Sunrise Over Britain :: Chapter 6 - Far Reaching Decisions

Back to: Harry Potter » Sunrise Over Britain

Also available as: Epub | txt | pdf | lit | mobi

Standard Disclaimer:

The curtain fell back to reveal a scaffold on the stage. Two men armed with swords pushed Severus Snape onto the stage and up onto the scaffold where he was tied to one of the posts. There was a long moment of silence, then the Sheriff of Nottingham walked onto the stage and climbed up onto the platform.

“Say the words for yon Authors Severus Snape and I will release thee!” snarled the Evil Sheriff.

The sheriff scowled as two men wheeled a wooden carving of him onto the stage. The carving was perfect, down to the scar on his cheek.

“The authors of this mockery of literature wish to make it abundantly clear that they in no way claim any rights to that blasted Gryffindor Harry Potter, his slut Hermione Granger or any of the other items in the Potter Universe! Those rights belong entirely to JK Rowling and the authors are doing this merely because they are masochists,” Snape said in a bored tone.

The Sheriff looked to Bob who was seated behind Harry and Hermione in the audience. Bob nodded in reply to the Sheriff and he grinned evilly. The Sheriff then turned and pulled out a large spoon from his pocket.

“Tacky Bob, very Tacky,” commented Alyx.

“Yeah, but at least I don't have Hermione's head in Harry's lap this time.”

Harry pulled his head out from under Hermione's skirt and looked at Bob and Alyx curiously. “What?” he asked.

“You're a pig, you know that don't you?” Alyx asked Bob.

“Yes dear.”

“Watch now, here comes the gory part.” commented Bob.

“DIE!!!” screamed the sheriff and he lunged forward with the spoon.

Sunrise Over Britain
Chapter 6

Padfoot Manor (May 22rd)...

Draco sat back in his chair, reading over the dispatches he had received today. His work with Miles in training the elves was paying off, but he had ended up building two intelligence groups instead of the one he had originally envisioned.

He had one group, specially trained to go into Britain, and another group to dealt with matters in Haven. That group included more than just house elves. He chuckled and shook his head when he thought about Millicent Bulstrode. The large girl had managed to help Harry on a couple of occasions and was now helping to keep an eye on the older students in the school.

And then there was the twins. Insane, there could be no doubt about that, but brilliant nevertheless. Caleb was already singing their praises. The Night Vision Glasses and Flash Bang Nullifiers had been field tested with everyone coming away happy. The Fairy Flier was a little on the touchy side and someone had to be trained to use it, so they hadn't had a chance to test it yet. The twins had a number of projects going that Draco thought would help a lot...if they could work the bugs out of them, literally in some cases.

When the door opened, Draco looked up and watched as his mother and Bertrand Lovegood walked into the study. They often spent their evenings together, chatting over the events of the day. Narcissa and Bertrand had become close over the past few weeks, but it was only a friendship. Bertrand's relationship with his wife made him incapable of anything more. Draco felt a little sorry about that. His mother could use a man in her life who cared for her. But if friendship was all she wanted right now, Bertrand was supplying it.

“Oh, Dray, I thought you'd be done by now,” said Narcissa in a disapproving tone.

“I thought so as well, Mother, but it seems the amount of dispatches and papers I have to read increases every day.”

“Don't worry about it son,” Bertrand told him with a smile. “I'm sure Luna will be more than happy to act as your assistant when she's done with her OWLS.”

Draco frowned. “With all due respect, sir, Luna is far too capable to be given the task of secretary. I'll welcome her help, but I am not going to have her doing that sort of menial work.”

Narcissa beamed a broad smile and Bertrand nodded approvingly as well. “Well said. Why don't you run down to the school and let Minerva know you would be willing to hire some studious new graduate to act as your assistant?” Bertrand suggested

Draco stared at Bertrand stupidly. He had never considered the idea of actually hiring people.

Narcissa's eyes twinkled. “Close your mouth, dear. It's alright for us to know you have perfect teeth, but you don't need to advertise it.”

“I could hire on more people,” he whispered, half to himself. Tobby, his lead house elf, popped into the room, distracting him from thoughts of paperwork free evenings, and gave him the leather case he used for dispatches to and from the school. Accepting the case, he nodded and the little elf vanished again.

“Love letters from Luna?” asked Narcissa with a sly smile.

Draco opened the case and shot a scowl at his mother. He had explained to her what the notes were all about, but she still thought it funny to tease him once in a while. In a way, he privately admitted she was right. Being raised a Malfoy with an over rated opinion of himself and his family left him ripe for ego bashing. Since Christmas, when she filed the divorce papers and asked Harry, as the head of the Black family, to annul her marriage, she had been slowly weaning Draco of his Malfoy heritage. Luna had accelerated the process beyond what Narcissa was capable of.

“No, Mother,” he replied stiffly, trying to maintain his crumbling dignity. “These are dispatches from my sources at the school.” He would never admit that she was getting to him.

He quickly read through Millicent's note, detailing a list of names she had come to suspect were forming a new blood based opposition within the school. He made a note of the information and another note to ask Tobby if they could get the cooperation of the Hogwarts House Elves now working at the new school.

The note from Luna was more disturbing and he made a note to send a notice to Harry about it, first thing in the morning. The bit about Ginny's developing talent was interesting, but her feelings and comments concerning Charlie were a bit alarming.

Placing those two notes to the side, Draco turned to the final note from Luna, while Narcissa and Bertrand watched. His eyes widened dramatically and only the presence of the two adults kept his reaction in check, barely.

Luna's letter went on to describe certain things she would probably be doing to herself while he read her letter, and exactly what she would be thinking about while she did them. It further described, in exacting and loving detail, her desire to have him with her there and what she wanted to do.

Draco shifted in his chair trying to get more room in his pants as the available real estate vanished. He swallowed heavily several times and knew if he stood right now he would clearly advertise the contents of the letter. Then he promised himself that he'd see she got the opportunity involving the silken ropes and the headboard.

He looked up and was surprised to see Bertrand smiling knowingly at him. “Her mother was quite expressive in her letters as well.”

Draco blushed and cursed his parents for his pale complexion that made blushing so obvious.

Pranking Tonks...

Remus climbed up the stairs and walked the last few steps to his bedroom. He had returned to the manor late this evening after repaying Hagrid a favor by playing Werewolf for his Care of Magical Creatures class all day.

Remus didn't mind much helping Hagrid and, in this particular case, according to Eocho, he needed to spend at least eight hours a month in his werewolf form. It was the only requirement remaining from his Lycanthropy.

After the Ritual of Summoning, Tonks had insisted that Remus undergo a complete physical from Danni. The healer was shocked to discover that Remus was free of the deadly disease. She suspected that there was a good chance the ritual had converted his disease from an illness to a trait that could be passed to his children. He had one hundred percent control over the change, without the need for the potion, and the transformation was no longer the painfully debilitating process it once was.

Stepping in front of the bedroom door, he paused. His sensitive nose could pick up Tonks' scent from within and he could also tell she had recently bathed. He smiled at the scent of the sandalwood bath salts that he had introduced to both Harry and Hermione. Right now the scent Tonks was giving off was one of being clean and being angry. Very angry.

Remus stepped into the room to find his future wife still wrapped in a towel, wading through clothing strewn all about the floor.

“Tonks?” he asked cautiously. He knew she was mad, but mad enough to empty the closets?

Tonks whirled to glare at him and she thrust out a double handful of ladies undergarments at him. “This is your fault!” she said angrily. “You filled his head with tales of Marauders and the exploits of his father.”

Remus held up both hands and took a step back. “What did he do this time?” he asked, trying hard not to laugh.

“He changed all my clothing! Every last piece I own is too small for my normal body. And my underwear... my underwear...” she trailed off, sputtering and incoherent in her anger.

Remus looked at the clothing in her hands, noting that every one of the undergarments looked as though they'd come from an lingerie outlet, a very risque lingerie outlet. Thoughts of Tonks dressed in such garments was enough to cause his brain to hiccup.

“Oh, I don't know. Some of them look interesting...” he stopped talking. The look she gave him said quite clearly he was just moments from a painful death.

Tonks whirled and began to paw through her clothing again. Remus watched her for a moment before deciding to try to calm her down again.

“You know, this never would have happened if you hadn't taken Hermione's form and tried to trick Harry with it,” he said in a soft voice. “You tried to play a prank on him and he caught you at it. Pranking back is a time honored Marauder tradition.”

Tonks sighed and sat on the edge of the bed causing the tightly wrapped towel around her body to loosen noticeably.

“It seemed like such a good idea at the time. Now that I can change mass as well as form, I thought I'd practice being others, in case I had to stand in for one of them one day. Then when Harry walked into the room I couldn't help myself,” she said with a bit of a pout.

Remus chuckled, remembering the event well. Harry had walked into the room and found a Hermione slinking up to him, practically purring with desire. Harry frowned and flipped her upside down, hanging her from the ceiling. Remus came running when he heard Tonks' indignant yelling.

“Sweetie, you of all people should have known better. Harry can see auras and that's the one thing you can't change. He knew it wasn't Hermione as soon as he saw you. Actually, his reaction was quite restrained,” offered Remus.

Tonks frowned at him. He knew she prided herself on her ability as a metamorph. He also understood that being told that someone could see through her disguises was a bit of a blow to her ego.

“Look love, Harry is just about the only one that can see through your disguises, although it wouldn't surprise me to find that Luna can as well. That girl doesn't see things the way we do,” he said, then he shook himself slightly. “I'm getting off the point here. You're looking at this completely wrong. The very fact that Harry is willing to prank you back tells you an awful lot about how he feels about you. He wouldn't prank you like this if he didn't care about you.”

Tonks' expression grew thoughtful as she reviewed her relationship with Harry. It hadn't always been as good as it was now, and there was that time that she nearly got Remus killed and Harry had tore into her over it. If she had to classify their relationship she would have forced to admit she had fallen into the role of big sister. It was cordial, there was even love there, which surprised her to no end. Finally, she nodded to herself and looked up at Remus.

“Alright then, so how do I make peace? I seem to have started a prank war and I wasn't ready for the consequences of it,” she asked.

“How about I go make peace with Harry for you, since you seem to be... ah... having problems finding something to wear?”

Remus grinned and ducked a pillow thrown in his direction as he headed for the door.

She bent down and picked up a blouse off the floor, then she sank wearily back onto the edge of the bed and tried to adjust her size to match the clothing she held, but it was of no use. As she shrank to match the size, the clothing shrank again. Growling to herself, she threw the blouse to the floor. It was a small consolation that the towel didn't change sizes as well.

Tonks sat for a few minutes wondering how well Remus was making out when all the clothing strewn about the room shimmered briefly. She looked down at the blouse she had thrown to the floor and saw it was back to normal size again. Picking it up, she spotted her underwear beneath it and grimaced to see that, while it had changed to the right size, it was still embarrassingly skimpy. Sighing, she realized that Harry had accepted her peace offer, but this was either payment for the initial prank, or perhaps a gift for Remus. Then she started to laugh. Remus, she knew, would definitely appreciate her new underwear.

And he'll have something to enjoy tonight, she thought to herself.

Weasley Residence, Haven (May 25rd)...

“How did this happen?” Melinda asked as she examined Charlie Weasley's obviously infected leg.

“I was attacked by a muggle in London. He shot something at me. What was it again, Dad?” he asked as he looked down at his leg and the healer kneeling before him.

“A gum, from what you described,” Arthur said, pacing the study of the Weasley cottage, obviously upset about his son's injury.

Melinda bit her lip. “I think you mean a gun,” she corrected.

“Yes, a gun. Nasty things, or so I've read. Why in blazes was he shooting the thing at you, Charlie?” the Weasley patriarch asked, clearly upset.

“Why do muggles do half the things they do?” the younger redhead asked, his expression guileless.

His father scowled at the non-answer. “Muggles may be strange, Charlie, but they have reasons for what they do. Perhaps he thought you had batteries, or maybe a plug or two? Muggles so enjoy such things, and I'm sure if you'd only talked to the man, you would have found his reasons perfectly harmless.”

“Well, I've found the source of infection,” Melinda said quietly, interrupting what sounded like the beginning of an argument. “There's a lump of lead in your leg. I can only assume it's what the muggle shot at you. When you healed the wound, you left the lead inside and it's become infected. It will have to come out and I'm afraid it will be painful, since you refuse to take any pain relieving potions.”

“They make me muddle-headed,” Charlie told her with a frown. “I'd rather keep my mind clear.”

“Son, I really think you should take the potion. There's no reason to be in any more pain.”

“I refuse to be drugged by anyone, even a healer, Dad.”

Melinda shook her head. “It's your choice, Mr. Weasley. But as you insist on doing this, I must insist that you keep your screaming to a minimum. It makes me ill-tempered,” she told him, her smile all teeth and little warmth. She disliked the macho-types as, in her opinion, they screamed louder and with less cause than a child getting a shot.

Charlie looked at her, a bit alarmed and she stood up and pointed her wand at his leg. Any chance he may have had to change his mind however, ended when she murmured an incantation and pain hit him in waves. Refusing to cry out, he ground his teeth together and closed his eyes tightly

He felt a slight pressure on his shoulder.

“Calmly, Mr. Weasley,” Melinda McKinny's soft voice said through the fog of pain. “The lead has been removed and the wound has been cleaned and healed. It's over now. But you must control your breathing or you'll hyperventilate. That's it, slow, deep breaths. Just like that.”

When Charlie finally opened his eyes, he found himself staring into a pair of concerned, green eyes. He smiled weakly, before sitting up straight in his chair. His leg throbbed, but the agony of it was gone.

“Thank you, Mrs. McKinny,” he told her, his voice hoarse.

“You're welcome.” She stood up and smiled at him. “I'm sorry if I seemed a bit harsh. While I understand your reason for refusing the potion, I hope you understand that no healer likes to see her patient suffer needlessly. Next time, do this poor healer a favor and take the potion.”

“As I don't plan on having a next time,” he began, smiling.

“And now that you've jinxed yourself well and good, I think that's my cue to leave,” she said, laughing.

“Oh, don't leave,” Arthur said. “The rest of the family will be here soon for lunch. I was hoping you would join us.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I don't want to intrude.” She finished packing her supplies and stood up. “Make sure to keep an eye on that injury,” she told Charlie. “You shouldn't have any problems but if you do, contact me, or one of the other healers, immediately.”

“Yes Ma'am,” Charlie said with a salute. “However, Dad's right. You should stay for lunch.”

The front door opened with a bang and loud voices were heard in the den. “Dad! Where are you?”

“We're in the study,” Arthur called, then grinned at Melinda. “Too late. The clan's all here and you'll not make your escape now.”

“Dad, what's going...Oh!” Ginny Weasley said as she skidded to a stop in the doorway. “Hello... Mrs. McKinny, isn't it?”

“It is. And you must be Ginny,” Melinda replied. “It's nice to meet you. Your father has told me so much about you.”

Ginny blushed to her roots. “It's nice to meet you, too. Oh, Charlie! How's your leg?”

“Better. Healer McKinny's healed it up for me, good as new.” He stood up and flinched slightly from the pain. “Dad and I were just telling her that she's welcome to lunch with us.”

Ginny's eyes widened for a moment, then she nodded vigorously. “Yes, that would be lovely,” she choked out. “Excuse me a moment.”

She bolted from the room and the three adults frowned at each other. What they didn't hear was the whispered conversation between her and the twins in which she informed them that Inga had been correct, their father was dating Mrs. McKinny.

With a shrug, Arthur escorted their visitor to the den and introduced her to Fred and George, who wore nearly identical expressions of glee. Ginny, looking rather innocent for one who'd just rudely rushed from the den, stood behind them.

While the twins entertained their guest with amusing stories of their time at Hogwarts, Arthur and Charlie began lunch. A few minutes later, the twins excused themselves.

“How bad was Charlie's leg?” Ginny asked as she watched the twins disappear.

“Nothing that couldn't be fixed, but I'm glad he didn't hold off any longer than he did. He was suffering from lead poisoning, and the source of the poison was still in his leg. I removed it, cleaned up the infection and leeched out the poison before healing it. He should be fine, though it will be a bit painful for awhile,” Melinda told her.

The front door banged opened once more and Bill entered the den.

“Hey short stuff, how are you?” he asked as Ginny flew into his arms. “I hear OWL's were a pain.”

“They're not over yet and that's all I have to say about them,” she mumbled into his shirt. “I haven't seen you in awhile.”

“That's because you spend all your time with Neville,” he teased, pulling her ponytail lightly.

She slapped his arm playfully, then turned and pulled him further into the room. “Come, meet Mrs. McKinny, or do you prefer Healer McKinny?” Ginny asked.

“Either will do,” Melinda said, standing.“Though I prefer to be called Melinda. You must be Bill Weasley. It's nice to meet you.”

“A pleasure, Melinda. So you're the one who's to heal our Charlie, then?” he asked.

“She's just done so and he's already up and about,” Ginny told him.

“Was it bad?”

“Nothing too serious,” Melinda began, only to be interrupted by the re-entrance of the twins. She sat back down and watched the siblings interact. They were boisterous group and obviously cared for each other and their teasing good humor was infections. When Charlie called them into the kitchen for lunch, Melinda had been accepted as part of the group and they entered, laughing together.

The laughter continued through lunch. As the meal ended, Arthur sat back in his chair and scanned his family, feeling a small pang for his missing sons. Oddly, the gentle sorrow he usually felt when thinking of Molly was gone and, as his eyes settled on Melinda, he thought he knew why.

His reverie was interrupted as George stood and tapped his spoon on his glass.

“Attention, attention! In honor of this gathering of the Weasley clan, and to congratulate Dad on accepting the the post of Deputy Minister...” George trailed off, looked at his twin and raised an eyebrow in question.

When Fred stood and grinned cheekily, Arthur tensed and leaned over to Melinda. “Hold on to something,” he murmured quietly, watching the twins as one would eye a poisonous snake.

Melinda frowned, unsure of what he was talking about, but soon found herself gripping the edge of the table as Ginny's eyes widened and she moved her chair back from the table.

“And to Healer McKinny, as a friendly warning about what she may be dealing with in getting involved with a Weasley, we present this gift,” Fred continued, pulling a small package out of his pocket and carrying it to his father. Setting it down, he pulled out his wand and un-shrunk it. It was large, very large, and was pushing plates off the table.

Bill, being quicker than the rest, managed to save the plates and floated them gently into the sink before turning back to watch the show.

Charlie was staring at Melinda, his eyes narrowed. Ginny covered her mouth with her napkin and tried desperately to stifle her laughter.

“Go on, then. Unwrap it,” George said encouragingly. “Fred and I have been working on it for a few days now.”

Touched by the gesture, but cringing at what the twins may have thought up for a gift, Arthur had no choice. He unwrapped the package slowly, delaying the inevitable. Tearing away the last bit of paper, he stared down at the enormous book for a moment before the title registered.

The Complete Chronicles of Contraceptive Charms
And
The Illustrated Guide to Sexually Pleasuring Your Witch

Combined by Fred and George Weasley and gifted to their father, Arthur Weasley, on the occasion of his promotion to Deputy Minister.

Not happy with that, the twins had set the title in large, red, blinking letters, ensuring that every eye in the room was drawn to the book.

While the twins beamed with pride, Bill snickered. Arthur shoved wrapping paper over the book, hiding the title as best he could, then buried his face in his hands.

Charlie stood, scowling. “I don't understand.”

“You don't?” Fred asked, surprised.

“Perhaps Dad will let you borrow his book then, to study up,” George quipped.

“That's not what I meant,” Charlie all but growled. “What has Healer McKinny to do with your bloody gift?”

Seeing Melinda's embarrassment and his father's discomfort, Bill stood. “I don't think it's any of our business, actually.”

“Of course it's our business,” Charlie spat. “He's our father and he happens to have a wife!”

“Ex-wife,” Ginny reminded him.

“Aye, ex-wife, and she likely the cause! Where's your husband, Mrs. McKinny?”

Her face pale, Melinda raised cool eyes to meet Charlie's. “He's dead, Mr. Weasley.”

The quiet statement silenced the room quicker than any shout for calm could have. Into the silence, a quiet, angry voice was heard.

“You will apologize to Mrs. McKinny,” Arthur said, his eyes boring into this son's.

“I won't. Her husband's death gives her no right to break up a marriage,” Charlie retorted, still glaring at the Healer.

“I divorced your mother months before I met Melinda, and you'll not accuse her of such a foul thing again. Now, apologize, or leave my house.” Father and son stared at each other, while the other Weasley's looked on in shock.

“Enough,” Melinda stood, her hands trembling and her complexion still pale, though her voice was firm. “I will not come between a father and his son. Mr. Weasley, should your leg begin to bother you, I suggest going up to the hospital and having another healer tend to it.” She looked at the other family members and smiled shakily. “It was nice to meet you all.”

Turning to Arthur, her smile slipped and she shrugged a bit helplessly. “I'm sorry.”

He pushed away from the table, stood and took her arm. “Come, I'll escort you out.” When she tried to resist, he pulled her closer to his side and began walking towards the front door. There was a scuffling noise behind them, but neither turned back.

At the door, Arthur turned her to face him. “I'm the one who's sorry, Melinda. I should have expected something like this.”

“How could you have?” she asked, not meeting his eyes.

“I know my boys. I knew the twins would do something, though I didn't think it would be this public. And Charlie, well, he's had a hard time accepting the divorce, though I didn't put all the signs together until now. I'm sorry you were caught up in it.”

“I meant what I said, Arthur. I won't come between you and your family.”

“You won't. It's time that my children understand that they do not dictate what I do with my life.”

“But...”

“But nothing. They are adults now and they can like it or lump it. I'm not willing to give up someone who makes me happy just to please them,” he told her fiercely.

When she looked up at him with wide eyes, he smiled and kissed her gently on the cheek. “I'll come by in a few days and we can talk more, alright?”

She nodded. “All right. I'll see you then.”

Back in the kitchen, Bill and Fred had physically restrained Charlie when he'd tried to follow their father to the door. After wrestling him into his chair, he relaxed only after they threatened to immobilize him if he didn't.

“How long has this been going on?” he ground out, glaring at his siblings.

“Dunno,” Bill said. “This is the first I've heard of it, though I'm not surprised. Dad's a young man. There's no reason he shouldn't date.”

“No reason!' Charlie exclaimed.

“No reason at all,” Fred said, leaning back against the counter and glaring at this older brother.

“Things have changed, Charlie. You'd be better off accepting than fighting it,” George added.

“Or you can leave,” Ginny said. “After all, you haven't made much of an effort to fit in here, have you? It's almost as if you're here to...” Her eyes narrowed as she trailed off.

“Here to what?” Charlie asked her furiously. “See my family? Make sure they're safe?”

When no one said any thing, his hands balled into fists. “Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this situation? Dad divorces Mum and takes up with some little slut who's young enough to be his daughter?”

The slap caught Charlie off guard and his eyes swung to his enraged sister in shock.

“Don't you EVER say something like that again. She saves you from lead poisoning and you call her a slut? What an ungrateful piece of shit you've become!”

When Charlie stood and raised his hand to strike her, Bill, Fred and George all drew their wands, though they need not have bothered.

Ginny, seeing her brother's intention, instinctively raised both hands, palms out. Light burst forth from her upraised hands and struck Charlie in the chest, causing him to double over in pain. She grabbed him by the hair and forced his head up and his eyes to meet hers.

“Never threaten me or anyone else in Haven. Brother or no, I'll not stand for it,” she told him quietly. “Things have changed, Charlie. Accept that, or leave. Those are your only options.”

She let him go and stepped back. The twins and Bill moved to stand beside her and they all waited for Charlie's answer.

He glared at them for a moment and remembered Dumbledore's warning about the possibility of his family being under some dark, controlling magic, and realized he may have just found the proof of it. His sister was much more powerful than she'd ever been, or even shown any hint of being, and his brothers did not look surprised by her abilities. Unwilling to be forced from Haven, he swallowed his rage and looked at his feet.

“I guess I have no choice,” he said quietly. “It's just that things have changed so quickly for me.”

Bill sighed, put a hand on Charlie's shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. “We know that. We'll help you as much as possible, but you really should apologize to both Dad and Melinda. In truth if they are dating then this was date number two or three Charlie.”

“Do you think she'd accept it? I know Dad will, but I don't know the healer very well,” Charlie admitted, raising his head only after he was sure he had his expression under control.

“Oh sure, she's a nice one, she is,” Fred told him.

“And she'll be good for Dad, you'll see,” George added.

Ginny said nothing, only continued to watch Charlie closely. He was lying, she knew it. She just couldn't figure out why, or what he was lying about.

Haven School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (May 27th)...

Minerva rubbed the bridge of her nose tiredly and looked down at the pile of parchments on her desk. NEWT's and OWL's were over for the fifth and seventh year's, but the other students were still finishing up end of year assignments. She wasn't looking forward to the grading that still needed to be done and was trying to find an excuse to put off her own routine paperwork as Headmistress.

Finding nothing to distract her, she slipped her glasses back on and reached towards the pile, but froze when a knock sounded on her door. Looking up, she breathed a silent thank you to whomever was looking out for beleaguered Headmistresses.

“Come!” she called, firmly shoving her paperwork away from her.

The door squeaked open and Millicent Bulstrode slipped into the office. Minerva smiled as the young woman shut and locked the door, then cast a silencing charm.

“Miss Bulstrode, it's good to see you.”

“Hello, Professor. I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's something I need to talk to you about,” Millicent said as she approached the desk and sat down in the chair McGonagall waved her towards.

“Nonsense. To be truthful, I was hoping someone would come along and save me from the drudgery of routine paperwork. What can I do for you?”

“I have a bit of a problem, Ma'am. School will let out soon, and I need to find a reason to stay here.”

Minerva frowned. “Stay? Are you having problems at home, my dear?”

“Oh, it's nothing like that, Professor,” Millicent replied, leaning forward a bit in her chair. “It's just that Palmer and Joyner will be staying at the school this summer, won't they? Neither has family in Haven, so they really have no place else to go.”

“They and several other students will be staying here at the school over the summer, yes. Oh! I see what you're getting at. It would be difficult for you to keep an eye on them if you're off in Haven, wouldn't it?”

Millicent nodded, the relief in her eyes evident. “I'll need a good reason to stay behind, Professor. Not just for the students, you understand, but for my family, as well.”

“You've not told your family what you're doing, then?” Minerva asked, concerned.

“Of course not. The fewer to know a secret, the more likely it is to stay one,” Millicent said firmly.

McGonagall's lips twitched. “I see Slytherin is still alive and well.” When the young woman began to bristle, Minerva waved a hand towards her and made a tsking sound. “That wasn't an insult, Miss Bulstrode. Slytherin had many fine qualities that most in that house let fall by the way in recent years, discretion being one of them, as I believe Mr. Longbottom pointed out at our last meeting.

Now, a good reason to keep you here over the summer.” Minerva leaned back in her chair. “It just so happens,” she said, her eyes falling on the stack of paperwork awaiting her attention, “that I am in need of an assistant. Your transfiguration scores are high enough to warrant the position and I really could use the help.”

“Thank you, Professor. I never expected something like this, but it's perfect. And certainly more pleasant than what I feared I may have to do to stay,” Millicent said enthusiastically.

“Tell me that after helping to grade first year transfiguration essays.” Minerva's eyes danced. “Well, now that we've settled that,” she continued, “I'll just write up a request to your parents for your assistance this summer. Have them sign it, then return it to me and we'll be set.”

Padfoot Manor (May 29th)...

Harry and Remus walked into the study, both were engaged in an animated discussion. The rest of the room was filled with members of the Brotherhood and a few key people whom Harry considered essential. Luna and Ginny both wore exhausted smiles on their faces. Today had been their last OWL and, once it had been completed, the two girls had rushed back to their dorms, packed and moved their stuff to the Manor. Neither had any intention of staying at the school any longer than necessary. Minerva had grudgingly gave her consent to the move.

Remus sat in a chair up near the front of the room while Harry stood, surveying everyone present and considering what he was about to say. In one corner of the room Eocho misted into view. He nodded at Harry and stood watching carefully.

“Thank you all for coming. Before I begin... Luna? Ginny? You two get everything moved alright?”

Both girls nodded happily at Harry. That they were tired was obvious, but Neville and Draco would take care of them later.

Harry smiled in reply. “Good enough, then. Now, we've all been running around without any real direction for nearly a month and that has to stop.”

He waited while a murmur rippled through the room. “Eocho is teaching one person from each couple to commune. He tells me that with a little luck, that process should be done soon. In the meantime, each person should be starting to teach their partner. This is critical. Everyone needs to learn this skill.

“Once everyone can commune, Eocho will pass knowledge to each person. For example, he will teach me fighting techniques, which I will pass to everyone. From what I understand, Eocho can transfer knowledge to a person, but it's a dangerous process and can only be done once to each person. So while I learn the combat magics of the Brotherhood, I have to learn the Rune Magic the old fashioned way. Each of us will become a teacher to the rest. Hermione will learn Druidic Rune Magic. From what I understand, it's very different from what was taught in Ancient Runes. Once she knows that, she will teach it to the rest of us.

“Luna, Eocho says he wants to teach you something called Large Field Magics. It's some sort of derivative of Rune magic and warding, I think. You'll teach that to us once you've absorbed what Eocho has given you.”

Harry glanced over at Luna and she nodded with a dreamy smile. Inwardly, he shuddered when he considered the concept of Luna teaching anything.

“Some of us will work as couples. For example, we'll take Dan and Emma and Terry and Susan. Susan and Terry will work with Amelia, coordinating the Ministry and the Brotherhood's efforts. And because the Brotherhood has to work within the confines of the both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds, Dan and Emma will work towards bringing it up to modern standards as an organization.”

Terry looked up in surprise, then he gave Harry a tight grin. He had been a bit upset when he learned that the Brotherhood meant he'd have to drop out of Auror training, but this sounded even more interesting in the long run, and it had the added advantage of working closely with Susan and her aunt.

Harry nodded at Terry, then turned his attention back to the others. “Draco tells me he's getting swamped. Ginny, you'll be helping him, along with Tonks. Tonks will be taking over the Elves from Draco so he can concentrate on the pure intelligence aspects of his job. Tonks, you'll also be working with Miles so that he understands what we represent.”

Dan Granger frowned for a moment. “Just what do we represent, Harry?”

“That's a good question, so let me explain exactly what we are. The Brotherhood has a long and distinguished history that we are only now becoming aware of through Eocho's teachings. But in our current situation we will be the ones to deliver justice to Voldemort. After the war, the Brotherhood will become a living entity. Members can remain active after Voldemort's defeat, or be placed on inactive duty, but the Brotherhood will always remain for one purpose. We are arbiters for justice. Remus and I have talked extensively with Eocho about this. The Brotherhood has a defined role in times of peace to lead by example.

“The Brotherhood isn't about a lifelong commitment to an organization, it's about a lifelong commitment to the ideals of justice. In Eocho's time. justice was more brutal than it is today, but the ideals are the same. Our primary job after Voldemort is to modernize the Brotherhood and bring it into line with modern values,” he said, shooting an apologetic look towards Eocho.

Eocho crossed his arms and scowled at Harry for a moment before nodding for him to continue.

“Some of us will be right in the thick of the fighting, others will be a little further back. All of us need to learn to fight and protect each other. That's why everyone will be learning the fighting techniques and combat magics, as well as the healing magics. The Aurors that Miles is training? They have the job of weakening Voldemort's machine. You all have the job of covering my back while I take on old snake face.”

Harry stopped and looked at his friends and family expectantly.

Terry looked up from whispering in Susan's ear. “Harry, I'm not trying to make waves but do we want the Brotherhood to coordinate with the Ministry so openly?”

Harry shrugged. “The Brotherhood isn't a secret organization, Terry. While some of our operations may be secret, the existence of the Brotherhood isn't going to remain a secret, nor should it. After Voldemort, we will be extremely public in what we do. It can't be helped. Bringing down Voldemort will push us all into the spotlight. Part of what Dan and Emma will be doing is planning on taking advantage of that publicity. We can't prevent future Dark Lords from arising, but we can take steps to make it harder. That's going to be one of our primary goals.”

“This is a thing most strange,” offered Eocho in a heavy tone. “The code by which we lived must change. I like not the reason for it, but Dan hath told me about the powers of the muggles. In my day, they didst not have such power. Or such numbers. The Maglios is correct, we must needs change our laws to meet the present day, but we mustn't forget from whence we came.”

Harry gave Eocho a respectful bow. “We are trying, honored teacher. The gulf between your time and ours is great, but we can bridge it. I know it in my heart.”

He glanced down when Hermione placed a hand on his arm, but she was looking at Eocho.

“Honored teacher,” she said in a soft tone, “we all pledge to do our best for the Brotherhood, and make you proud of us.”

Eocho looked at her for a moment. He moved to stand closer to fireplace. “It is ever thus with new initiates, my daughter. Now other tasks await thee this day,” he said, fading from view.

“I am never going to get used to that,” quipped Emma Granger.

“Magic,” snickered her husband.

Emma shot Dan a disgusted look. “I'm getting tired of you using that as an excuse for everything these days. It rains, you blame it on magic. I lose a shoe, you blame it on magic.”

The two ignored the others around them, while everyone else watched with a fair amount of amusement. Hermione grinned at her father, she knew he was teasing her mother. She felt a tug at her blouse and she looked at a worried Harry.

“Is that going to be us in twenty years?” he asked in a concerned whisper.

She realized that Harry was misreading her parents playful bickering. He didn't have many role models for a successful relationship and was interpreting her parents teasing for a fight. She shook her head and smiled at him to ease his concern.

“They aren't fighting, Harry,” she whispered back.

Harry glanced over in time to see Emma wave her wand, tying Dan's shoelaces together.

“If you say so,” he said dubiously.

Hermione looked at Harry's concerned face and broke into a fit of laughter. Dan retaliated by changing Emma's comfortable trainers into calf high combat boots.

“Ha! Magic!” Dan chortled, grinning at his daughter who he thought was laughing along with him.

Harry shook his head. “I have other meetings to attend to today before tonight's town meeting.”

With that he stood, leaned down and kissed Hermione on the cheek, then left the room and two ex-dentists turned enthusiastic wizards.

The Ministry in Exile, Haven...

Amelia leaned back in her plush chair and contemplated how opulent her office was compared to her old office as head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The office wasn't nearly as plush and opulent as what Cornelius had put together, but it was more comfortable than she was used to dealing with. Harry and Bertrand Lovegood had insisted on making it this way. Bertrand called it an 'image issue', and Harry just felt she deserved something more than that spartan office she had set up in the Operations center.

She glanced out the window of her new office, looking into the main square of the town of Haven. It had been decided to relocate the Ministry in Exile to the town, away from the Operations Center, which would remain under the Fidelius charm along with the manor house. The new, three story brick building had been built in record time, thanks in part to the large number of elves assisting in the building. The new building was located next to the town hall, and the new Gringotts branch.

She was about to reach for another report stacked neatly in her in-box when a head appeared in the doorway.

“Mr. O'Dalley is here, Minister. He apologizes for not letting you know in advance, but he asks for a moment of your time,” said the young woman.

Amelia dropped the report gratefully back in her in-box and waved to the young woman to send O'Dalley in.

“Michael! Come in, have a seat. I admit I wasn't expecting you until later tonight when we held the town meeting, but I'm always happy to see you.” She stood and shook his hand before he sat down.

“Yes, well, I have sort of an interesting request for information from my government, Madam Minister.”

Amelia arched an eyebrow at his formal tone. Taking her seat behind her desk, she straightened in her chair. “How can we be of service?”

O'Dalley leaned back in his chair and looked somewhat embarrassed. “It's two requests, actually. As you are aware, our own intelligence service believes that Voldemort managed to put over a hundred Death Eaters into Northern Ireland before Lord Potter erected his ward. Unfortunately, we are drawing a blank in finding them. Our boys are a little too well known by the local criminal element, which makes it nearly impossible to do any kind of undercover operation...”

Amelia nodded and jotted down a few notes on a pad, then she looked up. “So you're hoping to borrow one or two of our lads for an undercover operation?”

O'Dalley nodded vigorously. “Yes, although to be honest, if possible, we'd really like to borrow Ms. Tonks. Other volunteers would be welcome, but her metamorph abilities are without peer. There are so few metamorphs to start with and, of those, even fewer still go into law enforcement. Ms. Tonks would be ideal for this operation.”

Amelia frowned. “Now that is a bit of a problem, Michael. Nymphadora Tonks is still listed in our Auror ranks, but she's on permanent detached duty to Lord Potter and his Brotherhood of Druidic Knights. We can ask her, but I am no longer able to consider myself her superior and order her on an assignment.”

“That's what I told my boss, Madam Minister, but I was told to make the request official,” O'Dalley said seriously. Amelia nodded. She understood that the Death Eaters in Northern Ireland posed a serious threat to the Irish Government and they were understandably nervous about them.

“Let me send her a message asking her to join us if she can, Michael. Then you can present your request in person,” offered Amelia.

O'Dalley smiled in agreement, as this was much more than he expected to get out of this meeting.

Amelia scribbled a note and called for an elf to deliver the message, then she turned back to O'Dalley.

“You said you had two requests?” she prompted.

“Yes, this one comes from several departments. It seems there have been a few public sightings of someone resembling Albus Dumbledore. Most notably he has been spotted in Cork and in Stonewall Lane.”

Amelia scowled.

“My government requests clarification of why Albus Dumbledore is not assisting your efforts.”

“Albus Dumbledore is wanted by the British Ministry in regard to a number of charges. He may have once been the leader of the light, but he has fallen from that path,” Amelia said stiffly.

“Wanted!” exclaimed O'Dalley.

Amelia nodded grimly. “Dumbledore is wanted for theft, conspiracy, and a host of other charges, mostly perpetrated against Lord Potter. I will be honest with you, Michael, it was only my promise to Harry Potter that has kept Harry from killing Dumbledore. I intend to see Albus Dumbledore prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

“When Harry learned of the scope of what Dumbledore had done to him, he was very angry. Had I not promised to investigate the case, Dumbledore would be dead, Potter would be in Azkaban and Voldemort would be now be working on taking over the rest of the world,” Amelia finished softly.

O'Dalley expression was troubled. It was like learning that Father Christmas was really an arsonist. “Madam Minister, would you be willing to share at least some of the evidence you have against Dumbledore with us? You must understand. From our position, we have no knowledge of these charges, and he did kill the last Dark Lord. Only this morning my own Minister was touting the public relations coup that could be had if Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore were working together.”

Amelia nearly choked at the thought of Harry and Albus in the same room, let alone working together! Scowling, she realized the request was not only valid, it was necessary. “I will make our evidence available to you and someone in your prosecutor's office. It is also my intent, since he seems to be roaming about your country, to formally inform your Government of his fugitive status.”

Amelia glanced up as the door opened to admit Tonks and she waved the younger woman to a chair rather tiredly.

Turning back to O'Dalley, she continued. “We are not requesting that you pick him up just yet, Michael. If you could keep an eye on his movements for now however, we would be appreciative. Right now we simply do not have any place to put him. And considering what happened the last time someone tried to arrest him, I doubt that your men would be able to take him without a lot of help.”

O'Dalley nodded and made a note in a small notebook.

“Dumbledore's finally shown up?” asked Tonks quietly.

Amelia nodded.

“Lord, don't let Harry find out,” murmured Tonks and Amelia's lips tightened.

“Just what did he do to Lord Potter?” asked O'Dalley.

Tonks turned to face O'Dalley. “Michael, there isn't enough time in the day to go into it all. But Albus Dumbledore was the one who decided what happened to Harry after his parents were killed. He circumvented his parents will and recorded wishes and placed Harry into an abusive environment, all the while systematically stealing money every year from Harry's trust vault.

“Harry arrived at Hogwarts knowing nothing about magic and having been physically and mentally abused. He has worked hard to rise above the legacy of his childhood and I think he's succeeded, to a large extent, but I think he'll spend the rest of his life healing from the experience. Dumbledore was responsible for that and other things that happened to him after he started attending Hogwarts.

“When I first learned about it, I wanted to lead the team that would have arrested him. But Amelia instead decided I would more useful by helping Harry.”

Amelia watched the two. She knew that Tonks would go far if she stayed in Government service, but she also knew that the younger woman had broken one of the cardinal rules of law enforcement - she started to care about her charge until she turned from bodyguard to big sister. Amelia didn't really hold it against Tonks. She was, after all, still young, only six years older than Harry himself, and she was legally his guardian. There was also a certain undefinable aspect about Harry that pulled at a person's heart.

“Yes, well, now that we've talked about Dumbledore, let's discuss why I sent for you, Tonks,” Amelia interrupted. “Michael has something he'd like to ask you. I informed him that you're on permanent detached duty, and therefore I couldn't order to you take a new assignment. So Michael? It's your question,” she said with a grin.

O'Dalley nodded and proceeded to lay out the problem for Tonks and what the Irish Government would like to do about. He also laid out, in greater detail, what they'd like Tonks to do, supplying her with information he hadn't told Amelia.

When he was finished, he sat back and waited.

Tonks sat in her chair, thinking hard. It would mean putting off some of the training she would be doing for the Brotherhood. On the other hand, all they were asking for her to do was find the Death Eaters, then get out and let them know where they were hiding.

“I'm going to give you a tentative yes, Michael. I need to clear it with both Harry and Remus, but I don't think there will be any real problem,” she said thoughtfully. “Harry, in particular, will recognize the importance of finding these Death Eaters, especially with the wards coming down tomorrow.”

O'Dalley grinned, the relief evident in his expression. They had been searching for the Death Eaters for a month and had come up empty handed. Tonks and her abilities should help matters.

Tonks excused herself and left the office to return to the manor house. Both Amelia and O'Dalley watched her go before O'Dalley stood to take his leave.

“Michael,” Amelia said softly before he had reached the door. O'Dalley turned in surprise.

“Nymphadora Tonks is an extremely valuable agent and asset of my government, but even more importantly, Harry Potter loves her like she's his big sister. Please make sure you take all possible precautions to bring her back safely. If anything happens to her, you'll be the one that will have to tell him and Remus both.”

O'Dalley swallowed nervously and nodded his understanding. “We'll do out best, Amelia, and pray that Lady Luck is on our side for the operation.”

Parliament Building, London...

Lucius Malfoy was pacing in his office. It had been surprisingly easy to gain control of the country. Keeping control was another matter. There were reports of food riots and uprisings from all over the country and the military was using every man they had trying to keep things under control. There had also been a massive influx of wizards rushing to Voldemort's banner, but that slowed to a trickle after the Irish Ministry released details on the Line of Death Potter had put on the country.

Lucius paused in his pacing and stopped to shake his head. The amount of power required to ward an entire country! It both astounded and frightened him. Not for the first time did he wonder if he had made a mistake in joining Voldemort. His own son had joined forces with Potter and, if rumors were to be believed, was becoming a force to be reckoned with in his own right. That he lost Narcissa as well only angered him. She was lousy in bed, a cold, frigid woman. There had never been any love between the two of them, and as Lucius progressed in his passion for Voldemort's cause, all feelings for Narcissa died away. She was merely a brood mare to sire his heir off of.

Someday, he'd have the pleasure of killing her slowly, maybe while Draco watched. Then he'd kill Draco for defying the master.

Glancing down at his desk, he spotted the letter from Dolohov, who was safely outside of England. Lucius wasn't sure whether he should be envious of him or not. Dolohov reported that he was holding his men close to their base and keeping their efforts to a minimum for the moment. Sooner or later he'd have to report Dolohov's actions to the master, but he thought he'd wait a day or two longer in the hope that Dolohov would have something more positive to report.

A knock at the door tore him away from his thoughts.

“Come!”

The door opened and a Death Eater entered the room. The man smiled expectantly at Malfoy, who had no patience for his games today.

“Well Hammersmith? I haven't got all day, you know.”

The man paled. “Sir, I have someone I would like you to meet. We found him hiding,” he said, then he waved to a man at the door. Two men entered. Between them they dragged a very frightened Dudley Dursley.

“My Lord, I have the pleasure of introducing you to Dudley Dursley, formerly of Little Winging, Surrey,” said Hammersmith proudly.

Malfoy grinned broadly. “Dudley Dursley? Where did you find him?”

“He was hiding out in a food mart in Dorking, my Lord.”

Lucius nodded. “Very well, leave him to me for now. Dudley and I need to have a little chat.”

The two men holding Dudley unceremoniously dropped him and he fell to the floor with a groan. Lucius stepped around his desk, one hand holding his wand. He eyed the rotund youth who lay panting on the floor.

“I'm pleased to see you're still alive, Dudley,” Lucius in a deceptively calm tone.

Dudley looked up at Lucius, loathing filled his eyes as he spotted the wand. “Bugger off, you fucking freak!” he spat. “I don't talk to your kind.”

Lucius smiled thinly. “Ah, but I'm afraid you really have no choice, my boy. You see, I have plans for you which require you to be alive, and cooperative. I wanted to use your father, or even your mother, but unfortunately neither of them survived their prolonged lockup without food and water.”

Dudley growled deep in the back of his throat and he lunged up from the floor, only to collapse once again under the effects of the Cruciatus curse.

Lucius allowed the curse to linger for a few seconds, then he released the boy. “Now then, let me explain the facts of life to you, boy. You have your life, for now... If you do not do what I tell you, you will lose even that. There are methods I could use to control you, but they are detectable by wizards.”

Dudley groaned on the floor and looked up at the pale blond wizard, his expression one of terror.

“Do as you are told, boy and you will be rewarded. Fail... and you'll spend your days screaming in more pain than you can imagine.”

“I'll do anything,” whimpered Dudley from the floor.

“Yes, I think you will. I can't imagine how a sniveling worm like yourself could be related to Potter. Well, no matter, we'll get you squared away,” Lucius said, then he turned back to his desk.

“Hammersmith!” he yelled. A moment later the door opened and the wizard entered the room again.

Lucius looked at the wizard for a moment, then he grinned maliciously. “Take this muggle out and see that he's trained to do what we discussed...” Lucius said in a harsh tone.

Hammersmith nodded eagerly and gestured for the two men waiting in the doorway to pick up Dudley. When he turned to follow them from the room, Lucius stopped him.

“One moment, Hammersmith. I know you enjoy using the Cruciatus curse. Feel free to use it in training him. But I want him alive and sane! If you damage him, I'll see you get kissed,” Lucius said with a sneer.

The man paled and bowed low. “Yes, my Lord.” he replied shakily, backing from the room.

Lucius sat in his lush chair and leaned back comfortably. Yes, life as the number two man to a Dark Lord is good enough for me, he thought. He could finally put his plan in motion to get Harry Potter. The master would reward him well.

Harry's study, Padfoot Manor...

Harry shook his head and threw down the parchment on the desk. He knew it was his job to kill Voldemort, but every time someone wanted a decision about something, they were sending him requests. No one ever told him that being the supposed savior of the Wizarding world required drowning in a sea of paperwork!

The door to the study opened, admitting Dan and Emma, followed by Remus and Tonks. He scowled at them. It was petty, it was childish, and he knew it. It even annoyed him that their interruption was annoying!

“Uh oh, I know that look,” murmured Remus.

“What look?” asked Tonks.

“That look,” exclaimed Remus, pointing at Harry. “Note the eyebrows pushed together, the narrowing of the eyes and the tightness around the lips? That's James' annoyed look.”

The four stood there snickering as Harry slowly relaxed after deciding it wasn't worth the effort to kill them all.

“So what has you all upset, cub?” asked Remus after he stopped chuckling.

“This!” Harry said in exasperation and he pointed at the in-box filled with papers. “Look at this stuff! For some reason everyone seems to think I'm the one to make the decision on all this!” he exclaimed, then he pulled some papers from the pile. “Look, Miles asking for more appropriations to cover the expense of reinforcing the walls of the test area used by Fred and George. Oh, and here's a request from Minerva asking if it's alright to include the school in an inter-school Quidditch tournament the Irish run every year. She wants to know if next year would be alright with me! Here's another from Olga Johansen reminding me that I haven't shown up to any of the weekly dances, and she says a nice boy like myself... argh!!! She knows I'm engaged!”

Tonks doubled over laughing and Harry shot her a venomous look. He thought seriously of shrinking her clothing down to nothing right there in front of Dan and Emma, but decided against it.

He shook his head angrily and stood up.

Remus raised his hands, “Easy, cub. It's just paperwork that's gone to you when it shouldn't have. I thought I had stopped most of it from getting through.”

“Harry, what you need is an administrative assistant. Most of this is too trivial for even Remus to deal with,” offered Emma.

“An assistant?” echoed Harry.

“Yes, someone to look through the papers that do reach you and decide which you need to deal with personally and which you can defer to someone like Amelia,” Dan said, then he paused for a moment before adding, “In fact, I think that Hermione would be pleased as punch if you asked for her help in organizing this stuff.”

“But she's busy with her research,” protested Harry.

“Only because you haven't asked her for her help. This isn't a full time job, after all. She could do it for you every morning with time to spare,” Dan replied smugly.

“Just how is this stuff getting to you, Harry?” asked Remus. He had been intercepting Harry's owls so he knew it wasn't arriving that way. The only owl that went to Harry directly was Hedwig.

“Elves, Remus. Every morning they deliver these requests and reports to me.”

Remus frowned. “Elves? Well, point of fact, that's why we're here. We need to talk about the elves.”

Harry winced. “Great. Look, before you rope me into anything new, I think I'll ask Hermione to join us. The last thing I want to do is make any decision about the elves without her input.”

Emma leaned towards Dan. “He's learning quicker than you did,” she said softly. Dan shot her a grin while Harry scribbled off a note. He summoned a house elf who immediately saluted him upon arrival. Harry groaned inwardly, but he returned the salute and handed the note to the elf to give to Hermione. Then he turned back to Dan.

“Do you know one of the elves called me Brigadier the other day? I know you didn't mean for this to get so out of hand, but the elves are running around bestowing ranks on people. Hermione's a colonel!” he said, throwing up his hands.

Dan smiled smugly. “I always knew she'd do well!”

Harry's eyes narrowed as he examined his future father in law. “She will, despite hanging out with me. You, on the other hand, I'm not so sure about. Especially if I have my way. The blasted elves are confusing the wizards in town. They just aren't used to military elves!”

“Who is?” Tonks murmured, a bit too loudly.

As Remus tried to subdue his snickering, Harry smiled sweetly at his guardian and asked if she wanted another new wardrobe.

The debate over clothing size was cut short when Hermione and Eocho entered the room. Harry blinked in surprise, then he stood. “Honored Teacher, I apologize for disturbing your lesson with Hermione, but I need her advice concerning an issue with the elves.”

“I understand, Maglios. Thy mate has a keen intellect and it would be churlish of me to deny her advice to thee on such important matters. Might I stay and observe? The situation of the elves intrigues me, as we had no such relationships in my time,” said Eocho.

“I would be honored to have your advice, as well,” Harry replied formally.

Harry and the others had tried on several occasions to see if Eocho would respond to a more casual tone of conversation, but he appeared reluctant to do so.

Hermione took a chair next to Harry's desk and looked around. “Remus, I believe you were about to tell us about some problem with the elves that doesn't have anything to do with their military bearing?”

“It's really simple, Harry. With the exception of the Hogwarts elves, who are bound to the school, and Winky, who's bound to Hermione, all of the other elves are not bound to anyone or any thing. This means that the usual strictures about keeping our secrets doesn't apply. It also means that an elf like Kreacher could conceivably come to work here, causing similar harm.”

He scowled at Remus, but said nothing. He knew where Remus was heading with this conversation and he had decided that he was going to defer to Hermione on any issue concerning the house elves.

Harry turned to Hermione. She noticed his glance and winced inwardly. Her bonding with Winky had turned her from a depressed, drunken elf into a vivacious, friendly little creature. She had had several heart to heart conversations with the little elf and had come to realize that house elf bondage needn't be a cruel thing, and it was, in many ways, beneficial to the elves.

She was about to make a comment when Remus jumped on Harry because of his glance.

“Harry, this is important. I realize that you want Hermione's input on this issue, but we can't afford to wait while she decides if house elf servitude is morally acceptable,” he said in a chastising tone.

Harry blinked in surprise and Hermione bounced from her chair in anger. “That's unfair, Remus! As much as I despise the slavery of the elves, I've learned it doesn't need to be a cruel thing. If bonding the elves will save us, and them, then let's bond them.”

Tonks nudged Remus. “Maybe we should get Winky a gift for changing Hermione's mind,” she said with a wide grin.

Hermione glared daggers at Tonks while Harry stared at his girlfriend in disbelief. Hermione looked at him and sighed. “Oh, really Harry. It's a girl's prerogative to change her mind, you know.”

“Change your mind about the color of a room, or about what to serve our guests, yes. But something as altering as a fundamental belief?” Harry asked stupidly.

Hermione narrowed her eyes and stared at him. Emma leaned over to Dan. “That was a really bad move on his part.” she said, loud enough to be heard.

“I'd say so. But it was quite profound, nonetheless,” he agreed. Emma narrowed her eyes and stared hard at Dan.

Tonks leaned towards Remus, but before she could say anything, Remus held up a hand to stop her. “Don't say it, Tonks. This is one fight we're not joining in on.”

Harry glanced at Tonks and Remus and started to laugh, then Hermione followed suit, a moment later her parents were also laughing. Tonks was still pouting over the lost opportunity.

“Alright,” said Harry. “If we have to bond them, I think we should first offer to allow any elf to bond to any family who's willing accept them in Haven. After that, I'll accept some and suggest that each family take a few to help with their properties. Those that are left over maybe we'll bind to the town?” he asked, looking at Remus for confirmation.

Remus nodded.

“But Harry, most of us don't own any properties,” protested Emma.

“Not now, perhaps. But the war won't last forever and I can practically guarantee that will change,” he replied smugly. Hermione glanced at him sharply. He knew something and wasn't telling them.

“While I have everyone here, I've been asked by Amelia and the Irish to help their Aurors with an undercover operation,” Tonks said quietly.

“What? When?” asked Remus, surprised and concerned.

“Amelia only asked me about an hour ago, Remy. I told them yes, but that I'd have to clear it with both you and Harry first,” Tonks said meekly, trying to avoid his hurt gaze.

Harry leaned back in his chair thoughtfully, then he reached into drawer and pulled out a small bracelet. “Portus,” he murmured over the bracelet, then he cast several concealment charms on it before standing and walking around his desk to hand it over to Tonks.

“I can't say I like it, but I've learned that sometimes it's necessary to send the people you love into danger. Wear this, don't even let the Irish know you have it. I'll feel better knowing you have a portkey on you at all times and I think Remus will too,” he said seriously.

Remus' eyes were bright with unshed tears and he nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He really didn't want her risking herself like this.

“My child, I will visit thee later this evening. I know of a shield charm thou canst cast without a wand and I will teach it unto thee,” Eocho said solemnly. He had been told about Tonks' job as an Auror and he wholeheartedly approved of it.

Harry and the others shot him a grateful look while she had eyes only for Remus. He looked at her for a long time. “I can't stop you from going on this mission. Tonks, but after we're married, you and I are going to have a long talk about this. I don't want our kids left without a mother because she volunteered for some mission at the Ministry,” he said in a low, husky voice.

Tonks blinked back the tears that appeared in her eyes. “Fine then, I guess you'll just have to set a date if you want that kind of input in my life,” she said with a smirk. Although they were engaged, they had not really given any serious thought to when they wanted to marry.

Remus grinned at her and glanced over at Eocho, who nodded at him with his own smile. “Well, I'm sort of glad you mentioned that. I've been talking with Eocho and he suggests that we take care of that little problem during the festival of Lughnasadh. It took me a while to figure out exactly what and when he was talking about. But we're basically looking at August first to handfast everyone using the Brotherhood rite. I've looked up the history of this particular festival and it is the traditional Celtic time to hold handfastings.”

Harry smiled at Remus and he murmured, “That's a very convenient date.”

Tonks looked at him and frowned. It meant Harry would be of age and he would not have to go to her for permission. Harry returned her look and then turned to Hermione.

“Well, Hermione? Does August first agree with you?” he asked impishly. He just couldn't help grinning.

Hermione looked at her mother, grinning. “Well, Mum? Do you think we can get the gown and the caterer set up in time? That's barely two months away.”

Emma pulled out a small notebook and began to take notes. Then she looked up at her daughter and grinned sheepishly, realizing that Hermione was teasing her when both Dan and Harry broke into laughter.

Hogwarts Castle...

“Report,” Voldemort said calmly.

The Death Eater groveled for a moment longer, then pulled out a parchment from under his robe.

“My lord, our buyer in the United States claims to have found a dealer capable of obtaining the cauldrons you wanted, as well as several other items. The buyer says he has already purchased two cauldrons in your name and has had them shipped via the usual route. They should arrive within the week.”

“And? Is that all?”

The man scrapped the floor again. “No, my lord,” he stammered. “I have a report from Akers, in which he states that he thinks Lucius may be running several operations that he hasn't received your approval for.”

“Lucius,” sneered Voldemort. “He always was an ambitious bastard, but I know how to keep him in line. Inform Akers to maintain his watch on him and see if he can find out more.”

The Death Eater nodded, then gagged as a particularly foul odor wafted through the Great Hall where Voldemort kept his throne and held his audiences.

Voldemort frowned. “That damned poltergeist! What about the search for a new Necromancer?”

The Death Eater gagged a few more times and he struggled to get himself under control. Peeves had been seeding the castle with rotting meat and other items that were making duty at Hogwarts a hellish job. Several more staircases had collapsed, killing other Death Eaters, and there were no longer any stairs to the Seventh floor. It had to be abandoned entirely when the last staircase collapsed.

“We are trying, my lord,” said the Death Eater. “But we haven't found any in Britain and so far none have answered our calls for a Necromancer from outside the country. We even tried kidnapping the one employed by the French Ministry, but they had an Auror guard on him.”

Voldemort was about to reply when the Hall echoed with the sound of uncontrolled flatulence. Peeves floated across the room mooning the Dark Lord. His pants were down around his knees and he was facing away from the Dark Lord, bent over. Clouds of gas were erupting from his buttocks at high velocity and several Death Eaters started coughing as the clouds hit them.

“Lizard wizard! Got no lips! Got big hips!” shouted Peeves.

Voldemort growled and cast a curse at the pesky poltergeist. The spell hit Peeves square in the ass and he fell to the floor, where his body exploded into a wave of purple goo covering a full third of the hall. The goo steamed and a foul odor wafted through the room.

The Dark Lord screamed in frustration and his fist crashed down on the arm of his chair. He reached out and grabbed a Death Eater by his robe.

“Go out and find me a necromancer or I will skin you alive and use you for a rug!” he growled.

He pushed the terrified Death Eater away from him and scowled at the other assembled servants who were all cowering in their robes. From behind him he heard the sound of a raspberry and he wondered if other Dark Lords had problems like this.

The Town of Haven...

Charlie Weasley walked slowly up the lane towards the center of the town. He was becoming very frustrated. Everyday his father and Bill vanished into the new Ministry building and the twins disappeared to some place he couldn't find.

And Ginny! He growled softly in his throat as he once again planned to tear apart the boy Ginny was supposed to be marrying sometime this summer. His father had tried to explain things to him, but hadn't done a very good job of it. And what had she hit him with that day in their father's cottage? Her power was unbelievable, and no one had been able to explain it to his satisfaction. Vague details about special training up at the manor with some new teacher hadn't done anything to calm his fears about some outside source controlling his family.

Arthur had downplayed the situation between himself and Molly in an attempt to make Molly look better than she was for Charlie's sake. Bill and the others had planned to pull him aside at a later date and set him straight, but they had been too busy. As a result, Charlie was still left with the feeling of wrongness about the issue, and was sure he was missing some key element his family was hiding from him. With the subtle twisting by Dumbledore, he was sure that element was something dangerous.

Bill was helping Arthur deal with the influx of volunteers due to arrive next week from the United States. Charlie had probed as gently as he could, but neither would confirm the numbers. Rumor, however, had them ranging anywhere from a hundred Aurors and their families to ten thousand crack hit wizards.

He had chuckled at that, and guessed that it was a lot smaller, but there was no denying the fact that there were a large number of house elves working on expanding and adding homes to several of the small roads that branched off the main street in town.

Haven was another frustration for him. Here was a brand new town, full mostly of Wizards, but also containing a small population of Muggles and, for the most part, everyone he had talked to spoke of Harry Potter as if the boy had personally saved them. Of the dozens of people he had asked, only one could honestly say they had spoken with Harry Potter, and yet all of them were convinced he was their hero.

He hoped to find out more tonight at the town meeting. Harry was supposed to come to town to talk about what measures were being taken to ensure their safety now that some of the charms around the town were going to be dropped. It was a big step and people were nervous about it.

Charlie had been sharing his views about Haven with Dumbledore via their notebook. Dumbledore had been very excited to hear the Fidelius charm was going to come down, as it would give him access to the town itself. He had also mentioned Ginny's new abilities, her level of power and the mysterious new teacher up at the manor. Dumbledore had been concerned about it, but knew he could do nothing from a distance, and had advised caution. He had also confessed that he didn't know anyone named Melinda McKinny or what influence she may have on Arthur.

Charlie paused in his ruminations and spun on his heel, but he didn't see anyone behind him. He shook his head and wondered if he was becoming paranoid, or if someone was really following him. Turning back towards town, he continued walking...and never noticed the elf shadowing him.

Harry's study, Padfoot Manor...

“Remus, Hermione, have either of you ever heard anything about a Chaos cauldron?” asked Harry. Their meeting had covered several other topics since dealing with the Elves and the handfasting, now Harry asked about something he had read of only that morning.

“I can't say that I have,” said Remus. Hermione shook her head.

Harry frowned and rifled through the pile of parchments in his in box. “I know I saw it in here. Ah... here it is. This is a copy of a note sent from the Hogwarts ghosts. As you know, I set them up with a way to be able to send us information about what they might overhear in the castle. Draco and I both get copies of these messages. But this one has me stumped.

“According to the Bloody Baron, the castle is due to receive something called a Chaos Cauldron. Two of them, actually. Also, the ghosts tell me that Snape is being held prisoner in the secondary potions lab where he spent several weeks attempting to make a potion. Miles wanted to know if we wanted to mount a rescue mission to get Snape out of there, but I put a stop to that. With his dark mark we can't get him out of Britain, even if I wanted to rescue him.”

“What does Draco's research department say about this cauldron?” asked Hermione.

Harry blinked in surprise. “Draco has a research department?”

Hermione huffed a few times at him. “Honestly, Harry, he told me he sent you a notice days ago that he was increasing the size of his staff to handle the myriad jobs he has.”

“Funny you should mention that, Hermione,” said Dan. “We were just discussing earlier how you might be able to help Harry by reviewing the papers he's been getting every morning. Most of them he doesn't need to even see. The problem is he's been getting swamped with paperwork.”

Hermione looked surprised and she turned to look at Harry. He looked back a bit sheepishly. “I could use your help with this stuff. Merlin knows you're more organized than I am.”

Her eyes glowed and she grabbed the large stack of parchments in his in box and started to sort through it, shaking her head at some of the requests she was seeing.

Both Emma and Dan chuckled over their daughter's behavior, but she ignored them. Dan turned serious, glancing between Eocho and Harry.

Harry caught the look. “Dan? Is there something else you want to bring up?”

“It's not so much as wanting to bring it up as needing to bring it up. Eocho and I have had many a conversation about modernizing the Brotherhood, but we have one sticking point which bothers me a lot. To put it simply, Eocho and I are on opposite sides of the coin when talking about crime and punishment.”

Harry looked over at Eocho, who nodded in grim agreement. “A dead thief cannot steal again.” he said solemnly in an uncompromising tone.

Everyone in the room winced at Eocho's pronouncement. Sometimes Druidic justice meant victims were buried alive in peat bogs, or hung, or pitted. It was a brutal form of justice at best.

Harry frowned for a moment, then his eyes widened. “Let me see if I have this straight,” he said, turning back to Dan. “Right now, we imprison a thief for however many years depending on the crime committed, right?”

Dan nodded in agreement.

“Our Honored Teacher here advocates a strict form of justice which, by today's standards, is harsh and unworkable in either the Muggle or Wizarding worlds. Correct?”

Both Dan and Eocho nodded.

“Now, neither of you has a problem with the fact that I have to kill Voldemort, and neither of you seems to consider my killing him as a crime. Why is that?”

Dan glanced and Eocho and motioned for him to speak first.

“It is not a crime to be the instrument of justice, Maglios. Thou are compelled to the deed by necessity and by prophecy. Thy foe hast killed for evil purposes and must be stopped at all costs.”

Harry glanced over at Dan who shrugged. “I'll agree with that,” he murmured.

“Alright, we have someone who has killed on numerous occasions and who is obviously deserving to be punished, but is currently beyond the reach of any legal authority who can punish him.”

He paused and watched as everyone thought about what he was saying. He recognized the look on Hermione's face and wasn't surprised to see it echoed on Emma's just a few seconds later.

The silence dragged on for a moment longer. “Then the solution is to ignore the crimes that regular government can deal with and just deal with those people who have moved themselves outside of the law?” asked Tonks in a perplexed tone.

It took another minute as people pondered that thought and Harry watched as they all started nodding.

“Precisely. The Brotherhood will have many roles to fulfill, but serving as judge and executioner should only happen when it's fallen outside of the bounds of regular society. At least, that's how I saw this particular problem,” he said, slightly embarrassed.

“Harry,” Hermione said softly, “don't be embarrassed by that idea. It even took me a moment to catch up to where you were heading with it.” She turned them to look at her father and Eocho. “I'm curious however. How come neither of you thought of that idea?”

Dan and Eocho managed to look suitably embarrassed.

“Sometimes, my daughter, the fight over a thing is more fun than the thing itself,” Eocho said, wrapping the tattered remains of his dignity around himself while Hermione rolled her eyes.

Haven Town Hall...

Harry walked onto the stage and took a seat near the podium that had been set up. The hall had been expanded magically for tonight's meeting and it looked as though the entire population of Haven was planning on attending. He sat next to Amelia and Ragnok, both of whom looked far more comfortable than he did. He smiled as Michael O'Dalley took a seat next to him.

In the front row sat Hermione, Remus and Tonks and the rest of the Brotherhood. For tonight, Harry had insisted that all of those in the Brotherhood wear their now customary costume of the light tan concealment cloak with the Celtic Cross on the breast. The cloaks had been modified to include a much larger cross on the back. Eocho had not insisted on any sort of costume for the Brotherhood, but he highly approved of the cloaks as part of their formal dress.

Harry stopped daydreaming when Amelia stood and approached the podium. Casting Sonorus on herself, she began to speak. “If every one can please take a seat, we can get started.”

She smiled at several people in the audience while the crowd settled down. “Thank you all for coming here tonight. We called this meeting because we wanted to address some concerns in regard to dropping the Fidelius charm on the town of Haven. Now, before begin, I want to say that the charm will come down tomorrow morning for the entire town only. This does not include the school, Operations Center or the Manor House.”

As the crowed moved restlessly, Harry scowled. His original plan had been to drop the charm on everything but the Manor and the Operations Center, but Millicent's information about the students at the Haven School had necessitated adding the school to the list. It would make it that much harder for those students to cause mischief if they couldn't owl their parents so readily.

His thoughts cut off abruptly as the noise level in the hall rose.

“You people are setting us up as targets for a Death Eater attack!” someone shouted from the back of the hall. Several voices echoed his concern and a number of people stood, shouting back and forth at each other. It was only a matter of time before curses were flying.

Harry frowned. The meeting had barely started and it was already developing towards a full scale riot. He leaned over to O'Dalley. “Signal your men, Michael.”

O'Dalley blinked in surprise at hearing the order so soon, then he nodded in agreement. He waved at his head constable, who smiled grimly and nudged the man next to him. Within moments the lead constable had the attention of his men.

Forty men spread out along the walls of the hall and lifted their wands. As one, they cast the cannon blast spell, which momentarily deafened and silenced everyone in the hall.

Amelia shot a grateful look at O'Dalley and turned back to the crowd. “Now, if you are finished complaining, you can sit down and relax while I explain why this action was necessary and what steps your government has taken in order to ensure your safety.

“First, I will ask Mr. Harry Potter to explain why we needed to drop the charm in the first place.”

Amelia stepped back from the podium and Harry stood. There was a moment of silence, then someone started clapping. Before he could reach the podium, only a few short feet away, the clapping had spread throughout the hall, embarrassing him greatly. He stood at the podium and the sound of the clapping washed over him. Finally, he held up a hand, his expression practically begging people to stop.

Slowly the tumult began to die down. Hermione shot him a comforting look and he tried to relax. He amplified his voice with his wand, then let it slip back into its holster.

“Thank you, my friends. I am not used to speaking in public, so I'll ask you to bear with me. As of this morning, the town of Haven and its school boasted a total of four thousand nine hundred and sixty residents, most of whom are British subjects who have escaped the troubles back home. Haven is a safe harbor from those troubles, but as a town we have failed to achieve one critical thing; a working economy.

“Haven has Ollivanders and Weasley Wizarding Wheezes, although I believe they are closing their shop in order to dedicate their services to taking back our home...” he said, then paused as a ground swell of applause for the Weasley twins surged through the hall. Both twins bounced from their seats and waved wildly to the audience before sitting again. When the applause died down, he continued. “When I invited Gringotts to open a branch office here, it was correctly pointed out that so long as the town remained hidden from the rest of the Irish Wizarding community, we could never achieve a working economy.

“As part of my negotiation's with Gringotts, they have agreed to offer long term, low interest loans to anyone wanting to start up a business here in Haven. They are willing to offer reduced rates on business accounts and business services until your business gets off the ground.

“We have three times the number of people who lived and worked in Hogsmeade, but there isn't a single pub or robe shop or bookstore in Haven. There are dozens of empty storefronts and we have the ability to add dozens more. For those who aren't interested in running their own business, the businesses will be hiring people. So will the Ministry and other industries which will be moving into this area.

“No doubt some of you have heard about the large building being erected behind main street. That building will be the new home of Granger Publications, the only wizarding publishing house that combines wizard and muggle materials. They will be hiring in the next few weeks, as well.”

Harry ignored the stunned looks from Dan, Emma and Hermione. That would be a conversation for later, and not here in front of everyone.

“The charm needs to be taken down so that we can breath life into our town and so that people could find jobs. We aren't taking it down in order to make you targets. Far from it. We have taken extra steps to protect you. I am going to steal a little of Amelia's speech and let everyone here know that a few days ago I placed a line of death around Haven just like the one I put around Britain. No one with a dark mark will survive crossing that line, and no one with a black aura will cross it with becoming truly ill.”

Harry stepped away from the Podium and took his seat. He motioned for Amelia to take over. There was moment of stunned silence followed by another round of thunderous applause.

Amelia stepped up to the podium and amplified her voice again. “Thank you, Mr. Potter. I'd like to remind everyone that afterwards we will open up the floor to a question and answer session, now as to the other steps we have taken in order to ensure everyone's safety...”

Harry tuned Amelia out. He had heard about these steps dozens of times over the last month. He looked out over the hall and had to admit to being impressed by the large number of people. Then, as usual, his eyes sought out Hermione. No matter how much time they spent together, he still searched for her when they were apart. She was the brightest spot in his life and, like a moth to a flame, he was drawn to her. He watched her, calmly listening to Amelia, and thought about how empty his life had been before she'd become a part of it.

Hermione shifted uneasily in her seat for a moment then she turned her head, searching. Spotting Harry, she smiled shyly. There were times when he could look at her and make her feel weak in the knees. He was sitting up on the stage, not really staring, but he was looking at her with his heart in his eyes. He smiled gently at her when she smiled at him. She suppressed the urge to giggle because Harry's look could only be described as moonstruck.

Finally he turned his attention back to Amelia before her parents, or worse, Remus, spotted him staring at her.

The meeting quickly moved onto the question and answer phase. Harry was a bit surprised at how many people asked the same question in different ways, but Amelia stressed that the constabulary wasn't the only resource Haven could call upon if they needed more manpower. The large Auror force from the Ministry Operations Center would be available and, of course, there were the incoming Auror volunteers from the Americas that could help in a pinch, if need be.

One question, however, did catch Harry off guard.

“I saw Albus Dumbledore in Stonewall Lane last week! Why isn't he helping us?” came the shouted question.

Harry paled and resisted the urge to stand. Amelia glance over at him with a calming look.

“At the time of the fall of Britain, the true British Ministry considered Albus Dumbledore a wanted fugitive. He is wanted for questioning on a number of possible criminal charges. Frankly, we were unaware, until today, that he had managed to escape from Britain. But the simple fact is, the man is wanted in connection with a number of crimes. We have informed the Irish Ministry and other Ministries around the world of his fugitive status.”

The hall descended in a murmur as neighbor spoke to neighbor about the great Dumbledore. Muggles, not knowing any better, were filled in by their Wizarding neighbors.

Amelia held up her hands. “I know this comes as a great shock to many, but the evidence we have in this matter will stand up in a court of law. In fact, until Archibald Richfield assumed the post of Minister and gave the country to Voldemort, I was in charge of the investigation against Dumbledore.”

There was a long moment of silence following Amelia's words, then some woman at the back yelled out, “We've still got Potter!”

A collective sigh of relief ran through the audience and it seemed by unanimous approval the meeting was over. People started standing and heading to the food tables that were being filled by the kitchen crew and several dozen house elves.

Amelia glanced warily at Harry, thankful that people hadn't asked for additional clarification on the charges. He sat stonily through the last of her statement, but she could see the anger smoldering behind his eyes. She walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He glanced up at her curiously.

“I promised you we'd bring him to justice, Harry,” she said softly. “I intend to keep that promise.”

He relaxed a little and nodded. “I know, Amelia. It just caught me off guard. I thought he was part of my past and wouldn't trouble me anymore.”

“We'll try to see he doesn't bother you anymore, Lord Potter,” said O'Dalley. The Irishman, now in charge of the constables of Haven, smiled at Harry, offering his support. Amelia stepped back, releasing his shoulder.

“I think I know exactly what will liven up your mood, Harry, and here she comes now.”

Harry stood and looked at Hermione who stared at him with an expression of worry. He took two steps and embraced her tightly.

“I'm alright, love. It just caught me by surprise, that's all,” he whispered. Then he turned when he heard the sound of music coming from the far end of the hall. A number of elves were clearing away the chairs and a group of towns folk had started playing music. Couples were already taking advantage of the music and the cleared space.

Harry looked back at Hermione and chuckled at her expression. “Perhaps tonight I should get Olga off my back?” he asked with a smile that made her weak in the knees again.

“How so?”

“Let's go dancing,” he said impishly.

Author's Notes:

TAAAA DAAAA! Once again you've hit the bottom of the file. The end of the line, the last chance for gas. Yes, it's the dreaded Author's notes, which shouldn't be confused with the Author's Noses which is disgusting and snot a nice thing.

To our ONE reviewer complaining that chapter five was too long, we decided to ask some of our other readers. At the time of this writing one hundred and ninety six people responded to our question of “Are the chapters getting to long?”

Zero people responded to the answer of “Yes my brain hurts trying to read so much.”

Ninety Five people responded to the answer of “No, I read War and Peace in a single sitting.”

And one hundred and one people responded to the answer of “I don't care as long as you keep posting.”

There you have it gentle reviewer with the short attention span. The masses seem to have no problems with the size of our chapters. So we're throwing a Bronx cheer out to all those with the short attention spans. And you have our pity. The people have spoken.

No Harry will not be driving an Astin Martin, a BMW or even the ever popular Super Yugo.

We've decided to comment on all those people that think it's cool to leave descriptive reviews consisting entirely of punctuation characters. So here is our comment.

^$%%#^##**@!!!#@^#$##!!@@#$$%__--++!!!!

Enough said.

About the Updateless list. It is my intent to first bitch about all those stories which I happen to like. After I run out I'll be seeking candidates for the list.

For those of you wanting a Harry/Dumbledore face to face rumble, it's coming. First we have to open up Haven so that others can find it.

There seems to be a lot of concern over Charlie and why he's following Dumbledore. Remember that Charlie was found by Dumbledore. He was wounded at the time and seriously exhausted. Dumbledore cared for him and plied him with carefully crafted 'truths'. Some people have trouble believing that he wouldn't be so blindly believing of him. But in our version of the Potterverse he hasn't had everything explained to him, and because Dumbledore got to him first, things are going to see... off to him.

Eventually Harry will learn about Ginny's feelings towards Charlie. But for now it's enough that Draco knows, and that Charlie and Harry haven't been brought in close contact yet.

Fawkes abandoned Dumbledore in Sunset, and no, we will not be seeing Fawkes returning to this story.

Fawkes is currently vacationing in the Disney World Tiki hut where he can be seen in twelve shows daily.

And now....

THE UPDATELESS LIST!

The Cleansed Power by Doreedo.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2438537/1/

This little three chapter Gem hasn't been updated since September of 05. The author has some really interesting ideas and a concise, easy to read, writing style. Unfortunately The Cleansed Power seems to have run out of steam.

Back to:: Harry Potter » Sunrise Over Britain

Sunrise Over Britain
Chapter 6 - Far Reaching Decisions

By Bobmin

Sunrise Over Britain Chapter 6 - Far Reaching Decisions

By Bobmin

Sunrise Over Britain
Chapter 6 - Far Reaching Decisions