, Harry," Ron shrugged as a sinking feeling filled his stomach, "If it were nighttime, I'd suggest that we all come in on brooms from the sea, but we'd just be target practice during the day, even with Disillusionment Charms." He pointed at a spot directly behind the imaginary line that cut off the point from the mainland, "They have to be here at least, best place to cut off the castle from the mainland. Portkey right here," he pointed at a spot just inside the woods behind the supposed Death Eater siege lines, "Have the group that is to infiltrate from the rear take brooms and our cloaks and fly around and sneak down the beach until they hit the cliffs below, take out any Eaters an get into the castle from the rear. The rest waits here and blasts a corridor free when they get the word from inside. Expend every toy we have from the Twins in one assault and hold it until we can get the kids to the extraction point, and get them out."

"Fine, here's the plan, Hermione and I, along with Tonks?" she nodded, "will take brooms after we Portkey in and under cloaks, Ron give her your cloak, Tonks you have your broom?" she nodded as Harry absently summoned his Firebolt from his trunk and shrunk it, sliding it in a thigh pocket, "we will get inside, from the rear and contact Maxime or whoever's left and get them ready. Ron, I'll signal when we are ready, you make sure we have a path out, mate. Let's be at it."

Harry nodded and muttered something under his breath, Hermione looked at him worriedly and he motioned her, Ron and Neville closer. Harry tossed his arms around the shoulders of the boys and whispered, "This never happens at Hogwarts," he whispered urgently as around them the rest of the rescue group looked around worriedly, Ron and Neville nodded. "As soon as we get back I want you two to start on at least six plans to retake Hogwarts, and we will train on them." He looked at Hermione, "We are going after you know what as soon as we get back, be ready."

Harry glanced up at Tonks as she started distributing the Portkeys she had made, five or six people to a Portkey. Lupin came over, gave him a brief pat on the back, stopped long enough to give Tonks a quick kiss and mutter something in her ear, and left the car, taking the younger DA members, except Luna with him. Everyone knew she was going to be with Ron. Harry took a breath, drew his wand with his right and reached out and touched the Portkey he was sharing with Ron, Luna, Hermione and Tonks. He gave Hermione a brief, melancholy smile, which she returned, "PORTUS!"

In several thunderclaps of sound and a torrent of swirling light, the compartment was suddenly empty, save for a pair of annoyed Kneazles and two forlorn-looking owls.

************************Beauxbatons Academy************************

A snap of light and a rush of wind ripped through an empty clearing, just south of the school, set inside the woods. Seventeen dark figures tumbled out of nothingness and continued to roll for several feet along the ground, as the even worse than usual momentum transfer from the International Portkey that had originated in a train moving at north at 140 kilometers an hour terminated. Harry pushed himself off from the ground and shook his head before rolling to a knee and sweeping the area with his wand. He felt Hermione at his back and Ron two meters away and to his right without looking, as he raised his left fist above his head and flung it open.

Around him, the rest of the DA members slowly melted into the foliage as Disillusionment charms took effect. Harry, Hermione and Tonks vanished totally as they swept cloaks over their heads. A slight rustling sound followed their exit as they flew off towards the east. Soft sounds of movement came from the trees surrounding the clearing for a minute before they stopped totally. Flashes of light and loud booming sounds came from just to the north. A shining blue bolt snapped down the center of the clearing, an obvious overshot, and felled a small tree at the far end. A minute after that, four cloaked and masked Death Eaters strolled into the glade, looked around casually, and shrugged.

"There's nothing here," the tallest of the four, with a deep raspy voice and a slight limp, growled. He turned back to the north, and swept his mask off to reveal a scarred face with an eyepatch covering his left eye. He started to turn back to the other three, "Let's head back before they breach the school, don't want to miss out on the-" Just as he finished his turn, he saw the other three crumple without a sound as a half-dozen silent, silver, red and blue bolts tore into them from out of nowhere. He opened his mouth to scream, and collapsed as a wand dimpled the skin behind his ear.

"Get them out of sight," Ron's harsh, low voice carried along the ground. The four former Death Eaters floated away under some underbrush and vanished as Disillusionment charms hid them, more effectively than normal, as they were rather still. "Let's go," Ron whispered and headed north towards the sounds of battle and the smoke he could see rising above the trees, "Justin, Hannah, cover our rear." Only a snap of fingers answered his orders as a pair of invisible shapes slipped to the rear.

Ron slipped to the edge of the woods and looked out, invisibly, at the shattered, pale blue walls of the school. He felt Luna next to him as she held up a pair of Omniocculars and scanned over the grounds. She looked for a moment, replayed the image and slipped them back under her cloak. She rolled slightly to her left and breathed in Ron's ear, "I see at least twenty five in that clump straight ahead, in front of the main doors...

Ron started slightly at a hand on his knee, before he heard Neville's low voice in his other ear. "I have a count of twenty eight Death Eaters on the left, Ron."

"Fine," Ron whispered so that both of them could hear him, "pass the word, when Harry gives the signal, and they'll know it, use half of the Frisbees on the Eaters, hold the Argentium grenades until later, just in case. Have every other person set the rest of the Frisbees in command mode; we'll set them off to cover our escape." The two slipped away for a moment, and Ron sighed, silently. Hurry up, Harry, Hermione. He smiled slightly as a Reductor from the defenders of the school felled two Death Eaters in his field of vision.

A distance away, at the base of the cliffs on which the school commanded an impressive view of the Atlantic, five Death Eaters stood, appearing bored as they looked out over the choppy, grey waters or up at the school over looming them. The wreckage of several brooms could be seen littering the beach, victim to unsuccessful attempts to escape. A set of tight, winding stairs meandered their way up the fifty-foot cliff, leading from the brightly colored castle to the beach, with two more Death Eaters sitting on the steps, smoking quite smelly Wizarding pipes.

None of the seven noticed the briefly disturbed air as two unseen brooms slid to the ground near them, right at the base of the cliffs. Three pairs of boot prints dented the wet sands for an instant before they too, vanished as if they had never existed. Hermione looked at the pair sitting at on the carved stone stairs at the base of the stairs, then with a brief mental pointer from Harry, towards the three standing together on the beach. The final two Death Eaters had wandered off, out of sight of the other five. Mione, you have the ones on the stairs, I'll take the ones in the middle.

Hermione ran her tongue invisibly over suddenly parched lips, she took a deep, silent breath as time stretched out in front of her, and the movements of the Death Eaters became languid as she rose up on her toes and sprinted at them. Deep footprints appeared in the sand and the Eaters rose to their feet...Hermione reached the pair, thrust upward with her left dagger, spun to her right, dropping her first dagger and reached out, grabbing the second and stabbing downward. The first had not finished falling when the second collapsed. She summoned her first dagger to her hand and turned towards the other three Death Eaters in view.

They looked up, reacting as their brethren fell to an invisible, silent attacker, just in time to watch a faintly, blue-glowing blade appear hanging in mid-air. Harry cut up and left, and back. The first Eater fell as he fired a silent, silver pulse from his wand at the furthest Death Eater. He died as Harry flipped up and forward, his cloak fluttering open to reveal a slice of his body as he landed behind the third and sliced backwards.

The last two Death Eaters returned around the point at a run, just in time to fall to a Cutting Curse and a Severing Charm. Tonks' head appeared, she sprinted over to the Death Eaters, verified their fates and destroyed their wands. Harry and Hermione lowered their hoods and paced over to Tonks. Looking up at the base of the castle, Harry muttered something under his breath, before, "I thought the cliff was supposedly hard to climb, but I seem to see stairs, Tonks?"

"I have no bloody idea, Harry, they weren't here last time I was, nor were they on my plans." She shrugged, "Perhaps they wanted a way to the beach?"

Harry nodded, "Still, let's use the brooms to levitate up to the castle, I don't trust the stairs," he suited words to action and climbed back on his Firebolt, waiting as Hermione climbed back on behind him, tentatively. He felt her arm go around his waist, while the other held up a wand in his field of vision pointed at the castle. The pair of them vanished once more under their invisibility cloaks, and rode a Disillusioned broom up the blank, sheer cliff face until they came to the level of the school, and solved the mystery of why the Eaters below hadn't tried the stairs.

At the top of the cliff, the winding stairs passed through a narrow, restrictive stone formation that had effectively kept them from attacking more than one or two at a time. The fallen forms of ten Death Eaters filled the narrowed passage, testament to the defenses of the school, such as they were. Harry and Hermione landed silently and invisibly behind the dozen or so scared students that pointed shaky wands towards the top of the stairs.

Damn, they were lucky, Harry mused as he looked over the students, who all seemed to be no older than a Hogwarts fifth year except one small, petite girl with odd, emerald green hair who seemed to be leading the defense. Harry felt Hermione nod as they watched the girl send one of the students back as a runner, and having no better idea Harry followed, leading Hermione after the girl. He paused after a second, Follow her, Mione, I'll catch up to you. She nodded and he felt her ghost off after the thirteen or so, year-old-girl that was hopefully going for Maxime. "Tonks," Harry whispered urgently as he flipped out his mirror. A breath later she appeared in it, her face shadowed under her invisibility cloak. "Tonks, Hermione's going to follow that girl, if she leads us to Maxime, hang back, and stay under the cloak, something is odd here, if I had had the DA attacking this place, I would have taken those stairs." He saw her give him a silent nod and vanished from his mirror.

Harry trailed Hermione's presence through the castle, winding through corridors and halls normally well lit, and airy, but today smoke-filled and oppressing. He swallowed heavily as he passed a group of what looked to be injured students and several faculty lying together on poorly conjured pallets, but kept going, pausing only to make sure that he wasn't detected, as his sense of unease had not lessened. He moved quickly, for another few minutes until he felt Hermione just ahead. He slowed his pace, his muffled steps becoming silent as he approached the front. He stepped around a corner, and saw Hermione standing under her cloak just behind the huge form of Olympe as she covered behind a partially fallen wall. Harry dodged to the left, absently, as hissing yellow beam shot in through the ruined outer walls of the school and slammed into the back wall of the corridor, ten or so feet from his head.

Harry slipped down the corridor, and paused. "Jeanette?" Maxime asked tiredly as she pulled back from casting another spell. The dark haired girl whispered something in the blonde's ear she had been attending to, he nodded and squeezed her hand, painfully, with his hurt hand before he slipped up enough to fire off several curses. "Haz there been any zign of the Order? Or any additional Aurors?" The Beauxbatons head girl just shook her head, and looked at the young girl that Hermione had trailed from the Cliffside part of the castle. She shook her head as well, and Maxime sighed, hugely, ""Arry well, Jeanette, Robert...we will load the ztudentz in the two carriages under the cover of the courtyard-perhaps we can make it..."

Hermione, stay under cover for a bit, Harry sent and felt her nod, I still have a bad feeling about this. He appeared from nowhere in between breaths and dodged two stunners and adsorbed another, shuddering slightly as he redirected the disabling pulse. "I think that we can help with that Headmistress," Harry commented softly as he shielded himself, the two Beauxbatons' Heads and Maxime as another pair of Reductors slammed in from the besieging Death Eaters.

"POTTER...is that you?" Maxime's large baton-like wand pointed at Harry, he flicked a pair of fingers and it pointed skyward. He looked around at several wands that had been pointed at him from the Beauxbatons students.

"Point those at the bloody Death Eaters," Harry growled and turned to Maxime, "I have a force here to cover your evacuation, are your students ready to go?" He took a breath rolled to his right and wave of blue roared outwards from his wand. An entire hedgerow vanished along with three Death Eaters. The heads looked at Harry and gulped slightly, before they returned to covering Harry with their wands.

Maxime looked hopeful for an instant, before her expression hardened, "How do I know that you are really Potter?"

Harry rolled his eyes, "If I were your enemy, you would already be dead, ma'am...fine, your mission with Hagrid for the Order that ultimately ended with Hagrid finding his brother...you took a battle helmet and a branch of Gubraithian fire for the Urg...you and Hagrid snuck through the woods, three years ago to see the Dragons before the first task...and Hagrid tried to propose to you in August, right before the start of the school year." Maxime gasped, she had not told anyone, and Harry smiled, slightly, "Hagrid was drunk one night and let Hermione and I know..."

Maxime held her hand to her mouth and her eyes, which had held a tired, defeated look, suddenly held a new light. She started to say something, when all at once, a blue uniformed girl stood from behind an open doorway behind them and pointed her wand at Harry's turned back, "AVADA..." A red bolt howled out of nowhere and threw her backwards into the room, fifteen feet backwards to crash through a tall bookshelf filled with charms texts. Hermione appeared in the next instant as she swept her cloak off and her and Harry swept the area with magical pulses that staggered the other magic users in the immediate area. Maxime sprinted into the room behind her wand, following Hermione as she signaled her students to continue their defense.

Hermione gestured with her left hand and the girl's left sleeve was ripped away to the shoulder, she gestured again and the arm rolled outward, exposing the unmarked inside. Ennervate...Revealo, a glittering trail of light slipped from her wand, scanning down the exposed arm and a second later, the Dark Mark slipped into view as the girl moaned back into consciousness. Maxime, and the Head Girl who had followed her into the room, gasped.

Jeanette dove across the room and before anyone could react, backhanded the seventeen-year-old girl whom Hermione still held in invisible bonds. "HOW COULD YOU, YOU...YOU..." The Head Boy, whom Harry had last seen cradling a broken arm and firing back spells at the Death Eaters grabbed her arm, just in time to take the redirected blow from the enraged girl. He wrapped her in his good arm and pulled her away from the revealed Death Eater. "You were my f..f...friend," Jeanette gasped before Robert leaned in to mutter something in her ear. She glared at the girl and crouched down as she slipped out of the classroom to work her way back to the holes in the wall to fire at the Death Eaters.

Maxime glared at the girl, as Harry waved a wand and she collapsed into unconsciousness again. "I have forces outside of the Death Eaters, along with Tonks here inside your parameter-"

"How," Maxime interrupted impatiently, "you could not have, you do not-"

"Headmistress, I could have brought the entire Order through your rear entrance, if I had wished," Harry exaggerated, slightly, "The only reason that I can think of that they did not assault in force up that point was-" he broke off as his eyes met Hermione's. "Oh...Bugger" Harry and Hermione muttered as one. "Get them in the carriages now, you have to get to the tree line. How many students do you have?"

"A hundred or zo, zerveral of which are wounded..."

Harry took a breath as he felt a burning pain erupt in his head; he staggered to the side as a drop of blood leaked from his infamous scar. "Get them in their carriages now, pile as much solid debris around them as you can. Hermione, you stay here..."

"No, damnit, Harry, we face him together..."

"Mione, I need you here to direct their evacuation to where they can Portkey out," Harry said desperately. Four Reductors smashed into the walls next to where Harry and Hermione were standing, more or less under cover, and neither noticed.

"Bullocks, Harry James," Hermione growled and grabbed his shirt, pushing him further back into the shadows. Several of the students who where continuing to fight back, looked up at them until Maxime waved them back to their task. Harry and Hermione stood, toe to toe for a long, endless moment, eyes glowing faintly in the shadows of the broken walls.

Until, Harry nodded reluctantly and sighed. Hermione gave him a pained smile, and kissed his cheek before she whipped out her pocket mirror, "Tonks, Ron." Tonks' shadowed image appeared instantly, with Ron's vague outline of a head appearing a beat later, splitting the screen. Harry looked over Hermione's shoulder, not commenting, as they both knew what they the others needed to do, "Ron get ready, we will be having, company, soon. Tonks get up here, at the front to work with Maxime. Be careful, we've already seen one Death Nibbler among the students." Tonks nodded and vanished from the mirror.

"We'll be read-" Ron looked up at something suddenly, "Bloody fuck," he muttered fiercely, "We have a problem, here, but we'll be ready...kick his arse." He vanished from the mirror without a word. Hermione glanced back at Harry and shrugged.

"Who?" Maxime asked with an odd look on her face, as she stood fully, just barely behind the cover of a broken column as another curse arrowed in at her.

"Voldemort," Harry and Hermione spat together. The students clustered around them shuddered as they vanished back under their cloaks and left. Maxime looked after them for a moment, before screaming at the students to start to load onto the carriages, having discerned what Harry's plan had to be. The Death Eaters had suborned Beauxbatons' own defensive wards for their siege, possibly through the girl they had just captured. The attempt would not have worked at Hogwarts, those ancient defenses could, eventually, be beaten down by sheer force, or lowered voluntarily by the Headmaster or Headmistress, but the castle itself would not have allowed them to be taken over, she had too much will for that. This castle was much younger however, and had not yet developed the sheer presence of the older construct. Maxime poked her head out from cover and squinted towards where she knew that the best site would be for a mass Portkey out.

At the edge of the wards, Ron gulped and looked inward at the school, as what he had spotted came true, "OLYMPE!" A hoarse roar came from the side as Hagrid appeared from the depths of the woods. Twigs and small bits of vegetation were caught in his coat, hair and beard as he staggered forward. He was visibly dragging several Disillusioned DA members who were trying, uselessly to stop him. They dropped away as Hagrid reached the edge of the wards.

A company of Death Eaters turned to the sound and started firing at Hagrid. A wave of spells with colors muted by the bright sun tore towards him and the entire DA took a harsh breath.

In a way it was almost, a more deadly repeat of the scene Ron had witnessed fifth year. Death Eaters started firing at the Half-Giant, desperately, as he reached their midst, his huge stride eating the distance to their positions as if it were nothing. Four stunners bounced off his chest with no effect as he grabbed a Death Eater in each hand and slammed them together with a sickening crunch. A Cruciatus only slowed him only slightly, with a pair of Kedavras miraculously missing him as he used one of the limp Death Eaters in his hands as a club.

More and more Death Eaters started turning from the castle to attack Hagrid, as another two fell to the Berserker in their midst. Ron rolled to his feet, "FOR DUMBLEDORE!" Fourteen wands fired and almost fifty pre-positioned Really Fanged Frisbees erupted into the Death Eaters flank and instantly the battle changed as two score Death Eaters fell. Ron danced to the side, his Disillusionment falling away as a pair of Kedavras shot back at him. He caught the sight of a DA member falling to another out of the corner of his eye and kept going as he ran forward and dove behind a hedgerow. He jumped back as he hit a Death Eater and stabbed forward with his dagger, dropping the Eater. He took a couple of deep, harried pants as Luna slid in next to him. Her leg was wet with blood, but she gave him a quick reassuring nod.

He looked up as Hannah took a hit in the side and was pulled back behind cover by Neville and Ernie as Lavender and Parvati covered them. Ernie took a hit in the knee and collapsed as they reached cover and with a strength that no one knew Neville had, he bodily picked up the Hufflepuff and threw him behind cover. Neville didn't pause to take a breath as he rolled back over the top of the Hedge and fired curses at the Death Eaters, dropping another two before reaching his destination. He looked back at Ron and gave an exaggerated nod, Ron and Luna sprung to their feet, firing, and ran to cover further on, widening their field of fire and settled in.

Ron's eyes hardened as he spotted a black-haired presence in the midst of the fighting, he started to stand to attack Snape, but stopped at Luna's hand on his arm and headshake. Neville shared a look with Ron across the field but neither man gave into their instincts further. They started to rise, to advance further when a huge concussion wave snapped outward from the midst of the battle tossing them backwards like rag dolls to the ground.

A tall, red-eyed presence filled the center of the field and smiled slightly as he took in the counterattacking DA. Voldemort flicked his wand at Hagrid, and a three-inch thick beam of canary slipped across the battlefield and drove him to his knees. His hoarse screams echoed in the air, until he passed out with a thump that Ron heard hundreds of feet away through the chaos of the battle. Voldemort looked at Ron and smiled, darkly. Ron barely ducked in time as another Cruciatus almost hit him. Ernie, Luna, Neville and Parvati fired a Severing Charm, two Reductors and a Piercing Charm, which Voldemort deflected off over the grey Atlantic with flick of his wand. Parvati screamed as she took another Cruciatus from a Death Eater to the side and passed out.

The Death Eater's head exploded as Neville's Reductor found him.

Voldemort turned back to him, raised his wand, and was thrown backwards, through a stone wall of an outbuilding as Harry appeared from under his cloak. The battle paused for a split second as Voldemort stood from the ruins of the building, shook a bit of stone from the shoulder of his cloak and strode imperiously towards Harry. He flicked his wand and twelve; giant pythons arrived in a flash of light and slithered towards Harry. Harry flung up a hand, waved it across his front and watched as a small tornado of flames consumed the snakes. "Harry," Voldemort hissed, "it is so nice to see you again." His cat-pupiled eyes flicked to the side, "And you brought your Mudblood as well," he added as Hermione appeared off to one side. Her wand jabbed at a Death Eater lining up on Harry, and a purple wave cut him off at the knees.

Harry glanced over and MOVED, blurring to the side as a spiraling maroon beam erupted from his wand, surrounding Voldemort. A cylinder of smooth, black stone rose from the ground, encasing the Dark Lord. Harry continued to move, dropping two more Death Eaters as Hermione followed, felling another in his wake. They took cover just as the stone prison exploded showering the area with gravel. "Surely you can do better than that, Harry." Voldemort's magically magnified voice boomed out over the lawn.

Harry looked back, caught Ron's eye from behind the barricade where he and Hermione were temporarily sheltered. He waved Ron back, and jerked his head back towards the school. Harry took a breath, and vanished. Reappearing next to Voldemort, he snapped his wand at the Dark Lord, causing a flaming trail of light to wrap around him, which then faded to steel cables. Voldemort dispelled the binding and fired a Kedavra, missing Harry by a foot as he flashed past. Hermione slashed her wand sideways, and twin, man-sized bits of rubble rose from the shattered castle and swept in towards Voldemort. Both of them crumbled to dust as he pointed his wand at them. A third fallen block changed into a huge lion behind him and pounced, knocking Voldemort from his feet.

Voldemort's body glowed bright red for an instant, the lion burst into flames and vanished. He rose to his feet, his eyes glaring and fired a Cruciatus at Harry, but with an odd bend of his wrist, the beam curved in mid-flight and hit Hermione. She screamed as she fell to her knees, shaking.

"MIONE," Harry screamed, REDUCTO! The beam that howled from his wand, a thick blue beam scintillating with white lighting, hit Voldemort's summoned silver shield, tore through that shield as if it were paper, and crashed into his wand arm. Voldemort's arm ripped from his shoulder in a spray of black blood, with his wand still clutched in his hand. The yellow beam of the Cruciatus torturing Hermione stopped as if a switch had been thrown, and she passed out, unconscious. For the love of Merlin, now, Tonks, Harry muttered in his thoughts as he streaked towards Hermione and Voldemort calmly walked over to where his arm lay twitching on the grass. Ennervate, Harry whispered and watched, his heart beating again, as Hermione stirred, shook her head and got to her feet with his help. She took a breath, and her magic flowed, recharging her.

As if Harry's desperate plea for the Auror had been a shouted command, the remaining outer walls of the school exploded outward, the stones crushing two Death Eaters. Every eye turned back towards the school as three of the huge, house-sized carriages like Beauxbatons had used at the Tri-Wizard charged out through the gap. Ten or so students and faculty hung on each of the carriages firing ever curse they could think of as they passed. The huge horses ran down another four Death Eaters as the carriages careened though the fighting.

The lead carriage streaked past where Hagrid was lying prostrate on the ground as Maxime jumped off it, without it slowing down. She tumbled to a stop, heaved Hagrid to her shoulders with a monumental effort and started staggering rapidly after the carriages. Harry glanced towards the clearing, felt the Portkeys start to go as the students reached the edge of the wards, "NOW, RON, NOW!" Ron looked at Neville, they nodded, and both of them traced a single rune in the air with their wands.

Another hundred of the Twins' best Frisbees and all of the Grenades they had brought with them went off at once. Instantly the Death Eaters were busier trying to keep alive than trying to keep them from escaping. Harry watched the scene as Frisbees lined up in formations and attacked a Death Eater as one or as the flash of hidden grenades set in booby trap mode covered their flanks as he and Hermione started running back, leapfrogging each other as they sent a continuous stream of curses flying back at their enemies. Harry gritted his teeth, barely holding onto his wand as it smoked and threatened to erupt into flames from the constant stream of spells erupting from it. He watched as the last of the DA passed him, with more than one of them being carried, he waved Hermione past him, and looked back at the battlefield just in time to see Voldemort pick up his severed arm, and replace it back on his shoulder. He took the wand into his left hand and waved it over his right shoulder. His right hand flexed and he laughed evilly. Harry felt a spike of fear before he stood, one last time, and ran backwards.

Just as he reached the edge of the area where DA members were Apparating out as fast as they could, a cutting charm ripped into his thigh sending him tumbling into Hermione. She looked back, and waved for Ron and Luna as the last two to remain behind to go. They vanished in a loud CRACK, and an instant later; Harry and Hermione vanished, with a parting gesture from each of them for the Dark Lord.

Voldemort screamed in rage. He turned to the nearest Death Eater, "AVADA KEDAVRA!" The green bolt hit the Death Eater and threw him back almost a hundred feet, sending his lifeless body crashing down over the cliff. At the other end of the battle, Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy, both of whom had managed to stay out of most of the fighting, slowly started to ease out of sight.

**************************Hogwarts*******************************

8:20 pm

Harry limped along the beds of the Infirmary, his heart screaming in pain much worse than that from his cracked rib or the leg still healing under a magical salve. Not a single member of the rescue force had returned unwounded from the day, except, amazingly, Ron. Hagrid was laying taking up almost an entire wall in his hastily conjured stage-sized bed. Olympe had been at his side, wearing a robin-egg sized ring on her hand, until McGonagall herself had pulled the woman away to care for her students. He had not woke yet from Voldemort's curse, but he was breathing much better now, almost seven hours after they had returned.

Hermione looked across the room at him, and gave him a small, shaky smile as she came over and intertwined the fingers of her right hand with those of his left. Harry looked down at their hands as he felt her shaking a bit, and looked back up, over at her eyes. She shrugged slightly as Harry felt another residual tremor pass along her nerves. Harry leaned over, turning enough so they could rest their foreheads together. She kissed him quickly before they walked to the end of the long, magically expanded room and looked back as they leaned against the wall. Besides Hagrid and Hermione, who they both knew that the only reason she wasn't in a semi-coma like the Half-Giant was the fact that her powers were much, much greater than Hagrid's, there were others being tended to, tonight.

Neville sat heavily on the floor, with Lavender on his lap next to where Parvati was sleeping off the effects of Nerve-Regeneration Tonic, it went much faster with magical folk then it had with Hermione's father. In the bed one over, Hannah Abbot was resting next to Ernie McMillan, both of them recovering from Cutting Curses, hers to the side, his to the knee.

Poppy was still muttering about the lack of propriety.

Harry looked down at Luna laying on the bed he usually took up in this, his second home. It was a sign of the times that Poppy had given up on her privacy curtains for the sake of expedience. She had cut the blonde's pants off with her wand to get to Luna's leg and was now bent down over her as an IV pumped glucose and Blood-Replenishing Potion into her. Poppy finished sealing the wound that Luna had insisted was nothing until all of the injured Beauxbatons students had been treated and stood, stiffly. In fact, none of the Hogwarts students, those that were able to get there under their own power that is, had let her treat them until the frightened Beauxbatons students had been helped.

Ron thanked Poppy softly as the matronly witch pulled a blanked up to Luna's chest and told the girl to get some sleep. Poppy patted Ron on the shoulder and walked over to Harry and Hermione, with her eyes only resting briefly on a door at the end of the room. Beyond that room, the worst casualty of the day, at least for Hogwarts, rested, forever.

Zacharias Smith, one of the original members of the DA, and an occasional rival of Harry and the others, had gone down from a Kedavra at the beginning of the fight. He had been picked up as they evacuated, as there were very old traditions involved, ones that never left anyone behind if they could avoid it.

"You should get some rest Harry, Hermione," Poppy whispered hoarsely. She had been forced to treat the entire wounded of Beauxbatons, and the DA by herself, without any help from St. Mungo's as they had found out when they arrived back at the school, it wasn't coming.

Voldemort had, in what the evening edition of the Prophet was already calling the New Year's Massacres struck across Britain and indeed if one counted Paris, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang; Europe. The Wizarding center of Paris, the Street de Magik' had been attacked by giants under the control of McNair. In turn, almost the entire French magical government's forces had responded to the attack, leaving the school uncovered for his true goal, the school. Durmstrang had been even easier, it was now only a smoking hole in the ground, though it was still unknown if it had fallen or had gone over to the Dark before being destroyed.

In Britain it had been worse. A host of Dementors had cut a swath across the Scottish-English boarder, annihilating at least three Muggle villages. A four square block section of Soho near Tonks' apartment had exploded in what the Muggle authorities were calling a "gas main explosion", but Harry privately thought that it was probably an overpowered, delayed Reductor. Four Muggle cruise ships in Norfolk Harbor had sunk as a large tentacled monster had erupted from the deep and pulled them beneath the waves. In Leeds, a school had been overrun by a pack of Werewolves, they were still counting the dead, while in Surrey, a Muggle police station was left with the entire shift lying dead on the floor, their sightless eyes testament to the efficiency of the Avada Kedavra. The Muggle government's explanation for that one was that a terrorist had pumped in Cyanide gas to the heating system.

All in all, the Dark Mark had appeared almost fifty times over Britain and the surrounding countries, but it was almost more of where he did not strike than where he did. For it was the places that it was most feared that Voldemort would strike, Hogwarts, the train returning the students to school or the Ministry, all had gone untouched, except for one Death Eater that Lupin had caught trying to sneak around the edge of the Forbidden Forest. That had been a mistake, for him. St Mungo's, which Harry thought should be a prime target, had also gone untouched, though Harry thought, unlike the published comments of several Ministry officials who claimed that the Hospital was sacrosanct, that it was only a matter of time until it was too, hit, again. They had already forgot the assault on the hospital this past summer. Harry sighed and shook his head at Pomfrey's comments, "We will, but we need to go see McGonagall, have to get the new students settled properly." She frowned but nodded as Harry and Hermione slipped from the room.

Hermione leaned on him as they walked slowly down the halls towards the second floor entrance to McGonagall's office. They nodded as they passed Colin and Dennis who were patrolling the halls along with Honor; the three of them had their wands in hand and looked nervously around. Hermione's tired smile seemed to reassure them as well as the few words Harry muttered to them as they paused. We dodged a Kedavra today, Love, Harry whispered as they walked down a fourth floor hallway and stepped back as a pack of third years hurried back to their dorms from the Great Hall, where the events of school life went on.

And not only the literal ones, Hermione agreed as they descended a flight of stairs to the third floor. She looked to each side, her eyes going slightly unfocused for a second. Finding them alone in the hall, she pulled Harry into an alcove, tucked herself in tight to his chest and felt an instant of vertigo as the entire alcove spun in place, leaving them in a dim passage. Harry waved his wand and torches lit along the corridor, lighting the top of a stone slide that curved downward and to the right. She jumped on the top of the slide, and crossed her arms across her chest as she slipped rapidly away into the darkness. She hit the charmed landing zone a floor down and hundreds of yards away and tumbled forward. She rolled over just as Harry slid in where she had just been.

He stood and reached down and pulled her to her feet. Hermione smiled and kissed him in silent thanks, before she transfigured their torn and stained blacks into pristine school uniforms. She looked down as her black cargos shortened and split, separating until they formed her normal, pleated school skirt. She frowned for an instant at the knee-length skirt and flicked her wand at it again, shortening it by several inches. Harry laughed tiredly and she grinned for an instant before their smiles fell away again. He conjured a pair of night-black robes trimmed in crimson and handed her the smaller of the two before dawning his own.

Fully dressed for this meeting, Hermione placed her Head Girl badge on the chest of her robes and stepped out from a tapestry next to the Gargoyle guarding McGonagall's office. She paused, looking back as Harry stood in the doorway, his face wan. He looked up at her, I lost another one, Hermione; Harry stated flatly and looked down at the floor. His face grew suddenly pale as he leaned against the doorway and shook slightly. It was only luck that we didn't lose everyone.

Hermione slipped back next to him, and wrapped her arms around his waist, she dropped her head to his shoulder and shook it against the coarse fabric of his winter robes. No, it wasn't luck, Harry, we went in with a plan, and we did the job. Shit happens, Harry, you know that better than anyone.

But Zacharias got...

Hermione frowned against his shoulder, not knowing exactly how to say this, then with a tiny groan pulled back enough so she could meet his eyes, her hands slipped up to cup his face as she leaned forward so their foreheads touched lightly, Harry, I love Hagrid, he's my friend as much as yours, he has always been fair to me, to us even when we weren't to him...but more than anything, Zacharias was killed because Hagrid charged in like a berserker and Ron had to get the party started too soon. Harry frowned, and tried to drop his eyes from hers, But even so, Harry, it still could have happened even if Hagrid had never been there.

I know, Harry replied softly, and he won't be the last one, either...he laughed quietly and bitterly as a thought crossed his mind, you know that this wouldn't be nearly as difficult if I was half as evil as the Dursleys thought I was.

But you're not, baby, you're not, Hermione whispered before she leaned in to kiss him.

Harry just nodded, and stepped back, straightening. Hermione fought back tears as she felt the torrent of emotions slip back behind the wall that those Dursleys had taught him to build so well. He took her hand in his and gave it a tiny squeeze, "Shall we be about it?" he asked and pulled them to face the gargoyle. Its blue eyes snapped open, regarded them for an instant and stepped aside, allowing them access to the moving staircase. They rode the stairs to the top without a word or conscious thought passing between them. Reaching the ancient, oaken door, Harry reached out and rapped sharply with the Griffin knocker once, and entered at McGonagall's exhausted command.

Harry and Hermione slipped into the room to find McGonagall sitting behind Dumbledore's old, vast desk with her eyes drooping heavily behind her glasses. Harry's gaze flicked automatically to the portrait behind her, to find that Dumbledore's image was awake and watching the events unfold intently. Harry gave it a nod, which it returned almost as if the ancient wizard was here instead of on his next great adventure. Harry and Hermione approached McGonagall's desk at her wave, passing Remus on the way. He just gave Harry a small pat on the shoulder before he went to go stand near the back of the room with Tonks. Harry looked over at the couch facing McGonagall's desk and saw the two head students of Beauxbatons looking nervously around the office. Maxime sat in a chair the size of a loveseat next to them, looking absently out the window.

McGonagall spared her a consoling look before she looked up at Harry and Hermione through her square-framed glasses. "Mr. Potter, Miss Granger," she said briskly, "you have already met your counterparts from Beauxbatons? Jeanette Braxton and Robert Smythe?" all four of them nodded, "Good, then if you would please, work with them to get their school mates settled in? For tonight, Filius has outfitted the Great Hall as a makeshift dormitory, they will sleep there tonight." Harry nodded. McGonagall shared a look with him, communicating her sorrow at the night's events. "Mr. Smith was a brave student, he will be missed."

"Yes, ma'am, he was," Harry agreed softly. "Will there be anything else?"

McGonagall shook her head, "No, Potter, Granger, we will offer a place to those students who choose to complete their studies for the rest of the year here if they so choose, and we will be sorting them in the morning, but for now let them rest."

"Ma'am," Harry began fitfully after an instant, "I assume that you will be writing a letter to Zacharias' parents?"

"I am sorry to say that his parents passed several years ago, I will be writing to his uncle however, Harry, he is an Auror in Ireland," Minerva explained.

"I would like to write a letter as well to go with your correspondence, ma'am," Harry said, "to tell his Uncle how brave he was, and how he died...I owe him that much." McGonagall nodded, not trusting her voice as Harry looked at the two Beauxbatons students and motioned them to their feet, "I guess we should show you where your friends are bunking and give you a brief tour." Harry led the two out of the door, with Hermione following, pausing just long enough to share a glance with McGonagall as she closed the door, long enough to catch the single tear that slipped unnoticed down her mentor's tight visage.

There you go...Next chapter, a little training that the Ministry wouldn't approve of, and back to the hunt....Stay tuned...

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33. Getting Ready

Just like the title says...Thanks, as usual to Lady Starlight for her splendiferous work on this chapter.

Chapter 33: Getting Ready
*********************Hogwarts, Room of Requirement************************

January 5, 1998
8:15 pm

"Not that I always disagree with the Ministry's thoughts on underage magic," Harry commented wryly to a packed Room of Requirement. He looked around the room at the gathered DA, which was almost entirely present except for Ernie, Hannah and Susan. They were off working on another project with the Twins, on setting up new hidden fixed defenses for the school, pre-positioning them to cover an escape or ingress if needed. None of them were needed tonight, however, in fact none of the seventh years really needed to be here tonight, not for the lessons that would be imparted this evening.

"But that they are annoyingly inconvenient at times," Hermione went on, finishing his thought. She looked at Harry and shrugged, before she stood, and started to pace in front of the DA members present. She looked at the Creevey brothers as they stood together talking, she crooked an eyebrow and they shut up, abruptly. A tiny wisp of a smile crossed her face before she continued. "The Ministry does not think that you are responsible enough to do magic outside of these walls if you are under seventeen. That's not the case in other countries, especially outside of Europe, but the battlefield is here. And in this type of battle we will need to get around, rapidly."

"What are you talking about, Hermione?" Dennis shouted from his spot near the door, "Apparation? We cant' learn that until sixth year, and we can't take the test until we're seventeen."

"No, Dennis," Harry replied, and moved to stand next to Hermione. "You can learn how...the Ministry just won't let you have a license until you're seventeen."

"If you really need it, legal niceties will not matter," Hermione replied and waved her hand. Over to one side, a series of large hoops appeared on the floor, demarking a training area. Around them the Room of Requirement expanded itself growing in height and breadth. A second story mezzanine appeared behind Hermione and Harry so they could look down over the whole room and to give the others practice in changing elevations, and with out a sound they vanished to appear on it looking down. "Since you are in the Room of Requirement, you can Apparate here, unlike the rest of the castle." Her eyes cut sideways and shared a tiny, secret grin with Harry about something.

"There are other factors that the Ministry does not teach you about Apparation and the ways to keep ones in or out that, given what we are up to, you should know," Hermione went on. Her voice fell into her soft, lecturing tone, as she started to pace slightly. Harry grinned slightly as he watched, for a moment, before reaching out to stop her pacing. She grinned back at him, while down below Ron rolled his eyes and conjured a bag of popcorn. He began to munch as Hermione continued, "Apparation, at least how Wizards practice it, is basically spilt into two similar techniques, Familiar Apparation and Positional Apparation. As some of you already know, Familiar Apparation is probably the easiest, in it, you use your connection to a place; somewhere you've already been to return there. Or somewhere you can see directly. That's why it's easiest to Apparate somewhere you've already been, and most especially somewhere a great deal of your own Magical signature is already present such as your home."

"Positional Apparation is more difficult," Hermione mentioned as she motioned towards the now twenty-foot high side wall of the room, and a huge map of Britain appeared. The map was overlaid with a grid that as one got closer was divided into finer and finer grids. Hermione flicked her wand in the air, and traced a long, complicated Arithmatic equation in the air with fiery letters. "True Positional Apparation relies on solving this equation for Apparation coordinates...fortunately, no one really does, not even me." She smirked slightly. "The part of your brain that controls your ability to do magic has an intrinsic ability to solve the equation for the vector and Magical energy you need to use to get to where you are going."

Harry glanced down to see Ron's eyes along with several the of the other DA member's start to glaze over, Mione...

They need to learn this, Harry, she replied, her thoughts, prim. Harry rolled his eyes, but raised his hands in defeat, she looked around and sighed, Alright, I'll cut it short... "That's one reason that the Ministry claims that you need a license to Apparate. Until recently, they had a means to track underage Apparation," she, Harry and Ron shared a tiny grin. "The Ministry lost that ability over the summer, and according to Mad-Eye, they haven't been able to replace it." At least a half-dozen pairs of eyes looked to Harry, as he developed a remarkable interest in the hoops set up for the training.

"But considering what we might be up against, what you really need to learn about, besides how to Apparate, are the anti-Apparation wards, that you might run up against," Harry added, looking around the room.

"Here at Hogwarts, the ones that are in place are mostly benign," Hermione picked up, "They perform two functions, within the school, they twist the fabric of, for the lack of a better term, hyperspace," around the room, Muggle borns and several of the half-bloods grinned at some joke, "so that no one can enter it, it's the same as most security wards in that you need a key or combination. Of course, no one since the founders has had the key to the Hogwarts wards. From the outside, if you try to Apparate to the school, you'll be thrown off in a random direction, you could end up anywhere from London to the middle of the North Sea."

"It gets more complicated, when you are dealing with some of the wards that you might find if you come up against Death Eaters. During the last war, it was common for a Death Eater to set up a lethal ward, and drive whom they were attacking into it."

"You don't want to find yourself splinched by one of those," Harry muttered, loudly. "We'll go through those later though, for now, get in groups with one of the seventh years that already knows how and has their license." He watched as the crowd spilt up into five more or less even groups in front of the five hoops that were placed on the ground along the west wall. Harry nodded, "Unlike normal however, you won't be able to splinch yourself, much."

Harry watched and commented as he paced around the room for the next two hours. He looked over and watched the Creeveys, with the help of Neville taking turns jumping in and out of the target hoops. He hid a smile as Dennis' hair flashed red, the Room's substitute for him really leaving behind his hair if this had been anywhere else. He paced on, watching as the a group of Ravenclaw fifth years, kept trying, and applauded along with the rest of the room, when Cassie Securest managed to hop back and forth between the rings after only her fifth attempt.

Harry looked up at the clock, "Alright guys, let's leave it here for now." He paced back to the front of the room and waved for everyone's attention. "Last Friday...we lost one of our own," the room fell silent at his words, "and I can't guarantee that Zacharias will be the last of us to die or to get seriously hurt." Harry scanned the faces of the others, "You can leave anytime you want, no one will hold it against you," his words held the subtle edge of a command, and several of the DA members nodded to themselves. Harry went on after giving them a moment to digest, "We will be back here Wednesday, and we will continue with Apparation, while those who have gotten that down, will work on dueling with myself, Ron or Neville. Alright, go to bed, you miscreants," Harry added in his best Head Boy voice.

Several of the DA members stopped and muttered words of encouragement as they passed, or reassurances that they would not quit, and Harry nodded to each of them, even as he knew their own wishes might not matter. It had not yet happened to Gryffindor, mainly because Seamus and the Patils were of age, but several of the other students had already been sent home at the requests of their parents. The new, added students from Beauxbatons that had chosen to stay at Hogwarts to continue their studies had helped bolster the ranks, but they had still thinned. Harry watched the last one go, nodded to Ron and paced out of the room.

Hermione looked at Ron, got a shrug in return from him, and followed Harry. He was silent as she caught up to him; actually he was standing, waiting for her just outside of the door. She took his hand and let him lead her along the halls, not speaking, just walking. After several minutes of silence, they reached the Astronomy Tower, and stepped through the heavy, oaken door as it opened for them at a glance from Harry.

A cold January wind howled across the battlements as Harry pulled Hermione into his side, and looked out over the grounds. A brass telescope that someone had left out here squeaked on its mount, breaking the silence as they looked down on Hagrid's cabin, which tonight was lit with the glow of lamps from the inside and smoke was rising from the chimney. It had been repaired after the fight here last June, and even though the scars and burns were gone, erased with a flick of McGonagall's wand, Harry could still see every single one. How many do you think we'll lose before the end of the month, Hermione?

She shrugged and flicked her fingers, casting a Warming Charm on them both before responding, I don't know Harry...I'd like to think that we won't lose that many in Gryffindor, but if the Patils weren't of age, their father would have already had Aurors here to drag them home. Harry nodded as he turned and slid to the base of the battlements, and Hermione curled up more or less on his lap. She smiled, slightly, for just an instant, Think Filch will try to run us off, take points?

Love, we have a perfectly good bed, Harry leaned forward and kissed her hair, thanks though...Mione?

Yeah, Baby?

I don't know what to do anymore. This is why I wasn't going to come back here...Harry shrugged as Hermione burrowed deeper into his robes, burying her face against his chest, Ron'd say we should get pissed...take our minds off it.

After all this is over, we will...remember, you still have that big wedding you promised me...Harry rolled his eyes, but nodded against the top of her head where she had it tucked under his. But more importantly, Harry, we have other, more important things to do. She softly jangled her bracelet that he had gotten her for Christmas.

Yeah...why do your parents come up with names that can't be pronounced? Harry asked after a moment's silence.

Hermione giggled, before punching him half-heartedly in the arm, That's not true, you could say my name perfectly well when you met me.

That's because I am an all-powerful wizard, Harry retorted and fell silent as what he had said hit home. For years, Ron and the rest of their friends had commented and occasionally complained of their ability to speak without words, or unbeknownst to the rest of them, thoughts, in was in this vein that Hermione already knew what he was going to 'say' and let him speak, it was always preferable to a closed up Harry, after all. Do you ever wonder what would have happened if Dumbledore hadn't been killed? Would this be over by now, would we already have all of the Horcruxes and Riddle would be dead?

Maybe, or honestly, maybe not, Harry, I would like to think I'm pretty good at research, Hermione muttered, and I...we haven't found them all yet. Harry...I'm going to try to scry for the staff again, I think that I can find it.

What if we do find it Hermione, what then? The last one we destroyed damn near killed you. Harry groaned and shifted her on his lap slightly, as something in her pocket bit into his thigh.

I think I may have a solution to that problem, Hermione whispered, shivering slightly as a cold gust slipped up her robes past the Warming Charm, the sword can destroy a fragment, once it is released, you've already shown that, and I think I have found a way to hold it in place when we break the binding to the Horcrux... Harry's eyebrow crooked, and Hermione nodded slightly, In the binding rituals of Mesopotamia, they used what they called a Negral Cage, to contain a soul fragment, for implantation into a Familiar, they did the binding to their Familiars a touch differently than we do, they seem to have a spell to slice off a bit of their soul, but they didn't kill anything to do it, so Tom wouldn't have liked the idea. Also they didn't bind that fragment tight enough to provide an anchor to this world, it was more of a process by which the animal binds instantly instead of building up to the point that we are, say with Crooks or Hedwig. The fragment automatically went back to the person, the cage was to prevent it doing so.

Can you cast the spell? Harry said quickly, intrigued.

If we had a Phoenix it would help, they have certain energies that would allow the cage to be cast with much more strength, and a great deal faster, and from what we saw this summer, you only have seconds to kill the fragment before it attacks you or escapes to Voldemort.

So, we just need to find a semi-mystical creature, very soon...because we are going to scry for that Staff again, and whether it's really in Little Hangleton, along with Tommy and all his playmates or in Antarctica, we're going after it, Harry replied with dark amusement.

Hermione shrugged, Basically.

Lovely, and here I thought this was supposed to be hard, Harry replied sarcastically, and watched as several of the school owls fought their way through the winds, and flew past on their nightly patrols for dinner. When do you think that we can be ready to scry for the Staff, Hermione...even if we shouldn't destroy it immediately, I would rather have it in our possession.

Hermione grunted, closed her eyes and vanished them from the rooftop to the their bedroom where they appeared, a couple of inches above the bed and bounced several times before stopping. Tomorrow, let's try tomorrow, we need Luna there, obviously.

Harry nodded, kissed her and stood from the bed, shucking his robe and tossing it over the back of the couch, leaving him in jeans and a jumper. He paced to the window and watched as the panes of the ancient, leaded glass vibrated in the wind. He grinned as Hermione slipped up behind him, and slid her arms around his waist. She eased around to his front, and slid between him and the window. Harry laughed as he found that she had lost her robe and evidentially all of the buttons on her shirt on the way over as it now hung open, revealing a quite interesting garment of black lace peaking out from behind her tie.

Hermione reached up, placing her palms flat on his chest before she leaned in, touching her lips to his. She sighed as she felt his tongue slip past her lips and felt one of his hands come up to cradle the back of her head as she deepened the kiss, dropping her hands to the hem of his jumper, and working her way underneath. She glanced over at their bed and smirked, her eyes twinkling as she was visibly plotting something.

She pulled back, her bottom lip trailing as she broke the kiss and started walking backwards, crooking her finger for him to follow. Harry watched as she loosened her tie and pulled it over her head, flinging it over towards the window where it caught around Hedwig's perch. Hermione continued to back up slowly, wagging her eyebrows slightly and biting one corner of her lip as she spun, reached up under her open shirt and shucked her bra, all without removing her shirt. She turned back to Harry to reveal a stripe of lightly tanned skin from her throat to her skirt framed by the white edges of her uniform shirt, Harry's eyes slowly scanned downward, pausing just for an instant on the scar between her breasts, and the green jewel dangling several inches lower. She crawled up on the bed and kneeled facing him, before reaching under her skirt, and pulling a tie loose. She tossed a black scrap of fabric towards him, and giggled as his eyes followed its arc as it dropped to the rugs halfway between them.

She placed her hand flat against her abdomen, and spread her fingers across her belly. Hermione's eyes flickered as she cast a spell and smirked at him, as he watched her, slightly dazed, Well, dear, are you going to make me do everything?

Thought about it, Harry admitted softly as he grinned and started to walk over to her. He shucked his jumper, leaving him in a dark blue t-shirt bearing the legend, 'Little Hangleton...nuke it from orbit, it's the only way to be sure...' Hermione laughed, before her eyes darkened, almost becoming black as she reached out to start to work at the buckle on Harry's belt. Just what are you doing? Harry asked quietly, closing his eyes as she brushed her fingers over his crotch possessively.

"Shut up, I'm working here."

"You most certainly are," Harry mused, as he leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers; pushing her back onto the bed. Hermione fell onto her back, and moaned softly as Harry began to nuzzle her neck as his fingers began to slip down to tweak a nipple. She yelped as his head followed his hands, nursing gently, as his fingers trailed downward, lifting up her skirt and sliding under, unimpeded by anything, since her knickers were across the room.

Hermione moaned and arched up off the bed as Harry slid one, then two fingers home and began to slowly slide them in and out. She began to buck against his hand, working much more than Harry was as she strained forward, trying to catch his lips with hers. Harry teased her, moving just enough to elude her for a minute, until he gave up at a pleading look in her eyes. She shivered, her eyes rolling back in her head almost immediately as she crashed with a faint pulse of energy snapping out into the room and rebounding off of the wards. She continued to pound her hips against his hand for several more endless instants before she collapsed against the bed, breathing heavily.

Hermione lay breathless for a minute before she reached up and pulled his head down to hers. She took a deep breath, panting as she watched him hanging over her on his hands and knees. She reached up, and swept the fall of sodden chestnut locks away from where it covered one side of her face before scanning down his body with a tiny smirk, Harry...get your bloody clothes off, now... He grinned, tugging his t-shirt off over his head and tossing it in a corner. Hermione giggled as Harry's glasses went tumbling away with it, and bounced into the corner of the room. "You forgot the sticking charm again, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Harry replied as he lost the rest of his clothes and crawled up to the top of the bed, reached down and pulled Hermione into his lap. Hermione leaned forward; pressing his lips to his as she reached down under her skirt she still had on and guided him home. Her shirt fell away as she finished shrugging out of it, and started to move, sliding up and down.

Two pairs of eyes flared behind mostly closed lids as heartbeats and minds merged. Harry's hands slipped down, cradling and supporting her at the hips, while his thumbs turned inward, rubbing in slow circles over her hipbones. Hermione looked down at him, through slitted lids before she arched forward kissed him again and leaned all the way back, resting her hands on his thighs behind her and trusting him to keep her upright. She began to bounce faster and faster, pushing down on Harry to keep him on the bed, when suddenly she stopped and grinned at him. She took a quick, deep breath and stuck out her tongue at him as his eyes shot open and he squinted at her in the dim room, as his and her eyes provided most of the remaining illumination in the room. The candles normally lighting the room had already gone out in a previous rush of magic.

Miiionnneee, Harry moaned as she grinned at him. She let out a loud "eep," as Harry sat up and pushed her back onto her back. Harry waggled his eyebrows at her, before he began to slide in and out, slowly; torturously. Hermione managed to pout...slightly as she looked up at him though heavily lidded eyes, before she wrapped her legs behind his waist.

Fa...faster...Harry, Hermione stammered as Harry continued to move slowly, If you l..love me, you...you'll...

You know, I...I always do what you ask, Harry replied as he moved faster. He buried his face in her neck and began to slowly nuzzle there as he sped up his movements. They continued to move together, matching each other without conscious thought for minutes more. Harry took a breath as he felt Hermione began to quiver underneath him, shaking. He felt the cascade of her thoughts crashing as she fell over the edge, shuddering and pumping against him. Harry went with her as she pulled him along, drawing him along for the ride, loosing whatever separate self he had left in her for a long, endless moment.

Harry collapsed on top of her, vaguely knowing that she wasn't feeling terribly crushed by his weight. She reaffirmed his thoughts as she tightened the grip she had on him, and sighed contentedly.

Harry...Hermione whispered after a moment, of neither of them moving. She slowly released her grip, and let out an involuntary moan as Harry pulled away and rolled onto his side. Hermione rolled to face him, burying her face in his shoulder as she intertwined her legs with his. Love you.

Harry nodded; bending his neck to kiss her hair, Love you more, Harry replied, smiling satedly. He looked down at Hermione, and laughed, you still have your skirt on, Mione...

Fine...Hermione rolled her eyes before she snapped her fingers and her skirt vanished and reappeared across the room, hanging off Hedwig's perch next to her abandoned tie. Poor Hedwig, Hermione giggled as she poked her head up a bit and observed the state of the Familiar's perch before tucking back into Harry's shoulder. She made a note to herself to order more owl treats, it was her turn after all, and rolled over onto her other side, spooning back against her husband. Harry tiredly raised a pair of fingers in the air, summoning the comforter back from the floor where it had ended up to partially cover them as they laid together with their heads at the wrong end of the bed. Harry, we're on the bed upside down, Hermione pointed out.

So? Harry shrugged as he kissed her neck, before closing his eyes, and burying his face in her hair. Let's get some sleep; we are supposed to meet with Lupin and those Beauxbatons transfers about DADA requirements in the morning. Hermione nodded and snuggled back tighter against him, reaching down and intertwining her fingers with his free hand where it rested low on her belly. The background murmur of her thoughts slowed somewhat as she allowed herself to fall off to sleep before Harry let himself follow her.

After several minutes filled with only the soft sounds of contented breathing and the crackle of a low fire in the grate, a soft POP announced the arrival of a visitor. Dobby looked up at the pair from his arrival spot near the couch and just nodded. Carefully, so as not to wake them, he levitated the comforter from where it currently rested, bunched up around their waists, to approximately their shoulders and moved a pillow under Harry's head. Hermione looked rather comfortable. His primary task, at least in his mind, completed, Dobby looked back into the room that once again had become something resembling what one saw after a Norwegian Green was set loose in a china shop, and shook his head ruefully. He waved his hand over the room and watched, carefully, as all of the books rose from their tumbled positions on the floor and restacked themselves in the order that Hermione had had them in. A pair of the previously extinguished candles relit, providing a touch of illumination in the room, and several abandoned mugs of tea and cold coffee vanished back to the kitchens. Dobby gave the room one last look, noting with a shake of his head the clothes scattered about, and other things but he didn't move them.

He was a 'free' if rather highly paid elf, but he left the clothes were they lay because both his 'Master' and 'Mistress' had explained ad nauseum that they wanted to pick up after themselves. Dobby, who was just glad that his current masters considered him a friend, if not a family member, let them have their eccentricities, after all they didn't beat him every night like his former masters had.

He walked over to the fire, levitated another log into it, stoked the fire a bit and vanished with another soft POP.

*************************The Hog's Head, Hogsmeade**********************

January 6, 1998
10:20 am

The dilapidated bar and somewhat seedy hangout of the likes of Mundungus Fletcher and, when he was alive, Albus Dumbledore, was mostly empty at this time in the morning. Only a few dedicated drinkers were scattered amongst the rickety tables nursing bottles of Firewhiskey or flagons of various ales. A tall, bearded man stood behind the bar, looking disdainfully at a dish rag as it wiped ineffectively at a cluster of dirty glasses. He pushed a pair of silver framed, round glasses up a long nose that had been obviously broken several times. Tired blue eyes scanned over the bar before he turned and went into the back through a door set next to a shelf filled with half-filled bottles of spirits.

He closed the door behind him and sealed it with the flick of a quickly drawn and replaced wand. He sat down and looked across the small office and set down behind a scarred and rent pine desk. He reached into a drawer and removed an old, dusty bottle of Ogden's, with a date on its handwritten label of 1843, and a clean water glass. He opened the one hundred and fifty five year old whiskey and poured the glass half full before he restoppered it. He took a long pull of the whiskey before he looked up and over at an empty, gilded frame. He coughed, loudly, and a tall, silver-bearded man, with a crooked nose and a pair of half-moon, golden glasses framing identical eyes. "It has begun, Albus," he sighed and took another sip, "the other schools have fallen."

The man in the portrait nodded and flicked a wand. A gilded, golden chair appeared and he sat down. With another flick, a small glass appeared on the arm of the chair and he took a sip. "It never tastes the same...We knew it would, Aberforth, matters will only get worse before they will get better I am afraid."

"Potter is not ready, Albus, he has not yet accomplished the task given him," Aberforth growled in an almost dark tone. A crash of broken glass came from the direction of the bar followed immediately by the sound of drunken laughter.

"He will, brother, he will, he gave me his word," Albus replied with a small salute with his glass before the he continued with a nod, "Harry has been placed on a long, dangerous road that he travels with difficulty. Difficulties that I feel that I am responsible for."

"He has been foolish Albus," Aberforth objected, his blue eyes glittering, "he has let himself be sidetracked with other things, with school, with...love," he spat and tossed back his whiskey before pouring himself another.

In the portrait, Dumbledore's eyes hardened, turning into bright, hard blue-white diamonds, "Just because you chose a path, brother, do not disparage him for choosing another. Especially one that will give him a chance of not only surviving...but remaining sane afterwards. Do you want another Dark Lord after Tom dies? She is not only his shield, his strong right arm, she is his anchor."

"Granger is not Anne, Albus, and even if she were, Anne died when Grindelwald came for her, remember?"

Albus' image stood and glared at his brother, "Be wary, Aberforth, not all is as it seems. And yes, brother, I know that she is not Anne, my wife was a powerful and skilled witch, but she was not in the same league as Hermione, not even within shouting distance as they say these days. She may not be able to destroy Tom by herself, directly, but she is not helpless by any means, and she very well may be the most intelligent witch since Rowena. If any pair can out think and defeat Tom, they can."

"Even so, Albus, they are but two, Tom may have hundreds, perhaps thousands under his thrall by now," Aberforth objected as he looked towards the bar, at another sound of breaking glassware. "The Order is becoming depleted with this warfare, and the Ministry has only been somewhat effective."

"Harry has an army, one that is much more loyal than anything the Order would ever be to him."

"The rest of the Order should know about the...items and the Prophesy."

Dumbledore's image shook its head. "It is enough that those who do know, know. Tom still does not know for sure the contents of that prediction; he must not or he may send every single force at his disposal against Harry before Harry is ready to finish it. And that could be catastrophic."

***********************Room of Requirement**************************

11:58 pm

Hermione sat nervously in the midst of a large, slightly glowing, inscribed circle on the floor. Her fall of hair hid her face from observation as it hung unbound around her face, obscuring the light already dancing in her eyes. The curls of her hair danced in the air from her breath as she leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees as she sat Indian style. She bit her lip slightly as Harry dropped to the floor in front of her, folding his legs in front of him to mirror her stance. He took her hands in his, and began to slowly turn his thumbs over the backs of her hands. Her fingers tightened around his, but she did not otherwise acknowledge him.

Behind them, the door to the room opened and Ron and Luna stepped into the mostly barren room. Besides the glowing circle inscribed on the floor, a large map of Europe and northern Africa seemed to be inlayed in the very floor. The ruined Grimoire of Ravenclaw sat to Hermione's left, with Crookshanks, slumbering unconcernedly to her right. A pitiful few torches faintly lit the room, causing Luna's pale hair to almost glow in the dimness.

"It will be a bit different, this time," Hermione said to the room without preamble or looking up at the newcomers. Her knuckles whitened as she tightened the grip she had on Harry's hand. A small door appeared in the bottom of the door, and Luna's new familiar slipped through, and curled up against her feet. The Kneazle-like creature's fur shifted from the moonlight white he had been wearing, to a deep, deep black. Hermione dropped one of Harry's hands, and pulled a dagger from behind her back. "Harry and I are already bonded, being married and all," she said wryly, "but..." Hermione dropped Harry's other hand and swept her hair away from her face. She reached out and pulled a large goblet filled with a faintly smoking potion from the air. "You want to go too, don't you, Ron?" she asked but didn't bother to look over to see his nod, she already knew.

In one quick motion, Hermione held up her dagger in her right hand, and closed her left fist around the blade, hissing in pain as the insanely sharp edge cut into her palm. She pulled her dagger away and handed it, hilt first to Harry before she held her dripping hand over the cup and watched as several milliliters of blood dropped into the goblet with a loud hiss. Harry did the same before dropping Hermione's dagger into the wooden floor point first. Luna knelt down next to Hermione, displacing Crookshanks. He got up and moved annoyedly over to sit next to Greymalkin. The pair of familiars curled up together, waiting. "This extends your link to us then?" Luna asked as she reached behind her back and retrieved her dagger. A brief murmur of pain later and her blood joined theirs in the goblet.

Luna looked up and back and waved towards the empty spot to Harry's right. Ron nodded, and sat. His eyes didn't even flicker in pain as he added his blood to the other three's and looked down as the smoking greenish potion, cleared to a bright red, before fading to a clear, water-like appearance. "How much of this do I need to drink, Hermione?"

Hermione gave him a slight, pained smile, "A couple of sips, Ron," she replied, not adding, in words anyway, her gratitude. She watched as Luna took hers before she took the cup from her. Hermione drank a pair of swallows and handed the goblet to Harry. As soon as he swallowed for the final time, the circle snapped into place, enclosing them in a shimmering, yellow-white half sphere. Every other source of light went out in the room, save several sets of slightly glowing eyes. Ron looked over as he felt his mind stretching out, feeling the presences on either side and in front of him. To either side of him, two quite similar presences shone brightly, their magic almost blinding this close, like looking into the sun through a telescope. He shuddered slightly, forcing his attention forward.

A bright shining, feeling greeted him, though unlike the two to each side, this one was slippery, ethereal, almost as if it was not always fully here. With a rush, he felt the presence solidify and felt the impression of a pair of familiar silvery-gray eyes on his, Relax, Ronnie, he 'heard' in his head. Ron opened his eyes, unaware that he had closed them to begin with to find three slightly concerned sets of eyes, one faintly glowing white, the other two a faintly pulsing emerald, on his.

Hermione cocked her head, Are you alright, Ron? she whispered, as she looked at him with slight concern in her eyes. She glanced at Harry, who shrugged.

It's alright, mate, Harry said reassuringly, smiling slightly as he looked over to Ron. Ron looked at each of them slowly, panning his head to each of them in turn. His eyes widened suddenly...

THIS IS BLOODY COOL! He exclaimed causing the other three of them to wince, Sorry, he apologized quickly as he realized what he had done. He looked at Harry, Is this what it's like for you two all the time? This is brilliant; you could sit in class all day, and never get caught for talking or anything...

Um, yeah, Ron, Harry muttered, catching Hermione's eye for an instant, causing a fleeting grin to slide across her lips, you could. Though we'll see how brilliant you think it is in a bit-do it, Mione.

Hermione took a breath, as she felt the magic in the room start to flow towards a spot centered between them. You know what to do, Luna? she asked and waited until she saw the blonde's slow, hesitant nod. Hermione reached out, grabbed the dagger that Harry had placed in the wood next to them and flipped it up into the air. It rotated several times, flipping end over end before it came to hover tip down above the map over an unmarked spot in northern Scotland.

Behind the soft white glow infusing her eyes, Luna's pupils shrunk to almost nothing, becoming unfocused in the here and now. The other three felt their own magical signatures changing becoming more vague, ghostlike. She looked in the direction of Hermione and nodded, as Ron frowned, What's going on? he snapped, a touch concerned.

Hermione bit her lip, and looked at him, with unnerving, glowing emerald eyes that only gained in brightness as she took a breath before answering, She's masking our signatures with hers. Luna is just enough out of phase with us, when she wants to be, to not quite be noticeable, Hermione explained quickly and took a breath. She reached out, and took Harry's hands, more for the support than for the actual contact, the permanent link with him and the temporary one with her friends was enough to take them along. She got a squeeze of reassurance from Harry, FOUNDROUS FAMILIARUS LOCATUS... twin white beams shot from Luna's ring and the ruined spell book and converged on the tip of the floating dagger. Hermione's eyes looked directly into Harry's, PROJECTORM, a sudden rush of images filled their thoughts as both girls convulsed, Luna leaning back so suddenly as to almost rap her head on the floor, before being caught and pulled back upright by Harry's flashing hand.

Hermione started to tremble slightly as images of green fields, of mountains, of deep lakes and swift rivers began to slip past her mind's eye. As it had before on the much smaller map, the dagger began to move, slowly scanning down the map. Behind her, both familiars rose from their haunches and moved to sit leaning against their Mistresses. Crookshanks yellow eyes were also glowing slightly, pulsing directly in time with the oscillations of the enclosing dome, while Greymalkin's odd black on black ones acquired a strange, ultraviolet glow as he leapt up to curl up in Luna's lap. Harry and Ron's Quidditch careers held them in good stead, and as the swooping and flying images left them swaying a touch as well.

Harry's heartbeat, and Hermione's as well, speed up as the images paused as the Dagger slowed over Southern England, but this time it did not drop to the wood.

As she had that night in November, she suddenly looked around at a old and abandoned graveyard. She took a step over a broken headstone and looked over at the large white stone inscribed with Tom Riddle. She took a deep breath and relaxed as she felt a familiar hand fill hers. A rush of power filled their bones as they looked up at the manor house on the hill and started to walk towards it, following the faint trail of the Horcrux's signature, but almost as they reached the door, thankfully without, this time, any sense that they had been detected, Hermione looked over and saw a faint glowing trail leading off, away from the house. She turned to follow it, with Harry at her side, Luna behind them still casting her aura over them, and Ron trailing all three, watching their back, when in a rush, she was flying again.

Over the map to one side, the Dagger started to drift south once again, as an image of the choppy grey waters of the Channel filled Hermione's vision. She saw the green fields of Northern France fly past her vision, and frowned as the images did not slow. After another instant, she felt herself flying over what she knew was Rome. The Dagger tracked northeast from Italy to Romania, curiously more or less over the same region that Charlie had been buried in; then with a sudden burst of speed it appeared over Egypt, and started slowly passing along the Nile.

The Dagger stopped over a small dot labeled Giza, and dropped into the map point first.

Hermione and the rest found themselves standing in deep sands looking up at the tall, shadowed forms of several Pyramids. Hermione looked over and caught Harry's eye in the projection. As one they turned around and looked at Ron. Blimey, he muttered in a sense of horrified awe, we came here with Bill. Hermione looked out and sent out a probe of magic, watching as the faintly glowing trail led to a seemingly blank face of exposed sandstone, set down and in a hollow from the well-traveled area of the Pyramids.

Break the circle, Crooks...Hermione commanded, and with a sudden leap to his feet, and two bounces, Crookshanks swiped at the hemisphere with his claws and it vanished with a loud BANG. All four of them felt a rushing sensation as they were swept back into their own bodies, and in the case of two of them, back into their own heads. Hermione shivered on the floor for a moment before she fell forward into Harry's arms. The blood from their cut hands stained each other's clothes as they clung to each other for a long moment, before she pulled away enough to give him a quick peck on the cheek and to look at the other two who were sharing a conjured, cold butterbeer. "It looks like we are going to Egypt," Hermione announced unnecessarily.

"Ron, get in touch with Bill, we need to see him as soon as possible, let him know he might need to take a few days off from Gringotts," Harry added as Ron rose to his feet, the least effected of all of them as he had more or less been along for the ride as there was little trouble. Ron gathered Luna in his arms and spun her around so her back was against his chest as he held out her bleeding arm in front of him and touched it with his wand in the other hand, sealing the wound. Hermione and Harry did likewise for each other as Luna healed Ron's.

"I'll send an Owl off tonight, Harry, um...have him meet me in Hogsmeade tomorrow night, I'll say it's to plan something for..." he grinned and kissed Luna on the top of the head, where she had automatically tucked underneath his chin, "Luna's birthday next month." Luna smiled up at him beautifully as she was slightly amazed, frankly, that he had remembered. Harry nodded and waved towards the door, he flicked a wand and all evidence of the night's activities, the blood stains on the floor, the map, the book vanished. Hermione's Dagger shot through the air to drop in her waiting hand, and she sheathed it behind her back, before wrapping her arms around him once more.

"Good, Ron, we'll see you in the morning, I'm going to go put Hermione," Hermione had almost drifted off in his arms, "to sleep, and frankly I'm going to join her." Without another word, the two of them vanished without a sound. Ron looked over at the center of the room as a small table, a single piece of parchment and a quill appeared. He nodded, crossed the room, and with Luna looking over his shoulder, he began to write.

After a minute of furious scribbling, Ron finished his note, and closed and sealed it with a charm that Hermione had taught him that would destroy it if anyone other than the intended recipient opened it. He slipped it into his pocket and straightened. Ron glanced up at Luna, and grimaced slightly. "Luna," he began slowly, and unconsciously looked towards where his best friends had stood before they had vanished, "do you regret choosing me..." he still didn't want to look at her for some reason, "I mean I can't give you the connection that those two have, I..."

"Ronald," Luna whispered as she crossed to him in a couple of hurried strides, "Ronnie, they've had seven years to get there," she said quietly in an absolutely serious tone, she rose on her toes and kissed him, sighing as she lowered herself and took his hands in hers. Her eyes held his, "Give me seven years, honey, and we'll be there too."

A/N: Alright, guess what we're doing next chapter, anyone....anyone?

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34. The Nile….yep it’s still a river in Egypt.

This chapter is quite possibly possessed by a Horcrux....thanks to Lady Starlight for her work. If the colors show cool, if not, its something in PK, they are there
Chapter 34: The Nile....yep it's still a river in Egypt.
************************Hogwarts, Transfiguration 1*************************

January 8, 1998
2:25 pm

Hermione looked up as Tonks passed, lecturing on sympathetic magic effects. She tripped slightly and caught herself as she passed Ron, and stopped to lean against the stable Professor's desk. She looked around at the class of seventh years, and after deciding that at least half of them were still awake, she smiled and cleared her throat. "Wotcher, are all of you as bored as I am?" Tonks said loudly and several slightly nervous laughs sounded from the class. A tall, blonde girl now in Hufflepuff colors, that had been a student at Beauxbatons, snorted as she woke from an impromptu nap and more, tittering laughs welcomed her into the land of wakefulness. "Miss Reece," Tonks said, with a barely concealed smirk, "I do not care if you sleep in my class, but here at Hogwarts, generally by the time we reach the seventh year, we learn to disguise it better." The girl blushed and nodded, picking up her quill and posing it over her notes.

Tonks gave her a nod; her point made, and looked out over the class for a minute. She smiled slightly as she took a breath, "I thought we'd have a touch of a change of pace, and talk about, Animagi." Tonks paused to let her words sink in, before she pointed her wand at the board behind her and flicked it. Words began to fill in on the board from the top down, and she waited for a moment, while the class copied down what she had just written.

Interesting, Harry muttered to Hermione and caught her brief, hidden grin. Harry jumped slightly as she squeezed his knee under the table, she refused to meet his eyes as she looked forward studiously towards Tonks. You are so getting it when we finally get out of here, Harry whispered as he started to pretend to take notes.

I can't wait, Hermione replied as glanced down at her paper. Harry smirked and concentrated a moment, sending a flashed image of her looking up at him with lust-filled eyes, of her waiting for him on the bed, from a few nights before. Hermione took a quick, deep breath, calming herself from the sudden rush that the image and emotions associated with it had caused, before she gave him a tiny, half-hearted glare. That...was not fair, Hermione replied softly. She took another deep breath, and reached under the table to pat his thigh possessively, I am so, jumping your bones when we finally get out of this class, she smirked before she carefully blanked her face and pretended to pay attention to Tonks.

Hence my nefarious plan, Harry replied as Tonks cleared her throat and pointed to the board.

"I assume that you have had time to copy down the assignment," she said, giving Harry and Hermione a knowing look for just an instant. "Animagi," she begun, carefully holding in the urge to pace about, as it could and had proved disastrous in the past, "are one of several 'restricted' classes of wizards and witches, along with Firestarters, Weather Manipulators, and Beastmasters. According to Regulation for the Control of Shapeshifting Act of 1872, all Animagi are to register with the Ministry of Magic, upon their second viable transformation or face five years in Azkaban. This act originally also covered such innate talents as Metamorphamagi," Tonks frowned almost imperceptivity, "but that statute was overturned by the Wizengamot in 1902, as for the entirety of the known cases of that talent, it was an inherited trait and therefore it was ruled that the characteristic was a trait the same as hair or eye color and unsuitable for regulation."

Tonks shrugged and finally did give into her urge to start pacing back and forth in front of the class. She looked around at the few Slytherins crowded in the back of the class, neither of Pansy's hands were above the table, and Blaise was looking rather, content, but Tonks didn't say anything. Tonks glanced further up to see Ernie McMillan and Hannah Abbot sitting closely together at a table a couple of spots back from Ron and Neville, they at least looked as if they were paying attention, as did Parvati and Lavender who were sitting one table over from Ron and Neville. She nodded and went on, "The requirement for registration varies from country to country, of course, the Americas don't require it, while until recently, the Chinese Ministry imprisoned any Animagi they discovered." She stopped at Hermione's raised hand, "Yes, Miss Granger."

"Professor," Hermione asked, fighting down the urge to laugh when she used that title in association with Tonks, "will there be instruction in how to become Animagi?" Hermione's voice held the faintest sliver of something else, but fortunately Harry was the only one to notice. He squeezed her hip lightly under the table, causing her to remember just where she was.

"No, Miss Granger, there will not be, unfortunately I do not have the expertise in the subject, other than enforcing the law," she added wryly. "In prior years, Professor McGonagall would discuss the possibilities of such training with students whom showed a possible aptitude or interest, but she is too busy at the moment-" She stopped and glared, not bothering to hide her annoyance as a short, stumpy presence stomped in from the rear door. "Can I...help you, Delores?" Tonks asked in a flat tone of voice.

"Hem, hem...excuse me-Nymphadora," Umbridge said sweetly, not seeming to notice the outright glare the young Auror sent her way on the use of her hated first name. Tonks, barely, tolerated Remus and occasionally Harry or Hermione using it, let alone the hated toad that was hanging around the school. "I wonder if I could borrow Mr. Potter for a moment," she asked with her voice dripping with false sweetness. Tonks gave Harry a covert glance, asking, he returned the tiniest of nods, stood and started towards the rear door where Umbridge was waiting.

Watch your arse, Love, Hermione sent silently as her eyes went blank and looked ahead as she hitchhiked a ride on Harry's senses.

I thought that was your job, Mione, Harry replied quietly and felt the not unpleasant sensation of Hermione's mind sharing space with his. He stepped out into the hall and followed Umbridge to the next classroom down where she shut the door, and a pre-positioned security charm went up.

No, that's my hobby, Hermione retorted, with a tiny, mental grin, before both of their hidden demeanors changed instantly. She's got a class two security ward up, not enough to stop us or any of the Professors, but enough to keep a student from noticing.

Harry did not acknowledge her as he crossed his arms and leaned against the door. "Is there something you needed, Delores?" Harry inquired with poorly veiled contempt. "I do have class to return to, if you don't mind." Harry started to leave, seemingly annoyed. He stepped past a tiny, glowing crystal set near the edge of the door, and felt the barest of a tingling sensation along his leg. Harry was deigned time to examine the sensation before Umbridge coughed and called attention to herself.

"I know you and your-friends in there are up to something Potter, and I will find out," Umbridge stated nastily, "There have been too many absences, too many unexplained, 'sicknesses.'" She smiled, showing pointed teeth, "I already have a report ready for the Minister, Potter; I will see you end up in Azkaban yet." Her smile broadened as if she had just captured the Snitch to end the World Cup, but then slowly faded as Harry continued to stare at her, looking bored.

"Do you remember, what Dumbledore said?" Harry asked softly, after a long unnerving moment. He looked her up and down, and sat down on a desk in the dusty classroom, after first wiping the top of it clean. "That time you and Fudge thought you could take him to Azkaban...Your new master says that I'm 'Dumbledore's man', and I will admit he is right in that, if nothing else. Do you think that the hotel, that that place has become, will more than inconvenience me?"

"You little, half-blooded, and your m..."

"Careful," Harry cut her off in a steel-edged tone, "you might want to consider your words more carefully. People have ended up on the wrong side of a wand for such things. My wand, in fact."

"Are you threatening me, Potter?" she snarled. A dark, lethal smile lit Harry's lips as he detected the undercurrent of fear beneath her voice.

"I like to think of it as sound advice," Harry shot back, before turning his back to the witch and heading out the door. He stopped at the door, "And I am not sure how much good your report to the Minister will do you, if he even survives. He wasn't doing too well in the latest polls was he? Didn't your last master lose a vote of confidence as well?"

Umbridge sputtered as Harry left, closing the door behind him. Harry, Hermione hissed in his thoughts as he paused out of sight of the classroom door he had just left and watched as Umbridge stomped off towards the direction of the Great Hall, why were you baiting her? Harry shrugged slightly, sheepish. I know it's hard, baby, but you can't let her win. I know you want her head, Harry, but not yet.

When then, Hermione? She tortured me, tried to kill you, tried to take this school for her little playground. When? She should be in Azkaban...life sentence remember, that's what Crouch taught us.

Hermione sighed in the classroom as Tonks kept lecturing about the transformations and general classes of spells involved in Animagus formations. Both of them noticed immediately that she was being quite vague on the specifics and totally omitting the needed potions for the initial transformations. I don't know, Harry, I tried once... she paused, she cast a homing charm on you.

That's what that was, Harry mused. He looked up towards the door to Transfiguration one as Hermione slipped out the door and eased it closed behind her. Isn't there like another hour or so left in class?

Hermione rolled her eyes as she crossed the hall and took his hand. She squeezed it as they started off down the hall towards Gryffindor Tower and home. I'm sick, can't you tell? Hermione whispered as she pressed a brick with her free hand to open up a secret passage behind a statue of Reginald the Wonky.

Can I kiss it and make it better?

Maybe later, Hermione laughed as she pushed Harry against the wall, and knelt down. Her eyes went unfocused as she flicked her wrist and caught her wand as it dropped into her hand. Revalo incantium, a soft, glittering mist hissed from her wand, and wrapped around Harry's leg, it passed to reveal a sickly green glow around Harry's left ankle. Hermione snapped her wand at the air and watched as flaming numbers appeared in the air, spelling out an Arithmatic equation. She looked up at Harry as he looked down at her with an amused expression on his face. A Kentarian series spell, Hermione shook her head, I'm amazed she can do the second level incantation to establish the synchronicity.

"You can berate her technique later, Love," Harry grinned slightly, "well, are you going to remove it?"

"And what fun would that be?" Hermione replied, as she looked around the dim passage, before she stopped and grinned slightly. "Accio, Mrs. Norris," Hermione said, flicking her wand in the air. After a minute, the lamp-eyed, surly Kneazle flew down the hall, squalling and hissing as she approached. Hermione raised her other hand to the Kneazle, palm first and an orange, spiraling bolt snapped out and impacted the feline. She froze in mid-air, and continued to float over to Hermione. Hermione set the Kneazle down next to Harry's leg, and pointed her wand at him. Transferato Incantium Retractum, the green glow poured off Harry's leg and gathered on the tip of Hermione's wand. She pointed it at the Kneazle, Projectorm. The glow transferred to the feline and vanished from sight. Obliviate, Hermione whispered softly, she flicked her wand canceling the Petrification Charm, grabbed Harry and vanished.

They reappeared several floors up, in a secret passage just outside of the Library entrance. Harry followed Hermione without question as she slipped out into the main hall after first checking for visible and invisible watchers and led him into the Library. They followed the thin, winding path between the library tables and amongst the stacks until they came into the small alcove were Hermione's table sat empty and waiting for them. Hermione tossed her school bag into an old, rickety chair and perched on the edge of the table. She grinned slyly as Harry stood between her knees, with his hands on the table on either side of her and leaned in to kiss her.

He took a breath, smirking against her lips, before he took a step back, grabbed a chair and spun it around. He straddled it backwards, and looked up at her as rested his crossed arms on the back of the chair. Hermione pouted slightly as she fixed her skirt and looked down at him, swinging her legs idly as they dangled. You're right, she groused, we can't in the middle of the day. Anyway, I've been thinking. Don't say it, Harry.

I would never, he reassured her, what about?

I want to try the final spells and potion for the Animagi after we get back from Egypt, Hermione answered with just a trace of something in her 'voice'. Harry sighed and nodded, as he reached down and took a book from his pack, which he had set beside him on the floor.

Was that all you needed, Mione, he smirked, you didn't have to drag me all the way to the library, just to tell me that.

Hermione didn't answer in words, before she slid down into a chair next to Harry and summoned a book from her bag. She opened, Ancient Wizarding Tombs of Egypt and began to read. Our time would be better suited preparing for our mission than sitting around listening to Tonks talk about how not to become an Animagi. Have you decided whom to take with us, Harry?

No, he admitted grimly, after what happened at Beauxbatons, I don't want to take anyone, honestly, except you and Ron of course. She gave him a small smile and reached over to squeeze his hand where it rested on the table next to hers. But, at the same time, I don't want to take too few, just in case we run into something. I really don't want to take Bill, even after he's told Ron that he's more than willing. The Weasleys have already given too much to this war, Percy, Charlie...hell, Ginny, for all we know. I don't want to take another from them. Hermione didn't trust her words as she dropped her head to his shoulder and sighed. She left it there and continued to read, turning the pages silently.

********************************Dover*********************************

8:30 pm

A heavy, freezing mist fell over the world outside of the small Muggle house as Ginny stood at the window, looking out. She shivered slightly as she watched the scene for a moment before she spun and looked back at the bed where Draco sat, reading a text on Tracking Magic. He caught her eyes with his. "Draco, teach me, I need to know."

He sighed, and marked his place in the book, before slowly closing it and setting it down beside him. He pinched the bridge of his nose and stared, unseeing, at the faded pattern on the quilt for several long silent moments before looking back up at her, "No, Ginny, I won't." He reached over to the bedside table and picked up a mug. He took a sip, frowned, and waved his wand over it. The coffee steamed again and he took another sip.

"I need to know," Ginny insisted, with the tone of a long, continued argument. "I need to survive.

"I won't do it, Red," Draco snapped and stood from the bed. He took a deep breath and crossed the room to stand next to her at the window. "I can't Ginny, please don't ask this of me...Listen, do you know the real reason they are called 'Unforgivables'?" Ginny shook her head mutely, and Draco reached up and ran his fingers through his hair, "bloody pussy teachers," he muttered. He raised his voice back to a normal tone, "The reason that they are unforgivable," he said slowly, "is not what they do, not really. There are other ways to control people, other ways to cause them pain, and I can't even begin to count the ways that a wizard or a Muggle for that matter can kill another. No, the real reason, the main reason is that they are too clean."

"Too clean?" Ginny muttered, bemused.

"Listen, luv, for the lack of a better explanation, when you kill something, nature intends for your hands to get, dirty. You are supposed to feel pain, to wake up with the nightmares, feel the blood on your hands, even after it's long washed away..." He trailed off, as he shivered slightly. "The Unforgivables, the Kedavra especially, demand payment of a different sort...they weaken your very soul instead, a bit of the darkness seeps in, every time you use one. Why do you think Dumbledore never used them? The Dark Lord, my father and my cousin, they are gone, whatever black thing they call a soul is beyond redemption, they must be put down like a mad dogs."

"I...I don't understand," Ginny whispered. "But they are your par..."

"Doesn't mean that I want to be like them," Draco hissed. Ginny reached out, only to have her hand batted away, he took a step back and crossed his arms. "Merlin, you really don't get it, do you, Ginevra? Is this why you were so, fixated, on Potter? 'Cause he was rich and famous, 'cause he was from an old Family?"

"No, I..."

"Fuck it," Draco growled and paced over to the door and pushed his feet into his boots. He summoned a coat from the back of a chair, and started to gather himself to Apparate away, but froze as Ginny clasped a hand on his arm and squeezed. "Goddamnit, let go."

"No," Ginny said softly. Tears were in her voice, as she looked up at him, "not this time." She dropped his arm, paced over to the bed and dropped on it. "Don't go, Draco, I'm sorry, I won't ask again."

Draco came and sat down next to her, not touching and staring straight ahead, "I'll teach you to fight, even to kill, but I won't teach you those. Spells, hand to hand, blades, whatever I know, everything my damn father and his tutors squeezed into my head so I could be a good little Death Eater, but not the Unforgivables."

*************************Egypt, Giza Plateau***********************

January 11, 1998
3:00 am

A dark, moonless night hung over the desert, however, where a weary group of fellow travelers waited silently, the night was not dark. The ever-present spotlights were lighting the well-visited Great Pyramids off to the west, while miles away and across the Nile, the lights of Cairo lit the horizon. The chattering sound of a desert jackal broke the silence as an otherwise unremarkable patch of sand on one of a thousand similar slopes shifted slightly.

I don't see anything amiss, Harry, Hermione sent to the patch next to her, as she looked out towards a blank face of sandstone though a pair of Auror-issue, night vision Omniocculars. Nothing's moved for the last day.

I know, Harry replied from his post to her right and slightly higher on the dune. His wand was in his hand as he crouched in a sand-colored robe, looking around at the area, scanning for movement with only his eyes. Moving slowly, he crept his hand up to cup a wire that ran to a tiny bead in his left ear from a pouch on his belt. "It looks clear, guys," Harry whispered, and waited as several other sets of ears heard his words over the modified mirrors that he and the rest of the team that he had brought along were wearing. Harry carefully didn't look up, just under the military crest of the next dune where a tent was buried and the rest of the group was camped.

"Are we going in then, mate?" Ron's voice came to Harry's ears.

"I dunno, Ron," Harry whispered back, "I'm still nervous, somehow, let's have it again, Hermione, from the top."

Harry, Luna, Bill, Remus and Tonks ignored Ron's muttering as Hermione took a breath and started reciting what she knew about the subject. Hermione took a soft breath, that everyone heard though the wireless as she began, "Alright, ladies, gentlemen and Ron," she added snidely, "I'm assuming certain things here, but taking into account Tom's fascination with the Slytherin heritage, what we are looking for is the tomb of Knatre, the court wizard of Menkaure, one of the rulers of the Egyptian Fourth Dynasty. Knatre's tomb was never found. He also was a wizard from whom Salazar Slytherin claimed ancestry, at least according to Great Wizarding Lineages of History. Since Salazar had no tomb, Tom was probably looking for someone else to emulate. Bill's the expert on the traps, though."

"We are probably be going to be dealing with four to five layers of defenses," Bill picked up, "if what I've dealt with in this area is any guide. The first, typically, is an older version of our modern, anti-Muggle wards, they do still try to redirect them, but if they continue on, unlike modern wards, they will be killed by a quick-acting, lethal-level, Shock Ward. It won't affect us, though, just Muggles. The second layer is normally some type of magical beast either in stasis or just loose, I have no clue what, I've seen everything from a demented Crup to a Dragon."

"What about the other layers?" Remus' voice whispered.

"I have no idea, depends on the personality of the Wizard and what, exactly, they were guarding, generally the more valuable, the more lethal," he replied guardedly, "and with You-Know-Who, having put his...thing in here, I have no idea what he might have come up with."

Harry sighed, and picked up his own pair of Omniocculars. He looked out towards the blank, sandstone wall and examined it. "Let's go then, we can't spend forever here." Hermione frowned worriedly, but followed him, flowing to her feet as sand cascaded down off their sand-colored robes. Another five presences appeared from out of the dunes, in similarly colored attire, slipping and sliding down the face of the dune towards the bottom. The tallest of the five lagged behind, sliding more or less gracefully down the slope, his back to the others as a thin rod probed the night.

Slowly and fitfully, occasionally taking time to scan their environs, the seven slid closer to the blank, stone wall, which was set at least two miles away from the huge pyramids and the enigmatic Sphinx for which this region was so justly famous. Of course, had the average, Muggle tourist known that the immense statue was a more or less accurate representation of the Fourth Dynasty's Court Riddler, they might have looked at it in a whole new light.

An odd, almost burning, tingle ran up their spines as one by one, they crossed an invisible line in the sand, demarking the line at which, if they had been Muggles, their nervous systems would have collapsed in a burst of excruciating pain in the moments before they had died. If there had been any Muggles who had fallen victim to that first layer, the desert had long since buried the evidence. Harry frowned slightly as Ron crossed the combination Redirection/Killing Ward, and turned to examine a seemingly blank light tan wall, thirty or so feet high. He glanced at Hermione; she gave him a nod before flicking her wand over the wall. Black, spiky Hieroglyphs appeared inscribed on the wall, outlining an otherwise invisible archway.

Bill came up behind them and started to read, after a minute he looked at Harry, "It's sealed with a Magical Blood-" he stopped in mid-sentence as Harry reached over behind Hermione's back, drew her left dagger and slashed the palm of his own left hand. With a violent motion, he clenched his fist, before splashing his blood over the pristine wall. A soft tremor erupted for a moment, before a tall, narrow archway appeared in the rock with a tooth aching, grinding sound. Hermione looked over at Harry, her chocolate eyes dark with worry as she took his injured hand in her own and healed it with a flick of her wand. Harry squeezed her hand for an instant, before tapping the side of his glasses and watching the black tunnel, which had been revealed when the stone slid aside, become a green-tinged twilight.

He started off, leading the others as they reached into pouches under their robes and slipped on Cat-Eye Spectacles, they worked just as well or better for natural darkness as they did for the fell darkness of the Instant Darkness Powder in their kits. In his enhanced vision, Harry noticed that the tips of his and the other's wands glowed slightly, not enough to normally notice. The group of seven, with Ron and Luna trailing slightly, walked down a slight incline for several long, nervous minutes. Harry turned a slight corner and heard a soft, almost unnoticeable, CLICK, "DOWN," he screamed, and all seven souls dove for the floor of the tunnel as a fusillade of luminescent darts hissed out of previously unseen slits in the walls to impact and stick almost an inch into the soft, stone wall opposite. Harry stood slowly, holding a faint, glowing shield in front of the group for almost a minute before dropping it.

Bill peered at the darts closely, and let out a soft, low whistle, "Krachati Venom, we'd all be lying there begging for someone to come along and Crucio us, to get our mind off the pain from these buggers."

"Any ideas for avoiding anything else of the like?" Hermione asked, in a slightly breathless tone.

Bill shrugged, "Since we are in a relative hurry, I would suggest you or Harry lead and keep a Protego set to ward off solids like the darts, while the other casts a slight pressure spell ahead. I'll be right behind you casting for triggering wards." He frowned, "Normally on a tomb opening job like this, we'd spend weeks disabling each and every trap. But that one was original, I'm more concerned about You-Know-Who's toys."

"That's something we will worry about when we get to it," Harry breathed, a touch annoyed. He looked back at the rest of them, following in his wake, "Listen, Merlin knows what Tommy got up to when he was last here, so keep sharp." A quick nod from the remaining explorers and he led the way further into the tomb, a soft, worried feeling gnawing at the base of their spines.

After a minute more of slow, cautious travel, Hermione brushed a cobweb away from her face, "What was the most dangerous trap you've seen in one of these, Bill?" She didn't turn from her task of holding up a Protego, just strong enough to slow down anything and allow them to get out of the way if needed.

Bill shrugged, "Don't know about the most dangerous, but the most, let's say, adventurous, one that I've heard about, I learned from Dr. Henry Jones, he's a Wizard Archeologist that Gringotts has on retainer for consultations. He ran across one down in South America, where the item that the tomb was guarding wasn't all that hard to get, but as soon as you picked it up, anti-Apparation Wards sprung up and a huge, boulder tried to crush you, he says he survived by knowing how to run." He laughed softly, "I doubt we see anything like that here-" He and the rest of the group froze as a blood-chilling, trembling roar bounced off the tunnel ahead. Wands snapped outward, tips already glowing as the seven looked for the source of the sudden intrusion on the stillness of the tunnels. Ron took a single step backwards, raising his wand to point over the heads of his friends, and his back foot stepped off into nothingness.

He felt himself start to fall backwards, his heart in his throat; until, with a desperate cry, Luna dove, grabbed his arm, and jerked him to safety. He fell on her at the edge of the sudden abyss, panting as they both looked at each other wide-eyed, their hearts thundering in their chests. Neither said a word; as Luna slowly intertwined their left fingers together and glanced down to see the stones of her ring glowing softly. After another minute, in which the odd roar snapped out again, Ron slowly stood and pulled her to her feet, as they looked back at the seemingly bottomless chasm, that had appeared behind them.

"You alright, Ron?" Harry yelled back as he and Hermione shared a slightly concerned, look as loud, thundering footfalls started to approach closer.

"Yeah," Ron hollered back, "but we might have a time getting back."

"We'll deal with that when..." Harry began, but fell silent as the roar rang out, and suddenly he knew what was causing it, as a gigantic head appeared around the corner ahead. Harry felt his mouth go dry as a huge, fifty-foot body stomped closer, the tunnel walls automatically growing and shrinking to accommodate its bulk as it paused and took a breath...

ASSLANTIUM, Hermione roared, slashing down her wand and a foot thick wall of ice appeared in the tunnel, just as a wall of flame raced down the tunnel at them. The flames from the black, malevolent Dragon struck the ice, melting it, just as Hermione struggled to keep replenishing it, in turn. Out of breath, it stopped and Hermione staggered for an instant before recovering her composure and flaring to full strength once more. She looked over at Harry as he reached over his shoulder and the Sword of Gryffindor came free into his hand. "We need to kill it fast, Harry," Hermione hissed as she muttered something under her breath and a hissing, snarling ball of blue-white plasma appeared in her off hand.

"We can't get past it, and you felt those anti-Apparation wards when you came in," Harry replied, agreeing. "Can you break them?"

"Given time, of course," Hermione replied, then silenced instantly as another wall of flame appeared and her and Harry held back the flames from the rest once more. It stopped, to recharge, and Hermione looked to Harry once more. She gave him a slow, worried nod as she bit her bottom lip so hard that blood escaped, "I love you," she mouthed, and slashed her wand down. The others slipped forward as she did so, rolling behind pillars and bits of rubble.

The wall of ice vanished, and Harry, MOVED. He shot forward, his movements as blur as Hermione reestablished the wall of ice behind him, protecting their friends. She gestured to Remus and Tonks, and motioned towards the wall, they nodded and raised their wands towards it. The Dragon took a breath and shot a stream of fire at Harry. He rolled to his side, conjuring a shining silver shield emblazoned with the rampant lion of Gryffindor as he spun, and caught the stream of flame on his shield. The fire poured around him like water against breakers, before the Dragon stopped, stood back on its haunches and glared at the tiny annoyance before it. It reared back once more, and let loose another stream of flame, Harry rolled and dove forward, diving behind a block of ancient rubble. He glanced back as he felt Hermione getting ready to move to his aid, Now, Mione.

Hermione took a breath and the wall of ice vanished once more as five spell bolts snapped over her shoulders. It reappeared at a shoulder height to allow the others to fire over it as she MOVED, almost vanishing totally from sight as she sprinted across the twenty foot-wide tunnel and fifty yards closer to the Dragon. She rolled and crouched with her back to a large, stone pillar. She changed a glance around the pillar, only to pull back quickly as the Dragon roared in pain with one eye blinded from Bill's Conjuntivitus Curse, and fired at the only target it could see, her. This would be a lot simpler above ground; she growled over to Harry, frustration in her voice. We could really let go on this thing without having to worry about the tunnel collapsing, and we'd have room to move.

The Dragon roared in pain again, as one of Ron's cutting curses caught a weak spot at the base of its wing and dark red blood splashed over the stones. Harry's heart was in his throat as the Dragon fought back, and Ron and Luna were forced to retreat behind another obstruction to survive. Ron gave Harry a quick wave as the fire died down and Harry let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Ron looked over across the tunnel at Remus, Tonks and Bill where the three were crowded behind an oddly shaped chunk of fallen stone, Tonks was attending to a burn on Remus' leg, as he winced and held her other hand. He waved across, reassuring them, and in their distraction, they almost missed the end of it.

Harry waved across at Hermione, got a nod as she took a breath and twin pairs of eyes lit the dark tunnel. Hermione spun out from cover, made a spinning motion with her wand and steel bands a foot across appeared, clamping the Dragon's mouth shut, another gesture and she froze it's long, mobile neck in place. Beads of sweat slipped into her eyes as she held it steady, GO, HARRY!

I got this, Harry replied softly, rolling out from behind his covering block as the blade of the sword in his hand lit bright blue. He ran straight at the wall next to the Dragon's head, jumped up, kicked off and flipped backwards through the air. A bright blue afterimage from the blade intersected the neck of the Dragon, and demarked Harry's flight path as he landed on the other side of the creature in a forward roll, and sprung to his feet as a deafening thump announced the separation of the Dragon's head from it's neck. Harry panted slightly as he looked back, at the huge corpse now filling the tunnel. His eyes faded to normal as Hermione ran over and leaned her forehead against his for the span of several heartbeats, before the rest of the group joined them.

Save for Remus' smoking right hem, the rest of them seemed rather unharmed and Harry nodded gratefully. "Let's get going. Any idea now, Bill?" Harry muttered as he and Hermione once again took the point, and started to clamber over the huge corpse. Hermione made a face as she slipped as she stepped over the neck and found her leg coated in Dragon Blood.

"You know, we could sell this stuff," Ron commented as he passed, "according to the Twins, Dragon blood is in real short supply."

"I don't know, Harry," Bill replied, ignoring Ron as the rest did, "from similar tombs, there is probably a layer of traps under the...." He drifted off as a blank wall appeared in front of him. A single line of hieroglyphs was drawn across the top of the wall, and Bill pushed past Harry and Hermione, as Ron pulled a bar of Honeydukes chocolate from a magically cooled pocket. He broke off a chunk and gave it to Luna before taking a bite, and kneeling down, facing the way they had come. Bill reached up and traced the pictographs with a finger before looking back at Harry and getting a nod, he murmured a long, complicated spell, and watched as the wall split, a faintly glowing line of illumination appearing, then vanishing as the door opened fully.

The door rumbled open, with small bits of gravel raining down. Harry glanced back at Ron and waved him forward, he pointed at Ron and then right, at Hermione and left and at himself. He glanced back at Luna and motioned for her to follow him. She nodded and lowered her hood, before tugging at the black bandanna she had covering her hair tight. She held her wand at a low ready, and gave him a nod, Harry glanced at Ron, to get the same, he knew Hermione was ready, "GO!"

Harry dove forward into the room, leading with his wand. He felt Hermione following him through the door and moving to the right, as Ron entered and moved to the left. A soft scrape of boots on stone behind him announced Luna's entry. Glowing wandtips cast faint shadows on the walls but they did not penetrate the darkness. Nor did their night-vision spectacles penetrate the gloom, only showing a deep, fathomless greenness. With a quick decision, Harry glanced to either side, "Light them up."

LUMOS MAXIMA, four wandtips lit up with blinding beams, brighter than car headlamps, piercing the black room. The beams shot across the gloom, showing a walkway all the way around a huge, buried chamber. A loud, almost deafening hiss, greeted their ears, and slowly, hesitantly the four of them panned their beams down to reveal a rolling, writhing black mass. Bright glints of gold and jewels caught the lights as they slowly waved the beams around, finding solid gold sarcophagi, chests and stacks of gold and jewels, and in the exact center of the room, lying on an otherwise empty stone shelf, a six-foot shaft of carved Yew wood. From this distance it seemed carved with something, but on top, readily visible, a faceted sapphire the size of a clenched fist softly glowed.

Behind them, at the door, Bill slipped in, leading with his wand as Remus and Tonks backed in, with Tonks remaining at the door to cover the tunnel they had just come from.

The hissing redoubled, and Harry looked at the moving ground once more, and Harry took a quick sharp breath as his wandlight caught the glitter of innumerable faintly glowing eyes, Runespoors, Harry breathed as he caught sight of one as it crawled up a statue, its three heads and orange stripes leaving no room for doubt. He looked to Hermione, I guess this is up to me then. Hermione frowned, and shook her head slightly, pointing at herself as well. Harry sighed, but agreed silently, and took a small spool out of his pouch and clipped it to his belt. He watched as Hermione did the same and attached the other end of her Acromantula thread it contained to a solid-looking chunk of stone with a permanent Sticking Charm.

"Stay here," Hermione said to Ron and Luna as Remus, Tonks and Bill came into the room, "if they don't listen to Harry, we'll need you to use flame spells to drive them away." Ron didn't look happy, but sighed and took a position overlooking the well.

"What do you mean, talk to them?" Tonks growled as she looked down into the moving pit of snakes and shuddered.

"I'm a Parselmouth," Harry replied, slightly annoyed as he looked over at Hermione. She gave him a wan smile and leaned out over the fifty or so foot drop. "Let's go, Hermione." He leapt out, and descended down the wall of the pit to the sound of Hermione's boot steps on the wall and the whine of the descender spools letting out. Look at it this, way, Love, Harry said softly as they paused ten feet above the serpents. It's just like the Slytherin common room.

Next date, my dear, dear husband, Hermione replied with more than a touch of temerity, I get to pick the entertainment. She gave Harry a small grin that was more felt than seen in the dimness, Do your thing, Harry.

Harry took a breath, {Let us, pass}, he asked, his words escaping in a hiss.

{WHO!} A loud, many throated hiss answered, as many, many eyes found them, {we were left to guard this treasure.} Hermione looked over at Harry, as Harry's mind automatically translated for her. Her eyes cut towards the staff, and then the surrounding treasures, and shook her head briskly. Harry's eyes widened, in sudden realization.

{We are not here for Knatre's treasure, we are here for the stick,} Harry hissed back, {It was stolen from us.}

An odd murmur seemed to great his words as many, many left heads of the three-headed snakes bent together and hissed almost silently together, {That stick, is...wrong, any eggs laid near it hatch twisted and deformed, and must be destroyed. It was brought here by another one of the true tongue, many years ago, though he said he was a descendant of our master.}

{He is a dark...man} Harry replied, {we will take the stick from this place and only that, so your hatchlings may grow in peace...Will you let myself and my mate, pass?}

Several more tense moments passed as Harry glanced up and saw, Ron, Luna, Remus, Tonks and Bill spreading out around the periphery of the room, to get better angles to cast if need be. {YES,} the floor of snakes replied and like the parting of some dark sea, a clear path opened below them and all the way to the small dais where the staff waited, {take the accursed thing and go.}

Harry and Hermione dropped the remaining ten feet, detached their carabineers, and moved quickly to the stone slap. They both paused, looking down on it, and examined the spells on it and around it, "There's an Alarm Ward up Harry, something will happen," Hermione cautioned him.

"Did you hear that?" Harry asked over the mirrors, via the earpiece still in his ear.

"We'll be ready," the calm tones of Remus Lupin, answered him, Harry took a breath, and reached out and snatched the staff. He felt a stiff resistance as if someone was trying to hold it down, before it came free in his hand. An instant later, he and Hermione gasped in perfect synchronicity as they both felt the sweeping cold of a true Horcrux on the object. A pulse of magic snapped out, and something or somethings stirred. Harry flicked his wand, conjuring a strap on the staff and slung it over his back, crossing the sheath of his sword.

He and Hermione blurred back to their lines, clipped them on, and the howl of overstressed retracting spells accompanied them as they were pulled back up. Bill ran back to the opening, shouted, and jumped back, "INCENDIO!" he roared and a wall of flame shot out of his wand towards the tunnel. "INFERI," he snapped as he took cover behind the wall. Shambling steps came from the tunnel as Harry and the rest joined him.

"You know for a great and powerful, Dark Lord," Harry scoffed, "Tom sure does like the cliché, Mummies in a tomb..."

"You would think he could come up with something better," Hermione agreed, she paused as the sound of fresh Inferi came closer and tugged on her ponytail, "What about Quintapeds, no one uses them much?"

Ron rolled his eyes, "Would you two just do it?"

"You got our back, mate?" Harry asked seriously, and Ron replied, silently, in the same manner. He and Hermione spun out from cover, looking down the passage at it filled with lifeless bodies moving slowly towards them, their sightless eyes and greenish-grey, rotting skin causing a faint murmur of terror at the sight. Imperatum dispersium inferati de flagratto, Harry and Hermione cast as one, and spiraling lines of flame erupted from the tips of both of their wands, joining into one several feet out and changing to a brilliant, emerald green. The spell kept going, spreading into a fan that covered the tunnel and the almost two hundred Inferi packed shoulder to shoulder in it. A second passed, and as if a giant pair of scissors had cut their strings, all of the Inferi dropped to the ground as one.

Harry looked over at Hermione, swaying slightly as she took a staggering step to him. They held each other up for several long, shuddering breaths as the others looked on concerned, before with a rush, they stood, eyes glowing, already recovered from the immense cast.

Tonks and Remus rolled into the tunnel and flicked their wands, a clear path appeared through the Inferi, and carefully, but quickly the group moved through the plug to the clear part of the tunnel and headed up, the bouncing beams of their wandlights illuminating the way. They came to the vast, hole where the tunnel had been and stopped, unable to see the far side.

"Lethifolds," Ron howled from his position at the rear, he and Luna flicked their wands and watched as his hedgehog and her lion drove them back with spectral claws and flying quills. A wall of black approached, swallowing their wand beams. Remus and Tonks let their patroni free as well driving them back. "I would like to leave now, Harry," Ron snapped as Harry ran back, picked up Bill from where he had fallen after tripping over a loose stone, and Prongs entered the fray as well. Behind them Hermione was rapidly flicking her wand, gathering large chunks of stone and casting them into the void, she flicked her wand again, and a narrow, stone bridge appeared over the gap.

"COME ON," she yelled, and started over the bridge. She ran across and stepped out of the way as, Luna, Tonks, Remus, Bill, Ron and finally Harry crossed, her wand flicked again, and they ran down the passage. A soft click sounded under Luna's foot, "DOWN," A storm of darts snapped out from a new firing port, shooting back to impale some of the pursuing Lethifolds, but not stopping them, of course. They picked themselves up, and sprinted off again, leaping over chunks of fallen stone, and around pillars.

Finally after a period of a minute they saw a black outline in front of them, and in a rush, they were free into the cool, desert night. The tingle of anti-Apparation wards fell away, and with a series of CRACKs, POPs, and a couple of silent disappearances, they were gone.

Behind them, the entrance to the tomb ground closed as if it were never opened, any trace of blood absorbed into the sandstone.

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35. Breaking the Bond

I still own nothing...Thanks again to Lady Starlight
Chapter 35: Breaking the Bond
***************************Hogwarts**********************************

January 13, 1998
10:00 pm

Harry looked up from one of Dumbledore's journals and gave Hermione a small smile as she came into the common room. Damn, she's cute, Harry thought absently as he took her in with her hair still damp and hanging mostly straight from the shower almost to her arse, a sweatshirt of his hanging loosely over her slender frame and a pair of red flannel pants ending just above her toes. She returned a small grin, as she crossed to the couch and curled up next to him before reaching out to grab her Potions text from the table. She settled in, and began to read.

Harry? she whispered after a minute, stretching across him to gather a still steaming mug of chocolate that had appeared, most likely due to the unseen actions of a certain elf who shall remain nameless. She took a sip, replaced the mug and remained settled across him, rolling so that the arm of the couch held up her shoulders as she looked up at him. He looked at her. When do you want to try to destroy the Horcrux? He shrugged and placed the journal he was reading on the table next to him, before rearranging them both so he could lie down next to her.

As soon as I can make sure it won't kill you, or worse have Tommy use you as a new vessel, Harry replied as he closed his eyes and rested his head next to hers on the arm of the couch.

Or you, Hermione countered, I'd honestly like both of us to make it through this more or less intact.

Yeah, those other scenarios would be a great deal less fun, Harry agreed as his hand snaked up under the hem of her sweatshirt to tickle her along her ribs. She giggled softly as he ran his fingers lightly over the side of one breast before he pulled his hand down to rest over her belly. He pulled her back against him, removing any space between them. Actually, I was thinking.

You know, that's why I make the big Galleons, as they say, you really shouldn't be doing that all that much.

Har, har, Harry replied, with a small grin, leaning forward to nuzzle her ear, Hermione giggled softly, and then sighed as she felt his thoughts slipping back to a hidden room, nine floors below, in the ancient cells below the Hogwarts Dungeons. Rotating teams of House Elves guarded the item at all times, backed up by defensive alarms, three different Killing Wards, Fluffy wearing a specially designed pair of earmuffs to block out music, and a final Immobilization Ward powered by the castle herself, that should be able to restrain even Tom Riddle, at least long enough for Harry, Hermione and the rest of the DA and to arrive. No, I was thinking, Harry went on; well, think about this. Hermione focused her attention on his words, and not on the hand that was slowly tracing circles on her abdomen. Tom had to create the Diary first right? Hermione gave him a mental nod. Then, by all rights it should have been the most powerful, it should have contained what, half of his soul?

Hermione cocked an eyebrow, You may be right, she allowed, leaping ahead in that odd link they had shared for almost seven years, So the Cup and the Locket should be pretty powerful as well, as did the Ring. With a quarter, and eighth and a sixteenth of his soul?

Which would mean that the Staff and Nagini, assuming that they are the sixth and seventh to be created, would have a thirty-second and a sixty-fourth of his soul?

Then, I have an idea, she waited as Harry played with the drawstrings of her flannels for a minute, Get distracted there for a minute, Love? She laughed softly as Harry nodded; I think that I can drive the Horcrux out of the Staff without destroying it. There's a potion that Healers used to use on terminal patients, that lets the soul free of its bonds, gently.

How is that different from the Kedavra? Harry replied, confused. Crookshanks merowed as he took a leap from the floor, landed on Harry's shoulder and pushed off to settle on the top of the couch.

A matter of intent really, she muttered, still slightly distracted. Harry grinned. Are you trying to distract me?

I have to, have to make it fair to the rest of us mere mortals, Harry replied; You're scary, remember?

Yeah, Hermione giggled in her thoughts, anyway...the potion only progresses something that is already in progress. By their very nature, Horcruxes are in a state of decay, held in place by the spells that bind them to their objects. These binding spells are essentially permanent, but they are not, 'natural' for lack of a better term. They can be disturbed.

How does that help us then?

It makes it safer, for us. With this, I can immerse the staff in a cauldron, cast the Negral Cage around the whole thing and capture the soul fragment as it's driven out. And then, she smirked; I would probably use the Gryffindor sword, as it seems to work rather well.

So when can you be ready?

If I can get all the ingredients readily, fortunately, one of the more difficult ones to find, Dried Basilisk Venom, should still be in the remaining fangs below. If I can get everything, I should be able to have it ready by Friday or Saturday.

Harry nodded as Hermione rolled over to face him. She reached up to tangle her fingers in his hair and bit her lip slightly. So you'll start tomorrow?

Yeah, she agreed as she leaned in to meet his lips, I think that would be just fine.

****************************Hogwarts' Lake*****************************

A fresh, crescent moon hung in the sky over the snow-covered Hogwarts grounds as Ron and Luna walked slowly along the path around the lake, hand in hand. Technically, Ron and Luna should not have been outside of the castle this time of night, but Luna had wanted to go for a walk, and Ron hadn't the heart to deny her.

Ron smiled as he looked down at Luna, who was watching the moon breaking free of some low clouds with an enraptured expression on her face. He stopped, pulling her to a halt as well as pulling her into his arms. Luna continued to watch the moon for something, of which Ron neither knew nor cared, as he bent down to nuzzle the top of her head. "Ronnie?" Luna said after a moment.

"Yeah?"

"I want to have our wedding outside at midnight under the moon. It'll have to be a crescent or something, as I want to invite Remus and Tonks. I think it'd be rather impolite of us to schedule it on the full moon, don't you think?" she asked with a slightly childlike glee in her eyes.

Ron just snorted softly. How the bloody hell am I going to get that past Mum? he thought absently; then shrugged again, "Whatever you want, dear." He looked up at the castle. "How about right here, then, by the lake?"

Luna beamed up at him and squealed softly, leaping up to wrap her arms around his neck, "Thank you, Ronnie," she whispered against his lips before kissing him thoroughly enough to drive most rational thoughts from his mind. He merely shook his head after a minute and started off again, leading her along the lake where, at least for tonight, all was right with the world.

*****************************Birmingham********************************

A tall man, clad in a long, charcoal trench coat, slipped through the night to stand at the door of a dilapidated, old town home. He looked up and down the street, at the other, similar Muggle Brownstones, looking and feeling for anything out of the normal. An old man in a dark blue, wool seacoat, was walking a small dog on a lead along the sidewalk on the other side of the winding cobblestone street, but otherwise the street was empty.

The visitor nodded to himself and reached forward to tap on the door, with the very tip of a wand that was otherwise concealed by his sleeve. He touched the wand in seven very specific spots, in a particular order, and after a minute of waiting, the door creaked open to reveal a dark vestibule. He took a breath and quickly stepped within, and kept from jumping at the slamming of the door behind him only by main force of will. The lights snapped on in the vestibule, blinding him as a voice spoke from out of the light, "Wotcher, what is my Patronus?" A slight tickle danced down his spine as he could feel the wands pointing at him from beyond his addled vision.

"It's a bloody Wolf," the man snapped annoyedly, and squinted around the room as the lights dimmed to a normal level. He stepped forward and walked along the hallway that was now revealed after the light had died, and looked down at the witch, "You just had to use that Interrogation Spell, didn't you?" She smiled and shrugged, and motioned for him to precede her. The old, worn, oak flooring creaked under his weight as he walked down the hallway. Kingsley stepped into a large, mostly barren room in front of the young Auror and paused. Slowly his vision panned around the room, taking in almost the entire surviving membership of the Order of the Phoenix. A brief bitter snarl escaped his throat as he looked at around at the, pitifully few members that had survived both the war, and the betrayal of Snape.

The treason of Severus Snape had not cost the Order just its leader, but many others. From the betrayal of Bernstein Flat in his hidden home, to the guards that had died at Privet Drive, his swath had run deep. And now, the few remaining members that had escaped death or serious injury in the months since Dumbledore's death had gathered to discuss their next course.

Upon being prodded by Tonks, Kingsley walked to an empty chair set around a large, oval table next to Alastor Moody. Spread along the table, nursing cups, mugs and flagons of coffee, tea or mead, depending on their preferences, were those that had answered the call to meet here in this old safe house deep in a run down section of Edinburgh, and now waited for Moody to begin. Around the table, the remaining Weasleys-Arthur, Molly, Bill and Fleur, and the Twins; Remus, Tonks, Minerva, along with Kingsley looked at Moody with worn, tired expressions as he coughed loudly and took a drink from a small hip flask.

He looked around the room, his electric eye tracking in the opposite direction from his head, "We need to plan our next interdiction of Death Eater activity..."

**********************Hogwarts*******************************

January 14, 1998
11:29 pm

Hermione sighed and yawned as she stretched and walked the length of a dark, stone room. A soft drip of water echoed into the silence of the hidden room, concealed at the bottom of Gryffindor tower. She paused by a table set with stacks of ingredients, and gallons of a green fluid that smelled slightly of iron and copper. Spinning on her heel, she waved her wand towards the center of the room. Instantly a bright, sapphire-blue fire ignited, heating an extraordinarily large platinum and gold cauldron.

She shook her head as she waved her wand and almost fifty liters of the bright green fluid, blood from a Hibernian Black Dragon to be precise, floated over to the cauldron and poured themselves in with a soft hissing noise. In the entire world, there were exactly five, size fifty, platinum and gold-alloyed cauldrons. One was under careful guard at the Department of Mysteries in London, its mate, cast at the same time, was sitting in the Center for Advanced Potions Research in Salem, Massachusetts. A third was rumored to be in the hands of Severus Snape in the service of Lord Voldemort, and the fourth was in the hands the world's expert on recuperative potions in Buenos Aries, but it was the fifth that was the most interesting. That one had, until just the last day, been hidden away in one of Dumbledore's secret vaults, with a small Muggle post-it-note, that read, "You might need this." Interesting in that the cauldron, irrespective of its possible use in very specialized potions, was worth, perhaps, due to the craftsmanship and materials used, well over ten million Galleons.

Hermione slipped on a pair of shimmering Dragonhide gloves and began to chop several large, squealing, carrot-like roots with a large, silver knife. She blew an errant lock of hair out of her eyes as she began to sweat as the temperature in the hidden room rose precipitously. After several more minutes of chopping, she peeled off the jumper she was wearing, leaving on only a sweat-soaked T-shirt with the legend, "I'm smarter than you...deal with it". The shirt had been from Fred and George for Christmas. She muttered a spell, and fanned her shirt for an instant, as a sudden cool breeze chilled the air immediately surrounding her.

Hermione scraped the cut roots into a large, steel bowl, grabbed a black velvet bag from the ingredients next to them, crossed to the cauldron and dumped them in. She took a breath as she carefully reached into the back with her Dragonhide gloves and removed a large, eight-inch ivory fang. Hermione tossed it into the air over the now-simmering cauldron; it stopped, hovering four inches above the roiling surface of the fluid, which was now a bright, clear yellow. Eyes flickered emerald as she held out her hand, palm lowermost and squeezed it into a fist. In the air, the tooth powered, and flakes of white, along with the dried venom inside, fell into the pot, with pure white flames flaring for an instant at the surface of the potion as it touched. She nodded to herself as the solution instantly turned blue to match the flames heating it.

Zigzags of ivory vapor rose from the pot, smelling of iron and wood and linen. With a flick of a wand and an inward spiral, a large, glass rod, four feet long and an inch thick lifted from the table and began to stir the potion in precise two clockwise, one counter clock wise patterns. With one last inspection of the potion, Hermione looked around the room that had neither windows or doors, took a step backwards, and vanished.

She reappeared almost exactly nine stories above, and looked across the bedroom, to find Harry barely holding his eyes open as he poured over a large plan of Hogwarts. Hermione shook her head as she paced over to him, toeing off her trainers as she crossed the room and kicking them in the general direction of their closet. After pulling off her still sodden t-shirt and tossing it across the room to land in a large, half-full hamper, she wrapped her arms around him from behind and looked over his shoulder at the plans. "It'll be ready in a few days, love," she whispered. He nodded, preoccupied, as she kissed the top of his head and stepped back, "I'm going to take a shower before bed to get the Dragon blood smell off." Harry glanced back as she grinned at him crookedly.

"Need any help with that?" he replied, his voice slightly lower than usual.

"I might," Hermione replied, before she turned, stripping her bra off as she moved. She vanished into the bathroom, and after a moment, the sound of water raining on marble echoed through the open door into the bedroom. Harry grinned as he stood, flicked his wand at the map, causing it to vanish with a pop, and walked briskly to the bathroom, having suddenly decided that he could stand a bit of freshening up as well.

**************************The Great Hall*********************************

January 16, 1998
7:00 am

The Head Students of Hogwarts slipped into the large hall, just as the Post Owls, which were running a bit early, took off through the skylights and out into the overcast skies beyond. They walked down the long, length of the tables feeling the normal sensation of every eye watching their progress, before talking seats next to Ron. They waved to Luna as she kissed Ron, before leaving to get in a bit more study before a Charms exam. Ron looked after her forlornly, his face tired, as he looked through a large, battered notebook of Quidditch plays.

He looked at Harry, his eyes never leaving his friend as Harry served himself breakfast from the platters in front of him. Harry took a goblet of pumpkin juice from Hermione, giving her a small smile, before sighing slightly and taking out a DADA book to study for an exam that he really didn't need to study for. Hermione joined him; propping Potions that you Probably Shouldn't Make, but are Going to Anyway up against the pewter pitcher of juice and settling in against Harry's side. She took a bite of a muffin, turned a page and glanced up at Ron. She watched him still staring at Harry, she shrugged, looked down and turned another page. After a minute she looked up, noticed Ron still looking and mentally nudged Harry in Ron's direction.

Harry looked up from his book, his eyebrows raised, "Can I help you, Ron?" he asked amusedly. Harry took a sip of his drink and waited.

"Harry, mate, my best friend in the whole world..."

"Yes?"

"Are you...sure, that you can't play this weekend," Ron pleaded. He gave Harry his best smile.

"No, Ron, I gave it up..." Harry returned with a soft, weary note to his voice, the one of one who has been asked the same question innumerable times, and gave the same result each time. He looked at Hermione, "Honestly, I'm not sure that we will be able to make it, at all, mate."

Ron rolled his eyes, "You two can shag any..."

Hermione growled and straightened from Harry's shoulder. She took a breath, "Honestly, Ronald, unlike you, perhaps, we do occasionally perform other tasks, than stuff our faces or satisfying our desires," Hermione hissed caustically. Under the table, Harry lightly squeezed her thigh. Sorry, Harry, I'm still a touch tired from working on that Potion last night; she whispered an apology. Harry shrugged, and gave a fleeting motion towards Ron with his head. "Sorry, Ron," she muttered, not looking all that apologetic really.

Harry hid a smirk, before looking up at Ron, "Why, Ron?" He took a drink of his juice, and set his book aside, waiting for the answer. Behind him, the Creevey brothers ran into the hall, looking as if they thought they were late. Harry glanced towards them, before looking back to Ron.

"I need a seeker, Mate, really," Ron explained and glanced back towards the Creeveys, "Dennis is alright...I guess, but he's not you, or even-Ginny." Ron frowned slightly, "there's rumors that a professional scout is here from one of the teams." A slightly glassy, happy look crossed the redhead's face, and Harry felt a sinking sensation in his belly.

He took a breath, looked down at the table for a moment, and felt Hermione looking at him. She gave him a small smile, as Harry looked up, "No, Ron," he whispered, glancing around to see if the area was clear, "we will have our best chance to take care of, you know what..."

"I suppose it would be," Ron agreed, he looked down at the playbook he was still going through, "but shouldn't Luna and I be there, just in case? Won't it be more dangerous if you try to...by yourselves?" He paused as several fourth years walked past, chattering about a Kneazle that one of them had gotten as a Christmas present. It had evidentially scratched some fifth year Ravenclaw with less than honorable intentions towards its mistress. "Shouldn't you wait until after, I mean we could..."

"No, Ron," Harry replied, not wanting to upset Ron further, the running 'discussion' between him and Ron had been going on since this summer, with Ron not, quite understanding, why Harry would give up the...calling of Quidditch, even for such a thing as a pesky Dark Lord threatening their very existence. Not that Ron underestimated the impact of Voldemort on their lives, he would be one of the last ones to do so, but, it was...Quidditch. Ron looked at Harry for a moment longer, then just nodded.

"Fine, but if I don't see you two in the stands before the end of the game..." Ron let the statement drop, and Harry abruptly rethought his earlier musings.

*************************Little Hangleton***********************

"Lucius," Tom Riddle hissed as he strode into the room, a long dark stone room deep beneath the ancient Riddle House. Lucius looked up, flicking his wand and letting the night's entertainment fall to the floor. McNair flicked his wand at the battered remains. A terrible green flash lit the room before the Death Eaters knelt before their Lord and Master.

"Yes, M' Lord?" Lucius replied without raising his eyes from the floor. They had still not recovered favor from the fiasco, for both sides, of the aborted siege of Beauxbatons. They had reduced the school, yes, destroyed Durmstrang after first recruiting the significant numbers of sympathizers there, but the main attack on the school led by a member of Dumbledore's hated Order, had not gone all that well in the end for the Death Eaters. Beauxbatons had proven unexpectedly difficult to reduce, in the beginning, and it had only gone downhill from there, as a torrent of Portkeys had delivered relief.

Voldemort paused as he looked around the room at the Death Eaters prostrating themselves before him. He sneered slightly at the body of the Auror they had captured just on the outskirts of the town; he had never realized just how close he was to his quarry until too late. Finding nothing to punish, Riddle went on, "You and McNair, go, go to the Giant lands and...re-impress my, desires on the Gurg." He turned and looked back to the rear of the room, "Bella," he said the witch who had followed him into the room. She was looking down at the body, licking her lips slightly. "let us go, I am feeling a bit...peckish."

*********************************Hogwarts*****************************

January 17, 1998.
12:05 pm

Harry frowned slightly as he looked to the southwest, frowning. Even deep, deep behind the stones of the great castle Harry thought he could still hear the cheers of the crowd. He sighed, before looking across the hidden chamber to find Hermione looking at him. He could read the sympathy in her eyes as he pushed off from the wall and paced over to her. She was standing with her arms propped on a small table, with the Ravenclaw staff lying across it. "Let's get this over with, Hermione," Harry said curtly. He dropped his eyes instantly, "Sorry, Mione."

Hermione walked around the table the stood close in front of him. She reached down and took his hands in hers; she rose slightly on her toes to kiss his scar lightly, "You don't have to apologize to me, love."

"I know," Harry replied with a small, tired smile.

"I never said that you shouldn't, however," Hermione smirked slightly as she leaned forward, shuddering briefly as she felt the darkness rise from the Staff, pressing towards them. Hermione sighed as Harry squeezed her hands, and the darkness fell back. She looked at him, as he gazed at her over the top of his glasses, them being unneeded this close. "I'm sorry, Harry, I wish you could be out there."

"You were terrified every time I play, anyway," Harry whispered, a tiny grin in his eyes as he kept them focused on hers, not daring to dart a look to the object behind her. "And you are the last person that should be sorry, you know whose fault that is. It's definitely not yours, not Ron's, anyone's, anyone that counts really."

"You know that Ron still has your name on the roster," Hermione muttered as she let her head fall forward until their foreheads were touching.

"He's an eternal optimist," Harry grinned and Hermione snorted. She sighed and he nodded, before giving her hands a squeeze before dropping them. Hermione took a step back, and turned to the Staff and the huge cauldron simmering over bright blue flames beyond. The once green and then yellow solution was now a deep, deep red, with an oddly oily surface. She felt Harry coming up behind her, and she could also feel the Sword of Gryffindor as it appeared in Harry's hand. Hermione looked back over her shoulder.

"As soon as the Staff goes into the potion," Hermione explained quietly, more to hear herself talk than anything, "I will start the spell for the Negral Cage. With this, I don't have any idea how long it should take to force it out. The soul fragment may emerge before I have the enclosure done." Harry nodded. "I still think that we should have, had a phoenix..." Hermione muttered, and Harry shrugged, they were out of time.

**********************Quidditch Pitch, Hogwarts************************

"Ravenclaw has the Quaffle," Luna announced disinterestedly as the Ravenclaw Chasers swept downfield. The Chaser swept beneath Dezmelda, spun right and shot at Ron. "THE KING SAVES IT!" Several of the Ravenclaws looked up at her oddly; then shrugged, it was Luna after all, and it wasn't as if the two houses were out for each other's blood. Ron took an instant, catching his breath before he flung the ball half the length of the pitch directly into Dezmelda's hands.

***********************Under Gryffindor Tower*************************
Hermione gave Harry a long, searching look as she gestured towards the small table holding the Staff and the simmering kettle of potion. She took a breath, gathering power and her thoughts, as Harry's knuckles tightened on the halt of a thousand-year-old blade. A faint shimmering glow danced along the infinitely sharp edge, like a frozen, blue flame, as he gave her a tiny, resigned smile and a nod.

Her eyes slipped almost closed, becoming only thin slits, through which a bright green glow spilled. She clasped her hands together at her chest as in prayer, then flung them wide, ENCLOSIUM. A bright gold circle snapped into being, around both of them, the cauldron and the table. Hermione waved, and the Staff rose from the table, floated over to the simmering cauldron and dropped in, with a small splash.

Instantly, the surface of the liquid started to boil fiercely, and turned the deepest of blacks. Hermione's lips moved, muttering long, dense streams of High Latin as she streaked the tip of her wand though a complicated aerial formula. A fiery circle appeared, just enclosing the cauldron. Lines of fire shot back and forth within it, bisecting the cauldron to form a five-pointed star. She continued as the boiling redoubled, and a soft wind began to pick up. A second circle, appeared, perpendicular to the first, and filled in. A third, then fourth, each bisecting the areas between the first and the second followed, and slowly, hoops of fire began to fill in the corresponding sphere, forming floating, flaming bars.

Hermione did not dare glance away towards Harry as she felt him gathering magic, she did not dare stop muttering the commands to fill in the cage bars. With a sudden rush of energy towards the cauldron, the temperature, once sweltering in the small, hidden, circular space, became artic. She shivered, as tendrils of ice started to form on the floor as the surface of the liquid in the cauldron became as still as death, and the bluebell flames she had summoned into existence under the pot, vanished.

Three bars, then two, then only one remained to contain the cage. The top of the solution exploded and a dark, howling presence with deep, hateful red eyes rocketed out of the cauldron, escaping its entrapment, just as the last bar closed, a millisecond too late. The hated red eyes locked to Hermione, detecting her spell and arrowed towards her.

For a terrible, heart stopping instant, Hermione was back in Grimmauld Place as the Locket was destroyed and the soul fragment was coming for her. But, with a snap of power, the cage was broken as she felt herself flying backwards, away from the soul fragment. She shot directly towards Harry, just as she was about to hit him, Harry spun in place, dodging her, and rolling into the path of the mindlessly pursuing Fragment of the Dark Lord. His sword came up and around with his movements, trailing a line of fire, and intersected the fragment.

A thunderbolt slammed to earth three feet away from Harry, throwing him backwards into the stone walls of the chamber, only being saved by a desperate Cushioning Charm cast by Hermione as a searing wave of green energy knocked her back into the wall as well. A terrible, horrible scream filled their ears, before the Fragment died with a BANG.

Harry looked up, from his crumpled position at the base of the wall, and as watched as the room faded to black.

Harry's vision returned slowly, fuzzily as he painfully opened his eyes, moaned, and looked up into a pair of chocolate eyes gazing worriedly into his own. Hermione bit her lip as she reached up to brush hair from his forehead, her hand trembled slightly as she held her face close enough to share his breath, "Are you, alright, Baby?" she whispered.

Harry did not answer, or bother to ask where his glasses were this time; he reached over and pulled her on top of him, hugging her to him like a safety blanket. Hermione let her head fall to his chest and closed her eyes for a bit as she could hear their pounding heartbeats slowing together. She sighed softly as she felt his lips brush the top of her hair, before she raised a free hand, to relight the candles spread about the room. "That was," Harry said softly after another few minutes, "almost...anticlimactic."

Hermione giggled softly, "Yeah, I guess." She closed her eyes and settled against him more closely, "Night, Harry," she whispered, yawning.

Harry lifted his head enough to look down at the top of her head, where it rested just below his chin, before raising his wrist enough to see his watch; he then groaned and pushed at her to move. Hermione muttered and snuggled down tighter to him, Harry rolled his eyes, before he raised his hand up and caught his glasses as they floated over from a far corner of the room, C'mon, Mione, Harry whispered, his free hand slowly rubbing down her back. He held his glasses close to his eyes and muttered imprecations as he took in the cracked and shattered lenses and bent frames, We need to get to the game...and if you don't mind.

Hermione rolled her eyes without opening them, Oculus Reparo, she replied, waving in the general direction of Harry's head. Instantly the cracks in the lenses melted away, the frames straightened until they looked as new. We should probably change, she mentioned, fingering a burnt hole in her shirt that she had somehow picked up.

**********************Hogwarts, Quidditch Pitch**************************

The Quaffle shot downfield, soaring past the stands. A brief, golden blur flashed past, going straight up, being chased by a pair of robed shapes, one in blue, one in red. Harry smiled slightly as he slipped into the Gryffindor box, taking a pair of empty seats behind Parvati and Lavender. The girls turned and smiled at them, before returning to the game. Hermione leaned forward, stretching the "Potter 7" of Harry's old Quidditch Jumper tautly across her back, to talk to the girls about something. From the giggles and the fact that they were looking back at him, and over at Neville next to Lavender, Harry knew it was probably at the expense of the male subset of the species.

He looked over and jumped up, shouting as Ron saved another goal. Luna's ecstatic voice came over the air, "THE KING STRIKES AGAIN...HE IS STILL HOLDING THE EAGLES TO A SHUTOUT." Harry looked over and caught sight of an middle-aged wizard, sitting in the visitor's box, the man was wearing a orange jacket, with a dark, brown fedora pulled low over thinning hair.

Harry shrugged and bent forward to talk to Neville, "What have we missed?" Harry yelled in his ear, to be heard over the cheers of the crowd.

Neville glanced back; then quickly forward as a sudden exchange of Bludger hits took out a Chaser for each side and Hooch blew her whistle, pausing play while Poppy hurried out to the midfield to check on the players. "Ron's held them scoreless, which is a bloody damn good thing seeing as Dennis's hopeless." Neville waved vaguely towards where Dennis hovered in the air, waiting for the game to resume. "He's...Ron, I mean, been, brilliant really today, Ravenclaw's had like twice the number of shots we've had. We're only up like five goals..." Neville grinned slightly, "At least when you were playing, even back when Ron was totally pants at Keeping, we knew the game would be pretty quick. This may take, days."

As if Neville had developed sudden Seer powers, Madame Hooch blew the whistle and immediately he was proven correct. The Snitch appeared from nowhere and flitted around the heads of both House's Seekers, before vanishing into the bright, warm sun as if an illusion. Harry groaned, knowing he could have grabbed the ball, five, six times before it had vanished. Without looking up from her conversation with the girls, Hermione squeezed his hand, running her thumb over his ring. She sat up, leaning against him, as they watched, Ron mostly, as he was easily the best playing player on either team as he saved yet another shot on Goal, wrapping both legs around his broom and dangling like a bat, upside down to snatch the bright red ball. "OH MERLIN...." Luna screamed, and in the Visitor's Box, the orange-garbed spectator hurriedly took a series of notes in a notebook.

After another hour in which Ron, finally let two shots in, but only after almost dying when Peakes and Coote let both Bludgers past them, and he had to flee for his life, the game finally, mercifully, came to an end.

A flash of gold appeared over the top of the Gryffindor hoops, and from either side of the Pitch, two brooms streaked towards the tiny, golden ball. Ron looked up, and dove down as another shot on goal came his way, he caught the ball, dancing under his flashing Seeker, as Dennis shot from the right, he looked back up and yelled a warning, too late as from the other side, the Ravenclaw seeker, Melissa Horne, collided with him ten feet above the center ring. The Snitch came loose, tumbling through the air and landing in Dennis' almost limp hand. The pair spiraled down, fluttering like huge oak leaves to the grass far below.

Thinking quickly, Ron pulled up hard and cast an Arresto Momentum on the pair, slowing their fall to a gentle walk. Dennis shook his head as he touched down, looked at his hand and thrust it triumphantly in the air.

"GRYFFINDOR WINS...I guess?" Luna announced, ambivalently.

Harry sighed, helplessly, as Hermione gave him a sympathetic look before she took his hand and let him lead her to the stairs and down to the pitch to congratulate Ron. They pushed their way though the thronging crowd, past Hagrid as he stomped towards the castle, and around a screaming throng of fourth year Gryffindor Girls that were giggling at Peakes and Cootes as the Gryffindor Beaters were holding court in the center of the pitch.

They stopped as they found Ron standing, talking to the Orange-robed wizard from before. Ron had a slightly stunned look on his face as he slowly nodded, and Luna held onto his arm and bounced up and down happily. The man said a final parting comment and shook Ron's hand. He took off in the opposite direction from the castle, towards the carriages back to Hogsmeade.

Harry and Hermione approached and watched, amused, as Luna looked up at Ron with a beatific expression. Ron gazed at her, still stunned as Harry shouted, "Oi, what's with the guy in orange?"

Ron turned to Harry with a poleaxed look on his face, "He...uhh offered me a tryout for the Cannons," Harry's jaw dropped slightly as Ron went on hurriedly, "Stonewall's retiring this year, and everybody knows that Johnson's not really up to his league...they are needing replacements. I'm to report for tryouts in June, for at least the replacement squad until the end of the season in September."

Harry smiled, hugely and reached out, pulling his brother into a hug, "Congrats, mate, I'm happy for you." Harry let go and smiled up, hugely towards his friend.

Ron frowned slightly, as he looked after the departed scout for the Cannons, "Um, Harry...he said that he saw you play last year and the year before, and they talked to Viktor, when he was here talking to Puddlemere, you are invited to show up at camp with me, if you want."

"We'll see," Harry replied, still smiling, convincingly to everyone except Hermione, who hid her own frown. "You need to go see to your team, Mate," Harry said, waving towards the rest of the team, who were currently laughing with Dennis over the outcome of the game. Ron smiled and nodded, before patting Harry on the shoulder and heading over.

Harry?

I'm fine, Hermione, Harry reassured her, with a smile that she didn't believe.

A/N There we go, sorry it was a bit on this one, I've been busy. Next chapter...A whole bunch of stuff comes to a head. Literally. And a suggestion of Hermione's that she gave to someone a long time ago comes to fruition.

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36. Rattlesnape for Dinner

In honor of the release of GOF on DVD, here's 36 a couple of days early...Thanks as usual to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter.

Chapter 36: Rattlesnape for Dinner
******************************Somewhere near Manchester******************

January 23, 1998 (Friday morning)
1:10 am

Draco Malfoy slipped out of an old, decrepit brick house. He glanced to either side down the long, dirty Muggle street. He jumped at a sudden noise, his new wand looking for a target. He frowned slightly as a filthy, scraggly white cat came from behind a set of overflowing trashcans. Draco shook his head as he bent over and picked up a loose brick from the street. He touched the wand to the brick, "Mutatio."

A yellow flash of light lit the alley. As the light faded, a brick red, rather blocky looking Owl remained. Draco pulled a small parchment from his pocket, attached it to its leg, and watched as it flew away. Moments later, he walked back to the house in a daze, the last ten minutes a total blank.

*********************Hogwarts********************

2:00 am

"Harry..." Hermione's voice snapped him from a dream, which coincidentally enough, was about her, without a trace of nightmare for once. She frowned as she did so and looked down at the odd owl that had come in through the owl door to the Head's Chambers. She climbed out of bed and searched around on the floor until she found a long T-shirt and slipped it on. How we are ever going to make our kids clean their rooms... Hermione shook her head at her tired musings, stood up and pulled the note from the owl's leg. She jumped a bit as it reverted to its brick form and fell to the floor with a thud.

Mione... Harry whined as he rolled over and squinted at her. He felt around for his glasses behind him and slipped them on. He sat up suddenly, the sheet pooling in his lap. She raised a hand, and glanced over the note. He watched, concerned, as a dark, hard expression fell over her face.

We seem to have a mission, Hermione handed him the note as she peeled the T-shirt back off and crossed to their closet. A set of combat blacks flew out at him even before he finished reading, and he wasn't a slow reader. He glanced up to catch a flash of his wife's skin as she pulled her dark top on and pulled her hair out from the collar. She caught his eye and a brief smile flitted across hers before he pushed out of bed and started pulling on his clothes.

Dressed to kill, literally, Harry threw out a hand and a small, flat folding mirror shot across the room from a large pile of parchments, books, quills and assorted other detritus piled on top of their desk to his hand. "Neville, Remus, Ron, Luna," Harry said distinctly as he flipped the mirror open. Almost instantly Neville's mostly asleep face appeared in the mirror. The dim image behind him, showed the closed hangings around his bed. Neville evidentially found his wand, as a ball of pure white light appeared a second later.

After another minute the image split to show Remus, yawning and in great need of a shave. Harry held up a hand to hold off any questions. He waited for a couple of minutes and sighed. "Neville, are Ron and or Luna in his bed?" Behind Harry, Hermione sniggered softly.

Neville vanished for a minute and came back, already shaking his head, "Na, Harry. It wasn't slept in."

Harry muttered something uncomplimentary in Goblin and turned back to the mirror to see Tonks now peering over Remus' shoulder, "Fine, Hermione and I will find him. Neville grab his gear and try not to wake everyone." He nodded. "Remus, Tonks...meet us in your office in fifteen...we have a debt to call in tonight."

Hermione leaned over and dug around in Harry's pack. Finding her quarry, she pulled out an old, torn and stained piece of folded parchment. She unfolded it and placed it on their bed, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." She watched, always fascinated, as text filled in on the map:

Messrs. Moony, Padfoot and Prongs welcome Bookworm. Mister Prongs further requests that any progeny of Bookworm and Prongs Jr. not be named James or Lily, at least for their first names, as that would be just weird. Have fun, Hermione, and don't tire him out too much...

Hermione laughed as the words faded away and lines started filling in, demarking the classrooms, corridors and quarters of the school. A few marked dots were moving around the castle; Mrs. Norris was prowling on the fifth floor, with Crookshanks down on the third. A fifth year Hufflepuff, Michael Babcock and a forth year Ravenclaw, Annette Pierce were walking together down from the Astronomy tower, "We just swept that bloody tower," Hermione muttered as she continued to look for Ron or Luna.

Finally she found them together, on the seventh floor, a tower or so over, in an oddly shifting room on the map marked, "Requirement."

*********************Room of Requirement, Hogwarts***********************

Luna's eyes held a soft, sated glow as she stretched and rose on all fours. She licked her lips as she crawled over to Ron, her eyes never leaving his. He gulped slightly as she hung over him, and bent down to kiss him thoroughly. Tonight the room had decided that the environment should be something closer to a scene from 1001 Arabian Nights than anything. Diaphanous fabrics hung from the ceiling, piles of cushions were scattered about the room, and a platter of fruit was sitting next a pile of cushions. Soft, glowing orbs provided the illumination, what there was of it. She pressed herself against him, and rubbed slightly with a soft, purring like sound.

"Bloody hell, woman," Ron muttered softly, almost pleadingly, "We've already done this twice..."

"Third time's a charm, Ronnie," Luna grunted as she continued to rub up against him. She glanced down and ran a pink tongue over her lips, "and besides...it seems that you are up for it."

"Yeah, I guess I am," he agreed ruefully as he pulled her down for a kiss.

Outside in the hall, Harry beat on the door again, he glanced back to Hermione, "We don't have time...aw, screw it." His wand flicked and the door unlocked. "A Colloportus, Ron...I'm ashamed." He shook his head as he held the door open for Hermione and they entered the room slowly.

"This is different," Hermione mused as she pushed aside a silk hanging. "Ron, Luna," she called, no one answered. She frowned as she came around a stack of cushions almost as high as she was and pushed aside another hanging. "OH..." she exclaimed and jumped back slightly, hitting Harry.

Luna looked up from what she was doing and sat up with her hands on Ron's chest. "We seem to have visitors honey," she said softly as she pulled sweat-darkened hair out of her face and behind her ears with both hands. She seemed to not notice the fact that she was more than a little naked in front of the Head Students. She reached over and plucked a grape from a platter and ate it.

"Bloody Hell, do we walk in on you two?" Ron moaned as he looked up and back. He reached back and handed Luna her shirt.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other for a bare second, then as one voice, "YES."

"Consider us even," Harry commented, "get dressed; we're going on a trip." He glanced at his watch, "Meet us in Lupin's office in ten minutes." He laughed slightly as he led Hermione back out of the room and into the hall. Seconds later they were running for Lupin's. That was an interesting, moment.

It does give whole new meaning to things I would rather not know, Hermione agreed as they reached the hallway outside of DADA and stopped. She glanced down the hall, and wrapped her arms around his neck. They leaned forward until their heads touched lightly. Are you ready for this?

Harry shook his head, No. Are you? She shook her head, as her teeth ran over her bottom lip. She reached back and checked her daggers, then the thigh pack on her leg looking over her cloak, a pair of shrunken Fanged Frisbees, a couple of Instant Darkness pellets, her communication mirror, an Argentium grenade and her a pair of the new flash bangs that had yet to given names. The twins were already starting an Auror supply branch, or at least the last quarterly statement had said so. She looked back up at Harry, and nodded. Nothing else was needed as they entered Lupin's office. Tonks, Neville and Lupin were already waiting. Tonks handed them a cup of coffee each as they walked in and perched on Remus' crowded desk.

"What are we waiting for, Harry?" Tonks asked softly as if she were afraid to wake up the castle. She scrunched up her nose, and her hair darkened from the roots out from the bubble-gum pink that she preferred to her natural black, or at least as natural as any hair color was on her.

"Them," Harry replied, with barely a smirk as Ron and Luna came into the room. Ron's hair was still mysteriously mussed, though Luna looked rather serene. She leaned back against Ron as they took up a post next to the door. "Alright, now that we are all here..." Ron mocked laughter. Harry glanced at Hermione; she nodded. "We have Snape's location." Harry looked at each of them in turn. Neville was the odd one out, in many ways, but he looked calm, almost serene as he waited for Harry's orders. Since the start of school, he had become the near perfect subordinate, or sergeant.

Ron and Hermione, well they had been with him for almost everything since they were eleven, there wasn't even a thought that they wouldn't be there until the end, not any longer. Lupin was more than ready to perform a task that he had almost done by accident more than twenty years before, and that Snape had blamed them for ever since. With Harry's words, Tonks had slipped back into the experienced Auror that she was under the youthful exterior and behaviors she often showed. And that was what she was when she asked her next question, "You know this could be a trap, Harry?"

"I know, but we have to try," Harry let out a deep breath through his nose and ran his hand through his hair, "Anyone who doesn't want to go..."

"Oh, we're all in," Lupin replied instantly, glancing at Tonks. She nodded forcefully.

"I'm not going blind into anything again if I can help it, Moony," Harry replied softly as he looked over at Hermione. "I have too much to live for. Snivellus is dying tonight if anyone is. Let's go, we can scout the area when we get there."

*****************************Spinner's End*******************************

2:55 am

Several cloaked figures slipped through the dark night, easing amongst the run-down Muggle dwellings as if perfectly at home. They paused and the leader, a dark-haired young man, held up a hand to stop them. Harry pointed at himself and Hermione next to him, then forward towards a dilapidated old home on the banks of the river, and waved his hands in front of him as if he were a Muggle Magician vanishing a rabbit. He pointed at Luna and Ron, then to the right and then at Tonks and Remus, signaling to the left. At Neville, he just held his palm out flat and lowered it straight down. Harry held up ten fingers and then pointed again at Neville. All of them nodded, and padded out into the night.

Harry and Hermione vanished instantly under the cover of their cloaks and crept up towards the garden gate. They paused and the very tip of an ivy-wood wand appeared and a faint mist, floated out over the yard the gate was guarding. The mist slowly settled to the ground, revealing dim purple beams crisscrossing the yard. A flick of a holly wand at the gate, caused the lock to glow a low purple as well, and Harry flicked his eyes heavenward.

Silent as ghosts, the pair rolled over the top of the waist-high brick wall and carefully picked their way towards the house, avoiding the purple beams. They reached the house and crouched in the lee of the wall, Hermione tapped her wand on the ground Enimatius Revealo, but instead of the red and blue dots showing the locations of personnel, foes and friends, only the blue dots of her and the rest of the Order members crowding around the house showed. In the middle of the seven blue dots, a static, wavering pattern hovered, then oddly, a eighth dot appeared outside of the house. Even more oddly, this dot was a deep, throbbing purple. Harry, we have company, Hermione hissed.

Harry nodded, and with a soft grateful sigh at his foresight in casting a permanent silencing charm on his cloak, he whipped open his mirror and muttered, "Neville, there's someone coming up on you." In the image, Neville just nodded, not speaking. A heartbeat later, Remus' face spilt the miniscule screen.

"I've got him, Harry," he murmured and vanished as he snapped his mirror closed. Hermione and Harry, who had gotten close enough to her to pull their cloaks together, watched the tiny blue dot of Remus approach the purple one of the interloper. Their knuckled whitened on the grips of their wands, waiting. A soft, almost unnoticeable scuffle later, Remus' voice once again whispered from the mirrors, "Harry...you should probably see this."

Harry and Hermione's eyes met without a word, and she nodded, I'll stay here, you go. Harry frowned, shrugged and vanished from her sight as their cloaks pulled apart and fluttered down over them. Her eyes nonetheless tracked him unerringly as his invisible form, slipped back out through the wards guarding the house and out to where Remus crouched in the darkness in a clump of scraggly, leafless trees, over a small, slumped form.

Harry glanced at Remus as he arrived in the dark copse of trees. The lycan did not speak, just bent down and pulled back the hood of a black traveling cloak from the head of a petite female form. FUCK...Harry snarled silently.

One hundred meters away, Hermione closed her eyes for an instant and repeated his sentiment, Oh bloody hell... she took a silent, deep breath and glanced around her surroundings, checking to see if they had been compromised. They had not, so she let her thoughts piggyback on Harry's, watching as he watched the small, red-haired form start to rouse.

"Damnit," Harry whispered heatedly, "why the hell is she here..." he looked at Remus, who of course had absolutely no idea. He ran his gloved hand through his hair roughly before shaking his head, pulling out his mirror and whispering urgently in it. Mione, get ready... he felt her nod, and her sudden nervousness. Harry pulled his wand, Enervate, Silencio, two silent spells snapped out in rapid succession, both carefully regulated so as to have the minimum signature possible. Hermione tensed against her post at the wall of the house, while Remus and Neville who had crept over, pointed their wands towards the house.

Harry knelt next to Ginny, his wand still pointed at the little sister of one of his best friends, "What are you doing here, Ginny?" Harry asked in barely a whisper. Even Remus' sensitive ears could hardly discern his words. "I am going to take off the Silencing Charm now. Do you understand? Nod if you do." Ginny's eyes held an odd expression as she did as Harry requested and his wand flicked, freeing her throat.

"We're here to get Snape," Ginny whispered heatedly, looking towards the house where a single light burned in the sitting room window.

"We?" Harry caught instantly, even beating Hermione to the question in his head. He felt her presence filling his ears, waiting for the answer. Ginny shut her mouth abruptly, and Harry's eyes hardened, "Who, Ginny?" Harry barked quietly, his voice thundering in her ears though he had not seemed to raise his voice a decibel.

Ginny looked away for a moment, "Draco," the name was almost silent, the letters seemingly pulled from her lips with a crowbar, so hesitantly they were spoken. Harry's hand blurred out, snatching the youngest Weasley's wand. The tip of his wand lit a brilliant red, the pre-Stunner discharge humming slightly in the silence before Harry visibly brought himself under control.

"If Draco's in that house, he is a dead man, Ginevra..." Harry snapped, flatly. His eyes lit softly and he looked back towards the house.

"NO!" Ginny screamed, and Harry's wand flicked cutting her off as Remus and Neville dropped to the ground, and Harry fell on top of Ginny, covering her with the cloak. They waited, hearts pounding to see if anyone reacted, but no one did. After a long, breathless moment, they relaxed, Harry rising silently from his concealment of Ginny to a knee. Ginny motioned frantically to her mouth and against his better judgment, Harry once more canceled a Silencing Charm. "No, Harry, its not his fault, he was trying to work with me to capture or kill Snape...bring him in."

"Why, Ginny?" Remus growled darkly from the side, leaning in, "You know we were after him, if you wanted him so badly you should have..." His nostrils flared and he looked at Harry significantly. Harry caught his raised eyebrow, and looked back to Ginny, defocusing his vision to catch the glow...

"Because I wanted to come home, damnit, Harry, and I knew I couldn't unless I..."

"Is that the only reason, Ginny, you want to save him, why...he was helping you?" Harry muttered. Her mouth opened to object, but Harry cut her off with a snarl, "Don't bother Ginny, Remus can smell him on you, probably about as deeply as I can see his magic intertwined with yours." Harry stepped back and whispered, tiredly, "All you had to do was call in on a floo, or walk in the door Ginny," Harry said sadly, "and I am sorry for this," Somnus, his fingers of his off hand flicked and Ginny slumped off into sleep. Harry summoned a rock to his hand and touched it with his wand, Portus, the rock shook, glowed blue, jumped around a couple of times and dropped to the ground next to Ginny. He pulled his mirror from his pocket and flipped it open, instantly the four others still out there in the darkness, Ron, Luna, Tonks and Hermione appeared in the spilt screen of the mirror. "We go in one minute, Ron, Luna blow the wall on that side; Hermione, I will join you, I'll probably be setting off the wards, so be ready, Tonks, Remus will join you and you two force the door, on that side," he glanced down at Ginny and sighed, "Neville you stay here, stop anyone that comes out, and as soon as we start in, activate this Portkey, it will take her to a locked room at Grimmauld." He nodded and Harry glanced down at Ginny once more, "Don't risk yourself, but try to take them alive, whoever is in there..."

"Harry," Ron whispered urgently over the mirror, "who is there with you?"

"It's Ginny, Ron," Harry replied quietly, and cut him off before he could say anything, "later Ron, Neville is going to send her back to Grimmauld, as soon as it starts...take them alive Ron, I mean it. One minute from...now," Harry watched Ron's eyes narrow in the mirror and knew his friend was flushing with anger, but Ron just nodded and snapped his mirror closed, cutting off the image of him and Luna.

Remus touched his shoulder and loped off, as Harry felt himself get ready. He took a breath, another and as the second hand ticked to 12, he vanished in a blur of speed; a dim green trail followed him as the sprinted towards the house, vaulting the garden fence and landing in the garden. The blare of sudden, raucous alarms was lost to the night as twin BOOMS from either side of the house shattered the still night further. APPARECIUM DELATARIUM, Harry cast on the run, and a soft glow settled over the house for a moment, barring the escape of those within.

Hermione's wand fired a blue Reductor bolt, directly at the window in Harry's path, it exploded inward, glass fragments, and bits of the wall raining into the sitting room, as Harry dove face first into the new hole, landing in a forward roll and coming to his feet in one, long, swift movement. A red beam snapped from his wand, and a blond head fell away behind the couch, its wand rolling into the corner of the room. He felt Hermione enter after him, rolling to his right, her wand automatically covering what his did not. A dazed Death Eater stumbled out of a bedroom, his wandtip already glowing green...

A purple, slicing wave ripped open his chest as a blue bolt shattered his head; his body fell back into the room as Harry spun to the room. He paused, just out of sight of the interior of the room, and flipped a bright red cylinder from his pouch into the room. Harry reached out and pulled Hermione to him as a horrible, deafening Banshee scream and a flash of light; many, many times the brightness of the brightest Lumos charm cast their shadows into sharp relief out onto the lawn through the broken window.

The pair rolled into the room, and twin, red beams snapped out from their wands and two more Death Eaters collapsed, falling to the floor. He covered Hermione as she kicked open a closet, "CLEAR," she snapped and returned to his side. Several more shouts of "CLEAR" came from the other rooms and the other four appeared in doorways leading to the sitting room. Snape's tattered couch was knocked over and books were scattered everywhere.

A small fire was blazing where a candle had fallen over and lit a curtain on fire. Ron put it out absently with a flick of his wand, "No Snape, Harry," Ron growled as he paced over and kicked Draco's fallen body. "I see that we found Draco," he smiled slightly, as he turned over the prostrate former Slytherin with a toe of his boot, he extended his wand and the tip lit slowly....

"NO!" Harry roared and jerked Ron's wand from his grasp from across the room. Ron turned to him furiously, and Harry tossed it back to him, "No, mate, he may know where Snape is." Ron gave Harry a parting glare before a soft yellow light came from his wand, reviving Draco. Draco blinked several times as he looked up at Ron, whose wand was pointed directly at the bridge of his nose. Harry came to stand at Ron's shoulder, "Where is he, Draco? Don't fuck with us..."

Draco pointed at a built-in bookcase set into the wall across from him. The shelf was bare, all of the books that had once filled it, fallen into the floor. A few were smoldering slightly as Harry flicked his wand at them and pushed them away from the case. He tried to open it conventionally for a moment before giving up and stepping back across the room, waving everyone back. Hermione caught his eye and nodded, "Ron, Luna toss in a couple of those Screamers when we blow it." Twin bolts of blue, carefully modulated so as not to drop the house down around their ears, shot out from Harry and Hermione's wands and shattered the bookshelf and a significant portion of the surrounding wall.

A dark staircase was revealed leading down and twin, red cylinders went bouncing down the stairs before the smoke had cleared. Ron tugged Luna down and rolled on top of her as the Screamers went off, lighting the room with a harsh white light and almost deafening them up on another floor. Harry and Hermione blurred into movement, sliding down the stairs, Hermione on the banister, Harry almost on his bum down the stairs. A green bolt shot out of the darkness, exploding a hole in the stairs directly above Harry's head.

Twin stunners shot back in return, blowing divots into the cinder-block wall of the basement. Broken glass crunched under Harry's boots as he moved forward in a crouch. Another Kedavra barely missed him, shattering a tall, enclosed glass cabinet, and tipping over several, bubbling caldrons. Potions dripped down, hissing as they touched the floor. A cloud of vapor slowly filled the room, causing Hermione to cough. She dived out of the way as Snape fired in her direction.

"Give it up, Snape," Harry yelled, "or I swear on Dumbledore's grave that I will cut your bloody head off and place it next to your master's on a pike."

"You think I am a fool, Potter?" he sneered, and slipped from the cover of one lab bench to another.

"Yes, Snivellus, I do," Harry retorted, "it was incredibly stupid to kill Dumbledore in front of me and think that I would not find you..."

"Dumbledore was an old fool, to think he could stand against the Dark Lord..." Snape snapped back. Out of his sight, Hermione crouched behind a bench and waved Ron and Luna down as they peeked in at the top of the stairs behind the business ends of their wands. Ron nodded and eased himself down to his stomach, and eased down the stairs on his belly, carefully avoiding the large hole that Snape had blasted in an attempt to kill Harry. Harry looked to Hermione and saw that her wand was in its sheath on her thigh and twin, foot-long blades glittered in the dim room. He nodded and reached back, drawing the Gryffindor sword and inverting it, so the blade lay along the side of his forearm.

Harry stood in plain sight, "You made your decision, Snivellus..." Snape popped up and fired a Kedavra at Harry, which blew a large chunk out of the basement wall as Harry whirled and vanished. Snape took a panicked step backwards as a scurry of movement to his left drew his attention...

"AVADA KEDAVRA," the green beam missed Hermione by five feet as she ghosted past. He took a step left, and stopped as he bumped against an immovable table. "CRUCIO," he screamed as Harry stood again. He didn't seem to move, but the beam missed him nonetheless. Harry vanished from sight.

"Too bad it was a stupid one," Harry finished as the Gryffindor blade whirled in the dimness, Snape took one step, paled, and collapsed in two pieces... A head topped by a head of greasy black hair rolled into the corner of the room, finally coming to a stop on its severed neck, beady eyes open and staring in shock. "I keep my promises, traitor," Harry whispered as he slid to the floor, his sword falling from suddenly numb fingers with a loud clank.

Harry looked up as Hermione knelt next to him, and winced slightly as her daggers fell to the concrete floor with a twin, bell-like ring. She didn't say a word as she curled up on his lap, and her head fell to his shoulder. Harry dropped his to hers, not looking up as Ron and Luna appeared in the open space. Ron nodded at the sprawled, foot-shorter, corpse as Luna crossed over to Snape's head and looked down at it critically. She poked it with her wand before conjuring a black sack around the head and walking back over to join her fiancée. After several minutes of silence, Harry looked up at Ron, frowning, as Remus came down the stairs. "Tonks just took Draco to Grimmauld, Harry, Neville's still upstairs." Remus announced, with only a bare flicker of a gaze towards Snape. "She'll put him in that secure room you had Dobby install." Harry nodded. "What, will..."

"Professor," Hermione said softly, speaking for both her and Harry, "I don't think we'll be in class tomorrow." Lupin nodded knowingly, "I suppose that we will be going to Grimmauld," Hermione continued, as she looked around the room, from her perch, "Luna can you get samples of what Snape was making?" Hermione asked and Luna waved and using a pair of tongs and several unbroken vials from a box of them she spotted on a nearby counter, she sampled each of the spilled cauldrons, set them in a row on a table and vanished the samples to somewhere.

"Remus," Harry added quietly, "please let Professor McGonagall know too. We should be back by Monday," He glanced at Hermione for a moment, and a conversation passed in a glance, "It might be good if you came by this evening after classes."

"Sure Harry, Nymph and I will be by," Lupin replied and watched as Harry got to his feet. His hand stretched out and the Gryffindor sword jumped to it. He cleaned it with a quick flick of his wand and resheathed the blade. Somehow, magically, as no one had seen her move, Hermione's were replaced as well.

Harry took Hermione's hand in his and his eyes flashed. He nodded to Ron and a second later, Ron and Luna vanished with a muffled CRACK, as Harry's gaze swept back to Lupin, "Thanks Moony," Harry said softly and he and Hermione vanished silently.

Lupin shook his head slightly as he paced over to the body still on the floor, he jumped a bit as the sack containing Snape's head vanished, then relaxed, shrugging. "I knew I should have ate your arse all those years ago," Remus mentioned conversationally to the motionless body on the ground, he spit on the ground next to where the head would have been, and left, walking up the stairs to send Neville home before he burnt the place down.

******************************Grimmauld Place***************************

6:30 pm

Remus Lupin walked into a dimly lit bedroom, a crackling fire lit one corner of the room, where someone could be seen sitting facing the fire, with their back to the door. An enchanted red and gold lava lamp flowed languorously on a night table next to a large, unmade bed in Gryffindor colors. Lupin grinned slightly as he noticed the shirts, pants, a couple of school uniforms, and several unmentionables, tossed in a corner near a laundry basket, that if Sirius hadn't been one of his best friends in school, and hadn't taken a hand in his 'social development', would have probably caused a blush to rise to his cheeks. As it was he just shook his head and continued on. He was engaged to Tonks after all. As he passed the bed, he noticed that Harry's sword was hanging once more on the rack next to the bed, and that Hermione's dual dagger pack was lying on the floor next to the bed on the other side and he nodded approvingly.

Lupin came around the edge of the couch, to find Harry with his head down in a book, reading by the light of the fire. Harry was taking notes in an open notebook on the couch next to him, "Hello Moony," Harry muttered without looking up. He picked up his notebook and waved at a chair set across from the couch and watched as Lupin sat down.

"Where's Hermione?" Remus inquired as he sat back in the chair, watching the young man who might as well be his godson.

Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head slightly; "She's a touch miffed with me, right now, since we got back."

Lupin's face looked shocked, "Not about what happened at..."

Harry shook his head, "No...I left the seat up on the toilet," both men grinned slightly.

"I can't help you with that," Remus replied laughing.

"I know, I'm doomed," Harry replied with a laugh dancing in his eyes, "Yes, I know you heard that, Mione," he said to the air, and Remus crooked an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. "What's up Remus?"

"You wanted me to stop by after classes?" Remus reminded him, "and for the information of yourself and your skiving friends since you all skived off your only class today...I need three feet comparing the standard incapacitation curses and hexes, and their weaknesses by next Friday." Harry nodded and jotted a note on his pad to tell Hermione and Ron.

Harry sighed and stretched out on the couch. He waved at the coffee table in front of him, and a pair of bottled butterbeers appeared. He took one and watched as Remus took the other. Harry took a long sip, more to buy time than anything before he answered, "I want your opinion, Moony," Harry replied, he took another sip of his beer, "I don't know why I listened to Ginny, honestly, and took Draco alive, when I...didn't do so with Snape. Was I wrong with not taking Snape alive...or wrong with Draco? Ginny claims he's reformed, wants out, took the Mark because he was forced too, but can I believe her Remus?" Harry asked with just a touch of desperation, "She's fucking shagging that arsehole wanker and I don't know if I can trust her as far as letting her go free, let alone with regards to him."

Remus sat back, thinking. He muttered a long string of curses under his breath before looking back at Harry, "I don't know, Harry; I wish I did. In some ways what she did was as much a betrayal as what Peter did to us, if not quite to the same degree." He shrugged, "What does your heart tell you?"

"That's the thing...I don't know if she is just using him as a shagging buddy...or if she is, or thinks she is, in love with him," Harry scrubbed his hands roughly though his hair, and whipped his glasses off, to pinch his nose tiredly. "Because if it's the latter...then I don't think I can trust her, Remus, at all, because I know what I'd do if it were Hermione." Harry steepled his hands in front of his face for a moment as if in prayer, "Because if I needed to keep her safe, I'd cheerfully kill every living soul on this island..."

"I know, Harry," Lupin replied quietly as he stood up and placed his hand on Harry's shoulder in a silent attempt at whatever reassurance he could give.

Harry looked up at him, and Remus frowned slightly as he noticed unshed tears in Harry's eyes. Lupin glanced across the room at the door to find Hermione there, already crossing the room to Harry. She didn't say a word to Lupin in greeting as she sat on the couch next to Harry and leaned against him. Harry glanced down as Hermione placed her hand on top of his and their fingers twined together automatically, "I..." he glanced to Hermione, she nodded fractionally and squeezed his fingers, "we'll talk to Ginny again, before Ron does. Right now, he's so angry with her that Luna was literally sitting on him to keep him away from her. I...we've already chosen our lives, we won't make the same mistake that Mum and Dad made..." Harry let himself trail off, the threat, or promise rather unsaid.

Lupin patted Harry's shoulder once more, smiled slightly at Hermione as if she were his daughter-in-law in truth, and started to leave. He crossed the door, and opened it, but stopped at Harry's words, "Remus...tell Tonks no one is to know beyond those we know we can trust that we have Draco and Ginny as our...guests. Not even Molly." Lupin did not trust his voice, but just gave a slow nod in return and walked out of the room. They could hear his measured, soft pace as he retreated down the stairs towards the room that he shared with Tonks while they were both at the London house.

Hermione dropped his hand as she flicked her fingers across the room, the door shut and locked with a loud squelch and a brief white flash lit the walls. Her arms went around his neck as she buried her face in his chest. "I'm not really mad about the toilet, Harry," Hermione whispered softly.

"I know, Mione...I love you, you know," Harry muttered as he started to inattentively comb his fingers through her hair, she kissed his chest in response and settled her cheek against the spot a moment later. "What should we do, Hermione?" Harry asked in a slightly lost voice, he rested his chin on the crown of her head and looked over it at the flames.

"Oh, Harry... I don't know," she breathed, "I wish I could tell you, but I can't." She nuzzled against him, and without looking; her knew her lip was in her teeth. A heavy weight seemed to settle on them, as she carefully considered her next words, "Harry, I don't know what I think about her...but she is Ron's sister." She paused, "But, she'll leave in a bag if she hurts you again," she added painfully.

"Do we have any Veritaserum ready?"

"Yeah," she admitted with more than a hint of reluctance, "I have more than enough to for several rounds of, questioning. Do you want me to go and?"

"No, stay here with me, Love," Harry replied quietly, "We question them together then?" the question a statement, "Draco or Ginny first?"

"Ginny, I guess," Hermione replied after a long, silent moment. Harry could feel tears dampening his shirt and tightened his arms around her as she buried her face in his chest. "If she doesn't know anything," her voice tight and strained, "then we can fillet Draco's mind."

'*******************************************************************

"Damn it, Luna," Ron snapped as he attempted once more to open the door she had sealed against his attempts to exit their bedroom. He turned and glared at her, but as she had both his wand and hers, he really had no other recourse. Ron stomped across their bedroom here, a more or less exact copy of Harry and Hermione's here, and dropped onto a dark brown couch set against one wall near the corner hearth. "I just want to go talk to her," Ron growled.

"Talk to her...or yell at her, Ronald?" Luna replied without looking at him. She whistled softly and stroked Graymalkin as he rubbed up against her as she sat on the bed with her back to the headboard. Her eyes were down watching her fingers as they pulled through the long, silky white fur of the form that her Familiar had chosen today, which was probably its base form. Or as close to it as not to matter too terribly much. Greymalkin purred, as he turned odd, black on black eyes towards Ron, before looking up at Luna. She nodded at him, "Yes, Gray, he is being rather obstinate."

"Why the bloody hell you named that...whatever Greymalkin," Ron muttered, loudly, "What is it with you birds and the weird names you give pets...Crookshanks, Pigwidgeon?"

"Then explain Hedwig?" Luna challenged softly, still stroking her Kneazle-like Familiar.

"Hermione must have somehow placed a spell on Harry before she met him," Ron replied, shrugging. He looked back at Luna as she jumped up and crossed the room to the closet, peeling off the button-up shirt of his she had fallen asleep in after they got back from Spinner's End, almost fifteen hours ago. They had awoke several hours ago, but she had yet to dress.

She had brought a blush to Remus' face when he arrived earlier, though.

Luna bent over, and looked through the bottom of the closet, before pulling on a pair of torn jeans and a jumper of Ron's that fell halfway down her thighs...it was a couple of years old. She slipped her wand into her back pocket and toed into a pair of sandals before turning back to him. "Promise me Ronnie, promise me that you won't go talk to your sister unless I'm with you."

"You don't trust me?" Ron asked tiredly, softly, "Harry and Hermione don't either; they didn't want me to talk to her either." He looked up at her as her face fell for a second before she flitted across the room, and knelt down in front of him.

Luna's eyes caught the light as she rested her cheek on his lap and looked up, "I trust you more than an Antarian Snortcat, is purple with red polka-dots. More than I trust that that the NEWT examinations are really a disguised test to see who is best suited for living on the moon," she whispered. "I love you, Ronnie, Harry and Hermione love you and we trust you, more than you can imagine, honey. We don't trust your sister." Luna reached out and twined her fingers with his for an instant, before she stood up, "Promise me, Ron, go play chess, or eat, or come and help me look over those potions that we took from Snape's lab."

"I'm bloody awful at Potions, Luv," Ron replied with a small smile, looking up at her, "and can I please have my wand back," he added as he stood and looked down at her.

Luna smirked as her hand brushed the front of his jeans, "But I'm rather fond of your wand, honey," she commented huskily and giggled as he stumbled forward, as she danced out of the way. "And I never said you actually had to do anything in the lab..." Her eyes were suddenly curiously vulnerable as her demeanor changed with the rapidity that only hers could, "Just come keep me company, it's...scary down there." Ron laughed and nodded, taking her hand and letting her lead him out of the room and down the stairs towards the basement potions lab.

AN: Next Chapter a long overdue talk...and an event that will turn the game on its ear.

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37. A Long Overdue Talk

Sorry Guys, I had this done, but I was traveling and then got the Flu bad enough that I couldn't walk straight. There will be revelations in this chapter that are confusing. They are meant to be. Thanks again to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter.

Chapter 37: A long overdue talk

'******************************************************************

January 23, 1998.

Several hours later, Hermione looked up from the remains of a late supper she was sharing with Harry as Luna entered into the kitchen and sat at the table. Hermione rolled her eyes as Ron summoned a clean plate from the cupboard and filled himself a plate with the remaining spaghetti from the dish in the center of the table. "Didn't you already eat?" she muttered as he tucked in and took a bite of garlic bread.

He shrugged, and continued to eat as Luna smiled indulgently at him, and Harry grinned under the cover of his napkin. Luna looked at Hermione, and pushed a notebook across the table at her. "Snape had five potions going," Luna leaned over and pointed at something in the notebook. Hermione sat back and glanced at Harry, before looking back to the blonde and crooking an eyebrow. Luna nodded, "Of those, two I recognized, Veritaserum and a Blood Replenishing Draught. It was these other three..." she frowned slightly as she indicated a long series of equations and several balanced reactions written in out in longhand.

"Is this the one?" Hermione asked, glancing to Harry as he got up to look over her shoulder, Ron continued to eat.

"What...I was there in the lab while you two were...whatever," Ron grinned through a mouthful of food. Hermione huffed slightly and looked away, back to Luna and the notes. Luna pushed back the sleeves of her too-big sweater and marked something in the notebook with a pencil.

"Yes, Hermione, this is what was given to the Minister..." Luna answered, knowing her well enough to discern where she was going. Luna flicked her wand and a tiny, sealed vial of a phosphorescent, green solution appeared on the table, "It has an unbreakable charm on it, it's safe."

"Hermione," Harry began slowly, "that looks like the..." he trailed off as he pushed away from the table and paced over to lean against the kitchen counter. Harry was suddenly pale, his normally, slightly olive complexion almost shockingly white under his contrasting mop of jet.

"It is," Hermione confirmed quietly as she walked over to him, and wrapped her arms around him from behind. Harry closed his eyes, as he flashed back to the horrid night in the cave. Hermione shuddered slightly as she went with him in his vision; Harry felt the soft patter of her tears on his shoulder as she watched that night flash past his mind's-eye. I'm sorry, Baby, she cooed silently to him.

It's alright, Love, I'll be fine, Harry reassured her as they turned back around, reversing their positions so it was now Harry looking over her shoulder. "What else, Luna?" Harry inquired softly. The grandfather clock up in the parlor struck eight thirty and Harry looked down, tilting his watch to confirm the time.

At the table, Luna and Ron shared a quick glance before she continued with her report, "The second one, well it seems to be Polyjuice, but it's insanely strong, perhaps lasting many hours," Luna glanced back down at her notes, "The last one...that was odd, I have only seen it before in that text by Burlington, that old one of yours Hermione."

"You mean that insane, Welsh Wizard who used to demand that all of his texts be bound in Dragonhide to keep the Wyverns from coming into your house and eating them?" Hermione responded oddly.

"Oh, they do...Daddy had one vanish one night, was the second edition so it wasn't bound in Dragonhide, Wyverns did it, even running an article about it next month," Luna replied earnestly.

Harry disguised his laughter by kissing the back of Hermione's head, she glanced back, rolling her eyes just for his benefit, before looking forward again, "What was the odd one, Luna?" Hermione said, trying to return them to topic. The door to the kitchen opened a crack and Crookshanks and Greymalkin sauntered in, and sat, looking plaintive until Hermione took pity on them and summoned each a saucer of milk.

"It seems to be a Conceptious Patron, Hermione," Luna replied and Hermione's jaw dropped. She turned and looked back at Harry again and he looked as confused as any of them. Ron glanced at the three, shrugged and continued to eat, and worked on a strategy for his next match in his head.

"Why would Snape need a potion to guarantee conception?" Harry muttered and Hermione shrugged, as Harry frowned, listening to some random thought that was trying to trickle forward, "Didn't Slughorn say something about that last year...about how it was outlawed as it tended to kill the mother about half the time."

Harry...you did listen...that wasn't in the book, not even Snape's, Hermione grinned up at him happily.

Well, you weren't talking to me, Harry replied softly and she apologized with a look.

Never again, not even if we are fighting, she promised silently, and sighed quietly as he nodded. "I'm actually more afraid," Hermione began and looked around at the others in the room, "well what if that was for Voldemort?" She bit her lip as Harry shuddered against her back, and tightened his arms around her, protectively. "Not that I could imagine who..." she closed her eyes as all of a sudden, she could, "Bella," her and Harry said in one voice.

Ron's mouth opened and closed several times, silently, as Luna frowned. "But why?" she asked as the rest of them looked to her, "Riddle would have know of the risks of loosing his position to an upstart. Any heir would be only a risk to his position, he would never risk that."

***************************Little Hangleton***********************

10:00 pm

A Death Eater slumped to the floor, dead as a flash of green faded and sudden silence reigned over the dark, musty chamber beneath the old Riddle family home. Long, pale figures gestured, and two tall, masked figures swept forward to remove the body. Tom Marvolo Riddle looked out on his gathered followers with eyes glowing a sullen, deep red and nodded slightly. His lips tightened as they all visibly cowered to one degree or another. His wand tracked across the circled group as if searching for a new victim, before he calmly replaced it on the arm of his chair and reached down, snapping his fingers. At his feet, one of his two...pets, looked up at him with languid eyes and flowed to his hand. Bella's dark locks rested under his hand as she looked up at him, a dark adoration that caused the Death Eaters in the front row to shiver despite themselves. "Bella," he hissed, as he lowered his fingers to cup her chin.

"Yes, my Lord," she smiled and heavy, darkly lidded eyes looked to him. She preened slightly like a large, evil cat with a giant canary. Off to the side of the room, Narcissa and Lucius stood together, neither masked, as they looked over the scene. Narcissa shuddered slightly at the sight of her sister, cavorting on the floor. She glanced back to share a look with her husband who returned the tiniest of shrugs, before watching resolutely.

Several of the Death Eaters looked about nervously, wondering who was next, as the Dark Lord's enforcer, among other things, bowed her head under his hand. A small, greasy man shuddered slightly as Voldemort's gaze passed over him, "Bella, please go and clean up Severus and Lucius' mess. Take Wormtail and McNair with you...do it so as they know what it means to defy the Dark Lord."

Bellatrix kissed his hand, before flowing to her feet, gathering a robe from the floor next to Nagini and wrapping it around her more firmly. She motioned imperiously at McNair, he returned a brief military bow and went to the door, testing the edge on a small, Headsman's axe as he went. Wormtail, shuddered as she approached, "Come, Peter, we have glorious deeds to perform for our Lord..." He hesitated, and with a growl, she grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and led him away, "Be honored," the rest heard as the door closed behind them, "you will be excellent bait for the master's wishes.

Riddle nodded as she left, tenting his long fingers before him, as he examined the remaining Eaters for signs of weakness. Finally, he turned to Lucius, and watched for a moment as the light from the few torches that were struggling to light the dark chamber cast shadows over his face. "Your punishment, Lucius...You will bring me your son's head, the next time he is encountered. He has failed me once more, he failed to kill Dumbledore, thereby costing me my spy inside the Order, he did not succeed in his task to kill the Minister, and he has not brought me the Weasley girl."

"NOOO!" Narcissa screamed and started to leap forward, "No, my Lord, please, let me..." Lucius grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back as Riddle chuckled softly.

"No, Narcissa, not this time, you can not compensate for his mistakes...he will die like the Blood-Traitor he has shown himself to be, now be gone," he sneered as Lucius led her away, out of the door. She was pale and shaking as he closed the door behind them.

**************************Grimmauld Place****************************

January 24, 1998
1:00 am

Ginny Weasley looked up as a soft POP sounded in the room she was in, and watched as Dobby placed a small meal of a sandwich, chips and pumpkin juice under a Stasis Charm on a table across the room. He walked over to her bed, which besides the table and a single chair, was the only thing in the room beyond a copy of Hogwarts, a History, that she was sure Hermione had had placed in the room to taunt her. Dobby did not meet her eyes as he snapped his fingers and caused a blanket to appear at the foot of the otherwise barren bed, and with another snap, a pillow. She frowned, "Dobby can you let me out?"

Dobby puttered about, not seeming to have heard her, which with his ears was about as likely as Voldemort showing up in the Ministry Atrium in chains, of his own free will, and doing the Can-Can. "Dobby, please," she said whiningly, "I won't..."

"Dobby is not hearing Miss Wheezy...Miss Wheezy tricked Dobby, Miss Wheezy hurt Master Harry Potter Sir, and his Mione...Miss Wheezy caused Dumbledore to die because Harry Potter Sir was weakened... Dobby does not listen to traitors to the Most Noble House of Potter or Gryffindor." Dobby walked past her, set the pillow down at the head of the bed, fluffed it with a snap of his fingers and stepped back. He crossed over to check something on the table, reaching up as he did so to stop the topmost hat of five he had on, from falling from his head.

"Dobby, I..." Ginny started, but Dobby vanished again with a soft POP. She frowned as she stood from the bed, and crossed to the plate the House Elf had laid out and sat down. Her stomach rumbled slightly as she looked at the food, debating if it were dosed in any way, but with a violent wave of her hand that canceled the Stasis Charm, she picked up the sandwich and began to eat.

The door creaked open and she spun to the door, dropping the sandwich on the plate as two presences walked into the room. She started to stand. "Don't bother," Hermione said tonelessly, "you aren't going anywhere; you might as well be comfortable." Harry propped himself against the wall near the door and crossed his arms. His glasses had slipped down on his nose, he stared unblinkingly over the top of them and Ginny looked away from his eyes quickly, painfully reminded of another set of eyes regarding her critically over another pair of glasses, however those were golden and not black, and the eyes, ice-blue and not emerald green.

"You can't keep me here," Ginny snapped and got up, only to freeze at a look, a sudden urge to sit filled her bones as emerald eyes lit with their own fire. "You can't keep me a prisoner," she added weakly,

"Exactly why not, Miss Weasley?" Hermione growled. She leaned forward over the table, and Ginny sat back in her chair. "You are hanging on a thread. The last traitor to the light we executed less than twenty-four hours ago." Ginny's mouth gaped open.

She looked up, at Harry, "Harry...please, Harry, I..." Harry shook his head and looked away. He paced to the wall across from the bed, his back to both of the girls.

"Why, Ginny?" Harry said softly, his voice almost dead; he shook his head again before she could speak, "Fuck it, it doesn't matter." He sighed, reached up to vigorously scrub at his scalp for a moment, before turning to look at the tiny redhead. "Why you did it, doesn't really matter to me anymore. What you did...does. You fucked with my family, Ginevra, and I don't forgive that easily."

"What do you mean, your..."

"Exactly what I said," Harry snapped, he took a loud deep breath through his nose, and gathered back tendrils of magic that were threatening to erupt. Ginny gulped as she felt the charge escaping her hair. "Let me explain something, right now, I don't know what to do with you. What do I do with you, Ginny?" she opened her mouth to snap a reply, but he went on, "Do I bring you back to Hogwarts with us, let you play Quidditch, go to classes?" Harry paced back over to Hermione and shared a quick glance; she bit her lip slightly, as a conversation passed without even a conscious thought between them.

Harry sat on the bed, sighing heavily as Hermione sat next to him, "Look at me, Ginny," she commanded softly, the girl looked to her, and two pairs of brown eyes met, "We have to know, Ginny...I'm sorry...Legilimens," she whispered.

A rush of images flitted through Hermione's brain, of Harry appearing at the Burrow unexpectedly, and a feeling of embarrassment, of Harry again, smiling up at her as he lay bloody and near death on the floor of the Chamber. A shadow flitted across those memories and Hermione chased it. She passed a brief memory of Ginny overhearing Molly talking about how nice it would be if all the kids would just pair off so that she could gain another daughter and son. Hermione paused in her pursuit as she ran across a memory of blonde hair and a room in Dover. As she turned a corner in the maze of Ginny's mind, the shadow she had sensed earlier loomed ahead, and Hermione felt herself being drawn towards it. She reached out....

Hermione and Ginny screamed as one, as a wall slammed down between them. A sudden cloying feeling filled the air, as Hermione swayed and Harry caught her. She turned to him and almost screamed again as she saw Harry's face. It was ashen and tired. Blood dripped from his scar, streaking across one lens of his glasses as he unsteadily rose to his feet and staggered to the door and out. Hermione glanced over at Ginny, found she was seemingly all right and followed him out.

By the time she had reached the hallway, Harry had slid to the floor right outside of the room. He was panting furiously, as he looked up at her with wide, panicked eyes. Haarrryyy...she whispered shakily, as she slowly knelt in front of him. Harry pulled her in tightly, his arms shaking, as he fought to relax. Her mind flitted back, was that what I think it was? She began to shake as well as she fell back on the floor, pulling Harry with her. Her heart skipped a beat as she glanced down to find bright red blood decorating the front of her shirt; before she remembered and reached down to wipe the blood from Harry's forehead with her thumb, before kissing the scar. The action seemed to calm them both at once, as they both went almost limp for a long minute.

Oh, God, Mione, I never even thought...her eyes were tearful and pained as she felt a tear try to escape her own eyes. Harry eased them both back to a sitting position, We can't tell Ron. Damn, I'm so stupid, Hermione, Riddle more or less told me that night and I didn't pay attention.

I don't think...well it didn't seem complete, not like the one in the locket, a fragment of a fragment, maybe? She shrugged, "Dobby," she whispered, and a soft POP echoed in the hall.

Dobby glanced around, found them and his already huge eyes grew, "Mistress Hermione, Master Harry Potter Sir, are you alright sir, ma'am..." he grew silent at a wave from Hermione.

"Dobby, go check on Ginny; make sure she is unharmed. Get Winky," she looked at Harry, and a brief, sad look appeared on her face. "Make sure that Ginny is not out of either of your sights. And don't let her see you." Dobby nodded and vanished.

I'm not saying anything, Mione, Harry muttered as he took off his glasses and looked at her, squinting. Without a gesture or word, she moved in close enough to him so he could see her easily. What do we do with her? We can't let her go, we can't risk it. If Tom were to find her, he'd find the fragment in her, and know that at least one of his Horcruxes was destroyed.

And the game would change...Hermione agreed, tiredly, then it'd be a rush to try to kill him before he could make any new Horcruxes and a race after that to destroy the remainders.

Yeah, and I don't know if we can win that, what if Bellatrix or one of the other fanatics already knows where they are at... Bloody Hell, Harry realized suddenly, he did say when Wormtail brought him back in the graveyard that his 'most loyal followers knew the lengths he had gone to'.

But that doesn't make sense Harry...Honestly, why would Lucius give the Diary to Ginny...or rather, if he had given it to her, wouldn't he have known it was a Horcrux, and surely Voldemort would know that you have destroyed it.

Harry shook his head, before tucking his head on top of hers. I have no bloody clue Hermione, Dumbledore was so sure that Tom didn't know what he and later we were up to. Maybe Lucius never knew the significance of it. Harry glanced back towards the door where Ginny was being kept, and stood, pulling Hermione to her feet, Let's go back in.

Hermione only nodded as they returned to the room to find Ginny slowly eating the remainder of her rather late dinner, she yawned involuntarily. "What have you done with Draco?" she asked, and glanced in the direction that the room where the pale ex-Slytherin was happened to be held. "He's not evil, he's not Snape, he didn't have a..."

"You brought it up Ginny," Harry responded, cutting her off, "so let's talk about...choices. The first one, since you just mentioned it, is Draco not killing Dumbledore. You say that he didn't want to do it, that he chose not to. Perhaps. Perhaps you are right and I am wrong about that, when I think he was just too afraid, that he would have if he could. I'm willing to believe you on that, I don't particularly want to kill him, despite what he may think. But I will if I feel he's a threat."

"We know what you tried to do to the Minister, Ginny," Hermione added softly, "we found the potion when we raided Spinner's End. The only reason that you didn't succeed was that he is fond of some odd cocktail that just happened to have potassium benzoate in it, that reacted just enough to mitigate the effects."

"Snape ordered Draco to," Ginny snapped, her voice held just a trace of a pleading note as she looked from Harry to Hermione, "he had to, to survive. Snape also told him I was to be recruited or killed, he did neither, he...cares about me," she added in an almost subliminal whisper. A soft POP went unnoticed as Dobby appeared and disappeared removing the remains of the food. The bed squeaked softly as Hermione sat back slightly, turning her head enough to meet Harry's eyes again. After a moment, he nodded and stood.

"I really hope he does, Ginny...that you aren't confusing a quick, convenient wartime shag with actual feelings," Harry replied and watched as Hermione left the room. Several minutes later, she returned with an unconscious blonde hovering at the tip of her wand. She levitated Draco over above the bed and let him drop. He didn't awake, only grunted slightly and rolled over. "He's fine for now, Ginny," Harry answered her unasked question, and watched as Hermione flicked her wand and several vials of a pale blue potion appeared on the table.

"We're not about to return either of your wands at the moment," Hermione explained, "so there's the alternative, take it, if you two feel the need to...entertain."

"You two just hate him," Ginny accused.

"Yes," Harry and Hermione agreed together. Hermione barely looked back at Ginny, at the girl who had once been as close as a sister, as she walked out into the hall after Harry. The door clicked and locked behind them, and as Ginny watched the slow, rise and fall of Draco's chest, tears began to silently fall from brown eyes.

'******************************************************************

8:00 am

"What do you want to do with her, Ron?" Harry asked softly as he sipped from a mug of coffee and looked up at a projection of the room where Ginny and Draco were being held. The floating image from one of the hidden Osiris Eyes was hovering in mid-air over an open hand mirror, in it; Ginny was curled protectively around Draco on the small twin bed. Draco had only roused once since Hermione had dropped him there, at Ginny lying down next to him, and turned to her.

Hermione looked over at her friend over the top of her mug of coffee and flicked a glance at Harry. Her other hand was out of sight, brushing lightly over her wand as it lay in her lap. Harry patted her leg under the table, squeezing her knee before looking back at Ron. How long do you think he can keep blood in his ears? Hermione asked Harry absently as Ron fumed. Luna and Dobby had just left to get supplies, so they were alone with Ron. Harry just sent back a mental shrug.

"I'm thinking that she'll forgive me, eventually, if I just go in there an kill him, so..." Ron stood and started towards the door, taking one step before a orange fan of light shot out, freezing him in place. His eyes glared at Hermione as she stood and unapologetically slid her wand back into the holster she wore up her sleeve under her jumper.

"You're not a murderer, Ron," Hermione said quietly as she flicked her fingers and moved him back to a chair. His eyes flicked to Harry, the only movement he could do. "Don't glare at Harry either, this isn't his fault," Hermione snapped, and perched on the edge of the kitchen table next to him. Harry snapped his fingers and the spell died; Ron sat back and crossed his arms.

"Yes, I am, Hermione," Ron shot back darkly, "I've killed Death Eaters, what's another one?"

"Not in cold blood, Ron," Harry retorted quietly, thinking back himself as his knuckles tightened on his mug. He sat it down quickly before he shattered it and clasped them together in front of him. Hermione's hand reached over and held them for an instant before she looked back at Ron.

"Do you really, want to kill your sister's...boyfriend in front of her, Ron?" Hermione asked, with her voice warbling slightly.

"HOW DO YOU KNOW HE'S HER BOYFRIEND?" Ron roared as he leapt to his feet, he spun to the door, and stopped, flexing his fists as he slowly turned back to Hermione, "WHAT HERMIONE-DO YOU THINK SHE'S IN LOVE WITH THAT COLOSSAL WANKER?"

"How the bloody hell do I know, Ronald?" Hermione hissed, her voice ice to his fire, "She's sure as hell sleeping with him, their magical signatures are almost as intermingled as yours and Luna's...No, I don't know if she's in love with him, she sure as fuck probably doesn't know...after all she's the one who confuses a FUCKING CRUSH FUELED BY POTIONS WITH LOVE," Hermione's voice rose, as she stood and stalked out of the room, shaking. Harry froze Ron in place with a look; then followed.

He found her sitting in the dark Library several minutes later, heavy curtains were drawn over the large, two-story windows, and only a low fire was burning in the fireplace as he sat down next to her on the couch. She didn't look up as she crawled onto his lap and buried her face in his shoulder. Harry kissed the crown of her head, tightening his arms as she continued to shake slightly, in rage or sorrow, or both. Ron didn't mean anything by it, Harry whispered, and she nodded. He's sorry.

He is?

He's going to apologize, Harry continued, silently resolving to make him do so, you probably should too.

She sighed, and continued to examine his jumper closely, I will...it's just that...well, is it Ginny's fault for what happened or?

Both, Harry replied, as he ran his hands up and down her spine absently. It's not a true Horcrux; she's not possessed; she knew what she was doing. It might have helped her along a certain path, but she went willingly down it.

Hermione pulled back a bit, enough to give him a quick, tired smile before she stretched out on the couch, laying her head in his lap. I hate her, Harry, Hermione said after a moment, or at least I did, but right now, I don't know if I still do or if I just feel sorry for her. I used to love her like a sister, Harry, she TOLD me that she was over you, then she did what she did...I WANT her not to have been in control, to have had a piece of Tom controlling her. She frowned as she looked into the low fire, and shivered slightly, a flicker of green in her eyes, and the fire roared to life, casting sudden warmth over the chilled room. But that's not really the case is it? It was there, just occasionally whispering in her ear...encouraging her in what she wanted; to take the easy way out.

What are we going to tell Ron? Mione, you tell me, what happens if we do destroy all the Horcruxes, and still leave that piece intact? How do we get it out?

Nothing really, it's only, if I were to be precise...

Oh, I'd never think you were detail oriented.

Hermione smirked for an instant, kissed his thigh and looked back up, In that case--I would guess that that shadow is the obsession he had, that he had imbued her with that year. It probably never left her. I don't know, Harry, I really don't know, I don't think, it's enough to anchor him, and I'm pretty sure that it couldn't be used to resurrect him. But, it's a channel into her mind, like the A5 into London...we can't afford to let her be anywhere near Riddle...she'll be as good as his familiar, she looked over at Crookshanks as the ginger half-Kneazle sauntered in and dropped on the table. No, that's not right, a true familiar still has free will...she'd be an extension of his will, a toy to him.

Yeah, Harry sighed, I was afraid of that. I guess we have a new research project...Ron can't know, because...Harry sighed again, we can't make him have to be part of that decision.

What do we do with her, Harry? Stick her in a dungeon under the castle...we can't leave her here and we damn sure aren't putting her in hiding with my parents. And what about Draco, do we just execute him, turn him over to the Ministry, which is the same thing in the end.

Harry's fingers paused from their normal place in her hair when they were in this situation, for an instant, and twirled a ringlet around his finger, as he thought over it. How about something truly evil, he paused for effect; we put them back in school.

Hermione bit her lip slightly, as she sat up and looked around the room. She stood and paced over to the library table where Crookshanks stretched just enough that she had to reach out to pet him. Rolling her eyes, she snapped her fingers, and caught him as he leapt into her arms. She turned back to Harry, slowly petting Crookshanks as she stopped to think about Harry's words, I suppose that if we tell the Gryffindors not to...discuss her sins with her, they won't, but Draco would be dead an hour after he went back to Slytherin.

Harry stood and walked to the window. With a wave of his hand, the curtains opened and he looked out on the park beyond. A light snow had started to fall in the night while most of the house had stayed awake fretting. Harry reached out to touch the frosted glass, lightly tracing out abstract shapes in the condensation. His hand stopped for an instant, and Hermione and Crookshanks both perked up, as all of them felt two new arrivals; then relaxed as they recognized Dobby and Luna returning from their errand. The thing is, I guess, do we want those two together in the same school? For her safety as much as ours, I don't trust anything Draco might say...this could all be a plot to get him inside our defenses.

Hermione shrugged as she came over to join him at the window, she muttered a spell, decreasing her Familiar's weight and letting him jump up to ride her shoulder, I don't really care if she's shagging him, but Ron sure as hell does, and I do love him enough to try to spare him that, if I can.

Yeah, Harry agreed, reaching out to pull her into his side. They watched together as several Muggles walked through the park. One of them was leading a large black dog on a leash and Harry grimaced for an instant before looking away. But if I'm not going to dispose of Draco, I want him where I can watch him.

There is that, Hermione nodded, but I really have no idea of what to do, other than to just kill him out of hand...and we aren't the bad guys, the fact is, no matter how much we hate him, and I do despise him and everything his family stands for, he couldn't pull the trigger, at least as it pertained to Dumbledore. I don't want to punish him for doing the right thing for once, she gave Harry a small grimace, but he has carried out Voldemort's will otherwise, or at least tried.

Harry sighed and left the window, to return to standing by the fire, Hermione followed, frowning slightly, I want to talk to Remus about this...but you and I are going to make the decision, Ron too, I guess. Hermione shooed Crookshanks from her shoulder and wrapped her arms around him from behind, nodding silently into his back.

*********************St Mungo's, London******************************

10:00 am

The admittance room for the Wizarding hospital was relatively packed for a Friday morning. Usually the admittance room would start to fill up much more as the evening and night progressed, an almost unavoidable consequence of the start of the weekend, and the imbibing of various libations by magic users that should know not to drink and then do things like Apparate or try to ride large magical beasts, let alone the various spell 'accidents' that normally would occur.

A harassed looking witch stood behind a large counter, slowly dispensing with and directing the various patients that were coming in to their proper, most of the time, destinations. A tall Wizard dressed in a tweed jacket and smoking a pipe led a pair of small twins up to the counter next, they were stuck together back to back, and kept trying to walk in opposite directions. He was levitating them after him as he looked up at the Med-witch, "Spell damage," she snapped, and looked behind him at another ten people in line ranging from someone who seemed to have been turned into a rather short giraffe; to a young, auburn haired witch whose hair was standing on end and emitting periodic, small lighting bolts; to a short, rotund man, who was purple. She rolled her eyes, and glanced over at the large crowd of reporters that were crowded in a corner, waiting for the Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, to emerge and give a statement after his recovery from poisoning. "NEXT!"

The doors opened and several Aurors in dark blue robes led a tired and careworn Rufus Scrimgeour from the back of the hospital. He was leaning on a mahogany cane, topped with a small replica of his Badge of Office. His lion-like mane was flat and lank, as if it had suffered as much or more than the rest of him during his near-death experience, which included almost having the Healers call the time of death at least once before they were able to stabilize him. He knew it was only an accident of fate that had saved him at all, the potion, or poison rather, would have been fatal if drunk by itself. It was only a chance reaction with the ingredients in his drink that had mitigated the effects enough to give the specialists at St. Mungo's time to stabilize him and get his system flushed. Four complete blood replacements later, they had pronounced that he would recover, to a degree. And even at that, he was lucky; the Poison that had been used on him was still unidentified, certain to have been the work of a Potions Master, though it was similar to certain loyalty potions. The combination of life and magic draining that it had induced, would have been lethal in hours to any wizard without the timely intervention of the healers.

"MINISTER," a portly reporter in vermilion robes and a top hat screamed from the center of the crowd, "is it true that the Ministry is contemplating surrender to You-Know-Who?"

Scrimgeour looked up, but said nothing, as an aide standing next to him snapped, "No comment." Another reporter started to shout a question, but stopped suddenly at the sound of several high-pitched shrieks from one side of the room. Several witches and at least one wizard were standing on chairs, screaming about a large rat, scurrying along the baseboards. Several healers and a couple of Medi-Witches ran over with wands drawn, desperate to stop the vermin from infesting the hospital.

Every eye, including the four Aurors escorting the Minister looked over at the commotion, not noticing the woman that flowed to her feet from a waiting room chair directly in their path. "FOR THE DARK LORD...AVADA KEDARA." A searing green beam ripped across the lobby with a horrid rushing sound, impacting the Minister of Magic and throwing him back against the wall. Four more Death Eaters rose from the crowd and fired, dropping the escort in their path.

Screams of sudden terror filled the air as Bellatrix cackled and swept her hood back from her head, revealing her unmasked self. She contemptuously blocked the few, pitiful Stunners that came her way as she casually walked to the door, and flung down a pellet grasped in her hand.

The room plunged into total darkness, as another twelve Aurors who had been stationed outside or in other spots in the hospital rushed into the room and instantly collided to furniture, people and other barriers. After five, agonizing minutes where the dark was broken only by screams of frustration and fear, the effect vanished, leaving behind five dead bodies, and no trace of the Death Eaters.

...And the landscape changes....Next Chapter Ginny returns to Hogwarts, and it's not a smooth return, and a surprise stratagem comes from these events.

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38. A Surprise Candidate

Here we go, the start of the fallout. Thanks as usual to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter.
Chapter 38: A Surprise candidate
******************************Hogwarts***************************
January 24, 1998
12:05 pm

A fall of color erupted in the midst of an almost full crowd in McGonagall's office, causing several of the wizards and witches gathered in a quickly called, slightly desperate meeting, to jump and turn. A few even pointed wands at Harry, Hermione, Ron and Luna as the four appeared, before dropping them. Harry's eyes flared, annoyed at the older Order members that were gathered in the room. He snapped his glare around the room, "How do you know we're not Death Eaters?" he snarled and several of the older Order members started to raise their wands. "It's too bloody late now, we could have taken out almost all of you," he looked over to the corner of the room, "except Mad-Eye, you can put away your wand." Alastor just gave them a nod as Harry took a step to his left, just before another vortex of color erupted behind him and Tonks and Lupin tumbled out of nothingness. Harry gave them a bare glance, having already identified them to his satisfaction before he looked to the head of the room, to find McGonagall sitting ill at ease behind her desk.

"I heard that your mission was successful, Harry," she mentioned softly, catching his eyes with hers. Several of the Order members around the room muttered softly, questioning what mission, as Harry ignored them.

Harry frowned slightly and dropped his gaze to the floor, "Yes, Professor...I suppose that you could call it that." He looked over at Mad-Eye again, "How bad is it, Alastor?"

Remus and Tonks hung on his answer, while Hermione fixed herself a mug of tea from the service that Dobby had brought by. She fixed a second, dropped in a sugar and handed it to Harry. Moody watched them for a moment, visibly gathering his thoughts, before he spoke, in a tired, gruff voice, "The MLE has managed to keep a lid on the events so far lad, but I would expect that the news should break across the Wizarding Wireless any time soon. A bloke I know with the American Wizarding establishment already heard that their Department of Magic was issuing an advisory for their citizens to get out of the country. It could be bad...all depends on how long it takes to get a new Minister in place. Some of the things will go on, the MLE will still be doing it's job along with the rest of the government, but if we don't have a new Minister soon..." he shrugged, "Voldemort might as well pack his trunk to move into the Ministry."

"Do we have any idea on who is in the running to replace Scrimgeour?" Hermione asked over the top of her mug.

Alastor looked over to McGonagall, oddly, a small frown on his scarred face. "There haven't been too many candidates willing to step forward and take the risk. Except one." Both of his eyes, real and magical, along with Minerva's grey ones looked to Ron. Hermione and Harry's eyes widened as one. Luna smiled as Ron's confusion cleared from his eyes.

"You're barking," Ron snapped, before looking across the room to where Arthur sat wearily on a corner couch. Molly sat next to him, contenting herself with silently glaring at Hermione. She probably would have taken the opportunity to once again lay into the younger woman, but was being held silent by Arthur's hand on her arm. "Dad, you aren't really, I mean...but..."

"Someone has to, son," Arthur replied ambivalently, as Molly looked up at him happily, perhaps too much so. "However, my candidacy is far from a sure thing, there are still many families and Wizengamot members that are on the fence, as they say, they need inspiration, if I could be sure of the support of several of the older, Pureblood families, no offence Hermione, it is just the way things are for now..."

"None taken," Hermione said easily and glanced over to Harry, Harry?

Yeah, he agreed. "You have the support of the Houses of Gryffindor, Potter and Black," Harry replied, shrugging, "for what that is worth, anyhow. I would also speak to Sampson and Marchbanks, together they should bring in a large block of votes."

Hermione nodded, and leaned back against the wall next to Harry, "You should probably play up the guise of a compromise candidate, seem to be not much of a threat." Molly looked at her oddly; not seeming to believe that the girl she currently held in disregard should so be so willing to support her family.

"You mean, seem harmless?" Arthur mused, and Hermione nodded. "If everyone thinks that I will be harmless and controllable..."

"Good, bloody brilliant," Mad-Eye said, giving Hermione a small respectful nod.

"Let us know if we can be of any help," Harry said, and looking to Ron, Ron shrugged before he nodded and gave Harry a look of slight helplessness. Harry frowned an apology and turned to McGonagall, "Ma'am, we need to use your Floo."

"For what, Harry?" McGonagall inquired, but gave a wave of assent towards the Floo in the corner.

Harry did not answer, instead, he knelt down, "Dobby," he said quietly, and with a soft POP the elf appeared next to him. "Go back and send her through, Dobby," he whispered in the elf's ear, "do you have it?" Dobby handed him an unmarked wand box and vanished with only a nod. Harry walked over the hearth slowly, and waited.

A short time later, a time measured in only a minute or two, but held in a silence that stretched it to hours, the low, red and gold flames in McGonagall's hearth, there just to chase away the chill of a January day in Northern Scotland, rose to a towering height, filling the grate completely. With another flash, they turned the deepest of emerald. An instant later a small, petite form spun from the flames, crashing to the ground at Harry's feet. Harry didn't look over to see Molly's eyes widening as Harry extended his hand to pull the small redhead from the floor. Harry handed her the box, "Don't make me regret this," he muttered.

"GINNY!" Molly screamed and leapt from the couch she was sitting on next to Arthur. The couch scooted back, the wooden legs sounding loudly against the stone floors of the castle, as she rushed across the room, knocking Harry aside as she enveloped the tiny Weasley in her arms. Ginny squeaked loudly, as Molly's arms tightened and her mother's tears began to dampen the top of her head.

Finally, after a minute of this tearful reunion, Ginny managed to squirm enough to back out of her Mother's arms, and took a step back. "Hi, Mum," she said softly, not quite looking her mother in the eye. She staggered slightly as Arthur reached her and threw his arms around her; she could feel the slight trembling in his arms as he fought to keep tears in check. "Sorry, Dad," she whispered looking up into his eyes. The elder Weasley just shook his head, and began running his hands over his daughter's sleek hair as he pulled her in close.

Molly, however... "What do you mean sorry, it was not your..." she trailed off heatedly as she spun on her heel and glared at Hermione. Both of her hands found her hips as her eyes narrowed and her mouth became a thin line, "It was that...girl, that scarlet woman, who drove you away, she..." She trailed off, as the young woman in question, did something that no one had ever done before to Molly Weasley when she was in a towering rage, she ignored her.

Hermione Potter nee Granger turned from the older woman who was steadily turning redder, and looked to McGonagall. Behind her, Remus and Tonks looked somewhat embarrassed to be here, in the midst of what was for all truth, a family fight. Mad-Eye, took a sip of his drink, clumping over to the window to watch out of it, looking down towards Hagrid's hut where he and Olympe were putting something into large bags, possibly a new bribe for the Gurg. Arthur looked worriedly between the two as Hermione took a step over to Harry, who had moved to stand next to the Headmistress' huge, oak desk.

Hermione did not listen as Molly shouted something else behind her, causing a few of the others to wince, what Molly thought of her, while unsettling, was not even in the top tier of things she chose to worry about. Once, had Molly Weasley called Hermione such names, she was ignoring her, she wasn't deaf, she would have broken down in tears, in public or in private. She had, after all, the last time Molly had believed lies about her, when Rita Skeeter had seen the truth that she was blind to. But now, the little girl that had been heartbroken when that Howler had arrived in the Great Hall three years ago was gone, mostly. Hermione had faced those fears, and had all new ones to replace them. The girl that had taken Molly's words to heart back then, even if she had never showed how much they hurt, had faced Tom Riddle, directly twice, had watched her parents almost die, and was already loosing count of how many times she had been in mortal peril, and had buried friends and those she considered family.

"Ma'am, I believe that we can return Ginny to Gryffindor Tower," Hermione said softly and firmly. "There may be difficulties, but I feel confident that she will be alright."

"Mr. Potter?" McGonagall inquired, looking away from her Head Girl to her Head Boy, more for formalities sake than anything, she knew full well that the chances of his opinion being different, or at least of them not showing a unified front were miniscule.

"Aye, ma'am," Harry shrugged, "Hermione and I will have a...talk, with the others."

"Very well, Miss Weasley..."

"Wait a minute," Molly snapped, "there would be no need for this if that girl..." her voice softened, "of course, Harry, dear, you shouldn't feel guilty; I remember what it was like to be young." Tonks snorted softly, with Molly either not hearing or ignoring her, "She's a girl, who's near..."

Harry's eyes closed slowly, perhaps to hide the sudden rush of anger at Molly's implication, perhaps from pure weariness. Hermione's gaze flicked to him, still ignoring the Weasley matriarch, as she ran a mental hand over his scalp. The pair of them jumped slightly as a new voice, one that had hardly said a word hissed from behind them, as she turned on her mother, "That will be enough, Mother." Molly's jaw dropped slightly as the latest of her children, a trend that had started with Ron and then Bill and the twins, to tell her off, seemed to grow, her brown eyes glittering dangerously, and finally, finally, Molly Weasley realized that none of them were children any longer. To be protected from themselves as well as from the darkness outside.

"I can fight my own battles, Mum," Ginny went on, oblivious to Molly's shock. "Whatever disagreements I have with Hermione or Harry, they are mine, not yours." Molly shook her head disbelievingly, before giving Hermione another, undisguised glare. She turned on her heel and paced back over to the couch and sat, fuming. Arthur looked after her and sighed, he gave Ginny a small smile and followed his wife and sat down next to her. He started whispering urgently to her, as Ginny slowly walked over to McGonagall's desk. Ginny tremulously extended the box with her wand in it and placed it on the Headmistress' blotter, and slowly pulled her hand away from it, she looked down at her hands, as they nervously twisted together for a moment, as Minerva regarded her with a faintly disapproving expression. "I...I'm ready for whatever punishment, that you feel I deserve, ma'am."

Minerva looked at her, silently, her eyes hard over the tops of her square-framed glasses. She nodded to herself after a moment, and looked up at the various faculty and Order members that had been here or nearby to discuss their reaction to Scrimgeour's death. This had turned into an entirely different meeting. "Professor Lupin, Mr. Weasley," a faint grin, almost, flitted across her face as she saw both Arthur and Ron move, "Ronald, if you would please, Arthur, this is now an internal Hogwarts matter." The named pair moved to her desk, Ron from where he had been standing next to Luna, and Remus from where he and Tonks had been trying to make themselves scarce in the far corner of the room. "Arthur, Molly, Alastor, I feel that we will discuss the other matter later," McGonagall said in a voice of clear dismissal. Mad-Eye tipped his bowler to her, and stepped the hearth, and vanished after mumbling some unknown destination. After a bit of quiet, urgent argument, Molly and Arthur followed, with Molly looking forlornly at Ginny before she vanished into the flames.

Ginny let out a breath she did not know she had been holding before she looked slowly at McGonagall. The Headmistress' face held a small glare of...disapproval. Ginny gulped slightly, and Minerva took a breath, and the other four, five if one counted Tonks who was still on the other side of the room and remaining absolutely quiet as if she were a small rat in a room of Kneazles. "Miss Weasley," McGonagall said flatly, "by all rights, what you have done to Mr. Potter and Miss Granger, should at the very least find you with your wand snapped and expelled if not in Azkaban." She took a breath, as Ginny found the laces of her trainers rather interesting, "I do not think for a moment, that you realized the...side-effects of your actions, the consequences that occurred due to them. If I did, Miss Weasley, do not think that any relations or friendships that you have or may once have had would save you. Are we perfectly clear?" Ginny nodded slightly, not looking up.

"Very well," McGonagall replied, and snorted, "Look at me, girl, you are a Gryffindor, or at least you were." Ginny's eyes snapped up, a flicker of fire dancing in the back of chocolate orbs and the elder witch nodded. "As it is," McGonagall reached forward and pushed the girl's wand back to her. Ginny looked at her for a moment, before she reached forward with trembling hands and took the wand from the box and pocketed it for the first time since Friday, vanishing the utterly naked feeling she had harbored since Harry had taken it in Spinner's End. "As it is, I am under a mountain of a quandary of what to do with you, Miss Weasley." McGonagall looked around at the others she had invited to the meeting, behind her Dumbledore stood in his portrait, waiting, with an oddly intense focus for a portrait.

"Yes, ma'am," Ginny replied almost silently, but her eyes did not drop from McGonagall's.

Minerva looked around Ron to see Tonks still acting as if she weren't there. "You might as well join us, Nymphadora, but before you do, check the door." Tonks looked up sheepishly, flicked her wand at the door and walls, and with a soft, white flash, they were secure as she crossed the room quickly, miraculously not tripping on anything, to stand next to Remus. McGonagall didn't say anything as the pinky and ring fingers of the young Auror's right hand intertwined with those of her DADA professor. "Let us be perfectly clear, Miss Weasley, had Mr. Potter, not Floo'ed me, late last evening after speaking to your Head of House, I would have expelled you on the spot...at the very least. However," she continued, her brogue getting deeper by the syllable, and Ginny, gulped, "I was convinced that you wished to atone. There is not a person in this room, who has not made mistakes, some of them grievous, but they owned up to them."

McGonagall looked back over her shoulder, before steepling her hands in front of her and catching Ginny's eyes once more, "Even with all of that, it took the advice of someone I trust above all others to convince me that you should continue your studies here. Do you understand?" Ginny gave her a silent nod. "Very well, as any difficulties that you may have had with the Head Students in a personal matter have already been settled on the Field of Honor to their satisfaction, I am willing to address only your transgressions against the school." She paused, and leaned forward slightly, "First, all Hogsmeade privileges are revoked, you are not to be outside of the castle, whatsoever without escort of either the Head Students or a Professor outside of school activities. You are absolutely not to be out of bounds or out past curfew."

Ginny nodded, slowly, McGonagall looked up to Lupin, "Due to your, leaving, in the middle of the term, you will be responsible for any studies that you have missed, and your work will be held the utmost standard. You will report to your Head of House or his designate for the remainder of term, nightly, to meet over your coursework and perform any task that they might have for you. Any further punishment is up to your Head of House, it will be up to him and Gryffindor's Quidditch Captain if you are allowed to return to the team."

"She will have to try out and beat the current Seeker," Ron said softly, McGonagall's lips tightened further. McGonagall looked to Lupin, he gave a tiny headshake.

Minerva looked to Ginny, "Very well, Miss Weasley. Mr. Weasley, Miss Lovegood, if you be so kind as to escort Miss Weasley back to Gryffindor Tower." Luna, who had been like Tonks, pretending to be a hole in space, looked up from her spot closely examining one of the remaining silver instruments in a cabinet and crossed the room. Without another word, the pair of them fell in around Ginny and led her to the door. As it closed, McGonagall sat back in her chair, looking at each of them in turn. "No."

"I don't know what else to do with him, ma'am," Harry objected. "I'm not going to execute him out of hand, I'm damn sure not going to put him at my other secure site, and I don't want him in my home."

"Do you think that I do, Mr. Pot...Harry," McGonagall sighed. "I fought for days, with Albus not to let him return after fifth year, that turned out well, did it not, Albus?" she hissed, glancing back at the portrait; who remained wisely silent. She waved towards the closed door; "I let you and Remus and Hermione persuade me to let her back in school, despite what her actions caused. At least in her case, she didn't know the consequences of her actions...he went into it, knowing."

"Minerva," Dumbledore said wearily from the portrait, "he thought better of it..."

"I don't care, Albus," she stood and looked at each of them in turn, "let me be clear, witches and wizards...I already have enough Death Eaters in my school, I am not about to bring Lucius Malfoy's spawn back into these halls if I can avoid it. He sundered any right he had to the protection of this school the moment he followed through, in any way, with He-Who...Voldemort's schemes. Is that clear?" she waved towards the door, the audience clearly over.

Harry, Hermione, Remus and Tonks filed out silently. As the door closed, they could hear McGonagall's burr rising as she turned on Dumbledore's portrait. The heated words were cut off as the thick, oak door closed and Remus turned to Harry, "I'll take care of it, Harry, I have another couple of places that are still not used." Harry nodded and taking Hermione's hand absently, started to walk slowly towards Gryffindor tower, clearly lost in thoughts or memories.

**********************The Great Hall***************************

January 26, 1998.
7:10 am

The vast hall was abuzz with soft murmurings as the events of the weekend spread like a forest fire amongst the tables. News of the assassination of the Minister of Magic competed with wild rumors that the most hated Professor in the history of Hogwarts, even more so than Delores, who sat at the head table looking utterly lost, had been killed. In some accounts, by a raid by Ministry Aurors, and in some, some wilder ones, by some fringe, shadow group seeking vengeance for Dumbledore.

Into this soft tumult, Harry slipped quietly down the length of the long Gryffindor table, and dropped without a word next to Hermione in her seat near the head table. She reached down and patted his knee under the table as he rested his elbows on the table and propped his face in his hands for a moment. Luna looked across the table at him, from where she was mostly propped in Ron's lap, her grey eyes staring unblinkingly, unnervingly for anyone that wasn't practically her sibling, across the table at him. "Harry, you should really look into getting a Whispering Night Bloomer, they really help..." Luna looked off into the distance, still not blinking, before looking back at Harry, "they eat Galleons, though, you have to keep them from your trunk."

Hermione smirked slightly as Ron glanced over to Harry, who noticed that his best mate's eyes were shadowed, and slightly sunken. Ron slowly took a bite of his bacon before glancing over at the door, then back towards Harry. "I'm alright, Luna, you look as if you could use it more than me, Ron."

At Harry's comment, Luna frowned slightly, so slightly that only those such as Harry, Hermione or Ron-people that were around her constantly-would notice. No one else would catch it behind her normal veneer of detachment, she looked to Ron as he sighed slightly, "Rough night," he whispered, not quite meeting the eyes of either of his best friends.

Ron was saved further explanation as a sudden, rippling, silence erupted at the doors to the Great Hall. A small figure in ruby-trimmed robes walked through the open doors and moved slowly down the Gryffindor table. She did not turn her head at the whispers that followed her. Ginny reached the middle of the table, where Honor and Gretchen were talking lowly together. She sat down across from the two girls, who softly excused themselves and left the hall, not looking back. Ginny sighed and reached for a pitcher of juice.

Ginny ate her meal rapidly, what little she did eat of it. She looked up once, as the Post Owls arrived, and an ancient, grey owl, tumbled to a halt in front of her, head down in a plate of eggs. Ginny reached forward, plucked a letter from Errol's leg and set him upright. The old owl hooted, pitifully, and immediately preceded to fall asleep on his talons.

Ginny did not notice Harry, Hermione, Ron or Luna's covert glances at her, as she ate the rest of her meal, stood and walked out of the room. Neither Ginny, nor any of the Gryffindors really noticed as several seventh-year Slytherins that were seated near the door waited a couple of minutes before slipping from the room.

Ginny kicked at a loose stone, rolling around the hall as she started towards the Transfiguration wing, I might as well get started on homework...everything else is fucked anyway. She turned a corner, not looking up, and fell backwards, knocked from her feet as she ran into an unexpected wall.

Harsh laughter sounded in the secluded hall as Ginny looked up to find Crabbe smiling stupidly down at her. "What's wrong, Weasley...lost your protectors?" Pansy laughed harshly as she hung on Zabini's side, he motioned with his free hand, and Goyle crossed to Crabbe and the pair of them picked her from the floor, and pinned her against the wall, holding her arms up above her head. She glared at Blaise furiously as he came over, shaking off Pansy. Ginny's eyes hardened slightly, as Blaise slowly ran his hands around her body, inside of her robes.

She growled in her throat as he cupped a breast, before reaching around her back to pull her wand from a sheath at the small of her back. "What's wrong, little traitor...you should be honored."

"Scrog off," Ginny snarled, trying futilely to shake off the arms of her keepers. She glanced to either side trying to squirm enough to get free.

Blaise laughed, darkly, "I would have thought you were used to the attentions of more than one...wizard and witch...seems like something that you would have learned at an early age..." Ginny convulsed, almost throwing off Crabbe from her left arm, before the large boy managed to push her back against the wall. Pansy laughed as she came up from behind Blaise, and ran her finger down the line of Ginny's jaw, Ginny snapped at her, almost managing to bite her hand.

"What should we do with her, Blaise?" Pansy asked lightly, laughing.

Ginny looked between them as Zabini, looked around to either side, "There's an empty classroom, let's have some fun..."

"LET ME GO," Ginny screamed, struggling further.

A blonde head peaked around the corner on her way to Transfiguration, "EXPELLIAMUS," Luna snapped, a wave of force knocked Crabbe from Ginny. Ginny didn't even pause as she pulled on Goyle's arm which was still holding her, and threw her entire weight behind a punch to the Slytherin's groin. He let go, and Ginny sprinted away towards Luna, as the blonde fired a pair of Stunners towards Blaise and Pansy, neither connected, but Luna hadn't really been aiming either. Luna flicked her wand towards Blaise; Ginny's wand lifted from his pocket and rocketed to the blonde as the pair dove back around the corner.

"MOVE IT," Luna growled, pulling on Ginny as the two sixth-years ran down the hall.

"Why the hell are we running?" Ginny snapped as the pair took off down the hall, and behind them, sounds of at least six footsteps pounded after them.

Luna glanced at her, looking as if Ginny were the one with a questionable grasp on reality. She reached out, and pulled Ginny into a secret passage, diving behind an old, dirty tapestry just as a half dozen footsteps thundered past. "Because Harry and McGonagall would probably get mad if I killed them," she replied simply, and poked her head out from the hidden passage behind the tip of her wand. "Besides..." she grinned slightly, "this is more fun....HEY, DEATH EATERS..." Several sets of footsteps squealed to a stop, and ran back towards them. Ginny looked over to Luna worriedly as the Ravenclaw idly played with a necklace of butterbeer caps.

Luna looked up just as Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson, Zabini and a pair of Slytherin sixth-years that they had picked up somewhere sprinted into view. She waved, and flicked her wand at their feet.

Instantly, six huge splashes rang out in the hall, as the floor vanished, replaced by a seemingly bottomless swamp. Luna flicked her wand and six wands flew from unresisting hands to pile up next to her feet, as the Slytherins were entirely too busy treading water to provide any resistance. Luna grabbed Ginny and slowly backed away until they were out of sight. Luna tossed the six wands inside an empty suit of armor, and started up towards Transfiguration the long way, "We should go tell, Tonks, I suppose," Luna shrugged, "I would think that they would like to keep the Redcaps out of the school."

"We can't," Ginny replied hurriedly, grabbing Luna's arm, "please, Luna, I don't want them to..."

Luna looked at her with an oddly lucid, diamond-hard expression. "They are snakes, Ginny, they sensed weakness. We can't allow them to think that they can get away with anything, not matter how small." Luna smiled, her expression going slightly dreamy, "And Ronald is so lovely when he's fighting...we have the best sex afterward."

Ginny's face turned slightly green as she considered that statement. She gave her head a great shake; sending fiery locks flying, "Um..." she swallowed, "even so..."

Luna was ignoring her, she reached into her pocket, and opened a small pocket mirror, "Harry," she muttered and a moment later, his tiny face appeared in the mirror, from the dark walls in the background it looked as if he were somewhere in the dungeons, "we have a problem. It seems that Zabini thought that he could pick off Ginny."

Hermione's face appeared at Harry's shoulder. She looked over to the side, "Ron's not here right now, Luna," she muttered lowly, "he's still up at breakfast."

Luna looked over at Ginny who was biting her lip still waving at Luna to drop it. Luna ignored her, "Right now, Blaise and his top cronies are in a swamp in the shortcut hallway to Transfiguration, what do you want to do about it?"

Harry glanced at Hermione; she frowned, and met his eyes for a moment, before nodding. "Go on to class, Luna, tell the others to be careful just in case this wasn't an isolated incident." He smiled, thinly, "We'll remind Mr. Zabini this evening how dangerous his actions could truly be."

**********************Slytherin Dorm, Hogwarts****************************

January 26, 1998.
1:25 am.

Five Slytherin fifth years sat in the common room, yawning as they sat around a table, playing a hand of Wizarding poker. They had been positioned her by Zabini earlier this evening, with orders to stand watch. So far the only disturbance had been Millicent's cat, scratching at the door to get in about ten minutes ago. They looked over, at a softly pulsing orb set on a table that Zabini had said would keep anyone from Portkeying in.

He was right as it turned out, not that it mattered really. Ghosts moved among them, and not those that had been here for hundreds of years, just six or seven. For so long, the Slytherins, especially under Draco's leadership, had capitalized on their traditional status as Purebloods, with many, many older families scattered amongst their ranks, with all the wealth and privilege that that entailed, that they had forgotten that they were not the only ones who could play that game. A call to the Twins, and a quick trip by Remus to the Potter vaults and the secret supply caches under Godric's Hollow, had acquired another three invisibility cloaks. Which were more than enough.

Neville stood behind the five Slytherins and slowly poked the very tip of his wand out from under the cover of his cloak. Silently, the five players' shoelaces tied themselves to their chairs. He moved on, slipping back towards the staircases down deeper into the bowels of the earth. He stopped and stood over to the side, where he could watch over the scene.

Several levels below him, down the left staircase, a door opened slowly, and three gusts of air slipped though a darkened crack. Hermione moved across the room, as Luna and Parvati followed her, both under cloaks, to stand over a still slightly pug-faced girls' bed, as Pansy snorted and rolled over in her sleep. Luna was here for Ginny, as Ron was, and Parvati was just...mean, when she wished to be.

Utterly without a sound, the three girls proceeded to cast a sticking charm on her bed, gluing her to the sheets. Parvati slipped to her trunk, and wardrobe, and with a few more swishes, and a bit of Transfiguration and Charms that would have given McGonagall a stroke, as soon as she stopped laughing, carefully cast a slightly modified Disillusionment Charm on every single item of Pansy's clothes. Hermione looked up at her, rolled her eyes invisibly, and carefully and silently went through the girl's trunk. She closed the lid; having made sure not an item was out of place after her quick search for intelligence. That was enough, for now. "Let's go," Hermione whispered, and moved to the door. She opened it quietly, and held it long enough for the other two to sneak through.

Down the right side passage, Harry and Ron were working on an adequate, reminder, for Blaise of just what the consequences of his actions, could be. The door to the seventh-year boys' room opened on spelled silent hinges and the pair slipped in. They looked around at the beds of Crabbe and Goyle, set as if sentinels in the way. Beyond that pair, another bed was occupied, one with, if the sounds coming from behind the closed hangings, courtesy of a faulty Silencing Charm, a member of the left side passages. Harry rolled his eyes, casting a proper Silencing Charm, hiding his and Ron's movements from the pair, who probably wouldn't have noticed anyway. He carefully extended his hand out from under the Cloak and waved towards the back where a fourth bed rested in the far end of the vaguely octagonal room.

Harry flicked his wand, slowly opening the curtains. Blaise was snoring softly, his mouth hanging open, and Harry shook his head, trying not to laugh. His urge to laugh to vanished utterly as he flashed back to the reason they were here. His fingers flicked and the Slytherin leader froze, becoming stiff and frozen. With another pair of gestures, the seventh year floated up from the bed and faded to a mere shadow.

****************************Great Hall*********************************

January 26, 1998
7:00 am.

The hall was slowly filling in dribs and drabs, students staggering in yawning, blearily eyed. A dozen Gryffindors and Ravenclaws sat together in a small cluster, near the Head Table, spread amongst their two house tables, eating slowly and deliberately. Up at the Head Table, Lupin and McGonagall looked down at them, curiously. There had been an ominous silence from certain quarters since yesterday morning, and the rumors, that none of the professors had been able to pinpoint, that spoke of an attack on a Gryffindor or Ravenclaw.

Minerva looked down at Harry talking across the table to Ron, as Hermione sat closely on his right, working on an Arithmatic equation or two, with one hand, as she seemed to nibbling on breakfast and periodically interjecting some comment into the conversation. Minerva watched as Harry moved aside a DADA text and sighed softly. She had long since realized that the only real reason that either of her Head Students were still here was the logistic and security advantages that the castle provided, and even those were threadbare. The time was coming rapidly, when Tom Riddle would feel strong enough, or desperate enough if the secret of Harry's true objectives came out, to assault the castle directly.

The assault on the other schools had already proven that Riddle could, if he really desired to, muster enough forces to seriously assault the castle. The disastrous events of the second had already proven that. All he had to do was to focus on Hogwarts and perhaps another target, not the fifty or so that were assaulted on that heinous day.

McGonagall watched as Harry looked down at his watch, and gave a short nod. He glanced to Hermione, who returned his brief grin, before they both returned to their studies.

********************************Astronomy Tower*************************

An odd sight sat, balanced precariously on the very tip of the Astronomy Tower. A green and silver trimmed, four-poster swayed slightly in the cold January breezes. A pure white owl hooted as she took flight, launching from the top of the bed, and soared out over the vast chasms and cliffs of the lake approaches to the castle.

With a soft POP, the Warming and Silencing Charms surrounding the conjured, exact replica of a Slytherin House student bed vanished, letting in the morning cries of the wildlife in and around the castle, and the cold and sound of the wind.

The bed tipped slightly as the curtains were ripped back. An incredibly pale face, considering the owner's complexion, looked out at the scene, and down at the ground, far, far below. He shakily looked over at a small scrap of parchment pinned to the pillow next to him:

This is not a game that you wish to play, Zabini.

The note was unsigned, not that it needed it. "Potter..."

A/N: Next chapter, playing politics. And Tom...Tom doesn't like it.

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39. Playing Politics...

Ok here we go... Thanks as usual to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter.

Chapter 39: Playing Politics...
************************Ministry of Magic****************************
January 30, 1998
10:00 am

"Here, here, this session of the Ancient and Most Noble Wizengamot of Magical Beings of the United Kingdom is now in order." A magenta robed wizard banged the hilt of a silver-chased staff on the ancient flagstone floor. Around the room, the upper reaches of the coliseum style seating were filled with wizards and witches, most of them in at least their fifties, as they looked around at a tall wizard wearing the golden emblem of the Wizengamot.

The Chief Warlock, pro-tem at least, since no one had ever found the proper regalia for the office after Dumbledore died, waved and stood, "I hereby call this session to order. We are here in order to elect the Minister of Magic for the United Kingdom. As per a thousand-year-old tradition, only the families of record or their proxies may vote. The two candidates are Anton Wolfe, and Arthur Weasley." Both candidates nodded as he announced their names and gestured towards them. He gestured towards the empty center of the room, where on most days a chained chair sat waiting for those who were to be judged. The tip of his wand traced a rune in the air, the torches lighting the room dimmed and a rumbling filled the room. Slowly, a pair of huge hourglasses rose from the floor and stopped. Both great glasses seemed identical to the ones at Hogwarts, appropriate, as Helga Hufflepuff had created both sets.

In the back of the room, Tonks leaned over worriedly and whispered in Remus and Kingsley's ears, "This could be bad, you know who Wolfe was best friends with in school," they both nodded, both remembering Wolfe who had been a year behind Remus and who had hung out with those such as the elder Zabinis and Goyle. And beyond that, both Kingsley and Lupin knew, having been there last time, that the man had been one of the ones who had never, officially, been suspected as being in league with the Dark. He did not have a Mark, both of the candidates had been, in a controversial meeting, checked, but still it was questionable. Her eyes flicked around the room, pausing for only an instant on Sergio Zabini, Blaise's father, and someone that she knew was a Death Eater, but whom the Aurors had been told to leave alone as there was no evidence.

"Yes, it could," Kingsley agreed, "but without the ability to officially assign agents, I couldn't get any evidence on him." His hushed, deep voice was bitter as the Chief Warlock looked around the room before looking down at a set of papers. "This election is for all the gobstones, at the very least Wolfe will probably take us back to the days of Fudge. He's already come out and said publicly that Albus 'did more harm than good' and that Potter was a 'glory hound'."

"I seem to remember you, yourself, saying the latter a time or two," Remus quipped quietly.

"Yes, well, I was wrong, and I intend to apologize to Harry the next time I see him," Kingsley returned and shrugged, "But even if Arthur wins, he's a compromise candidate. Half of those, who will vote for him, will only do because they think that they can control him." He became silent as the Warlock gestured for silence.

He pointed his wand to the center, and the top of each hourglass filled with fist-sized jewels, rubies in the right one for Arthur and, in a bit of sympathetic magic, emeralds in the left one for Wolfe. He pointed to the hourglasses, "Please indicate your pleasure, by casting your charms now, ladies and gentlemen."

A flurry of lights shot across the room, striking one and the other hourglasses, and one by one, jewels fell to the bottom, one for Arthur, then two for Wolfe. Another two for Arthur, then another for Wolfe...Wizards and witches started murmuring urgently to each other, particularly those younger families that could not vote in this election. Tonks grimaced as she watched the elder Zabini smirk and cast his charm towards the hourglass on the left.

After another few minutes, in which both Arthur and Wolfe paced quickly around, trying to gain last minute votes, the spells stopped. Flaming numbers appeared above the hourglasses, and Tonks and Molly, who was far below, holding onto Arthur's arm, groaned as one. The numbers told the tale; Wolfe had gained one hundred and three, with Arthur only controlling ninety nine. Shouts of joy from Zabini, Wolfe and several others rent the air as moans of horror answered the results as the Warlock stood and motioned for silence.

"My Lords and Ladies, you have spoken and your pleasure is as thus..."

"WAIT," A strong baritone thundered across the room, as a door boomed open at the top of the gallery. A wave of cloaked figures strode in, and fanned out along the tier. "Not all of the available families have voted."

"You are too late, Potter," a hated, high voice squeaked from behind Warlock Edwards. Umbridge smiled as her eyes cut for a millisecond to Wolfe and Zabini who were standing together, already celebrating. "I will soon be back at Hogwarts..."

"Point of Order," A tall, dark Wizard with a gleaming bald plate, and a bright orange goatee stood from his seat on the rail to Harry's right. Sampson Attikus smiled slightly, "There was not a motion to close voting, so since they have arrived before such a motion..."

Edwards sighed, and Umbridge, Zabini, Wolfe and several others looked furious, but did not speak. Around the top of the room, the DA members that had arrived with Harry, that were not the senior members of their families, or their families could not vote at all due to the status in the familial hierarchies, held hands on pocketed or sheathed wands and waited. "Very well, which families have arrived to vote, Potter..."

"Ahem," a loud cough came from Attikus, and the older warrior's eyes hardened.

"Lord Potter," Edwards grated, and Harry gave him a small nod. He looked over to a small woman standing slightly up and behind him and Hermione, who had her hand on her wand, and her eyes constantly sweeping the area. Behind them, Tonks and Lupin had slowly came to their feet and were moving back to better positions, in case this vote became something a touch more...difficult.

"The Bones Family votes for Arthur Weasley," Susan said firmly, and a ruby fell with a soft clank.

Behind them, at the door, an old woman dressed in deep green robes and carrying a huge red handbag, entered with her arm held protectively by a strong, tall young man, with light brown hair and a still slightly round face. "The Longbottom Family votes for Arthur Weasley," Augusta Longbottom said in a strong voice as both Lavender and Parvati followed her in, both teens looking as if they were handmaidens to some ancient queen. She smiled up at Neville as he eased her down into a seat that had been helpfully vacated by a young wizard. Another ruby fell in Arthur's hourglass and every eye turned to Harry.

Harry smiled, thinly, "The Potter and Black families vote for Arthur Weasley." The only sound in the huge room was the sound of two rubies falling on the pile, making the count one hundred three to one hundred and three.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Edwards said in a loud, firm voice, "the count is one hundred and three to one hundred and three, we shall have a-"

"Not all the votes have been cast," Harry interrupted calmly. A sense of unease filled the room. "The House of Gryffindor votes for Arthur Weasley." A tremendous tumult answered his words, as Harry claimed familial status with one of the founders.

"YOU ARE LYING," Umbridge's shout cut across the others.

"HE IS NOT," Hermione snapped, moving to stand next to Harry at the rail.

"BE SILENT, YOU LITTLE MUD..."

Delores Umbridge flew backwards to stick to the back wall like a fly in amber, her mouth open and flapping as she attempted to struggle, but no sound came out. "SILENCE, TOAD," Harry growled, "I claim the right by this..." The sound of steel on leather cut across the room, as Harry slowly descended the stairs to the central area below. The Sword of Gryffindor came into his hand, and with a sudden rush of magic, he drove it into the stone floor. The inset rubies under the wrapping of the hilt glowed softly as he looked up at the temporary Chief Warlock. "Lord Gryffindor casts his vote for Arthur Weasley." A final ruby fell into Arthur's pile making the count one hundred and four to one hundred and three.

Edwards looked around, at the students and not a few Aurors who were not bothering to hide the fact that they were holding onto their wands, and then down at Harry, before he looked over to the candidates. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I call for a motion to close voting, can I hear a second?"

"SECOND," at least fifty throats roared, as Zabini broke off from Wolfe and slipped out a small, side door, unnoticed.

"Very well, Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, your new Minister of Magic, Arthur Weasley." The Weasleys poured down to hug Arthur, those that were here, as Molly sobbed softly and hugged her husband. Arthur caught Harry's eye as he pulled the sword from the floor, leaving behind a perfect slot in the stone, exactly the width of the blade, and resheathed it under his robes. He nodded to Arthur and climbed back up the stairs, took Hermione's hand and left without a word, leading the majority of the DA that had come with him, just in case, out the doors.

*****************************Little Hangleton*****************************

January 31, 1998
10:00 am

"You disappoint me, Sergio," Voldemort murmured softly as he looked down on the prostrated minion. One skeletal hand cradled his chin, while the long, bone-white index finger of his other ran slowly down the length of his wand set on the broad arm of his twisted, black throne. "You had told me that you would be able to assure that Wolfe took control, after we removed Scrimgeour." He sneered, "He may not have been one of mine, but his appetites, would have allowed me to control him." Voldemort stood, rising slowly to his full height, "Now, I find that Potter has thwarted you once more..."

"Sire, I...how could I have known that Potter...that half-blood, could possibly claim lineage to Gryffindor, he..." Zabini whispered from his spot on the floor. Around the room, the gathered Death Eaters, Lucius, Bellatrix, McNair, Wormtail and others, almost twenty snickered lowly at his predicament.

"Silence, fool...CRUCIO," a heated beam of yellow snapped down, enveloping Zabini. He screamed, convulsing and shivering on the floor as the pain of a thousand, red-hot knives tore into his flesh. Voldemort looked around the room, seemingly not playing attention to Zabini's screams as he motioned Lucius forward. "Lucius," the Death Eater strode forward and kneeled, "I wish for you to find someone that Potter holds dear...and take them away." Lucius opened his mouth to say a name, but Voldemort shook his head slowly, "Not the Mudblood, not yet, not after her impudence, she must die in front of him, perhaps after she amuses me for a bit." Voldemort looked across the room as Zabini finally passed out from the curse and fell silent. "Bella, you would like that, wouldn't you?" She nodded eagerly, and cackled, quietly.

Lucius looked up with a thoughtful expression. He flashed back through his memories, the letters that Draco had sent over the years, "I have the perfect candidate, M' Lord."

"See that you do, Lucius," Voldemort replied as he moved to the door, Bellatrix and Wormtail falling in at his feet automatically. Behind him, Zabini remained unconscious on the floor as the rest filed out.

***************************Hogwarts*********************************

February 5, 1998.
11: 14 am

Ron Weasley, the sidekick, the comic relief, the lackluster student, was currently nose first in a book, looking through it to find some clue to the mystery that could kill them all. For once, it was him that had drawn the never-ending duty of digging through dusty old volumes and stained and torn journals looking for information on spells and Horcruxes. Right before she had gone to Runes, and had sent a haggard-looking Harry off to sleep or fly or something, as both Potters had been awake with nightmares all night, Hermione had set him the task of looking through Helga, a True Friend. She had hoped that the book on the Hufflepuff founder might reveal some other still existing artifact that they might use to trace the Cup. He frowned as he looked towards his Transfiguration text, reminded that he still had three hours of the class this afternoon, before he returned to the text that Hermione had found somewhere in this warren of books that rearranged themselves, and tomes that would as soon spit on you as let them read them.

He stood to stretch, ducking out of the way of a flying stack with the skills of someone who had spent seven years here, against his will usually, and looked out the window that was set in one wall of Hermione's private nook. He watched as his best friend slowly idled by on his broom at a measly sixty or so kilometers an hour and only a couple of hundred feet off the ground. Harry looked pensive as he floated by, his thoughts clearly not on his flying, an act that would have probably killed anyone but him.

Ron stopped and watched, even as some distant part of his mind that reminded him that Luna or Hermione would be on him for not using the Library time for work, as Harry started to do a series of slow barrel rolls, weaving in and out of the towers and flying bridges of the castle. Ron shook his head, knowing fully well that whatever it was bothering Harry, he was not the one who would get it out of him and trundled back to Hermione's table.

Ron glanced up as he felt a presence as familiar as his own sliding through the stacks. An automatic smile slid onto his face as Luna more or less danced into the open. Her eyes were upward, focused on something she saw, or thought she saw, or maybe saw sometime, up there. It was confusing, even to him. He shook his head laughingly as he noticed that she had worn one baby carrot and one radish as earrings today. She waved at something up above before dropping her gaze to his smiling, her silvery grey eyes sparkling.

Luna finished crossing the space, spun around an out of control library cart that was passing by flinging books back onto the shelf, and dropped into his lap, kissing him deeply and with an utter lack of concern towards the reactions of Madame Pince if she were to catch them. She turned on his lap, straddling him, and laid her head on his shoulder. Ron smiled down at her, as he swept another of Dumbledore's journals out of the way, a rather exciting one, telling about his infiltration of some castle in Germany in the forties, to place his hands on her hips, steadying her. Luna kissed him again, moving just enough on his lap to get him to let out a frustrated groan, "Bloody hell, Loony...it's the middle of the day..."

Luna shrugged, licking her lips slightly, which caused Ron to groan again, before answering, "So, did you find anything? Maybe it doesn't exist any more. Fudge always had a few tame Heliopaths running around the country, maybe they ate it?"

"Doubt it," Ron replied seriously, knowing that Luna might somewhere have a point in there. He looked out the window, past Luna head as she rested her chin on his shoulder, "I wish I had though, luv, it's driving them mad..." Ron didn't need mention who was being driven mad, she knew quite well. "I wish I could save them for once, but-"

"Daddy has an archive of old Prophets," Luna mentioned, thoughtfully, "even the ones that the Prophet doesn't want to admit that they ever wrote, maybe they have something in them?"

"We could look, I guess, next chance we get to sneak away to Diagon Alley," Ron agreed. "I should probably finish trying to look through that book," Ron waved in the general direction of Helga, a True Friend, "would you like to help? Luna grinned at him, like a small child on Christmas morning, and Ron tried not to laugh, he had a sneaking suspicion that his fiancée was a bibliophile as well. Luna stood from his lap, turned and around and sat back down, and leaned back against him, tucking her head under his. Despite Ron's earlier voiced concerns, Pince rarely came this far back in the stacks during the day, so they were not in much true jeopardy of being caught.

Luna flicked her wand at the book, causing it to skitter across the tabletop to her hand before she slid her wand up a sleeve and began to read. She read in silence for several minutes, content to let Ron amuse himself by reading over her shoulder before she sighed deeply and looked up and back at him. "This is interesting," she mentioned, "according to this, Helga made the Cup herself, it is supposed to fill automatically with whatever beverage the drinker..." Luna trailed off as she heard a low rumbling from close behind her; she looked up, rolling her eyes.

She smiled languidly, and conjured a sandwich. "I love you," Ron whispered feelingly, as she handed him the sandwich without breaking stride. She picked up the book again, and returned to reading, her lips moving silently as she ran a finger with a bright blue painted nail down the text.

"I know," Luna replied, reaching down and squeezing his hand, with her free one. Luna stopped reading, as her eyes paused to look out the window, to see Harry gliding by again. She reached up to rub her eyes, and yawned. "We should schedule when we make love better, Ronnie," Luna announced in a normal voice, with the exact same tone one would normally use to discuss the latest Quidditch scores, or the weather in London, "I'm bloody well tired." She turned on his lap, and cocked her head slightly as she watched his ears redden, "Really, according to the latest studies, the best hours are between four and eight in the afternoon. Lessens the chance of Bezalwart infections."

Ron just nodded.

Luna smiled brightly; her point made and went on, "Ronnie, when did you want to get married, really?" Her face fell slightly, "I mean..." her voice became small, "what are we going to do next year? You'll be out with the Cannons and I'll be here..."

Ron sighed, as he reached up to sweep a long, errant lock of hair out of her eyes and behind her right ear, "Luna, sweetheart, that's a long way off, even if I make it onto the team...but even so, it doesn't matter. We'll find a way to deal with it, if nothing else, we can go elope," he shrugged.

"Your mum, said that we...couldn't, until I was out of school," Luna muttered with a slight bitterness that was almost uncharacteristic of her.

"I love my mother, Luna," Ron said quietly, as he ran the fingers of his hand that wasn't supporting her on his lap slowly up and down her spine, "but you are of age at the end of the month. We'll see what happens this summer, we wanted to wait at least that long?" Ron muttered and Luna nodded, leaning into his chest, and burrowing her head into his robes. "If Mum makes me choose between her and you, she's already lost...just like she made me choose before."

************************Great Hall, Hogwarts***************************

February 10, 1998.
7:15 am

"Did you ever find out where Hagrid was yesterday? Not that I mind getting to go back to sleep, but..." Ron asked quietly, looking around for eavesdroppers as he slid into a seat across from Hermione, but as the nearest students within earshot were DA members so he was safe. She shrugged, and yawned slightly, having not recovered from the night before. She looked over at Harry, sitting slightly slumped against her shoulder lightly and slowly sipping from a steaming mug of coffee.

Bags were under Harry's eyes, as well as under his wife's. As she reached up and ran her fingers through the small hairs on the back of his neck, Harry gave her a small, tired smile before slowly forking a bit of eggs into his mouth. She dropped her head to his shoulder as she thought back to the night before. Hermione had told her parents at Christmas, that Voldemort did not usually risk trying to trespass in Harry's thoughts, that he did not want to risk the combined gestalt that would oppose the attempt, but even so, the pain that had ripped through their combined minds at the utter joy that Riddle had felt over something had kept them awake. But even more than that, was the deep, instinctive guilt that Harry had felt nearly overwhelm him at the thought that the Dark Lord had just succeeded at something.

"No, Ron," Hermione answered softly, her attention still mostly, as always, on Harry, "I haven't. " She paused as Luna joined them, kissed Ron lightly and started to fill her plate from the serving trays in front of her. Hermione grinned to herself as she carefully didn't roll her eyes at Ron and Luna; it was a not very well kept secret that the blonde Ravenclaw spent as many nights hidden behind the hangings of Ron's bed in Gryffindor tower as in her own bed. "I do have a meeting with McGonagall this afternoon about some of my Head Girl duties, I'll ask her then."

Harry glanced around the area, "I'd expect that he was...called away."

"Maxime's gone as well," Luna put in absently, as she thumbed through this month's Quibbler. The cover article showed a picture of a broken-down telephone booth, sitting in a deserted, trash strewn alley, with the title, "Ministry of Magic, Government Entity or Headquarters of the Upcoming Hippogriff Revolution." Luna cocked her head as she looked at a picture of a majestic black Hippogriff standing with one foot on a tall pile of scrolls, "Perhaps they just went somewhere for a proper shag..." she turned her head to look up at Ron adoringly, "three, four days seems about right, really."

Hermione rolled her tongue around in her cheek for an instant, trying not to laugh. She shook her head, and decided, Sod it. She dropped her hand from Harry's neck and lightly stroked his thigh under the cover of the table. Harry turned slightly and kissed the top of her head as she looked back to Luna, "Three days is about right...pretty much want to take a shower after that." Harry barked a laugh, and Luna giggled. Ron snorted with his mouth full of eggs, sputtering them over the table in front of him. Hermione reached forward and carefully swept the remains off her Charms text with a napkin, glaring at him unrelenting asperity. "Ronald..." she whispered, flatly, lethally. He swallowed slightly, not having Harry's advantage of feeling her hidden amusement and gulped down his food...

Just as Ron was about to apologize, a flutter of wings interrupted his words. A large owl swirled down, skidding to a halt in front of him and deposited a large package emblazoned with the three intertwined, W's of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Ron ducked as Hedwig settled next to Hermione, cooing slightly as Hermione reached out and petted her, while Harry removed a letter from the Owl's leg.

Hedwig gratefully took a bacon rind from Hermione and watched, slightly disdainfully, as the rest of the assorted Owls, Eagles, and a single large bat that flew to a rather pale Slytherin; delivered their parcels and missives. After a minute, all the assorted avians left, except Hedwig who thought it perfectly acceptable that she remain with her master and mistress. She took another bacon rind from Hermione, and seemed to pout as Hermione told her that was it, "She would get sick."

Harry looked up suddenly, Hermione and Hedwig both following his gaze as a large, black shadow passed over the table, blocking the light from the sun shining in the hall from the high windows. A cold shudder slipped though his bones as a huge, coal black raven the size of a condor landed in front of Harry, knocking askew a platter of eggs with a large box it held in it talons. It stared at Harry for a moment, with sullen red eyes, before it took flight once more, leaving the package behind.

Harry and Hermione were on their feet before the raven was a meter away, wands in hand and pointing at the package. Peripherally, they knew McGonagall, Flitwick and Remus were coming to their feet at the Head Table, craning their necks to look down at the group of Gryffindor seventh and sixth years, plus Luna, who all seemed to be standing looking agitatedly at the box. Hermione flicked her wand over it, muttering long strings of Latin and Celtic as faint glows of gold and blue and green danced out from her wand to float down over the package. She pointed her wand at the air, and watched as small, fiery letters appeared in the air. She gazed at the words. I don't know, Harry.

Harry nodded as he pointed his wand at the box. With a slight shudder, a lid decorated with only his last name floated up and set itself down on the table next to the box. Slowly, carefully, Harry tipped the box towards him, Hermione crowded his shoulder...

A loud, strangled gasp slipped out from Hermione as Harry's fists clenched tightly on the edges of the box. She grabbed his arm, painfully, as the two of them took in a small, glowing blue ball that spun around, as if looking for someone, before coming to a rest focusing on them. Next to the loose, magical eye, the broken halves of a bludger-bat sized wand sat, dead.

Harry was already moving towards the head table, as Ron looked in the box, Harry's outline slightly blurring as Hermione followed at his heels. Behind them, Ron let out a loud curse as Harry stopped, looking up at McGonagall with flares of Magic already dancing at the corners of his eyes. "Where did they go?"

"Who?" McGonagall asked, slightly befuddled, as she had not seen the contents of the box. Her ignorance was quickly rectified as Ron ran up behind them, still holding the box in his hands. Minerva moaned softly as she leaned over the table and looked into it. "Hagrid and Olympe left Sunday night to go investigate a report of Giant movements in the Southern Highlands...They didn't report back yesterday, so Alastor went to look in on them."

"Where?" Hermione demanded, her voice frozen.

"About twenty miles west of Hawick..."

Harry didn't stop to hear the rest as he spun on his heel, and headed back towards the Gryffindor table with Hermione and Ron immediately behind him. Their robes fluttered behind them like the wings of a great raptor as they moved rapidly to where they had previously been seated. Without a word from Harry, the DA gathered like a hunting pride, muttering to each other and moaning, gasping or letting loose quick bitten-off sobs as the word spread. Harry looked around them, "Seventh years only," he said softly. He and Hermione left the hall without another word, their brisk pace carrying them from the room in mere seconds.

Behind them, at the Slytherin Table, Blaise Zabini smirked and saluted the door with a goblet of Pumpkin Juice. At the Head Table, McGonagall spun to Remus and leaned in, "Find Nymphadora, go with them, your classes will be canceled for today." Lupin nodded as he quickly moved to a hidden door at the back of the hall and slipped through it.

*************************Lower Scottish Highlands**************************

A thick, cloying fog hung over the ground that the winter sun seemed powerless to destroy. Trees devoid of leaves stood, guarding a small clearing set amidst the rolling hills, like the fence of some prison. A wolf howled in the morning, slinking away as several tall, dark-cloaked presences slipped away, vanishing into the mist.

A fall of color and a rush of wind displaced the fog, revealing, as it broke, eleven black-clad figures. Harry looked to each side as he spun to a stop, took a single step forward to cancel the momentum of the Portkey Transfer, and took a quick, steadying breath. He waved to the right and left, and watched as Seamus, Dean and Padma peeled off to the left as Neville, Parvati and Lavender slipped to the right behind their wands.

Hermione, Harry whispered, as his eyes lit and a pulse of magic snapped outward, pushing aside the remainder of the fog. He paused, feeling for any other presences, magical or mundane, within sight. Harry caught Hermione's eye, her small headshake, and the dark, terrified look in her eye. He glanced at Lupin, the lycan's nostrils flared, and he too gave a shake of negation.

Harry slipped forward, moving carefully, probing for traps or something and not, truthfully, wanting to find what he already knew he would, in the darkest recesses of his thoughts. Harry spun, his wand tracking as a startled deer jumped from a patch of underbrush in his path. He stepped around a tree, and froze...

Oh...God...Hermione wailed silently, her hand shaking on the grip of her wand for a heartbeat before she started forward. She stopped as Harry reached out and grabbed her wrist, shaking his head slightly. She could see tears threatening to break free from the corners of Harry's eyes, and could feel them burning in hers. Her lip trembled slightly as Harry waved Ron, Remus and Tonks out to the sides before he let Hermione's wrist fall free and the two of them crept forward.

"Anything?" Harry whispered in a broken voice. Receiving no answer, he moved forward and crouched next to a huge, broken mound of a corpse. Slowly, Harry reached up and gingerly touched the side of his first friend's throat. He felt for a pulse, already knowing it was too late. Hagrid's body was battered and broken; both legs were bent at an unnatural angle from joints that did not exist. Blood soaked Hagrid's torn and rent robes from wounds too numerous to count. Harry looked up from the gaping wound in Hagrid's neck and closed his unseeing eyes with trembling, blood-covered fingers.

Harry stood slowly like a very, very old man, not the powerful wizard of seventeen he was in truth. He turned and caught Hermione as she flung herself at him and buried her head in his shoulder. Tears dampened his shirt and the top of her head, as he felt Ron's hand on his shoulder. After a moment, Hermione pulled away from him, wiping her eyes and giving him a small, tight nod.

They moved together, with terribly acquired professionalism, even as their hearts lay shattered on the dead grass of the glade, to the immense body laying partially across Hagrid's legs as if Olympe had fallen trying to protect her fiancé. Harry didn't bother to check her; he knew she was dead at a glance. They moved on, sheathing their wands as they went and stopped at Lupin and Tonks' side.

The DADA instructor and Auror-on-loan were looking down on the old, broken body of Alastor Moody. His wooden leg was laying several feet away on a log, snapped in half. The grass was darkened with his blood, as were the front of his robes. Harry knelt, drew his wand again and ran it over Moody's body, Revelo Priori Incantium.

A soft yellow glow rose from Moody's body and floated towards a small, clear faceted crystal that Hermione held up. The light slipped inside, lighting the stone with a soft glow. "There's your evidence, Tonks," Hermione said in a lifeless voice.

"It was Malfoy, wasn't it, Hermione?" Harry muttered quietly. She nodded, kneeling down and running one hand through her hair. She conjured white shrouds over each of them with a violent wave of her hand, before her tears started to flow once more. Harry fell to his knees next to her, and pulled her into his side.

"How do you know, Harry?" Tonks asked, her eyes fixed sightlessly on the shrouded form of her mentor...and friend. "I still need to take this signature back to the Ministry, to compare it to the files."

Harry shrugged, not looking up, "It's the same as Draco's...just a bit different...I've seen enough of his curses over the years." Hermione just nodded, continuing to look off into the woods absently.

Behind them, the rest of the DA members that had joined them on this grim errand stopped, looking on as Lupin flicked his wand, and three shrouded forms rose from the grass to hover at waist height. "Let's take them home, Harry," Lupin said, almost silently, as flashbacks of other white shrouds, too many, stomped through his thoughts with hob-nailed boots.

Harry pulled himself to his feet, pulling Hermione with him, "Portkey, Ron," Harry ordered. Ron nodded as he conjured several lengths of rope and tied them to bodies. He flicked his wand over them; they trembled and flashed blue, before becoming still. At a somber gesture, the DA closed in, touched the ropes, and vanished in a fall of color and a rush of wind.

*****************************Hogwarts**********************************

February 11, 1998.
10:00 pm.

Harry and Hermione slipped out onto the windswept roof of the Astronomy tower. Or at least it should have been so, but as they exited the thick, oak door that guarded the exit onto the battlements, they immediately felt the wards fighting their passage, and the strong, warming charms cast in a dome over the top of the tower. They shared a tired, worn look as they moved around the center tower.

Ron looked up, and saluted them with the fifth of Firewhisky he held in his tightly clenched fist. He took a sip as they slid to the stone floor opposite him, "How did you find me?" he asked after a moment.

"Luna sent us, mate," Harry replied, reaching forward and taking the bottle from his friend. He took a small sip, before handing the bottle to Hermione. She looked at it disdainfully for a long moment, before she took a swallow.

Ron shook his head, "Aw yes...she didn't throw her ring at you and tell you to make me eat it, did she?" he asked with utterly fake lightness.

"You know better than that, Ron," Hermione replied, reaching out and patting his knee lightly, "she was concerned about you."

"I didn't mean to yell," Ron muttered, taking the bottle from Hermione and taking another drink. Beyond the confines of the spell enclosing the roof of the Astronomy Tower, a light snow began to fall, the flakes adhering to the spell like a large, material dome. "I just, I dunno..."

"She's about as likely to not follow you into battle as Hermione is to me, Ron," Harry said with a slight rueful shake of his head. Hermione just nodded, this fight had long since been dropped with them, the feelings might remain, but they both knew the outcome. She looked over at Harry, content to let him talk to Ron, Harry grunted and gestured for the bottle, "She loves you, Ron, she'd do anything for you, but don't ask her that..."

"But how do you deal with it, Harry, the thought that Hermione could get hurt or killed, or?" Ron sighed; his words dangling as he carefully didn't say the fate that had been known to befall certain people when they were captured by the forces of darkness.

Hermione rested her head on Harry's shoulder, as he looked down at the bottle in his hands. "Very, very poorly, mate," Harry replied in a slightly tortured whisper after a moment, "very poorly. Of course it doesn't help that I carry around a guilt complex a league wide," he shrugged, "but I deal." He turned his head and gave Hermione a small, wan smile, "Or rather she makes me." Hermione smiled at him, brightly for an instant, before the look faded away. Smiles seemed harder to hold than frowns these days.

"I don't quite have that luxury, Harry," Ron retorted with a snort, he waved away Harry and Hermione's sudden concerned looks, "I'm not jealous, reall... alright, I am jealous a touch that you two get a private suite here," Ron admitted, wryly.

"Oh, bullocks, Ronald Weasley," Hermione replied in an utterly convincing imitation of Molly's dulcet tones, "We know bloody well that that girl spends more time in Gryffindor Tower than her own bed."

"That's just not fair," Ron whined slightly, "every woman in my life does the 'Molly' voice...does she give lessons?" he asked rhetorically and Harry shrugged. "She has to sneak in, though."

"She's of age at the end of the month," Hermione supplied, and Ron nodded, "you could? McGonagall would give you one of the married quarters, there are like twenty or thirty free in the tower, no one's used them in fifty years."

Ron took a deep breath, rolling the drink between the palms of his hands as he watched the light from an ever-lasting candle he had conjured earlier dancing in its depths. "We've talked about it, sis," Ron said softly to the only woman he was right now granting that title, she reached over and took the drink from him, took a small sip herself and set it down next to her. "Mum told me that we have to wait until we were both out of school, 'it wasn't proper'," he muttered in a perfect imitation of the Weasley matriarch, better in fact than Hermione's from a moment before. "Guess it's good that you haven't let them in on it, she'd be awfully disappointed."

"Maybe I'll go tell her then," Hermione replied flatly, "I'm already a scarlet woman anyway." Harry gave her a concerned look; he thought Molly had stopped with the aspirations on Hermione's character since Ginny had returned, partially anyway, to the fold. "She hasn't, Harry, not in so many words, since we brought Ginny back, but it's still there. I can at least have a more or less civil conversation with Ginny, and we were at wand tips only a few months ago."

Ron laughed at the sudden image of Hermione standing up to Molly, which was always entertaining to the bystanders anyway, before he took a deep breath and stood, leaning his elbows on the parapet. He pushed aside a brass telescope and looked down towards the dark, cold cabin where Hagrid had once lived. "What are they doing with Fang?" Ron asked suddenly, "And Buckbeak?"

"Bill and Fleur are taking Fang, she evidently fell in love with the mutt," Harry replied as he stood up and leaned against the low wall at Ron's right as Hermione came up and did the same on his left. "I don't know what anyone has decided about Buckbeak." He glanced back towards the castle, "McGonagall hasn't decided what to do about Creatures, there may not be a class for the remainder of the year. Grubbly-Plank has refused to return here and her next most favorite candidate..." Harry shook his head, not mentioning in words that McGonagall had wanted Charlie Weasley to fill that post when Hagrid finally retired in several years.

"I always thought that Hagrid and Mad-Eye were indestructible," Ron mentioned in a tight voice. "Sure, I've seen them hurt, Merlin knows that Mad-Eye carried around the scars...but I never thought..." he reached up and ran his hands through shaggy red hair. "I always thought, somewhere in the back of my mind...every time that I came back to Hogwarts, that he'd be here."

A/N: Yes...that was rough for me, too. Next chapter...a touch of tit for tat...

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40. A Strike From the Night

A/N: Thanks as usual to Lady Starlight for her work on his chapter.
Chapter 40: A strike from the night.

******************************Hogwarts*******************************
February 12, 1998

Harry turned from the dispersing crowd and shakily let out a breath. Tears were in his eyes, as he looked over the lake, along the shore and towards Hagrid's cabin. He felt Hermione's hand in his flutter slightly before she spun to him and buried her face in his black dress robes, the tears that she had been desperately holding in the entire service falling free. Harry buried his face in her hair, as he finally lost the bare edge of control he had held since the huge, shrouded forms had passed them in procession.

He did not acknowledge Arthur's hand on his shoulder as the new Minister of Magic passed, nor the almost twenty strong security contingent of Aurors spread out around the lake. Molly did not say anything, simply gave them a small nod. She did stop to give Ron and Luna a crushing, tearful hug each, however. The other couple was standing next to Harry and Hermione, with Luna looking blankly, almost lifelessly, at the newest tombs in the thousand-year-old cemetery by the lake. She had been almost inconsolable when she had heard the news, and had broken down in the Great Hall.

Ginny followed her parents at a slight distance, but stopped as she reached Harry and Hermione, and looked to them with bloodshot red eyes. "I...I'm sorry," she whispered in a hoarse, tired voice. Her shiny red hair hung lankly over the shoulders of her black robe, Harry closed his eyes for a moment as the color reminded him of the scene that he had found just days ago.

Harry looked at her, over the top of Hermione's hair, "Ginny...I have just one question," he asked softly, his voice flat and dead.

"What?" she whispered, as Molly paused and looked back at her. Several black-robed students passed on their way to the castle, with Harry holding his words, until they passed.

He looked up as Neville, Parvati, Lavender, Seamus and Dean joined them, their faces leaden with emotion. He nodded to them before he looked back to Ginny, still without lessening his grip on Hermione, "We still have our differences, Ginny," Harry went on, one of his fists clenched behind Hermione's back for an instant before he relaxed it. "But what I need to know is," his eyes bored into hers, "is there still a Gryffindor in there somewhere, or are you too far gone?"

Ginny stood silent for a bit, while the crowds thinned even more, the majority of the students already on their way back to the castle. The lawn was almost silent on this relatively warm winter's day, a day that seemed to mock them with its light and warmth, amidst the winter of their discontent. Hermione finally pulled her face from Harry's robes and wiped at her eyes angrily, she took a long, broken look towards Hagrid's tomb, before her sullen, flint-like eyes held Ginny's gaze. Ginny broke the connection after a second and looked slowly around at the others crowded around, "Yeah, Harry," she looked at the tomb and nodded, "I think there still is."

"Be ready at midnight," Harry replied almost silently as he took Hermione's hand and started back towards the castle, clearly deep in thought.

*************************12 Grimmauld Place, London**********************

February 13, 1998
1:00 am

A somber, almost silent group sat scattered around in the huge, old Library of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black as Harry came in, alone. Ron and Luna were curled together on a couch, snacking from a plate that Dobby had just placed in front of them. Across from them, on another couch that the Potters' miniscule retainer had found somewhere, Neville, Parvati and Lavender were sitting, or rather Parvati was curled up more or less on Neville's lap, while Lavender seemed to be asleep on his shoulder. Seamus and Dean were rather involved in a game of Wizard's chess on the Library table, while Padma sat next to the Irish Wizard, reading through Really Nasty Curses the Ministry Really Doesn't Want You to Know About.

Away from the rest of them, as if she carried a minor communicable disease like the Wizard's Flu, Ginny stood, looking out the huge Library windows at the wintry night outside. She turned and looked at Harry as he stopped and nodded at the small witch. He looked around at the rest of the room, "Hermione will be here in a bit, she's...ah...bringing someone. I want everyone to stay calm, when she gets here, alright?" he said, his words a command, not a question. Ron frowned, already knowing whom she was bringing, but said nothing as Luna grabbed his arm.

Harry looked back at the door to the Library a beat before Hermione led in a familiar presence. A loud growl of discontent sounded from the other Gryffindors as she pointed towards a seat and sat Draco in it forcefully. Harry ignored them, but as he turned to the newcomers, out of the corner of his eye, he did notice that Ginny seemed to want to cross to Draco. The blonde's grey eyes flicked to her, and gave her a minuscule headshake, that would not even be noticed if you weren't looking for it. Draco looked up at Harry, his normal sneer only a bit in evidence, "So, Potter," he looked around the room, "I see that you've settled in here, you and your little Order."

Harry looked at Draco and shook his head. He moved over and perched on the edge of the Library table and looked down at Draco, "There will be no insults here today, Draco, from either side if I can avoid it." Harry looked back at Hermione, who had sat next to him looking down at the former Slytherin, she shrugged, "Where are your parents, Draco?" A soft, hungry sound came from behind him at his words.

"Why do you want to know, Potter?" Draco said softly, his eyes looking quickly around the room at the various Gryffindors and others crowded into the room. He shrugged, "How the bloody hell should I know, I've been locked away in your little hole."

"I'm sure that you have some idea," Hermione said softly, her voice replete with menace as she pushed off from the edge of the table and took a pair of cat-like strides to loom over him. His head turned slightly and looked up her. Across the room, Ginny started to move to his side, but stopped as Ron's hand shot out and rested lightly on her forearm. She glared over at him, but did not attempt to move closer. Hermione was ignorant of the byplay as she placed her hands on the arms of the chair that she had placed Draco into and leaned forward, "Where are they, Ferret?"

"And exactly why should I tell you, Mu...Granger," he corrected himself as Harry slowly flowed to his feet. Eddies of magic gathered at the corners of the room, as a sourceless breeze caused the candles and oil lamps lighting the room to flicker. Harry took a breath, closing faintly glowing eyes, and calming the room.

He opened them to turn hard, emerald eyes to Draco, "Because you hate your parents, and you are not quite as evil as they are," Harry explained, darkly. "And somewhere, in that little twisted thing you call a heart, you know that's true." Harry stepped to the opposite side of the chair from Hermione and assumed a similar posture, "And if you don't tell us, it will bloody well make my year to fillet your mind and serve it up with a side of chips. You are going to tell us, either way, Draco."

"You just want to kill me, Potter, so why don't you just get it over with?" Draco snapped, rising out of his chair and taking a step towards Harry. The rest of the room reacted instantly, most drawing wands and Ginny breaking free of Ron's grip and rushing towards the pair only to be stopped by an invisible wall as Hermione slashed her wand downwards.

"If I had wanted to kill you, Malfoy," Harry snarled coldly, "I already would have." Harry looked over his shoulder at Ginny, where she was pounding against the near invisible wall. His eyes cut to Hermione's for a millisecond, Let her through, Hermione. Hermione made no obvious gesture, but the slightly glowing wall vanished. Ginny staggered forward a step before she recovered her balance and pushed Hermione out of her way as she stood next to Malfoy, pushing between him and Harry. She flicked her wrist, catching her wand as it dropped into her hand. Harry crooked an eyebrow as the small witch pushed Draco back, a slightly comical vision, as he was at least a head taller than her.

Ginny's wand came up, pointed towards Harry, he ignored it, "No, Harry," she pleaded. Ginny gave Ron a beseeching look; he crossed his arms and shrugged. "You are asking him to give his own parents up to die, Harry," she wailed softly, "please."

"No, Ginny," Harry returned, looking over her directly into Draco's eyes. "Unlike his parents would have, I'll give them a chance to surrender."

"London...the Savoy," Draco said softly, "Father takes her to our suite there every Valentine's Day. He's a part owner; the staff won't admit he's there. Just promise, Potter, give me your word that you will try to keep my mother alive, please, this is not her war. She did not choose it."

Behind them, Hermione gave Harry a faint nod, and moved around Draco, "If I can, I will, Draco," Harry said. "If she surrenders, I promise I will do everything I can to see that she is treated fairly." Looks like you get a Valentine's date in London, love, Harry whispered, his expression not changing, his thoughts melancholy.

We really need to discuss someday, this predilection you have for taking me to...abnormal places, Harry, Hermione said with a hidden almost smirk, that fell away instantly.

"Dobby," Harry muttered, and a beat latter the tiny elf appeared with a pop.

"Harry Potter, sir, how can Dobby bes of service to you and your Mione?" the elf grinned up at him, between sparing a tiny, hateful glare towards Malfoy, and a somewhat smaller one towards Ginny. Dobby did not forgive transgressions easily.

Harry knelt down next to the elf, "Dobby, please take Mr. Malfoy and Miss Weasley to the holding room. They may have refreshments if they wish," he added after a moment.

Dobby frowned, and looked up at Ginny, who was still shielding Draco with her body, her wand still pointing vaguely in Harry's direction. "Yes, Harry Potter Sir, should I take her wand, Sir?" Dobby gave Ginny a vaguely threatening glower, which was a remarkably effective one from a being of all of one and a half feet tall.

"It will be fine, Dobby, she may retain her wand, if she gives her word that she will not escape or cause or let Malfoy do the same," Harry looked up at Ginny, and she gave him a nod and slowly lowered her wand.

Dobby looked as if he did not particularly relish this thought, but stepped towards the door. He looked back towards Draco and Ginny and crooked a finger, "If you would follow me...Sir and madam," the words as if they were pulled from the tiny elf with a lorry.

Ginny did not say a word as she took Draco's hand and led him towards the door. A faint, tiny, grateful smile was on her lips as she looked at Harry and Hermione and left, following the elf out the door, down the stairs to the secured bedrooms that they had set up for holding 'guests'.

She could still 'drop' her wand that wouldn't, technically, be letting him escape, Hermione muttered as she leaned back into Harry as the door closed behind the grey couple, she looked up and back at him, I guess we are going to be in London, for the next few days, her thoughts were resigned.

You know, the Blacks have their own suite there, Harry mused, half-heartedly trying to cheer her up, I thought that the Savoy was supposed to be romantic...there on the banks of the Thames.

I'd rather go to the Florida compound, or the one on the Riviera, she grinned in her thoughts, or just the bedroom.

Which one? Harry quipped; we have several.

I'm thinking the one at the Hollow, Hermione admitted with a faint, hidden blush, that faded from her mind as she thought back to a tomb by a lake, Is this vengeance, Harry, or justice?

Harry gave a soft grunt and moved to the window looking out over the dark London streets. The movement coincidentally hid his expression from the rest of the room, the part that did not share his soul and thoughts, anyhow. I don't know, Hermione, Harry whispered slowly. He reached up and ran a hand through already disheveled locks, I want to think it's the latter, love, I really do. But...but, Hagrid was my friend, Hermione. His eyes did not move to hers, but it was not as if they needed to any longer, He was my first friend, Mione, the one that first gave me a glimmer of hope that I might be more than a human House Elf to some evil bigots.

Hermione glanced back into the room, to see the rest of the group watching them silently. She caught Ron's eye, he gave her a nod, and with a series of quiet, forceful gestures sent the rest of them away. She gave him a thankful look; he nodded and led Luna from the room with nary a sound. Harry had not noticed, at least not consciously, even though he could, if he chose, track each and every one by their signatures. He was my friend and I abandoned him last year, Hermione, Harry went on as she wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her cheek on his back. We tried to make it up, but did we really? I mean we didn't invite him to our wedding, we didn't even trust him to know we were married, until after Beauxbatons was hit, and that fact was under a Fidelius. Now he, Maxime and Alastor are dead, Hermione, and I know that the man who planned it is within my...our grasp.

A flash of light, invisible to Muggles, snapped at the bottom left of the window, as a cat or dog or something crossed the house wards. Hermione pulled back from inspection of the wards, He was my friend too, Harry, and I abandoned him, too...I'm never going to forgive myself for that, either. He stood up for me, he was like a really big uncle, who was really pants at magic. Harry snorted softly at the thought. Hermione chuckled for an instant, which quickly degraded into soft sobs. Harry spun and tucked her head to his shoulder, he slowly combed his fingers through her hair as she wiped her eyes and looked at him, We should get Tonks, at least, out here tomorrow for the operation, if you really want to take them alive...it'll be more or less legal, then.

Alright, he whispered and closed his eyes for an instant. She felt the pulse of magic snap out from him, examining the house and environs and interrogating the wards. Here at Grimmauld, or at Godric's Hollow, she or Harry had the power that the Headmaster or Headmistress of Hogwarts had at the castle, the building was theirs for the interrogating. She smirked slightly, knowing that the privacy filters to protect the dorms and certain other places that the founders had included in the school wards, were not in place here. Though, from things she had heard from the older girls, she was not all that sure that Dumbledore had not always known exactly what was happening every where, anyway. Or at one time he had, he sure had not that last year. She cut off that thought as Harry's fingers began to trail lower, one hand slowly rubbing circles at the small of her back as the other hand slipped fingers along behind her hipbone, just under the loose waistband of her low riding jeans. Hermione?

Yeah? she replied, distractedly, as she played with the small hairs at the nape of his neck.

It's our house and, as far as I know, we are the only ones who are actually married; we are probably the only ones not...Harry waggled his eyebrows and she giggled softly, you know, I never knew you to giggle before, seems so...girlish.

Hermione's right eyebrow rose slowly as her fingers climbed to tangle in the hair on the sides of his head. She closed her eyes and leaned in, capturing his lower lip with her teeth, before letting it go as she felt Harry return the kiss and greeted his tongue with her own. She ground against him, moaning slightly as she felt his response against her belly. I hope you know that I'm a girl by now, Harry. She gasped as his lips left hers to kiss down behind an ear. Teeth lightly gnashed against her pulse point and she ground into him harder. A flicker of thought, and her jeans unbuttoned themselves. Hermione's eyes rolled back in her head slightly as the hand that had been in her waistband, slid around front and fingers delved beneath the knickers below.

Hermione arched against him, grinding against the fingers that were slowly sliding down. She leaned forward, pushing aside the collar of his t-shirt with her lips so she could bite the skin of his shoulder as she felt, two, then three fingers slide in and slowly begin to wok themselves in and out in a counterpoint to the rhythms of the thumb above. I've pretty much figured out that you're a girl, Love, Harry said, his eyes a dark, forest green. A faint glow started to build from the outside in on his eyes, twin, she was sure in some distant part of her mind that still cared about such trivialities, to the one in her own as she felt her heart start to race to join rhythms with his. You know what's cool about this being our house? Harry asked as he started to move faster. Hermione moaned, loudly, and moved her hips in counterpoint to his movements, faster and faster.

Hermione looked up at him with her eyes fully lit now, but only slight crescents were visible as they were almost closed of their own weight, through damp bangs that hung in her eyes, hiding her face from any observation but his own, Umm? Her lip in her teeth.

Harry smirked, as his other hand slipped up from the small of her back to cup the back of her head and pull it to his. Hermione moaned in his mouth as he captured her lips once again and redoubled his efforts below. That we can do this with no silencing charms and no one can say a word.

Harry pulled away from her lips, as her hips were crashing against his hand, "Ohhhh....Harrryy.....Ohhhh," she gasped, her eyes looking more or less at her own frontal lobe now, "Ohhh....fuckkkk...." Hermione bucked against his hand, shuddering as his fingers were bathed in her juices. She collapsed against him bonelessly, knowing he would not let her fall as he rained soft kisses on her sweaty hair. After another minute, she pulled back enough to look at him, panting as he grinned at her. "T..think, anyone h...heard that," she panted.

"Hope so," Harry replied, walking them backwards towards the library table, Hermione looked around him, towards the table, and slid her hands under his shirt.

"So, what other ideas do you have for this evening, since we are already awake?" Hermione asked, waving at the table, having caught her breath.

"Since I'm," he reconsidered at an upraised eyebrow, "we're already working on a plan for tomorrow; I'd thought I'd just wing it." Hermione smirked and pushed Harry back to perch on the edge of the table. She pushed between his knees, and leaned forward kissing him, growling deep in her throat. Harry reached forward, pulling her into him; she dropped her head to his shoulder and took a breath.

"That sounds good, actually," Hermione, whispered, her voice muffled by his shoulder, she reached down between them; nimble fingers untabbed his fly. "So where do we go from here?"

"Depends," Harry whispered, his hands ran around her back under her jumper, he leaned in to breathe in her ear, "where haven't we christened this place?"

Hermione bit her lip in thought, as Harry felt her running through the dozens of rooms and locations in the house in her mind, her eyes relit, glowing softly. "Honestly, Harry, loads of places, there's the rooftop, and the kitchen, and Kreacher's old room, and the potions lab, and the combat room-"

"We did that one in August," Harry murmured against her ear.

"Yeah..." she agreed, "how about..." she trailed off, growling slightly under her breath as she as she leaned back in and kissed him. "Right here, I'm sure it could stand--rechristening." Harry's smile grew against her lips as his fingers hooked under the hem of her jumper, peeling it off and over her head, leaving her in a short camisole above her open jeans. Hermione pushed down, and stepped from her jeans and kicked them into a corner. She smirked slightly, tugging at his jeans until he lifted himself enough for her to slide them off. She snapped her fingers, and watched as his jumper and t-shirt vanished, to reappear hanging over the edge of one of the table chairs.

"Is the door locked?" Harry asked, and Hermione only shrugged, her eyes glinting as she leaned forward her hands on the table to either side of him to kiss him again. "You're right..." he added, his voice tight as he felt himself react further, slightly painfully as she licked her lips unconsciously, "Maybe they'll learn something, we are supposed to lead by example." Hermione giggled as she raised her hands above her head, to allow him to slip her last top off, leaving her only in a small pair of red knickers. The purr that rumbled from her chest increased as Harry spread his fingers over her belly and thought a charm, a tingling warmth filled her, causing her breath to catch for an instant. She grabbed his hands, pulling him to his feet and to her. Hermione took a step back, and slid off her last garment, kicked it up to her hand and tossed it overhand towards the shelves lining the walls. She laughed as it hung off an unlit wall sconce.

Harry took a step to her, pulling her to him and spinning her around so her back was to his chest. She reached up and back, her arms going around his neck as she turned her head enough to share a kiss. Her eyes cut to the library table at the same time his did, and with a flare of power, the books cluttering the top skittered to the floor in a cascade of parchment and leather. You know, if you were Ron...you'd be in a lot of trouble, right now, she sighed, and grunted softly as she pushed back, grinding her hips.

That's the thing, you love me, Harry replied, pushing down on her back, stretching her out, along the table. Hermione looked back over her shoulder, as Harry pushed into her from behind, pushing her against the table as he slid completely home. Harry froze, relishing in the sensation as he slowly began to kiss down the bumps of her spine.

Hermione pushed back against him, grinding her hips, desperate for movement, "Harrryyy, pleasseee," she whined, pushing back against him as she reached underneath and began to stroke herself. Harry grinned at her, and moved his hips from side to side slightly, teasing, "NOW, DAMN IT!"

"Alright," he breathed in her ear, as he lowered his head to her shoulder and began to move. Hermione's soft, cat-like mews, grew louder, softly undercutting and interspaced with their desperate draws of breath as they started to pick up speed. The heavy, oak table squeaked loudly across the polished floor, in counterpoint to the groans of the pair.

Books on the shelves began to tremble as Hermione began to use her arms to push back against him, meeting him, move for move. "Ohh...fuckkk," she whispered, loudly as Harry paused, pulling her up with his arm around her belly and staggering back until they fell backwards into a library chair.

It trembled, dangerously, as Hermione used the added force of gravity to drive herself onto him deeper than otherwise possible. She leaned back twisting enough to find his lips with hers again as she felt a liquid heat pooling out from her center, and a ghostly, second sense of Harry nearing his peak alongside her own...Hermione bounced once more, and with an inarticulate gasp that probably contained Harry's name, she crashed, her walls clenching around him. He took a shuddering breath and followed, letting a second, welcome, warmth fill her before he stopped moving.

Harry leaned his head forward onto her shoulder, moving only his eyes as he panted onto the sodden skin of her upper back. After a minute of silent panting, he kissed her again. Hermione smiled slightly as her head lolled back, and glanced around the room. Her gaze took in the piles of books that had met the floor, abruptly, and she sniggered. He followed her eyes and laughed with her.

Hermione shakily got to her feet, pulling him with her. They took a slow, slightly tottering step toward the couch, and spun as the chair collapsed into kindling. Hermione spun and buried her face in his chest, laughing loudly. She let him lead her to the couch in the corner and he pulled her down next to him, summoned a blanket from somewhere. It floated over and dropped down, covering them just as Hermione started to shiver as she began to cool off in the slightly chill room. Hermione motioned tiredly in the direction of the door and it sealed with a loud squelch. "Oh, now you lock it," Harry muttered in her ear.

"Hush, you," Hermione whispered back as she rolled over to look him in the eyes. "You lost your glasses again, didn't you?" she mumbled, not expecting an answer. She burrowed into the arm of the couch, her eyes bright in the light from a few candles that had survived their efforts, she frowned as her lip trembled slightly; "I miss him, Harry."

"I know, baby," he whispered, "me too."

"I don't know if I can do this," she admitted almost silently as she lowered her gaze from his and watched her fingers trailing absently on his shoulder, "I don't know, Harry, because the ones that are left...I don't know if I could survive that."

"We go on, Love, it's what they would have wanted," Harry whispered, "it's all we can do."

*******************12 Grimmauld Place, London*************************

February 14, 1998
8:15 am

Ron yawned mightily as he staggered into the kitchen, his eyes still cloudy with the remnants of whatever inadequate amount of sleep he had gotten. In fact, he was not entirely sure that he had gotten any sleep at all, though he seemed to think he had been awakened several minutes ago by a small, silver crane that kept pecking at the top of his head, to wake him up to go retrieve breakfast. I really need to try to keep Luna from hanging out with Hermione so much, he mused as he pushed the door open.

"Morning, Ron," the subject of his thoughts said softly as he walked past her and his other best friend, not looking, and opened the cold box. He spun, a carton of Farmer Bob's Ever Fresh Pumpkin Juice in his hand to find Hermione watching him over the top of the Weekend Prophet. His eyebrows slowly rose as he realized that one of his best friends was sitting on the lap of his other one, wearing only a long t-shirt, she took a breath and he realized it was quite probably only a t-shirt that she had on. Ron just shook his head as he took a large platter of cold, cooked bacon from the fridge, and set it on the table. He flicked his wand over it, warming the food before transferring about half to a plate. He looked to the stove, waving.

"Where's Dobby?" he asked; not yet thinking. He winced internally as he watched a brunette eyebrow slowly creep upward. Harry closed his eyes, and shook his head.

"Do you think that Dobby's only purpose in life is to serve you, Ronald?" she asked acerbically. She started to rise, but was restrained by Harry's arm around her stomach, so she contented herself with merely glaring.

Catching Ron's eyes, Harry gave him a tiny headshake before sweeping aside Hermione's hair from her neck. He kissed it lightly, she turned towards him involuntarily, as he said quietly; "I gave him the day off, Ron." Harry reached around Hermione, plucking a piece of the bacon he had cooked and set in the cooler from the platter and took a bite, "He stayed up all night outside Draco's room to keep watch."

"Why he'd do that?" Ron replied perplexedly, "Draco couldn't get past those wards."

Hermione rolled her eyes and returned to her paper, leaning back as Harry tucked his head over her shoulder to read the paper as well. "Because he probably hates Draco even more than me, Ron," Harry replied simply as Hermione read an article and groaned.

"Another half-dozen Dementor attacks overnight," she muttered, darkly. "This is getting...bad. The Muggles are discussing putting SAS teams into the Scottish Border regions, to keep order."

"They are sassing?" Ron, retorted, "They have whole teams to be sarcastic?"

Hermione sighed and dropped her head to her paper. Harry kissed her hair, and paused, obviously saying something in his thoughts that was probably best left unverbalized. Hermione laughed, and looked up at Ron's slightly blank look, shrugged and took a sip from the mug of coffee in front of her. "They are the Muggle version of the Auror Black teams, Ron," Harry explained, "they are the same ones that are stationed in Ireland. It means that the Muggle government is afraid that there will be civil disturbances." Harry looked towards the icebox as Ron retreated to it, and removed several eggs. He placed them on a counter, and flicked his wand at them. They rose into the air, hovered over to the stove, where the skillet, which Harry had cooked the bacon in was sitting, and cracked over it. Flames erupted under it and the eggs began to sizzle.

"Dean, Seamus and Padma went back last night," Ron mentioned, then turned to Harry, "though I do think that they stayed long enough for the entertainment." He smirked slightly, "Its Si..len..ci...o, if I remember correctly." With keen Keeper's reflexes, Ron fielded the apple that Harry threw at his head and took a bite.

"Oh, we know, Ron," Hermione said brightly as she folded her paper and dropped it to the table. She leaned back against Harry, wiggling slightly on his lap, causing a slightly glazed expression to cross his eyes. "We got...distracted." She laughed and squirmed as Harry's fingers tickled her ribs.

Ron rolled his eyes before he looked down at the six eggs, two for Luna and four for him, and summoned the plate he had placed half of the bacon on earlier. He waved his wand at the skillet; it lifted and neatly slid the eggs onto the plate, another flick and the skillet returned, and the flame extinguished. "They have the decoys with them, are you sure they will work?" Ron inquired quietly, returning to the subject that they all had tried their damnest to push away, only to snap back at them like a rubber band of disquiet.

"Should," Hermione replied softly, with more or less complete confidence. "Harry's and mine, I was able to spell more completely; it's yours and Luna's and Neville, Parvati's and Lavender's that are iffier, but," she shrugged, and glanced back at Harry over her shoulder, "they concentrate on Harry more anyway."

********************Hogsmeade**********************************

February 14, 1998.
4:00 pm

The streets of Hogsmeade were filled, more or less, with the crowds of Hogwarts students, which now included a scattering of former Beauxbatons' students in amongst the celebrants, as it was Valentine's holiday. Small pink cupids and hearts decorated shop windows and specials, advertising; "Romantic Lunches and Dinners for two" were posted in the windows of the Three Broomsticks and Natasha's. Several uniformed MLE officers were readily visible on the street corners, watching the students and many adult couples walking hand in hand down the street.

One of those officers surreptitiously pulled down his left sleeve where it had ridden up slightly and concentrated, rather intently, on a large group walking down the center of the High Street as if they owned it. They were a mixed group of several witches and wizards none older than nineteen or so, hanging off each other. A tall, red-haired man was giving a piggy-back ride to a lithe, blonde girl who was wearing, of all things, a pair of huge, dangling earrings that seemed to made of...carrots. A brunette wizard was leaning over, trailing behind them, talking to a dark-haired, dark-eyed girl who seemed to be hanging on his every word. She looked over, laughing at something her identical twin said, shouting across a moderately rude comment. The blonde next to the twin leaned back into a tall, broad boy. His brown hair seemed somewhat tussled, especially so after the blonde jumped up to wrap her arms and legs around him and leaned in to snog him thoroughly. A black man grinned and shouted something, gesturing as he waved towards the Three Broomsticks.

None of those young adults seemed as interesting to the MLE officer as the pair standing slightly off to themselves. A girl with long, brunette curls looked around the area, with an oddly probing gaze as she leaned back into the arms of a bespectacled, black-haired man. They set out after the group, hands joined and looking, as they did not have a care in the world.

The MLE officer looked away from the group and stepped into a side alley, vanishing from view. He reached into his robes, and pulled a palm-sized, rough edged crystal from its depths. He raised it to his lips, "Potter is in Hogsmeade, will continue surveillance."

"Understood," came from the shimmering stone, the agent then re-pocketed it and slipped back out onto the street.

An instant later, a presence in slightly shabby robes detached himself from the shadows of the doorway into Scrivenshaft's and followed. His steps were whisper-quiet like those of a wolf on the prowl as he followed the scent of the one in front of him, and the absence of scent of several of the ones ahead.

***********************London, Savoy Hotel*******************************

8:25 pm

The Savoy had been built late in the last century, and its funding had been in more than Muggle Pounds. More than a few Galleons had been sunk in the quiet, luxury hotel deep in the heart of the West End. Those Galleons had come from families, with pockets filled by generations of Wizards adding to the subterranean vaults under Soho, with other investments such as this. Ones, that many of the Families seemed to ignore, had as much to do with the Muggles surrounding them as they did with folks who were apt to wear pointed hats on a daily basis.

But it had been the desire of that group of long-ago investors that had caused the Savoy to have an entire, hidden floor of rooms and suites, including several that were permanently set aside for families such as the Malfoys, Zabinis, Dumbledores, Boneses and Blacks, among others. And atop that hotel, cloaked to all but those with magical blood, a restaurant looked out over the icy waters of the Thames. It was there, with a romantic view of the river below, and of the lights of London sparkling off a fresh coat of softly falling snow, that a pair of diners looked across the crowded room, at an older couple. The pair of older blondes were leaning together over the table, the man who possessed a remarkably pointed face and of hair so light as to be almost silver, took a drink from a snifter of Brandy that held a depth of color so pure as to scream expense. His companion looked at him with slightly haunted eyes, glancing around the room. Her eyes settled for an instant on several tables surrounding them that also held couples, that even a casual glance, seemed to give lie to the patrons actually being there for any tryst.

Narcissa raised a flute of champagne and sipped it, replacing it next to her plate, and daintily picking up a fork. She frowned slightly as she thought of the suite several floors below, of what was still to come tonight; then shook her head and took a bite of her veal. "What is wrong, my love?" Lucius' cultured, nasal voice carried across the table, and across the room, courtesy of the new, wireless variant of the Weasley's Extendable Ears, which like many of the other new, more interesting, innovations of the pranksters had not made it to their shelves.

She gestured around at the tables surrounding them, filled with dour couples dressed in quite similar dresses or dress robes, like they had all gotten them off the same rack in Diagon Alley, "Are these...really necessary, Lucius?" Narcissa muttered. "You've paid enough for the MLE dispatcher on duty this weekend to not to have to worry about the Ministry, who else, the Order? They are shattered."

"Hush," Lucius snarled across the table, Narcissa recoiled slightly and he relented, partially, "our Lord does not want another debacle like that occurred with Severus. However, since Moody died," he went on lowly, the surrounding tables filled with low-ranking Death Eaters giving them a perimeter of security, "I doubt that the Order can field another such attempt. Now finish your meal, Cissy, there is still much-enjoyment-to be had." Narcissa gave him a small smile and looked back to her meal.

Across the room and safely removed from the direct sight of the nest of vipers, centered around the east window table where their quarry sat, by a screening bit of decorative foliage, another couple sat, enjoying dinner. Unlike the first pair, this couple was at most half their age, though they, like the first couple, looked as if they belonged. These two sat side-by-side, cuddled together like newlyweds on their first Valentine's Day. The girl, whose deep red curls were piled up on top of her head, with only a few loose tendrils escaping to frame huge, chocolate-brown eyes, giggled softly as she carefully fed a forkful of an almost sinfully chocolate dessert to her companion. He took the bite in his mouth, as she slowly withdrew the fork. Luminous emerald eyes cut left, under bright, blond locks and a smooth forehead, as the waiter finished refilling a pair of wine glasses and withdrew. He's gone, Mione.

That's fine, she replied, absently as took a bite of the chocolate herself, Merlin, Dobby has to get this recipe. A soft, contented purr-like sound whispered from her throat as she leaned her head against his shoulder. She glanced up to catch the eyes of another waiter across the way, who gave her a tiny nod, and then proceeded to barely keep from crashing into a cart full of heart-shaped desserts. Hermione glanced down at the mirror sitting in her lap, concealed by a casually placed napkin, which showed the picture from an Osiris eye planted in the shrubbery above them and directed back over their shoulders at the cluster of Death Eaters. She closed her eyes, listening to the chatter of her enemies in her left ear, via the Extendable Ears' receiver. The soft, occasional whispers of one of the DA members cutting across that with their snide comments on the Death Eaters via the Mirrors' other channel which was showing as a tiny, inset window in the bottom right corner, and of course, there was her and Harry's comforting, endless background hum of thoughts.

She smiled as Harry turned his head slightly and planted a kiss on the top of her head. At least Lavender got a date out of this, Harry commented as Hermione's eyes followed his, to watch as the couple, skillfully disguised by Tonks, sat at a table in plain sight, in the middle of the room. She grinned slightly as Neville leaned forward to kiss the normally blonde girl, who today had hair the color of Harry's.

Parvati's already complaining that the flip was rigged, Hermione snorted softly. She raised her head off Harry's shoulder to take another, tiny bite of the dessert before pushing it away. Hermione glanced down, "They are moving," she muttered under her breath, and a bare few acknowledgements came to her and Harry's ears. Hermione's eyes caught Tonks in her form as a tall, dark, waiter as she vanished into a door marked, "Staff Only".

Hermione folded the mirror closed and eased it into her purse. Harry gestured to their waiter, and scrawled a false signature at the bottom of the bill, charging the meal to the accounts of Fawkes Enterprises, his shell company. The two of them looked down, seemingly examining the bill in detail as Lucius, Narcissa and their entourage swept past and entered a lift at the end of the room. The door closed behind them, and Harry and Hermione stood slowly. Harry caught Neville signaling for the waiter to refill their drinks one last time, as Harry wrapped Hermione's bare shoulders with a woven shawl and took her hand.

They crossed the room, and waited for the elevator to return from its errand. "Ready, Keeper?" Harry whispered, the wire from his pocketed mirror invisible where it passed behind his right ear, to nest in the canal. Several rooms below them, in a suite rented for the next three nights in hard Galleons, Ron muttered an affirmative as he watched the group pass his door through the peephole. Behind him, Parvati and Luna tightened grips around wands, waiting.

Above them, Harry and Hermione boarded the lift, and could almost imagine Tonks' feet as they thundered down the stairs, this hotel having first-class anti-Apparation Wards to ensure the privacy of its guests, a fact that if all worked well, would be to their advantage. "What did you count Hermione, six?" Harry muttered, already knowing the answer. Hermione did not respond in words.

The flat of her hand snapped out, hitting the emergency stop on the lift. With a growl, she reached out, grabbed the small hairs at the back of his neck and pulled him in for a hard kiss. After a minute, Harry having responded almost instantly to her, she pulled away enough to rest her brow on his, a deep breath, "Yeah, six," she confirmed, with totally different words in her eyes. Her fingers waved towards the button and the lift jerked into motion, she bent down slightly, reaching under the skirt of her emerald green dress and retrieving her wand. She held it, and moved slightly behind Harry to give him room to move.

Eyes flickered green and hair began to darken as, with a torturous slowness, the elevator door opened. Harry was moving even before the doors had completely retracted. A fine mist shot out from Hermione's wand, passing him and locking any innocent bystanders into their rooms, along with cutting off any sound from the hallway reaching into those rooms. The first Death Eater looked up, seeing a blur of movement. Harry rolled right, as the Eater's wand came up, being seemingly dragged though mud to Harry's sped-up perspective, and reached out and pulled the Sword of Gryffindor from the air. A green bolt snapped past his shoulder as Harry took a step left, and sliced right.

Harry fell forward into a roll, as a Cruciatus burned the wainscoting behind him, and sliced upward with the movement. The first Eater finished falling to the floor as the second began to slide down. A third spun with glacial slowness, the skirt of her dress flaring out slightly with her movement, and suddenly flew backwards to crash into the wall, as Hermione joined the fight.

A shimmering silver shield, embossed with a Lion, took a bolt of fire with a loud clatter as the third Death Eater started to her feet, began to think about pointing a wand in Harry's direction and collapsed as a silver bolt hissed through the air from Hermione's wand, drilling a neat third eye in her forehead. The fire-thrower collapsed as Hermione summoned him into the path of a backhand slash. The last two, down the hall from the entrance to the Malfoy Suite, reacted, their wandtips lighting with green and yellow fire. Harry took a breath, and slashed the sword sideways.

A whip of pure, white flame cracked out from the tip of the sword, snapping across both Death Eaters at head height sending them tumbling to the floor.

At the far end of the hall, the door to the stairs opened and Tonks tumbled out. She took one look at the scene, and hurriedly flicked her wand. Instantly, all six bodies vanished to a hidden morgue, set up at the Ministry for just such black operations. Harry nodded to her as he snapped the blade and it cleaned itself. He gestured with it and it vanished into the air, he then flicked his wrist, catching his wand as it dropped into his hand. He looked up as Ron, Luna, Parvati...and Ginny slipped out from the suite. Ginny looked slightly ashen having just seen the occurrence in the hall on the Mirror.

Harry reached up and ran his free hand through his once-again, black hair and looked towards the door through unaided eyes. He ran his thumbs over his temples; the corrective spells always gave him a headache and motioned towards the door to Malfoy's suite. "Alright," he whispered, even though no one could hear him through Hermione's charms. Behind him, the lift opened again and Harry did not turn as Neville and Lavender stepped out of the lift, the dark looks in their eyes at odds with the festive, pristine dress robes and silver dress the couple were sporting. Parvati gave them both a tight smile as she slid to the left of the door to Malfoy's suite. Luna went to the right and the trio stacked as if they had been doing this for years. Hermione did something to the skirt of her dress, opening the knee-length slit up to her hip to move better, and gave Harry a small smile.

Harry motioned to Ron, who reached into a pouch and dug around until he found a bright, red cylinder. He touched his wand to it, it started flashing, and Harry took a step back, Reducto.

A searing blue bolt snapped out from Harry's wand, vaporizing a good chunk of the heavy, wooden door and causing the rest of it to fly into the room, in flames and splinters. Ron reached around the corner of the sill and flung the now-rapidly flashing cylinder inside. A blinding flash and a banshee scream washed out into the hall, much, much less intensely than what the pair inside was experiencing. Harry was moving into the room before the flash had even faded, his wand tracking for targets. Hermione spun in at his heels, following to the right as Ron, then Luna, then Parvati, and finally, Tonks swept into the room behind their wands. Outside in the hall, Neville and Lavender were keeping up the locking spells on the doors and lift, while Ginny stood next to the door, her wand nervously in her hand. "Clear," the call came from Ron, as he kicked in the door to a bedroom on the left and followed a pair of Stunners from his and Luna's wands into the room.

"DOWN," Harry screamed as he sensed a bloom of magic from the remaining bedroom. He grabbed Hermione and pushed her to the floor just as the door exploded, and several green, howling bolts snarled across the room. Harry and Hermione pushed away from each other, rolling to their feet as a pair charged out of the room with their wands firing. Harry deflected a bolt, rolled right and vanished. Lucius' wand tracked towards Ron, and stopped, instantly, as Harry's dimpled the skin behind his right ear, "Not a good idea, really."

"LUCIUS!" Narcissa screamed, swinging her wand towards Harry, and collapsed as Hermione's heel caught her neatly behind the ear. She crumpled to the floor as Hermione recovered, landing on the balls of her feet. She bent over the fallen Malfoy and took her wand, sliding it into her cleavage before flicking her own wand to conjure thick ropes around the blonde.

And you thought the boots didn't go with the dress, she murmured to Harry as she paced over and plucked the wand from Lucius' unresisting fingers. She backed up, her eyes glowing faintly as her wand remained trained on his right eye, while she placed the second wand with the first she had taken.

I didn't say that, Harry muttered, I said that they were an interesting, statement...I rather like them, kinda sexy, really. Harry slowly removed his wand from Lucius' head and walked around in front of him.

"Potter," Malfoy drawled, his hard grey eyes panning around the room. He returned his gaze to Harry's, "So, Potter...what now, are you going to kill me...we both know that you don't have it in you, just like that fool Dumbledore..."

"No, Lucius," Harry replied flicking his wand, and freezing the blonde wizard like a giant icicle. He gestured behind him, and Tonks appeared, changing back into her normal appearance as she approached.

She reached up and shook long pink hair from her collar, "No...cousin," she said happily as she reached into a pocket, and flipped open a leather wallet. A shining golden badge glittered in the light from the oil lamps on the tables and the lights leaking in from the windows. "You are under arrest, for the Murder of Rubeus Hagrid, Olympe Maxime, and Alastor Moody," she leaned forward as his eyes bulged slightly, "and after the Ministry interrogators rip every scrap of information from your mind, and leave you a blubbering vegetable, it will be my pleasure to watch the Headsman separate your head from your shoulders. And. End. The. Malfoy. Line. Forever."

Lucius' eyes widened further and the cords stood out on his neck, as Harry took a step forward, and looked Lucius in the eye. His voice was bleak as he pronounced sentence, "As Head of House Black, I have declared your marriage to Narcissa, null and void...your son, if he survives, will be a bastard, and can not inherit...Another house falls, Lucius...sad isn't it?" Harry asked, his eyes glittering, as his steel-edged voice sliced through Lucius like a rapier. Harry gestured and Malfoy collapsed, to fall next to Narcissa.

Harry looked down at him and flicked his wand; steel cables appeared and bound Malfoy like a mummy. Harry walked over to Hermione, plucked Lucius' wand from where it was resting, and snapped it in half. Shimmering particles slowly floated down to the fine carpets as Harry tossed the two halves in the air, where they flashed into flame, becoming merely extinguished ashes before they hit the ground.

There you go, the saga of Lucius is not over yet, though. Next chapter, an unexpected offer.

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41. An Unexpected Offer

Here we go, just like the title says...Thanks once again for the splendiferous work by Lady Starlight on this chapter... And yeah, I still don't own anything really.
Chapter 41: An Unexpected Offer
****************************Ministry of Magic****************************

February 15, 1998
10:00 am.

Harry appeared silently in a trash-strewn alley next to a battered and broken phone box. Several panes of glass were missing from the graffiti-covered box, the receiver was dangling from a mostly severed cord, and the door seemed to be hanging by one hinge. Harry looked to his right as Hermione appeared next to him, soundlessly, and gave him a small, melancholy look. He waved her to the booth, and held the door open for her before he squeezed into it next to her. Under other circumstances...

I'm glad you didn't get such ideas fifth year, Hermione retorted with a tiny smile. Her expression faded as she realized what she had said. Harry just shook his head and squeezed her hand, before twisting enough to dial 6-2-4-4-2 on the ancient, rotary dial.

A soft, feminine voice filled the booth, "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your names and reasons for your visit."

"Harry Potter and Hermione...Granger," Harry replied into the receiver, catching himself in the nick of time, "Meeting with Auror Tonks."

Two badges fell from the change tray, "Please wear the badges at all times within the Ministry. All visitors are required to submit their wands for examination at the Security Desk at the end of the Atrium." The booth began to slowly lower into the ground, "Have a nice day and welcome to the Ministry of Magic."

The booth reached the Atrium and opened, and the two of them stepped out. Ron had not wanted to come, as he wanted to return to Quidditch practice for his game the next weekend. He was rather pleased as he had Ginny back to play, even though the majority of her housemates still refused to talk to her. She was taking the silence stoically. Ron had returned to Hogwarts with Ginny, Neville, Parvati and Lavender this morning. Remus had arrived moments later, taking Draco to wherever the Lycan had set up for the keeping of the ex-Slytherin. In the end, it had been decided that it would have been much less cruel to Kedavra Draco, than have him return to school, and Harry was adamant that Draco would not stay in Grimmauld if he were not there.

Hermione took his hand and allowed him to lead her past the Fountain of Magical Brethren, which she glared at, and towards the Security Desk. A sharp breath escaped from Harry's throat as he looked up and saw not only Tonks, who today, was in her 'natural' form, long black hair tied back in a tail, revealing multiply pierced ears, but another pair of familiar faces standing with her at the Security Desk, waiting for them. Her black eyes glittered softly as she glanced up at the tall, black wizard next to her, and then at a thin, balding red-haired man in simple black robes on her other side.

An old witch glowered at Harry and Hermione as they finished crossing the distance to Tonks, Kingsley and Arthur, muttering under her breath about 'Muggle-lovers'. A comment probably attendant to the fact that both teens were wearing jeans and t-shirts, a short white one in Hermione's case, and a black one with the WWW logo in Harry's case under armored Dragonhide jackets. Hermione glared at the old crone, the witch shut up, rapidly boarded a lift and vanished into the depths of the Ministry.

Harry gave Tonks a smile as he approached the desk. He started to draw his wand, "That won't be necessary, Eric," Arthur said quietly to the guard, "Mr. Potter and Miss Granger, are to have class A security access from now on, please log it." The guard turned and looked at the new Minister skeptically, but nodded and noted the order in the log. Hermione looked to Harry, her jaw hanging slightly slack, her eyes wide. Tonks and Kingsley did not seem surprised, however. They just nodded and turned towards the lifts as Arthur took a step towards Harry and Hermione. He frowned for an instant, before he reached out and pulled the two of them in for quick hug, "Come with me to my office, I would like to speak with you both."

Harry looked to Hermione, with a puzzled expression as they boarded the lift with the two Aurors and the Minister of Magic. Hermione reached over and brushed her fingers against his, Harry...Class A security clearance is the same as an active Auror...it entitles the bearer to skip the security checks in the Ministry. Harry's inquisitive look hardened and she shrugged, and waved towards Arthur.

After several moments of silence, broken only by the rumble and clatter of the elderly lift, the car stopped and the door opened. Harry and the rest followed Arthur through a large waiting room, past four uniformed agents on guard, an inordinately busy-looking secretary shuffling files and through a heavy oak door carved with the seal of the Ministry under an inscribed crown. Arthur waited until they had all entered before he closed the door, which Harry had noticed was several inches thick as he had passed. Arthur muttered a spell on the door; it sealed and closed with a loud squelch. The walls flashed white, then red, then white again, before fading to rich, dark oak paneling as Arthur seated himself behind an absolutely huge desk.

Behind the eldest Weasley, a false window showed a peaceful scene of the snow-covered woods outside of the Burrow, Harry knew it well as he, Ron and Hermione had played Quidditch in that very clearing. A large picture was set on a shelf under the window, the picture was several years old, and Harry bit back a sudden spike of emotion that snapped through him and Hermione as he saw that both of them were crowded together, in with the rest of the Weasley family, even Percy. Harry closed his eyes as he remembered that picture, it had been taken at the Burrow right before the beginning of fourth year, after the events of the World Cup, but they still thought, back then, that everything would be alright.

"Harry," Kingsley's deep voice rumbled from the side, Harry and Hermione looked up at him, waiting, "I...want to apologize...Albus trusted you, Alastor did as well, I shouldn't have doubted you." The huge man shrugged, his hands in his pockets as he looked down towards Harry.

Harry stood and walked to him, he held out his hand, and Kingsley took it, "Don't worry about it...I'm not always certain that they should have...we just have to do our best, and hope we live up to their standards."

"Well said, Harry," Arthur put in and waved towards the chairs facing his desk. Harry returned to the one next to Hermione. Arthur pulled a box from a drawer of his desk before leaning back and folding his hands in front of his face. "What I am about to say, does not leave this office, possibly not even to the ears of my youngest...natural son," they nodded at the implied question and waited as Minister Weasley sat gathering his thoughts. "To be perfectly honest, Harry, Hermione, I am in a precarious situation. I find myself the third Minister to fight the same war, with the least resources of all of them. Fudge squandered time and gold, trying to fit the facts to his own agenda; while my predecessor...he had problems of his own. He was, however, I think, about to turn the corner on his efforts, which is why He-Who-Can't-Be-Named, had him killed."

Harry and Hermione carefully did not look at each other, they had vowed to keep the youngest Weasley's, and by extension Draco's, involvement in the attempted assassination, secret. Draco had never admitted it in the questioning, but Harry had started to suspect that Draco had sabotaged that attempt himself, possibly to save Ginny from the Headsman, if it came to it.

"My problems are twofold, really," Arthur continued, "First, I was a compromise candidate, I'm heading what the Muggles call a 'coalition government', which basically means both parties screwed up enough, that everyone needs to stand/hang together to keep the citizens from throwing us all out on our ears. I have people from both sides, both the ones who deep down don't happen to think that Lord Thingy is so bad, and the others that think that the only good Death Eater is a dead one..." he shrugged as he stood and looked out the fake window to his home several hours north of here. "And that's not even going into the whole Muggle debate, and my known, shall we say, fondness for them." He turned back to them and gave Hermione a small smile, which she returned.

"What does all this have to do with us, Arthur?" Harry asked after a moment's silence.

Arthur sighed and looked to his two Aurors, Tonks walked around to stand next to the desk, "It's the other problem that the Ministry has," she commented, "Hermione, how many Aurors is the Ministry authorized to have on staff at any given time, go ahead and include MLE officers as well."

Hermione frowned slightly, thinking, "If the public records are correct, and if I remember the pamphlets correctly," she extemporized, "Somewhere around a thousand for the two services, not counting the other enforcement arms like the Dark Artifact branch," she put in, looking at Arthur.

"When we started this fight," Kingsley rumbled, "there were three hundred Aurors and maybe as many MLE officers both here and abroad in the protectorates such as Hong Kong. Now," he looked at Arthur, who nodded, "there are fewer than one hundred surviving Aurors in England, with another fifty or so abroad, and most of them we can't afford to bring home. The foreign Ministries are not going to commit forces, when they have already started to see attacks by the Dark Forces."

Two pairs of eyes widened slightly as they did the math, and Arthur shrugged once more, "From the records that we have managed to obtain, the ones that were not destroyed, it seems that during Fudge's reign, it wasn't that the Ministry couldn't find adequate candidates, but rather there were many who, for whatever reason, were deemed, unsuitable by this office."

"But why?" Harry asked, straightening in his chair, he looked over at Hermione to find an equally puzzled look on her face.

"Honestly," Kingsley replied from behind as he walked around to lean against a bookcase to the side, "those of us actually in the corps have wondered about that for years. There were always rumors that Fudge was...persuaded to keep the ranks low, so that certain situations would not be able to be investigated too ably."

"You mean, the Malfoy affairs wouldn't be," Tonks sniped.

Kingsley nodded, drew his wand and started to roll it between the palms of his hands. "Probably," he agreed, "and even with the best of intentions, Scrimgeour could not fix the shortfall in a year...it takes time, even with the current accelerated programs to fill the ranks-"

"And most rookies don't last that long," Tonks whispered.

Arthur returned to his chair and sat behind it, "Fudge's actions had another consequence. Scrimgeour was not the candidate that the Order wished to take the reigns. Originally, Albus wished for Amelia to run, but with the amount of discrediting Albus and you, Harry, were put through, there were still too many who didn't trust Albus' motives." Harry nodded, knowing that feeling all too well. "As a consequence, Scrimgeour was put forward and elected by a faction that did not trust Albus, especially the power base that they thought he was building. And as he and Scrimgeour had some history..." Arthur shook his head and put his hand on the box he had retrieved from his desk earlier.

He held his hand over the box, frowning and patting it lightly as he looked off into space. Over to the side, Tonks and Kingsley shared a look. Arthur nodded to himself, and looked over at Harry and Hermione. "What I plan on doing, right now, is of dubious legality, maybe, the barristers don't exactly agree on the breadth of my war-time powers, but honestly I do not care. I did not want this war," his light blue eyes hardened, as the tendons on the back of his hand as it tightened on the small, slightly larger than palm-sized box. "But I am bloody well going to win it, or die trying. The bastards have taken too much from all of us," he slid the box across his moderately cluttered desk to be stopped by Harry, "to be even contemplating not using every means at my disposal."

Harry opened the box...and froze. He handed it to Hermione; she reached in and withdrew a pair of badges. She shared a look with Harry, as she held the pair in the palm of her hand, both a deep, glossy black. She tilted her hand slightly; watching the light glint off the shield, each was imprinted with a small dragon holding a wand in its claws. A clear, faceted diamond served as the center of the badge with a line of runes that encircled it. The runes shimmered blue a moment then faded. "What?" Harry asked, befuddled.

Hermione did not look much better as she opened her mouth, closed it, and took a breath, "But we are still in school...we haven't taken our NEWTs..."

"You are the only weapon that can destroy V...Voldemort," Arthur countered softly. His eyes looked haunted as he watched their shocked expressions. "I do not know the particulars," he admitted, and gave Tonks an odd look, "and I doubt that even if you were working for the Ministry that you would admit just what you two and Ron have been up to this past summer and even before that. I know what it means to give your word...But I also believe that the papers are correct, even despite themselves, that you will be the one to end this if anyone can."

"Hermione's right," Harry whispered, "we are just..."

"What, Harry," Kingsley laughed bitterly, "kids..." he shook his head ruefully, "I said that once to Alastor, he about put me through a wall." He replaced his wand into a thigh holster and closed his long duster around his massive frame, "You and your partner there," he waved at Hermione, "along with several of your friends have as much as or more operational experience than many of the Aurors out there now. And you definitely have more so than the cadets and barely trained secondary personnel we are contemplating filling the ranks with."

Behind Arthur, in the window showing a vision of the woods outside of the Burrow, a light snow started to fall and several deer wandered across the image. "Before Alastor...died," Arthur's soft voice cut across Kingsley's deep one, "he spoke to me, I was about to bring him back as Head Auror, give him what he needed to fight this war...He said that he wanted you two. So I do."

Hermione looked over to Harry, and several long conversations passed in a glance. She looked down at the badges still held loosely in her hand, "Why just us two, why not..."

Arthur sighed and looked at his hands, "You mean, why not Ron, why not any of the other DA? Several reasons, first, my wife would kill me," all five of them cracked a small smile, "but more so, that Ron is in this because...he's your brother, and even beyond that, he's a Weasley in the oldest sense of the word. We were with your great, great-grandfather when he smashed Napoleon's wizard corps, and we will be with you now." Arthur looked up at them, "Ron wanted to be an Auror because he thought it cool, he's learned differently now..."

"Hey, it is cool," Tonks, objected.

Arthur ignored her, "However, if Ron wants that path, I will do what I can for him. I won't use my position to get him a job, but if what I hear from Minerva," he smiled slightly with an almost dazzled look to his mien, as if he couldn't quite believe his own ears as they listened to the words coming from his mouth, "he should do rather well on his NEWTs. In fact, she said that you two could take them tomorrow. Actually she said, if I remember properly, 'Granger could have taken them fifth year, OWLs were just a quiz'," Hermione flushed slightly, "and that, she was pleased beyond all measure that Potter and Weasley had finally decided to stop pretending they were average at best and actually study." He looked up to Kingsley as the large Auror coughed slightly.

"The NEWTs, frankly, are the Ministry's way of weeding the wheat from the chaff, they usually serve to show us the ones who show the intelligence and dedication for the tasks," Kingsley explained as Tonks frowned, no doubt thinking back of her hours and hours of study over dusty books in the Library. "You two, however, have a resume that makes much of that irrelevant."

"So, what, exactly, are you asking of us?" Harry asked softly even as he could feel a tiny jolt of elation as one of his dreams seemed to be handing itself to him on a platter. He felt Hermione's eyes tracking in parallel to his, looking first at Arthur, then at Kingsley, towards Tonks, and then back to Arthur completing the circuit.

Arthur nodded to Kingsley, who due to the rapid implosion of the Auror Corp's numbers was actually, technically second or third in command of the force now, and since Arthur's election to Minister, head of his Security, his 'Captain of the Guard' for all intents and purposes. "Both you and Hermione are down as 'pre-Auror' candidates. Not that that technically matters as the standard process would allow anyone to apply if grades were sufficient. You will each hold the acting rank of Lieutenant, because of the forces you control if nothing else, until the war is over, one way or another. You have already been trained to fight a war. If we win, then you will be put through a much accelerated course at the Academy to pick up what you need for standard procedures, and more police related matters, a year, tops, faster if you pick it up."

Hermione twisted slightly, crooking an eyebrow slightly and giving Harry a look that more that amply stated that she thought that would not be an issue. You are going to have all of that down by Wednesday, aren't you? Harry asked, already knowing her answer. He looked to the Minister of Magic, his best friend's father, and a man that at times had served that same function to both him and Hermione, "We agree-with a few conditions," Harry replied firmly, Arthur gave a small wave, enjoining Harry to continue. Harry did, "First, there are there are still things that we must keep secret, certain...tasks, that we have to still complete, that we can't discuss the nature of at this time. I promise that we will do what we can, but that, quest, for lack of a better term, is paramount. We are independent, at least in this, as soon as Tom dies, we will be glad to report to... "

"We can't be going out on raids and such, unless it is a particularly dire need," Hermione continued, as Arthur seemed to show immediate understanding, "We are still in...school. It is not that both of us think that the Order, DA, and the Ministry should not be attacking the Death Eaters at every opportunity, but we need to concentrate on our, um, quest," she repeated Harry's term, finding it apt, "and getting ready to face Voldemort." No one in the room even flinched at the name, as Arthur stood and extended his hand across the desk.

"If that is settled then?" Arthur looked at each of them, they both nodded slowly, "Welcome aboard, Agents Potter and..."

Hermione coughed, "It's actually Potter and Potter," she said softly, Arthur's eyes widened and he chuckled, as Tonks sniggered and Kingsley rolled his eyes slightly.

"Very well," Arthur replied, "Fidelius?" Hermione nodded, biting her lip slightly. He stood from behind his desk and pointed his wand at a bookshelf. With the creak of ancient hinges, a hidden doorway opened ponderously, exposing a brightly-lit, spiraling staircase, with the stairs moving ever downward in a mirror to the stairs to the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts, "I think that the two of you would like to sit in on Lucius' interrogation?"

***************Somewhere under the Ministry of Magic, London*****************

2:00 pm

Hermione stood, cradling a fragrant cup of coffee between her hands, and looking through a slightly shimmering, crystal-clear pane at an exhausted-looking, pale, tall blonde wizard in dingy black and white striped robes. A single cup of water and a discarded crust of bread sat unattended on a battered steel table, in the room she was looking into.

She watched as Lucius started to pace, only to pause and look around wildly, before beginning again. She knew that he could not see her, that in fact he could only see four blank walls and a grey ceiling and floor, with no window nor door. Hermione shrugged slightly and put her right hand on her hip, one finger tapping lightly on her new badge, which was clipped to the waistband of her jeans. She glanced back to the table in her room, where Tonks and Harry were both seated at the table, looking over a file.

Hermione walked back to the table, moved her jacket to the back of a chair next to Harry and sat down, scooting her chair until it was touching Harry's so she could read the file as well. She took another sip from her mug and looked up at Kingsley, who was still watching, staring at Lucius. "This is good, Shack, almost worth working for the Ministry," she quipped, yawning slightly.

Harry and Tonks grinned slightly as Kingsley snorted, "Be glad, we used to have to drink utter drek, I get that from a friend of mine in the Columbian Embassy." Shacklebolt took a sip from his own drink, "We've kept him awake since you brought him in last night, Tonks, what do you think?"

She shrugged slightly, "Wotcher, I don't know...blimey, he could have had a great shag and a ten hour nap, right before we bagged him. It's only been eighteen hours or so," she looked at Hermione and shared a small, odd look, "this may not be affecting him as of yet, he's still got the energy to pace." Hermione nodded, while her and Harry might be still ignorant of some of the procedures of the Auror Corps, most of that was in pure investigative work, and things like the proper paperwork, mostly the paperwork truth be told. After all, their entire purpose until the last Horcrux and Voldemort were destroyed was, in many ways, solving a grand mystery. The same man who had taught both Kingsley and Tonks, and whom the man in the cell had gloated of killing, among others, had schooled them in interrogations as well.

"So," Harry said slowly as he stretched in his chair, "Another day of this? Or?"

Kingsley sighed and turned from the still pacing ex-Slytherin to watch the other three, "If he were a normal Dark Wizard," Shacklebolt began, "I would have him under a Veritaserum drip already...but after what happened to Rookwood..." He shook his head at Harry and Hermione's slightly blank faces, "We weren't entirely unsuccessful under Scrimgeour, we caught Rookwood and a half dozen of the Initiates right before Christmas, I think it was the night of the Ministry Ball, in fact. We were able to break the low-level ones easily enough, but they barely knew what day it was, they didn't know anything of importance. But Rookwood, he was a different story. I think that he was the highest we had caught since the breakout at Azkaban, all the other ones that could be considered in the 'Inner Circle' that had been stopped had been killed. You two took out Dolohov and Snape and I got Smythe outside of Edinburgh in September, but he was the first that we had taken alive..."

"I wasn't there," Tonks added as Kingsley shuddered slightly, and looked back to the cell, "I was teaching switching spells to first years at that hour. But from the reports, he went insane as soon as first dose touched him, tore out the IV and attacked the Interrogator, he had to be stunned by four Agents, and when he woke again he was gone, no mind at all left, freaky it was."

"No," Kingsley went on, nodding, "for now, it's either continue this, or rather start to play with his diurnal cycles, we'll start that tomorrow, or if the Legilimens gets here soon, we will try to have him see what he can get." He waved as Harry and Hermione started to speak, "I know that one or both of you could do it, but for now, just in case, I would rather that he not see either of you, here. You never know, and if he thinks that last night was purely an Order operation with one of their tame Aurors along for the ride," he nodded at Tonks, "he might let something slip. He still has moles in the Ministry, that's why we waited until Sunday to let you two come by, it's less crowded and we have a better idea on who is in the building."

A soft knock sounded on the door to the small room and Kingsley crossed to open it. A small, mousy-looking wizard stood there, looking up at Kingsley. "You asked for a Legilimens, sir," he said up to the tall Auror. He looked at Harry and Hermione oddly, but did not comment.

Kingsley looked at the wizard, then waved towards the clear wall, "If you're ready, see what you can glean from surface thoughts first, Edgar." The wizard left through the door he had entered, a moment later, the room where Lucius was kept seemed to spin rapidly in a circle. Lucius staggered, and a doorway quickly opened and closed in the otherwise featureless walls, allowing the Legilimens to step in.

He quickly cast a spell at the Death Eater, and Lucius froze. With another flick of his wand, Edgar and Lucius' eyes locked. For several instants nothing happened, a muscle ticked in Lucius' cheek and the Legilimens' foot tapped impatiently on the white stone floor. Harry turned to Kingsley, "This is a bit..."

A sudden, cloying presence filled the room, and beyond, Lucius' mouth opened in a silent scream. The Legilimens fell to his knees clawing at his eyes and screaming. Harry staggered, his eyes suddenly shining bright as Lucius' eyes turned to the clear wall, as if he knew where Harry was standing. A sudden spike of fear hammered though Harry before he ruthlessly beat it down as Lucius' eyes turned a sullen, fiery red. Lucius clawed at his left sleeve tearing it away to show blood pouring from the Dark Mark on his arm.

Harry staggered slightly, the pain in his scar suddenly overwhelming. He glanced over to Hermione as he felt it lessen, her lip was in her teeth, her eyes glowing and slightly unfocused as she reached out and grabbed his shoulder. The pair of them looked together towards the interrogation room.

On Lucius' arm, the mark came alive, the serpent rose from the skull, entwining his body in tight coils. A flare of emerald fire erupted from the Dark Mark, spreading over Lucius' body. Screams echoed off the walls as the Death Eaters' body was engulfed in a pillar of green fire.

The Legilimens continued to scream, clawing at his eyes as the flare of fire faded away leaving only a stained spot on the otherwise spotless floor.

Harry looked over to Kingsley as a doorway opened in the room beyond and several wizards in the white robes of Ministry staff healers rushed into the room. "What the bloody, fucking hell was that?" the Auror roared, a wild look in his eye as the Medi-Wizards conjured a stretcher and restrained the Legilimens to it, before forcing his throat open and pouring a vial of Dreamless Sleep potion down it.

"I'd say that Lucius failed his master a few times too many," Hermione replied softly, as she and Harry leaned together in a corner, panting slightly. "Probably put a failsafe ward of some sort in the Dark Mark, to prevent any of his inner circle from having their memories read."

"Or perhaps just him," Harry muttered, standing fully and moving slowly to the door, he looked at Tonks, "We should probably be getting back, I suppose," he said slowly, "seeing as there isn't much of anything to be doing here and all." His voice held no discernable emotion, but he already knew he would be seeing those flames tonight. "How are you going to explain his..."

Kingsley shrugged, "Since we had not yet admitted that he was in custody, we will probably plant some false story in the papers and modify Narcissa's memories and let her go, hope she leads us to the Death Eaters. What story is up this week, Tonks?"

"I always liked the rogue Hippogriff," she replied darkly. She looked to Harry, "But you are right, we should get to Hogwarts, let Minerva know what has happened."

There we go, next chapter the return of Draco, and several...conversations.

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42. A Question of Divided Loyalties

As usual, I still own nothing. Thanks once more to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter.
Chapter 42: A Question of Divided Loyalties

***************************Somewhere in Ireland*********************
February 21, 1998
8:20 am

Draco Malfoy paced restlessly, muttering vile threats under his breath as he glanced at the Lycan peering on at him amusedly. He stopped and looked out a large bay window at green rolling hills, a few grazing Unicorns from the herd in the woods near by, and the crashing waves of the close shore. He spun back to Remus, who was leaning on the kitchen counter with his coffee cup held in one hand, a copy of this morning's Prophet spread out on the counter. He looked down, away from the glaring former Slytherin, and read about another attack in Glasgow, which had resulted in a running battle between a responding Auror Black Team and a half dozen Death Eaters, that had been spotted by a lone, off duty Auror picking up groceries for his eight and a half month along pregnant wife. He was currently in St Mungo's, in intensive care, he had managed to delay the Death Eaters long enough in their planned attack on a Wizarding Pre-School, for the Auror assault team to arrive.

Remus closed his eyes, as he remembered Tonks coming in crying last night. The Auror, Michael Davis, had been one of the few Aurors hired near her, and she had gone to his wedding the same year that Voldemort had returned. Remus muttered softly, as his fingers flexed unconsciously, as if claws were extending and retracting.

"When the bloody hell am I going to get out of this godforsaken place?" Draco snapped irritably, pacing over to the kitchenette in the small cottage, and slamming a cabinet door open. He grabbed a mug and filled it from the pot Remus had made, "I need to...I want to," Remus turned his head slowly, and Draco sneered, "I know that your..."

"My what, Mr. Malfoy, forgive me, Mr. Black, my kind, perhaps?" Lupin said calmly, "A wolf, bloodsnout, Spawn of Satan, half-breed? Are you implying that I am accustomed to being locked up..." his eyes tightened slightly, but his expression did not change otherwise; "I seem to have heard that you claimed Fenrir as an old, family friend."

"I had nothing to do with him, Lupin," Draco objected forcefully, his face flushing slightly, "I was a foolish boy, when I said that...I am...sorry."

"I am impressed, an apology, there is still hope for you yet," Lupin said lightly, and gifted the former Slytherin with a small smile, "Unfortunately, you do not have a choice, not if you want to remain alive. Harry agreed to hide you here in this house; it was one of the old Potter properties that was being rented through agents to Muggles until a year ago. You should be unknown here as long as you stay out of sight." Lupin set his mug down on the counter, and with a flick of his wand, the paper vanished and the mug was sparkling clean. It lifted from the counter and floated over to a rack set near the coffee maker and hung itself up. "I will be leaving now, you know how to get hold of me..."

"It's not like I can go anywhere," Draco commented bitterly, softly, "you have my wand, and there are wards on the house keeping me here or on the grounds." He paused, as his eyes cut away from Lupin's down coat towards the handwarmer pocket of the Muggle sweatshirt he was wearing, embroidered with a small green serpent on the left chest. Draco seemed to come to a decision, "Professor..." Lupin perked up at Draco's words, Draco slowly pulled a parchment envelope from his pocket and extended it to Remus, "could you give this to Ginny...I give my word that it doesn't say anything about where I am at, just a few..."

Lupin took the envelope and looked at it for a moment, before looking back to Draco, "I will."

"Thank you...Professor," Draco replied in a voice that almost showed gratitude, "and please don't let Weasley know that I wrote her, you'll probably tell Potter and Granger, but please just them, I don't want her to have to fight with her brother anymore." Remus gave one more nod and vanished with a soft POP.

*************************Hogwarts*************************

11:20 am

Harry sat alone in the Gryffindor stands and watched, with a blank expression, as the Gryffindor team shot past in formation, before breaking to the winds and setting up for practice. Harry frowned almost imperceptibly as Ginny and Dennis lined up at mid-pitch, hovering fifty feet above the painted center ring far below. Dennis flicked his wand at a small box far below, and a golden blur shot between them, and took off towards the south, unguarded hoops. Ginny and Dennis wheeled on their brooms and shot off in pursuit.

Ginny had earned her spot back, though Dennis had given her a run for her money. In the end, it had been Dennis offering to take the backup spot for the good of the team that had secured her position, even more than her performance at the tryouts. She led Dennis on a high-speed run into the trench surrounding the pitch and Harry looked away, stretching his legs out in front of him on the seat in front of him and bringing a tattered journal up to his eyes.

The key to the location of the final Horcrux remained a mystery. Harry was still reading the Journals of Albus Dumbledore, trying to determine some errant clue that the great old wizard had discounted, some random thought that he had recorded, but none seemed to grace Harry's gaze as he read on. He looked up as Lupin sat down next to him, the current DADA Professor and Gryffindor's Head of House, cradling a pair of mugs, he handed one to Harry, and smiled slightly. "Your wife sent this along," Remus mentioned smugly, "and said to mention something about it's your turn, what ever that means." Harry looked away from his favorite Professor, and de facto, Uncle, blushing slightly.

Lupin laughed, not knowing the particulars, but he had a pretty fair idea of the generalities. "I'm not going to say it..." Lupin grinned hugely as Harry looked up, "alright I am, you..."

"Don't finish," Harry warned lightly, "I can and will turn you into the world's first werenewt..." Both men laughed softly and oddly, as if they had gotten out of the habit, Harry took a sip of the hot cocoa that he could tell that Hermione had made herself from the taste, and looked at Lupin expectantly. Behind them, the Gryffindor Chasers lined up on Ron, and started to try to score. Dezmelda almost made it, missing by a fraction as Ron dove to the left.

"The shame, threatening a Professor, and being the Head Boy to boot," Lupin chided gently, "what would the Head Girl think of that?"

"She was thinking of turning you into a Skrewt actually, after Wednesday's training session," Harry retorted, his eyebrow crooking up. Both men ducked reflexively as a Bludger shot over their heads. Lupin sat up straight and laughed uproariously.

Lupin wiped his eyes with one hand before looking back at Harry, "And she used to be such a...respectful girl, I haven't seen the likes of such corruption since," he paused, smirking, "your father and Sirius and I guided your mother's development."

"Is that a compliment, or?"

"Actually," Lupin admitted wryly, "I'm not quite sure really, maybe both." Harry barked a laugh, as he stood and moved to the edge of the box and leaned on the waist-high railing. His mirth faded as he looked over the grounds, Remus came to stand next to him. The elder wizard propped his elbows on the rail and joined Harry in ostensibly watching the team. Remus chanced a glance over to see Harry's face set and firm, quite like the stones of the castle behind them at that moment. "Draco sent a letter to Ginny," Remus said quietly, barely moving his lips even though the nearest person was dozens of meters away and flitting through the air in pursuit of a small gold ball, "I put it in her locker, where she would find it. I haven't read it, it's still sealed."

"That's fine," Harry sighed as Ginny caught the Snitch and performed a laughing victory lap. "It's not like he could do much anyway, if he escapes he's as likely to be killed by a Death Eater looking to rise in the ranks as he is to be recaptured or worse by us. How did the rest of your morning go, Moony?"

"Roger and Jane send their love," Remus replied, "Jane also sent along a quilt she finished for you two, I had Dobby take it to your quarters." Harry nodded, and Lupin went on, "I acquired a few more toys for Roger, just in case. For some reason the Muggles here think that the populace should be helpless to defend themselves, luckily you can't take a wizard's wand, without a trial."

"Not that Fudge and his cronies didn't try more than once," Harry replied, "Speaking of the Ministry, how did the meeting with Arthur go?"

"Like half the bloody castle at this point," Lupin rolled his eyes slightly, "I too, am now receiving two paychecks..." he snorted, "though in my case, it's actually a restoration to where I was, before." He shook his head, "Arthur is trying to force the Ministry to pay my back pay as he ruled that my dismissal was unjust. It was just a matter of time, back then, however, I only got the position because of Albus, and kept it with the support of your parents and Sirius, they couldn't very well fire them as well, they needed them too much, but with Voldemort, gone," the quotes weren't needed, "they could, reduce, unnecessary staff."

"He bloody well might not be back today, if they had had proper staff," Harry growled impatiently. "So you're, what?"

"Covert, like you and Hermione," Lupin replied, "Not because that there is any particular reason to hide it, other than to try to hide how closely the Order and the Ministry are working now."

"It won't matter a damn bit," Harry shot back, lowly as Ron blew a whistle and the team settled to the Pitch. Ron flicked his wand in the air, and a large chalkboard appeared, complete with pre-diagramed plays. Harry waved out towards the pitch angrily, he felt a whisper at the back of his mind utter soothing words, and he closed his eyes, Sorry, Mione... Hermione appeared next to him before he could finish his thought, startling Remus who jumped back, automatically going for his wand before he realized who had appeared in the box high above the Quidditch Stadium. Hermione held Harry's eyes for a long moment, and a conversation seemed to pass, before she laughed out loud and leaned against him. "It won't matter a damn bit, Moony," Harry repeated more calmly, and once again gestured towards the pitch, Hermione's proximity soothing, but not totally blunting his point. "If we don't stop him soon, all of this is over. This castle will be razed or defiled, probably both. And when it falls, which it will if I," Hermione elbowed him, glaring slightly. Harry shrugged and pulled her in to his chest, kissing the top of her hair as she automatically leaned against him, "If we don't manage to kill the bastard, it'll be over."

Hermione pulled back and raised her head, and turned around in his arms so Harry's chin was resting on her right shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. "We are going to kill him, Remus," Hermione said softly, "even if it costs us our lives, we are both dead if he kills one of us anyway. I want to know that you'll do your best to keep Mum and Dad safe, and make sure that my sister is a bit more aware of the realities in this world before she gets her letter."

"It won't come to that," Remus replied fervently. Behind him, the Gryffindor team once again lifted off, and with a whistle from the red-haired Captain, the practice resumed. "You'll both..."

"It could, Remus," Harry said softly. Hermione reached down and intertwined her fingers with his, where his hand rested lightly on her belly a few inches shy of her belly button. She pushed back against him, eyes dark as Harry went on, "Remus, Hermione and I both sent enough spell fire at him to kill any other wizard the last two times we have faced him. I blew his arm off at Beauxbatons, and he just bent down and stuck it back on...that same spell would have obliterated the Great Hall. Dumbledore could only slow him down..."

"And you will kill him, Harry," Remus replied, reaching out and placing his hand on Hermione's left shoulder as he faced them. "He's the one who's becoming desperate. His Leftenents are falling; his main source of funds is gone, and he has underestimated you at every turn. You can beat him, Harry, you know it, Dumbledore knew it, Sirius knew it, and I know it. I would never have asked Nymph to marry me, Harry if I didn't think we had a chance for a future together, and we've always known that it would be you in the end. Even before we knew The Prophecy, I had grown to know you, and I knew that Voldemort was right to fear you."

Lupin looked to the side, and watched as several Thestrals took flight from the edge of the trees far below and soared over the Pitch, death was an old friend for a Lycan. He reached back and held both of the Potters' eyes, "In the end, Harry, it's about Heart, it's cliché, I know, but its true. Voldemort has no heart, and you have ample. Trust that to see you through." Lupin looked up as the distant bells of the clock tower chimed, "I need to be leaving, I will see you this evening, then?" Harry and Hermione nodded, and Lupin slipped off, soundlessly down the stairs to the ground as Hermione leaned further back into Harry as they both stood, watching the remainder of the Quidditch practice and their best friend's leadership of same.

**********************Hogwarts*************************

February 23, 1998
5:30 am

A thin, cold, freezing mist hung over the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Small pellets of ice rained down from the sky, bouncing of the stone steps and walls and ancient leaded glass windows, with soft tinkling sounds. Not a single creature, magical or mundane, moved in the early morning gloom. It was still almost an hour before the sun pulled its way above the guardian mountains surrounding the school. Occasionally, flickers of energy lit the surrounding sky, lightening the gloom, as a particularly heavy patch would skitter off the wards at the edge of the grounds.

A small door, inset in the large, thousand-year-old, iron-banded, English Oak main doors of the castle, opened and a squat, almost toad-like figure slipped out. A floating trunk followed her, as she looked around the area worriedly, and moved with apparent haste past the frozen-over courtyard fountain and through the archway at the end. Short stumpy legs propelled the figure towards a single, waiting carriage sitting on the gravel trail leading to the edge of the Castle grounds and on towards Hogsmeade.

She froze and spun around back towards the castle as a soft cough echoed over the grounds. A figure stepped out of the shadow of the archway, fading into view as he approached. "Going somewhere, Delores?" Harry asked, his tone soft and mocking. Green eyes glittered under inky locks half covered in ice, as he stepped to one side and crossed his arms

"It is awfully-early to be about in this ghastly weather," Hermione went on; shimmering into view on Umbridge's other side causing her to jump several inches into the air. "One would almost think that you were-running." Hermione reached up, brushing ice from her hair.

"Hem...Hem," Umbridge said nervously, she took a quick step backwards as she tightened her grip around a short, stubby wand deep in the pockets of her cloak. She glanced towards the carriage waiting for her as if it would provide some semblance of safety. "I have a...early meeting at the Ministry, must be going."

"That you do," Harry allowed as he took a step forward, not glancing over as Hermione mirrored his steps, "though I rather expect that it is not the meeting that you were thinking of." He took another step towards her, and rolled his eyes slightly as she drew a short, stubby wand and pointed it at his heart.

"Stay back, Potter," she snarled, flicking her wand back and forth between him and Hermione, "I am warning you; I am a fully qualified Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Merlin help us all," Harry muttered and Hermione chuckled. He flicked his fingers and Umbridge's wand snapped with a loud, echoing crack. Her eyes grew wide as a toads as Harry gestured again and the pieces jerked from her hand, flying out over the lawn and vanishing in flames before they hit the frozen grass.

"Stay away from me," Umbridge shouted, breaking the silence of the morning. No one answered her call, however, this early in the morn.

"We are just helping you get to your...appointment," Hermione said with relish, her eyes hard. "Though, I rather think that you won't actually thank us," Hermione glanced behind Umbridge to see Tonks shimmer into view, "as your appointment is in a cell under the Ministry."

"WHAT," Umbridge sputtered, "you can't do that...I am a member of the Ministry, a special advisor to the Minister on affairs of education."

"You are a criminal, one step below a Death Eater," Tonks growled, smirking darkly as Umbridge spun to face her. "You were a Ministry official, however, as of two yesterday afternoon, you were not only dismissed from your previous post, but also under a warrant for your arrest directly from Minister Weasley on the charges of Moral Turpitude, Abuse of Power, Misappropriation of Ministry Funds and Resources and on the Abuse of Minors in your charge."

"I did no such thing, I..."

Harry held up his right hand, faint, almost invisible scars decorated the back, "Pensieves are wonderful things...they can't be fooled, and are admissible for your trial." He took another step, "Are you going to come along peacefully, or?"

"You have no right to detain me, you are just a stu..." Umbridge froze and broke off, sputtering as Harry pulled a folder from his pocket and flipped it open to reveal a glinting black badge. She turned and ran, brushing Tonks aside, as she hurried, sort of, towards the Winged Hog gates and the edge of the anti-Apparation wards.

"Please," Hermione sighed, her wand dropped into her hand and a red bolt snapped across the hundred or so yards they had let her run, impacting the short witch and sending her tumbling. Another wand flick and faintly glowing cables trussed up the ex-professor. Harry gestured with his wand, and the tied-up witch floated back towards them to drop on the grass in front of them.

Tonks glanced at each of them before bending down and touching her wand to Umbridge's head, "Somus." A yellow fan panned over her head, putting the former teacher deeper into dreamland. She stood and looked at Harry and Hermione, "That should keep her under until she wakes up in a cell." Tonks glanced around, finding a hand-sized rock. She picked it up and touched it with her wand, "Portus," the rock glowed blue for a moment, shook and settled down in her hand. Tonks placed it on Umbridge with a Sticking Charm, and knelt down to touch it with her off hand. She glanced up at the duo, "If I'm not back by breakfast, tell Minerva that I will be back in time for class." Harry nodded and Tonks and Umbridge vanished in a rush of wind and a fall of color.

Hermione smirked slightly, as she walked over to Harry and huddled close in the weather. Well, Mione, want to see if the elves are serving breakfast yet?

She shook her head against his shoulder, before stepping back and taking his hand, No, I rather think that there is still an hour that we could spend in bed. Harry grinned slowly and let her lead him back into the castle, through the small door that Umbridge had tried to escape through.

***********************Hogwarts***************************

March 3, 1998
6:30 am

"You would think," Hermione took a breath as she jumped over a large tree root that had grown over the trail, "that Ron could have gotten up to run, I thought that he was," breath, "supposed to stay in shape," another breath, "for Quidditch." Harry just shrugged, and continued to jog along the trail. He ducked under a low branch, and glanced over at her.

Mione, I don't try to understand Ron, Harry replied in his thoughts to save breath. I have enough to worry about, really. He shrugged, not breaking stride. He then grinned slightly, Besides, you really know why he didn't want to get up.

Yeah, she agreed, he's bloody lucky that Remus is Head of House, as opposed to someone like...

Minerva? Harry supplied and Hermione nodded. They passed the castle again, starting their second lap around the lake. Ron gets annoyed anyway when we talk to each other the whole run and ignore him.

True, she grinned, then her smile faded, but not from the exertion, Harry, what are we going to do if we can't find the Cup...he's thrown a rogue Quaffle, there's not a bloody place that can be confirmed as having a thing to do with him, has the Cup.

Then we just go for it I guess, and hope we beat whatever surviving Death Eaters to the last Horcrux. Take him and Nagini out, and pray we are faster than the remainder. Harry glanced up as a Knarl crawled from the underbrush and headed across the path. He frowned, being reminded by his traitorous memories of Hagrid and his lessons on the creatures.

Hermione stopped jogging as they reached a small clearing and looked back to Harry, with a mischievous glint in her eyes. She bounced lightly on her balls of her feet, and with a small grin, she slowly brought her hands up to a guard position, and gave him a come-hither motion with her fingers. Harry rolled his head on his shoulders, and MOVED, snapping a kick at Hermione's head. Hermione flipped backwards, landed in a backwards roll and fired a Stunner back at him with a flick of her fingers.

Harry flicked it away with his wand, glanced up to see Hermione sprinting at him, IMPEDIMENTA, Hermione hit an invisible wall and bounced to her left several feet. Harry spun sideways as an ice-blue beam shot back from her wand, instantly freezing the huge oak he was sheltering behind. She ducked backwards as branches on the trees to either side of her came alive and swung through the space where her head had been a heartbeat before.

Hermione took a breath, her eyes lighting fully, showing up brightly in the pre-dawn gloom. Clouds of breath spilled from her lips as she reached back, drew her daggers and spun them in the palms of her hands. The blades grew to a foot and a half long, the tips of the guards growing up and extending. Let's really play.

Harry reached back and pulled the Gryffindor Sword from the air. Sure, he replied and brought the blade up to a guard position. He took a breath and started to circle to his right. Hermione began to circle as well. At some unspoken signal they shot forward, Hermione caught the sword on crossed blades and spun left and down, using the momentum of the strike. Harry caught the left blade on the sword, beat it back and deflected the right as it shot towards his side.

He flicked it through a disengage, and snapped out his left palm, a visible wave of force shot past Hermione's shoulder stripping branches from several trees and decimating an entire hedgerow. She snapped her wrist overhand, and her left dagger shot through the air, to embed several inches into a tree as Harry dodged. He batted away a blue ball of plasma with the flat of his blade, setting a five-foot tree on fire.

Hermione looked at him, summoned another fireball, and stopped suddenly as she and Harry felt a familiar presence coming up behind them slowly. She focused, pulling the energy back into her core; closing her fist over the ball, vanishing it, and took a deep breath as her eyes darkened to her normal shade. She reached out and the thrown dagger shot across the clearing and dropped into her hand. Hermione spun, re-sheathing her Daggers behind her back; they vanished, the sheath turning invisible as she turned. Her eyebrow crooked as she took in the small presence standing at the edge of the clearing. Behind her, Harry frowned slightly as he made a motion as if sheathing his sword in the back sheath where it would normally ride; it vanished into the air with a soft pop. Hermione did not look back as she felt Harry walking up behind her, and felt his slightly fast breath on her hair as he stood closely behind her.

Ginny looked up at them, as Harry glanced back and put out the still burning tree with a wave of his wand. Ginny slowly lowered the hood of her crimson Gryffindor hooded sweatshirt, and Hermione's other eyebrow rose as well. Neither of them had actually seen the youngest Weasley closely for several days, and she had changed. Her once long, red hair, was still the same color, but was now cut in a shoulder-length, shag cut. A tiny diamond stud decorated her left nostril and Ginny smiled uncomfortably, "Hi, guys."

"Umm, Ginny," Harry said vaguely, "Aren't you supposed to not be out of the castle..."

"Except in the company of a Professor or the Head Students," Ginny replied with a shrug, "I seem to be in the company of the Heads right now." She sat down on a log at the edge of the clearing and looked on.

"Ginny, what did you?" Hermione asked, running a free hand over the top of her head.

"Tonks cut it," she replied, looking up at Hermione, she flicked her gaze to Harry, then back to Hermione's, "the stud was a gift from Draco for Christmas, I had been hiding it with a spell," she added softly. "Hermione, can I talk to you...alone?" Hermione glanced back at Harry, he nodded silently and slowly, kissed her on the cheek and left, walking slowly up towards the castle.

Hermione looked down at the dead grass in the clearing, muttered a Warming Charm to stave off the rapidly encroaching chill as she cooled down from her workout and waved towards the trail, "Let's walk," she said softly. Ginny nodded and stood, automatically checking her wand as she rose to her feet. She fell in step with the taller witch, Hermione looked over at her, "I like your hair, Ginny," Hermione said for lack of something better to say.

"Thanks," Ginny replied, similarly at a sudden loss for words.

"I'm not sorry that I tried to get Harry," Ginny said suddenly as they passed around the point where Dementors once held reign, Hermione ran her tongue around the inside of her cheek, but held her retort and let the young girl continue. "But I never would have gone as far as I did..."

"You, bloody well fed Harry potions, Ginny," Hermione muttered, flatly, "I could have taken it, I think, if you had thrown yourself at him, and he took you up on the offer, I probably could have taken it, if you two would have shagged on the common room couch in front of me...as long as it was his choice." Hermione took a breath, closing her eyes as her emotions caused a spike of magic to try to fight itself up from her core, it was always so close to breaking free these days, "But, you fed him enough to beat down Dumbledore's resistance, and you kept doing it. At the levels you were feeding Harry before the end, it would have made most wizards-a Squib."

"I'm sorry..." Ginny whispered, but Hermione cut her off with a raised hand.

"Ginny...you aren't stupid, didn't you even research the effects before you..." Hermione froze, her mind flashing back, "You didn't make it, did you?" She paused as her mind filled in the blanks...

"I did actually...at least after the first time, fourth year." Ginny whispered, "the first time, when it didn't work, I started to make it myself-back when everyone was still running around, going berserk with the fallout from the Ministry. I snuck into Snape's office when he was gone on some assignment for Dumbledore, I don't know what I was looking for, I guess I was still looking...he had a Potions Text out on his desk, open to the potion. Had a whole bunch of notes in the margins about modifications to the potion. I don't know why, but I copied it down and ran before he got back."

Hermione sighed, "Where in the hell did you get the ingredients? Half of that potion is directly from the Restricted Items list."

Ginny shrugged, "Gred and Forge, who else, though they didn't know of course. They have enough Restricted ingredients laying around in the secret compartments of the shop that I was able to skim off enough...the powdered Unicorn hoof and Boomslang skin go a long way..."

Hermione shook her head and stopped, she held both hands in front of her face, "And what about me, Gin?" she almost whispered.

Ginny looked down at her hands, not daring to meet Hermione's eyes. "I guess it was that summer, I had already decided to try to get Harry...I had even started to feed him a bit of the Potion, but it wasn't affecting him, not really, not as long as you were there. I saw that I'd never be as important to him as you, no matter what I did, unless you were out of the way." She frowned slightly, "I was in Borgin and Burkes with Fred, the Twins were looking for something, I saw the amulet in the case, they had a little sign saying what it was. I slipped away, tossed on an old cloak to disguise myself and bought it." She took a breath, "I didn't even know what I was doing until I had bought it. I wasn't going to use it, I put it away in my trunk, but when we got to school, and Harry still was at your side all the time..." she trailed off.

"It all fell apart after my birthday," Hermione said into the sudden silence, "you wouldn't have known, but I was scared...I had pulled away from Harry a bit, due to...certain revelations...but yeah that's when it went downhill."

"I kept feeding him more and more, until he finally recognized me, and then, everything was perfect..."

"Was it really?" Hermione replied with very little discernable emotion.

"No," Ginny admitted, "no...when he dumped me at Dumbledore's funeral, I was in shock, I couldn't believe it. But I still thought I had a chance, I could get Dobby to up the dose and I'd see Harry again at the Wedding, and probably at the Burrow. And that you were still with my brother...we could still be that big family that Mum talked about all those years." Hermione watched her as Ginny frowned, rubbing the side of her nose, "But then he wouldn't even talk to me at the wedding, hung out with you, almost clinging to you. And then all three of you just vanished. Next time I saw or heard about you, was right after the Burrow had been attacked and it was like you two were married or something, you had stolen what was mine from me."

"It wasn't like that," Hermione, snapped, suddenly furious, she rounded on the smaller girl, who flinched as a sudden presence filled the space under the trees. The sun had finally risen above the mountains, casting a soft glow under the evergreens. "We were already fighting it off, Ginny, you still don't have any fucking clue, how powerful Harry is. We had been with each other for everything since we were eleven, Ginny, every class, every stupid Quidditch Game, every time we laughed, and every time another of our friends and family died in this fucking war that Tom started. You don't know a damn thing about him, Ginny, and in the end that's what broke your spell, more than anything. Sure I flushed the potion from his system, freeing up his magic, but his heart had already gotten free."

Hermione shook her head once more, "Go back to the castle, Ginny, before you are caught." She vanished silently, leaving only empty air behind where she had stood.

*********************Transfiguration #1, Hogwarts***************************

12:55 pm

The hall outside of Transfiguration One was filled with students milling about, waiting for their nearly tardy Professor to arrive and unlock it. Tonks had last been seen in the company of Remus, for lunch. As a consequence, Harry was expecting her to come along with about fifteen seconds to spare, trip over something, perhaps an errant Kneazle hair, and shatter the door as she tumbled into it. Harry looked down at Hermione, who was reading through her text, looking adorable, at least to him, as her lips moved silently, practicing incantations. Not that she really needed the incantation for real, but it helped for class points.

Harry slid down the wall to sit next to her on the floor against the wall, and took her free hand with his. She squeezed it, but kept on reading. No one else noticed that the pages of her book moved of their own accord, without her using her hands or a wand. Her eyes cut up to him, then around the hall, at Ron talking to Seamus and Dean about something rather unsuitable, from the occasional laugh and shouted word at the rest of the class crowded around the area.

Hermione watched, amused, as Lavender and Parvati were talking together softly, standing close in one of the small alcoves that lined the walls of the school, that were either placed there by the founders for young couples making out or defending the castle, foot by foot. They worked rather well for both, Hermione knew from personal experience. Harry's eyes followed hers, not that they really needed to, as Parvati's hands reached up to tangle in Lavender's blonde locks. The girls leaned in; lips meeting, and Hermione cut her eyes over to Harry to see his laughing ones looking back at her. He shrugged slightly as she giggled in her thoughts, and leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder, before pulling her wrist up to her line of sight to check the time. Where is Neville?

I think he's got the Flu. He's up in the dorm, moaning according to Ron...and since both girls are here... Harry replied smugly, Hermione reached over and slapped his arm lightly, before wrinkling her nose at him. Oh, like you weren't thinking it? She just shrugged and dropped her gaze back to her book.

Across the hall, Seamus, Ron and Dean shared an amused glance at the two girls, before turning back to their conversations, with a slight effort. The newness of the girls making out with each other, or one or both of them with Neville, had long since past and Quidditch was much more important in the grand scheme of things. At least to them. None of them noticed the soft murmuring of a couple of girls in Ravenclaw uniforms. Both of the girls were only vaguely familiar, having started at Hogwarts only this term, both being refugees from Beauxbatons. They watched as Parvati pushed against her lover more forcefully, her leg sliding between Lavender's. Hermione heard a stumbling run coming up the hall, and coughed, loudly. The girls broke apart, only holding hands as Tonks finally arrived looking flushed and out of breath.

"Sorry...got caught up in, something," she announced a touch too brightly, as she flicked her wand at the door to the classroom, unlocking it and letting them in. The class filed in, took their seats and waited as Tonks fumbled with her notes at the Professor's desk for several moments, before finding what she was looking for. She looked up, and flicked her wand behind her. The board filled in with notes, "Today, we are continuing with elemental transmutation." She looked around, "Miss Granger?"

"Yes, Professor," Hermione replied, and a soft groan murmured out among the class. She did not glance over to watch Harry watching her, he always did, and she carefully did not jump as he patted her thigh, rather high on her leg, I'll get you later, "Are we looking at the Atlantian theories, or the later Flamel revisions?"

Behind her, Ron mouthed, "Flamel revisions," he cut his glance to Harry, and mouthed, "whipped." Harry gave him a subtle, rude gesture.

Tonks ignored the byplay, as she nodded and paced to her desk. "Both, actually," she said and flicked her wand at the board. A rather good drawing of a Kneazle appeared, fluffing its whiskers. "But first I want to look at the difficulties in Elemental Transmutation. As you know, the amount of magic needed to change a pure element into another, such as the infamous lead to gold transformation, is immense. For non-pure substances, or items, it's almost trivial, the rearrangement of atoms and such into other forms. It is for this reason that the few wizards or witches who attempt it, often use a Familiar to help store and channel excess magic. It is almost a lost art, really, in that few even try to attempt that deep a bonding with their Familiars, if they even have one." She looked around the room and crooked an eyebrow as she saw Crookshanks looking up at her from under Harry and Hermione's table at the front. A brief shadow crossed the room from the windows overlooking the ground as a large bird soared past. Tonks was pretty sure that neither of their Familiars had been here when the class started.

Tonks swallowed heavily; as Hermione glanced down to see Crookshanks looking up at her. The Head Girl seemed to be talking to him, as he gave an almost nod, and leapt up into her lap under the table. Hermione glanced up at Tonks, as Crookshanks reached a paw over to get Harry to pet him, "Professor, can they be used in other magics than Transfiguration? Say to recharge your reserves, if you were particularly drained?"

"Theoretically, yes," Tonks replied as a brief wave of...discomfort ran through her at the thoughtful expressions on the faces of her two top students. For a brief instant, she understood the fear that certain wizards and witches, ones like Fudge and Umbridge and others, had felt in the presence of Dumbledore. She understood, not agreed with, but understood nonetheless, the reasoning that had led certain members of Scrimgeour's administration to call for the detaining of Harry, for his own good. She glanced around the room, looking at the students, and knew that she was lucky that the Heads had found each other; otherwise, Tom would be the least of their worries. She shook off the dark thought, "Though, as I said before, the Familiar bonding has to be extreme, which is not readily done by magic alone, time and compatibility make a difference."

"As to the original topic," Tonks went on hurriedly, she flicked her wand and several small heavy ingots of iron appeared, "Miss Brown, Miss Patil, if you could hand these out." She watched as Lavender and Parvati picked up the eraser-sized ingots and handed them out, one to a table. "We are going to try to convert these to silver...it is much easier than, say to gold. The incantation, is Transmuatio Ferrum Argentium, where the first element name is what you are coming from, and the second what you are going to. Also, instead of merely casting a spell and letting go, this one you have to hold until the Transfiguration is complete, otherwise the element reverts totally to its former state and cannot be changed again."

Tonks looked around the room at the class, "So does anyone want to try? I'm not going to assign extra work if you can't get this one. Flamel had to develop the Philosopher's Stone, to get this to work, though reports did say he could convert an ingot or two without it."

Hermione glanced at Harry out of the corner of her eye, he gave her a tiny nod, and she raised her hand, Tonks just nodded and waved at her. Hermione flicked her wand at it, and a shimmering silver beam fanned out from the end of her wand. Slowly the small ingot started to turn silver, then just as it almost completely turned, her beam began to sputter and die. It faded away, and the ingot rapidly faded to the dull, reddish-brown it had been to begin with. The class, even the Slytherins in the back let out an audible sigh. Tonks just nodded, her smile perking up for some reason, "That was an excellent try, Miss Granger, five points to Gryffindor." Hermione nodded mutely, looking disappointed, as her gaze fell to her notes.

I could have changed it, Harry, she whispered silently, petting the cat on her lap. I just didn't like how Tonks was looking at us.

I know, Mione, he thought reassuringly, patting the top of her thigh under the table. The image of a wan smile passed his thoughts, You did the right thing.

Hermione looked up, pretending to pay attention as Tonks continued her lecture, I'm getting tired of holding back, Harry. I've seen the looks that even Ron gives occasionally, they don't mean to, but they still do.

Harry licked his lips; scratching something on his parchment, I know, Love, I know.

I know you do, Baby...but its just another damn thing that we have to hide...I'm tired of it. I'm tired of hiding my abilities; I'm tired of giving the pretence that I'm not smarter than the Professors...

Um, you already failed at that one, Love...and we've not been too good at the first...

I know, she sighed, and I'm damn tired of hiding... she ran her thumb over her left ring finger, and he gave the impression of a nod. But think about it, there are what twenty-five, thirty students in this class...how long would it take, Harry, really?

He sighed silently; It wouldn't be easy, especially not with Tonks, Ron and the so much of the DA here...several minutes to disable them...less if... He trailed off as Tonks walked back around to the front of the classroom from where she had been watching a few other students try and not even get close to Hermione's attempt. It scares me sometimes, he said unnecessarily. She nodded, writing something down on her parchment, totally unrelated to the class, just to have something to write. They could take us if they came at us all at once, of course. Especially with no room to move in here.

Merlin, we are morbid, planning to take on our best friends and family, Hermione giggled softly in her thoughts. Harry gave her a quick, covert grin, and they sat silently for the remainder of class, tuned out to the remainder of the room except them.

**************************Library********************************

8:25 pm

Hermione had, in a rare gesture of sharing, at least for this, had a large group ensconced in her corner, reviewing for a Charms exam in the morning. Of course a few of them, such as Luna, and a few other sixth years and Romilda Vane, who Hermione, frankly loathed because of her near poisoning of Ron, were there to hang out with them studying.

Or at least they were studying in the vague sense that they majority of them had their books out and open on the large table that Hermione was quite capable of filling herself with a night's reading. Seamus and Padma were leaning closely, talking softly, and occasionally sharing a kiss or soft gesture. Luna was, as usual, perched on Ron's lap, with Luna doing far more studying than Ron was ever going to manage. Across the table, Parvati and Lavender were still going at it, causing Harry to start to suspect a potion was involved. Not that the girls didn't care for each other a great deal. After his varied experiences he was hesitant to use the word, love, in the context of just any one. He knew with utter, soul deep conviction of his own feelings towards Hermione and hers to him. He was utterly convinced of Ron and Luna, and of the Weasleys and Remus and Tonks, of course. He knew that his parents had felt it, but after seventeen years of the Dursleys, incidents with crying girls, Quidditch stars, potions, amulets and plain misunderstandings he was leery of using the term in the context of others.

Parvati and Lavender were at the least, rather randy, today. He smirked at Hermione and nodded in the two girls' direction. She grinned and stood, extending her hand to him. He took it and let her lead him to the stacks, far, far in the back. Harry grinned slightly as they passed faint wards that only they or Dumbledore, had he still been here, would have detected, which Hermione had long since put up to ensure their privacy.

Hermione sighed contently as she let Harry back her into a corner. He bent slightly, nuzzling her neck and she sighed contently, happy to enjoy these few stolen moments of normalness. "Is this because of the," she sighed, "girls or?"

"Mione, you breathing gets me horny," Harry muttered against the skin of her neck. She giggled breathily, her fingers coming up to tangle in his hair. She moaned slightly as he stopped his attention, before he leaned back in, kissing her hard enough to push her back against the wall and one of her legs to come up around his waist. He pulled back a bit, and caught the flicker of disappointment fighting something else. "But you didn't drag me back here for just that, did you?" Harry sighed.

"What if I did?" she whispered, crooking an eyebrow as her nails lightly scratched his scalp.

"Then, I would possibly love you more than I already do."

"Is that possible?" she teased softly, her eyes watching his.

"I'm not really sure it is," he responded simply, and was rewarded with a beatific smile. She pushed him back a half step, and led him to a large, padded window seat. Hermione waited while he folded himself into it before curling up between his legs. "You wanted to get away from them, didn't you?"

"Yeah," she replied, as she leaned her head back, to settle in the crook of his neck. "I'm tired of studying for exams, and tests and such, when they don't even really matter." Harry pretended to be shocked; she reached down and punched his thigh. "Oh, Harry, that didn't hurt."

"It did a little," he moaned and she rolled her eyes. She settled back again, and closed her eyes as she played with the ring on his finger absently. Hermione opened her eyes after a bit and gestured oddly in the air. A large volume appeared on her lap, and Harry looked over her shoulder at it. "What's that?"

"A book," she replied smugly.

"Reaallly," Harry drawled, "and what pray tell is it about?" In lieu of an explanation she tilted the cover so he could see the title, Familiar Familiars.

"Tonks got me thinking," she whispered. "When we...end it," she murmured, tightly, "we are going to have to outlast him, I don't think that, unless we get lucky, we can end it quickly. Together, we might even, possibly be stronger than him, especially with so much of his soul lost to him. But he's got years of experience on us Harry; he can use that to counter. We need to drain him, without draining ourselves too far, at least until the end."

"We'll already have killed Nagini..."

"Yeah, if we haven't, it all will be for nothing," she agreed, "We need to practice using Crooks and Hedwig, to draw on." She frowned slightly.

"Great¸ someone else that I'll have to risk," Harry groaned. Hermione looked up and back at him, her eyes tired.

"I don't like it more than you, Harry, but...they're bonded Familiars, Harry, they get the extended lifespans to match their partners...but they die or go insane along with us too. It's the way it works-"

"Hagrid never said anything when he gave her to me," Harry said softly, painfully. Hermione reached down and squeezed his hand supportively.

"You think that I knew that it would come down to this, when I bought Crooks, Harry?" Hermione moaned. As if called, and perhaps he was, Crookshanks appeared at the end of the aisle, and ran to them. He jumped up to the window seat, and jumped on Hermione's lap. The half-Kneazle cocked his head slightly before he rose on his back legs and reached a tufted paw, with carefully retracted claws, up to pat her face. He turned his head to look at Harry over Hermione's shoulder and purred, dropping down on all fours and pushing back against his Mistress. Hermione smiled as he fell on his back and held all four paws straight up, begging for his belly to be rubbed. She began to tussle one handed with her cat as she slipped the book out from under him with the other hand and started to read.

A sudden ruckus sounded from back in the direction of where they had been studying. Hermione gave Harry a bare, quick glance before she vanished the book back to their quarters. Crookshanks looked...annoyed, but jumped from her lap and padded to the end of the aisle, looking back as the two humans followed him.

Harry and Hermione started to come out from behind the shelves and stopped, at a haughty voice. "That will be thirty points each from Gryffindor, you two should be ashamed of yourselves," a slightly accented voice announced. Harry's eyes flickered and the pair of them vanished, mostly, as a Disillusionment Charm took hold and they slowly stepped out from behind the stacks to take in the scene.

A medium height blonde girl in Ravenclaw colors and a taller rust-haired boy, in Hufflepuff togs, both of them seventh years, stood at one end of the opening to Hermione's hidden nook. Cynthia Clary and Jacob Ahern, both former Beauxbatons students, and both, now, Prefects at Hogwarts. Harry glanced over at Hermione as and caught her invisible eyes as she looked over to him. He could feel her exasperated sigh at the two as they began to pace around looking at the various students. Parvati and Lavender were glaring at the two prefects, while the others looked seriously...annoyed.

Cynthia looked down her nose at Luna, who was still sitting on Ron's lap, "And you, Lovegood, a Ravenclaw, I would expect it from it from a Gryffindor such as Weasley, they are always flaunting the rules." She smiled slightly, "another thirty from each of your houses." Harry saw Ron looking in his direction; probably noticing the slight distortion caused by the spell and shook his head.

Harry sighed, snapped his fingers and reappeared. "That is slightly, excessive, Cynthia," Harry said softly, moving around the table. She glanced over to see him and Hermione appearing from in the stacks. He looked to each side, at the students crowded around the table, then back the two prefects. In an effort to help bring the Beauxbatons students more closely into the fabric of the school, McGonagall had brought in the Prefects from the school, into the same position at Hogwarts. She had not gave either head equivalent status, only prefect status, but neither Jeanette Braxton nor Robert Smythe nor the majority of the Beauxbatons transplants had made it an issue.

Not everyone had adjusted as well. "Potter, they were..."

"What?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow as he looked to each of the students. "Everyone but Parvati, Lavender, Ron and Luna, leave," he commanded softly and, almost as if they had Apparated away, the others vanished.

Clary put her hands on her hips and scowled, "They were clearly violating rules," she pointed at Parvati, "that girl was sitting in the other's lap, such behavior, and that's not even touching what Weasley was doing and he's a Prefect." Clary looked at Hermione and then back at Harry, her face clearly displaying what she thought they had been doing.

Harry sighed, and glanced to Hermione. She shrugged before her face hardened slightly, "I realize that you are still new to this position, but you cannot take points from Ron, as he is a prefect." Clary grimaced and Ahern started to move backwards, but froze at a look from Harry. Hermione looked at each of the offenders, her face carefully blank, "Additionally, thirty points is quite excessive for snogging, as I seriously doubt that they were that far over the line, were you?" Her eyes were flint-like as she looked at each of the "miscreants" in turn.

Harry nodded, "Let's make it five points from each of the girls, and Ron, you get a night's detention with Lupin. Any arguments?" His gaze clearly communicated that there better not be. The four of them nodded and at a small gesture from Hermione, vanished, picking up their books and leaving. Harry turned to the two transplanted prefects, "Hermione and I have been busy with other matters, but I have noticed that you have been unduly harsh in your punishments."

"Potter, I..."

"No," Hermione interrupted, raising her hand in halting gesture, "Prefects are to be fair most of all. For instance, with this group, they were isolated from the main view; it could have been considered private in fact, the same as in their common room. A warning would have sufficed. Failing that, the five points that were actually taken were more than sufficient."

"You are just saying that because they were your friends," Ahern put in annoyedly.

Harry sighed, frowned, "No, not really, that's the reality of living in a school full of teenagers, I am afraid." Hermione glanced over, carefully hiding a grin at how much he sounded like Dumbledore. Harry gave her a look, at the giggles he heard in his thoughts. "You need to be more level."

"Prefects are responsible for determining punishments for infractions," Clary huffed.

"Prefects work for the Head Students, and serve at the pleasure of same," Hermione said tiredly. "Please go decide if you can continue in the role." Her eyebrows rose slightly, "To be perfectly frank, the extra prefects that we received from the integration of the Beauxbatons students are superfluous to the needs of Hogwarts, especially since the population, even with the additional students from your former school, is much lower than normal."

Harry looked over at her, nodded, and flicked his wand at their books and bags. They vanished with a soft POP. He took her hand and led her from the Library, not looking back once at the two Prefects.

There you go, next chapter, Thai food, cravings, popcorn...and some other stuff...

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43. Dinner for Two

A/N Thanks as usual to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter.
Chapter 43: Dinner for Two.
******************************Hogsmeade********************************

March 7, 1998.
6:30 pm

Harry pulled Hermione to him, out of the way of a stampede of third and fourth years, at least those whom their parents would still let out of the supposed safety of the castle, as the younger students ran for the last carriages of the day. She smiled up at him, for a moment, before she dropped her head back to his shoulder with a sigh. It had been a good day, mostly, until a wizard in from the coast had arrived in the Three Broomsticks with a large crate of Crups, asking loudly for Hagrid. She leaned into him, closing her eyes as Harry stood, watching the students re-board the carriages.

He looked up as Cynthia Clary looked at them askance. Probably because he had his hands more or less resting on Hermione's bum, with his thumbs hooked in a pair of belt loops of her jeans and his fingertips in her hip pockets, but he couldn't seem to make himself care about the former Beauxbatons' student at the moment. He nodded over Hermione's shoulder as Neville, who was still nursing a bit of the Flu, Lavender and Parvati walked by, heading slowly up the trail towards the school, bypassing the carriage ride entirely.

Shall we? he whispered. Hermione shook her head slightly, not wanting to end this day and return to their destined labors. We have to, Mione, he reasoned, bringing one of his hands up to sweep her hair behind her ears.

I don't want to, Harry... I want to...can we stay a bit longer, please, Harry? Hermione's eyes grew slightly wider, their deep brown depths softening as she looked up at him though dark lashes.

Alright, Love, Harry returned pulling his arms from around her, and taking a minuscule step back. He took her hand and started to lead her down the street. He paused suddenly, and pulled his mirror from his pocket, "Remus." A minute passed before the image of the Lycan appeared. "We are staying out a bit longer."

"Alright, Harry, I'll grab Tonks and..."

"No, Remus," Hermione replied, pushing her head into view, "you and Tonks relax." Her gaze flicked to Harry's and back, "Honestly, Professor, we can take care of ourselves."

Lupin scowled, as behind him a pink-haired head passed through the image. He glanced back, clearly mouthing something to her. "I...suppose that will be, alright, Harry," Remus agreed reluctantly, "Be careful."

"We know the charm, Remus," Hermione muttered snarkishly. Tonks' barking laugh came from the image as Lupin visibly rolled his eyes. "Or did you mean something else?" Hermione asked sweetly.

"We'll be along presently, Remus," Harry ended the conversation before it could degrade further. Hermione stuck out her tongue at him, and let out a surprised squeak as Harry jerked her to him. Harry looked thoughtful for an instant, "We'll be in Muggle London" Harry snapped the mirror closed. "Where would you like to have dinner, Mione?"

"I know a great Thai place," Hermione grinned as she tossed her arms around him. Eyes flickered, and they vanished, with barely a breath of displaced air.

***************Head of Gryffindor House's Private Quarters, Hogwarts************

Remus finished closing his mirror, muttering under his breath as Tonks sat on the back of his crimson couch with gold trim, giggling. "It has to be something in the genes," he mused as she pocketed his mirror and turned to her.

"What, Luv?" Tonks said softly, pushing off from her perch to cross the room. She leaned up, kissed him and turned towards the small kitchenette present in every staff member's private quarters for when they did not want to deal with the students. "What do you want for dinner? I think we have some chicken...how about chicken fettuccine?" She took his silence as a yes, flicked her wand at the cabinets, and stove. Water shot from the sink, filling a pot, which almost immediately started to boil. Noodles floated out of a glass container to neatly plant themselves in the pot as she took a bottle of premade sauce from the cabinet, poured it in a smaller pot and started to cook it. Leftover chicken, floated out of a coldbox to land on a cutting board where a knife appeared from a drawer to start to cut it into bite-sized chunks. "What was in the genes, Remus?" she asked picking up the thread again.

"Oh...Hermione, she's more like," he paused a breath, "Lily, than I'd of believed. She was a smartarse too when she wanted to be. I'm beginning to think that the attraction is inherent in the Potter line."

"Did she get it naturally," Tonks smirked as she set a pair of plates on the small butcher's block table. She grabbed a bottle of wine from a rack next to the stove, and opened it. "Or did you and the others...influence her?"

Remus laughed at some random memory. He then walked forward and poured himself a half glass, before filling Tonks', "Both, you should have seen her getting back at Sirius, after he somehow jinxed all her bras to flash bright orange, you could see it right through the uniforms. Her revenge was... classic." Tonks smiled as she flicked her wand at the saucepan, the chicken floated up off the cutting board and dropped into the pan before a wooden spoon began to stir the sauce. Remus picked up the glasses and walked to the couch, dropping onto it, and stretching out, throwing his legs up on an ottoman.

"That'll be a bit, Luv," Tonks replied as she walked back over to the couch, and dropped next to him, leaning on his shoulder as she took a sip of her drink. She leaned forward, setting it on the floor at her feet before she drew her feet up under her. "What do you think they are up to?"

"I'm practically Harry's Godfather..." Remus replied with a small shudder, as Tonks giggled, "I don't want to even think about it." Tonks shook her head and leaned in, rolling on top of him slightly as she leaned in to kiss him. Remus growled lowly in his throat as Tonks settled herself more fully on his lap, and began to play with the ties of his robe. Nimble fingers began to quickly unlace as he grinned up at her, and kissed her nose, "Dinner will burn," he observed lightly, as his fingers began to play with a bare stripe of skin at the small of her back, idly tracing a small tattoo of a rampant lion he knew quite well was there.

"Bugger dinner," Tonks whispered throatily, "I'm a witch; I'll fix it later."

"Fine with me..." Remus murmured, then groaned as a soft knock sounded at the door. He dropped his head to Tonks' for an instant before she shrugged and rose from his lap, pulling down her bright pink Muggle t-shirt with the legend, "Boys are nice, every girl should own one."

Lupin went to the door; already knowing it was most likely a staff member or possibly a member of his own house, as they would be the ones most likely to need him for something. He glanced back at Tonks, who shook her head, vanishing any ruffling of her hair, she motioned towards his robe, he glanced down, and settled for unlacing it totally to show the neat dress shirt and tie underneath, which fortunately were still mostly unmauled.

The door opened at a wave of his wand to reveal a small, red-haired witch in Gryffindor colors. Lupin let out an involuntary sigh, then he motioned her in. Ginny smiled faintly, before she walked into the room. She glanced around, not startled at all when she noticed Tonks on the sofa, who stood, nodded to her and walked into the kitchenette to take dinner off the heat. "Can I help you, Miss Weasley?" Remus asked somewhat formally.

Ginny frowned and looked around the room again, pausing on Tonks, "May I come in, Professor?" She glanced at Tonks again, "I promise that I will only be a moment," she added with a soft undertone. He nodded and waved her in, closing the inch-thick, ancient oak door behind her.

"Would you like something to drink, Ginny?" Tonks yelled from the stove, "I think that we might have some butterbeer or maybe a soda?"

"No thank you," Ginny replied politely. She looked up at Remus who was clearly waiting for her to explain herself. He paced backwards until he reached the couch, and sat. Both Remus and Tonks waited silently for her to finally explain what she was doing gracing their, or rather his, doorstep on a Saturday evening, without evidence of some looming or ongoing catastrophe. Then again...there very well could be, it would not be the first time. Ginny settled herself across from Remus and smoothed her skirt over her knees, muttering something to herself. "I know that you know where Draco is, I want to see him," she said quickly, the words tumbling from her mouth as if they had escaped rather than deliberately spoken.

"No," Lupin replied instantly, he took a breath, "that would be...improper at this moment."

"Improper," Ginny mouthed disbelievingly, "What the bloody hell...more improper than what, Remus, than the two Head Students sleeping together every night, or a Ravenclaw in the Gryffindor dorms most nights...or maybe two unmarried Professors..."

Tonks' eyes flashed dangerously, but Lupin cut her off with a raised hand, "Or a Weasley with a Malfoy?" he finished flatly. His eyebrows rose slightly, but not his tone, "There is an old Muggle expression about stones and glass houses, Miss Weasley, I suggest that you look it up."

Ginny looked as if she were slapped. She opened her mouth several times, before she swallowed heavily and dropped her eyes, "I apologize, Professor Lupin, Professor Tonks...I..."

"Forget it," Remus replied tiredly, "it is too near the moon, and I fear that I am somewhat touchy myself." He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, "I understand that you would like to see him, Ginny, I..." he broke off and looked back at Tonks somewhat helplessly. Tonks sighed and walked back into the main room, leaning on the back of the couch next to Lupin's head as he settled back.

"Ginny," Tonks said gently, "we understand, that you two think..."

"What Tonks...I remember that you were so screwed up over Lupin last year you couldn't hardly even cast an Accio," Ginny snapped, "and you think you can lecture me, about..."

Tonks' dark eyes blazed, as she slowly straightened from her spot. She took a breath, visibly holding herself in, "Ginevra, if you really think the reason that we are keeping Draco hidden away is so you two...lovebirds," she spat the word, "can't get together and shag like rutting bunnies, you are a juvenile as your actions this year have thus far portrayed."

Ginny froze, opened her mouth to shout a retort and then thought better of it, "I'm sorry."

Tonks looked to Lupin. He frowned but waved towards Ginny, giving Tonks the floor as he stood and stalked to the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Tonks looked after him for a long minute, "Ginny," she said softly, "if you continue to twist a Lion's whiskers, one of them is going to eventually bite you. Remus is still coming down from the latest moon, the Wolfsbane that Slughorn makes isn't nearly as potent as Snape used to make. For all his evil faults, he was a good Potions Master. He won't hurt me, probably wouldn't even if it was a full moon without the potion, all that'll happen to me tonight is probably a slightly rougher shag than usual," she admitted frankly. "But you pushed him to the limits there, he's a touch defensive of me."

"I'm sorry, I..."

Tonks came around the couch and picked up her wineglass. She took a long drink, empting half the glass. "Ginny, you have to understand that your," she took a breath, "boyfriend is a sensitive issue...Harry, Hermione and your brother spent the last seven years in almost open warfare with him, culminating with him being instrumental in the plot to kill Dumbledore. There were so many people at fault in that incident that had some degree of blame, it's criminal, but he was the one who led the Death Eaters in. That is a fact, as is the fact that both of his parents are, or rather were, known and acknowledged Death Eaters."

Ginny was silently fuming as Tonks continued, "Harry, whether we admit or not, has inherited this war, it's his to win or loose. He's agreed to agree that Draco truly couldn't continue on the path that Voldemort had ordered him on. That he could not murder Albus in cold blood, because of that, and because frankly he thinks that you may just be able to keep Draco on this side of the light, if only barely, he's spared him. But, at the same time, Ginny, we can not afford to let him return to Hogwarts, for his safety and our own. And those are just the strategic reasons. Like it or not, since your father has become Minister of Magic, there are political ones as well. We are barely holding our own, and that's with the remnants of the Order and the Ministry working together more closely than they have ever." Tonks shook her head, ruefully, "Just what do you think will happen when some little first year blabs about seeing you and Draco together to his parents in a letter? Can you imagine the scandal? The Minister's daughter and the son of Death Eaters and a one-time Death Eater himself, it would be front page on the Prophet that minute, even if they had to run a special edition."

"It shouldn't matter," Ginny replied bitterly, "I didn't ask for my Dad to be Minister, Draco didn't ask for his parents to be Death Eaters." She grimaced slightly, "And what we are is no business of anyone else."

"Romeo and Juliet...you ain't, girl," Tonks replied with a faint edge of amusement under her words. She shrugged and looked around the room, then back towards the closed bedroom door, before she looked back to Ginny. Tonks finished her glass of wine before she went on, "It doesn't matter that its no one's business girl, it goes with the territory. Harry and Hermione are on the society pages of the Prophet every time they go to Hogsmeade, and most weeks, every time they walk down the halls here, after all since last time I looked he is still Baron Black and Potter." She shrugged, "Your brother seems to be just as bad, don't tell anyone, but I heard from a classmate that he's going to make Witch Weekly's Under Twenty One list this month. And while I freely admit he's a fine piece of kibble, even with Remus in the next room, most of that is because he's the Minister's son."

Ginny's expression was suddenly a contrast between amazement and a touch of disgust, "Eww..." she said finally, "that's just, wrong."

"Still, it's nothing compared to what would happen, if anything connecting you two ever came to light," Tonks said reasonably. "When this is over, then it won't matter so much." Ginny's eyes narrowed, and Tonks shrugged, and stood. Ginny followed, her expression not relaxing, Tonks sighed, "I'll see what I can do, Ginny, but stop pushing everyone's buttons. It will take time."

**********************London, near Trafalgar Square************************

8: 45 pm

Harry took a bite of his Panang Curry and leaned back, placing his chopsticks next to his plate as he picked up his beer and took a sip. He settled back into the red leather of the booth in the dim restaurant and closed his eyes for an instant as Hermione settled in next to him, her Pad Thai noodles about half eaten. Harry glanced up at the few other patrons in the restaurant, and then back down at her. She grinned up at him, and picked up a chopstick and twirled it in her fingers; "Never thought playing with a stick all day would be so useful."

"Yeah," Harry laughed slightly, and pulled her more tightly into his shoulder. He looked around, past the faint shimmer, to his eyes anyway, that demarked his anti-Eavesdropping ward. Not that they needed it particularly, being in the middle of Muggle London, but habits were hard to break. Harry kissed the top of her head, and sighed, "This is nice. Merlin knows that if we were in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, there'd be a Prophet reporter around here somewhere."

She nodded, and burrowed her head back further, "It's nice, Harry," she agreed. Glancing around, she verified no one was looking at her, and flicked her fingers over the table. A small, leather notebook faded into existence. She flipped it open, and started to run her fingers down the text, a mixture of Latin and Celtic, that very few would understand. "I have the final potion with me, Harry," she mentioned out of the blue after a moment, knowing that he would know what she was talking about. She looked down at the small book: then back up at him with a slight smirk, "Do you know what you are yet?"

"Yes, do you?"

"Yeah, but it's a surprise," Hermione laughed quietly. She giggled as he mussed up her hair, before trying to smooth it out. As the humidity was rather high for March...he did not actually accomplish much. She smiled up at him anyway, before she reached forward to grab her drink from next to her plate. She took a sip, tipping back her beer before setting it back down and closing her eyes for an instant. "I think that Mum mentioned they ate here the night I was conceived," she mentioned, wrinkling her nose up at him.

"I'm so glad you...know that, Hermione."

"I know everything, Harry," Hermione replied smugly, she turned and leaned up enough to kiss him gently before she looked at her food and pushed it away. "You done, Harry?"

"Yeah," he replied, and stood to let her out of the booth. Harry tossed a twenty pound note on the table, and watched as Hermione shrugged on a black leather jacket, that just so happened to be able to able to deflect minor spellfire. She took his hand as they headed out onto the foggy streets of London, on a rather unseasonably warm night. Without a word, they headed up Charing Cross Road in the direction of the Leaky Caldron and the entrance to Diagon Alley. Harry pulled them to a stop a half block later, as they arrived in Trafalgar Square itself, scattering pigeons as they walked towards the tall column at the center surrounded by four guardian lions.

Harry sighed as he looked up at the monument to Nelson and frowned, his head cocked slightly as he led Hermione towards the column. Mione?

Yeah?

Did that Lion just...wink at me? Harry asked as he stopped and stared at the large lion statue in front of them. A half dozen pigeons cooed as they landed on its head. Hermione laughed softly and pulled on his hand, leading him on.

Probably, that was one of the guardian Lions of Britain, they were relocated here from Astonberry, when the column was built...but you were sleeping in that class, weren't you? Hermione replied teasingly. She glanced down at the glowing hands of her watch, Should we be getting back?

We should be, yeah, he agreed, but there's something I want to show you first. Hermione cocked her head as Harry pulled her into the shadows of one of the statures on the periphery of the square. He looked around, checking that no one was in view, by magical or mundane means. Hold on, Harry whispered as he pulled her in tight and dropped his lips to her forehead.

An instant later, they were gone.

***********************Godric's Hollow, Wales*****************************

A shimmering light show greeted them as they reappeared after a half dozen blind Apparations, fading away as the disturbance of their passage through thousand-year-old wards settled. Hermione gasped slightly as she looked around at a shining silvery sea below her that was catching the light of a three-quarter moon. A soft breeze blew her hair across her face as she turned to look at Harry. Where are we, Harry?

Welcome to Potter's Keep, Love, Harry whispered as he turned her around, wrapping his arms around her from behind. Out on the ocean beyond, the lights of a large Muggle ship passed, reflecting off the water, and the sound of waves crashing against a shore filled the air around them. Hermione turned enough to give him a look; he shrugged and waved out over the area. Out to the west, we have the ocean of course, to the east and the south, there is mostly uninterrupted forest, and to the north, if you follow the hollow, you'll find our house, and the village beyond.

We're just south of Mum and Dad? Hermione asked excitedly, he nodded. Can we visit? I just want to say hello, Harry, it won't be a moment, I promise, she asked quickly, her thoughts spilling over on top of each other. Harry just nodded and took her hand. They vanished silently as they slipped through the sidereal universe under a sea of stars, to reappear almost ten kilometers north of where they had been standing on the tallest of several towers.

Hermione opened her eyes to find herself in the vestibule of the Godric's Hollow house...her house. She giggled softly as she heard the sounds of her parents in the living room. From the soft laugh track, and the rapidly changing colors she could see coming from around the corner into the living room, it seemed as of they were watching a movie. Hermione turned to Harry her finger on her lips. She winked, leaned forward and kissed him silently on the lips. Her eyes flickered, and she faded from view, vanishing totally in the dimness.

Harry felt her lips leave his as he followed her presence as she slowly crept towards the living room. A thought, and he faded away as well, walking after her on ghostly feet as she entered the living room. A flare of light from the television lit the otherwise dark room for an instant and Harry felt his heart in his throat as he took in the scene on the couch.

A raucous laugh came from the television and Jane leaned back into the arms of her husband. Roger had his arms wrapped protectively around her belly. He let go with his right and reached over to pull a large handful of popcorn from a bowl set on a table between the couch and an empty, large, comfortable leather armchair, which Hermione had already claimed as her own as a perfect place to curl up with a large tome or two. "This is nice, Roger..." Jane commented as she took several kernels from the handful in his hand, "but I wonder what the kids are up to?" the light tone of her question not hiding the trace of fear and longing that it was meant to. Invisibly, Harry swallowed heavily. Next to Roger, several kernels floated up out of the bowl and vanished one by one, as they hovered over the empty chair.

Roger froze suddenly as the soft crunch of munching popcorn came from his right. Slowly, almost imperceptivity, he crept his hand under a large, open book, laying spine up on the table. He stiffened, as he found nothing. "Honestly, Daddy," an invisible soprano chuckled, as several more popcorn kernels vanished into mid-air, "you might want to check the drawer." Hermione faded back into view, munching a handful of popcorn. Jane shouted as Hermione made it vanish into midair and fell forward out of her chair, to fall to her knees in front of her mother. "Hi, Mum," Hermione whispered as Jane pulled her to her.

Jane let her go, kissing her forehead, and looked around the room, "Come on out, Harry," she said knowingly. She looked up as Harry strode from the entryway to the room, fading fully into view in three strides.

He knelt next to Jane, "Hi, Mum," he muttered and kissed her cheek. Harry shared a grin with Roger as the two women glanced to each other, seemingly sharing a conversation in a glance.

"Are you two staying?" Roger asked as he watched Hermione replace the hidden sidearm back under the book with a flick of her fingers. He looked back to Harry to find a small frown on his son-in-law's face. Harry shrugged slightly and sat on the edge of the chair that Hermione had vacated.

"Unfortunately not, Roger," Harry replied. Hermione looked back at him, with a slight longing look in her eyes as her hands rested gently on Jane's belly. She bit her lip as she turned back to Jane and Harry went on, "We need to be getting back...but since we were in the area..."

"Oh, where were you?" Jane inquired. Hermione opened her mouth; then froze as she felt movement under her hands. She squeaked loudly, and looked to Jane wide-eyed with wonder. Jane grinned, "You did the same thing, honey, always perking up when someone was talking." Hermione sat back on her feet, and placed her hand back. Anastasia decided to kick again, and Hermione laughed softly.

"We were in London, Mum," Hermione replied absently, "we were at Sumalee's, for dinner."

"You were in the neighborhood, in London?" Jane sputtered disbelievingly. She shared a look with Roger, who shrugged.

"Yeah, pretty much," Harry replied easily, not noticing the vague expressions of disbelief, "It's not like we were in Egypt or anything, Wales's an easy hop from London." Jane and Roger shared an eye roll as Hermione looked with wondrous eyes at her Mum. Hermione stood from her crouch, walked around the low coffee table and pushed on Harry to get him to scoot all the way back in the large chair before she curled up on his lap, facing her parents.

"What were you watching?" Hermione asked as she looked to the paused screen.

Jane shrugged, "Some film that Remus dropped by with the mail, said Tonks liked it, Austin Powers or something like that, pretty funny." Hermione glanced back at Harry, he grinned and mouthed something to her. She punched his leg in response, smirking.

"Something you would like to share, Dear?" Jane asked dryly.

"Um, no, not really," Hermione said faintly, lowering her eyes from her mother's and biting her lip. "Mind if we stay for the rest of it?" she asked after a moment, looking back up.

"Love for you to," Roger said, and restarted the movie. Hermione smiled and settled back, tucking her head under Harry's. For the remainder of the movie, almost an hour, Roger and Jane spent the time not watching the loud comedy in front of them, but the silent drama to their right. They watched as the pair laughed at the appropriate times, even though it was forced a touch, and joked with each other with only a gesture or an occasional look.

After the movie had almost run its course, Jane glanced over to find that the pair had drifted off. Hermione had turned, burying her face in Harry's shoulder. Harry's head was resting on top of hers, his glasses half off. Jane stood quietly, freezing in place after just one step as both teens stirred, even though she hadn't made a sound. They settled back down, as they recognized her, and Jane took a dark blue and tan afghan from the back of the couch and laid it over them. She slipped Harry's glasses off and placed them on the table before kissing the top of Hermione's head, then Harry's cheek. She motioned to Roger, then up the stairs. He nodded, and stood, pausing to kiss her briefly as he headed up the stairs, keeping to the edge of the treads to keep from making a sound.

Jane watched him go, and stepped to the small table between the occupied chair and the couch, eased it open and picked up a small, round folding mirror. She padded to the kitchen, and flipped it open, "Remus."

She waited, watching herself in the mirror, until with a swirl of color; a small image of the Hogwarts Professor replaced her. "Jane," he said quickly, "is something wrong, do you need Poppy there?" In the image, he looked back over his shoulder, and Jane saw Tonks come into the view behind him.

"No, Remus," she said lowly, "Roger and I are perfectly alright," she shrugged, "just wanted you to know that the kids are here."

"What in the hell are they doing there," he muttered, "last I heard, they were in London."

Jane laughed quietly, "I don't know, Remus, they said that they ate dinner and stopped by because they were in the neighborhood." She watched as he shook his head ruefully, dropping his eyes for an instant, she could see his shoulders shake for an instant before he glanced back up. "They fell asleep, watching the movie you dropped by, tell Tonks she was right by the way, it is funny. I am not going to disturb them for anything...they look so peaceful right now."

"I understand," Lupin replied, his eyes showing that he understood everything she had not said. "Thank you for letting me know, Jane," he smiled, "I'm sure they'll be along when they wake up. If that's it then, I'm going to sign off, I need to get some rest, myself." Jane nodded and with a twirling of colors in the small mirror his image dissolved to be replaced once again by hers. She slowly closed the mirror with one hand before dropping it into a pocket and heading back into the living room, towards the stairs and bed herself.

********************South Manchester*************************

Screams rang off the walls of a small, white house set in the suburbs surrounding the Muggle industrial city. A black haired witch in loose, flowing black robes flicked her wand, canceling a thin yellow beam. A small, brown-haired man collapsed to his knees, panting as his arms and legs trembled uncontrollably. Bellatrix paced forward, kicking him hard in the ribs, flipping him over to his back with a grunt.

Barrett Springwood, one of the few surviving members of the Order of the Phoenix, looked up at her, eyes wide, and spat out a mouthful of blood at her. Bellatrix giggled evilly, as she twirled her wand. A thin, purple beam sliced out, leaving a thin trail of blood in its wake down his chest and right leg, narrowly missing his groin. "Did you ever think that your life would end in a small, Muggle house, Barrett?" she asked conversationally. She flicked her wand and he rose into the air, hanging in front of her, just above standing height, spread-eagled. A pair of masked Death Eaters leaned against the wall behind him, one of them, with a cigarette dangling from his lips below his half-mask.

The pungent scent of the burning herb mixed with the blood and vomit smell of the room, a mostly empty hardwood living room filled only with an overturned, understuffed couch and a broken table. The remains of a shattered oil lamp and several books lay on the floor beyond, upset no doubt, when the table was destroyed. Bella stepped to Springwood, and reached out, lightly running her fingers across his cheek, down his torso, and pausing just an instant south of his hip, "Shame," she mused softly. "All you have to do, is tell me the location of the Mudblood's parents, Barrett," she said lovingly, "It will all end then. You were one of their guards; surely their fate has been shared with you."

"I don't know, you bitch," he spat, blood dripping down his face from a broken nose, "They vanished after you lot attacked this summer," he paused and laughed, darkly, "Oh, that's right all of you that attacked this summer are dead now, shame that."

"SILENCIO, CRUCIO," Bellatrix screamed and he convulsed again, shaking and shivering in mid-air before her.

"This is pointless, Bella," McNair hissed, coming into the room, a small axe in his left hand dripped a dark fluid to the floor, "Let's go, Bannock didn't know anything useful either." Bellatrix snarled; then snapped her wand towards Springwood. A green flash filled the room, a rushing sound their ears, and he fell to the floor, dead. She pulled her robes around her tightly and paced from the room, McNair and the other two Death Eaters following.

"We should go," McNair commented as they stepped out onto the lawn, "and besides there are others that Potter cares for, that the Dark Lord has not set aside for his later pleasure, the Were or his mate, any of the Blood Traitors, perhaps we can find one of them, Mistress."

"Perhaps," Bellatrix allowed, "But I had this craving," she pouted and vanished with a CRACK.

*****************************Hogwarts, Potions***************************

March 11, 1998
8:02 am

Harry and Hermione sprinted into the Potions classroom, just as Slughorn gestured to the door with this wand. It slammed shut, barely missing catching the hem of Hermione's robes. Slughorn looked over at them, scowling, "It is appreciated that students arrive for class on time, Potter, Granger, as Head Students, you should know that. Take your seats," he waved to the back of the class where a small table sat empty and waiting. Properly chastised, the pair slipped to their seats, and sat down.

That was close, Hermione chuckled as she pulled her Advanced Potion Making, text from her bag and placed it on the table. She took a quill from her bag, and dipped it in an inkwell that Harry had set between them and poised it above a sheet of empty parchment and waited.

Harry glanced over at her out of the corner of his eye; You were the one who said it would be faster to share a shower. He barely kept from jumping as Hermione set her quill down, and punched his leg under the table before picking her quill back up.

Well, it would have been, she pouted silently, you were the one who wanted to play.

I didn't hear any complaints at the time, Harry grinned, reaching his free hand under the table to slowly run his fingers along the skin of her thigh.

I wasn't then...or now...in fact, why did we even come to class today?

You said we had to, Harry replied exasperatedly.

Sorry, Harry, Hermione whispered as she caught his eyes for an instant. At the front of the class, Slughorn settled behind his desk and flicked a wand at the board, as words filled from the top down, he looked to the class.

"Today, we will be working on the Memonus Temptus Potion," Slughorn said a touch pompously, looking around the room at each student in turn. "Can anyone tell me what this Potion is commonly used for?" He glanced around again, "Miss Granger, if you would?"

Hermione took a breath, slowly lowering her hand, she frowned, "The Memonus Temptus Potion, is a old potion that was used in the development of the Wolfsbane Potion, it was used to generally calm patients with extreme mental trauma. It has not hardly been used in the last twenty years however, as the potion can, if made incorrectly, cause psychotic behavior, or if used on witches of child bearing age there is a fifty percent chance of inducing symptoms similar to post-partum depression, due to a sympathetic reaction with certain hormones," Hermione paused, "Professor why are we learning this potion, it really doesn't have any legitimate use?"

"We will be using it to demonstrate the reactions of Night Flower, Ashwinder Egg extract and Basilisk Venom, Miss Granger," Slughorn said haughtily, and waved at the board. "Now that that is settled, please begin, I have obtained a small amount of venom, you will come to see me when you are ready for it, and make sure that you are wearing your Dragonhide gloves when you do...We wouldn't want any accidents," he added cheerfully.

Hermione frowned at something; some buried thought, and started to copy down the instructions. She glanced up as Harry lit a small, blue flame under the pewter, size four caldron they shared. He summoned a bunch of Night Flower stems from the cabinet across the way, and began to chop them with a small, silver athume. Hermione continued to think, hard enough to start to give him a headache. What's wrong, Hermione?

This potion isn't in the text; she replied after another moment's contemplation, she glanced over at him, as she half filled the cauldron with stream of water from her wand.

I know, Hermione, but so...we do stuff that's not in it all the time, this is NEWT level; he grinned at her for a moment.

Hermione shared his grin, as she remembered, abruptly, just why they were late. She started to lean towards him, and checked herself, That was close... She gave Ron a preoccupied nod as he placed a pre-measured portion of Basilisk Venom on the desk next to her and continued on to his desk next to them.

Imagine the scandal, Harry whispered back, the Heads snogging in the back of class. He scooped the Night Flower into the cauldron with the flat of his blade and dumped in a vial of Ashwinder Egg extract from his standard kit. He stirred the mixture as it started to boil, though his eyes never wandered from Hermione's. He caught the instant widening, just as he felt the spike of adrenaline jangling down their nerves...

Harry...He froze at the edge of panic in her thoughts, as his hand got halfway to the cauldron with a small transfer paper full of the dried venom. Don't put that in there, Harry, Hermione snapped in her thoughts, it's an explosive mixture...She glanced up to Slughorn looking content at his desk. He was eating a slice of crystallized pineapple with a small smile on his face. He should know...

What then? Harry replied quickly. He urgently got Ron's attention and pointed to the venom, shook his head and pushed it away from him. Ron gave him an odd look, but set his down as well. Hermione gasped as she saw Ernie Macmillan adding his, then saw another two students do so as well.

We have to get them out of here, Harry; we have about two minutes...

Get ready to move, Harry murmured, as a sudden idea crossed his thoughts. He closed his eyes as a faint glow started to fill them. He reached out towards the protective wards in the classroom, this room devoted to handling dangerous materials on a daily basis...

The loud clamor of an invisible klaxon filled the air as a torrent of water rained down. Slughorn cursed loudly as he stood. He shook his head, as if he were waking up from a dream and looked around the room, "Everyone, out into the hall," he said and hurried out into the passage, pushing aside Hannah as he reached the door. Half of the students had already escaped into the hall before he got a word out. Harry and Hermione waited until the rest had escaped, pushed Ron out the door and tumbled after him...

An explosion ripped through the room behind them, picking them up and throwing the pair down the hall, barely missing Parvati and knocking Padma spinning aside on the way. Harry distantly felt a sharp pain in his left arm as Hermione hit the far wall a second before him. He pushed up, lifting himself over her on hands and knees, and looked down at her. He felt a tendril of panic start to wind around his nerves, as he took in her motionless form.

He took a hard breath as she stirred and started to move. She started to push herself up on her hands. Fuck, Hermione hissed, she transferred all her weight to her right arm and held herself for an instant before she felt Harry's hands on her hips helping her up. He eased her around to a seated position against the wall.

"It's shattered, isn't it, Mione?" Harry whispered, as she gently cradled her left wrist. She nodded, silently, and gulped in air. Harry reached forward; sweeping wet bangs out of her eyes. He glanced back as he felt Ron come up next to him.

"Everyone's alright, Harry," Ron reported, he looked down at Hermione as footsteps echoed down the old corridors, and soft pops announced the arrival of Hogwarts House Elves to fight the fire and repair the damage.

"What has happened here, Horace?" McGonagall's burr cut across the murmuring and sounds of activity. Remus appeared at her heels, spared Harry, Hermione and Ron a quick glance to verify they were more or less intact, before he hurried to the shattered door to the Potions classroom and hastily cast a ward on it, stopping the fire and periodic minor explosions from getting away.

"Something's wrong," Hermione whispered up urgently to Ron and Harry, she reached up with her good hand and pulled Ron closer, "Ron, cast an Revelo Incantium on Slughorn, Harry or I can't without being seen." Ron nodded quickly and stood. He gently took her good arm as Harry cradled the elbow of her injured arm. Her boys lifted her to her feet. Ron handed her totally to Harry, and with a small nod, drifted away.

"Are you two alright?" McGonagall asked, after she left Slughorn's side and walked over to her Heads. She looked at Hermione cradling her arm and leaning against Harry, "You should get that looked at Miss Granger." Hermione nodded, and leaned on Harry as he started to slowly walk her towards the infirmary.

"This is going to suck," Hermione muttered as Harry led her up the stairs towards the Hospital wing, "she's going to remove them and regrow."

"At least it wasn't your boyfriend removing them, this time," Harry teased. Hermione rolled her eyes and leaned into him, letting Harry take all her weight.

"For the last bloody time," she growled testily, "I was thirteen, Harry." She took a breath as they finished climbing to the Hospital Wing and started down the hall.

"I know, Love," Harry said seriously, they stopped at the door as he heard Ron running up behind them. Harry gave her a quick kiss, before they turned to Ron. Hermione gave Harry a quick, grateful look as she felt Harry siphon off most of the pain from her wrist.

"Imperius," Ron said softly, "but I couldn't figure out who cast it."

"Thought so," Hermione gritted as a spike of pain got past Harry. "He would have known that that combination was explosive under heat."

Harry nodded, and turned Hermione towards the Infirmary, "We'll deal with it later, for now, I need to get you fixed up." Hermione nodded as she caught his eye, not wanting to argue. Ron held the door open for them as Harry eased Hermione into the room, she didn't bother to remind him that she wasn't made of glass.

Poppy looked up from a bed at the far end of the infirmary. She was feeding a bubbling yellow potion to a first year who was currently sporting large bunny ears growing out of her hair. She finished with the small, blonde girl and hustled over, "What now, Harry?"

"It's me, Poppy," Hermione said a tad meekly. Pomfrey didn't bother to hide the roll of her eyes as she eased Hermione down to the bed nearest her office, Harry's normal bed, and flicked her wand over Hermione's wrist.

Poppy watched the glow, "Looks like you are here tonight, Hermione," she glanced at Harry, and muttered something under her breath, "Yes, you can stay, but you'll have to come back after hours...I can't let you stay, Harry." Harry gave her a thankful grin and sat on the bed next to Hermione's as Poppy eased Hermione back onto a pile of Pillows and hurried off to get the potions from her office.

*********************Hospital Wing, Hogwarts***************************
11:15 pm

"You didn't need to stay here all day, Harry," Hermione breathed as she sat motionless between Harry's splayed legs. She let her head loll forward, as he slowly ran a brush through her hair. She held her wrist in front of her, occasionally wincing as a sharp tingle ran along her nerves from her healing wrist. It was frozen in a localized Immobilus Charm, to let the removed bones regrow properly. She looked down at the Arithmancy homework that Luna had left earlier, marked something on a parchment with her good hand, and looked back at him.

"Like I would have actually done anything in class, Mione," Harry replied wryly, "you weren't there to make me pay attention. Besides, I just missed Defense lecture, I doubt we'd learned anything anyway." He set the brush down, and pulled her hair back into a loose tail before tying it off with a rubber band taken from the bed next to them. "There you go."

"Thanks, Harry," Hermione whispered as she leaned back with a sigh against him. "You're probably right, I suppose." She looked towards Poppy's unlit office, "I'm glad she agreed that you could stay here with me, I can't sleep properly by myself any longer."

Harry shrugged as he slid down on the narrow bed. He helped Hermione lie down next to him; she rolled onto her side, facing him, resting her healing arm on his belly. "She knew she couldn't stop me," he joked softly; then reached up with the arm resting under her neck to idly play with several tendrils that had escaped being captured in the tail he had put her hair up in. "I can't sleep without you next to me, either, Hermione." He looked around the otherwise empty infirmary, "That could have been bad," he mentioned, she nodded against his shoulder as her eyes slipped closed. "McGonagall wants to treat it as an accident, unless we can figure out who did it. It was in the last two or three days, that's how long it had been since someone checked him."

Hermione nodded, and yawned, her eyes snapped open at a thought, "Are we, alright here, Harry? We don't have the wards here that we have in our rooms."

"I know, that's why I have the night shift standing watch," Harry muttered and let out a soft whistle. A ginger half-Kneazle the size of a small dog, jumped up on the foot of the bed, and a moment later a snowy owl ghosted in on silent wings. Crookshanks padded up to Hermione and rubbed against her cheek for a moment, before he jumped back to the floor and padded out to the far corner of the room, and started to snoop around under the beds. Hedwig flew out an open window a moment later; it closed behind her. "And if they skive off," he whispered humorously, "they know their treat supply is endangered.

"That'll ensure loyalty, take away Crooks' tuna," Hermione laughed. "What should we do about it? We can't drag him in, not really, it'd blow our cover..."

"Tonks already did, to question him, but he had no idea. He blanked out on the way to class, the potion instructions were changed from his notes, the original used Adder Venom; it would have been fine."

Hermione nodded, "Now I remember, that's what was bothering me, the Basilisk Venom was used in one of the initial experiments to create Wolfsbane. Several researchers were killed." She frowned, "There was an article in Potions Quarterly, right before Christmas."

"Who else would have known that combination?"

"Anyone with a modern copy of Experimental Potion Catastrophes, or a copy of the article...which could be anyone really, both of them are in the Library." Hermione settled herself more comfortably, Harry...

Yes?

Was that an assassination attempt against us, or? Hermione whispered oddly, as she glanced up to see him looking back, Just a random attack?

Harry licked suddenly dry lips; It has to be, unless it was a Goldbergian attempt against Slughorn? If that was the case, why?

I don't know, Harry...unless...Well... Harry looked at her as she gnawed on her lip. Riddle is shy a Potions Master, and they have tried to recruit him before. He does tend to try to kill anyone that won't work for him.

Tell me again why we're not questioning every Slytherin older than twelve.

We were dangerous at twelve...

To ourselves, maybe, Harry chuckled.

We can't Legilimens and Veritaserum every one of them, Harry. We just have to keep with being careful... she grinned, it gets us out of Potions for a couple of weeks while the classroom is being repaired. 'Night, Love, Hermione closed her eyes and turned her face to bury it in his shoulder.

'Night, Mione, Harry replied bending his neck enough to kiss her on the top of her head. She smiled and kissed his chest. After a moment, Harry felt her slide away into sleep, her thoughts and breathing easing into a relaxed slumber. He pulled his glasses off with his unencumbered hand, and sat them on the table next to the bed. He followed Hermione off to sleep a beat later, the stress of the day catching up to him.

Crookshanks finished with his examination of the room, sauntered over and jumped up to the foot of the bed. He walked around in a circle for several moments, before he settled down, facing the door, his large yellow eyes open and staring. He turned his head to regard Hedwig sitting on the ledge outside of the window, before returning to his vigil. Thirty seconds later, a soft POP echoed in the room.

Dobby and Crookshanks gave each other knowing looks before the elf hopped up on a bed next to Harry and Hermione and sat, watching the door.

There you go, next chapter, the Weasleys, at least some of them come to a realization abut Ginny. And Harry questions just why anyone would snog in the owlry...and yeah, there's some evil plot stuff too.

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44. A Late Realization

A/N: Another chapter..... Thanks again to Lady Starlight, who as usual, contributed her splendiferous expertise.

Chapter 44: A Late Realization
***********************Forty KM south of London*********************
March 15, 1998
2:00pm

Ron appeared on an empty country lane with a soft CRACK. He took a step sideways as Luna arrived, and looked to the left. Her hand slipped under the back of her jacket, and closed around the hilt of a sheathed wand. Both of them scanned the area, looking for trouble or a trap. It had happened before. Luna's eyes were oddly blank for a moment as she panned around the trees and shrubs. Her head tracked a small fox as it crossed the road in front of them, before she turned back to Ron. She blinked, hard, looked at him, and gave him a small, happy smile.

They started towards a medium-sized, two story brick house set at the end of the lane. Ron stopped at the edge of a white picket fence surrounding the garden, and made an odd gesture with his wand at a distinctively colored rock set at the base of the fence. The rock flashed green twice, and he nodded to Luna. She walked to the gate and opened it, closing it as Ron walked through.

Ron took her hand as they wandered down a winding path set between carefully manicured fruit trees. Amazingly, they were already in bloom, weeks early, Luna grinned as she smelled the scent of apple blossoms. She reached up and plucked one from a tree, placing it behind her ear. They crossed over a small stream on a wooden bridge, a few decorative fish splashed in the stream looking for food, as they stepped of it and continued up to the front door of the cottage. Ron pushed it open without knocking and stepped in, closing it after Luna had entered. He took her coat, and hung it on a set of pegs near the door, already mostly full with several cloaks, a couple of coats and a pair of luridly colored dragonhide jackets. "OI," Ron shouted.

"We' iz, in here," Fleur's voice answered him. Ron and Luna walked through the house, passing a sun-lit kitchen on the way, to enter a large living room. Bill, Fleur and the Twins were already present, waiting for them it seemed. Fleur stood, and hugged Ron, then Luna, before she waved them to seats across from her and Bill.

"You look good, Fleur," Ron commented as she resumed her seat next to Bill. Her hands folded protectively over her belly, as she leaned back on the couch. "We're here, Bill, I don't know what you wanted us for."

"Did you get out of Hogwarts without telling Harry or Hermione?" Bill asked softly. Fred and George frowned, their expressions ones of barely contained anger and at least a decent share of irritation.

"Yes," Ron replied warily, "but I don't understand why, if it were anyone else..." He shook his head, "There better be a good reason," Bill frowned and looked pointedly at Luna. Ron's face set, "She stays, or I go. Fleur is here, brother, she's no different. We'd probably be married right now if it wasn't for Mum." Fred and George looked to each other quickly but wisely chose not to comment.

Bill sighed and nodded, he stood and walked to the kitchen, as every eye followed him. He returned a moment later with five butterbeers and a bottle of pumpkin juice, which he handed to Fleur. She rewarded him with a faint smile, as he passed out the drinks to the rest and sat back down next to her. "We know that you were there the night that Ginny came back...what we don't know is the circumstances that led to her return."

"That was a mission for the Order, Bill...you remember secrecy, after all you lot kept us in the dark all fifth year," Ron said flatly. "She was found during the course of a mission." Bill flinched slightly, remembering the consequences of keeping the very people who were the ones primarily in this war, out of the loop.

Bill sighed and ran his fingers through his hair...he looked over at the twins, they seemed torn between laughing at him, and annoyance with Ron. They two had never heard the details of the night Ginny was recovered, though to be fair, they had never really asked, either. "That wasn't my decision, Ron."

Ron sighed and took a drink of his beer. He pushed himself to his feet and paced over to a large bay window set overlooking the woods outside. He gripped the sill tightly, not really seeing the trees. Luna came up behind him, and wrapped her arms around his stomach. She rested her nose in the center of his shoulder blades. "Tell them, Ronnie," she whispered, "at least about Ginny."

Ron nodded, and turned around. Luna let go and leaned back against him, as he shrugged, "We received information on where Snape was, and Harry, Hermione, Luna, Remus, Tonks and I went to capture...or eliminate him. Luna shuddered slightly, and stopped as Ron's hand came up to rest on her shoulder. He squeezed it, as she closed her eyes, remembering, "When we were getting ready to go in, Ginny came up, she was going to try for Snape herself, thought she'd do a touch of bounty hunting to get back in our good graces."

"But why?" Fleur asked, "Zhe would have been, welcome, zhe could have zaid here."

"I have given up on knowing what goes on in her mind since she was ten," Ron replied bitterly.

Bill looked at the other three; Fleur gave him a wan smile, and reached out to grab his hand. "Was there...anyone else with her, Ron?

Ron took a breath, and looked at Bill evenly. "Why do you ask?" he said with very little discernable emotion.

"Did she have...Draco Malfoy with her, Ron?" Bill inquired quietly. Fred and George shot to their feet, shouting.

"WHAT..."

"THAT WANKER..."

"SHUT UP," Bill snapped, and looked to Ron, "Well, Ron, was he?"

"Wha...wha...how did you?" Ron sputtered; he looked down to Luna, then back up to Bill.

Bill sighed and took a drink of his beer, "We didn't, at least not for sure, but...Fleur was working right after Christmas and an odd request came across her desk, one of the standard random checks on accounts. She was looking at an account that shouldn't have had any activity, as it was one in the name of a D. Black...it was to give a G. Weasley, access to that account."

"So?"

"Draco gave her access to his personal account, Ron," Luna explained quietly. Ron looked down at her, and his shoulders slumped. She gave him a questioning look, their eyes locked for a moment, and he nodded. "It appears," Luna said slowly, focusing herself in the here and now, "that at some point she met up with Draco after she ran from Hogwarts. We know that by the time we found her at Spinner's End, she and him were...together."

"Is that what you wanted to know, Bill?" Ron sighed, tiredly. He ran his hand through his hair as he looked at his oldest surviving brother, "Who our sister was shagging?" his voice was worn, one of one who has seen and done too much too soon. "Since you seem so curious about the affairs of your siblings, I shagged Luna last night, twice, just so you know of course."

Bill flinched again, and looked down at his hands for an instant, "I am sorry, Ron, I didn't mean it like that. It's just that...Mum will go spare..."

"Spare...Bill, she's been going spare all year," Ron objected instantly. "She believed that Harry and Hermione conspired to drive her 'precious' daughter away. She's been...hell, she's still of the opinion at least partially that Hermione 'stole' Harry away from her precious daughter, and tore apart her precious, 'big happy family'."

"It's not that, Ron," Bill objected quickly, "it's that...we needed to know...need to find out about how to break it to Mum." He looked over at Fred and George, who were even more thoughtful, now.

Ron shook his head, "It's not up to you, Bill...I know that you, hell all of us have spent years trying to watch over her...I'm not going to any longer, this is her mess, she should get out of it on her own." Ron paused, shaking his head, "You know, the one real reason, now that I think about it, that I tried occasionally to get Ginny with Harry, and was at least, not angry, when she did get with him for those few weeks last year was more for her and my benefit than his. At least he wouldn't hut her, would protect her from herself...I was thinking more for myself and her than I was for him, of course, I know that now. She made her bed, Bill, and Merlin help me, she has to lie in it."

Bill sighed heavily, but nodded in the end. He looked up as Ron and Luna started to move towards the vestibule and their coats at a small gesture from the tallest person in the room, "Can't you two stay for dinner? Fleur and I were kind of hoping to catch up."

Ron grimaced, and looked sad for a moment, then shook his head, "No, I wish I could, but we need to get back. Merlin knows what will happen if Harry and Hermione find out we're gone without explanation. I didn't even leave a note, since you wanted to keep this meeting from them for some reason. Neither of them has been too obvious about it, but Bill," he gave the eldest Weasley sibling a penetrating look, "both of them are my kin as much as you are, I know them. If I don't show up soon, those two are coming after me; they've already lost too much. And I rather like your new house, I'd hate for those two to arrive with intent." Bill and Ron shared a chuckle at that and nodded.

******************Head's Suite, Gryffindor Tower, Hogwarts*****************

3:23 pm

Soft music from an enchanted Muggle stereo whispered across the room, filling the air with music from one of Hermione's CDs. She waved her bare feet in time with the song, as she laid on her and Harry's bed on her stomach, with her head down towards the foot of the bed and her bent knees on a pillow next to Harry. A large piece of torn and stained parchment was sitting open on one corner of the huge bed, set away a bit from Hermione. Harry smiled down at her absently, as he sat with his back to the headboard, a book on traps and wards propped up on his knees. He turned a page, reading through a chapter on Shocking Wards, as his free hand absently traced nonsensical patterns on the patch of skin showing at the small of her back, between the waist of her loose jeans, and her t-shirt.

Hermione let out a soft purr, arching slightly under his attentions. Across the room, on a broad window seat overlooking the lake, Crookshanks seemed to roll his eyes before he stretched out in the sun. Hermione turned a page in her own book, one on energy manipulation magic, and wrote out a long equation in a notebook with a Muggle pen. Hermione reached back, grabbing a handful of crisps from a bowl next to Harry's knee and took a bite. "Harry?"

"Yeah, Mione?" he turned a page, glancing at her, before he took a note on a stack of parchment next to him. He paused in his idle petting, she made a soft, annoyed noise and he restarted with a silent laugh.

"Do you think it's weird that I'll have a sister, that's young enough to be my own daughter?" Hermione frowned slightly, marking her page and rolling over on her back, scooting up at the same time so that her legs were resting on the headboard. She turned her head, looking at him.

Harry shrugged, and started to trace patterns on her belly. Hermione giggled softly as he flicked her belly ring. "Not if you don't," he replied quietly, as the CD changed to Dreams by the Cranberries. "Maybe it will make it easier to get your folks to babysit," he ventured after a moment, Hermione snorted, patting at his knee.

She reached up, "Come here," she commanded softly, scooting back so she was lying fully on the bed.

"And why would I want to do that?" Harry murmured, as he slowly crawled down the bed on hands and knees, having already set aside his book and notes to the table next to the bed. He leaned over her, kissing her softly, causing her to moan quietly as they rolled onto their sides facing each other.

"Cause I want to snog my husband for the rest of the afternoon," Hermione breathed as she slowly tangled her legs with his, and began to nibble lightly on his neck. Harry pulled her lips to his, as his hands slipped under her shirt, coming up to tickle the sides of her breasts. She groaned into his lips, pushing her tongue into his for a moment, before they relaxed together. Hermione buried her head in the crook of his shoulder and absently kissed it.

"What are you thinking, Mione?" Harry whispered after a second or two. He bent his head forward, kissing her forehead.

She smirked, "That we both probably have all our homework done for the rest of the year, and that if we take a nap until dinner we can shag all night."

"I always said that you were the brains of the outfit, Hermione," he leaned in, and kissed her again, pulling away to breathe. His arm tightened around her as he summoned a pillow from the other end of the bed to slide under his head, Hermione being perfectly happy with his shoulder as she rolled over to spoon back against him. They fell silent, content to be in each other's company, Hermione pulled Harry's arm around and intertwined her fingers with his as she rested their joined hands over her heart.

They remained like that, silent save for an occasional contented sigh for a half hour, dozing without quite nodding off, when the parchment suddenly flashed red, and the image of the castle that had been drawn there in neat lines of iron gall ink zoomed to a spot on the third floor. Harry and Hermione stirred, Hermione reached out with her right hand, not letting go of Harry's left, which was still cradled in the nook of her breasts and pulled the Marauders' Map to them. She tilted it to Harry, so he could see the tiny named stick figures of Ronald Weasley and Luna Lovegood emerge from the statue of the Humpbacked Witch.

"They're back," Harry mused, as he rested his chin on top of Hermione's head. She nodded silently, and pushed the map back to the corner of the bed where it had been. "Mischief Managed," Harry muttered, flicking his fingers in the direction of the map. The neat lines and words of the map faded away as he closed his eyes, and let the arm that Hermione was resting on, come up to wrap her around the waist. Hermione settled back, closing her eyes as well. They drifted off, taking the time to catch a bit of a kip.

*********************Pendle Hill, Lancashire**********************

Vague black shapes slipped through the night, under an overcast sky, depriving the neat hedgerows and gardens of the old manor house of the protecting light of the moon. A sense of creeping cold followed the forms, figures without faces as they glided silently past a gate and up a winding path towards the house. Ice formed slowly on a bush as one passed, and floated into the open lawns surrounding the house.

Slowly, more and more of the dark, cloaked figures, emerged from the darkness, filing into a loose, great circle to surround the large, multi-winged and floored house. Small flakes of snow started to fall as the air started to freeze. From behind the ring of darkness, two more figures stepped forward, striding into the open.

Both of these newcomers were cloaked, but were shorter than the tall, faceless figures that had formed the ring. A brief silver of moonlight caught the white of a half mask as one turned to the other, "This is your mission, Mulciber," he said with a small, laughing voice.

The other chuckled darkly, "Aye, Banner...it is." He turned to the house, "Sonorous, COME OUT YOU OLD CRONE, YOU MISSED BEING HOME LAST TIME WE CAME AND VISITED!" Next to Mulciber, Banner chuckled darkly as he began to fire random Reductors, smashing great holes in the walls of the ancient Longbottom Manor. Glass began to rain down from shattered second floor windows as Mulciber waved him to a halt half-annoyedly, "That is enough, the Dark Lord wants the old bat's head for supporting Weasley and Potter."

Banner frowned, but nodded, slipping his wand back into his robes as they waited. A moment later, their patience was rewarded. A frail old woman stomped to the door and out. She paused to shake off a tiny House Elf that was begging her to run, to hide. She stepped onto the porch, a wand held firmly in her hand. "I would thank you to leave my home, and take your dogs with you."

"You were lucky to be away visiting the last time we came to call, Longbottom," Mulciber cackled, "You shan't be as fortunate this night." He turned to the nearest of the company of Dementors that had followed him, "She is yours," a faceless hood nodded, and as one, the circle began to close.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Augusta Longbottom shouted, her voice crackling with exhaustion already as a shimmering bird, some type of condor or such, shot from her wand, circling her rapidly. A half-dozen Dementors surged forward, to be pushed back by the Patronus. They approached again, and were driven back, but only half as far...

Mulciber turned from the entertainment in front of him at a soft noise behind him and collapsed as a silver jet snapped out of the night, piercing him between the eyes. A tall Wizard in a night-black robe, the hood pulled far forward to hide his face strode out of the darkness. The very tip of a carved, ornate wand peeked from under long voluptuous sleeves as the newcomer tracked smoothly, unhurriedly as if he or she had all the time in the world, towards Banner.

A blue bolt snapped out of the wand, sending Banner's wand spinning off into the night. A casual gesture and he flew backwards into the branches of a pear tree. The branches tightened around the Death Eater, squeezing him to the bows of the tree. The interloper strode forwards, towards the Dementors. His hidden wand lifted...

Augusta collapsed on the porch, her Patronus fading away as the dark, almost-whispers of the Dementors ripped through her thoughts. They started to move towards her, and froze as one, a streak of silver tore through their ranks, scattering them like bowling pins. They scattered, the whole host running, a defeat of such numbers of their kind that had not happened in years save for a single wizard that had stopped them at a lake, then at his home, and later at Hogsmeade. Flares of dark, lightless fire appeared and vanished, as several of the dark horde vanished forever while those that could, drifted away with haste almost unknown to their kind.

The Wizard walked slowly towards the porch, and knelt, extending a hand to pull Gran Longbottom to her feet. Her eyes widened, almost comically as his hood fell back a bit. Any other observer than her could only see a head of thick, dark auburn hair, which was pulled into a long tail. "No..." Gran said disbelievingly.

"I am sorry, Augusta, I wish this were not necessary," the wizard raised his hand, "but I am sure that someone will be along presently, Obliviate." A shimmering yellow cone snapped out from his nearly concealed wand, enveloping her head. He raised his hood, covering his face once more, took a step backwards and vanished without a sound.

********************Room of Requirement, Hogwarts*************************

March 18, 1998
10:03 pm

Remus patted Neville once more on his shoulder before he stood from the crouch he was in and padded to the door. He stopped at the door, to share a quick word with Harry and Hermione, before he slipped from the room. Harry said something to Ron, who shrugged and left, following the path that the rest of DA had just taken a few minutes before. With a small tired sigh, Harry walked over to the couch set along a book-filled wall, and knelt before it.

Neville looked up from his hands, as Harry cleared his throat softly. Parvati looked to Harry, her dark eyes worried, as she looked back to her boyfriend. Lavender sat on his other side, idly running her fingers through the hair on the back of his head. She gave Harry a pleading gaze, in turn he gave her a tired, half-smile, "Neville, are you going to be alright?"

He shrugged. "I will be, Harry," he nodded, to some inner thought, "Gran's too stubborn, she won't let Remus hide her, says, 'She's too old to run,'" he chuckled darkly, "she's probably right. He's got someone watching the house though; it's the best anyone can ask under the circumstances." Neville glanced to the girls on either side, "Do you know who came along to help her? Gran doesn't remember anything."

Harry shook his head, "No, no idea. She was Obliviated, as was the Death Eater that Remus and Tonks found in the trees when they got there. I'm going to go. Hermione and I are heading down to the dungeons to start our patrol...just so you know, of course," Harry added, smirking just slightly, as he stood and walked back to the door where Hermione was waiting for him. Harry nodded to her, she then opened the door and started to leave.

"Harry," Parvati said, "wait." She stood from the couch, after stopping to whisper something in her girlfriend's ear on the way before running over to the door. Behind her, Lavender pried Neville's head from his hands, before slipping onto his lap, and pressing her forehead to his. Parvati glanced back, "Harry," she muttered as she caught his gaze, "Thank you."

"I'm the one who should be thanking you, Par," Harry demurred; he glanced to Hermione. She stepped to him, grabbing his hand and lacing her fingers in his as moved in close, "What about your parents, and Lav's, Parvati? Neville's parents are still in St. Mungo's, but it's sucking up all the Aurors and MLE agents the Ministry can find, until they get a decent security force of their own up and running, but both of yours are in the open...hell all of you who follow me...your families are at risk," he added guiltily.

Parvati leaned forward, shared a glance with Hermione, and kissed Harry on the cheek, he looked bemused by the action and she shrugged, "My parents ran, Harry, or rather Dad did, and Mum went with him..." she replied, her voice oddly flat, "they are in Banglapore, right now, and Lavender..." she smiled, "Lavender's parents are great, but they are Muggles, no offense, Hermione," she said quickly, and Hermione nodded, already knowing where she was going with this. "But right now, their best chance is anonymity. Hermione's parents were relatively too well known, everyone knew they were a target, that's why the Order used to keep a watch on them." Parvati glanced back at her lovers; "Lavender's parents are only really at risk, at least any more than any other Muggle, if we loose. So let's try not to, alright?" Harry snorted slightly at her bright smile; she shrugged and headed back to be with the other two.

Harry and Hermione slipped out the door, and eased it closed. Hermione threw both arms around him, eyes flickered and they reappeared nine floors down, deep in the bowels of the school, she took his hand as they started to head down the corridor, walking slowly along the halls. She glared at a pair of fifth year Slytherins, as they seemed to be sidling towards an empty classroom. They ran at her gaze, towards the entrance to their dorm. You did good with Neville, Harry.

I wish I could do more, you know that his Gran was attacked because she supported Arthur...me at the Ministry, Harry replied, flicking his wand at a broom closet and watching as it popped open to reveal a small, copper-haired girl sitting on the lap of a boy in Hufflepuff colors. "That will be 5 points from Slytherin, Natasha," she groaned, and leaned back, straightening her skirt and shirt, "and five from Hufflepuff as well, Tony." He just nodded, and helped the girl to her feet. Harry glanced at Hermione, "I'll reduce it to a warning if you two get back to your dorms, you both know curfew starts at ten these days." The two lovebirds grinned at him, and walked out, and started to turn in opposite directions. Harry rolled his eyes, "At least be a gentleman and take your girlfriend back to her dorm, Tony."

"Yes, Sir," he replied quickly, taking the girl's hand and running down the hall the direction Harry and Hermione had come from.

You know that we are going to be known for being the Heads who took the least points in Hogwarts history for snogging at this rate, Hermione observed amusedly as they started up the stairs towards the ground floor.

I talked to Remus about it, the other day...he said that Dumbledore never really took any off for it either, Harry replied, shrugging, he turned back to her, as she lagged behind him slightly. According to him, that saved my parents from going from the point makers to the point losers, for their year. Besides, do you really want to take points for snogging? He waggled his eyebrows, and she laughed.

Not really, no, not unless they make me, Hermione agreed, At least not since I was sixteen and learned that there were much more important things than who was snogging who...and where. Hermione let out a surprised squeak as Harry darted forward in a blur of black robes and kissed her. HARRY! she laughed, placing her hands on her hips and trying to glare at him unsuccessfully. Behave.

But I lose all control when you are around, Harry whispered, standing close to her. Hermione smirked slightly, as she closed even closer, molding her front to his and bringing her arms up wrap around his neck. She looked up a few inches, her right eye hidden behind a fall of hair. She leaned into Harry's hand slightly, as it came up to sweep the hair out of her eyes, before she rose on the balls of her feet, to press her lips to his.

She felt her lips opening slightly; they didn't bother to check with her brain any longer, as the kiss deepened. She broke it a minute later, and licked her lips absently, Good, she whispered, but honestly, Harry, we need to get this round done.

Yeah, Harry muttered, his voice slightly despondent. Hermione smiled at him, kissed his cheek and stepped back, not letting go of his hand as she started to pull him along. I'd hate for some poor swot to get off'ed by some Death Nibbler, or something that snuck in. Hermione looked at him out of the corner of her eye, but didn't comment. They checked the Great Hall perfunctorily, as it wasn't a very good place to snog, without the help of an invisibility cloak, and headed up the great marble front stairs to the second floor. Hermione squeezed his hand as they passed the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's old office.

The two of them walked the long length of the hall, eventually passing through a slightly shimmering field that kept the castle's heat in, such as it was, and out onto one of the covered flying bridges that passed over the chasms in and around the castle. Owlry? Hermione asked, glancing up at the tower that loomed over them. Harry pulled her to a stop, and leaned against the bridge railing.

If you really want to look there, but who really snogs in the middle of owl dung? Harry asked distractedly, and Hermione nodded conceding his point. I was more just wanting a touch of air really. Harry fingered the rough stone for another minute. He turned slightly, searching the night as the sound of an odd howl rang out. Fluffy?

Probably, Hermione agreed, her face set, I heard McGonagall say to Sprout the other day that he was still sniffing around Hagrid's hut. She shivered slightly as a gust of wind howled across the bridge; she pushed back from the edge and pulled on Harry's hand, back towards the castle, Let's call this one a night, Harry, the Prefects can do their rounds, we already did the dungeons for them. They passed back through the ward, and climbed the moving stairs to the seventh floor. Meters shy of the Gryffindor common room, Hermione touched her wand to a blank spot in the wall, and with a clattering and grinding sound; the stones of the wall rearranged themselves into a doorway.

Hermione ran up the stairs, and entered their common room. She tossed her robe on the back of the couch as she passed, pulling her jumper over her head and flinging it on top, before she looked back at Harry as the door closed behind him. She worked at her tie as she watched Harry set his robe on top of hers, "I'm going to work on the Journals again, " she shrugged, pulling her tie off over her head and tossing it through the open door to their bedroom.

"Alright, Mione," Harry replied, dropping on the couch, and stretching out in his jeans and t-shirt he had had on under his robe for the DA meeting. Harry closed his eyes, yawning slightly as he closed his eyes and toed off his trainers. The warmth from the fire soothed him, causing him to doze off.

Harry woke up suddenly as Hermione returned, dropping on the couch, to sit curled up against his side. She tucked bare feet under her bum, and stretched her arms above her head; she gave Harry a small grin as she caught the slightly glazed look in his eyes. "See something you like, Love?"

Harry smirked slightly as he reached down to pull her into his lap. He ran his fingers under the hem of her t-shirt, pulling it up slightly, "I can improve the view," he breathed against her ear. She shivered in the comfortably warm room, leaning up to kiss him.

"I know you can," Hermione whispered, her voice low, "but we need to look through these journals, again, Baby." Harry sighed and waved his hand in the air, a stack of battered, leather-bound journals appeared on the seat next to her with a pop. "Later, Harry," Hermione promised. She slid off his lap, to rest her back against his side, and extended her legs along the length of the battered couch. "I just wish I knew what we were looking for."

"Who knows," Harry shrugged, and settled down in the couch slightly, his eyes flicked to the side as a pair of mugs of hot chocolate appeared with a pop. "We're assuming that Dumbledore found something, or observed something that will help us, some clue. Who knows if he really did, we can't very well scry for it like we did the Staff, unless you know something?"

She shook her head, reaching up to sweep an errant lock out of her eyes before she responded, "No, not unless someone uncovers a heretofore unknown Hufflepuff artifact soon, or something. She was always a bit closer to Rowena than anyone, but not really close enough for it to matter, not like say, purely for example of course, that if you say were to enchant some object, then one could use one of mine to find yours." She shrugged, and smirked slightly, "At this point, our signatures, when we bother to leave one, are virtually identical, most of the OWL students wouldn't be able to find a difference really, a couple of minor things like our sex and such probably, but that's it." Hermione took a breath, and reached over and back for the drink that Dobby had left for her. She sipped it, and reached down, setting the mug on the floor. "I do have one idea," she said slowly, thoughtfully, "Harry, remember when you thought that you were a Horcrux, and I convinced you that you weren't?"

"Yeah," he replied, crooking an eyebrow, "I'm not one now, am I?" he asked lightly, a touch too much so for casualness.

Hermione turned on the couch to face him, sitting Indian style sideways on the cushions. She reached up to stroke his cheek with two fingers, "No, Baby, you're still not one, we know what the last two are-"

"Just checking."

"I'm sure," she replied dryly, "But," she went on and her tone dropped into her 'Professor's Voice', "you did give me an idea. We flirted with it earlier, but what if you were right, when you wondered if he was going to use your death to make a point. We think that he used Nagini because he had no other choice, to create the one he was going to create with your death. Think about this Harry, besides you, because of the Prophesy, which one wizard would he have been most determined to destroy, or humiliate at the time he was creating the Horcruxes, in his first war?"

"Dumbledore," Harry replied instantly to the rhetorical question.

"Exactly," Hermione said, her eyes shining with sudden excitement, Harry grinned as she took on the same exact look she had when she learned some new, interesting fact or spell, leagues beyond most of her classmates. "What if the clue really is buried in his past? What if Voldemort hid it, in a place important to Dumbledore, somewhere that Dumbledore himself would never think to look? A way to show that he was smarter than Dumbledore?"

"So Dumbledore may not have actually observed the clue that would point to the Horcrux, but Riddle might have hidden it, somewhere important to Dumbledore?"

"Yes," she reached forward and took his left hand with her right, intermingling their fingers. She looked over at the stack of journals, "That means that we need to go back over them again, with a different eye, we were looking for things, events that related to Riddle, his schooling, upbringing, life before, during and after Hogwarts. We need to do the same for Dumbledore. We didn't really look at the ones before Riddle showed up, only the last forty years or fifty years or so, and even then we just concentrated on things related to Riddle, we need to look at them all."

Harry nodded, "What about me? Should we dig more into my past? I agree that Dumbledore was his main enemy, but he did go after me and my parents," his voice tight.

Hermione squeezed his hand, and ran the thumb of hers around the palm of his, "The timing wasn't right, Harry," she whispered sympathetically, his pain having long since become hers as well. It was almost her own most fervent dream: that James and Lily were hiding with her parents in Godric's Hollow. "As far as anyone who really knew what happened that night, any part of it, Riddle is probably the only one alive who really knows, he moved against them as soon as Wormtail gave them up."

"There are almost a hundred and forty years of journals, Mione," Harry said, more thoughtful than actually complaining, "that could take forever."

"Not really," Hermione shook her head; then shrugged, "well, honestly, yes, it could, but we are not looking for some miniscule event or place in Dumbledore's life. We are looking for something that stands out in some way."

"Well, it's not at Hogwarts, we've explored here," Harry said with a touch of regret. Hermione nodded, and waved her hand at the stack. Old leather covers turned to pages filled with a tiny, neat scrawl. "What event or place in Dumbledore's life would Riddle want to discredit or defile?"

"No idea," Hermione admitted in a breath, and closed her eyes, leaning forward to bang her forehead against his thigh lightly. She turned her head, looking up at him sideways, "I swear I am only reading fiction for like...years after we beat him, Harry."

"I know, Mione," Harry chuckled, reaching down to run his fingers through her hair, he looked at the stack of Journals and sighed, "Ron is going to kill us for making him read those, again." Hermione nodded as she picked up the first journal, written at a time long before Tom Marvolo Riddle was even a delusion in his mother's mind.

*************************Room of Requirement****************************

March 25, 1998

Hermione frowned slightly as she watched Ginny stretching, bending at the waist to touch her toes. The smaller girl straightened and glanced over to the side. She found Harry sitting, cross-legged on the mats at the side of the room, waiting. Across from him, leaning against the wall near a selection of various bladed weapons, Remus and Tonks looked on with interested expressions. Tonks nodded to Hermione, she looked back to Ginny and took a breath. "Alright, Ginny," Hermione said calmly, "you are going to have several disadvantages, in a fight without wands. And since you...left, you have not received much of the training that would offset those, as we have been concentrating on your combat magics." Ginny scowled slightly but did not disagree, as Hermione continued.

Hermione began to run through the facts, her voice utterly dispassionate, as if she were talking about what might be for breakfast tomorrow "First," Hermione paused for a moment, as the door to the room opened and Luna slipped in, alone tonight as Ron had received detention for an altercation in the halls with one of Zabini's minions. McGonagall had given it regretfully; but she had had no choice, as Ron had punched the Slytherin in front of a half-dozen Hufflepuffs. Luna came to stand next to Hermione, like the other two girls, and Harry, she was wearing combat blacks, she toed off her trainers, and then her socks, leaving her barefoot on the mats. "Frankly you are small, you don't have nearly the strength that most males your age or older would, and in fact you would be at a disadvantage against many of the witches here."

"Like you were fifth year?" Ginny asked softly.

Hermione frowned slightly, and nodded, "Exactly. Technically, without calling on magic she would still be a lot stronger...She is like twice my size. Hell, I think she weighs more than Ron, and he's 6' 5", but I could take her now, even without...boosting, I guess you would call it."

Ginny nodded thoughtfully, "So, you will..."

Hermione nodded, and waved towards Remus and Tonks, "Actually Remus and Tonks will act more as your instructors in this, the rest of us may spar more with you at times, which is why Luna is here...We'll start with the girls and move onto the boys." Harry grinned slightly, as he caught Remus' eyes. "Just as an example, though, let's do a small demonstration of how to escape a hold like Millicent had on me then." Hermione looked pointedly at Harry, who sighed tiredly, she turned around with a smile and to find Lupin, smirking, "Remus, if you please." Harry and Tonks chuckled slightly as Lupin walked forward slowly, and came to stand behind Hermione.

Remus looked to Ginny, "There are several holds that Death Eaters or others tend to use, breaks and chokes and such, but the one that well start out with is this." Remus grabbed both of Hermione's arms, pinning them to her side, "Slow if you please, Hermione."

Hermione took a breath, "First if it's a choke, drop your chin, pressing onto his forearm. Bite it if you can, that will often break the hold by itself, but don't rely on that, from this, I basically have two options, three if I could get my arm free, where I could counter with an elbow or possibly a fist to the groin. But if I can't, raking the leg with my instep or a nice headbutt up and back, hopefully directly into the nose, kind of like..." Hermione blurred into motion, vaguely Ginny heard a crack, and Hermione was free and Remus was staggering, "This," she finished.

Remus glared at her, around both hands, which were holding his nose, he moved to Tonks, who flicked her wand at him, evaporating the blood from a bloody nose, and taking away the pain. Hermione turned and mouthed, "Sorry," Lupin shrugged, waving it away.

Hermione stepped back as she waved Luna forward, and the blonde stepped in front of Ginny. Hermione watched for a moment longer as Luna invited Ginny to attack her several times, but was rejected almost casually. Hermione turned to Harry, reached down, and pulled him to his feet. They watched as Ginny launched a slightly clumsy punch at the blonde's head, Luna's expression never changed for an instant as she gracefully slid to the side, she spun, her right leg flashing in a precise arc and neatly clipped Ginny behind the ear. The protective wards flashed, negating most of the momentum, they had been briefly restored to test Ginny, and Ginny staggered back, shaking her head, her brown eyes flashing in anger. She charged Luna, lunging. Luna grabbed her leading arm, spinning and flinging the girl over her hip.

Luna rode the girl to the floor, pinning her arms against her sides with her legs and fired a left handed punch at the redhead's throat, stopping just as her middle knuckle grazed her trachea. "You're dead," Luna said sweetly, rolling backwards off her prospective sister-in-law, and to her feet in on smooth movement. Ginny scowled as she clambered back to her feet.

Hermione cleared her throat from the sidelines; "Luna has both a bit of natural talent and a smidgen of prior experience from what her father taught her when he was in his former career for the Ministry."

"Daddy got tired of the Ministry's lies and started the Quibbler," Luna explained vaguely, examining her nails intently.

Hermione nodded, "But most of that is Luna having trained as long as Harry or I. She started with us and Ron, as she was an obvious prime target due to her relationship with your brother." Luna smiled hugely, and began to play idly with her ring, that Hermione privately thought she hadn't taken off for anything. Which only made sense, as Hermione had only taken off her engagement ring to switch the order with her wedding ring. Luna seemed to share her thoughts, as the two much-older-than-their-actual-age teens, shared a small knowing grin.

Hermione looked back to Ginny, her face falling back to a neutral expression. "Like everything else, you'll need to learn fast, Ginny, even faster than we had to. That means that we won't be pulling our punches for long. You might want to try to make up with Dobby and Winky...they are good at bringing icepacks and pain potions," Hermione gave her a small shrug and headed for the door, where Harry was waiting, having already drifted over. "We'll leave you in Tonks and Luna's hands, Harry and I have a bit of research to get to," Hermione followed Harry through the door and stepped aside as he closed it behind them.

A/N Hmmmmmm.................. Next chapter...A reminder to the 'Chosen One....

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45. The Light Further Dims

A/N Here we go, another chapter...Thanks for all the reviews, I do read each and every one, though I don't always answer them all...Thanks as usual to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter.

Chapter 45: The Light Further Dims
***************************London, Near Hyde Park**********************
April 8, 1998
1:25 am

Black hair shimmered wetly in the light from several dim Muggle streetlamps as a young, eighteen-year-old girl ran panting down the street. In her right hand, she desperately clutched a broken piece of wood, as if it were a talisman ensuring her safety, but she knew better. Howling laughter followed her as she ran into a blind alley and stopped, her dark eyes wide as she took in a thirty foot tall brick wall.

"Fuck," the word tumbled from young lips, in desperation, rather than the happy times it normally escaped, as she turned to face her pursuers. A dozen cloaked, masked shapes filled the entrance to the alley sneering and laughing. She took a breath, her eyes hardening.

"Can we play with her Rastaban?" one of the Death Eaters at the end of the line asked eagerly, his voice salivating at the thought, "She's such a pretty one, for an Auror."

"Quiet Malinkroft," the man replied, "perhaps later, we shall see what is left after we ask her a few...questions. Because of you and your incompetent friends, there are no other prisoners to...talk to."

Cho smiled slightly, and slid out from cover. "Did your little Death Eaters foul up your plan, Rastaban?" she asked, an Edinburgh accent thick in her soft voice. She took a breath, watched as Rastaban started to respond, and charged. She ran directly at the Death Eater who had spoken first, wheeling into him, her heel coming up to crush his mask and the nose underneath. He fell away, his eyes suddenly blank as she spun on the next one as the rest began to react.

She dodged a clumsy punch from the next, crouching and driving a fist into his balls, before rising with the movement and snapping an elbow across his throat. She dodged a well-aimed kick that would have broken several ribs, caught the ankle and jerked up, dropping the Death Eater to the concrete and kicking him in the head as he lay on the ground. Cho took a quick breath, turned to break for the hole her actions had caused and fell flat on her face as a Full Body Bind hit her from behind.

She felt her body try to shiver, as the very toe of a boot kicked her in the breast and rolled her over. Rastaban looked down at her and sneered. "I suppose that we could take Malinkroft's suggestion...you are rather lovely, my dear. But you are one of Potter's little whores; I would hate to catch something." He flicked his wand, releasing her from the bind.

Cho spat at him, sitting up and scooting back slightly on her elbows; "Go to Hell, you fucking pervert." One of the Death Eaters casually took a step to her side, knelt, fisted his hand in her hair, which was slick with her own blood, and punched her in the stomach, hard, pulling on her hair to arch her head back.

"Perhaps," Rabastan conceded, waving away the Death Eater who had her in his grip. "But first I need to ask you a few questions which are vexing my master...Who ambushed Mulciber at Pendle Hill? Where is Narcissa Malfoy?"

"Even if I knew," Cho replied slowly, looking around, "I wouldn't tell a group of arsehole wankers like you, who can't even get it up."

Rabastan shook his head, "CRUCIO." A yellow beam of light snapped out, impaling the young Auror Trainee. She screamed hoarsely as the pain of a thousand knives ripped into her. He flicked his wand again; canceling the spell, "Remember yet?"

Cho glared at him, and slowly raised one finger in a brief salute. She screamed into the night once more as he flicked his wand again, canceling it this time after a solid two minutes. She panted for a long moment, "I'm a bloody trainee, you fucking wankers, how the hell would I know?"

"Indeed," Rastaban replied sadly, "indeed." He turned to one of his surviving Death Eaters one of nine that had survived both Cho's desperate last charge and the ambush of the four-person Auror team sent to look into a report of a Dark Mark. He had started the night with fifteen plus, himself. "Reginald, kill her, don't use the Kedavra...it's so, impersonal."

Cho's eyes widened as the Death Eater pulled a blade and walked towards her slowly, a manic grin on his face.

*******************************Hogwarts*****************************

2:15 am

Harry muttered dire imprecations against the future health and reproductive capacity of whomever was setting off his and Hermione's door chime at this hour. He glanced over at the clock on the bedside table, squinting to read, "Are you a crazy person?" He sighed, secretly agreeing with the clock as he gently slid out from under Hermione, whispering, "I'll be right back, Mione." She muttered something in her sleep that he took to mean understanding as he stepped onto the bare floor, his feet shivering. He walked over to the closet, summoning his glasses to his hands before he slipped on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. He was not bothering with anything else, as he figured it would take about a minute to turn whoever was knocking to a newt. Most of that was walking time. He reached the door, and pulled it open to find Remus knocking on the inner door. He knew the secret of the archway; James and Lily had lived here after all, but didn't have the password for the door, which only Ron, Luna and McGonagall had, outside of the two who were here permanently.

"What?" Harry asked gruffly, his eyes slightly bloodshot with lack of sleep. "Do you have a bloody clue how comfortable I just was?"

"Yeah," Remus replied, "probably about the same as me, fifteen minutes ago." Harry nodded, accepting the unspoken apology, and waved Remus in. Lupin took a step into the room and closed the door, but he did not sit at Harry's waved invitation. He glanced up as Hermione paced into the room, a long, on her, Quidditch t-shirt thrown on.

She looked at him forebodingly, "This isn't a social call, is it, Moony?"

"I am afraid not, Hermione," he said sadly, "get your gear, we had another attack."

"Ongoing?" Harry snapped as Hermione dashed back into the bedroom, leaving the door open to noises of frantic searching, before she emerged several minutes later with Harry's sword and wand, and dressed in ripped jeans, combat boots and a black, hooded sweatshirt worn under a black, long-sleeved cloak. She tossed him his weapons, and his badge from a pocket in her cloak, before making a pair of boots similar to hers appear and fly across the room complete with socks.

"No, it's over, Tonks should already be there. Death Eaters set up an Auror patrol, and ambushed them. They had a trainee with them," he paused looking between them, "you know her."

"Who?" Harry asked as he finished lacing his boots.

Remus sighed, "Cho, Harry." Harry grimaced and shook his head. He watched as Harry paced over to a coat hook set near the door, and grabbed a cloak similar to Hermione's, "You two should change your appearance or something, no one who's not authorized can see your name on your ID's, but..."

"Yeah," Hermione agreed softly, and concentrated for a moment. Remus watched a bit unnerved as Hermione's eyes flickered, and her appearance changed. Her hair remained long and curly, but changed to a deep, fire red, and as the glow in her eyes faded, the color did not go away, changing to an emerald exactly Harry's own. She glanced over at Harry and watched as he flicked his fingers over his face, changing his locks from inky black to a light brown, his eyes from emerald to a dark blue, and hiding the scar behind a Glamour.

He sighed and concentrated again, this time muttered a sentence in Latin. He took off his glasses and rubbed his temples, "I hate that spell; I'll have such a headache in the morning." He slid his glasses into an inner pocket of his cloak, and glanced over to Hermione.

"I have a potion made up, Harry," Hermione replied, walking over to squeeze his hand once, quickly. Hermione took a small, gold orb from her pocket and held it out, looking at Lupin, "Where are we going?"

Remus rattled of a stream of coordinates, "Near Hyde Park," he added thoughtfully.

Hermione nodded, and programmed the Portkey. She motioned Remus in, "Let's go then," emotion drained from her voice. A whirlwind of sound and color engulfed them and they were gone.

******************************London, Near Hyde Park********************

A fall of color and a rush of wind announced the arrival of Harry, Hermione and Remus, as they stepped out of a whirlpool to the cracked and stained floor of an alley. Five Aurors spun, their wands pointed towards the newcomer's heads, until a tall-solidly built man at the center snapped, "They're ours." Kingsley glanced to either side at the Aurors clustered there, "Oi, get your arses to work. You four," he pointed at every Auror there, except Tonks, who had not bothered to draw her wand, having recognized Remus, and therefore Harry and Hermione, instantly, "Go secure the other scene."

He watched as the indicated four vanished in a series of soft CRACKs, and shook his head sadly, "Merlin, I wish Alastor was still here with us, these kids are so...I don't rightly know." He waved the newcomers forward, and knelt next to an uncovered body, crumpled facedown in a dark pool halfway down the alley.

Hermione brought her hands up to cover her mouth as she took in the scene. She swallowed heavily as she glanced over to see Harry's face hard and set. He nodded to her once and knelt next to the body. Harry reached into a pocket of his cloak and pulled a pair of Muggle nitrile gloves and slipped them on. He looked to Tonks, "Do you know which one of Voldie's wankers did this?"

"More or less," Tonks admitted, glancing at Hermione, before giving Remus a meaningful look. "But frankly, that's not why we called you in on this," she slowly drew her wand, and stood. She flicked it and a blue fan of light erupted from the end, she slowly panned it over the body to show the former Ravenclaw lying in a deep, black pool. Harry nodded grimly, and Tonks held his eyes as she panned the beam up into the wall.

Glistening, black letters were painted there, Harry bit off a curse and looked to Hermione quickly, to find her eyes hard and set, as she read the words: "This one was first, Potter, the Blood-Traitor and the Mudblood are next, sweet dreams." Harry flowed to his feet quickly and paced to the open end of the alley. Hermione glanced back at Tonks and followed him just in time to see a glowing ball snap from his hand and explode a divot in the wall with a thunderous BANG. He reached up to tangle his hands in still disheveled locks.

"Don't worry, Mione, I'm not going to ask you to go into hiding," Harry muttered as she placed her hand on his shoulder. He took a breath as she moved around into his field of vision.

I know you're not, Harry, Hermione replied as she watched his eyes, they were a different color, but she still knew them better than her own. Are you alright to do this?

I'm the one who should be asking you that, Harry replied, with bitter amusement. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair again, gave Hermione a quick nod and paced back towards the three Aurors, all three of whom were watching the pair intently. "Sorry, Kingsley," Harry said, "that was uncalled for."

Shacklebolt shook his head, and pointed towards a divot on the other side of the alley, "No worries, Mate, I punched the wall, at least you didn't have to have Tonks show off her healing abilities."

"Why was she here, Kingsley?" Hermione asked into the sudden silence, she glanced around the alley. She drew her wand and flicked it around the scene, watching as an almost photo quality sketch appeared on piece of summoned parchment.

"You mean was this attack actually targeted at her, Hermione?" he asked, with none of the reticence that he might have once shown towards her. She nodded slowly, and he shrugged, "We can't imagine how, we've already considered it of course, especially considering the, um, message, but... she was picked on a random rotation. We've been sending the cadets out to thicken the ranks, about one to every three, to make up a normal four-man team. They were here investigating a report of the Dark Mark near here, over," he pulled a notebook from a pocket of his long, battered leather coat, "the house of a Katherine Zahn, she was a Healer at St. Mungo's. Specialized in Obstetrics, thirty-four, Caucasian, graduate of Hogwarts in eighty-one, no known enemies or threats against her. She was single, the last daughter of a German clan from Frankfurt, Pureblood by the way," he added thoughtfully.

Harry knelt next to Tonks as she panned her wand over the fallen girl and then reached back into a pouch behind her back with a purple-gloved hand and pulled a plain crystal out. Her wand directed a faint shimmer into the crystal and she slid her wand back into a sleeve holster. "I got it, Shack," she announced, "faint, but should be enough for at least an ID, if we've seen his or her work before." Shacklebolt held up his hand, and caught the small glowing crystal from the air one-handed. He reached back into his coat and pulled a small, black box, with a cutout exactly the size and shape of the crystal. He snapped the crystal into the slot and waited as the box began to shake and hum.

Seconds later, flaming letters started to slide out of the end of the box, floating up to arrange themselves in the air over the box. Kingsley nodded and glanced to the others. "Rabastan," Lupin growled, "figures, it'd be one of them. It has all the hallmarks of one of theirs." He glanced down towards the end of the alley where three covered bundles sat unremarked in the early morning London fog, "What about those three?"

Tonks shrugged, "I don't know, Wolfie," she said absently, it was a sign of the air of the night that no one said a word at Remus' pet name, "all three are Death Eaters, they all have the Mark, but we'll have to get them to the Ministry to ID them. At a guess though, it looks as if sometime during the fight, probably before she made it to the alley, her wand was broken. She seems to have tried to fight her way free, took out these three on the way and was hit from behind by a Petrificus."

"And the other three agents with her?" Remus asked crossing his arms and growling. All five of them jumped suddenly as four white-robed wizards appeared with a snap, quickly raised their hands as they finished materializing as they saw five glowing wand tips pointed at their heads.

"WOTCHER," Tonks snapped, "do they take away your common sense when then give you lab robes? How we keep from killing off more then five or six a year, I will never understand." They looked sheepish, and looked around the area nervously, Tonks sighed, "Process the scene, there's three Death Eaters at the end of the alley." Her voice softened, "She's one of ours, give her the proper respect."

"We will," the tallest of the white robed Wizards said as he pulled on gloves and motioned his companions towards the Death Eaters. He walked towards Cho's body and sighed, "she was what, eighteen, nineteen?" Tonks nodded slowly. "Just like Maura," he mused. He nodded as Kingsley handed him the crystal, and gave him a form to sign, transferring custody of the scene and evidence.

Tonks moved like an old woman towards Harry, Hermione and Remus, "All four of them were ambushed about a klick from here, she was the only one managed to get clear, we found spellfire traces all the way here." She looked around the alley, before she scrunched her nose, letting her hair lighten back to her preferred pink, "Let's all go home, and...try to get some sleep."

Hermione reached into a pocket of her cloak and retrieved the Heads' Portkey Orb, she reset it for her and Harry's common room and looked up at Tonks as she felt Harry weaving his fingers with those of her free hand, "Does it ever get any easier, Tonks?" she asked softly.

"No, Hermione," Tonks replied reaching out and giving her, almost, younger sister a quick, one armed hug, "It doesn't."

"That's what I thought," Hermione whispered, her knuckles whitened on the orb as the others touched it, and they vanished once more in a fall of color and a rush of wind.

**************************Little Hangleton**************************

Voldemort glared at the various Death Eaters awaiting his pleasure. He reached down, lightly stoking Nagini's head as she slithered slowly over the slumbering body of his other pet. Bellatrix was curled at his feet, her thin gown open over her belly. She moaned softly as Nagini settled down, draped over her, and Voldemort nodded to himself, as he brought his hands up to the armrests of a twisted, black throne. A long, ghostly forefinger stroked a twisted yew wand, as he thought over the events since last July. He looked out over the crowd of several hundred Death Eaters crowded in the catacombs under the ancient Riddle House, catacombs that the last Muggle occupants had had no idea that existed, and though his forces were vaster than ever, his frozen blood boiled as he thought over recent history.

He had started that month in an ebullient mood, the Great White Wizard, Albus Dumbledore, was dead, the hated Order was effectively crushed and on the run, and Scrimgeour had proven too acerbic as a Minister for fast results. And by all accounts, especially those of his spymaster and Potions Master, Potter was broken and weak, too weak to even threaten him, let alone the great Lord Voldemort.

All of that had changed, on a warm night at the end of July.

Instead of the broken, cowering child that Severus told him to expect, ready to be destroyed by the merest application of precise force, he had found a Lion, waiting. Counter to the kitten that Voldemort thought had waited at Harry's side, a weak and timid child that provided information but froze at clash of spellfire, a Lioness had tore from the night to defend her Pride. Very suddenly, the war had become two sided again. The opening salvo, the murders of the Dursleys, the strikes at the gathered Weasleys in their run down shack and at Potter's little Mudblood 'Brain', were in the end disastrous. The entire force sent against the Weasleys was destroyed for the loss of only two of their own. The second attack of the night was the one that had truly told the tale. That attack should have been the one to complete the process started in a graveyard three years ago to break the "Chosen One", by destroying his closest ally and defender. By destroying the one person, that both Severus and Potter's own, stolen thoughts proved was his true weakness, Potter should have finally fallen to the superior Wizard.

Severus Snape had barely escaped with his life from the assault on 'The Mudblood's' parents. Antonin Dolohov had not been so lucky, nor had any other member of the force sent. A rash of counters had returned, striking down Order members, Aurors and civilians but not effectively harming Potter.

Fenrir, trusted Fenrir, had been next, sent to rend Potter's whore, and leave her for him on the broad lawns of the school. He had never returned, it was only because of his own spies in Hogwarts that he knew that she had in turn killed him, leaving him for carrion somewhere deep in the Forbidden Forest.

Rodolphus was next, lost in an, now, obvious trap for him, when the Mudblood's parents had reappeared, then became a deep pit in which the entire attack had vanished never to reappear. Rookwood had fallen to the Aurors, the very night that His reign should have commenced, with the death of Scrimgeour. Severus had pleaded that his minion, the young Malfoy had performed as directed, even after hours under the Cruciatus, but it had taken Bella to clean up that mess.

Severus had paid with his life, in the end for that transgression; Potter's own tame wolf had sent along the head to remind Him of that.

In return, Lucius Malfoy had been tasked with punishing Potter, taking his half-Giant friend, his half-breed companion and the always-dangerous Alastor Moody from the field of play forever. Potter in turn had taken all three Malfoys, and the funding that they had controlled, right out from under Malfoy's own security team, an act that if done a year ago, could have crippled His plans, but now, as He looked out on the hundreds crowded into the large, underground cavern, only an inconvenience.

The truly worrisome fact was that Potter had already fought Him to a standstill twice this year, he and his Mudblood, along with Potter's followers. But now, as Voldemort looked down on the gravid belly of his pet and smiled, secure in his long term destiny. He looked up at Rastaban, and the cowering blonde woman in pale blue Healer's robes held in his arms, squirming, "There is your patient, Healer, if you do well, you may even live." He glanced up at Rastaban, "You left a message for Potter, yes?"

"Aye, my Lord," he looked down at his sister, then back up at his Master, "we used the opportunity presented."

"Very good. For now, take twenty and prepare for our next strike." Rastaban nodded solemnly, and Voldemort smirked, "Very soon, the end will be nigh for Potter and his friends."

*************************Hogwarts*****************************

April 10, 1998.
2:30 pm

Remus Lupin turned from the clatter of spells striking shields and cries of casting to the window overlooking the lake. He sighed, not bothering to duck the errant Stunner that passed several feet to his right to shatter a window from the NEWT students practicing dueling, as he watched two, who technically should have been in the class, walk slowly around the lake. He turned back to his class, and shared a slight headshake with Ron, as the youngest male Weasley dueled with Crabbe and Goyle.

Ron was winning...trivially.

At the lake, Harry looked back towards the castle, and pushed his hands deep into the pockets of his robes, shrugging. He didn't object as Hermione twisted her arm around his, and slipped her hand into one of his pockets next to his, but didn't say a word, either, as he just continued to slowly pace down the thousand-year-old trail around the lake. Hermione leaned her head against his shoulder, her eyes tired from too much reading, again. Why are we still here, Hermione?

She shrugged without moving her head or arm, Food's good, neighbors are alright, if you ignore the Slytherins, and the our bed beats a lean to in the middle of some forest somewhere, she replied softly. Hermione's eyes cut up and left, to catch Harry's, I'll leave with you right now, if that's want you really want, Harry, she said seriously, she waited a beat, is that what you want?

I just want it to be over, Mione, Harry replied watching her eyes carefully, you saw...

Yeah, and they would have done that no matter whom she went on a date or two to Hogsmeade with, Harry, you know that.

I know.

Besides, if we left, all of the DA would just follow us anyway, and then we'd never get any privacy in our lean-to. Honestly, it would be bloody well crowded.

Harry snorted, stepped over a slow stampede of yellow-tailed Sneaglespawn, and glanced down at her, I didn't know you liked everyone watching, Mione.

Hermione spun around his arm and punched him on the shoulder with her free hand, Prat...that's not what I meant... Harry grinned slowly and she rolled her eyes, sharing the grin, before it slipped away. Although....

Harry snorted a laugh, and turned his head to kiss her quickly before he frowned and looked down at his feet as they walked, kicking side a loose stone in his path, We have to find the Cup, Mione...it, all hinges on that, find and destroy it, and I...we can hunt him. Then...We can show him what it's like when the door explodes inward in the night, and see if he has the stones to stay and die where he stands.

Harry...

I'm sorry, Harry glanced over to see her shake her head quickly, her hair fluttering around her head like a cloud in negation. He nodded; We've increased the watch over Ginny, hopefully, without her noticing, anyway, just in case it wasn't just a taunt. He squeezed the hand that was with his in his robe pocket, And I'm not letting you out of my sight.

Oh, that's a big change, Hermione commented snarkily, and wrinkled her nose at him, she took a breath, and looked out over the lake as a splash announced the Squid's afternoon performance for a group of third years that in happier times would be in Care of Magical Creatures. She looked up at Honor, who had drawn the duty of being the Prefect watching the little ones out on lawn. Hermione gave her a small nod at the quick high sign the girl flashed her, before she continued to watch the seemingly tiny third years taking notes on the squid. Since it was an OWL subject, McGonagall had finally decided to just distribute a list of various Magical Creatures in and around Hogwarts to the fifth years and below, and have them submit essays on them to her. Hermione bit her lip slightly and looked down at her shoes, I think it has to have to deal with Grindelwald, Harry.

Umm?

What else could it be, Harry? Hermione reasoned, pulling them to a halt at the edge of a small cove out of sight of the third years. She let go of him, and walked around to the blackened stump of a tree destroyed by lighting almost fifty years before. She splayed her legs slightly and leaned forward in a quite unladylike pose, her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands as she looked up at Harry. Sure, Dumbledore is the greatest wizard since Merlin, and is known for...even I don't know how many things, but what Tom would have imprinted into his mind, what Tom will think Dumbledore's main claim to fame was, was killing Grindelwald. After all, if Dumbledore had killed one...Tom would have wanted to prove that he was better than Grindelwald and Dumbledore.

So, where are we going? Harry murmured thoughtfully as he crouched down in front of his truest advisor and placed his hands on her knees next to her elbows. Somewhere nice and warm, hopefully? Harry looked at her with huge, hopeful eyes, and Hermione reached out and swatted him on the nose.

You just want to see me in that bikini, she laughed.

Well...yes, but I would still like to go somewhere warm.

We will, Hermione promised him, I don't know Harry...there are almost twenty journals that deal with his years fighting Grindelwald off and on, from '32 to '45. It could have been any one of those encounters or something spinning off from that. I need to talk to Dumbledore's portrait.

Harry leaned forward slowly and kissed her forehead, before flowing to his feet with Hermione's eyes on him the entire way. Both of his hands came up to tangle in his hair and he closed his eyes for an instant, missing the flash of pain that crossed Hermione's face at the same time, but seeing it nonetheless, as he watched the scene of an alley two nights before cross his thoughts. Hermione watched as his eyes slowly opened and locked with hers, she nodded before he even 'spoke': Find me a target, Hermione, I'll get them ready.

Everyone then, Harry? she asked softly.

We can't make a mistake this time...All the seventh years, you find it, and we fall on it like a ton of bricks. I want enough there that we can handle, anything, Harry looked out over the lake, this is the one of his first Horcruxes, it could have anything there...Ron and I will get them ready, you find us a place to get them ready for.

**************************Head's Common Room***********************

April 11, 1998.
9:35 pm

Hermione looked up as Seamus and Dean slipped into the room, broad, cheery smiles on their faces. Hermione's eyes narrowed for an instant as she detected a faint hint of rosiness to Seamus' cheeks, then shrugged, as she looked at the already filled table in front of her. Harry closed the door after them, and flicked a wand at the walls, sealing the room and activating the defensive wards of the suite with a snap of power.

He crossed the room and dropped next to Hermione, on an old, depilated couch, pausing as Hermione leaned against him for a moment. He looked around at the others crowded into the room, or not so crowded on the various bits of furniture that had been magically placed in the room. Ron and Luna sat cozily together in the oversized chair across from them, with Luna looking at them with an expression of polite indifference as she curled up on Ron's lap, sipping from a butterbeer.

Next to Ron, on a loveseat that Hermione had conjured just this evening along with another couch to match the one she was on, Neville sat silently holding an amber tumbler of firewhisky between his hands. He took a small sip and glanced over at Parvati and Lavender sitting next to him, talking to Padma who was sitting on a settee facing them. Padma pointed out something in copy of Witch Weekly spread out across her lap, and laughed gesturing over her shoulder with her thumb at Harry. Padma tilted the magazine to Luna, who shrugged at Harry appearing in the list of the top five eligible bachelors for Wizarding Britain, again. Padma tilted it over her shoulder, "Look, Hermione, your husband made the list again." Padma giggled as Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Yeah," she snorted, "he's such the publicity hound." Harry shook his head tolerantly and sighed. She gave him a small grin, and watched as Seamus and Dean settled on the free couch and leaned forward, serving themselves from the refreshments scattered across the coffee table set in the middle of the circle of seating.

Seamus sighed appreciably as he took a sip of his whisky before looking up at Harry speculatively, "Not that I might terribly, Mate, but what brought this on?" he raised his tumbler pointedly. Dean just looked at him and shrugged before downing his drink.

Harry glanced at Hermione, and stood pacing to the hearth before looking back at them. Hermione gave him an encouraging smile, and Harry nodded, "It's to save time, really, as you will probably want to drink after this." Every eye locked to him, as had been his intention. "I can't tell you everything yet, but we need to get ready for a large mission, location as of yet unknown, that could mean a great deal to this war." Seven heads nodded slightly, and Harry gave them all a thankful look, "We'll see how happy you all will be when you hear the rest."

"As of now," Hermione went on, her eyes not leaving Harry's, "Harry and I will only be in class in name only, we may go on occasion, even most days really if we are here, but, honestly," she grinned slightly, "either of us can take the NEWTs tomorrow. And we've already handed in all the essays that Lupin and Tonks had in their lesson plans for the rest of the year. Slughorn wouldn't give them to us, but we can sit the exams, which is all that matters really in that class. Charms, Runes and Arithmancy have all been similarly dealt with." Hermione frowned slightly as she thought of one class that she had not mentioned.

Ron frowned, "Bloody hell, I know you could have sat your NEWTs when you were twelve, Hermione," he looked back at Harry, "but isn't this a touch extreme?" He glanced at the others, "So next week we all start training full time, skiving off class," he frowned slightly, "I suppose that Gryffindor will have to forfeit the Quidditch Cup this year."

"Honestly, Ron," Hermione, "you still have to go to class."

"And I fully expect Gryffindor to annihilate Slytherin next Saturday," Harry added quickly, "In fact it would be rather suspicious for all of us to suddenly drop classes...Ron, you will take a couple of Hermione's decoys with you to all the classes that we have with you, we will come up with something else for Runes and Arithmancy."

"Alright," Ron sighed.

"No choice, Ron," Harry replied with more than a touch of regret, "but we don't have a time turner, and we need to be free for...other things," Harry's eyebrow crooked slightly as Ron opened his mouth. "If you finish that statement, Ron." Ron's mouth closed with a snap.

Hermione gnawed on a corner of her lip, Neville cleared his throat, "Whatever you need, we're there," he said firmly, his voice betraying no trace of the tumbler full he had already drunk or of any nervousness at the prospect, "we end this, we make sure that none of that bastards' little wankers kick in some poor family's door in the middle of the night again." Parvati grabbed one of his hands and squeezed it, and Neville gave her a wan smile.

"We'll make sure of it, Neville," Hermione replied softly, looking around at her friends and family.

"What do you need us to do?" Dean asked into the sudden silence, his first words of the night; "Don't get me wrong, this is bloody cool and all, but we would have done any of that anyway." None of them noticed as a bearded face popped into a portrait on the wall, grinned and vanished.

Harry nodded, all he could trust his voice for a moment, before he went on in a slightly rough voice, "First, Ron, Neville, you two start working up training for the DA, concentrate on both covering actions and infiltrations...Luna," she perked up slightly, her eyes focusing on Harry, "help Ron, and look into creatures and beasts and such that Voldemort has used in the past in both assaults and to defend his possessions." She nodded, her eyes glittering slightly.

"Dean, Seamus," Hermione looked at the pair, catching Seamus with a butterbeer halfway to his lips, he froze, waiting on her, "make sure that we have more than enough provisions in the caches around Hogwarts, just in case, also get with the twins to see if there is anything new. After that, work with Ron and Neville, to make sure that we are ready for anything." She swallowed slightly, "Ron, I made a slight modification to the Infirmary plans, basically we should be able to evacuate or hide, anyone, that is in the Infirmary in case of an attack." Ron didn't react much at her emphasis on 'anyone' but he realized her intent just the same.

"Par, Lav, Padma, you three will help the boys, and Lavender, I especially want you to keep your ear to the ground, it's been too quiet from the Slytherin quarter, see if you can pick up any gossip. Sometimes they will let the damnest things slip in front of a firstie," Harry mentioned, Lavender grinned. He took a deep breath, "One more thing...I realize that you three are Ginny's greatest fans...I want you three to more or less take over her protection, we have Honor and Gretchen in her year covering her in class and such, but when you can I want one of you with her as well. Neville too, if he can manage it. She may be in danger..."

None of the girls, or Neville, really looked happy at that, but they nodded anyway. Knowing that while they knew that neither Harry nor Hermione considered them sacrificial, that their real utility if someone came after the girl hard enough, was to delay the attackers and get Ginny away to cover long enough for the DA to arrive in force.

Ron pushed past Luna a touch to pour himself a shot, before straightening up and taking a sip. "Oi," he mumbled as she grabbed his hand to take a drink of the top. Harry laughed as Luna licked her lips and looked up at Ron with a huge, beaming smile.

2:25 am.

Harryyy, Hermione giggled looking up at him from the seat of the couch. She pawed at her hair, twice, before succeeding in pulling it from her eyes. She smiled languidly as she succeeded; I love youu...

Harry nodded, solemnly as if she were imparting the secrets of the universe. You are really, really, pretty. Hermione giggled again, scooting along the couch until she could curl up in his lap like a large cat. Harry looked down at her, as she began to slowly run her fingers up and down the front of his shirt, she smirked, her eyes squinting slightly as she pulled the hem of his shirt from his jeans and pushed small, warm hands up under his shirt. Hermione froze suddenly at the sound of a large, thump, behind her. Her head turned slowly, as Harry craned his neck to look around her, she laughed, swaying slightly in her drunkenness, as she caught sight of the sight behind her.

Harry's hands stabbed out instantly, keeping her safe, as he began to laugh as well.

The chair that Ron and Luna had been or rather still were occupying, was lying in on its back, a bewildered expression on Ron's face as he stared unseeingly at the ceiling. Luna had not stopped her ministrations as she continued to nuzzle at his neck, still high enough to see how the chair had tipped backwards. Harry glanced to the side to see Dean and Seamus passing a bottle back and forth as they tried to play a game of Wizard's chess, with rules that didn't quite seem to match those accepted in normal Wizarding society. Padma was curled up next to Seamus, snoring softly with her head on his lap. He occasionally would pause in his loud conversation with Dean to pet her hair lightly.

On the other couch, Neville was asleep with the other two girls curled in a ball together next to him. Hermione smirked, Lightweights. She frowned slightly, her eyes crossing slightly as she concentrated on the new song that the enchanted CD player started to belt out. Come on, Hermione giggled slightly and flowed to her feet, pulling him along with her, let's dance.

We're the only ones, Mione, Harry whispered, bending his head to hers, as they started to sway idly together, he leaned forward a inch or two, kissing her as her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer. She smirked slowly as she pulled away, to rest her head on his shoulder. I'm sorry, Hermione.

Whatever for?

I know this isn't how you envisioned your seventh year.

No, Hermione shrugged, bending her head and kissing his shoulder, I admit I was slightly surprised to be married at eighteen, but that's only because I figured it would be at least two more years until I convinced you to pop the question. As to the rest, she lifted one hand from behind his neck and waggled it back and forth, I will say that if I had thought ahead when I was twelve, that I wouldn't expect as Head Girl that I'd be hosting a technically illegal party in my quarters.

That's not what I meant. He laughed softly; I know you, Mione, better than I know myself. What about that NEWT record, or...

I will probably score a couple less points than I would have, as I don't really intend on reviewing...that much anyway, She kissed him quickly, missing once and hitting his nose, there's nowhere I'd rather be, Harry. She cocked her head slightly, Har...Harry, baby, can I ask for one teennyy favor? He nodded, slightly befuddled as to why she was even asking, she nodded, I know I don't need to ask, Harry, but, still...I want to go see Mum and Dad, she's due in like a month.

Alright, let's go.

I didn't mean now, she laughed, folding herself closer, moving her leg between his. Her breath hitched slightly as she felt Harry's response to her. Or that either...but, she took a step back, giggling loudly and pulled him towards their room. "Night all," Hermione said brightly, pushed Harry into the room and closed it behind them with a loud squelch.

A/N there you go....next chapter, the search and life goes on, despite the war...One can never surrender your life to the darkness, or it has already won....One last turn around the pitch.

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46. One Last Turn Around the Pitch

A/N Another chapter....this one is a touch more upbeat than the last one, and it also deserves the rating... Thanks as usual to Lady Starlight for her typically terrific work on this chapter...BTW...Happy Howls...see I got it in this chapter too...

Chapter 46: One Last Turn Around the Pitch
******************Glencarry, Scotland, Ministry of Magic Archives*************
April 15, 1998.
1:30 pm

"This feels weird, Harry," Hermione remarked as she dropped a large stack of dusty folders onto a battered table. Generations of tea and coffee rings, and a few pipe and cigarette burns decorated the top of the old table. She squinted slightly in the dim lighting, she had come to despise as one of the hallmarks of traditional Wizarding construction, to peer at the titles on the folders. She dropped half of them in front of Harry, and perched on the edge of the table facing him.

"What, not being in class?" Harry shrugged slightly, "We are just missing Defense, Mione, besides," he coughed softly in the choking dust of the archive, "you'd have had to get used to it in a month or two anyway."

"I know," Hermione replied, "but I missed Arithmancy this morning, too." Harry opened his mouth, but remained silent as she reached out to press her fingers against his lips, cutting him off. "I'm not saying anything other than it's weird, Love, that's all." She grinned slightly, "I'm actually learning more here anyway. These are interesting," she remarked as she slid down into a chair next to Harry and opened the large, black folder in front of her. "Seems that when Dumbledore was in the Auror service...last century, that there wasn't really an academy, not like they normally do now, appears as if it were more like what we did. A sort of apprenticeship and direct appointment."

"Why are the files on Dumbledore here, anyway?" Harry muttered, ducking as a stack of books few past his head. He bent forward, trying to read the tidy scribble of a long-dead wizard.

Hermione sighed softly, shrugging, "When he, died," she said quietly, "the files automatically transferred into long-term storage here. The Ministry ran out of room, even with magic, for records in eighteen fifty-seven." She bent forward, and sorted through a large stack of files, that a Googling Charm had retrieved from the depths of the cavernous archive, "This file though, it's different, it shouldn't be here." Harry gave her a look, she grimaced slightly, "It has to deal with the Knights of Walpurgis...the forerunners of the Death Eaters," she added unnecessarily.

"All of them are dead, though, right?" Harry muttered, catching her eyes.

"They should be," Hermione said slowly, "though with Wizards one never really knows..." she shook off the thought. "Honestly, though...we've agreed that Riddle wants to prove that he is the greatest of all time, that he would think that Dumbledore's greatest accomplishment was the destruction of Grindelwald." Harry nodded absently, as he listened to Hermione talk to hear herself think, "Many of the early Death Eaters were either survivors of the Knights or their parents had been members." She frowned, biting her lip as she stared across the table, unseeing, at a flickering oil lamp, which was providing the majority of the illumination. "But what do we know about them..."

"Evil wankers, bought into that bloody superiority nonsense--" Harry replied instantly. He pulled off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. Harry then glanced over at her and shook his head slightly. Hermione reached out and brushed the hair out of his eyes before giving him a small, half smile. Harry mouthed, "Thank you." A Ministry archivist walked past the small alcove they were sitting in, out of the main view of the chamber and of several other patrons that were performing various bits of research, and shot a disapproving look at them. He had not seemed to want to allow them access to the older records, but the flashing of a pair of black badges had caused a sudden rethinking of his position.

"Yeah, Harry," Hermione muttered, watching her fingers as they moved through his hair for a moment on their own before she looked back to his eyes, "but there are the oddest, bloody...gaps in the information on them...and I can't help but think that something in those holes could be important." She muttered something under her breath, Harry grinned as he caught dark comments about those who lose information, "I mean everyone knows that Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald...but where, how. How many times did they fight, where was the final battle? Did Dumbledore fight though hordes of followers, or did they just bow and duel...all we really know is that he defeated him in '45, and that's on the sodding Frog card." Hermione took a breath and gave Harry a sheepish grin as his hand came up to cup the back of her head lightly.

Harry pulled her head to him, and kissed the top of her hair, before she pulled her head back to meet his eyes, "None of that is in the records, is it, Hermione?" she shook her head, and he nodded, "Fine, Love," he whispered, bending forward to kiss her quickly before standing slowly and pulling her to her feet. He flicked his hand over the files, vanishing them to their quarters at Hogwarts for later perusal, his authorization more than adequate to remove the documents, "Let's go ask the one person who knows."

Hermione nodded and stepped forward, hugging him tightly, I was going to, Harry, she whispered ruefully, but I was hoping that there was something here...and then, I...

We are on the ragged edge, Mione, he muttered, hugging her tighter and returning the glare of the attendant as he walked past again, it's alright.

Hermione looked up at him slightly, her own bangs falling in her face, she leaned into his hand as he moved them out of her face, It's my job to get you the information you need, Harry. I bollixed it up...I...

We are in this together, Hermione Jane, he said tenderly, it's alright, just have to find this last one...then I dare say that the other two will come to us...

We could leave, Harry, leave him England...but we won't, even though our powers grow with every minute, Hermione closed her eyes and dropped her head to his shoulder. Let's go talk to the old codger. Hermione felt the familiar swirling of power surround her, before she felt herself being squeezed through an endless tunnel to take a quick dogleg at the end. She opened her eyes to find herself standing in Harry's arms in the center of their Common Room. She and Harry vanished again, in a microjump to reappear sitting on the couch. She settled back against Harry, feeling that she might as well get comfortable for what might very well be a long conversation. "Professor," she said firmly to a currently blank piece of framed canvas.

They waited, slightly impatiently as Dumbledore appeared in the picture, oddly without coming in from the side but just appearing directly. "Yes, Hermione..."

********************Quidditch Pitch************************

3:30 pm

Luna watched with an utterly rapt look on her face as Ron dove back and forth on his broom, fifty feet in the air, while enchanted Quaffles shot at him, one after another in an endless stream. Ron flitted to the side, caught the shot on the right goal, and streaked back across to barely catch a shot on the leftmost goal. He panted heavily, shaking longish ruby locks out of his eyes. His hand blurred to his hip, drawing his wand and stopping the next shot seconds before it came at him. He flicked it again and sent the twenty or so Quaffles he had set up in an endless looping series of shots on goal back to the broomshed at the edge of the pitch.

Ron rolled his broom over, flying to the stands where Luna sat, absolutely alone in the center of the Gryffindor box. He floated to a stop in front of her, barely managing to dismount his broom before Luna launched herself at him, trusting him to catch her, which he did, of course. Ron let her legs slip to the floor as she continued to press closely against him. Ron grinned as he bent his head, capturing her lips for a second as she slowly worked him back until his back hit the sturdy sidewall of the box.

"You're so sweaty," she purred softly, working a leg of hers between his and starting to move against him. "I like it when you're like that. Keeps off the Snaptailed Flycons," she added in a breath. Grey eyes glittered as she slowly started to work at ties of his Quidditch jumper. The jumper came loose, and flew back over Luna's shoulder as she removed it with a quick jerk upward.

Ron glanced around the area, briefly concerned that McGonagall or someone would appear at any second. He glanced up towards the castle, which was the only structure high enough to see them in the stands and shrugged, grabbing Luna's hips and spinning them around so she was pinned against the wall. Luna giggled against his shoulder, her soft laughter turning to a contented sigh as Ron started to unbutton her uniform shirt. She had already discarded her outer robe on the warm spring day. Ron worked her tie over her head, and flipped it over his shoulder. It caught on a railing, and fluttered in the breeze, a spot of sapphire and bronze on a sea of crimson and gold. A moment later, Ron managed to get her shirt undone, and lowered his face to her chest as he lifted her up easily, picking her up under her bum, his hands already under her short school skirt.

Luna moaned as she touched her wand to her belly, Inconceivious, and a warm rush filled her middle. Her wand tumbled from heedless fingers, rolling under the seats until it hit the side wall. She pushed back against him, rocking against his hand as she felt her heart start to race. Luna shoved him back with her hands a half step, before nimble fingers dove for the waistband of his jeans and frantically un-tabbed them. She reached down, tangling her fingers in damp red hair and pulling his lips to hers, "Now," Luna growled, tossing her legs around his waist. She gasped loudly as Ron pushed into her, and began to move.

Luna smirked down at him, and began to meet him move for move, pushing back off from the wall and arching her back into him. That's pretty...is that a Scottish Firebird? she thought as a large bird flew overhead, its feathers catching the afternoon sun, before she looked back to Ron, and their eyes locked, and any other thought than him fell away. Luna lowered her lips to his, holding the kiss as her eyes slipped mostly closed and moaned into his mouth.

"Uhhh..." Ron whispered, trying to stay mostly quiet, having suddenly realized that they had forgotten any sort of Quieting Charms. "Lunnnna....." he growled as she started to move faster, bouncing hard against him. He felt her heart race with his faster and faster, and fought to keep from letting go.

"I'm...." Luna whispered harshly as she felt a pool of warmth start to spread along her body, radiating outward from her core. "Ronalddd..." she took a shuddering breath and crashed, falling limp against him, shaking. Ron managed one more thrust before he went with her, pulled along by the feeling of her around him.

His knees buckled slightly, he caught himself and lowered both of them to sit on the wooden benches, polished by hundreds of years of use. Luna hung languidly on him, panting. She blinked sweat out of her eyes as she kissed him again, willing her heart to calm along with his. Luna smirked down at him, as she noticed that he seemed utterly fascinated with a rivet of sweat that trailed down from her neck down between her breasts. She kissed his nose, getting his attention, before kissing him again, almost shyly.

His breath was back almost instantly. Quidditch is good, he thought idly, he started to rub his thumbs in small circles over her the points of her hips, "We should probably get dressed," he mentioned after a moment. Luna shook her head quickly, sending damp hair flying and burying her face in his shoulder. "Come on, luv, we need to get out of here."

"No."

Ron rolled his eyes and chuckled, "I'm supposed to be the irresponsible one." Ron slowly re-buttoned her shirt, and kissed her, before nudging her enough to get her to stand. Luna fixed her skirt, before dropping to her knees to reach under the seats to retrieve her wand.

Luna abruptly sped up her efforts as she heard voices start to come from the pitch. She grabbed it quickly and hurried over along the stands finding her tie and pocketing it. She glanced over the edge of the stands, to see a dozen small figures in green and silver mounting brooms. She looked up at Ron, and grinned as he grabbed her around the shoulders and lifted her onto his broom, which he had found and remounted while she was locating her, by choice for once, wayward items. A cold sensation trickled down from her head, as Ron disillusioned them both, and with a rush of wind they dove off the back of the tower, Luna fighting to keep her giggles quiet as they slipped away unnoticed.

************************Somewhere near Suffux*********************

Five black-suited Aurors tumbled out of the air, fighting to remain standing as the laws of physics took hold and tried to keep them moving counter to the rotation of the Earth. The leader, a tall man with a single gold earring glinting in the afternoon sun, looked around and closed his eyes briefly. Smoldering fires, with odd purple flames, danced here and there amidst the shattered brick and wood town homes and shops of a small, Muggle village. A grinning, green skull hung low in the sky, directly over a large house at the far end. He waved to either side, watching with a slight headshake as the scratch team he had assembled from those at the Ministry spread out to cover the street.

The Auror furthest to his left coughed in the slightly toxic smoke and gasped loudly as she opened the door to a quiet home with her wand. "Sir," she snapped lowly. Kingsley hurried to her side to find a small, growling dog standing protectively in front of a crib in the center of a Muggle living room. He gently stunned the dog with a quick blast of his wand, and rushed over to the crib. Only hard-won experience allowed him to ignore the two bodies he stepped over at the door. He looked down at the crib to find a six-month-old girl crying. He flicked his wand over the child, verifying that no spells or other damage had been inflicted on her. Finding none, but raising an eyebrow at the reading that indicated that the child was a Muggle-born, he looked back at the female Auror, "Liz," he waved at the girl, "can you?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth Bassler, the one truly experienced agent he had with him except himself, sighed. She moved ran across the room to the crib, and gasped slightly as she sensed the slight presence of the infant witch, "She wasn't..."

"No," Kingsley shook his head with an odd, considering the circumstances, sense of relief, "she didn't pull a Girl-Who-Lived, she just got lucky," he glanced back towards the parents, "I suppose they were in a hurry to get to the end of the street." He looked out the window towards the end of the street, "Stay with her, Liz."

"What about," she waved toward the outside, where the other three Aurors waited in a defensive half circle around the entrance of the house.

"They are gone," he muttered, and shrugged, "besides it's our job, despite what certain Ministers may have thought in the past, to the defend the innocent at any cost-she seems pretty innocent."

She looked at him and nodded briskly, watching as he turned on his heel and strode quickly from the house. "Let's go," Kingsley snapped at the remnant of his team and moved at a slow lope towards a still-burning and shattered house at the end of the lane, set away from the rest of the houses by an odd wall of bushes.

He gestured towards the door and motioned towards each side of the house. The Aurors stacked at the door, Kingsley nodded...The door exploded as the lead Auror blasted the door and dove inward, followed by the next who slipped in and moved right, with his partner moving left. Kingsley rushed into the house at their heels, "Clear."

"Clear."

"Clear over here, boss..."

"Back room's clear..."

"Yeah," Kingsley muttered, "all clear except for except for this poor bastard." He knelt next to the corpse of a tall, sandy-haired man, and flicked his wand, causing the man to flip over. Shacklebolt glanced over at a broken wand lying half under an upturned couch before looking back at the victim. He reached down and closed unseeing eyes, and looked up at the Aurors with him, "Sanitize this house, before the Muggle authorities get here." They nodded and he walked out onto the lawn and flipped open a mirror from his pocket, "Tonks." He waited a moment, before a head of vibrant blue hair faded into view. "They got Garibaldi..."

"Bloody hell," she looked around the area where she was, "Wotcher...it's all for naught, isn't it? They took out the..."

"Yeah," Kingsley cut her off, "looks as if the Death Eaters took out the whole village, but they didn't really take their time; they were here to destroy the Interdiction Charm before it could be set."

"So it probably worked then?"

Kingsley shrugged, "I doubt we'll know, it was an experiment to see if we could keep the Dementors confined to a certain path, but we'll have to see if it works somewhere else, now. I doubt the Ministry will allow us to try again, not when the cost is this high."

Tonks nodded, "So we are back to square one."

"Yes, and the Prime Minister is going to have to be seen doing...something, so he will have to put forces into place."

"They will be just fodder-" Tonks growled exasperatedly, "that's why they are so effective against Muggles, it takes a wizard...a powerful wizard to fight Dementors...Wizards, Death Eaters can die, but those things..."

"Blimey, Tonks, I bloody well know, I told him when I was his advisor, but you see how that turned out," Kingsley snapped and took a breath, "I'm sorry, I'm going to go back to the Ministry, and report, I assume you can handle informing the Hogwarts group?" She nodded and he closed the mirror with a final nod. Kingsley looked around as his team, minus himself and Liz, double-checked for survivors and started casting delayed Reductors, for the "gas leak"; that would soon take place. He gave one of the Aurors a high sign and vanished with a loud CRACK.

***********************Heads' Common Room, Hogwarts******************

Dumbledore's image sighed and looked out at the pair looking back at him with tired expressions on their faces. Hermione slowly ran her fingers through the hair on the back of Harry's head as the two of them looked back at Dumbledore, watching as the image of the ancient wizard frowned and took a drink from a tumbler at his elbow. The image seemed to take a breath, "Though you had brought up the idea earlier...I will confess that I had set it aside in light of the events since," Dumbledore admitted almost sheepishly, "But I agree that it is the best path available to us. I admit that last year, I concentrated so much on delving into Tom's past; I never thought to look inward. Curious really, as any truly wise man should know that true answers come from within, not from without." He grinned just for a moment, "I suppose that my reputation was somewhat-overstated."

"Why is there so little on that period in history in your journals?" Hermione asked, her voice oddly peeved as if she were taking the lack of information as a personal affront.

"Two reasons, mostly," Dumbledore shrugged and set his tumbler aside on a painted-in table and leaned back into the image of a deeply padded armchair, "First...the Ministry itself hid or destroyed much of the records, they thought that if the information was unknown it would discourage another to rise in Grindelwald's place. Even with the long lifespan of Wizards, relative to Muggles, there are few remaining who fought in that war, most who were alive at that time, like Minerva, and indeed Tom, were your age or younger. As to why my journals are somewhat bereft of information on the time-much of it, I could not stand to relive for purely personal reasons, even on paper."

Harry glanced at Hermione, but did not say anything, as Dumbledore did not elaborate. "So, thinking of that time, is there any place that stands out?" Harry asked into the sudden silence. Hermione leaned into him, curling up half on and half off of his lap, as she too waited. "Anywhere that Tom would have thought would be a particular thumb in your eye?"

The portrait paused, his eyes flicked to the side as if he were suddenly distracted, before he answered, "There are two, that I know of, perhaps three if truth be told." Dumbledore's image looked pale, and ice-blue eyes closed for an instant behind gold, half-rims, "The first, is Hogsmeade itself...look on the site of what is now, the Shrieking Shack. I once dueled Grindelwald there at a...significant cost." Hermione glanced at Harry, as he dropped his head and nodded, not noticing the eyes that flashed to her for a moment. Dumbledore took a sip of his drink, and went on, pausing for an instant as Crookshanks hopped up to drape himself across Harry and Hermione's laps, "There is another place that I can think of, in Dover, where he and I dueled for a day, finally withdrawing."

"And the third?" Harry pressed; watching as Dumbledore seemed to flinch slightly.

"There are places, such as Stonehenge and others where the myths of Muggle and Wizard overlap," Dumbledore pronounced, "places where for good or ill, our worlds share history. Sometimes we have caused the event, sometimes the Muggles, and sometimes both. In the early thirties, Grindelwald allied himself with the Muggle powers that were trying to rule the world, to impose their views of reality on others. They, like he, thought that one's station in life and indeed their intrinsic worth was determined by their birth. It is for that reason, among several others, that the Wizarding population of Europe is still rather low."

"So, Grindelwald was what, a member of the National Socialists?" Hermione asked, frowning.

"No," Dumbledore replied, shaking his head, "his association was more a matter of convenience. He provided them with experience in Dark Magic and protection from allied wizards and they provided him with physical support, and...subjects." He seemed to take a breath, steadying himself. "There was a castle in what is now Germany, where the darkest of rituals were performed about the time of the Founders. It was a place seeped in the darkest of magics. Under Grindelwald's direction, the castle was expanded in the thirties and forties, using slave labor to a create a larger keep."

Dumbledore stood in the picture and started to pace, passing from one picture to another, among several that lined the walls of the common room. "At the end of March, in nineteen forty-five, I tracked him down to that castle, which he had made his headquarters for years. By then he had given me adequate reason to track him to the ends of the Earth." Hermione held Harry's eyes as she worried her lip with her teeth. "History, Muggle history rather, records that the retreating German forces destroyed the castle to keep the Allies from capturing it...Between myself, Grindelwald and his forces, that he hid behind, the castle was destroyed over a matter of a day." Dumbledore paused in his pacing to look pointedly at the pair, "If you must go there, you cannot go there lightly, there are few places as cursed as there."

"We won't," Harry replied.

***********************Quidditch Pitch, Hogwarts*******************
April 18, 1998
4:23 pm

Harry looked down far, far below as a sea of red and gold rushed the field, piling on the victorious Gryffindors as they grounded in the center of the pitch. A loud boom echoed over the pitch as Luna threw down her microphone, and sprinted out of the announcer's box, running down the stairs and appearing at the base of the stands, and started to push through the crowds. Harry let out a silent sigh, and looked down to his right as a hand grabbed his, pulling it away from the rail that he was gripping almost tightly enough to dent the wood, and taking it in both of hers. Around them the Gryffindor box emptied as if-by magic, the entire house heading to greet their conquering heroes.

She leaned against him, and smiled up at him, as she let him pull her to his chest, her back to him, before they both looked back to the pitch as one. They watched as far, far below, seven figures in green and silver stomped off, the one in the lead throwing down his broom in disgust. At the center of the pitch, a tiny shape topped with blonde hair flew out of the crowd, barely being caught by a tall, red-haired figure with one arm. He spun her around, kissing her to the accompaniment of thunderous applause. They stopped, weaving on their feet, as a black-haired witch in tartan robes handed a huge golden cup up to Ron.

The crowd exploded as he raised it above his head, the noise rapidly becoming deafening as sheaves of illicit Weasley's Wizarding Whiz Bangs went off, filling the late afternoon sky with fiery Dragons, flaming Catherine Wheels, and in a new addition, a large red and gold Phoenix that opened its mouth and shot sparks into the sky. Harry applauded for his best friend along with the rest, watching as Ron picked up Luna once more in one arm and swung them around, holding up the Quidditch Cup with one hand.

"Let's go congratulate, him, Mione," Harry said softly in her ear, a faint edge of strain that only she knew him well enough to hear. She squeezed the hand resting on her stomach before stepping out of his arms, holding his hand as they started towards the stairs to the ground leading from the corner of the Gryffindor box.

*************************Gryffindor Tower************************

11:35 pm

Hermione walked back to the side of the room, a pair of butterbeers in her right hand held by their necks. She glanced over at a pair of fourth year boys she had felt watching her the entire way across the room and gave them a small smile. They looked away quickly and she shook her head, smiling to herself as she slid up to Harry, and handed him a drink before she tucked in to his side, leaning against him as she felt his arm go around her waist.

Harry turned enough to kiss her, before looking back to Neville, who was standing with Parvati leaning back against his chest and Lavender sitting on a small table at his left. "So, Harry;" Neville said, pausing as Parvati turned and dug in his front pocket for a moment. She found a tube of flavored lip gloss and pulled it out, shrugging slightly as she applied it. Hermione laughed as Neville and Harry shared put-upon looks. "Done, Honey?" Neville said as she put it back in his pocket, her short dress not having a pocket of her own. She nodded and returned to her previous position, leaning against him. "You going to make us train tomorrow or?"

Harry shrugged and motioned around the room with his beer, relatively safe in the center of Gryffindor Tower, "I seriously doubt that anyone will be up for that." As he waved, Ron stood up, with Luna's adoring eyes on him, and related, loudly, how he had performed two Sloth Rolls in a row, to keep the game tied into the fourth hour when Ginny had finally managed to wrest the Snitch away from the Slytherin Seeker.

Neville nodded and stepped away, drifting away slowly in the crowded room as Harry and Hermione slipped back slightly, unconsciously pulling away from the celebration of the rest of Gryffindor. Ron looks happy, Hermione whispered, glancing up Harry, and smiling to herself as he just nodded and pulled her into his side a touch more. She let her head fall to the side to rest on his shoulder, turning and kissing it, before looking back at the commotion by the fireplace.

Yeah, he agreed, and bent his head to hers, he is. Ron deserves it, Mione... Harry beamed and waved at Ron as the third member of the trio waved them over. With an inaudible sigh, Harry let his arm slip from Hermione's waist, took her hand and started to lead her over to the boisterous conversation surrounding Gryffindor's newest hero.

**********************Head's Chambers, Hogwarts*********************

April 19, 1998
9:25 am.

Hermione groaned as a soft, annoying buzzing pulled her from the comfortable slumber she was enjoying. She pried open a slightly bloodshot eye, and waved towards the bedside table. A small clock whose digital display read, "You should be doing something productive", screamed as it flew across the room to shatter against the stones of the tower next to Hedwig's empty perch.

"Thanks, Mione," Harry muttered hoarsely without opening his eyes. She nodded against his shoulder and settled back down against him, stretching slightly to rest her cheek against his. She grinned as she moved her thigh over and brushed his morning erection.

Are you trying to tell me something, Harry? Hermione whispered, her "voice" low and throaty. She slipped on top of him fully and groaned as she pressed her lips to his. Hermione laughed as she reached up to twist her fingers in his hair, as she deepened the kiss. She squeaked into his mouth as he reached down to cup her arse. Harry!

What? he laughed, kissing her nose, before dropping his head slightly to kiss her again. She shrugged, and shook her head. Harry reached up and pulled loose a black ribbon from her hair, letting it fall free from the rough tail she had put it in to hold it while she was sleeping. It fell, curtaining their faces as she bent her lips back to his, grinding against him slightly; causing him to groan in frustration.

You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, Harry, Hermione smirked as she dropped her lips from his and started to work down his neck, nibbling as she went before she settled in the hollow of his shoulder.

What are you doing? And you bloody well know that I can keep it, Harry added as she began to suckle softly on the skin of his neck. He sighed, and closed his eyes as the fingers of one hand started to idly trace the bumps of her spine.

Marking my property, and since most people can't see your ring...Hermione whispered, as she finished and started to kiss her way back to his lips, I saw that sixth year Ravenclaw, Cassie Wandsmith, trying to catch your eye at the game.

The one with the huge knockers? Harry asked amusedly, as he pulled her head to his, kissing her with enough passion to cause her to blink for a moment, before she remembered their "conversation".

See, it worked...Hermione said primly; you're mine, she said hotly, then giggled as he tickled her ribs. The window slid open, allowing a cool, April breeze to enter the room, along with a large, snowy white owl. Hedwig landed on their shared, cluttered desk and hooted softly at them. Neither human noticed her plight as she sat shaking her leg, trying to get several missives off. The owl seemed to sigh before she looked over at Crookshanks dozing in the bright morning sun and hooted again. The half-kneazle opened one eye and closed it again. Hedwig repeated herself, a touch louder, and Crookshanks stood slowly, hopped down from his window ledge and paced over to the desk. In one blurred move, he leapt to the desk, cut away the cord binding the letters to Hedwig with a swipe of his claws and landed on the floor. He returned to his perch and closed his eyes as Hedwig flew to hers and started to doze off herself. Neither human noticed a thing.

Mione, I've been yours forever, Harry said tolerantly, running his fingers through her hair, no matter what someone does to me, gives to me in my food or shoves in my face...I only noticed because Dean was making such a big deal about it, that he almost fell out of the stands.

I know, she grinned.

Then why?

Because its fun. And everyone in this castle already thinks that we sleep together...so I thought I'd give them a touch of proof.

Well, we do, Harry reasoned, and reached down to pull her more tightly to him. His eyes glowed faintly as he flipped them over with deceptive ease and started to kiss down her body. He paused at the valley of her breasts, to slowly run his lips along the faded scar he found there, before he moved on. Hermione squirmed as his lips traced down the center of her abs and paused to twirl his tongue in her navel, causing her eyes to cross slightly as a spasm shot to her core. He grinned against her belly and moved on again, only to move over to kiss her left hipbone. Hermione let out a loud disappointed moan, tangled her hands in his hair and moved him to where she wanted his attention.

That's better, she breathed as he nipped at her lower lips and began to work. She gasped, as his teeth scraped her clit only to be replaced by his tongue as his fingers lightly trailed up her thighs to slide into her. She arched off the sheets, her hands slipping from his hair to ball in the sheets as growled incoherently, shuddering as Harry sped up. She felt herself start to crash, and shook her head fitfully. "Not like that," she groaned, her eyes glowing as well now as grabbed his hair and pulled his head up. He grinned at her, "Get up here," she hissed, "now."

Like this? Harry whispered as he slid into her easily, almost causing her to pass out with the act, and kissing her eyelids as they fluttered closed. His grin tightened as he began to rock against her, feeling his heart start to rush and sweat begin to pool between his shoulder blades. She nodded jerkily and came up to meet him, her eyes slipping almost closed as she felt her stomach tighten. She took a breath and rolled them over again, tumbling an unlit candelabra from the bedside table with a wild, flaying arm. It crashed to the floor and she giggled wildly until her eyes met Harry's and froze, taking a deep breath. She reached down and linked her fingers with his, curling forward to press her lips to his. He groaned quietly, as he felt Hermione's feelings over lying his own and he trembled for an instant as he barely kept control.

Her tongue ran along his lips, causing them to slip open, and to allow her tongue to dance with his. She started to move against his hips, and Harry whimpered softly, his eyes half closed. Harry felt his pulse hammer in his veins as a second heartbeat beat inches from his, demanding his match hers.

Crookshanks woke up and ran for cover and Hedwig took flight out the window as the few candles lit in the room went out with an invisible wind. An entire stack of books lifted from a stack near the couch and flung themselves across the room, and a full hamper of clothes tumbled down, spewing garments throughout the room. Hermione looked down at him, and shook her head, throwing wet bangs out of her eyes, not stopping as she felt the puddle of warmth low in her belly begin to extend tendrils to her fingers and toes along her nerves.

Oh...Harrry, Hermione moaned, leaning back against his hands as he held her up, moving quicker, and causing her heart to thunder in her ears. She felt herself begin to go, bounced once more and shuddered, almost jumping back out of Harry's hands. He grinned and grabbed her while she was still shuddering, flipping her onto her back with one quick move. Hermione panted for a moment before her eyes widened as she realized he was still in the game. Oh...shyte...

Harry just smiled mischievously and started to move in and out of her, increasing his pace with every move. Hermione felt warmth begin to pool again in her belly, before the last one had even finished. She closed her eyes, leaning her head back as she locked her ankles behind his back, and held on for dear life. Harry slammed into her several more times before he stopped suddenly. Hermione's eyes snapped open. Got you, Harry replied as he slowly pulled almost all the way out; teasing her before slamming back into her with a soft, damp sound.

He leaned back in, and kissed her, holding his lips to hers, his tongue moving in time with their hips as they started to gyrate madly. Hermione watched the room fade away until only his face was clear, a single focused point in a sea of gray. A heartbeat later, she slipped over the edge without warning, like she had stepped off a cliff in the night. Her vision slipped away into blackness. "Harry," she moaned, as she felt him letting loose though both their bond and the sudden, welcome warmth spurting into her. Hermione went limp, and never noticed his weight as his arms gave way and she only distantly heard someone screaming incoherently and the sounds of books crashing to the floor and glass breaking.

A timeless moment later, her sight returned. The first thing to greet her, a pair of worried emerald eyes, still glowing slightly, looking into her own eyes from inches away. His hand came up slowly to sweep her hair out of her eyes. She leaned into his hand and closed her eyes again, and cooed under her breath. "Mione?" he whispered, with a slight edge of concern in his voice as he held her gaze. She smiled tenderly and reached up languidly, threading her fingers through dark wet hair and pulling his face to hers.

Harry kissed her again, almost shyly, before he let his head fall to rest on her breasts. "I love you, Hermione Potter," he murmured; as she began to slowly comb through his hair, moving the limp strands idly this way and that. Her heart beat strongly under his ear, slowing in time with his, to the forty or fifty beats a minute that their relaxed rate was normally.

"I love you, Harry," Hermione paused in her idle petting to lift her head enough to kiss the top of his hair. She let her head loll back onto the pillows, and began to play with his hair again. "You are my whole world, you know that, don't you, Harry?" She felt his slow nod as she went on, stopping his response with a pair of fingers across his lips. She smiled as he kissed them; "I know you feel the same way, baby, you don't need to say it." She bit her lip, "I suppose it's for the best that we live or die together."

"True...I don't know what I'd do if there was no one to pester me to do my homework."

"Prat," Hermione laughed and pushed him off her. Harry rolled to his side, barely catching himself from rolling off the bed and settled in, facing her. Hermione rolled over to face him and smiled faintly as he leaned forward to kiss her. He held out his arm and tightened it around Hermione as she pressed close to him. A soft, contented sound issued from her throat as she watched his pulse slowly beat in his neck. With a skittering of claws on stone, Hermione felt a brief thump in the bed behind her back, as a rather large half-kneazle decided the unnecessary commotion was done with for now and came to visit. Crookshanks' whiskers tickled her back as he sniffed them both, and rubbed his head against her neck. He made an odd cat face and then sauntered off to lie at the foot of the bed. "Harry," she asked suddenly as the focus of her eyes danced around what little she could see of the room other than him.

"Yeah?" he asked, settling in more comfortably into the bed and pulling her even closer. He closed his eyes slightly, and yawned.

Hermione frowned, "Harry...would it bother you if we used the nursery at Godric's," his eyes shot open abruptly and she giggled quietly, "not soon, Harry, we talked about it, and but..."

"No," he said after a moment's consideration, "it wouldn't bother me, the house itself doesn't bother me, anymore, anyway. I'd be all right with it...what bought this on?"

"Mum," Hermione whispered, and sighed, buried her face in his chest, tucking her head under his. It's just that...well we don't know what will happen, if we can actually get any closer to the end before we will loose our cover and have to leave Hogwarts...they still may be there and...

Mione, he soothed, Love, it's your house too, and I would be honored if your sister slept there...I'm sure that by the time we're ready, your parents will be able to move home.

You don't know that, Harry, Hermione returned, her voice not accusatory, just tired. She kissed the center of his chest, over his heart, You don't know that we're not all wrong and Riddle didn't really just make a Horcrux from a gum wrapper or something and stick it in the middle of a snowbank somewhere?

We don't, Harry admitted, and rested his chin more firmly on the top of her head. But even if he did, I have you, and that's all I really need to beat him. He felt her frown and he tickled her sides, running his fingers along faintly visible ribs, and she giggled softly.

That's not fair, Harry James, Hermione snapped, still laughing. She made a soft, ambivalent sound; I wish that I had your confidence in me.

It balances out, Hermione, Harry replied, without you; I might actually believe the hype. He slipped a hand down between them, and slowly rubbed her belly, she pushed into his hand, smiling slightly.

Good, then I'm going to change the colors in the room, I'm not sure that my new sister will like an ever-moving Quidditch pitch.

You never know, Harry chuckled, she might grow up to fall in love with a Quidditch player or something...he trailed off, and began to trail his fingers up and down her hip, his hand rising and falling slowly as he followed the curve of her body. Hermione did not say a word, but fought tears that she knew he would not let free. Not for that.

Why don't we go play, now? Hermione asked suddenly, and rolled back out of bed. Harry cocked an eyebrow, as she walked over to their closet. She fumbled around in the bottom, before she started to pull on clothes. Harry watched, quite entertained really, as his wife slipped on a pair of pair of black workout pants to hang low on her hips, low enough to see the straps of the underwear she had chosen. She walked over to the hamper, and dug a bit more, and turned to him with a crimson and gold jersey in her hand. She smiled brightly as she slipped his old Gryffindor jersey over her head, and shook out her hair. Well are you coming?

Harry sat up on the edge of the bed and caught the sweats and long-sleeve t-shirt she tossed, him, the shirt bearing the legend: "Quidditch, where else can a grown man play with his broomstick in public?". He dressed rapidly and stood, and walked over to her, folding her in his arms as she looked around on the floor for her trainers, "You are playing?"

"I can fly, Harry," she snorted, and shook her way out of his arms, bending at the waist and looking back at him with a smirk as she picked up her trainers. "I am a fully qualified witch." She stood with her hands on her hips and glared at him half-heartedly.

"Oh, you most certainly are;" Harry agreed after a moment, shaking off a fleeting distraction. He took her hand after he pulled on his trainers and led her into the Common Room, "Is it just us, or?" Harry asked.

"No," Hermione chuckled evilly, "let's get the rest of them up, we can probably find enough in the boys' dorm to make up a short team." She pulled on his hand, leading him through the door that led to the main part of Gryffindor Tower. She did not even pause as she headed up the stairs to the boys' dorm and pushed open the heavy oak door.

Hermione's lips pursed slightly as she took in the sight, not that her and Harry's room was tidy, she wouldn't dare to claim that, but she was more than a little annoyed as she stepped over a pile of clothes on the way to Ron's bed. She looked back over her shoulder at Harry and pointed to Seamus' bed. The curtains were open enough to show him lying face first in his pillow and snoring softly. Long black hair peaked out from under the blankets at his shoulder, Hermione held her hand over her mouth to hide her snickers. Harry nodded and started to work his way over, as Hermione turned back to Ron's bed. She carefully poked her wand through the hangings, not knowing if she really wanted to know what was behind those curtains exactly.

A soft yelp came from behind them as her wand found something soft. A second later, Luna's head slipped out from behind the curtains, she blinked at Hermione stupidly for an instant, her grey eyes still cloudy from sleep, a touch of firewhisky, and other nocturnal activities. "Yes," Luna said after blinking at Hermione for a minute longer, "The Kneazles have risen up, haven't they?" she asked resignedly.

Hermione blinked in turn at her for an instant; then shook her head, "Nothing so dramatic I'm afraid; Harry and I are starting a pickup game in thirty minutes. Get Mr. Lovegood up and on his way to the pitch." Luna grinned at her, and disappeared behind the hangings.

"Bloody hell, woman," a voice growled a beat later and Hermione moved back to the door, to meet Harry after he finished waking Neville. Hermione rolled her eyes slightly as Parvati sort of fell out of Neville's bed with a loud thump. Hermione shook her head as none of the other boys, all of whom were now awake, seemed to even notice as Parvati slipped to the end of Neville's bed clad only in a red lacy bra and matching knickers and bent over to rummage through his trunk.

Parvati found an overly large Gryffindor t-shirt, and black sweatpants, that seemed to be hers as they fit perfectly, slipped them on, and looked over at Hermione. "Well be along in a bit, Hermione, Lav says she's cheering." Hermione nodded and pulled Harry along as Lavender climbed out next to Neville and both girls started to pull on Neville. Harry laughed just as the door closed behind them, as they watched Neville pull both of them back down on the bed.

10:20 pm.

Several more minutes passed than their stated deadline, but neither Harry nor Hermione noticed as they sat cuddled together, with Harry's back propped up against the center goal post of the Northern goal. Hermione was sitting, straddling his lap, and occasionally closing for a lazy snog, when a group of disheveled Gryffindors and various others shambled from the castle and stepped out onto the pitch. Luna was in the lead, pulling Ron along and gaily swinging their joined arms. Ron held both of their brooms in his other hand, and looked down at Harry as the Head Boy smiled up at him.

"Ginny's playing," Ron stated, then dropped his voice slightly, "That's alright, Harry?"

Harry shrugged, "Of course, mate." He looked at the others, and to the side as Ginny came running up with her Firebolt over her shoulder she paused at the edge of the pitch, then smiled and ran forward as Hermione motioned her forward. She came to stand next to Ron, and sat the end of her broom on the ground, still holding the grip in her hand.

"How are we splitting up teams?" Neville asked as he watched Hermione stand by pushing against Harry's shoulder and reaching down to pull him to his feet with one hand. Parvati and Padma were standing next to him, with Seamus their other side, both girls looking identical, their glossy hair up in braids on either side of their head, except for Padma wearing a cropped Ravenclaw t-shirt. Lavender waved at them and laid down in the lee of the stands at the edge of the field, stretching out on the grass and closing her eyes.

"Boy/Girl?" Padma asked with a grin. Seamus stuck his tongue out at her, she snapped forward like a viper and grabbed his tongue between her lips. The kiss deepened as the rest looked on, Parvati let out a soft wolf-whistle and her sister extended one hand back, a single finger extended.

"Promise, sis?" Parvati replied, smirking.

"Anyway," Harry put in, cutting off things he probably didn't really want to know. Parvati and Padma gave him identical, slightly salacious, smiles and laughed softly as Hermione gave them a small, half-serious glare. "We'll just pick teams, I'll take one and Ron, take the other, I suppose." He glanced down at Hermione, "I pick Hermione."

Random sounds and coughs, that sounded suspiciously like "whipped," and other aspersions on his manhood answered his pick.

Ron nodded and quickly picked Ginny. The rest of the choosing went quickly, with Harry gaining Neville, Parvati and Seamus and Ron choosing Luna, Padma and Dean to round out the teams. Ron immediately took charge, and sent them to their brooms, playing with full Chaser squads and dropping the Beaters and Bludgers as they both did not have the players, and to avoid injury. Ron flicked his wand, as he took up position orbiting the north goal while Parvati took up the other for Harry, and the Snitch shot into the air with the bright red Quaffle flying up, to be snagged from the air by Neville who immediately charged towards Ron.

High up in the stands, under a fluttering Gryffindor banner, a crowd started to gather, as Neville took a shot at Ron, who blocked it easily and flung the Quaffle the length of the field to Luna who was playing Chaser. Remus looked up from his post at the edge of the rail, after watching Parvati deftly snag a shot out of the air, proving that she was much more of a tomboy than many would believe. His eyes widened slightly as Minerva McGonagall smiled a rare smile, crinkling her eyes behind her square frames as she sat down next to him. They both watched as Harry shot past at least two hundred kilometers an hour, with Ginny in hot pursuit, the pair theoretically chasing the Snitch as it flitted by, but Remus thought that Harry was just fooling around. "He looks good up there," Minerva said, glancing back as several other Gryffindors along with a scattering of Ravenclaws filtered into the stands.

She watched, shaking her head slightly, as her Head Girl tumbled sideways out of the way of Padma's charge with the Quaffle, neatly stripping it from the Ravenclaw and shooting downfield to slide sideways. She said something to Ron, he laughed heartily and she easily shot the Quaffle through the far goal while he was distracted. "I never thought she could play... It's a shame he didn't play all this year."

"I don't know;" Remus replied as they watched a rather rare occurrence, the Seeker stopping to kiss one of his Chasers in congratulations a hundred feet in the air. "He had other compensations." Minerva looked at him with a twinkle in her eye worthy of Dumbledore himself.

"And that's probably the only thing that has kept him sane," Minerva remarked, she smiled softly, as Padma and Luna charged Parvati. Luna pulled up hard, bouncing the Quaffle on her palm for a moment, before she shot forward, tossing it sideways to Padma. Padma caught it, faked a shot and flung it back to Luna, who shot it in to score. McGonagall chose to pretend she did not hear what Parvati said to Padma as she gathered the Quaffle and tossed it back into play.

Neville caught the Quaffle, he flung it to Seamus, only to have it intercepted as Padma shot up from below. She laughed and turned the other way, and tossed it downfield to Luna only to have it turn over again as Hermione slipped past and snagged it out of the air. She shot downfield, flipped it to Seamus who fired a rocket at Ron, who snatched it out the air with trivial ease. Lavender yelled something from the field, and Remus leaned over the rail and looked down at her, to find her sunning happily on the warm April day. He sighed at her and looked back up, resolving to not call attention to her.

Harry flew past, inverted, and yelling back occasionally at Ginny who was still following along on his tail. She laughed and peeled off, barrel-rolling to the right to miss the Ravenclaw visitor's box. Harry spun on his broom, flying backwards and shrugging slightly. Hermione yelled something towards him; he laughed and shot off in the direction he was facing towards a glint of gold hanging over the North goal. He swerved out of the way as Seamus took another shot on goal, which Ron once again easily knocked aside. Harry turned with the shot, and when he looked back the Snitch was gone.

He turned aside and shot straight up, and started circling, shaking his head all the while at his lapse of attention.

Back in the stands, Remus looked back as Colin stood and his camera snapped off shots like a trip hammer. He paused as Tonks yelled, "GO HARRY!" She looked at Remus sheepishly, and he laughed.

McGonagall watched as a few Gryffindor stragglers wandered in, along with quite a few members of Ravenclaw house including the head of House who settled in among Gryffindor house. Someone conjured several large tubs of popcorn, and the tink of bottles of butterbeer greeted her ears. She quickly cast a covert speck to make sure that the beer was the nonalcoholic version, and smiled to herself as they were.

The game went on, with Harry rather obviously missing several chances at the Snitch, even letting Ginny go after a few which she also missed on purpose. The crowd started to cheer, loudly placing bets on who would win.

Two hours passed, in which Harry concentrated more on watching the others play than anything else. His face held a small grin as he saw Hermione actually score two more goals legitimately, even though Ron obviously was trying about as hard as Harry was. Parvati was playing rather well, actually, for someone who did not play regularly, though like many kids growing up, Wizarding children that is, she had played in the kids' leagues in primary school.

Finally after another two hours, when Ron started complaining loudly about being hungry, Harry spotted the Snitch hovering directly below Ron's goal only five feet above the ground. He smiled, flipped inverted and shot downward. Hermione gasped as he shot past, Oh, Harry...she moaned as he purposefully started to spin his broom on the long axis.

In a heartbeat, the makeshift game was over. Ten feet from the Snitch, Harry's eyes widened as it suddenly shot upward. He jumped, pushing off his broom and leaping upward to snare the Snitch in his hand. He continued on into a forward flip, stretching out his hand and calling his broom to him wandlessly. He caught it, and remounted the broom five feet above the ground, pulling out of a crash with a meter to spare.

Sparse applause came from the stands and Harry looked up, slightly stunned, as he hadn't really noticed the crowd. Almost automatically he held the Snitch above his head and started into a victory lap. The crowd started to slip away, with bets being loudly settled as the 'teams' settled to the center pitch. Harry laughed as he landed next to Hermione and leaned in to kiss her. She grinned into his lips, as she let her broom fall to the ground and her arms came around his neck. She cocked an eyebrow at him as he stepped back and pressed the Snitch into her hand. Hermione looked down at the fluttering wings of the small golden ball resting in her palm, she then looked up and watched his eyes glinting with happiness, "What's this, Harry?" she asked softly.

"It's what you should have got this year, except this is just a practice one, not the Snitch from the Quidditch Cup game," Harry explained, shrugging.

"Thank you, Harry," Hermione whispered, her voice cracking slightly. Behind them, on the lawn of the Pitch, Lavender jumped up and ran to Neville and Parvati, and tumbled down onto the grass where the two sat catching their breath. She kissed Parvati deeply, before moving on to Neville. Ron shook his head at them, and pulled Luna to him.

"You're welcome, Mione."

There you go....Next Chapter: The Crucible....that's really the title.

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47. The Crucible

A/N AS usual, I really own nothing except the plot...so there. Thanks to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter...The train is pulling out of the station...

Chapter 47: The Crucible
*******************Hogwarts, the Library*****************************
April 29, 1998
10:25 pm

Hermione sighed softly as she turned a page in a very old Arithmancy book, and leaned back in the rickety-looking chair she had long ago charmed to be as comfortable as any armchair in the Gryffindor Common Room. Though the Common Room always had slightly better distractions...she smirked, thinking back to long nights when she would look up from homework to find Harry looking at her, before he would glance away. Merlin, I wish we weren't so...obtuse when we were younger.

Hermione shrugged to herself and looked back to her full sheet of equations dealing with Magical energy storage in Familiars. That's the last of it then; she yawned slightly and ran fingers over tired eyes. I'll have Luna double check my calculations in the morning. I suppose that Harry will want to go check out Dover, soon.

Hermione smiled slightly and her brown eyes perked up, then going dark as her breath caught suddenly. She smirked to herself as she felt Harry approaching from the direction of Gryffindor Tower. Hermione quickly looked around, and verifying that no one was here, as it was after hours anyway and knowing for a fact that Madame Pince had headed into Hogsmeade for something, she pushed her books aside and moved around the table. She licked her lips slightly as she quickly loosened her tie and pulled her shirt loose of her skirt. She knotted the front, exposing her toned stomach, and hopped up to perch on the side of the table facing the entrance to her alcove. An eye flicker later, and her skirt shrunk until it barely covered her bum. She crossed her legs and leaned back on her hands just as Harry came around the stacks and stopped. Hermione slowly crooked an eyebrow as she took in his slightly flustered image.

He grinned slightly as he adjusted his glasses and moved towards her slowly, loosening his uniform tie as he went. Hermione slid from the table and stalked over to him, growling under her breath. She smirked as she slid up to him, and pouted slightly, "I've been bad...Professor Potter," she whispered, grabbing his uniform tie and pulling him back slowly towards the table.

"Oh..." Harry replied stupidly.

"Yes..." Hermione replied as she turned her back on him and moved away, his eyes were fastened on her bum, as she knew they would be. "Oh...Harry?" she whispered throatily as she stopped and placed her hands on her hips, drawing attention to the straps of her underwear just peaking above the waist of her skirt.

"Yes, Herms, darling?" Harry asked as he came up behind her and placed his hands on her hips.

Hermione turned her head slightly and smirked, "This," she snarled and spun, her elbow coming up to rap him smartly in the temple. Her right leg came up and around as she continued the spin, catching him in the back of the head and sending him tumbling to the floor, shattering a chair in the process. Hermione blurred as she dropped on his chest with both knees.

"HERE, HARRY," Hermione called, and glanced up for an instant as a second Harry sprinted into the room. She looked down at the one she knocked to the floor. His eyes were slightly crossed as he tried to see the tip of the twelve-inch dagger that was drawing a thin line of blood from his throat. She glanced back up as Harry's, the real Harry that is, eyes hardened and a faint glow started to fill them. I'm fine, love...this bloke just got lucky. Her eyes flickered as she drew back her dagger, and in one move reversed it and rapped the imposter sharply behind the ear with the pommel. His eyes rolled back in his head as he passed out, Hermione stood and let Harry pull her to him. I felt you come onto the floor, and I was going to... Anyway, I knew as soon as he stepped into view that he wasn't you, of course, I could feel you still halfway down the hall.

Harry nodded and squeezed her to him again, before letting her go. He knelt down next to his doppelganger and started to search him, finding nothing except a wand that was obviously not Harry's, it was maple and had a heartstring core. Harry looked up at his wife; I do hate to ruin your little surprise, Mione. She smiled at him, and unknotted the shirt, letting it fall to cover her belly, she didn't bother to fix her tie or skirt however, as she hopped back up on the table and sat for a moment, watching Harry as her brain ran through the permutations.

Her eyes widened, and he nodded, diving in a pocket for his mirror. He flipped it open, "Ron," he hissed urgently. Ron's image appeared almost instantly, showing him sitting up in bed, with Luna beside him reading something, as evidenced by the book she was still lowering as she looked over at Harry. "Is everyone else there?" Harry asked as Hermione hopped down to lean over his shoulder. He glanced down to check that their captive was still out, and bound him with a flick of his wand in thick, glowing cables.

"Yeah, Mate;" Ron said, "one minute." Harry and Hermione could distantly hear Ron saying something, then the mirror's perspective changed as Ron laid his on his bed and cast a spell over it. In the Gryffindor dorm, tiny images, like that from a pensive appeared over the mirror, of Harry and Hermione looking back at them. Harry glanced towards the entrance to Hermione's cul-de-sac and back towards the table. He felt Hermione ward the area as he set his mirror flat on the table and with a flash, ghostly images surrounded them, as if they were in Harry's bed if he still had one there, of the Gryffindor boys seventh year room, complete with beds on which eight witches and wizards were scattered about. Amazingly enough, it looked as if all of them, except Dean who was lowering a sketchbook to the floor, had been actually studying, or at least more or less behaving.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Parvati asked as she sat perched on the edge of Neville's bed. She reached up and pulled on a braid at the side of her head and frowned. Neville sat up in bed behind her, and leaned back against the headboard as Lavender stretched out, with her head at the foot of the bed, all the better for the three of them to see at the same time.

"Someone imitated Harry and came after me," Hermione replied, "though I don't know why he came after me yet, I sorta...knocked him out."

"Polyjuice?" Padma asked interestedly as she sat up next to Seamus against his headboard. In the image Seamus reached over to his bedside table and grabbed a mug of something.

"I guess," Hermione tilted the mirror so they could see the imposter lying on the floor, "He...or she I guess, didn't change back when unconscious, though it's probably a he from the way he acted when I was leading him on..."

"You never know," Lavender snorted, "We might just have taken you up on that offer."

"Shush, Lav," Hermione chuckled, "you are missing vital equipment, I know, I used to live with you." Lavender laughed and Hermione gave her a quick smile, now that the danger had possibly worn off she could relax a touch. "Besides, I like black hair," Hermione replied unthinkingly and closed her eyes as she saw the twins' eyes light up, though they did not say a word. "Be on guard, Harry and I will be back presently, we're going to drop this...person off with Tonks and Remus and have a little talk."

Ron nodded and said something to Neville that the mirrors didn't pick up. He got up and whispered something to Lavender; she nodded and followed, going out of the view of the mirror. "Neville's going to go check on Ginny," Ron explained quickly, "the wards never went off so I'm not too worried, but?" he shrugged and Harry felt a spike of guilt in his nerves. "It's alright, Harry," Ron reassured him quickly, his eyes cut to his right to glance at Luna who was looking at someone's pointed hat with an odd, happy expression, "I understand." Harry nodded and closed the mirror, the images of the Gryffindor room vanished, and Harry pocketed the mirror.

Hermione flicked her wand, and the imposter floated up in the air, moving in front of her as she started out of the Library. Behind her, Harry vanished her books back to their room and followed. Hermione Disillusioned her captive as they reached the corridor and started down the stairs, not really taking care to see that he was not banging off every other railing on the way down.

After several minutes, in which Hermione proved that she was, possibly, even more perturbed with the night's events than Harry, they reached the hidden doorway to Remus' quarters. They had not been seen by a soul, a happy state helped along by the Marauder's map. Tonks opened the door at their quiet knock, and gasped, loudly. She almost let her hand, which was holding her robe closed, slip in her shock, but caught herself and waved them in. She peered about the hallway, and sent a Detection Charm out, just in case, before she moved back inside and sealed the door with a spell. "I'll get dressed," Tonks said, already moving towards the bedroom, from which they could hear soft snores.

After a few minutes, in which Hermione amused herself with a leisurely perusal of Remus' book collection, and Harry split time between watching her and their captive, Tonks returned, now clad in a pair of ripped jeans and a black, hooded sweatshirt with a small replica of her badge on the left side of her chest. She paced over to the imposter and toed him with her boot, before looking back to see Remus, yawning and wiping at his eyes as he clumsily buttoned his shirt. "I see that we have guests, Nymph," he mentioned, and looked over to Harry, "some strange...party, that I was not invited to, perhaps?"

Harry grinned for a moment at the Marauder's Sirius-worthy comment, "Afraid not, Moony," he replied as his face grew grim once more, "this wanker thought he'd surprise Hermione in the Library." Remus rolled his tongue around in his cheek as he glanced at Hermione's still slightly...inviting, attire, but just shook his head.

Hermione looked over to Harry, "We're guessing Polyjuice," she said, "according to the map, he's Grayson Sneade, he's a sixth year Slytherin." She grimaced as she looked down at him.

"Wotcher, is that that nineteen-year-old bloke in Slytherin...the one that Harry dueled with at the start of the year?" Tonks asked thoughtfully. "You would think he had learned his lesson then."

"I don't know why," Hermione replied in a voice halfway between exasperation and a growl, "Draco sure as hell never did, tried to start something every chance he had with Harry or Ron or I, despite his overall losing record at it."

"It's not that simple, Hermione," Harry muttered, the other three looked at him, Hermione frowned slightly as she heard his words an instant before he said them, "This was an attack on you, just like they tried at the start of the year, and what Tom tried with Greyback." He sighed, and crossed his arms, "He's..."

"And that worked out how well for them those three times, Harry?" Hermione retorted, her eyebrows rising slightly. "Exactly what are you going to do about it? Put me under a guard like you did with Ginny, I won't have it, Harry, not even if it's you..."

"That's not what I meant, damn it, but maybe you should be," Harry shot back, his voice rising slightly as well. Remus looked to Tonks and shook his head as she started to move forward. "You are His main target, Mione," he snapped, his voice taking on an almost plaintive tone.

"NO!" Hermione shot back, "YOU ARE DAMN IT!" she swallowed heavily and took a breath, and took three steps across the room, closing to within inches of him. She took another quick breath, I won't ever run, Harry, not even if want me to, and I damn sure am not going to hide behind a squad of the DA every time I go to the bloody loo...

I won't stand by and watch you get hurt, Hermione, Harry whispered, and bent his head into her hand as she reached up and cupped his cheek.

I wasn't planning on watching them hurt either of us, baby, Hermione replied, bending her head forward to rest against his. We're a team; Harry, he can only win if he breaks us apart...

Harry shrugged slightly and nodded, He can bloody well try...Sorry, Mione. Hermione gave him a small, half-smile and kissed him quickly, before turning back to their captive. She glanced back at Harry as he spoke, "Sorry for that..." Remus just waved the apology away and Harry nodded, "Mione, can you?" he waved at Sneade.

"Change him back early...Sure," she said brightly, "but it won't be exactly pleasant for him."

"Won't kill him?" Harry asked more for the others in the room than himself.

"Probably not," Hermione shrugged, her eyes hard for an instant, "though I don't guarantee it, depends on if they made the potion exactly as per the normal instructions or if it was Snape's longer lasting stuff we found at Spinner's End." Remus and Tonks glanced at her quickly, not realizing that the Potions that had been found there had been identified. Hermione carefully continued to glare at the person pretending to be her husband, but thankfully neither of the older magic users decided to ask further.

"We'll wait an hour then," Harry resolved, "if he hasn't changed back by then...we'll see." He took a seat on Remus' couch and leaned back against the armrest, watching as Sneade turned and twisted in his bonds. Hermione joined him after a quick detour into Remus' kitchenette, and acquiring a pair of cups of coffee from the ever-filled pot brewing there. She handed him one and curled up against his side on the couch, tucking her legs under her. She took a sip and sighed softly, resting her head under Harry's.

Across the room, Remus shared a hidden, smug look with Tonks as Harry pulled Hermione into his side and muttered something under his breath. Hermione laughed softly, leaning her head back to obviously reply in their secret, silent language. Tonks rolled her eyes and motioned towards the back room. He nodded as she left, and continued to watch the pair on his couch.

Tonks returned five or so minutes later with a small, black leather case. She set it down on the coffee table and perched on the arm of Lupin's chair. "Do you need a book or something, Hermione?" Remus asked slightly smugly, she shrugged and closed her eyes, arching back slightly into Harry.

"No, Moony, I have plenty to entertain me," Hermione replied complacently. Her eyes opened as Sneade stirred and began to twist and turn in his bonds. Harry vanished his bonds, just as the image of himself on the floor began to morph, slowly shaking and twisting as Harry's features changed to the rounder ones of Sneade, his body filled out, changing from Harry's slim body to a much stockier one. A soft ripping sound came from the man as his shirt ripped. Hermione flowed to her feet, and waved her hand, lifting the Slytherin into the air and setting him down into a kitchen chair, set near him for the purpose. Another gesture, and faintly glowing cables bound him tightly to the chair. "I know you're awake, Sneade," Hermione said quietly.

He opened his eyes and glared at her, and looked around the room, but not speaking. Hermione knelt down into his line of sight, and gestured behind her for the black case Tonks had earlier retrieved from her field kit. "Do you know what this is?" Hermione asked quietly. She snapped forward, a silver blade blurred around her hand and his sleeve fell away. "I see that your master hasn't marked you yet," she mentioned conversationally and stood looking down at him. She watched as his eyes traced up the exposed portion of her leg. Harry stood suddenly, and she turned back to him slightly and shook her head.

Hermione turned back to Sneade slowly, her foot snapped out and a loud thump was heard as Sneade and the chair he was tied to thumped to the ground. He coughed weakly, gasping around the mary jane that had suddenly found its way to his throat. "Let me make this perfectly clear to your small, snake-loving brain," Hermione said lethally, "I will feed you your spleen if you try that again. Without moving her foot, she opened the small kit and removed a small phial of a clear solution. She tossed the case back onto the couch, "Do you know what this is?" she asked and smiled slowly as his eyes widened. "I see that you do."

Harry stood and moved over to the Slytherin, "You see, we've figured out that the resistance to interrogation is tied to the Mark." He took the phial from Hermione and knelt down. A soft hoot came from his pocket and Harry stood, "Excuse me, I need to take this...You've got him, Love?"

"He's not going anywhere," Hermione replied, as Remus looked on, amused.

Harry nodded and slipped out of hearing distance of the prisoner, he felt a tendril of Hermione's consciousness wrap around his as he opened the mirror. "Harry," Ron said, looking at him from the mirror, "Looks as if they went after Ginny too. She's fine," he added quickly, and Harry let out a soft breath and felt Hermione do the same. "According to Gabby, she was in the common room, Andrea Pierce came in and didn't say a thing to them. She got up to the sixth step and the stairs went away." Harry nodded, and glanced over to Hermione.

There is no slide function in the Slytherin Dorms, Harry. It's in Hogwarts, a History, Salazar didn't think it was necessary...or he probably thought it waste of time, rather.

"She ran out of the Common Room and knocked down Patience into one of the tables. She's all right, though I had Seamus and Padma take her to her Hospital Wing. It delayed us a bit though Harry, long enough for whoever it was to get away," Ron shrugged and apologized. "They had the password to the Dorm, Harry."

"It's not that hard to get the password, Ron, not really. All they'd have to do was to have someone hang out within hearing distance of the portrait while Disillusioned or something," Harry replied and sighed. He looked at Remus who nodded and grabbed a robe and left the quarters. "Moony's on his way up, I'm sure he'll change the password. Hermione and I will finish talking to this wanker and we'll be along...Stay safe, Ron." Ron nodded and vanished from view.

Harry sped across the room, knelt and forced Sneade's lips open with one hand, he poured several drops down the Slytherin's throat and waited as his eyes clouded over. Hermione slowly removed her foot and looked down at him as Tonks came over to stand at their shoulder. "What was your assignment, Sneade?"

He looked towards Hermione then back to Harry, "I was to kill the Mudblood, but she was there, sitting like the little slag she is, so I was going to teach her a lesson first." He shrugged; his answers utterly honest with the typical embellishment that untrained folk added when under Veritaserum.

"Why?" Hermione snapped lowly, "Why start after me again?"

"To remind Potter," Sneade replied.

"Who tried to sneak into the Gryffindor Dorm, were they after Ginny Weasley?" Harry asked, and looked over to Tonks as she frowned slightly and help up a note, that said: "He doesn't know anything, Harry", Harry nodded and watched as Sneade began to try to fight the potion.

He failed, at least for now, "I don't know, it was supposed to be Parkinson, but she was sick. Weasley was the target, supposed to leave her somewhere for Potter to find if possible."

Pansy was sick today, Harry, I saw her up in the Infirmary this morning when I stopped by to talk to Poppy about Mum, Hermione put in. She flicked her wand and a red bolt snapped out, knocking the Slytherin unconscious. "Well what should we do with him?"

Tonks sighed, "Can't really take him in, officially," she shrugged, "well we could, he did attempt to assault an Auror at the very least and he was obviously using Polyjuice in an manner that was meant to cast aspersions on another, but what he admitted to under Veritaserum won't be usable at trial. If it were someone like Malfoy, who was already convicted and an escaped prisoner, yeah, but this git is supposedly just a student."

"We know," Hermione looked over at Harry, "I think the best would be to Obliviate him, make him think that he never found me, and go on. We can always use yours and my memories if he's taken in, later."

"Fine," Harry growled and motioned Hermione back as he pointed his wand at the unconscious Sneade, Obliviate...

***************************Dover******************************
May 1, 1998
10:15 pm

A continuous CRACK snapped out over the white cliffs as ten black-cloaked figures appeared in the night and started to spread out across a large clearing in a patch of forest that stood on the very edge of the white cliffs. The one in the center, a young man of only middle height, lowed his dark hood and looked around the top of the cliff, starlight glinting off his glasses. He moved to the edge of the cliff, stalking silently without a single wasted motion and stopped, looking down at the crash of the waves on the rocks below. He looked to his right, Hermione gave him a small nod and he closed his eyes.

A pulse of faintly visible magic snapped out from him, bathing the surrounding area in ghostly witchfire for an instant. It faded and he sighed, almost inaudibly. "Spread out," he commanded quietly, "Seamus, Padma, Dean...go that way," he waved to his right without turning back, "Neville and your harem, go the other." He grinned for an instant, as Hermione elbowed him, then grew serious once more, "You lot know what to do."

"Ha, ha," Parvati laughed, "So any other instructions if we find anything? Other than run and scream, 'Oh, Merlin...Chosen One come and save us...'" Harry snorted at the sarcasm in her tone. "Harry, relax, we'll be alright."

"No, that's basically it," Harry replied wryly, turning. He gave Parvati a brief nod, "Seriously, if you do find something, we all will deal with it...just back off and let everyone know." She gave him a nod and started off to the north, following the line of the cliffs and casting periodic Detection Charms along her path. Lavender followed her to her left and behind, looking closer to the landside of the cliff while Neville trailed them both, on the lookout for anything. Harry watched them move off; then glanced the other way to find that the other group was already at least a hundred meters away and searching. "It's not here," he said quietly to Hermione, Luna and Ron, "I would have already...smelled it for lack of a better word, at least the defensive charms and wards, if nothing else."

"Could he have left it undefended?" Ron asked thoughtfully, not really disagreeing but asking anyway. He reached up and brushed off a patch of dirt off of his cloak, before reaching into an interior pocket to retrieve a bar of Honeydukes best. He broke off a piece and handed it to Luna, before taking a bite, his eyes still on Harry.

"I doubt it," Hermione said quietly, looking back up at Harry, "He is rather too proud of his accomplishments to have them hide unremarked, if only by himself."

"Hermione's right, Ron, Tom's a prideful wanker if nothing else, he would have had something here, though just because it's you three..." Harry shrugged and scrubbed his eyes. "He never meant to have to hide it from me," Harry mentioned tiredly. He glanced around at them, at the three that he probably trusted the most, and just for an instant before Harry hid it once more, Ron was reminded just how young Harry really was. How young all of them really were. "Even when I was twelve-I knew something was, wrong, with that book. It would have been nice, if Dumbledore had bothered to explain it to me then," he shrugged; any anger that he might have felt towards the wizard was long washed away. "But I could even feel it across the room, sometimes when I was tired. I'm tired a lot these days," he mused. He shrugged it off and glanced at Luna, "I don't suppose?"

"No, Harry," Luna breathed softly, "only a vague sense that darkness and light once fought here, it's mostly gone now...purified by time, if nothing else." Harry nodded and Ron and Luna vanished with a soft CRACK and POP, turning back to the cliff, Harry could see them searching along the thin beach far below.

How long do you think we should stay at this, Harry? Hermione asked as she and Harry vanished and reappeared further out to the east, and started casting Detection Charms automatically. She paused for a second when she found an old rusted talisman buried in the ground, she retrieved it with a spell and sighed as she recognized it as an old enchanted good luck charm that someone had lost ages ago. She cleaned it and pocketed it, before looking back up.

Let's wait until the rest of them finish their sweep, we might as well be thorough, you never know what you might find, Harry replied motioning towards her pocket. We will need to start preparing for...

Harry never finished as the sounds of multiple Apparations broke through. He looked to the north just in time to see a rainbow of spellfire light the sky and to hear a female voice scream only to be cut off in mid word.

*********************Hogwarts*******************************

May 1, 1998
10:20 pm

Ginny pulled a dark hood over her bright hair and moved quickly and silently along the empty corridors of the school, keeping to the shadows and glancing around occasionally to make sure she wasn't followed. She slipped out the small auxiliary door off the main, great doors and moved quickly into the courtyard. She crouched down in the lee of the softly flowing fountain and pulled out a piece of parchment, and nodded.

Ginny nodded and put away the parchment and picked up a loose stone and touched it with her wand. She concentrated on the specific, special spell taught to her and the rest of the DA by a certain brunette Head Girl, the one that allowed the creation of untraceable Portkeys. A spell that the hidebound transportation department of the Ministry would have metaphorical kittens if they knew it was in the hands of a group of kids. Harry and Hermione; had forgotten to tell them.

The stone bounced and turned blue as Ginny concentrated on the coordinates buried in the missive that Remus had helpfully passed along to her, the code one that Draco had laboriously taught to her while on the run, a code used by the Death Eaters to leave messages to each other. She touched the stone and vanished in a fall of color and a rush of wind.

"Damn it, Harry is going to kill me," another girl in dark robes cursed and spun on her heel, the orders that she was not, for any purpose whatsoever to leave the castle running through her head. She sprinted up stairs, slipping past Filch quickly. He yelled after her, losing her as she vanished into a side passage and watched him sprint by cursing all the while. She shook her head and moved back the way she came one passage, and then up a floor, stopping outside of a door marked only with a small lion. The lion came alive, looking at her as she knocked and then settled down as she looked back.

She looked up as a slightly careworn man, with salt-and-pepper-decorated brown hair opened the door and looked down at her, "Yes, Honor, can I help you?" Remus Lupin said pleasantly.

"She's gone, sir, she ported away, I couldn't follow, I mean I could have..." she said bitterly.

Lupin gave her a small, tired smile, "You did the right thing, Honor...I will take care of it. Please head back to the tower," he paused and turned to a small table set next to the door. A quill scratched quickly on parchment. He handed it to her; "This will keep Argus from harassing you terribly much."

"Are you sure, sir, we can get the rest of the DA...."

"No, Honor, I think I know where she went," Remus replied. Honor looked as if she wanted to inquire further, but nodded in the end and stepped back and started towards Gryffindor Tower at a normal pace. Lupin closed the door and turned around to find Tonks looking at him from the bedroom door, "Ginny's gone to Draco," he growled.

"Stupid, stupid girl," Tonks snapped then took a breath, shaking her head, "I understand her, Remus, damn it I do. I should be the last person to criticize, but..." He nodded and crossed the room. Lupin pulled her into his arms and kissed her quickly, "You going after her?"

"I know where she went. I thought that Draco didn't know well enough were he was to get Portkey coordinates to her, but..." he sighed as he touched his wand to a tall, unmarked wooden cabinet set inconspicuously in the corner of the room; it folded open revealing racked weapons and equipment, magical and mundane. Lupin strapped his wand sheath to one leg and a small pack filled with the twin's toys and a large kukri to the other. He pulled a silvery cloak from the cabinet, leaving another behind.

"Do you need help?" Tonks asked softly, not saying what she wanted to say. He looked back to her, watching as her hair changed color nervously.

"No, Nymph...since Harry and the rest are gone...we can't afford for both of us to be gone," Remus replied reluctantly. She nodded and stepped to him, kissing him quickly and stepping back into the bedroom without another word. She only closed her eyes and sighed as she heard the sound of a Portkey activating in the next room.

***************************Somewhere in Northern Ireland******************

Ginny appeared with a fall of color at the edge of a thick wood, and looked across a neatly kept lawn to a small, brick ostensibly Muggle house. She looked over and saw a pair of Unicorns grazing contently, they knickered softly and moved off. She froze, worried that someone had heard. She waited a moment longer, then slowly started to creep towards the house.

A single branch moved on a tree behind her, with no wind to speak of.

Ginny crept to the door, looked around nervously and knocked. For an instant, she felt something evaluating her. She started to turn to leave, when the door was flung open and a hand shot out and jerked her inside. Ginny saw an afterimage of the doorway fading away as a projected image vanished just as she heard the door slam shut behind her. Her perception spun as strong arms grabbed her and pinned her against a living room wall. She grunted, the wind knocked out of her. A picture fell from the wall, the glass shattering as it hit the hardwood floor.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Red," Draco snapped, his grey eyes wild. His hands shook as the gripped her arms tightly, she squirmed, and he loosened his grip, an apology in his gaze for just a millisecond before it vanished again.

"I wanted to see you, Draco," Ginny said softly. Her bottom lip trembled slightly as she looked up at him. He sighed loudly and let her go, raising his hands to his head and scrubbing through rumpled blonde hair. She watched, her brown eyes slightly lidded, as she finally took him in, clad only in a faded pair of sweatpants. The light from candles scattered around the room highlighted the faint scars along his back from his...discipline at the hands of his father, they were visible as pale lines a shade lighter than the rest of his skin in the light from candles scattered around the room.

He looked back at her, his anger faded. "You can't be here, Ginny," he said quietly, his drawl even more pronounced then usual. Draco paced to a couch and dropped in it heavily, "I'm sure Potty and his bed buddy will be along any time now, you should get back to Hogwarts, maybe if we're real lucky, they are too busy shagging each other to notice you're gone."

"They are all gone on some mission," Ginny shot back, she moved from the wall, shrugged off her dark robe, leaving her in jeans and a t-shirt, and dropped onto the couch next to him. She reached down and took his hand, rubbing it softly as she looked up at him through thick lashes, "I really missed you, Draco."

"You should have used your fingers, dear," he said tiredly. Ginny flinched slightly at his words. He looked away, taking a breath before he looked back to her, "I am glad you're here, but we can't afford it..." Draco reached up and kissed her quickly, pausing for an instant, as he watched her face, as if memorizing it. He stood and paced back to the kitchen, her eyes followed him the entire way, watching as he dug in a cold box through the open door. "Do you want anything?" he asked as he looked back at her.

"I'll share yours," Ginny gave him a small smile and he nodded after a beat, walking back into the room with a single bottle of Guinness. He sat back down next to her and took a long pull, before handing it to her. She took a swallow and set the beer down on the coffee table in front of her.

Draco watched her for a moment, and sighed, reaching out with his arm to pull her into his side. "They aren't going to let you out of the castle after this, Ginny."

"I'm not supposed to be out now," she gave him a faint smile, looking up and back at him. Her smile faded as she looked down at her hand, tiny in his, "What are we going to do, after this is over?"

"You mean if Potty wins and doesn't decide to off one or both of us?" Draco snorted, and she nodded, "We leave, I suppose, when Potter dissolved Mum's marriage to my...father, he cut me off from the Malfoy funds...I doubt that he realizes that wasn't all that a great a blow really." Ginny looked at him curiously, and Draco shrugged, "There are no Malfoy monies, not really, not any longer, at least not in the accounts that I could access. My father gambled a great deal on his Master, much; much of it has gone into Riddle's coffers, and much more into the pockets of various factions at the Ministry. Not that Lucius wasn't quite rich when he finally ran afoul of someone he couldn't bribe or intimidate out of his way, or have quietly killed...Lucius transferred most of the Malfoy wealth into hidden accounts that only he could get to."

"I don't care, Draco," Ginny whispered, shrugging, "it's not like I haven't been there before."

"It's not that bad," Draco laughed softly, "I just don't have the--play money that I had...You already know what I have nifflered away, in accounts that Mum set up for me years ago, when she saw that my sire, wasn't going to back down from his goals...we leave, perhaps the continent or the colonies. Potter still might be able to take those away, since I suppose that I'm a bastard child of the Blacks, now, but I really doubt he'll bother. He's much more likely to put my head in a box." Draco stood slowly and pulled her to her feet.

His eyes darkened slightly as he pulled her to him, and slowly ran his fingertips along the hem of her shirt. She closed her eyes and leaned into him as he slowly peeled it off and dropped it to the floor next to the couch, "We should probably take advantage of this," Draco mused softly as he bent down and nuzzled her neck.

"Yeah," Ginny whispered, "waste is just ghastly, really," she looked around, just her eyes moving as she let her head fall to the side, giving him better access. "Where is your bedroom..."

"Come on," Draco muttered, grabbing her hand and pulling her back across the living room and down a short hall. He pulled her back to him as they stepped through an open door at the end of the hall and it shut firmly a moment later. Soft sounds were audible from behind it as new figure faded into view as a silvery hood was lowered.

He sighed, loudly, and flicked a wand towards the door. A white flash lit the walls and the increasingly frenetic sounds were cut off as if a switch had been thrown. He shook his head and looked around the room with faintly exasperated brown eyes. Remus looked down at his watch and shrugged the cloak off the rest of the way, placing it on the back of a chair. He then paced to the kitchen and filled a mug with water from his wand, before placing tea from a canister in it, and flicking his wand at the mug.

Lupin settled down, and took a sip of his tea, as he watched out the large bay window set in one of the walls overlooking some hills.

************************Dover***************************

Harry and Hermione vanished, reappearing next to Neville, Padma and Lavender. Hermione instantly ducked as a green spell crashed over her head, exploding the trunk of a tree behind her and fired back a faintly visible wave of force picking up two masked Death Eaters and tossing them back into a tree with a loud crunch that carried over the sudden sounds of battle. She glanced over, casting a large, shimmering field up to shield them, to find Harry and Neville, frantically dragging both girls behind the cover of a large oak.

She vanished, reappearing next to Harry, and crouching down as a tree exploded off to her left. Parvati was shaking uncontrollably, as if in the midst of a seizure, while Lavender was at the very least, unconscious. "Focus, Neville," Harry hissed as he dug in a small pouch and poured a yellow potion down Parvati's throat. She stopped shaking and passed out easily, Harry reached over to check Lavender, "Lav's just stunned; Parvati will be alright..." Harry glanced over as five more CRACKs spaced out over a minute rang in his ears.

Immediately, the seven or so remaining Death Eaters that were spaced about the clearing wheeled and fired at the new arrivals, trying to cut the odds. Harry saw Ron stagger slightly and drop behind a tree, before popping up several feet away and killing the Death Eater who had hit him with a precise Piercing Charm. Harry glanced back at Hermione and they dove out from cover, leaving Neville to protect the girls.

Hermione spun to her left, watching out of the corner of her eye as Seamus and Padma both hit a Death Eater at the same time, their purple and maroon curses combining to more or less disintegrate him. Harry appeared to Hermione's right, and vanished again, reappearing behind two more. He stepped right, the Sword appeared in his hand, and he MOVED, cutting up and left, flipping into a backwards roll under a Death Curse, and slicing to his right, from his knees. The blade flared blue as it hit, and sliced off a leg of the Death Eater dropping him to the ground in a spray of blood. The first Death Eater fell behind Harry. He turned to stand, looking back towards Hermione, and dove to his left, just as a Reductor from her wand snapped past his ear and exploded the Death Eater's head that had been lining up on him, the sound of the muffled explosion arriving at his ears only milliseconds after the CRACK of the Death Eater's Apparation.

Dual CRACKs rang out as the two, still standing, Death Eaters Apparated away. Padma Seamus and Dean's eyes met and they vanished in pursuit, having automatically cast the spell to trail them. Harry looked at Hermione, breathing slowly for a minute before they moved together to check on Ron.

Luna had cut away the right leg of Ron's pants above the knee and was currently very focused on stanching the flow of blood from a large, round hole in Ron's leg right above the knee. Harry swallowed heavily as he shone a light from his wand down on the wound and saw the glistening white of shattered bone sticking out. Ron looked pale and drawn in the wandlight, and Hermione swallowed, stepping away and pulling out a mirror. "Poppy," Hermione snapped, and waited impatiently as the witch's image appeared in the small screen.

"Sorry," she said, "I'm not used to these new..."

"We have wounded," Hermione cut across her, and the witch immediately focused. "One with what seems to be a direct CNS hit with a Epileptica, another that may or may not be stunned and one with a compound break in the right thigh," she looked over at Harry and found him covering Ron with a conjured blanket, "looks as if he's already going into shock."

"I will be there as soon as I can," Poppy replied quickly, "it will take several minutes for me to get outside of the wards."

Shit, Harry thought desperately.

I'll go, Harry, Hermione said quickly, meeting his eyes and he nodded, "Just get your supplies ready, Poppy, I'll be there in a moment." Hermione closed the mirror before Poppy could ask just how she would accomplish that little trick. Harry gave her a nod and she vanished.

Harry looked at the empty space in the night where she had been for a heartbeat, before turning back to Luna who was holding her wand to Ron's wound, keeping an artery closed. She gave him a small brave smile and he nodded, squeezing her shoulder on the way before loping over to where Neville sat with his back against a tree holding Lavender. She was groggily blinking, and looking around with a glassy expression in her eyes. Parvati was utterly limp, with beads of sweat dotting her brow. Neville looked rather...concerned as he looked down at her, and then looked up at Harry. "Thanks, Harry..."

"I owed it to you, Neville," Harry said softly. "Poppy is on the way...I don't want to transport Parvati or Ron until she gets here..." Neville nodded, and turned back to Parvati. Lavender slumped back off to sleep in his arms, still suffering the effects of a Stunner to the base of her neck, a spot, that like a direct heart hit, tended to provide more lasting effects.

Several long minutes passed with Harry moving back and forth between the two small groups, his wand in one hand and the sword in the other. He was looking around constantly as that the only effective thing he could do at the moment, pausing to examine the fallen Death Eaters, when Hermione appeared with Tonks on one arm and Poppy on the other. Harry let out a breath he did not know he had been holding, as Poppy immediately ran to Ron, seeing him on her arrival, and dove to her knees, casting a complicated charm that placed Ron's leg in stasis. She poured a black potion into his wound. Ron groaned slightly, causing Luna to grunt as he squeezed her hand. The wound crusted over with the temporary filler, and Poppy got up and moved quickly over to Parvati and Lavender. Harry watched for a moment, before looking back to Hermione and Tonks.

"Where's Remus, Tonks?" Harry asked softly, and groaned, even before Tonks could get the words out as he read the answer from Hermione's thoughts.

"Ginny...went walkabout, Harry," Tonks said softly, and Harry closed his eyes.

"FUCK," he hissed feelingly, and took several deep, calming breaths. "Can this night get any worse?" He glanced to Hermione and watched her shrug helplessly. He gave her a tired smile, and looked back at the abnormal Auror. "How long ago?"

"Not too long," Tonks replied, "Honor trailed her to the courtyard, she let her go, Harry, and came and got Remus and I." Tonks ran her hand through her hair, it changed in a rainbow sparkle before she calmed down, "Remus was sure he knew where she went."

"Honor did the right thing," Harry said absently, "I don't want anyone to go anywhere alone," he carefully didn't mention whose death had precipitated that particular rule, "but with just you and Remus there to trail her. It's probably for the best that he went alone."

"What happened, Harry?" Tonks asked lowly, and Harry shrugged, she looked at Hermione, "Hermione didn't say much in the couple of minutes we had."

"I still don't know, Tonks," Harry said darkly, moving back towards the pile of Death Eaters he had collected while he was waiting for relief, "None of these guys are even in the second or third tier, let alone one of the heavy hitters. So I doubt it was really any kind of ambush...and they really didn't have enough here to reasonably think they could take us, we outnumbered them. From what I've gathered, not having time to really talk to Neville, they just ran across them, and it was sheer bad luck that the girls got hit."

"There is a small enclave of Wizards about five klicks from here," Tonks said thoughtfully, "Not big enough to be a village, only about four houses, but at least one, the Duttas, are members of Arthur's faction, it probably was a terror hit you interrupted."

A crack of sound came from behind them and the trio spun with their wands already glowing, only to lower them as they found Seamus, Dean and Padma standing over a short, grubby-looking man in Death Eater robes. Padma was bleeding from a scalp wound, but looked oddly pleased as she flicked her wand and watched as the Death Eater was tied to a tree. "How's Parvati?" she asked immediately. Harry waved over to her right and watched as she sprinted over to her sister and dove to her knees next to her.

Harry looked at the two boys, questioning them without a word. "The other one's dead, Harry," Seamus reported quietly, "he tried to go head to head with Kali there," his voice a mixture of pride and anguish. Harry nodded. "We caught up to both of them around Bristol, they didn't try to hide their destination; the trace was easy enough to follow."

Harry nodded again and stalked over to their captive. The Death Eater looked at him, and his eyes opened wide, and he gulped heavily, though if it was because of who was glaring at him from only a half meter away, or the fact that two of them had eyes that were glowing in the dimness under the trees, quite independent from the various wandlights, was not clear. Most likely it was a combination of the two. "What were you doing here?" Harry asked flatly, "I don't have Veritaserum with me, and you do not want me to take the information from your mind."

"We can't be interrogated, Potter," the unnamed Death Eater shot back weakly, "The Dark Lord..."

"You had better hope not, mate," Harry replied softly, "If that is really the case, I think I will step back a touch. Could you explain to him, Love," Harry asked without looking back at her, "what happens to those Tommy doesn't want to talk?"

"First," Hermione said silkily, "they experience excruciating pain as the charm destroys their minds. Their Mark then erupts in flames, spreading rapidly along their bodies and engulfing them in seconds. They are ash in instants." The Death Eater's eyes widened, obviously he had not known. "But," Hermione gave him a bleak smile, "since you are only a minion and a not very important one at that, I seriously doubt he bothered."

"Still doesn't give me a reason."

"If you turn evidence on other Death Eaters, your sentence can be communed, to something much lighter, perhaps only a year in the Ministry cells," Tonks put in, "Instead of Azkaban or the Headsman...that is really your only choice, talk and hope you don't die, or know that you'll either be dead or insane..."

Harry glanced over at Tonks and shared a quick glance with Hermione, Azkaban doesn't have the Dementors... she gave a mental shrug as the Death Eater slumped.

"We were supposed to hit a house belonging to some Dutta bloke, it was my and Stimpson's initiation," he replied after a second's reflection.

"Thank you," Harry said softly and a red bolt snapped across from his wand, stunning the Death Eater.

"I have them ready to transport, Harry," Poppy called from out of the darkness, he nodded and watched as Hermione immediately went over and levitated a softly cursing Ron over to slowly float down next to Padma. Poppy immediately conjured cords tying Luna to Ron, Parvati to Padma and Lavender to Neville. All of the conscious wizards and witches crowded in as Harry held up a small gold ball.

PORTUS, the group vanished in a whirl of color and a rush of wind.

***************************Ireland******************************

May 2, 1998.
1:55 am

Remus looked up from the paperback copy of The Hobbit he was reading by the light of a single candle when the door to the bedroom, into which the errant pair had vanished several hours ago, opened with a soft squeak. He touched the book with his wand and it vanished. "You need to get back, Ginny," Draco's voice said urgently from the end of the hall as he walked out into the hall, still looking back into the bedroom. Ginny followed him out, her hair in disarray and an oddly happy smile on her face. Lupin fought the urge to roll his eyes as she reached up to put her arms around Draco's neck.

"Do I have to..." Ginny broke off with a squeak as her eyes found Lupin looking at them over his clasped hands. "Professor..."

"Mr...Black is correct, Miss Weasley," Remus said coldly as he stood and moved slowly down the hall, stopping a meter from them. "You do need to get back, please come with me," he said softly but firmly. Remus grabbed her elbow lightly, but with the promise that he could turn his grip to one of steel in a wink, and started to pull her along with him. "I will return first thing in the morning, Mr. Black, please have your effects packed, you will be moving to a new safe house. I hope that you both enjoyed yourselves--it will be the last for the foreseeable future." Ginny looked back at Draco with tears in her eyes, he shook his head and gave her a small smirk as Lupin turned away for an instant and touched his wand to a teakettle causing it to turn blue and shake before settling back down. "For the record, Mr. Black," Lupin said quietly as he looked back and regripped Ginny's elbow, "If Potty doesn't win, your chances of outliving him are bleak, both you and hers, I hope that you know that, good day, Mr. Black." Lupin touched the kettle and vanished in a fall of color, leaving Draco standing alone.

"I know, you fucking half-breed," Draco snarled and spun on his heel, pacing back to the bedroom and slamming it behind him.

*******************************Hogwarts*****************************

4:15 am

Harry stood with his head against the cool, dark marble of the shower and stared unseeing at the grain. Drops of water sleeted from his hair causing a small waterfall in front of his eyes, but he did not see, only Luna's wide eyes as she looked up at him in terror as she waited for Poppy to arrive to help Ron. Harry took a step back, until his back hit the back wall and slid to the floor of the shower on his bum. He closed his eyes, watching as slightly altered events from the previous week played out...Him being too late, of Hermione not playing attention and not realizing that it really wasn't him and finding her battered corpse, sprawled half-naked on the tattered carpet of the Library. Of Ginny lying in the center of the pitch looking sightlessly up at the sky, of Ron and Parvati dead because Poppy just happened to not be available to patch them up...

Harry... Hermione called quietly in his thoughts.

Harry just sent a wordless reply; he felt her sigh and the glass door slid open a moment later. She stood and looked at him for a long minute, deciding, then without a pause, she stripped quickly and knelt between him and the far wall.

Hermione pulled his head up from his knees and forced him to look her in the eyes, kissing him gently and brushing wet hair out of his eyes. She pulled his head down against her breast and kissed the top of his hair, leaving her lips there, as she breathed slowly in and out. She settled back, not even flinching as his arms wrapped around her a touch too tight for comfort and squashed her against him, nor could she reliably tell which one of them was trembling slightly...probably both.

There you go...they got away lightly...next chapter, a trip to London among other things.

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48. One For the Money, Two For the Show...

Here we go....Thanks as usual for Lady Starlight's work on this chapter.
Chapter 48: One for the Money, Two for the....
******************************Hogwarts***************************

May 6, 1998.
10:20 am

Hermione Potter looked up at a projection of a relatively small, at least compared to Hogwarts, triangular keep that floated in the air above her and Harry's couch. She glanced back at the sleeping form curled protectively around her, as she in turn lay curled like a cat on top of the red and gold comforter. She scooted back slightly, and let out a small, barely audible sound as Harry tightened his arms around her automatically, pulling her even closer to him.

Hermione looked down at her watch, and very faintly felt guilty that she, and Harry by extension, were not in Potions. But not guilty enough to wake him from his sleep, the first real sleep that either of them had gotten since the weekend and the near disastrous mission to search for a Horcrux that was not there. She turned her head enough to kiss his shoulder, pushing aside his t-shirt just enough with her lips to catch skin and turned back to the projection of the site that was hers, Harry's and the remnant of Dumbledore's, best bet as to the location of the last Horcrux exclusive of Nagini.

Hermione moved one finger, causing the rotation of the image to stop and slowly start to move in the other direction. She yawned and closed her eyes for a beat, then fought to stay awake and working on the puzzle. "Go to sleep, Love," Harry muttered groggily, and Hermione rolled in his arms to face him.

She reached up to sweep her hair out of her face and looked into his eyes that were oddly naked and intense without his lenses to dampen the effect. "I thought you were sleeping, baby," she whispered and snuggled into his shoulder, molding her front to his.

"You weren't," Harry replied simply; as his hands slipped under the hem of her shirt in the back to cradle her lower back.

"Sorry," Hermione whispered and closed her eyes. A long, quiet ten minutes passed, as both of them dozed off, letting their minds and souls intertwine lazily. Distantly, Hermione heard a soft hooting sound come from the bedside table, "Oh...sod it," Hermione muttered as she pried open her eyes and looked across at her mirror which was flashing and emitting a call tone that she had thought cute at the time she had assigned it, but now thought rather annoying. Harry stirred behind her, and she reached back and patted his arm, "I got it, Harry."

Hermione slipped from the bed, straightened her t-shirt and summoned the mirror to her hand. She flipped it open and paced to the window, to look down at several first years trying to pass a flying exam. She looked down at Ron's face in the mirror, he smirked slightly, "Bloody hell, woman, could your hair get any wilder?"

Hermione glared at him and set the mirror down on the window seat before reaching up to pull her hair back into a tail and magically bind it back, "At least I don't look like a giant Puffskein when I get up, Ronald," Hermione growled back, adding a rude gesture for good measure. "What do you want, Ron? And aren't you supposed to be in Potions?" she asked in a slightly more pleasant tone.

"Slughorn only assigned a Hydration Draught, I had it done in an hour," Ron replied, shrugging. "Remus wants to discuss what to do with, Draco," his voice hardened as he said the name, "and..." he shrugged in the mirror.

Hermione looked back towards Harry, his eyes were open and looking at her, though fuzzily she knew, without his glasses, "Feed him to Fluffy, Ron, we don't care really," she replied without turning from Harry. She frowned as he stood and paced over to her, stretching slightly as he came. He kissed her cheek, and glanced down to the mirror.

"We'll meet you presently," Harry's voice was rough from sleep, as he pushed his hair from his eyes. He blinked heavily, and squinted at his watch, "It's ten-thirty, meet you in the Room of Requirement in an half hour," he looked across at Hermione as she moved towards the bathroom and tossed her shirt in the general direction of the hamper, "make that forty-five minutes."

***********************Room of Requirement, Hogwarts*********************
11:17 am

The Room of Requirement, as it often did these days, had manifested a comfortable, smaller rendition of the Gryffindor Common Room, complete with ragged, comfortable overstuffed couches and chairs and a fire burning merrily in the corner, though no heat came from the flames.

In this comfortable space, four people sat, waiting on two more, as they prepared to determine the fate of another, and by extension the fate of still one more. Ron looked up for a moment, from the plate he had balanced on his lap, to look across at Remus and Tonks as the sat together, bent forward to eat off the plates set on a coffee table in front of them, since they, like Ron would not have time to eat due to classes. Luna sat next to him, sipping from a mug of tea, not eating.

"I thought we had decided to move Draco," Harry said as soon as the door closed, as he paced from the entrance on his way through to the couch. Harry sat down next to Ron, and waited as Hermione sat next to him, "And that we were going to pretend, publicly, anyway that Ginny never left to go...visit."

"We did, Harry," Remus replied, looking at Tonks, she nodded, "at least according to Ginny's status, for several reasons, political if nothing else we can't publicly acknowledge that she left, as that would lead to uncomfortable questions about just where she went. Arthur's administration can't afford the scandal that would ensue, not now."

Hermione looked at him, and stood abruptly, pacing over to the false window that currently showed a view of the Black Lake. The squid was waving to a group of third years, who were watching it and making notes. "Merlin knows that I am not Ginny's biggest fan, she tried to steal my husband, she attacked me, and other things...and I am definitely not an admirer of Draco's," she shrugged and glanced at Harry, "but I'm not about to say who she can or can't see...and I am not comfortable with defining the issue in whether or not it affects political realities."

"We can't afford to ignore them, Hermione," Tonks replied and looked up and back at her, twisting in her seat to look at her, "the situation is too tenuous."

Remus and Harry looked at each other and frowned slightly, Ron looked to them, back at Luna, she was looking intently at her ring and moving it so it caught the light, and then towards Hermione. "He's an evil wanker, Remus, and it makes me sick inside, but she made her choice. She'd not going to stop, she's too damn stubborn," Ron shrugged, "I may not understand her anymore, but I do know that."

"It's not like she has to wait forever," Tonks said exasperatedly, pulling at her hair slightly.

Hermione spun on her heel and raised one eyebrow, "Tonks, you might as well be my sister, but don't be a hypocrite, honestly." Tonks started to sputter, and Hermione shook her head, "I'm sorry, Tonks, but we both know how you acted last year and how utterly buggered up I was, part of that was Ginny's doing, but part of it was that I was scared out of my mind. She's scared, Tonks, that and randy as all hell, but scared nonetheless. She had her illusions ripped from her, and found a new anchor." Hermione looked at Harry, she held his eyes, a flicker of light from the atmospheric fire glinted off Harry's glasses, "Of course she's going to fight to keep it, she loves the 'colossal wanker' as Ron calls him, quite elegantly. I don't know if she really does, but I know the lengths that I'd go to if you tried to keep me from Harry, and quite frankly, there aren't enough of you to do that."

Remus sighed, "We aren't talking about you and Harry, Hermione. This is totally different."

"It's not really, Moony," Harry replied, watching as Hermione gave him a small smile. She leaned back against the window, and put her hands in her front pockets, hunching her shoulders slightly. "Not in the relevant point, anyway. It doesn't matter who or what Draco is, or was, she's going to do it again, you know that even the Fidelius may not be enough to hide him from her."

"That's just an old Witches' tale, Harry...even if she really does love him, the Fidelius is invulnerable unless the Secret Keeper gives it up," Tonks retorted.

"No, it's not..." Luna interrupted softly, drawing every eye to her, "The Fidelius is the spell of Loyalty, it is a two way defensive ward that builds on the loyalty of one party to another; if either breaks faith; it fails." Luna watched Harry, who steadfastedly watched Hermione. "Love is the basis of the foundation of the ultimate loyalty or the ultimate betrayal. It is the one thing that can tear that spell asunder."

"You aren't going to start with that locked door in the Department of Mysteries, nonsense are you, Luna?" Tonks asked tiredly. "It's just a door..."

"When Dumbledore told me about the Prophesy," Harry said softly, cutting across the two women's' voices. Hermione vanished in a flicker of psuedomotion, and reappeared next to Harry. She sat next to him, and pulled her feet up onto the edge of the seat, and looked over to Harry. One of her hands fell to Harry's thigh and stayed there as he took a breath, "He told me about the door, Tonks, it's real. You know it is. I have to believe it is."

Remus looked at each of them, "All of this doesn't answer what to do with them, with Ginny, and Draco."

Harry stood and pulled Hermione to his feet. "Ginny stays here, at least until the end of the year, when we'll have to evaluate the situation again anyway," he answered Lupin after a few minutes, his voice hardening a touch. "Draco...do as you think best, Moony, if you think it's best we can hide him at Grimmauld, I would rather not, but if it's necessary, I will. Or, conversely, we can just stick him and Ginny in one of the married quarters here and get it over with. Right now, she's just lucky that's she more or less an estranged sister, than anything to me."

******************Room of Requirement**************************

8:20 pm

"REDUCTO," Ron roared, a shimmering blue bolt of blue ripped from his wand, shattering a wall that two, dark-cloaked forms hid behind. He dove and rolled to his right, just as a pair of answering green spells snapped back across where his head had been only an instant before. Ron stood, deflecting a curse into the ceiling, lost somewhere far above his head, and swirled his wand.

A thin cyclone picked up the Death Eater and flung him against the wall. He slid down with a soft dragging sound as Ron took two steps left and deflected a curse from the remaining Death Eater. It shot to his right, cratering the wall next to the door just as it opened and a lithe form slipped in. She crooked a single, chestnut eyebrow and watched as Ron snapped his wand, a silver jet shot out and the last Death Eater crumpled.

"It's not the safest thing, to duel with the safeties off, alone," Hermione mentioned as she hopped up on a convenient table and sat, watching as he flicked his wand, vanishing the conjured opponents and the rough battleground the room had summoned. She picked at a hole in the knee of her jeans, "Are you alright, Ron?" she asked, looking up at him. She waved over an empty spot on the table next to her and watched as a pair of water bottles appeared. She tossed one to Ron, observing the seemingly slow arc of the bottle as it fell to his hand.

He caught it, and started to twist it in his hand. "Never better," he replied softly, and Hermione rolled her eyes. He sat down next to her and looked forward, watching his hands for a moment. "Where's Harry?" he asked with an unconvincing brightness to his tone.

Hermione's eyes glassed over for a moment, "He's down in the kitchens, talking to Dobby," she replied very quietly as she flushed at some other comment Harry had sent along. Her eyes cleared, as Ron turned away to hide a smile. It faded as Hermione looked over at him, "She's an adult, more or less, Ron, you knew this was going to happen eventually," she said knowingly.

He sighed and took a drink of his water, "I know, Hermione...but Draco Malfoy?" He groaned, "He's a wanker, he's from a family of wankers and you should have let me kill him at Spinner's End or Grimmauld."

"He didn't kill Dumbledore, Ron," she replied patiently, though inside she agreed with him, more or less anyway, "We don't know that he actually did anything worthy of that."

"Oh...I don't know, treason might count," he hissed and stood, chucking his water bottle the length of the room to shatter on the stones of the far wall. He watched the water drip slowly down the wall, before spinning back to look at Hermione, "He tried to kill the Minister, Hermione, and even if he didn't actually kill Dumbledore he was damn sure complicit in the attempt."

"That's a big word, Ron," Hermione teased.

"Don't try to pick a fight with me, Hermy," Ron snapped back, and froze as Hermione took a breath and the very air seemed to freeze in the room. She pushed off of the table and slowly walked towards him, stopping a single stride from him.

"Don't start your 'I'm stressed so I'll start a fight with Hermione' shit with me, either, Ronald," Hermione replied very flatly. "I don't have time for it. Your little sister found a prick to ride and seems to be enjoying it. Deal with it. You aren't her father, Ron; you are her brother. She's a big girl, she's as much as declared herself one, she wants to play for the stakes we play for, then she should be ready for the consequences. Her arse would be in Azkaban now if we weren't hiding the truth. Or worse." She scrubbed at her eyes, turning her back on him, "Ron," she said tiredly, "there has been more than once when actions we have undertaken could be considered crimes."

"True," he admitted softly, his eyes apologized as he looked back at her, not meeting her eyes as she still was staring fixedly at the door. "How long until Harry gets here to kick my arse?"

Hermione laughed, "I told him I was alright, no worries."

"Thanks, know-it-all."

"You're welcome, insufferable prat."

Ron laughed, and watched as Hermione slowly turned back to him, still smiling slightly. He took a deep breath, "Are you scared, Hermione?"

"I'm bloody fucking terrified, Ron," Hermione said instantly, her eyes flicking to the ground and back up. She shrugged, "But we're dealing, why?"

He shrugged and looked away from her. "Ever since I've been eleven, I've followed Harry. I've gone into places knowing I was going to die, and I still went, because I knew that what we were trying to do, was right, and that I had no doubt that we'd win through in the end...This time, I'm not going alone, Hermione..." Ron re-sheathed his wand and started towards the door to the hall. He held it open for her, waiting as she passed before falling in at her side, Hermione looked up at him, and he nodded absently.

"She's not going to leave you, Ron," Hermione muttered. "We've talked about this."

"I know, and I love her for it," he stopped and turned to her. She watched his eyes settle to hers, "I just don't want it to cost her...It's going to get worse before it gets better isn't it?"

She bit her lip, wanting to lie to him, and knowing that he knew better, "I can't imagine that it won't, Ron." Hermione reached out and patted him on the arm, "If you need to talk, I'll be there."

"I know...I'm going to try to find Luna," Ron replied. Hermione nodded and vanished between breaths. "Show off," he muttered as he started towards the hidden entrance to Ravenclaw.

**************************Riddle Manor******************************
May 10, 1998.
8:25 am

Voldemort smiled, a chilling, lipless smile, but a smile nonetheless, as he rose from his bed, leaving behind his pets, and wrapped a robe around a bone-white frame. He looked back as a long, dark serpent slithered to the floor, flowing down a bedpost to curl at his feet.

A sudden chill filled the almost dark room, lit by only a few blood-red candles, as he looked back at the second form, still slumbering in his bed. Bellatrix was lying on her side, facing him, as she curled protectively around her belly. A quiet moan escaped her sleeping lips as he reached forward, lightly running skeletal fingers over her bare stomach. His fingers trailed upward, running lightly along a swollen breast, before he curled them into to fist and pulled his hand back into his robes. Soon, he thought, soon, all will be ready, Potter will be dead, and my immortality will be assured...

"Come, Nagini," he commanded, straightening and heading towards the door, "There are preparations to be had." The snake looked up at him and hissed for a long minute, he nodded, "Yes, I will allow you to eat Wormtail after Potter is dead...perhaps we will even make a sport of it."

*************************Ministry of Magic********************************

11:20 am

A thin figure wrapped tightly in a dark cloak, its hood pulled up to hide its features from casual observation, slipped from the shadows of a nearly building and walked to a dilapidated telephone box. With barely a look at the Muggles passing by, she stepped inside and dialed the old, broken rotary phone she found there.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic," a pleasant, but bored-sounding voice filled the air inside the booth. "Please state your name and purpose for your visit."

A long pause and then, with a very soft voice, "Narcissa Mal...Black to see the Minister of Magic on personal business." Her heart beat in her chest for a long, endless minute as the phone seemed to digest that information. Then with a soft clatter, a brass nametag with: "Narcissa Black, personal business", dropped into the change tray.

"Please wear the visitor's badge at all times. All wands must be registered at the Security Desk, at the far end of the Atrium...Have a nice day and welcome to the Ministry of Magic."

The box started to sink into the ground with a grinding clatter, passing past pipes, power lines, a flash of light from something, and through old dirt until it shuttered to a clattering stop. The door to the disguised lift popped open and Narcissa slipped out, just before it started back up again, no doubt called by another visitor. She pulled her hood more forward and started warily towards the small desk at the far end of the Atrium between her and the lifts.

She barely glanced over at a work-wizard doing something to the Fountain of Magical Brethren. He seemed to be trying to clean out the waterspout from the centaur's arrow as she passed, her head down. He muttered something into a tiny crystal set on his collar as she stopped next to the Security Desk. A bored-looking fair-haired man, in deep blue robes looked up at her, "Your wand, please..."

Narcissa hesitated, just for an instant, before slowly reaching for her wand. She leaned forward, to hand it to the guard, when a huge hand covered hers, neatly stripping her wand from her. It vanished as if by magic as she stiffened, and a deep voice boomed quietly in her ear, "I will take that, Narcissa." Kingsley Shacklebolt looked at the guard, "We were never here, Erik." The guard nodded slowly as Kingsley covertly took her elbow and moved her towards a small, unmarked private lift set in a secluded alcove from the others.

An irresistible force set her into the lift, the doors closed and it started to rattle upwards. "I admit, I was slightly impressed, Narcissa. You just vanished after we let you go," he smiled darkly, even white teeth glinting, "Did you suss out we were wanting you to lead us to Voldemort?"

"I'm not stupid, Kingsley," she snapped quietly, "I was ready to vanish, I set up resources separate from my...husband's years ago." The lift clattered to a stop, and Kingsley led her down a small hallway, and through a concealed door into Arthur's office.

The Weasley patriarch appeared tired as he looked up, his blue eyes shot with red as he took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. His hair seemed even thinner these days, as did his body, but his posture was straight as he looked across the room. A Defensive Ward established itself, as he clasped his hands in front of him, and watched her for a long moment. "You wished to see me, Narcissa?" he asked, his voice pleasant. "I can not imagine what for, you have to know you are up for a long drop on the end of a short rope."

She frowned, "I wish to make a deal, Arthur."

Arthur looked at Shacklebolt, he just shrugged, "I see no reason for either myself, personally, or the Ministry, to offer you such, Narcissa." Arthur reached forward, and took a sip from the coffee at his elbow. He did not offer any to her as he sat back in his dark leather desk chair, "I have come to understand that you are on the run from both sides...just like your son, if I am not mistaken."

"You are," Narcissa replied, settling into one of Arthur's visitor's chairs without invitation. She crossed her legs as Kingsley left the room silently at a gesture from Arthur, he waggled Narcissa's wand in his fingers and Arthur gave him a terse nod. "And you know it. I know that your forces have my son. I want his freedom guaranteed at the end of this, and I will walk out of this office to vanish for a time, until after...if you win, I will return from a sojourn on the continent, and regain my status as Lady Malfoy...with my, late, husband's monies restored to me."

"No," Arthur replied simply, Narcissa started to snap a response, and he cut her off with a raised hand, "First, I cannot even if I wanted to, restore your status as Lady Malfoy. The Head of House Black repudiated it. You married under the old laws, Harry's word is final...there may be some leeway with the monies and properties, but I still see absolutely nothing in it for me or the Ministry."

"I know where the Dark Lord will gather his forces for his next, major, strike, and when..." she interrupted, Arthur crooked an eyebrow, "I still have my sources within his ranks, there are still those who owe me or my husband." She took a breath, "You have a personal stake in this as well..."

"Besides the general one, that all sane individuals have to see that your former master is spread to the four winds," Arthur said tightly, "I can't imagine what."

Narcissa smiled thinly, she leaned back in her chair, "Besides the fact that, what is the term they use these days," she cocked her head slightly, "oh, yes. Besides the fact that my son is shagging your daughter..."

Arthur sputtered and stood from his chair, he took a breath, calming himself, "Even if that is true..."

"It is, my late husband had several...charms placed on my son, to ensure the purity of the Malfoy line...I know the means of monitoring them. They have even been together, recently...and as I know, that your wayward daughter has returned to Potter's protection at Hogwarts, Draco is either at Hogwarts, or at a location known to them." She smiled faintly, "You should be proud actually, Arthur, your daughter has-traded up. While Potter, like father, like son, I suppose." She waved vaguely at the walls, "It would be such a bother if certain rumors of the Minister's daughter sleeping with an accused Death Eater were to hit the press..."

"I would be careful, Narcissa, Miss Granger will most likely be your Mistress of House Black, very soon." Arthur mentioned conversationally. "And as to the your threat...If I don't agree, what, you have evidence ready to go to the Prophet of my daughter's affair? Some bit of information that will be released to the press automatically if you don't send some signal?" Narcissa's jaw dropped slightly, Arthur chuckled darkly, an odd sound from him, "Surprised-Narcissa, your husband used the exact same method for the last twenty years, to keep him mostly out of Azkaban. It did not save him in the end, however."

Arthur stood from his chair and walked to the window, which was once again showing a pastoral scene of the Burrow from a much simpler time. "Let me make a counter-offer," he said after a moment without turning from the window, "Providing that no heinous acts are attributed to you, no murders, no tortures, in other words if we find that you were only acting to keep yourself alive and not reveling in your master's commands like your sister, I will let you vanish after the war. The Aurors will not be sent after you, and you may, try for rehabilitation. Further, and providing the head of House Black has no objections, I will put no obstacles between my daughter and your son, again, providing that he is really rehabilitated. If he is not, if he trying to play some game with us, I will see his head mounted on a pike in my atrium, is that clear?" He did not turn to see her slow nod.

He took a breath and turned around, pacing back to his desk, and leaning against it, "Let me be perfectly clear, Narcissa, I don't care if you release your little aspersions against Ginny. The Prophet has been insulting my family or those I consider as such for longer than your pitiful, half-blood master has been back. They will, most likely be making up things about them, sneaking reporters into their loos, and hiding under their beds long after Harry has removed his head and burned his bones to ash. I wish to see this war over, and with as little damage as possible...So in that vein, tell me what you know, or I will have Kingsley back in here and we will rip it from your mind, and perhaps see if you have been considered a security risk."

Narcissa frowned, her smile long since slipped, "He will gather his forces in Little Hangleton on the twenty third, he means to strike that evening at something, I do not know what...normally he would not have anywhere near this much advance notice, but what this is, is huge..."

"Thank you," Arthur replied. He touched an inconspicuous stud on his blotter, and Kingley reentered along with another plain-clothed Auror. "They will take you, Narcissa, we will hide you until it is time for you to vanish or to stand trial..." The plain-clothed Auror took Narcissa away by a hidden passage and Arthur looked to Kingsley as the door closed, "You heard?"

"Yes, I will get started on a way to get the forces gathered here that morning covertly." Shacklebolt glanced at the picture behind Arthur's desk of the kids at the Burrow, "Should we notify the Hogwarts group, Potter's DA is a significant force..."

"No," Arthur's face took on a sudden look of pain, "In fact, Remus and Tonks are not to know either. We will attack to disrupt the strike, and if we are lucky, end this war, if we fail, then it will truly, all be up to Harry and his friends-"

Kingsley turned to leave, but stopped at the door, "Molly doesn't know about Ginny and Draco, does she, old friend?"

Arthur smiled ruefully, "No, she probably still has hopes that Ginny will get back with Harry."

"I think Mrs. Potter might have something to say about that."

"She might," Arthur agreed drolly, "I am hoping that it is an infatuation with Ginny, but I'm afraid that is more, or at least they think it is."

********************Knockturn Alley, London**********************

11:20 pm

A young woman strode purposefully down the center of the dark and cluttered street. Dark brown eyes occasionally flicked to the sides, catching the eyes of hags, crooks and thieves. At each occasion, they slipped back into the deep shadows cast by a pitiful few unbroken gas lamps, dropping their eyes and moving away. She continued on, stepping over an unconscious drunk wizard in the street, idly making sure she did not step on his head or the greenish-orange puddle to one side of his head.

With a soft sigh of exasperation, she turned a corner and started down a slightly narrower side street, passing a large, red-lit building. Several witches, each in less than what the woman had on under her ripped jeans and dragonhide jacket, stood in windows or walked around the front of the building listlessly, occasionally calling out to the passerby. A large wizard in shabby, filthy robes slipped from his post, leaning next to the brothel, and cut her off, intersecting her course ably.

He moved towards her, as she stopped and looked up at him, towering over her even though she was a respectable 5'6" or so. He smiled, revealing white teeth stained with the residue of some potion, "What do you say that you and me go up to my room lass, I expect that we could go all night...You look like you know how to..."

"Not interested," she said flatly, her soprano hard. She pushed past him, and spun out of his hand as he reached out to grab her elbow.

"Not that fast, luv," he laughed, and reached for her again...

A brief flicker of movement and he slowly collapsed to the ground, his eyes rolled up in his head. The woman looked down at him for an instant, before shrugging her jacket straight and moving on. Behind her, as she moved down the street, the entertainers descended on the downed wizard like a flock of vultures stripping him of any valuables and leaving him lying in the street.

Hermione did not look back, only sighed very slightly as she finally caught sight of where her reluctant meeting for tonight was theoretically taking place. A large dragon's claw, burnt and blackened, hung from a pole, with the words, "The Dragon's Clippings", vaguely visible in red on it. She pushed through the door, and stopped, letting her eyes adjust to the slightly brighter light inside. An instant hush filled the pub as patrons regarded the newcomer warily.

Conversation restarted slowly as she picked her way across the dimly lit bar, stepping around a table of succubi, who she could feel reaching out to her. She turned as a flicker of power snapped back across the gap, and they seemed to shrink on themselves, their appearances morphing to small, withered crones as she moved on.

Hermione sat, finally, in a dark corner booth, across from a group of vampires and several meters from a five-person game of Wizarding Poker and waited. She looked up as a man in dingy green robes asked for her order, "Firewhisky...in a clean glass," she replied, her eyebrow crooking slightly. He nodded and moved off, and a moment later a small tumbler filled with an amber liquid arrived. She took a sip and shuddered slightly. Tell me again, love of my life, exactly why I am the one at this table, drinking this absolutely ghastly rotgut?

Because, everyone knows me, Harry responded as he slipped from shadow to shadow outside. He waited as the door opened as a regular slipped into the night, and he slid into the room, invisible. He took a position in a dark corner, watching her and waited. And you are just so bloody sexy when you are in your arse-kicking togs...

Hermione licked her lips and sat the tumbler back down on the table, and pushed it away. He tried to kill me last time, Harry, Hermione muttered, sighing. She looked down at her watch, Where the bloody hell is he?

Who knows, Harry growled. Hermione nodded, seemingly to herself and returned to waiting, and wishing absently for a book, or even an interesting menu to read, anything other than the random graffiti extolling the virtues of a witch named Gretta, carved into the top of the old scarred table. The door opened, and a bundle of rags shambled in, in the company of a middle-aged witch who looked oddly nervous as she looked around the room. Don't kill him, Mione-Remember he won't remember that he tried to kill you, we Obliviated him, remember?

That was a truly excessive number of 'remembers', Harry, Hermione teased, almost smiling before her face became perfectly impassive as she met Mundungus' beady eyes across the room, We're on, Hermione whispered and Harry nodded invisibly, watching as Mundungus sat down across the booth from Hermione. The witch sat down with him reluctantly, as if she were afraid of catching something.

"'Ello, lass," Mundungus said cheerfully and motioned to the bartender. A large tankard of a faintly glowing viscous drink appeared a moment later and he took a long appreciative drink.

"Does she have it?" Hermione said, watching the woman closely. Her eyes cut over to Mundungus as he pulled his pipe from somewhere deep in his robes and started to stuff it with a foul-smelling concoction, "Light it, and I will turn you into a mouse, and feed you to the nearest Kneazle." The unknown witch smiled slightly as Hermione looked across the table.

"I have it," she pulled a small, tattered notebook from her robes, and set it on the table. Hermione made a small continue gesture, and she sighed. "The notebook is from my father...It may have information on the place that you were interested in...do you have the money?"

"Perhaps," Hermione extemporized as she slowly panned her gaze around the area, making sure that no one was paying particular attention to them, "Tell me about it." Neither Mundungus or the still unknown witch noticed as a fourth, invisible presence joined them, and a invisible ward flashed into existence guarding their conversation from any whom they had not noticed.

The witch looked to each side, then at Hermione, "I never talked to you," she said quickly, Hermione nodded, "Thirty--forty years ago, my father and a few others went to a place...there had been rumors for years at the time that a great battle had been fought there, but the Ministry, several ministries in fact, denied that anything had ever happened there..." She tapped the book, "They had gone there looking for artifacts or something they could sell, there are always those who will pay for things like that, especially objects enchanted or used by one of the powerful wizards, especially one of the dark ones."

"That's all well and good," Mundungus interrupted, "but I have deals to be on with...I want my cut, Granger."

Hermione turned her head to regard him coldly, "You will get your cut, Fletcher, unless I decide that it would be easier to announce publicly that you're a member of Dumbledore's Order..."

"They are all gone, lass, and I'm more important to both sides..."

Hermione took a deep breath, and glanced in Mundungus' direction. His vocal cords froze and his eyes widened as they were they only thing on his body able to move. "Please continue without the interruption," Hermione said pleasantly to the witch. Mundungus visibly tried to break the spell, and stopped abruptly as the tip of an invisible wand jutted into the soft place behind his ear.

The witch looked to the side nervously then continued on, "A group of ten of them went in that place...only he came out, and my mother said he was never the same since. He never talked about it, not really. This is his journal," she slid it across the table, Hermione reached out and placed two fingers on it, "first, the price...A thousand Galleons..."

Hermione lifted her hand and leaned back in the seat, "A rather high price for an old journal."

"You wouldn't be here if you weren't interested in it, I need the money...I'm vanishing."

"We can help you with that," Hermione mentioned, "we have access to certain...resources." She turned her head at a crash as the poker table tipped, a silver flash snapped and one of the players crumpled. She flicked her wrist under the table, and her wand dropped into her hand. Not our job, Harry, not tonight.

Fifteen seconds, Harry replied, that's all it'd take...but yeah, he muttered as someone dragged the dead or injured wizard outside. The table was reset, and the remaining players split the fifth's winnings.

"I'd rather have the money, girl," the witch replied as she looked around the room again. She watched as the door opened to the night and two more figures with their hoods pulled up and forward to hide their faces came into the pub and crossed to the bar. "Either pay me or..."

Hermione reached into a pocket of her jacket and palmed a moneybag. She slid it into the witches' hand, and took the book, sliding it inside her jacket. Hermione stood and reached into a pocket of her jeans, finding several Sickles. She slapped them down on the table in front of Mundungus, "Here's your silver, you've already stolen enough from us to pay for your fee." Mundungus looked as if he wanted to say something, but she ignored him as she turned her back on thief and moved towards the door, tossing a Galleon at the bar as she passed.

Mundungus felt the spell evaporate, and stood rapidly, having felt the wand leave his head. "OI, GRANGER, YOU CHEATED ME!" An immediate silence fell across the room, as the thief stood and pulled a wand from somewhere in his cloak of rags. Hermione vanished, flitting to the side as a chartreuse jet snapped past and charred the wall.

BANG...a small, ragged rat appeared where the thief and occasional traitor had been. A half-dozen wands came up to point at her. "Granger...there's a reward out on her," one of them whispered, loudly. Hermione waved her hand across her body, catching four Stunners and at least one Full-Body Bind on her shield. The wizards and single witch increased their fire, pouring spellfire toward Hermione. "The Dark Lord wants her, she's worth a fortune," another cried as more, including the entire poker-playing table, started in on firing at her.

Hermione vanished. The spell fire stopped after another minute as the patrons of the bar looked around dazedly. The poker table looked around...The tallest of the four, crumpled, spinning to the ground, as a silver jet shot from nowhere, dropping a second. A soft, almost inaudible rasp of a boot on the dirty floor came from behind another and a third across the room dropped, gasping, as an invisible fist cracked his trachea. His neighbor fell a heartbeat later, as a steel pommel tapped him behind the ear, just as the other two at the poker table fell as red beams flickered out of the air, to drop them.

A patch of air shimmered, and Hermione returned to view, next to the bar, standing over the unconscious forms of five would-be ransomers. Half a second later, the air wavered across the room and Harry stepped out of nowhere, and tapped one of the card players slumped over the table with his wand. He looked around the bar and, except for a small rat that scurried out a hole even as he watched and the frightened informer, there were only the nine unconscious, unfortunate souls that had had dreams of grandeur, and had rapidly learned their error. Harry met Hermione's eyes from across the room and shrugged, watching as she stepped over and around the overturned tables.

Hermione stopped next to Harry, and rolled her head around on her neck, popping it loudly, before she turned just her head and looked over at the booth where she had been. The informer was still sitting there, looking around fearfully. "You have about five minutes, even here, before someone calls the MLE, and probably about a half hour before they show." She nodded and scampered from the pub in a rush, tucking her bag of money in her pockets as she went.

Hermione watched her leave, before leaning into Harry, and kissing him quickly. Hermione turned around and leaned back as she reached around under her jacket and unclipped her mirror from her belt. "Kingsley," she muttered and waited for several minutes before the mirror swirled and filled with the face of the Auror.

Kingsley yawned and wiped his eyes, "I do hope that you aren't calling for a social call, Hermione, what's up?"

"Can you send a clean up crew to the Dragon's Clippings?" Hermione said a tad sheepishly as she looked around the pub, "We seem to have made a mess."

Kingsley rolled his eyes, "I'm not even going to ask...I'll get a detachment of the London MLE on the case, I don't have any actual Aurors free...Are you two alright?" he added quickly, with just a touch of worry.

"We're fine, Shack," Harry added over Hermione's shoulder, "Kingsley..." he caught Hermione's eyes, as she looked back at him, "Voldemort has a price out on Hermione...probably me too."

"That's-interesting, Harry," he said, thoughtfully, "we'll see what we can get from them, where will you be?"

Harry glanced at Hermione, "We'll be available by mirror, if for some reason you can't get ahold of us...call Remus or Tonks," Harry replied, and Kingsley nodded, understanding the subtext of what wasn't said. He nodded, and Hermione closed the mirror. She took Harry's hand and vanished.

**********************Grimmauld Place**************************

1:10 am

Harry looked up as Hermione slid into the room, bearing a pair of mugs in her hands. She crossed the room and settled next to him, as he watched out the window, watching as the house wards shimmered in colors only visible to magic users, and then only visible to those keyed to the wards as small animals moved in and out of them. Hermione pulled her feet up on the couch, and let her head droop back against his shoulder. "Can't sleep either?"

Harry smiled softly, idly tracing his fingers in small circles on the stripe of exposed skin at her waist between her ridden-up t-shirt and sleep pants, "I haven't really slept though the night since fourth year, Mione, you know that...Unless you are there, of course," he added with just a trace of a leer.

"Sorry, Harry," Hermione whispered, biting her lip as she looked up and back at him. She sat up and moved to the other end of the couch. "Here, Harry," she patted her leg, and smiled slightly as he stretched out with his head in her lap. Hermione held up a hand and caught a large, slightly tattered tome and set it down on the arm of the couch, "I'll read, and you can pretend you're interested, until you fall asleep."

"What are we reading?" Harry muttered as his eyes slipped closed. Hermione reached down and slipped off his glasses, levitating them over to a table with a flick of her fingers.

Hermione watched as her fingers moved through his hair, "Hogwarts, a History, of course."

Harry chuckled, "Of course." He rolled on his side, to face out the window, though his eyes remained closed, "Hermione..."

"We knew I was a target, Harry, just like you are," Hermione replied with a touch of exasperation.

"It's not that, Hermione..." Harry cut her off, "I'm just concerned that he's farming off the job, those are second raters, maybe at the level of neophyte Death Eaters, but not really a threat, not in those numbers, anyway."

"He's marshalling his forces then," Hermione replied, her fingers pausing before restarting again. "We won't be able to stop him, Harry, not without knowing for sure what he's up to...It's a race, Harry, even more now than then." Harry nodded.

"Where do you want to go when this is over, Mione?" Harry asked suddenly, "I've teased that I want to go somewhere warm, but..."

"I'm fine wherever you are, Harry, really," Hermione muttered, and smiled down at him as he turned his head and looked up, opening his eyes and squinting slightly to see her. She bent down, and kissed him, she grinned at him before straightening and resuming her almost absent petting. "Though the idea of a private beach somewhere...that'd be nice."

"I think we could manage that."

A/N: There we go, next chapter, the Grangers come by for a visit, a history lesson, and fancy dress...stay tuned...

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49. Three to Get Ready

A/N: Another chapter along the path, longer AN at the end...Thanks as usual to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter.

Chapter 49: Three to Get Ready
************************Godric's Hollow****************************

May 17, 1998
2:00 pm

Hermione sighed, and leaned against the kitchen counter as Jane, a very, very pregnant Jane, watched her closely. Hermione took a sip of the mug of tea in her hand, swallowing, before she took a absent bite from the cracker in her other hand. "This isn't a casual visit to placate your hormonal mother, is it honey?" Jane asked with a vague touch of humor.

Hermione shrugged, and paced to the back door leading to the back porch overlooking the pitch in the back yard, and in view of a certain hill with a beech tree planted on the top. She pushed the door open, and stepped out into a bright sunlight day. A soft breeze blew off the nearby water, blowing her hair in her face. She pushed it to the side as Jane followed her onto the porch. "No, Mummy," Hermione admitted quietly, "it isn't." She looked up towards the hill; at the dark haired shape she saw kneeling over the white stones that were shaded by the tree.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Jane asked as she moved closer to her daughter, stopping well within arms' reach. Jane looked at her, then up the hill towards her son-in-law, and closed her eyes for an instant, breathing in heavily. "It's time isn't it, Hermione Jane?" Jane took another breath, and grabbed at her stomach as Anastasia took the opportunity to remind her she was here. Or perhaps, just perhaps she was feeling the spike of emotion running though the other Granger women at this moment.

Hermione nodded slowly, and looked up as Roger crept onto the porch almost as silently as she or Harry would have done themselves. "I had to come and see you....both of you," she added as she looked back at Jane. "I don't think that I will be back...before she's born that is..." Hermione did not add the rest, though it was heard perfectly well by everyone on the porch.

"Or at all, Poppet?" Roger added, and shared a look with Jane. He held his arms out, and caught a flying ball of chestnut hair as Hermione launched herself at him. She buried her face in his chest, shaking slightly. She looked up at him, her eyes slightly blank after a long moment of almost tears.

Up on the hill a shadowed figure sat back down heavily. Hermione's eyes cleared, as she looked up at her father, then over at Jane, "We are going to go on one last mission, then...we'll end it. I can't imagine that we'll wait other than to heal whatever injuries we pick up this time, before we go on, wherever He's hiding...we can't afford not to."

"Why can't you, honey?" Jane asked softly, looking over at her husband as Hermione gathered herself and stepped back away from him, to lean against the railing facing them. Roger made a gesture towards Hermione, nodding, already knowing what Hermione's point was.

"Because, Mum..." Hermione looked towards Roger, then her eyes flicked towards the hill, and back. "We can't...every day we wait, more people are killed, tortured...more innocent Muggles and Muggleborns used to entertain, his troops. We can't afford to wait...it's an odd race really," she added as she looked down, her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment, "If we wait...he adds more support, kills more of ours off...but at the same time, Harry and I, not to mention the rest...we get stronger. If we had five, sod it, two years, where we could become more comfortable with our powers, train the rest of the DA, get the Auror ranks rebuilt...But we don't, and we never will." Hermione swallowed heavily, "We are going to win, Mum, Dad, I can't let myself think any other way, for Anna so she can live free, if nothing else, but... I love you both so much," Hermione choked out, as she sped across the distance to Jane and hugged her. She only vaguely noticed as Roger wrapped his arms around both of them.

Hermione broke away after a minute, tears still streaming from her eyes. "I...have to go," she announced, and Jane nodded mutely. Hermione waved one last time and vanished.

The pair still on the porch looked up at the hill as a second figure joined the first, who stood and caught the second in his arms. Jane and Roger watched as Hermione buried her face in Harry's shoulder, and his arms tightened around her as his head fell to meet hers. The pair vanished between two heartbeats without a sound, and down below, Jane spun into Roger's arms, and cried silently.

********************Hogwarts, Room of Requirement*************************

May 20, 1998
9:20 pm

The fully assembled cast of the DA: the entire Gryffindor fourth through seventh years, almost the same of the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, and a few scattered Slytherin outcasts such as Daphne Greengrass who were literally taking their life in their own hands to attend, were packed into the Room of Requirement, at least those who had started their academic careers at Hogwarts. The displaced Beauxbatons students, save for a very few trusted ones, such as the former heads of that destroyed school, were not here, which had taken a tremendously complicated distraction charm by the Hogwarts Head Girl to pull off.

The student members of the DA were not the only ones in attendance tonight, as a subtle sense of anxiety, filled the air. Every Weasley, exclusive of Arthur and Molly, was crowded into the room, along the walls, Fred and George, standing with Angelina and Alicia, talking lowly, with Katie standing next to Fleur, animatedly asking questions about her pregnancy.

The rest of the Order, the few that were left, were standing in a small clump, Remus, Tonks, McGonagall, and a couple of scattered others. Interestingly, a tiny form, standing on a low table, looked around. McGonagall had brought in Flitwick as she thought, as Assistant Headmaster, he should know. He watched, interestedly as one of his Ravenclaws, the one that he thought just might be as bright as the current Head Girl that he had lamented loosing to Gryffindor for seven years now, slid into the room, her hand held tightly in the hand of the youngest male Weasley.

She let go of his hand as her and Ron slipped through the crowds to stand next to another pair standing nearly motionless at the head of the room. Luna bent close to Hermione, and muttered something in her ear. Hermione nodded, and without looking at Hermione or Luna, Harry nodded to her and stepped up onto a low platform.

The low mutter of dozens of conversations died away, as Harry cleared his throat, "Love?" he asked, and Hermione nodded, stepping up next to him and flicking her fingers in the direction of the center of the room. Flitwick's eyes widened as he noticed the casual wandless magic.

"Wewelsburg Castle," Hermione announced as a large, ghostly three-dimensional image of a triangular keep appeared over the heads of the gathered group. A faint murmur came from the direction of McGonagall, and Flitwick as they leaned together. Hermione shared a look with Harry, "For those of you who don't know, which will be many of you as the Ministry actively hid the information, this location was the site where Dumbledore killed Grindelwald on March 31st of nineteen forty five. History, Muggle history, anyway, says that this castle was destroyed on that date, two days before advancing American forces could reach it, when retreating German forces blew it up...The truth is, it was destroyed in the fighting between Dumbledore and Grindelwald and his forces.

"Why are we going to a big ruin then?" Neville asked, his head slightly cocked as he considered the floating image of the castle.

"We aren't" she replied, looking around at each of the folks crowded into the room, "the castle was rebuilt by the Muggles staring in nineteen forty nine, it is fully reconstructed now." She ran her bottom lip through her teeth and held Harry's eyes for a moment. A conversation passed, and he nodded.

"Voldemort left something there, we think, something that he would really rather us not to have," Harry replied and flicked his fingers at the projection. "We do not know, exactly, where it is in the castle, but we do know a bit about what we can expect when we get there."

Hermione nodded, she motioned towards the projection again and several spots in and around the image of the castle suddenly glowed with flaming red X(s). She took a step forward and her wand appeared in her hand from nowhere. A thin red beam shot out of the end, and she used it to start to indicate the spots. "The knowledge we do know comes from a couple of sources. First, a great deal comes about from the journal of an admitted thief, who in the late fifties, went into this castle, which at the time was only partially reconstructed. At that time, he and another nine individuals went in after "supposed treasure". He was the only one to come out alive."

Hermione paused, and let that information sink in. "From that journal, from various descriptions of the, deaths, of his companions, we are estimating right now, that Voldemort set into place multiple traps, that were triggered by magical signatures. We think, from the descriptions," she shared a rueful look with her husband, "and from our own various...experiences..."

Hermione turned as Ron laughed softly, and silently crooked an eyebrow at the blonde standing at his side. Luna frowned and reached up, "OW!" Ron howled as she rapped him smartly on the back of the head. Luna glared at him a moment, as the rest of the Weasleys, even Ginny, chuckled slightly at his discomfiture, before they all turned back to Hermione at her and Luna's joint glares.

"From those bits of knowledge, we have determined, that there is most likely at least some Inferi on site, along with, we believe a Basilisk, from the deaths described of two of the thief's party, and several magically triggered traps of a more mundane pedigree." She flicked the glowing beam around the image and several points flashed. "The rest of what we think we see, we got from Hedwig overflying the castle with a recording orb tied to her leg. From that, we see these rock pillars, here, here, here and here," Hermione moved her pointer to four spots surrounding the castle in a rough square. "These four points mark out a ward boundary. Muggles probably dismissed them as random piles of rocks, but, I think...it's a death ward."

"A Death Line," Remus objected and stepped closer to the projection, he looked over at Hermione, frowning slightly, "you know I don't doubt your skills, or knowledge, Hermione, but those are damn near impossible to cast, and we know that that other group made it in."

"Normally, Remus," she replied, shrugging, "I would agree with you, but this was Voldemort...from the residual magics, this ward was set to go off only if someone grabbed the...item of interest, so they would have never triggered it." He nodded, agreeing.

"Hermione gave you all the brief outline, and we have copies of the published layout of the castle, as it is a Muggle site, there was literature available on both it...and its past. For those of you who wonder if we are doing the sane thing, read them, Tom will be worse if he wins," Harry added unnecessarily.

"Who's going, Harry?" Seamus asked, tightening his arms around Padma as she leaned back against him. She tucked her head under his chin, and sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. The crowd's attention instantly sharpened, focusing in on Harry like a spotlight.

He shrugged, thrusting his hands deep into his jeans pockets and looking down, then over at Hermione. She took a step to his side, slipping her free hand into his jean pocket along with his own hand. Hermione leaned against him slightly, as he cleared his throat, and looked out at the DA, his effective command for a long moment, as he knew that every face, was ready to leave tonight, without even knowing what they were going after, at just his word. He gave them a faint smile, "Here's the plan. If we had time, we would spend time having the Room better train us for what we will encounter, but, honestly, I don't think we know enough now. So...we are going in heavy...but not as heavy as we could be. All seventh years, and Luna and Ginny will go," Harry announced softly and several of the younger students made loud, annoyed noises.

"We can help too, Harry," Honor objected loudly from the middle of the pack. McGonagall looked away suddenly from the scene, closing her steel-grey eyes tightly and taking a deep breath.

"I know you can, Honor, and honestly, if Dumbledore were alive, where I thought I could risk it...I'd take the entire DA...but we can't. We will leave," he looked down at his watch, "in about thirty-five hours, on the morning of the twenty-second. We will portkey to a spot about three kilometers from the castle, where we will set up camp, it over looks the castle, and we will observe for a day until we go in. As it will be a Friday, the only class the majority of us will miss will be DADA," Harry added, looking directly at Remus, "I also seem to predict that the Professor of the Dark Arts, will catch a nasty twenty-four-hour virus, causing class to be dismissed."

Harry looked to Neville, "Neville, is your Gran still wanting to help?" He nodded, and Harry smiled slightly, "She is about to get deathly ill on Friday then."

"Wha..." Neville replied, stunned. He looked Harry in the eyes for a long moment, "Oh...I see."

"Then how about you enlighten the rest of us then, Mate?" Dean growled and several of the DA members laughed.

Harry nodded, "Neville will have to go see his Grandmother as she "could pass" any day now, and she is the Head of the Longbottom Family, a post that will devolve on Neville?" Neville nodded. "Of course the closely allied families of Potter, Black, Gryffindor will also have to go in a show of support, along with an appropriate escort for these perilous times. The seventh years, minus Susan," Harry frowned as he looked at the blonde Hufflepuff, "I'm sorry Susan, but with that recent bought of the Wizard's Flu you just got over, your magic isn't exactly reliable." She frowned; then hiccupped, and a book in front of her turned into a plate of Haggis. She shrugged and watched as Ernie vanished it with a flick of his wand.

Harry turned back to Honor, and the rest of the DA, that had been told that they would not get to go on this perilous mission, "All of the DA, who is not going...Saturday, when we will be gone as well, is the last Hogsmeade trip for the year, go, we can't be looking suspicious, but keep an eye out, and be ready for anything...If Merlin forbid, something happens, it will be up to you...if you are overwhelmed, your first priority is to get everyone out you can and run."

"Moony," Hermione put in, looking at him and Tonks, "We are counting on you...for more than one thing..."

"I will handle it, Hermione."

"I know you will, Remus," Hermione replied, "as to you who are going, have your gear with you, all of it...depending on several factors...getting the...item, may not be the end of this mission, but the beginning. Be loaded for heavy combat, blacks, weapons, gadgets, everything." She looked at the other students that were not going, "That goes for all of you, have your gear ready to roll, and when you go to Hogsmeade, take your tricks bags from the Twins, just in case." Hermione swallowed, licking her lips as she looked over at Harry, who was slightly pale, though only she could probably notice it. "As of right now, we are on, what my Dad always called lockdown, no one, is to communicate outside of the castle, without the Headmistress', mine or Harry's permission, until after we leave. We trust you all, but we don't trust that some minor fact might slip into the wrong hands."

Everyone get as much rest as you can...and unless you really feel the need to revise for your NEWTs one last time," Harry said and Hermione gave him a small smile, "spend it with your friends, significant others, whatever...it's not going to be pretty."

***********************Head's Chambers****************************

May 21, 1998
6:30 pm

"Do you want to go get something to eat?" Harry whispered, running his fingers slowly up and down his wife's bare arm. Hermione shook her head, leaning back against him, and pulling a light blanket tighter around their shoulders. "Mione, you haven't eaten anything since yesterday evening at dinner." A soft smell of blooming flowers wafted in the open window from the new beds Madame Sprout had planted directly below Gryffindor Tower, almost nine stories below.

Hermione glanced back at him, smirking slightly, "Harry...we haven't been out of bed since last night."

"I seem to remember something like that," he muttered in her ear, she giggled softly, and sighed, rolling over to face him. He closed his eyes as she slowly traced her fingers along the scar on his forehead, "You do make an impression, Love."

Hermione slowly pushed her leg back between his, and leaned up, pressing her lips to his. She sighed softly as she opened her mouth, letting him deepen the kiss. She pulled away slightly, kissing his nose before letting her head fall back to his shoulder, "I hope so...you know me, I don't do anything halfway," she grinned as Harry kissed her forehead, and pulled her closer to him. She squeaked softly as he reached down and grabbed her bum, Harry! He laughed softly, she closed her eyes, snuggling tighter, any fleeting gap between them vanishing utterly.

You don't want to face them, do you, Mione? he inquired softly. She shrugged, looking over Harry's shoulder at the late afternoon sky outside of their window. So what do you want to do? A slightly, salacious grin answered his question, and he laughed. Hermione's stomach chose that moment to growl, loudly, and she sighed.

Can we just have Dobby bring us something? Hermione pleaded, holding his eyes with huge, brown ones.

Sure, Hermione...but aren't you the one who...

I would...if I didn't happen to know that we pay Dobby better than most human retainers, Harry. Besides...it makes him happy...don't you dare tell Ron I said that...

Harry did not smile, as he ran his fingers down her back a couple of times before rolling on his back and sitting up, unthinkingly holding the blanket to keep it covering Hermione to her shoulders, What do you want, Mione? Harry asked as he stood and pulled on a pair of sweatpants from the floor next to the bed.

Sandwich or something, Harry, I don't care.

Harry nodded as he stopped next to their desk and grabbed the post, sorting through it rapidly, setting aside a pair of letters from Gringotts as he binned the rest, mostly unwanted advertisements. A single red envelope bounced on the desk, he rolled his eyes as he flicked his fingers and the Howler vanished. From the address, it was another of the ones addressed to Hermione that she still occasionally received, now that it was out that they were 'dating'. Harry opened his mouth to speak, and a soft POP came from the direction of the couch.

Dobby looked up at him, from his new post on the seat of the couch, "I did not sees yous or Mistress Hermione, at dinner, Harry Potter, sir, I brought yous a bit of dinner." Dobby looked over at Hermione as she sat up in the bed, holding the cover to her.

"Thank you, Dobby," Hermione said and the tiny elf beamed.

"Dos you need anything else, sirs, ma'am..."

"No, Dobby," Harry replied almost laughing. Dobby smiled crookedly and vanished. Hermione did laugh as she stood from the bed, letting the cover fall away, as she moved over to Harry. She kissed him, before grabbing a long t-shirt from the closet on the way to the couch. Hermione waited as he sat down and stretched out along the couch, before curling up in his lap. Harry looked down at the platter of sandwiches, and selected a roast beef for himself, and a turkey one for Hermione, and set them on a plate, along with a pile of crisps. He parked the plate in midair before wrapping his left arm around Hermione's waist, his fingers pushing up the hem of her shirt to cradle the curve of her hip, holding her in place against him.

Hermione smiled up at him, before taking a small bite of her sandwich, she swallowed, and bent her head back, letting him kiss her, "I knew I should have had the turkey," Harry muttered and she laughed. Her face fell slightly as she looked back towards their bed for a moment, at the sword leaning in its stand next to Harry's usual side of the bed. His eye followed hers as if linked, which they were in a sense, and the fingers of the hand on her hip started to move up and down slowly, "Me too, Mione."

Neville should get that Owl about now, Hermione mentioned, her 'voice' slightly strained. Harry nodded, as she looked down at the hand on her hip, she watched the inset Runes on Harry's ring appear and glow for an instant before fading away again, There's no turning back is there, Harry...

The Snitch is away, yeah, he replied, as he took a bite of his sandwich. Hermione nodded, and watched as her Familiar entered the room, a small cat door magically appearing and vanishing in the door to the main common room. Crookshanks hopped up on the couch and lay down across Hermione's bare legs, before looking up with a pleading expression. Hermione rolled her eyes before feeding him a bit of her turkey. He purred, rolling on her legs.

You ready to go, Crooks? Hermione asked, and he looked up at her, and gave an eerily human-like nod. Are you sure? You don't have to... Crookshanks moved up her body before to push against her belly, rubbing just below the lion emblem stretched across her chest. Hermione slowly started to run her hand along his fur as she leaned her head back and buried her face in Harry's neck, as tears slipped free.

*************************Riddle Manor*******************************
May 22, 1998
8:00 am

The being once known as Tom Riddle-once a being who could have been one of the great White Wizards, whose name could have been have been regaled with those of Merlin, Dumbledore and others-strode down the center of a dark, seemingly endless cavern. The great chamber had been created with only a tithe of his magic, easily replenished, deep beneath the ancestral manor that he used, even as he denounced the existence of that half of his bloodline. That presence, once one who could have been the brightest of lights, was now a dark, twisted void, because of a choice made long ago. He stepped up onto a large, raised platform, followed by his dark...concubine, and petted his Familiar as he sat on a twisted, black throne, a demented duplicate of the Golden Throne that his once greatest rival had occupied.

A scurrying council surrounded him, a group as dark and twisted in their own ways, in many ways, as he himself. A group of traitors, cowards, thieves, rapists, murderers, and worse, they stood unmasked before they kneeled as one to the throne. He smiled, his lipless mouth stretching over sharp teeth as he looked to either side, and his concubine curled under his hand, a Familiar of a different sort.

A dark tide filled the room, as never-ending lines of black-robed figures in white masks of death, looked up at him. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of pawns ready in his quest to remake the Wizarding and Muggle worlds in his own dark, twisted image. He nodded, looking out over them, at the portion of his forces that he trust in close consort. The still darker ones, the Inferi, Giants, Trolls, Dementors, they waited beyond, already positioned under Cloaking Wards, the power of which only the vanished Dumbledore could have equaled. He looked to one side of the large gathering, at a large group, at least a hundred, perhaps twice that many, that held together almost like a pack of wolves, even though their appearance was as the others.

Voldemort, standing from his throne, paced to the edge of the stage, and paused as faces, both covered and not, looked to him. "In the morning, we end this war...Their great protector, the old fool is gone. Only a boy stands between us and our rightful destiny," his voice thundered out over the cavern. "Our rightful society has been twisted, corrupted, bringing foul creatures into our homes, our rightful slaves, calling them our equals. Mudbloods, half-bloods, creatures of the basest form, they will bend their necks to our every whim," a dark hissing laughter greeted his words, "or they will die in pain."

A dark, cheer answered his words, filling the cavern with a hungry noise, like an immense pack of jackals ready to descend on one wounded lion. "Go my legions, go and await my call, await the call to victory..."

************************Hogwarts**************************

May 22, 1998
10:00 am

A large group assembled on the lawn of the school, all of them in their finest dress robes, or formal gowns, most with black bands of mourning around their arms. They stood in small groups, with an almost nervous appearance, mostly in couples or small clumps of friends, talking quietly amongst themselves. In the center of the group of twenty or so, a trio stood closely together, two girls; one with night-black ruler-straight hair, and the other with flaxen, curled hair; wrapped closely, protectively, around a tall young man in black robes.

Another girl, the exact doppelganger of the dark-haired girl stepped up and kissed the man on the cheek, whispering something in his ear. He nodded appreciably, and watched for an instant as she moved away to stand in the arms of another wizard, who kissed her forehead before she curled against him, waiting. A solidly built young black man walked up to him and clasped the second wizard on the shoulder before walking over to the trio to also share a quiet word with the obviously in-mourning, young man.

The rest of the group of other young wizards and witches gathered in the courtyard were fidgeting, some of them looking towards the ones in the center with troubled expressions. They all looked up as another quartet emerged from the castle, walking quickly, but unhurriedly, towards the trio. The pair in the lead, a slim, black-haired man in black robes, held tightly to the hand of his companion, a witch in a dress of emerald and sapphire jewel tones, the same as on the small heraldic shield on her wizard's breast.

Harry nodded to the other pair, a tall, red-haired man who occasionally fidgeted at his robes. He let go of the blonde's hand to pull her tight to him, as they stood and waited. Harry led Hermione up to Neville, Parvati and Lavender, "Lord Longbottom," he greeted formally.

"Lord Potter," he replied, "Lady Potter," he added much more softly, and Hermione gave him a small smile, "thank you, for coming."

"Your house is mine," Harry replied, and stepped forward, clasping Neville's hand firmly, "Shall we?" Neville nodded quickly, and Harry stepped back, "Let's go ladies and gentlemen." As one the entire group clumped around Ministry-supplied Portkeys and vanished in a fall of color and a rush of wind.

Far above, in a window looking down at the courtyard, Grayson Sneade, who was still under derision from his master after his failure to deal with the Mudblood, turned and started at a trot towards the Slytherin Dungeons. He ran past several hallways of armor and turned a corner, heading for the stairs leading down into the dungeons. He never noticed as he stepped into a puddle, before changing in two strides into a giant, man-sized duck. He quacked and looked down disbelievingly.

"Oh, Heavens," an annoyed burr said as McGonagall came around the corner, "it seems that you need to go to Madame Pomfrey immediately, Mr. Sneade. Let's go," McGonagall grabbed a wing and started to tow the Slytherin towards the Hospital Wing.

Behind her, a soft giggle erupted, as a tiny, platinum-haired girl slipped from the shadows. "I knew that Zed and 'orge would like that." Gabrielle continued giggling as she looked though a bag at her side, full of a care package from the twins who had found a kindred spirit in their new sister.

*******************Pendle Hill**********************

A half-dozen vortexes appeared and vanished, disgorging the assembled wizards and witches, who an instant ago had been standing on the lawn at Hogwarts. Harry's hands flashed out, grabbing Hermione as she took a tottering step from the momentum transfer, and stabilizing himself at the same time. She mouthed thanks, and reached down, pulling off her heels and tossing them at a trunk set next to the wall of the large dining room they had appeared in.

Augusta Longbottom, a rather healthy woman for one who was on her deathbed, moved quickly across the polished hardwood floor, inlaid with the Longbottom crest. She did not pause as she threw her arms around Neville, and kissed his cheek. "Be careful, Neville," she whispered, her voice full of unshed tears, "I'm proud of you..." He gulped silently as she let go and gave both Parvati and Lavender hugs in turn, pulling them to her rather strongly. "Take care of him," she muttered.

"We will, Gran," Parvati replied softly. Parvati kissed her on the cheek before both her and Lavender started to move towards the trunks that Dobby, Winky and the Longbottom's elf were levitating in from another room.

Harry looked over and saw as Augusta handed Neville a small, black box; his eyes widened suddenly before he kissed her and she left the room, nodding to Harry on the way out. "Here you go, Harry," Tonks said as she walked into the room, carrying an armload of rolled up newspapers. She dumped them in a pile at his feet and brushed off her hands on the legs of her black leather pants. Another two cloaked figures followed her reluctantly, walking from the doorway over to stand next to the unlit fireplace. The shorter of the pair, an obvious girl, sighed and dropped her hood, letting her distinctive red hair become visible. The wizard with her kept his hood up, hiding his features, but let Ginny lean against him, her hair falling like blood over the shoulder of his black cloak.

Harry crooked an eyebrow, "Clubbing, Tonks?"

"Fighting, dumbarse," she replied and Hermione snorted. They all looked as Dobby came back in the room, floating a cage. He lowered it and opened the door with a snap of his fingers and stepped away quickly as Crookshanks padded out, looking annoyed. He sauntered over to Hermione, and wrapped himself around her feet, pushing aside her skirts to rub against her legs.

"Alright, Tonks, we have it from here," Harry said and Tonks nodded, before she shot forward, pulling him into a hug as tears started to bloom in her eyes.

"Be careful, you lot," she whispered hoarsely, before she leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. Harry nodded as she stepped back and pulled Hermione into a hug as well, whispering in her ear, "You better make it back, sis, I need you stand up with me as soon as I convince Remus to actually get the ball started." Hermione nodded, tears in her eyes as well as Tonks kissed her cheek, stepped back and vanished with a soft POP.

Harry took a deep breath, and looked around at the DA members looking back at him. Several were already digging equipment and much more serviceable clothing from the trunks the elves had brought in. "Alright, let's get ready." A flurry of movement answered his quiet call as the DA members started sliding out of the dress robes they had had on.

Harry followed Hermione over to a trunk that Dobby had brought in, one with his crest on it. "Undo me, Harry," she whispered, turning her back to him and pulling her hair forward over one shoulder. He unlaced the back of her formal gown, a lacing that went all the way down her back. Harry absently kissed the bare skin of her shoulder as he started to push the shoulders of the gown down. She smiled back at him and kissed him, before turning her back on the rest of the room and letting her gown fall to the floor unselfconsciously. Harry glanced around the rest of the room, and then back at his wife as he shrugged out of his dress robes, revealing him to be in the blacks he normally favored for a time like this.

This is fun, Harry sent wryly as he watched Hermione undo the twin sheaths she had been concealing under her skirts on her thighs and hand them back to him. I'm in a room with a whole bunch of half-naked, heavily-armed girls...Beautiful women, he amended quickly as Hermione made a silent, tutting noise.

You aren't going to leave me for any of them, are you? Hermione smiled back over her shoulder as she pulled on a pair of black cargo pants, matching Harry's, bouncing once to settle them comfortably and buttoned them. She shrugged into a matching shirt, and pulled her hair out from the collar as she turned back to him.

No...you pretty much are the best one here, Harry answered with utter and complete seriousness as she knelt down, quickly pulling on her socks and lacing her boots. He chanced a glance back around, Though...I wonder if Parvati and Padma went in on a sale with Tonks. Hermione hijacked his vision and chuckled silently.

Do you think that either of them watches Muggle Television?

I dunno, why?

Hermione shrugged, smirking slightly, Seamus dropped his pack with a loud, clattering sound. Padma bent down and started to help him pick up, as Hermione turned to Harry and leaned against him slightly, as she reached up and back to tie her hair in a tail. The chakram and the pants remind me of some show I've seen once or twice.

Yeah, Dudley was fascinated with that one...Harry replied softly; time having dulled that wound. Neither of them is that tall, though...Harry kissed her quickly before he stepped back, and grabbed the Sword from the trunk and slipped its sheath over his head to hang crossways down his back. He drew it an inch or two, slamming it back into the sheath, before he tested the fit of his wand in its sheath. He looked up as Hannah finished tying her hair back, the last of the girls to get ready. The entire seventh year DA, minus Susan who was still back at Hogwarts, along with a pair here because they might be useful, looked at him with expressions of both edginess and impatience.

Harry felt Hermione's hand slip into his; he glanced over to share a quick, fleeting smile. "Let's go," he said simply.

A/N:

Okay folks, I almost never do this, but since JKR put out an interview talking about people dying in the end, I thought I would too....

First, people will die here; they will die horribly, tragically, uselessly, heroically, and just messily. It's the way it has to be; we are dealing with pure evil, true and a hell of a lot of it. Sorry...

Characters that are beloved will die, and characters that are despised will die. That is the way of things...I'm sorry. There will be more than two characters that will die; in fact there has already been more than two mainline characters to die. But like JKR, at least one person who was to have gotten the Kedavra, will live.

Also like JKR, the last chapter is written, and has been for ohh....a month or two now, but it doesn't end with "scar", though I may change that.

Unlike JKR, they will SHAG even more, though I'm not promising when or how much, or whom. (If you don't know what I mean here, there is an old Today Show interview with Katie Couric.) He He....

When the hammer drops, you'll know it...

Next Chapter: A trip overseas, and some other stuff.

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50. And Four to Go...

A/N: And here we go. Thanks as usual to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter.

Chapter 50: And Four to Go...
***************************Wewelsburg Castle***************************

May 23, 1998
10:20 am

Far below a moderately-sized, triangular keep, which dominated the local skyline from its perch on a hill, a pile of leaves moved at the edge of the woods surrounding the castle. For an instant, the sun glinted off something, an abandoned can, a piece of steel, or the lenses of a quickly-lowered pair of Omniocculars. The leaves settled, and nothing moved in the small clearing for a long moment, until the ground cover was disturbed again, this time by invisible feet as they crossed the clearing and stopped. A brief pause and then a sandy-haired head appeared floating in mid-air, followed almost immediately by a head of long-black hair hanging a head lower than the first.

Neville glanced over as the pile of leaves shimmered and vanished, revealing several tents pitched at the edge of the woods, as the Concealment Charm was dismissed. Parvati shrugged out of the borrowed cloak and hung it over her arm, as she looked over at Neville, who had doffed his as well before walking over to Harry, Hermione, Ron and Luna where the four were crouching around a small, conjured model of the castle above them. Draco and Ginny were standing a bit back, watching, but not commenting, though that could have been a function of the wand Seamus was tapping lightly against his leg as much as anything, then any intrinsic thoughts of propriety. Neville dropped to his knees next to Hermione and indicated a tiny guard shack set down the road leading to the main Muggle road a quarter way around the hill from them, "Parvati...umm convinced the guard to look the other way, and I Memory-Charmed him. He thinks it's his day off, and he went home."

Hermione looked up at her former roommate and raised one eyebrow, Parvati just smiled slowly. "We set the Muggle re-direction Ward," Parvati said, evenly as she looked over a Neville, her dark eyes glinting at something, "There's not a large focusing object for this one like there is at Hogwarts, so it really only covers about twenty feet to either side of the road, and it won't last more than a day or two, but while it does, any Muggle who takes that road to the castle will remember he should be somewhere else."

"Good," Harry replied as he looked down at the model, "Hermione and I just cut the phone lines in, so we should be undisturbed..." Harry looked around at the various DA members pushed in around him; the same people he had grew up with for seven years, and took a breath, "You all know the plan?" A chorus of nods. "Good, for some reason...I have a feeling that the item will be in this section," Harry waved towards a cylindrical tower serving as one point of the triangle, "I should be able to," Ron glanced jerkily towards Draco and Harry shrugged helplessly, "sense it if I can get close enough...But it makes sense that it's in this part, it was the first to be rebuilt following this place's last destruction...One last thing, if we do happen to run into a Muggle in there, we shouldn't, we had the wards in and other things, but if we do, stun, Obliviate and then Portkey them out...If any of you don't feel comfortable Obliviating them, let someone else do it. I don't need any more Lockharts on my conscience." Several small laughs came from the DA at his words. "Let's go, I heard that they are serving roast beef tonight..."

**************************Ministry of Magic*******************************

11:15 am

Arthur Weasley strode quickly down a second floor hall, leading to a large set of oak double doors. A pair of Aurors stood at the door, their wands drawn and their eyes hard, as they carefully scrutinized the identification of a stream of Aurors and other agents as they went past them into the largest, secure, briefing room in the Ministry.

The heavy oak doors boomed shut behind him as he moved down a center aisle, between rows of filled stadium-style seating, filled with almost every Auror, and MLE officer that the Ministry still had available. Arthur climbed the stairs to a raised stage at the front of the room and stood behind a small podium, which held the seal of the Auror Corps, a pair of crossed wands overlaying an inverted sword and a set of golden scales. Kingsley climbed the stage to stand next to Arthur and muttering broke out among the ranked Aurors. Arthur took a breath and touched a small, glowing stone on the podium, instantly the lights dimmed and a white flash lit the walls as the room sealed itself.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen," Arthur's voice boomed out over the large room, aided by the permanent amplification spells in the room. "Thank you for being here on such short notice," soft laughter broke out from a few, and Arthur gave a fleeting smile, then his face became resolute, "This entire meeting is hereby classified Top Secret-Eyes Only, any leakage of the information here will be considered an act of Treason." Several of the Aurors who had been smiling and joking with their neighbors straightened quickly, and Arthur nodded, "Yes, ladies and gentlemen it is that serious...You may have noticed Kingsley next to me, as of this moment, Kingsley Shacklebolt is appointed on my authority to the interim post of Chief Auror, subject to confirmation by the Wizengamot...This morning at seven twenty, Chief Auror Savage was assassinated while at breakfast with MLE head, Watson... There is evidence that Mr. Watson was under the Imperius, however until that can be confirmed, he is being held in custody. So for the time being, I have assumed personal command of the MLE."

A shocked silence filled the room, as Arthur stood to the side and waved Kingsley to the podium, he took a breath, a flickering torch sparkled light off his earring, "This is not how I ever wanted to gain this post, but I will try to get as many of you out of this alive as I can..." Kingsley drew his wand and flicked it behind him, a curtain of billowing mist descended from the ceiling, another flick and an image of an old, Muggle town appeared behind him. "Little Hangleton, ladies and gentlemen. This is where we are all going this evening...The Ministry has received information, from a source that is considered reliable, that Tom Riddle, aka Lord Voldemort, is staging there for an attack this evening. This is a catch and fly operation, people, we did not have time or the security to brief you in more detail."

He flicked his wand again, and an old, dark, foreboding mansion appeared, "From certain historical records, this house, Riddle House, is believed to be the location that they are gathered at, or more likely in caverns underneath that reconnaissance has determined exist there...We are expecting large numbers of Death Eaters here, along with possibly other dark creatures that Voldemort is known to have in thrall...however there is no evidence of Dementors. We have basically no reconnaissance on the house itself, so once we make it into the house itself, we will be blind, so be on your toes."

A hand shot up and waved laconically from the middle of the crowd, Kingsley nodded towards an Auror with short, salt and pepper hair, "Shack," Dawlish drawled, "no offence, mate, but this plan sucks..." A few nervous laughs answered him. "Are you sure this isn't a trap?"

"No," Shacklebolt replied, "I'm not, but frankly, we have no choice, if they are gathered for an attack, in force, this may be the only chance we have to, at the very least, disrupt the attack, and hopefully, smash them in their lair...but make no mistake people, our duty is to stop the attack. From the information we have received this attack is in such number that if Voldemort succeeds, we might as well hand him the keys to this building." A gasp came from a few of the Aurors. "We will split into four groups commanded by myself, Thompson, Wandsmith, and Spangler, and arrive at the north, south, east and west ends of the town, respectively, and sweep inward, casting anti-Apparation wards as we move towards Riddle House."

"Two notes, first this is a Muggle village, you are to take reasonable efforts to stay covert, but your lives are more important, we have Obiliviators on staff for a reason." A few bleak grins. "Second, you are authorized to spell to kill, efforts should be made to take any Death Eaters alive, of course if it is easily practicable, but that is not to get in the way of your own safety." Kingsley took a breath, and nodded, that is it, ladies and gentlemen, see the board for your assignments, and get kitted out, we leave in three hours. You are not permitted to communicate outside of this group. There is food set up for you in the office. Merlin willing we end this godforsaken war tonight." Kingsley stepped back from the podium and left the room without another word, ignoring a few shouted questions.

**************************Godric's Hollow********************************

12:20 pm

Jane Granger grimaced slightly as a contraction hit her, one of a few she had been having since late last night and turned back to her lunch, a rather odd sandwich combination of roast beef and peanut butter. "Are you alright, Jane?" Roger asked, a small frown on his face as he looked across the table at her, setting aside the journal he had been reading.

She smiled, and reached across the table, interlacing their fingers for a moment, before she looked up with a grin, "I'm fine, just a touch restive today." She finished her sandwich and stood slowly, picking up her plate. She walked around the table and bent down, kissing the top of his head and picking up his empty plate.

"I can get that, Jane," Roger objected softly. Jane just smiled and carried their plates over to the sink and started to rinse them off. She set his aside in a drying rack and reached for hers, running it under the water. She scrubbed at a stubborn patch of peanut butter and before shaking the plate and setting it in the drying rack next to her. She reached up to place a glass back in a cabinet next to the sink, and her breath hitched as a warm flow cascaded down her legs.

She leaned against her hands against the countertop as a contraction bit her and she said in a normal voice, "There is something you can do for me, however, Honey," she knew he nodded behind her, "can you go and call Remus...tell him, it's time."

Roger stood so suddenly his chair crashed to the floor behind him. "Umm...alright," he said, and quickly moved around the small kitchen table to stand in front of her as she turned around to face him. "Are you alright, Jane?" he repeated, grabbing her hand and squeezing it.

She snorted, "Honestly, Roger, I'm not made of glass, now go," she leaned forward and pecked him on the lips, "go and call Remus, and get our gear, I'll just wait for you on the couch." Roger nodded and vanished as if he had Apparated, and seconds later she heard his steps as he ran up the stairs. She moved much more sedately as she walked into the living room, and eased herself down onto the couch, she waited as Roger hurried down the stairs, carrying a black bag, which bulged and clanked oddly. Roger pulled down a large, loose polo shirt on over his t-shirt, and settled it carefully over his hip, concealing the Browning holstered there. He set the bag next to Jane on the couch, and knelt before her.

"I called Remus, he and Tonks should be here..."

A swirling vortex of color exploded in the living room and spat out the two mentioned, Remus took one step forward and grabbed Tonks, knowing that she should never really be trusted where coordination was needed. She smiled at him, and looked over at Jane, "Wotcher, Jane, decided that you need to go for a bit of a trip? This is a touch much, though, I'm sure that Wolfie and I could have arraigned a bit of an outing somewhere that would have been safe."

"Funny, Tonks," Jane grunted as she let the younger woman pull her to her feet. "Can we go?"

"Yes, Jane," Remus said, giving Tonks a slightly reproachful look. She stuck her tongue out at him, before she pulled a handball-sized silver orb from inside her pocket and held it up, placing it into Jane's hand. "That 's a special Portkey that I had made, just for this, I had a friend, it's charmed to be much, less...eventful than a normal one, I was owed a favor by a friend, they are a touch difficult to make, and they have to be targeted for only one place." Jane gave him a smile, and held it up. "Ready?" Remus asked, looking back at Roger, who reached in and touched the orb, closing his hand over Jane's. Remus pulled his wand, "PORTUS," the Grangers vanished in a fall of color and Remus looked to Tonks.

She pulled another orb, a black one this time and held it to him, he grabbed her hand and they both felt a tug behind a their navels and felt themselves be yanked through time and space to be spat out again, from the more normal Portkey to land staggering in the Infirmary.

Poppy already had Jane reclining on a bed near the door. Several other beds were filled with several young witches, several empty potion bottles were set on tables next to them, and they were sleeping peacefully. "Let me get a look at you, Jane, and then we'll see about letting you walk about for a bit, its easier to keep mobile, at least for now." Pomfrey waved her wand over Jane's belly and a clipboard hovering at Poppy's side started to fill in words and numbers.

Poppy took the clipboard and started to read though it, she flipped the page and made a small, satisfied sound, "You are fine, Jane, though I think it will be several hours yet."

Jane gave her a smile and motioned for Roger to help her from the bed. She walked over slowly towards the bag that Roger had tossed on the bed next to her, and started to dig through it, "Bloody...Roger, we forgot that blanket I made..."

"We can go back and get it, Jane," Tonks volunteered, looking at Remus meaningfully, "I need to swing by my flat to pick up some gear anyway...Where is it?"

"Up in my and Roger's bedroom, should be on the chair next to the bed," Jane explained, smiling appreciatively, "Thanks, Tonks."

"Sure, Jane, it's the least we can do for family," Tonks grabbed Remus from where the lycan was talking lowly to Roger. Remus clasped him on the shoulder and took Tonks' hand, before they vanished again, falling away though the ether back to Soho, to Tonks' flat.

**************************Hogsmeade*****************************

1:25 pm

Susan Bones frowned as she followed several of her younger classmates along the high street leading into the small, Wizarding Village set next to Hogwarts. She coughed slightly, still not quite over the wizard flu that had sidelined her from the mission that even now, her friends were on, somewhere in Germany. She sighed as she looked down the street at the herds of Hogwarts' students as they moved between Zonko's, and Honeydukes, and Dervish and Banges, and others carrying bags full of their purchases, or munching on candies.

She stepped aside as a pack of giggling Hufflepuffs, ranging in age from thirteen to fifteen, sauntered past, dressed up on their obvious dates, with their companions, a slightly motley crew of assorted Ravenclaw, Hufflepuffs, and one quite bewildered-looking, third year Gryffindor who was carrying an odd, red handbag, following along. Susan snorted to herself, which sounded more like a sneeze and headed on down the street, towards the Three Broomsticks and a late lunch.

An odd feeling from somewhere in her gut caused her to look back, along a alley leading alongside the bookstore, to find Blaise Zabini and almost every Slytherin sixth and seventh year moving in a tight pack back towards the castle. A rather odd behavior for the Slytherins, who would normally be taking Harry and Hermione's absence for the "deathwatch" of Augusta Longbottom to lord over the younger students in the other houses. They definitely would not be wasting this opportunity if something more pressing was not occurring.

She ducked back out of sight, and fingered her wand where it sat in her back pocket, before she straightened, and started to trail the crowd of Slytherins towards a seldom-used trail at the edge of town leading along the edge of the woods towards Hogwarts. She passed the back of Honeydukes, passing a shadowed alley and screamed, silently, as a large hand clasped over her mouth and strong arms pulled her into the alley. The arms spun her around, and her eyes grew wide as she found Blaise Zabini leering at her, Pansy hanging off his arm. She looked around, able to move just her eyes and found another half-dozen Slytherins crowded around.

Zabini shook Pansy off his arm and moved closer to her, his wand slipped from his sleeve and jabbed her roughly in her stomach, "It is a shame, poor little Susan, that I do not have time, to properly entertain you." He reached up and grabbed her hair; she tried to struggle but was held immobile in Goyle's arms. Zabini's wand slipped up along her stomach, lightly tracing her breast and throat to end up in the hollow behind her left ear, "AVADA KEDAVRA," he hissed and a flare of green lit the alley for an instant.

Sightless eyes looked up as she fell to the ground, Goyle letting go of her body the instant Zabini had uttered the words. "Oi, Blaise," he growled, "I wanted her."

"No time, you oaf," Zabini snapped, "drag her behind that can, by the time they find her it will be too late." Crabbe and Goyle dumped her behind a dumpster, neither one remembering that they could have just as easily, levitated her there...or maybe they could not; it was Crabbe and Goyle, after all. The Slytherins quickly filed out of the alley, moving quickly along the back streets of the village towards the castle.

************************Ministry of Magic****************************

2:00 pm.

Arthur Weasley sat quietly behind a large, oak desk shuffling papers, not thinking about the people that he was sending into combat, and very possibly for many of them, their deaths. He sighed to the empty room and took off his glasses, setting them down on the desk in front of him and rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Without putting them back on, he stood from his desk and walked to a small wet bar set along one of the walls opposite his couch, and poured himself three fingers of Old Ogden's before taking the glass and walking over to his window. He watched as tiny brooms flitted in the sky above the Burrow, memory of a time when all of his children still danced under the sky, before war and betrayal, jealousy, and lust had nearly destroyed them. He took a sip as his thoughts slipped away to his youngest, wherever they were, on a mission that even he did not know the specifics of. A fleeting spike of anguish danced along his thoughts, before he forced it away, burying it behind walls of duty and honor.

He raised the glass back to his lips...A thunderous explosion rocked the Ministry, staggering him and causing the tumbler to fall from his hand to shatter on the floor below. Arthur turned towards the door, just as blaring alarms filled the air, and several more explosions shook the room. He took a staggering step towards his desk, reaching it just as the door boomed open and Kingsley ran in. "We're under attack...they've already taken the lower levels, before we got cut off, security reported the Atrium full of Inferi."

"How the hell..."

"We think they broke through from the old catacombs, there was no real security there, they overran the few people down there," Kingsley explained quickly, "I've already sent the Aurors down to hold what we have, but they just keep coming, I think that they must have found some old cemetery or something."

"Alright then," Arthur said, reaching into a drawer of his desk and grabbing his wand, "Let's go."

"No," Kingsley said, standing in the doorway and blocking Arthur, "Your job is leading this fight, not being in it." Arthur growled under his breath and sheathed his wand with a forceful snap. "There's one other thing, Arthur...we have no communication with the outside, no mirrors, no fires, no owls, nothing."

"Then we are on our own," Arthur said softly, he staggered as something else shook the room and the faint odor of burning, rotten flesh started to fill the air from the vents. "Hold at all costs, Kingsley, make every effort to force a salient to the Atrium, and pull all combatants back to the first and second floors, I will have my aides use them to set up triage."

"Yes, sir." Kingsley started towards the door, and paused without turning, "You do realize that we can't be the only place under attack."

"I know, I know."

****************************Hogwarts********************************

2:01 pm

Professor Augustine Glyph walked slowly down the path from the winged boar gates to the school grounds. Her eyes were slightly unfocused as she moved stiffly, almost robotically along the path, moving ever closer to the main doors of the school. Following behind her, having joined her after she performed an odd incantation that temporally disabled the Intrusion Charms on the gate, an even dozen, black, cloaked figures moved silently as if ghosts, in her wake. She passed through the arch leading into the outer courtyard, and started up the stairs leading to the open main doors.

Argus Filch and his companion were standing at the door, watching for students attempting to bring back contraband items. He looked up at the approach of the odd party and frowned, "Professor, who are..."

A flicker of green light splashed across the distance, and Filch crumpled, collapsing off the side of the stairs to the ground, several feet below. Mrs. Norris looked down at him, stunned, howling a mournful wail; she turned to the Death Eaters, a hiss issuing from her throat as she stood with her hair standing straight up.

She died in another causal flick of a wand and the tallest of the twelve lowered his hood. Searing red eyes looked over the huge, open, oaken doors of the ancient Wizarding fortress, and a lipless mouth sneered. "I have won," Voldemort laughed. He waved behind him and an endless wave of black darkened the lawn, before he stepped into the castle, his wand held high before him. Behind him, Glyph died as Bellatrix walked up behind her, a blade flashed, and Bellatrix giggled, pushing the new corpse away to fall back down the stairs.

An unearthly howling klaxon filled the air as the war came to Hogwarts, for real this time.

**************************Hogsmeade*********************************

2:02 pm

A loud scream from outside of the Three Broomsticks was the first warning of the assault on the town. The DA, those that were at the town anyway and not thousands of miles away, even at this instant creeping into a castle with as dark a past as Voldemort himself, pushed back from tables and barstools. They drew wands as they moved to the doors, some of them slipping out the back of the pub, with a few preparing themselves for a rush out the front.

Colin Creevey looked over at Honor as an explosion shook the street outside, she shattered a window with a muttered, "Reducto," and tossed a small, blue ball out onto the street. Colin flicked open a small pocket Mirror, and looked into it, Honor, Gretchen and a few other DA members crowded around the mirror to find the image of the High Street filled with masked, black-cloaked figures. The walls of the pub exploded inward, flying glass flaying a pair of fifth years as they sheltered behind an upturned table.

"There's too many, Colin," Honor snapped, her voice shuddering slightly before she pulled it back under control with an effort of will. Her dark eyes hardened to small points, and she took a breath, ducking as a fireball soared in the gap in the wall and ignited the back wall. "We have to run."

"Damn it, Honor," Colin snapped as his brother pushed up enough to fire off a Stunner out into the street beyond. "Harry would want us to fight."

"No, Merlin damn it, Colin, he would want us to live," Honor roared, as lifted her mirror to her lips, "ALL DA, RUN, DAMN IT, RUN..."

Around them in the streets of Hogsmeade, students in jeans and t-shirts dove behind cover, behind carts and buildings, and vanished in flickers of Psuedomotion, as Death Eaters screamed their rage. Honor looked around the room, at the ten or so DA members still here, "What are you waiting for, get out of here and read those papers Hermione gave you, I'm sure this is enough of an emergency to get them to open...they should tell you where to go. Now get!" Seven soft CRACKs of Apparation snapped out, as the DA ran, defeated for now. Honor took a breath and looked about the room, at the civilians still there, "Get out of here, all of you, there's no one to save you but yourselves."

"What about the Ministry?" an old witch asked from near the bar, "They have Aurors and such...or Potter, he saved the town the last time."

"They aren't here," Colin snapped, as his brother moved over next to him, the three of them the only DA remaining in the Three Broomsticks. A soft bell sounded and he opened his mirror to find the only other members left, Michael Corner and Misty Elliot, in the silvery screen. Flickers of spellfire filled the air behind them, and Misty rolled back out of frame and "REDUCTO" came out of the tiny speaker.

"We found Susan...she's dead..." Michael snapped, his voice breaking slightly as he looked into the mirror, "I...can't side along her, she's..."

"L...Leave her," Honor whispered, tears blurring her vision of the mirror.

"But..."

"LEAVE HER DAMN IT," Honor roared, "Go, she'd understand."

The images disappeared without another word, and Colin closed his mirror, he looked at Honor, she took a deep breath, looking up from the floor, and nodded. "Let's go," he said very quietly, and with a triplet series of CRACKs, the three DA members, vanished.

***************************Wewelsburg Castle*****************************

2:02 pm

Eleven hundred kilometers from the sudden fighting in their home, none of the DA, even now moving into the hoped-for site of the last Horcrux, had any inkling of the destruction raging across Britain. Under a blue sky, the members of the DA flitted from bits of cover to cover, slipping through the trees towards the castle. Hermione came to the edge of the clearing, along with Harry leading the way, for the simple reason, that if anything were to come out at them suddenly, they could most easily deal with it. She held up a hand, waving the rest of the DA to a halt.

Behind her, most of the DA went to ground; Neville, Parvati, Lavender and Dean, who were trailing the pack by several meters, quickly moved behind large trees for cover, their wands pointed back as Hermione crept carefully towards a strangely square, overgrown pile of stones. She stopped several feet away from it, her eyes slightly unfocused as she looked at it, and shivered from a sudden cold wave that passed through her bones. The pillars writhed with black serpents of light, endlessly moving, in her enhanced sight. She did not look back as Harry went to one knee next to her, and Ron and Luna crouched together a couple of paces to her left. "One of the ward anchors," Hermione mused quietly. She bent to the side, and pulled three silvery, hand-sized crystals from her infinitely deep pouch.

She handed one to Harry and he nodded, slipping to the other side of the pillar and set the crystal in the ground. Hermione set one of hers, then the second, forming a precise triangle around the stones. A flick of a wand, and a silver beam of light connected the three before vanishing. She joined Harry next to Ron and Luna and crooked an eyebrow at Ron as she saw him scowling. "Blimey, Hermione," he said softly, "Why don't we just blow them up, it would be easier..." Ron drew his wand and pointed it at the stones.

"Luna," Hermione muttered, and without so much as a pause, Luna reached up and thumped Ron on the back of the head. "Ronald," Hermione muttered with a bare touch of exasperation, "This is a Death Ward, emphasis on the death...Now if it were activated, yes, that is what we would probably do, but this seems to be triggered if we get the Horcrux. Also, Ronald, this a Ward raised by Tom Riddle...I can taste the quiescent power, along with the darkness from here, just what do you think will happen if we just blow that stone up without the Ward already up to disperse the energy?"

"Um...we all die?" Ron replied in a suddenly small voice and Hermione sighed as Harry rolled his eyes, and shared a small grin with Luna.

"Yes, Ron, we would probably all die from the equivalent of about a hundred Kedavras," Hermione replied tolerantly, and waved the rest of the DA past them, moving from the edge of the clearing to the castle's outer wall, moving quickly towards the base of the east wall.

"Then how are we going to get out--"

"Honestly, Ronald," Hermione muttered as Harry tolerantly let her continue, knowing she was just blowing off steam, "Tom Riddle made the worst mistake of his misbegotten life when he decided to fuck with my husband's life and by extension my own." Harry smirked slightly, not bothering to remind her that she was all of two when Riddle had picked that fight. "Those crystals have set up a resonance field around the pillar, when it is activated, instead of completing the ward, the energy will collapse on itself, destroying that pillar and cascading to the other three." She moved off quickly towards the wall, Harry moving at her side. She reached the base of the wall, in the center of the rest of the DA, and looked back at Ron, "Do you understand, Ron?"

"Yes," Luna replied for him, elbowing him not at all surreptitiously. "Can I see your math when we get back? That gives me an idea for a shield variant." Hermione smiled slightly and nodded, and Ron kept silent at a glance from Harry. "We have such a problem with Albian Garden Weevils at home."

"Alright," Harry drawled, looking away from Luna and towards the base of the blank stone wall, and sharing a small, hidden grin with Hermione. He nodded to himself as twirled his wand in long fingers like a rock drummer.

"How are we getting in, Harry?" Ron asked, "The entrance is on the other side...Blow a hole in it?"

"Honestly, Ronald, what is it with you and blowing things up?" Hermione muttered exasperatedly. She took a deep, sighing breath and glanced up at the top of the wall, You can feel it, can't you?

Yeah, Harry whispered back, I can. Hermione shrugged slightly, moving over just a hair to brush her hand against his, and he gave her a tiny smile, knowing what she really wanted to say. "I think the 'Chosen One' can be a touch more discrete when necessary, mate," Harry said softly with a small, wry smile. Without so much as another word, he stepped forward, and touched the tip of his wand to the stone about a foot above his head. Portalias, he whispered as he drew the wand straight down like a knife slicing through cheese.

The DA watched, stunned, as the stones jumped out of way, softly clanking and grinding until they formed a dark-arched tunnel, with the lights of the inner corridor of the castle on the other end. "Let's go," Harry said and stepped into the dark tunnel, Hermione at his heels.

A/N:Okkkaayyyy....there we go, the train has left the station....it's all a matter of timing, on both sides. Next Chapter, one last Horcrux, and a few other slightly important things.

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51. The Die is Cast

A/N: Ladies, gentleman and Kneazles, fasten your seatbelts, it's a bumpy road and we're going about 100...(That's 161 Kph for those of you using a more modern system). Thanks as usual to Lady Starlight for her splendiferous work on this chapter. And yes, I still own only the plot.
Chapter 51: The Die is Cast
***************************Hogwarts***********************************

Howling alarms filled the corridors of Hogwarts as Voldemort stepped into the castle, in person, for the first time in almost fifty years. A group of first years screamed and ran, Voldemort laughed as he watched them run, not even bothering to cast a spell after them as they turned a corner into the castle and escaped, for now. "Capture them all, take their wands and lock them in their dormitories...they will be useful, later, parents are soo-attached to their spawn after all."

Dozens of Death Eaters gave him a half bow and vanished, in a flurry of feet and ill intentions.

A crash of spellfire sounded from the second floor, and moment later at the top of the stairs, a few desperate souls appeared, their wands aglow. Voldemort contemptuously batted a wave of curses and hexes from himself, before sneering upward at the few professors standing with wands extended. Flitwick, McGonagall, Vector and amazingly Slughorn stood with their wands pointed. "Minerva," Voldemort said, almost pleasantly, "it is truly a pleasure to see you again."

"Leave now, Tom," she growled, "you are not welcome here."

He laughed, as did the group of Death Eaters still with him, almost fifty. "You seem to be shy of champions, Minerva, Albus is dead-and where is the 'Chosen One'-"

"I would hate to trouble him with such a trivial matter as you, Tom," McGonagall growled, and raised her wand. She started down the stairs, her wand extended. "Leave now."

"No," a turquoise, curling beam shot at her, McGonagall batted it away and the room exploded into motion, sound and light as Flitwick bounded to the side and engaged ten Death Eaters at once. A silver jet shot out, piercing two, he spun to the side, dodging a flickering Crucio, and slid under another, flicking his wand at ankle height. A wave of fire ripped out, cutting off another three at the ankles. Flitwick dodged backwards, spun to the left, and went flying backwards as three Stunners and a Banishing Charm hammered him into the wall, he slid down it and lay motionless at the base of the wall.

Above on the second floor landing Vector and Slughorn started exchanging spells with ten times their number of Death Eaters. Two fell to their wands, before Bellatrix pushed up the stairs, holding her belly as she moved, and growled, "KILL THEM YOU FOOLS."

Ten Kedavras were a truly excessive response to her command.

McGonagall glanced back as she felt the last two defenders fall and turned back to Voldemort, she took a breath, straightening, "You will never win, Tom."

A yellow beam drove her to her knees, panting as Voldemort walked up to her, "Odd, Minerva," he flicked his wand and a red bolt shot out, picking her up and slamming her back against the wall, she slid down it, "It seems that I already have."

-----

Far above, Poppy Pomfrey looked up at the howling klaxon, and her face went white. She looked across the infirmary, at Jane who was looking drawn and tired, and at Roger's face that even as she watched grew harder. "Grab them," she said urgently, pointing at the five second-year girls that were currently still in the hospital wing, before she moved to a seemingly blank section of wall. Poppy closed her eyes and concentrated, fighting to remember the combination that would work only once.

As Roger physically scooped up two of the girls, one in each arm, Poppy started tapping stones with the tip of her wand, a long, convoluted combination that took a good thirty seconds to work. The wall suddenly rearranged to a doorway, revealing a small, already equipped infirmary. She hurried back and urged Jane into the room, and quickly moved several already packed bags of potions and equipment into the room. She stepped aside as Roger set the two girls into the room and hurried back for the other three, all five were under a sleeping potion for the moment. Roger tossed a bag into the room that clanked softly as it landed and looked back at Poppy expectantly. "That's it," she said urgently.

Poppy frowned as she looked around the room, and looked for anything she had missed. With a sudden flash of inspiration she pointed her wand at her office door and a parchment appeared stuck to the door. She stepped back into the room and touched a protruding stone and the wall restored itself, leaving the infirmary empty of all souls.

Two minutes later, four Death Eaters sprinted into the room, and quickly searched the room. "OI," a short, slightly rotund Death Eater called, pointing at the parchment on the door. He cursed softly as he read it:

Called away to St. Mungo's, if this is an emergency, please contact Headmistress McGonagall for assistance.

Poppy Pomfrey

"Baker, Wolfe, stay here," the first Death Eater said and left, cursing.

****************************Wewelsburg*********************************

3:15 pm

Harry slipped along a dimly lit corridor, following the sense of coldness that seemed to fill his soul, growing more and more with every step. He stopped and took a breath, and leaned against the wall with one hand, as his other came up to rub at his scar. He took a breath, soft in the stillness of the empty castle, and closed his eyes for a moment.

The DA paused; looking back at their leader, and Hermione glanced at Ron, and motioned forward with her head, fighting the queasy sensation in her stomach. He nodded and motioned for the rest to keep moving, carefully, examining the walls and floors as they went for traps, towards the spot were Hermione thought that an entrance to lower, non-Muggle levels was to be found. Harry seemed to think that the Horcrux was below them, somehow.

Hermione glanced towards the rest as the moved off and reached over, grabbing Harry's hand and leaning against him, Alright, Baby? she asked, even knowing the answer already.

None of the others effected me like this, he whispered, tiredly, It's almost as bad as that first time, when he just came back...what's going on, Mione...

She bit her lip, frowning, At a guess-this one, it's in an evil place, headquarters for an evil organization, that did incalculable harm to the firmament. And yeah, it's affecting me, too, Harry. The environment is amplifying it. And it...might know....

Sorry.

Yeah, what is it with you and causing me pain, this...and then you are going to make me have our kids...

Harry grinned, Thanks, Mione, she smiled, and squeezed his hand.

Just doing my job, she replied, and pulled on his hand, getting him moving again, Merlin knows that I would have lost it long since if it weren't for you. Just returning the favor. But it is odd, that it's effecting you, us this strongly, Voldemort can't force the link anymore...why should the Horcrux?

Honestly, Harry asked, glancing out of the corner of his eye at her, as she dropped his hand and they hurried to slip back to the front of the staggered group, she nodded, I think that this one...is insane. It's not so much that Tom can't at least try the link, but that he doesn't dare...this thing doesn't seem to care. Hermione crooked an eyebrow, and then frowned as she reached the front and motioned for Ron to hold up as she passed him.

After several more, silent, tense minutes, the group came to a dark set of stairs spiraling down. Harry frowned as he felt the darkness coming from below, and slowly started down the stairs, creeping downward behind his wand, keeping his back to the stone as he moved.

A black hallway waited for them at the end of the stairs; Harry looked back up at Hermione and tapped the side of his frames. The world grew green as the Cat-Eye Charm activated and he knelt at the bottom of the steps with his wand pointing down the hall. Hermione slipped past him, pulling down a set of round-lensed glasses to rest over her eyes. The lenses faded from black to clear and took on a faint green glow. Harry watched a greenish Hermione stop halfway down the black corridor and stop, and waved him forward towards a blank wall.

Harry muttered a spell and watched as a smeared black symbol faded into view in his enhanced vision, the corrupt aura making bile rise to his throat. He swallowed heavily and reached out, running his fingers along the wall. My turn, Mione, Harry said without turning, and she sighed, but nodded and took a step back as Harry reached back behind him, and drew a short dagger from the back of his belt.

"Harry, I know why we didn't blow up the wall or the stones," Ron interjected quickly before Harry could proceed, "But why not this time?" A loud sigh came from somewhere, and Hermione opened her mouth to snap back a response.

Harry shook his head slightly, cutting off her response. He looked down at his left palm, at the knife hovering just inches away, "I've learned a lot of things, Ron," Harry said softly, and more than just Ron's ears were tuned to his words, "during the last seven years, from Dumbledore, Hermione, you...hell even from Riddle...And one of those things is sometimes, all the bangs and smoke in the universe are just there to cover up for ineptitude."

"Subtlety isn't going to work with Voldemort, mate," Seamus said from several feet away and a few nervous chuckles answered his words.

Harry laughed, the ill feeling pushed away for a brief moment, "No, I expect I'll just have to kick his arse." He turned back to the wall, "Now the thieves got in through some catacombs or tunnels under the hills, but they collapsed, this is the way that is a real entrance, and that could be good and bad for us..." Harry took a breath, and with a quick slash downward and a bit-off hiss of pain, sliced open his hand and pressed it flat to the stone. Blood ran down the wall, and the normally invisible emblem lit up, before morphing into a pair of intertwined snakes. {Open} he hissed, and the serpents jumped apart, dragging the two halves of the stone wall with them, as it split down an invisible seam.

Harry glanced down the newly revealed passage, a long corridor, dimly lit with odd, source less red lighting. "Fuck," he muttered feelingly, remembering the last time he went into a re-lit, underground corridor. He looked up and back at the DA, and nodded as Neville started to move forward in the corridor. "Be careful, we know there is probably a basilisk here...use the Osiris Eyes and your Mirrors to display the image, as you go around each corner." Neville nodded and started slowly down the corridor, the beam from his wand slicing the corridor. Parvati and Lavender followed them, then a visibly disgruntled Draco and Ginny.

"Can I at least have my wand, Potter," he snapped lowly as he passed.

Hermione glared at him as she held Harry's wounded hand in her own, palm up, and slowly ran the tip of her wand down the clean cut, sealing it. "Move it, Draco, before I decide to use it for kindling," Hermione growled, and he moved on, helped by a small shove by Seamus...just to get him moving of course.

Hermione tightened her fingers around his hand as she dug in her pouch for a vial of Blood-Replenishing Potion, and handed to him, and watched as he drunk the whole vial. Harry?

Yeah?

You know first year, the stone, when I had to leave you...Hermione said, looking up, her eyes glowing faintly in the gloom as she pulled more magic in to fend off the presence trying to push its way into her and Harry's minds. He nodded; You know what I was going to say when I chickened out, right?

He turned over his left hand, grabbing hers, before running his thumb along the ring on her finger, Yeah, I think I know. She smiled and leaned up, kissing him quickly, before stepping back and moving off down the red-lit corridor, Harry at her side and the DA surrounding them.

The group of twenty or so moved quickly down the corridor, following it as it slowly spiraled its way down into the Earth in a seemingly endless corkscrew. Every so often, a DA member would roll a small, glowing blue ball ahead of them, or toss it down the way like a tiny quaffle, or pick up a previously tossed one as they reached its resting place, while Parvati and Padma watched the alternating remote eyes in their mirrors.

Seamus held up a hand as he and Neville, having taken the lead over from Dean and Ernie, leapfrogging them as they picked up a used eye, came to an open doorway carved with several disturbing images. Neville's eyes widened as he heard a loud, hissing sound and waved everyone back to cover. He dug in his pouch and found one last Osiris Eye and flipped it around the edge of the doorway into the large, red-lit cavern beyond.

Harry, Hermione, Ron and Luna slipped forward, moving quickly along the wall and keeping their eyes averted from the doorway, just in case as they came to stand behind the Patil twins, who were both kneeling behind Neville and peering into a mirror in Parvati's hands. The tiny image slowly spun around the dimly lit room beyond, showing columns carved with bats, and on the far wall, hundreds of cups, in all sorts of materials, ranging from wood to gold. "Haven't we seen this movie?" Hermione muttered to Harry, and he shrugged, with only Lavender having a look of comprehension on her face as she slipped forward to look over her girlfriend's shoulder.

The image continued to scan over and without warning, the mirror filled with two yellow orbs, before it exploded. Parvati yelped and dropped the smoking remains, and shook her hands forcefully, trying to get feeling back in them. "I'm alright," she said after a minute.

"I'm not fighting this one with the Sword," Harry muttered and waved several more DA members forward, as he crouched next to Neville. "On three, point your wand around the corner and let fly." Hermione, Ron, Neville, Seamus, Parvati, Padma, and Luna nodded, and slowly maneuvered to be able to get their wands around the edge without exposing themselves to the Basilisk's glare. "One...two...three..." Blue fire lit the room beyond like lighting in a summer storm as dozens of Reductors ripped out from the wands, exploding whatever they touched. A loud, hissing almost-scream came from beyond, along with several wet, impacts, and then one loud thump. Harry waved them to stop and tossed another orb around the corner, watching as it landed and slowly panned around on Hermione's mirror.

The DA surrounding them gasped as they saw the shattered remains of a fifty-foot-long Basilisk. Its front half was almost entirely chewed away, and dark blood pooled on the floor below. Harry took a breath and stepped around the corner, followed immediately by Hermione, Ron and Luna. The latter two fell back slightly, spreading out as Harry walked towards the back wall of cups and stopped, looking at the wealth arrayed in front of him.

"Can you feel which one it is, Harry?" Hermione asked as they stood, looking at the seemingly endless array of cups, mugs, bowls and tankards spread before them. He just nodded, his face pale, as he walked unerringly towards a shelf filled with bright-gold cups, each inlaid with precious gems. He pushed the cups in the front aside, and reached towards the back of the shelf, pulling free a cup with a good millimeter of dust covering it. He set it down on the floor and waved his hand, causing a miniature cyclone to whirl around the cup, it vanished, leaving a shining golden goblet sitting, glinting unusually in the red-tinted lighting.

An intertwined HH was set between two precious stones on the side facing them, and Harry glanced back towards Hermione. She shrugged, they had been fooled before, Harry slowly knelt next to it and extended a hand. The cup jumped and wobbled, trying to leap to his hand and Harry took a deep, hard breath at the jolt of coldness and utter, wrongness that shot to his core.

His scar burned as he backed up, standing quickly and taking an involuntary step back. He felt Hermione's shaking hands on his arm, as she looked at him wide-eyed. Back near the entrance to the chamber, Ginny gasped and started panting softly, shaking as the Horcrux tried to find a way out, to infect a host, to find its way back to itself.

Ron looked at each of them, "It's hurting you, isn't it?"

Harry nodded, swallowing, "Yeah...I think it knows."

Ron just nodded and picked up the cup, he slipped it into the pouch at his side, "Then I'll carry it out," he smiled slightly, "besides, Tommy boy wouldn't want me..."

"He never had much taste, mate," Harry replied. "Thanks, Ron."

"What else would I be doing on a Saturday afternoon," Ron replied, with a bare grim edge to his voice, his thoughts utterly aware of what now rode in the pouch next to his hip. Luna glanced over, and started to say something, but closed her mouth, choosing for once to remain silent. The quartet walked towards the entrance to the chamber, their thoughts miles away.

Hannah's sudden, slightly panicked shout came from down the corridor, just as Ron crossed the threshold, "INFERI..." Ron leapt forward, grabbing Luna and tossing her out of the chamber, just as it started to collapse. Loud moaning sounds came from the tunnel walls as they started to collapse and grayish-green hands started to tear from the walls.

"RUN," Harry shouted, pushing Ron and Luna forward and the DA started to sprint up the corridors. Lavender screamed as one caught her arm and ripped. Neville grabbed her and exploded the Inferi, pulling her out of the way.

"Your spell," Ron panted as he flicked his wand, shredding an Inferius that was reaching for Luna.

"Can't," Hermione snapped back, "too tight a quarters. We're...ugh...already in the middle of them." A flurry of small Reductors, Severing Charms, and other spells kept the Inferi at bay as they ran upwards, dodging collapsing parts of the tunnel, panting uncontrollably.

After what seemed like days, after almost every one of them had obtained some injury from the Inferi that were literally coming out of the walls at them, a black rectangle appeared ahead, marking the end of the tunnel. It started to shrink, the doors closing, "DOWN," Harry roared, and DA members dove for dirt as Harry snapped his hand out, palm held vertical...A bolt of blue ripped from his hand, racing down the corridor. The doors exploded, chunks of stone raining down even as he pulled Ron to his feet as he passed and raced towards the door. Harry reached it and pushed the DA past him, his wand holding off single Inferi as they came at him, in the tight corridor.

Finally, Hermione slipped past, the last of the living in the tunnel, and they sprinted up the spiral stairs together to the hallway of the main castle above. "GET MOVING," Hermione snapped, waving the rest past, "GET OUT OF HERE..." She started to walk backwards, as Inferi boiled up out of the ground, a green-grey wave, she glanced over at Harry, as at least a hundred, Inferi filled the end of the corridor, he nodded.

Imperatum dispersium inferati de flagratto, Harry and Hermione cast as one, and spiraling lines of flame erupted from the tips of both of their wands, joining into one several feet out and changing to a brilliant, emerald green. The entire pack of Inferi collapsed to the ground, and Harry took a deep breath, and gave Hermione a small smile. She started to return it, and froze as a scampering sound came from the Inferi, and all new undead started to boil up out of the ground.

They cast again, and more fell, but this time, the nearby wall hangings caught fire, and flames started to leap from tapestry to portrait, to wooden beams and doors. Shit...Harry muttered as the Muggle installed fire systems kicked in, alarms started to wail, and sprinklers went off, not affecting the fires in the slightest. Harry saw movement as even more Inferi started to come up, climbing over the unmoving bodies of their brethren. Harry let a Reductor fly, exploding the staircase and collapsing it.

"Let's go, Harry," Hermione growled grabbing his hand and starting to pull him along.

"What about all of the Inferi?" Harry asked as he turned and followed her, "Won't the Muggles find all the bodies..."

"I doubt it," Hermione said, breathlessly as she sprinted along the corridor, following the faintly echoing bootsteps of their compatriots. She glanced back at the flames still growing behind them, "I don't think there will be much left, that's a magical fire."

*****************************Godric's Hollow*****************************
3:45 pm

"WE NEED TO GO, TONKS," Remus yelled up the stairs as he paced in the living room of the house. He looked down at his watch and sighed, before reaching up and scrubbing his hand through his hair.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Wolfie," Tonks replied as she came down the stairs, holding in one hand, a soft blue, red and gold blanket, embroidered with happy dragons, tiny broomsticks and scampering lions-Jane had been planning ahead. "Just because I tripped and knocked you to the bed..."

"We stayed there for an hour-"

Tonks walked up to him, her hips swaying slightly as she slowly cycled the colors of her hair, like a demented sherbet factory. She stopped in front of him and rose on her toes, giving a quick kiss on the cheek before she turned around and started towards the door, her hips swinging entirely too much for efficient locomotion, she looked back over her shoulder, dark eyes twinkling, "You didn't seem to have a problem with it at the time."

"Touché," Remus laughed and took the blanket from Tonks, shrinking it and placing it in a pocket of his cloak. He took her hand and they vanished with a soft POP.

They reappeared hundreds of miles away, and even before they finished materializing, Tonks gasped as the image of a green skull hung low in the sky over the castle. "DOWN," Remus snapped, sweeping her with him as a web of multi-colored jets ripped at them, shattering several trees.

They rolled apart, and spun to their feet, firing as they moved. Tonks slipped right and shot back across her body. A Death Eater fell away as a silver jet drilled a neat hole in his chest, she deflected a Reductor and dove behind a tree and looked over at Remus as he found cover near her. The Death Eaters started to circle around, but were temporarily stopped as Remus drew a star in the air with his wand and a shimmering half-bubble of hardened air drove them back.

Tonks jumped as something rubbed her leg, she looked down, her wand pointing, and found a glowing silver cat. It looked up at her with silvery-white eyes and suddenly Minerva McGonagall's voice filled her and Remus' heads. "Remus, Tonks," the voice said urgently, "Voldemort has breached the castle...I will try to hold, but I do not expect success." Tonks let out a soft sob as the tree she was sheltering behind shuddered as it took a hit and the smell of burnt wood filled her nostrils. "Do not try to save us, escape and warn Harry, as long as Harry is alive, there is hope...Godspeed my friends..." The Patronus faded away and Tonks rolled around her cover and her wand bucked twice, and two Death Eaters fell away with smoking holes in their chests. She started to charge...

"NO, DAMN IT," Remus growled, leaping across the distance to his fiancée, he grabbed her and dove behind an overgrown pile of stones. "We have to go, Nymph..."

"But..."

The topmost rock of the pile exploded into gravel, showering down on them, "We have to...we'll be back, and Merlin help them when we do, but we have to go now."

Tonks just closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around him, and they vanished with a POP.

May 23, 1998.
5:10 pm

******************Wewelsburg Castle, Germany************************

A tired group of Witches and Wizards sat or stood in a rough circle, panting, bleeding or otherwise catching their breaths; while in the background, up atop a rough ridge, a triangular keep burned for the second time in fifty some-odd years. Out near the trees, another six knelt with wands pointed outward, covering the complete arc. In the center of the first group, another mixed cluster stood around a small, flat, altar-like rock.

In the exact center of the stone, a gold goblet encrusted with robin egg-sized diamonds and topazes sat dormant, as if waiting for someone to come along and drink from its cursed basin. The group nearest the Cup shivered slightly as an unseasonable cold wafted through their bones. The smallest of the ones who were standing around looking down at the vessel, seemed to be in shock, her deep brown eyes wide and unfocused. Her bright red hair vibrated slightly, as she hugged herself tightly and shivered in place.

Across the inner circle, deep chocolate eyes glanced to the left, and up slightly, catching another pair of tired emerald ones. They flicked to the small woman, and back. He nodded, causing a lock of longish, night-black hair to fall over a pair of round, wire-framed lenses. She nodded slightly, and Hermione walked around the stone, pausing suddenly and taking a sharp breath as a jolt of emptiness ripped through her as she got too close to it. She took a step to the side, and moved quickly to Ginny, pulling her into her arms and moving the girl away.

She led Ginny towards a tall, thin, platinum-blonde man, who was surrounded by another trio, standing in a rough triangle around him, not as defenders, but guards. Neville stepped to the side, and let Hermione through with her burden to Draco. Neville stepped over to Lavender, and dug into a pouch at his hip. He flicked his wand at her sleeve, which was glistening in the late afternoon light with her blood; it fell away, detached at the shoulder. Neville poured a glittering powder on a long slice, it bubbled and hissed, and Lavender let out a soft whine as it sealed. Neville bent his head and kissed her forehead, before he turned back to Hermione and Ginny as Hermione handed the small girl off to Draco. "Take care of her," Hermione muttered softly, placing Ginny in his arms.

"What's wrong with her?" Draco asked quickly, his drawl breaking slightly as he pulled her towards the outer circle. Lavender, Neville and Parvati, who was limping slightly, followed, their wands held ready in their hands as they kept a rough formation around him.

Hermione scowled slightly, "I'd say it was the remainder of what your former master did to her. But that was back when she was just a little blood-traitor swot, wasn't it, Draco?" She didn't miss the slight flinch as he kept walking away with her, not looking back. Hermione turned on her heel and walked back to Harry. She could feel the Horcrux reaching out to her, trying to ride through her link to Harry to her, hunting for some chink in the mental armor of its greatest enemies. She took Harry's hand and squeezed it, fighting it as she felt the desperation, coming from the object, as if it realized its brethren had already fallen. Harry took a deep breath and looked over at Ron.

Luna was bandaging his left hand, she finished tying a conjured bandage around his hand, to hold it until they could treat the wound better with the supplies that they had in their various caches around England. He smiled down at her, quickly, before he looked at Harry and shrugged, "We heading back to Hogwarts or what? Grimmauld?"

"Hogwarts, I guess," Harry replied as he once again started to watch the Cup. "I suppose you want to try to restore this one, as well, Mione?"

Hermione bit her lip slightly and reached up to push a fall of curls out of her eyes with her free hand. "I suppose," she said slowly, "though I'm not sure that I have enough of the rarer ingredients to immolate it."

The rest of the circle, behind and around Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Luna as they stood discussing the fate of the last of the Founders' artifacts, started to crowd in, listening to their words, as some of them started to learn, for the first time, just what they were here after. Harry opened his mouth, turning slightly to Hermione, when a cacophony of buzzes, hoots, chimes and other sounds came from somewhere around almost every single persons' person, as Two-Way Mirrors sounded an emergency message. Harry reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out his mirror, and flicked it open. Hermione, Ron and Luna crowed his shoulder to look as well as others took theirs out as well.

A tiny Remus Lupin looked out of the mirror at them. Even at that miniscule scale, Harry could see the shock and pain in his face. Somehow, even before Remus opened his mouth, he knew. Hermione's hand started to crush his as Lupin began to speak. "He's taken Hogwarts, Harry."

"WHAT!" Ron snapped. He shut up as Hermione spun and gave him a quick look.

"What happened, Remus, how bad is it?" Harry asked quickly over the tumult that started to erupt all around him.

"I'm not sure, Harry, Tonks and I were at," he paused, took a breath, and decided that the Secret didn't matter any longer, "we were at Godric's, Harry. I took Jane in to Hogwarts a few hours ago..." Hermione took in a sharp breath. "Tonks and I had gone back to get something that they had forgotten in the hurry to get her to Poppy. We Apparated to the edge of the wards, and were fired on by at least twenty Death Eaters. Minerva left a time-delayed message that she was going to try to hold, but it was probably a couple of hours old. We...backed off, Harry...I'm sorry."

"What about the Aurors?" Ron put in quickly, "Dad would have had them..."

Behind Remus, Tonks' head pushed into the image, "We think the Ministry's under attack too, almost all the field agents were there when it went down...Arthur had info on a large concentration of Death Eaters; they were there for the briefing."

"So, we're alone," Harry whispered, glancing over at Hermione. Her lip was trembling slightly. She moved away slightly, still within hearing distance, as she desperately tried to process.

Tonks swallowed, and in the image, she and Remus shared a look, "Harry...I think right now, you and Hermione, and Remus and I...we might be the only Aurors not fighting at the Ministry....Harry, what'd..."

Harry closed his eyes, and took two steps to Hermione, and pulled her to him with one arm as he held out the mirror with the other, "Meet us at Grimmauld, we have some injuries to heal, and we need to work up a plan." He kissed her forehead as some of the others started to mumble loudly, "We are going to take care of something here, and then we'll come on." Remus nodded and Harry slapped the mirror closed.

"Harry, we need to..."

"What are we going to do...."

"Bloody fucking hell...."

"SHUT UP!" Hermione snapped, silencing the scared voices. She stood a step back from Harry, swallowing. He watched her, as rush of power filled her eyes. "We have to destroy it now, Harry."

"Yeah," Harry replied and his eyes lit. "Step back," he said softly, but his voice seemed to thunder in every ear. Ron and Luna took several steps back. Hermione gestured in the air, and the Cup rose in the air and began to rotate slowly in the air.

Her hands began to flicker though the air, her lips began to chant, and a flaming circle enclosed the cup, set with a five-pointed star. Another joined it, then another and another, faster and faster, almost instantly compared to her last attempt. A faint phoenix song filled the air as Hermione closed the last circle forming a perfect sphere around the Cup. Kill the son of a bitch, Harry.

Harry's eyes glowed brighter as he brought his hands together, COLLASPIUM. A glowing, sparkling pinprick appeared next to the cup. With a sudden rush the cup collapsed like an empty soda can. A horrible, ethereal scream filled the air, and half of the DA members fell to their knees as a dark, evil shadow filled the fiery sphere. Its sullen red eyes glared out at Harry. They widened as he reached back, and the Sword of Gryffindor filled his hand. The blade lit with a scintillating, bright blue lighting.

Die, you bastard, Harry took a step and thrust the Sword directly at the sphere. It passed through, and pierced the Fragment... An explosion of green fire snapped outward, as another part of Voldemort's soul was sent to wait for him in Hell.

Hermione gestured and the sphere vanished. The flattened Cup tumbled from the air, to land spinning on the rock. "It's done," she said flatly and walked to the remains of the Cup and slipped it in a pouch.

Harry turned to the stunned bystanders, "That's what we're here for, destroying the fragments of Voldemort's soul he had hidden to survive. He has one more fragment left; he'll have it with him, at Hogwarts."

"Then let's go and kill the bastard," Seamus shouted from behind Ron.

"No, first we need to heal our wounds and resupply, and work up a plan," Harry said firmly. Next to him, Hermione was noticeably pale, but nodded as she stepped to his side.

"How are we going to get there in time, Harry?" Ron asked, already visibly cataloging the moves necessary to retake Hogwarts in his head, working through the already existing plans in his head.

Harry looked to Hermione, she smiled wanly, "Like this, mate." A shocked silence fell as he and Hermione started to shrink and change, arms elongating, necks stretching, as their bodies SHIFTED. An instant later, two large Phoenci hovered motionless in the center of the group. The larger one was a brilliant ruby, with a golden beak and wing feathers. Startling green eyes looked out over it's long, golden beak as it looked over to its slightly smaller companion, with the exact same coloring, except where he was gold, deep sapphire blue feathers caught the light of the evening sun. .

Harry and Hermione shot straight up, their tails trailing fire. They began to orbit the group faster and faster, forming a flaming vortex of fire.

A beat later, the DA vanished with a loud SNAP, and a fall of fire.

There we go...Next chapter a bare half pause to regroup, a pair of surprises.

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52. At the Turning of the Tide

A/N: Bam Bam, BUM.... A moment to catch your breath....Thanks to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter. Are your seatbelts fastened?

Chapter 52: At the Turning of the Tide.
***********************Grimmauld Place************************

May 23, 1998
8:30 pm

Hermione sat, shivering, in the warm May night as she sat out on the rooftop balcony, and watched, not seeing, as several Muggles walked by, far below, not knowing that their very lives were held on the most slender of threads. She glanced up and back as Hedwig fluttered in to land at her side, cooing softly as she settled in. Hermione's fingers danced lightly over the owl's alabaster feathers as Harry's, and now her familiar, looked up at her with mournful amber eyes. "I know, girl," Hermione whispered, "I know." She flicked her fingers and watched as a small pile of owl treats appeared with a tiny flash of light. Here, Harry.

Harry slipped out onto the roof with nary a sound and sat next to her, his arm going around her without a thought as she slumped into his side. I'm terrified, Harry...he has my parents and, by now, my sister. I can feel her...just on the edge of my senses.

I swear Mione...we'll get them back. You should get some sleep, love, Harry added worriedly, we leave in about; he stole a glance at his watch, at the faintly glowing hands, three and a half hours. He looked down as she picked at a loose thread on a rip in her jeans, and placed his hand over hers. Out near the perimeter of the house wards, a slight shimmer, invisible to Muggle eyes, appeared as an alley cat passed in pursuit of a rat, and the both of them reached out to query the house wards just to make sure.

I can't, Harry, I tried, and I don't want to take something, I have to be ready to go in with you...

It's not too late, Mione, I can change the plan; you can go with Remus and Tonks to get them.

No, Harry...my place is with you, forever, and ever...It's just that... she fed Hedwig another treat and rolled her eyes as Crookshanks appeared and rubbed against Harry, demanding attention as well. Mum and dad wanted more kids, they tried for years after me and couldn't. They gave up when I started at Hogwarts, she grinned slightly; in the manner of one who really didn't know to be amused or squicked at the thought of her parents...being parents. Not that they stopped, um, you know. They just didn't actually try, if it happened, it happened. When Mum told me at Christmas, I was so happy, for them, and me. I always wanted a sister, Harry...I used to talk to mum, about how I could teach her all the stuff I've learned and... Hermione wiped away a tear violently, When I first got to Hogwarts, I was used to it, by then, being an only child. I always knew I was missing something, I just didn't know what. I almost found it in you and Ron, but it was different, you know? Harry nodded. Then for a while, I thought, somewhere in the back of my mind, that I had found everything I wanted. About fifth year, I know now anyway, I knew that I had fallen for you, and that Ron was closer to a brother than I had had...and I thought that Ginny was my sister, in all the ways that counted...

Hermione broke off, looking at him with unshed tears sparkling in the reflected lights from the few surviving streetlamps far below. She closed her eyes as Harry kissed her eyelids, wiping the tears from her cheeks with his thumb. Remus and Tonks will get them back if anyone can, Hermione...it is possible that the Death Eaters don't actually have them, they were in the Hospital Wing, if Poppy was able to follow the plan they could be in hiding.

It's just that I'm ashamed, Harry, Hermione admitted after a moment, and turned so that she could find his eyes. She saw the question in his gaze, and her teeth found her bottom lip, It's just that, if it had been you, if Riddle had you in danger...I wouldn't have stopped to plan, I wouldn't have waited for Ron and the rest to have their wounds tended and healed and get some rest, I'd already have been there. Am I a bad person, Harry? she pleaded as tears began to flow freely from her eyes. Harry pulled her into his arms, and kissed the top of her head.

No, love, you're not, he stood and pulled her to her feet. For a moment, she clung to him like a small child before taking a breath and visibly settling herself, composing herself back to the focused, collected person that she let the rest of the world see. It ends tonight, Harry said they both looked to the southwest, where they imagined that they could see the sideshow, could see where the majority of the Aurors who were still alive and many of the surviving adult Order members were held in furious combat in the endless, underground corridors of the Ministry. Come on, Hermione; let's go get ready...

Hermione nodded, as her hands slipped up to entangle themselves in his hair, as his tightened around her back. The clock stopped for them, once more, as a kiss served where words could not, promises of better times to come, of words that neither needed to say to the other any longer, but still did at every opportunity, and regrets of the time that they did not have. Hermione's eyes flared as a wave passed down them, leaving them in the night black clothes and gear that they would need later.

*************************Grimmauld Place, Library*******************

A somber, almost morose crowd filled the Library, waiting, waiting to start a mission in a bare few hours that it was entirely possible that none would return from. History, if they were lucky, would record that it was a matter of timing that would ultimately doom Tom Riddle's attempt to end the war in his favor. In his attempt to end the war, in England anyway, in a single day, Tom had attacked both Hogwarts and the Ministry. It was on a lazy Saturday afternoon, when the Ministry was mostly empty, and the castle would be filled with students for him to hold.

Unbeknownst to him; since his supplies of spies within Hogwarts and the Ministry had been rapidly eroded. As the new Minister, put in since the former had been assassinated, had gone through his house with a iron will and put each and every employee of the Ministry, Auror and janitor, Charms specialist and Quidditch scheduler, and any other job under examination for the Imperius and various potions as almost his first act in office; the Ministry was not quite as empty as his forces would have liked. Several spies were executed, including four Aurors, and many, many more were shown to be under the influence of the dark. None of those, now gone, would be able to tell him that the hordes of Inferi, that were now assaulting the Ministry through long forgotten links to the various catacombs under London, were against almost the entire free Auror and MLE forces that the Ministry had available. Gathered there, as they were to have launched an assault on Little Hangleton this very night. Reports from the Ministry told of desperate fighting, of whole hallways engulfed in flames and spell fire as Inferi slowly advanced through the corridors, headed for the office of the Minister where Arthur Weasley was valiantly leading the defense.

Harry glanced over to where the Weasleys, some of them anyway, stood in a small, tight group, looking terrified. The twins stood on either side of Molly, who was shaking, with tears flowing down her face as she sat in a wingback chair someone had conjured for her. Bill stood next to them, holding a shaking, teary Fleur. Gabrielle was still inside Hogwarts, not having been one of the older students that had escaped through the virtue of being at Hogsmeade for the day, or having been one of the small army that Harry had taken with him to Wewelsburg Castle gain the last Horcrux save Nagini. The crushed remains of the Hufflepuff Cup were sitting in the middle of the Library table like a slightly gruesome trophy, or memorial, to the sacrifice of the one of their own. Harry had already heard from one of the escapees of Hogwarts how Blaise Zabini had murdered from behind Susan Bones, the sole survivor of the massacre of her family by two generations of Voldemort's forces.

Harry had felt the fury that Tom had felt when, soon after his investiture of the castle, discovered that Harry, Hermione and the rest were not there, and that he had actually succeeded in capturing or killing very few of the DA, which was openly acknowledged by both sides to be the real striking power of the Order these days. Most of them had been at Hogsmeade, and with the benefit of plans that had been in existence since the attack on Hogsmeade at Christmas, they had scattered, gone to ground and Apparated themselves and others to Grimmauld. One of Harry's more controversial decisions with the DA had been to teach all of them to Apparate, even the ones that legally were far too young to do so. That fact had probably saved many of them, as the Death Eaters that had swept Hogsmeade hadn't bothered to erect anti-Apparation wards.

Next to the tight group of the Weasleys, Seamus, Dean, Neville, Parvati, Padma and Lavender had been joined by Honor, Gretchen, and Ellen, the three girls had escaped Hogsmeade after terminating a Death Eater that had had Gretchen pinned to a wall. Ernie, Hannah, Terry and the other DA members were scattered around the room. Some were already dressed identically in combat blacks, with others still in the robes or Muggle street clothes they had had on, depending on where they had been when the attack on Hogwarts began. Harry glanced to either side of him, finding Ron and Luna close together on one side, and Remus and Tonks to the other. He sighed as he looked across the room to find Draco and Ginny standing together, looking almost defiantly at the rest. Harry looked over at Ron, "Give Draco his wand." Ron's eyes widened in silent protest, "Just do it, Ron." Harry muttered forcefully. Ron muttered something about "damn stupid trusting heroes," and flung it like a dagger at Draco.

Draco caught it out of the air without a word.

Harry, looked down, took a deep breath, and then looked up. Emerald eyes hardened until they became like the gemstones of their hue and he looked out on his assembled friends, family and a couple of enemies. "We are going to go over it once more. Riddle has both the Ministry and Hogwarts at least under assault, if not already in his control. We have had no word from Hogwarts since four this afternoon, and the Ministry since seven. It is possible that Tom has not yet managed to take either. The Ministry is...unimportant," Harry stated, not trusting himself to meet Molly's eyes as he spoke the truth, "He does not know that we have destroyed all of his Horcruxes except Nagini, he does not know that I can and will kill him tonight. Voldemort is secure in his invincibility; I aim to teach him that he is wrong. We will cut the head of the serpent off tonight at any cost, if he dies, the Eaters will collapse, at least enough for us to clear Hogwarts and the Ministry."

Harry looked at Lupin, "Remus, you and Tonks infiltrate to the Hospital Wing, hopefully Poppy was able to get her patients to safety, but we won't know unless someone can get within the wards of Hogwarts."

"The map then, Harry," Remus asked mysteriously, and Harry nodded.

"Yeah, we can Apparate in at the edge of the forest and see if anyone else escaped, if they did they should be at Grawp's clearing. We can then get in through the Chamber passage, and once we are inside the Hogwarts Wards, we will be able to hopefully locate any Eaters as well as find out what he has done with the students and guests," Harry replied and felt Hermione's strong squeeze of his hand.

Hermione looked around at the various DA members, "Most of you will split into groups; assuming that he has confined the houses to their dorms, you will sneak into the dorms and get the students out. I have already shown you how to cast the Portus spell to get around the Hogwarts wards, you will evacuate them to Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters as it is the best place for them at this time, Molly and Fleur, you will be waiting." The two women nodded. Molly tearfully, Fleur with fury in her eyes, as Harry had already told her, that she would not be going to Hogwarts after her sister, as she was seven months pregnant. She didn't look happy, still, but nodded.

"What about you, Harry?" Ernie asked.

Harry looked over at his wife, then at his best friend and the girl who had more or less become his sister, despite her being possibly insane, and then at the knot of Gryffindors. "Hermione and I along with Ron, Luna, Neville, Parvati, Lavender, Seamus and Dean, and the twins will be hunting," he paused and looked at the three younger Gryffindor girls, "Honor and Gretchen, you will go with Colin, Dennis, Ellen and Sam to retake Gryffindor tower."

"Hunting what, Harry?" Terry asked from the side.

"Snakes, big arse snakes," Harry replied and took a breath. He looked out at the sea of faces and almost, almost asked if anyone wanted to back out, to escape, but knew that his words would be a waste of breath. He nodded to himself and started to draw himself up, to send this friends and family into the jaws of the Dragon, when a soft, drawling voice drew his attention, and not a few wands pointed in the direction of the door.

"What of me, Potter?" Draco asked softly.

Harry closed his eyes and sighed, without opening them, "There is a reason that I gave you your wand; that Ginny has hers." He opened his eyes fixed his gaze resolutely on them, "Decide now, are you with us or against us, if you are with us, you are in all the way, and you two are coming with us to hunt Tom, if you are against us...then I will kill you right here and now..." Molly gasped from the side, but no one said a thing as Harry went on, "I don't honestly care what you two are to each other, or at this moment, who Ginny's family is, but I will know which side you are on, and I can't afford to leave you here. Answer me right now," Harry's eyes locked to Draco's and a tiny flare of light lit them.

"I'm with you...for now," Draco snapped, Harry held his gaze for a minute then nodded.

"Fine then, everyone make your final preparations, we leave in..." Harry's words to prepare them for war were interrupted as a strident howl went off in the house and a sudden booming knock sounded on the closed Library door. Almost fifty wands snapped up as DA members moved to the side out of the direct line of the door and both Harry and Hermione fully let their magic flow. Harry nodded to Ron as a crackling, sizzling ball of energy appeared in his hand. Ron knelt down, under Harry's line of fire and flicked his wand at the door.

All of the lights in the room went out as a tall, thin figure in a pristine white cloak entered the room. He had a long, white staff in his hand, topped by a shining, faceted crystal bound in a white mesh cage. His fingers were long and strong as he gripped his staff and flowed into the room. His features were unknown to any in the room, hidden in the shadow of the cloak. The wizard's posture seemed to convey utter relaxation as he came to the center of the room and stopped, casually leaning on his staff as the lights returned to normal.

"Who are you?" Hermione snapped as she took a step to Harry's right and the tip of her wand lit. She shared a look with Harry and started to work through a complicated series of wand passes.

The hooded figure chuckled, an incredibly familiar sound, one of one who finds mirth where he could. "That will not be necessary, Hermione," he commented wryly and several muttered comments sounded out around the room. "Though I am sure that your Negral Cage would have been sufficient to hold me, if you catch me with it." The hood turned to her, still keeping its occupant in shadow, shadows that she could not see through. "I am sorry that I was not able to attend your wedding," he said with regret in his voice, as most of the rest of the room heard only meaningless noise as he said, "wedding." The entire seventh year Gryffindor class, along with Remus and Tonks looked astonished as they stared at the presence. "At least not directly, but it did do my heart good to learn, once again, the depths that love can overcome."

"Who are you?" Harry repeated, "We don't have time for this."

"But you already know, Harry..." the long fingers let go of the staff. It hung vertically in the air at his side as long fingers reached up to slowly pull back his hood. Long auburn hair, pulled back into a neat tail topped a kind, thirty or fifty-year-old face, it was difficult to tell with wizards. A neat, thick auburn beard and mustache covered his jaw and surrounded his mouth. A long, slightly crooked nose sat under expressive ice-blue eyes which were unadorned by any aids. No one spoke for a long moment; then Harry froze as an old memory from almost five years before flashed across his thoughts.

"Dumbledore..."

****************************Hogwarts, Great Hall**************************

"Bring her in, Wormtail," Voldemort hissed, smiling darkly.

He watched, many of his Death Eaters arrayed around him like a dark court, as a pair of tall, masked Eaters dropped a battered bundle in front of him. He stood from Dumbledore's captured, golden throne and stalked down the three steps leading from the stage down to the main part of the hall.

"Perhaps, we can continue our little-chat, Minerva," Voldemort said with a high laughing tone. Several of the Death Eaters sniggered, as they looked on. "Where is, Potter, Minerva...where is his Mudblood, his little...army..." From behind him, Bellatrix cackled.

Minerva McGonagall took a breath and slowly looked up. Her normally neat hair was askew, her robes, ripped in several places, her wrist swollen, and her square-framed lenses, cracked. A faint, wry smile slipped onto normally, stern lips, "I am sure that he will be along, presently, Tom."

"CRUCIO," Bellatrix snarled, and McGonagall gasped, curling into a ball as the spell took hold. Voldemort shook his head and she dismissed it, settling back to her seat beside his throne.

"Kill me then," McGonagall spat, a trace of blood on her lips, "I cannot help it, that your little spies forgot to tell you that he had gone for a walk..." Voldemort locked eyes with her and a sudden, gasped almost-scream came from her lips as he tried to force his way inside her mind. His eyes widened as he failed, hitting walls almost as strong as Dumbledore's had been. "I am Headmistress of Hogwarts, Tom, not one of your weak-minded minions, you might gain entry, but I doubt that you would risk that...now would you..."

Voldemort growled and flicked his hand, sending McGonagall to stick to the wall over on one side of the room. "We will wait for your precious 'Boy-Who-Lived' then, Minerva...I will kill him before you, and then we will see how defiant you are."

*************************Grimmauld Place****************************

10:00 pm

Harry and Hermione sat together; curled up on the bed waiting for the time to leave for what they both knew, for good or for ill, marked the end of this war. Harry's fingers were slowly combing through her hair. Both knew they should attempt to get some sleep, or something to eat, or as the occasional leaked shout or moan through a hasty Silencing Charm proved, something else, but this was good enough as they waited for the witching hour and the time to return to Hogwarts.

The enigma of the night, the return of the great white wizard at the turning of the tide, a Tolkienesque enough return to cause Hermione to mutter about barmy old codgers reading too much fiction before she had grown silent in her vigil, was still unsolved. At this moment the ancient Warlock was pacing aimlessly in the Library, not hearing or more likely ignoring any attempts to get an answer from him. A half hour after his return, Fawkes had appeared in a flare of fire, alighted on his shoulder, and had started to enter into a one way, "conversation" with Dumbledore.

Harry lowered his chin to rest on the crown of her head as he felt her holding onto that slim presence that had appeared in the Universe about an hour ago, demarking the birth of her sister into the world. Hermione had cried, silently into his shoulder for a long while before she had grown quiet and sat as they did now, waiting. Hermione leaned back slightly into him with her eyes downcast on her left wrist where she absently fingered a tiny, silver baby carriage. In a flash of inspiration, Harry had sent Dobby and Winky into Hogwarts a bit later to check on the Grangers. He realized, that, while the Elves could not Apparate others away like a wizard could, they could, unlike that selfsame Wizard, Apparate into and out of the school, hopefully unnoticed.

He had related the current safety of Hermione's family and Poppy in a newly created secret passage, which hopefully would not be found until Remus and Tonks came to get them. Harry had, briefly, considered using the Elves to get the students ready for their evacuation. But without knowing for sure whom was not a spy of Voldemort's in the castle, or that he would not question a student in the know, who could not possibly resist a mere tithe of the Dark Lord's efforts, he did not dare to do so. A soft knock sounded at the door to Harry and Hermione's bedroom, and the pair looked up towards the door. "Come in," Harry said in a slightly hoarse voice.

The door opened with a soft creak. The light from the lit hallway spilled into the dark bedroom, which was otherwise dark, even with the moonlight dancing in the window, casting an elongated rectangle of light along the greyness of the room. Ron and Luna stood backlit in the entrance, looking towards the bed, but not really seeing either of the Potters as they sat almost motionless in their combat blacks. "Harry, Hermione," he called, his voice fairly dripping with obvious concern.

"Yeah," Hermione replied softly, as she had given up playing with the baby carriage in favor of spinning Harry's wedding ring in endless circles around his ring finger where his left hand rested on her belly.

"Hermione, Harry," Luna said softly as she padded into the room, her hair seeming to glow slightly in the moonlight from the window against her own black outfit. She sat down on the end of the bed, crossing her legs and looking up it to her friends sitting at the other end. Her voice held only the barest trace of whimsy as she held her hands together and rubbed them together absently, "Will you stand up with us?"

Hermione looked up, a hair bemused, "Of course we will, Luna, but I don't think that right now is the right time for talking about that. We will have plenty of time after..."

"No, Hermione," Ron interrupted quietly, he looked down at her dark chocolate eyes as they looked up under a pair of emerald ones that also tracked to his, "no, sis-" Hermione gave him a ghost of as smile as Ron paced over to join Luna and rested his hands lightly on her shoulders. "Tonight, before we leave....just in case, you understand."

Hermione looked up and back at Harry, he sighed and gave a small nod for both of them, "We would be honored, brother."

*********
10:35

A half hour later, in almost the exact same spot that Hermione had earlier sat overlooking the Muggles going by far below, a group of five stood at the edge of the roof, under the silvery light of a half-moon. Albus Dumbledore, whatever his purpose, or exactly how he lived, he had yet to answer either satisfactorily, stood with his hands clasped in front of him, facing the other four as they stood, looking up at him. Harry and Hermione stood at Ron and Luna's shoulders, respectively, as they stood, waiting to Dumbledore to begin.

Spread around them on the roof, many showing obvious signs of bewilderment or having being otherwise occupied when having been roused to attend this impromptu joining on the top of the house. Under the moon, as Luna had requested months ago by the Hogwarts lake, the complete cast of the DA and the Order, that had assembled for the desperate mission to kill Voldemort and retake Hogwarts, stood as witnesses. Only hands, faces, and in the case of those such as Lavender and Draco, hair, caught the light on the otherwise dim roof. Neville stood, with his arms around both Lavender and Parvati who were leaning into him, Lavender was wiping tears from her eyes as she waited. Next to them, Padma, Seamus and Dean stood in a small clump, along with Ernie, Hannah, and the rest of the DA. Off a bit from them, Remus and Tonks stood together, with his arms around her, waiting. The odd Auror was beaming as she looked at the dazzling grin lighting Luna's face.

Off to one side, separate from the rest, Ginny and Draco stood together, their hands had slipped together, but neither said a word to anyone as they had come up onto the roof, nor as they had waited for the wedding party to arrive in a one large clump.

Dumbledore took a breath and looked over the assembled crowd. I wish it had never had to come to this; he closed his eyes for a moment, before raising a hand, drawing the audience to silence. "We are gathered here for the most joyous of occasions, tonight," he said panning his eyes over the crowd, "One might say that tonight is not the opportune time for such an occasion, that anything so inherently pure does not belong on a night such as this. They would be wrong," he paused and gave the wedding party a small smile. Without a conscious thought, Ron had reached forward and took Luna's hands in his and was squeezing them in a gentle, meaningless pattern. In the background, where she stood with Bill, Fleur, the twins, Angelica, and Alicia, Molly was weeping softly, the snort of her blowing her nose into a kerchief caused soft titters of laugher to ring out over the rooftop.

"They are wrong, because this occasion is a celebration of life, of love, of the very things that give our lives meaning. On this very roof, we are showing, through our actions and thoughts, just what we are fighting for." He smiled down at the pair, "But enough of the ramblings of an old man, tonight we are here to celebrate the joining of two souls." He looked around at the rest of the audience, most of whom were visible only as outlines. "So let us begin. Since we are in a bit of a hurry," he said wryly, "I'll skip my usual speech I have saved for this moment, you don't mind do you?" Ron and Luna each gave the tiniest of headshakes, only peripherally listening to Dumbledore as he went on; "Excellent, I do have it written down somewhere if you ever want to peruse it. So, in that case, I will leave it to them then, Ronald, if you would."

Ron took a breath as he looked down at their joined hands, he looked up, into a pair of liquid, silvery-grey eyes, "Luna, I..." he froze, gazing into her eyes, Luna cocked her head slightly, waiting as soft giggles were heard from the audience. Harry reached forward, tapping his friend softly on the shoulder, Ron shook his head as if to clear it, "I...ah..." He took another breath, gathering himself, "Luna, you are my best friend, my lover and the keeper of my heart. I was walking through life, blinded to what my soul was yearning for, until I met you. I love you, Luna Melanie Lovegood, for now and forever." A faint smell of ozone filled the air, as the small hairs on the backs of necks stood on end.

Luna's lower lip trembled slightly, as she stood silently for the span of several heartbeats before she squeezed Ron's hands almost painfully. She swallowed heavily, "Ronald," she whispered so lowly that the audience in the back could not hear, "before you, I was only the mad girl in the corner that everyone ignored. When every one said I was insane...well you agreed with them, sometimes, but you were nice about it. You love me for who I am, not who I am not, and you will hold my heart forever. I love you, Ronnie."

The wind picked up softly along the rooftop, as a soft, faint bubble shimmered into place around the pair of them, before winking out again. Behind Luna, Hermione gave Harry a tender smile as she played with her wedding ring absently. Molly's tears redoubled as the wind rustled the skirt of her flowered dress. Tonks snuggled back into Lupin as the rest of the DA and Order seemed hang on the words of Dumbledore, Ron and Luna. Dumbledore nodded and smiled as his eyes twinkled down at the two of them, "Excellent," he turned to Ron, "Ronald...Do you, Ronald Bilius Weasley, take Luna Melanie Lovegood as your wife, to protect her above all others, to honor her above all others and to love above all others, in happiness and sadness, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall inhabit this plane of existence?"

Ron grinned nervously as he looked into Luna's eyes, "I do, forever and ever." Dumbledore beamed and looked to Luna.

"Luna Melanie Lovegood, do you take Ronald Bilius Weasley as your husband, to protect him above all others, to honor him above all others and to love above all others, in happiness and sadness, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall inhabit this plane of existence?"

Tears rolled unchecked down Luna's cheeks as she mouthed, "I do, forever and ever and ever." An otherworldly feeling of an examining awareness shown down on the pair as a crackling, static charge ran along the edge of the roof.

Dumbledore looked to Harry and Hermione and gave a tiny, fractional nod. With an unconsciously perfectly synchronized movement, Harry and Hermione each raised their right hands, palm uppermost, their eyes flickered and with a small pair of flashes, a pair of shining rings, each ring with a band of crushed precious stones, surrounded by outer bands of platinum, appeared in their hands. Tiny runes glowed faintly in the moonlight on each ring as they floated to hover between Ron and Luna. The ring nearest Luna held a band of blue-white, aquamarine, while the ring nearest Ron held a band of deep, purple amethyst. Dumbledore looked to Ron, "Ronald, please take the ring that is destined for Luna and repeat after me...With this ring, this symbol of our bond, our love, I bind my magic, my heart and my soul to yours." Lupin just nodded; as he watched and listened to Dumbledore repeat the ceremony from September. Molly raised both hands to her mouth, speechless, as Ron reached up and plucked the ring out of the air and slid it onto Luna's finger until it was stopped by Rowena's ring.

Ron slowly raised Luna's hand to his lips and kissed the ring, before flipping her hand over and kissing her palm softly. His fingers remained with hers as Dumbledore nodded and smiled at Luna.

"Luna, the same."

Luna reached up slowly to pull the other ring from the air. "W...with this ring," she smiled, her voice growing stronger as she went on, "this symbol of our bond, our love," she took a breath and leaned forward as Ron leaned towards her, and bent his head down to hers. "I bind my magic, my heart, and my soul to yours for all of time." She slid the ring home onto his finger, and a crackling, spiraling line of white fire shot out of their rings, wrapped around their hands and wrists, binding them together before vanishing into their skin. A fresh wind spiraled outwards, fluttering hair and clothes and knocking glasses askew. Harry sheepishly straightened his glasses as Hermione took a single step to his side and reached up to tap the side of his glasses, fixing them to his face. No one noticed, they were looking at Ron and Luna.

Dumbledore raised his hands, encompassing both Ron and Luna, "By the power vested in me as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and Headmaster of Hogwarts, both of which no one has yet deigned to take away from me," he announced and several of the surrounding DA members laughed softly, "I hereby pronounce you husband and wife," Dumbledore crooked a silver eyebrow at Ron as he and Luna remained looking at each other, "I seem to remember from last year that you remember what to do from here, Mr. Weasley." The Gryffindors laughed as they remembered the marathon snogging sessions from last year, the loudest titters from a certain blonde currently ensconced in Neville's arms.

Ron and Luna barely moved as their lips fell together. Luna's hands dropped from his as they moved up to tangle themselves in his hair. Luna's eyes slipped closed as tongues began to dance. After a minute the twins shouted something, immediately followed by a bellow of pain as Molly whomped them upside the head. Soft, slightly raucous applause sounded out over the rooftop, stopped by the house wards, as the crowd applauded.

Ron and Luna broke apart, grinning as Dumbledore cleared this throat, "I am inordinately pleased to present Mr. and Mrs. Weasley." Luna rolled around, leaning back in Ron's arms as he wrapped them around her from behind. After a minute the applause and comments died away and the two broke apart. Luna reached out to hug Harry, while Ron pulled in Hermione tight. Tears were in her eyes as she pulled away to hug Luna. The girls whispered urgently to each other for a bit as Harry embraced Ron, before letting him free.

Molly ran forward breaking away from the family to crush Ron and Luna, both, together into a massive hug. She let go, only at the urgent tugging of Bill, as he stepped in to hug his brother and newest sister-in-law. After Fleur and the twins had released them, Ginny stepped forward and looked at Ron awkwardly. The pair of them stood looking at each other for an endless moment, before Ron reached out to pull Ginny roughly to him. She cried against his shoulder for a moment, before she gave Luna a quick hug and stepped backwards. Ginny took a step backwards, to stand next to Draco. He stepped behind her, and rested his hands on her shoulders, before giving a Ron a slow nod. He bent down and whispered in her ear before leading them both away. Neville looked to Harry and received a miniscule nod.

Neville, Parvati and Lavender peeled off to follow them, not bothering to hide their surveillance.

Harry looked down at his watch, glanced at Hermione, and gave Ron a fleeting, tired smile, "We leave at midnight, Ron." Hermione buried her head in his shoulder as Ron took Luna by the hand and the pair vanished from the roof with a soft, CRACK.

Do you want to, Harry? she whispered without looking up as she burrowed closer to him.

I wish we could, love, but I don't think that either of us would have our hearts in it until later, he replied back softly as he slowly pulled his fingers through her hair. I'm scared, Mione, he admitted quietly, his thoughts choked after a while as they remained standing on the edge of the roof as the rest of the DA slipped back into the house to get ready however they each best could. Harry just nodded as he felt Remus' hand touch his shoulder in passing, a promise made in that grasp between the two men.

Dumbledore looked at the pair for a long moment, before he too turned and followed Lupin and Tonks, though unlike them and most of the rest of the DA and Order members tonight, his thoughts were on what should have been, instead of what will be.

Next time....A return to Hogwarts, and you aren't as close to the end as you might think...

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53. Steel in the Night

A/N We're rolling. Thanks as usual to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter
Chapter 53: Steel in the Night.

******************12 Grimmauld Place***********************

11:58pm

Harry looked over at Hermione as she finished pulling her hair into a tight, thick plait that hung down her spine. She looked up at Harry over the small; round frames of a pair of Cat-Eye Spectacles, their lenses clear for now, and gave him a tired, pained smile. She reached behind her back as she stepped away from him, drew both daggers and gave them both exploratory spins on the flats of her palms before she slid them home with the soft sound of steel on leather. She checked the fit of her wand in its thigh sheath, tightening the straps before straightening and walking down the ragged line of the DA, all of whom were tugging on equipment, testing the edges of blades or checking the condition of the Weasley-supplied equipment in their pouches.

Harry frowned slightly as Hermione stopped and reached up to pat Neville on the shoulder. Neville gave her a small nod and looked over, the alternate catching the eyes of the 'Chosen One,' and with a small, almost salute-like gesture, Neville drew his dagger and held it in front of him. Harry nodded and walked to Remus, noticing the Lycan watching him approach with troubled hazel eyes. Harry stopped and looked up at Lupin who, like most of the men around him, was at least an inch or two taller than him, due to the Dursleys' "excellent care". "Thanks, Remus," Harry said quietly. He looked over to watch Tonks as she scrunched her nose, and her bright pink hair shortened into shoulder-length locks and darkened to the deepest black. "It means a lot to both of us."

"I'll get them out, Harry," he replied reaching out patting him on the shoulder, "I owe it to your family, either of them. Tonks and I will get them clear, if we can, and rejoin you." Harry reached up and pulled Remus aside, "Listen, Remus, Hermione's sister is already born." Remus' eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to speak but was cut off at a wave, "Hermione and I know Remus. She can feel her."

"That changes things," Lupin admitted, "both for good and ill." He shrugged. "I was thinking that I'd have to get very pregnant woman out of the school, along with her husband, but if the baby..."

"Her name is Anastasia, Remus," Harry whispered. He reached back over his shoulder to check the fit of his sword in its holder, he drew it an inch or two, then slammed it back home, "Remus-"

"Tonks and I'll get them back, Harry," Lupin repeated, watching Harry studying Hermione as she was talking to Parvati in low tones, the Indian girl was nodding slightly as she absently twirled a an ancient, rune-inscribed chakram around her forefinger. A twin to that one was hanging off her sister's belt. They had arrived in a note-less package from their mother last week, the same ones that their great-grandfather had once carried into battle with the British.

Harry gave him a nod, as Hermione finished talking to her former roommate and returned to his side. He looked down at his watch, pointedly, and glanced to Hermione. She shook her head slightly, glad for the tendril of mirth that passed through their shared thoughts. With a loud clatter of running feet, Ron and Luna sprinted into the room, out of breath and looking rather happy with themselves considering the situation. Luna was tying her hair back as she ran, with Ron kneeling down as he reached Harry and Hermione to finish lacing his boots. "Ready?" Harry asked sarcastically, "or would you rather..."

"Shush it," Ron growled, he looked around, "let's go, where's..."

Ron's question was cut off as Dumbledore strode into the room, clad in a light-devouring, deep black robe. His staff rested lightly in his right hand, and the bejeweled hilt of a broadsword jutted from beneath the folds at his waist, while a flat, black cap was pulled down low over his silver hair, which was tied back into a long tail. He looked at Harry, "Shall we, Lord Potter?"

Harry nodded and took a breath, he raised his voice, "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, I believe that we have a few uninvited guests in our home, let's go welcome them. I would hate to seem unaccommodating, Hogwarts has a reputation to uphold," a soft rumble of approval greeted his words. "Godspeed my friends." Harry reached out, grabbed Hermione's hand and vanished. With a rumble of CRACKs, POPs, RIPs and assorted other sounds, the room emptied until only Molly and Fleur stood looking through the empty space.

Molly looked at Fleur with tears in her eyes; her jaw vibrated slightly as she mumbled something under her breath, and flicked her wand. A large basket of cookies and other treats appeared and Fleur looked at her oddly, "The children will be frightened when they get to King's Cross." Fleur rolled her eyes slightly, but did not comment as she concentrated and vanished. Molly grabbed her basket and vanished a beat later, the room now empty of every living soul.

******************************Hogwarts******************************

Voldemort looked up from the battered and broken corpse of one the Aurors that his Death Eaters had caught sneaking around the edge of the wards, and his eyes flared a bright sullen red. He stood, as his head tracked out over the grounds. For an instant, a puzzled expression flitted across his flat, dark face. He turned to Hamilton, "Are we ready for guests, Gregor?" he sneered slightly as he looked over to find the battered Headmistress of Hogwarts looking up a him with an air of utter loathing, "I am sure that Potter will be here very soon. I would hate to spoil his forlorn hope."

McGonagall straightened in the arms of a pair of Death Eaters, her eyes seemed to glow with an inner fire as she looked at him through cracked lenses, "It will be my distinct pleasure to transfigure the pike that Harry puts your head on, and mount it at the gates of my school, Tom." Voldemort snarled and flicked his wand. She went tumbling across several of the tables in the Great Hall to land sprawled in a heap at the base of the wall. A loud snap had accompanied her flight, and she cradled her wrist in pain, and panted heavily.

"I will deal with you, later, Minerva," Tom Riddle sneered and motioned towards a pair of Death Eaters near the door, "Take her away, I want to take my time with her." The elderly witch did not soften her glare, even as one of the Death Eaters purposefully bumped her into the ancient oak doorframe. Riddle watched as the doors to the Great Hall closed again, "Wormtail?" he inquired.

"As you instructed, the students are confined to their dorms and we have taken their wands, my Lord." Peter approached Dumbledore's suborned golden throne and knelt, trembling, he glanced over at Bellatrix, who was sitting at Voldemort's feet, her hands over her distended belly and looking up at the Dark Lord longingly. "We have a listing of those we captured; I will have the demands to their families ready soon. Those pureblood families will pledge their loyalty to you, or their families will end. The Mudbloods will be put to use." Voldemort nodded, and Pettigrew smiled, baring yellowed rat teeth, "The professors are all in chains, those that survived. I punished Flitwick personally for his transgression, my Lord."

"And how goes my assault on the Ministry, Wormtail?"

"It...goes, my Lord, there has been unexpected resistance. Perhaps if you were to go..."

"NO!" Voldemort snapped, rising from his stolen throne and backhanding Pettigrew, knocking him to his knees, "Xavier and Goyle should have more than adequate forces to take an unoccupied building; they have a legion of my Inferi." He cowered, not daring to meet his master's eyes.

*************************The Forbidden Forest****************************

With a rolling thunder of CRACKs, POPs, and other Apparation sounds, a legion of the light appeared in a clearing deep within the forest. Almost before everyone had finished materializing, Harry waved at the edge of the clearing and several DA member peeled off to station themselves at the perimeter. Harry looked back and motioned towards the castle.

He began to move, but before he could take more than a step, he stopped at Dumbledore's hand on his shoulder, "I must leave you now, Harry," Harry opened his mouth to object, "No, Harry, this is how it must be. Merlin willing, I will see you again, however." Dumbledore vanished before any further objections could manifest, and Harry muttered under his breath before visibly gathering himself and waving towards the castle. Remus and Tonks fell in at his side, alongside Hermione, Ron and Luna as they picked their way towards the castle.

Harry could feel the creatures of the Dark Forest crowding around them, but none dared to approach the group. After a several minutes of tense travel they stopped as the slight tingle of the edge of the Hogwarts' Wards danced off their senses.

"We will be off now, Harry," Lupin whispered, his hand on Harry's shoulder, "I will contact you when we have Hermione's parents safe." Lupin's hand slipped from his shoulder, as the pair slipped away into the night. Harry sighed, watching as the Lycan and his mate vanished from sight.

Harry looked around the clearing, then up through the night's gloom to the towering presence of the castle looming over everything. Every light in Gryffindor and Ravenclaw Tower was lit, no doubt from the students who were, according to Dobby in his brief reconnaissance, held captive in their own dorms, bait in a trap. Harry led his forces along a narrow, winding path towards the base of the mountains. An odd stillness hung over the night as they moved along the trail. Not a solitary creature, magical or mundane, was stirring in the night, wisely hiding from the darkness that had overtaken the area.

As they approached the hills overlooking Hogsmeade, the town seemed abandoned, the residents having fled since the fighting this afternoon, demarking the investiture of the castle. Harry staggered, and his vision wrenched to the castle once more, as a tremendous glowing green skull appeared in the air over the towers and battlements of the castle. Hermione only frowned slightly as she reached out and brushed her gloved fingers against his.

The Forlorn Hope moved along the foothills, starting once as the sound of hoofsteps echoed their travels, only to fade away, as if the Centaurs realized that following them might not be a wise idea. After another few minutes of fast travel, the group reached a seeming blank stretch of stone. Hermione flicked her wand, and suddenly, a large, round door appeared in the stone. A large rampant lion regarded them watchfully, waiting. Six slots sat empty around the periphery of the door, a seventh, slightly wider one sat at the top of the Lion's head. Without a word, Hermione stepped forward, drew both her blades and inserted them at the two slots next to the top. Ron followed, placing his in an empty slot, with Luna and Neville doing likewise. Harry frowned, gestured in the air, and one last sheathed dagger, this one oddly inscribed with a circle, swirled and split within itself. He looked over, "Ginny," he flipped the still sheathed blade underhand to her.

Ginny grabbed it out of the air, and drew it. Moonlight danced along a Damascus blade, as she looked down at it. She looked up at Harry, and without another word, she stepped to the door and slid it into the last remaining slot along the edge. The Lion roared softly and looked to Harry. The Sword came free into his hand; he took two steps forward and slid it home into the last remaining slot with a soft skittering sound of steel on stone.

The Lion came alive, its roar reverberating in their minds. It looked at Harry with glittering, ruby eyes as if it were evaluating him for something. Harry passed, and all seven blades shot from their slots, back to their respective owners as the door started to grind open.

Without a word of command, the DA slipped through the open door, moving quickly and silently into the dark hole in the side of the cliff. Within instants the clearing was empty, save for Harry, Hermione and the Twins. Fred nodded to them, and flicked his wand at a small crystal held in his hand, disarming the defenses that they had put in place in preparation for this day, long enough for the fighters to slip through. They followed the rest, leaving the last two alone in the night.

Harry took one last, long look up at the castle, his home for the last seven years and swallowed heavily at the massive green skull hanging in the sky once more over the jutting finger of the Astronomy Tower. He shivered slightly, swallowed heavily and walked to the entrance, walking to Hermione standing at the doorway and his fate, whatever it would be.

******************************Hogwarts*********************************

May 24, 1998
1:25 am

A soft swish of leaves whispered in the still night as two dark, cloaked forms walked around the periphery of the Greenhouses. Half of the green-tinted glass windows were shattered and broken, exposing the delicate plants within to the Scottish Highland night. The Death Eaters paused, flicked their wands and laughed as the entirety of the glass of Greenhouse Five shattered and collapsed into the building.

"This is boring," a rough, coughing voice groused as a small animal jumped out from the wreckage of the greenhouse, "AVADA KEDARVA." A green bolt howled out, knocking a small Crup spinning. The Death Eater sauntered over, and kicked the small animal. "We have all those little...toys to play with, and the Dark Lord won't even let us play."

His partner shrugged, sighing, "Bella gets what she wants. Do you want to push her?" The first Death Eater shook his head forcefully, he glanced away for an instant, and looked back just in time to see his partner falling away to the grass, a shimmering sliver blade buried in his throat. He opened his mouth to shout, raising his wand to fire off a spell and felt hands of iron cup his chin. An open palm sledgehammered out of the night, smashing the back of his head and he fell away to lie on the ground, his head hanging oddly.

Lupin looked over at Tonks and nodded to her. She slipped to her target and removed the throwing dagger, cleaning it on the Death Eater's robes before vanishing it from view. She took hold of the Death Eater's heels and pulled him into one of the shattered greenhouses, slipping his corpse under a convenient Spitting Rosebush. Lupin dropped his target next to hers and flicked his wand at the foliage causing it to bend over the evidence.

Remus slipped out of the greenhouse, Tonks at his heels, for once as silent as a ghost as she followed Lupin to the base of the castle walls directly under the unlit windows of the Charms wing. Lupin looked back at her, grinned darkly, and touched a series of stones in a particular pattern. A passageway that had not been opened for almost twenty years slid open without a sound, and he slid in, waiting until Tonks had followed him before closing the passage that only he, Sirius and James...and probably Lily, had ever known.

A line of torches lit, lighting the darkness, and illuminating a long, narrow stone staircase leading up into the castle following the contours of the walls. Remus sighed, looking over at Tonks, "We are getting married as soon as this battle is over." He began to sprint up the stairs, for the first time in years grateful for his werewolf stamina.

Tonks snorted, and looked at him, as they reached the second floor and started hurrying along a hidden causeway towards the Transfiguration Wing, "What brought this on? Finally, by the way," she asked not quite laughing, the night was entirely too serious for that, but close.

"Because the next time I say that I am dog tired," Remus quipped, and stopped at a tapestry, "I want to be able to say it's because my beautiful younger wife wore me out."

"Deal," Tonks whispered and squeezed his arm quickly. She took a breath, and crouched down, nodding to Lupin. A pair of wandtaps, and a warm, running feeling later, they faded from view and wheeled into the hallway. Lupin sniffed slightly, and tapped her shoulder. She nodded invisibly and started to creep towards the nearest staircase, darting from alcove to alcove silently, courtesy of the Silencing Charm on her feet. She froze, sliding behind a large suit of fourteenth century plate armor, and did not even breathe as she watched with invisible eyes as at least fifteen Death Eaters trooped by. Tonks' tightened her grip on her wand, wanting desperately to them the consequences of their actions but refrained.

After another minute the group passed, their laughter bouncing off the ancient stones. The castle itself seemed to grumble at their passage, as Tonks felt Lupin come up to her side unerringly. "Later, Luv," he said softly, as he pulled on her in the opposite direction from where the Death Eaters were headed. Even though she was effectively invisible in the dim hall under a Disillusionment Charm, Remus could still see her frown. "Come on, we have another wing to get across." Lupin rose up on his toes and sprinted silently across the hall, sliding on his knees into a blind corridor. He touched a stone, snagged Tonks by her wandbelt and held on as the entire section of wall rotated around taking them with it.

A moment later, five Death Eaters walked by, oblivious to the wolves in their midst.

**************************Chamber of Secrets*************************

May 24, 1998.
2:14 am

The last of the DA tumbled into the huge, cavernous room, sputtering slightly as they came up through the water that had once again covered the secret second entrance to the chamber. Harry waved his wand, igniting endless rows of torches, and illuminating the Chamber. A cut off scream echoed off the walls from one of the sixth year Ravenclaws as she caught sight of the huge, desiccated corpse taking up the center of the room under the giant statue of Salazar. She gave Harry a sheepish half-grin as he looked over at her, then at Gred and Forge as they covered, mostly, their sniggers. Harry looked pointedly at Hermione, then at Ginny. Hermione motioned slightly with her hand and moved to the girl, who was, other than shaking the water from her hair like a kneazle, unaffected by the room other than the cold.

Or at least she was as unaffected as anyone else. Harry frowned watching as the group crowded around him, most of them looking around nervously as if waiting for the Basilisk's cousins to pop out of the walls at any time. He knelt, waving his hand over a patch of the mostly flat stone floor, drying a patch before he spread the Marauders' Map. A gesture and the map filled in, for once devoid of the smartarse comments that usually accompanied its activation, as if it too knew the stakes tonight. Harry pointed his wand at a corner of the map, and watched as it zoomed in on the third floor.

Two tiny dots labeled, "Remus Lupin" and "Nymphadora Tonks" paused, just around the corner from another two standing just outside of a doorway labeled, "Main Infirmary". The second two named "John Dutta" and "Reginald Codony" moved about aimlessly, as if bored. Harry tapped it again, as at least ten pairs of eyes, and none more interested than the pair of chocolate ones inches to his right, watched the map zoom in tighter, and the dots became small stick figures as the scale decreased. The figures of Lupin and Tonks moved around a corner, tiny iron-gall ink wands were raised, and the two Death Eaters faded away from the map. Lupin and Tonks sprinted towards the Infirmary, where behind a seemingly solid line demarking a supposedly unbroken wall, at the back of a seemingly empty room, eight more stick figures, and one tiny dot labeled "Anastasia Granger" stirred.

"They're in," Hermione breathed, her voice tight. She closed her eyes for a second, before reopening them, and flicking her own wand at the map. Instantly it zoomed out, to show the entirely of the Hogwarts grounds again, "Let's get to work then." She frowned as her eyes panned over the map, "Looks as if the students are really in the dorms."

"Hermione," Harry muttered, pointing out at the periphery of the grounds, "What the bloody hell is that?" A seething mass of black moved around the edge of the forest, as if the map did not have enough ink to properly display.

"I've got it, Harry," Bill said quickly.

"Fine," Harry nodded, "Terry, Robert, Jean, go with him, watch his back. Don't get killed, Bill, if you can't handle it, back off." He stood quickly and looked around at the rest of the DA, the ones that had escaped or had been on the mission to Wewelsburg Castle with him, "The rest of you," he said firmly, sheathing his wand with a snap, "you know your assignments. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw teams, wait and hold at the entrance to the dorms. Signal via your mirrors when you are in place, as soon as all three of you are in place get in and start getting them out."

"If there is any question at all about one of the students, if they are behaving oddly at all, stun them and send them along with the others," Hermione added quickly. "Otherwise evacuate the students in priority of youngest first and any wounded."

Ron straightened, "As soon as your assigned dorm is clear, get out of the dorms, don't get trapped in them. There are too many ways to get caught in them. There is limited access to them by design. Unlike Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, however, there is a secret passage to the Gryffindor Common Room, I would use it to get behind the forces waiting for you on the seventh floor."

"That's it," Harry added, his voice betraying none of the utter panic that threatened to overwhelm him, "Disillusion yourself as soon as we reach Myrtle's, do not engage any Death Eaters until everyone is in position, or unless you have absolutely no choice." He looked around at every face. Many were pale, and a few were almost trembling, but none moved to back out, "Merlin keep you."

**********************Hospital Wing***************************

Remus glanced back at Tonks as she slipped into the Hospital wing, dragging the two dead Death Eaters behind her with her wand. She placed them into an empty storage room and sealed the door with a flick of her wand. She canceled the Disillusionment Charm and faded back into view, watching across the room as Lupin reappeared. He moved to a blank wall opposite Poppy's office.

He delved into a small pouch set on his wandbelt and pulled free a tiny iron key set on a leather thong. Lupin flicked his wand, causing a faint, red beam to emit from the end. He slowly played it over the barren wall, and grinned, ivory fangs showing slightly, as he slid the key into the invisible keyhole and turned. Lupin waited as the stones split and opened, and a dark archway appeared.

He froze as the cavernous muzzle of a suppressed pistol slid from the darkness, the silver hollowpoints he could sense in it, just as effective towards any other wizard, as towards him, or the other wolves in Riddle's employ. "What's the countersign?" a deep, hard voice snarled from the deep shadows.

"Mischief managed," Remus snapped, raising his hands slowly. The tip of a wand slipped out, covering Tonks as well as Roger slid from the hidden room behind the razed muzzle of a pistol. He looked at Tonks quickly and let out a breath he did not know he had been holding in. Tonks rushed past, grabbing Poppy on the way.

Tonks walked into the small, hidden room, taking a deep breath at what she found. "Professor Tonks," a small blonde girl in Ravenclaw colors screeched, "what's wrong, what's going on, I need to pee..."

Tonks crouched next to the girl; one of five, second years huddled together in a corner, "You are safe now, honey," she reached up and patted the girl on the cheek, "you just need to stay brave for just a bit longer...Can you do that for me?" The girl nodded quickly and turned back to her friends, huddling together on a small camp bed. Tonks took two steps to the side, and knelt next to Jane, she was lying, exhausted, her hair plastered to her head. A tiny form wrapped in a dark red blanket rested on her chest, with a full head of dark brown curls peaking out. "Are you alright, Jane?"

"I'm bloody well exhausted, how do you think I am, Tonks?" Jane snapped lowly. She took a tired breath, "I'm sorry, Tonks, what about Hermione and Harry?"

Tonks glanced back at Remus, he glanced at Roger, whose face was hard and set, she reached out and grabbed Jane's arm, "They are going to attack as soon as we get you clear."

"To get the other students out?" Jane whispered, even as Roger subtly turned from his wife and grabbed Remus' elbow and eased the Lycan back into the main room.

"How bad is it, Remus?" he muttered, sliding his sidearm into his belt behind his back. Roger scrubbed his scalp with a large hand, looking worriedly at the man who had spent the last year hiding him and his wife.

"Right now, to use the vernacular of the younger generation," Lupin said darkly, "it sucks, though it's not as bad as it could be...I haven't talked to Harry since Nymph and I managed to infiltrate the castle, but I do know that it's at least six to one odds, Harry just had fifty or so..."

"What about the Aurors?" Roger hissed, "the Ministry?"

Lupin shook his head sadly, "It's under attack as well; we can expect no help from that quarter until too late to do us any good."

"So my daughter and son-in-law are going to try to fight an impossible mission, and get themselves killed," Roger looked back to his wife, who was talking lowly to Tonks, visibly forcing herself to remain calm with her newest daughter in her arms. "Get them out Remus, I need to help them."

"Not a bloody chance, Roger," Lupin growled, "you and Jane and those little girls are getting out of here, Harry and Hermione would kill me if I let any of you get hurt. I need you to go with Poppy when we set up the Portkey, help her triage, it's going to get really crowded on nine and three quarters just as soon as we start to evacuate." Roger's eyes narrowed, and Lupin reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, "And they aren't alone....they have Dumbledore." Lupin just shrugged at the utterly bewildered expression on Hermione's father's face. "Let's get you and yours out of here." With a flourish, Lupin reached into a pouch, grabbed a length of rope and touched it with his wand.

The rope glowed blue and shook in his hand, before becoming still. "This Portkey will take you to London," Remus shrugged at the hard look on the slightly older man's face, and handed him another, smaller length of rope from his pouch, "this Portkey will return you at eight fifteen to the edge of the forest, near Hagrid's hut."

Roger nodded, a paragraph of thanks in a glance, "Let's be about it then."

********************Hogwarts, near the Quidditch Pitch********************

2:45 am

Bill slid behind the broomshed, and knelt, peering out from near the ground at the edge of the Forest, through a pair of borrowed Cat-Eye Spectacles. He slowly panned his gaze around the area, and froze suddenly as he found the cause of the Map's confusion. He glanced back at the three DA members with him and took a quick breath, and frantically motioned them out of sight. He quickly pulled his head back and huddled against the old fieldstone wall of the broomshed. He swallowed heavily, panting slightly as his mind's eye replayed what he had just seen.

Bill slid a willfully steady hand into a pocket and extracted a pocket mirror, "Harry," he hissed, "we have a smidgen of a problem..."

The image swirled and solidified into Harry's face, behind him, Bill could see the familiar confines of Myrtle's bathroom. Fred and George moved past, their expressions grim as they hoisted large packs on their backs and moved towards the door. Harry glanced back at them, saying something Bill didn't catch, before looking back at the eldest Weasley child, "Yeah?"

"It's a trap, Harry," Bill said tensely, looking back towards the dark edge of the Forbidden Forest. Trees shook at the edge, while in one large clump, ice covered the ground even in the middle of May. "Looks like he was waiting for us-at the very least he has more Dementors than I've ever seen, the bloody ground is frozen out here." His breath puffed in the chill, "As to the rest," he pulled a pair of tiny Omniocculars from his bag, and touched them with his wand, they grew to full size and he brought them to his eyes, scanning the woods. Bill grunted as he saw at least twenty Death Eaters standing in the edge of the woods, as far as they could get from the group of Dementors, he panned right slightly...

"Oh...bloody hell," he growled under his breath, Harry waited, Hermione, Ron and Luna crowding his shoulders as Bill visibly gathered himself, he dropped the Omniocculars to the ground and looked back onto the Mirror, "He has at least eight giants and I can't tell how many trolls...a lot, in any case."

Harry nodded, his face set, "Very well, Bill, back off, try to slip back in the castle, I doubt he'll let them in amongst his own forces. Our best bet is still to get the kids away, he was probably going to let us show up and crush us between his forces in the castle and out there.

"Sucks that we're already inside then, doesn't it," Ron quipped quietly. Hermione glared at him, and he quieted, but Harry nodded.

"Ron's right, and there's another thing that Tom doesn't know-Dumbledore," Harry mentioned, and Hermione's eyes widened.

"The wards, once Dumbledore is back inside the castle..." Hermione said urgently.

"The Dementors will never cross the boundary."

"Harry," Bill put in, "if the Dementors can be kept away...I might be able to take care of the Giants." Harry started to object, "Trust me, Harry," Bill urged softly and Harry nodded.

"It's up to you then, Bill...but don't do whatever you are planning until Dumbledore activates the wards, you should be able to tell."

Harry closed his mirror and slid it into a pouch on his belt. He took a breath, "We need to make sure Dumbledore knows...Fawkes..." Harry muttered and a beat later, the crimson and gold bird appeared in a flare of fire and alighted on Harry's shoulder. Harry bent his head to the bird, "Fawkes...Dumbledore needs to know...There are Dementors waiting at the edge of the forest, he needs to set the wards to keep them away...Understand?" Fawkes trilled and vanished without leaving Harry's shoulder, the flare of fire magically not touching Harry as he vanished. "Let's go everyone, move." Harry snapped and the DA vanished, disappearing under cloaks or Disillusionment Charms.

**************************The Lawn***************************

Ten Death Eaters stood at the great, sundered doors to the ancient keep, lounging and joking roughly with each other. A dark smear of blood led down the side of the doors, to a twisted body lying motionless, with a crumpled patch of fur next to it. They looked up as one as a single, darkly cloaked figure holding a tall, white staff topped with a shimmering crystal, walked slowly up the path leading to the main gates, he paused under the archway leading to the normal carriage stop and slowly panned his hidden gaze around them.

"Who are you?" the tallest of the Death Eaters a cruel man named Stephani, snarled. He raised his wand, pointing it towards the dark figure...and died at a gesture as his carotid turned to lead. He crumpled and the rest of the Death Eaters fired instantly, a wall of green and yellow beams annihilating the archway and shattering the courtyard fountain.

Random bits of stone and water rained down as they ceased fire, "What the..." A shattered archway met their gaze as the smoke cleared, but nothing else. A soft scuff of leather on stone and a blue wave ripped out of the night, intersecting all nine and sending them crashing down to the stones. The wizard stepped to the first Death Eater, fading back into view from nothingness, and looked down, "You should have listened Mr. Stephani," he said sadly, "When Horace said you were on the wrong path...alas, you did not listen." He looked up, at the grinning green skull hanging over his beloved school, and slammed the butt of his staff on the ground.

A huge white pulse ripped into the sky, expanding into a vast flaming phoenix lighting the sky. It's beak opened as it swooped and swallowed the Dark Mark whole, before vanishing, leaving the sky full of only stars once more. He stepped into the castle, vanishing from view as he moved.

**************************Fourth Floor***********************

4:15 am
Alecto Carrow strode down the exact center of the hall, braying with laughter as she walked at the head of a column of twenty Death Eaters, firing off spells to shatter portraits, armor and various other knick-knacs accumulated over a thousand years of continuous occupancy of the ancient fortress. The occupants of the portraits screamed and ran from frame to frame, fleeing her and her wrecking squad.

She never noticed as a squad of shadows flitted from alcove to alcove in her wake, "We need more entertainment," she roared and the Death Eaters with her laughed, particularly so an absolutely huge blonde Death Eater, with a particularly cruel face. He laughed as he stepped to the side and fired off a Reductor destroying a line of Armor.

Behind them, in a side passage now filled with rumble that they had just passed, the air shimmered and cleared, leaving behind a baker's dozen that had not been there before. Hermione nodded to Parvati, as she slid to the corner on her belly, and slowly extended her mirror at the very bottom of the wall. She looked back and mouthed, "They're gone."

Harry nodded without looking up, as he looked down at the Map spread out in front of him, it was currently zoomed in on the Dungeon dorm of Hufflepuff, where a large group of terrified first and second years, along with a scattering of older students, crowded around a dot labeled "Ernie McMillan." Harry moved his finger in a circle and the Map zoomed out to show the whole of the castle before zooming into a representation of Gryffindor Tower. Harry smiled darkly as he noted at least thirty tiny dots filling the Gryffindor Common room, at the scale he had it at, the names blurred together, but they were in a position to attack the first thing through the door.

A line of Death Eaters filled the hall in front of the dorm, a force of ten, perfect adequate to hold the narrow corridor against an attack from their front. We could flit up there, Harry, Hermione mentioned silently.

We have to trust them to do their jobs, Harry muttered back, though she could feel the hesitation in his words. He looked over at Draco and Ginny, huddled together in a corner, Draco's eyes were constantly moving at each of them in turn. Even if we have damn little reason to believe that they will in the case of some of them, he added reflectively.

Harry glanced up as Ron, Luna and Neville joined him in looking at the map. A minute passed with only the sounds of soft breathing; then six dots appeared behind the Death Eaters, appearing from a hidden door unknown to them. Four of the Death Eaters vanished instantly, then another and another.

A minute later it was over, as all of the dots representing Death Eaters faded slowly from the map, along with a dot labeled Gretchen Anderson. Harry took a deep, long breath, knowing that she would not be the last this night, and watched as the remaining four dots flowed into the room, and were immediately swarmed by the students waiting in ambush.

Anther breathless minute passed, before Harry's mirror vibrated in his pouch and he tapped it, to allow him to hear a breathless voice in his ear. "Harry," Honor's voice was tired and flat, almost expressionless, "we have the tower...We lost Gretchen and Sam's hurt bad, Harry, I'm sorry it was..."

"You did your best, Honor," Harry replied as Parvati, Lavender, Dean and Seamus moved to the corridor, their wands extended. Parvati twirled her chakram on the finger of her left hand, before she swapped her wand and the heirloom weapon. "Are you ready to get them out, Honor, have you checked the rest of the dorm?"

"Yeah, Harry," she replied with just a hair more life to her voice, "We are, give the word..."

"Hold on," he replied and tapped his mirror again, "Padma, Ernie," he called and two more soft voices answered, "are you ready?"

"I'm ready, Harry," Ernie's voice whispered back as Harry looked up at Ron and mouthed, "Get them ready." Ron nodded, tapped Neville and Luna on the shoulders and slipped to inform the rest of the team that the ball was about to start.

"We are too, Harry," Padma's voice, the almost identical one to her sisters, answered, "We stunned two here that were acting odd, they were both sixth years, transfers from Beauxbatons, don't know why they weren't at Hogsmeade with the rest," she paused, "Harry they had wands, none of the rest of the kids did, the Death Eaters took them, these other two were supposedly up in their room and the Death Eaters, missed them, according to what they told the others."

"I understand, Padma, tie them up before you port them and have one of the kids tell Fleur and Molly when they get to the Platform to watch them...they may not be plants, but..."

"Yeah, Harry."

Harry took a breath and looked down at his watch, then at the map, which he zoomed out to the whole school, "We go in five minutes everyone," he said in the mirrors, "port them out as fast as you can. As soon as the Portkeys begin to fire off, Tom will know, I can't hide that." He looked down at the map, finding the group that had just passed them, a large force of at least a hundred in the Great Hall headed by a dot marked Tom Riddle, a force of fifty or so walking around the first floor and many, many more spent in smaller packets around the school. "Ernie, as soon as you get the last one out, go to the Slytherin Dungeon and seal the entrance, drop the corridor if you have to, the kids that are in there will be fine, but I don't want any unexpected help from that quarter."

"Right, Harry."

"Padma, as soon as you get the last one away, meet up with me, we are going to take out the group that just passed and head towards the Great Hall, meet up with us on the fourth floor by that statue of Dell the Screwball." Harry looked at the faces with him; most were pale, but calm.

"I'll be there, Harry...tell Seamus..."

"You tell him, Padma," Harry cut her off, "see you in a few, two minutes now, everyone, out." He tapped the mirror again, cutting off conversations as he slowly stood. The map folded itself and leapt to a thigh pocket of his pants. "Let's go," Harry looked to Fred and George who were watching him intently as they held hands over bulging packs, "You two are up...we aren't playing fair tonight." They nodded with slightly maniacal glints in their eyes, before they vanished with dual swishes of cloaks. The rest of the group vanished in ones and twos, tossing cloaks over their heads or recasting Disillusionment Charms, and slipped into the hall.

Hermione gave Harry a small, tight smile before she vanished from his normal vision, leaving behind only her muted presence in his senses. He stepped into the hall, invisible and felt Hermione at his side as they loped off in pursuit of the Death Eaters. He rounded a corner quickly, feeling them ahead, and stopped in the middle of the hall. His wand tracked up, towards the woman in the lead that he remembered from the night Dumbledore, died? A clocked ticked somewhere, and the vaguely cold discharges of Portkeys surround him, lighting up his senses. He felt a sudden, stinging pain in his scar,
"NOW, FRED, GEORGE!" Harry snapped and let his powers flow. Green light lit his eyes as a blue bolt ripped from his wand, leaving his target a red mist in his suddenly sped up perspective.

Harry dove to his left, dancing under a green Kedavra that shattered the wall behind him; he distantly heard a grunt as a chunk of stone hit Dean. Harry stood; slicing left with the Sword, as he caught Hermione twirl around another to his left, silver blades glinting in the dim lighting. Both of their targets fell as the Twins stepped from the shadows, pulled two large stacks of discs from their packs and flung them to the ground, "DOWN!" Two-dozen silver discs, the latest generation of WWW's Very Fanged Frisbees streaked down the hall ripping into the remaining Death Eaters like a steel tornado. One, five, ten went down, dead or as injured as so not to matter.

The huge Death Eater dove back, shooting several of the Frisbees out of the air with Reductors, his last two compatriots fell as discs slipped past their defenses and gutted them, leaving him alone in the hall as Harry's entire force faded into view. "Potter," he growled, pulling loose a long, dark blade from under his robes. He laughed, "Care to see if you are really as brave as they claim? Come, face me with steel if you dare."

"Why not?" Harry whispered, and felt Hermione sigh, as he slid his wand back into his thigh sheath and slowly stalked forward, drawing the Sword from his back as he went.

She looked over at the huge, 6'8" or so, Death Eater towering over Harry's relatively small, 5'10" height, and took a breath, steadying herself as Harry stopped five paces away and held the Sword in a low guard, the hilt by his right, trailing, hip with the point pointing down and back. "Ready to die, Potter?" Sampson Crenshaw laughed, and looked past Harry to watch Hermione slowly spinning her daggers between her fingers, "I will entertain your-woman for you, after you are gone, Potter." He smiled hugely, showing large, slightly pointed teeth, and raised his sword overhead.

Harry sighed, "Anytime now--I do have your master to kill still..." Crenshaw let out an inarticulate roar, and charged. Time abruptly slowed to Harry's eyes as they lit...Harry danced to the side, watching as the huge claymore passed though the space he had just stood in...he spun to his right, slicing up and right, opening Crenshaw's back from kidney to scapula in a spray of blood...twisted his wrist and snapped the blade back, continuing his spin...

Time abruptly returned to normal as the Death Eater collapsed to the floor, a head shorter than he had started. Harry took one breath and muttered a spell, cleaning the Sword before sliding it back into his sheath. He looked back at the remainder of his team, saw Parvati finishing bandaging a slice on Seamus' arm, "Let's go," he said simply and shrugged his cloak over his head and vanished.

*******************Platform 9 3/4, Kings' Cross Station*********************

4:20 am

Molly Weasley sat wearily on a bench set against the old brick of the station, watching the mostly empty platform as she waited for the refugees to arrive. She looked across at Fleur as the very pregnant witch sat with the few students that had been hiding in the Infirmary when Remus and Tonks had relieved the spot. The small, tiny really, girls sat nervously, eating milk and cookies that Molly had packed for this, occasionally talking to each other, but mostly waiting. At least one of the girls' parents had been found and were on their way to hopefully take all five of the girls as they all seemed to be friends.

They had arrived, almost an hour ago, along with Remus, Tonks, Poppy and the Grangers, now plus one. Tonks had taken Jane and Anastasia to Grimmauld, where Winky was waiting to help Jane if needed, Winky having luckily not been in the castle when the attack occurred, but back at Godric's working on outfitting the crib for the newborn. The Secret seemed rather moot now, however, as the tiniest witch's ultimate fate, along with so many others would most likely be decided in the next few hours.

Roger had remained here, with several cases of medical supplies, along with Poppy, waiting to treat any injured from the kids who would hopefully, soon, be delivered safe from the war that had engulfed them. Molly looked down at her hands, twisting madly in her lap, before she looked back over at Roger, pacing furiously, his hand ever so often resting on a Muggle sidearm that he had placed in the small of his back. A large, lumpy black duffel sat pushed against the wall near him, he had had Winky pop to Godric's to retrieve it.

A slight change in the air pressure was their only warning as at least twenty vortexes opened, in a rainbow fall of colors, turning the dimly lit, early morning station bright as day, before fading. Sudden cries of terror and a few of pain rang out across the large open space as over a hundred children, eleven, twelve, and thirteen, with a few sprinkled older ones, appeared from nowhere. "GABRIELLE!" Fleur screamed, as she caught sight of a small, platinum-haired form curled protectively over an older boy in combat blacks. Fleur moved as rapidly as she could, around a clump of students, "POPPY!" she snapped, pointing down at the injured DA member that had evacuated with the youngsters. Poppy immediate dove to his side, waving her wand and starting a potion drip from a large, infinitely deep bag at her side.

She looked up at Roger as Gabrielle was swept, crying, into the arms of her older sister, "It's started then, Roger," she said as she finished stabilizing the young fighter, who would be far from the last she treated this night, if they were lucky, if they were not...that thought really did not bear thinking on.

"Aye," he replied softly, as he looked around the area. Molly was already herding the students into groups, the youngsters responding to her as she came into her own. Fleur helped as she could, but the real star, was Gabrielle, as the tiny part-Veela, charmed, cajoled or just plain influenced the rest of the children into some semblance of order, so her sister could get their names to contact their parents to come get them, with the flock of owls already waiting patiently near one end of the platform, courtesy of the efficient pre-planning of a certain Hogwarts Head Girl.

**********************Great Hall*****************************

"FIND THEM," Voldemort roared, and flung his wand sideways, sending tables skittering across the floor. At least fifty Death Eaters ran at his words, sprinting out of the hall through the forward doors. He stood from Dumbledore's golden throne and paced to the body lying motionless between a pair of his Death Eaters.

Minerva McGonagall looked up slowly, her grey eyes almost hidden behind her cracked and broken glasses. She glared at him, a look that could kill lesser evils, "Problems, Tom?" she sneered, he raised his wand high above his head, and she laughed, a more coughing sound actually as she coughed up a wad of blood, but a laugh nonetheless. A yellow beam ripped into her, sending her squirming in pain, but not screaming, not giving him the satisfaction.

"None of that is your concern, Minerva," Voldemort hissed, sending more of his Death Eaters in the hall out into the castle. He ended his spell with a flick of his wand, "Where is your precious, Great White Wizard...Where is your Chosen One?" He sniggered slightly and twirled his wand between long, skeletal fingers, "Yes, I remember now...your precious Albus is dead. And Potter's death will soon fuel my ultimate ascension. Come here, Bella, my precious..." Voldemort motioned and the black-haired Black, moved forward to stand at Voldemort's side. "My heir, Minerva..." Voldemort smiled darkly and slowly ran his fingers over Bella's distended belly, "I will soon, transfer my essence to him-"

"You've already split your soul enough, Tom," Minerva spat, and she smiled slightly as his eyes widened, just a touch, "And as to the other, Tom, not all is as it seems..." she took a breath and slumped, passing out as Voldemort raised his wand in fury.

A patch of air shimmered, "That...Tom," a wry, strong voice boomed across the hall, "would...be a mistake." A dark cloaked figure held up a tall white staff and rapped it strongly on the stones of the castle. An echo of power ripped through the air, permeating the very stones of the castle. Far away, Voldemort could feel the wards shift, and his tenuous link, to the Dementor host in the forest beyond; sever. "Were you expecting company, perhaps?"

A/N: There you go, some things were answered, some weren't and may never be...Next time, Harry and Tom begin their...conversation.

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54. The Floor Falls Away

A/N: Liberty holds a high cost...Thanks to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter...it was tough.

Chapter 54: The Floor Falls Away
**********************Near the Quidditch Pitch********************

5:00 am

Bill Weasley sat, still concealed behind the stands, periodically sneaking glances out at the Forbidden Forest. The dark tithe of Voldemort's forces still sat ready, waiting to sweep into the castle, to crush any would-be rescuers between the Death Eaters inside and the forces outside. He watched as the hordes of trolls, along with the Giants he had witnessed earlier, moved around the edge of the woods. Bill slowly reached under his dark shirt, and pulled forward a large, carved Dragon's tooth. Several inscribed Runes glowed faintly in the pre-dawn gloom. He felt the gift from Charlie, one that his brother had given him the night before his wedding, with the words, "This could save you someday, Bill...you'll know when you might need it." Bill did not quite know what would happen when he triggered the talisman, but he had a pretty good idea. And that idea was the basis of his assurance to Harry.

*******************Near the Slytherin Dorms***********************

5:35 am

"Move, goddamnit," Ernie McMillan screamed, pushing the last of his team behind him and up the stairs towards the main part of the school. He ducked a curse, and fired back, smiling grimly as he heard a howl of pain. He felt a tug against his arm, pulling him back behind cover, just as a curse from the massed Slytherin sixth and seventh years snapped through where his head had just been. Ernie and his team had found when they were on their mission to interdict the Slytherin dorms.

"I am going to kill you if you die on me, Ernie," Hannah hissed, and rolled out, firing curses randomly before sliding back next to him in the small alcove he had been sheltering in. "I already lost Susan this fucking week..." She bit back something at the thought of her friend, "REDUCTO!" A shimmering blue bolt roared down the hallway, shattering the stones behind the Slytherins. Ernie reached out and pulled her back, just as a half dozen Kedavras ripped past their hiding spot.

All six hit within feet of each other on the already much-abused stone wall, and with a terrible creaking roar, the passage behind them, their only means of escape, collapsed, cutting off the pair from the rest of the DA. "COME ON OUT, LITTLE GRYFFINDORS..." Blaise Zabini's mocking voice snarled, laughing. "I promise that it won't hurt too much... Though, Hannah...it might...." He added with a philosophical shrug to his voice. The dark laughter of two-dozen Slytherins mocked them.

"Lord, they are stupid," Hannah sighed, leaning back as another Kedavra shot past. She crouched and fired back, sending a blast of sliver darts back. A suddenly-cut-off scream was her reward. She stood, staying behind cover, "They can't even get our house right...fucking wankers..."

"I'm sorry, Hannah," Ernie muttered; she looked back and up at him, to give him a tired smile, "I screwed up..."

"'No plan survives contact with the enemy'...last we knew, there weren't any combatants down here..." She took a breath, and fought to keep tears from running down her cheeks, "We'll see each other on the other side, Ernie."

He nodded, "Yes, we will." He reached down and squeezed her hand, before kissing her cheek. She tightened her grip on her wand; they shared a nod...Both of the DA members stepped out from cover as one, firing. A Slytherin seventh year next to Zabini went down, his chest vaporized. Pansy fell, her leg cut from knee to hip, Crabbe collapsed as a Bludgeoning Curse from Ernie shattered his kneecap. Then every remaining Slytherin fired at once, a wave of green, purple, yellow, gold, silver...Ernie buckled, his wand snapping out one last curse that terminated Grayson Sneade once and for all, before he fell to the ground and bounced once.

His blood started to pool as Hannah screamed, "AVADA KEDAVRA!" the one single incident of the Killing Curse used by the light that night in Hogwarts, and a masked Death Eater, probably along as an advisor to the Death Nibblers, was slammed back against the wall to slide down it.

Five Kedavras found her in the next instant, sending her crashing to the floor, dropping directly onto Ernie's lifeless body.

Zabini looked around, and more than a trace of fear clouded his eyes before he hid it, blinking away the thoughts of what just two of Potter's hated DA had done to them, as he saw his five dead, and several more wounded. He kicked at the bodies, snarling, before he led the Slytherins away, down another corridor that would lead them out.

***************************Great Hall******************************
7:22 am

The once-great Great Hall lay in ruins, its tables broken, its high windows shattered. Far above, the enchantments on the ceiling flickered off and on, in a random, broken pattern, like a badly tuned Muggle television program. Along the walls, lines of dark-cloaked figures stood, watching, most of them with wands in hand waiting for a chance or an order to attack one of the two standing, breathing heavily in the center of the broken room, fifty meters apart.

The two combatants formed an odd balance, light and dark, yin and yang. The taller of the pair, a ice-blue eyed man with long, auburn hair, escaping from a tail it had started the night bound tightly in, tightened his grip on a long, white staff and looked across the distance, carefully holding the sullen red eyes of his opponent with his own. A faint, white glow almost washed out the blue of his eyes as he gathered power, magic seeming streaming from the air, the ground; the very stones of the castle itself. "You have lost, Tom," Dumbledore said softly, his voice projecting across the room, nonetheless.

Voldemort laughed and gestured towards Dumbledore with one long-fingered, bone-white hand. "You keep telling me that, Albus, but I am still here." Voldemort gestured towards the blood dripping down from a wound on Dumbledore's hand, along his staff to the floor.

Dumbledore moved to his left, gesturing, and the ruin of part of the Ravenclaw table flying out of his way. He moved through a shaft of light streaming down from a broken window, "Can you not feel it, Tom, I can. Every time another of your followers is removed, another small bit of cleansing to this place...It is like an inexorable tide...no man, no matter how powerful can stand alone...and in the end, Tom, where it counts, you are alone."

Voldemort roared his annoyance and a green beam rushed across at Dumbledore, missing as he vanished with a swirl of cloak, and shattering a six-foot divot in the stones of the north wall. "I am not a man...I will be a GOD!"

A soft, invisible chuckle. "Gods do not bleed, Tom." A silver jet shot out of nowhere, ripping along the side of Voldemort's leg and sending a spray of black blood into the air, it sizzled as it hit the stones of the floor. The Death Eaters along the walls reacted instantly, filling the room with a web of light. An entire group of them crashed back against the walls as shimmering red ropes pulled them into a tight ball.

"HE IS MINE," Voldemort roared, and the spell fire grew silent.

Dumbledore reappeared fifteen feet away, and a flaming whip ripped from his wand, curling around the Dark Lord. He snapped his wrist and Voldemort went spinning through the air. He bounded off a wall and flicked his wand back at Albus; dark, glass-like shards ripped at Dumbledore, who flicked his wand straight up, causing a wall of diamond to appear.

The shards shattered with a loud crumpling sound and Dumbledore dodged out from behind the wall, waving to the right and left. The ruins of the tables came to life and started to march on Voldemort, and magic crackled like fire around the room.

*************************Third Floor*****************************

A group of almost thirty witches and wizards, now, slipped through the hallways of the ancient school, cloaked in invisibility and shadow, trailing another group of perhaps fifteen or so. The second ones, many of whom were still in robes emblazoned with the serpent emblem of Slytherin House, moved rapidly, glancing around nervously into the dark, dim corners and alcoves of the huge castle.

Among the Slytherins, skulking along the corridor, more than one were limping, moving heavily or slowly. They held wands in hand, pointing them here and there; they had already come across several of their Death Eater compatriots lying lifeless in the hallways, with no sign of the attackers that had felled them. A tall Slytherin, looked over at the one in the center of the pack, "I don't understand why we bothered with Pansy, Blaise," he said, shaking his head, "It's not like she is much of a loss."

Several of the Slytherins and their five, older, Death Eater fellows laughed darkly. A blonde-haired girl, who was wearing her robe open to display a uniform shirt, only buttoned in the center two buttons. She looked over at Blaise, "Surely she isn't that good, Blaise," Suzanne Crenshaw smirked as the group came to a halt and she moved over to him through the group. She reached up and ran several fingers along the buttons on his shirt, "she can't be as good as me..."

"Appearances can be deceiving, my dear," he replied quietly and let his fingers fall in the open V of her neckline for a moment, he pulled them back, "For being a blood-traitor, Draco trained her rather well, it would have been a shame to lose that."

All of them missed the brief flicker of movement and a flash of gold as a Disillusionment Charm was reset.

None of them missed the single, slim, black-clad figure that appeared in the hallway in front of them. They all spun, their wands coming up as Hermione stared them down, a pair of blades spinning back and forth between her fingers. "Surrender is still an option," she announced, watching all of them at once.

"Are you all alone, little girl?" Crenshaw asked snidely, leaving Zabini's side and moving over, sidling towards a seemingly empty hallway to her right.

Hermione smiled slightly, a flicker of Magic lit her eyes, "I have never been alone when it counted for seven years now." Spellfire crashed around her, some coming within millimeters of her, and the Slytherins collapsed, most of them even still alive. She looked over as Harry stepped from the shadows, sheathing his wand.

And you never will be, he continued, as the rest of the DA with him appeared. The castle shook under a sudden explosion far below, and Harry took a breath, and looked to Hermione, he reached out and took her hand before pulling her to him, it's time, Hermione, Albus has been alone for far too long. She just nodded, and if he could feel a slight tremor in her under his hands, it was only what he was feeling as well. "Dobby," Harry said to the air, and the elf appeared with an almost silent POP and a grim glint in his normally cheerful eye.

"Yes, Master Harry Potter Sir," he asked and several of the DA chuckled behind him, only to be cut off at a glare from Hermione. She looked back down at Dobby as Harry pulled away from her to kneel down to the elf's level.

"Dobby, can you and the other elves take these...people and stick them in a cell somewhere, make sure that they don't escape?" A slightly feral look filled Dobby's continuance as he looked down at the unconscious Death Eaters and Nibblers, and snapped his fingers. He and the captives vanished with a POP, and Harry turned to the rest of the DA with him. He only absently felt Hermione's hand slip into his as he took a breath, "Hermione and I are going to go the Great Hall now," he paused as another explosion coming from the direction of the Great Hall shook the castle, "where Voldemort is...I aim to kill the bastard, but it will be full of Death Eaters, his best and brightest will be by his side, trying to curry favor. I can't promise...I won't promise that we won't all die..."

"Let's go, Harry," Ron said, and several of the rest just nodded, "it's what we came for after all." He laughed, "If you hurry up and kill the wanker, we can still have the elves fix breakfast." Hermione did not even scowl at him as Harry nodded at his friend, and brother.

"Ok, then," Harry replied, taking the time to quickly check through his pouch, and to cast a quick check on the Keenness Charms on the Gryffindor Sword, "Fine...everyone take the time right now to bandage any minor wounds, get a drink and maybe a chocolate bar from your stash...I'll go in openly, the rest of you except Hermione, stay out of sight until he plays his hand...Mione you have my back, Ron, Luna, you have hers, until we get Nagini, and then the game is afoot...Let's go."

**********************Near Hagrid's Hut***************************

8:15 am

A swirl of color appeared, tossing out a single man in mottled camouflage. He spun, hard eyes looking over the sights of a suppressed carbine. He turned to his left at the sound of a soft scraping noise, muzzle covering a white-masked form, "Who the ruddy hell are..."

A soft, triple chuffing sound and the Death Eater collapsed, blood pooling from a tight, triangular grouping in the middle of his chest. Roger spun again, only to stop as the newest arrival lowered his hood slowly. "Mischief managed," Remus said quickly. Roger nodded and picked up a pack and followed Remus into the shadow of the trees. He frowned slightly at the slightly feral look he found in Lupin's eyes but followed him. The pair passed quickly, sliding behind the cover of a large, several-foot-thick, oak. Roger nodded to Tonks as he found her there; her face was hard and set, as she looked out through a gap in the trees towards Hogsmeade.

A half dozen Dark Marks could be seen hanging in the morning sky, their evil magics allowing them to be seen as easily in the day as in the night. Dark smoke rose as well above the town, and she gave it a grim nod, turning away, even as her Auror instincts demanded that she run to their rescue. She looked back towards the castle and her heart sunk even further at the reminder of the warfare raging in and around the grounds.

Remus pulled Tonks to his side as he huddled with Roger, "Listen, Roger, I programmed that Portkey, because I know what you have to be feeling...I feel it too, they might as well be my own," he said painfully, "but you are here more as a medic than anything..."

"I have to help, Remus," he said quickly, lowly as he checked the magazine in his sub gun, and let it drop back down on its sling. He tightened the straps of his pack, filled with both medical supplies for trauma, and a decent supply of potions that he could use if necessary to treat injuries he could not with more mundane techniques. "I am a bloody surgeon, if only a dental one, I can treat them, at least enough to stabilize them enough to let you or Tonks create a Portkey, to get them to Poppy or St. Mungo's."

"How is London?" Tonks asked hurriedly, "Have they attacked anywhere..."

"Other than the Ministry, no, and we still have no word on that really. We did have two Aurors by the names of Williams and Blake stop by for an instant, on the way to the Ministry, seems they were scouting the location that they were supposed to be striking last night and didn't get caught in the Ministry, they were headed there, to try to do...something."

"They'd be better off here," Remus growled, glaring to the south for a moment, as if he could see them, he turned back to the other two, "Tonks and I have Invisibility Cloaks, Roger. You are a touch too big to play your daughter and son-in-law's old game of sneaking about under the cloak with someone else, so I am going to Disillusion you...you won't be invisible, especially during the day, but it will help." Roger nodded and felt an odd, cold-sensation as if an egg were cracked over his head. He glanced down at his hands and equipment, finding them only a blurred faint distortion of the background behind.

The pair of suddenly invisible wizards and one almost invisible Muggle, who had thought that his adventurous days were long gone, moved silently towards the castle.

'******************Hogwarts, Great Hall**************************

May 24, 1998
8:25 am

Dumbledore stood slowly, and looked down at his enemy, the one that had cost him more than almost any other, and the one that had cost the young man he considered, no matter how fractious their relationship had been at times, his grandson in fact if not in blood, his chance at a life. He watched as Tom Riddle looked up at him fearfully, he watched as the Dark Lord's eyes slowly panned to the dark, twisted wand that Dumbledore held in his hand.

A long, quiet silence seemed to stretch for hours, though it only took seconds, as Voldemort slowly stood once more, "You still are afraid to kill me, Albus," he sneered. "Or rather is it, that you can't?" Voldemort started to walk to the left, circling slowly. Dumbledore's staff flashed, and a flickering blue wall blocked his progress. "Where is your Chosen One, Albus?"

"I am sure he will be along presently, Tom," Dumbledore replied pleasantly, the strained rafters far above made a loud, groaning sound, and glass fell, tinkling from a shattered stained glass windows. His light blue eyes hardened, becoming diamond-like pinpoints, "However, I have always taken Divination with more than a grain of salt, I am more than willing to take the chance." Dumbledore raised his staff, the end lit, filling the room with a blinding white light.

Voldemort spun to his right, and flung his hand down. A green beam shot from his fingers and bounced from the ancient stones, splitting into four beams. They shot out, finding four innocuous, crystals. They held the beams for an instant, and fired all four at Dumbledore at once. He MOVED, spinning left, dodging one, batted a second away with his staff, ducked under another, and collapsed as the fourth hit him directly in the small of the back, sending him crashing through several tables before coming to a halt.

Voldemort laughed and held out his hand, calling his wand back to his hand. It grew as it touched his pale, long-fingered hand, growing into a dark counterpoint to Dumbledore's white staff. Voldemort flicked it, flinging Dumbledore back through the ruins of the Ravenclaw Table, "Where is he now, Albus?" Voldemort advanced through the rubble, littering the floor, stepping through a pool of sunlight from a hole in the ceiling far above, "You will not come back again, Dumbledore, I will not set this task to lesser beings again, AVADA..."

BOOM...The ruins of the huge oak doors tumbled inward, and a wave of pure force picked up Voldemort, tossing him back through the Head Table, sending Dumbledore's throne flying, to continue on though the back wall of the room into the small room that Harry had once waited in with the other would-be Tri-Wizard champions. A pair of brightly glowing orbs appeared in the smoke filling the doorway, slowly resolving into a black-haired, spectacled form. He stalked into the room, not a movement wasted, and casually flicked his fingers, flinging tables to the side and out of his way. He knelt next to Dumbledore and felt for a pulse, nodding when he felt one under his fingers.

Harry straightened, watching as the rubble at the far end of the room shifted, rattling, and exploded outward. Small chunks of stone rained down next to him, Harry did not flinch as a small stone cut his cheek. He watched, silently, as a pair of glowing red eyes burned, approaching him from the depths of the shadowed room beyond. "POTTER," he hissed, moving into the light. "Where are your friends, Potter?"

Harry smiled slowly as the crash of spellfire came from behind him, "Dealing with the rest of your scum, Tom," he replied, not raising his voice, but it still thundered throughout the hall. Harry slowly walked across the room, and knelt next to the crumpled body of Minerva McGonagall. Her breathing was erratic and he muttered a spell, placing her into stasis. He stood.

"I am so glad that you came, Harry," Voldemort chuckled as he waved his hand towards the back of the room, and two dozen Death Eaters, headed by a very pregnant Bellatrix, her rotund belly partially exposed by her open black robes, appeared. Harry felt a slight shudder, as Voldemort gave Bellatrix a dark smile, "Your death will allow me to complete the circle. To live forever..."

Harry cocked his head slightly, taking in Bellatrix's condition. The elder Avery saw Harry glance away, "AVADA KEDAVRA!" he screamed; a green light filled the giant room as a rushing sound filled the air. Harry vanished just as the green bolt passed through where he had been and reappeared behind the Death Eater, sword in hand. A step left, and a head tumbled to the floor, as Harry reappeared in exactly the same spot he had been in before. A sudden hush filled the Death Eater's ranks.

"So you needed a potion, Tom," Harry quipped quietly, "I hear that can affect elders."

"THE DARK LORD WILL..."

"Quiet, Bella," Voldemort said softly, cutting her off, "We should allow Potter his last words, it is only...proper after all. So, Harry," he went on, his tone subtly mocking as he slowly paced over to stand in the center of the room, "have you made your peace...are you ready to join your poor parents once more?" He made a small, almost unnoticeable gesture with the hand that was not holding his staff as his smoldering eyes glowed brighter.

A loud explosion came from the hall and Voldemort's eyes snapped to the door, "Go see what that is," he commanded and the Death Eaters, except Bellatrix, ran to the door, their wands out.

"A smidgen of a problem, Tom?" Harry asked softly. He moved further into the room, his eyes carefully on his enemy so as not to give away the hidden presences behind him. The Death Eaters turned back towards him watching their Master as he smiled, darkly.

"No, Harry, not at all," Voldemort whispered and smiled, his eyes flicking to the right, just behind Harry.

Harry looked directly into Voldemort's glowing eyes, and his lip twitched upward. Voldemort laughed as a soft noise echoed behind Harry. His eyes grew wide, a rasp of steel on leather, and a flash of a glowing blade intersected the neck of his last Horcrux. Harry spun back to Voldemort, the two halves of the giant snake falling slowly to the earth as blood dripped from the thousand-year-old blade in his hand. Harry never turned as a loud roar of anger and a hissing green cloud escaped the neck of the snake. He never moved as Hermione's lips incanted something even as she was fading in and the soul fragment exploded in a rush of light and phoenix song.

Tom Riddle screamed, an unholy howl coming from snake-like lips as he watched the motionless corpse of his Familiar, and the last vessel of his soul, lay destroyed in the center of the Great Hall. A single shaft of sunlight from the broken, high windows lit the corpse, like an accusing finger.

"My wife and I seem to be the only ones here with complete souls, Tom." A glowing orb of energy came to life in his off hand, "Shall we end this?"

Voldemort looked to each side, and flicked his staff. Instantly the walls wavered and shimmered as Death Eaters appeared, at least fifty. "Yes, Potter, let's." He motioned towards them and with a loud, wordless roar the Death Eaters charged.

The air shimmered around Harry as his own reinforcements arrived, Ron, Luna, Draco, Ginny, Lavender, Neville, Dean, Seamus, Padma, Parvati, and a few others, hopelessly outnumbered as another twenty Death Eaters arrived back from the hallway. Across the room, safely away from the incipient fighting, Bellatrix stood closely to the Dark Lord, watching.

"GO!" Harry screamed and moved, dancing to the side as the first spell reached towards him, a shimmering turquoise beam. He rolled under another spell, flickering into movement. His left hand flung outward, a hissing ball of fire shot out, exploding in the midst of the Death Eater ranks, vaporizing two outright and killing another four in a shower of blood.

Harry's eyes flicked backwards for a heartbeat, the sword flicking in a shimmering web before him, knocking back a pair of spells towards the Death Eaters. He saw Ron stagger slightly as a Cutting Beam grazed his side, then dropped to the ground as Hermione's Reductor flashed though the space his head had occupied an instant before. He snap-kicked his way back to his feet, spinning to his right and slashing upward with the Sword. A hand holding a wand belonging to a white-masked Eater fell to the ground, followed by the Death Eater as Harry's heel impacted his head.

Hermione rolled to his right, and twin blades flickered around her hands, an axe-armed Death Eater charged her, she stepped left, and caught his attack on crossed blades. She pushed upwards, tossing the Death Eater twice her size backwards a step. She whirled around his weapon, and twin, foot-and-a-half-long blades were stained with red. Her left hand flickered and the blade held there appeared in the forehead of a Death Eater to Harry's rear, just as he cut down another two. She called her blade back to her hand and vanished.

Behind them, under the cover of a fusillade of spells from Parvati and Lavender, Neville started to move Dumbledore and McGonagall out of the line of fire. Another Death Eater fell away, screaming, as a rune-inscribed disk whirred from out of the chaos. Parvati caught her chakram left-handed, even as she deflected another curse with her right. Neville gave her a nod of thanks, and leapt forward, pulling her to the ground just as a Kedavra exploded the wall behind her.

He looked up just as Harry appeared in front of them, in the midst of a clump of Death Eaters. He gestured with a hand and flung them up in the air, smashing through the ancient oak timbers far above, "GO, NEVILLE; GET THEM CLEAR!" Harry snapped and vanished again, reappearing across the room.

Padma screamed loudly as a shimmering yellow beam ripped into her side. Seamus exploded her attacker with a Reductor from the side, and sprinted to her, almost dropping to his knees as at least two separate spells hit him. He picked up Padma and staggered back towards a group of overturned, magically-reinforced tables as Luna stood from behind them, and calmly, almost as if she were on a range, methodically exploded five Death Eaters with precise Reductors. Seamus jumped over the table, the black-haired girl seemingly weightless in his arms.

Dean glanced over at him, "Is she..."

Any further words from his best friend were lost forever as a Kedavra neatly slipped through a hole in their makeshift barricade, and Dean's eyes went forever blank. "NO!" Ginny screamed as she witnessed the strike and jumped up, firing back wildly. Seamus swallowed heavily as he took a brief, disbelieving glance at Dean's body, before he desperately ripped open Padma's shirt, and dug in his pouch. He poured a purple potion over the wound, binding it in a sharp-smelling cloud of smoke. He looked up, and ducked just as quickly as a part of a Death Eater crashed into the wall behind him. Parvati slid in next to him; "Can you run?" he nodded, and picked up Padma, crouching behind the cover of the table. Parvati took a small piece of rubble from the ground and set it on Dean's chest. She swallowed heavily as she reached down to close his eyes before touching her wand to the stone.

Dean's body vanished in a fall of color, a Portkey taking him away. Parvati looked over at Seamus and ducked as a Reductor impacting above her head showered them with gravel. "I wish we could risk that with our wounded," Parvati muttered looking at the unconscious form of her sister. "NOW!" she snapped as she popped up, firing off curses, while across from her, Neville and Lavender started firing as well.

Seamus staggered across to where Neville was covering the door to a side passage leading to the rooms behind the Great Hall. Neville clasped him on the shoulder as he passed, "Stay there with them," Neville growled as he passed, before the sandy-haired wizard sprinted back into the fight under the cover of spellfire from his girlfriends.

Beyond them, even as Draco and Ginny dueled in tandem against Rabastan, Harry and Hermione shimmered back into existence, facing their nemesis at the back of the huge room. A darkly beautiful tapestry of light filled the room behind them, as Voldemort waved his hand over Bellatrix and she vanished. He slowly started to step to the side, circling to the side, "Shall we truly duel, Potter...Potters...I suppose," he added with a nod to Hermione, and a small, thin-lipped smirk.

Voldemort did not even flinch as Travers went down in his line of sight, as Ron neatly separated his head from his shoulders with a swipe of his short sword. He looked instead to Harry as a dark, purplish-black energy started to swirl around the head of his dark and twisted staff. "The last time a Potter faced me with his wife they both died..."

"Actually, Tom," Hermione replied sweetly, her voice carrying oddly over the chaos of the battle. A Death Eater rose in her line of sight and died just as quickly as she gestured and the arteries in his neck turned to lead. She turned back to the Dark Lord, "We've been married since September, so you--are wrong I am afraid, we've already fought you twice since then."

"Thank you, Mudblood," Voldemort hissed, "I so hate to be incorrect...CRUCIO." An inch-thick yellow beam tore from his staff, and Hermione grunted, dropping to her knees. Voldemort's eyes widened as Hermione fought her way back to her feet. Harry's eyes lit as he gestured and Voldemort went flying backwards through the far wall again, shattering the stone. Hermione fell forward on her hands, panting. Harry vanished, reappearing next to her, and pulling her to him, vanishing again just as a Kedavra came from the hole in the wall.

Harry reappeared in mid-air, just as Voldemort emerged from the hole, just in time to catch the Sword on his staff, blocking a head-splitting strike with millimeters to spare. Harry back-flipped in landing in a roll. A series of lighting-fast fireballs followed his progress, setting the shattered remains of several tables on fire.

Voldemort raised a shimmering silver shield, emblazoned with a green serpent, just in time to catch an orange spell on it with a loud gonging sound. He darted backwards, right as pillars of stone shot horizontally from the wall, smashing together. Hermione kept moving, dodging as Voldemort rained spells at her heels. He looked on, and flicked his wand, casually casting a Kedavra, dropping Misty Elliot, a sixth year Ravenclaw, that had been with Padma's team.

Hermione slid to a halt behind a table, Harry...

I know, he snapped back as his wand blurred, a flaming whip reached out to coil around Voldemort. The Dark Lord smiled, and the line of fire shimmered and turned into a serpent. Harry spun to the side as it struck at him, slashing downward with the sword. The serpent fell away in a cloud of mist. Harry spun to the side; looked across to see Ron go down, before crawling back to his feet as he held his hand to his side, blood seeping around his wound. Harry's eyes lit further, he jabbed the sword straight up, and a line of lightning tore into the Death Eaters from out of nowhere, shattering their ranks, killing or wounding at least a dozen and suddenly making the odds, slightly in favor of the DA...if one didn't count Voldemort.

"GET THEM CLEAR, RON!" Harry yelled across, Ron nodded, but no one turned to run, he watched as Ron closed with McNair, ducking under a swing of the Eater's broad axe, Ron cut up and to the right, and McNair, fell away, his blood staining the stones below. Ron ducked as Luna blocked a spell headed for his spine; she rolled over his back and fired in return, a fusillade of silver darts ripping from her wand.

Rabastan's eyes flicked to the side just as McNair fell, and a beam from Draco slipped past his shields. He died with a whimper as he slid to the floor. As he fell, Voldemort looked over, snarling darkly.

"CRUCIO," the canary beam tore into Draco, and the Slytherin fell to his knees. A red beam snapped back at Voldemort, in turn. He turned at the sting and a dark, twisted smile came to his lips.

Harry looked up from across the room, where he had been drawn into a duel with five Death Eaters. The last fell away as Hermione slipped up behind him and slit his throat. And, as Harry noticed Tom's next target, he screamed, "NO!"

For Voldemort found Ginny, crouched over Draco, "Hello, my dear," he whispered, and flicked his wand at her. Ginny's eyes went blank, as she slowly stood. Her wand tracked towards Luna. Luna howled as a piercing charm hit her bicep. She spun, her wand tracking towards Ginny and froze as she realized who was firing. "KILL THEM, GINEVRA!" Voldemort commanded, laughing as she fired another curse towards Fred. He grunted as the Bludgeoning Curse cracked a rib and staggered. Luna and Ron both hit her with stunners, and watched as they landed ineffectively over her heart.

George went down next, the sound of his shattering leg carrying eerily over the sounds of the battle as the rest of the DA continued to fight on against the Death Eaters. Harry's heart fell as he noticed more of the DA was down, wounded or dead. He caught Hermione's eye and they both attacked Voldemort desperately, fighting to get his attention from Ginny.

Harry charged, swinging at his head. Voldemort gestured in the air, and a dark, serrated sword filled his hand, blocking Harry's strike. Harry snapped a cut at Tom's legs, to be caught on the blade. Harry spun with the strike, swinging at Voldemort's head again, the Dark Lord MOVED, flittering backwards out of range of the strike.

Behind him, Hermione moved desperately, appearing and vanishing, blocking Ginny's controlled strikes, keeping her from scoring another hit on a DA member. Hermione deflected away a piercing curse, it hit a Death Eater in the back of the head, he dropped and she glanced towards the battle raging in the corner, "HARRY!" Hermione screamed as she saw Harry slip on a patch of blood, and Voldemort's blade scored, slicing along Harry's ribs. She vanished, reappearing next to Voldemort, a pulsing blue dome blocked Voldemort's strike against Harry, knocking him back a step. Voldemort looked to her, and flew backwards fifty feet as a wave of pure force from her extended palm.

Ginny's wand tracked inexorably towards Draco as he stood motionless, his wand lowered, he closed his eyes as a glow erupted on the end of her wand, and she collapsed like a puppet with her strings cut. Draco sprinted to her, pulling her wand from unresisting fingers and slipping it in the back of his pants before he picked her up and ran with her towards the back passage where Seamus was looking over the rest of the wounded.

Harry and Hermione both turned back fully to the fight with Voldemort, trusting Ron and the rest to cover their backs. Harry flicked his wand towards Voldemort as he came back into view; a globe of fire engulfed him, fading quickly to a solid dome of black granite. Hermione slid to a halt in front of Harry and looked across to the temporarily imprisoned Dark Lord, her fingers started to flicker as a flaming, five-pointed star appeared around the dome, then another, and another and...the dome shattered, along with Hermione's partially-built cage. Voldemort snarled, "AVADA KEDAVRA," missing Hermione as she vanished in a blur, running at the wall and flipping sideways as another Kedavra blew a divot out of the castle stones where her feet had touched for a millisecond.

Voldemort turned as a huge stone lion knocked him from his feet, and Harry SHIFTED, morphing into his Phoenix form and vanishing in an arrow of fire, impacting Voldemort in the chest and knocking him back. Harry transformed back, panting, and charged again, timing his strike to keep Voldemort from finding Hermione as she fought to fight off a suddenly conjured stone snake that attacked her. Her eyes brightened and the snake shattered into gravel, and she appeared on Voldemort's other side already attacking, tossing bluebell plasma spheres like Quaffles...

Ron glanced back towards a shimmering web of light, composed of innumerable spells. He ducked to the side, as a spell from Hermione ripped past, having been barely deflected off a shimmering shield in Voldemort's hand. Luna grabbed Ron and pulled him into an alcove, pressing her hand to the open wound in his side. Luna pushed him back as lighting ripped down the corridor, and a black, blurred shape shot past and crashed into the far wall, resolving into Harry as he pushed himself up, dove under a Kedavra and slid behind a table. Hermione flickered and vanished, dodging a Kedavra.

"RUN, POTTER," Voldemort taunted, laughing as he flicked his wand and stone snakes grew from the floor. He flicked his wand, throwing the remains of the table to the side. He turned towards Neville who was dragging several wounded DA members away.

Lavender looked up, "NO!" she screamed and dove, crossing in front of him, just as a green beam ripped across from the Dark Lord's wand. Neville's eyes became dull; he started to collapse to his knees, before Parvati grabbed his arm, and pulled on him, throwing Neville into the small room behind the Great Hall.

Voldemort laughed and turned his back on them. He went flying as a tornado picked him up and threw him against all four walls of the Great Hall, shattering great chucks in them. The tornado flung him down in the exact center of the hall, cracking the floor.

Hermione dropped to her knees, panting slightly as Harry raised the sword above his head. A white flash ripped from the Sword and lightening ripped from the corners of the room, crashing into Voldemort and driving him back to his knees just as he rose to his feet. Harry slid to the side, grabbing Hermione and vanishing. "MOVE, RON!" Harry roared, and knocked aside an oddly curved beam from Voldemort's wand. He motioned to each side, flinging loose stones at the Dark Lord, battering him to each side.

Voldemort stepped to the side, sneered slightly, "IMPERIO," he roared, the beam impacting Hermione just as she moved from behind a bit of cover... The room grew suddenly silent, as Voldemort slowly moved behind her, putting her between him and Harry.

"HARRY," Ron snapped.

"GO, GODDAMNIT, RON," Harry roared, not looking back, his eyes on Hermione as she kept staring straight ahead, her left lid dropping for just an instant. Luna pulled on Ron's arm, pulling him away, back into the main hall. Ron looked off towards the great stairs, and his heart dropped as another fifty, at least, Death Eaters rushed in from the great front doors, headed towards them en masse down the several-hundred-meter hallway towards the Great Hall. Ron glanced back, and found no other DA members with him, they had already fallen or had had been cut off from them, as Neville led the rest and the wounded away. Ron gripped tossed his wand to his left hand, drew his dagger and looked over to Luna, she nodded and they moved, drawing on magical reserves much deeper than they ever had before.

Ron flitted to the left, dove and flicked his wand. A purple wave ripped out, cutting a pair of Death Eaters off at the knees. He spun to his right, catching a Piercing Charm on his shields, before dropping to his knee and killing a third with his Dagger as the Death Eater charged from the side. He didn't turn as Luna blocked another spell, and flicked her wand at the walls.

Two large blocks morphed, changing into large stone Lions. They let out silent roars and dove into the crowd of Death Eaters, ripping and tearing, taking down four more before six Death Eaters combined to destroy them with Reductors. Luna reached down as the Lions attacked, jerking Ron to his feet, and pulled him towards a large pile of stones. Ron held his hand containing his wand to his side, holding together a wound for earlier. He glanced back, just in time to see a silver jet snap out from a tall, masked Death Eater, ripping open her left leg to the bone in a spray of blood. "GO, RON," she yelled, and staggered to her feet. Ron pointed his wand at her and tugged her through the air, to fall back behind the stack of fallen stones.

Luna slashed her wand across her body, deflecting a Reductor aiming for her head into the ceiling. The ceiling creaked ominously, as small stones rained down. Ron peaked over the edge of the rubble, watching as the remaining forty plus, Death Eaters slipped closer, moving from bit of cover to bit of cover, and sending a constant stream of spells towards them. Another loud explosion shook the castle from behind them, as the battle raged behind them. Ron looked to Luna, swallowing heavily as he saw blood seeping out around her hand as she held it to her leg. He ducked as a spell shattered the top stone of their cover, watching helplessly, as a chunk smashed into Luna's skull, driving her to her knees.

Ron roared, standing and moving out from cover. A thin trail of blood trailed his steps as he waded into the line of approaching Death Eaters. He stepped to the right, dodging a Kedavra, and thrust upward with his Dagger. He jerked it out, spinning left and firing off a magical shotgun blast, felling another three.

Two Death Eaters flew backwards through the air, their heads shattering against the wall as Luna slid in behind him. Her dagger flickered past his ear, burying itself to the hilt in a Death Eaters throat. The remaining Death Eaters paused, and slowly started to circle them as still more sounds of explosions came from behind them, from the Great Hall where the ones that they held closer than family fought for their lives. They looked up as still more Death Eaters started to pour into the halls...

"KILL THEM NOW, WE MUST GO TO THE DARK LORD'S AID!" A tall, thin Death Eater screamed from the middle of the pack. Several Death Eaters grinned as they aimed their wands towards them, while the rest seemed to gather themselves to charge into the Great Hall.

Ron looked at Luna; then back towards the Great Hall as another explosion blew the last remnant of the doors back into the hall behind him. Thankfully, the remainder of the DA that had charged into the Hall with Harry had already escaped, having been evacuated by Neville. Blood started to pool at his feet as his wounds reopened. "I love you, Luna..." She reached out, and grabbed his hand, their blood mingling as their hands touched, "REDUCTO!"

Twin, foot-thick blue beams ripped from their wands, impacting a cracked support beam above them. The ceiling groaned loudly, the Death Eaters looked up, and Ron spun, pulling Luna into him, dropping his wand...

The ceiling creaked once more and collapsed all at once, with a deafening roar, a hundred-meter swath of the corridor dropping almost instantly, a few stones skittered off hastily raised shields, as the hall became as night.

In the Great Hall, all three combatants paused, and looked to the hallway. A great cloud of grey dust swept into the room, filling it, blacking out the huge room. A second, smaller explosion came from somewhere near the ruins of the Head Table, and sunlight poured in. Harry grabbed Hermione's arm, pulling her up from the floor as a sudden, horrible feeling of emptiness filled both his and Hermione's thoughts.

They shook it off, as a black shape vanished out the new, open hole in the walls, dropping down out of sight. They rose to their feet and sprinted after Voldemort, their only thoughts on finishing it.

A/N: There it is...This was there from the beginning, it was necessary, unfortunately. I almost took this back, several, many times, but it stayed. Next time, the Harry and Hermione continue their duel... As a hint, the chapter titles of the next 3 chapters: A Grand Morning in Hogsmeade, The Lions of Gryffindor, and The End of the Circle...stay tuned...

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55. A Grand Morning in Hogsmeade

A/N The long, long day continues...Thanks to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter. As usual she provides the sanity to my insanity.
Chapter 55: A Grand Morning in Hogsmeade
***********************Hogwarts*************************

Harry and Hermione dove out of the large hole in the side wall of the Great Hall, landing softly on the rocks below. They looked up, immediately ducking as the shattered walls came alive, throwing themselves at them. Hermione flipped away as a bolder crashed down between them, she landed precariously on the very edge of the cliff, looking almost straight down at the Black Lake, she started to fall forward and flew backwards to safety as Harry pulled her to him.

Hermione panted once as Harry's arm wrapped around her, pulling her down behind a fallen, house-sized chunk of the castle's outer wall. He looked back up at the broken remains of the Great Hall, a loud creaking sounded, his eyes widened in silent horror, and the odd squeeze, side-step of Apparition at Hogwarts filled his bones as Hermione grabbed his wrist. They reappeared tumbling to the side in the middle of the shattered courtyard, as a horrible, thundering sound of thousands of tones of stone falling several stories came from behind them.

Harry turned back just in time to watch the ceiling of the Great Hall collapse, along with part of the side wall. You think they all got out?

I don't know,Can you feel that?

Harry looked in her direction, knowing the fear in her eyes; The wards...

Dumbledore's still out...they are shifting back to normal...The Dementors, Hermione finished, horrified.

They can come in; he's not holding them out... Harry shivered as a sudden cold filled their bones. He grabbed Hermione's hand pulled her into motion, dropping it after a few steps, as both of them passed the Quidditch Pitch already, moving much, much faster than humanly possible. Harry looked up as a blooming of silver filled his eyes, as Bill and his few, that had been put outside to watch the dark forces waiting in ambush, stepped out from cover.

A sudden spike of terror filled their shared consciousness as Hermione glanced to the right, towards Hagrid's hut, and three terribly familiar Auras filled her vision, OH GOD...DADDY! Hermione screamed as the host of Dementors swept inexorably towards the three rushing up the lawn towards the castle.

Lupin and Tonks turned as they felt ice begin to creep along their nerves, "RUN, ROGER," Tonks screamed as her and Remus' wands tracked back, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" A silver wolf, and a larger, vaguely bipedal version of the same, erupted from their wands, tearing into the dark horde. One, five, ten Dementors fell back as ethereal teeth and claws tore into their ranks.

Remus and Tonks staggered back, their cloaks flapping open as their Patroni drove away another dozen. Tonks fell to a knee, weakening as her Patronus drove another four away before vanishing. She fell forward onto her hands, panting. An endless tide of black, freezing the very ground as if in the deepest of winter, moved forward, losing a miniscule few more to Remus' protector before it too weakened and faded away.

Roger looked back as Remus let his wand fell, shaking. Roger turned and started to run, and froze as a small, invisible hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him to a stop with irresistible strength. "No, Dad," Hermione snapped as she and Harry faded into view. Harry reached out with his hand and Remus and Tonks flew backwards, away from Dementors, landing roughly several feet behind them.

Mione...Harry glanced over at her for a bare second as they looked towards the dark, seemingly endless horde heading towards them. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the silver light of a few other Patroni bloom near the stadium, Ready...EXPECTO PATRONUM. A shining Otter and Stag appeared, each easily the size of a small Dragon, and waded into the dark horde, ripping and tearing. Prongs bent and straightened, tossing Dementors in the air, as Hermione's Otter swam around him. Even more Dementors appeared, driving forward, charging their mortal enemy and the true threat to their existence.

Harry reached over, pulling Hermione to him, both their eyes slipped closed, with bright, emerald glows leaking from the edges of their eyelids, PATRONUM EXTRANIUM DELLATRIUM.

The eyes of the two Patroni lit with beams like searchlights. The pair of defenders moved closer, and closer, until with a thundering flash, they merged. A wave of energy, inches thick, ripped outward, sending Dementors flying like bowling pins, tossing them in the air where they vanished in flares of dark, purple-black energy and unearthly screams. Another wave, a company of Dementors returned to the hell they came from, and as one, the dark host broke. All thoughts, if they really had thoughts, of their alliance with the dark one gone.

Harry took a deep breath, as he and Hermione held each other up. They slid to their knees together, as their eyes slipped open and their glows flickered and died.

A dark shape slid out of the air, as if stepping around an invisible corner. He looked back towards the retreating Dementors, and then towards Harry and Hermione. They looked up just in time to see... "CRUCIO" Voldemort snarled. A thick yellow beam shot out, and both of them collapsed into each other, shaking. Voldemort waited a beat, and lifted the curse. He looked up just as Tonks and Remus, having recovered from their near encounter with the Dementors, sprinted at them. A flick of his hand and an invisible wall appeared, throwing them back onto their bums. A fusillade of sparks lit the wall as Roger emptied his magazine into the shield.

Tom just laughed as he turned back to the pair, "Though I am somewhat disappointed in their performance...it is so pleasurable to see them suck the souls from children, they performed adequately, however, forcing you to exhaust your power to save your pitiful companions, love ..." he flicked his wand again, and the weakened pair, convulsed. "You should scream, Potter, your mother screamed..." He looked back towards the castle, "I will so enjoy having the castle as my lair."

"Tom," Harry's baritone cut across his words and Voldemort's red, glowing eyes cut back to the pair. "You forgot something...unlike you, we still have Familiars." A howling hiss erupted as a ginger streak tore from under a set of bushes and launched. Glowing claws extended, suddenly almost three inches in length. Black blood spurted over the ground as a furry buzz saw ripped the side of his face open. Tom spun, screaming in rage, his wand tracking with a green glow, as a white streak dove from the heavens, and knocked his wand spinning into the grass. The Familiars grounded next to their partners, yellow eyes lit from within, and a beam of the purest white shot from the tip of the castle split into two, and impacted the familiars. A brief pause, as both familiars glowed brighter than the noonday sun for an instant, then beams shot from them to their masters, and a shimmering globe snapped in place around them.

Voldemort instantly shot a Kedavra at them, and the globe hardened to stone for an instant, stopping the beam. He took a step back...

Eyes lit fully, emerald orbs glowing brighter than ever, as the pair of them vanished and appeared next to Voldemort. Harry rolled to his right, and a ball of the purest plasma ripped from his palm impacting Voldemort and throwing him backwards a hundred feet. He landed, digging a furrow into the soft soil of the lawn. He stumbled to his feet, the glow fading from his eyes, as he looked back at them. "GET THEM!" he roared, and a load, thundering sound filled the air as the trees at the edge of the woods fell and a phalanx of giants, along with companies of trolls emerged fro the woods. Voldemort looked back and vanished at inhuman speed towards the edge of the grounds and the burning village beyond.

Voldemort's invisible barrier fell and Remus, Tonks, Roger and Bill, along with his few DA members, spun as the very ground trembled, as the tall trees at the edge of the forest fell, and the first of eight, huge mounds moved. Hermione flicked her wand, and the ground rumbled, and a ten-foot wide, and equally deep, trench appeared in the ground. Harry gestured, and it filled with a dark liquid. He nodded to Hermione and she SHIFTED. She hovered on flickering blue and red wings for an instant, and shot forward, trailing fire.

The phoenix flitted down the length of the trench, and the behind her, the dark liquid burst into bright, white flames. Hermione reached the end of the trench and vanished in a fall of fire, reappearing next to Harry. Furious howls of frustration rent the air from the eight Giants, along with their innumerable troll escorts. Bitter voices of Death Eaters, extolling the Giants and trolls to attack, rang out.

"Go, damn it, Harry," Bill snapped as he motioned Boot and the other DA members to spread out, "Go after him, if you don't kill him now, you may not get another chance."

"But..." Harry snapped, waving towards the flames, still keeping the forces at bay, even though he could see them starting to work around the barricade. Hermione nodded as she looked over to her father, standing with Remus.

"Go, Poppet," Roger said quickly stepping forward and pulling her into a bone-creaking hug, he looked over her shoulder at Harry, "Just be careful, both of you, Jane really wants those grandchildren."

"I love you, Daddy," Hermione whispered against his shoulder. He nodded, and pushed up her face, looking into her eyes that were, for this instant, the same chocolate eyes that had remained as his tiny daughter grew into what was before him. She nodded, her head snapped around as the first of the Giants found their way around the flames, through a small gap left by one of the Hogwarts' outbuildings. Hermione spun from his arm, and thrust her hand out towards the Giant. A six-foot boulder from the wreckage of the castle shot past and rapped the giant smartly in the temple.

His eyes rolled up in his head and dropped, the ground trembling enough to almost shake them from their feet. "GO!" at least four voices howled and Harry looked to Hermione, and they vanished. Remus looked back at the Giant, as another came around the edge of the flames and looked down at his fallen comrade. A torrent of trolls charged around his legs as the giant let out a roar that rattled broken glass in window frames in the castle, and suddenly the defenders were too busy to worry about anything else.

***********************Hogsmeade*****************************

Harry and Hermione appeared in the center of the high street, their backs together and wands spread, covering the approaches. Harry had not known that his heart had any room to sink further, but on seeing the wreckage of the only fully Wizarding village in England, he knew he was wrong.

The Three Broomsticks was a smoking ruin, the second floor where rooms where travelers might tarry a night, was collapsed down into the pub. Soft popping noises, probably bottles exploding under the heat from the fires, almost drew a spell from Harry before he checked himself. Hermione touched his arm and motioned to the side with her head; he nodded and slipped to the other side of the street, both of them vanishing utterly after an instant.

They passed the smoking ruin of Honeydukes, the building had collapsed down into the basement; the smell of burnt sugar filled the air, almost covering up other, much more heinous smells. Harry looked over in the direction that he knew Hermione to be in, and a dead, sick feeling filled his stomach as he saw what she was delaying over. Hermione looked over at him, he could feel her eyes on his, even though they were invisible, as Hermione knelt over Susan Bones and gently closed the Hufflepuff's eyes with two fingers. Hermione set a stick from the ground on Susan's stomach. I'll set this to go in a half hour, Hermione said grimly, we should be well away by then.

Sure, Hermione. Hermione touched the stick, it glowed blue and faded back to its normal colors. Harry started forward again, passing the ruin of Zonko's before stopping in front of Hermione's favorite store. The bookstore was smoldering, small fires flaring up periodically as the flames found new fuel and air. They froze as they heard rough voices coming from around the corner towards the Hog's Head.

Hermione's wand led the way as she slipped around the corner of the ruins of the bookstore. A good dozen Death Eaters were picking at the ruins of the Hog's Head. Hermione...

I see, Harry, Hermione whispered darkly, as one of the Death Eaters knelt over a crumpled, silver-haired body. Two of the Death Eaters hauled out a large wooden case of firewhisky from the still-standing back of the bar. They broke open the case and started handing out the bottles.

Harry watched, trembling slightly, as the Death Eaters started drinking, sloshing each other with whisky, and occasionally kicking at the body. Harry waited one more instant as two of the Eaters raised their bottles to their lips, INFLAMRE! As one, all twelve Death Eaters erupted in impossibly-hot, blue-white flames. Harry turned his back on them, as they started to scream. One of them fell into the ruins of the disreputable pub, and with a whoosh, it too erupted in flames...a fitting pyre for Aberforth.

Hermione paused for a second; invisible eyes hard, she started to turn to follow Harry...HARRY, she screamed, as a sudden presence bloomed behind him. Harry spun and a blue bolt impacted the center of his chest, knocking him back through a house.

Hermione turned, slowly becoming visible. "Hello, Mudblood," Voldemort said happily, "CRUCIO." Hermione dove, catching only the nimbus of the beam, still enough to set her nerves on fire, but not enough to incapacitate, her anyway. She panted as she scrambled back to her feet; just a black beam cratered the ground at her feet.

"Leave her alone, Tom," Harry snapped, blurring across the distance to his foe. The sword came around, crashing into Voldemort's own, summoned one, with a loud clang. Voldemort jumped back, flicking his wand in his off hand and sending Harry dodging away. The building behind Harry exploded in flames from the missed shot.

"I think I will let your pet live, Harry," Voldemort called, "I forgot to get Bella something for Mother's Day after all."

"Pity you won't live to see her, then," Hermione growled, and blurred into motion. A hail of bright blue balls shot from her fingers, exploding at Voldemort's heels, setting the cobblestones of the street flying into the air. He stopped, throwing up a black field that sucked them in as into a black hole, before laughing darkly and sneering across the distance to them as they shimmered to a halt, panting slightly.

Tom casually deflected a Reductor from Harry that shot off into the mountains and set off a small landslide, before letting loose with a black spiraling curse at Hermione. It wrapped around her shields, coiling like a dark serpent and squeezing, contracting around her, shield and all. The spell collapsed suddenly as Harry shot forward, cutting downward with the sword, shattering the beam into black shards that ripped outward, tossing him through the shattered kitchen window of a small house. He pushed himself upright, batting down a teapot that seemed to be determined to serve him a drink and exploded the wall outward and rushed into the street.

Harry took a breath and vanished, moving to the side, and pausing in the lee of a shattered clothing store. MIONE! he called, searching around.

I'm here, Harry, she whispered. He closed his eyes for an instant as he felt her hand brush his shoulder, He's here...somewhere, Harry, but he's like a ghost, too indistinct to pick out from the background.

Harry's invisible eyes glanced up towards the school as another explosion lit the sky, before they started looking around the ruins of the village again. His eyes widened...MOVE! Harry picked Hermione up in a wave of magic and tossed her thirty feet to the side, flinging her away while he dove to the right, as a huge, putrid green fireball crashed down from the sky. It exploded as it hit, flattening three houses and setting another ten on fire. Flaming shards bounded off a hasty shield, Harry saw movement out of the corner of his eye...

The sword blurred in his hand, and a bolt of lighting ripped from the cloudless sky, impaling Voldemort and sending him tumbling back into the flames. Harry stood slowly and started to advance, his wand and sword held out in front of him, warding off an attack.

**********************Ministry of Magic*************************

9:20 am

The smell of burning things-paper, wood, and other, much, much less pleasant smells-filled the stale air inside the Ministry. The air circulation charms had collapsed hours ago, leaving the foul stench of the Inferi infesting the lower levels to permeate up from the depths below. Quiet moans filled the air, here in the upper levels, from Aurors and ordinary Ministry workers wounded in the fighting below. A flickering oil lamp lit a makeshift command room, the Minister of Magic's own office, as Arthur Weasley, leaned over a map of the building.

Small, moving figures moved through the representations of the halls and rooms, blue stick figures for friendlies, red ones for Death Eaters, and oddly-hued black ones for Inferi. The bottom two floors and the Atrium were filled with a writhing black mass, except for the Department of Mysteries, which was blank, and the area immediately around the Death Chamber, which the zombies seemed to not be able to approach near.

"We're still cut off from the Atrium, Arthur," Kingley Shacklebolt said tiredly as he staggered into Arthur's office and collapsed onto a couch. He looked down, frowning, at a long cut in his leather duster, and then back up at Arthur. "The lifts are all smashed beyond repair, at level four. Even with magic, we can't repair them."

"No other way out then?" Arthur asked tiredly.

Kingley shook his head and accepted a cup of coffee from one of Arthur's aides, trapped here with him, when the fighting had started. He took a sip, and winced slightly as he twisted an injury. "Not that I can see...we thought about trying to blast our way to the surface...but the upper levels of the Ministry were armored in '39 to keep the damage from the Muggle part of the Grindelwald War from the Ministry. We probably could...maybe, blow a hole, but we wouldn't have the precision to keep the whole damn top two or three floors from dropping on us and killing us all. You need a single wizard or maybe two with enough power to force it themselves, without help, and unless..." He gulped the rest of the coffee and stood again with a grunt, "I'm going to try to force a salient to the Atrium, Arthur...maybe we can get some out..."

"Kingsley," Arthur called after him. The huge Auror stopped and looked back at him from the door, he nodded. "Just in case, before you do that, set up to do that...to cave the whole place in on them, if we lose here...I don't want these damn things getting loose in Muggle London." Kingsley took a breath and nodded, before leaving.

Arthur grabbed at the table as an explosion from below rattled the walls and as his eyes panned around the room for damage, he caught sight of the couch where Kingsley had just been sitting. He swallowed heavily as he saw the reddish-brown stain on the light fabric before returning to the map. "Allston," he called to an aide, "get me Sampson, on the fifth floor, it looks like there could be an opening there..."

*****************************Hogwarts***********************************

"WOTCHER...THIS SUCKS," Tonks snapped as she jabbed her wand at a troll, and a fusillade of silver darts shredded its chest. She ducked under he swing of a club, and rolled to the side, just in time to watch Roger demonstrate that kinetic energy works just fine on trolls as one coming up behind her fell away with its head shattered from a long burst. He tossed the weapon behind him on his sling and continued to drag Terry Boot backwards by the collar towards possible shelter.

Tonks sprinted back and grabbed the boy's uninjured arm and together they got him behind the cover of the small, stone broomshed. Tonks patted Roger's shoulder and sprinted back out to where, Bill, Remus, Robert and Jean were holding the small gap in the flames, through which trolls were still pouring. Roger frowned, for just an instant, before he ripped away the boy's shirt at the sleeve, and wrapping a tourniquet around it to stop the bleeding from his crushed arm. The other six giants, the ones remaining after Hermione's David impersonation for the first; and the one that the combined use of every Argentium grenade that Bill, and the DA members had had for the second, hid behind the barrier of flames, waiting.

"They are sending the bloody pawns at us," Bill growled, ducked sideways and made a snapping motion with his wand. A wave of purple snapped out, taking a troll's arm off at the shoulder. It bellowed and charged him; he jumped backwards and pointed his wand at the earth. A ten-foot pit appeared and it fell in, only to vanish as Bill flicked his wand again and the hole in the ground vanished as if it were never there. "They are trying to cut us down, then the Giants will finish it," he grunted as a club came out of nowhere, sending him crashing down to the ground. Only Fenrir's ...gift; saved him that time.

Lupin ducked under a club, and jabbed the point of his wand under a Troll's chin. A flash of light and it fell away. He leaped backwards, at least ten feet. Tonks swallowed as she saw his eyes, completely black, and the tips of his fangs hanging down slightly as he opened his mouth to yell across at Bill. She did not say a thing, only casting out a cutting curse to take off a troll's leg at the knee. It fell to the ground, howling and started to crawl towards her. A silver beam pierced the crown of its head and it stopped. She spun to Remus' side, and he glanced at her. "Didn't you tell Harry you had an idea?" Remus roared at Bill.

"Yeah," he snapped, firing a curse over the top of Jean's head. The former Beauxbatons' head was staggering, her eyes unfocused, but she was still firing curses. "But I'll need a minute to do it, and I'm not sure that it'll even work..."

"We're dead anyway, if it doesn't," Tonks snapped, and dove sideways, taking Remus to the ground as a horse-sized boulder arched over the flames to crash down into their midst. Five trolls took advantage of their momentary distraction and ran at them, only to lose their first pair to concentrated spellfire. The remainder soon proved that even they could learn, as they ran back, grouping for another attack.

Bill nodded grimly and ran back several steps behind the rest. He pointed his wand at the sky and reached under his torn shirt with his free hand and pulled free a gift from his best man, his brother who had fought so bravely, but lost in the end. He looked down at the large Dragon's tooth in his hand, held on a leather cord around his neck. He ripped it from his neck and held it up above his hand, and took a breath, remembering the note that Charlie had included with the gift, "DRACONUS OBLIGATIUM PROTECTORUM!" Runes and archaic symbols, some seeming, somehow, to have been drawn with a talon, lit on the talisman with brilliant red flames that erupted around Bill's hand but did not burn him. The flames contracted into themselves; then shot a flaming arrow into the morning sky.

A terrible roar, like a hundred Hungarian Horntails, hammered their ears, and high-pitched screeches of terror came from the remaining trolls in response. The sound faded away, and a sudden, utter silence fell over the field, broken only by the sound of the flames, and the crash of spellfire from the castle and ominously, still from Hogsmeade.

The edge of the horizon lit with fire, flaming falls of fire like a million Phoenixes, but as the flames faded, much vaster, dark shapes filled the sky, at least twenty of them, with vast, leathery wings. A dark roar shattered the stillness, followed by another and another... "TO ME," Bill screamed, as he ran to Roger and the injured DA member. Remus caught Tonks' eye, and sprinted over, picking up the dazed Jean, who was wobbling on her feet, her wand more or less pointed towards the suddenly terrorized Trolls, and almost bounded over to the sudden cover of the Broomshed.

Tonks grabbed Jean by the arm, "COME ON, DAMN IT..." She jerked her into motion, just as the first Dragon folded its wings, diving like a Peregrine on the massed Trolls and Giants.

Twenty, vast fireballs tore the air in front of them, falling on the rapidly dispersing Troll army, like giant, flaming bowling balls. They hit, almost at once and the ground trembled, as trolls, and parts of them were tossed into air, some almost as high as the broken walls of Hogwarts behind them. One Dragon, a vast, shimmering, blue and black female, grounded in the center of the Trolls and casually started strolling forward, tail, talons and fangs flashing crunching the trolls underfoot, disemboweling scores at a stroke. She turned as a group of Trolls lined up to desperately charge her, some deep instinct telling them that there only chance was in concert.

It was not much of one.

An observer, who did not know better, would have thought she sneered as she looked over, took a breath, and exhaled. A torrent of flame shot out of her, burning the trolls to cinders in an instant. She turned her back on the few remainders as they broke, heading to the Forbidden Forest. Moments after they had reached the 'safety' of the forest, the sounds of hunting horns rang out, and flocks of arrows rent the air. A single giant broke and ran as well, running through the forest...

Seconds later, a loud gruff voice yelled, "FOR HAGGAR..." and the trees shook for a long instant.

The remaining five Giants' fates were just as bleak. All twenty Dragons, now all on the ground, formed up into packs and advanced on the Giants, fangs and teeth glinting in the fires from the school and trench. Four of the Giants went down almost instantly under vast, scaly mounds; that writhed and moved for only instants, before they became still. Sixteen of the Dragons backed away, muzzles wet with blackish Giant blood, and with occasional drips of their own greenish ichor, and sat in a huge horseshoe around the last, greatest Giant, the new Gurg, who had sided with Voldemort.

A shining yellow Dragon pounced at him, the Giant moved aside with an incredibly graceful move for one his size, grabbed its tail and flung it through the air, to crash through the side of the Quidditch Pitch, shattering a whole section of stands. The Gurg dove out of the way of two fireballs that splashed against the stands, setting the Slytherin and Gryffindor sections on fire. They burned quickly as the last Dragon, the large blue-black female from before, slowly stalked in front of him; she circled slowly to her left and pounced.

The Giant scored a tremendous punch to her muzzle, sending her reeling, she hopped back once, and sprung straight up, spinning, and the end of her spiked tail took him across the ribs with a loud crunch. He crashed back to the dirt, started to rise...and died as she shot forward, her jaws snapping forward and ripping out his throat.

The Dragon leaned her head back and roared, and an instant later, all of the others joined her. The roars died, and the Dragons slowly began to take flight, two of the larger ones helping the injured yellow where he had staggered out of the pitch, destroying even more of the stands in the process. The last one, the huge blue-black one watched them leave; then slowly paced over to the broomshed where the defenders still sheltered.

The Dragon paused, looking down at them for a long instant as all five of them that were conscious stood looking up at her in shock and awe. Slowly, she bent her head and worked her huge tongue around the inside of her mouth. With a soft cough, she expelled a tooth, still covered in her blood from where the Giant had scored his blow, to the ground in front of Bill. Huge expressive ice-blue eyes held Bill's for a minute, and then she bent her head slowly to the side, and Bill gasped as he found a worked collar that he had seen Charlie with the last time they had visited him in Romania, he had placed it on a yearling dragon that day, a small black female, only the size of a pony, that had followed him around constantly.

She turned slowly, took two hopping steps and exploded into flight, the downbeat of her wings sending them staggering to the ground.

"Wotcher," Tonks exclaimed softly, her eyes wide as she looked over to Remus. She took a breath, and her eyes widened further, as behind them, from the cover they had cowered behind while their thralls were being slaughtered, the twenty Death Eaters, whose mission had been to guide the trap, appeared in a large half circle. The group stood silently, waiting...

A rough-looking Death Eater at the center, pulled his hood away, and howled eerily ... He smirked, "Let's play...and do try to leave the women alone...for now..." Tonks snarled and fired a Stunner at him, only to watch it only adsorb into his body. He laughed and flicked his wand...

A shining, white globe appeared in the sky above the Death Eaters, and as one, they started to change, growing, shifting, their robes ripping away as faces elongated, claws appeared and fur sprouted. A heartbeat later, twenty huge, bipedal wolves howled at the false moon...Lupin looked in horror at it, he had only heard of the spell that allowed Fenrir to try to kill Hermione. He watched, eyes wide as the huge leader, a dark grey were with white stripes, looked to Tonks and sprung...

Lupin felt time stop. He felt the wolf howl within him, and for the first time in his life, he let it claim him, channeling his anger and fear and feelings for the woman in front of him, and in between the time the wolf hit the ground and launched into his second leap at Tonks, he had SHIFTED. He sprung, leaping through the air a good fifteen feet and intercepting Tonks' attacker in a hurricane of claws and fangs. The pair tumbled to the ground, Lupin rolled on top, and a crunch rent the air as the Death Eater's jaw ripped away in his claws.

He bounded away, leaping at the other startled werewolves, and two more went down in seconds. Another leapt at Tonks, he turned, lifting his eyes from his victim, the fourth to go down, and went flying as three Death Eater wolves crashed into his side. He roared and tumbled with them, baying as a swipe of claws opened up his hip, but did not stop to look as he tore out another enemy's throat. He kicked backwards, sending the other two flying and spun to Tonks just in time to see all fifteen of the remaining wolves fly backwards as if pins in ten-pin bowling.

He turned and looked toward the castle at some unknown instinct, to see, striding out from the wreckage, a tall, auburn-haired presence. Lupin crawled over to Tonks, transforming as he moved only to collapse in her lap, naked and bleeding, panting, but relaxed for a moment, as he knew that she was safe, at least for now.

Albus Dumbledore was wounded and bleeding. He was limping slightly, and a bandage was wrapped around his right arm and the entire left side of his black robes was covered in soot and blood, some of it his and much of it, not, but for this moment, none of that mattered. The wolves stood slowly, pounced...

Dumbledore gestured in the air, with his left hand and every one froze in the air. His other hand flashed to the edge of his robe, and in one move, drew a long, bejeweled broadsword and flung it. The sword howled as it twirled through the air, its edge trailing a silver light. In a blur of motion, it transected the entire group and flitted back to Dumbledore, dropping into his hand as he turned from them. He took a step and staggered, only to be immediately supported by Bill's hand on this arm.

Roger ran to him, and eased the ancient, young-again wizard to a bench that Tonks hurriedly transfigured from a bit of stone. Dumbledore looked slowly around the grounds, not commenting as Roger re-bandaged his arm. He started to push himself to his feet, but swayed. A soft, bitten-off curse, the first anyone could remember Dumbledore ever saying was barely heard, and then only by the werewolf, who looked up, his head still cradled on Tonks' lap. "Roger," Dumbledore said heavily, "There are more students, inside that could use your help..." Roger nodded and stood, slinging his pack back onto his back. He reached into a pocket of his vest and pulled out a small bottle, and handed it to Dumbledore, "This is a Pepper-Up...."

"Yes," Dumbledore replied, smiling just slightly for just an instant, "I am quite familiar with Poppy's blends after my many...adventures." Dumbledore took the potion, and slugged it down on one gulp. A cloud of steam and a sound like an almost-to-explode boiler came from Dumbledore, and he shot up. He stood and stretched, still tired but once again mobile. Dumbledore gestured towards Remus, and bandages appeared around his wound on his hip, and an instant later, he wore brand new copies of the clothing he had started the night with.

"What about..." Roger just waved towards Hogsmeade, where the smoke and fire had redoubled.

Remus looked at Dumbledore, as did the rest of them. "For now..." Dumbledore replied, his voice on the verge of breaking, "It's up to them...Merlin help me, there is nothing I can do for them now..."

************************Hogsmeade****************************

10:15 am

Hermione made an invisible gesture, waving Harry over to the side of the street. She forced back tears, as she felt the ripping pain along Harry's ribs. Harry stopped, his wand held ready in his left hand as his sword filled his right, and slowly searched in front of him. She pulled back into a small, covered alcove, with a defendable entrance, Come here, Harry, he shook his head irritably, Now, Harry, she repeated.

Harry sighed silently and slipped across the street, moving quickly. He stopped next to her, What, Mione? Somewhere beyond in the village, a loud creak came from overstressed timbers. Hermione slid her weapons back into sheaths and waved a hand at the head of the alley, setting a faintly visible ward. She pulled Harry to her, and knelt down next to him as he watched the end of the alley, pushing up the side of his shirt. Hermione let out a soft gasp between her teeth as she found his entire side purpled.

Blood trickled down over her fingers as she held together a long cut along his ribs. Harry winced, as Hermione drew her wand with one hand as she kept the cut closed with the other, and slowly ran the tip down the cut. Sticking Charm to hold that closed...Where else are you hit? Harry hissed silently as she touched his leg, Harry...

I'll live, he replied, watch the street, he muttered and handed her a conjured canteen, she took a drink, and he looked at her expectedly.

Hermione rolled her eyes slightly; My head and left hip...everything else...is just spell damage. She winced as Harry lifted her long braid gently and muttered some spell, the headache she had felt, since getting hit with a timber about an hour ago, slipped away. Harry knelt and pulled up her shirt on the left side, and eased down the side of her pants, low enough to show her hipbone and the strap of her underwear on that side.

Oh...Merlin, Mione, Harry whispered as he found a through and through puncture wound on her side, set on the top of the curve of her hip, why didn't you say anything... Hermione did not reply beyond a slightly helpless shrug. Harry looked up at her, and pulled a small bottle from his essentials pouch, This is going to hurt, Love...

Harry pulled out the stopper with his teeth, spat it onto the ground and placed his free hand on the back of her hip. Quickly, he poured the contents into the wound, dropped the bottle and took her hand with his. Hermione staggered, fighting not to scream as she squeezed his hand hard enough to feel his bones creak. Tears dotted the corners of her eyes as the wound smoked and sealed over with a purplish plug. Fuck...Hermione took a deep breath as Harry eased her pants up and pulled her shirt down, resettling her weapons belt on her hips, At least I'm ready for kids now...

Funny, Hermione, Harry replied sourly, standing quickly. He squeezed her hand again and let go, and canceled the ward at the end of the alley. Where the bloody hell is he, Hermione? She just shrugged, and took a breath. She sent out a visible pulse of magic and instantly vanished, reappearing on the half-collapsed rooftop of the building that had been her favorite bookstore in town.

She glanced over, to find Harry appearing on top of a house that was still mostly standing, before he vanished in a flicker of psuedomotion to reappear next to the still burning ruins of Zonko's. One of the Weasley-produced fireworks that Zonko's stocked went off, causing a flaming chariot to appear in the sky over the village. "HARRY!" Hermione screamed, seeing a yellow curse rip from nowhere to drive Harry to the ground. She Apparated away, just as a spell shattered the roof beneath her, appearing next to Harry. He was still twitching as he fought his way back to his feet, grabbed her hand and vanished again.

The pair of them reappeared at opposite ends of the High Street. Hermione looked around, finding nothing and growled. She fired her wand straight up in the air, and a fire rained down, dropping to the ground and vanishing except where it stuck to a man-shaped outline lining up again on Harry. A shimmering blue bolt hammered in at Voldemort, he turned and caught it just in time on a silver shield. Another shot in from Harry and another from Hermione, hammering him on succession. Harry took a breath and rammed the Sword tip first in the soil, sending a wave of sparkling white energy running along the ground at the Dark Lord.

Voldemort turned, his scarlet eyes widened, and he was tossed thirty feet backwards into the burning remains of the Three Broomsticks as his shields overloaded. A line of lighting ripped from a cloudless sky to hammer his chest with a searing pulse. Hermione snapped her wand downward and a huge anvil dropped on his head, followed by a half dozen fireballs.

A single green beam snapped out of the sudden dust cloud filling the street, missing Harry by five feet. Harry spun to the side and snapped the Sword through the air. A purple-white wave ripped out, smashing into the wreckage of the pub. Something exploded, knocking both of the Gryffindors a half step back.

Harry looked over at Hermione, finding her bent over with her hands on her knees, panting. She straightened and nodded and the pair of them cautiously advanced, wands tracking towards the wreckage. A bloom of magic, "DOWN!" Harry leapt to the side, just as three Kedavras stuttered out of the smoke. He rolled to the side, and came up on a knee, as a pair of glowing red eyes appeared in the smoke. REDUCTO! A blue wave, three feet across roared from his wand, ripping towards the presence. It vanished just as the spell arrived. The spell ripped on, obliterating the wrecked Pub, and tearing off further to explode against the side of the mountain.

Hermione flicked her wand and the smoke vanished, leaving the area clear as she turned to Harry's back. "He's not here..." Harry said bitterly, with utter assurance, "He's run."

Hermione sent out a visible pulse of magic, not that she did not trust Harry, but just in case. She frowned and nodded after a moment. "Yeah," she agreed softly, looking around the area warily, "But where the hell did he go?" She looked over at Harry, and her face went white, even more than the stress and seeping blood loss they both had already experienced could account for, "No, Harry!"

"It's the only way," he snapped, then apologized with a look, "I'm sorry, Love, but..."

"Be careful," Hermione whispered, closing to him. She reached up and pulled his head down, touching her forehead to his as he took a breath, dropping a barrier that they both carefully maintained. She felt her mind rushing away, following his as he fell down a hole, quickening towards a presence that had haunted him all his life.

She blinked and suddenly she saw, for just an instant, an image of a shining, white edifice. Hermione staggered as Harry or maybe herself, she couldn't tell, slammed down a barrier cutting off the link before they could be detected. She took a breath and looked at Harry. Diagon Alley, he said quietly, fearfully, it will be packed...

No choice, Hermione said grimly, her fingers trembled on the back of his neck, giving lie to her mostly steady 'voice'.

The street was suddenly empty as the pair vanished without a sound, winging away to London.

A/N: There we go, next chapter we go...shopping, cars go flying through the air, and we learn just why Tonks gets a Ministry paycheck.

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56. The Lions of Gryffindor

A/N: There are Lions amongst the sheep, the jackals only hold sway as long as they sleep... Thanks as usual to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter.

Chapter 56: The Lions of Gryffindor....
******************Hogwarts*********************

11:20 am

Remus looked over at the tall, bearded wizard at his side and sighed quietly. Remus followed him, limping slightly as Dumbledore moved along the shattered halls of his beloved school. Behind and around them, the broken remains of Harry's DA, there was no longer a question of who the young forces gave their allegiance to, provided an escort. Remus looked to his right and found Tonks there, knowing he would, she had not left his side for an instant since the fighting had begun, so many hours ago. Lupin looked up as Dumbledore stepped out onto one of the flying bridges linking the main keep to the Divination Tower and stopped, leaning on the rail and looking down at the smoking debris that had once been the Quidditch stadium and Hagrid's abandoned hut.

"How bad is it, old friend?" Dumbledore asked quietly, looking up as Neville and Parvati, each with utterly dead faces, directed a scratch team to stand guard between them and the rest of the castle. Remus would have had the two leading the teams sweeping the castle, but right now, Dumbledore was the most important piece on the field, and moreover, the team that Harry had lead into the Great Hall after Voldemort was decimated. Of the almost thirty DA members that Harry had rallied for that final strike, eight were dead, and another fifteen wounded seriously, with some of those on the cusp of passing the through the veil.

"Bad...but, I hate to say this, we were lucky. It could have been much worse, Albus," Lupin paused, and took a drink from a canteen he had conjured. He frowned at the taste of blood on his lips and spat a mouthful over the edge to the chasm down below. "Harry performed a miracle on this one, Albus, they retook this place at conservatively, ten to one odds, and that wasn't counting Tom's surprises, that he threw at us, or Tom himself-"

"Unfortunately," Dumbledore replied, looking down as several DA members led a half-dozen captured Death Eaters towards the castle. Dumbledore muttered a spell and his vision changed, zooming in on the figures. He dropped his gaze with an inaudible sigh as he saw that all six were still in the green and silver trimmed uniforms of Slytherin house. A sudden commotion erupted as one of the Slytherins pretended to trip, then charged a DA member, bowling him over, and sprinting towards the forest. Four Stunners took him down before he made a hundred yards. "All of that will be for naught if Harry and Hermione do not succeed." He closed his eyes wearily, "If they do not stop Tom, this night, before he can escape to marshal his forces, perhaps even create additional horcruxes, all of it will be for nothing."

"Why don't you help them, Professor?" Tonks asked, her dark eyes wide as she watched Remus reach down and run his hand along the bandage on his hip, and finding blood.

"Alas, Nymphadora," Dumbledore at this point, "I am relegated to holding the wards here, intact. The Dementor host is damaged, but not destroyed, and even if it were, I have not yet recovered enough to be of assistance. I am afraid that I would be more of a hindrance than an aid at this point."

"We can go," Neville put in, walking closer, his hand grasping Parvati's hand firmly, "Me, Par, Seamus, there's a few of us who can fight still-"

Tonks looked away quickly, fighting the sudden bloom of tears that threatened to spill forth. She paced to the end of the bridge and hung out over the edge, breathing deeply. "Your thoughts are commendable, Neville, in the highest traditions of both your House and Hogwarts," Dumbledore said gently, "However, it is more vital that the victory that so many gave everything for, not be squandered. Hogwarts must remain free..." Neville nodded heavily and led Parvati a little ways away. Dumbledore's eyes remained on them, as Neville pulled the girl to him for a long moment, "How is the situation at King's Cross, Remus?"

"Bill just reported in that about half of the students have been claimed by their parents," Lupin replied, glancing at a notebook he pulled from a pocket, "He has Harry's...available sixth years that I sent along with him, guarding the rest. We have Portkeys set up to evacuate to the London Zoo, if needed, though if we have to use those, the Ministry will be Obliviating a lot of Muggles."

"And the Ministry?"

Remus shook his head, "Still no word. We did manage to confirm that the Atrium, at least, is overrun with Inferi...there's no other way out. All communication, Floo, Mirrors, everything is cut off."

Dumbledore nodded and took a breath, standing suddenly, "Remus...Nymphadora," he added as Tonks returned, still slightly green, "create a plan, both with and without my assistance to relieve the Ministry...assume that we will lose it for the time being in favor of evacuating the personnel."

"What about Harry and Hermione's help?" Tonks asked very quietly. Dumbledore did not answer, just replied with a vague headshake.

"If you could excuse me for a moment," Dumbledore's voice was firm, but soft, holding emotions held in check only by hundreds of years of experience. Remus just nodded and took Tonks' hand, pulling her along with him. They stopped for a moment, next to Neville and the lycan whispered something to him before moving on. Neville directed a half-dozen DA members with hand gestures, and settled back against the wall with his wand in hand, out of earshot of his Headmaster and pretended to not see the glistening in ancient blue eyes.

************************Diagon Alley*********************************

May 24, 1998
11:36 am

Diagon Alley was only moderately crowded on a late Sunday morning, with shoppers looking for supplies, or families looking for an easy Sunday dinner. An uneasy feeling filled the air, however, as wizards and witches stopped each other, asking about rumors of attacks on Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, of odd occurrences at the Ministry, and other strange events that had percolated through the Wizarding community in the last day or so. Even odder a store that almost never closed, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, was closed and locked, with high-level defensive wards set. As was Gringotts, though they did not normally open until after lunch on Sundays.

Through this crowd, a pair in dark traveling cloaks moved swiftly, their hidden faces moving quickly from side to side as they slipped down the street. Their hands were hidden as well, deep within voluptuous sleeves. The slightly taller of the pair, turned towards the other and gestured down the street. The other nodded and moved away towards the other side of the street, almost reluctantly. This is creepy, Harry.

He's here, somewhere, I can feel it, Harry replied, he shivered slightly as he watched a family of four, complete with pair of children both only eight or nine years old. If he hits now... he tightened his grip on his sword, which he held concealed down next to his leg as he moved past Quality Quidditch Supplies. Seven or so customers were crowded in, all of them wearing identical shirts from some amateur Quidditch team, most likely getting gear for a Sunday afternoon game.

Hermione looked up at Gringotts' and reached up, pulling her hood more forward. She hid her hands back under her cloak, donned as was Harry's to hide their identities more from the inhabitants of Diagon Alley, then to provide any concealment from Voldemort. Both dark and light were actively dispersing their presences, enough to hide them from almost any Death Eater or Auror, except the ones that that were engaged this day, at this place. I could lure him out...

Harry stopped, and stepped back into the shadows the doorway of a used robe shop, No, Hermione, Harry shook his hooded head across the street at her, where she had ducked into the head of an alley between a haberdashery and a used bookshop. Even though he could not see her eyes in the depth of her hood, he knew she was glaring across the street at him. We need to... Harry broke off as a brief flicker of a presence crossed his mind, a sense of...frustration coming from the area off towards the Weasley's shop. Didn't you redo the Weasley's defensive wards, Mione?

Yeah, Hermione replied as her image wavered and vanished, an empty cloak falling to the ground behind her, I did...but I can't really bring them to a lethal level, not like at Grimmauld or Godric's-

How about a nice, shocking ward? Harry replied, and vanished as well with a faint afterimage of twin green glows hanging in the air for a moment longer. Harry grunted silently as he felt a twinge in his side, as he moved further down the street towards WWW, As soon as we end this...I am sleeping for a week, I don't care that NEWTs start Monday.

Oh, bullocks...they do? Hermione muttered silently, stepping aside as she moved so a large, elderly witch could slip past without noticing the invisible presence in their midst.

Forgot did you? Harry whispered, and wrapped his shields around himself even tighter, clamping down on any hint that he was anywhere near Diagon Alley. Mione, Harry added, his tone becoming utterly serious again, as soon as he is revealed...do what you can to get these people out of here, I'll hold him off.

Harry, no...

I'll be fine, he muttered as he stopped fifty yards from WWW and took a step backwards into the shadows. You have to, Love...I promise I'll be alright. He looked forward, and this close, a faint, dark shadow was visible to his enhanced senses. Listen, if you change the ward to a Trapping Ward...

I can give you a minute...maybe, Harry.

It will have to do. Harry took a breath, GO! Magic flowed as he became visible, his eyes blooming to life. Voldemort turned just as a shimmering, almost solid bubble snapped into being around the Weasley's shop. A roar of rage ripped from the Dark Lord's throat as he started to fight free, sending sheets of lighting skittering along the edges of the suddenly visible wards.

"NO!" a withered old witch screamed and fainted as she turned and saw Voldemort, his sullen red eyes blazing in an eerily shadowed face. Hermione flung her hand out, tossing the witch back as Voldemort sneered and snapped a green bolt at the woman. It exploded a crater in the cobblestone street as he turned, exerting his will on the wards. Screams of panic and terror filled the air as families ran, or vanished with loud CRACKs of Apparation. Cries for Aurors or help, any help at all, went on as Harry stepped fully into the street, feeling Hermione bodily clearing the area around him with utter expedience by flinging spectators back down the street, a rush of power filled him as he took a breath.

A literally horseless carriage snapped through the air, crashing into Voldemort, just as the wards began to fail, flinging him back into the shop. INFLAMARE! Harry roared and reached for Hermione pulling them both back as the Weasley's shop, fortunately empty of friendlies as every stockpiled firework, exploded. A shockwave picked both of them up, tossing them thirty feet through the air, to crash into a display of magical birds outside of a pet shop.

Harry pushed himself to his feet, looking back down the street, and finding patrons pouring out of the shops, running stupidly towards the Leaky Cauldron, even when most of them could Apparate away. Harry stood, and turned to the flaming ruins of the Weasleys' shop. He ducked, as another explosion ripped out as even more inflammable substances, of which Harry knew the building was filled with, detonated. Harry's eyes widened as he looked into the flames, and watched a tall, skeletal shape move out of the flames.

Voldemort sneered, "Good try, Potter," a couple stepped out of a shop with a shattered front window and froze at the sight. Harry reached for them, but was too late as Voldemort casually killed the man with a flick of his wand. His wife screamed and fell to her knees, sobbing. Harry and Hermione's Reductors slammed inward, smashing into a conjured silver shield and shooting off into space. Voldemort canted his head slightly and with a wave of his hand, buildings began to crumple like empty cans. He reached for the building next to Hermione, and crooked an eyebrow as he felt his reach blocked, "Good, Mudblood, but not good enough."

"Then how about this?" Hermione snarled, reached back and tossed a broken chunk of stone the size of a Volkswagen at his head. It changed, shifting in mid-flight to a chimera that roared and crashed into Voldemort. He jumped back and shattered the golem with a flick of his wand, only to scream in pain as a silver jet ripped into his side.

"Die, Potter," Voldemort twirled and vanished, only to reappear next to Harry. A glittering black blade cut towards Harry's spine only to be caught by the Sword of Gryffindor behind Harry's back. Harry spun with the blow, slicing downward, and ripping into Voldemort's leg and back out again with a spray of black blood that hissed and burned when it hit the cobblestones of the street. A precise wave of force slipped past Harry's shoulder and smashed Voldemort back through a stone wall.

Hermione spun to her right, vanishing in place as a Kedavra ripped back at her, exploding the front of Flourish and Blots as it continued on down the street. A small child stepped out from Magical Menageries, a terrified kitten in her arms and Hermione screamed, "NO!" She reached out, grabbing the child and flinging her elsewhere, Apparating the child through space to King's Cross. Hermione's knees buckled as a Crucio ripped into her stomach, sending her to the ground.

EXPELIARMUS. A precise blue bolt snapped from Harry's wand, knocking Voldemort's aside, followed by a line of lighting that roared down from the heavens, ripping up the street until it impact Voldemort's side. An explosion of white light filled the street, briefly blinding everyone in range, and when it vanished Voldemort stood, smoking, his left arm hanging uselessly at his side. He smiled slightly, and shook his arm out. He frowned as it only halfway repaired itself, still a charred and damaged limb, though useable.

Voldemort looked up and down the street, now damaged almost beyond recognition, only the shining edifice of Gringotts remained standing undamaged behind its near impervious wards; he looked slowly to Hermione as she stood from the ground, panting slightly. A spiraling green spell snapped at her, she dodged to the side, and spun as the shattered stone front of a store shifted and changed, becoming a pair of large, Nagini-sized grey stone serpents. They charged Hermione with unnatural speed, striking at her head; she darted to the side, batting one aside with the blade of a dagger that grew to size of a wakizashi. Hermione bent backwards, time eerily slow as the second struck at her head, she rolled to the side and sliced downward with a glowing blue blade. A terrible shattering sound filled the air as the blade passed through the neck of the stone snake, and it fell away, collapsing into gravel. Hermione flipped forward, twisting in mid-air to land behind the first snake just as it's head crashed into the ground where she had just been.

Across the street, Harry MOVED, snapping into motion, and blurring to a stop directly in front of Voldemort. His sword cut at Tom, skittering aside in a shower of blue sparks as Voldemort blocked it, and pushed Harry away. Harry grunted as his knee twisted on a pile of stone. Voldemort turned, and flicked the wand in his off hand; a purple wave tore at Harry. Desperately, Harry flicked his sword at it, knocking the curse off course, but not enough, as his right leg burned and he fell as his leg went limp. Voldemort sneered as he lined up his wand on Harry's head...

A green curse snapped towards Harry and exploded on a chunk of stone that flew in from the side, intercepting the death curse. Voldemort tumbled backwards as the force of the explosion was channeled back at him. Hermione stepped around the rubble of the first snake and reached out and yanked Harry to her. Hermione's arms went around Harry as he came even with her and they both vanished.

Voldemort stood slowly in the center of the now-abandoned street, several corpses of bystanders, those that they had not been able to save, were lying on the ground, but only a few. He looked around with undisguised disgust, "Since you love the Muggles so much, Potter, follow me." Voldemort vanished, Apparating away.

Hermione glared after him, before she looked down at Harry, How bad is it? she asked, running her wand down the seam of his pants, opening it to find a long, jagged tear in his leg. She frowned, Suterus, and ran the tip of her wand down the cut, closing it, temporarily.

I'll live, Harry replied as he flicked his wand at his clothes, repairing them. He's gone into London proper, Hermione. She just nodded, her face flat with exhaustion among other things. We're going to have to follow him; he went on, as his head tracked towards the south.

Hermione nodded, silently, she took a drink of water from a canteen, and tossed it in the air where it vanished, I'm worried, Harry...it's not like we are hiding, I'd have expected someone to have been along by now...

Harry stood, the sounds of belated alarms and sirens filled the air, as patrons of Diagon Alley, started to come out, from the shattered stores. Several of them looked oddly at the pair, but no one approached, Let's go. They vanished between breaths, leaving the shattered street as bystanders started to rush to the aid of those trapped in the buildings.

Several miles away, following a trace burning an arrow in their minds towards the Dark Lord, Harry and Hermione reappeared in the middle of London Bridge. Hermione looked to the south, HARRY! She dove to the left as Harry dodged right, and flung up his hand catching a Toyota with a sudden rush of wind and more or less gently setting it down on the bridge to the side. Four people, three adults and a ten-or-so-year-old girl got out of the car and ran, screaming towards the shore.

Even more Muggles ran, dashing down the street or the sidewalks at the edge of the five-arched bridge, heading away from the sudden commotion. Harry flipped away as first one; then a second, empty car flew at him. They crashed together and exploded, crushing another few vehicles near them, and sending burning wreckage tumbling into the Thames. Harry batted away an orange curse with his wand and snapped a Reductor back, as Voldemort stepped into view.

Hermione rolled behind Harry, her back to his and started to mumble something under her breath. "So much more, open, wouldn't you say, Harry?" Voldemort called as he laughed and flicked his wand at another abandoned vehicle. It rose in the air ten feet and exploded, shrapnel rained down, bouncing off Harry's hastily raised shield like steel rain. Distant sirens filled the air, as the Muggle authorities started to respond.

"I don't know, Tom," Harry called back, and behind him Hermione took a breath and summoned a tendril of power, wrapping it around itself between her cupped hands. "I think a small, dark place would be just fine for you." Harry dove away as Hermione spun and shot out both hands, palm first, flinging a small, black, lighting-encrusted ball at Voldemort. Voldemort tried to dodge, but it hit at his feet, and a sudden singularity bloomed, sucking in everything for fifteen meters around. It exploded in a flash of light, leaving the center of the bridge...gone, along with the Dark Lord.

Hermione felt Harry move behind her. That hurt him, but it didn't do him in, he said and she just nodded, drawing both of her daggers and watching them grow to sword-like lengths. Hermione took a breath and a ring of blue-green magic expanded out from her, reaching out.

He's gone again, she growled. Her breath was coming in short pants; she paused, and calmed herself, forcing her breathing back under control. I don't think he's here...

****************************Hogwarts*******************************

1:00 pm

A pall of nearly noxious smoke hung over the school, fed by the fires from the Quidditch Pitch, the Great Hall, the still burning trench, and from the winds blowing in from Hogsmeade, where a bare few rescue efforts had just started. Wizards and Witches, and a pair of centaurs who had stopped at the edge of the Forbidden Forest coughed in the smoke, as they searched the grounds, looking for any Death Eaters still unaccounted for, or wounded that could still be saved. Already, a pile of corpses filled a paddock behind Hagrid's hut, Death Eaters that had been found in the castle.

Another, guarded section, held other Death Eaters, these still alive, but stripped of their robes, masks and weapons, leaving them in whatever they had had on underneath. Which in the case of a few was not much. A shimmering field surrounded them, shocking any who approached it to unconsciousness. That, in turn was backed by a large, three-headed dog, who growled on occasion as he padded around the corral, and ten DA members, all with their wands in hand, and utter, implacable fury in their eyes.

None of that, however, bothered one small soul who sauntered along the ground, his bottle-brush tail held high. His orange fur was matted, full of soot, and he had a burn mark down one flank, but his yellow eyes twinkled as he padded in a side entrance to the castle, a limp bit of ragged fur held proudly in his jaws.

Crookshanks broke into a sprint, passing Poppy and a few DA members as they escorted her on her mission to help wounded, and started up the moving stairs. They all seemed to move in place for him as he ascended the long stairs. He jumped over a missing patch between the fourth and fifth floors and leapt lightly onto the fifth floor. He pushed aside a tapestry with his nose, to reveal a foot-high door that opened at his approach.

A set of tiny spiral stairs was revealed and Crookshanks sprinted up them, rising two levels to stop in front of another tiny door inset with a carved lion. The tiny lion roared at his approach and the half-kneazle stepped though into his master and mistress' common room. Crookshanks dropped his burden, a large, scraggly rat with a silver paw, at the edge of the hearth and padded over to a small fountain set against the wall and drank deeply.

He sauntered back over to his prize and settled down to wait, watching it and the door at the same time.

*************************London, Savoy Hotel************************

1:20 pm

Remus Lupin looked out from the edge of the hotel's roof, at the smoke rising from the wreckage of London Bridge and sighed. He turned from the sight of flashing lights from police cruisers and ambulances, and walked back towards Tonks, who was perched on the edge of a large, rooftop air conditioner, with a mirror propped open next to her. A tiny image of Albus Dumbledore hung in the air over it, with a partial image of Neville to one side. "Remus?" Dumbledore asked tiredly.

"They've been here, Albus," he replied, and scrubbed at his eyes. Lupin absently took a chocolate bar that Tonks handed him and took a bite. He swallowed, "Looks like Voldemort tried to ambush them at Diagon Alley, but they turned it on him...there were casualties there...he ran to Muggle London and took them on, on London Bridge, no one died there, thank Merlin, but traffic will be a pain for a long time to come."

"Any sign of where they went then?" Dumbledore asked looking around where he was standing at Hogwarts. In the background, Remus could see several stretchers bearing wounded pass by.

"No, I'm not even too sure how Harry tracked him here, after Hogsmeade."

"Tom's own doing, I am afraid," Dumbledore replied with bitter cheer, "for years he exploited that link with Harry, but now, as the saying goes, it is coming around to bite him on the arse." Lupin just smiled, barely. "Since you were not able to find Harry, proceed with your primary mission, Remus, scout out the Ministry."

"Albus, what if..."

"It was a long shot, Remus," Dumbledore cut him off with a shake of his head, "we only knew about the fighting in Diagon Alley due to reports on the Wireless. The reporters from the Prophet have already shown up here as well, though I've barred them from the grounds. Go to the Ministry, we need to relieve Arthur if he is still alive." Lupin let out a soft, sub-audible growl but nodded as Tonks closed the mirror with a snap and slipped it into a pouch.

"Let's go, Wolfie," Tonks muttered, her eyes tired beyond exhaustion as she grabbed onto his arm, and the pair of them vanished with a soft POP.

*************************Godric's Hollow****************************

3:00 pm

Harry slipped along the streets of his home, darting from cover to cover, as he slipped through the abandoned town. As soon as they arrived, after trailing the Dark Lord through half of England, in a lethal game of cat and mouse, Hermione had, with a spell that almost made her pass out, sent a compulsion over the whole small village of a hundred souls, making them realize that they had much, much more pressing matters elsewhere.

Harry had felt Voldemort's rage, at losing his de facto hostages, but had not struck, reluctant to reveal his presence too soon. Which was only a boon to Harry and Hermione, as that misstep had given Hermione time to recharge. He's at the house, Harry said after fifteen minutes of tense searching. "Come out, Tom," Harry pushed open the garden gate, and stepped through.

The door to the Godric's Hollow house opened slowly, and a dark shadow, that had last darkened this door a bit over sixteen years before, walked out, bringing a dark chill in the air with him. Above them dark clouds started to gather with a sudden rush, turning the once sunny day, dark as night. A crash of thunder and a torrential downpour began, instantly drenching Harry and Hermione as they slowly spread out, wands coming up to track the Dark Lord as he stood at the entrance to the house. Voldemort stood in the midst of the downpour, the rain parting from him as if cleaved by a knife. "I see you came home to die, Potter." He looked to Harry's right, and found Hermione's glowing eyes staring back, as rain water streamed down her face, "And you brought a Mudblood along, just like your father. It will be...enjoyable, and this time there will be nothing to save you..."

Harry laughed as he took a step forward. A sizzling ball of blue plasma grew from nothing in his off hand, and a sizzling sound unlined his laughter as the rain hit off the superheated sphere. Harry glanced to Hermione, she smiled darkly, "Tom...the ambiance is superb, I will admit...a torrential downpour, a dark storm...classic. But there are soo many better uses for getting caught in the rain...A nice slow shag, that's always fun, but since you just have Bella, it's just not the same."

The simmering red glow bloomed in Voldemort's eyes, "AVADA KEDAVRA." A terrible rushing sound filled the air as a searing green bolt tore towards Harry. With infinite slowness, Harry took a step sideways and watched the curse slip past. A thunderclap tore at his back a moment later as the beam hit a propane tank behind a house, detonating it, flattening two houses in the village beyond. Harry glanced back as flames started to spread, hopping to the next house. He glanced back as Hermione flicked her wand at the ground at Voldemort's feet and large spikes grew from the ground, surrounding him.

Voldemort hissed darkly and the spikes changed to serpents before they vanished, he spun and waved his wand in a broad arc, soil exploded, tossing up to the air. Hermione took one, two, hopping leaps, kicking off the top of the low garden wall and diving away as the wall shattered in an explosion of bricks. She landed in a roll, tumbling away as Harry gestured and the shattered chunks of wall shot across the garden, hammering into Voldemort, impacting against his shield and tossing the Dark Lord, shield and all, back through the entrance door, through an interior wall and back into the kitchen beyond. Harry followed him through the large hole left by his passage, his eyes lit. Harry batted away a maroon spell with the flat of the sword, avoided another Kedavra and stepped to the side as Hermione flicked into existence across the room.

Hermione twirled away, as a Cruciatus snapped back at her. She gestured with her wand and a flaming whip cracked back from her wand, ripping away the wall to the timbers as Voldemort vanished and reappeared behind her. A black sword flicked at her head, blocked only barely by a blade in her left hand. She tumbled backwards from the force of the blow, over the top of the couch. Stuffing flew in the air as the black blade tried for her head; she turned slightly with the block and gasped as the blade ripped open her back below her left shoulder blade.

Voldemort laughed darkly as he raised his blade above his head, and crashed backwards, tumbling through a wall as Harry dove over the top of the couch, tackling Voldemort to the ground. Harry's arms slipped around his neck, a heel of a hand crashed against Voldemort's chin, and his neck broke with a loud, sickening crack. Harry rolled off of the Dark Lord, scrambling to Hermione. He pulled Hermione into his arms and flickered away, vanishing behind the kitchen counter. A dark growl slipped from his throat as he looked to her back. It's not that bad, he muttered, sealing the wound with a drag of his wandtip.

Harry looked up as Voldemort slowly stood, his head held at an odd angle. Voldemort reached up with skeletal hands and straightened his head on his neck with a loud popping sound. That's just not fair, Harry muttered and rolled to the side, he flicked his wand like a whip and a flaming strand reached out and wrapped around Voldemort's legs. Harry pulled up, tumbling Voldemort to the ground, again. Harry grabbed Hermione's collar and vanished, reappearing in the rain-soaked backyard as Voldemort's return exploded the entire kitchen side of the house.

Harry looked back towards his now-burning house, and closed his eyes for a bare instant. Hermione groaned in the back of his mind, and pushed herself to her feet. We can't keep this up, Harry.

We have to, Mione, Harry rolled to his feet, just as the kitchen to the house collapsed, and Voldemort pushed out onto the lawn, stepping from the burning house. A blue ball of plasma ripped from his fingers, exploding at Voldemort's feet, setting his robes on fire as Voldemort's return spell hit him in the shoulder. Harry grunted, holding his hand to his shoulder as Hermione's wand bucked several times, sending Reductors crashing into a silver shield in a staccato rhythm. Voldemort spun away, and the last few spells exploded in the house, vaporizing a hole all the way through the house. The flames in the house were already dying away, the fire suppression charms and rain, combining to slow the spread of the flames.

Far beyond, the situation was not the same in the town, as house after house erupted in flames, the fires carried along too fast for the rain to slow them. Harry watched as Voldemort moved from the house, floating down to the grounds like a Dementor from the porch. Harry reached back, and pulled, flinging his hand over his head. Behind him, the leftmost post from the pitch ripped from the ground, and swatted the Dark Lord like a large annoying insect, sending him tumbling away. Harry staggered, swaying slightly until Hermione grabbed him, pulling him behind a small storage shed on the grounds.

"Nice, try, Harry," Voldemort's mocking voice echoed back, a bolt of lighting from the gathered storm crashed into a tree a hundred meters away and Harry reached out, grabbing Hermione as splinters of charred wood crashed into the side of the shed. Voldemort stepped back into the open, slowly, his left arm hanging loosely, and Harry stepped from one side of the shed, the Sword of Gryffindor glowing brightly in one hand. Hermione moved out on the other side, she glanced towards the house that should have been waiting for them when they finished with this, before snapping her wand in a complicated gesture that sent a cyclone of debris at the Dark Lord. He deflected it with a swish of a twisted wand and stepped forward.

"You've already lost, Tom," Harry mentioned almost brightly as he deflected a Sectumsempra straight up in the air. Hermione dodged a Kedavra, leaving a trace of green light behind her as she darted to the side. She vanished in place, as Harry went on, "You have to know that you've lost...Even if you kill us, Dumbledore is still alive, your Horcruxes are gone...a decent paper cut could end your sad existence now."

Harry's breathing hitched, imperceptivity, as Hermione flickered into existence, cocked her wand and Voldemort spun, "Crucio", yellow beam crawled across the distance, Harry vanished and reappeared in its path, taking the hit. Hermione's eyes screamed as she dove to the side and a hail of silver darts tore from her wand, racing across the distance to Voldemort. Five, ten, a dozen bounced harmlessly off his shield, but another ten ripped through Voldemort's legs, shredding them. He screamed in rage, and vanished, leaving behind a smoking black pool of blood behind. Harry wavered on his feet and collapsed to his knees. He fell forward on his hands, his arms twitching randomly.

Hermione snapped out a Detection Pulse, found nothing, and dropped next to Harry. I swear to Merlin, she growled, pulling him to her side as he continued to twitch in her arms for a moment, that as soon as I get done shagging you to insentience, you are sleeping on the couch for a month.

Sorry? Harry choked out as he panted for an instant; his eyes flickered as he drew a rush of magic in from their surroundings. His eyes lit fully, He's gone? She nodded; Harry took a breath, "CAN YOU FUCKING STAY AND FIGHT, YOU BASTARD?!" he roared, before dropping back to his hands. Harry looked up as the clouds began to part, vanishing as if they had never been. The ground started to steam as Harry let Hermione pull him to his feet, even though he was fine by now.

"We can't keep this up, Harry," Hermione said softly as she watched their house burn for an instant, "It's going to kill us, even with stopping the wounds, we've lost too much blood...I know how much you're holding together with your magic."

"Not any more than you," he replied, looking down at her. She just nodded and kissed his forehead, moving aside bloody and ash-filled hair with her lips to brush his scar.

"You going to search for him?" Hermione asked worriedly. Harry shook his head, and took her hand.

I know where he went, he really has no choice, now...Hermione crooked an eyebrow, as he reached up and bent her head to the side, checking on a shallow slice on her cheek. He's gone back to Hogwarts...he has to try to kill Dumbledore while he still can...before we injure him enough to make it a walkover for Albus or us to finish him off...

***************************Ministry of Magic******************************

4:10 pm

Five darkly-robed figures stood restlessly in a trash-strewn alley. Several yards away, down this misused street, a broken callbox sat empty, as far below, a battle still raged. The tallest of the five, a swarthy man with a white beard tracing his jaw, puffed on a noxious smelling cigarette. He looked back as two of his confederates dumped a blue-uniformed Bobbie, who had happened to walk past on patrol, behind an overflowing dumpster. He tossed the stub of his cigarette to the ground and pulled another from a leather cigarette case and lit it with the tip of his wand.

He took a long pull of the cigarette, and a waft of a sharp, distinctive odor flitted down the alley. He looked up and blinked twice, stunned, as a dark-haired, dark-eyed young woman with a heart-shaped face paced down the street headed for the telephone box.

She sauntered to the box and stopped, her hands cocked on her hips, and cursed quietly at the out of order sign on it. The men stepped from the shadows, their eyes only on the young woman with a black leather skirt, hanging low on her hips and stopping barely below her arse, and a white, short, long-sleeved top that left a good two inches of skin bare around her midsection. A small diamond stud glinted from her navel as she turned to find the men. She smiled slowly and paced over to them, calling, "Oi...would any of you blokes," she let her eyes pan over the five appraisingly, "have a mobile I could use, this bloody box is broken."

She seemed not to notice as the group surrounded her; a wizard behind her lowered a hood, revealing an eyepatch over one eye on a scarred face. "No, lass," he growled gruffly, "but we do aim to entertain you." A look of sudden panic filled the young woman's face as she ran to the side, only to let out a soft scream, as one of the Death Eaters grabbed her, pulling her back to his front as he tangled his hands in her hair.

Unnoticed to them, a black shadow flitted across the head of the alley, before vanishing from view.

"You do, huh?" she asked in a slightly choked voice. She fought to fight free for a moment, then stopped as hands clamped around her arms. She took a breath, and looked around at the four not holding her and licked her lips. A sudden, accepting expression fell over her face, "Don't hurt me, I...I'll do what ever you want me to." The Death Eater holding her let her go, pushing her into the center of the rough circle.

She looked back, her eyes narrowed slightly as a sixth presence detached from the wall behind her. One of the Death Eaters took a step forward, grabbed her chin and pulled her face up for a rough kiss. He leaned in...A spray of blood shot out as her head snapped forward, breaking his nose. A palm strike hammered up, driving splinters of bone into his brain, and dropping the suddenly lifeless Death Eater like a sack of rotten potatoes. The woman bounded backwards, spinning, her right leg coming up even as her clothes shifted, the skirt flowing into a black pair of cargo pants as her shirt darkened to black and her hair pulled into a short, spiked style.

A second Death Eater went spinning as her heel clipped him behind the ear. She leapt away, diving to the side as two wands tracked her, and flicked her wrists, dropping a throwing dagger and wand into her hands. Her left wrist snapped a dagger across the alley to embed in a shoulder, causing one of the two wands after her to fall to the ground as a bellow of pain came from the Death Eater. Her wand flicked, batting away a purple wave into the brick walls where it shattered a large chunk from the wall. She backed away slowly; her wand held out in front of her as the three remaining Death Eaters started to approach with darkly promising glints in their eyes.

"You'll pay for that lassie," the smoker announced darkly, and raised a wand towards her.

Tonks smiled, and shook her head, "Somehow, I doubt it." A soft growl came from behind the Death Eaters, and a figure blurred out from the wall. It rolled around the back of the smoker and he fell to the ground with his head held at an odd angle. A second Death Eater died just as quickly as a silver jet shot out, drilling a neat hole to his heart.

The final Death Eater spun towards the new threat, wand raised, and collapsed as a bolt took him behind the ear. Tonks took a breath, and watched as Lupin's eyes slowly returned to normal, canines sliding back up in his jaw. "Wotcher, Wolfie, took you long enough."

"You seemed to have things well in hand," Remus replied, shrugging as he led the way to the phone box. He watched as Tonks dug in a pocket and set a spinning, glowing blue orb and a silver, palm-sized disc that rapidly grew to the size of a dinner plate, on a shelf under the broken receiver.

She quickly dialed 6-2-4-4-2 on the rotary dial and before the voice could speak, snapped, "Emergency override, Auror Nymphadora Tonks, 7223915 Alpha," to the air. She jumped back as the box started to sink into the ground. She spun to Remus as he folded open a hand mirror and muttered a spell. Instantly a image of the inside of the booth appeared, then changed, as the booth stopped moving to a visage of the atrium below.

Tonks let out a quiet gasp as she saw the picture filled with innumerable Inferi; their grey-green forms shambling around aimlessly. She bit back bile as she saw several kneeling over a body, ripping off chunks. She looked to Remus as the image passed by several Death Eaters in robes, standing over a pair of Aurors she knew, and he closed his eyes and nodded to her. She opened a second mirror, "Neville," she waited as Neville's image, tired and exhausted, his eyes mostly dead, filled her mirror. At his shoulder, Dumbledore's face, along with Parvati's dark eyes, and a few other DA members looked out. Remus tapped his mirror with his wand, and the images from the Osiris eye Tonks had placed projected from Neville's mirror as well.

Dumbledore just nodded, "I am sending the DA to you Remus, I will hold here..." The image vanished, and barely a beat later, the alley was filled with rainbow-hued vortexes as an even dozen Portkeys flung the entire remaining DA, that where standing at least, into London. Neville stood slowly, from where the Portkey had tossed him against the trash bin, and looked to Remus and Tonks.

Neville's eyes were hard, glittering points as they alternately looked over the alley at the twenty or so, bandaged, wounded and utterly exhausted teens that he had brought with him from the castle where they had already paid such a bitter price. "What's the plan, Professor?" he asked, checking a wand and a dagger at his hip. Parvati trailed him as he slipped to the empty hole where the Phone booth once stood, and looked down. "We can't Apparate in, and we can't fight our way in with that many Inferi?"

Tonks looked to Remus and shook her head, "That's why I sent along a little package of the Twins' that they developed for clearing buildings...of everything." She looked down the hole, "We'll Apparate down the hole in the wards, and hold against whatever's below the Atrium as Arthur gets his people out."

Neville nodded, "Honor, Seamus, Teresa, Michael, you're with me and Par," he looked to the former Beauxbatons heads, "Jean, Robert, you take the sixth years, you'll hold the rear. Everyone else, we spread out as we Apparate in and hold the Atrium, stay alive, if it's a Death Eater, it dies, if it's an Inferi, it burns...that's it." A few nods answered him and he turned back to Lupin.

"We go in one minute."

A/N: There we go...next chapter...the end of the circle....

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57. The End of the Circle

A/N: Hang on, here we go...Thanks as usual to Lady Starlight for her hard work, suggestions and occasionally tears.

Chapter 57: The End of the Circle
*******************Ministry of Magic*********************

Remus Lupin looked around at the DA members and his fiancée, standing with their wands pointed down a dark hole leading eight stories underground where an army of inhuman zombies waited to rend their flesh and most likely eat them. Not even a typical day for a Lycan or Auror, or a Professor of the Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, which he currently held the titles to all of the above. He held an open pocket mirror in one hand still showing the interior of the Atrium, and slowly raised his wand to touch it, when with a rush of color and a fall of wind, a disparate pair grew from nothing and were flung to the ground.

Wands pointed at the heads of the newcomers instantly, then fell away, most of them, anyway as the identity of the pair was realized. "What are you two doing here?" Tonks nearly snarled, as Ginny pushed herself to her feet.

Ginny took a breath, and glared at the currently black-haired witch, "My father is in there, I am going in," she snapped, drawing her wand and taking a step towards Tonks.

Tonks took a breath, and opened her mouth to snap back, but shut up at Remus' hand on her arm, "And you, Mr. Black?" he asked.

Draco looked down at Ginny as she pulled loose a band that held her hair in a tail, re-gathered it and pulled it back through, re-restraining it from where it had come loose. He frowned slightly, "I'm with her." Several incredulous looks shot his way, "I don't want get cut off for the rest of my life, do I?"

Lupin nodded, and did not comment, even though several of the DA sniggered behind their hands, "Very well. Remember to concentrate on funneling yourself through the hole in the wards caused by the call box; you don't want to splinch yourself. And watch your targets." Lupin tapped the surface of his mirror with his wand, and far below, things happened.

A pair of Death Eaters warily approached the downed and open call box, their wands at the ready and frowned in confusion as they found the box empty. One jumped back as a small round ball, almost like someone's eye spun and focused on him. Behind and around them, soft groaning moans came from the Inferi that constantly pushed at stairs upward, or piled on each other in the broken lift shafts trying to get up at the defenders still fighting above. A constant stream of reinforcements boiled up from the lower levels headed to the fight.

Suddenly a loud, cracking POP sounded and tiny ports opened on top of the silver disc and miniscule rockets flashed out, detonating near the high, vaulted ceiling of the Atrium. The few human Death Eaters watched as the fireworks came to life, spelling words: "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, #93 Diagon Alley, London and coming soon to Hogsmeade, is proud to present...your doom...Goodbye." Their eyes grew huge as a fine mist rushed out of the disc, rapidly filling even the vast chamber; the mist reached the still flaming words...

Nine stories up, on street level, the ground trembled as a wave of fire propagated through the entire Atrium level of the Ministry of Magic, killing every living thing, vaporizing scores of Inferi and shattering almost everything else. The flames died away almost instantly and the DA appeared as one, flickering into existence with a series of repetitive CRACKs and POPs. A handful of Death Eaters, peeking up from the lower floors, fell away, collapsing back down the stairs to the lowest levels as Neville, Seamus and Parvati sent a wave of spellfire at them. Neville waved the rest forward to entrance to the lower levels as more Death Eaters and Inferi boiled up, at them.

Far above, Arthur Weasley, his head bleeding from a scalp wound that he had suffered beating back the last attack to almost break through their lines, looked up suddenly, after he picked himself off the floor, as a small pocket mirror buzzed. He opened it, his eyes wide, "Arthur," Remus' voice yelled out of the mirror. In it Arthur could see Remus surrounded by seven or eight young school-age wizards and witches, all of them sending flickers of spellfire back at invisible targets, or shielding Remus and themselves from spells shot at them from the tops of the broad staircases down. "We have the Atrium, Arthur," Remus went on hurriedly, "get your people down here now, we won't be able to hold this forever."

Arthur nodded and motioned to several aides, all of whom were looking shocked, they headed off at a sprint to coordinate the break-out. Arthur looked back down, "How is Hogwarts, Remus?"

"No time, Arthur," Lupin shot back. Lupin paused as an Inferi exploded from three Reductors and flicked his wand, sending a jet of fire out of the sight of his mirror towards some target. "Get them back," Remus snapped, and Arthur watched as several young students, were pulled into the vision of the mirror, all of them with gashes on their torsos or extremities, that he had seen too much of this day in the fight against the Inferi. The students vanished in Apparitions up, and Lupin looked back into the mirror. "We have to go, Arthur, we can't hold this forever."

Arthur nodded to the image, "We are coming now." Arthur closed the mirror and flicked his wand around his office, watching as documents destroyed themselves or vanished to other places. He waved his wand at several framed photographs on his desk, causing them to shrink to the size of postage stamps, before he pocketed them. He turned towards the couch, at the tall figure seated there, seemingly exhausted from the fighting he had been leading since sometime yesterday, "Let's go, Kingsley." The tall man didn't move and Arthur felt a sudden sinking sensation as he walked over and touched the man on the shoulder.

The Auror slid to the seat of the couch, and Arthur groaned. "Damnit, Shack..." he said very softly. "You should have..." Arthur reached down to the ground and picked up someone's abandoned cloak, maybe even his own and spread it out on top of the Auror, covering his face. "Godspeed my, friend," Arthur whispered and straightened. He walked to the door, and stood at the entrance looking back at his office for a long moment, he cleared his throat, and said in a strong voice, as he flicked his wand in the air, "Sonorous," he waited as throughout the Ministry, in corridors abandoned or filled with Wizards or Inferi alike, his voice boomed, "THIS IS MINISTER WEASLEY, CODE BLACK, EVACUATE TO THE ATRIUM, NOW..." His voice faded away as he canceled the charm then looked back to his office.

He turned and touched a small, normally unobtrusive half-orb on the wall next to his door, it started to glow a bright red and pulsed slowly, "Arthur Weasley, Minister of Magic, Authorization 5583412 Beta ...Keepaway..." He spun on his heel and left the room, closing the door firmly. He slipped his wand into a small hole exactly the size of a wand and gave it a half turn. With a tired look at the four Aurors waiting in the waiting room, "Let's go gentlemen."

"Sir, what about Shacklebolt?"

"He's not joining us, I am afraid." Behind them, a soft thump came from the sealed office as the air in the room ignited, vaporizing the room down to the shielded walls.

Far below, Remus glanced over as Parvati caught a steel hoop that came back stained with blood and flicked it dry, before rehanging it on her belt. He looked at Neville, "Get..." Remus' words were cut off, as at some unknown signal, the Death Eaters and Inferi, both those below in the ninth and tenth levels and those caught between the defenders above and the Atrium toehold charged as one. Neville spun to the attack from below, sending out a wave of fire at the wall of zombies. He dodged to the right as a curse shot from behind them, and shot back a Reductor, exploding the wall behind them.

A loud shout of outrage came from a hoarse throat and Neville spun and gulped heavily as Ginny crumpled, blood staining the side of her shirt. Draco spun, firing a steady stream of Reductors, shattering Inferi, who then came at him in pieces. A silver jet raced in from an angle and clipped his leg, sending him tumbling to the ground. "PAR," Neville snapped, moving over, covering the fallen pair. Parvati, flicked her wand at the pair, and with an effort that caused sweat to bead on her brow, levitated them both, at speed to the area outside of the wards. Tonks slapped a Portkey on them and they vanished, any nicety with wounded gone, further injuries from Portkey stress could be fixed, maybe, getting eaten could not.

"WOLFIE," Tonks screamed, gesturing towards the stairways up, the only means for those still here to reach the Apparation zones and Floos to escape. They were still filled with Inferi. Remus started to wave forward a charge, a desperate attempt to clear them, when with a loud WHOOF, a wave of flashfire roared down them, tossing DA members to their bums, and increasing the charred smell in the air. Seconds later, the first Auror, leading frightened Ministry Workers, clerks, secretaries, those who for whatever reason had been here when the Inferi boiled up from underground, appeared at the head of the stairs, herding them towards the escape routes. CRACK after CRACK went off, fighting the whoosh of Floo fires as the Ministry finally started to evacuate.

Lupin gave Tonks a worried look as Neville led the entire remaining DA at the lower staircases, sending down an unbroken wave of Spellfire down the stairs, lighting the entire room in a rainbow hue. Vastly overstressed wands began to smoke and char, Parvati's shattered with a loud POP, as it finally failed, and she slipped partially behind Neville, her chakram more of a hindrance than anything at the moment. "Where the hell is Arthur?" Remus yelled across to Tonks as the stream died away, and the last of the Aurors joined the DA at the stairs.

Several more wands failed as Inferi continued to swarm upwards, bolstered by an occasional Death Eater. Remus waved the fighters with dead wands back, and they vanished as they reached the departure zone. "God damn it," Remus said as he watched Seamus' wand catch fire. Seamus tossed it to the ground, and smothered the flames with his boot before he picked it up and slipped the still-smoking piece of birch into his pocket. "I'm going after him..."

Just as Remus started to move, finally Arthur Weasley slipped from the stairway leading upward, his four Auror escort looking around nervously. Arthur hurried up to Remus, "Sorry, Remus, we had to make sure that no one was left behind...we also set a few surprises for these blokes..." Arthur started back towards the departure zone and Remus pushed him along. "What about Hogwarts, Remus?"

"NOW, NEVILLE," Remus roared, and Neville, reached into a pouch and flung one of the smaller versions of the Happy Barbeque and Inferi Remover, down the stairs over the heads of the Inferi. Neville sprinted back as several of the Inferi stared at the flat package in their midst. Remus grabbed Arthur, nodded and vanished.

A second later, the entire, still mostly standing group was above ground, back in the trash-strewn alley. Tonks walked to the edge of the hole leading down, "REDUCTO!" A plasma bolt roared out and exploded, collapsing the tunnel. She set a small, pulsing crystal down next to the smoking rubble, and glued it there with a Sticking Charm. Tonks pointed her wand at the crystal, "APPARECIUM DIFFINIDO..." A glowing bubble snapped into being in the air, covering the small hole in the Ministry wards. A moment went by; then...CRACK.

A fine red mist floated down as a pair of Death Eaters tested the Shearing Ward.

She nodded grimly, any color long gone from her face and slowly walked over to Lupin, Neville and Parvati, who along with Arthur, were standing, leaning against the trash bin. "Hogwarts, Remus," Arthur said shortly, his voice softened, "and how are my..."

Lupin looked at Tonks, she bit her lip and turned away, as Neville took Parvati's hand and slowly led her away. She buried her face in his shoulder as he stopped, and her shoulders began to hitch, as his face buried itself in the top of her hair. "When was the last you heard of events, Arthur?" Lupin asked quietly as Tonks walked back up to him, and leaned against him.

"Yesterday afternoon," Arthur's voice cracked slightly.

"Yesterday, afternoon, while Harry was away with most of the seventh year DA, destroying the last of Voldemort's Horcruxes, besides his Familiar," Arthur's face went white as he finally understood what Harry had been up to, "Voldemort attacked and took Hogwarts and Hogsmeade...Harry retook Hogwarts from him this morning, but the cost...was high."

"Ho...how, high?"

"Very...he had giants, trolls, and the Dementors sitting outside to trap us, and maybe four-five hundred Death Eaters in the castle with him...Harry snuck the DA back into the castle and freed all the students that weren't at Hogsmeade for the day, and then, they started to take it back...Arthur, Dumbledore's back."

"WHAT!"

"We don't know either, but Harry trusts him, so we do too. Anyway, Dumbledore dueled Tom while Harry lead the DA in ambushing Death Eaters around the castle, then Harry took the rest after Tom...Him and Hermione have been dueling Voldemort since six this morning..."

"And you aren't there helping them?" Arthur snapped.

Lupin raised his hand, and shrugged helplessly, "We can't keep up, they started out in the Great Hall, destroyed that, continued onto the lawn, fought there and proceeded to wreck Hogsmeade the rest of the way. Voldemort ran from there and they chased him to Diagon Alley, it's pretty damaged as well. We don't know where they are now."

Arthur took a long, deep breath as his face lost all color, suddenly as and took off his glasses; he covered his face with his free hand as tears bloomed in his eyes. He took a deep breath and stared, unseeing at the brick wall of the alley. "Remus...how did my son die?"

"How did you?" Tonks whispered.

"You didn't mention him with Harry and Hermione," Arthur replied, his voice tortured, "he wouldn't have left them." He slowly slipped his glasses back on his soot-blackened face, covering dull blue eyes. "Please, Remus..."

"We don't know for sure," Lupin admitted quietly, he watched over Arthur's shoulder as one of the DA vanished with a soft CRACK on the way to St. Mungo's. "We think that he...and Luna got cut off, with a force of Death Eaters coming in to reinforce Tom against Harry and Hermione. It appears that they held them, until they couldn't, then dropped the corridor on themselves..." Arthur looked up and caught his eyes, pleading him to go on, "Fred and George were both injured in the fighting with Voldemort, before it became two on one...Ginny was here, but she got hit and she's at St. Mungo's...Bill is fine, he's with Albus at the castle, Molly and Fleur are at Kings' Cross with the children that were evacuated."

"Very well," Arthur said, and his voice seemed to be dragged from deep within him. "Remus Lupin, on my personal Authority as Minister of Magic, you are hereby appointed Chief Auror." Tonks' jaw dropped slightly, as Arthur turned to her, "Nymphadora Tonks...you're his second." She just nodded as Arthur looked around at the exhausted, shattered remains of the DA and the Auror corps, "Your orders are as following...First, secure Hogwarts and Kings' Cross. Second, you are immediately to find out, what is happening with Voldemort, and be ready to throw everything we have remaining at him, if Harry and Hermione fail..." Arthur carefully did not state that Harry and Hermione would most likely be dead if that were to come to pass, not that anyone needed to hear it."

"And you, sir?"

"I am going to Kings' Cross," he replied with the air of one walking to his execution, "for what it is worth, you may consider myself and my security detail part of the force securing the children there."

"Yes, sir," Remus replied softly, and as he said the words, tried and failed to think of any time he had meant them more.

*********************Hogwarts, Heads' Common Room******************

Crookshanks looked up suddenly at some unheard signal and vanished into motion, his prisoner forgotten as something much more important flashed back into existence in his mind. He vanished out the tiny cat door as it appeared for him and vanished once again.

Behind him, the rat stirred and slowly looked up, sniffing the air for the scent of Crookshanks, or possibly even more dangerous for him, Hedwig. Finding neither, he quickly moved towards the fireplace, and slipped out a tiny crack next to the hearth, one he had found almost twenty years prior when the last generation of Potters had inhabited the same suite.

*****************************Hogwarts****************************

4:45 pm.

Harry shimmered into existence on the torn and smoking lawn of the castle, followed almost immediately by Hermione. He spun towards the castle, and dove to his right, grabbing Hermione and tucking her against his chest in mid-air. He half-rolled, taking the impact on his back as they landed behind a dense pile of broken stone, where the outer courtyard had been shattered hours and hours ago. Water sprayed straight up in the air from the broken fountain, quickly re-drenching the pair as they vanished backwards thirty feet and spun into invisibility.

Harry looked to the side, and made an invisible gesture towards Hermione. She nodded, even though he could not see it, and spread out to the left, as Harry circled off to his right, moving towards the battle raging once more on the lawn.

"You are weak, Albus," Voldemort sneered, watching as the elder wizard pushed himself back to his feet with the aid of his staff. Dumbledore panted slightly as he looked back at Tom with undisguised loathing, amiability washed away in the fires still burning in his school. He had not yet recovered, fully, from his return, nor the fighting, nor the holding of the Wards against the Dementors, even though he could already feel himself recovering from the exertion. "CRUCIO," a yellow beam tore towards Dumbledore, he took a breath and spun away, and the beam shot into the depths of the forest. He staggered as he landed, his knee buckling for a moment, and Voldemort quickly spun and hit him with another Cruciatus, causing the wizard to grunt loudly, before he straightened, throwing it off with an effort of will that left him shaking.

"Where are you precious students, Potter and his whore, Albus?" Voldemort moved slowly towards Dumbledore, his wand held in an odd, twisted grip.

Dumbledore looked up, and ice-blue eyes twinkled behind cracked, half-lenses. "You have never understood loyalty, and honor, and trust, Tom..."

"Weak, pitiful things," Voldemort replied, "they are the refuges of those who refuse true power." He raised his wand, turning his wrist slightly, "And now, Albus, I must bid you goodbye, it has been...entertaining...AVADA KEDAVRA." The green beam ripped from his wand, tearing towards Dumbledore. It reached halfway between them, and shattered on a chunk of stone that swooped in from the side, and detonated with a wave of energy and threw Voldemort back and sent Dumbledore sliding along the ground to slam against a pile of shattered stone.

Immediately, out of nowhere, a rain of spells crashed down on Voldemort. A rain of fire smashed at him from the heavens, followed by a small back sphere that detonated, sucking all around it into itself and vanishing. Harry spun to Dumbledore as Hermione spun a shield out of chunks of rubble. Voldemort screamed in rage as his spellfire shattered on Hermione's cover. The rocks suddenly fell to the ground, and his spells shot through the gap to hit only air.

Harry and Hermione reappeared in the midst of Gryffindor Tower, and Hermione absently batted away a dozen wands that pointed at them. They clattered against the wall, as Remus looked at them, shocked. "Take care of him," Harry snapped before he and Hermione vanished again.

Remus helped Dumbledore to his feet, and Dumbledore took a breath, "Get the rest of the defenders out of their way, Remus, they will only get in their way. I have delayed him, now I must rest for a moment...I miscalculated my friend, I did not let myself have enough recovery time."

"But we can help them, I can get the remainder of my Aurors here in minutes," Lupin sputtered, even as his eyes slipped towards a few new flecks of blood on the stone floor where Harry had just stood, "They are dying, Albus."

"They must do this, Remus." Dumbledore replied as he accepted a glass of water from Tonks, who looked at Remus with her lower lip trembling. She slid in next to him, and buried her face in his shoulder for a moment. Across the room, Neville sat on a chair, staring tiredly across the room. He forced himself to his feet, blinking rapidly and looked over at Dumbledore.

"We can take him on, Professor, he came back here, he's hurt, surely he can't take us all on?" Neville said, his oddly vacant eyes glittering with emotion.

"No, I am afraid that our task is different, it is up to us to guard their flank, to keep any from striking them down in a moment of distraction, and to be ready in case they fail," Dumbledore looked towards the portrait hole, as he took a potion that Remus handed him, downing it quickly, and straightening his robes. "I need you to finish sweeping the castle, and take prisoner any Death Eaters you might encounter," he said, looking at Neville. He took a breath as he read something in Neville's eyes, "Take them alive, Mr. Longbottom."

"Why sir? Why, they wouldn't give us that chance, they started this," his eyes flared to life, he looked over as Parvati moved next to him, she took his hand, lacing her fingers through his as her other hand found the chakram on her belt. She reached over, touching one of the general-purpose wands that the school kept for emergencies, that she had claimed from the armory to replace her own destroyed one until she could have a new one made. Neville looked at her, and swallowed, "They killed Ron and Luna, Ernie, Hannah, Dean...they killed our bloody fiancée, and you want us to be merciful, to give those bastards quarter?"

"Yes, Mr. Longbottom, that is exactly what I expect," Dumbledore said softly. The only other non-students in the room, Remus and Tonks looked worried as the DA members started to grip wands, and looked darkly at their Headmaster. "It is what they would have wanted and you know that, Neville," he said firmly, but softly, his eyes pleading.

Neville sighed and dropped his head for a moment, "Yes, sir," he said, and the tension in the room evaporated. "I will give them a chance to surrender...but only one, and I won't put anyone else at risk to take them alive, sir."

"Very well, Neville," Dumbledore agreed, and watched as Neville led the DA from the room, a ragtag group that had fought for almost a day, both here and at London, seeing their numbers dwindling and their best and brightest cut down in front of them and his heart fell to the bottom of his stomach. The portrait hole closed on the last of them, the lone Slytherin to remain both standing and fighting on the side of the light, Daphne Greenegrass.

"I thought we were going to have a mutiny there, Albus," Remus remarked softly.

"We almost did, my friend," Dumbledore replied, "I do not think that there are many, if any Death Eaters still lurking about, except Tom," as if the words were a trigger, the castle shook, and Dumbledore sprang into motion, "Follow me," he said and led Remus and Tonks from the Gryffindor common room, towards the lower floors.

"Wotcher, where are we going?" Tonks said breathlessly as she fought to keep up with Dumbledore, who seemed to be moving at an inhuman speed.

"To make sure, none do get through to help Tom," he replied, "None of us may be still in a condition to help them, but I am more than sure that the three of us are up to Tom's dogs," Dumbledore's eyes glowed faintly, as he turned to Remus as they moved, "And yes, Remus, I do not expect many to be captured alive by Mr. Longbottom and his group, but I had to make the effort, and I know that Neville will try, he gave me his word...Tom's minions will learn the difference between a pack of jackals and a pride of lions, I do believe." He paused, looking at Tonks, "Nymphadora, I have a different task for you," she nodded, "I need you to personally take command of Poppy's security, she is an excellent Healer, and her Defense skills are adequate...but the less distractions she has, the better, I believe she is currently in the Hospital Wing along with Roger. I believe they are tending to the remainder of the wounded here." Tonks nodded, grabbed Lupin and kissed him quickly, before vanishing down a secret passage.

Far below, somewhere on the grounds of the castle, a dark game of cat and mouse was continuing, with the prize being only the fate of the world. Three presences flickered and vanished as spellfire ripped across the lawn of the school, gradually getting closer and closer to the half-collapsed main entrance to the school. Harry blocked a Reductor, sending it straight up into the sky as Hermione darted forward at inhuman speed, and struck at Voldemort, her daggers sent sparks raining down as Voldemort, parried, barely, with his staff-length wand and sword. She caught a smash with the staff with both of her blades and leaned back, going almost horizontal as his black blade swept through the space her torso had been in.

She continued the tumble backwards, rolling away as Harry sent a jagged line of lightning racing past her, Voldemort flicked his wand and it broke around him, like water against a pier. He sneered as he sent jagged shards of stone hammering into Harry's side, causing him to drop to the ground with a loud grunt. Harry gestured and the stone hail changed to a fine mist, soaking him further, but causing no further harm. Harry rolled to the side, behind a miraculously unburned bush and vanished; leaving behind a few bright red drops behind.

He reappeared, and flicked the sword, a wave of bright yellow smashed into Voldemort, sending him crashing into the stone walls of the outer keep. A sizzling black stain darkened the walls of the castle as Hermione pointed her wand at either side of Voldemort, transfiguring the shattered bits of gravel into a storm of diamond-hard, tiny yellow birds, which raced to attack the Dark Lord. He fired a wave of Reductors, destroying untold numbers, but still more raced to attack him. With a burst of unnatural speed, he darted to the entrance, and waved his hand. A shimmering, blackish barrier appeared, blocking the entrance and causing the hail of birds to spend themselves uselessly.

Birds? Harry muttered as he dove to one side of the entrance as Hermione dove to the other.

I thought of that variation ages ago, Ginny was pissing me off, Hermione explained, and I hadn't had a chance to try it. She bit her lower lip, and frowned as she tasted the coppery taste of blood. She spat it out and took a breath as several spells shot out from the doorway, probing for them.

Harry looked across at Hermione, then motioned at the door and left, she nodded, We can Apparate here, at least for a little while still, and he can't...let's drive him somewhere where he doesn't have room to move.

Hermione pulled back a touch, looking up at the castle, The Astronomy Tower, it's isolated and higher than anything else...we can trap him on that if we can drive him there.

Ironic, Harry replied, but it's probably our best bet. Harry looked over at her; He can't conjure a broom or something?

No, Hermione replied after a moment's consideration, and a pair of green spells that shot past, exploding somewhere out on the grounds. She and Harry pointed their wands around the corner, and fired back, shattering even more of the already damaged Great Staircase, Even Voldemort can't conjure a enchanted object, you can only enchant a real object...now he might have one shrunk on him or something...

Harry took a breath and vanished, reappearing at the base of the stairs looking up. A silver beam ripped from his wand, missing Voldemort by just an inch or so, a curiously weak spell shot back at Harry, as Harry moved to the side, moving out of the way as Hermione appeared to the side and sent a orange curse towards Riddle, causing the stones to fade away as he slipped to the side. Something's wrong, Harry muttered. He moved slightly, moving his back out from a touch of cover.

A dark shadow detached from the shadows behind Harry, stepping out of the rubble from the collapsed passage to the Great Hall. A dark wand slipped out of a sleeve...

A soft skittering of claws echoed down the hall, as Harry spun, his eyes going wide as he detected the presence, too late, and a tiny, ragged shape let from a stone block, SHIFTING, to a stocky, balding man...a spiraling black curse snapped from Voldemort's wand, hitting Wormtail in mid-leap, and outlining his shape in a orange nimbus. Wormtail hit the ground, shaking and shuddering as he slid into the walls.

Voldemort screamed his rage as he sent a wave of random curses at Harry and Hermione, pushing them back as he barreled past them, running deeper into the castle. Harry looked at Hermione as they moved closer to the small, shaking body. "I...I am so...sorry, Harry..." Wormtail coughed, blood spewing from his lips. He died in the next moment as a particularly harsh tremor snapped his neck with a soft crack.

"Thank you, Peter," Harry whispered, and grabbed Hermione's hand pulling her into motion, pursuing Voldemort, even as she wiped away tears that she did not quite know why she was shedding.

Where is he going? Harry asked silently as the two of them bounded up the broken stairs to the second floor, Harry slid to a corner, and waited as Hermione nodded before leapfrogging forward, moving down the corridor fifty yards before waving his wife forward.

I dunno, Hermione muttered, her faintly glowing eyes scanning the corridor, There isn't really anything on this floor, some classrooms, the entrance to Dumbledore's office, but he couldn't break those wards before we caught up...Her eyes widened, The Chamber...

Harry and Hermione vanished between breaths, reappearing in Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom, their weapons sweeping the empty bathroom. Harry slipped to the door as Hermione slid to her knees next to the closed entrance to the Chamber. She bent close to the base, looking carefully at a thin wire leading to a dull silver box, He's not been here, Harry, we beat him here.

They stepped into the hall; vanishing and pulling themselves close, waiting. Hermione quickly dug in a small pouch attached to her hip and tossed a flat, silver disc down the hall, letting it rest next to the base of the wall. Soft, quick footsteps came from down the hall, and a dark presence filled them. Harry gripped his wand, his knuckles tightening invisibly...Voldemort stepped around the corner, looked back where he had come from...Harry slashed his wand downward and ducked, curling into a ball as Hermione's tossed disk, a smaller version of the same device that Tonks had used at the Ministry detonated, this time without the warning that the Twins had put in the other. A wave of rolling yellow-white fire ripped down the corridor, the product of moonstone and brimstone mixed in a dragonblood base, and the castle shook.

Small stones rained down as the flames cleared, and Harry quickly moved to the other side of the corridor, already shooting as Voldemort was revealed, his robes half charred away, his left arm seemingly only partially functional and a steady drip of black blood seeping from above his left eye. He shot a Kedavra at Harry, who was already dodging, moving out of the way, as Hermione smashed a suit of armor at Voldemort, knocking him from his feet and sending him back.

Voldemort turned and leapt up a set of nearby stairs, running up them, until he reached the fourth floor landing and spun back, his wand sending a constant stream of Reductors at the suddenly mobile army of armor that was marching up the stairs at him. He motioned his wand to one side, at another line of suits lining the walls and sent a sparkle of light at them, to turn the tables on Harry's troops. He screamed in rage as nothing happened.

"What's wrong, Tom?" Harry called, mockingly, "did you really think that the castle would let you turn herself against us?" Behind Voldemort, unnoticed the corridors shifted silently, a new staircase appeared leading up.

"I will raze it for that, and raise my new fortress on its bones," Riddle spat, he spun as he detected Hermione and fired off a Cutting Curse, missing her, mostly, as she dove to the side. Harry's Banishing Charm hit him a beat later, smashing him face first into the wall next to the new stairs. Voldemort pushed himself to his feet, scampering up the stairs towards the sixth floor. The stairs immediately vanished as he reached the landing, moving away with incredible swiftness compared to their normal lazy movements.

Harry watched him go as he summoned Hermione across the hall, pulling her into him and rolling behind sheltering stone for a moment. Her face was pale, but she had already stopped the bleeding from her newest wound. She looked up towards the upper floors, I think the castle is herding him towards the tower for us.

I've known she was alive since I was eleven, Harry muttered, I don't think most of them ever realize how alive she really is. He vanished, reappearing two more floors up, and his eyes widened as he realized that the only way off this floor, was now a spiral set of stairs leading up, towards the same spot that he had declared his goal. Harry dodged out of cover, sending a turquoise wave towards Voldemort that froze the entire corridor solid, freezing the hem of his robes as he darted onto the staircase, not realizing where he was going, not having walked these corridors in person for almost fifty years. Got you, Harry whispered very silently.

Hermione appeared next to him, squeezed his hand for just an instant, and vanished, a small POP indicating her exhaustion, more readily than any words. Harry snapped away, reappearing on the windblown roof. He looked across, already knowing Hermione was to his right, and found Voldemort standing, facing them at the other side. Harry spun, and sent a Reductor down the stairs, they collapsed instantly, and he turned back. "It's over, Tom." Harry said, as he took a step forward and to the side, "It ends here."

The late afternoon sun haloed Voldemort as it hung at the edge of the guardian mountains beyond, cutting through the smoke surrounding the tower from the burning pitch. Hermione coughed slightly as the smoke wafted across her, it cleared with a gesture and she slowly summoned a ball of plasma in her left hand, it hissed and growled as she bounced it slightly, waiting.

"An interesting quandary, Harry," Voldemort replied, transferring his wand to his damaged hand and drawing the dark blade he hand conjured earlier to counter Harry's. "You have trapped yourself and your wife here, Harry, you are wounded, tired, I can feel you weakening by the instant as your blood flows to the ground."

Harry smiled slightly, as Hermione glanced over to him, her lips quirked, "Yes, Tom, you are in trouble when you say it like that..."

"INSOLENT MUDBLOOD!" Voldemort roared and a sinusoidal sparkling wave tore towards Hermione. She dodged out of the way, and it followed her, twisting like a snake to strike at her. She rolled under another strike and it hit the floor, exploding and tossing her back against the battlements. She pushed up; as Harry darted in, the sword crashing against Voldemort's hard enough to crash him back a step.

Harry rolled backwards under a return strike, staggering slightly as his leg shuddered under him. Harry batted away a red curse, and flicked his wand at Voldemort's feet, the stone heaved up, tossing him from his feet.

Voldemort snarled and stabbed his wand at Harry, Harry grunted as a cone of icy spears shot at him, and at least a dozen slipped past his weakened shields, hammering his left side. Hermione gestured from the ground and a wall of flame appeared next to Harry, she took a breath and SHIFTED, a blazing arrow of fire shot across the top of the tower, sending Voldemort flying and almost tumbling off the edge of the tower.

She transformed back, panting as Voldemort pushed himself back to his feet, and flung his blade at her. It glanced off a quickly raised blade, and sliced into her leg, before flying back to the Dark Lord's hand. She hobbled backwards, twirling her fingers and watching as the stone under Voldemort changed to a depthless black pool. He fell into it with a splash as she rolled to the side, sheltering behind a quickly raised wall of stone.

Harry attacked again, his leg trailing slightly as Voldemort banished himself out of Hermione's pool, a line of lighting ripped from his free hand. Voldemort staggered and Harry drove the sword into the stone, a wave rippled along the top of the tower as if the roof was water instead of stone, Voldemort hopped sideways and shot a wave of force back at Harry tossing him ten feet in the air and slamming him down on the flagstones.

Harry coughed up blood as he rolled across the top of the tower, fighting to his knees. Hermione growled and rolled around her cover, both of her daggers in her hands, and a yellow wave slammed into her, throwing her back to crash against the battlements on the far side of the tower. She shakily pushed back up, as Harry and Voldemort raised their wands to each other and a curtain of spellfire lit the roof.

Harry quickly landed a Cutting Curse, and took a Bludgeoning Charm; Harry staggered back, his wand lowering slightly...

"HARRY!" Hermione screamed, watching as Harry crumpled, falling to his knees as a chartreuse beam skittered past his shields, and hammered across his legs, breaking them with a CRACK that she could hear all the way across the top of the tower. Voldemort looked over at her scream and chortled, he flicked his wand at her, and she tried to dodge, and failed as the nimbus of a yellow beam shot across and seared her nerves to her very soul.

The pain from the Cruciatus, she had long ago lost count of how many she and Harry had taken, and knew somehow that only her link with Harry was keeping her sane at this moment, was unimportant as she watched Harry push himself back to his feet. Her eyes filled with tears as she could feel the grating of bone on shattered bone as Harry forced magic into his legs, willing himself up right again.

Voldemort laughed, as Hermione's arms faltered, sending her crashing back down to the ground. He looked over as Harry wavered on his feet, blood staining his clothes, "I have won, Potter...it is not too late, you can still join me...I will even let you keep your Mudblood pet, she has proven useful, I will admit."

Harry looked over at Hermione as she forced herself back to her knees. She held his eyes and nodded, smiling faintly, just for him, I love you, Harry, she whispered.

In magic, as in many things, words were important, they were the basis of focus for incantations, brought forth potions, and if used properly, held power in and of themselves in their own rights, and sometimes, just sometimes, that power was indescribable.

Voldemort turned, his speed incredible, but yet still as slow as the flow of molasses in the deepest winter as Harry took a breath and MOVED. Shimmering emerald eyes left behind a faintly glowing trail of light as the Sword of Gryffindor lit with a searing white light, as Harry spun, his blade crashed against Voldemort's own, conjured blade. It held for the briefest instant, before the dark blade shattered as if of glass, letting pass Harry's, which crashed into Voldemort's other arm, severing it in a spray of blood and sending his wand arm, still with his wand, falling away. A dark, horrible scream echoed in Harry's head as he continued the spin, the blade coming up...

Voldemort's head, fixed in a silent riticus, tumbled away, falling over the edge of the tower as Harry collapsed into his spin, his scar exploding into fire, falling to the ground and sprawling at the base of the battlements. Voldemort's headless corpse stood for an instant longer, held up by some dark magic as a dark cloud started to seep from the severed neck, a pair of glowing crimson orbs peering out. It seemed to turn towards Harry, the eyes locking onto Harry's scar... Hermione took a breath and shoved at the air; a wave of force ripped from her hands, knocking Voldemort's body from the tower.

She collapsed as well, just as a wave of green fire lit the sky, hammering into her and Harry on top of the tower, enough, if they had not already been collapsed to the deck, to sweep them to their deaths as well. An eerie silence fell, filled only by the sound of her own labored breathing and her racing heart. She saw the world fade away for an instant, before it slowly reappeared. Hermione blinked away blood from her eye as she tried to focus, to call her magic to her...and failed... Harry... she called, and her heart seemed to stop as she heard nothing in return.

Hermione looked around, breathing heavily as she pushed herself onto hands and knees with trembling arms. Distantly she heard the metallic tink as her hand brushed one of her daggers lying next to her and sent it skittering off. She felt her life slipping away, as she moved, slowly, desperately towards the other side of the top of the tower. Her vision darkened and narrowed, becoming a long black tunnel as she looked to the crumpled form lying at the very edge of the precipice.

Her hands and knees grated as they rubbed against the raw stone, but she didn't feel it, or much of anything, as she reached Harry, and collapsed next to him. She pushed up slightly and crawled up enough to hover over him. Harry, she moaned, shaking him. He didn't move. She looked down, barely seeing anything but the spreading pool of blood under them both, HARRY! WAKE UP, HARRY!...please, not, oh, God, please...come on, Baby, please... Hermione felt tears start to stream, as she shook him, with almost the last of her strength, and collapsed on top of him, her head falling to rest under his.

Mione, a soft, weak voice echoed in her thoughts, and she somehow managed to find enough energy to prop herself up enough to meet exhausted emerald orbs. One of Harry's eyes was bloodshot, the white almost entirely red. Hermione bit her lip, brushing blood off of his forehead. I'm tired, Hermione...

She kissed his forehead, her lips tasting their mixed blood as she brushed the corner of his scar. Her head drooped to fall to his shoulder. I know, Harry, me too, she whispered as with the last of her energy she found his hand with hers and weaved their fingers together.

Did we do it? Harry breathed, his eyes slipping closed once again. Beyond them, the Sun had finally, fully set behind the mountains, rending the torn lawns of the school into shadow. Flames licked the sky, from the burning Quidditch Pitch, Greenhouses and Hagrid's abandoned hut. Is it over, Hermione?

Yeah, Baby, it is, Hermione felt herself becoming weaker, unless he can function with no head, no soul, and can fly...without a wand or broom. She closed her eyes, as she felt Harry pass out, and followed him. She went limp, and both of them lay utterly still, the only sound; the soft drip of blood into a pool under them, from the fingertips of her unoccupied hand.

A/N: You didn't think I would let it end there, did you?

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58. The Sun Slowly Shines

A/N: We're back...Thanks, as usual, to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter.
Chapter 58: The Sun Slowly Shines.

**********************Astronomy Tower***********************************

Several minutes later, the door leading down to the lower levels of the castle boomed open, chunks of the fallen corridor leading down flying out with it, and Lupin, Tonks, Roger and Poppy ran out onto the ramparts. Lupin looked...haggard, his cheek cut, limping, but he moved with a wolf's grace still as he sprinted across the rooftop and slid to a stop next to Harry, reaching out trembling fingers to Hermione's neck.

He closed his eyes and sighed as he felt a pulse. After a breath, he reached over to double check Harry even though he knew he was alive, as she was, for now anyway. "MOVE," Poppy snapped, pushing him roughly out of the way. She started to run her wand over them, glancing over to a clipboard as words and numbers filled themselves in. She shook her head and motioned to Roger, who had fallen to his knees next to her, "In my bag," she said urgently as her wand flashed, summoning bandages to stem the tide of the worst wounds on each of them, "There are IV's, they are the same as the Muggle ones, they are made better for things like this, start Glucose and Blood Replenishing Potions on both of them, we need to get them stabilized." She muttered a quite improper curse under her breath as she read another line on the clipboard, she flicked her wand at them causing a soft, amber beam to play over both of them.

Roger glanced up, from trying to find a vein in his daughter. He took a harried breath as he managed to start a drip and handed the bag to Tonks to hold. He slid over a half foot, slipping slightly in the wetness under them, and started to work on Harry, "What was that?"

"Cruciatum Stabilis," Tonks answered for her, having recognized it from unfortunate experience. She took a second bag, from Roger and held it with the first. Roger dug back into the medical bag and pulled out a pair of plastic IV bags filled with the clear red Blood Replenishing Potion. "It's to keep them sane, developed after the last war." Roger nodded grimly as he looked over at a pair of conjured stretchers behind them. Tonks looked around, "Where the bloody hell is Dumbledore," she snarled.

"I would be here," Dumbledore replied from behind them. The once ancient wizard looked even older than he truly was, his once again, auburn hair lank, and speckled with soot, and blood from a cut above his right ear. He propped his staff against the battlements, "How are they, Poppy?" he inquired softly.

"Dead, if I don't get them stabilized," she snapped, her hands flashing. "I don't have an idea how they are even alive. Neither one is much more than a Squib right now, I doubt that they have half their own blood left, and they have more broken bones than I can count, so leave me alone, and secure the damn castle, Albus."

Dumbledore nodded, and straightening slightly, flung out his hand. His staff snapped to his hand, he waved it, and all of them, Harry, Hermione, Poppy, Roger, Tonks and himself reappeared in the Hogwarts infirmary. Both of the Potters appeared on a pair of side by side beds, with the IVs finding themselves hanging off stands. He waved it again, moving the beds together, and transfiguring them into one. Poppy gave him a look, Dumbledore just smiled for a brief instant, "I am just saving you time, Poppy. And now, if you will excuse me, I believe that I have other duties to attend to." He vanished without a word as Poppy started to spell cast more spells on the two.

*********************Hogwarts**********************************

May 26, 1998
1:20 am

Jane appeared, tired and exhausted, wearing simple sweats she had purloined from Hermione's closet and sat down, slightly painfully, next to Roger. "You are supposed to be in bed, Jane," he chided half-heartedly. "You just had..."

"Magic," Jane explained, softly, "Molly used some spell that she learned after Percy," she leaned her head against his shoulder. "She's watching Anna now, its taking her mind off...you know. " Roger nodded and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "She's in shock, I guess. Fleur's up there as well, Tonks transfigured the couches in the kids' common room into beds." Jane shook her head bemusedly, "Never in my wildest dreams before she got that letter, would I ever think that it was, normal, to causally wave a stick and change an armchair into a four poster. "

"Yeah, weird," Roger agreed, "I guess we better get used to it, even more than before." He looked around the room, then out the window a bit, before looking down at Harry and Hermione. The two of them had been moved to a separate, private room as soon as Poppy had stabilized them, and made sure that they were not going to die, probably. "You do know that we will probably have a daughter and grandchildren here at the same time?"

"Uh, huh," Jane murmured as she reached over to run her hand over Hermione's hair. She leaned forward a bit, grunting softly, to brush the hair out of Harry's eyes, which were still closed. The soft pulsing of a pair of orbs hovering above the head of the bed marked their heartbeats, which were currently close enough in time to be indistinguishable. "They look so young, lying there, Roger. So vulnerable..." her voice broke as she turned and buried her face in his shoulder. Great silent racking sobs whispered from her throat, as he ran his hands through her hair, rocking in place.

After several long minutes, Jane pulled back, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, "Sorry," she muttered, "hormones."

"Bullocks."

She shrugged, and looked back on the teens, "They are having the funeral next week, to give them time to wake up."

"They won't be awake," Roger objected softly, "They would have died, if they were...Muggles, like us. Poppy seems to think that they won't wake until they've regenerated most of their magic, a great deal's still being siphoned off to feed their healing."

"I know, I went to school as well, Roger," Jane shot back tartly. "But I can't stand to upset Molly even more now." She yawned and stretched. Through a partially open door to the rest of the Infirmary, they could hear one of Poppy's assistants, whichever one had the night shift, bustling about checking Potion Drips, vitals and magic levels.

A soft knock sounded at the door and Remus slipped in, his hands in his pockets, and a golden Auror's badge hanging on a chain around his neck. "Sorry, didn't think anyone would be here at this hour, thought I'd check on them," he explained, shrugging.

"It's fine, Remus, I'm sure they appreciate it," Jane reassured them with a small smile. She waved towards a guest chair set on the other side of the bed; Lupin shook his head and waved.

"No, I need to be going, I was just stopping by," Remus demurred, "I should probably try to sleep in the same bed as my fiancée."

"How is out there?" Roger inquired, quietly. Remus shrugged, and walked over to the window where the devastation to the castle and grounds could still be seen. A fire still smoldered under the Gryffindor stands, and Hagrid's hut had been razed earlier this very day. A veritable army of House Elves, including the services of several from Build-it-Today Construction, a wizard construction firm that had been previously owned by the Malfoys and now, might be owned by a young Black cousin, were combing the castle looking for any that had not been accounted for. The Second Years and under that had been locked in their dorms at the start of the invasion, had thankfully mostly escaped the horrors of the assault, save for a few that were seemingly still too traumatized to speak.

"With Dumbledore's help, we were able to take back the Ministry, Hermione's spell was a godsend; it was fortuitous that she had already shared the notes on it with the Twins. Dumbledore was able to disable most of the Inferi that were still there, and with that, the rest is just cleanup." Remus frowned, "I've never seen him so...guilty, before. He's blaming himself for letting it get this far, and for making them sacrifice so very much to kill Voldemort," he looked down at the twin sleeping forms forlornly.

"He was hit from behind, Remus, it happens, and if he hadn't been here, who knows what would have happened," Jane said and looked up at Roger, who nodded.

"He still hasn't really explained much, he's even more reticent than usual, but I seem to get the impression that it has something to do with Fawkes," Lupin mentioned. "He seems to think that he took too long, or at least that is what he was muttering today when we were touring the castle."

*************************Hogwarts, Hospital Wing**************************

June 7, 1998
2:00pm

Jane sighed softly as she settled into a seat next to her children, one by blood and one by marriage. She leaned back in the large, comfortable chair that Dumbledore had helpfully conjured and propped her newest daughter against her chest, letting the infant relax, and find comfort where she could, if she could, she would be one of the few to do so these days. Anastasia whimpered slightly and snuggled unconsciously closer to her mother as Jane sat looking down on Harry and Hermione. Jane stroked the infant's already thick chestnut hair as she watched Hermione settle more securely against Harry's side, still without waking. The pair had been unconscious, or at best in some semi-conscious state, for almost two weeks now, since the destruction of Voldemort at their hands. They did not yet know the cost that they had paid to gain the freedom of the Muggle and Wizarding worlds from the terror that would have been everywhere had they failed. At least no one thought they knew, but as it was them, it was entirely possible that they did know. The pair had been drained almost totally of their magic, at the end, giving literally everything to the cause.

With tears slightly blurring her vision, Jane reached out to lightly run her hand over Hermione's hair. Hermione responded as she had for the couple of weeks, she didn't, other than murmur something in her sleep. Soon after the fighting had ended, and Poppy had returned with the first wave of reinforcements, a wave that was far too late for many, she had removed the pair to a private room, one of several a floor down from the main infirmary that were not normally in use. Typically, Poppy would have never allowed two patients in one bed, but even she recognized the inevitable when she found it. She knew quite well, from long experience over the last year, that any attempt to separate them was pretty much doomed to failure as not matter what the strength of Restraining Ward, one or the other would have broken it, even in their drained condition, and would have almost rolled out of bed in the direction of the other. To solve her quandary, even before it became one, Dumbledore had transfigured their two twin beds into one larger one, and placed them together, which had solved the issue most readily. Jane looked down at the babe in her arms to see bright, cobalt blue eyes looking back up at her, eyes that she somehow thought her newest daughter would keep, "Hey, Annie," Jane whispered, though she knew it was pointless.

Jane reached forward from the chair that was already set against the edge of the bed, and laid Anastasia next to her sister on the empty spot next to the brunette's head. She cooed softly as clumsy fingers grabbed loose chestnut curls. Jane laughed, and Anastasia looked more or less in her direction, "That's your big sister, I really wish she was awake to play with you right now, but she's still sleeping. Her and Harry, that's him on the other side of her, they gave a lot for you to be here, maybe too much," she added in a slightly choked voice. "She's a witch, just like you are, and that's not a bad thing, unlike what I was taught when I was growing up, I'm sure that you two will have lots and lots to talk about that Mum won't understand." Anastasia seemed to give her an oddly knowing look for someone born fifteen days ago.

A soft knock interrupted Jane's one-sided conversation, and she looked to the door, her hand automatically shooting out to hold her daughter in place as she looked away for a moment. Tired, ice-blue eyes looked at her framed between long, auburn locks and a short, neat beard. "Albus."

"I hope that I am not interrupting anything?" Dumbledore asked, softly, and Jane merely shook her head and motioned him into the room. Not bothering to pull his wand, Dumbledore gestured at the area next to Jane's chair and a worn, comfortable, bright purple and red armchair appeared with a pop. Jane laughed softly as Dumbledore settled into to and sighed contentedly, closing his eyes for an instant before reopening them and peering at her. "Forgive me, I fear that with Minerva still in St. Mungo's having her hip regrown, and so many of Hogwarts' staff...gone, I have not had as much a chance to visit with you as I might have liked." Jane glanced back, checking on the youngest Granger, but she was still happily cooing and pulling on Hermione's hair. For a moment, Jane thought Hermione might wake at the stimuli, but her hopes were dashed. "They are still recovering, my dear. I myself slept almost three weeks after I defeated Grindelwald in '45."

"Poppy told me," Jane confirmed, turning back to him. Jane bit her lip, considering her words for a moment, "Was it worth it, Albus...the cost, the potential loss," Dumbledore didn't answer as she went on, "Roger and I got out easy, we only lost a bit of time, and a house that can be replaced. It could even be said that we came out ahead, we think so, anyway, we gained a son and a daughter this year, but Molly lost half her family, and they weren't the only ones, not by a long shot."

"The simple, answer...yes," Dumbledore replied, his eyes on Harry as he rolled in his sleep. Harry muttered something, his voice terrified, until Hermione mumbled a few soft words, and he calmed. "The longer answer...let me tell you a story, one that none under sixty now knows." He paused, looking at her, "I did not fight my Dark Lord when I was eighteen...no, I spent those years after Hogwarts learning what I could, I spent my time between the Auror academies, and studies of my own. I was a prodigy of sorts, much like both of them in their own ways. Unlike Harry, I was not fortunate to find my better half in school...or rather, I did. But we were too stubborn to realize it. Anne and I were Head Students together, spent almost every waking minute together, but the times were different enough that I hesitated to tell her what I felt." Dumbledore smiled slightly, "Fortunately, time gave me a second chance. I met her again at some Ministry affair, and I did not let my mistakes of the past color our future. We spent almost the next eighty years together, not hardly leaving each other's side."

"Just how old are you?" Jane asked, confused.

"As of last month, somewhere a bit north of one-hundred fifty," Dumbledore chuckled. "Or perhaps, a touch more, one can never tell." Dumbledore gave a slight, knowing nod as he took in Jane's expression. "I suppose that Hermione never told you, or rather, she probably never really thought about it enough to do so. Jane," he smiled and gestured to the two, still slumbering individuals on the bed, "the average lifespan of a Wizard or Witch, barring foul play or accident is on the neighborhood of one hundred fifty years, with many living to almost two hundred. Some do not even begin to really visibly age until they reach their hundreds. That is the average wizard or witch, of course, for Harry and Hermione, and I would not be terribly surprised, her sister, it is not out of the question for them to live to three or four hundred years, if not longer, and to look much the same as they do now, until they reach their second or third century." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at some half forgotten memory, "I myself was often discounted because of my, 'youth', until I was almost fifty or sixty." He laughed at some odd memory, "One of the bartenders at the Leaky Cauldron, never would believe...kept having to go to the Muggle pubs for years..."

Jane looked surprised at his words; Dumbledore shrugged slightly, "It accounts for many of the Muggles' legends of immortals among them, not all, but some of them. However that was not my point... Anne and I never had children, why I do not know, but she was still vibrant, even at a hundred, still as beautiful as the day I married her, as the day I realized that I loved her in the very same common room that those two shared for the last year." He grinned slightly, "It is a rather hoary joke at this school, if you want a couple to end up together, you make them Head Boy and Girl. The staff, even in my day, turned a rather blind eye to the happenings in that suite." Jane chuckled and Dumbledore nodded, "Of course, back then, it wasn't terribly too uncommon for the Heads to be actually married by their seventh year, so I suppose in a way they were turning back the clock even as they were making history."

He took a breath and conjured a small table between them, a flick of his fingers and a carafe of hot chocolate and a pair of sturdy mugs appeared. He poured himself a cup. Jane frowned as she looked at the beverage, "Better not, I'm um..."

"I understand," Dumbledore said soft, and passed his wand over the suddenly filled mug, "It is now decaffeinated. Though I think the latest literature shows that caffeine has little deleterious effects on wizards."

"It'll still keep her up all hours, though," Jane demurred, and Dumbledore nodded knowingly.

"True," he took a sip of his drink, "I gave everything I had to the defeat of Grindelwald, and then later Voldemort. More, some days, than I believe that any sane individual would. Not that I am terribly sane, if you listen to the Prophet." Jane saluted him with her mug. "In particular, Anne, my Anne that is, gave her life to save mine, so I could go on to defeat Grindelwald. In doing so, that one small action saved thousands, and perhaps millions of lives. It is not taught in even our classes, but one of the main forces behind the Axis, in your World War Two, was the forces of Grindelwald who had allied themselves intimately with the darkest of Muggle powers. The site where Harry and Hermione went to destroy the last Horcrux was the very place that I defeated Grindelwald for the last time. A place that was created by Muggles for a dark Wizard and his followers. In many ways the ones that gave so much, too much really, performed the same feat, their sacrifices, of their futures, gave so many, Wizard and Muggle, alike, theirs."

Jane frowned slightly and reached forward letting Anastasia's hand wrap around her finger for a moment, "Seven years ago, almost eight, now, when a bloody owl landed in the middle of our eggs and changed my daughter's life, and mine and Roger's forever, I did not have any clue what I was getting into. What she was getting into. Before then, we had worried that she would never even be liked at school." Jane waved her free hand in the air oddly, "Oh, I knew that she would outgrow the 'ugly duckling' phase she thought she was in when she started here. I didn't look any different from her at eleven. But I was worried that she would bury herself in her books, hide behind that prodigious brain of hers, and scare any poor boy off that might like her even a bit. Little did I know that the boy she fell in love with, at least a little bit just from reading about him, would be the one she should have run from... That somehow, without us noticing it, my little girl was actually braver than she was intelligent. She always fought back against the bullies when she was little, in the end at least, but we never imagined this."

Dumbledore reached forward to play with the infant for a moment, "I feel that a great deal of the blame was mine, if I had performed my task correctly, much of this would have never come to pass."

Jane waved him to silence, "Are you sure that you aren't Harry's long-lost grandfather, you take everything to yourself."

"If only I were," Dumbledore replied wistfully.

She nodded, "That first year, when Hermione came back, hiding something about what happened, but talking about her 'boys', particularly, Harry, I knew that something was going on. Then she was paralyzed, which we found out about, then that third year happened. We always knew she was hiding something, but not what. Fourth year, when Voldemort came back...that summer, the bit she did spend with us...I knew then. I bloody well knew that that girl had already decided her life. And whom it was going to be with, even if she didn't know it yet. She spent the entire time worrying about Harry, and more than once calling you names I didn't know she knew because of your restriction against communicating with Harry."

"I was wrong," Dumbledore said simply, "If anyone is to blame for them laying there, Jane, it is I."

"They forgave you a long time ago, Albus, even before your vanishing act," Jane said as she reached out and patted his hand resting on the arm of his chair. "That fifth summer, when our precious little girl came home, still wounded from a battle, we almost pulled her out, and ran to hide. Even knowing her wrath, and that she would try her damnest to escape to be with her friends, those that she loved. But even then, we realized that there was no choice, not really, she was what she was, she was a witch, and was loyal, and in love beyond reason with the one who would hold the key to it all. The Prophesy, when Roger and I heard it, it just confirmed what we had already figured out from the bits and pieces that we gleaned from reading Hermione's books, and what she let slip. It was rather obvious to us at least. Perhaps, because, until this year it was that we were outside, or at least on the edge of this world that we could see it so clearly."

"You are probably right, Jane," Dumbledore agreed, shaking his head slightly, "If only we all could have taken a step outside and really seen what was happening, certain events could have been forestalled. I would give all that I am, that I have, if it were mine to give to bring back what they have lost, what they will learn they have lost upon their awakening. I would not blame either of them if they never spoke to me again."

"They won't do that, Albus."

"I know, that is one of the things that make them so special."

Jane smiled and nodded, "Yeah...It was a shock, more than anything when all of a sudden, our daughter, the tiny little girl that we had nurtured for all those years was the one protecting us. The night that they came for us, destroyed our home...she came out of the night, like an avenging angel and she and Harry tore them apart. That night was the night that we finally realized that our little girl was an adult. Of course, that she was as powerful as Morgana la Fey, didn't hurt either. That was pretty obvious as well. I think it always surprised Hermione that Roger and I never really tried to pull her out, not like some of the other Muggleborn parents and so many of the Pureblooded ones. Maybe we had a touch of Gryffindor as well."

"Now, I suppose that Roger and I are as much a part of this world as any Muggles can be. Minerva said that we were the first to set foot on these grounds in five hundred years. I actually know the difference between Conjuring and Transfiguration, even though I can't do either, and I even know the exchange rate between Galleons and Pounds. I know that she would have never been happy anywhere else, and that's all I can really ask." She smirked slightly, "The idea of grandchildren that will be in here at the same time that my newest daughter, does have a certain ring of happiness though, I will admit."

Dumbledore shook his head ruefully, "That thought might ensure that my...retirement, from the Headmaster's position be permanent," he teased.

"Oh, no," Jane shook her head, "you have this one to teach, still, you did such a good job with the first one."

"Thank you," Dumbledore replied in a rather small voice for such a powerful wizard. "I will endeavor to see that her experience is more...typical, than Hermione's was."

"You better," Jane grinned slightly, "or otherwise these two may hold you to account," she waved at the slumbering forms on the bed, "because unless I miss my guess, I seriously doubt that one or two of their own will be more than a year or two behind."

"Yes," Dumbledore agreed, "I rather expect there will be a bit of that going around. In fact," he waved in the general direction of the Great Hall, "while we are rebuilding so much, I managed to push through renovations to many of the old abandoned classrooms, and facilities. This place was built to hold closer to five thousand, if need be, than the thousand it has had normally, or the five hundred of Minerva's first time around as Headmistress, I fully expect that we will see more in the upcoming years, both with new souls, such as Anastasia there, and with the families moving back home after the final end of this conflict."

Jane nodded, she glanced up towards Gryffindor tower, towards the friends and family her daughter had found here, and that had become hers as well, "How are the others doing, Albus? Not just mine, here?"

Dumbledore sighed greatly, and in a learned gesture, reached for nonexistent glasses to clean. He pinched the bridge of his long, crooked nose instead, "Neville and Parvati, are still up in his dorm, neither has moved much really, since Lavender's funeral." Dumbledore shook his head at some random thought, "I was acting as a portrait for so long, so as with them, it seems odd, not to call them by their Christian names," Jane smiled at him, and he shrugged slightly, "Dobby has been taking food to them, like he has for all the rest. Ginerva and Mr. Black were discharged from St. Mungo's and after a small, tiff with her mother; are staying in Diagon Alley together. The rest, they are surviving, like any of us."

****************************Hogwarts***************************

July 1, 1998
1:30

Jane stirred slightly as she heard a soft, desperately familiar voice in the room. She opened her eyes, glancing over at the cradle that Poppy had conjured for Anastasia. Hermione's sister had been curiously quiet, never crying when she was in the same room as her sleeping sister, as if she did not want to disturb her. Jane blinked her eyes in the gloom and looked over towards the large bed that Harry and Hermione still shared, Poppy having long since given up any chance of separating them.

Jane felt her heart leap into her chest as she looked across the room and saw Hermione's open eyes glinting in the moonlight as she was rolled up on her side, her fingers slowly tracing Harry's face. Jane remained silent as Hermione whispered, faintly, almost inaudibly, "You're the only one I ever believed in...The answer that could never be found...It's over, baby, he can't hurt either of us anymore." Hermione licked dry lips, and smiled slightly, "Ron is going to give us such the mickey for malingering...though I doubt he would use the word, Luna might though," she added thoughtfully. Jane closed her eyes and fought to remain silent as tears fell down her cheeks.

A soft breeze from an open window ruffled Hermione's hair as she weakly reached down and intertwined her fingers with Harry's. Jane let her head loll forward as she pretended to sleep in the chair, "Mum's here, Harry," Hermione muttered, "Looks like she's asleep..." Hermione paused for a beat she slowly panned her eyes around the room, if Jane had had her eyes open she might have seen a faint glow in her daughter's eyes as Hermione's magic compensated for the gloom, her weakness more a factor of being in the same bed for weeks as opposed to any lack in her magic. "Anna's here too, poor Mum's been sleeping in here I guess..."

"She should sleep somewhere more comfortable," Harry's soft, rough baritone answered Hermione, as he reached up and brushed her hair behind her ears. The faint outline of an IV in the back of his hand could be seen in silhouette as he let the arm slide down her back. Hermione carefully and slowly, due as much to the IV that Poppy seemed to be feeding them from as from the bone-deep weariness, crawled up Harry enough to kiss him lazily. Harry sighed softly, as Hermione tucked her head down on his shoulder and yawned quietly, "How long do you think we've been here this time, Mione?"

"A bit," Hermione replied, moving just her eyes as she looked around the room, "you need a haircut for one."

"A couple, three weeks then, at least," Harry mused, and closed his eyes, "Let's get some sleep then, Hermione, I'm sure the rest of the herd will be along in the morning. Love you."

"You too, Harry;" Hermione whispered automatically as she felt herself slipping back into a normal sleep, to await the sun.

Several hours later, well after the sun had risen again, Harry stirred, blinking open his eyes, and looking up as he fuzzily saw a red-haired form hanging sideways in his vision, "Ron?" he asked as Hermione stirred on his shoulder. The form reached down, and Harry's vision suddenly became clear as his glasses slotted back into place.

"No, Harry," Bill's quiet voice replied. Harry blinked instantly awake at his tone. Bill looked down as brown eyes forced themselves open to meet Harry's. Bill glanced back around the room as several other forms slipped in along the edges, and breathed a tiny sigh of relief as Jane came in the company of Tonks.

Hermione shared a look with Harry, her hand slipped down and interlaced with his as she sat up a bit. She looked around the room slowly, and closed her eyes at whom she did not find. "Mum," Hermione asked very, very quietly, her enunciation eerily perfect, "Where are Ron and Luna?"

Jane handed off Anna to Tonks and walked over to the bed, and knelt next to it. She reached out for Hermione's hand, and Hermione snatched it back, moving back against Harry. "They...didn't make it, Honey," Jane said very simply. Hermione's face went white as she spun, almost tearing out an IV as she buried her face in Harry's shoulder. Loud, racking sobs cut through the room, and most of the audience left, slipping out. Poppy surreptitiously cast a charm untangling the IV lines, before she ghosted away to her office.

Harry slowly ran his fingers through Hermione's hair as he tucked his head on top of hers. He felt her tears already soaking through his shirt, and felt her heart shatter, or perhaps it was his. Hermione slowly quieted, as Harry rocked her back and forth, his tears at least, silent from the start, one last gift from the Dursleys. He kissed the top of her head, and left his lips there for a long moment.

With a sudden growl, Harry whipped off his glasses and hurled them the length of the room. They shattered on the wall next to Remus' elbow, and as Harry's eyes slowly panned up, the sudden glow in them cast an odd, emerald tint to the room. The windows started to shake in their lead settings. Around the room, one by one, candleholders, oil lamps and other easily breakable objects shattered. Hermione whimpered slightly as her hair started to levitate.... "HARRY!" she screamed, and he blinked...His breath tore into sudden pants as he fought his magic, once again fully restored, under, until it was once again under his control, if somewhat tenuously.

"Oh, Merlin, Mione," Harry whispered, burying his face in her hair. She squirmed around until she was fully in his lap. "I'm so sorry, Love..."

Hermione shook her head and leaned up, kissing his forehead. She dropped her head down, touching brows and sharing each other's breath for long, silent minutes. Around them, the few that had remained, Remus, Tonks, Hermione's parents and sister, looked at each other worriedly. A fleeting sense of something looking in on them passed, and Hermione took in a loud, shuddering breath. "How, Remus?" she asked, her voice a mere susurration of her normal tone, "How...how did they...d...d..." Hermione let out a squeak and fell silent, still not looking back at the rest of them.

Lupin paced across the room and knelt next to the bed, he looked back helplessly at Tonks, "The best we can piece together," he began haltingly, "when you were dueling in the Great Hall, they got cut off by another party of Death Eaters on the way to reinforce their master...They stopped them, all of them..."

Hermione nodded jerkily and took a breath, sniffling back tears. "And the rest?" Harry asked for both of them. Hermione's left hand squeezed his, and she squeezed her eyes shut, her unsteady breathing harsh in the silence.

"Neville and Parvati made it out, alright, Seamus as well...it was rough, Harry..." Remus muttered and Harry nodded, waving the lycan to silence. Remus nodded and stood, placing his hand on Harry's shoulder before walking to Tonks and leading her from the room, after she handed Anastasia off to Roger. He nodded at something she said, and watched as the door closed behind them.

Hermione looked up after a moment, and wiped tears from her eyes, she looked up at her father and the small squirming body in his arms. She smiled, very faintly, "Can I see her, Mummy?"

Jane nodded to Roger and he moved over, waiting as Hermione situated herself next to Harry with her back against the headboard. Hermione started to reach up for her sister and growled faintly the drip in her arm, hampered her movement, again, "What is this?" she gestured with her free hand.

"Glucose," Roger replied, "an old standby for everyone it seems." Hermione glared at the IV drip for an instant and it vanished, followed a beat later by Harry's.

Hermione held out her arms, and carefully, even more so that she would have been under other circumstances, held the newborn against her chest. Hermione watched as Harry timidly reached over and let the tiny babe grab one of his fingers with her hand. Deep blue eyes tried to focus on them, eventually finding a lock of Hermione's hair that had fallen forward. I think she looks like you, Mione, Harry ventured.

Hermione shrugged; A bit, I suppose, she'll have my hair, poor girl...I want to leave, Harry... she bit her lip as Anastasia reached for her hair, and caught a lock, and tried to bring it to her mouth. Merlin knows what will happen the first time someone asks me about...

Harry nodded heavily, As soon as we can, Mione, I'll promise...we're probably not the...safest people in the world right now. Hermione just nodded, looking down at the small life that escaped unscathed through the fires, unlike so much of her soul. "Mum," Hermione said softly, "can you take her, please...I think we need to get some more rest."

Jane just smiled and took her youngest from her oldest, and kissed Hermione on the top of the head. She repeated the action with Harry, and left the room, towing Roger behind her. He just gave her a sad shake of the head as the door closed behind him, and barely caught her as she moved at him, holding him tightly with her free arm as her other supported Anna between them.

The door closed and Hermione looked over at Harry, and he saw her collapse, fully, more than anything she had shown, even her mother. Harry pulled her to him, not speaking as she wept softly, her body shaking too much to even support herself. "It'll be better, Hermione," Harry breathed in her ear, slowly brushing aside her locks even as his own tears further dampened them, "I don't know when, but it will."

A/N: They learned...Next Chapter, a visit to a grave, a reception, and a speech.

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59. The Long Road Back

A/N: Here we go, the start of the recovery. Thanks as usual to Lady Starlight for her work on this chapter, it is appreciated.
Chapter 59: The Long Road Back...
*******************************Hogwarts*********************************

July 7, 1998.

10:00am

A soft breeze blew off the lake, scented with the flowers from beds planted around the Quidditch Pitch, some of the first repairs to be completed at Hogwarts, due to the awards ceremony that was slated to be held in a few days. That did not matter to either of the two standing, looking down at a pair of simple white stones, both of them new and unstained with the passage of time, just like several other markers, all of them contrasting sharply, brutally, with the other markers filling the thousand-year-old cemetery on the Hogwarts grounds.

Slowly, Hermione felt her legs give under her, and Harry's hands as he eased them both down to the soft grass in front of the markers for a pair of empty graves, the bodies never found under the wreckage of the castle. Silent tears wetted her cheeks as she leaned back against him, shaking slightly. Harry dropped his face to her neck, pinching her skin with the frames of his glasses, but she only reached up and back, cradling the back of his head. After a long moment, Harry lifted his face, taking off his glasses and setting them aside as he wiped wet eyes. "We're sorry we haven't been by," Harry said, his words drifting away on the breeze. Hermione nodded, her lip in her teeth. "We just got out of the Hospital Wing, Poppy was being a pain again..."

"Yeah," Hermione agreed, her voice tight, "honestly, you'd think by know she'd know that Harry, has to spend the end of the year in there..." She reached forward, from her seat on the grass a foot or two in front of the makers, and traced her fingers along the inscription, "Ronald Bilius Weasley, the bravest of us all". A small lion sat under Ron's name on the stone, and as she looked over, to her left, Ron's right, she found Luna's marker as well. A small eagle sat on a branch with wings unfurled. Flowers, scrolls and stuffed animals, along with a small Gryffindor flag cluttered the ground at the base of the markers, and Hermione gestured in the air, and a small, odd, stuffed animal, that may very well have been a Crumple-Horned Snorkack, appeared. She sat it in front of Luna's marker, and sat back, Harry's arms tightening around her.

"They are giving us medals," Harry said, bitterly, his hands twisting together on Hermione's stomach. She reached down and clasped both of them in hers, as Harry went on, "I don't know why...you are the ones that deserve them, you, Lavender, Neville, Parvati...all of you...you didn't have to follow us..." He stopped swallowing heavily, as Hermione made a soft, choked sound. "We are going to Remus and Tonks' wedding in a bit, they wanted Hermione and me to stand up with them, we don't really want to, not because we don't like them, but...we just don't... But we love them too much to not be there for them, they were there for us."

"We'll eat too much, for you, at the reception, Ron," Hermione added quietly and Harry cracked a bare smile, nodding. "Draco gave Ginny a ring, yesterday, or at least she was wearing it, I half suspect that she's had it for a while. I know that you hated it, Ron, that she was with him, but she seems...happy, more or less. Your mum doesn't know anything yet, no one's told her, and we won't be the ones to."

"We are leaving after that ceremony, we weren't going to go to that at all, but Remus and Dumbledore said we should..." Harry whispered, "Its too tough here, can't think, can hardly breathe...the minute the Prophet found out we were awake, they tried to smuggle in reporters...gave us some codswallop about the 'people' having a 'right to know'..." he sighed, "Where the hell were these people, when we were fighting for our lives...for that matter, where were they when they let Riddle and Fudge, and all the rest of them that caused this, rise to power?"

"We'll be back," Hermione promised, squeezing Harry's hand, "though we don't know when. And we'll see you again, someday, it'll be s...sooner than you think." She looked down at her watch and scrubbed at her eyes. They stood, leaning together, "We have to go now," Hermione took a breath, "We love you both, t...thank y...you." Harry nodded and kissed her hair as she turned and buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing softly.

"Ron...Luna...Ron you always were my brother, and Luna, you became the sister I never had," Harry whispered, "we won't be apart forever...I'll see you again, I won't say goodbye." Harry let go of Hermione, and stepped forward, kissing the top of each stone. He watched as Hermione kissed her fingers, then pressed them to first Ron, then Luna's marker. She took a step back and interlaced their fingers.

The pair vanished silently, from one breath to the next, leaving behind only the now-empty graveyard, filled with a thousand years of heroes and heroines.

*****************************The Burrow*******************************

4:20 pm

Hermione crossed to a table, set back away from the reception currently filling the late afternoon with laughter and music. She looked back towards the dance floor where Remus and Tonks were dancing together, Tonks with her head down on Remus' chest, and tears in her dark eyes. Hermione set down a pair of drinks in front of Harry, before she sat down on his lap, leaning back against him and taking a drink of her cocktail.

"Thanks, Mione," Harry muttered, taking a sip of the firewhisky she had brought from the bar. Remus and Tonks had planned, hoped really, to have a simple, exchange of rings in front of Dumbledore or Arthur or someone, but that had changed the instant Molly Weasley had heard of their plans. She immediately moved in like a small hurricane, and within days of her first hearing of the pair's plans, there was already planning underway to have another wedding at the Burrow. "Do you want to dance?" Harry asked softly, leaning close to her ear, and tracing his fingers along her side.

Hermione shook her head minutely, snuggling closer and letting her head drop back against his shoulder. "Not really, do you want to?"

"I was just offering, in case you wanted to," Harry replied honestly, and she nodded. "I love you," he added softly, and she smiled, slightly, for a beat. The wedding, of which only weeks before had been a low grade Auror and her werewolf partner, had suddenly become one of the events of the year. An excuse for the hangers on, of the Ministry and society, to come by and wish the new Chief Auror and his bride well, who as of this morning was Head of Field Investigations, as well. Or at least seem to. The stigma of Lupin's condition, not that there really was a 'condition' any longer since his breakthrough into conscious control that dark morning at Hogwarts, was still perceived. But no pure blood bigot, and they still existed, would dare to say a word against him, not now. Not now, when in only a few days, he along with Tonks, Harry and Hermione, would become the four newest living recipients of the Order of Merlin, First Class.

All of that and more, the more the obvious hole next to them, was the reason that Harry and Hermione sat alone at a secluded table, cuddled together and drinking occasionally from the expansive bar that the Ministry had provided for the event. The only persons that either of them could stand to see at this moment, were either tied up getting married, at home with their not-even, two-month-old, or busy with other things. Because of that, Hermione had cast a minor Confundus on the area around their table, tailoring it to repel those who had not stepped through the fires with them.

"Can we join you?" a soft voice, no longer timid, asked from their right. Harry and Hermione looked up together, and both of them managed a smile at Neville and Parvati. Both of them looked as tired and drawn as Harry and Hermione felt. Parvati was clutching Neville's arm as if afraid he would leave. They sat opposite the former Hogwarts' Heads, Parvati taking a seat on Neville's knee.

"How are you doing, Parvati?" Hermione asked of her former roommate. From anyone else, the question would have been unwelcome, possibly even a touch condescending, but from her, or Harry, it was what it was.

Parvati smiled at Dobby as the Potters' retainer appeared with a pair of drinks for the pair, a flute of champagne from the fountain bubbling in another section of the garden, and an Old Ogden's for Neville. Parvati shrugged as she looked back up at Hermione, her smile faltering a touch, and reached for the flute with her left hand. A blue-white stone sparkled on a platinum band, the only jewelry she wore except for an identical ring, hanging on a chain around her neck, sparkling against her black dress. "We're alright...Padma and Seamus say hello, she's going to be fine, now that they figured out what she was hit with."

"That's good...we were going to try to slip in and see her tomorrow," Harry said as he glanced over at the dance floor, where Ginny was dancing with Draco, under the gimlet eye of Molly, who was being visibly restrained in turn by Arthur's gentle hand on her shoulder. "But..." Harry went on, and shrugged.

"It's fine, Harry, Hermione," Padma replied, reaching across the table and grabbing Hermione's hand for an instant, "The bloody reporters bother us enough as it is...you can see her when it calms down."

"That's the thing," Harry replied, his voice weary, "We haven't really told anyone yet, except Ron and Luna..." Parvati and Neville nodded, they too had spoken to a stone entirely too much recently, "but we are leaving after that Merlin-damned ceremony...We aren't going to disappear, though it is tempting, I expect that we'll leave a means to contact us with Dumbledore or Remus, but we can't be here for a while..."

"I understand, Harry," Neville replied, he looked back towards the main part of the party where the Twins were laughing at a small, yellow turkey that gobbled its way across the dance floor, but even their normal ebullience seemed muted. "We are headed back to Pendle Hill after this, Parvati's parents' came back," Parvati's eyes flashed angrily, and Neville leaned forward, kissing her cheek, "and Gran is entertaining them at the Longbottom ancestral home," an odd smile flitted across his lips, "I think that we are going to get away with something small. You both are invited of course," he added thoughtfully.

"We'd love to, Neville," Harry replied, glancing down at his wife, "but it might be better for all concerned if we don't, I doubt we'll be back, anyway...Congrats on your appointment to take the Herbology slot, by the way."

"Thanks...Sprout decided she couldn't take another year of this, she's taken a position with a research coven in California," Neville shook his head, "the weather is nicer, anyway, there." He took a breath, "Harry, Hermione, you know that you are welcome anytime, at our place." Parvati nodded and looked around. She tipped back her flute, and set it down, finishing it in a pair of long gulps before she stood and grabbed Neville's hand.

"We just wanted to stop by before we left," Parvati said, and stepped back, letting Neville pull her back against him. "We'll see you later, then." Parvati and Neville vanished with a soft, double POP as the Potters nodded.

Harry watched the empty space where they had just been, and sighed. "When do you want to go, Hermione?"

"We're going back to Grimmauld, right?" Hermione replied as she stretched slightly on Harry's lap, to look around some unknown wizard in yellow robes, talking to Arthur, to catch sight of the bride and groom. Tonks was smiling, though Hermione could tell the emotion did not reach her eyes as she was approached by some Ministry appointee in MLE colors, a bureaucrat that had not fought in the Ministry battle. Lupin came back up to her, kissing her on the cheek and handing her a glass of something. Tonks thanked her and glanced over, catching Hermione's eye and giving a small, inconspicuous 'wait-a-minute' gesture down by her leg.

A few minutes later, Hermione and Harry looked over to their right as Remus and Tonks faded into view. Hermione sprung up from Harry's lap to wrap her arms around the older woman, "Gonna take off, little sis?" Tonks muttered, and Hermione nodded, stepping back to hug Remus.

"I don't think we can take any more," Harry looked over as Molly walked among the guests, "happiness-I think that we are going to head back to Grimmauld for the night, head back to Hogwarts in the morning."

"I understand, Harry," Remus said, smiling. He reached forward and took Harry's hand, pulling him into a hug, before letting him go for Tonks to inflict the same. "You know that my door is always open, Harry, Hermione, any time," he held both of their gazes, "I mean it, anytime, anything, you need."

"I know, Moony," Harry said with a small, half-smile, I know."

*************************Hogwarts**************************

July 12, 1998

12:35 am

Flags fluttered over the repaired stands surrounding the pitch, as hundreds and hundreds of wizards and witches in their finest looked down at a small, raised wooden stage near the north goals, the goals which coincidentally were overlooked by the Gryffindor stands. Those stands were filled to overflowing with young witches and wizards, most dressed somberly, but all with at least a touch of red and gold about their persons, even if only a pin or rosette.

The rest of the upper stands were filled with students and former students of other houses, of parents and others not influential enough to gain seats on the field itself. The packed rows of seats on the grass were filled with members of the Wizengamot, of old, moneyed families and of Aurors in dress uniforms. The soft buzz of innumerable conversations died away as a thin, balding red-haired man slowly mounted the stage and walked to a dais set in the center. Behind him, standing in a rough line broken here and there by a conspicuously empty spot, a dozen wizards and witches, some in Auror midnight, some in dress robes, watched him silently. A tall, auburn-haired wizard walked up to stand at the balding man's side, his purple robes and the gold seal of the Chief Warlock glinting in the summer sun.

Dumbledore turned to Arthur and placed a hand on the Minister's shoulder for a moment, "It is time, my friend," he said softly. Arthur looked back at him and nodded. He touched his wand to a crystal on the podium that amplified his words over the stadium.

Arthur looked around the area, at the pitch spread out before him, full of chairs filled with the rich and powerful, and the well connected. He then looked up at the stands, and it was there that he kept his eyes as he started to speak. "Weeks ago," he began, his voice thundering over the pitch and the grounds beyond, "a darkness beyond compare descended upon this castle. For one brief moment, this place of learning, this shining example of honor, of courage, of wisdom, was laid low by those who thought that they held, by simple accident of birth, some innate right of superiority over others."

He swallowed, looking down at his wife in the front row; tears filled her eyes, as she looked resolutely towards the empty spot next to Harry on the stage. "On that night, while the entire Ministry was fighting for its own life under an onslaught that gave as much as anything recorded in the annuls, a small group composed of students, teachers and four Aurors, two of whom are still only in their teens, slipped back into the school, to give combat to those who had taken her. They did not do this for glory, or fame, but out of a sense of what was right and necessary. They went in, knowing that the odds were impossible, and the foulest Dark Lord, since the days when Avalon herself stood here, held court in the Great Hall." Arthur motioned towards the still ruined Great Hall, where even now, the tiny forms of elves could be seen rebuilding the roof.

"They did so, because this Dark Lord had taken over a hundred of our children, those too young to be able to escape by the mere happenstance of being at Hogsmeade for the day. They went in, knowing the cost would be terrible...and it was," Arthur added, his voice cracking. Behind him, on the stage, Hermione sobbed and half-spun, burying her face in Harry's shoulder. Tonks reached for Lupin's hand as she wiped tears from her eyes forcefully.

Below them, in the audience, Bill pulled Molly into his shoulder, as she started crying loudly, while the rest of the Weasleys, even including Ginny, along with her...fiancé, sat watching Arthur. Draco looked over at Ginny as she tried to fight her tears, and failed suddenly. He pulled Ginny more or less into his lap, wrinkling her night-black dress, but neither noticed nor cared as he held her head against his shoulder, letting her cry for a brother and a sister-in-law. Arthur looked down at his broken family, then back at the other two that held that place in his heart, before he went on.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle, the man who called himself Voldemort," as one, almost the entire crowd shuddered, "a name chosen to hide his own half-blood parentage, took our children... to grind the Wizarding and eventually the Muggle World as well, under his heel. An act that he thought would solidify his powers." He took a breath, his eyes blazing, "The acts and sacrifices at the Ministry, which were great and should never be diminished, have already been recognized, but it was here, on the grounds and in the halls, where the war was decided. There have been those who claim that the students who fought here were foolhardy, that they should have waited until the Ministry was won, but if they had done that, there would have been no castle, no captive children, to rescue."

Hermione nodded to Harry as she moved back to his side, keeping his hand clasped firmly in hers, as she wiped away tears, even though they already stained the midnight blue Auror uniform, bearing permanent Lieutenant's bars by act of the Wizengamot, confirming Arthur's 'midnight appointment'. They both watched as Dumbledore walked forward slowly to stand at Arthur's side. He waved in the air, and a wooden chest hovered there, inscribed with the Ministry's seal. Arthur looked over at him, and received a silent nod.

"There were many acts of the utmost courage that night, and day, during a battle that started sometime around midnight, with the first infiltration into the castle, to rescue sick and injured students along with a newborn witch and her family. The battle continued at ever increasing cost to the side of light, until around ten pm, Tom Riddle was killed during combat."

"In the nearly thousand year history of the Ministry of Magic as it is currently constituted, or in its earlier incarnations, there have been only one hundred thirteen recipients of the Order of Merlin, First Class, the highest award for Valor, the pursuit of knowledge or feats of magic, that our government can bestow. On that night, six more were earned, here at this castle, the very same place that the first was earned almost a thousand years before." Arthur looked over at Dumbledore, and took a breath, parchment ruffled as Arthur glanced down to verify the citation was exactly correct.

"During the early morning hours of the twenty-fourth May, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore entered the castle, knowing fully that he was alone for the time being against at least four hundred followers of Tom Riddle. The castle was surrounded by the entire Dementor Host, eight giants and still unknown numbers of trolls. On entry, Albus Dumbledore did, at nearly sure cost of his own life, hold the Hogwarts wards to prevent the entrance of the Dementors. He did also duel Lord Voldemort, single-handedly, while suffering simultaneous attacks from Voldemort's followers for over two hours until he was felled by a cowardly attack from behind. After he was revived, Dumbledore held the castle, again with little support, as almost all other defenders were unconscious or dead until Ministry support could finally arrive at approximately Midnight on the twenty-fifth of May." Arthur turned to the box floating between himself and Dumbledore, and pulled a golden shield on a royal blue ribbon. The shield held an owl sitting on crossed wands, with a sword horizontal above the owl's head. Arthur placed the ribbon over Dumbledore's head as the tall wizard bowed to him.

Arthur said something to the great wizard that the crystal did not pick up, and walked back to the podium, glancing back once at Dumbledore. He had not wanted the award at all, and was only convinced to take it as Harry probably would not have taken his if Dumbledore had not. Arthur turned a page and the rustle of paper again crackled through the air, "Nymphadora Andromeda Lupin, Remus John Lupin." He waited as the newly married Auror pair walked carefully up to the podium to stand nervously next to Dumbledore at an almost-attention. "In the early morning hours of the twenty-fourth of May, Nymphadora Lupin and Remus Lupin infiltrated an occupied Hogwarts, under the immediate threat of death or torture if captured. While there, they successfully managed to evacuate five first-year students, along with a newborn, her parents and Poppy Pomfrey, an act that in and of itself saved many lives. After their successful evacuation, they returned to Hogwarts, even after their primary mission was successful in order to help with the liberation of the school. In the course of many hours of combat, both were wounded several times, but still continued their mission under odds that were astronomical. For these deeds and countless others that dark day, the Ministry of Magic hereby awards the Order of Merlin, First Class for Valor, to Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Lupin." Soft, muted applause sounded as Dumbledore slipped the ribbons over the pair's heads, and leaned close, muttering something to them.

He nodded once and the pair slipped back to the line. Tonks looked over at the last pair, she watched as Hermione's knuckles whitened and Harry winced slightly as Arthur started on the last three names, in a choked voice, "Harry James Potter, Hermione Jane Potter." The crowd let out an audible gasp, as a secret was revealed for the first time publicly, Harry having dismissed the Fidelius last week. Arthur took a breath, "Ronald Bilius Weasley."

Harry and Hermione stepped forward, their hands still clasped, and stopped next to Dumbledore as Arthur ruffled his papers and looked out over the crowd, not trusting himself to meet any of his family's eyes, either those on the stage or those seated below. "On the early morning of the twenty-fourth, immediately after returning from a separate action with the intent of further weakening Tom Riddle, the Potters along with Ronald Weasley, with wounds still unhealed from the prior action, did lead a relief force to rescue Hogwarts. This successfully led mission rescued over one hundred children, saving them from death or worse at the hands of the self-styled Lord Voldemort."

Arthur took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a long beat, fighting tears that threatened to bloom, "Having saved the children, they then engaged the remainder of the Death Eaters, in a running battle through the castle and grounds. During this long, protracted battle, the Potters and Ronald were separated, with the Potters engaging the Dark Lord in close combat. During their separation, after the incapacitation of the rest of Ronald's force by a sudden, overwhelming attack by a force of heretofore unknown Death Eaters, Ronald Weasley, did...along with...his wife, Luna Melanie Weasley ...sacrifice himself in order to allow the Potters time to engage Voldemort without the presence of a force of over fifty additional Death Eaters."

Below him, Molly cried out before Bill pulled her more closely into his shoulder. Arthur took a drink of water, and wiped his eyes before looking out once more over the crowd which had fallen as silent as a church. "The Potters continued to combat Tom Riddle over the course of many hours, with little to no rest, in locations ranging from Hogwarts, to Diagon Alley, to the village of Godric's Hollow, and finally, back to Hogwarts where the battle was decided nearly fourteen hours after it had begun, at nearly the cost of their own lives. For these actions, and innumerable, uncounted others in the seventeen-year-long second war with Tom Riddle, the Ministry of Magic hereby awards Harry James Potter, Hermione Jane Potter and Ronald Bilius Weasley with the Order of Merlin, First Class, for Valor above and beyond any possible call of duty or obligation.

Dumbledore stepped forward and hung the twin awards around Harry and Hermione's neck, giving them both a deep bow. He paused a brief second and handed Harry a third in a small, blue box, and swept both of them into a hug, as Hermione sobbed loudly. She stepped back as Dumbledore let them go and turned to Harry, burying her face back in his shoulder as he led both of them back to stand next to Tonks and Lupin. Tonks was crying openly as well, as she squeezed Lupin's hand.

Arthur glanced back, nodded to Harry, and looked forward once more. "Let us never forget the sacrifices that these people, the acts of courage that ensured our freedom to laugh, to love, and to live..." He took a hard breath, "In many ways, it is our fault that these people had to do what they did, that they had to give so much, because of our inaction, of our malaise. It was only by the grace of God and Merlin that we breathe free air this day. Go be with your families and celebrate your freedom that was won at such a cost." Arthur gave one last nod and stepped from the podium, descended the stairs to kneel next to his wife and pull her into his arms.

An hour later, Harry and Hermione sat curled together underneath the protective branches of their tree on the Hogwarts ground, hidden from the crowds. They had left the milling crowds in and around the pitch, the Ministry officials that wanted to be seen shaking their hand, and the well-meaning parents, and others that had just wanted to give a quiet word of condolence. As soon as Arthur had tearfully declared the ceremony done, they had vanished to their chambers, stripping out of the Auror uniforms that had shown up that very morning and headed towards the lake by mutual, unspoken consent.

Hermione was straddling Harry's lap, her blue and green tartan skirt spread over their legs. She idly played with a loose thread on the fly of Harry's worn jeans as she sat, trying not to think, or reflect. She let her head fall forward, to gently rest her forehead against Harry's. He held her eyes for a long moment before he leaned forward an inch to gently kiss her, tasting the salt of her tears along with the flavor of her lip gloss.

Hermione slowly pushed her fingers under the hem of his t-shirt, and began to trace along the lines of the muscles of his abdomen. Her tear-filled eyes never left his as she pushed in, returning the kiss. Her gentle kiss became demanding as she pushed against him pressing her entire front into his, as she started to press down against his lap. I need you, Harry.

Alright, Mione, Harry whispered, his eyes locked to hers. He slowly pulled up her t-shirt, and dropped it next to them on the ground. He kissed her gently, breaking only to let her pull his shirt over his head, and pulled her close, desperately wanting to feel her skin on his. Hermione hadn't bothered to put on a bra under the shirt, being too tired to bother with it.

She flicked her fingers, and watched as the remainder of their garments, vanished, appearing in a neat pile next to their shirts. Hermione pushed in, grinding softly, feeling his reaction and her own as well. She lifted up, reaching down and back and guided him to her, her eyes slipping closed as she sighed softly.

Harry's hands slipped up, cradling the back of her head as she began to move almost languidly. She leaned forward, her forehead against him, her eyes locked to his, she continued to move, moaning quietly into his lips.

Harry let one hand slip down, as their pace increased, his palm coming down to rest on the front of her hip, as his thumb lightly stroked where they were joined. Hermione started to whimper quietly as she felt herself begin to crest. She moved twice more and moaned, loudly, as she froze, shuddering as she came, pulling Harry along with her a moment later, as the shared feelings in both mind and thoughts crashed. Hermione closed her eyes, regaling in the sudden warmth in her belly as he thrust up several times, before slumping back against the tree.

He reached, up, panting softly against her neck as she cradled against him. Harry kissed her softly, before leaning up to kiss her forehead. We should probably get dressed, Mione.

I don't care if they find us, Harry, Hermione whispered back, bringing up her left hand to slowly comb damp, black hair from his scar, before she leaned up to run her lips along it. There are very few people whose opinions that I give a damn about, honestly, and most of those wouldn't say a word.

Harry nodded and kissed her behind the ear, Me too, but you really don't give Remus a heart attack, we really don't need Tonks after us. Hermione smiled, but did not laugh, even though, somewhere, she knew that she would have thought the comment funny, once. Harry snapped his fingers, and they were redressed. Hermione sighed and dropped her head to his shoulder, as tears began to flow again, silently. Harry dropped his lips to her hair, and left them there as he looked out over the lake, at the squid, who had seen countless generations of couples, both happy and sad, watching along the shore.

Hours later, Remus stepped away from the still milling crowds centered on the Quidditch Pitch where the wealthy and notable were trying to get an audience with the Minister. He looked around the area quickly for the two that were, in effect, the guests of honor. He moved out of the pitch, slipping away with almost no notice, not even for a werewolf, up for appointment as Chief Auror, with the ribbon of the Order of Merlin around his neck. He looked down at it and took it off, sliding it in a pocket before un-tabbing his tunic to let the black shirt underneath show.

Playing on a hunch, Remus headed towards the lake. A few students and former students were standing along the shore, watching the squid as it performed for its audience. He stopped for a moment, nodding to himself as an entire group of children who would be first years in the fall, no doubt brought along by their parents for the event, laughed gaily at the sight. They would never know, hopefully, the dreadful cost that had been paid so that they could laugh.

He moved on, walking along the shore until he came upon an old beech tree, one that he himself had sheltered under along with James, Lily and Sirius so long ago. He stepped around the tree silently and stopped, looking on the scene there, hesitant to disturb them.

Harry and Hermione had evidently found time to change out of their Auror dress uniforms, he noted idly as he found them curled together. Harry was sitting on the grass at the base of the tree, his back resting against the trunk. Hermione was straddling his lap with her head bent forward to rest on his chest. She idly picked at some imagined loose thread on the fly of his worn jeans, as Harry ran his hand slowly through the fall of her hair. Remus smiled, very slightly for an instant, as he noted that the pattern of Hermione's skirt was the Potter house colors, colors that he had last seen on a garment when James and Lily were packing for something or other, years and tears ago.

Remus watched, slightly awkwardly as Harry dropped one hand to run comfortingly along her thigh, pushing up her skirt to almost her hip. Lupin turned to leave. "Stay, Moony," Harry said, not looking up. Hermione did glance back, before she returned her head to Harry's chest. She did not bother to fix her skirt, however, nor did Harry stop his hands.

"I can come back," Lupin muttered embarrassedly.

"No, Remus," Hermione commanded softly, and slid from Harry's lap to sit down next to him, and fixed her skirt absently, before she dropped her head to Harry's shoulder. "Sit," she waved at the grass and a blanket appeared. Lupin nodded and dropped on it, looking at the two of them for a long moment.

"How are you two coping?" he asked, watching both of their eyes as they looked back at him, with slightly vacant expressions.

Harry shrugged and glanced to Hermione, "We're surviving...so far." He looked back towards the castle and the Pitch from which various and sundry individuals could still be seen walking out, "We're leaving in the morning, Remus, we have to get away from here for a bit. I...don't know when we'll be back, honestly."

Lupin just nodded, and watched as a woman, visible from a distance due to the pink hair she was once again sporting, having abandoned her natural color as soon as the ceremony was over, walked towards them from the castle. Harry and Hermione followed his eyes towards Tonks. She paused for a second, at the exact same spot Lupin had tarried, before crossing to him, and dropping to her knees on the blanket next to him. She kissed his cheek, before settling down. "We're leaving too," Lupin admitted. "My lovely young wife, here," Tonks sniggered slightly for some reason, Lupin rolled his eyes, "convinced our mutual, ultimate boss, that we needed at least a month off. She said that I needed to live up to some promise or other I made in the heat, as it were."

Hermione crooked an eyebrow; Tonks brayed softly, "He promised to go at it until even a werewolf couldn't go on..." She waggled her eyebrows and Hermione smiled, very slightly, but did not comment further.

Remus looked over at Tonks after a long, silent minute had passed, and stood, pulling Tonks back to her feet. He looked down at them, "If you need me, us...for anything...I know..."

Harry nodded, "Thanks." He looked down at Hermione, "We'll sneak out, I suppose, less chance of, you know."

"Do you know where you will go?" Tonks asked.

Hermione looked at Harry, "There seems to be a beach house that James bought Lily," she answered quietly, and Lupin just nodded.

There you go, there is at least one more chapter after this. In case anyone is interested I have a livejournal up at bladeandwand.livejournal.com where I'm gradually putting up fics and ficlets that aren't PK compatable, and snippets from future stories. Just so you know.

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60. Waking From a Nightmare

A/N: Here we go, one more chapter after this. Thanks to Lady Starlight for her usual splendiferous work on this chapter.

Chapter 60: Waking from a Nightmare

***********************Potter Estates, Caribbean**************************

July 25, 1998
3:20 pm

Hermione Potter settled a round-lensed pair of dark sunglasses on her face and stretched her arms over her head, squirming to get comfortable on her blanket spread on top of the white sand beach. Her head flopped over to look at the book lying next to her on the blanket, and then at the chilled glass next to that, and let them lay, not finding the energy at this moment to bother. Her eyes slipped closed behind the dark glasses as she fought, once again, to keep the tears from flowing as thoughts of those she had lost came once more.

Hermione rolled over on her side, curling in a ball and shaking as silent sobs wracked her, her chest heaving. Eyes looked unseeing towards the crystal-clear, blue waters of the Caribbean, towards a schooner passing near the coast with sails unfurled. She watched as memories of her laughing with Ron at some joke the Twins played on Charlie the morning of Bill's wedding, slipped past. A fleeting image of an eleven-year-old with a scraggly rat and a dirty face replaced that and she moaned. She took a shuddering breath as a glimpse of her and Luna curled together on the couch at Grimmauld, sharing a bottle of some nearly noxious drink they had found in the pantry and talking about the foolishness of their boyfriends, slightly cattily cutting on a few of the girls their ages, and after a few more hits from the bottle, sharing more intimate details of their lives with the other.

Just like the sister that she had not had.

A choked sob escaped from her lips as others, friends and family, passed her mind's eye, Lavender as she patiently helped Hermione with the Sleekeazy for her hair before the Yule Ball, Dean as he was drawing a portrait of her and Harry for his scrap book, making faces at her so she would laugh. Of Sirius as he laughed with Harry and her, reaching across to hug her at the table and muttered a comment in her ear causing her to blush. Harry had been oblivious, of course. Of Hagrid and an image of the sheer joy he had had on the start of that first day teaching class.

The rest, Ernie, Hannah, Susan...shot by in a blur and let her hand come up into her face, her fist half fitting into her mouth as she rocked herself, not even noticing as Harry vanished from the house to reappear next to her, already falling to his knees next to her and pulling her into his lap. Hermione let out a soft squeak and twisted in his lap, burying her face in his t-shirt, even as Harry reached up to support her, moving to situate her more comfortably on his lap.

A mental hand slipped toward her mind slowly, even as his real fingers started to trace small circles on the small of her back. Harry frowned as his thoughts hit a wall. Let me in, Mione, he whispered, kissing the crown of her head. Hermione shook her head violently, knocking his head aside, and flinging her hair into his face. Please, Love.

"No," Hermione whispered, "It's my fault."

No, it's not, Harry demurred softly, his fingers threading through her hair, pulling loose a tangle with the ease of long practice.

"I killed them, Harry, it's my fault...I should have known," she whispered darkly, "You should leave...I'll get you killed someday, I'll bollix it up..."

What, Hermione? Who?

"Ron and Luna...it's my fault," she sobbed, and tried to pull away from him, but was stymied by Harry refusing to let go. "I should have known that there were more Death Eaters, I lost count, I-"

Oh, Mione, Harry breathed, Love... He pushed his thoughts at her, more forcefully, and slid past the defenses that she tried to erect, feeling them collapse utterly as she burrowed her face more fully in his neck, and gave up on trying to keep him away. You couldn't have known, Hermione. No one did, baby, you did your best..

My best wasn't good enough, was it? she snapped back, with the accompaniment of a snorted sob, I'm supposed to be the smart one, I...

Our best wasn't good enough, Harry muttered, as his mind slowly ran over the surface of hers, mimicking the motion of his fingers in her hair. It was my fault as much as yours...more really, I should have sent them all away at the start of the fight...shouldn't have let them get trapped...

No, Harry, you couldn't have known, you were fighting Voldemort, you did what you had to do. Hermione looked up at him with huge, broken eyes, her lower lip quivering in her teeth, and Harry slowly thumbed tracks of tears from her face.

Then how would you have known, Hermione, you were with me the whole time... Harry licked his lips and took a breath as the sound of gulls filled the air, the greater world going on without them, even though it almost had not. Hermione held his eyes for a long moment, before she snapped forward, her hands coming up to grab his hair as she pressed her lips to his, riding him back until his back hit the blanket. Green light kaleidoscoped in her eyes, split into a million fragments by the tears filling them. She moved against him, small hands reaching down to tug at the hem of his t-shirt, pulling it halfway off his body, before he lifted himself enough for her to pull it the rest of the way free.

Hermione reached back, untying her black top and tossing it to the side, Please, Harry, I just wanna... She looked town and started to play with the drawstring clinching his shorts up, and watched as the knot untied itself. I just want to know-

I love you, Hermione Jane, Harry breathed, holding her eyes, as she sat back on his thighs, and slowly traced one nail up and down the centerline of his stomach. She dropped her eyes from his, fingers now tracing a new, faint scar outlining his shoulder; she traced it for a moment; then looked up again. And no one and nothing will ever change that.

Hermione took a breath, trying to calm herself and failing, before she reached to each side of her hips and untied a knot, lifting herself up enough to toss a black pair of bottoms somewhere on the beach. I want to not think for a while, Harry...not remember.

He reached up and played with her hair for a moment. We can't court oblivion forever, love, Harry said, twisting a small braid around his finger.

She dropped her eyes from his but not her thoughts, biting her lip slightly. She looked back up as he gently took her chin in one hand and raised her eyes to his, Not oblivion, Harry...just...just...please, Harry, no more talking.

Alright, Hermione, Harry smiled softly, and let the hand playing with her hair, slip upward, cradling the back of her head and pulling her lips down to his. She sighed quietly, her hips moving against his still-covered erection. She rolled off him to her side, and tugged impatiently on his shorts, giving up after only one tug and vanishing them along with his boxers. I suppose I am going to have to go back to the house naked, then, he said wryly, looking up the beach towards the house, several dozens of meters away.

A smile blossomed on Hermione's face, her eyes fully lighting from happiness as much as magic in the first time in days and Harry grinned, and rolled on top of her, kissing her and causing her to groan from deep in her throat as she felt him hot against her hip. She looked up, nibbling absently with her teeth as Harry reached between them, spreading his fingers out along her belly. Hermione felt the magic gather in his fingers an instant before he released it, and she shook her head, reaching between them before pulling his hand from her belly and intertwining her fingers with his. Hermione grabbed the pulse of magic in insubstantial fingers and intertwined it with her own, sending it out in a burst of uncontrolled telekinesis.

Her glass picked itself up and flew out of sight into the surf, and Harry asked a question in a glance. No, Harry...I think we can afford to take the chance...I think we paid enough for it, don't you? she asked as she reached up and plucked his glasses from his face, tossing them over on top of her beach blanket.

He nodded, smiling faintly, and kissed her, raising slightly and slipping into her slowly. She sighed quietly, her eyes partially shuttered as she looked up at him. A soft sense of contentment filled them, as she lifted one hand to run her fingers along his ear, moving dark locks as if they were the key to some combination. She let her legs come up, wrapping around his as he rocked slowly and dropped his head to her neck.

She gasped, as her thoughts and emotions swirled, falling forward and wrapping around his. Harry groaned, as his perceptions blurred, intermingling with hers, and saw, for an instant his own face through her eyes. Soft eddies of sand stirred, lifted up into tiny cyclones as Hermione moaned quietly, her lower lip was in her teeth as she arched up into him.

Soft mewling sounds slipped from her throat, as his hands slipped down, supporting her bum and changing the angle of his movement, just enough. She groaned quietly, "Oh...God...Harrryyy," she moaned, reaching up to pull his lips down to hers. Her stomach began to tighten, as she felt Harry begin to speed up.

She growled into his mouth, "F...faster...f...fuck me, Harry." Harry redoubled his pace, and she screamed quietly into his lips...He moved once more and she bucked up against him, clenching around him as she crashed unexpectedly. He closed his eyes, breathing hard as he fought his own release, not being helped by the feeling of her nerves firing along his pathways.

Hermione panted, looking up at him, as he leaned up slightly, and started to move again slowly, and she bit her lip her chest heaving as she felt herself already starting to crest again. She pulled on the back of his head, pulling him back down for a kiss and rolled them over, not breaking contact in either way. She rolled upright, and looked down at him with heavily-lidded eyes. "My turn," she purred, sending a rumble straight to Harry's loins.

Hermione let her hands slip back to Harry's legs, balancing on them as she started to move, bouncing up and down, rocking side-to-side slightly. Harry's hands came up to cup her breasts in his hands; she arched forward, the light from her almost closed eyes almost outshining the sun above.

"Merlin...Miioonnne," Harry whispered, looking upwards at her, as the sun shone down through her hair, casting a halo of gold around her head, his heart hammering in his chest as much at the sight as from any of their exertions. She smiled down at him, and moved her hands to in front of her hips flattening them out along Harry's abs, and moved faster, rolling her hips into his.

The eddies of sand from before returned, spinning in a rolling circle around them. Harry moved his hands to support her hips, letting his thumb trail along her center, touching her center as she moved, causing a soft, strangled mew to slip from her throat.

I l...love you, Harry, Hermione whispered breathlessly as she felt him tightening beneath her, rocking his hips to meet hers as they moved ever faster together. Fire danced along joined nerves, crescendoing as she felt her heart race, beating almost out of her chest. Harry lasted a moment longer, and he groaned something, probably her name as he bucked upwards, nearly tossing her to the sand. Hermione took a breath, moved twice more and followed along, arching backwards until she almost rested her head on his shins as she quivered around him, milking him even further and causing a long, moan of almost-pain to come from his throat.

She collapsed to his chest, panting, as their paired heartbeats slowed, falling in unison together, until they could breathe again. She rolled to her side, off him, and waited as he rolled to meet her, smiling at her softly. He watched as her eyes faded back to brown, their magic mingling together even more tightly, as a faint cocoon, of sparkling blue light, almost invisible in the bright sun, shimmered around them and vanished unnoticed.

A dusting of white sand was over them and their clothes, tossed there by the sudden collapse of the sandspouts. Hermione leaned her head up, kissing him leisurely as she pressed into him, molding her body to his. She shivered slightly as a breeze from the ocean danced along sweat dotted skin, and Harry tightened his arms around her, pulling her into his warmth. "Thank you, Harry," she breathed against his neck and he nodded, understanding her with only those words.

*********************************Caribbean******************************
August 5, 1998

Harry stood with his hands in his pockets on top of a pristine white dune and looked out over the warm waters of the Caribbean. He smiled slightly as he watched a lithe form dive into the crystal blue waves breaking on the shore. She surfaced, standing and wringing water from her hair. She waved and motioned towards the water, and he nodded, Just a minute, Mione. She nodded and dove back into the water.

Harry turned at the soft scrunch of feet on sand, and grinned as he watched a mismatched pair walking up the private beach towards him. He shook his head laughingly as he took in bright, bubble gum pink hair, the exact same shade as the bikini top the shortest of the pair wore above a pair of unbuttoned denim shorts. She held the hand of a taller man with shaggy brown hair, liberally spotted with gray. Tonks dropped Remus' hand and sprinted towards Harry, with little puffs of sand flying from her footsteps. She threw her arms around Harry, almost causing him to tumble backwards into the sand and crushing him in a hug. "Oi, Tonks," Harry muttered against her hair before she let go and stepped back enough to allow Remus, who had approached at a more sedate pace, to gather him in.

Lupin let go and took Tonks' hand again; she leaned into him and played with the ring on his hand idly, "You look good, Harry," Lupin said quietly, looking down at the slightly shorter young man, and examining him closely. Little visible damage remained on Harry or on Hermione as she ran up out of the surf and threw her arms around Lupin, dampening his bright red, flowered shirt, before she hugged Tonks and leaned against Harry, unconsciously mirroring Remus and Tonks' pose. Her emerald green bikini dripped water onto the sand as she exchanged a knowing look with Tonks.

"You too, Moony," Harry mirrored, he grinned and touched his left ear with his and Hermione's joined hands, "What's with the...a bit risqué for the new Chief Auror."

Lupin reached up and touched the small diamond stud in his ear, before glancing down at Tonks who was smirking, "Seems my--wife, thought it added a touch of--rakishness."

"I thought that you two were on your Honeymoon?" Hermione grinned, swinging slightly on Harry's arm. She shrugged up at Harry and rolled into his arms, leaning back against him. "Shouldn't you two be shacked up somewhere shagging each other into unconsciousness?"

Tonks glanced up at Remus, her eyes twinkled, as she held his, "We were, but we were in the neighborhood, and we thought we would stop by, I'm just glad that you two weren't going at it on the beach, since I happen to know that this whole property was part of the Potter holdings." Remus looked up at the large, light blue beach house, "Sirius and I never were sure if you were conceived here or at the Hollow, we had bets."

Harry laughed, more or less convincingly, and glanced back towards the house, "I was about to make lunch, would you like to join us?" He started towards the house, pausing as Hermione waved her fingers and cast a drying charm on herself, before pulling on a pair of khaki shorts she retrieved from a spread beach towel over her bottoms. She took his hand, giving him a quick, not-so chaste kiss before walking up to the house at his side, and leaving behind the older two on the beach for a moment.

Lupin watched them walk up onto the porch, he returned Harry's wave, holding up one finger as he turned back to Tonks, grabbing her, and kissing her. Tonks purred softly, molding herself to his front, "They've gone inside, Wolfie," she muttered against his lips, unconsciously grinding against him for moment.

Lupin moaned, his reactions not at all faked, "Their eyes, Nymph, they're so..." He frowned, looking down at her, "I don't think I've ever seen...they're not as dead as Harry's were right after Sirius or Dumbledore, the light is back a bit, but they are so-haunted."

"They lost too much, more than anyone should have had to," Tonks whispered in return, "I'm rather amazed that they are holding up this well." She buried her head in his chest, burrowing until she worked her way past his half-open shirt, "I don't want to ask them back, Remus."

"I don't either, luv, but we have no choice," Lupin shrugged and pulled her up the wooden steps from the sand onto a whitewashed deck. He sat down on a padded, wrap-around bench in the corner of the deck, spread his legs slightly and wrapped his arms around Tonks as she curled up in his lap. He looked up, as Harry stepped out of the house with three beers held by their necks in one hand. A plate with several raw steaks hovered behind him and set itself down on a wooden table, set in the v of the corner made by the bench and overshadowed by a large blue sun umbrella, with a gesture.

"How do you like your steak, Tonks?" Harry asked as he drew his wand from somewhere and flicked it at a large, built-in grill. Flames roared to life and Harry closed the lid, "I know that Moony just wants it warmed a touch."

Remus pretended to laugh, but nodded as Tonks shrugged, "Medium's fine, Harry." Harry waited a few more moments before tossing the meat on the flames, and flicked his wand at the grill.

"So," Harry said after a few minutes of small talk as he watched the steaks occasionally flip themselves. A shaker of spices floated out of a rack and sprinkled on the meat, causing the flames to flare up around the cuts. He glanced back at Hermione as she came out the open door, a large tossed salad and several plates floating behind her. She gestured towards the table and the makings of lunch deposited themselves, before she walked up to Harry, and leaned back against him.

"Why are you two really here, honestly?" Hermione finished for him. She took Harry's beer from his hand and took a drink, before handing the bottle back. She wormed her way more securely against him, relaxing slightly as his arm wrapped around her bare belly.

Tonks shrugged, opened her mouth a few times, "We were worried," she admitted after a moment, glancing back at Lupin. Hermione crooked an eyebrow, not quite believing her; at least not that she was giving the total truth. "And the Ministry needs you."

"Better," Hermione replied wryly, and wove the fingers of her left hand with those of Harry's where it rested low on her belly. "And what would happen if Harry and I decided to stay here and start to rebuild the Potter clan? Told the world to fix its own damn problems for a bit?"

Lupin snorted, "You aren't already working on that?" Hermione just shrugged, her expression Cheshire-like for an instant. Behind her, Crookshanks padded out of the house, jumped up to sniff the salad and sauntered off, disappointed. Remus took a breath and looked both of them in the eye, "Then I would ask when I would get to hold them, Hermione," he said simply. "You would be the last I would blame if you told the Ministry to go shag themselves, and vanished into the ether."

Harry let go of Hermione and walked back to the grill, checking the meat with a finger. Nodding to himself he pulled the steaks off and floated them over to each assigned plate. "It's done," he said softly; sitting down opposite Remus and Tonks as they remained in their seat, conveniently close enough to the table to eat off of it. Harry cut into his meat with and took a bite, he glanced over at Hermione, "Are you really sure that you want us, Remus?" He set down his knife and fork and laid his hands on the table. Hermione reached over to place hers on top of his, as he took a breath and continued, "Do you really want to take that chance? Really?" he asked plaintively. "When we got here, right after that award ceremony, which neither Mione nor I even remember, mind you, we were so far gone, I damn near killed some poor kid who was jogging on the beach in a black sweatshirt because he had his hood up and I thought he was a Death Eater."

"Harry, Hermione, I..."

Hermione leaned over and pulled Harry into her side, "Remus, I don't think that anyone really knew..." She closed her eyes, sighing, without opening them again, "In many ways, Ron was the best of us, he wasn't as powerful as Harry or I, he wasn't always that bright, or brave...but when it counted, he was. I don't think that anyone really understands what we were, the infamous 'Trio' of Hogwarts, the vanquishers of Death Eaters, rogue Slytherins and large, three-headed dogs." Lupin and Tonks glanced at each other oddly with the last as Harry and Hermione shared a short, bitter laugh.

"For six years, Remus," Hermione went on, quietly, "we were closer than family, we laughed together, fought with each other, got in trouble together, slipped out of I don't know how many impossible situations together, and if you listened to some of the rumors since fourth year, we shagged together." Tonks raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't comment. Hermione caught her gaze and snorted. She started to speak, but closed her mouth and took a breath before going on, "We added Luna to the trio that last year, and in many ways, as odd as it would have seemed to me even a year ago, I gained another sister, or maybe more. We should have died together, Remus. Voldemort killed our soul as sure as we killed his."

Lupin looked over at the pink-haired woman next to him, she gave him a small, half-smile and took a drink of her beer. "No he didn't, Hermione," Tonks replied quietly, "If he had, Harry would have killed that poor kid, you wouldn't be feeling like this, you would have been laughing and dancing in the streets along with the rest of those fools in the Wizengamot and in the Prophet who were saying how they had done so much to fight 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named', even as they are still to afraid to say the wanker's made-up name." Tonks leaned forward across the table slightly towards them, "And you both know it, that's why it hurts so much."

"And that's the ones you want us to come back to, to make sure nothing else threatens their sedate existence?" Hermione growled back lowly, she took a breath as Harry patted her leg under the table, and went on more calmly, "So they can blissfully ignore it, the next time a would-be Dark Lord pops up?" She looked up at Harry and gave him a small smile.

Harry leaned over and kissed her cheek, "We'll come home; we just need a bit more time."

Well there you go, next time a slight, birthday surprise.

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61. Epilogue

A/N: Ok here we go, one last time....Thanks to Lady Starlight for her work on this epilogue, hopefully sends a tiny ray of sunshine through the clouds.

Chapter 61: Epilogue

***************************Diagon Alley************************

September 19, 1998.
8:00 pm

Harry and Hermione slipped down the street, mostly ignored courtesy of a mild Discouragement Charm, that kept any who they didn't contact directly from noticing them save as another couple out for a walk. The hoopla, that had erupted when they had returned at the start of the school year, publicly commanding Arthur's security detail as he and Molly took their last child to meet the train for her last year at school, had more or less died away. But even so, they really did not want to deal with the press or a well-meaning wizard or witch telling them thanks, or worse, somehow, their condolences.

Their return had also served to somewhat set aside the fervor that had started with the award ceremony, when the pictures of the last Malfoy, even if disinherited, was seen comforting the young daughter of the Minister of Magic. Stories, which had immediately appeared in the Prophet and other publications, speculating that Draco had been a Death Eater, speculating that he had turned against his late father, were rampant. The climax had come, when Dumbledore, in a move eerily similar to one he had made sixteen years ago, had hired Draco as the new Potions professor for Hogwarts. The next day, a front-page editorial had questioned if Miss Weasley was pregnant, and if the position was a payoff to the Minister from Dumbledore. It had also questioned, "Mr. Black's", ability to teach his fiancée.

Dumbledore, who was already ignoring the many, many questions about his return, just added more to his list of questions he would not answer, and forcibly banned any reporter from the mostly-repaired Hogwarts.

As to the rest, those lucky or unlucky ones who had lived through the second Battle of Hogwarts, most of them were trying to move on as they could. Remus and Tonks had taken up their posts in the decimated Auror ranks, Remus' appointment as Chief Auror almost unanimous after Dumbledore had stood in a session of the Wizengamot and said that was what was going to be. Tonks, while still running field assignments, was training new Aurors as much as actually working against Dark Wizards. The activities of such, the Death Eaters that had not been captured and the independents, were noticeably repressed for the time being.

Neville and Parvati had been married in a simple ceremony in an outdoor garden in Pendle Hill overlooking Lavender's white marble marker. Neville had taken the appointment to replace Professor Sprout, as Herbology professor, filling another vacancy left due to the battle or associated circumstances. Parvati had been accepted to the Healer program at St. Mungo's, in London, but they were known to spend every free instant together.

Seamus had sat at Padma's bedside for a week, watching as potions dripped into her, hoping she would wake for just an instant, to see the ring he had slipped on her finger. He had not left even to have his own wounds treated. Finally the Healers had had to stun him to drag him off to get them treated, before they sat him right back in his chair. She had, finally, awoken on that seventh day after the battle, said "Yes" rather simply, and slipped back to sleep with his hand clutched almost painfully in hers.

Hermione's parents had bought a new house, quite similar to their old one, though several kilometers closer to their reopened clinic; though only Roger was currently working, as Jane was staying home with her new daughter. Interestingly, the new house was next to another one that had also been recently been purchased, with new owners named Lupin. Remus and Tonks had rapidly decided, after living full time in Tonks' tiny flat, for two weeks after getting back from their honeymoon, that they might need a tad more space. The magically-reinforced rooms in the basement, along with a potions lab from the previous owner, a Muggleborn who had moved to America during the height of the war, gotten married and decided to stay in his new country, were a welcome bonus.

All of that...noise was really meaningless, however, at least at this moment, as Harry walked down the street on a warm September night, after a leisurely dinner at Hermione's favorite Italian restaurant. Hermione's hand was warm in his; he brought it up to his lips as she spun into his arms. He stepped back, leaning against the wall of Pendleton's Pedantic Pendants, as Hermione leaned into him. She bent her head down into his chest, smiling slightly as she felt his lips on her hair. She looked up and tilted her head slightly, sighing into his lips as he kissed her. A small sound of contentment whispered from her lips as they pulled back, breathing hard for an instant. Happy anniversary, Harry...

You too, Mione, Harry whispered, leaning back in to kiss her again. He groaned softly as she idly worked a leg between his, and slowly rubbed it against his. Happy Birthday, too...I got you something, Harry mentioned, slowly running her hands through her hair.

You didn't need...What did you get me? Hermione smiled, just slightly. She reached up and slowly started to comb her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck. Harry started, as the fingers of her other hand, slowly wormed their way under his shirt, pushing it up slightly as she lightly ran her fingers along his stomach.

A home, Harry replied, looking back into her eyes. They widened slightly, Yeah, Mione, the house is fixed. Dobby told me this morning. We can get out of Grimmauld...that's if you want to, of course. We don't have to, we can stay there; I mean London is more convenient to your parents' new place, and work and Diagon Alley...

Hermione laughed softly and leaned up, cutting off his rambling as she kissed him, hard. Harry blinked at her, as she smiled, I will love to get out of that mausoleum, it's not bad, not anymore, but it's not us, Harry...Besides... she trailed off in her thoughts as she fell forward, hugging him close as she rested her cheek on his shoulder. She watched a familiar seeming young woman walk past, though she couldn't place where she had ever seen a grey-eyed brunette before; then shrugged.

What, Hermione? Harry inquired softly, his "voice" amused. He kissed the top of her head idly, watching the crowd slip by, unaware of their presence except as just another couple.

Grimmauld just isn't the best place to raise a family, Harry, Hermione whispered. She glanced up through a fall of hair, pulling back slightly, just enough to find his eyes. She took a breath, as she carefully lowered a shield that she had not realized she had raised before a few days ago, protecting something of great importance. Harry's jaw dropped slightly, as his hand slipped down, rubbing her still flat stomach. You have to wait about eight months for your present; I'm afraid...Congratulations, Daddy...

Harry took a pair of deep breaths; Hermione felt his mind reach out, caressing hers, causing a slight shudder of happiness along her nerves before he slipped down, following the pathway that she had uncovered. She gnawed on her lip absently, watching the emotions dance in his eyes. Hermione reached up, cupping his cheek. He leaned into it, swallowing heavily, Really...he asked softly, even though he could feel a third presence, faint, indistinct, but there. Hermione nodded. Harry laughed loudly and crushed Hermione to him, picking her up and spinning her around.

Several passing wizards and witches looked at them curiously, as their ward failed due to the emotion, but neither of them cared, not even about the flash bulbs erupting around them as a pair of Prophet Paparazzi, trolling for targets, found trophies unexpectedly.

***********************Godric's Hollow**************************

July 31, 1999

2:00pm

A soft breeze blew off the nearby ocean, ruffling a pair of inky mops as they sat under the sheltering branches of an old beech tree. Sunlight briefly glinted off a pair of round lenses, as Harry turned his head, watching a freshly planted, mixed bed of red and gold lilies move in the breeze. The bed surrounded a pair of white stones, marked with the names of James and Lily. He glanced down at the bundle in his arms, and grinned as a pair of bright emeralds looked back up at him, he bent lower, and chuckled softly as clumsy fingers reached up to try to pluck the glasses from his face.

"Harry, don't let her do that, you're just encouraging her," Hermione's amused soprano came from behind his shoulder. Both him, and the infant in his arms, turned towards her voice. She slid to the ground next to him, and kissed his cheek before settling against his side.

"And how, exactly, Love, am I to discourage any child of ours..." Harry asked, and the small face turned from his to Hermione's as if waiting on an answer.

"No idea," Hermione admitted after an instant with a laugh. She reached out her arms, "Give her here, daddy." Harry carefully handed over the small bundle, and wrapped his now free arms around Hermione as she cradled Emilia in her arms. He settled back against the tree, scooting around until Hermione was seated between his legs, leaning back against his chest. "Has she been behaving for her grandparents?"

"Yeah, Mione," Harry muttered as he rested his chin on her shoulder, "we were just talking to them." She smiled softly, and turned her head, kissing him quickly, before looking back to the twin stones.

"Hi, Lily, James," Hermione greeted, smiling as she felt Emilia's fingers pulling lightly on her hair. "Oh...you think that's funny," Hermione laughed softly as her daughter made a soft, happy sound. She paused as Emilia looked up and right at Harry, Hermione followed her eyes, to see Harry looking absently out over the grounds, "Alright there, Harry?" she asked softly, a slightly worried tenor to her words.

Harry glanced down at her, bending to kiss her quickly, "Yeah, Hermione," he whispered, with a touch of surprise, "I am."

Afterword:

This book was almost an accident in many ways. After the clusterfuck that was Half Blood Prince at times, I almost abandoned everything, even the Lions universe, then we all took a shot across the bow with the Interview of Idiocy...But then, a couple of curious things happened, first we started really looking at what the interview actually said, and what HBP said and...then, I decided that the least I could do for Hermione and Harry, was to at least put them back in character, even if it turns out in the end that their creator abandoned them in favor of trying to create a "big happy family".

There are those who thought that this fiction went over the top, that I went too far, killed too many...Sorry, that's the way it is, or would be, or would have been rather, since it is 2006 as I write this afterword. Would I be surprised if JKR chickens out and only kills a couple of characters in book 7, no, nor would I be surprised if she brings forth a bloodbath to put anything I've written to shame. We will have to see. I know who I think she will kill off in book 7, and actually, those were some of the ones I killed off in this book, except the Weasley's for whom it is a best a lottery at best to see which of them dies, except Ron. Unfortunately, I think there are six books of subtext there saying he will die.

As to this book and the events therein, there are still several mysteries to be solved, that the exact solution to was never presented. I may hear cries and wails that I never fully explained Dumbledore's return, or where Narcissa went to, and to a few others that seemingly were never answered. Yep, they are still there, on the surface at least, but here I must actually repeat Rowling...You might want to take a reread, as the clues to some of the mysteries are hidden in the text. For example an object given as part of a vow may hold an importance totally beyond its size. Life is not neatly wrapped up with a tidy bow, and neither is this.

As has often become the case, I have already been asked, repeatedly if there will be a sequel...As those of you who actually read my LiveJournal know there are cookies existing for a sequel, and a plot based on the conscious and subconscious plot leaders I left from this. If one was to seek these out, there are answers to questions in those cookies. Exactly when or even if you will see a sequel is still up in the air. I don't get paid for this...if I did, my car and student loans would be paid off.

In the end, trees burn or can get cut down, while gravity, like the gravity between the Hero and Heroine of a series is undeniable. Gravity is...you can deny its existence all you want, but it will still win in the end.

Thanks to Lady Starlight for the incredible amount of work she undertook to look this fic over from about chapter 2 on, at somewhere in the neighborhood of 420 thousand words just for the main fic, plus the various spin-offs from this that add an entire short story themselves, it was a hell of a lot of work.

I'll be back, if not in this universe, then in War of Shadows, which is still going, and going...

Have Fun,

Mike

Recommended Listening for Harry Potter and the Circle's End.

In no particular order...

Love Walks In - Van Halen
Dreams - Van Halen
Let Love In - Goo Goo Dolls
Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
Duel of the Fates - John Williams
Hedwig's Theme - John Williams
Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
Broken - Seether, fet. Amy Lee
Far Away - Nickelback
Saving Me -- Nickelback
When I See You Smile - Bad English
Do the Hippogriff - Weird Sisters*
Magic Works - Weird Sisters*
Falling in Love is Hard on the Knees - Aerosmith*
Here by Me - Three Doors Down
Sweet Sacrifice - Evanescence
The Long and Winding Road - The Beatles*
Fix You - Coldplay
The Reason - Hoobastank
Will I Ever Make it Home - Ingram Hill
Accidentally in Love - Counting Crows
Magic Carpet Ride - Steppenwolf
Stay with Me - The Faces
Dirty Little Secret - All-American Rejects

*Song was mentioned in text.

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