Unofficial Portkey Archive

Chapter 7

"Absolutely not!"

"Easy, Padfoot," James soothed as he moved to his cousin's side. "We won't let them take Hermione. The old man was just telling me his intentions for the second task. I told him it would be a cold day in Hell before we let him take our girl."

Harry and Hermione were with Filius discussing large-scale illusions and the mental control required therein. Lily and Remus each had errands to run, so it fell to James to break the news of Hermione's selection as Harry's `The One You'll Miss Most' to Hermione's unofficial father.

Said father who was currently irate. A large part of James was astounded in the change wrought in his cousin and oldest friend by the bushy haired witch. It was good to see Sirius so…parental. "We're leaving today, Prongs. Hermione and I are going to Rio. Catch up with us after the school year is over."

Rolling his eyes, James grabbed Padfoot's arm as the older Marauder spun about to leave, presumably to pack. "Mate, cool off. Hermione would have your head if you try to take her from Pronglet, so just relax." Prongs didn't say that he thought The Smartest Witch of the Age would tell him to bugger off for trying to railroad her life.

Without replying, Sirius flung himself into the chair in front of his disk. Writing furiously, he finished his letter in minutes. Stalking to the perch where their communal owl was resting, Sirius tied the short missive to the bird's leg. Without comment, he shooed the raptor out the window.

The triumphant smirk on Padfoot's face caused James to shudder. The last time he'd seen that expression, the entire Hogwarts staff had been transfigured into barnyard animals for an entire week. Filch had been a gravid sow to the delight of most of the student population.

"What?" James asked.

"Just a bit of a note."

"To?"

"Maturin."

The solicitor's name brought a shark like grin to Sirius' face. James laughed. They'd moved from their juvenile pranks that encompassed flatulence and hair colour to more adult mischief involving solicitors and the press.

However, the flatulence pranks were still pretty funny, come to think of it.

"Wanna see something funny? Let's go talk to the kids. Five Galleons says Harry insists Hermione leave the country while she tells him where to get off."

James smiled, "Ten says that he tells her she needs to go to Rio."

.oOo.

"What!" Harry exploded. The library was silenced at his outburst. Three seconds later, he stood. Turning to his girlfriend, his face set, he told her, "Come on. You need to pack."

"What?" she exclaimed in her turn.

James smiled at the back and forth. Under his breath he muttered, "Come on boy, make your Dad proud."

"You're leaving," Harry continued. "Rio or maybe the Seychelles."

"YES!" James cried as he jumped to his feet, all traces of seriousness gone. Doing his victory lap around the table, James pumped his arms in muted jubilation while Padfoot scowled as he reached for his money bag.

Through the fog of his celebrations, he did notice that the teens were staring at him as if he'd gone mad. Noticing their expressions, Sirius began to laugh uproariously. "What?" James demanded of Harry and Hermione.

Speaking to Hermione, but watching his Dad, Harry stated, "My Father's gone mad."

Waving a correcting finger at his son, James told Harry, "Not mad. Just the winner of ten Galleons."

"Whatever," Harry muttered. "What are we going to do about all this?" The Boy-Who-Lived asked as he resettled in his seat.

"Excuse me," Hermione interrupted with an icy tone. "As this concerns me, I do believe that I should be able to decide for myself regarding my course of action." The quietly furious expression on her face drove all jocularity from Prongs' mind.

"But…" Harry countered lamely.

Hermione turned on her boyfriend, a scathing comment on her lips. However, when she saw the forlorn and terrified expression on his face, she melted. Giving him a soft kiss, she asked, "Let's see what your Dad and Sirius have planned, Ok?"

Subsiding, Harry turned his expectant face to Padfoot and Prongs.

Sirius took the lead. "I wrote a letter to Maturin. Jamesie here is going to write a letter to the new editor of the Prophet and we'll be off."

.oOo.

Harry was wandering the halls while Hermione and Sirius had a discussion regarding their thwarting of Dumbledore's machinations for the second task. Harry loved his family. He trusted his family. However, this was Hermione. He didn't even trust himself with her well-being much less trust anyone else.

It was in this furious funk that Harry rounded a corner into that which he needed least, but wanted most.

Draco Malfoy and his merry band of sycophants were taunting and bullying a pair of Hufflepuff first years. The ring of green and silver trimmed robes nearly blocked out the young boy and girl in the centre of the jeering and threats.

A part of Harry screamed triumphantly for this opportunity to release the dogs of war. There had been too much stress in too little time, too much tension and too little play. Given these considerations, Harry's behaviour was quite predictable.

"Leave off, Malfoy," Harry growled.

With deliberate slowness, The-Ferret-Who-Bounced turned to face The Boy-Who-Lived. With his usual drawl, the Malfoy heir replied, "Potter. How nice of you to condescend to mingle with us mortals."

"Shut it and leave the `Puffs alone," Harry countered. Motioning with his hand, he beckoned to the terrified youngsters.

They wormed their way out of the distracted goons before sprinting away from the confrontation.

"You know, Potter, I'm really tired of you."

With a knowing smile, Harry taunted, "It must be hard not being the heir of an Ancient and Noble House. I've just realized that all this time, you've wanted to be the Head of an Ancient and Noble House and you never will be." With each repetition of `Ancient and Noble' Harry grinned maliciously while the blonde boy flinched. "You're just a latter day Norman invader with a lot of money. `Bad Faith' is it?"

Snapping his fingers in feigned surprise, Harry announced, "All this time…you've been jealous of me haven't you?"

Without comment, Malfoy raised his wand before casting the Reductor curse.

Game On, thought Harry as he sidestepped the poorly aimed curse.

"Sloppy, Malfoy," Harry taunted. "You missed when you had an open shot. Now, you'll pay for it." In a three second span, Harry demonstrated Flitwick's first lesson: Spell chaining.

Bone Crushing

Cutting

Binding

Blinding

The spells flowed from the holly and phoenix wand with a grace and precision that told of The Boy-Who-Lived's recent efforts and refocusing on mastering the magical arts. As a torrent, the spells bore down on the Slytherin pretender. The first two missed, but Harry's wand tracked on to his target, leaving a bound and blind Draco Malfoy lying on the floor.

As the blonde boy screamed in panic because of the loss of his eyesight, Harry caught a Bludgeoning curse in his ribs. Grunting in pain, he ducked under a Cutter before taking down Crabbe with a well aimed Piercing charm in the hand paired with a Bone Breaker to the pelvis. The lumpish teen fell on his bleeding hand which was transfixed with the remains of his rowan and unicorn hair wand.

Goyle's Reductor curse was so poorly cast that Harry didn't feel anything when it hit him in the shoulder. Harry's Bone Breaking curse left Goyle on the ground clutching his shattered leg.

Another Bludgeoning curse hit Harry, this time in the head. With blood running from his nose and left ear, the green eyed Gryffindor turned on his assailant.

Theodore Nott's face whitened at seeing the ferocity in The Boy-Who-Lived's face. Turing to run, he was rendered combat ineffective by a high powered Bludgeoning curse to the back of his head.

Tit for tat. It's only fair after all.

Turning to his last opponent, he saw Pansy Parkinson holding her empty hands in front of her while shaking her head. Her pleas for mercy were obvious, even to Harry who was addled with blood lust.

With contempt, he raised his wand. Shaking his head in disgust at her wide eyes before incanting, "Stupefy," he finished his self-appointed task. The last of the tormentors slumped to the ground.

Bending over to catch his breath, Harry sheathed his wand. Hearing running feet, he shakily stood upright while surveying his conquered foes. Five stupid teenagers. Hooray.

"Oh my!"

Turning, Harry saw Professors Sprout and Sinistra hurrying down the hall toward the aftermath of the fracas. The wide-eyed expression of astonishment tinged with horror brought Harry to an abrupt stop.

Looking at the situation calmly, Harry was more than a bit scared at what he'd done. In a split second, he analysed each exchange coming to the conclusion that once he'd involved himself, there wasn't much he could or should have done differently.

However, should he have involved himself in the first place? Without time to ponder the question, he thrust it aside as the teachers rustled into the area. Professor Sinistra immediately stunned the still wailing Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. Only when they stopped their wailing and blubbing did Harry realize they'd been making a racket the entire time.

"Mr Potter! What happened?" Professor Sprout began but quickly broke off when she saw his bloody head. "Come, sit here," she indicated to a blank space on the floor. Casting a Cushioning charm on the floor, she helped him to lie down as dizziness threatened to catapult Harry to the floor with much less grace than he desired.

As he slowly lowered himself, a wave of nausea overcame Harry. Moaning, "I don't feel so good," he promptly passed out.

.oOo.

Lily Potter hadn't been this afraid since Voldemort promised to kill her child. Hurrying through the halls of Hogwarts, she was nearly sprinting for the infirmary.

James' message had been necessarily short: "Harry in Infirmary." The spell only allowed for five seconds or less of speech to be transmitted, but it got the point across.

After dropping her selections on the floor of the shop, she violated all rules of propriety by Apparating straight out of the Quidditch Supply store. After running from the gates of the school, she was nearly out of breath, but still moved at a good clip.

Hearing raised voices from the open doors of the infirmary concerned her. That one of those raised voices belonged to her husband urged her to sprint the last twenty metres. James rarely shouted in anger, but when he did, he was usually in a right state.

Turning the corner into the wing, she saw her worries confirmed. Sirius had his arms wrapped around his cousin's chest while Remus stood between James and Severus Snape.

"You keep those bloody pricks in line!" shouted James.

"The way I understand the students' testimony, including that of your whelp, your spawn started the entire altercation," Snape nearly shouted in reply.

James didn't bother to reply, merely surged forward while still wrapped in Sirius' arms. Remus scolded both men, "James! Severus! Stop this!"

Ignoring the loud drama in front of her, Lily's eyes searched for her son. Finding first Hermione, she looked down to find Harry in a bed beside which his girlfriend was ensconced. Scuttling around the posturing men, Lily hurried to her son's bedside. She didn't care nor notice that all four men had subsided when she entered the wing.

Seeing that her son was asleep, Lily asked Hermione, "What happened?"

Without looking away from her boyfriend, The Smartest Witch of the Age replied, "He came on five Slytherins who were bullying two first year Hufflepuffs. He told the older kids to leave off. Malfoy cast the first spell, so Harry put them all in here." She absently gestured to the other filled beds.

"His injuries?" Lily choked out.

"Concussion and significant bruising on his side." Hermione finally turned to look at her boyfriend's mother. "Consider yourself lucky that there's no Quidditch this year. These injuries are fairly common for him. Last year he fell two hundred feet off his broom."

Sighing in relief that her son would be fine, she noticed the worry lines in Hermione's forehead. Rubbing the teen's back, Lily asked the young woman, "Are you well?"

Silently, Hermione shook her head in negation.

Realizing all too well, the momentary grip of all-encompassing fear that had hold of her when she heard that Harry was injured, Lily gripped her young protégé and future daughter in law as the girl began to tremble. The quavering became shakes until Hermione was sobbing in Lily's arms. Slowly, the tension and stress was released by both witches as they had a good cry.

The hand on her shoulder caused Lily to turn. Seeing James standing there, she drew strength from his silent presence. James glanced at his wife before refocusing his gaze on his unconscious son.

Now that her fear was ebbing, her anger began growing. Five Slytherins against two Hufflepuff firsties? Harry had to break it up? Where were the professors? The prefects? Why did the fourth year Snakes feel they could act without check?

Her renowned temper began spiralling upward as she stood. Squeezing Hermione's shoulder, Lily gave James a quick kiss before heading out. Her destination: the Dungeons.

.oOo.

"Tell the Headmaster that Sirius Black and Remus Lupin are here to see him."

When he was teaching during the previous year, Remus had been told that the gargoyle could relay a message to the Head via the portraits in the office. If the Head chose to allow entrance, he could.

Otherwise, they'd be waiting a while. Fortunately, the gargoyle promptly leapt aside, allowing Moony and Padfoot entrance.

The moment the door to the office proper was open, Sirius began his rant.

"Albus, what kind of school are you running here? You let students bully younger children, then start hexing another student they have outnumbered five to one! What the fuck!"

Remus caught up to his irate friend just in time to see the office already crowded. Dumbledore was rolling his eyes under Sirius' crude verbal lashing while Minerva visibly became angry. Severus' face was already red with his ire, but he literally began to froth at the mouth under Sirius' words.

"That's awfully rich coming from you, Black!" the Potion Master spat.

Remus internally acknowledged the truth of Snape's words, but was surprised to see the restraint in his old friend. Slowly Padfoot turned to his old nemesis before calmly replying, "Very true, Snivelly. But my actions as a mentally retarded thirteen year old are not in question here. The action or inaction of the esteemed Head of Hogwarts are in question."

The fire roaring back into Sirius' speech, he turned to the seated Headmaster before shouting, "So why are you continuing to allow children to bully and nearly kill one another?"

At his most irritating, Dumbledore merely stared at Sirius, a half smile dancing at the edges of his whiskered face.

Attempting to save his friend the embarrassment of attacking and then being soundly trounced by one of, if not the most, powerful wizard alive, Remus intervened.

"Albus, as you have no doubt divined, we are all very upset and concerned about the events of this afternoon." Satisfied that he had the attention of the room, Remus glanced at Padfoot. He exhaled slowly, gratified that Sirius had control over himself, Moony continued, "Harry has a concussion as a result of having to step in when five older students were bullying two youngsters. This is obviously unacceptable. A fourth year should not have to police the student population. Even Prefects do not have the authority or are expected to intervene in physical confrontations. What is the plan to move forward so that this doesn't happen again?"

Remus hoped that his calm, reasoned approach would cool the rest of the occupants of the office. He was wrong.

"If Potter had minded his business and reported the situation to a professor, none of this would have happened. Instead, we are treated to his ridiculous and aggressive behaviour once again…" Snape's oily diatribe broke off at the sharp glance from the Headmaster. A short bow from the neck was the Potion Master's only acknowledgement of the subtle rebuke.

Remus took a deep breath to regain control of his temper. It seemed that over the past year he was affected to various degrees by Severus' petulant and boorish behaviour. Sometimes it was water off his back, other times, he wanted to throttle the childish moron.

Sensing that Padfoot was in the throttling mood, he reached over to grab his friend's arm. Squeezing tightly, he felt Padfoot subside.

"Albus?" Remus asked in order to re orient the discussion in a more positive manner.

Steepling his fingers, the old man refocused on Remus. "This is a tenuous situation. Harry is a student in name only. He is not enrolled in any courses here at Hogwarts, nor is he receiving any formal instruction from any of the Hogwarts professors." Holding up his hand to stay Filius' budding objection, he amended, "You are technically his tutor, Filius. The bylaws are quite clear on the distinction between a professor and tutor.

"Despite the behaviour of the five Slytherin students - who shall receive in school suspensions, by the way -" Remus nearly smiled at the apoplectic expression on Snape's face, "Despite their behaviour, Harry did exchange violent spells with them. Severus is correct, Harry should have found a professor to handle the situation. Since he is not a student, the Slytherin students in question cannot be accused of attacking another student."

Before Remus could reply, Sirius intervened. In a voice so harsh as to be nearly a whisper, he rasped, "You fool. There wasn't time for him to find a professor and you know it. You're hiding behind the technicality of the rules when the reality of the situation is that Malfoy scum and his cronies know that you'll not do a damn thing to them. With this in mind, they roam the halls, looking for victims. In school suspension? It's a vacation from classes, not a punishment." The disdain on the face of the Earl of Blackmoor was palpable.

Never had Remus expected his old friend to maintain control of his temper and emotions in this type of situation, especially considering how the discussion began. Usually, Padfoot would be ranting and raving, possibly even throwing items at this stage of the conversation. For him to have control over himself, be coherent and even make an excellent point nonplussed Moony.

It caught the rest of the room by surprise as well. After a long moment, Dumbledore tried to catch up by murmuring, "Well."

"Oh, stop it Albus!"

Now even more wrong footed, Remus turned to see the exasperated and angry Deputy Head glowering at her old friend. "Sirius is correct in all the salient facts. You and I should have thrashed not only young Malfoy, but also these ones when they were in school."

Her offhand gesture toward Sirius and Remus caused a slight blush of embarrassment for the Lycanthrope. Most of the time, the Marauders' pranks were in good fun, but the `war' with Severus and a few others was very vicious and mean. A responsible Head and Deputy would have squashed them all like bugs and if that failed to end the situation, expelled the lot of them.

There was a protracted silence before the truth dawned on Remus. Sadly, he asked in a low voice, "You're not going to punish them in any meaningful way, are you?"

In his reassuring, `command' voice, Dumbledore countered, "They shall all receive in school suspensions."

"And when they do it again?" Moony pressed in a weary tone.

When Dumbledore didn't reply, the Quiet Marauder nodded his head sadly. "I was afraid of that." Motioning to Sirius, he beckoned, "C'mon Padfoot. Nothing to be gained here."

"You bastard."

Blinking, Remus turned to see an irate Padfoot quivering in rage as he glared at the old Headmaster. He spat, "You disgust me, sitting here in the image of the righteous man when you are as conniving and manipulative as the worst dark wizard you've always deplored. You are a liar and a cheat. You repulse me."

Turning on his heel, Sirius fled the room, his face white and expression set. Flabbergasted yet again, Remus chased after his friend.

The sound of retching at the foot of the steps cued Remus into his friend's emotional state. He found Padfoot having just Vanished his sick and casting the Breath Freshening charm on himself. Gently clapping a hand on Sirius' back, Remus asked, "Better now?"

Silently nodding, Sirius began to head back toward the hospital wing. "All those years I couldn't protect him Moony. I couldn't protect him because I didn't use my bloody head. Now, I will protect him - and her - as best I can." Moony watched his friend in admiration; Sirius had handled the situation in Dumbledore's office far better than Moony had expected. Maybe Padfoot was growing up. A little.

.oOo.

He didn't light any of the wall sconces as he moved toward his office, so he didn't see her leaning on his desk. His simmering anger at that bastard Black distracted him.

"I warned you."

Snape stopped mid stride. Without turning, he asked, "What are you going to do, Lily?"

"Face me."

Severus turned to see the hard eyes of Lily Potter. Since her return to the land of the living, the illusions and delusions that he'd woven regarding Lily Evans and himself had been evaporating. The girl he thought he loved didn't exist any longer - if she'd ever existed. The woman in front of him hated his existence. That much was clear in her glare.

Her savage thrust of Legilimancy took him by surprise.

Rocked on his heels, he reeled against the stone wall. Frantically reinforcing his Occlumency shields, he turned away from his onetime friend. He'd not been this viciously attacked since he brought news of the Prophecy to the Dark Lord.

Strangely enough, he didn't feel betrayed by her assault. If Lily knew the full extent of his betrayal of her, he had no doubt that she'd kill him without an ounce of remorse. In the whirlwind of a vicious mental battering, the Truth of his utter abandonment of the person who'd stood by him was laid bare.

Falling to the floor under the combined assault of an enraged witch and the painful dissolution of his carefully constructed rationalizations and self-deceits, Severus Snape began to scream.

It was agony. His self-loathing and recrimination was a consuming inferno that made the hellfire of Fiendfyre seem tame. The Truth of not only his behaviour toward Lily, but in general, had been held at bay for so many years by his resentment of James Potter. Buried under the self-deceit that Lily had been stolen from him, he had escaped the worst savages of his conscience.

No longer. He screamed, the mental torment exceeding that of the Cruciatus. Instead of a slow reveal, his guilt and shame flooded him in an instant. Perhaps it was because of her attack. Perhaps it was merely her presence. The reason was of no account, because for so many years, the Truth had been denied. It had been covered up in lies of love lost and love denied. Slathered in resentment of the better man, the Truth had waited.

It seemed that over the years the guilt and remorse that had been denied and evaded had earned interest. Quite a bit at that. The mental agony caused him to stagger about the room, vainly trying to escape the Truth.

As the Legilimancy probe eased, he began to sob under the burden of his own behaviour. His terrorizing of the student body in a petulant displacement of his own mutually encouraged torment. Revenge on boys long dead or gone. The daily mauling of Lily's child to fan the flames of resentment toward the boy's father in a different attempt at revenge against a man believed to be dead. The overall failure as a person and a man.

All of it flooded him, bearing him under the wave from which he couldn't escape.

Finally, he succumbed. Falling to his knees, he keened his remorse to the remorseless.

The shame caused him to roll away from the witch who was pitilessly following him about the dungeon. As she leaned over him, Lily Potter - never again would he think of her as Lily Evans - snarled, "I'm letting you live, for now. Next time…"

The receding footsteps were more ominous than the Cruciatus of the Dark Lord. Physical pain he'd endured and eventually mastered. This agony, though…

His weeping followed her nearly to the stairs before the door to the Potions laboratory slowly swung shut.

.oOo.

She saw him swim to consciousness as he'd done so many times before. Just like all the other times when she'd been there for him as he woke, Hermione handed Harry his glasses as he mumbled, "Where am I?"

The emotional tidal wave which had born her down earlier threatened to surge forward again. Taking a deep breath to anchor herself, she slowly took his hand in her own. "The infirmary," an unbidden grin flashed across her face, "Again."

He didn't laugh. "Are the others…?" he trailed off. It seemed to Hermione that he couldn't voice his fears that he may have killed any of the Slytherin bullies.

In as soothing a voice as she could muster, Hermione reassured him, "They'll all be fine. Malfoy and Nott have already been released. The others will be out sooner than you."

Closing his eyes, he lay back on his pillow, exhaling in relief. "How long have I been here?"

"Just a few hours. Your parents were here with Sirius and Remus, but they left ten minutes or so ago. They'll be back around dinner, your Dad said."

Her trembling hand gave her away. All the worry and fear was slowly bleeding out of her like a dripping faucet.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to…"

"I know," she admitted as the first tear dripped from her right eye.

"They were going to hurt those kids…"

"I know, Harry," Hermione soothed. "I know and agree that you did the right thing. I just…" More tears dripped down her face. "I've just been sitting here thinking that if this is what five fourth years can do to you, what will Voldemort do?" She finished in a whisper as she buried her face in her hands.

His grunt of pain caused her to look up just as he wrapped his arms about her. It was typical Harry. Completely ignoring his own desires or needs in order to take care of her. Was it any wonder that she loved him so?

"I was foolish," he admitted. "I'm not ready to take on a half dozen opponents of any level. It's just too many points of attack for me to defeat. Yet." She heard the wolfish aggression in his unspoken promise to be able to easily dispatch at least a half dozen opponents.

"I should have got help. One well cast spell would have killed me. Luckily, Crabbe and Goyle can barely cast the Levitation spell." She half heartedly smiled at his jibe. He was right. Once again, Harry Potter was extraordinarily lucky to survive another encounter with his enemies.

"I need a way to rally all of us in case we're in need."

Nodding she wiped her face. This was a task for which she was well suited. After firmly kissing her man, she lay him back on the bed. "I'll talk with your Mum and Remus. We'll come up with something soon."

The mischievous grin on his face was a new development. Since his parents had returned to the land of the living, Harry had let his inner `little boy' out of the cage on more occasions than before.

"So, will you tell me about your dress?"

Smiling at his persistence, she replied, "Just like the other thirty two times you asked, No, I'll not tell you anything."

"Come on, luv, just a hint."

Every time he called her `love', it lit a fire in her belly. Bending over, she claimed his mouth. Kissing him, she poured out all the caring, love and fear she'd felt over the past few hours. Hermione smiled inwardly for she could tell that Harry was on the way to recovery. His hand was on her bum.

After a few moments, she stood, "I'm going to get our books. We've got to answer Remus for tomorrow about Magical Dispersion counter curse and how it can be used in a combat setting."

Yawning, Harry grumbled, "That's easy. Use the curse to destroy an inbound spell."

Stunned at his offhand, but prescient use of the spell, she probed, "But how do you get the curse in time? This is a ward breaking curse."

"Use smaller wand movements," he mumbled just as he fell asleep.

Her mind abuzz with the Arithmantic possibilities, she nearly ran to Gryffindor tower to fetch her books.

.oOo.

The elder generation of the Marauder family simultaneously converged on the infirmary. Sirius was still emotionally wiped out from the confrontation in the Headmaster's office, but felt strangely light hearted. Ever since James and Lily had rejoined them, life had been confused and strange. Now it was simple, for he had clarity.

They were on their own.

Albus Dumbledore was bound and determined to act as he saw fit, regardless of outside opinion or desire. Well damn him, I'm not going to listen to him any longer.

The Ministry seemed to be firmly entrenched in their ways - nothing new there - so there was little to no assistance available to the family from that quarter.

Sighing, he let the tension bleed out of him the best he could. Turning the corner, he saw James and Lily approaching from different hallways; Lily from the dungeons, James from the entry hall.

Concern flooded Sirius when he saw the pale and shaken face of Lily, but before he could ask her what was wrong, Prongs jumped in, "You alright, love?"

"Had a bit of a chat with Severus. I think he'll reign in his little beasts now."

Raising his eyebrows in surprise, Sirius figured it must have been some `talk' to get Snivelly to change his spots. Glancing at Prongs, he saw James wave him off pursuing the topic. Shrugging, he filled his family in on what had happened in the Headmaster's office. How Dumbledore had effectively told Sirius and Remus to bugger off, he'd run his school how he saw fit. Which included, by the way, continuing his extraordinarily lax disciplinary procedures.

"No shocking news there," James snarked.

"Prongs…" Remus remonstrated half-heartedly.

"What? What Moony? He's been an utter and complete bloody failure for the last fifteen years. He failed Harry. He failed as Headmaster. He failed as Chief Warlock. What fucking good has Albus Dumbledore done in the last ten years or so? Huh?" There was no anger at Remus in James words, but there was force. Sirius found himself nodding in agreement with his cousin's assessment of the old Headmaster.

The Lycanthrope's head dropped to his chest. "He was the only one who would help me…"

Sirius laid his hand on Remus' shoulder, "I get it, Moony, he did a wonderful and good thing by accommodating you here during your school years. For that, I think I can say for both of us, that Prongs and I are eternally grateful." Sirius looked to James who gave a firm nod with emphasis before continuing.

"But that doesn't make him infallible. It means that he has a big heart, but what Prongs is saying is that Dumbledore isn't going to help us because he either can't or won't. Either way, we don't have the luxury to be fucking about with this."

Nodding, Remus sighed dispiritedly. "You're right."

Brightly, Sirius replied, "Of course I am."

The flick on his ear was unseen, but it could only be Lily. "Come on you jesters, let's see how my son is doing," the redheaded witch cajoled with a half smile on her face.

Sirius caught the look of concern on Prongs' face before he smothered it. Whether Sirius was there or not, he had a hunch that James and Lily would be having a chat about old Snivellus in the near future.

.oOo.

DUMBLEDORE TO HOSTAGE HEIR OF BLACKMOOR?

"Oh, damn. This is really good James."

Lily was beaming as she read the morning edition of the Prophet. The new editor, James Shanahan, was much more agreeable to the Potter agenda that the old guard. A quick note from `The-Father-Who-Lived', followed by a Floo interview led to a front page blasting of Dumbledore and his `intentions'.

"And there's not a lie in the entire article," James smiled across the breakfast table.

"Hmmm," Lily hummed as she drank off her second cup of coffee.

"Hey, Mum. Dad." Harry greeted as he and Hermione passed through the door warden. The teens had started taking their meals in the parents' rooms shortly after returning to school Where James and Lily had dreaded eating in the Great Hall, it seemed that everyone wanted to continue to eat together, but not as part of the school As Harry had put it, "Well, we're not really part of the school anymore, are we?"

That had broken Lily's heart a little. When they were talking and becoming better acquainted, Harry had told his Mum how much of a true home Hogwarts had been for him. To feel so `apart from' his first real home was very sad to the young mother.

"How'd you sleep?" she asked her son.

Shrugging, he replied, "The potions helped but my head still hurts."

Handing her boyfriend his morning tea, Hermione told him, "Madam Pomfrey said that your head would be a bit tender for a while, yet."

His grunt was the only reply.

Silently, the family dug into their meals. James had been up late the night before in preparing the teens' Transfiguration lesson for the day. He had been tempted to push the kids to become animagi, but Lily had bent his course by reminding him that they didn't have a lot of time for non-core pursuits.

He eventually agreed. Today, they would take the potion, which would tell them if they had the capability to become an animal. Many people discovered their form in this potion induced meditative trance. If they wanted to pursue the task of becoming animagi…well, it would be a point to discuss.

Pushing the academic pursuits to the side, Lily sat back in her chair as she poured another cup of coffee. James had stolen the paper and was reading the front page article which scolded Albus. Harry was quietly shovelling a plate full of food down his gullet while Hermione surreptitiously watched her beau.

Life was good. Lily's childhood had been less than pleasant. Her parents were good people who tried hard to provide for their daughters, but they were destined for a hard life. Their mother had become pregnant with Petunia when she was fifteen while their father had just turned sixteen. When Rose, their mother, dropped out of secondary school, Joseph, their father, had pushed through to his A levels. Scraping together a few passable scores hadn't really set the young couple up for the future.

Joseph had a natural affinity for engines and the like, so he found himself working in an auto repair shop. He was good and became the lead mechanic in short order, but it wasn't a profession by which a man becomes rich any time soon.

Lily didn't have a new frock until her Hogwarts robes. She'd worn hand me down's from Petunia her whole life. It never really bothered her, because no matter how tight money was at home, it was a firm belief in Lily Evan's mind that her parents' loved her. It helped when her dresses were thrice mended and the socks were nothing more than a spool of thread held together with a few scraps of cloth.

Having her family in good health, unafraid of the future was a dream come true for the redheaded witch. Well, unafraid except for that bastard Voldemort, that is.

She was distracted from those morose thoughts as she watched her son and his girlfriend converse in shorthand.

"You want to?" he asked, inclining his head towards his satchel.

"Sure," she replied without looking.

"Lunch?"

"No, let's do it after dinner."

James broke in, "No having sex directly after dinner. You should wait at least thirty minutes or you could get a cramp and drown."

Lily smothered a laugh as the teens blushed beet red in combined embarrassment and mortification. "Dad…"

"James, we were discussing our Arithmancy assignment from Sirius."

"Sure you were. Anyway, remember it's a counter clockwise rotation with the right hand while pointing your wand at her abdomen as you incant `Inconcievous'. Got it?"

Now Lily was laughing aloud. James could just tickle her funny bone on occasion. Other times she wanted to knee him in the bollocks, though those times were few and far between these days.

Hermione's face was so red that Lily thought the girl might have permanent blush damage. Having pity on the witch, Lily plucked the front page of the paper from her husband's hands before tossing it to the teens. "Take a look at that."

They read together, but it was obvious that Hermione read faster than Harry did. "Will this stop the Headmaster?" she asked.

It was James who answered, "It should. Dumbledore is a complete arse in many ways, but he's a political animal. He knows that he'll be crucified should he touch you for the second task. Then there's the little plot that Padfoot has cooked up with Maturin." Pointing his fork at The Smartest Witch of the Age, he reminded her, "Remember, you are Lady Hermione Granger-Black, heir of his Lordship, the Earl of Blackmoor. To some people, that means something."

Harry was still pensive, "I don't like it. We're assuming that Dumbledore won't try to take her in the middle of the night? He or his people can get in the girls' dorm any time…"

Lily smiled a wolfish smile. Pointing to the spare room of their suite she replied, "That's what that room and Rauri are for. He was most put out when James told him that someone wanted to hold our girl hostage. I doubt anyone can get past him when he's on watch."

Visibly relaxing, Harry sat back in his chair while nodding. "Good."

"You do have a far more serious task ahead of you, though," Lily informed the teens with mock gravity.

Hermione immediately twigged her meaning, so she turned to her boyfriend with an expectant expression. "What?" he asked.

"We've to open the ball," Hermione told him. When he groaned, she jabbed him in the ribs with a finger. After he yelped, she told him, "European Waltz is the next dance on our list."

"Tomorrow," James told them. "Today, you get to take a truly vile potion that ought to make you lose your lunch."

"Joy," Harry intoned with heavy sarcasm. "Can we do it tomorrow also?"

"No, son. Only today," James lobbed the sarcasm right back.

"Darn."

.oOo.

Remus had only seen James this excited a few times. Obviously, the day he married Lily and the day Harry was born were tops of the list, but this day was a very close second. There was that day back in '77 when they were pranking the entire population of the castle, but that didn't count. The prank failed.

Back and forth, Prongs paced while Harry and Hermione were in Neverland. Truth be told, he too was excited. Frowning, he turned to his old friend, "Do you want these two to run with us on Full Moon?"

Stopping short, James' brow furrowed. "I'd not thought about it. My first inclination is `no'." Looking at Moony, he asked, "What do you think?"

"My first inclination is `no' also. However, can you see either of these two listening to us? If they go through all the pain to transform, they'll see Full Moon Run as a right, not something to be denied because of overprotective parents." Shrugging, he conceded, "They may very well be lions who could kick all of our arses."

"Or a robin," James countered with a smile.

Moony smiled wanly. Full Moon was in four days and he was feeling a bit peaked. The low level nausea, cramps, fever and general discomfort would increase to the point where on the day of the Moon, he was in near agony. Lily had once called it the worst PMS of which she'd ever heard. She was brewing the Wolfsbane potion for him, which alleviated the worst of the symptoms, but not all.

Sirius opened the door before entering quietly. Narrowing his eyes at the unconscious teens, he asked, "How long?"

"They've only been out twenty minutes or so," Remus replied for James.

Grunting, Sirius moved to the couch, pulling a letter out of his robes.

"That from Maturin?"

"Yeah. He says he's got everything ready in case Dumbledore fucks up." Shaking his head, Sirius smiled, "The man is a maniac. I think he lives for this shit."

Harry began to blink while Hermione stretched. The adults tried to be restrained but couldn't help themselves. James leaned forward as he asked his son, "Well?"

Harry exchanged a look with Hermione before he turned back to his Dad. "Woof," was his reply.

Hermione smiled mischievously. "Woof," she echoed.

"YES!!" Sirius shouted. Laughing, James slid to the floor as Sirius pranced about the room shouting the superiority of canine animagi.

.oOo.

In the end, though, they all decided that pursuit of their animagus forms would be a part time effort at best.

"We've much more important things to be doing," Hermione had summed up to Harry's agreement. For sentimental reasons, though, they were going to pursue their full transformation; Harry as a Great Pyrenees dog and Hermione as a German Shepherd.

Soon enough, the holidays were on them. It was a weary Harry and Hermione who packed their trunks with a quick wave of their wands.

Lily had insisted that the teens master silent spellcasting. "The ability to silently cast spells has nothing to do with magical maturity, rather it's about a mental discipline and state of mind that's independent of their ages. They need to start now."

And that was that.

For the past six weeks, they had been driven to cast silently. Every day, all day each of their instructors were implacable about the topic. Surprisingly, Professor Flitwick was the hardest taskmaster.

There was never any other option; Harry and Hermione were going to master silent spellcasting before Christmas. Therefore, they did.

None of their tutors told the teens how impressed they were with their progress. The entire effort demanded that the two push themselves to accomplish the impossible, so the fact that they'd mastered a method of invoking magic that those two years older than them started the path toward was nothing.

Padfoot had them creating hostile wards followed by breaking them. That was really hard.

Remus made them duel while blindfolded, forcing the two to use the mage sight spell until it became second nature.

James had them mass transfiguring rubble into mammals - the hardest transfiguration that existed outside the animagus effort. By Valentine's Day, he'd promised the teens that they'd have their creations fight for them in a coherent manner.

The teens soaked up Lily's lessons like sponges. The first week she spent explaining why ingredients reacted the way they did. The relationship between the lunar ingredients and the solar, the harsh mixtures of the acidic and basic on top of the noble and eternal ingredients made the `exact art and subtle science' of potioneering infinitely more clear to both teens.

Filius had them all beaten. Hermione had a natural affinity for the creation of illusions while Harry was merely `good'. The diminutive Charms master tasked her to create an illusion of the Great Hall during their sorting to show the Marauders and Lily what they'd missed. In an attempt at a prank that misfired, Harry created an illusion of the happenings in the Chamber of Secrets.

Filius had vomited when Harry slew and was slain by the Basilisk. Lily wept while James, Sirius and Remus had stared thunderstruck as the images told the story.

Hermione had held Harry, whispering, "I love you," repeatedly as she sobbed.

By the time December 12 rolled around, Harry and Hermione needed a break.

But first, Hermione had a letter to write to her parents.

With shaking hands, she attached the soft pedalled, friendly letter to Hedwig's leg. The snowy owl must have twigged The Smartest Witch of the Age's fear, for she affectionately nipped at Hermione's hair before barking her farewell.

Hermione stood in the owlry long, watching Hedwig until the owl faded from sight. Harry stood next to his girlfriend, he arm around her shoulders.

"It'll be Ok," he told her, unconsciously mimicking the words of his godfather from a few months before. "We're together, we have our family. Your parents love you, so in time they'll realize that and act on it."

"Do they?" she whispered.

"Do they what?"

"Love me?"

Grasping the teary witch by the shoulders, Harry forced her to look him in the eye, "I don't know your parents, but I know you. If they don't love you than they don't deserve you." Delving into the heart of the matter, Harry addressed Hermione's issue of self-worth and her parents' love of her. "You're the best person I know or ever will know. You deserve the best and if they can't provide it than they can bugger off.

"I love you."

Slowly crumpling into his chest, she breathed deeply of his scent.

"I love you too."

.oOo.

"It's good to be home."

Hermione turned to her boyfriend, who was smiling in a tired way. This was probably the first time that he'd ever looked forward to leaving Hogwarts. Hooking her arm in his, she dragged him up to his room. "We need to discuss Christmas."

At his puzzled expression, she tossed her bag on the chair next to his door. Closing the door, she told him, "Presents for your parents, Sirius and Remus."

"Oh."

Rolling her eyes, she told him, "We can Floo to the Alley tomorrow or even head to the magical shopping area in Cardiff."

When he frowned, she suggested, "Why don't we go to Cardiff? You might get a little bit of privacy in Storio Ale."

"Sure. Rauri?"

The diminutive elf who'd very quickly become a favourite of both teens arrived with a small pop. "You called, my Lord?"

Hermione saw Harry shake his head a little at the title. Neither of the teens had become very used to their sudden elevation to the peerage; more amused by it than anything.

"Rauri, can you get some gold for us from my trust vault?" Harry asked.

"Of course, my Lord. How much do you require?"

With a mix of nervousness and pride, Hermione interjected, "Er, you don't need to get me any galleons. Sirius set up a vault for me." When Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise, she reminded him, "Lady Hermione here."

Harry shrugged before turning back to Rauri. Unprompted, the elf told Hermione, "My Lady, I shall require written permission from yourself to withdraw funds from your vault as I am bound to the House of Richmond and your vault is of House Blackmoor."

Nodding to herself, she zipped to Harry's desk, wrote out the needed permission before sealing it with a spell Sirius had taught her. This spell took the place of the old fashioned wax seal as it magically verified the sealer of the missive.

"One hundred galleons each should do the trick, Rauri. Thank you."

Bowing low, Rauri intoned, "I shall return shortly."

When the elf disappeared, the teens simultaneously looked to each other. Feeling a bit giddy, Hermione asked, "Was that the weirdest thing we've done in the past few months or what?"

A laughing Harry took her into his arms. After kissing her thoroughly, he breathlessly told her, "I don't know, but it's close."

.oOo.

Focusing more on book learning than the practical demonstration of magic, the training schedule for the teens continued while at Rowan Hill. Harry was accompanying his father to Gringotts when James told him, "We can go outside to cast these charms. I don't think your Mum would like us destroying half the house with the Siege Engine Spell."

James laughed when Harry snorted before replying, "Forget Mum, can you imagine what Rauri would do to us?" Remembering how the house was tastefully decorated for the upcoming holidays, he rolled his eyes. Rauri would have a fit should anything be slightly out of place, much less wanton destruction.

Lily and Hermione were out doing Christmas shopping for their men while Remus paid a visit to his parent's graves. It was a yearly visit for him right before Christmas. He'd been infected on December 23 of 1970. His parents had died defending him from the beast he found out later was Fenrir Greyback.

Sirius was accompanying their old friend on this visit. In the past it had sometimes been James, sometimes all the Marauders had gone to pay their respects to the late Donald and Georgiana Lupin. This year, Remus had asked Sirius to accompany him.

James didn't feel left out. It was a very emotional visit for Remus, even after all these years. It was a visceral reminder of all that he'd lost due to Lycanthropy combined with the basic loss of his family.

Harry and his Father had started their day alone talking about the family. About what it meant to be The Potter, Earl of Richmond and Baron Potter of Gwynedd.

"Not much, and yet it means quite a bit," James had summed up for Harry. "The titles are so much empty air, but the position our family has held in British magical society is that of leadership." Waving his hand at Harry, James added, "This whole The Boy-Who-Lived thing is the same. It means about the same as a pile of beans, but people look to you as a symbol of hope." Rolling his eyes as he remembered the newspaper articles about him and Lily since their `return', James added, "I suppose they look to your Mum and me in the same way now, too.

"The point is that we have to put our family first. In doing so, we stand up for the light. The dark wizards decimated the Potter family because they knew we'd resist." Harry frowned at his Dad's logic, so James continued, "They'll always come for us. To take care and protect our family, we've to stop those bastards. Either with our wand or our vote," he referred to their Wizengamot seat, "we need to stop them."

It was heart-warming for James to see Harry in such violent agreement on so many principles that he'd held dear. While his son was a Gryffindor, James had been afraid that Vernon and Petunia had driven some of what was good from his son in their animalistic treatment of Harry.

Nervously pulling at his collar, Harry asked, "Do we really need to go to this party tonight?"

"Yes," James replied. "The Bones family has hosted a Christmas party on the 23^rd for centuries and a Potter has always attended." He paused as he considered his statement, "Well, always attended when we could. The Bones are long time friends of our family and powerful in the Wizengamot." Harry rolled his eyes causing James to pull him up short with a sharp bark, "It's important, young man. Don't roll your eyes. You'll one day sit in the seat and you've a long bit of learning in front of you."

Chastised, Harry nodded as he muttered, "Right, sorry about that."

Sighing, James admitted, "I had this same conversation with my Dad when I was your age and he ended up shouting at me too, so don't feel bad." Staring off out of the window, James told his son, "I've had so many friends slaughtered. So many faceless people - good people most likely - who were killed by Voldemort and his ilk. I didn't know Edgar Bones very well before he was killed, but I understood that he was a good man."

With an earnest expression, he turned to his son, "If we can save just one person by our actions in the Wizengamot, it's our duty to do so, don't you think?"

Moved by his father's passion, Harry met James' gaze before nodding firmly. "It is. Can you begin to tell me what I need?"

Gifting Harry his genuine smile of affection, James told his son, "Later, first we've business to tend," as he gestured to the entry hall fireplace and the Floo powder pot.

As James helped his hapless-Floo-Travelling son to his feet, he cast a quick cleansing charm on the teen. "One of these days…" Harry muttered.

"What? You'll actually Floo travel in a dignified manner?" James snarked.

"No, I'll demolish the fireplace so that we can only Apparate or Portkey."

James laughed as they headed toward the imposing edifice of the Goblin run bank.

A mischievous smile flitted over Harry's face. "You know, I almost pranked you the other day."

Frowning, James' silent query prompted Harry to continue. "You know how you're always messing with the Goblins about their names?" James eyes flashed with a hint of fear as they narrowed. "Well, I was going to stop midway during signing the forms to relinquish control of the family assets back to you. You'd have to sign a form that would allow the Goblins to call you a specific name. Otherwise, I'd have kept the galleons."

"What name?" James asked with more than a bit of trepidation. This was his son, after all.

"I couldn't decide between Lord Port-a-Potty and Lord Todger. Either way, my hand was cramping too much to play about, I just wanted to get it all over." Harry's wide smile gave James a shiver.

"Well, thank Merlin that you are a poofter when having to write anything."

"Poofter!" Harry exclaimed in mock outrage.

"Poofter."

Both Potters chuckled at James' near miss while they climbed into a cart to take them to the family vaults. "So why are we here?" Harry asked.

Shrugging, James told him, "Same reason I showed you the grimoire and our little chat this morning; you're the heir and need to know some things about the family."

"Isn't that what we've been doing all day?"

"Yeah, but if that Halloween taught me anything, it's to not take our lives for granted."

With this sobering thought, they hurtled down the tracks to the bowels of the bank in silence, lost in their thoughts.

.oOo.

James approached the Potter Family Vault, not stopping as the magic of the area recognized him as the Lord of the Family and therefore, opening for him and the Heir.

Stepping aside, he gestured for Harry to precede him. He shoved down a smile at what he anticipated his son's reaction to the vault.

"Er, Dad?" Harry asked with a hesitant voice.

"Yeah?"

"Are you sure this is the right vault?"

Now smiling, James replied, "Pretty sure. Let me double check." Hustling out the door, James made a spectacle of checking the number atop the door. Running back in the vault, he puffed, "Yup, vault seven. That's us. Has been for a thousand years or so."

Harry turned about the small space which was nearly empty. With a diffident gesture, he asked, "Where's all the gold, though?"

"Gold?" James asked, puzzlement evident.

That gave it away. "Ok, Prongs," Harry blurted. "That's enough."

James chuckled. "Have you no magical sense, son of mine?" Pointing to a large chest, he asked, "What do you think that is?"

Confused, Harry replied, "A trunk?"

James rolled his eyes, "No, it's over a billion Galleons." When Harry's face stayed confused, James added, "Space Expansion charms."

After face palming, Harry muttered, "Ok, I'm an idiot."

"Don't worry about it. I want you to look here." Moving over to a tall dresser, James pulled out a series of wide but shallow drawers. He heard his son's breath catch as he saw the contents.

"These are the most priceless of our families magical heirlooms. Most aren't all that nifty nowadays, but all have been forged, wrought or crafted by Potters. The magic of the family ensures we must keep them in the family. Entailed as it were."

With fond remembrance, James watched Harry run his hands over the battle axe forged in the Welsh smithy that once stood at Rowan Hill. Euan ap Owain created the magical axe in the fourth century. The leather wrapping of the handle had long since been lost to time, but the steel head and shaft glimmered as if they'd just been doused in the tempering waters next to the anvil.

Just as his father had done for him, James did for his son by telling the stories of each item.

"This is the coronet given to the family by Arthur when he bestowed the Richmond title on the family. It's the only exception to the `Potter Created' rule in the case." Gesturing to the drawers, he began to walk Harry through the family's more tangible history.

Portable Ward stones created by Aneirin Potter in 1054.

A pensieve crafted by Gwil Potter in 587.

A quarterstaff with a magical core, capped in mithril, created by Cadomedd Potter in 1108.

A shield crafted of Welsh Green Dragonscales wrought by Hadyn Potter in 324.

Much of the cache was weapons, as the more useful items were at Rowan Hill for the family's use. However, the most expensive things were also held in the vault until they were needed.

Harry's hand hovered over the bracelet. James smiled a sad smile. "Pick it up." he softly encouraged his son. When Harry reverently scooped up the magnificent work of art, he hefted it.

"How is it so light?"

"Mithril."

"Dad, mithril is just an invention in Lord of the Rings. It's not real."

James regarded his son with more than a bit of annoyance. "Hello? Father here who grew up with this stuff. If I say it's mithril, that's what it is."

They both fell silent as they regarded the artisanship of Aine Potter of that which she wrought for her daughter in 1164. The bracelet appeared to be a series of cords or wires about half the thickness of your smallest finger. They looped and wove, darted amongst themselves to create a pattern that was obviously deliberate in its complexity and randomness.

Those wizards and witches who were not married off via contract and therefore allowed to pursue a marriage based on love and affection usually bonded with their intended far, far earlier than the non-magical counterparts. Maybe it was the type of training Hogwarts provided. They were taught from a very young age to responsibly handle lethal weapons. Maybe it was the nature of magic; searching, seeking and looking for its counterpart.

Whatever the reason, most magical couples married young. Those that didn't marry young, usually married foreigners when grown and further exposure to the wider world became possible. It was anecdotal evidence that they just hadn't found `the right one' yet.

James didn't need Legilimancy to read his son's thoughts. Harry wanted to give it to Hermione, but was scared.

"Why wouldn't you give it to her?" he asked.

When Harry shrugged in a non-committal manner, James was a bit hurt. He thought that he and Harry had built a fairly good relationship, the aftermath of the first task notwithstanding. Eventually, Harry murmured, "What if she doesn't want all that this entails?"

"You mean eventual marriage, sprogs and lots of hot, sweaty sex."

The faint smile and nod prompted James to place his hand gently on Harry's shoulder. With a reassuring tone, he asked, "Didn't she tell you that she'd always be there for you? Didn't she tell you that she wanted to be the mother of your children?"

"Yeah, she did."

"Well then, there's your answer."

Nodding to himself, he picked up the velvet bag the bracelet had rested on before slipping the bracelet into the bag and then into his pocket.

"My mother was the last Potter to wear it," James told his son. "I'd be proud to see Hermione wear it."

.oOo.

Hermione and Lily were giggling like little girls as the redhead side-along Apparated the younger witch home. Hefting her bottomless shopping bag to her shoulder, Hermione cried, "I can't believe you said that to him!"

Rolling her eyes, Lily Potter bluntly told The Smartest Witch of the Age, "Ludo Bagman has always been a moron and a letch. He was slapped so many times at school for `accidentally' feeling up girls that I think he set a record. Combined with his mania for Quidditch, it's a wonder he can cast the Colour Changing charm."

They both laughed as they moved to the main staircase. Hermione was still in more than a little awe of the house. While not Blenheim Palace's size, Rowan Hill was the superior to the Duke of Richmond's home in decoration and style. One of the benefits of magic was that the Potters hadn't bankrupted themselves over the years to maintain their near-palatial home, where the Churchills were routinely trying to find new ways to finance the upkeep of their magnificent home.

Skipping up the marble steps, Hermione hoped that Harry liked the gift she'd purchased for him. Well, the public gift, that is. The lacy number she'd picked up at Witch's Secret wasn't for public consumption.

Humming Away in a Manger, Hermione put away her purchases in the massive room that she'd stayed in during their initial visit. Lily had informed the teenaged witch that as a matter of course, the room was now hers.

Frowning, Hermione reflected on the dichotomy of her feelings. Her virtual disownment by her parents was not a rarity in the magical or mundane world. She knew of three teens who'd been tossed out of their homes for various reasons; some valid, others not so valid.

She'd still not received a response to the letter she'd sent her parents. Sirius had been very helpful by not making a fuss, just treating her as if it was another day. That helped, but in the end, she felt the loss of her parents keenly.

In contrast was her unconditional acceptance into the houses of Blackmoor and Richmond. She knew that at first, her inclusion into the family was due to her relationship with Harry. Now, she was an integral part of the two families and a member in her own right. Without artifice or pride, Hermione knew she was entrenched in the greater Richmond-Blackmoor family in her own right - as Hermione.

All of it came back around to Harry: her love, best friend and hopefully much more after this night was concluded.

The knock on the door derailed her more lascivious thoughts. Shoving the bag to the back of her walk in closet, she called, "Hold on!"

Once the bag was obscured by her dress robes, she hustled to the door. Opening it, she found her boyfriend shuffling his feet and noticeably nervous.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey, yourself. Come on in," she beckoned as she shut the door behind him. Amusedly confused, she watched him begin to pace in front of the crackling fire. Deciding to wait him out, she took a seat in the chair next to his path of pacing.

Finally, he stopped before turning to her.

"I love you."

Smiling widely, she replied, "I love you, too." Silently, she watched him pull a velvet bag from his pocket. Forcing down her curiosity, she waited for him to speak. This was obviously a big deal for him.

"I know it's the day before Christmas, but I want to give you this so it's not a `Holiday Gift'. I want you to have this for what it means. What it means to me, to you and to my family."

Her breath hitched as he pulled the bracelet out of the bag.

"Mithril," she whispered. Her reverent awe of the object in her boyfriend's hand was shattered when he snorted.

"I told Dad that Mithril was just something from Tolkien. You recognize it immediately. Figures."

Hermione smiled briefly before her eyes refocused on the bracelet.

"This was wrought in Eleven-Sixty-Four by Aine Potter, for her daughter, Maire."

"Aine was Gryffindor's wife, right?"

"Yeah."

Glancing at his face, she saw that he was pale and sweaty. Pushing her inquisitiveness to the side, she stood, rubbing his back. "What's wrong?"

Harry took a calming breath before telling her, "Let me finish and you'll understand." She nodded before retaking her seat. Now, she focused more on the boy than the bracelet.

"This," he hefted the bracelet still in the palm of his left hand, "Is magically entailed in the Potter family."

"Oh," she replied, her massive intellect immediately coming to the conclusion that made him so nervous. Harry was going to gift her the bracelet. Should she accept it, they would be, for all intents and purposes, betrothed.

There was no real thought required for her, though. She'd thought it through after the Rita Skeeter interview and the offer of Protection from Sirius. She'd thought it through when her parents had cast her from their home. The highly analytical mind of The Smartest Witch of the Age had gone through all the permutations, combinations and issues regarding her future with Harry. Magic itself seemed to bind them, but in the end, she couldn't live without him, nor did she want to live without him.

Deliberately meeting his gaze, she smiled and waited.

He let go a shuddering breath of relief. With a much easier air about him, he knelt before her. "Would you accept this bracelet as a token of my affection, esteem and love with all that it entails?"

She smiled, again. His Dad had to have prompted him about what to ask, but she didn't care. Leaning forward, she passionately kissed him before pulling back to reply.

"Yes. I shall, with all that it entails."

.oOo.

The portkey deposited the family in the entry hall of The Ossuary, the Bones family home. Harry couldn't help but notice when Hermione's bracelet bumped into his arm. After gifting her the beautiful mithril creation, she immediately placed it on her right wrist. The snogging session that followed left both teens wearing far less clothing than they started.

The Boy-Who-Lived recognized Susan Bones who was standing next to a woman to whom the teenaged witch was obviously related. The witch was in her late fifties with Susan's shocking red hair that was beginning to streak with grey. Cut short, it emphasized her delicate features, which were offset by the odd monocle the woman wore.

Harry couldn't help but notice that the elder Bones had the same bust line as her younger relation. Quickly, Harry looked away from the twin edifices before his girlfriend caught him noticing. Not that Hermione's weren't good enough, though. On more than one occasion, he'd complemented her on `the girls'.

Nodding to Susan, Harry followed his Dad to the elder woman who he found out was Amelia Bones, Director of Magical Law Enforcement. After the friendly but distant formalities of greeting were accomplished, the Potters and Hermione moved into the house. In the middle of the hall was a tall woman that Harry vaguely remembered from somewhere, but couldn't place her.

"Lady Augusta," James greeted with a deep bow.

There was a moment when Harry was taken aback as the elder Longbottom embraced James and Lily. From everything he'd ever heard from Neville, his Gran was a distant sort of woman, yet here she was embracing the Potters in the middle of a very public place. It was a quiet embrace between those who have known and cared for each other. He had to listen especially close to here the woman murmur, "It's very good to have you back. You've been missed."

Lily replied for herself and her husband, "It's good to be back, Augusta."

With one last squeeze, they separated, Lily and Augusta dabbing at their eyes with lacy handkerchiefs. James half turned to Harry and Hermione, "Augusta, You've not seen him in a while, but this is our Harry and his friend, Hermione."

A kind smile peeked out of the woman's wrinkled face, "I last saw you as a babe in arms, Harry. It's good to meet you." Turning to Hermione, Augusta greeted her, "I've heard much of you from both Neville and his Susan. It's good to meet you as well."

Nodding with a half blush, Hermione replied, "It's good to meet you, Ma'am."

Augusta gave a half nod, in acknowledgement. Her gaze was caught by an older wizard who was beckoning to her from the far side of the room and the taciturn mask for which she was so well known, returned. "I'm sure that I'll see you later. Neville's inside."

Moving in to the house toward the party, Harry asked his Dad, "What was all that about?"

"Augusta Longbottom is a good woman who helped me quite a bit when your grandparents were killed. She was the executor of the estate who helped guide me in my first steps as Lord Richmond. As the widowed wife of another head of house, she helped me understand what the hell I was doing in the Wizengamot. What I owe Augusta Longbottom can never be repaid."

The emotion in James voice struck Harry. He'd seen his Dad angry, in a rage even. Mischievous didn't even cover those amused moods, and the sober, sad moments when considering Harry's youth were poignant. However, the grateful tone he used when speaking of the elder Longbottom surprised Harry. It passed quickly, though.

"Come on," he shouted. Taking Lily by the waist, he dragged her into the ballroom, "Let's dance!"

Harry smiled, scooping up Hermione's hand as they headed out to the dance floor. As he took her in his arms, Harry was once again struck at how beautiful his girlfriend was. Granted, he knew that most of the boys in the fourth year dorm thought Hermione to be `decent looking'. However, to him, she was beautiful. To top it, this night, she was stunning. Her hair up in a French braid exposing her delectable neck while the strapless gown gave Harry a stunning expanse of creamy skin. Her midnight blue silk gown shimmered and clung to her curves…

Shuddering, he ruthlessly supressed his desire.

Driving Hermione in an open frame waltz, they found Susan and Neville on the far side of the dance floor. The other teenaged couple was dancing much less energetically than Harry and Hermione. Where The Boy-Who-Lived and The Smartest Witch of the Age were in high spirits, it was obvious that Neville and Susan were in a much more…loving…mood.

"Oh, no, let's leave them be," Hermione urged her boyfriend when she saw Neville sneak a kiss from Susan.

"Too late," Harry murmured when Susan noticed the approaching couple, her face lighting up in a smile.

"Here's the couple I owe for making him get off his duff," the feisty redhead teased. When Neville began blushing, she wormed a hand into his ribs to tickle him.

Hermione laughed while Harry smiled. "He just needed a little encouragement, that's all."

The four teens made their way to a refreshment table. The lads fetched their girls a glass of eggnog. Susan surreptitiously sniffed it before wrinkling her nose. "Smells like grog."

Harry laughed, "And when have you drunk grog?"

"You're about to wear some grog."

"Ah, right then," he backpedalled before Susan's straight face gave way to giggles.

They chatted and danced the night away. Harry was a bit thrown the first time he danced with Susan. He was so used to Hermione and her dance `mannerisms' that it took him a second or two to catch up, but got there in the end.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked his girlfriend at the next turn.

Her beaming smile was all the answer she needed, but she told him, "Immensely. I had no idea this type of party would be so much fun." Giving him a heated look, she added, "But I think it's more the company than the event."

.oOo.

Harry was taking his mother for a turn while James danced with Hermione. He'd thought it would be awkward dancing with his mother, but Lily was in bubbly spirits more prone to teasing and laughing than correcting his dance.

"Good Lord, look at that woman! She looks like a miniature troll!" Lily exclaimed under her breath.

Laughing, Harry turned them in order to see whom his mother was referring. "The witch in the red dress," Lily prompted.

"Oh, my…" The poor woman was short, squat, ugly as sin and completely unaware of it. Even with her makeup applied by a trowel, it did nothing to hide her unfortunate genes. Both Potters recoiled when she turned her reptilian gaze on them. There was an inherent malice in the woman's scrutiny that caused a shiver down Harry's back.

Turning away from the woman, Harry drove his mother through the crowd to the far side of the room. "You've become much better," Lily commented. "It's not easy driving through a crowded dance floor like this."

Harry shrugged off the complement. Smiling, Lily commented, "I see that Hermione accepted the bracelet."

This observation incited a wide grin by her son. "Should your father and I approach Sirius any time soon?"

Horrified, Harry replied, "No thank you. I think that Hermione and I can take care of the rest by ourselves."

Rolling her eyes, Lily told her son, "James and Sirius will need to do some paperwork. Obviously, there won't be a contract between the families, but this is the Richmond and Blackmoor Heirs that will be marrying someday. It's the combination of two substantial fortunes.

Contemplating, Harry thought about the situation from the position his mother put forth. The Lady Hermione Granger-Black, heiress of the Blackmoor title, properties and monies was a formidable person in society. Linking herself with the Baron Potter of Gwynedd, heir to the Earl of Richmond and one of the richest wizard's in the country…Harry could see her point.

"What do we need to do?" he asked.

Before Lily could reply, James scudded up to them, Hermione in tow. "I need to go," he informed his family. "Sirius is…well he's having a hard time so I'll get him home."

All frowned at the nebulous statement. At Lily's unspoken prodding, James explained a bit. "He's in his cups and not dealing too well with his first Christmas since his unofficial release from Azkaban."

"Got it," Lily replied. Harry was grateful for her discretion. He caught Hermione's eye before cocking an eyebrow in query. Her nod was all he needed.

Turning, he found Neville and Susan dancing not too far away. Catching them on the turn, he made their excuses before hustling to the entry hall to catch up with the rest of his family.

Hermione was waiting for him, her fur stole draped over her shoulders, his cape in her arm. Silently, he took it from her before twirling it over his shoulders.

"Your Dad left this for us," she told him as she held up the used invitation for the party.

Nodding, he turned to see Director Bones watching them with a waiting expression. "Ma'am," Harry began. "Hermione and I have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves this evening. Our only regret is our early departure. Thank you for inviting us to your pleasurable assembly."

After the polite nod of acknowledgement, Harry bowed while Hermione curtseyed. Neither were very deep, as the Bones family, while prominent, was not titled. Hermione had drilled Sirius, James and Lily about protocol for the previous two days on top of reading two books. She had told Harry that she was not about to embarrass her family due to her ignorance.

The swirl of the portkey brought the teens home. "Rauri," Harry called. Rowan Hill was far too large to search for James or Lily. Rauri would instinctively know where everyone was in the house.

The arrival of the major domo prompted Hermione to ask, "Rauri, where is Lord Blackmoor?"

"He is sleeping in his rooms, my Lady. The Master and Mistress escorted him thence just a few minutes ago. I believe they administered a Sleeping Draught."

Harry was still caught up every time that Rauri went `all formal' on them. He felt as if he were being dipped in Jane Austen for the moment. He kept expecting Captain Wentworth or Colonel Brandon to come into the room at any moment.

Shaking off the digression, he wrapped his arm about Hermione. She'd taken a shine to her Pad Footed Father so Harry knew she was probably fretting for his well-being. "Rauri, where are my parents?" Best find out ground truth and his parents would know what was really going on with his godfather. It seemed to Harry that he worried worse when there as a vagueness about the situation. His imagination always ran wild with the silliest extremes.

"They are in the Master's study, my Lord."

"Thank you, Rauri," Harry replied as he and Hermione stepped off together to James' workspace. A minute later, Harry opened the door for Hermione without knocking.

Obviously, Hermione didn't notice the lack of knock as she strode into the room. Fortunately, James was sitting on the coffee table across from his wife as they talked in low tones.

Hearing the door open, James turned to face his son. "You know, you could have very well walked in on something you really didn't want to see. I think you were conceived in this room. Next time give a knock."

"Ugh, Dad. Too much information. Far too much information, but I'll knock from now on."

"Good. What's up?"

"How's Sirius?" Hermione asked as she twirled her bracelet about her wrist.

James sighed as he shifted to a seat on the couch next to Lily. "He's asleep for now." Shaking his head, he added, "Sirius has never really been enthusiastic about the holidays. When he first came here he would hide in his rooms over hols. He only put forth an effort after you were born," James nodded to Harry. "I think he was starting over, as it were. He never explained, but he hinted that Yule for the Black family was not much of a celebration."

"Add to that the aftereffects of a dozen years with the Dementors…" Lily added.

"Can we do anything?" Hermione asked, a helpless note to her question.

"Not really," James replied. "Just keep on being here and don't treat him any differently than you have all break."

Nodding glumly, the teens stood to leave. Harry noticed the exchange of `looks' between his girlfriend and his mother. He and Hermione headed out toward the second floor where the family bedrooms were located. Hermione stopped in front of her door, chewing on her lip. "Go ahead to your room. I'll be down in a little bit."

Puzzled, Harry gave her a soft kiss, "Sure. See you soon."

.oOo.

Hermione lay cuddled in the arms of her lover. Harry had almost passed out from amazement when, after re-joining him in his room, she shed her robe to reveal the lingerie beneath. She had been surprised that once he recovered from his shock that she didn't need to cajole him into bed.

Harry was an extremely respectful lover who never pushed her physical boundaries. Part of it, she was sure, was an underlying fear that he'd drive her off should he be more `hands on' than she desired. Part of it was also a reflection of his shyness. Either way, she was somewhat surprised when, after a moment of admiration of her body, he'd swept her up on to his bed.

Their joining had been wonderful, even if a bit tentative due to their inexperience. Fortunately, Hermione had had a rather painful fall as a young child that relieved her of the throes of her loss of maidenhood.

Snuggling into his arms, she breathed deeply of their combined scent. The musk of their lovemaking hung in the room, mixing with that unique scent that just screamed `Harry'. Shifting, for despite her lack of intact hymen she was still a bit sore, she prodded Harry awake.

"Hmmm, alright, love?" he muttered.

Placing a kiss on his neck, she told him, "Never better. You?"

"What do you think? I have the best witch on the planet in my arms and we're both naked. I think I've never been happier."

"So, is it the `witch' part of your statement or the `naked' part which is making you so happy?" she teased.

He laughed in response. "Both."

Chuckling, they settled down for a long winter's nap. It had been the best day of her life.

.oOo.

Christmas Eve day was Lily's favourite day of the year. The house was primed and decorated, the family in anticipation of gifts and wonderful meals. The societal gatherings were done with so the family retreated to their home, venturing out only for the inevitable last minute purchase. Which is where Sirius and James were right now.

Looking across the table, she saw Hermione and Harry reading their assignment for the day. Everyone had agreed that the teens would continue their studies through the holidays, pausing only for Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Watching her son and his girlfriend, she could tell something was different, but couldn't put her finger on it.

Glancing at Remus, she saw a small smile on the lycanthrope's face. When he saw her watching him, his smile widened at her confused expression.

Whatever.

Settling down into her needlework, Lily kept on. She wanted to finish this by the afternoon so as to gift it to Hermione in the morning.

.oOo.

Remus was very aware of the change in Harry and Hermione's…situation. Her scent was all over him, and his all over her. Added to that was that unique scent of those recently intimate and the conclusion was obvious.

Pursing his lips, Remus wondered if the teens weren't too young to be intimate. Surely they were committed to each other and would most likely by wed before she turned eighteen. At the same time, Harry was still a very young fourteen. Shaking his head, he corrected himself; Harry was a very old fourteen.

.oOo..

Images, impressions and flashes of memory are what we usually retain from the holidays.

.oOo.

James watched his family open presents. The wonder in Harry's face was reflective of his enjoyment of the experience, not necessarily the gifts. He did like the wireless that Hermione got for him, though.

Remus had pulled James aside earlier to tell him of his suspicions regarding the teens intimacy. He'd talk to Harry about it later. Christmas wasn't the time.

.oOo.

Lily laughed heartily as Sirius transfigured his own robes to a mini-skirt/Father Christmas getup; white fur peeking out of the plunging neckline mixing with his dark chest hair. Padfoot dancing a Tango with a simulacrum of Amelia Bones was hilarious in a very twisted way.

Wiping the tears from her face, she was grateful her brother in all but blood was beginning to heal.

.oOo.

Hermione clutched to her chest the book gifted to her by James and Lily. It was an Omni-Book for the Potter library. The first page had a scrolling list of every book in the library. A wand tap brought the contents of the selected book to the Omni-Book for reading.

It wasn't the knowledge aspect of the book which made it so priceless, though that did make her hunger to sit with the book for a few days. Rather, the acceptance shown by James and Lily in gifting this familial proprietary magical object to her. By gifting her unlimited access to the Potter library, they were confirming and embracing Harry's gift of the bracelet. Hermione Granger-Black was a Potter now in all but name.

.oOo.

Sirius smiled as he hefted the complete works of Led Zeppelin. Hermione had discovered the translation spell for muggle to magical recording and laboriously transferred the collected works of Messrs' Plant, Page, Bonham and Jones to magical recording, knowing that he loved to get the Led out.

Hermione made him feel needed and useful. Padfoot wanted to give to her that which he'd never received from Orion and Walburga Black. He hoped that she understood the significance of him granting her access to the Black Family Vault as one of her gifts.

.oOo.

This was the first Christmas where Remus wasn't financially strapped as he shopped for his friends' gifts. Nonetheless, he found that he still purchased gifts that were substantially less than a king's fortune. Lily loved the updated Potions Master's Guide. She'd quipped that her copy was thirteen years out of date.

James had smiled when he saw the new snitch. Immediately, he let it go only to recapture it before it got too far away.

Sirius had laughed at the dog bowl and box of dog treats. Inside the empty box was a framed photo of all present that was snapped during their little jaunt to Paris.

Harry looked to his Uncle Moony with understanding in his eyes as he unwrapped Magical Careers: A Guidebook.

Hermione had squealed as she opened the small box to find two tickets to the London Symphony Orchestra's next performance of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. This gift was the most expensive as they seats were in the orchestra pit.

Now that he had money from James' will, Remus had it driven home to him that family and love was far more important than gold. Granted, having a quantity of gold in one's Gringotts account made life a bit less stressful. He reflected upon his Christmas from five years before, shuddering at the desolation and loneliness he felt as he had illuminated his little tree, the only one in the room.

Looking around he saw his family. Love lost and found. Family reborn and family found anew. Tears brimmed over as Remus' heart overflowed with joy, love and happiness.

A/N

1. I own nothing. Thanks to all who reviewed the first six chapters. Story status, as always, can be found on my Author's page on FanFiction(dot)net.

2. Recommendation for the chapter is Tempus Fugit, by MattD. It's an excellent post DH/EWE story. As usual, Matt puts out a quality product.

3. Before the uproar begins, I'd like to remind everyone that at this stage of the story, Snape hasn't had to defend his mind against outright attack in over ten years. Therefore, when Lily lashes out at him, he's unprepared for the attack. Combined with his `Lily issues', the man was wide open when she hit him.

4. My kids were watching HP & SS movie today. As I ghosted through the family room while doing one of a thousand chores (hello! Dad here!), I caught the scene in the library where Hermione makes the comment about `a little light reading' to which Ron makes some snarky comment. The glare that young Emma Watson shot at Rupert Grint made me stop and laugh aloud. My kids thought that Dad had finally lost it, but that expression by the actress just seemed so true to character that it really tickled my funny bone.

5. The Lord Port-a-Potty and Lord Todger prank came from a review by Bobmin. Again. I think I'm going to have to give Bob and Alyx co-authorship credits here soon should we keep this up! ;) If you haven't read Saying No, by them, make the time. Humorous and poignant by turns, it's another quality story by our favourite husband & wife team. Or are they the only husband and wife team? Hmmmm…..

6. I had hoped to get to the Yule Ball in this chapter, maybe even the second task, but that's obviously impossible without creating a Harry and Gabi sized chapter (that story isn't dead! Talk to the muse about story priorities!). Those events will be in Chapter 8.

Chapter finished 8/19/2011

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