Sunrise Over Britain
Chapter 10 - Angels and Weddings

By Bobmin

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 Next

Standard Disclaimer:

The curtains pull back and spotlight lights up center stage. There is a moment of silence and then you can clearly hear the sound of approaching footsteps. Slowly the figure of Alan Rickman enters the pool of light and he bows, then smiles at the audience.

"WOOO WOOO! GET NAKED!!!" shouted a voice from the audience.

Harry turned to Hermione. "Do you really want to see that slimy git naked?" he asked in a hurt tone.

Hermione blinked and realized she might have gone too far. "I just want to a few photos for my scrapbook!"

Harry turned and grabbed at his program reading it angrily.

Rickman frowned. "I will not get naked, not for you Miss Granger, or for anyone else. I am a serious artist!"

"Yeah yeah, artist my arse," muttered Harry. Hermione elbowed Harry in the eye.

"Show us your butt!" she yelled.

"Do you mind? I am here at the gracious invitation of the authors who would like me to tell you that they make no claim whatsoever to the Potter universe. All that stuff belongs to JK Rowling. And on a more personal note, I too hate Snape and am quite thankful that no one in their right mind would possibly confuse me for a character I play in some silly movie."

"Yeah yeah enough talk! Get Naked already!" Hermione shouted, then she swished her wand an a loud disco beat began to play. A mirror ball lowered from the ceiling and Rickman suddenly found himself on Roller skates wearing only a pink pair of speedos.

Rickman looked up in outrage while Hermione tried to climb over the rows of seats to get to the stage. She nearly made it to the stage when Draco and Luna pushed him off the stage. Hermione scampered onto the stage and looked around uncertainly. A noise from one of the balcony booths drew her attention.

"No you can't do this! I'm under contract. Wait, I'll tell them I won't do the movies anymore! Noooo!"

Suddenly Rickman, aka Snape, plunged through one of the curtains and plummeted a hundred feet to his death. Draco and Luna look at each other, smiled, then winked at Harry.

"Death to Roller Disco!" shouted Luna from the balcony.

"Funny, I thought Disco was making a come back," murmured Bob.

"Over my dead body," snarled Alyx.

"Nooooooo!!!!" wailed Hermione.

Alyx turned to Bob and glared at him. "Back to the Snape/Rickman thing again are we?"

Bob shrugged. "Sometimes the old material is the best material. Besides, if he's dead, they'll have to write Snape out of the movies."

"You are evil and must be destroyed!" Alyx proclaimed holding a pitchfork.

"Yes dear I know," replied the unflappable Bob.

---

Hermione watched in horror as Harry and Dumbledore dueled. Had the circumstances been different, she would have laughed at the comical sight of the completely bald ex-headmaster. He looked as though he had been the hapless victim of a Weasley prank.

The reality, however, was far more sinister.

She tried several times to get a shot in, but her father had held her too far back from the fight. Ginny had moved closer, but Bill intercepted her as well. She cried out when Harry landed a weakened flame curse on Dumbledore and he apparated away with his robes aflame. Barely a second later, Harry was thrown a good twenty feet from the front of the Enchanted Goat when the orb Dumbledore had hurled at him exploded at his feet.

Harry landed with a sickening thud and slid a few feet. Hermione couldn't help but moan in pain seeing him lying so still on the ground. She fought against her father's hold, but Dan was too shocked to do anything but hold her tighter.

The fight was over and it took several seconds for that fact to sink into the minds of the stunned onlookers. It had been a public battle with literally hundreds of witnesses, all of whom were still recovering from the nights Dementor attack.

A collective sigh went through the crowd and Hermione finally broke free from Dan's grasp.

"Harry!" she shouted and ran to his side.

He lay on the gravel road, bleeding from several wounds. Hermione dropped to her knees next to him and reached out, then pulled her hand back. She wasn't sure where she could touch him. He coughed once and opened his eyes.

"Hermione?" he whispered.

"Shhhh. Rest, Harry," Hermione said through her tears.

Another man squatted down on next to Harry and started to cast diagnostic spells. The man did a doubletake when he recognized Harry.

"Well, Harry, we meet again. No, don't move yet. I'll get you fixed up," Sam said.

"Hi, Sam," Harry replied weakly and he tried to smile.

Sam looked at Hermione. "Say, Harry, who's the pretty girl? Friend of yours?"

"Sam, meet Hermione, my fiancée," he mumbled.

Hermione nodded to the healer. Then looked surprised when he reached over and grabbed her hands, placing them on Harry's shoulders.

"Pleased to meet you, now hold him flat for a moment," Sam said with a small smile. "Harry look into your pretty lady's eyes. This is going to hurt."

He nodded and stared up at Hermione. Sam rotated Harry's arm, then gave a strong pull on it. Harry moaned and he arched his back against Hermione's hands as his shoulder popped back into the socket.

Sam ran a few more diagnostics and frowned as he leaned down and pushed up Harry's pants leg.

"That's an old injury," Hermione murmured.

"I'll say," Sam replied, then looked down at Harry. "Alright, you've scrapped a nice bit of skin off your back with that slide, and you had a dislocated shoulder. Asides from that, you're exhausted. Have your regular healer check you over and get some sleep. Oh, and no magic for at least 24 hours after you wake up."

Harry nodded tiredly at the healer, then looked up at Hermione, who was still kneeling by his head with her hands on his shoulders. She looked down at him and her expression hardened.

"Just what did you think you were going to do, Harry James Potter? You were exhausted and you went to fight Dumbledore? Are you insane? You could have waited a day so we could plan and capture him. But no, you have to be the Bloody Boy-With-No-Brains and run off to a fight which nearly got you killed! We're getting married in two weeks and you're picking fights!"

"He started it," Harry mumbled.

That, of course, was the wrong thing to say, as it only wound her up more. She applied guilt like a pro, delivered a passionate appeal to him about what he put her through, and threatened him with bodily harm if he ever scared her like that again. When she took a deep breath to continue her rant, Dan stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing gently.

"Hermione, look," Emma said.

Hermione looked down, only to find him fast asleep.

"Lets get him up to the manor," Dan suggested.

Hermione conjured a stretcher and levitated Harry onto it. She was about to levitate the stretcher when the healer held up his hand.

"He's Harry Potter?" Sam asked in an incredulous tone.

Hermione nodded tiredly, then lifted the stretcher for the walk back to the manor.

Sam watched Hermione and her parents head off to the manor after thanking him for his help. Then he shook his head and turned to see if there was anyone else in need of help.

"Well I'll be dipped in shit," he muttered to himself with a grin, then turned to the business of handing out chocolate.

---

Cairngorn Mountains, Scotland...

The cottage was very isolated and, while old, it appeared to be well maintained.

As such, no one saw the flaming person who appeared on the porch of the small cottage. There was a whooshing sound when the flames were extinguished and then, swaying, the person ripped the still smoldering clothing from his body.

Naked, Dumbledore stumbled a few feet, gasping in pain, before collapsing to his knees. He swayed from the pain of the burns and then pitched forward, face down.

Silence descended once again on the remote mountain cottage and for a moment, nothing disturbed it. Then the door to the cottage opened and a pair of elvish arms reached out, pulled Dumbledore inside and slammed the door behind him.

---

Padfoot Manor (July 19th)...

Hermione watched Harry wake from his deep sleep. Danni had been in and out several times during the night while Hermione dozed fitfully on divan. According to Danni, his magical core was quickly returning to normal levels. The greatest damage had been to his shoulder and that was healing nicely, even if it would be sore for the next day.

She shook her head, trying to wake up. Magical Medicine was in some ways more advanced than Muggle Medicine and in others more primitive. Danni knew that Harry's arm and shoulder would be sore today, but it hadn't occurred to her to have him put his arm into a sling for the day. For all the power those in the magical world had, it still amazed her that they missed the simple things.

A sound from the bed caused her to cease day dreaming as she stood up and moved quickly towards the bed.

"Ow," moaned Harry as he tried to stretch. He sat up unsteadily and swung his legs off the bed. He made a move to wipe at his face with his hand and winced in pain.

"I really blew it last night didn't I?" he asked, hanging his head.

"Yes, you did."

"I let my anger lead instead of my head," he said ruefully, then he shook his head.

Hermione refrained from saying anything. Now that she'd had time to calm down, she knew his own sense of right and wrong would be bad enough without her adding to it. The last thing he need was her to start ranting at him again.

Harry straightened and winced again. "What's wrong with my shoulder and arm?"

"You dislocated your shoulder last night. It's going to be sore today. Danni left you a potion to drink. It will speed the healing enough that, by tomorrow, it should be fine. Also, she agrees with that American Healer. No magic for you today. Luna's little stunt left you almost totally drained. Your little fight with Dumbledore certainly didn't help, either," Hermione said, trying to keep the biting edge out of her voice.

"Are you still mad at her?"

Hermione moved to stand in front of him, her hands on her hips. "Harry, she nearly drained you dry last night. And we both know if it weren't for that, you wouldn't have gotten hurt by Dumbledore," she replied angrily.

Harry sighed, looked out the window and his eyes become unfocused as he remembered the details of the night before. "The pain was incredible, but at the same time, I could feel her pleading for help. I think she had to feel the same level of pain I was feeling during the power sharing. She didn't mean to hurt me," he said softly.

Hermione sat next to him on the bed and leaned against his good shoulder. "I know," she replied with a heavy sigh. "But she hurt you so bad and I was afraid for you," she finished in a whisper.

"Well, I'm better now," he said with a grin. "And now we have something to combat the Dementors, just like you wanted."

Hermione sat up straight and frowned, crossing her arms across her chest. "Yes, Luna's Angels."

"So that's what she's going to call them? Not Free Floating Grumpmucks, or Albino Snorkacks?"

"Oh no, she's staying with Angels. And, honestly, I'm not too sure she's wrong about the name," Hermione said with her first real smile of the morning.

Harry turned to look at her and arched an eyebrow in a questioning glance. "Oh?"

"Well, she was right about what they do. Apparently they feed off Dementors. When no Dementors are available, they seem to like being around happy people. It's almost as if they feed off the happiness. We're not sure exactly how many Angels were born last night, but we guess it was close to fifty. Of those, most have already left Haven, but three pair have stayed. One pair is hanging around the school, another is in town near the primary school, and the final pair has taken up residence near the Johansens home."

Harry groaned and put his head in his hand. "The Johansens! How could I have forgotten about them? Are..."

"Relax, Harry, they're fine. They were a bit shook up, but I think the Angels nearby are helping the children even more than the chocolate did."

"But what about..."

"Harry, enough," Hermione said with no small measure of annoyance in her voice. "Right now you need to get up, take a long soak in the tub to help heal that shoulder, then have some breakfast. After that, I've arranged for several people to meet with you to fill you in on the details."

Harry looked at her in surprise, then grinned. "Are you handling me, Mrs. Potter-to-be?"

Hermione smoothed her skirt and looked at him primly. "If I don't, no one else will, Mr. Potter," she replied with an impish grin.

One hour and a hot bath later, Harry walked back into his bedroom, half dressed. Hermione looked up from the breakfast table.

"Keep your robe on and don't put on a shirt just yet. Danni wants to have one final look before you get dressed," she called.

Harry nodded and sat down at the table with her. She smiled and offered him a pastry.

"So, who's coming to the meeting this morning?" he asked, trying to sound casual. If there was one thing he had learned about Hermione it was that if she didn't want to talk about something, you might as well speak to the walls.

Hermione eyed him suspiciously for a moment, then shrugged. "I've asked Amelia, Remus and Michael O'Dalley. Ginny asked to bring Charlie around later, but I told her I would get back to her after talking to you about it."

Harry frowned and was about to reply when the door to the bedroom opened. Danni walked in, her eyes examining him before she ever reached him. Emma followed, closing the door behind her.

"Ah, you're awake. Good. That saves me the trouble of waking you. Have you had a soak this morning?" Danni asked, walking over to stand next to the table.

Harry nodded and eyed the healer warily.

She shook her head at him, though her eyes danced. "You know, if you didn't get yourself hurt like this, I wouldn't have to poke and prod you, Harry," she said, openly grinning.

Harry scowled at her, but she ignored him, concentrating instead on pulling his robe off his shoulder. She ran a quick diagnostic charm, which caused his shoulder to glow a soft blue tinged with green. She bent over to examine the glow more closely, then stood up, smiling.

"Excellent, you're healing well and should be fine by tomorrow morning. Until then, don't aggravate your arm by moving it too much. As for your core, it's nearly recharged. I'd lay off any big magics for today, if I were you," Danni said warningly.

Harry nodded and peeled out of his robe with the healer's help. Then she helped him put on a T-Shirt that read, "I refuse to star in Voldemort's psychodrama!"

---

Weasley Residence, Haven...

Charlie Weasley sat at one corner of the table and kept mostly to himself. Last night's revelation about Dumbledore had him stunned still. The attack that followed almost immediately afterward and Harry's duel with Dumbledore seemed a blur. It hadn't been until the early hours that he had finally managed to get to sleep. He had followed his father and helped where he could last night.

When he had gotten up this morning, Ginny had stopped by to inform him that he would be seeing Harry up at the manor house later today. He had to admit now that Ginny frightened him. She was a truly formidable witch and totally unbendable when it came to certain issues.

Arthur looked worriedly between the two of them and offered to come with Charlie for his meeting with Harry. It was an offer Charlie gratefully accepted.

"Worried about meeting with, Harry?" asked Arthur in a sympathetic tone.

"A little," Charlie mumbled in reply.

"It's never easy to admit you've made a mistake, Charlie, especially to Harry. I remember when I came clean with him back around the holidays," Arthur said, expression softening. "He was willing to give me another chance, despite what we've done to him as a family."

"How could Ron have done those things, Dad? I mean, we all knew he liked Hermione, but... Bloody bollocks, what a pounce I've turned into," Charlie said.

Arthur laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps, but knowing you've made a mistake is the first step to fixing it. As to Ron... well, he changed," he said pensively, running a hand through his thinning hair. "He became someone else, someone we didn't know. I will always mourn the Ron I like to remember, the small boy in love with chess and Quidditch."

Charlie nodded thoughtfully and stared for a moment at his bowl of cereal before speaking again. "I don't know if I've ever felt more ashamed, Dad," he said in a voice barely above a whisper. "I put everyone in danger by bringing Dumbledore into Haven, and now my own sister hates me."

"I don't hate you, Charlie," Ginny said in a flat voice. "I think you're pig-headed, stubborn and a bloody ass for refusing to believe us. I hate that we had to force you into a Pensieve to see the real memories. And for forcing us to relive those painful memories. You broke trust with your family and that's going to take a long time to regain. But you're my brother and I don't hate you."

Charlie's head lifted up and he looked at his little sister. For the first time since he arrived in Haven, he could see the twinkle in her eyes and a slight smile tugging at her lips. Charlie smiled back at his sister and a little weight lifted from his heart.

---

Padfoot Manor...

Harry sat at his desk in his study. He had finally managed to get Hermione to stop hovering over him and sit down. Emma had put his arm into a sling. It made it easier for him to move around, but harder to do some things. Danni, after taking a close look at the sling, approved of it, and told him to live with it for today, no matter how annoying it may become.

Now he sat reading a list of the casualties from last nights attack. It looked bad initially, but even he had to admit that they had been incredibly lucky. They'd had one death from a killing curse, and one adult kissed by a Dementor. There were dozens of minor injuries caused by people running in panic. He frowned when he saw that a number of small children had been injured in the panic when a few Dementors had come close to one of the residential streets.

After several minutes he wordlessly passed the report to Hermione to read, then wiped a hand over his face tiredly. "I think we got off lucky," he murmured.

"Lucky? It's a bloody miracle," Amelia said with a snort. "Had it not been for the Angels, we would have had a bloody disaster on our hands."

"I don't like this part about the children," Hermione said with an unhappy expression.

O'Dalley looked thoughtful. "How about organizing a block defense?"

Everyone turned to look at him.

O'Dalley tried to hide his grin. "It's simple, really. I was reading about some of the things the muggles did in their great war, and this was one of the ideas that struck me as making sense. If it had been in place last night, there would have been fewer injuries."

Hermione pressed him on the concept. "How does it work?" she asked intently.

"It's not a big deal. We select a few trusty people on each block and call them 'Wardens'. In the event of an attack, it's their job to direct people to previously set up safe areas, like the Town Hall, the school, maybe a few other places. Then the Wardens see that their block of people get there safely. Last night we had a panic. The Wardens directing people should prevent that."

Remus looked up from staring at his feet and nodded. "I like the idea."

Harry looked at each person and received a nod in return. "Alright, it's agreed. Michael, that sounds like an excellent idea and I think I might have just the candidate to head up the effort. I'll speak with him today and tell him to contact you."

O'Dalley nodded. Inwardly he was relieved to hear that he wasn't going to be in charge of this, as well. He had realized last night that his constables needed better training and he was already considering ways to accomplish that.

"Harry, about that orb Dumbledore threw at you last night?" Remus asked.

Harry frowned and nodded for Remus to continue.

"I had the twins look over the area where it hit. From what we could tell, the thing was charmed to explode if the orb came in contact with the ground, as you discovered. Had the orb hit you directly, you would have been bathed in liquid Imperious."

Remus paused as Hermione paled and gripped Harry's arm tightly. Amelia's only reaction was a tightening around her mouth.

"As you know, liquid Imperious normally requires the victim to imbibe the potion. It can be absorbed through the skin, but at a much slower rate. What it would have accomplished would have been to make you highly suggestible for a short time. Oh, and the twins were highly excited by the idea of an exploding orb, it's like their flash bangs, but different. I think they'll have a working prototype in a few days," Remus concluded with a bit of a grin.

Harry smiled as well. He, too, could see the value of a hand held explosive device.

"What about Dumbledore? Is there a connection between him and the attack that occurred just prior to your dueling with him, Harry?" Amelia asked.

Harry shook his head. "I am beginning to think that among Dumbledore's many qualities is a stroke of bad luck. I discovered he was in town last night just after the attack and went off like an idiot after Luna had drained me of most of my magic. He'd been in Haven for a while, from what I understand. I don't have all the details, but our duel was strictly a coincidence with the other attack. And probably the first attack as well."

Amelia considered that for a moment. "Well, that's a bit of a relief, actually. The idea that Voldemort and Dumbledore might have become allies was rather frightening."

"To all of us," Hermione replied in agreement.

There was a minute of silence, then Amelia broke it. "I spoke with Mallory at the Irish Ministry this morning. They offered to provide additional Auror support, if needed."

O'Dalley looked up from his notes. "I'd like to take them up on that offer for a week or two. I think I want to increase the training level among my constables and I want to see every one of them getting a course in field medicine."

"I'll let them know we accept their offer then," Amelia said, then she frowned slightly. "We've also had a request through Minister Mallory to procure a couple Angels for their Department of Mysteries to study."

Harry scowled and turned to Hermione. "How many Angels do we have in Haven again?"

"Six of them," Hermione replied.

Harry turned back to Amelia. "I don't think I'm willing to allow that to happen, Minister. Those Angels saved many lives last night. We owe them a debt of gratitude. Experiments in a lab are not the proper way of expressing it. I would be willing to allow several of their researchers to come to Haven to study the Angels, so long as they conduct their research under the auspices of our Beast Master, and that their research is not harmful to the Angels in any way."

Remus rolled his eyes and started to laugh. Harry was setting up the Irish to work under Hagrid, who would see that no harm came to the Angels in Haven. Even Hermione couldn't resist the urge to laugh.

"I'll let them know about your generous offer, Harry," Amelia replied with a smile.

The door to the office opened and Ginny stuck her head in. "Oops. I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't realize you were still busy," she said.

Harry smiled at her. "Don't go, Ginny. I think we're done here now. Right?"

He looked around and everyone nodded as Amelia, O'Dalley and Remus stood up and walked to the door. Hermione made to stand, but Harry shook his head at her.

Remus, seeing the Weasleys, stopped at the door. He turned around to look at Harry. "Would you like me to stay as well, Harry?" he asked as he stepped aside and Ginny, Arthur and Charlie filed in.

"No thanks, Remus. I think we can handle this one," Harry said with a reassuring smile.

Remus nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Harry looked at the three Weasleys and his expression hardened. Then he leaned back in his chair and tried to run his hand through his hair, only to wince when he chose the wrong arm. Reaching out slowly, he pulled the casualty report closer.

"Do you know there are now over thirty six hundred adults and fifteen hundred children in Haven, Charlie?" Harry asked in a neutral tone.

Charlie blinked at the seemingly unrelated question. "N-N-No, I didn't," he stammered in reply.

"Most of them are refugees from Britain, people who couldn't stand the Ministry or were working for the Ministry when it fell and managed to get lucky enough to fall in our nets. Some of them are family members of students. Healers, seamstresses, enchanters, clerks, shop keepers, mothers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, all looking for a safe place for themselves and their families."

Harry paused for a moment and stood up from his chair. He turned and walked slowly over to the window and gazed out towards Haven.

"I built this place in the hopes of trying to save something good from Britain. I dreamt of a place where people would once more be able to stand on their own two feet and be proud of it. We've set up a government, we've started planning to take back our homeland, but those people in that town over there still look to me to provide them with protection. I didn't ask for that responsibility, but there it is."

He turned from the window then and glared at Charlie. "What gives you the right to put those people into jeopardy?" he snarled.

Charlie cringed back from Harry, who's eyes were aflame, back-lit by an unholy combination of sheer magical power and blazing anger.

"H-Harry, I'm sorry. I didn't intend for anyone to get hurt," Charlie stammered.

Harry closed his eyes when he realized that his anger, while justified, would solve nothing. With a deep sigh, he let his anger bleed away. When he opened his eyes once again, they were calm, though penetrating. "Charlie, I need your family. Ginny is my sister in a way you'll never understand. Your father is one of Amelia's key people and I have learned to trust him once again. Bill has done wonders in the economic office and the twins have been contributing more to the war effort than anyone realizes. I can't afford to have them distracted by what I should rightfully do to you.

"Therefore, I am going to give you a choice. You can leave Haven, today, never to be welcome back within our wards, or you can join your family in helping our efforts. Be warned, however. No matter what it may do to your family and my relationship with them, if you break faith with me again, I will not spare you a second time."

Arthur closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Ginny watched, her face a mask, as Charlie hung his head.

"I don't deserve a second chance, Harry. I know that. But since you're offering one, I'd be foolish not to take it. I'll stay."

He looked up at Harry then and their eyes locked. Charlie shivered under the younger man's gaze and tried to break away, but found himself trapped by it.

"Very well. This afternoon you will report to Michael O'Dalley, head of the Haven Constabulary, and inform him that you have been put in charge of the block Wardens, as well as seeing that appropriate shelters are built around the town. Last night we suffered a number of preventable injuries, especially among the children, due to the panic caused by the Dementors. While I don't believe we'll suffer another Dementor attack, the townspeople must be taught what to do in the event of an attack. That, Charlie, will be your job. You endangered the people of Haven. You'll pay for that by helping to make them safer," Harry said.

---

Later that day in another part of the Manor...

Hermione paused in the corridor when she heard someone call her name. Peeking into one of the retiring rooms, she spotted Narcissa Black sitting on a small couch, enjoying a cup of tea.

"Hermione dear, please come in. I've meant to speak to you for a while now," Narcissa said in a friendly tone.

While Narcissa and Emma had become close friends, Hermione hadn't had much contact with the older witch and she still harbored a little uneasiness concerning Narcissa's past.

"Tea?" Narcissa asked as she deftly poured a second cup of tea and offered it to her.

Hermione accepted the cup and sat in one of the arm chairs facing Narcissa.

Narcissa smiled. "Relax, my dear. I won't bite you. I've had some wonderful conversations with your mother. She is quite proud of you and your accomplishments."

Hermione blushed slightly and mumbled something into her tea.

Narcissa laughed, then put her tea down and leaned forward, her expression turning very serious. "Hermione, considering your background, you've done really well for yourself."

Hermione bristled at the implied insult about her background, but held her tongue when Narcissa held up her hand.

"No, dear, I don't mean your blood background. I've had enough of that silly tripe to last me a lifetime. No, what I mean is that you were raised in... what do the muggles call it? The middle class?"

Hermione's eyed widened in comprehension and she nodded. "Actually, being dentists, my parents were probably considered upper middle class or even lower upper class."

Narcissa shook her head and refrained from commenting about the bizarre activities of Muggles. "My dear, in a few days time you will be the wife of Harry Potter. Or, to put it in more concise terms, you will be the wife of the last living heir of the Potter family, as well as the current head of the Black family."

Hermione nodded, though her confusion was obvious when she looked at the older witch.

"You will be Lady Potter, or Lady Black, depending upon the occasion. Why, the social obligations of such a position are enough to overwhelm a person," Narcissa said with a sigh.

Hermione stiffened slightly in her seat. She had looked forward to being Mrs. Potter, but she'd never made the connection between Lord Potter-Black and there being some unnamed Lady in the wings.

"I hardly think we'll have time for socializing, at least until Voldemort is defeated..."

"Oh, piff! Voldemort is merely a stepping stone for you two. With you by his side, your Harry would fight the Atlantic Ocean and probably win. No dear, I realize that the war will put a lot of things on hold. But what you need to understand is that you will have obligations not only to your husband, but to the families."

Hermione frowned. "Are you talking about children?"

"Only partially. Having children to keep the family line alive is important. But so is making sure the family's prestige and reputations are upheld. I've watched you struggle for the past few days trying to learn how to cook. But let's be practical here, shall we? You have Dobby and Winky who will probably stay with you and Harry for the rest of their lives. You also have other house elves. Cooking is probably the last thing you need worry about. And finally, you have Harry, who, through no fault of his own, knows how to cook."

"Are you implying I have to become some sort of social butterfly?" Hermione asked through gritted teeth.

Narcissa paused and gave the younger woman a look.

Hermione felt the urge to cringe back, but held her ground. She would never become some empty headed bimbo!

"No dear, what I am saying is that part of your job involves the politics of highly placed families. I know that you have a desire to promote the welfare of house elves. What you fail to realize is that, in a mere few days time, you will have the political clout to actually accomplish that desire."

Hermione's expression altered slowly from disgust and anger to one of wonder. Seeing it, Narcissa smiled.

"Yes, dear. You will be Lady Potter, wife and confidant of the savior of the wizarding world and, eventually, the mother of his children. You will have the ability to influence his seats on the Wizengamot when it's reformed."

"Wait," Hermione said. "What do you mean?"

Narcissa smiled. "Harry hasn't told you that he holds two hereditary seats on the Wizengamot?"

Mute, Hermione could only shake her head.

"Don't be too harsh with him, dear. He probably doesn't know himself," Narcissa said with a slight frown. She leaned back in her seat and her fingers drummed on the arm of the couch for a moment. "You know, I think I will need to speak to Remus. Both of you are woefully under-prepared for what will happen after the war is over. Remus has a sound financial mind, so he can stay on helping you manage the estates. But politics? That's a more personal game. Stabbing your enemy in the back, ruining them without killing them..."

When Narcissa's eyes glowed with remembered victories, Hermione frowned. The woman may no longer be a Malfoy, but she had been, and probably still thought of herself as a Slytherin. What she had learned from her house had enabled her to survive not just her marriage, but her dealings with Voldemort and his followers. She was a tough, formidable woman, and Hermione realized that there was much she could learn from her.

Narcissa shook her head and turned her gaze back to Hermione. Seeing her expression, she smiled."I see you are beginning to understand. Good. Now, I am going to start by helping you and your mother understand what you need to know about politics. In a way, politics has a magic all of its own and it's very satisfying."

"My mother?" Hermione asked, puzzled. Then her eyebrows furrowed in concentration and she nodded in understanding. With Granger Publications taking off and the prestige stemming from their own involvement in the war, the Grangers would be new money and a power unto themselves, and firmly allied to the Houses of Potter and Black.

Narcissa grinned. "Emma was right about you. You do understand. Now then, let me send for Emma and we can start with the basics..."

---

Haven Operations Center (July 22nd)...

Caleb looked up from the paper Miles had handed him and stared at Miles in consternation. "This came from the Muggles?" he asked incredulously.

Miles smiled tightly and nodded. "It actually came to us through the Canadian Ministry of Magic, but yes, it started with the Muggle Government in exile."

Caleb scratched his head absently. "I don't know, Miles. Is this really important? I mean, we're in the middle of planning our first real operation and this will draw resources away from that."

Miles frowned and looked over at the large wall map of Britain. "I know what it will do, Caleb, but this is important. The Muggles are concerned about this and it would be in our best interests to cooperate with them. We walk a very fine line here. The Ministry of Magic is fundamentally part of the Muggle Government, even if most of the Muggles don't know we exist. It's been that way since twelve hundred and eighty two. As such, we have to respond to these requests occasionally to ensure the Muggles cooperate with us when needed."

Caleb nodded. He could understand what Miles was saying, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

Miles leaned back in his chair and watched his friend as he came to grips with the politics of the situation. Finally, Caleb relaxed and looked back at Miles.

"So, what can you give me?" asked Miles.

"When do you need them by?" Caleb asked, trying to stem the manpower loss.

"Tonight, tomorrow at the latest."

Miles chuckled as the other man's jaw dropped.

Caleb shook his head, then muttered a quick incantation while waving his wand. A moment later, a piece of parchment appeared in his hand containing his complete roster of Aurors. Scanning his list, he scowled. "Most of the Canadians are still at the Irish training facility working on their Patronus charms. Surprisingly, the Americans picked it up very quickly. They don't have any need of it, but it seems to tickle their fancy. I heard about the block party they held the other day that had hundreds of glowing animals in attendance," Caleb said with a strained smile. The Americans were a rowdy lot and often gave him a headache with their mannerisms and speech, but they generally were a reliable bunch of blokes.

Miles chuckled. He had heard about the block party and how the Americans had introduced the beer and fire whiskey chaser. It was said that the Hospital ran out of Sober-up potions the next day.

Caleb looked down at his list again and his expression brightened. "How many men do you think we need, Miles?"

"Two squads ought to take care of it. One for outer security and the other for the actual dirty work."

"Quite so. So why don't we try the Yanks for this one? We could use a squad of our boys for security and one of the Yank squads?"

Miles grinned. "I like it. Have the boys assemble in the briefing theater at eighteen hundred."

Caleb stood and nodded to Miles before walking from the office. He had orders to issue.

---

Strike Team Alpha, Maldon, England...

Maldon was once a sleepy little historic town on the coast of England. All that changed with fall of the Government and the take over by the military. Now days Maldon was a bustling army controlled town. People who had been caught by army patrols were brought to Maldon for processing. Some, having useful skills, were put to work. For the rest, it was the sprawling slave labor camp that had sprung up around the town.

Maldon was different from the surrounding communities for another reason. They had electricity. The military saw to that. The town had become a staging area for army forays into neighboring communities. Britain, as it currently existed, consisted of regions tightly controlled by the British Army, no-man lands and regions of total anarchy.

The high powered transmitter had been in operation for less than a month, but it's presence had been quickly noticed by the Muggle governments who were keeping an eye on the region. The broadcasts contained a mix of propaganda and coded messages, although it wasn't known who those messages were meant for. It's location within a population center, as well as being encircled by extensive anti-air defenses, made it a difficult target for the Muggle military to reach.

The transmitter was housed in a nondescript gray building on the end of Cromwell Lane. It was an unremarkable building, save for the one hundred foot tall radio antenna behind the building. The transmitter was the brain child of Lucius Malfoy, who had learned about the power of the media in controlling the masses long before the fall of the previous government. It also helped Lucius keep in contact with his ever expanding overseas network. The ward placed around Britain by Harry Potter might prevent Death Eaters from passing, but it did nothing to Muggles and, with the help of the British Army, Lucius had quickly built up an overseas spy network.

Nautical Twilight defines a time when the sun is below the horizon, but the sky is still lit by sunlight. It's effectively dark at ground level and becomes one of the most difficult conditions for the human eye to work in.

It was into this twilight that Strike Team Alpha arrived.

The team consisted of two squads under the over all command of Caleb Newman. Squad one was entirely American in makeup, and would be going for the primary target, the transmitter. Half of squad two would provide outer security for squad one, while the other half of squad two provided a diversion.

At the same time, over fifty house elves would begin a country wide magical diversion to distract the Death Eaters.

Caleb stumbled slightly as he arrived by portkey.

The team was in and not far from their primary target. The American squad leader, a short man named Arnold Blake, gave a low whistle and every one of his people immediately cast a spell on themselves. He then frowned and looked at Caleb. Gesturing, several of his men moved among the British Aurors casting the same spell, while the squad leader cast it on Caleb.

"It's a temperature nulling charm," Blake whispered. "With it, you can't be spotted by the Muggle infra-red equipment."

Caleb nodded at the man, but he made a mental note to get more information later about the charm and why it was necessary. Checking his watch he realized that, if everything had gone as planned, the elves would have started their diversion three minutes ago. That meant that the Death Eaters would be chasing ghosts all over the island right about now.

"Let's move out," Caleb said to Blake.

Blake nodded and then made a series of hand gestures. Five men nodded and split off from the group, heading southeast towards the first diversionary target, the town generator farm.

Everyone waited tensely. It would take the second group a few minutes to make their way down to White Horse Lane and destroy the generators.

Caleb knelt not far from the primary target and watched the minute hand on his watch move at a snails pace. The generators were only a few blocks away, but getting there meant threading ones way undetected among hundreds of Muggle military.

The explosion, when it came, rocked the ground and Caleb nearly fell from his knees. Blake made a motion with his hand and his men moved forward just as the town plunged into darkness. Around them hand torches could be seen turning on and the shouts of alarm came from several directions. In the distance, a siren wailed.

To the southwest Caleb could see a fireball rising over the buildings as the fuel for the generators exploded in their fifty gallon drums. He grinned seeing one drum hurtling high into the sky like a rocket. Secondary explosions began as the fire spread from the fuel depot to a nearby ammunition depot.

Caleb turned away from the carnage to the south just in time to see Blake running back towards him. Blake skidded to a halt and crouched down.

"The building is ready and I have two men prepared to take down the antenna."

"Do it then, Sergeant. I'd like to get us all home tonight," Caleb replied with a grin. He was impressed by how quickly the Americans worked.

Blake gave a low whistle. There was a pause, and then the building simply imploded silently, causing Caleb to look questioningly at Blake. The explosion should have been near deafening. When Blake merely smiled and turned back to watch his men, Caleb looked at the building once more.

One moment it had been a gray, two story brick structure, the next moment it was a pile of rubble. There hadn't even been so much as a cloud of smoke to mark its destruction. Caleb noted the antenna and mast seemed to wobble from side to side before tilting to the north and coming down into the nearby river.

Blake whistled again and his men started to appear, returning from the target site. So far, no one had noticed what had happened to the radio station. All Muggle attention was on containing the fire sweeping through the supply depots.

Caleb did a quick head count, then he pulled out his flare gun and fired a single green star shell into the air, signaling to the distraction team to use their portkeys. With a nod to Blake, he grabbed his own portkey and left the area, arriving in the Operations Center a moment later.

Miles stood nearby taking a head count as the men arrived. He finished two minutes later and smiled in relief, having accounted for all personnel involved in the field operation and noting the lack of injuries.

"You can tell the Prime Minister that that radio station is now off the air for good," Caleb said as he approached Miles. "The Yanks were even better than I expected."

"Thank you, Commander," Blake said, coming up behind Caleb. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Caleb grinned at Blake. "You should. Get your boys debriefed and fed, Sergeant. Pass along my compliment and tell them it was well done."

Blake nodded and moved off to collect his men, while Caleb and Miles watched.

"That's how I like a mission, Caleb, in and out quickly with no casualties. Pity they all can't be that way," Miles said softly.

"True enough, Miles, true enough," Caleb said tiredly. It hadn't been a long mission, it hadn't even been a strenuous mission as far as he was concerned. But the tension was tiring enough. All Caleb wanted now was to relax with a pint and his wife in his arms.

---

Padfoot Manor (July 25th)...

Harry stood with Luna, Eocho and Hermione out behind the manor. He had finished making the rune stones a while ago and now they were testing them.

"I think we should try something simple, like a light shield to begin with," Eocho offered.

Luna nodded and pulled four rune stones from a nearby table. She walked about twenty feet away and placed the stones down on the ground.

"Tiwaz, Raidho, Isa and Gebo in a cross shape, with Isa facing north," she mumbled to herself. With the last stone in place, a glowing silver dome sprang up over her. She stood smiling and looked at Eocho, Harry and Hermione expectantly.

"Since these are stones made by the Maglios, we know they will be very powerful," Eocho said softly, then he turned to Hermione. "My daughter, aim a spell to hit her shield. Spare no power."

Hermione blinked in surprise and looked shocked, but Luna smiled at her encouragingly.

Hermione raised her wand. "Reducto!" she shouted.

The explosive hex arced out from her wand and splashed harmlessly against the shield. Luna smiled and, reaching down, broke up the stone configuration, causing the shield to collapse.

"Well, it obviously works like we thought it would," Hermione said as Luna approached.

Harry scowled and crossed his arms, his expression tight.

"Something displeases you, Maglios?" Eocho asked, floating over to him.

Harry gestured in the general direction of where Luna had stood. "This is all well and good, but there are over a hundred rune stones in a set. People won't have time to sort through various stones to pick out what they need, then remember the precise configuration while in combat. This just isn't practical."

Hermione placed a calming hand on Harry's arm. "One step at a time, love. First we see what we can do with the stones. Then we work on making it practical."

Harry sighed and wiped a hand over his face. "Alright, but right now the only good I see for these toys are static defenses and rituals. We need a way of setting up a shield using the stones that's as fast as doing it with a wand, otherwise it's of no use."

Harry turned and walked back to the manor, his shoulders slumped.

Hermione frowned. She had been very pleased with the results of this test and wished that Harry could see the potential. She moved to follow him, but Luna stopped her.

"He's not really angry at you or upset about the stones, Hermione," said the blond girl.

"Oh? Then what's his problem then?" asked Hermione, slightly miffed. She still hadn't fully forgiven Luna for what she had done to Harry during the Dementor attack.

"He's just feeling down. Between the attack last week and the responsibilities he carries, it's making him anxious and worried. He thought that the stones might play a pivotal role in his fight with Riddle, but is coming to realize that they won't. He worries because he hasn't figured out how to kill Riddle yet," Luna said, then she paused a moment.

Eocho, listening to Luna talk to Hermione, was startled. He and Harry had been working on that problem, but had not divulged their progress to anyone.

"He's just anxious, Hermione. He's looking for an answer and failing to see it," Luna finished softly.

Hermione looked at Harry's retreating back for a moment longer, then turned back to Luna. "Do you know what the answer is?"

Luna nodded in Harry's direction. "No, but he does. It's inside of him, part of him, and always has been. I'm not sure he'll ever see it for what it is until he needs it."

Seeing Hermione's look of surprise, Luna smiled. "Go to him, Hermione. He needs you now and he's particularly vulnerable to Two Toed Flair Snipers at the moment."

Eocho waved to Hermione, motioning her to go and she turned to follow Harry as Eocho floated over to join Luna.

"You see much, my daughter," Eocho murmured.

She turned and smile at him. "I see what I see, Honored Teacher. The miracle Harry searches for is right under his nose and he'll never see it for what it is. When the time comes, it will blossom and still he won't see it for what it is. In the meantime, he will continue to seek it," Luna replied.

"I suspected as much, but could not tell him. Will he ever recognize it?" Eocho asked.

Luna shrugged. "I don't know. Anyone who's been around him for any length of time can see it, though they don't understand its importance. Even he sees it. But while you and I recognize it for what it is, he does not.

Eocho nodded thoughtfully. "So what will you do with the Rune Stones?"

"Turn them over to the Weasley Twins, I think," Luna offered.

"I'll suggest that to Hermione then," Eocho said with a grin.

---

Johansen Farm, Haven (July 25th)...

Harry stopped to look over the two Angels hovering over the farmhouse. At night they could be clearly seen and their glowing white light was a comfort to those who saw it. During the day, however, the Angels were nearly transparent.

Now, for the first time since the attack a week ago, he was able to really look at them. He and a few others were on their way to visit with the Johansens and they had stopped after spotting the two Angels that had taken up residence near the farm.

"They are quite pretty, aren't they?" he murmured.

"It's strange. They have an uplifting effect on everyone around them. It's almost like they exude a natural cheering charm," Remus offered quietly.

"Are they sentient? Like centaurs and elves?" asked Hermione as she watched one Angel hovering nearby.

Remus frowned. "We're not really sure, Hermione. We know that Dementors seem to have a form of sentience about them, although it's fairly primitive. Luna says they are, but they are still babies and haven't developed any language skills as yet. Hagrid isn't sure and, because they don't appear to be dangerous, I don't think he's all that interested in them."

"Does it matter? I don't know about anyone else, but I like them," Tonks offered. "They make me feel good and I get a warm feeling being around them. It's like knowing that someone loves you."

The others turned to Tonks, who had the grace to blush.

Harry watched one Angel float in their direction. He lifted up a hand towards it and it hovered closer.

"It's like it's made of glass," he whispered when the Angel brushed up against his hand with one wing.

The Angel's face was transparent like the rest of its body, but they could clearly make out the smile on its face. The Angel reached out and touched Harry's hand with one of its paws. There was a brief flash of light and then the Angel flew high into the sky above them before swooping down to hover over the farmhouse again.

Harry shivered and felt himself slip into a memory. He watched himself playing the tin whistle for Hermione in the Room of Requirement.

"Harry?" Hermione asked in concern. "Are you alright?"

Harry smiled at her, his expression filled with a childlike wonder. "I'm fine, really. I think Luna said it best when she called them anti-Dementors. They are everything a Dementor isn't. He touched me and for a brief instant I was back in the Room of Requirement, playing the tin whistle for you and giving you the music box for your birthday."

Remus and Tonks shared a look.

"I've often wondered how well that gift was received," Tonks said, grinning slyly when Hermione blushed.

Harry laughed and grabbed Hermione's hand. "Let's get over to the Johansens? We could stand here all night talking about that gift and other things."

A few minutes later they were ushered into the kitchen of the Johansen household. Harry and Remus were told that Sven was working in one of the barns and they went in search of him, while Hermione and Tonks stayed with Olga and talked about the wedding plans.

Harry stepped into the cool interior of the darkened barn. In one corner he could make out a figure hunched over a foot powered sharpening stone. Sven methodically moved the blades of a pair of shears over the stone. Sparks flew from the stone, casting little flashes of light in that corner.

Remus coughed to catch Sven's attention and he looked up. Spotting Harry and Remus, he broke into a grin and stopped pumping the sharpener.

"Mr. Lupin, Mr. Potter! What a surprise!" he exclaimed, then he stood and grabbed several stools, which he passed to Remus and Harry.

Sitting on a milking stool he eyed the other two men, then he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his pipe. "So, then," he said, lighting his pipe. "What brings you two gentlemen to my little farm?"

Harry and Remus exchanged a look, then Remus began to speak. "Sven, I don't know if you've heard that they're thinking about holding some elections in town."

"Oh, ya, I heard about it. Mayor and Deputy Mayor. Foolish business, if you ask me," Sven said.

Remus looked at Harry.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Sven. The truth is, we came here to ask if you'd run for one of those positions," Harry told him, looking embarrassed.

Sven stared at Harry in surprise.

"I know it's a shock," Harry said, "but look at it from my perspective for a moment. Both of these positions are largely ceremonial and really have little power within the framework of the Government. But you and your wife have done so much to make people reconsider their position on Muggles. You, as Mayor, would take that to another level. We are a divided people, Sven, Muggles and Wizards. You and your wife have shown people that the distinction isn't important. Now we need to make it more obvious."

Sven looked at Harry for a long moment as he puffed on his pipe furiously. "This job, would it take much time from my farm?" he asked quietly.

Remus chuckled. "A Mayor of a Wizarding town isn't like a Mayor of a Muggle town, Sven. It's largely a ceremonial position. You'd be there to officiate at banquets, or to attend opening ceremonies. The real power still lies with the Government. As to the number of hours it needs? Well, some people make it a full time job, but most only spend an hour or two a week on it."

Sven frowned and stared at the ground for a moment. "How long a term does the Mayor serve?"

"Usually it's a two year term," Remus told him hopefully. He really wanted Sven to agree to this.

"Two years and then I can quit? You promise?" Sven asked. He felt he owed a very large debt to the two men before him. If he could repay them a little by doing this, then he would.

"You can quit earlier if you want, but we wouldn't ask you if we didn't need you," Harry replied in a serious tone.

Sven stood and paced around for a few moments, then he calmly straightened a few tools hanging from the wall. Finally, he turned back to Harry and Remus who were waiting anxiously for some sort of response.

"This is too big a decision for me to make alone. I need to talk to Olga before I decide," he declared.

Harry relaxed a bit. It wasn't an outright refusal. "We understand, Sven, but I hope you'll agree. We could use your help in this."

Sven nodded, then grinned at the two men. "Come, let us go surprise Mama and see if she wants to be a Mayor's wife. Even if she doesn't, I know she has fresh strudel waiting."

Laughing, Harry and Remus stood up and followed Sven from the barn.

---

Padfoot Manor (July 31st)...

A gentle breeze swept over Harry and the bed rocked softly in the morning sunlight.

The birds seem awful loud this morning, he thought fuzzily.

He was tired and wanted to sleep in, so he rolled over and pulled the lightweight blanket up around him. The rolling caused his bed to rock noticeably. Hermione had made a big deal about it being their last night together before the wedding and she had been insatiable. Harry had been thrilled with her last night, but he was justifiably tired when they finally drifted off to sleep.

Nearby, a Bluejay started to caw loudly and Harry pulled his pillow over his head for a moment. When that failed to help, he sat up and rolled out of the bed without bothering to open his eyes first.

That was a mistake, he realized, when he found himself sinking to the bottom of the pool. When his feet touched the bottom he pushed off with his toes, adding a bit of magic for a boost. In short order he was standing on the edge of the pool, dripping wet and more than just a little put out.

He stood for a moment, blinking in the bright sunshine and wondering just which of his friends was responsible for his unscheduled morning swim, when his concentration was broken by three dancing pigs. The pigs pranced and danced around him, singing a merry little birthday song, and his eyes narrowed.

"Fred, George and Ginny," he growled, then vanished from the poolside, leaving the three pigs still singing.

In the bedroom, Harry wasn't surprised to see that his bed was right were it was supposed to be. Nor was he surprised to find Hermione gently snoring under the blankets. The Weasleys had obviously transported him from his bed without waking her.

He cast a few detection charms, picking up Ginny and Fred's signatures and noted that Hermione was under a deep sleep charm, but it was wearing off. Harry grinned and then dressed quietly. He had work to do.

"Good morning, Remus. Coffee?" Harry asked nearly an hour later.

"Morning, Harry. Happy Birthday!" Remus said with a smile.

Remus reached for a platter of bacon as Hermione walked into the room. Both men turned to greet her when a scream came from one of the upper floors. Remus had bolted to his feet before he noticed that Harry was calmly sipping his coffee.

"What did you do, Harry?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

He shrugged as another scream came from upstairs.

Dobby appeared, pulling on his ears nervously. "Master Harry Potter, sir. Dobby did as you asked. Now littlest wheezy is very angry!"

"Don't worry, Dobby, she doesn't know that you're involved. Besides, all you did was hold them in place while I charmed the beds," Harry said with a smile. Then he turned to Hermione. "I didn't to anything too elaborate," he said, wincing slightly at the scream coming from upstairs. "I'm just getting payback for the birthday prank the Weasley's played on me this morning."

"So what's causing Ginny to scream like that?" Remus asked.

Harry buffed his nails. "Oh, nothing too bad. I just charmed her bed to do everything in it's power to keep her from getting out. The twins will find themselves in a much more precarious position though, as their mattresses will be quite.... amorous."

Remus started laughing loudly. Hermione shook her head and grinned at the thought of someone getting one over on the twins.

Neville stepped into the dinning room and looked at Harry darkly. "I hope you don't plan on pranking us through the honeymoon!"

Harry laughed. "If any pranks happen on your honeymoon, they won't be from me. But that's right up the twins' alley, so you might want to be careful there, mate! Besides, the problem Ginny's currently having with her mattress is simple payback for my unexpected trip to the pool this morning."

Neville relaxed a bit, then speared a sausage off the platter and hurriedly left the room to go rescue is bride to be.

Harry smiled and reached for another piece of toast as Ginny screamed again from her bedroom upstairs.

---

Hogwarts Castle (Later that same day)...

Voldemort stepped over the smoking corpse of his Death Eater and left the ritual circle.

Severus Snape looked at him fearfully from a corner of the room. Hiding just behind Snape was the girl Voldemort had given him several weeks ago.

The Dark Lord reached for the small crystal orb sitting on a bench and smiled when it lit up, then he toed the corpse with his foot. "Have someone get rid of this trash," he said in a low growl.

Stretching out his hand, he could see a flickering glow about it. "You were right, Severus," Voldemort said, his eyes boring into the man. "Taking Alderman after he had undergone the ritual twice has given me more power than just taking a single wizard's magic. Yes, this will work well. This way I can get around some of the limits of the ritual."

Voldemort lifted up the crystal orb in one gaunt hand and the light from it filled the small potions lab and ritual chamber.

"Tell me, Severus. How many batches of potion do you have ready?" Voldemort asked in a hissing whisper.

"Only twenty, my lord. As you know, the potion does not have a long shelf life, but I have four cauldrons always brewing the potion," Snape stammered.

"Excellent. Excellent work, indeed. Let me reward you for your fine work. CRUCIO!"

Snape pitched to his knees moaning in pain, then he started to scream as he writhed on the floor. A minute later Voldemort released him from the curse and stared at him.

"Never forget your place, Severus. You live and die by my will alone," Voldemort sneered. "You never were very good as a spy, did you know that Severus? Dumbledore used you. I used you. The only person who didn't use you was Potter. Hmm. Potter... I wonder..."

---

Padfoot Manor...

Remus, Hermione and Neville watched in amusement as Ginny backed Harry into a corner.

"You listen to me, Harry James Potter. I don't care if I did help the twins prank you today, that was no reason for you to sneak into my bedroom and charm my bed to keep me from leaving it," she shouted.

"First the sheets held me down, then the mattress folded itself in half, pinning me in," she yelled, then she went for her wand.

Remus and Neville rushed forward and pulled her away from Harry.

"Let me... I just want to... one hex..." she said, while wrestling Neville for her wand.

Harry sighed and relaxed. He knew Ginny would understand that it was just payback for their birthday prank and would eventually calm down. She might even calm down this year, he though, wincing as he watched her jerk violently on Neville's arm.

He inhaled sharply as a long forgotten pain rippled across his forehead. Lights danced in front of his eyes and he clearly heard a voice in his mind.

"Happy Birthday, Potter," Voldemort said with a laugh.

Harry pressed the heel of his palm against his scar and he slid to the floor. He had been lax in performing Occlumency and his shields had eroded without his noticing. Now he was paying the price for that oversight. He moaned and frantically rebuilt his shields while waves of pain washed over him.

The others in the room fell silent as they realized that something was very wrong with Harry.

Harry grabbed at the channel Voldemort was using just as the Dark Lord pushed another wave of pain at him. A scream tore from his throat and blood started to seep from his scar. Harry writhed for a moment, then he threw all his power into forcing Voldemort out. He pushed his way down the channel, forcing his consciousness into Voldemort's.

Hermione knelt next to Harry, trying to keep him from hurting himself, while Ginny ran to get help. Suddenly Harry's body exploded in light. He reached up with a single hand and twisted it sharply like he was turning a door knob.

"Enjoy the pain, Tom," Harry snarled and the windows in the room exploded outwards. There was a huge cracking sound like a burst of thunder directly overhead.

Everyone in the room ducked and winced at the painfully loud sound. Recovering, they looked at Harry, concerned. He was still on the floor, but he was breathing heavily and his scar was bleeding slightly.

"Harry?" Hermione said softly.

"I'm alright," he replied in a voice barely above a whisper. "It was just Voldemort trying to get through my shields."

"And he nearly succeeded, did he not?" came a familiar voice.

"Yes, Honored Teacher. I haven't been keeping up with my Occlumency exercises of late," he said in resignation. He knew he was about to receive a lecture.

"Harry didn't you occlude your mind last night?" Hermione asked, then she blushed realizing that she was the reason why he hadn't.

Harry looked at her and smiled gently. "It's alright, Hermione. No real harm's been done and I think old Moldy Warts probably has a bigger headache than I do at the moment. I pushed him out and gave him a taste of his own medicine," he said, then he sat up unsteadily. He winced when he saw the blood on his hand and gingerly touched his scar.

Eocho stared hard at Harry. "I think it would be best if we work on your occluding this afternoon, Maglios. You have let that slide too often."

Harry nodded, chagrined that he had let something important slide like that. Then it dawned on him. "Wait a moment," he said, placing both hands to his head. "Voldemort's stronger! When I attacked back, I was in his mind. I saw him going through the ritual. I saw... Oh, Merlin! He's killing wizards who have already taken part in the ritual!" he said with a gasp. His head was pounding so hard he thought his skull would split.

The door opened and Emma stepped in, carrying a small bottle. She gave it to Harry, then looked at him with concerned.

"That must be how he intends to overcome the limitations of the ritual," mused Remus.

"I think this was just a test case, Remus. It seemed like he only picked up the power of two or three wizards," Harry said. Tipping up the bottle Emma had brought, he drank the potion, then grimaced at the foul taste.

"Well, he's still limited in the time factor. He can only do one ritual every two weeks," Hermione offered.

"Yes, and now we can see how he'll overcome the limits to make himself as strong as Harry," Dan replied.

When Harry stood and began to sway on his feet, Hermione steadied him. "Will you be alright? Maybe you should lay down?"

He smiled. "I'll be fine. The potion's already starting to work. I think I'll spend the afternoon meditating and working on my Occlumency shields."

---

Hogwarts Castle...

The group of eight Death Eaters looked at the prone form of Voldemort on the floor with uncertainty. He had been sitting in his throne listening to their reports, when a voice said, "Enjoy the pain, Tom!" It was followed by a sound so loud it blew out every window in the castle.

Now, just a few seconds after the windows had exploded, Voldemort lay unconscious on the floor, barely breathing and his faithful minions didn't know what to do about it. Ordinarily it was death to touch him, and yet clearly he'd have to be moved to a bed.

"Should we move him?" asked one Death Eater.

"No. Send for Malfoy," another replied with a sneer. "He's the Dark Lord's favorite, so let him risk the Master's displeasure at being touched."

Several Death Eaters nodded in agreement. In the meantime, the Dark Lord could remain on the stone floor.

---

Preparations (August 1st)...

Eocho checked the position of the sun, then looked over the grounds. He had cast the circle in a wooded glen near the memorial lake, using crystals and protective runes. Assuring himself that everything was in place, he hovered nearby for a time, reflecting on what would soon take place there.

The ceremony was deeply meaningful for those who believed. It was not as elaborate as many Christian services, or as involved as Neo-Pagan ceremonies, but it was ancient. It predated the Christian horde by thousands of years and Eocho was honored that the newest members of the Brotherhood had asked him to perform it. He knew the Seeress, Hermione, had some problems with some of the Brotherhood's tenets, but was proud of her tolerance, something the people of his time had lacked. He saw a Christian ceremony in her future with the Maglios, but he was not insulted by it. He was happy to see that Harry himself seemed to accept that part of her, though he did not share her beliefs. At least, not yet.

With a gentle shake of his head, he rose up to the treetops and, with one last look at the ceremonial grounds, disappeared.

---

The Women...

With the use of obscuring charms, the young women made their way to the grounds. Most of the townsfolk were unaware that a ceremony would shortly take place, and the obscuring charms were cast to make sure of it. It had been decided that with Eocho performing the ceremony, the guest list would be restricted to only those who knew of him and his connection with the Brotherhood.

They were escorted to the grounds by Emma, Olga, Minerva, Narcissa, Amelia and Constance. The last minute addition of Jenny Boot, Terry's mother, had been agreed upon by all. While she did not know Eocho well, she had been at the meeting when he had explained the need for handfasting.

Once in the woods, they made their way towards the glen. The women of the escort, dressed in cloaks and gowns of brightest white, stopped the party before reaching the circle. While still screened by trees, the group made last minute adjustments to their clothing.

Cloaks were removed and gowns were brushed of imaginary lint. Narcissa reached into the pocket of the cloak she'd just removed and took out a chest the size of a teacup. Setting it on the ground, she removed the shrinking charm with a flick of her wand. As she opened the chest, the other women of the escort lined up the brides and waited for her signal.

Looking up, Narcissa smiled at the young women before her, then motioned the first one forward.

Hermione, dressed in a gown of deepest red, symbolizing the fire and creative spirit of love, moved towards the blond, her expression calm. She stopped, then curtsied and bowed her head, acknowledging Narcissa's position as the highest ranking female of the family she was preparing to pledge herself to.

Narcissa nodded, then reached into the trunk and removed the wreath Hermione had created for the ceremony. Ivy for fidelity and cedar branches for strength were woven together with Myrtle flowers for love, fern fronds for honesty and oak leaves for bravery, creating a wreath that symbolized what Hermione saw as Harry's finest qualities.

Receiving the wreath from Narcissa, Hermione curtsied once more, then stepped aside and waited.

Luna was next. Dressed in a gown of emerald green to symbolize life, harmony and nature, she, too, curtsied, acknowledging Narcissa's position in the Black family.

Narcissa removed the wreath Luna had created for Draco, then smiled with real pleasure at her future daughter-in-law as she passed it over.

Taking the wreath, Luna curtsied once more, then joined Hermione. Narcissa turned to the next member of the escort, Constance Longbottom. Seeing that Constance was ready, she walked towards Hermione and Luna. Standing between them, she touched each young woman's cheek softly. Then, with a slight signal of her hand, the three began to walk towards the glen and the people who awaited their arrival.

Constance turned to the next young woman in line and smiled as Ginny Weasley approached, dressed in an gown the color of indigo, which symbolized intuition. When the flame-haired witch curtsied and bowed her head, Constance raised a wreath from the chest and, rather than passing it to the young bride, stepped around the trunk and kissed the newest member of her family on the cheek.

"There can be no more suitable a bride for my grandson. There had been little happiness in his life until you became a part of it. With your love and guidance, he has grown and flourished into a fine young wizard. I am proud to call you granddaughter," she whispered, passing the wreath to the younger woman.

Ginny curtsied again. "Your welcome means more than you can know, Mrs. Longbottom. For the first time in many months, my family is growing. I am so tired of losing the ones I love," she said, as silent tears slid down her cheeks.

Taking Ginny's hand, Constance smiled. "All wars end, child. This one will too. Your strength will remain as long as you hold on to your faith and the love of your family. But today is not a day for mourning or sadness. Today we celebrate life!"

With a small tug of Ginny's hand, Constance drew her towards the glen and the people waiting for them, leaving the next member of the escort to step forward.

Minerva, standing in for Remus' mother who had been killed in the first war, moved to the trunk and waited. Tonks, dressed in a gown the color of turquoise to symbolize protection, health, confidence and strength, approached the older witch and curtsied. Smiling, Minerva removed the wreath from the trunk and gave it to the blond woman before her. With a final curtsy, the two moved off towards the glen, and the people waiting for them.

Jenny Boot stepped forward and smiled as Susan approached her. With a curtsy, Susan, dressed in a golden colored gown to symbolize wisdom, took the wreath Jenny offered, then dipped her knees once more and bowed her head.

Taking the young witch's hand, Jenny raised her up and the two walked towards the glen, and the people waiting for them.

Amelia shrunk the trunk and placed it in the pocket of Narcissa's cloak. Olga gathered the other cloaks and passed them to the witch, who sent them to the manor where they could be retrieved later if they were needed. The two looked around the area and, with a few flicks of her wand, Amelia erased the small traces of their passage through the wood, leaving it the way nature made it.

With a look, the two remaining members of the escort linked hands and walked towards the clearing, and the people waiting for them.

---

The Men...

In a tent set in the woods on the far side of the glen, Harry paced. He was aware of the amused gazes of the other men in the tent, but didn't acknowledge them. He was nervous and didn't really care who knew it. He would have been glad to know, however, that those watching understood. They all felt the same thing, though to a lesser degree.

While Harry's nervousness was obvious in his pacing, the others were lounging on the plush rugs and pillows strewn around the floor. The wreathes each had made for his bride were on a table next to the tent entrance. Neville and Bertrand were reading, while Draco, Remus, Arthur and Dan were discussing Haven business. Terry and his father John were playing a game of chess while Bill and Sven watched.

The men getting married stood out from the other men in the small tent as they all wore shimmering silver robes. Those who made up the escort, Dan, John, Arthur, Bertrand, Bill and Sven, wore white.

When a small bell chimed in the tent, the men all flinched slightly, and the sound of ghostly laughter was heard.

"Be brave, my children," Eocho said as he appeared in the tent, his eyes dancing. "Your futures approach the glen."

Draco launched a pillow at his teacher and scowled when it sailed right through him.

"Temper, temper," Eocho chastised gently, laughter still evident in his voice.

"Alright, let's get this over with," Harry said. He squared his shoulders, picked up his wreath and faced the tent entrance.

Dan laughed as he walked towards the younger man. "Now, Harry, if Hermione heard you say that, she'd skin you alive."

"Yeah, well, she's not here, is she?" he asked, glowering at Dan. "Why did we have to do this in front of a bunch of people? A private ceremony would have worked just as well."

"You know everyone here, Harry," Remus told him as he brushed the wrinkles out of his robe. "There's nothing to be nervous about."

Harry glared when Remus started brushing the wrinkles out of his robe as well. "I'm fully capable of taking care of my own clothing, thank you," he said as he pulled away from the older man and tugged his robe straight. "The next time we do this, we're eloping!"

"Are you planning on having more than one wife, then?" Draco asked as he stood up. "I'm sure Granger will just love that."

"I wouldn't tell Hermione that until after the honeymoon," Neville suggested as he, too, climbed to his feet.

"Not if you want to have a honeymoon," Bill pointed out.

Harry raised his eyes to the roof of the tent, begging for patience from anyone who might hear his plea.

"Why ask for something you already have, Maglios?" Eocho asked curiously.

"Don't you have a job to do or something?" Harry asked him.

"Enough. Leave Harry alone," Arthur said. "If you keep on him, we'll never get you lot married and I am not up for dealing with five angry brides-to-be! Now, line up and let's...what was it you said, Harry? Oh, yes. Let's get this over with."

Harry and Remus stood at the front of the line, with Dan between them. Next came Draco with Bertrand beside him, then Neville with Arthur as his escort, and finally Terry, with his father.

The tent flap was opened as Eocho faded from sight and the procession started. Bill and Sven were the last to exit, and they paused after stepping out into the sunlight. Sven checked the surrounding area for any belongings they may have left behind, while Bill sent the tent back to the manor, and erased all traces of their presence from the area, leaving it the way nature made it.

---

Handfasting...

With a few quick strides, Bill and Sven caught up with the procession and entered the circle. While the others continued on to the altar at the center, Bill and Sven each stood to one side of the opening in the circle, waiting.

A few minutes later, the ladies appeared from the woods and walked to the circle's opening, heads bowed in reverence. As Hermione, Narcissa and Luna crossed into the circle together, their heads came up proudly and they walked towards the altar at a stately pace.

Once each young woman and her escort passed into the circle, Amelia moved to stand next to Sven, while Olga stood with Bill. With everyone in position, the guests were finally free to pass through, though there weren't many. The Weasley and Johansen twins entered together, followed by Johan, Flitwick, Miles and Danni.

Once the guest were through, Bill, Olga, Sven and Amelia turned as one and either bowed or curtsied to each of cardinal directions, beginning with the east, the direction of the rising sun and the symbol of rebirth and new beginnings. Then Bill and Amelia drew their wands and, working together, closed the circle. Once done, all four turned to face those now standing at the altar.

"Come forth, Guardians, and join us. Nothing can break the circle, once closed," Eocho stated.

Together the four approached the altar and stood behind the couples and their escorts. When they were in place, Eocho looked at the people before him, nodded once and began.

"May the peace and safety of this circle and those within it be blessed by the Gods, for we are all gathered here in a ritual of love, with those who would be wedded," he said, his voice rich and vibrant.

"I call upon the beings of Air and Fire, Earth and Water, to bless those who stand within this circle. Lend of them your constancy and courage, your protection and wisdom, your love of life, passion and laughter, your faith and hope everlasting, that they may be strengthened in the conflict to come. Raise them up, oh Gods of old, and embrace them as your children as they fight to save this world."

Eocho waved one hand over the altar and a small, contained, but extremely hot fire sprung up and burned merrily with blue-white flames. Reaching beneath the top of the altar, he came up a moment later with several items, which he kept carefully hidden from view.

"To Earth, the embodiment of strength and constancy, we give this gift of silver, taken from your breast and rendered beautiful," he said, holding the bracelet up for all to see, then dropping it into the flames, were it melted quickly.

"To Air, the embodiment of wisdom and protection, we give this gift of White Mulberry, wild grown, yet shelter to all who seek its branches." Eocho held up several small twigs from a Mulberry tree, then dropped them into the flames.

"To Fire, the embodiment of passion and love, we give this gift of Jasmine, grown with patient care and sacrificed in your honor." Dropping the small flowers into the fire, the witnesses watched them char and turn black.

Eocho held up the last remaining item so that it caught the rays of the sun. The flash of light was dazzling as a small golden torque was displayed.

"To Water, the embodiment of the soul, we give this gift of ancient gold, summoned from the secret stashes of your people, that you may once again know us and, though our ways may now be different, know the purity of our spirit and of our purpose."

The golden torque, once dropped into the flames, melted, just as the silver bracelet that proceeded it. Eocho waited a moment, then spread his arms wide, palms up, in a welcoming gesture.

"Here our prayers, know our hopes, feel our faith. We await your blessings."

Nothing happened for a moment and several people shifted awkwardly. Then the fire went out.

As the smoke spiraled skyward, forms could be seen dancing with it, twisting and whirling. A breeze began to blow and upon it were voices, unintelligible to be sure, but they brought with them a feeling of peace and tranquility to those within the circle.

A sigh went through those gathered in the glen and Eocho smiled gently before addressing them once more.

"Today we are gathered in the presence of the Gods not only to receive their blessings for our great task, but also to witness the joining of the couples before us. Handfasting is an ancient rite, a sacred rite, and not entered into lightly. It is the binding of two lives, the creation of one soul, in the joyful hope of being so bound for eternity.

"As most here know, the handfasting ceremony signifies that two people have agreed to live as man and wife for the time of one year and one day. At the end of that time, the couple may sever their connection to one another. If they choose to remain together, however, the binding is permanent and nothing, not even the Gods, may separate them, for this ritual has not just the weight of mortal law, but of celestial law as well."

Eocho paused for a moment, letting those gathered absorb the seriousness of his words. Then, with a slight gesture, he indicated that the first couple should come forward.

Harry, with Dan beside him, and Hermione, with Narcissa next to her, stepped in front of the altar and bowed their heads. Then, in their duties as escorts, Dan and Narcissa took the wreaths from their charges and took one step back.

Eocho's expression became stern as he addressed the couple before him. "Harry James Potter and Hermione Jane Granger, do you come before this gathering of mortal and immortal to bind yourselves, one to the other, in joy and love, and with the understanding that you will never again be alone in this world or any other?"

"We do."

Eocho turned to Dan and Narcissa and held out his hands. "The wreaths," he demanded.

The escort stepped forward and placed the wreaths on the ancient priest's hands. Then, bowing their heads once more, returned to their places behind the bride and groom.

Turning to address the gathering, Eocho raised his voice to be heard by all. "In times past, wreaths such as these held the same meaning as the rings many of the couples have already exchanged. The shape, a circle, symbolizes the everlasting. In the binding of these two souls, there is no beginning and no end. There is no 'mine' or 'yours'. There is only wholeness, only one. There is only eternity.

"These wreaths were made, one for the other, before this ceremony. In that way, the individual, the essence of the one, is also present here today.

"In Hermione's wreath we see Myrtle flowers and Cedar, Fern, Ivy and Oak. By this we know that she sees in Harry his love and strength, his honesty, fidelity and bravery."

Eocho turned to Hermione and held out her wreath. She curtsied deeply before taking it from him.

Holding up the other wreath, Eocho raised his voice once again. "In Harry's wreath we see Amaryllis and blue violet flowers, Birch and Plane tree shoots and the budding flowers of the Hollyhock. By this we know he sees in Hermione her beauty and love, her gracefulness, intelligence and creative power."

Turning to Harry, he held out his wreath. As Hermione before him, Harry bowed deeply, expressing his respect, before taking the wreath.

"Turn now to your beloved," the priest told them seriously, "and make known to each other, and to those gathered here, your feelings and intentions."

Hermione turned toward Harry, looked down at her wreath... and panicked. She had written her vows weeks ago. She had studied them relentlessly and memorized them as she would for a test. Now, for the first time in her life, she drew a blank.

As she stared at the wreath, not saying a word, Harry had to quash the urge to squirm. Forgetting the crowd, he focused only on Hermione. Had she changed her mind? Was she having doubts? Unable to take it any longer, he reached out and raised her head with a finger under her chin so he could look into her eyes. Green eyes met brown, and understanding passed between them.

Smiling, he leaned closer to her and whispered, "See what happens when you study too hard? The brain can only hold so much before stuff before it starts dribbling out the ears."

Hermione's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Then perhaps you should try to study a bit more. The sound of the wind rushing through your ears at night makes it hard for me to sleep!"

Realizing what she'd just said, she slapped a hand over her mouth and gazed at him, horrified. "Harry, I didn't mean that," she mumbled from behind her hand.

Harry's laughter drown out her words.

Narcissa, Dan and Emma, who had been staring at the young woman first in amusement, then in shock, watched as the young man reached out and touched Hermione's cheek gently.

"You rise to the bait every time. I knew what your reaction would be. That's why I said what I did," Harry told her, his eyes dancing with amusement. Then, taking her free hand, his eyes turned serious. "This isn't a test and you're not going to be graded. I love you and I know you love me. Right now, in this time and place, nothing else matters. No matter what the future may hold for us, know always that you are the most important person in my life. No one and nothing will ever change that.

Tá mé chomh mór sin i ngrá leat, tá mé chomh doirte sin duit. I love you so much," he said as he placed his wreath upon her head.

Hermione shook her head as she tried to blink away her tears. "You never cease to amaze me. Do you know that? Just when I think I have you figured out, you do something like this. When I think that I couldn't possibly love you more, you go and prove me wrong. Eocho says that, after this ceremony, our souls will be bound into one. I say differently. At the end of last summer, I felt you in my heart and your presence within me has only grown since then. You have been a part of me for a very long time now, Harry Potter. I love you and I want nothing more than to be with you forever."

Raising her wreath and placing it on his head, she smiled and said, "Tá mé chomh mór sin i ngrá leat, tá mé chomh doirte sin duit. I love you so much."

Joining hands, they turned then to face Eocho, only to find him grinning at them.

"Leave it to the two of you to change the ceremony," he teased them gently. "But love will take its own path, and we must follow where it leads." Signaling to Dan and Narcissa, the two stepped forward and Eocho gave them each a ribbon - one red, the other silver.

The escort then approached Harry and Hermione and began to wrap the ribbons around their joined hands in an elaborate Celtic knot they had practiced for many days.

"As your hands are bound fast, one to the other, so too are your lives," Eocho told them. "In one year and one day, if you do not sever the bond, two souls will no longer exist. In their place, the one will take precedence. Two bodies, one spirit, bound together for eternity. If this is your wish, turn to each other and declare it."

Turning to face each other, her left hand bound to his right, Harry and Hermione gazed at each other for a moment. Then, in one voice, they declared, "Is mise le meas agus i dtólamh. Yours, faithfully and always."

"My blessings upon you and your newly born union. Let nothing and no one come between you," Eocho intoned formally.

When the sound of many small bells ringing was heard throughout the circle, all looked to Eocho for understanding.

Arms spread wide, the ancient priest laughed happily. "The Gods, too, offer their blessings upon this joining. Shelter under their protection and know they are well pleased by you both. Go now, my children, and begin your life together!"

Harry and Dan bowed deeply, while Hermione and Narcissa curtsied. With one last look, the four turned away and joined Emma, and the others gathered to watch the ceremony.

Dan quickly hugged his daughter and shook Harry's hand. "Congratulations to you both. I need to join Remus, but we'll talk at the reception," he told them.

"I, too, must return to the ceremony,"Narcissa told them quietly. Congratulations, my dears. I will see you both later."

When Dan and Narcissa walked back towards the altar, Emma hugged Hermione, then Harry. Rather than trying to speak, the three turned back to the ceremony and watched as Luna, Narcissa, Draco and Bertrand stepped forward and paid their respects to Eocho.

"Draco Amadeus Black and Luna Laural Lovegood, do you come before this gathering of mortal and immortal to bind yourselves, one to the other..."

---

The Reception...

"You're looking mighty pensive for such a happy occasion, Minerva," someone said gruffly.

Minerva started for a moment, then looked up at Miles Pickerton, who was smiling at her and holding two drinks. He gestured at the chair next to hers.

"May I?"

Suddenly and inexplicably flustered, all Minerva could do was nod and accept the drink he offered. Miles sat next to her and together they watched the party going on around them for a few minutes without speaking.

"What troubles you, Minerva?" he asked.

She sighed and played with her glass for a moment. "I suppose I'm suffering from what all people my age suffer from, Miles; Too long a memory. I'm sitting here wondering what Frank and Alice would say, were they here, or James and Lily, or Luna's mother."

"I think they would be proud of their children. Oh, perhaps they wouldn't have wanted to see them get married so young, but I think they would be proud of them nonetheless. James was a wicked and cunning fighter. So were Frank and Alice, for that matter. Neville is a wicked and cunning fighter, and Merlin knows I don't want to get involved in a fight with Harry. No, I think their parents would be proud of them today."

Minerva looked out over the dancing couples. The reception was set up with a series of long tables in a rectangular pattern and a large open area for dancing in the middle. All eight of the newly wed couples were in the center, at the moment, dancing. Minerva could see Olga nearby, supervising the elves. Sven, who had apparently appointed himself official taster, was behind her.

"Did you know I first saw Harry on the day he was born?" Minerva asked with a smile.

"No. I didn't know you were that close to the family," Miles replied in surprise.

"Lily, like Hermione out there, was one of my favorite students. She was as good in transfiguration as James was. Her specialty was charms and potions, but I loved her like a daughter. As a Muggle born, she was so lost when she first came to Hogwarts. Everything was new and frightening to her. As for James, well, he was a handful, but mostly in a good way.

"I remember visiting St. Mungo's to see a friend when James caught me in the hallway and dragged me to the maternity ward. Oh, he was simply splitting with pride..."

"Come on, Professor! You've got to see this," James said, bubbling over with joy.

"James Potter, don't think you're too old to get detention if you're pulling pranks here in St. Mungos," Minerva replied snappily.

James sniggered and pulled her into the room where Lily lay on a bed holding a bundle in her arms. Minerva skidded to a stop and both hands flew to her mouth.

"Oh, the baby! Lily, are you alright?" she asked in a rush.

James gently lifted the bundle from his wife's arms and handed it to Minerva. "Harry James Potter, meet your honorary Aunt, Minerva. If you're really lucky, Harry, someday she'll be your Head of House," he said softly.

"Call her Aunt Minnie," said an impish voice behind her.

Minerva frowned. "He'll do no such thing, Sirius Black. And if you know what's good for you, you'll behave yourself."

She looked down at the sleeping bundle, performing the customary scan to check fingers, toes, etc. Then Harry opened his eyes and yawned hugely. A nearby candelabra flared, leaving scorch marks against the wall. Minerva looked up and arched an eyebrow at Lily.

Lily nodded. "Not even a day old and he's already experiencing accidental magic discharges. He nearly set Hagrid's beard on fire."

Minerva passed the baby back to Lily, who looked down at him with love and pride.

"You're going to be a powerful wizard someday, my little Harry," she whispered to her son.

A flashbulb exploded and Minerva looked up to see James taking a photo of her and Lily together.

"I'll see you get a copy, Professor," James told her, smiling.

"A copy of that photo still sits on my nightstand. Times back then were hard and we grasped at every piece of happiness and normalcy we could find."

"Aye, I remember Minerva. But this is a new time, and we have new challenges. Things aren't as dire as they appear to be," Miles told her with a smile.

Minerva nodded and smiled at him, then she heard a cough. Looking away from Miles, she saw Harry and Hermione Potter standing in front of her.

"Would you dance with me, Aunt Minerva?" Harry asked in a serious voice.

Minerva's eyes misted with unshed tears and she nodded, allowing Harry to lead her out onto the dance floor. Meanwhile, Hermione was tugging a reluctant Miles out to dance as well.

"Your parents would be proud of the man you've become, Harry," Minerva said, while Harry led her through the slow dance.

Harry smiled down at her. "I hope so. I've tried to live as I think they would have wanted."

"You've succeeded. Your mother would be so pleased with Hermione. Her one great fear for you was that you would have fallen into the pure blood beliefs."

"Hermione is... special. I don't know if I can describe it, Aunt," He said, then he shook his head in frustration. Describing Hermione was impossible for him. How could he describe the single most important person in his life? Words just didn't suffice. Looking back at Minerva, he smiled. "Besides, as a half blood, it would be rather foolish of me to believe as many pure bloods do, wouldn't it?"

He turned when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Behind him were Miles and Hermione.

"Partner switch?" offered Miles.

Seeing Minerva was agreeable, he bowed to her and switched to dancing...with Miles.

Harry and Miles took several bumbling steps, each instinctively trying to lead the other, when the shock finally wore off enough for Miles to start laughing.

"I meant switch female partners, you prat!" Miles exclaimed as he pulled away from Harry and walked back to Minerva.

"That will teach you to be more specific," Harry told him as he wrapped his arms around Hermione and began to dance.

"Merlin! And you had to deal with all of the Marauders? How did you ever survive?" Miles asked Minerva as he lead her out onto the dance floor.

"There were moments when I wasn't sure I would," Minerva said laughingly.

Nearby a pair of red heads danced to the slow tune.

"Are you happy, Ginny?" asked Charlie pensively.

Ginny looked up at her older brother, her eyes serious. "Yes, I am."

"Good... I wish..." he started, then faltered.

"What do you wish?"

"I wish I could have been there. I've only one sister and it will always bother me that I wasn't able to watch her marry," Charlie said with a sigh.

Ginny smiled gently and lifted a hand up to cup his cheek. "It takes time to rebuild trust, Charlie. You were excluded from the ceremony because there are things you aren't ready to know just yet. It will happen in time, if you allow it. Besides, this is just one piece of my life. You won't be excluded from the rest of it."

Charlie smiled down sadly at his petite sister, looking so elegant and refined in her wedding robe.

When the music finally ended, the couples made their way to the head table for dinner. It had been a long day and few of them had eaten before now due to nerves. Years later, Harry would never remember exactly what he ate. He'd just remember that he'd had something.

After dinner, Dan stood and tapped a glass with a spoon to get everyone's attention. Nearby, elves were appearing with four trunks, one for each couple.

"Now that I have your attention, I'd like to begin. Normally, it is customary for the best man to offer a toast to the happy couple. But tonight we're going to break with tradition somewhat. Besides, we'll be here all night if every best man is to give a toast.

"As you can see, the house elves are preparing what our couples need for their honeymoons and I'm sure they all want to start their trip as soon as possible. So please, lift your glasses everyone, and let us toast to the happy couples. May their lives be filled with love and may their love strengthen them in the days to come," Dan said, lifting his glass.

From the other tables came shouts of, "Here Here!" and glasses were raised in salute.

When the crowd died down, Dan stood again. "Our couples have agreed to a final dance before they leave. So let's give them a nice round of applause one final time before they leave us for the evening."

Just as the music started to play, a disturbance was heard from one side of the tables. Several people were approaching the party, including Michael O'Dalley and several of his constables.

Harry, hearing the noise, steered Hermione over to where Michael O'Dalley and his men would arrive. Hermione took a step to the side so that they could both face the oncoming group. They both recognized O'Dalley and the two constables, but not the older couple, though Harry thought they looked vaguely familiar.

From over Harry's shoulder there came a shriek and a pink hair woman bowled Harry down from behind in an attempt to reach the older couple.

"MUM! DAD!" yelled Tonks. Remus followed his wife until he reached Harry, where he paused long enough to help the younger man to his feet.

"Didn't we get them out in the main evacuation, Remus?" Harry asked in confusion.

Remus shook his head. "No, they were traveling at the time and we couldn't locate them. Then we heard some rumors that they had escaped to southern France, but we were never able to pin anything down."

"Even owl post?" Harry asked incredulously.

"By the time Britain fell, the owls were as confused as everyone else. None of our owls got through to them. They might have used a Fidelius charm, or just some sort of obscuration charm coupled with an anti-scrying charm," Remus replied.

"They must have learned about Haven in the papers," offered Hermione.

Remus smiled softly as he watched his wife. "Yes, I suppose so. I'm just glad they made it out alright."

Tonks grabbed both the man and woman and hugged them tightly, tears streaming down her face. Harry placed a hand on Remus' shoulder and gently propelled him forward.

"Looks like we got here too late to give the bride away," murmured Ted Tonks as he reached out to grip Remus' hand.

Remus shook it gladly and grinned. "Better to be a little late than to never show up."

Andromeda cupped her daughter's cheeks in both of her hands. "You make a wonderful bride, m'love."

Tonks blushed outrageously and her hair cycled through an entire rainbow of colors. Then she looked disappointed. "Oh, bloody Merlin! We're about to leave for the honeymoon! But you just got here," she said unhappily.

Remus stepped forward and put an arm around her shoulders. "We can delay or even postpone..."

"No!" Andromeda exclaimed, holding up a hand imperiously. "If you delay, it will only be a vacation when you get around to taking the trip. Go... your father and I will be fine and we'll be here when you get back."

Ted nodded in affirmation.

Harry moved forward and addressed the new arrivals. "I insist you stay at the manor while we're gone. Your daughter is family to me and you'll be more comfortable there."

Tonks smiled at Harry gratefully, then turned back to her parents. "Mum, Dad, this is Harry Potter. Harry, these are my parents, Ted and Andromeda Tonks. Harry got married today too."

"Then we won't hold you up either," Ted said, shaking Harry's hand. "Thank you for the invitation to stay in the manor and we'll see you all when you get back."

"Congratulation," Andromeda added as she, too, shook Harry's hand. "Enjoy your trip."

"Thanks," Harry said, then turned away and rejoined Hermione on the dance floor.

Satisfied that her parents would be fine, Tonks and Remus allowed themselves to be pulled out onto the dance floor for one more dance with her parents. When the dance was finally done, a hush fell over the crowd.

Harry walked over to where the elves had laid out the trunks. Finding the one that belonged to Hermione and himself, he sat down on it. Hermione kissed her mother farewell and she joined him, sitting on his lap.

He looked at her and grinned. "Well?" he asked.

"Well, what?"

"We can't go anywhere until you tap the trunk with your wand," Harry said to the laughter of the crowd.

Hermione blushed. "Oh... I forgot."

"Definitely a day for me to remember," Harry quipped with a smile and then they were gone. One by one the other couples repeated the process of activating the portkeys or apparating.

Dan chuckled at the antics of his daughter and son-in-law.

Emma turned and looked at him, arching an eyebrow.

"Before you go commenting on how your daughter acted during her wedding, I'll remind you that you forgot to fuel the car for ours and you had to push us three kilometers to a petrol station," she said archly.

Dan ducked his head and wandered away from his wife, muttering, "I wonder if there is any more cake left?"

---

The Newly Wed Game (Draco and Luna)...

Draco and Luna appeared in the lobby of a posh tropical hotel that catered to Wizarding guests. Luna smiled prettily at Draco as a house elf dressed as a bell hop appeared.

"Mr. Black? Your cabin has been arranged and is ready. If you will just follow me?" the little elf asked.

Draco nodded to the elf and then reached for Luna's hand.

"It was nice of Harry to let us use this place. I wonder if we'll see any beach combing Snip Wippets while we're here," Luna murmured softly.

"Maybe," Draco offered with a smile. He was quite used to Luna's off comments by now. She had greatly cut down on them, but they still slipped out from time to time.

Following the elf down a sandy path, he led them to a two story A frame cabin facing the beach. A large window adorned each floor, allowing an unfettered view of the beach and the nearby ocean.

"The presidential cabin, Mr. Black. The refrigerator is fully stocked, as is the bar. We also offer twenty four hour room service. Simply ring the hand bell located in the dinette and a staff elf will appear to take your order. Next to your bed you will find a brochure outlining some of the highlights of the island. The management is pleased to be able to serve a family member of one of our directors," said the elf in a serious tone.

Draco could only nod in surprise, then he nudged the door open with his foot and picked up Luna. Luna's laugh sounded like gentle bells in his ear as he maneuvered her through the doorway.

Draco carried his bride all the way into the bedroom and stopped. Luna looked at him questioningly.

"Dray? What's wrong?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. I've seen several of Dan's muggle movies where the groom carried the bride over the threshold, but they never show where he put her," he replied with a hint of confusion in his voice.

"Well, where would you like to put me?"

He colored a bright red ,which really made his blond hair stand out and Luna laughed huskily, causing him to blush harder.

"Put me on the bed Dray," she whispered in his ear.

Draco lowered her to the bed and she quickly sat up. "Why don't you see if there's any butterbeer in that bar over there, then go change. I'll head into the bathroom and change out of these robes while you're looking for the drinks," Luna told him, then she started to rummage around in their trunk.

While Draco looked for the drinks, Luna went into the bathroom.

Draco finally found something acceptable to drink, a Muggle soda. The bar was sorely lacking in butterbeer. Turning around, he froze, seeing Luna exit the bathroom.

She wore a gossamer robe and nothing else. Although they had been intimate before this, never had they been so casual about it. They both felt for the first time that they didn't have to sneak around.

Draco backed up a bit until he sat roughly on the bed and stared at her. When she smiled at him, he returned it. Though he didn't say it, he was worried about what was to come. They had still not discovered the key to controlling Luna's emotional broadcasts. Of the few times they had made love, the only way they could do it was with her masking her emotions and it ruined the experience for her.

Draco suddenly stiffened on the bed. He felt something within him snap, and he looked up at her as she approached him, concerned about the emotions she felt from him.

This situation is ridiculous, Draco thought angrily. I want her to enjoy it as much as I do, but her broadcasts overwhelm me every time! He was angry at himself, at Luna and at life in general. He had a beautiful wife and he couldn't share that most basic of needs with her because of what she was!

Draco stood and stalked towards her. Luna stepped back fearfully and he grabbed her arms. His grip was firm, but not firm enough to hurt. Something in Luna seemed to click and she melted against him.

"You're mine," he growled holding her and caressing her. His hands ran over her body and her senses spun with an increasing desire. She could feel his passion rise as he cupped one of her breasts in his hand and gently pinched her nipple. The bond she had created with him when she had saved his life opened like a sluice gate. When his hand cupped her mons, she lost all control and started to broadcast her emotions. A small part of her mind screamed for her to stop, but she ignored the logical in favor of the physical.

"Not this time, Luna," Draco snarled. She gasped as the bond opened even wider and she could feel him feeding her emotional assault back to her. She screamed once and clutched at him as she orgasmed.

Exulted, he lifted her in his arms and laid her on the bed. He undressed quickly, then opened her robe.

Shivering, she reached for him even as she struggled to control the broadcasting of her emotions.

Draco positioned himself over her and leaned down close enough that his lips brushed hers as he spoke. "You're mine," he repeated in a savage whisper. "Forever, Luna."

She cried out and surrendered to his passions and her own. Draco, in his own way, had managed to unlock the secret to managing her broadcasts. In claiming her for himself, the two surrendered to each other, both attaining ascendancy and submission to the other.

On a small, unplottable Carribean island, a couple, now husband and wife, started a new life together, having overcome the final hurdle.

---

International Apparation/Portkey Point, Calais, France…

"Bon jour," said the nondescript clerk.

"Hello," Terry replied. Susan smiled and touched his arm.

"Bon jour," replied Susan.

"Le passeport, s'il vous plaît."

Susan rummaged through her handbag and pulled out two passports, which she handed over to the clerk. The man's eyes widened slightly and he looked again at the photos, then at the young couple standing before him.

"You are English, no?" asked the clerk.

"That's right, but we've been living in Ireland," replied Terry, grateful that the man had switched to English.

"Are you here on business or pleasure?"

Susan smiled at Terry, and he blushed before turning back to the clerk. "Pleasure. We're going on our honeymoon," he replied.

The clerk smiled at the couple, then he pulled out a stamp and stamped both passports.

"Well then, I won't keep you. Enjoy your stay in France." the clerk said as he returned their passports.

Terry and Susan nodded and he led her over to a desk where they could buy a portkey for their final destination, Paris.

The clerk watched the couple until they were no longer visible. Then he ducked into a nearby office. He had an owl to send. This one would earn him a hefty reward, he was sure.

---

Anafi, Mediterranean Sea...

The spinning stopped and if Harry hadn't been sitting, he surely would have fell over. He would have preferred to apparate, like Susan and Terry, but the distance was too great. He could probably do it, and perhaps apparate with his new bride. But he didn't want to spend the first days of his honeymoon recovering from exhaustion because he apparated the two of them across the continent.

Hermione stood and looked around. They were sitting in the foyer of a house much like Padfoot Manor.

Harry stood and walked over to a set of doors and threw them open. Inside was a sitting room with huge bay windows. Hermione gasped at the view. The house obviously sat on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Harry turned at a popping noise from behind him and spotted two ancient looking house elves, both of whom bowed to him.

"We is pleased to see the master of the house return. It has been many years and we was scared that no Potters remained," said the male elf.

Harry smiled and looked down at the pair. "What are your names?" he asked in a gentle tone.

"I is Sippi, Master," said the male.

"And I is Tippi," said the female.

"I'm Harry and this is my wife, Hermione. Would you take our luggage up to the master bedroom for us?"

Both elves nodded vigorously and together they moved the trunk upstairs.

Harry shook his head and muttered "More elves!"

Hermione smiled, then gestured to the view from the window. "Where are we, Harry?"

"This is the Potter vacation house on the island of Anafi, south of Greece. To be honest, I wasn't even sure it was still here until I talked to Remus about it."

She looked at him curiously. "Did Remus visit here recently?"

"No, only Potters and those we invite here can come here. Remus visited the place during the summer of his sixth year with my dad and Sirius, and saw no reason why it wouldn't still be here."

Hermione's eyes bulged ominously. "No reason why... What would you have done if it had been destroyed?"

Harry looked at her in the deepening dusk. The sunset visible from the window painted the sky with a rainbow of colors. He walked to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I had reservations at the Regency Hilton in Cairo if the home was unacceptable," he said with a grin.

"Egypt?" Hermione asked breathlessly. "Why?"

Harry leaned over and kissed her forehead gently. "Because I know my wife," he replied with a smug grin. "She'll want to spend her days learning and her nights loving. This way we can apparate easily enough to Greece, or I can take us both to Egypt. I understand they are restoring the Wizarding library at Alexandria."

Hermione tightened her arms around him. "Tomorrow is soon enough for learning. Tonight I want my husband, as often as possible and as many ways as he can handle," she said huskily.

"I think I can manage that," he whispered to her, then he took her by the hand and led her upstairs to the master bedroom.

---

Author's Notes:

Yes once again we come to the author's notes. Unfortunately we also have some bad news. I know we were keeping a really good update schedule, but the simple fact is both Alyx and I have been sick of late and that is wreaking havoc with our updates. It is hard to get motivated when you're in a lot of pain, and weird to read if you're hyped up on drugs.

For the foreseeable future we will try to maintain at least a once a month, sometimes twice a month update schedule. We're sorry, but that's the best we can manage. Sometimes real life sucks, you know?

To Heart_bloodline: Bell

Sorry, Bob does not have any unmarried brothers. Although he is interested in seeing applications, preferably with photos in case Alyx suddenly slips and falls off the face of the planet.

Yes we know strudel isn't easy to make. But Hermione is an expert in everything. Except cooking. Really we wanted to make her angst a little over the idea that she can do so many other things, but when things get really important. She can't cook.

The showdown between Dumbledore and Harry isn't the last one we're going to see. This one was spur of the moment and Harry regrets that deeply. He also regrets transfiguring himself into a mouse and visiting the girl's showers.

One of the purposes of AU is to take canon characters and warp them in some way. I hate Draco. I loathe the slimy bastard and yet here we are with a good Draco impossibly coupled with Luna Lovegood.

Yes Dumbledore went bald as part of his undercover disguise. Be thankful I didn't paint three black spots and the letters AMF on his head.

For all those who got their knickers in a twist reading this, we want you to stop. Go outside immediately and untwist those knickers! Don't you realize the damage you can do to yourself if you deprive blood to that area?

Will Dumbledore die this chapter? Ummm no.

Anyone thinking they are unworthy should sent us $29.95 for our worthiness kit. (Just kidding!)

Well we're now starting the long road of redeeming Charlie Weasley. The Weasley angst that had so many readers begging for his death, or redemption is our literary version of the Cruciatus curse, enjoy the pain, minions!

The UPDATELESS LIST!!!!

This is getting hard to do because (a) real life conditions are greatly extending our own updates out.

The Time of Change by Olafr

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1637630/1/

This gem has the ability to turn into one of the best Harry/Hermione fan fics since Old Crow wrote No Thanks. Last updated on 21-Feb-06, come on folks, lets nudge Olafr and let him know we love that story and want more.

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 Next