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• Chapter 1 - Beginnings Chapter 2 - Orphans and a Hermione Moment Chapter 3 - Weasleys Woes Chapter 4 - Labor Pains Chapter 5 - Relationship building Chapter 6 - Far Reaching Decisions Chatper 7 - And so it begins Chapter 8 - Score one for the good guys Chapter 9 - The Pain of Birth Chapter 10 - Angels and Weddings Chapter 11 - Honeymoon Surprises Chapter 12 - Wives speak out and an Azkaban Field Trip Chapter 13 - Aftermath and a Reckoning Chapter 14 - Healing Conversations Chapter 15 - Dinner Guests and Mad-Eye Madness Chapter 16 - Politics and Angels Chapter 17 - Trick or Treat Chapter 18 - Whispers in the dark Chapter 19 - Difficult Times for all Chapter 20 - A Matter for Kings and Philosophers Chapter 21 - Christmas in Haven Chapter 22 - Pregnancy, Snorkacks and Luna rocks Chapter 23 - Muddying the Waters Chapter 24 - Dangerous Dagger Dilemma Chapter 25 - French Fried Troubles Chapter 26 - The pain of loss Chapter 27 - Necromancers, Amy and Trials Chapter 28 - An Elf in hot water Chapter 29 - The coming dawn Chapter 30 - Sunrise Over Britain Chapter 31 - A New Day Chapter 32 - Taking Stock Chapter 33 - Of Endings and Beginnings
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Standard Disclaimer:
Bob walked out onto the stage then stopped and turned to look at someone offstage.

"What!" He said in exasperation.

"This is not fair, I'm tired of you always writing the disclaimer," Alyx said with a whine.

Bob placed his hands on his hips. "And what's wrong with the way I write disclaimers?"

"Oh nothing, they are just peachy," came the flippant reply.

Bob ground his teeth and stared at his pouting wife.

"Well?"

"Nothing!"

Alyx walked onto the stage and glared at Bob.

"Fine! Do you want to write this chapter's disclaimer?" Bob asked in resignation.

Alyx perked up immediately. "Can I?"

Bob nodded and walked away muttering to himself. "I'm going to regret this."

Alyx stepped back and the stage filled with fluffy decorations. In the distance, across a gently wave lapped lake one could see Hogwarts, its lights shining like a welcoming beacon in the darkness.

Severus Snape stepped onto the stage and moved to the center, admiring the scenery. "I must say, this is far better than anything I've seen before," he said with a slight bow to Alyx.

"Suck up," Bob muttered darkly.

Severus looked out over the vast audience and music started to play. In the background behind Snape a herd of Hippogriffs wearing tutus started to dance in a chorus line.

"My delightful hostess," Snape said silkily, "has invited me here tonight to tell you that neither Bob, nor Alyx, one of my most dearest fans, makes no claim to any rights regarding Harry Potter and the Potter Universe. On a more personal note, I would like to extend my thanks to Alyx for writing this disclaimer as I have been told that had Bob written it, I most likely would have been wearing nothing but a cock ring which is drool rip off from the movie Pump up the Volume."

Suddenly there was an animal scream and dozens of hippogriffs came crashing down on Snape killing him.

Off to one side Bob could be seen putting away an empty bag of marbles and muttering to himself. "I still think the cock ring idea would have worked."

"I hate you. You do know that don't you?" Alyx hissed angrily.

"Yes dear."

"You know? The cock ring idea could work," Alyx mused thoughtfully.

Bob glared at Alyx. "You just want to see Alan Rickman naked don't you."

"Of course," Alyx replied while buffing her nails.

"I hate you!" Bob hissed angrily.

"Yes dear."

---

---

Padfoot Manor (June 30th)...

Harry looked at the object on his desk and smiled wanly at his guests. Remus, Hermione, Miles and Amelia sat in their own seats in front of his desk and all, except Hermione, tried to put up a solid show of support. It hadn't helped any that Dobby had delivered the offending meal, all the while complaining about witches not belonging in his kitchen. Hermione colored, hearing the comment, then her eyes widened slightly seeing the blackened lump of strudel Dobby had delivered to Harry's desk.

Harry looked at the strudel and broke off a piece with his fork.

Remus watched the young witch carefully. When her attention was fixed elsewhere, he banished his strudel along with Amelia's and Miles'. He then smiled and watched as Harry bit into the inedible mass.

"The economy in Haven are really starting to take off, Harry. I know that normally Bill Weasley gives this report, but since he's busy this morning, and as I have some other good news, he asked me to pass along," Remus said in a neutral tone. The aging marauder had been trying, successfully, not to laugh at Harry's plight with the... mis-concocted confection.

Harry looked at Remus gratefully and put his fork down on the plate, then tossed his napkin on top of it. He pretended not to notice Hermione's eyes narrowing.

"Oh? What have you got for me today, Remus?"

"We now have a total of thirty retail businesses open in the town. Bill's successfully brought in a cauldron making company, as well. In other news, I'm pleased to tell you that Granger Publications picked up their first large, school sponsored order. The American Department of Magic has ordered the study guide for all first year students entering their school system. This is a major order and will put Granger Publications firmly on the map. After this, other countries will seriously consider the study guide for their own educational system," Remus explained.

"That is good news. I'm glad to see the town starting to work for itself."

"There was never any doubt of it, in my mind," Amelia told Harry gently.

He turned to look at her in surprise.

"Most of your experience with our world has been negative, Harry. Voldemort, Dumbledore, Snape, attacks and monsters. The average wizard family wants only to have their children grow up happy and healthy. Your parents would have wanted the same thing for you, had they lived. The average wizard or witch may seem strange, but in the end, they're just people. They go to work, they spend time with their families, they laugh and love. You gave them the basics, now they're doing the rest."

Harry seemed to ponder that for a while before nodding. "I guess I do come off as sounding a bit cynical," he mused.

"Now that we have the town business finished, I might as well talk about what is happening on the diplomatic front," Amelia said, adjusting her monocle.

"Miles has the information from the captured Death Eaters, so I won't go into that. The American and Canadian Governments, as well as the Irish, are extremely pleased with our first joint operation. The Americans are talking about making a larger force available to us when we make our push back into Britain. Miles has noted a deficiency in the Aurors we've been getting from elsewhere and is in early planning stages with the Irish to remedy that. Again, I'll leave him to tell you about it.

"Despite the opening of Haven, we're still routing all our owl mail through the Irish for the time being. Apparation coordinates for Haven have been published several times in local magazines and newspapers and we expect to be included in the next Apparation Directory.

"Finally, we've concluded negotiations with the Irish Government concerning the British Ministry here in Haven. When we finally pull out of Haven, our main office building will be set up as commercial space. But the Operations Center has attracted the attention of the Irish Aurory. They would like to take over the facility as either a training center, or as their own operations center."

"We won't need it once we've taken back Britain, so I've no real objections about it," mused Harry.

"Good," Amelia said with a note of relief in her voice. "Technically, the Operations Center is on your land, not part of the land designated for Haven."

Harry blinked at her, then turned to Remus, who grinned and shrugged.

"It's not like you were really using it for anything, Harry," he said.

"No, I guess not. Miles? What information do you have to share today?" Harry asked.

"We've confirmed that Antonin Dolohov was one of the Death Eaters who was killed in the fire at the farm house. One of the bodies bore the Dolohov signet ring, and a forensic wizard has reconstructed enough of the facial features for a positive identification."

Hermione trembled slightly in her chair next to Harry and he casually reached over and touched her shoulder. Dolohov had been the Death Eater who'd wounded her so badly in the Department of Mysteries, more than a year earlier. To Hermione, Dolohov embodied all that was bad about Death Eaters. She wouldn't admit it openly, but the man clearly frightened her. To hear about his death was a release for her.

"From our interrogations, we've determined that some thirty marked Death Eaters were not at the farm during the time of the attack. These thirty remain at large. Apparently, the a group of ten was sent to the coast on some special mission, which no one knows anything about. The remaining twenty had been sent out and scattered, with instructions to scare the locals in their areas and to scavenge what they needed, by robbery if need be, before the attack.

"Our Irish friends are much relieved by all this. Thirty Death Eaters is a lot less than the one hundred and fifty they had. And without Dolohov, they are pretty much cut adrift. Dolohov was the key inside man, a member of the inner circle. Without him, they will have no one giving directions and Voldemort can't send them any help, except advice by owl."

Harry nodded thoughtfully and sipped at his tea. "No, I suppose Voldemort can't really send him any help he'd be willing trust. Now, what is this about a deficiency among the Americans and Canadians?"

Miles expression grew disgusted. "We didn't discover it until a day ago, but none of these lads are capable of casting a Patronus."

"Why should that surprise you, Miles?" asked Hermione. "After all, Dementors and Lethifolds are indigenous to the UK, Europe and parts of Asia. There has never been a Dementor or Lethifold sighting in the Americas."

"Oh, I know that Miss, but it also means we have to train them to cast the Patronus. I've made arrangements to start that training near the middle of July. It's just the bother of it all," Miles replied, shaking his head. The Irish Auror academy possessed a Dementor, kept under strict wards, of course, which they used to train their people. Now Miles would have to see that the Americans and Canadians cycled through that same facility.

Hermione shrugged. "It's unfortunate, but not really unexpected, Miles. How many of our boys know the Boone Shot hex? Few, I suspect. The Americans and Canadians are more closely tied to the muggle world than we are, so they've developed a stunner that can be used in muggle public places. It it obliviates all who see it as it's traveling to the target. It's a powerful spell, designed for use in urban muggle environments."

Miles looked at Hermione speculatively and made a note in a small book. He wasn't above stealing an idea from someone, if it was worth it, and this sounded worth it.

"Miles, are you planning any sort of memorial service for the men we lost?" asked Harry in a quiet voice.

Miles looked startled for a moment. "I'm not sure, Harry. What did you have in mind?"

"We lost five people, not all of them British. I think we need to honor their memory and let the families know they are not alone in this. I don't have any concrete ideas, but I bet if you talked to Olga Johansen, she probably would. She strikes me as a sound person."

"Harry," Remus interrupted, "I think it's a good idea, but I'm not sure it should fall on Miles' shoulders to organize. How about if I talk to Mrs. Johansen, then fill you and Miles in on the details?"

Miles nodded in appreciation and Harry smiled at the marauder. "If that's what you want to do, Remus. Try to talk to her today, if possible. We have families grieving and I don't want them to think they are alone."

Harry looked around at the people sitting with him. "Is there anything else we need to cover this morning?"

"You're supposed to start enchanting rune stones this afternoon at three. Don't forget that, or Eocho will have your hide pinned to the wall," Hermione told him, smiling.

He winced, but nodded. Enchanting the rune stones was going to be a tedious process... and a tiring one. He was only going to enchant one set, then duplicate them, but there were more than a hundred unique rune stones to create and enchant. And he could only do so many in a single day.

As the others filed out, Hermione lifted the napkin on his strudel and gave him a curious look. Harry looked down at the table for a moment, his hands fumbling with a quill, then he looked up at her again.

"It wasn't a very good first attempt, was it?" she asked in a sad tone.

"Not really," He replied carefully.

Hermione stood abruptly and started to pace. "I don't understand this. I can brew Polyjuice potion and boil remover in my sleep. I can make burn cremes and invisible adhesives. Why can't I cook something as simple as a strudel?"

Hermione paced back and forth, her expression frustrated. Harry watched her for a moment, smiling all the while. Then Hermione spun to face him.

"Are you laughing at me, Harry Potter?" she asked in an angry tone.

Harry shook his head and motioned for her to sit down. "You can make all those things, most of them flawlessly on the first attempt. You didn't do as well with your cooking because your instructions weren't as detailed or as precise as those received before brewing potions. Most recipes call for you to make judgment decisions. For example, I bet Mama's recipe called for it to be in the oven for what? Thirty to forty minutes?"

Hermione frowned. "Yes, that's exactly what she said to leave it in for."

"That figures. Cooking is like that, Hermione. You probably left the strudel in the oven for the maximum time instead of checking it every so often. I know you want to be able to cook for both of us, and ultimately for our children. But this isn't like making potions. If you want, this evening we'll go down to the kitchen and we'll do Mama's recipe again."

Hermione nodded, then her eyes narrowed. "How is it you can cook, but you can't brew a potion to save your life?"

Harry's eyes grew distant. "I suppose if Snape beat me for my mistakes, I might have been motivated, love. It worked for the Dursleys."

Hermione winced and placed a hand over his. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be," he replied with a lopsided grin. "I can always cook, if need be."

Hermione smiled and leaned down to kiss him. She knew her question had invoked some bad memories for him, and, as usual, he found a way to laugh them off.

---

Evening, Johansen Farm House (June 30th)...

Remus and Tonks walked hand in hand up the lane to the Johansens' house. The days were getting longer and the evening was warm. Stepping up to the front door, Remus knocked loudly so he could be heard over the din of the music and singing coming from inside the house.

There was a moment of silence, then what sounded like a small herd of rampaging hippogriffs rushing towards the door. The front door was flung open and six faces stared up at Remus and Tonks. One of the older children ran to get one of the adults, while Remus and Tonks found themselves surrounded and propelled through the door and into the family room.

Olga looked up from a beat up piano she was sitting at and beamed at the pair. "Helga, take my place, while I talk with Mr. Lupin and his pretty lady friend."

"Yes, Mama," replied the young woman, who then sat at the piano and began to play again.

Olga Johansen lead the pair into the kitchen, where she poured them each a cup of tea.

"So, what can I do for you Mr. Lupin?" Olga asked with a smile.

Remus stared into his cup for a moment before looking up at the older woman. "Mrs. Johansen, an issue came up today in one of our meetings and Harry felt you might be able to provide us some help. He was asking Mr. Pickerton about a memorial service for those Aurors we lost in the attack.

"Harry wants the families of the fallen to know they are not alone and need not grieve alone. He seems to think that you've helped others, here in Haven, who've lost family," Remus said in a soft voice.

Olga sat at the table and sipped at her tea. "How we deal with death is almost as important as how we deal with life, Mr. Lupin."

"Remus, please."

"Then you must call me Olga, yes? Now, I have helped a few, Remus, but that's only because I was able to provide what they needed most... someone to talk to. To say goodbye to five brave Aurors, all lost at the same time, is a difficult thing."

The older woman paused, then she slowly smiled. "But I may have an idea. You come with me, hmm?"

Olga stood and grabbed a shawl that was hanging on a hook on the wall. Placing the shawl around her shoulders, she led them out the back door of the house.

Remus and Tonks followed Olga as she walked briskly down the country lane in the direction of the school. Dusk was approaching quickly now and the shadowed lane was darkening. The sky had turned to a dusty orange red before Olga turned off the lane and led them towards the lake that skirted the edge of the school.

Olga looked out at the lake for a moment, then turned back towards Remus and Tonks, beaming at them. The two shared a confused glance, then looked out over the lake again.

It wasn't a large lake, like the one near Hogwarts, but it was big enough. There was even some talk about seeing if a giant squid could be convinced to move into it.

Remus squinted as the setting sun caused the surface of the lake to sparkle. Then he saw it, a single lonely light floating out in the center of the lake and his eyes widened for a moment in surprise.

"Barely a week ago, I helped one of our people say goodbye to her husband. She had a unique way of going about it," Olga said in a reverent tone as her eyes became unfocused with the memory. "She was hurting so much, poor child."

"Are you sure you're ready, my dear?"

Melinda smiled a bit shakily at Olga Johansen, but nodded. "Yes. I think it's time," she said quietly.

Olga looked at the lake before them and sighed. "It's a beautiful spot, yes? I will give you some privacy. If you've need of me, just call, hmm? I'll be close by."

"I don't know how to thank you," Melinda began.

"Hush. There is no need." Olga wrapped her arms around the younger woman for a moment, then stepped back. "Take your time, girl." She smiled, then turned and walked up the slight incline of grass and disappeared through the trees.

Melinda watched her go, then turned back to the lake and took a deep breath. Bending down, she picked up a small wreath of ivy and oak and placed a white candle in its center. Standing once more, she walked down to the water's edge and knelt, holding the wreath close.

She gazed out over the lake, her eyes unfocused, and thought of Michael, her husband.

They'd not been married long and, like most newly married couples, had made plans for the future. They'd both had good jobs, though Melinda hadn't been happy that Michael worked at the Ministry. They'd talked of having children in a few years, once things in Britain were more settled, and of buying a house in the country were she could brew her potions and grow her own ingredients.

Their plans had been shattered when Voldemort's forces had overrun the country. Michael had wanted to leave before the violence erupted, but she'd found that the orphans at Mother Wilma's had been abandoned by the staff. And then it was too late. The Dark Lord's armies had moved in, and they'd played a dangerous cat and mouse game, trying to keep the children out of sight.

When their food, water and medicinal potions had run out, Michael had been forced to expose his presence more and more often as he scavenged for their needs.

Melinda closed her eyes, blocking out the peaceful lake before her, and was transported once again to the filthy alley and the image of her husband's battered body.

The sob caught her by surprise, though it shouldn't have. She'd held onto her grief for so long, it was difficult to tear down the walls she'd build around it and let it out. Dropping the wreath, she fisted her hands at her sides, threw back her head and let go.

When the sorrowful keen drifted through the trees and reached Olga, the woman closed her eyes and said a silent prayer for the grieving young woman and for the man she'd lost. The sound was heartrending, and Olga let herself weep for the pain so evident in that lament.

Melinda opened her eyes, unaware and uncaring of how much time had passed. Her throat burned, and her hands were bleeding where her nails had dug into the flesh of her palms. She inhaled a hitching breath and let it out slowly.

She looked down at the wreath she'd dropped and bit her lip. It was time.

Picking up the wreath, she closed her eyes and thought of Michael once more.

"You always said life was for the living, and I have to believe you meant it. So it's time to let go of the grief and the sadness and accept that you're not coming back to me."

She drew her wand and lit the ever-burn candle. Casting a shielding charm over the candle and a buoyancy charm on the wreath, she slipped it into the water. Standing, she used her wand to guide the wreath out into the middle of the lake and anchored it there.

She put her wand away and watched the bobbing light from the candle as sunlight began to fade. When she was sure the anchoring spell was fixed, she bowed her head once more.

"I love you, Michael. Goodbye."

Turning way from the lake, she made her way to the trees and walked into Olga Johansen's waiting arms.

"Oh, my dear girl," Olga whispered as she watched the candle's light flicker through the trees.

A tear ran down Olga's cheek as she recalled that day, then she pointed to the bobbing light.

"She released a candle into the lake and said it would never go out. She was letting go of her husband and her past so that she could start over, here. We could do something like that for the families, yes?"

Tonks stared at the floating candle and sniffed a few times. Remus reached out and took her hand in his, needing her close. The simplicity of that single candle spoke volumes of a life lost.

"Yes, Olga, I think we can do this for everyone. It's a fitting memorial," Remus said softly, his eyes still focused on the floating light.

"I can help plan and organize this with you, Remus," Olga offered, "But I can't do the magic."

Tonks shook her head and smiled at the older woman. "You might not be able to do magic, Olga, but you have a unique magic all your own."

Olga smiled at Tonks, then nodded back in the direction of the road.

Together, the three slowly made their way back to the farm house in the distance.

---

Parliament Building, London (July 2nd)...

Lucius sat and stared morosely at the two slips of parchment in front of him. The first one he had received nearly a week ago and hadn't acted upon, the second had came in at the end of last month.

My Lord,
I am Pax Etperia, from Devon. Dolohov placed me in charge of receiving the Dementors sent to us by our Lord. I fear that Dolohov and the others have fallen. I have sent several owls to him, all of which came back undelivered. I finally sent one of my men to see what was wrong and he reported that the farm house has been destroyed by a fire and the area is crawling with Ministry people, from both the British and Irish Ministries.

My men and I stand ready to help move the Dementors. Can we assume that you'll provide us with orders, since Dolohov cannot?
Etperia

Lucius stood and walked to the window angrily. "Damnation!" he spat. Now he'd have to report that Dolohov and his men had probably been killed or captured. His next visit to the Master would require him passing along this information.

"Hammersmith!" Lucius yelled.

There was a moment of silence, then the door to his office opened and Hammersmith scurried into the office. Lucius turned and walked back over to his desk. He picked up the parchment from Etperia and handed it to him.

"Owl this servant immediately. Inform him that we expect him to continue his mission to the best of his ability."

Hammersmith nodded and took the offered parchment. He turned and started for the door.

"Oh, Hammersmith, how fairs young Dudley?" he asked silkily.

Lucius noted with surprise the tenseness that the question invoked in his assistant.

The man turned away from the door and sighed heavily. "Not well, sir. A few days ago Dudley protested when one his trainers tried to discipline him. Dudley killed the man and I was forced to use magic to punish him. While I tried to keep the damage to a minimum, he was still injured. I would not have bothered, but Dudley killed a wizard, not a muggle."

Lucius sat in his chair and stared at his assistant for a moment. "I see. And how much of a delay will this set back put into our plans, Hammersmith?" he asked in a frosty tone.

"At least six weeks,sir. Dudley will need time to heal and recover from his injuries."

Dudley was never a sure-fire plan, Lucius mused. Still, it wouldn't hurt to continue as planned. And Hammersmith? Well he did over step his limits.

"Very well. Allow the boy to heal and continue his training as best as he can," Lucius said in a deceptively mild voice as he raised his wand. Pointing it at the puzzled Hammersmith, he whispered "Crucio!"

The man screamed and dropped to the floor, writhing. Lucius watched him for a few moments, then lifted the curse.

"Do not fail me again, Hammersmith," Lucius said in a frightful tone.

---

Padfoot Manor (July 5th)...

Harry opened the door to the study and started to enter when a red streak passed him, clipping his cane. Harry flailed for a moment and then crashed to the floor.

"Oh, Harry! I'm so sorry!" Ginny said as she skidded to a halt.

"I always thought you were kinda pushy, Ginny. Maybe to make up for your shortness,," Harry replied, looking up at her with a grin.

Her eyes twinkled with laughter. "Yes, well, I may be short, but good things come in small packages," she replied primly.

Harry chuckled and levered himself upright. Ginny leaned down and helped him get back to his feet.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" Harry asked.

"I have a session with Eocho and Remus in a few minutes. It's so frustrating, Harry! Eocho says the Brotherhood awoke a talent in me, but he won't tell me what that talent is!"

Harry nodded in understand. Eocho had spoken to him about this and had warned him that no one should tell Ginny what her talent was.

"I think the ritual awoke talents in a lot of us, Ginny, so you're not the only one going through this. I'm sure Eocho will help you develop it further."

Ginny stomped her foot in mock petulance, then grinned. "Maybe, but that doesn't mean I have to like it!"

With a wave, she turned and sprinted down the hall, leaving Harry shaking his head in wonder. Sometimes that girl made him tired just watching her. She had enough energy for three people.

Ginny turned the corner and opened the door to a room they had converted into a classroom. She skidded to a halt, seeing Eocho and Remus already in the room and deep in conversation.

Closing the door behind her, she tried to shake her nervousness. "Sorry I'm late. I bumped into Harry and had to help him get to his feet again," she said in a soft tone.

Eocho nodded to her, while Remus just shook his head and chuckled. Ginny would have been the queen of clumsy in the manor, had it not been for Tonks.

"Please, take a seat," Eocho said.

Instead of a single desk in front of the student desks, this time there was a long table covered by a cloth. Ginny looked at the table uneasily and took a seat at a desk in the back row.

Eocho watched the girl for a moment, then glided forward to hover closer to her.

"You know why we're here today, child?" asked Eocho in a gentle voice.

"Yes, Honored Teacher, to help me develop my talent," Ginny replied, then she bit her lip, holding back parts of the reply that would not go over well with Eocho.

Eocho smiled and moved back a few feet from her. "Why do you sit so far from the front of the room?"

Ginny's eyes narrowed. "I'm not sure. Something about the table makes me uneasy. And I know that Remus can't always be trusted, either."

Remus chuckled and waggled his eyebrows at Ginny, who couldn't help but laugh.

"My daughter, the uneasiness you feel is your talent at work. But I have watched you these past weeks. Sometimes you pay attention to your feelings. Often you do not. As a result, you are frequently the victim of pranks played by others upon you," Eocho said in a firm tone.

Ginny thought of the time Harry turned her hair blue for the whole day and had arranged it so it appeared as if Draco had done it. Her revenge against Draco was legendary and aimed at the wrong person. She and Draco had spent several hours talking about it, with Luna and Hermione mediating, after Draco's missing limbs had been found and reattached.

"Why you can't tell me what my talent is and how to use it, Honored Teacher?" Ginny asked plaintively.

"Some talents, like Mr. Lupin's, are consciously controlled. His animagus form and his changing are a result of a decision that results in his invoking his magic. Yours, my daughter, is more subtle. Your talent is always working for you. You cannot turn it on and off. I could tell you what your power is, but, in doing so, I risk you losing that ability. It is something tied closely to who and what you are Ginevra.

"What I can do is help you train yourself to recognize your talent at work."

Ginny sat for a moment, thinking hard, then she nodded her understanding.

"Now, let us start again. Why do you sit so far back from the front of the class room?" asked Eocho.

"Something about the table in the front of the room made me uneasy. It's like a twisting sensation in my gut. I didn't like it," Ginny said softly, all the while staring at the table.

Remus stepped forward to stand in front of the table. "Have you felt that feeling before, Ginny?" he asked.

"Yes, several times since we came to Haven. Before that? I don't think so... maybe," she replied, unsure.

"Consider the possibility that your talent is trying to tell you something, Ginevra," Eocho said.

Ginny looked startled. "Like a warning?"

Eocho nodded. "Yes, a warning would be one possibility. But not the only one. Self preservation is a powerful instinct, perhaps the most powerful of all. So let us consider for a moment that your talent is tied to your instincts."

"So you're saying that my talent is providing me with warnings? Like a seer?"

Remus shook his head. "No, nothing like a seer. That's part of what we wanted to show you today."

He turned then and removed the cloth from the table, revealing a book, a glowing sphere, a skull, a dagger and a teddy bear.

Ginny glanced at the objects and her face paled a little. She swallowed nervously and fixed her gaze on Eocho.

"Of the five objects on the table, three are harmless, the other two are not. What we want to see is what you can tell about these objects," Remus said.

"Are you comfortable, child? Revealing the objects seemed to affect you. Do you wish to move further away from them?" Eocho asked.

"I'll be fine, Honored Teacher. I was just surprised. Do you want me to touch these?"

"Try it first without touching the objects," suggested Remus. "I'll levitate them to you, one at a time."

Remus directed the book off the table and towards Ginny. He stopped it about three feet from her and she focused her gaze upon it.

After a minute or two of silence, she sighed. "I don't know. I don't feel anything special about the book. There's a faint sensation that's hard to describe. It's familiar, somehow, but I don't know if it means I've read the book, know the owner of the book, or I'm just imagining things," she said in defeat.

"Do not be downcast, my child. It is likely you will spend a lifetime refining your talent. For a first attempt, you did well," Eocho said encouragingly.

"Alright then, next object," Remus said, then he returned the book to the table and floated over the glowing glass sphere.

"This is different," Ginny said after a minutes silence. "I can feel a tingle in my fingertips, like a bludger under restraint. It's powerful, but I don't get any feelings of danger about it."

"Alright, how about this one?" Remus asked, floating the skull over.

Ginny shook her head. "Nothing. I'm not even sure that it's a real skull."

Remus and Eocho shared a glance, then he returned the skull to the table and floated the dagger over to her.

Ginny's eyes widened and her nostrils flared. "Fred and George!" she hissed.

Lifting a hand quickly, she was able to raise a shield around herself, without the use of her wand, just as the dagger exploded in a shower of ink.

She blinked and jerked back from the explosion, then lowered her shield and looked around. When her eyes came to Remus, she stared for a moment, then bit her lip, trying not to laugh.

Remus stood frozen as black ink dripped down the front of his robe. His eyes seemed to glow whitely from his ink splattered face.

Giving up, Ginny sagged back against her chair and laughed outright. "Remus, I can't believe you would accept anything from my brothers!"

Remus grinned ruefully, laughing at himself. A quick scourgify cleaned up the mess.

"I'll be paying the twins a visit later today, I see. But let's get back to business," he said, then he levitated the Teddy Bear over to Ginny.

As the bear came closer, Ginny shrank back from the bear and started to tremble. "Take it away! Take it away!" she screamed. An aura flickered into existence about her and she started to raise her hand. Eocho gestured, freezing her in place

Remus and Eocho barely had a moment to relax when the door literally exploded inwards. Harry stormed into the room, his aura blazing. A moment later, Hermione entered. Neville was on her heels and he went directly to Ginny.

Remus levitated the teddy bear back to the table and Eocho released Ginny, who slumped against Neville, sobbing.

Neville wrapped both arms around his girlfriend and glared at the two men.

"What in the name of Merlin is going on in here?" demanded Harry angrily.

"Rest easy, Maglios. We were teaching Ginevra to use her talent, that is all," replied Eocho in a soothing tone.

"That's all?" exclaimed Hermione. "Revered Teacher, I expect every member will be here within minutes. I felt her distress call from the library and apparated here."

"I was in the greenhouse," Neville said, glaring at both Remus and Eocho.

Harry walked over to Ginny. "Ginny, what's wrong?"

Ginny pointed at the innocent looking teddy bear on the table. "That! It's evil, hideous! The closer it came, the more threatening it became."

Harry looked over at Remus, who shrugged. "It's one of the objects that we found at the farm house. It detected positive for dark magic, but no one knows what it's purpose is yet."

Harry walked over to the bear. "Hermione, do you think a Revealus might work here?" he asked.

Hermione joined him at the table. "It might, Harry, especially at the level you cast at," she murmured in reply.

Harry raised his staff over the bear. "Revealus," he murmured. A small puff of black smoke rose from the bear and formed into the shape of a face.

"Tell me your secrets," Harry said in a soft voice.

"I am the child's assassin. I am cute and make adults want to place me in a bed with a sleeping child. I kill by smothering my victim and have killed twenty two times," came the reply in a sibilant whisper. Hermione paled and stepped back.

"Remus," Harry called in a soft voice, "is there any reason why I shouldn't destroy this thing?"

Remus paused. He knew the object had been cursed, but not in that manner. "I don't think we have a need for it, Harry," came the hesitant reply. To be honest, he would have to explain it's destruction to Miles, who might have had a use for it. But considering the circumstances, he thought it would be best to allow Harry to proceed.

Harry raised his staff. "Incendio."

He stepped back as the bear flashed white hot and vanished, leaving only a small pile of ash. He was surprised when he turned to face Ginny and discovered all of the Brotherhood had arrived.

Eocho glided up to stand at the front of the room, then he turned to address Ginny directly. "My daughter, I did not expect the object to invoke such a primal reaction in you, and for that I must ask for your forgiveness. It was not our intention to frighten or threaten you."

Ginny nodded and smiled wanly at him from the safety of Neville's arms. "I understand, Honored Teacher," she murmured, then she shivered again.

Harry reached into his money bag and withdrew a coin. He then walked over to Neville and pressed the coin into his hand. "Nev, I'm short on quills. How about you and Ginny apparate up to Stonewall Lane and pick me up a couple? Use the change to buy yourselves lunch, make a day of it," Harry suggested with a smile.

Neville looked down at the fifty galleon coin in his hand and then up at Harry. "You don't have to do this..." he said in protest.

"I do, Nev. I really need the quills," Harry said firmly, then he winked at his friend. Neville smiled and pulled Ginny to her feet. She leaned against him, wanting to stay within the safety of his arms.

"Thanks, Harry. Come on, Gin. Let's get Harry his quills.," he said leading the girl from the room.

After Ginny and Neville left, Hermione turned to Harry. "You don't need any quills."

"I know that, Hermione. So does Neville. But Ginny needs a break. A little shopping and lunch away from the manor and Haven will do her some good today. Even if Neville buys me a hundred quills, he'll still have money left over for lunch and a trip to the sweet shop. Neville's been working pretty hard too. They can both use the break," He replied with a shrug.

Then he turned on Remus and Eocho, scowling. "What is with you two? I understand what you're trying to do, but I don't understand or approve of you exposing Ginny to cursed objects you haven't identified. Next time, make a cursed object, or determine what it does first! Her talent exploded across our bond. I'm surprised it didn't trigger the attack warning wards in Government House!

"You know that her wandless ability isn't fully under her control, yet you exposed her to an object that murders children? This is a female Weasley we're talking about. She has a mother's instinct a mile wide! We're lucky it was only a door that needs to be fixed this time. She could have blown up the manor," he told them angrily.

He stepped back and closed his eyes, taking a few cleansing breaths and trying to push down his anger. Opening his eyes again, he looked at the two of them, noting their chastened expressions.

"Train her, teach her, encourage her. Don't frighten or endanger her," Harry said finally in a low tone before he walked from the room.

Remus sagged against the edge of the table. "Merlin! His temper is as bad as Lily's ever was."

"What did you expect, Remus?" Hermione said fiercely. "He considers Ginny to be his little sister. He spoke to Tonks in the same manner when her actions resulted in you being injured. Harry protects his family, even from each other, when necessary."

She turned then and walked out of the room in search of Harry. One by one, the other Brotherhood members filed out of the room, but not before scowling at Remus and Eocho.

---

The Enchanted Goat Pub, Evening (July 5th)...

Dumbledore looked up from drying a glass when the door opened.

"Rufus! How about a couple pints for me and my mates!" shouted one man.

Dumbledore waved, a cheery smile on his face, and started to pour the requested drinks.

"I expected you blokes earlier. Where have you been?" Dumbledore asked.

One of the men took a deep pull on his pint, then banged the glass back down on the bar. "Aye, we woulda been here sooner, but we went to that memorial service tonight on account of the free food."

"Not that there was a lot of free food," grumbled another man.

"That be the truth. Just a lot of talking people and weeping wimmen!" said another in agreement.

"I heard about that service. It was for the Aurors they lost in that attack up north, wasn't it?" asked Dumbledore. He already knew all the details, but he wanted to keep the men talking. Deftly, he refilled their drinks.

"Aye," said the first man. "Bugger of it is, only two were ours. The other three weren't even British! And here we be having to sit listening to how brave a couple Yanks and a Canadian were. Bloody foreigners!"

"Hear hear!" shouted several men.

"Seems like a bloody balls up job, if they are losing men over a couple Death Eaters. Wouldn't have happened if ol' Dumbledore were leading the show," offered Dumbledore.

"Damn straight, that is! My Grandad said ol' Dumbledore was a right powerful light wizard. Killed Grindelwald with a snap of his fingers, he did!" said one man.

The others nodded, impressed by the very idea.

Dumbledore smiled to himself and refilled the men's drinks before moving off to serve other customers. As much as he wanted to push things along, he had to go slowly. A little doubt here, a little doubt there. It all added up.

---

The Johansen Farmhouse, After the Memorial...

Harry sat at the kitchen table with Hermione, Remus, Tonks and Papa Johansen, while Olga served tea and some of her famous strudel.

Hermione took one look at the pastry on the plate and sighed to herself. Despite Harry's help, she had not yet managed to produce an edible version of the pastry in front of her.

"Mrs. Johansen," Harry started.

"Please Mr. Potter, call me Mama. I answer to that just as well as any other name these days!" Olga said with a laugh.

"I will, if you'll call me Harry," he offered in return.

Olga smiled. "Good! Now what were you saying?"

"Mama, I want to thank you for your efforts. Tonight's memorial service was moving to everyone present, and it accomplished what I most wanted - to let the families know they're not alone," Harry said in a serious tone.

She waved a hand at him. "There is no need for this, Harry. I just try to help where I can, yes? When your Mr. Lupin came to me, I made a few suggestions, that's all."

"A few suggestions?" exclaimed Remus. "Mama, you took over the planning. I still don't know how you made sure there were enough seats for everyone."

Remus trailed off when Sven Johansen started to laugh. "Mama is a good organizer, no? Seats were a problem, but she walked up to the school and spoke to the Headmistress. She got several of the summer stay over students and a number of the teachers to help by conjuring seats and flowers. Headmistress McGonagall was happy to help."

Harry nodded. "That's part of what I'm talking about, but only a part of it. Since your arrival here, you have reached out and touched the lives and hearts of many here in Haven. You are raising the orphans who escaped from Mother Wilma's home, you've organized dances and social gatherings and, whether you want to believe it or not, you're creating change here in Haven."

Olga looked perplexed. "What do you mean, creating change?" she asked.

"Your actions are changing the way people think about muggles." Harry said, then he reached down and ruffled the hair on little Brendan head as the boy watched Harry intently.

Brendan suffered from a serious case of Harry worship.

"People see you raising Wizarding children and loving every one of them. They see you reaching out to those still reeling from the disaster back home and you bring a sense of normalcy to their lives. Most importantly of all, they see you, a muggle, reaching out to help wizards and witches, as if the difference means nothing to you. You may not realize it, or understand it, but your family is nearly as important to Haven as Minister Bones, or the Haven school."

"Or even yourself, Harry," Hermione added in a quiet tone. She sat holding the youngest, little Linda, on her lap. The little girl clutched a stuffed rabbit to her tightly and had one thumb firmly in her mouth.

"But we're all people," protested Olga.

"You're right, of course. But for the longest time, wizards and muggles didn't mix together. Voldemort sits in power in Britain because he believes he is better than a muggle. You are showing people otherwise.

"That's why I wanted to thank you, Mama, for all you've done for us. For tonight, especially, and every other night you've been there for us. I'd like to return the favor. You can come to us whenever you need something," Harry said, indicating himself and the others.

Olga waved a hand, flustered and groped around for a way to change the subject, while Sven watched on, obviously amused. Olga glanced at Hermione and Tonks and saw her opening.

"So? Have you two set dates for the weddings?" she asked.

"Yes. August 1st, but it's going to be slightly different than your regular wedding. We're going to use a very old ceremony called handfasting, and there will be more than just the four of us," Tonks replied happily.

Hermione beamed her own smile and Olga's expression grew predatory.

"More than two couples, hmm? That is interesting. What do you have planned?" Olga asked, as visions of helping in the planning danced behind her eyes.

---

Haven Lake, After the Memorial...

The small group of people made their way down to the lake, its surface now dotted with glowing candles - a memorial to the lost.

They stopped at the shoreline and gazed out at those points of light, each lost to their own thoughts. Three of them carried wreathes with ever-burn candles at their center, not yet lit.

"I think this is a mistake," Charlie Weasley said. "We know Ron and Percy are gone, but we don't know that mum's dead. She could be hiding, or in one of the camps, waiting for us to rescue her."

"We don't feel her any longer," George told him quietly. He looked down at the wreath he held, the one representing Molly's loss, and then at his twin.

"We haven't for a few months now," Fred confirmed sadly.

"I went to the Burrow. It had been burned down, but there was no body, no evidence that she was there when it happened," Charlie protested.

"She's gone, son." Arthur reached into his pocket and withdrew a small object. Opening his hand, his children gathered close and, gazing down, each recognized what lay in his palm.

It was his wedding ring, the Weasley crest clearly visible engraved upon the band. But what should have been a bright, gold band was now a black, pockmarked mockery of what it had once stood for.

"The Weasley rings were all that was left of the wealth our family once had, many centuries ago. Upon them where many charms, including this one. Upon the passing of one's spouse, the ring changed to reflect the event. The rings revert back to their natural state when they are passed on, or if the wearer falls in love again.

"This," he continued, "tells me that she died, and that it involved fire in some way. The fact that I was wearing it when it happened meant I felt her passing. While I do not know what caused the fire, I do know that she was unconscious before it reached her."

Arthur looked at his children then, meeting their eyes one by one, before stopping at Charlie. "She is gone. We can only hope that she, Ron and Percy have found peace."

Father and son stared at each other for a moment, then Charlie nodded jerkily.

"I'd hoped..." Charlie began, only to stop suddenly, unable to go on.

"We all did," Bill said, placing an arm around Charlie's shoulders. "But it's time to let them go."

In the fading evening light, the candles were lit and the charms placed over the wreaths. Together, the family put them into the water. Then Fred, Arthur and Bill gently maneuvered them out into the lake, where they mingled with the other bobbing lights.

Standing at the water's edge, Arthur listened to his children share their memories of their mother and brothers, laughing quietly at some, weeping softly at others, and knew the family would be better now. Oh, his children would still fight and scuffle with one another, but the tension and mistrust that had grown since Charlie had joined them seemed to ease somewhat.

And now, watching them, he realized that, while they were saying goodbye to three, they were welcoming back another — Charlie.

When he felt a tap on his arm, he shook his head.

"Dad?" Ginny asked.

"Sorry, Gin. What was it you said?"

"I asked if you were ready," she said gently.

"Oh. Yes, we can go now."

Turning, he followed his family as they walked away from the lake and up a small hill. In front of them was the path to the village, to the left, a small grove a trees. As he stepped onto the path, he stopped suddenly and looked towards the trees, frowning.

"Dad?" Bill called. "Are you coming?"

"Go on ahead, kids. I'll be along in a bit."

When his children continued on the path to the village, Arthur turned away and made his way into the grove and, unerringly, to the woman who stood just inside the tree line.

"Melinda," he said quietly.

"Hello, Arthur."

"Why are you here? Is something wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"I missed the memorial," she told him softly, waving a hand towards the lake. "I was on duty and couldn't get away. When my shift ended, I came down. But as I was arriving, your family was coming down the hill. I didn't want to intrude, so..." She shrugged.

As the last of the light bled from the sky, a feeling of peace seemed to surround the grove. Arthur watched the lights dance upon the lake, unable to tell one wreath from the other, and realized that in sharing grief, it became easier to let go.

Turning to Melinda, wanting to share his sudden insight, a single thought stopped him. She already knew. Her candle was down there - the first memorial. With that thought came the realization that no one had asked her to share it with the village. No one had asked if she would mind others doing as she had done. While the lake was not hers alone, the idea was.

"Melinda," he said softly, casting a quick light spell to better see her face. "Does it bother you?"

"Does what bother me?"

"That," he said, pointing at the lake, but watching her closely in the wand-light. "You were the first to place a candle in memory. Olga Johansen mentioned it to Remus and Tonks. That's where the idea to hold the memorial here came from. But I don't think anyone asked you about it."

Melinda smiled. "Of course I don't mind. We all need to let go at some point. If placing a candle on the lake helps, then I'm glad."

"You're a generous woman."

She laughed. "If it pleases you to think so, who am I to argue?"

"Ah ha! Didn't share your toys as a child, eh?" Arthur asked, grinning.

"And stole toys from others, besides," she said. "But this memorial? It's something different. It wasn't mine to begin with. I was simply borrowing it for however long Lord Potter allowed."

"I think I can safely say it will be here for a very long time, then. Whether he knew them personally or not, Harry mourns each loss deeply. He understand the need for the memorial, and will keep it as such for many years to come."

Time passed, with each lost to their own thoughts.

When Melinda shifted and cast a warming charm on herself, Arthur realized how chilly it had become. With one last look at the lake, he reached over and took Melinda's hand.

"Let's go back to the village," he said. "We should be able to catch a late dinner at the Town Hall, and it will certainly be warmer there."

Melinda wrapped her fingers around his hand and followed him from the grove. "Olga says they're going to stop serving meals there soon. I don't know what I'll do then!"

"I thought Olga was going to teach you to cook?"

"That didn't work out as well as I'd hoped," she told him laughingly.

"Oh? What happened?"

"My pot roast was so overcooked, it could have been used for shoe leather!"

When he laughed, she let go of his hand and slapped his arm playfully.

"Don't laugh. Besides, it didn't end there. I was trying to boil potatoes for mashing, but when I checked on them, they had disappeared. When I started over, I must have pulled them off too soon, because they were still hard and rather starchy. Who knew potatoes were such a perverse vegetable!"

Arthur wiped tears of mirth from his eyes and shook his head. "What did Olga say?"

"Something about needing to practice. But every time I'm over there and go near one of her pots, she gets twitchy and pushes food at me."

"Well, I'm not the best of cooks, but I can help you learn," he told her.

"You may be taking your life into your own hands, but I may take you up on the offer."

"Now, wait a moment, I didn't say I was going to eat what you cooked!" he exclaimed, ducking another playful slap aimed his way.

"Wretch!"

Laughing, he wrapped an arm around her waist as they entered the village, and made plans to have her over for her first lesson.

---

Padfoot Manor (July 15th)...

Eocho watched with stunned amusement while Hermione, Ginny, Susan, Luna, Tonks, the Johansen twins, Emma Granger and Mama Johansen chased all of the men from the manor around noon. Some, like Neville and Terry, went quietly. Others, like Draco and Remus, went off in search of something to do.

Harry, however, stood staring at the door to his home in confusion, while a very irate Winky guarded the entrance, telling him firmly that no men were allowed in the manor today.

Confused, Harry turned and walked in the general direction of the town.

"Are they all gone now, dear?" asked Emma.

"Yes. Harry just left. I think we caught him off guard and it confused him," replied Hermione.

"Well, we wouldn't want them to fully understand us, would we? Where would be the fun in that?" asked Helga.

Inga, her twin, smirked at her and poked her in the side. "You're easy to understand. If it moves, you either prank it, laugh at it, or want to cuddle with it."

Helga squeaked at being poked and rounded on her sister, but a hand clamped firmly on her shoulder.

"Not now, girls," said Mama, "We have wedding to plan for! Hermione, what time is the seamstress supposed to arrive?"

"In half an hour, Mama."

Several of the girls, most notably Ginny, looked around worriedly.

Hermione caught the look and frowned. "Ginny, I know you. Stop worrying. It's all being taken care of."

"He isn't really going to pay for everything, is he?" Ginny whispered back furiously.

"No, just a few things, like your gown, the food and Terry's robe. He's pitching in where needed and he told me not to let you refuse. I think he wants his little sister to look good." Hermione replied quietly.

Ginny nodded, her eyes misty. "You're a lucky witch, Hermione Granger."

"So are you, Ginevra Weasley."

Mama stood and clapped her hands. "Girls! Girls! While you're being measured for your robes, Emma and I will be working on the food list. If you have something in mind for food, now will be the time to let us know about it..."

---

Meanwhile, Outside the Manor...

Harry wandered into Haven wondering what to do with his time. He had spent his morning with Eocho, and usually spent his afternoons working on enchanting the rune stones. That project was nearly complete, with only a handful still to go, but he couldn't do that when the stones were in the manor and he wasn't. Shrugging to himself, he entered one of the lanes that led to the main street.

"Hey, watch it!" shouted a small voice and a boy ran around the side of the house, following a ball that was zipping along overhead. The boy whipped out a small red wand and fired off a spell at the ball, causing it to change direction.

Harry blinked in surprise and watched, surprised, as several other children, also equipped with red wands, fired off spells, keeping the ball in the air.

"You must be British," said an adult voice from behind him.

Harry turned to see a dusky skinned man grinning at him. Beside him stood a small girl who clutched at his pants and looked up at Harry shyly.

"I'm sorry?"

"You must be British. Most Brits seem to be surprised when they see our kids playing with their training wands," said the man.

"Those are real wands?" Harry asked incredulously.

"No, they're training wands. When a child first gets a training wand, they can only do one or two spells on them, mostly game spells, like for playing Pitchy, the game you just saw. As they age, their parents unlock the wands a little at a time as the children learn to perform simple things like cleaning charms and or packing charms. By the time they enter school, they will have been given a real wand and the training wand will be given to another child," said the man.

"By the way, I'm Sam, a healer with the 806th Animagi Division," Sam said proudly.

Harry couldn't help but smile and he reached out offering his hand. "Hi, Sam. I'm Harry."

Harry leaned against his cane and Sam motioned for him to sit on the stoop in front of the house. "I like the idea of training wands. I take it they're limited in what they can do?"

"Oh, yeah. For one thing, they're power restricted. The puffball spell, which they use in Pitchy, wouldn't knock over a toddler, even if an adult used it. But it will keep the ball aloft."

"I wonder how well they'll go over here?" Harry mused.

Sam laughed. "I don't think you need worry about that, Harry. Our kids have been showing them off since they got here and, from what I understand, a lot of British parents are looking into buying them."

"Well, I know of at least one family who will need quite a few of them."

"Let me guess, Mama Johansen?"

Harry blinked, then grinned.

"We hadn't been here half a day when she showed up at our door with a plate of cookies for the kids, a map of the area and a list of people and businesses, who they are and what they do," Sam replied with a laugh.

"She's something special, but then her whole family is," Harry replied.

Harry pulled himself to his feet. "It was nice meeting you, Sam, but it's time for me to get going. I was heading into town."

The two shook hands and parted ways. Harry heading into town, Sam sitting on the stoop wondering about the young man with the limp.

---

Government House, Haven...

The fireplace roared and the flames turned green. Michael O'Dalley looked up in surprise. Few people floo'd him or even used the floo in Haven. Most people either walked or apparated.

"Michael, me boy, are you busy?" asked the man sticking his head through the fire.

"Johnny! Why, it's been ages since we last talked. How are you? And the wife and kids?" O'Dalley asked, delighted to hear from an old friend.

"Good and good. Young Robby has been accepted into the Auror Academy up here," Johnny said proudly.

"No! Why, last time I saw him, he wasn't four feet tall!"

Johnny nodded proudly. "He's over six feet now. Even I have to look up to see him."

O'Dalley laughed along with his friend, then the conversation turned serious.

"Michael, we've had an unconfirmed report and I'm not quite sure what to make of it. A small family group of wizards just outside of Kilfinane reported seeing a mass of flying black creatures heading in a south-easterly direction. The father immediately gathered up the children and fled to Stonewall Lane and Government house, so I can't tell you who or what they were, but they were heading in the direction of Haven."

O'Dalley frowned and looked at a map. "Kilfinane, Kilfinane... That's about two hundred miles away. Are you sure they were heading towards us, Johnny?"

Johnny scowled. "No, Michael, I am not sure about anything, except to say a family of wizards were terrified enough to run from their home in the middle of the night. As far as I know, they weren't attacked. Call it a gut feeling, Michael."

O'Dalley leaned back in his chair, thinking hard. "Alright, Johnny. I trust your instincts, so I'll call in my boys and we'll put on an extra watch. I'll also have someone double check the wards on the town."

"Good enough, Michael. I'll floo you if there's another sighting or we get new information."

"Thanks, Johnny," O'Dalley said absently, as the fireplace quieted, his mind already whirling with what he had to do.

Standing, he quickly left his office and walked to the Economic office. Bill Weasley looked up in surprise to see O'Dalley coming in.

"Michael? What can I help you with?" Bill asked.

"You used to be a curse breaker before, right?" asked O'Dalley.

"Yes, I worked for Gringotts before things started going down hill back home. Then I worked for Harry for a while."

O'Dalley nodded. "Good. I have a favor I need to ask. I received a troubling report from one of my friends in the Irish Ministry and I need someone I know and trust to look over the wards on the town to make sure they're up to par."

Bill raised his eyebrows as O'Dalley spoke. The wards on Haven were some of the finest he had ever seen. "I can do that, Michael, but I think you'll find the wards are fine."

"I agree with you, Bill, but I want to be sure."

"I'll speak to my father about it this evening. I'm sure I'll be able to start tomorrow morning. You want all the wards checked, right?"

"Please, all of them."

"Right then, I'll be on it in the morning."

"Thanks, Bill," O'Dalley said with a wave and he walked out of the office.

What was that all about, wondered Bill. Oh, well, checking wards is more interesting than making sure we're getting our daily deliveries of bread and milk.

---

Padfoot Manor, (July 16th)...

Harry looked up from the report Miles had sent him when Hermione and Ginny entered his study. He looked at the two girls and knew something was up.

"What? I haven't pranked anyone in a while," Harry said in protest and pretending to cringe back from the look Hermione was giving him.

"You prat, we're not here because of a prank," Hermione said fondly. "Ginny and I were talking and she has something she needs to ask you."

Harry turned his attention to Ginny.

"Harry, do you think I could borrow your Pensieve?" Ginny asked in a soft voice.

Harry leaned forward in his chair. "What do you need a Pensieve for, Ginny?"

"It's about Charlie. No matter how hard we try to explain to him, he still refuses to fully listen to us. I won't lie to you, Harry. There is something going on with Charlie. I can feel it, but I can't pinpoint what it is. For all I know, it could just be my anger for my overly stubborn brother.

"Dad seems to think that if he can see the memories, he'll come around," Ginny said hesitantly.

Harry frowned. He didn't like the idea of another problem Weasley. "Do you think he will be a danger to us, Ginny?"

Ginny flinched slightly. She knew Harry would have to ask this question. "Honestly, Harry, I don't know. Maybe. He's my brother, but I feel he's hiding something from us. He spends most of his time in that new pub, even though he rarely drinks."

Harry sighed and slid down a little in his chair thinking. "Has he been up to the manor yet?"

"No. I told Dad he wasn't allowed. Dad was a little hurt by that, but accepted it," Ginny replied with a shake of her head.

Harry ran a hand nervously through his hair, then he opened a cabinet with a wave of his hand. Both girls gasped at the rows of Pensieves sitting in the cabinet.

Harry grinned sheepishly at them. "I had these made around Christmas. There is one for every Outcast. I have four more on order, for Remus, Tonks, Emma and Dan, but they haven't been delivered yet."

Harry floated two Pensieves from the cabinet, then closed it. He handed one to Ginny, then handed the other to Hermione.

"Using a Pensieve for yourself is very easy, just touch the tip of your wand to your temple and think of the memory you want to remove. Then drop the memory into the dish. If you want to remove a memory from someone else, the incantation is 'Memorae'. These are solicitor Pensieves. That means you can enter the memory by touching it in the bowl, or you can view them in presentation mode, which will display the memory above the bowl. Try a memory, Ginny. Something short and pleasant."

Ginny reached up and touched her temple with her wand, thought for a moment, then deposited a memory into the bowl. She reached out and touched the memory and her eyes glazed over. A moment later, her eyes returned to normal and she smiled brightly at Harry.

"'Memorae' doesn't permanently remove the memory. It's more like a copy. Memories in a Pensieve are hard to fake, which is why the courts accept them as evidence," Harry said.

Hermione looked like she was itching to try, so he leaned forward and tapped his temple with his finger. She smiled and touched her wand to his temple. "Memorae," she said, then pulled the glistening filament from his temple and dropped it into the Pensieve.

"How do I activate it in presentation mode, Harry?" she asked

"Tap the Pensieve with your wand. That's all it takes."

Hermione tapped the bowl with her wand and suddenly there was a small image floating above the Pensieve. Hermione gasped, seeing herself in a bikini, and Ginny started to snicker.

Harry smiled weakly back at her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then he blushed. "Thank you, Hermione. I’m not sure what I’d do without you around. I think you’re really pretty in that bikini," he whispered.

The image froze there and Hermione tried to glare at Harry, but she couldn't hold it. That moment had been shortly after Harry's illness the summer before, when they had begun to explore their feelings towards each other.

"No wonder you landed him, Hermione. If only I knew it would have taken a bikini..." Ginny said, then she started laughing.

Hermione blushed and Harry looked embarrassed, though he reached out and touched her hand.

Mustering all the dignity he could, he looked at Ginny. "No, the bikini was just a nice touch."

"And I bet you couldn't wait until you could touch, either!" Ginny said with a chortle, then she slid off the chair howling.

Harry buried his head in his hands. "I can't win with this conversation."

Hermione looked down at the red head rolling on the floor, then up at her boyfriend and shook her head. She couldn't be angry with Harry for picking what he obviously thought of as a very happy memory involving her. She just wished he had waited until later to show exactly how much detail he had memorized.

Eventually, Ginny calmed down and climbed back into her chair. She looked at the two and grinned.

"Ginny, I know things have been rough on your family," Harry said, "but I want you to do what ever it takes to resolve the problem with Charlie. If you can't, tell me. I have to be honest with you. The idea of Charlie hiding something makes me anxious..."

Ginny's grin dropped and her expression grew pained. "I understand why you feel that way, Harry," she replied, then she stood. "I promise you, I'll either get to the bottom of this or I'll personally kick him out of Haven myself."

With that, she nodded to them both, then turned and left the room.

"Are you really worried about this, Harry?"

"I am, Hermione. I feel like I'm juggling eggs and people are poking me. There are so many things that can go wrong, so many ways we can be betrayed. I've taken precautions. We have wards around the town, the school and the manor. But I can't help feeling like I'm overlooking something. This business with Charlie makes me nervous. The Weasley family doesn't need this sort of distraction right now.

"Arthur and I have made peace. As for Ginny, we need her focusing on her tasks, not worried about Charlie."

"It will work itself out. Ginny will see to that," Hermione said confidently.

Then she stood and walked over to Harry and straddled his lap. "Now, about that image of me in a bikini, Mr. Potter..."

Harry grinned and pulled her closer. "Oh? What about it, soon-to-be-Mrs. Potter?" he asked with a cheeky grin.

---

Town of Haven (Evening of July 18th)...

Walking through the village towards her father's cottage, Ginny's thoughts were focused on the meeting due to take place that evening with her family. It was long overdue, in her opinion. It was true that they'd all been busy, but this was something that should have been taken care of much earlier.

Passing by the Ministry building and the Town Hall, her attention was drawn to the noise coming from the pub a few doors down. As she walked closer to it, her brow furrowed as she remembered the reports from the Haven elves she'd read a few days ago. In them, the elves had stated that there had been quiet grumblings in town about Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore. The tone of those reports had concerned her, as they had stated that some people were beginning to wonder if Dumbledore had turned his back on the Potter boy because Potter had turned dark. As Dumbledore had been the leader of the light for more years than Potter had been alive, why was he not in the village, helping Potter with the fight against Voldemort?

As she drew even with the pub, fancifully named The Enchanted Goat, she froze and her eyes narrowed.

Candlelight glowed warm and inviting from the windows and lively music poured forth from the open door. The place seemed to exude a feeling of welcoming laughter and good cheer to all those who passed by.

Looking more closely, Ginny's eyes widened and the hair on the back of her neck rose in warning. The candle glow seemed to dim and the music turned from lively to threatening. She shivered in the early evening light as a feeling of wrongness engulfed her and she knew, without knowing how, that the grumblings heard by the elves came from those within the pub.

"Ginny!"

Spinning quickly, she relaxed when she saw Bill walking towards her. With one last look at the pub, she moved to meet him.

"Is something wrong, short stuff?" Bill asked her, surprised when she wrapped her arms around him and seemed to burrow into him.

"Yes. No. Maybe," she replied, her voice uneven.

"Well, as long as you're sure," he teased. When she didn't respond, he pulled away slightly. Tipping her chin up with finger, he looked into her eyes and frowned. "What is it?" he asked gently.

"The pub," she said quietly as her eyes drifted back to the building. "There's something wrong there, Bill. Don't ask me how I know it, because I'm not sure myself. Something in that place is...wrong."

Turning, but not letting go of his sister, he gazed at the pub. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Maybe I should go in and buy a pint. I might be able to pick up something useful."

"No!" Ginny pulled away and met his eyes. "Stay out of there, Bill. I don't know what it is, but I do know it's dangerous to us."

"Us? Dangerous to you and I, the family, or to everyone?"

Ginny paused and looked at the pub once more. "It's dangerous to Haven and everything we have here," she said, her voice quiet, but sure. "Eocho told me to stop fighting my instincts and to trust my feelings. For once, I'm going to do as I'm told."

Bill laughed. "Far be it for me to go against your Revered Teacher. However, with your feelings about the place, you should probably talk to O'Dalley about this, since he's in charge of the constables, and inform those up at the manor, as well."

"You're right. I'll do that after our meeting tonight."

"Speaking of that, we should get going. We're going to miss dinner if we don't hurry," Bill told her as he turned her away from the pub and lead her towards the Weasley cottage.

---

Padfoot Manor...

Harry stepped into his bedroom and peeled out of his shirt, then removed his basilisk skin undershirt. Haven was firmly in the grip of summer and, despite the cool evenings, the second skin was often very hot to wear.

Putting on a cool, loose t-shirt that read, 'I heard that Voldemort changed his mind today. Wonder what he did with the nappy?', he left the bedroom and headed to the family room where everyone else was waiting.

All conversation ceased when he entered. Tonks took one look at his T-shirt and started to laugh. Remus and Dan tried to hide their laughter. Hermione looked at him and frowned.

"Oh, lighten up, Hermione. Poking fun at Voldemort is amusing," Harry said with a grin.

"It's not funny, Harry! You know how Voldemort treats insults..." Hermione trailed off and suddenly looked sheepish.

"Right, it's not like he can want to kill me anymore than he already does, love." Then, with his eyes dancing, he waved his hand at Hermione and her blouse became a tight fitting t-shirt that read, 'I bet Voldemort’s mother had a loud bark.'

Remus doubled over laughing, spilling his drink the process, causing Tonks to slide out of her chair and onto the floor.

With a glare, Hermione stood up and waved her wand at Remus, changing his shirt to read 'Do Not Pet The Woofie.'

Remus looked down at his shirt and then up at Hermione. He eyed her carefully and started to reach for his wand. She squeaked and ran for the door.

In a flash, he was up and after her, but tripped over the still laughing Tonks on the floor.

"Now you know why wizards and witches don't need television," Harry said smugly to his future in-laws.

With a grin, he sat down, knowing Hermione would be back. Then the cycle of prank and counter-prank would start all over again.

---

Weasley Residence, Town of Haven...

Arthur leaned back from the table and watched his family with a fond smile. Ginny and the twins were teasing each other as they finished cleaning the dinner dishes, while Bill and Charlie discussed the charms needed for the planned expansion of the dragon preserve in Romania.

The evening had gone surprisingly well and he was happy to have everyone together for a change. He knew the peace of the evening wouldn't last, but was greedy enough to wish that it could. He held out hope, however, that things would improve after tonight.

When Fred placed a tea cup before him, Arthur blinked in surprise and noticed that everyone was seated at the table once more. Knowing he couldn't put it off any longer, he stood up and excused himself for a moment.

Walking into his bedroom, he approached his night table and gazed down at the stone bowl he'd placed there earlier in the evening. Harry had given the Pensieve to Ginny, and everyone in the family had placed memories within it. Everyone but Charlie. The memories were for him, to help him understand what had lead the family to Haven...and to Harry Potter.

Arthur took the Pensieve from the night table and turned towards the door. As much as he had enjoyed the peace of the evening, it was time for Charlie to learn the truth, no matter how much pain it caused.

Seeing their father walk into the kitchen with the Pensieve, Bill and George rose and moved to stand behind Charlie's chair. When Arthur placed the bowl on the table, Ginny and Fred stood up and waited.

"What's that?" Charlie asked, looking at the Pensieve. Then, seeing that everyone was standing, he pushed his chair back. When he gained his feet, however, Bill and George took his arms, gently but firmly, and held him in place.

"What's going on?" Charlie asked angrily.

"It's time for you to learn the truth," Arthur said quietly. "Your brothers, sister and I have all placed memories into the Pensieve. Tonight, you will view them and, I hope, understand why our family is here."

Charlie tried to jerk his arms away from his brothers, but they held him firmly. "Pensieve memories can be altered," he all but snarled.

"True, but these haven't been," Arthur said calmly as he removed the shield he'd placed over the Pensieve. "You know us, Charlie, and you know at least some of what you will see here. Once you've seen them, you'll be able to judge for yourself the truthfulness of our memories."

Arthur touched the contents of the bowl with his wand. Then, nodding to Bill and George, he watched as they forced Charlie's hand over the bowl until all three touched the silver liquid.

Turning to face Ginny and Fred, Arthur nodded once more, and they all reached out, touched the liquid and felt themselves drawn down as they, too, fell into the memories placed in the bowl.

When the scene in front of him unfolded, Charlie's eyes widened. They were in the living room of the Burrow. Before him sat Albus Dumbledore and his parents. As he listened the Headmaster explain to his parents why they should take the money from Harry Potter's trust fund, he glanced at his father. The look of self recrimination and loathing on Arthur's face surprised him.

Turning back, he listened to Dumbledore explain to his parents that if they didn't take the money, it would go to Harry's aunt and uncle when the boy died facing Voldemort, rewarding them for their years of abuse.

After his parents agreed to the Headmaster's request, the scene faded and everything went gray for a moment before the next took shape.

Dumbledore, still in the living room of the Burrow, trying to convince his mother and father to maneuver Ron into meeting Harry on the train in first year, befriending him, then reporting his actions and thoughts to the Headmaster. His parents agreed to Dumbledore's request, and the scene changed again.

They were still in the Burrow, but had shifted to the kitchen. Here, Ron was demanding money from his parents. When they refused, he told them he would tell Harry that they were stealing from him. As they reluctantly agreed, Dumbledore came into view, and Charlie watched as the old man convinced Ron of the need for secrecy about the money the family now had access to.

One after the other, the memories came.

Hermione, standing in the Great Hall at Hogwarts, telling the student body about Ron's attempted to rape her and Dumbledore's lack of action to protect the female students.

Molly calling Hermione a hussy and attempting to strike her in The Three Broomsticks after the Board meeting.

Dumbledore telling the Order that the Brotherhood was evil and in control of Harry Potter, who was being trained to kill Voldemort, only to replace him as the next Dark Lord.

Ron finding Ginny in a broom closet and beating her until she fell unconscious.

Molly striking Bill at the Burrow.

Charlie wept as he saw his sweet, loving mother become a greedy, thieving shrew and his youngest brother become someone he didn't recognize. As much as he tried to deny the memories he was seeing, they had a ring of truthfulness to them that made it impossible.

And still, the memories went on, tearing down his beliefs one by one until he was left with nothing but the horrible truth of what his mother and brother had become.

As the last memory faded, the kitchen of his father's cottage snapped back into place as he was ejected from the Pensieve. Taking two steps back from the table, he faced his family as the tears ran freely down his cheeks.

"How? How did all of this happen?" Charlie choked out.

"Your mother and I listened to the wrong person, Charlie," Arthur said tiredly. Placing his palms on the table, he shook his head. "We, like you, felt that Dumbledore was the wisest man to lead the fight against the Dark Lord. At first, his requests seemed logical and I felt we were doing the right thing in agreeing to them. But then, slowly, things started to change. Your mother became obsessed with the money we were receiving from Dumbledore and I came to realize that, no matter how the Headmaster rationalized what we were doing, it was still stealing, and from a young man who thought of us like family. When I tried to speak to your mother about it, she wouldn't hear of it. And once Ron found out about the money, things began to spiral out of control."

Arthur looked away from his family and down at the table top. "It's a horrible thing to tell your child that you are a thief and a liar, but that is what I am, Charlie," he said, his voice thick. "And that is what your mother and Ron were, as well. I got out, confessed my crimes to Amelia, your brothers and sister, and to Harry. I should have written to you, as well. I can only apologize to you for not telling you sooner, for not explaining what was happening to the family while you were in Romania, but it was too painful."

When Ginny wormed her way under her father's arm and hugged him, he wrapped his arms around her and looked at Charlie. "As for the other memories, they all stem from Dumbledore and his manipulations of our family. His ultimate goal, we think, was to gain control of Harry. He attempted to have himself named Harry's guardian and he set Ron to spying on him. He even granted an interview with Rita Skeeter, in which he told the world that Harry was turning dark, or some such rubbish, and that, on top of the physical abuse young Harry suffered, he was also raped, which is untrue and only made Harry's life that much more difficult."

Charlie looked at his family, seeing the truth in their eyes, and blanched. "But all my life you and mum have told me how powerful and good Dumbledore is! How we should all listen to him and obey him!"

"And we were wrong," Arthur said as he released Ginny, took a step towards Charlie and placed a hand on his shoulder. "No one is perfect, son. I've made many mistakes in my life, but none worse than listening to Dumbledore. Had I not done so, your mother and Ron would be here now."

"This has to be a lie, all of it!" Charlie exclaimed, jerking away from his father and looking around the kitchen frantically.

"It's not," Bill said quietly.

"Everything you've seen and been told is the truth," George added.

"We wouldn't lie to you, Charlie," Ginny told him earnestly.

"Oh, Merlin, what have I done?" Charlie whispered.

"Done?" Fred asked, puzzled.

Charlie backed away from his family until his back touched the wall. "You're not lying? Dumbledore is the reason our family was torn apart? Why mum and Ron..." Seeing the nods from the twins, Bill and his father, he fell slowly to his knees and buried his head in his hands. "What have I done? What have I done!"

Ginny scowled. "Yes, just what have you done?"

"Ginny," Bill admonished.

"No, Bill," she said, her gaze never leaving Charlie's kneeling form. "He's done something...something that could cost us...all of us." Her eyes narrowed.

"Charlie?" Arthur asked, kneeling next to his son. "What is it?"

Charlie looked up at his father, his expression one of horror and remorse. "I brought Dumbledore into Haven," he whispered.

"What?!" Bill, the twins and Arthur all exclaimed with varying degrees of disbelief .

"The pub," Ginny said quietly, her eyes riveted on Charlie. "He's running the pub!"

"Ginny?" Bill asked.

"It fits," she said, still staring at Charlie. "My instincts tell me I'm right. He's here, running the pub, gathering information." She looked up then, startled, as the sound of a loud, shrieking siren pierced the darkness outside and reached those in the cottage.

"The wards!" Arthur shouted, bolting to his feel. "Someone or something has breached the wards!"

---

Padfoot Manor...

When everyone finally calmed down, Harry found himself sitting on a couch with Hermione curled up close beside him. He was reading a volume on advanced transfiguration. Hermione, too, was reading, while Dan and Emma tried to teach Remus and Tonks how to play bridge.

Suddenly the candles in the room flared brightly and the manor rang with a pure bell tone. Harry leapt to his feet, causing Hermione to fall to her back on the couch.

"The town's under attack! Remus, get to the Operation Center. We may need help," Harry snapped.

Remus paled. "Harry, most of the Aurors are away at the Academy for that training session."

"Damnit! Fine, get whatever help they can provide. I'm going to Government House. O'Dalley should know where the attack is happening," Harry said. Then he gestured and his staff appeared in his hand. A moment later, he vanished without a sound.

Winky appeared then and handed Hermione her staff.

"Mum? Dad? Do you have your wands on you?" Hermione asked.

Both nodded.

"Fine, let's follow Harry. You two will stay at Government House and help out however you can," Hermione said.

Dan frowned. "I"m not letting you go out there alone, Hermione Jane!"

"Yes, you will! You two are not trained for this yet, she is. Maybe one day you'll join her, but not today," Tonks said in an even tone. Gone were all traces of the happy go lucky woman, replaced by the unflappable Auror.

Remus vanished with a pop, then Hermione. A moment later, the room was empty.

---

Government House, Haven...

Harry appeared in the center of the ready room for the town constabulary, and found it was a madhouse.

"We have Dementors coming at us from four different directions," someone shouted.

O'Dalley rushed into the room carrying a large map. He leaned the map up against a wall and marked off four different spots. "We have Dementors here, here, here and here. Right now, I have a few men capable of casting a Patronus holding them off, but I've had reports that they aren't alone. One of our boys was killed with a killing curse, and the Dementors are being driven forward."

Harry's eyes widened. One of the locations where Dementors had been spotted was dangerously close to the Johansen farm. O'Dalley cast a glance at Harry.

"I'm going to the Johansens. Send help as soon as you can," Harry said, then he was gone.

---

Johansen Farmhouse...

Harry appeared in the country lane leading up to the farm house. All the lights were out and he could hear screaming and weeping coming from inside, then suddenly the sound of a shotgun going off.

Feeling a strange writhing sensation on his arm, Harry reached up to pull back his sleeve. Before he could reach it, Padfoot burst through his sleeve and, growing as he went, came to a sitting position next to him.

The huge Grim thumped his tail a few times as he looked at Harry. Then he looked at the farm house and growled.

"Come on, Padfoot," Harry said tensely.

Moving as fast as he could, he hurtled through the door. Padfoot followed a moment later. The family was huddled in the center of the family room. Sven stood unsteadily and fumbled with his shotgun, trying to reload.

The room was frigid.

Mama held as many of the children as she could, weeping from the effects of the Dementors. Even though the adults couldn't see the Dementors, they could feel them, and Cally, the oldest of the children, was pointing them out to Sven.

The Dementors circled above the family, driving the fears of the children to a fever pitch.

"Padfoot, protect the children," Harry snapped.

The large spectral dog bounded into the middle of the huddled family, then viciously snapped at an outstretched claw of a Dementor.

The Dementor snatched its hand out of the way and a low howl issued from under its hood.

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry shouted. A blaze of blinding white light exploded from his staff. Prongs burst forth, catching several Dementors on his antlers and goring them. Harry's aura burst from his body and the entire house lit up.

A moment later, an otter flew through the window, then a lion, then other Patronus creatures, pushing the Dementors back.

"Everyone outside! Now!" Harry barked.

Sven jerked as if he had been shocked, then he moved to Mama and they started to push the kids towards the front door. Padfoot followed slowly behind the children, growling and snarling at the Dementors.

The children spilled out the front door, crying and holding onto each other fearfully. Harry grabbed Sven's arm before he could leave. "Is that all of them?"

Sven looked around, taking a quick head count. "Ja, except for the twins," he said. Then he choked, realizing he had no idea about the fate of his daughters.

"Fine, go," Harry said, pushing the older man forward. Then he turned and directed Prongs against several Dementors that were trying to follow the children through the door.

Harry had just about cleared the house when he heard someone outside shout, "Protego!"

There was a flash of light and the house shuddered. A corner of the house exploded in a shower of splinters from a Reductor that had bounced off the shield.

Harry ran to the Johansen family, huddled behind Hermione, Draco, Luna and Ginny. His friends were casting shields, as they had come under Death Eater fire.

Harry frowned. The ward must come very close to the house, he thought. He could see one dead Death Eater and two others, who were firing upon the children.

Draco and Ginny started to send curses at the Death Eaters.

"Expecto Patronum!" he shouted again.

With the others fighting Death Eaters, they couldn't deal with the Dementors, who were now circling the group.

Again Prongs sprang from his staff and rushed at the Dementors. Harry could see several constables running up the road to help them. One man stopped right in front of Harry and added his own shield to the fire fight.

"Sir, the Patronuses aren't chasing off the Dementors. The Death Eaters can't cross the ward, but they're driving the Dementors to a killing frenzy," gasped the man.

Harry nodded in reply. He stepped over to join Hermione and the others when Luna suddenly stood up.

"Luna!" Draco screamed and he reached for her. Luna nimbly stepped out of his grip and danced over to Harry.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I need your help," she said in a soft voice, then she grabbed his free hand.

When her hand made contact with his, a several bursts of light rose up around them. Harry pitched forward to his knees, screaming in pain. He felt like every piece of his body was exploding. Spots burst into his vision and he tried to yank his hand free, but Luna had him in an iron grip.

Hermione looked up at Luna, then at Harry and her expression hardened. "Stupefy!" she shouted, aiming her staff at Luna. The red beam of light arced the distance and vanished.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. You'll understand soon enough, but you can't stop this," Luna said dreamily, her voicing taking on a strange, echoing quality.

Hermione moved to raise her staff again, but Draco tackled her from behind, pinning her to the ground.

"No!" he gasped.

"But she's killing him!" Hermione cried, pointing at Harry writhing on the ground. Hermione began to struggle with Draco, but he was too strong.

Around them the lights that had appeared started to swirl and spin. As they did, each became larger and larger. The Dementors began to back away from the area.

Ginny broke her gaze away from Harry, who seemed to be in terrible pain, and looked up at the bright lights.

One light broke free from the rest, rising above the ground and, as it did, it took shape. Ginny watched in awe as a creature appeared. It would have looked fairy-like, had it not been as tall as a person and glowing blindingly white.

Huge white wings unfurled and the creature swooped down over a Dementor.

It gripped the Dementor with it's front paws and the wings wrapped around it, trapping it. There came a high pitched keening sound from the hovering creature and it dipped its beautiful face into the space created by the wings.

Ginny gasped when the wings suddenly snapped open and ash and a black cloak fell to the ground. All around her, other lights formed into the fairy-like creatures. In a matter of moments, they had consumed all the Dementors in the area, then they took wing again to find more prey.

The remaining Death Eater, seeing the destruction of the Dementor, apparated away.

When Luna released Harry's hand, his writhing ceased and he lapsed into silence.

There was a small popping noise next to Luna and a small, naked man with a horn in his forehead appeared. The man grabbed his privates and gestured rudely at Luna. He jerked hard on himself several times.

Luna smiled at the little man and patted his head, which only made him angrier.

"Yes, I know. Now be a dear and run off," she murmured.

The little man passed an enormous amount of wind, then vanished as if that had been his propellant. Draco and Hermione turned a little green after catching a whiff. Harry sniffed once and moaned then he started to sit up.

Hermione pushed Draco off her and went to help him.

"Harry?"

Hermione wrapped an arm around him and he leaned against her tiredly. "Merlin, what hit me?" he whispered.

"Luna," Hermione said angrily, shooting the younger woman an angry glare.

Luna looked over at Hermione and Harry, her expression sad. "I'm sorry, Harry. I needed your power. It was the only way."

Harry shook his head groggily. "The only way... Wait, what about the Dementors?" he asked, feeling stupid.

"Eaten, I think. I don't know what Luna did, but they ate them," Ginny said in an awed tone.

"They? Ginny, what are you talking about?"

"Luna grabbed your hand, Harry. You screamed in pain and suddenly she was surrounded by hundreds of white lights. The lights turned into these things that looked like beautiful glowing fairies."

"Angels," Luna said primly.

Ginny looked at the girl startled. "Angels? Alright then, angels," she murmured.

"I created them, with Harry's help, so I get to name them. Would you prefer Glowing Clipshards instead? Or Floating Smugworts?," Luna said with a smile.

"Fine, angels then. Where did they come from?" Hermione asked angrily.

"From nature, Hermione. If you want, you can consider them an anti-Dementors, or the Dementor predator we talked about. I didn't have enough power to do it myself, so I borrowed Harry's power," Luna replied.

"Is that why I feel like I've been beaten?" Harry asked in a plaintive tone.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't know it would cause you so much pain. But nature wasn't going to create them for another thousand years or so. With your power, we hurried the process," Luna said contritely.

Hermione moved to say something, but Harry stopped her. "No, Hermione, it's alright. She didn't do it on purpose. I think she saved us all."

"Look, this is all fine and dandy, I suppose, but I think we should be getting back to town. We need to help the Johansens with their children," Draco said in a tense voice.

Suddenly everyone else realized they were surrounded by frightened children.

Harry stood unevenly and leaned heavily on his staff. "What about the Death Eaters?"

"I think Sven might have gotten one with his gun, Harry," Draco said in a soft voice. "They were able to come very close to the house here."

Harry nodded wearily. "Yeah, the farm house is on the very edge of the town. I couldn't extend the line out any farther without someone helping me in a power sharing... Merlin! Now, I know why we use a ritual to share power. Luna just about drained me dry."

Harry looked over at Sven, who was stilling holding his shotgun and scanning the night sky. He stood very close to Mama, who was hugging her children. Once they'd all been hugged, she simply started over again, working her way from the littlest to the biggest.

"Sven, let's get to town. There will be food and medicine there for us," Harry said.

Sven nodded. "We fix those men good, eh Harry?"

Harry smiled at the older man, while Mama picked up little Linda and started to lead her children down the lane towards town. Hermione wormed her way under Harry's arm, helping to steady him, and one of the constables walked discretely behind him, ready to catch him if necessary.

Everyone paused upon entering the town square. There were lights everywhere and people were rushing back and forth. Healers were running around pressing chocolate into every empty hand they could spot.

"I'll see to the Johansen's," Draco said, then he led Luna off, with Mama and Papa Johansen following.

Harry motioned towards the fountain in the center of the square and they made their way over to it and sat on the edge.

"Hermione! Harry!" shouted Emma Granger as she rushed up to them, Dan right behind her.

Emma pressed a large piece of chocolate into Hermione's hand and another into Harry's.

Harry took a bite and waited for the rush of sweetness to wash away the numb feeling. Almost immediately, he started to relax and lean against Hermione, while Emma fussed over them both.

"Oh, Merlin! I forgot in all the rush!" shouted Ginny, who suddenly paled.

"Ginny?" Harry asked cautiously. What else could go wrong? he asked himself.

"Harry, I'm so sorry... We found out what Charlie was hiding just as the attack started," Ginny said in a rush. Her expression was filled with shame.

Harry's eyes narrowed. "What?" he asked in a hard tone.

"Charlie snuck Dumbledore into Haven. He's here right now! He's disguised himself and is running that new pub." Ginny stammered, then backed away from him as he stood up.

"Dumbledore," he hissed and his aura flared, blinding those nearby.

Harry, his exhaustion masked by a fresh dose of adrenaline, walked toward The Enchanted Goat. With a worried look, Hermione moved to follow him, with the others close behind.

Harry walked up to the front of The Enchanted Goat. He raised his staff and the door exploded upwards in thousands of fragments.

"Dumbledore!" Harry thundered. "Come out here, old man!"

The music ceased from inside the pub and those patrons who had not been helping people started to run from the building. Several men spilled out the hole where the front door used to be, others climbed out the windows.

"Dumbledore!" Harry shouted again. "Come out, you coward!"

Suddenly a figure appeared in the doorway. The man was tall and completely bald. In one hand he held a wand, in the other a glass orb.

"Diffendo!" Dumbledore shouted, pointing his wand at Harry.

Harry contemptuously batted the curse to one side with his staff. "Stupefy!"

He had every intention of capturing Dumbledore alive, if possible.

Dumbledore put up a shield and cast another spell. Harry's shielded and returned fire, but his exhaustion started to work against him.

The two men exchanged curses at faster and faster rates, then suddenly Harry got clipped by a powerful bludger and he spun around. He whirled back in time to see Dumbledore hurl the orb at him.

"Incendio!" Harry shouted, and Dumbledore shrieked as his robes burst into flames.

Then, with a loud, cracking sound, Dumbledore vanished from view.

Harry started to back away when the orb landed at his feet and exploded, hurling him skyward. He had just enough time for a single thought before darkness took him.

I really hate that man.

---

Authors Notes:

Well, another chapter down and some issues are working towards a resolution. Others we've barely scratched and that is how it should be. Never forget our primary aim is to tease and twist the reader's knickers until they bunch up and slide into that crack in a very uncomfortable manner.

"Stop that! You're giving away our secrets!" Alyx shouted at Bob.

Sigh...

Moving right along then.

To the reader who asked a bunch of questions. Yes, yes, yes, no, no, maybe, yes, no, never, no, no, yes, and maybe. Please use these answers for your questions in any order that makes you happy.

For all those that wished Alyx well with her spider bite, she is doing better and she thanks you. Currently, the bite appears to be healing and the antibiotics took care of the secondary infection. However, now for the bad news. She is recovering from her spider bite and suffering from a husband bite. I warned her about reaching for my donuts!!

Support for the AK enema, strangely enough, is picking up. Frankly, I don't understand the appeal of shoving something up your butt, but then, that's one of the reasons why I'll never write a slash fic... except as a parody.

Yes, Kristina, there is a Santa Claus and Ron Weasley is most definitely dead in the Sun series.

To those of you who saw fit to correct us about the proper usage of the honorific 'Sir', we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We're just poor ignorant colonials who don't use such elitist titles. DOWN WITH... (smack smack smack)

"Bob! Stop it!"

"Yes, dear."

So many enjoyed the idea of Snape in a thong that we're considering repeating the event at our next annual Christmas party. However, for those who can't make it to the party, we'll send you photos. Thanks!

We'll start seeing more of Harry's T-Shirts soon, I promise.

Hagrid is currently working as keeper of keys and grounds as well as Care of Magical Creatures at the Haven School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Like Professor Sprout, he was caught by surprise with the evacuation of Hogwarts and went along for the ride.

The UPDATELESS LIST!!!

Harry Potter and Merlin's Gifts by GryffRavHuffSlythendor

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1991243/1/

This is a nice tale about Harry finding someone willing to help him after the DoM fight. Unfortunately if was first started in 2004 and hasn't been updated since December of 2005. Has it been abandoned? Perhaps.

• Previous
• Chapter 1 - Beginnings Chapter 2 - Orphans and a Hermione Moment Chapter 3 - Weasleys Woes Chapter 4 - Labor Pains Chapter 5 - Relationship building Chapter 6 - Far Reaching Decisions Chatper 7 - And so it begins Chapter 8 - Score one for the good guys Chapter 9 - The Pain of Birth Chapter 10 - Angels and Weddings Chapter 11 - Honeymoon Surprises Chapter 12 - Wives speak out and an Azkaban Field Trip Chapter 13 - Aftermath and a Reckoning Chapter 14 - Healing Conversations Chapter 15 - Dinner Guests and Mad-Eye Madness Chapter 16 - Politics and Angels Chapter 17 - Trick or Treat Chapter 18 - Whispers in the dark Chapter 19 - Difficult Times for all Chapter 20 - A Matter for Kings and Philosophers Chapter 21 - Christmas in Haven Chapter 22 - Pregnancy, Snorkacks and Luna rocks Chapter 23 - Muddying the Waters Chapter 24 - Dangerous Dagger Dilemma Chapter 25 - French Fried Troubles Chapter 26 - The pain of loss Chapter 27 - Necromancers, Amy and Trials Chapter 28 - An Elf in hot water Chapter 29 - The coming dawn Chapter 30 - Sunrise Over Britain Chapter 31 - A New Day Chapter 32 - Taking Stock Chapter 33 - Of Endings and Beginnings
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